[Edited for the sake of unhappy guests. Please note my disclaimer posted on my blog]
I don't get much time to update my blogcast, so I thought I would take a little time on my vacation to do some new posts this week as there are many changes in technology. I recently posted on Kindles and smart phones, and this one follows right along with those posts.
The topic in this post I admit I am not super familiar with. However, being a techy, I am really excited about what is coming! Tablets!
Mark my words, tablets are going to steal a huge chunk of the computer industry in the near future. The majority of people simply do web browsing and email, and the tablet is a perfect interface for this. They are very portable and light weight, and fun to use. Microsoft surprisingly has seen this paradigm shift and planned accordingly. Despite Windows 7 being their best OS they have put out, Windows 8 will be one of the biggest changes we have seen with a Windows OS. They have designed it in such a way that you will use the same OS whether you are on your PC, your windows phone, or your windows tablet. I played with Windows 8 a little and I found myself wishing I had a tablet, as it was not too friendly with a mouse and keyboard. I must add, it is a beta of windows 8. It did increase my excitement for what is coming though!
Apple was not the first to design a tablet, but they have taken the tablet market by storm with their iPad, and the 2nd gen iPad was even more amazing. Apple's biggest competition will be the increasing number of Droid tablets coming out and the ever changing hardware that is getting better by the month. I think this technology will soon change as much as the cell phone technology.
There is certainly a huge selection of tablets to choose from, but I will only mention a couple. You can't go wrong with the iPad. I am certain the Samsung Galaxy tablet is an excellent product as I have already used their Galaxy phones and LOVED them. The tablet I have my eye on is the ASUS Transformer Prime. This is the new version of the ASUS Transformer, so don't confuse them, because there is a big difference. The Prime has a great video card and a quard core processor! And if I was to get one, I would be inclined to purchase the dock/keyboard with it for an additional $150. With this setup, I would rarely use my laptop for anything!
Yes, there are many other tablets already...Sony, RIM, Motorola, and HP to name a few. This post is not to help you choose one, I am simply excited about the near future. You can go here if you want professional reviews of the top five tablets you can buy. (three of them are the ones I mentioned above)
Watch out, tablets are going to take some huge market share in the PC world! I can't wait to get one!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Latest in the smart phone world
I think this will have to be a quarterly update at the rate things are changing in the cell phone world. And to prove I am not biased, this post will show quite a different tune from the posts in the past.
As most of you know, I have been an AT&T customer forever, and I have strongly supported the iPhones as the best phone out there. This has all changed!
The iPhone 4 was amazing! And at that time, the Androids were also taking huge leaps improving their hardware to amazing new heights. The Bionic from Verizon was probably their first really nice droid phone. AT&T finally began pushing out some nice droids, and Verizon finally pushed out the iPhone 4. So now we all have options with the biggest carriers.
It is impossible to keep up with all of the new phones, especially being locked into 2 year contracts. There are new devices coming out every month! So all I can do is give you the latest...
On the AT&T side, I have yet to see the Nitro, but I will say with confidence the Samsung Galaxy S II is one of the best phones I have ever seen! It is a perfect size, incredible screen, 4G compatible, and runs very fast. Yes, I would even go as far as saying this phone is better than the iPhone 4S, Apple's latest version of the iPhone. Apple made a very big mistake when they didn't change the size of the iPhone 4s. With the amount of droids being put on the market every month, the iPhone is quickly falling behind. I have had every version of iPhone, as well as the Galaxy S II with AT&T. As much as I do not like the messy droid OS, the Galaxy S II is the best phone AT&T has.
On the Verizon side, I would have to say it is between the Motorola Razr and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. They are both very similar, and very highly rated. The screen may be the biggest difference. The Nexus is the only phone I am aware of that has a 4.65" screen, while the Razr comes in at the standard 4.3. The Nexus is the newest version of the Galaxy line, an "upgrade" to the AT&T version we just discussed. There is something else that this phone has on the others - Ice Cream Sandwich. What? Finally!!! Google has cleaned up their sloppy OS and given some real competition to Apple's proven IOS. Unfortunately, the camera on the Nexus is only a 5.0 mega pixel camera. The Galaxy S II with A&T has a very nice 8.0mp camera, so why didn't they put that camera in the Nexus? Well, I think they sacrificed mega pixels for the shutter speed. The Galaxy S II had a long pause when taking pictures, while the Nexus has 0 lag. The camera is so fast you barely notice that a picture was even taken.
There is also T-Mobile and Sprint which I have not done a lot of business with. Sprint has done very well with their 4G Evo phone. And T-Mobile also offers a Galaxy Nexus I believe.
And more great news. I spoke with our Verizon reps a year or so ago and they boasted this new 4G (LTE) network like it was the biggest thing ever. (And they were right) Verizon bought up all of the TV towers, all of them, to invest in their wireless networks. They sold off their land line business to Frontier and put $8 billion into the wireless infrastructure. The rep told us we would probably see 4G in two or three years in this area. Here we are, one year later, and 4G live!
That was the last draw. I was a loyal AT&T customer, one of the very last on the account to be moved to Verizon. With the best phone now available (Nexus), and 4G turned on, it was time to make the move. The Nexus is without a doubt, the best phone on the market (for now), and I am getting 11mb downloads with two bars of 4G. I have seen up to 23mb! (My home internet is lucky to get 2mb on its good days) I hear they are seeing over 30mb in CDA on the 4G network!
This information should be good for a few more weeks...until the next phone comes out. We are expecting better things from Apple with the iPhone 5, and the droids are unbelievable now. With ice cream sandwich soon available on many of the droids, they will not have a problem stealing some shares from Apple.
As most of you know, I have been an AT&T customer forever, and I have strongly supported the iPhones as the best phone out there. This has all changed!
The iPhone 4 was amazing! And at that time, the Androids were also taking huge leaps improving their hardware to amazing new heights. The Bionic from Verizon was probably their first really nice droid phone. AT&T finally began pushing out some nice droids, and Verizon finally pushed out the iPhone 4. So now we all have options with the biggest carriers.
It is impossible to keep up with all of the new phones, especially being locked into 2 year contracts. There are new devices coming out every month! So all I can do is give you the latest...
On the AT&T side, I have yet to see the Nitro, but I will say with confidence the Samsung Galaxy S II is one of the best phones I have ever seen! It is a perfect size, incredible screen, 4G compatible, and runs very fast. Yes, I would even go as far as saying this phone is better than the iPhone 4S, Apple's latest version of the iPhone. Apple made a very big mistake when they didn't change the size of the iPhone 4s. With the amount of droids being put on the market every month, the iPhone is quickly falling behind. I have had every version of iPhone, as well as the Galaxy S II with AT&T. As much as I do not like the messy droid OS, the Galaxy S II is the best phone AT&T has.
On the Verizon side, I would have to say it is between the Motorola Razr and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. They are both very similar, and very highly rated. The screen may be the biggest difference. The Nexus is the only phone I am aware of that has a 4.65" screen, while the Razr comes in at the standard 4.3. The Nexus is the newest version of the Galaxy line, an "upgrade" to the AT&T version we just discussed. There is something else that this phone has on the others - Ice Cream Sandwich. What? Finally!!! Google has cleaned up their sloppy OS and given some real competition to Apple's proven IOS. Unfortunately, the camera on the Nexus is only a 5.0 mega pixel camera. The Galaxy S II with A&T has a very nice 8.0mp camera, so why didn't they put that camera in the Nexus? Well, I think they sacrificed mega pixels for the shutter speed. The Galaxy S II had a long pause when taking pictures, while the Nexus has 0 lag. The camera is so fast you barely notice that a picture was even taken.
There is also T-Mobile and Sprint which I have not done a lot of business with. Sprint has done very well with their 4G Evo phone. And T-Mobile also offers a Galaxy Nexus I believe.
And more great news. I spoke with our Verizon reps a year or so ago and they boasted this new 4G (LTE) network like it was the biggest thing ever. (And they were right) Verizon bought up all of the TV towers, all of them, to invest in their wireless networks. They sold off their land line business to Frontier and put $8 billion into the wireless infrastructure. The rep told us we would probably see 4G in two or three years in this area. Here we are, one year later, and 4G live!
That was the last draw. I was a loyal AT&T customer, one of the very last on the account to be moved to Verizon. With the best phone now available (Nexus), and 4G turned on, it was time to make the move. The Nexus is without a doubt, the best phone on the market (for now), and I am getting 11mb downloads with two bars of 4G. I have seen up to 23mb! (My home internet is lucky to get 2mb on its good days) I hear they are seeing over 30mb in CDA on the 4G network!
This information should be good for a few more weeks...until the next phone comes out. We are expecting better things from Apple with the iPhone 5, and the droids are unbelievable now. With ice cream sandwich soon available on many of the droids, they will not have a problem stealing some shares from Apple.
Which Kindle is the one for you?
I recently got my first look at the Kindles as I wanted to get my wife one for Christmas, so I thought I would share some thoughts. I knew nothing of the Kindles, and needed to know which one was the the right fit for my wife, who is a hardcore book-worm.
There are about 5 different versions of the Kindle now. When I began looking at them, I really had no idea what they were other than Amazon's reading device. It didn't take long to figure it out though. There are three versions of the orginal Kindle, then the Kindle Touch that is a touch screen interface of the oringal Kindle with pretty much the same menus. Then there is also the highly talked about Kindle Fire, Amazon's first real attempt at a tablet. So take this for what it is worth; after seeing and reading many reviews, I think this is pretty reliable information I am going to give you. Keep in mind, I am looking for something for my wife who has threatened to never put her books down.
Before I began my research, I asked around. Everyone who owned a Kindle said they absolutely LOVED it, and they willingly shelved their library of books. Yes, that sounds like a sad story, but it is yet another paradigm shift that we are seeing in our culture. Can you imagine having any book you want at your finger tips everywhere you go? No going to the bookstore, just click a few buttons and you have it. That is where we are at today!
I looked at the Kindle Fire first. The one thing consistant in all the reviews is that the price is unbeatable, and this is true. And at that price, you really can't go wrong, it is a great device for the price! However, I really don't have a lot of good to say about it. As a Kindle, it no longer has the incredible reading interface with the e-ink. Now that it is a tablet, it has a backlit screen like a laptop or tablet, so reading for long amounts of time is not going to be as enjoyable on this device. It is also very heavy, even for a tablet, let alone a Kindle. Basically, it is a poor Kindle. However, Amazon was shooting for something different, so it wouldn't be fair to compare it to the Kindle. It hosts an Android OS, so it will have a lot of features that your phones have, except the Droid Market place. Amazon has restricted your content purchases to strictly Amazon's stores. There is quite a bit there, the movies, music, books, apps, and much more. This is the reason for the low cost of the Kindle Fire, they count on making their money back from you as you purchase from the Amazon market place. (And by the way, you can download an app on the Amazon market that will allow you to install droid apps, so there is a work-around!) Some would argue that Amazon wasn't trying to get into the tablet market, they were simply trying to create a device to access Amazon resources. And that is what the Fire is all about. If you like Amazon, this may be the device for you. If you are looking for a tablet, this is a poor tablet in my opinion. The interface is very slow, much slower than an iPad. It is heavy. And her are some other things I have seen in reviews: No camera. No volume controls on the device. Poor interface with web browsing. Power button in the way. Speaker in a poor location.
I understand there are many who love their Kindle Fire, but if you are an avid reader, stick to the old Kindle with the amazing e-ink technology. And if you want a tablet, save your money and get a good tablet. Otherwise, the Kindle Fire is a great value for the price.
I decided this was not what I was going to get my wife. So I played with a couple of the e-ink version Kindles. I simply couldn't believe my eyes! It is no wonder book lovers love them. There is no backlight on these devices, so reading is a pleasure, in fact, it looks like a page in a book! The battery life in these devices is rated to last two to three months! They were extremely light devices, and very comfortable to hold. There was one thing I didn't like about any of them, and that is the menu system. It is sloppy and almost archaic...I have a problem with sloppy interfaces, that is why I have never liked the Android OS. :) The question has to be asked, "why didn't they upgrade the interface in the newer models?" Moving on...
Which Kindle should I buy? Well, I assumed it was between the Kindle III and the Touch. There is also older models with keyboards, and models with 3G for internet access wherever you go. The 3G is not a monthly subscription, a one time purchase of the device and you have unlimited 3G access for free. The catch is, you can't really do anything on a Kindle outside of shopping for books, which takes very little bandwidth...so Amazon struck a deal with AT&T, sounds good. I actually liked the button interface on the older Kindles for flipping pages, but the reviews showed users really liked moving to the touch screen. And there was a few benefits to the touch - like sharing books online with other Kindle users. So I chose the Kindle Touch. To my surprise, my wife has been using it quite a bit, so I am waiting for the final verdict...
This is my first experience with the Kindles, hope this was helpful information.
There are about 5 different versions of the Kindle now. When I began looking at them, I really had no idea what they were other than Amazon's reading device. It didn't take long to figure it out though. There are three versions of the orginal Kindle, then the Kindle Touch that is a touch screen interface of the oringal Kindle with pretty much the same menus. Then there is also the highly talked about Kindle Fire, Amazon's first real attempt at a tablet. So take this for what it is worth; after seeing and reading many reviews, I think this is pretty reliable information I am going to give you. Keep in mind, I am looking for something for my wife who has threatened to never put her books down.
Before I began my research, I asked around. Everyone who owned a Kindle said they absolutely LOVED it, and they willingly shelved their library of books. Yes, that sounds like a sad story, but it is yet another paradigm shift that we are seeing in our culture. Can you imagine having any book you want at your finger tips everywhere you go? No going to the bookstore, just click a few buttons and you have it. That is where we are at today!
I looked at the Kindle Fire first. The one thing consistant in all the reviews is that the price is unbeatable, and this is true. And at that price, you really can't go wrong, it is a great device for the price! However, I really don't have a lot of good to say about it. As a Kindle, it no longer has the incredible reading interface with the e-ink. Now that it is a tablet, it has a backlit screen like a laptop or tablet, so reading for long amounts of time is not going to be as enjoyable on this device. It is also very heavy, even for a tablet, let alone a Kindle. Basically, it is a poor Kindle. However, Amazon was shooting for something different, so it wouldn't be fair to compare it to the Kindle. It hosts an Android OS, so it will have a lot of features that your phones have, except the Droid Market place. Amazon has restricted your content purchases to strictly Amazon's stores. There is quite a bit there, the movies, music, books, apps, and much more. This is the reason for the low cost of the Kindle Fire, they count on making their money back from you as you purchase from the Amazon market place. (And by the way, you can download an app on the Amazon market that will allow you to install droid apps, so there is a work-around!) Some would argue that Amazon wasn't trying to get into the tablet market, they were simply trying to create a device to access Amazon resources. And that is what the Fire is all about. If you like Amazon, this may be the device for you. If you are looking for a tablet, this is a poor tablet in my opinion. The interface is very slow, much slower than an iPad. It is heavy. And her are some other things I have seen in reviews: No camera. No volume controls on the device. Poor interface with web browsing. Power button in the way. Speaker in a poor location.
I understand there are many who love their Kindle Fire, but if you are an avid reader, stick to the old Kindle with the amazing e-ink technology. And if you want a tablet, save your money and get a good tablet. Otherwise, the Kindle Fire is a great value for the price.
I decided this was not what I was going to get my wife. So I played with a couple of the e-ink version Kindles. I simply couldn't believe my eyes! It is no wonder book lovers love them. There is no backlight on these devices, so reading is a pleasure, in fact, it looks like a page in a book! The battery life in these devices is rated to last two to three months! They were extremely light devices, and very comfortable to hold. There was one thing I didn't like about any of them, and that is the menu system. It is sloppy and almost archaic...I have a problem with sloppy interfaces, that is why I have never liked the Android OS. :) The question has to be asked, "why didn't they upgrade the interface in the newer models?" Moving on...
Which Kindle should I buy? Well, I assumed it was between the Kindle III and the Touch. There is also older models with keyboards, and models with 3G for internet access wherever you go. The 3G is not a monthly subscription, a one time purchase of the device and you have unlimited 3G access for free. The catch is, you can't really do anything on a Kindle outside of shopping for books, which takes very little bandwidth...so Amazon struck a deal with AT&T, sounds good. I actually liked the button interface on the older Kindles for flipping pages, but the reviews showed users really liked moving to the touch screen. And there was a few benefits to the touch - like sharing books online with other Kindle users. So I chose the Kindle Touch. To my surprise, my wife has been using it quite a bit, so I am waiting for the final verdict...
This is my first experience with the Kindles, hope this was helpful information.
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