Archive for 2014

By April 5, 2014 Read More →

Website Trends That Improve Your ROI

shutterstock_183682943 copyFacebook is king when it comes to user engagement and return on investment. Brand engagement on the social networking site continues to grow, up 438 percent in 2012, notes Econsultancy. Along with having an engaging, consistent social presence, your business must catch up with website trends to boost your ROI.

These four website trends will not only improve the user experience, they will improve your ROI by making it easier for users to convert. They work best with a clean, fresh website design. If your website has a clunky or stale design, or it does not match your branding, start from scratch to have the best chance of increasing your return on investment. Implement these trends and use analytics to regularly track your progress and refine your approach.

Conversion optimization

Conversion optimization boosts your ROI by making it easier to convert the traffic your website already captures instead of focusing on driving more traffic to your website. Paid conversion optimization tools include Crazy Egg (which offers a 30-day free trial and plans from $9) or Optimizely (which offers a 30-day free trial and pricing plans from $17 per month). Google Analytics offers some free conversion optimization tools that can help you get started.

Bounce prevention

Similar to conversion optimization, this trend targets the traffic you already get. Bounce prevention measures intend to stop the user who visits your site from leaving and forgetting about you. They might include remarketing ads that target users who have left, or targeting users with a pop up offering a free ebook download or an opt-in newsletter option. You’ll get direct feedback on how effective many of your bounce prevention measures are by seeing how many users opt in.

Tell your story

Your website should tell your story in a clear and compelling manner to really engage the user. You can look for inspirations by looking at storybrand website examples to know how to portray your story in your site. Elements that help you tell your story include clear writing, crisp images, engaging videos, and a rich social media promotion strategy that continuously puts your message out there. You don’t have to be a professional photographer or videographer to do this. Take advantage of resources like Shutterstock, a stock photo database where you can purchase images for your website, and freelance marketplaces like Elance or oDesk to connect to freelance writers, videographers, or web marketers.

Focus on perceived value

Increasingly, it isn’t just about putting your product out there but about finding ways to demonstrate value. Blog regularly about ways to use your product (or service), create tutorial videos, or use targeted email marketing to show value. If you create shareable content that will demonstrate perceived value, you’ll also gain an organic traffic boost when users share your content. Social shares will continue to be an extremely important, relevant way to increase your return on investment. Getting out in front and being active in promoting your brand socially can benefit your ROI.

Posted in: Editorial
By April 4, 2014 Read More →

Lenovo’s new A-Series Android Tablets

A8-50Lenovo today announced a line-up of new A-series Android tablets, offering configurations and screen sizes to match consumer needs for both ultra-portable tablets and multimedia performers. The portfolio, which also boasts quad-core computing power for a responsive, smooth tablet experience, will be available starting in the second quarter 2014.

The new range starts with the A7-30 seven-inch devices, designed for optimal music or multimedia enjoyment through exceptional Dolby®-enhanced dual-front speakers while still packing a performance punch. The A7-50 is the affordable on-the-go reading companion with a 7-inch, wide-view HD display for sharper text and web pages, while the larger screen A8 is the mobile “home entertainment” center that comes in a variety of bold colors to suit different personalities and lifestyles. Rounding up the new A-series is the A10, which is equipped with a superb 10.1″ wide HD display and Dolby® enhanced dual front speakers for an amazing movie watching experience on the move.

  • A7-30, Pocket Studio with Dolby®: The Lenovo TAB A7-30 delivers an audio experience normally reserved for more expensive tablets in a seven-inch device. Armed with exceptional Dolby®-enhanced dual-front speakers, it is an ultra-portable tablet that music lovers will want to take everywhere. The brilliant 7-inch display and powerful quad-core processor make it a versatile performer for everything you do on the go, while SIM card support means it can be used to stay connected constantly with friends and family.
  • A7-50, Crystal Clear Multimedia Reader: The Lenovo TAB A7-50 is the ultra-portable on-the-go reading companion for those on a budget. The 7-inch, wide-view HD display reveals sharper text and web pages. Powered by a quad-core processor and equipped with a 2MP front-facing camera and rear camera, it’s the perfect companion to read, surf, and stay connected with friends with optional 3G connectivity. It is also available as the A7-40, which comes in a stylish Ebony color, 8Gb capacity and front-facing camera only.
  • A8, “Home Entertainment” On the Move: The Lenovo TAB A8 comes in a range of bold color options to suit different personalities and styles, while providing total entertainment on the go. The sharp, colorful 8″ HD display plus Dolby® audio and responsive quad-core power make it the perfect choice for playing games, watching videos, listening to music, socializing with friends and more.
  • A10, Mobile Home Theater System: The Lenovo Tab A10 provides an amazing video watching experience, without staying at home. Watch full-length high quality movies on the go with a superb 10.1″ wide HD display and Dolby® enhanced dual front speakers. The responsive quad-core processor ensures smooth video playback all day long. This is the tablet for movie lovers.

“Lenovo’s latest A-series tablet family is designed to meet the demands of today’s young, active users who are always on the go, and have lifestyle requirements that are as diverse as their own personalities. With these latest additions to our tablet portfolio, we’ve introduced devices that speaks directly to each consumer’s habits, whether it’s enjoying music, reading e-books or watching videos on the go,” said Shao Tao, vice president Lenovo and head of Mobile BU, “Our Android family of tablets will appeal to users around the world as we’ve built our products to be highly flexible to serve multiple needs and budgets.”

The new A-series Android tablets will be available worldwide from Q2, 2014. The A7-50 tablet is priced from £99.99. Prices for the A8-50 start from £139.99 and the A10-70 tablet will be available from £169.99.

Posted in: News, Tablets
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By April 4, 2014 Read More →

Qualcomm powering Amazon’s Fire TV

AmazonFireTV-FireStandingIt feels like it came out of no where, Amazon have announced a new set top entertainment system called Fire TV. This will run a customized version of Android, just like the Kindle Fire tablet. Here are a few hardware specs of the device:

  • Quad-core processor (supposedly is three times more powerful than Apple TV and other rival devices)
  • 2GB of RAM
  • Dedicated graphics processor
  • Will ship with a tiny, plastic remote control that has only seven buttons and a directional pad
  • Voice command search queries
  • Support for Android gaming ( Amazon has launched a studio internally to develop in-house games)

This is a new device that plugs into your television and lets you stream video content from the Internet. Much like Apple TV, and Google TV before it Fire TV is more of a lounge/living room solution than the Chromecast however it essentially fulfills the same goals. The primary focus of Fire TV will be Amazon Prime Video however it will also support third-party content, like Netflix and Plex. As per usual this is geared towards the US market with Hulu and HBO being some of the touted apps. There is little news as to when we can expect to see it on UK shores and there will have to be negotiations with likes of BBC and Sky over their delivery services before it arrives. According to Amazon, more third-party apps will be coming to the Fire TV in May. This includes music apps like TuneIn, Pandora, & iHeartRadio.

amazon-fire-game-controller-image_1280

In addition to TV and movie content the little black box is boasted as a gaming platform also. We will see some rather tasty games, obviously the finest Android can provide. The Fire TV is being powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. As the first product of its kind to go live with a Snapdragon 600 processor, the Fire TV will utilize the processor to enable new and improved user experiences, essentially redefining the living room experience. Multimedia performance with 1080p HD video, 7.1 Dolby surround sound, a graphics accelerated UI and console quality gaming. The Qualcomm processor also provides the Wi-Fi connectivity.

The device will be available to buy today for $99, and a gaming controller for it will cost $39.99, Stateside of course.

Posted in: News, TV & Home Cinema
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By April 3, 2014 Read More →

Samsung unveils new Galaxy Tab4 series

Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-4-70-leaked-press-render-1Samsung Electronics has today announced its next-generation tablet, the Galaxy Tab4, offering a unique and vivid viewing experience for the whole family. The Galaxy Tab4 has a premium look and feel combined with a lightweight and portable design. 

Available in 10.1-inch, 8.0-inch and 7.0-inch screen sizes, the Galaxy Tab4’s vivid WXGA display with a 16:10 screen ratio makes watching content even more enjoyable. Its Multi Window functionality means you can seamlessly switch between apps and windows, as well as drag and drop different content easily.

The new Galaxy Tab4 range comes equipped with a number of fun and shareable services allowing you to access content and stay connected with friends and family wherever they are, including:

  • Group Play: Share and play music, documents and games with friends in real time
  • Samsung Link: Share and play content across smart devices anytime, anywhere
  • WatchON: Watch TV shows and movies on any device, anywhere in your home or on the go

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab4 line will be offered in a choice of Black or White globally beginning in April, 2014. UK availability and ranging will be announced in due course.

Galaxy Tab4 10.1 Product Specifications:

  • 1.2 GHz Quad Core
  • 10.1-inch WXGA (1280 X 800),
  • Android 4.4 (KitKat)
  • 3MP camera + 1.3 MP Front facing
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n , WiFi Direct, BT4.0, USB2.0
  • 1.5GB RAM
  • 16GB storage
  • 6,800mAh Battery

Galaxy Tab4 8.0 Product Specifications:

  • 1.2 GHz Quad Core
  • 8.0-inch WXGA (1280 X 800)
  • Android 4.4 (KitKat)
  • 3MP camera + 1.3 MP Front facing
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n , WiFi Direct, BT4.0, USB2.0
  • WiFi/3G/LTE versions
  • 1.5GB RAM
  • 16GB storage
  • 4,450mAh Battery

 

Galaxy Tab4 7.0 Product Specifications:

  • 1.2 GHz Quad Core
  • 7.0-inch WXGA (1280 X 800)
  • Android 4.4 (KitKat)
  • 3MP camera + 1.3 MP Front facing
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n , WiFi Direct, BT4.0, USB2.0
  • WiFi/3G/LTE versions
  • 1.5GB RAM
  • 16GB storage
  • 4,000mAh Battery
Posted in: News, Tablets
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By April 2, 2014 Read More →

USB Type-C to feature reversible charger connectors

usb-type-c-cableslRecently CNET published some of the first images of the new USB Type-C cables and ports coming in the future. This new, tiny connector is due to be a reversible form, taking much of the aggravation out of plugging power or data transfer cables into your device. Essentially, this is along the same lines as Apple’s Lightning port. It has been a while since we moved from mini USB to micro USB and a refresh is exciting, there shouldn’t be too many folk out there to grumble as much as Apple users did when their expensive docks and chargers became a little bit incompatible with newer Apple devices. However, anyone who has struggled to find the right way round for a microUSB to fit into their phone in the dark will certainly appreciate the new form.

usb-type-c-cables

Posted in: Gadgets
By April 1, 2014 Read More →

Amber Gold HTC One (M8) available at Carphone Warehouse

image006Nope, it’s not an April fools joke, Carphone Warehouse really do have the HTC One (M8) in Amber Gold.

The brand new HTC One (M8) is now available in trendy Amber Gold first at Carphone Warehouse. It is available to purchase online at http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/htc/one-m8 and on the telephone from today (Tuesday 1 April) and in selected stores from tomorrow (Wednesday 2 April). Prices start from £38 with a £49 upfront cost or free from £42 per month.

A Carphone Warehouse spokesperson says, “Over the past 12 months we’ve seen more gold handsets launch than ever before and that trend looks sure to continue this year as their popularity with consumers shows no signs of abating. HTC’s Amber Gold is a very tasteful colour option and fits the premium feel and unique metal design of the HTC One (M8) perfectly. This is the newest smartphone on the market and in the newest colour so we’re excited to help our customers get hold of it ahead of everyone else.”

The HTC One (M8) is built with a lot of attention to design with a durable high quality metal unibody and the subtle gold effect on this metal makes this the perfect choice for the fashion conscious.

Featuring stereo speakers and HTC BoomSound™, the HTC One (M8) is ideal for when you want to get the party started. It also comes with a Duo Camera, which lets you take brilliant shots in any light thanks to HTC UltraPixel technology, before adding professional looking effects. In addition, the HTC One (M8) has been designed with selfies in mind, featuring a 5MP front camera – ideal for capturing your best side.

Carphone Warehouse is offering £100 cashback on the new HTC One (M8) in all colour variants (Amber Gold, Glacial Silver, Gun Metal Grey) on Pay Monthly and Upgrade deals. For more information, visit http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/htc/one-m8

 

Posted in: News, Phones
By March 31, 2014 Read More →

HTC One (M8) full hands-on video

M8_PerLeft_GunMetalWe’ve had our HTC One (M8) for a while now so thought iut was about time that we recorded a full hands-on video to show off some of the more important features and take a more detailed look at the hardware.

In the video below I’ll show you the hardware and discuss the specification before booting up and playing with the OS and user interface to look at some of the features that have changed in HTC Sense 6.0. I’ll also show you some of the elements that are part of the Duo Camera experience that features so heavily in HTC’s push of the HTC One (M8).

So what do we think of the HTC One (M8) so far? We’ll I’m really impressed with the design and build quality but that’s no surprise from and HTC device. Performance-wise the M8 is great and out-performs anything else that I’ve previously used. The camera is brilliant and the Duo Camera features allow for some really creative shots.

It’s a long video so I’m going to come back to some of the other features in another video soon…

 

 

HTC One (M8) specification:

 SIZE: 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm

WEIGHT: 160 grams

DISPLAY: 5.0 inch, Full HD 1080p

 

CPU SPEED

  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801, 2.3GHz quad-core CPU

 

PLATFORM

  • Android™ 4.4 with HTC Sense™ 6
  • HTC BlinkFeed™

 

MEMORY

  • Total storage:  16/32GB
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Expansion card slot supports microSD™ memory card for up to 128GB additional storage (card not included)

 

NETWORK

2G/2.5G – GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

  • 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

 

3G – WCDMA:

  • EMEA: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps
  • Asia: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps
  • AT&T: 850/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps
  • Sprint: 850/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA up to 14.4 Mbps
  • Verizon: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 14.4 Mbps
  • TMUS: 850/AWS/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps    

 

CDMA:  

  • Sprint: 800/1900
  • Verizon: 800/1900  

  4G – LTE:

  • EMEA: 800/900/1800/2600 MHz
  • Asia: 700/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz
  • AT&T: 700/850/AWS/1800/1900/2600 MHz
  • Sprint: FDD 800/1900 MHz , TDD 2600 MHz
  • Verizon: 700/AWS/1800/2600 MHz
  • TMUS: 700/AWS MHz                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

SIM

  • Nano SIM

 

SENSORS

  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Gyro sensor
  • Barometer sensor

 

CONNECTIVITY

  • 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
  • NFC
  • Bluetooth® 4.0 with aptX™ enabled
  • Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
  • DLNA® for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer,
  • HTC Connect™
  • micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection  (Special cable required for HDMI connection.)
  • Support consumer infrared remote control

 

SOUND

  • HTC BoomSound™
  • Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
  • Sense Voice

 

CAMERA

Duo camera

  • Primary camera: HTC UltraPixel™ camera, BSI sensor, pixel size 2.0 um, sensor size 1/3”, f/2.0, 28mm lens
  • HTC ImageChip 2
  • 1080p Full HD video recording with HDR video
  • Secondary camera: capture depth information

 

Front camera

  • 5MP, f/2.0, BSI sensor, wide angle lens. with HDR capability, 1080p Full HD video recording
  • Gallery with UFocus™, Dimension Plus™, Seasons, Foregrounder, Image Match

 

MULTIMEDIA

Audio supported formats:

  • Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 10)
  • Recording: .aac

 

Video supported formats:

  • Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 10), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
  • Recording: .mp4

 

Location

  • Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
  • Digital compass

 

BATTERY

  • Capacity: 2600 mAh
  • Embedded rechargeable Li-polymer battery
  • Talk time: Up to 20 hours for 3G
  • Standby time: Up to 496 hours for 3G
Posted in: News, Phones, Videos/Unboxings
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By March 30, 2014 Read More →

The Armiga – part Android, part Commodore, all awesome

1820-armiga-project-prototypeThere is a new IndieGoGo campaign is hoping to provide Commodore enthusiasts with an authentic as possible experience to the original Amiga with an all-in-one enclosed package. Running on a Raspberry Pi is an Amiga emulator configured as an Amiga 500 with 1MB of RAM, equipped with an on-board 3.5″ floppy disk drive .

There have been a wave of machines that emulate various pieces of old hardware recently. From Bluetooth Spectrum 48k for an iPad to the Retron 5 taking all manner of cartridge based games. Whilst the argument that you are better off using the original hardware these newer alternatives appealingly offer HDMI outputs, a more reliable method of enjoying pixel perfect gameplay on modern displays.

The system features a dual booting setup. Equipped with the latest build of Android users will have tools at the ready to create disk images of original floppies. Emulation fans can look forward to screenshot functionality and the addition of save states too, while the techies amongst us can revel in the possibilities the ethernet port may bring.

The Armiga Project is hoping $140,000 in the next two months, with pledges of $139 securing one of the first systems.

Armiga Specification:

  • Powerful Dual Core ARM CPU.
  • 2 USB host: Joystick, mouse and keyboard support, as well as pendrives/hdds.
  • SD card slot: Save your ADFs or bring new ones!
  • Ethernet connection: Connect to your network for easy ADF management.
  • HDMI: Digital AV quality on the big screen!.

Features:

  • Full Amiga 500 emulation: The target machine is the iconic Amiga 500 and right now 90% of the disks are running!
  • Boot to Android: Armiga supports Dual Boot and comes loaded with Android 4.2.2, so when you’re not playing you can have all the power of Android!.
  • Automatic disk load: Like in the original Amiga; insert the disk and off you go!.
  • Disk dump: Create ADF images of your favorite games and keep them safe on the SD.
  • ADF support: Bring your own ADF images on a pendrive or SD card and enjoy!
  • Disk swap: Just insert the disk and it will be dumped. When time comes to change disks, just select the right ADF. Ain’t it easy?.
  • FTP server: No need to take the SD off to manage the ADFs; just do it from your computer!.
  • Graphical menu: Simple and elegant, with usability as main focus.
  • Game save: Save your game and resume later.
  • Autosave: Forgot to save?. We do it for you!
  • Screenshot: Wanna share your joy?. Give our screenshot feature a try.

Posted in: Apps & Games, Desktop Computing, News
By March 30, 2014 Read More →

Specs of the Padfone X released by AT&T

asus_front_charger_storyEven though Asus officially announce the new PadFone X in January, they didn’t reveal the specs of the device. Asus doesn’t have to worry as AT&T revealed the full specs of the device recently. We still don’t know when or at what price the device will arrive, but we at least know it is coming to AT&T. 

Here’s that spec-breakdown:

The Asus PadFone X phone section –

  • 5-inch 1080p Full HD touchscreen
  • 13 MP rear camera
  • 2 MP front camera
  • 2.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor
  • 2 GB of RAM
  • 16 GB of internal storage
  • A microSD card slot
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
  • 2,300 mAh battery
  • Android 4.4 KitKat
  • Dimensions are 143.93×72.46×9.98 mm, and it weighs 150 grams

The Asus PadFone X Tablet Dock – 

  • 9-inch 1,920×1,200 touchscreen
  • 1 MP front camera
  • 4,990 mAh battery
  • Dimensions will be 250.4×172.25×11.63 mm, and it will weigh 514 grams

With each successive generation of this innovative device it keeps getting better and better. Asus has done a great job at refining and perfecting their technology.

Posted in: News, Phones, Tablets
By March 29, 2014 Read More →

HTC One (M8) Benchmark video

Screenshot_2014-03-28-09-40-51With the launch of the HTC One (M8), many of you are asking questions about performance, in particular the speed of the new device and how this compares to its predecessor, the HTC One (M7).

The M8 has a Snapdragon 801 chipset and Quad-core CPU clocked at 2.3GHz (The Asian market gets a 2.5GHz version!), and 2GB of RAM. Clock-speed wise this is a decent step up from the 1.7GHz quad in the M7. 

So what does this clock speed jump equate to? In general usage the difference isn’t that noticeable but in intensive apps and games you’ll notice it more.

In the video below you’ll see an HTC One (M8) Benchmark compared to the HTC One (M7). The benchmark was run simultaneously to give some impression of the speed and how much quicker the M8 completed the test.

Interesting results in that the M8 has twice the score of the M7!

 

Posted in: News, Phones, Videos/Unboxings
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