Greenwich Construction Ltd - Assignment Example

Accounting Information System and Strategy Greenwich Construction Ltd. Company are reviewing the types of ICT devices they should provide to their employees to enable them to maximize their effectiveness when working away from their office. Some of the devices which can be useful for the company are; Laptop: This is the basic miniature version of a desktop computer. It helps in carrying the office along and also makes working at home a lot more comfortable. With the help of networking, officials can remain in constant touch through instant messaging and emails. Laptop or Notebook (as some people prefer to call it) is generally smaller than a briefcase, which can be easily transported and conveniently used in temporary spaces such as on airplanes, in libraries, temporary offices, and at meetings. A laptop typically weighs about 5 pounds and is 3 inches or less in thickness. Companies like Greenwich Construction Ltd. can even order for bulk supplies with special requests to laptop manufacturers for adding some more company specific features on all the laptops. This way it gives a unique identity to the laptops. Of course it will depend on the number of laptops that are being procured. Laptop computers generally cost more than desktop computers with the same capabilities because they are more difficult to design and manufacture. A laptop can effectively be turned into a desktop computer with a 'docking station', a hardware frame that supplies connections for peripheral input/output devices such as a printer or a larger monitor. Palmtops: In its consistent urge to make gadgets smaller, the computer itself was reduced from a huge ENIAC to the small PC and then to laptop. Now we are in the age of palmtops. A palmtop is also called a Personnel Digital Assistant (PDA), a Smart Phone, or Pocket PC. It was during the late eighties that we heard about PDA. But after some initial hiccup, it has now firmly established itself in the communication world. PDA is a handheld digital organizer. In fact Personal Digital Assistant is a term for any small mobile hand held device that provides computing and information storage retrieval capabilities for personal or business use. It was in the year 1993 when its first variant 'Newton' appeared from the stable of Apple Computers Ltd. But the price tag of $700 for a complicated and not very useful product (at that time) proved to be too prohibitive for the product to become popular. It was in the year 1996 when US Robotics brought out its Pilot series with newer features that PDAs started becoming a sought after device. Calendar, notepad and address books, mobile phone with GSM technique are now common features on a PDA. Therefore now the user can; Write a memo while on the move, Use the calendar , Use it as a Personal Information Manager Jot down notes on the LCD screen from the heights of an airplane, Talk to the boss, Combine computing, telephone/fax, and networking features Send an email to other colleagues. Surf the net for useful information about the construction business or to know the latest trend the real estate market. Chat with the networked group, passing on information/ instructions to subordinates and colleagues. Transfer urgent files on the net. Can sign the important files using digital signatures with appropriate notings. Take photographs of some eye-catching building architecture for future reference To top it all the device prices are consistently coming down day by day. The range starts from as little as $150. Much like a traditional computer, PDAs consist of a display screen (the screen is usually a touch screen, and it is called a LCD display), a processor, memory, and an operating system. There is a wide range of operating systems that PDAs run on, one of the most popular being the Palm OS. Microsoft also has PDA operating system called Windows CE. While the PalmPilot is widely known because of its influence on the market, there's a wide range of PDAs for today's consumer to choose from. What is most amazing about a PDA is its low power consumption (as compared to Laptop or a PC). Despite a shaky start, PDAs have certainly taken off, and the future holds more promise as broadband and wireless Internet connectivity makes it way to PDAs. Some important features of this device are; Pocket versions of Microsoft applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. Synchronization with Microsoft Outlook on a Windows PC Handwriting-recognition applications: like Transcriber, Letter Recognizer, Graffiti, or Block Recognizer Handwriting-recognition programs allow the user to enter text using a stylus, which is like a pen without ink. Many devices also have built-in or slide-out keyboards. A virtual writing area, which maximizes the display size Windows Media Player for multimedia content A vast library of third-party application softwares that can be added to the system. A cell phone with PDA capabilities (or a traditional PDA with added cell phone features). Internet access through cellular data networks Wi-Fi card for e-mail and Web support. Multimedia features such as a digital camera, MP3 player and a video player Blackberrys, Palm Pilots and Treo are some established brands available in market. Smart Watches: The trend in technology of getting more and more "connectivity" into smaller and smaller packages brings us to Smart Watches as the next step. Such watches offer many PDA functions in a wristwatch form factor. Smart Watches work using a technology developed by Microsoft called Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT). Microsoft announced this project in 2003. SPOT is a new computing platform designed to bring the power of .NET to everyday objects. SPOT allows for enhanced miniaturization, low power consumption and a low cost solution allowing for accessories such as watches to become more purposeful through the power of software. The technology could potentially be integrated into all kinds of everyday objects, turning things like key chains and refrigerator magnets into sources of useful data. SPOT works using FM broadcasting, to deliver Web-based data to Smart objects. Smart Watches receive more than 200 channels of information that are broadcast on a radio spectrum leased by Microsoft. Companies can make use of this frequency spectrum by paying some service charges to Microsoft. Microsoft created DirectBand Network is used to send data to Smart Watches and other SPOT objects. DirectBand consists of two components: a special chipset in the watch that houses the radio receiver and a nationwide, wide-area network (WAN). This technology is still in the evolutionary stages and working only in limited countries/ cities. Companies like Suunto, Fossil, Tissot and Swatch are some of the companies producing SPOT-enabled watches. Main components of a Smart Watch are; Piezo (piezoelectric ceramic crystal) - This material expands and contracts when electric current is applied. The Piezo crystal in the watch acts as a tiny speaker driver, allowing the Smart Watch to generate sound. CPU - The Smart Watch is basically a tiny computer with a very specific job, and the CPU is the brains of that computer. Smart Watch uses an ARM 7 TDMI as its central processor. DirectBand radio receiver chip - This chip was made specifically for the Smart Watch and that is how the MSN Direct service connects to the watch. These chips are the heart of SPOT technology. Inductive charging coil - This is used to charge the battery. The coil is attached to the contact surface on the back of the watch. When this surface comes in contact with the charging plate on the watch stand, the Smart Watch battery is charged through induction. RFID Devices: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) not only function as a facilitator technology but also as one of several automatic identification sensor-based technologies. It consists of three key elements: RFID tags (transponders, typically miniaturised chips); RFID readers (transceivers); and A data collection, distribution, and management system that has the ability to identify or scan information with increased speed and accuracy. RFID technology is now a days actively being deployed to control different business processes, track assets, enable financial transactions, as proximity cards, pay tolls and gas, as well as to allow secure building access and other applications. It offers promise as the first iteration of intelligent sensor networks. Capable, smaller, cheaper devices such as chips, sensors and actuators are increasingly (inter) connected through radio technology at the edge of IP networks to produce intelligent and innovative applications. Like the Internet or mobile telephony, RFID is a networking technology. RFID tags, i.e. inexpensive chips with wireless communications ability that attach information to everyday objects and enable their remote identification, can be combined with sensors, with localization functions enabled by Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, or with mobile telephony, and inter-connected to IP networks. Some cell phone manufacturers are preparing for the release of communication devices incorporating RFID for bringing about a sea change in the way some services like credit card etc. are used. With the help of Near Field Communication technology making hotel room reservation for the executive on the move will become a lot simpler. Types of Services: 1. GSM/3-GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication): GSM has been in use for quite some time now, while 3-GSM is the latest addition to the GSM family. 3GSM enables the provision of mobile multimedia services such as music, TV and video, rich entertainment content and Internet access. The technology on which 3GSM services are delivered is based on a GSM network enhanced with a Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) air interface - the over-the-air transmission element. Global operators, in conjunction with the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP) standards organization, have developed 3GSM as an open standard. 2. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is the world's most ubiquitous wireless data service, available now with almost every GSM network. GPRS is a connectivity solution based on Internet Protocols that supports a wide range of enterprise and consumer applications. 3. EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution): Further enhancements to GSM networks are provided by EDGE technology. It provides up to three times the data capacity of GPRS. 4. Quad band: Quad means four (4). So this service operates on four bands. The GSM standard originated in Europe, where mobile phones occupy two frequency bands: one in the 900-MHz range and one in the 1800-MHz range. But when GSM technology crossed the Atlantic to the Americas, it was impossible to reuse the same European frequency bands since the FCC had already allocated those to other devices. Hence, different pair of frequency bands was made available for GSM use: the 850 and 1900-MHz bands. Therefore, a quad-band mobile phone is used to designate a phone that can operate in the 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz GSM frequency bands. Comparison Table: Laptop Palmtop (PDA) Smart Watches RFID Devices Internal Memory Yes (in GBs) Yes (in MBs) Yes Yes Portable Yes Yes Yes Yes Cost $500-$3000 $150-$1000 $500 and more $10 and more (the RFID reader costs more) Screen Size (normal) 14-17" 3-4" 2-3" NA Weight 2-6Kg 200-500gms 50-200gms 5-50gms GSM Enabled No Yes Yes Yes GPRS Enabled No Yes Yes Yes EDGE Enabled No Yes Yes Yes Blue Tooth Enabled Yes Yes Yes NA W-Fi/ Ir DA Enabled Yes Yes Yes NA Quadband No Yes Yes NA Report for Directors: After having a look at these smart devices, and weighing the cost-benefit relationship of these devices, it can be concluded that; Laptops have proved their effectiveness beyond doubt for executives when working away from their office. It comes in many variants and a number of options are available in the market with wide variations in prices depending upon the features. It is portable with weight and forms a full handbag. Laptop manufacturing companies can be taken into confidence for customizing the product to the requirements of Greenwich Construction Ltd. with good price negotiations. PDAs or Palmtops are now in full bloom and are being used by the industry taking maximum advantages of this gadget. To a great extent it integrates the benefits of a laptop with those of a mobile phone or vice-versa. It is lightweight and can even fit into pocket. Computing of daily working nature can be easily done on a PDA. Smart watches are still in the evolutionary stage and experiments are continuing towards inclusion of more features. It is indeed very handy as it can be strapped on wrist. RFIDs have been in use for many years now, but so far these devices have been mainly used for tracking and monitoring purposes, but now with the convergence era in full swing more features are being integrated. These devices are very lightweight and handy as these work on radio frequency waves. References: 1. Legal Resources Glossary. Retrieved July 22, 2006 from KrollonTrack website http://www.krollontrack.com/legalresources/glossary.aspx. 2. How stuff Works. Retrieved July 20, 2006 from http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/pda.htm. 3. How stuff Wroks. Retrieved July 21, 2006 from http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/smart-watch.htm. 4. GSM World, website of GSM family. Retrieved July 22, 2006 from http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/gprs/index.shtml. 5. The Travel Insider, website for a wide variety of travel related information. Retrieved July 22, 2006. Website address; http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/quadbandphones.htm. 6. Hewlett Packard (hp). Retrieved July 23, 2006 from http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.dotemplate_type=landing&landing=notebooks&aoid=1027&jumpid=re_R602_prodexp/hpcom/psg/notebooks. 7. PDA and SmartPhone Reviews and News. Retrieved July 23, 2006 from http://www.brighthand.com/Default.asp. 8. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Directorate for science, technology and industry committee for information, computer and communications policy, Radio-frequency identification (RFID): drivers, challenges and public policy considerations (pp 4-10). Read More