Thailand Disk Drive Manufacturing Recovers From Flooding

Thailand ready to provide drives for Windows 8

[caption id="attachment_3542" align="aligncenter" width="578"] Credit: Bangkok Post[/caption]
Since the flooding last year in Thailand, there has been concerns about the disk drive manufacturing industry in Thailand. They were supplying 40 to 50% of the worlds disk drives. And the picture about shows the impact to all industry in the county. Knowing someone there has caused an increased interest in the problems associated with all the flooding. It has been a year since the flooding and it is starting to look like Thailand is set to resume their role as a primary hard drive supplier for the world. They have many large companies using the city of Bangkok to produce a variety of drives.

All of this is looking good for Bangkok, though some recent reports about a drop in exports could be seen as a problem, in the disk drive sector, that is going to be changing soon. Tablets have been the rage for the past few quarters and laptops along with desktop computers have suffered in their sales. That weakened demand looks like it will be ending at the same time as Bangkok is completely recovered from the devastating floods of last year.

And the time could not be better. With Microsoft preparing to release Windows 8, their latest OS, there is going to be holiday demand for computers this year. Windows 8 is new and very different from anything that Microsoft has released in the past. While it may seem like an experiment, it is bound to create a lot of demand for computers this holiday season. And with that demand, there will be a need to provide a lot of disk drives for those laptop and desktop computers.

The predictions from iHS shows continuing increases in disk drive demand for the next 5 years. While there are the needs of laptops and desktop computers, there is also the need for solid state drives (SSD) for all the tablets which are expected to roll out, including Microsoft's Surface tablet. And that one is expected to sell very well. With rumors of an Apple iPad Mini and other rumored tablets, demand looks good for the 4th quarter and well into next year.

All of this means that Thailand is going to be able to put the problems with the flooding in 2011 behind them and return to their leadership roll in providing drives to the world. But, there are still concerns about possible flooding this year. Not all the repairs to the flood channeling systems have been completed and if they have another heavy rainy season again this year, there could be more flooding problems in the industrial districts. Much of the work done has been to raise the walls of the flood channel to 5.5 meters. That is 1 meter higher than the maximum water level last year. And they are continuing to work on other areas to complete the work. It is a very large undertaking.

It is hoped that the demand for computer drives grows as expected as it will put Thailand's manufacturing back into high gear and help the recovery in their economy.

Self Driving Cars May Lead To Unemployment For Some

What human jobs can be replaced?

The future for technology is always just out there a ways and for it to become the present does not require as much as you think. Just 3 or 4 years ago, the idea of a car which could drive itself was still a dream which many fantasized about. It seemed that it would be too many years away before we would see come into being. That was before Google embarked on their self driving car experiment which has turned out to be a technology changing experience for the world. And in California, legislation has been signed which will require the state to prepare for their eventuality which is going to require the rules and laws to go along with that.

But, there is a nagging question which has just now started to be raised. It sure seems like we are our own worst enemy at times. The question is whether self driving cars will start a new wave of unemployment? And it is a very valid question coming from The Guardian. While they talk about economic conditions, this is a very real issue and something most are not thinking too much about. While the article says that people are driving less and the car has peaked, they may be missing some things. People are driving less because of the rising cost of gas. But what if you could find another mode of transportation which required less gas. We know that all electric vehicles with sufficient mileage ranges are only a few years away.

With that, car costs for fuel are going to be altered. But, how does that relate to self driving cars? Let's take for example the idea of getting a cab in any major city. Today, cabs drive around looking for passengers which burns up fuel and has to be factored into the cost of the cab ride. In the near future, all of that is going to change. With self driving cars, you will not need to have a driver at some point. So, you now have cabs that can be requested and one would show up at your location. You would request your destination and pay before you start the trip. On arrival, you depart and the cab goes to the next request pickup. Computers would determine the most efficient next pickup for the cab.

All of this has eliminated the need for a driver. And that is going to impact a large group of people who depend on driving a cab for a living. It is not going to happen overnight, but it is going to happen. The same can be said for any of our mass transportation. The buses that drive around the cities is another prime candidate for this change and when implemented would eliminate the jobs of all those who drive buses. While technology for the future is what improves our lives, those who are put out of work because of the new technology will add to the unemployment.

You do not have to look back in time to find another situation like this. The ATM machine was a new technology in the 1970's and it has altered how things are done significantly. Before that, there were a large number of banks and people working in the banks. As the ATM machines started rolling out, banks started letting people go because they no longer needed them. Today, you see ATMs everywhere and there are a lot fewer banks as well. You walk into a bank today as compared to 20 years ago and they are pretty much empty. That is the impact of some technology improvements.

How long it is going to take before the public can accept vehicles traveling without drivers remains to be seen. We know it is coming and have seen it demonstrated. Are you prepared for the new tomorrow?

Are We Seeing The New And Improved Apple?

Is Apple showing empathy to customer frustrations?

The large number of problems with the latest release of the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 is unprecedented at Apple and something never seen on this scale before with all the problems. The Apple Maps has come to show that Apple is not perfect and does make mistakes, but this one could have been avoided. And we hope that it will never be repeated again in the history of the company. The one thing that Apple did was to respond to the map problems with an open letter to consumers from Tim Cook apologizing for the lack of quality and that they will do better. And they must do better.

While there is a lot of focus on the Apple Maps problems, it seems that some have missed the point of what has happened here. When Steve Jobs was at the helm, he would have never admitted they made a mistake. We know that he would never have released the product as we are seeing it. But, when there were problems, such as AntennaGate, he would not issue any statement about the problem. Tim Cook has opened a new page at Apple and it could be a really great change for the company.

Apple has such a loyal base of fans and for years, they have been taken for granted it seems. When there are problems, such as the continuing battery life issues, Apple would not publicly admit there was a problem. You might see something in the release notes for iOS where they were trying to "improve" battery life, but never to fix it. That was the Steve Jobs way of doing things.

With Tim Cock running the company, we may be seeing a company which wants to connect with their customers in ways that they have never done before. The open letter admitting they made a mistake goes a long ways to connect with customers. And they should continue to connect with customers in this way. Their customers are what makes Apple a really great company which has very high value. They must re-connect with them.

One of the ways to do that might be for Tim Cook to offer an open letter to consumers talking about Apple and their products. That has not been the Apple of the past, but the Apple of the future really must do something like that. People want to feel that a company is reaching out to them. An open letter 2 or 3 times a year from the CEO might generate more interest in the company.

The current open letter has generated a huge amount of interest and definitely shows the value that this kind of thing might hold for Apple. The idea of a new and improved Apple really needs to come through as it seems things have floundered with the latest releases. There must be steps to show that this is a brand new day for Apple and how they are going to move forward. There needs to be redemption so that customers continue to have great pride for owning Apple products.

For Tim Cook, I applaud the example he has set at Apple. It is one that needs to be repeated over and over again to show they are an even better company than before.

Is It Too Late For RIM And Blackberry 10?

Continuing delays to Blackberry 10 push it to 2013.

RIM has been having problems for the past few years and those problems are continuing. In the chart from Statista, you can see the current and estimated trend for sales of the Blackberry smart phones. And it is not a pretty picture, that is for sure. Even though they have had a management shake up, it may well be too late for the company to turn things around. In the recent release of fiscal information, RIM appears to have slowed the slide in revenue losses which is a great thing to see. But will that be enough to see a turn around in the company and return to its previous competitive levels?

At the moment, the odds are against RIM being able to accomplish that. And a turn around hinges completely on the release of Blackberry 10. Since it is not going to arrive until some time in 2013, the fiscal pressures on the company are going to continue. We can expect them to continue to slash costs through a variety of methods, including layoffs which demoralize the company. It is only their strong markets in Southeast Asia which are keeping them afloat right now. Sales and market share are strong, but that is not going to last forever. Their services arm brings in good revenue, but that is partly based on retail customers purchasing Blackberry smart phones.

More than 5 years ago, RIM was the only game in town and controlled the market in smart phones. Then Apple came along and that started the end of RIM's dominance in smart phones. And it did not have to be that way. For the next several years, RIM kept churning out the same type of phones and really did not offer anything new and exciting. And Apple became the one setting the bar for everyone else to follow, which RIM did not do. At some point a few years back, the company decided to dedicate its focus on a tablet which is the Blackberry PlayBook we all know. During that time, they ignored their smart phone line pretty much.

They purchased QNX Software and most people expected them to incorporate that into the smart phone line, but instead they put it into the PlayBook. And they still have not incorporated it into the previously popular Blackberry smart phones. While there were expectations of Blackberry 10 showing up at the beginning of 2012, that was changed to be the end of 2012. The latest is that it will be sometime in 2013. Things seem to be sliding way to far and with over a years delay, the market is going to have some major shifts in technology and the types of smart phones that people want to have.

There were leaks about the Blackberry London in 2011 and it looked to be a great looking device. But it is tied to Blackberry 10, so it gets delayed as well until next year. At a time when RIM should be releasing new products, they continue to do the road shows about the coming products. At some point, they have to deliver on products as people get tired of the continuing promises. At the moment, they are repeating the errors of the previous co-CEO's who spent close to 6 months talking about the coming Blackberry PlayBook. They cannot repeat the mistakes of the past.

RIM must release some new and innovate products in the next few months or they are going to move into the irrelevant category as a company. Next year is too late because of all the next generation phones which are expected to be shown in the first quarter. RIM is losing the battle for corporate America because of the lack of new Blackberry products. Without that, they will never reclaim the glory days in North America.

What do you think?

Apple Maps Or Google Maps For Self Driving Cars?

Given the current problems with Apple Maps, most would skip for navigation

The talk about self driving cars is increasing and it seems that California wants to be the first state to fully embrace them. Governor Brown has signed legislation to regulate self driving cars and one would expect to see other US states also do the same. One of the big items associated with these self driving cars is GPS so that the on board computers know where they are and where they are going. Being a key piece of the process, you have to rely on it to be completely accurate in the underlying maps. But with Apple releasing its own version of maps, would you consider using Apple Maps?

The reports of Apple Maps problems is becoming a daily occurrence of reported problems since they were released in iOS 6. And they sure do look like they have a lot of problems with displaying those maps. You only have to go out and see the amazing Apple Map problems in iOS 6 to get an idea of just how bad it actually is right now. Some of the problems have towns in the wrong locations, showing an airport that does not exist and roadways that just plain look funny. Apple is hard at work fixing these, but it is going to take a while to correct the problems. And so much of the correcting is just plain enter related data to make things more accurate.

So, it raises the question of which would you chose to run your self driving car? Since Google is currently heavily invested in their self driving technology, the Google Maps are the ones which are being used for navigation. And Google has invested heavily in that technology with over 7,000 people working on their maps. So, for self driving cars, they are the only game in town. But given the money that Apple has socked away, they could jump into the self driving car business.

They could have done that a month ago, but as of today, it would be a major mistake for them to do that. Since they have committed to separate themselves from using Google Maps to using Apple Maps, people would not have confidence that a self driving car from Apple would get them where they want to go and not get involved in an accident. I know that I would not have confidence in Apple Maps after what I have seen for the past week. And what is being shown is continuing and increasing.

The memory of the poor quality Apple Maps is going to continue and any reputation for using Apple Maps in a self driving car is shot for the next 3 or 4 years. People are not going to easily forget what they are seeing today and have sufficient trust in navigation using Apple Maps.

Would you trust Apple Maps as you see them today for future use in a self driving car?

Apple Passbook Looks To Be The Future For Mobile Wallet

Apple's holder for electronic items shows great promise.

The reporting of the latest Apple iPhone has been consuming the news cycles with all that it has to offer. Or not offer in the case of the problematic Apple maps and all the quality issues which are showing up. At some point, Apple will get that resolved and the problems will go away. But the big take away is for Apple's Passbook feature which is part of iOS 6 and holds lots of promise for what it can do for you. And that is even though Apple has not included the Near Field Communication (NFC) chip in the iPhone 5. Apple has decided to not jump in the middle of NFC and all the fragmentation which has been going on this year.

Their new Passbook feature provides them with an alternative to the not yet ready NFC and one that looks to be extremely popular. Though it was just released last week, things are already up and running. Major League Baseball (MLB) is on board at the start using Passbook for electronic tickets at 4 league ball parks. And many others are going to be providing their app to be used in conjunction with Passbook. While Starbucks already had their app for handling payments, they are going to be adding a new app for buying your Starbucks coffee contained in Psasbook. And they are just one of many.

And there is work under way to use Passbook for tickets at College games this year via StubHub. Target is providing coupons in Passbook which can be redeemed from scanning the screen. Airlines are moving towards using the Passbook interface for displaying electronic boarding passes instead of paper ones. Amtrak is working to get it operational for tickets and the list is going to continue to grow quickly.

All of this shows that Passbook is going to set a new standard which the rest of the industry is going to have to follow in order to keep up. For the next year, the concept of a Passbook is going to be followed by others. Including Android, as this is a very hot idea and one that has needed to be implemented for holding things in a Mobile Wallet which you previously had to hold in your physical wallet. That is the technology shift which we all thought might be in place earlier this year. But Passbook is not focused around making payments and that is the beauty of it.

The future for Passbook seems to be wide open right now and may continue that way for a long time. Think about putting those annoying gift cards into Passbook instead of carrying them around. That would be novel. Or those cards you carry for being a loyal customer. Instead of carrying them in your wallet, they would be in your phone. It would be great to reduce the size of my wallet by removing a few cards.

And there is nothing to stop Apple from implementing a different method for making mobile payments. Some have speculated that Apple could use BlueTooth to accomplish mobile payments instead of relying on NFC. That may not work with some of the new POS devices, but it could be possible. And I am sure that Apple is already looking at alternatives for doing Mobile Payments.

It is all about the future and Passbook shows us the future now.

Apple Map Problems Show Steve Jobs Influence is Gone

Quality used to be hallmark of Apple, but no more.

Apple has released their latest OS in iOS 6 to provide more features as they continue to improve things for the iPhone 5. As part of that, they have made a decision to replace the popular Google Maps with Apple Maps. And the result is not a pretty one. As shown here from The Amazing iOS 6 maps you can see for yourself just how bad things are. Apple has really made a mess of things. Check out the site if you want to see more of the mapping issues which are being suffered in iOS 6. It is pretty bad. They are showing locations which are some place other than where they should be. But this really raises a number of other concerns, the most important of which is quality. Steve Jobs was all about quality.

There are the stories from back in the early days of Apple where he forces programmers to make changes to the OS in order to shave a few seconds off the boot up time. If you have read the biography of Steve Jobs, you know that he was a perfectionist. Just look at the NeXTcube which had a very unique shape and required a lot of specially made machines to manufacture. All of that was about presenting the perfect design and product. During Steve Jobs leadership at Apple, they never delivered a product which you might consider as being anything less than outstanding. That has all now changed with iOS 6 and maps.

While you can debate exactly why Apple has moved to handling their own maps, the bigger question is really did they release it too soon? In my opinion, Apple maps is definitely not ready to be released and that is because it does not measure up to Steve Job's standards for excellence. He had spent years instilling in people the idea of delivering the best possible products for people to use and meet their needs. The pictures of how Apple maps is being displayed is at the opposite side of the spectrum of quality. Whoever made the decision to roll this out now should be fired. Oh, I forgot, that was Tim Cook.

And the reports about how the Apple maps has forever changed the company's reputation are making the rounds. And it has already changed the impression of so many just by what is being displayed. While the funny answers which Siri produced last year were great, they did not tarnish the reputation of Apple. But the maps being displayed has forever altered people's perception about quality at Apple. Comparisons between Apple maps and Google maps has Google as the hands down winner when doing location searches. And that is exactly what so many do on a mobile device when using maps.

While we can expect Apple to throw a lot of resources to correct this big problem, it moves them to the likes of Microsoft in throwing resources and money to correct a problem. Apple has always eliminated the problem BEFORE it went to market. This example is a horrible example of how they have killed off Steve Job's legacy and all the good will he created with the products that he created. The company and reputation will never be the same.

Steve Jobs has left the building!

While all of this is very serious, we thought we would leave you with a little humor in the YouTube video we found which is a parody of Apple explaining that they are working to fix the mapping problems with iOS 6.

Galaxy Note To Be Supplied To All American Airlines Attendants

Distribution will improve service with technology

We have been hearing about how the Apple iPad has been provided to the flight crews of major airlines, but nothing about providing the technology to the flight attendants. But American Airlines is changing that by providing the attendants with the Galaxy Note. This is to begin later this year and more than likely, the Galaxy Note II will be out by that time. The phasing in of these will take some time as their is training and apps to be created for them to work with. The current figures show 17,000 of the Samsung phablets being supplied to the flight attendants and you should notice them in a few months.

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Apple’s Big Day Is Here For The iPhone 5

Reports of lines in many countries show high demand for iPhone 5

Apple is going to be pretty much in control of the news cycle for the next few days. That is because the latest version of the iPhone, the iPhone 5, is going on sale. In some parts of the world it is already selling, such as Australia due to the time differences. We are going to be hearing about this for the day and once the 8:00 am time hits in the East Coast, there is going to be a lot more reporting on the first people to get the iPhone. Once that dies down late today, we are more than likely going to start hearing about situations where the iPhone 5 is sold out.

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Apple's Big Day Is Here For The iPhone 5

Reports of lines in many countries show high demand for iPhone 5

Apple is going to be pretty much in control of the news cycle for the next few days. That is because the latest version of the iPhone, the iPhone 5, is going on sale. In some parts of the world it is already selling, such as Australia due to the time differences. We are going to be hearing about this for the day and once the 8:00 am time hits in the East Coast, there is going to be a lot more reporting on the first people to get the iPhone. Once that dies down late today, we are more than likely going to start hearing about situations where the iPhone 5 is sold out.

This will be a repeat of a year ago when the iPhone 4S was released and there were inventory issues which lasted for weeks. And we expect to see the same situation again. Except that lines are probably going to be longer and the inventory issues will be much worse. The inventory problems are probably going to last for about a month. That is just how popular the iPhone has become and how much in demand for the smart phone from Apple. And there is nothing that is going to deter that other than the saber rattling that Samsung is doing about LTE in the iPhone. Even that is not going to interrupt the sales which are going to be huge.

The only negative going on right now is with respect to the change that Apple did by replacing Google maps with Apple maps. This was included in iOS 6 which has been released already and there are a range of problems with how things are being displayed. This is from towns being listed in the wrong locations to a new airport which previously did not exist. Apple has responded with some statements, but other information has the developers in lock down to fix the problems. And that is the only way to get this done quickly.

Apple's latest iPhone has a number of new features in it and one is Passbook which is probably going to become a central part of the future for handling things electronically. For example, you can get an electronic ticket to attend MLB games in 4 US cities or get an electronic boarding pass instead of the paper ones. There are movie tickets and many other things which it can hold. And there is nothing to stop this from overshadowing the Google Wallet. Even without the iPhone having the Near Field Communication (NFC) chip, Apple still has the ability for mobile payments with Passbook.

No doubt there are other things which you believe are great features in the latest iPhone from Apple. It is all those who are loyal to Apple which makes their products desirable and this is just another example of that. Hopefully you have not been sitting in line and will be getting your iPhone after things settle down.

Microsoft Betting Everything On Windows 8

The next desktop OS is expanding to be many more things.

Microsoft's next operating system for the desktop is due out very soon. If you have been working with it, you understand just how much of a shift it is from what you are currently doing under Windows XP, Vista or 7. The whole concept of the desktop has changed to tiles. And with these tiles, it bears a close resemblance to the screen for Windows Phone 8. It does appear that Microsoft has made some long term decisions as to how the interfaces are going to look and this is definitely one of those paradigm shifts.

Microsoft is attempting to revolutionize the interface once again, but this time they are trying to do it across many different devices. The changes to the Windows Phone 8 interface work well because of the compact nature of the smart phone. And that will work in that environment. But betting that the same interface will work on all other devices is a big leap in technology. For the phones, Microsoft's OS did not exist, so it was far easier to release and make it a standard. It appears to have been well received.

The bigger problem for Microsoft and the risk is with respect to the paradigm shift for the desktop users which also includes laptop users. I have been working with the Windows 8 for a few months and find it difficult to make the shift to the new interface. There are many who are questioning the change to tiles for Windows 8. It is confusing and along with the some what similar desktop screen included, it creates confusion. Things got so bad this morning while I was trying to accomplish something that I downlaoded Start8 so that I could get back to the old standard Windows desktop so that I could accomplish the task at hand. That is a bad situation to be in. There are other who have voiced issues with the interface which will take some getting used to.

The basic consensus is that you will hate Windows 8 at first and I would agree with that. Some believe that after a while, you will adjust to the changes and life will go on. But the differences will drive you nuts for far longer than that.

For those who have not used a Windows desktop in the past, it will be a far easier adjustment to make. For those who have become very accustomed to Windows and where everything is located, this will be excruciating in trying to learn where everything actually is to use. That is why I downloaded a piece of software to get things back to what I am used to. You may feel the need to do exactly the same thing after using Windows 8 for a while.

One of the big winners for Windows 8 may be their coming Surface tablet. Much of the new interface is designed for use with touch screens which exactly fits their 10.6 inch screen. This is where Windows 8 will really shine and makes perfect sense for users. The problem is that Windows 8 has been designed pretty much as a one size fits all. And for Microsoft this may create a big problem for them. Business users may balk at purchasing the latest version from Microsoft. And they have a big impact on how successful an OS can be for Microsoft. It could even open the door to other companies to get their OS into businesses, such as Ubuntu. That is not want Microsoft should be doing.

Just how well Windows 8 is received is up to consumers. We should know by the end of the year just how well it is received. Add on companies which can return to your the familiar Windows desktop may do very well. Are you considering moving to Windows 8?

Samsung Says No New Galaxy S4 Coming In March

Official Tweet denies rumors for Galaxy S4.

Less than 24 hours after rumors of a coming Galaxy S4 were circulating the web, Samsung has come out on their @SamsungTomorrow Twitter account and indicated that the rumors are false. Some of the translations from Korean are interesting, but the bottom line is they are indicating that it is not true. All of the speculation about the leaked information should start to die down with this, but the reality is that Samsung is working on the Galaxy S4. This successor to the popular Galaxy S3 will arrive next year and the question is when. Along with what new features can be expected to be included.

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Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean Update May Be Delayed

Lack of confirmation from Samsung may indicate problems.

With Jelly Bean being the latest Android OS from Google, there is always the desire to have the latest and greatest on your smart phone. And while some had thought it would be coming sooner rather than later, it now appears that we may have to wait a while longer to receive it. And that is even more true here in the US than for the International version. We can potentially have to wait up to 4 weeks longer before we will see Jelly Bean on Galaxy S3. Not something to be desired given the big popularity of Samsung’s flagship phone.

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iPhone 5 To Break Records As Retail Sales Start This Week

Friday morning will start retail sales with expected long lines.

Past releases of the iPhone have resulted in long lines outside Apple Stores and those lines are already in place in some locations. People want to be the first to get the latest iPhone from Apple. Even Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, is expected to be one of the first people in line when Apple Stores open on Friday. And with all of the hype and reports of lines beginning, we can expect to see record breaking sales in the first few days. And with those record breaking sales, Apple is going to see record breaking profits.

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Passbook May Be The Greatest New iPhone 5 Feature

Like Siri on the iPhone 4S, Passbook may turn into a great feature.

Every now and then, Apple releases something which they do not make as big a deal as they should. For the iPhone 4S, it was Siri which became the biggest hit ever with people asking insane questions of Siri and posting the answers on the web. It was a hit. Now comes the iPhone 5 and Apple announces Passbook as being included, but with not a big importance placed on the value which it can provide to so many. This is going to force others to keep up with what Apple has provided with Passbook.

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Samsung Releases 4G LTE Galaxy Victory

Victory contains so many similar features of the Galaxy S3.

Samsung has been releasing a lot of phones over the past year which has propelled them to the number 1 market share position in the world. And today, the 4G LTE Galaxy Victory is being made available at Sprint.com for $99.99 after a $50 mail in rebate and is part of the growing number of devices from Sprint for their growing 4G LTE wireless network. We expect to see Sprint rapidly expand their 4G LTE wireless network this year with more than 100 cities being worked on as part of the roll out. They are working to roll out 4G LTE and new 4G LTE smart phones for their network.

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Samsung Attacks iPhone 5 In Coming Advertising

Now that the iPhone 5 is out, Samsung goes on the offensive.

So, the iPhone 5 is sold out for pre-orders and will begin retail sales next Friday. With that, many are expecting the Galaxy S3 sales to drop off. But Samsung is not going to sit on the sidelines and let that happen. Since they lost a case to Apple in California, they are not going to stand by and not defend their products. They are currently distributing the picture below as an advertisement which we expect to show up at the same time as iPhone 5 sales begin. This definitely shows the advantages of the Galaxy S3 over the iPhone 5. The list is impressive and shows why so many people have purchased the Galaxy S3.

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Galaxy Note 2 Sales Prediction of 20 Million

As we approach launch of the Galaxy Note II, predictions of 20 million sold emerge.

Rumors and leaks of information for the next version of the Galaxy Note continue to circulate. The “phablet” is making its way through the FCC certification process it appears and may be close to being announced for sale in the US. Exactly when that announcement may happen is up in the air right now. Based on past information, it looks like Sprint will be the first one to get the Galaxy Note 2. The big 4 US wireless carriers will be selling this newest phone/tablet from Samsung and the current rumors have the 5.5 inch device as being announced in October.

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T-Mobile Getting iPhone 5 Via Unlocked Phones

Not being an authorized dealer does not stop T-Mobile from having the iPhone 5.

Here in the US, T-Mobile is not an authorized retailed for the Apple iPhone and that has disappointed those who like the T-Mobile wireless network. Of the big 4 carriers, they are the only one who is not selling the iPhone and with the release of the iPhone 5, they are missing out on great sales. But, if the rumors and leaked information is correct, T-Mobile may have found a way around this deficiency on their network. They are going to be doing this by providing the nano SIM cards which will work in the iPhone 5 on their network.
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Data & Voice Don’t Work For iPhone 5 At Sprint & Verizon

New 4G LTE iPhone cannot overcome previous problems.

With much anticipation, the iPhone 5 pre-orders start early Friday morning and based on previous events, we expect to see the phone sell out quickly. So, if you want to be one of the first, you have to be up in the early morning hours to grab one. But, if you are going to get your iPhone 5 to operate on either Verizon Wireless or Sprint, you have to be aware of one major deficiency on the phone. With the previous version, you could not talk on your iPhone 4S and surf the web at the same time. It apparently was a limitation of the wireless network. With the iPhone 5, you cannot talk on your iPhone 5 and surf the web using the wireless network. The only way you can do that is to be using WiFi to surf the web while you are talking on your iPhone 5.

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Are We Ever Really Safe On The Internet?

More and more cracks in security make it insecure.

It seems that just about every day, we hear abut some company or web site being hacked. It makes one wonder if there is any real security available to the masses when surfing the Web. There are many who talk about a browser or operating system which is more secure than another, but it looks to be a matter of time before hackers are able to break through what ever line of defense has been created. And it is that breaking down of the walls of defense which should concern everyone. Once hackers have been able to do that, it is a mad scramble to patch the hole which has been created in order to return to a secure environment.

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Does iPhone Lack Of NFC Hurt Future Of Mobile Wallet?

Apple makes decision to not include NFC chip in latest phone.

The future for NFC and Mobile Payments has a variety of different companies involved. And here in the US, Isis seems to have a lead over other competitors by signing up Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile for their services. This association should further the future for the Mobile Wallet and the use of your mobile smart phone as a way to make payments. The process has been slowly making its way towards the mainstream process. But the release of the iPhone 5 without the necessary Near Field Communications (NFC) chip threatens that future. It would seem Apple has, with the omission, impacted the forward progress of NFC because of their popularity in the US.

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Are We Ever Really Safe On The Internet?

More and more cracks in security make it insecure.

It seems that just about every day, we hear abut some company or web site being hacked. It makes one wonder if there is any real security available to the masses when surfing the Web. There are many who talk about a browser or operating system which is more secure than another, but it looks to be a matter of time before hackers are able to break through what ever line of defense has been created. And it is that breaking down of the walls of defense which should concern everyone. Once hackers have been able to do that, it is a mad scramble to patch the hole which has been created in order to return to a secure environment.

The most recent report concerns the use of HTTPS as a means to adding another layer of security when you are using the internet. If you remember back to early last year, there was a Firefox plugin called FireSheep which allowed you to tap into what people were doing on a public WiFi and take over their session. You could then change their password for Facebook if they were currently connected to that. This worked as long as their were connecting via HTTP and not the more secure HTTPS. Gmail, FireFox and many others finally made HTTPS the default connection to stop this hijacking and protect users.

Well, it now seems that HTTPS may not be that safe as well. Researches have found a way to hijack an HTTPS session from a user. And with that ability, it is going to result in a scramble to make corrections to lock this down. This is a big concern as it is evidence of another breakage in the Web security which we have taken for granted. There is no perfect security on the Web, though some seem to believe that we are protected on the Web and do not have to worry. In reality, security experts pretty much all agree that there is no ultimate security. It is just that hackers have not figured out a way to get in. It does not matter whether it is the Web, a computer or a network, at some point they will be able to gain access.

Companies continually try and stay one step ahead of those trying to gain access, but the attempts to stay ahead are expensive and time consuming. And not all companies and organizations are able to do all this work. Even those that are still get hacked. So, the reality is that we are not completely safe on the Web. The key for every individual is to try and keep your software current. Part of that is to maintain your browser so that it is current and to minimize the use of plugins.

Be cautious when browsing the web as there are sites which do "drive by" infections to put viruses on your computer. On these sites, just going to the site will cause a virus to be placed on your computer. Do not install anything from the web that you are not sure about. It is part of the normal common sense which should be exercised. And this applies to the growing mobile devices which are replacing desktop browsing. Your smart phone and tablet can be infected as well.

You must be alert to all those who want to gain control of your technology. Just using common sense is probably your best tool for staying safe.

Does iPhone Lack Of NFC Hurt Future Of Mobile Wallet?

Apple makes decision to not include NFC chip in latest phone.

The future for NFC and Mobile Payments has a variety of different companies involved. And here in the US, Isis seems to have a lead over other competitors by signing up Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile for their services. This association should further the future for the Mobile Wallet and the use of your mobile smart phone as a way to make payments. The process has been slowly making its way towards the mainstream process. But the release of the iPhone 5 without the necessary Near Field Communications (NFC) chip threatens that future. It would seem Apple has, with the omission, impacted the forward progress of NFC because of their popularity in the US.

Does this mean that NFC payments are going to be delayed? The answer to that is Yes, but the question of just how much it will be slowed is unknown. There is the possibility that Bluetooth could be configured to handle mobile payments for the iPhone. But for now that options does not exist. It makes one wonder why Apple decided to not include the NFC chip in their phone. Just as they did a year ago when they did not include the 4G LTE chips in the iPhone 4S, it appears they believe that NFC is not yet ready for prime time. Given they do extensive research, they are probably right and a year from now things may be more settle.

Even the Olypmics decided not to use Mobile Payments because they were not fast enough in processing transactions. That would tend to indicate that there is far more work to be done to move Mobile Payments and NFC into prime time for consumers.
In a survey by CreditDonkey.com, it seems that people are not yet ready to completely trust the idea of the Mobile Wallet. There is more of a trust in making credit card payments to Amazon (60%) over others with PayPal coming in second at 30%. Payments to Google and Bing with a credit card rate quite low in the survey.

While a large percentage of people use their smart phone to price comparison shop, it is a big leap from that to using your smart phone to make a purchase. And it does not look like that situation is going to change over the next year. The shift in being confident in using a smart phone and a Mobile Wallet is going to take far longer than realized. Things should have been mainstream at the beginning of the year, but that has not happened. And there are still too many players fighting for a piece of the action and standards still to be completed. It definitely looks like a year from now is more realistic.

Do you trust the idea of a Mobile Wallet?

Updated iPod Touch Announced Yesterday Morning

Lost in all the hype for the iPhone 5 is the 5th Generation iPod Touch

With all the rumors about the iPhone 5 and the announcement of the phone this morning, it seems that the new and updated iPod Touch 5th generation was overshadowed. But it is really something worth taking a look at for the changes that have been added. If you look back over the years, each new version has improved and added features which make the iPod that much more of a device. And with the announcements today, you can get an even better iPod Touch. The big item is the changes associated with the iPhone 5.

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Apple iCloud Experiencing Problems

Entering 2nd day of iCloud problem with no estimate of correction.

Part of the Apple Eco System is iCloud which is a place to store all your information which you can share between your Apple devices. This is a big advantage which Apple has over the competition to seamlessly share your schedules, mail, etc. But when something goes wrong, it can have far reaching problems if you are relying on it for your day to day. And that is exactly what Apple is currently experiencing. And this is happening on the day they are launching the next iPhone. Not exactly putting your best foot forward.

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Is Apple Losing Its Ability To Keep Things Secret?

No big surprises with release of iPhone 5.

Apple over the past 5 or so years has been a company which has been known for extreme secrecy on the products which it was developing. Leaks would come out, but you never knew whether it was Apple manipulating the rumor mill or people were just able to secure enough information to make an educated guess. Even as the iPhone 5 was approaching its announcement date, you were never completely sure about all the rumors. The change to create the Lightning connector to the iPhone for connectivity and charging was one of those that sounded like it might be true, but you could not be sure.

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Is Apple Losing Its Ability To Keep Things Secret?

No big surprises with release of iPhone 5.

Apple over the past 5 or so years has been a company which has been known for extreme secrecy on the products which it was developing. Leaks would come out, but you never knew whether it was Apple manipulating the rumor mill or people were just able to secure enough information to make an educated guess. Even as the iPhone 5 was approaching its announcement date, you were never completely sure about all the rumors. The change to create the Lightning connector to the iPhone for connectivity and charging was one of those that sounded like it might be true, but you could not be sure.

It seems that all the mystery surrounding Apple and their ability to keep their upcoming products secret is now gone. Is seems to make you wonder whether Apple is going to be able to keep things secret as they develop new products. It seems that leaks are everywhere and too many of them are turning out to be accurate and on the mark. Though they are not 100% on the mark. Take for instance rumors of the iPhone 5 coming with Near Field Communications (NFC). While smart phones coming from most companies include the features, Apple has chosen to not include the chip in the iPhone 5. Lost opportunity.

But there are so many other things which were rumored and came to be true that it should be a concern to Apple. As an example, the new Lightning connector which is a smaller connector for the iPhone which I spoke of earlier should have been kept more secret. That has been talked about for a while and has been seen in actual product leaks which is not like Apple at all. There is the 4 inch screen, which people have seen in leaked frames for the new iPhone. Things have gotten so bad in the area of leaks that a collection of all the parts which were leaked allowed them to be assembled to see what the new iPhone would look like.

If Steve Jobs were alive, heads would roll and he would have been very angry. But these are now different times and different people. And other products are coming and have been leaked. The rumors of a refreshed iMac next month with a Retina Display are more than likely true and accurate given all the rumors about the iPhone 5 which turned out to be true. Rumors of the iPad Mini are all but proven to be true and given everything that we have seen and heard, we already know just about everything about it other than a specific and accurate price. It does look like Apple has lost the ability to keep products truly secret as they have in the past.

What do you think?

New Sales Heights For Apple iPhone 5

iPhone sales numbers typically dip the quarter before release.

There are many out there who are talking about how the Samsung Galaxy S3 out sold the iPhone in the 2nd quarter. And while that may happen again in the 3rd quarter, it does not matter. As with any new important phone entering the market, there is always a big sales boost which happens on launch. And for Apple, that is evident in the chart from Statista today. As is clearly shown, Apple gets a huge jump in sales for the quarter after (or in the quarter) of the announcement. This is well known and even Apple has admitted this in quarterly earnings calls where they report lower sales just before the release of the next iPhone.

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Microsoft Challenging Apple By Opening Stores Nearby

Copying the theme from Apple, Microsoft opens spacious stores.

Microsoft has slowly been opening stores as they move to create a presence in malls and shopping centers to promote their products. When they started this process, they did not have a large number of technology devices to be sold. But that is going to change very quickly with the coming Surface table form Microsoft. The current date for that to arrive is October 26th and is just in time for the holiday sales cycle. There is a certain amount of uncertainty as to just how well Microsoft will do with their tablet, but there is news that they are going to be expanding the number of stores to compete against Apple for holiday sales.

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Microsoft Challenging Apple By Opening Stores Nearby

Copying the theme from Apple, Microsoft opens spacious stores.

Microsoft has slowly been opening stores as they move to create a presence in malls and shopping centers to promote their products. When they started this process, they did not have a large number of technology devices to be sold. But that is going to change very quickly with the coming Surface table form Microsoft. The current date for that to arrive is October 26th and is just in time for the holiday sales cycle. There is a certain amount of uncertainty as to just how well Microsoft will do with their tablet, but there is news that they are going to be expanding the number of stores to compete against Apple for holiday sales.

Microsoft is going to be opening 32 new stores in retail locations in the US and Canada. And if their current stores are an indication, they will be placing them in areas near to existing Apple stores. That seems to be how Microsoft is positioning themselves in retail locations. This is probably because of all the traffic Apple stores seem to attract in foot traffic. And if Microsoft can steal away some of that, it will help them in the promotion and sale of the new Surface tablet. And with Windows 8 coming out, that will not hurt either.

The Microsoft stores seem to have a similar look and feel to what Apple is doing. It sure looks like they have copied some of the great features contained in existing Apple retail locations. There is a lot of excitement in the stores, so they have capture some of the elements from Apple. Given that Apple is so into protecting what they have. what are they going to do about all this expansion of 32 stores? And with a similar look and feel, are they going to get the lawyers involved? It would surprise few people if Apple were to do that.

Maybe Microsoft should come up with something similar to the Genius Bar. That would make the stores complete with that feature. What do you think?

Rumor: Barnes & Nobles Going To Windows 8 For Nook

To differentiate itself, will B&N move to Microsoft OS.

The competition for 7 inch tablets continues to escalate. We know that Apple is going to announce the iPad Mini in the next few months. At least that is the rumor which is going around and has been pretty much accepted as fact with a competitive price. Barnes and Noble has been completing against Amazon with the two going up against each other in a great market and price point. The advantage that Barnes and Noble has is the brick and mortar store fronts that Amazon does not have. So what else can they do to have themselves viewed as different from Amazon when it comes to tablets?

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Rumor: Barnes & Nobles Going To Windows 8 For Nook

To differentiate itself, will B&N move to Microsoft OS.

The competition for 7 inch tablets continues to escalate. We know that Apple is going to announce the iPad Mini in the next few months. At least that is the rumor which is going around and has been pretty much accepted as fact with a competitive price. Barnes and Noble has been completing against Amazon with the two going up against each other in a great market and price point. The advantage that Barnes and Noble has is the brick and mortar store fronts that Amazon does not have. So what else can they do to have themselves viewed as different from Amazon when it comes to tablets?

Well, it appear that rumors are circulating of a new OS for the Nook tablet line in the future. At the moment, both companies are relying on versions of the Google Android OS to power their hand held devices. Amazon has heavily modified the version of Android they are running and have locked themselves into the for the future. Barnes and Noble has not done that and as a result, making a change for them would be far easier. And therefore the rumor mill has started with the possibility they are considering a move to use the Windows 8 OS to power their next tablet.

Much of the rumors about Windows 8 running on a future tablet from Barnes and Noble come from the investment of $605 million in the company by Microsoft. It seems logical to move to the next step of Windows 8 running on the Nook Tablet. Rumors are going around that the next Microsoft OS will show up on the next tablet which could be announced towards the end of the month. More than likely, it will be released in October. If it does, it will have an impact on the market and be very positive for Barnes and Noble.

If the Nook tablet does launch after Microsoft releases Windows 8, they are going to be able to tap into all the marketing which will be promoting the launch. And it the rumors are correct, the Nook tablet will take a leap up in its market share in the 7 inch tablet market. A big question we have not seen is how this might be viewed in comparison to Microsoft's coming surface tablet? Microsoft is going to put a lot behind that new tablet.

Given that all of this is a rumor, it is hard to know until things are set in concrete and officially announced. We will have to wait and see.

Would you be more interested in a Nook tablet running Windows 8?

Galaxy S3 Sales Taking Off At Over 20 Million

Ahead of iPhone 5, Samsung reports record sales.

Samsung has been having a great run with the Galaxy S3 and it is continuing. We all know that Apple will be releasing the iPhone 5 this month and will grab headlines for a time. So, ahead of that announcement, Samsung has grabbed the headlines to tout just how well their Galaxy S3 is actually doing. And with that, they are reporting sales of over 20 million phones. This is quite a important milestone for them and looks like it is going to continue.

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Google Fiberhoods Creating Digital Divide In Kansas City

Even with the right intent, the consequences create problems.

Google’s decision to provide fiber to homes was received with great fanfare. For the expectation, initially, was that everyone would have access to fiber to the home in Kansas City. But that is not exactly how things are working out for access to fiber. As you can see above from the Google fiber site, this is a great deal for Kansas City. Pricing and services are excellent and you get great speeds associated with Google fiber. But as they say, the devil is in the details. And the details appear to be creating concern for some. There are even reports that some schools may not get the fiber service because of how this is being handled.

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Google Fiberhoods Creating Digital Divide In Kansas City

Even with the right intent, the consequences create problems.

Google's decision to provide fiber to homes was received with great fanfare. For the expectation, initially, was that everyone would have access to fiber to the home in Kansas City. But that is not exactly how things are working out for access to fiber. As you can see above from the Google fiber site, this is a great deal for Kansas City. Pricing and services are excellent and you get great speeds associated with Google fiber. But as they say, the devil is in the details. And the details appear to be creating concern for some. There are even reports that some schools may not get the fiber service because of how this is being handled.

With the paid Google Fiber services, you get a Google Drive at 1TB included which is a good deal. Why wouldn't everyone want to jump on this and take advantage? This question appears be the heart of the matter. At the moment, it is all about sign ups, or pre-sign ups, at this point. It appears that people have been slow to register as you can see from the Google fiber tracking map. And if there are not enough people signing up, Google will move that neighborhood to the back of the line. And it is that situation which will add to the digital divide.

This divide in Kansas City is pretty much along the richer and poorer neighborhoods. And that is where the digital divide exists in so many cities across the US. As a result, Google is creating neighborhoods with Google fiber and making things worse by create literally classes of people. Those who have and those who have not. Google has even lowered the number of household sign ups in a neighborhood in order to be more inclusive. While that has helped, it still is creating situations where people are not going to be getting Google fiber and the fiberhood.

While there are costs associated with laying fiber in neighborhoods, such as digging trenches, it seems that Google is now focusing on those where they are going to be getting the most return on their investments. That is far different than how it was viewed when first announced. Here we are on the verge of them beginning construction and the realities are starting to show up. If you want to get free Internet, you have to pay the $300 in start up fees. For those who are paying for better services, there are no start up fees. And in that situation lies the problem.

If Google was really willing to provide services, they would wave the start up fees based on income. Foe those in lower income areas, which are not meeting the registration numbers, they can ill afford to pay the $300. It is those kinds of things which are creating this new digital divide in Kansas City.

Google has also agreed to provide connections to Public institutions, which includes the schools in the neighborhoods where they are rolling out their fiberhoods. But, if the lower income neighborhoods are not going to get the fiber to their homes, that means that the schools are not going to be getting the free fiber services as well. We add to the coming digital divide in Kansas City as a result.

Access to the Internet has become an important part of everyone's life. But not everyone has that access. In the US, the cost to families for that connectivity is not cheap and it was hoped that we would see things begin to change across the US with lower prices and faster speed. In Korea, they have blanketed the country with fiber. Here is the US we are just beginning. And is seems that the digital divide is going to continue.

WordPress - 10 Essential Plugins To Meet Your Needs

Updates for WordPress seem to happen with regularity to keep your site secure and performing well. We all apply updates to our WordPress site, or at least you should be applying them if that option is available to you. But what about your plugins? You can update them when you are reminded, but have you recently taken a look at the plugins that you currently are using? What others are out there to take a look at and use on your WordPress site?. There are new ones being added almost daily and you need to periodically do a review of what you are using as compared to what is available.

There are articles which are posted which you can use as a guide to reevaluating the plugins you are using on your WordPress Site. In one provided by ComputerWorld, they have put together a list of the 10 essential WordPress plugins for your reference.

• Blubrry PowerPress - lets you provide audio and video podcasts


• Gravity Forms - commercial plugin with advanced form building abilities


• Jetpack - From Automatic the providers of WordPress with 13 different tools


• JQuery Accordion Menu Widget - Custom navigation menues


• Redirection - handles missing links on your site and redirects to valid location


• Revision Control - controls number of versions for post - essential tool for large site


• Social Media Widget - provides method for readers to communicate with Tweeter, Facebook, etc.


• W3 Total Cache - converts some of your site to static HTML pages for faster display


• WP-Table Reloaded - create tables which can be included in embedded in posts


• WPtouch - creates mobile friendly interface for your site

There are many others to be considered as well, but this is a great starting point. You really should be doing a review of the plugins on your WordPress site at least once a year. And in doing that, you should be looking at what is new and will improve your site. Take some time to read through 10 essential WordPress plugins.

FCC To Begin Study Of Mobile Broadband Performance

We have all heard the numerous claims which wireless carriers have made here in the US about just how great the performance is for their wireless services. And yet it seems that some of the claims are a little hard to accept. And we may be seeing another resource for getting performance measurements for wireless carriers. This is coming care of the FCC in a Press Release today where they are going to start holding hearing on the topic of "Mobile Broadband Performance".

We know of the previous program where the FCC measured the broadband performance needs for homes and it looks like it was a success. You can read the most recent reports from that effort to see the value in what they provided. If they can perform a similar service related to mobile broadband, it will provide an independent analysis for everyone to review.

With the FCC reviewing mobile performance (and speeds) and then reporting their results, we will have a fair comparison between the information they gather and the claims of wireless carriers. For some wireless carriers, they may get a black eye from this exercise. It will be interesting to see the results, but don't expect to see it completed within the next 12 months.

Here is the FCC Press Release.

FCC ANNOUNCES “MEASURING MOBILE AMERICA” PROGRAM TO TEST MOBILE BROADBAND PERFORMANCE

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission today announced the launch of Measuring Mobile America, the first nationwide mobile broadband performance measurement program. As mobile broadband has become part of our everyday communications infrastructure, it remains difficult for consumers to get detailed information about their mobile broadband performance. The program will expand the FCC’s broadband measurement program to test mobile performance data.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “We know from experience: transparency on broadband speeds drives improvement in broadband speeds. Our ongoing Measuring Broadband America program has helped improve performance in wired broadband. Our new mobile broadband measurement initiative extends the program to smartphones and other wireless devices. It will empower consumers and encourage improvements in mobile networks and programs, benefitting millions of Americans.”

Building on the model for the FCC’s ongoing Measuring Broadband America program, the first broad-scale study of actual home broadband performance throughout the United States, the FCC will work with wireless carriers, the public interest and research community, and other stakeholders to deliver consumers detailed information about mobile broadband performance.

The Measuring Broadband America program has been proof-of-concept that a public-private partnership designed to promote transparency could yield tangible benefits for millions of American consumers. In the one year between the first and second Measuring Broadband America reports, the FCC saw significant improvements in broadband performance and offerings.

On September 21, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission will hold an open meeting to discuss the new program. The FCC has received commitments to cooperate in this program from major wireless carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, and CTIA—the Wireless Association®. With the launch of this open meeting, the FCC looks forward to the participation of other critical stakeholders, including the public research community. The FCC’s Measuring Mobile America program will continue the agency’s efforts to respond to the recommendations in our National Broadband Plan to improve the availability of information for consumers about their broadband service.

Apple Devices Become Target Of Hackers

Apple OS used to be considered safe from hackers.

As a fairy tale, there was once a computer operating system which no one dared or was able to hack into. It was magical in how it prevented those who had mischief in their hearts from gaining unauthorized access. That wonderful time last for many years. While that may have been virtually true, it has been all but shattered in recent years with hackers able to infect Apple computers. It has only been in recent months where Apple has reluctantly removed their claims for the Mac OS X saying it does not get viruses. That is a sad state for all the Apple diehards who have been somewhat removed from all the other problems which are being experienced on Windows PCs. That is not to say the Apple OS has not had problems, just that it has not had a lot of problems with viruses and spam.

Apple used to advertise this fact on their web site page, but it has been updated as reported by Naked Security in June. While there was nothing said by Apple with the change, it does tell just how bad things have become and the Mac OS is no longer considered as one difficult for hackers to gain access to. Much of that change is due to the growing popularity with much credit going to Steve Jobs.

And the virus problems are not limited to the computers and the iPhone is expected to have viruses by year end. And this is all due to the growth of their devices. Android has been experiencing problems for quite a while now, but we have not heard of too much related to the iPhone. That is going to change.

While Apple has been more successful than Android in keeping malicious software out of its mobile operating system, security firm Kaspersky reports it has seen an increase in malicious threats, and that Apple is not yet as advanced as Microsoft in its security systems.

If you own a Mac or iPhone, you need to take note of this change. And you can expect to see a rise in attacks against Apple products as the year continues. There are not too many products to prevent virus infections on Apple products as there are for Windows based products. This is more than likely going to be changing this year as companies move to fill the need to protect Apple products. If you are the owner of a MacBook or iPhone, you will need to watch for and consider purchasing a product to protect your device.

One of Apple's big selling points has now disappeared and is a sign of the times. Those who create viruses and spambots target devices which are very popular and Apple has done a great job of becoming very popular. Now they have to defend their products from viruses and spambots.

Get A Paid Email Address From Reagan.Com

t only costs you $39.95 per year for the privilege.

Do you feel patriotic about President Ronald Reagan, our 40th President of the United States? If you do, you now have the opportunity to get an email addressed associated with his name at Reagan.com. No, this is not the official site of RonaldReagan.com, but rather that of his son Michael. Just think of the prestige of having your email hosted at Reagan.com and doing your patriotic duty to recognize his prominence in history and support the Republican party. A decent sales pitch, but we are not exactly in favor of this kind of thing.

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Will Apple Get Samsung Galaxy S3 Ban In US?

After trial verdict, Apple wants sales ban to block Galaxy S3.

Since the jury decision against Samsung, we have been expecting to see Apple move forward with attempts to get a ban on selected Samsung products. Apple has now added the Galaxy S3, the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Note 10.1 to the list of products they want to see blocked from sales in the US. These are not part of the existing case involving the Galaxy Nexus, but in an amended complaint Apple has added them to the list. This is more than likely because of their recent success last month where they won a jury verdict of over $1 billion against Samsung and looks to be part of ongoing efforts to impact Samsung sales in the US.

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China Smartphone Growth Faster Than Expected, Apple Slows

Expected growth happening far faster than was estimated for China.

It looks like smartphone growth in China has skyrocketed this year in China and they will soon be taking over the number 1 spot in the world. They will surpass the US in smartphone sales and ownership this year which is far faster than previously estimated to happen. In a recent report from IDC, they are talking about the rapid growth of smartphones in China and the decline of “feature” phones there as well. And in a surprising note, Apple has lost ground in China for market share which should be considered a significant change for them.

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Google And Apple Finally Working To Solve Differences

It seems that Apple has been attacking Google indirectly by suing companies which are using the Android OS. The most recent case was the Apple v Samsung in which the verdict last week sided with Apple. It looks as if the Android OS is the intended target for Apple, but they have not gone after Google yet. And that may be the reason for reports (or rumors) of the 2 companies actually talking right now.

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Get A Paid Email Address From Reagan.Com

It only costs you $39.95 per year for the privilege.

Do you feel patriotic about President Ronald Reagan, our 40th President of the United States? If you do, you now have the opportunity to get an email addressed associated with his name at Reagan.com. No, this is not the official site of RonaldReagan.com, but rather that of his son Michael. Just think of the prestige of having your email hosted at Reagan.com and doing your patriotic duty to recognize his prominence in history and support the Republican party. A decent sales pitch, but we are not exactly in favor of this kind of thing.

Seems that Michael Reagan has decided to make some money off of his fathers name through the Reagan.com email services for $39.95 per year. That seems to be extremely high given all of the free addresses which are available from the likes of Google and Yahoo. Profits from the email service are supposed to be channeled to conservative causes.

This is supposed to counteract the supporters of liberal causes which are reportedly supported by the large email providers. Now, that may not be enough for some to jump on the band wagon and subscribe to Reagan.com. While there are very few mail services where you have to pay for services any more, there are still some out there. For this particular service, they are trying to use fear as a way to get you to sign up. On the home page, they talk about other email providers scanning your Inbox and collecting information from your email and about you. That is probably the case for just about all of them, though this one promises to not do that.

In the end, this is about making money for a business. And this business is using the name of a former President to do that. Even though it is family, is this the right thing to do? You can get a lot of debate over that question with people on either side strongly sticking up for their opinion. For Michael Reagan, this will provide him profit based on his family name.

The scary part of this is there are others doing a similar thing, such as ReaganEmail.com. You don't see a lot of this kind of thing with other Presidents, though it does exist. We can hope that this is an isolated instance for monopolizing on a former Presidents name for someone to make money from.

What do you think?

China Smartphone Growth Faster Than Expected, Apple Slows

Expected growth happening far faster than was estimated for China.

It looks like smartphone growth in China has skyrocketed this year in China and they will soon be taking over the number 1 spot in the world. They will surpass the US in smartphone sales and ownership this year which is far faster than previously estimated to happen. In a recent report from IDC, they are talking about the rapid growth of smartphones in China and the decline of "feature" phones there as well. And in a surprising note, Apple has lost ground in China for market share which should be considered a significant change for them.

Much of this is being reported by Reuters where Apple went from a 20% market share down to a 10% market share. That is too much for Apple to ignore given the sales potential which exists in China. It appears that the higher priced Apple devices, while coveted, are just too expensive for people with all the other phones available. And those other phones come at cheaper prices and a large number of features which people want to see. Even the iPhone 5 has been copied and is on sale from Goophone with a picture above from their web site. Since the iPhone 5 is not even on sale yet, this is a problem for Apple. The Goophone is running Android and is undoubtedly far cheaper than the coming iPhone 5. This will erode their market share even more.

Apple's market share dropped to 10% from the previous 20% in the current April through June period. Apple is now in 4th place in overall market share. Leveno and ZTE top the list behind Samsung and are local companies in China. Samsung was ranked 1st in the IDC report and their market share dipped from 21 percent to 19 percent. Apple came in 4th in the recent report. Some can attribute Apple's drop due to the anticipation of the coming iPhone 5, but with the Goophone being out, that may not be the case and Apple could slip again in coming reports.

The smartphone growth in China is happening a year sooner than was expected as lower priced smart phones have entered into the market there. Given the report predictions, the US will lose it's position as the number 1 country for smartphone ownership. This is predicted to happen no later than December of this year where China will have 26.5% of the market sales, US with 17% and the UK in 3rd with 4.5%. This is not to say that the US is slowing down in smartphone sales, but that lower priced smart phones are being purchased in China to replace feature phones there. But, the US will remain behind China from that point on due to the population size differences.

With the lower priced Goophone coming out as a copy of the iPhone 5, Apple stands to lose some sales as a result. But for China, their standing in the market place for smartphones is heading upwards and soon there will be no challengers to their standing for smartphone market share.