Tag Archive | electronics

eZoom by Securus

July has the highest fatal car crash rate of any month in the year. Now that school’s out for the summer, it’s no surprise parents want to keep track of where their teen driver is and whether they got where they’re going safely – especially considering the teen accident rate is 2.7 times higher than all drivers.

If you want to help keep tabs on your teen driver, a new product called eZoom from Securus can help. eZoom is a small, portable GPS device that lets parents quickly locate their teens and monitor curfews.

eZoom offers real-time tracking 24/7 through the web, a mobile app or text message. It also lets you set up SafeSpots and receive alerts when your teen arrives at (or leaves) different places throughout the day. It even features an “SOS button” that sends you your teen’s location by email and text.

To learn more about eZoom, head over to Securus’ website today.

August 1, 2014

How Technology is Changing American Business Practices

The Technology of Business

Businesses that once relied exclusively on face-to-face, physical communication are turning to digital technology to make their services more accessible to customers. From small retail storefronts to medical professionals to technology firms that host client operations in the cloud, it’s difficult to find any business not using digital technology to communicate with their audiences.

The interactivity of mobile applications, websites and other technology holds too much potential for businesses to ignore.

Business in the Cloud

The cloud is a virtual space to share and store information. A host of companies provide cloud infrastructure and management services for businesses, and customer interaction management services like Zipwire are becoming more popular for small- and medium-sized companies. Using the cloud to hold and secure company communications is a major benefit, considering that many companies either lack the information technology acumen or staff to handle it themselves. Using the cloud helps reduce the stress on internal IT systems and saves from overspending on IT maintenance.

Doctors See the Benefit of Online

Anyone who’s struggled to find a doctor or book an appointment needs to know about ZocDoc. The free online healthcare-booking company developed mobile applications that let patients search for doctors and book appointments from the palm of their hand.

ZocDoc also lets patients register ahead of time to save time filling out a half-hour’s worth of forms at the office. The app aggregates available appointments from thousands of doctor’s offices, identifying slots that become available due to cancellations. Some users say they’ve been able to book an appointment, map themselves to the office and walk right into their appointment.

ZocDoc claims its objective is to provide easier access to qualified doctors, reviews of medical practices, wellness advice, and information about how people can maximize their healthcare benefits. Not sure if the doctor accepts your insurance? ZocDoc solves that problem, too.

Drones for Delivery

A bag of fresh socks. A couple of paperback books. A chew toy for the dog. In the era of online shopping, not everything needs lengthy shipping schedules or visits to the post office. Why bother, when a robot can deliver it for you?

Amazon, Google and UPS are among the companies that have announced plans to develop door-to-door drone delivery services. The idea is to use small unmanned aircrafts, about the size of a toy helicopter, to deliver small items from shipping centers directly to customers’ homes or businesses.

In some metro areas, it’s completely possible, especially with America’s appetite for instant online shopping gratification. Amazon unveiled its plans for AmazonAir in December, though it hasn’t yet been launched. It will soon.

It’s not “A Brave New World.” This is the business world we live in today.

June 11, 2014

in Android
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When is it Time to Upgrade Your Mobile Tech?

iPad 2 vs iPad Air

I have an iPad 2. I don’t use it very much, but it’s there for me whenever a new game comes out … or whenever my Macbook is just out of reach.

The iPad 2 came out on March 11, 2011. In the grand scheme of things (and I’m not talking about the “cosmic calendar” from “Cosmos”), three years is nothing. But when it comes to consumer tech, my iPad is ANCIENT. If you count the two iPad mini models, five new iPads have launched since my iPad 2 first hit store shelves. Five! In three years!

Every time I look at my iPad, I think about how I want a new one. The new models are lighter, thinner and faster, and all have better screens. I haven’t upgraded from iOS 6 to 7 because I’ve heard it doesn’t play well on the iPad 2. But I’m not going to upgrade my iPad, because I don’t use it enough and it still works fine.

But that got me wondering: When is the right time to upgrade your mobile tech?

I like to buy a really good (but not usually top-tier) piece of tech, then run it into the ground before I upgrade. If you’re the type of person who needs to have the latest-and-greatest everything, this advice doesn’t really apply to you. But if you’re like the rest of us, and you just want to know when to pony up for a new gadget, read on.

Tablets

Let’s start with tablets, since that’s what got me into this whole mess.

iPad: For new iPads, Apple usually tosses in a slightly more powerful processor and makes the device a little thinner. Sure, there are bigger changes from time to time – like adding a Retina display – but those are more uncommon than you might think. Plus, iPads are incredibly expensive (relative to most other tablets), so upgrading is more of a financial commitment here than in other instances.

Liberal Verdict: Every other generation. Got an iPad 2? Get a 4th-gen, then, too.
Conservative Verdict: Every three or four generations, or when a bunch of apps no longer support your device.

Android Tablets: To be honest, I’m not too familiar with the Android tablet landscape. I know it’s dominated by the Nexus 7, but that’s a relative newcomer to the field, and it’s hard to gauge just how much innovation Google’s going to throw at that line each upgrade. Android tablets are relatively inexpensive (especially when compared to an iPad), so upgrading is less of an investment, but there aren’t too many massive upgrades from one generation to the next, so upgrading isn’t a necessity.

Liberal Verdict: Every generation.
Conservative Verdict: When your device isn’t eligible for the newest major Android OS.

Kindle Fire Tablets: Like the Nexus line, the Kindle Fires are also relative newcomers to the tech scene. But Amazon has impressed me with how much it has added to each release. When you compare it to the latest Kindle Fire, the first-gen Fire I bought in the fall of 2011 is like a weird second-cousin that you avoid at family gatherings. Amazon’s added a ton of new software features – like FreeTime and Mayday – and has also launched tablets with bigger screens, which is an (obvious) big difference. At some point, though, Amazon will slow down its massive updates; until then, new Fire tablets seem like a reasonable investment.

Liberal Verdict: Every generation.
Conservative Verdict: When your toddler drops it one-too-many times and it doesn’t work anymore.

Phones

I think it’s a big lie that you need to upgrade your phone every two years. Just because your carrier gives you a big time discount to get a new device doesn’t mean you need to take them up on their offer. They’re only giving you that discount to lock you into another two-year deal; if you don’t upgrade (or buy your phone outright), you can opt out at any point with no penalty.

Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile all recently introduced plans that let you upgrade your phone whenever the wind changes. But that program isn’t for us – that’s for the tech elite.

iPhones are like iPads – rarely does one generation to the next do much to wow me. The iPhone 6 will have a bigger screen, which is (arguably) the best improvement since Siri was added back with the 4S. But is it enough for me to upgrade just a year after I got my iPhone 5? Probably not.

Android devices can become obsolete much more quickly, especially if the manufacturer doesn’t get the latest version of Android to your device. Buying a Nexus will negate this problem, as will buying the top-tier devices, like the Galaxy S4 or HTC One M8. But if you’re buying mid-range, you might run into issues – and you’ll want to upgrade more quickly.

Liberal Verdict: As soon as you’re eligible for an upgrade.
Conservative Verdict: When your device won’t get the latest OS update, or when you drop it so many times that you can no longer read the screen.

May 20, 2014

in Smartwatch
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Report: Samsung’s Next Wearable is the Galaxy Band, A Fitness Tracker

Samsung

While smartwatches have already managed to have a profound impact on some users, they have largely been something of a disappointment thus far. And to be frank, Samsung’s Galaxy Gear might be the worst among them, at least where big-brand offerings are concerned. In our review we said that the device itself was probably among the best designs Samsung has ever released, but the product was obviously rushed and the user experience suffered tremendously as a result. A recent report suggested that Samsung knew it had some serious missteps with the first Gear and is rushing out a sequel in the first quarter next year as a result, but a new report suggests that Samsung’s upcoming new wearable computer might be a smartwatch at all. A new report from Korean-language Digital News Daily late last week states that Samsung’s next swing at the emerging wearables market will be a fitness tracking band called the Galaxy Band.

Read the full story at Boy Genius Report.

May 20, 2014

in Google
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Some of Google’s Robots are Already at the Top of Their Fields

Google Robots

Crowds gathered at a NASCAR racetrack in Miami this weekend to witness a more sedate sport than usual, as some of the world’s most advanced legged robots inched their way through a range of emergency tasks, including clambering over rubble, clearing debris, and operating a fire hose. And two of the robot-makers acquired recently by Google, Boston Dynamics and Schaft, dominated the contest, giving some sense of why the company was so keen to snap them up. In all, sixteen teams took part in the challenge (see photo gallery: “Robots to the Rescue, Slowly”). The robots were operated remotely but still required sophisticated automation to cope with the complexities and uncertainties faced when dealing with the real world. Teams scored points by completely tasks inspired by a real emergency faced at Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011: as hydrogen leaked from the stricken plant, human rescue workers risked their lives trying to reach and operate a valve that might’ve stemmed the leak.

Read the full story at Technology Review.

May 9, 2014

in galaxy gear
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Samsung Galaxy Gear Return Rate at Best Buy is More Than 30%

Samsung Galaxy Gear

When a Samsung exec reportedly admitted that the Galaxy Gear smartwatch “lacks something special,” he wasn’t kidding. Leaked sales documents obtained by Geek.com show that the return rate for the Galaxy Gear “is trending above 30%” in Best Buy stores, an alarmingly high rate for a device that Samsung had hoped would give it an early edge in the smartwatch wars with Apple, Google and other major tech companies. The leaked memo also shows that Samsung is asking retail employees to get a better handle on why the Gear has such a high return rate. Although the Gear is a first-of-its-kind smartwatch that’s been given a terrific ad campaign, it has been widely panned by many reviewers as not delivering much of value to its users.

Read the full story at Boy Genius Report.

April 23, 2014

in galaxy
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Report: Galaxy Note III, Galaxy Gear to Ship Shortly After Unveiling

Samsung

On September 4, Samsung is widely expected to debut the Galaxy Note 3 and possibly a smartwatch called the Galaxy Gear. Introducing a product isn’t the same as offering it for sale, however, so how long will consumers have to wait for the new products? Not long suggests one site. SamMobile, which generally has good Samsung sources, reported on Monday that the two devices will launch very soon after their introductions. According to the site, shipping of the Galaxy Note 3 is planned for week 36 of the year – the same week of Samsung’s press event for the device – while the Galaxy Gear watch is slated to arrive on sale just four weeks later. Samsung is likely to announce official availability dates by region when introducing both products. The site also suggests that the Galaxy Note 3 will start in a 32 GB version to provide more free space to device owners.

Read the full story at Giga OM.

April 23, 2014

Barnes and Noble’s New CEO Says the Nook Will Live On

Nook HD

Two months ago, Barnes & Noble announced that it will stop manufacturing Nook tablets itself and instead seek partnerships with third-party manufacturers to build a co-branded line of tablets. The company is rethinking its stance, however, perhaps as a result of a change at the top. Last month, CEO William Lynch resigned and Michael Huseby was appointed president of the company and CEO of Nook Media. Huseby provided an optimistic outlook on the future of Nook tablets in a Q1 2014 earnings press release today. “The company intends to continue to design and develop cutting-edge Nook black and white and color devices,” Huseby said. “We will continue to offer our award-winning line of Nook products, including Nook Simple Touch, Nook Simple Touch with Glow Light, Nook HD, and Nook HD+ at the best values in the marketplace.”

Read the full story at Ars Technica.

March 7, 2014

in Electronics
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LB1 High Performance New Wireless Bluetooth Mini Speaker for HP Geek Squad Certified ENVY 15.6″ Laptop 6GB Memory Natural Silver GCRF-C2L91UA#AB with Built-in Microphone – Micro SD card slot – Voice Prompt (Silver)

Wireless Bluetooth Mini Speaker with Built-in Microphone|Micro SD card slot.
Voice Prompt when Connected|Disconnected.
Simply the smallest-best bass sounding wireless speaker with metal case design-top grade and in style.
Ability to produce extreme high (tweeter) and low (woofer) frequencies from a single bass.
Output capacity of 95 decibels – music fills even the largest rooms.

When you need High Quality Wireless Bluetooth Mini Speaker for your Laptop Computer|iPhone|iPad|Smartphone or Tablet, you need the power of LB1 High Performance Wireless Bluetooth Mini Speaker. It is the most cost effective Wireless Bluetooth Mini Speaker available on the market today.

Buy with confidence!
12 Months Warranty
8 hours|day x 5 days|week – Call Support
Peace of mind exclusive 100k product protection

Price: $79.99

March 7, 2014

in Electronics
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LB1 High Performance New Wireless Bluetooth Mini Speaker for HP Pavilion 17.3″ Geek Squad Certified Laptop 4GB Memory 640GB Hard Drive Sparkling Black GCRF-D1C20 with Built-in Microphone and Micro SD card slot (Black)

Wireless Bluetooth Mini Speaker with Built-in Microphone and Micro SD card slot.
Simply the smallest-best bass sounding wireless speaker with metal case design-top grade and in style.
Ability to produce extreme high (tweeter) and low (woofer) frequencies from a single bass.
Output capacity of 85 decibels – music fills even the largest rooms.
Build-in Lion-battery and can be rechargeable by USB power.

Buy with confidence!
12 Months Warranty
8 hours|day x 5 days|week – Call Support
Peace of mind exclusive 100k product protection

Price: $439.99

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Securus’ eZoom GPS Helps Parents Keep Tabs on Their Teen Drivers