BUG is a modular, open source system for building devices that helps developers explore the realm of personalized devices and applications, and find ways to solve many of the problems that current gadgets can’t. The company’s BUGnet online community provides a collaborative environment for developers to connect with each other, share ideas, and jointly build applications.

Bug Labs was created for the new generation of engineers, enabling them to tap their creativity and build any type of device they want, without having to learn solid state electronics or outsource development overseas. The way they explain the company’s story on the website is simply this: “As kids, we were more likely to take apart new toys than actually play with them, just to see what was inside. As teenagers, personal computers were still new and as much a challenge to tinker with as they were to operate. With BUG, we want people to recapture and share this excitement again, and we want them to apply this to their everyday device. We believe everybody is an inventor at heart, so we’ve developed a platform for users to create and forever modify their favorite gadget, allowing for ultimate customization and use.” You can learn more about the company at: http://www.buglabs.net/

1. Virtualization – Virtualization makes it possible for workers to overlap work schedules across different time zones and collaborate on projects that are stored in different parts of the globe. Video conferences, virtual meetings, and screen sharing are just a few of the ways the tech world is replacing bricks-and-mortar or traditional modes of conducting daily business.

2. Cloud Computing – Technology suppliers have embraced cloud computing as the next wave of business technology service. Buyers need applications and services that can be deployed as soon as possible and with as little maintenance required. Cloud computing also eliminates the need to build armies of engineers to create applications that can be “rented” anyway.

3. Enterprise Telecommunications – Businesses are getting savvier when it comes to enterprise communication. Those that can invest in infrastructure requirements put these technologies in place for two reasons: to minimize the cost of or need for business travel and to facilitate seamless communication among workers from different locations.

4. Open Source – As an example of the growing popularity of open source technologies, the British government released a policy in early February that emphasized preference for open source over proprietary software in order to cut down cost on technology spending.

5. Bare-Bones Hardware – As software and file management move to the clouds and storage becomes cheaper, tech buyers realize that they only have to buy what they need. For example, the popularity of netbooks can be attributed to portability and a much friendlier price point.

The complete article can be seen at: http://advice.cio.com/executivebrief/technologies_that_matter_in_a_slow_economy