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Attach Plus May Become a "Must-Have" Program for Advisors
As I've written about in the past, Adobe Acrobat is a very useful tool for financial advisors. It allows an advisor to take files created in virtually any other file format, convert the file to a PDF file, and send it to clients. As long as the client has the free Adobe Reader installed on his or her computer (and almost everyone does), the client can open the file and view it, exactly as you created it, with all of the formatting intact.
Adobe Acrobat is a capable, highly customizable program, but I do have one criticism: The tasks advisors perform most often are more complex and time consuming than they should be. Typically, a financial advisor will want to locate a file, convert it to PDF format, password protect it, attach it to an e-mail message, and send it to a client. Performing such an operation with Adobe Acrobat is not particularly difficult, but if you've ever tried it, you know that there are multiple steps involved in the process.
Trumpet, Inc. appears to have come up with a better way to dispatch PDF files to clients. It has developed an applet named Attach Plus that simplifies and accelerates the PDF conversion/attachment/password protect/e-mail process. It also simplifies attaching, password protecting, and e-mailing existing PDF files on your hard drive.
I recently viewed a demonstration of Attach Plus for Goldmine. A version for Microsoft Outlook Express should be ready for release within days, with a version for Outlook to follow shortly. (Most ACT! users I've spoken with use either Outlook or Outlook Express for their ACT! e-mail, so one version of this applet should work for them.)
With Attach Plus, the user simply clicks a button and selects a file. The file is converted to PDF format and attached to an e-mail message, ready for shipment. The user selects the recipient, fills in a password, and sends the message. The process is fast and efficient. It is also inexpensive. The program retails for $49 for the single-user versions; volume discounts are available.
Attach Plus relies on pdf995, which we wrote about last year, to do the PDF-writing chores. (Pdf995 is automatically installed with the applet.) Eventually, Trumpet will probably give users the option of using either pdf995 or the full version of Adobe Acrobat as the default PDF writer, but for now, pdf995 is the only choice.
This program fills a real need by simplifying a task that many readers are probably struggling with on a daily basis. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Office in a Backpack
I just received Back Office, a backpack from Shaun Jackson Designs, and I love it! Jackson is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design, and what he has created is essentially a portable workstation in a backpack.
When you open the backpack, two side pockets fold out. They can be used to stash cables, a power supply, external drives, and other peripherals. The exterior of one pocket has sleeves for pens, a cell phone, and a PDA. The back of the main compartment has storage space for 12 CDs or DVDs, so I have plenty of space let over after I pack my Morningstar Principia disks. The laptop sits atop a non-slip surface; the bottom of the case, when open, has a non-slip surface, as well.
If you prefer to carry your Back Office by the handle attached to the top of the case, or to make use of the optional single shoulder strap, the backpack straps can be tucked into a zippered pocket on the back of the case.
Construction seems solid. Shaun Jackson Design uses 1,000 denier urethane-coated ballistic nylon and 1,000-pound-test-strength military spec webbing. All stress points are reinforced for added strength.
Back Office is more than just a laptop case; it is a portable workspace. If you are a road warrior, this is one laptop accessory you will want to own.
Adobe Updates Acrobat Products
Adobe recently released Adobe Acrobat, version 6.0. Acrobat now comes in two versions: Standard and Professional. Both versions offer better integration with Microsoft Office products, as well as a host of usability improvements. The Professional version appears to be targeted primarily at graphic professionals and engineers.
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