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14 Presidential Firsts in Tech
In 1998, Bill Clinton typed up and sent out the first e-mail by a United States president in office.
The recipient: 77-year-old astronaut-senator John Glenn, who was in space at the time.
FAA proposes opening skies to commercial drones
The Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation proposed Sunday new regulations that remove many of the barriers to commercial use of drones for applications like photography and surveying, but they don’t permit the kind of automated drone use that companies like Amazon.com are eyeing for package delivery.The proposed regulations would allow companies to fly drones up to 500 feet at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour during daylight hours. The drone must be flown by a licensed drone operator—a newly created certification—and kept within visual line-of-sight at all times. Drones would always have to give way to other air traffic and could not fly over people except those involved in its flight.
“It’s an exciting day for aviation and the future of unmanned aircraft in the U.S.,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a conference call with reporters.
The requirements are substantially lighter than current regulations, which require companies to apply to the FAA for permission to fly drones and that the drone operator hold a private pilot’s license. In contrast, hobbyist use of drones has been permitted for sometime under the same conditions as those for model aircraft.
The FAA and Department of Transportation came up with the proposed rules and see significant economic benefit in allowing drone flight. Drones are seen as useful in areas such as aerial photography, surveying of antennas and cellphone towers, monitoring of remote wildlife and public safety uses.
“We’re doing everything that we can to safely integrate these aircraft while ensuring America remains leading in aviation safety and technology,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.
With regard to automated drones, such as those proposed by Amazon, Huerta said that the rules are just the first step in a process that is expected to continue. And he said that companies like Amazon are still able to apply to the FAA for an exemption for fly drones for a particular use case not covered by the regulations.
With Sunday’s announcement, the FAA is opening a 2-month public comment period during which it is seeking opinions on the proposed rules.
It’s likely to draw significant attention. The Sunday morning conference call for reporters drew hundreds of people after the call-in number was publicized on Twitter.
Foxx deferred when asked how long he thought it would take for the proposal to become law, saying “We want to hear from as many people as possible.”
Merry Christmas Everyone
Merry Christmas! We hope everyone has an amazing holiday and an exciting new year.
Why buy refurbished?
Discover the benefits of refurbished products
You know it’s supposed to mean more bang for your buck, but for some, the term “refurbished” stirs up more questions than confidence: “Am I buying someone’s hand-me-down computer with a few new parts thrown in?” “Will the software on my remanufactured desktop be out-of-date?” “Are the ink cartridges of a refurbished printer less than full?”
Fortunately, these and other common questions about remanufactured products are easily answered, allowing you to make the smartest buy for your technology needs. In this article, we’ll discuss what refurbished products really are, where they come from, how to buy them, and why refurbished is sometimes the best choice.
What is “refurbished”?
At HP, a refurbished solution is offered on just about all product lines: printers, notebooks, desktops, servers, and more. They are products that have been returned to HP for a variety of reasons and then put through a rigorous re-manufacturing process.
Where do refurbished products come from?
HP refurbished business products can originate from a variety of sources, including:
– Customer returns and cancelled orders – Fully-functional products that leave the HP warehouse and therefore can no longer be sold as new.
– Damaged products – Products returned because of cosmetic flaws or damage during shipping.
– Overstocks – Items that are returned by the seller to make room for newer product lines.
– Demonstration – Products have been used as HP demos.
Depending on the product line, most refurbished equipment starts to show up in HP’s remarketed inventory pool about 3-18 months after their introduction date. For instance, a desktop model that was originally entered the market over 12 months ago may be considered obsolete and not worth the cost to remanufacture, while a server could still provide a lot of value and ample performance 18 months after its initial launch.
How is a product remanufactured?
Every HP refurbished product is restored by HP to its original condition and performance. Each item is thoroughly tested, broken or defective parts are replaced, and then test results are re-verified.
All HP refurbished products are upgraded to meet current performance specifications. For example: ink cartridges in refurbished business printers are replaced with “full new” cartridges; and the latest software patches are added to computers..
When is refurbished better?
If your IT budget is lean, then HP refurbished business products offer high-quality, warrantied product at a low cost. For some applications, the latest generation of technology is better suited. In other cases, a remanufactured product may be a better fit. For example:
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– Some business applications don’t require the latest performance.
– If your company has standardized on a certain platform and “new” production on that platform has been discontinued.
– Refurbished equipment may offer the best price/performance ratio.
– Software testing may be performed just as effectively using refurbished products as with new.
– A new, popular product that is out of stock may be available in the remarketed pool due to a return or cancelled order.
What should I look for when I buy refurbished?
There are a number of things to keep in mind when you buy a refurbished business product. Here are a few tips:
Buy directly– Be sure your product was refurbished by the original manufacturer. Brokers looking to recoup losses may refurbish a product cheaply and resell it without an adequate warranty or policy.
Buying directly from HP or an authorized HP dealer ensures that your product has been remanufactured and tested to meet stringent HP standards.
Check the warranty– Does your seller guarantee the quality of its remanufactured products? Products remanufactured by HP are covered by HP.
Ask about return policies– If for any reason, you are unsatisfied with your refurbished product, the HP business outlet provides a return policy.
Act now– HP refurbished product inventory turns over quickly and the tried and true workhorses go first. Unlike new, if you miss out on a product you want, re-stocking or back-ordering is not an option.
Happy Thanksgiving
Giving Thanks
We wanted to make sure to give everyone (customers, employees, social media friends, etc…) a great big thank you on this gluttonous holiday – not judging.
