Sonastand Aluminium iPhone Amplifier Dock (video)

Sonastand is a new amplifier dock which has been created for the iPhone that uses no batteries or electronics to amplify the smartphones audio. Instead the Sonastand aluminium amplifier captures the sound from the speaker, and re-directs it outwards with enhanced clarity and volume.

The Sonastand has even been especially shaped to allow you to plug in your charger whilst using the Sonastand. Watch the video from its creators after the jump to see how the Sonastand works.

The innovative Sonastand has been designed by Bob Wimbrow and Colin Chu, who are currently advertising their creation on Kickstarter in an attempt to raise $20,000 to make their concept a reality. So if you feel the Sonastand is something you would use jump over and make a pledge to give it a helping hand.

“We’ve machined the Sonastand out of a solid chunk of aluminum, so it has quality you can feel. It’s virtually indestructible, and for those who care, it’s 100% recyclable.

One of our favorite features is how portable the Sonastand is. you can take it anywhere. From listening to podcasts while getting ready for the day, to watching music videos at the beach, the Sonastand is perfect for situations on the go.”

The Sonastand will be available in 4 sizes to accommodate either a naked, skinned, or cased iPhone.

Source : Kickstarter

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Altair Semiconductor finds a place among mobile innovators

BARCELONA — Altair Semiconductor, based in Israel, is a smaller company that showed off its LTE radio chips — and the tablets and routers they’re being installed in — at a small booth at Mobile World Congress this week.

Among the thousands of companies exhibiting at the event here, Altair is a prime example of the energy being demonstrated globally by newer innovators in mobile and wireless technologies.

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS: Hottest gadgets from 2012 show | Video highlights

CEO Oded Melamed said the six-year-old company, which has about 150 employees, is focused on providing its LTE technology to users in developing countries such as India, Brazil, China and Russia. That’s where low-cost broadband modems and related devices are expected to be in great demand as their populations explode.

Altair chose to keep its chips focused on LTE-only rather than pairing them with 3G radios, as many other manufacturers do. That can lower costs, and makes it possible to reduce the size of the chip, to 6mm square — two to three times smaller and cheaper than competing chips, Melamed said.

An LTE-to-Wi-Fi router in a home could soon sell for $50, half the price of today, he said in an interview.

Melamed also showed off a small sub-$100 tablet running over Altair’s LTE chip from a maker called Ainol. The 7-in. Ainol tablet is called the Novo 7, sells in China and runs Android 4.0.

In all, Altair has 16 customers making 50 devices, including in-home LTE modems, a 10-in. tablet by Quanta, an HD-camera that can be mounted on a race car to run over LTE and feed data to the race pit, and outdoor LTE routers to provide broadband Internet access at home. That router offers enhanced antennas and a rugged case to withstand the weather.

Melamed admitted his company’s goal is less about bridging the digital divide in developing countries and more about taking advantage of the enormous opportunities in places such as India. It has more than 1 billion people, but only 120 million Internet users. Of those with Internet, only 30 million could be described as having broadband, with speeds of up to 300Kbps, he said.

Altair is an example of a many smaller tech firms fighting giants such as Qualcomm. But Altair is on the verge of a major growth spurt, Melamed predicted.

“We are six years old, like a child going to first grade in school, excited to make a big move up,” he said.

Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt’s RSS feed . His email address is .

See more by Matt Hamblen on Computerworld.com.

Read more about processors in Computerworld’s Processors Topic Center.

Ask LH: What iPad Apps Does A Student Need?

Dear Lifehacker, With the university semester fast approaching, I’d like to invest in some iPad apps. In particular, I need a good word processor and an app to annotate and edit PDFs. the selection on the app store is pretty overwhelming, and I don’t exactly have the cash or time to try them all. So what can LH recommend, and what other apps could help me out? Thanks, Tablets & Tutes

Picture by Michael Coghlan

Before we hit the apps, one obvious recommendation: make sure you’ve acquired a Bluetooth keyboard for your iPad. If you’re going to be using it for serious annotation and writing tasks, a separate keyboard is much more ergonomic and efficient, no matter what app you’re using.

As part of our App Directory series, we’ve already highlighted PDF apps and office suites for use on the iPad (and other iOS devices). So rather than repeating oursevles, we’ll point to those listings. for general note taking, OneNote is a popular choice for many students, and there’s a specific version of that for the iPad.

If your university has good Wi-Fi coverage, you might also consider largely using cloud-based apps (such as Google Apps) within the iPad browser. With that said, we’d love to hear recommendations from other iPad-toting students in the comments.

Got your own question you want to put to Lifehacker? Send it using our contact tab on the right.

Logitech Wireless Boombox

Logitech’s $150 Wireless Boombox looks quite like some of its siblings, especially the Rechargeable Speaker S715i. I really liked the S715i, and I really like the Wireless Boombox, too. The primary difference between the two is that the Wireless Boombox—the focus of this review—gets audio from Bluetooth or an auxiliary-input jack, whereas the S715i employs an iPhone/iPod dock.

The all-black Boombox is long and slim: 18.8 inches wide, 5.5 inches tall, and 3.7 inches deep. The unit’s meant to be portable, and it is, weighing in at just over four pounds.

The speaker’s face bears just four buttons: Power, Volume Up, Volume Down, and Bluetooth. in my testing with an iPhone, an iPad, and a Mac, pairing was simple. The Boombox can pair with up to eight devices simultaneously, although it can be connected—actively used for audio playback—to only one of those devices at a time. There’s no remote control included with the Boombox, which makes some sense for Bluetooth playback, the assumption being that you’ll control playback from the audio source.

Also on the front of the Boombox are two LEDs. One light shows whether the unit is charging (pulsing green), fully charged (solid green), half charged (solid orange), or about to run out of power (red). The second LED indicates Bluetooth status. it blinks blue in pairing mode and shines solid blue when the system is actively connected with a paired source. Logitech says you should expect about six hours of battery life from the Boombox, and that meshed with my experience.

On the rear of the Boombox are a kickstand that springs out at the press of a bright-orange button, as well as a rubber tab that folds out to expose the unit’s AC-adapter port and a 1/8-inch (3.5mm) auxiliary-input jack. if you connect an audio source to that auxiliary input, the speaker automatically disables Bluetooth playback.

The Boombox employs a pair of 3-inch neodymium drivers, a pair of 0.5-inch neodymium tweeters, and four 2-inch passive radiators—two of which are rear-facing and serve as woofers. Unsurprisingly, the Boombox provides more oomph when plugged in than when running only on battery power. Plugged in, the system offers rich sound, with sold midrange performance and bass presence that’s impressive for its size. When running off its internal battery, however, the Boombox sounds not just quieter, but notably tinnier, with much of that bass presence vanishing. (When connected to an audio source using the auxiliary-input jack, battery-powered performance is noticeably better than when connected via Bluetooth—likely because Bluetooth requires power that would otherwise be directed towards audio output—but it’s still not as good as when connected to AC power.)

If you intend to use the Wireless Boombox mainly with an iPhone or iPod, the similarly-priced S715i may be the better option: it charges your device while you listen to music and includes a (tiny) remote. The S715i also sounds better on battery power compared to the Boombox. But if you like the freedom Bluetooth affords, if you want to use the speaker with an iPad or your Mac, or if you intend to use the Boombox mostly plugged in, it’s a fine option.

Lapdock: From avant-garde to awful

What a difference a year makes. a year ago, I was intrigued by Motorola Mobility’s Lapdock, a laptop without a brain into which you plugged a Motorola Android smartphone to run it on a full-size screen, with full-size keyboard, trackpad, SD card slot, and USB and HDMI ports for access to USB peripherals and mirrored screen display to a TV or monitor. a year ago, I saw the Lapdock as a wonderful innovation that presaged an era in which a smartphone is your main — and perhaps only — computing device, plugging into resources when needed to scale up to a desktop PC.

A year later, after working with the latest version — the $350 Lapdock 500 Pro — I’m no longer impressed. In fact, I’m sorely disappointed in what Motorola has done. a year ago, the original Lapdock was rough around the edges, but those shortcomings could be overlooked, given it was the first of its kind. but the new version is inferior in many aspects, and the mobile world has shifted in ways that make the Lapdock concept less relevant, though I believe the smartphone-as-main-brain post-PC vision remains right.

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Clunky hardware in an era of sleek laptopsThe Lapdock 500 Pro boasts a 14-inch monitor, bigger than the original model’s 12.4-inch LCD. The screen itself tilts further back in the 500 Pro than in the original, thanks to a different design for holding the Droid smartphone that powers the Lapdock. That’s the only good news. The keyboard uses a nonstandard layout, which complicates touch-typing. Worse, the keys are hard to press and unpleasantly difficult to use — to a masochistic degree.

The trackpad is also not very responsive, and it’s hard to touch its button areas to get a regular click. most of the surface brings up the contextual menu, which is supposed to be activated only when you click the right-hand side. There’s a VGA port, but no longer an HDMI one.

Adding insult to injury, the Lapdock is bulky and heavy. Shockingly, it weighs 3.4 pounds — a full half-pound more than a no-compromise MacBook Air, where the screen is just 1 inch smaller. given that the Lapdock has no hard disk, optical drive, wireless or cellular radios, or CPU, as well as minimal flash storage, there’s no excuse for its heft. At this stage of the game, the Lapdock should be as thin and light as a MacBook Air or similarly thin Windows laptop. More galling, the original Lapdock was not only thinner but a full pound lighter. I can’t imagine why anyone at Motorola thought it was a bright idea to beef up the Lapdock.

The Lapdock 500 Pro’s poor hardware simply ruins the experience, and there’s no excuse for such a subpar build. even bargain PCs have better keyboards and trackpads, and if you’re accustomed to a MacBook or a pro-level Windows laptop, using the Lapdock feels like driving a big car without power steering. The unacceptably inadequate hardware in the Lapdock is also a startling contrast to the high quality of Motorola’s recent Droids, such as the Droid 4 and Droid Razr Maxx.

I have mixed feelings about the new docking mechanism for the smartphone. Gone is the fixed riser in which you dock the Droid, and in its stead is a rubber cable you pull off the back, which covers a holding tray you extend to cradle the Droid. That new arrangement allows you to tilt the screen back further, which is a plus, but the cable is ungainly. I know I’ll catch it on something and damage it some day.

Then there’s network connectivity. even when the Droid 4 I used for testing is connected to a Wi-Fi network, it runs on the 3G or 4G cellular network instead. In central San Francisco where I live, Verizon Wireless’s 4G LTE network is often as slow as molasses, so working on files via the Lapdock is a painful chore. My various iOS and other Android devices run faster on Verizon’s 3G network in the same area, and they automatically switch to Wi-Fi when available for even faster throughput. This seems to be an issue with the Droid 4 in my testing. There’s an Ethernet jack for those times you’re near a wired port.

All in all, it’s simply bad hardware.

The software is a mixed bagThe Webtop application on the Droid that powers the Lapdock is better than the Lapdock hardware, but still rough. I had hoped for some significant refinement in the year since the original version.

A nice change: by default, the Droid window is next to the Linux-based Firefox 8 browser you run on the Lapdock to access Web services in a PC-like environment. it used to overlap Firefox, causing awkward pauses as you moved objects out of the way. (If you switch to horizontal view, the Droid window obscures the Firefox browser, but a quick press of the Change Orientation key fixes that.) you can also run Firefox in full-screen mode, hiding the Droid window. The row of icon buttons at the bottom of the screen offers easy accessibility to more capabilities.

But the Droid window is less useful than it should be. yes, you can run Android smartphone apps in it, but they’re awkward to use on the Lapdock 500 Pro’s larger screen. If you enlarge the Droid window, you get even more clumsy magnified versions. a year ago, when there was no tablet version of Android and the Lapdock screen was smaller, I could accept the Droid apps’ magnification. but with Android 3 out and the combined smartphone/tablet version of Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” promised this year for the Lapdock-compatible Droids, Motorola needs to make the smartphone apps run like tablet programs when plugged into the Lapdock. The experience needs to adapt, not just get magnified — adaptation is endemic to the post-PC vision.

Then there’s the Webtop Online front end to Google Docs; it lets you see your Droid’s files and open them in either the Droid window or in the Lapdock’s Firefox browser. but every time I double-clicked an Office file in the Webtop Online window and chose to open it via Webtop Online rather than in the Droid’s included Quickoffice suite, I got an error message saying the file could not be opened. yet if I opened the exact same files through the File menu in the very same Webtop Online, they worked just fine in Google Docs. That’s clearly a bug — and an inexcusable one.

The post-PC environment has evolved in the meantimeLet’s say that Motorola came up with a thin, light, high-quality Lapdock tomorrow. would it still feel so innovative? I’m less sure.

For example, we now have the iPad 2 and Android tablets, which significantly moved the bar when it comes to portable computing capability. They’re quite capable as light desktop replacements, and they’re much easier to carry around than a Lapdock. If you have an iPhone and an iPad, or an Android smartphone and an Android tablet, you have a lighter combination with big-screen-optimized native apps and in many cases good-enough browser experience for many Web apps. (The Lapdock’s desktop Firefox browser does work better on many sites, such as Google Docs, and remains the best argument for a Lapdock.)

If you prefer a real keyboard to typing on-screen, you can use a Bluetooth keyboard with an iPad or Android tablet, such as Logitech’s very nice Tablet Keyboard, which costs about $50 — a lot less than a Lapdock. and many Android devices support Bluetooth mice. oh, and the iPad 2 can mirror to an HDMI or VGA monitor or TV, as can some Android devices. these combinations aren’t as capable as a well-designed Lapdock would be, but they’re maybe three-quarters of the way there. they didn’t exist when the original Lapdock was launched, but they exist now, and they’re not only very capable in their own right, but they slip much more easily into a briefcase or backpack.

If you need a full laptop on the go, a MacBook Air gives you a lot more than the Lapdock, weighs less, and takes less space. The Apple iCloud service released last fall keeps a MacBook Air (and your desktop Mac) synced with your iPad or iPhone, and cloud storage does much of the same with other device mixes. Companies such as Lenovo continue to show concept designs of convertibles — laptops with screens that detach to become an Android tablet or, in more recent prototypes, a Windows 8 tablet — that one day may show up as real products and perhaps gain traction. As much as I believe in the post-PC vision, I recognize that — at least for now — if you need a computer, you need a computer.

In this context, the Lapdock’s unique benefits are small, centering on the bigger screen and the desktop-grade browsing experience. those pluses aren’t enough to counter its limitations. given the weight and size of the Lapdock 500 Pro, it should be more than a brainless laptop dock — it should run that Firefox browser whether the Droid is docked to it or not. a traditional laptop — or even a Chromebook-style browser-only laptop — that a smartphone can dock with makes more sense than a laptop dock like the Lapdock, which is a useless brick unless a smartphone is attached.

Still, the notion behind the Lapdock remains appealing as a piece of the post-PC continuum possible today. It’s too bad the Lapdock 500 Pro has none of the appeal of the concept it tries to serve.

This article, “Lapdock: From avant-garde to awful,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in mobile computing, read Galen Gruman’s Mobile Edge blog at InfoWorld.com, follow Galen’s mobile musings on Twitter, and follow InfoWorld on Twitter.

Read more about mobile technology in InfoWorld’s Mobile Technology Channel.

iPad 3 Rumors: New Leaked Photos Give Away Specs, Features

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The pictures show a camera, which the blog claims is an 8-megapixel camera to match the iPhone 4S and better the 0.8MP camera of the iPad 2.

If difficult to tell if the photos are legitimate, but all will be unveiled by Apple on March.7. in the meantime here is a round- up of all the latest rumors:

Improved Display:

The iPad 2 has been heavily criticized for its 1024×768 resolution with owners complaining about unclear fuzzy images. the iPad 3 will undoubtedly come with a better display. It's rumored to quadruple its pixel destiny, but it's most likely to just double that of its predecessor, according to SlashGear.

The DigiTimes, who claim to have received information from Apple's supply chain, say the new display will boast an HD display panel with a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels.

Faster Processor:

The iPad 3 will likely come with a more powerful chip, perhaps the quad-core A6 chip. the first-generation iPad came with an A4 Chip and the iPad 2 followed with an A5 chip, which suggests the iPad 3 will follow suit and run on the A6 chip.

An A6 chip would double the power of the A5 chip that is currently used in the iPhone 4s and the iPad 2. an unnamed source, who claims to have an iPad 3 prototype, sent Boy Genius Report pictures of a diagnostic tool called iBoot, which states a chip model number that appears to be that of the A6 chip.

Better Camera:

The iPad 2's camera is another feature of the tablet that has come under strong critique, sporting a feeble 0.8MP. the iPad 3 has a long way to go if it wants to compete with other tablets like the ASUS Transformer Prime, which currently boasts an 8MP, 3264 x2448 pixel, auto-focus, LED flash camera.

The iPad 3 will likely come with a much improved camera, matching the quality of the 8MP camera of the iPhone 4s or better. the iPhone 4S not only improved its pixel capacity by 60 percent compared with its predecessor, but it also came with a larger custom lens that heralded a 2.4 aperture. more, the camera boasts advanced color accuracy, face detection and reduced motion blur.

Price:

While rumors continue to circulate about the possibility of two iPad 3 models–one cheaper than the other–it is likely there will only be one, which will fall under the same price range of its predecessor at $499 for its entry level model. the iPad 2 will likely drop to $399 and if Apple continues to sell the original iPad it will probably start at $199.

The iPad still falls among the more expensive tablets in the industry; the amazing Kindle fire is priced at $199, while the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet came in at $249.

Siri:

It's difficult to predict if the iPad 3 will come with Apple's popular voice assistant that debuted in the iPhone 4s, but it seems more likely than not. Siri is undoubtedly the most appreciated feature of iPhone 4s with her ability to understand voice commands, send texts and find local pizza joints. She was the main reason Apple iPhone 4 customers upgraded to the 4s despite there being little difference in the phones design. the implementation of Siri in the iPad 3 could give iPad 2 owners a similar incentive.

Must Read: iPad 3 Release may Get Delayed: Apple Threatens Proview With Defamation Suit

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Apple iPhone 4S (Verizon Wireless)

Apple just reported all-time record iPhone, iPad, and Mac sales. Surely the availability of the iPhone 4S on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon had something to do with that. but of those three carriers, how does Verizon’s phone stack up?

Well, if you’re looking for speed, AT&T’s model ($199.99-$849.99, 4 stars) is the best of the three, thanks to its support for simultaneous voice and data, as well as faster 3G speeds via the carrier’s HSPA+ 14.4 network. but Verizon’s version is no schlub, and is definitely the carrier’s best iPhone yet. So why are we rating it lower on Verizon than on Sprint? because Verizon is making a much more aggressive push towards 4G LTE than Sprint is, and the iPhone 4S is not a 4G phone. 

Cellular Radio and Call QualitySee our review of the iPhone 4S on Sprint ($199.99 – $849.99, 4.5 stars) for a detailed look at the phone’s hardware, software, and new features. here we’re going to focus on how the phone performs on Verizon’s network.

RF reception on the 4S is good, and on par with other top Verizon phones. Call quality on is very good too. Voices sound loud, full, and clear in the phone’s earpiece. Calls made with the phone can sound a bit thin, but still sharp and natural, with excellent background noise cancellation. Transmissions through the speakerphone are also clear, and fine for indoor use, but not loud enough to use outdoors.

The 4S switches between its top and bottom antennas depending on which one is receiving better signal, which means it’ll ignore whichever one you’re covering with your hands. this design solves the “death grip” problem on previous iPhone models. by holding the phone in a strange, two-handed grip I was able to lower data speeds, but it wasn’t significant, and it wasn’t the kind of grip anyone would ever use to hold or talk on a phone.

The iPhone 4S also delivers on Apple’s promise of longer battery life. I got 9 hours, 22 minutes of talk time with a strong 3G signal in my tests.

Data Speeds and Conclusions Judging from the results we collected last year in our testing for the Fastest Mobile Networks, Verizon’s LTE network is the fastest, largest 4G network in the U.S. Unfortunately, the iPhone 4S is a 3G device, so it isn’t able to tap into those exceptional speeds. So if you’re looking for the fastest iPhone 4S there is, you should head to AT&T, where the phone runs on the carrier’s speedier HSPA+ 14.4 3G network. And if you’re on Verizon and want the fastest data you can get, you should look at an LTE-enabled Android phone.

In my tests, the 4S on AT&T beat the same model on Verizon significantly for download speeds, though not for uploads. The AT&T device averaged 1.8Mbps down and 0.6Mbps up, while the Verizon phone averaged a much lower .4Mbps down, but a higher 0.9Mbps up. In general, though, you can expect speeds to be higher 3G speeds on AT&T all around. The 4S is also capable of simultaneous voice and data on AT&T, which is unavailable on 3G phones on Sprint and Verizon.

While the iPhone on Verizon is technically slower than it is on AT&T, it still feels plenty fast in normal, everyday use. Apple has done an excellent job of balancing software and hardware for incredible Web speeds that never feel slow, regardless of network.

My main complaint is that the 4S doesn’t take advantage of Verizon’s 4G LTE network. this would’ve been more understandable a year ago, when the network was still emerging. but Verizon’s 4G is now available in 194 cities, covering 200 million subscribers. The carrier expects to cover two-thirds of the U.S. population by mid-year, and to cover its entire existing nationwide 3G footprint with LTE by the end of 2013. Not only that, but Verizon already has more than 10 LTE devices to choose from, all of which have demonstrated excellent network speeds in our tests.

Take the Samsung Galaxy Nexus ($299.99, 4 stars), for example. In the same series of tests against the iPhone 4S on AT&T and Verizon, it averaged 4.8Mbps for downloads and 3.7Mbps for uploads, which is a significant step up from either iPhone. And those numbers are lower than what we usually see on Verizon’s LTE network.

Another thing to consider is data usage. Sprint is the only carrier to offer the iPhone 4S with unlimited data (unless you were grandfathered in with an earlier plan on AT&T or Verizon). So if you use a considerable amount of data, you may want to give Sprint a look.

Although the cell phone life cycle is decreasing at a rapid clip, two-year service contracts aren’t getting any shorter. So when you buy a new phone, it’s nice to know that you’re buying into the future. While the iPhone 4S is an excellent handset, and is going to make many Verizon users very happy, it isn’t going to have much staying power once Apple decides to go 4G.

If you aren’t too concerned about network speeds and you want an iPhone on Verizon, then get the iPhone 4S; it’s the best one yet. but if you’re looking for the fastest, most powerful smartphone the carrier offers right now, you should be looking for a 4G LTE device like the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx ($299.99, 4.5 stars).

Benchmarks Continuous talk time: 9 hours 22 minutes

More Cell Phone Reviews:•   Samsung Galaxy Note (AT&T)•   Kyocera DuraCore (Sprint)•   ZTE Chorus (Cricket Wireless)•   Motorola Droid 4 (Verizon Wireless)•   Pantech Burst (AT&T)•  more

Reviews: Case-Mate Phantom for iPhone 4/4S

The first piece looks like a reversed simple plastic shell. instead of fitting around the back the of the iPhone though, it snaps on to protect the bezel around the screen as well as the sides. There’s a layer of soft rubber over the top and bottom portions, with Home button coverage and a cutout for the sensor, camera, and earpiece. this piece leaves the top and bottom edges exposed, as well as the side switch and volume buttons; it’s definitely not meant to be used as a standalone case.

Phantom’s plastic and rubber outer shell actually looks like it could be used on it’s own, but it’s too large for a bare iPhone 4/4S. instead, the framed device snaps in, forming a very tight, well-sealed fit. Once inside, only the front facing I/O, camera, and screen are left exposed—a screen protector film is included to cover the latter. There’s full button coverage as well as flip-open access to the ports and side switch. because of the thickness of the case, it’s not Universal Dock-compatible. we found removing the inner piece to be somewhat difficult, but not frustratingly so.

We like the feel of the case quite a bit. It’s mostly covered in textured rubber that provides some grip, but isn’t particularly hard to get out of a pocket. The button covers are well done, maintaining a pleasant tactility. like most thicker cases though, it’s more difficult to flip the silent switch, especially for those with short nails or stubby fingers. Otherwise, the device is fully usable and just a bit bulkier.

Phantom has to be compared to the likes of OtterBox’s Defender Series Case and Griffin’s Survivor Extreme-Duty Case, both of which ring up at the same $50 price. The biggest difference is that those two come with built-in, permanent screen protectors and belt clips—slight advantages to be sure, but not killer features. Compared to both, Phantom is a arguably a better looking accessory, and is just as protective. Ultimately, as long as the belt clip isn’t an issue, you can feel secure in going with the Phantom, which earns our high recommendation. 

What Can You Save With Refurb Apple Gear?

As we’ve noted before, Apple keeps a tight rein on its pricing. one of the best tried-and-tested ways to get cheaper Apple gear is to use its refurbished gear outlet, which offers Apple-guaranteed geals on gear that has been factory-refreshed. Just how much can you save that way?

Gear sold through Apple’s refurb store isn’t brand-new, but it does come with a one-year warranty from Apple, matching its offer on new hardware. so if the specs meet your needs, the only practical difference is that you don’t get a shiny Apple box. Really, who cares?

Inspired by a US CNet post looking at prices there, I decided to check out what’s currently on offer in the Australian Apple store. of course, one challenge with a refurb outlet is that there isn’t guaranteed product availability, but there are significant savings to be had, as you can see in the listing of what was on sale this morning.

As you can see from the table, much of the product on sale through the refurb store is no longer available new. when comparing Mac specs, make sure you check the processor generation as well as the speed; many of the refurb models use older i5 or i3 series processors.

Savings on iPad 2 models are a fairly consistent $110. iPod savings range between $20 and $30; the discount on Mac products is generally around $200.

Apple is certainly the most visible local refurb player, but other offers do come up; big W, for example, regularly sells refurb Kindles. know of other good local refurb deals? Share them in the comments.

How Important Is Product Pricing, Really? – SlashGear

Whenever I review a software product or gadget, one of the key elements I must consider is price. Time and again, I need to determine if the value a product delivers is enough to justify its price tag. And in far too many cases, it doesn’t.

But I’m starting to wonder how much price really matters. Surely we’d all like to save a few extra bucks whenever we can, but if the right product comes along that satisfies many of our desires, we find a way to justify purchasing it in our mind. the device over there that’s $200 cheaper is nice and all, but it’s not the one we want. And that’s all that matters.

[Image credit: Scott Dierdorf]

Nowhere is that more evident than in the mobile market. when it comes to mobile phones, there are a slew of devices available for free. In many cases, that means buying a feature phone, but for those that need data, coming across a free or extremely cheap smartphone is far easier now than ever.

And yet, it’s Apple’s iPhone, which saw unit sales soar to more than 37 million last quarter, that steals the show. Granted, Apple is offering the old iPhone 3GS for free and the iPhone 4 is available for just $100, but according to most analysts, the vast majority of smartphones it sold were iPhone 4Ss, which retail for $199 and up with a two-year contract.

If it was really the iPhone that everyone was after last quarter, why did they buy the most expensive version? If all they really wanted was the iPhone experience, wouldn’t have buying the cheaper alternatives been a better idea?

A similar scenario plays out in the tablet space.

“If pricing was that important, why did Apple sell 15m tablets that cost $500 or more?”

For months now, I’ve been hearing that the Kindle Fire is popular because of its cheap price. And its estimated 5 million to 6 million fourth-quarter unit sales have been used to prove that point. But if pricing was really that important to customers, why did Apple sell 15 million tablets that cost $500 or more?

Similar scenarios play out in other markets, too. Samsung, for example, sells exceedingly expensive HDTVs, and yet, it’s one of the leading television makers in the world. Bose sells ridiculously expensive audio equipment, but people flock to buy its products.

Pricing really doesn’t matter. Today’s technology consumer wants the very best product in every category, and they’re willing to save up for a few extra months to get it. to them, it’s an unnecessary sacrifice to buy the cheap, underpowered alternative when they can keep up with their friends and coworkers and get something better.

Will those same folks find a deal when they can? sure. And whenever they have the chance to buy a product on Amazon rather than in best Buy stores, they’ll take it. But don’t expect them to be running over to the cheap Dell PC over there. Today’s consumer wants the MacBook Pro — exorbitant price tag and all.