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magazinei
App streamlines visa
applications
VisaPort is a new smartphone app that
is claimed to reduce the stress of making
visa applications, while also helping with
travel planning and insurance.
Developed by eGoVisa for the frequent
business or leisure traveller, the app ensures
that all information and personal data
(including biometric data) is collected in the
correct format to satisfy visa authorities and
held securely on VisaPort servers.
The cost of each visa application is
$25.00 per applicant, with a discount for
family applications. The fee covers the
preparation of a Visa Application package for
each applicant, including the Visa application,
supporting documents, travel itineraries and
biometrics details.
Panasonic
builds M2M cloud for
remote monitoring
Panasonic has launched a new service that
allows Panasonic business devices to connect
seamlessly to an M2M cloud for remote device
monitoring, data collection and analysis.
Following the launch, Panasonic announced
plans to integrate mobile connectivity across a
number of its product lines and unveiled new
M2M services utilising the Mobile Virtual Network.
These include the remote monitoring of projectors
and displays and heating and cooling systems.
The first new product to utilise Panasonic’s
M2M network will be the Panasonic Nubo, a
mobile-connected 4G monitoring camera that can
operate without a power or Wi-Fi connection.
Nubo will be available with a mobile app
for control and monitoring, add-on extras
like external battery and sensor packs, and a
secure cloud storage system to enable seamless
management of data and video.
Masaki Arizono, Managing Director of PSCEU,
said: “As one of the world’s leading electronics
manufacturers, our new M2M network is the start
of a strategic transformation. It is the first step
in making our vast portfolio of products M2M-
capable, helping our customers to make their
infrastructure and business processes intelligent.
The results for our customers are simple network
infrastructure, less capital tied up in stock and
improved customer service.”
He added: “Increasingly, our connected
products are bridging the gap between our
traditional consumer heritage and our increased
B2B focus. Panasonic Nubo is an example of
this kind of cross-over product; it utilises M2M
technologies, but is targeted at consumers who
are looking for freedom and flexibility in use and
deployment.”
Where there’s muck...
Ordnance Survey GeoVation Challenge
winner Element Green Recycling has
launched a new app to help businesses
maximise the value of their recycling.
For £9.99 a month Green Alchemist
provides the latest material prices enabling
businesses to find out how much their sorted
recycling is worth on the waste stock market.
Businesses can input their postcode and
the weight of their recyclable materials to
find out how much they are worth and either
auction this material to waste couriers nearby
or receive quotes for it to be collected.
Waste couriers can access the app for
free for the first year to find businesses with
sorted recyclable waste in their area and
bid to buy or collect this material. The app’s
auction facility can also be used to sell office
furniture and electronic goods.
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An app for list lovers
Percentify is the ideal app for people who love making lists – and need a
little help with time management.
Featuring a clear, uncluttered design, it lets you create lists, add tasks and
specify how long each task will take to complete, which the app turns into
percentages so that at a glance you can see your progress and, if necessary,
re-prioritise tasks.
Created by design company Bunny, Percentify costs 79p on iStore.
Car washing on tap
GoWashMyCar is a new online service
that saves drivers in London the hassle
of having to take their car to a fixed
location for cleaning.
Car owners can book a mobile car wash
in seconds simply by visiting the website,
geo-locating their car, choosing a service
and making an online payment. The order is
published to the platform’s community of
mobile car wash operators who can review,
accept and complete the order without the
car owner needing to be present.
Prices start at £15 for a standard
exterior wash.
innovations
Online platform improves
contract management
Dutch start-up Cloudtract has developed
a free and simple online contract
management platform where small
and medium-sized companies can store
contracts and set alerts so that they don’t
waste money on contracts they no longer
need. Using the system is as easy as
uploading a contract and setting an alert.
Angelique Schouten, co-founder of
Cloudtract, has first-hand experience of how
easy it is for businesses to waste money
on unwanted contract renewals, duplicated
contracts or unfavourable conditions through
poor contract management.
When working at an insurance company,
it took her two months to gather all the
contracts that the marketing department
had signed. “It is shocking that we did not
know which contracts the marketers had
signed and that the IT department had to
pay for an unused software license of 40,000
euro,” she said.
Schouten’s research revealed that at
the time there were just two types of
contract management solution. “Contract
management software was either part of an
expensive ERP software package or an over-
engineered pay-per-user license model. Not
the solution we were looking for as we only
needed a place to store contracts safely and
receive an alert,” she said.
Angelique Schouten,
co-founder, Cloudtract
