Apple
Orion Browser by Kagi: Privacy-centred performance
In a browser landscape dominated by data-hungry Chromium derivatives and restrictive ecosystems, Orion Browser by Kagi stands out as a WebKit-based alternative that prioritises verifiable zero telemetry, built-in content blocking, and native performance on Apple devices. For privacy-conscious users seeking Safari’s efficiency with Firefox’s extensibility and Chrome’s compatibility, Orion delivers—though not without trade-offs.
iPhone 17 telephoto: what “8× optical-quality” really means
Apple put real distance between models this year. The Pro phones add a longer-reach telephoto, while the iPhone Air markets a single rear camera as “four lenses.” Here’s what that language means—and what it doesn’t—so buyers set the right expectations.
iPhone 17 Pro Fast Charging: What Changed, Why It’s Faster and What You Need
Apple has increased wired charging performance with the iPhone 17 Pro models. With a 40-watt (or higher) USB-C power adapter, you can reach about 50 per cent in 20 minutes—a meaningful improvement for professionals who need quick charges during a busy day.
Veho 360 Bluetooth speaker review
Although this is primarily a European product, it is often easily available on ebay and I wanted to conduct a quick review for my readers. I received this as a christmas gift and have been using it daily for about 3 weeks now. Quick look The Veho 360 is a small cylindrical battery powered speaker. It stands 5 cm tall and 4cm in diameter. The device has a 2.2 watt speaker that shoots sound out from the top. On the side, it has 2 ports: a charging port and a 3.
LifeProof Iphone 4/4s waterproof case review
I love my iPhone 4s and use it everyday. It has become one of the most important productivity tools in my arsenal and I would be lost without it. I’m always looking for ways to keep the little guy safe and happy so I jumped on the LifeProof case as soon as it became available. What is the LifeProof case? This is a thin case the company claims is waterproof, dirt proof, snow proof and shock proof. The fact is, I put the case through months of real world use before I wrote this review.
Wozniak : believes some Android features are better than the iPhone
Before people start sending me hate mail, Woz still believes the iPhone is a better overall experience but believes Android performs some functions better. One of those features is voice commands and built-in navigation. With all the phanphare around SIRI, WOZ says the Android version performs better (for him at least). In case you missed it, WOZ went to the Google campus last month to take ownership of a freshly baked Google Nexus phone (although his Android phone of choise is still the Motorola RAZR).
iPad 3 rumor roundup
Anything you hear or read about the iPad 3 is pure speculation so take it with a grain of salt but..... in case you were wondering what the interwebs are thinking, here is a roundup. Most expect the iPad 3 to include: Retina Display - Likely Most would be surprised if the iPad 3 didn't include a Retina display. A Retina display is any screen that has a pixel density above 300dpi. The current rumor is that the iPad 3 will have double the resolution (2,048-by-1,536) of the iPad 2 plus a 326dpi Retina display.
Google acquired another 217 patents from IBM.
Engadget is reporting that Google recently acquired 217 patents from their big blue brother( aka IBM). The transaction was posted in the USPO assignment database on Tuesday. Some analysts have looked at the patents in question and have said they include techniques related to email administration, Instant messaging, video conferencing, presentation software and the like. Just a reminder that they also acquired another 1000 patents from Big Blue in July of 2011, 1023 in September of 2011 and bought Motorola Mobility which also had a vast patent portfolio.
Skype offers free WIFI access in 50 US Airports
Make travelling less stressful with free WIFI from Skype. Until December 27 2011, The fine folks at Skype are offering you an hour of FREE WIFI internet at more than 50 US Airports. All you need is a free Skype account and a Windows, Mac Skype application (or IOS Skype WIFI App). You can read the Skype blog posts and get a list of participating sites here. In years past, we have seen Google offer similar gifts (but alas, not this year).
Airports may be hazardous to your Kindle
Over the last couple of days, we have been hearing more and more complaints from Kindle owners about airport X-Ray machines killing their beloved eReaders. The UK Telegraph reports some travellers claiming their device was bricked after going through the X-Ray. The devices were nonfunctional with blank screens. Amazon is denying that there is a design issue but seems to be replacing affected devices. Some specialists believe it may not be the X-Rays themselves but more a static discharge from the machine’s thick rubber conveyor belt.
Smartphone activations don't matter (iphone or android)
Whether you’re in the Apple or Android smartphone camp, at one time or another, your side used creative statistics interpretation to justify why you are the market favorite. The numbers used most often are total activations or total devices sold. But how important are these numbers? Until a platform reaches critical mass, it is very important for the manufacturer to keep pushing the platform forward. With critical user mass come the apps which in turn will drive additional growth. So a platform needs enough users to make the platform interesting to developers but after that point, who cares!
Weather Trends 360 predicts weather 1 year out
My local news station weatherman seems to have a 50/50 success rating predicting the 5 day forecast. Imagine my surprise when I learned about a company called Weather Trends International that claims to provide weather prediction for up to 365 days into the future. At first I thought this was another fly by nights hocus pocus type website, then I checked out their client list. It includes names like Walmart, Loblaws, Target, Coca Cola, Heinz and many more. The prediction
Review of the Zagg InvisibleShield for Iphone 4/4s
Years ago, I learned the importance of protecting my devices to keep them looking newer longer. Even after a couple of years of use, most of my electronics look fairly new. One of my secrets is the InvisibleShield product from Zagg. What is the Zagg InvisibleShield? It is a specially designed thin and transparent film that you install on your phone to protect it from scratches and minor bumps. I bought the Maximum Coverage product which has all of the required pieces to protect the front, back and sides.
Management versus Leadership
As people read the new authorized Steve Jobs biography, they are realizing that although he was one of the greatest thinkers of our time, he seemed to lack “management skills”. This brought up an interesting management debate about which is more important for the success of a company: management or leadership. What is Management? Management is the art and science of controlling people, processes and technology to deliver maximum value through the prism of corporate values and beliefs. What is Leadership?
Forrester says companies should support Apple Computers
When we thing of Apple computers, we usually think graphic arts departments or young hipsters but what would you say if a major research organization endorsed it as a productivity tool? Could it be? Has that day come. Oh yes my friends it has… Forrester Research calls Apple users within corporations “Highly Empowered and Resourceful Operatives”. They claim that this 17% of the corporate population is the one that pushes the most innovation. For non subscribers, the report costs $500 but you can read the most important snippets on this blog.
Good shows iPad's dominating the enterprise environment
A recent activation report by Good Techbologies showed that the iPad and iPad 2 continue to dominate the tablet in the enterprise market (96% of all activations on Q3 2011 compared to just 4% for Andoird). On the handset front, the iphone commanded 28%. The most popular Android phone was the Evo 4G at 1.6%. “This quarter, we saw Android smartphones gain in percentage of total activations,” Good Technology senior vice president of corporate strategy John Herrema said. “This is likely due to the consumers holding back purchases of new iPhones in anticipation of Apple’s latest release (the iPhone 4S) — as our reports indiciate, consumers are setting the agenda for enterprise mobility.
Apple's SIRI comes from a 10 year military research project
When talking about Apple’s new iPhone 4s, most users immediately think about the Apple Siri Assitant and the new 8 megapixel camera. Siri is a cool feature but did you know it comes from a DARPA military project called COLO? The lineage Although we only heard about Siri a couple of years ago (as a stand-alone iphone app), it is actually research that started 10 years ago in a DARPA funded project called Personalized Assistant that Learns. DARPA awarded the contract to a company called SRI, who dubbed their internal project Cognitive Agent that Learns and Organizes (CALO).
Susquehanna claims iPad 3 in production
With the iPhone 4s now released, tech pundits have turned their attention to the next product in line for a refresh the Ipad 3. Susquehanna Financial Group’s Jeffrey Fidacaro now claims the Ipad 3 is already in production preparing for a release in early 2012. Let the specification rumors start. Source: Barrons
Windows 7 Will Be Running on 42% of PCs
Gartner Research believes that Microsoft's Windows 7 Operating System will be running on 42% of all PCs by the end of 2011. Supporting this move is the fact that 94% of all new PCs shipped in 2011 had Windows 7 pre-installed. Another interesting note is that "Gartner's forecast assumes that Windows 7 is likely to be the last version of Microsoft OS that gets deployed to everybody through big corporatewide migration." For Mac OS fans, Gartner believes 4.5% of new PCs shipped in 2011 will run Apple's operating system and that this will rise to 5.
iPhone 5 may have a sub 4" display and a metal back
Digitimes is at it again and now believes the iPhone 5 will sport a display smaller than 4 inches (3.5-3.7 inches). They are also claiming that the glass back will be replaced with a metal one. Other claims are ones we have hear before namely: an 8 megapixel camera, full HD video recording, the iPad 2's A5 dual-core processor and a thinner design. Most "unnamed sources" seem to agree on these specs which means although the iPhone 5 will get a slight spec bump, it is an evolutionary upgrade.