Microsoft Office for iPad review

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmNpXQvRK5NM32Q4OQVgOhw0U61OG-2lJ9CkXKoRiRCK3o83P2DmCwNAPO0KxEWTFzmVGh4yMfrGsPoi7tb5biiR0U46QhyOBOFBRNIavXCBchwVL3GMdRZZZR1O4VH9jMlqkpOxCyh0/s1600/office-for-ipad-powerpoint-edit-100252400-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmNpXQvRK5NM32Q4OQVgOhw0U61OG-2lJ9CkXKoRiRCK3o83P2DmCwNAPO0KxEWTFzmVGh4yMfrGsPoi7tb5biiR0U46QhyOBOFBRNIavXCBchwVL3GMdRZZZR1O4VH9jMlqkpOxCyh0/s1600/office-for-ipad-powerpoint-edit-100252400-large.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Microsoft Office for iPad</span></i></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Apple announced that its iWork suite would be bundled, free of charge, with new iOS and Mac devices, it seemingly slammed the door on Microsoft’s Office ambitions for the iPad. How could Microsoft bring its pricey Office suite into a world of free (and almost free) apps?</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The answer: Outdo iWork in both form and function. Apple claims that products like its Pages are the most beautiful office software for iPad and other Apple devices. With Office for iPad, Microsoft has stolen that crown.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Microsoft’s Office for iPad is a collection of three apps: Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. (OneNote for the iPad has been available since 2011, and Microsoft's Lync, Skype, and Yammer are also available.) Users can download each, free of charge, from Apple’s iTunes on an iPad running iOS 7.0 or above. And each is free to use to view documents that have been created elsewhere.</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.75em;">But Office 365 also includes a subscription to OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage solution, a central repository from which one can withdraw and store documents. In a nice twist, you can connect both your personal OneDrive and OneDrive for Business accounts and connect to SharePoint as well. </span>However, to <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">create</em> or <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">edit </em>documents, you must subscribe to Office 365: either Office 365 Home Premium ($9.99 per month), the upcoming Office 365 Personal ($6.99 per month), or one of several business options. Each Office 365 subscription includes at least one tablet subscription, which covers Office for iPad. // <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2111900/microsoft-office-for-ipad-review-finally-true-productivity-on-your-tablet.html" target="_blank">PCWorld</a></span></div>

Microsoft Office for iPad review

Microsoft Office for iPad When Apple announced that its iWork suite would be bundled, free of charge, with new iOS and Mac devices, it ...

Read more »

Apple Said to Be Targeting Fall 2014 Launch for 12-Inch iPad

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3O46WPNvCpkYVM-QOMny1wKFUGigzyWL1Zge7rj3siX-1wscQaSUiO56zyvNc4eqPjVID5aOVNu-PII_tosK9zD6wt8hyou9ZzZfmmGS6MYFpNOhh-A8oGXXwBuaiXXCPqhV76peRZno/s1600/evercore_mba_ipad_bom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="547" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3O46WPNvCpkYVM-QOMny1wKFUGigzyWL1Zge7rj3siX-1wscQaSUiO56zyvNc4eqPjVID5aOVNu-PII_tosK9zD6wt8hyou9ZzZfmmGS6MYFpNOhh-A8oGXXwBuaiXXCPqhV76peRZno/s1600/evercore_mba_ipad_bom.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">12-Inch iPad</span></i></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #041427; line-height: 17px;">Amid rumors of a larger </span><a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2013/12/30/whats-next-for-apple-in-2014-iwatch-larger-iphone-6-12-9-inch-ipad-pro/" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #000088; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">"iPad Pro"</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #041427; line-height: 17px;"> perhaps arriving in 2014 with a larger display in the range of 12-13 inches, Evercore analyst Patrick Wang yesterday released a research report indicating that supply chain sources are indeed supporting the circulating claims. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #041427; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #041427; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 17px;">According to Wang's sources, Apple is looking to launch a 12-inch iPad in the fall of this year, targeting enterprise with a new "hybrid" device intended to bridge the gap between tablets and notebooks. Wang believes that the larger iPad will unsurprisingly also include a new A8 processor from Apple that may be a quad-core chip, as well as increased storage.</span><br /> <blockquote style="background-color: white; background-image: url(http://cdn.macrumors.com/images-new/quote.png); background-position: 0px 12px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #041427; font-style: italic; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px; padding: 11px 18px 12px 30px;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arriving in fall ‘14, Apple goes Enterprise with an 12” iPad. Powered by the A8 chip (perhaps 4C), this expands ARM’s reach and, once again, transforms the traditional notebook market as we know it. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Expect a 2-1 hybrid – think iPad + MBA – similar to how most iPads are used in the workplace and in the same spirit of MSFT’s Surface.</span></blockquote> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #041427; line-height: 17px;">Wang points out that bill-of-materials estimates peg the cost of the Intel processors used in the MacBook Air in excess of 20% of the machine's cost, while the ARM processors used in Apple's iPad represent only about 5% of total cost for high storage capacity models. The much lower pricing for Apple's A-series chips could allow the company to pose a serious threat to the business notebook market for those applications where a new and larger iPad would be appropriate. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #041427; line-height: 17px;"> // </span><a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/03/apple-said-to-be-targeting-fall-2014-launch-for-12-inch-ipad-focused-on-enterprise/" style="line-height: 17px;">Mac Rumors</a></span>

Apple Said to Be Targeting Fall 2014 Launch for 12-Inch iPad

12-Inch iPad Amid rumors of a larger  "iPad Pro"  perhaps arriving in 2014 with a larger display in the range of 12-13 inches,...

Read more »

LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition is a slightly larger, slightly better Nexus 7

<img alt="G Pad" class="attachment-full wp-post-image" height="353" src="http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/gp-640x353.jpg" style="border-style: none; color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNovaRgRegular, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;" width="640" /><br /> <div style="color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNovaRgRegular, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/tag/lg" style="color: #b1700a; text-decoration: none;">LG</a> G Pad 8.3 from Google Play has (as the name suggests) an 8.3-inch screen that clocks in at 1920×1200. So it’s the same resolution as the Nexus 7 2013, but a little larger. For some people, the Nexus 7 is simply too small to be the ideal tablet. All things considered, an 8-9 inch tablet is a really great size. This way Google can cater to those people with stock Android and not have to develop new hardware for the Nexus program.Google has been rapidly expanding the selection of Android devices it sells in the Play Store this year, and one of the recent additions might seem odd at first glance. The Google Play Edition LG G Pad 8.3 is only a little larger than the 2013 Nexus 7, but it starts at $350. However it fills a niche, and <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/tag/google" style="color: #b1700a; text-decoration: none;">Google</a> is all about niches these days.</div> <div style="color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNovaRgRegular, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The rest of the hardware is similarly impressive. The G Pad has a quad-core <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/tag/Qualcomm" style="color: #b1700a; text-decoration: none;">Qualcomm</a>Snapdragon 600 at 1.7GHz per core, 2GB of RAM, and a 4600mAh battery. The battery is quite a bit larger than the Nexus 7′s 3950mAh unit, which is a happy side effect of the larger chassis size. It’s only slightly heavier than the Nexus 7, though. While the G Pad 8.3 only has 16GB of internal storage, it includes a microSD card slot, something that is lacking on the Nexus devices, much to the displeasure of a vocal subset of Android fans.</div> <div style="color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNovaRgRegular, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/GP2.png" style="color: #b1700a; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="G Pad 8.3" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-172570" height="300" src="http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/GP2-300x300.png" style="border-style: none; float: right; padding-left: 10px;" width="300" /></a>When the G Pad 8.3 came out recently, the<a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2426455,00.asp" style="color: #b1700a; text-decoration: none;">consensus was clear</a>. It had very good hardware, but the software was a bit of a mess. By keeping LG from poking around too much with the UI and features of the software, the Google Play Edition tablet could rectify the one major problem facing the device. This tablet runs <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/tag/android" style="color: #b1700a; text-decoration: none;">Android</a> 4.4 KitKat, and should stay up to date much better than other devices.</div> <div style="color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNovaRgRegular, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 24px;"> In the past, when Google talked about Android, it was talking about a version of the platform that almost no one would ever see. OEMs skin and modify devices along with their carrier partners, which weakens Google’s control over Android. A Google Play phone or tablet provides a stock Android experience that is heavily influenced by Google. While the OEM still builds the update, there is virtually no change to the code beyond optimization for the hardware, and certainly no carrier bloatware. The result is more premium hardware that offers a pure Android experience in a variety of styles and form factors — something for everyone.</div> <div style="color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNovaRgRegular, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <i>Via: <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/172567-lg-g-pad-8-3-google-play-edition-is-a-slightly-larger-slightly-better-nexus-7">ExtremeTech</a></i></div> <div> <br /></div>

LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition is a slightly larger, slightly better Nexus 7

The  LG  G Pad 8.3 from Google Play has (as the name suggests) an 8.3-inch screen that clocks in at 1920×1200. So it’s the same resolution...

Read more »

iPad, Surface, Kindle owners reveal their top gripes

<div class="cnet-image-div image-REGULAR float-none" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; float: none; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin: 10px auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 620px;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="" class="cnet-image" height="251" src="http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/12/20/fixya-tablet-report.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="620" /><span class="image-credit" style="border: 0px; font-size: 0.8em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.133em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Credit: FixYa)</span></span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Got a beef about your iPad, Surface, or Kindle tablet? Join the club.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new holiday report from Q&A site FixYa sifted through thousands of problems reported by its Web site users to determine the most common grievances. The <a href="http://blog.fixya.com/fixyareport/dec2013/tablet-report.html" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">tablets that faced the firing squad</a> included Apple's <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-ipad-air/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">iPad Air</a> and Retina Display <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/ipad-mini/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">iPad Mini</a>, Microsoft's <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/microsoft-surface-2/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; color: #2964bf; cursor: pointer; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Surface 2</a>, and Amazon's Kindle HDX. Let's see how they fared.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Microsoft's Surface 2</b><br />The Surface 2 was dinged for its poor app support, speaker quality, and Touch Cover keyboard. Users applauded the Microsoft Office suite that comes free with the tablet but were bummed by the lack of well-rounded apps available through Microsoft, especially when compared with the range and diversity offered by Apple, Google, and Amazon.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Surface 2's speakers are too quiet and lack a certain crispness, according to the report. The Touch Cover keyboard also received a thumb's down by people who found it difficult to type on. The paucity of apps and speaker quality are mostly in Microsoft's ballpark. But users who don't like the Touch Cover keyboard should consider the Type Cover, which is more expensive but provides a better response.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Apple's iPad Air</b><br />The Air was faulted for its crashing browser, screen problems, and keyboard response. Users reported that opening certain Web pages via Safari, especially those using Adobe Flash, caused the browser to go kaboom, bringing them back to the home page.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some Air owners said that their devices display a yellow tint or faint gray lines across the screen. These defects don't interfere with the use of the tablet but certainly don't add to its visuals. Users also said the onscreen keyboard doesn't respond quickly enough when you tap a key, resulting in keystrokes that fail to register.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To fix the Safari crashes, FixYa suggested the usual solutions, such as clearing your cookies and browser history. The display problems may go away by turning off sleep mode, turning up the screen brightness, and leaving the Air on until the battery drains, FixYa said. If not, then a trip to your local Apple Store may be in order. Finally, reducing the motion of the keyboard through the accessibility option in Settings may help with the keyboard's response time.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Amazon's Kindle HDX 8.9</b><br />Owners of the 8.9-inch Kindle HDX listed the Silk browser, limited app support, and battery issues at the top of their hit list. The browser got poor grades for its slow speed, rough performance, and tendency to crash.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Users complained about the selection of apps available through Amazon. Yes, Amazon's Appstore beat Microsoft's Windows Store for the number and range of apps. But Kindle owners still seemed to want more. Some also faulted the battery for taking too long to charge.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To fix the Silk issues, FixYa advised Kindle users to regularly clear their browser settings. The lack of available apps is an issue that rests on Amazon's ability to lure in more third-party developers. And to speed up the battery charge, FixYa recommends that people use only the charging cable that comes with the tablet and make sure it's seated properly.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Apple's Retina iPad Mini</b><br />Finally, the new Retina-Display iPad Mini suffered the slings and arrows of screen problems, lack of storage space, and browser crashes.</span></div> <div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Via: <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57616177-75/ipad-surface-kindle-owners-reveal-their-top-gripes/">Cnet</a></span></i></div>

iPad, Surface, Kindle owners reveal their top gripes

(Credit: FixYa) Got a beef about your iPad, Surface, or Kindle tablet? Join the club. The new holiday report from Q&A site FixYa si...

Read more »

Google Play Music gets a new look for iOS 7

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriM3U-FPCNSJx4cEYhohr1eyVML6r7jqqAvG3zQ2yb-ogJGAUjRlzSw5wO-9lXypD3v6XOkmp8yuUob_5mSdH_TJWpFZdcUPLX5l9b6x8NknQPaf7NBqkhjBucljffR_EP2dNS1-lmFKV/s1600/google-play-music-ios7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriM3U-FPCNSJx4cEYhohr1eyVML6r7jqqAvG3zQ2yb-ogJGAUjRlzSw5wO-9lXypD3v6XOkmp8yuUob_5mSdH_TJWpFZdcUPLX5l9b6x8NknQPaf7NBqkhjBucljffR_EP2dNS1-lmFKV/s320/google-play-music-ios7.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Google Play Music gets a new look for iOS 7 </span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you're an iOS user that stuck with Google Play Music past the free All Access promo, a new update brings this refreshed UI for iOS 7 and a few new features. As promised at launch, it now supports "I'm feeling lucky" radio which randomly assembles a playlist based on recent listening habits. Also new are themed auto-playlists built around tracks in your library and those you've given a thumbs-up to. Google's iOS team added genre radio stations for All Access subscribers too, and the ability to search by genre for everyone, bringing this version's features up to par with its Android counterpart. With the amount of countries where the service is now available, that shouldn't leave many people out -- unless they live in Canada, that is.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Source : <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-play-music/id691797987" style="line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">iTunes</a></span>

Google Play Music gets a new look for iOS 7

Google Play Music gets a new look for iOS 7  If you're an iOS user that stuck with Google Play Music past the free All Access promo, a n...

Read more »

Apple's iPhones And iPads Showing China Mobile Stores

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqkdR4W38zKY92_zBudyBEEnN64VMdNga2ZeAdHds3WqP9yb3E8ZncRMxwZ9XWQEjwJYdVwh-Lm0Qcqrb7_J61QxO_fTlc4h_zpkT3ZDrwovnXXmCdcFxR5MW4Zj3zyhlV7t3Mfy8ry24/s1600/Apple-China-Mobile-main-display-with-iPhones-and-iPads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqkdR4W38zKY92_zBudyBEEnN64VMdNga2ZeAdHds3WqP9yb3E8ZncRMxwZ9XWQEjwJYdVwh-Lm0Qcqrb7_J61QxO_fTlc4h_zpkT3ZDrwovnXXmCdcFxR5MW4Zj3zyhlV7t3Mfy8ry24/s640/Apple-China-Mobile-main-display-with-iPhones-and-iPads.png" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From the pictures he took and what he wrote a majority of the store was dedicated to Apple. While this is only one store it is a positive indication that China Mobile could aggressively market iPhones and iPads.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The price for an iPhone 5s is 4,380 Chinese Yuan which is $721 (a 16GB unlocked model in the U.S is $649) and a 5c is shown at 3,380 Chinese Yuan or $557 (a 16GB unlocked model in the U.S. is $549). There were no pictures with iPad pricing.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I can’t tell is if there is any contract commitment required for this price and it is also a bit interesting that the price is on a handwritten piece of paper compared to the very good marketing material on display. It looks like the pricing was either decided at the last minute or kept under wraps so much that properly printed pricing was not distributed prior to the launch (which has still not officially occurred).</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Via : <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2013/12/15/apples-iphones-and-ipads-showing-up-in-china-mobile-stores/">Forbes</a></span></i></div>

Apple's iPhones And iPads Showing China Mobile Stores

From the pictures he took and what he wrote a majority of the store was dedicated to Apple. While this is only one store it is a positive in...

Read more »

iPhone Air, iPhone 6c concepts that may never be

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLObYGyOIVQtMFNtpmRaVuTrf6uwu-OraRIl-mXGnxsncMGcpTkHZjqW7PQqdLlQRTBnSLJMtFzo1VPswAWoqNtLJKu7OZQSeN6BzlRWlH1jSRmfYSvE4RdQXPKIntwBPAeMNA0q8Bji-/s1600/iphone-air-iphone-6c-concepts-that-may.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLObYGyOIVQtMFNtpmRaVuTrf6uwu-OraRIl-mXGnxsncMGcpTkHZjqW7PQqdLlQRTBnSLJMtFzo1VPswAWoqNtLJKu7OZQSeN6BzlRWlH1jSRmfYSvE4RdQXPKIntwBPAeMNA0q8Bji-/s640/iphone-air-iphone-6c-concepts-that-may.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">iPhone Air, iPhone 6c</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-color: white; padding: 10px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even though the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c have only been available in stores for a few months, fans are already trying to imagine with help of concept renders and videos what the future iPhones may bring – that's exactly what the designers at SET Solution did in the iPhone Air and iPhone 6c videos that follow, via Nowhereelse.</span></div><div align="justify" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, while the renders look great and introduce some believable handset characteristics, they are not based in any way on what Apple actually has in mind for its upcoming generation of smartphones.<br /><br /><br />The imagined iPhone Air has a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, and a bigger edge-to-edge display, which are features we may very well see in the next-gen iPhone 6 model. But the iPhone Air is also tremendously thin, maybe too thin for what current mobile technology can support. We’re looking at 1.5mm thinness at the top, and just 3mm at the bottom of the phone. Moreover, with great thinness comes reduced weight as well, and this iPhone Air would weigh only 70g.<br /><br />The iPhone 6c shown in the following video has a curved screen that just looks too fragile for its own good, albeit it’s still very interesting. In this instance, “C” stands for “curve” not just “color,” and the iPhone 6c would be somewhat similar to the existing LG G Flex that was just launched in certain markets when it comes to screen curvature. However, the iPhone 6c would still have a flat back, which means the top and bottom sides would be thicker than the middle section. Then again, we’ve seen plenty of wild smartphone concepts with curved displays lately, including some designs from Samsung, a company that has also launched its first curved handset. Other iPhone 6c features would include a Touch ID sensor, an edge-to-edge display, and a variety of colors for the plastic case.</span></div>

iPhone Air, iPhone 6c concepts that may never be

iPhone Air, iPhone 6c Even though the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c have only been available in stores for a few months, fans are already tryi...

Read more »

IFTTT now lets iOS users automate their location

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">IFTTT (If This Then That) is a handy online service capable of connecting various apps and devices together and running automated tasks (or "recipes") that you'd normally find mundane and time-wasting. It's been around for a couple years and has built up a strong network of different services ranging from social networks like Instagram and Twitter to cloud services like Dropbox and Box.net, and plenty of stuff in between. One thing that's been missing, however, is the ability to automate your location; fortunately, IFTTT is introducing the iOS Location Channel to fill that void (well, for iOS devices anyway).</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The new channel leverages location information from your GPS, cellular, WiFi or iBeacon data and uses it as a "trigger" -- something that initiates an automated action. For example, you can instruct IFTTT to send a text message to your loved ones as you're arriving at your destination, or get an email when one of your Foursquare friends checks in somewhere near your apartment. If you use a Philips Hue, have it do a crazy light show to announce your upcoming arrival. There are plenty more ideas where those came from, but you'll have to go take a look at IFTTT's full listing of services and come up with a few clever recipes of your own as well.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="source"><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://ifttt.com/ios_location" target="_blank">IFTTT</a></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="source">Via : <i><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/12/ifttt-ios-location-channel/?ncid=rss_truncated">Engadget </a></i></span><i><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/12/ifttt-ios-location-channel/?ncid=rss_truncated"> </a></i></span></span>

IFTTT now lets iOS users automate their location

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a handy online service capable of connecting various apps and devices together and running automated tasks (o...

Read more »

Griffin Survivor / OtterBox Defender for iPad Air, mini & Kindle Fire HDX

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMxD3_z0y47UCW6Os7RAT6HwO9I1yg20CuH85TnHOz7uqYWga9eNi1ZAKQdLOg-1d-10FVDUwcM8fXknTKGt5dj0E0jGsScCxpnCMvNu3lVfgJ-NvOZeQkeFacAuWeFoTLiEExvvlYcU/s1600/griffin1-620x465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMxD3_z0y47UCW6Os7RAT6HwO9I1yg20CuH85TnHOz7uqYWga9eNi1ZAKQdLOg-1d-10FVDUwcM8fXknTKGt5dj0E0jGsScCxpnCMvNu3lVfgJ-NvOZeQkeFacAuWeFoTLiEExvvlYcU/s320/griffin1-620x465.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Griffin Survivor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I absolutely loved this case. It's got excellent screen and bezel clearance, and what I think is an ideal mix of rigid polycarbonate housing combined with a very ample amount of silicone rubber.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used the Survivor for iPad Air for about a week, and although this is without question one of the heaviest, shock and impact-resistant cases you can buy on the market, it didn't feel like I was holding a brick.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The polycarbonate and the silicone rubber seems to organically "merge" together, particularly in the way the tablet itself gets encased.</span></div><div class="relatedContent alignRight" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 228, 233); border-bottom-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 228, 233); border-top-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px; color: #252525; display: table; float: right; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 5px 0px 15px 20px; max-width: 220px; padding: 15px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto;"><h3 style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></h3></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Both rubber and polycarbonate is shaved off in appropriate spots so the case has sort of a sculpted look, while at the same time removing excess material and lowering the weight as much as possible and still being highly protective, particularly on the corners. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like many other hardcases on the market, it integrates a permanent (transparent) screen protector. And rather than going for a shock cover with integrated easel/stand like the OtterBox Defender, it includes a clip-on, lightweight stand/easel for propping the device up to watch videos and other content.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />The Survivor is also the only hardcase i've seen that allows you to seal every single one of the ports so as to maximize dust and liquid protection. This includes the rear camera window, which can be opened and closed with a silicone rubber and polycarbonate flap.I found this accessory to be somewhat difficult to snap on and Griffin's design is also very modern and attractive looking, especially if you are using one of the six different color combinations, which are matched to Apple's native animated wallpapers in iOS 7.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Via:<a href="http://www.zdnet.com/ipad-air-heavy-case-showdown-griffin-survivor-vs-otterbox-defender-7000024035/"> ZDNet</a></span></i></div>

Griffin Survivor / OtterBox Defender for iPad Air, mini & Kindle Fire HDX

Griffin Survivor I absolutely loved this case. It's got excellent screen and bezel clearance, and what I think is an ideal mix of rigid ...

Read more »

iPad Mini Retina still not in carrier stores

<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The newest iPad Mini with Wi-Fi and cellular capability (3G/4G) has yet to reach carrier stores in the US, pointing to Apple's tight control of supply.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Verizon shows the iPad Mini with Retina Display back ordered until December 16, as of Friday morning Pacific time, while AT&T is still showing 21-28 days when the device is ordered online.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Neither carrier, when contacted by CNET, could provide information about when the iPad MiniRetina would reach its stores.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsNIP0gNwB51lS5Luu_CRdk_6XGm74ruCTt6IYKhz9qgEsH87P9fCRmlNYx_nc_a7GW-zAVDEfPDt59ZYTRrRscXJldk27E52oQImSsv0PSwbXFTFSmfG8NnHXoSb2Hjlfyze17yx1oB3/s1600/ipad-mini-retina-lake-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsNIP0gNwB51lS5Luu_CRdk_6XGm74ruCTt6IYKhz9qgEsH87P9fCRmlNYx_nc_a7GW-zAVDEfPDt59ZYTRrRscXJldk27E52oQImSsv0PSwbXFTFSmfG8NnHXoSb2Hjlfyze17yx1oB3/s1600/ipad-mini-retina-lake-small.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.59375px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">iPad Mini Retina</span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.t-mobile.com/internet-devices/apple-ipad-mini-with-retina-display.html" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">T-Mobile's Web page for the iPad Mini Retina</a> is showing, as of Friday, that the tablet will be "available for shipment soon," but no target date is given.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, the availability of all iPad Mini Retina models -- both Wi-Fi-only and cellular versions -- on Apple's store page has improved somewhat: availability is now <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/buy-ipad/ipad-mini-retina" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5-7 days</a>, a slight improvement over the 5-10 days that the company had been showing last week.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cellular models of the iPad Mini Retina are also available for walk-in purchase at many Apple stores across the US, despite the fact that this is not possible at Verizon and AT&T.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apple's CEO Tim Cook was cautious about supply of the Mini Retina during Apple's fourth-quarter earnings conference call.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's unclear whether we'll have enough for the quarter or not," Cook said.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rhoda Alexander, director of Tablet and Monitor Research at IHS iSuppli, points to initial "production problems" as the reason for Apple's tight control over supply of the tablet.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Even though they were able to ramp up more quickly than anticipated in November and December it still takes a while to get those products out," said Alexander. "So, they're managing the rollout very carefully."</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The availability of the iPad Mini Retina cellular models contrasts with the iPad Air sales launch. When Apple started selling the iPad Air on November 1, it was available at Verizon, AT&T, and other carriers on the same day. Currently, carrier outlets like Verizon and AT&T typically have the Air at stores.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new iPad Mini sports a 2,048x1,536-resolution display that boasts 326 pixels per inch -- one of the highest of any tablet to date. Analysts believe the display has been a challenge to make in the large volumes that Apple demands.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source : <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57614734-37/apples-tight-grip-ipad-mini-retina-still-not-in-carrier-stores/">CNET</a></span></i></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.984375px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Image : <span style="line-height: 13.59375px;"> Apple</span></i></span></div>

iPad Mini Retina still not in carrier stores

The newest iPad Mini with Wi-Fi and cellular capability (3G/4G) has yet to reach carrier stores in the US, pointing to Apple's tight con...

Read more »

Nokia Lumia 2520 is OK , Apple iPad is KO especially price

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BM6jUvq6sHOq9ys33wsxc51XEJPydXbn7dTHTEzXq5GZfyjGv3TT5kwyXVk_lbg0ISnkjPkKX6EfXaSNLJTmuEaZRQmpgyofPNBnkqlaLVTELgbi2GuZxYcsEpT_0EO5KavaDLwzExbi/s1600/lumia2520-200x100.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BM6jUvq6sHOq9ys33wsxc51XEJPydXbn7dTHTEzXq5GZfyjGv3TT5kwyXVk_lbg0ISnkjPkKX6EfXaSNLJTmuEaZRQmpgyofPNBnkqlaLVTELgbi2GuZxYcsEpT_0EO5KavaDLwzExbi/s1600/lumia2520-200x100.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A <a href="http://www.nokia.com/us-en/phones/tablet/lumia2520" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nokia Lumia 2520</a> eval unit arrived the day before Thanksgiving and two days later I am venturing out to purchase my own Lumia 2520 while my 3rd generation LTE iPad goes up for sale.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A couple weeks ago I bought an Apple iPad Air after Kevin convinced me to go look at one on <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/google-nexus-5-and-kitkat-ipad-air-pebble-and-lg-g-pad-8-3-mobiletechroundup-show-309-7000023024/" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MobileTechRoundup show #309</a>. It wasn't enough of an upgrade over my existing 3rd generation to justify the $900 (I bought a $829 64GB model with tax) and I returned it two days later.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To be honest, I am a bit surprised there isn't more support for the Nokia Lumia 2520 when it is priced $230 less than the comparable iPad. There is even more value when you add in a microSD card for a third of what Apple charges to increase storage capacity. Nokia has a keyboard offer until this weekend too so that is another $149 savings, making the Lumia 2520 a great deal at $500 with no contract.</span></div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Given the large cost savings of at least $230, really about $300 when you add in a 32GB microSD and compare directly to the 64GB LTE iPad Air, and the free $149 keyboard/battery offer it is an easy decision to switch to the Lumia 2520 given my usage needs. My only decision now is whether I purchase a Verizon or AT&T model.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source  : <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/apple-ipad-is-out-nokia-lumia-2520-is-in-especially-at-a-savings-of-more-than-230-7000023769/">ZDNet</a></span></i></span>

Nokia Lumia 2520 is OK , Apple iPad is KO especially price

A  Nokia Lumia 2520  eval unit arrived the day before Thanksgiving and two days later I am venturing out to purchase my own Lumia 2520 while...

Read more »

The iPad Sale Apple Needs for Black Friday

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://g.foolcdn.com/editorial/images/86680/10215082243_3ef194a0f6_z1_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://g.foolcdn.com/editorial/images/86680/10215082243_3ef194a0f6_z1_large.jpg" /></a> </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <b>Apple</b> (<span class="ticker">NASDAQ: <a class="qsAdd qs-source-isssitthv0000001" data-id="202686" href="http://caps.fool.com/Ticker/AAPL.aspx">AAPL</a></span> <a class="addToWatchListIcon qsAdd qs-source-iwlsitbut0000010" href="http://my.fool.com/watchlist/add?ticker=AAPL" title="Add AAPL to My Watchlist"> </a>) Store is not known for discounts, opting instead to attract shoppers with a combination of compelling merchandise and superior customer service. Black Friday is the only day of the year that you can count on seeing markdowns at the Apple Store. Even then, the deals never match up to the doorbusters offered at other retailers.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="image small"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Apple still hasn't revealed its Black Friday plans for 2013, but when it does, I hope to see a meaningful discount for the new iPad Air. By doing so, it can neutralize a potential sales headwind: low supply of the (also new) iPad Mini Retina.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Apple's Black Friday "problem"</b>Apple has a problem coming into Black Friday. It just released the iPad Mini Retina, which is sure to be in high demand, but Apple does not have much supply available yet. (All things considered, it's a good problem to have!)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="image small"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img alt="" src="http://g.foolcdn.com/editorial/images/86680/ipad-mini-retina_large.JPG" /></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="caption"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The iPad Mini with Retina Display. Photo: Apple.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">While Apple's inventory is a closely guarded secret, it's still possible to gather "clues" from the supply chain and from retail outlets. For example, Rhoda Alexander, an analyst for IHS iSuppli, found that Apple will be able to ship <a href="http://www.isuppli.com/Display-Materials-and-Systems/News/Pages/Shipments-of-New-iPad-Mini-to-Fall-Far-Short-of-Demand-in-Q4-due-to-Display-Supply-Constraints.aspx">less than 4 million units</a> of the new iPad Mini this quarter. By contrast, Apple shipped 8.9 million iPad Minis in last year's December quarter -- and still could not fully meet customer demand!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Meanwhile, Brian White of Cantor Fitzgerald surveyed Apple Stores last week, and found that most iPad Mini Retina configurations were unavailable for in-store pickup at most locations. Cellular-enabled models seem particularly hard to come by, with lead times piling up at the major wireless carriers.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This creates a risk that throngs of customers will come to Apple Stores on Black Friday hoping for an iPad Mini Retina, only to find that the stores are out of stock. There's not much Apple can do to boost availability of the iPad Mini Retina next week, but it could try to "upsell" customers to the iPad Air.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Similar hardware, different price</b>Whereas the first-generation iPad Mini was essentially a shrunken iPad 2 in a much sleeker form, this year the iPad Air and iPad Mini Retina are virtually identical, except for size. The iPad Air provides approximately 50% more screen "real estate," and costs an extra $100.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="image small"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img alt="" src="http://g.foolcdn.com/editorial/images/86680/ipad-air_large.JPG" /></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="caption"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The iPad Air. Photo: Apple.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Some customers will prefer the Air's larger screen size, while those who are particularly focused on portability may prefer the smaller form factor of the Mini. However, in between, there will almost certainly be a large group of potential customers who are more or less indifferent about screen size. These individuals are likely to gravitate toward the Mini because of its cheaper price tag.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Apple's goal on Black Friday should be to sell as many iPads as possible. Since the iPad Mini Retina will be in <i>very</i> short supply, Apple should promote the iPad Air as an alternative. Dropping the iPad Air price would help lure customers who were looking for an iPad Mini Retina mainly due to its lower cost.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Getting to within $50</b>Last year, Apple offered $41 off the fourth-generation iPad on Black Friday. That put the base model price at $458, which is $59 more than this year's base price for the iPad Mini Retina. I would like to see Apple get the iPad Air starting price down to $449 or less for Black Friday. Offering a 50% larger screen for just $50 extra should be a compelling enough value proposition to entice some would-be iPad Mini Retina buyers to buy an iPad Air instead.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Apple can afford to do this insofar as the iPad Air is actually cheaper to build than previous full-size iPads. Furthermore, since the biggest difference between the iPad Air and the iPad Mini Retina is the screen size, it's likely that the difference in production cost is actually less than $50. Thus, Apple would make more money selling an iPad Air for $449 than selling a full-price iPad Mini Retina.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>A potential hitch</b>There's one potential hitch that would undermine this plan: insufficient supply of the iPad Air. While the iPad Air was in relatively plentiful supply at launch, lead times have been expanding. As of Thursday, Apple's online store was reporting a five to seven day shipping time frame for all iPad Air configurations.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It could be that Apple is holding back inventory in order to make sure it has enough product to sell in stores on Black Friday and thereafter. However, if a real iPad Air shortage is developing, it would not make sense to sell the product at a discount and then run out of stock.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Foolish takeaway</b>Apple has a good chance to deliver a blowout holiday quarter, primarily on the back of strong iPad demand. One of the few significant threats to growth for the iPad product line is low supply of the iPad Mini Retina. If many potential iPad Mini Retina purchasers want to buy it as a holiday gift, they will just find something else if it's not available.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A significant iPad Air sale for Black Friday could mitigate this risk by convincing people who came to the Apple Store looking for the iPad Mini Retina to go with the iPad Air instead. This would give Apple the ability to boost December quarter iPad sales well beyond the market's expectations.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="sfr" id="pitch"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Interested in the next tech revolution?</b>Then you'll need to learn about the radical technology shift some say forced the mighty Bill Gates into a premature retirement. Meanwhile, early in-the-know investors are already getting filthy rich off of it... by quietly investing in the three companies that control its fortune-making future. You've likely heard of one of them, but you've probably never heard of the other two... to find out what they are, click here to watch this shocking video presentation!</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div id="pitcherPitch"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>The Next Industry to Crumble...</b></span> <br />Imagine owning Amazon.com (up over an insane 4,000% since 2001) when Internet sales rendered big-box retailers obsolete... Now an industry 99% of us use daily is set to implode... And 3 established companies are perfectly positioned to take advantage of this game-changing economic shift. Enter your email address below to find out how YOU can take advantage!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Via: <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/11/23/the-ipad-sale-apple-needs-for-black-friday.aspx"> FOOL</a></i></span>

The iPad Sale Apple Needs for Black Friday

  The Apple ( NASDAQ: AAPL     ) Store is not known for discounts, opting instead to attract shoppers with a combination of compelling ...

Read more »

[ How to ] Block Calls, Messages & Texts in iOS 7

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-AgZudt5nfqIHmxEswvEXq56WuEeLa4_8jKviy1MYukGBzODe06mhDuHuzEyRYkaqJm6fcJ3rPt76zL2i4mIuBFrBIawQJ1CHC0g0gCOGjIpr0ZvRA8ZJxWTb-C1sy194QbGrgfL1j6v/s400/block-ios-7-+calls.png" width="400" /></span></div><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Blocking phone calls, numbers or messages is amount the standard feature in the modern Smartphone. Let us face the truth that there are many people from whom we just don't want to hear from.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 3px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">So it is very baffling that the Cupertino company has not allowed blocking of text messages and calls into its brand new & completely redesigned Apple iOS 7 firmware.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">iOS 7 Block Option & How to use it</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So in the new iOS 7 you can easily block unrelenting exes, irritating friends, spammers, as well as telemarketers. Here is the method using which you can block iMessages, calls and texts in iOS 7.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 3px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1z6wAeCuILlkfjHIWMuZMT2bRWF9_Yzh6mUyffePqhDRPBu01JCO4FDINx8JD4WzvzUCjV3vN-b4wYJoVHDhpwEfxWDDC7wJCeHmj0NFJR_zb2bWusK5AcJB-T6YA_mHCNFsijC9_yal/s1600/Block-Calls-iOS-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1z6wAeCuILlkfjHIWMuZMT2bRWF9_Yzh6mUyffePqhDRPBu01JCO4FDINx8JD4WzvzUCjV3vN-b4wYJoVHDhpwEfxWDDC7wJCeHmj0NFJR_zb2bWusK5AcJB-T6YA_mHCNFsijC9_yal/s1600/Block-Calls-iOS-7.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The process is a lot similar to blocking calls on iOS. You just need to go to Settings and then Phone/Facetime and select Blocked option under it and start adding unwanted contacts in your block list. Again the block list is applicable to text messages, calls, iMessages as well as FaceTime calls. This means that even if you want to bock messages from a contact, you will also be blocking his calls too. At present there is no particular way to block only calls or messages.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><h3 style="font-size: 18px; margin: 12px 0px 5px; text-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 1px 1px 1px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How to Block Text Messages in iOS 7?</span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01gwsPjKtKeSppKUMG2_FVQqWsUhLMJHzGk6ipQhYRLuFi231RjYeiovKfX4SCMdfroKd5AOizr1G3h9XmcWiVdf3rA1t3hQNIF9K0j_U6E2K71BDch0EhwawdmroutOBtkJUXyaaPMBl/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01gwsPjKtKeSppKUMG2_FVQqWsUhLMJHzGk6ipQhYRLuFi231RjYeiovKfX4SCMdfroKd5AOizr1G3h9XmcWiVdf3rA1t3hQNIF9K0j_U6E2K71BDch0EhwawdmroutOBtkJUXyaaPMBl/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you intend to block text on iOS 7, you simply need to go to Settings> Messages and then select Blocked. When you tap the Blocked option, you will be taken to a list of contacts that are blocked. There you need to select the “Add New” option to add another contact to the blocking list. And that is all. You must keep in mind that the block list is totally universal meaning that after you have added a contact, they will not be able to contact you in any way.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><h3 style="font-size: 18px; margin: 12px 0px 5px; text-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 1px 1px 1px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How to Block Unknown Numbers in iOS 7?</span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehL0cLGgtkgYz44w5vuof8w3NIG9N-1_JiWLAnMPadtqbidP4s4PNuRzugz2HkvmkgQNltXtySti5ZO-N1V_g9BC7Ex7SlzFSytVYIwToGmmvQwDoabEu8Xug2hJ69LaCZredJO9SVsXu/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehL0cLGgtkgYz44w5vuof8w3NIG9N-1_JiWLAnMPadtqbidP4s4PNuRzugz2HkvmkgQNltXtySti5ZO-N1V_g9BC7Ex7SlzFSytVYIwToGmmvQwDoabEu8Xug2hJ69LaCZredJO9SVsXu/s1600/2.png" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now the question arises that what if you want to block a number that is not a contact saved on your phone. The process is also almost same. To block any number that you have recently came across, you need to go to Contacts and then select the recent option. There you are going to see an “I” symbol that is located on right next to contacts name. Tap the “I” symbol next to the contact whom you want to block and then scroll down and you are going to find “Block This Caller”. All you need to do is to select that and it is done.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;">To block any number who has just messaged you, you need to go to Message application, track down the contact, tap on the conversation, and you will see the contact button present on the top right corner. There you will see the same “I” button, tap on it, scroll down, and the select </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;">the Block</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"> This Caller option.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><h3 style="font-size: 18px; margin: 12px 0px 5px; text-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 1px 1px 1px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How to Unblock a Blocked Person in iOS 7?</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you want to unblock a person, that is very easy just like blocking any number. You just need to go to Settings and select any of the Messages, Phone or Facetime option and scroll down to select Blocked option. Then you will be able to see the official blocked list. To unblock, simply swipe it to left on the name and a red button is going to appear.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8GylY4s2LYAsmjurvaejRBoppUJSXM2WnDFfsahTmmCeTb0YYk5UkkXeG12s5ApWAFVlGAxQ8vvucpNRi_iOYB3rhwCVjl3IDhwBwzclqT-o607e2wOQP4mW14jgsXKaOr_askua7mNS/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8GylY4s2LYAsmjurvaejRBoppUJSXM2WnDFfsahTmmCeTb0YYk5UkkXeG12s5ApWAFVlGAxQ8vvucpNRi_iOYB3rhwCVjl3IDhwBwzclqT-o607e2wOQP4mW14jgsXKaOr_askua7mNS/s1600/3.png" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>

[ How to ] Block Calls, Messages & Texts in iOS 7

Blocking phone calls, numbers or messages is amount the standard feature in the modern Smartphone. Let us face the truth that there are many...

Read more »

Tablet buying guide 2013: How to pick the right tablet

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/nexus7-100047866-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="387" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/nexus7-100047866-large.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" width="580" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You might be looking to snag a tablet for yourself or for your loved one. But before you venture out to a brick and mortar store or get lost scouring for websites and looking for deals, take a step back. Like everything else in life, tablet shopping is easier if you have a plan.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are so many tablet options available, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the possible criteria. You’ll have to consider size and weight, how long the battery lasts, and which platform offers the apps and services you use the most. Let us help you with our guide on what to look for when you’re in the market for a tablet, and what to avoid so that you don’t needlessly spend money on something that turns out to be a dud.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be sure to check up our updated list of the best tablets out on the market right now for specific recommendations.</span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Choose a platform</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most tablets will let you do common tasks like read books, browse the Web, play music and games, or watch movies and videos. But not all of the platform ecosystems are built the same.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the easiest ways to consider which platform best suits you is by looking at the devices you already have. For instance, do you have an iPhone that hooks up to a MacBook or a massive iTunes media library? Then you might want consider the iPad to help seal the circle and keep things easily synced across devices. Or, maybe you’re platform agnostic and wouldn’t mind a tablet with a bit more malleability? Google’s Android-powered <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2045357/review-the-new-nexus-7-is-the-best-7-inch-tablet-that-money-can-buy.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #25a7d7; text-decoration: none;">Nexus 7</a>is a worthy choice. Alternatively, if you’re a member of Amazon Prime and find yourself pooling money into the site on a constant basis, then consider hooking yourself into its vast array of movies and e-books by bringing home a 7- or <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2061148/kindle-fire-hdx-8-9-review-unapologetically-content-driven.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #25a7d7; text-decoration: none;">8-inch Kindle Fire HDX</a>.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><figure class=" large" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #999999; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite its narrow body, the second-generation Nexus 7 fits in the palm of your hand.</span></figcaption></figure><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bear in mind that not all Android tablets are created equal: many of them either run older versions of Android or the manufacturer will offer up their own version with a customized interface that requires its own learning curve. Companies like Samsung and LG are notorious for this, and they package up the devices with their own bundle of applications—many of which you can’t remove.</span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What will you use it for?</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those of you aching to be productive with a tablet that’s easier on your back than a laptop might want to pay mind to <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2058526/surface-2-review-cautious-upgrades-dont-help-a-tablet-in-desperate-need-of-relevance.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #25a7d7; text-decoration: none;">Microsoft’s Surface 2</a>, which uses a touch-friendly version of Windows 8.1. However, you’ll have less of an “entertainment tablet” experience with the absence of the some apps and games that are popular on other platforms. The <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2060783/ipad-air-review-the-best-tablet-gets-better.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #25a7d7; text-decoration: none;">iPad Air</a> is also good for this reason as Apple offers its iWork productivity suite for tablet users, in addition to iCloud, which works with both your Mac and iPhone as well as your browser.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><figure class=" large" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><img alt="" height="387" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/surface2-100066520-large.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" width="580" /><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #999999; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking to be productive? Microsoft’s Surface 2 is built for that, along with its prime selection of work-centric apps.</span></figcaption></figure><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you’re e-book and movie crazy, any modern device will do, especially since Hulu, Netflix, and the official Amazon Kindle app are available on almost every device.</span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go big? Stay small?</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After you’ve determined which ecosystem to stick with, you’ll have to pick a size. Tablets come in several sizes, beginning with 7-inch screens and getting as big as 10.1 inches. It’s useful to think of it as two size categories: “big” tablets over 9 inches, and “small” tablets in the 7 to 8-inch range.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><figure class=" large" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><img alt="iPad Air" height="387" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/11/ipadair-bench-faceup-100067202-large.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" width="580" /><small class="credit" style="background-image: url(http://zapt5.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: block; float: left; font-size: 9px; margin-top: -16px; padding: 1px 3px 2px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PHOTO: MICHAEL HOMNICK</span></small><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #999999; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></figcaption></figure><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Smaller tablets travel better because they’re lighter and more compact, but you’ll also have to consider how the device fits in with the rest of your stuff. For example, the full-size iPad Air will take up almost as much space in your bag as an 11-inch MacBook Air.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The tablet size will also affect how it feels to hold the device. Devices like the second-generation Nexus 7 are comfortable to hold with one hand, but if you like to read, you’ll have a better grip on a rocky transit ride with the shorter 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX. Of course, tablet size also determines the display size, which brings us to our next criteria…</span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Resolution matters</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember that the bigger the tablet, the bigger the screen size, and the heavier the weight. If multitasking is your main concern and you want a tablet for both productivity and entertainment, a larger screen-size will make everything look better and give you more space to work with, but you’ll be carrying more weight around.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><figure class=" large" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><img alt="" height="387" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/10/kindlehdxvsnexus7_8-100057807-large.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" width="580" /><small class="credit" style="background-image: url(http://zapt5.staticworld.net/images/furniture/techhive/backgroundwhite70.png); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: block; float: left; font-size: 9px; margin-top: -16px; padding: 1px 3px 2px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PHOTO: MICHAEL HOMNICK</span></small><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #999999; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></figcaption></figure><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A really high-res display like the Retina display in the latest iPad mini from Apple, makes text look crisp and reduces fatigue when reading for long periods. For watching videos and movies or for a tablet that will entertain the kids, it’s more important that the screen be large than especially hi-res.</span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Processor performance</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may not be concerned with having the latest processor—you may not even be familiar with which tablet processors are new and fast and which are old and slow. But going with an older tablet because of its low price point may end up costing you in the long run. As apps and games are updated, they’ll require more hardware resources, thus making them incompatible with the hardware you have inside your tablet.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The current processor landscape looks like this: quad-core processors from companies like Qualcomm are all the rage these days and help make for some very speedy devices. They’re usually coupled with about 2GB of RAM and can be found in most Android devices, including Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. Nvidia hasn’t been too successful in the system-on-a-chip (SoC) wars in the last year, but the initial reviews of the Tegra Note 7 and Microsoft Surface 2 seem to suggest that a revival is on the horizon. Apple makes its own chips, and its latest, the iPad Air, features a very fast 64-bit A7 processor.</span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ports</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you’re looking for external connectivity, the Surface Pro 2 has the most to offer with both a USB 3.0 port and microHDMI to hook up to your TV. The iPad has one sole proprietary port with a selection of attachable dongles for things like SD cards and USB cameras—all sold separately—while some Android tablets come with either an HDMI or USB port, in addition to a MicroUSB port that sometimes supports Miracast, which tethers the tablet to your TV.</span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Penning with a stylus</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you like drawing, sketching, or just scratching out ideas, the Android-powered <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2050350/galaxy-note-10-1-review-it-takes-more-than-high-end-specs-to-make-a-great-tablet.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #25a7d7; text-decoration: none;">Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition</a> comes with its own dockable stylus called the S-Pen. It features a button you can press with your index finger to bring up additional apps to help you get all of it out on virtual paper. Many Windows 8-based tablets also come with styluses to enable you to take advantage of the built-in digitizer, like the Surface Pro 2, which features Wacom tablet technology.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><figure class=" large" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><img alt="" height="387" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/09/galaxytab_8-100056122-large.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" width="580" /><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #999999; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></figcaption></figure><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you’re really keen on the iPad though, you could always look at the vast array of third-party styluses, but the iPad’s capacitive screen is not really optimized for stylus input.</span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Buying a tablet for everyone</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s likely that the tablet you’re considering isn’t just going to be used by you, but by other members of your family, too. Apple’s iPad only offers password-protected restrictions, while both the Kindle Fire HDX and <a href="http://www.techhive.com/article/2018541/review-barnes-and-noble-nook-hd-is-the-best-value-in-a-large-tablet-if-you-can-live-within-its-limi.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #25a7d7; text-decoration: none;">Nook HD+</a> offer special kid-friendly modes. Amazon calls its feature FreeTime, which lets you control your child’s access to content on the device; the Nook offers up to six password-protected profiles with parental controls. Windows 8.1 allows you to set up multiple accounts and set restrictions on them, too.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Android features a better implementation for multi-user accounts by offering restricted profiles in tablets running Android 4.2.2 and later. You can allow each member of your family to have their own profile complete with their own customized Home screen and apps. The restricted profile just ensures that only the main user of the device will have complete access to things like apps and system settings. You can also set it up to keep your kids from going trigger happy in the Google Play store or downloading apps with mature content.</span></div><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You’re ready to buy</span></h2><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that you’ve got your list of things to look for and money burning a hole in your pocket, it’s time to finally pick up that tablet.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First and foremost, look for any deals on tablets from your favorite stores. Some previous-generation models may be offered for less, but consider whether their aging processors will outlast the constant barrage of software and app updates. You might find clearance deals on older models of once-popular tablets, and while they’ll work fine for sending emails, reading books, and surfing the Web, the buck stops there. If that’s really your only interest, grab a device like the last-generation Nexus 7, which is currently going for $99. It won’t receive any other Android updates after the current version of KitKat, however. Also, Apple is usually better about keeping older versions of its hardware updated for as long as feasibly possible, and its refurbished iPads and iPad minis aren’t a bad idea either.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><figure class=" large" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden;"><img alt="" height="388" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/05/minitablets-rs-100036369-large.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" width="580" /><figcaption style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #999999; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></figcaption></figure><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don’t immediately run to your carrier looking for a deal on a 4G-connected tablet. Many mobile carriers will offer a tablet at a subsidized price, but tablet technology advances so fast that you’ll likely either still be paying off that tablet when the new one comes out, or get stuck on contract with something that’s in danger of becoming outdated.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 0.7em;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Via: <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2017437/the-best-tablet-for-you.html">PCWorld</a></span></i></div>

Tablet buying guide 2013: How to pick the right tablet

You might be looking to snag a tablet for yourself or for your loved one. But before you venture out to a brick and mortar store or get lost...

Read more »

Change time increments to 5 minutes on iOS 7's Calendar [How to ]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjOag-YF21mNQIa2imgcgcIJzgdn14ghLg4dbStygleRMOJUkDoS8ZhcOhi3hfSLm_2ljtqNPIDo_cEIwVHSLX3SKOdoMDmhKyR1KDtSsjluy4j1fKJZOw6hMZMzJHdAzn2bgw3_ZjMdh/s1600/Calendar_iOS_7_Increment_610x406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjOag-YF21mNQIa2imgcgcIJzgdn14ghLg4dbStygleRMOJUkDoS8ZhcOhi3hfSLm_2ljtqNPIDo_cEIwVHSLX3SKOdoMDmhKyR1KDtSsjluy4j1fKJZOw6hMZMzJHdAzn2bgw3_ZjMdh/s320/Calendar_iOS_7_Increment_610x406.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.9950008392334px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reason behind <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/apple-ios-7/" section="luke_topic" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">iOS 7</a> defaulting to minute increments for calendar appointments is beyond me. Have you ever scheduled a meeting for 8:03? I know I haven't.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.9950008392334px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In previous versions of iOS, the calendar would increment by 5 minutes, which makes a lot more sense. As it turns out, iOS 7 offers the same functionality, you just need to change a simple -- but hidden -- setting.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.9950008392334px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As <a href="http://ios.wonderhowto.com/how-to/increase-time-increments-from-1-5-minutes-ios-7-calendar-app-0149274/" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">WonderHowTo</a> pointed out, a quick double-tap on the minute column when adding an appointment will change it from 1 to 5 minutes.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.9950008392334px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadly, the change doesn't remain in place; you'll have to change the increment again the next time you add an appointment to your calendar. But in the end, you can save some scrolling time with a quick double-tap.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.9950008392334px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Image : CNET</span></i></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 19.9950008392334px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source : <a href="http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57612386-285/change-time-increments-to-5-minutes-on-ios-7s-calendar/">CNET</a></span></i></div>

Change time increments to 5 minutes on iOS 7's Calendar [How to ]

The reason behind  iOS 7  defaulting to minute increments for calendar appointments is beyond me. Have you ever scheduled a meeting for 8:03...

Read more »

Best Buy, Staples, Target price matching Walmart's $479 iPad Air deal

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3sCf_PGg85eAhPMz4uyUg46ibIn7VoL58cMiHs6-te_uYZByjkhyphenhyphenjfGnGLPT72MZ-80-thRn65u0C_Mf00zeaY2q0HwWNF_RW2B4exBKsqxnVb5BICzmdMZRsjtPtDZ1bxIl2oNWGuw/s1600/target-best-buy-walmart-apple-ipad-air-tablet-price-479-discount-620x430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3sCf_PGg85eAhPMz4uyUg46ibIn7VoL58cMiHs6-te_uYZByjkhyphenhyphenjfGnGLPT72MZ-80-thRn65u0C_Mf00zeaY2q0HwWNF_RW2B4exBKsqxnVb5BICzmdMZRsjtPtDZ1bxIl2oNWGuw/s1600/target-best-buy-walmart-apple-ipad-air-tablet-price-479-discount-620x430.jpg" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">While it was a bit of a surprise that Walmart decided to sell the brand-new iPad Air at a $20 discount (given Apple's reluctance to let retailers drop prices on its products at launch), it should come as no surprise that its competitors have decided that if they can't beat 'em, join 'em.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Target has officially dropped its price to match the $479 sticker, including online (as shown above, though it's currently unavailable). Best Buy, on the other hand, still lists the new iPad at Apple's original $499 price, but apparently will price match the other deals if you show proof of the discount (which shouldn't be that hard to do). Staples is also offering the iPad Air at $479, including online.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The price drop no doubt eliminates most of whatever margin non-Apple retailers would keep from the iPad sales, but the stores hope that they can make that difference up by selling cases and other accessories and high-margin protection plans (as shown above, Target is offering a $119 service plan).</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Despite earlier reports to the contrary, Apple is apparently not price matching these discounts at its stores. There are also no discounts on other iPad Air configurations beyond the 16GB Wi-Fi base model.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Will the $20 discount entice you to buy the new iPad Air at Walmart, Target or other stores instead of through Apple? Let us know in the Talkback section below.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Via: <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/best-buy-staples-target-price-matching-walmarts-479-ipad-air-deal-7000022743/">ZDNet</a></i></div>

Best Buy, Staples, Target price matching Walmart's $479 iPad Air deal

While it was a bit of a surprise that Walmart decided to sell the brand-new iPad Air at a $20 discount (given Apple's reluctance to let ...

Read more »