Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/309054
THE BLEEDING EDGE REALITY CHECK Tis is a compendium of ideas, products, rants and raves from the viewpoint of the author. Note that the author has no fnancial interests in any of the products mentioned. Feel free to disagree, or to share your ideas by sending them to davemcclure@cpapracticeadvisor.com. INTERNET SITE OF THE MONTH. Windows 8.1 For Dummies Cheat Sheet. I've long been a fan of the "for Dummies" line of books, and the one for Windows 8.1 is a mere $24.95. But if you just want a quick scan, there is a cheat sheet and a series of online courses that can help make the transition easier. Nuance Power PDF Advanced Nu a n c e , b e t t e r know n for their voice recognition s o f t w a r e , h a s a n active document man- agement div ision that has produced a viable alternative to Adobe PDF Creator. It's a version designed more for the needs of accounting frms than most of the "PDF converters" in the marketplace, with the ability to down- load PDFs as word documents and fll in PDF forms. But you'll want the $150 advanced version to get the full set of features. Microsof OneDrive Do not, repeat, do not use Microsof O f f i ce 1 3 i n i t s default configura- tion without turning o f f t h at s o f t w a re's automatic saves to "One- Drive" cloud storage. Tere are many reasons this is the case, not the least of which is that the consumer version of OneDrive does not meet the security standards of either the Federal Trade Commission or the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, both of which are binding on accounting frms. Backlit Ergonomic Keyboards There are none. Apparently, key- b oard manu f ac- turers have decided t h a t o n l y t e e n a g e gamers need to see their keyboards late at night (which makes one wonder who prepares their taxes?). Tere needs to be a backlit ergonomic keyboard, and appears to be enough pent-up demand to justify at least an initial productions run. Perhaps when Microsoft stops trying to be Google, they will produce one. I will buy several… Password Keepers I've tried dozens of these things, and not one of them has worked well. Of course, there is a p a s s w o r d s t o r a g e system built into both the Windows and Mac X operating systems, but it is prety rudimentary. On the other hand, most of the commercial products I have tested seem unfnished, crippled, or simply too complicated to do what they need to do. I welcome dissenting opinions. USB 3.1 Type C We ba re l y h ad a chance to get used to t h e stan d ard USB3.0 before the beter, faster version came along, but this is one to approve of. Its major feature: it has no up or down, so when you are fumbling in the dark to plug in a smartphone or tablet…you can get it right on the frst try. No more painting a dot on the correct side in glow-in-the- dark paint (though save the paint to dab on the connection point of the device, so you can fnd where to plug the cable into). Contact Barry Strobel 800-547-7377 x 2103 or Barry.Strobel@CPAPracticeAdvisor.com with any questions or for assistance. * All listing information (Online Buyer's Guide) must be updated for the 2014 Accountant's Product & Services Guide. BE THERE When accountants are ready to BUY or RECOMMEND products & services. • Reach over 80,000 decision makers • Published in the June/July issue • Included in the digital and tablet editions • Includes online listing 2014 ACCOUNTANT'S PRODUCT & SERVICES GUIDE Discounts available for multiple product listings! Contact Barry Strobel for additional information and pricing. cpa_14-15_McClure.indd 15 5/7/14 8:55 AM