Today’s society can be described in one word “Mobile”. With almost everyone owning a mobile device and being dependent on it to stay connected, one can’t go without it, even for a day. Have you been in the situation where you left for work, you got there, and you noticed your cellphone is missing? All your contacts, reminders, appointments, Internet access and everything else you use your smartphone for is no longer available.
On the other hand, leaving your phone is not the main hazard when it comes to loosing your lifeline to the world. Number one has to be damaging your smartphone and the most common damage includes a cracked screen, water damage, and rarely, wear-and-tear on the phone itself. But the big difference is, there is nothing you can do about it yourself, well at least most of us. Not only that, all the major carriers can’t really help you either, unless you are due for an upgrade and renew your contract … or just buy a new phone (and pay full price for it, which costs an arm and a leg). So, you are basically out of options.
That’s where the smartphone and tablet repair industry comes in. Most of the companies in the industry do same-day repairs and are fairly inexpensive (compared to having to replace your phone with a new one). But that’s where you have to be cautious and choose the right repair service provider. With the smartphone and tablet industry growing so fast, the need for repair companies is also increasing. The question is how do I choose the right repair company for my needs?
Well, there are several things you should consider when choosing your repair service provider:
These three points are the ingredients of the whole picture. When it comes to price, try to find companies that are competitive. I recommend that you don’t focus on ‘garage’ repair companies; these mainly offer service where you can ship the device off to be repaired (most of the time they don’t have walk-in locations). If it so happens that you want to ship your device (primarily, because you live a remote location or don’t have a repair company in your community), make sure to call the company, read about the company online, and confirm they have physical locations.
Reputation and credibility of the company consists of a few things. As mentioned before: Does the company have physical locations? What are people saying about them online? What warranty do they offer? Do you get a ‘warm and fuzzy’ feeling when you call the shop? Do they have a courteous and professional attitude? Do they try to accommodate you and you schedule?
So what are the red flags when it comes to smartphone and tablet repair?
Remember, your smartphone and/or tablet is your link to your friends, family, and business. If it gets damaged, try to keep these tips in mind. These suggestions may save you time, money, and help you avoid a lot of frustration.
As the Google Glass Explorer program takes off, we finally have some specs to share about the hardware. Google just published this Support page with the full rundown. The highlights: a 5mp camera with 720p video recording, 16gb of internal storage and a full day of battery life.
Here's what else you can expect:
Fit
Adjustable nosepads and durable frame fits any face.
Extra nosepads in two sizes.
Display
High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away.
Camera
Photos – 5 MP
Videos – 720p
Audio
Bone Conduction Transducer
Connectivity
Wifi – 802.11b/g
Bluetooth
Storage
12 GB of usable memory, synced with Google cloud storage. 16 GB Flash total.
Battery
One full day of typical use. Some features, like Hangouts and video recording, are more battery intensive.
Charger
Included Micro USB cable and charger.
While there are thousands of Micro USB chargers out there, Glass is designed and tested with the included charger in mind. Use it and preserve long and prosperous Glass use.
Compatibility
Any Bluetooth-capable phone.
The MyGlass companion app requires Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher. MyGlass enables GPS and SMS messaging.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is about to hit retail stores here in US and most of us, including analysts, expect this smartphone to be main rival to current market king the iPhone 5. Of course several technology writers who were able to get their hands on the GS4 before the release came to a conclusion that it’s a good but not great device.
Many felt that software was not as good as one could have expected. Here are some insights from technology writers from “Wired”, “All Things D” and “Engadget”. For example one of the the biggest new features of GS4 is ability to scroll by moving your eyes or waving your hand, but apparently it only works in the Android browser while not working in the Chrome browser, Google reader, Kindle or Instapaper where most people spend their time reading. Furthermore, looking away to pause the video does not work in YouTube, only in the Samsung video player.
Despite buggy software, half-baked features and software imperfections it is still a blazing fast smartphone. It operates on Android 4.2.2, has an amazing camera and a quad-core processor. The exterior on the other hand did not see that big of a change. Its still largely a plastic frame, has user interchangeable battery and memory card slot. The only big change exterior wise is larger screen.
All in all, GS4 is entering the market on solid ground largely thanks to its predecessor the Samsung Galaxy S3. It is a great successor to Samsung Galaxy S3, it adds a bigger screen, better camera, lots of software tweaks and features and will definitely shake things up in the market and rival iPhone 5.
Have you ever been in the situation where you need to contact someone or give them a phone number to call back, but you don't really want to give your personal phone number?
Well there is an option for that now and its called burner; an app that lets people create disposable numbers so that they could use it in place of their real number. Burner recently released an app for the Android market and a huge update for iPhone.
The software replaces the real Burner phones with software generating temporary numbers. Usually there is no account information associated with burner phones therefore they are anonymous. Burner offers similar anonymity without having the need to toss the phone after use, you just have to delete Burner generated phone number.
Popular belief is that only drug dealers and criminals use this for obvious reasons, but for us non criminals is very useful when you are selling something online, or want to call someone and have no follow up calls.
Also, Burner numbers are not free. For example $1.99 will buy you a so called "Mini Burner" a number that will last you for seven days with 20 talk minutes or 60 texts, whichever comes first, buying in app credits before it expires could extend Burner. Those who need a number that lasts longer and handles more traffic can spend $4.99 for a 60-day number with 75 minutes or 270 texts. You can delete number at anytime. The burner app includes voicemail and inbox, which works same as on your regular service. Something also important to mention is that you cannot use mms service, so no picture or videos messaging. In addition you can't call 911 from a burner number. All in all it's a great app if you are shopping online and calling people you don't know and want to avoid giving away your phone number online.
