Changes Abound on New Tax Forms

For many taxpayers, the good old standard deduction is looking better than ever.


Thanks to tax-law changes, millions of people who claim the standard deduction are eligible for additional breaks on their 2008 tax return. For the first time, they can claim an additional amount for state and local real-estate taxes. They can also claim an additional standard-deduction amount to reflect casualty losses from federally declared disasters.
[tax report] Alamy

A9X9BB Tax buttons on calculator

There are other significant changes on 2008 tax returns. Many people may be eligible for a new first-time home-buyer tax credit. Additionally, the IRA maximum deduction amount for 2008 rose. So did the amounts of income exempt from the alternative minimum tax, or AMT.

"If you just proceed thinking that what you did last year is what you have to do this year, you're going to miss out on a lot of important new developments," says William E. Massey, senior tax analyst for the tax & accounting business of Thomson Reuters in New York.

Another change affects millions of people who use their car for work. Usually, the Internal Revenue Service issues only one standard business-mileage rate for the entire year. But for 2008, the IRS issued two rates -- one for the first six months and a different one for the second six months -- to reflect a surge in gasoline prices. The IRS also issued two separate rates for those who use their car or other vehicles for medical or moving purposes.

The change that has probably triggered the greatest confusion is the "recovery rebate credit." It's designed to help millions of people who didn't get the full economic-stimulus payment last year but now may be eligible for some or all of it because of a change in circumstances, such as lower income in 2008. Many people simply don't understand it. IRS officials say that about 15% of all returns filed so far this year had mistakes involving this credit. For more details, see the IRS Web site (www.irs.gov).

Here is a guided tour of major changes on federal returns for 2008 -- and advice from experts on how to benefit from them.

Standard deduction. Nearly two-thirds of all federal income-tax returns take the standard deduction each year, instead of itemizing deductions such as charitable donations. The basic standard deduction is $10,900 for joint filers and $5,450 for most singles. There are higher amounts for those who are 65 or older, or blind.

For 2008, taxpayers can claim an additional standard deduction amount for net losses in places declared to be a federal disaster area. They also can claim an additional amount -- up to $500 for most people or as much as $1,000 for married couples filing jointly -- for real-estate taxes paid. If you're not sure whether to take the standard deduction or itemize, crunch the numbers both ways.


Home-buyer credit. This new credit for first-time home buyers could help many taxpayers, but it's complex. In general, you're considered a "first-time home buyer" if you buy your main home in the U.S. after April 8, 2008, and before Dec. 1, 2009, and if you (and your spouse, if you're married) didn't own any other main home during the three-year period ending on the date of purchase, according to the IRS's new Form 5405.

The maximum amount of the credit depends on when you bought the home, says IRS spokesman Eric Smith. Generally, the maximum credit is $7,500, or $8,000 if you buy the home in 2009 (or half that amount if married filing separately), or 10% of the home's purchase price, whichever is smaller.

For homes purchased in 2008, the credit operates "much like an interest-free loan," the IRS says. You generally have to repay it over a 15-year period. But for homes purchased this year, you don't have to repay the credit if the home remains your main home for 36 months after the purchase date, says the IRS's Mr. Smith. If you bought the home this year and qualify for the credit, you can claim it either on your 2008 return this year or on your 2009 return to be filed next year, he says.
[Tax Facts]

You can't claim it if your adjusted gross income, with certain modifications, is $95,000 or more, or $170,000 or more if you're married and filing jointly. You also can't claim it if you bought it from "a related person," such as your spouse or parents. For more details, see the new Form 5405 and the accompanying instructions.

IRA contributions. The maximum deductible IRA contribution amount was generally $5,000 for people under 50 in 2008, up from $4,000 in 2007, says Jackie Perlman of H&R Block. The maximum amount is $6,000 for those who were 50 or older by the end of last year. For more details, see IRS Publication 590.

Alternative minimum tax. Congress took steps last year to prevent tens of millions of people from being caught by the AMT, a parallel tax system originally designed to prevent a small number of high-income Americans from escaping federal income taxes completely. This AMT "patch" included raising the AMT income-exemption amounts for 2008 to $46,200 for most singles, or $69,950 for married couples filing jointly or a qualifying widow.

Mileage rates. If you use your car for work, you have a choice on how to deduct the cost. You can use your actual expenses or rely on the IRS's optional standard mileage rates. The business mileage rate was 50.5 cents a mile for the first half of 2008 and 58.5 cents in the second half. This applies also to the use of vans, pickups or panel trucks.

The IRS rates for medical and moving purposes were 19 cents for the first half of 2008 and 27 cents in the second half. For 2009, the IRS rates are 55 cents for business mileage and 24 cents for medical or moving purposes.

There's a separate rate for using your vehicle for charitable purposes: 14 cents a mile for 2008 and 2009. That rate is set by law, not by the IRS.
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New tax withholding tables will mean more take-home pay for many workers.

The IRS said Saturday that it has issued new withholding tables to reflect the "Making Work Pay" credit signed into law recently by President Barack Obama as part of the stimulus package. The new tables are on the IRS Web site.

"For most taxpayers, the additional credit will automatically start showing up in their paychecks this spring," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.

Business Solutions / Smart Ways to Cut Costs

BEN WORTHEN,WSJ 02/17/09

If the early returns are any indication, the hot technology for 2009 will be...anything that can save money.

With the recession in full effect, businesses are cutting costs across the board, and information-technology departments are no exception. Eighty-five percent of businesses expect to cut their spending on new tech projects this year, according to Forrester Research Inc., and half of them are planning on spending cuts of more than 15%.




"Just about every company I meet with these days wants to talk about cutting costs," says Bobby Cameron, an analyst at Forrester, which is based in Cambridge, Mass.

But cutting costs doesn't have to mean hacking away at the IT budget and getting by with less in the way of equipment and personnel, an approach that can hobble a business. In some cases, the smartest thing to do is to invest in new, more-efficient systems that will save money over the long haul. Or, it might pay to shift from in-house software to online alternatives, or to use online services to reduce routine expenses like travel or phone calls.

Sometimes the savings are immediate. Sometimes an up-front investment is required. In either case, the right approach can cut costs without damaging a business, and may even improve it.
In With the New

Replacing older, less-efficient IT hardware can cost a lot up front, but can also deliver big savings fairly quickly. Christopher Rence, chief information officer at Minneapolis-based Fair Isaac Corp., which helps businesses determine the credit-worthiness of customers, has roughly cut in half the number of servers the company uses by replacing various older models of the back-office data processors with new, top-of-the-line machines from Hewlett-Packard Co.

Mr. Rence says the project, which began a couple of years ago and is expected to continue for the next year and a half, is paying for itself. Because the new machines are more powerful and more efficient, each one does the work of several of the older models. Reducing the number of servers the company uses has cut his energy bills and the amount of storage space he needs, as well as software costs. He has also been able to reduce support staff by 25% over the past 18 months.
Heading for the Web

Other businesses are saving by using Web-based software instead of programs installed on their computer systems.

Bruce Maas, CIO at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, recently switched the university's 50,000 email and calendar accounts to an online provider, Zimbra, which is owned by Yahoo Inc. Previously, the university relied on a hodgepodge of old systems that required a team of full-time staffers to manage. The online software from Zimbra only requires two people to manage. "That's lean and efficient," says Mr. Maas.

"Cost was a major factor" in the decision to switch, Mr. Maas says, as well as the ability to free up staffers for other projects. The new system also is more functional than the old one. For example, people can add events to one another's calendars. That means, for one thing, that new students' class schedules can be automatically loaded onto their accounts. That kind of help bolsters student retention, Mr. Maas says, as most of those who drop out do so in the first freshman semester, when they are overwhelmed with all the new responsibilities of living on their own.
Help Online

Some companies are turning to online services to cut travel costs. TechInsights is a San Francisco-based division of United Business Media Ltd. that provides customer data to electronics companies. Ideally, TechInsights' sales team would meet prospects face to face. But the company has trimmed much of its field staff and can't afford to send sales reps jetting across the country unless it's to meet with one of the company's biggest customers, says Paul Way, senior vice president of media. "It's not possible in this environment," he says.

Last year, TechInsights decided to put together interactive online seminars for potential customers. The company uses Webcasting software from San Francisco-based ON24 Inc., which charges between $800 and $20,000 per event, depending on the number of attendees and what features a customer chooses. The events Mr. Way conducts typically cost a few thousand dollars.

He says it's hard to compare the effectiveness of in-person meetings with that of the Webcasts, in part because salespeople still usually meet with clients to close deals. But he says it's a much more cost-effective way to introduce prospects to TechInsights' products.

Online services can also be used to cut phone costs. Mentor Graphics Corp., a Wilsonville, Ore., maker of design software, is in the process of switching to Internet phone service from making calls over phone lines. In the past such a move would have been prohibitively expensive, because outfitting a business with handsets capable of receiving and placing calls this way costs as much as $1,000 per phone. But instead, Mentor is using software from Cisco Systems Inc. that allows a personal computer to act as a telephone; workers connect their headsets directly to the computer and dial on the screen.

Every call becomes a local call, meaning the company saves big on its phone bill. The system isn't perfect: Because the calls are competing for space on the network with emails and other digital traffic, the clarity of a call sometimes suffers. "But compare that with the cost and it's worth it," says Ananthan Thandri, Mentor's CIO.
—Mr. Worthen is a staff reporter in The Wall Street Journal's San Francisco bureau.

Write to Ben Worthen at ben.worthen@wsj.com
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page R5

Your Budget: Use It or Lose It

When it comes to office budgets, 'tis the season to use it or lose it. You know the drill. Your 2008 budget for office supplies was x, and you've spent a lot less than x. Guess what? That smaller number is your new 2009 budget... unless you act fast.

While it's important to be a good steward of your department finances, especially now, you could actually save your company money and work more efficiently next year by making the most of your 2008 budget today.

Stock up and save. Many office supply stores have year-end sales with huge savings on an entire range of products. And, most offer volume discounts. Assess your current supplies and poll others in your department to see what they will need, preferably for several months or longer. Be sure to consider all the "consumables" you use like ink, toner, paper and pens. Rather than ordering a few items here and there throughout the year, consolidate your first quarter's needs into one shopping list. This will make you more efficient and save on number of trips, gas and delivery expenses.

Organize for year-end. Sure as the seasons change, when December hits, there's always the need to wrap up the year, finalize files and pack away the documents you need to save. Color-coded files, binders, tab dividers, and storage boxes are ideal for things you need to keep, shredders for things you don't.

Plan for the new year. In addition to files and personal planners for the new year, think about any new projects on the horizon. Do you have the right computer system? Software? The right filing and desktop tools? Does your audiovisual equipment meet your changing needs? Take advantage of year end to gear up for the new one.

Your local office supply dealer will be happy to help you find ways to stretch your budgeting dollar even further and plan for a successful 2009. Give us a call today.

800-270-9885

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AMD undercuts Intel to offer more bang for the buck

MD has officially released new Phenom II processors in both triple and quad core flavors and priced them to undercut Intel’s Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad lines.

AMD Phenom II X3The Phenom II X3 triple core parts are available with clock speeds of either 2.6GHz (model 710) or 2.8GHz (model 720) and priced at $125 and $145 respectively. This pricing means that the 2.8GHz model is $20 less and 20% faster at 3D processing than Intel’s Core 2 Duo E8400.



The Phenom II X4 quad core parts run at 2.6GHz (model 810)and 2.8GHz (model 920) and are priced $175 and $195 respectively. Performance-wise the 810 is slightly faster than Intel’s Core 2 Quad Q8200 and comes in at only $5 more.

Both the Phenom II X3 and X4 processors use 45nm architecture and all except the 920 have a TDP of 95W (the 920 has a TDP of 125W).

Aussies develop optical chip that could lead to terabit Ethernet

Experimental optical chip is efficient enough to reach terabit speeds
Tim Greene (Network World) 04/02/2009 09:36:00




Danish and Australian researchers have developed a chip that efficiently reads 640Gbps optical transmissions and could help pave the way to terabit Ethernet.

The breakthrough comes not on the laser end of the connection by boosting the speed of transmission, but rather at the receiving end where very high speed, error-free reception is required to sort out multiple wavelengths of signals that have been multiplexed at the sending end.

The discovery comes just as 100Gbps Ethernet is in its infancy but predicted to become more common over the next three years.

The new receiver technology described in an article to be published February 16 in the journal Optical Express relies on a 5 cm optical waveguide, a dramatic reduction in size over competing technology that requires 50 meters of special optical fiber and is inherently unstable, according to the Optical Society of America.

The researchers say the compact size of their waveguide makes it possible to integrate it with other components to make faster optical chips.

Current top-speed optical networking employs optical time-division multiplexing (OTDM) that creates 64 10Gbps channels on a single wavelength, according to Leo Spiekman, a co-chairman of the Optical Fiber Communication conference scheduled for March in the US.

In order to demultiplex such an OTDM stream, a second control wavelength of light is introduced to the signal stream to read a particular channel. In current demultiplexers, that process takes place on spools of fiber where the length is so great that the signal and the control streams get out of phase, he says. The device from the researchers is short enough so this dispersion is not a problem, Spiekman says.

The experimental all-optical demultiplexing is done with a chip made of the material chalcogenide, the researchers say.

"You need this type of technology to make terabit speeds on single channels," Spiekman says. "This is one of the enablers for you to go to terabit Ethernet at some point in the future."

The researchers are led by Leif K. Oxenløwe of the Technical University of Denmark and scientists at the Centre for Ultrahigh Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems in Australia. CUDOS is a research consortium between five Australian Universities: The University of Sydney; Macquarie University; University of Technology, Sydney; Australian National University and Swinburne University of Technology.

100 Gigabit Ethernet trumps OC-768 by 2012, firm say.

West Coast Computer Products Receives 2008 Best of Woodland Hills Award

Watch TV on your iPhone with TubeStick.

February 5, 2009 12:15 PM PST

If you're like my colleague Eric Franklin, who'd rather watch Speed Racer on his iPhone than on a big screen, you're in for some good news.


Equinux, the company that provides the TV-watching solution The Tube for Mac, announced Wednesday its all new hardware TV tuner called TubeStick. The device, when coupled with free iPhone apps Live TV and TubeTogo, allows you to watch TV right on the screens of your iPhones and iPod Touches.

With Live TV, you can stream live television programs directly via Wi-Fi to your iPhone from your Mac that runs The Tube. TubeToGo, on the other hand, allows you to access and program TV recordings on the iPhone via the Internet while on the go.

The TubeStick hybrid brings the joys of your TV to your tiniest of screens.
(Credit: Equinux)

TubeToGo also offers the possibility to share published recordings with friends. TubeToGo uses MobileMe or any other FTP server for online storage.

Both Live TV and TubeToGo applications are now available for free download at the iTunes App Store and are compatible with Equinux's TV receiver TubeStick.

TubeStick also works with Windows-based Media Center, with limited functionality.

The new TubeStick TV hardware receiver comes in two versions: the TubeStick hybrid that supports both digital and analog television is available right now in the U.S for $99.95. The TubeStick for DTT/DV-T is only available in Europe and costs 49.95 euros (about $65).

TubeStick comes with everything you need, including the TV receiver, the matching white miniantenna, an adapter for external antenna and a USB extension cable, and The Tube software for your Mac, which costs $39.95 if you buy it separately.

Green printer uses coffee dregs as ink.

We've seen plenty of printers in our time, but this one is most definitely to our taste. Korean designer Jeon Hwan Ju, likely a beans person, has percolated a potent brew that utilizes coffee or tea dregs as the replacement ink.

The result is the RITI inkbox, which probably is good for only sepia printouts, but is the kind of green tech we like very much. Coffee or tea dregs are placed into the cartridge, mixed with a little water. However, using this requires powering it along with a little muscle, moving the cartridge left and right in the slot while drawing on the paper. Not quite the most efficient workhorse for your home business, but at least it's the only aromatic printout you can personalize, from Lipton to Lavazza.

(Source: Crave Asia via Core 77)

DRAM prices spike after Qimonda bankruptcy.

DRAM prices spiked last week over supply concerns after Qimonda filed for bankruptcy protection.
Dan Nystedt (IDG News Service) 02/02/2009 12:06:00


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DRAM chip prices spiked last week over supply concerns after chip maker Qimonda filed for bankruptcy protection in Germany, and prices will likely continue to climb, Gartner said Monday.

The price of the most popular 1Gb (gigabit) chip rose as much as 16 percent compared to a week earlier, the market researcher said in its Semiconductor DQ Monday Report. DRAM prices across all capacities increased 8.7 percent on average compared to a week earlier.

Prices will likely move higher this week, warned Gartner analyst Andrew Norwood.

"The full effect of [the Qimonda] news will not be felt until the brokers and traders in Asia respond to the news," he wrote in the report.

The biggest spot market for DRAM is in China, where the bulk of the world's desktops and laptops are assembled. But last week was a public holiday for China and much of the rest of Asia, where people celebrate the Lunar New Year. When traders in the region return to work on Monday, they may send prices higher.

DRAM chips are produced in such volume that a spot market exists for them, where traders buy and sell them like commodities such as oil and gold. Similar to how a disrupted pipeline or fighting in a sensitive area may cause oil prices to rise, major shocks to the DRAM market, like Qimonda's bankruptcy filing, can cause DRAM prices to spike. Around three-fourths of all DRAM go into PCs.

Over the longer term, DRAM prices are likely to trend downward again.

The DRAM market continues to face significant oversupply, so much so that even if Qimonda stopped production immediately, which it has not, there is plenty of DRAM available to meet all needs, according to market researcher IDC.

"The market's situation was created by significant over-investment in capacity during 2007 and early 2008 — periods of demand that often exceeded expectations — that has led to significant oversupply today," IDC said in a report last week.

Falling demand for computers and other electronic devices amid the global economic downturn has also reduced demand for DRAM.

IDC predicts the global DRAM market will shrink 12.1 percent this year to US$22.84 billion because of oversupply and bloated inventories. Revenue in the market declined 17 percent last year to $25.98 billion.

The DRAM market will not recover until the second half of 2010 when global demand for electronic devices recovers, IDC said.

MicroNet offers 16TB Genesis V RAID .

The Genesis V supports RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 3, 5, 6, 30, 50, 60 and JBOD configurations

Peter Cohen Macworld.com

The system can accommodate up to 16 terabytes (TB) of storage in a 3U rackmount configuration.

The Genesis V supports RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 3, 5, 6, 30, 50, 60 and Just a Bunch of Disks (JBOD) configurations.

Features include online RAID level/stripe size migration, online capacity expansion and RAID level migration, volume set expansion, array roaming , always-on UPS connectivity and secure login access.

The Genesis V has a dual 4X mini Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) host bus interface and either an SAS or 3Gb/s SATA II drive bus interface, for up to 400 MB/s per channel data throughput.

The 3U rackmount system features 16 drive bays, each capable of support a 1TB drive mechanism.

The Genesis V RAID rackmount system is priced starting at $3,529.