Technology & Business
China adds 51 million internet users in 2012
Everything China grows in leaps and bounds, internet usage included. The mega economy closed the year with 564 million internet users, a jump of 10% in 2012. The data shows that the biggest driver has been the mobile internet and the number of users accessible the web through a smartphone or tablet increased by 18.1%. The total number of Chinese internet users accessing the internet from a mobile device has now reached 420 million or almost 75% of total internet users.
Basis watch killer health monitoring features
The wearable technology market is exploding and we have seen a handful of very interesting health monitoring gadgets over the last year (Nike Fuelband, Lark Life, Fitbit, Withings Smart Activity Monitor, Shine). Basis says the battery will last up to 4 days between charges which seems low. A longer life battery would be very desirable (ideally close to a week). Basis was originally supposed to hit store shelved “early 2012” but obviously missed that target. In November 2012, Basis shared a blog post announcing that they were moving the device from the lab into field test mode, which is promising.
Is Samsung cooler than Apple?
There is no one characteristic that is responsible for Apple’s phenomenal rise over the last 5 year. It is a combination of good design, great marketing and an excellent ability to predict market trends. Buzz Marketing Group told Forbes that their research shows that Apple has lost it’s coolness badge with teens. It may be a case of Apple being too cool to be cool. Because Apple products are so popular with the general population at large, they are no seen as mainstream and therefore less desirable by today’s youth.
Windows RT is not selling that well
In October, I wrote an article entitled "Don’t Buy Microsoft’s Surface RT Yet!"and I still think that is good advice. Now Samsung has told CNET that it will not bring the ATIV TAb (Windows RT tablet) to the US based on the feedback it received from its retail partners. Samsung is also worried that most customers still don't understand the difference between a "real" Windows 8 device and a Windows RT tablet. Samsung doesn't want to fork over the money to educate the market about the differences.
Merge, Split or Encrypt your PDFs online for free using Sejda
There may be times when you need to perform merges, splits, or encryption on a PDF file but don't have access to software on your PC that can perform those tasks. This is where the free Sejda web service comes in. the process is simple: Select the task you want to perform Upload the file Define the tasks parameters Voila The web interface is clean and the service is super easy to use. I tested it out with PDFs up to the service maximum and the service worked quickly and flawlessly.
Find GMAIL messages by size
There are lots of reasons why you may want to search GMAIL by file size. I do this very often to find emails containing large attachments, so I can delete them and free up storage space. Open the GMAIL web interface and type size: followed by the size of the attachment. In this case I am searching for emails 5MB or larger. or you can use This will show all emails containing an attachment larger than 10MB. Both of the above queries can be used interchangeably.
Microsoft Messenger is dead... long live Skype
We have know for some time now that Microsoft (Skype's owner) had the intention of killing off its own Messenger product and use Skype as its younger more hip replacement. The Next Web is now reporting that MS notified it's users that March 15 2013 is the day. You are already able to log into Skype with your MS account and your messenger contacts can be migrated to Skype. Update on 2013-01-11 13:08 by Edward N Kiledjian I received my Microsoft notification email yesterday evening.
Otterbox iON is a protective case and large battery in one
Otterbox makes some of the best iphone protecting cases anywhere and they have just annonced a new iON case which marries their protection expertise with a decent battery and cool looking overview app. The case is intelligent enough and turns the external battery on and off without any user intervention. The case will hot stores around summer and we don't know the price yet.
IOS 6 is a disappointment and Android Jelly Bean shines
I have been an IOS user since 2007 and have loved every new device and every new IOS release. Each new version (hardware or software) brought incredible innovation and was a pleasure to explore. Then we saw IOS 6 and it was boring. IOS 6 was very boring and was the first time I felt Apple was falling behind its main competitor, Google’s Android. Integration with Google Services Although I knew Android was gaining ground, I hadn’t realized how much it had advanced until I bought my Google Nexus 7.
Amazon Prime finally coming to Canada
Canadians have been waiting a long time but Amazon will finally give us Amazon Prime membership for $79 a year. In exchange for our Canadian money, Amazon will give members free 2 day shipping on most Amazon item. If you were hoping to get Amazon Instant Video, you’ll be disappointed. The US Amazon Prime membership includes a Netflix like streaming video service (included in the price). Unfortunately there is no indication this service will ever be offered north of the border.