iVote. Do You?

ByMike Moffit

With three months to go until the presidential election, the two major candidates are doing everything they can to get the message out. In 2012 the state of the union is such that releasing an iPhone app is de rigueur and both the Obama and Romney campaigns have in fact done so.

Mitt’s VP is an extremely basic app. Its only significant function is to alert the user when the Romney campaign picks a vice-presidential candidate. The app claims that if you enable push notifications you will “get the exciting news before the press and just about everyone else (except maybe Ann).” I like that they are suggesting that it is only a “maybe” that Mr. Romney’s wife will know the vice-presidential candidate before it is electronically transmitted.

With Mitt, which got a lot of press for its (now corrected) major typo “A Better Amercia,” is the Romney campaign’s other app. This app allows you to take a picture using your iPhone and then tweak the photo with “a variety of Mitt-inspired artistic frames, add personalized messages, and then share with your friends via email, Facebook, or Twitter.” We are not suggesting that you use this feature to take prank photos, but if you do, please share them with marketing@smalldog.com!

Obama for America is a much more comprehensive app. It includes information that is customized to your location (as long as you allow Location Services when you first launch the app) including links to your local campaign office, volunteer sign-up, and how to register to vote. It also has plenty of detail on President Obama’s positions on the issues and his accomplishments while in office. My favorite thing that I found within the app was a link to a video showing Mr. Obama donating to his own campaign using his MacBook Pro (customized with the Presidential Seal over the Apple logo) and Magic Mouse. Thanks to federal law, he has to disclose his employer and and occupation (“United States of America” and “President” for those of you really not paying attention.)

Download these apps for free and stay informed!

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    2014 marks the 30th anniversary of the most important technological development of all time: Tetris. There are probably many of you out there that will insist that the Macintosh computer was the most important tech release of 1984, and I will grant that it is a close second, but I am still standing behind the classic tile-matching puzzle video game.

    For those of you who don’t know, Tetris is a very simple game in which any of seven different blocks, which are every possible combination of four smaller square blocks that have adjoining sides, fall from above and your job is to move them side-to-side and/or rotate them in order to complete horizontal lines which disappear when completed. The ultimate move is to leave only one vertical line incomplete and drop the “line” piece in to complete four horizontal lines at once. This is a Tetris and you will be rewarded with big points, flashing graphics, sound effects, and the satisfaction of a job well done.

    Tetris was originally developed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union, and was the first video game exported from the USSR to the US. Its popularity skyrocketed when a version was released for the Nintendo GameBoy in 1989, and versions have since been released for just about every console, operating system, personal electronic device, and has even been played by using the windows in a large building as the blocks.

    While the 8-bit NES version will always be my favorite, I have been playing a new version on my iPhone: “*Tetris Blitz by Electronic Arts.*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tetris-blitz/id632827808?mt=8&at=11lb7k This version takes the classic gameplay and condenses it into a two-minute speed round in which the goal is to score maximum points. They have added a number of power-up blocks which trigger different actions, such as lasers that burn up several lines for you or masses of blocks that drop all at once. You can play in single player mode, head-to-head against strangers or your Facebook friends, as well as in special tournaments which often have different rules or game mechanics for added variety. This app is free, but employs what has come to be known as the freemium model, which means that there are a fair number of in-app ads and in-app purchases that are available. If you can learn to ignore these, this app is a fun addition to the Tetris family and only -wastes- uses two minutes at a time.

    The best part? Tetris is good for you! According to research, playing half-an-hour a day for three months boosts general cognitive functions such as critical thinking, reasoning, language and processing and increases cerebral cortex thickness. It has also been shown to be a potential therapy for preventing PTSD as well as a way to help quit smoking. “*See here for more information.*”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris#Effect_of_Tetris_on_the_brain

    “*Download Tetris Blitz for iOS FREE here!*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tetris-blitz/id632827808?mt=8&at=11lb7k

  • Green Mountain Software Can Write an App for That

    We have a guest post from the “*developers at Green Mountain Software!*”:mailto:john@greenmountainsoftware.com

    *****

    Certainly you’ve heard the expression: “There’s an app for that!” but if there __isn’t__ currently an app for that, Green Mountain Software can write one for you.

    Now located in the Innovation Center in Burlington, Vermont, Green Mountain Software (GMSW) was founded in 1993 by Lou Krieg and his wife, Ann Pettyjohn after attending the ’93 MacWorld trade show where the Apple “Newton” was first introduced. Lou and Ann realized that mobile technology was going to be a huge part of the future, so Green Mountain Software was formed to fill that need. They were right. Mobile technology is changing the world and how business is done. The number of mobile users is predicted to surpass the number of desktop users by 2014.^1^

    It is apparent that simple email access is no longer enough. Mobile technology allows companies to have an unprecedented level of connectivity between employees, vendors, and customers.^2^ In 2012, Gartner Research predicted that sales of mobile tablet devices would top $120 million – double that of 2011. In addition, the number of active smartphones is currently over 1 billion worldwide.^3^

    During the past eighteen years, companies such as EcoLab, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Coffee Lab International, Pro-Cut International, United Technologies, Bio Tek Instruments, Leica, the Indy Racing League, and many others have trusted GMSW with their app development. In fact, even other software development companies such as Palm have relied on the expertise of Green Mountain Software to develop their mobile device apps.

    Today’s technology includes iPhones, iPads, Androids, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and others. These devices have thousands of times more advanced computing power that the computers NASA used to get to the moon! In the hands of good software engineers, there isn’t much these devices can’t do, and combining these capabilities to achieve the results you need is what GMSW does best.

    Do you have an idea for an app for your company? Are you wondering how can mobile technology can increase your productivity and profitability? Mobile technology can measure, compute, exchange data with machines, utilize GPS location services, interact with servers, be Web-based or native within the device, communicate through the Internet or cell systems, take photos, be used for medical diagnoses, and so much more.

    If you’re interested in more information, or just want to discuss your idea, Green Mountain software is on the Web at “www.GreenMountainSoftware.com”:www.GreenMountainSoftware.com. We can be reached at 802-865-2728, or email “john@greenmountainsoftware.com”:mailto:john@greenmountainsoftware.com.

    ^1^ Morgan Stanley Research
    ^2^ “http://www.strategicgrowthconcepts.com/growth/increase-productivity–profitability.html”:http://www.strategicgrowthconcepts.com/growth/increase-productivity–profitability.html
    ^3^ “http://mashable.com/2013/01/04/mobile-2013/”:http://mashable.com/2013/01/04/mobile-2013/