I don’t know how I ever get along without this application. Google for iPhone is one of the best mobile search applications there is. This is a great tool for any wedding industry professional that is always on the go.
Good
Google for iPhone allows you to search by voice. Just speak into your phone the item you are searching for, and Google searches based on your current location. Sensors can tell when you are lifting the phone to your ear, and gives a brief sound alert to let you know when to speak. Your voice is transitioned to a search query, and Google displays results based on what it thought you said.
This video explains it all….
Bad
Google doesn’t always get it right. Some words are tougher than others, and the voice-search feature may misinterpret your search. If that’s the case, you can also input your search via the keyboard.
Don’t have an iPhone??
The Google App will be available for Blackberry devices in the coming months.
When I meet new couples, I love to hear their story about how they met, and what the wedding proposal was like. Their faces light up as share the sweet details of how she said, “Yes”. Check out these TechSavvy Proposals I found reading, “5 Geeky Marriage Proposals That Worked” by Brian X. Chen on Wired.com. So cute!!!
Proposal 2.0
Michael Weiss-Malik, a Google employee, deserves a lot of credit for this one. What better way to show the world your love than displaying it on Google Maps? Weiss-Malik got his buddies on the Street Viewteam to give him a heads-up on the next time the Street View car was coming out to take pictures. And when that day came, he was well-prepared, holding a banner that read “Proposal 2.0: Marry me Leslie!!” (see above) After that, all he had to was lure Leslie into loading Google Maps and zooming in on the precise coordinates of his romantic stunt.
Now, that’s clever.
iPropose with iPhone
We’ve heard two stories of tech-savvy Casanovas using their iPhones to propose to their girlfriends. Just this week Bryan Haggerty coded a custom iPhone application to send his girlfriend Jeannie Chou on a scavenger hunt throughout San Francisco. The web app included a map containing location points, each one accompanied with a video providing clues on where to go next. In the end, the map points connected to form a <3, and the final destination was the top of a hill in Dolores Park, where Haggerty busted out the big question. Tell us that isn’t cute.
And then there’s Dan Deeble, who concocted a similar idea in October 2008. He found an iPhone app called Scribular, which works with the handset’s GPS and allows users to tag locations with notes. Deeble put on his geeky-romantic thinking hat, and he came up with a creative way to use Scribular. He drove around Sacramento, leaving notes for his partner Crystal Gardner at various locations. He loaded Scribular on her iPhone, too, and had her friends calling her throughout the day, telling her to check the app. Finally the two met at a restaurant, where Gardner checked Scribular one more time to see another note: “Almost one year ago, I found you — and I found love…. I ask if you will grant me the greatest privilege of my life and marry me. Forever yours, Dan.”
Awwww.
Playing games with her heart
YouTube user TheRealPfhreak’s proposal method was arduous, not to mention retro nerdy. He hacked a ROM of the old Super Nintendo role-playing game Chrono Trigger while his girlfriend was playing through it. Before tweaking some of the game’s dialogue to ask her to marry him, he modded the game to recreate some of their favorite memories such as stargazing and dancing. And he even added in her favorite song lyrics from The Princess Bride. Whoever said nerdy computer scientists couldn’t be romantic?
Virtual diamonds
Game geek Bernie hacked his way into his lady’s heart, too. He modded his girlfriend Tammy’s favorite game, Bejeweled, to work on a Nintendo DS. Only, it was slightly different: At some point the jewel pieces formed the shape of a diamond ring, which he used to pop out the question. Looks like it took a lot of time, but it’s safer than buying an actual ring, right? Just kidding — he got her one of those, too.
Ever get frustrated when you’re searching for a website from your mobile phone and can’t read it to get the information you need. What does your website or blog look like for your mobile device? Making your wedding website mobile-friendly allows your website to be visible on the mobile web.
Here are just a couple ways to go mobile:
Mofuse.com is one of the fastest growing mobile publishing companies on the web. Using the Mofuse platform you can enter your website url, or your blogs RSS feed, and mobilize your content in seconds.
Google Conversion Utility it doesn’t get any easier than this. Insert your url here as well, and check the “No Images” box if you don’t want images, and click “Go”. That’s it!!! Now your readers can visit your site on the go.
The only downside is that Flash is not currently supported for mobile web. So if you have a Flash site, that portion will not be mobile-friendly.
Have a Wordpress blog you’d like to optimize for mobile viewing? We added the WP Mobile Edition plugin to make the iMatrimony blog mobile friendly, but there are others like WP PDA and iPhone plugin as well.
Two-way radios keeps communication open between all staff members at all times. With a wireless earbud, you are able to speak discreetly, and ensure that everything stays under control.
A GPS system can get you wherever, whenever. I will never forget using a GPS system in Riviera Maya, Mexico to get much needed supplies to complete the wedding guests’ welcome bags. Much of our job is to make the impossible, possible. Make sure you know how to get there.
Years ago, there was no such thing as Google. Now, we can’t live without it. Google has created so many amazing products, like iGoogle, Google Maps, Google Reader, Google Docs, Google Earth, Google Chrome. Need I say any more??
At the end of every wedding, just before the bride and groom are wisked off into marital bliss, we record a “Live Video Testimonial”. Nothing compares to seeing a beautiful happy couple, in their wedding attire, speak about how amazing their wedding day was, and how they owe it all to you. Capture great moments in action with the Flip Mino HD.
10. Social Networking
Social Networking is all the rave. If you haven’t joined the bandwagon, what are you waiting for??? Social networking is a great tech tool that has an array of benefits to event planners. Establishing a presence will allow you to network with industry professionals, market, and advertise your services in ways you couldn’t before. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are three tools I use daily to stay in the loop, and keep current in the wedding world.
Take a look at a few of my favorite tech tools that I use on a daily basis to better my workflow as an Event Planner. Beware, I’m a lover of all things Apple, but will do be best to curb my bias. Part 1 covers what I call, my “Office” tools, and Part 2 shares my “Event” tools.
Like many people, I am on the go constantly. I needed to ensure I have access to any important items on my computer at all times. I recently swapped from my Dell Inspiron 710m to the MacBook. I love it!! It’s lightweight, and just the right size to put in my purse or fashionable workbag. Not to mention the features are just uncomparable to the Dell.
A portable printer is essential to every wedding weekend. Never know when you need to print alternate directions to a wedding reception to avoid new construction, or give the groom a copy of his wedding vows he forgot (Been there done that). Having a portable printer on-site at any event is priceless.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a hard drive fail. Having a backup hard drive, and making time to update it weekly will save you a lot of trouble in the long run. It also helps to archive important items you may need in the future, but no longer need readily on your computer. Not to mention, a backup drive is eco-friendly, and gets you one step closer to a paperless office.
My smartphone of choice?? The iPhone. I absolutely love my iPhone. Some of my favorite features are the super fast 3G network, “over the air” syncing, and email manangement . I never need to sync my calendar with my computer. It’s done automatically. The visual capabilities surpass any other smartphone. I can access all email accounts from one screen. Not to mention, there are so many applications that allow me to cater to my clients easier and more efficiently while away from the office. Check out our Amazing Apps series for more……
5. Virtual PBX
With a Virtual PBX, my calls are routed wherever I am. I have a fully automated phone service, don’t have the hassle of maintaining a PBX system in my office, and voicemail is sent directly to my inbox. There are many companies to choose from, but after using GotVmail for years, I made a switch to RingCentral. I was sold on the The RingCentral Digital Line VoIP, and Softphone, which allows me to make phone calls directly from the desktop. And with the RingCentral iPhone App, I can make calls from my iPhone using my RingCentral phone number. Sweet!!!!
The new iMatrimony Logo is finally here. After relaunching the iMatrimony Blog with the new WedTech focus, a logo to match was definitely in order. So we contacted one of our favorite graphic designers in Atlanta to tweak things a little and help us out.
The goal was to create something that speaks Weddings and Technology by just looking at it. Now, thanks to Kristen Leigh of K-Leigh Creative, we have a great new logo design with blog badges to match. Don’t forget to get your blog badge here, and give us your feedback on the new logo……Look techie to you??
I don’t know how I ever get along without this application. Google for iPhone is one of the best mobile search applications there is. This is a great tool for any wedding industry professional that is always on the go. 
And then there’s Dan Deeble, who concocted a similar idea in October 2008. He found an iPhone app called Scribular, which works with the handset’s GPS and allows users to tag locations with notes. Deeble put on his geeky-romantic thinking hat, and he came up with a creative way to use Scribular. He drove around Sacramento, leaving notes for his partner Crystal Gardner at various locations. He loaded Scribular on her iPhone, too, and had her friends calling her throughout the day, telling her to check the app. Finally the two met at a restaurant, where Gardner checked Scribular one more time to see another note: “Almost one year ago, I found you — and I found love…. I ask if you will grant me the greatest privilege of my life and marry me. Forever yours, Dan.”
