Fantastic ideas: 10 extremely practical smart office devices

[51CTO Translation] The products to be introduced below have successfully stood out from the myriad of office equipment by virtue of their significant improvements in business productivity and production efficiency.

Living in this era of explosive development of information and technology, our eyes are always attracted by all kinds of novel gadgets and widgets. However, there are indeed some devices that go beyond the level of proof of concept or entertainment. Although they may not make everyone feel bright, their excellent practicality is absolutely unquestionable. In view of this, today's article summarizes ten wonderful new products that are enough to make us more productive and efficient in small business or home office environments. The list includes chargers, scanners, routers, storage devices, etc.

Griffin MultiDock

The Griffin MultiDock ($699.99) is a charging station you may not have heard of, but you definitely can't miss it. It can store, charge, and even sync data for up to 10 Android or iOS tablets and smartphones at the same time without unplugging the devices. And the MultiDock is quite compact for its capacity - it's only slightly larger than a laptop - and has 10 independent LED indicators to show the current charge status of each port. There's also a locking plate so you don't have to worry about someone stealing your phone or tablet while you charge overnight. It uses ChargeSensor technology to detect the current charge status of each connected device and optimize the charging speed based on the device type - each port can charge up to 10 watts.

Official website: http://store.griffintechnology.com/multidock

NeatConnect

NeatConnect ($469.95) is a wireless standalone scanner that can scan directly over a Wi-Fi network without the need for a PC. It can scan in color and capture both sides of a document at once. More importantly, NeatConnect can be easily configured to send scanned paper documents directly to a variety of cloud services (including EverNote, OneNote, Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive), or as FTP and email attachments. Users can select scanning parameters, output direction, and complete other common operations through the color touch screen on NeatConnect.

Official website: http://www.neat.com/products/neatconnect/

Transporter

The Transporter ($199 for a 500GB drive) is a network-attached storage drive that works a little differently than a traditional NAS device. The Transporter connects to your local network, creating a private cloud environment that's networked and globally accessible. Files from your desktop or laptop are automatically synced as a backup, while less frequently used files are kept on a smaller device. If necessary, you can add a second Transporter at another location as a file replica, creating a simple disaster protection system across geographic regions.

Official website: http://www.filetransporter.com/products/transporter/

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Dropcam Pro

Dropcam Pro ($199) is an enhanced version of Dropcam's Wi-Fi video surveillance service that provides two-way talk and remote viewing. It is ideal for real-time monitoring of office environments. This wireless camera can transmit 720p HD video streams to a server operated by Dropcam for recording, and users can view the video content at any time through a web browser or mobile device. Dropcam Pro has an excellent 130-degree shooting field of view, 8x zoom, and 5GHz Wi-Fi transmission capabilities. It should be noted that recording a copy of the video in the cloud is a separate cloud service project, and everyone needs to pay an annual fee to enjoy the convenience brought by this. Specifically, the service that saves the last seven days of video information costs $99 per year, while the service that saves the last thirty days of video information costs $299 per year.

Official website: https://www.dropcam.com/store

Lantronix xPrintServer

Lantronix xPrintServer is a network device that can connect to traditional printers and allow users to complete printing tasks through the native print menu on their smartphones and tablet devices. Since it supports both USB printers and network printers, this product helps users avoid the cumbersome printing process of purchasing expensive new printing devices or using third-party applications, email attachments, etc. that are only applicable to PC platforms. xPrintServer currently provides an iOS version (priced at US$199.95) and a cloud printing version (priced at US$149.95). The former can work on the iOS platform, while the latter supports printing requests from Chromebooks, Android and Kindle Fire devices.

Official website: http://www.lantronix.com/it-management/xprintserver/xprintserver-cloudprint-compare.html

Belkin WeMo Insight Switch

The Belkin WeMo Insight Switch ($59.99) is part of the WeMo home automation family. It tracks the energy consumption of various appliances in the home and can turn these networked devices on or off based on actual conditions. The WeMo Insight Switch requires access to a Wi-Fi network and can be managed by users through the free WeMo app on Android or iOS devices. People can pre-define management rules and then upload them to the WeMo Insight Switch. This processing method is very suitable for common household appliances such as space heaters, wall-mounted air conditioners, etc., and can even be docked with the Griffin MultiDock to know how much power each charging device consumes.

Official website: http://www.belkin.com/us/F7C029-Belkin/p/P-F7C029/

Peplink Balance 30 LTE

If Internet connectivity is essential to the normal operation of your office environment, then the Peplink Balance 30 LTE ($569) is an indispensable device. The Balance Internet router series is equipped with two or more built-in Ethernet WAN ports, which can load balance multiple ISPs to maximize Internet availability. As the name suggests, the Balance 30 LTE has a built-in LTE module for 4G and 3G wireless mobile services, so that when the wired Internet service fails, it can directly switch to the mobile network to ensure smooth work.

Official website: http://www.peplink.com/products/balance/model-comparison/

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Logitech Mobile Speakerphone P710e

Logitech Mobile Speakerphone P710e ($169.99) is a speakerphone that integrates hands-free functionality and connects to a smartphone or tablet. It works with PC and Mac devices and other devices that have wireless Bluetooth and NFC mechanisms. It is also optimized and certified for Microsoft Lync and Skype. P710e can instantly turn any room into a conference room. This speaker has a battery life of up to 15 hours, and users can also charge its built-in battery via USB or AC adapter.

Official website: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/mobile-speakerphone-p710e-business

TwelveSouth HoverBar 3

TwelveSouth HoverBar 3 is a flexible stand designed specifically for iPad tablets. HoverBar can be fixed to any panel up to 1 inch thick or clipped to the body of an iMac to act as a tablet device stand. It supports all iPad models except the first generation iPad. You can use the locking buckle on the HoverBar to dock directly with the iPad Fit Clip. The HoverBar set can also form a fixed structure with the iPad Fit Clip, instantly converting the tablet into a hands-free upright display. Users can purchase additional locking buckles for other colleagues in the office according to actual needs.

Official website: http://www.twelvesouth.com/product/hoverbar-for-ipad

BlueLounge CableBin

The BlueLounge CableBin ($89.95) is a clever cable management solution that can easily help small offices deal with the headache of cable collection. This cylinder makes it easy to collect and organize the complex wiring connected to electronic devices. The spacious interior is enough to accommodate small appliances and keep the cables neatly arranged, without any bundling or clips to secure them. The CableBin comes with multiple adhesive hooks, which can be used to smooth out switch cords and excess cables in the cylinder.

Official website: http://www.bluelounge.com/products/cablebin/

Original link: 10 business devices that are actually useful

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