#36 Google QR Codes

According the NY Times, in the coming weeks, Google plans to send out 100,000 of these stickers, each with their own QR code, to a new demographic of businesses Google is calling “Favorite Places”. These favorites are based on search results from users interacting with local business listings on Google Maps.

W6M: I knew that QR Codes had been around in Asia for years. I am really excited to see what happens when they hit the U.S.

#29 Apps Get Real

Gravitytank, an innovation and growth consultancy based in Chicago, recently completed a comprehensive study on mobile apps - those bite-sized applications on smartphones that are changing how we interact with software, our phones, big brands, our health, and much more.

You knew this intuitively. But interesting to see the numbers: The more time iPhone users spend with their apps, the less time they spend watching TV, reading newspapers, using PCs and pretty much everything else.

W6M: iPhone Apps allow for a much more targeted audience. The are not only fun, but they are useful tools. Expect to see more apps in the future. Currently iPhone dominates the App arena, but expect to see Google, T-Moblie and BlackBerry catching up soon.

#3 iPhone 3G Proves To Be Worth It - See if you qualify for an AT&T Discount

Obviously I am a little behind the curve on this one, but I finally broke down and got the iPhone and love it. Since purchasing the phone in July, I have tried to convince all my friends to get one.

The phone itself is decent, sometimes I lose a call here and there, but you will have that. The real draw though is everything else the phone offers.

• My work email and Gmail all feed into one easy to use location. I can't figure out how to get Hotmail to sync up though. I am guessing Apple doesn't want to play nice. I tried to forward my Hotmail to my Gmail account, but looks like Microsoft doesn't want to play nice either.
• The iPhone allows you access to tons of great applications. You can search what the top free and paid apps are. Usually the paid apps have similar versions that are available for free.
• GPS is a little tricky to use while you are driving, but works pretty well.
• Camera takes decent pictures, but no video on the 3G.
• Youtube works great, but iPhone does not support flash so some websites are hard to access.
• Contacts, Favorites and Recent calls are easy to access.

Also, AT&T offers cell phone discounts to companies and schools. Looks like my company does not get one, but yours might. I typed in my college email address and it worked. As long as your account is active, you might be eligible for a discount.

https://www.wireless.att.com/business/enrollment/

W6M: Your clients are always looking to test out the next best thing. If you aren't up to date on the latest technologies, your clients may look elsewhere. Try to be on top of the latest and greatest. You may miss out if you don't.