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.
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.
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.
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
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.
zBoost Keeps National Communications’ Client From Losing Largest Trade Show
New Orleans - Wi-Ex (www.wi-ex.com), a leading provider of consumer and commercial cell phone signal boosters, today announced at CTIA Wireless in booth #4050 a new case study “zBoost: Ringing in mCommerce” showcasing National Communications’ install at Western North Carolina Agricultural Center’s Davis Center. National Communications, Inc., a full service Communications Contractor specializing in the design, project management, and installation of voice, data and fiber optic cabling projects, recently used zBoost Commercial Solution Division Kits to help WNC’s Davis Center help keep its largest combined trade show.
National Communications’ client WNC’s Davis Center had little to no indoor cell phone service. The indoor cell phone signal was so poor inside the Davis Center that WNC was in danger of losing its largest combined trade show, The Land of Sky Knife and Gun Show. The trade show exhibitors rely on their cell phones and smartphones to process credit cards and without a strong cell phone signal were unable to conduct business at shows.
“With mCommerce expected to reach $200 billion by 2012, a reliable cell phone signal is a quickly becoming a necessity for businesses,” said Michael Cummiskey of Wi-Ex. “National Communications was able to successfully help WNC provide a strong cell phone signal to their clients and help them conduct transactions on the show floor and other business activities.”
Solution
National Communications installed zBoost Commercial Solutions Division Kits to improve the cell phone signal and allow the trade show vendors to successfully use their smartphones and cell phones for credit card transactions, as well as other business related needs.
“Installation of the zBoost saved WNC Agricultural Center’s largest combined trade show. The Land of Sky Knife and Gun Show holds five sales per year in our newly renovated 45,000 square feet LEED certified Davis Expo Center,” said Matt Buchanan, WNC Agricultural Center Manager. “With little to no cellular reception for credit card transactions and other business related needs, we were in danger of losing this event to another facility. Since the installation of the repeater system all I have heard are praises from both the promoter and vendors.”
Businesses’ Rapid Increase of Mobile Data Usage Increases the Need for Strong Signal
New Orleans – Wi-Ex (www.wi-ex.com), a leading provider of commercial and consumer cell phone signal boosters, showcased today its zBoost line of consumer cell phone signal boosters including 4G, as well as new commercial cell phone signal booster kits for small businesses and commercial applications such as hospitals, factory floors, M2M, convention centers, museums, ATCO trailers, offices and high rises. Highlighted at CTIA Wireless in booth #4050 and CTIA Mobile Focus, the zBoost line provides consumers and businesses with a solution to the slow data and dropped calls caused by weak cell phone signal indoors.
“From homes and small offices that use the zBoost SOHO to installs of our Commercial Solutions Division Kits in convention centers and hospitals, we work closely with our dealers and installers to provide solutions to meet the needs of our customers,” said Michael Cummiskey of Wi-Ex. “In fact, just last week we worked with Spot On Networks to install zBoost signal boosters for the WIRED Business Conference: Disruptive By Design. The event organizers realized that the more than 400 thought-leaders in attendance would need (and expect), a reliable signal for their cell phones and tablets.”
Consumers and businesses rely on a strong cell phone signal for making calls, receiving and sending texts, checking email and ever increasing for their online multimedia applications such as gaming, downloading music, uploading pictures and streaming high-definition video at optimal quality and speed. A poor indoor cell phone signal results in millions of unhappy customers.
“As we continue to focus on developing solutions to meet the needs of today’s mobile society, zBoost is focused on two trends: the rapid increase in mobile data and the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets,” said Sharon Cuppett, vice-president of marketing at Wi-Ex. “Recent industry stats predict that more than half of the Internet’s traffic will come from mobile devices by 2016 and when combined with the staggering growth of smartphones and tablets, there is the potential for millions of unhappy mobile users as a result of slow data and dropped calls.”
The newest addition to the zBoost line, the zBoost 4G-V, provides consumers using Verizon LTE with an end to slow data and dropped calls allowing them to enjoy all of the benefits of their smartphones and other connected devices.
With the zBoost 4G, consumers using Verizon LTE can maximize their 4G devices. For larger spaces, zBoost offers the zBoost Commercial Solutions Division Kits System available for coverage areas up to 20,000 and 40,000 square feet. The kits include all of the components for a complete system solution whether for commercial environments or large residential applications and utilize the proven zBoost technology from Wi-Ex to improve cell phone voice and data signals.
Benefits:
● Increases indoor signal coverage-up
● Supports multiple users simultaneously
● Increases voice and data transmission
● Decreases dropped or missed calls
● Easy to set up
● No cradle or connections to your phone
● Extends phone battery life (uses less power when signal is stronger)
● Protects the carrier network using patented technology
Telecommuting and teleworking have had a quiet start in New Zealand but elsewhere in the world are seeing a rapid increase in popularity, with estimates of around 40% of the American workforce working remotely at least part of the time.
So – what is telecommuting and how does it differ from teleworking?
Both terms refer to employees who work remotely rather than in a specific office at a specific desk each day. In strict terms telecommuters are considered employees who work from home – thus commuting only by phone or internet. Teleworkers, or mobile workers, are employees equipped with the technology that allows them to work anywhere; they may spend some time in a central office, some at home, and some on the road, working from hubs or cafes.
Long Term Evolution (LTE). It is a new radio platform technology that will allow carriers to give you higher wireless upload and download speeds currently between 5-12 mbps but expected to increase. Verizon Wireless, AT&T & MetroPCS in the United States and several worldwide LTE carriers began rolling out the new network in 2009. The world’s first publicly available LTE service was opened by TeliaSonera in the two Scandinavia in December of 2009.
LTE and is part of the GSM evolutionary path beyond 3G technology, following EDGE, UMTS, HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA combined) and HSPA Evolution (HSPA+). LTE is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) which was introduced in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 8. HSPA Evolution is a stepping-stone of speeds to LTE for many carriers that will be rolled out slowly. Carriers began working on LTE in 2004 3GPP and initial deployment of LTE is targeted for 2010 and 2011. The objective of LTE is to provide a high performance radio access that offers good signal coverage in vehicles that are moving and that can coexist with HSPA and earlier networks. Carriers can scale bandwidth to migrate their networks and users from HSPA to LTE over time in areas that need it most.
When you operate a small business, the last thing you want to do is waste precious time. Luckily, mobile apps for Apple and Android devices can help simplify many of your day-to-day business operations.
The only problem is, who has time to search for and test these apps in the first place? Rest assured, we have you covered. These five mobile apps will save you time and keep you more organized than ever before — whether you’re searching for a password management system or a way to log in to your home computer remotely.
Test them out and let us know what you think! In the comments, link to any other helpful productivity apps that would benefit small business owners.
Use LogMeIn to access your Mac or PC content from your iPhone or iPad. This app is great for traveling or to pull up files remotely. With LogMeIn you can also run any PC application from your mobile device.
Expensify takes care of the most annoying part of business travel, the expense report!
Expensify does “expense reports that don’t suck!” by importing expenses and receipts from credit cards and mobile phones, submitting expense reports through email, and reimbursing everything online with QuickBooks and Direct Deposit. Expensify’s unique design suits everybody from individuals tracking their personal finances to companies with a thousand employees, and everywhere in between such as churches, non-profits, and small businesses worldwide. Expensify is free for individuals and small businesses, with premium upgrades available for receipt scanning and shared expense policies.
Compatible with the iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Palm, with Expensify, the only thing you have to worry about is unpacking.
Despite the recent research that shows that less than one percent of US hospitals have fully functional tablet systems, health care applications will become a dominant use of machine-to-machine technology this year.
ConnectedMagWorld.com says, “Early predictions for 2012 indicate healthcare will be a booming sector of the M2M (machine-to-machine) technology market. From increasing the accessibility of healthcare through remote-monitoring services, to improving the quality of in-home monitoring tools that can collect and wirelessly transmit critical health data, M2M is a game-changing force that could impact the way Americans of all ages get well and stay healthy.”
Companies from all health arenas are creating applications for both personal and professional use. Below are just a few applications changing healthcare procedure:
Philadelphia-based insurer Independence Blue Cross (IBC) mobile application helps members find doctors, verify referrals, compare the prices of medications, track spending, view health history, and apply for a temporary ID card.
AirStrip enables medical professionals to use their smartphones to gain access to vital signs, critical waveform data and other clinical information, which is sent directly from the hospital and can be viewed from virtually anywhere a cell phone or other wireless connection is available.
The iTriage app, which was developed by two ER doctors, offers both a symptom checker and doctor search. Users can look up symptoms, learn about possible causes of your symptoms, based on the causes, the app guides you to the most appropriate treatment path, locates the closest appropriate healthcare providers to current location or any location chosen
Gwinnett Business Journal TV (GBJ TV) visited Gwinnett Innovation Park, home of Wi-Ex, last week to learn more about the opportunities it offers for tech entrepreneurs. Wi-Ex Founder, Michael Rogers, discusses how, with the support of Gwinnett Innovation Park, Wi-Ex grew from an entrepreneurial dream, to a thriving business.
GBJ: Gwinnett Innovation Park Gives Life to Entrepreneurial Dreams
Starting your own business is never easy. Sometimes the small, recurring costs are what drown a small company before it ever has a chance to succeed. Gwinnett Innovation Park (GIP) is a unique, affordable, low risk space alternative for start-ups, entrepreneurs and independent professionals
Leland Strange, CEO of Intelligent Systems, is one of the main financial supporters of GIP. An entrepreneur most of his life, Strange felt the need to pay it forward for others with ambition and a dream.
“We provide a work space but we also provide one-on-one time with successful entrepreneurs to give them the feedback and examine real life experiences of what has worked for them and what hasn’t.” Strange said.
GBJ TV takes you on a tour of the office park and through the new eHub Nspire program on campus for technology entrepreneurs that provides them no cost office space for a year.
Wi-Ex, a leading provider of cell phone signal boosters, developed zBoost, the first consumer-priced signal booster that “extended cell zones” for the small office/home office cell phone market. Wi-Ex expanded their “extending cell zone coverage” beyond consumers to corporate enterprises and large commercial applications. From M2M applications to large commercial complexes to the rising number of teleworks, the zBoost line provides a business-centric solution for improving poor in-door cell phone coverage domestically and internationally.
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.
Posted by zBoost Your Life 
