Electronics: The Must-Have Accessory

You might not see iPods on Paris runways, but electronics have undergone a transformation from a utilitarian necessity to a fashion accessory. While electronics aren't exactly replacing jewelry as a status symbol - bling is still the thing - the types of gadgets a person can't live without speaks volumes about his or her lifestyle.

Those in the halls of power can't live without a BlackBerry - nor can Hollywood celebrities, it seems. Keeping in touch - anywhere, anytime - makes everything from cell phones to Bluetooth to PDAs must-haves. The popularity of electronics hasn't escaped the notice of those in the automotive world, as microchips have migrated from those controlling the vehicle's on-board computer system to the automotive accessory of the year - the Global Positioning System (GPS).

There are, of course, the ubiquitous headsets, which are connected to cell phones, MP3 players, or - for the electronics fashionista - the iPod nano. On any give airline flight, passengers will have a mind-boggling array of electronics on board to entertain them or keep them otherwise occupied. Computers, music players, and portable gaming devices all appear once cruising altitude is reached. With the plethora of must-have electronics devices, it's a wonder that today's travelers have room to pack their clothes!

Electronics have also begun to accessorize the home. When the X-Box 360 sold out before Christmas 2005, eBay sellers raked in the cash for the must-have gaming console, which sold on the auction site for $1,000 or more. Plasma and LCD televisions are proudly displayed on walls, while microchips are finding their way into our kitchen appliances. While true wireless integration is still some time away, the stage is being set for complete interactivity among all our electronic devices.

Luckily for consumers, the cost of electronics goes down with the passage of time. The newest and greatest must-have is sure to be priced at a discount within eighteen months, and will grace the clearance aisle a year after that. In the meantime, those of us who don't have the cash or the desire to keep up with the trends on the fashion runways or the trends in the world of electronics can continue to observe how the other half lives.

Sales Forece Automation Case Study

When one thinks of the benefits of sales force automation, nothing is more convincing that a case study of a client's success. The case study presented in this article is about a restaurant that was growing rapidly.

The restaurant was the biggest in the region but because of its unique cuisine, which included hundreds of dishes, it was famous beyond the boundaries of the neighborhood. Like many other restaurants, this one offered home deliveries and subscriptions with discounts. The business was growing and so were the problems.

The biggest challenge was to manage orders. Keeping in mind that food cannot wait, proper timing was crucial. On the other hand, managing inventory was also crucial because there were cases of accepting orders for food out of stock.

After having studied some of the available solutions, it was decided that a custom sales force automation solution was better. There was already accounting software in the restaurant, so one of the conditions was to integrate them together. Invoices were also issued electronically, but there was no way to calculate discounts for loyal customers, for quantity or for promotional dishes.

The software development took about half a year, although the first module "delivery scheduler" was deployed a month after the start. The next urgent module was the products inventory module, which was implemented second. Then support for PDAs and mobiles was made, as well as improvements to the invoicing module to allow calculation of different discounts. Finally, the new sales force automation solution was integrated with the existing accounting system.

The result of the implementation of the sales force automation system was that the work process went more smoothly. The introduction of discounts helped in keeping existing customers and in attracting new ones. The reports function in the new software was extremely useful to the managers to track how business was going and what could be improved further.

Using Home Automation to Improve Your Home

Home automation sounds complicated; just the name just conjures up images of complex robot arms doing the dishes and robots scuttling around all over the place. In fact home automation is a lot simpler than this and it is very easy to install and use.

Home automation appliances can enhance the operation of your home and they fall into the following main categories:

• Lighting control.
• Heating control.
• Wall switch control.
• Radio control.
• Infrared control.
• Home security cameras.
• Appliance modules.

Note: There are many more module types for other types of operation

How it works

There are two main ways that home automation works

1 Using the power line wiring 2 Using radio frequency

In either case there is no need to re-wire the house.

Note: There are some professional systems (read expensive) that use dedicated wiring that you need to re-wire the whole house to use.

Home automation brands

There are different brands of home automation products such as

• X10
• Insteon
• Ziggby
• UPB
• Zwave
• Marmitek

(These are explained in a bit more detail on the website)

The most popular home control brand is X10 and because of this it is very affordable and is probably a good choice when starting out. It's called X10 as it was the 10th experiment that worked reliably over the power line and you can buy many different affordable modules.

Lighting control

If you have not come across home automation before then this is probably where you will start as it is easy to install and gives the most immediate results.

To use it you need an RF control module, an RF receiver module and an X10 wall switch module. The wall switch module replaces your existing wall switch (it's a drop in replacement).

You just plug in the RF receiver to a wall plug outlet and set some switches and now you can control the light on or off and as well as set the dimming level (incandescent lamps only).

Controlling all the lights in the house

It does not sound too exiting at first but remember you can add to the system as you need to and since each X10 module is individually controllable you could control all the lights in the house.

Examples of home automation

• Ensure all lights are off in the house without having to check each one.
• Turn on the porch light at night when you come home (so you can see the path)
• Turn off all the lights except the lounge lights.
• Open the garage door.
• Turn on the attic light.
• Set dimming level for all lights e.g. when getting up at night.
• View an external camera on your TV.

All of these could be achieved by one button press on a remote control pad.

Dimmable Fluorescent Lighting And Home Automation

One of the first things you will want to do using home automation is to dim all your controlled lights to preset levels to set the so called scene. One problem is that you can't dim a fluorescent light fixture.

The main reason is that dimmable home automation modules work by sending signals through the bulb and in a fluorescent light there is a ballast resistor that prevents this also the fluorescent light is actually similar to a controlled lightning arc i.e. very high voltage and it will fry any digital (low voltage) electronics attached to it.

Some background on fluorescent lights

A fluorescent tube works by heating liquid mercury until it becomes a vapour and ionizing a gas (usually argon). The ballast device produces extremely high voltage to kick start the ionization process (and once started the voltage falls back to a low level).

Note: This is why the tube flickers on start up - the automatic switch within the tube electronics detects if current flows and re-tries the start process until it does.

Once started the tube settles at its own current level limited by the ballast device. This current level depends on the design of the ballast device and the AC current frequency 120Hz and the specifics of the tube - all these are fixed.

Since the tube contains mercury never break open a fluorescent lighting tube – mercury is poisonous (but there is only a very small amount inside).

One of the reasons the fluorescent tube is so popular is that it is extremely efficient since once the arc is created inside the tube (and it generates ultraviolet light) the white coating on the inside fluoresces due to the ultraviolet and radiates visible light. This process generates no heat so most of the electric energy is converted to light.

In comparison a normal light bulb (incandescent light) is designed to operate by burning a metal in an inert gas and this generates lots of heat as well as a little light.

Note: A fluorescent light is about 5 times as efficient as a normal bulb (this is also why you can buy a 15W flourescent that outputs the same light as a normal 60 watt bulb.

Dimmable fluorescent light

Because of the way the fluorescent lights work you can not dim them but you can use an appliance module to turn them on and off. An appliance module has a relay inside that switches the power to the fluorescent bulb independently from the home automation electronics so that the sensitive electronic circuit is protected.

Best Way To start A Home Automation Business

Home automation business is a direct result of modern technological advances. People all over the country are able to live more leisurely lives. Less and less time must be devoted to the daily tasks of living, leaving more time for us to enjoy ourselves.

Home automation systems are a part of this process. They allow people to live their lives without worrying about watering the lawn, dimming their lights, or controlling their own electronics.

The new popularity of home automation businesses means that businesses targeted towards home automation are showing up all over. Many people would like to learn how to start their own home automation business. Americans want to pay money to make their lives easier, and home automation businesses can help them do that and turn a profit. People who don't want to spend their precious time watering the lawn can have their sprinklers set on an automatic timer. They can have the luxury of a watered lawn without even having to put in any effort, as long as they're willing to spend the money.

Home automation businesses owe their success to the rapidly advancing pace of technology. Businesses become easier to run with great efficiency because of these advances in technology. Home automation businesses can help their customers control all their tasks in life with the literal press of a button. These tasks are performed automatically, without additional human intervention.

When starting your own home automation business, be sure to hire and contract with reliable people. You want a good company to partner with for installation and to acquire equipment from. It's also important for your home automation business to be properly licensed. Advertising and exposure are another part of a successful home automation business.

With a good start, your home automation business can be a success. Be sure to research the field and your prospective customer base before you invest any capital. You must be sure to operate your business in a place where there is a good demand for home automation and the money to support it. It's good to maintain a loyal customer base, but also make sure that you try to expand to other consumers. Especially in the beginning stages, it's important to provide your services at competitive rates.