Tag Archives: Help
If Touch Screen Kiosks Can Help My Business Than Please Tell Me What They Are
If Touch Screen Kiosks Can Help My Business Than Please Tell Me What They Are
Kiosks are basically a one stop information tool, let’s first define the word kiosk to see the history of where they’ve come from so we’ll be better able to understand what exactly what they are: ki·osk noun
1. A small open gazebo or pavilion.
2. A small structure, often open on one or more sides, used as a newsstand or booth.
3. A cylindrical structure on which advertisements are posted. The first recorded instance of the word “kiosk” was back in 1865 with reference to a newspaper stand. Kiosks are still known today as traditional freestanding retail booths. With the recent advent of low-cost pc’s and the internet kiosks are taking on a whole new shape and definition.
Computer Or touch screen kiosks have forged their way into main stream.
The technology used in interactive kiosks is basically the same as that used in computers. Touch screen kiosks are mainly operated with the help of a control unit and a touch screen sensitive LCD monitor. To operate a kiosk the user simply needs to touch the area of the screen to navigates the custom built show. The touch screen operation of the kiosk make the functioning very simple and user-friendly. Considering that computer kiosks are run via PC computers, the utilization of video, images and text with sound all combine to offer a truly interactive experience.
When the Kiosks are not in use they can act as a screen saver to serve up advertising or upsell in store items to increase revenue.
The Benefits of Using Kiosks
Now a days kiosks have a wide range of applications and can be seen in department stores, airports or in government offices. The different services provided by a kiosk are accessing of live news from the newsroom with the very latest news and information, accessing of popular galleries with stills and video clips, information on number of job vacancies, etc.
The popularity of kiosks are stated below:
1) The long lasting steel construction of the kiosk helps it to be rugged and secure and is suitable for placing it at any environment.
2) A kiosk helps a lot in saving the valuable floor space. Just by plugging them in they are ready to go as the hardware and software comes within a single unit.
3) Kiosks are very easy to maintain as all the components of the kiosks are easily repairable and replaceable.
4) With the help of remote administration options the tracking of kiosks can be done via the internet or via e-mail or phone alerts for low paper or power failure.
Kiosks can be used for an infinite number of applications, including: Gaming, bill payment, eCommerce, human resource, customer service, location and mapping, credit application, vending machines, sales and marketing, internet access and adverting just to point out a few.
A kiosk project typically has 3 main components: Hardware, Software and Post Production.
Hardware:
Any tangible portion of the kiosk project will fall into the hardware category. Depending on the type you require, this can simply be a metal enclosure with a touch screen monitor attached to it with a PC inside. More complex kiosks have hardware components inside such as card readers, printers, telephone handsets, ruggedized keyboards, ruggedized pointing devices and other specialized peripherals.
Software:
Depending on what your kiosk is supposed to do, there may or may not be off-the-shelf kiosk software available for it. Kiosk software typically does the following: displays the content you want to display, prevents users from making changes to the PC’s operating system, allows the owner to make changes remotely, make sure everything is working properly, and interfaces with peripherals inside the kiosk such as printers, card readers, scanners, etc..
Postproduction:
Depending on the size of your kiosk project, there are services such as kiosk site acquisition, kiosk installation, and on-site maintenance. For a small kiosk project, typically the owner of the kiosk does these things on their own. For larger deployments, a kiosk implementation company will be your best bet.
For business owners a kiosk can be used in a wide array of applications as seen above – the one point to consider is that a kiosk can deliver the right message at the right time, consistently every time. There’s no doubt kiosks are here to stay – watch for them next time you go out into your community!
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Knowing Basic Computer Terminology Helps Support Staff Help You
Knowing Basic Computer Terminology Helps Support Staff Help You
When you know and understand the correct terms to use, getting assistance for your computer software is much easier. Not knowing how to describe the problem correctly to technical support is one of the biggest problems for new computer users. Below, you will find the correct terminology for the common components of software.
1. User Interface
This is the programs outward visual design. It can contain buttons, icons, boxes, words and squares. If your PC experiences insufficient memory, there may be black rectangles that appear across the user interface of your software programs.
2. Menu Bar
This will display menu items or options. The most common parts of a menu bar will grant access to File commands, Save commands, Open commands and Print commands. An error in this part of the interface will produce a missing option or one that is of a lighter color.
3. Title Bar
This is the area at the top of the program, where its name is displayed as well as where there may be a description of the contents displayed on part of the interface. An incorrectly coded program may produce a wrong description in this part of its interface.
4. Status Bar
This is located at the bottom of the interface, generally displaying small messages, indicating the progress of a command or task. Incorrectly programmed programs may display the wrong information in this area.
5. Tool Bar
This will display small icons on the top of the screen as representing tools. Clicking, an icon opens a tool or processes a command that might also exist on the menu bar. Problems in this part of an interface are uncommon.
6. Minimize, Restore, and Exit buttons
These three buttons are normally located on the right upper part of a program interface, each allows you to minimize the screen, restore it to original size, or shut the program down.
7. Context Menu
Right clicking on something will display the context menu. It displays in much the same way as a Help menu.
8. Scroll Bar
This tool allows a user to move the displayed part of the user interface up and down on the computer screen.
9. Buttons
Buttons perform commands with the click of a mouse. Problems may exist when the text button is grayed out or if it does not seem to sink into a screen when clicked.
10. Input Box
These normally small rectangles allow for entering data into a web page interface. If you cannot use one of these boxes, it may indicate that the program is faulty or that communication with the external network has been compromised.
11. Check Box
This small box displays several choices. When clicked a small x displays inside a box, it allows you to choose between many options displayed on the user interface. Inability to enter an x may indicate that the program has stopped functioning and must be restarted.
Help Look After The Planet Recycling Your Old Computer
Help Look After The Planet Recycling Your Old Computer
Today the environmental impact of old computers, computer related parts and other electronic goods is a serious growing concern. There are so many computer Organizations who are ready to deal with old and damaged computers. They are ready to accept all types of obsolete and working computer equipments such as CRT monitors, printers, scanners, fax machines, etc. regardless of their age and condition. They also help in recycling the printer ink cartridges, laser toners, etc.
There are annually several millions of computers that are becoming obsolete. It is very much harmful for the environment if the waste computers are used to fill lands. Even it is a crime if the disposal of computers is used in landfills under different sections of environmental laws. The environmental concern regarding the disposal of computers is mainly due to the monitors because the cathode ray tube contains four to five pounds of lead which contaminates our environment very badly. There are also other hazardous materials in computers which are not at all good for our environment such as mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, etc. These materials seems to effect our health by causing high blood pressure, liver and nerve disease, blood with poor iron and even brain damages. Even the groundwater near a landfill also gets contaminated due to these hazardous materials.
Basically for these reasons different Environmental Laws have banned the illegal landfills by the disposals of computer equipments. These Laws says that the damaged and waste computers must be sent to a reputable recycler for better and harmless recycling. The process of recycling should be done regularly so as to protect from the huge pile up of old and waste computers. In addition to the environmental benefits different computer organization are also benefited by the recycling process. Different parts of the waste computer come handy for the remanufacturing of computers. Even these organizations can use these old computers as a medium of storing backups.
Three better options for disposal of old Computers –
It is not advisable to throw an old computer in the garbage. However, the disposal of computers can be utilized in three important phases without violating the environmental rules. They are 1) Reuse, 2) Recycle and 3) Trade in. By the term ‘Reuse’ it is meant that the computer is sold in secondary reduced price to some office or some individual for further use. As illegal landfills by the disposals of waste computer equipments have been banned by the Environmental Laws therefore Recycling is the best option is such case. The recycling is basically done to those computers which are extremely old and broken. Lastly the Trade in option gives us the opportunity to get our money back or even allows us in the exchange option.