Whether you're looking for increased productivity in your officeoperations, better compliance with federal and/or stateregulations, or more efficiency and time savings via mobiletechnologies, vendors are ready to offer solutions that promisethese benefits and much more.

The following are several such products announced during thepast year that may be of interest to technophiles and businesspersonnel alike.

o Genius, a division of Taiwan-based KYE Systems Corp., recentlyannounced the availability of the “G-Note 7100,” a portable devicethat allows users to handwrite notes, then transfer those notes toa PC later.

According to Miami, Fla.-based Genius, the G-Note 7100 is “aprofessional device” that features 32 MB of memory for note-takingor presentations.

The unit utilizes handwriting recognition software to translatehandwritten material into electronic form for upload to a PC via astandard USB cable connection.

The user puts normal paper on the digital pad, turns on thepower, then writes down everything wanted with the digital pen, thecompany explained. What is written is immediately saved in thedigital pad memory. The built-in memory can store more than onehundred pages, and there is a file management function.

“You won't lose anything you wrote, and you can manage yourrecordings very easily and efficiently,” said Genius.

“The handwriting recognition is so good…that professionalsacross the board will appreciate the overall outcome and the beautyof no longer dealing with special paper, which is used by mosttablets on the market today,” the company added.

The unit comes with two wireless pens and is compatible withMicrosoft Windows Vista, the company noted.

The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $159.

Further details are available at www.geniusnet.com.

o For large-scale environments, Eastman Kodak Company announcedthe “Kodak i1860 Scanner,” which is designed for productiondocument scanning applications.

According to the Rochester, N.Y.-based company, the new scannercaptures images at up to 200 pages per minute. It offers a colortouch-screen panel and a variety of ergonomic features, includingautomatic height adjustment and easy-to-reach input and outputareas.

The i1860 is designed for paper-intensive environments such asservice bureaus, insurance company claims operations, or financialinstitutions that handle high volumes of transactions, the companysaid.

Other features include three independent ultrasonic,double-document feed detection sensors, black or white backgroundoption, and a 500-sheet feeder, said Kodak.

The unit has an estimated list price of $85,000, the companynoted.

Further information is available atwww.kodak.com/go/docimaging.

o In the data storage area, PowerFile Inc. markets the“Permanent Storage Appliance,” a network-attached storage systemthat uses a DVD-based subsystem “with the capability to store filesonline for many years.”

For organizations with large and long-term data storagerequirements, including insurance and financial services companies,“failure to both safeguard records and retrieve them in a timelyfashion could result in fines and penalties,” said Santa Clara,Calif.-based PowerFile.

“Whereas traditional archives are stored offline and offsite ontape, which is equivalent to banishing the data, the PermanentStorage Appliance allows enterprises to quickly access stored dataas any other network volume online,” he added.

According to the company, the product offers an approach tolong-term, “unalterable” data that enables both online access andlong-term storage.

The system comes configured with storage management softwarethat virtualizes the DVD subsystem into storage volumes in anyrequired increments.

“With the Permanent Storage Appliance, we are combining therapid data retrieval of online access with permanent, non-erasablemedia to satisfy the most stringent retention requirements at thegreatest cost-efficiency,' stated Kirk Dunn, CEO of PowerFile.

The Permanent Storage Appliance is powered by Microsoft WindowsStorage Server 2003 “for seamless integration with existinginfrastructures,” said PowerFile.

It is available at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of$11,495 for a starter kit, with add-on capacity at about $1,700 perterabyte.

Further details are available at www.powerfile.com.

o Pyxis Mobile recently announced “mAdvisor for Insurance,”described by the Boston-based company as “a real-time tool thatprovides instant access to the client and prospect informationneeded by insurance agents while on the road.”

According to Pyxis, the software can be used with an agent'smobile device of choice. It is an extension of the enterprisesystem agents use while in the office, “further untethering themfrom the physical constraints of their desks,” the companysaid.

Using mAdvisor for Insurance, agents can generate policyillustrations and quick quotes; access and manage client policyinformation; log and manage contacts, enter notes, order literatureand manage schedules in the field; and track commissions, businessconference targets and underwriting policy status, said Pyxis.

The company noted that mAdvisor for Insurance is part of PyxisMobile's upgrade of its mPlatform Solutions Suite to version5.2.

Among the new features of this version are a click-to-mapfunction–which seamlessly integrates mapping capabilities–andexpense tracking, analytics, and fund performance data, the companynoted.

Pricing for mAdvisor “varies on the number of seats but would besimilar to an average cell phone bill,” said a companyspokesperson.

More information is available at www.pyxismobile.com.