A floor stand for your iPad or tablet

Have you ever held an iPad? Let me rephrase… Have you ever held an iPad for any length of time? They can become quite uncomfortable to try and position so you can enjoy your gadget the best possible way without having to strain your arms or crank your neck.

You my friend need an iPad floor stand so you can watch your movies and read your E-Books in style and luxury. The floor stand will telescope, tilt and swivel so you can adjust it to your level of relaxation without causing you tension. You can easily navigate your apps, or relocate the stand with ease so you can be sitting, standing or reclining while using your iPad to its fullest potential.

This amazing floor stand can hold other types of tablets too, so you too can enjoy your technology with ease.

Since when did Google get good at advertising?

Google has never been the best when it comes to plugging their own products. It has resulted in poor launches of other items such as all of their first phone attempts, their Chromebooks, and just about everything else they’ve pushed, even the big Google+ blast that they’ve been hammering for the last several months. Their push for the Nexus 7 tablet has been stronger and the advertising shows promise.

In an almost Applesque way, the latest video they’ve released introducing their tablet hardware attempts to touch people where they are most likely approachable – the family. Instead of going into the wonderful psychology and consumer appeal of the video, I’ll just let you watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqiSE-ukmgc

The future of mobile business and consumer apps

Mobility is a must these days. Especially in the business world. Smart phones lead the way for mobile devices and now tablets seem to be the new trend. No business professional wants to lug around a lap top anymore, especially if they travel a lot. So the tablet has become a popular choice for the traveling business person. Not only are individuals choosing the tablet as their favorite mobile device, but big businesses are using them more as well.

Since bigger businesses are using tablets, the need for more specified applications is growing as well. Enterprise application development is growing. Enterprise applications are software platforms that are too larger and too complex for individual or small business use. They are designed to integrate with other apps within corporate networks while meeting strict requirements for security and administration management.

This infographic presented by Click Software goes into more detail about the increase in tablet adoption and app development.

Source: ClickSoftware mobile business apps

Are we ready for enterprise tablets?

Small kids can use them just fine. They are more portable than a laptop, more powerful than a smartphone, and perform nearly every duty that a business person needs (especially when an external keyboard is added, which sort of defeats the purpose of having a tablet, but that’s another debate).

Why, then, are more corporations and large businesses not adopting tablets as their primary method of mobile productivity? Why do so many continue to push clunky laptops onto their employees?

The answers are numerous. Some companies simply do not trust the cloud, yet. Some still require access to programs that are either unavailable or more difficult to use on tablets. Some don’t want to spend the money just yet to replace or add to their current laptop expenses.

This infographic breaks down the pros (without many cons) associated with tablets on the enterprise. Click to enlarge.

From: San Francisco Toyota Via: Vertic

The real industry game changer with the new iPad: $399 iPad 2

In the US, people with absolutely no need to go from the iPad 2 to the “new iPad” will still wait in line for hours to get their hands on the device that is improved in many ways but not enough to make it noticeable to most. The retina display is something that most will have to compare side-by-side with an iPad 2 to really see the difference. 4G LTE is a nice feature, but those of us on 3G are likely already getting the speed that we require. The better cameras, faster processor, and additional features all add up to make the new iPad a necessary buy for many who already have an original iPad, iPad 2, or no Apple tablet at all.

The real game changer in this growing industry is the 20% drop in pricing for the iPad 2.

To some, $100 isn’t that big of a deal, but worldwide and to many struggling Americans it’s significant. While it still doesn’t bring it in line with the Kindle Fire, it may have inched the price close enough to make it challenge the Amazon product as well as other Android tablets that people often settle for because of the perception that the Apple product is too expensive.

“In India, the new iPad is likely to start selling at iPad 2’s current price, just under Rs.30,000,” said Nandagopal Rajan from India Today. “But the big news for a country as price conscious as ours has to be the fall in prices of the iPad 2. The chances are the older 16GB Wi-Fi version will now start selling at least Rs.5,000 less, making it much more affordable.”

Original iPad and iPad 2 sales have been relatively soft worldwide with many sticking with the single expense of a smartphone as their mobile-connectivity device. The drop in price of the iPad 2 will be enough to compel many around the world to make the jump to the bigger mobile device or to switch away from Android devices that have fared better overseas.

For weeks, much will be written about everything from the chosen name to the new apps that are potential on the new iPad, but the biggest news that won’t be covered as much is how Apple is making the tiered concept of worldwide sales a reality. It’s a concept that has worked very nicely in other industries such as fashion and entertainment where the hot items of yesterday that were replaced today by the latest and greatest in America get rejuvenated overseas.

It will work for Apple and it will change the game in the “post-PC” industry worldwide.

Does 275 webOS layoffs mark the end of HP tablets?

When Meg Whitman declared late last year that WebOS tablets would be made again in 2013, the concept was met with hope by developers. As a newly-released open source platform, webOS on tablets would allow faster advancements than what can be done strictly in-house, so it made sense that the company whose financial fortunes are in doubt to release some employees from the division.

The releases occurred today, but it wasn’t what most expected. Rather than simply software people, many of the 275 employees released worked on the hardware side. That’s not a good sign of things to come for HP, webOS tablets, or Whitman herself.

Indecision and lack of commitment towards a direction have plagued the company for years and Whitman was supposed to be the visionary with the leadership necessary to return the company to former glory and beyond. The clock is ticking as this news follows a release of her pay package totaling $16 million.

Is Whitman’s vision going to be enough to turn HP around?

Why I just bought 4 more Kindle Fires

Few devices have come along that have truly made me say, “Wow”. Perhaps the last one was the first iPhone. Even the iPad did little to earn my excitement.

Those who read this may wonder how much Amazon is paying me. There are times when brand-advocacy comes truly from the heart and this is one of those times. The Kindle Fire by Amazon is the best technology purchase I’ve made in a while, so good that I just ordered one for every member of my family. Here’s why:

The right size

One of the reasons that I went with the iPad 2 instead of some of the Android devices that piqued my interest had nothing to do with being an Apple fan. I haven’t owned an iPhone since the original and all of my computers are Windows-based. I imagined a perfect world where the iPad would become a true alternative to my laptops so I could work more easily on planes, in the car, or while lounging in bed. The screen was big enough for my large fingers, so I pictured myself working away on the tablet.

I was wrong, for the most part. A tablet is a good productivity tool for keeping calendars, reading documents, listening to audio, and checking emails, but a lite desktop replacement it is not. My initial reasoning was gone, making the screen unnecessarily large.

Don’t get me wrong – I love my iPad and take it with me everywhere. I simply can’t use it the way I envisioned. A smaller device would have given me everything I need.

Enter the Kindle Fire. Big enough to enjoy a movie or read a book. Small enough to fit in my jacket pocket.

Staying connected

If there’s one thing I didn’t expect, it was the speed. The device is much faster than any of my other Android devices and matches speeds with the iPad nicely. Moreover, it beats the iPad in web-browsing, particularly to large pages that I’ve visited before thanks to Amazon Silk (which I’ll cover below).

The lack of 3G was something that I thought was going to kill it for me, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how little I’ve needed it. The iPad has that for me and with 3G hotspots in my pockets, it hasn’t been missed.

Price

There is little that can be argued here. Amazon’s desire to own the holidays and beat Apple is our benefit. My 4 Kindle Fires are going to barely cost more thatn my iPad. With a wife and 3 kids, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper to get them Amazoned rather than Appled.

Silk

The caveat to all of this – Silk. It still scares me. I don’t mind browsing it myself knowing what exactly I’m getting into, but I still have to be careful with where I visit and what information I put it. Everyone assures me that it’s secure, but I’ll err on the side of caution.

The tablet takeover of eCommerce

In so many things, understanding comes by following the money. It works in many criminal cases, political decisions, and societal sentiment. It also happens in the world of eCommerce. That being the case, it makes sense that as more money is being spent on tablets, more money is being spent through tablets.

That’s the premise supported in this study by our friends at Monetate:

It’s easy to dismiss tablet computers as a passing fad, used only by hobbyists with time and money on their hands. But in reality, tablets are sweeping the nation – and, in many ways, totally re-inventing ecommerce. Here’s how the iPad has changed the way retailers think about the online shopping experience.

Click to enlarge.

Television time is smartphone or tablet time for 40% of American owners

It has been speculated that home entertainment would meld with online and app-based engagement more and more over time. Today, Nielsen revealed that 40% of tablet and/or smartphone owners use them while watching television.

As people continue to Tweet or post to Facebook when watching TV while others explore and research information about the shows they’re watching, a growing number of people are using television time as email time.

For most activities like email and surfing unrelated information, the gender gap is slim. The notable exceptions are visits to social networks (which women do 12% more often) and checking sports scores (which men do 27% more often).

The right size

Staying connected

Price

Silk

Things to do on TECHi

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