Technology

BY H. KENT CRAIG SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR Editor's note: Paul von Paumgartten is director of energy and environ-mental affairs for the building efficiency business of Johnson Controls where he has worked since 1982. He served on the board of...

INTERNET ACCESS. Web pages. Internet service providers. Firewalls. Laptops. Wireless. PDAs. Global positioning systems. Handheld devices. Bluetooth. How can these new technologies be used in your business today? And what about tomorrow's...

HERE ARE THREE handy hardware devices that can ease your way through the day in the office and on the go. Portable snapshot printer Kodak EasyShare photo printer 500 (Kodak, www.kodak.com/go/easyshare) is a compact portable snapshot printer that...

Negotiating it is an urgently needed skill for mechanical contractors who use e-mail for marketing and communications. BY JOE DYSART SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR For many mechanical contractors, getting legitimate e-mail past spam filters has become...

HERE ARE TWO GPS-based software solutions that can help contractors keep an eye on company vehicles and that can minimize drive time, reduce fuel expenditures, and save on wear and tear. Microsoft's MapPoint 2006 with GPS Locator (www...

Can't find good help? Here are some ways to pluck prospective employees out of cyber space. By Joe Dysart Special To Contractor While the first company " career centers" on the Web were often little more than a blurb, a few photos and an e-mail...

By Bob Miodonski Of Contractor's Staff PRINCETON, N. J. More owners of contracting firms view information technology as a productivity tool than they did two years ago, according to the Construction Financial Management Association, which in May...

After an hour or two of training, most estimators are ready to go on their own. AN EASY-TO-USE Windowsbased estimating program for commercial, industrial and heavy-gauge HVAC ductwork is Quote-Express HVAC/SheetMetal (www.quotesoft.com, 800/813...