Archive for the ‘Mobile’ Category

In January, Apple introduced the iPad tablet and to the surprise of some businesses – their flash sites did not show well. Adobe’s Flash is not recognized on Apple’s iPhone either, as well as some other smart phone platforms.

The Adobe video format is the most widely used player on the Web and installed on nearly 98% of computers connected to the Internet.

Google, Firefox and other browsers are leading the charge to steer the Web to work without Flash and other bulky coding and instead work with a more universal HTML5 format.

What does this mean for businesses
Grab an iPhone, and other smart phones and check out your site. Many designers rely on Flash to create menu bars or other crucial elements of a site. If your site doesn’t work – Don’t fret and scratch your site. Instead, make sure you add a text menu bar with links elsewhere on each page (often found at the bottom of a page). Begin to evaluate your website for performance, as mobile technology will continue to expand. Working with a Website designer, formulate a solution or long term plan for your site.

What is Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used since 1996. Flash is used to create slide shows, animation, games, advertisements, menu bars and video. Flash is a free download for computer users. A Flash document often has the extension .swf.

What is HTML 5
HTML is the most common language used on the Web. HTML 5 is an upgrade expected to change the web and reduce the need for Flash, Silverlight, Apache Pivot and Sun Java FX. This version of HTML is still in its infant stage but is being adopted and implemented by many leading technology companies.

I have been using ReQall for almost three weeks now, and if I had to describe in a word, I would have a tough time choosing between “intuitive,” “innovative” and “efficient.” But since I don’t have to choose, I won’t.

In short, ReQall is an application available for both Blackberry and iPhone that lets you create and save reminders simply by recording your voice. ReQall then transcribes the note and syncs it to your online account at reqall.com. But wait… there’s more. ReQuall also recognizes certain commands like “buy”, “meet” and “note” and then automatically categorizes the reminder and adds it to your shopping list, calendar or notes, respectively.

ReQall has a ton of features that have made my busy days more manageable, but I’ll just quickly highlight the ones that I have found to be most useful.

Voice memos using speech-to-text recognition
I use ReQall on my iPhone and I am amazed at how accurately this app recognizes and transcribes my words. Even with an accent. Not like Google voice which continues to butcher my voice mails (this last statement was transcribed by ReQall). Check out a full list of what ReQall understands.

Location-based Memory Jogger
Have you ever stopped at the 7-Eleven to pick up a few things and then realized just is you pull into the driveway that milk was the one thing you had to get, not the beef jerky, chocolate and chips that now resting on your back seat. If you had just added milk to your ReQall shopping list and saved that 7-Eleven as one of your “places” using the GPS feature on your phone, you would not be making the u-turn to drive back to the store. ReQall recognizes when you are close to a location that you have linked to specific reminders and brings them to the forefront of the “Memory Jogger”.

Google Calendar Integration
You can sync ReQall with your Google Calendar so that any items you add memos that you add and reference a specific date or time like “Call Mom tomorrow at 9 AM,” will automatically be added to your calendar, and to-do list. ReQall syncs with Microsoft Outlook as well. The Memory Jogger can also access appointments that you already created in Google Calendar and send you reminders to your iPhone or Blackberry.

Share Your To-do Lists
If you like to delegate, ReQall lets you import your entire list of contacts so that when it’s time to share tasks you just select from your list of suckers… I mean… co-workers and trusted friends and send them an email of your demands.
Tip: To create a shared reminder, enter “ask”, “tell” or “remind” followed by a person’s name.

Daily Emailed Agenda
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that sometimes I write myself reminders then forget to look at them. So ReQall’s daily emails have been very helpful. You also have the freedom to set what time these emails arrive everyday.

As I mentioned before, there are many, many more features. Too many for me to describe, so I suggest you visit the ReQall website to learn more. One thing to note is that ReQall offers both a free and a Pro version for $2.99 per month or $24.99 per year. The iPhone app is free. Keep in mind that the two-week free trial is a Pro version, so if you decide not to keep that, you will lose some useful features. Smart move on their part because I got hooked. But, so far, it’s been worth it.

Goodbye, Sticky Notes; Hello, Reqall