Keeping up with every RSS feed item and tweet is hard enough for anybody, let alone someone trying to run a business. That’s why each week, ReadWriteBiz rounds up the most important tech news and insights for small and medium-sized businesses.
In a story that is likely to have implications for small and medium-sizes businesses down the line, Starbucks announced this week that they’re launching their mobile payments system nationwide in the U.S. Rather than using something like Near Field Communications to accept payments, the system utilizes smart phone apps, which display a bar code for the cashier to scan. The amount of purchase is deducted from the customer’s Starbucks account.
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Also on the mobile front, Microsoft released its first Office app for the iPhone in the form of OneNote. The simple, EverNote-style note-taking app is Microsoft’s first official move toward including its Office suit on Apple’s iOS platform.
Here on ReadWriteBiz, we looked at how small businesses can use QR codes to drive Web traffic, build up social media followers, organize real-world games and enhance printed business cards and advertisements.
A survey released this week revealed the not-too-surprising fact that nearly 70% of Americans no longer use paper phone books to look up telephone numbers for businesses and individuals, instead preferring the far more convenient and up-to-date online options.
Looking for a mobile expense-tracking solution? On Friday, our own Audrey Watters reviewed five iPhone apps designed to make it easier to create expense reports.
Cloud-based file-sharing app Box.net released a new version this week, offering a simplified user interface, enhanced collaboration features and real-time activity updates.
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