Posted by Jonathan Pentecost on Fri, Nov 30, 2012
According to the http://news.yahoo.com/ipad-mini-short-supply-until-next-105248859.html;_ylt=A2KJ3CUZtrhQBHoAAcPQtDMD website, there have been cutbacks on the supply of available iPad minis. This is because of the decrease in available parts on at least two counts.
The first is the production of the display used in the iPad mini (as well as the new iMac, which is due to go on sale November 30). The two primary producers of the screen, LG Display and AU Optronics, according to the article sited at http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20121127PD207.html indicated that there are mass production issues with the display being used in the devices and shipment of the screens are down close to 22%, from the expected 40% target shipments. This forced Apple to reduce the number of available iPad minis to about 6 million, down from the expected 10 million devices by the end of the year.
The second issue according to the Yahoo News article is the shortage of supply of the backlight module used in the iPad mini devices. Coupled with the issues with the display production, this supply decrease will not hamper sales of the devices in and of themselves. As you need to have both the display and the backlight in the iPad mini, shortage of both together is what is causing the decrease in available devices rather just a single item.
What about you? Have you already ordered or received your iPad mini? Are you going to get one and trade in your iPad 2 for the smaller iPad? Thinking about deploying iPads or iPad minis in your company? Contact Trigon Technology to find out about our Philadelphia IT Mobility Solutions that are available.
Posted by Jonathan Pentecost on Mon, Nov 12, 2012
According to the http://news.yahoo.com/apple-rolls-ipad-mini-sydney-shorter-lines-003507221--sector.html website, not as many customers showed up for the initial launch of the brand new iPad mini today. Previously, customers had to wait in line for hours to get their hands on the newest Apple offering (iPhone5, 3rd Gen iPad, etc.).
Although sales were still expected to be over a million for the opening weekend, there were noticeably fewer people in line at stores across the globe at Apple stores. The article indicates that most likely the reasons are because of Google and Amazon tablet offerings that are comparable but at a cost much less than the $329 price tag of the iPad mini.
Most of the reviews of the iPad mini were positive, pointing to the faster processor, the light weight of the device, and the ability to compact the iPad to a version that can be held easier with one hand. Wireless options were also a factor, as the 3rd Gen iPad did not offer wireless options like the iPad mini.
At the same time the iPad mini is going on sale, the 4th Gen iPad is also going on sale. This also is of concern with the shorter lines than when the 3rd Gen iPad went on sale. The article indicates that there is a chance that Apple may have lost its main focus with the passing of the late Steve Jobs, coupled with the increasing amount of rival tablets available on the market at a lower price.
What about you? Are you in the market for an iPad mini or would you prefer the larger screen size of a 4th Gen iPad? Or are you on the other side of the fence and are going (or have already gone) with an Android device? Maybe you also are in the market for Microsoft’s Surface tablet that uses the just-released Windows 8 platform?
If you are interested in finding out more, contact us to find out about our Trigon Technology Mobility Solutions. We also can provide information on our many Microsoft Small Business Solutions for Philadelphia Business.
Posted by Jonathan Pentecost on Fri, Jun 15, 2012
Do you have a tablet that you already enjoy (iPad or Android)? Or are you waiting on the much-anticipated Windows 8 tablet? According to the http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-windows-8-tablet-unveiling-said-slated-monday-183444492.html website, you may not have to wait much longer. Microsoft has indicated that it will be making a major announcement this coming Monday, June 18, that many believe will be the opening for the Windows 8 tablet.
The Windows 8 Consumer Preview is already available for download and trial, so if you want a “sneak peak”, you can take a look at it. Not all of the functionality is there yet, as it is just a pre-release of the Operating System, but it does look nice. I have tried it myself and it takes a little getting used to, as there is no “Start” menu that previous Windows Operating Systems have all had. The video that you can browse does give some basics on moving around the new system, so it is well worth the few minutes watching the video.
As far as tablets go, I am sure that Microsoft is going to be giving the current tablets on the market a run for their money, as the Metro interface introduced with Windows 8 brings dynamic content to the home screen. This means you won’t need to flip through apps to see the most recent things happening. For instance, you automatically see you have new E-mails available, without even needing to open the mail app to view. You can also tell at a glance other updates that are happening as they happen, so there won’t be a need to open the app unless you want to see the full content.
So what about you? Do you have an iPad or Android and really love it? Or do you want to get the new Windows 8 tablet at the first opportunity available? Are you interested in other mobility solutions you would like to know more about? Contact Trigon to discuss the Philadelphia IT Mobility Solutions that are available.
Posted by Solutions Center on Mon, Oct 03, 2011
Yet another tablet has entered the marketplace when Amazon announced its new tablet this week which has touched off a bevy of questions around tablets. Apple set the bar with a massive media blitz during last year’s launch of the iPad. On the day it was announced Apple sold 300,000 units. By day 80 that global sales number was 3,000,000 for the iPad alone. (http://www.ipadinsider.com/tag/ipad-sales-figures/ ) Clearly, Apple had hit consumer gold. Total tablet sales for 2010 were 17.6 million units. Fast forward to this week where total tablet sales are on pace to top 60 million units for 2011 and Amazon announced its own color tablet to start shipping this year. With all this activity the question remains; are tablets a good idea for SMB?
“Within 90 days of its release, the (first generation) iPad had penetrated 50% of the Fortune 100 companies.” ( FROM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad#cite_note-164 --Clevenger, Nathan (July 29, 2011). "How the iPad Conquered the Enterprise". Datamation. http://www.datamation.com/mobile-wireless/the-ipad-and-enterprise-it.html.) Using the same interface and design to its little sister, the iPhone, Apple made early adoption of the iPad a smashing success. With this kind of immediate penetration it was very evident that Apple had hit enterprise gold as well. As other manufacturers scramble to throw their respective hats into the ring the line between consumer and business has become frenzied over the past few months. The question is what problems do tablets solve? A tablet’s increased portability over their slightly larger and heavier netbook brothers of a couple years ago coupled with ease of internet access make tablets extremely attractive. To pull out a tablet and in a matter of seconds be checking email or hit a favorite website and avoid the annoying boot up time is very appealing. The format is far more inviting from both a reading and writing perspective in contrast to a smart phone and produces less wear on the shoulder than a conventional laptop. These gains in productivity and portability along with low cost make tablets an extremely attractive notion to today’s SMB owners.
2010 and 2011 tablet sales show only a 3% market penetration yet by 2015 that number should be between 30 and 35%. (http://www.informationweek.com/news/smb/hardware_software/229400338 ) With the frenetic activity surrounding this new format it’s time to take a step back and ask the question of whether or not tablets really are a good idea for business. Size, horsepower and portability make tablets viable; the last question that remains is whether or not the application base exists to really benefit your particular business. When you look at the number of applications in the Android App store or iTunes it really does justify the truth in “there’s an app for that.” As an IT consultant the instant access to our own web applications with minimal investment and ease of internet access make the jump into the tablet space a no brainer. The worker bee is continually driving the element of flexibility in the workplace and today’s tablet when matched up with the right software platform are a natural low cost extension and the next generation of what we came to expect from the smart phone of four and five years ago. Contact us to discuss your mobile initiatives. Who knows, maybe tablet sales will save the global economy? Think about it….
Posted by Solutions Center on Wed, Sep 28, 2011
According to the http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/09/26/amazons-wednesday-tablet-launch-threat-to-apples-ipad-analysts-say/ website, Amazon plans to release a tablet on Wednesday that will potentially draw customers away from Apple’s iPad.
Amazon will be releasing a new tablet that apparently has Apple reducing the number of iPads that it will be ordering from its manufacturers in Taiwan. The release indicates it is much as a 25% reduction in orders for the tablets. It also has been indicated that the Amazon tablet will be released at a significantly lower price than the lowest priced iPad produced by Apple.
Few details are available, but it sounds like the tablet will also be named Kindle, after the e-book reader released by Amazon. It is rumored to sport a 7-inch, full-color touch screen that will be based on the Google Android system and priced around $250. Just think of the apps that are already going to be available to the tablet that will most likely draw a crowd that doesn’t want to spend almost as much as an inexpensive desktop computer for a tablet solution. Besides all this, the new Amazon tablet will have access to all of the releases from Amazon available to it, such as all of the e-books, audio and video media, and other content currently available from the Internet company.
If you are interested in mobile computing, contact us to discuss our Trigon Technology Mobility Solutions. We also offer a number of Small Business Solutions for Philadelphia businesses. Contact us to learn more.
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Tue, Apr 19, 2011
- by Jon, "Pretty Boy", Pentecost
Now you can accept credit cards on your iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th generation), or iPad, according to this website. Simply attach the card reader to your device, download the free Square app, complete the online sign-up, and you are ready to accept transactions.
The website indicates that signing up is easy and there are no contracts or other items to worry about. Every time you swipe, there is a 2.75% transaction fee from Square and that is it. Sounds pretty simple to me – no complex contracts to worry about or bills you have to pay ahead of time. Just buy the $9.95 device ($10 redemption code is currently included – that means they pay you a nickel to get it!!), put in some info, and you are all set.
Now come the big questions – do you think this would be worth it for everyone? Obviously for some merchants, it isn’t because the fees that they are charged per transaction are much less (can you imagine scanning to an iPad in Walmart??). What about security – would you feel safe entering your PIN number on an iPhone that a street vendor is selling T-shirts from? Are the transactions all sent immediately through a WiFi connection or are they stored on the device until a secure connection can be made?
Depending on the situation, this would be great to have, as you can now start having the average start-up company able to use credit cards before they get really established and pay to get their service setup. It also will make life easier for those that have a mobile force for being able to add credit card services available (ever get stuck on the side of the road and need AAA?). I personally think this is a great tool and is great in a number of situations and the security potential risks are greatly outweighed by the benefits.
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Thu, Mar 31, 2011
SMH:
As virtually the entire consumer electronics industry throws its weight behind tablet computers, Microsoft's global chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie said today that he did not know whether the booming new category was here to stay.
Speaking at a lunch held in Sydney by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), Mundie, who reports directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, said he did not know whether tablets like the iPad would "remain with us or not".
I'd probably say the same thing if it's been a decade since Bill Gates proclaimed tablets as the future and Microsoft still has yet to have anything to show for it.
Apple fan or not, you can't deny that Apple is making money hand over fist with their new iPad. People are literally lining up to their retail stores to get their hands on one. The product is in its second iteration and doesn't seem to be slowing down. Mundie should perhaps look into the definition of a "fad".
What would be even better if MS had put any R&D time into tablets of their own. Why not put their Windows Phone 7 OS on a tablet form factor as opposed to cramming Windows 7 on one? Well, Mundie also goes on to say this:
As for desktops, Mundie had a bold prediction: "I believe the successor to the desktop is the room, that instead of thinking that the computer is just something on the desk that you go and sit in front of, [in the] future basically the whole room is the computer and you go in it."
So does that mean Microsoft is skipping the tablet era just like they just about skipped the recent smartphone era? The iPhone and Android hit the scene and Microsoft was late to the party and their recent update troubles are showing why they may not be able to compete.
Does Mundie's recent quotes indicate they will skip the tablet era? Or at the very least, show up very late to the party as well? Trigon is never late to the party, friends. Rest assured we'll be there to support your tablet infrastructure.
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Wed, Jan 19, 2011
The next iPad is coming. What do you want it to have?
More importantly, what do I want it to have?
If you believe the heavy stream of rumors flowing into my Google Reader, it seems that there will be a Retina Display-ish upgrade happening to the LCD. Will it be as good as an iPhone 4, or even the slightly less quality iPod touches? (Slightly lower quality only to supernerds, really.) I’m totally fine with an upgrade to the LCD. I’m even fine with this upgrade shaving off a few hours of battery. I mean, who cares? I can go at least a week without having to charge my iPad. A week! And that’s on heavy usage. I’ve gone two weeks on light usage without having to look at the battery. Will an upgraded resolution mean I have to charge it every six days? Oh, darn!
When I saw those mockups with an SD card slot, I nearly spit out my green tea that hip people drink these days. I mean, I had to change my pants.
I take many photographs. Lately, they’ve mostly been of my son. When I use my S90 I need to plug in the Camera Connection kit to transfer them. It would be beyond ideal for the next iPad to have an SD slot. One one hand, it seems very un-Apple like to add another slot to the iPad. But, this tablet is unlike anything they’ve ever sold before. I firmly believe many iPad users take photos and throw them onto their iPad. I even edit mine right on the iPad before loading them to Flickr.
If the next model is packing an updated screen, this thing is going to need a healthy upgrade in the RAM department. The multitasking upgrade was stellar, but it can totally drag the iPad down if you’re going from new app to new app.
What about some extended enterprise support? Apple has said that 80% of the Fortune 500 have started an iPad deployment in their business. That's insane. Hey, Microsoft, instead of slapping Windows 7 on a tablet, why not have your Mac team work on some Office apps for all those men and women carrying around an iPad? I know Andrew Levin and his OneNote seed money would love a native app.
Come April, I’d love to see a Retina Display upgrade, a healthy amount of RAM, and an ever so glorious SD slot. I’m willing to sacrifice a few hours to battery to make that happen.
Wouldn’t you?
You bet your green tea you would. If you're thinking about deploying the iPad or any other tablet to your small to mid-sized business, be sure to let us know so we can make the process as smooth as possible.
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Wed, Jan 05, 2011
by Mark, "The Mind, Sarro
Like it or not Apple is here and becoming more integrated into business environments. I myself on one occasion or another have used my iPad or iPhone for a business need. Here are 10 Apps that will keep you moving forward for your business needs.
Skype
- This app allows you to instant message make and receive calls to anyone else on Skype with your iPhone or iPad. The newest version of this app allows you to use it over 3G and to keep it running in the background.
- The app is compatible with iPhone and iPad. iOS 3.0 or laterand is free in the app store. 4.5 star rating.
LogMeIn Ignition
- This app will allow you directly control your Mac or PC along with all of your programs and files. You can remotely run any business application like CRM, ERP, Salesforce, and Microsoft Office.
- The app is compatible with iPhone and iPad; iOS 3.0 or later and it costs $29.99 in the app store. 4 star rating.
iTranslate
- A universal translator for your phone! 52 languages, Text-to-Speak features can say the translation for you in the language you choose.
- The app is compatible with iPhone and iPad: iOS 3.0 or later and is free. 3.5 star rating.
Evernote
- Create text, photo and audio notes, auto-synchronize your notes to your Mac, PC and web.
- The app is compatible with iPhone and iPad; iOS 3.0 or later and is free in the app store.
- 3 star rating.
Awesome Note (+Todo)
- An innovative note taking app with the flexibility to insert images into notes, insert maps, create To-do notes, alarms, calendar view in every folder, full sync with Google Docs and Evernote.
- The app is compatible with iOS 4.0 devices and is $3.99. 4.0 star rating.
Dropbox
- By far one of my favorite apps; this app allows you to easily share and sync files and folders across multiple computers. The app requires an account with Dropbox, which is free and includes 2.0 GB of storage. Simply install the client on the PC you want to share files with and drag and drop files or folders into your “My Dropbox” folder.
- The app is compatible with iPhone or iPad and is free. 4.0 star rating.
LinkedIn
- The app for managing your professional social network account. This app gives you the ability to look up the details and connect with over 85 million professionals.
- The app is compatible with iPhone and iPad devices and is free. 2.5 star rating.
1Password (For iPhone)
- This app will securely store your important information and can automatically log you into websites with a single tap.
- The app is compatible with all iPhone devices and is $9.99. 4.0 star rating.
Print n Share
- Print to all printers and any document type via your Mac/PC. Prints to most WiFi/Wireless printers without extra software. Mount your iPad/iPhone/iPod as a network disk on your Mac/PC. Drag and drop documents and files to or from your devices.
- The app is compatible with iPhone and iPad and is $8.99. 4.0 star rating.
Mocha VNC Lite
- This app provides access to a VNC server. You can remotely connect to your Windows PC or Mac OS X and see the files, programs and resources the same as if you were sitting right in front of it. I have this app and the Mocha Remote Desktop Lite installed on my iPad and I have used both of these for various business and personal needs.
- The app is compatible with iPhone and iPad and is free. 3.0 star rating.
Trigon prides itself on being on the cutting edge for new mobile technology, and the iOS platform is no different. Contact us today on how we can help your mobile needs.
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Fri, Oct 15, 2010
Google's Tim Bray:
This is an excellent product. It’s fast, beautiful, useful, responsive, and convenient. If Samsung picks the right price point and channels, they’ll sell a ton.
It has one really irritating design flaw: the four standard Android “buttons” are touch-sensitive areas on glass which, in dim light, you can’t see unless they’re back-lit, which too often they’re not. A month in, my fingers know where they are, but it shouldn’t take multiple days to learn to use basic controls when there are only four of them.
A secondary flaw is intrinsic: It’s kind of big, compared to a phone. Deal with it — or not — as you choose.
Ok, that last one is an odd one. Tim Bray is a Google Developer Evangelist. What's that mean? Imagine me getting a job telling people how great cheezy poofs in order to get them to eat a ton. Side note: what an amazing job that would be.
Still not word on pricing for the Galaxy Tab, but thanks to Tim Bray, we have a pretty exhaustive review to go on and make rash assumptions. I was taken aback by his comments on the browser usage. When loading a website, more often than not, the Tab will load the mobile version of the site. That can be thanks to the "Android" User-Agent string of the device. To the regular website, it looks as if you're using a phone to load the site. That would annoy me. A lot. I've also heard varying degrees of slow-down and stutter while scrolling, but Tim doesn't mention that in his review.
The Network options are very confusing as well. It seems like Samsung will be selling these subsidized at Verizon and other places. The price is rumored to be $199 with a 2 year contract, so one would have to think that a 3G-less model would run around $499 or higher. That could be a tough sell considering that there are no real Tab-specific apps ready yet, and the screen real estate is significantly smaller than that of an iPad.
What say you, internet?
Worried about whether or not your IT Support company serving the Philadelphia area will help you and your Galaxy Tab? Worry not, friend! We're here to help.
