It’s that time again for our AOTW and it’s a bit of a change of scene from our previous entries. If you’ve had a busy day in the office and you need some down time, here is the lastest craze sweeping the app world that will have you addicted in seconds – Temple Run! Think Indiana Jones crossed with Usain Bolt and you’re there!!!

The game opens with your character carrying a sacred golden icon and fleeing from the grasp of some interesting looking Gorilla-type monsters. The hard work has already been done, you’ve found what you were searching for, but now you have to get out alive!

The reason this game is so addictive is that you can’t look away from the screen! Your character  can turn, jump and slide around obstacles but he can’t stop moving. The point of the game is to collect coins and get the highest score, a concept that sounds as if it could get old quickly but because of the popularity of the game and the ability to post your scores on Twitter, it doesn’t. Watch your friends true feelings come out as their competitive nature takes over!  With celeb fans like Wayne Rooney and Justin Beiber bragging about their scores via Twitter, it’s easy to see where the hype came from.

It’s popularity is also helped by the fact that it’s free to download and there are no adverts interrupting playing time! The money is made in buying extra coins with cash!

For such a simple game, the graphics are surprisingly good with a misty backdrop to add to the drama and interestingly there are a few features that are better on the Android version. For example, you are able to turn corners by tilting the phone rather than having to swipe the direction on the screen as is required on the iOS version. There is also a version available for Tablets with optimised high definition graphics to lure you in, although it has to be said that you move so fast, it’s hard to notice the graphics and wallpapers in the background!

Temple Run has all the qualities needed to be a hit in the app world – it’s fun, easy to play and weirdly enough, gets your heart racing! Which makes it hard to put down but perfect to pass the time on your commute to work or take your mind off the stresses of work once in a while.

So go on – test your reflexes as you race down ancient temple walls and along sheer cliffs and see how far you can run!

In the 18 months that Instagram has been available on iOS it has amassed a massive 30 million users, and with an estimated half a million pre-registered for the Android version before it’s launch in April, there is no doubting the popularity of this app. It has also controversially partnered with Facebook and together they have a huge emphasis on sharing the experience of photos. With Instagram’s vision to be a fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures it seems a perfect fit!

It is simple and easy to use, just take a snapshot through the app on your phone or tablet, then chose filters and tilt-shift blur (a posh effect that makes you look like a pro!!) to breathe a new life into your mobile photos. You can transform everyday moments into works of art you’ll want to share with friends and family. The major selling point for us is that sharing on multiple platforms can be a pain – Instagram helps you take a picture once, then share it instantly on multiple services (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, Foursquare, and Posterous).

It has been the subject of some controversy recently however, with many bloggers critising the app for creating a never-ending stream of photos that all look the same as the last and there isn’t a lot of individuality. I guess it’s how you choose to use the app, whether you use it just as a basic tool to brighten up your snapshots, or push it to its limits being mega creative! Whatever your opinion it’s popularity cannot be denied, with a 5* rating on the app store, it seems to be going from strength to strength and shows no sign of slowing down!

It can be used in loads of ways – from taking family snapshots to recording business information and updating social networking pages and websites with impressive images to attract new visitors to tweet, read and blog about yourselves. One thing is for sure, you can spot an Instagram picture a mile off and they definitely catch your eye.

Another major plus is that it is 100% free!! No charges to download, upload or use any of the filter effects. This is what makes this app stand out from the rest, it may be more basic than some picture editing programmes available, but it has all the basics needed to create exciting photos quickly and will cost you nothing.

So there you have it – happy snapping!!!

It’s a question we get asked all the time by prospective customers; “why should we outsource?” So we thought it was about time to write up a blog to tell the world why we believe it’s the best option!

Cost-Effective
Generally speaking, if you’re an SME, it’s just not cost-effective to employ an in-house IT support. Rather than employing somebody internally full-time, having to pay a full-time salary, you would be able to just get the support you require, on a full-time basis, meaning a far more cost-effective arrangement!

Broader Pool of Talent
Benefit numero 2: High quality, diverse technical expertise, available to you as a team of engineers collaborate to keep your office running! Here at b2b, we employ a pool of engineers specialising in a wide variety of subjects; meaning you have a team of experts on-hand, rather than one or two individuals that only specialise in one or two areas!

No Holidays or Sick Leave
And…If you outsource your IT support, you don’t have to worry about staff heading off on holiday, or being off ill! We have engineers available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Perfect right?

Local
We LOVE working here in South Wales with clients right across the area. Perfectly located on the M4 corridor at Junction 32, we are in the ideal position to serve clients in the region, delivering fast response times to keep your offices running smoothly!

But…
Of course a fully outsourced support may not be the best option for you, and a complementary arrangement may be the best solution. That means that in situations where your in-house support needs some additional help or they’re away, we would be able to step in and support wherever required.

So there you have it…Just a few reasons why outsourcing may be the best option for you!

Contact us on 029 20762337 to talk through this possibility and ask any questions you might have!

Evernote is a note-taking genius that ‘makes it easy to remember things big and small from your everyday life’! Working across multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows etc), and also available for tablets and computers, Evernote is the perfect app to support you in work and play!

Listed as one of the New York Times’ ‘Top 10 Must-Have Apps’ Evernote is ideal in helping you to stay organised, save your ideas and improve productivity! It’s the perfect companion for meetings, enabling you to take succinct and informative notes on your hand-held device.

It’s also possible to email notes directly from the App, and share notes with friends and colleagues through various social media platforms. Though to get the most out of Evernote, we recommend downloading it on all of the computers and phones that you use. This enables syncing between the various devices!

For more information, see the Evernote web pages!

Bye for now, Love b2b X

By now, if you haven’t heard of Skype, you must have been living under a rock for the past few years! Offering the world free internet calls, the Skype software has been key in sustaining relationships internationally for a while now, and now they’ve launched an App to make their services even more readily available.

Previously, Skype was used to call between computers, via the internet, but now, it is possible, provided the recipient has Skype, for a PC to call a Mac, an iPhone, a Smartphone or a Tablet, meaning cross platform fun for all! Beyond that, Skype enables users to call recipients who don’t use the App/Software, for a small fee, which is significantly cheaper than standard international call rates: good news for transatlantic business calls right?

Simple to download and use, all you need to do is log in with your current Skype log-in details (or set some up if you don’t have them) and away you go. Your contacts will all be transferred across and you’re ready to start using this beauty!

The App enables video calling, so it’s possible for meetings to occur face-to-face, even though hundreds of miles may separate you! In addition, many devices now have front and back facing cameras, so as well as chatting face to face, it’s possible to show friends/colleagues what you’re seeing.

Conference calling is also enabled on the App, so multiple colleagues can be linked up in the same conversation, and not only on an audio level, but also video! Think of the time, effort and mileage (!) you’ll save having face to face conference calls between colleagues/clients, rather all travelling to meet somewhere. Great stuff.

Now we do have to warn of one of the downsides of Skype. Their disclaimer states that they aren’t a replacement for your telephone, and can’t be used for emergency calling so don’t go all extreme and ditch the phone for Skype. There is value in both!

So off you go! For face-to-face video calling and free calls to anywhere in the world, start using Skype in your business and be better connected!

As we explained last week, to edit documents on Dropbox, you need to download them to your device. The best way then to work on them is through the Documents-To-Go App! …See what we did there…totally smooth transition from one App recommendation to the next! Love. it.

You can search and download your documents through Dropbox, and then edit them through Documents-To-Go! In addition, you can create new documents and upload them straight to Dropbox, making them accessible on your laptop, desktop or any other mobile device! The distance from your mobile to your office has never been shorter…Although maybe that’s not always a good thing…!

The app includes a solid word processing programme with an excellent variety of options for font, paragraphing etc. Top marks. Unfortunately, this isn’t replicated with their presentation programme, as editing options for working on Powerpoint are fairly limited. Can’t have it all I suppose though, and as a beginning, Documents-To-Go is pretty great!

Unlike last week’s App, this one, although reasonably priced, isn’t free on all platforms. So you may be lucky and get it for free, or you may have to fork up a couple of quid to enjoy all the lush stuff this app offers. However one purchase can enable you to store it on any device with the same operating system (ie all your iOS devices etc).

So there you have it! Recommended App numero 2, brought to you by your fave IT Company!

Okay guys, so Dropbox has released an App for Android, iOS (that’s Apple) and Blackberry platforms…and it’s great! Dropbox has been faithfully serving us as a computer programme for years now, but through these handy Apps, we are now able to access data on the go, from our mobile devices…for free. Good news.

As you access documents and edit them on the go, they are also updated on your computer, so you don’t have to worry about spending hours ensuring your documents are synced, using USBs etc to transfer info between machines. All you have to do is save the documents you wish to access, in your Dropbox folder and away you go!

For us, the best part is being able to share important documents, or even just photos or videos, with people all over the world, simply by giving them access to certain folders! And if (and we really hope this doesn’t happen!) you happen to leave your mobile/tablet somewhere whilst on the go, your stuff is always safe on Dropbox and you’ll still be able to access it all!

The only issue we have is that in order to edit documents, they have to be downloaded to your device. But as soon as Dropbox have worked that one out, it’ll be the perfect App to unleash all the potential a tablet has to substitute a desktop or laptop! Bring. It. On.

Dropbox is an efficient, simple and effective way of seamlessly syncing your documents; enabling you to access and edit them whilst on the go!

We’re expanding at the moment, having taken on some more staff. You see, we don’t want to spread our talented staff too thinly; we believe in a friendly and available service, so you’ll be meeting a few additional members of the b2b family over the next few months! They’ll be just like the rest of us; always happy to help and support you wherever required!

Don’t worry though; you’ll still be getting our great personal service! That’s a crucial value here. Relationship is important, so we’ll always be keen to provide quality, personal and familiar support to each and every one of our lovely clients. We view you guys as an extension to our close family, so we’re always looking out to be the best we can be for you!

So here’s to 2012… A New Year, with some new staff, but the same great intimate service! Happy New Year!