Newspaper on the move

I had rushed to the airport to pick up Andy. There was urgency in his voice and I did not know why. He was on his way back from England after covering the Ashes. Andy works with USA Today and covers International Sport. I had carried my laptop as he had requested me to. The moment I reached the airport, Andy stormed into the car. All he told me was to drive him straight to his office. This meant a good one and half hour drive from the airport.

He picked up my laptop and plugged in his PDA and while doing this he told me his laptop had crashed. When I enquired about his stress he went on to tell me one of the world’s best cricketers living in the US died and he needed to file an Obituary for tomorrow’s edition. It was almost 3 PM and with my limited understanding I knew he had to file in his report earliest by 4.30 PM to catch the morning edition.

I knew his PDA was loaded with Apps-D and it was a mobile office by itself. It was amazing to watch how he managed to open his personal laptop files using the PDA. Already having a few websites that had information of this cricketer, he dragged all the information on to the laptop, opened his Outlook extracted some info and opened QuarkExpress which was also loaded on his PDA.

I kept driving and there was silence from his end as he was really busy trying to finish the story. I noticed he had finished editing the story in Microsoft Word and transferred all the files onto QuarkExpress. He called the Chief Editor, queried about the space allotted for the article and he got down to creating the layout which was ready in less than 20 minutes. Opening his mail again, he made a .tif file and mailed it off to his editor.

I asked him how many files he could store on his PDA. He mentioned Apps-D requires a minimum of 128 MB space inclusive of the applications. As we were driving, his editor called and told him to check his mail. He checked his mail and there was a PDF of the complete page layout. I peered into his screen and I got a sneak preview of tomorrow’s Sports Page.

I told him “so I can surprise my wife by showing her tomorrow’s newspaper layout today?” Andy frowned, saying “Hello…! You are not going to do anything like that…what makes you think the layout is stored on your system? Please understand, Apps-D does not leave any traces on the host machine, nor does it cache private information in the host's browser history.” I was kidding but I was kicked to see the next day’s newspaper being created on my laptop and of course using my favorite Apps-D.

Travelogue

I am addicted. Yes, you heard it right, I am addicted, to traveling. Istanbul, Egypt, China, India, Burma, Greece. I have seen some and I want to see more. I am a businessman and travel is a part of my job description. I need not travel to all these locations but I tweak my plans so that I can visit the places I want to. Still don’t see the problem? Well, you see, I travel with my laptop. So I need to lug that piece of technology around wherever I go. I’d sometime need to conduct meetings at a short notice. Hey, traveling with a laptop and some hitches is far better than not traveling at all. But yes, it is an inconvenience. Not the demand on my time by the business, but carrying the laptop around. Sometimes the laptop is not charged and the meetings get postponed and my schedule goes haywire. I then regret the places not seen because most often than not I don’t get an opportunity to go back and see them again. I put them on my ‘have to see’ list. The list just grows.

I have been looking for a solution to my problem and the last time I went to a business lunch, I happened to mention it to my client. He said there was a solution and was surprised that I had not looked at it yet. He mentioned about an application called I-Flapp. He said he has been using it for a long time now and it’s been extremely useful. He thought maybe I should take a look at it.
As soon as I reached home, I looked up the device and I was happily surprised that it suited my needs perfectly. Once the application is installed on the device, it literally carries my desktop everywhere. I could carry my PowerPoint, my messenger, my outlook and all my other applications in a small external USB drive, to accessed from any computer anywhere.
I can also carry my music and my games. Needless to say, I need not carry my laptop during my excursions anymore. I can probably plug it in the local internet café and access my work using just my I-Flapp device. Security is not an issue either, as there are no traces of my work left behind on any of the computers I’m working from. I can sync back changes from the work done back to my laptop (when I am back to where my laptop is). I am thrilled with the find. I can now travel without any need to be in a hotel room at a particular time to plug in my laptop and work. I just need an internet café. For that matter, any computer, anywhere will do. Well, that’s another story altogether. Till someone invents internet café’s in a pocket, I-Flapp will work nicely. I dare say I am as addicted to my I-Flapp now, as I am to traveling…ummm…well almost.

All in a day’s work

We had a call from a leading FMCG brand manager of a leading television brand for which we were invited to pitch. In situations like these, all teams across the country require to be on red alert. To get a variety of creative inputs, we give each branch a different brief.

The presentation was complete and while we boarded the agency’s private jet, I knew a big day was ahead. I was happy that we did not have to cart the laptop. We reached one of the cities and my CEO plugged in his PDA. He was working straight from it and the laptop which was given to him transformed into his laptop’s desktop. He opened his PowerPoint and made his presentation and in between I had to support filling details of the direction for creative. There were occasions when I had to open a Photoshop file. The laptop did not have the software but I opened it with ease as the complete application was stored on his PDA. I also had a copy of the presentation and with the file being close to about 100 MB, I could load it on to a USB 2.0. That was the beauty of the Apps-D.

After the meeting my CEO asked the secretary to mail him the minutes of the meeting. He logged on to his mail and I could see his mail box was being accessed through the PDA - another winner from Apps-D. He read through the document made a few changes and attached the brief which we had just discussed and mailed it. While he was opening to check the PowerPoint he opened the brief meant for another branch. I could see that he was absolutely unperturbed. I realized that Apps-D was the safest and no traces would be left behind and nothing remains in the host system and not even in the cache.

As we walked towards the aircraft, I thought to myself this exercise was to be repeated 3 times. As we fastened our seat belts, I said to him “My gut feel is we would win the million dollar Television deal.” I could see the happiness on my CEO’s face and a nod. Digging into his pocket he pulled a cigarette and lit it up. As he inhaled the smoke, he crooned to me “I think we need to get more of these i-flapp Apps-D along with PDAs for our executives across the country rather than investing on laptops.” As the cigarette burnt and the wisps of smoke trailed in the air, I thought to myself anything for convenience and for a million dollar business. It’s after all, all in a day’s work.

Celluloid Dreams and Apps-D

There was panic on her face. There was something that was not right. Pooh is doing her MS in Communication and I have mentored her. This time it was a big one. She had chosen to work on a documentary ‘The Influence of hoardings on people’s lives’ and I was helping her edit it. All that was left were the titles, background score and voice over and she needed to be taking the edit to the studio to complete it.

One of her woes was the software we worked on are advanced versions. I was watching her panicking but I knew I had it all set. I pulled out my iPod, copied the final edit which was on Power Director and Sound Forge.

“How the heck will it all fit in here and what about the darn software, more over they work on Windows Vista?” she screamed. So typical of a jumpy college kid but there was not a cringe on my face as I continued copying the files.

“Come on Zacko! I would be stumped if it does not open at the studio” said Pooh.

To get her more flustered, I continued giving her a deaf ear. She could not take it any longer. She stomped up and dragged me to the computer. Not in a mood to do the talking, I pulled a neatly creased paper and gave it to her. She looked at and read aloud “i-flapp Apps-D” her loud reading reduced to a murmur bringing sunshine back on her face.

“So your iPod is loaded with this?” she asked

“Yes!” was the only monosyllable I managed.

“Can I load it on to my USB?”

“Gosh…it’s all there Pooh…!” I bellowed. She was impatient and wanted to hear it all.

“Okay the Apps-D works on any top-tier USB external hard drive and USB Flash drive.” continuing in the same breath like a salesman I told her “For optimum Apps-D experience an USB 2.0 with a minimum storage of 128 MB is best.”

“Hey what fun…I can actually work on the same files using their system.” I could see for a moment she felt like a scientist and screamed even louder “so the storage is dependant on the application and data installed.” She was even more elated to tell me “Hey it works on Windows 2000/ XP home and Professional/2000 & 2003 server and BINGO…on Window Vista too!”

Thank God for user manuals.

“I don’t want to leave my edits around…this one’s made for the Cannes, you see” she said sarcastically with her nose sticking in the air.

“I wouldn’t mind taking away the Lion!” I replied jeering at her in the same spirit. I went on to explain how nothing remains on the host machine, nor does it cache private information in the host's browser history.

Another of those days when i-flapp played hero! I gave her my iPod and she left with those celluloid dreams of a Lion at Cannes for a documentary.

Carrying the Gaming Addiction all along

It was not too long ago that I had spoken about a friend of mine and how he is hooked on to gaming. While I was surfing the net, I came across gaming addicts who are annoyed about the fact that they cannot carry their games with them wherever they go.

There are some of them who travel and they appear to be almost undergoing withdrawal symptoms of a druggie because they are itching to play a game. I wonder if they have heard of Apps-D. This blog goes out to all those guys who may want to find an alternate fix and indulge in their games. All you guys need to do is load your games on to an USB drive. And of course to get optimum experience an USB 2.0 with a minimum storage of 128 MB is all that is required. So along with the music you carry in your iPod you can also carry your games. And if you love to continue from where you stopped, Apps-D allows you to do it.

Just plug the device that carries your games into any desktop or notebook computer with a USB 2.0 port and you can indulge. Well if you think this is not possible, you will be surprised that the best part of it all is that the storage is totally dependant on the application and data installed and it runs on Windows 2000/ XP Home and Professional / 2000 & 2003 server. In fact you can even use it on Window Vista.

I am sure the games you guys play must be exclusive and do not want others to have them. it is all possible with this software. If you think you will be leaving traces of the game on the systems you use, you can put that doubt to rest. Your games are exclusively yours and facts are it does not leave any traces behind where other people might use them.

There are many brands that are available. I may not be able to recommend which is the best but I know that i-flapp Apps-D is quite popular among my friends who are hardcore gamers.

Now why not add extra pleasure to your travel and carry your addiction with you.

Winning Accounts. Improving ROI

Being in the advertising industry, there have been occasions where when we meet clients there would be just a few changes required. These changes hardly take a few minutes and can be done immediately. If we could make these changes right there, it would mean saving the rigmarole of mailing the revised creative and getting another round of approval or worse still meeting the client for a small deletion or addition that has been made.

So these days, we have cracked the big one and when my friend and I step out for meetings, there are times when we do not carry a laptop. All that we do is carry a flash drive which is plugged into the spare laptop or desktop of our client and work. We have won many accounts this way. What we carry with us is a simple portable app which can be carried like any other portable device and used on any computer. There are many brands of this portable app available in the market. But we find using the i-flapp quiet safe and easy to use. So all you need to do is plug it in, and there is immediate access to your software and data just as you would on your own PC.

There are no Operating Systems issues. Once plugged in, the presentation will appear exactly like it was in the system that it was worked on. Now in case the client requires a little bit of changes, all we do is open the PhotoShop or Corel files and make the required the changes. This helps us get immediate approvals and saves a lot of time.

Now with past experiences where clients have been unethical and robbed our creative, it’s more a lesson well learnt. We can now open files very confidently anywhere and everywhere. And there is no need to panic about leaving traces behind because there are no remnants of the presentation on the computer which was used for the presentation. So when we unplug, there’s nothing left behind.

This has truly helped us save a lot of time and money as well. In fact there are times we have made changes in newspaper ads in the last minute before it was ready for positives.

We would suggest that every designer or advertising personnel carry one and it makes life simple.

Accounting anywhere any place

Recently my friend - a chief accountant with an MNC landed home. He is one of those guys who has a way around numbers. While we chatted I noticed his pronounced enthusiasm where he wanted to explain about the new ERP software his company was operating on. I was aware of what he was talking because my last assignment was with a firm that used this particular software though I was not part of the accounts.

We both ended up appreciating the intelligence of this software but my friend did have a concern. He was a little annoyed by the extensive nature of the software and how every single division in accounts—right from the Bank Reconciliation to Export-Import Duty was calculated on this software. Another major concern was that he could only work from office.

I asked him if it were rule of thumb that he needed to work from office but the reason for his panic was that he might leave traces of sensitive company information if he worked on other systems.

That’s when I realized that it would just make sense to use the I-Flapp with Apps-D installed. I told him how he can load all his accounts on to an USB drive. He was worried of file sizes. Then I did enlighten him how for the optimum experience, an USB 2.0 with a minimum storage of 128 MB is all that is required.

He was thrilled to know that all his accounts can be stored on any USB and how the application of ERP software itself would be copied. All he had to do was to plug into any desktop or notebook computer with a USB 2.0 port and it works. In fact, it runs on Windows 2000/ XP Home and Professional / 2000 & 2003 server.

Another of his main concerns were related to security which I addressed by clearly explain to him that nothing remains in the host system and not even in the cache.

The next thing I remember, when he was at home he has this call from his HO in New York. It was all about numbers. All my friend did was to plug in his USB and use my system to open his files.

So now it appeared he had the whole of his company in his pocket.

Technical Challenge(d)

All right All right!!!...I admit! I am forgetful. I am also very technically challenged. My knowledge of technology does not extend to a wide realm. But hey, I have a claim to expertise in burning CDs on the computer; I am really good at that. You see, I’m a behavioral knowledge expert and I make presentations in various institutions.
This required me to buy a laptop, which I duly bought. So far so good. I loved my laptop, made my job simpler. I could carry it with me everywhere. But hey, I tend to be late sometimes and being late meant I rushed out of the home without my laptop. This caused a lot of embarrassment and not to mention some ire from the organizers. I was suitably mortified and tried to work around my forgetfulness.
This is when I discovered the convenience of CDs. I used to make my presentations and save them on my system and copied the same on to a CD and put it in my bag the same day. This way I ensured that I had a copy of my presentation if I happened to forget my laptop. So problem solved, or so I thought. One day I took a wrong presentation to a very important college I was speaking at. Mortification again. I was saved that day purely because the event was postponed and I made a friend of mine rush to the venue with the laptop and the correct CD. My forgetfulness was a bane and I was seriously considering therapy when the friend of mine suggested a solution.
After seeing me struggle with my forgetfulness and my attempts at working around it, she suggested a device called I-Flapp. She said it’ll help me carry my desktop anywhere instead of me burning all those cds. It was small and it could be plugged into any system she said. I was skeptical, if it was small, it was more likely that I would forget to carry it. She told me to put it on a keychain with the car keys. She insisted that it was worth buying. I went and bought it and now I am so glad that I did.
It is really simple to use. Even I could figure out how to use it. I bought the I-Flapp with the application in it. I just needed to launch the application after I finished working on my system. The next time I carried it to a presentation. I plugged it in and voila! I could access my work which I did on my laptop at home. Actually I could access my desktop with all my files in it. This included not just my presentations but also my music and my research files and my messenger. I could also access my Outlook. I was thrilled. It also saved changes made while I was working away on a different system, I could incorporate the same into my laptop later. It also has a safe removal feature which removes all the traces of your work from the host computer, so there is no fear of leaving work behind.
I am very happy that I started using it, I am now not so technically challenged as before if I may say so for myself. And oh yes, did I forget to say that it took care of my forgetfulness?