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As someone who meets a lot of customers and people in the app world, I always wind up with a bunch of business cards that end up in a stack on my desk.  I have every intention of putting these people in my contacts but I never quite get around to doing it.  I’m not the only one.

I picked up a very handy business card scanning dock called WorldCard Link Pro.  Basically you plug your phone into the dock, download the app and then you scan your your stack of business cards.

The business cards can be scanned into the contacts section of the app and also to your iPhone contacts.  The contacts within the app was very nice visually and I may consider using that for my new contact book.

Results

I scanned 10 cards and the auto scan feature ingested and deciphered the text out right away.  Of the 10 cards, it placed 6 of them perfectly in the right fields.  The other 4 had some issues.  But, the beauty of this app is that it makes it easy to correct any mistakes.  When in edit mode, click on the field that is incorrect and it will display what it grabbed from the card in very large text so you can compare.  With every business card being so different, it would be almost impossible to perfectly put all fields on all cards in the correct place.  Penpower knows this and did a good job of handling fixes on the fly.  When you scan your stack of cards, be sure to go in and check them for accuracy before exporting to Contacts app, dropbox or iCloud.

Smartly this app also lets you sync to PC via Google Contacts.  Other features include the ability to read QR codes on business cards, grab a contact from Photos app, snap a shot of an email signature and the ability to simply use the camera to snap a business card on the fly.

The dock retails for $69.95.  Probably expensive for someone who doesn’t collect a lot of business cards but absolutely essential for the sales and executive teams to quickly capture and organize their new contacts.

I give the dock/app combo a 4.3/5 rating.  It’s a must for the traveling business class.

Features I’d like to see added are: A little clearer, simpler directions out of the box and the ability to discern “l” and “i” a little bit better.

-Randall

Can Siri Give Me Directions Using Google Maps?  Yes!

Google Maps (iTunes Link) is finally back on the iPhone for iOS 6 and it is better than ever with phenomenal turn-by-turn directions .  For those who drive a lot, Siri comes in handy for simple hands-free driving.  While Apple Maps is decent, it’s certainly does not provide the quality of turn-by-turn directions that Google Maps does.  Well, there is a very simple way to get Siri to give you directions using Google Maps.  Here’s How:

Tell Siri “Directions to [Home; Nearest Coffee Shop; Gas Station; etc] via Transit.”  The via transit part is key.  It tells Siri to use a 3rd party app instead of Apple Maps to do the directions for you.  In the picture below we are asking Siri to give us direction to Apple headquarters.

Siri will then temporarily open Apple Maps and then pop to a new screen and will present you with a list of apps to choose from.

Tap on the Route next to Google Maps and viola. Google Maps will open and you can do turn by turn directions.

 Follow the link for even more great iPhone Tips and Secrets

You’ve got tons of iTunes Gift Card cash from Uncle Jed and Auntie Florence and you’ve got your new (or not-so-new) iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch fully charged.    The following 5 apps are must have’s for Christmas morning and for your whole winter break.  Enjoy:

Braille Pad Pro

Introducing Braille Pad Pro for the iPad

Braille Pad Pro (iTunes Link) is a word processor for the iPad that handles Grade 1 (uncontracted) and Grade 2 (contracted) Braille.  If you are looking for Braille Software that handles UEBC, try Braille Pad Student.  Braille Pad Pro comes complete with translation capability and  was designed to be helpful for both visually impaired and sighted people in learning and working with Braille.  The beauty of this iPad app is that the Braille needs no special software to appear in emails such as: ⠺⠑⠇⠉⠕⠍⠑ ⠞⠕ ⠠⠃⠗⠇ ⠠⠏⠁⠙

For those looking for a Grade 2 Brailler Word Processor for Apple’s Mac Platform, we just released Braille Writer Pro for the Mac.

 Features & Benefits

• No special software to email braille – as in ⠠⠺⠑⠇⠉⠕⠍⠑ ⠞⠕ ⠠⠃⠗⠇ ⠠⠏⠁⠙.  The braille simply appears right in the body of email.
• Handles Grade 1 and Grade 2 Braille – Contracted and Uncontracted.
• Load, edit, save, email, and print files.
• DXP Read and Write File Support: Natively supports files in the popular .DXB format so you can seamlessly import or export Perky Duck files in and out of Braille Pad Pro.
• Files can be opened in BraillePad Pro directly from web links or from your email.
• Several resources exist on the web that have complete Braille Books.  Download them for free directly into the app and use the translation tool if you get stuck.  To find them, search for “dxb contracted Braille book files” in Google.
• Braille & English Dictionary: In-app dictionary that allows you to look up the Braille letters, numbers, symbols, and contractions by English or by Braille. Important Note: This is NOT a dictionary of every word in English converted to Braille, rather it is a complete listing of the symbols and combinations of symbols you may find in a Grade 2 Braille document.  The dictionary shows each of the multiple meanings where applicable (see screen shot).
• Braille to English: Includes translation functionality to convert Braille to English and identify the contractions used.  Translation from Grade 2 Braille to English is not easy and this functionality in the app is about 98% correct and still evolving.  If you find an error in a translation, PLEASE email it to us using the contact form on our website.

How are Grade 1 and Grade 2 Braille Braille different?

Grade 1 Braille is a literal 1 to 1 translation of printed letters to Braille symbols. Grade 2 Braille employs a very smart utilization of the symbols and  combinations of symbols  to represent multiple letters or words.  There are only 64 possible configurations of a standard Braille cell so most symbols are reused in various contexts to have many meanings.  This allows Grade 2 contracted Braille documents to be much shorter than the uncontracted Grade 1 equivalent.  Learning to read contracted Braille requires some patience and practice.  In the end, the effort is well rewarded.

Screenshots (click to Enlarge)

Brailler Word Processor Interface

Showing Translation with Construction on

Translation with Construction off

Dictionary Showing Braille for word and keys used to create it

The only element that does not seem to fit in these leaked photos is the new home button.  Many earlier leaks exposed a square home button with rounded corners.  These appear to still be rounded.

Do you think this is an actual picture of the new iPhone 5?  Are you going to get one?

Instagram pictures look so much better framed on a wall and they also make excellent gifts for friends and family.  Over the last few months we’ve scoured the web and the app store looking for the best and cheapest way to print and then frame our Instagram photos.

We bought countless pictures and frames so you don’t have to.  The more expensive options elegantly mount the picture on the frame for you.  However, we found the cheapest, most efficient way to frame an Instagram print is to buy the print and frame separately and then mount it yourself (duh).  While you could go even a little cheaper with a smaller frame, the best option can still be had for under $10.

Rather than bring yet another wine bottle in hand to a party, order a bunch of frames, print that photo of your friend and bring it with you. +1 for creativity.

Best Place to Print Instagram Pictures

The best and easiest way to print your Instagram pics is with the MoPho iOS application.  Each print is only 30 cents which is a fair price considering that not many companies print square pictures.  But, what makes MoPho the best choice is that it seamlessly integrates with your Instagram account and loads all of the pictures right in to the app.  The user interface is easy to use and the pictures arrived in a few days all looking good.  MoPho also offers a bunch of framing options like on aluminum or dog tags but we found the material to be pretty cheap in quality and overpriced.

We also looked at a few other options such as PostalPix.  Don’t waste your time with this one as they do not even integrate with Instagram so loading your pics in the apps is a pain.

Best Place to Buy Cheap Instagram Frames

Now that you have your prints, you need a good frame.  It took us a while to find this but a small company called Harmony out of Utah, sells 4×4 frames for only $8 through Etsy.  The viewable area is 3.5×3.5 so you lose just a bit of the border but it looked great with all our photos.  Don’t worry, it comes in more than pink: The frame comes in 14 different colors and it has a subtle rustic wear to it.  The frame comes with a hole and a little peg so you can either put the peg in and lay the frame on a table or you can hang on a wall.

We recommend buying a bunch of frames so you have them on hand (and to save on shipping).  Assuming you buy a few frames at a time and save on shipping, for under $10 you now can print and mount an Instagram photo.

One more option is worth mentioning…

Best Premium Instagram Frame

Of all the frames we bought and pictures we printed there is one more high end solution that is worth looking into if you are looking to get a nice gift for someone or to make a big impression: Hatchcraft makes an amazing looking frame called a Boo Box for Instagram photos.  The Hatchcraft Website is easy to use and it integrates seamlessly with your Instagram account.  Once you upload you picture, you can choose between 4″ or 7″ pictures.  The frames are made of bamboo and come in three flavors: light, mixed and dark (Lion, Tiger and Bear).  As the name implies, Tiger uses multicolored wood and really makes the picture pop.

The 4″ mounted pic is $19 and the 7″ is $29.  We gave a bunch of pictures out as gifts and our family and friends loved them and immediately commented on how cool the frames are.  To top it off, customer service is good and the people are nice.  If you buy in bulk, you can save a few bucks per frame as well.

There are many other companies that print everything from Mouse pads to wall sized posters.  Let us know in the comments if you have found a great way to print, mount and share your Instagram photos.

Read on and find out why Instagram is so addictive here.

-Randall

1. TAP THE CAMERA LENS ON MENU PAGE TO TAKE/LOAD A PICTURE
2. Use one finger to draw and two fingers to move pic and zoom around.
3. Scriblist is great for taking a pictures and doodling on your handwritten lists, friends and maps among other things. 
4. Have fun and Explore; There are several hidden features for you to discover.  How will you use Scriblist?

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