5 Awesome iPhone Apps for Chefs

It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional chef or a self-proclaimed foodie. The truth is that you love food and you deserve to have access to a wide variety of food ideas, recipes, and tools at all times. If you’re an iPhone carrier, these apps will make it easier than ever before to keep up with current food trends.

Chefs Feed

Found at www.chefsfeed.com, this is an incredible website for foodies, by chefs. The website features tons of great dishes and ideas, showcasing trends at restaurants from around the world. You can search the site by dish or by chef – and there are some great pros showcased. They’ve also got a network on YouTube and a “chef-powered” restaurant guide. This is one app you need for ideas and inspiration.

Evernote Food

We all know how useful Evernote can be for organizing ideas, notes, and to-do lists. Evernote has a separate food app which you can use to take notes about your food ideas, thoughts, visions, and inspirations. Saw a great dish while out? Take a picture of it. You can add tags, write descriptions, and be as detailed as you’d like so you can find the food again later or attempt to recreate it on your own. This is a fun app, but now one of the most functional – though it has promise in growth. It’s also free.

The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of America

This one comes with a hefty $50 pricetag, but it’s well worth the investment for professional chefs and students. The book itself is known as “the bible for all chefs,” and has a stunning reputation. The app features videos, notes that other chefs using the book have added to the app, interactive enhancements, and more. You can write in the book, search for notes, scan chapter info, take quizzes if you’re in school, and access social media networks as well. This is a must have for professionals and serious students.

Food Network: Cupcakes!

Cupcakes are incredibly popular. Have you ever seen Cupcake Wars? The ideas these bakers come up with for tastes, textures, and fillings are outrageous. This app includes a number of guides for decorating, choosing ingredients, creating frosting, and ultimately blowing any New Years diet you thought you might go on. This app is $2.99 and works with the iPad.

Mario Batali Cooks

This app comes with a $9.99 price tag but features some of the most popular Mario Batali recipes available. Mario claims to have created all of the content for this app himself, including not only 60+ recipes but a wide variety of kitchen technique videos and still images as well. You’ll love learning to cook Italian style cuisine with Chef Batali.

There are literally hundreds of other options for you to browse online as you’re learning to cook. Check out food apps, kitchen apparel, cookware, and savory ingredients while you’re at it. Maybe 2014 will be the year you transform your kitchen!

 

5 Awesome iPhone Apps for Chefs

Your Rights & How To Protect Them With The Mobile PAC Code

Mobile pac codes may be a totally new thing to many people. It seems like some kind of technobabble that is confusing to anyone other than techies or people who already work in a technology related industry and know all the fancy terms already.

In fact, a pac code is quite a simple thing to understand. For example, if you wanted to switch away from your Vodaphone contract or pay as you go deal, you could contact Vodaphone by telephone or mail and request a vodaphone pac code. As long as you are not a consumer or a business customer with more than 25 phone numbers on your account with Vodaphone, you should be issued a pac code within 2 hours of the request if it’s made over the phone. This is usually sent out by SMS text for simplicity and speed.

Pac Codes Made Simple

The pac code itself is the same between all UK mobile service providers. It is a unique identifier that helps one network provider communicate which account relates to the mobile number they are requesting to be moved across. Instead of having to record account numbers and other details between providers, only a pac code is needed when a service provider is arranging to transfer a number from an old provider to their mobile service. It makes things relatively simple.

Pac Code Format

The pac code format has three letters from A-Z at the start and then six numbers thereafter, for example: ABC012345.

Pac Code Issuance Rights

Pac codes must be provided by a service provider generally within a couple of hours of the request or within two days if the request is made by mail. The owner of the mobile number has up to 30 days to submit this to their new service provider so that they can arrange the transfer from the old service provider to their service.

On occasion, they can refuse to provide a pac code, but it needs to be for a valid reason. Owing money on the account or still having an existing contract with a term to go about it is not a valid reason. Valid reasons to deny issuance of a pac code include reasons like:

1. The mobile number does not match the account.


2. Insufficient identification has been provided verbally or via the postal system to establish that the account owner is communicating with the service provider.


3. A PAC code was already issued within the last 30 days.


4. The account owner is now deceased.

What To Do If You Are Refused A Pac Code

You will want to ask the reason for denying the request. It may be a good idea to write to the service provider instead of calling to put in a second request. This way, if the service provider writes back to again deny the request and the reason is not one of the valid reasons listed above, then it may be time to take a complaint to Ofcom, the regulator. The written proof of their refusal will be useful to the regulator in seeking a remedy to the issue.

Your Rights & How To Protect Them With The Mobile PAC Code

The Strengths of Local SEO

You have a great location, an awesome product or service and a friendly staff – yet customers aren’t running through your doors. You won’t be in business long if prospective customers can’t find you – espeically if, like most Americans, they are only looking online. If your business is like most others, your target customers live in the same city where your business is located . That’s what makes local search engine optimization so important – it ensures that your customers find you. If you’re not using local SEO, you can bet that one of your competitors is and they’re scooping up your potential profits.

Building a local brand

Building a local brand can be difficult. The first step is to truly understand your brand. It’s the identity of your company. Asking yourself some key questions can help you figure out exactly what your brand is or should be. What kind of customers are you trying to reach? What are your competitors doing? How do you want your customers to know and remember you?

Once you figure out your brand, the next step is to show it off. Your brand will be recognized by its logo. The logo can be words, pictures, letters, numbers or symbols. When designing a logo, be sure it differentiates your business from those of your competitors. You can register your logo with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to prevent others from using it.

Once you have those basics out of the way, building a local brand is easy … in theory. Sign up for social media accounts – including Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. Also, look into social media accounts that could be relevant to your business. For example, if you offer B2B services, develop a strong presence on LinkedIn. Make sure you regularly interact with your customers and targeted audience. If a user asks you a question about store hours on your Facebook page – answer it as soon as possible, even if that information is available elsewhere. Your current and prospective customers will appreciate the personal touch.

Since your customers may be accessing your website with their cell phones, make sure your site is mobile-friendly. According to the Pew Research Center, as of February 2012, 74% of smartphone owners use their devices to get directions and other location-related information. A professional web designer or web hosting service can help you create a website that will look stunning on any platform so your customers can find you on-the-go.

Besides having an engaging brand and an exciting website, it is important to implement local SEO strategies. Otherwise, those customers searching for restaurants close to them won’t see yours.

How do I use local SEO?

There are two simple ways to implement local SEO. The first way is to use local SEO search terms. For example, use keywords that fit both your city and services and/or products. For example, a bakery in Austin would use “Austin bakery” in its site instead of simply “bakery.” Besides allowing search engines to find you in local searches, it also will cause you to rank higher when “Austin bakery” is queried because there is less competition for that phrase than the keyword “bakery.”

You can further distinguish your site by listing the specific neighborhood in which your business is located. You can also make sure to use local landmarks and locations within your site. This will also help search engines figure out where you are within your city to enhance your local SEO efforts. If your business is located within a large city like Chicago, if someone searches for “restaurants near Willis Tower,” the search engine is more likely to find you if you mention that you’re close to Willis Tower on your site.

There are many other local SEO strategies that you may find useful. Consider hiring a professional local SEO expert to help you reach maximum optimization on your site. Investing in local SEO can help you build a popular brand name within your community, city and industry, if your business ranks well within the topic. And your business will gain the traction it needs for success with strategic local SEO tactics.

The Strengths of Local SEO

My iPhone’s Been Damaged! Should I Have Got An iPhone 5 Insurance?

Do You Have TheClassy And Appealing Iphone5?

Do you have iPhone 5? If you have the classy and appealing iPhone 5, you must be enjoying the advanced features of this little gadget. Isn’t it? Life has never been so good. Now, you simply cannot imagine your life without iPhone 5. But, you never really know when an accident happens and your iPhone 5 gets damaged. So, you should be better prepared for it. Your iPhone 5 might have suddenly stopped working or perhaps have slipped from your mom’s hands or may be the target of a pickpocket. Therefore, it’s always good to have iPhone5 insurance.

Reasons To Choose iPhone 5 Insurance

Depending on your specific needs, there are a lot of benefits of choosing iPhone 5 insurance. Here are some of the following reasons why you should choose iphone 5 insurance.

It’s Cheap

iPhone 5 insurance from Protect Your Bubble is not expensive. You may have to spend couple of bucks every month to get your iPhone 5 insured. Neither will you have to be extra careful while enjoying a coffee with your friend nor wear any gloves to protect your iPhone 5 when you have the insurance.

It’s A Quick, Simple And Easy Process

Insuring your iPhone 5 is not really a complicated process. It won’t take much time, really. You can even get it done online, by following some simple steps which can be done within a short span of time. The whole process will take some time and you can easily get your iPhone 5 insured within seconds. Isn’t it great?

It Covers All The Accident Damages

No matter how your iPhone5 is damaged, this insurance protects you from all the different accidental damages including theft, loss, liquid spill etc. In such situations, your iphone 5 will be immediately replaced with a new one within a short span of time. In case, the manufacturer’s warranty is expired, you will be happy to know that it will cover the expenses of the internal malfunctions of your iPhone 5.

In this case, the insurance provider will ensure that your phone is quickly repaired and the damaged components are replaced in the shortest time.You will get your iPhone 5 back within 5 days.

It Covers The Unauthorized Calls

Well, you might be a little confused now. Isn’t it? How will it help you if it covers the unauthorized calls of your phone? In case of theft or pick pocket, the insurance will cover all the unauthorized calls made by the one who stole the phone. So, you still have chances to get your iPhone back when it is keeping a track of the unauthorized calls. Without the policy, you will have to spend extra money for it.

It Will Give You Extra Bonuses

If this is true, you should definitely get the insurance because you can do some good shopping with the extra bonus offer. Depending on the kind of policy you choose to protect your iPhone 5, you will be offered extra bonus by the service provider.

Conclusion

The fact is that iPhone 5 is now one of the most popular brands of phone; you will have to cash out a pretty good amount of dollars to get it. Therefore, you should definitely give a thought to the situation when it gets damaged. Without the right insurance, you will have to again spend the whole money from your pocket.

How will you exist without your iPhone 5? If your phone gets damaged or stolen or perhaps simply out of the warranty period, you may find it a little difficult to deal with everything. Moreover, you don’t have the funds to again invest a new one. Therefore, you should visit Protect Your Bubbleto choose the best insurance policy.

My iPhone’s Been Damaged! Should I Have Got An iPhone 5 Insurance?

Visual QR Codes: Making QR Codes Relevant For Brands and Attractive To Users

They can be found in newspapers, magazines, on billboards, in stores and have been making their way into just about any advertising campaign. QR Codes have been extremely popular in the Far East and over the past couple of years have been gaining ground in the West as well.

What Is A QR Code?

Originally designed by Denso in Japan to track auto parts as they moved at high speed through an assembly line the QR Code was a very efficient tool to instantly relay important information when scanned a deciphered by a QR Code reader.

If you don’t yet have a QR Code scanner on your mobile device, here is a list of free QR Code scanners. here

What Do QR Codes Have To Do With Your Business?

Once upon a time people would cut a coupon out of a newspaper and save it till they got to the store. Then came the World Wide Web that allowed you to engage through your PC without actually having to visit the store. With the mobile revolution, people are no longer limited by time or space and can do just about anything right from the palm of their hand using a mobile phone

While non-interactive print advertisements are still effective, they are costly and offer no ability to customers to take action. The goal of a designed ad is to have a strong emotional effect on potential customers with a suggestive call to action and hope they will remember your brand the next time they shop. By adding a QR Code you can transform any offline ad into an instant online mobile interactive experience. Your Visual QR Code advertisement will not only give customers an incentive to engage, it will give them the ability to do so.

Read here for some great Visual QR Code campaign ideas.

While QR Codes are the most commonly used marketing tool used to lead users from offline to online they are not getting the attention companies were hoping for. Due to the QR Code’s meaningless computer code appearance, designers are often offended by the way it invades their creativity and people have a hard time relating to them let alone have a desire to interact and scan them.

Visual QR Codes: Keeping the design adding the scan

Visualead has developed a patent pending technology called Visual QR Codes. This image recognition / QR Code love child merges any design, logo or image that people relate to, trust and love with QR Code scanning technology that people recognize.

The idea is simple, instead of asking people to engage with a computer code, companies can now allow their customers to engage with the brand.

“We are not looking to be another QR Code company” explains Nevo Alva, Visualead’s Co-founder and CEO. “We are looking to create the fastest and most effective solution for mobile marketing. We wanted to offer freedom of creativity and the ability to turn any design or part of one into a trigger for mobile engagement”.

There are three generations of Visual QR Codes. Two have been already been released and the third generation will be released over the next six months.

“The Big Three is what makes us unique” brags Itamar, Visualead’s co-founder and CTO

1. Can’t Touch This

There are numerous companies that create custom design QR Codes using graphic programs. The problem is, the more one “messes” with the computer code, the less reliable the QR Code becomes. Visual QR Codes on the other hand, uses an algorithm based technology to merge a QR Code into any design without the use of graphic altering programs. This preserves the reliability of the Visual QR Code with any of the QR Code scanners on the market.

2. Quick & Easy

While the majority of users are SMBs and designers, the Visualead site has been designed so that anyone can create a Visual QR Code in under a minute without any technical or graphic design knowledge.

3. Cost Effective

Creating a custom designed QR Code can cost anywhere from $60 – $200. Visual QR Codes can be created free and are not limited by the number of scans or time. Businesses looking for a white label solution as well as detailed analytics about who, when and where their Visual QR Code is being scanned, can choose between the Silver plan or really turn up the engagement with the Gold Visual QR Code to create a more creative, communicative and effective call to action.

When users ask the Visualead team for advice the answer is always: “Be creative and don’t be square”.

Ari Fuld (@arifuld) is a social media and content professional, and founder of the popular global mobile technology blog called Glomotech.com. He also is the Community and Content Manager at Visualead where they are redefining QR Code mobile engagement.

Visual QR Codes: Making QR Codes Relevant For Brands and Attractive To Users