The Tech Fanatic

New York: For many people iPad a disappointment. Apple iPad was launched last night with great fanfare and applause. In fact there was more silence than applause following the launch of the great gadget that we should call a super gadget.

But this is one thing to hype things and then living up to the hype.

This is great ebook reader with multicolor and beautiful design and has a lot to beat Amazon’s Kindle that is devoid of such glittering effect.

But does it not fulfill the promise of being better than a smartphone and laptop. Steve Jobs had said that it was better than laptop and a smartphone, but with no flash it cannot the reach of smartphone in display.

The market was so much disappointed with the Apple ipad display that Apple share went in almost for freefall before regaining some lost ground later, but clearly showing people’s disappointment.


Size: 9.7-inch touch screen, half-inch thick

Remember that search engine you shrugged off just a couple months back? Well now it could become a mainstay in your daily routine if Apple decides to ditch Google and bring in Bing as their default search engine.

BusinessWeek has reported that Apple is currently in talks with Microsoft regarding their search engine for the new iPhone. This news has come after competition between Apple and Google has risen over the past year or so, especially with Google introducing a whole new line of phones of their own such as the Nexus. If Apple does however decide to make the switch, Google will definitively lose boatloads of money as much of their income comes from ad revenues from iPhones. Apparently, these talks have been going on for weeks.

This rivalry first began when Google CEO Eric Schmidt vacated the Apple board and picked up Lala and Quattro Wireless. The release of Google Chrome, the Droid, and the iPhone killer "Nexus," may all have increased tensions between the technology giants. Isn't a little healthy competition fun?

Sources: I. Laws and Order, II. The Car Junky, III. Videos Gone Viral

    The rumors were confirmed when Apple set a release date for the iSlate late night on January 2, 2010. An “Apple insider,” who wishes to remain anonymous, told us that they would hit the shelves in late February 2010. Details on the iSlate are still unknown however, until January 26th when Apple will hold a press conference revealing the touch screen tablet PC. But, we did get a couple of hints from the ex-president of Google China who claims to have received information from a “friend of a friend.”

    According to him, the iSlate will look like a bigger version of an iPhone, with a 10.1 inch multi-touch screen and also an enhanced user interface. A better interface than the iPhone? Sounds either like a dream or a delusion. He also told us that the iSlate combines the functionality of a Net Book and Amazon’s Kindle. On top of that, it will have 3G internet capabilities, video-teleconferencing, a virtual keyboard, and e-reader and netbook features. It will also be capable of using iPhone apps, the jewel of Apple’s success. He told us that the iSlate will sell for just under $1,000 and that Apple will produce over ten million tablets in the first year.

    Another source revealed that the iSlate will have several capabilities similar to laptops such as a built in DVD-RW drive capable of playing and burning movies and videos. It will also have a USB input so that you may sync your music onto your iPod or your iTouch. Apple has also decided that they will have high-definition screens with one at 720p and another at 1080p for $100 more. It is also rumored that it will be able to connect to wifi internet. Although the latter is not confirmed, the former is a guarantee.

    So far we can conclude that the iSlate will most likely be a combination of several different technological devices including the iPhone, the MacBook, a Net Book, a PC, and a Kindle. What Apple is trying to do is to create the ultimate user friendly experience at an affordable price. Although none of these details have been confirmed by Apple, we can still be excited about the well-hyped press conference on January 26th. What do you expect to see in the iSlate? Let us know.

Sources: I. Laws and Order, II. The Car Junky, III. Videos Gone Viral

 The GPS cell phone is a nifty little devise that allows you to track where a cell phone is. It comes in handy for people who need or want to know where someone is. This kind of technology has many advantages for people and companies who need to use them.

A cell phone that has GPS can already have it on the phone or it can be put on the cell phone afterwards. It doesn`t cost too much and can be purchased anywhere cell phones and electronics are sold. The GPS works by letting someone track you via a special website. A popular website for this kind of cell phone tracking is called Ulocate. The site allows you to see exactly where the cell phone is by its location on a map, it can also tell you how long it`s been there. The only drawback is that the cell phone has been turned on and not out of batteries for it to be tracked.

People using these websites to track cell phone GPS users could be employers wondering what their staffs are up to. Many companies have traveling workers who may be out and about all day. For employers to look and see that there employees are where they are supposed to be is a great consolation. It also works for people taking sick time and not being at home or the doctor`s office. Their boss can now track them down and if there at the beach it might be hard to explain.

This devise is popular for parents keeping track of their pre-teens and teenagers. While some may do it to spy on their kids and act like a pair of extra eyes where ever there kids are going, others use it as a safety measure, knowing that if their child is unreachable for a period of time that the parents can simply find their location and scoop them up. The GPS cell phone is also an excellent feature when you lose your phone, as you can just track it and retrieve it again. This might also be popular for people suspecting that their spouses are cheating. They can just go online to see if their spouse is really at the mall or movies or in the same town as they said they were.

With the availability of this new technology and the pros to having it, it can most certainly draw on some negative and positive feedback. For example; while the boss might be happy that they busted their employee for not being sick, the employee is now out of a job, and while the husband might be thrilled to know that their spouse was cheating, their partner may not be. And what if there are reasonable explanations for the person being somewhere, but when confronted by a spouse, parent or employer that they are truly hurt for being spied on. It seems like this product could be great and not so good at the same time. It most often has to be used appropriately and before accusations is given, that the entire facts are met before and acquisitions are thrown out.

The GPS cell phone is often given out by employers who want their business phones tracked, as well as Christmas presents for loved ones. This product would serve an excellent feature in the case of a traffic accident where the car is off the road. There family member could simply track them down and help them out.

Sources: I. Laws and Order, II. The Car Junky, III. Videos Gone Viral

Cells phones like the iPhone, the BlackBerrry, and the HTC are all trendy phones with a lot of hype. The Google Android 2.0 on the other hand is fast approaching, with thousands of Google features such as maps, games, and applications. This will be hands down the best cellular device released to date. To be without this phone would be like being without air. The Android is the equivalent of life.

Verizon’s Motorola Droid will be the very first phone to operate with the new operating system with T-Mobile, Sprint, and Nextel to surely follow by the end of the holiday season. None of the latter cellular networks have announced which of their phones will boast the Android 2.0. We can only hope that Google will eventually dominate the cellular market with their superior phones.

The primary reaction to the Droid on the Verizon Wireless has been overwhelmingly spectacular, thanks in part to the brand new Android 2.0 operating system. The updated version offers several enhancements to the previous open-source OS. What sets apart 2.0 from 1.0 is the new OS can support their apps such as Google Maps with updated voice command, turn-by-turn directions. This is just as good if not better than buying a GPS device.

Texters will also find the brand new Qwerty keyboard absolutely irresistible as it allows for you to hit the right keys and type almost twice as fast as other feeble phones. The navigation has been promoted to an one touch address bar, making searching through your phone and surfing the web much more appealing. Now the Android can also handle bookmarks as thumbnails as well as double-tap zoom. Another favorite with Android users is its GPS like mechanism which is powered by you voice. It has never been easier to find your way around an unknown city until now.

One of the major updates to Android now permits the incorporation of several e-mail and social-networking accounts directly into the phone's contact list. This is significant because now the calendar and the contact information can be synced with Microsoft Exchange as well as your email accounts and Facebook. Businessmen and women will definitely love this feature because they can sync their work e-mail directly with their phones. The text addicts on the other hand will love the new search integrated into SMS. Now it is possible to find a specific text message with ease without having to rummage through every message in your phone. The Android can also boast about its upgraded digital camera features as it now includes zoom, flash, scene mode, color effects, balance and macro and micro focus.

Even though Google added more than a few updates to Android 1.0, they still managed to pull off a browser that works twice as hard to go twice as fast. Although it seems as if Google may have produce perfection, it is still up to the carriers to decide whether or not they will allow for a market controlled by Google. One thing for sure is that whoever switches first with also be the last one standing.

T-Mobile will be the first to offer four Google Android just in time for the holidays. The T-Mobile G1 went on sale in October 2008 and the T-Mobile myTouch 3G launched this past summer and both have Android 2.0 compatibility. The myTouch is currently priced at $149.99. T-Mobile will add onto these two with the Motorola Cliq on November 2, and the Samsung Mobile Phone Behold II which you can bet to see on shelves before Christmas. Remember to get yours ahead of time because they will go fast. Lightning fast. Google fast.

Sources: I. Laws and Order, II. The Car Junky, III. Videos Gone Viral

Sadly, HDTV is not available to people in the United Kingdom yet, but luckily they do have alternatives.  They have the option of subscribing to cable providers who offer HD channels to watch, even though they don’t have HDTV’s. It’s not exactly picture perfect quality, but it is a step in the right direction. They can also watch high-definition DVD’s on gaming systems such as Xbox and Playstation 3  which also offers Blu-Ray compatibility. Or they can get free over the air HD channels with an HD Satellite receiver as long as they pointing it at Astra 28.2E. Unfortunately the only channel available through this method is BBC HD, which is meaningless because you watch the news for news, not for a HD experience. However none of this is free. You would either have to subscribe to the HD package, buy the satellite dish, or purchase the gaming system. But until the UK updates their technology these are the best ways to access higher quality movies and programs. Here are some other techniques you can use to enhance your television experience.

If you typically watch your movies in the pitch black dark, definitely buy a backlight to put behind the television to reduce eye strain. It’ll also improve the apparent color and contrast of you television. This technique is called bias lighting and can be done professionally. But still, the finest way to watch movies in a soft light environment so invest in blinds to disperse sunshine in your room.

Although the television industry says that the best viewing angle is at 176 degrees, they are wrong. The best experience according to consumers was at 60 degrees. Position your furnishings for the best angle accordingly. Depending on the definition of your HDTV, do not sit too close when watching TV or else you‘ll get a lot of pixilation and  if you sit too far away, you‘ll lose perceived quality. So the smaller the TV the closer you sit, and the larger the TV the farther you sit. As a rough rule of thumb, if you have a 42 inch, 1080p HDTV you should probably sit 8 feet away for best quality.

You may choose to buy an external video processor which contains complex video processing algorithms that can enrich mediocre standard definition programming as well as enhance HD material. The best thing to do is to get a calibration disc to fine tune your video or hire a ISF Calibration Professional (Imaging Science Foundation). They are trained calibrators who have the leading tools to get the very best out of your HDTV. Although this can be very costly it might be worth it if you have already spent a lot of money on an HDTV.

The last thing you should consider is getting a surround sound system to really improve movie watching. With surround sound, its as if you’re actually sitting in a movie theater. That’s the difference between surround sound and no surround. Remember to adjust the setting of the system because the audio really depends on the position of you speakers around your sitting area.

XM and Sirius are the two major providers of satellite radio. Even though XM had head start of one year, Sirius managed to catch up and obtain half of their audience. Both providers offer very similar programs, so how do you decide which one is the one for you?

XM offers over 136 streams while Sirius offer a little less, 119. XM also provide two premium channels, Playboy and High Voltage, which is a huge advantage over Sirius because Sirius does not offer premium channels at all. The biggest battle between the two occurs over music and news radio stations. This is probably the most important thing to consider when subscribing to either of the two services.

Both XM and Sirius offer basically the same type of music feeds. XM offers 68 and Sirius offer 65. There is a considerable amount of variety on both stations. Let’s look over the genres.

Country

Both services offer country music with subgenres including Alternative Country, Classic Country, Country Hits, and Country Mixes. XM wins this category with 5 streams over 4 for Sirius. If country music is important to you, you should be considering XM over Sirius.

Dance and Latin

Bother services offer Latin and Dance music with subgenres including tropical music and Mexicana. Sirius offers 6 stations while XM offers only 4. Latinos and Latinas should definitely go with Sirius as it offer mores stations as well as better rated streams. Sirius wins without a doubt.

Decades

XM has an advantage over Sirius with music from the 40’s. But, Sirius has 90’s music which XM doesn’t as well as current hits. Both offer music from the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's.

Rock

There isn’t much of a comparison in the rock category as Sirius offer 15 streams with XM offering only 14. But you should still consider subgenres. Obviously heavy metal is far from the soft rock which is why subcategories remain a valid aspect of completion between the two. If you look over the statistics, more users prefer Sirius for their harder rock and more XM users subscribe to easy classical rock hits. Mull over this when settle on either of the two.

Other Genres

Bother stations offer several other genres including Classical and Jazz. Sirius does offer Urban and Underground music however which is a great plus. XM offers better Hip-Hop and Mainstream music. If you’re just looking for variety, either XM or Sirius could work for you. There’s always hours upon end of music to listen to.

News Comparisons

If you look at the numbers, Sirius offers 13 streams while XM offers only 11. Both include stations, such as CNN, FOX, Bloomberg, CNBC, and MSNBC. They both offer news in several language, predominantly Spanish. Nonetheless, you should never listen to Fox because it will make your ears bleed.

Analysis

With both services offering more than a few streams and thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of music and news, it is very difficult to choose which one is better. I depends solely on your likes and dislikes. Some people might subscribe to both because they just can choose one. I don’t recommend this however, as most of the streams are identical. You best bet is to flip a coin.

Blu-Ray players have taken over the market of DVD players and if you are a movie fanatic then you definitely have one. Blu-Ray produces superior quality audio and video which is greatly perceptible especially when your sitting down to watch an all-time favorite. But if you do not own a HDTV then its probably best to stick with a regular DVD player.

The Blu-Ray Disc Association (BDA) set some standards back when the Blu-Ray was first introduced. But since manufacturers when hesitant to produce these risky new players, the BDA set a time frame in which the DVD industry had to achieve these standards. The earliest Blu-ray players were Profile 1.0 players which required the use of Java support which made interactive features possible, but unfortunately there wasn’t an obligation for onboard memory which is why so many Profile 1.0 players had to labor just to play a simple movie. Profile 1.0 players are no longer allowed in the markets. Then came the Profile 1.1 or the Bonus View players which included 256MB of memory and added video decoders and secondary audio to permit features like picture-in-picture. Luckily this became a requirement after October 2007, and all players since then have demonstrated very little nuisances. The Profile 2.0 or BD-Live players added internet connection and one gigabyte of storage. This allowed the Blu-Ray players to download additional content such as backgrounds and movie trailers, as well as enable games and online shopping. The extra memory aided in the performance of the player and reduced skipping and freezing. Although this wasn’t a requirement, it did pack a punch in sales and revenue.

Now that we know the history of Blu-Ray players you can start to make a rational decision when buying your very own player. First thing that you should consider is whether the player offers audio in high-deg as well as video. Most players can deliver high resolution audio by means of bit stream over HDMI to an audiovisual receivers, but only the most modern receivers have the necessary decoders and HDMI outputs. Players with there own decoders can pass high-res audio to any other receiver that has the ability to recognize and process audio via HDMI.

Keep in mind that if you have a large collection of standard definition DVD’s that some Blu-Ray players wont be able to play them. Look for a Blu-Ray player that can play all formats of DVDs. However if you plan on only watching in high-def, this factor does not apply to you.

Most Blu-ray player can offer firmware updates, which allow you to fix mechanical and technical problems you may be experiencing with you device. Firmware updates fix performance issues and add new features to the players after you have bought them. This is very important because you do not want to get stuck with a Blu-Ray player that doesn’t update because the manufacturer doesn’t offer updates. In order to update your player you will need an internet connect, possibly a wireless one rather than an Ethernet one. Many of the cheap players might not support wireless internet and will require a hardwired connection.

To get the best movie watching experience from your Blu-Ray Player you will need an HDTV with 1080p resolution, however this is not required. Most HDTV’s however are 720p, so you must buy your Blu-Ray accordingly. Your TV should support you brand new Blu-Ray player!

Sources: I. Laws and Order, II. The Car Junky, III. Videos Gone Viral