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Top 5 Business Productivity Apps

ZOOM

zoom to video chat

Zoom is best-known for being the go-to choice for businesses that need access to quick and convenient video for internal and external audio or video conferencing.

Offers high-quality HD video and audio.
Simple and easy to use platform
Offers collaboration facilities such as text chat and screen sharing
You do not sign up for the app to join a Zoom meeting (hopefully this doesn’t change)
To host a video conference, you need to create an account
Can sign up using existing Facebook and Google accounts
Works with Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS
Desktop users can also begin a local recording
There is extra functionality with plugins like integration with outlook , google chrome, Firefox to make using the app from within these software easier

Zoom app is offered in both free and paid versions. The paid version has some additional features like you can add up to 1000 participants, record calls, and much more.

WEBEX by cisco

webex australia

https://www.webex.com/pricing/index.html

WebEx is a flexible conferencing solution designed for businesses of any sizes you can think. Cisco owns the WebEx brand and has been around for a while with a high degree of reliability.

High quality web and HD video meeting software
It has Integrated application/file sharing(screen sharing)
Integrated with Outlook – add WebEx to a meeting in my calendar and all invitees will have the information
Cross platform – works with Windows, Mac, iPad and support mobile meetings for iPhones, Blackberries, Androids.
With WebEx meetings you can also chat using your phone or home line and watching the video/ video conference or meeting using your internet connection.
Supports immediate playback of multi-media content like flash and windows media player
Great customer service

Webex makes a good reliable software/app for video and audio conferencing for business needs and integrates well with their most browsers and their other products like jabber.

Microsoft Teams by Microsoft

teams by microsoft

https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/

Microsoft Teams is a new player in the market that has rapidly taken over market share from webex and zoom.

With the competition heating up for video conferencing platforms like Google Meet and many other free video conferencing platforms, Microsoft has made it free to collaborate with your colleagues with some limitations.

Multi-Platform support -You can use Microsoft Teams on most platforms including Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Schedule video/audio meetings with one person or a team or make a call directly to your teammates.
Features includes screen sharing and call recording, background blur and chat.
Just share a link with your team to join the call or a meeting.
Easy to use – The interface is clean and simple to understand. You can initiate an online meeting or can schedule one as per your requirement.
Host a webinar or meeting with up to 10,000 participants.
App is integrated with Microsoft 365
If the other person is unable to answer, you can leave a voicemail-like message.
With Microsoft Teams integrations with Outlook, you can schedule a video call in advance and you get an alert before it begins.
The free account offers 10 GB of team file storage and 2 GB of personal file storage per person
It supports most Microsoft software. Teams let you collaborate in real-time with MS Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Let your teammates access, share, and edit Word docs, PowerPoint, and Excel files in real-time
You can communicate and collaborate with teams up to 500K users
Microsoft keeps your data secure by using Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) technology for video and audio data encryption.

How to set up Microsoft Teams:

You can download the app directly from the app store or Microsoft website and use your email account to log in. It can also be accessed via a web browser.

If you remember skype owned by Microsoft and still use it, MT has been built using some features “Skype for Business” that has been rolled into Teams. Teams support VoIP calling features where you can call anyone with a phone using Microsoft’s cloud-based PBX.

Microsoft Teams is ideal for businesses who already use or are familiar with Microsoft products and for others it could be an expensive option. It is however a perfect solution to collaborate with your team with plenty of features and third-party app integration options, which is not available with competitors.

How to use and set up Zoom Meeting:

First, you need to get the Zoom app on your device.

You will need the code and password for the meeting you wish to join.

At the time of the meeting, enter your Zoom app and type in the meeting code. After a short while, you will be prompted to put in the password. Type it on the password line. You will get a message telling you to wait to be invited into the meeting by the host.

Once you get the invitation, you will see the host (or some meeting participants) on your screen. If you want them to be able to see and hear you during the meeting, tap the video and audio icons at the bottom of the screen to join the meeting with visual and audio.

You can also press “mute” any time you want to remain silent to the host or other participants. Just remember to press “unmute” if you want to be heard again. [ These zoom instructions can be quite similar to use for most other video conferencing apps too ]

Most of these apps work by creating a meeting id or a URL that you can share with people to join your meeting or video chat.

Companies or organisations will have to take into account – companies licensing agreements, hardware, budget, communication needs before signing up with such providers.

Historically with these apps none has been truly web-based, as they require a download, only work on certain devices, and don’t always work on all browsers. But this has changed now with most of these being able to be used with web browsers using plugins as alternatives and some even in stand- alone browsers.

Zoom vs WebEx

Zoom is the hot new web conferencing toy in the industry, but is proving itself to be well received in the workplace due to its ease of use and nice video interface. Cisco is a bit pricier when compared to others, but Zoom costs can add on with charges for add-on charges for extra features.

Other Business Video conferencing & Productivity APPS

Below are some apps that have been used for business as well as popular with personal use for video chat and audio calling features

GoToMeeting (popular with business use)

go to meeting business app

Go TO Meeting has been popular as a video conferencing app prior to the launch of these new popular apps who have grabbed user share. With GoToMeeting, you can schedule conferences for any time or place you choose. Additionally, attendees can join from a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Google Meet (popular with personal use)

video by google meet

If you have heard of google hangouts, this had evolved into google meet. You can plan a video meeting in the Google calendar, Gmail, or Meet by signing in to the G Suite account. Enter https://meet.google.com in a web browser

It has features like real-time captions and support for up to 250 participants and 100,000 live stream viewers

Facebook Messenger & What’s app (popular with personal use)

whatsapp videochat

Both are owned by Facebook.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular chats on the planet. It counts over 1 billion active users. It offers you voice calls, video calls, and many other features.

Slack (business and personal use)

Slack is a useful chat or conferencing app where you can create chats with different users, mention users via @ and view all team members files at one place. Slack allows you to make voice and video calls and show your work, you can share your screen just like in Skype.

Viber for Business (popular with personal use)

viber of business chat

Viber for Business completes the Skype for Business alternatives when looking for a collaboration or team chat environment.

Pricing:

Most providers have different type of plans like Pro, Business or Enterprise which are quoted according to your needs. Pricing can also be calculated on per participant per meeting prices or then flat licensing deals. The typical lowest starting price is from $12/month to $15/ a month , however price can vary according to your business needs.

Conclusion:

You can’t run a company without meetings and you cant video chat with friends without a video chat app. Video conferencing services make communicating with your entire team or your group of friends and family easy. Today its possible to video chat or conference with large number of people depending on which platform you are using.

Which video conferencing apps do you use? Let us know in the comments below!

How Technology Is Changing The Horse Racing Industry

September 14, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

The horse racing industry has seen a range of technological advancements across the last decade. From high-speed photography to video sensors, there are lots of tech tools that are already widely used in horse races—and there are also new, innovative tools being launched to improve the future of horse racing.

Here are four ways in which technology is changing the horse racing industry.

Healing Technology

Advanced technology is now being used to heal injuries and monitor overall health. Modern equine MRI machines and X-ray machines can be used to effectively identify skeletal problems and lameness, and it is also possible to use 3D printing to create splits, prosthetics, and casts for horses who have been injured. This makes it much easier to heal race horse injuries.

Horses can also be fitted with an endoscope to monitor their health and breathing. Up until recently, vets would normally do breathing assessments using basic guesswork and general equine knowledge, so this is a big step forward!

Finally, it is possible to monitor a horse’s individual way of moving using a smart saddle. The saddle has a microchip inserted into it that can measure the stride and symmetry of the horse’s gait, so it is easier for trainers to create personalized programs to suit the horse’s needs.

Sports Science Technology

It seems like every year horses get stronger and faster—and this is partially due to innovative sports science. A new training method has emerged from Kingswood Stud, Berkshire, called “the Kurtsystems training method.” Young horses are attached to a large contraption with slack reins, as this helps to train their bodies for future racing. The machine does look pretty weird, but it is already showing positive results!

Another emerging technology comes from Sheikh Mohammed, who has installed artificial surface gallops and a sea walker in his stables. This has proven to have both strengthening and recuperative benefits.

Sports Betting Technology

Technology has also been used to improve sports betting for punters. Nowadays, people don’t have to travel to a casino or a betting operator to place bets; they can simply go online or download an app. Mobile technology has also advanced considerably, meaning that punters can get real-time updates on horse racing events that are currently happening. This means they can check the horse racing results whenever they want, wherever they want (and they can also place bets during the game).

Blockchain Technology

Finally, blockchain technology is having a big effect on the horse racing industry. The ledger technology can be used to secure cyptocurrency exchanges online, helping to keep personal data safe. Blockchain technology can also be used by trainers and owners to share information about their horses, which will make it easier for bookmakers to provide reasonable odds.

So, technology has changed the world of horse racing for both the horses and the fans who love to watch—and it is likely that future technological innovations will transform the industry even further.

A-Z Guide on Removing Unwanted Ads and Apps from Your Mac

September 1, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Using a Mac has always been associated with advanced security and intactness to viruses, all kinds of malware, and cyber-crime. But times change, and Mac users increasingly face a variety of malicious threats and data theft cases. Nobody is immune to cyber-crime in the 21^st century, with hackers preying on your sensitive data and funds. Thus, it is imperative for every computer user to know more about malware, to learn how to scan their devices for viruses, and to find out how to remove ads on Mac (as they can also contain malicious code). Here we present an A-Z guide for everyone wishing to advance their Mac security. Read on to get the cutting-edge knowledge and skills for securing your devices and data.

Why Is Your Computer Showing Too Many Ads?

We live in the era of pop-up ads that attack mobile phone and desktop users alike. These notifications can take the form of commercials, special offers, alerts, notifications of winning a prize or lottery, etc. Many of them are phishing attacks on your browser organized by third-party ad providers, while some ads are a healthy response of your browser to your search preferences. So, when does getting ads become too much or too annoying?

· You visited too many shopping websites and clicked “Allow” on the bar asking for sending you pop-up notifications.

· You have some unwanted software or adware installed on the browser.

In the first case, you need to go to Settings and block the pop-up notifications from merchants. In the second case, your browser has been hijacked, and you need to take action to restore its healthy functioning.

Blocking Adware in Safari

Once you realize that the ads are getting too annoying, it’s high time to install an ad blocker. It is a program removing most types of ads from your browser and blocking dubious pop-up notices. To choose an ad blocker suiting your goals, consider either standalone software covering all ads on your computer or a customized add-on to your computer browser. Besides, there is a built-in ad blocker function in the Safari browser on Macs. Let’s consider each of the options in more detail.

Safari Ad Blocker

To block all incoming ads in your Safari browser, go to the “Security” settings in the section of “Safari preferences.” There, you should indicate that you want to block pop-ups and fraud warnings. Mac security settings allow getting alerts of visiting fraudulent websites, locking pop-up windows, and specifying the plug-in installation preferences. Another option is to double-check the “Extensions” section where the illicit adware may reside.

Standalone Software

If you’re using a third-party ad blocker program, first install it on your Mac and run it on the computer. By following the app’s instructions, you can customize the ad blocking preferences, indicating which ads you would like to receive, and which should be blocked.

Are Ads only Bothersome or Really Dangerous?

Internet commercials have long been considered the “necessary evil” as they help web resource creators sustain a regular revenue stream from advertisers, thus allowing them to provide valuable content to users for free. You can also enjoy some free resources online by only watching several ads, so is that bad?

Overall, there is nothing criminal about ads as such; the problem may be suspected if you see too many pop-up ads that worsen your browsing experience and distract you from the critical browser use goals. Besides, the red flag of something going wrong is seeing much irrelevant, even obscene advertising content, such as adult toys, dubious websites, etc. In such cases, you should suspect having some malicious adware on your Mac, which requires action.

Ad Blockers: A New Word in Mac Security?

There is no unanimous opinion about whether using an ad blocker to achieve complete blocking of ads is a good decision. On the one hand, you can avoid viewing distractive commercials, which speeds up and improves the browsing experience, at the same time securing you from the accidental installation of viruses and malware hiding in malicious ads. On the other hand, with so much shopping conducted online these days, you deprive yourself of an opportunity to receive customized suggestions based on intelligent analysis of your purchase intentions and preferences.

Besides, seeing no ads on free websites minimizes your support for website creators who earn from ads to deliver content to users for free. A tendency to block ads may soon transform into paid, subscription-based content access. Thus, it’s up to you to decide whether to spend a couple of minutes watching a short ad or paying for online content in other ways.

Digital marketing is at its most powerful state yet

August 18, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Marketing has always played an especially important role in the longevity and success of businesses across varying industries around the globe. This has never wavered and it never will. The role of marketing is important because marketing is the epicentre of how a business controls and idealises its image across not only the industry but with clients as well. The businesses that do the best today are businesses that have well and truly come to this realisation and that have chosen to prioritise that realisation for themselves and for the business’ future. Now, as the digital era begins to propel further and further into motion, how are businesses evolving to take on advertising and marketing in the digital era and how are they using it to their most distinct advantage?

The digital era powers evolution into motion

Today, as the digital era continues to go from strength to strength, becoming more powerful all the time, innovations of business such as marketing are becoming more and more digitally inclined. While traditional marketing is always going to have its place, there is the awareness and the understanding that modern consumers have more of an inclination towards digitalisation and technological advancement in every aspect – including, as it turns out, the businesses that they support. The digital era has powered this evolution into motion in terms of not only how marketing has evolved in recent years, but how it continues to unfold as time goes on.

The powerful rise of digital marketing

This is how, where, and why digital marketing has been becoming more prominent in recent years. The power of digital marketing is not a new concept by any means, however the innovation and the willingness that businesses and entire industries around the world have towards bringing digital marketing into their company as a core construct is still relatively fresh. Whether it is asking the question, “does SEO help attract visitors?” or doing the work to incorporate social media marketing into a business’ formal approach to consumer relationships, the powerful rise of digital marketing is not only proving that businesses are evolving to digital standards but that consumers are responding to it much more positively and openly than they are to traditional marketing these days.

The future of digital marketing

Ultimately, the future of digital marketing is only going to continue to go from strength to strength as time goes on. Digital marketing has found its footing in recent years and it only continues to become bolder and stronger as the interests and investment pools continue to rise. Throughout varying industries around the globe, the dedication towards digital marketing is becoming more powerful as businesses realise the full potential that digital marketing houses and the promising trajectory that it holds going forward well into the future and beyond. This is an exciting time for digital marketing and it is hopefully just the beginning. Ideally, the best is yet to come. And what we have seen in recent months is a strong indication that that is very much the case. Only time will tell.

4 Ways Technology Is Bringing Academia Out of the Stone Age

August 18, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

It is the year 2020. We are at the start of a new decade, so shouldn’t our schools be loaded with technology by now? Shouldn’t our students be entering virtual classrooms, using floating white boards, and using replicators to generate their school meals? Despite classrooms not looking like a scene from Back to the Future, technology is nestled in a great many facets of modern education.

How to Incorporate Technology into Education in a Meaningful Way

The first step would be to stop trying to buy higher test scores. There is no piece of

equipment or computer software that is going to make a student perform better.

Just because a computer is faster, it doesn’t mean a student will work harder

or learn more. If you are going to incorporate technology into education, and

you plan for it to have a meaningful impact, then it should affect these

qualities within student life:

● Efficiency

● Security

● Convenience

● Availability

Affecting these factors may not push up grades, but it will remove the hindrances and

barriers students experience in order to achieve higher grades.

1. Affecting Efficiency with Technology

Starting simply, if colleges and universities are allowing the use ofcloud computing and data centers, then students who are taking highly technical classes need not worry about rendering times, compiling and decompiling. In fact, the whole idea of having to reserve a server for such jobs will be gone because all the work would happen off site. Students who are working on 3D animation can click to send their work to a cloud computing service, and then log off and

let the upload run itself while somebody else uses the computer. The same is true for people making apps, detailed CAD renders, making websites, computer programs and so forth.

There are also many otherefficiency elements that could be added. These include elevators in dorms, automatic doors and energy-efficient air conditioning. More expensive tools may also help students become more efficient. For example, a student working on something artistic will be able to draw and correct work more quickly on a fast-paced computer system with a pen and pad, rather than having to hide layers out of SVG files while using a stylus and drawing tablet.

2. Affecting Security

Guns are not the problem, nor is violence in the media, or the lack of safe spaces, or

even the liberal groups that convince students they are special. The problem with security in college is (and always has been) unpreparedness. Some of the USA’s biggest school-related shooting tragedies have been due to a lack of preparedness. This is both before and during the event, especially in cases where police procedure wouldn’t allow officers to rush into a scene to save screaming kids.

Technology is not a magic wand, but it is pretty effective when it comes to security. Imagine how many lives would have been saved in past tragedies if schools could electronically lock down doors at will rather than allowing bad people to stalk the halls with guns. Imagine the lives saved if metal detectors had been mandatory at all entrances, and how many crimes would have been resolved and prosecuted if car tracking devices and traffic control devices were installed on all college grounds. Plus, there are many facets tocyber security that may be installed to help slow the numbers of students being scammed without having their details stolen for use in various frauds and/or confidence scams.

3. Affecting Availability

Colleges and universities are spending massive amounts of money to cover what are actually

scandalous course fees. At the very least, an investment in technology should affect availability. Hopefully, the days of having to book time in computer rooms have gone. Hopefully, we are entering an era where only the most sophisticated and expensive technology has a waiting time, such as high powered telescopes and bio scanning machines.

4. Affecting Convenience

Again, things like elevators, automatic doors and efficient air condition systems are

going to help make life more convenient in colleges, but there are other ways that technology can make a student’s life more convenient. For example, the introduction of intranets has been a big help, as is the ability to submit essays from anywhere in the world. Students can write their own essays and then submit their essays from the other side of the world, without having to worry about being on campus on a certain day in order to hand in an essay.

Technology can also make university administration easier in countless ways. For starters, college administrators have been using predictive analytics to help them improve student retention numbers.As it turns out, there tend to be clear warning signs that university students are at risk of failing to complete their degrees. Predictive analytics can help administrators to identify these warning signs; they can then implement beneficial interventions with the goal of helping the at-risk students remain in school rather than dropping out.

Some universities maintain fleets of vehicles to facilitate campus operations. Technology is empowering the managers of university fleet services to reduce fraud, minimise accounting hours and better track the behaviours of each individual who is entrusted with vehicles from the fleet. These particular benefits are widely available to fleet managers who are using fuel cards whose providers are utilising these technologies. You can check out the Fuel Card Report website if you’re interested in comparing the benefits made available by card providers in Australia.

Support learning may also enjoy a boost from technology. We already have systems where students can shoot off a question on a public forum about essays and exams, and then have the correct professor reply to them. This could be improved further with support teaching via web chat and other online features.

Smartphone Oddities You Didn’t Know You Needed

August 5, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Smartphones have been a part of life for a long time, yet there are a few things that might surprise you. The following are a few accessories you can use with your smartphone.

Fun and Useful Cases

Having a case for your phone seems pretty common nowadays. It has probably prevented your phone from breaking when you’re walking on a trail in Australia, but cases can be more if you let them.

Yes, of course, they can still provide the layer of protection that phone cases have always been able to provide, but there are companies out there offering great oddities. For example, there are cases with a pop-up socket you can pop up when you need to stick your phone on certain surfaces to take pictures or record videos.

Portable and Cool Keyboard

Many people are working from all sorts of places, and some folks are using smartphones to complete their work. The problem is it can get a little difficult when the workload increases and all you’ve got is your texting fingers.

The good thing is you can get yourself a portable keyboard that’s compatible with your smartphone. There are many of these out there, and they are reasonably priced. What makes these pretty cool is they aren’t only lightweight but also foldable. They’ll fit in your pocket as easily as your smartphone. All you have to do is make sure you’re getting the keyboard that works with your operating system, be it Android or Apple.

UV Smartphone Sanitizer

The smartphone attracts all sorts of bacteria and viruses. There’s not much you can do about that, and that’s no good. The problem is you can’t just wash your phone with soap and water. You can’t really spray it with antibacterial spray. Thankfully, someone thought about that for you and created a UV sanitizer specifically for smartphones.

No need to worry about damaging your phone with moisture. All you have to do is turn this little device on, and place your phone inside. The UV lights get rid of viruses and bacteria in about a minute. Then, you can safely handle your phone again. The peace of mind this device can give you is priceless, especially since there are many sicknesses out there.

Great Mini Projector

You never know when you might want to watch something with others. You can kinda do it with a smartphone, but it can be uncomfortable, and your screen is small. There’s a solution to this little problem, and it’s a projector. You might be thinking a projector will be too much trouble.

No one would carry around those large devices, but that’s probably because you don’t know about mini projectors. These were made for smartphones and are quite small. You need one connector, and you can share what you are watching with everyone around you. You can watch movies, clips, and you can play games on a larger screen effortlessly, and that’s great.

Professional Stabilizer for Filming

Most people have seen that fluid and flawless way of filming. It’s in movies, shows, and some clips. The filmmaker can shoot all sorts of moving scenes, and the image looks perfect all of the time. One way this is possible is by using a stabilizer.

You might think this tool is only for professional filmmakers, but that’s not the case. There’s a growing number of stabilizers designed specifically for smartphones. This means you can film better videos using nothing but your smartphone. Those who love film or simply want to shoot better videos should consider investing in a stabilizer.

Charging Up Wirelessly

Everyone has to charge their phones, which seems pretty straight forward but not anymore. Those who want to take charging to the next level might want to consider wireless chargers. These are powerful devices that can charge a phone and other smart devices in a short period.

On top of that, these wireless chargers require you to place the device on the mat rather than connect it to cables. Most of the time, a cable gets messed up because of all the pulling, twisting, and bending. You won’t need to worry about any of that with a wireless charger. The prices for these chargers vary, so just find one that works with your budget.

These are just some interesting accessories you can consider, but there’s no telling what else is out there. Be willing to ask questions to find out what is possible with your smartphone.

Top Video and Audio Conferencing Software for Business in 2020

Top 5 Business Productivity Apps