JBKnowledge Blog

Innovative Technology of the Week - Augmented Reality and Smart Objects

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:32:06 +0000

The MIT Media Lab has done it again. This time demonstrating how objects can be embedded with a processor and wifi connection making it possible to manipulate a tangible interface via a graphical user interface on a device. Check out the video below or click here to learn more about this incredible technology.

Information Technology of the Week | HeyWire Landline Texting

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:55:31 +0000

Ever sent a text message only to get a quick rejection to the tune of "This is a landline, better luck next time"? HeyWire, already "boasting 3 million monthly users" is hoping to change that not only for personal mobile users but for businesses.

The service allows landline numbers to text internally and send and receive messages to any mobile numbers. Users don't even have to be at the physical location of the landline for it to work; instead they can login on their mobile or web browser. This means that this tool has the potential to be a very powerful innovation for telecommuters and remote workers.

The service essentially works like Google Voice or Skype, the main difference being it will incorporate the office landline as well. The idea is to allow more separation between personal and business communication by adding the processes individuals prefer, like texting, to their business communication toolbox. It will be interesting to see how services like Skype and Google Voice respond, and especially how professionals respond. Is opening ourselves up to more text communication going to make the work day more efficient, or just more tedious?

Click here to learn more about this landline SMS and texting technology

Collaboration and Support Surround agcXML

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:45:00 +0000

Published May 17, 2013
AGC TechBrief

The Construction Open Software Alliance (COSA) is collaborating on the promotion of standards data exchange within the construction industry. COSA (constructionosa.org)supports the agcXML initiative and will submit schemas that it develops for review and ratification by AGC. In addition it will provide a platform among its members for testing and promoting the use of agcXML schemas in real-life production environments.

AGC appreciates the vision of COSA and its members and expresses...

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Information Technology of the Week | The 30 Second Mobile Phone Charger

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:43:00 +0000

"I developed a new supercapacitor, which is basically an energy storage device which can hold a lot of energy in a small amount of volume," she told KPIX 5. The technology may also be able to speed up charging of automobile batteries, she said.

The 18 year old winner of the Young Scientist Award at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair demonstrated how an inch-long device can fully charge a cell phone in under 30 seconds. Righly so, inventor Eesha Khare won $50,000 she plans to put towards a Harvard education in the fall. She hopes the technology can be applied to automobile and other larger batteries in the future.

Where can we buy one?!

Click here to learn about this incredible charging technology developed by an 18 year old

Interoperability Intrigue: COSA & agcXML

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:46:00 +0000

Published in Constructech Magazine
May/June 2013 Issue
By Mike Carrozzo

Although you'll never him to admit as much, James Benham stirred the pot in construction. When the founder and president of JB Knowledge, www.jbknowledge.com, Bryan, Texas took the stage at the AGC IT Conference last fall, his announcement to the construction industry was direct: The formation of COSA (Construction Open Software Alliance). His message to the construction industry, however, was a bit more indirect: "Let's get moving here."

The concept he is pushing is "get moving" for open standards, which is where COSA comes in. Made up of cloud and desktop-based technology offerings, such as...

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JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. Named to the 2013 LSU 100 for Outstanding Growth

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:20:37 +0000

May 8, 2013
Houston Chronicle

Premier IT solutions provider, JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. becomes one of only two companies named to both LSU 100 and Texas A&M University’s Aggie 100 for exceptional company growth.

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., maker of SmartBidNet and SmartCompliance business solutions, has been honored as one of the 2013 LSU 100: Fastest Growing Tiger Businesses. JBKnowledge is only the second company to be named to both the LSU 100 and Texas A&M University’s Aggie 100. Father and son duo, Jim andJames Benham, started the company in 2001 and have been recognized by their respective universities over the past several years.

LSU alum, Jim Benham successfully pioneered four companies before starting JBKnowledge with son, James, a graduate of Texas A&M University. Based upon its compounded annual growth rate from 2009-2011, JBKnowledge ranked 24th among the 2013 LSU 100 honorees.

"Since receiving my degree at LSU, I've had the pleasure of leading several successful companies and leading one with my son has been the icing on the cake. I'm proud of this great university and the values it instilled in me, and even prouder...

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Innovative Tech of the Week | Yahoo's New Weather App

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:28:32 +0000

While we must agree "there’s something resolutely small beer about a weather app," Yahoo's latest mobile application does show some initiative from the company that hasn't been discussed for more than its HR policies lately. They may be onto something in competing with the big guns by redesigning the wheel instead of reinventing it. They've acquired many good snippets of the tech world over the years which could be integrated in new ways, like they've done with data from Yahoo! search, weather and Flickr in this new app. It may be small beer, but many breweries have tried to sell weather apps over the years, and this one wins the taste test.

Click here to learn more about Yahoo!'s latest weather app

Innovative Technology of the Week | Touch Screens on the Back of your Phone

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:59:19 +0000

Is Autcorrect ready to handle input from the back of your phone and four additional fingers? Google has recently applied for a patent to add touch screen capabilities to the back of Android devices. Luckily, the touch capabilities are likely to be limited to window/screen control functionalities like scrolling and clicking rather than composing messages. How will the technology differentiate between your shoulder holding your phone to your ear and intentional directions from your other fingers? I guess we'll find out.

Click here to learn more about touch controls on the back of your future Android devices

Innovative Technology of the Week | Mobile Payments, Minus the Investment

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:31:41 +0000

A new mobile payment system developed by Swedish company Seamless cuts out the transaction costs associated with paying through Mastercard and Visa, and ultimately lowers the investment for merchants. Retailers "beam" the purchase total into the cloud where the buyer "beams" its payment information by scanning a QR code on the register. The cloud matches the retailer to the buyer and asks for a pin confirmation from the buyer. Payment information is exchanged "in the cloud" as opposed to "in the store." And by connecting retailers directly to the payment source, all parties avoid the higher cost of middlemen like Visa and Mastercard.

“People have been so focused on the exchange of info happening at the store,” Fredell said. “We took it the other way, running the transaction backwards.”

Click here to learn more about this innovative mobile payment technology

Web-based Bidding Advances Construction

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 02:33:00 +0000

Published in Constructech Magazine
March 12, 2013

As the construction industry evolves so too does the use of construction technology on projects and in companies. One area that continues to progress is online bidding and subcontractor prequalification. Managing all this can be challenging, but construction companies are finding technology can ease processes.

Such is the case with the Swinerton Family of Companies, www.swinerton.com, San Francisco, Calif. Part of the company’s strategy is to prioritize investment in construction technology. The company has adopted technology for years, but systems and processes within the company have evolved as the industry progressed.

Looking back 15 years ago, the company was using home-grown construction management and accounting software, along with scheduling software and customized spreadsheets for estimating to access data in the field and manage business processes.

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