Key features are said to be:

• One-Click Video and Voice over Wi-Fi Calls
• Incoming Call Notifications – you’ll receive a notification pop-up when a new video call comes in, allowing you to accept the call as either a video or voice call, or decline the call. It also allows a “Do not disturb” option.
• Powerful In-Call Functions – by using the picture-in-picture function you can preview your own video image prior to placing the call. You can also switch cameras from front to rear so your friends can see what you are seeing.
• Friends List – BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat comes with a Friends List for maintaining your favorite contacts.

Tom Goguen, VP, Collaboration and Social Networking at Research In Motion (RIM) says: “We are excited to be enabling our customers to share important moments and events with family and friends via video calls.  With the BlackBerry PlayBook’s high-resolution video cameras and stunning display, a Video Chat call is the next best thing to being there.”

The new application seems aimed toward to the public, though the majority of BlackBerry users are businesses. So, is Video Chat a major benefit for you/your business?

James Cook decided that graduate schemes and ready-made careers weren’t for him. So he started up his own IT consultancy, Spider Group, fresh out of university. He explains his story.

Article can be found here:

http://www.smarta.com/advice/starting-up/student/just-the-job-i-started-my-business-straight-after-graduating

Accounting Software

The small business finance software market is now very mature. Dominated by SAGE line 50 with current estimates indicating a 1/3 dominant market share. Quickbooks and MYOB vie for second place however are often regarded as more ‘useable’ than SAGE line 50.

The Small Business

Within a small business, it is common to find multiple users requiring regular access to SAGE (or other). The MD, FD, office manager or other user needing to process sales and billing information will need to access the application during a working day. Often senior management might want to analyse accounts information at home or away from the office.

How much for a server??

The traditional way of sharing this application (and other company data) would be to install a server in-house. Cost wise a small business of 1-20 users would be looking at anywhere from £5,000 – £10,000 plus an annual maintenance charge. Over three years ,the spend could easily get to a figure of £30,000 +

Businesses still need to share applications such as SAGE but in the current economic climate are looking for other, more affordable ways. This is where server hosting or ‘Cloud Computing’ comes in. Why shell out tens of thousands of pounds up-front when you can effectively lease the same system from an expert IT company?

Servers in the Cloud

Using a ‘hosted’ server (or server in the cloud) means you don’t have to worry about maintenance, upgrades, viruses or that person in every office who says: “I’ll have a go at fixing it…..”. The hosting company will ensure the system is secure, reliable and that all their clients data is backed up. Meaning the end user never need worry about portable hard-drives or changing backup tapes!

The way businesses run and access software is rapidly changing. Broadband is stable, reliable and cheap making ‘Cloud’ computing a real option for many companies. With flexible working, widely available wireless hotspots and mobile devices - being stuck in the office is a thing of the past.

SpiderGroup specialise in helping businesses use ‘The Cloud’. If you have any queries, email me direct. paul.griffiths@spidergroup.co.uk