Create Prezi Presentations on iPad, View and Share on iPhone

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• Create Prezi Presentations on iPad, View and Share on iPhone
• Schedule and Manage Payroll Using Facial Recognition
• Holiday Tech Gift Ideas
• Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become?

Create Prezi Presentations on iPad, View and Share on iPhone Posted: 02 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST Prezi, the online presentation tool that uses a "zooming" canvas rather than slides, has just introduced a brand new iPhone app along with a new iPad editor to accommodate a workforce that is becoming increasingly mobile. Prezi's CEO, Peter Arvai, said: "We now have a very strong ecosystem to support workers on the go. You can start making presentations on your desktop computer at work, continue working or building new presentations from your iPad, and then view and share them on your iPhone." Previously, Prezi's iPad app only allowed users to view presentations and make edits to existing presentations. The new update allows users to create brand new presentations from scratch on the iPad app. The photo above shows how a user might edit text on the updated iPad app. When viewing the finished presentation, users can actually scroll around a huge whiteboard, zooming to different text, photos, videos and other media as they come up throughout the presentation, rather than just going through a predetermined list of slides. The new iPhone app allows users to view and share presentations. This is the first app for iPhone that Prezi has released. Both the iPad and iPhone apps are available for free. In addition to the new mobile features, Prezi has announced many other enhancements to its service over the last several months, including 3D animation, pre-made templates, reusable templates that users can edit rather than starting from scratch, and a completely redesigned user interface and website. As with all of Prezi's tools, none of these new features require users to have any programming or technical animation knowledge. Arvai said that part of what makes Prezi different from other presentation tools is that it allows workers to get creative and brainstorm on an open canvas: "A big trend we're noticing is that creative work is becoming more and more valuable in the workplace. And with that, we've noticed Prezi becoming more and more a part of the actual workflow of creating a presentation and brainstorming rather than just a tool to present an end result." Prezi offers a free version for building and publishing presentations online. For $4.92 per month, users can build presentations online and keep them private. And for $13.25 per month, users can install a pro version on their computer and work offline. Prezi first launched in Budapest in 2009. The company currently has about 100 employees with offices in Budapest and San Francisco. The post Create Prezi Presentations on iPad, View and Share on iPhone appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Schedule and Manage Payroll Using Facial Recognition Posted: 02 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST Managing payroll has traditionally been a tedious and time-consuming task for employers. The cloud has brought about many interesting solutions that can help businesses save time on this task while still making sure all their data is accurate. Now, another payroll solution has sprouted up that not only utilizes the cloud, but also the convenience of mobile technology and even facial recognition. PayrollHero is a Web-based solution that allows employees to actually punch in using their own mobile devices or by going online. Using the employee's face, IP address and GPS location, the app ensures that the right person shows up at the right place at the right time. The photo above shows the employee's clock-in photo matching up with her main photo, along with the location where she is checking in. The app also includes some social engagement features that aim to keep employees happy, and thus productive. These features are there to try and make the process fun for employees, but they can also help you track things like employee birthdays. In addition, PayrollHero can help you track taxes, allowances and benefits, government forms, and more. It can also help you manage schedules and create payroll reports. This type of payroll solution could definitely be beneficial to businesses looking to cut down on time spent managing schedules and keeping track of employee hours. Though this isn't the first, and likely won't be the last, app that gives businesses the ability to manage payroll and scheduling, PayrollHero does offer some unique features to not only manage employees but also to keep them engaged in their workplace. PayrollHero's web and iOS payroll solution is currently in beta testing with businesses in the Philippines, but it will become available to businesses in other countries soon. Its time, attendance and scheduling solution is currently available worldwide. The SaaS app has a scaled pricing structure per employee per month. PayrollHero is based in the Philippines and has a team of 14. The current apps are mainly built for iOS devices. The post Schedule and Manage Payroll Using Facial Recognition appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Holiday Tech Gift Ideas Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:00 AM PST The holidays are meant to be happy, fun, and productive times. Shopping, while certainly a bit crowded during this time of year, can be fun when you are buying something that you know that special small business owner in your life will want. Or you can just buy one of these gifts for yourself and get a tax write-off, to boot. In this holiday tech gift ideas slideshow, we give you some fun suggestions and ideas, for yourself and others. Tablets are all the rage this year, so let’s start with a few of these handheld computers. In a Los Angeles Times post and survey 78 percent said a tablet was on their holiday shopping list. There are so many to choose from, I tested the first four with loaner devices. I didn't get a chance to test the Surface, but, of course, it gets rave reviews. Nexus 10 This elegant tablet from Google (made by Samsung) is impressive. For $399, you get a machine as powerful as many low-end laptops. Add a lightweight mobile keyboard (see below) will make you even more productive. I like the Gorilla glass screen. It is hack-friendly – you can open the Nexus 10 and repair it yourself (well, if you are that kind of techie). It has a special wifi technology that speeds up your browsing, too. If you don't want a tablet, but a small smartphone computer, you could try the Nexus 4, unlocked with no carrier contract, for $299. It is a powerful competitor to the iPhone. Click the blue “Start Gallery” button to see more of my holiday tech gift ideas. Kindle Fire HD This is a 7 inch tablet.  I reviewed the predecessor and some of the same thoughts still apply. For $199, you can use this mid-sized tablet for browsing the web, checking email, reading books (work PDFs or Microsoft Office docs with an app), watching training videos (or personal ones). Impressive sound and display. iPad mini It’s shaking up the mid-size tablet space and appears to be a real winner. The Los Angeles Times tested it against the Kindle and Nexus 7 and decided that the mini won. I found it to be as elegant as all the hype, frankly. The subtle difference in size, compared to others in the category, makes it particularly nice to hold for all tasks. Prices start at $329. Microsoft Surface This is in the 10 inch tablet category and many small business owners tell me that they like the idea of a Windows-based machine to get access to all their Microsoft documents easily. Prices start at $499. Plantronics Voyager Legend This Bluetooth headset is impressive.  At $99, this hands-free headset is excellent. If you need an office speakerphone, take a look at their Calisto 620 for $149. As a side note, check out this fun contest currently being run by Plantronics, “What's the Strangest Place You've Taken a Business Call?“ I had started a conversation about a loaner of the Legend prior to learning about this sweepstakes. Spotify This cool new radio/music service lets you listen for free to any album or track, via your desktop, PC or Mac. The mobile service is a premium level starting at $4.99 a month. You can get gift cards at Target online or in stores or sign up on the web. Premium edition lets you listen ad-free and they'll give you a free 30-day trial. To be clear, this is a digital service and no cords are necessary. No iPods were harmed in the making of this post. Lytro camera Now it may be hard to make a case for business use with this new camera, but I think it might help lots of small business owners who are not professionals, or barely amateurs. It isn't just a new camera, but a new kind of camera. In essence, the Lytro camera lets you create living pictures that you can endlessly refocus after you take them. It sounds unbelievable and I am going on my photographer friend's recommendations because I have not had a chance to test it yet. Starts at $399. Big Jambox Jawbone is famous for its little, high quality Bluetooth mobile phone headsets. But they've been branching out into other products and this little wireless audio system, ironically called the Big Jambox, will connect with your devices or computer or even serve as a speakerphone. At $299, it is an elegant way to amplify your iPhone or Android music device, a.k.a your phone. Every now and then, I really want to keep one of the loaner devices that companies send me. The Big Jambox fits in that “want.” It is just a cool little package. Nest Learning Thermostat If you work from a home office and want a way to save on your energy bills, take a look at this new thermostat. As its name implies, this thermostat learns your schedule and programs itself. Seriously. Plus, you can control it from your phone. If you can install a light fixture (not just screw in a light bulb), then you can hook this device up and save money on heating and cooling. Cost is $249. Absolute Power from Kensington This is something every multi-device office needs. If you have ever tried to charge your iPad2 with your Samsung SIII charger, you know it won't work. There's this subtle microAmp thing… solve it with Kensington's powerful multi-device charger.  It even has technology to charge your phone/device faster, safely. Cost is $19.99. There are no shortage of iPhone cases, Android cases, or iPad keyboard covers. I'll leave the iPhone case world alone, but there’s one I really like from Kensington.  I needed a simple cover for the Ting Cell phone that I'm testing. Samsung S3 This case sales for $19.99. They make a really nice faux-leather iPad folio case with an actual working keyboard, too! I have tested about three mini keyboards for the iPad2 only to be disappointed each time. Can’t win them all, I guess.  However, there’s one I really like. Kensington Bluetooth-enabled keyboard Kensington really delivered with their Bluetooth-enabled keyboard for $74.99. While this holiday shopping list is aimed at higher-end devices to enhance your productivity, I tried to add in a few fun, lower-cost items that might serve as a gift to that special entrepreneur friend or ally. What are you giving clients, business friends or colleagues this year? The post Holiday Tech Gift Ideas appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become? Posted: 02 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST Who do you want to be when you grow up? That quintessential question in every America childhood has been given a grown up business update. Instead of thinking of where your business is headed, consider where your customers are heading.  That premise supports Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become by Michael Schrage.  I learn about the book through a review of the Harvard Business Press fall preview, and feeling the need for a short book, thought to give it a read. You Are in Business to Transform, Not Just Make a Profit The notion of understanding the customer isn't an entirely new question.  Even the question,” Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become” has history, as the foreword suggests from a Steve Jobs quote: “It's not the customers' job to know what they want.” The question of what you want customer to become is referred to as "The Ask" – a central question meant to provoke deeper introspection about your product or service.  Simply, what are you offering and why are you offering it.   Schrage asserts that The Ask acknowledges a: ". . .fundamental truth. Customers change. Always." Here's more to that thought: "They're not finicky consumers passively expecting markets to please, satisfy, or delight them; they're actually dynamic collaborators and authors of their own futures…they want to make sure they're going in the right direction." In other words, expect to reinvest into your product or service because your customer will not want the same old thing you had yesterday. The Source of Innovation To provide perspective to that yesterday, Schrage provides six subsequent insights. Most reinforce the alignment of your goals against the customers, such as the third – Customer vision is as important as corporate vision. I liked the set up for the sixth insight – Anticipate – and manage – the dark side of the Ask .  It asks you to understand that there can be diminishing returns to your ask, that you can offer too much, which can later backfire. McDonald's supersize offerings is a fine example, being "reinterpreted as the gluttonous vice of obesity" over time. These insights are meant to realign marketing and investment in a large organization, but small businesses can benefit from thinking about how to transform what they provide. Trust me, apply these insights, and your business will outdo competition that laundry list a series of meaningless products hoping for a sale. Overall, I liked the book's simplicity, discovering the best quote that captures where Schrage wants to take readers in the early pages: "Successful innovators don't just ask customers and clients to do something different, they ask them to become someone different.  Facebook asks its users to become more open and sharing with their personal information, even if they might be less extroverted in real life. Amazon turned shoppers into information-rich consumers who could share real-time data and reviews, cross-check prices, and weigh algorithmic recommendations. Who shops now without doing at least some digital comparisons of price and performance?" The book's efficiency is right for hyper-active business people (who seem to always outnumber the hyper-slow-n'-casual business owners, don't they?) .  I can see someone reading this as a compliment to easy-to-process books. Service Innovation comes to mind.  Become can illuminate without creating confusing objectives against a company. At the same time, despite the atypical brevity of 68 pages, you will feel nothing whimsical about the text that will create a cheated, gimme-my-money-back-for-this-book type of feeling. Business owners from a long-standing industry may feel as if the book speaks more to the tech startup crowd.  But with an open mind, the best innovators will understand what Schrage is proposing. If the answer to your childhood question is to be a serious business person, then let Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become be your next important question and your next important read. The post Who Do You Want Your Customers To Become? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

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