Todd Clarke's Technology Corner v2.0

I recently signed up with Square for their SquareUp credit card service.  Square sends you a small reader device that plugs into your iPhones headphone port.

Thursday of this week, I tested out this system when I accepted 4 credit cards during the course I was teaching on “Understanding NM’s Property Tax System“.

The hardware/software system could not have been easier to use.  One fast swipe of the client’s credit card

Followed by entering an amount, the client’s email address and having them “sign” with their finger and Viola!

An email recipt was sent to the client and I, and on mine, I could see the amount, the location of the sale, and the client’s email address.

Many of us know, the easier you can make it for someone to pay you, the more likely you are to have additional sales – and the Square system could not be an easier – and it looks very cool!

My wife’s iPhone stopped charging and wouldn’t sync.  Apple wanted to reset and if that didn’t work, sell us a new phone.

While a new phone to replace her 3Gs is a nice idea, the problem is she hadn’t backedup her phone in ages.

Fortunatley, we found Fullbars on Albuquerque’s westside.  In less than an hour and for $75 they had her back up and running- thank you Fullbars!

Goodreader – porting PDF files around
iBooks – showcasing listings/assignments/reports in PDF
Pages – similar to Microsoft Word
Numbers – similar to Microsoft Excel
Keynote – similar to Microsoft PowerPoint
Quick Office – (similar to above) –
Dropbox – for accessing files on the road
Pogoplug – similar to dropbox, but it physically exists in your office
Wikipanion – research using Wikipedia.org – HootSuite – managing social networks
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hootsuite-for-twitter/id341249709?mt=8
BAO (demographics)

QR Scan – reading QR Codes –

Loopnet – finding listings –

Photosynth – assembling cool photos in collage format –

Magicplan – measuring space (requires iPad2)

10bii cash (calculator)

WordPress (for updating our websites and blogs) –

Not necessary to have, but might be interesting:
And the app we wrote for property taxes in Bernalillo County – Taxessor
And an interesting app that shows the potential of what your own app could like –

Boy I sure miss the days of the reliable HP printer. They had 3 models of inkjets and laserjets, consumer, pro and business and they lasted forever. Now? HP lists hundreds of models, and few of them work as well as the old ones. I mention this because I have two HP Color laserjet 2605 in the shop, and I don’t expect tosee them again, I’m more mad about the wasted $1,000 of toner sitting in those machines than I am the machines themselves.

I have another 2 year old HP deskjet at my cabin (for when we have to work there) that I had to trash – why? well the ink “notified” the printer that it had “expired” never mind that it was relatively unused or that it was wet. So I swapped in the backupset of inks I bought and left there, and guess what? they were “expired” too. UFB! I wasted 2 hours this morning “shopping” for a replacement and even I, the tech guy, have been left confused and beffulded. Lest you think its just an HP issue, I also have Brother and others that all chase the same ridiculous, non customer centric, business model

My apologies to whoever shared this photo of the HP lineup of printers and how many models they have of each.

I’ve had mine for 48 days already…see this post

I wonder what took Apple so long?

A new browser, or actually, to be technically correct, a new browser interface built on top of Google’s Chrome Browser, has entered the market.

RockMelt offers social networking and feed options along the margins of your browser. Now Facebook and your internet surfing can co-exist in the same window frame.

I have to admit the interface is very compelling and easy to use.

Available as a browser on the PC, MAC and an App for iPhone and the Ipad .

Would you like to win a new iPad2 with red leather cover (notice the CCIM logo?)

Correctly answers the first 10 questions on our social networking quiz and give us some feedback on the next 4 questions at:

www.canteraconsultants.com/scavengerhunt
Good luck!

This marketing effort will be used to gauge the effectiveness of social networking in the marketing of the CCIM Technology and Social Networking course http://www.ccim.com/education/course/TSN/TSN0001 .

Over the weekend, I dropped my iPhone twice – one on the asphalt from about 3′ high – I watched it slide across the street. A bit of scuffing, but no real damage.

Then Sunday night, it fell out of my pocket as I was getting ready for bed – fell from less than a foot, BUT, bounced on the corner, spiderwebbbing the glass.

So today, via www.fix-iphones.com my iPhone 4 returned…all angelic in white!

And has a slew of new features including:
– 1/3 thinner – its now thinner than an iPhone 4 (with same 10 hour battery life of iPad 1)
– magnetic clip on cover case that doubles as a stand (thanks engadget)
– front and rear facing camera
– faster dual core processor
– built in gyroscope (helps with maps)
– HDMI output (possibly mirrored which would help for those of us who teach iPad classes)
– prices will be the same as current iPad (check Craigslist if you don’t need these new features, as I’ve been watching used iPad prices drop during the last week)

Additionally, Engadget mentions that Apple has sold 15 million iPads, and 100 million iPhones…in 2010! They’ve also sold over 100 million books via iBook (thanks engadget.com).

Thanks to my two favorite gadget blogs www.gizmodo.com and www.engadget.com for their live coverage today.

UPDATE: Apple has just updated their website and has photos, specifications, and info on how to order.

Engadget has an update with a hands on look – they are very impressed with the speed!

Apple has just added a video of yesterday’s keynote.