There was a lot of uninteresting stuff on the MacWorld show floor (a gazillion iPad and iPhone cases) but we managed to find 5 iPad and iPhone apps that look interesting. We haven’t tried any of these out yet, but are planning to do it soon.

1) CineXPlayer, $2
This app for iPad plays movies in multiple formats, including AVI, MOV, M4V, and MP4. They’re in HD, and the film plays smoothly, none of that jerkiness that can drive you crazy. And it’s got Dolby 5.1 surround sound (on the headphones; not so much on the built-in speaker).

2) Beat the Traffic, free
This app for iPhone has been downloaded 1.8 million times. It’s got live traffic maps, traffic cameras that show you the roads in real time, and it can estimate traffic for your commute home even if it’s only 2 pm.

3) iPresent, $30 per user per month
This iPad app is designed as a presentation tool for sales teams. You upload your own content to iPresent’s website, where you can create custom presentations out of your raw materials. They’ve got a series of templates and style guides for use. Then every iPad linked to your account can download your presentations, so they can be used even when offline. Great for a larger team with people in the home office creating content and others out on the road giving the presos.

4) WritePad, $4
For iPads and iPhones. It converts your handwriting into computer text, so you can take handwritten notes with a stylus on your iPad, convert them to type, and then save or send them.

5) TurboViewer, free to $25
This app allows you to view CAD files on your iPad. You can “pan, zoom, and 3D orbit” around your CAD documents. And it supports 2D and 3D CAD files. There are Free, X, and Pro versions, each with different capabilities and price points.

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We’re here at MacWorld, attending sessions and looking at all the new stuff on display. Here are 5 interesting accessories we’ve seen so far on the show floor.

1) Bluetooth keypad/calculator, from SMK-Link, $60
The new iMacs don’t come with a numberpad next to the keypad—and on the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, forget it! This standalone numberpad functions as a calculator. Great if you do a lot of financial or numbers work. And it’s wireless, thanks to Bluetooth.

2) Zaggkeys Flex, $80
This mini keyboard to use with your iPad has real keys (none of that rubbery stuff) but it’s super tiny and light. Plus the case for the keyboard protects it in your bag, and also folds back into an iPad stand.

3) iKeyboard, $35
Their motto is “Touch type on your iPad keyboard” and this thin piece of plastic adheres to your iPad—when you want to touch type, stick it over the onscreen keyboard. It definitely needs a little getting used to.

4) Flygrip, $30
Stick this little piece of plastic on the back of your iPhone, and then you can hold your iPhone with your middle and ring fingers. While still having full access to the screen with your thumb. You don’t need to hold with one hand and type with the other. Comes in many colors as well as different sizes. If this were $10 I would buy one to play around with it, but I didn’t feel like spending $30.

5) NomadBrush, $18 and $39
This paintbrush is designed to work on your iPad, and it allows you to actually “paint” using a drawing or art program. Much more fluid and flexible than a stylus, gives you the real look of a brushstroke on paper. The more expensive model actually has 2 brushes, one on each end of the device.

(all photos are from the websites of the manufacturers.)

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The results are in from our survey of small business owners and individuals. We asked what tech purchases they planned to make in 2012, and here’s what we found.

What the data from home users showed:

• 75% said they plan to make tech purchases in 2012.
• Of those who plan on purchasing computers, the number one purchase that individuals plan to make this year is a Mac laptop, followed by an iMac.
• 61% plan to buy an iPhone.
• The iPad demand is significantly greater than the demand for Android, Kindle, or other mobile or tablet devices (not too surprising).

And what the answers from business owners showed:

• 70% of business owners plan to make technology purchases in the coming year.
• Mac computers are the most in demand in the category of hardware, followed by the demand for Windows PCs.
• iPads and iPhones are the most sought-after mobile devices by business owners, with the data showing a slightly greater demand for iPads than for iPhones.
• Very few plan to buy a Blackberry or a Kindle.

The photo of the North Scottsdale, AZ Apple Store is by At Home in Scottsdale, from Flickr Creative Commons.

I read an article this week from the November 2011 issue of Harvard Business Review titled What Every CEO Needs to Know About the Cloud, by Andrew McAfee.

Most of the HBR articles are geared towards leaders at large companies and this one is no exception. But there are some great points that are also useful to small-business entrepreneurs. Here’s my takeaway on the cloud for small business.

But first, what is “the cloud”? This term has been thrown around so much lately that nobody is really sure what it means. Essentially it means that you are storing and using your documents, or your software, or your databases on a computer that’s not in your office; instead you access it over the internet.

For example, if you’re using Gmail for an email account, that’s having your email “in the cloud,” because Google stores your mail on its computers. Or if you’re using Dropbox to sync files across computers, you’re also using “the cloud,” because Dropbox maintains the master copy of your files on its computers.

Okay, back to the HBR article. Here are advantages small businesses may get from using the cloud, whether they’re on Macs or PCs. Here are some things to consider:

Cost and time savings:

Pay for only what you need, as you need it: With the cloud you have no hardware costs (you don’t need to buy a server for your office). And no expansion costs (if in a year your server is too small). With the cloud, you pay for as much storage as you need at the time, and it’s easy to upsize or downsize.

Maintenance and reliability: If you’re managing your own file server or mail server, you have to deal with it when it goes down or stops working. In the cloud, that’s the provider’s responsibility.

Productivity:

Access: You and your team can have access to all important documents, emails, files from anywhere, quickly and easily. Even if on vacation in Jamaica or Aspen (as long as there’s a computer with internet).

Collaboration: Certain cloud systems like Dropbox for Teams allow you to quickly give access to specific files to certain people and not to others. No more emailing giant documents around.

Management: With some of these cloud systems you can get a report of which documents people have edited, how many people are sharing documents, what stage a project is at, and other useful information that allows you to manage how a project is proceeding.

Here’s where I include the disclaimer: The cloud isn’t right for every business. It depends on your industry, your setup, your needs. But it’s something you as an entrepreneur may want to investigate.

The dramatic cloud photo is by Sideshow Bruce, from Flickr Creative Commons.

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The most important tech resolution you can make for 2012 is: I Will Use Secure Passwords.

(You are already backing up, right? So we don’t need to cover that one, right?)

Many of our clients’ emails, domains, and website logins have been hacked this year, and the problem is only going to get worse. Protect yourself!

Promise yourself that by the end of January, you’ll change your Gmail password, your bank login password, your GoDaddy password, and all other important website logins to secure passwords.

A secure password is as follows:

1. Not the same as any other password.
2. Has uppercase and lowercase letters.
3. Has numbers (and symbols too, ideally).
4. Is 10 characters or more.

If you’re worried about forgetting all your new, complicated passwords, use a program such as 1Password to store them.

Make secure passwords your tech priority for this first month of 2012.

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This “quadricopter” is controlled by your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or Android phone, and its built-in video camera shows you what it sees in real time. $300.

Sennheiser and Adidas come together to create these sweatproof, durable, lightweight headphones. $70.

These tiny electronic blocks communicate with each other when lined up side by side, so you can play games, solve brain teasers, create music, and even design your own games. $150.

This small brick carries 4 complete recharges for an iPhone or other smartphone. Has 2 USB ports for powering mobile devices. $100.

This backpack is made of heavy-duty cotton canvas with a weather-resistant coating, and fits up to a 17” MacBook Pro. Comes in 4 colors. $130.