Are You Confused By All The New Tablets In The Market?
As reported earlier, tablets are expected to outsell desktop and laptop computers in the 4th quarter of this year.
Sascha Segan in her review in PCMagazine of the tablet market writes that “The new Apple iPad mini With Retina display ($399 to $829) is just a shrunken iPad Air. It’s so similar to Apple’s flagship tablet that your decision will pretty much be completely based on size and price. Like the Air, this is one of the slimmest and best-built tablets you’ll find anywhere. It’s an absolute pleasure to use. But unlike the large-screen Air, the iPad mini has many viable small-tablet competitors that are much less expensive, making it less of a must-buy and more of a luxury purchase.”
Click below to read the full article.
PC Magazine’s comparison of tablets
C.I.A. Is Said to Pay AT&T for Call Data
The New York Times reports that “The C.I.A. is paying AT&T more than $10 million a year to assist with overseas counterterrorism investigations by exploiting the company’s vast database of phone records, which includes Americans’ international calls, according to government officials.”
How do you feel about this?
Do you believe that this is the only company where your personal information is being supplied to the government?
Click Here to Read Full Article
Should You Be Upgrading To The Latest iPhone?
A great deal has been written about the new iPhones (5S and 5C). Should you consider upgrading or sticking with your current phone. If you have the iPhone 4 or 4S, the new phones offer a significant upgrade. If you have the iPhone 5, you might not be interested unless you are interested in some of the new features described in the articles below.
Here’s what Shelly Palmer has to say about the new phones.
iPhone 5s, 5c Release Reveals Apples True Direction.
For another analysis, click below to read what Walt Mossberg from the Wall Street Journal reports.
Walt Mossberg on the iPhone 5S
David Pogue in the New York Times outlines 3 lessons to be learned from the introduction of the new iPhones.
How Are Your Texting Skills?
More people have found that making contact by texting is easier than calling.
Read the complete article below.
Why Millennials Chat and Text With Their Mothers From Work All Day – WSJ.com.
The open rate on texting is close to 100%. As for e-mail, it’s no secret that it might take hours or days to get an answer.
It’s not necessary to have a smartphone (iPhone, Android, or blackberry) to text. Although sending a text can be tedious on a basic cellphone, you have a better chance of reaching people than e-mailing or calling.
Running late for an appointment, need to ask a quick question, reach for your mobile phone and send a text!
Starbucks Ups the Stakes in Battle Over Wireless Charging
Now you can give your phone a caffeine fix along with your latte. Not ready for prime-time yet, but definitely a great idea.
Starbucks Ups the Stakes in Battle Over Wireless Charging – Ina Fried – Mobile – AllThingsD.
Biggest problem facing mobile phone users – – – – your battery running out of juice.
What do you do to increase your battery life?
Want To Upgrade Your Smartphone? – Read The Small Print
We all know that it is costly to upgrade your smartphone before the end of your contract (usually 2 years). According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, fewer people are upgrading their smartphones.
With this in mind, a couple of wireless provider, AT&T and T-Mobile, have decided to allow their customers to upgrade at any time. However before you leap at the offer, READ THE FINE PRINT.
Taking advantage of these offers require you to pay full retail for the phone. When you purchase or upgrade with a contract, you get it at a subsidized price. A subsidized phone could cost about $199, while the full retail price could be over $600. READ THE FINE PRINT CAREFULLY.
Before making a decision, be sure to evaluate whether or not the upgrade is worth it.
Mobile Device War Heats Up
Microsoft has started to reduce the price of its Surface RT tablet. Read about it in the Wall Street Journal
BlackBerry Z10 prices drop to $49. A disappointing decision just 4 months after its launch according to the Wall Street Journal
Sales of mobile devices continue to soar, with sales of tablets now exceeding those of personal computers.
The stakes are high as more hardware suppliers are rushing to catch up with the demand.
Are these failures indicative of poor planning or the high price points?
What do you think?
What’s New At Apple?
Do you have either an iPhone or iPad? Once the dominant resource for smartphones and tablets, Apple is now facing stiff competition from Microsoft, Samsung, Google, and other resources which has impacted Apple’s market share in both the smartphone and tablet markets.
This week, Apple unveiled a revamped version of its mobile operating system iOS 7. scheduled for a Fall release.
Other features of the the new operating system include a “lot smarter” and voice makeover for Siri, new photo sharing options, and automatic updates of your apps.
Also previewed was iTunes Radio, which is built right into the Music app in iOS 7 for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, as well as iTunes on the Mac and PC and Apple TV.
Will these enhancements impact your decision to stay with your Apple products?
Still undecided whether or not to get a tablet?
Tablets have taken over the market. Check out Mary Meeker’s Annual Internet Trends Report.
As for the decrease in PC and laptop sales, Mary Meeker, speaking at the D11 conference this week, called this a “stunning slide,” as it depicts the steep growth of tablets versus previous slow builds.
