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Tag Archives: Apple

Opinionaided

By Cheryl | Posted in Android, Apple, website | July 19, 2011 – 11:33 am

OpinionaidedSometimes all we want is an opinion; whether it is on a new haircut or pair of jeans.

Opinionaided helps users gather the views of friends, family and the public, on the topic of your choice; the key being that all feedback is in real-time. Simply post a yes or no question along with an optional photo and sit back and watch as users vote on their preferred answer.

As of June, 1.2 million users had submitted a question which was met with over 90 million responses. The company have noted that people are using the site for 2 hours and 33 minutes on average per month, with posts almost doubling since March.

Currently still working on the Android version, the app is available for free on the iPhone or via the web. The company has recently released figures showing that more than 90% of their user base accesses the app via the mobile platform.

So, if you’re unsure if you should buy that expensive gadget, or if you’re just having trouble choosing the right colour for your bedroom; give Opinionaided a go!

http://www.opinionaided.com/

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Shop on the go with Debenhams

By Cheryl | Posted in Android, Apple, Application, Mobile, News | April 4, 2011 – 11:57 am

debenhams appMobile shopping has proved a successful venture for retailer Debenhams leading the company to announce that their app, once offered exclusively on the iPhone, will now be available on a number of smartphones.

In October 2010, the department store became the first retailer to offer the fully transactional app to iPhone handsets, allowing users to shop on the go. Since the success of the app and online sales increasing by 82%, the retailer are now offering the app to both Android and Nokia users.

Head of Digital Development, Harriet Williams, had the following to say on the development, “Our iPhone app has already seen 2.4 million shopping sessions with 110,000 customers using the app more than five times. Launching on the Android and Nokia platforms opens Debenhams mobile shopping to another millions more customers, bridging the gap between the high street and Debenhams.com.”

The app includes a ‘Barcode Scanner’, which uses the phone’s camera to take a picture of the barcode, enabling it to automatically check prices and reviews.

Customers can also take advantage of exclusive products and offers by looking out for the special codes in Debenhams advertising and store windows.

Currently there has been no announcement on when the application will be made available to Blackberry users, but if the retailer really wants cater to all shoppers, it would be best not to leave it for too long.

So, what are you waiting for? Download the app and get shopping!

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The Gadget Timeline…

By Jemma | Posted in Fact Friday, Gadgets, Gaming, Google, Mobile | December 17, 2010 – 12:59 pm

Gadgets have been around forever, even over ten years ago there were exciting new Toys to play with.

In our Fact Friday this week we are doing a Doc Brown and going back in time to see the gadgets that have moulded our society of today.

Playstation 1 – 1995

It was released September 29 1995 and was a massive hit, with games like Crash Bandicoot and street Fighter.

Digital Cameras – 1995

Everyone owns a digital camera of some sort and it all started back in 1995. It is said that

Eastman Kodak invented the first ever digital camera and the technology has just grown from there.

Windows 95

Design and planning started for this three years previous to the actual release date. It was said that Windows 95 was released with the single “Start Me Up” (Rolling Stones) on it and Microsoft paid them between $8-$14 million dollars for the privilege.

DVD 1996

DVD was a massive change from VHS and it took a while for people to adapt to the huge improvements, like being able to watch a film again without having to rewind it! Toshiba and JVC are the two known companies who made the first generation of DVD players and are as popular today as they were back then.

Flat screen 1998

Even though these are now the most popular, must have necessity in our living room they have been round quite a while. They were a lot more expensive back in 1998 thus not as popular as today.

Google 1998

The one and only Google.com, this is one of the (if not the most popular) site on the web. With about 320 million hits a day this has become the search engine of the century and I don’t think things are about to change any time soon.

Nokia 3210 1999

The infamous Nokia 3210 was extremely popular and was the beginning of a revolution when it came to mobile phones. It was one of the first mobiles to hide the big awkward antenna and have a choice of three games. Everyone loves a game of good old snake!

Apple iPod 2001

This was an amazing gadget which could hold up to 1,000 songs and was very small and compact in form. You could automatically download songs off iTunes onto this tiny 6.5 ounce design.

Sky+ 2001

Sky plus has been a revelation and when it first came out back in 2001 everyone was wowed at the fact that you can record programmes and watch them at any time you want. For us busy folk this was perfect!

Facebook 2004

Social Networking site of the past six years, Facebook is forever growing in users and popularity. Even with the competitor Twitter, Facebook is still going strong.

Apple iPhone 2007

2007 brought the unveiling of the iPhone, it was known as a widescreen iPod but turned out to be much more. It came with wifi, camera, visual voicemail, email and web browsing. It was extremely popular and sought after and still is today.

Apple iPad – 2010

This year came the sensation that is the  Apple iPad. Basically like a hand held computer, this gadget has sold over two million and the number is only increasing.

So there is a look back at technology over the past 15 years. I personally used to be a fan of the Playstation 1 – couldn’t beat a bit of Crash Bandicoot on a Saturday night!

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MacBook Air

By Cheryl | Posted in Apple, Gadgets, Twitter at 12 | November 16, 2010 – 1:09 pm

MacBookAirAnother week, another Apple release.

Steve Jobs took to the stage last week to announce the follow up to the MacBook Air… and it’s called… the MacBook Air. Must be running out new of names!

The original MacBook Air was released in 2008 to a mixed reception and with a huge price tag, but this time it looks like Apple have put things right and worked hard on producing a product that matches up to their own high standards.

How does it look?

In a world were technology is getting thinner by the week, Apple’s new release is no exception, measuring just 0.68 inches and 0.11 inches at its thinnest point.

Like the iPad, the laptop relies solely on flash memory, making the system quick and reliable. A lot has also been made about the ultra high resolution display, which boasts the display of a laptop twice its size.

The 5-7 hours battery life, dependant on the model, is better than the original release and the 30 day standby mode sounds impressive. The System boot up isn’t too shabby either, how does 12 seconds sound?

FaceTime Camera

Apple’s thinnest camera to date, even smaller than the one currently in the iPhone 4, makes it possible to keep connected via iPhone 4, iPod Touch or Mac.

Multi-Touch Trackpad

One of the most impressive parts of the new MacBook Air is the trackpad. You are able to pinch, rotate and swipe to zoom in on text and adjust images. Expose is still one of the most popular features on the Mac and all the settings can be used by simply swiping your fingers across the pad.

Issues

As nice as the device looks, it’s not without its problems. Much has been made about the keyboard, especially on Apple’s own message board. So what’s all the fuss about you ask? Lack of backlight behind the keyboard. That’s right, Apple have introduced a black keyboard to the new MacBook Air and have decided to take away the backlight; this has caused quite a stir with people actually cancelling their orders. What was Steve thinking?!?

Pricing

As the prices show, the Mac Book Air is not the cheapest laptop on the market but if you’re looking for an ultralight and portable laptop, you can’t beat this one.

11-inch – 64GB – £849.00
11-inch – 128GB – £999.00
13-inch – 128GB – £1,099.00
13-inch – 256GB – £1,349.00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce you to the MAC OS X Lion…

By Cheryl | Posted in Apple, Twitter at 12 | November 4, 2010 – 1:04 pm

Coming to a shop near you in summer 2011 is the new Apple OS, Mac OS X Lion.

The last release ‘Snow Leopard’ was available in 2009 but was developed around functionality rather than appearance, with Apple focusing on increasing performance and stability of the operating system. Lion on the other hand is a fully developed all-round OS with multiple added design features.

The Mac App Store

The Mac store is coming to Mac desktops and laptops. Currently the app store is only available on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

The App Store will work as normal, with the ability to find and download apps, games, music and read developer descriptions and user reviews. The app store will be accessed using the same iTunes password you would use on any other device.

Launchpad

Click on the LaunchPad icon in the dock and you will get a full-screen display of all the apps on your Mac. You can swipe across the screen and views multiple pages of apps which can be arranged by dragging or grouping the icons in folders.

Mission Control

Mission Control is a feature that shows you what is running on your computer at that moment, using a simple swipe. You are able to view your applications, Dashboard, Exposé, and Spaces in a simple format.

As it’s not released until next year, full feature information is not yet available. But if the screenshots are anything to go by, it looks like it’s going to be another hit for Apple.

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All I want for Christmas is… a new mini iPad?

By Nicola | Posted in Apple, Gadgets, Retail, Twitter at 12 | October 6, 2010 – 11:55 am

iPad MiniI don’t want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need… la la la… okay, I take the hint – less of the Mariah Carey act.

Yes, this story is about the most wonderful time of year when we get to eat mince pies, drink mulled wine and fall asleep in front of Doctor Who.

News just in to the QuadroNation office is that Apple is busy working away delivering a new mini iPad just in time to be on the shelves before Christmas. Rumours flying around at the moment (which were mostly started by a Chinese newspaper) say that the new version would be seven inches in size, which is 2 inches smaller than the one on the market at the moment.

“Chimei Innolux will supply seven-inch LCD screens, which use the same IPS (in-plane switching) technology found in the original iPad, which improves viewing angles and colour on LCD screens,” the newspaper reported.

Following a successful 12 months, this could create yet another huge hit for Apple with some bloggers saying it could have the potential to ‘become the iPad nano of tablets’.

The current iPad model sold a staggering three million units in just the first 80 days of its release back in April of this year.

Best start writing our Christmas letter to Santa…

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Google Android Market & Apple App Store

By Nicola | Posted in Android, Gadgets, Google, Mobile | September 23, 2010 – 11:11 am

How many times do you hear one of your friends or a family member talking about the latest application they have downloaded for their phone?

I’m sure we have all been ‘Fat-booth-ed’ or enjoyed played a virtual Vuvuzela but how do two of the biggest names currently on the market compare when it comes to apps?

Apple are ahead of the competition at the moment with currently home to around 250,000 apps, placing them ahead of Android’s 95,000; but if you look at paid versus free apps, Android is miles ahead with a large percentage.

So, why is there such a large gap?

One simple reason – Out of an estimated 46 countries that sell Android based phones, only 14 can purchase the apps with 9 of the 14 actually allowing developers to sell apps. Android phones have been on the market for about two years now, yet Google have still not managed to resolve this issue.

This is the reason why the availability of free apps is so high. A lot of Android developers have no choice but to give away their apps for free rather than selling them to users.

Money, money, money

In recent times, developers have found that they can generally make more money on iPhone apps rather than Android ones, but Apple’s upload rules are a lot stricter.

As we know, Apple are very protective over their products and the app store is no exception. Developers have to submit their apps to Apple for approval to the store, which can take days or weeks.

Google on the other hand have left their market more open to developers, allowing the users themselves to decide whether they want the application rather than Google making the decision for them.

Piracy

Because of the Android Markets restrictions, a lot of people have turned to piracy to get the paid apps not offered to them. Google have put measures in place to stop this from happening, but many feel their efforts should have been put in to expanding the list of accepted countries rather than stopping piracy that could be have stopped by simply allowing everyone to purchase apps.

The best?

For me Android wins, but then again, paid apps are available in my country! Google’s willingness to have a more open source platform wins over Apple’s strict guidelines. Maybe everyone will feel the same once paid apps are fully supported in all countries.

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Apple Music Event

By Cheryl | Posted in Apple, Gadgets, News, Twitter at 12 | September 6, 2010 – 11:23 am

This week, Apple held its Music Event 2010 where it was widely expected that they would unveil a new iPod.

This ended up being the case, but that wasn’t the only thing that was announced…

iPod Touch
ipodtouch2010
The two major improvements from the original iPod Touch are the HD display and dual cameras.

According to Apple, this iPod touch has the highest-resolution of all previous iPods and with a HD camera on the back and VGA-quality camera on the front, this is sure to surpass previous sales of the original.

iMovie
With the inclusion of a HD video camera, Apple have also released a new video editing application called iMovie, which allows you to add Apple designed themes, titles and transition effects to your videos. It is now available from the App Store at $4.99.

Game Centre
You can now invite friends or people from around the world to join games and expand your social gaming networking. All that is needed is an iPod Touch or iPhone running iOS 4.1 and an Apple ID and away you go.

The general look of the iPod is a cross between the original Touch and the iPhone, with Apple MD Steve Jobs calling the device an ‘iPhone without a contract’. From £189.

iPod Nano
ipodnano2010
The new iPod Nano is half the size of its predecessor and is made up of a touch screen display measuring just 1.5 inches. The new Nano has a customisable home screen, multi-touch ability, FM radio, Genius and includes the usual colours available including blue, green, orange and yellow.

For people like me who were turned off by the shuffle because of its small size, this is definitely not for you, but if you’re someone who would rather clip their device on to their jeans or bag, you can’t beat this sleek number to impress. Just make sure you don’t lose it! From £129.

iPod Shuffle
ipodshuffle2010
Looking like a less snazzy version of the iPod Nano, the Shuffle looks cosmetically the same as the previous version but slightly smaller. The device originally had problems with the voice over control, which has now been corrected by adding the controls to the iPod rather than the headphones. The VoiceOver will let you know the name of your current song, multiple playlist menu and the battery status; all this AND it speaks over 25 language – Etes-vous impressionné?! From £39

iTunes 10 with Ping
itunes10
The new iTunes 10 is the latest software release from Apple, but this time we have the added extra of Ping. Ping is a move in to the social music network for the company as it aims to bring a community of people together who love music.

What does Ping do?
Ping lets you see what your favourite artists and friends are listening to and allows you to hear 30 second previews of what music they like. You can also visit profiles of bands and keep up to date with tours or check out photos and videos they’ve posted.

Apple TV
Even Steve Jobs has admitted that sales for Apple TV haven’t exactly set the world alight, so how is the company planning on turning this around?

Well for one, the price has changed. Taking a huge drop, the cost has now been cut to £99, but what new features does it have?

What is Apple TV?
AppleTV2010
Apple TV connects to you Broadband, which in-turn is connected to the TV using a HDMI port, allowing you to stream content from iTunes to your main screen in the living room.

The difference with this version is the ability to rent programmes and movies, with the original version you were only able to purchase. As with the TV set itself, the programmes themselves shouldn’t be too expensive, roughly 99p per episode. You have 30 days to start watching, and once you begin, you can watch as many times as you want in 24 hours. For any movie buffs, the inclusion of Rotten Tomatoes reviews will surely be useful to a lot of people.

The device itself is now 80% smaller than before and is available in a sleek black colour and for an extra cool add-on, you can control Apple TV using you iPhone or iPod touch; download the free app from the Apple Store and away you go!

£99

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iPod touch – The ultimate media player

By Cheryl | Posted in Application | August 16, 2010 – 10:08 am

AppStore-iPodTouchThe iPod Touch has been another successful launch for Apple, with the player becoming one of the most sought after on the market. So, does this iPod match up to the hype?

Sharing the same look and feel of the iPhone, the ‘touch’ is available in 8GB, 32GB and 64GB models and is available in black and silver.

Music
Listen and watch your favourite music. The iTunes store now has a feature called ‘Genius Mixes’, which consists of synching the iPod up, the application will search your library and find songs that sound good together. It will then create up to 12 mixes for you.

Also, shuffling threw your music has never been easier, give it a shake (your iPod that is) and it will jump to a random track.

Films and TV
Watch the latest film and TV releases anytime you want from your iPod touch. With the 3.5-inch colour widescreen you can search iTunes for hours of entertainment to load up to your iPod.

Computer
Most things that you do on your computer can be done on the iPod Touch. From reading email to surfing the web, the built in Wi-Fi gives you the access you need to work on the go.

If you’re in a ‘wireless’ area, the iPod will pick up the connection and you can start your surfing straight away.

Gaming
With an app store that offers thousands of games you will always find something to play. From action and sports, to entertainment and social networking, you’d be hard pressed not to find something to waste those train journeys with.

The iPod has many built-in technologies including the accelerometer, which detects when the iPod is rotated and automatically changes the screen view for a full gaming experience. The iPod also takes advantage of other technologies such as wi-fi and Bluetooth by allowing shared game play between many devices.

What do we think…?
If you’re looking for a cheap mp3 player this isn’t the one for you, but if you’re willing to pay that little bit more for a full entertainment device, you won’t be disappointed.

Price:
8GB – £152.00
32GB – £234.00
64GB – £306.00

Clash of the Titans

By Cheryl | Posted in News | August 9, 2010 – 10:17 am

mobile phonesIt’s like Alien vs Preditor, Freddy vs Jason…except without the blood, guts and gore. The world of mobile phones is a tough market and there are three companies that are vying for the top spot.

The sales for the last quarter are in and they make for interesting reading…

Android sales
The Android phones have taken a huge surge in sales and are beginning to surpass the iPhone in the US market. Placing behind both the iPhone and Blackberry at the start of the year, Android has pulled itself back to become the leader of the pack.

Android sales are also popular on this side of the pond and sales have more than quadrupled in the UK during the most recent quarter and have skyrocketed from 3% at the start of the year, to 13.2% in the current quarter.

With a current handset activation rate of 200,000 per day, it looks like Android’s enormous growth will soon push it ahead of most handsets on the market.

Blackberry Sales
In Q2, US sales of Blackberry devices surpassed the iPhone by 6% but fell 5% short of Android.

When the Blackberry was first released it was aimed at business types on the go, so it came as a surprise that as each model was released, it was becoming popular with teens and young people alike.

After a small drop in sales, Blackberry seems to be selling a steady stream of devices and have a firm hold on the market place.

iPhone sales
Recent predictions about iPhone sales in the UK had 1 in 10 people using the device in 2010 and an estimate of 9.4 million total devices in 2015.

Although sales seem good in the UK, in the US it’s a slightly different matter. Sales of the iPhone have dropped in the last quarter and this has meant they have fell behind both Andriod and Blackberry in the current standings.

As we know, Apple always has a tendency to catch up on its competitors so we’ll wait until the end of the year to pass judgement.

Some facts…

Current estimate of sales in US in Q2 -
33% – Android
28% – Blackberry
22% – iPhone

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