Category: Small Biz Applications

BlackBerry Launches Mobile Conferencing App

by BrothaTech

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a story on making conference calls with a BlackBerry. Well the folks over at Research In Motion (RIM) must have read my article (Boom!) and pushed the BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing App out of Beta and into the BlackBerry App World.

The app is designed to work with your existing conferencing system to make scheduling, joining and rejoining conference calls from your BlackBerry quick and easy from almost anywhere. Instead of trying to remember conference call codes, and multiple button sequences, the app offers up a single ‘Join Now’ button to make joining calls a breeze.

Additional feature include:

One-Click Join – Before a conference call starts, a pop-up reminder displays a “Join Now” button that, with a single click, dials the conference bridge and enters the appropriate codes to connect the user to the conference. If the call gets disconnected or the user needs to drop off, the app will present a “Reconnect” button, which dials the user back into the call with one click.

Easy Conference Scheduling – A user can schedule a conference call complete with conference bridge details directly from the BlackBerry Calendar in an easy two-step process. To enable this capability, the user sets their conference call profile once in the BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing app, including dial-in numbers and access codes, then simply adds the profile as part of the calendar invitation. (The moderator code is kept hidden from participants in the calendar invitation.)

Optimal Conference Call Number Selection – If multiple dial-in numbers are provided to accommodate participants in different regions, the application can automatically choose an optimal number to use (for calls within North America), such as using the local number if the user is within the local calling area rather than a toll-free number; or a toll- free number if the dial-in number would otherwise be long distance. Users can also select or modify a specific dial-in number manually.

The app supports many of the leading audio conferencing systems, so no matter if you are trying to join or schedule a call, the BlackBerry Conferencing app has got you covered. The app is a free download from the BlackBerry App World (OS 5.0 or higher).

Taskforce brings fully featured tasks to your Gmail account

by Nick Muntean

Though Google Tasks has been available to Gmail account holders for several years, users may have noticed that the applet isn’t on Mountain View’s high-priority list, as Google has failed to provide any significantly upgraded functionality for Tasks since its initial release. Third-party developers, however, have created a number of excellent mobile Tasks apps, which allow users to sync their Tasks entries across devices. Despite the best efforts of these third-party developers, they’re still hindered by the inherent limitations of the Google Tasks API. For those who demand a more fully featured task application, yet still require seamless integration with the Gmail environment, there is Taskforce, who has reimagined the Gmail task management experience by creating their own bespoke task management add-on, which promises to deliver a number of productivity-enhancing features aimed at business and enterprise users. Sounds good so far; let’s see how it works!

Installing Taskforce is simple; just go to their website, enter your Gmail address, download the Taskforce browser extension (available for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari—sorry IE users!), restart your browser, and log-in to Gmail. The Taskforce toolbar will now be floating in the upper-right-hand corner of Gmail, allowing you to view existing Tasks, create new Tasks, and monitor your “Activities,” which are automatically generated when you share your task with a collaborator (the Activities function works regardless of whether or not your collaborator has installed Taskforce on their computer). Multiple collaborators can be brought in on the same Activity, and specific emails can easily be associated with a particular Activity just by clicking on the “Add to Existing Task” Taskforce button that appears above every email opened in Gmail. Collaborators can comment upon an Activity, and everyone else associated with that Activity can then view those comments. There’s a lot of potential here for small business owners who frequently work with outside vendors, or are seeking to promote collaborative efforts amongst internal staff members.

The Activities function is really the highlight of Taskforce, as it provides a very simple, yet powerful means through which to link specific tasks with their relevant collaborators and corresponding email communiqués. Taskforce also does a pretty commendable job of converting emails into tasks, though as one might expect, this feature does occasionally require some post-hoc editing.

In its current iteration, Taskforce has two notable downsides. First, when you send a task to a non-Taskforce-enable collaborator, the program doesn’t provide any confirmation that the task has been sent, or received; if you’re working on a tight deadline, this omission could prove to be more than a mere nuisance. More problematic, at least for our readership, is Taskforce’s lack of mobility; the program is currently usable only on laptops and desktops running full versions of the compatible browsers. The only way to load Taskforce on a mobile device is through a special login on Taskforce’s website, which offers limited access to existing tasks and activities, and provides no integration with mobile versions of Gmail. If the majority of your correspondence and scheduling is done in the office, this might not be a deal-breaker, but if you’re handling the majority of your communications and logistics from a mobile device while on the road, Taskforce’s limited mobility could be a real source of frustration.

My advice? Try it for yourself: What Taskforce does, it does very well, and its mobile functionality is likely adequate for occasional use. At the very least, there’s a lot of promise in this app, and I’ll definitely be following its future developments. Who knows, maybe Google will take notice, and start to include some of Taskforce’s features into future iterations of Google Tasks.

Mobile Applications and the US Military

by Justin Alcon

It’s the day after Memorial Day, I’m sore from pulling ropes on a sailboat, and I’m just the right amount of sunburned.  However, we all know the Memorial Day holiday isn’t just a kickoff for the summer season.  Memorial Day honors our troops and veterans, and causes us to remember their hard work and sacrifices in the line of duty.   So, in the spirit of the holiday, today I’d like to talk about mobile tech is used by our United States military service.

The Army has had an app in the iTunes store since 2010.  To my surprise, it’s not a direct recruitment app or a game that glorifies combat.  Instead, it’s a mobile complement to the Army’s website.  The app offers news, pictures, videos, and even a logic game.  It’s a really great information source for those interested in the Army.  The “more” section this app is integrated with twitter and facebook and offers additional information about ranks and uniforms.  Of course, there’s also information on how you yourself can join and serve.

Last year, a piece in Wired outlined some plans for an Army-specific app store that would be managed by the government.  The store would allow the troops to download helpful apps while in the field.  Apparently bureaucracy and security concerns have so far kept this from becoming a reality, but when made available this would represent a major step forward in military and civilian technology.  Why would it be so revolutionary?  Well, the Army app store is itself part of the agile development process (the same process that I use to develop software professionally).  The store would not just be a place for soldiers to get applications for their mobile, but also a place where they can also offer feedback and ideas for new apps.  Users would describe their needs in the store’s form which  would then be quickly translated into requirements for developers.  This process greatly increases the speed by which developers can deliver useful apps to the user.

Finally, I found a nice list of applications that are dedicated to our Military as well as to the service of fallen soldiers.  Of course, some of the items on the list are cheesy, and perhaps you would feel silly to have a Memorial Day app on your phone a month from now. However, some of the other offerings are quite compelling.  For example, the “Inside Story of the Peace Conference 1919 HD” has information that was new to me about my favorite military subject – peace.  Also, the “USO On Patrol Magazine” in HD and the “Marines Magazine” are both free in the iTunes app store.
It is also worth mentioning that although both iPhone and Android apps are being developed by the military, no handheld device has been certified as secure enough to access government servers.

Why Skype is not quite ready for the Enterprise

by Justin Alcon

As I’m sure you’re aware, the folks over at Microsoft have gambled big recently by  purchasing Skype.  Microsoft has long been regarded as the first name in enterprise software, but does Skype fit in with the rest of the class of Microsoft products? Or, are they the weird kid that eats paste?  To be blunt: for now, hide your paste.

About a year ago my office converted to all-Skype.  The company phones are Skype phones, and most of us now just have a mic and our headphones rather than a desk handset.  Although this is a great product for people in long distance relationships, or those who want to see their grandchildren in another state, this product needs a few improvements before we can really rely on it for serious business.

As you probably know, they had a global outage this week so stability is a big concern. However, lots of services have had major outages recently and survived unscathed.  The biggest issue for the business so far is that many folks already had a Skype account when they joined the company, and they’re unable to merge their personal account with the new company-funded account.  This means they had to move all of their contacts over to a new Skype screen name, and it’s often extremely confusing to newcomers who arrive with many clients (like salesmen, who live and die by their phone).  After the transition to the company-based Skype, some employees seem to be even more nervous about missing that big call.

Another issue – with Skype, there’s no central phone directory for your company.   The closest that we’ve been able to come is to include our company name in all the usernames that we create. This way, folks can search for our names and find our people. This isn’t a great solution, though, as there’s no security provided. Nothing bars other users from using your company’s name in their usernames, potentially causing  “false positives”- imagine if a competitor caught on and convinced a customer to call them, because the customer thought the competitor was affiliated with your company?  A directory is a near-mandatory staple for enterprise telecommunication solution.

Payment is also a problem.  When you have lots of people making tons of calls all around the country, it’s common to add large amounts of credit to your account to cover costs.  With a terrestrial phone service it’s common to add thousands of dollars at a time to your corporate phone account.  With Skype, if you want to add 500 or more dollars to your account you have to fax in a special form. This seems pretty stone-age for a digital-frontier company.  And, if you need to fax in several forms, you’re occasionally flagged, causing service interruptions!  In a digital age, with a digital business, it’s a total waste of time to constantly fill out and fax forms, even when you have sites like eFax to help.

As a web-based phone service, Skype really should excel at inexpensive teleconferencing.  Although it’s touted as the ‘facetime killer” Skype actually has very little support for true video or teleconference support.  When we have a large meeting with several remote people, we’re usually unable to configure it so that we can all see and hear each other without a lot of microphone-passing and hand-waving.  Consequently, people in remote offices often feel left out of the loop.

Last but certainly not least is the fact that all of their equipment is proprietary.  With terrestrial phones, there is usually an equipment standard so that generally your handset can go with you from service provider to service provider.  Not Skype phones.  Skype phones require commitment.  So, now that we have invested in this equipment, we feel somewhat stuck with it, since we can’t re-use the handsets. We’re what a poker player would call ‘pot committed’.

Even with all this (I know that it’s hard to tell,) I actually love Skype—I really do!  I’ve had great fun with it, and it’s perfect for chatting with your family or your significant other when they’re out of town.  To really meet the needs of the business community, however, Skype should definitely take some cues from their new owners and start thinking about providing service from an enterprise perspective.

Google Wallet and Google Offers Bring Huge Opportunities to Small Business Owners and Consumers

by Nick Muntean

Today we were at Google’s press conference in NYC, it just concluded, and we have to say, the implications could be huge for small business owners, with Google announcing two key new Android apps that will potentially enable your customers to pay you faster by using their mobile phone. The primary app, Google Wallet, will securely store and communicate financial information from users’ phones to merchants’ NFC terminals. NFC (near field communication) is a wireless technology that has been around but is becoming more popular.  The other app announced was Google Offers, which serves as a complement to Wallet, integrating coupons and loyalty programs to the transaction experience.  Let’s take a look at the features offered by each app, and then consider the implications for small business owners.

Wallet will roll out this summer, though it will initially provide NFC services only with Citi Mastercard and/or a pre-paid Google account.  Google promises that more account types (Visa, American Express, non-Citi Mastercards, etc.) will be added in the future, but they didn’t name any specific partners, nor did they offer up any sort of timetable.  Despite the limited number of launch-time partnerships, the potential for Wallet is huge, as it’s the first NFC system that allows users to maintain multiple credit accounts within the same NFC client.  As Wallet gains wider adoption, more banks and credit agencies will likely jump aboard, which will provide users with an NFC commerce experience as flexible and robust as the current, leather wallet-based transaction process.

For small business owners, Google Offers promises to be a real game-changer.  Google demonstrated how seamlessly Offers integrates with both Wallet and users’ desktop browsing experience; a desktop Google search for “denim shorts” might yield a digital coupon, which can be added into the user’s Offers account through a single click, and then redeemed in person, via Wallet, at the local point-of-sale.  Even more exciting is the integration of location-specific coupons and offers into the Android ecosystem; a phone-based search for “sandwiches” could yield offers from nearby restaurants, generating greater first-time customers for local businesses and international franchises alike.  Offers will also manage and track customer loyalty programs, which could definitely help transform occasional customers into regular patrons.  Google is selectively launching Offers in Portland, San Francisco, and New York this summer, though once the initial bugs have been worked out, the program will likely quickly spread to other cities.

Google also outlined some features that will likely be added to Wallet/Offers over the next several years; digital receipts, transaction-based prizes and games, and eventually the ability to integrate drivers’ licenses, health insurance cards, concert tickets, and hotel keys.  What remains unknown, though, is who will be responsible for securing the data of these para-transactional experiences.  For the financial information of the transaction itself, Google has partnered with FirstData to provide secure transmission and storage of relevant data, but it’s unclear if FirstData would also be responsible for managing loyalty card information and the like.

There’s a lot of potential here, but what can small businesses expect in the short-term?

To be honest, not much.  Currently, the only Android phone sporting an NFC chip is the Nexus S, and it’s hard to build an entirely new commerce ecosystem around a single phone.  More NFC-enabled Android phones will likely arrive later this year, but it will take at least several years before a significant number of consumers have Google NFC technology in their pockets.  And, with rumors circulating that Apple has an NFC platform of its own in the works, it’s unlikely that Google’s initiative will move forward without some competition from its rivals.  The short-term potential of Wallet/Offers is also tempered by the aforementioned lack of launch-time financial partners; how many people have both a Citi Mastercard AND a Nexus S, and how many consumers look forward to regularly refilling a bespoke Google debit account?

Sure, the immediate potential of Google’s announcement is pretty limited, but with NFC terminal readers costing less than $10, merchants won’t be staking a significant financial investment in the technology, should it fail to find widespread consumer adoption.  And the long-term potential for small businesses is absolutely huge; if Wallet and Offers become widely adopted by consumers, smaller merchants and local retailers will be able to engage in the type of targeted advertising and sophisticated customer loyalty programs (with their accompanying analytics…) that are today affordable only for medium-to-large companies.  If you’re a small business owner in one Google’s trial cities, becoming an early adopter of Wallet/Offers could pay considerable dividends down the road, as your familiarity and expertise with the infrastructure could provide a key competitive advantage, should Google’s NFC become the transactional experience of the future.

ShopSavvy Teams with ShareSquare for Easy QR Code Campaigns

by BrothaTech

It looks as if the past couple of weeks have been good for ShopSavvy, the mobile app that lets you scan product barcodes and see if a cheaper deal can be found locally or online. Just last week I did a story about ShopSavvy and Dropbox teaming up to save and sync your barcode scans to the cloud. Now ShopSavvy has announced a collaboration with ShareSquare to make QR Code campaigns simple for your average small business owner looking to market to the always connected, mobile consumer.

Backstory: Last year, ShopSavvy announced its ability to scan QR Codes in addition to just product UPC barcodes with its “Scan with ShopSavvy” program. The program was directed towards small business owners, retailers, and advertisers looking to take advantage of QR Code technology in marketing and advertising campaigns. Any business/organization that signed up for the program, received special QR codes that when scanned, would direct users to the businesses special mobile landing page for more information about the product…and of course, encourage users to download the ShopSavvy reader (if they were using another scanner),

Fast-forward to today: ShopSavvy has tapped ShareSquare, a pretty big deal when it comes to QR Coded mobile marketing campaigns, to give its mobile landing pages more “oomph”. What does all of this mean to you? As a small business owner, retailer, or marketer, if you decide to sign use the “Scan with ShopSavvy” Program, your QR codes will have even greater functionality, as ShareSquare offers an intuitive self-serve CMS that empowers the marketer to craft an effective QR code campaign in minutes.

“Many marketers have experimented with QR codes only to make mistakes that have undermined or crippled their campaigns,” said Alexander Muse, co-founder and CEO of ShopSavvy. “ShareSquare removes the guesswork and enables agencies and brands to deploy a mobile-optimized experience tailored to their campaign objectives.”

Check out a demo of ShareSquare’s mobile capabilities by scanning the QR code in the pic above, or watching the video:

Let’s face it, seems as if everybody is browsing the web via a mobile device. If you want to drive some of that traffic to your business, website…whatever, you need to adopt some sort of mobile marketing campaign or at the very least, make your website “mobile friendly”. QR Codes make it stupid-easy for mobile consumers to find out more information about your business. With apps/services like ShopSavvy, your entire marketing budget doesn’t have to be wrapped up in hiring a brand-name agency just to reach out to those potential clients/customers/consumers who just so happen to have a smartphone handy.

[via: PRWeb]

The New Dropbox for Android is Ready for Business Use

by Nick Muntean

Regular readers of this site are probably familiar with Dropbox, as it’s one of Terrence Gaines’ favorite mobile apps, and with good reason.  The popular cloud-based service provides users with 2gb of free file-hosting storage space (though you’ll have to bribe the company with some real legal tender if you need additional gigs), which can then be accessed and/or modified from nearly any device (so long as that device is powered by Windows, Mac OSX, iOS, Linux, Android, or Blackberry… which it probably is).

For enterprise and small-business users employing Android phones, however, Dropbox has provided more angst than joy over the past couple years, as the Dropbox Android app has suffered from buggy performance and limited functionality.  The company recently released a thoroughly revamped Android app, which promises to finally bring full parity to Dropbox’s mobile offerings; but does it?

One of Dropbox’s most efficiency-catalyzing features has been its ability to automatically synchronize files; if a sales agent in the field secured a new order, a Dropbox-enabled spreadsheet in the central office would immediately reflect the change in inventory.  That’s how Dropbox worked on an iPhone, at least, but until this most recent version of Dropbox, Android users were forced to manually upload files.  I’m happy to report that Dropbox’s Android app finally incorporates full automatic synchronization, which works like a charm over both wi-fi and 3G connections.   As for the erratic performance of earlier iterations of Dropbox for Android, my extensive testing found none of the hang-ups or crashes that plagued earlier builds.  This is a robust, solidly performing app that’s ready for the challenging rigors of business use.

Despite the significant improvements Dropbox has implemented, prospective users should be aware that the mobile app does not have the full functionality of a desktop Dropbox client.  For instance, within the Android app, it’s impossible to move files from one folder to another, and external apps are needed to properly view documents, PDFs, or movie files (QuickOffice is one great doc app, and offers built-in Dropbox compatibility).

For those burned by bad experiences with previous versions of Dropbox’s Android app, the stability and improved functionality of Dropbox’s latest iteration make it worthy of a second look.  While the Android app’s features can’t match those of a full desktop client,  the limitations are unlikely to be noticed by most people working in the field.  Dropbox has finally released an Android app that lives up to the high standards set by the company’s other OS offerings, which makes it easy to recommend this app to any business looking to improve their information-sharing capabilities across disparate devices or users. What are you waiting for? Sign up for Dropbox today, and then get the Dropbox app for Android.

Square Moves Towards Mobile Wallet Reality with Card Case

by BrothaTech

Square was one of the first companies to make mobile credit card payment processing simple and easy for small business owners via its credit card readers and complimentary mobile app. If you’re not familiar with Square, it’s a free device that turns your tablet computer or smartphone into a point-of-sale (POS) device. Just plug in the small, square reader into the headphone jack of your iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet and you’re taking credit card transactions at the low, flat fee of 2.75% per transaction.

Today, the Square team is making it easier for small businesses to accept payments via a mobile wallet that customers use to start a tab, receive their goods and pay without ever touching a credit card or wallet.

Card Case is a new venture by Square that essentially puts a mobile wallet on a consumer’s iPhone or Android smartphone that they can use at any Square-enabled business. Users can store credit card information for each business they frequent. Upon entering the business, users can enter their name, select their virtual card from the Card Case app, order their stuff, and Card Case takes care of the rest.

In addition to the mobile wallet app, Card Case also doubles as a directory that will help users find “Squared up” businesses and help small biz owners reach a larger, more technology-aware customer base. Once businesses and customers find each other, Card Case can also provide customers with a product list, food/product menu, or deals/promotions the business might be offering.

Finally, with Square functionality built into Card Case, receipts are automatically sent to the customer per the email address they added to Card Case. This means businesses that use Card Case can stop fumbling around with those receipt rolls in that POS device that always seem to get jammed at the height of “rush hour” business traffic.

Like it? Love it? Hate it? The fact of the matter is that the future of financial transactions my look something like the Card Case service that Square has devised. It’s only a matter of time before Card Case, NFC technology, and QR Codes make your smartphone the most important tool in your everyday life.

To find participating locations and more information on how to start using Card Case as a consumer or a business, get Squared Up and visit the Card Case website.

Grab Brand Traction with Sponsored or Free Apps

by Justin Alcon

As a guy who makes a video site, I know that a mobile application could help my company reach a wider audience of viewers or bring my site’s functionality to users on-the-go.  But what if I didn’t make a web product?  What if, say, I sold sprockets?  What could a mobile app do for me then?

In short: a lot.  Because of the engaging nature of mobile applications, especially those on touch devices, mobile platforms offer great branding opportunities.  For instance, I like racing games, and I like money, so my favorite type of racing game is the free kind.  I was bored in an airport, waiting for a flight that was again delayed and I decided to pass the time with some mindless racing fun.  As I typed in ‘racing’, I hadn’t gotten to the ‘c’ before I had a top hit of ‘Real Racing GTI’ in the app store.  I downloaded the app and started driving.  As I drove, I noticed two things: 1) this game was a lot of fun, and 2) all the cars were Volkswagens.  This version of the app was apparently the free “demo” version of Real Racing 1, which had been sponsored by Volkswagen to introduce the 2010 GTI  (one of their models).  I’m not sure if it had any influence or not, but my family always considers Volkswagen when shopping for cars

Another example: Again at the airport, I’m on the tarmac at LAX. As I was sitting beside my CTO (who doesn’t enjoy small talk),  I needed something to occupy my mind and I needed it before takeoff.  I had read a lot about ‘Angry Birds’, the super-popular bird-flinging app.  I wanted to know what the hype was about, but again, I also like to keep ducats in my pocket. So, I searched for the free version where  I found something really fun.  Apparently, there was a free version of the app branded for the movie ‘Rio’.  There were not as many levels available as there are in the paid version of the app, but there was enough fowl-flinging fun to get me into JFK without annoying my boss.  Here is the real value; by the end of the flight, I was interested in the movie as well as the free version of the app.  I found out that the cast of the movie included some actors that I like, and so I decided to see it.  Because Rio isn’t the type of movie that I tend to go see, and most of the advertising was targeted at children and parents, this app did a great job of reaching a separate market segment.

The flip side of this is that if mobile apps are your bread and butter, you should consider some branding for your app in the form of a smart sponsorship. Or, at least give the app away for free for a few days.  This gets your install base up quickly and gives your brand more credibility.  And the best part is, as the end user I got my apps for free – it’s win-win!

Foursquare Humanizes your Social Media Presence

by Justin Alcon

Ok, I admit it: I’m one of “those people” who use foursquare.  In case you are not clued-in to the whole ‘checking in’ thing, foursquare is a location-based social network that leverages the power and popularity of GPS enabled portable devices.  Or to put it another way, it’s an app on your phone that you can use to tell people where you are.  Pictured right, you can see some of my favorite types of places to check in (which reminds me, I really should check in at the gym more).  With this said, it is likely that you’re now asking yourself, “why?” or “who cares where you go?”.  This reasonable question was posed to me while drinking at Tom & Jerry’s the other night, when I and a few of my co-workers checked into the venue as we came through the door.

I’ll tell you what I told them (as best as I can remember it).  The first reason is ‘specials and tips’.  I’ve always been a fan of the house special, and I trust professionals to know what sets their establishment apart from the rest.  I like to let them showcase it.  Checking in on foursquare not only tips you off to specials offered by this location, but also other promotions nearby.  Often there are premium specials offered for those who check in or for the ‘mayor’ of the venue (the person who has checked in most frequently this month).  In addition, I get tips from my friends even when they’re not there with me.  For example, I was waiting at Big Bar on 7th street to meet a friend, and as I checked in I saw a tip from my friend Eric that I should avoid the tap beer there and stick to bottles.  Thanks, Eric!

The second reason I use foursquare is because it integrates really well with my other social sites.  Whenever I check in, foursquare sends out a tweet—and then twitter updates my facebook.  This way, friends from all my networks can get an idea of what I’m up to.  This is great for businesses, especially because it highlights that these are real people and not just a faceless company.  The idea that people working at your company are out and doing things is more humanizing and engaging than some other, older forms of marketing.

The third reason that I like foursquare is it’s a great way to meet up with friends.  I’ll give you an example: at Druids in Hell’s Kitchen, I met a friend who pitched me a new web series.  I checked in, and as I walked through the door my friend Charles texted me and asked what I was doing at Druids.  I responded, and it turned out that he was just around the corner. We went, met up with his group, and had a great time.

If I could ask for anything more from foursquare, it would be more gameplay features.  I like it, but I wish that there were more activities at which I could compete with my friends.  For example, I think that it might be fun to have sponsored foursquare-based scavenger hunts, or the ability to build custom scavenger hunts and/or capture the flag-type games and invite your friends.  Think about it: a competitive bar crawl where the first one to drink in all 12 locations is the winner!

So what do you think – is foursquare a good idea? Is it worth it to stalk yourself in reverse?  We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.