While they're clever companions, traveling with a smartphone can be tough on the wallet -- especially when it comes to voice and data roaming -- but the good news is there are no shortage of free applications ("apps") that can help save you money, time and frustration.

Whether you're a BlackBerry, iPhone or Android user, take head to these following no-cost travel apps, ranging from language translators and mapping programs to expense trackers and organizers to free ways to chat online with colleagues, family or friends.

Location, location, location

Find yourself in Montreal and need a 5-star hotel or good French meal in walking distance? Handy apps such as Poynt (for BlackBerry), Dragon Search(for iPhone) and Google Maps Navigation (for Android) can all help you find nearby businesses based on keywords you type (or, with the exception of Poynt, words you say).

Above: Poynt

Above: Dragon Search

Above: Google Maps Navigation

These free downloads also work with your phone's whereabouts (using GPS or cellular tower data) to give you relevant results. Peruse through a short list of options, where they are on a map, directions and contact info. In some cases, you'll find reviews, menus, videos and the ability to save and/or share results.

On a related note, if you need to pull up some information left on your computer at home or the office -- such as the contact at a restaurant, hotel or cyber café – iPhone users can log in remotely via the free TeamViewer app to see (and access) their PC as if they were sitting in front of it.

Say, what?

If you find yourself surrounded by a language other than your own, consider one of the few language translation apps available for your smartphone.

For example, Google Translation (for multiple smartphones) and Navita Translator (BlackBerry) can help you translate words and phrases from more than 50 languages, and is capable of speaking languages to you in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Russian. Translate websites, emails, text messages and more – and if desired, send your translations to an email address, mobile phone, Twitter, memo pad, and other options.

Above: Google Translation

Above: Navita Translator

With Google Translation, you can translate a question you ask it in English and play back the audio – in the local language – to someone who can help you, such as a taxi driver, merchant or waitress. Or have them speak into the smartphone and translate it back to English!

Don't touch that dial

Many computer users know Skype is a handy Internet communication tool that lets you make free phone calls (even with video) to other Skype users around the world. The free app for multiple smartphones is just as handy, though it's limited to audio at this point in time.

Still, instead of paying your cell carrier for local or long distance calls, those in a Wi-Fi hotspot -- such as your local café, airport lounge or hotel lobby -- can pull up a contact and call someone on their smartphone or PC, whether they're across the road or across the ocean. Call quality is decent, too, plus you can also call a landline or mobile phone, if desired, for a few cents a minute.

iPhone users can also take advantage of FaceTimefor a live video call between iPhone 4 and/or iPod touch owners (latest model of iPod touch is required).

Ditch the paperwork

Hundreds of apps can help you remain productive and efficient while traveling, including downloads that let you track expenses, manage your time and stay on top of flight information.

Expensify (for multiple smartphones) can help you capture, organize and file your travel expenses, digitally. Simply take a photo of a receipt with your smartphone and it gets added to your trip file to be emailed (or printed) as a CCRA-friendly report for your employer.

WorldMate Live, on the other hand, keeps track of your itinerary information, including your flight, hotel and car rental details. Simply sign up online, install the free app (available for multiple smartphones) and the service builds your business travel itinerary and sends it to your phone. Everything is synched over the air with the WorldMate Live online travel planner (and with your calendar) to share with an assistant, if need be.

Another good option is Trip Tracker for iPhone, which "automagically" keeps you up to date with flight info and changes, hotel directions, weather updates, and more.

My name is Evan Carmichael and I believe that the fastest and most effective way to build a business is to model the strategies of people who have already successfully accomplished what you’re trying to do. I call it Modeling the Masters. My last post was: Top 3 Lessons from Simon Fuller (American Idol Founder)

Today I’m going to focus on how you can model the success of Akio Morita, the man who took a small bombed-out department store in Tokyo and turned into the world's most successful consumer electronics company, Sony.

Must Watch Video

“It had to be something different, something that nobody else was making." - Akio Morita

Akio Morita (January 26, 1921 - October 3, 1999) was a Japanese businessman and co-founder of Sony Corporation along with Masaru Ibuka. Ibuka was 38 years old and Morita was 25 when they started the company.

Founded just after World War II and based in Nagoya, Japan, the company was established with initial capital of just $350 in a bombed-out shop that had been abandoned. Japan at the time was known for making low quality products and Morita was determined to reverse that stigma. He is often cited as the man who increased the value of the words "Made in Japan."

Supported by innovative product launches like the Walkman, Sony became the first Japanese company to ever be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and has revenues in the trillions of dollars.

Morita helped put his country back on the map, while building his own reputation across the world. In 1998, a Harris survey revealed that Sony was ranked the number one brand name by American consumers, ahead of Coca-Cola and General Electric.

Action Item #1: Trust Your Gut

There's never enough information to make a decision that you can be 100% sure of. By the time the information becomes fully available it will be too late - either someone else would have scooped the idea from you or the window of opportunity will have closed. As entrepreneurs we have to trust our gut when making decisions using the best information that we have available.

In 1978 Sony developed a prototype portable product that would allow people to listen to cassette tapes while they were on long flights. The project was put on hold as market research indicated that no consumer would buy a tape recorder that did not have the capacity to record and that earphones would hold the product back as they were seen to be irritating and potentially associated with hearing loss.

Despite the advice given to him by his marketing department, Morita chose instead to trust his gut. He told Sony staff that they were going to create a worldwide culture of headphone wearers and in 1979 Sony released the Walkman. It went on to sell over 330 million units. Morita then gave the following advice for business owners: “Carefully watch how people live, get an intuitive sense as to what they might want and then go with it. Don’t do market research.”

Action Item #2: Find A Good Company Name and Product Name

The names you choose for your company and products are what people remember you by. If they're too hard to pronounce, difficult to spell, or not easy to recall then you lose out on the opportunity of having customers talk about you to their friends and coming back as repeat buyers.

Sony's original company name was Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha. Long and difficult to remember in English, the company decided it would need to change its name to better serve the North American market. Trying to find a new name, Morita found that ‘sonus’ is the Latin word for sound. He thought its meaning was appropriate considering their industry. However, he didn't think that it was catchy enough. Morita decided to combine ‘sonus’ with ‘Sonny,’ a nickname that had become popular amongst American kids. Morita thought ‘Sonny’ would help portray the image of the company as a youthful one, with lots of energy and a bright future ahead. With that, the Sony Corporation was formed.

Similarly, when Sony first released the Walkman, Sony’s U.S. division considered the name ‘Walkman’ to be improper English, and changed the product to the ‘Soundabout’ for the American market. Other divisions also began using different names until Morita put his foot down and insisted that everyone use the same name. "Walkman" became such a success that it's listed as a word in almost every major dictionary.

Action Item #3: Look After Your People

If you're building a company beyond yourself you'll quickly realize how important it is to have the right people in place and to look after them. Money is important to them but don't forget that people want to feel appreciated, challenged, and be a part of a team that's working on important problems. Here's Akio Morita's advice:

“The most important mission for a manager is to develop a healthy relationship with his employees, to create a family-like feeling within the corporation, a feeling that employees and managers share the same fate. We will try to create conditions where persons could come together in a spirit of teamwork, and exercise to their heart’s desire their technological capacity.”

“I believe people work for satisfaction. I believe it is a big mistake to think that money is the only way to compensate a person for his work. People need money, but they also want to be happy in their work and proud of it.”

True Story

Akio Morita was born into a family that had been in the sake brewing business for over fifteen generations. From his childhood, it had always been assumed that Morita would continue the family tradition of making sake. He had begun being groomed to take over the family business by the age of ten, at which time his father even made him attend all of the company’s board meetings. In just a few years, Morita had become an expert at everything from monitoring the brewing process, to evaluating the quality of the sake that their factories were producing, to managing their workers.

But, while Morita was learning the ins and outs of the family business, so too did he discover that his true interest was not in sake after all. Morita realized that he was not destined to keep the family tradition alive, much to the disappointment of his father, and followed his true passion for mathematics and physics which led him to founding Sony.

Have you had to trust your gut to make an important business decision? How did you come up with your company or product name? What part of Akio Morita's message impacted you the most? As always, I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

Evan Carmichael

To learn more check out my list of Akio Morita articles or my website, EvanCarmichael.com.

There's one very important but often overlooked advantage to Google's Android-powered smartphones: you can tap into the many Google Labs (googlelabs.com) apps, a collection of free "experimental" programs that add additional functionality to the device.

Oh sure, you're likely aware of Google Search, which lets you type or speak into the smartphone to search for something online, but there are many other powerful downloads to consider.

Not widely available on competing platforms, such as BlackBerry or iPhone, these Android offerings are ideal for those who rely on their smartphones for work or play -- or in all likelihood, a bit of both.

The following are a couple of worthy picks. If you want to install any of these, simply visit the Android Market on your smartphone (a green shopping bag icon) to download the app to your device.

Seeing is believing

Rather than search for something online using text or your voice, Google Goggles [http://google.com/mobile/goggles] is a visual search engine that uses the Android smartphone's camera. Simply snap a pic of something -- such as a book you want to buy -- and immediately get information on it, such as reviews, where to buy it online, related information, and more.

Google Goggles also works with geographical landmarks and it’ll attempt to cross-reference the image with similar ones online and provide relevant data. For example, if you stand in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and snap a photo of it in Google Goggles, you’ll immediately get information on it, such as its history, why it's leaning, how tall it is, links to related photos and videos, and so on.

And get this, you could even take a photo of, say, a French menu in a Paris restaurant and select for it to translate the text into your language (see below).

Street smarts

Many GPS-powered apps are available for multiple smartphones, including the free Google Maps, but only Android phones get access to the supersized Google Maps Navigation (beta) [http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/]. This free Internet-connected GPS navigation system not only provides visual turn-by-turn directions to a destination, but for drivers it includes audio-based guidance, as well, so you can keep your eyes on the road. Users need Android 1.6 or newer to install and use this navigation aid.

Additional features include a "search by voice" option, live traffic, satellite views, and the availability to find nearby businesses. Find yourself in London and your colleague is craving Indian food? Tap, type or say "Indian restaurant" and you'll see a number of nearby, relevant results populate the map. Click "Go" to follow the suggested route.

Spreken zie deutsch?

With Google Translate [http://translate.google.com/], available on multiple smartphones, use your pocket device to instantly translate one language into another. More than 50 languages are supported, allowing you to type or speak a phrase into the Google Translate app and have it translated on the spot – even verbally.

So imagine you're in a taxicab in Tokyo and need to visit a specific location, simply ask Google Translate the question in English and then hold it up to the driver to hear the question in Japanese.

Along with text-to-speech and speech-to-text, other features a clean user interface, dictionary definitions and support for history/favourites to be saved to the app for future reference.

And you thought your smartphone was already smart enough, eh?

Marc Saltzman is one of North America's most recognized and trusted technology experts. Based in Toronto, Marc currently contributes to nearly 50 publications, has authored 14 books and is the host of CTV News Channel's "Tech Talk," CNN's "Tech Time" and Cineplex's "Gear Guide" (seen in movie theatres across Canada).

What are your favourite apps for business and why? Start a profile and join the conversation.

My colleague, Allison Vale and I had the privilege of attending a Forrester Workshop on Thursday September 17^th, entitled, “How to integrate social media into your b2b strategy” with principal analyst and research director Peter Burris and analyst Michael Greene.

To share what we’ve learned, join us for this three part series, 3 things we’ve learned about social media, in which we discuss how to start building an effective B2B social media strategy.  In our final post, we will focus on how the social tools can help you reach your objectives.

So you’ve understood your customer, built a business case to get the organization behind you, now it’s time to execute your objectives. A great place to start is with fully understanding the social tools available to you and how they can help you achieve your objectives.

Thinking back to your audience, who they are, what’s important to them and what your objectives are in addressing their business concerns - you’ll need to ensure that you’re picking the right social tools to communicate with your intended audience. They’re not all created equal; depending on your objective, one social tool may not be as beneficial as another.

Review the social tools

To help you with this process, we’ve identified a few social tools to help you get started.

• Blogs: Wikipedia defines blogs as “a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video”. Consider blogging if having general business conversations with customers is important to you. Don’t forget that it’s public, and chances are you’ll hear both positive and negative comments.  It might be a good idea to have guidelines in place on how to handle the negative feedback. We like Seth Godin’s ‘How to create a great website’ for tips on how to get started.
  

• Wikis: Wikipedia is a perfect example of a wiki.  They allow for collaborative creation of information.  Wiki’s are great for concepts that are complex or highly technical and require input from various members of a community.  Wikis can be both public and private.
  

• Twitter: Twitter is a tool that allows users to communicate messages in 140 characters or less.  Most organizations use Twitter as an arrow to drive followers to more in-depth content like blog postings, etc.  However, some companies are also using it as a customer support channel, similar to the Comcastcares model.  A great introduction to the unique world of twitter is The Twitter Book, By Tim O’Reily and Sarah Milstein.
  

• Social Networking sites (Facebook, Linkedin): We’ve all heard the astounding figure that facebook has over 500 million users on the site and is climbing steadily.  Linkedin, the business version, has a recorded 75 million users.  Social networking sites provide organizations with the opportunity to reach audiences or customers where they are already present and engaged.
  

• Private Forums: Private forums are a great example of a community site for your customers to discuss issues or topics with their peers in a secure setting.  The confidentiality aspect lends itself well to product beta testing or research and development.
  

Achieving social media success, like marketing success, is never an exact science.  But understanding your audience and your objectives, building a business case to engage key stakeholders and choosing the most effective social tools to meet your objectives, will put you on the right path.

What social media tools have worked or not worked in your organization?  Post a comment or email me directly at tasha.caruso@telus.com.  We may feature you in a future blog posting.

My colleague, Allison Vale and I had the privilege of attending a Forrester Workshop on Thursday September 17^th, entitled, “How to integrate social media into your b2b strategy” with principal analyst and research director Peter Burris and analyst Michael Greene.

To share  what we’ve learned, join us for this three part series entitled, 3 things we’ve learned about social media, in which  we discuss how to get started  building an effective B2B social media strategy.  In today’s post, we will address the importance of knowing your customer.

If you’re like most businesses today, you’re thinking, talking or acting upon social media.  You may be asking ‘What is it and how can I use social media to grow my business?’  If you’re still sitting on the sidelines, not sure where to start, don’t worry.  You’re actually not as far behind as you may think.

Understand your customer or audience.

Seems like a simple concept and not a new one at that. Knowing your audience should be at the heart of developing any great marketing strategy.

So why, when it comes to social media, do we tend to start with technology or the tools?  We decide, we need a twitter account or we need a facebook presence, so we build our accounts and put a tick in   the box.  Now what?

The first step to building a rich and meaningful social media strategy is to establish who your audience is and what is important to them.  Who are your customers and what are they looking for?  What needs do they have and how can your product or service heIp them meet their need?  And what social technology do they use?

Once you know this you can begin to develop a personal interaction with customers and potential customers in the social media space.  This is traditionally what we do offline – eg. attending a business meeting, trade show event or a simple conversation with a sales representative or customer support manager.  We can add personal interaction online via social media, adding to the touch points your company has with its customers and proving another means by which your company can help solve their problems.  Social media has the ability to take these personal interactions online and allows you and your customers to interact in a way that’s never been done before.  It’s social.  It’s personal.  And as any top sales performer will tell you, they win customer business by listening to their customers’ needs and asking questions.  This is how they truly understand what their customers’ needs are and how their  products or service can address that need.

So where do you start when it comes to listening and understanding your customers or potential customers online?  Paula Cusati wrote an article a few weeks back entitled; Top 3 ways to listen online, which addresses some effective listening tools that you can establish today.  Additionally, Forrester has done some excellent research on the use of social media by business buyers that can help you understand how your customers use social technologies.  This information will help you target your social media activity.

What is the one thing your company has done to reach your customers in a personal way?  What are your experiences?  Post a comment or email me directly at tasha.caruso@telus.com.  We may feature you in a future blog posting.

This past year, I made the leap into a telework environment. I manage a team of people across Canada who also telework. They work from home, or wherever they’re most productive. The key here is that they don’t work from a physical office location.

This is the second in a series of articles that talk to the experiences of managing a team in a virtual world.

With a geographically dispersed team – B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec in my case -  the online chatter can start really early in the morning and continue on into the late hours of the night, depending on the time zones of the respective players. When I’m working on a project with very tight deadlines, it happens that I need to be engaged in a long day of discussions in real-time.

But then comes the work-life balancing act. I live in Eastern Canada. A number of my team members live in Western Canada. I’m still at the stage in life where I’m shuttling my two children around to activities after supper. I can’t always shut down at 5 PM ET.

The frustrating thing about being an after-supper shuttle service is I inevitably end up waiting somewhere for an hour or so, until the activities are done. Golden-time when you’re running with tight timelines. Of course, I can always use my smartphone to manage emails. But it’s harder to stay on top of things when I need to access specific files. There’s no getting around it: some things are just easier on a laptop.

Over the last year, I’ve come to rely heavily on my mobile internet key. It’s the size of a memory stick and fits in the palm of my hand. I plug it into my USB port and voila, my laptop has wireless internet. Once I’m on the internet, I’m in business. I log into my company network remotely and it really makes no difference to any of my team members where I am. As long as they get the information that they need when they need it.

I’ve been a marketer for the past 20 years and I’ve spent many late nights at the office working through projects with tight timelines. Now that I’ve tried out the mobile internet key, I’m hooked. I can’t even begin to put a value on the lack of restrictions around my location. During those quiet times when I’m waiting for a practice to be over, I can still be there for my team. I can finish up and be ready for my children when their practices are done.

I can only marvel at how far we’ve come with technology and wonder what your experiences have been in this unwired world.

Nancy Kay leads the web and social media team for Business Solutions at TELUS. Nancy has been leading teams of marketing and web professionals for the last 15 years and has extensive experience in marketing, in both traditional and digital mediums.

Have a story to share about how technology has changed the way you manage work-life balance? Join the conversation.

My name is Evan Carmichael and I believe that the fastest and most effective way to build a business is to model the strategies of people who have already successfully accomplished what you’re trying to do. I call it Modeling the Masters. My last post was: How to Match Your Talents with Your Passion Like the Franchise King Ron Joyce (Tim Hortons).

Today I’m going to focus on how you can model the success of American Idol founder and multi-millionaire promoter, Simon Fuller.

Must Watch Video

“You’ve got to get in there while it’s hot and get out before it’s cold." - Simon Fuller

Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK and over 100 other versions including American Idol and Canadian Idol. Fuller is the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other US and European TV shows.

He also is, or has been, the manager of performers and entertainers including S Club 7, David and Victoria Beckham, Annie Lennox, Andy Murray, Spice Girls, Lisa Marie Presley, David Cook, Adam Lambert and others.

Fuller started his first company, 19 Entertainment, when he was 25 years old and sold it in 2005 for over $200 million. In 2007 he was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

He is the mystery entrepreneur behind the scenes who is making millions and calling the shots while flying under the radar... and here's what you can learn from his success.

Action Item #1: Put Yourself In Your Customer's Shoes

As entrepreneurs we can easily get lost in our product or service and how great it is. We can't wait to launch the next version or introduce a new feature. The trouble is, we're often creating for ourselves and are not focused enough on if our customer will actually want this new product or service.

Simon Fuller is a master at putting himself in his customer's shoes. When he came across a pop group called "Spice" he recognized that their market was limited - young girls traditionally only buy music from male singers as they are threatened by the women. To fix this problem he changed the name to "Spice Girls" and launched their "girl power" theme which made young girls want to buy their music just as much as the boys.

Fuller took five young women, turned them into superstars and the best selling girl group of all time with over 75 million records sold by putting himself in his customer's shoes. Think about your product or service. Are you really solving a need for your customers that nobody else is offering? Put yourself in your customer's shoes so  you can knock their socks off with your next product launch!

Action Item #2: Know What You're Good At

Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. The trouble is as entrepreneurs, we tend to try to do everything even though we're only good at a few things. If you focus your attention and build your business around what you're really good at you'll have a much higher chance of success (and also have a lot more fun!)

Simon Fuller's strength is promoting someone or something while it's popular and then dropping it to move on to the next hot trend. No matter how great the artist he is working on promoting today seems to be, he always has another one waiting in the wings to go. When the Spice Girls dumped him as manager, he immediately began to promote S Club 7. After S Club 7 split, he was ready with S Club Juniors. In his own words: “My business is creating fame and celebrity, and I’m one of the best in the world. I know it to the finest detail.” And that is the beauty of his Pop Idol / American Idol franchise – it doesn't matter how much real talent or staying power the winners have, because audiences will quickly move on to listening to next season’s contestants.

Fuller built a business that complements what he's best at. The business model works for him instead of the other way around. Think about your own business for a second. Do you have to do things you hate and aren't good at like cold calling to bring in clients? You'll see a huge jump in your business if you can make the business model work for you and focus your energies on what you're really good at.

Action Item #3: Paint a Vision for Your Customers

If you're trying to sell something new or have a difficult sales process you should consider giving your customer a vision of their future as a part of your pitch. Show your customers what their lives will look like if they work with you - let them imagine the benefits that you can offer and convince them on an emotional level that they should become your client.

When Simon Fuller wanted to expand his reach into managing celebrities he went after one of the biggest names in the world: soccer superstar David Beckham. Fuller sold Beckham by pampering him at Elton John's mansion and then giving him a six day vacation in Provence, France. Fuller painted a beautiful picture of what it would be like working him and Beckham couldn't resist - he signed up for Fuller's services.

Ok so you don't know Elton John and can't afford to fly your clients to France but you can do the same thing on a smaller scale. Think about how you can show your prospects that working with you will lead them to a better life. Don't ignore the emotional part of the sale and focus only on tangible facts.

True Story

How do you come up with a company name? In the mid-1980s, with just three years experience under his belt, Fuller quit his job and set off on his own. It was a risky decision, but one that paid off when Fuller discovered Paul Hardcastle. Hardcastle had written a song called 19, which centered on the Vietnam war. With Fuller’s help, the song became a huge hit and Fuller celebrated by naming his new company 19. 19 Entertainment was officially launched in 1985.

How have you put yourself in your customer's shoes or painted a vision of success for them? What part of Simon Fuller's message impacted you the most? As always, I’ve love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!

Evan Carmichael

To learn more check out my list of Simon Fuller Articles or my website, EvanCarmichael.com.

Welcome to our App of the Week series where we highlight Smartphone and iPad applications for business.

Whether it means jotting down a customer name and phone number, capturing an idea or creating a list, a good notepad is the unsung “mission-critical” business tool.  However, as more and more business users are carrying Smartphones, the thought of migrating paper notes into a managed set of virtual notes is quite appealing.

Although apps such as Evernote do an amazing job at capturing and managing notes, some users feel that it makes note taking too restrictive.  For example, with a paper notebook, you can doodle a picture of your idea or draw a map – tough to do with most apps.  So today let’s highlight an app that calls itself “the digital notepad”.

Mental Note (Limited lite version free, full version $2.99 from the iTunes store) looks at note taking a little differently than most apps.  It allows you to combine four distinct types of input into one single note:  simple text, drawings, voice recordings and pictures.  Combining these four types into one note creates a dynamic note that is one step beyond what is possible with pen and paper (you can’t take a picture or email a copy of a note with a paper notebook!).

Using the app

Mental Note is a very straight forward app to use.  After launching the app, you will see a pre-created note called User Guide that is actually worth reading.  It shows excellent examples of how a note can be created and managed.  Beyond the User Guide, screen taps to create new notes and switch between input functions are easy to navigate, although identifying some of the icons may result in a small amount trial and error.

When creating notes I found it important to remember that I could use more than one type of input.  For example, let’s say that your work vehicle is making a strange noise.  You can pull out Mental Note and write a note to get it fixed, but also record the noise and draw a little picture of where you think the noise is originating.   Another example is when someone is giving you directions. You can conveniently record their voice and draw a map.

Inputting the note itself is straight forward.  Text uses the standard keyboard and the sketch/drawing function uses basic pencil, eraser, colour and thickness options.  From my testing, sketching on the screen takes some getting used to, but it’s very easy to do simple tasks like draw arrows or circles around items in a photograph.   Voice quality on memos is pretty standard and the photo function will be familiar to iPhone users, although it is unique to see it all integrated into one note.

Managing an existing note is also quite strong in Mental Note.  Sections of a single note, such as voice recording, can be deleted while keeping the rest of the note intact.  Notes can also be tagged to make searching easier (important if you have lots of notes).  Basic security is also provided with a password protection option.

Sharing notes is also possible.  Options to email, save as an image and even share to Twitter are available.  I particularly appreciate the email as PDF function as the file type is easy for almost anyone to view.

Conclusion

The question that some may be thinking:  Is Mental Note better than Evernote, the current king of Smartphone note taking?   Evernote does a spectacular job of capturing, organizing and sharing notes.  It also has the ability to manage notes from almost any computer or Smartphone which Mental Note does not offer.  However, Evernote doesn’t provide the same paper notebook sketching capabilities that Mental Note does – a major plus for some users.  It all depends on how you like to capture notes.

The bottom line is that Mental Note is worth a download.  Try the lite version for a day and see how it fits into your business note taking.  It’s unique enough that you may find it the perfect business match.

The 7^th post in the “Work Shift, Work Styles, Work Anywhere – Flexible Work across Canada” summer blog series

As the summer begins to wind down, the warm days are getting shorter and leaving us with little time get outside and take advantage of the great outdoors. Companies are always on the hunt for new and exciting ways to get their teams out of the office for a refresher before the long Canadian winter.

So if you are in Vancouver, Canada, why not consider an impromptu team outing to the stunning peak of Grouse Mountain?

Grouse Mountain is considered one of the most picturesque places in the Vancouver area. Located just 15 minutes away from the major metropolitan centre, the resort is perfect for anyone who likes outdoor activities, as well as those who just want to get away from the everyday hustle and bustle of the city. During the summer months, Grouse Mountain has hiking and zip lining – a great team building experience for your staff.

Anyone in your office who is particularly adventurous, or just plain crazy, can take on the Grouse Grind. This is

the most popular summertime activity on the mountain; a 2.9 kilometre hike up what Vancouverites call “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster”. Anyone not bold enough to endure the trek can enjoy a wonderfully scenic Sky Ride - a 1.5 kilometre gondola offering breath taking views of Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean. Call ahead for group rates.

For teams that enjoy showing off their dance moves, be sure to include the Grouse Grind Social Night in your plans, held every Wednesday evening in the summer months. Enjoy music from DJ Ahtz, drinks, food, prizes and good fun.

But, like with any day outside the office, you never know when business is going to call.

A few tips:

• Plan ahead: pack all of your work essentials when heading out to the mountain for the day
  
• Once at the top of the mountain, there are no outdoor power outlets. Make sure your devices are fully charged or bring along extra battery packs.
  
• There is also no public WiFi at the peak, so be sure to bring along your laptop and mobile Internet key, or rely on your smartphone to monitor your email and respond to any urgent messages. 3G coverage is good on the mountain.
  

Thinking of bringing your team to Grouse Mountain? Act fast. October is typically the rainiest month in Vancouver and there are few awnings and outdoor shelters at the peak. Snow typically hits the mountain in November, and by then your team will probably appreciate the warm and dry comfort of the office.

Welcome to our App of the Week series where we highlight Smartphone and iPad applications for business.

Like many others across Canada, I grew up in a family where the fridge was covered in magnets.  There were probably 20 or 30 of them from all kinds of companies around the city and they valiantly held up shopping lists and pencil crayon art.  I don’t remember what most of the magnets said, but there is one that still stands out.  It was for a company that made exterior signs and the magnet simply said: “No sign is a sign of no business”.   It’s a simple, but strikingly relevant slogan.

While traditional signs are still important, websites have become the “virtual sign” where customers and prospects can learn and interact with a business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  However, like an exterior sign, a website is only good when people look at it. Data such as hits, visitors, location, bounce rates and time on site all tell you if people are visiting your website, staying around to interact and coming back for more.  Google Analytics is one of the more popular tools for tracking and if you already have it setup on your website, you are going to love this week’s app.

Analytics for iPhone ($6.99 from the iTunes store) provides surprisingly comprehensive access to your website Google Analytics data while on the go.  $6.99 may seem high, but in return you receive access to 55 different reports, the ability to login to view multiple sites under your Google account and an app that is a pleasure to use.

The power to access analytics from a mobile device can be of strong value to business users.  Everyone is tight and on time and it’s not always top of mind to find out how your website is performing.  Now, you can pull out your iPhone and with a few touches view comprehensive reports.  It saves time, improves productivity and supports decisions with real data.

Using the App

After logging in to your Google account and selecting one of the domains you are monitoring, an easy to navigate main screen appears.  The first three items are logically presented and likely the pages most users will want to see first.  Dashboard presents a spectacular view of the past 30 days activity on the site (date ranges can be adjusted).  It includes a visit overview of all the key site performance metrics including hits, unique visitors, bounce rate and more.  It’s a nice bonus that whenever one of these top metrics is touched, a corresponding bar graph will be generated.

The Dashboard also includes data such as referral type, referral sources (telling you if those ads or LinkedIn posts have been effective), location data such as country and city of viewers and which of your pages is the most popular.  The ability to view a snapshot of this data through a mobile device is extremely valuable to prepare for meetings or support decisions wherever you are.

Moving away from the Dashboard and back to the main screen you will find two extremely valuable views – Today and Yesterday.  While providing similar information to the Dashboard, these views provide fast access to what is happening on your site right now.  This is especially useful if you are running promotions on your website or want to judge the success of an advertising campaign that is currently in motion.

(this website had a bad day!)

Going deeper in the app, there are literally dozens of data points that can be analyzed from basics such as location and browser type to more complex operations such as eCommerce reports and Ad campaign results.  Very easy to use

Conclusion

If you use Google Analytics for your business, Analytics for iPhone is the must have app to access data on the go.  The app very is easy to use; in fact it’s easier to use than a laptop to monitor day-to-day trending.

The real value of the app comes with use. You will find that since it’s so easy to check your traffic data, you will be more likely use the information to positively influence or support decisions around your business and website.

Today is the 6th post in the "Work Shift, Work Styles, Work Anywhere – Flexible Work across Canada" summer blog series

As the Editor-in-Chief of Techvibes.com, a hyper-local Canadian technology blog, I meet with (and get pitched by) plenty of tech startups every week. These meetings tend to take place in coffee shops and cafes throughout downtown Vancouver and usually include a laptop or an iPad.

With over 300 Starbucks locations in Vancouver's lower mainland (and two kitty-corner on Robson Street), you'd think that I'd end up in the Seattle-born chain more often than anywhere else especially since they offer free Wi-Fi access. Not the case though. I find myself taking most of my meetings at a Vancouver-based coffee chain that prides itself in NOT offering complimentary Wi-Fi.

JJ Bean Coffee Roasters just opened it's 10th location and they're giving the big chains a run for the money in Vancouver. JJ Bean's Yaletown location is at the corner of Homer & Davie street and accessing the Web on the fly isn't a problem for me thanks to my trusty Mobile Internet Key.

With my latte set next to my MacBook, "pitches" turn into blog posts on the fly and I usually find myself diving into my regular daily activities before closing my laptop and heading back to the office.

At Techvibes, we do everything on the web - our email runs on Google Apps and we track our web stats with Google Analytics. We tweet all of our blog posts to the world and communicate internally with Yammer. We track customers on Salesforce, invoice them with FreshBooks, and then check our bank balances online.

As I type this blog post from my favourite coffee shop at summer's end on September 1st, I wonder if I'll be feeling so mobile when Vancouver's wet weather hits. Just in case I retreat to my office this Fall, come on by and say Hi at JJ Bean today. I'll be here from 11:00a.m. until noon PT and have some sweet swag for the first few to find me.

About the Author: Rob Lewis, TechVibes.com President and Editor-in-Chief and Guest Contributor

Rob is the President of Techvibes Media and Editor-in-Chief of Techvibes.com.  His diverse background includes stints in International Trade Finance, Web Development, and Enterprise Software and he is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Simon Fraser University.