How-To: Organize Online Shopping Receipts

Keeping track of business-related expenses is a must. And if you’re doing most of your office supply and equipment ordering online, it makes sense to use Slice to keep track of all your receipts digitally.  No more sifting through paper receipts and invoices come tax time!
slice app for tracking receipts

Slice is simple: give the application permission to see your email, and Slice will archive all your purchase records from major online retailers like Apple, Amazon, and eBay. You can add up to five email accounts to your single Slice account, so it’s perfect for small business and remote collaborators.

The app (available for both iPhone and Android) makes your purchase history easily accessible anytime, but can also deliver push notifications about deliveries en route regardless of the shipping carrier. And the UI is far superior to the mobile offerings of certain other shippers who shall remain nameless, since we’d really like to keep getting our Amazon purchases in a timely manner.

Slice is currently in beta. More info and signup at www.slice.com.

The iPhone 4, still the device of my life

There are tons of great new devices out there, and there are even more rumors of greater devices to come.  Despite the revolutionary form and function of the iPad 2 and the siren-like draw of Siri’s voice, something about the “all in the palm of my hand” functionality of my iPhone 4 and the dreams of greater things to come has kept me using the same device for over a year and kept my upgrade money, so far, in my wallet.

Although I think that it is totally fun to tell Siri that you love her, or to ask her silly questions and  laugh at the answers, I don’t actually see a lot of utility in talking to my phone as an interface, especially since I don’t do much driving.  Outside of Siri, I feel like my iPhone 4 can do everything that the 4S can do, and for that matter everything that I need a mobile device to do.  I get my business and personal email all in one place, while the handy grouping of apps puts all of my social media into one small corner of my screen.  I can read all types of documents, handle all my faxing business, and can even hop on the command line of a web server.  And if you don’t have one yet, I believe you can get one for a lot less cash then the S model. Read More

New Send To Kindle App for PC

When I bought an Amazon Kindle Fire for my wife, the setup procudure included creating an email address for her Kindle. I thought to myself “Why do I need an email address for a Kindle?” Unbeknownst to me, in order to get actual personal documents on a Kindle other than the Fire that can receive docs via mobile apps, the best way was to send the doc via email – The Kindle did the rest.

Amazon has stepped up its game and has released a Send to Kindle PC application that lets users “right-click” documents to send them directly to their Kindle. Additionally, you can highlight multiple files to send at once, and if you’re currently viewing a document, you can print to your Kindle as well – Similar to how Adobe Acrobat installs a virtual printer that lets you print to PDF.

Right now, the application is free, but only available on PC with Mac support coming soon. So, if you are viewing a document on your PC that you know you want to view while you’re on the go, sending an email to yourself is so last year (or thereabouts). Try the Send to Kindle app and let us know what you think in the comments section.

OfficeDrop Offers Document Scanning on the iPad

OfficeDrop puts its hat in the ring of iPad apps that let you scan documents to the cloud. If you’re not familiar with OfficeDrop, it started out as a way to convert your physical papers into digital copies in the cloud using your current office printer/scanner. Now OfficeDrop lets you scan documents by snapping a picture using your iPad to automatically upload the document to your OfficeDrop online account.

You can create individual PDF documents or snap multiple images and create one PDF that once uploaded are immediately searchable in your account. In other words, multiple physical documents related to one meeting or event can be one PDF in the cloud. Read More

Adobe Releases PDF Creator for iPhone and iPad

If you don’t already know by now, PDF is the ideal file format for sending and receiving a professional document. Adobe created the format, so it makes sense that a product from Adobe would be used more than any other application that can do the same. Most of us use Adobe Acrobat on our desktop/laptop computers to create PDF’s from Word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, images and illustrations and more. But what do you do when you’re not sitting in front of your computer/laptop and you need to create and send a PDF? Adobe has got you covered with the Adobe CreatePDF app for iOS devices that lets you create high quality PDF documents from your mobile device. Read More

Mobile Google Docs Improves Sharing Features

You don’t really need a native mobile app to view, edit, and share your documents stored in the Google Docs cloud. The mobile site does a dandy job of letting you do what you need with just a data connection. Now users have even greater sharing capabilities to make sure your colleagues and clients have access to all the right documents, no matter where you are.

According to the Google Mobile Blog, all you have to do is visit the site, drill down to the correct document(s), press the Share button, and select Share, get the link to share for public or unlisted docs, or Email as an attachment. This method is nothing new. In fact, it’s the same way you would share a document if you were using the full desktop version of Google Docs.

There’s nothing like getting a phone call or email, stating that your colleagues or clients “did get it” (even though you know for a FACT you sent them the document). Since “the customer is always right”, it just makes more sense to understand the situation at hand, and mak sure they get what they need. with the Google Docs mobile site, you can share your documents with ease even if you’re on the go, so you can go back to enjoying your day.

Box.net and GoogleApps – Complete Online Content Management

On the online content sharing/collaboration side, Box.net was one of the first cloud services that everyday consumers could use. Its services still make online collaboration a viable option for small business owners looking to move to the cloud. On the “everything else” side, there isn’t a bigger name than Google and its popular GoogleApps services that gives users access to online document editing, calendar and email organization, and more.

Add them together and you get the ability to move your entire business/IT structure to the cloud. Now with GoogleApps document editing integration into Box.net functionality, now you can stay in one application from start-to-finish content creation, collaboration, and management. You can upload and share files amongst colleagues and clients, edit documents with version control, and synchronize documents across most of your devices. No need to switch between Box.net for collaboration and sharing, Google Docs for document editing, Gmail for communication, and Google Calendar for time management. It can all be done in the Box.net platform.

Box.net also gives users mobile access so you can access, share and collaborate on files anywhere. Share folders in a tap, exchange feedback or save files for offline access. Box.net apps are available for iPhone, iPad, Android and via the Box.net mobile site.

A regular Box.net subscription of one user is free, but to take advantage of the new Google Apps integration and add up to three users on one account, it will cost you $15 per month. Both services on their own are ideal for any small business owner looking to use their time and resources more efficiently. Together, well, don’t take my word for it, visit Box.net and sign up for a free trial and let us know what you think in the comments section.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_KnRwoKbJs&feature=player_embedded#

Apple ditches MobileMe, introduces iCloud at exciting price point: free

Although Apple’s cloud services have been rumored for years, no real information has surfaced before today about exactly what to expect. But at their Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) today, Apple announced that they’re going cloud in a big way: starting this fall, MoibleMe (a paid service to synchronize your mail, contacts, and calendar) will be replaced by a new, free service called iCloud.

What is iCloud? At a basic level, it’s a replacement for all of the services that MobileMe used to cover: iCloud provides free synchronization for your Mail, Calendars and Contacts through new applications that push your updates to any iOS devices you may own, including the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Similarly, App Store and iBookstore purchases are now automatically synchronized between multiple devices. What does that mean for you? Hassle-free work from the field, with the same calendar and mail set-up on your phone or tablet (provided those phones and tablets are the iPhone and iPad!)

The real win for small business users comes in the form of document sync, however. Last week, Apple announced that their iWork suite of apps, including Pages, Numbers and Keynote, we’re being ported to work not just on the iPad but also the iPhone and iPod touch. These apps, for those who aren’t familiar, are Apple’s answers to Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, respectively.

Today Apple is announcing that their iWork suite of apps will allow document sync through their iCloud service, with 5GB free storage for documents. While 5GB isn’t a huge amount of storage for music or pictures, it translates into thousands of documents sync’d seamlessly across your devices. For users on the go, this may finally make Apple’s iWork suite of software a viable alternative to Microsoft’s suite of desktop software or even Google Documents.

A few other features of note: Apple is also announcing iBackup, a feature that securely backs up your iOS devices over Wi-Fi whenever you charge your devices. Not only are your apps, books, and music backed up, but also your device settings. This should make things easier for users upgrading from the iPad to the iPad 2, or from the iPhone 4 to whatever comes next from Apple. As well, it should relieve some stress from users worried about having to connect their iPad or iPhone to their computer via USB every time they want to manually backup their devices.

Other things like photo sync and iTunes in the cloud offer services to sync your photographs and music between devices, and you can read the full details in Apple’s press release.

Android Owners get a Native Google Docs App

Nothing speaks to mobile productivity more than the ability to access, edit, and share documents no matter where you are (or what device you are using). The Google Docs online document storage/sharing service has a mobile-friendly site where mobile device users can do most if not all of the above mentioned. But nothing says “You’ve arrived” nowadays more than an actual app, and Android owners now can bask in the glory that is the new Google Docs app.

The short and sweet of the native app versus a mobile-friendly site is that you have greater functionality since a native app takes advantage of the technology built inside your phone versus more “universal” features for multiple devices. The Google Docs app for Android does just that. In addition to being easier to search and filter content, edit documents on the fly and share them with anybody in your phone’s contact list, The Google Docs app adds greater functionality that can’t be done via a web app or mobile-friendly site. Read More

Handyscan Document Scanner for Windows Phone 7

Smartphone cameras come pretty much standard with uber-high megapixel cameras nowadays – Prolly more than your average consumer will ever need. Simply because most of us still have a trusty-old (or new) point-and-shoot camera for “real pictures”. So I can’t think of any other purpose to use the smartphone camera for than using it as a document scanner for those documents that you need to send to a friend, family member, or client when your phone is the only piece of technology you have on your person at that moment.

Developers JDB Pocketware wasted no time in creating the Handyscan app for Microsoft Windows Phone 7 devices that snaps a shot of the image and can convert it to either .jpg or .pdf to quickly send to anyone.

Handyscan can emulate the functions of an actual document/image scanner by scanning multiple documents and creating one file and edit options like the ability to align/rotate, crop and change the size/resolution of scanned documents. Additionally, Handyscan has also a ‘typewriter’ feature which allows you to type text into scanned documents or forms.

Handyscan for WP7 devices can be downloaded from the Windows Phone Marketplace on your device for $2.99. There is also a free lite version that excludes the options of choosing the file format (.jpg or .pdf) and size/resolution of scanned documents.

Of Course, even if you have the best lighting and a super-steady hand, a scanned document using an actual scanner will produce the best document quality, but I don’t know anyone who carries one of those around with them…just in case. So for those times when you need to get that document scanned and sent sooner the later, why not rely on your smartphone?

…You already rely on it for everything else