Wilton Library Technology Blog » Hardware

Blackberry’s New Model May Save the Day!

mamfranco — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:15:30 +0000

Blackberry fans have something to be happy about. The new model (Blackberry 10) appears to be a winner. Read David Pogue’s review and decide for yourself. It would be terrific for the great number of Blackberry fans if this is the turnaround they were hoping for. For their sake, I hope it is and that a viable product line isn’t needlessly destroyed as Palm was.

~mary anne
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Apple to add 128GB iPad to lineup

mamfranco — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:23:36 +0000

This article from Digital Trends will interest you if you are running out of space on your iPad. Apple has announced that it is adding a 128 GB iPad to its lineup. That doubles the capacity of the current 64 GB top of the line model. It won’t come cheap but the $799 may be worth it for those who want/need the additional space. The news is that it will be available on February 5.

~mary anne
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Undo Typing on iPhone

mamfranco — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:01:24 +0000

The lessons we often remember best are those we learn when we most need them! I was editing a document on my iPhone and accidentally deleted much more than I planned to. The good news was that I had a hard copy of the document and I retyped the deleted paragraph. Then, I did a search and found the following tip at imore.com:

Hold iPhone firmly in one hand
Shake it
Tap the Undo button to confirm

I will not be forgetting this one any time soon!

~mary anne
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iPad 3 with 4G?

mamfranco — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:56:20 +0000

The rumors are flying about an iPad 3 (and possibly an iPad 4) in 2012. These are only rumors, but . . . check out this ZDNet article by Jason D. O’Grady that tells us why an iPad 3 could have “LTE (Long Term Evolution) radio capable of 4G data speeds – and that it’s coming in March.” This is exciting news and could be the beginning of 4G in the iPhone in the not too distant future.

~mary anne
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The 10 Worst Tablets of 2011

mamfranco — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:24:07 +0000

Buying a laptop, cell phone, eReader, or tablet is a very personal choice. The look, feel, weight, and size matter in different ways to each of us. It’s also important to read reviews on these products as they can be rather expensive and you want to make the best choice possible in your price range. In his article, Donald Bell of cnet lists the 10 worst tablets of 2011. You might want to read his article before you do your last minute shopping.

~mary anne
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Are You In The Market For An eReader?

mamfranco — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:13:03 +0000

Many people ask us at the Library “Which is the best eReader?” Or, “Which eReader do you recommend?” Although I have definite thoughts on the different products out there, there is no right or wrong answer. It is a very personal choice and it is important to hold one in your hands before you buy. At Wilton Library, you can try an iPad, Kindle, or Nook for a week–I find that this opportunity is very helpful for people so they can feel the weight, size, and see the type of lighting necessary to use it.

I found a review article “2012 Best eBook Reader Comparisons and Reviews” that you might also find helpful. It compares pros, cons, specs and lots more. Keep on reading!

~mary anne
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iCloud Is Not Half Bad!

mamfranco — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:47:56 +0000

In preparation for buying an iPhone 4S this week, I explored iCloud. I had my doubts but was more than pleasantly surprised! The most important features on my phone are contacts, calendar, and to do list and while some solutions I have explored have appeared adequate, none has been completely easy to use or fault free. Until yesterday. I upgraded my MacBook to OS X Lion and my iPad to iOS 5. These two processes went without a hitch (a treat in itself) and, after signing up for iCloud, I entered a few test calendar dates. First, I entered one on the MacBook Air and it magically appeared on the iPad. Then, I entered another one on the iPad and that one appeared on the MacBook. I edited each of the events, and the revised versions appeared on the other device. I haven’t experienced such ease of use across multiple devices since I was using my old Palm Treo! Such ease, however, can come with a price. iCloud is free up to 5 GB and then there is a cost. All I can say though is: Wow!

~mary anne
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And The Tablet Scene Only Gets Worse: HP Throws In Towel

mamfranco — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:38:07 +0000

I loved my Palm Pilot. I loved my Palm Treo Smart Phone. I really liked my Palm Pre Plus Smartphone in spite of the fact that the number and quality of apps never compared to Apple. It’s a sad day with the demise of webOS, the Palm phones, and especially the HP TouchPad (which runs; oops, ran WebOS). After not even two months on the market (and after almost immediate price cuts), HP has abandoned the HP TouchPad tablet and may be exiting the PC business altogether. This article from Adrian Kingsley-Hughes of ZDNet gives details. Yes, I feel sorry for those consumers who purchased TouchPads and wonder why it is so easy for a company to mislead consumers. The moral of the story is to be careful when plunking down your hard earned money on new gadgets; it might not be worthwhile to be one of the first to purchase a new-to-market item.

~mary anne
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What Does the Future Hold for Blackberry?

mamfranco — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:33:02 +0000

Are you a Blackberry owner? You will want to read this article on ZDNet.com by Jason Perlow on the future of Blackberry. Signing up for a two-year contract is an expensive proposition, especially if your choice of equipment is no longer actively supported by your provider.

~mary anne
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Netflix Streaming Where You Want It

mamfranco — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:12:45 +0000

Here’s a good article by Eric Griffith of PC Magazine on How to Watch Netflix Anywhere. He lists how to do Netflix streaming on many different devices, including TVs, DVRs, Blu-Ray Players, WiiXbox, Sony PlayStation, Mobile devices (including iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, Android Phones, Windows 7 phones, and more). Some work better than others but it’s great to have so many choices. It’s just amazing to watch my cable TV on an iPad–it is a magical time we live in!

~mary anne
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