Category: Small Biz Applications

iOS 4.2, no really.

by Justin Alcon

For the last two weeks, excited iPad and iPhone users (like myself) have been waiting for Apple’s version 4.2 update to the software platform. There was a false alarm last Friday, and I jumped the gun mistaking what was revealed to be the Beatles announcement for the iOS update announcement.  So now: Good news everyone! Apple has the update ready for final approval, and they’ve loaded the preliminary, developer version online. Since some folks just can’t wait to check it out, the guys over at CNET downloaded the developer version and gave it a spin.  From their highlight reel, here’s what users can expect:

– iPhone 4 users will see small interface improvements.  With this update, they’ll be able to print photos and web pages.  They’ll also get some additional parental controls. SMS will be able to link directly to FaceTime. The iPhone Safari browser will also support text searching in the browser window- a feature I know that I was definitely missing.

-iPad users will also get plenty of new features. The iPad update brings Multitasking, App folders, and GameCenter along with a few other interesting features. Similar to the iPhone, the iPad gets some print options (like searching for local printers), and Safari text search.

Although all of this stuff is fun and interesting, I think that I am most excited about being able to categorize my iPad apps into folders instead of scrolling through all those screens.  When the update is ready, users can get it easily by clicking the ‘check for update’ button in iTunes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAkbmshLfkg

Google Apps Adds More Services To Expand Its Reach

by BrothaTech

Starting today, Google Apps administrators can enable the complete array of Google services, including Google Voice, Reader, Maps and more. Before, Google Apps users were could only use Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and GTalk/chat. Now that Google has added these additional services, you can sign in to services using your Google Apps account, and not have to use your basic Google account (yes, they’re different).

This also means that if you belong to an team, organization, or company that uses Google Apps, admins can customize and even brand how team members/employees see and use Google Apps. Admins for example can control what group uses what services. Drivers can be restricted to Google Maps for directions, writers and bloggers can be given access to Blogger & Reader. Everybody in the office can now have their own Google Voice number, et cetera.

I just posted yesterday how Google is making documents editable on the go. Now this story about Google making more services available for even more users. from Android smartphones to Google TV, to Google Fiber – you name it, Google has it. Looks like Google is positioning itself to be Skynet a one-stop shop for all your personal, entertainment, and business, needs.

Google Docs Gets Mobile Editing Capabilities

by BrothaTech

Google Docs is a great web application that allows to you to create, save, and share documents with other users and other devices. If you are on the go and needed access to your documents via your mobile device, you can sign into your Google Docs account and have your document available to you.

…But that’s all you could do. Google has decided to step up its game and add read and write capabilities to Google Docs for Android and iOS Devices (iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad). So now, if you happen across a typing error in a document or a wrong figure in a spreadsheet and can’t wait until you get back to the office to make the change, you can now tweak you document and still keep to your busy schedule. This is especially helpful if you collaborate with other members of your organization and you need to make “mission-critical” changes (I’ve always wanted to say “mission-critical”) sooner than later.

This also points out another solid feature of Google Docs. Editing documents, whether using a desktop, laptop, OR now a mobile device, can be done in real-time. So users who have access to your document see changes as you make them and you can see their changes within seconds on your mobile device. And added bonus if you are an Android user is that you can use Android’s voice transcription to add text to your document as well. So you can save some time and speak text directly into your document.

Android OS 2.2 “Froyo” users and iOS 3.0 and up devices should start seeing the “edit” button at the upper-left side of a document they are in within the next couple of days. To check out Google Docs on your mobile device, visit docs.google.com.

RIM PlayBook Tablet Available For Under $500 In Early 2011

by Justin Alcon

Given the success of Apple’s iPad, we all knew that competition was inevitable. Now, the floodgates are starting to open.

Research in Motion Ltd., maker of the business-popular BlackBerry, says that its PlayBook tablet will be available for purchase in North America in the first quarter of next year. The new tablet will sport a price tag under $500, which makes it serious price competitor to the iPad (the least expensive new iPad currently costs $499).

The PlayBook’s 7-inch screen is smaller than the iPad’s screen, but is the same size as the new Android-powered Galaxy from Samsung. In addition to its more hand-friendly size, the PlayBook has some features that the iPad lacks. The most notable feature difference is the ability to pair the device with a BlackBerry handset; after pairing the two devices, the phone’s content can be seen on the tablet’s larger screen.

The PlayBook features two cameras, placed similarly to the iPhone 4’s cameras.  The one that faces the user can also be used for video chatting,  similar to Apple’s Facetime feature. PlayBook also has a HDMI port, which allows video streaming from the device to a high-definition television.  Finally, the tablet has built in flash support, a feature notably absent from iPad.

RIM did not design the PlayBook as an “iPad clone”. Rather, they plan to market the device to large businesses, particularly those in which the IT staff controls buying for large groups of employees . Although we all know that iPad can be useful for business, it has been marketed as a consumer device, leaving RIM a niche to fill in the business world.

RIM has announced that they plan to eventually release 3G versions of the PlayBook.  However, they have not yet announced agreements with any phone carriers, nor have they given a time frame for this release.

Add some Tech to your Pitch with Portfolio for iPad

by BrothaTech

Now you can use the iPad to help you with “the perfect pitch” with the Portfolio app for iPad. Fully brand-able, Portfolio for iPad can be tweaked to fit your business model, so your presentations will look all the more professional.

With a special key, you can lockdown the app and hand your iPad over to your potential clients/customers so they can flip through your work while your explain your services without the worry of exposing the management interface underneath or accidentally peeking into other areas of your device.

AND *drumroll* Portfolio is Dropbox accessible! Your images can be saved/stored in your Dropbox account so you are not constantly downloading presentation images to your iPad to load into Portfolio – They can stay safe in the “cloud”. Here are a list of additional key features:

– Multiple galleries and the ability to hide unneeded galleries.

– Slideshows with configuration options for slide duration and soundtrack.

– Ratings and notes editable per image.

– Full screen viewing and browsing or partial screen with a thumbnail strip.

– Zoom in on details in imported photos.

– Comparison mode to bring up two photos at a time.

– Keyword tagging and the ability to filter by keywords and ratings.

– External display support through via additional VGA adapter.

Whether you’re a photographer showing photos and videos to a bride-to-be, a wedding venue displaying various table setups, a florist giving the choices of different arrangements, a landscaper showing different layouts, or a web designer describing past designs, Portfolio will give that extra bit of polish and professionalism to your presentation.

Portfolio is on the high-end of app prices at $14.99. So I would only suggest Portfolio for iPad to designers, illustrators, artists, and other professionals looking to add that extra [tech] touch to their presentations.

A Dozen great iPad apps for Designers

by Justin Alcon

On Friday, we talked about the new iPad application suite from Muji. In case minimalism isn’t your thing, or if you’re curious to see some of the other sketching-type apps are out there, here’s a list of some of the best iPad applications for designers:

Penultimate: Penultimate is an excellent iPad app for taking notes, keeping sketches and more. It’s a must-have app for any designer who values mobility.

iDesign: iDesign is a useful iPad app for drawing 2D vectors and designs easily. With iDesign, you can Create vector graphics and illustrations, add shapes, insert text, and more.

SketchBook Pro: Autodesk SketchBook® Pro for iPad is a paint and drawing application for professionals. Based on the same strong foundation as its desktop counterpart, SketchBook Pro for iPad delivers a complete set of sketching & painting with a streamlined and intuitive user interface that has been designed with the iPad in mind.

Adobe Ideas: Adobe Ideas enables users to execute sketching and drawing tasks easily. Adobe Ideas is an ideal companion for the professional design applications from Adobe that we know and love like Illustrator® and Photoshop®.

Brushes: Brushes is a popular painting app, specially designed for the iPad. Easy to learn, yet powerful enough for professionals — Brushes has been used to create covers for popular magazines like The New Yorker.

iFontMaker: iFontMaker is perfect for editing fonts and saving them as TTF files. Afterword, the created fonts can be used in other applications like the Adobe® CreativeSuite™, Microsoft® Office™, and virtually anywhere else that your new custom font is needed.

TypeDrawing: TypeDrawing is a super easy app to use, but it is still powerful enough for creating typography art or a unique watermark to protect your art from pirates.

OmniGraffle: With OmniGraffle, you can create diagrams, process charts, page layouts, website wireframes and other documents that are great for design and organization.

iMockups: iMockups for iPad is the most popular and lauded mobile wireframing and mockup app for your projects.

WordPress: WordPress for iPad moderates comments, creates and edits blog posts and pages, and adds images and videos easily with your iPad. One of the great features of this app is that it is free.  If you are a blogger or wordpress developer, this is a must have.  Full disclosure, this blog is powered by wordpress, but its inclusion in this list is unsolicited.

Moodboard Pro: Moodboard Pro is simple and powerful, a design tool for creatives from all fields to help you produce better work faster. With this app, you can design a website, plan a wedding, visualize a film or web video, organize your art project, plan the perfect vacation, create a collage, or achieve just about any goal that you might want to get organized around.

Artist’s Touch: Artist’s Touch is another excellent painting application which enables users to create paintings from photos and edit them using a suite of tools and brushes.

There are of course many other applications available, but this is a good overview of what I think are some of the best for the creatives in your organization.

Minimal Apps From Muji

by Justin Alcon

Design Muji Commercialnerds were excited this week to find that Muji mobile apps are now featured on the landing page of their website. Personally, I’m very excited to see what the minimalist Japanese store has come up with.

The apps are clean and stylish, living up to Muji’s reputation as a leader in minimalist aesthetic. For those not familiar with the brand, the name Muji is derived from the first part of Mujirushi Ryōhin, translated as No Brand Quality Goods.  Muji’s mission is to achieve simplicity, but a simplicity gained through a complexity of thought and design.

The apps available are Muji Calendar, Muji Notebook and Muji to Go.  The Calendar app definitely looks great, but Notebook is my favorite.  Muji Notebook provides a simple outlet for creativity with handwriting recognition, sketch tools, and four different page types (ruled, gridded, quadrant, and plain).  You can even import photos and PDF files to the app which can be resized and laid out on the pages for editing.  The main feature of Notebook above other sketching apps (and the reason that I’m a fan) is its minimalism of design while still offering a bevy of features- it’s deceptively streamlined and yet feature-rich.

Muji Calendar is a fully featured calendar, and makes sense as an extension of Muji’s line of stationery. It includes the option to sync with Google Calendars, but this isn’t necessary if you aren’t a Google Calendar user. It uses familiar gestures like pinch-to-zoom, and organization is presented in rich, muted reds and grays consistent with Muji’s overall brand aesthetic.

Muji To Go might be handy for travelers. It’s basically just a collection of useful tools including world clocks, Forex currency converters, weather reports and a calculator.

There’s a fourth app (also free), but it’s basically a glorified catalog for their clothing line.  Interesting to look at, but not a lot of application there.

Get it Booked – The First Time with Tungle.me Scheduling

by BrothaTech

Trying to schedule meetings with partners & team members, clients, and other groups can be a task. Everybody seems to be using different calendar formats/platforms on different devices in different timezones. Funny name aside, Tungle.me looks to bridge the gap to make scheduling easier for everybody involved.

It doesn’t matter if you are using Outlook, Yahoo, Google, iPhone, BlackBerry, etc. As long as your calendar is electronic, Tungle will allow you and your contacts see your available/busy times, propose multiple meeting times, and create group scheduling pages to make booking time consistent for all of your scheduling needs. Without having to sign up, visitors can propose multiple meeting times to ensure the best match to your schedule. Tungle time even takes care of the replies, timezones, and confirmations so you’re not switching back and forth between Tungle and your email client.

If you’re a mobile champ, Tungle.me is available for iPhone and BlackBerry so you can take your schedule with you. Meetings booked through Tungle, regardless of what device you use, will automagically be synchronized with your calendars at work, at home, or on the go.

Whether you use your calendar in an enterprise or education environment to meet/collaborate with fellow employees or partners, or as an entreprenuer looking to schedule time with clients and/or customers, Tungle.me can take the hassle out of booking time to meet. Tungle.me is free to sign up and free to use.

Track Trip Mileage with Trip Cubby

by BrothaTech

As a business owner, tracking mileage can be one of those tasks that pays you back if you do it right; but, finding a good way to do it right is the hardest part. I have heard (and done) some of the weird ways to track mileage – spreadsheets, Google maps printouts, voice memos, you name it. With the Trip Cubby iPhone app, creating a mileage log is as easy entering a start and end point, Trip Cubby does the rest.

With predictive input, auto-entry, auto-calculation, and quick access to frequent trips, Trip Cubby does the hard work for you. A few quick taps will create useful data ready to search, sort, and generate email reports. Other features include:

– IRS compliance
– Multiple drives and vehicles
– Customizable reimbursement rates
– Excel-compatible email reports
– Online sync/backup
– Stored data retrieved on next launch if interrupted by phone call

Simply put, Trip Cubby gives you the ability to use your iPhone for tracking trip mileage. There is an app for everything, and since a great deal of us use our smartphones in many areas of our businesses, why not use it to help manage your mileage? Trip Cubby is $4.99 in the iTunes App Store (OS. 2.0 and up).

With New PayPal Apps, Digital Merchants Rejoice

by Justin Alcon

At the San Francisco PayPal developer’s conference last week,  PayPal released an apps platform with a fully integrated set of small business buyer, and seller tools embedded right onto the PayPal site.

PayPal Apps will now allow developers to ship SaaS applications directly to the PayPal website, which will enhance PayPal’s services. It’s similar in theory to eBay’s apps for Sellers, or the newcomer and rival for market share storebrain. The new platform, which launched with a number of pilot partners last week, will be publicly released next year.

Shipping and order management startup, Shipwire Anywhere, has partnered with PayPal for this launch.  Shipwire Anywhere will  give developers a complete suite of shipping tools and multi-channel order management to manage their shipping without ever  leaving the PayPal site.  Other initial apps partners like Bill.com, CreditKarma, Expensify, Freshbooks, and Zuora are already building apps into PayPal.com.

The San Jose company also announced a new product: PayPal Business payments. This allows businesses to receive any payment, matter how large, for a low 50 cent fee. Launch partners using this product include Bill.com, Expensify, Freshbooks, Harvest, Plastic Jungle, and Zoho.

With Ebay apps for sellers already out there in the market,  great new products from established companies like PayPal, and creative and hungry upstarts like storebrain, it is clear that the future of e-commerce is now.  It is an exciting time that we live in where we can leverage tools like these to take care of business logistics and spend more time focused on the bottom line.