In an Emergency Turn to These Apps

There may be a lot of frivolous apps out there, but not all of them are. There are many out there that will even help you in emergency situations. We would like you to be prepared, so we have defined three apps that will not just help you in small emergencies, like your car breaking down, but larges ones as well, like tornadoes.


AroundMe


AroundMe has existed for quite a while, but it remains to be a top locator app. With it, you can find everything from the nearest gas station to the nearest bank. It's easy to see how AroundMe might help in case of an emergency. Say your toddler is sick, you're in a unfamiliar city, and you must find a hospital as soon as possible. Just go to the app, select the category that you need – in this case, “Hospital” – and find the nearest medical provider to you. It's little shock that many consumers consider AroundMe to be a must-have app.


CPR & Choking


The name of this app says it all: CPR & Choking provides you with tips and full-fledged lessons on how to cope with an individual who is choking or who isn't breathing. It can be especially handy if you have never taken CPR classes or have forgotten what you've learned. This app, which is free, was made by the University of Washington and King County EMS to save lives. It contains a variety of videos that tell you what to do if someone you know is in the middle of a medical emergency or cardiac event.


Emergency Radio Free


What if there's an armed criminal on the loose in your community? What if a tornado has been spotted? You can stay informed with Emergency Radio Free, an app that allows you to access hundreds of police, fire, weather, as well as other live emergency radio feeds from across the country. It's easy, too, to identify and tune into radio feeds in your specific community. You may also save radio feeds to a favorites area to enable you to access them quickly should an emergency strike.


Nothing can truly safeguard you against emergencies, but these apps can help you stay aware and be prepared if something were to happen. They can give you a little more piece of mind.

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Transfer Files With Ease Using Bump

Thanks to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, sharing pictures and info has become easier than ever. Still, people are seeking even more convenient ways to share stuff. In response to this need, iTunes offers the Bump app.


No more emails


Bump permits you to forgo the old method of emailing your friends and family photos and files. Rather you can automatically transfer contact details, music, or photos by literally bumping your phone against another phone.


Living up to its name


Bump is appropriately named, as that is in fact how you send files. You open the app, choose the file option you would like and hold your phone against another’s. Then you bump your hands together; this lets the application know that you need to transfer your files.


You may also bump photos from your phone to your laptop or desktop computer. Again, simply start Bump, select the "photos" option in the app, and tap your phone against your computer's spacebar. Bump will then instantly send your photos to the proper location in your computer.


A popular app


Not unexpectedly, Bump, which was just updated in June of this year, has proven well-liked. The iTunes store reports that the app has been downloaded more than 90 million times. The Bump app is now available for both iPhone and Android phones. Check it out if you want to make sending photos and contact information as easy as possible.

Use Shortcuts in Gmail to Save Time

There's a reason why so many people are flocking to Gmail. It's simply one of the most efficient and impressive email services out there. This might not be surprising; Gmail is, in the end, a Google product, and Google seldom cuts corners when introduction any service. But the odds are good that you aren't using Gmail to its full effectiveness. Gmail is packed with keyboard shortcuts that can save you a great deal of time when composing, reading, and sending emails. Here's the great news: You can find all of these shortcuts with just one keystroke.


The Power of ?


Here's how it operates: By just pressing the question-mark key on your keyboard when you're not in a text-input area, you'll bring up a cheat sheet on top of your inbox of every single shortcut that Gmail boasts. Yes it's true, you will have instantaneous access to every single Gmail shortcut because of the question mark. You can also access this cheat sheet by pressing your "Shift" key and the "+" sign on your keyboard. But why do that when pressing ? is so much cooler?


The Shortcuts


Here are some of the key Gmail shortcuts you'll discover on your ?-induced cheat sheet.


  • By pressing the "c" key, you automatically begin composing a new message in Gmail. If you press "Shift" and then "c," you'll be able to compose that new message in a new window.
  • The "n" key moves your cursor to the next message in your inbox, while pressing the "p" key moves you to the previous message.
  • If you want to mark certain messages as being of high importance, hit the "s" key. This will star particular messages. If you hit the "-" key, you'll label a message as being unimportant.

Using short cuts may take some time to become accustomed to. But once you have incorporated them into your life you will save tons of time. Developing time saving habits like this will give you more freedom and flexibility in your day. You may even be able to take a longer lunch during the day to leave and enjoy the sunshine.

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Technology is Constantly Evolving: Evolve With it

If you were a child when the Atari 64 came out, you were probably amazed at the graphics. Then Mattel released the Intellivision, and by comparison, the Atari’s graphics were outdated. Every time a new video game system came out it managed to trump the last one in graphics and game play.


As an adult you have a deeper perspective on technology. It changes very quickly. These days, as soon as a new state-of-the-art gadget comes out the last one becomes obsolete.


Technology is constantly changing


The the fact is that technology will always change quickly. The fact that consumer technology turns over quickly should no longer be considered an amazing thing. Now-a-days, with the velocity at which things change, consumers must not expect something they buy now to be on the market a year from now.


Need tech help? Ask your kid


The kids who are growing up today recognize how quickly technology changes, every birthday there is a bigger and better system for them to pine after. And these kids adapt to these new technologies faster then their parents who didn’t even grow up with the Internet. Kids generally adapt to new things faster than adults, and the generation that is growing up today, is very flexible when it comes to these rapid technological changes.


Today’s hot tech is tomorrow’s obsolete operating system


Taking all of this into consideration, consumers should not be taken off guard when their computer OS becomes outdated. Companies like Microsoft, Google, and Apple have to continually come out with new operating systems to stay ahead of their competition. If you decide to fight against a new OS when it comes out, you will only be, ultimately, left in the dust. There is a reason that these companies make new operating systems and embracing the constantly changing nature of technology will help you be on the cutting edge of the next great thing.

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Small Business Tip: 3 Apps to Manage Employees

Starting a new business is no easy task. It's why a lot of businesses fail in their start-up years. Nevertheless, you can give yourself an advantage in at least one area – the way you manage people. We've listed a couple of apps for managing employees below. By using these apps, smart company owners can reduce the time they invest in ensuring their employees are as productive as possible.


Labor Time Tracker


It seems somewhat old-fashioned to have your employee’s punch in and out using physical time sheets. A better option is Labor Time Tracker, an app which costs about $4.95 a month for each employee. With this app, employees punch in their hours on a electronic card. This lets you see immediately who is working and who is out for the day. Labor Time Tracker also monitors overtime hours and pay. It'll work, too, in several time zones.


Trello


Trello is an app for organization that is designed to keep business owners on task, it also allows business owners to add employees to to-do lists. It keeps everyone on the same page as everyone in the company can see the duties and deadlines. Also you can send employees messages related to the tasks within Trello.


TribeHR


TribeHR is one of the most popular and highest ranked HR apps available on the market. It is very robust; you can track days off, schedule evaluations, and keep up-to-date employee records. Plus, on top of all that it is affordable. It’s only $2 a month for each user. With this app you will be able to keep track of things as if you had a large HR department.


In the current economy it is difficult enough to build a small business. Make your life easier by utilizing the many apps on the market that are built to help small business owners keep things organized.

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Browser Choice and Your Personality

There are lots of options for web browsers these days. Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and the tried and true Explorer are all plausible options. But what is it about a person that causes them to choose to use one over another. Does your choice in browsers say something regarding your personality? Blogthings.com thinks so.


Different Key Strokes for Different Folks


For instance, if you use Chrome, you’re willing to jump onto the hottest trends. And you’re prepared to do this even if all the details of these trends haven’t yet been nailed down. Chrome users, the site says, are also rarely content with the status quo and are always striving for more.


But what if you use Firefox? Based on Blogthings, you’re untamed and willing to buck the system. What ifyou use Internet Explorer? Then you’re likely to be a down-to-earth person who plays by the rules. Opera users, as reported by the quiz, like to chart his or her own course to victory. These users can adapt to any situation, the site says, with grace and style.


Explorer Still Number One


Of course, Internet Explorer continues to be the most popular web browser these days, according to the numbers. The website W3Counter states that Explorer holds a market share of 28.8 percent in the browser world. 2nd is Chrome, with 26.4 percent. Firefox comes in third with a market share of 23.3 percent, while Safari pulls up fourth with 6.2 percent. Opera ranks fifth with a market share of 2.3 percent.


Searching for the Right Browsers


The Blogthings quiz is fun. It is an intriguing thing to ponder, but ultimately how do you select which browser fits you? To figure this out, our advice is to try different ones out. Don’t just use the one that was included with your computer. Try them all out. You may even find you prefer to use one for work accounts, and one for your personal accounts.

3 Terrible Tech Ideas That Somehow Made It into the Marketplace

Bad technologies emerge every day, and most quickly and quietly disappear. Sadly some of them stick around past their natural expiration date. Here is a list of three apps that don’t know when to call it quits. How did they come to be, why haven’t they died, and who's spending their hard-earned dollars on them?


Social Media for Your Bathroom


This one is really absurd. The iPoo is an app for your iPhone that is precisely what you think it is. It is tailored for people who do not want to disconnect from their friends when they're going to the bathroom. This is not something many people should want, and yet, it still exists. Have you ever heard of somebody using a social network in the bathroom? This sort of networking qualifies as antisocial behavior.


Tacos Through the Air


Have you ever had the craving for fast food tacos but don’t want to leave your house? Most people have, and the TacoCopter would like to solve this situation by delivering them to you. And just how would these tacos be delivered? Via helicopter drones. This is a service that will only be offered in California’s Silicon Valley but it is not up and running yet. Time will tell if this idea gets off the ground, so to speak.


A Stranger Is Only a Friend You Haven’t Met?


Are you looking for more friends on Facebook? If so, you can use a new service called Airtime. It mines your Facebook profile and gathers strangers that share similar interests to you. Then you're able to click “next” if you don't like the stranger that they send you. This service may be a little creepy, though; such is the world of online stranger.

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Your Phone May Not Need Antivirus Software

Antivirus software has gotten a beating lately in the news, mostly since it has struggled to find and contain some of the bigger malware attacks recently.


Antivirus Not Necessary on Smartphones?


Then there is the realization that antivirus software isn't much use to consumers who do a lot of their computing on smartphones. This is important, as many consumers today read email messages, surf the Web and access social media through their smartphones. If antivirus software isn't actually helping these folks, then the antivirus industry is losing out on a lot of prospects.


Smartphones vs. PCs


First, modern smartphones operate differently than traditional PCs and laptops. On a smartphone, each app receives its own work environment and is not able to access the data found in other apps. This is certainly a nice security upgrade from the world of PCs and laptops. Malware that is just installed onto a smartphone will be able to do little harm. So there's the first strike against traditional antivirus software: there's not as much need for it on a smartphone.


One other reason antivirus software is not great for smartphones is that current antivirus software can’t scan these separate systems. That is why existing antivirus software does little to combat any malware on smartphones.


Smartphone Antivirus Programs


Although there are many reasons why current antivirus software is not very effective for smartphones, it doesn’t stop companies from offering it. One example of this is VirusBarrier. This program is available in Apple’s App Store. The funny thing about this is that it can’t really scan anything on a smartphone. Instead users must send email attachments to VirusBarrier from within their mail program for it to function. So, you can observe, that there is very little reason for consumers to spend their money on antivirus software for their smartphones. Companies must come out with more advanced software that can scan all of the smartphone systems for antivirus software to be relevant.

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Four Programs to Make File Sharing Easier

Have you ever had this issue, you have to send an enormous file but the file is just too big to attach to an email? Well, you're in luck. There are several programs out there that let you share or send large files. We have outlined four of the most popular below.


YouSendIt


YouSendIt’s cloud-based online storage allows users to share everything from huge pictures to videos for free. The service is noted for how simple it is to use.
YouSendIt also gives users control over their huge files. For example, they can set expiration dates for these files and regulate who can and can’t access them.


DropSend


The benefits of DropSend is that there are many different versions you may use. For example, you can choose to use the free version, which restricts you to sending five files a month. If you need something a bit more robust you can go with the standard version for $5 a month giving you 15 file shares a month. There is also the business version, which provides you unlimited file sharing. This version is $99 a month.


SugarSync


SugarSync has grown in popularity along with the rise in smartphones and tablet computers. That’s because users can create a SugarSync account that immediately saves their files on all of their devices at once – anything from their smartphones to their desktop computers to their tablets. SugarSync also allows users to provide access to these large files to specific users. It’s an easy way to allow family members or coworkers to view movies, pictures and other big files without using e-mail.


Dropbox


Dropbox is one of the most widely recognized file-sharing programs. It has the advantage of allowing you to store your files on all of your devices at once like SugarSync, and it has a variety of payment levels.

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Three Technologies That May Make a Splash This Year

New technologies come out every year, and you can't predict which ones will likely change our lives. Inc. has compiled a list this year of the most innovative technologies that we should keep an eye on. We have presented three of the most promising below.


V-MODA VAMP


The trouble with listening to music on the iPhone is simple: It doesn’t always sound good. The V-MODA VAMP hopes to change this. This product acts as a tiny amplifier for the iPhone 4 or 4S, adding quality and volume to the devices’ music-playing capabilities. The product also serves a secondary function: it provides a back-up battery, giving your iPhone 4 a longer life.


Alice Receptionist


The Alice Receptionist is a video-based virtual receptionist that can alter the way you staff your office. The Alice Receptionist relies on a sensor to detect when guests arrive to your workplace. These guests can then tap a touchscreen to make contact with your employees or talk with them through video or voice services. Best of all, this virtual receptionist is simple for businesses to master.


Microsoft SmartGlass


SmartGlass, developed by Microsoft, allows users to transform a smartphone or tablet into a high-tech, super-smart controller for your HDTV. By using gestures on your mobile device, you can manage media such as music, games and videos on your TV screen. The technology is scheduled to be released later this year, and will be intended for the iPhone, iPad, Android devices and Windows 8 tablets, according to Inc.


You can't predict what technologies are going to make a splash but the three above have received a lot of attention.

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