Whether it’s a birthday or anniversary, Christmas or Valentine’s Day, many people are prone to forgetting special occasions until it’s too late. Thankfully, the world of the mobile app has offered myriad solutions to fix that. If you realise that you wanted to send a greeting but missed your chance to go to the market to pick one up, just visit the app store from your iPhone or Android to see what you can find in the way personalised cards. Here are our top picks.

Sincerely Ink. If you’re one of the paper-and-ink types that still prefer a card in the mail, check out Sincerely Ink. This app, made for iPhone, iPad, or Android, is an easy way to browse cards and drop one in the mail for someone that you love. And you’ll be glad to know that this awesome app is totally free to download. Sincerely Ink features a vast collection of cards to celebrate birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and any other holiday you could think of. It has been raved about on Mashable, Tech Crunch, and the New York Times

Cards. This app from Apple seems to take advantage of how sleek and stylish simplicity can be, right down to its name. For iPhone and iPad users, creating cards with this app is a breeze because it uses the photos that you already have stored on your device and can retrieve contact details from your address book. The card designs are simple yet sophisticated, and you won’t even have to leave the sofa to send them.

Postcard Express. For avid travellers who know the value of great scenery (and own an iPhone), the Postcard Express app is a must-have. It lets you take photos while you’re on the go and embed them into a digital postcard that you can then write a message on. Postcard Express cards can be sent via text or posted on Facebook or Twitter. Each card also has its own unique geo tag so that the recipients can see where you’re sending it from.

Vintage Birthday Cards. This app gives an entirely new meaning to “period piece.” Taking inspiration from time periods long passed, this app gives you a selection of vintage-style cards to choose from and email. It’s cool enough for its originality alone, but there are a few kinks to sort out that might better suite its users. For example, the customisation options are limited, but this only means you can send a card even faster with this app.

Mean Cards. Because you don’t want every e-card you send to be dripping in maudlin sentiment, sometimes it pays to have a cheeky iPhone app like this one. Making brilliant use of the stick figure, this app seems to have mastered the short, snarky message that’s guaranteed to make its recipient double over with laughter. But exercise a bit of caution if you use Mean Cards; it’s for people 17 and over.
The best part about most of these apps is that they come with a “card history” function that lets you save everything you’ve sent for later use. Sending card, whether by post or email, can’t get any easier than that.

The new application looks very much like Instagram with the filters and the ability to take photos but it also pulls in photos from your Facebook photo stream from either your friends or on your own profile. The app looks like the re-designed to Facebook app which looks very nice and well designed, combined with Instagram app which Facebook purchased for a billion dollars.

The Verge’s Ellis Hamburger wrote an article on matter saying:

The Facebook Camera team has been working on the app for months, and Mark Zuckerberg reportedly kept his desire to purchase Instagram close to the vest, as if he almost impulse-bought it. Had the Instagram deal never occurred, Facebook Camera wouldn’t really be much of an Instagram competitor anyway, lacking any mobile-only social circles and hashtagged sharing around specific topics. “Enhancing the Facebook photos experience on mobile is long overdue,” Facebook’s Derick Mains told me. “We really had to step up our game, and we’re committed to building Instagram independently.”

The Verge also made an in depth video on the app shown below:

Bgr a news site reported that Microsoft is planning to release it’s iOS and Android applications for Microsoft Office sometime in November of this year. I have previously spoken about this venture that will be great for Microsoft as it will make their Office software suite more accessible  for a wider range of different users.

With the launch of these apps it should hopefully breathe some life back into Microsoft and their mediocre business at the moment struggling to compete with the likes of Apple and Google. This probably wont make them billions but it will spark people’s interest in the software suite again.

img src: TheDaily

It seems 9to5mac have a reliable source inside the Apple campus as they have a new batch of rumours that seem quite realistic and the detail in them is quite incredible. The Apple rumour doesn’t say where they got their information from but it seems to have come from within the Apple campus.

The main aspect of the rumours as have been with all the other iPhone 5 rumour articles is the screen. The size of the screen is becoming a hotly debated topic with the majority of their main competitors in the Android market sporting larger screens than Apples current 3.5 inch. Well according to the 9to5mac article Apple currently has two different models being tested both sporting 3.9 inch screens. 9to5 mac states that

“Right now we know of a few next-generation iPhone candidates in testing. These prototype phones are floating around Apple HQ in thick, locked shells in order to disguise the exterior design to “undisclosed” employees. We know of two next-generation iPhones in testing with a larger display: the iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2. These phones are in the PreEVT stage of development and are codenamed N41AP (5,1) and N42AP (5,2). Because Apple reserves certain models for internal-only usage (such as the N96 phone we previously reported on), we’re not sure which of the two devices will make its way into the world later this year”

They go on to say that both of the new testing models have the 3.9 inch screen and with this an upgrade to the amount of pixels which makes it 640 x 1136. If this is taken into account as well as the larger screens than the aspect ratio is almost at 16:9 which means that widescreen films could be played with a lot better use of the screen than they are with the current iPhone.

Other things that were mentioned in the article was the highly speculated smaller dock connector, as well as the actual size of the device. They stated that the handset would be a lot thinner tha the current iPhone model. A final interesting tid bit they mentioned was that there is more to come, so they could be drip feeding us the rumours they have we shall see.

Like many decisions, deciding whether or not to use Macs in your workplace depends upon a number of factors, especially what kind of service your business provides.
It’s long been said that Macs are best suited for doing “creative” work (such as video editing and graphic design), and that Windows computers are better suited for “office” work. As a result, businesses dealing in data entry and other similar tasks primarily use Windows PCs, and businesses dealing in graphics-based jobs primarily use Macs.
However, newer Macs (newer meaning post-2006) are capable of running Apple and Windows operating systems simultaneously, thus rendering them even better for office environments. Not to mention the fact that most newer Macs come with iWork and iLife, which contain a wide variety of professional and easy-to-use programs for office and creative projects alike.
Having said this, here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using Macs in the workplace that I have come across whilst providing IT support in Kent:

Advantages:

Avoiding bugs and viruses-
One of the major disadvantages of using Windows is all the work needed to either prevent or repair damage caused by viruses. Macs, on the other hand, utilize a UNIX-based operating system and as a result are more secure.
Ease of use-
As a whole, Apple products tend to be more user-friendly and easy to use than their counterparts. This means less time needed to train a new employee on the use of a program, and therefore less of a learning curve to consider when hiring them.
Low maintenance-
Macs are relatively easy to maintain (updating the software, etc.), which saves time when dealing with a large number of them. In addition, they’re very durable machines, and exhibit longer, better performances than their competitors.

Disadvantages:

Price-
Perhaps one of the most prevalent disadvantages of Apple products, especially their computers, is the price. Many consumers would much rather buy a cheaper computer that has nearly the same capabilities at a greatly reduced cost. Keep in mind though, that you get what you pay for. A cheaper computer often contains cheaper components, thus leading to a shorter overall life of said computer.
Upgradability-
Apple, in trying to keep their products compact while still maintaining fast processor speeds, often doesn’t leave much room for expansions, such as better graphics cards. However, unless you plan on using one for graphic-intense activities such as gaming, this isn’t a major issue.
Availability of programs-
Another oft-discussed disadvantage is that Macs lack the sheer number of programs available to Windows users. Due to Apple’s App Store, however, this argument is quickly becoming irrelevant, as more and more Mac programs are being developed every day.

In short, using Macs in the workplace: expensive? Yes, but worth it? Absolutely.

Author Bio

Kelly Smith has worked in the IT support industry for several years and has seen the constantly changing face of technology first hand and its effects on business. She currently works for Barton Technology.

It was reported by Reuters yesterday that the Apple CEO is going to meet the CEO of Samsung to discuss the patent lawsuit that there two companies are tied up in.

The article in Reuters discusses how courts across America are trying to push medication when it comes to disputes of this nature. The article states how Apple has accused Samsung of slavishly copying its designs and Samsung has directed a similar claim at Apple in its defence. A case will this will have a massive effect on the smartphone market. For example if Apple wins and Samsung isn’t allowed to sell its S III in the US for any length of time then this will just increase Apples dominance on the market. However there is also a chance that this could work the other way round with the iPhone sales being hauled if they lose the suit.

It is clear that there is definitely no love lose between the two companies from the quote in the article;

“The two companies already have had at least one mediation session, according to court documents. However, it was unclear whether Cook and Choi attended. A Samsung representative declined to comment, while Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet reiterated a prior statement, saying Apple needs to protect its IP against “blatant copying”.”

Src: Reuters

Mickey Drexler the J Crew Group CEO, former Gap CEO and also a board member at Apple has recently been talking about a conversation with the late Steve Jobs at the Fast Company Innovation Uncensored conference. He related Steve ambition to take control of another consumer area this time the automotive industry. In an interview he had at the conference he related how Steve wanted to make te iCar and like he had done with the consumer electronics industry revolutionise the automotive industry.

Apple certainly has enough cash in it’s reserves to make a good go at it. However without Steve it is unlikely they will take on anything that radical. Mickey was quoted in the interview saying

Look at the car business – it’s a tragedy in America. Who’s designing the cars? They talk about expense, they talk about this, and then you say ‘Who’s designing the cars?’

Steve’s dream before he died was to design an iCar. It would have been probably 50% of the market. He never did design it. In the fashion business, you know, Apple has ten products and then they leave alone…the living room they’re dealing with at some point in the near future.

Check out the video of the interview below.

Src: Businessinsider

Facebook has finally hit the stock exchange, with an estimated value between $93 and $104bn, several weeks after the IPO was announced. Due to high demand of Facebook shares days before it went public, the big F took the decision to raise its value from $28 to $35 per share, with total estimated value breaking the $100bn wall. Furthermore, the social network has also decided to issue 25% more shares with the aim of capitalising the excess of demand from investors. This makes Facebook worth more than some giants on the Nasdaq, such as Amazon.com, Kraft and Disney.

During the weeks that preceded Facebook’s IPO, founder Mark Zuckerberg spent most of his time rallying around the US in an attempt to placate criticism from some analysts and traders in the stock market. Part of the criticism derived from the unprofessional outfits that Zuckerberg has shown at Wall Street, causing a viral campaign on the web, ‘hoodie gate’, which has seen many conservative bankers and investors battling against the rampant hoodie generation. Besides ‘hoodie gate’,  some analysts have focused their attention on Facebook’s inability to generate a high volume of revenue from advertising activities: quarter on quarter advertising revenue growth was only 6.6%, much lower than in June 2009, when the quarter on quarter growth was over 20%.

General Motors’ announcement that it will stop advertising on Facebook has helped to fuel uncertainty among some investors who realise that, if a big step towards more profitable advertising activities is not made, it will be hard to see Facebook overcoming scepticism and show some strength. This idea is supported by the fact that, considering that Facebook has already over 900 million users registered, unless it manages to enter China and have a stronger presence in Russia, it will be hard to see the number of users grow at the same pace that has characterised the recent years.

Regardless of these figures, which could be interpreted as the first signs of some kind of stagnation after 8 years of unstoppable growth, the stock market is far from showing fears, hoping to capitalise from the investment in Facebook shares.

It’s been a while since Google has update Gmail’s feature, with only the storage space growing for the product for a long time, as well as periodic upgrades to the interface. The popular email web service offered by Google saw an update to the search of its contact info field today as announced on the Gmail blog. Gmail has been given more interactivity with Google Plus, this was bound to happen as Google integrates its social network into more of its products.

The way that Google has done this integration is by when you type a name into the search bar at the top of the page it brings up not only their email address but all their contact info and a photo which is linked to their G+ account, like below;

The other major new feature is the deeper integration of Google Plus Circles into the emailing process which I think is a great idea… it would be better if more people were on Google Plus but a great idea none the less. As you can see in the image below when you’re sending an email you can choose to send it to all the members of a certain circle.

When Intel bring out an upgraded to their processors the upgrade to the MacBook Pro is never far behind and it looks like it will be a big one this time. The MacBook Pro has had the same form factor for a couple of years now so it is in need of an update with competition from the companies like HP and Acer biting at their heels. Since Apple has state of the art technology on their tablet and their ultra thing laptop the MacBook Air it will only be a matter of time before this is integrated into their flagship laptop. 9to5Mac has sources within Apples supply chain that have apparently been reliably informed that in summer Apple will bring out the latest version of its MacBook Pro range. According to the source this laptop will be thinner than the previous MacBook Pros, as well as including a USB 3.0 and the famous Apple retina display.

WWDC would be the perfect time for this apparent release to happen as its just at the start of the summer. If it does happen Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge chip designs will be for certain and a design upgrade will be more than likely as the unibody design has not seen a major upgrade since 2008.