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iPad 3 Rumors!

Lauren — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:23:58 +0000

The wait is almost over, the iPad 3 is said to be released on March 7^th, 2012. So how does it differ from the iPad 2? The iPad 3 is rumored to have a retina display which is the sharpest, most vibrant, high resolution screen that was presented with the iPhone 4s. The iPad 3 is also said to have a quad core processor along with the 4G network. Rumors hear that it will include iOS 5.1 and Siri. Siri was introduced with the iPhone 4s. It is a feature that stands in as a personal assistant. All that is needed is for the user press the Siri button, ask her a question and she will answer. The iPad 3 will look very similar to the iPad 2, but will have a longer battery life. The iPad 3 is also said to be a business solution. This includes applications such as QuickOffice Pro HD which is taking your office anywhere with you, on your iPad. Access documents, spreadsheets, PDF files, and power points, as well as sharing, transferring, and managing all of these files. It will also include SAP BusinessObjects Explorer. This is a specific internet explorer for business questions only. These apps are helpful for the small business on the go, and just another reason to buy an iPad 3 for your company.

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Track your workout with this new smartphone application

Lauren — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:15:34 +0000

This application for iPhones and Droids is essentially a handheld personal trainer for 1$ that a person access at any time. Certainly this is not new technology, but improved technology. It is called the Fitness Buddy available at the Apple Store and the Android Marketplace. This application has over 1700 various workouts programed. If the user has a workout that is not listed, they can input it into the application. This program will track and plan all of the users work outs. It also includes tracking metrics and blood pressure. The user can search the workout they want by clicking on a list of muscle groups . The muscle groups are specifics such as core, lower body, chest, shoulders, back, arms etc. Each workout has a detailed picture of how to perform the workout, and text clarifying the workout. The application includes a calendar tracking the user’s prior workouts and future workouts. This saved data can be viewed and exported at any time. This application is good for tracking the user’s personal progress and seeing future goals. It is a good alternative to a personal trainer, less expensive, and joining a gym is not required.

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Habro pairs with Apple in Laser Tag Game!

Lauren — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:31:33 +0000

Hasbro realizes that games for children are a thing of the past, and technology is taking over. Hasbro was smart enough to go along with this trend and pair up with Apple for a new twist on an old game. The game is a spinoff of Laser Tag by NERF. The original game is two teams with vests, laser guns, and helmets. Each team shoots a laser beam at their opponents in an allocated amount of time, and whichever team has the highest shots, wins. The new game is a simulation. The user downloads the free application to their iPhone or iPod touch and acquires the laser tag game. Then the user will plug their device into their laser tag gun, starting the game. The device will tell the user their battery life, their position on the map, and their shooting range. The virtual shooting range can hit a target over 200 feet away. The game will be available on August 1, 2012 and will include two laser guns for $70. The recommended age for this game is ages 8 and up. This game will truly bring fun of the past into today’s technology.

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Social media impacting businesses

Lauren — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:39:20 +0000

Is social media worth stressing about in a business? The answer is yes. Today it is almost impossible to think of a company that does not have a presence in social media. Main media sites include Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In. These sites connect small and large businesses around the world, enabling current and future customers to research what the company is doing. It gives employers and customers a human presence, while being online. In the high tech world we live in some sort of social media site is a necessity for companies to have. Some firms have multiple forms of social media sites, and others only have one. If a company has both twitter and Facebook, the accounts can be linked to one another so that all their “followers” and “friends” can see their updates from either site. The problem with businesses and their employees having social media sites is the distinction between personal and professional social media. There have been instances where an employee posts unfavorably about the company they work for, giving the company negative press. These fine lines between the two are easily and accidentally abused. A positive rule of personal and professional social media is don’t tweet or post something that would bring shame upon a company.

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The Cloud.CM offers a great variety of tools for students.

Michael Berube — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:22:08 +0000

Cloud.CM is a cloud computing website for people of all ages and backgrounds.
An online virtual desktop which can be accessed from anywhere at any time is what many are excited for. The Cloud.CM allows one to create, store, and share files.
One may collaborate with family, friends and colleagues in a secure and safe environment.
Multimedia and social networking tools are also provided, to provide users an all-in-one-solution.
Text and video chat, file sharing, Productivity Suite (Great for word, excel, or PPTS, a user can view, edit and create) , Groups and Calendars,
which will be valued for event planning and organizing. The profile explorer will work as a Social Networking App.
Students will be able to interact and collaborate online in a virtual environment. Through video conferencing while sharing and updating files, students have the ability to work in groups remotely.
Students will also be able to broadcast conversations between them and a person of their choosing. Members not part of the cloud will still be able to engage.
A media application to play music and videos, and also provides an avenue for students to remain in touch with professors as the students’ progress in their chosen careers.

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Ideas for Small Business Owners

Michael Berube — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:05:09 +0000

Tips for the Small Business Owner

Make Customers the Models

Make customers the models of your product. Allow them to be
the advertisement. Post pictures of the
customers on the website. This allows the customers to keep up to date to the
site and will also draw traffic as they will direct family and friends to the
site to view pictures. They will also work as an advertisement as they will
most likely post your site on their facebook or whichever social media they
currently engage in.

Hold a Virtual Party

Attending a party which you don’t need to dress up or drive
to can be fun. It allows one to interact with others from the comfort of their
own home. This is great for people with
small children or very hectic schedules. Hold a virtual party, be on camera and
interact with people via chat. Make the session fun but also informative.

Let the Customers Have the Spotlight

Write about events and who attended in company blogs. This
will keep readers engaged because not only are you spreading activities you are
allowing one to feel part of something larger within the community. You may
want to blog about charity events coming up in the community. It will help get
people involved and also keep readers interested and want to stay updated on
your site.

Help Make Your Clients Money

Connect customers and what they do for a living to each
other. This is a great way to help others with products or services they
provide. A referral is one of the best complaints one can receive.

Call Your Customers

Keeping in touch with your customers is a great benefit to
many. It will keep your customer happy
and allow you get to know your customer. Either a phone call or in some cases
Skype would work great. Keep in mind it’s the small things that keep people
happy.

YouTube

Upload videos, either videos you have made or by customers.
Make them funny, interesting or even a how to would be a great way to keep
customers involved and drive business to your site.

Trivia & Promotions

Social Media is a great tool. Ask trivia, or run promotions
and ask your customers to respond with their stories. Great way to keep a
conversation going and get to form a relationship, also reach out to friends
and family. Networking is the greatest tool one can use to promote.

Make Yourself Accessible

Allow and ask your customers to email or contact you with
any questions. People love to feel connected and also like to feel they are
important. By allowing them to ask any question, and simply replying it will
form bond.

Use Facebook

Facebook is a great way to interact with your customers. You
could also have weekly contest and giveaways. This will keep the customers in
touch with you.

Small business and the digital world.

Michael Berube — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:26:47 +0000

The thoughts of small business owners and how social media will affect the business.
Here are some ideas of how a small business owner should adapt to the change.

1. Businesses Mine Big Data

Companies are realizing that they have a lot of information on their hands and will need tools to mine it, make sense of it and monetize it.
With just a few dollars a month a smalll business owner can use powerful tools either via desktop or on their tablets. This information can help
one to see company information pertaining to their HR, sales, and social media.
2012 is the year when small businesses start to bring together data from their website, customer purchase behavior, digital
marketing campaigns and social media activity around their brand to drastically impact the quality of their digital marketing efforts.

2. Websites Optimize for Tablet Commerce

Since 2010, the tablet has been used not only as a browsing mechanism, but a true mobile business tool as
well. Clients are demanding more mobility and integration of mobile devices for document sharing, emailing, social media and more.
It is imperative for retailers to optimize their websites for tablet usage. Small businesses should review their sites for the touch and fix on any usability issues.

3. Brands Become Publishers

Businesses are now becoming the publishers of their own content. So company blogs, e-newsletter, allows the company to get the message to the market. But also
to bypass media outlets and go right to the target audience.

4. Loyalty Programs Go Digital

Loyalty programs continue to get better and easier to use. Allowing companies to offer free stuff and coupons on products or services.
The next wave of loyalty programs for small businesses will leverage customer databases of purchase history,
marketing campaign response rates and social media activity like check-ins and brand mentions to customize rewards to an individual. One only needs to look
at companies like Bellyflop, Stampt and SpotOn — and Google’s acquisition of Punchd — to see this emerging already.”

5. Websites Integrate Social Login

Social login is where you can use your Facebook, Yahoo and Google IDs [among others] to login to various websites.
Social login allows one to login without having to create dozens of user names and passwords.

6. Businesses Pull Back on Daily Deal Spend

Daily deal business is evolving, and it’ll certainly will be a major outlet for lead gen spend going forward.Small businesses may have used daily deals as a ‘gateway’
to social marketing, but will now focus on their own content and other technologies which give them more control over sustainable growth and profit.”

7. Scheduling Continues to Go Cloud

Over the next two to five years, the physical appointment book will be gone altogether and replaced with online counterparts.
WIth facebook, Twitter and company blog, one company sourced 75% of its business. Small Businesses should take note and move towards digital scheduling in 2012.

Tips on Laptop and Cellphone use when Traveling outside the US

Peter — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:11:34 +0000

Question:
I am traveling outside the US. Will there be any problems with my laptop and cell phone while I am abroad?

Answer?

As long as you have a Wifi connection your laptop will not be a problem. Just make sure you have the correct adapter for the local power plugs, which are available at any local pharmacy such as CVS, Walgreen’s etc (see also here for the required adapter by country). Most modern laptop and phone AC/DC adapters support both 110V and 220V, however check the specifications to make sure.

Managing your cell phone needs abroad can be more tricky. Many international travelers take the easy way out and simply subscribe to their Carrier’s service, such as the Verizon Global Travel Program, however that can be costly. With a little planning ahead you can save a lot of money.

First, you can connect to Wifi in hotels and cafes and use Skype during your visit. I always make sure I have at least $10 credit on my Skype account so that I can call any phone in the world using a WiFi connection. Also, the “Skype to Go” service allows you to use a cell phone from abroad to call the US. The international phone needs to be registered or you have to use a PIN supplied by Skype.

When I travel abroad I carry an old unlocked cell phone and purchase a “pay-as-you-go” SIM card in the country and use that, however that will not allow you to make international phone calls. That is what I use “Skype to Go” for. I also set up Skype Call Forwarding so that I only have to give out one number to my contacts and they can reach me no matter where I am.Bottom line, Skype is a “must have” service for any international traveler.

If you do want to take the easy way out and you subscribe to Verizon and you have an iPhone 4 it will not work in most cases outside the US because of lack of CDMA support. Verizon does have a Global Travel Program (see: http://b2b.vzw.com/international/Global_Travel/index.html) however you would have to upgrade to an iPhone 4s or purchase a second phone with Global carrier support (Here is a list of phones: http://b2b.vzw.com/international/Global_Phone/index.html). Note that international voice and data rates apply, which can be quite expensive (especially the latter).

In any case, as a smart phone user it is recommended you turn off “cellular data” while you are abroad.

Another tip when you are abroad: If your hotel charges for Wifi make sure that they know that you have multiple devices (laptop and phone) that you will be using and insist that they don’t double bill you for each device. Typically they will have to credit your account at checkout for this.

A workday with no e-mail?

Michael Berube — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:24:49 +0000

Imagine a work day with no email…

One company in France is going to make this a reality. Within two years, the firm Atos will ban all internal e-mail from company communications. Employees will have to rely on communicating via IM or online documents that can be edited by several users at one time.

Atos has 74,000 employees in 42 countries. The CEO, Thierry Breton estimates that only 10% of the 200 daily emails that his employees receive each day are useful and that 18% are spam. The Managers at the firm spend 5-20 hours each week reading emails.

Recent studies have shown that overall email use is down among younger people. These inviduals prefer a faster way of communicating like text messages or IM.

Will other organizations follow? Is this the beginning of the end of e-mail?

Is Your Phone Watching Your Every Keystroke?

Michael Berube — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:06:32 +0000

Is your phone watching you’re every move?

Carrier IQ has created Software that tracks every keystroke, accesses text messages and other data used on personal cellphones. The user has no control over this app and cannot uninstall. Would this be considered a privacy issue?

The following information on the software should cause concern:

-The software is hidden, almost impossible to know if it’s there

-It has been reported the software is currently exists on millions of handsets, including Android and some versions of iPhone

-The software is not opt-in, so without the user’s approval the software can gather data from the cellphone

Carrier IQ, has expressed the software is not following your every keystroke that the company uses the software to count and summarize performance on the carrier.

Trevor Eckhart was the first to point out that Carrier IQ is indeed logging every keystroke. He was sent cease and desist letter by Carrier IQ. This letter caused the Electronic Frontier Federation (EFF) to come to the defense of Trevor. Carrier IQ backed off and apologized.

Watch a video posted on you tube by Trevor Eckhart on the Carrier IQ. You tube video

Is this software on your phone?

Carrier IQ is running on 141 million devices in the U.S. Some of the major companies that are using Carrier IQ would be the following. Sprint and AT&T have confirmed that they use this software. T-Mobile spokesperson wrote, “T-Mobile utilizes the Carrier IQ diagnostic tool to troubleshoot device and network performance with the goal of enhancing network reliability and our customers’ experience. T-Mobile does not use this diagnostic tool to obtain the content of text, email or voice messages, or the specific destinations of a customers’ internet activity, nor is the tool used for marketing purposes.” Verizon has stated they do not use Carrier IQ

On the manufacturer side, both RIM and Nokia made statements that said it doesn’t install or authorize its carrier partners to install Carrier IQ on phones. Nokia similarly denied installing Carrier IQ on its products. If you’re an iPhone owner, Apple told AllThingsD that it removed Carrier IQ “in most of its products” when it released iOS 5, with plans to remove it completely in future software update.

How to get rid of Carrier IQ!

If you have an Android phone, you can find out whether or not Carrier IQ is installed by using Eckhart’s Logging Test App , and you can use the app to remove the software for the cost of a dollar. The app requires rooting your phone so proceed with caution and be warned: This may not always be successful.

iPhone carriers, if you want to be a 100% sure the software absent from your phone. TechCrunch suggest open settings, go to “Diagnostics & Usage,” and select “Don’t Send.”