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Top Apps and Software for Synced Devices

Top Apps and Software for Synced Devices

With smartphones, tablets and laptops now an everyday fixture in people’s lives, the long-held promise of near universal connectivity has finally arrived. Spearheaded by companies like Samsung, which has invested heavily in sync devices over the last half-decade, this new connected era allows individuals to access information, personal data, files and more, from anywhere and at any time. Whether you want to settle a bet at the bar, pull up a work file during the weekend, or need to conduct some last-minute banking, you can, right from your phone. These connected devices have literally changed the world for hundreds of millions of people.

So You’re Thinking of Syncing Your Devices…

To make the most of sync devices requires some degree of engagement from the user. Syncing information to multiple devices – so that it can be viewed on, say, both your smartphone and laptop, for example – isn’t hard, per se, but isn’t always intuitive either. If you’ve heard the phrase “sync devices” bandied about but never quite understood how to do it yourself, then this article is for you. With the applications and software programs listed below, syncing your devices – and putting all of your information right at your fingertips – is easier than ever. Download these apps today and get started.

Google Drive

Google DriveOne of the easiest, quickest and most intuitive ways to sync devices and make information accessible anywhere is through Google Drive. All that’s needed is a Google account, which by this point in time most people have, and one can store and create documents in the cloud. Think of Google Drive as Gmail for files, rather than messages. Everything from photos to spreadsheets and text documents can be stored, and shared, using Google Drive – and it’s incredibly easy and free.

Source: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs

Dropbox

DropboxSimilar to Google Drive, Dropbox enables online, cloud-based storage of various file types, including photos, music, spreadsheets, PDFs and more. However, as Dropbox isn’t provided by one of the Internet’s largest, most reputable companies, some accounts do require payment. After all, Dropbox has to pay the bills somehow, and it doesn’t have a massive advertising platform to do it! That being said,

Dropbox does offers free account options, and is a proven and respected platform for storing information in a central location for decentralized access.

Source: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dropbox.android

Goodsync

GoodSynchAvailable for Windows, Apple, and Android devices, Goodsync is a software program that automatically backs up files on sync devices, without storing them in the cloud. The program can both backup and sync files, and it can do so either in real-time or on scheduled delay. And with Goodsync Connect, it does this quickly and securely, without relying on 3rd party servers, which can slow this process down and introduce potential vulnerability.

Source: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.siber.gsserver

Apple iCloud

Apple icloudIf you have an Apple product, then you are likely already aware of iCloud. In fact, if you’re like some, you may be familiar with iCloud because you’ve been frustrated with the service a time or two. Despite some issues that may hinder ease of use for some, there can be no doubt that iCloud is a tremendously powerful and effective platform for sync devices. Whether it’s music, photos, apps, or more, iCloud makes it possible to view all of your data across the full suite of Apple products – iPhones, iPads, iMacs and more. And like Google Drive, it’s entirely free. Better yet (for most, anyway), it’s automatic too. Activate it and forget about it!

Source: http://www.connectedrogers.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/apple-icloud.jpg

About the Author
Jessica Oaks is a freelance journalist who loves to cover technology news and the way that technology can make life easier. She is also an editor at www.freshlytechy.com. Follow her on Twitter @TechyJessy.

Danipa Joins Dropbox Partner Network

logo_color_Danipa

At Danipa, providing quality solutions for our customers has always been a top priority. Since day one, we’ve been committed to hand-picking the best options to fit our customers’ needs.

That’s why it was a no-brainer for us to join the Dropbox Partner Network and add Dropbox for Business to our suite of services. The reason we’re really excited, though, is because Dropbox is a unique offering that delivers the same trusted, user-friendly service to businesses through Dropbox for Business.

Founded in 2007, Dropbox has been a trusted service for 300 million users to put their most important stuff. It solves the tough problem of syncing files from your computer so you can work on them offline, and lets you have all your stuff, whenever you need it. Dropbox is also cross-platform, so you can use it with the operating system or mobile device your company already uses.

Dropbox for Business adds robust management and control for IT admins to the same easy-to-use experience people know and love with Dropbox. Dropbox is helping empower employees with the tech they love, while giving IT the confidence that their data is secure.

Whether your employees are already using Dropbox, have never tried a cloud-based solution, or are somewhere in-between, Dropbox for Business makes it incredibly easy to get started or move onto the business offering. Plus, we’ll be there with you every step of the way to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Dropbox for Business is currently used in over 4 million businesses, with 1 billion files saved per day.

To learn more about Dropbox for Business and how it can impact your business, contact us at (519) 748-6874 to speak with one of our sales specialists.

View the official Press Release:

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1432086/danipa-business-systems-inc-joins-the-dropbox-partner-network-to-provide-customers-with-secure-and-easy-file-sync-and-share

About Danipa
Danipa is a web design and Internet marketing company based in Kitchener, Ontario. We offer secure cloud-based solutions that allow businesses to share important documents across multiple devices, improve employee productivity and efficiency while cutting their IT cost. For more information about Danipa, please visit http://www.danipa.com.

About Dropbox:
Dropbox simplifies the work and personal lives of millions of people by letting them bring their documents, photos and videos anywhere and share them easily. The service has more than 300 million users and is used in over 4 million businesses, with over 1 billion files saved per day. For more information, please visit https://www.dropbox.com/press

The Rise of Large-Screen Devices Highlights Importance of Mobile Websites

With the introduction of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, there is now no denying the popularity – and demand – for large-screen devices. Perhaps the most famous and prolific of the smaller screen holdouts, the iPhone represented a bygone era; one in which devices were designed to fit nicely in your pocket, but perhaps not with ease of use in mind. But now that the larger iPhone 6 has ushered in a new era at the world’s largest technology company, the writing is on the wall. With devices like the iPhone and iPad Air getting ever larger, the era of the large display has proudly arrived.

It’s Time to Reconsider the Browsing Experience

So what are the potential repercussions of larger screens on traditionally mobile devices? What does it say about users, and the public in general, that mobile devices are growing in size with each passing year? And does it foretell a time when mobile devices will no longer be, well, mobile? We may not be able to answer all of these questions, but in general, it can be stated without too much controversy that screens are growing in size because people are increasingly turning away from their desktop devices and towards their smart devices for everyday use. With smartphones, tablets and phablets becoming much more than mere novelties – in fact, they have become the new computers – it was perhaps inevitable that screens would grow in size to accommodate the devices’ new roles.

If it’s true that individuals are increasingly using their mobile devices for everything from Internet browsing to online purchases to banking – and let us state plainly that they are – then it is also true that companies which previously designed their websites primarily for a desktop viewing experience need to reevaluate their approach to how people view the Internet. A business that fails to develop a mobile-friendly website runs the real risk of alienating its customer base and losing its competitive edge. Mobile is the future of Internet use, and making a website that is compatible across devices is as important as it once was to make a website that was compatible across browsers.

What Is a Mobile-Friendly Website?

The easiest way to answer this question might be to state what a mobile-friendly website is not: a mobile website is not a separate and unique website, wholly different from its desktop version. Though this might have been the case four or five years ago, when smartphones were first arriving into the marketplace, that is no longer true. Now, a mobile-friendly website is one that is mobile-responsive, capable of adapting and changing as needed to fit the screen that it’s on, but maintaining its core elements, from content to design.

But why is a mobile-responsive site needed? In simple terms, mobile websites live by a different set of rules. Buttons and links are generally larger, extraneous information might be marginalized, layouts become more vertical (or horizontal, depending on the screen), and the interface morphs so that it is better suited to a touch screen, as opposed to a desktop monitor. As the name implies, a mobile-friendly website is one that provides a friendly and pleasant user experience for individuals on mobile devices – not one that is frustrating and unsatisfying. Think of how annoying it is to have to tap, pinch and zoom; mobile-friendly websites aim to eliminate this.

Source: http://www.abookapart.com/products/responsive-web-design

responsive

Mobile is the Future – Are Businesses Ready?

With phablets, tablets and smartphones selling like hotcakes (no doubt spurred on by companies like T-Mobile offering free 4G LTE for devices like the iPad Air and Galaxy Note 4), businesses would be well-advised to hop on the mobile-friendly bandwagon now, before it’s too late. Think about how often you use your smartphone or tablet to view the Internet (the odds are good you’re using one right now), and then let that answer the question of whether it’s important or not for companies to develop websites for mobile. The answer couldn’t be more clear.

Source: http://autopilotonlinesuccess.com/responsive-design/2362/

starbucks responsive

About the Author
Jessica Oaks is a freelance journalist who loves to cover technology news and the way that technology can make life easier. She is also an editor at www.freshlytechy.com. Follow her on Twitter @TechyJessy.

Does Social Media Affect SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?

 

Yes, yes and yes. Social media is just another way to generate backlinks  to your site, which might help you rank higher –depending on what people are saying about your business.

mqdefault157With the popularity of social media rising, specifically Facebook well over 500 million users and growing, it’s a market you can’t afford to ignore. That’s thousands of potential leads, customers and contacts for your business. Additionally Facebook has its own pay per click campaigns so you can reach out to even more users, specifically by their interests, age and gender if necessary. Facebook has also recently introduced a whole new level of ecommerce on their site, so all your business has to do is tap into it.

Twitter is another major social media player that you really shouldn’t ignore. Twitter works by giving users bits of quick hit information. Your business can use this to its advantage by offering Twitter only coupons, a behind the scenes look at your company, previews of upcoming promotions, and more. Twitter also helps you rank higher on Google as people re-tweet you and your company name shows up more and more often.
This practice leads to  higher visibility, and pushes you up as a trusted or recognized authority on the topic in organic search.

Social media can also help you to connect with your clients in a way that wasn’t possible before. You can get to know who they are, what their needs are, and most importantly what they are saying about your business as a whole. This helps you see a direct correlation between how you’re operating, how effectively your marketing dollars are being spent and what you can do to make improvements. And all of this straight from the horse’s mouth, not from a focus group or third party survey company.

So, why wouldn’t your company jump on the social media bandwagon? Well, there are a few reasons some businesses are dragging their feet. One is fear of the unknown. New technology always presents a certain amount of uncertainty. However, as a leader in your industry don’t be afraid to jump into this market with both feet. Unless you participate in a pay per click campaign, the only thing it’s going to cost you to get your social media visibility going is man hours, so you really don’t have much to lose here.

The bottom line is if you don’t jump into the social media world, your competition will. Then they will have access to the hundreds of millions of users you passed on. You might as well just hand your business over to your competition if you choose to ignore this growing market. So, play your cards right, and accept the fact that social media does affect SEO. The conversations between people online and user generated content matter to Google and they include it in their SEO algorithm.



Blog Post courtesy of Optimum 7

Gmail: Understanding and Managing labels

Labels help you organize your messages into categories — work, family, to do, read later, jokes, recipes, any category you want. Labels do all the work that folders do, but with an added bonus: you can add more than one to a message.

Only you can see your labels, so whether you mark a message with “Best friend” or “Read later,” the sender will never know.

Create a label

Here’s how to create a label that you can add to any of your messages:
On the left side of the page, click More at the bottom of your labels list. (If you don’t see “More,” grab the gray dividing line with your cursor and drag it down to show more labels.)

Click Create new label.

Type the name of your new label and click Create.
You can also create a new label for a message in your Inbox by selecting the box next to the message, clicking the Label button above your message list, and then clicking Create new.

Apply your label

You can add a label to your messages in several ways:
When viewing your Inbox, select the checkbox next to those messages, click the Labels button, and click the label you want. (Or check the boxes next to several labels and click Apply.)

When viewing a message, click the Labels button to add a label to the message. You can also click and drag a label from the left side, and drop it on the message.
When writing a new message, click More options drop-down arrow More options in the bottom right corner of the compose window, click Label, and then select one of your labels.

When you add a label to a conversation, it only applies to the messages already in that conversation – not to messages sent after you applied the label. When you search for labeled messages, you’ll see any messages that match the label, along with their conversation thread. However, you won’t be able to search for an individual message in the thread that doesn’t have that label.

Organize your labels

Hover your cursor over the label on the left side of your Gmail page, and click the down-arrow that appears next to that label. A menu appears where you can change the label’s color and edit its settings, or click Edit to change the label’s name. In that menu, you can also click Remove label to delete the label from your list and remove it from all messages that were tagged with that label. You can also edit and delete labels in the Labels tab of your Gmail Settings.

Create Sub-Labels

You can add a sub-label beneath a label to create a hierarchy. For example, if you have a label for your vacations, and want to create another specifically for a trip to Hawaii, you can nest the “Hawaii” label inside your “Vacations” label. When creating a new label, you can make it a sub-label underneath another label that’s already in your account by checking the box next to ‘Nest label under’ and selecting which label you’d like to nest it under. You can also create sub-labels by hovering your cursor over an existing label on the left side of your Gmail page, clicking the down-arrow that appears next to that label, and selecting ‘Add sublabel.’

How to change your label settings

You can control some of the settings for your labels on your Labels tab. Get there by clicking the gear icon , select Settings, then Labels. Here are a few examples:
Choose which labels appear in your list on the left: In the “Show in label list” column, click the “show” or “hide” link next to each label to choose whether it will be shown in the left panel of your Gmail pages. You can also set labels to appear only when they contain unread messages (otherwise, they will be hidden).

Choose which labels appear on your messages: In the “Show in message list” column, you can choose whether you’ll see each label displayed next to its messages’ subject lines. Click hide if you don’t want to see that label name when you look at the messages it contains.

Delete labels: If you see a label that you don’t want anymore, click remove in the “Remove label” column. (You’ll have to confirm that you’d like to remove the label by clicking Delete.)



Video: Managing Labels

Gmail: Managing labels

Quickly revise labels to tag and organize your Gmail messages.

Gmail: Unthread your conversations

Normally, Gmail groups a message and its replies in a single, threaded conversation. If you prefer, however, you can switch back and forth between conversation view, and the traditional, unthreaded view, where all messages are listed separately.

Threaded vs. unthreaded view

After switching to unthreaded view, you’ll notice several changes in your Inbox. First, the number of messages in your Inbox will likely increase (1). This is because, rather than showing a single entry for the entire conversation, Gmail now intersperses messages throughout your Inbox, based on the date they were received (2).

Gmail threaded mail

Switching to unthreaded view (and switching back)

1. Open your Gmail Settings
2. On the General tab, under Conversation View, select Conversation view off.
3. Click Save Changes.

To switch back to Conversation view later, just come back here and select Conversation view on.

Gmail Threaded_2

How Unthreaded Gmail changes your Inbox

What exactly happens when you turn off Conversation view?
● Gmail reloads your Inbox and displays all messages in the unthreaded, message-based view, sorted in reverse chronological order. Based on the number of previously threaded messages you had, you’ll typically notice more messages listed in your Inbox.

● Replies to messages you sent display as separate entries in your Inbox.

● When you reply to a message, the message is sent to the recipient and to your Sent Mail label. It’s not linked to the original message.

● When viewing messages others have replied to, you’ll see the entire contents of all replies in the body of the email.

● To find messages previously linked together based on a particular subject, search for the messages based on the subject or keywords contained within the subject.

● Unthreaded view has no effect on any chats listed in your Inbox.

Check back on Danipa’s blog for more handy Gmail tips! Have a questions about Google Apps? Comment below and and will do our best to answer you question!

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Using social media successfully in your small business marketing

This video by the Cogent Coach, offers some great tips on how to get the most out of your social media marketing efforts.

Topics covered include:

  • What is Social media Marketing
  • Major sites / Tips / Techniques
  • How to integrate Social Media into your marketing
  • Automating your efforts

New Testimonial video for Danipa

Global Pet Foods KW has three locations in Kitchener & Waterloo making them very busy. We worked with them to create a website that has the ability to showcase the many products that they offer, and a blog for posting relevant articles and pet care tips. We also work closely with them to manage their social media accounts and email blasts.

Check out what they have to say about Danipa below:

Please feel free to give us a call if you have any questions about the services that we offer!

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What is Responsive Website Design?

As a business owner, there are a number of different options to consider when developing your website.

Responsive web design or “RWD” is a newer method of building a website which aims to deliver a website that is automatically tailored to the device and environment of the user who is accessing your website. Just as your needs for web browsing are different when browsing on a desktop in the comfort of your home/office compared with an iPhone while rushing through a busy airport, your website can also change to deliver a different experience depending on whether you’re at home, on the go, on a large screen device, or a small smartphone.

Watch the video below to learn more about Responsive Design.

Join the discussion and view the tutorial on Tutvid.com: http://tutvid.com SPONSOR: |||| ||||

Responsive Design

2 Gmail Ninja Tips!

These 2 Gmail tips will save you time! Learn how to enable “Canned Responses” and also how to quickly undo an email after you have clicked the send button!

Saving you time and Saving your bacon, that is what these two terrific Gmail features will do for you! Hiding from plain sight in the Labs section of Gmail are two tools that we all need to know about. Canned Responses and Undo Send!

Video Rating: 4 / 5

Danipa Launches New Website for Platinum Key Real Estate

We recently successfully launched a beautiful website for a new Real Estate brokerage in Mount Brydges, Ontario.

Home Page Platinum KeyPlatinum Key Realty Inc. is a full-service real estate brokerage, located in the heart of Middlesex County, that delivers the experience and expertise that today’s housing market demands. They came to Danipa looking for assistance in creating their new home on the internet! They wanted to be able to connect with current and new clients with a blog, and to also allow for the search of new listings on the website.

We also integrated third party applications to allow for on-site MLS searches of listings and for the viewing of Visual Listings..

Platinum Key Virtual Tour Listing

Platinum Key MLS Search

Platinum Key also wanted the ability to connect with clients through their blogging.

Blog Thumbnail

Easy to manage agent bio pages were also needed, they are easy to set up as the company grows and new agents are added!

Platinum Key Agent Page

It was a pleasure to work with Platinum Key! If you are looking to buy or sell real estate in Middlesex County, make sure that you drop the friendly people at Platinum Key a line! They will go out of their way to make your experience a positive one!

Visit the new website at www.platinumkey.ca

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Danipa Joins Google Apps Authorized Reseller Program

KITCHENER, ON, Jan. 6, 2014 – Danipa Business Systems Inc. today announced it has become a Google Apps for Business Authorized Reseller.

“The Google Apps Reseller program will help us enhance the value of Google Apps for businesses in Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding areas,” said Patrick Aboagye, President & CEO of Danipa. “Google Apps for Business offers a broad set of powerful APIs that enable us to deliver innovative cloud-based solutions for our customers at reduced IT cost.”

Google Apps brings simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools to organizations of any size – all hosted by Google to streamline setup, minimize maintenance, and reduce IT costs.

With Gmail (including Google email security and retention, powered by Google Vault), Google Calendar, and Google Sites, users can stay connected and work together with ease. With Google Docs and Google Drive, which include word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and website creation tools, users can share files and collaborate in real-time, keeping versions organized and available wherever and whenever users work.

The Google Apps Reseller program includes value-added resellers, consultants, managed software providers, and independent software vendors that sell, service and customize Google Apps for Business for their customers. Danipa received training, support and deployment services from Google, as well as access to APIs for integrating Google Apps into their customers’ business operations.

Danipa is able to retain a close relationship with their customers by providing additional service and support. The businesses receiving Google Apps will benefit from the additional attention to their specific needs.

For more information on Danipa’s program please visit www.danipa.com/google-apps-for-business and to learn more about the Google Apps Reseller program, please visit www.google.com/a/partners.

ABOUT DANIPA BUSINESS SYSTEMS INC.

Danipa is a web design, development and Internet marketing company based in Kitchener, Ontario that develops online solutions for businesses worldwide. We have been providing cloud-based solutions for businesses in the Kitchener-Waterloo area for over 7 years and have expertise in web design, development and the setup up of Google Apps, Google Analytics, Google AdWords and Google Webmaster Tools.

Google, Google Apps, Gmail, Google Talk, Google Drive, Google Vault, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites and Google Video are trademarks of Google Inc.

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