Tools apps

It has become apparent that, in these Internet-friendly times,  it is almost essential for any business to have an online presence of some sort. With the massive amounts of smartphones and tablets owned by potential customers these days, if you don't have an app associated with your business then you might well find that custom that could be coming your way could well be going to a business that does. That's all very well for big businesses with plenty of time and cash but what about the small business? How can they compete? Well, now there is a new design and development app ...  More

There are literally hundreds of thousands of apps out there doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things. And, given the exponential growth in the sale of smartphones and tablets over the last couple of years (as well as the seemingly insatiable desire to fill their devices with apps) it's starting to make excellent sense - and almost become essential - for every local business to have an online component. But how does the local person find the apps that are available within their community? AppLocal is an iOS app that's kinda like the AppStore for locals - the difference being that this ...  More

Things are changing for the  better for small business. In the past there has been a bit of a defeatist attitude from them when comparing their opportunities of bettering themselves and their workers against a larger organization. When it came to training staff, the argument has always been that it was too expensive and took up too much time so a more ad hoc approach was taken up. But if the small business person is canny, they can find everything they want as apps and quite often for little on no cost. TalentLMS is one such app that will be of great benefit. This cloud-based ...  More

So have you ever built your own website or even thought about putting one together? Website builders often offer huge, complicated behemoths of design that are not only hard to create but also cost a fair amount of money. Quite often they are so complicated that you end up hiring a professional design team to do it for you. This is fine for big business but, if you are a small business or a creative professional, that's often  not an option. Plebu is a 'software as a service' web design and website creator that makes it easy and cheap to quickly put together a professional website ...  More

There are several different reasons why it is wise to add some sort of a site map or on-page guidance for your website. On the one hand, of course, there is the simple answer that visitors want to find what they are looking for easily and not to give them any reason to give up in frustration and go elsewhere. This streamlining of your information is the sort of thing that turns trial customers into paying customers. But there's also the matter of your call-center costs and customer support to take into consideration. Improving the traffic flow through your site will cut down on the amount ...  More

No, Anime Doctor isn't a virtual medical app where you can submit your ailments for online appraisal nor is it the home of an online vet. For the uninitiated, Anime began as a Japanese art form from the early part of the 20th Century. However, since the 1960's it has become one of the fastest moving and most influential art movements of our time. Anime, and the  Manga magazines that put it on the street, reflects populist art and design that has not only inspired much of Disney's recent work but often gives an insight into Japanese society that is hidden from other media forms. Anime ...  More

The Internet is a weird evolving object that springs up more than a few surprises. People can be even weirder. If you have read any Malcolm Gladville you will be well aware of the organized chaos that we live in. Take social networks for example. I remember a friend telling me not long after Facebook's inception to "just sign up" and it wasn't that long before its reputation grew and the "Tipping Point" was reached. Now it is getting close to a billion users and everyone from cute Kentucky girls to Sherpas in Tibet seems to have an account. Add to that the phenomena of Twitter and, more ...  More

You used to have to constantly keep one eye open to make sure your website was running up to scratch but now, with the introduction of tracking tools, you can automatically check to see  whether all is well from any desired location. But StatusCake goes one step further. This website monitoring service checks your any number of sites for performance and downtime every five minutes from different places the world over to make sure you know if anything goes wrong. If there are issues, StatusCake will send you immediate notification.   It is important to know when your website is ...  More

Look, I have to tell you, Loc.Book was undoubtedly developed with people like me in mind. It's not that I get lost on a regular basis but, put me in one of those massive Westfield type multilevel shopping complexes that was probably designed by that Gruen fellow, and I'm a complete mess. Half the time I can't even remember which floor the shop I want to visit is on let alone it's location. I could use the store locator, I guess, but I could also use an app like Loc.Book to find my way back directly to the store I'm looking for. Loc.Book is a GPS-based geolocator that will store your ...  More

when.me is a schedule and reminder application for mobile that will ensure that you and your friends will never forget an event again, that's for sure. So why is it different to all the other scheduling apps available? Well, when.me adds a social element to proceedings and can even use Facebook and Twitter to give you a constant reminder of events you might want to get involved in with your friends. You can track your friends' future plans and add photos (before and after the event, if you like.) In reality, when.me acts as a virtual calendar where you can plan events in the future, invite ...  More