Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

The smartphone market is kind of a paradox. Here you have quite a few major manufacturers producing phones in a market that has seen a seven percent decline over the past year and a decline for each of the past four fiscal quarters. It’s true that some of the companies that we’ve all been used to: HTC, Nokia, and Blackberry are bit players in a market that is dominated largely by Samsung, Apple, and companies that sell their products to developing mobile markets.

With so many options that don’t cost $800, the Android mobile OS gains more customers every day. If you were a dedicated iPhone user that is looking to switch to Android, you have to be cognizant of the things you will need to ensure that you are able to transfer the information you need, and be able to seamlessly pick up your new device without missing a beat. Here are some issues you should consider:

While it feels great to power on a new phone and marvel at its slick new interface and features, you might feel frustrated by the fact that you now have to reinstall all of the applications and data that was on your original device. This week’s tip is dedicated to helping you make this process easier and more efficient for an Android smartphone.

Losing a smartphone can be a problem for anyone. For the modern business, it can really cause issues. Mobile devices are notorious for housing a lot of personal information, which makes them extraordinarily dangerous to lose track of. How much is at stake with mobile devices going missing; and, what kind of information is stored on these devices that makes them so dangerous to misplace?

Phishing--it’s a threat that tells a tantalizing lie to entrap its target, and one that you’ve likely heard of before. However, as technology has advanced, so have the opportunities that cybercriminals have to leverage phishing attempts. Smartphones, for instance, make it so that you must be aware and on the lookout for SMiShing scams.

You’ve been told that it’s a best practice to ensure that you never leave your workstation without locking it first. Yet, if you’re only stepping away for a few minutes, it might be tempting to just allow it to remain unlocked. But what happens when you step away for longer than expected? You leave your computer exposed to all manners of threats. Thankfully, a new solution allows for a fix with a device that most are never without: the smartphone.

Mapping the known world has long been an endeavor sought by explorers, but thanks to a relatively recent tool called Google Maps, anyone with knowledge of a smartphone can see the world at a glance. Granted, Google Maps isn’t the easiest tool to use, but if you follow these tips, you’ll feel like you have the whole world in the palm of your hand… literally.

Google has implemented a project to encourage assistance in collecting potential vulnerabilities for its Nexus line of mobile devices, with some considerable prizes associated with it.

It’s no secret that the screens of devices like smartphones, laptops, desktop monitors, and tablets, can contribute to eye pain and what’s called “digital eye strain.” In fact, in some extraordinary cases of prolonged screen use, smartphone use has even led to temporary blindness.

More often than not, when you’re using your smartphone for streaming media, you want to use your Wi-Fi rather than your mobile data connection. This helps to keep what are known as data hogs (applications that use a significant portion of your monthly allotted data) from breaking your budget and causing overage charges. Here’s how you can limit the damage done to your data consumption by your favorite smartphone apps.

Calls from telemarketers are the worst. These unwelcomed calls are especially annoying if you’re trying to be productive, and you’re interrupted in the middle of the workday by the same number repeatedly. Thankfully, more recent models of Android smartphones have the capabilities to blacklist numbers built right into the device. Here’s how it’s done.

Technology is everywhere. Coincidentally, that is exactly where every political candidate wants to be. With the 24/7 news cycle and social media leading the charge, technology has become one of the most important aspects of election season. The lead-up to any election is a tense time for the candidates, and for their supporters. With public arguments being had about different philosophies, ideologies, and platforms, it’s important to understand how today’s candidates handle technology while on the campaign trail.

At a tradeshow event last month Travis Kalanick, co-founder and CEO of Uber, was interviewed about the future of Uber and transportation. He replied with a bold vision that speaks to how much technology has the potential to change things. According to Kalanick, “Every car should be Uber.”

Your mobile phone is meant to be an extension of productivity while you’re out of the office, but some people can’t resist the urge to mess around with the numerous entertainment applications right in front of them. Unfortunately, nowhere is this more true than in the office. What’s that? Your employees don’t waste time with mobile devices? Withhold judgment until you see the statistics. Your people might be wasting more time than you think.

The smartphone was an incredibly valuable introduction to the business world, allowing entrepreneurs to exponentially increase productivity both in and out of the workplace. However, they are a double-edged sword, capable of cutting down barriers, or slicing productivity to ribbons with time-wasting apps and texting.

Sometimes you find yourself in a pinch and you really need a WiFi signal for your laptop in order to complete a task. If you’ve got your smartphone handy, then you can easily turn your device into a WiFi hotspot and give your laptop the wireless Internet signal it needs. Here’s how you can accomplish this from your Android device.

Have you ever noticed that your mobile device may run a little hot after a heavy day of use? In normal circumstances, a warm smartphone is no big deal. Although, on rare occasions, a perfectly good smartphone has gotten too hot and caught on fire!