For more than 20 years, Rick Broida has written about all manner of technology, from Amigas to business servers to PalmPilots. His credits include dozens of books, blogs, and magazines. He sleeps with an iPad under his pillow. More by Rick Broida
That said, a second monitor requires a sizable chunk of desk space, which isn't always practical. Maybe you'd be better off with a single, larger monitor?
With that in mind, I've been road-testing (make that desk-testing) an AOC I2757Fh, a desktop LCD with a whopping 27-inch diagonal size.
For more than 20 years, Rick Broida has written about all manner of technology, from Amigas to business servers to PalmPilots. His credits include dozens of books, blogs, and magazines. He sleeps with an iPad under his pillow. More by Rick Broida
But let's forget cost for a minute. And size. And screen resolution. Those are important considerations, yes, but any tablet is only as good as the apps it can run. I suspect the truly smart shoppers out there are focused more on how the Mini can help them work smarter/faster/better, and not the number of pixels per inch the screen has.
With that in mind, I've rounded up five essential business apps for the iPad Mini. Of course, because the new tablet can run all the same apps is its bigger brethren, these are equally essential choices for all iPads.
For more than 20 years, Rick Broida has written about all manner of technology, from Amigas to business servers to PalmPilots. His credits include dozens of books, blogs, and magazines. He sleeps with an iPad under his pillow. More by Rick Broida
If you handle the IT chores for your business, you've no doubt heard by now that Windows 8 is a little, um, different.
For example, there's no Start button. The traditional desktop has been supplanted by a tile-heavy, tablet-style interface. And what's this whole Charms bar thing?
For more than 20 years, Rick Broida has written about all manner of technology, from Amigas to business servers to PalmPilots. His credits include dozens of books, blogs, and magazines. He sleeps with an iPad under his pillow. More by Rick Broida
Cue for iOS.
By all accounts, Dropbox rocks. It ranks up there with sliced bread and chocolate fountains, offering simple cloud storage that syncs across your various devices.
But part of what makes Dropbox such an invaluable business tool is the way it integrates with different apps and services, especially those aimed at boosting your productivity.
For more than 20 years, Rick Broida has written about all manner of technology, from Amigas to business servers to PalmPilots. His credits include dozens of books, blogs, and magazines. He sleeps with an iPad under his pillow. More by Rick Broida
The maxim is as old as business itself: work smarter, not harder.
The same could be applied to email marketing. Instead of randomly lobbing messages at customers and potential customers, send them targeted, actionable missives based on their behavior.
Marketing service Vero promises exactly that kind of "smarter" messaging—usually to the tune of at least $50 per month. But right now they're running a promotion with AppSumo: a full year of Vero email marketing for $49.
For more than 20 years, Rick Broida has written about all manner of technology, from Amigas to business servers to PalmPilots. His credits include dozens of books, blogs, and magazines. He sleeps with an iPad under his pillow. More by Rick Broida
It's the ultimate business hack: Instead of traveling to meet with a client, a design team, or anyone else you need to see face-to-face, you stay put and set up a video call instead. The technology is there—Skype, WebEx, etc.—and it can save you considerable time and money.
Indeed, think of what's involved in the typical business trip. Airfare. Hotel. Rental cars and/or taxis. Lunches. Dinners. And at least a day of your time, if not the better part of a week.
A videoconference, on the other hand, requires only a few minutes of setup, some equipment you may already have, and the time it takes for the actual meeting. Like I said: the ultimate business hack.
For more than 20 years, Rick Broida has written about all manner of technology, from Amigas to business servers to PalmPilots. His credits include dozens of books, blogs, and magazines. He sleeps with an iPad under his pillow. More by Rick Broida
It goes without saying that Square has revolutionized payment processing for many a small business—but it's not the ideal solution for every small business.
For one thing, it doesn't accommodate cash. For another, it doesn't print receipts (not without a third-party printer, that is). And it requires you to own a smartphone or tablet, hardware not every business owner can afford.
