National Journal Community Of e-Experts

Planning to make a New Year's resolution or two to make 2014 a little better than 2013? We took a look at some of the most popular resolutions and then went on the hunt for the best apps to help turn those resolutions into reality.

Ready to get started bringing your resolutions to life? Here are the best apps to help you along the way.

If you resolved to save more or spend less: Mint

You don't have to know a lot about personal finance to get yours under control with Mint. All you have to do is connect Mint to your financial accounts — don't worry, Mint is verified to be secure by TRUSTe and VeriSign — and then Mint will analyze your spending to help you set a budget, remind you ...

Searching the web from mobile devices is projected to overtake desktop search by 2015. That fact doesn’t seem surprising as it appears that people are tethered to their smartphones as if it is an extra appendage. But there is no doubt that mobile search will impact your business and your marketing activities. What are you doing now to prevent visitors from clicking away to your competition because your site is not the user experience they have come to expect?

Why People Use Mobile Search

In a research study conducted by Google in partnership with Nielsen which analyzed over 6000 mobile searches, they discovered that mobile search is goal-oriented and conducted to help make a decision. Whether people are at home, at work, on the go or in a store, web ...

Setting up a new PC for the family may seem like a daunting task, especially during the holidays when everyone wants to get down to playing with the new apps, games and touchscreen awesomeness that comes with Windows 8. Before you let the kids get started, take time to do a few important things to create a safe, custom experience for each family member.

Once you’ve started using your new PC in earnest, you'll find that Windows 8 is very different from Windows 7 and Windows XP in key ways. We'll help you get started understanding the differences and walk you through how to make Windows 8 feel more like using Windows 7 if that's what you prefer, as well as how to bring all your data over from your old PC.

Start the setup process

The first time you boot up your new ...

Apple Inc. haggled for six years to clinch a deal to sell the iPhone through China Mobile Ltd. The quest to win holdout customers in the world’s most populous country is far from over.

The deal, announced yesterday, gives Cupertino, California-based Apple access to China Mobile’s 763 million subscribers at a time when 90 percent of new mobile-phone purchases in China are smartphones. It also paves the way for Apple to battle market-share leader Samsung Electronics Co. in one of the fastest-growing markets.

Even so, the partnership with China Mobile doesn’t guarantee Apple a prolonged boost. Forrester Research projects the deal will lift Apple’s smartphone market share in China by just three percentage points to 8 percent. IPhones -- including the new lower cost iPhone 5c -- remain too expensive for most customers in a country ...

Your business is finally doing well, and the time has come to add an employee to alleviate some of your responsibilities. While this should be a time to rejoice, without a team behind you to ask the right interview questions or to even conduct the interview, crucial time will be taken out of your day. Of course, this is acceptable since this new employee will help your business run smoother, right? The key to finding the right candidate is all in the approach. And if you do everything right, you will be able to find a candidate who will help your business grow and allow you to expand the business or take on other responsibilities.

Pull in Potential Leads

The right candidate will need to be local and qualified. This is easily accomplished by placing a job listing on the right websites — the key word here is “right.” There are many job search ...

It may look like something out of a fantasy story about magic rings and wizards. But the makers of the new “Smarty Ring” seem quite serious.

In fact, they have already raised $299,824 in crowdfunding via Indigogo (well above a more modest $40,000 goal) to make the product a reality.

It’s the latest in a series of wearable technology including Google Glass and smartwatches. The device is meant essentially as a way to manage your smartphone or other mobile device.

Smarty Ring Features

Developers say users will be able to receive call, text, email and chat notifications, all without ever touching their smartphones.

You would also be able to accept or reject incoming calls: Something pretty important during a business meeting!

There’s a speed dial function, which would presumably start dialing a programmed number before you’ve even fished your phone out of your pocket or ...

The health care landscape can be confusing. Rules and regulations seem to be endlessly shifting and it’s a challenge to keep track of the moving parts. But from a micro perspective, health care shouldn’t be that difficult. Your employees know what their insurance plans do for them, so that’s really all they need to be aware of – right?

Maybe. Except that odds are your employees may not actually be knowledgeable about their benefits offerings because they’re not familiar with health insurance terms and jargon.

Nearly three-fourths (74 percent) of workers “sometimes or never” understand everything covered by their insurance policy today. With the trend of consumer-driven health care on the rise, this is especially alarming as employees are expected to take a more hands-on approach in selecting their health benefits options.

While it’s a small step, you can start helping your ...

Business doesn’t happen face to face as often as some would like. Instead, today’s communication depends on conference calls and emails chains that make it challenging to get to know your partners. It’s been a common lament among business people dissatisfied with the technology that has become the norm in their daily lives. But with so many workers worldwide now working in virtual teams, many business relationships do depend on technology. And that’s not a bad thing — as long they’re using the right technologies in the right ways.

“Collaboration technology sprang up 20 years ago, but we kept acting, behaviorally, like we did when we were meeting face to face,” said Keith Ferrazzi, best-selling author of the books “Never Eat Alone” and “Who’s Got Your Back.”

As it turns out, the answer to all of ...

Growing up many of us no doubt wished our favourite toys could communicate with us. The unfortunate reality was they were lifeless bits of plastic with no social skills to speak of. Dramatically, this is all about to change courtesy of a burst of innovation from Toymail. Their creation, the Mailmen, utilise social media and the latest mobile phone technology to allow the toys to talk!

Toymail co-founders Audry Hill and Guari Nanda have created a product which can vary its discourse with children – it isn’t merely a pull-string doll with three catchphrases. As Nanda explains, “Our team created the Mailmen, the toys that deliver your Toymail. Then we developed an app where you connect to kids you know, record them a message, and send it right from your phone to their toys.” The Mailmen effectively act as an escapist version of ...

The Moto G packs most of the styling and features of Motorola’s flagship Moto X handset at a fraction of the cost. It’s now available off-contract in the United States starting at $179 for the 8GB version and $199 for the 16GB version. That makes it one of the cheapest phones you can buy without signing a two-year contract.

The unsubsidized phone is currently supported by AT&T and T-Mobile, but Verizon is expected to roll out support early next year. A subsidized, on-contract version is expected to be available through the three major U.S. carriers starting sometime in January.

So what makes this affordable phone such a steal for business users?

Android 4.4 KitKat

The Moto G is shipping with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, but Motorola says an update to the version 4.4 KitKat is coming very soon. That’s good news for frugal ...