technology
It's the ecosystem stupid
Search the internet for Google’s Pixel Chromebook and you’ll see something very strange, reviewers absolutely love the device but recommend that consumers don’t buy it. Why? What is going on here? Is this opposite-land? Why would a reviewer love a product then recommend you not buy it? It all comes down to ecosystem. In years past, the hardware was more important that the ecosystem (form over function). Now our perceptions and expectations have changed. As consumers, we understand that we are buying an entry ticket into an ecosystem.
How Apple will compete with Google Now
Apple is the company everyone loves to hate right now and it seems every investor has turned its back on this mighty tech giant. The biggest complaint I hear is that “Apple is being out innovated by its competitors”. And I somewhat agree. IOS was revolutionary in 2007 when it was first released and it is the reason we all have fantastic smartphones in our pockets (Android, IOS or Windows phone). Since its triumphant launch, we really haven’t seen any major changes that would drive the next evolution in smartphones.
iPhones are more reliable than Samsung phones
A study undertaken by FixYa found that an iPhone is 300% more reliable than a Samsung device. Before anyone starts to discredit the findings, it is important to note that they looked at 722,558 problem reports mixed with data from Statcounter. The data is solid and paints an interesting picture. Where are our Finish friends from Nokia you ask? They were third in line. The least reliable were found to be Motorola devices, which is interesting considering all of the rumors of an unbreakable phone (called the X-phone).
Blackberry outsells Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5
Canadian retailer Glentel, who operates 330 stores, says the Blackberry Z10 is out selling the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5. They haven't provided any actual sales numbers but this may be the kind of lifesaving trend Blackberry needs right now. We should get more concrete sales number from Blackberry March 28 when it reports it's forth quarter results. It will be interesting to see how our American friends react to the new Z10 when it is finally made available "
Samsung Galaxy S4 event March 14
We knew it was coming and Samsung has finally confimed that it will unveil the Samsung Galaxy S4 at an even March 14 in New York. I can't wait to see what Samsung's new phone will bring to market
Can I trust Huawei mobile phones?
Big media loves stories that vilify someone because it sells papers or grabs eyeballs. Over the last couple of months, information security (or insecurity) has provided dozens of opportunities for media to create heroes and villains. One of the countries that are constantly vilified is China and many consumers looking for their next cell phone are wondering if they should buy a Huawei cell phone or not. Every once in a while, I get an email from a reader wondering what the risk is of buying a “Chinese made mobile device”.
Videotron's netflix competitor is now live
I wrote about Videotron's new movies on demand service a couple of days ago and the site is now live and offering 1 month of free service. You can read my original article here. Si vous cherchez une option francophone à Netflix, consulter le site ici et bénéficier du premier mois gratuit.
Novatel MiFi 2 hotspot coming to Bell Canada in March
Wifi hotspots are excellent tools for road wariors. We have learned that Bell Canada will be offering the [fairly] new Novatel Mifi 2 (touch based WIFI hotspot). This hotspot offers all day functionality (11 hour battery) and is easy to configure via its touch interface. We know that Novatel will be improving the touch interface (compared to the AT&T version) but we don't know what those changes will be. Price and available hasn't been announced yet but our American friends can pick this model up for $50 with a 2 year agreement so Bell's offer should be materially similar.
Review of AliExpress.com
What is AliExpress AliExpress.com is an ecommerce website owned by Alibaba which promises to link buyers directly with sellers from Chine. AliExpress.com sells everything from clothing to electronics to pet products. You can find sellers selling single items and others selling items in packs (10-10000). One of the interesting features of AliExpress is the fact that all payments are held by the site until the buyer confirms that he has received the item. This was a major issue with Alibaba.com and the internet is littered with horror stories of customers getting scammed.
What's the best smartphone? What smartphone do I use?
A question I regularly receive from readers is "What smartphone do you use?" In December, I wrote an article entitled "Time To Switch From IOS To Android?" I recommend you read it as it explains some of issues with IOS and the incredible leaps made by Android. Right now I am using an iPhone 4S as my primary everyday smartphone and I am relatively happy with it. My existing contract expires October 2013 and I will use this opportunity to re-evaluate all of my options (both mobile service provider and device).
Google Maps for IOS offline mode
Over the last week, I received a couple of emails from readers asking if there is a way to cache maps for offline use on Google Maps for IOS (iphone, iPad and iPad mini). There is no doubt that this (and countless other features) will eventually find its way into the IOS version but as of today,it is not a supported feature. If you plan a short route while connected, that route will most likely remain cached during that trip but that is it.
Netflix competitor for French movies and content
US Netflix users are blessed with fresh and interested content ready for their instant consumption. As a Canadian however, I am presented with old content not worth the $8 a month. It seems Videotron (a Quebec based triple-play provider) has decided and fill the gap. Videotron will be launching a video on demand service, with French content, [this week] for $9.99 a month. Many of the important details (like platform support) are still missing but we do know that they have agreements with the main content owners.
Nexus 4 in stock and available at FIDO
Fido is my cell phone provider and I am happy to see that theNexus 4 is now back in stock and available to all FIDO customers (current and new). When I wrote this article: I did not see the Nexus 4 on the main Rogers webpage yet. I did not see the Nexus 4 on the main Bell webpage yet. I did not see the Nexus 4 on the main Telus webpage yet. I did see it on the main Videotron webpage.
What I want from Apple's rumoured smart-watch
The internet has been buzzing about a possible smart-watch being developed by Apple. Sure it may have all kinds of cool neat features but there are 2 features I haven’t heard discussed that could make it a must have. Since Nike won’t be making a Nike+ Fuelband Android app, could this new watch build self-monitoring functionality (like the fuelband, Shine, Fitbit, etc)? If Apple combines its expertise with that of Nike, I think they can build a truly amazing health monitoring device.
Honest and updated bitcasa review
Related Articles The Promise Of Unlimited Cloud Storage - A Review Of Bitcasa BitCasa Review Update And New Chrome Plugin Bitcasa released There is no shortage of “cloud storage providers”, each trying to outshine the other with a “must have” feature. Bitcasa has now officially jumped into the ring with a novel proposal, unlimited cloud storage for $10 a month (or 10GB for free). As a launch special, you can buy the full annual unlimited storage plan for $69 ($30 launch discount).
Office 2013 can only be installed on one machine
One of the major questions tech pundits were asking themselves when Office 2013 came out is “can the license be transferred to another PC?” Why would you want to transfer the license of a $150 software suite? A PC dies, you upgrade, it get’s stolen, etc. Microsoft has now confirmed to Computerworld that Office 2013 software licenses will not be transferable and that it is only licensed to work on the first PC it is installed on. This is a bad policy for consumers buying the licensed legal copy and Microsoft hopes to entice you to move to their subscription based Office 365 offering instead of the traditional buy-once-use-for-3-year-software package.
October 2012 iMacs now in Apple's refurb store
Many were relieved when Apple finally released the October 2012 iteration of the iMac line. It was powerful and incredibly sexy. Like all Apple products though, you can to pay a premium for it. Well now you can get one of those shiny updated wonder-machines in the Apple refurbished online store with a nice discount. These are Apple refurbished so you know they’ll look great and come with the standard 1 year warranty, so no worries about getting a lemon. Apple usually has limited supplies of refurb items so if you want one, get it while its available or check back often.
Automatically silence your Android phone / tablet at night
One of the questions I get asked most often is how to silence an android device at night or during busy times. Unlike IOS, Android doesn’t include this functionality in the base OS but fear not, a free app called Silence is the answer. It is a well designed app with a clean and simple user interface that can toggle settings (sound, wireless, mobile data, etc) automatically based on your calendar. Unlike other similar apps (aka Tasker or locale) this one is incredibly easy to use and even a newbie can configure it in minutes.
App and notification volume control on Android
Like all modern operating systems, Android has some nice helpful features you need to know how to access. Using the volume rocker, you can increase and decrase the volume on your Android device (tablet or phone). When the volume menu appears (after pressing the volume rocker), press the settings button I am showing with the red arrow. You can now configure the main app volume and the notification volume separately by sliding left or right.
Built in Equalizer in Android
Many users believe they need a custom ROM or special app to get EQ goodness in Android. Google has baked in this EQ goodness in Android and using it is very easy. Open the default Google Music app, then load and play any song. Click the Menu button (three little dots) and chose Equalizer Once here, make sure you toggle the switch to on. Choose the style of equalization. These settings aren't device wide (aka they are only for the music app) but they can provide a nice punch when needed.