Archive for the ‘Technology and How it’s Used’ Category

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The Live Chat Trend

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

You want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to communicate with your business. You’d like your customers to have a simple and fast way to contact your small business if they have questions or inquiries about a product or service. Maybe, then, it is time to install a live-chat application on your business’s website.

Anyone home?

Recently, Ivana Taylor wrote an article for the American Express OPEN Forum about live chat and how it can make a company more accessible to consumers. Have you ever walked around a department store in search of an employee to answer your question? It’s frustrating. With live chat, your customers won’t have that encounter when visiting your website. They can ask you a question and get the response right away.

Live chat apps

There are many live chat apps out there. Some are expensive, but there are several out there that are great for the small business owner. A very simple one is called Olark’s live chat tool. This is simple to operate, and, as there are no extra features, easy to maintain. However, if you’re looking for something a little more robust, one of these three may be what you are looking for. LiveChat.com, SnapEngage, and LivePerson are all inexpensive and have the added feature of allowing the business owner to live chat via mobile device. This is very convenient if you are always on the go.

The trend

Live chat has become a recent trend as it can put companies ahead of their competitors. It can help small business owners win the confidence of clients and build long term relationships with them.

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The Coming Of Holograms

Friday, December 7th, 2012

Remember when tablet computers seemed like the stuff of science fiction? Or how about smart phones? There was a time when phones that let you surf the Web and send e-mail messages seemed like the technology of the future. Now these are the technologies of the present. So what’s next? Ben Kunz, a writer for Bloomberg Businessweek, has his own prediction: holograms.

Apple and holograms

Kunz anticipates that Apple devices—its iPhones and iPads—will soon display holograms that look like something you’d see in a contemporary science fiction film. In fact, Kunz’s story on Bloomberg Businessweek is accompanied by a photo of Robert Downey Jr. from the 2012 hit movie The Avengers using his personal nifty holograms. Again, this may sound like the stuff of fiction, but Kunz writes that he’s basing his prediction on real news: Apple’s patents and recent acquisitions. Then there’s the competition in the tablet industry. Apple needs something to help distinguish it from its tablet competitors. Holograms may just be that thing.

Apple’s plans

How it could work: With forward-facing cameras that track the positioning of the viewers’ eyes and a screen that projects beams of light at different angles a hologram could be created. This hologram would also be very realistic because of the different angles created by the various beams of light. The viewer could look at it from every direction and it would continue to keep its visual integrity.

The future of 3D?

The one thing that Apple is going to have to contend with if they choose to introduce 3D technology and/or holograms to their devices is that 3D tech has yet to inspire the imaginations of consumers. Sales have been slow for 3D TV’s and Nintendo’s 3DS handheld game system which doesn’t even require glasses. So what makes Apple think it will do this effectively? Apple has had a history of taking ideas and causing them to be better. Look what they did with the mouse. They took Xerox’s idea, made it better, and it sold like hotcakes. But only time will tell if Apple will find the appropriate execution of 3D and/or hologram technology to excite and entice consumers.

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Google Better: Find What You Are Looking For

Friday, November 30th, 2012

You think you’re a Google pro, right? After all, you have been using the extremely popular search engine for years. What more can there be to learn? A lot, actually. The website How-To Geek and the Atlantic each recently ran stories highlighting ways in which you can better search the Internet with Google. If you wish to find the right information and you want to find it speedily, you’d do well to follow some of these tips.

Operators are key

If you have never used operators before, they are the key to finding exactly what you are looking for without having to scourer pages and pages of search results. The How-To Geek site gave a great illustration of how to do this. Say an individual wants articles written about college test scores between 2008 and 2010, but only articles written by the New York Times. Using the operator “site:” in front of “nytimes.com” will tell Google to only search on that site. Then by adding quotation marks around exact phrases you want it to look for, in this case “test scores,” it will look for those phrases when searching the site. Additionally to narrow the focus to a date range, the user may add 2008..2010 and Google will only look at the articles written within that range.

Google Scholar

The How-To Geek site also recommends Google Scholar. This specific Google search only searches academic and scholarly work. If you want to, as the How-To Geek site shows, find papers focusing on photosynthesis and written by Dr. Ronald Green, you run a search that includes the operator “author:” before “green” followed by the word “photosynthesis” in Google Scholar.

Control F

“Control F” is a great little trick to help you narrow your search results. For instance, if you are looking for recipes for a theme dinner party, like the 4th of July, but you are most interested in desserts, you can search for 4th of July recipes. After completing your search you can hold down control and hit “F” on your keyboard. This will make a little search bar appear at the top or bottom of your computer screen. Then by typing in desserts, it will narrow the current search results down highlighting all the desserts!

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Autocomplete Mishaps: How To Avoid Them

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

Some programs that were created to make your life simpler can in fact make it more embarrassing. Autocorrect in text messaging probably comes to mind. But there is also the autocomplete function in Apple’s mail app. When you begin typing an address in the “to” line of an email, the app checks your address book and will autocomplete it for you if it begins with the first letters of a name that is already there. This is often good, but it can also cause problems.

Autocomplete embarrassments

Before sending your email, the easiest thing to do is to look at the “to” field. Ensure it is addressed to the person you wish. However , you probably have a lot more people in your address book than you are aware of. Because of this, the autocomplete may pull up people you rarely talk to. This is an issue Brian Sawyer discusses in the O’Reilly Answers website. This can cause you to send important work emails to the wrong person. You might not even recognize this as the person probably won’t respond.

Removing autocomplete email addresses

Fortunately, removing autocomplete email addresses from Apple’s Mail app is a reasonably simple task. To do this, from inside Mail, click the “Window” tab. Then click on “Previous Recipients.” Search for the email address that you’d like to remove. Once you’ve found it, highlight it and press the “Remove From List” button. That’s easy, and quick. And it will reduce any future email address embarrassments.

Monitoring is key

Monitoring your address book is vital to solving this issue. After all, even collaborating with someone on a Google Doc can add his or her email to your address book. So be sure you regularly check the email addresses in your address book and always double check the email address that is actually in the “to” field before sending an email.

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International Travel and Your Smartphone

Friday, November 16th, 2012

You wouldn’t think of traveling around the globe without your smartphone. After all, that little device can help you quickly change plane reservations, find the trendiest new restaurants, and find out just how busy the highway to your hotel is. However, there’s one problem: Using your cell phone outside the United States can cost you big bucks.

The pain of international texting

The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler blog wrote a recent article concerning just how much an international traveler may get charged. Some of the charges include: 50 cents for every text message sent or received, international call rates can be $2, $3, to even $5 a minute, and as far as acquiring data, it can cost you up to $15 for every megabyte of data you receive. There are certain things you can do to avoid these charges from occurring.

Stay disconnected

This seems obvious, the simplest way to not accumulate charges on your phone is to not use it when over seas, but for the majority of us that is inconceivable. And it may be more difficult than it sounds. Many hotels do not have in-room phones anymore. However, you may be able to use the hotels free Wi-Fi network. But that is only a solution for checking your email, social media sites, and usually having access to the Internet. One thing you could do to solve this is set up an account on your phone with Skype or Google Voice so you can make calls. This is not free, but less costly than the alternative.

International SIM Cards

Another choice is to purchase a SIM card. This only works if your phone company enables you to use other providers. The Frugal Traveler tested out Telestial’s Passport card for $19 and OneSimCard’s Standard card for $30. According to them, both of these worked well and both will give you a main phone number that is not from your home country.

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Chrome Extensions to Help You Focus

Friday, November 9th, 2012

We understand: You sit in front of your computer all day every day, typing reports, answering email messages, and creating presentations. It’s difficult to stand up to the temptation to run over to TMZ.com to catch up on the most recent celebrity news. But all those side trips to the Internet’s guilty pleasures can add up to a lot of lost time during the day. They can cut into your productivity, something your boss won’t enjoy. Fortunately, if you use the Chrome web browser, you can add several extensions intended to keep the Internet’s distractions from cutting into your workday. The Huffington Post recently took a look at the best distraction-blasting Chrome extensions. We concentrate on 4 below. Use these and you just might be surprised at how productive you can be.

Stay Focused

This neat add-on sets a timer for specific sites. As you go to the sites throughout the day the time counts down. Once it expires the add-on will block the site for the remainder of the day.

Cool Clock

Cool clock is a great add-on for Chrome if you find that you miss meetings or appointments. It comes with a clock, calendar, alarm, timer and hourly desktop time notifications. You can use this for more than just a tool to remind you about meetings. It can also remind you of important tasks you should complete.

Last Pass

Do you have a lot of passwords? Do you spend a lot of time trying to remember this one or that one? Last Pass is a Chrome add-on that tries to make this easier. It manages your online passwords for you so you do not have to fight to remember them.

Turn off the Lights

If you need to watch videos often as part of your job but get distracted easily, this extension comes in handy. Turn off the Lights dims everything else on your screen but keeps your media player bright so that you have to concentrate on the video you are watching instead of the other things you have open.

Please, I’d love to hear about your favorite extensions and tools.

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How To: Force Android Updates and More

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

Most of us use computers everyday whether it’s a desktop, laptop, and/or tablet. And we could use all the help we can get. Here are a couple tricks that will make life easier, and hopefully alleviate some stress.

Forcing Android to check for system updates

The operating systems on your devices get updates frequently. But you often have to wait for them to hit your devices. This can be a bummer as you are watching for a feature or fix you have read about, or maybe there is an exciting new service that is coming with your next update. You could just patiently await it, but there is a way that you can force you Android device to check for an update. The website Ghack explains how: Go to the “Settings” menu. Click “Apps” and select “Show All.” Then find the “Google Services Framework” and click on the “Clear Data” option. Finally, click the “Force Stop” button. If there is an update available, your device will retrieve it.

Protecting your eyes

Computer screens are bad for your eyes and over time they can do long term damage if you stare at them every day. This is where these tricks from the Atlantic can come in handy. The simplest of which is to make sure your computer screen is clean, and the brightest thing around. One other good habit to get into is to take “20-20-20” breaks. Focus your eyes on a spot 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. And finally, don’t sit too close. If you can high-five your computer screen, you are too close.

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Choosing Tech That Is Right For Your Lifestyle

Friday, November 2nd, 2012

It seems like we read about a new tablet or smartphone coming onto the market everyday. This might put pressure on people in the business world to purchase the latest and greatest tech.

Diff’rent folks, diff’rent tech

Truth is, though, people are different. Some need the latest and greatest technology. Others can get by totally fine without making the jump to the highest of the high-tech. What sort of technology suits you? It may be useful to take a long look at your real needs before choosing to invest in new technology.

Tablets

Think about tablets, they are handy, fun, and can make life simpler for some people. But they are not a requirement for all consumers. If you do much of your computing at home or in the office, and you have a smartphone to pull up your email messages when you’re on the go, you may not need a tablet. Many of the basic things you can do with a smartphone you can do with a tablet. However, if you are a person who does most of their computing on the go, in the coffee shop or while traveling, then you might need a tablet.

The Smartphone revolution

Smartphones permit us to use the Internet, send and receive emails, as well as perform all of the functions a normal cell phone would. But does everyone need a smartphone? This comes down to how much computing you do on the road, some people may choose to have their commuting time between work and home to be disconnected from their email. If you are someone who has time sensitive emails that you must attend to, then you may require an advanced smartphone.

Next time you read about the next version of the iPad, or the newest and fastest smartphone, think about how you live your life. This will help you decide if you need to make the investment. Of course, there is always the issue of desire.  I have all the latest “toys”, not necessarily because I need them, but more because I want them.  Oh, but, they do serve a business purpose. :)

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Some Alternatives to Microsoft Word

Friday, October 26th, 2012

Using a word processor should be easy, right? All you do is type, right? Microsoft Word is the most widely used word processor but it’s not very basic. While some people enjoy the variety of features of Word, others could do without all the extras. Don’t get me wrong, I love all those features (at least the ones that I use) but some people prefer something a bit more basic.

Too many features with Word?

One thing that some find irritating while using Microsoft Word is that many of its features are automatically applied to your document. For instance, auto indentations and capitalization. If you didn’t want a word capitalized or a paragraph indented you have to take extra steps to reformat your document. Microsoft Word also underlines grammatical errors and misspelling, making your document visually chaotic. There are things you can do to configure these options but that’s a different article.  Today is about alternatives to MS Word.

Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives to Word, all of which make the act of writing letters, stories, or blog posts, and messages on the computer a much less difficult task. Best news of all? Many of the best Word alternatives won’t cost users anything.

Free Word alternatives

One of the best word processors on the market, other than Microsoft Word, is WordPad. This program comes preinstalled on Microsoft-powered desktops and has evolved quite a bit since it’s release on Windows 95. What started as a very basic text editor, now has most of the features that almost all people use when in Word. To access this program: Navigate to the Windows’ start button, go to “All Programs.” WordPad may be found in the “Accessories” file.

Word’s online competitors

OpenOffice.org Writer might be even better than WordPad. This program is very powerful and has lots of the same features as Word. OpenOffice.org Writer is also very intuitive to use. If you get irritated with Microsoft Word, give it a try.

What have you used?  I’m sure others would love to hear about your experiences.

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How to Use Alternative Browsers on the iPad

Friday, October 19th, 2012

If you own an Apple device, you have realized that Safari is the default browser. Safari is a good browser but did you know that you are able to download other browsers like Chrome and Opera onto your gadget? Sadly, you cannot set them as the default browser unless you are ready to manually tinker with your iPad, which no one who is not an experienced techie should do.

The default option

This means that when you tap a link in a program, your iPad or iPhone will instantly use Safari to open that link. If you’d rather open the link in another web browser that you’ve downloaded to your gadget, you need to copy the link, open your alternative browser, and then paste your link in that browser’s search bar. Is this a pain? A bit. But if you truly prefer an alternative browser to Safari, then you’ll take the extra step.

Alternative browsers

Rob Pegoraro, a columnist for USA Today, stated in a recent article that with the release of Chrome, Google has been endeavoring to highlight the fact that alternate browsers can be utilised on iPads and iPhones. And it is very simple to do this, just navigate to your preferred browser’s home page, and go through the download instructions for iOS.

A mix and match approach

Using different browsers for various purposes can help you stay organized. For instance, you may want to use Safari as your general web surfing browser, and use Chrome or Opera to keep the tabs open you use for personal matters. Or perhaps you would like to use Dolphin for business. In any case, do not let the fact that Safari is your gadget’s default browser keep you from downloading and utilizing your favorite browser.

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