USB – Past, Present & Future

USB – or Universal Serial Bus technology has become a widespread, simple, cheap way of connecting all kinds of devices. Its popularity has come about extremely quickly as the history of USB only stretches back to the mid-1990s. This article gives an overview of USB technology, its history and its future.

History:

USB technology was developed in order to present a standard means by which devices, particularly computer-related devices, could interconnect and communicate. It was created by a collaboration of Intel, Compaq, Microsoft, Digital, IBM, and Northern Telecom. In the early days of the IBM PC, there were a myriad of connections for different types of devices including, AT, serial, parallel, joystick, SCSI & PS/2. None of these ports were compatible with each other & each served essentially the same function. Enter USB. Not only did USB give one interface, it provided power for some devices and it enabled users to plug a large number of devices into one machine.

Pre-releases of the USB standard came in 1994 with the final USB 1.0 specification being released to market in November 1995. The standard was improved upon in September 1998 with USB 1.1 which many of the problems identified in the original standard were fixed.

USB could work at 1.5 or 12 mbps but with competition from Firewire & with technology placing greater demands on bandwidth, USB 2.0 released in August 2000, could handle speeds of 480mbps.

Adoption:

All connectors face an adoption problem and USB was no different. There is only a market for a device that is interconnectable if there are other devices in the market that it can connect to. These network effect can hamper the adoption of every device (if you are the only person with a telephone, it’s not much use but if you’re one of millions with the same, standardised system, the increased market for the standard makes it more affordable and more appealing to others).

USB was given a real boost by the iMac which offered USB ports only & no legacy option. This meant that there was a market where USB could gain a foothold.

The Present:

USB devices perform many functions extremely well. Devices can be hot-swapped – that is they could be connected & disconnected without it being necessary to reboot a PC. Devices from many thousands of manufacturers can intercommunicate, many devices can be installed without a specific device driver, some devices can be connected to computers without the need for an external power supply and others can recharge by being connected via a USB device.

USB connectors are robust in that they do not rely on pins that are easy to bend or break. USB cables are designed so that static electricity is discharged before a connection is made making the standard more durable.

The connections are extremely usable & it is easy to connect USB devices or to realise that you have the wrong end of the cable. By design, the cables are easy to attach & remove – there is no need for screws – meaning that they are easily accessible by all.

Future:

The future for USB is the USB 3.0 standard that will work at 4.8 gbps, ten times the current rate. This new standard will only be backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 but will include some power conservation features. Increased speed & better power consumption will help USB compete with the other standards on the market including Firewire 800 & eSATA.

To put the performance of the new USB standard into perspective, currently, it would take 15 minutes to copy a 27gb high definition film; the new standard will mean that this can be accomplished in 70 seconds.

The USB standard is extremely usable and durable & it has massive popularity. Many mobile ‘phones have a USB connection & USB Flash drives make the transfer of large amounts of data an extremely simple process. A subculture of USB gadgets has sprung up in recent years with weird & wacky devices like USB fridges, vacuums, toasters, slippers & back massagers all hitting the market to massive amounts of interest and varying degrees of success. It is interesting that whilst it was the brainchild of a number of companies including Microsoft & Intel it was Apple that gave USB its popularity. Windows machines did not deal well with USB even as late as Windows 98 but the iMac showed how USB devices could be used to give a great deal of variety through extreme simplicity.

Primer For Real Estate Agents: Optimize Presentation Results: 5-Step Approach

Since there are so many licensed real estate professionals, in most regions and locales, doesn’t it make sense, to hone your skills and abilities, and, be able to positively, differentiate yourself, from the rest of the pack? Obviously, real estate agents must focus on their personal skills and abilities, especially when it comes to presenting their ideas, and articulating a quality, effective, listing presentation. Real estate agents should learn from what, are, time – proven, presentation and sales techniques, and presenting more effectively, by being ready, willing and able to answer objections, and address concerns, which motivate and inspire, potential clients, to choose them. Therefore, this article will attempt to briefly examine, consider, and review, an effective, tried- and – proven, 5 – step approach.

1. Listen; learn; ZTL: Quite often, agents begin explaining how great they are, and what they’ll do, before taking the time, or making the effort, to effectively listen, in order to learn, what the perceptions, goals, priorities, etc, of the homeowner are! This step must be performed slowly, and carefully, because, it often impacts, the eventual final results. Only if/ when one, has the discipline to listen fully, and avoid the temptation to interrupt, thus exhibiting the ZTL, or zip – the – lip, and makes the potential client comfortable, does the presentation, get off, on the right – foot!

2. Empathize: Once the first step is effectively followed and performed, and you clearly put yourself in their place, with exhibiting genuine empathy, you begin to make the necessary connection, for the better! Using a simple phrase, such as, I can perfectly understand how you feel. I would feel that way, and so do most others, until they realize a few things, begins the process of making a quality, inspiring presentation.

3. Address concerns; answer objections: When an agent is empathetic, he realizes, every concern and/ or objection, is important to the potential client! Never minimize or assume, anything is obvious, merely because it may be, to you, but take the time, to address every concern, and answer every objection, thoroughly, and to their satisfaction. Pay attention to their body language, and wait, to proceed, until, it appears, they are receptive to your response!

4. Create/ recreate need: Once the first 3 steps have been performed effectively, it’s important to regain, and refocus the discuss, in a way, where you become more capable and ready, to proceed, to convince the other party, you are the one, for them! Therefore, use a phrase, such as, In light of our discussion, and your desire to (then recap what they indicated).

5. Close, and ZTL, again: Nothing occurs, until/ unless you close. While this is the last step, it depends on the how the previous ones, were performed and/ or addressed! A simple line, such as, Doesn’t it make sense, to do the paperwork, so we can achieve your objectives, together? Doesn’t it? Then zip – the – lip, once again, because, the one who speaks first, loses control of the discussion and focus.

While this isn’t complicated, it’s often challenging to maintain the discipline, to proceed, as effectively, as possible. Will you prepare, train, and be ready, to do so?

Corporate Film Production Services Company – How to Choose

Corporate Film production services can be a great source of help to you if you want a film done for low costs and within a short period of time. Making a corporate film is really a dream for thousands. A number of video production companies one will find on the Internet which will offer you the best services. Compare one company against another and be sure to way each of their strengths against their weaknesses. The independent corporate film requires specific preparations in order to achieve the best results for your business presentation, corporate filming, marketing project, advertising. The best way to tell whether the company is capable enough to shoot your corporate film. Video is the most powerful medium to pass on your message for your company. Thus it is very important that you get the right corporate film production service for your video.

For video production, you must need a video production company which will make a video as the way you want. There are five major steps to follow in film production:-

• Development

• Pre-production

• Production

• Post-production

• Distribution

The five phases of video will differ depending on the type of project that you want. The pre-production stage includes processes like concept and idealizing the video to be created and planning and scheduling the recording process of the corporate film. The production stage is the stage in which actual recording of the video takes place and the video to be created comes into being. The post production phase is the stage in which the video is edited and corrected to make it more perfect and various visual effects are added to it to make it look more realistic and good-looking. All of these stages in the corporate film making process require the services of different individuals with quite diverse skills. For every minute of a finished video, between scripting, shooting, editing, graphics, animations, and choosing and inserting exact music, a video production company might spend 20 hours or more of work effort. A production company will work with you in the pre-production stage to help you deliver your message, which we then apply to the production and post-production

When it comes to video, it is important to not simply speak from a script. Video editing can be a very long process and requires much patience while putting the clips together. But a good video production company will try to make the experience pleasant for you. They will be helpful and work at making you happy. If you sense personality attribute, conflicts or lack of concern for your needs, these will be intensifying as the project progresses. Now a days in many bloggers they cover everything from lifestyle to food and fashion, and local events, but a good corporate movie production still commands the attention, as the industry carries on making big budget corporate movies with best quality and satisfaction.

I hope this article will help you find quality corporate film production services. Also be sure not settle for nothing less than perfect as this is your project and perfection is key in film production.