June 1, 2012
I am on my smart phone ALL the time! And if you are anything like me, you want to know all the latest apps and all there is to know about the newest and best phones on the market. Gearing up for summertime and keeping in mind that I have to work remotely I must have a fast working phone. Here is Engadget’s summer gear guide to smartphones for 2o12.
Summer Gear Guide 2012: Smartphones
By Zachary Lutz, Engadget
As you prepare for adventures with friends and fun in the sun, just remember that a great smartphone should be at the top of your gear list. Whether you’re looking for travel tips, a new place to hang or even directions to get there, your smartphone will have you covered. It can help you check-in for flights, rent a car and even get great deals on places to stay. Go ahead and leave your point-and-shoot camera at home, because many of today’s best smartphones excel at photography and allow you to immediately share your memories as they’re captured. If you plan to travel abroad, be sure to spring for an unlocked handset to avoid those nasty roaming fees. Whatever your particular needs, our smartphone selection is geared to make your decision as painless as possible – and more importantly, ensure that you have a fun and rewarding summer. Dive in on the other side of the break.
For the complete list of the summer guide for smartphones Click Here.
Editor’s choice: HTC One X
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Entrepreneur/Small Business, Great Business Apps, Technology News, Teleworking, Trends and Statistics, zBoost Business Blog | Tagged: Android, apps, Business, cell phone, Cell Phone Signal, cell phone signal boosters, Droid, iPhone, Julie Arko, mobile, mobile business, smartphone, smartphones, Wi-Ex, Zachary Lutz, zBoost | 
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Posted by zBoost Your Life
May 15, 2012
I recently have been looking into purchasing a tablet and during my research for different ways tablets can increase business productivity I came across this article from TechCrunch on the various ways to monitor news. I like to keep an eye on the news daily and I am always interested in knowing what’s going on locally and globally. I got some really great ideas on news apps and how to simplify my daily news feeds.
By Mitch Lazar, TechCrunch
Staying on top of your game and understanding the competitive landscape is essential to winning in the modern business world. A huge component to staying ahead of the curve is keeping a close eye on competitors in your market, which entails maintaining a watchful eye on industry news. Some companies turn to expensive news monitoring services to keep track of their respective industry, but in reality there are more viable options. Emerging tablet news and information services like Flipboard, Pulse and others are proving an incredible companion to business and consulting executives in staying current with industry changes occurring around them.
Jeff Cavins, CEO of Fuzebox, recently wrote in Business Insider that the explosive uptake of tablet computers is fueling the growth of what he called the new “iPad economy.” Cavins said: “The iPad is shifting the way businesses function, changing how executives interact and transforming the economics of today’s business operations.”
The iPad economy is a growing reality across the globe, and businesses are turning to enterprise apps to help them succeed. Simple RSS readers are used to condense multiple streams of content from a variety of sources into single channels, granting users access to diverse content all in one place. Some applications have further simplified news aggregation by using innovative search technology that goes beyond the function of RSS readers to deliver richer streams of highly targeted information to business users – a critical asset to businesses large and small.
Better Search and Filtering Offers Essential Time Savings
Gesture Based Information Consumption Increases Efficiency
Bookmarking Makes for Easier Follow Up
Read More from TechCrunch Here
Editor’s note: Mitch Lazar is CEO of Taptu. He Founded CNN and Cartoon Network Mobile. He was a former journalist at CNN and one of the co-founders of CNN.com. Prior to joining Taptu, Mitch headed Yahoo! Mobile Europe.
Leave a Comment » | Entrepreneur/Small Business, Great Business Apps, Technology News, Telework Tuesday, Teleworking, Trends and Statistics, Uncategorized, zBoost Business Blog | Tagged: Android, apps, Blackberry, Business, home office, iPad, iPhone, Julie Arko, Mitch Lazar, small business, smartphone, tablets, TechCrunch, technology, teleworking | Permalink
Posted by zBoost Your Life
April 3, 2012
I don’t know about you but, I have Spring fever! I find myself wishing I could be outside because the weather is so nice, so on my breaks at work I like to step outside and enjoy the nice breeze and sunshine. Everyone is guilty of working a long day and not stopping for break but, fact is that everyone needs a break and here are some ideas to give your body and mind a little rest and to boost your productivity at work. I especially like number 3 “Step outside for a fresh perspective”.
“Every self-help program talks about the importance of taking a 10-15 minute break to boost your productivity. Breaks give us much needed time to rest our eyes, move around, stretch our stiff muscles, get more blood and oxygen flowing to our brain, to unwind and obtain a fresh outlook on complex work problems.”
By Arina Nikitina Stepcase Lifehack
1. Listen to a guided meditation. There are plenty of 10-15 minute meditations that allow you to trigger your creativity, let go of muscles tension and take your mind of the work at hand.
All you have to do is put on a headset, close your eyes and enjoy peace and relaxation even in the midst of work chaos.
2. Share your break with a co-worker. Alone, you might not always have the strength to pull yourself away from the computer, but if you have a friend taking breaks with you, it is much easier to stick with your break routine. In addition, it offers a great opportunity to bond with your colleagues and get to know them better.
3. Step outside for a fresh perspective. Leaving a stuffy office and letting yourself enjoy the warmth of the sunlight, the coolness of a breeze and the freshness of the spring air can do miracles to your mind and body. You will come back feeling rejuvenated and ready to approach your work with new energy and a fresh perspective.
4. Close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths. Stand up and walk away from your desk. Find a quiet place, where you can sit down, close your eyes, smile to yourself and take a few deep breaths. Imagine tension, stress and anxiety leaving your body as you breathe out, and peacefulness, positivity and relaxation filling your mind with every breath that you take.
5. Say NO to tension headaches. Slowly roll your neck to the right noticing a slight tension in your neck muscles. Hold this position for a count of 120 (2 minutes), then turn your head to the opposite side and repeat. Enjoy the feeling of warmth and flexibility return to your neck and shoulders.
Read all 21 ideas here.
Leave a Comment » | Entrepreneur/Small Business, Teleworking, zBoost Business Blog | Tagged: Arina Nikitina, Business, Cell Phone Signal, cell phone signal amplifier, cell phone signal boosters, home office, Julie Arko, mobile business, small business, telework', teleworking, Wi-Ex | Permalink
Posted by zBoost Your Life
March 19, 2012
Is your to-do list more of a burden than a useful tool for getting things done? Reshape how you write and manage your lists, and they could make you happier and more productive.
How effective is your to-do list? Do you cross things off it throughout the day? Is it a scrolling and never-ending beast? Does it fill you with dread and remind you of all the things you haven’t done? Does it help you achieve the important things in your life?
It’s amazing how little thought can go into the making of a to-do list. Considering all the time and effort people spend trying to make their projects and businesses more productive, you’d think we might have the same focus on personal habits, as it’s the personal habits and actions that inform the larger work. A to-do list may sound trivial, but if it’s central to how you accomplish the tiny steps that help you accomplish the larger project or business venture, then it needs to be rock solid. If your to-do list is the foundation of your work, take a minute to think about whether your lists are effective, and how you can improve them.
Read More from PC Mag Here
Leave a Comment » | Entrepreneur/Small Business, Great Business Apps, zBoost Business Blog | Tagged: Business, cell phone, cell phone signal booster, home office, Jill Duffy, Julie Arko, PCMAG.com, teleworking, Wi-Ex, zBoost | Permalink
Posted by zBoost Your Life
February 28, 2012
You know you’re supposed to make regular backups, yet you’re just not doing it. Why?
If it’s because you’re not wild about the idea of spending money on backup software, here’s good news: you don’t have to. There are plenty of full-featured backup utilities (for Windows, anyway) that don’t cost a dime.
Indeed, your only out-of-pocket expense should be a USB or network hard drive–a place to hold your precious data in case your primary drive goes belly-up.
Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33153_7-57381334-10391733/reader-poll-whats-the-best-free-backup-program/#ixzz1nbw1YCtt
Leave a Comment » | Technology News, Teleworking | Tagged: Business, CNET, Julie Arko, Rick Broida, small business, technology, teleworking, Wi-Ex, zBoost | Permalink
Posted by zBoost Your Life
December 19, 2011
Join Telework Exchange for Telework Week 2012, the second-annual effort to encourage agencies, organizations, and individuals to pledge to telework on March 5-9, 2012. Sign up now to determine your impact and savings, and telework during the week of March 5-9, 2012.
Why? Telework is a win-win opportunity for agencies, organizations, employees, and the environment. Telework supports:
Join the movement. During Telework Week 2011, nearly 40,000 pledged, saving $2,730,229 on commuting costs, gaining back 148,692 hours into their day, and removing 1,818 tons of pollutants from the air, while refraining from driving 3,764,001 miles.
Need help getting started? Attend our free Webcasts – “One Year Later: The Status of Federal Telework” on December 7th and “From Planning to Preparedness: Build Your Telework Strategy” on January 19th.
To Pledge, visit: Telework Exchange by Cisco
Leave a Comment » | Kacey Patterson, Teleworking | Tagged: Business, cell phone repeater, cell phone signal booster, Cisco, home office, remote, small office, SOHO, teleoffice, Telework Week, telework', Wi-Ex, zBoost | Permalink
Posted by zBoost Your Life
September 7, 2011
It can be quite difficult to explain the importance of social media to people who do not use it. Often there is resistance with comments like, “Why do I care if my 3rd grade best friend just ate a sandwich?” or “It’s just a cluster of random thoughts and spam”. Despite common myths, like social media is a time waster, there are great benefits for brand awareness, customer interaction and company growth.
Twitter
There are currently 106 million Twitter users. 57% of Twitter users are between 24-44 years old. And what statistic is most important to companies? 25% of users follow brands on Twitter; 67% of those purchase from brands they follow. *
Twitter allows you to connect to customers directly. You can reach out to them with news, updates and contests. Twitter also gives your customers access to your company- they can ask questions, share information about the product or just say hello. By being visible and accessible on Twitter, you are not only creating brand awareness but solidifying brand loyalty among your customers.
Facebook
Though it can be, Facebook isn’t just for spying old friends or procrastinating. Facebook can be a very effective tool to engage with potential and current customers, as well as, market products and services.
Facebook allows companies to create a business page where you can add both personal and professional flare. By having your company on Facebook, you can, be found potential customers, create a community based around your business, promote content such as, webinars, blog articles, or other resources. You can also add personal touches like, photos around the office, from company outings or tradeshows.
YouTube
YouTube is a great outlet to promote your brand and product. Custom videos let you reach out to entire customer base in a whole new way. Are customers having troubleshooting issues with a product? Create a video with an in-depth tutorial or step-by-step instructions. Show off new products or services with a virtual guide. YouTube also help build brand awareness by giving customers a better sense of who exactly the company is. Have employee spotlights or a tour of the office. The more a person know about a company, the more invested they will become.
*Twitter statistics provided by: http://www.marketinggum.com/twitter-statistics-2011-updated-stats/
Leave a Comment » | Entrepreneur/Small Business, Social Media | Tagged: Business, company, Facebook, social media, start-up, Twitter, YouTube | Permalink
Posted by zBoost Your Life
August 31, 2011
With desktops, laptops, netbooks and smartphones, do we really need another device to help us get our work done? Sure, tablets are nice to have on a long flight or road trip- the large screen for movies and multiple game apps like Angry Birds are good distraction but, why would you need a tablet for business purposes?
According to a survey by ChangeWave, 45% of tablets used for business are for sales support. With software for presentations and sales apps, such as SalesForce.com, the light weight tablets are perfect for toting to meetings. With sales’ accessories like, Square, companies can even make sales transactions directly on their tablet. Square sends a free card reader that fits in your tablet or smart phone.
Other uses for tablets are as simple as note-taking. There is still a large group of professionals who take pleasure in crossing items off a to-do list. With apps like Evernote, you can now organize your to-dos in tidy folders. Another neat feature is you can set reminders and alarms to remind you of due dates.
Many companies are creatively implementing tablets into how they do business. Best Buy’s plans to use of tablets for salespeople on the floor. Mercedes-Benz announced last fall that it would distribute iPads to all of its 355 dealerships in the United States. Loan applications and other paperwork involved in the sales and leasing processes can now be completed by salespeople right next to customers on the sales floor. And, SAP AG has already deployed 3,500 Apple iPads as a way to provide executives with real-time access to vital business intelligence data. To read more, visit: 6 Ways Businesses are Using Tablets
Also, for more informationoin which tablet is best for your business needs, read Business Insider’s The 5 Best Tablets For Business
Leave a Comment » | Entrepreneur/Small Business, Great Business Apps, M2M | Tagged: apps, Business, iPad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab, tablets | Permalink
Posted by zBoost Your Life
August 9, 2011
Recently voted number one business app in US, Italy, France, Australia, UK and 20 more countries, ScannerPro, by Readdle.com, is a must-have app for the iPhone professional. ScannerPro lets you capture multi-page documents including, electronic copies of invoices, business cards and signed documents. The high-quality image scanner has automatic edge detection so you never lose any information.
Not only can you transfer your downloaded documents to your Mac or PC, you can also share your scans with cloud store, such as, Dropbox, GoogleDocs or Evernote. Whether you’re at lunch meetings, out-of-the-office or at a tradeshow, you no longer have to worry about keeping up with a flash drive of files, loose papers and random business cards.
Leave a Comment » | Great Business Apps | Tagged: app, Business, document, iPhone, Mac, PC, PDF, scanner, ScannerPro, storage | Permalink
Posted by zBoost Your Life
August 1, 2011
You no longer have to carry a flash drive or email yourself documents to have your files on multiple machines. The Dropbox app lets users sync up their files between desktop, mobile, and iPad and share links to documents in their Dropbox with just a few taps of the finger. On a plane or have a weak signal? Label a document as a favorite, and view it even when you don’t have an Internet connection.
The app is free for iPhone, iPad, Andriod and Blackberry. Dropbox’s service includes tiered monthly pricing for more than 2GB of storage.
Leave a Comment » | Great Business Apps | Tagged: Android, apps, Blackberry, Business, Dropbox, file sharing, iPad, iPhone, teleworking | Permalink
Posted by zBoost Your Life
As you prepare for adventures with friends and fun in the sun, just remember that a great smartphone should be at the top of your gear list. Whether you’re looking for travel tips, a new place to hang or even directions to get there, your smartphone will have you covered. It can help you check-in for flights, rent a car and even get great deals on places to stay. Go ahead and leave your point-and-shoot camera at home, because many of today’s best smartphones excel at photography and allow you to immediately share your memories as they’re captured. If you plan to travel abroad, be sure to spring for an unlocked handset to avoid those nasty roaming fees. Whatever your particular needs, our smartphone selection is geared to make your decision as painless as possible – and more importantly, ensure that you have a fun and rewarding summer. Dive in on the other side of the break.
