How about this for mobile productivity – The ability to send voice commands to your Android mobile device to handle most, if not all, of your everyday mobile device tasks.
Think your mobile tasks you execute by flipping through menus and widgets, typing text, etc. Previous voice commands have been lackluster in their ability to transfer your voice prompts into actual output that your device recognizes. But leave it to Google to attempt to create an app that conquers the voice command void.
With the new (and free) Voice Actions for Android app Google announced yesterday, users can now execute a myriad of tasks via voice commands similar to Google Search and Map voice command function. I currently use the voice search function for my Google maps app on my BlackBerry and it works pretty well. So I can only imagine the quality and functionality Google has planned for other mobile device functions. Below is a list of the type of functions (and how you execute them) you can do with the new Voice Actions app:
– send text to [contact] [message]
– listen to [artist/song/album]
– call [business]
– call [contact]
– send email to [contact] [message]
– go to [website]
– note to self [note]
– navigate to [location/business name]
– directions to [location/business name]
– map of [location]
How it works is simple – Say “Listen to Stevie Wonder” (one guess as to who my fav. artist is) and the phone will pull up all your music apps to select and start playing Stevie. As you can see, the voice prompt isn’t all that complicated to learn, so it’s up to the app to recognize your voice prompt and translate that into a device function, which like I stated, works pretty well already with the Google search and maps voice command feature.
Sounds pretty cool right? Only one catch, the Voice Actions app only works with Android 2.2 (Froyo), which is only available on the original Motorola Droid, Droid 2 (that went on Sale yesterday), and the HTC Evo…oh and the Nexus One as well.
So if you plan on getting an Android phone, and like the ability to execute tasks via voice prompt, make sure to get a phone with “Froyo” on it (or wait for the download that is sure to come on some of the other Android phones at a later date) and download Voice Actions for Android.
Microsoft has launched a new beta for its new product for businesses that is in Beta. Intune is a PC management and security tool for Windows offices which provides a console for you to manage security updates, anti-virus, upgrades and physical inventory. The beta is designed for enterprises with 5 to 25 PCs and is limited to the first 10,000 signups.
It is another step into the cloud by Microsoft. And a project we will follow with interest.
Do you communicate with clients from foreign countries? Do you do business in non-US dollar currencies? Do some of your employees have names with non-English characters such as ç or ñ?
Each of the major operating systems have character maps that correlate to Unicode. Unicode is a system that assigns a uniform hexadecimal value for each text and numeric character so that systems can communicate clearly across platforms. While you may not understand what I just wrote, here is the takeaway. There are shortcuts available to all computer users that will create characters that other computers will understand.
For Windows Users:
You can use your ‘Character Map’ available to Windows users (All programs, Accessories, System Tools, Character Map) or use a handy chart of Alt codes. I use this one all of the time, it is from the Foreign Language Department of Washington State University. You simply hold down your ALT key and then enter the code from the list.
For Mac OS users:
Go to Apple menu > System Preferences and select International.
Select Input Menu, then select Keyboard Viewer.
Select “on” next to language’s keyboard layout you want to use.
Select Show Keyboard Viewer from the Input menu on the right side of the menu bar.
A flag will be in the menu bar. When you want to type a special character, click the flag and select “Show Keyboard Viewer“. When you press Shift and Option buttons, the on-screen keyboard will show up.
In no time, you will comfortably communicating with the rest of the world and not struggling to find a way of avoiding typing something unfamiliar!
Some of the reasons behind starting a small business (besides making money) is to get out of the day-to-day grind, and to have more control over your schedule and your life. Fact of the matter is, most people end up working HARDER at their own business than they ever did punching a clock at ACME, Incorporated. Working harder at a small business, especially in the beginning can be due to wearing all the hats of the business. From secretary administrative assistant to IT, to customer service, to marketing, to finance – You do it all!
Sometimes trying to juggle all of your business tasks can leave you a little stressed. Well, if you’re a fan of mobile apps and your day-to-day business tasks get the best of you from time to time…there’s an app for that too! The app is called Office Harmony and its purpose is to help you understand and lower your stress.
From stress assessment questions that help you recognize and understand where your stress is specifically coming from, to office yoga videos that give you quick and easy yoga techniques that can be done at your desk, to soothing meditation exercises that help your relax your mind, to weekly stress tips that help you remember to cool out; this app has it all!
The app includes images of desk yoga exercises, and other exercises you can do without exerting any sweat (because nobody likes yellow arm pits on your nice shirt/blouse during your presentation), and also actual videos of exercises, all without being connected to the internet. That means you don’t have to worry about your mobile network messing with zen-like focus.
So relax, take and deep breath, and just step away for a second if your small business tasks get to be too overwhelming. If that doesn’t work, download the Office Harmony app for $1.99 for your iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad.
Most of time when I need to do something with an invoice, I am sitting in front of The Precious my laptop, so it never dawned on me that I may be out and about and need to make a quick change on my iPad or my BlackBerry (still waiting to see if Apple will fix the “death grip”). So last night I messed around with opening up a document, editing it and sending it out in an email or saving it for later all on my iPad.
It didn’t take me very long to find the right combination. I am already experimenting with keeping all of my business documents stored in the cloud with Dropbox so I can access all my files no matter what device I am using…and yes, I back it up offline. But that [Dropbox] is mainly for accessing, sharing, and backing up files. The missing link was finding the right app that allowed me to edit files found in my Dropbox, and saving them back to their current locations or emailing them to a potential client. So, I looked on Dropbox’s site to find a list of “friendlies” that worked with Dropbox, and boom, DocsToGo was on the list.
If you are not familiar with DocsToGo, they have been in the mobile documents game for a minute. Since the evolution of smart phones, DocsToGo has given mobile users the ability to open, edit and share documents via many mobile devices.
The cool thing about the DropBox/DocsToGo combination is you can skip the whole “download a document first, then open up an app that can access the file you downloaded, then open up the document, then edit the document, save it, then open up your email client, then find the new document, then send it.” If I am just looking at a document in and decide “hey I need to change something”, I can simply click the “Open With” button and DocsToGo (if installed and configured) will open the document so I can make the changes. When I am done and ready to save, I can save it right to Dropbox. If I want to share the document, DocsToGo will immediately open up my email client to send.
I am a neat freak when it comes to documents. So the ability to keep all my documents in Dropbox, and use DocsToGo, regardless of the device, to open, edit, and share my documents is a must. With DocsToGo and Dropbox, keeping all my files in sync with the many devices I use, in addition to editing and sharing those documents regardless of what device I use, is a match made in mobile productivity heaven.
Now If I only could print the darn thing…
If you have any suggestions or know of any other combinations out there, drop in and leave a comment to let us know what works best for you?
Glad to see RIM (Research In Motion) the makers of the Blackberry releasing a new phone. It’s titled the Torch 9800 available on Aug. 12th on AT&T for $199.00 w/2 yr contract! I have always been a fan of the Blackberry form-factor and it’s hyper-focus on the business user! My business partner Nicole, is a loyal BBerry user no-matter-what. She calls it her “workhorse”. I know plenty of Bberry users that will be excited about the new changes since the Torch 9800 is the 1st Blackberry with a slide out keyboard, touch-screen (not the clicky screen from before) and the new operating system OS6 which brings the Torch a new interface, better multimedia use with dedicated apps like YouTube app and a Podcasts app. Most of all it has a new browser!!! It features tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, double-tap to zoom and pinch to zoom. Another big plus for Bberry people is the Universal search–allows you to to search through email, messages, contacts, music, videos as well as extend search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World.
Check the video to see it in action: (WILL YOU GET THIS PHONE ?- tell me in the comments)
Additional BlackBerry Torch Smartphone Features
Approx. 4.4″ (5.8″ open) x 2.4″ x .57″ and weighing 5.68 ounces
3.2″ 360×480 capacitive touch screen display
35 key full QWERTY backlit slide-out keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing
Optical trackpad, 624 Mhz processor with 512 MB Flash memory
4 GB built-in memory storage plus a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards; a 4 GB card is included giving users 8 GB of storage out-of-the-box
5 MP camera with flash, continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes, geo-tagging and zoom, as well as video recording at up to 640×480 resolution
Built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging & Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g/n)
The one thing that defines my life is the constant and overwhelming assault of demands on my time. So for me, productivity is not a nice thing to have, it’s an essential skill to master.
Add to that the fact that I have a naturally curious personality prone to distractions (INTJ in Myers Briggs) and what you have is a recipe for disaster.
So to stay on top of things and be effective I use a suite of software programs that help me be hyper-productive: very focused on the most important tasks for me, on top of the information that I need to get my work done and with a list of things that my colleagues owe me.
I have honed this system over time so that it stays with me, whether I’m working in the office, working at Starbucks, travelling, or even when I’m hanging out and all I have access to is my iPhone or my Android.
Here’s what my productivity software list is made of:
I mentioned this app in my previous blog post. In a nutshell, OmniFocus helps me implement David Allen’s Getting Things Done system. It is a sophisticated app for managing to-do lists. What’s special about it is that it has many criteria to help you bubble up to the top whatever is important to you.
OmniFocus has desktop software client and a mobile client. I sync between them using a service called Spootnik, which has the added benefit of syncing between my organizer system and the rest of the company’s system, which resides in Basecamp.
Other alternatives to Omnifocus are: Things and TaskPaper (which I really like for its simplicity). Remember the Milk does similar things but is web-based.
It’s not enough for me to keep track of my tasks, I need to be able to keep track of other people’s tasks, and as a group we need to stay organized and seamlessly communicate about each other’s projects. Since Ringio collaborates with a lot of vendors and people outside the organization, we use 37 Signal’s excellent, lightweight project management tool called Basecamp.
If you’re using Basecamp right you will have increased the awareness about the status of projects, and the chances that something will catch you by surprise will be drastically reduced.
It’s amazing how complicated it was to share files two years ago… if you had a Windows network and had a file server you could set up local file sharing… but it turns out that most of the files you want to share is with people outside of your network :-) The alternative is FTP, but many people don’t know how to use it, and it’s insecure anyways. What you really need is a way to create shared network folders without the network or without the file server… enter Dropbox.
Dropbox is an elegant service that integrates right into your desktop (Finder, Windows Explorer, etc) and mobile, and allows you to share folders with other people. When you update a file on your computer, it updates on theirs, and vice versa. Even when you’re not at your computer, you can log in to the Dropbox website and it gives you access to your files, and shows you recent activity. It even helps you recover accidentally deleted files.
Evernote is a lightweight note taking system that helps you keep all your text, screenshot and video notes organized. I use it to jot down ideas, meeting notes, feedback from customers, transcripts of phone calls, reference how-to-do-this things….. anything that is for my eyes only.
Evernote does a great job of staying out of the way until you need to recall something, then it’s super search and tagging system come to the rescue.
With their iPhone and Android clients, Evernote helps me capture notes (even voice dictation or pics I take with my camera) while I’m on the road.
A wiki is collaboration software that helps you keep documents organized and hyperlinked, much like a website that anybody in your team can edit. The ultimate example of a wiki is Wikipedia. We use wikis at Ringio to create things such as product specifications, software release plans, to create customer proposals, to keep track of our competitors, and to store instructions for different kinds of activities that our teams do.
A wiki is a system that acts as “company memory”. If you’re using it right you will be avoiding duplication in the long term, because you will be able to more easily recall when somebody had been working on an idea that you’re revisiting.
There are alternatives to Socialtext, such as Clearspace, or Google Sites.
I spend a good chunk of my time on the phone, making calls to prospective customers, bloggers and the press, investors and partners.
It’s essential for me to spend as little time as possible looking up contacts and dialing, and I need the flexibility to call from any old phone and know that the receiving person is seeing always the same caller ID.
The Ringio software does exactly that for me.
There alternatives to Ringio, such as Google Voice, Toktumi or Ringcentral. I’m biased, of course, so I encourage you to try the different solutions.
Other productivity boosters:
Searchable email: I heavily rely on Gmail’s search capabilities and labels
Delicious bookmarking, Chrome’s bookmark sync
1Password or LastPass for password management and form-filling
Tungle for meeting schedule management
What software do you use to increase your productivity?
12 Essential Tips for Success in Social Media – BuzzLogicBuzzLogic is a digital media company with a data-driven ad platform built to optimize advertising across the largest pool of trusted blog content on the web. We combine proprietary conversational analytics with industry-leading audience targeting data to maximize performance – and provide contextual insight to boost results.
The Social Media Playbook – 360iMarketing used to be different – a lot different. Today, brands are faced with a myriad of opportunities for reaching customers online; and, while the social landscape can be daunting, it holds a world of opportunities for connecting with consumers in deeper and more meaningful ways.
The goals of the Playbook are to:
Provide a framework for establishing a set of clear objectives and strategy when approaching social marketing
Move beyond the checklist approach and offer a filter for evaluating the myriad opportunities and platforms
Encourage thinking of social marketing as an opportunity to have a continuous, valuable exchange with customers
Advance discussions on amplifying marketing results through the integration of social marketing and offline campaigns
Oh My God What Happened and What Should I Do? – Innovative ThunderThis book helps traditional advertising and marketing people master the step into the digital era, providing tools to create campaigns that reach the people of today. It was not written by a CMO giving expensive seminars and presenting big theories with no solutions, but by a creative team dealing with and living the changes in media every day.
Nimble – RazorfishIt’s aimed at content producers that are moving from traditional media distribution to digital, and finding themselves facing new challenges. Most magazines, newspapers, TV shows, etc. have a website at this point, but it doesn’t mean that they’re making the most of the digital experiences that they’re creating for their audience. The report looks at three major areas of interest to content companies – how they attact and retain their audience, how they deliver content across new channels, platforms, and devices, and how they remain profitable in the new digital economy…
The report discusses the types of structure that can set content free, and how this approach will change the role of the editor, the way content companies make money, the way they deliver content, and the way they attract an audience. It also includes information about emerging technologies and tools that can help digital content publishers move into this nimble world.
If you have an iPad, I recommend using the killer combination of DropBox and GoodReader to read these PDFs. Dropbox lets you automatically sync files from your computer to the cloud to be accessed through the website or on your iPad, iPhone, or Android smartphone. Good Reader (iPad and iPhone only) functions as a really slick document reader.
For comprehensive reading, I recommend the following books about social media community management and marketing:
Unlike Apple, where all iPhone mobile apps can be found in their App Store, if you own an Android phone, then you know searching for that perfect app that aids your productivity can be tedious. Since Android is an open platform software, anybody can create and distribute apps from anywhere, which adds to the problem of out of the 50,000 apps in the Android Market alone, where do you find the one that will work for you and your business?
Here’s an idea, why not make your own Android App? Now when I hear a question like that, the first thing (the only thing actually) that pops into my head is “I don’t know anything about coding, programming, or application development.”
Now I am pretty sure there are others who feel the same way, and Google wants to address people like us with their new App Inventor for Android project that might just start your mobile business application motor turning. due to the fact that using App Inventor requires NO programming knowledge. Instead of creating code from scratch, you are taking pieces (Inventor calls them blocks) of functions and mashing them together visually to create a full functioning app. Sounds simple right? Below is a video of App Inventor in action
WHATEVER your Android phone can do, Inventor has a block for it, which you can assemble with other blocks to make your own app. Now of course, if you do know a thing or two about mobile app development, then you can take Inventor to the next level and crank out some serious apps. But the purpose behind App Inventor is to turn technology consumers into technology creators (and you should know by now how this site’s owner feels about that)
Mario’s “beef” ties right into Google’s idea behind the App Inventor Project:
“The educational perspective that motivates App Inventor holds that programming can be a vehicle for engaging powerful ideas through active learning. As such, it is part of an ongoing movement in computers and education that began with the work of Seymour Papert and the MIT Logo Group in the 1960s.”
So before you start digging through the Android Market and/or scouring the net looking for an app that will pull all of your business financial statement emails, print them to PDF, and save them on your phone, think about creating it first with the Android App Inventor by Google Labs.
*Maybe I should have patented and trademarked that idea before I said it*
An interesting article from Information Week discusses Americans growing demand for full-service wi-fi on their smartphones. Instead of using their data plans, many mobile browsers are happy to use wi-fi, and in fact most would love to save money on their monthly service bills by using either public or private wi-fi networks. Others felt that the wi-fi service was faster than surfing via their mobile provider.
Again, make sure when you do access wi-fi that you do it safely and legally. On unencrypted networks be very wary of using any service that requires logging in with your password–even streaming sites like Pandora or your Facebook page. Your mobile web service may be the right choice for applications that require more security.
How about this for mobile productivity – The ability to send voice commands to your Android mobile device to handle most, if not all, of your everyday mobile device tasks. 
Unlike Apple, where all 
