11 best business apps for Android
It’s true that smartphones and tablets are generally looked at as gaming and media devices. You’ll find most focus on games, music, video content, and social media but it’s also a fairly solid platform for businesses and business oriented use. It is quite difficult to run a business on mobile but you can augment systems already in place and create a more universal workflow using apps available on mobile today. Let’s take a look at the best business apps for Android.
Basecamp
[Price: Free]
Basecamp is a service that allows you to organize tasks and assign tasks to people. This is a great way to manage workflow, make sure everyone’s working on what they’re supposed to be working on, and keeping everyone communicating with one another. There are other options such as Asana but we’re talking about apps here and the Basecamp app is about as solid of a task management app as you can find right now. It is free to install and use on mobile so that’s also a plus.
Chrome Remote Desktop
[Price: Free]
Chrome Remote Desktop is a nifty application that allows you to access your computers from your mobile device. You’ll have to have Google Chrome web browser installed along with the Chrome Remote Desktop extension for the browser that you can find here. You can access your home computer from work and your work computer from home. The only downside is that you can’t really intensive tasks but grabbing files or doing light tasks is doable.
Evernote
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Evernote is about the most powerful note taking application that you can find. You can create notebooks and work spaces to keep your notes and ideas organized. You can also share notes with other people for light collaboration, create to-do lists and task lists, and all kinds of other stuff. You can also download Evernote for your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer for cross platform support. It’s one of the best note taking apps available and has plenty of functionality for business use.
Google Drive
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Google Drive is Google’s cloud-based office and cloud storage ecosystem. Google Drive requires the use of three additional apps called Google Docs (word processing), Google Sheets (spreadsheet), and Google Slides (presentations). The service comes with 15GB of cloud storage but you can get much more for relatively cheap. The online nature of the system allows for real-time collaboration from multiple locations, easy sharing, and simple management of business files. You can even delegate which people have access to which files. It’s a great and solid option.
Google Hangouts or Skype
[Price: Free]
One of the most important things in any business is communication. Granted, it’s simple enough to stay in touch with email, phone calls, and text messages but it is easier than ever to have video and audio conference calls for free using apps like Hangouts or Skype. Both allow for multiple-party video calls (up to 10 participants) as well as voice conference calls. The apps both work very well and offer group chat (text) functionality to further help communication. They’re both free to use.
Microsoft Office and OneDrive
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
In order to keep pace with Google Drive, Microsoft has also released an office suite and cloud storage solution for Android. The cloud storage site is called One Drive and much like Google Drive, you get a little bit of free storage to start and you can buy more relatively easily. Everyone knows about Microsoft Office and the apps are free to use. Office Mobile is for phones and there are separate and far more powerful versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Android tablets. Businesses married into the Microsoft ecosystem can definitely be augmented further with their office suite.
MyStocks
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
MyStocks is a simple application that is great for keeping an eye on stocks. You can follow practically any stocks you want and get alerts, analysis, charts, and password protection. It’s more geared for personal use but these days investing is something practically everyone should be doing anyway. On top of its core functions, it also comes with DashClock support, Android Wear support, and news.
Slack
[Price: Free]
Slack is a team chat service to help people talk to one other. Moderators can create channels for various topics so others can stay on topic and the service supports the upload of practically any file type which means sending documents, presentations, and other business materials is fairly simple. You can integrate it with many other services including Hangouts, Asana, Dropbox, Twitter, ZenDesk, and others to create a more immersive experience and the application is available on the web, mobile, and PC/Mac/Linux.
Square Register
[Price: Free]
Square Register is a sales tracking app that allows you to track and view inventory numbers, sales figures, and much more. You can also send receipts if needed. Business owners in the U.S., Canada, and Japan can also pick up the Square Reader and use their smartphones as credit card readers. This comes in handy for small businesses that rely on a lot of frequent movement. It also connects to receipt printers if you need one of those.
Tax Code and Regs – TouchTax
[Price: $4.99]
It’s definitely not the most interesting app, but taxes are important for businesses. Especially small businesses that are just starting out. Knowing the tax code can help in a lot of ways and during tax season, it’s good to have an updated reference guide handy to help with those sticky tax questions. It’s not particularly useful for non-tax things, but for $5, you get all 7,700+ sections of the latest edition of the tax code. That’s not a bad investment.
Todoist
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Todoist is a task management and to-do app that helps you stay on top of your personal tasks. The app is available on computer, web, and mobile so you can manage your to-do lists cross-platform and you can set up various tags and categories so you know what you need to do, for whom, and why. You can add notes to tasks, reminders, due dates, and a lot more if you end up going the premium route ($29/year). It’s effective, quick, and efficient.
Wrap up
If we missed any great business apps for Android, let us know about them in the comments! All recommendations are welcome.
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!
Having trouble keeping your mobile data connection on your Nexus 6? You’re not alone
If you’re the owner of a Nexus 6 and happen to be a subscriber to either T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s network, you might want to take note of a problem that’s been happening to quite a few owners of the handset. Multiple users around the web have been experiencing complete mobile data connection failure over the past week or so, with no viable explanation for the problems.
Most users explain that the problem happens sporadically throughout the day, and that their phones will randomly show an exclamation point over the signal icon, no matter if they have full bars or not. When that exclamation point shows up, the phone’s data connection is completely gone, and the Nexus 6 then requires a soft reset to work again. Unfortunately most folks are saying that a soft reset only fixes the problem for a few minutes.
The majority of these users report that the problem persists no matter if they’re rooted or non-rooted, or if their phones are running Android 5.0 or 5.1. Most complaints over on Reddit and XDA are from T-Mobile and Sprint customers, though there are also a few Verizon users reporting issues.
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If you’ve been experiencing this problem, you can try performing a soft reset, pulling the SIM card, or even calling T-Mobile or Sprint to see what the representatives have to say. As of now, there seems to be no permanent fix for the issue. Has this happened to you on your Nexus 6? If so, be sure to let us know in the comment section!
Deal: V-MODA On-Ear Headphones ($150 off), Beats Solo 2 On-Ear Headphones ($40 off) and more
In the market for a new pair of headphones? Best Buy’s Deal of the Day promotion may have a few viable options for you to consider. First up is an open box pair of Beats by Dre Solo 2 On-Ear Headphones for $109.99 ($40 off). They feature a compact, lightweight design that’s made to reduce user strain for long wear comfort. These headphones have a stylish, minimalistic look and feature much-improved sound quality over the older model. And when it comes to the open box tag, there’s little to worry about here. Most open box products from Best Buy are returned within the Best Buy’s Return & Exchange Promise, and all of the products are tested and verified to work.
Read more: Beats Solo 2 Review
Next up we have the V-MODA Crossfade M-80 On-Ear Headphones for $79.98 – a whopping $150 off. Unlike the first pair of headphones, these are brand new and come in the Black/Red variant. These headphones feature BLISS memory foam cushions that provide extra comfort for long listening sessions. They also feature 40mm dual diaphragm drivers, noise isolation, 5Hz – 30kHz frequency response and a solid steel construction.
Last but not least, we have an open box pair of Beats Studio Over-the-Ear Headphones for $159.99, which is $20 off the normal retail price. These headphones feature adaptive noise canceling that will help filter out ambient sound, as well as leatherette ear cushions and a flexible design that help to provide a comfortable fit.
Aren’t interested in the deals listed above? Head to this page to check out a number of extra bonus deals that are also available. These deals only last until tonight, so be sure to follow the links below if you’re interested.
Buy now:
- Beats by Dr. Dre Solo 2 On-Ear Headphones [open box] – $109.99
- Beats Studio Over-the-Ear Headphones [open box] – $159.99
- V-MODA Crossfade M-80 On-Ear Headphones – $79.98
Google to shut down editing in Map Maker following the peeing Android fiasco
Just a few weeks ago, a “clever” Google Maps user submitted an image of the Android mascot urinating on an Apple logo in Google Maps, forcing Google to apologize for the mishap. Most folks out there thought this stunt was childish and inappropriate, and apparently Google Maps has seen an escalated number of spam submissions, thanks to the auto-approval process in Map Maker. Because this rate has been growing so quickly, Google has suspended auto-approval and user moderation across the globe in Map Maker, at least until the company figures out how to more intelligently prevent these types of incidents.
Pavithra Kanakarajan, Product Manager at Google Map Maker, explains:
As some of you know already, we have been experiencing escalated attacks to spam Google Maps over the past few months. The most recent incident was particularly troubling and unfortunate – a strong user in our community chose to go and create a large scale prank on the Map. As a consequence, we suspended auto-approval and user moderation across the globe, till we figured out ways to add more intelligent mechanisms to prevent such incidents.
All of our edits are currently going through a manual review process.
Editing in Map Maker will be disabled starting Tuesday, May 12th, 2015 (tomorrow).
Of course, Google shutting down the auto-approval process is meant to make the program more professional and accurate. We’re not sure when a fix will be published, but we’ll be sure to let you know when the improved tool will return back online.
The LG G4 does in fact support Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0
When LG launched the G4 a few weeks ago, support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology was surprisingly absent from the handset. LG claimed that quick charging technology was “not a must-have feature” on a device with a removable battery, so the company ultimately opted to pass on the battery tech. However, despite initial claims, LG and Qualcomm have just officially confirmed that the G4 does in fact support Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0.
Read more: Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology explained
As it turns out, the company didn’t initially manufacturer the G4 with the intention of supporting the tech, but it will be available on consumer-ready units when the phone is released to the masses. The pre-production units charge slightly faster than other handsets thanks to the included 1.8A wall charger, though not nearly as fast as other handsets with the technology built in.
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Although LG is correct in saying that Quick Charge 2.0 isn’t as necessary on a device with a removable battery, this will likely be welcome news to many users hoping to get their hands on the device.
Huawei MediaPad M2 unveiled, 64-bit octa-core SoC in tow
If you’ve been trying to get your hands on an 8-inch Android-powered tablet over the past few months, you probably already know that your options are a little scarce. Perhaps that’s where Huawei hopes to come in, with the newest addition to the company’s tablet lineup – the MediaPad M2.
Measuring 7.8mm thick and weighing in at 310g, this certainly isn’t the slimmest tablet on the market, but that just leaves room for all of the device’s beefy internals. It has a 2GHz 64-bit octa-core Kirin 930 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion and a big 4800mAh battery. It also has an 8MP rear-facing camera with an LED flash and a 2MP front-facing camera. And while the tablet’s 8-inch display with 1200 x 1920 resolution won’t satisfy everyone’s pixel needs, this will definitely suffice for most users.
The MediaPad M2 is running Android 5.0 Lollipop, complete with Huawei’s Emotion UI 3.1 software overlay. Sales will likely start sometime in June with the Wi-Fi model starting at around $310, while the LTE-compatible model will go for somewhere around $390.
What are your thoughts? Are you interested in Huawei’s new tablet offering?
Google Play and Lionsgate launch Mad Men retrospective ahead of series finale
AMC’s acclaimed television show Mad Men will air its final episode on Sunday, May 17th. To celebrate the series finale, Google Play and Lionsgate have teamed up to bring fans of the series a retrospective that highlights all of the show’s greatest moments. It’s called ‘The Mad Men Experience’, and it shows off a number of on-set photos, commentary with YouTube clips, numerous sketches and much more. To make the experience even better, Google Play is also offering up the first episode of Season One for free.
Here are a few interesting pieces of information regarding the TV show, according to Google:
Fans’ love of the series went far beyond the television screen. According to Google Search Trends,Mad Men has consistently maintained massive fan engagement throughout the years, a tremendous accomplishment after seven seasons. Don Draper has also been the most popular character name search for every season with one exception. Peggy Olsen actually dominated as the most searched character on Google for season one with Don taking second place. Questions like “how can I dress like the characters in ‘Mad Men?” and “what do they drink?” trended as some of the most Google-searched questions for the show and fans also wanted to mimic the hairstyles of their favorite Mad Men characters.
The website is pretty laggy and takes quite a bit of time to load. But if you’re interested in checking it out, head on over to madmen.withgoogle.com to see for yourself. And be sure to follow the link below if you’d like to download the first episode of Season One for free.
Groundskeeper2 and Highrise Word Heroes added to the Humble Mobile Bundle 12
Less than a week ago the Humble Mobile Bundle 12 was released, allowing you to purchase Monument Valley, Blek, Joe Danger, The Last Express, Spaceteam (Premium) and Tilt to Live 2: Redonkulous for a very small amount of money. But now, in true Humble Bundle fashion, two new games have been added to the bundle – Groundskeeper2 and Highrise Word Heroes. The best part? The price has barely gone up from last week, so you can still score Monument Valley, Blek, Joe Danger and the two new titles for just under $4.
For those who haven’t taken advantage of the Humble Mobile Bundle 12 yet, all you need to do is pay more than the average price (currently $3.87) and you’ll have access to all of the games listed here. If you don’t want to pay that much, you can pay however much you want to receive The Last Express, Spaceteam and Tilt to Live 2: Redonkulous. If you’ve already bought in on this Humble Bundle, all you need to do is raise your price to the current asking rate, and the two new games will be yours.
As always, all games being offered here are DRM-free, and you can decide how your purchase is divided between the game developers, the Humble Bundle team, and two charities – Worldreader and Electronic Frontier Foundation. If you’re interested, check out the source link below.
Looking back at the LG G3
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Over the last couple of years, LG has gone from being somewhat of an underdog to an top tier contender in the crowded Android smartphone market, something that was very apparent with the launch of its 2014 flagship, the LG G3. Released last summer, the LG G3 became an instant challenger for the best smartphone of the year title. Being the first mainstream device to boast a Quad HD display, along with a further refinement of the design language, LG certainly had a winner on their hands, but that was then, and this is the LG G3……now!
LG’s focus on great design really shone through with the G3, with its ultra-thin bezels around the display and impressive screen-to-body-ratio making for a device that much smaller than it could have been. The G3 continues to be very appealing, with some unique design aspects such as its rear button layout, and is still a great looking phone, even when compared to its successor and other 2015 flagships. Being made of plastic, the device may not offer as much of a premium feeling as those made with metal and glass, but the faux metallic finish of the plastic back certainly made a difference, and also helped it avoid being a fingerprint magnet.
As mentioned, the LG G3 was one of the first smartphones to feature a Quad HD display and at the time was considered one of the best in the market. As Quad HD became the flagship standard, releases that followed the G3, including its successor, the LG G4, brought to the fore some of the shortcomings of the G3 display. The high resolution and resulting pixel density meant there were no issues with sharpness, but when compared to the competition, the display is found to be lacking in color reproduction and brightness.
As expected from a flagship, the LG G3 packed the latest and greatest processing package of its time, the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, clocked at 2.5 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 330 GPU and 2 or 3 GB of RAM, depending on the storage option of choice. General performance was as good as expected, but it did suffer from overheating issues when pushed to the limit, or while having the screen on full brightness, which resulted in the phone slowing itself down to stay cool.
Following several software updates, including the official one to Android 5.0 Lollipop, a lot of the performance issues that first surfaced don’t seem to persist anymore, and the Snapdragon 801 is still a very capable processor. Granted there are still some instances of lag and stutter, even while performing a task as simple as swiping down to open the notification shade, but that is likely due to a lack of software optimization, as opposed to any limitations of the processing package.
Another big highlight of the LG G3 was with regards to its camera performance. It may not have offered a whole lot in terms of manual controls but it wasn’t particularly required, with the G3 capable of taking some great shots, helped along with the then brand new laser guided auto focus system. It was easily one of the best smartphones cameras of 2014, and while the current crop of flagships pack some really impressive cameras, the G3 should still be able to hold its own and make a lot of people happy.
Upon release of the G3, there were some concerns with regards to how the Quad HD display would affect battery life, which were, unfortunately, justified. Despite packing a large 3,000 mAh unit, the battery life proved to be just about average, which wasn’t enough to satisfy power users that required a lot of screen-on time. Of course, with a removable back came a replaceable battery, a feature that is mostly unavailable nowadays, and you do have the option to carry around a spare.
On the software side of things, the G3 has received an official update to Android 5.0 Lollipop, and while some of elements of Material Design have made its way over, noticeable mostly in the notification dropdown and the Overview screen, the general aesthetic of the G UI remains unchanged. The G UI does feel a little bloated, and despite some useful features like Knock On, Knock Code, and Dual Window, the software experience does pale when compared to the rest of the competition. Those who prefer a more streamlined experience will have to depend on third party launchers from the Google Play Store to get the job done.
So there you have it for this look back at the LG G3! Overall, the G3 has aged very well, and is still a solid smartphone. The upcoming release of its successor will bring about a price drop that makes the LG G3 a great option for those not looking to spend an arm and a leg on the latest and greatest. If you’re looking for a phone that offers features like a great camera, beautiful display, fantastic design and build quality, expandable storage, and a replaceable battery, while looking to save a little bit of money, the LG G3 should definitely be under consideration even today.
Uber will take cash for rides in one Indian city
Part of the point of Uber is paying for a car ride without reaching for your wallet, but the company is willing to make exceptions if it means getting your business. As of May 12th, you can get a lift in Hyderabad, India using old-fashioned cash — important in a country where online credit card payments are relatively rare. It’s just an “experiment” at the moment, but the ridesharing outfit tells the Financial Times that it’s considering expanding the option to other developing areas if it takes off. You probably won’t be paying for American trips with hard currency, then. Still, the extra choice could mean a lot if the rupees in your pocket are all you have to get to the airport on time.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Saurabh Das]
Filed under: Transportation, Internet
Source: Financial Times
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