Sony Announces Xperia Z: A Waterproof Galaxy S3 Killer

January 9, 2013 By ishayat 2 Comments

Sony’s new flagship Android device is here! The company introduced its latest Xperia device at Sony’s CES press conference yesterday. Taking a look at the feature, it can surely be termed as a rival to Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5. The new smartphone comes with some incredible features like 1080p reality display, 13-megapixel camera and is water-resistant. It’s not really a phone that you can take with you when you are swimming but it surely is going to survive if you spill a bottle of water on it.

5-inch Screen and 13-MP Camera

The big 5-inch screen is capable of showing full-1080p “reality” display. The smartphone also features a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor to provide smooth Jelly Bean performance and a 13-megapixel camera packed with Sony’s latest Exmor RS sensor. Sony used their Exmor RS sensor for the first time in a smartphone and we are expecting to see improved low-light performance. The front-facing camera also comes with Exmor R sensor.

Once you are done recording or capturing pictures, you can see them in its 5-inch TFT Reality Display that packs the Bravia Mobile Engine 2 for augmenting colors and contrast on the clips. So, if you are thinking about watching movies or your recorded video clips, you are going to love the sharp display at 443 ppi. And the best thing here is, the smartphone is only 7.9 millimeters thick.

Sony UI

The latest flagship device by Sony features a lightweight Sony UI. All the ugly widget animations we saw before in previous Xperia devices are now slightly better and the company is not even going to name the UI.

Battery Life

Sony didn’t reveal much about the smartphone’s battery life in the press conference but there is a feature to improve its standby time called “stamina” mode. This mode can automatically shut down all your battery-draining apps and can also bring them back when you turn on your screen. When the mode is active, the standard calling feature and SMS is the only thing that will work.

Operating System and Other Features

The smartphone will be packed with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (not the upcoming Android 4.2 version). However, the company will offer upgrades to 4.2 later. It also features 2GB RAM and the latest NFC (near-field communication) technology. Using the near-field communication technology, users will be able to send music to speaker, share audio or video files with other NFC supported devices and much more.

Summary of features:

1.5 GHz quad-core processor
1080p HD 5-inch display
HDR Video recording
OS: Android 4.1
13.1MP main camera, 2.2MP front-facing camera
4G/LTE
2GB RAM
NFC
Water and dust resistant
Dimensions: 139 x 71 x 7.9mm
Up to 16GB Memory; expandable up to 32GB

Availability

We still don’t have any specific U.S. release date or any data about carrier or price yet. But we do know that Sony is thinking about a global launch in the first quarter of 2013. Looks like we have to wait for a rumor, leaked specs or the global launch to know more about the device.

Analysts Say Apple Is Stronger Than Ever With China Sales

December 28, 2012 By Guest Author Leave a Comment

If there’s any doubt about the fact that Apple’s latest iPhone is something to watch out for then clearly we haven’t heard the analysts speak. Just a few months after the successful release of the iPhone 5 in the United States, Apple ventured into the world by releasing the iPhone 5 in about 50 countries including Albania, Malaysia, Taiwan, Turkey and Venezuela. But the most notable release the American tech giant has had abroad was in China and the numbers say there is no denying that.

Two Million iPhones and Counting

Just three days after the December 14 release of the iPhone 5 in China, the Cupertino-based tech company announced that they were able to sell 2 million units, a feat that CEO Tim Cook described as “incredible” and “the best first weekend sales ever in China.” Such was the iPhone 5 phenomenon in China that, weeks before the release, China Unicom, Apple’s partner carrier in China, reported 300,000 reservations for the said iPhone. And while reports say there were less stellar crowds at the Apple Store on opening day, analysts say the iPhone 5’s first few days on China’s shores still showed strong signs of growth.

The Expert’s Take

After selling 5 million units in three days in the United States, the tech giant suffered a shocking plunge in stocks which was credited to the slow shipping of iPhone 5 supplies, easily scratched back panels, Maps app failures and management shakeups. But a lot of analysts who looked into the China sales feat thought that this was exactly what Apple needed to climb back on top. Analysts from Atlantic Equities believe that the 2 million mark could help the American tech giant bring back investor trust. People at Barclay’s also agree that the China sales report was a good start to easing the worries investors may be having as of late.

ISI, meanwhile, reported that Apple’s iPhone 5 success in China was a “strong launch” especially since the 3G subscriber market in the said country is very limited. Some analysts like those from RBS thought that it was notable how the tech company managed to get a fair share of the Chinese smartphone market even without the help of China Mobile’s 700 million subscribers as well as their 75.6 million 3G customers. Piper Jaffray’s analysts also believe that the demand for the iPhone remains strong despite all the troubles the company went through in the past quarters.

Is Bigger and Tougher Going to Cut It for Apple?

It is not very surprising that the tech giant is beginning to toughen up their marketing strategies by going global. Just this month, the tech giant managed to launch the iPhone 5 in 50 countries. Reports say the company is on its way to launching the premiere smartphone in more than 100 countries by the end of this year. And while this bold attempt is pushing analysts to the edge of their seats, iPhone addicts are clearly becoming more excited about what’s in store for them, no matter where they are in the world.

Author Byline: Twila B. is a writer, a multimedia enthusiast, a blogger and an iPhone addict. She’s currently a news writer for Cashforiphones.com and has written hundreds of articles since 2010. Check out her writings at Cashforiphones.com/cfi/news!

How Does Gadget Recycling Work

December 24, 2012 By Guest Author Leave a Comment

More and more new versions of the current phones that are being sold in the market today are going to be released soon, whether you like it or not. The only thing that is left for you to do is to decide whether or not you would want to get a hold of these things just like the other consumers, or if you would want to stick to the almost obsolete model that you have on hand right now. More and more people are being overly consumerist. That is, they are trying to get a hold of the most recent models right away even if the ones that they have on hand are still working perfectly and have only been recently purchased. That particular characteristic of the modern consumer is what causes quite a lot of unused mobile phones and other devices to lie around. A lot of the people are still holding on to their phones even though they are not making use of it.

Recycling 101

If you are planning to throw away your phone in the bin, you should think twice. Not only will you be throwing away something which you can still make money from, you would also be doing something that would be quite detrimental to the environment. The best thing that you can do is to have your old mobile phones recycled by the recycling companies out there. Not only will you be able to make money from the phone that you will be trading in, you would also be given the assurance that it would be disposed of properly and that it would not cause any damage to the environment.

You can check out CompareMyMobile.com and look at the amount that the different recycling companies would be willing to pay for your old mobile phones. Why is it important to visit such comparison sites? Comparison sites enable you to make a good choice about where you would like to sell the mobile phones that you want to get rid of. It is only natural for you to want to make the most of the things that you want to let go. There are quite a lot of people who do not realize how much they are losing because they are not able to research effectively about the potential value of the phones that they have.

This particular comparison website has been around for a long time already. It indexes different sites that offer mobile phone recycling services so that the members can easily check out which stores offer the greatest amount of money in exchange of their old mobile phones. It eliminates the hassle of having to look through the internet and manually comparing the prices that are being offered. This comparison site is also very useful because it allows users to look at the feedback regarding the different companies. That way, they can avoid companies that have a bad reputation among customers.

This website offers you the convenience of not having to go through all the trouble of finding all the sites by yourself and comparing the prices that they offer. That would be particularly useful if you are planning to get rid of quite a lot of mobile phones. It indexes almost forty sites so that you would not have to go to each of them one at a time. The available comparisons would let you know which among them is offering you the best deal in exchange for your old phones.

After you have decided which company you would be sending your mobile phones to, you should communicate with them closely. They will then ask you about your contact details and other pertinent information so that they would be able to send you your money.

So, what happens to mobile phones once they reach the recycling companies? The companies screen the quality of the phones and check out whether or not they are still in good working condition. Those that can be fixed are being repaired so that they can be sold to those who do not have enough money to afford the smart phones. Those that are not usable anymore are being scrapped in such a way that they will not cause any environmental degradation.

Author Bio: Coel Drysdale helps manage a leading recycling business that focuses on gadgets that is based in the UK, if you require more information visit the web site or contact him at – coel (at) comparemymobile (dot) com

Top 10 Droolworthy Tech Gifts of 2012

December 18, 2012 By ishayat Leave a Comment

Christmas is near and it is time to look at the top 10 droolworthy tech gifts of this year. All the products are presented in random order here.

iPhone 5

I am not really a big Apple fan, but when I think of droolworthy tech gifts, this is the first thing that comes in my mind, iPhone 5. Apple broke sales record with iPhone 5 by selling more than 5 million units in the first three days. The latest iPhone features a 4-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT screen, 8-megapixel camera, 1.2GHz Dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. You can grab one today for $649 (without contract)

Samsung Galaxy Camera

If you love the point and shoot feature of cell phones but want this feature in a real camera than Samsung Galaxy Camera is just what you are looking for. This Android camera features 16-megapixel camera, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, Jelly Bean operating system, 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 processor and 1650mAh battery. This cool camera is available for $500.

MacBook Pro 2012 with Retina Display/Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

If you are thinking about a luxurious tech gift, you can go for a MacBook Pro 2012 with Retina Display or Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga if you prefer Windows operating system. Apple’s MacBook Pro with Retina Display features Quad-core processor, integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 processor and a battery that can get up to 7 hours on a single charge. Apple MacBook Pro price starts from $1190. The IdeaPad Yoga is a cool 13.3-inch Ultrabook that can be used as a full laptop keyboard or a tablet with multitouch feature. The IdeaPad Yoga price starts from $999.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Samsung Galaxy Note 2, the successor of Galaxy Note made an impressive result on the market and is the latest flagship device of Samsung. This phablet offers 5.5-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 1.6 GHz Quad-core processor, 8-megapixel rear camera, Android OS 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, 3100mAh battery and S Pen stylus. It’s available for $700 (without contract).

iPad 4

Tablet is one of the hottest tech gift categories of this holiday season and the iPad 4 can be the perfect tablet holiday gift for your dear and near ones. The latest iPad features 9.70-inch IPS LCD screen, Apple A6 Dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 5-megapixel camera and comes with a price tag of $499. You can also think about purchasing iPad Mini or Google Nexus 7 if you are looking for something budget-friendly.

Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 4 Console

The Xbox 360 320GB Limited Edition Halo 4 consoles can be the best Christmas gift for Halo fans or gamers. This game shattered sale records and enjoyed a $200-million opening day. The customized console is available for $399.99 and includes two customized controllers, the Halo 4 game (Standard Edition), a 320GB hard drive, a wired headset and a token for downloading custom Halo 4 contents.

Bose Quiet Comfort 15

Bose QuietComfort 15 is known as one of the most popular noise cancelling headphones and it can be a really cool tech Xmas gift for music lovers. It’s very comfortable and comes with effective noise cancellation technology. Bose QuietComfort 15 is available for $299.

Nexus 4

Nexus 4, Google’s fourth Nexus-branded Android smartphone can be also considered as one of the most-wanted Xmas gift of this year. This cool phone offers 4.7-inch WXGA True HD IPS Plus screen, 1.5GHz Quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro with Krait processor, 8-megapixel camera, 2GB of RAM, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and 2100mAh battery to power up all these things. But the most attractive part of this device is its price tag, $349 only.

iPod Touch 5

Apple’s fifth-generation iPod Touch is more than just a music player and can be a great gift for this Christmas. You can use it as a handheld gaming console, portable media player or just a music player. The latest iPod Touch features a 4-inch LCD screen, Apple A5 Dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and 5-megapixel rear camera. You can grab one today for $299.

3M Streaming Projector

The 3M Streaming Projector is small, portable and offers ample picture quality. This small 4.3×4.2×2 inch projector comes with streaming content service feature, Roku streaming stick. Its poor battery life and loud noise of the fan can get annoying but for people who love portability, this $299 projector is surely a nice Christmas gift.

Gearing Up for Christmas Sales

December 8, 2012 By Guest Author 1 Comment

We’re coming into the Christmas season and that means tons of IT sales. The bigwigs like Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, Dell have all announced something that you can pick up this holiday season. The trend of gifting surely has changed, over the last couple of years people have migrated away from buying products like clothing and what not for close relatives and significant others and instead buy things like cell phones, tablets or even a brand new computer.

I’m not saying that the entire concept of gifting someone a sweater, watch or a savvy new dress is completely lost on us, but given how much value we give to our gadgets, it’s not surprising that most people look forward to getting a brand new gadget for Christmas. Heck, most of the people on my social media list have been talking about getting a new phone for Christmas for the last month.

Most e-commerce retailers usually work a little extra hard during the Christmas period. It’s the biggest opportunity for the year, and since the IT market in South East Asia has recently been exploding, it’s not surprising that we’re seeing the same trends with online stores in this region. Holidays have become more about spending time with family rather than running out and beating the lines to buy the latest gifts, because when you think about it, there isn’t a lot that you can’t buy online any more.

It makes sense to just stay home and shop online, doesn’t it? Online e-commerce retailers are launching some pretty heavy discount deals and Christmas goodies and sweepstakes. Malaysian online shopping giant Lazada is currently offering some unbeatable deals like offering the Samsung Galaxy SIII at 15% off, and the entire Nikon D3100 kit at 20% off! Those are some deals which you’ll find hard to find offline as well, no matter where you head out. If that wasn’t enough to rock your boat, you should know that the Sony Xperia Sola and the Haipad A13 tablet are both at 30% off.

A couple of weeks ago the Christmas war started early. Apple announced the long awaited iPhone 5 and Samsung announced the Note II. Microsoft threw out Windows 8 and the Microsoft Surface and Apple countered with the retina display on the new MacBook Pros. Toshiba, Dell and Acer announced a fresh new slew of ultrabooks and hybrid computers and it all seems set to be a fantastic face off as we close in on the end of the year. Initial reports do suggest that Android will be taking us by storm as Christmas draws closer, it seems virtually impossible for Apple to trump that. But that’s a completely different story for another time.

The holidays mean that you’re going to have relatives coming over; you’re going to be spending time with family and probably going to be making some memories. Technology has never been of better help when it comes to helping us store and share memories. Lazada’s Christmas deals on cameras have as much as 25% and 30% off on Canon and Nikon DSLRs. Christmas most definitely has come early for the photography bugs out there, you should probably grab your discounted camera while stocks last on the products, they’re probably going really fast.

Here’s what’s interesting though. Lazada MY has got an interesting concept for Christmas, they’ve got unique deals for each day of the month, you can access it on their Christmas deals page and take a look at what they’ve got planned out. It seems like every day there’s a surprise product that is at a specially discounted price, they’ve already had a sale for monitors, perfumes and Blackberries so far, the iPad is up for sale at a discount today. I’m guessing the products will get a whole lot more interesting as Christmas draws closer, it’s going to be interesting to see how this turns out.

What’s on your Christmas shopping list? What kind of product would you like to be gifted this year? Have you made any requests from anyone yet? Unfortunately I’ve already finished my quota of technology shopping for the year, so looks like I’m going to be on the giving rather than the receiving end this year!

Author Bio: Avtar Ram Singh is a technology enthusiast who covers articles on topics ranging from social media and internet technologies to consumer devices.

17 Million Gadgets in Landfill

December 6, 2012 By Guest Author Leave a Comment

According to recent research studies by CompareMyMobile.com, thirty-three percent of adult individuals in the UK choose to throw away their electronic items such as satellite navigation systems, iPhones, iPods and even games consoles without researching secondary sales channels instead of disposing of them in a secure and environment-friendly manner. This method of disposal is not responsible because these devices end up filling landfills with dangerous or toxic ingredients such as Cadmium and Lead that are used for the manufacture of batteries and visual displays but unfortunately, these adults choose to use it anyway.

The recycling industry is thriving owing to the popularity increase of technology products being used by the public that enables users to receive an average of 115 pounds for recycling gadgets that they no longer need with companies such as Mazuma, Envirofone, also Gadget Panda and Fonebank. For this reason, adults who choose to trash their devices can only be pardoned if other alternatives are not available.

Get the most for your gadget

High street companies such those technology giants like Apple or that of Carphone Warehouse. Also, they offer their own “Recycle and Reuse” programs that pay premium prices and for this reason, CompareMyMobile.com advises people to carry out extensive research on the available options before choosing a recycling offer that suits their needs. Although the independent report by CompareMyMobile.com suggests that consumers can get up to 42% more when they use sites in comparing item just to find the best deals, it is advises them to carry out research in order to avoid falling into traps of parting with their old devices in exchange for interest from one of the aforementioned high street chains. It is advisable for them to follow a few simple steps in order to ensure that they get the highest return if they decide to recycle their old gadgets.

Devices like personal music players, gaming consoles, satellite navigation systems and even smartphones are ideal for recycling and hence it is advisable for their users to collect all of them before finding an online site comparing different gadgets like that of CompareMyMobile.com that provides reselling prices.

Although some companies offer special discount coupons for stores such as Argos and instead of providing cash, it is advisable for the users of the aforementioned gadgets to use comparison sites because they generate lists of companies that offer cash values for their gadgets. In effect, they enable them to find the most reputable companies that give them peace of mind by comparing prices, ratings, and user reviews.

Selected companies usually include information that relates to whatever they include in their packages. Hence, consumers that choose them should receive their parcel bags, package all items securely, and safely before posting them back to the originating companies by using recorded or special delivery since this ensures that they are insured.

Author Bio: Coel Drysdale worked for many years in the phone industry and manages a leading gadget waste recycling business based in the UK, for more information visit the website or contact him – coel (at) comparemymobile (dot) com

Google unveils another Nexus phone, larger tablet and 3G Nexus 7

November 7, 2012 By ishayat 1 Comment

Apple has recently released the iPhone 5, a new 7-inch iPad called “iPad mini” and iPad 4 and now Google is ready to compete with Apple with a new Nexus smartphone made by LG called the Nexus 4, an iPad-sized tablet called the Nexus 10 made by Samsung and 32GB Nexus 7 with 3G option. The search engine giant rolled out these three new devices last week with the latest version of Android operating system, Jelly Bean 4.2. The company unveiled them in an official blog post as the special event was canceled as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Let’s see if these devices are really worth adding to your holiday shopping list or not.

Google Nexus 4

The Google Nexus 4 made by LG is here to replace the aging Samsung Galaxy Nexus so let’s see if the latest Nexus smartphone is offering a massive upgrade or not.

The LG Nexus 4 is actually heavier than the old Nexus smartphone at 139g while the iPhone 5 is only 112g. The new Nexus smartphone offers 9.1mm thickness while the old one was 8.94mm and the iPhone 5 is only 7.6mm. However, the iPhone 5 features only a 4-inch LED-backlit IPS screen with 326ppi and 640×1136 pixels while the Nexus 4 features a larger 4.7-inch True HD IPS Plus screen with 318ppi and 768×1280 pixels. If you compare the LG Nexus 4 with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, it’s not really a massive upgrade. But if you compare it with the iPhone 5, LG Nexus 4 is clearly the winner here.

Now it’s time to see what these devices are offering under the hood. The Nexus 4 offers a major hardware upgrade with an outstanding 1.5GHz Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB RAM. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is still capable of handling the apps released nowadays but Nexus 4’s hardware is one of the best by today’s standards. I am not comparing the LG Nexus 4 with the iPhone 5 as the old Nexus phone is still good enough to compete with the latest iPhone.

Both the Nexus devices offer a pure Android experience. However, the LG Nexus 4 will be the first smartphone to offer Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with new and upgraded features. Other notable features are: 8MB rear-camera, 1.3MP front camera, SlimPort-HDMI, Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi and a 2100mAh to power up the device. Where the latest smartphone really shines is its affordable price tag. The Google Nexus 4 will be

available in the Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, UK and US on November 13 for $299 (8GB) and $349(16GB) unlocked version.

The Nexus 10

After the huge success of Nexus 7, Google is ready to enter in the 10-inch tablet market with the Nexus 10. Apple is also ready with the new iPad 4 so let’s see if the Nexus 10 is ready to compete with the pricey iPad 4.

The Nexus 10 is Google’s first 10-inch tablet and is the second tablet in the line of Nexus tablets. As Samsung is the manufacturer behind the Nexus 10, this tablet features a different design to the previous Nexus 7 made by Asus. The iPad 4 and Nexus 10 are not available in the market yet so I am just going to compare the specs of both devices here. The Nexus 10 comes with a complete 10-inch WQXGA screen with 2560×1600 resolution and 300ppi while the iPad 4 features a 9.7-inch IPS LED screen with 2048×1536 resolution and only 264ppi. Both iPad 4 and Nexus 10 have good processor but the Nexus 10 comes with 1.7GHz processor while the processor used in the iPad is only 1.4GHz. Moreover, the Nexus 10 features 2GB RAM instead of 1GB RAM, two NFC chips, a front facing sensor with more MP and still weightsless than the iPad 4.

If you are not worried about your budget, the iPad 4 is available with three different storage options,16GB, 32GB and 64GB with optional 3G. On the other side, Google is only offering Wi-Fi versions at the moment with 16GB and 32GB storage options. The Nexus 10 is available for $399(16GB) and $499(32GB) and the iPad 4 prices start at $499 so the Nexus 10 is clearly the winner here.

3G Nexus 7

After lot of rumors and speculation, the Nexus 7 3G is finally here with bigger storage. And that’s not all; the 16GB ‘Wi-Fi only’ version is now available for only $199 and the 3G 32GB Nexus 7 will be available for $299. People who are not interested to buy the 3G version can look for the Nexus 7 32GB Wi-Fi only version in a range of retailers.

iPad Vs Surface- Is The Surface Tablet A First Real Threat To iPad?

November 5, 2012 By Medha BN 1 Comment

Apple has almost swallowed the tablet world with its iPad. iPad has all the incredible features any tablet can ever offer to its users. It gives the most incredible experience and reliability any tablet freak may ever expect. Yet, iPad is more a luxury to invest with little ability of using it for productive work. You can browse, play, use social media, network and do business with 3G/4G connectivity and indulge in fun. If this is what you are going to use an iPad then by all means you can invest in it.

The Apple’s iPad USPs are:

Universal compatibility with other ios devices.
It’s all about apps. With an awesome dev support system the huge apps market on itunes brings in quality tested apps to the end users.
No USB port or hardware connecting alternatives and hence no risk of virus infection.
The retina display of iPad kills its competitors!
Though expensive it gives value for money.

iPad is mostly suitable for content absorption and entertainment which can hardly be used for productive purpose; where as in a Surface tab absorption as well as production is highly possible. Really I even struggle to type an article on my iPad with so little space for ten fingers on the screen to move. A light key pad would come in handy any time. With a built-in CPU, Surface is a tablet computer and the real work for real working freaks is really possible!

The Microsoft’s surface USPs are:

Surface is definitely going to be a hit with people who love working on laptops over tablets (anyways working on tablet is a challenge!). It is a touch screen tablet which can be easily converted to a laptop computer making it a workaholic friend on the go.
Surface makes it easy for people who do not like to carry two devices (MacBook air and iPad).
It has USB ports for external hardware connectivity.
Fully loaded with office 2013 which I guess people would love to use.

However, the apps store does not look very attractive for the developers. Less number of quality apps may keep people wondering on the investment. The battery life may be a little disappointing factor if you really need to worry! Screen resolution is not very great either. But as for most of the first generation devices there are some loop holes (if I may call them so) for sure. But the OS Windows RT on surface tablet ought to do its bit in impressing the users.

You have a full-fledged touch screen mobile device i.e. iPhone 5 which also has bigger screen than its ancestor iPhone 4, then why invest in a tablet like iPad 3 or mini again! Macbook-Air falls in the league of lightest laptops which is bulkier as compared to surface. Ultimately the better option would be to consider buying a tablet come laptop i.e. Surface. Still better I would watch out for the surface-pro which is yet to be released! Surface Pro please take my money but limit it to $1000 or below!!!

Unless you have all the bucks to invest in a touchscreen phone, a tablet, a laptop and desktop it’s anytime a good idea to look for a device loaded with most of the hardware and software features of these devices.

Taking on and beating a company is another thing when the real question about usability, affordability, mobility or luxury arises. Which one are you planning to buy or think is a good investment?

5 Questions Answered On Which Gadget To Buy This Festive Season iPhone 5, iPad mini or Microsoft surface?

October 27, 2012 By Medha BN Leave a Comment

November and December are the months when people across globe celebrate festivals and make merry by buying electronics either for personal use or to gift to their loved ones. Since the market at present is flooded with endless goods and gadgets making a choice becomes very difficult. The brand, cost, features, operating system, usability and the purpose of buying such devices are all accountable to making the best possible decision. You have multipurpose smart phones, tablets, budget tablets, and OS specific gadgets to choose from (let’s leave laptops alone as of now!).

Here is a simple list of selected gadgets you might want to consider for your next buy followed by some guidelines on how to make your decision in the form of questions and answers:

Apple’s – iPhone 5, iPad 3 and iPad Mini
Google’s- Endless Android mobile phones and Nexus 7 Tablet
Amazon’s- Kindle Fire HD
Samsung’s- Galaxy Series Mobile Phones, Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Note
Omnia’s W Phone
Microsoft’s- Windows 8 Mobile Phones and Microsoft Surface
Motorola’s- Xoom and Razr XT910 Phone
Nokia’s- Lumia 800, E6 and 808 Pure View Phones
Acer’s- Iconia Tab
HTC’s- One X, Radar and One S Phones
LG’s- Optimus 4X HD
Sony’s- Tablet S
Xperia S and Xperia Go Phones
Black Berry’s- iberry Auxus AX02, Playbook Tablet and Bold Touch 9900
Asus’s- Eee Pad Transformer TF101G and Eee Pad Slider

You have to keep several factors in mind or else you will end up buying on of the most useless gadgets of all time. It’s time to mind map and find answers to some of the common questions, here we go.

Q1- So the first question that arises is- Who is the big-boss of them all?
Is it Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung, Microsoft, Acer, Sony or Motorola?

A- As far as I believe, there is no such big-boss or maybe there is one! But that does not really matter. The best might not be the right fit for you. Yes, I mean it. The best of them all might be offering the most aspired device but that might actually be of little use for you and your needs.

Whether you are considering buying a product from one of these companies to fulfil your professional needs or you are buying one from a brand just for fun is what matters. Your needs must be in-line with the features offered by the device and the price you are paying for the gadget. More over it must be affordable for you and so you must literally try to get more for as little money as possible when it comes to economical buy!

Hence, all the guys mentioned above have something nice to offer in the range for what you are looking for. The ball is in your court now.

Q2- Which touch screen gadget serves you the best and add value to your money?

A- First of all decide and be clear of what type of gadget you are interested in i.e. a smart phone or a tablet computer or a luxury touch screen device. For example- A smart phone with touch screen loaded with reasonable OS can be your best bet over choosing a tablet if you are looking for a gadget that meets your phone requirements as well as assist you with rich features like navigation, gaming, 3G accessibility, among other features you are looking for. You are getting everything you are aspiring to buy, you are getting all of them in one device and also you are paying little less than what you might pay for unwanted features by choosing a tablet against your requirements.

Q3- Which hardware and Operating System should I choose?

A- There are two aspects of choosing the modern day’s touch screen devices. One is the hardware i.e. which handset or tablet brand should you go for and the other is the software namely the Operating System i.e. iOS, Android or Windows 8. iOS is specific to Apple devices only i.e. if you want iOS operating System then you ought go for Apple’s hardware. Whereas if you choose to buy devices with Android OS then you will have a range of choices as far as the hardware brand is concerned. Google, Samsung, HTC, etc all have smart phones and tablets with Android OS. Same is the case with Microsoft’s new Windows 8 OS.

Therefore it becomes crucial to decide on which Operating System you would like to go with so that you can choose the hardware wisely.

Q4- Are you buying a device for your personal use or for a small company that you run or for your family?

A- Be very clear about whom is this device meant for and what age group people would be using the gadget. For example: Your tablet will perhaps be used by your wife and your kids if your option is to buy a tablet for your family. Kids these days are smart and even toddlers are not to be taken lightly when it comes to using touch screen gadgets. You are using it for fun and work, your wife would use it to browse the internet and play and your children would use it for education purpose and gaming.

So, the versatility and usability becomes the important part of your list of must have features. Likewise may be you need more prolific features if the device is meant for your personal use to meet your professional needs or something versatile would suit if the gadget is meant to be used by more than one person.

Q5- Finally, what is your budget?

A- You have a list of features that a gadget must have for you to buy it but you have so little money to spend or you just don’t give a damn to how much it costs but you need the best you can get or maybe you are ready to stretch and your budget is flexible but are looking for something that adds value to your money. Whatever be your budget, the good news is most of you can own one device that fits you the best. Just be sure of how much you are ready to spend and what do you want for that much of money. It is also important to be ready with a list of things you may agree to compromise if need be so that you end up buying a device for the money you have.

Take an informed decision and be responsible for what you have decided. Whether you are paying less or more the truth is you are anyway paying a price. If you go for an economical gadget you may compromise on the product quality or features and if you are buying it for more money that’s it you have already paid a price with your bucks!

Do you have more tips to share, we are eager to hear them from you. Drop your tips and queries.

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