iPhone

Ten SMB Secret Tips for the Apple iPhone

October 4, 2011 by John Beagle Leave a Comment

by Jonathan Zschau

1. Be prepared to act fast. If you want the new iPhone, be prepared to act fast on the date of release. After the announcement of the iPhone 4 pre-orders sold out within a matter of hours and those who procrastinated got left out in the cold. Pay attention to Apple news sources and pre-order your new iPhone as early as possible.

2. Avoid the lines: order online and deliver to your home. There are going to be lines around the block for the new iPhone. Don’t let fear of expensive shipping fees or late deliveries stop you from buying online. Apple has a great track record for getting new iPhones delivered to customers on time and delivery is free.

3. Buy from alternative sellers. If Apple’s pre-ordering system gets bogged down, buy from Verizon or AT&T. Whenever you buy from authorized retailers your new iPhone will come with the same one-year limited warranty and will be fully serviceable at Apple locations. Be aware, however, that return policies and procedures may differ from Apple’s so you should take a moment to read the retailer’s return policy.

4. Sell your old iPhone. If you’re upgrading from an old iPhone consider selling your old one for cash on eBay, Craigslist, or other channels such as sellyourmac.com. There’s plenty of demand and a used iPhone can fetch as much as a few hundred dollars. You can also trade in your iPhone with companies like Gazelle.com, which offers hundreds of dollars for well-kept models.

5. Buy with a credit card that offers additional protection. Many credit card companies (such as American Express) offer additional protection plans on purchases made with their cards. As long as you pay off your card balance so you don’t accrue interest or other fees that offset the benefit, it may be a good idea to take advantage of this service.

6. Hold off on AppleCare. AppleCare is Apple’s own service plan, which it offers for most of its products. The iPhone AppleCare plan currently costs $69 and can be obtained at any time for up to one year after purchase. Apart from the additional telephone technical support available beyond the 90-day complimentary period, there is little benefit to buying AppleCare before the one-year limited warranty is about to expire. Consider saving a date 11 months after you purchase your iPhone and decide then. It’s a waste of $69 if your phone gets lost, stolen, or damaged in a way that would void coverage (for example, by water damage).

7. Invest in a good case. Whether or not to equip your iPhone with a case is a matter of personal preference and risk assessment. If you do decide to buy a case take some time to read the reviews and choose one that is both aesthetically pleasing and offers sufficient protection for the types of environments you envision taking your iPhone into.

8. Learn iOS5. The iPhone 5’s operating system, iOS, is just as important—if not more—than the new hardware features in the iPhone 5. All smartphones, not just the iPhone, are capable of far more than most users give them credit for. Take time to read up on the capabilities of the iOS and pay particular attention to the new features.

9. Do your research and read the reviews. Whatever iPhone(s) Apple releases this fall it’s important to research whether a new iPhone is really right for you. Online Mac sites are a great place to start because writers will be covering Apple’s release and sharing ideas and opinions for weeks before and after the announcement.

10. Look out for defects and be an informed consumer. Always be on the lookout for defects and get them addressed when they first arise. Stay informed by keeping up to date on problems, issues, bugs and breakdowns other Mac users may be having through Mac web sites (such as Cult of Mac.com).

About the Author:

Jonathan Zschau is not your average Mac enthusiast. He is a Boston-based attorney, a consumer rights advocate, a regular columnist for a popular Mac blog site called Cult of Mac. Two years ago, Jonathan got Apple to agree to replace his MacBook with a brand new model—free of charge. In his new book, Buying and Owning a Mac, he shares what he has learned about how consumers can get what they need and want from Apple.

“It’s a little-known secret,” he says, “but you have the ability to make Apple bend over backwards for you. The onus is on you, the consumer, to make it happen. It’s your job to be an informed and proactive consumer—an advocate for your own interests and rights.”

Buying and Owning a Mac: Secrets Apple Doesn’t Want You to Know is available at bookstores online in print, PDF, EPUB, and Kindle formats

Busy SMB Owners: Beat Stress with Your iPhone

November 15, 2009 by Sarah Leave a Comment

If you own or manage a small or medium business, you probably don’t get a lot of time to yourself. After seeing to it that your company is running smoothly, taking care of your family, and tending to other mundane daily chores, there is not a lot of time to relax or beat stress. These days, there’s an iPhone app for everything (and in some instances, hundreds for everything) and beating stress is no different. People are turning to their cell phones for everything from job hunting to cooking, so, why not take a few minutes out of your busy day and let your iPhone help you relax? Below you’ll find a list of great apps that will help beat stress in a variety of ways.

If you are simply looking for quick stress relief that you can take advantage of in you car, at your desk, or while you’re sitting in an airport, here are a few great apps to take advantage of.

1. Massage Me – Allows you to use your phone’s vibration to give yourself a quick massage.

2. iHateMyJob – Vent about work, but don’t be surprised if you get some good advice in return.

3. Fracture – In the mood to break things? This app lets you break your iPhone…virtually, of course!

4. Stress Shaker – Watch a boat sail the ocean as the app provides you with thought provoking quotes. If you’re really stressed, shake your phone. The more you shake your phone, the more appropriate the quotes become to your stress level.

5. Stress Relief: Smash Edition – With this app, you can “smash” everything from electronics to food to coffee mugs.

Maybe you don’t have time to exercise and would like to squeeze in a quick workout at lunch, while you’re traveling, or anytime. Here are some of the top apps that will make it easier for you to get in a little stress-reducing workout each day:

1. iPump and Fitness Builder – provides you with a variety of workouts and you can narrow them down based on your location (ie: hotel room)

2. FitDeck – this app offers you instruction on a number of basic exercises that can be done anywhere, using only your own body weight.

3. Yoga Relax – offers soothing music, simple poses, and workouts for 1-36 minutes.

4. Run Keeper – if you want to go for a job, this app will track your pace, speed, and elevation, as well as track your run on a map, which is really good for new and unusual locations

5. Yoga Trainer Pro – customize your own workout with hundreds of poses that can be done anytime, anywhere

If you think being more organized would help relieve you of some of your daily stress, you’re right! Maintaining home and business life isn’t easy, and there are also apps to help you organize the rest of your life:

1. To Do’s – does exactly what the name says. Create your “to do” list, and move items up and down according to priority.

2. Grocery IQ – This app allows you to jot down your grocery list as you think of it. Remember you need milk while in you’re a meeting? Just type it into your iPhone and let the app categorize your purchases.

3. Flight Track – This is pretty self-explanatory. Have to pick up a relative or business client at the airport? Track flight times, departures and more.

4. The Weather Channel – There’s nothing worse than showing up to work in a sweater when it’s 80 degrees outside, or forgetting your umbrella when your day requires you to travel across town on the rainiest day of the year.

5. Evernote – By far, the most popular app for note-taking. It ranks highest on almost every “top” list on every website across the web.

Best Business Apps for iPhone

November 2, 2009 by Sarah Leave a Comment

These days, cell phones are becoming an important part of many different businesses. If you own an iPhone, there are even more ways to put your phone to work; the App Store has over 2,000 business apps! Below is a list of some of the must-haves:

Oracle Business Indicators: The Oracle Business Indicators app provides real-time business performance and information. Customize your financial, HR, supply chain, and customer relationship management analytics for free, as long as you own a version Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition Plus or Oracle Business Intelligence Applications.

LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com fans and users can access the website anytime, anywhere with the LinkedIn iPhone app. Send and receive invitations, messages, post status updates, and find contact info. The best part is, it’s free.

Thomson Reuters: The Reuters app keeps you up to date on breaking news, global market information – including deals and mergers – and allows you to personalize lists of stocks and companies to watch. Browse in-depth company profiles with business descriptions, contact information, and employee profiles, and search relevant location-specific news. There is also technology, sports and entertainment news.

FedEx mobile: With the FedEx mobile app, you’ll find up to date information on the status of your shipments by creating a watch list for important packages or inputting tracking numbers to track packages individually. Info can be personalized and all tracked FedEd packages appear automatically in the system.

Salesforce.com: This app allows business users to view and edit Salesforce.com records, accounts, opportunities and leads, as well as access account activity as needed. The app comes in two versions: Mobile Lite provides you with a stripped down version of the website, to all customers with Professional, Enterprise, or Unlimited Edition licenses; the full version allows you to create, edit, and delete capabilities and requires you to have the Unlimited Edition or Mobile license.

Huddle: The Huddle iPhone app allows you to share files, manage projects, organize virtual meetings, access your data on the go (including tasks, discussions, spreadsheets and presentations) and so much more.

Adobe LiveCycle: This one is also free, but you must have Adobe LiveCycle Process Management ES2 configured. The Adobe LiveCycle app allows you to connect to your lists of pending tasks and process, and approve or reject them directly from your phone. You can also view PDF files, call or email task initiators and share task lists with colleagues.

RSA SecurID token: If you need to access sensitive networked information that is protected by RSA SecurID, this app allows you to do it directly from your iPhone, with your phone becoming a software authenticator. You can import a software token that will generate a SecurID password and eliminate the need to carry an authenticator. Again, this app is free but you must already own RSA Authentication Manager and RSA SecurID Software Token Seeds.

Cisco Mobile: This app provides you with access to your company’s internal phone system, allowing you to join meetings, answer business calls and check your voicemail. It also alerts you to missed calls, redirects business calls to your iPhone and allows you to dial via the office. You may also join Cisco Unified MeetingPlace via your phone. While the app is free, you must have a Cisco Unified Mobility Advantage server to use it.

Various Airline Apps: Many airlines offer free apps that provide you with up-to-the-minute information on flight arrival and departure for that particular airline. Browse flight schedules, plan your itineraries, or book and manage flights, and check-in online with these apps, depending on what airline you fly.

NetSuite: This one provides mobile access to NetSuites business management suite. Access real-time dashboards, financial and customer data, including sales orders, support cases and opportunities, and task management. Free to all current NetSuite users.

Wyse PocketCloud: User can manage their entire Windows desktop, data, and applications with this app. It offers secure Remote Desktop, VMware View, Thin-Browser and automatic keyboard activation when users install the free PocketCloud Windows Companion on their desktops.

Citrix Receiver: This app allows you to access any Windows app or document directly on your iPhone so that you may open documents, update reports, approve expenses and join webinars. You can also use the app to zoom, pan, click, scroll and type. All of your data is saved on your company’s network. It uses Citrix HDX technology to deliver multi-media content. This is another free app, but it requires you to have a wi-fi or 3G connection, also XenApp Web Services and Citrix XenApp 5 or Presentation Server 4.5.

iAnywhere Mobile: With this app, you can have access to Lotus Domino and Micrsoft Exchange, and supports email, calendars, tasks and contacts, as well as providing email push notification. It includes several great security features such as password protection, data encryption, and on-demand data wipe.

Skype: Call anyone with a skype account or send instant messages with this app – as long as you have a mobile data connection or wi-fi access. You may also use it to call landlines worldwide at cheap rates and send cheap texts.

Evernote: This app allows you to create text, picture and audio notes and then synch them with a Mac, PC, or the internet. You may also access them offline. Each note includes geo-location information for mapping and search.