Experts predict that within the next five years more people will use mobile devices than laptops or desktops. Businesses must cash-in on this trend to stay competitive and maintain customer loyalty. Here are some of the best marketing apps available today.

Foursquare

This is one of the most popular apps at the present time. It has been called the Craigslist of location based apps. Users earn badges and other rewards for visiting. You can find your friends on the app, which fosters a sense of community. You can also get a list of local places in your area and receive tips on where to go and where not to. Businesses can offer their own rewards, which becomes free marketing.

Yelp

This is the yellow pages of mobile devices. Besides finding businesses, customers can get reviews and offers from companies. Businesses can advertise for free and communicate with their customers. It’s easy to use, and customers can search in various ways, including by location and category. New businesses can get highlighted.

Ingesting more than your fair share at the dinner table could prove harmful not just to your health, but to your memory. In a research project conducted by the Mayo Clinic, scientists studied the potential correlation of eating habits and memory loss in a group of elderly people living in Olmstead County, Minnesota. 

Dr. Yonas Geda, the author of the study, took surveys of more than 1200 geriatrics to compile the data for the report. After the study, participants filled out a food questionnaire and the scientists took images of their brain. The doctors found a definitive trend - as calorie intake increased, so did the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Dividing the data among three groups, the scientists determined that those who consumed the lowest amount of calories had the least risk of developing MCI. Those who consumed approximately between 2300 and 6000 calories per day, more than doubled their risk for developing memory loss. MCI is commonly found in elderly people with symptoms of memory loss or dementia. MCI is sometimes a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. 

Geda admits that these preliminary results need to be buffered by more studies, including data on food variation and calories spent in physical activity. He particularly warns that neither malnutrition nor starvation is recommended as a preventative against memory loss. Geda does recommend a diet that is balanced and moderate. As with weight gain, heart disease, and other problems, it’s not the eating, but excessive eating that causes the most trouble.

For a new homeowner, the amount of work and maintenance that goes into a home can be unexpected and expensive. Prioritizing home repairs is necessary when the list of repairs and replacements extends beyond your budget. The following four home repairs should be your top priority because they can quickly devolve into unsafe, unsound, and expensive disasters.

Electrical repairs

Signs – Faulty electrical wiring and connections, perhaps the most dangerous of all potential problems, should be repaired quickly. Bad electrical systems can lead to electrical fires and electrocution. If your circuit breakers trip frequently or your lights dim when you plug in a vacuum, it’s time to bring out an electrician. The electrician can do a spot check to ensure that outlets are safe and the wiring works. 

Cost – Although it depends on the age and quality of the house, rewiring costs can be anywhere from $4000 to $10,000. If the electrician finds something that needs replacement, there is no time to waste. 

How to Prevent – One way to prevent wire corrosion and circuit damage is to switch circuit breakers off and on once a year. You should take all necessary precautions to prevent outages and damage to your home by electrical fire. 

What is a mentor?

A mentor is essentially someone who has more experience in business than you. A mentor can help you navigate the difficult waters of starting a business, owning a business, business strategy, and everything in between. For an entrepreneur, a mentor can give advice, provide networking connections, or simply be a friend when things get rough. 

Why is it important to have a mentor?

For your own sanity and the health of your business, investing both your time and thoughts into a mentor relationship can be worthwhile. Remember, a mentor is someone who is essentially a soundboard; a person who you talk to about those important decisions before you make them; someone who wants you to succeed and does whatever they can to help you achieve your goals; and encourages you to pursue your goals while advising ways to avoid conflict or friction. The following are five easy steps to find the perfect mentor.

Step 1: Reach out to your family and friends for advice, or seek connections that could become possible mentors. Relatives and friends are your closest network, and you should certainly pick someone who you deeply trust and respect to guide you in your business. 

No, we’re not talking about the U.S. this time. While it has received the majority of attention, the United States was not the only nation hit by the housing crisis. Canada and Australia, along with other nations, have also suffered in the housing industry.

Australia

Evictions have increased in Australia as the cost of housing rises. The poorest Australians need 27 times their annual income to purchase a home. The dream of home ownership is slipping away from many Australian citizens.

Canada 

There is also concern that Canada may be following in the United States’ footsteps. Many lenders are becoming less stringent about the loans they issue to borrowers. The ratio of household debt to income reached 150% last year, which is just below the 160% that the U.S. was before the housing market collapsed in 2008. At the same time, the net household income has fallen, which makes people even more vulnerable. Incomes can’t keep up with inflation.

Every business will lose some customers over a course of time. Some customers move, others no longer need the service, or their life situation changes. The problem arises when more customers leave because they are unhappy with some aspect of your business.

Should you care about losing customers? Yes! Loyal customers refer their friends to you and help your business grow. Is there any hope of getting them back? Again, the answer is, “Yes!” Here are some things you can do to get your customers back into the fold.

Find Out Why They Left

You will not know what to change to make your customers happy if you don’t know what you did wrong. You need to find out if it was the service, the price, or some other reason that caused them to leave. You need to know if they went somewhere else or just decided to do without your service or product. Let them know you want to make things right with them, but you need to know what went wrong. 

A cover letter is an essential component of a job application. It is a companion to the resume that most hiring managers expect to see. They may require a cover letter, but they don’t always enjoy reading one. The quandary that applicants find themselves in is how to create a cover letter that meets the requirements while standing out from the crowd. Here’s how to improve your cover letter writing skills.

Know the Company You Are Writing to

Learn something about the company you are sending the cover letter. Get an idea of the kind of tone you should use in your letter. As a rule, most banks, doctor offices, and law firms are formal and expect your letter to sound professional. Other industries are usually more laid-back and a casual tone would be appropriate.

Your letter should convey why you want to work for the company. By stating a reason that is significant to that particular company you show that you are pursuing them. For instance, you can mention an innovation or change they have made in their services or products that you are excited about.  

According to interior design experts, you can expect to see bold colors decorating homes in 2012. From bright bursts of color to vivid rooms, you will see yellows, pinks, and greens in fluorescents taking over. If you are not a person who enjoys bold décor, how can you incorporate the new design and still stay true to your personality? Here are some tips on how to incorporate the new trend into your home without letting it take over.

Think of One Item

Instead of spreading color all over your room, look for one brightly colored accent piece. It can be a lamp shade or a throw over a couch or chair. It may be a bold painting in an otherwise muted room. Choosing one item to accent in a bold color will add a touch of brightness without being too overwhelming.

Look at Your Focal Point

The easiest place to dress up with a splash of color is the spot you want to draw people’s eyes to; it can be a fireplace, a window, a coffee table, or even a bookcase. You can even change the focal point in a room by adding a colorful object in an unexpected place. For instance, a lime green vase on a floating shelf in a dark corner would draw everyone’s attention.

If you have ever taken a look inside a pair of speakers, you have probably seen a mass or wires and cables that may connect to make an incredible sound that audiophiles love. Unfortunately, these wires are not just relegated to the inside of the speakers. Wires and cables can spill out the back of speakers and stretch to the device it is connected to at the moment. This can create an unpleasant look in a home that may otherwise have an interior design that is perfect. Finding speakers that both sound great and do not interfere with the design of a room can be a tough bill to fill. The clear speakers by People People fill this void. The clear speakers do not show a mass of wires and can easily fit in with any style of room since they do not have a specific color or look. They only look chic. 

The new clear speakers are already getting some special attention. At the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, People People showcased a prototype. Wired Magazine also chose the speakers as one of the products to be featured at their 15 favorite products show during the CES. The speaker is still under development and not yet available for purchase, but once it does hit the marketplace, it is sure to fly off shelves because of the special features. 

Audiophiles will rejoice with these new clear People People speakers. These are speakers that can be shown off because they are both high tech, make music sound great, and also look great in any room because they are transparent. The speakers are big enough to boom with sound, but the box is transparent so it doesn’t take up a lot of visible space.

Finding the motivation to lose weight can be hard enough, but keeping up the motivation weeks after you began making changes to your lifestyle, can be even harder. That’s why many people look for new gadgets and fun devices to help them lose weight. Fitbit is a company that utilizes new technology to create products that motivate and assist people to do just that.

Tracking Exercise

The Fitbit and Fitbit Ultra are small devices that you can fasten to your clothing to track different activities. You can track how many steps you have taken, or how many miles you have traveled on foot. This allows you to see how active you are each day.

The Fitbit contains an accelerometer and an altimeter to track your activity. The accelerometer works like a pedometer to measure your steps in various exercises. The altimeter tracks your ascent to measure steps climbed. Critics say that it will track any leg movement, so it is not as accurate as it may appear.

The good thing about tracking your activity level is that it motivates you further. You can set daily and weekly goals and see how you are doing. The idea behind using a tracking device is to make you more active than if you weren’t using it.

There are differing opinions on whether the traditional business card is obsolete in today’s digital society.  With social networks and online profiles, does anyone even need a business card anymore?  While not everyone would agree, many people think it does still have a place.  The key is to update your business card and know how to use it along with digital media.

1.  Introduce Yourself

The business card has traditionally been used to introduce you to prospective clients or other business associates you may later do business with.  That is still a valid use for today’s business card.  However, to make it effective, it needs to contain your email address, website, and any other digital information you may have.  

Most people will use it to add your email address to their list of contacts on their email account.  They may also bookmark your website before they set the card aside.  It is still a handy way to get your information out in a quick, quiet way.  It will only be useful if it contains your electronic information since that is how more people are communicating today.

A beautiful lawn is the envy of many homeowners who think it is impossible to have one of their own. It is not as difficult as one would expect if they follow these five simple rules.

1.  Know Your Lawn.

Know what kind of grass you have before you attempt to treat it. If you have bare spots and you are trying to grow new grass, find out what is already in the surrounding area, or what will grow well in your type of climate. You can always talk to your local agricultural extension office to find the best grass for your area.

2.  Learn How to Mow.

Set your mower to a higher setting. Yes, this will mean you have to mow more often, but it will make your grass healthier, especially during dry times. It also allows the roots to penetrate deeper so they can withstand droughts. Moisture is also held better in taller grass; the grass will retain the water longer when you irrigate your lawn.

It can be really tough to pay for a movie and sit through it for a couple of hours, only to realize that it is horrible. You can avoid such experiences by looking at reviews ahead of time. Explore all the different sites, so you know which ones you agree with the most. You will get a sense of which reviews and reviewers to trust. Websites that encourage reviewers to explain why they gave a movie a particular rating are beneficial. A movie may get a bad score, but when you find out why, it could be for the exact reason that you actually enjoy a movie. Here are the best websites for film reviews.

Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes

Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes are both run by the same people. They provide 2 billion movie ratings and have the leading movie applications on iPhone, Google TV, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry. You may have seen their small little icons that indicate if a movie is good or not (as reviewed by others). A green, squishy, rotten tomato shows that reviewers thought the movie was not worth watching, while a ripe looking red tomato shows that the movie was great. You can also connect with Facebook so you can see what movies your friends enjoy.