I’ve been using Freshbooks (disclaimer: I get a commission if you sign up with them) since 2007 as my online accounting and invoicing service and in that time I’ve seen them change from a very basic online invoicing service to a full-service, cloud-based accounting system that includes projects, time tracking, estimates, reporting and an API that you can use to program your own customer support system. I’ve used Freshbooks to create estimates for website work, manage time in projects and invoice for completed work, hosting expenses and even billing for monthly rent on rental properties. It is efficient, simple and easy to use for customers receiving estimates and invoices.
Waze Gets You There
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Waze is a community driving app that makes commuting easier. I’ve been a Wazer, using the Waze driving app, for a couple of years now and it has become part of my daily routine. According to Waze, they are all about contributing to the common good out there on the road and by connecting drivers to one another, they “help people create local driving communities that work together to improve the quality of everyone’s daily driving.” Waze is all about avoiding the frustration of sitting in traffic or running into a police trap and wants to help shave five minutes off of your regular commute by showing you new routes that you never may have discovered otherwise.
Google Play – Android’s New Playground
I’m sure you’ve already heard, but the Android Market has been rebranded as Google Play. Google Play is the reincarnation of the Android Market, which has been growing by leaps and bounds over the last few months, as first music and then books and movies have been added. My only hesitation when the Market became Google Play on my phone was having to agree to the privacy policy once again, which, of course, is the new comprehensive Google privacy policy covering all properties and all accounts. If you think about it, shouldn’t it be called the Google sharing policy instead of privacy policy, since you are basically giving Google permission to share your information across every relationship that you have with them?
Verizon Wireless – My Favorite Mobile Provider
I have had service with many different wireless providers over the years. My first cell phone was an early Nokia model offered by what was then Southwestern Bell Wireless, which then became SBC Wireless, which became Cingular, which then became AT&T Wireless. I used them for a couple of contract cycles and upgraded to a Nokia 6150 during that time period. I really liked the service and the coverage, but as a working college student, I was always looking for a better deal.
My next cell phone service provider was VoiceStream Wireless, which later became T-Mobile, because they offered very affordable service plans. By this time I had gotten married and paying for two cell phones was a challenge on a couple of teachers’ salaries. What we found with T-Mobile, however, was that the service wasn’t available anywhere except for large metropolitan areas and along Interstate highways. Because my wife is from rural East Texas, it was hard to have a cell phone that wouldn’t work when we would visit my in-laws.
Non-Buyer’s Remorse – The Verizon Wireless Leap Day Sale
My birthday is coming up very soon and I’ve been wanting to upgrade my Motorola Droid (original) for a while. Finally on Wednesday, I decided to check out the Droid 4 because I had heard both really good and really bad things about it and decided that I needed to see it for myself. As I went through the Verizon Wireless site and was pleasantly surprised to see that the Droid 4 was $100 off and the Droid Bionic was free! Because I had heard that the screen was not up to par on the Droid 4, I decided that I needed to go to the store and check it out myself.I went to the store and checked out the phones. They had a Droid Bionic, Droid Razr Maxx and a Droid 4 right next to each other, which was great, because those are the three phones that I wanted to compare. I looked at the phones and while they were all impressive, I REALLY like the Droid 4. Some people may not like a bulky phone or see the need for a hardware keyboard, but I immediately pulled out the keyboard to try it out. It is amazing! The keyboard is great. The buttons are larger and have a better shape than the keys on my current Droid and there is even a row of numbers at the top so you don’t have to get all ALT happy when you’re typing in an address or phone number. I didn’t see any of the ghosting issues that have been talked about in reviews. I was actually impressed with the display. I like the way it looks.