Category: Small Biz Go Mobile

Targus Announces New Line of Cases Specifically for Galaxy S4, Note 8 Owners

by Shy Mukerjee

This morning Targus announced a new line of smartphone cases specifically designed for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Note 8 devices. Considering the S4 just launched last week, that was pretty fast!

Describing the cases as “sleek” and “sexy” this new line of cases promises to show off a “modern, yet sophisticated style” according to Melissa Chapman, VP of Tablet and Phone products for Targus. As you can see in the images to the right, these are definitely not your Dad’s oversized, dorky cases—the “Midnight Collection” offers laser cut textures, metallic finishes, and a selection of colors include Noir/Black, Pool Blue, and Crimson (shown).

These definitely won’t break the bank either—the S4 cases range in MSRP from $19.99 to $24.99 and will be available later this month. A Galaxy Note 8 case is also coming to the Midnight Collection, featuring a soft-touch lining to protect your device as well as a built-in kickstand. That will be hitting stores in June with an MSRP of $29.99.

For those looking for even more cases, Targus will be adding to the line throughout the year, adding additional phones and tablets throughout the year.

Synergyse: Google Apps Training for Small Business Users

by Katherine Elsasser

Synergyse Google Apps training for businessGoogle Apps for Business is quickly becoming a viable alternative to standard email and IT solutions, especially for small businesses looking to move more of their workflow to the cloud. But for many people it can be tough to transition to a new way of working, especially if they’re deeply familiar with older programs like Microsoft Word and Outlook. New startup Synergese aims to take the pain out of transitioning (and lighten the IT burden) by providing real-time Google Apps training right inside the browser window. Synergese’s CTO Majid Manzarpour worked at Google training users in Apps, and two other founders are also ex-Googlers, so they’re approaching the businesses with expertise and experience in training.

As of now, Synergyse is offering training in Gmail, Google Calendar and Drive, the three building blocks of scheduling and document sharing within the Google ecosystem. Unlike a more traditional video tutorial, lessons take place inside the browser, allowing you to learn by interacting with program you’re looking to learn. It’s a more intuitive and interactive approach that allows quicker learning, but lessons are scheduled at your own pace, so there’s no rush.

Read More

AT&T #RefurbFriday: Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for $9.99

by Katherine Elsasser
samsung galaxy note 2 refurbished
Samsung Galaxy Note II

If your looking for ways to cut costs, refurbished gadgets can be a great way to stretch your tech budget. Refurbished units are just units that have been returned to the manufacturer and reconditioned so that they work properly: think of it like buying a certified used car.

Our sponsors AT&T have developed a program for refurbished devices tehy’re calling #RefurbFriday: each Friday they highlight device at a super cheap discount. While there are always great deals available on AT&T’s refurb microsite, this week for one day only they’re selling the Galaxy Note 2 for only $9.99 with a 2 year agreement. The Galaxy Note 2 usually retails for $299.99 with a contract, so that’s a pretty amazing deal!

If you’re looking for more refurbished phone deals, follow @ATTPremier on Twitter and look for their #RefurbFriday hashtag. But if you want the deal you have to act fast, because RefurbFriday deals are only good on Friday.

3 Best Cloud Apps for Mobile Small Business Users

by Mario Armstrong

Cloud Apps for Small Business ProductivitySmartphone Apps That Help You Get Faster and Smarter Online

Last week I discussed the best cloud apps for managing your contacts and business cards, but what about everything else you do while on the go? Can you use the cloud to be more productive in other areas? Of course you can! There are apps that leverage the cloud to do almost everything you do online, and they can help you do it smarter (and faster!). Here are a few of my favorites:

1.   Cloud file storage

No matter what line of business you’re in, there are surely dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of files you need to manage. Wouldn’t it be great to have access to them everywhere you go? Thankfully, the prices of cloud storage are falling every year, and it’s becoming simpler than ever to point an app to your documents folder and let it sync to the cloud and across your devices.

Stop carrying around flash drives and never be caught in a meeting without access to a crucial document ever again!

If you’re a small business or entrepreneur, one great solution I like is to switch your business over to Google Drive, which provides both document storage and editing of all your docs, spreadsheets, and presentations in one place. Fully compatible with other office suites but available on every device you can think of, Drive is a great way to promote team collaboration on important documents and make sure your company has all of their important docs in one place.

But larger companies that may be more resistant to switching over to Google for all their document needs, either Dropbox  or Box.net can help. You can get several gigabytes of storage on either service for free so you can try them out, and since both offer apps for every mobile device out there, you can have your documents, pictures, and more easily synced across all your devices and never be caught without a crucial file again!

Continue Reading This Post at the AT&T Networking Exchange Blog –>

 

3 Apps To Help You Get More Out of AirPlay

by Katherine Elsasser

Last week we talked a little about how to set up AirPlay so you can use it to play music or mirror your Mac. It’s great wireless tech that can work in a home or an office, but still has some limitations, especially if you’re not a full-on Mac and iOS user. Here are three apps that will extend AirPlay for Windows, Android, and even Mac users.

airbubble for airplayAirBubble

This one is for Android users. AirBubble is a free Android app that lives on your phone, but talks to AirPlay source devices so it can act as a receiver and stream music to your phone. Great if you use iTunes but are an Android user. Find AirBubble in the Google Play store.

DoubleTwist with AirSync

DoubleTwist is an Android media player, and AirSync is a $5 extension available for purchase in the Google Play store. The extension lets you you stream music or video to an Apple TV (or an XBox 360, PC or Mac). It can also double as a way to wirelessly sync your iTunes to your Android phone, so that’s a bonus. Find AirSync in the Google Play store.

airfoil app to extend Apple AirPlayAirFoil

AirFoil may be the most versatile 3rd party streaming app out there. It costs $30, but it can send audio from any music player (not just iTunes) and can even use apps running on your computer or phone, like Spotify. Multiple users can access the same network, so it’s a great way to set up a collaborative music system in an office that lets everyone take a turn playing DJ. Available for Windows and PC, AirFoil lets you stream from a computer directly to other computers, AirPort Express units, Apple TVs, iPhones and iPods Touch. Most devices will need to have software enabled to act as receivers: check out the the full list of compatible devices and software needed here. Available from Rogue Amoeba.

My 5 Tips For Better Meetings to Get You Closer To Your Goals

by Mario Armstrong

mario armstrong tips for better meetingsI’ve had a lot of big meetings lately that have HUGE potential to help me achieve my goals, both in the short term and my bigger goal of getting my own national TV show. So it seemed like a good idea to revisit a video I made awhileback talking about my 5 tips for big meetings and what you should do to make sure you get the most out of that face time you possibly can!

When you get a big meeting with someone that can help you achieve your goals you definitely want it to go smoothly, leave a good impression, and try to get to a place where you have some real, concrete things you can follow-up on, either for yourself or with that person.

My video below is about what you can do to make those meetings work for you. It’s my thoughts from a meeting with Daymond John, but it’s still the tips I live by for every meeting and I think will help you too no matter what your goals are or how you are trying to pursue your passion.

What is Apple AirPlay and How Does It Work

by Katherine Elsasser

what is apple airplay and how does it workWe hear a lot about Apple AirPlay, but it’s a fairly new technology, and still fairly confusing. So what, exactly, is AirPlay? Basically, it is a way to use a home network to be able link up Apple devices to each other, so you can access media across devices, even if it’s not stored on that device locally. That means you don’t have to keep copies of everything on every device – you can stream from one device to another.

AirPlay works over your wireless, so all of your devices must be connected via the same wireless network or over Bluetooth (though this a battery drain, and wireless is probably a better choice for most uses). You can use an Apple Airport (Apple’s wireless router), but it’s not necessary. Any wireless router will work, as long as all your devices can connect to it.

AirPlay-enabled devices should be able to recognize each other, which takes the guesswork out of which devices can stream to where. AirPlay is available on devices running iOS 4.3 or later, though not all features are available on all devices. Here’s a handy chart from Apple about the minimum requirements for each device. Generally though, you can use at least some features of AirPlay with the iPhone 4, 4S and 5, the iPad 2, 3 and 4, Airport Express, and Apple TV 2nd Generation and 3rd Generation, and any computer running iTunes 10.3 or higher.

The capabilities of each device also depend on whether you’re streaming “to” or “from” that device. One key point: you can’t use AirPlay between mobile devices (your iPad to iPhone, for example). iPhones, iPads and computers are senders only. Receivers are AirPort Express and Apple TV.

Read More

Samsung Galaxy S4 Available for Pre-Order from AT&T

by Katherine Elsasser
samsung galaxy s4
Samsung Galaxy S4

As of today AT&T is the first and only carrier taking pre-orders for the brand-new Samsung Galaxy S4. Right now pre-orders for the S4 are scheduled to start shipping on April 30th, so if you’ve been waiting for the new device you’ve only got a couple more weeks left!

The 16GB model (available in black or white) will run you $199 with a two year contract that includes data. That seems to be the price of top-of-the-line smartphones, and is the same price as the HTC One and an iPhone 5.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a hotly anticipated new phone: the S3 was a best-seller last year, and the S4 promises new updates to keep things interesting: the new Air View feature can tell when you’re finger is hovering over the screen, and will call up supplementary information about what you’re looking at. Think of it like a standard “mouseover” feature on your laptop or desktop.

The display is also beautiful on the S4: it’s a five inch “Super AMOLED” screen that displays 1920×1080. For the non-technical, that means the picture is sharp and crisp, and colors look really good. Samsung has also promised that the S4’s bigger battery will mean improved battery life, even with 4G LTE running.

We’ll be talking more about the Galaxy S4 in the coming weeks, but if you already know you want one you can go to AT&T to pre-order now.

Entrepreneur Tip: How to Make a Lasting Impression on People That Inspire You

by Mario Armstrong

Inspire Mario Armstrong on Rachael Ray Whenever you meet someone who can help you with your dreams and your goals, how do you handle it? You gotta walk the line between asking too much and not asking at all – and you know you gotta ask! It could be someone who inspires you, who you admire, or just someone you think has some solid advice to give.

One thing I recommend is leaving something behind with that person, so it’s not just about that one moment when you’re standing there in front of them. Like what? Well, I taped a segment for Rachael Ray this week, and I really felt like it was a special opportunity to get in front of somebody that’s amazing. So I took that opportunity to leave her a letter with some of my questions, and a USB flash drive with some of my video clips. It’s way better, and way more personal, than just leaving a business card. Anybody can leave a business card, but how much does that really say about you? You have to get real and personal and make your own case for yourself, because you are your own best advocate.

Rachael was a great person to reach out to, because she has built a media empire for and around herself, and she totally gets it – and I bet she would have great advice on how to achieve my own dreams like getting my own show. But you know it doesn’t have to be TV stars – there are a lot of really successful people out there that can have great advice no matter what, and it’s about looking for inspiration in everything – and everyone – you meet!

So what’s the lesson here? Think about what you can leave behind and how to really make an impression when you get the chance. You only get so many opportunities to get in front of the people that can help you take your dreams and goals to the next level!

 

Google Fiber Coming to Austin in 2014

by Katherine Elsasser

google fiber coming to austinGoogle Fiber has its next destination: Austin, TX. The ultra highspeed broadband service is supposed to roll out in mid-2014, when Austin will join Kansas City as the only two places linked up to Google’s network (so far).

Customers will have a choice between Gigabit Internet or Gigabit Internet plus Fiber TV service. Gigabit Internet is Google’s term for crazy fast 1000 mb upload and download speeds. That’s the max speed our electronics, like routers, are currently built for, though in the future we may be able to get even faster speeds with Google Fiber if the “inputs” for electronics are redesigned.

Just to compare, Google’s Gigabit Internet would be somewhere around 100-140 times faster than a typical home broadband connection now.

For more on pricing and how installation will work, check out our introduction on Fiber, from when service was just being rolled out in Kansas City. For now, it looks like subscribers will still receive free 2 TB hard drive to record movies and TV, and will receive free setup.

Plus, Google has announced they will be providing completely free service to schools and hospitals to spark interest and get people familiar with the service. Though it’s hard to imagine tech hub Austin not having tons of interest in the service already! As Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell pointed out,  “Google Fiber will change how we live and how we work in ways we don’t even know about yet.”

For the official word, check out the Google Fiber blog.