Top 5 iPad Productivity Apps for Back to School

If you’re a student who has an iPad and are interested in some apps that you can use to stay organized throughout your school year, pay close attention here.

There are literally hundreds of back-to-school apps available for the iPad. Choosing the best apps to stay organized can be overwhelming. But don’t worry.

We’ve found five powerful applications that can help you learn faster, keep track of your assignments and stay on top of your class. Download them ASAP to your iPad and you’re ready to rock at school.

1. Graphic Calculator App – Quick Graph +

Graphic calculators can be expensive and a pain to carry with you whenever you have classes. There’s always a chance of you forgetting your calculator and being forced to share it with a friend. Well… you can say goodbye to that with the QuickGraph + iPad Application.

This application transforms your iPad into a powerful graphic calculator with key features such as an equation library, multiple co-ordinate system support, and independent axis scaling and so on.

The best part… there’s an in-app email function that will allow you to share your graphs and functions with your classmates. Priced at $1.99, it’s the perfect replacement for your graphic calculator.

2. Periodic Table App – The Elements

Here’s an app that’s seriously going to break the bank. Priced at $13.99, the Elements is an application that allows you to explore the periodic table deeply. The app comprises of about 500 elements and allows you to learn more about each element with just a tap. You’ll be able to learn about the element’s history, see photographs relating to the element and so on.

At $13.99, it does seem expensive. But if you’re really serious about getting an A with chemistry this year, this is one of the best apps you can get. Alternatively, you can also download another free periodic table application. There are some free apps but they are limited when it comes to depth of information.

3. CourseSmart

CourseSmart is a powerful application that will allow you to read the full text of various textbooks for no cost at all. Their library currently contains over 7,000 textbooks. The e-textbooks are licensed for a limited period to students (about 180 days) for half the price of the original physical textbook.

It’s ideal for students who’re taking subjects where they’re required to refer to multiple textbooks. Instead of purchasing expensive textbooks, you can use CourseSmart to browse through essential data for free and then license the e-textbook if needed.

4. iHomeWork

A home-work planner and organizer are absolutely crucial for anyone that’s serious about staying on top of the class throughout the year. The iHomeWork app, which is priced at $1.99, will allow you to keep track of class assignments, your daily class schedule and research essential information with Quiesta.com (integrated with the app). The app also allows you to email your assignments to friends and record grades you’ve received each assignment.

5. EssentialPIM

EssentialPIM is a Personal Information Manager that you’ll find yourself using not only at school but throughout your work career as well. There is a free version as well as a pro version available EssentialPIM.

The pro version allows syncing of data with your iOS, Windows and Android devices whereas the free version allows you to keep track of your data from one device only.

The app allows you to plan your assignments, study times and so on effectively so you can be prepared and always stay on top of your class.

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Samsung Epic 4G – The New Android Phone In The Sprint Family

The Samsung Epic 4G is one of the newest phones that incorporate the 4G network which supports multiple band frequencies. This makes it a great tool for global radio transmission, music playing and video shooting. It has a standard keyboard whose keys are arranged like those of a computer. Alongside its many multimedia uses, it also has a camera utility that takes video front on. The screen is also LED enabled which allows vibrant light display.

Samsung Epic 4G Review

Among the Galaxy S smart phones that have been unveiled by the manufacturer, this version is in a class of its own. The Samsung Epic 3G review reveals that it has more enhanced software than other similar devices. It can multitask whether on demo, video mode or when playing and recording music. The electronic device has a wide screen and a relatively large exterior which almost makes it resemble a small laptop. Like the Samsung Epic 4G Android, it provides connectivity to the Wi-Fi network which it can expand when attached to other hardware. Key to this network connectivity is its dynamic service as a hotspot gadget that can efficiently afford some of the highest speeds along multiple bandwidths. Furthermore, it has a large data capacity that can accommodate music, movies, games and other media downloads. Though considerably larger than other smart phones, it is highly portable either in pocket or by hand.

Samsung Epic 4G Specifications

Samsung Epic 4G specs include those of the interior and the exterior. The cell phone is made up of a wide touch screen that allows multiple color display. This screen that can generate different hue combinations can also be used to bring fantastic visual effects to captured video. It has megapixel video tool that enables taking of large clips of high resolution video. The black hued device has a dimensional profile of between 4.9″ and 2.54 inches in length and width respectively. The rectangular device has a trim linear exterior that renders it compact and fashionable to possess. It has also a sensor that detects the ear when making a call. This renders the screen blank in order to facilitate the call.

Samsung Epic 4G Price

The new phone has a market value of $249.99 which is inclusive of a warranty period of two years during which the buyer can return it to the store where they bought it for extra service. Additionally, users of this device have to pay about $10 when using its 4G data. This condition also applies when one is downloading data on the internet. All in all, Samsung Epic 4G price is reflective of its advanced software that makes it a multipurpose electronic device essential to business people.

The Samsung Epic 4G is a phone that can be turned to surf the web, listen to online radio and shoot large clips of video. This version also operates under the Wimax system. It also synchronizes to supportable programs that come with different applications. All these utilities are made efficiently navigable by the computer-like keyboard. The release date for Samsung Epic 4g is 31st August 2010 and you can also pre-order from Amazon and they will ship it on 31st August 2010 for just $199.99 and you can save $50 on this new 4g member of the Sprint family.

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Does My Business Need a Mobile App?

Let me take you back to when you first purchased your mobile phone or tablet. You couldn’t wait to get to the app store and download some shiny new apps. Apps will certainly generate excitement in your organization. But a mobile app may not be the best answer.

First – you need to take a look at what you website looks like from a mobile smart phone and a tablet. There are a variety of sizes of devices from iPhones to Galaxy Notes from Kindles, Nooks and iPhone Mini’s. The number of visitors that view your website using a mobile device is increasing daily. There are a couple of ways to make your website more mobile friendly for viewers from these devices.

You can have a mobile website added to your existing website. The developers will add code to your site that determines the type of browser. If it is a mobile browser, the visitor will be sent to the mobile version of the site. These are typically built for phone devices and usually typically require one site for each size you want to target.

Another option for your mobile visitors is to have your website redesigned as a responsive or adaptive website. This is where one website adjusts to fit all pc monitor sizes, tablet sizes and smart phone sizes. The text and images of the website adjust to fit the size of the device. If the webpage has four columns of text and images, on the iPad and other tablets – two columns will display with the other two columns underneath. On an iPhone and other smart phone devices, the columns will stack one on top of the other and menus will become buttons large enough for fingers to tap.

Mobile Apps – There are several app stores today and a mobile app has to be built and submitted for each one. While the entire application doesn’t need to be rebuilt, there are features in the app that respond to differently and require different coding for each type. There are apps for Apple devices such as iPhone and iPads in the iTunes Store, apps for Android devices in the Google Play Market, and apps for Windows devices in the Windows Store. There is an approval process before an app is submitted to the store or market. Some are more stringent than others. I have heard of apps denied because the app just contains the same information as the company’s website. There are several features that you can interact with on your mobile device to make a better app for your visitor. For example, you can add mapping features that open the user’s map feature and give them step by step directions from their current location to your business. I will discuss other mobile app features in my next article.

So, do I need a mobile app for my business? One factor is budget – mobile apps are more expensive to build than mobile or responsive websites. Another factor is whether or not your mobile app will have staying power. Realize that visitors have to search for your app and download it to their mobile device. There are hundreds of thousands of apps in the iTunes store. The chance that someone will stumble upon your app is small. Your marketing campaign will drive people to your mobile app but there has to be a big enough benefit for the user to download, install, and keep your app. Most mobile device owners have purchased a device with a certain amount of space. Once that space is filled, most people start looking at which apps they can delete. Once you have determined that you do have an idea for an app that passes these criteria, then you can add features that keep users coming back to your app.

Another option to consider is a mobile or responsive website with a downloadable icon for the home screen. The website asks the mobile user if they would like to download an icon to their home screen the first time they visit the site. The icon only opens the device browser and your website. This is not an application that takes up space on a mobile device. This keeps your business in plain view of your users without taking up room on their device.

There are several businesses with successful business apps that users use daily. The first key to a successful mobile app is determining whether or not you need one. My next article will discuss features that you can integrate into your app for a better mobile experience and what to watch for when hiring a developer.

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The Mobile App Revolution: Why You Should Be a Part of It

If you have a business, then you must be aware of the fact that mobile apps are bringing great changes in how people do their work, shop or connect. Applications are becoming the bridge between the customers, employees and the products or services. And the rise of smart phones has created a thriving market for the mobile apps and this has in fact helped businesses to increase their productivity by effectively mobilizing their resources and enhancing the user experiences. Though the process is gradual and iterative, mobility has brought in a huge change in the way businesses operate.

Here is why you should be a part of the mobile app revolution

Simplicity in the front end:

Having a mobile application for your business would result in giving easy access opportunities to your customers. It helps them to reach out to you any time of the day and even on the go. The easy front ends of enterprise apps are often attractive and intuitive so that people can enjoy while availing various services. Not only shopping, people can also play, watch movies, listen to music and do various other works without having much trouble. Mobile app brings with it the freshness that today’s business can no more afford to miss.

Keeps the users more engaged:

Building an app is easy, but creating something that can keep your customers engaged may be difficult. Mobiles have become an integral part of human life and so it is the best device through which you can keep your audiences engaged. It is by developing a mobile application that you can help employees become more productive and keep your customers hooked to your business. Offering personalized information or message is easy with such apps and this increases the chances of conversion.

Mobile centric business

If online business owners want to develop a revolutionary app, then they must adopt a mobile centric approach. They need to think of mobile first and if they can adopt a long term mobile centric vision, then they can easily develop applications that ensure great experiences and are also integral to all their applications. The trend of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) environment has also changed the way business owners think today. If they want to be at par with the latest trends and technologies, then it is a must to develop a mobile app for the business.

Reach out to a wider market base:

For making a business successful, it is important to have a huge market base. And this is possible by developing a mobile application that can be accessed from any device and OS. The mobile app can easily be accessed even on the go and people can gather information about the products and services anytime and from anywhere. It also helps to target a huge market base as there is no geo limitations. People can easily access your app and get the desired information.

Mobile centric strategies are the ultimate future of all enterprises and it is very important that businesses realize the importance of leveraging mobile platforms that helps them to effectively address the varied challenges that includes integration, scalability, security while enhancing the user convenience.

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