Posts by Marcel Brown
Apple iPhone and iPad Buying Guide
This article is part of my Smartphone and Tablet Buying Guide. Make sure to read that article first, unless you know for sure you want an Apple iPhone or iPad.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Apple iPhone and iPad have completely revolutionized the technology industry. It’s not hard to realize this when you consider that a company which was on the brink of extinction about 12 years ago now has $80 billion in the bank and is considered the largest company in the world.
Apple’s devices have set the world on fire and the reasons are as simple as the devices themselves. People love their iPhones and iPads because they are easy to use, are extremely reliable, and have a huge library of apps they can download and make use of. And when I use the word “love”, I really mean it. Most people I talk to literally say they love their Apple device. I almost never get this reaction from any other technology product, including the devices that compete with the iPhone and iPad.
One of the most common questions I get nowadays is which is the best non-iPhone to purchase. It’s interesting I get the question phrased in this way. It’s usually from people who have Sprint, T-Mobile or another carrier who does not have the iPhone available. The insinuation is that if they could get the iPhone they would, but since they can’t, then they want to know the next best thing.
The short answer is there is no “next best thing”. If you want an iPhone, there is only one iPhone. Sure other phones may superficially look similar. But scratch the surface and you’ll find out why the iPhone is revered by their owners, while other devices are not. In fact, Apple is going through great lengths to point that out with their latest iPhone ad campaign – “If you don’t have an iPhone, well, you don’t have an iPhone”.
If you’re looking to purchase a new smartphone, you should seriously consider changing your carrier to get the iPhone. Rumors are that Sprint and T-Mobile may get the iPhone this fall. But these are rumors, so don’t count on them. However, if T-Mobile gets bought out by AT&T, then likely T-Mobile users will get the iPhone. Still, this may be several months out yet, so don’t hold your breath.
I’ve gotten a few similar questions about iPad competitors, but I get the feeling that most people don’t even realize there are iPad competitors. If they do, they don’t care. The reality is that unlike the smartphone market, where Android devices compete with the iPhone, the tablet market is completely dominated by the Apple iPad.
About the only problem that some people have with an iPhone or iPad is the lack of Adobe Flash support on these devices. It seems most people rarely run into a problem by not having Flash support, but some others seem to be affected by this more often. Apple’s competitors often cite their Adobe Flash compatibility (however flawed it may be) as a competitive advantage. The bottom line is that the lack of Adobe Flash support is a problem that will only continue to get better as web site developers move away from that technology. Already, many major web sites have announced they are transitioning to technology that is compatible with the Apple devices. It’s hard to ignore a market of over 200 million devices that only continue to grow rapidly.
So let’s get down to brass tacks. Which iPhone or iPad is best for you? Let’s start with the iPhone. Right now my advice is pretty simple: wait to see what Apple does in the late September/early October timeframe. I’d hate to see you buy a device right before Apple releases their latest iPhone model, which all rumors point to a new one right around the corner. So wait until then and I’ll be write my updated recommendations at that time.
As far as the iPad, your options boil down to the following:
Color: Black or White
Capacity: 16, 32, or 64 GB
Connectivity: Wi-Fi Only, AT&T 3G, Verizon 3G
Between these options, there are 18 different choices of iPad available. But it’s easy to narrow down which option you want as I’ll describe below. Also note that the current iPad model is the iPad 2. If you find an original iPad for sale, it might seem like a good deal, but I highly recommend that you purchase an iPad 2 in most cases.
Color is very simple. Pick whichever one you like best. However, keep in mind that you might put a cover on the iPad, so your choice of the cover may affect which color you prefer. Also keep in mind that the iPad is still very tough to find at times, so you may not get your choice of color if you want it right away.
Capacity can be simple. Each jump in capacity results in a $100 increment in price. For most people, the 16 GB model will be more than plenty. But if you’re the type of person who has a significant amount of music, photos, or video that you’d like to take with you on your iPad, then the 32 or 64 GB model may serve you well. And again, because the iPad can be tough to find at times, you may not be able to find a 16 GB model if that’s what you want. I think for only $100 more, getting double the capacity isn’t a bad deal. So if you want an iPad right away, getting the bigger model may be a good choice.
Connectivity is usually the most confusing option for most people. First off, all the models do have Wi-Fi. Some people think they must choose between Wi-Fi and the 3G service. No matter which device you pick, you’ll always be able to connect to Wi-Fi when you want.
So the first question is should you buy a 3G model? If you know for sure that the iPad will never, ever be used in a situation where the 3G service would be needed, then the Wi-Fi model should be good for you. Often, iPads that are purchased for children, or for use only in a specific location fit into this category. However, increasingly I find that people have the occasional need for mobile iPad Internet use. For example, let’s say a family goes on vacation once or twice a year, or a user travels a few times in a year for business. Because the iPad’s data plans from either AT&T or Verizon do not require a contract, users are free to pay for one month at a time. This flexibility in the data plans means that users can only activate the service when they need it (in monthly increments) and then cancel it until they need it again. The 3G models cost $130 more than their respective Wi-Fi only models, but in many cases I feel the extra money is worth it for the flexibility to activate the 3G service when needed.
So if you decide you’d like a 3G model iPad, then is the AT&T or Verizon service best for you? Note that whichever iPad you pick can only use that specific carrier. So you can’t purchase an AT&T iPad and change it to use Verizon, or vice-versa. Also note that it does not matter which carrier you have for your cell phone service. The iPad data plan is completely independent of your cell phone bill, regardless of which carrier you choose.
The answer to AT&T vs Verizon is not so simple. It completely depends on where you expect to use the iPad with 3G service most often. For example, my first iPad had AT&T service. My new iPad has Verizon service. I did this on purpose so I could compare the two with my usage. For the most part, I haven’t really noticed a difference. Each carrier will try to persuade you that theirs is the best service. But each carrier has their strengths and weaknesses as well as dead zones. The only way to know is to test it yourself, or ask others who have the respective service how well each carrier works for them. The pricing plans are similar between the two carriers, but also check them against your expected usage before making a decision.
If you expect to do a lot of international travel, the AT&T model may be your better choice. AT&T’s network technology is more globally compatible than Verizon’s. Other than that caveat, the choice between AT&T and Verizon in most cases just likely won’t matter. If the specific model you want isn’t available, you probably won’t go wrong with the other.
So hopefully all this information will help you make the best decision for your iPad purchase. As I said, be on the lookout for an iPhone buying guide in about a month or so.
Technology Spotlight: Pulse News Reader
Trying to keep up with the news today is tough! Information moves so fast and there are so many options for getting your news on the Internet that keeping up with what is going on in the world can be a full-time job. I know that just keeping up on the technology industry was using up a lot of my time. I needed something to help me be more efficient. Devices like the iPad are great readers, but it still wasn’t quite enough.
So I took the time to research some iPad apps and found a great service called Pulse. Pulse basically aggregates all the news sources that a reader wants, allowing for easy quick browsing of the articles in a simple interface. The news sources can also include Twitter feeds as well as Facebook, Youtube, and other social media platforms. Pulse has been selected as one of 50 apps in Apple’s App Store Hall of Fame and named one of TIME’s top 50 iPhone apps of 2011
Since I started using Pulse, I am a lot more efficient and can quickly scan through all my favorite news sources on my iPad, choosing to read the ones I am interested in right then. I also have the ability to save articles to my Pulse account. I often do this when I read an article I want to re-read later, and also to have the ability to review all my saved articles on my main computer. If this isn’t enough, the app and the service are FREE!
Pulse is available for the iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. For more information on Pulse, check out their web site at http://www.pulse.me
Marcel’s Smartphone and Tablet Buying Guide
As companies like HP tumble out of the smartphone and tablet market, others fall from prominence like RIM (“Blackberry”), and yet others like Microsoft try to get a foothold with Windows Phone 7 (and eventually Windows 8?), it can be difficult for an average consumer to filter through all the hype and make the best purchase decision possible. So I’ve prepared a guide to help you make the best purchase possible.
If you really want me to cut to the chase, I’ll do so here. The rest of my guide will simply back up my conclusion: you should only be looking to purchase an Apple iPhone or iPad. All the other products and the platforms they are based on have serious flaws or usability issues that should cause serious concern to anyone interested. If you trust me (you do trust me, don’t you?) then you can stop reading here, or go on and read more specifically which model of iPhone or iPad is best for you. But for the curious, feel free to read on for the gory details. I’ll try to keep it as non-techy as possible, I promise.
Simply click on the links below for a more in-depth look at each major platform in the market:
Apple iPhone and iPad Buying Guide
Google Android Smartphone and Tablet Buying Guide
RIM (Blackberry) Smartphone and Tablet Buying Guide
Your iPhone is Safe
One of our local TV stations ran a segment tonight warning their viewers about potential security risks with smartphones. They basically identified two risks: malicious apps and phishing texts. I have no issue with their warnings about suspicious text messages, and I hope that most people are savvy enough to recognize junk texts as illegitimate (would you really give away your social security number to a random text?). But I have a serious issue with their portrayal of malicious apps.
Simply put, they only speak vaguely about “phones”, “smartphones”, and once mention “tablet”. Yet every device they showed was an Apple iPhone or iPad. And there is the rub. Apple iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) can NOT get malicious apps. Let me say that again so there is no doubt: Apple iOS devices can NOT get malicious apps. (A few of you out there may argue that jailbroken iOS devices can get malicious apps, but if you are the type to jailbreak your device, then you know well enough what you are potentially getting yourself into.)
This is one of the main advantages of the tight control Apple retains over their App Store. The Apple App store is the only way of installing apps on iOS devices. Every single app must be specifically reviewed and approved by Apple before it is allowed to be made available to the public. By controlling the only method of installing apps on iOS devices, Apple ensures no malicious software can make its way into the iOS “ecosystem”. Other smartphone platforms, namely Android, do not offer any control over the apps that their devices can download. Consequently, there are already many examples of malware for those platforms. Some technical people argue against Apple’s system, claiming that it isn’t “open” or that it restricts the freedom of software developers. But I guarantee you that owners of iOS devices could care less about “openness” or the freedom of developers – so long as there are plenty of useful and malware-free apps available. 200 million iOS devices sold (as of June 2011) seem to back up Apple’s way of doing things.
So while the news segment never specifically mentions the iPhone or iPad, by ONLY showing video of iOS devices, even going so far as to show the Apple App Store, the clear insinuation is that Apple iOS devices are as susceptible to malware as any other platform. As I have explained, this is blatantly WRONG. While I do not believe this news segment was meant to be deliberately misleading, it is unfortunately spreading misinformation.
To be fair, if you own any smartphone besides an Apple iPhone, you should pay heed to this news segment’s warnings. I would also give the same advice to those that own any tablet besides an iPad, but Apple’s complete and utter domination of this market means that likely not a single person reading this article actually owns a tablet that isn’t an iPad. (There is no “tablet” market, there is only an iPad market)
Bottom line, if you own an Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you have nothing to worry about as long as Apple retains control over their App Store – which there is NO sign of that changing any time soon.
Tech Toy of the Month: Redbox Video Game Rentals
This isn’t exactly a Tech Toy … it’s like a box full of Tech Toys! Many of you have had the unfortunate experience of your local video rental store closing. If you’re like me, the thing we miss the most is the loss of video game rentals. With the ability to rent movies online through services like Netflix or iTunes, we don’t need to pick up movie rentals anymore, but video games for our Wii, Playstation, or XBox still need physical discs. The good news is that Redbox has come in to fill the void left by Blockbuster and other stores.
Having completed a pilot test of 5,000 kiosks, Redbox has just recently started renting video games at all of its locations nationwide. For $2 per day, you can pick up games for the Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, or Microsoft XBox 360. For more information, see this article or Redbox’s website.
Remember, $2/day may seem inexpensive, but it can add up quickly if you keep the game too long. Make sure you know what a game would cost both new and used before you rent it from Redbox. It may be less expensive to buy a used copy of a game than to rent it for more than a week! Check out Slackers and Play N Trade as good local sources of used video games.
If you have any questions about new technology devices, feel free to contact me any time!
Tab Over
In my many years of helping people with their computers, I’ve noticed a lot of people are still being ineffective with the most basic of input skills. When looked at in a single situation, poor keyboard and mouse skills might only delay people by a few seconds. But inefficient practices repeated hour after hour, day after day, and week after week can add up to hours of wasted time. So allow me to give you one very simple tip to correct a inefficiency I see very often.
When filling in consecutive fields in a computer form – for example a username and password or a street address – instead of using the mouse to click into every single field, simply use the Tab key on the keyboard. In almost every software or web site, the Tab key moves the cursor to the next field allowing you to continue typing without the interruption of using the mouse. Your hands are already on the keyboard. Taking your hand off the keyboard, your eyes off the screen, moving the mouse and clicking, then putting your hands back on the keyboard can use up at least a few seconds. That may not seem like a lot, but again over time it can add up quickly.
A simple follow-up tip is to use the Return or Enter key on your keyboard instead of clicking the “Continue” or “Next” button on forms (similar buttons include “Go”, “Finished”, “Login”, or “Done”). Again, the idea is that with a single keyboard press you can move along instead of taking the few seconds to move the mouse into just the right spot on the screen to click.
If you are currently not using the Tab and Return/Enter key effectively, pay attention and really try to use these tips over the next few days. I bet you’ll be surprised at how much time you’re saving!
If you have other questions about basic computer skills, please contact me and I’ll be happy to help!
How to Avoid Your Own Technology Horror Story
Having been in the technology industry for nearly 17 years now, I have seen my share of technology horror stories. Many businesses have suffered through disasters such as:
– Losing data without a backup
– Spending a lot of money on the wrong technology
– A disgruntled employee or web designer takes all of the company’s passwords with them
– A virus cripples their network in the middle of a deadline
– Losing credibility (and business opportunities) because their web site or social media presence was neglected or tampered with
The sad fact is that nearly all of these horror stories could have been avoided had the business taken the time to stay on top of their technology and related business processes. Of course, business owners and professionals are busy people and don’t have the time to conduct detailed reviews of all the technology that affects their business. And the rapid march of advancing technology makes this task more difficult every day.
That is why I am excited to introduce my new Technology Review service for businesses and individual professionals! For one low fee, I will perform a detailed review of:
– all key business technologies, looking at things like PC utilization, network efficiency, data backup processes, virus safeguards, and power protection
– supporting and/or 3rd party technology services, such as communications, mobile and remote data access, printing, e-mail, and security systems.
– core business processes that are affected by technology, covering accounting, payroll, document management, and customer service.
– ALL of a company’s or individual’s on-line accounts including Internet domain, web and e-mail hosting, and social media
– Individual professionals will receive a similar Technology Review, with emphasis given to technologies that target personal organization and communication as well as small group collaboration.
My Technology Review will allow businesses and professionals the opportunity to identify areas they can improve their technology usage and ensure they are keeping pace with their competitors, as well as maintaining control over their valuable on-line assists.
Schedule a Technology Review with Marcel Brown today and avoid writing your own Technology Horror Story!
It’s Time for Your E-mail to Grow Up
Thursday April 28, 2011 – Thursday April 28, 2011
7325 Marine Road
Description:
Welcome to the second seminar/webinar in the “It’s Time for Your Business to Grow Up” educational series:
It’s Time for Your E-mail to Grow Up
The use of Internet e-mail took the world by storm in the late 1990′s. It is as indispensable as phone communications today. However, many businesses still don’t have a handle on the effective use of e-mail or are using outdated e-mail technologies, costing them time, opportunities, and profit. In this seminar and simulcast webinar we will:
- Identify the major mistakes companies make, i.e. “The Seven Deadly Sins” of e-mail, and how it costs businesses
- Show some simple steps you and your business can take to avoid and correct these mistakes
- Review new advances in e-mail technology and how they can benefit you and your business
Live Seminar Seating is limited. Webinar attendees are unlimited. Sign up today!
Business people today are commonly making many mistakes due to outdated or inefficient business concepts and technologies. This is not unexpected – much has changed in the world of business and technology over the last several years. However, most small businesses people have no resource to turn to for information on current business trends or the latest technologies. This new series of seminars will help entrepreneurs in all industries gain the knowledge necessary to better compete in today’s fast-changing business environment.
It’s Time for Your Social Media to Grow Up
Thursday March 17, 2011 – Thursday March 17, 2011
7325 Marine Road
Description:
Welcome to the first seminar in the “It’s Time for Your Business to Grow Up” educational series:
It’s Time for Your Social Media to Grow Up
Social media has taken the world by storm in only a few short years. Due to the rapid pace of the changes in social media technology and trends, many business professionals are having a hard time keeping up. In this seminar we will:
- Identify the major mistakes that are costing businesses time, opportunities, and profit
- Explain the repercussions of a poorly planned or executed social media strategy
- Review the major social media platforms on the market: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn
- Show how to leverage these platforms successfully to increase your business
Seating is limited. Sign up today!
Business people today are commonly making many mistakes due to outdated or inefficient business concepts and technologies. This is not unexpected – much has changed in the world of business and technology over the last several years. However, most small businesses people have no resource to turn to for information on current business trends or the latest technologies. This new series of seminars will help entrepreneurs in all industries gain the knowledge necessary to better compete in today’s fast-changing business environment.
December 2010 FYI – Teach Parents Tech
It’s a long-running joke among tech savvy individuals – you are always expected to help your family with their tech problems, no matter what the occasion. It seems especially common that after Christmas, your family needs the most help because of their new tech gadgets. So this year, Google has come to the rescue with a new web site, Teach Parents Tech. It is a collection of videos designed to help tech novices with common computer questions. So gather around the computer screen this holiday season and teach your parents some tech. Or do them a favor and just buy them an iPad.