A netbook with for the future

Apple has done it again. It has launched a MacBook Air. It is very thin and very light for one to carry. It is an eleven inch version. It has higher rates of resolution. It has a widely spaced computer which places less strain on one’s fingers. It has a much wider touch mouse pad which one can use more than one finger. The computer also has two USB ports which is an upgrade from the previous MacBook. It also has a 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and invidious 320 graphics. The graphics are adequate for basic games. It contains an SSD drive which is soldered right on to the motherhood. It has 30 days of standby time if one doesn’t. Another advantage is the use of a feature called instant on. When the computer is shutdown, Macs are somewhat quick to boot up and it is somewhat shorter than typical PCs. There are some drawbacks to this netbook that Apple created to appease its followers who wanted an inexpensive netbook. There also some drawbacks since the computer’s price is $999. It’s SSD is soldered onto the motherboard. If the computer is dropped, the computer is broken. It’s functions keys are much smaller in length and width. The function keys are more distant than the regular keys on the keyboard. The screen is much smaller. Overall, the computer is pretty good if one wants to buy a new computer.

Galaxy Tablet Creating Competition

On the most recent episode of CNET's Buzz Out Loud (Ep. 1333), the price for the new Samsung Galaxy was revealed. The Samsung Galaxy, when released, will start at a price point of $599. This is much lower than the speculated price of $1000. Several of the commentators feel this new tablet may be able to compete with the iPad due to several of its features. The Galaxy will be offered through Verizon, but no contract will be required for service. The Galaxy will run off of the Android operating system, giving it the ability to readily access several applications and similarly related Android features. Unlike the iPad, the Galaxy will be able to run Flash software, come equipped with a front-facing camera, and have an HDMI port to allow for easy connection between other HD capable devices (such as an HDTV). Verizon also announced it would be offering cheaper data plans starting at $15. Although the iPad already has a strong hold on the tablet market, the Galaxy may be the right product to start taking unsatisfied customers looking for a feature-rich product. It is still unknown whether the overall performance will be able to compete with that of the iPad tablet, but early reviews show a similar battery life and vibrant display. I believe for the tablet market to truly take off, data plans need to become more affordable and interchangeable with phone plans, while customers are given the option to move between service providers. The iPad, along with the new Galaxy, may lose out on potential customers by aligning with specific service providers and limiting their options (not to mention forcing them to pay for additional data plans with limited data provided).

AT&T=Unicom?

Anytime most people think of china's technology, they think of the worlds best hackers and a technological utopia. Well for those of us here in the United States who are fed up with AT&T's iPhone service, we have a sympathetic ear to cry in. In china, the carrier for the iPhone is a company called Unicom. According to Bloomberg Buisnessweek October 11-17, they are probably just as bad as AT&T. Does this sound familiar? Chinese customers are complaining of dropped calls, spotty coverage, and lousy customer service. This state owned company is the only one with the 3G network that works with the iPhone. The problem is that they are a distant second to the better communications company China Mobile. "Everyone hates them" is what Paul Wuh of Samsung Securities says. Unicom's service is so bad that many iPhone users in china alter their phones and lose access to many features just to go with another company. People buy an iPhone and sign up with China Mobil. Then they take their China Mobil sim card and trim it down to fit into the iphone. With China Mobil's slower 2.5G network, most of the most data heavy apps will not work but that is a small price to pay for much better service. Is it me or is Apple trying to give away market share. It would seem with other companies come out with similar phones, Apple would try to start getting out of the one service provider only contracts they have with the iPhone and start branching out to other networks. I believe that if i owned stock in Apple, I would be selling as soon as other companies started putting comparable phones out on the market. And another beef I have is why can Apple do a little better research on who has the best network. Why do you build a phone like the iPhone and give it to the worst carrier in the country? It's like building the worlds best car engine and putting it in a Pinto's body. Now to give Unicom their due, over the past three years they have spent $22 billion to improve their network. I bet that is 3 times what AT&T has spent. It still makes you wander why a company like Apple who is starting to lose their competitive advantage sill thinks they can dictate the market.

The iPad faces competition

CNET attended an annual conference that BlackBerry holds in San Francisco called the BlackBerry DevCon. At this event, Mike Laziridis, president and Co-CEO of Blackberry, unveiled the BlackBerry PlayBook. At this conference, Laziridis showed the crowd this device which could knock the Apple iPad off of the pedestal that Steve Jobs has it on. The BlackBerry PlayBook is sleek, light, and provides one major advantage that the iPad lacks. The iPad is big and bulky, and is very inconvenient for one to handle. The PlayBook's features include dual core processing, support for 1080p HD video playback, and rear-facing and front-facing cameras. The rear-facing camera has 5MP while the front-facing camera has 3MP. The PlayBook offers one the ability to take photographs and record high definition videos. The video formats include H.264, MPEG4, and WMV as well as 1080p HD resolution. BlackBerry's latest invention has the OS as its phones and can support a wide range of applications including the Adobe Flash 10.1, Java, Open and Adobe Air. The PlayBook doesn’t require a user to have BlackBerry phone to use the many services it can provide. If one does possess a BlackBerry smartphone and a PlayBook over Bluetooth to securely access e-mails, notify contacts, and monitor and update one's calendar since the PlayBook features an 802.11 Wi-Fi connection. The PlayBook's battery power is equal to that of the Apple iPad in spite of the fact of the numerous applications both devices are equipped with. This PlayBook’s memory is unknown, but CNET has mentioned that 16GB and 32GB labels were marked on the device. The prices is assumed to be between $500 and $1,000. Not knowing the memory capabilities and price of the PlayBook could help and hurt its future profitability. It can help BlackBerry because the new device can stimulate the interest of one who loves the latest technological gadgets which can make one’s life convenient. However, not knowing information on the PlayBook’s memory capabilities and price could cause interest to diminish especially if another company creates an even better device that offers better functionality at an even more appealing price. In spite of all of this, BlackBerry’s PlayBook is a unique and wonderful device that is likely to very successful and can give the iPad a run for its money.