Taking a Home Inventory With Your iPad

May 12th, 2012 by Admin No comments »

Taking home inventory has been a lot more popular with the growing accessibility and ease of use of technology.

While the iPad has become a business persons best friend, lovers of Apple products best new toy haven’t forgotten the multimedia capabilities of this device. So it’s no surprise that taking inventory of valuables has become much easier than just taking pictures with a camera and stuffing everything into a manila envelope.

The Old Fashioned Way…

You can take home inventories without any apps of course, by simply taking photos and adding notes to them on your iPad can be one way but it’s much harder and you’ll find yourself looking at an endless list of things that are hard to categorize or you can use the following apps below.

Home Inventory Manager HD App

Home Inventory Manager App

This app is probably one of the easiest to use home inventory apps. All you do is select a category in which your item belongs to, for example, select Electronics to take inventory of that awesome flat screen or antique record player you have. Either take a picture or a recording of the object then just fill in the blanks (when did you buy it? How much did you buy it for? How much is it worth?, etc.) there have been reports of crashes and few bugs but Home Inventory has been making the adjustments to take these bugs out. If in doubt always take a screen shot (press home button and lock button at same time) of the inventories you have already added and email them to yourself.

 

Bento

Bento iPad App

Bento is an easy to use database application that powerful enough to use for several things. If you have the desktop app as well as the app on your iPad you’ll be relieved to know that you can sync them wirelessly which only takes a minute of your time. You can add photos, videos, documents, etc. it is widely known to be used for home inventory because there are 25 different templates that can be used to easily organize and document everything you need. You can also use Bento to keep those photos you took of the kids in the backyard, your wife’s birthday pictures, and maybe some documents you might need for work later.

Database app for the iPad

Cox Home Security

Cox home security app

So it’s not really a home inventory app, but it is a great thing to have to protect your home’s inventory!

Cox home security has 5 stars all around from every user. View your overall system and connectivity, arm and disarm your system, gives you live camera feeds, you can even control lighting, and control your thermostat settings for heating and cooling. It makes life easier because sometimes you just want to come home to a nice cool home or maybe you want to save money on your electricity bill. You can adjust your thermostat to a higher temperature and an hour before you come home you can set it to a lower temperature so it’s nice and cool when you get home. If your house alarm goes off you can easily tap into your security and check out what’s going.

Cox Home Security for the iPad

Share your favorite apps for building a home inventory with the rest of the community!

Jeff writes about home safety and security for the Renter’s Insurance blog.

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A Look at Mobile App Usage

April 25th, 2012 by Admin No comments »

Have you ever sat back and wondered just how large of a trend the use of mobile apps is?

This infographic from Millennial Media gives you just a taste of how one event drives the usage of mobile apps…

Mobile Advertising

source: Mobile Marketing Trends from the Millennial Media April 2012 S.M.A.R.T.™ Report

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What to Look For In a Home Computer

March 29th, 2012 by Admin 1 comment »

Buying a home computer should be an exciting time for you and your family.  In this day and age technology continues to evolve and there are so many different things that users can do on computers that most people have at least one computer in their home.  Buying a computer is a big investment so there are a few things that individual should look for before purchasing a home computer.

family computer

One of the first things to think about is price.  Computers can range from inexpensive to very expensive so it helps to know your price point so that you can stay within your budget.  You want to get a computer that is equipped with everything you need but not necessarily everything you want.  Once you know your budget you can begin your search.  Think about exactly what the computer will be used for.  Then think about whether you will be watching movies, playing CD’s or burning CD’s on your computer.  If you are then you want to look for a computer with a CD/DVD burner which will allow you to listen and burn CDs and DVDs.

Another important issue is the processing speed.  Make sure that you get a computer that can run any programs you want to install.  The amount of RAM affects your computer’s speed so make sure to get enough to handle your needs.  If you are unsure you can do a little research or simply go to your local computer store and ask for assistance.  Also check out the computer’s operating system.  There are a few different operating systems on the market and you want to make sure to choose a computer that has the operating system that works best for you.   Certain software works best with certain systems so understand your options.  Most people want to be able to access the Internet so make sure that your computer has a modem and is Internet ready.  Wireless Internet is very popular and most new computers are ready for a wireless setup straight out the box.

Look for a good hard drive size meaning the amount of space that you have on your computer where you can save items.  Families often have dozens of pictures and documents, especially if used by several people so you need to make sure to get a hard drive with plenty of space.  Movies and music can also take up quite a bit of space so make sure to keep this in mind.  Decide whether your home computer should be a laptop or desktop.  If only one person will be using it a laptop that can be easily carried around may be the answer but if several people in the family, especially children, will be using the home computer, a desktop that everyone can readily access without moving may be the best fit.  Desktops are generally recommended for families because you can typically get a large screen and a bigger hard drive.

If you think about the things you really need you can get a home computer that fits everyone’s needs.

Jeff covers home office technology topics for the Renter’s Insurance blog.

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How to turn your smartphone from an expense into savings

March 25th, 2012 by Joe Pawlikowski 1 comment »

While we can find endless conveniences in our smartphones, we also find steep costs. The phone not only costs us hundreds of dollars up front, but also causes us to incur a significant monthly fee. It’s not uncommon to see the two-year cost of smartphone ownership around $2,500. That’s quite a chunk of change for a mere convenience. Yet we can turn the tables on these steep smartphone costs. There are plenty of apps that can help you save money — perhaps even enough to offset the monthly cost of your smartphone service.

Groceries

One way to combat a recurring cost is to create recurring savings. In most cases its easier said than done, but with a smartphone the answer is right in front of you. After all, you go grocery shopping every week, right? If you can use your smartphone to save a little bit every week, it will start to add up. Chances are you won’t save the roughly $25 per week that your smartphone costs you, but you can make a dent in that.

Grocery coupon sites such as Cellfire make it easy to use your smartphone. You can pick out your coupons right on the site, and then use the smartphone app while checking out. Just show the cashier the barcode, and it will automatically deduct your coupon savings. Even if you save just $3 per week — and experienced shoppers can save even more — that’s still more than 10 percent of your two-year smartphone costs.

Gasoline

Gas prices are high, as you’ll hear just about everyone complain. Unfortunately, they’re not going down anytime soon. Now more than ever it’s important to find the best gasoline prices and maintain optimal fuel economy. Our smartphones can play large roles in this process. With just a couple of apps you can stay on top of both situations.

GasBuddy will find cheaply priced fuel around your current location. When you need to fill up, you can do so at a relatively low priced station. (Just make sure you’re not driving too far, as to waste gas and negate savings.) There are also a number of fuel economy calculator apps. Those will let you know when you’re getting fewer miles per gallon, which could signal that it’s time to clean or change your air filter. Keeping that fuel economy at peak condition is just as important as finding the lowest gas prices.

Travel

If you’re a savvy traveler, you already use sites such as Orbitz, Cheap Tickets, and Travelocity to find the best package deals on flights and hotels. What you might not know is that with your smartphone you can save even more. See, travel sites want you to download their mobile apps. It means a greater level of engagement for them. They do this by providing discounts that are available only through the app.

By downloading the Orbitz app you’re not just giving yourself a means to book flights on your smartphone. You’re opening yourself up to mobile-only deals on hotels — deals that aren’t available on the main website. If you take advantage of those, and then add a rental on top of that, you stand to save considerable money on your trip.

We typically think of smartphones as a cost. It’s the cost to buy the phone, and then the monthly service fee. But with a little ingenuity and some elbow grease we can turn the tables and make our smartphones work for us. The savviest users might even save that entire $2,500 two-year cost. With even minimal effort you can make a significant dent in that figure. There are plenty of opportunities out there. The savings will come to those who put in the effort.

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Must Have iPad Apps for Travelers

March 5th, 2012 by Admin No comments »

iPhone users have access to millions of apps. They can search for an app using their mobile device and download the app within seconds. But apps aren’t only for people who enjoy playing games in their spare time. There are apps for personal finance, health, news and travel. In fact, travel apps are becoming so popular that some travelers don’t bother printing their boarding passes.

Next Flight: Frequent flyers with the Next Flight app no longer have to hover around airport informational boards for information regarding arrivals and departures. They can simply open their app and retrieve information for more than 4,000 airports and 1,100 airlines. The app has a filter that lets users narrow down their search by airport or airline carrier.

HearPlant: Regardless of whether someone plans a trip for business or pleasure, they typically make plans to check out the local sights. With the HearPlanet app, travelers can request information on local landmarks and attractions. After selecting a location, the app plays a Wikipedia description of the chosen area.

World Customs: Rather than worry about offending the locals, travelers can download the World Customs apps before traveling abroad to learn the do’s and don’ts of a country.

WiFi Finder: Walking from establishment-to-establishment and inquiring about wireless Internet is time-consuming and frustrating. The WiFi finder app instantly delivers the addresses of nearby businesses and restaurants that offer wireless Internet. There’s even a map to guide travelers to the location.

Packing: There’s nothing worse then arriving at a destination and leaving an important item at home. The Packing app lets travelers create an itemized list of items needed for their trip. Travelers can check off items as they pack their luggage.

Room: Frequent travelers typically bounce from hotel room to hotel room, which might result in forgetting a room number. Rather than bother the front desk for room information, travelers can keep track of their hotel room number with the Room app.

Skype: International calls are expensive. However, travelers who download Skype to their iPhone can make cheap or free international calls whenever they’re connected to WiFi.

Trip-It: Hotels, airlines and car rental facilities typically send reservation confirmations via email. While the majority of travelers print out this information, they might also lose these documents or accidentally toss them in the trash. The Trip-It app connects to emails and quickly retrieves all confirmation information. Documents are then organized into a single file.

Urbanspoon: This iPhone app uses GPS to track a user’s location. Shaking the iPhone starts a restaurant search, wherein a list of local establishments appear on the mobile device according to popularity.

Kayak: This app lets travelers search for an airline, a hotel and a car rental facility. The perfect app for frequent travelers, the app also features currency exchange, a packing list and an extensive list of nearby attractions and landmarks.

Jeff covers technology that helps travelers get the most out of their trip for the Travel Insurance blog.

 

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5 Mistakes I Made With My Gadget So You Don’t Have To

February 13th, 2012 by Admin No comments »

Some of us are a little bit more … accident prone … than others, and when it comes to technological gadgets, I’ve had my fair share of mishaps. The extended warranty isn’t any help either.

The last warranty I had expired the day before my phone stopped working, even though I had paid for two years. Bad judgment on my part I guess. Keep in mind, not all of these gadget horror stories are precisely my fault, though they all did happen. They can happen to you too if you don’t learn from my mistakes:

  1. The old ‘I dropped my smart phone in the toilet” trick – This isn’t just urban myth, and it’s more common than you might think. A Microsoft study showed that one in five people have dropped their cell phone in the toilet. In my case, I wasn’t actually using my Droid, but it fell from my pocket. I had bought one of the droid skins, which is waterproof and scratch proof, but I hadn’t protected the rest of my phone. Luckily, I fished it out quickly enough, and with the protection of the skin, I was able to revive it back to life after a little Google research.
  2. I was riding my bike across campus, which is only a short distance from my apartment to my class, and I was carrying my laptop in one hand. One advantage to having a laptop is that I don’t have to tote around several notebooks, pens and other supplies, so I didn’t take any kind of laptop carrying case or backpack. Of course, I dropped my laptop on the cement, which left skid marks all along one side while also making the screen rather loose. Take my advice, it’s better safe than sorry. To avoid the loose screen, I thought about getting and iPad accessories, but you’ll see what I ultimately did, since my laptop is a glutton for punishment and hadn’t been through enough yet.
  3. I was staying in a hotel for a weekend, and since I can’t live without my cell phone, I took it with me. Because I was staying for more than one night, I assumed the cleaning crew would leave my old sheets on for the second day, and I left my cell phone on my bed. Bad mistake. When I returned to my room, I found that all of my sheets had been removed – and so had my cell phone. I never got it back, and I had to re-download all my cell phone software and apps again onto my new iPhone.
  4. I hadn’t had my new iPhone long before it too had its own catastrophe. I hadn’t yet looked into iPhone skins (you would think I had learned my lesson), so when I put my keys in the same pocket as my phone, I scratched a portion of the screen. When I bought the updated iPod, you can believe me when I say that the very first thing I did was to research iPod skins. Because the screen on my phone already had a scratch, it wasn’t long before I actually cracked it entirely when a friendly wrestling match got a little out of hand (college student, remember?).
  5. I’ll go anywhere to get Internet for free. I’m a regular at coffee shops, and you can usually find me hunkered down at the corner table with my laptop open and a cup in one hand. No, I didn’t spill the coffee. (Surprise!) But someone tripped over my power cord, which brought my laptop straight to the ground, completely ripping the screen away from the body of the computer. This time I got a tablet PC, in hopes that the smaller size will lead to fewer tragedies.

My advice? First of all, don’t be clumsy with your gadgets. Secondly, make sure you invest in products that are designed to protect your tools, like laptop cases and iPhone skins. You may think that the cost is a little steep, but it pays off in the end.

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HP Plans to Release WebOS Software by September

January 28th, 2012 by Admin No comments »

Hewlett Packard, HP for short, is usually quite successful with new gadget releases. You might have used or are using any of their product. If yes then you must be familiar with their brand power and quality they empower in their gadgets. WebOS is mobile operating system based on Linux kernel which was initially enveloped by Palm and was then acquired in 2010 by HP.From then HP has been launching WebOS and now HP has taken the viral step in this field and announces that by September 2012 it is going to launch open source WebOS.

The company gave the view about this launch in December 2010, where it announced that it is going to work on open source WebOS and now in January2012 it gave the date limit as well. The WebOS is going to be launched under Apache License 2.0 which is he same that Google’s Android and OpenStack is using.

If we talk about the history of WebOS with HP then HP is doing its best and putting all its efforts in it.HP acquired WebOS for $1.2 billion and company decided to work hard and to make it Apple like Brand. But all did not went good for HP and many technology experts advised HP to dead the WebOS, but inspite of closing company has decided to open source WebOS. The
open source program will allow the device makers or hackers as well to install the operating system on gadgets and tablets. And all this is going to happen by September 2012.

With this announcement company also launched Enyo “which is the leading Web app development environment today”,according to words of chairman of HP Mr. Ray Lane. The Enyo is also going to be launched under the same license that’s Apache License 2.0 The company also announced to launch the WebOS Javascript core in February; the Linux standard kernel in March; the WebOS system manager and core applications in July and the open-source WebOS beta in August.

The company just told about this project in December 2011 and now it is sure to launch it by September 2012.Technicians are surprised why HP is going to complete the project in such a short interval of time,while other popular OS like Symbian took about one complete year to launch its open source program.Well the reason behind is the growing popularity of both Apple and Google’s Android.Hewlett Packard do not want to miss any chance to give tough competition to both the lions of mobile OS.In the meantime of launch of Symbian by Nokia the Google’s Android and Apple iOS gained too much popularity that Symbian is still fighting with these to find a good place. HP do not want to repeat the history and want to acquire its own
position by launching open source WebOS as soon as possible and this leads to the launch of the project by September 2012.The HP open source project is supported by Bill Veghte who just got promoted to chief strategy officer. With this launch HP hopes to accelerate the development of WebOS and ensures that benefits will be available to all the web applications.

Well, The Open Source WebOS software is going to be launched by September,2012.All the people including me are waiting for the launch and what about you??

Raj is writing for a Website Design Company that offers high quality Qatar Web Designing, Dubai and Middle East

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10 iPad Apps for Your Home

January 26th, 2012 by Admin No comments »

Buying, building, and even searching for homes or places for home improvement tools can be a hassle. We all know it’s no walk in the park. These simple iPad apps below can revolutionize the way you look for houses and apartments or make your current one look spectacular!

· Zillow

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With Zillow, you can find any type of house in any neighborhood based on your must have’s. You simply check off what you are looking for (e.g. Number of bathrooms, bedrooms, price, etc.) and voila! This app also gives you estimates of what your home and others in your area might be worth so that you can look at the big picture.

· Truila

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Truila is a fabulous little app that makes home hunting much easier. It provides you with a list of thousands of home that are for sale in your area and includes pictures so you can get a quick overview of what the house looks on inside and out. By Truila providing these services for you, you can decide if houses worth a visit or not.

· Mortgage Calculator

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Trying to figure out how much a certain hose is going to cost you every month? Well here is a handy dandy little app that will calculate all of that for you. Answer few questions and it’ll calculate all of that for you.

· Control4

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This app allows you to turn your iPad into the ultimate house remote control. It allows you to set the lighting, sound system, home security, etc. from where ever you are as long as you got your iPad in hand.

· Splashtop Remote

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For those of you who have a majority of your life on your desktop you can now effortlessly merge your iPad and desktop into one. You c an access you’re your desktop from anywhere including your iPhone, iPad, or other mobile devices.

· Ben Color Capture

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It happens! We go to someone’s home or we see the most amazing color somewhere and wish we could have an exact match because it’d go perfect in the bedroom, or living room, etc. Well you can with this app. Take a picture of the color and Benjamin Moore will find the closest matching paint out there.

· Paint Tester

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Once you’ve used the above app or have found a color on your own use this app to paint your walls… no paint needed! Take a picture of your room chose your color and watch your room transform. No need for the “oops” moment after you’re done painting.

· Home 3D

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Want to know what your house looks like when that wall is finally out of your way? Well Home 3D app allows you to see what your home will look like after you have the job done. So you can see how your home will turn out. No surprises.

· DIY Calculator

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Some of us like to do it ourselves instead of spend those unnecessary dollars. Trying to figure out how much tile, wallpaper, tile, etc. can be pretty hard. This calculator will help you figure out exactly how much you need.

· Gardening Toolkit

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This cool kit gives you that green thumb you’ve always wanted when it comes to your garden. It uses your location to let you know which plants, herbs, flowers, etc., flourishes where you live and how to properly take care of them.

Priscilla writes for the Consumer Media Network’s Renter’s Insurance blog.

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What is the Purpose of a Cloud Storage Solution?

January 17th, 2012 by GuestPoster 2 comments »

It is easy to get caught up in the latest Internet fad without really knowing what it is or what benefits it can offer. The good thing about cloud computing is that it is not a fad. It is a new way of looking at the Internet that users have plenty of time to look over and determine if it is for them. The concept of cloud computing has been around for a long time and it has been available to the public in one form or another for quite a while as well. One of the earliest forms of cloud computing for Internet users is something referred to as a cloud storage solution. If you are saving your personal data and files to a secure Internet site, then you are using cloud computing.

For people that do not understand the concept, it helps to explain the purpose of getting plugged into the cloud.

The primary reason for using a cloud storage solution is as a backup to your computer’s hard drive. You do not need to use a cloud system as your only means of storage if you do not want to, but you should strongly consider using it as your backup system. You can customize a cloud system to back up all of your important files as often as you want. Without slowing your computer down or even indicating to you that anything is being done, a cloud system will grab the data from your computer and put it into safe storage. It is an ideal system for people who do not back up their computers and leave themselves open to losing all of their data if their hard drive crashes.

The other purpose of a cloud storage solution is to allow you access to your data from anywhere in the world using any kind of computing device.

The files you create on your desktop at home would be available on your tablet computer or handheld computing device any time you want them. For people that own a home business and need constant access to their information, this kind of service can be invaluable. The security on a cloud system is the best technology available and is just as secure as giving your credit card information over the Internet.

Computer users that try to avoid the latest thing may not look into a cloud storage solution because it seems like a passing thing. But cloud computing has been brewing for a long time and could be the way the Internet works just a few years from now.

Citations:

Interested in Cloud Storage Solution?  For more information, read here.

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All About Android Applications

January 3rd, 2012 by GuestPoster No comments »

Android is one of the popular operating systems for mobile and desktop PCs. The mobile OS has become very popular with its distinctive features. The Android SDK provides a rich set of tools and APIs that are necessary to build the modern day features.

Why Developers Prefer Android OS?

It is an open sourcing operating system and undergoes a radical change over a frequent interval of time. It gives greater liberty for the developers to build applications with tons and tons of integrated features. The open source community is constantly giving its efforts to improve the performance of the platform. The world is gaining a lot from these applications. The applications built on this platform are cheaper and are affordable. Due to the availability of vast resources, the developers are allowed to try their hands in fine tuning the performance of such applications.

What Does Android Mean For A Common Mobile User?

Android applications are available at free of cost in the internet. There are several thousand applications available and can be downloaded without any hassle. The installation and usage process is very simple. Even a novice user will find it easy to access the applications. The open source community has thousands of developers as its members who are constantly launching various new versions to upgrade the features. A common man can get the advanced applications at free of cost and will have the option to upgrade as a premium customer by paying a small amount of fee.

Advantages of Android Applications:

  • It has a rich set of application framework which will make the works of a developer easier. It encourages the concept of reuse and replacement of components.
  • Android OS has undergone a revolutionary change to suit the requirements of mobile devices and is in a great position to fine tune the performance of such smart phone devices.
  • Android supports 2D and 3D viewing in the mobile phones which proved to be a myth in the olden days.
  • It offers optimized graphics functions that will let you explore a 3D movie in the mobile. It often supports SQL functions through its SQLite package.
  • The platform supports all form of audio and video content and has the ability to build applications that will support advanced media functions.
  • It offers unconditional support for 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, EDGE technologies.
  • The rich environment available with Android OS helps the developers to come up with the best looking GUI functionalities.

The Ultimate Viewpoint:

The market area for the Android OS is gaining momentum and is getting bigger every day. There is a lot of potential to this operating system. As long as the features are available at free of cost, the end users will simply love to use them. There is still a lot more to be achieved in terms of application building and the security functions have to be taken care of.

Rajkumar has got a good understanding of rack cable management process. Expert knowledge in handling such process makes him a valuable resource when it comes to consultancy on such subjects.  He continuously writes on cable management  subjects.

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