iPad Apps for Business Solutions

By Phase 2 | Published: October 14, 2011

The iPad is being used by individuals, businesses, government organizations, and other entities in unique and innovative ways. The power, flexibility and mobility of the iPad makes it a great device to increase productivity and mobility. Here we discuss 5 business apps to show how businesses and other organizations are using iPad and other smartphones to increase productivity, mobility and work in a cost effective manner.

1. Building EKG™ Energy and Water Saving Application

The Company’s Building EKG™ application delivers mobile management tools to drive cost savings for all forms of energy, water and solar PV systems. The Building EKG™ application is designed to help businesses access information anywhere and at any time, enabling key decision makers to make on-demand changes across multiple platforms and at multiple facilities, irrespective of location. This helps customers to take immediate action to reduce their energy and water consumption and maximize renewable energy production.

Source
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/noveda-launches-its-first-ipad-app-to-help-industry-monitor-energy–water-usage-131059743.html

2. Nevada DMV Application By Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles

With Nevada DMV Mobile, you are just one touch away from key DMV tasks on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPAD. “Stay in touch with the Nevada DMV with DMV Mobile.” Remember, customers would much rather get things done on their own time than stand in line for it.

Nevada DMV app features:
· WAIT TIMES: Have to visit an office? Check the wait times at six metropolitan offices and plan your trip.
· LOCATIONS: Find information and driving instructions to all 18 DMV offices and self-service KIOSK locations
· LK4PLTS: Want to know if a personalized plate is available. Check it out.
· DRIVE TEST: View the first available Drive Test date.
· LINKS and INFORMATION: Email the department, get answers to questions, and update your insurance information and more.
Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nevada-dmv/id468213826?mt=8

Now all the driving schools in that area can use self-service and bring their students accordingly to the DMV. The instructors can carry iPads in their cars – and manage student training and test scheduling. This results in great cost saving in terms of customer support and increased efficiency.

3. iGrowIt Application By Appgrading.com

“iGrowIt app is listed in The Sunday Times Best 500 Apps in the world (2011).
Quickly find out what vegetables you can plant right now, at the tap of a button! Designed for USA and UK beginners, access all the essential information you need on how and when to grow your own delicious vegetables, from start to end. Experienced gardeners can also use iGrowIt as a useful reference point for planting schedules and instructions, and may also discover new information!”

Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/igrowit/id364233815?mt=8

Individuals and small businesses (like restaurants, garden retailers, plant growers, etc) will find this app very useful. Small businesses can use the information in their profession – answer customer queries on the go and figure out other ideas for business growth.

4. Trulia Real Estate – Homes for Sale, Apartments for Rent Application

Designed specifically for the iPad, Trulia HD makes finding your next home easy and fun. Search homes for sale and for rent with full-screen interactive maps, neighborhood-specific details, high-resolution photos, and more.

Trulia Real Estate app features:

· Search homes for sale, apartments for rent, and recently sold homes by GPS or location
· Find available homes on large, interactive maps with zip code or county boundaries
· Understand the difference between neighborhoods, cities, and other areas by: listings/sold price and ratings
· Big and beautiful pictures.
· Neighborhoods information and amenities, such as restaurants, grocery stores, etc.
This app saves tremendous time for both the buyer and the realtor, enabling them to narrow the search and define wants and needs. For the seller, it’s easy to keep up with how the market is doing in your area. You’ll know if you’re priced right and how your competition is doing.

Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trulia-real-estate-homes-for/id425585109?mt=8

5. 1-800-flowers.com Application

Part of what makes a great gift is timing. Now when you’re on the go, you can order from the all-new 1-800-FLOWERS Mobile Gift Center!

1-800-flowers.com app features:

· Special selection of best-selling items from flowers to gourmet foods
· Streamlined browsing and checkout process
· Integration with your existing Contacts
· Exclusive offers for our mobile users
· Secure local wallet

Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/1-800-flowers.com/id297151652?mt=8

Event planners can use this app while talking to their clients on the go to manage events.

Bottom line: mobile apps can be great for your business. Contact Phase 2 to discuss your mobile strategy.

Posted in Apple, Technology | Leave a comment

iPhone Development using advanced features

By Phase 2 | Published: September 29, 2011

iPhone is a very powerful device – with advanced features. Forward looking companies have created business apps which leverage these features. Some companies have created apps for their employees to increase mobility and productivity. Others have apps to interact and engage with their customers.

1. Touch Screen
The first time you pick up an iPhone, you know how to use it. The Multi-Touch interface in was designed for the most natural pointing device ever: your finger. You control everything with a tap, drag, swipe, pinch, flick, or twist of your fingers.

2. Multitasking
You can run apps in the background — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.

3. HD Video Recording
Shoot your own movies in high definition. Capture impressive video even in low-light settings, thanks to the advanced backside illumination sensor and built-in LED light.

4. 5-Megapixel Camera With LED Flash
Take beautiful, detailed photos using the 5-megapixel camera with built-in LED flash. The advanced backside illumination sensor captures great pictures even in low light. And the front-facing camera makes it easy to take self-portraits.

5. Retina Display
The Retina display on iPhone 4 is the sharpest, most vibrant, highest-resolution phone screen ever, with four times the pixel count of previous iPhone models. In fact, the pixel density is so high that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. Which makes text amazingly crisp and images stunningly sharp.

6. Accelerometer
A 3-axis accelerometer senses the orientation of the phone and changes the screen accordingly, allowing the user to easily switch between portrait and landscape mode. The accelerometer can be used to control third-party apps, notably games.

7. Gyroscopic Sensor
Gyroscopic Sensor is one of the only completely new features on the iPhone 4. It’s recent. With it, developers will be able to build all new kinds of games that take your body’s movement into account.

8. GPS
iPhone 4 finds your location quickly and accurately using a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular towers. As you move, iPhone updates your location automatically.

9. Internet Enabled
Always connected via Wi-Fi or 3GS internet connections.

Here are some interesting business apps that could be consumer facing or employee facing.

1. Dropbox
The Dropbox cloud storage app runs in the background and was one of the first apps to support multitasking. It allows you to keep your files online and access them anytime. With the Dropbox app, you can take everything that matters to you on the go. Get the app.

2. Nike+ GPS
Map your runs, track your progress and get the motivation you need to go even further. Record your pace, distance and run route using the iPhone’s GPS and accelerometer technology so you can see your progress over time and push yourself to go even further. Get voice feedback during your run on how you’re doing, or tap the map to see where you are. Get the app.

3. Gyro technology
Check out the all-new Nissan Versa ad built for iPhone/iPod. Using the iPhones amazing gyro technology for a 360 experience, it’s as if you’re there in the Versa, where shoes change, hats swap and phone messages play at your command. Watch it on YouTube.

4. JotNot Scanner Pro
JotNot is the original and premier multi-page document scanner for the iPhone. The application works perfectly for casually taking photographs of your documents to ensure that you don’t lose them.

Here are some interesting features of it.

  • JotNot can save anything
  • Enterprise level document scanning
  • Faxing to US numbers
  • Adjust file size and resolution
  • Save and share with JotNot
  • Tag, search, and sort documents
  • PDF preview
  • Standard and custom page sizes
  • Proprietary image processing

All the processing happens on your iPhone so confidential data remains under your control. JotNot works forever, there’s no subscription fee, and you don’t need Internet access to scan documents. Get the app.

5. Localscope
Localscope is your social data powered GPS app. Always know where you are and what’s around you with Localscope! Search & discover places around you with information from multiple geo search engines & social networks: Google, Bing, Foursquare, Twitter, Wikimapia, all from one app. Get the app.

Our team of iPhone application development can help your firm – create business apps for the Apple ecosystem. Apps could be used to increase productivity, generate awareness, shopping, marketing, etc.

Posted in Apple, Mobile, Technology | Leave a comment

iPad Application Development for the Enterprise

By Phase 2 | Published: August 23, 2011

After consumers – now it is the businesses that are falling in love with the iPad. Small and large businesses are increasing enterprise mobility and productivity by creating business apps for their employees/customers. Companies are approaching us for iPad Application Development and Strategy. IPad apps allow companies to take complex business processes and break them into small functionality apps residing on the iPad and iPhone. This enables great productivity, mobility and time saving. For ex if a home inspector is able to enter all the details of the inspection right there on the spot – without having to go back to his desk is a huge benefit both for the company and customer. We selected 4 examples to showcase how businesses in different industries are using iPad Apps to increase efficiencies and better serve their customers. Please do call us and our team will be happy to help you you’re your mobile strategy.

1. Crescent Construction Services (Construction)

Crescent Construction Services, LLC is a minority (female) owned firm specializing in commercial/industrial commissioning and project management. CCS employees are using the iPADs as a business tool to do – instant real time video collaboration, on the spot documentation of inspection, real time QA, etc.

When Julian Clayton of Crescent Construction Services (CCS) needs to check a blueprint or consult an electrical diagram, he doesn’t unroll a sheaf of dusty papers, flip through a notebook, or even wait for his laptop to boot up. He reaches for his iPad.

iPad and iPhone give the company’s perpetually mobile workers instant access to schedules, contacts, email, and other business resources via its Microsoft Exchange-compatible Kerio Connect server. And with FaceTime, and the built-in front and rear cameras on iPhone 4 and iPad 2, workers can deliver video feedback to clients and coworkers in real time. “If the customer says, ‘Walk around here and show me what that looks like,’ we can do that,” Clayton says. “That really makes a customer’s eyes pop.”

To document issues they find on site, workers take high-resolution photos and videos with the iPad or iPhone camera, then add the images into reports alongside their written findings. With these devices, Clayton says, “The guys can get out of the truck and start working as they walk across the parking lot. It’s a benefit to the customer as well, because we can get more things done in the time we have.”

Read the complete story here
http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/profiles/crescent-construction/

2. Mercedes-Benz Financial (Financial Services)

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services is one of the leading captive financial services providers in the world. It has equipped all dealers with iPads enabling quick credit approval process and allowing sales personnel to check available promotions without leaving the showroom floor.

The sales person can show the customer all the promotions, vehicle details and get customer information standing next to the vehicle in the showroom floor.

Reference

http://www.insideline.com/mercedes-benz/mercedes-benz-dealers-use-apple-ipad-to-sell-cars.html
http://www.tipb.com/2010/05/26/mercedesbenz-financial-adapts-ipad-business/
http://www.ipadnewstracker.com/2010/10/mercedes-benz-financial-will-equip-all-u-s-mercedes-benz-dealers-with-apple-ipad/

3. Boston Scientific (Healthcare)

Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices with approximately 25,000 employees and revenue of $8.1 billion in 2009.

On 10-Aug-2011 – Boston Scientific introduced its NLI iPhone®/iPad® app, an industry-first educational resource for healthcare providers using SCS to manage patients with chronic pain. It features surgical technique videos and access to a comprehensive SCS textbook.

“We’re beginning the process for our sales force of downloading more than 20 specific product apps and opportunity to get into pricing, time efficiency, expense reports, filling out requests and all the other things that we manage to do to take time away from the sales force.” — Ray Elliott, the CEO of Boston Scientific

Learn more here –

http://bostonscientific.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1036

4. SAP AG – (Technology)

SAP is the market and technology leader in business management software, solutions, services for improving your business process.

With the SAP Sales OnDemand iPad application, you can have all the information you need about your business – anytime, anywhere. This application allows sales people to collaborate with their team and communicate better with their business network. They can quickly gain real time relevant insights into their company’s ever-changing customer information and make informed decisions.

Use this application to:


• View Feed updates of the people and records you follow
• Create Feed post and add comments
• Find and follow or un-follow people in your sales organization
• Find and update Account, Contact, Lead, Opportunity, Appointment and Task information
• Create new Appointment, Task, Opportunity and Contact

Learn more here
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/200636/ipad_invades_corporate_america.html

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sap-sales-ondemand-for-ipad/id447587409?mt=8

Posted in Apple, Technology, User Experience | Leave a comment

Is a mobile app right for your business?

By Phase 2 | Published: August 15, 2011

As app developers, we love nothing more than a meaty app project. Phase 2 starts with a discovery process to determine if a mobile app is right for your business. If it’s not, we’ll say so. While mobile apps will continue to grow in popularity and sophistication, it’s important to review these fundamentals to determine what an app can truly do for your bottom line.

1. Is the app connected to your core business? Apps can be today’s version of having someone’s media-rich content right in their pocket. In this way, an app can grow a brand platform. Popular tech speaker and strategist Scott Klososky asked us to create an app that gives his audience a direct way to connect with him, including reading his blog posts, watching his speeches and connecting with him on social media, in a much more mobile-friendly format than simply going to his website.

2. Is the app for entertainment and brand visibility? Certainly, folks want to have fun with mobile apps, and they are a great way for people to pass the time waiting in lines and at doctors offices. P2 created a coloring sheet app for Bob Moore Auto that enables kids to choose the artwork and colors for their work of art while mom and dad can use it for mapping the locations. Our own Quadrangle game has been a popular download since its inception and gives players a way to find out about our company.

3. Is the app useful and will it bring you revenue? Apps can not only be a form of advertising for your company, but can directly impact the bottom line because you’re removing barriers to purchase and shortening the sales process. P2 created the Love’s app to give customers of the convenience stores ways to locate them, apply for jobs and check rewards. Of course, apps can provide revenue with ads, in-app purchases (such as games that sell higher levels or tools) and a download for purchase. P2 can help you determine the best scenario for your app.

4. Will it enhance the customer experience of your brand? Apps allow the brand and its users to engage in a simple, meaningful way. The “My Integris” app created by P2 allows for a dashboard, locations and events so patients can stay connected to what’s happening. The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon has not only seen exponential growth from year to year, but thanks to the app by P2, the marathon is able to put the data in the hands of the runners and families to make sure the event runs smoothly. (Pun intended.)

See samples of these apps at http://www.phase2online.com/services/mobile-application-development/.

Do you have questions about an app for your business? Contact us today for a free consultation.

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Keeping Your Website Legal

By Heath Clinton | Published: August 1, 2011

The web has changed the way we access and share information, which is great for convenience, but can bring up legal issues if content users aren’t careful. Just because it’s on the web, doesn’t mean you have rights to use it for your own promotional purposes. What’s permissible on your website? What could land you in hot water?

1. Make sure you own the copyright.

Words
Do not reprint someone else’s content without their express permission. If you’d like to use a statistic or quote from another source, be sure and “quote them,” and site the source. You can also use, “according to (list the source),” and then explain what they were saying without directly quoting them.

Music
Just because you bought Katy Perry’s “Fireworks,” for a buck at the iTunes store and it sits in your computer music library does not grant you permission to use it as the music score on your next corporate video. Fines are hefty, and it’s not worth the risk. Instead, use music scores that come with your editing software and be sure and read the permissible legal uses. For royalty-free music licensing, try searching sites like this one to purchase CDs for your projects. www.royaltyfreemusiclibrary.com.

Photos
Even though many programs allow drag and drop technology, unless you are the copyright holder of the photo, purchased the photo on a stock photography site such as www.iStockphoto.com or got permission from the photographer, you do not have the right to use that photo for your website. It’s not enough to simply list the source of the blog you got it from. They (hopefully) paid for the right to use that photo, which means you’d have to go purchase that photo from the original source to use it yourself.

If you’re using Google image search, be sure and click all the way through to the source of the blog to decipher where the photo came from to ensure you aren’t infringing on copyright.

A great way to “keep it local,” is to hire a photographer to shoot photos for your website.

2. Disclose your affiliate links.

In order to be compliant with the Federal Trade Commission, users must reveal their relationship to the merchant, so if you’re making money from the link, or have been paid or reimbursed for the endorsement or product, say so. On your blog, for example, you would close with saying that the company provided a sample of the product for you to review. If you are directing your Twitter followers to an affiliate link, you could add the hashtag, #ad. For more on the subject, go to www.access.gpo.gov

Obviously, if it’s your e-commerce site, people know that those products are yours and you are making money from them, so no disclosure is necessary.

Be sure and list a copyright on your website, as well.

Note: These are general guidelines. Please consult your copyright attorney or lawyer for specific legal counsel on these matters.

Posted in Software Bill of Rights, legal | Leave a comment