All posts by Technologer

Marketing

Great Techniques of Using Digital Signage for Developing Followers for Your Brand

There is so much competition in business today that if you are unable to adopt the best practices in marketing, you could simply sink in no time.  The ability to adapt and manage change had always been remarkable for businesses, but it was never as much relevant as it is today. This is perhaps a reason for the popularity of digital signage’s that have become the essential tool in branding. Despite the traditional and online avenues of branding still doing good, digital signage’s have given marketers a shot in the arm as it enables them to take a direct approach to connecting brands with consumers. No matter how good your products or services might be, just upholding it in front of customers will do little good for your business. You have to connect the brand with customers to influence them in choosing it.

Digital signage’s are much more than the electronic restaurant menu board as it plays a major role in building brands and even go a few steps ahead to earn value for it. In simple words, if you are keen to acquire brand equity, you should know how to use digital signage’s to your advantage.  The aim should be to build a cult following for your brand by projecting it as a concept that relates closely to people’s lifestyle and does not remain merely a product or service. If you look at some top brands like Google or Apple, you would realize how these brands have infiltrated into our lives and have become a part of it.  When searching for anything, we tell people to ‘Google’ it as the brand has become synonymous with searches.

It’s a lifestyle and not a brand

To turn your brand into an extension of a lifestyle, you can use digital signage’s that help to display content that moves beyond product features. There is a certain freshness about digital signage’s. Its immersive qualities create closeness with customers that help to build an identity for your brand that is distinctly different and easily recognizable. The colors, the logo, the fonts and the design in presenting content has the marks of your brand that remains immersed in the content. Use of images and videos make the content more expressive.  You can extend your brand messaging by using digital signage’s intelligently. Choose from various options ranging from interactive brand activation to attractive digital window displays. Providing various digital experiences to customers helps to drive home the brand message with ease.

In this article, we will focus on the various ways that digital signage’s can help you develop a cult following for your brand.

Tell your story

To touch the hearts of customers and bring bands closer to them, the lesser you speak directly about product features better it is. The idea behind the approach is to create a personalized experience with the brand first by convincing customers about the value they could derive from it. When customers become confident about the brand, they would automatically buy it.  For creating a personalized experience, you have to tell a story about the brand that captures the imagination of customers.  The digital signage is an excellent platform for telling stories.You can capitalize on its ability to engage and educate the customers and even influence their behavior and decision about buying by inspiring them.

Create customer engagement

When you can develop a cult following for your brand, it becomes easy to use digital signage’s for engaging closely with customers.  The advantage of using digital signage’s is that it allows customers to interact with the brand by using the interactive features of touch screens. Several users can access information about the brand at the same time without causing any inconvenience to other users as you can set up several screens for displaying the content.  By using advanced technology, it is possible to collect useful customer data from digital signage’s with face recognition features that not only recognizes customers but also collects various demographic data. You can use the data to sever more targeted content for better engagement.

Encourage sharing

Humans have the innate tendency to share experiences that excite them. Digital signage’s provide the opportunity of displaying high-quality content that attracts customers and encourages them to share it with others. Visual content, in particular, stimulates the brain faster and generates positive reactions that result in sharing of content. Word of mouth about the high-quality content would spread far and wide and you could experience more footfalls at the store. Soon you would find customers turning loyal to you.

While people might argue if digital signage’s are outstanding or not, there cannot be any debate about its ability to make you stand out from the crowd. It brings people closer to the brand and provides the opportunity of creating a lasting impact for your brand.

————-

 Author Bio: Karen Anthony is a Business Tech Analyst.  She has exploited the benefits of the electronic restaurant menu board as it plays a major role in building brands in the restaurant industry.

General

5 Ways to outsource your financial management

Financial Management: The Path To Wealth Or Debt

One of the most common occurrences in life is debt. Many people struggle to stay on top financially. Meanwhile, many often wonder what separates the few people who always manage to keep their cash flow strong.

Most debt comes down to one simple factor: The management of your finances. Correctly navigating the balance between your income and outgoings is often the difference between debt and prosperity.

This is because most loans or bills work through penalizing late or missed payments. This means debts can quickly mount up and become unmanageable.

Loans, bills and other expenses can often be overlooked or forgotten too. So, even if you had the money to pay them initially, they can quickly become too expensive.

A lot of people can be inefficient with their income too. Spending on unnecessary things or impulse buying can quickly leave you short on money. This creates the same problem as mounting debts.

So, the major factor in keeping you financially healthy is managing your money and bills. But, this is easier said than done. Most people are too busy to keep such a close eye on their finances. This is especially true for those who are already in debt and are trying to work their way out.

The best option for many of these individuals is simply to outsource their financial management to another person or organization. This will allow a tighter watch to be kept over your money without tying you up. But, many people are unaware of how to do this.

So, below, we put together five ways you can outsource your financial management to make your life easier and stay financially stable.

5 Ways To Outsource Your Financial Management

1. Financial management firms

Using financial management firms when outsourcing financial management is usually a practice done by businesses. But, some firms also offer a similar service for private individuals. Here, your expenses and income are taken care of by a company.

Your money is either used to pay bills and debts, saved, or provided to you for expenses. The two drawbacks to this are the cost of these firms and the loss of control over your money. But, it is one of the most effective ways of getting your finances under control.

2. Wage garnishment agreements

The use of lawyers to help with wage garnishment is a common occurrence for those already in debt. But, they can be as useful for those trying to avoid debt. Wage garnishment lawyer help draw up agreements to have your employer withhold a certain amount of your wages to pay debts.

This automatic form of payment is effortless and helps you pay your debts quicker to stop them building up. It’s also cheaper than the above option, as you only need to draw up an agreement once. Although you may need to pay again to end the agreement.

3. Use technology

The use of apps on your smartphone is an easy and very low-cost way of having your finances managed. While it’s not outsourcing the management completely, some apps offer analysis of your incomes and expenses. Others even offer a way to pay your bills automatically, so they don’t go unnoticed.

The only drawback here is the work you will need to do to set up the apps and review how they are working now and again.

4. Use an accountant

This is a scaled-down version of the first option and should be considered even if you are good at managing your finances yourself. An accountant can help you get a clear view of your income and outgoings and can help you manage your money better.

They may also help you save some money by showing some tax-efficient ways to spend or save your cash. They can also be hired as-needed for added efficiency.

5. A family member or close friend

This is one of the oldest ways of outsourcing your financial management. But, it is one of the riskiest. Giving financial control to a close friend or family member can help save you from impulse buying and unnecessary spending.

But, if there are conflict arises, related or unrelated, to finances, this can cause a strain on the relationship. So, this method merits careful thought and should only be considered by those who can’t choose any of the above options.

 

————————–

Author Bio: Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

Computers

6 Big Data Solutions That Empower Amazon Cloud Services

From the past 12 years, Amazon cloud services are offering prominent data and cloud computing solutions to companies that deal with large data. They assure accessibility to big data solutions to their customers for computing and analyzing data. AWS web services offer a wide range of efficiently distinguished tools that extends all the cloud computing need from the framework required for computing big data to analytics used for understanding those data. Additionally, AWS web services offer other actions and tools for managing big data. Let’s have a glance at some of the features of the most popular big data solutions offered by AWS. We will focus on the benefits of AWS for big data. An adequate understanding of the approach of AWS towards big data will leave an impact on the business of big data solutions in the future.

In this post, we discuss 6 big data solutions that are expected to boostl the Amazon web services in India.

Framework: The foremost crucial step in working with any data is to process it. To accomplish this, AWS offers managed and distributed frameworks for quick, cost-effective, and simple processing of copious data. The fact that AWS web services offer pay-as-you-go approach to the users that assists them to run a variety of frameworks as per their needs to process the data.

Storage and Databases: A substantial number of databases is required to store and process big data. It is crucial to prefer a scalable storage option in order to maintain the variations in cost-effectiveness. AWS web hosting services offer several database and storage options to meet the needs of the business’ data with all the flexibility to maintain broad capabilities of big data.

Intelligence: Big data is quintessentially present in the business intelligence of the gained data. Furthermore, the BI offers feasible insights to businesses to radically transform their landscapes. AWS web services platform provides the access to Amazon QuickSight (AQS) to its patrons. AQS serves as a business intelligence solution for big data, supporting business calculations, their market valuations, and rich visuals.

Data Warehousing: Another very prominent solution offered by Amazon cloud services is Amazon Redshift, a data warehouse to entirely organize, process, and manipulate the business data. Compared to the traditional data warehouse, Redshift is less expensive, easier to maintain and analyze a large amount of data. Users can obtain rapid responses by running queries on structured data using Redshift.

Serverless Compute: Handling servers is a thing of past. Nowadays, big data server compute is taken care by AWS Lambda, where the users are charged for when the code is running and compute is being utilized. This service is highly cost-effective and scalable when working with a vast amount of data.

Analytics: Big data analytics is a system involved in examining and processing the diverse and large amount of data. The big data analytical tool offered by AWS web services is used to concurrently load and process large data. The real-time analytical tools possess effective services, such as loading streaming data into AWS, running analytical queries and scaling them instantly. These tools also build custom apps directly in AWS to provide processed data.

Among all the options for big data solution, AWS web hosting is absolutely leading the charge as a big data solution provider. The most legitimate part of Amazon cloud services is that it comes down to the needs of the individual business and the kind of big data the business is working with.

Hardware

Five Major Differences Between Cobots and Robots

Birthed in 1995, the concept of collaborative robots was part of a research project led by the General Motors Foundation. The foundation’s main aim was to create robots that were so safe they could work in collaboration with human beings. Now, about twenty three years later, cobots have not only found a place on the floors of numerous factories but are also a major trend in the world of robotics and technological developments of today. They are changing methods of operation especially in our automation, manufacturing and processing industries.

Out with the heavy and imposing traditional robots that stay locked in cages for our safety. It is time to pave way for collaborative robots. Cobots, unlike traditional robots are designed to work alongside humans, with them and not for them. However, even with their recent popularity, most people still don’t fully understand the difference between cobots and robots. Here are some of them.

Cobots have a partnership with human beings

Unlike traditional robots, cobots are designed to work collaboratively with humans just as the name suggests. With this new generation of robots you can say goodbye to cages or fences and hello to proper interaction.

Collaborative robots acts as assistants to human operators and are involved in targeted tasks that are sensitive and complex in nature and can’t be automated. In addition, cobots are well capable of learning. These robots have the ability to pick up objects and hand them over to humans in a more cooperative environment that is different from that of other industrial robots.

Cobots are teachable and flexible

Collaborative robots are quite easy to program. Some models of cobots are able to learn independently unlike traditional robot which need programming skills that are specialized. For instance, a technician can perform a movement with the arm of the robot thereafter, the robot can imitate and begin to reproduce automatically.

There are also other systems that can be given work instruction without the use of coding since they can simply take work instructions by the use of a graphic user interface. Therefore, employees can now flexibly program and reprogram collaborative robots and use them for a plethora of different tasks.

Cobots allow humans to concentrate on the core task of their business

Collaborative robots are tasked with the responsibility of safe handling tough, awkward or hot workpieces as well as low-added jobs in the workplace. For this reason, the human staff have all the time they need to focus on creating more added value to the business. This enables human intelligence to be refocused on other crucial aspect of the business and the chain of production.

Cobots are safe and they offer relief from risky tasks

Since collaborative robots can safely transfer dangerous bolting works, hot work pieces sharp or pointed objects, they get to fulfill tasks that would be naturally dangerous for humans. For this reason, there are far less accidents involved as compared to when the traditional industrial robots are involved.

Cobots are equipped with features that allow seamless collaboration between them and the human staff. Some models are equipped with detection sensor. This enable them to know where a human operator is at any given time. Some are also programmed to immediately stop working if the tasks they are performing poses any potential danger to a person near them. This eliminates the need for fences and cages.

Cobots can be used anywhere

Unlike traditional robots, collaborative robots can not only easy to program but they can also be moved and utilized at different points of the production chain. Most of them can be mounted on any surface either vertical, horizontal or on the ceiling. They are also light in terms of weight and can be moved from one place to another by just one person. This is not usually the case with traditional robots.

When deciding whether an industrial or collaborative robot is best suited for your business, there are many questions you need to ask yourself.

Cryptocurrency

16 Ways Blockchain is Changing the World

When the blockchain concept started years back, without a shade of doubt a considerable amount of people was probably skeptical about how far it would go. Seeing where blockchain is now, and how it has swiftly and steadily taken a firm stand in the market world, it is safe to say that the only way forward is up.

You may wonder, what exactly is blockchain? We assure you that it is not at all an unfamiliar concept as in one way or the other, the majority of the world population have found themselves partakers of its implementations. BitFortune reveals just how popular the technology has already become across numerous industries. However, breaking it down to simple terms, blockchain is a system that enables decentralized transactions across p2p networks. Simply put, it is one of the next ‘huge things’.

Blockchain is currently where IT was over two decades ago and seeing what has become of the latter, it is only understandable that experts have such high hopes for the former. Blockchain is powerfully taking over the stock market, with recorded estimated value of $20B in 2014.

The merits of blockchain are limitless. From enhancing business performance by reducing costs and efficient maximization of time, to fraud reduction, security, transparency, assured privacy, impeccable record keeping and decentralization.
It is no wonder that about 16 industries are actively getting involved in the system, eagerly developing the technology daily. Even better is the fact that there are numerous benefits and implementations for each industry and smaller businesses are also starting to take part in this new movement.

The industries cut across a wide range, from the banking sector, to cyber security, networking, insurance, cloud technology, charity, health, energy, government, real estate and several others. Obviously, no one wants to be left behind. Perhaps this is one of the few cases where joining the band wagon could turn out to be a really good thing.

Startups

10 Valuable Entrepreneurial Skills You Won’t Learn in Business School

A top business school might provide an overview of management principles and training

about how to handle challenging situations. After you enter the real corporate world, however, you need to know more than just the basics if you expect to overcome difficult situations and achieve success.

Let’s take a look at the skills you must acquire if you want to stand out:

Effective Listening

You likely learned and practiced speaking skills during your MBA program, but the skill of listening is all too often overlooked. Contrary to popular belief, speaking and listening are of equal importance when it comes to effective communication. Because many managers fail to truly listen to their team, developing the skill of listening effectively will help you rise to the top.

Business Etiquette

Corporate executives have noticed that MBAs do not immediately adhere to business etiquette upon entering the workforce. They underestimate the importance of manners, personal appearance and interpersonal etiquette which makes MBA graduates seem too casual and entitled. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, you need to develop superior interpersonal skills that fall in line with corporate business etiquette.

Career Goals

After graduating from business school, you might be ready to take on the world and achieve success as quickly as possible. If you are rushing to hit a specific benchmark, the overall quality of your work will suffer as you constantly switch jobs looking for everything to click right away.

That’s why it’s important to stay focused on your goals and realize the amount of investment in time and effort required to achieve them. During the first few months of your new job, complete every task to the best of your ability and with enthusiasm. No task is below you or not worth your time if it supports your career goals.

Computer & Internet Literacy

Nowadays nearly all work is completed on a computer or over the internet and new employees are expected to know how to use technology. Employers often discover that MBAs might know the ins and outs of Microsoft PowerPoint, but fail to grasp the advanced capabilities of Excel. Likewise, MBA graduates know their way around Facebook and email applications, but need to improve their use of LinkedIn and search engines.

Teamwork

Out of the skills on this list, working on your teamwork abilities is arguably the most important. The corporate world is very competitive which tends to turn people into self-involved and overconfident employees. Invest yourself in team projects by successfully completing all tasks assignment to you and reporting back to your other team members.

Fortunately, you can get a boost from technology to improve your teamwork skills. Take advantage of business management software to collaborate and organize the final work product. You can also suggest other sales management tools to streamline order processes. When you lead your team to complete high quality work, senior management will truly be impressed.

Patience

If you can practice patience during your first few years with a company, you’ll be better off in the long run. Many MBAs sign on as management trainees only to later complain that they are really just in a continuation of business school. Bear in mind that you are now on salary so any learning you can do on the job is a bonus.

Resilience

A common mistake made by highly talented MBAs is to switch companies as soon as things get challenging. It’s easy for MBAs to boast about a competing job offer, but much harder to deal with the challenges present at their present company. You must prove your loyalty to the organization that hired you. Loyalty in this context is not about the number of years you’ve been employed, but the contributions you are making.

Humility

It might surprise you to learn that humility is one of the most sought after attributes in recent MBA graduates. While employers review potential MBA hires to find the best and brightest, many new employees make the mistake of appearing over-confident. Resist the urge to show off and instead be respectful of senior management and listen to what they have to say. Expressing ambivalence or resistance will get you nowhere, whereas humility will help you learn and improve.

Gratitude

We should all be aware of those who contributed to our success, including professors, mentors, colleagues, and family members. It is your responsibility to express gratitude to those that have helped you and remain in contact throughout your career.

Too often, MBAs forget about the people who assisted them when they achieve a bit of success. Being grateful says volumes about your character and is directly reflected in your professional attitude.

Individual Social Responsibility

Your business program likely discussed the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, but you should also be practicing Individual Social Responsibility (ISR). Every corporate professional, as well as every citizen in general, should find ways to make their community better.

Volunteering and giving back is something you can do today so don’t put it off until your retirement. Practicing ISR comes in many forms, including: restoration of public land, education for the underprivileged and support for the elderly.

Whether you’re fresh out of college or have been in the business world for awhile–these tips will never go out of style. If you keep these tips in mind you’re likely to be a successful business man or woman for years to come.

 

————————————

Author Bio: Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

Cryptocurrency

3 Important Tips to Secure Your Cryptocurrency Investment in 2018

Cryptocurrency is everywhere. You’ve got people investing in various crypto assets, and more are being created on a regular basis.

However, how do you ensure that these assets are safe?

While hidden cameras or hidden spy cameras are highly effective in ensuring the safety of physical assets in your workplace and home, they really can’t do much in this case. To wit, consider the following tips and adhere to them:

Always keep your cryptocurrency information private

Are you the type to put a lot of information about yourself and what you do out there?

Then you might want to make an exception when it comes to your cryptocurrency.

Believe it or not, you actually become a target when you mention on any social media site at all that you invest and trade in cryptocurrency.

You might also want to stay away from public Wi-Fi networks as well. These networks provide gateways to your personal data, and it will be possible for malicious people to get their hands on some of your crypto assets that way. If you want to access your cryptocurrency account with the use of a public network, then the use of a VPN will definitely be recommended. A VPN will help to add information such as your location, name, and even your IP address (which, in turn, hides your device information)

Always use strong passwords

Yes, it might sound like a cliché. However, a lot of people tend to ignore this advice and just go about with passwords that are easily remembered. You’re actually hurting yourself and putting all your crypto assets in a lot of danger by doing this. Make sure that when it comes to your crypto accounts, your passwords are strong and it is something that can be guessed easily. Use a combination of uppercase letters, lower case letters, and numbers. You can even throw in some special characters in there as well.

Another thing about passwords is that you should really refrain from making use of a one-password-fits-all strategy. If a hacker is able to get their hands on this password, then it’s pretty much game over.

Spread your cryptocurrency across several wallets

This is another viable defense strategy. You want to ensure that your cryptocurrency is never all in one place, so try to spread them across several wallets. This basically means that you might want to have more than wallet, and if you’re the type of person who invests in more than one crypto asset, put each in a separate wallet.

Remember: Never use the same wallet password for all of them. Make your passwords long, complex, and different.

 

——————————-

Author Bio: Rachel Stinson has always had a knack for writing, food, fashion, and places. Blogging has combined all four for her with an added bonus of enthusiastic audiences. She expertly analyzes real estates, restaurants and camera stores with respect to pricing and people involved and can express her opinions in an unhesitant, engaging manner for all matters.

Internet, Marketing

How To Write An Email People Will Actually Open

 

Despite email lists being an age-old technique, it is still one of best marketing assets that you have from a business perspective. In fact, almost 59% of all B2B marketers state that this is their preferred method when it comes to developing interest, and fishing for leads.

But… it’s not that easy.

Out of the millions of email campaigns out there, the highest industry open rate is a mere 28%, the worst part about that? Only 5-percent of this 30% actually bothered to click on the links in the email (the place where the magic happens).

Woah…

Enough of the statistics! Let’s get into our tips to help you write emails that capture the attention span of potential leads and drive them down your sales funnel.

Your Subject Line Will Either Make Or Break Your Email Campaign

The attention span of your perfect customer is eight-seconds. That’s it. In this time, your email needs to stand out against the crowd in their inbox. It needs to create interest, and desire to open the email, and find out what all the buzz is about.

Subject lines need to be short, descriptive and to the point. Remember, what you can see on your computer – is not necessarily what you will be able to see on a smartphone (where majority of consumers spend their time).

Typically, you should aim to keep your subject lines under 50 characters. That’s the safe zone. Also – studies have shown that the subject line should only have the first letter of the first word capitalized. Leaving the rest lowercase actually has an impact on your open rate.

The Preheader Text – Furthering Your Net

The next thing you want to pay attention to is the first couple of lines in your email. This is also known as the preheader text. From an inbox standpoint, the first sentence (roughly 8-10 words) is shown right next to the subject line.

It is important that this matches your subject line, which will further the intrigue you create. Leading them down the yellow brick road to clicking your email and giving it a quick read.

Personalization Is The Way To Go

In the digital era, segregation is crazy. More people are spending their times feeling connected while being isolated in their home then actually going out and enjoying social experiences. This all leads to the craving to feel like they are a part of a community.

Which is why your email campaigns need to include some form of personalization.

For example, your lead generation tool should capture the email address, and at least the first-name of the individual signing up. This will mean you can send a nifty “Hey John Doe”, which consumers appreciate.

Another great idea.

Make use of your list segregation. This is a great way to not only lead your customers through the sales funnel. But also, to build brand trust, and create desire behind the product or service that you have on offer.

Send Through An Awesome Video To Improve Lead Conversion And Click Through Rates

You hear it all the time. Including images and videos in your email marketing campaigns is a big no-no.

Well, it’s partly true.

It all depends on the engagement that you have on your email lists. The reason why some consider this as a no-no is because these emails are more likely to end up in the spam folder. But if you have loyal subscribers that look out for your email on a regular basis – this is not a problem you need to worry about.

Which is where you can take full advantage of videos in your email to improve lead conversions. It could be anything really. For example, a cool animated video explaining exactly how your service works. There are companies that can help you record and send video, while minimizing the risk of ending up in the “no mans land” spam folder.

Be Consistent With Your Email Newsletters (Probably The Most Important Part)

Marketing in modern society is based on the AIDA principle. Which is essentially creating awareness of your brand, driving interest to your product/service, instilling a desire into potential customers, which then turns into an action when they purchase what you have on offer.

The entire ideology behind a marketing campaign is to take them from “being interested” to having enough “desire” to actually click through and pay you for your product/service.

But if they never know when to expect an email, you are losing half of your influence.

Which is why being consistent is super important. Now, we are not saying you need to worry about posting on a daily basis. But we would recommend having a specific day of the week, at roughly the same time when subscribers can expect your email.

Time Your Emails Properly

The next important part of getting your emails opened is the timing. Which still falls under the being consistent flag.

For example, if you have a blog that focuses on healthy recipes for breakfast. Sending a newsletter in the evening wouldn’t exactly help, now would it?

Make sure you know where the majority of your audience is, and what time best suits them for the type of content you will be sending their way. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be sending better emails in no time.

 

—————————–

Author Bio: Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

Marketing, Social Media

How to Use Social Media to Boost In-Store Sales

Most retailers will have at the very least set up the main social media profiles. The problem is that not many people use their social media profiles effectively and they generally only update sporadically. This infographic from Colourfast will hopefully help as it looks at how retailers can use social media to boost in-store sales. The reality is that a well-managed social can help to drive your business forward so it really isn’t an area that should be ignored.

Communicating with your customers on social media has become just as important as over email or over the phone so it might be worth hiring a social media manager or at the very least have someone within the company who has experience with social media keeping them updated.

See the full infographic now to learn about how your store can use social media more effectively. Hopefully you will learn a few things from it.

None

8 Ways to Succeed and Profit with a Trucking Business

 

Trucking businesses are necessary to the growth and stability of the US economy. However, right now, there’s a shortage of commercial trucks on the roads, and there has been for years. That shortage isn’t going to be solved anytime. That creates an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to get into the trucking business, all you need to do is get structured, hire a few drivers, and manage your equipment. The following tips will help you remain on the path to profitability.

Be Compliant and Do Your Research

ELD or “Electronic Logging Device.” Recently, it became legally necessary to have one of these installed in every single truck in the US that’s driving commercially. The idea is to prevent dangerous levels of stress and fatigue on truck drivers, creating hazardous health and road conditions. The reality is, much of the ELD technology available is sub-standard. Signals cut out. Companies refuse to do maintenance on their equipment, etc.

Always do your research on any ELD company. See if your drivers have worked with a particular technology before. There are a handful of top-tier companies out there, and they should be easy to find on forums. Be wary, however, of the handful of companies pouring most of their money into marketing their product, rather than developing it, hoping to sign small trucking companies into a contract.

Treat Your Drivers Well

Right now, there is a driver shortage in the trucking industry, and it’s not getting any better. The good news is, especially for new trucking companies, that driver shortage means that larger companies can’t fill as many orders, leaving plenty of shipments up for grabs.

However, this shortage can also make for an interesting hiring and turnover process. With sign-on bonuses at all-time highs, up to $8,000 with larger companies, how can a new, small business compete? Benefits. Very few trucking companies treat their truckers like actual employees, instead of trying to frame them as independent contractors.

Truckers, on the other hand, prefer to work with companies legitimately. They want to be part of a team. Whether you’re a new trucking company or you want to improve your current business, focus on what your drivers want. Ask them. Do they want higher per mile rates and are willing to take hazard loads? Do they want to stay local? Do they want to be home on weekends? If you lose your drivers, your business will suffer. Pay attention and respect them.

Prepare for the Future

The ELD rule “blindsided” many small and mid-size trucking companies, even though they were given ample warning. Once it went into effect, they realized that though they thought they had accurately been tracking times, their logs weren’t matching up to the numbers reported on ELDs. Why? The numbers had been changed, manually, or never recorded accurately in the first place. Now that the rule is in place, small companies are having to scramble to fix their businesses, all the while missing out new shipments and current contracts.

The lesson here? Pay attention to any new rules and technologies in your space. Don’t assume a new rule won’t affect your company. Keep accurate logs of everything, double check them, and make sure they match up to reality.

Grow Slowly

In the trucking industry, it can be incredibly tempting to add another truck to your fleet and realize, too late, that you just don’t have enough loads, consistently, to make it worthwhile. Make the most of what you have before you even think of expansion, even if it means turning away a job every once in a while. Remember, right now there are more jobs than trucks, but there are still more trucks than drivers.

You have options beyond trucks in the trucking industry, too. Vans, setups perfect for small and local runs, can also be ways to utilize new drivers and spaces between large loads (if you have any.) Short routes, especially if they’re time-critical, can also be much more profitable than large loads. If you already have the infrastructure in place, adding this type of service to your company’s offerings can set your services apart.

Contract with Local Businesses

Local businesses, factories, import and export, grocery and discount stores- if there isn’t a local trucking company near you, working with these businesses could be advantageous for both of you. By having your trucks nearby, you save these businesses on mileage costs overall.

Work with Owner-Operators

If you ever are considering expansion but don’t have the capacity, contracting out to a local owner-operator or two for a regular job is worth considering. Owner-operators have their trucks (though they typically borrow trailers from their employers) and will transport a load for a per-mile fee. They also cover all maintenance and truck-related costs themselves, out of this payment.

Anticipate and Plan for Expenses

You will have sudden, unexpected expenses if one of your trucks breaks down. It will happen. Further, adverse weather conditions, like snow, can be an unpredictable, sudden setback preventing trucks from returning or leaving until the roads are cleared. Before this happens, you need to have a plan in place to deal with a lack of cash.

There are two main ways to go about this. First, if you can see an upcoming expense you won’t be able to cover, like downtime during a snowstorm, you should be able to cut certain costs over a period. If this isn’t enough to close the gap, or you have a more immediate cash need, a loan is the way to go. In the trucking industry, title loans for commercial semi trucks will get you your money faster and get you back in business sooner.

Use the Right Tools

There are plenty of tools available to trucking companies, specifically, to help you manage your clients, load sizes, schedules, and cash flow. Find these tools and use them to optimize your business. Saving time on regular business expenses and clerical tasks can give you the opportunity to find new contracts or work on expanding your industry as a whole.

 

——————————–

 Author Bio: Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

Applications

8 Great Home Improvement Apps to Help You Do it Yourself

Taking on a home improvement project whatever the size is exciting but it can also be daunting, require research and/or hard work to get it completed. Sometimes depending on the size of the work, you might have to engage the services of contractors so it’s more work to source reliable people for that. Research is where everything starts when it comes to the project so that’s your first step. The guys at Senator Windows have put together this infographic which outlines some useful apps that you can download to your phone or tablet which might help you along the way of your home improvement project. Check it out below!

 

Marketing

How To Make Your Side-Business Thrive – Modern Marketing

When you are an entrepreneur, it doesn’t matter if you are a baby boomer, a millennial or even a generation X. We all share that one common trait, we hate working for someone else. So, we work insane hours (that make our friends look at us in awe) to get a side business off the ground.

The big problem?

Despite global markets being in a fluid state of motion, consumer budgets are growing tighter.

Even worse?

Trust has never been harder to earn from a business perspective.

So, there you have it. If you are not seeing the results you were hoping for from your business –

it’s probably because you need to start thinking outside the box.

Which is exactly what I want to help you with in this article. We include three tips to help you start off the right way straight from the word go.

Step One | The Most Important Step – Know Your Business

Here is a prime example, back in 2016 a young entrepreneur started a fitness blog. It all started on Instagram, and grew from there. But over time, the lack of vision, and the failure to launch a brand-image irreparably hurt the business.

This step may be common knowledge, but we cannot emphasize how important it is to know your business.

When you are working a full-time job, and trying to launch a business on the side – you will get distracted. You will lose focus.

Which is why the first thing you want to do is define your business. Ask yourself what is your vision? Where do you want the business to be in 5-years?

But the most important aspect of your written plan should be what problem do you solve for customers? What makes you unique over competitors, and why are potential customers interested in that?

Here is a guide to writing a simple business plan for complete beginners.

Don’t Be Afraid To Think Outside The Box – Being Different Is A Good Thing

Here is a scary fact, over 543,000 businesses are started up MONTHLY in America. That’s right people just like you, looking to escape their mundane office jobs.

But it gets worse.

More than half of these businesses fail – every month.

Now there are tons of reasons why. From a lack of work ethic, right down to an unclear vision for the business. But another reason why businesses fail more than they succeed is because they forget in the business world – you want to stick out like a sore thumb.

You want to offer a unique angle to a service or product that your competitors are offering.

Whether it be through unique, high-quality social media content. Informative blog posts and podcasts, cut-edge discounts and specials… or if you really want to be unique, why not revolutionize your marketing campaign; personalize with customers and build trust by creating your own cards.

There are so many ways that you can differentiate yourself – it is important to take the time and put some thought into it. You’re trying to be better than the other businesses out there. Don’t think you can’t come up with the next big thing. Put some real thought into it and you’ll be surprised with the results.

Failure Is The Skipping Stone To Success

The biggest mistake you can make is to harbour jealousy when it comes to entrepreneurs who have made it in life.

“We all reap the seeds that we sow”

What you may forget is these individuals in the nice cars, with the dough to show off. The businesses that are considered pioneers in the industry; there is nothing different behind their business and yours.

These were not overnight success stories. You need to be prepared to fail. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, even Gary Vaynerchuk all hit their own stumbling blocks, and look where they are now.

Whether it’s as simple as a bad review from a new client, or a huge milestone falls for the roof – stay strong, and keep working. You will make it as long as you never lose sight of the end goal.

Here are some great tips to help you cope with business failure.

Make Sure You Maximize Your Productivity Daily

We all have those days. Where we think we are working hard. We seem to be super busy. But at the end of the day, we look back and think, “How did I waste so much time today.”

The problem is.

When you are trying to work 2-jobs at once, well… wasting time is not something you can afford. We all have the same minutes, hours, and seconds in a day – it’s a simple matter of how you invest them.

A great tip is to make use of organization tools, I personally love Trello, it keeps me on my game at all times.

If you really want to maximize your after-hour work productivity to exponentially grow your business, make use of a sweet little time productivity trick known as Pomodoro. Which essentially involves removing distractions for 25-minutes at a time, and focusing solely on work.

These tips will help you excel at your job. Keep these in mind – and think of new strategies to help you along the way. Your ideas will really help you and you’ll be thankful in the long run.

 

—————————————

Author Bio:

Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

 

software

Recover Lost Data From Your Hard Drive – Here’s How To Do It The Right Way

Ever since the birth of digital files, data loss has been a consistent threat to all computer users regardless of operating systems and devices. Assuming you use your laptop to write and save important work-related files or documents, the problem instantly gets worse as you will have to redo everything again. Losing your favorite songs, movies, of personal photos does not seem like a big deal, but the disappearance of official documents will bring headache for sure. Despite the availability of numerous preventive software which may help avoid data loss from malware attacks or data theft, there are still three other baffling culprits to worry about: hardware damage, operating system failure, and user error.

Hardware Damage

When it comes to data loss due to hardware damage, users need to take a look at various components inside their laptops (or computers). The first component to check for damages is hard drive, the actual piece of hardware that functions as data storage device. It can be tricky since some damages are not visible from the outer casing as the real issue is possibly concealed underneath some metal plates. Another crucial component is the wiring, so make sure you don’t see any alarming situations such as frayed or cut cables; the odds are small for such damage since the laptop would refuse to start-up to begin with, and therefore it is impossible to tell if there is any missing data. 

Recovery method: hard drive damage can be difficult to deal with. Recovering lost data may require you to connect the hard drive to another laptop and search for missing files using free data recovery software. In worst case scenario, the data is irrecoverable and the hard drive is no longer usable.

Operating System Failure

Operating system failure is another major and in fact frequent issue. Unwillingness to update and inclination to install software from suspicious websites can ruin the operating system to the point where it fails to read data properly. You can still turn on the laptop as usual, but compromised operating system may prevent you from accessing saved data in the hard drive.

Recovery method: Performing a fresh install takes a lot of time, especially since you must also install multiple programs in addition to the operating system itself. System recovery may help, but there is no guarantee the procedure is successfully executed in the end. As long as you saved your files to a different partition (not the partition where the failed operating system was installed), chances are the data is intact.

User Error

Even if your laptop is perfectly in working order, data loss can happen because of user errors. Accidental deletion or keystroke combinations may send unintentional commands to erase files. The previous two issues can happen partly due to user error as well.

Recovery method: You can download and install data recovery software free of charge, at least for first attempt. Run the software in accordance to the instruction, search for the missing files, and see if they are indeed recoverable. Make sure you download the software from reputable sources.

General, software

7 Simple Steps to Improve Profitability

When it comes to managing a business, ensuring that your company retains a certain amount of profit margin ought to be among your top priorities. Of course, every business model is different and the level of profitability that you will achieve is largely dependent on the scale and structure of your operation. However that isn’t to say that business owners shouldn’t take every step possible to try and achieve the maximum profit levels that they can. This guide presents some suggested simple steps to improve profitability.

Sure you’ve worked on your branding, created an attractive website and developed a strong digital marketing strategy but improving profitability runs far deeper than just external promotions.

Make Clear, Actionable Goals for Your Profit Strategy

You will struggle to improve your business’s success and profits if you just try and proceed with the vague notion that you want to improve your profits but do not quantify your aims. Establish challenging, but realistic goals as to how much you wish to increase your profits by, and by which date. Once you have outlined this high level detail, you can work backwards, creating an action plan of what tasks you are going to undertake in order to work towards your profitability goals, and the deadlines for each task. Assign project groups to different parts of the plan, and hold review meetings at regular intervals to assess how you are progressing towards your goals.

Remove Unprofitable Products and Services From Your Offering

Not every product that you sell is going to fly off the shelves or be a cash cow. Of course, some products may see mediocre sales figures yet they are necessary in order to offer the full product range to customers and match the competitors offering. That’s understandable. However there may be products and services in your offering they are really struggling and which may even be losing money. Assess your range and cut out those items which are not performing.

For instance, you may offer a particular item to your customers, but the amount of sales the product sees is abysmal whereas the minimum order quantity is incredibly high and so you wind up losing money. Sometimes factors like this can slip through the cracks and that is why it is worthwhile to conduct a full range analysis.

Improve the Ways You Target Customers

Without customers, your business cannot exist. Without customers, you have no sales and therefore no profits and as such this is a critical piece of the pie. However, are you being strategic enough in your approach to customer outreach? Have you considered sending your potential clients video messages? This is something that will attract their attention and pique their interest.

Are you working hard to develop a strategic and smart action plan on specific demographics, or are you casting a wide net, sending salesmen out all over the place and hoping for the best? Not only does not having an effective outreach strategy affect your profits, it can also result in additional, unnecessary costs.

Assess Your Client Relations

If applicable, review the way in which you work with your clients and customers – particularly where payments are concerned. If you are operating a B2B business then you may find that some of the businesses that you work with engage in payment terms that you are simply not happy about – i.e. they want to pay 30, 60 or 90 days after the receipt of goods.

Sure you don’t want to turn down customers and sales but this is no good for your cash flow and can result in wasted resources when your account is consistently chasing up payments. Insist upon the terms that you are comfortable with. For instance, consider requesting that customers pay 50% of the invoices due upfront. If they want your services, they will have to adapt accordingly.

Reduce Costs

Assess your outgoings and ensure that you are not overpaying in any particular area. This means assessing your overheads and ensuring that you are not paying for anything unnecessary, as well as reviewing your expenditure at the back end with your suppliers. Consider automating some of your processes to make your work day smoother. This includes, using e-procurement software to keep track of all purchases. Employing a strategic procurement team aids you in being certain that you are consistently getting the best value raw materials and supplies in the market.

If you haven’t assessed your supply base in a while then maybe it could be time. Perhaps you have been buying a material from one particular source for several years, however the Supplier’s competitor sells the same item for a fraction of the cost. Alternatively, perhaps you consume so much volume of an item that you are able to shift production overseas to a lower cost country and enjoy better economies of scale. You could improve your profit margins significantly by sourcing strategically.

Assess Your Processes and Workflows

You should always strive to run an efficient business, but when you’re busy, or your company is large scale, it is easy for things to fall through the cracks. This is why it is worth taking the time to sit down and analyze all of the processes and workflows within your business.

Could it be possible that there are steps within your processes that add costs but no value? Maybe some activities are completely unnecessary and there are savings to be achieved by cutting them out.

Ensure You Have an Excellent Customer Service Proposition

If you want to encourage repeat, long term custom then you need to ensure that buying from you is a painless, straightforward process for your customers. Consider using CRM software to ensure that management of your sales team and customers is organised and you have clear visibility on processed. Work hard to reduce barriers to entry and any headaches that may surround your company’s re-order processes. A happy customer is a loyal one.  

Social Media

The Latest Trends In Social Commerce

Social media has completely turned our lives upside down. You can find there almost anything. Everything from funny dog memes to serious issues like the coverage of elections and more.

People spend more and more time on their social media pages. It is fun to be able to share something and get instant validation in the form of likes or shares. You see something you like, share it and get kudos from others in your circle.

It is something that is unique to social media and something that big brands are capitalizing on big time. And, who can blame them? Getting something to go viral means big bucks. Add in a “Buy” button enabling clients to buy instantly on that page and it’s as if you are printing money.

Take industry giant Nike Football, for example. With over 45 million followers, all that the company needs to do is to release the latest Nike promos or Nike vouchers on social media, build a little hype and watch the sales come in.

The benefit of enabling a “Buy” feature on social media is that it makes the process of buying just that little bit more effortless. Making buying easier for clients is something that was first proven to be successful by Amazon when it introduced the “one-click” buying software.

With 28.1 million followers on Facebook, it has become clear that even Amazon acknowledges the importance of social commerce. It is more than just the flavor of the month now and you ignore the concept at your own risk.

Would you like to know more about social commerce and social networks? We have summed up for you the highlights in the infographic below.

Video

How Netflix Uses Big Data to Drive Success

Netflix has taken over online streaming, but this didn’t happen over night and a lot of work has gone into making Netflix a well-oiled machine. This infographic from Frame Your TV looks at how Netflix has used big data to help drive their business forward.

Even when Netflix was still primarily a DVD-mailing business they launched a competition and offered $1 million to the group who came up with the most efficient algorithm for predicting how customers would like a movie based on previous movie ratings. Even though the winning algorithm has been revised since, the key elements remain the same.

Each time you put on Netflix it’s vital that you find something to watch quickly or you might go on to YouTube or download a movie instead. Netflix estimate that its algorithms save $1 billion a year in value from customer retention as we always find something to watch when we visit the site. Check out the full infographic now.

Applications

The Impact of IoT on Mobile App Development

The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming ever more prevalent in day-to-day life, with countless new devices being interconnected every day. IoT is set to influence the manufacturing of hardware and software heavily, with mobile app developers among those who will probably need to amend existing practices to account for the growth of IoT.

This infographic from ERS IT Solutions predicts some of the ways in which IoT is likely to influence the development of mobile apps. We will probably see a lot more apps copying the premise of Hive, which allows users to control their home heating from their smartphone. Indeed, many new apps will be created with universal connectivity and adaptability at their core. Apps which cannot connect to smart objects could become obsolete.

Companies could soon seek specialist IoT app developers in favour of those who are adept across numerous platforms, so app developers could be left with little choice but to adapt and hone their skill sets. See what other ways IoT looks set to impact on app development in the infographic below.

Drones

How Drones Are Transforming The Real Estate Industry

Ever since drones came onto the big scenes, lots of people started wondering about their possible industrial applications. And it wasn’t long until first drones started replacing proper manpower. Nowadays, we are seeing highly innovative approaches to processes across many industries. These processes are now based around drones and mainly their ability to record footage from the air. Of course, their weightlifting ability is viable too, but i guess we’ll have to wait a bit longer for drone delivery systems as there’s a plethora of regulative issues at hand.

Today though, we won’t be focusing on all the possible industry applications of drones. Instead, we will be focusing on a single one that seems to have adopted the technology much earlier than others. As the title of this post suggest, I am referring to Real Estate Industry!

Real estate industry is flourishing

In 2015 there were several news reports showing off innovative real estate agents using drones to captivate potential clients’ imagination. Back then, the technology was a lot pricier than it is today, but it did not stop innovative folk from getting the best of it.

Today, the industry has had a complete overhaul with drones not being a sign of innovativity but competitiveness. We are seeing real estate agents being “forced” to use drones in order to stay competitive on the market. Why? Because everyone who wants to be somebody in the world of real estate is already using drones. Obviously, early adopters exploited drones from the start and earned extra profit with them. But, with the drone usage rapidly expanding across the globe, drones with cameras have become a must-have for serious real estate agents who want to achieve a competitive advantage over their peers. But how?

How are real estate agents using drones to get a competitive advantage?

– Creating the “WOW” factor

The main idea behind the use of drones in real estate industry is to create the WOW factor. Something that will amaze all potential clients and make your listing stand out from all others.

– Different shot perspective

Drones are able to provide their users with shots from a completely new aerial perspective. This allows real estate agents to take astonishing shots of the entire neighborhood as well as the whole property in a series of different angles.

– Displaying paths

With drones you can easily capture routes from nearby schools, parks and grocery stores straight to your property. This way your potential clients will get a better picture of your listing and know what they’re dealing with.

– Stabilized indoor scenes

In addition to outdoor scenes, drones can be used for indoor footage too. There’s no need to fly indoor – simply take it into your hands and walk through the house. Thanks to gimbals and other integrated anti-vibration solutions, your videos will look as if they were taken by a professional camera crew. That cannot be compared to smartphone footage most people use for their listings.

What are the best drones for getting into real estate business?

If you’re looking to become a real estate agent but you don’t know which drone to go for, here are the 2 best choices as far as price/performance is concerned. Keep in mind though – both of these drones offer similar video quality but are quite different in terms of general performance and size. X-Star Premium is a bulky drone that doesn’t agree to compromise while DJI Mavic Pro brings forth the best of both worlds – portability and performance. Let’s check them out and see what they are all about!

Autel Robotics X-Star Premium

If you’re looking for a DJI Phantom killer than Autel Robotics X-Star Premium is your number 1 choice. This gorgeous drone sports a bright orange body, crystal clear 4K camera with 3-axis gimbal and, quite frankly – performs great. We are talking about a long range drone here which can tackle routes of up to 2 kilometers away from its dedicated transmitter. Combine that with roughly 25 minutes of flight time and you will understand why X-Star Premium is one of the best real estate drones out there. Video quality is nothing short of brilliant and can be used for both indoor and outdoor scenes.

Autel Robotics X-Star Premium is very reliable too, with return to home feature, altitude hold and several smart flying features that will allow you to concentrate on getting the perfect shot of your property rather than actually manually controlling the drone. All in all, if you’re an up and coming real estate agent on the market for a professional grade, there’s no reason to avoid Autel Robotics X-Star Premium!

DJI Mavic Pro

Moving forward to the Mavic, the first notable thing is definitely the size difference. You see, DJI Mavic Pro is a miniature foldable drone that can easily fit into one’s backpack and doesn’t require additional cases for transport. It still preserves groundbreaking performance with amazing 7 kilometers of range and 27 minutes of airtime. That plus a brilliant 4K camera with 3-axis gimbal is basically what drives this birdie to perfection.

I should not forget about its features either. We are talking about a smart drone here which has all the latest technological feats you’d come to expect from a top flight drone. This includes a wide array of autonomous flight modes as well as gesture controls and obstacle avoidance. So, to conclude – if you want something that’s small, easy to carry around and has the performance and camera quality of a full sized drone, then DJI Mavic Pro is a no brainer!

Drones are being used in other industries too

– Filmmaking

You can find lots of videos online that have been created with drone footage. Huge AAA films are also being shot with drones on a large scale which hasn’t been a frequent occurrence up until lately.

– Music videos

With cinematic aerial footage and the ability to capture mesmerizing scenes, we are seeing a solid growth of drone-powered music videos. They still aren’t as popular as real estate drones but are still ranking pretty high on the list.

– Search and Rescue

Drones can be of great help when it comes to search and rescue missions. Just a couple of months ago, a woman got lost in a huge corn field. What would be a wild goose chase lasting several hours turned out to be a 20 minute job for a DJI Phantom.

– Surveillance

A lot of security and surveillance companies are actively using drones for their businesses. With the rapid advancements in available technology, surveillance drones are now bigger, equipped with night vision and thermal cameras, have more range and can fly for longer periods of time without being charged.

– Agriculture

Yup – innovative agricultural companies are also using drones to their advantage. Equipped with thermal cameras, these sophisticated aerial platforms can detect and identify crop problems. There are also the likes of DJI Agras which can fertilize crops with amazing efficiency and accuracy.

Conclusion

That’s it ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! We’ve reached the end of this highly informative article (don’t you agree?). I would like to thank you all for reading and wish you a pleasant day… and lots of success with your real estate business!

 

————————

By Vito Dronelli, Content Editor at DronesGlobe

Wearables

Smartwatches: How Do You Find The Right One For You?

A good smartwatch should keep you connected, provide seamless notifications, and add a little something to your wardrobe. When taking a look at the solid options currently available on the market you will want to keep a few key functions in mind.

First and foremost, you’ll need to consider what brand of phone you have. Some smartwatches are made with proprietary software, like the Apple Watch, so they will only work with phones that match the software. The next thing you will want to consider is if you would prefer an emphasis on tech functionality, fashion, or are aiming for a mix of both.

You’ll want a high-quality touch screen that is responsive without too much effort. Having to jab at a touch screen will slow down your use and put a damper on the overall enjoyment of the watch. With the screen in mind you want to consider how the smart watch is navigated. The most popular options available will offer a variety of options including a main button, ancillary buttons, bezels, and dials.

A true smart watch will have cellular capabilities as well which means they should provide notifications for texts, calls, and applications. This also means you will want a reliable and well updated operating system. Your operating system will also determine the keyboard layout options for typing on your smart watch. Approach smart watch options with undisclosed or one-off propriety operation systems with caution. An additional factor to consider is if the watch will require a certain cellular service provider.

For a quick wrap up, here is a list of features to thoroughly vet when checking out your options:

  • Battery Life
  • Touchscreen
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • Applications

Some additional features you will want to explore further:

  • Replaceable bands
  • NFC Connectivity
  • Microphone
  • Speaker
  • GPS
  • Heart Rate Monitor
  • Water Resistance

For additional information on smartwatches check out: https://www.reviews.com/smart-watch

Hardware, Internet

Amazon Echo Vs. Google Home: Which Is Best?

Many of you will be thinking about buying a smart speaker. You may have read articles and looked at prices, but you’re left a bit confused when one person says they prefer the Amazon Echo and says Google Home is superior. This infographic from Half Price takes you through how the two compare in different areas.

Let’s look at the voice assistant feature and according to the infographic the Echo wins because of an extremely comprehensive skills category. Skills are essentially smartphone apps and can help you do things like learn a new word.

However, for music and movie playback, it looks as if the Home is the clear winner. It allows you to listen to audio from Google Play Music and of course YouTube. You can also stream music and movies to the speaker or even connect to other speakers in the house if you’re using a Chromecast.

The reality is that both devices are always improving, and it will be interesting to see how they develop over the next few years. Find out more in the infographic.

General

How to Create a Winning Daily Routine

Imagine, for a moment, some of the most famous business people of the recent age. Take Steve Jobs, now deceased, who was the face and genius behind Apple for decades. He was always, always in a black turtleneck and jeans whenever he was in the public eye—and when he was at work, too. The same with Mark Zuckerburg, genius behind Facebook. He’s always in jeans and a hoodie.

At first glance, it might seem like laziness or lack of caring in those decisions; after all, they’re super smart people who revolutionized the world. But there’s more to it than that. By choosing the same thing—by following the same routine—those tech giants eliminated the precious spare minutes that they might have needed to pick a work outfit. Rigorously following that routine gave them more mental space—and you can do the same thing. Use this graphic to find out how.

 

Mobile

How Will AR and VR Change The Way We Use Our Smartphone?

From all the game-changing technologies waiting for us just around the corner, AR and VR are possibly the most exciting. It would not be disproportionate stating these tools will change our everyday lives as drastically throughout the upcoming decade as smartphones did during the previous.

But what are we exactly looking at, and how exactly will these technologies add new and interesting layers to our modern lifestyles and interpersonal communication? Read on for an overview of the new and improved realities ahead.

AR and VR Explained in a Nutshell

To begin with, it might be worth to clarify how exactly AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) relate to one another. While they can often be complimentary, AR and VR are essentially going in different directions: AR involves adding layers of information to the real world, thus augmenting the scope of our perception. VR hinges on altogether conjuring immersive virtual worlds separate from physical reality, but possibly sourcing information from it.

We already have several useful apps drawing from AR technology, such as when you point to a monument to instantly see information about its origins or when you’re out trying to catch loveable pocket monsters on the go. An even better example would be the well-known Google Glass project, which ambitiously tried to provide a comprehensive framework for everyday AR that feeds us with useful and relevant information streams out of thin air.

When it comes to VR, it’s been a while since we’ve had virtual worlds where people can take up second lives and adopt fictional personae as well as chatting with real world acquaintances while exploring computer generated realities. But now we’re looking at the rise of new gadgets such as the Oculus Rift, Sony’s Project Morpheus, or HTC Hive – which allow us to fully immerse in such worlds. This is where things are really getting exciting, and the boundaries between real and virtual will gradually begin to blur!

How Smartphones Perfectly Bridge the Gap between AR and VR

At this point, you should be clear on our communication styles will shape up through the development of AR and VR. What might not yet be fully clear is why our smartphones hold such a tremendous potential of becoming universal portals between our augmented everyday realities and the ever refining virtual realities:

By design, smartphones already are the most logical tools to use for exploring augmented reality – thanks to their built-in cameras, absolute mobility, and widely prolific application ecosystems. With a little add-on, any smartphone can further evolve into a fully functional VR headset, thanks to its multi-core processing power and high-definition screen. This concept was beautifully demonstrated in the Google Cardboard project, and the upcoming commercial grade smartphone-to-headset devices will surely raise the bar to outstanding levels.

It shouldn’t take long until smartphones become so powerful they altogether make bulkier computers obsolete, and coupled with a VR extension they will deliver bigger, better and more immersive video experiences than any conventional display can possibly do, no matter how large or how pricey. These are very exciting times to live in, and we have much to look forward as our everyday realities become augmented and virtualized. Are you looking forward to an augmented virtual future?

 

General

How To Cut Down On Workplace Distractions

Much has been written about the growing problem of the distracted employee who does not complete tasks in a time-effective or focused manner.

There are number of societal and workplace cultural factors at play, and the “problem” of employee distraction can also be reframed as an opportunity to improve employee engagement. For starters, let’s examine some of the reasons people get distracted in the workplace.

People get distracted because they feel bored, they feel disengaged…and often because internal workflow processes are cumbersome, burdensome, outdated, restrictive, inflexible, or otherwise simply do not fit the context they were designed for. They get distracted because their job requires too much multi-tasking, or because they are working longer hours and have external life concerns pressing on them.

Many are under-employed or focusing their time on tasks that others could do far more cost-effectively. Here are some tips for helping employees to sharpen their focus, and for using tech tool to reach performance and output goals.

Encourage them to “eat the frog”

Mark Twain famously said, “eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.”

No matter how hard we try to distribute workloads so that our employees are focused on doing what they enjoy doing more often than not, at best we will only arrive at 80-90% (in a good environment). This means that 10-20% of the time, employees will necessarily be engaged in tasks that make them feel physically or emotionally drained.

These are your “eat the frog” tasks – and they different for every individual. Helping employees frame them this way brings a little levity to the situation – and research shows that people are less anxious and distracted when they get their frog-eating out of the way as the first task. They can then get down to the serious business of enjoying what they do for you.

Use process automation software to streamline work

It is highly likely that your employees are accessing some forms of software packages for e-mail, instant messaging, cloud sharing, calendars, to-do list, mind mapping, and other applications they can access from their desktop or phone. Many of these programs have built-in features that allow for prioritization of work.

More sophisticated versions of project management software, can even replicate high-level scheduling and work prioritization. There are also tools that replicate tasks specific to certain industries. There’s different software tools for invoicing, email marketing, data recovery and just about every other tedious task you can think of.

You should implement these if you have the bandwith. Your employees will be thankful.

Let them design the workflow

Many employees struggle with navigating business processes and systems that were designed for them to use – by someone who never did their job. Worse, they were not consulted in the design, or they inherited the system, or the process once worked but outlived its usefulness in its current form.

Tap into your greatest resource, and let your employees help you identify what should be fixed, and be part of the think tank that fixes it.

Let them switch between tasks to reduce fatigue

Mental, physical, and emotional fatigue are serious issues related to employee disengagement, stress, and burnout. There is evidence from the field of psychology that suggests that deliberate switching of tasks at a set time interval is a far superior strategy to randomly switching back and forth.

Your software platforms or other sophisticated tasklist apps can help you set intervals – 30 minutes on a critical report, 15 minutes to respond to urgent email, let phone go to voice and answer on the hour after a brief walk around the office. Then back to the report, and repeat until finished. Lacking an application, a phone alarm clock will suffice. Even better, if you have an employee assigned to a critical report, assign someone else to cover for them for their simpler tasks.

Otherwise, a person trying to write a report spends 2 minutes on the report, 5 minutes on a phone call, 15 minutes recovering their train of thought, 10 minutes on the report, 3 minutes on the phone, 10 minutes recovering train of thought, etc. Ask anyone who has ever written either a novel or a graduate thesis.

The first strategy may have the “disadvantage” of making people wait a half hour to have their phone call returned, but it will get returned. And the report will actually get written, too. Most importantly- the employee will feel in control of his or her situation and can calmly switch tasks, focusing on what is most important at the moment. Barring actual emergencies, which of course do happen, this is a far more productive strategy.

Let them have unstructured downtime

Employees are people, too. They need time to disengage, and recharge. Instead of policing internet usage for example, allow them to take a few minutes to watch a [suitable for work] video that will brighten their mood. Or take a walk with a camera. Or go to the gym at an odd hour. Or grab a cappuccino with their coworker to run an idea by them. You get the idea.

Unstructured downtime is not just good for business, it is good for human beings, too. Remember that employees only function well when they are healthy. Mental health matters for that, too. You need to give employees time to decompress to cut down on stress and anxiety, otherwise you lose them to mental health disability or another company.

Encourage employee collaboration

Allow employees to offer their expertise to others, and seek others to help think or work through something that is tricky stuck, innovative, boring, or otherwise perfectly suited to collaborative endeavors. Also ditch the “only work within your job description” mentality.

You might be surprised what someone whose hobby is photography, or video game design, or calligraphy- might contribute to your corporate culture and customer service. Providing good communication platforms for employees to find and share with each other is an instant productivity booster.

Encourage process feedback

Many times, something is not working for an employee – but the supervisor does not know about it because the employee does not feel encouraged to speak up about it. Or the supervisor does not communicate it to management. Or management does not take action, etc. Creating a culture conducive to process feedback is an effective way to improve employee focus – because those daily frustrations add up.

An employee is likely to continue giving his or her best if their concerns are listened to, acknowledged, and, most importantly, addressed. An easy way to facilitate this type of feedback is to build it into your business process management software function.

Marketing

8 Ways to Strengthen Your Awesome Brand Online and Offline

1 Comment

Your company’s brand is a work in progress, so it’s important to always look for ways you can improve it. Whether you are refining your messaging, choosing a consistent color scheme, or finding your voice on social media, strengthening your brand is an ongoing project that happens on- and offline.

How to Strengthen Your Brand Online

Learning the most effective ways to do both can help you build a stronger brand for your company overall, which can help you keep your customers coming back while reach out to new ones. Here are a few tips to help you build up your brand online:

1. Blog Frequently

Blogging is crucial for any business seeking to reach new customers online. A well-maintained blog can keep your business at the top of search engines, which makes it easier for potential customers who need the services you offer to find you.

Focus on creating high-quality, engaging and relevant content for your target audience, and add new content regularly. Consider guest blogging on related sites, or extending such an invitation from your site to industry professionals. Your blogs can showcase your expertise to potential customers and could help them decide to seek out your services.

2. Create a Social Media Presence

Social media offers businesses a simple, effective, and low-cost means to stay in touch with their current customers and to reach new ones. Create profiles on the sites most likely to be used by potential customers, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.

You’ll be able to easily share content, post updates about your business, or address complaints as they arise. This can help to build a strong connection between your business and its customers, since they will be able to interact with your business directly and can see that their concerns matter to it.

3. Share Testimonials

A glowing testimonial from a previous customer can provide dividends for your business for years to come, especially if they are famous or well-known in your industry. Many customers determine where they will make a purchase from based on online reviews, and a collection of testimonials could help to win their business.

A testimonial provides your business with social proof and gives potential customers a chance to learn about your services and expertise from people just like them. Ask some of your customers who were especially satisfied to leave you a review, and consider posting them on a special section of your website.

4. Find Your Personality

Consumers today are more likely to frequent a business that has a recognizable personality than one which has a bland or generic voice. It may take some time, but finding your business’s unique voice can help you better connect with customers and provide them with a personalized experience.

Every business is different and will have its own way of appealing to its buyer personas. Take some time to experiment and create a unified voice for all of your communications which speaks to the customers you are trying to attract.

Whether you opt for a snarky, social-media savvy persona perfect for reaching millennials or a more reserved, sophisticated persona which can connect with professionals getting ready for retirement, finding the right voice for your company is crucial to building a successful brand.

How to Strengthen Your Brand Offline

While making effective use of the Internet is crucial to the success of any business, keeping your brand strong offline is just as important. Whether through stunningly designed business cards, elaborate print collateral or full production television commercials, brand strengthening happens at all levels:

5. Define Your Brand (in Opposition to Competitors)

What makes your brand different, or better, from your competitors? If you don’t know this, your customers won’t either. Placing this front and center in any marketing campaign can help you easily distinguish your business. This can also provide inspiration for your marketing efforts.

You’ll be able to highlight some quality of your business which is superior to your competitors, and can inform potential customers of what you have to offer, especially if you are new to the market. Buyers could immediately take an interest in your business and see what you have to offer.

6. Keep Fonts, Colors and Logos Consistent

Your customers need to be able to quickly identify your business from your competitors. The last thing you should do is confuse them with multiple color schemes, too many fonts, or chaotic logos.

Choosing a consistent font, color scheme and logo can help to make your brand more recognizable to customers and can make your own marketing efforts easier. You’ll have fewer moving parts to keep track of and can better build campaigns around a definite aesthetic, feeling or lifestyle, which itself can serve as inspiration for future campaigns.

7. Create Your Niche

Part of what makes a marketing campaign a success is its specificity. Focusing your marketing efforts on baby boomers getting ready for retirement isn’t nearly as effective as focusing on professionals with advanced degrees in the same age group who require financial consulting services to prepare for retirement in the next ten years.

Limitations can prove to be powerful aids when it comes to finding clients, as you’ll be able to automatically filter out many people who won’t be interested in your services, and can instead focus on the handful who are actively looking for your services.

8. Set Deadlines

You could have an endless well of ideas for your marketing campaign, but if none of them come to fruiting, they won’t be worth anything. You can easily spend too much time modifying your original idea to try to cover too many angles at once, and come up with a campaign that lacks a clear focus and which is ineffective at reaching any particular audience.

Setting a deadline can help you focus your efforts on a handful of ideas without losing control of them.

Building your brand is a long-term project, and it’s not uncommon for companies to change their brand multiple times. Don’t be afraid to experiment in order to find the brand that best suits your business, but always make sure each element contributes to a complete experience for your customers.

———————————–

With over 18 years in business, Silkcards specializes in unique and beautiful print that reflects a brand’s image and makes a positive first impression.

Internet, software

How to Recover Your Lost Data?

More and more often we find ourselves thinking about where we saved a specific file or folder. After all, between the PC, laptop, smartphone, tablet, and so many other gadgets, it’s easy to forget. However, even though this might be a pain, the truth is that the worst thing that can happen is that you figure out where you saved that file or folder and when you try to access it, it’s just not there. So, what happened to this file or folder? You just need it back at all costs.

The truth is that when you’re using a PC or a Mac, the first thing you need to do is to open the Recycle Bin or the Trash, respectively. And now, you suddenly discover that it’s not there. Your work is all gone. So, don’t get in despair right away. There are always solutions, and one of the best software to recover deleted files is EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free.

Simply put, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free is a very easy to use free data recovery software that helps you retrieve all those deleted files from different drives. You can now recover deleted files from your PC, Mac, laptop, but also from your SD cards, USB, digital camera, among so many others. And for free.

In order to recover deleted files, the first thing that you need to do is to install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free on your computer or Mac. They have a different version for each operating system, which is really great. So, just download the free data recovery software, install it, and run it.

The first thing that you’ll be asked to do is to select where you lost your data. In case it was on your laptop, just click the Local Disk. In case you can’t find it on a USB drive or an SD card, just make sure that you already have it connected to your computer and that you select it. Then, just press Quick Scan. This feature will probably allow you to recover deleted files. However, in case it doesn’t, you still have the option to use the Deep Scan. However, please notice that this will take a lot longer. Even though, you can always pause it and resume later.

One of the best things about the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free is the fact that you can easily import and export the scanning results.

At last, when you get a list with all the files and folders that this free data recovery software was able to find, you can simply move them to your hard drive again. One thing that might be useful is to preview them before you recover them to make sure they are the files and folders that you’re looking for.

As you can see, there is nothing to be afraid of when you just notice that you deleted some files or folders by mistake or that you lost them when you needed to format your computer or laptop. With EaseUS EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free, you will be able to recover deleted files with ease. In addition, this free data recovery system works very well for both Windows and Mac operating systems.

Internet, Marketing

5 Golden Rules for Introducing Your Business to Online Audience

The digital revolution in India has encouraged many businesses to opt for their website. Two major things can be observed here: First, even the brick and mortar businesses that earlier refused to go for online operations have also started investing on the digital presence, and secondly, the businesses don’t stop at just building their own website and social media pages. They want their websites to be professionally and strategically designed to market their business and eventually increase the revenue. In short, the website creation is not just an option for the Indian businesses that want to grow- it is the mandatory condition. So, let us see the best practices to adopt while designing or marketing a website geared to make your presence stronger and increase the revenue:

Don’t be just another site by overselling

Millions of websites float on the digital ocean just like a number of huge ships and small boats that are laden with a number of items they are hawking to sell. Right from the world tour to mundane industrial tools, these sites sell almost anything under the Sun.

Being exposed to 5000+ messages geared towards marketing the product the consumer today has actually developed contempt towards commercially motivated messages forcing them to buy the products he doesn’t want. Hence any attempt at over-selling will ironically diminish your chances to sell your products or services. Besides, when everyone is overselling and you also join the bandwagon with the similar semblance- where lays the uniqueness, the innovative appeal. Instead of selling the products sell the “purpose-designed content presented in most natural format. Let genuineness guide the content and ensure that the content should be captivating, interesting and above all informative.

Content is really the king – Respect it

The content should complement the products you offer and subtly reveal it to the clients during the natural course of reading. Three things that will offer you a distinct appeal will be – the language, media, and knowledge. In fact, the aim should not be to make sales or acquire a client but to establish a definite rapport with the reader that would start a long lasting relation. This approach will help you to acquire loyalty and eventually converts readers into client. Whether you are finalizing the content of the website or writing company blogs, always ensure that you should use the simple language, a beautiful flow and some genuine knowledge in your content.

Change with time

You also need to assess the present scenario identify the obliterated practices and shunning them the same time you can identify the present shift in trends and predict the futuristic strategy. That will offer eh cutting edge over your clients. For example, e current trend is to value images much more than content. People of today now need something quick that does not to be read while squinting but could be seen while effortlessly. Hence employing n infographic can be the best way pp enjoy the attention.

Graphics attract but is moderate

You should also ensure that the audience should get the swift entry while they type for any search. You can offer a number of infographics that will allow you the entry a well-designed calendar. Besides the mobile search have now surpassed he desktop search. Hence a having a mobile enabled infographic can be the best choice.

While design plays a key role in impacting the audience you need to be very careful while designing your site. The major objectives of a site are not to overstuff your site with design elements but to offer a design that is most relevant with r studying habits.

Minimalism is the Mantra

Go for minimalism when it comes to eh designing. Opt for the simple design with brand specific features. Whether it is design, content, colors or programming the minimalistic approach will offer you a good rapport with the audience and will play a major role in increasing your reach while widening the opportunities to sell. There should be a Concord symphony between the design and content. The design should caress the eyes while communicant g with the audience in a nutshell.

Hardware

What Comes Next After Solid State Drives?

Could Experimental Oxide Memory Send SSDs the Way of the Dinosaurs?

Losing access to data on a laptop hard drive can be especially stressful, given that most laptop computers hold a mixture of both business and personal information. In fact, many business people aren’t just lost without their laptop computers, but don’t have the data they need stored or backed up anywhere else.

No matter how uninterested you are in the technical nuances of digital storage media, it’s hard to deny the appeal of knowing what lies ahead. Although magnetic hard drives were the cream of the crop for decades, their time eventually passed. Now, their flash memory successors appear to be on the road to a similar fate.

Solid state devices have clear technical advantages. Their nonmoving components, rugged construction and compact sizes are appealing, but do these devices have sufficient staying power? Researchers are hard at work cooking up potential usurpers to the throne. Here’s a quick preview of memory technology’s next exciting manifestation.

RRAM: Moving on From Flash (SSD)

As we’ve explained in some of our previous blogs, flash is a type of non-volatile memory that functions by using electrical signals to change and detect the electrostatic state of a circuit component, such as a transistor gate. Resistive random-access memory, or RRAM, employs a totally different strategy.

RRAM cells modify the resistance of a dielectric, or substance that reacts to electric fields by becoming polarized. This arrangement, known as a memristor from the combined terms memory and resistor,changes its resistance in response to stimuli, which gives it the power to record information. Instead of simply modifying a semiconductor’s charge state by accumulating electrons or holes, however, RRAM creates defects in layers of oxides attached to the memristor’s dielectric material. These oxygen ions and the vacancies left in their absence can be guided and modified through the application of electric fields.

What Drives the Interest in RRAM?

Compared to typical flash memory, why is RRAM so appealing? Analysts say that it can perform operations at greater speeds and use less energy in the process. The other potential advantage lies in its size: One company created a prototype RRAM chip that was able to store a terabyte of data in around 200 square millimeters’ worth of space. Thanks to a significantly smaller cell size, RRAM may even beat out novel forms of stacked 3-D flash memory in terms of storage density.

It’s also worth considering that it might be possible to manufacture some variants at room temperature with low forming voltages, which could be equally advantages for cost-conscious memory makers and consumers. Even more promising, manufacturers can use a wide range of dielectric materials to form memristors, which increases the probability that some unknown avenue of investigation might produce a workable implementation.Moving From Solid State Drive

Technical Hurdles

The physics ideas behind memristors and RRAM have been around for decades. So why aren’t these kinds of memory already the standard?

The answer lies in the fact that being able to form a memristor and connect it to memory cell circuitry is only one part of the equation. For instance, researchers have long struggled with critical tasks like getting RRAM cells to switch states reliably, and only recently did NIST scientists discover a way to make switching operations more consistent by maintaining tighter control of the signal energy used to induce transitions. Nevertheless, RRAM still faces problems regarding its instability and other factors.

When Will a New Flash Memory Killer Arrive?

It’s hard to say when people might be freed from the yoke of flash memory, but the prospects look good. Considering that RRAM and other alternative types of storage have so many potential benefits, it seems like a mere matter of time before companies introduce a product that works.

More than a few private concerns have invested significant resources and brainpower into the pursuit of alternative memory technologies. Firms like Panasonic have produced evaluation kits for their RRAM prototypes, and Rambus acquired Unity Semiconductor for $35 million to gain the company’s oxide memory portfolio.

 

Numerous companies have also filed patent applications, and as with many technologies, IP protection generally begets forward progress. Regardless whether RRAM becomes the next big thing after flash or simply paves the way for a similar alternative, it’s highly likely that we’re on the verge of something new and exciting. The real question is what kinds of technical challenges users will encounter and what novel practices might data recovery professionals have to develop to keep pace.

————————

TTR Data Recovery is a team of  Flash media data recovery specialists who don’t just have the tools and expertise needed to pull data from damaged and inaccessible Solid State Drives, but also an understanding of how these configurations work, and the best ways to get your data recovered.

General

Jobs You Wouldn’t Expect To Be Threatened by Technology But Are

These days, it’s hard to talk about the business landscape without bringing up automation. With technologies as diverse as machine learning, robotics and 3D printing business automation is changing poised to revolutionize society.

At this point you’ve probably heard about the autonomous drones and vehicles coming for transportation and retail jobs. If you’ve used online tax preparation recently, then you have an idea why there’s no hiring glut for tax preparers these days.

At this point, everyone knows what robotics means for factory jobs. But have you heard that your local bakery or news organization could someday be run by robots?

As automation becomes more advanced and more businesses reap the financial rewards, automated processes will take over more diverse roles within business. Here are some professions that may at first glance be robot-proof, but are becoming increasingly automated.

Masonry and Construction Workers

Like any profession, construction work has benefitted tremendously from mechanization. From the nail gun to the crane, it’s hard to imagine construction without power tools and equipment.

These days, robots are manufacturing building components in factories and laying bricks at construction sites. Drones allow one person to quickly survey sites that would have required a helicopter flight and team of personnel in the past.

It’s now even possible to “print” a house using computer modelling, concrete and a robotic “printer.” If people can hook up some cables and tubes and print a house in a day, what does that say about the future of construction jobs?

Farmers

Taxis, trains and drones aren’t the only vehicles that can be automated. It isn’t hard to imagine fleets of robotic tractors and combines rolling across gentle rural hills. However, automation can do a lot more than plow fields on the farm.

Machines are being created now that will allow farmers to weed and prune plants without the help of human workers. There are even robots milking cows in Germany.

Automated farming isn’t expected to really start paying off for another few years, but about 10 percent of farms in the U.S. have already begun switching. That means fewer and fewer jobs for humans in the coming years.

Office Workers

Blue collar jobs have been among the first and hardest-hit types of work to become obsolete at the hands of robots. But factory workers aren’t the only ones whose jobs are being automated away.

Tasks that used to require entire high-rises full of workers are now being done by small teams. Personal computers have already revolutionized business offices, and that trend is showing no sign of slowing down as artificial intelligence makes it possible to automate even more.

Accounting is one area that has benefitted from automation, thanks to the increasing intelligence of software and digitization of documents. It’s now possible to oversee an accounts payable system that would have at one time required a dozen workers and a warehouse of paper with automation software.

Customer service employees are also being increasingly replaced by chatbots and other software designed to mimic human interaction. As more and more clerical and office jobs are automated, the perception that business automation is a blue-collar problem will become increasingly antiquated.

Journalists

It seems like writing would be a profession unlikely to become automated. However, automation is becoming increasingly responsible for the financial reports, sports updates and other content we read and watch each day.

Machines excel at combining data, but what they haven’t been great at is providing context. Thanks to machine learning, language processing is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Business like the Associated Press, Comcast and Yahoo have been using automation to create reports for a few years now. Content is now being generated at a rate that would have required thousands of workers located around the world in the old days.

Machines aren’t yet able to reliably gather first-hand information and turn it into a compelling human interest piece, so the machines aren’t yet here to replace human writers. However, as machine learning and language processing becomes more advanced, the trend of needing fewer humans to accomplish more won’t be stopping any time soon.

Bakers

Yes, even your local artisanal bakery may someday be automated thanks to automated baking systems that produce consistently high quality loaves. Automation helps bakers to reduce waste and produce a consistent product, so it makes sense for them to adopt it where they can.

Larger bakeries are much like factories and have already been reaping the rewards of automation. In the past, automation has made the most sense for large-scale operations.

But as it becomes easier and more cost-effective to automate processes in small business such as artisanal bakeries, automation will begin to penetrate further into our work lives in unexpected ways.

 

—————————————–

Author Bio:

Susan Ranford is an expert on career coaching, business advice, and workplace rights. She has written for New York Jobs, IAmWire, and ZipJob. In her blogging and writing, she seeks to shed light on issues related to employment, business, and finance to help others understand different industries and find the right job fit for them.

Social Media

Everything You Need to Know About Social Media Marketing for Retailers

Social media is a major part of today’s world. With Facebook recently announcing that over 2 billion people now have a Facebook profile, there simply is no way to ignore its existence. As a brick and mortar retailer with no online selling option, the lazy view would be that you don’t need a social media presence but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The likelihood is that a portion of the people in your store are likely using social media while in the store (perhaps creating a Snapchat story or an Instagram post) or else they used social media in advance of their visit to your store. Of course it is vital to note that social media requires effort and time and it’s difficult to see the tangible results for the effort you put in.

That’s why it is so important to be measured in your approach to social media and not invest a load of time recklessly creating various platforms. It’s not simply about creating the likes of a Facebook page for example because that page also needs to be maintained and populated and someone has to be assigned the responsibility of doing that. The guys over at Storetraffic have put together this infographic which details everything you need to know about social media to make a start for your brick and mortar store. Check the full details out below!

software

One Easy Way To Recover Lost Data

Have you ever accidentally deleted something that you didn’t mean to? Maybe your computer crashed with all your valuable data on it? There is a hope in getting it back. Data recovery software can help you recover your lost data. You can find any of your deleted or lost data super easily through EaseUS. They offer quick, easy, and reliable service for all of that. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

You’re not figuring it out on your own

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard provides you with instructions to guide you through finding your lost or deleted files. This program can recover files from not only your computer, but also your phone, hard drive, digital camera, USB, SSD, etc. It’s very easy to use, as they don’t leave you to figure it out on your own; the easy, step by step instructions will help you find your files. They’re confident that you will get all your possibly lost files back using their state of the art software.

It’s all free and it’s powerful

All of their services are completely free to download and can work for recovering files from your memory card, USB, or other digital device. They can recover files from formatting, accidental or sudden deletion, hard drive corruption, system crash, improper operation, volume loss, virus attack including ransomware or malware, or any other potential loss. You can trust their free and reliable service to find your lost files, no matter how lost they may seem. The step by step instructions also make it easy for you to recover the lost files.

It’s super easy

They make it easy for you to find your deleted files. Their recovery software will guide you through what to do to locate and save your lost files. Their system is safe, reliable, and guides you each step at the time through the process. This ensures not only your safety, but also ensures you save valuable time. They strive to be clear and concise in their instructions and successful in your recovery of your files.

Flexible and Saves you time

Since this is a software you download and use when you have the time available, it is flexible for your schedule. It’ll also save you some of your precious time by making it quick and easy to recover your lost data. Why waste your precious time sifting through trash folders in search of your, seemingly, long lost files. This software strives to be efficient and exact, offering a basic scan to track down literally all of your lost data.

If you’re concerned about potential lost data, EaseUS totally has your back. They’re easy, reliable, and safe while allowing you more time to focus on more important things. They will help you access your lost files easily. Using this software, will walk you easily and quickly through the steps to find your lost files on whatever system you either deleted, crashed, or whatever reason you lost your files.

Applications, Mobile

How Smartphones Changed In-Store Shopping

When online retail first became popular it was very much its own entity. Bricks and mortar retailers may have feared it but it was a separate thing. Back then, very few would ever have envisaged how big a role the internet would play in offline retail.

As this infographic from The CUBE outlines, more and more retail sales are being influenced by mobile devices. Many of you will likely be part of the 53% of retail sales that were influenced by a mobile device in 2016. You may have seen a product in a store and done a quick Google on your phone to find out a little more information. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will buy the product online and you may just want to get a little more information on the product before buying it in-store.

Therefore, retailers shouldn’t worry about the increasing use of mobile phones in-store. Their use can often help persuade a customer to buy a product in your store! Find out more information in the infographic.

General

9 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Use The Cloud

Small businesses make a big impact. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 54 percent of all sales are created by 28 million small businesses operating nationwide.

These businesses are facing a new challenge: embracing digital transformation to stay competitive and customer-focused on a global scale. Cloud computing has emerged as one key component in this strategy, with nearly 40 percent of SMBs already leveraging cloud technology, and experts predicting this number to double in the next three years. Let’s look at some of the best reasons for small businesses to embrace the cloud.

Lower Costs

Often tapped as the biggest enterprise benefit, cloud computing can help reduce total IT cost for SMBs as well. How? Instead of purchasing computer hardware that must be serviced, maintained and ultimately replaced, businesses leverage provider hardware and reduce capital expenditure. Software costs also come down — instead of licensing “X” copies of productivity suites or graphic design programs, software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions let SMBs get the tools they need on demand.

Flexibility and Automation

Need more space or bigger bandwidth? No problem. Cloud providers can scale up on demand to meet emerging requirements. And scalability works both ways — increase throughput as needed for high-value projects or high-traffic events, then return to previous resource levels to keep costs down. In-house IT experts also enjoy the benefit automation; patches, upgrades and software renewals are all handled by your vendor, giving your team more time to innovate.

Recovery and Security

Disasters happen — not if, but when. When disaster strikes, what happens to your data? If it’s stored on local servers only, you could lose everything. Using the cloud, meanwhile, lets you make multiple redundant copies and store them off-site for easy recovery if something goes wrong close to home. In addition, cloud security has evolved to match — and, in many cases, exceed — that of local IT protection. Using a combination of regular audits, advanced encryption and remote data wiping, its possible to enjoy the security of data defense with all the benefits of device mobility.

Freedom and the Playing Field

Small businesses need employee freedom — many rely on remote workers who can get their job done anywhere, anytime. With the cloud, you can effectively take company networks wherever you go, and staff can access cloud services from any approved device.

The cloud also levels the playing field, giving SMBs access to enterprise-grade IT infrastructure without breaking the bank. Add a reduced carbon footprint, and it’s no surprise that more SMBs than ever are tapping the cloud to enhance their IT delivery.

Ready to dig deeper? Learn more about how the cloud can benefit your SMB.

 

 

—————————

Author bio: Steve Johnson is President of Maryland Computer Service, and has been helping businesses harness the power of technology for nearly 20 years. His experiences during that time make him uniquely qualified to guide small and medium businesses through the technologies of today into the future.

Applications

11 Best Meal Planning and Nutrition Apps

 

We all go through periods of eating healthily but it’s so easy to fall into familiar traps. After a long day, the last thing you want to be doing is slaving over the stove or spending time thinking about what you’re going to cook for dinner. You will often just decide to grab something quick or get takeaway for convenience.

The aim of this infographic from Lakeshore Convention Centre is to make healthy eating a little bit easier with the use of apps. The apps plan meals for you, give advice on nutrition, and count calories throughout the day.

There is a great selection of apps available so it might be worth your while to download a few of them to see if they help you out. Most of them are free so you have nothing to lose (except the pounds!) Find out more about the apps in the infographic below.

 

Mobile, Phones

Oppo F3 Review: Affordable Android With Good Performance

 

In just a few years’ time, Oppo has made a significant place for its smartphones in the Indian Market. Soon after the successful launch of its smartphones, Oppo doesn’t need an introduction anymore. After the grand success of F1 plus model, Oppo came back with its most successful model F3 Plus. And now, Oppo F3 has been launched in Indian market. F3 Plus came with a whole lot of features in March with a price tag of approx. 30k and Oppo F3 dual camera Selfie phone is just a smaller sibling to Oppo F3 Plus.

This amazing little brother of F3 Plus comes with a price tag of $307 (19,990 INR) and is up for Pre-Order exclusively on Flipkart. Oppo F3 comes with an extraordinary variety of features and hardware in such an affordable price range.

Key Specifications of Oppo F3:

  • 50-Inch Display.
  • 5 GHz Mediatek MT6750T Octa-Core Processor.
  • 16 Megapixel Front Camera.
  • Resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels.
  • 4 GB Ram.
  • Android 6.0.
  • 64 GB Storage.
  • 13 Megapixel Rear Camera
  • Battery Capacity of 3200 mAh.
  • Dual Sim 4G

Display

Oppo F3 has a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protected display and the 2.5D curves on the edges give this smartphone an amazing look with a premium feel. It has a 5.5 inch Full HD Display which seems to be a good move by Oppo for competing with the smartphones in same price category.

Chipset and Storage

Oppo F3 is loaded with a 1.5 GHz Octa-core processor with MediaTek MT6750T Chipset. It is a power pack performer which uses a very little power from battery making the battery life longer. Oppo F3 can handle graphic-heavy games very easily with the help of its 4GB RAM. It consists 64 GB hard disk and an expandable storage up to 128GB with the help of microSD card slot.

One thing which makes OppoF3 a step ahead is that it consists a Dual sim slot with space for two nano sims and a micro sd card slot separately for expanding the memory. Most smartphones use the second sim slot to expand memory whereas, OppoF3 has three slots in total and all three can be used simultaneously.

Design

Oppo F3 features a beautifully crafted design with a mix of plastic, glass, and metal. The 2.5D curved glass in front edges gives this smartphone a premium look with the metal back plate gives a cool feel when touched. Plastic is only limited to the frames covering buttons at the top and bottom panels on the back. It is also loaded with a fingerprint scanner. Overall, OppoF3 is a smartphone which looks classy and premium when held and makes the user feel cool about it.

Operating System

While Nougat is in the mainstream, Oppo F3 works on an Android 6.0 Marshmellow operating system, which is pretty odd. Users should expect an update from Oppo pretty soon. This handset is loaded with color OS 3.0 and some pretty cool apps and customization.

Camera

The USP of Oppo Selfie phone has always been its Camera. Oppo F3 has slight changes in camera settings compared to the other models. It consists two cameras in front which is,       16MP + 8MP with a 120-degree wide angle and a whopping 13 MP at the back. Selfie lovers are going to love the front camera of OppoF3 because of its greater results, Sharp and close to real pictures and lots of different modes like Group Selfie mode when the user wants to click a picture with many people, lapse, beauty and panorama modes.

Verdict

With an incredible battery life, provided by sealed in 3200 mAh battery, dual front cameras, gorgeous display and Power packed performance, Oppo F3 is undoubtedly one of the best selfie smartphones in town and every selfie lover should buy this gadget. It is available on Flipkart exclusively and the users who want to own it must Pre-Book it now.

 

————————–

Author Bio: Pankaj Jangir is a Website Designer and Developer. He makes websites from where users can download their own videos and photos from social media.

software

7 Photoshop Tricks Every Beginner Should Know

 

If you are serious about online marketing, basic design skills are a must. Whether you want to make a few quick adjustments to a photo before posting on Facebook, or need to change a banner ad for your new campaign, Photoshop is the undisputed king of design software that will let you create virtually any look you want.

Photoshop is so comprehensive that it can be overwhelming to the beginner. With the ability to do just about anything, where do you start?

We suggest starting with the basics. Here are seven basic Photoshop skills you will use again and again as a marketing professional.

Using Layers

Layers let you move, arrange and edit objects and/or text independently. This vital feature is a super time saver. Knowing how to create, delete, group and merge layers lets you easily edit and repurpose your photos and other digital files.

Straighten a Picture

Using your own photos keeps you safe from copyright issues. However, it’s easy to snap a photo only to discover that it’s out of kilter. You can salvage crooked pictures in a flash with Photoshop’s ruler tool, once you know how.

Create Adjustment Layers

Sometimes you need to play with your design a bit before you come up with the right look. However, you might not want to lose the original. Instead of creating a lot of confusing duplicate layers, Photoshop lets you easily create an adjustment layer that lets you apply an effect, and toggle back and forth between options with a click of the mouse.

Remove Spots and Blemishes

Little imperfections such as pimples or stains can ruin the impact of what you’re trying to sell. It should come as no surprise that Photoshop has a tool you can use to make those annoying blemishes disappear. You can learn how to use it in two minutes or less.

Remove Red From Eyes

Sure, you might have stayed awake all night setting up your latest funnel, but there’s no reason to look like it. Just reach for Photoshop’s red-eye tool, and you can banish those flash photo demon eyes forever in about three clicks.

Isolate an Object

If you design ads, web pages or virtually any other piece of marketing material, you will often want to place an object over a different background, or eliminate the background altogether. There are a number of ways to do this. Some take hours, others only minutes. Needless to say, the sooner you learn the quick solutions, the better.

Apply an Effect to an Object or Text

Photoshop offers a wonderful array of effects you can use to spice up any object or text in your design, including drop shadow, bevel, glow, and many more. Adding them is almost too easy — once you know how, you may need to hold yourself back from going overboard!

Get Started Learning Photoshop

Check out the slideshow below for step-by-step instructions on how to do all of the basic Photoshop skills in this article.

 

 

—————–

Author Bio: Rocco Lungariello is a Marketing and Social Media Content Creator at New Horizons. He has been generating content surrounding the IT Industry for more than four years.

tablets

The Top 3 Best Tablets on the Market

 

When you’re ready to dish out some money for a new tablet, you obviously want to buy the best there is on the market. So, when time comes to buy, what should you look for? What are the best new models you can buy today? These are a few of the best tablets you can find on the market today, if you are ready to buy right now.

Amazon Fire 
With a 1.3 GHZ processor, a 7” screen, and excellent picture resolution (1024*600 pixels) you won’t find many tablets at this smaller screen size which has such excellent colour contrast and resolution. Add in the very light weight of only 11 ounces and you can literally carry this thing around without even feeling it in a bag. The 8 GB built in storage, and Amazon OS are fast, and allows for added storage if you need it. Excellent touch screen, easy to use features, and a small, sleek, elegant design, make this a must have tablet, especially for such a low-price point in comparison to other top manufacturer names in the marketplace.

Surface Pro 4  
This Microsoft tablet is another great option. It is sleek, has the unique kick stand design, detachable keyboard, lighted keys, and a very cool looking exterior. It features a larger screen size at 12.3” you can use it like a laptop, eliminating the need to own two devices. The 2.3 processor speed is extremely fast, so you won’t experience lag time or slow speeds, even if you are down or uploading, watching, or playing games, on the device. 1920×1200-pixel resolution also means sharper images, better depth perception, and great color disparity on screen. A bit pricey, but considering it can be a tablet as well as a laptop in one, it is a bundle and a great bargain.


iPad Pro 7
Apple has done it again. If you love large screen sizes, the 9.8” design is truly a great size you won’t find with many competitors on the market today. With the iOS operating system, you won’t be disappointed with speed, ability to browse the web, or do nearly anything (work or play) on this device. It is very responsive, has built in safety fingers (like fingerprint technology), and the 2048×1536-pixel resolution, makes it the very best, and provides the best screen resolution and image quality, regardless of what you plan on using the iPad to do. It is very thin, it is very light, and it comes from the most trusted developer in Apple.

A true must have device, but do consider the high price tag if you are comparing this with other Android based devices which are much cheaper in the price spectrum. The  iPad Pro7 can be very expensive depending on the model you go for. Luckily catalogue companies have started to provide different payment plans like buy now pay later, pay weekly, pay monthly. Over the past few years buying tablets on finance has become more and more popular due to the price of the product.

No matter what you are looking for when it comes to buying a new tablet, you have hundreds of options out there. For the budget shopper, for the high-end shopper, and for those who are in between, these are three great models to consider, which will offer great resolution, speeds, and quality, for the price point you can spend when purchasing a new tablet.

Games, Video

The Best Accessories For Your Xbox Gaming Console

 

If you truly want to delve into the gaming experience and make the most of your Xbox gaming, you need the right pieces, right? Of course. So, if you are looking for the right accessories to enjoy your gaming, these are some of the best Xbox accessories to consider investing in today.

Elite Controller
If you have the money, you might as well splurge on this wireless controller. Swappable analogue sticks, paddle buttons on the back, face buttons on the front, and side toggles, truly allow you to make the most out of any fighter or shooter game. No matter what you are playing, this controller provides the right length, button, and analogue stick, so you are never out of place with the gaming control.

Thrustmaster TMX
If you plan to play racing or driving games, this is it. With truly distinguished pedals, you’ll feel like you are in the Indy 500. Heavy duty, adjustable incline panels, progressive resistance for even the tightest turns, makes this the ideal pedal and wheel system for your favourite, high throttle, fast paced games. With progressive resistance, you also must press down harder to really pick up the pace, so it makes it feel even more so like you are in a race car, digging in at your competition’s heels.

Chatpad
If you like to trash talk, this QWERTY style keypad is the way to do it. With a full keyboard, you can easily input text with your thumbs, without having to take your other fingers off the gaming controller. It also comes with a well-made chat headset, so you can talk to other players when you are immersed in online gaming. Truly a must have for fighter games, or RPG games, where you are playing with others in a team simulation game on screen.

Energizer 2X
If you simply can’t stop playing, and need a quick charger for your controllers, this is the must have charger to invest in. You can charge two controllers at once, and truly get nearly a 100% charge in a matter of only minutes. The LED display light is a nice feature, that lights up green to inform you that the controller has fully charged up. If you need to have a backup on hand at all times, then this is the controller charger you should consider investing when the time comes to purchase one.

There are number of options that you can purchase so you can make the most out of your gaming experience. No matter what type of games you enjoy, who you are planning to play with, or if you are an on or an offline gamer, the right accessories are going to make the gaming action far more enjoyable. So regardless of what you are looking for when it comes to playing on your favorite devices, there are several great accessories you should consider purchasing. These are some of the top accessories which will truly enhance your gaming experience, and make you a far superior competitor online.

Applications

Top Application Security Threats That Can Put You At a Higher Risk

 

Malware threats are on the rise, while phishing scams remain persistent — and effective — ways for cybercriminals to hack corporate systems. But the biggest risk to your organization? Applications.

Consider that more than 111 billion lines of new software code will be written this year, much of it used by Web-facing mobile and desktop apps. The result? A rapidly increasing attack surface that regularly produces new vulnerabilities. Add threats from existing, open-source code — a recent flaw in the Apache Struts 2 framework put companies around the world at risk of Java injection attacks — and it’s no wonder that 42 percent of mature DevOps organizations now perform app security analysis at every stage of the software cycle.

What does this mean for your company? With Web- and cloud-based apps quickly becoming the foundation of IT, it’s worth understanding the top applications security threats and learning how to counter them.

Test Case

While threats from outside actors make for sensational news stores and often top the list of corporate worry, app risks actually start closer to home. Why? Because many companies hold back when it comes to testing. Instead of giving dev teams time to fully break, fix and break apps again, software is rushed into production, putting it at risk of compromise. Bottom line? Hackers attack whatever, wherever, whenever. Timid testing isn’t enough.

Down and Out

Your apps are also at risk of DDoS and SQL injection attacks. When it comes to SQL, the problem stems from permissible commands: While the “SELECT” query is commonly used to make password and username database requests, many companies forget to block access to other SQL commands. The result? Sixty percent of Web apps are vulnerable. Lock down code and restrict permissions to reduce your risk.

DDoS, meanwhile, often feels like an attack that can’t be stopped, especially since attackers can now leverage IoT devices to deliver terabytes of traffic and quickly debilitate apps. It’s not hopeless, however — new tools can detect sudden access request spikes, shut down IP addresses and notify admins ASAP.

Scripts, Stocks and Sessions

Also on the top app threats radar are cross-site scripting (XSS) worries, stock API permissions and session hijacking. To cut off XSS, limit the type of Web scripts that can be loaded by specific apps. To combat stock APIs, use extra encryption and build in code delays to reduce the efficacy of automated hacking tools. Limiting session hijacking, meanwhile, demands the use of random session IDs that are always encrypted.

Last but not least are zero-day attacks. Limit your risk by leveraging more in-house code, building in extra security and, if necessary, pulling the app to fix critical issues.

App threats are on the rise. Reduce your risk by learning more about the top threats to your Web- and cloud-based applications, and taking steps to safeguard critical data.

 

 

———————————–

Author bio: Nori De Jesus is Global Director of Marketing at Column Information Security. De Jesus brings more than 20 years of experience as an advent marketer and business strategist working with software manufacturers and launching proprietary software solutions into the market. With expertise in BPM and case management B2B marketing, she focuses on innovation and making a difference by maintaining agility as the technology climate continues to shift. De Jesus is an evangelist in educating buyers through their technology-purchasing journey via content and research.

Applications, Social Media

WhatsApp on Mac or Windows: Another Milestone Achieved

WhatsApp is a free to use, cross-platform instant messaging application for the smartphones introduced in 2009 by former employees of Yahoo. It is used to make voice calls, sending text messages, video calls and sharing images, videos, audio files, voice notes, phone contacts, gif files and user location to other users by using the internet on your smartphone. You can either use it for personal chats or sharing media and apps with your loved ones, or it can also be used for business purposes.

 

Key features of WhatsApp:

  • Simple Messaging: You can chat or send messages for free to anyone in your contact list located anywhere in the world for free and avoid SMS charges.
  • Voice and Video calls: By using WhatsApp, you can make video calls to your family and friends for free even if they are located in other countries.
  • Share photos and videos: You can capture beautiful and memorable moments in your phone and share them with your loved ones instantly with the help of WhatsApp.
  • Group Chats: You can make various groups including your favorite people, maximum 50 people in one group to chat with them. This feature is very profitable for business as many people join different groups and share their products.
  • Secure Environment: WhatsApp uses end to end encryption, which makes it safe to chat and share stuff on WhatsApp because that message will stay between only you and the person you are talking to. Even WhatsApp can’t read or listen to your conversations.

WhatsApp now available for PC and Mac

For any business, handling it on the Mobile phone can be inconvenient at times, especially for the people who work on their computers at the same time as well. So, WhatsApp has launched a desktop version of WhatsApp for your Mac or Windows PC. So, Windows users should not get upset about the fact that they don’t have to use WhatsApp only on the small screen of their phones only, but now, they can use their Qwerty PC Keyboard and the big screen for using WhatsApp.

How to Download and Use WhatsApp on your Mac or Windows PC:

The Supported versions of WhatsApp on Pc are:

  • Windows 8 and Higher (32-bit version)
  • Windows 8 and Higher (64-bit version)
  • MAC OS X 10.9 and higher

There are few easy steps you need to follow to get WhatsApp working on your MAC or windows PC. Let us discuss them now:

  • Open https://www.whatsapp.com/download/ from your Pc webpage and download Desktop version of WhatsApp.
  • Install WhatsApp on your Pc once the download is finished.
  • Open WhatsApp so that you can scan the QR code from your phone to get both the devices connected.
  • Open WhatsApp in your phone and click on the settings icon under WhatsApp Web to scan the QR code on Desktop version.
  • Once both the devices are connected, you are good to use WhatsApp on your PC.

Users must keep in mind while using WhatsApp on their PC that your phone should always be on and connected to Wi-Fi as well.

WhatsApp has been the favorite of everyone for a while now, and the company is always trying to make its feature list and usability better to make it more loved by users. And, by launching the desktop version of it, the company has put another milestone in its long run. This Step will sure be going to keep WhatsApp as number one app and the most loved one for a long time now.

 

——————-

Author Bio: Pankaj Jangir is a Website Designer and Developer. He makes websites from where users can download their own videos and photos from FB.

Marketing

10 Ways To Make Your Lead Generation Website Convert On The First Visit

 

You’ve invested a lot into your lead generation website to get eyes on it, but it’s not enough that people just look at it. It’s extremely important that your lead generation website is able to drive visitors to conversion, and what you might not know is that they need to convert right away. Straight North examined more than 300,000 sales leads and discovered something surprising — 84 percent of conversions happened on the first visit. When visitors came back to the page multiple times, their chances of converting plummeted.

The following presentation outlines these shocking statistics, and lays out some tried-and-true methods for re-engineering a website to drive higher conversions on the first visit. After all, there’s too much riding on your website to leave anything to chance, especially when the chances become so much slimmer with each visit.

 

——————————————–

Author Bio: Brad Shorr is Director of Content Strategy at Straight North — an Internet marketing agency that provides SEO and PPC services — and has more than 25 years of marketing and sales experience. Brad has been featured on leading business sites including Forbes and Entrepreneur.

Drones

Best Drones We Used in 2016

 

Remember the time you were buying a drone for the first time? It was not an easy feat right? Having to scour the internet for what is and what not, trying to find the best value for our money  and praying with all our might that we will end up with a really cool gadget.

Thank God, that was all over.

Now, we are enjoying the pleasure of piloting drones, and probably, of every model there is in the market. So if you are one of the pilots who came so far in the drone community, take a look at our list of the Best Drones We Used in 2016. We chopped the article into 3 categories, as we aim to cater to all types of drone enthusiasts in the world.

Or, if you are a newbie and are looking for a great resource to kick start your drone piloting experience,  you found a land mine.

So head on and scroll down.

Are you into Drone Racing? Our Top Pick For The Freestyle Flying Quadcopter Category Is The Lumenier QAV250

Great things do come in small packages and this baby delivers the goods. Lumenier QAV250 is one of the most recognized racing drone today. And now with a G10 variant, you can say, breaking into FPV flying has never been this awesome.  So why do we love it?

We simply love the Lumenier QAV250 because it is exactly a G10 fiberglass frame. We like how we can tinker  around with it. This drone model offers a lot of opportunity for custom build options.

We can add our own electronics, motors,  speed controllers , HD Camera,  radio controller, FPV googles and a flight board. This means, you can customize this gadget into maximum attributes and the possibilities are just endless! If done right, and all components are working together, you have a top-of-the-line drone that will stand up to the rigors of drone racing better than any pre-assembled racing drone in the market.

How cool is that?

The downside is, it is not for the beginners  or an ideal option for newbies in drone racing. You would better be off with Arris X-Speed 250 Quacopter Racer. It is suitable for first time drone flyers. It requires a deep knowledge in electronics, soldering and freestyle flying to bring out the best capabilities of this drone. It is also expensive. The frame already costs $130. Plus, you have to buy all the other parts so the cost can reach up to around $539 or more.  But then again, for intermediate and advance pilots, we know that if investing more can get us to experience a whole new level of drone racing, then it is a dollar well spent.

Is Drone Aerial Photography More Of Your Thing? Take It Off With DJI Phantom 4

The DJI Phantom 4 offers all the exciting features of its older brother, the Phantom 3, but with better battery life (28 minutes!), obstacle avoidance and a newly designed camera lens.  I must say that, DJI Phantom 4 is a personal favorite. When I tried Drone Aerial Photography, it really  was my first choice. The specs are great  with a reasonable price. After I took it out of the box,  I guided the drone to about 12 feet high, just hovering above the ground, getting familiar with how it works, until my six year old son took over. He taps on the piloting app we have in our iPad, and the DJI Phantom began to ascend higher into the air.  My son just taps on the screen happily, shifting the drone here and there and finally led it towards a tree! To my surprise, (I thought this is going to be the end of my Phantom 4) the drone just smoothly cruised towards it, and adjusted slightly to avoid the tree.

Oblivious to the fact that I almost fall on my knees, my son just continued tapping without knowing that he is capturing shots of the tree and the surrounding. The end result was nothing short of amazing. The picture resolution is so vivid that you can almost feel the warmth of the sun. The tree is bathed with rich colors of the setting sun, enveloping even the outstretched branches of the tree.  It was more than what I expected. So I highly recommend  DJI Phantom 4 both to complete amateurs who want to start aerial photography and for professionals who aim to producing more complex and dangerous shots.

Toy Drones

We are finally at the last category, the toy drone.  If you are looking for a cool gadget to give as present, or just to experience flying a drone for the first time, then  we recommend the SYMA X5C.

There is nothing really special about the X5C. Its redeeming factor is, it looks like the Phantom 4 at first glance but you will not be getting amazing aerial shots. It comes with accelerometers and gyros, so it is pretty stable with an auto flip feature which most drones have.

So what made us say X5C the best drone we used in 2016?

With a standard spec and a cheap price, the X5C surprisingly works really good. You will have a blast flying it for the first time and you will not feel bad if you lose it on a lamp post or a tree or on the roof of your house. This is probably why, the SYMA X5C got over 4200 reviews on Amazon, a number that no other drone has ever come close to.

Conclusion

There you have it. I hope you enjoyed reading our article. If you think we miss out on a really good drone and think it is worthy of mentioning, you can suggest it out in our comment section.

Applications

Native Vs Hybrid – Demystifying the Technology Dilemma

 

All businesses face a common dilemma while deciding on mobile app development: should they choose native apps or hybrid apps. If you too are undecided about your choice, here are tips to help you decide what suits your needs best- Native Mobile Application Development or Hybrid App development.  First, you need to understand the difference between the two types of apps, unravel the mystery that surrounds these two names.

The two principle technologies used for app development are the Android and the iOS. Both these systems work with the latest hand held devices that now dominate this world. The app you develop needs to work across all platforms to meet this shift in focus. Multi-platform apps development is challenging, and at the same time it brings opportunities to develop more and more creative and impressive products.

A native app is defined as smart phone or tablet application that is developed for specific and fixed operating systems.  Such native apps have numerous advantages. They are fast and refined apps that promise great performance.  This makes these apps very suited to permanent or long term functions such as games. Users find these native apps familiar and easy to use as they are accustomed to navigate similar apps. The ability these apps have of working along with other functionalities of on the device is an added advantage. These apps are readily accessible to a target audience. What is even more interesting and advantageous is that these apps do not depend on the internet to be accessed.

On the other hand, hybrid apps are those that built on the native apps or depend on them. They are not device specific and can be distributed across platforms very fast without the need to develop them separately for the two OS. These apps are developed using cross compatible technology and ride piggy back on native apps. This makes developing such apps fast and easy. However, you will need a developer familiar with web programming to develop a hybrid app.  The cost of developing hybrid apps is considerably lower since they are not built from scratch. It also requires a single language for coding it.

Now take a look at the limitations of native and hybrid apps. As far as native apps are concerned, the limitations include high cost and the need of various expert developers with specific skills to complete the task. As for hybrid apps, they cannot provide the ease of handling and familiarity that native apps provide users. This drawback impacts the number of users interested in using them. Hybrid apps lack some of the features available exclusively to native apps. Hybrids as fall short in efficiency and they have higher chance of rejection at app stores in case of mistakes.

Select native or hybrid apps depending on your requirements and future plans for your app. Native mobile application development is appropriate for future functionalities; hybrid for more basic apps.

 

——————————

Author Bio: EliteMobApp.com is a USA based leading mobile app development company offering native and hybrid mobile applications at affordable rates.

 

Applications

Top Trends to Watch Out For in Mobile Application Development in 2017

 

ComScore report says that the number of mobile users surpassed the number of desktop users’ way back in 2014. Gartner predicts that by 2017, more than 268 billion downloads will generate $77 billion worth of revenue. The ever increasing numbers of smartphones all over the world has also led to a surge in the number of app that people download and use. Currently, Google Play houses over 2.2 million apps while the Apple Store has around 2 million apps .

As times change and technology evolves, mobile apps evolve too. Today, apps are not solely built for smartphones alone – wearables, connected homes, smart cars and other IoT enabled devices are also a part of the mix. 2017 presents a huge opportunity for businesses to develop innovative apps and see their business grow.

Here are some of the key mobile application development trends to look out for in 2017:

Location based services

Location based services (LBS) will continue to evolve as the facilities such as GPS becomes more and more available on all the mobile devices. There are a number of places where LBS can be implemented and put to good use, such as indoor mapping, location-specific payment portal, retail offers, security features, navigation, travel and tourism and more. The Beacon technology is also becoming increasingly popular in these cases.

Augmented reality integration

Integration of Augmented reality into utility apps will be another major development in 2017. Initially these kinds of apps were viewed as too gimmicky or promotional. But today, AR tools can be used to make apps more useful and productive. For example, recognition of words and phrases can be made use of in messenger apps. If someone sends a video etc. The actionable item should pop up automatically. Other options include social media syncing, location tracking, product links etc.

Android instant apps

The Instant Apps feature was recently announced by Google. It enables the Android apps run instantly. These apps need not be downloaded and then used. You can run them just with a single tap. The run as you need concept is certainly something to watch out for in 2017.

Embedded AI

To explain this, imagine, looking at a picture that changes dynamically as your mood changes. Enabling machine learning and AI into their apps is quite an interesting feature that app developers are looking forward to.

IoT app integrations

The IoT is rapidly seeping into our lives and more and more smart and connected devices are emerging every day. For developers, this involves the use of mobile platforms and enterprise backend infrastructures that can communicate and share data with a diverse set of devices The key here is data analysis and the data itself that must be stored and accessed efficiently.

Application security

Application security is another major factor that developers will work on in 2017. With the ever-increasing connected devices and the sensitivity of the data that is shared, security becomes a priority for mobile application development.

Above all, providing users with a superior user experience will always be the prime focus of mobile application development – always.

 

———————————

Author Bio: EliteMobApp.com is a USA based leading Mobile application development company which offer all type of native, hybrid and cross platform mobile apps development.

Hardware

The War of the Processors: Where AMD Went Wrong

2 Comments

 

The microprocessor has undoubtedly come a long way. The leap from four to sixty-four-bit chips has been a tremendous feat. And as expected, this remarkable advancement has brought to life fierce rivalry between industry players.

Although the recent influx of praiseworthy Chromebooks has popularised ARM chips, nearly all computers are powered by what are known as x86-based processors. Technicalities aside, these CPUs are primarily based on the Intel 8086 – a 16-bit microprocessor that was introduced in 1978 – and are a result of the gradual additions and extensions made to the 8086 over the years.

As leading manufacturers of x86-based CPUs, Intel and AMD have steadily achieved global domination in the world of computer processing. Each company has been kept on its toes by the other, and we’ve all benefited greatly from this rivalry.

In the recent years, however, AMD seems to have dialed down quite significantly. Simply going through the laptops in your college class, or the PCs around the office will give you a good picture of the dwindling competition. Intel processors are in far wider use than AMDs.

Some might argue that Intel has always been ahead. Albeit only by one year, it is the older of the two companies.  Moreover, it is only as a consequence of the conditions made by IBM for its first PC in 1981 that AMD became a second-source manufacturer of the already patented Intel 8086.

So, Intel may have made AMD into the company it is now, but that doesn’t mean the latter has always been in the former’s shadow. For instance, it was AMD that designed the highly successful Am2505 in 1971, the fastest multiplier of its time.

Today, however, no one can deny that Intel has cast a gloomy shadow onto AMD. But where did a company that freely benefited from the other’s technology go wrong?

Performance

With its FX-8350’s glass-shattering 8794.33MHz, AMD is the Guinness World Record holder of the highest frequency ever achieved by a computer processor. But we have all come to the realization that more clock speed doesn’t necessarily mean better performance.

AMD has historically taken pride in its emphasis on the number of cores and clock speeds, and on paper, this would make its chips faster than Intel’s. In reality, however, it is the issue of efficiency that negatively impacts AMD processors.

For illustration’s sake, let’s take the best of Intel’s Skylake architecture, the Core i7-6700K. The chip triumphs over the AMD FX 9590, despite having lower maximum clock speed and only half the number of cores.

What Intel does better is, instead of adding cores, it uses hyperthreading to keep the existing ones active at all times. When performing tasks that require the same processing power, therefore, Intel chips have always offered better performance over similarly classed AMD CPUs.

Pricing

A while back, PC enthusiasts marveled at AMD for offering reliable processors at fair prices. However, because competition has so far heated up, this is no longer the case.

Of course, you could buy the entry-level Athlon X4 860K – a 3.7GHz quad-core processor – for around $70, which is not bad, but the performance you’ll get will be way too low to justify the money saved if you chose it instead of something like the Intel Core i3-6100.

What makes the situation even worse is the high rate of CPU pricing fluctuation. Customers are opting for older Intel processors which still perform better than AMD chips, but having been in the market for a while are now almost as cheap.

You can, therefore, be duped into thinking you’re getting better value for the money, but instead end up with a processor that throttles with even the simple tasks. Many AMD chips are cheap, but it is because pricing them higher wouldn’t make any sense. This is why Intel largely dominates the exorbitant $200 and above price range.

Too much emphasis on dedicated graphics

There was a time when the graphics processing capabilities of AMD-based computers were far superior to anything offered by Intel.

Fast-forward to today, and Intel’s integrated graphics have all but closed the gap. The 6th generation Intel chips have largely been accepted in a market that is increasingly showing its flexibility to compromise on graphics power for more portable devices.

While not built for graphics-intensive tasks such as heavy gaming, the latest Intel HD, and Intel Iris Pro GPUs have proven capable of handling some demanding titles comfortably.

Admittedly, AMD has gone back to the drawing board, and the integrated graphics on its new A-series APU processors are currently giving Intel GPUs a run for their money. But the company has evidently taken its time to realize that not everyone shopping for a computer needs it to run The Witcher 3 or Mortal Kombat X at maximum settings.

Availability and support

AMD enthusiasts might have something to say regarding all the points we’ve made so far, but they will agree that their processors of choice are simply not compatible with as many components as Intel chips.

Take motherboards for example. You can find several options for your AMD chip, but the choices are not nearly as many as with Intel. Moreover, Intel boards make a little more sense, design-wise.

AMD has their metal connector pins on the chip, rather than on the board, as it is with Intel motherboards.

AMD’s design choice is great because you can rule out the board’s faulty pins as the cause of any processor issues. However, replacing a high-end chip is usually a lot more expensive than getting a new motherboard.

Wrap Up

Despite Intel’s unwavering command over the CPU market, AMD is finally gearing up a notch. The future, therefore, looks brighter for a company that has seemingly grown tired of being known only as second-best. 2017 is particularly an exciting year for the decades-old rivalry.

We are all eager to see how AMD’s highly-anticipated Ryzen processors will compete with the latest and most powerful 7th generation Intel chips.

 

Applications, General

Guide To Developing A Successful Mobile App For Your Business

 

It’s no surprise that every business, large or small is building mobile apps and looking to cash in big way. Developing mobile apps for your business puts you on common grounds for competing in the new mobile market place. All customers today look for products and services today via their cell phones. The idea to get your customers to notice your app and for that you need the right approach to mobile apps development. You need the right mobile strategy in place – from day one.

Mobile apps development

The very first step is to look for mobile app development services to create a mobile application. Finding the right developer could be tricky. Find a developer with the right skills and experience so that he understands the exact requirements. Check regularly and monitor the progress of your mobile application. Discuss your scope of work and also define the milestones for completion. Discuss your budget and chalk out the most important features and make sure that the app is thoroughly tested for functionality and user experience before it is launched.

App approval and submission

The next step is to prepare your app for submission to the major app stores and approval. For this purpose, make sure that you understand the app submission guidelines and policies. Both Apple and Android have a set of guidelines and checklists for app submission and approval. Take your time to review and understand their policies. Make sure that your app complies with the maximum size requirements and other criteria outlined by the app stores. Failure to comply with the app submission guidelines will result in unnecessary delays.

App store optimization

App stores have their own way of ranking the apps in the search results. The higher your app ranks in the app stores, the better are its chances for getting downloaded. Increased visibility directly translates to more traffic and greater downloads. Hence, optimizing your app is essential. Simple changes such as including your strongest keywords in the description and using the right images and icons can greatly help improve its visibility. It’s also important to use the keywords in the title. Make sure that the keywords you select are relevant for your target audience. Secondly, place a link from your website and take advantage of your customer’s natural affinity to your website and drive them to download your app too. Furthermore, include a download link for your mobile app on your website too.

There’s no denying that we live in a mobile world and at least 80% of our potential customers are looking for our businesses via mobile phones. Especially, if you are a small business, a mobile app or a mobile presence can give the initial boost to your business and help build a strong brand in the long term. With the right strategy in place for going mobile, you can easily capture the initial mobile customers and see a significant growth in your business in the initial phases.

 

—————————

Author Bio: Elite Infoworld is a leading mobile application development company which offering android & iphone mobile application development services aא affordable rates.

Mobile

REVIEW: Redmi Note 4; The Much Awaited Xiaomi Smartphone

 

The much awaited Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is now unveiled for the buyers. Succeeding one of the most successful models by the company, the Redmi Note 3, this one has been released in three versions. The model boasts a metallic body and is loaded with a Qualcomm chip. The model is bound to give head-on competition to most smartphones in the industry today.

Let’s get a glimpse of how it looks and feels

Resembling closely its predecessor, Redmi Note 3, the Redmi Note 4 is designed with slim borders and capacitive navigation buttons below the display. Across the front is a 2.5D curved-edge glass offering a premium feel to the phone. The metallic body offers a sturdy feel with a less slippery panel as well.

The rear side of the Redmi Note 4 though is designed differently with fine antenna bands running across the body. Also on the rear side are a rear camera and a dual-tone LED flash with a fingerprint scanner. The speaker grilles unlike its predecessor have been shifted to the bottom along with a Micro-USB port, while the audio jack and an IR emitter sit on the top. On the right are the power and volume buttons which are easily accessible with fingers.

The handset is slimmer and boasts the best design ever in all smartphones released by Redmi. As per rumors two models which are available for sale in India are Matte Black and Gold. The 5.5 inch full HD IPS display has 1080×1920 pixels resolution. The sunlight legibility is great and the screen size is ideal for watching movies and videos.

Let’s dig into its features and specifications

Powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, clocked at 2GHz, it has an Adreno 506 GPU integrated. The three models available for sale are

  • 2GB RAM / 32GB storage
  • 3GB RAM /32GB storage
  • 4GB RAM/64GB storage

The hybrid sim tray supports a Nano sim and a Micro SIM or micro-SD card. Both sim will support 3G and 4G support, and defeating the Redmi Note 3’s shortcoming the Redmi Note 4 will support microSD cards of 128 GB capacity. The 4100 mAH battery is non-removable. The rear camera is 13 megapixels with f/2.0 aperture, dual-tone LED flash and a PDAF. The front camera is 5 megapixels with similar aperture as rear and a fixed-focus lens. Connectivity options include dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, USB OTG, FM radio, GPS/ A-GPS, Miracast, GLONASS, and BeiDou. Overall the call quality is pretty satisfactory.

The OS packed is the MIUI based Android 6.0 1 Marshmallow and a number of exciting features are added in the Redmi Note 4; Now on Tap is a highlight that has been loved by users since its introduction. The system animations too appear refreshing and neat when uninstalling an app.

The gallery app is all revamped which automatically syncs stored images and a 5GB free cloud storage is available when signing an account. Also added in the gallery app are video editing and sharing features. Other features include Quick Ball which has been seen on the previous model as well. Ensuring user privacy in mind, the Redmi Note 4, comes with Dual Apps and Second space. Another showstopper is the scrolling screenshot feature. The dialer app is now lighter and easier, another add-on is the caller ID feature with new tweaks added in the Messages app as well. Plenty of options for ringtones, wallpapers and icons are available with the preloaded themes. A one-handed mode which shrinks the display to one side of the screen has also been included in this new Redmi Note 4.

The performance

The Redmi Note 4 as reviewed by experts was able to handle everything which was thrown at it with no complaints in the processing as well. The phone ensures smooth multitasking, and offers a great media playbacks feature. Speaker quality is good and much satisfactory. For those selfie lovers and photo freaks, the camera packs plenty of exciting modes and features to ensure a wonderful experience.

The battery on the continuous video playback test lasted for 15 hours and 10 minutes offering an impressive experience. The phone lasts for up to 2 days in real-world use. The handset appeared great in latching on weak cellular and Wi-Fi network signals.

The Price

The Redmi Note 4 is available in three variants starting at $147 (Rs. 9999), with the other models at $162 (Rs. 10,999) and $191 (Rs. 12,999) respectively.

Final word

Overall the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is a complete package in itself which is bound to give all the existing smartphones a very tough time. The design, battery life and performance all score great.

So for all those who have been looking for a bigger screen, great battery performance but on a budget hunt, this one is the phone to stop on.

 

————————————–

Author Bio: Pankaj Jangir is a Website Designer and Developer. He makes websites from where users can download their own videos and photos from Instagram.

Real Estate

The Story of Houzz – The Home Design Platform

 

Houzz at its essence is a community of people who are passionate about home design. Many of our readers will have already used Houzz but may be unsure about the history of Houzz and its rising popularity. While its main user base is in the United States, other markets such as the UK and Australia are starting to see large growth.

The internet is built on communities, and before Alon Cohen and Adi Tatarko founded Houzz in 2009, there was no community for people passionate about home design. The husband and wife team came up with the idea for Houzz after having difficulty finding inspiration when redesigning their own home. Houzz’s expansion has been helped by the well-timed financing they received as the company was growing.

Check out this infographic from Half Price for more information on the growth of the world’s biggest home design platform.

Audio

Here’s How to Choose a Vinyl Turntable

 

Meta: Need a music-playing device to amuse crowds of people and yourself? Get a turntable and start turning heads!

Representing a blend between the good old vinyl-dominated times and a new kind of modern music-playing contraption, a turntable is a must-have for a music aficionado, as it incorporates pretty much all the things one might need to start playing hit after hit, in whatever format it may come.

In this article, we’ll try to point out a couple of important things to take into consideration if you’re about to purchase yourself a brand new DJ-worthy apparatus! More precisely, we’ll talk about what are the parts of a turntable, what kinds of it are available to buy and how can you keep it up to date once you’ve gotten yourself one.

What’s a turntable made of?

Platter – To put it simply, a platter is that thing upon which you place the record you’d like to play. Typically, it’s better if the platter on a turntable is a bit on the heavier side, as this will mean more stability for the rotating record and fewer distortions and other smaller imperfections down the road. The platter is usually powered by a small motor enabling the record to spin at a designated speed, which often can be adjusted. Modern-day turntables offer up to 3 different speeds, so you can switch them for different tracks as you like it. However, older models have only one or two speeds, and that isn’t necessarily optimal if you’re a DJ.

Cartridge – The cartridge of a turntable is usually a small part, but it’s nevertheless quite important as its job is to be in contact with the record, and produce sounds. Since it plays such an important role in the overall turntable experience, it’s advisable to upgrade it regularly lest it becomes worn out and ruin your otherwise great configuration.

Tonearm – as its very name suggests, a tonearm is a part of a turntable responsible for getting the needle to the record itself. Although it appears to be largely peripheral, a tonearm can be as crucial as a cartridge or any other part for that matter, as a wrongly designed model can make your record sound distorted and, more typically, make it play at slightly different speeds throughout its run!

Should I go manual or automatic?

To many people, it may seem rather obvious that if you’re buying a turntable, it’s going to be manual because arguably the most important part of owning one, is that you get to lower its arm on your favorite record every time you’d like to hear it again. However, automatic turntables have their own vibe going for them as they feature builds that have the majority of the button-pushing’ and arm-lowering’ work already done for you, so what you’re left with amounts to arranging the sounds in new peculiar ways and coming up with your own wacky tracks. Perfect for DJ’s!

So, the choice really isn’t a difficult one. If you’re into tweed jackets, top hats, and geography, chances are- you’re going to go for a manual one. As for the automatic versions of it, the typical audience includes lots of young and hip kids who’d like to confuse and excite everyone with some of their own creations. Of course, geography teachers aren’t necessarily exempt from these new interesting toys, and the same goes for the younger people interested in buying a turntable.

Keeping up with the Joneses – the question of turntable upgradeability

Once you’ve received your brand new turntable and are ready to knock yourself out listening to some of the blasts from the past you’ve been storing in your attic for years, it’s safe to say you’ll be pretty much the luckiest person about. For a while. The question of upgradeability especially concerns the people who go for a manual version of this exquisite piece of music-playing machinery, as the new features and editors typically installed on them get outdated pretty soon, leaving your almost DJ-worthy self in dire straits!

To avoid this unfortunate turn of events, make sure to get yourself a turntable you can upgrade later on. In this way, you won’t have to buy a brand new device, but merely a small part that became overshadowed by an enhanced version of itself.

Conclusion

All in all, buying a turntable is one of the most rewarding investments you can make. It plays music, it looks good- what’s not to love? Well, the price probably, but still, if you manage to find an agreeable model within your budget, you’re sure to have a blast with it! Actually, one of our other reviews describes the ideal of a top record player under $300, so if you chance upon it, you may get an even clearer picture of what you may want. Hopefully, this guide helped you understand the nature of these magnificent devices more closely, and gave you a better idea of what your top portable turntable might be!

 

—————————————–

Author Bio: Alex Frank has worked in the sound technology industry for 10 years. Today, he is an affiliate blogger who likes to educate his international audience about sound and technology. Visit Music Instruments Center to find more about the music that you need.

Applications, Mobile

Mobile App Development Future with HTML5

 

In the past few years, the use of mobile devices increased drastically. The usage of smartphones and tablets became a trend among the worldwide users. According to the survey of a reputed marketing company, there are over 2 billion smart device users in the world. This increase is nearly 13% more than the last year. This is a clear indication that we are moving toward the increasingly mobile future without any doubt. With the immersive use of mobile devices, the need of seamlessly coded mobile applications also increased. And HTML5 is the best way to create mobile applications in the current technology world.

The HTML5 gives the app developers ability to work in a single code base to deploy the mobile application across different platforms like Android, Windows, iOS, Blackberry, OSX, and the web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.

I have seen many developers getting frustrated while creating interactive content for the desktop and mobile devices. To satisfy the high industry demands, the shifting towards the use of HTML5 has become more essential than before. The future of mobile app development may well be in the hands of HTML5 with the consideration of the needed penetrating applications.

Why the need for a mobile app development?

By 2019, it is expected to reach the number of over 5 billion users of mobile devices which are currently of 4.61 billion. And since 2012 passed, the number of mobile devices is nearly matching with the number of users in the world. It means that it will be difficult to find an individual who is not using a mobile device and so, the need of mobile app development increased a lot.

This scenario makes more necessary for the mobile application developers to deliver more complex applications which work on different types of devices faster and better.

The use of mobile devices across the business enterprises opens the way for the app developers to create apps which work on desktop as well as on mobile devices.

These reasons and the features the HTML5 have, the use of it for the mobile app development is becoming high in popularity.

How HTML5 is beneficial?

Why only HTML or why HTML5 is preferable than other coding techniques? This question comes in the mind of a lot of people. The main reason of using HTML5 is, it is specifically designed to work across multiple and major platforms including mobile Operating Systems and web browsers. The mobile user can install the web application as an icon on any device screen if it is made using HTML5. This means if you are searching on the web through a mobile device and you find something that you want to store on the home screen of your device, then you can create an app icon which directs that web page.

html5-171876_640

Why application developers love HTML5?

As a survey made on over 3000 developers across ASIA, UK, and the USA, it is seen that more than 60% of developers are using HTML5 now for developing apps. And almost over 150 Fortune 500 companies has accepted HTML5. Comparing to other coding technologies to build the web or native apps, the HTML5 has a growth rate of 20% which is strongest among all.

HTML5 is loved across the worldwide developers due to its familiarity. It saves project development work and also decreases the overall cost of the app deployment.

Another strong reason is that the HTML5 has open standard support. It enables the application developers to design according to the need of the mobile devices, different platforms, operating systems, and form factors of the application. HTML5 allows them to deliver potentially rich content which does not rely on the Operating System or the device type. This makes it more loveable than native. Even the JavaScript programmers are shifting towards HTML5 these days.

Future of mobile app development with HTML5

Though it does not rely on the device type or OS, the HTML5 still be known as a desktop language in the future world of the mobile devices. For the mobile app developers, it is needed to run where the football is going, not where it has already been. HTML5 need to be more associated with the device hardware to make a true competition with the native application development.

But, as the business administrators, as well as normal users, are shifting towards the web browsers Mozilla and Google Chrome from the Internet Explorer which both have a full HTML5 support and the future is with the growth of Windows 10 usage and acceptance, the power of HTML5 is surely will be in full use for the business enterprises and other regular mobile device users.

 

————————

Author Bio: Mandip is a graduate in Information and Technology. He is a passionate blogger, SEO Specialist, and a Software Developer. He loves to write on technology, SEO, Internet Tips and Tricks. Currently he blogs at Best On Internet. You can also get in touch with him on Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter.

software

PRODUCT REVIEW: Kernel for PST Repair Tool

2 Comments

 

A Personal Folders file (.pst) is an Outlook data file that in general stores the messages and other items on your computer. In fact, this is the most common file in which information in MS Outlook is saved by home users or in small organizations. The key point to note is that as a .pst file is kept on your computer, it is not subject to mailbox size limits on the mail server. Therefore, by performing a simple act of removing items to a .pst file, it gets easier for you to free up the storage space in the mailbox. But just like any other file format, these .pst files also get corrupt in various circumstances.

There are all sorts of reasons why an Outlook PST file can become corrupt, and whenever such unwanted incidents happen; it stops working. If you work within any size business that depends upon MS Outlook, chances are you will need the services of a PST repair tool.

However, we are aware of the fact that most of the organizations depend on MS Outlook for email, calendaring, tasks, contacts. In fact, it won’t be wrong to say that MS Outlook is often the heart and soul of a business. But the real matter of concern is its fragility and it can be a real big nightmare when it breaks. Outlook PST files can become corrupt and may even turn inaccessible due to different reasons. But once the outlook PST file gets corrupt then what happens. There is always a high possibility where your entire communication or work routines come to a sudden halt.

Fortunately, plenty of tools are out there that can help in keeping the integrity of that data file intact. Which ones are the most reliable and safe to use? If you or your organization relies on Outlook, then there is only one tool that I am going to talk about could save your day and time – Kernel for Outlook PST Repair.

Kernel for Outlook PST Repair

Kernel for Outlook PST Repair provide effortless PST file recovery solution when the MS Outlook PST file gets corrupted, damaged, or accidently deleted. All it takes is just a few minutes to recover and retrieve all the required data files like Notes, scheduled tasks, Calendar entries, Journal, appointments, etc. The software is very well integrated with several innovative functionalities and options that further assists in the successful recovery of the corrupt PST files from the scenarios such as abrupt shutdown of a system, MS Outlook crashes, virus attack and registry error and etc. Let us look and understand what it has more to offer:

INTERACTIVE INTERFACE

One you download and install the software, the welcome interface automatically displays the dialog box which is the handy interface to upload corrupted or inaccessible Outlook PST files. In the same dialog box, you could also view the placement of Search feature, which turn out to be very handy in situations when you are not exactly aware of the location of PST file and searching for the required PST file is taking too much time.

source-file-selection

You just require to select the folder where you want to search for the required PST file, and after selecting the required drive, click the Search button.

INSTANT RECOVERY OF MULTIPLE FILES

Situations do arise where you have to deal with multiple PST file corruption. Using this software, dealing with such circumstances also get easier. In the “Source File Selection” dialog box, you can add multiple PST files, and then subsequently select Repair Multiple File(s) option for repairing multiple PST files. In just a fraction of few seconds, you can add various Outlook PST files and perform the required email recovery operation.

“Select Output Type” DIALOG BOX TO SAVE RECOVERED FILE IN VARIOUS FORMATS

The software also offers various options to restore the recovered PST files.

select-output-type

The following list divides the saving alternatives on the basis of applications and quantity of files processed.

  • Single File Options – PST file (MS Outlook), DBX file (Outlook Express), and MBOX file.
  • Multiple File Options- EML file, TXT file, MSG file, RTF file, MHTML file, HTML file and PDF file
  • Email Servers – GroupWise, Microsoft Exchange Server, IBM Domino (Lotus Domino), and Office 365.
  • Web Based Email Clients – Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Outlook.com, Google Apps,,Live.com, iCloud, and company IMAP account

FILTRATION OPTION

The software is also well embedded with inbuilt filter. This functionality is of great help and provide the liberty to save the restored file what you want through various email filters (From, To, Subject, Item Type, Folder Name and Date Range).

select-filter

There is an option of adding prefix to the Store Name, if you enable this option and type the required prefix in the Store name prefix text box, then the recovered Store name will appear with the provided prefix in Outlook.

FILE SPLITTING OPTION

Just in case, you are wondering of how to deal with large sized PST file, then there is an additional option to trim large-size PST file upon crossing the specified limit using Split Option. This software even provides you to opt PST Split option up to 5 GB to reduce the resultant PST File in size.

manage-recovered-pst

GENERATING FILE ANALYSIS REPORT

This software has been integrated with the facility to showcase the graphical File Analysis Reports showing the logs of four different parameters. The point to be noted is these reports are generated only after adding and repairing the PST files. To view the reports, click the required report name in the bottom of the Task Pane, after repairing the PST file. The reports can be generated on the basis of following attributes:

  • Total item types
  • Mail flow density by date
  • Mail flow density by senders
  • Interaction between users

PREREQUISITES

This software has been programmed in such a manner that it can be installed on all versions of Windows Platform, including Windows (10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000, 98, NT and 95) and Windows Server (2012, 2008 R2, 2008, 2003 R2, 2003). In fact, the software can successfully repair all versions of Outlook PST files plus Outlook 2016.

For those who wants to get familiar with the working of the software before purchasing its licensed version can even download its trial version. The free trial version is embedded with an option to restore first 25 items from each folder of PST file.

CONCLUSION

The software is very advance and very easy to operate. What makes it more ideal choice for performing an effective PST file recovery operation is its ability to provide 100% error-free recovery solution in almost any situation without altering the actual properties of your data files. Moreover, the software comes with 30-day money back guarantee, and so if you are not completely satisfied with the results then you may make a refund request.