by Brian Zabroski
Is it possible Apple reads the Chronicle? Maybe my column? I apologize in advance. Studies show reading this column on a regular basis may result in reduced brain cells. Maybe that explains a few things… hmmm.
Apple announced two recalls in August: One, to replace the wake/sleep iPhone5 button. Check out the recall at: http:// bit.ly/iphonebuttonfix to learn if your phone falls under the recall period. Two, an iPhone5 battery replacement program. What? The battery is terrible in the iPhone5? Seriously? [insert sarcasm here] Check out this link to learn if your iPhone5 is eligible to receive a new battery: http://bit.ly/iphone batteryrecall.
Apple is not calling either of these programs a recall, rather a replacement program. The battery replacement program states that a very small percentage of their phones were affected. By small percentage, they mean everyone. Mrs. App is the lucky iPhone5 user with a bad battery and inoperable wake/sleep button. Then again, her iPhone hasn’t missed a sidewalk in Glendale. An app called Normal may be an alternative solution. This app displays potential battery draining apps on your device, and the suggested battery life improvement by closing certain apps or by making settings adjustments.
Apple expects to announce the iPhone6 during the first week of September. The new phones are available typically 10 days later. The iPhone6 may be ready by September 16. The new software, iOS7, for existing users will be ready at the same time. To learn about the new iPhone and software features: http://bit.ly/iphone6ios7.
I Know You Opened My Email
It isn’t uncommon for me to receive a phone call from someone telling me they just sent an email. Now that I think of it, I’ve done this to a bunch to other folks. Personally, I don’t feel confident enough that my email was read in a timely manner. Enter Signals, an email response app: www. getsignals.com. The service is free and has a basic concept, generate an immediate pop-up alert when the email recipient has opened and viewed the email. You’ll need to enable Chrome as a browser, although you are not required to keep Chrome as your default browser. The website provides a history of your viewed emails and how many times each message was viewed. The best part? It’s free. OK, the real best part is the recipient isn’t alerted that Signals is notifying the sender about their viewing. There are add-ins for browsers and Outlook, as well. I still call after sending an email, except I now call when I know they have viewed my email. The response is typically, “I was just looking at your message.” Just don’t say, “I know.” Creepy!
Cool Apps
Packpoint… an app that creates travel planning templates. Enter the trip info, and the app will suggest items to pack based on the weather and length of trip. Templates can be saved for future trips. May be a time saver rather than packing the morning of a flight. | Cloze… a social media app that merges email and social media activity for the most active contacts. The one downside? If the person that interacts with you via email and social media the most isn’t a favorite, then… well… | bitcasa… a cloud-based storage app, which provides 20GB for free. How big is 20GB? Most iPhones are only 16GB, so this free storage can handle more than the base iPhone model. In other words, depending on compression, it can handle 3,000 songs, or 20,000 pictures or 20 hours of video. | Looking for place to grab a cold drink? Try Untappd, an app focused on delivering adult beverage establishment suggestions. Think of Yelp for beer drinkers.
How are you, and or your business using mobile technology? Are you using this technology to entice new hires to join your company? Are you eliminating hardware and going cloud? Has it allowed you to hire employees from outside your area? I’d like to hear your story for a future column.
Do you have a favorite app you’d like to share? Contact Brian at brian@brianzabro ski.com, on Twitter @BrianZab or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/brianzab.
Brian, a Corporate Account Executive with NetSuite, has spent nearly 20 years in the telecommunications and software industry. Businesses use NetSuite software to run and manage all of their business applications. It’s web-based, so businesses can access their information from anywhere; It’s flexible, which allows the software to be customized for their business; and, it is built on a single platform, which businesses appreciate since they can often eliminate multiple software solutions. Trending companies, such as Box, GoPro, FitBit and Dropbox use this software to run their business. Reach out to Brian to learn how your business can benefit with this software.