Tag Archives: mobile apps

Job APPS Savvy

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mobile productivityThere is no longer any doubt that in today’s world often we use technology to help us with our lives. As a matter of fact, JOB HUNTING is no longer done in the old-fashioned way, and I don’t mean newspapers. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the on-line application process.  Making your way through the many application requirements, and then hoping that you will be among the very lucky prospective candidates to get a response can be frustrating, to say the least. Continue reading →

Back To School Technology Tips…

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canstockphoto15263592Could it be that the time is actually upon us to think about purchasing ‘Back to School’ items for our Echo-Boomers (children or grandchildren  of Baby Boomers)?  However, it may seem (or not), once again the time has arrived for us to make decisions about Laptops, Apps, Cell Phones, and other mobile devices for the new school year.
With that in mind, I looked around for some of the best HELP I could find on the Web, which I think will help you in making informed decisions.  Make sure to click the links at the end of each suggestion for more details.
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  1. Find age-appropriate movies, books, apps, TV shows, video games, websites, and music that you and your kids will love. Browse our library of more than 18,500 reviews by age, via Parent reviews, Family reviews | Common Sense Media.
  2. Make sure to read the Common Sense Media Blog. Click the link:  Making Sense – Common Sense Media Blog | Common Sense Media.
Below is a list of discount programs. Make sure to click the link for more details.
  1. Amazon StudentFor college students.  Amazon offers students a free six-month trial of Amazon Student to those with a valid .edu e-mail address (or you can provide proof of your student status). It includes free two-day shipping, deals and promotions exclusively for students, and a $10 credit when you refer a friend. After six months, you get a discount on Amazon Prime ($39 instead of $79 a year), which adds unlimited video streaming and the ability to borrow books on a Kindle.
  2. Apple Store for Education. For college students and their parents. You can buy a Mac and get a $100 App Store Gift Card. If you buy an iPad or iPad mini for school, you’ll get a $50 App Store gift card. And currently Apple’s offering free shipping on any school supplies.
  3. BestBuy.com College Student Deals Find the best laptop or desktop for your needs and budget with our computer buying guide and Ratings. via Back to school: Discounts on computers and other electronics – Yahoo! Finance.
  4. For college students. Best Buy has discounts on computers and lots of other accessories; currently, you can get $100 off MacBooks and iMacs, and 10 percent off some touch-screen all-in-one computers plus free shipping, for example. Sign up with your .edu student e-mail address, and the store then sends coupon codes that you enter online at checkout.
  5. In 2013, every student — from the first-grader learning to read to the graduate student writing a thesis — needs a full-fledged Mac or PC laptop.Tablets can be helpful for taking notes in class or doing some quick research, but when you want to get that term paper done, you need the real keyboard, screen and operating system that only a laptop can provide. Here are 8 tips to help you find the right student laptop for any age and course of study. via 8 Laptop Buying Tips for Students | LAPTOP Magazine.
*** Other Resources Worth Checking Out ***canstockphoto0947076
  1. Smartphone Buyers’ Guide 2013: 7 Things You Need to Know via Smartphone Buyers Guide 2013: 7 Things You Need to Know.
  2.  Consumer Reports Guidelines are at the link below:
    http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/computers.htm?EXTKEY=AYAHRE02

I hope this is helpful 🙂

Privacy Online? What a Concept!

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I am sure you heard about the recently published articles regarding online privacy.  How sure can we be that the people who are watching us, are people we want to share our views and Internet behavior/habits with?  I think this is something we want to have control over, but, how much can we control?

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Jennifer Valentino-DeVries of the  Wall Street Journal reported on this topic in a February 16, 2012 article, ‘How Google Tracked Safari Users’.  The article discusses the use of “cookies’ being stored in a person’s computer to track online activities. Many online ‘savvy’ users are well aware of this common practice; however, Apple users thought Apple’s Safari Web Browser was defaulted to block this type of tracking.  You can get the full article details via  How Google Tracked Safari Users – Digits – WSJ

I wondered what others were thinking about this, and found some excellent points made by Alan Thompson, Principal Consultant, Marketing Analytics – July 29, 2011 article,  Is online privacy a realistic expectation?  Thompson makes some excellent points; such as he says Users benefit from free APPS , and without tracking the owners of these APPS can’t provide meaningful targeting for advertisers. In other words, without ads, charges would be required for the Free Apps users load on their devices.  He points out that we (users)  do have the choice to read and accept terms and conditions.  Many of  us often just ‘accept’ the terms without reading what they are because the benefits to us outweigh the privacy risks. We want to use these free Web Apps and services and have free access to information, therefore our privacy could be compromised.  In 2011 Thompson stated that the focus on mobile apps and privacy were not new, and that data aggregators have been collecting information on households for many years.  The first data aggregator that came to my mind was Nielsen reports.  You can read more about the various ways data is used in the article via Is online privacy a realistic expectation? | Tellabs Blog | Telecom News & Industry Trends | Tellabs News.

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 As consumers of these ‘Free APPS, Services and Information’, what can we do to be creative in protecting ourselves from these marketing strategies?
♦ Google has made a serious effort to find solutions for the privacy concerns of their users and provides  some ways to protect yourself. These are some of the tools available to you:  Encrypt searches, use Google Chrome, check Web History controls, use Gmail Chat “off the record”, Opt-out-install of Google Analytics Personalization.

♦ Make sure to visit Google’s Dashboard, via Privacy tools – Google, which has the guidelines for changing your privacy settings.

You can make a proactive choice in handling how some of your online habits are evaluated :).  I hope this is helpful.

Using HotSpots … Guidelines…

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At the last post we offered some suggestions for using HotSpot software.  Boingo WiFi and Wi-Finder appear to be very popular Mobile Apps. Both iPad and Android  have this App available for their mobile devices.  Boingo received  great reviews, both for ease of use and customer service.

Mobile applications, also called mobile apps, are software applications, usually designed to run on smartphones and tablet computers. They are available through application distribution platforms, which are typically operated by the owner of the mobile operating system, such as the Apple App Store, Android Market, and BlackBerry App World. Some apps are free, and others have a price.via Mobile apps – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Here are some of the details that caught our attention.  We suggest you use the links provided at the end of this post to get a complete review and guidance for each App.

♦ When traveling to a new place check out the Wi-Fi access before you go.  This may help you decide on a hotel site, or a particular hotel (see below).

♦ The Blue pins on the map show free hotspots; Red pins indicate Boingo hotspots.

To check where the hotspots are at the site you are traveling to, do the following on your mobile device:

1) Click the Boingo App Logo  2) Click Find Hotspots Near Me  3)  Type the  address, or city and state of the place you’re traveling to  4) When the Blue & Red pins show up, click the View button  5) click the List button  6) click Done, a list of locations will appear on your mobile device screen (see samples below). You can also click on a place to see more details (e.g., whether the hotspot is free).  Note:  Click the images below with your mouse to see a clearer picture.

              

Check out these great websites below by clicking the links for additional information:

 ♦ Boingo Wi-Finder for iPhone Review: Finding Hotspots Everywhere via Boingo Wi-Finder for iPhone Review: Finding Hotspots Everywhere

 ♦ Musings by Annelie Näs  Digital, and more digital – ideas, thoughts and reflections via Boingo Wireless Follow-Up: Special treatment for Blogging customers?.

I hope this is helpful 🙂 !