I know it's been a lllooonnnggg time since I've put out an official Tech Tips ezine. It's been way overdue. Many changes have taken place since our last visit:

1. We've moved to bigger offices (increased by 50%). We're now in Suite 224 at 830 Stewart in Sunnyvale - near all major freeways/Central Expressway. Watch for Open House this Summer.

Joel

Fun with iPhone – iPhone App Selection

If you’re new to the iPhone scene, you might want to jump right into the fun stuff without reading the whole manual.

With the analytical techie sitting on my left shoulder screeching, “NOOO!” I’m going to tell you how to get to the fun stuff because the fun stuff is what makes the iPhone worth getting. (The phone service ain’t so bad but with all this more fun stuff to do, you won’t want to chitchat so much anymore.) I’m willing to bet you’ve probably already figured out how to turn it off and on, so I’ll just skip ahead to the fun

These are my most frequently used apps - all of them are FREE!

Most of these applications will work on iPod Touch as long as you can hook up to wireless Internet. NOTE: Oftentimes, you cannot hook up to wireless Internet (as I found out at my gym), so if you want to use these apps, all the time, best to get an iPhone. Additionally, some of these apps require a microphone, which are very inexpensive, for the iPod Touch. The iPhone has built-in microphone (which you use for phone calls)

Amazon Mobile Read reviews, buy stuff, compare prices on Amazon. Kindle Who needs to buy $199 Kindle, when you can buy Kindle Books from Amazon this way. Just read books on your iPhone. Books are so 18th century!

Epicurious Free. Awesome recipe consolidator for the recipe collector. Also helpful: Woman’s Day Cooking Assistant includes a cook time calculator, prep guide and spice dictionary.

DizzyBeeFree Fun Crazy Game.

Jott Voice recognition notes. Try it, you’ll see. So much better than Voice Notes, or the old Keyboard Notes Bug. Free (however it does require a paid Online account). You could also try Evernote: Anything you need to jot down fast, be it in text, a photo, or a voice note, Evernote will keep it, index it, and sync it to the online subscription service.

Dragon Dictation Dictate voice messages and have them translated while you watch. Need to add microphone to iPod Touch for this to work.

Forsquare Super cool way to let friends know where you are by “checking in.” Also a good way to find reviews for wherever you are. Uses GPS in your mobile device. Avail for Android, Blackberry, Palm and others.

Paper Toss Very low tech game. You get to throw a piece of paper in the trash. Hours on mindless fun. One of my favorites!

BMW M Power Meter Very cool way to watch speed, distance and other car measurements – for BMW owners and BMW wannabe owners

Fring – All the Instant Messenger Products in one cool program, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, AOL Chat, MSN.

Tap Tap Revenge Probably the best free game available now. Guitar hero for your fingertips.

AOL Radio This is the game changing app and the paradigm shifter in mobile. Free streaming radio, including internet radio stations (all Pearl Jam, all the time, anyone? Anyone?). Just wait until they have TV. AOL is cool again.

Yelp. Nice implementation of the restaurant, doctor, gym, coffee shop, bar, favorite IT Company (:-)) (and other companies as well) reviews site.

Loopt. Ping your friends and see where they are. Loopt Pulse, a newer feature, helps you find and plan events in your area.

Weather Bug. More accurate weather, weather web cams, and radar maps than the apple’s built in app, Weather.

SportsTap. Also free. Sports scores from all sports. (You could get MLB.com At Bat for $5 program lets you track games in progress, which is no big deal. The big deal is that you can actually watch video clips of key plays before the games are over. But SportsTap is freer and better.)

Baby Scratch. Who doesn’t need to scratch records hiphop style while waiting for public transportation? The least expensive DJ equipment available for $0.00! If scratchin’s not your thing but music still is, check out Karajan Beginner – Free, fun music lessons, tuning ear to music.

We plan on doing many of these “best of apps” blogs. What are you favorites and why? Which apps are you regretful you purchased. Leave a comment with your favorite app and of course, feel free to put a link to your blog or website.

New & Exciting Services from In The Moment Computing, LLC

People often wonder about and what new stuff we may be offering and the breadth of our services. First, the New Stuff

New Stuff

WindowsToMac Switch - We do about 1-2 switches per week. We're experts on both Macs and Windows - so, call us, we can help make your Mac experience easier.

Windows on Your Mac - We help you put Windows 7 (or Windows XP) on your Mac to keep using those applications you can't do with out (read: Outlook or Quickbooks for Windows - much better than Mac version)

Social Media Implementation - We implement and teach you how to use Social Media to gain greater web presence (through Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, YouTube, Blogging)

Laptop Repair - We replace hard drives, screens in addition to RAM and hard drive for Windows and Mac Laptops. Our turnaround is usually 2-3 weeks faster than Box stores.

Wordpress & Joomla Websites - We are now doing websites with CMS (Content Management Systems) where you can update the text.

Blogs - We'll assist you in getting your blog up and running.

Scheduling Meetings without Outlook – The Easy Way

Practicality is king in today's business standards. Practical pricing, practical timing, practical office furniture, practically everything is best when it's practical. Meetings are not always practical but they are almost always necessary.

Interesting fact: one study recently showed that the people who dislike meetings the most are the ones who are most responsible or getting the most things done in an average workday. That translates to this: the people who "just love meetings!" really enjoy the social experience and free bagels. Now I love bagels as much as the next Vegan Jew. But as an experienced business owner, I love getting together with clients for the practicality of getting something done, and getting needs met. So meetings? No prob. Here's a few good tools:


SalesNexus. offers a variety of resources for sharing contacts, calendars, notes and documents. Your job can be tough. Making meetings happen should be easy.


Schedulicity. This is mainly a service-0riented site that helps you find providers for personal things, but have you ever noticed that things just happen better and/or faster when you make them happen yourself or you don't have to pick up a phone? Sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth. If your on-the-run clientele might prefer the high-tech solution as opposed to the customer service phone-interview, consider listing your business here as well as scheduling your own appointments and services. Violin lessons? Find 'em here.

MeetingWizard
This productivity tool makes the planning process easier and more effective. MeetingWizard automatically sends invitations to participants (proposing alternate times, if necessary), summarizes their responses, updates you on the results, sends confirmations, and sends reminders. It is simple to use, so clients and colleagues won't get turned off by the process. Think of it as a professional's evite. Users can make changes and notes as needed, and instantly communicate changes or cancellations to participants.

FREE Conference Calling Services

Schedule Conference Calls on a moment's notice - they're free - you can even record calls!

FreeConference
Conference calls - love them or not, the internet can't completely replace a real voice, a conversation, or a meeting of the minds. This site schedules and hosts the phone meeting. Use the site to send the message to everyone who needs to be at the meeting, the message comes with a phone number and access code, everyone calls the number at the specified time, voila: conference meeting in your pj's (note: pj's are not necessarily recommended. Depends on your business and your personality.)

FreeConferenceCall
Similar name, similar service. All lines are secure: You're allowed up to 6 hours of conference "room" for up to 96 callers. Both sites offer upgrades for small fees; neither require business attire. Just do/wear whatever's practical!

Most Requested Services

New System Purchase Advice. We answer all, I mean ALL, your questions when upgrading you system. Sometimes, for only $100 more, you can get 25% better performance on your new computer.

Replace hard drive. We can copy your non-working hard drive to new new hard drive - giving you another 3-5 years on your computer. Windows or Mac.

Smart Phone Support. iPhone, Droid, and Blackberry support. That covers 90% of them.

Speed Up Computer. Wipe malware, viruses and other bad programs that are slowing your machine down. Just say "Make My Computer Run Faster."