There aren’t many people who look forward to going on business trips. They’re a hassle and expensive for the company. Business travelers often feel rushed, which results in lack of sleep and poor eating habits, which exacerbates stress. Not to mention dealing with Airports and long-term parking. For this reason, many businesses choose to use videoconferencing as much as possible. But do you think that business travel is on its way out? Will Videoconferencing replace it completely?

The End of Business Travel?

Do we want to strive for the termination of business travel? Maybe not, think about the differences between in-person meeting and videoconferencing.

During a videoconference, individuals from around the world sign on, say their hellos, and get to the business at hand. The level of brainstorming is usually limited because people worry about the stability of their connections or give in to the distractions of the offices in which they sit.

The Benefits of Face-to-Face Time

Conversation evolves considerably more easily with in-person interactions. This is healthy, and as far as business is concerned, can be extremely advantageous. Having an impromptu brainstorming session can bring about ideas that can lead the organization down a path that wasn’t previously anticipated. This is not to say that every face-to-face meeting turns into a game-changing brainstorming session. But if a meeting degenerates into story telling, this is an opportunity for co-workers to bolster their interpersonal relationships and increase moral.

Business Travel is Here to Stay

Yes, business travel is an inconvenience and videoconferencing is convenient. However, there are occassions when meeting face-to-face is the best option for generating the most innovative business solutions. Due to this, don’t expect savvy business executives to ever completely replace business travel with videoconferencing.

How many kids grew up waiting for the day when humans would travel the planet with individual jet packs strapped to their backs? How many dreamt of full meals that come in pill form or teleporters? Those technologies haven’t happened. However, in the last two decades alone, we’ve seen enough new tech to fill an early 1990s science-fiction flick. With tablet computers we can transport all the computing power of a bulky desktop computer in our hands. With smartphones we are able to instantly send text messages to our friends and due to GPS, we never have to get lost while driving again.

So, with all of this technology, why don’t we have jet packs yet? What variables are keeping us from making these technological leaps?

Building a Better Battery

First, there is battery power. To put it simply, the batteries running our smartphones and tablets must be recharged too often. A more powerful battery would allow us to run our gadgets for weeks at a time and then charge them again within minutes. This battery does not exist yet. However, it might be coming: researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University are designing a far more powerful lithium-ion battery. If their prototype becomes commercially viable, it will probably be a game-changer.

Improving Internet Access

Another hurdle to overcome is that not enough people have access to the Internet. In reality, most of the globe doesn’t have access to it. This is naturally restricting breakthroughs in technology. It goes back to the essential idea of the more minds we have working on a problem, the faster we will solve it.

The Business of New Tech

Last but not least there is the red tape. Business matters, like patent laws, can impede technological progress. Individuals and companies that develop innovative things have to first navigate these waters. But if government regulations are clear and simple to comprehend, it could reduce some of this.

Even though there are several things that are holding technology back, it is still evolving at a rapid pace. Maybe we’ll finally get hover boards when battery technology catches up to our imaginations.

>

Adobe Photoshop is an incredible tool. It lets organizations edit the images they need to produce professional-looking brochures, pamphlets, and marketing materials. The problem is that Photoshop is far from inexpensive. A quick online scan will show that newer versions of this image-editing program can run higher then $600. For small business owners on a budget, this program isn’t feasible. This doesn’t mean, however, that these small business owners don’t have photo-editing options. In fact, businesses can choose from a number of alternatives that are not only cheaper but are actually free.

These alternatives are not quite as dynamic as Photoshop but they provide enough of the elements to be useful to the small business owner. Here is a list of three that make photo-manipulation easy, without straining the wallet.

GIMP

GIMP, which stands for GNU image manipulation program, is the choice of many a cost-conscious designer. That is because this free program contains many of the most important features of Photoshop. The GIMP website even offers a version of the program—cleverly named GIMPShop—that features a screen layout that is a virtual twin of Photoshop’s.

Paint.NET

Remember that old MSPaint program that came with your Windows program? Paint.NET is the successor to this, and it’s a unexpectedly powerful—and free—photo editor. Paint.NET comes with its own special effects, an unlimited undo (a nice feature for those designers who are far from perfect), and an online forum full of users who aren’t shy about sharing their favorite tips and strategies for using this program. The only negative of Paint.NET? It only works with Windows-based systems.

Picnik

Picnik is a free program that works on Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. This program has some really fun effects such as blurring, darkening, and lightening images. It’s probably the most popular free editing programs, as you don’t have to download files to use it.

Business owners needn’t let Photoshop’s high price keep them from inserting professionally edited photos into their marketing materials. With only a little bit of online hunting, even the most frugal of business owners will find the perfect alternative.