Author Archive for jon

Clear Winner in Kindle Fire vs. iPad

Kindle Fire hasn’t exactly changed the landscape of digital notepads, nor has it appreciably challenged the iPad in this domain, but for the price tag of $200 it’s hard not to at least consider the device. Looking closer, it’s easy to see where that extra money didn’t go. The technical differences between the Kindle Fire and the Apple iPad are stark: Fire is significantly cheaper, $200 vs. the iPad’s $500-$830 price tag; the Fire offers 8 GB of storage vs. iPad’s 16-64 GB; the Fire has a smaller screen size and weighs less; it runs on Android software (which could impact your home networking capabilities if your other PCs run on iOS); and Apple has 50 times more apps and two cameras, compared to Kindles zero.

But we all knew the iPad is better, it’s just a matter of how much better, and whether the Fire’s many mitigating factors completely undermine its affordability. To be sure, it’s not all bad news for Kindle fanatics. The Fire is a substantial upgrade on the franchise. It’s size makes it more portable than other notepads and the device offers full-color for viewing magazines and comics, as opposed to the monochrome text-only format of the original. Speaking of comics, users will now have cool options like accessing comics from the Comixology app instead of directly from Amazon. Fire also allows Hulu and Netflix streaming, making it a much better option for mobile video streams than previous Kindle products. The problem is, this is about the extent of any advantage over iPad, and none of these factors are truly advantages.

The reality is that, yes, Kindle Fire offers a color screen, but it also drains your battery through a straw. And, yes, you can stream video and store Amazon content for free, but if you want to download movies onto your notepad, you’re not going to get a dozen deep before you pretty much run completely out of storage. The cheapest iPad offers double the storage space, which might not justify spending the extra $300 if you weren’t provided with a memory slot for additional storage cards. Fire doesn’t offer this. Nor does it offer cellular network use or third party books (anything not sold by Amazon).

For these reasons, it’s a bit up in the air as to whether Kindle Fire’s affordability make it a better option. Some might argue it’s worth spending the extra money for a more worthwhile mobile device. You don’t necessarily have to jump straight up to the iPad. Some e-book readers are preferring the Nook tablet, which though it’s lacking in the app department, has twice the memory and storage of the Fire for only $50 more. Do more research to find out what works best for you.

Impromptu Presentations are Possible with the PICO Pocket Projector

Accessing the files for a presentation isn’t hard in the age of flash drives, email, and the cloud, but the actual projection of a presentation is a little difficult without an actual projector. Luckily, there’s a handy PICO pocket projector available from Optoma, industry leaders of pint-sized projection technology. Roughly the size of last year’s Android phones, the PK201 WVGA PICO projector from Optoma can literally fit into your pocket yet provide you with a way to project any and all files onto a wall for a small audience to easily see. The $299.99 price tag is a lot for seemingly a little, but the versatility of the PICO pocket projector makes it apply to more situations than just presentation

Anyone thinking that this pocket-sized projector only blasts an equally small sized image onto a chosen white wall or screen is underestimating it’s power. While 70 diagonal inches of wide screen might not be ideal for a packed lecture hall, a boardroom or other medium-to-small space with a packed house is certain to be accommodated. According to Optoma, the PICO pocket projector’s LED light source will last 20,000 hours at this high level of projection and still providing picture perfect color. HDMI, USB, standard A/V and universal VGA cable hookups allow for virtually any form of importing, whether from flash drive or laptop or otherwise, as well as assured audio through virtually any speaker system.

But let’s be real: there’s a lot more that the pocket-sized projector can be used for besides meetings and presentations. Movies saved onto an otherwise non-ideal-for-mass-viewing laptop can be ballooned up to appease a living room audience. The big game can be viewed in an optimum big screen format through HDMI when otherwise you’d be squinting your eyes during every play. Even video games can be projected through the PICO pocket projector.

If you’re in the market for a projector but aren’t expecting to pitch to a crowded auditorium anytime soon, the PK201 WVGA PICO Projector from Optoma is a good pick considering the possibilities it provides and the access it promises.  It isn’t cheap, but the portability of both presentation and projection is to some people sure to sound like a priceless advantage.

Payfirma iPhone and iPad Virtual Credit Card App: An Edge to Your Business

This post brought to you by Payfirma. All opinions are 100% mine.

We all know that credit cards are slowly taking the place of cash, and businesses are all aiming to have the capability to accept and process credit cards to attract more customers. If you have a business and you don’t have any means of processing credit cards yet, then Payfirma has something new for your – its innovative iPhone and iPad Virtual Credit Card application!

All you need is an iPhone or an iPad to benefit from this app. All you have to do is to download it on your device, and you’ll have instant means of accepting and processing major credit cards like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. The app will allow you to accept payment from anyone with ease – it will capture digital signatures, eliminate paper receipts by giving you the ability to send the receipt right to your client’s email address, and it will even allow you to refund payment to a client. And of course, because it’s an iPhone/iPad app, it only means you can do transactions anywhere you are as long as you have your device with you!

The app comes with an option card swiper for an easier transaction, and it’s also way cheaper to use compared to other existing apps and programs right now. If you’re worried about information security, there’s no need to – all the data are not stored in the card swiper, so no one can possibly access it. Reliable, affordable, handy, and fast – with all these characteristics, there’s nothing more you can ask for from this new app.


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Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine: A More Accessible Energy-Saving Option

This post brought to you by Sauer Energy. All opinions are 100% mine.

The rising cost of energy and the depleting resources of the earth have paved the way to the search for alternative energy sources. Aside from solar energy, one of the fastest growing natural energy sources today is the wind (after all, the wind is free and it’s everywhere!) – thus the introduction of wind turbines. But while solar energy has already become more accessible, wind energy is still out of reach. Most the time, wind turbines are only found in rural areas, clustered together to produce power. Well, that’s bound to change now with the introduction of the Sauer Energy vertical-axis wind turbine.

This new type of wind turbine fills the gap that the traditional turbine leaves out. First and foremost, it’s designed for use in urban areas. It can be used in small and big buildings alike, so it’s more accessible to those living in the city – whether for residential or business purposes. It can also start gathering energy at as low as 5 mph of wind, and it can gather energy no matter what the direction of the wind. When you add in the fact that it doesn’t take up much space, that it doesn’t make a lot of noise as it works, and that it doesn’t pose threats to birds, you’ll realize that this is a very promising innovation in the wind turbine industry.

Wind energy has a lot of promise to it, much like solar energy. And with the continuous developments involved in the technology used to harness this energy, this could be one of the leading sources of alternative power in the future.

Meet Joe… from Dieter Sauer on Vimeo.


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Cartoon iPhone Cases: A Cheap Way to Protect and Perk Up Your iPhone

This post brought to you by dhgate.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

Want to give your iPhone a cool and a unique personality? Well, who doesn’t? And while most people may think that any iPhone upgrade will cost huge bucks, there are actually still a lot of upgrades out there that cost just about a dollar, or less! Check out our newest discoveries: cartoon iPhone cases!

Who doesn’t love Angry Birds? Or Plants vs. Zombies? Chances are, we’ve all tried those games and fell in love with them! And now, you’ll already find iPhone cases with these cartoonish designs! Choose among your favorite Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies characters and give your iPhone some life and color! Of course, these are not the only options. You’ll also find the classic Hello Kitty design, a Super Mario case, a One Piece case, and even a Usavich case! The price of these cases starts as low as $0.99 – and all of them come with Free Shipping! Now who wouldn’t love that?

And while the design and cost are the most appealing in these cases, they’re very durable, too. They are 100% new and are built from hard plastic that is capable of protecting your iPhone from a wide range of damage: dust and dirt, shock and impact, as well as scratches. The cases are also waterproof, plus they’re environment-friendly.

These cases are offered by DHgate.com, a wholesale marketplace that carries one of the biggest selections of a wide range of products made from China, offered at factory prices. It’s one of the best sources of Cartoon Pattern Cell Phone Accessories.

 

 

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