THE NEWS IN PRINT

With mobile broadband and Wi-Fi hot spots becoming increasingly ubiquitous, it is possible for people to work from home in almost every city in the world. So why is it that solo entrepreneurs and telecommuting employees often opt to live in some of the most expensive cities in the nation? Perhaps it is because inexpensive mortgages are not the only thing drawing mobile employees to live in specific areas.

Cost of living is just one factor in the big picture of how people choose where to live. Other factors include job opportunities, entertainment options, access to cultural activities and the quality of life in the city. Work-at-home techies may be drawn to cities where rents are cheap but they may also weigh their decision against the availability of tech expos in the city, the number of Internet cafes in the area and the general community support for telecommuting individuals.

With those factors in mind, the mobile employee may want to look at the following cities which are ranked as the best cities in which to be an at-home, tech-using employee. Some are better for the freelancer, others for the telecommuter and still others for the solo entrepreneur who runs a virtual start-up. All of them are good spots for the person who wants his work environment to be limited only by his wireless connection and not by the flimsy walls of a cubicle.

Japan based Brother UK has recorded significant amount of profit in the past financial year which ended on 31st of March 2008.

The profits rose from £5.9m to £9.3m which is a whopping 60% increase. But, the increase in revenue was just over a £1m owing to fierce competition in the market. The competitive prices set by Brother UK for printers have reduced the total revenue recorded, as stated by the company.

Brother has a range of products ranging from printers to sewing machines. But, it was the introduction of colour laser printers in August last year which has soared the profits.

During the term, Brother UK has sold 200,000 inkjet multi-function printers and 140,000 mono laser printers which is a 10% increase.

Brother UK which is based out of Audenshaw in Tameside is around for 60 years. Its main base of customers are companies that have less than 49 employees.

The company has projected £113m sales this year with a profit growth of 4%.

Ford is expected to pioneer computer system with accessories like wireless internet, printer and other wireless accessories on its F-series pickup trucks. The bid is to help construction workers manage work better at job sites.

The projected system is called as Ford Work Solutions and it creates a database of tool inventories and track the tools used for specific jobs. The worker/driver will feed the kind of job he/she is going to do and the computer will instruct on the tools to be carried along.

Powered with wireless internet, workers can access files remotely from the central server. Also, managers can track workers remotely for better supervision.

The Ford F-150 is expected to come with an in-dash computer and an inkjet printer. As of now, we do not have further information on the kind of printer that is expected to go into the vehicle. Prices are awaited as well.

People who use PCs may or may not care about the design of their products. Mac users always care. Apple is known for the innovative design of everything it creates from the iPod to the ultra-thin Macbook Air. Not to be outdone by the creators of the products, Mac users challenge themselves to set up their equipment in creative, aesthetically pleasing ways. In other words, Mac users create home and office setups that reflect just how cool they are for using a Mac.

The Vice-President of the European Union, Franco Frattini has issued an official statement against the concept of secret yellow grids to identify counterfeits. It states that the use of any secret codes through printers will lead to human rights violation.

"To the extent that individuals may be identified through material printed or copied using certain equipment, such processing may give rise to the violation of fundamental human rights, namely the right to privacy and private life. It also might violate the right to protection of personal data."�

According to him, there were no laws in the European Union that would allow printer manufacturers to permit printing unique secret codes in (laser) printers.

"The Commission is not aware of any specific laws either at national or at Community level governing tracking mechanisms in colour laser printers and photocopiers."�

Secret Service in the US is using these secret codes to track offenders involved in counterfeiting currencies. Almost all laser printer manufacturers are abiding by the secret service's acumen and have introduced invisible yellow dots that can potentially identify each print to the printer's owner.