Archive for the ‘Staff Blog’ Category

A change in Apple’s Product Cycles Makes sense

Now that the iPad 2 has been revealed, rumors and chatter shift to the iPhone and iOS 5. By this time last year, we were about to get a glimpse at iOS 4, which was set to be released alongside the iPhone 4 – but it appears this year may be slightly different…and we think it makes perfect sense.

Earlier this year, Apple unveiled the iPhone 4 for Verizon; not entirely unexpected, but it led to questions about Apple’s typical June refresh. If I’m a Verizon customer with my new iPhone, I wouldn’t be terribly happy if come less than six months later, a newer, better phone is released. So what is Apple to do? If history has anything to say about it, the next iPhone will not be a major overhaul; so where does this leave us in terms of a new product cycle?

Earlier this week we saw the announcement of WWDC, Apple’s Developer Conference and a key element is apparent – “Come see the future of iOS and Mac OS X”. We know that the next version of Mac OS X (Lion) is borrowing some of its UI from iOS, so it makes sense that an event unveiling the next iOS would happen alongside the next version of Mac OS X. BUT, in years past when Apple unveiles its latest operating system for mobile, it’s usually 3 months before they release their newest iPhone. Would Apple release or announce a new iPhone with the same Operating System? Maybe, but not likely.

Here’s how I see things unfolding in the next 12 months.

June 2011 – Apple unveils iOS 5.0 with great new features, tight cloud integration, enhanced voice-based services (courtesy of their Siri acquisition) and Maps enhancements tying in to more location-aware apps. This version will immediately be available for Developers to play and develop for, as it will be announced at WWDC.

September 2011 – Apple releases the iPhone 5 alongside iOS 5. Legacy iPhone customers won’t bee too upset about a 3 month delay, and Verizon iPhone users will have had the better part of 9-months alone-time with their VZ iPhone 4. The key here is that the new iPhone will be cross compatible; a single iPhone 5 that works on either Verizon’s CDMA network or the rest of the world’s GSM network. This allows Apple to pump out more phones without having to worry about individual supply demands; plus it lands just in time for the Holiday rush.

March 2012 – Apple stays on course for the launch of the next iPad, the iPad 3.

And there you have Apple’s new product cycle which satisfies legacy AT&T users, does not tick-off Verizon users and gives ample breathing room for Apple to focus marketing and product launches accordingly.

What do you think?

Juan’s Gear Diary – Power Supplies

To start off my series of articles on rebuilding my desktop, I want to start with one of the most important pieces of equipment in your rig–which is often one of the most over looked:

Your power supply.

If you’re building your own system, you probably have a need not satisfied by standard “off the shelf” computers. That could be gaming, A/V editing, running a home server, or any number of other applications. A stock system can probably accomplish any of these tasks, but custom tailoring the internals of your rig will usually lead to a much nicer experience.

So if you’re going to go through the time and effort to pick out a processor, motherboard, RAM, hard drives, and video card, why would you skimp on the device that’s going to power the whole thing? +Continue Reading

Palm Pre 2 Giveaway: Official Rules and Regulations

OFFICIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. NO PURCHASE, CONTRIBUTION OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. This Giveaway (“Giveaway”) begins at 12:00:01 PM. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) on December 21, 2010 and ends at 11:59:59 PM PST on December 27, 2010.

2. ELIGIBILITY: The Giveaway is open to legal residents of one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Guam, Puerto Rico, and all other U.S. and foreign territories and possessions) (the “Eligibility Area”) who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and have the ability to enter into valid contracts in their personal jurisdiction of residence. Only individuals may enter. The Giveaway is VOID outside of the Eligibility Area and where otherwise taxed, prohibited or restricted. Employees and directors of YourTechReport.com and the sponsors of the Giveaway, their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion, fulfillment, marketing agencies, public relation firms, consultants and contractors, their immediate families (defined as spouse, child, sibling, parent or grandparent) and those living in their same households are ineligible to participate in the Giveaway. By participating, you agree to these Official Rules and to the decisions of the Sponsors and the judges, which are final and binding in all respects. +Continue Reading

Where Has Uniqueness Gone?

The term “chivalry is dead” often comes up as a comparison when trying to explain that something that was once one way is no longer. Today, if a man holds the door open for a woman it is rare and therefore something worth noticing. Apple is the man holding the door – the company setting the design trends and leading by example, but why are they the only company thinking outside the box?

The reason I’m writing this piece is because of the vast number of tablets I’m seeing unveiled in the past months, and more to come in the upcoming months. Every single tablet takes its design styling from the iPad. Why is that? Is it because Apple’s design is the only way to do it? I don’t think so… Have consumer electronics companies fallen so behind that its easier to stick to a mold in order to rush product to market in an attempt to compete? I don’t know the answer, but I do know that I’m looking forward to a company (other than Apple) releasing a product (any product) that thinks outside the box, that stands out as unique and not just mimicking what others are doing.

The State of U.S. Wireless Coverage

Perhaps its because I’m from Canada? Maybe I just like to get quality for what I pay for? But is it just me or is virtually every wireless carrier lacking in some way or another in the United States? I travel south of the border at least once every two months and because of that equip myself with some form of pay-as-you-go wireless phone. To date it’s been with T-Mobile, (because of the GSM network and easy SIM card-swapping) but this weekend I had to stray. I was in a Target store in Framingham MA (which btw is apparently covered by every major wireless carrier according to their various coverage maps) with no reception whatsoever. Out of sheer frustration i walked over to the electronics isle and grabbed a $17 Verizon prepaid phone. Why Verizon? I wasn’t going to go with Boost or Virgin who share networks, and with all this talk about how great a Verizon iPhone would be my brain instantly said “Verizon must be a safe bet”… Well, after getting back to my hotel room and having to find a window to stand near long enough to get a consistent enough signal to activate the phone, it was rather apparent that Verizon was not the wisest decision either.  The funniest part about all this is that all along, as I look at my unlocked iPhone 4, it’s roaming on AT&T (From my native Rogers in Canada) and has consistently had signal and data coverage. But WAIT! AT&T is supposed to be the devil according to everything you read? Heck, I know at least 10 friends who have nightmares with AT&T and coverage… Yet, here in Boston I’m on 3G 99% of the time and haven’t dropped past three (newly calibrated, thanks Apple) bars.

So, I’ve gone from T-Mobile, to Verizon what next… Can I get a Micro-SIM Card with AT&T prepaid and pop that sucker into my iPhone? Will i get data coverage? I’m off to find the answers. Stay tuned for Part 2!

Game Changers

Analogies. I love them. Just ask any of my friends (okay….either of my friends) and they’ll tell you that I can’t tell a story without them. Why do I mention this? Because when I think about the 3 objects of technical lust that I’m about to discuss, I can’t help but think about….sports; in particular, how we define “Superstars.” Sure, a superstar usually has the best stats, but what else does he or she have that sets him or her apart from the rest of the field? All of the great ones have one thing in common: They change the way the game is played. They force you to redefine the rules and make you account for their very presence, regardless of what they actually do on any given day. They also give us something to measure everything else against.

+Continue Reading

Thanks for Joining Us…

Whenever I start a new venture, (YourTechReport.com for example) there’s usually hesitation about where it will go- what will it become- how will it be welcomed; but this site is different. As I sit here and talk about cool tech and gadgets, I have an overall feeling of calm; a feeling that this is actually something people will enjoy because it’s not riddled with tech jargon, BITS, BYTES, RAM, ROM etc. It’s meant for you and me. We’re going to cover a lot of ground on this site- we’ll jump from car tech and cameras to computers and mobile phones…we’re even covering flying Drones! And guess what- that’s the idea. We’re not going to limit ourselves to one industry or one type or review- we’ll give you the latest news and reviews from people that actually get their hands on the things YOU want to hear about. Sure, we’ll announce new products and give you the “corporate line” from the source- but when we get our hands on the tech in question, we’ll be straight to the point and honest. Its not about making people happy to get free stuff, nor is it about bashing companies we don’t like;  its about being honest about what we find and passing on the information to you.

Thanks for joining us on this ride!