With Apple continuing to dominate the tablet market, it was probably only a matter of time before other manufacturers began to slash their tablet prices in an effort to increase market share. While this would be the logical response to the iPad’s category-crushing success, other tablet manufacturers have thus far refrained from engaging in price wars with Apple, likely because the iPad’s success has driven up tablet component costs for everyone else in the industry. Manufacturers have been jumping into the tablet game in large part because they want to emulate Apple’s 25% profit margin on the iPad, but since they’re paying higher component prices than Apple, cutting retail prices would thwart the very reason they got into the tablet game in the first place. Read More
Category: Small Biz Go Mobile
Google Docs Gets a Major Makeover – More Than 100 New Features to Help You Be More Productive On The Go!
Good News – Google Docs recently got a great new facelift, adding dozens of new features and functionality. They’re improved absolutely everything, from searching your documents, to new uploading features. Essential features I’ve been waiting for years for them to add are finally here as well, like page breaks, extra fonts, drag-and-drop image insertion and revision history. In Speadsheets, Google’s version of Microsoft’s Excel, finally adds pivot tables, which consultants and business people on the go will love using to quickly analyze their data. Overall, this is a huge upgrade for Google’s online document suite of products, which had definitely begun to show their age. For the full list of features Google is adding and to learn how to activate the latest version of Google Docs, click on through to our full coverage. Read More
Looxcie is great for field Professionals
We’ve talked about the collaboration requirements of both office-bound professionals and the folks working out in the field. While office-based collaboration is pretty straightforward, field collaboration is more unique and real-time oriented. Field-based collaboration needs can be understood like this: how many times have you seen something amazing or catastrophic and said “man, I wish I had my video camera out”. Now, imagine you’re on a construction site and there’s a serious accident. It would be even more important to have gotten that on camera, right? Unfortunately, it’s not realistic to walk around with a video recorder held out in front of you at all times. You’re a contractor, not a photographer. No problem…Looxcie to the rescue! Read More
Mobile App Viewing Habits: Where We’re Watching Our Video
The Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), an industry trade group, recently hired venerable market research firm Nielsen to conduct a study of Americans’ mobile video app viewing habits, and have just released their findings, in a report entitled “Roadmap to Video Apps (What Makes Viewers APPY?).” Access to the full study will set you back a cool $13,500, but CTAM has issued a press release which includes some of their key findings, and it looks as though some of what they’ve found is pretty unexpected. Read More
WorkSnug app Adds Augmented Reality to finding Mobile Workstations
Whether you’re an “always on the go” entrepreneur, or a work-from-home small business owner who just wants to get out of the house for a while, facilities that offer free (but strong) Wifi, access to printing, a plethora of charging stations/outlets, (and some good coffee) are a mobile worker’s dream. The WorkSnug app can help you find your ideal temporary workspace, but with a touch of Augmented Reality pizazz.
If you’re not familiar with Augmented Reality, it is essentially a way to uncover virtual information attached to a physical object just by looking at that object through your smartphone’s camera or other compatible device. In WorkSnug’s case, they have compiled a database of “mobile worker friendly” locations across the globe. Read More
AT&T Announces 4G BlackBerry Torch 9810
AT&T have been rolling out new 4G phones and devices all summer, and today they’re announcing the next evolution in Blackberry phones, with their first 4G Blackberry offering: the Torch 9810. While there’s only an announcement today and no release date set, we do have some details to share with you about the large touchscreen + full QWERTY keyboard phone. The most exciting spec though, is that this Blackberry is going to boast amazing internet speeds with 4G connectivity. We can’t wait!
Here’s what’s new and improved:
· 4G HSPA+ capability
· 1.2 GHz processor
· High-res VGA display
· More precise touchscreen
· Updated BlackBerry® 7 OS
· Enhanced Web browser
· 720p HD video recording
If you want to be the first one in your office sporting this hot new Blackberry, AT&T Premier will notify you via email when the 4G Torch becomes available. You can sign up here.
New YouSendIt Cloud Storage – Dropbox Killer?
I feel kind of dirty writing this since I am a major fan of the Dropbox cloud storage service. Nevertheless, as a “jack of ALL tech” as I feel compelled to inform our readers about the new YouSendIt cloud storage and file sharing service that’s sure to give people even more options as to where they store and share their files in the cloud. Read More
Augmented Reality and Gamification Drive Engagement
I was recently invited to the Majesco “Holiday in July” event in New York City. I was excited to attend the event, which featured new video games and free food, but I didn’t anticipate leaving with tons of new ideas and innovations to share. Games are great fun, but this is a blog about business on the go (ie- not kids stuff), right? Wrong. Gamification and augmented reality are the wave of the future for mobile business and marketing, and it was made clear to me at this event. Read More
Keep Your Mobile Devices Germ-Free with fuse
Tablets are the future. We all know that, these things are doing everything for everyone, from construction workers to my wife, tablets can do it all. More and more they are replacing other interfaces in our businesses and schools. A tablet makes more sense than a textbook, and in most cases it makes more sense for a terminal where a customer interacts with an automated experience. But is all the touching putting us at risk for sickness? Read More
Find the Time to Get Things done with Free Time app
Coming off the heels of my last Small Biz Go Mobile post about the TaskRabbit service that helps people hire on-demand help to run errands and do other tasks that you may not have time for as a small business owner, is a cool little iPhone app that helps you quickly and easily identify time in between scheduled appointments…that could possibly be used to log on to TaskRabbit to find help to do stuff you don’t have time for. Read More