Put Your Phone Away! - Android Notifications on Your Desktop

When going into the office, I often find that people's biggest distracting is their phone. I see people constantly checking their smartphone as they look as they work.  This is often because they are looking and responding to notifications that makes their phone buzz on their desk.  Since not all notifications are created equal, people will often waste time, taking their attention away from what they're working on to look at a Candy Crush Saga request. These minutes that we lose every time this type of thing happens can be a real drain to our overall productivity. 

The answer to this dilemma is an application called PushBullet.  PushBullet's main functionality is to allow you to move links from one device to another.  It has a secondary feature where it will allow you get your notifications that come to your show up on your computer . 

This can be done by simply installing the application on your android device and and also on your Chrome browser.  When the notification comes in , it displays on your computer that also allows you to dismiss the notification from your android device. 

Now useless notifications can be recognized while staying locked into your task at hand. 

MetroPCS Leading the Way Again with Voice Over LTE

MetroPCS are contually showing that they are a force to be recond with.  They have been able to have a number of notable "firsts" that have made them leading even the big carriers like Verizon. Some of the notable things that they pioneered:

• The first to offer true unlimited everything.
• The first to offer 4G LTE in the US (yes they beat Verizon)
• Now the first to release (voice over LTE) VoLTE.

Most may not understand the significance of VoLTE , but essentially it is similar to the move from beepers to cell phones.  VoLTE will greatly improve the stability of calls and the quality. By making the calls over the Internet there will be a lot more ways to innovate.

The first compatible phone will be the very capable LG Connect!

Read the press release below:

MetroPCS Launches World’s First Commercially Available Voice Over LTE Service and VoLTE-Capable 4G LTE Smartphone

DALLAS, Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS) today reached another innovation milestone by announcing the world’s first commercial launch of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services, availability of the world’s first VoLTE-capable handsets and the first sale of a VoLTE-capable handset at one of the company’s Dallas/Fort Worth store locations. MetroPCS is selling the new VoLTE-capable LG Connect 4G Android™ smartphone at select U.S. stores and will continue to roll out VoLTE services and phones in the coming weeks.

“Being the first operator globally to reach this industry first speaks volumes about our company’s innovative spirit and passion to achieve goals that we believe will have long-term benefit for our customers and for the company,” said Roger Linquist, chairman and chief executive officer of MetroPCS. “The initial move to LTE and this move to VoLTE allow us to achieve significant spectral efficiencies and will increase network capacity so that we can enhance the 4G LTE experience that our customers have today at a tremendous value. VoLTE also provides a foundational capability for future Rich Communication Services (RCS), which we plan to launch later this year.”

The addition of VoLTE capabilities to MetroPCS’ 4G LTE handsets will be transparent to consumers as they continue to enjoy all the voice and 4G LTE data services with which they are already familiar. Calls to and from the handset will use VoLTE, regardless of the handset or network used on the other end of the call.

MetroPCS was the first U.S. carrier to deploy a commercial 4G LTE network in September 2010 and has since built out its 4G LTE network to cover roughly 90 percent of its CDMA footprint.

About MetroPCS Communications, Inc.

Dallas-based MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS) is a provider of no annual contract, unlimited wireless communications service for a flat rate. MetroPCS is the fifth largest facilities-based wireless carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers served. With Metro USA(SM), MetroPCS customers can use their service in areas throughout the United States covering a population of over 280 million people. As of June 30, 2012, MetroPCS had approximately 9.3 million subscribers. For more information please visit www.metropcs.com.

Plot out Your Empire with Mindmeister

People process information in many different ways.  For those that process information easiest by creating diagrams, Mindmeister can help you visualize your empire.  Mindmeister is a web application that has an Android component which allows you to do tree-like diagrams where one item braces to the next.  This is great for me when planning businesses, as it gives me a visual representations of how the business needs to be set up and the and the details that relate to it .

The service is free for a limited amount of diagrams.  The Android application is also free, and stays consistent with the look and feel of the web application.

Resources:

MindMeister Web App
MindMeister Android Application

Become an Android Supreme Multi-Tasker

The world is a fast and furious place. The global market-place has made things so competitive, that it is necessary for you to do multiple tasks at once. Knowing this, Google has baked in multi-tasking features , but developers have taken it a step further and made it possible to do a number of tasks in slick ways.  Here is a list of the top three apps that I have found:

1. Swipepad Free - Swipepad is app that allows you to launch apps by swiping your finger on specific regions on your device. I find that it is the best because it allow a lot of flexibility on how you want to initiate it.

2. Dock4Droid $1.79 - Dock4Droid is very reminiscent of the dock on the Mac Operating System.  I find that it is very visually pleasing but not as feature-rich as SwipePad.

3.  QuickDesk $0.99 - QuickDesk is a very simple application that locks on to the home buttn double click function.  It is the most simple of the three but also the most limiting.  Use this if you are new to Android and not looking to be overwhelemed with features,

Do It Well with Doit.im - Sub-tasks Done the Right Way

Your son's football practice, getting ready for the big meeting, getting ready for the real estate exam.  All of these tasks can have multiple tasks within .  There are a great deal of tasks management programs that will help you organize your life , but they all had one big flaw, and that is the way that they handled sub-tasks. 

The advantage of the managing tasks using sub-tasks, is that you will separate your tasks into projects.  This , for me , has been very powerful because I can easily group my tasks and focus on details that I may miss otherwise.  There is only one system that that I have found available that is both an Android application and a web application.  The application is called Doit.im.  

This powerful application gives you the ability to create tasks just as your simple tasks managers like Tasks (yes the application is called tasks) , but it goes much further with powerful subtasks options. The subtasks are used through projects.  Each project can have several subtasks.

Doit.im also has a powerful online application that is very consistent and works very well.  This application are for those that are highly productive and need to manage their lives like a business.  Doit.im is the perfect companion for the hustler in you!

Doit.im android application

Doit.im web application

Previous blog on Astrid with Producteev 

How To Make a Dollar Out of 15 Cents - Book Review

The book store  is overloaded with business books that focus on feelings.  It makes sense if I purchased a book with the expectation that it is going to somehow help me get more money, that I am not looking for a warm and fuzzy feeling.  I just want the information!  Sadly, what I am left with is a stack of books that spend a great deal of time wasting my time.  This is not the case with Daniel Freeman's debut book "How To Make a Dollar Out of Fifteen Cents".

This book is organized in a very consistent manner.  It is broken into three parts : Foundation , Building , and Building the Empire.  Within these parts Freeman details things from buying the right car to building a business.  What makes this book different , is that he comes at each item debunking common misconceptions then giving sound advice.  What also makes this advice so valuable, is that it is something you can put into action right now.  A good example of this is how he gets into savings bonds. One can, at this very moment buy $25 dollars in bonds just to get started.  Most books about money all seem to have a punchline.  At the end they either just gave you a good feeling , or they are directing you to their website to buy their "90 step plan to prosperity".  This book is a complete guide on how to get started and what you need to do once you have started.  This is one of those dangerous books that backs you in a corner; because once you have the information, the only road block is you! I give this book a 10 out of 10!  Buy it now at www.dollar15.com.

More info:

Rise and Grind (Freeman's Website) 

Education Moving Forward with Khan Academy

It is very easy to get too busy to make sure that the kids are studying. When you are consentrating on so many things, the kids get lost in the shuffle. Khan Academy is a great website that allows you to create a lesson plan that can be tracked.

I have found it very useful . My only problems are two things:  One you have to have a Google or Facebook account to join.  This was not a problem for my older kids but an issue for the seven year-olds.  My other issue is that the information tracking does not show up in the mobile application.  These small issues are small and I am sure they will be addressed with later updates to the site.  

I highly recommend that this site as it will give you a way to have study time over and above their school work.  

Check out this video where the one and only Bill Gates co-signs this site:

Resources:

Khan Academy 

Producteev + Astrid The "Getting Things Done" Marriage

This is the first post that I will be making on this blog and I wanted it to represent what this blog is about. The goal that I had when thinking of creating a blog was to empower the "Go-Getters".  I want to make sure that the tech that people use everyday, are used to their fullest potential. I also want to inform people of new technology that will help them run their business, go through school , or navigate their careers.

The program (or programs) that fit this bill, are Producteev and Astrid.  These are two programs but they work together as a great task/to-do management system. I have spent hours researching a task management system and this one by far brings the most features and the cleanest interface.

Producteev is a web based program at www.producteev.com, it uses a very colorful interface and is very flexible.  The best way to use this is by using the GTD methodology by David Allen.  If you are not familiar with the GTD methodology, and to get a walk through on how to use it with Producteev, check out this article here for more details.

Astrid is an Android app that has been out since the early days of Android.  This means that it has been developed to be very stable and feature rich.  The interface can be modified to light , dark or transparent so you have enough options there to make it visually pleasing.

The power of these systems are from the pairing of the two programs.  The key to making this work for you is to get very familiar with the Producteev program, spend time setting it up, and sync the tasks with Astrid.  This is a seamless process and makes your Android device your reminder for all of your tasks.  When used properly, it can really make a difference in your productivity.   I have used these programs for school and my business for the last four months and I have found that I am getting more done and wasting less time.

These are free programs so there is no excuse for not getting that long list of objectives done and putting more money in your pocket as a result!

Resources:

Producteev Website
Astrid Program
GTD Methodology with Producteev
Getting Things Done by David Allen (Book)