TECHNOLOGY
TOOLS
of theTRADE
together. Keys include numerals
ning and preparation and are
expect three to four weeks to
0-9, operation keys, hot-keys,
issued daily during the tax filing
be added to the wait. There’s
page-up/down, delete forward,
season and periodically
also an IRS Twitter news feed,
and enter. There’s a power on/off,
throughout the year. Typical
@IRSnews, which provides news
a pairing button for use when
updates include topics such as
and information about numer-
attaching to the keyboard, a
free tax help, child tax credits,
ous topics, including tax law
power on bar for activating Blue-
the Earned Income Tax Credit,
changes and IRS programs.
tooth, and an LED status signal.
education credits, and others.
Scissor-type membrane keys
You can also check the status of
Samsung
ML-2855ND
work effortlessly, reducing
your federal refund by supplying
Cropmark Bluetooth Keypad
fatigue, and the keyboard can be
three pieces of information.
The Samsung ML-2855ND is a
used attached or as a stand-
First, you enter your Social Secu-
single-function monochrome
From Other World Computing,
alone wireless keyboard with
rity number. This is masked and
laser printer that features one of
the Cropmark Bluetooth Keypad
MacBook, MacBook Pro, and
then encrypted for security. Then
the lowest costs per page in its
is for Apple wireless keyboard
other Bluetooth-enabled Macs.
you provide the filing status you
class. Samsung describes it as
users who prefer using a numeric
Search Bluetooth keypad at
used on your tax return, and,
the world’s smallest laser printer
keypad rather than the number
http://eshop.macsales.com.
finally, you enter the amount of
with built-in duplexing (two-
the refund you expect from your
sided printing)—its compact
layout features a design similar
IRS2Go
2010 tax return. If you e-file,
profile of 15.4 ✕ 14.5 ✕ 8.5
to a calculator, and the one-hand
The Internal Revenue Service
the refund information will be
inches will fit where many oth-
operation will increase your
has produced a smartphone
available about 72 hours after
ers won’t, and it weighs only
speed and accuracy. Bluetooth
application that offers helpful
you receive an e-mail acknowl-
19.2 pounds. This is a basic
Mac keyboards can be coupled
tax information and lets you
edgment notifying you that the
small or medium-size business
with this 28-key numeric keypad,
check on the status of your tax
IRS has received your return. If
workgroup printer that has
which can be clipped to the main
refund. IRS2Go works
you file a paper
speeds up to 30 pages per
keyboard or used as a separate
on both iPhone and
return, you can
minute and a monthly duty cycle
input for working with figures,
Android systems and
up to 50,000 pages. Other fea-
tax returns, or spreadsheets. It’s
can be downloaded
tures include print resolution of
Bluetooth, so it’s plug-and-
at no cost from
up to 1,200 ✕ 1,200 dpi, paper
play—there are no cables or dri-
Apple’s App Store or
capacities of 250-sheet cassette
vers. The keypad is powered by
the Android Market-
and 50-sheet multipurpose tray,
two AA batteries. The brushed
place. To get daily tax
a 400 MHz processor with
aluminum finish and cylindrical
tips, you need only
64MB memory, and connection
base match the design of the
provide your e-mail
via USB 2.0 and Ethernet, and
Apple keyboard, and the linkage
address. The tips will
the unit is ENERGY STAR com-
bar lets you snap the two
help with tax plan-
pliant. The minimum media size
keys across the keyboard. The
58
S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E
I
March 2011
TECH FORUM
New Newspapers
Online
By Michael Castelluccio, Editor
If you bought the hype, you were primed for the next
evolution of the newspaper, which would be launched on
it will accept is 3 ✕ 5 inches
mation can be imported directly
February 2, 2011. AppAdvice, a website that covers
and the maximum is 8.5 ✕ 14
from more than 100,000 partici-
iPhone and iPad applications, claimed it was going to be
inches. Samsung toner car-
pating employers and financial
“the day print journalism died.”
tridges for the printer will pro-
institutions. A summary will let
vide up to 2,000 pages. The
you review and edit downloaded
Rupert Murdoch walked on stage at New York’s Guggen-
ML-2855ND is a solid, basic,
information. Smart Check™
heim Museum carrying an iPad, its screen lit with the
black-and-white laser with a
scans for and corrects mistakes
logo of his latest publication—The Daily, an exclusively
price that’s one of its strongest
on your return, and the final
iPad newspaper.
points. www.samsung.com
calculations are guaranteed.
Then on February 2, News Corp Chairman and CEO
Murdoch called the new publication “the first all
Any IRS or state penalty caused
media product.” Without mentioning the recent decline
TurboTax Deluxe
by a TurboTax calculation error
in the world of newsprint, the owner of the New York
With Intuit’s TurboTax Deluxe
will be paid back to you by
Post and The Wall Street Journal offered, “New times
personal tax preparation soft-
Intuit. Automatic updates to
demand new journalism.” It was sleeting in New York
ware, you have the choice of
include any changes in tax law
that day, dampening any bonfires that might have been
using the product online, buying
are accomplished with a single
ignited by the 12 o’clock launch of News Corp’s killer
the program on CD, or down-
mouse click. Standard deduc-
app.
loading it to your computer. The
tions are accounted for in the
CD/Download version includes
basic interview, and then the
older media in a new digital wrapper. The Daily resem-
five federal e-files, state returns,
program searches for more
bles e-mags like Newsweek with a lot of photos and occa-
and unlimited federal returns.
than 350 other possible deduc-
sional high-def video clips. The home navigation for The
Input of your current information
tions and credits for which you
Daily features a page carousel that rolls horizontally
begins with a transfer of your
might qualify. The Audit Risk
instead of flipping from page to page. News Corp claims
TurboTax information from last
Meter™ checks your return for
it was “built from scratch for the iPad,” but there isn’t
year. You can even import data
audit triggers, and free federal
much that distinguishes it from many of the other news
from other software, including
e-file is included.
apps already online. Today, there are 1,939 apps for sale
TaxACT and H&R Block’s TaxCut.
http://turbotax.intuit.com
or free at the iTunes App Store in the News category—
Actually, Murdoch’s new webpaper is just a remix of
If you use Quicken, QuickBooks
tomorrow there will be more—so it isn’t as if Rupert is
2007 and higher, or Microsoft
setting up on the ground floor. The competition, packed
Money, you can directly import
elbow to elbow, is stacked many stories high.
from those programs also. An
The response from critics and readers has been luke-
interview process guides you
warm. Two weeks after the launch, there were many who
through the entry stage, step by
had downloaded the free trial version of the paper. Of
step. The program doesn’t
those, 1,377 took the time to rate it, giving it two-and-a-
bother with the questions that
half out of a possible five stars. Initially, there were
don’t apply to your situation,
continued on next page
and your W-2 and 1099 inforMarch 2011
I
S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E
59
TECHNOLOGY
TECH FORUM
usability issues that required a second version,
but after the glitches were cleaned up, it all
came down to content.
Lonnie Lazar, writing for Cultofmac.com,
began his review with, “The Daily’s tech bells
and whistles can’t save it from empty-calorie
content.” As to the editorial choices, Lazar
explains, “The Daily’s main sections tell us
something about what the editors think of their
mission—News, Gossip, Opinion, Arts & Life,
Apps & Games, Sports. In that order.”
Murdoch claims the publication cost
$30 million to develop and will cost no more
than $2 million a month to produce. The subscription is 99¢ a week or $39.99 a year. Probably, Murdoch
gator as well as an Internet newspaper. The home page is
would rather that The Daily not be the beginning of the
three-columns with a very long and crowded scrolling list of
end of his newsprint empire. But as a hedge, it will be inter-
stories, columns, video, and featured blog posts. At the bot-
esting to see how it survives or even overcomes the current
tom of the page is a directory of sources and links. Not a
competition.
bad little directory to bookmark, there are direct links to the
websites for 70 news sources, 53 national blogs, 28 colum-
HUFFINGTON POST
The other big story about online news publications was the
nists, and five Arianna links.
As an example of Web design, HuffPost is anything but
announcement on February 7 of the sale of The Huffington
elegant. The design is sprawling, and the elements are per-
Post to AOL for $315 million—$300 million in cash and
haps best described as burgeoning. Practically every bit of
the rest in stock. Tim Armstrong, AOL’s chief executive,
space has been latched onto and utilized. It shouldn’t come
told The New York Times that the deal will benefit his com-
as a surprise, then, that the New Year’s resolution of Editor-
pany with greatly expanded news gathering and original
in-Chief Arianna Huffington was “To take HuffPost to the
content creation.
next level—not just incrementally, but exponentially.”
You can start an endless argument about what kind of
In her official comment about the AOL purchase, “A
publication it really is, but the editors of The Huffington Post
Merger of Visions,” Huffington gave a brief progress report
list the following right below the title on the home page:
on the 2011 plan. “Let’s go down the checklist: Local? AOL’s
“The Internet Newspaper: News Blogs Video Community.”
Patch.com covers 800 towns across America, providing an
And then there’s the ribbon of tabs listing the 27 depart-
incredible infrastructure for citizen journalism in time for
ments, including the links to the regional versions of the
the 2012 election, and a focus on community and local solu-
publication in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Denver.
tions that have been an integral part of the HuffPost’s DNA.
Technically, The Huffington Post is a blog and news aggre-
Check. Original video? AOL’s just finished building a pair of
state-of-the-art video studios in New York and LA. Check.
More sections? AutoBlog, Music, AOL Latino, Black Voices,
etc., etc., etc., etc. fill gaps in HuffPost’s coverage. As Tim
(Armstrong) and I have been saying over the last couple of
weeks: 1 + 1 = 11.”
So these two Internet “newspapers” headed off in completely opposite directions—The Daily with its small, neatly
designed two-page stories, and The Huffington Post jumping
onto the wide exponential slide into increasing complexity.
And we’re still left with the question: What will Internet
newspapers ultimately look like? SF
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I
March 2011