Since hitting the market in 2007, Apple's (AAPL) iPhone has seen incredible growth. The design is sleek and the experience is user-friendly. Besides, there are more than 140,000 applications to download.
Interestingly enough, more and more entrepreneurs are using the iPhone to help run their businesses.
So what are some of the top apps? Well, I had a chance to talk to Rick Singer, who operates TechStartUps.com (which is a site that provides coverage of business technologies). Yes, he's an avid user of the iPhone and has provided some apps to consider. Let's take a look:
Bento ($4.99): This is part of FileMaker, which is actually wholly-owned by Apple. Bento helps you perform tasks like keeping track of your contacts and calendar, monitoring your projects, setting up to-do lists and even cataloging inventory. You can also use it for personal things, such as to log the progress of your diet. In fact, Bento has a template exchange that allows you to download hundreds of tasks.
Box.net (free): What if you're working with a client and need to share large files and make edits? Or, you have a programmer who is off-shore and you need to manage a project? This is easy to do with Box.net, which is a web-based collaboration service. As for the iPhone app, the latest version allows you to post, view and reply to comments on any file or folder. It's also possible to edit Microsoft (MSFT) Word and Excel files.
HoursTracker ($2.99): With this app, you can track the time sheets for workers and contractors. It's a matter of just tapping on a clock and adding a description. You can also add hourly rate information and the estimated tax percentage, which is automatically calculated.
Invoice2go ($9.99): As the name implies, you can create invoices, bill clients and generate reports. There are a variety of templates for invoices, allowing for customization.
Business Card Reader ($4.99): Have a stack of business cards you need to enter? You can take pictures of the cards, which will then be scanned and converted into a contact list.
Posted Feb 21st 2010 5:40PM by Tom Taulli
Tom Taulli advises on business tax preparation and resolving tax problems. He is also the author of a variety of books, including The Complete M&A Handbook. His website is at Taulli.com.
Tags: AAPL, Apple, apps, Bento, Box.net, featured, HoursTracker, Invoice2go, iPhone, Rick Singer, TechStartUps.com
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
iPhone vs. Nexus One
With the Nexus One from Google as the latest addition into the smartphone market, a lot of people are starting to look at the landscape and ask themselves if the iPhone is still the dominant product. These days, customers have more options and subsequently want to know which device would win in an iPhone vs. Nexus One matchup, and if other smartphones like the Droid should enter the fray as well. Let's match these gadgets up to really find which smartphone rules the market.
Checking out a straight feature-by-feature matchup of the iPhone and the Nexus One, we see immediately that the storage space on the iPhone - currently available as either 16 GB or 32GB - dwarfs the Nexus One, coming in at a paltry 4 GB. The Nexus memory is expandable up to 32GB, but you'll need to buy that as an extra (Around $100). The battery lives are comparable, with Nexus One winning in the "talking time" department and the iPhone winning in "standby mode."
Other features that customers have come to expect, like GPS, voice activation, WiFi access and cameras are available on both the Nexus One and the iPhone, so you won't miss out if you choose either one or the other. There is, of course, always iPhone's massive App store to consider - the Apps available for the Nexus One are still adequate, but don't reach near the volume of the Apple App store.
With pretty similar features thus far, half of the iPhone vs. Nexus One debate comes down to price. Which smartphone simply offers the best bang for the buck? In The US, Nexus One's T-Mobile connection pits against the iPhone's AT&T network and comes in with around $50 less for an unlimited usage plan, while the gadget itself (with plan attached) shaves $20 off of the iPhone price.
Over 24 months, you would save over $1,000 with the unlimited Nexus One plan over the iPhone unlimited plan, but the prices are more comparable when comparing the "average" plans, which sees Nexus Phone still at a $500 advantage.
Understanding which smartphone you'd like to purchase comes down to your priorities: Do you want access to the thousands of Apps available for the iPhone, or are you ok with the decent but limited offering for the Nexus? Is price the bottom line as you're trying to scrimp and save for other worthy purchases? Ask yourself these questions and you'll have a better idea of which phone to buy.
The bottom line? In this iPhone vs. Nexus One debate, you would be hard-pressed to regret making either purchase decision. The prices are better for the Nexus One, but out of the box, the storage capacity is at least four times as good with the iPhone - just about every other feature is present in both phones, except for the famous iPhone App store, which remains an advantage over other phones.
By iphoneauctions
Checking out a straight feature-by-feature matchup of the iPhone and the Nexus One, we see immediately that the storage space on the iPhone - currently available as either 16 GB or 32GB - dwarfs the Nexus One, coming in at a paltry 4 GB. The Nexus memory is expandable up to 32GB, but you'll need to buy that as an extra (Around $100). The battery lives are comparable, with Nexus One winning in the "talking time" department and the iPhone winning in "standby mode."
Other features that customers have come to expect, like GPS, voice activation, WiFi access and cameras are available on both the Nexus One and the iPhone, so you won't miss out if you choose either one or the other. There is, of course, always iPhone's massive App store to consider - the Apps available for the Nexus One are still adequate, but don't reach near the volume of the Apple App store.
With pretty similar features thus far, half of the iPhone vs. Nexus One debate comes down to price. Which smartphone simply offers the best bang for the buck? In The US, Nexus One's T-Mobile connection pits against the iPhone's AT&T network and comes in with around $50 less for an unlimited usage plan, while the gadget itself (with plan attached) shaves $20 off of the iPhone price.
Over 24 months, you would save over $1,000 with the unlimited Nexus One plan over the iPhone unlimited plan, but the prices are more comparable when comparing the "average" plans, which sees Nexus Phone still at a $500 advantage.
Understanding which smartphone you'd like to purchase comes down to your priorities: Do you want access to the thousands of Apps available for the iPhone, or are you ok with the decent but limited offering for the Nexus? Is price the bottom line as you're trying to scrimp and save for other worthy purchases? Ask yourself these questions and you'll have a better idea of which phone to buy.
The bottom line? In this iPhone vs. Nexus One debate, you would be hard-pressed to regret making either purchase decision. The prices are better for the Nexus One, but out of the box, the storage capacity is at least four times as good with the iPhone - just about every other feature is present in both phones, except for the famous iPhone App store, which remains an advantage over other phones.
By iphoneauctions
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Unlock and Warm Up Your Car With Your iPhone
Directed Electronics SmartStart, an iPhone app made by car-security firm Directed Electronics, allows users to lock, unlock or start their cars from their phones.
Directed Electronics, the company that sells the Viper car-alarm system, has developed an accompanying app called SmartStart that lets customers use their phone to lock or unlock the car, or turn the alarm on and off.
“There’s so many apps that are neat but don’t necessarily bring much more utility to the user,” said Kevin Duffy, president of Directed. “This really makes your life better.”
They can also press a button to start it — something customers like because they can avoid a chilly ride this way, he said — open the trunk, or press a panic button that makes the headlights flash and sounds the horn. The panic button doubles as a car finder in crowded parking lots and has been known to be used as a wake-up call as well, he said.
For several years, the company has sold key fobs that can start customers’ cars as far away as two miles, but buildings can interfere with its range, he said. The iPhone app, which also works on Apple iPod touch, is so much more robust that he’s used it from New York to unlock his wife’s car in California when she accidentally locked her keys inside, he said.
SmartStart has been downloaded more than 100,000 times since it was introduced on the App Store in mid-October, Mr. Duffy said. It is free but doesn’t work on your car unless it has Viper’s system installed, which costs $300 to $500, plus a service agreement. Best Buy, and eventually other electronics retailers, sell the system, he said.
The company is working on additional features, such as alerts when the alarm activates or if the car doesn’t start, down the road, he said.
WSJ written by Andrew LaVallee
Directed Electronics, the company that sells the Viper car-alarm system, has developed an accompanying app called SmartStart that lets customers use their phone to lock or unlock the car, or turn the alarm on and off.
“There’s so many apps that are neat but don’t necessarily bring much more utility to the user,” said Kevin Duffy, president of Directed. “This really makes your life better.”
They can also press a button to start it — something customers like because they can avoid a chilly ride this way, he said — open the trunk, or press a panic button that makes the headlights flash and sounds the horn. The panic button doubles as a car finder in crowded parking lots and has been known to be used as a wake-up call as well, he said.
For several years, the company has sold key fobs that can start customers’ cars as far away as two miles, but buildings can interfere with its range, he said. The iPhone app, which also works on Apple iPod touch, is so much more robust that he’s used it from New York to unlock his wife’s car in California when she accidentally locked her keys inside, he said.
SmartStart has been downloaded more than 100,000 times since it was introduced on the App Store in mid-October, Mr. Duffy said. It is free but doesn’t work on your car unless it has Viper’s system installed, which costs $300 to $500, plus a service agreement. Best Buy, and eventually other electronics retailers, sell the system, he said.
The company is working on additional features, such as alerts when the alarm activates or if the car doesn’t start, down the road, he said.
WSJ written by Andrew LaVallee
Friday, February 19, 2010
Who says no to Google? Apparently, Sony Ericsson.
In an interview with Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan, Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg revealed that Google first approached his company to build the Nexus One smartphone but it turned the opportunity down, making way for HTC to produce it.
Berg said Sony Ericsson wants to release phones under its own brand only and prefers to rely on its own efforts to make it in the U.S. market. Now, we can certainly admire the company's determination, but come on, Sony Ericsson, there's a time when you have to put your pride aside and do what's right for the business. You don't exactly have the largest marketshare in North America, let alone the world.
Despite all this, Sony Ericsson is still committed to the Google's Android platform and even introduced two new Android devices at Mobile World Congress 2010, the Xperia X10 Mini and the Xperia X10 Mini Pro, which are both due out in Q2. The company's first Android phone, the Xperia X10, is expected to be released later this month.
(Source: ZDNet)
Originally posted at Android Atlas
In an interview with Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan, Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg revealed that Google first approached his company to build the Nexus One smartphone but it turned the opportunity down, making way for HTC to produce it.
Berg said Sony Ericsson wants to release phones under its own brand only and prefers to rely on its own efforts to make it in the U.S. market. Now, we can certainly admire the company's determination, but come on, Sony Ericsson, there's a time when you have to put your pride aside and do what's right for the business. You don't exactly have the largest marketshare in North America, let alone the world.
Despite all this, Sony Ericsson is still committed to the Google's Android platform and even introduced two new Android devices at Mobile World Congress 2010, the Xperia X10 Mini and the Xperia X10 Mini Pro, which are both due out in Q2. The company's first Android phone, the Xperia X10, is expected to be released later this month.
(Source: ZDNet)
Originally posted at Android Atlas
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I had several goals in mind when I started cellphonestore4u.com. The first was to learn as much as I could about the internet/ecommerce business. Secondly, I thought it would be a challenging but fun business venture. Needless to say, both have proven to be true thus far.
So with a very tiny shoe string budget in hand, the continual support and patience of my MUCH MORE BUSINESS SAVVY wife Carmen, I have launched the website and have truly been learning as I go!!
So why, you might ask, did I pick a cellular website that focuses on cell phones and celluar accessories? Well as a consumer, I found myself constantly searching for cellular phones and accessories on different websites. It would usually start with a google search followed by a destination website followed by another google search followed by another site etc. etc etc. (Well you get it).
This brings me to my third goal which was to develop a website where someone looking to purchase anything to do with cell phones could go and feel comfortable browsing, finding and hopefully purchasing the cellular items they need. I believe cellphonestore4u.com accomplishes this.
So what's the difference between cellphonestore4u.com and other cellular websites. The answer is me! I am not a capitalist nor am I looking to make millions on the website (although I wouldn't dread the idea). I am a consumer, just like most of you who visit the website. I want what all of you want. I want a place where I can go to find all my cellular needs and I believe cellphonestore4u.com accomplishes this.
If you noticed, none of my primary goals relative to the website revolved around money!! This might be hard to believe but it is true. Will I need money to keep the website up and running? The answer is yes but, I assure you, my business plan focuses more on what I believe the website will bring me in expereince.
Thanks for checking out my blog, the website, for your support and hopefully your business. If you like what you see on the website and/or see value in it, please tell a friend, if something on the website leaves you curious or you have questions, please let me know.
Peace,
cme117
So with a very tiny shoe string budget in hand, the continual support and patience of my MUCH MORE BUSINESS SAVVY wife Carmen, I have launched the website and have truly been learning as I go!!
So why, you might ask, did I pick a cellular website that focuses on cell phones and celluar accessories? Well as a consumer, I found myself constantly searching for cellular phones and accessories on different websites. It would usually start with a google search followed by a destination website followed by another google search followed by another site etc. etc etc. (Well you get it).
This brings me to my third goal which was to develop a website where someone looking to purchase anything to do with cell phones could go and feel comfortable browsing, finding and hopefully purchasing the cellular items they need. I believe cellphonestore4u.com accomplishes this.
So what's the difference between cellphonestore4u.com and other cellular websites. The answer is me! I am not a capitalist nor am I looking to make millions on the website (although I wouldn't dread the idea). I am a consumer, just like most of you who visit the website. I want what all of you want. I want a place where I can go to find all my cellular needs and I believe cellphonestore4u.com accomplishes this.
If you noticed, none of my primary goals relative to the website revolved around money!! This might be hard to believe but it is true. Will I need money to keep the website up and running? The answer is yes but, I assure you, my business plan focuses more on what I believe the website will bring me in expereince.
Thanks for checking out my blog, the website, for your support and hopefully your business. If you like what you see on the website and/or see value in it, please tell a friend, if something on the website leaves you curious or you have questions, please let me know.
Peace,
cme117
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