SharePoint iPhone

IncWorx Consulting is thrilled to announce that we have released a new comprehensive branding product called BrandIt. This tool was built to address the most common complaints that we hear about user’s experiences with the SharePoint design out-of-the-box. In order to make users more enthusiastic about using SharePoint, we have completely redesigned the custom master page and added functionality.

The existing template for SharePoint is so bland and boring that it makes users not want to work with SharePoint. The functionality is there, but the front end usability and functionality fall well short of the UI's that business users interact with when they leave work (iPhone, iPad, droid, etc.). In an effort to increase user acceptance, we aimed to put more information at the fingertips of users and make navigating around task management easier and more convenient given the new standard users have when it comes to UI and UX .

When you purchase BrandIt, you get about 2 months’ worth of development and it only takes about 30 minutes to install. BrandIt includes a custom master page, custom CSS for elegant styling, jQuery functionality to avoid unnecessary refreshing, and even a color picker for changes to color schemes that requires no coding at all!

But we didn’t stop there, this amazing branding package also includes three unique web parts. The first is an interactive tabbed banner that supports full HTML and allows companies to send messages organization-wide instead of sending emails that some people may not see. The second is interactive tab control, which allows users to have access to multiple lists without cluttering the page and does not require you to refresh the page. The third is a custom calendar complete with day, week, month, and task views to help you prioritize what you need to get done.

In addition to all this, we re-styled and re-organized everything utilizing a base template. We did not modify anything that would cause issues for updates and patches, all our features are client side and can be put in the code, and it is very fast and easy to install.

BrandIt is truly a revolutionary package and something IncWorx Consulting is extremely proud of. So why wait? Couldn’t your intranet use a makeover? Get the SharePoint help you need and see a free demo of what BrandIt can do today! To schedule, please call Patrick Kelleher at 847-839-9679 or email me at patrick.kelleher (at) incworx.com.

Lync available soon for your Mobile Device

The other day I was thinking about smart phones, and how it seems everything and everyone is trying to be on your smart phone.  A previous blog of mine talked about Nintex Forms and how one of their key points is that is works great on your smart phone.  This got me thinking, why not have SharePoint 2010 for your phone?  OK, maybe SharePoint is just a bit too much for a phone to handle.  There are other things Microsoft has created that could be great to have on your phone.  One main program that came to mind was Lync.  We use it here all the time and I must say it is really a great program.  It does so much and keeps everyone in your company close and interacting with one another. 

After some looking around I found out Microsoft has already thought of this and, from what I read, should be available on most all smart phones by the end of the year!  So now you will be able to be out of the office or even without your laptop, and still be able to communicate with colleagues.  It will keep a lot of the same functionality as the desktop based Lync. Here is a quick list of some things Lync mobile will be able to do.

• View colleagues' availability and select how you want to communicate with them (IM, E-Mail, or phone call)
• Can join a Lync conference without requiring the user to dial a conference number
• Can set a single phone number that can be used for outbound calls
• Will be available for Windows phone 7, iPhone, Nokia phones, Android and more

IncWorx Consulting is a leading Microsoft Gold Partner focusing on SharePoint Consulting, SharePoint Support, and SharePoint Application Development.

With more and more people using Android Phones and Tablets, it has come to my attention that the Android Phone’s and Tablets default browsers block the SharePoint 2010 credentials popup window. This makes it difficult to login and edit your site on the go. If you have a SharePoint site, and plugin your URL into the Android browser you might get a 401 Unauthorized error. Unfortunately, the default browser blocks the login prompt popup which could prevent anyone on one of these devices from logging into their SharePoint site. I recently spent a few minutes testing my own HTC EVO 4G to access our SharePoint 2010 team site.

To fix this issue, just goto the Application Market and download Firefox or Opera browsers. Opera and Firefox are both officially supported by Microsoft for SharePoint 2010 and will allow you to login to your SharePoint site and login. Both browsers will provide SharePoint’s login popup which allows you to login to your site! By using the Firefox or Opera for your browsers, you can properly login and view your site. I also tested a few other browsers like Miren and Dolphin browser that do login but don't view the SharePoint site correctly.

If you have an Android OS phone or tablet and want to use SharePoint Mobile. Give this a try! It is very possible that this could affect SharePoint iPhone user access.

Using mobile phones to access your data really shows off some of the SharePoint 2010 Benefits for end users.

The following is just a list of applications that provide Mobile access to your SharePoint site from devices other than computers and laptops. In the business world people need access to their coporate information at any time. Having access from their portable devices like phones and tablets have become increasingly easy and important for business users.

The sites I am going to list below offer a much better SharePoint Mobile experience than using browser access. This will also make the users experience much more enjoyable when accessing their companies SharePoint content.