You don't need a laptop to create and edit documents on the go. With your tablet or smartphone and the right apps, you can start writing and really get things done – no matter where you are. Word processing apps work best when coupled with a physical keyboard, and there are a variety of options compatible with most mobile devices. But with a good mobile word processor, you can be productive even if you're stuck punching in characters on a touchscreen. Here are five of the best apps to help you write when you're away from the office.Pages, part of Apple's iWork suite of mobile productivity apps, is fully integrated with Apple's iCloud online storage platform, so you can access and edit your documents from any web-connected device. It lets you create new documents and add text, images, shapes and other elements with a few taps. It also features some advanced editing tools so you can track changes to individual documents, add comments, and tweak styles and … [Read more...] about 5 Word Processing Apps for Smartphones and Tablets
Smartphones
How to Wirelessly Print From Your Smartphone or Tablet
The world is becoming increasingly paperless and mobile, but from time to time, printing is still necessary. But not everyone knows exactly how to connect their smartphone to their printer. Check out our step-by-step guide below to wireless printing from your iPhone, Android or Windows 10 device.Google Cloud Print comes preinstalled on most Android devices, but you can download it manually. Once you have Google Cloud Print, open the app you're printing from and tap the three dots that indicate more options (usually in the upper right corner) to find and select the Print option. Identify or add a printer compatible with your device that's on the same shared Wi-Fi network. Once the printer is added, printing from your Android device should be self-explanatory.Apple's built-in AirPrint feature makes it easy to print directly from any iPhone or iPad without downloading additional drivers. You can only use AirPrint with printers compatible with Apple's technology. Check this list to … [Read more...] about How to Wirelessly Print From Your Smartphone or Tablet
Shopping by Smartphone: The Wave of the Future in Commerce?
If mobile commerce had a reception gauge like cell phones do, its signal right now would be stronger than ever.Nearly half of smartphone owners use or plan to use their phones to shop, a new 2,000-person survey by ABI Research discovers, and almost a third of all respondents also click on mobile advertisements.Both statistics point toward an apparent shift in consumers’ shopping habits and suggest businesses should improve their mobile efforts, or even simply start a mobile campaign in 2011 with applications or other marketing tactics.“We are entering a dynamic and creative era for retail, thanks to mobile,” Mark Beccue, senior analyst of consumer mobility at ABI Research, told BusinessNewsDaily. “I fully expect mobile online shopping to become a mainstream consumer behavior in the U.S. over the next year or so.”[Related: Road Map to an App – Here's How to Create Mobile Applications] Consumers also are catching onto mobile banking: 53 … [Read more...] about Shopping by Smartphone: The Wave of the Future in Commerce?
Private Smartphones, Tablets Threaten Office Networks
From the moment the first telecommuter logged into his work e-mail account from his personal computer, the line between work and home began to blur.Today, thanks to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, we can surf the Web, send and receive e-mail and modify work documents from virtually anywhere.Most smartphones and tablets are purchased by consumers for personal use. But many — even those on a family wireless plan — will also be used for work purposes both inside and outside the office.This home/work overlap of mobile devices has created three major problems for the security industry as a whole.Corporate IT teams can too easily lose control of the devices. Legal frameworks find it hard to demarcate between personal and corporate use. And security developers haven’t caught up with the new software. Out of controlSmartphones and tablets streamline the way we communicate today. Forget about phone calls and e-mail -- these new devices make it … [Read more...] about Private Smartphones, Tablets Threaten Office Networks
Risky Business: Danger Lurks In Using 1 Smartphone for Business and Pleasure
If you use your smartphone for both business and personal purposes, you may be putting your business at risk, a new study suggests. The problem is caused by complacency among users of mobile devices when it comes to security.This lackadaisical approach presents significant business risk because 84 percent of smartphone users conduct business and personal affairs using the same device. The crossover of business and personal usages means much more sensitive and confidential data is at risk and suggests that users keep their smartphones with them most of the time, the study showed.The study, sponsored by security software firm AVG Technologies, revealed an alarming indifference to the many serious security risks associated with the storage and transmission of sensitive data on iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices.Nearly nine out of ten of respondents were unaware that smartphone applications can transmit confidential payment information such as credit card details without the … [Read more...] about Risky Business: Danger Lurks In Using 1 Smartphone for Business and Pleasure
5 Ways to Protect Your Smartphone Data
A smartphone is the perfect mobile companion for a small business owner. It can keep you connected and productive all day, even when you're away from the office. But your smartphone is also a big security risk. If you're not careful, private business or client data that you store or access on your smartphone could be compromised. However, there are steps you can take to keep your business phone safe and secure. You can lock it down, back it up and tweak your settings to protect your most important data. Here are five ways to do it. Lock your phone Every major mobile operating system lets users secure their device with a password-protected lock screen. Many smartphone users set up lock screens to keep their personal data and messages safe from prying eyes, but it's an especially important tool if you use your phone for business. A four-digit PIN is easy to type, but a longer eight-digit code is much more secure. To minimize the annoyance of having to repeatedly enter your PIN, set your … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Protect Your Smartphone Data
Smartphone Owners Especially Frustrated Over Long Checkout Lines
Consumer frustration is just the tip of the long checkout line iceberg that can sink your bottom line, especially if your customers are packing smartphones, new research shows. Nearly 40 percent of smartphone-carrying shoppers abandon their in-store purchases due to long lines and another 21 percent will bail on buying if there are no registers open. This adds up to lost retailer revenue. AisleBuyer, an in-store mobile commerce provider, sponsored a survey last month that asked more than 1,000 U.S. smartphone-carrying in-store shoppers about their retail shopping experience. Not surprisingly, more than half of shoppers said they hated waiting in line most at grocery stores (52 percent) and mass merchants (51 percent). Other stores where waiting in line was a significant annoyance for consumers included drugstores (29 percent), quick-service restaurants (27 percent) and club stores (26 percent). Consumers were not hesitant in responding to potential workarounds for long lines in … [Read more...] about Smartphone Owners Especially Frustrated Over Long Checkout Lines
A Few Broken Smartphones Lead to a Fix-It Franchise
Charles Hibble never intended to make a career of repairing smartphones; he was just tired of replacing his wife's broken one. She dropped her iPhone and smashed it two or three times, and anothertime, it slipped out of her hands into a hot tub, he said. Hibble, who runs a real estate company in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, was burning through upgrades. So he figured out how to fix damaged smartphones himself. "This started just to fix my wife's phone. Then word started to spread to friends and family members,"Hibble said. "It started to get so busy that we had to open a retail store. I had 50 or 60 people a month coming to me." And so began Hibble's unlikely journey from real estate executive to franchise company CEO. He teamed up with a friend and business partner to open the first iDropped store in a mall inScranton, Pennsylvania,in 2011. The store was so popular thatthe team opened four more, all company-owned, and then sold its first franchise. Now, Hibble is focusing on … [Read more...] about A Few Broken Smartphones Lead to a Fix-It Franchise
What can you Give Up for Keeping your Smartphone?
Which of the following things would you be willing to give up for an entire month, in exchange for continuing to use the Internet on your smartphone? A recent study commissioned by Google on how consumers use their smartphones throws up some interesting data. Some 48% say that they use Internet on their smartphone while eating and 39% admitted to using the phone inside a bathroom.1 in 3 searches conducted on a mobile phone are around local information and 88% take action within a day after looking up for local information.The findings of this study are available as a video (embedded below) and as a PDF file. … [Read more...] about What can you Give Up for Keeping your Smartphone?
Android App Turns your Smartphone into a Simple Phone for Seniors
Your mobile phone is not a phone anymore, it’s a digital camera, a gaming console, a GPS navigation device, a music player, an e-book read, a file storage device, an alarm clock and lot’s more all rolled into one convenient device.That said, some people do no need all the bells and whistles that are now part of every phone. For instance, I cannot imagine my grandma using my Android phone because the device is just too complicated for her. She doesn’t have any interest in the apps and all she needs is basic mobile phone that can do phone calls and text messages.Some mobile companies do offer cell phones optimized for seniors but if you want the best of both worlds, just buy a regular Android phone and install Phonotto. This is a free app that will convert any Android “smartphone” into a “simple phone” hiding all the complexities and apps from the user. The following screenshots will give you a better idea. Once installed, the app … [Read more...] about Android App Turns your Smartphone into a Simple Phone for Seniors