Computers

ZTE Optik Tablet from Sprint Now Available for Under $100

by David Novak on Wed, 2012-02-08 10:25


ZTE Optik Tablet

Sprint's ZTE Optik tablet became available on Sunday, Feb. 5. You can get it now through Sprint direct ship sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Sprint Business Sales, Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and online (www.sprint.com) for just $99.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement. It is also available without a service agreement for $349.99, and business customers may qualify for special pricing.

Powered by Android 3.2, Honeycomb, the version of Android designed specifically for tablets, ZTE Optik is a dynamic e-reader, media player and portable computing device. It features a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with WXGA 1280x800 resolution that allows the user to get work done or stay entertained surfing the web, playing games and watching videos with Adobe Flash enabled websites. It has two cameras – a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera and front-facing 2-megapixel camera that enables video chat.Read more

Digital Signage: A Look at the Year Ahead


A Look at the Year Ahead

The digital signage industry is only just beginning to hit its stride and move into more "non-traditional" areas such as education, hospitality, retail. We are seeing a rapid drive of broader range environments that are finding that they must "bid, compete" for people's time and attention.

Waiting areas in pharmacies, healthcare institutions, call centers/support organizations, offices are using digital signage to present a high interest, highly effective controlled message. Even in manufacturing operations and employee communications firms are using their intranet to keep employees abreast of company and industry information as well as enhance their training/education.

Digital signage has matured to a point where it is no longer simply a paper sign replacement but in the case of retail is a seamlessly integrated part of the total point of sale system/operation.

This integration will become even more prominent in the coming year and years as digital signage will become so ubiquitous that it will be there delivering your message but most of the information will be registering without your fully being aware. This coming year we'll see music and focused as well as open information systems being widely adopted as well as real-time message management.Read more

MacWorld: It's The Event, Not the Tradeshow


MacWorld 2012

2nd Event – While CES has a much wider array of Apple-centric products/solutions than this year's Macworld/iWorld, the event was still an opportunity for the fans to see what all of the iTalk was about and to renew old acquaintances.

If you spent a few days in SinCity for Macworld I (CES) to see the star-studded array of Apple-centric hardware, software, semi-ware; it sorta' took your breath away.

Then you go to San Francisco to see Macworld II to see a lot of the same only with a dramatically smaller venue.

At Macworld I, there were thousands of booths and hundreds of thousands of people jamming in booths, standing in cab lines and hoping for a dinner reservation.

At Macworld II, there were hundreds of booths, thousands of people checking out stuff with credit cards in hand, hailing cabs, eating at charming out-of-the-way restaurants.

The biggest news at the event wasn't the stuff on the floor but:

  • Apple's blow-out results for the quarter in sales/profits
  • Apple's huge cache of money (nearly $100B) sitting in offshore accounts
  • Apple passing HP in PC sales
  • The assertions that Apple didn't care about the working conditions for employees at their suppliers (fortunately, Cook subsequently and vehemently said wasn't true)
Read more

Best and Worst Things to Buy in February


shopping online

The short month of February is here, and just because it's a mere 29 days long doesn't mean it's any less chock full of deals. Check out the list of the best and worst things to buy in February, which the dealnews editors compiled after poring over their extensive archives of sales, coupons, and individual products from years past. If you're curious about Presidents' Day sales, gifts for Valentine's Day, or prices on electronics, outerwear, and more, then read on.

Valentine's Day Deals Are Predictably Not Great
Since this is the time of year in which jewelry, flowers, and perfume are in their highest in demand, it shouldn't surprise anyone that you probably won't get the best price possible on these items; perfumes, for example, generally see better discounts in late February after Valentine's Day and March. That's because there's less incentive for retailers to offer truly great deals on these items when they're selling so well due to circumstance. Try buying your sweetheart a less routine Valentine's Day gift in a category that's more likely to see a fair discount.Read more

Facebook Fans: From Like to Really Like


Listen Up

Listen Up – You were told in school to keep your mouth shut, pay attention, listen, and learn. The same thing applies if you want to be the teacher's pet and the most popular kid in school…listen to the community.

You may have heard by now that folks spend more time on Facebook than any other website. By a whole lot!

To be more precise, it's 53.5 billion minutes a month on the world's largest social networking site.

When Zuck announced at F8 – the Facebook developer's conference – that the site now had more than 800 million citizens, he said he wanted them to be even more involved with the Site. In fact, he wanted Facebook to become the destination where people tell the story of their life.

We, and you, might think that's over sharing, but the growing community is changing the way companies relate with customers.

Companies are establishing their Facebook pages in record numbers and feeling their way along as they build, expand, leverage those relationships.

No one is exactly certain how much all those eyeballs and likes are worth.

It's still too early to say how much a Facebook friend and his/her recommendation can generate, but that's not inhibiting the rush to be there.

Companies like Coke, Starbucks, Nutella, Papa John's, Pringles, Skittles, Zynga, Zappos, Electronic Arts feel it's worth the effort. Read more

Sony "Springs it Up" with New VAIOs

by David Novak on Fri, 2012-01-27 11:09


Sony VAIO Z series

After CES, Sony is still coming out with new announcements. The latest is a spring refresh for its line of VAIO laptops. The Z Series now sports a Carbon Fiber Silver option, and have LTE 4G radios as customizable options. The laptops also now feature the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, and RAID solid state drives. Prices start at $1949.99 for the new Z Series.


Sony VAIO S series

The S series have been upgraded to the latest Intel Core processors, while the 13" and 15" models can be upgraded to a Core i7 processor. The S Series also includes Hybrid Graphics with an AMD Radeon HD 6470M (512MB VRAM) or AMD Radeon HD 6630M (1GB VRAM). The 15" model will come standard with a 15.5" Full HD display (1920 x 1080) with IPS technology. Prices start at $799.99 for the 13" S Series and $979.99 for the 15" S Series, and they will be available early February.Read more

iharmonix Q-i-sound Wireless Bluetooth Speakers Arrive in April 2012

by jessica on Fri, 2012-01-27 05:00


iharmonix Q-i-sound Wireless Bluetooth Speakers with laptop

Over 20,000 new products were announced at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES), making it impossible to cover each and every product the week of the show. One little gem we wished we would have experienced hands-on is the iharmonix Q-i-sound Bluetooth speakers by Qmadix. Not your typical boxy design, these ultra-portable wireless speakers deliver stereo sound for a better music listening experience and also feature microphones for hands-free calling.

Great for use with laptops, tablets, smartphones, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device, the speakers – once paired with the device – can be separated from each other by up to 15 feet, and can be placed up to 33 feet away from the tablet or smartphone itself. Each speaker is equipped with a rechargeable lithium polymer battery which charges in 3 ½ hours and lasts for up to eight hours of continuous playtime, 240 hours (10 days) on standby.

A handy zip-up carrying case makes traveling easy and keeps the iharmonix Q-i-sound speakers protected when you're on-the-go.Read more

ASUS B23E 12.5-inch High-End Ultraportable Announced

by David Novak on Thu, 2012-01-26 11:47


ASUS B23E

A lot of new notebooks are coming out of CES 2012, and ASUS seems to be leading the pack with their new Ultrabook line. But it's also got a high-end ultraportable ready to go for business users as well. This device is known as the B23E and will be available with Intel Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processors under the hood, complete with a 12.5-inch 1366 x 768 pixel LED backlit anti-glare display. Its ultra-simple profile and black hood look the part for your everyday computing action in the office or in the home.


ASUS B23E

The ASUS B23E business Ultrabook also features 8GB of RAM and a maximum 750GB hard drive in a magnesium-aluminum alloy case. Other expected Pro-series niceties are also in tow, including a spill-proof keyboard and an anti-shock mounted hard disk. Additionally, it will connect along 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and gigabit Ethernet. Of course there's also a single USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, and a USB/eSATA combo port. Inside you'll find such business oriented gems as LoJack, BIOS password protection, and a fingerprint reader. The whole package comes with a magnesium alloy case and the contents are protected with an anti-shock hard drive. It also has a three-cell 4,400mAh battery, which should provide plenty of juice.Read more

Best Buy Launches Rocketboost Control App

by jessica on Tue, 2012-01-24 12:45

Best Buy this week launched the Rocketboost Control App, a free app that allows you to control your Rocketboost-enabled home audio products via your PC or iOS device.

The Rocketboost Control App gives you remote control over Rocketboost devices such as the Rocketfish Bookshelf Speakers, Insignia Connected TV and Rocketfish Indoor/Outdoor Speakers. With the app, you can view your music playlist on your iOS device and send it to various speakers throughout the home, controlling where, when and what you're listening to.

"Rocketboost products have allowed consumers to wirelessly stream their audio from one device to another. This new, free Rocketboost Control App takes that experience to the next level by letting users control all their audio from anywhere in the home using their iPhone or iPad," said Best Buy Exclusive Brands senior product manager Mark Kudla. "Our team built this app as part of our continued commitment to create a broad ecosystem of devices to connect wirelessly across brands." Read more

Genuis DX-ECO Wireless Mouse Runs without a Battery

by David Novak on Tue, 2012-01-24 10:52


Genius DX-ECO Mouse

Wireless mice are great, but when that battery poops out on you, and you're without spare power, suddenly your entire business shuts down. You simply can't navigate your PC.

Genius' DX-ECO Mouse ditches the friendly batteries in favor of a gold capacitor. What does that mean to you? In just 3-minutes time this mouse can be charged to full and last for what the company says is a complete work day. Additionally, it can be recharged up to 100,000 times, which means that this mouse will be well outdated before its capacitor fizzles out.

And just because it doesn't sport a traditional rechargeable battery, or at the very least a slot for one, that doesn't mean Genius has forgone any of the standard features you've come to expect from your wireless mouse. It can work at up to a distance of 15 meters, includes a tiny micro receiver, 4-way scrolling, adjustable dpi (800/1600 dpi), next/previous page hot keys and a blue optical mouse, or as the company calls it, a "BlueEye" sensor, that is said to work on dusted glass, carpet and marble.Read more

Syndicate content