apps

Top 5 Business Productivity Apps

ZOOM

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

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

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 ]

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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 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)

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)

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

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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!

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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.

What Are the Up & Coming Mobile Apps in the Fintech Industry?

March 10, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Perhaps no other sector in the IT industry moves quite as quickly as fintech does. Several new fintech apps make it onto the app store and various gem hosting repositories every single day. Most of these never make it beyond the experimental stage, and an overwhelming majority is forgotten about by consumers.

The ones that do make it, however, often find their way onto a huge number of phones across the world. You’ll want to keep your eye on a few recent developments if you’re interested in seeing the direction that the industry is headed in.

Traditional Wire Transfer Apps

People might be under the impression that wire transfers are on their way out, but nothing could be further from the truth. Quite a few people now use various forms of direct money transfer to pay for goods purchased from online auction sites and to satisfy invoices sent in by remote workers they owe.

This means, a number of new pieces of software are starting to make their way into the app store. Perhaps the most notable of these is the recently revamped Western Union money transfer app, which now provides instant estimates based on current fees and exchange rates.

That’s making it attractive to students who are studying abroad for a semester or two and have to transfer money into a local account. Even if they’re not that familiar with the local currency, the app will take care of everything automatically.

Each time a student needs to send another payment, they can simply tap on a few hard coded links to get the job done. Online payments are also streamlined, in part because users merely need to scan a prepaid or credit card with the app. Once they have, it’s as easy as pushing a single button.
Interestingly enough, another aspect of Western Union’s heritage is also starting to come around again. For years, the organization sent telegrams. While they’ve since passed this off to other services, fintech apps that are focused on the real estate market are starting to pick up where Western Union has left off.

Sending a Telegram in the Era of Text Messages

Once you’ve wired money, you might want to send a secure message to the recipient in order to make sure you’ve completed your transaction. Email, SMS texts and even secure cloud-based messages all have faults. As a result, some people in the fintech sector have turned to telegram apps.
Once you’ve installed one of these on a phone or other mobile device, you’re free to compose a message. You then enter a physical address, and the message will be printed out by a local office and delivered to that location. That makes it ideal for those who need to close a major deal after already being given payment.

Those who need to accept payment itself in a secure fashion, however, have turned to cryptocurrency apps in droves. More recently, however, a number of problems with these have necessitated an entirely new generation of apps.

The Unprecedented Growth of Altcoins

Besides the obvious collection of cryptocurrency tokens, five or six serious altcoins seem to come on the market every week. On top of this, there are a number of quick entries that probably shouldn’t be deemed serious entrants.

Most retail investors will want to avoid the vast majority of these, as they represent a very risky investment. Students and those who want to make secure online transactions are usually better off using a wallet app that includes support for the major alternative payment tokens, since these apps are generally the most stable.

While legal issues have plagued the market, it seems that a majority of experts in North America believe that cryptocurrencies essentially don’t constitute actual money. As a result, they’re not subject to regulation.

On one hand, this makes them theoretically dangerous for those who accept payments online. On the other, however, it makes them attractive for anyone offering decentralized services.

A number of fintech publications have recently been fixated on a popular social video sharing mobile app developer that pays contributors with its own independent altcoin tokens. It’s easy to imagine that other developers doing the same over the course of the next few months.

No matter what new technologies emerge, however, there’s always going to be a place for traditional wire transfer programs on the app store.

How technology is changing the property rental market

January 28, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Technology has had a huge impact on the rental market over the past few decades. This has had a mostly positive impact on landlords, real estate agents and tenants alike. Here are some of the ways the whole rental market has changed.

Apps, Apps and More Apps

There’s an app for everything and the rental market is no exception. Mobile users use apps for their property rental search. All of the major real estate portals have their own free apps on iOS and Android. Some of these apps have better features than the desktop version of their website, giving renters a better experience.

But it doesn’t end there. Tech-savvy rental agencies have their own apps that allow faster than ever communication between the agent, landlord and tenant via text. It also allows for 24/7 communication, rather than having a tenant call up the agency and someone manning the phones. Cutting out the middleman allows for lower rental property management fees to the owner.

Better Data

With the numerous data sources that both the public and agents can now access, people can make better decisions. This includes comparing the rental prices of nearby similar properties, as well as historical rental data in the area. This helps price properties appropriately and fairly, but well enough so that it will fill quickly, reducing vacancy rates.

Digital Photography

There are a lot of uses for digital photography for rental properties. The obvious being in the initial property listing, but where it gets really convenient is for capturing any issues with the property. For example, digital photos are used for property condition reports, where any existing damage to the property can be documented, recorded and easily shared. The same goes for any new damage or issues that the tenant needs to share with the property manager. This allows for any repairs to be organised more quickly.

The Application Process

When you are applying for rental properties, different digital platforms make it easier for you to apply for properties quickly. For property managers, you can also sort applicants easily and have access to tenancy databases to check if they have a bad history.

New Types of Renting

Whilst short-term holiday rentals have always been around, there is no denying how much Airbnb has influenced this type of property investment. The main difference is that now any property owner can rent out their own home or an investment property themselves. It’s now so easy to advertise your property whenever you want to on various websites. Advertising across as many as possible is great as it helps you reduce your vacancy rate.

Home Security

In terms of locks for rental houses, there are a lot of options that don’t involve keys. Fingerprint locks might be good for long-term rentals. Keypad locks for Airbnb and short-term rentals. Security alarms and security cameras can be a good deterrent to property damage from intruders. Better security also makes your insurance cheaper for both renters and landlords.

Better energy efficiency

Many household items have become more energy efficient. Fitting out any property with energy-saving light bulbs, solar panels, solar hot water and modern kitchen appliances can keep bills down. This is important to some people and also good for the planet.

Remote Viewing

For high-end properties, 3D tours and video tours are becoming increasingly popular for rentals, not just premium for property sales. Augmented reality is also possible and trendy for promoting properties online. These all make it easier for people to make a decision if they are moving from interstate or overseas.

Online Payments

Internet banking and direct debits have made it easier than ever to pay your rent on time, bills and transfer money for rental repairs. It’s much easier than the old days of having to manually pay your rent every time it was due.

Overall, renting has become easier and more streamlined than ever before, but be warned – your behaviour as a renter is now more important than ever before. Records of bad tenancy can haunt you forever.

7 Chrome Extensions to Help You Protect Your Online Safety and Privacy

September 25, 2019 by admin 1 Comment

There are thousands of different extensions for Chrome. Some of them are designed specifically to make your browsing experience more secure and private. If this is something you are looking for, keep on reading, as we’re about to unveil the top cybersecurity extensions that are worth looking into. That being said, let’s cover the basics first.

These extensions will customize your browsing experience and unlock new functionalities

Some of the extensions are limited to improving the looks and other cosmetic elements of your browser. Others, however, will unlock the kind of functionality that’s not available in its vanilla version. Like a character counter for your emails or a built-in to-do list, for example. Of course, these can be enabled or disabled at any time you see fit, so you’re by no means tied to your choices.

In the world of cybersecurity, you can never be safe enough

It’s important to keep a tight grip on cybersecurity essentials, like cookie management, browsing history, password storage, etc. But thanks to the Chrome extensions, there’s no need to do it manually. You can even set it to lock all of your passwords under one master key, effectively doing away with the need to remember every single piece by heart. There’s also a plugin that disables the scripts that you don’t want to run (like those annoying ads, for example).

With that out of the way, what are the top cybersecurity extensions for Chrome?

1. Adblock Plus

Malware that gets distributed through ads, also known as malvertising, can wreak havoc on your device. Adblock not only stops them from ever loading up in the first place but also brings all the unsolicited website tracking to an end.

2. Blur

One of the best extensions for privacy. Organizing your passwords, hiding your traffic, encrypting your data – all in one little extension. If you’re not a fan of companies collecting your data for marketing purposes, this is one of the answers. In addition to that, certain social media like Facebook are known to track you even during the time when you’re not logged in, which is another thing Blur prevents from happening.

3. Click&Clean

When browsing, your device gets cluttered over time with things like cookies, temporary files, etc. This extension declutters it at the click of a button. In the end, you want to keep your browser running smoothly and get rid of any unwanted baggage – it’s also a matter of keeping your privacy protected.

4. NordVPN

In this day and age, whenever you go online, a VPN is a must. Having one available straight from your browser always comes in handy. Whether it’s government censorship you’re trying to bypass or merely caring for the safety of your sensitive data that you transfer over the web, this should be a part of every modern online surfer’s repertoire.

5. Sneekr

Your browsing history should remain a private matter, and you must do your best to protect it in the same manner you’d protect the privacy of your own home. This particular extension places everything behind a password-only screen so that no one can see it but you. Plus, it gives you the option of accessing it from anywhere you want (and even wipe it if deemed necessary).

6. DuckDuckGo

Protecting your privacy at all costs is the motto behind this extension’s design. Their search engine is known as presenting a viable alternative to Google’s search query tracking. But their Chrome extension does wonders in terms of decoding privacy policies and escaping advertiser tracking. Also, it forces encryption when you’re surfing the web, which helps you stay safe from those prying eyes some ISPs are notorious for.

7. LastPass

Too many users resort to keeping their passwords simple and easy to guess, just for the sake of convenience. Worse yet, some are re-using the same passwords over and over again, so they don’t have to remember what password goes where. Guess what? The hackers are smiling, because you’ve made their job easier this way. LastPass is a solution to the problem; by using one master password, you’ll be free to design your passwords to be as complex and impenetrable as possible without having to remember them all.

Conclusion

The extensions we’ve mentioned are by no means the end of the list, but they make for a good start. At the very least, this should be enough to get you thinking about how these can bolster your cybersecurity defenses and help protect your online safety and privacy at all times.

Make you own app with App inventor

November 1, 2018 by admin 2 Comments

Free Mobile and Android app maker

Mobile is taking over the desktop usage and time spent on mobile or smartphones are seeing constant and rapid growth.

Before you decide to build your first mobile app, your first most important task is to define or know the reason you want to create an app to begin with. Once you do this and write this down or know it, the rest of the process becomes easier.

There are many app builders available today, some of them paid and some of them free. Today we are having a look at the app builder given below.

Yes you thought it was closed down but its back again. the popular google app inventor is back thanks to Mit.edu who have brought the “appinventor” back to the people to enable them to make apps without having to dip into their pockets for cash.

There are other online mobile app makers like widgetbox , but they charge anyway from $25 per month/per app to $100 per month /per app which can be a bit too pricey for a average user. i have done a demo app building on their interface and its pretty easy to make a mobile app at widgetbox

The app inventor from Mit.edu is free to use, though it does not have the advanced interface like widgetbox

There is another online app builder called http://ibuildapp.com/ as well but i have not checked it out.

Make Mobile apps for free with MIT app inventor

The “Android apps creation tool” is no longer being managed by Google — MIT has taken over the source and worked up its own version. Now you, can go and log into the MIT App Inventor, so long as you have a valid Google ID and start creating your own apps.

The App Inventor, first launched by Google in mid-2010 before being discontinued and open-sourced last year

Check out More: MIT App Inventor

OTHER OPTIONS – Building your own Mobile / tablet app

Other options to find yourself a cheap app builder is to have a look on odesk.com , freelancer.com for a app builder, or get in touch with me and i will get you in touch with a app builder that built one for me at a good price some time ago.

Other App Builder Options:

There are special app development software – mobile platforms to create apps on your own.

You can also build a Android app using the Android Studio development environment. Android Studio is free development environment to learn on. It’s best if one has a working knowledge of the Java programming language for this tutorial because it is the language used by Android.

Go to http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html to download Android Studio. More details here

Appmakr Studio

Website: https://www.appmakr.com/

You can make an iPhone app or Android app, with no programming skills. Appmakr created a DIY mobile app making platform that lets you build your own mobile app quickly through a simple drag-and-drop interface.

Kalipso Studio

Website: https://www.sysdevkalipso.com/

Kalipso Studio is a mobile application generator that enables users to program their own apps without having to deal with complex coding.

GoodBarber

Website: https://www.goodbarber.com/

This app development software platform works for native (iOS/Android) apps, HTML5, but the prime focus remains on progressive web apps (PWA).

Appery

Website: https://appery.io

A mobile app maker capable of producing native apps (Android, iOS, Windows Phone), responsive web apps and hybrid apps (across all devices).

Bizness Apps

Website: https://www.biznessapps.com/

A bit more advanced platform compared to other app builders aimed at small and mid-market level companies.

AppMachine

Website: http://www.appmachine.com/

For those who have a website and want to turn it into a nice mobile app version, this app maker is the way to go

PS: you might also want to check this post from “sarah-perez” from ReadWritEweb on tools for building your own iphone app

Top Video and Audio Conferencing Software for Business in 2020

Top 5 Business Productivity Apps