Most Useful Apps to Download this Year

It can be tricky to know which kinds of apps are good and which are useless when there are literally millions of different options. There are some basic apps that can make your life much easier when browsing the internet or using your phone. This article will explain the different types of apps that will be the most useful for you to download this year. Do not waste your time downloading useless apps that are just interested in selling your personal information for advertising. Use these suggestions to get some excellent types of apps that will make the most of your time.

Ad-blockers

One of the most useful kinds of apps that you can download is a pop-up blocker. This is because so many websites these days use incredibly annoying pop-up ads that can make your experience much worse and more frustrating. There are many different reputable ad blockers available such as Ad-Block Pro and Ghostery. Be sure to experiment with different apps to find the one that works best for you. You will find that on some websites you may need to disable your ad blocker in order to use the site properly.  Most apps include a feature to wave the ad blocking service for certain websites.

Video downloaders

If you are like everyone else who uses the internet, then there is a good chance that you also like to stream videos online. Whether it is using youtube or a similar streaming service, the presence of advertisements and the issue of bandwidth usage can impact your ability to stream in the way you want. If these sound like issues you face then we recommend using a video downloader such as Viddly or a similar service then it should help with the issue. This will allow you to view your videos offline as many times as you would like without using up your precious bandwidth. Another added benefit is the fact that since you have downloaded the video you should not have to view any ads or click through any pop-ups in order to watch.

Online banking

In the current times having an online banking app is almost essential. With many bank branches closing or reducing service due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online banking has become more and more prevalent. Some apps even include a service that allows you to deposit cheques using the camera on your phone, saving you time and allowing you to stay safely within your home.

Video games

In these trying and stressful times, it is important to kick back, relax, and enjoy some leisure time. An increasingly popular way to spend this time is by playing video games. There are a whole host of free to play games that you can download that will provide countless hours of fun. Some popular games include plants versus zombies, old school Runescape, Minecraft, and many others. Get your friends in on the action and enjoy playing some games online from the safety of your home. It will be almost as if everything is back to normal!

Productivity apps

Productivity apps can be helpful for people who find themselves wasting too much time on their devices. Many apps will send you reminders or even lock you out of certain apps for a predetermined amount of time. Some popular apps include Abitica, Evernote, and many others.

Social media

Social media apps are one of the most popular apps to download. They allow you to communicate and share with your friends online. Some popular social media apps include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others. IF you have lots of friends on social media then it can be an incredibly fun and useful tool to have.

Music streaming

Music streaming is a relatively new industry, and many people have been using it more and more each year. Some popular options for online music streaming include apple music, Spotify, and others. These services will give you access to vast swaths of music for a monthly subscription fee. Some services offer a free version that includes ads in between songs.         

Hopefully, this article has been helpful and informative regarding the most useful apps to download this year. There is no need to feel overwhelmed by the choices when searching for new apps to use. By using the tips and tricks included in this article you should have a good grasp of the kinds of apps that will make the most of your time and allow you to enjoy your time on your computer or device to the full extent. Do not continue to waste your time and money on useless software. Take some steps in the right direction today by using these concrete suggestions.

How To Ensure Non-Failing Communication In Rural Areas

Achieving effective communication in rural areas is oftentimes a factor that not only derails progress, but also one that affects various aspects of life. There are challenges such as poor infrastructure and illiteracy that can affect progress in improving communication in rural areas. These, coupled with cultural norms will create barriers in effective rural communication, meaning that more needs to be done, especially in an age where speed and efficiency are key elements for development.
There are however effective ways to go around these issues and solve some of the pressing problems those living in rural areas face. But it all has to start with improved communication.
In this piece, we’ll be taking a closer look at various ways on how to ensure non-failing communication in rural areas.

1. Improve Communication Infrastructure

Communication infrastructures play a crucial, if not a vital role in modern economics and social development. Without these systems in place, whether in rural or urban areas, various aspects such as effective communication and flawless transactions can prove to be quite the challenge. Improved communication infrastructures in rural areas will turbocharge the economy and boost productivity. Agriculture is among the sectors that can benefit from such a strategy. Businesses will also thrive as a result. Because come to think about it, effective communication is the driving force to modern businesses. Now, the major challenge is that most, if not all communication infrastructures rely heavily on the uninterrupted power supply. And this is where power backup systems come in handy. You can read about it here to know how backup generators can be integrated into communication infrastructures to ensure non-failing and flawless communication in rural areas.
With power as a complementary investment, other communication infrastructure services for improved communication in rural areas may include:

• Cell tower installations
• Optical fiber installation
• Installation of data networks and standard phone equipment

2. Adopting New Communication Technologies

Information and communication technologies have been the key drivers for improved economics in urban areas and there’s no reason why the same strategies cannot be used in rural areas. Adopting new communication technologies will allow rural areas access to development, especially in sectors that heavily rely on efficient communication such as in agriculture. This will also help to make life easier in rural areas. Among the ways to achieve this is to introduce computer labs and computer centers in such communities and provide access to free internet services. This will play a significant role in making access to information achievable. In addition to this, it will help to streamline business processes in rural areas, health, and various rural administration processes.
Below are technologies that can help to improve communication in rural areas. They include:

• Mobile technology
• Cloud technology
• Hosting services
• New media devices
• The internet 

Communication and modern technology go hand in hand. Modern communication tech has made it possible for one to reach larger audiences with little to no effort. Investing in modern communication tools such as cell phones and smartphones will help to streamline communication processes in rural areas. This should be followed by allowing telecommunication companies to grow broadband network coverage in rural areas. 
Utilizing modern methods of information distribution has its impact on improved communication and making these electronic repositories accessible to the communities will also help to improve interactions. The use of electronic media in disseminating information has its benefits. It allows easier implementation of instantaneous distribution of information, versatility, and access to a wide variety of tools when working with larger sources of information.

3. Creating Awareness

Low literacy levels, and cultural preferences may hinder effective communication in rural communities. Increasing the level of education by expanding learning infrastructures will have a long term impact in molding the community to being more open-minded and to positively embrace growth and change. A well-educated and informed community will have no problem engaging with information. This will also create diversification on the methods used to communicate from the basic door to door strategies and arranged community meetings to advanced and more reliable, effective communication methods like printed media, television-broadcasting, and radio.

4. Adoption of Communication Applications

While it can seem easy to pay more attention to improving person-technology relationships to improve communication, there is still a great need to improve interpersonal communication. Even so, the use of technology will still play a role in improving these relationships. With network installations in rural areas, it will make it even easier to improve interpersonal communication.
Among the various ways that can help to improve person-person communication in rural areas includes the use of various applications such:

●      Electronic mail

This is fairly a new interpersonal communication tool that can be used to not only improve healthy interpersonal relationships but also business relationships. When used effectively, electronic mailing systems can also help to boost sales and attract new clients.

●      Teleconferencing

As network coverage in rural areas improves, communities and businesses can utilize its abundance to make face to face calls via various media channels. This can make quite a significant impact, especially on businesses. With teleconferencing, one can hold a meeting with investors from the furthest parts of the world provided they have the tools for it and a good internet connection.

●      Electronic Bulletin Boards

These started as entertainment tools back in the days, but they are being used to pass crucial information to populations. They can be used strategically to promote businesses as marketing tools, alerting communities of natural disasters, and as notice boards. They are quite the innovation when used as a public medium as they can be read by anyone with access to them.
As you can see, achieving seamless and non-failing communication in rural areas isn’t as easy as you may have thought it was. It may require investments that may be out of your reach. Fortunately, the world is at an advanced stage and even the things that were in the past considered as unachievable can now be achieved with ease. Improving communication in rural areas will open these areas to endless possibilities to benefit communities both economically and socially.

iPad Menus Needed in Restaurants & Bars from COVID

Phones and iPad restaurant menus are being used a lot more with Covid. 

A Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup called E La Carte is hoping to improve the experience of ordering food at restaurants. They have created an iPad that lets you order and pay right at your table without using a waiter.  How many times have you said, "Wow the food was great but the service really stunk?"  We seem to do that a lot here in LA where flaky people and actor/waiters are a "dime a dozen."  I wouldn't see the restaurant industry do away with the 20% tip rule and bake it into the price of food items.  Restaurant service and wireless service just ain't what it used to be.

The iPad app works like this: The company uses tablet computers that have credit-card readers attached. You select what you want to eat and add items to a cart. Depending on the restaurant's preferences, the console could show you nutritional information, ingredient lists, and photographs. You can make special requests, like "dressing on the side" or "quintuple bacon." Just add it to the console, and wait for the waiter to bring it to your table. When you're through with your meal, you pay on the console, splitting the bill item by item if you wish and paying however you want. And you can have your receipt emailed to you.

All this is wonderful but requires the restaurant to have quality free WiFi access on the premises and it's not likely that 4G or 3G will work indoors. It would surprise me to see location-based advertising try and get into this game. The company is currently rolling the product out after two years of development, testing, fundraising, and manufacturing. 20 restaurants have signed up and much more nationally have expressed interest.  This seems like a great adjunct business for a company like Boingo (Nasdaq: WIFI) to think about in the future.

What is not clear to me is does the restaurant provides the iPad for use or can the restaurant patron download the iPad app from the App store?  This to me would make more sense to manage costs and give early adopters some free coupons or promotions to promote the use.  

Improving Your Internet Connectivity in Remote Areas

Living in a remote area doesn’t mean isolating yourself from the world. During this age of global connectivity, it is widely possible to be constantly in touch with people from different parts of the globe. Some people chose to live in rural or far-flung areas in order to enjoy peace and quiet or it’s what they need to get some work done. However, this choice has some inherent drawbacks and one of them can be a poor or intermittent internet connection. Fortunately, technical advancements in infrastructure and digital design have given us options to address this disadvantage in connectivity.

Here are some ways to improve your online connectivity:

1.   Relocate or Upgrade Router

Sometimes the placement of your router affects the level of connection you have on your gadgets. If you place your router in a contained and restricted area, like behind doors or in a room with thick walls, the signals may be attenuated significantly. It is advisable to put it in a place where it is virtually at the center of the gadgets that it’s connected to. You can also mount them on walls if you want some elevation for your router.

You may want to check how long you procured your router, some of the older models cannot accommodate large homes with many rooms. Upgrading your router may improve its services as some models may go extinct when high-speed wifi standards come in. With new technology, new features and improvements are added which enables the newer models to support your requirements.

2.   Consider Your ISP

Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are just not cut out to accommodate clients from remote areas. If you’re having issues like intermittent access and speed below what was advertised then you may want to shop for a more reliable provider. You don’t have to spend a fortune for a better connection, take time to browse EarthLink internet deals and promotions for May 2020 for a bundle or package that help you with your issues. These deals have different packages so you won’t have to spend more than what you need. It’s important to be able to receive reliable service from your ISP so if your current one doesn’t meet your expectations then you may want to consider shifting to another one.

3.   Regulate Bandwidth

If there are other people using your internet in the house, you may want to look into what they’re accessing. Some online games, streaming services, and other activities require large bandwidth which can affect the connection of some of the devices linked to the router. There are software applications that allow you to manage how much bandwidth is allocated to every use. Your router will also have that feature that allows you to give more allocation to video chat than streaming services or vice versa.

4.   Amplify Signal

You may want to use signal boosters to improve transmission from your router to other areas of the house. If you’re living in a big house or you want to work outdoors far from the router, using these boosters will efficiently enable you to connect your devices to the router.

5.   Use Repeaters

If you have a couple of unused routers at home and you don’t want to spend money on boosters, you may want to use those old routers as repeaters. By connecting them using a LAN cable you can setup a bridge connection, which allows your secondary router to connect devices to the internet through the main router.

The internet has given us the opportunity to work from anywhere in the globe along with enjoying contents shared by different people. This ability to connect to people even from the most far-reaching corners is one of the most significant achievements in human history. The technology is still far from perfect and with time, experiencing difficulties by being in a remote location will just be a distant memory.  

How to Make Money Buying and Selling Used Cell Phones

If you’re a little short on money and need to find a way to come up with some cash then buying and selling used cell phones is a great way to do this. You can even become a business owner by doing so—just look around you, nowadays everyone is on their cell phones! This guide will help show you how to make money buying and selling used cell phones.

New Phones vs Old Phones

The difference in buying new cell phones and used call pones is that new phones are bought by distributors from manufacturers. The manufacturers send the distributor the cell phones with an MSRP or manufacturer's suggested retail price. This is what the consumer pays so the distributor can make a profit on the phones they sell to you. So leave the new devices to Sprint or Verizon.

Making a Profit

Astoundingly, you can make anywhere from $100 per day to $17,000 per month selling used phones on sites such as eBay and Craigslist. With websites such as Thestore.com buying and selling refurbished cell phones is easier than ever. You can purchase refurbished phones and then sell them on your domain or on eBay and Craigslist for a markup.

Make sure to do market research to see what phones are popular among your target customers. Usually, Apple iPhones are in demand and are most often in circulation. An iPhone can range drastically in price depending on if it is a used phone or not. You will also only want to sell cell phones that are unlocked, some cell phones have a bad IMEI or ESN this is how the phones are tracked. Some phones are still even being financed by their original carrier, try not to fall victim to this scam and look up the IMEI or ESN number before purchasing.

Cracked Screen? Buy it.

Another good way to make a profit is by buying used cell phones with cracked screens. As long as you can replace the screens then you will see your profits in your business begin to skyrocket. Most people will either throw away or replace their phones after they're cracked. Now you know that buying those cracked phones, fixing them, and flipping them will bring you a ton of revenue. If you're unsure of how to fix a screen, there are many tutorials on youtube that will show you how.

Analyst Support

After your business has begun to bloom, hiring an analyst is a good idea. Companies such as The Analyst Agency, a primary market research company, can assist you and show you how to profit even further. The Analyst Agency will look into how to boost your company's performance, find your target market, as well as what other competitors are offering, what their prices are, and much more.

After their analysis, they will provide you with scenario planning, and a win/loss analysis. It’s in your interest to hire such an analyst company to gain a better insight into qualitative research into your business and how to gain an edge on your competitors with valuable information.

Calculate Your Profit Before Buying

You’ll want to calculate all of your costs before buying anything because if you end up losing money then it isn’t worth flipping. First, you will want to scan the market and check the MSRP value of the phone, the refurbished value, and the used value of the phone you plan on selling.

If you can find it used with a broken screen then all you will have to pay for is the materials to fix the screen and the phone itself. You will not want to buy the phone at MSRP value because there won’t be any room for you to make a profit on the cell phone.

Selling Accessories

After you’ve begun to profit off of your cell phone business, you can move on to selling accessories for phones. This will also add to your profit if you can find a manufacturer willing to work with you. When people buy phones, they will usually purchase a case, or a screen protector because they’re afraid to either scratch or crack their phones.