freelance tech writer. WYPR radio producer. Ignite NYC community manager. media geek. Williamsborg. wannabe master of cultural forensics. banh mi luster.
Sure, here are 10 Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS, but this only applies until the next iPhone arrives. [via Gizmodo]
Looking for office space? 4 things to consider since real estate is typically the second or third largest fixed expense after payroll [via VentureBeat]
“Don’t get you started on booth babes?” Don’t get us started. How to Boost Traffic at Your Trade Show Booth [via Inc.]
Some proven strategies for multiplying profits [via Entrepreneuer]
Sometimes doing less is doing more. Here are ways to be more effective AND get over your email addiction [via Dumb Little Man]
Here’s a great guide on publishing digital content from Razorfish. [via PSFK]
Ever wanted to build a simple, attractive personal web page that collects all of your online presences? Now you can with Flavors.me [via Mashable]
Have you ever come back from a conference or a networking event with a stack of business cards and toiled away entering the info into your address book, or maybe more likely, threw them in a drawer? I’m here to tell you that there’s an easier way! Here are two apps that work using your smartphone’s camera to automatically pull information like name, address, phone numbers, email, and website.
CamCard Lite. The program struggled to recognize business cards until I moved the card and phone right underneath my desk lamp, but worked otherwise ok in the living room by a large window. The results weren’t exactly accurate as you can see by the following images. Not a single field of information populated 100% accurate, although using an app like this would still beat typing in all of that information into my address book manually.
Google Googles This was debuted in December of 2009 and isn’t only a business card scanning app, but it works fantastically well as one. You can use it to take pictures of nearly anything: logos, barcodes on things like books and DVDs, landmarks, and the app will attempt to gather more info. It didn’t have the same struggle that CamCard Lite did in my dimly light office since it triggered the flash on my smartphone. The results on the same business card were also 100% accurate as you can see in this picture!
Although I was surprised by how effective CamCard Lite was initially, once I tried Google Googles the victor in the battle for dominant business card scanning mobile app was decidedly clear. Hail to the Chief of search!
If you were looking for another reason to justify getting an iPad, well I’ve got one for you. Thanks to Avatron Software, there’s an app that will turn your iPad into a secondary monitor. They weren’t the first software developer to this party and the app isn’t perfect, but Air Display is a fantastic way to extend your Macbook’s screen estate by up to 70%. That’s right, currently the app is only available for use with Apple computers, although you can sign up to be notified about a Windows version [notify-ad-win@avatron.com].
The software is a breeze to set up and use. Once you’ve installed the program on your computer and iPad, you turn on AirDisplay on you computer, select your iPad, and open the app on the iPad. Your iPad doesn’t need to be connected to your computer by USB, but your computer and iPad should be on the same wi-fi network. The iPad retains its touch screen functionality, but you’re not going to have multi-touch gestures like pinching to zoom since your touch behaves like a mouse click.
It’s not perfect, there is a little bit of lag when moving windows from your computer to the iPad, and watching a video on YouTube on the iPad produces a little bit of lag. This app is probably perfect for you if you’re the type of person that has a million applications, spreadsheets, chat sessions, stock tickers, Twitter applications, browser windows, etc. open at any time, which is probably most of us. If you travel with both a MacBook and an iPad it’s a pretty useful app to have and a great way to repurpose your iPad if you don’t have an external monitor.
Google is synonymous with search, but did you know that they offer a wealth of resources to small businesses? During Small Business Week they distributed booklets with strategies to help businesses, and especially non-technical entrepreneurs, be successful online.
Google has also partnered with the Small Business Administration to create this resource with examples of how small businesses have used the internet to grow.
Here’s one of the videos on promoting business for free using online marketing:
How do you backup your important business documents, presentations, or digital photos? What would you do if your hard drive crashed or your laptop was stolen? Even if a tech could recover your hard drive are going to be happy to pay hundreds of dollars to do that?
EVERY HARD DRIVE IN THE WORLD WILL FAIL! So I’m going to say something a little different. FORGET ABOUT IT. Automate it once never think about it again! After you install Dropbox on your computer, it creates a new folder on your desktop. Any files or folders you add here will automatically upload to DropBox’s servers. Dropbox will check your files and if it recognizes any changes, it will automatically synch the new versions as well. It’s that simple.
PDFs, Presentations, Spreadsheets, all of your documents will be accessible no matter where you are since they’re doing a great job of making apps for mobile platforms. It’s available on the Android, iPhone, iPad, coming out for the BlackBerry soon, and your files are accessible through its website. It’s especially nice on the iPad since its can be a pain to move files back on forth through iTunes. The free service gives you 2 gigs of automated backup and storage.
1. Social media isn’t really free, it takes effort and time. It can work wonders for your small business, don’t believe me? Check out these 5 Surprising Social Media Success Stories [via FastCompany]
2. Have a lot of competitors? A key to success is differentiating yourself from them. Make Your Product Stand Out Without Going Broke [via Entrepreneur]
3. It can’t come soon enough. The iPhone 4 Beta reveals the possibility of tethering (using your iPhone as a wireless modem) [via CNET]
4. Never start off a pitch with “You’re going to love this idea!” Here’s a list of ways to sell ideas [via FastCompany]
5. Are you concerned about your privacy on Facebook? They unleashed a lot of new features that work by sharing your information. Reclaim Privacy an easy way to see what you’re sharing with the world
6. Why Are Women-Owned Firms Smaller Than Men-Owned Ones? [via WSJ]
7. 2/3 of entrepreneurs said that starting their own business was more fuflfilling than they thought it ever would be. Do you think like an entrepreneur? Take this quiz. [via Entrepreneurial Mind]
Mario recently discussed the death of desktop computing on the Digital Cafe. Onward to the future of mobile computing! Have a great idea for a mobile site or an iPhone app? What foundational knowledge do you need to start creating? Todd Marks joins us to discuss the mobile web, how it’s developed, and where it’s headed. He’s the CEO of Mindgrub Technologies, a mobile application agency and teaches Instructional Technology at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
In three years time, desktops will be irrelevant. In Japan, most research is done today on smart phones, not PCs. -John Herlihy, Google’s Vice President of Global Ad Operations.
What does that look like? Mario and Gus Sentementes from the Baltimore Sun’s BaltTech blog discuss the lifespan of the desktop computer.
Writing a book, recording an album, filming a movie? Want to sail around the globe? Take note of online fundraising service Kickstarter. It takes a cue from Malcolm Gladwell and allows you to raise funds for a project, but donations can only be collected if you reach your fundraising goal. CEO Perry Chen gives tips on how to best raise funds for your creative project.
[Update: Local Baltimore filmmaker Matt Porterfield raised funds to finance his feature film Putty Hill using Kickstarter. via The Washington Post.]
Math-inspired dance moves, ukelele recordings, bedroom monologues, these are some of videos the comprise the average 24 hours of video that get uploaded to Youtube every minute. Some of these videos are slickly produced and edited. Others have a homemade quality. They are also college applications. St. Mary’s College of Maryland officially started accepting video essays as part of their undergraduate applications in the Fall of 2008. George Mason and Tufts soon followed their move. Rich Edgar, Director of Admissions at St Mary’s College of Maryland joins us on today’s Digital Café to talk about the YouTube college essay.
