Posts

Posted on

Apple’s Crisis of Confidence: Consumer Perception and Stock Market Response

tim cook apple logoBefore I dive into this, I need to make it clear that I don’t hate Apple. I used to be an Apple product specialist working a JIT contract for DOE facilities in New Mexico. This was during the dual socket days of the PowerMac G5. It was a glorious machine, and I used to adore Apple. As Apple walked away from markets and product lines that I cared about, that adoration became a loving competition. The recent glory days of the company provided me a terrific nemesis as I moved over to Windows 7 computers and Android Phones.

Following Tuesday’s unveiling of the iPhone 5C & 5S, I came to an unsettling realization: I’m worried about Apple.

See, my world as a tech enthusiast and writer just doesn’t make sense without a powerful Apple, and the company which was on display during this last keynote was anything but powerful.  Continue reading “Apple’s Crisis of Confidence: Consumer Perception and Stock Market Response”

Posted on

Zagg Ahead of the Curve with new Accessories for iPhone 5S & 5C

zagg accessories iphone 5c 5s somegadgetguyI wonder if accessory manufacturers will continue to consider Apple a “safe bet”. The iPhone 5 is only getting a one year run, and the 5S will probably only get a one year run. You used to be able to count on at least two, if not three years of sales for a new model of iPhone.

Anywho, Zagg is getting out ahead of the curve by announcing their new line up of iPhone accessories for the 5S and 5C. A lot of their announced line up are universal products like iFrogz headphones and Zaggsparq portable batteries, but their terrific InvisibleSHIELD screen protectors are ready to go, and we’ll see a pair of case options. The iFrogz Chemistry is a slim cushioned bumper featuring bright colors and designs, and the Zagg Arsenal will be one of the slimmest rugged cases available for the iPhone 5S.

Full PR after the jump!

Continue reading “Zagg Ahead of the Curve with new Accessories for iPhone 5S & 5C”

Posted on

Rumor: Nokia to launch Lumia 1520 on September 26

nokialumia1520leaknew9_1020_verge_super_wideI’m not a big fan of rumor posts, there’s enough real stuff to actually play with that I don’t like getting bogged down by speculation. This rumor comes courtesy of @evleaks however, and they’ve been pretty good about not engaging in wild speculation regarding gadget leaks…

The timing on this seems pretty legit. We know Microsoft is gearing up for a couple big moves over the next couple months, including dropping a new Surface and the public release of Windows 8.1. Updating Windows Phone with a killer Nokia phablet would fit into that release line up nicely.

More news when we get actual news.

Posted on

Steam announces ‘Steam Family Sharing’ BETA – Share games with family & friends

steam family sharing gaming news valve somegadgetguy betaAs we move away from cartridges and shiny plastic discs, and towards digital distribution, game mobility becomes an important factor in how our gaming libraries are kept. Not in whether we can play our games on the go, but whether we can share our games or re-sell them. When I was a kid we thought nothing of swapping, borrowing, and trading NES cartridges. No verification, or logins, there was a physical thing we could share.

That gets trickier with digital distribution and cloud gaming. A number of different tactics have been employed to offer gaming services while trying to prevent game piracy, with varying levels of success. Now Steam is implementing a new program aimed at getting gamers invested into their gaming platform through the games friends and family members have purchased.

In limited beta now, Steam Family Sharing allows users to create a list of approved “close friends and family”. This list of people will be allowed to play games on the Steam user’s account, while unlocking their own achievements and saving their own game progress on their own account.

On the surface it’s a great goodwill program, allowing people to share and play, but I think it very savvy that people get to accrue their own achievements. It’s an investment in time that gamers wont want to have to rebuild if they decide they want to own their own copy of the game. They’ll be far more likely to purchase through Steam. Building that kind of community is a license to print money.

Sign up for the Beta on SteamPowered.com

(via Reddit)

Posted on

AT&T posts iPhone pre-order page for September 20th release

170455-mrq-iPhone5C-bg-972x460If you’re on Big Blue and looking to shop one of those shiny new iPhones we’ve been hearing all about over the last day or so, AT&T has helpfully created an email alert page just for you. Of course they’ll be carrying the new iPhones, so if you want to make sure a little box has your name on it on September 20th, you will want to be alerted when pre-orders go live on September 13th.

Jump over to www.apple.com/iphone to make sure you’re all signed up.

Posted on

Intel to ship 14nm laptop processors by end of year – up to 30% improvement in battery life

Intel-4th-gen-haswell-chipMore news out of the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, Intel showed off an Ultrabook powered by a new “Broadwell” processor which utilizes a 14nm construction.

Known as a “die-shrink”, newer processors are refined and made smaller than their predecessors. This improves power management, which should reduce wasted electricity (also reducing wasted heat), and improve battery life. At some point however, we’ll be fighting physics as we wont be able to continue shrinking these parts forever.

While we might hit that manufacturing brick wall some day, that day is not today.

Intel recently released “Haswell” to the market, and its 22nm construction has already allowed for new tablet-like form factors for full-fledged PC’s from Sony, Lenovo, Asus, and other manufacturers.  Computers which run full versions of desktop operating systems and programs, but in form factors approaching consumer grade tablets. Intel is estimating that Broadwell based computers will see an almost 30% gain in battery life over current Haswell technology. We could be seeing Windows 8 tablets and hybrids approaching or surpassing iPad battery life by early next year.

Intel also discussed 14nm construction for their Atom line of low power chips used in phones. Those parts should be shipping in actual devices by the end of 2014.

Intel president Renée James also teased future development from the CPU developer, claiming “we have 14 nanometer working and we can see beyond that. I assure you it’s alive and well.” Exciting stuff, especially for future mobility products.

Posted on

New ChromeBooks unveiled at the Intel Developer Forum sporting Haswell

chromebookPeople who track computer sales estimate that nearly a quarter of all computers sold under $300 are ChromeBooks. Google’s browser based cloud OS is eagerly chewing into the market formerly occupied by Windows based netbooks. It’s easy to see why, as ChromeOS runs smoother on lower powered hardware than stripped version of Windows.

Today at the Intel Developer Forum, new ChromeBooks took the stage featuring Intel’s newest processor architecture named Haswell. Haswell takes Intel a significant step forward in offering up powerful mobile solutions which use less power to get work done. They’re already being utilized in the new ultraportable Windows Hybrids from manufacturers Sony, Asus, and Lenovo. Now we’re set to see Haswell parts ship in Chromebooks from Acer, HP, Asus, and Toshiba.

This move should bring a performance boost to the ChromeOS ecosystem as previous ChromeBooks used more tablet-like hardware, but hopefully this increase in power wont come at the expense of battery life.

Hit the Google Chrome Blog for the full scoop!

Posted on

Camera Test! Video Samples from the HTC One Mini on AT&T

htc one mini camera test video samples somegadgetguyThey say good things come in small packages…

I was a big fan of Ultrapixels on the HTC One, and now they’re making an appearance on the One Mini.What’s missing however is optical image stabilization. Let’s take a look at some samples and see if the One Mini camera can hang with other mid-range handsets.

Proudly powered by WordPress