It's always cool to see science fiction become reality. One of the latest tech gadgets to bring the ideas of writers like Bradbury and Asimov to life is Google Glass, Google's augmented reality mobile device. In late April, Google announced that the first version was being shipped to certain lucky users who had signed up for it, leaving the rest of us to wonder exactly how the device will work. Well, wonder no more.

Google recently posted a video on YouTube giving a quick run-through of how to use Glass. Before we go over how users will interact with this new tech, here's a brief overview of the project.

What is Glass? Project Glass was introduced by Google in early 2012, and is essentially a wearable computer (running a version of Android) you wear on your head like glasses. Indeed, the shape of the device at first glance resembles a pair of spectacles: there are the usual two arms along with nose grips. However, instead of glass, there is a mini screen or HUD (Head Up Display) that sits just above your right eye. The HUD displays information much like a smartphone screen, and you can interact with the computer and the Internet using voice commands.

Currently, wearer's with prescription glasses can't actually use the device, but Google has confirmed that the device, if you can call it that, will eventually have lenses much like a normal pair of glasses.

So, how does it work? The video (watch it here), uploaded by Google, sheds a little light on how a user will interact with this device. For example there is a touch-sensitive area on the arm of the device which extends from your temple to just above your right ear. Tapping this will wake it from sleep mode, and display a clock on the screen which sits just above your right eye.

The clock is your home screen, and looks similar to the clock on the lock screen of almost every Android device. You can scroll to the left (by touching the pad near your ear and moving it towards your ear. This will display upcoming information like the weather, flights, or events.

Touching the pad and swiping towards your eye will display information from previous uses like messages, pictures and videos. Tapping on the screen will activate that relevant information. For example, if you are looking at a brief overview of an event, you can tap the device to bring up more information.

One of Google's previous videos showed how you can also interact with Glass by using voice commands. Saying, "Ok glass, take a picture." Will take bring up the camera and take a picture of what you're looking at. You can also ask questions to have glass search Google Now by saying something like, "Ok Glass, What is the traffic like?" To bring up a Google Map with the latest traffic highlighted.

Will it be useful for business? While this is undoubtedly one of the coolest products of the past couple of years, the actual usefulness of the device for business remains to be seen. For now, this device will likely be the domain of app developers and extreme early adopters. But this device, like the smartphone, will likely be incredibly disruptive when it's launched for the masses.

What do you think of Google Glass? Would you buy one if you had the opportunity? Let us know.

When it comes to smartphones, there are a multitude of reasons as to why users choose them. One of the popular reasons is because of the apps which bring functionality to the phone and allow business users to increase their efficiency. For Android phone users, you have an app that can help provide you with some extra information during phone calls.

Call Notes is an app for Android that adds notes to the phone interface while you are making a call. When you receive a call the note, which you can attach to the caller's profile, is shown on the screen under their picture or the call icon. The note can be moved anywhere on the screen and edited during the call if you purchase the Pro version.

Why is this app useful? If you make business calls on your Android device and would like to have some information about the caller on hand, this app could be a good tool. The Pro version also allows users to add a company name and a title which can also help. Being able to create notes while in a call is also useful. For example If the caller says something, or you agree on something and you don't have any paper handy you can add a note.

How does it work? You can download either the free or Pro version from Google Play and install it on your phone. To add a note to a contact you:

1. Open the app and select Edit Note.
2. Scroll to the contact you would like to add a note to and tap on their name.
3. Tap on the empty black area and your keyboard should pop up. Enter the note and press Save.
4. The note should show up the next time you call/receive a call from that contact.

If you get the pro version, you can enable the editing of messages during a call by opening the app and selecting Settings followed by Buttons. Tap on Edit note button so that the box is ticked and you will be able to edit notes during the call.

Another interesting feature is you can add a button to the note that will enable you to easily access your phone's calendar during a call. This can be a great help, in that you can easily schedule a meeting while on the call. To add the calendar button to a call note: Open the app and press Settings. Tap on Buttons and select Calendar button from the menu that opens.

This is just one of the numerous functionality based apps that can be added to make your Android phone even more useful. What are your favorite business oriented apps? Let us know. And if you're looking for more information on how an Android device can be used to improve your job, contact us today.

Android users are most likely to be invested in the Google ecosystem, using a wide variety of Google apps. One of the more popular apps is Chrome, which is available for both Android and desktop. Being Google, these two versions can sync information between themselves, allowing for the same experience across devices. There has recently been an update to the Android version that introduces even more features still.

Here's a brief overview of the two new features added in the recent Chrome Beta for Android update. Take note that there are two versions of Chrome for Android - Stable and Beta. If you search for 'Chrome' in the Google Play store, you will find the stable version. The Beta can be found here (Google Play link).

This version contains features that Google would like users to test before eventually integrating them with the stable version of Chrome. To most users, there is no visual difference, however those with Beta installed will get access to new features before others.

Autofill and Password sync The update introduced one useful feature that business users need to be aware of. This centers around the idea that you have Chrome installed on your computer and have linked it to the Google account you use for your phone. You can 'Sign into Chrome' on your desktop by clicking on the three bars in the top right-hand corner and selecting Sign into Chrome and entering your account information.

This will sync Chrome with the version on your Android device, and also bring over all of the autofill information from the desktop version. If you've entered information on a form on your desktop, entering similar information on a form on your phone will trigger Chrome to automatically fill in that information.

A secondary feature is that if you have had Chrome remember your passwords, they will now be synced on your phone. While this is convenient, it isn't a good idea to have Chrome remember your passwords, as it just makes it easier for hackers to get hold of your information.

By default, these two options are turned on. You can, and should, turn this feature off by:

• Opening the browser on your phone.
• Pressing the three grey squares in the top right and selecting Settings
• Tapping on Save passwords and sliding the blue bar that says On to Off.

Data compression steps on the gas The second feature introduced in the new version of Chrome Beta is data compression. This is a neat little function that increases the speed with which browser data is transmitted from and to the browser on your phone. This is a big benefit to users who have a mobile data plan, as the amount of data used to load a website is decreased, and subsequently, your mobile bill.

By default, data compression isn't activated, but can be by:

1. Opening Chrome Beta on your phone
2. Entering chrome://flags and selecting Enable Data Compression Proxy
3. Relaunching the app.

Google has noted that the data used to load websites could be reduced by as much as 50%, which will result in either lower data bills or the ability to use more data. You can see how much data is being saved by entering chrome://net-internals and tapping Bandwidth. There should be a counter of how much data you have used and saved.

These two features are useful but it is advisable to be aware of the password saving option. If you would like to download this app, you can find it here. If you would like to learn more about Android in the office, give us a shout, we can help.

Of the two major mobile operating systems, Android is heralded as being more open, as you have access to the phone operating system code. Users are encouraged to tinker with their phones by installing apps that make their phone unique to them. While there are a number of ways to tailor the OS, users are fairly limited at managing phone calls and texts.

If you are looking for an app to better manage your calls and texts, check out Sanity.

Sanity has a number of excellent features Android users, and people who get a lot of calls, will find useful. Some of these include:

• Record a call - If you are constantly using your phone for business, or talking with clients and would like a way to remember what was said, this app allows you to record phone calls. They will be stored as a format that can be read by computers and phones alike. Of course, you will want to let the caller know that the conversation is being recorded.
• Caller or SMS announcement - Sometimes you are in a place where you can't look at your screen to see who is calling before answering. This app has a feature that will speak the name of the caller, so you know who it is on the other end. This feature also works for text messages, and will say the name of the text sender.
• The ability to block calls and SMS - If you keep getting telemarketers calling you, or spam texts, you can create a blocked call and SMS list which the app will not allow through.
• Urgent call list - There are likely one or two people that you always answer the phone for, and if your phone is on silent, you could miss their call. With Sanity you can create an urgent call list that will ignore current phone settings and allow the phone to ring (only for people on the urgent call list).
• Automatic answer and loudspeaker - If you are driving, on a train, or in a situation where you can't otherwise answer your phone, Sanity can be set up to automatically answer your calls. You can also configure it to turn on loudspeaker automatically as well.

The interesting thing about this app is that almost every feature has advanced options that allow you to really tailor your phone's calling and SMS features. There are a nearly endless amount of ways you can use the app, and employees or business owners who use Android devices will definitely benefit from it, if they want more control over their calls and texts.

The best thing is, the app is free, although if you like it, you can chose to donate to the developer. If you're interested in learning more about Sanity, you can download it from the Google Play store here, or you can get in touch with us. We would be happy to discuss how Android devices can make your day easier.

Running a business is often a fine balance between profit and expense. Any hidden expenses can see profits evaporate, and may put your business at risk. One potential problem area that could have drastic impact on your bottom line is technology. It's essential and can be very costly if it breaks down. That's why it would be a good idea to take measures to control your IT costs.

Here are five ways you can reduce IT spending.

Backup everything If your business is like most other small to medium companies, the majority of your important files are located on one server or maybe a couple of computers. Technology doesn't last forever and the machine where you have your data stored on will eventually stop working.

When it does, you will have to replace it, and your files that were on it could be lost. The cost to recover them will be high. To minimize this risk, you should invest in a solid backup platform that runs on a regular basis.

Yes, this will cost money now, but would you rather have a copy of your systems and data from Yesterday which can be easily implemented when you have a problem, or would you like to pay to maybe recover year's worth of data? Backups will save you costs in the long-run, not to mention the stress they will help you avoid.

Have a strict anti virus policy The idea that your employees won't download programs or browser extensions simply because you tell them not to is like telling a child not to eat candy; they are still going to do it. By simply having computers and devices accessing the Internet through your network, you are at risk. If your systems are hacked or infected, you can face lost data, high recovery costs or worse.

How do you minimize the chance of malware infections and the risk of being hacked? Antivirus software and security solutions installed on every computer that can be run from one machine are your answer. This makes it easier for you or your IT partner to ensure all of your systems' antivirus software is up to date and scanning when it should be. This will minimize the chance of infection and keep costs down.

Document everything As your company grows, you will start to use more technology. Over time, it will need to be replaced, and you likely won't be able to afford replacing all your systems at once. This means that you will have to track down the systems, software, etc. that need to be replaced; which will take time and cost you money.

If you take steps to document all of your systems, computers, software, etc.; where it's located; when it was implemented; who is in charge of it, etc., you will be able to track things down quickly when needed, thus managing your systems better. This time saving measure will cut your costs.

Look into a CRM/ERP/HRM solution There are so many software solutions out there that can help you plan and run your operations. If you've been tracking employee data or planning using a simple spreadsheet, you could be getting more out of a tailored solution.

Solutions like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or even Human Resources Management (HRM) can help you spot hidden costs or even plan more efficiently, which will reduce costs well into the future.

Look for fixed-price solutions A major problem with all technology related systems is that predicting costs is nearly impossible. You simply don't know when/if an important piece of hardware will fail. This becomes even harder if you don't have expertise in tech.

One of the best ways to save money on IT costs is to outsource. Almost every IT provider offers flat-rate services that cover your systems and can ensure you maximize your IT investment. This makes budgeting for IT easier, as you know what your monthly costs will be. You can then focus on your business, and over time will see a decrease in IT costs.

If you are looking to cut your IT expenses, why not contact us. We may have a solution that will ease the budget burden.

In today's world, individualism is striven for and encouraged. If this is true then why do all of our mobile devices essentially look the same on the outside? From Apple to Samsung, they all look similar. This has led to users expressing themselves through their home screens and apps. Admittedly, this is a lot easier on an Android device, it just takes a bit of tinkering.

Here's how you can customize your home screen. Please be aware that this article is written for devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and later. Older versions are similar, and differences have been noted where needed.

Wallpaper it up Android offers three different ways to customize your wallpaper/background:

1. Gallery: This option allows you to pick a picture you have taken and apply it as your phone's wallpaper. The images can be stored on your phone's memory, cloud albums or Picasa/Google+ account.
2. Wallpaper: If you don't have any pictures in your Gallery, or prefer to use one provided by the manufacturer you can select this option. Note, the wallpapers available to you will be different depending on what company made the phone.
3. Live Wallpapers: Live Wallpapers are similar to Wallpapers - they are made by the phone's manufacturer - but these have been animated. For example, there's one that simulates water drops in a pond when you tap the screen.

Whatever you set as your background will be synced with your Google account, and should transfer to any other Android device you sign into using the same account. If you chose a device specific background, these won't transfer over. To set the background navigate to an empty home screen on your device and press and hold on the screen. You should be given the option to change the background which will be applied to all of your device's home screens. Note: This will vary depending on the manufacturer.

Folders: I choose you On most Android phones, the apps you download and install are accessed through the App Drawer. You can create shortcuts to these apps which can be placed on the home screens for quick access. This can be done by opening your App Drawer (usually a grey circle with six squares) finding the app you want, then pressing and holding it for a second or two. The App Drawer will close and you will be able to place the icon on the home screen.

You can move icons around on the home screen by pressing and holding them until the phone vibrates, then moving them where you want. Moving to either side of the screen will switch to the home screen to the left or right. You can also put similar app icons into folders by picking one and dragging it on top of the other. These apps will be placed into a folder, which can be renamed if you open the folder and press on the name.

Widgets and icons

A major part of the 'Android experience' is widgets. Widgets are essentially small apps that often show important information. For example, there's the Gmail widget that will show your new emails right on the home screen. There are a ton of widgets, and many apps have widgets as well.

To access widgets press the App Drawer icon and select Widgets from the top of the screen. Pick the widget you like, long-press on the icon and drag it to where you would like it to go on your home screen. On older versions of Android, you can press on a blank part of any home screen and a list should pop-up, allowing you to add widgets.

If you can't find a widget on your phone, a quick search of the Google Play store will return lots of widgets. After you download and install them, they should be in the Widgets section of the App Drawer. You just have to drag and drop them onto the home screen.

These are just three ways to customize your Android device's home screen, in fact, there are many more ways to customize your phone. One of the more popular ways is to install launchers. Launchers are programs that emulate another Android device's home screen. Say you have an HTC device, but don't like the look of the home screens, you can install a launcher to completely change it. One of the most popular launchers is Go Launcher which allows you to install themes, new layouts and even new buttons.

For some great examples of just how customizable Android's layout is, you should check out LifeHacker's Featured Home Screen page. What's your favorite layout? Let us know.

Congressional hearings on mobile health-care application regulation suggest the future is bright for this technology, say mHIMSS executives Tom Martin and David Collins.

The hearings, held March 19-21, considered the importance of allowing innovation to flourish vs. the importance of regulation for patient safety.

Discussed in the hearings were the dangers of strict FDA oversight and the potential threat of Obamacare taxes on apps—concerns that were dismissed by most witnesses.

According to Martin and Collins, "While a few developers are waiting on the FDA’s final medical app guidance before submitting apps to the market, many developers are bringing innovative products to market, and venture funding for healthcare startups is at an all time high."

Moreover, although a very small segment of the app marketplace could be subject to the excise tax on medical devices, most app categories would not, say Martin and Collins.

This likely gives app developers the confidence to bring new apps to the market, and that could lead to an explosion if mobile health-care technology.

There are no federal rules specifying how health-care providers must spend their meaningful use incentive checks, but most are using it to either pay down debt incurred in qualifying for meaningful use or fund more information technology (IT) growth.

According to The Advisory Board Company, Medicare-eligible health-care providers received an average about USD$17,300 each, while Medicaid-eligible health-care providers received USD$21,600.

That may not sound like much when compared to the perceived cost of implementing an electronic medical record (EMR) in the first place. Some recently published surveys have come to the conclusion that EMRs can be money-losing proposition for some physicians. These reports highlighted that less than half of the participants saw, or would see, a positive return on investment. This data needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as it only factors in direct returns on the initial cost of investment, as in the cost of implementing an EMR would be more than the potential return from savings on technology.

This makes sense, as most clinics and offices can't simply raise fees to cover for the cost of new technology. The problem is, these findings are one-sided as the data from these surveys doesn’t factor in all of the non-tangible benefits of an EMR. These benefits can translate into extensive cost savings including: Greater efficiency, the ability to see more patients and increased billings. These three benefits alone will see a greater return on investment in the long run, see costs recouped faster and profits grow.

The fact that many health-care providers are using their incentive checks to fund more IT suggests they‘ve learned from their EMR-implementation experience that technology, despite it’s up-front costs, brings lower costs down the road.

Technology has made our lives infinitely easier. We no longer have to rely on our memory to store important information such as phone numbers, just enter the digits onto your phone, hit save and it’s there at the press of a button. There are two downsides to this though as we have come to rely on the phone to store our numbers and when it dies, we stand the chance of losing all our contacts. However, if you have an Android device, this can be avoided.

Here are four things you can do to ensure your numbers aren’t lost when/if your Android device stops working, or you switch to a new device.

Sync with Google Contacts One way to backup your contacts is to sync them with your Google account. You can do this by accessing Settings on your phone and selecting/scrolling to Accounts and selecting Google. Press on the Google account you’d like to sync and ensure Contacts has a checkmark beside it. To force a sync, deselect it, then tap it again. When you add this account to any new Android, your contacts should automatically show up. You can also view and edit them here.

Export from phone to computer An alternative to syncing your contacts with Google is to export them in .vcf format. This is the contact format that’s the standard for electronic business cards. You can attach .vcf files to emails, add them to various contact books and they are recognized by nearly all mobile OSs.

To export them from your device, open the contacts app, (it’s normally in the bottom menu of your phone), press Settings (three vertical squares) and select Export to Storage. This will export your contacts to a file on your phone’s internal storage. After this, connect your phone to your computer using the USB cable and find the file labeled People, (you shouldn’t have to open any folders in your phone). Drag this file from the window onto your desktop or to the folder you’d like to store your contacts in. If you drag the People folder onto your phone, and press Import from Storage on the phone’s People app, it will import all your contacts.

Write them down It’s worked for almost 100 years, so why stop now? Some professionals don’t even bother to store phone numbers on their phone, preferring to carry a traditional contact book around with them instead, or certainly as well.

Remember them Growing up the vast majority of us had at least five numbers memorized: grandparents, pizza delivery, home, parent’s office and our best friends. Why not summon your inner child and remember your important numbers. This is a surefire way to never have any numbers stolen or lost.

Do you use these methods to back up your numbers? Do you use another method? If so, let us know. If you’d like to know more useful tips about the Android OS, please contact us.

The keyboard, an input device that nearly all generations in the workforce have experience using in some form or another, is an integral part of computers and smartphones. Until the introduction of the smartphone, the keyboard had largely remained unchanged. Smartphones have changed the way we type, and if you have an Android device you can use a number of different keyboards.

Here are four great keyboards that you can install on your Android device.

Swype Traditional mobile keyboards utilize the thumbs to tap the letters. With Swype, you do use your thumb, but instead of tapping you trace the word you want to spell on the keyboard. If you want to spell the word ‘Hello’, for example, you place your thumb on ‘H’ and trace it over to ‘E’ then ‘L’ then to ‘O’.

With practice, you can quickly type out full sentences with one finger, and this is as fast, or faster than typing on a normal keyboard. Swype is currently in Beta (pre-release testing) and is therefore free, however you will have to download it from the website as it’s not on Google Play. If you’re looking for a keyboard to use with one hand, Swype is the best choice.

SwiftKey SwiftKey is all about making predictions. It won’t tell you next week’s winning lottery numbers, but it will try to guess what you’re trying to say and either correct the word or provide the next word in the sentence. You can also sync the keyboard with Facebook, Twitter, SMS and Gmail where it will learn your typing style. With syncing on, it can be eerie at how accurate it is. Beyond that, it supports 42 languages, with up to three active at once. Just start typing and it will figure out what language you’re using.

SwiftKey is available on Google Play for around 3-4 USD and is a great keyboard for users who speak more than one language and/or want to have a predictive keyboard.

Android Stock Keyboard Each version of Android has its own stock keyboard (the keyboard that comes installed on the phone) and some manufacturers also offer their own keyboard. These keyboards are generally good, albeit a little plain. If all you're looking for is a keyboard to type messages and don’t need any extra features, these keyboards are perfectly adequate.

Hacker’s Keyboard On the other end of the spectrum is Hacker’s Keyboard, a full keyboard complete with keys other mobile keyboards are missing. If you use your device to remotely connect to the office, this is the keyboard for you, as you’ll be better able to navigate non mobile apps. This keyboard is open source, which means it’s free and has a high level of support.

These keyboards should have you typing anyway you want. To find the best for you, you might want to try all of them. What keyboard do you use on your Android device? Let us know.