Monthly Archives: July 2013

Would you still use Instagram with ads?

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Would you still use Instagram with ads?

Instagram is a cool app and has a strong following among young and old, tech enthusiasts, and casual tech users alike. Within the app, Instagram has offered a particular experience and provided quick tools to accomplish simple light powered edits to images. Although this sounds great and does not need fixing, it is only a matter of time until the app is monetized to get a sufficient return for the development that was required to produce the app. Also, the infrastructure built up to the support the users and their media is not free. Simply put, being cool in and of itself does not pay the bills. Instagram will have ads

If Instagram was modified so that ads fit onto the various modules within the app, would you still use the platform?

  • A. If ads show up, I am gone.
  • B. It depends on how many and if they are intrusive. How does it affect the overall experience?
  • C. Is the app still free? Who cares?

What is your Internet speed?

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What is your Internet speed?

Depending on your ISP, or Internet Service Provider, you are given a certain amount of allotted bandwidth based on what you are paying per month. For example, it might be 16 Mbps or 90 Mbps (8 bits equals a byte; A song that is 4 Megabytes would take approximately 2 seconds to download if your speed was 16 Mbps). When most users had dial-up, speeds ranged from a few Kbps to 56 Kbps. So, this used to take what seemed like forever to download.

Do you know what your current speed is? Have you ever had it tested? Not sure? You should be able to find out what your service plan offers on one of your billing statements. This does not tell you what you actually experience on a given day though. If you have a large number of users or devices in your home or office and these users happen to be on at the same time, the speeds you experience may be far from what you thought you were getting. Plus, wireless users may see as much as a 50% or more drop in speed when compared to wired users because of interference (microwave ovens, landline phones, thick shielded walls) in the home or loss of signal quality due to distance from the router.

Is it still the iPhone still industry standard for the smartphone market

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iPhone still industry standard?

For many, the iPhone was the beginning of the real smartphone era. Even though there was Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and Symbian before it, the iPhone was the first one that made the touchscreen the preferred interface. The iPhone also ushered in the wave of app developers that took advantage of the new demand that followed the growth surrounding the iOS ecosystem. Later followed by Android and the successor to Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, everyone has played catch up since (and some may have jumped in the lead when it comes to some metrics).

What device is the industry standard in your eyes?

When making a purchase decision in regards to your smartphone needs, which product do you compare all others to?

  • A. Samsung Galaxy line
  • B. Apple iPhone
  • C. Motorola Android
  • D. Windows Phone Lumia from Nokia
  • E. Blackberry Z10
  • F. Other

Preferred Search Engine

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Which is your preferred search engine?

Google has the largest market share and has a very high percentage of web traffic routed through it. However, is Google your preferred search engine? There are a lot of competitors out there and a lot of choice. This is the reality even though it feels like Google is the only game in town. For starters, Yahoo is the top destination on the web, neck and neck with Google. Yahoo search is powered by Bing, and Bing is a busy destination for a lot of visitors on the web.

Ask.com is an option many of us encounter when we update Java on our PCs. And now we have options like SIRI and other search assistants. What is your opinion?

  • A. Google
  • B. Ask.com
  • C. BING
  • D. I prefer voice assistants like SIRI
  • E. Yahoo
  • F. You mean there are other ones besides Google?

What makes your choice your preferred search engine? Is it about ease of use? How about auto-fill with suggested search selections? Does it make it easier to find the businesses you want to deal with? What makes a search engine valuable to you and how does it improve your ability to get the information you need to be more productive?

Will Apple sell 62 million iPhones after a cheaper version is released?

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62 million iPhones?

This estimate depends on a couple of things. First, is Apple really going to release a cheaper iPhone? For years now, Apple has kept older models available to help grow market share,  maintain user engagement with the platform, keep people talking about the product (and sales people), and drive revenue. Why change? The iPad mini has surely cannibalized sales of its larger brother and at a lower profit margin. Second, is the iPhone going to have a larger screen? Samsung has put forward great products such as the Galaxy S3/S4, Galaxy Note, and Mega Galaxy that have huge screens. Many users enjoy Youtube, Netflix, Crackle, their pictures, and social networks on their large screens. Is a cheaper iPhone without a large screen going to be an incentive enough not to pick Android or anyone else that puts forward a great mobile experience, including large viewing real estate?

Finally, is the iPhone still the must have smartphone? For some, the iPhone is about status. It does not matter if there are better specs on an Android handset. It is all about perception. A cheaper version may take away from that. For others, the iPhone offers a better user experience (Android users can argue this too). If Apple is close to this estimate after this mythical device is released, we may have an answer. However, if it comes out and Apple misses, then there are real questions about whether or not people care as much about the iPhone as they once did.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57594824-37/iphone-sales-to-hit-62-million-in-fourth-quarter-predicts-analyst/

Charity wrestling event at Rookies Sports Bar and Grill in Spring Hill Florida

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Congrats to promoter and organizer James Richartz, the participating wrestlers, and the ownership at Rookies for putting on a super charity event. Wrestlers came as far as Miami to participate, which was very cool to see. Thanks Rookies management for being receptive to hosting the event and putting on a great show that entertained children and adults and helped a worthy cause.

This blog is normally about tech news related to new trends and has tips and information to help take advantage of technology to help grow business. However, events like these are special and deserve the support of the community. All Web n Mobile chose to sponsor this event because charity that helps our friends and neighbors is worth supporting. Keep up the great work Brawl USA!

http://hernandotoday.com/he/list/news/rookies-bar-grill-to-host-charity-pro-wrestling-event-20130711/

Does a 41 megapixel camera mean that there is a 3 horse race in smartphones?

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Prior to this announcement, a 41 megapixel camera had been on Symbian. Now it will be available on Windows Phone. If it works out, Windows Phone will have a differentiating feature between itself and the competition that does not invite the same controversy that the UI does. This is a step in the right direction. For most of the recent history of the smartphone race, new and exciting features typically were reserved for Android or iOS.

Does this mean there is a shift in the race from a duopoly to a 3 horse race? Probably not yet. The fact is that the lion’s share of the market is Android. However, with the changes Microsoft made when it moved Windows Phone off of the compact edition (CE) based kernel to one similar to Windows 8 and by making it possible for the OS to be on high end and low end specs, Windows Phone can now compete with Android on a variety of price points. Low prices has benefited Android tremendously up to this point. So by aiming for feature phone users looking to switch to a smartphone, Windows Phone may be able to gain some ground by going after these first time smartphone users. The plot will also get even more interesting if Apple really does release a cheaper iPhone that really is cheap enough to get users attention (and stay fairly profitable). This could lead to Android’s lead diminishing and a more equal distribution of market share. These are ifs though and until we see what actually comes out of the pipeline and how users respond, that is all it is.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/11/technology/mobile/nokia-lumia-1020-41-megapixel-camera/index.html