A Brand New Year Suggests More Expectations from Apple

Tech companies derive their success from innovation. Whenever there’s something new, people flock towards it, thus, contributing to the overall fame of the company which is credited for coming up with that brainchild worthy of praises. On the other hand, if the so-called innovation is something indicative of a lackluster attribute, it will certainly cause a series of demoralizing remarks. Simply, this is how tech companies reach the top; they should be able to come up with the X factor feature that has the potential of dominating the tech sphere.

All along, analysts and lay mobile consumers thought that 2013 is a terrible year for Apple, but just before the year had ended, Apple has vindicated itself from its alleged mediocre performance pronounced by its critics. And as the transition from the post-Steve Jobs era has reached its completion, we can very well say that Apple is able to manage in continually being a worthy competitor in the consumer electronic industry. However, Apple’s future is still uncertain. It needs to display a brand new development that can surprise or meet the expectations of the market it targets. And speaking of expectations, these are what we (almost) would like from Apple for the year 2014.

• An iPhone with a bigger display. Just weeks after the release of the latest flagship smartphone of Apple, people were not able to contain their disappointment on its display size. The whole time, prospective consumers sought for a phablet-like device from Apple as a tactic to cope up with the growing market for smartphones with a diagonal display of 5 inches or more. But Apple kept it the way it was used to; it announced the 5s to be as big as its predecessor. As of now, there have been speculations circulating in the open about a bigger iPhone. Hopefully, it will appear in the iPhone 6.
• The iPad Pro. Studies on the tablet shipments all across the globe show that there will be a decline on the growth of the industry until the year 2017. In addition, this trend will materialize because the demand for 7-inch tablets will be eradicated completely because of the introduction of phablets into the tech market. But as it turns out, experts believe that bigger tablets can be able to spark a brand new interest for mobile computing using a touchscreen slate device. And so, Apple must be able to satisfy this growing demand, for Samsung is already close to the full-blast production of its very own 12-inch Galaxy Note.
• Better Apple Maps. When we hear about mapping services, the first thing that comes into our mind is the Google Maps. Because it possesses a bunch of breakthrough features, it is usually downloaded into a number of gadgets, including iDevices. But why did Apple hire a team of people with mapping expertise if it will just settle for the Apple maps as it is right now. The company must make use of its resources wisely. The year 2014 must be the year when Apple will debut a newly-improved mapping service that can topple down Google Maps.
• The Mac OS newer, fresher look. Apple may be laudable in terms of hardware and software design, but at some point, it missed a spot with the Mac operating system. Consumers expect uniformity between the Mac OS and the iOS come the year 2014. Apple’s design language should be consistent with all of its releases so that it can strengthen its identity even further.

The truth of the matter is, it’s hard to tell whether a step undertaken by a company will prove to be phenomenal or not. But with all these, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “We continue to be very confident in Apple’s future, and we see significant opportunities ahead of us in both current product categories and new ones.” He adds, “We have a lot to look forward to in 2014, including some big plans that we think customers are going to love.” Let’s just hope that those big plans consist of our expectations of the company that once made tech fantasies become a reality.

Your New Library: Guide to Find Free Books from iBookstore

If you are a wide-reader that gets to read any reading material that are fascinating, then there’s no doubt that you always have this compilation of pages—be it hardbound or paperback—that never gets to leave your backpack anywhere else. Although reading a good book is always a good thing, you must always remember to talk to other folks as well or you’d be no different with people who are so engrossed with their self-luminous rectangular thing. As someone said to those kinds of people, “there is a big life out there; you just have to move your head three inches upward.”

So, reading is your thing indeed. It’s also evident on how much you spend time and money on the book section. But, did you know that you don’t always have to bust your wallet in order to get a good book? Sometimes, all you need is a good searching skill with your iDevice, and then you can get the best free-time of your life. So, whether you are finding a way to liven up that dull commute or reading has finally replaced TV as your life, you can actually get great free reading from the cloud just by following these steps below; no more too much splurging:

#1: Look into the right place

There are a bunch of sources in the cloud where you can find eBooks all meandering. And as usual, some are free; some are not. But, wouldn't it be much easier if at the first place, you already know where to look? A great way to look for books with your iPhone or iPad is in the iBooks Store itself. If you don’t have the iBooks app yet, you can download it directly on iTunes. For an iDevice user, iBooks Store is the best way to download and read the latest best-selling books or your favorite classics. And if you are looking for free eBooks, all you have to do is open iBooks, tap Store, look for Featured at the bottom of the screen to tap, scroll down at the bottom of the page to look for Quick Links, and finally click on Free Books.

#2: Look for your kind of books

I’m pretty sure you have your kind of books. Genre matters. You have to know what you like in order to enjoy it, or else you’ll just get bored and end up not finishing the book at all. Good thing, Apple’s free books collection is divided into several categories in order for you to fish out the books you fancy about. If you want to try something new, you can check out the list of recommended free books. It’s not just all free books merged collectively. Subcategories make it easier for eBook readers to get the books they want that are available and copyright-free.

#3: Look for a new source

Sometimes, looking into the same place over and over is not enough. And at times, venturing outside is all you have to do. If nothing in iBooks Store grabs you, then it’s about time for you to look for a new source of happiness; a new source of books. After all, we can’t find all the books on Apple’s bookstore alone. You can search blogs that feature popular ebooks, top 100 ebooks, and so much more. If you’re lucky enough, the blogs might already have links included and that you might get them free of cost.

#4: And finally, looks like you are ready to read

Once you've found the book you like on the iBookstore, you can now download it by tapping on the Free button, and then giving another tap on the Get Book button to finally get the free book. The book will then be downloaded to your library, and should also automatically show up across all your iDevices that have iBooks installed. Then you can start reading to your liking. That will do the trick.

To all bookworms out there, bear in mind that all you need is a good searching skill with your all reliable smartphone or tablet. And now that you are reading through your self-luminous rectangular thing, again I say, don’t forget to talk to people than your eBooks. So, slash your bill on your passion of reading and start getting free eBooks now!

A Guide on Choosing the Smartphone Right for You: Hardware Edition

Smartphones literally come in all shapes and sizes. With a lot of choices available on the market, it’s just so difficult to make a perfect pick. The possibility of dreading over your phone choice is always there. Nowadays, we don’t get to see diverse hardware differentiation anymore with nearly every smart device being a compact slab with touchscreen input method. But implanted in the innards of those phones are pieces of electronic components that make the smartphone a cut above the rest. Without further ado, take a look at the most common hardware considerations on choosing a smartphone.

Screen size. Mobile computing these days has become more focused into convergence. People with their fast-paced lifestyles opt to do their personal and business-related stuff through their smartphones. Definitely, a phone with a bigger display makes a better contraption for multitasking. But bigger isn’t always better; when it gets too big, it becomes difficult to handle. Specifically in the Asian markets, a device with close to a 5-inch display is preferred. It flashes a big-enough, clear display that still fits in one hand and in one’s pocket. So, if screen size is your primary consideration, then you certainly can’t count on Apple because the largest iPhone it has ever created only measures 4 inches diagonally. Prospective devices are those from Samsung, HTC, or Motorola that runs on Android.

Camera. The camera is one of the most useful and sought after features in a smartphone. With it, more innovative functionalities can be incorporated into the phone. Furthermore, snapping images with the same device that you use for connecting to social media makes uploading more convenient. Of all brands, Apple and Nokia (with its mobile phone division recently purchased by Microsoft) have their own collection of phones with absolutely commendable camera. Nokia pushed itself in coming up with a 41-megapixel camera that is capable to capture even the minutest detail. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5 has received various acclaims with its camera, and now that its successor the iPhone 5s is equipped with more camera enhancements, like the True Tone flash, it has become the perfect tool in capturing real-life images.

Extra features. This is certainly a case of last but not the least because it is found out that the “extra,” innovative features are what drive sales the most. Take for example the Touch ID in the iPhone 5s; its unprecedented presence in the device—together with its other features—made it one of the fastest-selling iPhone models to date. In a nutshell, if something is new, it will be an attention catcher for sure.

These factors are the most important among the aspects that make a smartphone. But perhaps, we tend to look past loyalty. There are people who have developed a sense of affinity to a particular brand, and for as long as that brand understands you personally even though it is not the best there is, you just might want to stick to your comfort zone for as long as it can deliver within your expectations. Be that as it may, the decision is still yours to make; get the smartphone that suits you just right.

Come to Know the Android OS a Little Better

The Android OS, as you know it today, didn’t start out as this outrageously popular from its conception. It had its fair share of ups and downs; however, just less than six years after, it has become the dominant operating system, accounting to more than 80 percent share in the global mobile platform market. Thanks to the benevolent support of Google, it had reached this far and wide, being available to various handsets from different smartphone manufacturers across the globe.

September 3, 2013 was marked as the day Android has reached its 1^st billionth activated device with the said OS. This is but a proof that more and more people are getting into the Android culture. So, why don’t we get to know the green fellow we all love a little better? Take a look at this infographic brought to you by SocialCubix, and take a dip into the Android story.

ANDROID 1.0

1^st Android Device: The HTC Dream (G1) / 23^rd September 2008

Integration with Google services

Web browser to show, zoom and pan full HTML and XHTML web pages, multiple pages show as windows

Android market app downloads and updates

Multi-tasking, instant messaging, WiFi and Bluetooth

ANDROID 1.5 Cupcake

Based on Linux Kernel 2.6.27 / 30^th April 2009

Faster Camera start-up and image capture

Much faster acquisition of GPS location (powered by SUPL AGPS)

On-screen soft keyboard

Directly upload videos to YouTube and Picassa

ANDROID 1.6 Donut

Based on Linux Kernel 2.6.29 / 15^th September 2009

Quick Search Box and Voice Search

Integrated Camera, Camcorder, Gallery and toggle between still and video capture modes

Battery usage indicator

CDMA Support

Multi-lingual text-to-speech function

ANDROID 2.0 Eclair

Based on Linux Kernel 2.6.29 / 26^th October 2009

Multiple accounts for email and contact synchronization

Microsoft Exchange Support for syncing of e-mail

Bluetooth 2.1 support

New Browser User Interface and support for HTML5

New Calendar Features

ANDROID 2.2 Froyo

Based on Linux Kernel 2.6.32 / 20^th May 2010

New tips widget for Homescreen & Improved Exchange support

Hotspot Support

Multiple Keyboard Languages

Adobe Flash 10.1

ANDROID 2.3 Gingerbread

6^th December 2010

UI refinements for simplicity and speed

New Keyboard for faster text input

One-touch word selection and copy/paste

Near Field Communication (NFC)

Internet Calling

ANDROID 3.0 Honeycomb

3.1 SDK / 10^th May 2011

Specifically optimized for tablets and devices with larger screen sizes

Refined multi-tasking, rich notifications, homescreen customization, widgets

Bluetooth tethering

Built-in Support for Media/Picture Transfer Protocol

ANDROID 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Faster, smoother, more responsive

Refined, refreshed UI

New ways to engage users

External display support

Enhancements for International Languages

New built-in developer options

ANDROID 4.3 Jelly Bean

3.2 SDK / 18^th July 2011

Simple, beautiful and beyond smart

OpenGL ES 3.0 for high-performance graphics

Enhanced Bluetooth connectivity

Support for restricted profiles

Optimized location and sensor capabilities

Support for International Users

New media capabilities and ways to analyze performance

ANDROID 4.4 KitKat

Printing framework

NFC Host Card Emulation for emulating smart cards

Web-Views based on Chromium (feature parity with Chrome for Android 30)

New framework for UI transitions

Storage access framework for retrieving content and documents from other sources

Sensor Batching, Step Detector and Counter APIs

Native infrared blaster API

Gained Some Weight Past the Holidays? Lose Those Extra Pounds with the Help of These Apps

The holiday season is a relatively lengthy occasion full of an assortment of festivities. We take delight of all the sights, sounds, and tastes in celebrating the over-a-month-long merriment that give way to a season of joy. And whenever we have a good time, we bond with our loved ones, harmonize the atmosphere with great music, and of course, indulge in sumptuous food. But sometimes, indulgence becomes tantamount to binging until we gain not only the joys of the season but an additional line or two on the weighing scale.

As we bid goodbye to this season with the coming of a brand new year, we start the year right with our New Year’s resolutions. And ever since these resolutions have become a tradition, weight loss has reigned as one of the most popular in the list of things to change and accomplish. To achieve the weight of your desire, let these apps help you to make you look and feel fit.

Lose It! Losing weight is hard work. It takes more than simply dieting or plain working out to reach your desired weight; it requires the synergy of both. With Lose It!, you can be able to keep track of your weight loss goals. Just enter your current weight and your desired weight, and the app will provide you with a fitness plan that is easy to follow. It will tell you the maximum daily calories you should consume, and it can compute your calories burned according to the activities you do. At the end of the day, you can see a line graph to view your progress since the day you started your fitness plan.

Daily Workouts. Gym memberships can cost you a fortune, so why not work out at home instead? Not only that this free app can save you money; it can also save you time. Once you have downloaded the Daily Workouts app in your smartphone or tablet, you can be able to view a vast anthology of workout videos that are broken down into five-or-ten-minute routines. Because of their fairly short length, they are simple to do and follow. With it, you can get your butt, arms, abs, and legs in shape as the workouts in the app are as effective as your local fitness class.

ShopWell. There has been a debate onto whether which between dieting and exercising is far more effective in losing weight. And as further studies are being conducted, the odds seem to favor dieting. Your caloric consumption as compared vis-a-vis with your daily activities is the most important parameter to watch out to ensure weight loss. And so, if you want to track everything from carbs to gluten, let ShopWell help you establish your dietary needs. Whenever you’re at the grocery store, scan the barcodes of food items, and the app will tell you if the product you have scanned meets your requirements. Otherwise, it will suggest another similar product that does. Not only that it works best for dieting; it also helps you set a diet plan for those suffering from allergies or diabetes.

With apps now available to help you lose the weight you gained from all the sumptuous dinner parties the past holidays, you no longer have an excuse not to shed those extra pounds and be back to your fit self again. All you have to do is download them to your handheld device and you’re on your way to health and fitness.

Going Out of Business? Go Blame the Internet

For most of us, the Internet is perhaps the greatest breakthrough there is since the Wright brothers invented the airplane. And why wouldn’t it be? With the Internet and its virtually infinite nature, we can be able to reach out to anybody wherever he is. But more than that, it has innovated the way we live our lives by giving us access to all sorts of information with just one click.

However, not everyone is ecstatic with the birth of the Internet. For some, it is the reason why their lives have been reduced into shambles. Their livelihood was severely disadvantaged ever since the World Wide Web has made its debut. Without further ado, let me show you the businesses that the Internet has vaporized.

Book Stores. Books are truly a great collection, but in this digital age, consumers would rather have an e-book than a real book. The retail sphere has radically changed ever since the Internet stepped into the picture, and one of the most affected industries is this one. When every sort of media has moved to digital downloads, interest to the same thing that possesses a physical presence diminished. And the most painful blow was when Amazon introduced the Kindle, an eReader that provided readers with the convenience of holding a variety of books in a portable device.

Video Stores. VCD and DVD rental services have experienced a big boom back in the late 20^th century; however, they weren’t spared when the Internet dominated every household. Nowadays, all it takes is a tap of a finger for you to watch movies from a wide selection over the Internet. With that kind of convenience, who would want to bother themselves for a trip to the video store when they can just seamlessly stream whatever they want to watch either for free or sometimes for a price.

Record Stores. Music has been part of our everyday lives. It serves as a catalyst in bringing out our deeply kept emotions, but often, it’s just a means to entertain us when we’re bored. Given this, can you still recall on when was your last visit to the record store? Perhaps a lot of you can no longer remember because you were used to just downloading stuff over the Internet. Internet downloads enable you to choose just the track you like instead of buying the whole album. But the best part of it is that you may be lucky enough to find a pirated copy that won’t cost you a single cent.

Travel Agencies. Back in the days when information with regard to travel and whatnot is scarce, travel agencies are of great help to assure you of an enjoyable yet restful vacation. However, now that people can research about the “place-to-be” on their destination, not to mention transactions are now easily conducted online, middlemen in the form of these agencies have lost their luster. You can be able to have the adventure of your life with the aid of your trusty smartphone.

Payphones. Why will someone who has a mobile phone still want to call through a payphone, you ask? That’s a good question. Well, that’s unless if he wants to make an anonymous call. Be that as it may, payphones are gradually becoming nothing more than a disgusting piece of equipment that clutters the streets of every sidewalk. Unless they’re the prominent red booths you see scattered all around London, they’re completely useless.

Post Offices. In a world where everything had become fast-paced, people inhabiting in it should be able to catch up with the hustles and bustles of modern day life. Just imagine having an urgent need to send an important message, but the only way for that message to be transmitted is through the post office. What a drag. Good thing, we already have the email. It’s no wonder why the post office is having troubles staying afloat these days.

You need not to wonder anymore if the businesses mentioned above will completely disappear in no time. It’s a dog eat dog world out there. If they cannot keep up with the changes of this era, might as well resort to the insufferable concessions that will make them go out of business.

Which Smartphone of 2013 is Best? Let’s Find Out

The smartphone industry is considered the biggest market in consumer tech nowadays. It has managed to create a thriving culture that affects a lot of people in a global scale. And as always, because of its irrefutable fame, an outright competition has been brewing ever since its market has been conceived. This is the reason why you see so many smartphones from a variety of manufacturers trying to outdo each other. So, before 2013 ends, let us see which is best among a handful of smartphones according to the review by BGR. Read on.

Best Design. More than the internal components which determine how well a smartphone is going to work, aesthetics plays a major role in driving sales. If a handset looks nice, it’s definitely worth being showed off. And in this category, the award goes to the HTC One. Indeed, deciding the winner for this category was not easy, but evidently, the attention to details by HTC made it undeniably the victor. The aluminum casing brings out an elegant look, while its convex posterior makes it fit perfectly in the hand. The glass covering in front creates a feeling of endlessness, for it spills over the sides of the phone that is aligned flawlessly with its chamfered bezel. Plus, the front-facing BoomSound speakers contribute to the overall look, giving the HTC One the title of best design.

Best Performance. When it comes to performance, we typically rely on numbers to arrive at a conclusion, but with the iPhone 5s, this doesn’t apply. Many Android smartphones available on the market are already being built with quad and octa-core processors clocked at over 2GHz, while the 5s is only powered with a dual-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz. But as it appears with extensive testing and comparison performed by well-respected device reviewers, the flagship phone of Apple doesn’t only level with the powerful Android phones; it outperforms them.

Best Display. Because of the fact that the smartphones of today have a touchscreen interface, it is imperative in the part of smartphone manufacturers to come up with a superb display that has stupendous clarity. Of all the mobile phones vigilantly scrutinized for this category, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 boasted the most gorgeous display. This ginormous handset sports Samsung’s brightest super AMOLED display ever. Test results show that its panel is 55% brighter than its predecessor’s panel, yet the colors don’t appear to be exaggerated like with the Galaxy S4. No wonder, the Galaxy Note 3 became the fastest-selling phablet of all time.

Best Value. Of course, we can expect a far more expensive smartphone to be better in a variety of aspects, but this is a question that’s worth being answered: “Is it worth it?” You can splurge all you want on a gadget, but will the money you put on it be worth every penny? If value is what you’re looking for, then look no more because Google’s Nexus 5 is the smartphone for you. It is made affordable, for it retails only for $349. Comparatively, you’ll see that other smartphones having the same specs as the Nexus 5 cost nearly as twice off contract.

I think we all agree with the results. If you still haven’t decided what smartphone to get for yourself, I hope that this review has shed some light on what your next purchase is going to be.