Here it comes: iPad Mini sales start in New Zealand

With Apple's global launch of the iPad Mini set for 8am, November 2, plenty of consumers in New Zealand, where it's already Friday, will be busy testing out the new device.

When Apple announced that sales of the new iPad Mini would begin at 8am on November 2, residents of New Zealand hoping to get their hands on the new device knew they’d be the first to have the opportunity to do so, beating their San Francisco counterparts by 20 hours thanks to the beauty of time zones.

And so, as the sun goes down on the US on November 1, plenty of customers in the South Pacific country have already unboxed their diminutive iPad and have likely made up their mind as to whether it lives up to the hype.

As the Wall Street Journal points out, New Zealand doesn’t have an official Apple store, leaving resellers to deal with expectant Apple fans.

“I don’t know who will have what (products) where in New Zealand but the retailers will certainly be able to open their doors so people can come in and touch and play straight away,” Apple spokeswoman Fiona Martin told the WSJ.

Kiwi James Griffin tweeted a photo of himself holding aloft his new 7.9-inch iPad Mini, delivering his verdict a couple of hours later: “Love it! It’s the perfect size.”

The device marks Apple’s entry into the smaller-tablet market, taking on the likes of Google with its Nexus 7 tablet and Amazon with its range of Kindle Fire devices.

The Mini, however, is a pricier proposition than its rivals, with, for example, the $329 16GB model going for $130 more than the 16GB Nexus 7.

The latest addition to Apple’s range of gadgets is 53 percent thinner than the full-size iPad, and just 7.2mm thick. Apple decided to leave out its high-definition Retina display with the Mini’s 7.9-inch screen, going instead for a 1024 x 768 resolution with a pixel density of 163ppi.

Many industry watchers are interested to see to what extent sales of the Mini affect those of its big brother, and how that might impact Apple’s overall financial performance.

[via MacRumors]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

How iOS 6 is elbowing in Google and Facebook’s turf

While iOS 6 has inspired plenty of user backlash, Apple's ability to undermine and intrude on the smartphone industry should look like a threat to Google and Facebook, both of which need to make their stamp on the mobile market.

In case you were hiding under a rock, Apple recently came under some heavy criticism for replacing Google’s Map app with its own competing client, effectively wiping all things native and Google away with the iOS 6 upgrade. While Apple removed native Google products, it did just the opposite for Facebook and also integrated the social media behemoth into iTunes as well as natively into iOS 6. But despite the seemingly different approaches Apple is taking in regards these two platforms, the iOS 6 upgrade could actually pose a threat to both.

Apple’s brand remains strong

The backlash from the Maps fiasco has been palpable—users have been complaining about inaccurate addresses, missing landmarks, and a lack of public transportation information on Apple’s version of Maps. But while the premature release of Maps likely tarnished a brand synonymous with perfection, it’s also showed us how badly Apple can mess up and still see high adoption rates. It’s those numbers that, despite any user outrage, should make Google Maps — and for that matter, Facebook and its photos application (we’ll get to that shortly) — a little nervous. Apple has released so-so competitor products, and even though they might not be better and they might not be gaining a lot of early love, the iOS reputation might be enough for the brand to coast on.

Google Maps has more ground to lose

For all the flak Apple is (deservedly) getting for replacing Google Maps before it could perfect its own application, Google will likely be hit harder than Apple. Ever hear about losing the battle but winning the war? iPhone users are unlikely to give up their Apple devices and switch to an Android device simply because of an inferior map application. Instead, they will turn to other increasingly popular apps like Waze or MapQuest, and the longer it takes for Google to come out with its updated iOS app, the more comfortable users will get with the alternatives. Clearly, Google has more to lose here.

Google is reportedly planning on releasing its new iOS Maps app—despite Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt’s earlier announcement that the company hadn’t made any moves to do so. When asked about whether or not Google had immediate plans for an updated iOS 6 version, Nate Tyler, a representative at Google, says, “We believe Google Maps are the most comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps in the world. Our goal is to make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system.” Tyler didn’t expand on a timeline for the new App, but a recent article in The New York Times reported that Google has plans to have its iOS 6 Maps app finished by the end of the year — and it would be wise to do so, as quickly as possible, before consumers either become comfortable with a third-party alternative or succumb to the Apple replacement. 

A Facebook photo challenger?

Much attention has been given to the iTunes integration with Facebook — which lets users see if any of their friends Like apps, music, or books they’re considering buying — as well as iOS 6’s native integration with Facebook. But the social media site is also seeing some quiet competition from Apple’s new photo-sharing and commenting feature, Photo Stream.

It hasn’t received much attention yet, but this new mechanism allows users to easily create and share multiple albums through the cloud so that photos instantly appear in a user’s photo stream without having to manually send them. Users can share photos and simultaneously add and edit albums with select individuals or groups without having to deal with privacy issues that worry many Facebook users.

Like Facebook, iOS 6 allows users to comment on and Like photos within shared albums—making engagement with this content, overall, far quicker and more seamless. Users can even create simple slideshows out of shared photos and set background music from their iTunes accounts, a touch Facebook obviously doesn’t provide.

At this stage, and with Photo Stream still somewhat under the radar, it doesn’t yet pose a real threat to the photo-sharing tools Facebook offers. Commenting on whether or not Apple’s Photo Stream could be a competitor to Facebook, Ian Broyles, developer of Versagram, says, “[It’s] not a threat to Facebook in its current form. People know how to share a photo on Facebook easily but I would guess most iOS 6 users don’t know iOS 6 even has shared Photo Stream. Also, the requirement to have an iCloud account is a big barrier to sharing photos that ‘Grandma’ can easily view.”

But it often takes time for new native apps to capture mass attention—and with 100 million iOS 6 users already, and more than 150 million iCloud users—Photo Stream has a pretty solid number of potential consumers. For now at least, Apple users have an interesting—and more personal—alternative to group photo-sharing and commenting.

Slow and steady might just win the race… again

Half-finished and unpromoted products are anything but synonymous with Apple’s brand — many even questioned whether Apple would have prematurely put out its own mapping app if Steve Jobs had still been CEO. It’s clear from Apple CEO Tim Cook’s public apology regarding the Maps fiasco and its hush-hush treatment with iCloud and Photo Streams that iOS 6 may not have been totally ready for its users.

Regardless, it’s here — and also regardless, we’re using it: 60 percent of iPhones are running iOS 6 now. With all the new iPhone 5s consumers are pocketing — five million iPhone 5s were sold within the first three days of its release — that number is only going to go up. Like always, Apple can do no wrong; or rather, it can do a lot of wrong, and we’re going to put up with it and adopt what it throws our way, and that’s something that should serve as a bit of a warning for Google Maps and Facebook Photos. Apple’s new products might not be shining now and they certainly aren’t beloved, but they will undoubtedly get used — and those are that numbers that matter in the end.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Passbook is the coolest iOS 6 feature you can’t use

We've have plenty of unpacking to do this week, what with the iPhone 5 and everything new in iOS 6 - including Passbook, the digital wallet with high potential but little payoff... so far.

There are a lot of great (and not-so-great) things about iOS 6, and Passbook falls somewhere in between. Apple first introduced us to its digital wallet back at WWDC, a clean, unified payment system on your iPhone that kept track of your various loyalty cards and respective balances. The image showed off accounts with Target, Fandago, Starbucks, Amtrak, United, among others. It looked simple, easy, obvious.

And it would be – or rather, will be – once brands get on board. But consider the stock image Apple keeps showing off with Passbook something of a wish list for the time being.

When iOS 6 officially dropped this week, the native Passbook app showed up on the home page, and I hope I’m not the only one to experience the disappointment of selecting the icon only to be bounced to the App Store where I was given a choice of four apps I could add to the wallet. On Wednesday, the only options were Fandango, Live Nation, Lufthansa, and MLB.com At Bat. Not exactly a stellar lineup for launch day.

But things are already getting better: Open your Passbook, hit the App Store prompt, and you’ll find a much better variety at your disposal. Now, American Airlines, Sephora, Belly Card, Target, United Airlines, American Express, and Walgreens are all now working with Passbook to bring you digital payment and account handling services – that’s a pretty impressive bump since opening day, and the list is continuing to grow. A number of other outlets have announced they’ll be hitting Passbook soon, including Starbucks (within weeks) and a variety of theme parks. A few b2b brands, like Tello, have also announced they’ll be building tools to help brands manage their Passbook integration 

You have to give Apple its due on filling out the selection as quickly as possible – however, there are some other significant kinks, and they mostly boil down to a huge lack of instruction on how this thing works. After you’re bounced to the App Store and it’s made (at best) moderately clear these are the Passbook-friendly apps, you download a few. Then you’d expect upon re-opening Passbook that they would be there, right? Wrong. Oh, so wrong. They simply are installed on your screen, like any other app, with no indication on the iPhone’s part how you get them into your new, iOS digital wallet.

In order for these apps to sit in your Passbook a la that pretty little stock image we keep seeing from Apple, it appears you have to use them first. But nowhere is this made explicitly clear in Passbook or the participating apps. There’s currently no way to be in Passbook and immediately load apps into the wallet – which seems like the most obvious way to create a seamless, easy user experience.

And then there’s this problem:

Occasionally when you hit the App Store prompt from Passbook, you’ll get the above message. When you exit out of Passbook and shut it down, however, you’ll be able to get into the App Store on it’s own. Frustrating? You bet. Macworld found a fix you can check out here, but that’s just a glitch a finished product shouldn’t have.

Reviews about how it actually works have been varied. Given the fact that compatible apps are still being introduced, the Passbook testing has been timid. For the most part, however, early users found the process complicated and buggy.  

Passbook could be great, and it’s almost certain that bug fixes are on the way. But right now, veteran mobile wallet Lemon’s quick and easy camera capture for card storage is far superior, as is PassSource, where you can log in via desktop for set up purposes. Passbook assume that we can go all-digital, all at once, but did so without partners totally in place of a unified system. Oh, and also, we still have physical wallets full of cards that we need to do something about. It’s messy, it’s buggy, it’s broken – in short, Passbook has big dreams and decent potential, but right now it’s simply an unfinished product on Apple’s part, and the nicest thing anyone can say about it is that it’s a work in progress. 

[Additional reporting by Francis Bea]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

iOS 6: Everything you need to know

Apple overload has hit, and we're pinpointing the big, new iOS 6 changes hitting your iPhone or iPad next week.

Apple has opened the iOS 6 vault and plenty of expected and unexpected features came spilling out. While we’ve only begun to brush the surface of everything new to iOS 6, here’s a quick look at the biggest changes hitting your iPhones (3GS and up). The new OS will be available on September 19 and we’ll bring you all the information you need to upgrade.

Siri’s getting smarter 

When Siri was first introduced, it was the hot new iPhone 4 feature. While it certainly stole the announcement day spotlight, it’s since been criticized for failing to integrate with more apps to further its use. Lucky for us, iOS 6 has come along to right these wrongs. 

Siri works with Yelp and Opentable now, as well as Fandango. It’s also now able to launch apps, a long-requested feature. 

Siri has gotten smarter throughout the last eight months: you can request more specific information from Siri — during today’s press conference, Apple demoed Siri’s ability to recall sports news from the night before, or many years past (i.e., who has the highest batting average in the history of baseball?). 

Perhaps the biggest step for the voice assistant software is that it’s seeing some big-time integration with car makers: BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes, and GM are among the manufacturers that will support Siri for instant, hands-free, in-car use. 

Finally, Siri is making its way to the iPad. It’s been a long-time coming, and if Siri can show up in your car, it can certainly show up on the tablet.

Facebook, meet iPhone

In another announcement we all saw coming from a mile away, iOS 6 will sport native Facebook integration. Like iOS 5 did with Twitter, Facebook will be baked in to every element of the iPhone so you can instantly post photos, your location, or links. 

Facebook will also help out Apple with its App Store problem. Users will be able to see what apps their Facebook friends are using and liking, so iOS can leverage the relevancy of Facebook in order to spur better recommendations. This mechanism will also work with content like music, TV, and movies.

The contact list will also be getting Facebook-infused, and the iCal will sport Facebook events and birthdays automatically.  

iPhone upgrades Phone

The phone app has gotten a little facelift. It’s a subtle but important change that allows you to better communicate with all those calls you have to hit ignore for — you can send a ping indicating you can’t talk, or are on your way, or create your own custom message. There’s also a new “Do Not Disturb” mode so you can turn all alerts off at night — if a call is repeatedly being made to your phone, it will be treated as an emergency call and pushed through.  

Simple Safari improvements

Safari, while quite popular thanks to the iPhone’s reach, is hardly the best mobile browser experience out there. Now come a few crucial tweaks: you can add content to an offline reading list which automatically downloads it and caches the story. 

There’s also a new addition that developers and Web publishers will probably start thanking their lucky stars for. Smart App Banners are now available for site’s that have iOS apps. If a reader access your site via Safari, a prompt to direct them to the corresponding app in the App Store will appear. If the reader goes ahead and downloads it, they can pick up reading in the app right where they left off on the mobile site. 

Users will also now be able to upload photos to Web forms on the iPhone, a feature that’s been long-missing. 

Photo Stream sharing

Apple has hardly cornered the photo-sharing market, but it’s still hammering away on making its proprietary photo product more accessible. You can now create shared Photo Streams with your friends. Commenting is enabled as well. The update will apply to Photo Stream across devices and platforms as well: Mac, Apple TV, and Web will all let you access these shared galleries. 

Facetime over 3G and 4G

With iOS 6 you’ll be able to make Facetime video calls over your cellular network instead of requiring Wi-Fi. And if you’re lucky enough to be using an iPhone 5 or iPad 3, you can use Facetime over 4G LTE. The iPhone 4S will also work with Facetime over 3G. Older devices won’t be able to take advantage. Keep in mind that some carriers may require you to change your data plan in order to use Facetime over your cellular network. For example, AT&T will limit Facetime over 3G or 4G to devices on Mobile Share plans. Verizon has said that it doesn’t intend to charge for the service, however.

Goodbye, Google Maps

Next up on the list of “saw it coming from a mile away” would be Maps. “We’ve built an entirely new mapping solution from the ground up, and it is beautiful. We’re doing all the cartography ourselves… this is a worldwide effort; we’re covering the world.” 

And with those words Apple launched its attack on Google Maps, which unveiled its own updates last week. The Apple client appears to be a competitive attempt, with Yelp integration and real-time traffic reporting, which Apple says its using anonymous crowd-sourced data to create. 

Turn-by-turn navigation is also built-in, which is naturally voiced by Siri. The application can also re-route you depending on the traffic situation, and it will also offer up an ETA and offer answers along the way (again, thanks to Siri). It’s all operable from the lock screen. 

Apple outfitted Maps with 3D capability, called Flyover, from which you can find pop-up displays showing reviews and ratings of locations. 

Apple said that the best apps for metro transit are made by third party developers, and that Apple has used this data.

(Read more about iOS Maps.)

Introducing Passbook

Passbook is a new app for iOS that acts like simplified version of a digital wallet. You can store e-passes and cards in Passbook: Starbucks cards, boarding passes, Fandango purchases, etc. The interface looks like a stack of — surprise — credit cards, where you can immediately view your balance from. It’s a really nice, simple way to store electronic accounts and digging to redeem your smartphone-supported purchases just got a whole lot easier.

(Read more about Passbook.)

Camera

There’s now a built-in panorama option to capture 240 degrees in one seamless high definition image.

Accessibility

A range of new options will allow you to tailor the device for people with physical disabilities, children, and people with learning disabilities. Guided Access allows you to turn off touch input on certain portions of the screen and disable the Home button. There are also a few new options designed for people with visual impairments or hearing difficulties.

Mail

You can now set up a VIP list to ensure you never miss emails from specific people. It’s also easier than before to attach videos and photos to emails. You can now simply swipe down to refresh your inbox, just like many third-party apps.

Find My Friends and My iPhone

You can now easily share your location with friends and family if you use the Find My Friends feature. Anyone sharing their location with you will appear on a map. You can also set up location-based alerts, so, for example, you’ll know when your kids leave school.

With Find My iPhone you can remotely lock your device, track its location on a map, and send it a message so it displays a contact number of your choice.

Originally published June 11, 2012

Update 9/14/2012 by Simon Hill: We’ve added a few more features like Find My Friends, VIP lists, and FaceTime over 3G/4G

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Sony X headphones backed by Simon Cowell/X Factor

Sony seeks to cash in on the rampant popularity of headphones in the youth market with its own celebrity-backing and prominent promotional placement.

Plenty have jumped on the bandwagon that Beats Audio  has been towing for the last couple of years, but few have posed much of a challenge to the company’s strong popularity among younger listeners. Now Sony has entered the picture.  

Sony Electronics has just announced the Sony X headphones and, based on the marketing material we’ve seen, it is throwing some serious money behind the project. The electronics giant courted Simon Cowell for an endorsement and, along with him, the ridiculously popular reality TV talent show, X Factor. 

Seen American Idol lately? Beats headphones are all over that. Watch America’s Got Talent much? Chances are you’ve seen Monster and Nick Cannon’s NCredible headphones. Now you can expect to see a whole lot of the Sony X during X Factor.

It’s a little obnoxious, but celebrity endorsements and shameless product placements during prime-time TV seem to work and we don’t see any reason to be surprised by Sony’s decision. After all, Sony used to be a huge consumer headphone brand back in the 80s. Now that headphones are super-popular again, it make sense for Sony to make a power-play. 

Cowell gives the headphones some pretty positive lip-service: “I chose to make a set of headphones with Sony because I simply wanted something better than what is in the market today,” said Cowell.  “I’ve tried all of them, literally every single one. Sony and I set out to create the best headphone in the world.  We are absolutely blown away by these. With the X headphones, it’s like being in the recording studio when the records are made. The sound is that clear.”

But that’s what marketers said about Beats by Dr. Dre and we know from experience that the endorsement doesn’t always pan out to be accurate. We’ll find out for ourselves when we get our hands on a pair. For now, we’ll just have to admire the swagger-infused headphones from a distance. 

As for details on the Sony X: you get all the bling you’d expect from a Beats competitor, along with a fold-down design, case and accessories, in-line microphone and iOS device control, 50mm drivers for head-bursting bass and some generous padding to keep the music in and outside noise out. 

The Sony X will sell at Sony stores starting September 15th for $300 and at retailers nationwide by the end of the month. 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Best Windows Phone Games

Microsoft might be a distant third in the mobile race, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of fun, addicting games for the Windows Phone. Check out our roundup of Best Windows Phone games.

It’s not often that one can say Microsoft is an underdog. The company is one of the largest in the world and easily the most notable name in personal computing. But when it comes to the mobile phone market, Microsoft has yet to make a noticeable dent. After some tough attempts at breaking in, they may have finally found a nice niche with the Windows Phone. The operating system still isn’t knocking on iOS or Android’s door, but it has picked up dedicated user base. Keeping fans in the fickle phone market can be tough, but Microsoft have kept their users happy. Perhaps a great selection of games for those on the go have helped. Here’s some of our favorite games for Windows Phones.

Angry Birds ($1)

What is a list of great mobile games without Angry Birds? While it might be an obvious choice, it’s that way for a reason. Angry Birds is undoubtably one of the most fun and addictive games that you can house on your handset. Load up some flying feathered friends and send them for a ride as you try to topple the fortresses of pigs that have stolen precious eggs. It’s about as much of a classic as one can get in the young world of mobile games, but none of its original appeal has worn off.

Fruit Ninja ($1)

Every warrior has to start somewhere — you can’t just go out and start breaking boards and cinderblocks on day one. There’s no better way to work your way up to unleashing your inner kung-fu than with Fruit Ninja. The concept is silly and the construct is simple, but don’t be surprised if you fire up this game at the start of a commute and you go a few extra stops just to keep playing. Fruit of all sorts comes flying across the screen and its your job to chop it up as fast as possible, launching juice in all directions. If only making fruit salad was this fun.

Little Acorns ($3)

There are few things more determined than a squirrel that wants to protect its stash of nuts. Little Acorns gives you the chance to help out a furry friend by guiding him through 80 levels in attempts to prepare for winter. Little Acorns channels the gameplay of classic platformer mechanics and the undeniable appeal of an adorable squirrel to create a game experience that is tough to put down. How can you not help the little guy get ready for the oncoming cold? Especially when it’s so fun.

Pool Pro Online 3 ($3)

Pool is a game that has been around for generations, ever since the cavemen used sticks to hit rocks into holes in the ground. While that information is completely unfounded, here’s something that is true: Pool Pro Online 3 is a blast. It takes the familiar game of pocket billiards and really emphasizes the “pocket” part by putting it on your phone. Then it cranks up the competition with online play against friends or strangers. Work your way up the leader boards to prove you’re a true pool shark.

Feed Me Oil ($1)

One occasionally has to wonder just way oil tycoons make so much money for just happening across the strange black liquid. If Feed Me Oil gives any insight into what a oil worker has to deal with on a daily basis, whatever they make isn’t enough. The game presents a weird world where the ground is alive with crazy creatures that crave crude oil. You’ll have to direct the black gold from a broken pipe to the mouths of these odd little characters. Use the tools provided, but mostly use your brain to make it through this quirky puzzler.

iStunt 2 ($3)

Watching extreme sports events can often make one tempted to attempt the action they see on screen. Save yourself the embarrassment of performing a flurry of face plants by getting iStunt 2. The game takes you to the virtual slopes and puts you in control of a snowboarder that is more than capable of pulling off the most insane of in-air moves. With a great physics engine, awesome action, and game bolstering boosts, iStunt 2 has all the excitement of sliding down the slope with none of the dangers of having a piece of plastic strapped to your feet.

Tiki Towers ($3)

Visit any zoo and take a look at the monkeys. They are fascinating creatures for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s because how close their actions mirror our own and sometimes it’s because they fling around inappropriate items. The monkeys in Tiki Towers are a little more sophisticated than that. These primates have built some bamboo-based creations to help them navigate some puzzling and tough terrain in hopes of discovering lost treasure. Play through 45 levels across 5 islands as you help the monkeys achieve their ultimate goal.

Zombies!!! ($5)

The idea of a zombie apocalypse has become a bit marginalized by its overuse in pop culture. One can’t take a trip to the movie theater, flip channels, of walk into a trendy t-shirt shop without seeing something referencing zombies. But don’t let the over-saturation fool you, the threat is out there. Nothing makes it more apparent than Zombies!!!, a game that puts you right in the middle of an undead uprising. Fight through infested territories as you try to survive the onslaught of corpses. It’s a blast and great training for the day the inevitable real life infection spreads.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Using Pinterest To Find New Things To Enjoy

I’m constantly on the search for cool things to do, to watch, to enjoy. I spend plenty of time online, searching through different sites for fun ideas to try out, new foods to make, new deserts to destroy, and just fun things in general. Being a member of several of the bigger social media sites out there, it’s easy to waste hours if you aren’t careful – yet have nothing to show for it.

Enter Pinterest. When I found this site, I was blown away at the ease at which I suddenly was finding all sorts of new things to try and do. If I want a new recipe to try out, I go to Pinterest. If I want some new idea for kid’s projects, I go to Pinterest. If I just want to check out some beautiful photos from around the world or gorgeous classic cars, I go to Pinterest. The site simply holds what I want, when I want it. So how do you use Pinterest to find new things? Here are some things that I do:

Secret #1: Watch the Feed

Just like Facebook, Pinterest has a feed. If I just want to see what’s posted right now by whoever, I keep it on that main page. You can find all sorts of great things here, from any category that you can think of on the site. On the feed, I’ve found superb ideas for fun dinners, great baby gifts, awesome holiday crafts, beautiful artwork, and my next vacation destination (which right now is Tahiti). By simply keeping the feed up and refreshing, you never really know what’s going to come across your view.

Secret #2: The Popular Feed

In this area, you are going to find things that lots of people are posting about. This can be anything from artwork to TV shows, DIY ideas to travel plans, maps to kid photos – there really is no real rhyme or reason to what you’re going to find here. I enjoy finding things here because it’s a great way to know what’s trending all around the web, with your friends, and it holds all types of things throughout the different categories.

Secret #3: Different Categories Hold Fun Things

If I’m in search of something specific, I head to the categories section. You can narrow down your search to a specific category, such as food and drinks or holidays. I love to head to the foods area if I’m wanting something different for dinner. I head over to the travel area if I want to check out beautiful sights around the world that need to go on my “need to see” list. I head over to the DIY and crafts section if I’m looking for new craft plans and patterns to try at home. There’s no shortage of what you can find here in the different categories.

Also, I love the categories area simply for the fact that it can help make sense of the madness sometimes. The feed and the popular area can get massive, if you aren’t careful you may end up watching just to find something familiar, and never find it. Plus, I’ve gotten to where I end up heading off the site by watching the feed for too long as it gets jumbled up. Categories make it more clear, and you can find better ideas by narrowing down what you want.

Secret #4: Not Bad Being A Follower

The people that I follow have the same interests as me, in one category or another. So sometimes it’s fun just to scour through the different people that I’m following to see what’s new that they have posted. It’s easy to narrow down what you want to check out if you’re already following certain people with the same interests. If you aren’t following a lot of people yet, start in the categories section and start following people that are posting things you like. Pretty soon, you will have a mass of people that you follow.

Secret #5: Walk Away

Yes, you read that right, walk away. Sometimes I just go cross eyed by looking at the different feeds, and I have to get up and walk away. I can come back later or the next day and boom – there is what I was searching for. Just getting away and clearing your mind can easily help you focus on what you really need.

Your Own Secrets

Of course, you will find your own ways of searching out what you love on Pinterest. Just using the site can help you find plenty of great things that revolve around your own interests and loves. Instead of playing Facebook games or tweeting about this or that, try searching through Pinterest and see what you can find to love too.

Author Bio: With four kids and a Girl Scout troop to help occupy, finding fun ideas for all ages is a must for Mandi Weems. As a freelancer, she has plenty of time online to find ideas, search out new things to do, or find things that can keep her grounded. Of course, Pinterest is one of her favorite places to find virtually anything, but she also loves www.theartfulcrafter.com for finding great kid-friendly ideas.

Tags: Pinterest Ads, Using Pinterest

Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com

10 Incredible Technologies out of the Nation of Israel

When one thinks of technology, generally it is with the idea of corporate giants and world superpowers with plenty of resources for research and development. But sometimes big things can come in small packages. The nation of Israel, a country about the size of New Jersey, is a good example. This small country, since becoming a nation back in 1948, has managed to turn its barren desert environment into a wealth of technology and innovation. Here is just a small selection of their technological developments.

1. BabySense

These monitors, released back in 1992, were developed by the Israeli company HiSense. By placing them under the mattress, they monitor baby’s movements and breathing, and sound an alarm if the baby’s breathing stops.

2. Diagnosis Kit for Superbugs

Superbugs that adapt and become resistant to antibiotics have become a top killer in the US and Europe. With this new kit recently invented by Hebrew University Professor Nathan Citri, one can identify the type of antibiotic-resistant superbug within minutes instead of days, making treating the patient easier and faster.

3. Disk-On-Key

Flash drives are a common way these days to store and transport computer files. It was originally developed by M-Systems, an Israeli company, and later sold to SanDisk.

4. Computer Processors

The centrino processor, along with the 8088 and the SandyBridge, were all developed at Intel’s small chip design center in Haifa. These chips are used in laptops worldwide.

5. Cell Phones

Original cell phone technology was developed by Motorola’s Research and Development center in Israel. Their technology keeps cell phones small and sleek while maximizing capabilities.

6. Amazon Kindle

The Java platform, as well as the e-reader itself, were both developed in Israel. The kindle is now one of the most popular e-readers on the market.

7. X-Hawk

Developed by Israeli engineer Rafi Yoeli, this flying car is designed for search-and-rescue jobs. Perhaps next up will be flying cars for personal use?

8. Solar Power

Israel has several big solar power plants: BrightSource Energy, Pythagoras Solar, and AORA, which produce lots of energy. Pythagoras Solar has also developed solar windows to help generate power and reduce energy costs.

9. Friendly Robotics

Friendly Robotics, an Israeli company, has created robots for doing chores around the home. Producing such robots as the Robomow for mowing lawns and the robotic vacuum cleaners, they have plans for other robots to scoop snow and mop floors.

10. Mobileye

Mobileye can warn of impending crashes and even stop a car if the driver can’t. According to the Jerusalem based company, it can reduce accidents by 40-50%, and many companies are employing this technology in their new vehicles.

This is just a small sample, and they will probably continue to be a giant in the world of technology in the years to come.

Author Bio: Meg Jones works with a real estate and investment company that handles houses in Israel for both local clients and those from abroad.   The Land of Israel is an exciting place, filled with amazing history and incredible technologies of the future.

Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com