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Friday, December 14, 2012

30 Essential Business Apps For Your Smartphone - Marketing Land

Interactive marketing professionals don?t just use mobile to reach their customers ? they?re often avid users of the technology themselves. Whether it?s to manage campaigns, to get work done while on the go, or just to become personally familiar with mobile user behavior, getting to know your devices and apps is critical. But when it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff for business?mobile apps, it?s hard to know which are duds and which are the real deal.

Doing a Google search tends to bring up a lot of old posts ? many of which are outdated ? or lists that focus on consumer or gaming apps. A few of the good lists are mixes of business and consumer or are more niche and target small business only. So my early Christmas/Chanukah?gift to you all is a list of the thirty essential business apps for your smartphone that won?t disappoint.

Many of the apps listed below are already on my phone. Some, I wrote about in the book, Location-Based Marketing for Dummies with co-author, Mike Schneider. A few others have been collected from several of my smart business/mobile-savvy friends.

I?ve also grouped the apps by category, so in some cases, you don?t need to worry about downloading all the apps, just one or two in the category (for instance, you may not need Square and LevelUp).

Productivity Apps

Leaf.Me?- CRM for your business activities
Expensify ? save and track all expenses via mobile
LogMeIn?- access, support and manage devices from anywhere at anytime
LastPass.com?- save your passwords in one place
Dropbox?- save all your documents securely in the cloud
DocuSign?- send, sign and save documents anywhere, on any device
MobileDay?- allows users to ?one touch? into any conference call
Harvest?- simple online time tracking
Prezi?- next generation ?communication tool that helps you organize, present, and share your ideas? ? now available on your mobile devices
any.do?- reminds you of important meetings and dates
Phonedeck?- smart contact list for your smart phone ? no syncing required

Travel Apps

Uber ? summon cabs and town cars right from your phone with hassle-free payment
FlightAware ? real time flight notifications, maps and gate changes
Tripit?- centralizes all trip activity ? allows for forwarding of itineraries to plans@tripit.com
Kayak ? easy-to-use aggregator of airline, hotel and rental car booking information
Note, while I don?t want to single out any one airline, many of their applications (American, JetBlue, United, Southwest) are great for mobile boarding passes, booking travel, or tracking existing flights. the same could be said for some of the major hotel and rental car brands.

Internal Collaboration/Communication Apps

Chatter ? SalesForce.com?s highly touted ?internal social network? software
Yammer ? Twitter for inside your company (plus some additional ?Facebook-like? features)

Mapping/GPS Apps

Waze?- turn-by-turn directions on your phone overlaid with?crowd-sourced?traffic (and law enforcement) updates
Google Maps?/ Apple Maps?- These are well-known applications that come standard on most Android and iOS-based phones; Both get the job done when it comes to maps, GPS and directions
HopStop?- compare different ways to get to a destination via public transportation

Mobile Payments/Wallet Apps

LevelUp?- better way to pay/mobile payment + loyalty
Square?- mobile payments for small businesses (partnership with Starbucks)

Read it Later/Virtual Notepad Apps

Pocket ? allows to read news/blogs, view pictures and watch videos later
Instapaper ? save webpages for later reading
Evernote ? virtual notepad that allows you to keep track of all your stuff (syncs across devices)

Contact Management/Business Social Networks Apps

LinkedIn?- connect with and research all of your business contacts
Here for Business?- looks into LinkedIn contacts and notifies you of nearby business contacts

Miscellaneous Apps

I?d also like to include a couple of business apps in the ?honorable mention? category. First is Zena Weist?s recommendation of an app for a different kind of business. That?s right, I?m talking about Charmin?s?Sit or Squat?app that helps users find the cleanest bathrooms in most major cities.

The second is Tracky, a social collaboration and project management app I learned about from smarty?Sarah Evans, who also happens to be their ?chief evangelist.? I didn?t include this on the list above because it?s a relatively new technology, but I?ve tried it and think it?s definitely worth keeping an eye on.

For those of you looking for a few additional ideas on good mobile apps that have utility (some business, some not), you can check out my blogger friend David Sparks? post on how he uses his 17 most useful Android applications. As always, if you have suggestions on other apps that you feel are missing from this list, please include in the comments below.

Big thank you to friends Mike Schneider, Rawn Shah, Mike Langford, Andre Archimbaud, Howard Greenstein, Chris Moody, Jim Robinson, Jeremi Karnell, Zena Weist, Sarah Evans, Gordon Montgomery, Eric Swayne, Jeremy Pepper, Susan Beebe, Bhupesh Shah, Stephan Merkens, Jennifer Carrier, Becca Fletcher, Cappy Popp, Allen Silkin and Brad Mays for weighing in with suggestions.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land.

Related Topics: Apple: iPhone | Check-In Services | Facebook: Mobile | Marketing Land Monthly | Mobile Marketing Column

Source: http://marketingland.com/30-essential-business-apps-for-your-smart-phone-27781

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NASA sees intensifying tropical cyclone moving over Samoan Islands

Public release date: 13-Dec-2012
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Contact: Rob Gutro
Robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
443-858-1779
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA satellites have been monitoring Tropical Cyclone Evan and providing data to forecasters who expected the storm to intensify. On Dec. 13, Evan had grown from a tropical storm into a cyclone as NASA satellites observed cloud formation, height and temperature, and rainfall rates.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed above intensifying tropical storm Evan in the South Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2012 at 1759 UTC (12:59 p.m. EST/U.S.). An analysis of Evan's rainfall from TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) and Microwave Imager (TMI) showed that Evan already had an eye-like structure at the time of that TRMM orbit. Evan would later develop an eye on Dec. 13.

TRMM's 3-D Precipitation Radar (PR) data captured on Dec. 11 were used to measure the heights of Evan's storm tops. It found that the tallest thunderstorms shown around Evan's center of circulation reached 16.5 km (10.25 miles) indicating powerful storms and heavy rainmakers. Other thunderstorm cloud tops nearby were measured at 14.75 km (9.17 miles).

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Evan after it had attained cyclone status on Dec. 13 and two instruments provided insight into what was happening with the storm.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Evan when it was directly over the Samoa Islands on Dec. 13 at 0105 UTC. Evan's maximum sustained winds had increased to 90 knots (103 mph/166.7 kph).

The other instrument aboard Aqua that captured data from Evan was the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument. AIRS captured an infrared image of Tropical Cyclone Evan at 0059 UTC. The infrared image showed a compact, circular area of strong thunderstorms around Evan's center that reached high into the troposphere where temperatures are as cold as -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius). Those areas also indicated heavy rainfall. Infrared imagery also showed that Evan's eye was about 6 nautical miles wide. Imagery also showed tightly-curved deep convective (rising air that creates the storms that make up the cyclone) banding of thunderstorms were wrapping into the center.

By 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EST) on Dec. 13, Evan's maximum sustained winds had increased to 90 knots (103 mph/166.7 kph). Evan was centered just 65 nautical miles (74.8 miles/120.4 km) west-northwest of Pago Pago, American Samoa, near 13.7 south latitude and 171.7 west longitude. Evan was crawling to the northwest at 2 knots (2.3 mph/3.7 kph).

Evan is expected to track to the west and continue strengthening over the next couple of days.

###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

NASA sees intensifying tropical cyclone moving over Samoan Islands Public release date: 13-Dec-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rob Gutro
Robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
443-858-1779
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA satellites have been monitoring Tropical Cyclone Evan and providing data to forecasters who expected the storm to intensify. On Dec. 13, Evan had grown from a tropical storm into a cyclone as NASA satellites observed cloud formation, height and temperature, and rainfall rates.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed above intensifying tropical storm Evan in the South Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11, 2012 at 1759 UTC (12:59 p.m. EST/U.S.). An analysis of Evan's rainfall from TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) and Microwave Imager (TMI) showed that Evan already had an eye-like structure at the time of that TRMM orbit. Evan would later develop an eye on Dec. 13.

TRMM's 3-D Precipitation Radar (PR) data captured on Dec. 11 were used to measure the heights of Evan's storm tops. It found that the tallest thunderstorms shown around Evan's center of circulation reached 16.5 km (10.25 miles) indicating powerful storms and heavy rainmakers. Other thunderstorm cloud tops nearby were measured at 14.75 km (9.17 miles).

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Evan after it had attained cyclone status on Dec. 13 and two instruments provided insight into what was happening with the storm.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Evan when it was directly over the Samoa Islands on Dec. 13 at 0105 UTC. Evan's maximum sustained winds had increased to 90 knots (103 mph/166.7 kph).

The other instrument aboard Aqua that captured data from Evan was the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument. AIRS captured an infrared image of Tropical Cyclone Evan at 0059 UTC. The infrared image showed a compact, circular area of strong thunderstorms around Evan's center that reached high into the troposphere where temperatures are as cold as -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius). Those areas also indicated heavy rainfall. Infrared imagery also showed that Evan's eye was about 6 nautical miles wide. Imagery also showed tightly-curved deep convective (rising air that creates the storms that make up the cyclone) banding of thunderstorms were wrapping into the center.

By 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EST) on Dec. 13, Evan's maximum sustained winds had increased to 90 knots (103 mph/166.7 kph). Evan was centered just 65 nautical miles (74.8 miles/120.4 km) west-northwest of Pago Pago, American Samoa, near 13.7 south latitude and 171.7 west longitude. Evan was crawling to the northwest at 2 knots (2.3 mph/3.7 kph).

Evan is expected to track to the west and continue strengthening over the next couple of days.

###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-12/nsfc-nsi121312.php
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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Heating and Air Conditioning Repairs ? UHANC

December 10, 2012 by admin

If you are installing an updated heating or cooling system in your house, the most important things to consider are purchasing high quality materials and professional service. Many types of furnaces have been manufactured which all have different parts and functions. Depending on your home and location, your utility bill and home temperature can improve dramatically if you select the right furnace. Cooling systems are also very different and it is key to install a system that is the most effective. When you hire a heating and air conditioning specialist, they will analyze your home and help select the system that best meets your needs. These specialists are also experienced in handling all kinds of heating and AC repairs. Notice a large difference in your year-round comfort with quality heating and air conditioning technicians working for you. Hvac Tampa FL

Posted in Home | No Comments ?

Source: http://www.uhanc.org/heating-and-air-conditioning-repairs-2/

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Business-Ethics Stories Prominent In Global Coverage

Dec 10th, 2012 ? Posted in: News

British employees say they are feeling pressure to cut ethical corners during recession; Wall Street Journal looks at ethics of granting pay raises to execs of companies headed for bankruptcy; many U.K. investors protest that ?ethical? investment funds often are ethical in name only

LONDON and NEW YORK

Developments at the intersection of business and morality were the subject of several headlines last week. Among them:

The recession is apparently prompting U.K. employees to take ethical shortcuts, reports the London-based Guardian. A report from the Institute of Business Ethics says 84 percent of British employees indicate that they work honestly ?always or frequently,? but 9 percent say they have been pressured to compromise their ethical standards. Eighteen percent say there is an ?unethical culture? prevalent within their organization. A fifth of British employees say they have witnessed unethical acts, but of them only half say they reported it, notes the Guardian.
Relationships between management and workers at the troubled Hostess Brands, Inc., began to sour months ago after workers learned executives received pay raises shortly before seeking bankruptcy protection, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Journal reports that such practices are common and often stir emotions, but are not entirely clear-cut in terms of ethics. On one hand, ?financially ailing companies often pay bonuses and other compensation to executives, directors, and private-equity owners in the months before filing for bankruptcy protection. Federal law restricts ?retention? bonuses paid to such ?insiders? after a bankruptcy case is filed but not before,? notes the Journal. ?Companies often say they are using their best business judgment when paying bonuses to executives who are working overtime to keep operations afloat. A firm?s fate often isn?t known when bonuses are paid, and companies argue they must motivate some executives to stay lest they suffer exoduses that further destabilize troubled situations.?
Angry investors are dumping some ?ethical? funds after concluding that not all funds so labeled are really that good, according to a report from Investors Chronicle, a publication of the Financial Times group. The Chronicle writes: ?Independent financial advisers claim the ethical investment market, which has almost trebled in size over the last decade, is clogged with a growing number of ?disillusioned? investors who have bought the funds while under the impression they are more ethical than they are in reality.? Morley reports that a recent study by FairPensions, a charity that promotes responsible investment by pension funds, claimed that almost half of ethical funds fail to fully disclose their investments.

Sources: Investors Chronicle, Dec. 8 ? Guardian, Dec. 7 ? Wall Street Journal, Dec. 3.

For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Dec. 3 ? Related Newsline story, Nov. 26 ? Related Newsline story, Nov. 19 ? Related Newsline story, Nov. 19 ? Related Newsline story, Nov. 12.

User content does not reflect the views of the Institute for Global Ethics or its affiliates. IGE neither guarantees the truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of any user content, nor endorses any opinions expressed therein.

Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership; lively debate and opposing opinions are welcome. While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic, non-proselytizing, and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can.

Source: http://www.globalethics.org/newsline/2012/12/10/business-ethics-48/

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Thursday, December 6, 2012

US: Situation 'dangerous' ahead of NKorea launch

Lt. Gen. Salvatore Angelella, the commander of U.S. forces in Japan, speaks during a press conference at the National Press Club of Japan in Tokyo Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012. Angelella said that the situation ahead of North Korea's planned launch of a long-range rocket this month is "very dangerous." He said U.S. troops in Japan are closely monitoring activity in North Korea as it prepares for the launch. He said the United States sees the launch as a violation of U.N. restrictions in place to keep North Korea from developing its long-range missile capabilities. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

In this Sept. 15, 2012 photo, Kenji Fujimoto, the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's personal sushi chef from 1988-2001, is interviewed upon his arrival in Tokyo after visiting Pyongyang. Fujimoto said Thursday, Dec. 6, he believes the late leader's son and successor, Kim Jong Un, was backing North Korea's planned launch of a long-range rocket this month to show respect for his father. "I don't think that Kim Jong Un is taking a very aggressive role in pushing for this launch, but he might want to commemorate his father's passing," Fujimoto said. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, FRANCE, HONG KONG, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA

TOKYO (AP) ? The commander of American troops in Japan said Thursday that the situation ahead of North Korea's planned launch of a long-range rocket this month is "very dangerous."

Lt. Gen. Salvatore Angelella said U.S. troops in Japan are closely monitoring activity in North Korea as it prepares for the launch. He said the United States sees the launch as a violation of U.N. restrictions in place to keep North Korea from developing its long-range missile capabilities.

"This is a very dangerous situation, and we do not support those actions by North Korea. ... We are monitoring the situation closely," Angelella, who commands the roughly 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan, said at a news conference in Tokyo.

He said American troops are working closely with the Japanese to protect the country's citizens and territory, but declined to give details. Two U.S. officials said Wednesday that the Navy had begun moving several ships into the western Pacific.

North Korea has announced it will launch the rocket between Dec. 10 and 22. It attempted a similar launch in April, but it failed shortly after liftoff.

Also on Thursday, a Japanese man who served as a chef to the North Korean leadership and visited the country earlier this year said the planned rocket launch was meant to honor the late leader Kim Jong Il.

Kenji Fujimoto, Kim's personal sushi chef from 1988-2001, said he believes the late leader's son and successor, Kim Jong Un, was backing the launch to show respect for his father.

"I don't think that Kim Jong Un is taking a very aggressive role in pushing for this launch, but he might want to commemorate his father's passing," said Fujimoto, who uses a pseudonym.

He said that despite its apparent determination to defy international appeals against the rocket launch, he believes North Korea is changing for the better and wants to improve relations with the West.

Fujimoto settled in Japan after leaving the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, and has written several memoirs. The latest is about a visit to North Korea for several weeks last summer.

That trip was meant to fulfill a promise he had made to the younger Kim before he left, he says.

During his years as Kim Jong Il's chef, Fujimoto says he got to know Kim Jong Un and other members of the family and that his reunion with the current North Korean leader was an emotional one. A photo on the cover of his latest book purports to show Kim Jong Un embracing Fujimoto.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-06-Japan-NKorea-Missile%20Launch/id-39c8571045ef484c9f3ab2a0191fc8a1

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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Bersani wins Italy primary, heads to general vote

ROME (AP) ? Pier Luigi Bersani, the head of Italy's main center-left Democratic Party, won a runoff primary Sunday to become the main center-left candidate for Italy's 2013 general elections ? a vote that polls indicate could well be won by the Democratic Party given the utter disarray of the opposing center-right.

Preliminary results gave Bersani 60.8 percent of the vote compared to Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi's 39.1 percent, with two-thirds of the votes counted.

Even before the results were released, Renzi conceded the victory to Bersani in a Twitter message, writing: "It was the right thing to try, it was beautiful to do it together. Thank you all from the heart."

The primary had been closely watched since the Democratic Party has a significant lead in the polls over former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's center-right People of Freedom party, which has been in chaos following the media mogul's 2011 downfall, a series of corruption scandals within party ranks and Berlusconi's indecision over whether to run for a fourth term.

The 2013 general election ? expected in March or April ? will decide if Italy continues on the same path to financial health charted by Premier Mario Monti, appointed last year to save Italy from a Greek-style debt crisis. The former European commissioner was named to head a technical government after international markets lost confidence in then-premier Berlusconi's ability to reign in Italy's public debt and push through structural reforms.

Monti has ruled out running for office but has said he would be willing to stay on in some capacity if he could be of service. Some commentators have floated the idea of Monti taking over the largely ceremonial role as Italian president, while others say his talents would be put to better use as treasury minister.

Nearly all polls had projected Bersani would beat Renzi, who campaigned on an Obama-style "Let's change Italy now" mantra that attracted many disgruntled Italians back to politics. Renzi used his youth ? he's 37 ? to bolster his call for Italy's entire political class to be "scrapped."

Bersani, by contrast, is 61 and a veteran of previous center-left governments, where he has served as transport and industry minister. In his victory speech, Bersani made clear his new job running for premier would begin Monday with a trip to Libya, Italy's former colony, to meet with the government.

"I want Italy to retake its place in political, moral, cultural and economic terms in the Mediterranean," Bersani said to cheers.

But even in defeat, Renzi won a victory of sorts for having changed the Italian left ? perhaps forever, analysts said. Renzi's perceived liberal conservative leanings within the center-left, while alienating the movement's hard-core communists, attracted Italians young and old who might otherwise never have voted, much less for a center-left candidate. He liked to say that he offered a different vision for the party, a different model.

"Even if he loses, as I think he will, he had an important renovation function within the party," Rome resident Pietro Marucci said Sunday as he voted for Renzi.

Renzi's style ? moving around Italy in a motor home to meet crowds, addressing supporters in just a shirt and tie, no jacket ? drew inevitable comparisons to President Barack Obama. But some analysts said he was simply not yet ready for the job of running Italy, and that his relaxed, fresh approach to politics isn't what Italy needs as it navigates through a grinding recession and near-record high unemployment and tries to tackle its enormous public debt of ?2 trillion ($2.5 trillion).

"Italy certainly badly needs new faces, fresh faces," noted columnist Massimo Franco said. "But I think that between Renzi and Bersani, the big problem is also experience."

It remains to be seen what, if any, role Renzi will play in the campaign for general elections and how Bersani will try to capitalize on the support Renzi generated. In his speech, Bersani made clear he understood Renzi's base, saying that starting Monday he would give "new space" to the younger generations in the party.

Berlusconi had largely stayed out of the public spotlight for the past year ? until recent weeks, when he announced he was thinking about running again, then changed his mind, then threatened to bring down Monti's government, and then went silent about his political plans.

His waffling has thrown his People of Freedom party into disarray, disrupting its own plans for a primary which is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 16.

A poll published Friday gave the Democratic Party 30 percent of the vote if the election were held now, compared with 19.5 percent for the upstart populist movement of comic Beppe Grillo. Berlusconi's party was in third with 14.3 percent. The poll, by the SWG firm for state-run RAI 3, surveyed 5,000 voting-age adults by telephone between Nov. 26 and 28. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.

It's been quite a turnabout both for Berlusconi's once-dominant movement and the Democratic Party, which had been in shambles for years, unable to capitalize on Berlusconi's professional and personal failings.

___

Maria Grazia Murru contributed from Rome.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bersani-wins-italy-primary-heads-general-vote-202016788.html

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