BlackBerry 10 has not swaggered into town but it holds much promise in getting the lackluster Research in Motion back into the smartphone game. At the CES 2013, RIM showed off the latest, near final version of BlackBerry 10, which launches on January 30, and it was pretty impressive.
While the BlackBerry 10 may not be revolutionary, the combination of winning interface ideas from WebOS, Android, and iOS is a winner. The gadget’s universal inbox managed everything from email to social notifications, open apps, etc.
There is a strong likelihood of RIM regaining some of its former glory with BlackBerry 10. Not only has RIM upped the ante on hardware, it also places attention on developing a sound ecosystem with healthy selection of apps.
RIM is clearly in a hurry. At recent Port-a-Thon events to encourage developers to submit games and apps for BlackBerry 10, it offered $100 for any app approved to the store. The result? A whopping 15,000 apps submitted over the course of 37.5 hours.
Besides money, RIM also offered developers submitting between two and five approved apps a free PlayBook. Those with more than five approved apps were entered into a random draw to receive a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device. If RIM gets a self-sustaining and attractive ecosystem by year end, a loyal community of gadget geeks could turn its fortune around.
In terms of interface, BlackBerry 10 is more appealing than Windows Phone. That spells trouble for Microsoft which is also trying its utmost to wrest market share. As for breaking the duopoly of Apple and Google, it will be a much stiffer challenge unless BlackBerry 10 hit the ground running on launch day. Stay tuned for updates.
One of our New Year resolution is to get the house fitted with a carpet. It is a good way to improve the house. Just cover the old tile or hardwood floor with full carpet and the house looks warmer right away. Nothing compares to the luxurious and inviting feeling of carpet under your feet, especially when the weather turns cold. Having a carpet is also safer and less noisy when the kids play around the house.
The ideal carpet for us has to be pleasant, foot friendly and low maintenance. Carpet maintenance is usually higher than vinyl or tiles as carpet may wear out/fade quickly or show stubborn stains despite lots of cleaning. Hence, keeping a carpet in pristine condition is a chore. With a busy schedule, materials which require frequent cleanings are not suitable. Neither are carpets which are costly or affect the health of the kids.
With so many choices in terms of colors, materials and designs available, it is hard to choose a comfortable carpet that blends into the house and suits our lifestyle. Carpet Amarillo is a good place to start due to its wide range of selection. They have been
serving customers in Amarillo and Texas Panhandle for over 60 years, building up a good reputation.
The carpets are affordable too. With over 900 stores, they get low prices from manufacturers and pass on savings to customers. More benefits, like special financing and minimum monthly payments, are available if you use Carpet One card for shopping.
If your house or office is in Amarillo and need cheap carpet, visit the store to find out more. You can also make an appointment to measure the floor for free and let the experts explain flooring ideas and choose the carpets for you.
Lenovo has become almost a household name for desktops but it is not usually associated with gaming. However, its new Lenovo Erazer X700 Gaming Desktop may just make it happen.
Launched at CES 2013 earlier this week, the Lenovo Erazer X700 Gaming Desktop is powered by the latest Intel Core processor and option of upgrading to Intel Core i7 Extreme processor. It also supports up to 32GB worth of RAM and dual graphics cards from AMD HD Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce flavours.
Users can also equip the PC with up to 4TB of hard drive or 256GB solid state drive. High performance hardware aside, the Lenovo Erazer X700 has a new function called Onekey Overclocking which enables users to activate the system’s overclock ability just by pressing the overclock button on the system.
In addition, the Erazer X700 PC also comes with liquid cooling system. Hardcore gamers may be interested as the indicative price tag of USD 1499 is relatively cheap for a gaming desktop. Check out the review video below.
Final Fantasy IV, one of the best sequel games, was released on the iOS this week. It sports updated 3D graphics along with cut scenes featuring voice actors. Game Center support has also been added to the iOS release, meaning you’ll have plenty of achievements to show your friends.
In the trailer Square Enix launched, it shows that they’re planning to release the fifth game as well in the future.
Square Enix also emphasized that there will be ‘more’ iOS games coming which will most likely be RPGs on mobile devices. So far, there’s no release date for Final Fantasy V on the iOS.
While the game has been updated, the plot is the same. Cecil, the captain of the Red Wings airships brigade, has been stripped of his command for insubordination. As punishment, Cecil is sent on a courier mission, but his journey soon became a mission to save the world. There are also other fan-favorite characters including Kain and Golbez.
Final Fantasy titles are one of my favorite games ever. But as with all premium games, you gotta pay a price. At a cool $14.99, you can get the download started.
Technology is always improving and things become obsolete fast. To stay up to date, we need to access the latest news on new technology. Electropages has developed a platform for accessing real time new product news which is very useful for electronics engineers and designers all over the world.
Electropages started out as a company that publishes electronic press releases in the niche market of electronics and related products. Besides browsing their website for information, Electropages has made it convenient for those with smartphones, which is almost everybody today, by creating a mobile app together with Zeta digital marketing agency.
With retail sales on mobile devices increasing over the years, mobile phone app is a smart marketing strategy to reach a wider market. Just a few touch through smart phones, manufacturers and suppliers of electronic products can link up with potential customers or vice versa.
This app is available in Apple iTunes and Android. The good thing is download for free and menu navigation is intuitive. There is ample product news to browse, and navigation between news is quick and easy. The news is split between main stream and sponsored content, with “featured news” and sponsor news “channels”.
The Electronics News App also integrates video as well as the Electropages Twitter feed. Lead generation is built in, with a very simple “two touch” way to request more information. It also recommends other electronics industry apps that you might want to download.
In addition, a “learn more” function lets you make email enquiry and Electropages will ensure every query gets answered and you receive your samples or information as quickly as possible from the supplier. This way, you can order samples of new products within seconds of its press release or product launch news, or ask manufacturers to give you specs sheets when you need them.
As other mobile apps can provide such press releases, Electropages has distinguish itself by offering a good user experience. Try out the app to find out!
One wonders if LG has got its marketing and supply chain strategy right. Its hotly anticipated gadget Nexus 4 looks set to be a bestseller but it is out of stock in Google Play store and causing angst among gadget geeks, some waiting for more than a month for shipment.
Yet LG launched a 2 minute ad showcasing the smartphone wonderful features which further frustrates those who are waiting for its arrival.
In the video, LG flaunts the smartphone, especially its multimedia prowess and also the cool Photo Sphere app. Overall the technical specs are top notch – Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, 1.5 GHz quad-core Krait, 2 GB RAM, 8GB/16GB storage, 4.7-in diagonal IPS screen display at 1280×768 px (320 ppi), and the latest Android Jelly Bean with Google Now and Google Maps with turn-by-turn navigation.
For all the criticism about LG screwed up supply chain and unfair pricing across non Google Play store regions, you can’t fault the gadget. Nexus 4 is a exquisite combination of hardware and software which can give Samsung and Apple a good run for the money. Check out the video, it will have you salivating.
Business owners can achieve higher profits by being more efficient and productive. With mergers and acquisitions, it is easy to expand and you can have a company spanning the globe but there is no synergy if the different departments don’t work in sync.
ERP solutions can revolutionize the way companies produce goods and services by integrating different departments in a company and ensure smooth flow of information across the enterprise quickly.
Some of the advantages of a ERP software include reconciling bank accounts precisely, collecting receivables quickly, managing cash flow with prioritization of accounts payable as well as controlling your inventory by providing visibility across multiple warehouses and checking on requisitions and purchase orders. The software should also handle multicurrency, sales tax, multi-company transactions, shipping destinations and allow customers to place and track their orders online.
Having this integrated system is very useful in planning and scheduling production to reduce unwanted inventory which result in cashflow issues. Cost control is easy too as you can estimate costs from scratch or from existing materials or work orders and compare with actual usage. You can also forecast sales with material status and work in process.
With all these benefits, many companies should be adopting ERP solutions. However, ERP systems can be complex and require careful planning and execution. How a company implements an ERP system determines its competitive advantage or corporate failure.
Upper management is pivotal to the success of ERP. Its commitment is paramount as implementation takes time and costs may run high. Once implemented, an ERP system is not easy to undo if it doesn’t work well. Since no single ERP solution works for everybody, implementing custom applications may be necessary.
Hence getting a professional company to assist the implementation and maintain the setup helps. Renaissance Business Systems, Inc provides Cleveland Ohio inventory software which is feature rich and user friendly to cater to the needs of businesses. Get a quote from Erpsystem1.net today and see if the software help you increase your profit and productivity.
Research in Motion is trying to claw back smartphone market share with its new Blackberry 10 L-series.
An online leak gives a review of the BlackBerry 10 L-Series hardware from various angles and also compares with BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha B device.
The video then walks through the BlackBerry 10 OS, including receiving a call, the BlackBerry Hub, app switching, various home screens and more. The camera app is also demoed (notice the quick switch between the front and rear cameras) followed by a quick look at the removable battery.
It also shows a call made from the BlackBerry 10 L-Series device to an iPhone 5, with a side-by-side comparison of both devices (the BlackBerry seems wider and just a little bit taller than the iPhone 5).
After much hyping, Nokia Lumia didn’t make much of a dent in Apple or Samsung sales so will this new smartphone by RIM amount to much in the face of intense competition? Stay tuned.
A new iPad Mini, expected to have Retina display, could be launched by next autumn.
The iPad Mini which was launched last month has been criticized for its standard-definition display, which is like ancient to gadget geeks fettered on HD. Nevertheless, Apple’s branding still powered tablet sales to a record 3 million units sold in a single weekend).
For the iPad Mini 2, we can expect better display – likely a 497ppi screen that would give it a 2048×1536 high-definition resolution. This is superior to 264ppi display found in the current iPad Mini and comparable with Retina displays found on the fourth generation iPad, iPhone 5 and MacBook Pro notebooks.
I am looking forward to the iPad Mini 2 which should sell out even better than the current model. But I prefer them to take their time and make sure that their next big thing really inspire the gadget industry. Most importantly, ensure new features work. Apple’s image of making the best products gets tarnished when another debacle like Apple maps happen.
Samsung Galaxy S III is a phenomenal success but barely five months on, there is a more compact version, Galaxy S III Mini, being unveiled.
The new Galaxy S III Mini is equipped with 4-inch Super AMOLED display with 800 x 480 resolution, 1GB RAM, 1500mAh battery and is powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor. Internal storage is available in 8GB and 16GB which can be expanded through microSD card to 32GB.
The new Samsung smartphone also comes with 5-megapixels main camera and a VGA front-facing camera. Top notch features in the original Galaxy S III such as S Voice, Smart Stay, Direct Call, Smart Alert and S Beam are included. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system is installed.
The interesting thing for this new gadget is the 4 inch form factor which Apple is hyping about for iPhone 5. It seems that Samsung is intent to crash Apple’s party as there is little motivation for Samsung to scale down from 4.8in which S III is modeled on to great fanfare.
Gadget geeks are either gonna shell out more money or make a tough choice between these two smartphones. Will Apple iPhone 5 sales be affected? Stay tuned.
