I know it’s not been quite a week but here are my next six iPad app recommendation and there are a couple of gems in there. You can see the first six apps here and the last 6 here.

Evernote (free, see more at http://www.evernote.com/)

Evernote is one of those products you wonder how you ever did without.

You can create notes on any device and read them on any device and they are stored in the cloud therefore sync automatically. You can capture pictures, audio, web pages, well pretty much anything really.  It’s like Dropbox but with a built in creation, search and editing component.

NavFree (free, see more at http://www.navmii.com/navfree/?country=GB)

When a friend recommended this I was very sceptical but it’s got me out of all sorts of navigation situations. NavFree is a free sat nav for the UK and Ireland and is brilliant.  Other countries are coming online all the time so check the site for more info. If I travel and hire a car I put my iPad on the passenger seat and use it for directions. It saves carrying a car holder or sat nav and does a great job with audio and on screen directions.

Tweetdeck (free, see more at http://www.tweetdeck.com/)

Tweetdeck monitors and edelivers tweets in an easy to read fashion. It can also monitor Facebook and LinkedIn. You can use Tweetdeck to create tweets, reply to direct messages and even schedule tweets for automatic distribution. It’s available on almost any device which makes it a must have for social media people.

WordPress (free, see more at www.wordpress.org)

WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms on the internet. You are reading this on WordPress and I regularly use the iPad version to create a post when I get inspiration on the move. Although the interface is not as comprehensive as the online version it makes adding a post very simple. The keyboard does have the basic formatting functions like bold, italics, linking, quote, lists, etc. but without html knowledge you can’t add an image.

Kindle (free from Amazon)

The Kindle app opens a whole world of reading opportunities and although friends with the actual Kindle swear that my iPad is a poor ereader I have no issues with it. I don’t tend to read for hours and to be honest I’d rather have an actual book for that anyway as I mostly read on holiday and would be constantly worried about having my eReader stolen or damaged.

GoToMeeting (free)

I attend a lot of online webinars and meetings so GoToMeeting means I can listen to these anywhere there’s a 3G connection, just superb. The only limitation is you don’t have the panel to ask questions or give input but in listen only mode it’s just great.

SIX MORE APPS NEXT WEEK!

Don’t forget to comment if you think I’ve missed one.

Flipboard on the iPad

Whenever I meet a fellow iPad owner the “favourite apps” discussion happens, yes I know it’s sad. I was very sceptical about spending a chunk of money on a 3G iPad but it’s a decision I have never regretted, and it’s paid itself back many time over since March.

I have 18 apps that I use pretty much every day so I’m going to cover 6 of these a week for 3 weeks. As well as naming them I’m going to tell you how they work for me. If you have favourite apps please let me know what it is and how you are using it, I’m always open to new ideas.

These are my first 6 top business apps

See the second 6 here | See the third 6 here

Flipboard (free)

Flipboard is for me the must have app and it’s how I keep up to speed on the world of internet marketing, as well as my personal interests.  It brings my Google reader, LinkedIn, FB and Twitter feeds into one place and allows me to view them as a newspaper, just brilliant. There are tons of other feeds available including technology, UK business, and the usual US fare.

Dropbox (free up to 2GB)

Dropbox is a must have for getting important documents anywhere. I use this to keep critical information that I update regularly so I always have the latest copy.  I also download a lot of eBooks so I have a Dropbox directory called “Reading” which I arrange in sub directories that are dates, so for example 2011-11-21 so they are in date order. I save the eBook to the dated directory on my PC and when I have some time I use Dropbox on the iPad to read the eBook. I also have Dropbox on my iPhone.

iBooks (free)

I use iBooks to read the PDF files I have in Dropbox for 2 reasons. 1) The standard PDF reader in Dropbox means you have to scroll down to read the books which I find irritating, iBooks is an eReader with page control, bookmarks, font size, brightness, etc. all built in. 2) iBooks stores the book on your iPad so you don’t have to be online to carry on reading it (you can do this in Dropbox by adding it a favourite). To open a Dropbox file in iBooks just tap the SEND icon (box with an arrow to the right) and select iBooks, done.

Roboform ($20 a year)

If you don’t already use this then you should. Roboform Everywhere is on my PC, iPad and iPhone and it manages all my online login addresses, usernames and passwords, and syncs between all the devices. It also allows me to have identities for my private life, business life and even for my Wife so I can fill forms in with 1 click including card information.  Just make sure your master password is VERY strong. Roboform will also generate you passwords if your imagination fails you. For your master password there are some great ideas here http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Password-You-Can-Remember

FileBrowser (free)

I use File Browser for getting files from my PC to my iPad. It connects to my laptop via my wireless network and once you’ve sussed out how to move and copy it’s simple to use. I appreciate you can do this in iTunes but it’s very clunky and confusing. I carry training videos, portfolio examples, checklists, important documents, and anything else that I need with me that doesn’t change regularly. I use Dropbox for all my dynamic files.

AnalyticsPro (free)

AnalyticsPro is excellent for a quick look at your Google Analytics data. Just setup your account in the software and ask it for all sorts of reports. I use it to stay in touch with my clients accounts and I even use it in meetings to show clients what’s happening on their web site or blog.

SIX MORE APPS NEXT WEEK!

Don’t forget to comment if you think I’ve missed one.

See the second 6 here | See the third 6 here

Many of my clients use AdWords to promote their businesses both locally and nationally, and in many cases I help run their campaigns for them.  This is mainly because setting up and using AdWords is daunting requiring much more than just writing an advertisement.  Here are some areas where we spend time during a campaign; keyword research, ad copy, split testing, constant monitoring and tracking, managing different campaigns, allocating budgets, setting up landing pages, conversion monitoring, and adding new advertisements.

Adwords Express takes many of these areas out of the equation by simplifying the entire process.  It’s specifically aimed at small traders with a local customer base. Hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes retail, dry cleaning, repairs, the list is endless, but any business that targets local customers.

We can help by giving you a £50 credit on your new account, no strings attached. Just ask me at  alan.tomkins@wsiwbm.co.uk

Although Google says you don’t need a web site, you can use your places page, I would disagree.  When someone clicks on a link for your products or services you want to offer them exactly what they are looking for. Making the most of every click through that you are paying for really requires a landing page aimed to get the user to call, text, email, fill in a form, or visit your premises. A generic places page just doesn’t offer this level of conversion capability.

So here are the headlines:

• LOCAL TARGETING – Attract clients locally: AdWords Express campaigns target end users who are nearby the advertiser or search for a specific product/service offered by the advertiser
• SIMPLE – No need to create and manage the campaign: Keywords are automatically selected based on the categories of the business
• TRANSPARENT – Cost control: Monthly budget limit specified by the advertiser
• MEASURABLE – Simple performance tracking: simplified dashboard directly accessible from Place Page
• GREATER ELIGIBILITY- No need to have a website: the Place Page can be the destination page for the ads

Google have provided an excellent guide to Google AdWords Express (14MB) to help you through the entire process so why not give it a go?  Allocate say £100 per month and see how it goes.  I know AdWords work, I have clients that have based their entire marketing strategy on AdWords and have been very successful, so give it a go, there’s not much to lose and a great deal to gain.

If you need help just get in touch, alan.tomkins@wsiwbm.co.uk, I can even offer you a £50 credit on your new account, no strings attached, so if you like you can use this to help set up AdWords Express if you’re not sure.

You can see Googles AdWords Express pages here.

Yesterday Google announced the launch of Google+ Pages so we can finally setup a Google+ business page, but how do you go about it?

It’s actually surprisingly simple and very similar to setting up your Google+ personal profile. Incidentally if you’ve not already setup a Google+ profile you’ll need to do so.

Google’s help files are excellent so if you go here http://www.google.com/support/plus/bin/answer.py?hl=en-GB&answer=1710600&topic=1710599 and look in the left hand column you’ll see all the help you need to get through the entire process.

I’ve just setup a basic profile in a few minutes, see it here https://plus.google.com/108921145564808713160/posts All I needed was a bit of information about my business, a main profile picture and 5 images to put across the top of the page to make the page a little more interesting.

There’s lots of potential here and I’ll be exploring this in more depth over the next few weeks and adding a few videos I’ve done, so why not follow me to get notified when I put these online.

Enjoy.

The ladies have their shoes and handbags but for me it’s always been watches and briefcases, now laptop bags of course. Having several watches is fine but having more than one laptop bag is just not practical so it’s very important that it’s perfect. You know what I mean gents, and at last I’ve found it, read on.

Ever since I purchased my first laptop in 1989 (Toshiba, CGA 320×240 screen, 20MB HD, 256KB RAM, DOS) I’ve been looking for the perfect bag to carry it in. In the early days we modified our brief cases or used the little black nylon bags and carried 2 bags, but now as nearly all of us carry these devices a huge market has evolved.

So you’d think finding the perfect back would be easy. Not on your Nellie!

I’ve had all the usual black nylon options, a leather briefcase that I loved but it eventually died under the strain, the ubiquitous Targus rucksack, practical but NOT stylish. In March my Wife bought me an excellent Wenger laptop bag for my birthday after searching for months. It’s great quality, superbly practical, but lacks the feel good factor.

But last week I eventually found the perfect laptop bag. Practical, great looking (in my opinion), soft leather so it feels and smells wonderful, easy to open, separate and removable laptop protection wallet, stylish shoulder strap that’s small enough to leave in the bag, external fast access secure nicknack pockets for loose change and bits and bobs, every option I need without being cumbersome, and most importantly it’s incredibly comfortable to carry.

Now I’m quite a demanding user as I travel a lot and I carry a fair amount of stuff; laptop, power supply, iPad, important documents folder, an A4 ‘black n red’ notepad, lots of USB devices, a mouse, travel wallet, glasses, various cables and usually some reading matter, typically 6kg ish.

To get all this into a package that look and feels great and doesn’t cost a fortune is simply brilliant. Thank you to www.AdventureAvenue.co.uk for selling me with this wonderful bag. Already one of my friends has placed an order, luckily he’s in Wales so we won’t look like Harold and Hilda, but I really can’t understand why there are still any in stock!

Ask for one for Christmas, it’ll be the best present ever, but not if you live in Fife please!