We liked Logitech’s Alert Video Security System when we took it for a week-long spin last year, which at that point allowed remote access to live HD camera footage, and video stored on your PC. But a new partnership with Dropbox adds cloud storage to the equation, letting you boot video directly to the web to supplement the PC- and microSD-based options already in place. Packages are available today, and come with 2GB of storage for free, 50GB for per month or 100GB for per month — Logitech isn’t exactly giving away the service, but when you consider that a bare-bones Alert system costs 0, those virtual add-ons sound a bit more reasonable. Jump past the break for the full rundown from Logitech, and get ready to beef up those passwords — having your email account hacked is one thing, but you certainly don’t want anyone watching you at home, in real-time or the past.

Continue reading Logitech Alert Video Security System gets Dropbox support, lets you park 100GB of footage in the cloud

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The HP TouchPad has become quite elusive, essentially selling out in the U.S. over the weekend. Much of the reason is due to what you get for this price: a color Kindle reader that doubles as a great web browser, email manager and cloud device with 50 GB of storage from Box.net. But for the tech savvy, you get even more for your money. It turns out that the TouchPad supports an Ubuntu build of Linux, which adds a whole new dimension to the now tabled tablet.

Brad Linder’s Liliputing blog has a detailed listing of the process of installing Ubuntu on the TouchPad, which was built out over the past several weeks by PreCentral forum users. Since many Ubuntu applications are compiled for x86 processors instead of ARM chips, like the one in the TouchPad, not all Ubuntu software will run on the slate. For now, Firefox, Chromium, and LibreOffice appear to be working, in addition to TightVNC for remote access to other computers, just to name a few.

That could change over time, however, and it opens up the door to many more potential programs on the TouchPad; at least when it’s running Ubuntu. That’s the other side benefit here: Ubuntu will run on a separate partition, meaning that the device can still boot into webOS as needed.

I’d expect the end result to be too much work for most TouchPad buyers, and I’m not going to take the Ubuntu plunge myself: I have other options for both tablets and laptops, so for me, it’s not worth the effort. But it’s still a neat little project that’s likely to see further development and support, which could add even more value to a tablet.

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Every single business, large or small needs a telephone system as without communication they simply cannot function. Choosing the right telephone system for a business’ needs is not always straightforward, however. Here are some tips to ensure you specify the right system with all the features you’ll need for your business.

There are several different kinds of telephone system, including PBX, virtual PBX and Voice over IP (VoiP), each with their own features and benefits. Choosing the right one for your business can seem complicated, but if you get your plan in place at the beginning, you’ll find shopping for your telephone system a lot easier.

Your Business Needs

Think about your basic needs. How many employees do you have – and how many do you envisage having in three years time? Typically every employee should have an extension with remote access voicemail at the very least.

Thinking ahead to how many employees you’ll have in the future allows you to future proof your telephone system and could save you money in the long run. You might also want to consider additional features like mobile options (such as Blackberry’s or smartphones), call forwarding, route-to-fax and conferencing features.

Small businesses with two to five employees will require only a basic package but larger businesses or those small ones looking to expand may require some additional features.

Options for Bigger Businesses

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This kind of automated options system can also make your business appear to be much larger to the customer than it possibly is.

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Expanding Businesses

Whatever phone system you decide to choose, ALWAYS bear in mind how fast you expect your business to grow. Choosing a package that can be easily expanded and at the lowest possible cost is vital if you want to avoid a huge IT and voice bill down the road.

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