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There, I said it. With a majority of the world’s population in love with their Apple devices, it is a difficult statement to make publicly. OK, “hate” may be too strong a word, but it’s just enough already with Apple this and Apple that. It’s not the products or company I hate, it’s their closed superior mentality. Apple has great products and great software that serves a lot of people really well in the computing world, but with Android (Google’s open mobile operating system) they are no longer the only player in the mobile/tablet world.

Given that I work in the IT industry, people frequently ask my opinion on the Android vs Apple question, and why I chose an Android phone (Samsung) over a an iPhone and an Android tablet (Lenovo) over an iPad. I always try to respond in a politically correct manner, so as not to say anything offensive to the many friends and colleagues that are Apple owners. A typical response might go something like this, “Apple is great. Great visionary company that undeniably makes great products. Can’t argue that. But I decided on Android because it’s cheaper, more open, yada, yada”. I am no expert, but the truth is, I have had it with Apple and its over-priced ‘i’ products, it’s closed and controlling environment, and the materialistic status symbol it has become. While the i products were revolutionary, they are no longer the only thing available on the market. Does every kid really need an iPhone, iPod, iPad, and maybe soon an iCar? Spending $800+ on a tablet is not necessary. You can purchase an equally capable tablet for under $400. Just like the “Apple vs. Windows” debate over the desktop world, it is now “Apple vs Android” over the mobile world. Like Microsoft, Google provides the ultimate competitive environment, where any hardware vendor can build or adapt their products to the Android operating system. Software, media, and data from any source, are easily used across all Android devices. You don’t have to purchase every device, every piece of software, and all digital content from the Apple Empire.

I am sure this debate will go on for a long time, but for now, I will stick with my Android devices and see how the market further develops. What’s your preferred mobile device?

There is a crazy amount of free stuff available on the web that can help you get your business rolling or improve productivity, at virtually no cost. Since most of these applications are in the cloud, you can access these apps and your information from anywhere; work, home, on the road, or mobile phone. As a small business owner, I take advantage of free applications all the time. While I do pay a small monthly or annual price for premium services on occasion (which is disclosed below), these costs are minimal.

This list is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it necessarily the best solution in their respective area of specialty; they are simply the applications that I have selected based on my own research and trial & error.

So here is my list of TOP TEN FREE APPLICATIONS (not in any particular order):

1. LinkedIn - Absolutely the most effective and powerful application I use on a regular basis. No time in history has it been so easy to stay in touch with your business network. LinkedIn provides the perfect medium to keep in touch with my network, stay current with industry news, be involved in group discussions, and instantly share updates and company news. I do pay for a premium account ($249/year).
2. DropBox – Great tool for backing up and sharing files. All of my files are stored centrally in Dropbox. I can access these files anywhere, even my Android phone. I am able to share specific folders with colleagues or clients as needed. I do pay for additional storage space which costs $99/year for 50 GB of storage.
3. FreshBooks – Another killer app. Incredibly easy to use and saves me a whack of time each month. I do all of my invoicing using FreshBooks. Tracks all time, activities, comments, and rates for all team members. Subcontractors use their own FreshBooks account, linking their time to the owner’s project, making it simple to reconcile their invoices. I pay $20/month, which is the cost once you have more than 3 customers.
4. Ace of Sales - A great tool for contact management. For $20/month, you can send unlimited  e-greetings, e-zines, and branded emails. Includes great tools and analytics for tracking open and click-through rates.
5. WordPress – Website, blog all created with WordPress at no cost!!
6. Skype – IM, calls to other skype users, video conference calls, Skype to land lines (small fee). Incredible tool when working in a virtual office.
7. FreeConferencePro – for those that prefer land lines, this is a great free service to initiate and schedule free conference calls (just long distance charges apply).
8. Join.Me – This is the simplest and most effective tool for connecting to other PCs remotely. Since most of the work I do is remote and I work as part of a virtual team, I use this tool ALL the time for support, demos, and team collaboration.
9. Google Analytics – Another great free tool. Google provides so much information on web-site visits. Some of the key metrics I look at on a regular basis; number of site/page visits, location (where they are from), content (which pages, landing and exit page), network (sometimes indicates company name), time on site, etc.
10. Google Reader/Twitter – These are the tools I rely on for a daily review of my all news feeds and blogs. I follow many blogs, news organizations, and people of interest for both personal and business use.

Regardless of the type of work you do there are free (or almost free) applications for almost anything you need. What are your favorite free applications?

ERP systems are built for the masses. In order to meet the needs of many it must include many options and many features. And these can slow you down! Every retailer is different and everyone’s workflow is varied. How can a system designed for the masses possibly meet the needs of every retailer? It can’t. This is why we are seeing an explosion of Custom or Specialized Apps. It is such specialization that can make you more efficient and give you an edge.

We have already seen this trend in the consumer world. It was not long ago, that consumers did not have much choice, they used a few major applications and had to work within these constraints to get things done. Not always the most productive way of doing things.  Now we live in the world of Apps, thanks to Apple and Google, and as a result, you can find an App for almost anything!! Apps are now so highly customized and so specific, that every consumer can have their own customized experience based on the array of Apps they download. We are starting to see a similar trend in business. Retailers want to get the most out of their ERP system, and sometimes that means purchasing specialized apps that can work with their ERP System. Systems are more standard and more open today, therefore opening up the possibilities of developing highly customized apps and “plugging” them in to your ERP system. Need sophisticated Price Optimization? In-depth forecasting capability? Intelligent promotions engine? You no longer have to rely solely on your ERP vendor for specialized functionality. Highly specialized solutions are available on the market or “Custom Apps” can be designed and developed, while being fully and tightly integrated with your ERP system. Now any retailer can afford to build, rent, or buy their own customized apps.

How do we know? We know, because at RIBA Retail, we have built a number of such highly customized business apps, integrated with the Retailers’ back office system, such as our speedy web-based PO Entry system (POExpress). Do you see it the same way? What specialized apps can your retail operations benefit from?

We see them everywhere, but what are they and what is their purpose? And more importantly is there any value in them? On a recent trip to the NRF Show, I created a special batch of business cards with a QR Code. When scanned (you can try scanning QR code on left), it takes you directly to a specifically designed webpage for your smartphone. This webpage gives you a little blurb on my company with a nifty link that allows you to add my contact info right into your smartphone’s contact manager. Genius! Simple, easy to use, informative, great functionality, and looks pretty nifty (high tech) too! What I did not expect was  the number of questions and comments I received about this quirky code. What do I do with it? How do I scan it? Or more commonly, interesting but really no intent of scanning or using it.

What I came to realize is that people want to know what’s in it for them? They have probably seen these codes all over the place, maybe even scanned a few out of interest, but it resulted simply in a link to a web-site or youtube video. So their value in scanning was almost nil. Ultimately, I believe these codes are largely ignored.

QR Codes, short for Quick Response Code, have been around since the mid 90′s. Originally developed and designed for the car industry as a way to track vehicles through the manufacturing process, they have been used mostly for commercial use because of their quick readability and storage capacity (far greater than traditional UPC codes). With the recent explosion of smartphones, we are now seeing QR codes being used for consumer purposes, since smartphones with cameras can easily scan these codes and deliver some actual information or functionality to the consumer. But until the consumer sees value in scanning these codes, most will be ignored. So how can retailers make us of these codes and have an impact with their consumers.This article shows three ways that Retailers can make effective use of QR codes. But ultimately, people must be creative and devise new ways to engage the consumers with use of these codes, and then consumers will start to notice them and use them.

What has your experience been with QR codes?

Just wrapped up another spectacular event in New York city. The show was busy as ever, with nearly 29,000 attendees. With a line-up of exciting sessions and an Expo Hall packed with even more vendors and more innovative solutions than prior years, I am guessing that NRF 2012 was a success.

From sessions to Expo Hall, I think Mobile and Customer Service were on the minds of most retailers. I think this makes sense and the 2 are very much related. As competition increases between E-commerce and Brick & Mortar, retailers must deliver even better customer service, and ‘MOBILE’ is all about Customer Service. We have been hearing “mobile” for a very long time, and now that we are well into the 2nd generation of the iPad revolution, things are starting to take off. Believe me, I do not think the iPad is the answer to ALL mobile, there are many other tablets, mobile devices, operating systems, and solutions that do not require Apple’s pricey footprint. But the iPad has made this new technology accessible and desired universally. It has made what seemed like a pipe dream for Retailers only a couple of years back, a reality today. Retailers now understand that today’s mobile technology is ready for prime-time – it is easily developed/integrated, it is affordable, it is widely accessible, and fully accepted. In a flash, every retailer now MUST have a Mobile Strategy. As a result, vendors were strutting all their new wares in this area. Real or not, it was being discussed, demo’d, and even sold.

On another note, Montreal’s very own Mitch Joel from Twist Image, was a keynote speaker on everything Digital, which you can read more about here. Visit the NRF Blog where you will find more discussions on other sessions regarding customer service and mobile.

If I saw you at NRF, it was nice to catch up.  You can continue to stay up to date with RIBA Retail by following me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and this Blog.