Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/643338
February 2016 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 17 TECHNOLOGY IN PRACTICE you r wor k f orc e i s ge t t i n g more active. A lso, helping CPAs get out of their cha irs are products l i ke the Lifespan Walk ing Desk , Loktek Cycling Desk, and the Autonomous Automatic Standing Desk. We are se ei ng more a nd more s t a nd i ng desks in frms and switched to one earlier this year and can atest to the improved productivity. Getting There Safely: A major section of CES covers automotive technolog y and while self-driv ing cars in our own garages are still a few years out, a couple of tools that your auditors will soon be able to take on the road are the A DAS One driving sensor and the Hudway heads up display. Hudway allows you to turn your smar tphone into a heads-up display to be placed on your dash- board so you can more efectively utilize its GPS, as well as a special feature that allows you to download route maps to assist when driving in ver y low visibility conditions. Te display will also show the vehicle's current speed and distance to the next turn which is done by down- load i ng t hei r app so you r sma r t- p h o n e s c r e e n c a n b e m i r r o r e d w it hout ta k i ng you r eyes of f t he road. A DAS One also takes advan- tage of the latest for ward look ing sensor technolog y being built into veh ic les by add i ng a f ter-m a rket versions for your current car to warn you of obstacles when driving. Tougher Screens Make Tougher Desks ? Corning's Gorilla Glass has made a na me for itsel f for toug h smartphone and tablet screens that w i t h s t a n d b r u t a l d r o p s a n d scratches while still being able to interact with applications by touch. T hei r latest screens a re not on ly large enough to become your car's digital cockpit, but to even become your desktop. Image your desk sur- f a c e b e i n g a g i a n t s c r e e n w i t h applications running so you could col laborate w it h cl ients on t hei r business needs, making the most of that space. Being Tere W hen You Physi - cally Can't: Robotic Techs were one of t he fa stest g row i ng consu mer categories and mobile robots from Beam Pro a nd Double R obotics allow you to see what is going on in the ofce by controlling a robot that has video conferencing built in so you can be at two places at one time. However, on the consumer side a product called Orbii was the one that gave us a smile. If you saw the latest St a r Wa rs mov ie, you w i l l realize this robotic ball with sensors and cameras is the precursor to the endearing BB-8 droid! Gota Have It : Each year there is a product that you just have to have and this year it is the Ehang Per- sonal Flying Drone . Tis product c o m b i n e s t h e b e s t o f G o o g l e 's autonomous ca rs w it h A mazon's deliver y drones. I mag ine a world where you get into a copter-drone, plug in the coordinates of where you want to go and the onboard com- puter safely delivers you there, while y o u c l e a r y o u r m o r n i n g e m a i l . Ehang is a "life-size" version of our favorite obstacle avoidance drone which we found during Intel's key- not e pr e s e nt a t ion . T he Yu ne e c Ty phoon H d rone i nc or por ate s Intel 's 3D Real Sense technolog y which makes it virtually impossible for a drone to run into any obstacle. Tis $2,000 HD-camera equipped drone will be available later this year and follow you around the ofce to r e c ord a l l t ho s e c r a z y a u d it i n g adventures. Consumer electronics continue to evolve and push the envelope of what is possible and while many of t h e s e t e c h n o l o g i e s a r e o n t h e " bleeding edge," those that are the most useful in your homes may one day make it into your ofces. Have a great busy season!