Software development is a talent business.

For a long time, I’ve tried to understand the reasons why various software teams tend to struggle to produce good software.  If you do a little digging, ask a few developers or IT managers and you’ll hear similar snippets of issues describing the problem: “We’re pulled in to0 many directions; our company has difficulty setting priorities; we have to manage the IT systems and manage software development; we don’t get clear requirements from our internal groups”.

Read Shane’s full article on JournalRecord.com

Best CPA and Accounting Firm: Cole & Reed PC, founded in 1988, with 80 employees. coleandreed.com

Best Office Furniture and Supplies Company: Stow’s Office Furniture located downtown at 1 N.W. Sixth, providing new and used office
furniture. stowsofficefurniture.com

Best Travel Agency: Journey House Travel Inc. at 2915 United Founders Blvd, founded in 1939.

Best Banking, Finance and Investments Company: Align Wealth Management, located at 13921 Quail Pointe Drive. With just four employees, they have made a big impact. alignmywealth.com

Best Advertising Agency and Graphic Design Firm: VI Marketing and Branding, located at 125 Park Ave, founded in 1989. We’ve enjoyed watching them grow over the years, now at 38 employees.

Best Health Care Company: Integris Health, with more than 9,000 employees, founded in 1995 and located at 3366 NW Expressway.
integrisok.com

Best Commercial Real Estate Company: Price Edwards & Company, located at 210 Park Ave., Ste. 1000, employing 240 people

Best Staffing Service Provider: Express Employment Professionals, founded in 1983 and located at 8516 NW Expressway, with 215 employees. expresspros.com

Best Promotional Product Company: Moisant Promotional Products. Located at 10321 Greenbriar Parkway, Moisant has been open since 1990 and has 7 employees. moisant.com

Best Commercial Law Firm: McAfee & Taft. Since 1952, McAfee and Taft has been on the move, now with 340 employees and located at 2
Leadership Square, 211 N. Robinson on the 10th floor. mcafeetaft.com

Congratulations to all the winners and runners-up.

Phase 2 would like to wish you App-y Holidays with a special video series from our staff wearing their ugly Christmas sweaters and sharing their favorite apps. As you know, Phase 2 develops mobile apps and one way of thanking you for a great year is by hosting a contest and giveaway. Winners will get a “full frontal nerdity” T-shirt and one lucky winner will get an iPod Touch 4.

Rules:

To enter, like our Facebook page and comment on our wall about your favorite app. For an extra entry, tweet a link to our video, http://bit.ly/vFe3sr, and be sure and mention @p2interactive with the hash tag #p2apps so we can count your entry.Please enter no more than once a day on Twitter, spammers will be disqualified. Must be an active account. Winner selected at random from all entries on Dec. 21st.

How did retailers fare?

• eBay Mobile announced that shoppers in the U.S. purchased nearly two and a half times as many items via eBay Mobile this Black Friday when compared to 2010
• PayPal Mobile announced a six-fold (516%) increase in global mobile payment volume compared to 2010
• GSI Commerce announced a three-fold (254%) increase in U.S. mobile sales this Black Friday compared to 2010

“Shoppers are increasingly choosing the convenience of mobile to find the best deals from wherever they are while avoiding big crowds and long lines,” says Steve Yankovich, vice president, Mobile, for eBay Inc. “The ability to simply pick up your phone or tablet and purchase what you want, when you want it, has become an attractive alternative to shoppers in record numbers this holiday season.”

According John Squire, Chief Strategy Officer “This year marked Thanksgiving’s emergence as the first big spending day of the 2011 holiday season with a record number of consumers shifting their focus from turkey to tablets and the search for the best deals. This momentum continued into Black Friday where the big winners were those retailers that delivered a smarter commerce experience with compelling, relevant deals that people could easily access from their channel of choice.”

The convenience and power of smartphone’s is having a huge impact on retail shopping. Shoppers are researching product reviews and comparing prices in-store. Consumers are using mobile apps to locate local deals. Smartphone’s  empower people to buy online even when they aren’t in front of a desktop. At Phase 2 we advice all businesses to have a mobile strategy for 2012.

The shopping frenzy continued into Cyber Monday, the day retailers tout better deals on their online stores, and some extended the sales for “Cyber Deals All Week,” meaning keeping a tablet or smartphone handy was the best way to ensure you get what you want before retailers ran out of stock.

What about you? Did you find the deals you were hoping for this season? Or are you counting on Santa to bring it in his magic sleigh?

1. eBay

The eBay for iPhone app allows you to tap into the world’s largest marketplace anywhere you are. You can compare prices in the retail store against eBay prices using the handy barcode scanner.

Ref – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ebay/id282614216?mt=8

2. Google Shopper

With Google Shopper, you can get product pricing, availability and reviews for products by scanning barcodes and cover art, or by voice and text search.

Ref – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.shopper&hl=en

3. shopkick

Get free stuff while you shop. Shopkick gives you rewards (a.k.a. “kicks”) just for walking into stores. Yes, collect kicks simply for walking in at Target, Best Buy, Old Navy, Macy’s, Crate & Barrel, Toys “R” Us, American Eagle, Sports Authority and many more.

Ref – http://itunes.apple.com/app/id383298204?mt=8

4. Shopper

Shopper saves you time and effort on everyday shopping, automatically matching your shopping lists to savings offers, and lets you share your lists, recipes, tips and savings with friends and family.

Ref – http://itunes.apple.com/app/shopper-grocery-shopping-lists/id284776127?mt=8

5. Amazon Mobile

The Amazon Mobile App allows iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users to quickly search, shop, compare prices, read reviews, and make purchases on Amazon using a simple, yet elegant, interface. To make on-the-go shopping and price comparison even easier, the Amazon Mobile App includes helpful shopping features that allow users to scan a barcode, snap a photo, or type a search to quickly compare prices and check availability.

Ref – http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=297606951&mt=8

6. Groupon

Groupon features 50%-90% off deals on the best stuff to do, eat, see and buy in your location. Customers are using Groupon in ever increasing numbers to get the best deals.

Ref – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/groupon/id352683833?mt=8

7. Save Benjis

This app allows you to compare prices, check reviews and get the best deals for your money.

Ref – http://itunes.apple.com/app/save-benjis/id284424264?mt=8

8. RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner

This is a popular barcode-scanning and comparison shopping iPhone app. It has been downloaded more than 5 million times, clearly showing its popularity and value.

Ref – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ebay.redlaser&hl=en

Happy Holidays