The Edirol R-09 is a product I learned about from a journalist friend who used it for recording interviews. I discovered it's become popular among people who record high-quality audio because of its very high performance and portability.
The R-09 records up to 24-bit uncompressed audio in stereo at a 44kHZ, which is better than CD quality and far better than the pocket recorders in the $100-$250 range. It's perfect for recording music, concerts, business conferences, lectures and meetings. It also records and plays back in the convenient MP3 format, using an SD memory card for storage. Slip the card into your computer or transfer the sound using its USB 2.0 port to play the recording through iTunes or other music programs or store and e-mail it to others.
The R-09 is about the size of a bar of soap. It has two built-in stereo microphones and will accept an external microphone as well. It's very intuitive to operate. Large, clearly marked buttons and a high-contrast, black-and-white display provide all the information you need, including sound-level bar gauges to set the sound level. A 2GB SD card will hold three hours of audio at the highest quality, and the recorder holds 30 hours as an MP3 file. While not inexpensive, at $400, it's has accumulated dozens of rave reviews on Amazon as a solid performing and easy to use product.
Dymo's Desktop Mailing Solution
When I worked for Seiko Instruments in the 90s, I developed the Smart Label Printer, a tiny, single-purpose printer designed to quickly and easily print one label at a time. The printer used rolls of thermal paper labels, eliminating the need for ink cartridges and providing an alternative to loading sheets of labels into a regular printer. The product took off and is still selling well 15 years later.
Dymo followed Seiko's lead and introduced a similar product a year later. Now Dymo has developed a
model that has two print mechanisms to print on two different sized labels without switching rolls.
The dual-roll printer is also part of Dymo's Mailing Solution, a $240 kit for mailing letters and packages. It consists of a digital scale with a 5-pound capacity and uses the printer to create both an address label and postage stamp. Software calculates the required postage for the letter or package based on its weight and prints the stamp with the correct amount. It calculates first class, priority mail, express mail, and international airmail but not FedEx (NYSE: FDX) or UPS (NYSE: UPS). While useful for letters, the solution is less helpful for packages since the USPS is not always the best shipping option. Postage is purchased over the Internet through an arrangement with Palo Alto-based Endicia.
The software makes it is easy to capture an address from most popular programs, and the software checks the address and provides the correct 9-digit ZIP code. Two rolls of 350 address labels cost $20. Labels for printing postage cost $15 for 150, adding 10 cents to the cost of sending each item.
If you do a moderate amount of light shipping, the kit makes sense, but it's not a substitute for mailing larger packages through private mailing services. (dymo.com).
Fellowes paper shredder
With the increased level of identity fraud, a shredder has become a necessity for most offices. While I originally purchased an entry-level model, sold under the Xerox (NYSE: XRX) brand for about $50, I learned it's best not to skimp. Shredders may look alike, but there are huge differences between the ways they shred. Inexpensive models require feeding just a couple of sheets of paper at a time, and they often jam with anything more. My unit eventually stopped working after six months of moderate use.
For the past year, I've been using a more costly model, the Fellowes Powershred PS-77Cs shredder, which is part of the company's current lineup that ranges up to hundreds of dollars. It accepts multiple sheets of paper at one time as well as stuffed envelopes, CDs and credit cards. I use it primarily for shredding personal documents,as well as unsolicited mail containing credit-card offers, checks and anything containing personal information. It's worked perfectly.
It's rated for shredding a dozen sheets at a time up to 25-50 times per day. (If you run it for a long time continuously, it may overheat and shut off, but as soon as it cools, you can continue.) Unlike cheaper models, you can shred papers with staples and paper clips attached, and it shreds everything into smaller sized pieces than entry models. It has a street price of $100 to $130 and is well worth it. (fellowes.com).
In a civil case, a judge can allow the jury to question a document-destroying party’s intentions. For example, judges in certain cases will tell jurors they should assume missing documents are harmful simply because they were destroyed–even if they never see the contents.
Posted by: Paper Shredder for Sales | January 16, 2009 at 08:34 PM