About a week ago I was debating on twitter the appeal of bricks and mortar phone stores. Two companies have recently had rebranding and refitted their store, Three and EE. Now EE store uses a grey base and some yellow. It creates a please don’t enter appeal with nausea feelings. And then there is Three. It’s a clean and fresh look. Modern and vibrant and very appealing. Don’t believe me, well have a look at the photos below and you decide. I look forward to your comments 🙂
Supposedly, Nokia CEO , Stephen Elop said that while his company was fully committed to Microsoft, the company is always evaluating other options including android.
I wonder if this is a warning sign to Microsoft to improve the Windows Phone or else?
Time will see but Nokia need strong sales and probably soon.
Apple announced today that its customers have downloaded 40 billion apps. That a massive amount. Apparently 2 billion downloads were in December 2012.
There are now 775,000 universal apps and 300,000 for just the iPad.
This is where other competing operating systems need to focus. Android for example needs now to get developers making great tablet apps. Otherwise, Apple will continue to have the edge, no matter what the hardware looks like.
Vizio announces a 10 inch tablet, with the new Tegra 4, stock android 4.2 at launch, 2560 x 1600 display, 32gb, Bluetooth 4, wifi , front and rear cameras, standard set of ports and more.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this tablet is its weight. It is damn light. I will update the actual figure but from reports out of CES, it feels like it doesn’t even have a battery inside.
CES 2013 is the first year since 1995 that Microsoft isn’t exhibiting itself.
Is it the sign of the times, as phones/tablets take more share than PC’s? Or is there really any need to be there as there products will be everywhere anyway.
I don’t blame them for not being there. The cost of exhibiting is very costly.
At the moment when you sign up for a fixed term mobile contact, you would have thought the price quoted was fixed too. It’s not though. All the mobile operators have slipped small increases into their monthly prices even when you thought you monthly cost is fixed for the lengthy of the contract. If the increase is deemed reasonable you cannot cancel your contract without being charged a fortune.
Well Ofcom looks like they are finally acting to stop these rip off practices that make the phone companies an additional ÂŁ100m. New guidelines are due to come into play this autumn. Of course the phone companies are not happy. A suspect a battle will commence. Lets hope Ofcom win.
This week is going to be busy with news from CES 2013. Cookoo has launched a watch that works with your iOS device using Bluetooth.
It comes with the Cookoo app keeps you in control of the alerts and notifications you receive on the Cookoo watch. Use the default settings or customize your own based on your lifestyle. Select which notifications you want to receive and whether you want to be notified by an icon, beep, or vibration.
With the Cookoo app, you can receives notifications for –
Incoming calls, Missed calls, Facebook messages and posts, Calendar reminders, Your device is out of range, Low battery on iPhone or iPad. The command button can be customized to do the things you want to do.Check in: be the first to check in on Facebook. Tag a location: tag your current location on the app’s map—later you can add notes, pictures, and even share your map with others. Take a picture: use the command button as a remote for your phone’s camera—perfect for taking group shots!
I really like the design and the simplicity of this watch. It would not surprise me of we see many more iOS linked watched at CES.
It is well documented that Google is not going to offer at the moment any of its app for the Microsoft Windows Phones.
Many have theorised that Google doesn’t want to support a potential competitor. Others have said the Windows Phone is not being supported as it doesn’t have a viable market share.
All valid points but I believe it goes further. It is a well know fact Microsoft has sued phone manufacturers that produce android handsets, instead of suing Google directly. Microsoft has been successful in suing over its patents and receives a nice sum of money from android phone manufacturers. So Google just played its trump card by basically saying to Microsoft “Screw you, no Google apps”.
There are many ways of extracting revenge and I think Google is having the last laugh here.
Griffin has announced the Powerblock 5 at CES. This looks like a very useful and tidy solution for charging so many devices. And should be about $30 which seems fairly reasonable.
Full press info below –
PowerDock 5 is the ultimate space-saving, countertop charging and storage solution for up to 5 iPads. Designed for convenience and efficiency, PowerDock 5 contains five charging bays large enough to accommodate an iPad encased in even the largest of cases, including Griffin’s own Survivor case. When not in use, PowerDock 5 keeps all the users’ device cables tucked away and organized, ready for use at any time. PowerDock 5, $99.99, is ideal for multiple-iPad households and work environments and will be available Spring 2013.
Griffin also introduces a solution to a little-known problem. All mobile devices have specific charging profiles that dictate how much, and how quickly, they can charge. Most chargers are designed with a one-size-fits-all approach which typically does not support the requirements of each individual device. Griffin’s new ChargeSensor technology senses the requirements of any device plugged into it, providing optimal charging for all USB-chargeable devices. Griffin introduces two new power solutions for Apple, Samsung, Android and Kindle devices, complete with Charge Sensor technology: PowerBlock Universal and PowerJolt Universal.
PowerBlock Universal with ChargeSensor features a low profile design for plugging into power strips and plugs. Plugged into any AC power source from 100 to 240 volts, PowerBlock converts it to safe, efficient 10 watt charging for smartphones, tablets, and e-readers.
As the title says, a whopping 8% of amazon’s sales come via mobile devices, and the figure is only increasing. Tablets are ideal for lazying at home on a Sunday, flipping through the web pages of Amazon, and then paying for books, TV’s, clothes and just about everything including your kitchen sink.
Amazon had spotted this trend a while ago, hence the new Kindle tablets and their investment in making them as good as they can. Also it’s another reason they sell them either at cost or a small loss, as they know their future sales will derive from them. They are just making it easier for people to shop in their store front.
Just imagine, if other retailers started providing tablets at a loss. We would be plagued with rectangular devices until Apple patented a new shape of course.
