Mobile Apps for Logistics Companies

It’s a known fact that in the last few years Smartphones and tablets have received tremendous popularity. Smartphones, in particular, are used more like little portable computers than mobile phones. Unlike before, this gives people and companies a great opportunity to access information at any given moment. These little devices have changed the way people shop and the way companies conduct businesses.

Mobile Apps Mean Increased Convenience and Productivity

No matter which sector you look at, you will notice that these devices are useful and there are plenty of mobile apps available that make work faster and easier. Logistic companies can undoubtedly take advantage of smartphones and tablets because different types of mobile apps can be developed that will allow both consumers and logistics companies to get more work done in less time.

Apps for Consumers

When people deal with logistics companies, the main thing they want is to be able to track their package to ensure it will arrive in a timely manner. A mobile app will enable your customers to keep track of their parcels. Since they will receive real time updates, they will feel at ease.

Apps for Companies

Shipping and logistics companies can easily increase productivity and streamline their internal processes by using mobile apps. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits that logistics companies can enjoy through mobile apps:

• You can access shipping information at any given moment no matter where you are without having to speak to a middleman
• You can enhance productivity by accessing mobile supply chain tools whenever you like
• You will be able to help your esteemed clients from any location
• You will have the ability to make real-time decisions
• Mobile apps offer real-time supply chain management

In simple words…Logistics companies must take advantage of mobile apps to meet their customers’ demands and streamline their own internal processes.

Find out more about how Binary Quest can help you boost your company’s productivity through mobile apps.

SharePoint 2013 – What’s New?

Microsoft SharePoint was first launched back in 2001. It was initially a web application platform that was associated with intranet content management and document management. It has been significantly enhanced with the passage of time.

Now, we have SharePoint 2013 that is in fact a dual purpose product. It’s not only a better and more powerful server product; it is also capable of delivering SharePoint-as-a-service in the cloud. There are many things that SharePoint users and developers would love in the latest version. Let’s take a look at some of the amazing features that you can now take advantage of:

SharePoint 2013 is Mobile-Friendly

Just as Windows 8 serves as a great operating system for Smartphones and Tablets, similarly SharePoint 2013 is also ideal for mobile users. Microsoft noticed that many users like the ability to use their desktop applications on whatever device they have, regardless of the size of the screen. This is why SharePoint 2013 offers three different browsing options for mobile users.

Cloud App Model

Do you love creating new and amazing apps? If yes, then you will love SharePoint 2013 because it offers a Cloud App Model that gives you the freedom to create apps. Developers can easily write and publish new apps to SharePoint’s public app store or to a private store that can be accessed by employees only.

Enhanced Search

SharePoint 2013 offers enhanced search functionality. After all, if you are unable to find what you need when you need it the most, then all of the other features will be useless for you. Significant improvements in search offer much more convenience and flexibility for both IT experts and end users.

Social

Even though SharePoint is a popular product, it was never actually social. Microsoft changed this with SharePoint 2013, with the acquisition of Yammer. It makes sharing and collaboration very easy.

All these great new features should be reason to celebrate for you if you already use SharePoint; as for those who’ve just been thinking about migrating to SharePoint, this might the right time for you!

E-Books and the Future

If you love to read then walking into a bookstore, browsing aisle after aisle of books, holding a new find in your hands and eagerly waiting to get home so that you can crack it open, must be a few of the most pleasurable moments of your life. But this experience is going through a big change and soon the experience of reading may be radically changed!

Digital content – especially e-books – are changing the way we read. You must have seen and read some e-books by now so you can relate to the anxiety that surrounds the mind of many book lovers. There are some burning questions in the minds of book lovers like us such as: are e-books (and other digital content) going to replace printed books? Is it just a fad?

Are E-books Really that Great?

E-books may not entirely replace printed books but they will probably become the predominant mode of delivery for books. Amazon.com reported that the sale of e-books has surpassed the sale of printed books in its store. Setting nostalgia aside, e-books have certain characteristics that perfectly complement our wired lifestyles including:

• Portability – Digital content like e-books allow us to carry-around a tremendous amount of information on pocket devices
• Easy reading & sharing – It makes it much easier to read, make notes, sort information and on top of all, share through social media
• Multimedia – E-books make it easy to integrate multiple forms of media into the book such as audio and video; making it interactive

If you get into the habit of reading e-books, the next time you move your house, you wouldn’t have to cringe at the thought of packing and carrying dozens of cartons filled with books.

What the Future Holds?

The way things are in the publishing industry, it seems that within the next 20 years, e-books may practically replace printed books. According to a report on the Wall Street Journal, people who use kindle (Amazon’s e-reader), bought more books after buying the device. Borders, one of the largest book store chain in the US is considering bankruptcy. If you are a business owner, you may want to explore the opportunity of advertising through e-books by having apps developed and embedding them into e-books and other forms of digital content.

Smartphones are Creating Business Opportunities that didn’t Exist Before

Smartphones have become a lot more than just shiny toys; they have become the communication device of choice in our wired lives. According to an estimate, there were over one billion Smartphone in use at the end of 2012 and this number is expected to double within the next three years.

What are People doing on their Smartphones?

Ever wonder what people really use their smartphones for? The European telecom company O2 breaks it down for us:

Function	%age
Taking photographs	74%
Making phone calls	71%
Text messaging	69%
Surfing the internet	69%
Alarm clock	64%
Email	52%
As a watch	50%
Using it as an address book	50%
Using social networks	49%
Use it as a diary	39%
Music	39%
Playing games	38%
Watching TV/films	22%
Reading books	13%

“Smartphones are now being used like a digital ‘Swiss Army Knife’, replacing possessions like watches, cameras, books and even laptops. While we’re seeing no let-up in the number of calls customers make or the amount of time they spend speaking on their phones, their phone now plays a far greater role in all aspects of their lives,”

said David Johnson, General Manager Devices for O2, UK.

Why are smartphones important for business?

If you are a business owner, you should know that according to a survey commissioned by Google,

• 53% of smartphone users actually make a purchase after performing a search and gathering information;
• 24% make recommendations based on the information gathered;
• 79% use their phone to help them with shopping;
• 70% use their phone even when they are in a store;
• 35% make purchases directly from their phone, without stepping into a store;

Now, the question is how can a business owner benefit from this information? Two words: mobile apps!

Smartphone users use mobile apps to perform different functions. So, having mobile apps developed that are related to your business might be one of the best investments you can make.

Android in Enterprise

After asserting its dominance in the consumer mobile device arena, Android seems to be set for giving Apple a run for its money in the enterprise market. A report by Good Technology, a leader in multiplatform enterprise mobility, reveals that Android is the second most used OS in the enterprise sector. Android is a serious contender because of its portability and the low cost of development due to a global community of open source developers.

The following are some of the main advantages offered by Android:

• One of the biggest advantages is that it is built on an open-source framework so development is robust and cost effective;
• It challenges the monopoly of Apple because it is a part of the Open Handset Alliance, therefore most of the leading handset manufacturers offer Android phones;
• Unlike Apple apps, most of the apps in Android store are free;
• It allows you to multitask by simultaneously running many applications such as Facebook, audio files, etc;
• It has an excellent notification system so you don’t miss any sms, email, or other important communique. The indicator on the home screen doesn’t let you forget about it;

Some Issues and Concerns Related to Android

The two biggest concerns about Android are corporate data security and user management, especially in view of the popularity of corporate BYOD (bring your own device) programs.

The variety of Android devices, variations of the operating system and additional software makes the job of CIO’s quite difficult. A primary issue in this case is user management because Android does not have a built-in capability for tracking usage or catching policy violations by device users. Perhaps the biggest issue is data encryption; almost 80% of the devices being used don’t support encryption.

Data manipulation and usage is also one of the major concerns for enterprise CIO’s. Since newer versions of Android support 4G, the consumption of data is quite significant and so is its cost impact on the organization. Users often don’t realize how much data they are consuming, which significantly increases the coverage charges that have to be paid by the organization.

Despite these issues, Android is definitely here to stay and its market will continuously grow. If you are a business owner, getting your own Android app is certainly a good idea for reaching out to your target market.

What’s So Different About Microsoft Office 2013?

The newest version of Microsoft Office productivity suite, known as ‘Office 2013’, was officially launched on January 29, 2013. Even though it’s been designed for tablets and Windows 8, it’s equally powerful and effective for PCs as well. Microsoft is offering a broad spectrum of versions for home and business categories so you can get the one that best suits your budget and requirements. In this article, we are reviewing Office 365 Home Premium.

What makes Office 2013 Better?

So…What makes Office 2013 better than its predecessors? The answer is: Ease of Use. Since Microsoft wanted to make the latest version of Office perfect for tablets running Windows 8, they converted their tools to support touch screens and in the process they made most actions only one tap or just a click away. Even though they made changes in the new Office for tablets, Smartphones and Windows 8, these changes made Office much easier to operate than ever before. It’s important to note that you can use Office 2013 with Windows 7 as well, but not with earlier versions of Windows.

Subscription Version vs. Standalone

With Office 2013, Microsoft is moving to a new subscription-based model. You can buy it the old-fashioned way as a standalone version, but Microsoft prefers that you sign up for the subscription. The main benefit of a subscription plan is that you will continue to receive the latest upgrades and you will not have to worry about buying another new version of Office ever again. The standalone version will work as perfectly as the subscription version initially, but eventually it will become out-of-date as it will not receive any upgrades.

What does it come with?

The Office 365 Home Premium version can be installed on 5 different PCs with a single subscription which includes Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher and OneNote. Even though you can get 7GB of free space on SkyDrive now, with Office 365 Home Premium subscription, you will receive 20GB more. You will also get 60 minutes of free Skype calls every month. The subscription for this entire plan will cost you just $99.99 a year.

Should I buy the Student Version?

It’s important to note that Office 2013 Home & Student can be installed on one PC only and it costs $139.99 and it comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. So, if you have 3 PCs in your household, then you will have to buy 3 copies and they will cost you $419.97. So, it’s best to get Office 365 Home Premium with a subscription, because it will allow you to install it on 5 different PCs and each user will be able to sign in to their own account with their own online document store and other benefits. So, in less than $400 you will enjoy the latest tools for the next 4 years.

When you use Office 2013, you will certainly like it because the interface has been improved as well. The ‘Ribbon’, which first appeared in Office 2007 and annoyed many users, is now optional.

Have you used Office 2013 yet? If yes, then please share your experience with us!

Mobile Apps Can Help Boost Your Business’ Productivity!

According to an estimate by the International Telecommunications Union, about 87% of the world’s population has a mobile subscription. This is where mobile apps come into the picture because more and more people are using them to perform all sorts of business functions and online purchasing without having to sit on a desk. Research from Google Insights shows that 88% of the people using mobile apps for business take action. If you are a business owner/manager, then you should seriously consider using mobile apps for your business.

How Mobile App help Business

You might be wondering whether mobile apps really help businesses improve productivity or is this just another one of those technology fads. Well, this finding from an Aberdeen survey might convince you:

“Survey data taken from 240 enterprises suggest that [overall], the use of mobile apps designed specifically to help employees get their work done, increased productivity by 45%. Further, the data reveals that operational efficiency rises almost as much (44%) when enterprise apps are made available.”

You can use mobile apps in several ways to increase your business efficiency and productivity:

• To access and manage your business data on-the-go;
• To Increase and improve contact with customers;
• Perform routine functions like preparing invoices, purchase orders and reports;
• Manage your business calendar;
• Your field sales force can access your CRM to get relevant information, make decisions and close deals quickly and instantly;
• To easily perform inventory management from off-site locations;
• To manage workflows and easily prepare and share routine reports with management;
• All your desktop applications can be made available on your mobile so you can conduct business from anywhere at any time;
• In the US alone, the use of mobile apps by businesses saves 725.3 million hours annually, which translates into an estimated saving of $17.6 billion. Wouldn’t you want to have your share of this saving?

The Aberdeen report mentioned above also highlights the top three ways in which mobile applications are helping businesses:

• Improve communication and collaboration among team members (66%)
• Rapidly deliver actionable information to the point of decision (48%)
• Use mobile software to increase customer intimacy (42%)”

So, how about having a mobile app developed for your business?

Introduction To The HTML 5 Unique Design Application For Mobile Computing

Introduction to HTML 5

An adaptive, flexible and mobile friendly web design can be easily attained using the infamous HTML. Its aim is to have a responsive environment in which HTML is structured for priority, flexibility and optimization. At the same time, the CSS is employed for queries management, dynamic screen size and adjustability. The use of JavaScript is also resorted to, in order to provisionally play all content parts on the website, which can employ the use of touch technology.

HTML 5 and Web responsiveness

The use of HTML5 for web designing is justified by the fact that its degree of responsiveness is unheard of as compared to any other form of website designing protocol. The use of fluid grids, adjustable images, pixilation, format and queries related to media consumption are all nonexistent issues even with the varying screen sizes, which the website employs while using the HTML 5 design protocol for its website pages.

BigQuery and responsiveness factor

For example, take the instance of BigQuery protocol software. BQ stands for Big Query, which is the software protocol for online virtual servers that can optimally analyze data sets within a large database being uploaded onto the net. The BQ uses similar protocols which allows a responsive interface in which the website can perform exceedingly well in any physical platform or device. BQ can be used to reconstruct an e-commerce site for a company making the site more practical and assessable on a mobile or Smartphone. This is relevant nowadays, when most purchases are made online using mobiles as the medium of transaction execution.

Technicalities

For structural purposes, the markup for the HTML to be implemented must be lean and semantic. Additional user interface function such as an online keyboard in the case of a HTML input domain type can be designed for ready use by the user. The next step is to adjust the viewpoint to an acceptable degree. The application of a larger viewpoint is expected in those smart phones, which are designed, keeping in mind that the website assessed will be traditionally designed for non-mobile internet users.

Utilization benefits

These browser viewpoints can be invoked using the pinch and pull mechanism to zoom in or out of a specific set of data, text or image on the website. Rigid or fixed positional elements are implicated but not recommended in mobile web user interface. Content fragments are rationally utilized to lessen the loading time of the website. HTML special characters are used to reduce background imagery through solid figures. The telephone URL Scheme is used to make direct calls through the click of a URL link. CSS employs Separate style sheet in case the larger screens are adapted for smaller resolutions.

Conclusion

Design functionality and plasticity of layout are very important, when the use of HTML 5 is employed in mobile phones that have computing technical capability. Web layout is advancing day by day and the requirement is to make the web experience more vivid on different platforms.

JQuery Simple Message Dialog Plugin

Sometimes, when working with JavaScript, we need to write a confirm dialog or message box to display some informative data. We can either use JavaScript alert function or confirm function for such operations. But in order to make a nice UI, we can resort to JQuery UI dialog, which gives a nice chrome window. But settings that up is not a one liner task. In this article, I will present a small plugin which will help us display some basic dialog just to get the job done without too much code. Read More.. http://www.codeproject.com/KB/applications/JQueryMessageBoxPlugin.aspx

ASP.NET MVC – Binding to Dictionary

Today I came across a situation where I had a display a list of combo boxes inside a part of a complicated tab based form. The model of the view was a different object then this particular section I was trying to render. I had a different controller action to do the updates.

After googling I came across this article from Scott ASP.NET Wire Format for Model Binding to Arrays, Lists, Collections, Dictionaries which turned out to be very helpful.

While implementing this all I need the binder to return something like a dictionary of int key with int value.

[HttpPost]
public ActionResult EditProjectAccess(int? id, Dictionary<int, int> ProjectAccess)
{
}

So in my View I used the following snippet:

Var counter = 0;
foreach (var item in ProductGroups)
{
<fieldset>
<legend>@item.GroupName</legend>
@foreach (var pj in item.Products)
{            

    <dl>
    <dt>@pj.Name:</dt>
    <dd
class=”text”>
    @if (Model.ResourceId
==
pj.ProjectManagerId)
    {
        <text><strong>Project
Manager</strong></text>
    }
    else
    {
        @Html.Hidden(“ProjectAccess[” + counter + “].key”, pj.ProductId)
        @(Html.DropDownList(“ProjectAccess[” + counter + “].value”, new SelectList(new List<Object>{
          new { value = “0” , text = “No Access”  },
          new { value = “1” , text = “Participant” },
          }, “value”, “text”, pj.HasAccess(Model.ResourceId)?0:1)))
        counter++;
     }
    </dd>
    </dl>
    }
</fieldset>
}

 

The key here was using the Hidden field for storing the key name, and the combo box for the value field. One thing though the counter values should be incremental, i.e. no gaps in sequence. Else on the model you will only get up to the sequenced item.

So now I can easily get access to my dictionary list and figure what each of those combo was values was selected to. The key can be string as well and the value can be complex object. Just follow Scott’s blog article.