Tag: Business »

FileMaker, popular database software for Mac/PC and iOS, has released this year’s version of its products FileMaker Pro 12 (for Mac/PC and the web) and FileMaker Go 12 for iOS.

While previous mobile version of FileMaker Go, FileMaker Go 11, is available for $19.99 and $39.99, this year’s version of FileMaker Go 12 is absolutely free. The FileMaker Go apps can be used to access databases created with FileMaker Pro. So owning the full, desktop version of the protect is necessary for FileMaker Go to function.

FileMaker Pro 12 and FileMaker Go 12 feature new themes (some made specifically to work well on the iPad and iPhone), new Starter Solutions (help speed up the creation of new databases), improvements to performance in the 64-bit version, and Quick Charts with five new chart styles.

Check out FileMaker.com for the Pro version and the App Store for the iOS version.

Sometimes it’s tough to get a job. And making new business contacts isn’t the most entertaining task. Well the folks at Intro Labs have a new networking solution, Intro, that helps grow user’s business networks and aids freelancers in finding new projects.

Intro uses social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare) and location to match potential business contacts. After users give Intro all of their networking information, it suggests potential business matches in a customized and ranked list (based on location). It even lets users “teleport” to other locations that they may be associated with to rank and list business contacts at multiple locations.

When contacts are suggested, Intro displays exactly what overlaps between users (follow the same Twitter users, worked at the same businesses, work in the same industry, etc). Users set both who they’re looking for and what industry they work in. Intro even alerts users when another user is close enough to meet up and shake hands.

Intro is available for free. The only social network that’s absolutely necessary to use the app is LinkedIn. All others are optional.

The last week of March was a busy one across the 148Apps network, beginning with 148Apps.com, where Lisa Caplan reported on the massive windfall Apple has already garnered from the release of iPhoto for iOS. She writes, "According to AllThingsD, iPhoto for iOS passed the one million download mark last week. That’s quite an impressive figure, particularly when it implies Apple has earned more than five million dollars from the app in less than a two week period.

Read the full story at 148Apps.com.

GiggleApps.com kept up the pace with a review of Explore Vincent. Writer Amy Solomon says, "Explore Vincent is a wonderful app for iPad exploring the life and times of Vincent van Gogh, the brilliant yet troubled artist from childhood through adulthood, ending with his death in 1890.
This app is a true multimedia delight as many mediums are explored within this app for iPad."

Read Solomon's review at GiggleApps.com.

Finally, 148Apps.biz writer Kevin Stout reported on Apple's new policy regarding apps that access UDIDs. "As Apple warned the development community in August, it has started rejecting apps submitted to the App Store that access a user’s UDID. This seems to be a response to Congress’ interest in privacy concerns in mobile devices.

Kim-Mai Cutler from TechCrunch reports that while the UDID is used for many mobile ad networks for targeted ads, UDIDs pose real privacy issues."

Read more at 148Apps.biz.

*Whew!* And that's just a sample of the amazing amount of content making its way across all of the 148Apps sites this week. Stay on top of the latest in reviews, news and contests by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook. And don't forget to check back here next week for another recap of the week that was. See you then, pilgrim!

Most businesses are struggling with the concept of enterprise mobility, or rather, how to keep track of data and keep it secure when your workforce is scattered and working from phones and tablets rather than office computers. Quickoffice is offering a whole suite of solutions with their new ProSelect HD app.

This new app support WiFi file sharing, cloud storage services, cut/copy/paste, ‘Open In’ support and SaveBack™, Quickoffice’s patent-pending API. One of the most useful features of ProSelect HD is its ability lock files in their original location, preventing users from saving files and documents in unsecured locations and potentially causing loss or leakage of data. The app also supports native iOS file encryption and email, which makes it very easy to integrate onto an iPhone or iPad.

The app is available via Apple's Store Volume Purchasing for Business and costs $29.99. Anyone interested should get in touch with Quickoffice via email and send along their Apple Program ID.

We've all used the old fashioned clunky cash drawer in a store, but how about a future where this expensive and heavy item is no longer needed? The release of Square Register has made that a bit more likely, thanks to the app's ability to accept card and cash payments via an iPad.

Square Register is ideal for the small business owner. Once the user signs up to the service, they're provided with a free Square Card Readee. With a compatible cash drawer and receipt printer, it's possible to take cash payments at a tap of a button. While card payments invoke a fee of 2.75% a transaction, cash payments are free to take making this an ideal app for those business owners dealing with small yet regular sums of cash.

It's quick to sign up for, as well. Numerous analytical services are then made available so that the user can track their sales, what times of day are their busiest, how many tips have been accrued, and even tax-based inquiries.

It's possible to keep track of what items have been sold and for how much, as well as create a loyalty program for customers. Electronic receipts can be provided instantly via SMS or email, but paper receipts are still an option.

It's all very clever stuff and a great space and money saver for the business owner.

The Square Register app is available now for free.

Fans of Mashable can now take the megasite with them wherever they go via the new Mashable for iPad app. The app features the site's full feed of blog stories and news posts, all optimized for viewing on your tablet. Furthermore, posts are also divided into categories, so you can easily sort all the tech articles, business posts, and so on with a simple tap. Furthermore, the app features robust social media options, allowing users to quickly share via Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and the app displays how many times each story has been shared so you can see at a glance what's making waves on any given day. Last but not least, swiping left or right on an article drills down and provides more specific content, while swiping up or down loads more stories.

Even though Mashable previously launched an iPhone app with somewhat similar features, this new creation is made especially for the iPad and seems to be more feature-rich than its handheld cousin. The interface has also been revamped to appear more attractive and easier to navigate, which users always appreciate. The total package is very nice, and we're excited to see what new bells and whistles are added in future updates.

FaceTime is great for casual video conferencing use but for more professional purposes, a dedicated solution is a better idea. That's precisely where Fuze Meeting HD enters the equation.

Initially free, Fuze Meeting HD offers online meetings and audio conferencing between two participants. In-app purchases priced at $29.99 or $69.99 then unlocks the ability to communicate with more participants at once.

With the iPad 2, live video can be sent during a video conference with everything viewable in HD. PowerPoint and Keynote presentations can be added, along with Word documents, PDFs and images all possible to add to the Fuze Meeting content library. Meetings can all be simply arranged via the iPad address book for further useful functionality.

When in a call, it's easy to zoom and pan in, and it's especially handy to be able to close the app and open other apps without ending the meeting.

It's a simple yet effective solution for business people in need of regular collaboration while on the move. Fuze Meeting HD is out now.

How many sick days do I have left? Do I have enough personal time saved up to make that doctor's appointment? I really want to get away for a couple of weeks, but I'm not sure I have enough vacation time for it.

We've all had these problems. Well with the magic of technological innovation and smart thinking, we can use Time Off to keep track of it all. And I do mean "it all." Sick days, vacation days, personal days - anything that ultimately equates to paid days off - can be documented. It can keep track of multiple jobs, display accrued time in hours or days, and account for rollover. But perhaps the most impressive (and ingenious) feature is that users can send time-off requests to their employers via email from within the app itself.

I know it seems a little silly but I honestly find the concept behind Time Off to be incredibly exciting. And I think anyone who's dealt with any (or all) of the issues I've mentioned about will probably agree with me.

To get it out of the way: The Proposal is not an app for proposing marriage, though it would be convenient with Valentine’s Day here. No, The Proposal is an app for a different kind of proposals – business proposals. This lets sales professionals access their proposal information directly on their iPad, in order easily make their business proposals. GPS data can be used to automatically add the user’s current address. Image locos can be added directly from the iPad or the web. Tax info can be added, along with detailed written proposals, with preset options available. This also means that proposals can be easily and quickly modified when being pitched to other clients. Proposals can be saved and exported with iTunes, saved as PDFs, printed directly form the app, or emailed directly to clients. The app also supports importing price lists as Excel spreadsheets either by being loaded into iTunes, or by being imported in from Dropbox. This versatile app for sales professionals is available now.

This week at 148Apps, we took your New Year's resolutions seriously and started our "Health and Fitness" month. Editor Rob LeFebvre writes, "We’ve already taken a look at some apps that help us all acheive our goals, and we plan to continue that trend for the entire month, with personal stories from our crack writing team, continued reviews, and focused features like our Favorite Four."

See our first group of Health & Fitness reviews at 148Apps.

Our apps-for-kids site, GiggleApps, offered a review of Odd Spotting. Reviewer Amy Solomon says, "Odd Spotting, developed by Micromicon Media Limit, is an “odd one out” game with 144 levels, the goal of each being to spot the object that is different from all the others in the group. As I began to explore how Odd Spotting works, I couldn’t help but to remember the lyrics from a classic Sesame Street song, “One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong.”

Learn more and read the full review on GiggleApps.

Finally, on 148Apps.biz, writer Jeff Hughes commented on Apple's recent (and quiet) changes to app categorization on the App Store, saying "Just like Google, when iTunes makes the slightest change to their App Store search algorithm, it has an impact on how many people see your app. The recent changes to the category ordering have also impacted sales for many app vendors for better or worse. Some developers have been helped because their app is now in a category that is displayed higher on the mobile screen...Other developers may be adversely impacted due to the decrease in exposure for their app because their category now appears further down the list."

Read more on 148Apps.biz.

And that, my friends, completes our rundown of happenings across the 148Apps network for the week of January 9-13. Keep track of all the latest news, reviews and contests by following us on Twitter or Liking us on Facebook. See you in a week!

We live in a digital era. We carry powerful computers around, able to communicate with anyone in the world, in our pockets! So why are we still trying to share our contact information through tiny little cards on printed paper stock? Card Swapp asks, why not share this information through QR codes? This app allows for users to encode their vital contact info - name, address, email, phone number, and social media usernames - into a QR code that can be shared with anyone. Users of Card Swapp can scan the code into the app directly through its quick and easy QR code reader. Non-Card Swapp users will be directed to a website that will display the contact's information for them. Users of the Lite version of the app can export the information to email; the Pro version allows for the export of contacts to Google, Yahoo, and Outlook. For users looking to make it easier to share their information using an easily-distributable QR code, this is a viable option.