6 innovative gadgets between business and entertainment
The technology-world is bursting with innovations and advancement in various fields. Alone in 2012, several gadgets have taken the shelves and left a mark there for history.
Although sometimes, different companies focus on the same type of product but with different features, one must say that all gadgets on the market today have their own pros and cons, their own outstanding features and their own annoying bugs. What one really needs to do is find the feautres one needs and to specify the bugs one can live with, and then make a selection on what to purchase and what to simply leave on the shelf.
In the business-world, it is preferrable – if not needed – to stay up-to-date with all the new gadgets, in order to find the tool that will make one’s life easier and less stressful. There is a fine line between being entertaining and being efficient – and this fine line has been crossed many times when speaking about gadgets, even if it was not noticeable. Business-men still face hardship when trying to decide which gadget to buy and what to use it for.
Here, we bring you the latest technological developments, with a brief description of each, so that you know what to expect.
1. Google Nexus Tablet 7:
Yes, Google has entered the tablet-market – finally. With a quad-core Tegra 3 processor and 1 GB of RAM, Nexus also holds a 12-core GPU. What does that mean for the non-tech-savvy? It simply means that the 7-inch, 350g-light tablet runs smooth and fast. Since Google has been very friendly with Android-systems, Nexus is running on Android’s Jellybean. Yet, if you look at it from the business-perspective, Google Nexus Tablet might be more suitable for a gaming and entertainment experience, as Google itself admits on the product’s website: “Designed with gaming in mind”. Perfectly synced with the Google Play App Store and its 600,000 apps and games, you can read magazines, watch HD-movies and TV shows, choose between 4 million available books, and even import your playlists from iTunes. Trying to get back on the business track with some features, Nexus 7 comes with Google Now, Google Chrome, Gmail application, Google+ Hangouts and HD-YouTube experiences. The best part is yet to come: in the US, Nexus Tablet 7 costs half as much as an iPad.
2. Windows Phone 8, a.k.a. Apollo:
Windows Phone 8 is trying to become as up-close and personal as possible with its users. Offering a tile-like layout on its homescreen, the user can customize exactly what he wants to see and how he wants to see it. With multi-core processor support, NFC Wireless Sharing, 720p display, changeable screen resolutions, Internet Explorer 10 and a re-invention of ‘Google Wallet’, Windows is hoping to reinforce and expand its place in the phone market. Apollo will support 50 languages and will be manufactured from Nokia, Huawei, Samsung, and HTC. The actual phone will apear in Autumn 2012, leaving room for increased marketing effort all through the summer, as well as giving Apple and Google a chance to carefully study their competition’s strengths and weaknesses. Business-wise, it is not clear yet to which extent it will ease the lives of those who need it, and in how far it will just be another entertainment-tool.
3. Microsoft Surface Tablet:
Microsoft is taking on the tablet market with two different operating systems: Either Windows RT, which is mainly used for phones and tablets, or Windows 8 Pro, both with a 26.9 cm wide screen. The former will be about 9.3mm thick, while the Pro version will amount to 13.5mm of thickness, for one spectacular reason, that clearly differentiates it from many other tablets: it has a built-in USB-port, that allows you to transport files and folders in a faster, easier manner. Additionally, it has a Micro SD card slot and an HD Display. Another exceptional feature is the 3mm thin, pressure sensitive cover, connected to the device with a magnetic click, that turns into a keyboard and trackpad. With that, the tablet certainly secured its place in the business-world. Microsoft did not stop at that, but also included an integrated kickstand which makes it easier to watch movies and videos, and thus, also made its way into the entertainment-sector. Microsoft is clearly trying to merge the application-market with the actual PC-world, but only time and experience will tell whether it succeeded or not.
4. Samsung Galaxy SIII:
It is no secret that the global market has been waiting for the Samsung Galaxy SIII phone, especially after the company introduced the world to its SmartTV and Galaxy tablets. Weighing 133g and being 8.6 mm wide, the screen of Samsung’s creation is 136.6mm x 70.6mm. Running on Android 4.0, also known as “Ice Cream Sandwich”, Galaxy SIII does not purely serve business-oriented purposes, but focuses on entertainment, user-friendliness and the human factor. Features like “Social Tag” – where the phone automatically tags your photos and allows you to directly contact your friends - and “Best Photo” – which chooses the best out of eight consecutive camera shots – are not tools needed in the business-world. Yet, multi-tasking – for instance watching a video while checking your e-mail – and integrated communications systems where you can share your screen during business-meetings at different sites, might be useful.
5. Cobra Tag:
Story of our lives: we all reach times where we are either looking for our phone or our keys. Well, the search is over – given you have one of both devices handy. The Cobra Tag looks like a key-chain with a button and a blueish white light, which makes it easy to attach to your car and / or home keys. The gadget is connected to your Android phone via Blutooth and given you lost your keys, you can open the app on your mobile device and order it to make the Cobra Tag beep, so you can follow the sound and find it. The same process goes vice versa, for when you push the button on the gadget, it lets your phone play a song of your choice out loud. All in all, very useful for the business-world and probably a saviour at many times.
6. Google Glasses:
Merging Glasses and smartphones used to be an impossible thought. Yet, Google managed to surprise the world again with what they call “Google Glasses” – a device worn on the head with a miniature lens slightly above the right eye and a button on the side. The glasses can capture pictures, give directions and public transport updates, answer phone calls through voice demand, and share the eye-sight of the user with the caller. It also gives weather information, sets reminders and can send messages via voice instructions. The glasses are not available for commercial use yet and are still in the development phase, but it is definite that they will be of some sort of benefit for those businessmen out there who need to organize their schedules and meetings efficiently.
Given these options, it is advidsable to set priorities on what one needs as a businessman or entrepreneur, and what one can live without. Some items might seem trivial while at times, they can become essential.
For additional information from the technology-world, check out “New rules for Search Engine Marketing in Google”:
http://www.egypt-business.com/Paper/details/1227-xg-New-rules-for-Search-Engine-Marketing-in-Google/5844
Although sometimes, different companies focus on the same type of product but with different features, one must say that all gadgets on the market today have their own pros and cons, their own outstanding features and their own annoying bugs. What one really needs to do is find the feautres one needs and to specify the bugs one can live with, and then make a selection on what to purchase and what to simply leave on the shelf.
In the business-world, it is preferrable – if not needed – to stay up-to-date with all the new gadgets, in order to find the tool that will make one’s life easier and less stressful. There is a fine line between being entertaining and being efficient – and this fine line has been crossed many times when speaking about gadgets, even if it was not noticeable. Business-men still face hardship when trying to decide which gadget to buy and what to use it for.
Here, we bring you the latest technological developments, with a brief description of each, so that you know what to expect.
1. Google Nexus Tablet 7:
Yes, Google has entered the tablet-market – finally. With a quad-core Tegra 3 processor and 1 GB of RAM, Nexus also holds a 12-core GPU. What does that mean for the non-tech-savvy? It simply means that the 7-inch, 350g-light tablet runs smooth and fast. Since Google has been very friendly with Android-systems, Nexus is running on Android’s Jellybean. Yet, if you look at it from the business-perspective, Google Nexus Tablet might be more suitable for a gaming and entertainment experience, as Google itself admits on the product’s website: “Designed with gaming in mind”. Perfectly synced with the Google Play App Store and its 600,000 apps and games, you can read magazines, watch HD-movies and TV shows, choose between 4 million available books, and even import your playlists from iTunes. Trying to get back on the business track with some features, Nexus 7 comes with Google Now, Google Chrome, Gmail application, Google+ Hangouts and HD-YouTube experiences. The best part is yet to come: in the US, Nexus Tablet 7 costs half as much as an iPad.
2. Windows Phone 8, a.k.a. Apollo:
Windows Phone 8 is trying to become as up-close and personal as possible with its users. Offering a tile-like layout on its homescreen, the user can customize exactly what he wants to see and how he wants to see it. With multi-core processor support, NFC Wireless Sharing, 720p display, changeable screen resolutions, Internet Explorer 10 and a re-invention of ‘Google Wallet’, Windows is hoping to reinforce and expand its place in the phone market. Apollo will support 50 languages and will be manufactured from Nokia, Huawei, Samsung, and HTC. The actual phone will apear in Autumn 2012, leaving room for increased marketing effort all through the summer, as well as giving Apple and Google a chance to carefully study their competition’s strengths and weaknesses. Business-wise, it is not clear yet to which extent it will ease the lives of those who need it, and in how far it will just be another entertainment-tool.
3. Microsoft Surface Tablet:
Microsoft is taking on the tablet market with two different operating systems: Either Windows RT, which is mainly used for phones and tablets, or Windows 8 Pro, both with a 26.9 cm wide screen. The former will be about 9.3mm thick, while the Pro version will amount to 13.5mm of thickness, for one spectacular reason, that clearly differentiates it from many other tablets: it has a built-in USB-port, that allows you to transport files and folders in a faster, easier manner. Additionally, it has a Micro SD card slot and an HD Display. Another exceptional feature is the 3mm thin, pressure sensitive cover, connected to the device with a magnetic click, that turns into a keyboard and trackpad. With that, the tablet certainly secured its place in the business-world. Microsoft did not stop at that, but also included an integrated kickstand which makes it easier to watch movies and videos, and thus, also made its way into the entertainment-sector. Microsoft is clearly trying to merge the application-market with the actual PC-world, but only time and experience will tell whether it succeeded or not.
4. Samsung Galaxy SIII:
It is no secret that the global market has been waiting for the Samsung Galaxy SIII phone, especially after the company introduced the world to its SmartTV and Galaxy tablets. Weighing 133g and being 8.6 mm wide, the screen of Samsung’s creation is 136.6mm x 70.6mm. Running on Android 4.0, also known as “Ice Cream Sandwich”, Galaxy SIII does not purely serve business-oriented purposes, but focuses on entertainment, user-friendliness and the human factor. Features like “Social Tag” – where the phone automatically tags your photos and allows you to directly contact your friends - and “Best Photo” – which chooses the best out of eight consecutive camera shots – are not tools needed in the business-world. Yet, multi-tasking – for instance watching a video while checking your e-mail – and integrated communications systems where you can share your screen during business-meetings at different sites, might be useful.
5. Cobra Tag:
Story of our lives: we all reach times where we are either looking for our phone or our keys. Well, the search is over – given you have one of both devices handy. The Cobra Tag looks like a key-chain with a button and a blueish white light, which makes it easy to attach to your car and / or home keys. The gadget is connected to your Android phone via Blutooth and given you lost your keys, you can open the app on your mobile device and order it to make the Cobra Tag beep, so you can follow the sound and find it. The same process goes vice versa, for when you push the button on the gadget, it lets your phone play a song of your choice out loud. All in all, very useful for the business-world and probably a saviour at many times.
6. Google Glasses:
Merging Glasses and smartphones used to be an impossible thought. Yet, Google managed to surprise the world again with what they call “Google Glasses” – a device worn on the head with a miniature lens slightly above the right eye and a button on the side. The glasses can capture pictures, give directions and public transport updates, answer phone calls through voice demand, and share the eye-sight of the user with the caller. It also gives weather information, sets reminders and can send messages via voice instructions. The glasses are not available for commercial use yet and are still in the development phase, but it is definite that they will be of some sort of benefit for those businessmen out there who need to organize their schedules and meetings efficiently.
Given these options, it is advidsable to set priorities on what one needs as a businessman or entrepreneur, and what one can live without. Some items might seem trivial while at times, they can become essential.
For additional information from the technology-world, check out “New rules for Search Engine Marketing in Google”:
http://www.egypt-business.com/Paper/details/1227-xg-New-rules-for-Search-Engine-Marketing-in-Google/5844