tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37817556123788217892012-01-31T23:26:31.943ZThis is Robin Bennett's blog, Start Software's Director. Start Software is a software development company based in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Robin is also a member of the West Mercia Police Authority and Chair of Shropshire Policing Board.Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.comBlogger1671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-18188817837665002832012-01-31T23:24:00.002Z2012-01-31T23:26:31.949Z

We received 49 urgent calls for assistance in January and for the first time every single problem was resolved within the customer's stated timeframe. We've been hitting 90%+ for a long time now but to hit the magic 100% target is a real credit to the team, Elaine (our problem manager) in particular.  Thank you Elaine for all your hard work. The only problem is that I'm not quite sure how we

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-57922508156549777742012-01-31T22:16:00.001Z2012-01-31T22:16:03.274Z

After another challenging day from our AccredIT quality assessor, we're thrilled to be able to announce that he has recommended us for re-certification to the accreditation body. We work very hard to keep our service consistent and our software development processes thorough, professional and innovative.  Most of the hard work is Kim's (our Quality Manager) and her attention to detail is

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-78245660819416849332012-01-31T20:59:00.001Z2012-01-31T20:59:21.609Z

http://blog.alphasoftware.com/2012/01/alpha-five-version-11-does-metro-ui.html We're working for a fantastic client at the moment - Countrywide Legal Services - and one of the software products we've built for them (in Alpha Five v11) is a "Extranet" for their consultants to log in and see the status of all of the business they are doing with the company. Alpha Software, the creators of Alpha

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-8607950032858044052012-01-30T08:33:00.000Z2012-01-30T08:33:06.557Z

We record and analyse all customer comments really carefully.  Even if our ISO9001:2008 and AccredIT certifications didn't need us to to this (they both do!) it is vital to know what your customers think of the service you provide. The positive comments we receive are especially rewarding, and this was a lovely one: Start Software created a solution within Tracker for Bureau Veritas, which

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-68936735433891443422012-01-30T08:05:00.001Z2012-01-30T08:05:11.443Z

Our relationship with Alpha Software continues to flourish and over the last two weeks we have been working closely with their development team using the latest "pre release" build of Alpha Five v11. Our latest project is a prototype job, customer and financial management system for a company specialising in dealing with household insurance claims where asbestos products may be involved.  The

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-62645962177386249262012-01-27T14:20:00.000Z2012-01-27T14:20:15.366Z

Mobile Data Studio 7.1.1 is now available. This is a minor update which resolves a couple of bugs which users have spotted togther with better notifications for new sessions and new projects within Android. Contact us for the latest installer or download directly from the CreativityCorp site.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-33764703893498825342012-01-18T12:59:00.002Z2012-01-18T12:59:09.077Z

http://blog.alphasoftware.com/2012/01/why-microsoft-access-shop-chose-alpha.html

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-54830824994843578172012-01-18T12:47:00.001Z2012-01-18T12:47:05.772Z

Apologies but staff illness has left us a little short in the support office today. Please be patient if you can and only mark problems as urgent if they really are. You can track live support cases via our web site's support page here as usual.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-11173260150692491362012-01-18T12:44:00.002Z2012-01-18T12:44:41.013Z

This is a minor update with a number of bug fixes including one which affected SQL users copying/pasting appointments from one staff member to another. Please contact the support office if you would like this update.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-11871535208339570322012-01-13T16:01:00.000Z2012-01-13T16:01:04.639Z

We've started 3 new projects this week, all for web-enabled database applications. Each application is in a completely different market but each client shares the same wish to have a system which will work from anywhere and on any device - true cloud computing. We'll be using Alpha Five to develop each of these applications and our partnership with the Alpha Five development team is growing

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-13766462665579865392012-01-08T20:37:00.000Z2012-01-08T20:37:03.339Z

Lots! Starting with the company itself, at the end of 2011 we at Start Software had grown the development team to the largest we have ever had (in 10+ years of trading) and this year we will be taking on even more programmers. We're working on an update to our web site - they say that plumbers are the most likely to have a leaky tap at home and our web site is now starting to look a bit out of

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-85512315270447336612011-12-23T11:24:00.001Z2011-12-23T11:24:32.176Z

Happy Christmas everyone - we really appreciate your support and the business we've done together in 2011. We've got an exciting 2012 planned with lots of new software developments and major upgrades to all of our existing product range. We're open throughout the festive period (apart from the bank holidays) so that we can support our customers, so do ring the normal support number 0845 612

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-91376281135468102892011-12-22T09:25:00.000Z2011-12-22T09:25:00.156Z

Mobile Data Studio - the software development environment we use for Tracker Mobile and our other onsite data collection products - is now available. We are completing our own testing and so don't suggest you upgrade immediately but initial tests are all good and the improvements across all three handheld environments - Android, iPhone/iPad and Windows 6.x - are really welcome.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-11472498505516547112011-12-19T10:17:00.000Z2011-12-19T10:17:05.392Z

We've had our ISO9001:2008 certificate through at last... another quality accreditation for Start Software to add to the set on the wall! Start Software's quality accreditations

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-51269783848224256192011-12-12T07:42:00.001Z2011-12-12T07:45:43.960Z

If you're a Mobile Data Studio user (for Tracker Mobile) on iPhone, iPad or iPod, there is a free update available to you via the Apple App Store. v7.0.2 improves the camera/photo point functionality and gives the option of 256-bit AES Encryption when transmitting data (useful if you are send extremely confidential/sensitive info and want to be sure that a hacker could not intercept it).

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-46375459280492190142011-12-09T23:04:00.001Z2011-12-09T23:15:47.279Z

We're really pleased to be partners with CreativityCorp, the Australian software development company which creates Mobile Data Studio (MDS).  MDS is the platform we use to build our mobile data capture solutions.  We have a relationship with CreativityCorp which enables us to influence the development of the product as well as benefit commercially. CreativityCorp direct UK businesses to us when

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-14062857677099315422011-12-09T22:56:00.001Z2011-12-09T23:03:15.907Z

I introduced the new versions of Mobile Data Studio in a recent blog post: http://robinbennett.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-versions-of-mobile-data-studio.html. We've been testing the new Android version this week and we've been very impressed indeed - there is a better look to the product (especially welcome on phones/tablets with a "black" visual theme) and the new camera options to enable/disable

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-59863131866260383892011-12-02T18:48:00.001Z2011-12-02T19:00:20.437Z

Developer Dan has impressed us with his ability to get software delivered quickly and accurately. We had no idea that his interest in speed and accuracy also applied to his driving, but we're thrilled that he has shown his class by coming first in the under 1400cc category of the Autosolo championship. Nice one Dan!

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-35957590710340058062011-12-02T18:37:00.001Z2011-12-02T18:48:03.799Z

Another dynamic asbestos surveying and removals business has joined Tracker family, enjoying electronic data capture on site and automated report production. Now that the system is in place and staff are trained, we're looking forward to working with the team at Safe Strip UK over the next few weeks and months to ensure that they get the most from Tracker.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-85532424690998778662011-12-02T18:28:00.001Z2011-12-02T18:37:00.182Z

We've just had our best financial year ever.  In the current climate, that is pretty good going. We've just had our best financial month ever.  Sales in October 2011 are the best we've ever had. And - to cap it all - our daily company stats from last week were the best we've ever had - best sales, no outstanding customer issues logged, best order book. We've got lots to do over the next few

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-65759991842103702912011-12-02T18:18:00.001Z2011-12-02T18:27:35.980Z

I mentioned Subversion in my blog about the most recent Microsoft Access User Group.  Our latest (and greatest, he says) developer Ricky introduced the idea of using Subversion to us and the presentation at the Access User Group convinced me that it was worth a try. What is Subversion?  It is a version control and revision system - something which helps with the process of developing software

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-32354724647858039162011-12-02T18:04:00.001Z2011-12-02T18:10:25.877Z

Mobile Data Studio (formally Pocket PC Creations) is a fundamental part of many of our software systems. Mobile Data Studio is an excellent product for developing data capture forms on Windows, Android and IOS (Apple/iPhone/iPad) devices. It is created and supported by our talented Australian software development partners, CreativityCorp, and we have a very close working arrangement with

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-77939789475685374992011-11-14T16:04:00.001Z2011-11-14T16:05:59.203Z

This is a long-awaited update... you can now easily change the default (generated) passwords for web clients. To change the basic password for a client, change the new setting {client ID} basic password to a 6-digit number of your choice. To receive this update, please contact the office via email or the usual telephone number - 0845 612 2402.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-29707710577635173242011-11-11T13:56:00.001Z2011-11-11T14:29:39.664Z

For once (it seems), Andy & I weren't presenting at the Access User Group.  Instead, we got to watch some really excellent presentations. The most interesting from my point of view was a good look at the "Subversion" version control system which is a much more sophisticated way of handling source code than we currently employ (although the system we use is good and one reason that we pass our

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-86965182757069612252011-11-11T13:48:00.001Z2011-11-11T13:51:21.923Z

This is a worthwhile but minor update. One of the features (and benefits) of Tracker Upload Manager is that it sends a text message to the surveyor once they have uploaded data so that the surveyor has positive confirmation that their work is safe. The downside is that each text message costs 2-3p and so costs can add up. Tracker Upload Manager v1.0.48 has the facility to send an email to the

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-90455851550267807462011-11-07T14:20:00.002Z2011-11-07T14:20:34.500Z

One of our clients - AEC - is supporting the "Movember" (Moustache for November!) movement this year and is trying to raise funds to support prostate and testicular cancer charities. Please donate if you can - here is the link you need: http://www.movember.com/m/2252002

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-91434493531215447782011-11-07T13:40:00.000Z2011-11-07T13:56:37.653Z

Back in September we announced that Resource Tracker Google Sync was in beta. We're proud to announce that it is now on general release and can be ordered via the office (by email or phone 0845 612 2402) or direct from our online shop http://start-software.com/shop/. Resource Tracker Google Sync is a brand new Tracker module which keeps Google calendars updated for all your staff so that they

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-83492146369213443812011-11-04T17:21:00.002Z2011-11-04T17:21:30.172Z

We've had our ISO 9001 assessment today (it is 3 years - unbelieveably - since our first accreditation) and we've passed with flying colours! Kim is our Quality Manager and this is all down to her hard work and the team's constant focus on doing things "by the book" and keeping customer satisfaction at the heart of everything we do. We know we're not perfect, far from it, but we genuinely try to

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-15359170057656769672011-10-31T21:48:00.002Z2011-10-31T21:48:39.068Z

Resource Tracker can be slow to start up and it something that bugs us and Resource Tracker users.  With some users processing literally 100,000s of diary entries some delays are inevitable, but that hasn't stopped us from looking at every line of code to see what can be improved. We are well on the way to making huge performance improvements through optimised database access coding.  Watch this

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-3869056856379250192011-10-31T16:43:00.001Z2011-10-31T16:43:06.237Z

This v1.5.264 version of Tracker Web Server has a much-improved order tracking facility for client use.  Using this facility (which can be switched off and on per client), your customers can see the progress of work that you are doing for them and they can also place orders for new work. Also in this release is a new link (optional, default on) which appears on the project screen to enable your

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-45137698282502032612011-10-30T11:34:00.001Z2011-10-30T11:34:18.505Z

Alpha Five is one of our favourite development environments when creating applications to run over the web. Traditionally, it has been very difficult to build fully-functional web-based apps as the Internet was really only designed to display information (web pages) and not allow the sort of sophisticated interaction which database applications require. Alpha allows us to build web-based

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-37975432025665061022011-10-21T20:26:00.000+01:002011-10-21T20:26:03.231+01:00

We've had to increase some of our prices in line with inflation.  You will see the new prices on estimates issued from the start of our new financial year (1 October). Since we started trading, through careful management of the business, we have managed to reduce our prices in real terms so these increases are disappointing but unfortunately increased costs (especially fuel) have impacted on us

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-41955651230315654262011-10-21T17:38:00.001+01:002011-10-21T17:38:39.458+01:00

We've just started a new implementation of Tracker in an "open" format - the customer wants to develop Tracker in their own direction and they have staff and software development experience to enable them to do it. This is the first time that we've implemented a Tracker in an "open" way from day 1.  We have other customers who have bought development licenses for use with existing systems, but

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-16613459397194007142011-10-13T20:31:00.000+01:002011-10-13T20:31:31.925+01:00

Our 2010/11 financial year has just come to a close (we run October - September). We're really pleased to announce that group turnover and profit are both up on last year's record-breaking figures which means that this is another best year yet.  These figures are all the more remarkable because we have invested over £50K in a major new software product (to launch in 2012). These figures are due

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-75828993678784603822011-10-13T14:31:00.002+01:002011-10-13T14:34:12.340+01:00

We are expanding our business over the next 3 months starting with an increase in our development capacity. We're delighted to announce that experienced developer Ricky Davies has joined the team adding his exceptional range of software development skills to our existing mix.  Specifically, Ricky add skills in these areas: C# VB DELPHI CSS XHTML JAVASCRIPT JQUERY T-SQL / SQL ASP.NET WEB FORMS

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-31486990147089686592011-10-12T13:08:00.003+01:002011-10-12T13:09:48.319+01:00

We've updated and improved the live order tracking facility within Tracker Web Server. You can now show your customers their orders in progress, orders complete this month, and all finished projects live from their login page on Tracker Web Server: Example of the "Reports completed this month" view Really usefully, the customer also has a live link to the project (for completed

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-856157365671003392011-10-07T08:58:00.003+01:002011-10-07T08:58:56.990+01:00

Our new version of Tracker Dashboard is v1.0.59 with several cosmetic enhancements and a new facility to show descriptive text with each table in a Dashboard email.  This helps recipients to understand the information sent to them. If you would this like free-of-charge update and are within a current support/maintenance plan, please contact the office (support@start-software.co.uk).

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-44948326635325906632011-09-29T22:11:00.002+01:002011-09-29T22:11:45.183+01:00

Our Resource Tracker integrated scheduling tool has always had an email link to Outlook, but for users without Outlook (Exchange) diaries this hasn't been ideal.  In addition, housing survey contracts in particular demand lots of last-minute changes to the diary and so receiving updates by email isn't always convenient. Our new Resource Tracker Sync tool is designed to be the solution.  It

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-86782863383414696712011-09-25T10:27:00.001+01:002011-09-25T10:28:10.958+01:00

Did you know that every time you ring in with a query or bug report it is logged into our systems so that it can be tracked properly and our performance analysed? Each month we review our performance.  One of the key stats we measure is whether we are resolving issues in the timescales you set us.  Here is our latest performance, shown as a graph.  The red line shows high priority issues (when

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-41473856180870677442011-09-22T22:55:00.002+01:002011-09-22T22:55:36.712+01:00

What a great event!  Our new client The Woodford Foundation hosted an evening reception tonight for some of their Malawi partners, hosted by Woodford's Chairman Rod Clark OBE. It was fun to meet some of the volunteers and supporters who help the organisation and to meet more of the people who will be using (and seeing the results from) the new web-enabled database that we are creating for

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-51620627117028855782011-09-20T15:38:00.004+01:002011-09-20T15:38:48.452+01:00

Tracker Upload Manager (TUM) v1.0.46 is now available to all customers with active support plans. This release has a number of improvements including increased reliability when processing invalid/unexpected XML data.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-16856188633011567812011-09-12T09:18:00.004+01:002011-09-12T09:18:56.224+01:00

Tracker Dashboard automates the emailing of stats, facts and figures from Tracker to individuals and groups within an organisation. Typically, Tracker Dashboard is used to generate emails overnight with "dashboards" of key data for managers and directors, and live "action lists" for processing teams. Tracker Dashboard v1.0.57 is now available on general release for all customers with an active

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-88205934371935281932011-09-09T08:12:00.002+01:002011-09-09T08:12:37.041+01:00

Tracker is the UK's leading product within the asbestos surveying industry with the majority of the UK's leading consultancies using it to streamline their surveying and reinspection processes. 10,000,000 items now surveyed We've very proud to say that this week Tracker reached a new milestone with 10 million items surveyed and reported to clients through its automated electronic data capture

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-56470404173671969472011-09-09T07:52:00.000+01:002011-09-09T07:52:34.801+01:00

We've been working at Shrewsbury-based charity The Woodford Foundation to develop a web-based database application to store and analyse data relating to the impact of the fantastic work they do in Africa (Malawi in particular). After a couple of site visits, the database is now taking shape and the productivity that Alpha Five v10 delivers has made the process of building the system very

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-80460740331327461652011-08-31T17:35:00.000+01:002011-08-31T17:35:51.039+01:00

Our latest web-enabled database development with Alpha Five is now under way for Shrewsbury-based charity The Woodford Foundation (www.woodfordfoundation.org.uk).          

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-12098706333667173282011-08-19T14:54:00.000+01:002011-08-19T14:54:42.155+01:00

TWS v1.5.236 is now available to all customers with an active support/maintenance plan. This release has over 100 changes including improved performance throughout, better contractor access logs and increased security when run on Windows 2003 servers. Contact the office (0845 612 2402) if you would like the update.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-85140398041590452102011-08-19T13:16:00.000+01:002011-08-19T13:16:01.991+01:00

More and more clients are now using Android phones and tablets for Tracker Mobile, our mobile data collection system for asbestos surveyors and asbestos consultancies. If you are using Android tablets (such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab), you have enough space on the screen to create and edit drawings too - especially if the drawing are fairly simple (eg domestic properties). Two packages you might

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-33335881215761423712011-08-01T10:42:00.000+01:002011-08-01T10:42:06.532+01:00

Do you like taking photos?  Have a go at our photo competition and you could win £100 to spend at Jessops! You'll find all of the details you need here: http://start-software.com/summer-2011-photo-competition/ The competition is all about having fun and trying to tick off as many of the 31 categories as you can.  It doesn't matter if you don't have a good camera (use your mobile phone if you

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-90361691968923153312011-07-27T11:16:00.000+01:002011-07-27T11:16:27.154+01:00

Remember the Yellowbike project we worked on back in 2009/10? We wrote the management software and developed the Internet booking site for a company renting electric bikes (painted in bright yellow, hence the name)!.  They didn't take off for the Yellowbike Company in the original rental locations, but they have been continuing to secure new sites and have just gone live for Summer 2011. The

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-57966015262897331602011-07-21T13:06:00.000+01:002011-07-21T13:06:17.237+01:00

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-11903816489563650722011-07-06T16:06:00.000+01:002011-07-06T16:06:34.863+01:00

Alpha Five is a software development/database product which we've been keeping a close eye on for a few years. We usually develop in Microsoft Access and/or VB/VBA (with a SQL Server back-end) but Alpha Five has been interesting us because of its clever web abilities.  Essentially, it can web-enable databases very quickly and easily which is something which Access is not really able to do

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-41120648181429080632011-07-01T15:22:00.000+01:002011-07-01T15:22:28.114+01:00

If you've just completed one of our customer satisfaction questionnaires, thanks for taking the time and effort to do so.  We really appreciate all feedback (good and bad) and we are all very keen to take note and act upon it. Compared to last year, our overall scores are down a bit, but only a bit!  Overall, across all categories, you've scored us 8/10.  It is good to see that the "Staff"

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-63639213169377232952011-06-24T12:12:00.000+01:002011-06-24T12:12:22.986+01:00

Our latest Tracker Web Server changes are now in beta. There are a number of improvements to the standard screen layout, making it better suited to tablet and smartphone devices. We also have added new settings (client-specific) allowing you to vary the look and feel of the software for each of your clients. We're now collecting requests for new features for the next release - please get in

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-1820094864516798772011-06-08T15:17:00.001+01:002011-06-08T21:26:05.982+01:00

Today was fun - just finished a workshop for a famous multi-national looking to deploy Mobile Data Studio. They needed help to explore the possibilities and limitations of the product before they commit. Really nice people, good project plan, should be a big success for them.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-17843863863987600342011-06-01T15:03:00.000+01:002011-06-01T15:03:58.522+01:00

We are getting one or two reports that the newer "Android" phones and tablets are saving photos at very large file sizes, and this is causing two issues: 1 the sessions can appear to be "stuck" on the phones once the photo has been saved with the rest of the surveying data 2 sending the data in at the end of the survey or end of the day is taking much longer than normal. We recommend that the

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-72840668168218991922011-05-20T08:31:00.000+01:002011-05-20T08:31:37.751+01:00

Andy's presentation at the Microsoft Access User Group on Wednesday was made more tricky when his Microsoft co-presenter failed to show, but it takes more than that to put Andy off and he carried on regardless with his presentation on linking Access applications to SQL Server data "in the cloud". I did my "Deploying Access Systems" presentation just after lunch and just about managed to keep the

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-29509766935560698882011-05-17T23:12:00.001+01:002011-05-17T23:12:26.693+01:00

Andy and I are both presenting at the Microsoft Access User Group tomorrow in Reading.Andy is talking about SQL Server "in the cloud" and how Access can connect to it. I'm doing an hour later in the day on deploying Access apps and how best to support them.I'm also delivering some training for Tracker Web Server in the morning and then showing Tracker to a potential new client on Thursday. Busy

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-61194418350753517022011-04-27T15:28:00.001+01:002011-04-27T15:29:09.575+01:00

Our Australian partners have now released Mobile Data to the Apple Store and so Tracker Mobile is now officially available for the iPhone, iPod and iPad! You can download the Mobile Data app straight onto your Apple device, straight from the store. If you need help to configure it, give us a call in the office. We're now the only asbestos surveying software to be available on Windows,

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-7630227349068527892011-04-27T09:14:00.001+01:002011-04-27T09:20:40.849+01:00

A new Tracker Dashboard EXE (v1.0.51) is available which has a new facility to process alerts during the day as well as a better (more reliable) timing process

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-53298253688884116072011-04-07T14:44:00.000+01:002011-04-07T14:44:14.225+01:00

I'm about to start a Land's End to John O'Groats cycle for Cancer Research UK. You will know the good work that they do and you may know why this is such an important charity to me. My JustGiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/le2jog4cancerresearch explains all and I do hope you can help me to raise £1,000 for this cause. Thanks for reading and please donate if you can. Thanks, Robin

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-3278051947687802332011-03-18T10:30:00.000Z2011-03-18T10:30:45.571Z

We've been helping our Australian partners with the iPhone and iPad version of their software for a few months and it is nearly ready. We and they were hoping for a Christmas launch but the process to get applications onto the iStore is very challenging, so it looks like it will be later this month or April now. To whet your appetite, here is a screenshot from the software we're testing: If

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-40182449479741091002011-03-14T10:58:00.000Z2011-03-14T10:58:24.936Z

We've been speaking a provider of the postcode database for the UK and now have the potential to do address lookups from postcodes within Tracker itself.  This means that you could just enter a postcode into Tracker (in the Site Postcode field, for example) and Tracker will auto-fill the rest of the address. The postcode file is strictly controlled by the Post Office which means that this

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-8130435990453897502011-02-28T13:45:00.000Z2011-02-28T13:45:44.787Z

Thanks to hard work from all the team and a special focus on managing problems logged by our clients, we've just received our hard-won ISO9001:2008 certificates for another year. The certification covers software development and data conversion services in both our Bridgnorth and Telford offices. Congratulations are due to Kim and Elaine especially for their hard work and focus on quality (

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-43234277646162002822011-02-28T12:05:00.000Z2011-02-28T12:05:53.561Z

We have been partners with an Australian software company for many years now, using their pocket PC "framework" for our systems which collect and transmit data from users on site. The system we use - "Pocket PC Creations" - has now received a major upgrade and is now called Mobile Data Studio.  Many new features we have requested are present in the new system and we will be in touch with all

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-23749140613581092012011-02-18T14:15:00.000Z2011-02-18T14:15:06.579Z

Andy Couch is one of the UK's leading Access and SQL Server developers and is a regular speaker at Microsoft events.  I met Andy at the Access User Group when we were both giving presentations and he has worked with Start Software over the last few months offering us his expertise on various technical matters. I'm delighted to announce that Andy will be working more closely with us over the

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-49969178311247607422011-02-07T15:40:00.000Z2011-02-07T15:40:29.082Z

We've just completed the work needed for a long-requested facility in Tracker - the option of saving Outlook emails into Tracker folders. If you are trying to store all project- or client-related information in Tracker, the problem has always been "what do we do with information which has been emailed in?"  It is possible to manually save emails into Tracker folders but that is a bit of a pain

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-14833300142384122062011-02-02T17:16:00.000Z2011-02-02T17:16:04.685Z

Adam has just finished an upgrade to Resource Tracker (v1.0.457) which uses Google Maps rather than Microsoft's MapPoint DLLs for the integrating mapping facilities.  This will ensure that the maps and directions used within Resource Tracker are the most up-to-date possible. If you are interested in this upgrade (which is free to all support/maintenance contract customers) please contact the

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-52241172653837566342011-02-02T16:38:00.000Z2011-02-02T16:38:35.083Z

2011 has started off with a record performance from the support team at Start Software.  95% of high priority calls taken in January were resolved in time.  Across all calls, 187 in total, more than 85% were resolved on time. Customers set their own target resolution times and so this performance is especially pleasing. With our ISO9001 review coming up next week, these are great statistics

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-7743300916011087432011-01-24T09:03:00.002Z2011-01-24T12:08:04.463Z

We're pleased to announce an exciting new Tracker development - an automatic link between Tracker and the CADBuilder service (www.cadbuilder.co.uk). Tracker is the UK's leading system for asbestos and environmental consultancies.  Used by most of the UK's leading asbestos consultancies to improve efficiency and increase productivity, Tracker is popular with surveyors because it uses hand-held

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-84447180179874379982011-01-13T08:56:00.000Z2011-01-13T08:56:48.954Z

A Tracker Web Server update is available to all customers with a support contract with a much more flexible user security model. You are now able to set up users with Tracker Web Server to view: a single site with associated actions, inspections and documentation multiple sites groups of sites based on any Tracker field (eg Managing Agent, Area, Sector, Project Manager, Project Type) or any

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-72660397399231222232011-01-07T12:37:00.000Z2011-01-07T12:37:27.835Z

We've just had a delivery of the long-awaited Motorola ES400 semi-rugged phone/pocket PC, ideal for asbestos surveying using our Tracker Mobile software. The ES400 has a real "business/industrial" feel to it - really smart, very clever, will be popular with surveyors I'm sure. Take a look at the specs on our online shop at http://www.start-software.com/shop.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-53851928474389477962010-12-23T16:54:00.002Z2010-12-23T16:54:40.776Z

2010 has felt pretty challenging to us with the UK's financial situation still being very precarious and with serious competitors coming into many of our markets for the first time. We've held our market positions, opened new offices, started major new development projects, and have ended the year as we started it - in a sound financial position and with optimism for the New Year.  Our two

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-5599701491785618702010-12-13T12:00:00.000Z2010-12-13T12:00:39.421Z

Thanks for supporting us and following our blog this year. This Christmas we're making a donation to the RNLI instead of sending cards, so please accept our best wishes for Christmas and the New Year and we look forward to speaking to you and seeing you again in 2011. Cheers! Robin, Adam, Elaine, Kim, Stuart, Dan and Shane PS Our support line (0845 612 2402) is open as usual between Christmas

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-36296509851993548922010-12-03T11:30:00.000Z2010-12-03T11:30:03.009Z

Are you now using Android phones/pocket PCs for your asbestos surveying?  For example, HTC Desire or Desire Z units or Motorola Milestones or Milestone 2s?  We are selling a good range in our on-line shop: www.start-software.com/shop/. Android devices tend to store photos at larger file sizes than Windows Mobile devices so we have improved the way that photos are processed in Tracker to ensure

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-59463692976368180902010-11-26T11:22:00.000Z2010-11-26T11:22:43.832Z

If you are an Invoice Tracker user (generating invoices in Tracker to import into Sage) you may want the latest update which features a button to import the building list into the invoice (one building per invoice line).  This is especially useful if you survey multiple buildings (eg domestics) on a single Tracker survey project. This new facility is available to all Tracker users with a live

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-44898455511078642002010-11-24T16:26:00.000Z2010-11-24T16:26:50.300Z

Several Tracker Web Server clients have asked if we can incorporate an order tracking facility into the system so that their clients can see the progress of surveys, reinspections etc and order new work through the web site. You will be able to enable and disable the facility on a client-by-client basis so don't worry that the system will suddenly start showing information to clients which you'd

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-72780889745096983412010-11-19T08:44:00.000Z2010-11-19T08:44:32.410Z

This is a minor update but worth having - it improves the category/sub-category facility (where you can break your projects down by department/area/sector etc) and also includes some cosmetic changes.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-78187323485845213872010-11-09T14:30:00.000Z2010-11-09T14:30:35.260Z

We're just closing our books for the financial year Oct 2009 - Sept 2010 and it looks like we've had our best year yet. Turnover is up an amazing 50% on the year before and % profit has held up pretty well too: We've expanded into a second software development office (based at the University of Wolverhampton's e-Innovation Centre in Telford) and a major new software project is well under way.  

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-41006339334111478482010-11-08T14:50:00.000Z2010-11-08T14:50:22.517Z

The latest release of Tracker Web Server has much improved hyperlinking throughout the system so that you can move more easily from actions and inspections (whether in "edit mode" or in the lists) straight back to the sites they are attached to.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-21779103011912927112010-10-20T16:59:00.001+01:002010-10-20T16:59:34.396+01:00

Most of the semi-rugged or fully-rugged smartphones aren't popular with staff using Toy Tracker Mobile - the version of Toy Tracker designed for mobile use - simply because they don't look like normal phones and tend to be very bulky. The new Motorola Defy looks like a winner to me - splash, dust and drop-proof but looks like a normal phone. http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-phones/

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-71298926413550255542010-10-20T16:58:00.001+01:002010-10-20T16:59:50.115+01:00

Most of the semi-rugged or fully-rugged smartphones aren't popular with surveyors using Tracker Mobile, simply because they don't look like normal phones and tend to be very bulky. The new Motorola Defy looks like a winner to me - splash, dust and drop-proof but looks like a normal phone. http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-phones/motorola-defy-review-50000569/ We'll be stocking them from

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-50647676282437618562010-10-11T08:03:00.000+01:002010-10-11T08:03:57.730+01:00

A new release of Tracker Dashboard is now available with a new feature allowing alerts to be sent throughout the day as project milestones are updated. For example, when a draft report is produced and the relevant milestone is updated, an automatic email can be sent to the assigned technical checker asking him or her to check the report. This is a free-of-charge update if you already have

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-11048733751467368122010-10-07T16:08:00.000+01:002010-10-07T16:08:51.949+01:00

We have updated Tracker Web Server to v1.0.105 with a number of enhancements, both major and minor: 1 New risk-based dashboards Your clients can now view risk-based dashboards across their portfolio or for individual sites: All tables are live and allow click-through "drill down" access to explore the data. 2 New compliance-based dashboards Looking at the overall compliance data for sites,

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-21322009664682001462010-10-07T15:10:00.001+01:002010-10-07T15:14:43.340+01:00

We are now offering intensive 1-1 Tracker training courses for experienced asbestos project managers and surveyors. The course syllabus can be customised to suit your staff needs and recent feedback from the first courses suggests that the time invested is worthwhile and future demand is going to be high. Contact Elaine in the office to discuss your requirements and to book your session.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-42947195405380858662010-09-17T14:19:00.000+01:002010-09-17T14:19:32.436+01:00

http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2010/09/17/htc-desire-hd-and-desire-z-intro-video/ Here is some video footage of the new HTC Desire Z with a slide-out keyboard.  Looks like it could be the ideal unit for surveyors using Tracker Mobile.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-17715143188473710432010-09-15T13:44:00.001+01:002010-09-15T13:44:19.547+01:00

Kim spent most of yesterday with our AccredIT assessor for our 12-monthly check-up to see if our processes and procedures still meet the demanding AccredIT regime. We were one of the first software development companies to reach the AccredIT standard and we work hard to keep ourselves at the top of our game to keep our registration (and our ISO 9001 certificate). Our accreditation relates to

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-20572458705151599482010-09-15T13:30:00.000+01:002010-09-15T13:30:45.936+01:00

Now that our Tracker Mobile and other mobile data system software is compatible with Android, we're keeping a keen eye on the Android handsets coming onto the market. HTC have just launched some exciting new models including the Desire Z with full hardware keyboard. Take a look at http://www.engadget.com/photos/htc-desire-z/#3364206 to see more photos of the new models.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-40292440783326133532010-09-11T11:16:00.001+01:002010-09-11T11:18:52.061+01:00

new automated posting to Blog and Twitter

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-44866620544480385992010-09-11T11:10:00.001+01:002010-09-11T11:11:31.900+01:00

new automated posting to Blog and Twitter

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-23086644755825335122010-09-11T11:10:00.000+01:002010-09-11T11:11:15.519+01:00

Just testing some new code, please ignore!

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-31666440977641831702010-09-11T10:54:00.001+01:002010-09-11T10:54:57.233+01:00

Just testing some new code, please ignore!

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-28364829717801282702010-09-10T17:57:00.002+01:002010-09-10T18:05:29.962+01:00

100km in 5 hours, great fun and a really good cause.severnhospice.org.uk/eventsWhy don't you get your bike out and join us next year?Sent from my Android phone using TouchDown (www.nitrodesk.com)

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-11369820695579009272010-09-10T17:26:00.003+01:002010-09-10T17:30:12.383+01:00

We've been busy testing the new Android version of "Mobile Data" (formally known as Pocket PC Creations) which is looking great.We're testing on an HTC Legend but we also have users with HTC Desire devices and the fabulous new Android tablets.It does look like Windows Mobile 6 is going to stop production soon (at least for consumer-style phones) and the new Windows Phone 7 Series isn't backwards

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-23886928065431549212010-08-19T11:29:00.001+01:002010-08-19T11:30:39.241+01:00

Does your business use Twitter and would you like your systems to automatically post Twitter updates (Tweets)?We can now add this functionality to your Tracker or Toy Tracker system. Ring or email for more information!

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-33711150100187551462010-08-12T17:38:00.002+01:002010-08-12T17:41:51.041+01:00

A large part of the core code base in Tracker Web Server has been rewritten resulting in speed increases of 50x for some operations. The whole website feels much, much "snappier" especially with larger client sites.In addition, new database optimisations within the Asbestos Tracker databases have helped to make the Tracker Web Server experience a much slicker one.Contact the office if you want

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-79646516726940487192010-08-05T17:29:00.004+01:002010-08-05T17:31:25.549+01:00

July 2010 has been our busiest ever support month with 174 problem calls logged by Elaine and the team.We solved 89.6% (I'm counting that as 90%!) of the calls on time - something we're very proud of.We hope your call wasn't one of the 10% and we will strive to do even better in August.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-65473622829523127472010-08-04T18:16:00.002+01:002010-08-04T18:18:59.237+01:00

We're pleased to announce an update to Tracker Dashboard (the Tracker module which sends automatic, personalised emails with Tracker data, summaries and action lists).The new version can also send data as .CSV files so that it can be read straight into Excel.If you would like the update, which is free of charge to all Tracker clients with active support contracts, please contact the office.

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-9532928569960708902010-07-20T12:26:00.006+01:002010-07-20T12:48:58.375+01:00

We've been scouring the market to find a good quality, lightweight, pocketable, affordable LED floodlight for use by surveyors where the built-in flashes on pocket PC/phones aren't sufficient to light an area.In fact, some of the most popular pocket PCs (such as the HTC Touch Pro 2 units) don't have flashes at all and so the quality of the image suffers in poor light.We've now found one and have

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-61546083504132547942010-07-14T09:49:00.003+01:002010-07-14T09:54:52.764+01:00

Something we check and test during out IT Security Audits is that the routers in use are secure and have up to date firmware.This article shows how important this sort of testing is: http://www.codeproject.com/News.aspx?ntag=43902147355793894More thorough testing of the security of a network includes port scanning and the use of specialist companies to attempt to gain access to a company's

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781755612378821789.post-65002856802454194122010-07-09T07:57:00.002+01:002010-07-09T08:06:12.524+01:00

For a while we've been considering the development of a new module for our Tracker product line to enable documents coming into a business to be scanned, tagged, processed, OCR'd and then sent via a workflow system to the relevant part of the business for action.For example, incoming invoices could be scanned, tagged and sent to accounts payable and orders arriving by fax could be scanned and

Robin Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09959939846520048103noreply@blogger.com0