Tuesday 29 October 2013

The New iPads Have (Almost) Everything You'd Want Them To

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1. Introducing the "iPad Air"
The air is smaller. Way Smaller.
  • 43% smaller "bezels" (the strips on the sides)
  • 1lb down from 1.9 lbs
  • 7.5mm thick down from 9.4mm
2. It's 8x Faster
  • Open Apps 2x faster
  • Renders files 2x faster
  • Same chip that's in the iPhone 5s
3. Improved Camera
  • The iSight Camera uses larger pixels to create a much more full and high resolution image
  • Record videos in 1080p HD (up from 720p) 
  • Now with two microphones which will help improve the Facetime experience
4. Graphics are 2x Better
With a 64 bit operating system and new M7 chip the graphics are drastically improved. (For those keeping tack these are the same specs as the new iPhone 5s). The improved performance is good news for gamers, as the graphics will move much more fluidly for an all-together improved gaming experience.
5. It Finally Comes in Black
Finally the iPad is available in the awesome black that is already available for the iPhones. The matte black is extremely attractive and gives the tablet a more rugged feel. Look for this color to sell very well when it is first released.
6. $499 for Wifi Version, $629 for LTE Version
Also now the iPad 2 is only $399 which is a bargain for a still incredibly powerful tool. The $629 version works on wireless networks so there is a monthly fee attached to it. The $499 option doesn't have a monthly fee but only works where WIFI is available.
7. Introducing the "iPad Mini Retina"
The iPad Mini Retina is the newest installment in the Mini iPad series. The key difference from its predecessor is that it sports a Retina Display, which is a fancy way of saying it has a super high resolution screen. Apple feels this is such a selling point that they put "Retina" in its name. But there are other improvements as well.
8. Navigate 4x Faster, 8x Better Graphics
The iPad Mini Retina (wow that is a mouthful) has more to offer than just a higher resolution screen, it's also much faster. Opening applications and flipping between them will be up to 4x faster with the new model. Also graphics will be 8x better for all you Angry Bird fans out there.
9. Same Price
It is the same price ($399) as it's predecessor, but the older iPad Mini is now only $299 which is a pretty solid deal. The fact that they could not put the fingerprint ID technology into either one of the iPads will likely be scrutinized on the web for weeks to come, though.
10. Still 10 Hour Battery Life
Despite the improvements of the screen, graphics, and processing speeds, the iPad Mini Retina will still sport a 10 hour battery life. Whether your iPad actually lasts 10 hours when using it to its full potential is a whole different story, but at least it is a possibility.
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Crazy Ideas That Got People Rich, Fast!

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1. The Million Dollar Homepage
A clever student named Alex Tew launched milliondollarhomepage.com in 2005 with a silly idea: to create a 1000x1000 pixel grid on which advertisers could pay him for space, $1 per pixel. When all the pixels were filled the revenue would be $1,000,000. Sound ridiculous? Well, it worked. The site saw a huge traffic boom and by 2006 Tew had sold every pixel and become a millionaire.
2. Johnny Cupcakes
Have you heard of Johnny Cupcakes? It's a start-up fashion brand started by a guy named John Earle, and they mostly sell T-shirts, many of which have cupcakes on them. Sound like a lame idea? In 2008 alone Johnny Cupcakes saw $3.8 million in revenue, all without the use of traditional advertising or marketing.
3. Craigslist
Craigslist: a website that looks terrible, has no advertisements and is free to use. How could it go wrong? Well in 2007 Craigslist brought in a revenue of $150 million. The text-based website operates in 50 countries and almost all of it's services are free; except for job postings and paid brokerage apartment listing.
4. Tesla Motors
Before Tesla Motors rolled around (no pun intended), it was generally believed that the people who were interested in sports cars were NOT the same folks interested in green vehicles. Tesla defied this reasoning by creating electric luxury sports cars. For an added challenge, they decided not to sell their cars at dealerships. The result? A $226 million IPO!
5. Mint
Mint.com is a website that helps you manage your finances. Sounds useful enough, right? But in order for Mint to work correctly, you need to input your bank information and sensitive account information like bank and credit card website logins, all in one place. No one would trust a site that asked for all their sensitive financial info, right? Wrong. Mint.com has been very successful and was sold for $170 million in 2009!
6. Sweet Leaf Tea
Clayton Christopher started Sweet Leaf Tea in 1998, ignoring a chorus of naysayers. National brands like Snapple and Nestle already had the market cornered on bottled iced tea and it seemed like a crazy idea to try and go up against them. Christopher's homemade-style iced teas turned out to be a hit, with a 2008 revenue of $12 million. Nestle could smell which way the winds were blowing and ended up buying the company in 2011.
7. Bitcoin
Who would have thought an online crypto-currency would take off? Despite the Silk Road scandal, Bitcoins are still doing relatively well. When Bitcoin was originally launched, each Bitcoin was sold for $1. At their peak, Bitcoins were being bought for $265 each! No one knows who launched Bitcoin, but it's safe to say that the founder (or founders) who use the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto made a pretty penny off of their idea.
8. SantaMail.org
SantaMail.org is a website that lets kids email letters to Santa Claus. Sounds cute, but how could a site like this make money? Well Santa Mail also provides personalized responses mailed to those children. The catch? It costs the parents $9.95 for each personalized reply. In 2011 alone there were over 300,000 Santa replies ordered.
9. Anyone Who Invested in Citibank When it was $1
Citibank was one of the banks hit hardest by the banking scandal and of 2008 and subsequent recession. After splitting in 2009 and agreeing to pay a $285 million penalty in 2011, their was a point in 2011 when their stock quote hit $1 per share. There were some bold investors who bought a ton of shares despite speculation that the bank would fold. Now just two years later, Citibanks stock price is $50!
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How to Hack Your Car

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1. Rev
'Rev' is a revolutionary iPhone app that communicates directly with your car's internal engine and gives you real-time information about how your car is performing. You can monitor your car's speed and acceleration, engine temperature, fuel pressure, RPM, and more. Rev can even read your Check Engine codes so you will know what is going on when your dashboard lights come on!
2. Car Xpenses
The 'Car Xpenses' app helps you keep track of the expenses, services, and maintenance needs of your car. This app helps you monitor when you need to perform services like oil changes, brake checks, tire rotations, and battery replacements. It also helps you estimate how much all of these services will cost; it really takes a lot of the guesswork out of owning a car.
3. Green-O-Meter
'Green-O-Meter' is an app developed by CarKnow that will help you become a more eco-friendly driver. Many of the tips and tricks this app provides will improve your fuel efficiency, so not only will you become a more earth-friendly driver, but you are likely to save yourself some money in the process.
4. AccuFuel
'AccuFuel' is an iPhone app kind of like Green-O-Meter, except it is entirely dedicated to fuel efficiency. Accufuel can help you if you are trying to hypermile by tracking your progress and letting you know when you are getting the most fuel efficiency. It can be fun to see just how many miles you can get per gallon if you really try.
5. GasBuddy
'GasBuddy' is an app that helps you find the cheapest gas stations in your area. It gives you access to a database of gas prices updated by other users. This is great for saving money, and also for finding the nearest gas station when you are running on fumes. Combine this with the 'Accufuel' app and watch your gas expenses drop.
6. Find My Car
'Find My Car' is a smartphone app that does exactly what the name states: It finds your car! Ever lose your car in a mall parking lot, at a sporting event, or when you are hiking in the woods? With Find My Car you will never lose your car again, it will let you know where you parked and even provide step-by-step GPS directions to get you back to your vehicle safely.
7. Trapster
'Trapster' is an app that will help you avoid traps; speed traps that is! Know where there are speed traps, red light cameras, and high-enforcement areas. Trapster will also let you know the locations of other useful items like electric vehicle charging stations, road hazards, traffic jams, construction and school zones.
8. Neomatrix Tire Check
This cool iPhone app lets you check your tire pressure without getting down and dirty. All you have to do is put in the make and model of your car and scan the tire with your app's camera; the app will then be able to tell you if your tire pressure is low! It will even provide a map with nearby places to replenish your air supply.
9. Best Parking
'Best Parking' is an app that is a must for anyone who lives in or plans to visit a busy city where parking is a commodity. The goal of Best Parking is to save you money by finding free/cheap parking near where you want to go. It takes into account what time of day you are looking for parking and how long you are planning to stay to get you the best rate every time.
10. Teenage Tracker
This one is for the parents of driving teenagers: Teenage Tracker is a smartphone app that uses GPS data to help parents keep track of their child's whereabouts and driving habit. It can even let the parent know how fast their child is driving and let them listen in on what is going on in the child's car. The app can of course be turned off or uninstalled by the user, so you have to trust your kids to keep the app running when they are in the car.
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Wednesday 16 October 2013

Brilliant Emoji Masterpieces

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15. Stunt 101
We know what you are thinking (or saying out loud), and we agree - this does look like an iOS caricature of O.J. Simpson and his infamous freeway chase. But could not it be a lesson in how to be swagged-out in your own vehicle?
14. Les Miserables (Icon Edition)
Emojis have become a part of everyday life - ask your Mom, your sister, and your iPhone. Everyone uses them on an almost everyday basis and it is led to a few imaginative users to come up with their own masterpieces, including a hip and brief review of "Les Miserables".
13. The Dancing Stickmen
There are all kinds of levels of creativity when it comes to emoticons - as you have come to know - and "stickmen" are just one of them. In the emoji world, they are practically essential as they are all about sophisticated dance moves.
12. Winter Is Coming
This would be so much better with the sun and a person that was happy, but the iPhone can not please everyone all the time. The emoji does at least provide us with an awesome way to get all of our friends prepared for a new "Game Of Thrones" episode!
11. America 2.0
The United States acts as a home to more fast food restaurants than any other country in the world. In some cases, that is a good thing, and likely because it can help create incredible dishes and emojis like this one that depicts the American flag.
10. Where Babies Come From
"Where do babies come from?" is a question all parents fear until the day it is finally asked. Luckily, today's group of child rearers can use this simple yet creative emoji to explain it all. Graphic images and comparisons to birds and bees are not required!
9. The Life Of A Teacher
Teachers act like they have it hard, but they really don not. Let us face it: their income's solid, they get the summer vacations we all wish we still had, and they get to keep their homes stocked with a wide selection of wine.
8. Octopus Humour
Is it bad to be cheesy in the 21st century? The average 12-year-old will tell you "hell yes" but if your friends or significant others are cool with it, embrace the octopi! It may get you pretty far in life if it is used correctly.
7. Spring Breakers
There is the long version of the James Franco movie, and then there is the emoji version. The latter is obviously this text message that plays out the actions and the consequences before the gavel ends any and all forms of partying.
6. Deconstructing "Lost"
It is hard to state that an emoji text convo contains spoiler alerts but if you have watched every episode of "Lost", you will totally get this one. We just wish there was a specific icon that did or could represent Harley.
5. Do not Mess With Texas
Texas is a very large state - and we mean a very, very large state. It takes around half a day to go through the entire land mass that is Texas but like any local will tell you, some parts are unbelievable. So don not mess with it.
4. Occupy Wall Street
The 99 per cent and the 1 per cent is still a major issue, but the real problem is the percentage of emojis in your iPhone that you never use. C'mon phone junkies - it is time to beef up your vocabulary!
3. To Bee Or Not To Bee
Thanks to Lexy, emoji conversations can now be pretty deep. In fact, they can quote Shakespeare word for word, so it is only a matter of time before you can purchase a book that features the poet's work solely in smiley faces, animals and inanimate objects.
2. Carly Rae A Day
Some suspect comedian Aziz Ansari was behind this, as he did do his own emoji take on a Jay-Z and Kanye West song, and we would not doubt it. It is highly unlikely Carly Rae is behind it, so it has to be him!
1. Connect Four
Text conversations never usually get this bland but in case they do, there is always Connect Four. It is a piece of childhood nostalgia that will never be forgotten and now it is a text-friendly multi-player game you can use to get out of an awkward situation.
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Facebook Vs Twitter

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15. On Facebook, You Run Into Things Like This...
why yes, there are over 500,000 comments... Most of which do in fact say "jump".
14. And This...
Facebook is a breeding ground for teenage drama and useless information.
13. And there are So Many of These!
It takes a special kind of person to exploit our servicemen and women to get some likes on their Facebook page and by "special", we mean "terrible"
12. Twitter Does not Have Annoying Apps
Do not you hate it when you get notifications and they are all app requests?
11. But it Does Have Links and Hashtags
We love that Twitter makes it easy to find great new Twitter pages and sites to follow.
10. And Only Some of That
This was tweeted after the theater shooting in Aurora Colorado in 2012. Some people see the trends and do not bother researching them!
9. But Loads of This!
We can not all be like Mike but if we were, we would always have the best tweets.
8. Facebook Lets You Share As Much As You Want
It is kind of cool that you can choose between sharing something with only specific people or just friends of friends and not the entire web.
7. But Sometimes, That is a Bad Thing!
No, we do not want to hear about your breakfast today. Yes, we already know you like Brad. No, we don't want to text you. Please stop sharing your phone number every few posts!
6. Twitter is Less Personal
Which is not exactly a bad thing. No more run-ins with creep Aunt Leslie!
5. But Both Are Versatile
In case you feel like you are missing out on who got dumped today, you can check your Facebook from most devices. The same goes for Twitter!
4. Both Have Room for Pictures
Which is good news because whether this was posted to Facebook or Twitter, plenty of people would still get to see it and make fun of one of the worst couple tattoo sets we have ever see.
3. But Twitter Does not Have Room for This
Dang Darrell, she seems like a keeper. Enjoy the month and a half of Facebook relationship drama!
2. Or This!
Last time we checked, the main use of Twitter was not to send people to hell.
1. So Twitter Wins!
It looks like we have all got a 140 character-sized hole in our hearts and Twitter has filled it.
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