Technically Easy

Blog

  • How to Organize Website Data with MySQL

    How to Organize Website Data with MySQL

    Suppose you have a tight budget and do not know much about technology, but have a unique idea for a useful site full of elaborate content.

    What is your next logical step? The answer is getting a low-cost web host such as iPage and explore the many user-friendly web tools provided.

    Here are ways to efficiently store information on your site using MySQL database, which comes free with iPage.

    What is MySQL?

    MySQL (often pronounced “my sequel”) is an Oracle-owned relational database, allowing you to enter, store and utilize information in tables, columns, and rows. It is useful for creating a marketing list with various data about your customers.

    Typical information stored in this type of database includes ID, name, address, phone number, and email addresses.

    You can think of it as similar to a spreadsheet, except it is much more powerful since it can be used for web development. MySQL integrates with WordPress, Drupal, and other open source content management systems.

    It is considered the standard database for websites.

    Common Reasons for Using MySQL

    As an example for the utilization of a database, Amazon stores, all of its product information in a database. Many popular sites with search engines, such as Wikipedia, Craigslist, and YouTube draw from databases in response to user queries.

    The two primary reasons for using this technology are to organize website data and provide easy, quick access to data. Here are some of the top benefits of connecting MySQL to your website:

    1. Warehousing for terabytes of data.
    2. High-speed performance for specific applications.
    3. Scalability and flexibility for customization.
    4. Reliable 24/7 access to data.
    5. Organizing and indexing data protected by encryption.
    6. Backing up data and recovery strategies.
    7. Support for application development (PHP, Perl, Java, Visual Basic, .NET).
    8. The capability of quick application downloading .
    9. Performance monitoring tools.
    10. Saves time and costs.

    While programmers need to learn SQL and a programming language, it is not necessary to know the code for storing information in MySQL. For example, you do not have to know how an engine works to drive a car.

    For a more user-friendly graphical experience, you can use a free software tool called PhpMyAdmin, which is an intuitive interface that resembles a website instead of typing in statements.

    How MySQL Makes Life Easier

    Multi-use tables used for multiple purposes, not only allow you to use tables to store customer information, but you can use them to store information on products, vendors, and employees.

    Each table denotes a particular type of information, which divides into columns and rows.

    For instance, use employees as an example of a table, the first column reserved typically for employee ID numbers. The second column might be for the last name, the third column is the first name, and the fourth column would be contact information.

    Rows called “records,” represent individual people. If the table is about inventory, then each record would be a separate product.

    For the database to connect to the web securely, MySQL allows the administrator to set users, passwords, and privileges. If you are working with a team, you may only want certain members to access certain tables and not others.

    Your web host, whether it is iPage or another platform, will provide you with the instructions on how to connect your website to the database. If you like, you can create multiple databases on the same server.

    The left column of your admin web interface gives you simple configuration tools for tasks, such as backing up a database. An option is to import an entire existing database from your computer or wherever you have stored it.

    You assign a unique name to your various databases, and you list them in the far left column of the admin interface.

    Once you select a database, you will then see a list of tables in the left column. You can create as many tables as you want, whether it is for finances, records, web content, or any other type of information you want to store.

    It is a great tool for archiving blogs, marketing campaigns, and future content. You can export tables to Excel spreadsheets.

    Conclusion

    MySQL offers essential database functions that anyone can handle. If you want to learn database programming, you will need to dedicate more time to learning a programming language.

    Either way, it can help you organize your business more efficiently and bypass investing in expensive enterprise software. This solution is practical for keeping all valuable company data in one place.

  • The Samsung Galaxy 8 Plus Features We’re Really Excited About

    The Samsung Galaxy 8 Plus Features We’re Really Excited About

    The trend with gadgets nowadays is sleek and high-quality visuals. People are not just looking for practicality anymore, they want something that looks stylish and offers the high definition experience too.

    This is why Apple and Samsung have been releasing “Plus” variants in their line. It is not just to prolong the current model’s buzz but to produce something that a number of customers are looking for.

    For that reason, bigger screens and elegant designs are being released in flagship lines, and one top contender is the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus which you can soon get at Harvey Norman or any tech shop you frequent.

    There are a lot of smartphones that will be rolled out this year, apart from Apple and Samsung, of course. If you are currently looking into replacing the one you have now, you will need a guide to help you narrow down your list.

    So just like everyone else, we will talk about why the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus should be on top of your list of smartphones to consider buying this year.

    6.2-inch display

    Obviously, one of the first things we need to talk about is the display. The Galaxy S8 Plus dons a 6.2-inch display and is also narrower than the Apple iPhone 7 Plus which has a 5.5-inch display.

    This makes the S8 offer more of a high definition display than other smartphones available on the market. Of course, until Apply unboxes the iPhone 8. But for now, this is your best bet in terms of high rate display.

    Gorilla Glass 5

    You have probably watched a lot of videos testing the smartphone’s damage proof capabilities, people flinging their phones on walls, dipping them in water and so on.

    The Apple phone is made of glass in front and metal on the back. The Galaxy S8 Plus, however, is made of Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and back, and this increases the protection on your smartphone against drops from up to a height of 5 feet or maybe more.

    Bluetooth 5.0

    The first phones that will support the Bluetooth 5.0 are the Galaxy S8 and Plus flagships. The Bluetooth 5.0 is, in one word, awesome. It offers twice the speed, four times the range, and eight times the broadcasting capacity.

    Think of this way, once you have your Galaxy S8 Plus, you can connect two Bluetooth headphones all at once. Additionally, it offers low energy functionality and can coexist with other wireless technologies.

    Bixby

    The Samsung counterpart of Apple’s Siri is the intelligent digital assistant called Bixby. Right now, people are saying that it is more powerful than Siri and has three main parts. Bixby Voice will enable you to trigger the voice-powered digital assistant by calling or pressing a button.

    Bixby Vision can see through the built-in camera and can identify objects and make a search. Lastly, Bixby Home will give you access to various information when you swipe right from the home screen like the weather.

    Wireless charging

    Something that is also making everyone giddy is the wireless charging capabilities. You might think that plugging a charger into a wall is not going to be as frustrating, but it actually is, especially if you need your phone for something urgent.

    So the slap on a battery pack that will be offered by the Samsung line will get the “plugging in the right cord” out of the way. Rumours say that iPhone 8 would have the wireless charging feature, too, but was scrapped.

    We will have to wait until the launch of the iPhone 8, but it seems the Samsung line has made improvements on it.

    There only a couple of days until the Samsung Galaxy 8 will be released and we are already looking forward to getting our hands on it!

  • 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting an Online Business

    5 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting an Online Business

    Regardless of the kind of business you are running, an online presence provides you with a platform to boost your sales. This is why new blogs and websites are coming up every day.

    However, online business is an art on its own, and if you don’t get it right, you might incur great losses. But, how do you get over these loopholes and establish a successful online business?

    Here are 5 mistakes to avoid when starting an online shop.

    1. Waiting too long before launching a product

    Most newbies in the online business always make this mistake. They wait too long before launching a product to sell. Stop waiting for the magic number of 1000 or 10,000 subscribers before you start selling.

    You might be too good at luring many clients to subscribe, but what else are you offering? Online shopping is gaining publicity, and if you don’t have anything to sell to your customers, you might lose them in the end.

    There is never a right time, just launch a product and start selling. If no one buys your product, learn from your mistakes and launch another product that is more relevant.

    2. Failing to LISTEN to your customers

    Customers make or break a business. If you need to know the quality of your product, you need to listen to your customers. Not just those who buy, but those who refuse to buy it or those who buy it and refuse to use it.

    These are the ones who will give you honest feedback on your product and the changes that you need to make. They will also let you know how to improve the overall shopping experience resulting in customer satisfaction.

    3. Failing to optimize your site for SEO

    When shopping online, customers are looking for a site that is easy to navigate and doesn’t take ages for the web pages to load.

    SEO makes it possible for your site to stand out from the thousands of sites with the same product as you. Therefore, always try and keep up with the changing trends in SEO so as to improve your rankings and make it simpler for potential clients to find you.

    4. Failing to be different

    It is next to impossible to establish an online shop that sells a product which no one else isn’t selling already. Therefore, the only advantage you have lies in what makes your product stand out.

    What is unique about your products and services? Selling a product just because someone else is successfully doing it is never an option. This is because everyone has their “secret ingredient” that makes them different.

    If you do not have that defining feature for your brand, then you will look just like the others in your business and you won’t be able to make any major sales.

    Failing to be different is something many people struggle with online, and is usually the main reason for failure.

    5. Just putting up an image and some content

    How interesting is it to navigate around your site? Do you just post an image and some content and move on hoping to attract customers somehow? How about some creativity?

    Apart from just posting web content and stopping at that, try out some creativity and post videos that help market your products. Also, at the end of your posts, create room for customer feedback and comments on their shopping experience.

    For instance, if your online business deals with for example aircraft parts like marvel schebler carburetors, it is important that you respond to online customers’ complaints quickly and professionally to avoid negative comments that can damage your business reputation.

    Starting an online business comes with its own challenges. However, there are many mistakes which can be avoided if you do your research before starting out.

    There is never a wrong or right time to do it.

    Stop procrastinating and start acting on your goals.

    Optimize your site to ensure a smooth shopping experience and watch your sales grow!

  • What Makes a Success Story Website?

    What Makes a Success Story Website?

    Your site is built and you’re ready to invite people from anywhere and everywhere to check out your content. Assuming you’ve built a solid foundation on the basics – relevant original content and easy navigation – here are valuable SEO strategies to maximize your content marketing efforts.

    Low Cost Hosting

    One way to cut hosting costs of a website is to use a platform such as iPage. Not only does it only cost a few dollars per month, it provides user-friendly tools, making it easy for anyone to create websites. This solution can be used by website owners or an outsourced online marketing team to cut costs. At the same time, iPage provides useful tools for creating very professional websites.

    Easy Access Business Information

    When people come to your site they should be able to figure out immediately where they can find answers to their questions about your business, especially contact information. If you don’t include a contact page, at least give some type of contact information such as an email address or social media profile on your about page.

    The easiest way to ensure visitors have no way to get confused or lost about your business location or who to contact, is to include contact information or a link to it at the top of your home page. Links to social media profiles are extremely powerful CTAs to encourage interaction with your brand.

    Another reason why you need easy-to-find CTAs relates to your mobile audience that uses smartphones to make purchasing decisions while shopping. You can increase conversions if you provide easy access to coupons or coupon codes. Many local brick and mortar businesses still promote their phone numbers and physical addresses at the top of every page to remind followers that their businesses are more than just websites.

    Fresh Brand-Building Content

    Whether your site comprises articles, blogs, videos or other formats, you must constantly update your content to stay relevant. Websites that only consist of less than ten pages and never evolve, tend to never develop a significant following, even if those ten pages are incredibly awesome. People have more reason to return to your site if it keeps growing in content. This article provides important tips for building and managing SEO-driven web content.

    A key SEO advantage to creating as many web pages as possible through an expanding blog series is that it gives you increasing opportunities to get indexed by search engines. Google is more likely to take your site seriously as a hub for authoritative thought leadership if you keep adding valuable original content about your brand. Over half of websites worldwide use a Content Management System (CMS) to make content creation more efficient, according to W3Techs.

    Brand awareness is essential to business success, since consumers witness hundreds to thousands of brands per day. They have so many choices thrown at them during any given online session, that you need to take measures to ensure web visibility. The more informative web pages you add to your site, the better chances you have of attracting people in your target market. Here are SEO factors in which Google weighs strongly in its search rankings:

    • High-quality content.
    • Relevant link building.
    • Elaborate content of at least 1,000 words.
    • Use of at least a single image.

    Part of what drives traffic is SEO, but it’s worth repeating that another crucial component is updating your content. According to HubSpot, sites that publish over 16 blogs per month get three times more traffic than sites with less than five new posts per month. Another interesting statistic is that updating old text and images can increase organic traffic by over 100%.

    Customer Reviews

    The reason it’s important to allow audience interaction through a social media company is because customer reviews are now a huge influence on final purchasing decisions made by consumers. The public now puts more faith in reviews than from media advertising. If you find that negative feedback overshadows positive feedback on your social media profile, take that as a marketing research hint.

    Something you must realize before trying to craft a scheme to flood the internet with positive reviews is that most consumers have become skeptical of overly positive reviews. If every review is a glowing endorsement packed with marketing jargon, guess what happens? People think the reviews are fake. They even have tools to investigate review authenticity.

    If automated software determines that too many positive reviews trace back to the same email account, it could be a red flag to many objective observers. Search engines might penalize and downgrade those reviewers as web spammers. Allowing a certain amount of negative reviews can give a more authentic presentation. Negatives can become positives by learning from consumer feedback what improvements need to be made.

    You can expand your site’s universe of online reviews by encouraging customers to post reviews on third part local directories such as Yelp. You can also increase exposure of consumer feedback by including video testimonials on your web pages. Videos can be the best vehicles to share product information, particularly with product demonstrations and honest customer testimonials of how brand experiences met or exceeded expectations and improved people’s lives.

    Focus on Direct Call-To-Action

    Your site needs an obvious call-to-action at the top of every page to encourage visitors to check out your content. CTAs come in many forms, usually as short text phrases or buttons with short messages, symbols or images. They hold monumental importance in directing attention toward a specific action, such as making a purchase, filling out a form or clicking to learn more.

    The most important aspect of CTAs to remember, besides making them obvious, is that they are easy-to-read and have a clear purpose. Some website owners prefer buttons that say “buy now,” while others want to present less of a sales push, so they add extra layers to the sales funnel for information seekers.

    The sales funnel represents the path you pave with breadcrumbs to lead your prospects to whatever golden treasure you’ve crafted for them. Web pages full of informative nuggets are the breadcrumbs while your golden treasure is whatever purchasing opportunities you present for your target followers. CTAs are like the billboards and freeway signs that invite people to the places and stories you offer to make their journey more interesting. Ideally, this journey will lead to establishing long-term relationships with customers.

    Conclusion

    Websites come and go, but if you want yours to last for years and grow through time, it’s wise to implement a set of basic and creative strategies. Don’t be afraid to allow interactivity with your audience and be bold enough to give clear call-to-action statements that direct followers to your landing pages. You have the best chances of gaining high search engine visibility by embedding SEO strategies into your content presentation.

  • Getting Your Personal Business Online – Building the Website

    Getting Your Personal Business Online – Building the Website

    First, there is big corporate businesses, then small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small personal businesses. The first two don’t have much trouble when setting up their online presence since they might already have a following or the staff they need to build their online presence.

    Small personal businesses, on the other hand, always have a hard time since you are a one or two-person team of desperados trying to make it in an otherwise competitive online world.

    Does that mean you should ignore the internet and keep marketing your business on other platforms? Perhaps not.

    According to VPN Mentor, the internet had over 3.7 billion internet users by the end of 2017. Coupled with the fact that over 64 percent of all in-store sales (approximately $2.2 trillion) had some connection with the internet, it is evident to see how much your personal business can benefit from owning a website.

    Are you ready for the website?

    Most personal businesses have to do significant trade-offs when choosing what to invest in and what to ignore for the time being. You will have to decide whether to spend a couple of thousand bucks on a website or whether to put that money into paid per click campaigns and social media campaigns.

    A quick cost-benefit analysis will help you do a short-term evaluation of priorities and choose what will keep your business growing and running.

    • Don’t spend too much on your website if the business isn’t yet stable unless your business plan revolves about the website.
    • You have to be willing to invest time, money and effort into building a reputable website that will convince people your brand is the best.
    • Don’t expect instant results. Be prepared to let search engine optimization (SEO) and other content marketing processes to run their natural course before you begin making sales.

    Getting started with the venture

    The trick to benefiting from your website is building quality. However, since getting brand specific domains is a bit tricky, most people will prefer grabbing their domain name and let it sit until they are ready to set up a decent online retail website.

    Others will get an affordable and reliable hosting account and set up a simple blog explaining what they do. Just something simple and enough to keep the domain occupied and the few people who might search for you online covered.

    Is this a good idea? Well yes. Some online presence without spending anything on it will help you drive subliminal sales to your website. Moreover, this simple setup will be a way to gauge how hard it will be to penetrate your local search for your business specific keywords.

    Your Starter Website Must Have Professional Content

    Professional content with the right keywords will do you justice on the search engines. Most of the times, people, and search engines will be looking for information on the internet rather than hunting for refined products.

    Focusing on creating great content around your niche with the location name mentioned a couple of times and then drafting an elaborate about us and contact page to tie you to the niche will help you build your credibility as you build other aspects of your business waiting to invest on a reliable web design.

    Content creation will always be cheaper than a comprehensive web design. Running an informative website as a starter will kick things in motion and prepare you psychologically for the massive investment you will make when getting that custom website.

    Your final design must look and feel professional

    With almost 1 billion websites out there, yours must be outstanding if you are to make any impression on your audience. First impressions matter. All your visitors will judge you depending on how good or how bad your website looks.

    At all times, keep your appearance neat and professional. Emphasizing on speed and user experience is way better than any graphics. Convince your visitors that you are serious about business and they will do business with you.

    Getting your business online gives you access to more customers. However, to succeed, you need strategy and a unique way to add value to your local audience.

  • Enterprise Technology Continues to Grow With These 9 Trends for 2017

    Enterprise Technology Continues to Grow With These 9 Trends for 2017

    According to Forbes magazine, businesses can expect several enterprise technology trends in 2017, and some of them may or may not surprise you.

    It’s no surprise that mobile technology continues to progress; people are addicted to their smartphones and notepads. What might surprise you, however, is how much this advancement will help you market your business and sell your goods.

    Here are nine trends that will get you even more excited about enterprise technology for business.

    1. More Businesses Will Jump on the Cloud

    Just as many homeowners jumped onto Voice over IP (VoIP) technology to save money when Donald Burns founded magicJack, more businesses are sticking their heads in the clouds. Cloud migration is predicted to be huge in 2017.

    Companies who adopt cloud-first strategies save money on equipment and hosting costs and increase their data storage capacity. Cloud computing also enhances collaboration which increases productivity and streamlines operations, reports Forbes.

    2. Enhanced Cybersecurity

    There’s a catchphrase in enterprise technology and that is the “internet of things”, or IoT. As more business is conducted, marketed, and branded on the internet, security becomes a more crucial piece of enterprise technology.

    As discussed by Forbes, “Designers must consider IT security early in the development of applications, solutions, and enterprise architectures This means IT professionals will design security measures that are based on behavior analytics and layered across multiple enterprises.

    3. Marketing and Data Centers Will Be Automated

    Although many people fear losing their jobs to automation, many consider it to be an, “investment in the future,” says Forbes. Automation will create new jobs in different business sectors, and it will streamline marketing and data centers.

    Open source automation tools are already in demand in data centers throughout the world, and business owners can expect to see more data centers adopting automation in 2017. Marketing centers are also predicted to jump on the automation bandwagon.

    4. Rise of the Machines

    Okay, not literally terminators, but apps are expected to become even more intelligent in 2017. If you use Cortana or Siri, you already know what a virtual personal assistant is. Expect an increase in intelligent apps designed to streamline the workplace and its processes.

    In fact, Forbes predicts that intelligent apps will expand beyond virtual assistants, so you can expect smarter software that has artificial intelligence built into it, including your office and anti-virus applications.

    5. Humanizing Data

    You may have heard of humanized data but not paid attention to what it was. As evidenced by the Edward Snowden/NSA fallout, there is an unbelievable amount of data out there on every human being throughout the world. You cannot leverage all it, but you can leverage most of it, and you should.

    Using what you know about the humans who solicit your business and your demographic, you can better meet their needs and market and sell to them.

    6. Hyperconvergence Systems

    What if you could have your computing, networking, storage, and virtualization through one vendor? This is called hyper-convergence, and Forbes is predicting 2017 to be its year.

    There are a few kinks to work out of this enterprise technology, such as expense and speed, but hyper-convergence is becoming more and more mainstream. Many businesses find that having everything in one place makes resource acquisition easier.

    7. Increased Mobility

    It’s no surprise that mobility continues to reign supreme in enterprise technology. One exciting prediction for 2017 is ROBO, or Remote Office/Branch Office.

    More companies are expected to take advantage of doing business remotely, and, as such, the tools used in mobile technology will increase. This challenges information technology experts to enhance business mobility on all levels, including business interface on mobile devices.

    8. Stay in the Fog

    “Fog computing” is an extension of cloud computing, and, according to Forbes, it “extend[s] cloud computing and cloud services to the edge of the network What does this mean, exactly? It means it brings your cloud storage power closer to you.

    Fog computing reduces your data transport, which makes storing your data offsite more efficient. Fog computing will also be used to improved the technology behind smart buildings, cities, and grids.

    9. XaaS Anything as a Service

    What do trends one through eight tell you? They tell you that the biggest trend in enterprise technology for 2017 is “anything as a service Information technology experts like to call this XaaS, and it means there will be significant advancements in how businesses utilize cloud, data, hardware, and all other technology as a service.

    Putting these tools to work for your business will increase your capabilities, which is why there are so many enterprise technology trends predicted for 2017.

    Enterprise technology is changing the face of business. It is not only changing how businesses interact with each other and their customers, it is also changing how businesses operate.

    With ever-expanding technology solutions that streamline everything, including automation, data storage, and virtual assistance, it’s a sure bet that more companies will look into what enterprise technologies can do for them and jump on board.

  • Facebook hacked? 5 Easy Ways to Save Your Account

    Facebook hacked? 5 Easy Ways to Save Your Account

    Love it or hate it, chances are that you own a Facebook account – either by being dragged into it by friends, family or employers, 9 out of 10 people hold an account. I was one those who were badgered into creating an account by a close friend of mine, around 8 years ago.

    At first I really didn’t want it or know what to do with it. Then I realized that they had games…that was enough for me to become hooked, and I started to access my account every day, then several times a day, and now every 20 minutes or so, I am on for one reason or another.

    Adding friends is easy, and soon I went from one single friend to 200. Finding out that not all people using social media have your best interests at heart, is somewhat…depressing.

    Finding out the hard way is devastating! Having your Facebook hacked is something that I never thought would happen to me. After all, I am not a person of interest; I am just an average Joe, who works a 9-5, who enjoys video games and seeing friends and family on the weekend.

    I didn’t think that I would ever attract the wrong kind of interest, but hey, love and crime is blind, so they say. I am not a particularly technical person, I know a thing or two about protecting my PC and mobile devices, but these guys don’t play games, they are in it for the win and if you are not fully aware of your security options and countermeasures, you could be in for a nasty surprise.

    Facebook hacked? No problem… No really, don’t panic!

    Well of course you will panic, because darn it you probably went and spilled your entire life’s story between messages and post updates. I know of people who store their credit cards in messenger, can you imagine the level of trust they have with the internet?

    The truth is, if you are online, then you are open to an attack. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, if you are unlucky enough to be targeted then there’s a chance that you will have your personal information and maybe even financial information liberated from you and placed in the hands of ruthless scammers.

    They won’t hesitate to drain you of every penny you own, and with the dedication even create some new debt under your name.

    Ok so I panicked, what can I do?

    Having your Facebook hacked is no joke. To make sure that you aren’t the victim of some pug-nosed spotty oink that has nothing better to do than to steal from the moderately poor, you can follow the below steps!

    1. Alert Facebook: You’ve had your Facebook hacked so get straight to telling them about it. The quicker you move, the less chance you have of losing your account. Once you regain control do not fall short from the power of the mighty password. You should always make a unique and jumbled up password that is longer than 8 characters. Use a mix of numbers within letters and do NOT save it on your mobile devices.
    2. Up your game: Choosing a good security app is vital to your mobile devices security. Always have security apps installed in every device and refrain from using public PCs or connecting to free WIFI unless its secure. Scan all of your devices to detect any bugs or viruses that could be hidden.
    3. Call your bank: if you suspect that hackers have gotten a hold of your banking information, inform your bank and have new credit cards issued. Place a ban on opening new loans, credit cards or overdrafts, unless you visit in person.
    4. Tell your friends You should post a message for your friends to see, incase that whatever infected your account, has gotten to them. If you had your Facebook hacked, chances are they have received a message from “you” asking them to click a link. Warn them so the virus doesn’t spread!
    5. Don’t Panic: There is nothing better than a clear head to handle a bad situation. If you are cautious and do not have personal or financial information spread out over social media or even stored on your mobile devices, then you should be OK. Just remember to report it, gain control of your account and begin to excise some damage control.
  • The Snooperscope Brings Night Vision Tech To Your Smartphone

    The Snooperscope Brings Night Vision Tech To Your Smartphone

    Night vision technology has always been super cool. Who doesn’t want to be able to see clearly in the dark when you need to? Flashlights only illuminate so much.

    The only problem is that, while night vision technology is now more readily available to the public than ever, it’s typically ensconced in bulky goggles and scopes that are cumbersome to carry around.

    Researchers have recently been working on new nanocrystal technology to eventually make a sleeker pair of night vision glasses a reality.

    But until that happens and we all become a bunch of regular James Bonds, there’s already a night vision accessory that integrates with the devices we all use every day – our smartphones.

    Snooperscope is the night vision lens that is designed for use with smartphones. It’s a little surprising that there haven’t been tons of devices like this already, considering all of the other things that our phones can do.

    Apparently, the Snooperscope was initially designed for military use, so that soldiers could aim their rifles with better precision in darkness. Using infrared light as a source, the Snooperscope is able to provide a clear picture (in that standard night vision green colour) and display it on your smartphone screen.

    It connects to your smartphone through peer-to-peer Wi-Fi and has a built-in battery that lasts up to four hours.

    Since you can control the camera directly from your smartphone (or any other device on the same internet connection), there’s no extra weight needed to use the Snooperscope.

    The technical specifications of the Snooperscope are pretty impressive as well. It contains a 1.0 Megapixel ¼ CMOS camera with a fixed focus, high sensitivity lens.

    It also has a built-in speaker and microphone with ADPCM Compression and Automatic Gain Control. Then, with the corresponding smartphone, you can take photos, record video in 720p, and even provide real time commentary alongside image captures.

    Beyond the night vision capabilities, the Snooperscope also has unique things to offer during daylight. When using it in visible light, the device can also see things that the human eye cannot.

    The manufacturer suggests professional uses like uncovering forgeries or examining plant life, meaning it must have some pretty powerful telescopic powers as well.

    The Snooperscope has been available for a few years now, ever since a successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2013, but it’s starting to take off more nowadays.

    With smartphones getting more advanced by the day, users are looking for cooler applications to mess around with. In this regard, the Snooperscope definitely fits the bill.

    Source: Snapmunk.

    Image source: Snooperscope.