Tech IT Easy: Digital Money - Calling Out Cash

There was a time when I would get paid on a fortnight Friday, and spend all day Saturday paying bills; I'd fight the traffic, the lines and the dangers of walking around with my hard-earned cash. Then I would spend my Saturday evening reviewing all the receipts I had collected and reworking my budget for the cycle ahead. I absolutely do not miss the old days.

Today, all my bills are sent to me by email. No paper, no postal delays. And instead of joining long lines, I pay my bills online. My advice is to skip the individual utilities and creditors - they do allow you to pay them directly - and consolidate all your bill payments through your commercial bank. No bank? No problem. Log into BillExpress or PayMaster to accomplish the same goal.

Real savings, at least in terms of time, come with paying taxes online. Kudos to Inland Revenue for improvements that reduce wait times, but still, I would rather avoid the office altogether.

With the time (and transportation costs) I have saved, I shop online; something else not possible a few years ago.

In addition to the still popular credit card, Jamaicans can take advantage of online deals by paying with the locally based VCard (a prepaid access card), the ubiquitous PayPal or Google Check-Out. American Express launched yet another option, Serve, expected to be available later this year.

Setting up a PayPal account is easy and it is accepted by thousands of merchants on the Internet. Of course, you will need a credit card to transfer funds into you PayPal account and it could take several days to activate.

All this talk of virtual payments is great, but humans live in the real world. We leave our computers at home and buy goods and services from physical 'brick and mortar' stores. And there has never been a more exciting time to shop! Ditch your purse or wallet, grab your phone and hit the mall!

Read the full article

Tech Time: Car Stereo Features

It’s not uncommon to see a broken down old car with a kicking stereo in Jamaica. Jamaican’s love music and will install the best stereo that their money can buy. Yesterday, it was all about sound quality; stereo enthusiasts looked at nominal impedance levels, frequency response and dynamic peak power. Features like a digital clock, remote control, anti-skip mechanism, EQ pre-sets and controls for bass, treble, balance and fader were common.

But today, car stereos are held to a new standard, they are expected to do much more! AM/FM receivers are joined by satellite and HD radio receivers on many new car stereo models. Higher end models also boast multi-media and DVD playback, while iOS integration along with RCA, USB, AUX and SD Card inputs are increasingly common.

As for control, remote controls and steering wheel controls compete with touch screen interfaces for true mastery of the stereos. Then, there is voice control. Several new car stereo models utilize voice commands to navigate everything from basic controls, to song selection.

Voice control also facilitates hands-free communication where the stereo is paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth®. Taking is a step further, Bluetooth® streaming also allows the users to wirelessly stream songs, podcasts and other audio from the owners phone to the car stereo for a rich listening experience.

The word “stereo” is still used to describe what amounts to an entertainment, communication and information centre. Yet a modern car “stereo” can also facilitate the feed from a rear-view camera.

Really, car stereos are mini-computers sometimes even with their own hard drive and Internet access. In addition to storing media files on the included hard drive, often the hard drive contains navigation data for GPS while 3G Internet access bring a wealth of other services such as real time Facebook status updates.

Of course checking you Facebook status while driving can prove dangerous, so new car stereos have safety features that lock out attention hogging activities while the car is in motion. In order to achieve this level of safety and functionality, modern day car stereos should be installed by a professional who can tap into the car’s parking break sensor, vehicle speed pulse sensor and reverse light power lead, can mount a microphone and GPS antenna and make all other necessary connections.

With so many features, there are plethora of design options and brands from which to choose. Stereos may be single or double din in dash or external, have colour touch screen interfaces with high-resolution monitors and motorised faceplates. Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, Sony, Pyramid and Boss Audio are some of the popular brands.

Tech Time airs every Tuesday morning on FAME FM at 8:15 AM EST. www.CarletteDeLeon.com | www.fame95fm.fm

Tech Time: Cool Car Tech: Vehicle Tracking

Once reserved for commercial applications, real-time, 24/7 vehicle tracking is now a practical security option for private individuals.

The process starts with the discrete installation of a tracking device in the car. The device can take up to two to three hours to install and uses GPS and mobile phone technology (meaning a dedicated SIM card) to monitor and transmit the location of the vehicle to a base station. Thanks to the internet, that base station can be just about any internet enabled device.

Service is offered island wide, save for a few black spots due to Jamaica’s hilly terrain.

Several local companies offer the service with various benefits and costs including King Alarm, Hawkeye and Guardsman. Each provides real time monitoring and once an alarm has been sounded, will dispatch a team working with local police to retrieve the lost vehicle. Recovery rates vary, but are high in all cases with some clearing 100%. The quick response also leaves very little time to strip or damage the vehicle, so cars, SUV’s, mini vans and buses are often recovered in good condition.

The alarm may be triggered by a panic button in the car or may be trigged by a phone call or special emergency call signal from outside the vehicle as well. This includes an authorized third party.

In addition to the obvious benefits, like peace of mind and reduced insurance costs, vehicle tracking has some special benefits as well. Using the internet tracking options, parents can see exactly where children go when they borrow the car, children can afford elderly parents and sense of security when on the road and husbands can quickly assist wives who may be lost, have a flat tire or otherwise disabled on the road.

Tech Time airs every Tuesday morning on FAME FM at 8:15 AM EST. www.CarletteDeLeon.com | www.fame95fm.fm