iPad iSchmad

by admin on March 13th, 2012 : Leave a Response ( 0 )

Before we all dive headlong into the cultish carnival of consumption that is Apple Day (only three sleeps to go!), the staff here at the Digital Life Labs thought it might be a good idea to sit back, take a deep breath, and ask the question: does it really have to be an iPad? I mean, really?

There are alternatives, you know, and some of them are a lot cheaper than the $539 minimum price for the iPad. Some of them are cheaper than the $429 iPad 2, even.

Take the 7 inch Android tablet, the Amazon Kindle Fire, for instance. That’s just $US199, yet does most of the things you’re going to want to do with a tablet. Certainly, it does $US199 worth of things. It plays music, videos and games, surfs the web, does email . . . pretty well anything any other Android tablet can do, with the exception of mapping and navigation due to its lack of a GPS sensor. (Though, there are even ways around that if you’re very desperate.)

True, the Kindle Fire has been locked down a little by Amazon, to m [Read More…]

Mini review: iPhones get a charge from Third Rail

by admin on March 12th, 2012 : Leave a Response ( 0 )

Mini review: iPhones get a charge from Third Rail

One of the downsides to all of the WiFi connectivity, location-sensing, and general usefulness of Apple’s iPhone 4S is how fast it draws down its battery. Unlike almost all of the other touch-screen phones on the market, there’s no way to swap in a spare battery so you can extend your Netflix viewing another hour or two when you’re stuck in an airport, train station, or boring staff meeting. But a set of products from a Florida company called Third Rail Mobility make it possible to give your iPhone—or any other device that can charge from a USB port—a recharge on the go.

Third Rail provided me with a test unit of the company’s Third Rail System for iPhone 4 and 4S, a $90 kit which consists of a slimline case for the phone, an external battery that slides onto the back of the case, and a set of cables that can be used to charge the phone and battery, as well as charge other devices off of the battery. I’ve been testing the case and battery over the last few weeks to see how well they [Read More…]

iWant: is it retail’s saviour?

by admin on March 9th, 2012 : Leave a Response ( 0 )

iWant: is it retail's saviour?

STRUGGLING electronics retailers could receive a welcome boost as the new iPad spurs cautious consumers to open their wallets, analysts say.

While the margin on Apple tablets is minimal, stores will be looking to attract technology-minded shoppers keen to buy accessories for their new purchases.

But analysts warn many shoppers will need to be convinced of genuine advances in the technology between the new tablet and its predecessor before they upgrade.

“It may depend on how much of an improvement it is on the previous edition,” Commonwealth Bank analyst Andrew McLennan said.

“These products are in significant demand, especially if consumers have been holding off for the latest edition. The latest iPhone ended up significantly driving sales and being a help in a difficult period.”

Morningstar Australia’s senior equity analyst Tim Montague-Jones warned the price might see customers buy from overseas websites to take advantage of the GST-free threshold for goods under $10 [Read More…]

LG Optimus L3 To Debut In Europe This March

by admin on March 8th, 2012 : Leave a Response ( 0 )

Amid great anticipation from LG’s most loyal fans, the South Korean electronics manufacturer has announced the European launch of the budget Optimus L3.

The L-style range will finally make its appearance on European shores this month, with the release of the much-awaited Optimus L3. The unveiling of the all-in-one compact smartphone with superior style (as claimed on LG’s press release), follows its introduction at Mobile World Congress 2012 – making it the first L-phone to be unleashed on the European public.

Elements of the L3 include the Modern Square Style and Harmonized Design Contrast with metallic finish, with its 3.2 inch display promising the ‘ideal viewing experience’. Although on the lower end of the L-style spectrum, according to The Verge it does also feature a 3-megapixel camera, 800MHz dual-core processor, and operates on Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

“We’ve always believed in the need to offer a variety of smartphone options and many people simply don’t want to pay fo [Read More…]

Apple patents point to iWallet NFC payment system

by admin on March 7th, 2012 : Leave a Response ( 0 )

NFC (Near Field Communication) is one of those technologies that has spent a lot of time sitting in the wings, biding time, waiting for its big scene. The tech has been there for a while, but adding it to enough smartphones and retail outlets to make an impact has been quite the process. After all, both pieces of the puzzle need to be in place before either will benefit.

In these scenarios, the world often looks to Apple. MP3 players were around before the iPod, but nobody cared. Smartphones were reserved for geeks and businesspeople before the iPhone. Tablets — albeit clunky, Windows-running, stylus-equipped tablets — went unnoticed long before the iPad hit the scene. The same could be the case with NFC mobile payments.

Apple knows this, and is probably planning something big. Logic alone could tell us this, but there are also patents to prove it. PatentlyApple has broken down Apple’s history of patents relating to “iWallet,” counting no fewer than 23 patent claims relating to an [Read More…]

Upcoming iPad worries makers of accessories

by admin on March 6th, 2012 : Leave a Response ( 0 )

Upcoming iPad worries makers of accessories

The $2.3 billion market for iPad and iPhone accessories is so robust that about 90% of owners buy at least one add-on for their device, says Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray. Selling an accessory “is really a quick way to get rich for a lot of people,” he adds.

Products range from cases and covers to portable keyboards and speakers and even Square, a device for processing credit card payments. Square has more than 1 million users and has processed more than $4 billion in transactions.

MORE: Talking Tech

 

Entrepreneurs Steve Isaac and Brad Melmon placed an early bet on the next iPad. They came up with TouchFire, a rubber overlay for the iPad, which gives the feel of a physical keyboard. The ultraportable keyboard is just going into production after a year of design and fundraising, and Isaac and Melmon hope the new iPad won’t have a radically different shape.

“It’s incredibly tense right now,” Isaac says. “We think it is (compatible), but we don’t k [Read More…]