Pitching Blackberry Users Against iPhone Users – Is There A Winner?

In the mobile phone market today, two of the biggest leaders are iPhones and Blackberry. If you didn’t have an iPhone, you would be having a Blackberry. Although we are seeing many other people sporting other brands, the numbers is non-threatening

However, it took us by surprise when the result of study showed that 40 percent of Blackberry users are more than willing to swap their Blackberry phones for an iPhone. This strongly suggests that Blackberry is not completely up-to-date or is fighting against a losing battle in terms of loyalty. This research was done by the market researchers from Crowd Science.

When it was first launched in 2007, the iPhone kept people enraptured with new apps, developments, reliable features, etc. It also worked hard at strengthening their branding and loyalty of their users. They had the smart phone market in the palm of their hands. It was also said that the iPhone platform enjoyed a faster growth rate compared to that enjoyed by BB last year. This simply means that there are more people hopping onto the iPhone bandwagon when they were ready to ditch their conventional mobile phones compared to Blackberry.

The key determining factor that helped RIM maintain the ranking is this: more iPhone users were using them for both business AND personal matters. The more user-friendly and dual-function-enabled it is, the more loyal consumers become.

Is iPhone the only smart phone brand Blackberry users are willing to ditch Blackberry for? No, according to a study, there is a finding that Nexus One, Google’s first step into the android phone arena, might have a hold on Blackberry users too.

Blackberry users are getting restless. They find Blackberry smart phones wanting and they are willing to switch to another brand while there are fewer iPhone users who would willingly say the same thing. They seem happy with their iPhones.

It looks like there’s some serious thinking and doing to be done on the back-end of Blackberry marketing and branding office. They need to work on increasing brand loyalty…ASAP.

So, come on and share with us. If you are Blackberry user, would YOU switch your phone for an iPhone or Nexus One when the time comes for you to upgrade your mobile phone? If it isn’t Nexus One or iPhone, what would it be and why?

Lower Phone Bills With VoIP Telephony

If you needed one good reason to switch from your conventional telephone to a VoIP phone, it would be this – the price. Did you know that you could significantly shave off the cost of making phone calls using VoIP phones? Not only is using VoIP phones more affordable, they are more flexible too. For instance, Versatek’s VX-168S VoIP phone.

The VX-1685 comes with direct IP address to IP address call mode, supports configuration via Telnet and Web Browsers, has a built-in H323 proxy supports to pass NAT and can even hold up to sixteen voice messages for when you are out or is too busy to answer calls.

Compared to conventional land lines, IP telephony just makes so much more sense because of the infrastructure requirements and it can better meet with modern day folks’ needs. At this point in time, many large businesses use VoIP services but it is only a matter of time before they make their way into your average American home.

On why VoIP calls are cheaper than the average packet-switching phone services, it is because each telephone call VoIP phone calls occupies less space when transmitted. For instance, if you made a 10 minute phone call to a friend in another country, the phone call would cost you and the service provider 10 full minutes of call time. With VoIP phone services, the 10 minute phone call may have only taken up 3.5 transmission time. And we are not even taking into account data compression yet.

What will really help you see the difference is that VoIP technology is not only cheap, there is absolutely no compromise as far as voice quality is concerned. It will save you a whole chunk of cash in telephone bills if you make a lot of international or long distance phone calls.

Some households love to make use of prepaid cards – would THAT be a problem when you switch to Versatek’s VoIP telephone? Absolutely not! The VX-168S phone supports prepared cards like Net2Phone and eTalk. For those who are wondering if using VoIP telephone will affect their internet services, the answer is ‘no, it will not’.

Look, Ma! No Hands!

Have you ever heard of Nick Vujicic? No? Then you would have to google him up because this is an all-time inspiring man who have touched so many lives in the past that he is somewhat of an icon now. You see, Vujicic was born without arms and legs…which leaves him with his torso and (thankfully) with something of a limb he lovingly refers to as ‘chicken leg’.

It would take a lot of hopping around for people born without limbs if they wanted to get on the internet or chat with friends on MSN, don’t you think? Well, here’s a solution.

This is the world’s first EVER effort to bring a brain-friendly computer interface that allows for use of computer and the internet without a keyboard and mouse. All you have to do is think it, you will have it, apparently.

Anyway, the computer was initially designed and created for people suffering from communication-impairing conditions so that they can make use of a computer the way normal people can. It is called the Intendix and the company behind this is Guger Technologies.

Here, EEG-sensitive caps are in use whereby the caps measure brain activity focusing particularly on the way it reacts to what users see on screen. Basically, there is a grid moving along the computer screen. When the moving grid comes to the letter that the user wants typed out, there is a slight rise in brain activity and the computer types that out.

Yes, we are pretty sure that common people, with disability or not, will have a little bit of trouble using such a system in the beginning because we are not naturally THAT aware of the way our brain reacts to the things that we see or do. But with a little bit of practice (it is said that ten minutes practice is all it takes), users can definitely make use of this keyboard-less computer.

Over time and with consistent use and practice, users can type relatively fast, although not quite as fast as a normal person using his or her fingers. However, the price per unit is kinda lofty at the moment, selling for twelve grand per unit. The good news is that they are going to commercialize the technology so that maybe some years down the road, more people can afford such a computer.

Here’s the commercial.

Tweet Better

And you thought tweeting is a walk in the park because you ARE limited to only 140 characters to say what you have to say. Well, not really. Here’s the truth of all truths if you want to use Twitter as an electronic marketing engine. First of all, understand, know, believe and most importantly remember that twit-verse (so many other corny and unbelievable turn-of-the-century words has been created) is as big as you can ever imagine. Every single person on twitter (for business) is competing for attention.

They get particularly desperate when there’s a link or a web content that they want to bring people’s attention to. It is an amazing way to share links with one another but as easy as it is to generate a bit of a hype on the internet with Twitter, it is as easy to lose your followers.

With so many things scrolling past them on the RSS feed, what can you do to tweet better?

Learn how to write good copy with a limited number of words. Here are some things that teachers teach in writing classes that lawyers and engineers don’t learn. One, make the tweet useful. You want people to appreciate the link and remember what you tweeted. You either make it useful or uber funny, it’s up to you but bear in mind that everyone who is following you on twitter at this moment is in it for something. You disappoint them one time and they will remember your twitter account name and will never click on another link that you provide.

If you can, make the tweet sound absolutely urgent (hopefully, it’s the truth). Make it sound like it is something they will regret not clicking on if they did not click on it…this….very….instant. If you can fit both of that into the way you tweet, you are halfway successful because the next thing you want to convey to your followers is that you are genuine and that the link is worth clicking on because it is unique.

Here’s another tip to remember when tweeting….aim for RTs (retweets) because it is the fastest way to grow your followers.

Here’s to your successful tweet-tivities.

Ethernet Extenders – Extending…And Beyond

Did you know that the maximum length of a conventional ethernet cable is merely 100 meters? If you did not, now you do. But then the question remains: isn’t 100 meters long enough already?

While it is true that a 100 meters worth of ethernet cable is quite enough for a conventional household, how about a hotel or a manufacturing site with an office block on it? How would they share the same internet connection without needing to apply for a whole different internet connection line? With an ethernet extender, of course.

Versatek’s ethernet extender is one of the hottest-selling product over here and that is because, with our long distance ethernet extender, a mere 100 meter reach can be stretched right up to 4 miles. Yes, it is an interesting and incredible fiber optics technology development here.

What makes our ethernet extender so popular with our customers is that it completely eliminates the need for rewiring, messy, lengthy and costly installation of new switches. But more importantly, with Versatek’s ethernet extender, you are basically saving yourself a whole bunch of money because there is no need for usage of expensive fiber either. Ours works, if not better, just as well.

Our ethernet extenders are perfect solutions for large corporations – we’re talking about hotels and large international corporations – because the ethernet extender can be used to connect more than just two computers. Versatek’s ethernet extender is famous for its ability to make available the same internet connection for a large number of computers. If you don’t get what that means, just imagine a hotel. Every room in the hotel room using the same internet connection.

Does it slowdown the browsing process? Not at all. Versatek’s Ethernet Extenders are built in such a way that it does not hamper downloading and uploading of information via the internet. In fact, it is ideal for providing video-on-demand and multimedia services for condominiums and apartments too.

Lucky for you, Versatek’s got a whole range of ethernet extenders to suit your needs. Don’t know what you need? All you need to do is to pick up the phone and give the friendly Versatek customer service representatives a call right now and we will help you pick the right one.

Off With The Keypads

There is, literally, no limit to technology. If you own a phone with a keypad, you will know how difficult it is to key in an SMS when the buttons are all so tiny. Some people take weeks just to learn how to efficiently type on their new Blackberry phone. We are sure there are people out there who have trouble with the buttons that were seemingly made only for people with tiny fingertips.

Men usually have a bit of trouble with Blackberry. Hence, it must sound like really good news to them when they hear that there is a new ‘keyboard’ system out there called Skinput. Skinput is the result of two technologies, sound and pico projectors.

 

With Skinput, it has been reported that one can use their forearm as a keypad. The tool connects to the phone and beams out a keypad onto the skin on your forearm. When you tap your fingers on the ‘buttons’, it responds by sending the signal back to the device. Apparently, you will need to strap on an armband before using it too.

The scientists who discovered this are the people in Carnegie Mellon University who works in Microsoft’s lab. Turns out, whenever we touch our own skin, there is sound. And the sound that comes out from, say…on the higher part of our forearm sounds very different from the sound from our wrist. Exploiting this fact, Skinput responds according to the part of the skin that has been touched.

Combined with bluetooth, Skinput will also work on other mobile devices like MP3 players, iPods, computer, laptops and…of course, cell phones.

Hang on to your seats just now because the product’s not launched yet. The designers of this amazing device intends to present this piece of work during the ACM Computer-Human Interaction meeting which is, for the moment, scheduled to take place in Atlanta GA.

Mobile Donations Makes Charity Easy

No sooner has the panic about the Haiti quake died down, we get another shocker in the form of the Chile quake. We heard that there was another smaller one occurring mere days from the Chile quake. With so much going on around the world, technology has to be used to its maximum capacity to help those people who are stranded, left homeless, hungry, thirsty and emotionally wrecked.

After the Haiti quake, many people began raising awareness and started programs to raise funds for those in need. Just with the simple act of texting, kind-hearted fellow humans start contributed to SMS fund-raising programs for affected Haiti victims.

And would you believe it? The SMS fund-raising raised $40 million for those in need.

With such massive success, more people began making donations via their mobile phones (again) for the victims in Chile.

For the victims, this is very good news. Mobile technology made it easy for those who wished to help these unfortunate victims to contribute their little bit for the sake of humanity. All they have to do is to text out the required keyword on their phone and a donation will be made to selected charity. Long gone are the days whereby you would need to write a check, place it in an envelope, lick a stamp and drive to the post office to make a donation. With mobile technology, you can literally board a flight with nothing more than just your ID and your cell phone.

The donation drives were/are organized by all major telecommunications company in the country. Even organizations like The Salvation Army, Red Cross and World Vision are accepting mobile phone donations for the Chile earthquake.

The Red Cross sees so much potential in this form of fund-raising that they intend to use this model program for future (not that we wish for there to be more catastrophes) projects. The program that the Red Cross used for the Chile fund-raising is mGive.

Technology, indeed, is a powerful thing.

Versatek is a leading provider of all things technology. Remember to check us out at http://www.versatek.com

Understanding The Power of POE (Power Over Ethernet)

If one were to install a web cam at the gate of one’s house, one can only imagine the kind of trouble it would entail. To wire all the way to the gate. It would not be over the top to say that it may take up a month or more just to get the web cam installed if you are dependent on electricians and carpenters and etc. With the power of technology – more specifically, Power Over Ethernet – installing a web cam at the gate can be done within a few minutes and getting it a link and a power source a breeze.

For those who are unclear about what Power Over Ethernet or POE, is all about, here’s a short explanation. For any questions about the power of POE, head on over to the pro’s at Versa info@versatek.com and ask a few questions and you will get your answer in a jiffy. In short, POE is a kind of technology that is used to power IP telephones, wireless LAN, cameras, etc. POE technology is often applied in replacement of USB ports and where setting up AC power is cumbersome and expensive. Compared to hiring an electrician to set up the whole wiring system, buying a POE system is considered by a many, the better, easier and cheaper alternative.

POE is also far more effective in the long run because you can literally manage energy better, there is less energy wastage and on top of that, it prevents surges. While restructuring a building or house’s wiring system may prove to be a costly endeavor, it’s simpler with the POE system.

How will this affect your everyday life? Simple. Take, for example, Versatek’s VX-PI100EX. The said POE system makes long distance POE IP surveillance set-up a complete breeze. Not only is it a fast and affordable solution for long distance web cam installation, it is totally flexible too for other applications such as installing wireless access points and etc.

If you take a closer look at the VX-PI100EX system, it has the ability to forward both Ethernet data and POE power to a web cam located at the gate of a home or pretty much anywhere you want within Ethernet cable ranges. Want to go further? Done deal, there are also POE extenders for this purpose.

Of course, one of the biggest perks about using the system is that there is absolutely no need for an external power cable. Because it is compact and light-weight, Versatek’s POE system can be mounted onto a wall and has become increasingly popular the world over.

This product is tried, tested and true. Living outside of the United States? Not a problem, the product can be shipped to just about any country in the world.

Give it a shot and you will see what we are talking about, its inexpensive to try, easy to use and solidly designed to just work perfectly.

iPod Can Help You Sleep Better

arents are often advised to keep electrical devices away from their kids a few hours before bedtime because based on studies and intensive research, kids who are glued to electrical devices before bedtime will suffer from low quality slumber. However, who can live without electronic devices today? Not many, we dare venture.

And since we can’t live without them, why not use it to help us sleep BETTER?

We are talking about soothing sounds of chirping birds, rustling leaves, lapping waves, and maybe white noise coming from an iPod? It seems that iPod owners have a wide range of application options where they get to download yoga-like music or sounds that could help relax the mind before sleep time.

Just head over to the iTunes store and search for sleep music and you will see a long list of music for meditation and reiki. Some of the applications include iSoothe, AmbiScience Pure Sleep and iSleepAid.

We are living in a technologically-driven world where it is almost impossible to live technology-free, so it only makes sense that with a modern-world problem like insomnia, we ought to make use of it to alleviate our problems.

While sleep experts are torn about keeping electronic devices close to our beds when we sleep, they do agree that it can’t possibly do us any harm to make use of our computers or iPods to help relieve us of stress and anxiety. Sleep experts think that music is an excellent way to help patients fall asleep…and STAY asleep.

If there is one advice from these experts, it would be this: while it is OK to use an iPod to welcome sweet slumber, it is a better idea to let the device switch itself off instead of looping the music and keeping it on all night. That is, unless it is someone who can’t remain asleep without the music. Otherwise, it is wiser to just let the iPod ‘rest’ too after a brief interval.

No Glitches With Glitch, A New Much-Talked-About Online Game

Have you heard about the latest online game fad recently launched called ‘Glitch’? If you have not, we don’t blame you. It is not even out in the market yet.

Well, it’s touted as the next World of Warcraft or the online version of Wii and also the more adaptable version of Farmville. It is a multi-player game that, instead of focusing on jaw-dropping 3D graphics (which obviously eats out time and money), this flash-based game is focusing on allowing interaction between a large number of players.

One of the creators of the game was asked what made them decide to use 2D graphics instead of 3D. He replied that, through experience, he learned that after a couple of minutes of playing a game, the aesthetic value of the game is lost on the players. With that in mind, the company would rather spend precious manpower and hours building on the back-end instead of the front-end.

For those who have not heard of Glitch, it is basically a game that allows for time traveling. You start the game in the future and then you are allowed to travel back in time to help change the future. While you are at it, you are making use of funny little animals’ minds. So far, there are eleven or so animal minds to possess.

Glitch will not be available in Facebook as an add-on game. Instead, they want to make it bigger than a game leeching onto online social networking sites. They want it to be beyond all of that…perhaps looking at the likes of World of Warcraft. In fact, the makers of Glitch is reportedly looking to extend the usability of the game on iPhones and other Android phones.

At this point in time, the game is still under construction and it is said that the game will most probably be ready for release around Fall of 2010. Right now, they are focusing on making the back-end of the game console as solid as possible and in a couple of months, the focus will switch to the front-end of the game, making it aesthetically more pleasing.

So, there is something new and exciting in the pipeline for online game enthusiasts before 2010 comes to a close.