New app helps tradies find customers

A few weeks ago, I hired a local roofing contractor to do a small repair job. After the work was finished, I asked him how he got most of his jobs. While referrals from past customers was still his best marketing tool, he said many new customers are finding him the way I did - with an app.

I wasn’t surprised. App-based services like Home Advisor in the US and Hub Of Services in Australia are becoming more attractive to plumbers, carpenters, roofers and other service providers who want to connect with new customers.

Hub Of Services, an app that works for both service seekers and providers, was developed by a former landscaper who wanted an easy way to both find providers and get business leads without paying high fees or getting locked into a contract relationship.

With Hub Of Services, providers can create a simple page that lists their skills and specialties. Service categories include Electricians, Plumbers, Carpenters, Gardeners, Labourers, Builders and other.

There’s no annual fee for providers, no cost per lead and no commission fee to pay or limit on the number of leads that are generated. Inquiries from service seekers go directly to the provider’s smartphone.

The app is free to download and trades people have 35 days to try the service for free. If they want to continue after the trial period, a subscription is $20 per month with free cancellation at any time.

You can get more details on how the service works for both seekers and sellers at the Hub Of Services website. The apps are available in the  iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store. News about new providers joining the network is posted @HubOfServices on Twitter.

By: Ric Manning On 9/22/2016

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DSYNC integrates cloud and legacy systems

Like any mature business, the publishing company where I once worked was littered with incompatible data sets and management software. Created at different times over 30 years, none of them would play well together, forcing the IT department to either write new code or find the  best tool to integrate the disparate systems.

That’s a dilemma that DSYNC says it can solve.

Described as a “super blender,” DSYNC translates and synchronizes data between systems. The service works with both both on-premise installations and cloud applications to allow them to share and sync data in near real time.

Martin Novak, co-founder and CIO of the Australia-based company, said he and partner Simon Church developed DSYNC as an alternative to existing system integration, which can often be expensive and difficult to implement. Novak said:
 

We developed DSYNC to help enable connectivity. We quickly realized that even platforms were interested in our integration services as it helped to rapidly connect to multiple applications.

DSYNC works with retailers, insurance companies, banks, financial technology companies, the healthcare industry and government agencies. The service provides a drop and drag mapping and transformation engine, a prebuilt list of applications that it can instantly be connected and the ability to customize connectors. It also offers a developers’ kit for DIY integrations.

DSYNC offers a free trial with no credit card required. packages start at $100 US per month.

For more details, visit the DSYNC website and check out the video below.  The company is also on Twitter @_dsync and it will be on display in the US in September at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco and at SHOP.org, the conference for digital retailers, in Dallas.

By: Ric Manning On 8/06/2016

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New app shares travellers' photos

My globetrotting friends share photos of their latest adventures by posting them on Facebook and Instagram. But those pictures tend to get mixed up among photos of kids, pets, meals and other images that have nothing to do with travel.

A new iOS app called Hip Traveller invites users to share there photos they take while they’re on the move, giving its collections a much narrower focus.

The Hip Traveller website says the app “is for people who go off the circuit to find new hip places in famous cities or hidden gems around the world.”

Users who upload photos to the service are encouraged to add a few words about the area they visited and what made it special to them. They can also use the app to create a circle of friends for photo sharing and to find images captured in a specific part of the world.

Hip Traveller is available as a free download in the iTunes App Store.    

By: Ric Manning On 6/19/2016

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Bugle is a one-stop shop for household service providers

I need a handyman to fix a broken gutter, a plumber to replace an ancient toilet and an electrician to install a grounded outlet in the garage. Wouldn’t it be great if I could find all three in one place.

It turns out that there is such a place for people who live in or near Perth, Australia. It’s called Bugle and it brings together household service providers under one umbrella that is accessible from the web and from a mobile app.

Bugle says the vendors that it lists have been vetted and interviewed and that they are all insured. Bugle also posts prices for comparable jobs, sends customers an alert when a provider is heading toward your job and when they arrive and it lets you pay for services through a secure online portal.

For more details or to sign up, visit the Bugle website. Free Bugle apps are scheduled to arrive soon at the iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store.

By: Ric Manning On 5/28/2016

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Aussie host offers fast SSD cloud servers

Back when I worked with the digital developers at a large publishing company, their work was frequently slowed by the challenges of finding a proper server environment. Of course, the company had it’s own server, but it didn’t have the management and coding tools that help developers work faster and smarter.

CloudWired is a new hosting service based in Melbourne that wants to provide those tools and the type of digital environment that Australian developers want and need to do their best work.

CloudWired offers a fast, cloud-based solid-state (SSD) platform that it says will let small businesses and developers create a cloud server in under a few minute. The service provides a simplified control panel that lets operators manage apps, backups, load balancing, Windows OS and other tasks.

The service also offers one click installation of Linux distros such as CentOS, Debian, FreeBSD, Slackware, Fedora and others. And, there’s a community discussion forum where users can trade tips and tricks.
 
Prices for hosting at CloudWired start at $10AU per month for 1GB RAM, 20 GB SSD and 1 CPU. More details are available at the CloudWired website.

By: Ric Manning On 3/13/2016

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Zero wallet is thin, strong and stylish

My dad was a fat wallet guy. The big lump in his back pocket was a tattered leather wallet containing a collection of IDs, business cards, newspaper clippings, paper money and everything else he thought he might need at a moment’s notice.

I carry just as much stuff, but it’s in digital form stored on my mobile phone. For me, a wallet is something that holds my driver’s license, one or two credit cards and maybe a few dollars for bartenders and Uber drivers. That’s why I like the look of Zero, a slim but sturdy card wallet that comes with RFID security.

The leather wallet has five card slots, an elastic band and a belly area for cash. It also has both shielding to protect cards with RFID chips and a slot that lets you use those cards at tap-to-pay terminals.

The Zero wallet is in the final days of a Kickstarter campaign where the Melbourne-based developers have raised more than twice their target amount. The additional money will be used to develop enhanced version like a wallet with a companion USB drive.

The Kickstarter campaign is offering early bird specials starting at $29 AU (about $20 US). You can get the full Zero story on the Kickstarter page. You can also follow @rivalc0llective on Twitter and on Facebook or Instagram.

Zero - The Slimmest RFID secured card wallet ever! from RivalCollective on Vimeo.

By: Ric Manning On 9/25/2015

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Mobile phone repair service comes to you

The last time I needed a mobile phone repaired, I found a shop that would do the work while I waited. But when I arrived, I was told that the technician had been called away and would return in a couple of hours. By the time I returned and got the work done, I had blown about four hours of  a busy day.

If only I could have summoned Screen Fix Brisbane. It’s a service that makes house calls to fix iPhones and Samsung handsets. It’s like a pizza delivery service, but for your phone.

When you schedule a service call, a technician will arrive at the appointed time at your home, your office, a favorite cafe or some other mutually agreeable location. You get to watch television or have a latte while your phone gets fixed.

Most repairs will take about a half an hour and come with a two-year warranty on the work.

What a civilized idea. I’ve always said there's a lot we can learn from the Aussies.

If you’re in Brisbane - or you just want to see an innovative service at work - check out the video below and visit the Screen Fix Brisbane website. You can also follow them @screenfixbris on Twitter.

By: Ric Manning On 6/25/2015

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Website has solar quotes, news and advice

The road to energy independence is bathed in sunlight. As the cost of solar panels decreases, solar energy is becoming more attractive to people all around the world.

But anyone thinking about installing solar generators in their home or business needs first do some homework about the costs and benefits. A good place to start is Australian Solar Quotes.

The website delivers fast price quotes from solar providers based on a customer’s postal code in Australia. Other parts of the website offer information about solar energy that could prove useful to people anywhere in the world.

For example, there’s a link to download Solar Energy News, a free app that provides tools an information about solar power.  The app includes a solar news feed about the solar industry with articles written by staff writers and correspondents around the world.

Other features include a Solar Power Calculator that determines the potential savings from replacing conventional power sources with solar energy and a Solar Power Buyer’s Guide with advice and tips for solar shoppers.

The app is currently available in Google Play Store and an iOS version is slated to be released soon.

By: Ric Manning On 6/24/2015

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Instrotech aids appliance testing

The British may not be smarter than Americans, but they might be safer. Government regulations in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia require that electrical appliances are regularly examined to insure that they are safe.

The equipment to perform those Portable Appliances Tests (PAT) is available from a variety of sources such as Instrotech Ltd., an online vendor that stocks and sells a wide range of electrical and environmental test equipment.

The store sells testing gear made by manufacturers such as Fluke, FLIR, Martindale, Megger and Seaward that cover work in the electrical, gas, environmental, mechanical  and thermal areas. Is a microwave oven leaking radiation? Instrotech has testing gear that can find out.

In addition to offering testing equipment, Instrotech is a good source of information for technicians who perform the PATs. The News section of the website contains articles and papers on test procedures and regulations and comparisons of different equipment brands. One article examines a free app for iOS and Android devices that will record PAT test results, scan barcodes, capture appliance images and print labels.

To see more of what the company has to offer, visit the Instrotech website.

By: Ric Manning On 6/23/2015

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Australia's OgleBox plans to simplify video streaming

It’s pretty easy to get TV access to services like Netflix and YouTube, even in Australia where those and other popular streaming channels are available on smart TVs and plug-in devices like Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast.

But there are dozens of other streaming sources with names like Stan, Presto, 7+, Fetch and 9Jumpin that are typically available only through computer browsers.

A couple of Australian entrepreneurs hope to change that with the release of OgleBox, an Android-powered TV set-top box that is focused on the Australian market. The developers tell me that their box can deliver all Australian TV content, including SBS OnDemand, ABC iView, and other popular streamers.

OgleBox has not been released to the public. In fact, the developers haven’t released a photo of the device or announced pricing. They say it will be out “in the next couple of months.” Meanwhile, potential customers can check in at the OgleBox website for news and, soon, to put in a pre-release order.   

By: Ric Manning On 6/02/2015

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Service lets you play 40+ state and national lotteries

When I was in Europe a few years ago, I took a chance on Italy's national lottery thinking that beginner's luck just might break my way. I left country without a suitcase full of euros and figured that was the last I would see of any foreign lottery.

But last week I discovered theLotter, an online service and mobile app that lets people follow lottery results and purchase tickets for state and national lotteries around the world. More than 40 lotteries are listed at the theLotto.

Maybe you've heard about Australia's 9-number Oz lottery? How about the Dupla Sena in Brazil, Hong Kong's Mark Six or the Lucky Money game from Florida? They are all listed at theLotter.

The list of available lotteries includes national lotteries from Mexico, Sweden, Ukraine, Turkey, South Africa, among others. The service says it plans to add more lotteries from Germany, Belgium, Finland and Ireland.

The service uses a network of local offices around the world to purchase and hold lottery tickets for theLotter's customers. Players can see a scanned image of their tickets in their accounts and get an email and text message when they have a winner. Players who score secondary winnings will have the money deposited in their accounts.

theLotter's fee to purchase and hold tickets in built into the price of the ticket. You can play for as little as $2.50 or spend more than $100, depending on the number of lines and numbers you select. A ticket with three lines in the Spanish La Primivita lottery costs $10.60. A three-line ticket for the EuroJackpot costs $16.05. theLotter also lets you join syndicates where you can pool your money with groups of players.

In addition to theLotter website, the service also has mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Check out the video below for more details on how theLotter works.

By: Ric Manning On 4/12/2015

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Horrific crime leads to a apps for peace and forgiveness

If you want to know how to turn a horrible event into something positive, talk to Sue Henry. In 2012, her 72-year-old father was attacked in his home in Australia, severely beaten and later died. The attacker was eventually charged, convicted and sent to prison. Sue’s effort to deal with her conflicting emotions led her to create a website, blog and mobile apps called I Forgive You.

“What was left I realised was for me to be at peace with what had happened,” Sue writes on the site. “ I had to find it in my heart to forgive him. And it wasn’t something I was ready to share openly with my family or friends because I still couldn’t make sense of it, so I began to write things down. I wrote whenever something came to me, even if it was a small thing – for example “I forgive you for being a criminal” , “I forgive myself for harbouring thoughts of anger” .

I Forgive You invites users to record similar messages of forgiveness, gratitude, love, apology, thoughtfulness. The website also includes a blog and a list of resources for counseling and support services. The apps are free to download at the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

By: Ric Manning On 10/30/2014

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Group plans app for filing sweatshop complaints

We've all heard stories about poor working conditions in the Southeast Asia factories that produce our clothing and footwear. Reports of low wages, abusive treatment, unreasonable hours and even child labor have become disturbingly all too frequent.

Here's a way that you can help that doesn't require you to give up low-priced clothes and smart shoes. A team of people from New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia plan to develop a mobile application for factory workers and managers that will let them file grievances directly to the brands who are buying the good from the factories.

How will that happen? With an app on their mobile phones. The developers say "Brands such as adidas have already used an SMS system we deployed with them in Vietnam and Indonesia, now we want to improve this technology into an application."

The group currently has a fund-raising campaign under way on Kickstarter where it hopes to raise $60,000 NZD over the next two months. Supporters will get updates from the group and those who contribute larger amounts will get a personalized video. Find out more about the project at this Kictstarter page.

By: Ric Manning On 9/27/2014

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