High-tech Gadgets

James Bond had a pen that shot poison darts. Maxwell Smart had a phone in his shoe. The employees at D&E Communications in Ephrata have the Jornada.

As Angela Anderson, public relations manager, explains, the Jornada is a hand-held computer. Measuring about 7 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide and less than an inch thick, the Jornada has remarkable capabilities, ranging from a calendar option to voice recording and Internet access.

"I can use the screen on it to write something and it will be converted to type," Anderson says. "It's basically the electronic thing that replaced the (daily) planner. It's just a fascinating toy."

D&E is one of many Central Pennsylvania companies using high-tech products like the Jornada to conduct business. Simple computers just don't make the cut anymore: Companies want equipment that can multitask, perform efficiently and make people's jobs a little easier.

Tom Young, computer salesman at OfficeMax in Lancaster, says businesses are buying all sorts of hightech products, from laptops to scanners and high-end phones.

"A lot of people are buying laptops because they are working more and more from home," he notes. "DSL modems are big. That stands for digital subscriber line. What that means is a high-speed Internet modem that allows you to have a constant connection to the Internet, without having to dial up each time you want access. Instead of 56K, it's 6.0 megs (megabytes), which is almost 50 times faster."

He says the store is also selling a lot of gigahertz phones. "These are going faster than 900 megahertz phones, because their range is a lot larger. You can go a lot farther from the base. Some phones nowadays, you can go up to 150 miles from the base."

Prices for high-tech items range from $50 to $300 for modems, depending on the type, anywhere from $100 to $400 for scanners and up to several hundred dollars for high-end phones, Young says.

Jornada, made by Hewlett-Packard Co., costs between $399 and $899, depending on features. Phil Theist, director of information technology for D&E Communications, says the company uses the Jornada 430, 680 and 820. The 680 and 820 are both great for our traveling folks," he says. "When you're not in our building, you still have a modem that lets you dial back into our extensive network."

In house, the device accommodates a wireless card that gives employees access to their e-mail and all their files from anywhere within the company's buildings.

D&E employees like Anderson also use wireless phones that can give stock quotes, weather updates and more. "From my desktop computer, I can e-mail my coworkers messages on their telephones," Anderson says.

Rettew Associates Inc.

Another local company that uses high-tech products on a daily basis is Rettew Associates Inc., an engineering firm based in East Hempfield Township.

"We continually update our technologies," says John Horst, business development manager. "For our engineering and administrative use, we maintain over 100 software programs for use within the company, which is quite a lot really."

When completing surveying work, the company uses GPS (Global Positioning System), a satellite-based technology, and GIS (Geographic Information System), a mapping software program.

"We also get involved in what's called 3D visualization, where we take videos on which we can superimpose images," he says. "We've used this for public hearings to demonstrate what construction would look like for new buildings, transportation corridors, and so on."

On what he calls the "geotechnical" engineering side, Horst says Rettew uses "nondestructive testing."

These are instruments that are used to take readings on building foundations, for example, that can be attached through the use of probes that would not require excavation to determine damage on a foundation. It can be tested from above ground and the readings we get would then give us an indication on the state of the foundation itself."

McClure Co.

Going "totally paperless" is the goal at McClure Co., an HVAC company based in Harrisburg. "We are in the process of installing a wireless web system where all of our service technicians will carry a computer with a wireless modem on it. It will allow them to access our computer in the office, bringing up tons of customer information, generating all the information for a bill instantly at the customer's site," says Jim Mooney, vice president of business development. The system, which the company hopes to have operational by early May, will give technicians access to a customer's work history, schedule of services and more. "It will totally eliminate paperwork for our technicians."

Currently, the company has field foremen who are using laptop computers with modems that are tied into the company's server. "This gives them productivity information and all sorts of information on the project, right at the site."

While Mooney would not release specifically how much the McClure Co. has earmarked for high-tech systems, he says, "It's a significant investment."

Coldwell Banker Homesale Services Group

Like the McClure Co. technicians, Coldwell Banker Homesale Services Group employees are also using laptops more and more frequently, says Shannon Crotsley, communications specialist for the East Hempfield Township-based real estate company. "We are people on the move and we need to have information at our fingertips."

She notes that the company has turned to the Internet to provide customers with round-the-clock information on properties. "We have a web site [www.coldweRbanker.com] that includes so much information, from property searches to mortgage information, settlement information and so on. Consumers can enter their criteria for a specific home and once a properly becomes available that meets those requests, the cyber retriever will e-mail them and let them know about it," she says. The site also features virtual tours of homes and 360-degree photography of sites around Central Pennsylvania.

Wohlsen Construction

Stan Anderson, director of education and training for Wohlsen Construction Co., Lancaster, says the digital camera has helped improve the speed of business.

"If we're constructing something and something doesn't look right and we need clarification from an architect, or vendor for example, we can easily capture the image, email it to the person, or print the image and fax it and within minutes talk to the individual for help," he says. "Before, this might have caused a delay of hours or even days and now you've got the ability to, in theory, keep productivity going and keep moving forward on the job in minutes."

It's all part of the company's goal: using technology to streamline the communications process. For more help on this, they've tested using the Internet to aid in construction projects. "We have tested project web sites," he says, "where a web page is created specifically for a certain project and all the parties, contractors, architects, owners, suppliers, construction managers, etc. can log on and collaborate on a project through the Internet."

BlazeNet

At BlazeNet, an Internet provider based in York, the emphasis is on fast modems and the "latest and greatest current software releases," says General Manager Scott Austin. "We're using cable modems in our office. That's the broadband Internet access. Those speeds can go above a T-1."

Austin says he and his associates attend trade shows to learn about the latest high-tech products.

"This is in combination with a lot of reading about products, but a lot of times, by the time you've read it, you've already missed the cutting edge of it," he says. While he says it's imperative to constantly update technologies to stay competitive, companies must also be careful.

"It's one thing to be the latest and greatest," he explains, "but it's important not to be what we call the 'bleeding edge.' That's when you run the latest, brandnew whatever-it-is, and there's a problem with it, but nobody knows how to resolve it because it's so brandnew."

Still, despite the risks, high-tech products will always be attractive to businesses, D&E's Anderson believes, as we move toward a totally "wired" society. And, she points out, high-tech gadgets are, well, fun.

"When people at D&E go to meetings outside the company, we sort of put our toys out on the table and show off our gadgets," she says. "I was just at a meeting where a guy was fascinated by what a telephone can do these days."