» Technology

The Pros and Cons of buying a tablet in 2012

Kye Husbands — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:29:29 +0000

First off, I have to admit that my position on tablet computers has changed somewhat over the last year . This was largely a result of reading my first e-book, on the iPhone of all things. Sure it was a great book and that was the catalyst, but more importantly, it changed my perspective on the utility of tablet computers and given that experience, I wanted to share that perspective with you.

Tablets are small lightweight portable devices for surfing the web, checking email, staying organized, listening to music and using apps.

So what are the advantages of a tablet computer at this stage:

1. Really intuitive to use – Whether you’re 5 years old or 95, everyone knows how to use his or her finger.
2. Portability – They’re much easier to carry with you than a laptop and it’s the same size as your standard notebook.
3. Much better experience for surfing the web, doing presentations and reading eBooks than smartphones, given the bigger screen and you also have access to unlimited books and information.
4. Instant ON – No waiting around for your tablet to boot up like your laptop
5. Better Battery Life as much as 3 times better (12 hours versus 4-6)
6. Apps – An infinite selection of apps to make your life easier in different ways. (i.e. Dropbox to access your files online, Skype, Voice to Text Dictation tools, etc.)

So what’s the case for not buying a tablet computer:

1. Costs – Apple’s iPad is still setting the pace and remains the gold standard for tablets. Today, however, we have many more options ranging in price from just over $100 to $900.

RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook, which, following the latest upgrade and reduction in price, is a decent 7” option, as well as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, which is clearly the king of Android’s tablet offerings.
Amazon’s Fire and Kindle devices are also lower costs alternatives to get in the game, without the big cash outlay and give you access to Amazon’s emerging eco-system.
Soon to come Windows 8 tablets, which are, somewhat surprisingly, highly anticipated in market. Wireless carriers are now coming out with their own tablets. For example, you can get a T-Mobile 7″ tablet for a reasonable price.

2. Tablets aren’t as powerful and what you buy is what you get. Tablets are not laptop replacements and that really shouldn’t be the expectation. (i.e. No memory slots for added memory or the ability to upgrade anything)
3. Typing for any length of time on a tablet can be a painful exercise although you can buy a keyboard as an extension. Your trusted black notebook may still be 50 times faster than attempting to type on a tablet.

A few final thoughts

Many still make the argument that physical books offer a much better experience for reading, however, the writing is on the wall for physical books. Tablets offer people from the poorest nations in the world an opportunity to get connected – assuming the costs continue to come down like in India where the government recently subsidized and distributed a tablet for $60 – and become equally productive members of an evermore important online world.

The other development of late has been the emergence of smartphones with larger and larger screens (ex. Samsung Galaxy Note), as they blur the line between smartphone and tablet. The thinking, as per their research, is that people only want to have one device ideally that can do it all and with a 5.3″ screen it’s a good compromise at 1/2 the size of it’s Galaxy Tab. The jury is still out on this form factor and in my opinion the larger screen seems somewhat awkward for a smartphone. A smartphone has to fit in your pocket so where portability is concerned Samsung is really pushing the limits.

Have you bought yourself a tablet as yet? What are your thoughts?

Apple releases iPhone 4S battery fix, or is it?

Charlie — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:22:40 +0000

Many users with Apple iPhones and iPads with iOS 5 have complained about the weak battery life from the minute they bought their
devices. Battery drainage so alarming that blog and message boards have been lit up. Apple acknowledged the battery life issue
by saying it could be fixed with an iOS 5.0.1 update. But the verdict is out. Many users have said the issue still exists and some have even said the battery draining problem has gotten worse. For its part, Apple has tried to get in front of the issue after its own message boards were lit up with users still complaining of the drainage issue. They say that although it worked for most users, there is still a handful out there with the issue. In my opinion, wait till there is a confirmed update that actually works. Visit various Apple blogs and communities and see what fellow users are saying. Stay tuned.

What’s good about Blackberry App World 3.0?

Charlie — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:49:19 +0000

For the last few years, we have heard about the unfriendly user experience and limited number of apps available on Blackberry App World. It took me forever to find the apps I was looking to the point that I would just give up searching. The NEW Blackberry App World 3.0 looks to reconnect with its’ users with an updated user interface combined with new features and functions. But what’s different?

From the onset:
• Each Category in App World 3.0 has its own section so you can quickly find various apps and games without having to spend an eternity finding what you are looking. (users of the old App world will know what I mean)
• Each app page now provides more detailed information from the beginning with reviews, screenshots, summaries and ratings.
• The Home Screen has a search bar that makes finding what you want easier. (The previous app world made it difficult)
• Quickly view TOP FREE, TOP PAID and TOP RATED apps in an instant
• Social sharing of apps is a new feature that allows users to let their friends know about cool new apps via Facebook, Twitter, text and email notifications and BBM (Blackberry Messenger)
• With BBM 6.0 providing better social integration capabilities, APP World 3.0 can help you leverage and get access to BBM connected applications.
• You get more control of your account and profile information. Something that lacked with the previous version
• My World organizes and stores all of your apps in one location and provides you information on available updates. You can also view updates on your subscriptions.
• My Account allows you to easily manage all account and payment options

For those that use Blackberry, you will definitely like the new experience that App World 3.0 gives but will it be enough to convince non-BB users to jump on board? The prevailing argument has been that the community of apps on App World pales in comparison to the Apple and Android community of apps. Although true from a numbers perspective, many BB users feel that the community of apps on App World 3.0 is more than enough for them. My big concern is the community of developers. Talk to any app developer or look at any company pushing out apps and they will tell you that they will push out apps for Android and iPhone first, Blackberry second, if at all. Will Blackberry make their environment more app friendly? This is just a number of challenges that Blackberry faces but they have made a small step in the right direction with App World 3.0

Making Sense of Cellphone Jargon

Simon McNeil — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 23:58:56 +0000

We all want to make good decisions when we buy something. This is doubly true when we want to purchase a big-ticket item. Increasingly a big-ticket item will not be a single-use device, such as a TV or a VCR. Instead, it will be a sophisticated piece of digital equipment. In the past, shopping for cars, and computers was a harrowing task, due to the vast array of technical information necessary to make an informed decision. If you went back ten years, the biggest question you might have for a phone was: do you want it in black or white?

Now, however, phones are sophisticated tools, easily as complicated as computers. Although there are heuristics that many consumers have used to select a decent handset, making a truly informed purchase decision depends on understanding a little bit about the jargon used to describe the qualities of a phone.

If you understand what some of this means, you can more effectively select the phone that is right for you. Considering that getting a good phone for a good price generally requires a 3 year commitment to a phone carrier, this is a decision you probably don’t want to get wrong, so consider the following tips.
Because cellphones are very complicated devices it can be very difficult to choose the right phone for your needs. Consider all the options available to you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Is my Phone Smart?

One of the key distinctions made these days in mobile terminology is between “super-phones,” “smartphones” and “basic wireless handsets.” But what does it all mean? What makes a phone “super?” Why would we call a phone “smart?”
The key division is between basic wireless handsets and other, more modern, devices.

First off, when we refer to a wireless handset, whatever type it is, we mean a cellphone. So a basic wireless handset is a basic cellphone. This is frequently divided further into “candybar” and “flip-phones.” Regardless, a basic wireless handset is probably going to be a 2G device these days (more on what 2G means later) which is very capable of making calls, sending text messages and storing contacts. It probably won’t be able to do much else. If the phone is a single, unmoving piece, it is a candybar phone. If it folds in the center and opens up when being used it is a flip-phone.

A smartphone is a phone which can do more. At minimum it should be able to send and receive e-mails. It should probably also be functional as a phone, and probably as an mp3 player, provided it has a memory card either pre-installed or inserted into the appropriate slot. Most smartphones are 3G (or better) devices, and should be able to make use of apps, programs that expand the functionality of the phone, in the same way that software expands the functionality of a computer.

A super-phone is basically just a sub-set of smartphones. The term is still evolving, but generally, for a phone to count as a super-phone it should either have a multi-core processor or it should have 4G or better connectivity. I’ll explain both of these terms, but basically, the only reasons you would need a super-phone are if a) you were using your phone for HD video viewing, b) you were using your phone for extensive gaming or c) you intended to use your phone as a personal computer.

These definitions require us to delve further into the jargon of a phone.

Key technical specifications.

There are a few key technical specifications that you should consider when comparing phones. Understanding what these mean can help you to make an informed decision about what phone is right for you.

1) Operating system: a key term for smartphones, the operating system for the phone is effectively the same thing as the operating system for a computer. The key choices are Android, iOS (Apple), the Blackberry operating system, and WP 7 (Microsoft). There are other smartphone operating systems, but two of the biggest, WebOS and Symbian, are currently being phased out of production. The operating system you choose will impact the interface of the phone, the core functionality of the phone and the apps that are available to you.

2) Core processor: Smartphones are computers. The key differences between a smartphone and a tablet computer come down just to processor power, RAM, and interface. The core processor is the CPU of this computer. You’ll hear about all kinds of different processors, sometimes with fanciful names, like “snapdragon,” but what matters most to consumers is the processor speed, measured in GHz or MHz. The faster the processor is, the faster the phone will work. The trade-off is that more powerful phones build up heat faster, and drain batteries faster. This leads to some companies “underclocking” the CPU. When, for instance a 1GHz CPU might be underclocked to 600 MHz. This just means that while the chip could, in theory, run faster it never will, unless you tinker with it, and if you are doing that sort of tinkering, you should already know these core terms anyway. Some phones will have more than one chip making up the core processor. These chips share the load and allow for faster handling of complex tasks, such as high definition video decoding and encoding. These are called dual-core, or multi-core processors.

3) RAM: Random access memory is the same in phones as it is in computers. The

more your phone has, the faster it will operate and the more effectively it will be able to run multiple apps simultaneously.

4) Bandwidth: Cellphones are radio devices, and just like radio stations, they brodcast at specific frequencies. The bandwiths that a phone can operate on are the frequencies the phone is able to broadcast. This is important if you want to use the same phone on two different carriers. Some carriers only support limited frequencies, and if the bandwidth selections on your phone don’t match, you won’t be able to use it.

What’s With All the “G”s?

“G” in this case means generation, and it refers to which generation of data network a phone belongs to. Each generation includes certain expectations about internet connection speeds.

2G: 2G phones are able to access the internet, but not quickly. They may be able to use some of the most basic mobile websites, but mostly they can do e-mail. Do not try to watch videos on a 2G phone. It won’t likely work for you.

3G: Most smartphones currently are 3G, and the wireless network is mostly 3G at this time. 3G phones should be able to provide connection speeds of up to 2Mbit/s while stationary and 384 kbit/s while moving. This is perfectly good for web browsing and even streaming video if of low enough definition.

4G: The definition of 4G is a contentious topic right now, as it was supposed to represent a wireless network capable of 100 Mbit/s. However most carriers in the USA labled any network they had with connection speeds higher than 6 Mbit/s as 4G regardless of the official definition. Canadian carriers have largely followed suit. People with 4G phones should expect considerably faster data connections than they would get with 3G phones. These speeds are only really necessary for high-grade streaming media data.

LTE: The latest network technology, LTE stands for “Long Term Evolution.” Currently LTE, as a speed designation, represents networks with speeds of up to 75 Mbit/s, but the 100 Mbit/s speed originally set as the definition of 4G origianlly remains a goal of LTE networks. LTE is effectively as fast as a conventional (wired) high-speed internet connection, or possibly faster, and as such is only really necessary either if you intend to use your phone as a portable true-high speed hub, or if you have extremely intense downloaded or streaming media needs on your phone.

Because cellphones are very complicated devices it can be very difficult to choose the right phone for your needs. Consider all the options available to you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

How safe are we from Smartphone hackers? Top Mobile Security Apps

Charlie — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:51:12 +0000

FACT: Every year, more and more Canadians are moving from cellphones to smartphones.
FACT: Smartphones continue to play a more vital role in our daily personal and professional lives.
FACT: Smartphones are for more than just makings calls. We email, store detailed contact information, use applications that connect us to communities, organize our lives and soon to be, our money.

That being said, we have to ask “How safe are we from malicious software or malware attacks on our devices?” One thing is for certain, hackers are working tirelessly to come up with new ways to hack into your smartphone.

Some of the more sophisticated programs can infiltrate your lives to rack up service charges through your provider, record calls, intercept text messages, pull up emails, photos and other personal information and store them.

In early August 2011, security researchers found malicious software targeting smartphones that run Google’s Android operating system. It targeted, logged details and recorded incoming and outgoing calls. BIG cause for concern. Google went a far as removing nearly 100 malicious applications from its Android app store.In July2011, researchers discovered security holes in Apples’ iPhones where users were downloading applications that ran unauthorized programs. (For the record, Apple’s record on security threats is quite good as Apple overseas all apps offered in their app store). Mobile security software companies like Lookout (great security app) says it detects tens of thousands of attempted infections each day.

So how do they do it? Hackers hide malware in, mainly, free apps for games, photos, videos, etc. Unknowing users download these apps that are disguised and the infiltration process begins

So what can we do? Don’t go “downloading crazy” for the sake of downloading. Research the apps the you want to download, especially the free ones that do not provide any practical business value but hold value in the form of entertainment. Read reviews, blogs and then decide.

If you smartphone is your lifeline and you store tones of professional and personal information, look to protect yourself. For businesses, its worth the investment.

Here are some of my picks for mobile security options:

Lookout Security shield is a FREE app that gives you anit-virus and anti-malware software, remote device lock and remote wipe. Also, offer a premium edition for $29.99. Works with Android, iPhone and Blackberry devices.

BULL Guard Mobile Security : $29.99 fee that gives many features such as parental control, location tracking, anti-spamming, system backup and malware scans.

SMobile Security shield : $29.99 fee gives you features such as anti-theft and identity protection, parental control, anti-virus against malicious software and more. Works on Android, Blackberry, Symbian OS and Windows mobile.

Kapersky Mobile Security 9 : $29.99 fee that cleans lost/stolen phones, blocks unwanted calls, real-time virus scanning and more. Works with Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, and Android devices.

SmrtGuard Mobile Security : There is a free version. Premium package starts at $45 yearly fee gives you anti-virus, anti-spam, remote backup and more. Works with Blackberry, Android and iPhone.

As smartphones become more and more integral to our daily lives and we start to use them for more than just phone calls and emails, you will need to protect yourself, especially with mobile pay around the corner. These are some of the services offered through our Peace of Mind plan. Stay tuned!

3G vs 4G cell phones, what does it all mean?

Yale Holder — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:57:52 +0000

What are the differences between 3G and 4G?

If you have been listening to cell phone companies in Canada and the US you can get completely confused with all the “G” symbols and what it means. To make matters worse, Apple complicates the discussion with its iPhone labels, 3G and 4. So what does it all mean? That is what I wanted to find out myself so I did a little research and this is what I found.

What does the G represent?
Well to put it simply, the “G” represents different generations in mobile connection speeds. They represent different mobile standards in cellular communications. And who defines these standards? The International Telecommunication Union or the ITU defines the standards for mobile telecommunications. The table below shows the evolution of these standards.

Generation	Definition	Speed	Technologies
1G	Analog	14.4 Kbps	AMPs, WMT,TACS
2G	Digital Cellular	14.4 Kbps	TDMA, GSM, CDMA
2.5G	Packet data on 2G	20-40 Kbps	GPRS
3G	Digital Broadband packet data	Max 3.1 Mbps, 500-700 Kbps (avg)	CDMA EVDO, UMTS, EDGE
3.5G	High Speed Packet Access	Max 14.4 Mbps, 1.3 Mbps (avg)	HSPA
4G	Digital Broadband (All IP)	100-300 Mbps (Max), 3.6 Mbps (Avg)	WiMax, LTE, WiFi

In the good ol days the first cell phones were analog based and worked pretty well for voice but were limited. In the next generation, 2G in this case, digital cellular technology was developed, not for faster speed necessarily, but to handle more voice signals simultaneously, increasing the bandwidth. These are the technologies we are familiar with TDMA (which Bell and Rogers had early on), GSM which Rogers still has and CDMA which BELL and TELUS still have in their legacy networks.

What is 3G?

3G represented the introduction of “data”, though there was an intermediate 2.5G for GSM called GPRS, and this standard was based on digital broadband. It includes terms we may have heard about CDMA EVDO, from Bell and TELUS, and UMTS or EDGE which Rogers introduced. This technology allowed and facilitated the growth of the smartphone as we could easily send data packets over the air at theoretical speeds as high as 3 Mbps, but more likely to see 500 – 700 Kps signal speeds.

So what exactly is 4G?

The ITU defines 4G or fourth generation as technologies which can support speeds of up to 100 Mbps! Wow, that’s fast, we are barely there with DSL or cable technologies today. Based on this definition the only technologies that can even come close include LTE-Advanced or WiMAX 2, neither are commercially available today. Yet we see 4G labels by cell phone companies by TELUS, BELL and Rogers today. In December 2010, the ITU soften its definition of 4G to include “forerunners of existing technologies” like LTE, WiMAX and even HSPA+. So what we have are HSPA network operators shouting 4G speeds on their network when they are nowhere near that 100 MBps standard.

To encourage customers to purchase the latest and greatest cell phone or smartphone, cell phone companies have been labeling devices and their network as 4G even though at best they are 3.5G and not quite there. Do we really care? Maybe not we just want the latest and greatest devices at the best cell phone deal.

What does Google voice mean for Canada?

Yale Holder — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:18:04 +0000

Can Google Voice transform our cell phone industry?

Unlimited calling across Canada

What does Google Voice mean to Canadians? Quite simply the possibility of unlimited calling! Google Voice is a telecommunications service based on Personal numbering, which means that the service is independent of your cell phone, home phone or instrument and attached to you, hence personal. This means that you finally have a form of unlimited calling on your cell phone regardless of which cell phone company or carrier you use. This is the same sort of service that Wind Mobile is trying to achieve with its unlimited calling plans. Unfortunately Google Voice is only available in the US, although I have heard about a work around that can get it working in Canada, read on.

Restrictions by Cell phone companies a possibility

With Canada as the third most expensive country to use cell phones…. in the world – this will be a welcome reprieve for all Canadians. My main concern however, is that I simply doubt whether a 20 billion industry will sit back and remain idle while Google Voice impacts their margins. In fact, I believe there will be some form of restriction placed on cell phones in Canada by the cell phone companies themselves. I certainly hope not! Rather I would hope that this too will signal the need to be more creative with their plans for everyone concerned. Should I hold my breath?

The end of wireless number portability?

Google Voice would allow Canadians to be detached from their device. If you’ve ever been caught in the nightmare of transferring your number from one cell phone to another at a different company then you will understand that the need to go through this process is reduced significantly as you would still have your Google voice 1 number. This will allow consumers to switch between carriers without needing to keep their old number because they can login to their Google voice service and redirect calls to the new number.

Lower bills due to calling and features swap

There is an impressive array of features available by Google Voice, including:

One Personal number: one phone number that rings all or a select group of your phones
Free SMS: It’s all online so it free:, sending and receiving
Block calls: send your bosses number – I mean select callers straight to voicemail
Conference calling: join several people into a single call
Google voicemail: voicemail like email
Voicemail transcription: read what your voicemail says
Custom greetings: nothing new but you can have different voicemail greetings by caller
Low cost calls: unlimited calls in north American and low cost International calling
Notifications: read voicemail messages via email or SMS

Given this impressive array of features, why do I need to pay for these same features on my existing cell phone, can someone say lower cell phone bills!

The main benefit of leveraging Google voice would be cheaper cell phone bills. If you are looking to get a new cell phone or looking to upgrade don’t just walk into a store a get one, leverage this free service to get the best cell phone deals in Canada.

Getting Google Voice to work in Canada

In order to get Google Voice to work in Canada, you must have an invitation from Google to use the service. With your Google Voice invite – one method my colleague has successfully used is to get a magic jack to circumvent the US number restriction. So essentially:

You need to acquire and install a MagicJack with a US phone number
With your US phone number you can activate your Google Voice service and choose a personal number
The final step is to forward your MagicJack to your Canadian Cell phone and you are good to go.

This is it in a nutshell for more get the full step by step process.

The one caveat is that Canadians may have some reservation with using an online based telecommunications service not sanctioned by their cell phone company. And given the experience some customers have had with VoIP services in the past they may be some hesitation to jump on board. But that remains to be seen. My expectation is that Google Voice will come to Canada at the end of 2010 or early in 2011.

Did you enjoy this article? If so, spread the word and let’s make the cell phone companies work for us. Support the Cause.

How Long Do Cell Phone Batteries Really Last?

Paul Peic — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:41:50 +0000

Cell Phone Batteries Lasting Till the End of a Contract?

To all of our benefit, battery manufacturers have made a significant improvement over the years on the life of our cell phone batteries. Many of us can not live without our phones; I have mine glued to me at all times. One of the greatest challenges for cell phone batteries is their limited life span. Can a cell phone battery actually make it to the end of a three year contract?

There are several types of batteries that are found in cell phones, two of the most common are nickel metal hydride and lithium ion. Older cell phones used nickel cadmium batteries which had a memory, meaning the phone will only charge to a certain level, no matter how long it stays on the charger. The solution to this is to fully discharge the battery and then fully charge it again, very time consuming. Most cell phone batteries are made to be recharged about 300 to 500 times, depending on a number of factors such as temperature, length of charge; keeping your phone on the charger after it is fully charged is actually lowering the life of the battery, bad reception; the phone has to work harder to look for a signal; putting more drain on the battery, and the speed at which the phone is charged; a slower charge is better for the battery. One other thing to consider, if you are using a digital phone, is whether or not you are actually in a digital or analog service. If your phone is in an analog service area, you will find that the battery has a significant drain as the phone has to work harder to translate the signal.

I have had several phones that did not make it past two years, very bad when you are on a three year contract! Another thing to consider is the popularity of smart phones; they are more like mini laptops needing more and more energy. The problem with a lot of these smart phones is that it is nearly impossible to replace the battery on your own once the battery needs replacement.

Batteries have come a long way since the first analog cell phones first started getting popular in the 1990′s. Our talk times have gone from 30 minutes with standby times of 24 hours to talk times of at least two hours, with standby times of seven days or more. Clearly we are moving in the right direction.

Take care of your batteries and you may find that they will last as long as your contract, hopefully.

Texting, What Does it All Mean?

Paul Peic — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:41:53 +0000

LOL, L2G, LMAO, MTF, ADN, CUL… A new language is emerging. There are over 1000 different text messaging abbreviations out there. Many of these are used by different groups of people with all sorts of hobbies and interests. The average texter only uses about 20 of the most common ones such as LOL (laugh out loud), TTYL (talk to you later), and BTW (by the way). Not only is this a faster way to communicate with each other; it saves money! If you are not on an unlimited text plan, typing out every word you are trying to say would cost you a small fortune every month. Text messaging is becoming the norm. The introduction of the Smartphone, has made texting easier with large screens and well laid out keyboards. Everywhere you turn, there are people walking around looking down at their devices and typing 50 words a minute with two fingers. You hardly see anyone actually speaking to one another on their phones, its as if they are secret agents, retrieving classified information. Maybe the next mobile device will only let you text…. wait a minute that came out years ago, it was called a pager.

Are Netbooks going to be around in three years?

Kye Husbands — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:10:18 +0000

Netbooks. The future or the past?

Many recent articles have cited the increase in Netbook sales as one of the most interesting stories of 2009. The surge in sales and the quick popularity has changed the computing landscape. This is exactly the reason why many US cellular companies have decided to get on side and bundle their offerings. “Thank you for calling, would you like a Netbook with that”? But how about the Canadian marketplace? Will we follow suit.Not likely in Canada. However, the US marketplace have started to see the lines cross. Computer manufacturers and cell phone companies alike are starting to jostle for position. Will Dell be manufacturing laptops or smart phones? One thing is for sure, once smart phones have the ability to plug into a big screen and even play HD content via a High Definition Media Interface (HDMI) port, this will be big news for consumers and further accelerate the adoption of smart phones as laptop replacements. Let’s face it, the biggest hurdle with smart phones for power PC users is the size of the screen and therefore the ability to be highly productive while on the move.

So to answer the question posed, with a Bluetooth keyboard and HDMI port standard the line between Netbooks and smart phones will be non-existent as we pack more and more technology into smaller devices.