Google Voice extends Free Calling Through 2012

December 14, 2011December 14, 2011 by BrothaTech

As the holiday season approaches, we’re happy to announce that we’ve extended free domestic calls within the US and Canada for 2012…

Call it Google’s gift to all of us small businesses who depend on Google Voice as our primary number that we use to make us look “professional” when somebody calls my office phone (which is also my smartphone). If you’re not familiar, Google Voice is a service that offers free phone numbers and free calls over a data connection that can be forwarded to any phone. Additional features include, text messaging, voicemail (audible and transcribed to text), and custom greetings.

To me, Google Voice is a great disguise to give callers the perception that I have an official office phone. Read More

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

November 29, 2011 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

Documents To Go Offers Version for Kindle Fire

November 22, 2011November 23, 2011 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

November 21, 2011November 29, 2011 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

Square Adds Cash Register Integration to the iPad

November 16, 2011 by BrothaTech

Square is looking to replace your cash register…or is it? The service that helps small businesses accept credit card payments via a smartphone or tablet, now offers the ability integrate a cash register and receipt printer in the mix.

That’s right, now you can use your iPad and the Square credit card reader to accept credit transactions as well as cater to those “cash-only” customers. Read More

Platform as a Service makes building apps a breeze

November 15, 2011 by Justin Alcon

In business, development time can mean serious money. There’s a delicate dance of cost vs. benefit – processes that could potentially be automated aren’t because the time it would take to write the code isn’t worth the time that would be saved. Luckily, the industry is changing, and we’ll soon see a day where your business can develop an app without writing a single line of code.

That day might just be today, AT&T’s new “Platform as a Service” (PaaS) product is a huge step in the right direction. PaaS offers a complete development environment designed help your business build and launch custom applications quickly, run them reliably and manage them easily throughout the full application lifecycle. The best part is that you can make it accessible from any device, all at the click of a mouse. Read More

Evernote Peek Adds Virtual Cover for all iPads

November 11, 2011November 10, 2011 by BrothaTech

Doing a presentation/pitch using your iPad or iPad 2 can wow your potential clients. Prepping for a presentation in the lobby while waiting for your preso to start can be nerve-racking. Evernote makes cramming studying a little easier with the combination of Evernote Peek and an Apple Smart Cover for the iPad 2.

That’s cool if you bought the iPad 2. If you decided to squeeze a little more time out of your iPad “Classic”, Evernote has decided to bring Peek to your device as well by updating the app with virtual smart covers that bring all the cool Peek features to the iPad, sans the $40 Smart Cover accessory. Read More

AT&T Finally New BlackBerry Bold 9900 & Torch 9860

November 4, 2011 by BrothaTech

BlackBerry customers on the AT&T Network have been waiting patiently for the latest and greatest from RIM. Now they will have a chance to grab the classically-designed BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the full touch screen Torch 9860 starting on Nov. 6th.

With two-year contracts, the Bold 9900 will the more pricey of the two, but at a very affordable $200, and the Torch 9860 will be an even better deal at $100. Both devices come packed with BlackBerry’s latest OS 7 and will operate on AT&T’s fast 4G HSPA+ network for power and speed. Typical of AT&T’s network, you will be able to browse the web while on a call for the ultimate in multitasking and mobile productivity. Read More

RIM Leans on Corporate Customers by Offering A Buy 2 Get 1 PlayBook Free

October 30, 2011November 1, 2011 by BrothaTech

Looks like RIM is really starting to lean on its steady business/enterprise demographic by offering a pretty sweet deal to make sure they don’t jump ship like a great deal of U.S. consumers. This deal involves the BlackBerry PlayBook, which in my opinion, is a decent device…when tethered to a BlackBerry.

RIM realizes that the corporate world is keeping them afloat and has expanded its BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) to Microsoft Office 365 enterprise users so they can access more than just Outlook on their BlackBerries. Now, RIM is offering corporate a buy two BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, get one free, plus three free premium accessories (one per device).

As long as corporate customers buy the devices from an authorized BlackBerry Reseller, you will get the deal between now and Dec 31st. Click ‘read more’ to head past the break to learn how to qualify. Read More

Mario Armstrong

TV Host and Motivator for the Modern World

Tag: Mobile