technology
SugarSync kills off its free storage option
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“800”]Creative Commons image- Flickr dell [/caption] Most of us have gotten use to free storage tiers from the various cloud storage providers (Google Drive, Microsoft Skydrive, Dropbox, box.net, etc). Often times this free tier is enough to storage basic files and share things once in a while. Now SugarSync has said No More Free Storage. (link) The company claims this is being done to allow Sugarsync to concentrate on updates and service improvements. The lowest cost paid tier will be $7.
Bluetooth LE is the future of customer service
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“750”]Creative Commons Image - Flickr User Sean MacEntee [/caption] When most of us think of the upcoming Bluetooth Low Energy retail revolution, we immediately think of Apple's iBeacon technology. why? Apple was the first to launch this tech at its annual WWDC conference. It will be deploying about 20 per store in its 250 stores. 170-200 million iDevices with IOS 7 currently are potential iBeacons. Companies, like Estimote (link) have already launched commercial Bluetooth LE devices compatible with iBeacons.
Google drops Hong Kong datacenter plans
There is no denying Hong Kong is a densely populated business hub and Google wanted to build a datacenter to improve service to its 8 million population. Now we learn that those plans have been axed due to real estate issues. In The Next Web (link), Google said : "While we see tremendous opportunity and potential in Hong Kong – we’re actively hiring, just opened a larger office and recently launched a partnership with the Chinese University of Hong Kong to invest in tomorrow’s innovators – we will not be moving ahead with this project.
Contest: Win a 1 year sub for Norton Mobile Security for Android
a Rafflecopter giveaway I am giving away a 1 year subscription to Symantec's Norton Mobile Security app for Android. It works on smartphones and tablets.
The most secure smartphone messaging app
During the NSA leaks earlier this year, we heard rumors that Apple's iMessage employs end-t-end encryption making covert interception difficult. Anytime you add a new device to your account, your iMessages are automatically downloaded which means Apple could (if compelled by a competent court) hand over an unencrypted list of your messages. I know many of you have nothing to hide but privacy isn't just for the "bad guys". We should all try to be as private as possible and this instant messaging app helps with that.
China Bans Bitcoins
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1024”]CC Image- Flickr User Antanacoins [/caption] Bitcoin is a decentralized digital crypto-currency that seems to have captivated the hearts and minds of millions around the world. Even with millions of fans, many of us still wonder about what this new crypto-currencty is. Is it a passing fad or the next evolution of value exchange? How risky is buying, trading and using Bitcoin? China's central bankers have now put a stake in the ground and have made handling transactions with the digital currency, for financial institutions illegal, therefore not recognizing it as legal currency.
Make your Mac look professional for customer meetings
Anyone who is customer facing knows the difficulty in preparing your laptop to look professional before a customer meeting. What does preparing mean? It means cleaning up your desktop files, force closing applications so you are not interrupted with non customer notifications and making all customer folder quickly accessible so you don't spend precious minutes navigating a maze of folders & sub-folders. This is where Pinstriped (link) comes in. It is an app that creates an overlay on your Apple Mac desktop separating your personal content from your professional customer focused ones, making you look professional.
7 rules of safe online shopping this holiday season
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1279”]Creative Common Image- Flickr User Don Hankins [/caption] The holiday season started with black Friday (in the US at least) and millions of people flock to online retailers hoping to snag a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Where there are hordes of people, there are criminals looking to take advantage of unsuspecting netizens. So how can you stay safe? Here are some tips: Risky WIFI - Free WIFI may be tempting but I strongly recommend you stay away from them (unless you have a VPN solution) because someone may be sniffing your traffic looking for passwords or credit card information.
Comparing the displays: iPad mini, Nexus 7 & Kindle HDX
DisplayMate, a display testing company, has released a much awaited report (link) comparing the screens of: Apple iPad Mini Google Nexus 7 (2013) Amazon Kindle HDX The bottom line is that Apple's iPad mini has the worse display using "out of date" technology. "Amazon and Google, have significantly leapfrogged Apple by introducing Tablet displays using LTPS (in the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and the new Nexus 7), and they are significantly outperforming the IGZO and a-Si displays in the current iPads.
8 tips for successful video conferencing
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1600”]Creative Commons - Flickr user Timo Newton [/caption] As little as 2 years ago, video conferencing was reserved for the most technically savvy amongst us. with the introduction of Apple's Facetime and Google Hangouts, millions have started enjoying it for work and pleasure. Videoconferencing is easy but that doesn't mean everyone is doing it right. Here are tips to help you video conference like a champ. Good Lighting - Just life traditional photography, lighting is one of the most important factors to consider.
Roam Mobility offers unlimited talk/text/1GB data for $39.95
I have written about half a dozen articles about Roam Mobility. They offer the most competitive US cell phone service for Canadians traveling to the US. They have always been the cheapest option but they cut their prices in October. There is a group of Canadian retirees that heads to various US sun destinations in winter that the media calls Snowbirds. Now Roam Mobility has a plan for these Canadians traveling to the US for longer than 30 days. You get all of the standard Roam Mobility goodness of unlimited calling to Canada and the US, unlimited text messaging, US number, voicemail, Caller ID and 1 GB of 4G data for only $39.
BBM to be pre-installed on Android devices from 12 OEMs
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“450”]Creative Commons Image- Flickr user m lobo [/caption] Blackberry has announced a deal with 12 small OEMs building Android devices to bundle BMM with their base device. These are international manufacturers you have probably never heard of in Canada, the US or Europe but they are still recognized brands in india, Indonesia, Africa and the Middle East. Blackberry still has to figure out a way to monetize BBM but their primary concern seems to be finding ways to aggressively increase their user numbers (even if these are BBM users on non Blackberry devices).
Cosmonaut stylus for tablets review
I have tested over 20 styli this year ranging from $80 precision devices to cheap $4 ones from china. Most seem to have a similar look so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Cosmonaut from Studio Neat. <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/a2eb17d8e7.jpg" alt=""> It looks like a giant crayon and made me feel like a kid again. Why a stylus? Readers often ask me why they should use a stylus with their tablets: it provides much greater control than your finger (more detail) it moves your finger away from the screen (greater visibility and less oily finger marks) it allows you to use your tablet as a high powered digital notebook The Cosmonaut <img src="https://ekiledjian2.
Spiderpodium flexible smartphone stand review
Breffo really chose a great name when they called their universal flexible smartphone stand the Spiderpodium. Why you ask? It looks like a spider and holds your smartphone on a podium... Anyway its a great name... <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/b6240a15f8.jpg" alt=""> As you can see, it has 8 flexible legs that bend easily yet stay in place very solidly. The product is covered with this soft touch grippy rubber material. It is wonderfully delicate with your smartphone (won't scratch it) and provides enough friction to hold it in place on plastic, aluminum, wood, glass and stainless steel.
Save up to 90% off USA roaming charges for Black Friday
If you're a Canadian that travels to the US for work or fun then you should know about Roam Mobility. These guys can usually save you 40-75% on US phone and data charges (compared to Rogers, Bell, Telus, Fido). If honor of US Black Friday, they are discounting their service fees by another 50%. <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/728b388b72.jpg" alt=""> The only deal condition is : " is schedule your plan to start between November 28th and December 2nd. The discount will automatically be applied to your shopping cart and you're good to go.
8 reasons why I chose an iPhone over Android
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1024”]Creative Commons Image - Flickr Lai Rayanne [/caption] My carrier contract was recently up and I had to chose a new device to crown as my daily driver (aka main everyday phone). Although my last device was an iPhone 4s, I have used most Android devices released in the last 12 months and was fond of the features they provided to a tech geek like me. After considering all my options, 3 phones made it to the Edward smartphone finals:
Think before you force your Google Nexus to update
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1600”]Creative Commons License - Flickr user DragonLord878 [/caption] Knowing that there is a brand new shiny update to Android but being damned by the Google gods to wait is frustrating. You bought a Nexus device because it came with the promise of quick and plentiful updates, yet 3 weeks past the release of KitKat, still no sign of the automatic Over the air (OTA) update. So you search the interwebs and find a trick. A neat trick that many claim has magical powers to quickly deliver the wonders of Kitkat (even if the Check for update button didn't work).
Google Nexus Wireless Charger now available
Google has finally released its Nexus branded Qi based wireless device charger (which ships on or around November 22). The charger is compatible with the Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and the Nexus 7 (2012 & 2013). <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/a2c0d51970.jpg" alt=""> Last year's wireless charger was this funky orb shaped half circle that was a pain to use. This years is a nice flat charger that makes sure the device stays put. The devices comes in a choice of colors: black, black or black.
Samsung offering $50 for new Note 3 owners
Samsung has announced a US only promotion, that runs until January 6, which will give you a $50 Google Play store credit. All you have to do it go to the promo page (link), enter your information (IMEI, name, address, email, etc). The offer is open to US Samsung Galaxy Note 3 only and is open to anyone who has already bought a device (until Jan 6). Note: They do check the IMEI allocation and will block all non-US IMEI numbers from the promo( even if you fake the address).
Youtube video showing how Youtube works
We all love Youtube and watch hundreds of millions of videos a day but do you wonder how it all works? If you do then this is a a great video otherwise just ignore it ;-) It explains how they provide the best possible video quality possible. It talks about that buffering spinner and much more.