Earlier this year cloud computing provided by Amazon Web Services experienced a bit of downtime. When looked at overall, the amount of time their systems were down actually are rather minuscule, but that’s not the point. What is salient is that many of the Internet’s leading websites, social communities and other online businesses rely wholly or in part on the computing power, storage and other processing capabilities provided by Amazon’s cloud services.
When active users of sites like Reddit, HootSuite, Foursquare, and many others including CRM blogs are suddenly, with no warning, unable to access their accounts due to circumstances beyond the site’s control, things can get a bit hairy. For a small percentage of AWS clients, real data was lost in the outage. Now there is permanent damage that has to be reconciled for something the service providing company had no part in causing.
To be clear, the advantages of using cloud services far outweigh the potential for challenges of hosting ones systems in the cloud. Most cloud providers have in place a number of automated back-up features which theoretically maintain data integrity with real time mirroring of client information. Transactions which rely on access to historical data can, again, in theory, be back up and running in moments when things are done correct in the cloud.
Tablet computing. Friend or foe? You just got yourself a smart phone and it about killed you to make the decision. So many questions, like:
- Which operating system?
- Would your current cellular provider support your choice?
- Did your cell provider have options that you could choose?
- Which hardware vendor had the best offer?
- How open or closed a platform were you willing to settle for?
- What do all of your friends use? How important was that in your decision making process?
- Other important questions, too!
So now you’re considering doing the very same thing with respect to buying into a tablet computer. Did you realize you were going to have to find out the answers to many of the very same questions as when you got your smart phone? Yes. Pretty much the case.
To help in the process, here is a brief cross section of answers so you won’t have to take time off work.
One of the great ironies of the current technological age is that while a large number of people (from professionals to rank amateurs) are happy editing video, for some reason sound editing scares many away from even trying.
Perhaps it isn’t so hard to understand. After all, when editing video the pictures are right there on screen whereas the most you can expect from sound is a graph-like display of wiggly lines.
The good news is that sound editing can be made easy. All that is needed is some basic facts and then you’re ready to go. The following are five tips that should help:
1. If recording video, never, NEVER remove the audio track.
This is perhaps the most common error made and it can be disastrous. Think about it: when have you ever watched a movie, TV program, commercial or even home movie that had moments of absolute silence? You may think there are any number of movies that have moments without sound, but if you actually listen you’ll see that this isn’t the case. There may not be any dialogue, there may be no music, but there’s still sound. Whether it is the wind, the sound of a clock ticking or just distant traffic, there will always be some sound. It is incredible how odd and unrealistic video can be when the sound is removed. So keep the audio track even if you are going to overdub later. Any ambient background noise should be saved and can be edited in to other videos. Create a library of such sound tracks. You’ll be amazed how often they come in useful.
When it comes to downright silly, crazy and even a bit off the wall, the Apple iPad has something for everyone. While these apps may not be your standard news feeds, stock market reports and weather information, they are useful in their own way. These apps all have a place, especially if you find yourself with a lot of time between appointments, waiting for airplanes or just hanging around needing a bit of mental stimulation.
Sudoku Real Edition is a fun little app to keep you thinking in those boring meetings or really any time of the day. It is a great way to recreate the game as if it was a real Sudoku book you were leafing through to play. Your iPad screen literally becomes a page in the book complete with paper turning sounds and very real looking animation graphics. Hints that let you know if you have the right number in the right square are included in the game as well as an automatic statistics function so you know just how well you are doing.
Another game, this one of the crossword puzzle variety, is Words With Friends. A slight variation on Scrabble the game allows you to play up to up to 20 simultaneous games with your friends through Twitter or Facebook or even through email. It is your option to also turn your iPad into a game board if you are right there with your opponent. This is a great game for traveling or keeping kids busy, but it is sophisticated enough for adults to enjoy.
Not all Android apps are created equal. While most people with smart phones will have business applications and other useful things downloaded, there are a whole slew of fun, crazy apps out there. Some are useful, others not so much. But you know what they say about all work and no play. Bic Concert Lighter [...]
How can you make your Droid phone even better than it is? You can use Android ringtone apps. With these apps you can create custom ringtones for the phone. The right ringtone can convey your mood, interests and personality traits. Assigning different ringtones to various callers is also useful for easily distinguishing which calls to take and which ones to ignore.
If this sounds good to you then you’ll want to check out some of these ten Droid ringtone apps:
1. Ringdroid.
Go to the Android Market to find this popular ringtone Droid app. It allows you to open an existing audio file on the phone and then edit it down to the right size for a ringtone. The ringtone can then be saved for use as a general ringtone or it can be saved as an alarm or notification ringtone.
2. Zedge.
This popular tool has ringtones in a diverse range of different music categories. It is possible to search for the specific audio file that you’re looking for. Alternatively, you can browse different genres or check out the newest or most popular additions to the ringtone library. There’s a full website for downloading files but there’s also a specific free Android app.
Are you ready to spice up that cell phone of yours with an extra cool ringtone? Why settle for a ringer that anyone can buy when you can instead make your very own customized ringtone! There are a variety of online applications available to help you create memorable and unique ringtones that help express your personality and brighten your day when someone calls you. Check out some of the top most reliable applications below!
You might be wondering why you would want to create your own ringtone instead of buying a pre-made one in the first place. While it’s true there are lots of ringers you can buy already formatted and put together on sites like iTunes and Amazon.com, they are generic in the sense they only highlight the chorus of popular songs. If you want to have the bridge or one of your favorite verses turned into a ringer, the pre-made online vendors won’t have what you’re looking for. Furthermore, if you want a clip of a less popular song – or even a line from a movie or TV series – you likely won’t be able to find them online. Applications that allow you to make your own, on the other hand, can help you get just what you want.
Long gone are the days where your cell phone was just that: a phone. Today’s cell phones also act as your day planner, calendar, email and secretary. There really isn’t a whole lot that a cell phone can’t do, as long as you buy the right one. In today’s high tech business world, buying the wrong cell phone can make your work day a living nightmare.
Cell phones are so intuitive and do so much that these days they’re called “Smart phones.” And there are more and more of them coming out. The key isn’t to get the newest and most expensive smart phone available. You want to pick out a phone that is going to get the job done for you.
There are a few things that you will want to take into consideration when picking out a smart phone to suit you and your business. If there are certain applications and programs that you use in the office, you want to make sure that you choose a smart phone that is compatible. If you are out of the office a lot and have to check your email, you want to make sure that any attachments can be opened, for example. Different carriers will have different smart phones available, so you want to make sure you go with a phone that will have coverage wherever you go. If you travel a lot through Europe you want to be able to use your smart phone.
Besides the technical side of choosing a smart phone, you have to be comfortable using it. Screen size and keyboard are the two main aesthetic elements that you should be concerned with. Sure, most screen sizes are the same, but there is some variation. And depending on the phone, the keyboard is either built in or virtual.
Below is a list of some of the more popular smart phones and what they have to offer.
How many times do you come across an awesome Youtube video, favorite it, get ready to send it to your office buddies, just to find out that about an hour later it was taken down for no good reason (copyright slmarpyright). Or someone decided that scene last night at the party should have never been online in the first place. But for whatever reason, that video you loved is now gone.
Being able to grab videos, images and other digital assets right from your Firefox browser can save you tons of time and heartache. Following are some links to Firefox extensions that can make your life easier:
- Video DownloadHelper: The easy way to download and convert Web videos from hundreds of YouTube-like sites. This works also for audio and picture galleries.
- TweakTube – YouTube Enhancer / Video Downloader: This extension is all about YouTube and making it do exactly what you want, when you want. If you’re a power YouTuber, and you use Firefox, you’ll want this extension.
- FlashGot: In addition to allowing you to download any video clips on a site, this great little extension will also download a list of all links on a page.
