Category: Top Story

PODCAST: Capture and stream videos in real time with the AT&T Video Capture mobile app

by Mario Armstrong

One thing that many small business owners overlook in promoting their businesses and communicating with employees is video. Yes, I know, the costs of video are often prohibitively high—that is, if you’re looking to shoot a professional commercial or similar video spot. But what if all you need is a good mobile video shot with your iPhone or Android smartphone? Small Biz Go Mobile sponsor AT&T provides a great app for free to its mobile consumers called AT&T Video Capture. Rather than having to upload, title & tag videos on a platform like YouTube, AT&T Video Capture lets you stream live and pre-recorded video straight to your employees and co-workers. Theres even a desktop version that lets you organize and archive those videos as well.

I can think of a ton of cool use cases for this technology. Field service technicians who are expected to solve problems in a single on-site visit, could use AT&T Video Capture to solicit advice and help from co-workers back in the office. Media broadcasters could use this to deliver the news live or report back to HQ with raw footage of an ongoing event. Want more ideas on how you can ramp up your business with AT&T Video Capture? Listen to my latest Small Biz Go Mobile podcast to hear all of my tips.

Small Businesses Create Customer Intimacy with SaaS: Improving Productivity and Competitiveness with Software-as-a-Service Applications

by Ed Lucente

Ed Lucente is a Sr. Product Marketing Manager at AT&T. You can find more blog content from Ed and other experts on emerging technologies on the AT&T Networking Exchange Blog. AT&T has sponsored the following blog post.

Software-as-a-Service in the CloudBefore the advent of cloud services, IT was managed ad hoc by small businesses (less than 250 PCs). This included tasks like on-premise server installations and maintenance, software upgrades, database administration, network management, and backups. Small businesses faced difficult IT challenges related to increasing operating expenses, unending complexity, and a lack of trained resources. IT management and costs distracted small businesses from focusing on building better solutions for customers. Fortunately though, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications have changed this malaise. Today, SaaS services are allowing small businesses to increase productivity and competitiveness, reduce IT costs, and develop solutions that create customer intimacy.

Productivity and Competitiveness

A survey commissioned by Microsoft showed that of the small businesses that use the cloud, 41% said they were able to employ more staff in roles that directly benefit sales or business growth, 39% invest in more product development or innovation, and 37% experienced improved agility and competitiveness. The cloud has made it easier for small businesses to scale their business to explore new markets, according to 42% of respondents. And 52% said that using the cloud enabled them to add new solutions and services that benefit their business more quickly and securely.  Read More

6 Hot Tech Gadgets for Entrepreneur Dad: From Paper-Saving Organizers to Eco-Friendly Notebooks, Here’s Father’s Day Technology Any Dad Will Love

by Curlis Phillip

Curlis Phillip is a Senior Marketing Manager at AT&T. You can find more blog content from Curlis and other experts on mobility on the AT&T Networking Exchange Blog. AT&T has sponsored the following blog post.

 

Growing up on the island of St. Thomas, Father’s Day weekend was always a festive time. The annual Father’s Day weekend celebration was staged in the fishing village of Frenchtown just southwest of the capital, Charlotte Amalie.  The festivities included a series of softball and fishing tournaments and non-stop dancing to music by some of my favorite local bands and steel pan players.  At home, we showed our gratitude by making dad a hearty island breakfast.  Since I knew very little about the latest tech and electronic gadgets back then, I often settled for a new tie, coffee mug, pen, or shirt.

How do you find the right Father’s Day gift for that tech savvy entrepreneur dad?  The tech savvy dad is usually an early adopter, and shopping for him can pose a bit of a challenge.  If you feel that you have run out of ideas, don’t despair. The key is to find a cool gadget that can help make his business run more smoothly. Read More

Next Generation MacBook Pro Announced with 15″ Retina Display

by Shy Mukerjee

It’s the start of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (or WWDC) today in California, and while huge new product announcements don’t always accompany Apple’s conferences, this year we’re all in for a bit of a treat. The MacBook Pro line is being updated with a brand new design that eliminates the optical drive to get a slimmer form factor, reducing it from nearly an inch thick to about three quarters of an inch.

The weight of the laptop has been reduced as well, but the battery life has been bumped up to an estimated 7hrs. As well, tons of other new specs to drool over: USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-microphones, etc. etc.

But the big news is that the 15″ MacBook Pro will now been shipping with a beyond-HD 2880×1800 Retina display. Starting at $2199, this new 15″ MBP will clearly be the one to own this year for photographers, graphics professionals, video editors, and anyone who will appreciate reading crystal-clear Retina text on their laptop.

We’ll be updating throughout the day with pictures of the new products, and our take on what it means. But if you’re already salivating and can’t wait to get ahold of the new generation MacBook Pro, the Apple Store is taking orders as we speak.

Latest News on the Retina MacBook Pro

Exciting software is already ready to use the 15″ Retina-display MacBook Pro, indlufing:

– Apple apps that take advantage of the display: Safari, Mail, iPhoto all updated
– Pro apps like Aperture and Final Cut Pro also make use of every pixel on the display
– Adobe working closely with Apple to make sure Photoshop and other apps are Retina-ready
– Retina-ready AutoCAD
– Even Diablo III is retina-ready!

Changes to the hardware:

– Asymmetrical fans mean less noise when the fans come on
– For the first time ever on a Mac, an HDMI port to plug into your HDTV or Projector
– Quad Core i7 processors up to 2.7 Ghz (latest Ivy Bridge architecture)
– Up to 16GB of 1600Mhz memory (RAM)
– Same 7 hours of battery life
– 100% solid state hard drive (SSD) tech means ultra-fast read and write times
– 2x Thunderbolt ports, as well as USB 3.0, and the standard SD card slot
– New Thunderbolt adapters that give you Gigabit ethernet or FireWire 800 ports
– MagSafe 2, the latest in Apple’s MagSafe power adapters, the MagSafe 2 is even thinner than before

Samsung Galaxy S III: a Social, Simple, and Intelligent Smartphone from AT&T

by admin

The next generation Samsung Galaxy S III is the perfect smartphone for your small business needs. Fast 4G LTE speeds, huge touchscreen, one-touch social sharing, powerful new features and more. Here’s a breakdown of the new 4G LTE Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, now available at AT&T Premier:

*       1.5GHz dual-core processor

*       4.8″ HD Super AMOLED(tm) display

*       Fast 4G LTE network speeds

*       Android 4.0 OS (Ice Cream Sandwich)

*       8 MP camera and 1.9 MP front-facing camera

*       Samsung S Beam one-touch sharing

*       Smart Stay eye tracking technology

Pre-order yours now!

AT&T fine print: Eligible voice and data plans required. Limited 4G LTE available in select markets. Additional restrictions apply.

Accelerate Small Business Growth: 10 Mobile Apps to Consider

by Curlis Phillip

Curlis Phillip is a Senior Marketing Manager at AT&T. You can find more blog content from Curlis and other experts on mobility on the AT&T Networking Exchange Blog. AT&T has sponsored the following blog post.

 

Small business (SMB) owners face several challenges including attracting new customers, improving cash flow, retaining customers, automating business processes and increasing employee productivity.  Mobile applications can help SMBs address these challenges and provide tremendous value.

According to an eVoice survey, seventy-one percent of small business owners have reported becoming more mobile over the past two years.  Mobile applications are helping small businesses to save time, improve business operations, be more responsive to customers, and increase sales and profitability.

SMBs are jumping on the mobile apps bandwagon, however; finding the right apps can become a daunting task with more than a million apps available across Android, BlackBerry and iPhone.  Here are 10 mobile applications you should check out that can help enhance your worker productivity, improve the way you do business and drive revenue growth.  Read More

I’m teaching a free class at Black Enterprise Magazine’s Small Business University. Sign up today!

by Mario Armstrong

With a new smartphone hitting the market every week, making decisions about the best tech tools and gadgets you can use to move your business forward and make your life easier isn’t always…  easy. That’s why I’m here to help! As a teacher in the upcoming Small Business University by Black Enterprise, I’ll be helping you to put the latest tech to use for good in your business.

Want to know more? You can head on over to Black Enterprise’s site to watch a quick video I did explaining it all.

New Nokia Lumia 900 from AT&T: an Enlightened Way to Do Business

by admin

I know, I know, “enlightened” sounds like hyperbole. But occasionally a device comes along that can actually speed up-and smooth out-the daily grind, and the Lumia 900 smartphone appears to be one of them.

Consider: If you work your inbox and video chat with clients on the go, you want a crisp screen you don’t have to squint at to see. You want to jump from email attachments to your biz’s Facebook page to incoming texts as fast as you can tap and swipe. You don’t want to wait for a sluggish browser or ignore a colleague’s call because the info you know they want is still downloading.

Enter Lumia 900, a deserved “best of” winner at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Its pocket-friendly 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED touchscreen shines even in direct sunlight. Its Windows(r) Phone interface seems to “think” like we do, grouping things logically and making whatever you want to do incredibly easy. And its AT&T 4G LTE connectivity keeps data flowing at top speeds. Even the battery is impressive, keeping a charge longer than most smartphones have us trained to expect.

The Lumia 900 looks great, too. Nokia has a reputation for precision craftsmanship and stylish design for good reason; this latest effort is slick and solid, an attractive body that complements the Windows Phone interface nicely.

Can the Nokia Lumia 900, available exclusively from AT&T, really enlighten your mobile business? If you make it your next phone, let me know.

CUBED 5: How Text Messaging Can Be the Icing on the Cake for Small Business

by Mario Armstrong

In the latest episode of my CUBED video series for the American Express OPEN Forum, I take a look at IcedGems, a boutique bakery that specializes in deserts like cupcakes. They even have a Cupcake Truck which operates as a mobile storefront in the greater Baltimore area. But getting in touch with customers when your storefront is constantly on the move is a difficult process, and having to juggle text messages, tweets, and Facebook was a bit too much for IcedGems to handle. So I came up with a solution to help them out that I think a lot of you entrepreneurs and small business owners out there will love. So head on over to AmEx OPEN and watch the video now!

What are you UpTo? Shared Calendar App Set to Revolutionize Business

by Justin Alcon

What’s the hottest new thing imported from Detroit?  UpTo, the new calendar sharing app.  A couple of days ago, I had a chance to speak to founder and CEO Greg Schwartz about UpTo, his new motor city  venture.  UpTo is the social calendar sharing app that has been out for about two weeks.  Already, Greg has noticed that his main users are small business owners, people who were really needing something more modern from their calendar apps.

In the recent past , small businesses used Google calendars almost exclusively. Google Calendar is fairly utilitarian: you either share your whole calendar with someone, or you share nothing at all.  And, the interface is just Google’s traditional minimalist set.  UpTo has an advantage over Google Calendar in that it lets you control what you share through a rich, modern interface.  UpTo also adds social features that really enrich the calendar experience by easily sharing the activities that are relevant, while keeping private those events that are for your eyes only. Read More