What Software Do Warehouses Use To Keep Track of Inventory

The inventory in your warehouse represents a lot of value, and it is essential to keep track of each and every component. Organizing data has always been a challenge, and new software tools are making it easier than ever to streamline costs and improve productive output.

The Old Ways 

Before computers became common place in the business world, complicated ledgers were kept by hand in log books. Very precise notes of inventory had to be maintained and inventory specialists relied on physical counts of parts. This method was error prone as a human being can only keep track of so much information at a time. While obsolete, upgrading with a personal computer and digital ledgers presents many of the same problems to small businesses.

The Spread Sheet

For small companies or startups, an inventory ledger can be approximated with a well-organized spreadsheet. Spreadsheet software is robust and can perform a number of automated calculations that reduce errors in counts, but as a business grows, this method must be abandoned as well. Spreadsheets do not store history or track process moves. The files must be constantly updated, and there is the risk that important data can be lost. Reports must be generated from scratch, and redundant information between different departments can overwhelm your company’s decision makers.

Dedicated Database

Eventually a large enough company needs to implement a database system to track inventory. With a barcode reader and digital locations, placing parts into a system and tracking their moves through a process is easy. Reports can be generated that help the warehouse staff streamline redundancies. It is even possible to create multiple locations for your components, and the information remains current.
Databases are great tools, but they are still limited in many ways. They require hardware to support the data, and information can only be accessed by those in the warehouse. Reports are much easier to create, but new information must be manually transferred back and forth between business units.

ERP Warehouse Solutions

Most companies now depend on enterprise resource planning software. These are the most advanced and powerful tools that companies have for managing their entire operations. Like the database, the information in your warehouse is easy to organize and keep current, but an ERP system integrates all of the data your company uses into one solution. Each department has easy access to information that impacts its operations.

With current information shared across business units, employees are free to make decisions and respond to changes in the market. It is important for sales staff to know what is available. Customer service reps should be able to see if a delivery has been made on time when responding to a complaint. Accounting departments need to be able to estimate the value of the inventory to balance accounts.

ERP solutions are also readily available to small companies through software service programs. Instead of purchasing and maintaining the computing hardware and software themselves, high speed internet access gives companies the options to contract with a solutions provider. Storing data on a network server operated by an outside company lowers the initial cost and provides quick access to these tools.

The better organized your inventory is, the greater the efficiency you have in your operations. Upgrading with an ERP solution gives your company the opportunity to streamline processes and increase its competitive edge. These tools are more readily available and essential than ever before.

Jaq's Salt Water Charger Powers Up Phones

 

MyFC Unveiled its Jaq – Fuel Cell Charger

A portable power bank which tends to use salt as well as water for recharging smartphones has been put up on show at the Mobile World Congress tech show in Barcelona.Swedish start-up MyFC unveiled its cool technology called Jaq at the CES on Jan 6. It is said that the device is small enough to be slipped into the back pocket and is fuel cell charger.

 It utilises saltwater and oxygen in converting chemical energy into electricity. The Jaq cell charger comprises of colourful rubber sleeve together with a credit card-sized `power card’ containing saltwater. It tends to work by causing detached chemical reaction between the saltwater – fuel and oxygen – oxidant wherein hydrogen molecules from the water tends to enter the fuel cell at the anode.

A chemical reaction shreds the hydrogen molecules of their electrons and the positively charged hydrogen ions are then capable of moving through the electrolyte where the negatively charged hydrogen electron delivers the current via the external circuit. Oxygen, in the meantime, enters the fuel cell at the cathode where the oxygen molecules mingle with the hydrogen electrons returning from the electrical circuit and the hydrogen ions that have been delivered through the electrolyte

Each Power Card Used Only Once

The outcome of the reaction tends to produce electricity and water which the device connects and utilises to charge the phone through a Micro-USB cable. It is said that one power card can generate 1,800 mAH amount of electricity which would be adequate in charging an iPhone 6S completely though each power card could be used only once.

The charger comprises of a credit card shaped `power card’ and a hollowed out port which is about the size of a smartphone. The card contained saltwater that tends to fuel electricity producing chemical reaction when one slips the card into the port.

To obtain electricity to the battery of the phone one needs to plug the phone into the port with a standard cable.The Jaq charger does not require plugging in, since it tends to utilise disposable cartridges in generating power. Chris Foxx of BBC had asked Bjorn Westerholm the company’s chief executive if it was better for the environment than using the normal battery based power banks.

World’s Smallest Charger

It is the world’s smallest charger of its type and the device has got its European unveiling offers up speedy phone charging without the need of plugging it in a socket. It is owing to Jaq powering itself with the help of its own PowerCard that is made of water and salt.

When this is stuck in the charger, some chemical magic hydrogen is created and the charge takes place. It tends to charge a phone just the same time a normal power outlet does. Though the chemical reaction and hydrogen may sound a bit dangerous, MyFC undertakes the responsibility that the chemical reaction seems to be completely safe and that it is also environmental friendly.

The MyFC Jaq seems to be compatible with all phones as well as tablets inclusive of iOS and would be made available in white, black and purple. Though the release date is not yet out, MyFC has put the Jaq up for pre-order wherein one can sign up to have PowerCards sent to them on a subscription basis.

John McAfee offers to Unlock Killer's iPhone for FBI

John McAfee to Break the Encryption on iPhone of Killer Syed Farook

John McAfee the creator of anti-virus software has stated that he would break the encryption on iPhone which tends to belong to San Bernardino killer Syed Farook. He made the offer in an article to FBI which was published by Business Insider. Apple had declined to abide with the court order asking it to unlock the device in-between opinion on whether the firm should be compelled in doing so.

Mr McAfee stated that he together with his team would undertake the task `with no charge’. The offer came up while Mr McAfee continued his campaign as a US presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party. He had claimed in his article that it would take them around three weeks. Graham Cluley, security expert had informed BBC that he was doubtful about Mr McAfee’s claim.

He stated that the iPhone is notoriously difficult to hack when compared to the other devices. Mr Cluley, for instance, had doubts on Mr McAfee’s idea that he could use `social engineering’ to work out the pass-code on the locked iPhone of Farook. It is a procedure wherein the hackers attempt to find out login identifications by deceiving people in disclosing them.

Back Door – iPhones Susceptible to Hacking

Mr Cluley said that `in a nutshell, dead men tell no tales. Good luck to Mr AcAfee trying to socially engineer a corpse in revealing its pass-code’ He added that the FBI is not interested anyway, they want to set a pattern that there should not be locks, they cannot break’. Mr McAfee, in his article had said that he was keen in unlocking the device since he did not want Apple to be forced in implementing a `back door’, a method wherein security services could access data on encrypted devices.

Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple had earlier commented in a statement that the firm did not want to co-operate. He discussed that introducing a back door would make all the iPhones susceptible to hacking by the criminals. Mr McAfee is of the belief that there would be a possibility of retrieving data from the phone by other means, but did not give much details regarding the same.

Tech Firms Support Apple

Those comprising of the Australian Children’s eSafety Commissioners, who had spoken to tech website ZDNet had stated that Apple would not essentially need to introduce a back door. However, the firm is only being asked to provide access to a single device. Other tech firms have supported Apple’s following a few days of debate on how it ought to respond to the request of FBI.

Sundar Pichai, Google boss had expressed his support for Mr Cook and recently chief executive of Twitter Jack Dorsey had added his approval through a tweet. Facebook had mentioned in a statement that it condemned terrorism and had solidarity with the victims of terror, though would tend to continue its policy of opposing requests of diminishing security.

It stated that they would continue to fight aggressively against the necessities for companies in weakening the security of their systems and these demands would develop chilling pattern as well as obstruct the efforts of the company in securing their products.

The Smartphone That You Can Bend

ReFlex – Bendable Smartphone – Get Direction/Read/Play Games

Recently, researchers from the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University in Canada have revealed a lightweight model atthe Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction conference in The Netherlands. It is called ReFlex which is built to bend as well as vibrate providing users with an improved sense of third dimension on their phones while they tend to get directions, read or play games. The phone’s basic hardware comprises of a 720p display which has been developed by LG together with a small phone processor running Android 4.4 `KitKat’.

Users could bend it like a stem or tend to stretch it like a rubber band. Having a bendable phone, users could rapidly thumb through books; feel for highlighted passages or for dog eared pages. Moreover, the flexible phone could also help drivers in keeping their eyes on the road enabling the possibility of `feel’ turn-by-turn directions. With games like Angry Birds, players could also bend their screens stretching out a slingshot with vibrations which could make the phone seem like recoiling rubber band.

However, the most amazing feature of the latest bendy model is that it is basically shatterproof. The secret behind the phone which is quite durable and lightweight is that the screen is plastic and not made of glass.

Android Device Stronger to Bend to 40 Degrees

The trade-off could be a deal-breaker in smartphone industry which has been dominated by glass screens. The phone tends to use off-the-shelf parts meaning a leap to market would not be a big jump. Professor Roel Vertegaal leading the team behind the phone comments that it is technology twelve years in the making. He further added that the phone is mass produceable as it is today.

Vertegaal whose academic research had been sponsored by the Canadian government and Canadian touch tech company, Immersion Corporation will not be building a consumer phone. He states that he will leave it to the Samsung’s and the LG’s of the world. According to his estimates it would take around three to five years in bringing the tech to the market.

The LG OLED display in the phone seems to be the same tech in bendable TVs and for $100, these LG smartphone screens could cost $25 more than a typical glass screen though would make the latest Android device much stronger to bend up to 40 degrees. The phone tends to be more flexible towards the centre with semi-rigid ends, where the 1,280 x 720-pixel display has a bit inferior resolution than an iPhone 6 at 1,334 x 750 pixels.

Flexible OLED Display

ReFlex seems to utilise a Flexible OLED display from LG alike to some of the rollable screens shown recently at CES this year which enables the user to bend it as desired. It is the first flexible phone with the combination of bend input with standard multi-touch abilities which means that one could use touch interaction such as a typical smartphone and also interact with definite apps on bending the phone.

Vertegaal has mentioned that when this smartphone is bent down towards the right, pages tend to flip through the fingers from right to left just like a book. With more extreme bends it would speed up the page flips and users can feel the sensation of the page moving through their fingertips through a detailed vibration of the phone. This would enable eyes-free navigation for the user, thus making it easy to keep track of where they are in a document.

Top PC Monitoring Software 2016

PC monitoring has become a necessity, especially in the organizations where there are a large number of employees with digital privileges. There’s no possible way for you as an employer to keep an eye on each and every individual, and this is exactly what employees take advantage of. They waste their time at work doing mundane activities like watching random videos, chatting with people, checking their social networking profiles, etc. This of course affects the overall performance of the company, which just isn’t acceptable in a competitive market. This is where PC monitoring software can really come in handy as it lets you keep tabs on how employees are using their computer and internet privileges at work. If you’re an employee who’s looking to get rid of the headache related to employees wasting time at work, we’ve got just the software lined up for you. Take a look and pick the one that best suits your needs.

Mobistealth

Mobistealth comes with a slew of awesome features that really puts you in control of your employees’ digital activities. It records every single keystroke typed by the employees during work hours, allowing you to know exactly what they are up to on their computer. Furthermore, there is a screenshot feature that takes pictures on regular basis. That’s not all though as Mobistealth also offers Skype logs. It’s no secret that Skype is a go-to platform for workplace chats, so having an eye on it certainly helps. Apart from the aforementioned features, this tool also comes with Facebook, Yahoo and Gmail chat logging, enabling you to see what’s being conversed. It even empowers you to keep tabs on the emails exchanged via Yahoo, Gmail, and Hotmail accounts. All of Mobistealth’s features are pretty important and if you’re on the hunt of a powerful monitoring software, then this one comes highly recommended.

Spyrix Personal Monitor

Spyrix Personal Monitor is another brilliant monitoring software. It is not as feature-rich as Mobistealth, primarily because its developers have put more of an effort on key logging. It can give you information regarding the passwords, created files, started applications, system logon, system log off, and so much more. Other than that, it provides you with the option of monitoring browsing activity, which is also a great help. With the help of this feature, you can see what sites your employees are visiting, and if you see too many random URLs there, then it is a pretty good sign that they have their priorities all wrong.

All in One Keylogger

As the name suggests, this tool also focuses more on key logging. The best part about this software is that it’s not very complicated. It is designed with the convenience of not so tech savvy people in mind. Even if you don’t possess knowledge about monitoring tools, you will still be able to operate All In One Keylogger without a hitch. All features of this software are presented upfront so that the users can see what’s on offer and then avail them without a problem. Some important features in this tool include key logging, web browser logging, multi-language support, website blocking, and so much more. If you are not good with technology but are really interested in deploying an employee monitoring solution in your workplace, then you should give All in One Keylogger a shot.