SlapApp.com » Business

OCRTOOL

Ryan Johnson — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:06:16 +0000

Here’s a neat business app that’s sure to come in handy for anyone dealing in international business and sales. OCRTOOL, created by Masanori Kanda, uses optical character recognition (OCR) to enable your iPhone to take a picture of any document, save it directly to your iPhone, translate it into one of 32 different languages, and send it in an email formatted as a JPEG, or PDF.

If you think about it. Using your iPhone as a document scanner can be very handy for those that live their life on the road, constantly moving from one meeting to the next, never really having time to stop by a scanner to do their dirty work. So when I learned about what OCRTOOL does I thought to myself “how cool”. Having the ability to take a document that’s written in one language, snap a pic of it, translate it to any of 32 different languages, and email it in a matter of seconds is pretty sick! I had to try it out.

So first impression when I opened the app was that it’s pretty plain looking. It quietly opens directly to the main page where you’re greeted by a menu that allows you to choose a photo from your photo library, invoke the iPhone’s camera to snap a fresh pic, to choose a language, or to view resent results (which at this point you have none). From here I grabbed the nearest word doc, invoked the camera, and snapped a nice clear pic. The next step is to optimize the image for character recognition. You can reverse the image effect so it displays as white font with a dark background instead of a light background with dark font, you can rotate the image, and you can crop out any excess stuff from the image that you don’t want such as logos, excess text, etc. When everything is to your liking just press the done button and OCRTOOL starts doing it’s OCR magic.

It takes OCRTOOL approximately a minute for it to process a document and parse out all of the text. When it’s done processing you’ll continue to see the picture of the document and beneath it will be the open text. From here you can choose to translate the text into another language, can edit the text if there are any typos, and can send it via email as a JPEG or PDF.

I tested OCRTOOL on a variety of different documents. Overall I found it to work pretty well. If you find yourself in the need of being able to translate and send documents on the fly then you should definitely check out this app. The most important thing to ensuring the best results with this app is to take really clear pictures. Make sure that you’ve got plenty of light, and that you hold your iPhone extremely steady when you snap the pic. If you do that you’ll significantly reduce the number of misrecognized characters. Other factors that affect the apps accuracy are documents that include unique fonts, or a variety of fonts, images and tables, and lots of special characters. When dealing with documents like these I found the number of errors to be somewhat overwhelming to fix given the small area provided. Perhaps a UI tweak that creates a larger view for editing would be helpful. Another thing I’d like to see updated within this app is that currently it’s designed to handle single page documents. There’s no option to snap pictures of a multi-page document, consolidate them as a single document, and then send them as a single PDF. Currently you can only translate and send single pages, meaning if you need to translate and send a 4 page document you’ll be sending it as 4 separate emails. Updating to multi-page, single doc capability would be a major plus. I’d also like to have the ability to name a document. That doesn’t currently exist either.

Pros:

Really neat concept, handy for the international business traveler
Works well with standard one page word docs
Very easy to use

Cons:

Editing words/characters that were recognized incorrectly is a bit clunky
Can’t scan and consolidate multi-page documents
Doesn’t recognize logos or other images
Doesn’t allow you to name documents

Version Reviewed: 2.1

Requirements: iPhone; iPhone OS 3.0 or later

Scanner Pro

Ryan Johnson — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:45:19 +0000

All I can say is wow! Scanner Pro really does transform your iPhone into full functioning scanner. With this app you can throw a document down on a table, snap a pic of each of the pages, crop out anything in the image that doesn’t belong, optimize the image for the best printing results, and can convert it to a PDF and email in no time flat. It has so many handy and easy to use features that it can transform the normally hectic and frustrating life of a business traveler and small business owner and turn it into a piece of cake. Pretty much the only thing you can’t do with this app is load in the paper!

What makes Scanner Pro so good? Well, for one it can handle both grayscale and color documents. It has enhanced image processing so what would otherwise be a crappy picture of a document is converted into an extremely legible scan. In addition you can select a custom page size, so for example if you’re scanning an A4 size letter then you can set the page size to A4 so your finished product will be an A4 sized scan. When taking a picture of a document there’s no need to find a completely clean area to snap the picture. You can throw it on top of a completely cluttered desk if you want to. Once you’ve taken a picture of a page you can use your fingers to adjust the image so that it only includes the document itself, nothing else. From there you can tweak the contrast and brightness of the page, and can even convert it to grayscale. When finished just name your document and you’ve got it stored in the app for safe keeping. You can add more pages your document at any time, which the app does a great job of keeping in order for you, and can even password protect any of your documents to keep them private.

Scanner Pro also provides you with multiple ways to share scanned documents with others. As previously mentioned you can convert any scanned documents to a PDF and can email them, but that’s not the only transfer/sharing option available. Scanner Pro also seamlessly integrates with Evernote, Dropbox, online file storage (MobileMe iDisk, Box.Net, Humyo, and any other WebDAV enabled online storage), and the Print n Share iPhone app which enables you to print directly from your iPhone! You can even transfer documents to both PC and Mac computers.

Overall I was very impressed with Scanner Pro. Readdle did a great job of including the features and functionality that matters in an app like this. I compared Scanner Pro’s scanning results with a traditional scanner and it stacked up well. At first it may seem a little cumbersome to have to take a picture of each and every page, but once you get the hang of it it’s really not. It took me a half a dozen tries before I was able to rattle out 10 page documents in 2-3 minutes. I did experience one crash while using the app which basically meant that I needed to retake a picture of a page. Other than that the app functioned beautifully. One thing’s for sure, aside from having an office quality printer/scanner hitched to the back of your pants at all times, Scanner Pro is a good way to go. If you’re a frequent business traveler or a small business owner definitely checkout Scanner Pro.

Pros:

Has just about every feature you could need for scanning documents
Image/Scanning quality is great

Cons:

The interface could be more user friendly

Version Reviewed: 1.2.5

Requirements: iPhone; iPhone OS 2.2 or later

Work Tracker

Rich DeBell — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:37:53 +0000

Work Tracker is a simple and easy to use app. Its purpose is to help you track the hours that you work. In only a few seconds, you can track the number of hours that you work, the overtime hours you work, and the money that you earn.

The reason I gave Work Tacker two fingers is because it is a “take it or leave it” kind of app. It serves a very specific purpose and if that’s all you need then definitely download it. Otherwise for most users I would say it’s really lacking in features and in design. Work Tacker does let you very easily track your hours over a daily or weekly basis for one task. It’s also nice how you can set the time-frame from which you switch to overtime, i.e. after 40 hours and then the pay adjustment. All of this is done very easily and without any bugs or problems. I would think this app could be significantly more robust however without a great deal of additional development time.

My Wishlist of features includes:

The abilty to track multiple projects. Many of us today, myself included, are multi-taskers both working both many jobs and multiple projects within each job, so it would be good to be able track an unlimiited amount of projects.
I also would like to see some additional tracking abilities. For instance it would be nice to not only track a pay rate but to also be able to track cost, if for instance you know that an hour of work costs a spefic amount. Then you could also see a quick breakdown of profit.
Including the abilty to view by more timeframes then week is also a good feature. It would be helpful to be able to track a projects time over both shorter and longer periods of time. i.e. Hours, Day, Week, Month, Quarter and Year.
The ability to export out the data and send via email would be a nice feature so that users can more easily share, store and use the metrics for their business.
Lastly I do believe a little bit more effort put into the overall design would be nice. I’m not a big fan of sacrificing ease of use, functionality and navigation in the sake of appearance, however I do believe more could be done here without any risk of that.

Once again Work Tacker is a good app if you need to track one project. If that’s what you need then this does the job. If you need more then that this app doesn’t fit the mold…yet.

WorldCard Mobile

Ryan Johnson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:21:32 +0000

Do you find yourself frequently collecting business cards, telling yourself you’re going to add them to your contacts later, and then scattering them haphazardly on your desktop, in drawers & binders, and lazily in your Rolodex? If so, stop the madness immediately and try out WorldCard Mobile business card reader for iPhone! WorldCard Mobile, created by Penpower Technology, is a handy business card reader that makes adding business card information into your contacts a cinch! This app allows you to snap a quick pic of a business card, automatically parses out all the important details like name, company, business address, email, fax and phone, and elegantly plops it into your contacts. It’s ideal for any business development or client facing business professional.

Using WorldCard Mobile is remarkably simple. All you need is a bright light, a steady hand, and an iPhone! To get started just place a business card on a flat surface in a well lit area and fire up the app. Press the little camera button on the home screen to activate your camera and hover your iPhone over the business card until you get a clear view of the card. Helpful hint: if you can’t easily read the business card from your iPhone display screen then the app probably can’t either so make sure to get a nice clear view before snapping your pic. Once you’ve taken your pic you can preview it, rotate it 90 degrees, use it, or retake it. If the pic looks good just press the recognize button to parse the data. From there you get to preview all info and make any required tweaks/additions before adding it to your contacts. When ready press the export button and BAM you’ve added them as a new contact. The whole process takes about 30 seconds, and is definitely way easier than manually typing it in.

I tell you what. I really love this app. Mainly because I receive a lot of business cards on a weekly basis and very rarely do I actually take the time to enter them in as contacts. Now with WorldCard Mobile I have a quick and easy way to do it. And believe me, the top drawer of my desk that’s crammed full of business cards is going to thank me! So, while testing this app I reached into my embarrassingly large pile of business cards and tested each one. In doing so I was able to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the app, as well as some helpful tips that will make using WorldCard Mobile fun and convenient.

The typical knock against apps like these are that users tend to find fault with the accuracy in which they translate business cards into contact information. While testing I found WorldCard Mobile to be very accurate. The instances that I noticed a consistent number of small errors were typically due to either the style of business card or the quality of the picture that I took. Business cards that contain a lot of imagery and scenery, dark backgrounds, and cursive or fancy fonts tend to generate the most inaccuracies. But, to be honest I didn’t find that to be unreasonable. For the most part all I needed to do was make a couple minor tweaks before I saved it, which to me is still 10 times easier than typing everything in from scratch. Business cards with light or plain backgrounds and traditional style fonts like Times New Roman, Courier, and Arial I found to translate extremely well. I tested WorldCard Mobile on both a 3G and a 3G S iPhone and found the 3G S to be the optimal device because of it’s shutter function. It allows you to take the crispest pics. Another helpful tip is when taking a pic, hold the camera button and then once the business card is optimally focused, release the camera button softly…it takes the best pic.

All in all, I’m definitely happy to have this app and have already recommended it to several other iPhone wielding business professionals. If you’ve got business cards coming out the wazoo and need a convenient way to add them to your contacts, I recommend you check out WorldCard Mobile today!

My Eyes Only

Ryan Johnson — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:35:11 +0000

My Eyes Only is a pretty slick personal information storage application for your iPhone. With this app you can enter in all of your personal information that you tend to need when you’re away from home and don’t have access to a computer. To secure your information, My Eyes Only uses 512 bit RSA encryption to encrypt your critical information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers. Yes 512 bit encryption! It even uses 256 bit RSA encryption for encrypting notes fields. Not everyone does that.

With My Eyes Only you can store and protect all of your logins and passwords, credit cards, financial accounts, medical cards, driver’s license, Social Security information, and more. My Eyes Only comes with an intuitive interface that makes entering and storing information a breeze. I have to say, it definitely is easier to use than some of the other apps like it out there. You can even personalize your data by adding the bank and credit card backgrounds. If you’re looking for a personal information storage app for your iPhone it’s worth taking a look at this one.

To-Do List

Ryan Johnson — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:26:51 +0000

To-Do List has everything you need to effectively log and keep track of all of your tasks. Use the drag and drop feature to quickly organize and prioritize your daily activities. To-Do List is a great app for you list writers out there. Stop carrying around crumpled lists of paper in your pocket and bulky calendars in your purse. It’s time to consolidate! To-Do List has everything you need to effectively log and keep track of all of your tasks.

The user friendly interface makes it easy to create to-do, phone call, and email tasks. Using the built in drag and drop functionality you can quickly sort and prioritize your tasks. If you need to send that every popular “honey-do” list, you can easily email your intended list of tasks to anyone directly from the app. You can also set reminders for those tasks that you just can’t afford to miss. If making lists is part of your daily routine, then it’s worth your time to check out this app.

Unit Converter Pro

Ryan Johnson — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:21:42 +0000

Unit Converter is an excellent unit conversion app for the iPhone & iPod Touch. Its user interface is extremely easy to use. You can convert just about anything you can think of including angles, area, blood sugar, currency, data, density, energy, force, length, power, pressure, speed, temperature, time, weight, and on and on. If you’re in the market for an app like this then snatch it up right away.

Key Features of Unit Converter Pro:

Conveniently reorder categories and conversions so the mostly commonly used ones are at the top
Quickly clear the conversion by swiping from left to right or tap text area
Opens to the last conversion done
Remembers the last conversion completed within each category

Unit Converter includes a complete list of units for Angles, Angular Speed, Area, Blood Sugar, Currency, Current, Data Density, Dynamic Viscosity, Electric Potential, Energy, Force, Fuel, Frame Rate, Kinematic Viscosity, Length, Moment/Torque, Particle Sizes, Parts Per Million, Power, Pressure, Speed, Temperature, Time, Typography, Volume, Volumetric Flow, & Weight.

CultureGPS Professional

Rich DeBell — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:57:25 +0000

CultureGPS Professional is a unique app that’s created specifically for working professionals that manage international relationships and employees. This app is designed to help managers analyze, understand, and handle cultural differences between themselves and a wide range of culturally different employees or clients. CultureGPS Professional uses its self-created 5-dimensional model to compare and analyze behavioral differences between cultures for many different countries and regions. This app intends to provide you with information that may help you predict how interactions will be perceived and how they will occur.

I don’t know. I’m really not the type of person that would ever need or use an app like this. I can’t imagine that there are many of you out there that would either. My guess is that if you’re managing international relationships then you’re company probably puts you through a bunch of boring management and relationship training classes every year. Unless you can seriously see yourself using an app like this relatively frequently then it’s probably not worth buying.