Building the 2012 London Olympic Village

Published in Construction Today
July 23, 2012
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., Maker of SmartBidNet 

With the 2012 Summer Olympics in London beginning later this week, regular Construction Today blog contributor James Benham and his team at SmartBidNet recently created a infographic spotlighting all the hard work that has gone into building the Games’ most notable venues.

Click here to see the full article

Staying in the Game with Innovation

July 20, 2012
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc.
For the Texas A&M University Venture Voices Blog 

I grew up watching my dad successfully navigate the entrepreneurial world. At 14 I developed my first software application and two years later helped run an ISP providing dial up internet to around 4,000 users in Baton Rouge. Not long after, I was studying accounting and information systems at Texas A&M and looking at a career with a Big Five accounting firm, and then the path to running my own show called to me again. So, I started my information technology company, JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. from a dorm room at A&M in 2001 and my office, now located in Downtown Bryan, has yet to leave Aggieland. We’ve been a four-time Aggie 100 winner and I’ve come to attribute our success thus far to one pretty basic concept - innovation. I would define innovation as making an idea, concept, service, or product your own, not necessarily inventing something new. The business part comes in convincing people that your innovation is significant...

Click here to read the full article 

JBKnowledge's SmartBidNet Software Releases Preconstruction Android App

from the SmartBidNet Blog

College Station, TX (PRWEB) July 16, 2012

SmartBidNet construction bid software introduces the Android version of its mobile application for commercial general contractors. Released from beta testing on July 11, 2012 in the Google Play marketplace, the app provides all functionalities of SmartBidNet’s iOS app for the Google Android operating platform.

“These days, we all value a solution by its mobility and accessibility. I, for one, am not interested in an application unless I can access it seamlessly from my smartphone. We have to assume our clients feel the same way and are very excited to offer this feature to iOS mobile and now Android mobile users. We’re hoping to get lots of feedback from our users to further improve both applications,” stated SmartBidNet President James Benham.

Click here to read the full article

Technology of the Week | The NBC Olympics App

"The "NBC Olympics Live Extra" app will let users watch more than 3,500 hours of live events on tablets and smartphones. But only customers who have a cable or satellite subscription will get full access -- and the app is available only on Apple devices and a "select" list of Android phones and tablets."

Not much else to say here other than download the app and GO TEAM USA!

Click here to learn more about and download the NBC Olympics Mobile App

And click here to check out our Infographic of the Month: 2012 London Olympic Village Construction

Eight Questions to ask any Cloud Services Provider | Construction Today

Published on July 11, 2012 in the Construction Today Blog
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Makers of SmartBidNet

Whether you have cloud technology or you’re shopping around for the right solution, there are several crucial questions to ask any cloud services provider before taking a leap into the cloud. We have developed this list through personal experience of working with prospective clients who weren’t afraid to ask us the hard questions. Below are eight questions and my recommended answers that will keep you informed and your cloud services provider on their toes.

1. How extensive is your experience in the construction industry specifically?
   It is important to look for someone that has at least five years of experience in your specific industry. Don’t be afraid to ask for specific client references to confirm their abilities.

Click here to read the full article

Constructech Magazine Names JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., One of Five Construction Industry “Up and Comers” | Houston Chronicle

from the SmartBidNet Blog

Makers of SmartBidNet Construction Bid Software, JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. is ahead of the game with its innovative and collaborative approach to construction technology.

College Station, TX (PRWEB) July 10, 2012

Constructech Magazine announced the much anticipated Constructech 50, on July 5, 2012. This is a listing of the most influential construction-technology providers with a strong and ongoing market presence, as determined by Constructech’s editorial team. As a part of this listing, Constructech also announced 5 Up and Comers, including JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. The Constructech editors believe that the 5 companies listed as such are primed and ready to take the next step to penetrate the construction industry, leveraging the latest technology and looking to fill specific gaps in the market.

Click here to read the full article  

Innovative Tech of the Week | Google's Challenge to Siri

The only thing better than an automated personal assistant programmed into your phone that recognizes your voice? One that's also integrated with the neverending universe of possibilities that is Google search. Android has just seriously stepped their game up with Google Now, Siri's latest challenger. 

Steve Jobs said from the beginning that Siri is not an attempt to enter the search business, but rather an application built to customize user experience and avoid the ambiguity of search. But Google Now incorporates all of the customization of Siri (minus the witty jokes...for now) and enhances that customization with the power of Google search. 

"I was in San Francisco last week to cover Google I/O and meet with some other companies in the area. I had a meeting in Mountain View on Friday morning. Google Now sent me a notification about 45 minutes before my meeting that said I should leave if I wanted to make it on time. It even took traffic into account. Incredible." 

Google Now will be released in Android's upcoming version Jelly Bean, but one glaring problem remains. Android devices are infamously not equipped to handle operating system updates. According to this article, only 7% of Android users are even using the most current version of the OS, Ice Cream Sandwich, that launched seven months ago. 

Click here to learn more about Google Now 

Constructech Recognizes SmartBidNet as an "Up and Comer" to Lead Technology Transformation

Constructech Magazine, July 5, 2012 – Where will your IT department stand in a few months? How about in a few years? This is the question on the minds of construction professionals across the industry. Today, with the announcement of the Constructech 50, Constructech magazine aims to make the future just a bit clearer.

The Constructech 50, published in the July/Aug issue of Constructech magazine, is a listing of the most influential construction-technology providers with a strong and ongoing market presence, as determined byConstructech’s editorial team.

...

Constructech magazine also named five companies “Up and Comers” for 2012. Those listed as such are companies the Constructech editors believe are primed and ready to take that next step to penetrate the construction industry, leveraging the latest technology and looking to fill specific gaps in the market.

Click here to read the full article

A Successful CFMA Annual Conference Experience with our SmartBidNet Software

From our SmartBidNet Software Blog

This past week, we exhibited our software at the Construction Financial Management Association's Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. Approximately 1,000 financial managers, product and service providers gathered to learn, educate, and network with their peers from across the U.S. and Canada. 

We'd like to express our gratitude to the following people for making our first experience at this conference a very memorable one, and one we are excited to repeat next year in San Diego!

• The CFMA Conference staff who worked tirelessly before, during, and no doubt after the event to ensure we all got our time and money's worth
• Every attendee who stopped by our booth for a chat, whether just discussing the industry or their needs specifically, we gained valuable insight into how our and other solutions can and should be improving efficiency for financial managers in construction
• Every attendee who stopped by our booth just to congratulate our President on a stellar karaoke performance at the CityWalk Universal Studios networking night
• The Hilton Bonnet Creek staff who was beyond helpful and attentive
• Our fellow exhibitors who provided valuable feedback and discussion on their experience with CFMA and our product
• Our clients who were also in attendance and who continue to help us improve and sell our software to a great industry of a great group of people

And finally, click here for some photos we took from the event.

Innovative Tech of the Week | iPad Board Games

So it may not be as business related as what we normally post, but it's quite a step up in mobile computing. iPieces essentially turns your iPad into a variety of board games, from air hockey to Snakes & Ladders, you can install the app and even buy the additional pieces to have a mobile suite of board games. 

"Players can represent a country of their choice to compete in a variety of fun and exciting tournaments when they download the Air Hockey App. iPieces Air Hockey is suitable for 2 players and contains 2 iPieces Air Hockey Strikers and the downloadable app."

We imagine this "tablet as a workable, 3D surface" technology will only keep spreading to more practical, business-related ventures. However, I don't know about you guys but I bet we can find a way to make this essential to our work day... 

Click here to read more about the iPieces iPad board games 

Tech of the Week | The Endangered Languages Project

"An online collaborative effort to protect global linguistic diversity," Google has launched the interactive EndageredLanguages.com and the design lives up to the mission. The site is an online space for people to learn and share languages in an effort to slow the extinction of some 50% of the world's languages expected to die out by 2100. Check out the video then visit the website to see the number of "dying" languages right here in the United States...

Click here to read more about Google's Endangered Languages Project

The Jobsite of 2025 | Construction Today

Published on the Construction Today Blog
June 15, 2012
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. 

Who doesn’t enjoy a good tennis match on the Wii? And the Kinect/XBox combination is also pretty cool (even if the voice recognition software could use a little fine-tuning.) But a recent development announced by San Francisco startup Leap Motion has officially made both the Wii and Kinect look as technologically advanced as Lincoln Logs in comparison.

The newly announced Leap 3-D Motion Control system is accurate to a hundredth of a millimeter. It’s “200 times more sensitive than anything on the market” and “creates a ‘three-dimensional interaction space’ of four cubic feet and is more precise and responsive than a touchscreen or a mouse,” reported CNET.

Click here to read the full article

Fun Construction Facts: 2012 London Olympics | ForConstructionPros.com

The 2012 summer Olympics start in one week. Whether or not you'll be tuning in to cheer on your country or your favorite Olympic athletes, as a member of the construction industry, you might be interested in tuning in just to see the venues.

A recent infographic takes a look at the London Olympic Village and what it took to construct the buildings...

Click here to read the full article 

Construction Technology Integration – What Should it look like? | Construction Today

Published June 11, 2012 on the Construction Today Blog
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Makers of SmartBidNet

In an effort to standardize the language and sharing of building information modeling data,  the National Institute of Building Sciences’ buildingSMART alliance has taken a crucial first step in establishing the first consensus standard in the United States.

“The purpose of the standard is to provide a means of organizing and classifying electronic object data associated with a facility throughout its life,” a recent ENR article stated.

Click here to read the full article from Construction Today

Innovative Tech of the Week | on{X} Every Day Mobile App

Yet another app so simple you wonder why no one has tried to sell it to you before. Developed by Microsoft's Bing search engine, on{X}, now available in Beta, allows users to set recipes and rules for every day reminders and tasks. It can alert you by 7am if snow is forecasted for the day or launch the music app or GPS while walking or driving. While this daily rules concept is not new, it hasn't been integrated extensively with search until now. 

"It's clear that the fledgling service has a ways to go, though. Currently, much of the on{X} experience takes place in a Web browser: You can only add, modify, or code rules from the website. The mobile app allows you to delete or turn off rules, or view the activity log related to individual rules."

It is also only available on the Android mobile platform for now. So it's only a matter of time before Mac releases a competitor. But the idea of of not having to remember to set reminders sounds pretty good to us, no matter who's developing the application. 

Click here to learn more about this mobile app that automates daily tasks