Category: Small Biz Go Mobile

TripIt Travel App Lands on Kindle Fire

by BrothaTech

One of my concerns for the new Amazon Kindle Fire is (or was) “will it have enough apps?” Reason being, the Android platform is kind of fragmented across all of the different device manufacturers and carriers who use the platform to add their own spin on a mobile products. Throw in Amazon, who not only completely strips Android down to its nuts and bolts to create its own tablet, but also create another Android app store for consumers (and developers) to scratch their heads at, and you’ve got a recipe for distaster.

From the looks of it, the Amazon Kindle Fire is pretty hot device, and as a result, hasn’t have any problems proving its worth to consumers looking for a more fiscally responsible tablet instead of ponying up a BMW car note for an iPad. Plus they’ve found plenty of mobile app developers looking to been seen on as many devices as possible.

Case in point, I wrote last week about the Documents To Go app being available on the Fire, possibly making you more productive on a tablet that was primarily designed to browse and consume content from the Amazon ecosystem. I just got word that the popular TripIt travel app is landing on the Fire, giving users more control over their travel plans as well. Read More

LG and Box offer 50Gigs of Free Cloud Storage

by BrothaTech

I’ve been touting Dropbox as THE go-to cloud storage service for quite some time now. It’s available on a wide variety of devices, and many mobile apps integrate with it. But, there is something about free that gets my ears to perk up. Case and point, Box.net, a direct Dropbox competitor is offering anyone with an LG Android smartphone 50GB of free space for life. Read More

Can Ruggedized Tech Save You Time and Money? @MarioArmstrong’s Latest Video Takes a Look!

by Shy Mukerjee

In Mario’s latest video for American Express OPEN Forum, he heads to a car repair business to take a look at how they’re losing time AND money due to a lack of a good technical solution to put a phone and a computer on the work floor. It’s not as easy a problem to solve since it requires some rugged tech that can take the grease and damage mechanics are bound to inflict on a poor PC. While most rugged solutions can cost several thousands of dollars, Mario finds a solution to help this business for under $500! Check out the video and be sure to spread the word to other business owners you know where rugged tech could make a difference.

Cluzee? It’s snoozy.

by Justin Alcon

Since the debut of Siri, the voice-controlled virtual assistant included with the iPhone 4S, there has been a race to offer the same capability on Android devices.  The latest attempt, Cluzee, seems to be creating buzz as an app that might equal (or even surpass) Siri’s offerings.  However, can Cluzee really surpass Apple’s electronic Jeeves?

The buzz around Cluzee is due to the fact that it offers a few flashy features that Siri doesn’t, like providing driving suggestions for the locations of upcoming calendar appointments. Cluzee also provides the standard range of personal assistant magic tricks, including a list of “essentials”, “local search”, a “personal day planner”, “personal health planner”, and “personal radio”.   Read More

Cluzee app is a sign of Things to Come for Voice Assistants for Android

by BrothaTech

Android fans may not want to admit it, but many are lusting after more Siri-like functionality with their smartphone. Voice Actions is cool if you want to compose a text/email/IM, call somebody in your contact’s list, or do a Google search. But Voice Actions has nowhere near the resources Siri has when processing requests. I took the time to download the new Cluzee personal assistant app to see if it finally gives Android fans the ability to look weird in public talking to their phones more productivity from their smartphones.

It took me a while to download the app because I kept getting a “this app is incompatible with your device” error message (and no, I was not trying to download it on my iPhone). So I made sure my Droid Bionic running OS 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) had the right specs. While I was searching through the app’s info in the Android Market, I took a peek at the user reviews, and a number of them were logging complaints about force closes and/or not recognizing user’s voices, among other things. Read More

Better than an Ugly Sweater: Give the Gift of @Square this Holiday Season

by Shy Mukerjee

Okay, so the Square credit card reader that lets you take credit card payments from your iPhone, iPad or even iPod touch is something we’ve only talked about a thousand times on this site. And sure, their little plastic credit card reader, much like the app that powers their service, is usually free. So maybe the idea of spending $1 for a gift-wrapped Square to give away as a gift seems a bit silly.

Actually, no it doesn’t. Look at that box. These gift-wrapped Squares are adorable. Anyway, what’s a dollar? You can’t even get a cup of coffee for a dollar anymore. Since you can’t usually get extra Squares to give away as gifts (you need to supply your personal info to request one from their site, or purchase one at an Apple store), this is the perfect way to give a gift that practically prints money.

After all, any small business owner or entrepreneur should be offering their clients the widest variety of payment options available. Seriously: do you know someone who isn’t already using Square? Then this is the perfect stocking stuffer.

Cyber Monday Starts Today at Staples: Your Guide to the Hottest Portable Tech

by Shy Mukerjee

Cyber Monday is here a day early this year with Staples, so we’ve dug in deep to pull out some of the hottest deals. With free shipping on all orders with no minimum and with Staples bringing some hot deals in mobile tech, these deals should be a no-brainer to fill out some of your business needs.

We’ve hand picked some of the best deals below, but don’t take our word for it—check out the complete list of Cyber Monday deals at Staples. Just don’t forget that despite the name, all of these deals are available today. While you’re at it, be sure to enter Mario Armstrong’s tech’d out sweeps for a chance to win a $2,300 tech makeover. First, a killer laptop at a killer price. Read More

Best Black Friday Deals at @Staples for Small Biz

by Shy Mukerjee

This holiday season, we’ve teamed up with @Staples to bring you some of the hottest tech gadgets at the cheapest prices. The fact is, Staples isn’t just an office supply store anymore, they’re also a destination for the hottest portable tech like eReaders, tablet computers and accessories. From rock-bottom Black Friday prices to the #techdout contest Mario is hosting where you can win a $2,300 tech makeover, Staples knows what’s up this year.

Can’t afford everything you want? That’s cool, neither can we. But this upcoming Wednesday, November 30th from 8-9pm EDT @MarioArmstrong is holidng a Twitter party with a Q&A. Prizes will include a Kindle WiFi, the new Kindle Fire tablet, some cool accessories, a portable scanner and a $200 Staples gift card.

Want even more? No worries, Mario is going to keep brining the tech from Staples to you through the holidays. So stay tuned and see what else we’ve got in store. But first, what you’ve all been waiting for—the Black Friday deals. Read More

Documents To Go Offers Version for Kindle Fire

by BrothaTech

I purchased an Amazon Kindle Fire for my wife for her upcoming birthday (be sure to keep that on the low). I thought the Fire would be cool for her because she can consume content from the Amazon ecosystem, the web, and play some games on the few apps that will be available from the Amazon App Store.

While trying to setup her Fire, I stumbled upon the Documents To Go App that lets users create, edit, and share Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) as well as view PDF’s.

Hold the phone! – Does this mean that with Docs To Go installed, the Kindle Fire can also be a productivity tablet? Read More

Black Friday 1 Cent Smartphones from AT&T

by BrothaTech

If you’ve been holding off on investing in a smartphone for your business because you can’t justify the expense, AT&T will make it real easy for you to stay productive on the go with its upcoming Black Friday sale where it plans to offer smartphones for as little as $0.01 cent.

You heard me, a PENNY for a SMARTPHONE.

If you don’t mind signing a new 2-year contract, selecting at least a $15 monthly data plan (in addition to a voice plan) and buying exclusively from att.com, you can a sweet deal on select phones. Click past the break for the full details. Read More