Sunday, March 31, 2013
Google Maps vs. Apple Maps
BY: Timothy Harris
Have you ever taken a road trip with
your friends and need directions? Well in the case of many Iphones
users (including myself) we rely on our map feature to help guide us
to our destination. In 2012 Apple decided to launch its on version of
the Google Maps Application and replace the original. Following the
release of this new application Apple received major backlash because
of their decision to do so. Now sure Apple’s new map application
came with all the bells and whistles that its predecessor had been
missing. Here is a brief run down of a comparison between the two
mapping applications
Left:
Google Maps. Right: Apple Maps.
Cleaner
design: For
a company that adheres to a strict philosophy of clean and simple
design, Apple Maps can actually appear somewhat cluttered next
to Google's effort. While it may be helpful sometimes to know if
there's a nearby Pottery Barn, in some cases all those restaurant and
shop icons showing up in Apple Maps gets in the way of quickly
reading street names.
Public
transit directions: Google
Maps includes public transit directions; Apple Maps doesn't which was
a major let down for Apple users in major transit cities like New
York, Chicago and D.C.
Street
View: Street
View maybe somewhat useless for some people but its still a cool perk
for those moments when users are curious as to what their destination
actually looks like before they arrive.
Left:
Google Maps. Right: Apple Maps.
More
efficient searches:
When trying to search out the address for Mission Chinese Food, a
very popular San Francisco restaurant, Google Maps figured out what I
was looking for within in two clicks when I simply typed "mission
chinese." Searching for the same place via Apple Maps in the
same way was downright confusing. The app offered up no less than 10
different places, highlighting a different nearby restaurant instead.
Better
directions. Period. Thanks
to a multi-year head start, Google Maps is simply more thorough and
more accurate than Apple Maps, something which has been proven time
and time again. For its part, Apple recognizes it has some serious
work to do: CEO Tim Cook apologized to customers via letter last
September for the "frustration" experienced, and Senior
Vice President Scott Forstall, the executive directly responsible for
Apple Maps, was reportedly asked to resign. So until Apple catches
up, Google Maps will be the go-to navigation app for many users,
myself included.
Source Links:
Google Glass: The Next Big Thing or The Next Big Flop?
With smart phones and tablets becoming more and more innovative each year, many of us could ask the simple question: What could possibly become the next big thing? While it seems like something out of a Science Fiction movie, Google believes that its latest project will be indeed the next big thing. Google glass, are smart glasses that can be used for GPS Navigation, photography, video chat and web browsing. These smart glasses are still being tested by developers around the world and will have a retail price of about $1,500.
Everything about these glasses are innovative, from its sleek design all the way down to its voice recognition capabilities, which will be very good for multitasking and capturing things at a moments notice. Upon doing more research I found a few things that might cause some people to worry about this product. Mark Hurst, founder of Creative Good and a former InfoWorld ‘Netrepreneur of the Year pointed out what could possibly be a huge privacy issue. In his article he writes,
“First, take the video feeds from every Google Glass headset, worn by users worldwide... Now add in facial recognition and the identity database that Google is building within Google Plus...Finally, consider the speech-to-text software that Google already employs... Any audio in a video could, technically speaking, be converted to text. Anything you say within earshot could be recorded, associated with the text, and tagged to your online identity. And stored in Google’s search index. Permanently. Starting today, anywhere you go within range of a Google Glass device, everything you do could be recorded and uploaded to Google’s cloud, and stored there for the rest of your life, You won’t know if you’re being recorded or not; and even if you do, you’ll have no way to stop it.”
After reading that article I think that the two main reasons why Google Glasses might not perform at its potential is because of its steep price and the privacy issues. If Google can find a way to convince customers that their privacy will not be in jeopardy I think this product can be successful. Also if they lower the price to about the price of a smartphone I think this product could definitely be the next big thing.
Blackberry Z10 V Apple Phone 5
BY: Shelton Hamilton
When
it comes to technology, every day we are observing new creations to
take the place of old ones. There has always been and will always be
competition between which creations are the best. For the last seven
years, Apple INC., has separated itself from others and has moved
above all companies in taking over the computer/ electronic field.
Therefore, every minute companies’ are constantly looking for new
gadgets and computers to overtake Apple’s dominance. Blackberry is
one of many companies that have released new technologies to compete
with Apple. The Blackberry Z10, is the latest creation by Blackberry
and it will greatly compete with Apple’s iPhone 5. Though it has
not been released in the U.S., many other countries are really high
on this new creation. With new technology being created and added to
make this smartphone even smarter than the iPhone 5, will the
Blackberry Z10 live up to the hype and out sell Apple’s iphone5?
The
Z10 is not only a single device against the iPhone 5, but the entire
series. The Z10’s new operating system was made in a Canadian firm
and will defeat the iPhone and its iOS in several key areas. The Z10
wins the hardware battle with the iPhone since it is a powerful and
strong machine with high quality specs and other features. Its great
build quality is like no other, and with software that is providing a
stunningly smoother experience for users, this piece just might be
hard to pass up on.
The
Z10 and iPhone are tied in the handsets field since both handsets are
very good. However, when it comes to the specs outlook, the
BlackBerry Z10 is victorious again. It has a large 4.2-inch display
with 768 x 1280 pixels at 355p pixel density. The processor inside
the device is a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon, and it
is supported by an Adreno 225 graphical processor and 2GB of RAM. The
device comes only in 16GB model with the facility for data storage
expansion through a microSD slot. Cameras of the device include an
8MP rear and 2MP front ones. On the other end, the iPhone 5 has a
4-inch Retina display, and under the cover, it features a 1.2GHz A6
dual core processor, 1GB of RAM and a PowerVR SGX 543MP3 graphical
processor. This is no match whatsoever to the Z10. The one thing
that does give the iPhone an advantage is that it is available in
three memory versions 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB.
Several
people are anxious to see how this greatly compacted piece will
holdup. “The Blackberry Z10 definitely puts in a solid performance,
leading to a surprisingly close contest. It matches the iPhone 5 for
display and camera and even tops it for battery life, memory and
connectivity,” says a 3G.co.uk.writer. Many analysts feel that the
iPhone 5 is still a winner over the Z10 just because its build
quality is better. Even though this may be true others feel that the
Z10 is better because it is more advance in one very key component,
which is its ability to be repaired. At the end of the day, both of
these gadgets will be great money makers for Blackberry and Apple,
but only time will tell if the Z10will be able to dethrone iPhone 5
as America’s hottest phone.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Blogger Having Technical Problems
I can not update the right side of the blog due to a technical problem with Blogger.com. Google says they are working on it.
Here is a link to the information for HW#5.
Hopefully it will be fixed soon.
Here is a link to the information for HW#5.
Hopefully it will be fixed soon.
GS4 vs Iphone5
BY :Joshua Nyarko
In class, we have discussed the top two Smartphone platforms: Apple and Android. We learned the Android market is growing while Apple’s sales are slowing. Below are 10 reasons why the Galaxy S4 is better than the iPhone 5. Also, there is a chart showing Apple’s stock plunge over the last six months. This has been largely attributed to a failure to meet investor expectations and a drop in expected growth. How do you think Apple can recover market value by continuing to be innovative and increase growth expectations?
1) The Galaxy S 4 is faster than the iPhone 5.
Samsung's Galaxy S 4 has a quad-core processor compared the the iPhone 5's dual core processor. The Galaxy S 4 is almost two times faster than the iPhone 5.
2) The Galaxy S 4's screen is bigger.
The Galaxy S 4's screen measures a whopping 5-inches. That's a full inch more screen real estate than the Phone 5. A bigger screen means more apps on one page, more space for videos, and higher quality.
3) The Galaxy S 4 has better camera software.
Software aside, the Galaxy S 4 packs a whopping 13 megapixel camera, compared to the iPhone 5's eight megapixel camera. Pictures stand out with features like, photo blur, which allows you to erase people or things from a photo and Share Shot, which lets you sync your friends' Galaxy S phones together to share photos.
4) The Galaxy S 4 is more versatile.
The Galaxy S 4 has the latest version of Android, which by nature is a more customizable operating system than Apple's iOS. But besides making phone calls and downloading apps, the Galaxy S 4 can be used as a remote for your compatible Samsung TV. Forbes Haydn Shaughnessy of Forbes points out, "on the S4 microsite Samsung says the phone 'suggests different programs based on your preferences, provides program schedules, and does the channel surfing for you. The Samsung GALAXY S4 even allows you to remotely control the TV or setup boxes.'"
5) The Galaxy S 4 is available on all major carriers including T-Mobile.
The iPhone has yet to make its debut on T-Mobile, leaving some customers out in the dark.
6) The Galaxy S 4 has a sharper screen.
The iPhone 5's Retina Display pushes out an astounding 1136x640-pixel resolution at 326 pixels per inch.
But, Samsung used an HD Super AMOLED screen and beefed up the resolution on the Galaxy S 4 to a impressive 1920x1080 at 441 pixels per inch.
7) Google Now is light-years better than Siri.
This is an Android feature but is still counts as a reason the Galaxy S 4 is better that the iPhone 5. Google Now is a personal assistant that comes included with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It uses all the information available in your smartphone to provide you with relevant information. For example, your phone knows the route you take home and if there is traffic it will prompt you to go a faster way. If you're about to take a flight, Google Now prompts you to check in and even gives you weather in the destination city.
8) The Galaxy S 4 has more memory contributing to the overall quickness of the phone.
The Galaxy S 4 is packed with 2 GB of RAM. That means you can run more apps at once, have more tabs open in your browser, and it just contributes to the overall quickness of the smartphone. The iPhone 5 runs on half of that, only using 1 GB.
9) The Galaxy S 4 has a removable battery!
A removable battery means that when your phone is running low you don't have to stay tethered to a plug. Samsung even sells an extra battery kit allowing you to get some extra juice in a hurry.
10) Users can expand the Galaxy S 4's storage.
If you don't want to shell out the extra money for a 64 GB Galaxy S 4, you can expand the smaller sizes (16GB and 32GB) with a MicroSD card. You can also save data to the MicroSD instead of your actual phone's memory.
Samsung's Galaxy S 4 has a quad-core processor compared the the iPhone 5's dual core processor. The Galaxy S 4 is almost two times faster than the iPhone 5.
2) The Galaxy S 4's screen is bigger.
The Galaxy S 4's screen measures a whopping 5-inches. That's a full inch more screen real estate than the Phone 5. A bigger screen means more apps on one page, more space for videos, and higher quality.
3) The Galaxy S 4 has better camera software.
Software aside, the Galaxy S 4 packs a whopping 13 megapixel camera, compared to the iPhone 5's eight megapixel camera. Pictures stand out with features like, photo blur, which allows you to erase people or things from a photo and Share Shot, which lets you sync your friends' Galaxy S phones together to share photos.
4) The Galaxy S 4 is more versatile.
The Galaxy S 4 has the latest version of Android, which by nature is a more customizable operating system than Apple's iOS. But besides making phone calls and downloading apps, the Galaxy S 4 can be used as a remote for your compatible Samsung TV. Forbes Haydn Shaughnessy of Forbes points out, "on the S4 microsite Samsung says the phone 'suggests different programs based on your preferences, provides program schedules, and does the channel surfing for you. The Samsung GALAXY S4 even allows you to remotely control the TV or setup boxes.'"
5) The Galaxy S 4 is available on all major carriers including T-Mobile.
The iPhone has yet to make its debut on T-Mobile, leaving some customers out in the dark.
6) The Galaxy S 4 has a sharper screen.
The iPhone 5's Retina Display pushes out an astounding 1136x640-pixel resolution at 326 pixels per inch.
But, Samsung used an HD Super AMOLED screen and beefed up the resolution on the Galaxy S 4 to a impressive 1920x1080 at 441 pixels per inch.
7) Google Now is light-years better than Siri.
This is an Android feature but is still counts as a reason the Galaxy S 4 is better that the iPhone 5. Google Now is a personal assistant that comes included with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It uses all the information available in your smartphone to provide you with relevant information. For example, your phone knows the route you take home and if there is traffic it will prompt you to go a faster way. If you're about to take a flight, Google Now prompts you to check in and even gives you weather in the destination city.
8) The Galaxy S 4 has more memory contributing to the overall quickness of the phone.
The Galaxy S 4 is packed with 2 GB of RAM. That means you can run more apps at once, have more tabs open in your browser, and it just contributes to the overall quickness of the smartphone. The iPhone 5 runs on half of that, only using 1 GB.
9) The Galaxy S 4 has a removable battery!
A removable battery means that when your phone is running low you don't have to stay tethered to a plug. Samsung even sells an extra battery kit allowing you to get some extra juice in a hurry.
10) Users can expand the Galaxy S 4's storage.
If you don't want to shell out the extra money for a 64 GB Galaxy S 4, you can expand the smaller sizes (16GB and 32GB) with a MicroSD card. You can also save data to the MicroSD instead of your actual phone's memory.
Chart of Apple Stock Price:
Complete article on why Apple stock is falling:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/02/13/why-is-apple-stock-falling-down/ Work Cited Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-ways-samsung-s-galaxy-s4-is-better-than-the-iphone-5-151555214.html
When AT&T first met the iPhone
By: Devin Gray
The history of the iphone line of phones begins with Steve Jobs' direction that Apple incorporated. Engineers investigate touch-screens and tablet-computers which later came to fruition with the ipad. Former CEO Ed Whitacre says that Steve Jobs was secretive about his new invention and that AT&T placed a big bet on being the iPhone's exclusive service provider.
The iPhone at first could not be added to an AT&T Business account, and any existing business account discounts cannot be applied to an iPhone AT&T account, which AT&T changed in late January 2008.Early estimates by technology analysts estimated sales of between 250,000 to 700,000 units in the first weekend alone, with strong sales continuing after the initial weekend. As part of their quarterly earnings announcement, AT&T reported that 146,000 iPhones were activated in the first weekend. Though this figure does not include units that were purchased for resale on ebay. or otherwise not activated until after the opening weekend, it is still less than most initial estimates. It is also estimated that 95% of the units sold are the 8 GB model.
- The first iphone 2G was released on June 29, 2007.
- The iphone 3G was released on June 9, 2008.
- The iphone 3G s was released on June 19, 2009.
- The iphone 4G was released on June 24, 2010.
- The iphone 4S was released on October 14, 2011.
- The iphone 5 was released on September 14, 2012.
It’s safe to say that the introduction of the original iPhone in 2007 started a new wave of how we use cellular and mobile devices. Smartphones had actually been in use thanks to the Blackberrys that many business professionals were using in order to keep in contact with work and co-workers; with the release of the iPhone, more casual consumers began to see how smartphones could work in their lives, which has led to an increase in the mobile market today.
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