2013
What should your 2013 raise be?
Most employees over-estimate their value to their company and therefore expect too much of a raise. In 2012, the typical raise was between 1.9 – 2%. Highest performers seem to receive around 4%. What does this mean? It means you should set realistic raise targets so you’re not disappointed when your boss gives you that raise letter. The best thing you can do is to continually touch base with your boss (over the year) to ensure your evaluation of your performance is in-line with your boss’ evaluation.
Do more than your boss expects
Many colleagues I have coached overestimate their worth to the company and almost always think they are underpaid. The key message is that your company pays your salary to do your job. You only deserve a raise if you are performing to a higher level than that expected from your boss. To add value to your boss (and become raise worthy), make your boss’ life easier: Ensure you deliver on all of your commitments on time and to the exact expected quality Keep your boss updates on the items you are working on for him/her Volunteer to take on additional more challenging responsibilities Be attentive to issues experienced by your boss and come up with creative ways to solve them (even if it isn’t your job) Make yourself indispensable and a raise will usually follow.
Samsung Galaxy SIV faster than the iPhone 5
Analysts were spreading incredible rumors prior to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy SIV and were disappointed when the device delivered a more bland device. Primate Labs took the US version of the Galaxy SIV for a test drive against its main competitors what it seems to have performed really well. Looks like the US version smokes the HTC One, Google/LG Nexus 4, Samsung Galaxy S3, the iPhone 5 and the Blackberry 10. See the detailed benchmark here.
Apple begins iPhone 5s production for July/August launch
A new report sent to the Wall Street Journal says Apple will begin production of the next generation iPhone sometime in Q2 (aka starting now). The report claims the new device (iPhone 5s) will have the same shape and design of the existing iPhone 5. The report provides the same release info other rumors have mentioned, which is a July/August lunch. The much rumored “cheap” iphone for developing countries is expected sometime in the second half of the year. I have been an iPhone user from the very beginning but am now feeling left behind when comparing device functionality to major Android competitors.
Samoa Air charging based on passenger weight
Samoa Air has done the unthinkable by charging passengers based on how much they weigh. When buying a ticket, customers must enter their weight and the weight of their luggage before the airline provides the customized weight based fare during the booking process. This weight information is then verified at the airport to keep customers honest. The airline claims that a typical family with 2 adults and 2 mid-sized children will likely pay less than the old pricing model. It is important to remember that Somoa Air is a small carrier that operates small 12-seat plane where passenger weight (including luggage) accounts for the majority of take-off weight.
Piracy is good for Game of Thrones
The media has been vehemently against piracy claiming it is the biggest evil to afflict humanity in the last 100 years. Imagine my surprise when industry heavyweight HBO comes out and says that piracy isn’t as bad as others are making it out. HBO’s biggest money maker is Game of Thrones and estimates peg that each show is downloaded (illegally) 4 million times. Michael Lombardo, HBO’s programming president, says piracy “compliments” the show. Season 2 was a record setting release selling 241,000 units (44% more than season 1).
Logitech UE Mobile Boombox Review
Whether you’re a business traveler or love to listen to music around the house, a good Bluetooth wireless speaker is the way to go and the Ultimate Ears Boombox is a wonderful option. Why wireless and why bluetooth Over the last 5 years, we have been deluged by speakers with docking connectors in all shapes and sizes but the era of dock based speakers is dead. Why is it dead you ask? Apple killed it when it switched from its traditional 30 pin dock connector to the new Lightning connector.
MacX Video Converter Pro free (normally $50)
The team at Digiarty is giving away free copies of their popular video converter app called MacXVideo Converter Pro. It converts videos into Mac and Apple product compatible formats easily, quickly and while maintaining the highest quality. It currently supports these formats for input : MKV, M2TS, AVCHD, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, AVI, MPEG, MP4, H.264, MOV, FLV, F4V, RM, RMVB, WebM, Google TV.
Counterfeit smartphone cases are not worth it
I receive a lot of questions about counterfeit products and 80% of them are related to headphones. I recently read an interesting press release from Otterbox about their fight to keep counterfeit smartphone cases off the street. Otterbox is the grand poobah of smartphone case manufacturers. They are number one in most countries and are struggling under the tidal wave of cheap Asian knock-offs. In 2012 alone, the US Customs and Border protection teams seized over 118000 counterfeit Otterbox items.
9 Premium Mac apps free for another 2 days
You can download $130 of premium Apple Mac apps for free right now from the MacUpdate team. These are the full versions of these 9 apps. Once you register with MacUpdate (free), you can download these in minutes.
25% of everything at Griffin Technologies
Griffin is a well established manufacturer of smartphone accessories and they are now offering a full 25% of everything with the code SPRING25 You can use this discount to score some sweet gear for your iphone, ipad, ipad mini, android device and even a mac or PC. Griffin even has an Apple certified Lightning cable you can pick up through this promo for as low as $13US. Start shopping before the deal is gone.
Sonic Dash for iphone and ipad temporarily free
Sonic Dash (normally $1.99) is now free for a limited time. It's the first time this game has been made free so grab it while you can. iTunes Link here.
Download Glary Utilities Pro for Free (worth $40)
I love good system maintenance utilities but I like free and free system utilities even better. Now you can download Glarry Utilities Pro for free. It will clean, repair and maitain your system. It offers to securely delete files and folders and much much more. Normally this software costs a cool $US40 but they currently have a promo bringing the cost to $28. but wait there is more... Get it now for free using the below promo.
Amazing portrait photography with a smartphone
Our smartphones are amazing little devices that have wondrous capabilities. One of my favorite features of my smartphone is the built in camera. As great as these devices are, many still complain that the smartphone cameras aren’t “good enough”, so I love seeing what professional photographers can accomplish with them. There is a great video on Youtube of a French photographer that takes fantastic portrait shots using nothing more than his creativity, a $10 Ikea lamp and a smartphone.
How to find what really matters in YOUR life.
In January, I wrote an article entitled “Do Less, Accomplish More” where I stress the importance of asking “What’s most important to you about […]”. This is an extremely powerful question that will help you make the right decisions. I recently used this question to help a former colleague and wanted to share that experience. Recently I had an interesting discussion with a former colleague who seemed exasperated and overwhelmed with life. He was so swamped he didn’t know what to do next.
Rumors about the Google Nexus 5
With all the new shiny gadgets we have seen in the last month, the Nexus 4 seems less and less interesting. A user on a Korean website, who claims to be in the know, now says LG and Google are working together on the Nexus 5. He claims it will have a 5 inch full HD screen, a quad-core tegra 4 processor, 8/16GB storage, 2GM of RAM, a 13 megapixel camera and the next version of Android (Key Lime Pie).
Monoprice 9927 headphone review
In December, I wrote about how much I liked the Monoprice 8320 headphones. It doesn’t replace my Etymotic or UE Triple-Fi 10 but for $7 you get something that feels well-built and performs extremely well. I received requests from readers to review the new Monoprice 9927 headphones. This are newer than the 8320 and comes in black (9927), pink (9960), and white (9963). I had a chance to test the 9927 and wanted to share my opinion. The first change is the look of these headphones.
Apple's A7 will not be built by Samsung
Apple and Samsung have a strange relationship where they constantly fight regarding patents but Apple uses Samsung for many of its components. Digitimes is now reporting that Apple will switch production of its next generation A7 processor to TSMC. The rumor has it that TSMC will start producing the new 20nm processor in May and it will find its way into products in 2014.
BlackBerry Z10 drops to $99
When the Blackberry Z10 launched, it was priced at $149 (Canadian dollar) with a 3 year contract. Many thought that the device wasn’t worth that much and the Canadian carriers have now responded by lowering the price to $99 on a 3-year contract. Bell, Rogers, Virgin Mobile. Link to Rogers Link to Bell Fido sells it for $250 with a 2-year agreement. Telus sells it for $149 with a 3-year agreement. Koodo sells it for $400 (using the max $150 tab value)
WhatsApp messenger for Blackberry waiting for you
As wonderful as Blackberry messenger is, none of my contacts seem to be using it so it is pretty useless to me. Now Blackberry lovers can finally join the rest of the instant messaging world because WhatsApp messenger was finally released for Blackberry 10 (BB10). WhatsApp messenger on Blackberry integrates into the new Blackberry Hub and is Flow enabled. You can download it from Blackberry World now.