Category Archives: Google

Is It Time To Dump Apple ?

The $239 billion loss in market value is a vote of no confidence in Apple’s future

Apple Logo 300 Is It Time To Dump Apple ? photo

The $239 billion loss in market value is a vote of no confidence in Apple’s future

Apple stock dropped from a high of $705 per share in September 2012 to $450 yesterday, a loss of $239 billion in market value in just 4 months.

Apple-aholics and shareholders hope this is an aberration but historically high-flying stocks generally have nowhere to go but down.

In the stock market, there are stars and dogs. Apple is now a dog, something I predicted in August 2012.

Apple’s first problem is they are selling old technology after leading the market in touch phones and tablets. Samsung Galaxy is the hot new brand.

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Windows 8 gains 1.7% of computer market share

Two months after launch Windows 8 has small and solid start

OS Market Share Dec 2012 300x283 Windows 8 gains 1.7% of computer market share photo

Operating Systems market share December 2012 (NJN chart from Netmarketshare)

Research firm Netmarketshare shows Windows 8 has 1.7% of all operating system use 2 months after release.

Microsoft told reporters in mid-December that it sold 40,000 licenses of Windows 8. Microsoft has 1.3 billion licences installed of all Windows versions.

Where you are in the computer business is secondary to where your market is going.

With consumers showing an overwhelming preference for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, Microsoft has to be in that space with Windows 8 or lose even more customers to Apple and Google. Continue reading

Microsoft offer Google users triple time on free trial

Google announced the end of Exchange sync and Microsoft courts Google customers with free Office 365

office365smb trialv2 png 240x199 Microsoft offer Google users triple time on free trial photoGoogle announced the end of Exchange sync and Microsoft is courting Google customers with 90-day free for Office 365, the cloud based mail and shared calendars app.

Normally Microsoft offers a 30 trial for Office 365 their Cloud service. The offer has been extended to 90 days.

The timing of the offer is important since Google announced they are ending the free support of Exchange sync, a necessary conduit between Google mail/calendar and MS Office.  Continue reading

Costco has 4 easy to buy tablets starting at $100

Christmas gifts at Costco end-of-aisle placement with Android 4 tablets by Samsung Lenovo and a generic from $100 to $348

Samsung Tab 2 Costco 400 Costco has 4 easy to buy tablets starting at $100 photo

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 at Costco (Stephen Pate photo)

Tablets have become a point-of-purchase impulse buy this Christmas at rock bottom prices.

I came across this 4-pallet promotion at Costco last night. I could wander around the display and pick any one of 4 Android 4.0 tablets, starting at $99.00.  Continue reading

If Windows 8 has you feeling lost install the Google Apps

Free Google Search App works like a charm on Windows 8

Google App If Windows 8 has you feeling lost install the Google Apps photo

Google Search App for Windows 8

Installing the Google Search App for Windows 8 can help you bridge the gap between old and new Windows.

It’s free and installs from the Windows Store
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Nokia Releases Augmented Reality for Lumia Smartphones

City Lens superimposes restaurant and store information over the camera view on Nokia Lumia phones

Nokia City Lens Nokia Releases Augmented Reality for Lumia Smartphones photo

Nokia City Lens – augmented reality

At yesterday’s launch of the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 Windows Phones, Nokia also released the beta of the hot City Lens app.

City Lens takes Google+ Local and Yelp and turns them upside down.

Instead of navigating a list of businesses nearby, you simply start the app, turn the Lumia sideways and it puts data about the business over the real picture. City Lens is augmented reality.
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Halifax Photo Adventure on the Internet

A trip across Halifax in my wheelchair geo-location tagged on Flickr, Google Maps and Street View


Click photo to start the slide show.

Riding in an electric wheelchair gave me a unique vantage point to photograph Halifax, NS in my birthday. Friends said “Enjoy your day!” so I took them at their word.

The location tagging to maps is a laborious process when you want to make the location exact. There is still a lot of duplication of effort.
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