GetItNext Blog

Dust: A Silent Killer in Electronic Health

Spring cleaning is a ritual to most people.  However, these same people often overlook cleaning their pc and other electronic equipment on a consistent basis.  Dirt and dust build up can lead to overheating and malfunctioning equipment.  Besides dusting around the equipment, the components should be vacuumed to prolong their life and value.

PC’s require special attention.  Before you decide to get out a bottle of spray cleaner and paper towels, read this.  There are specially formulated computer screen wipes that reduce static and will not scratch that expensive notebook screen.  Sharing a keyboard?  Antibacterial wipes are a good idea and can also be used on other office equipment. You might just be surprised to see how much dirt is removed from those small keys!  Cleaning dust brushes in various sizes will help get the dust and small debris from between the keys from your last “working lunch”.  Also available is a cd/dvd lens cleaner to keep it running at optimum performance.  Keep your investment in good health and maintain it with the right products.

Blackberry Taking Apple By Storm

 Looking over the October eBay product searches, I noticed an interesting omission in the top 10.  No Apple 3g iPhone, instead the Blackberry Storm is in the top 10.  Even more interesting is that NO Apple products were in the top 10, no iPod, Macbook, iMac, nothing.  Things that make you go hmm as an Apple shareholder.

50 Hottest 2007 Technology Products and Trends for 2008

Listing of the top 50 coolest and hottest technology gadgets / gizmos for 2007.  Most of these are going to be the hottest sellers and biggest trend setters in 2008:

1. Apple iPhone
2. Intel Core 2 Duo
3. Nintendo Wii
4. Sony XBR5
5. RIM Blackberry 8800
6. Parallels Desktop
   
7. Pioneer Elite 1080p PRO-FHD1
8. Apple Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
9. Adobe Premiere Elements 3
10. Apple TV 
11. Nikon D80
12. Samsung SyncMaster 244T
    
13. HP DV9000T
14. Apple MacBook Pro
15. Direct HR-21
16. Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite
    
17. Motorola Razr2 
18. Nikon D40X
19. Samsung BlackJack
20. Apple iPod 80GB
21. TomTom One
22. Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP 
23. Slingbox
24. Guitar Hero 2 
25. Shure E500PTH
26. Apple iPod Nano (8GB)
27. Nikon Coolpix S51c
28. Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP
29. Archos 704 Wi-Fi
30. Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet 
31. Canon EOS 30D
32. Shure SE210
33. Asus Crosshair
34. Dell XPS M1210
35. Creative Zen V Plus (8GB)
36. Fuji FinePix F40fd
37. Sony Playstation 3
38. Canon MP600
39. LG Electronics BH100
40. Samsung i760 Smartphone
41. Nokia N800
    
42. Adobe CS3
43. Aliph Jawbone
44. Logitech Harmony 880
45. Dell XPS 410
46. TiVo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder
47. SanDisk Sansa Connect
48. nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX
49. Panasonic HDC-SD1
    
50. Canon Pixma iP4300
    

Apple's iWork: My Thoughts

                        
Soon after Apple's Summer Conference back on August 7th, I rushed over to the Apple website to check out all about the newly updated iWork '08. To my delight I was happy to see that not only did Apple include helpful tutorials, they also had a 30-day trial of the new software suite. After downloading it I was very curious to see the newly added Numbers application that finally completed the family and made it a realistic competitor for Microsoft Office. My first impressions with Numbers is that it is a great spreadsheet application that gives Excel a run for its money. As with all Apple products and programs, it has a very sleek interface and most importantly everything just works and makes sense. It has several unique features that makes Excel look years behind. One of my favourite would have to the automatic calculation feature in the bottom left corner that automatically calculates sum, average, minimum, maximum and count. You can also drag these amounts onto the spreadsheet for easy calculations. I am also am pleased to see that you can export these documents as Excel documents that are fully compatible with Microsoft's Excel (yes I even tried it out for myself, it works!)
    Now on the other hand I have to admit, as far as I have seen with Pages, it has not really changed much and does not seem to be quite on level with Microsoft Word as a word processor. As much as I would like to see all the functionality there is in Microsoft Word in Pages, I will have to wait for the next version and hope for better functionality added by Apple. Aside from the typical word processing jobs I do for school though, Pages has tremendous functionality for other creative jobs and it can offer a professional and creative interface for almost any type of document you can imagine. Definitely worth taking a look at. I even used it when I made my most recent resume!
    Unfortunately for all you fans of Keynote, I have not had a chance yet to take a decent look into it but either way it has always been a great program and IMO much superior to Microsoft's petty PowerPoint. It does apparently offer new transitions and slide interfaces which can only mean it has been improved. When I do get a chance to give the new Keynote a fair trial I will be sure to let you know my thoughts...From what I have seen it looks just as great as before!

If any of you are interested in iWork '08 whatsoever I highly recommend checking it out! Definitely a worthwhile suite of programs for anyone with a mac computer. If you're looking into getting a mac for the first time though I recommend checking out the great deals on macs and mac products available through getitnext.

Victor

Apple Summer Product Conference

Well, as Victor mentioned earlier, Apple held it's summer product conference today in Cupertino, CA. Focusing completely on Mac products, Steve Jobs presented a number of new and improved products, highlighted by the release of the new iMac. I'm going to talk a little bit about the different changes Apple has made to not only the hardware but also the software.

First, the iMac. The design of the iMac changed as now they are using aluminum and glass as the main building components, supposed to give it a more professional look, and I think it works. They are cutting the 17" version, and now have only a 20" or a 24" option, sticking with only glossy screens. I personally used to be very skeptical about glossy screens, but the one on my MacBook is actually not that bad. The next big design change is the keyboard - Apple has opted for a laptop-like keyboard for a desktop computer, a gamble if you ask me, as many people enjoy a real keyboard with their desktop, and the lack of a number pad will disappoint some buyers (although you can always buy another keyboard). The only other changes to the hardware itself are the slight upgrades in hard drive size and processor speed. Of course, the iMacs come loaded with all the goodies - bluetooth 2.0, firewire 400 and 800, USB 2.0, 802.11n wireless and an ATI Radeon HD graphics card. With up to 1TB of storage space, 4GB of memory and a 2.4GHz processor, it should be good to go for just about anyone. If the up to 320GB of hard drive space isn't enough though, you will need to get an external hard drive - the one thats in there is there for good.

Next, Jobs announced the new iLife suite, iLife '08. The highlights of the '08 version include a new unique way to organize photos in iPhoto - your photos will automatically be split into folders depending on the date the picture was taken. Pretty good idea if you ask me, makes it was easier than sorting it all out yourself (basically it is like Picasa for Mac). In an attempt to improve  dot Mac, iPhoto also makes it easier to upload pictures to your .Mac account. The other big change in the iLife suite is the new iMovie. A completely different program from the previous iMovie, it promises that you can make your own movies in minutes (even with footage from HD camcorders) - definitely a worthwhile investment. Again with the .Mac stuff, the new iMovie allows you to easily upload your movies to your .Mac account for all to see. The other iLife programs (iWeb, Garage Band and iDVD) also underwent some minor improvement. Continuing with the improvements to .Mac, each user now has 10GB of storage as opposed to 1GB.

The next, and perhaps one that I look forward to most, is the iWork suite. Jobs announced that Keynote has undergone some minor changes, things like more slide transitions and animations. Next is Pages, and instead of sticking completely to being a word processor that optimizes page layout, Pages will also be able to act as just a word processor, compatible with MS Word documents. Finally, Numbers was introduced - a spreadsheet program built with the spirit of Pages and Keynote. From the few screenshots I have seen, it looks like a very slick program (as are most of Apples), again compatible with Excel. With the delay of Microsoft Office '08 for Mac, I hope this will be a good improvement from the current iWork suite.

In my opinion, I don't particularly like the new iMac all that much. Although it is probably a 10/10 on the cool factor being a complete computer thats the size of my LCD monitor, I enjoy having the ability to swap displays and customize my computers (although it is now a whole lot easier to increase memory on the new iMac). That is just a personal thing though. Also, I don't really like the whole colour thing that they have going on...on the computer itself it is aluminum and black whereas the keyboard is aluminum and white...I'm just not feeling it like I usually do with   products. Victor on the other hand said he really likes it, so I guess its a preference thing. I think I'd have to see one before making a final decision. The new software however seems pretty wicked. I hate trying to make movies that take hours and never turn out how you want it to and it sounds like the new iMovie might be the solution. Also, being a mac user, I am excited that they have made a better word processor, as I'm not a huge fan of the current pages, and MS Word for mac is pretty bad. Hopefully the guys over at Apple have fixed some of their software issues and created programs that are as good as they sound.

Jared Paty
GIN...the tonic for searchin eBay

Apple Event Today: What's Coming!!!

So the Apple store is down(adding the soon to be revealed items), the press meeting is about to get underway in Cupertino at the Apple Campus and just about everyone is watching and waiting for the latest and greatest of the Apple line of products. A new iMac? Mac mini? Blu-Ray? Multi-touch incorporated into their computer line? No one really knows anything yet but my money is going for a brand new iMac with that updated keyboard everyone has been talking about! I guess we'll just have to wait and see...Keep posted I'll most likely have the new products listed up here as soon as they are announced! Can't wait!

Victor

Macbook Sleeves - Which one is right for you?

I recently (along with a growing number of people these days) bought my first Macbook. I opted for the black one, and so far I have nothing bad to say about it. The only thing that somewhat troubled me was looking for a sleeve. Personally, I wasn't looking for a very large laptop bag to carry around my Macbook, but more of a sleeve type thing. After doing a number of Google searches, I found quite a wide variety of sleeves to suit anyones taste. Heres the best of what I came up with:

Brenthaven makes a nice hybrid bag/sleeve, the Edge I, that has a unique CORE Protection System to protect your laptop, unlike softer neoprene sleeves. It has a removable shoulder strap and cool retractable handles to keep it sleek. There is one pocket on the back for things like newspapers, however an power cord pocket is extra. This bag would be alright for throwing in a backpack or something but probably better standing alone.

Fabrixcases makes some very colourful sleeves that are perfect for putting your macbook in and tossing in a backpack or other bag. They are a very simple design with a Velcro tab to close them. The only drawbacks - handles are extra and there are no pockets (but hey, if your throwing it in your backpack these aren't necessary).

Wrappers makes some cool sleeves that your macbook simply slips into. These cases are pretty awesome because they double as a mat to reduce the heat felt on your lap from your laptop and are spongy to reduce any impacts they might have. The only drawback on this one - there is no tab or flap to secure your laptop in the case.

If you are looking for a straight forward sleeve for your macbook without anything too fancy, check out Applesac sleeves. They are very simple and sleek, perfect for using in a backpack and come in a number of designs to show your true colours.

Waterfield makes some very reliable sleeves that are very well constructed and work well as stand alone cases or as sleeves for larger bags. Their simple design will keep your macbook nice and safe.

Finally Incase makes a few very good sleeves for macbooks. The standard neoprene sleeve is a very safe bet, with its very sleek, simple design. The one that I personally own is the Incase hybrid case/sleeve. It offers many pockets for things like iPods, charger or other wires you might use while still remaining quite small and compact with a removable shoulder strap so it can be used as a stand alone bag.

As you can see, there are quite a few options that have many different features. Before making a decision, make sure you check each one out as there is surely one with the features for you!

Jared
Be the first to get it....getitnext.com

The Big Apple Keeps Getting Bigger Earnings Released

The big apple keeps growing bigger and bigger.  Apple profit rises 73%; and revenue climbs to $5.41 billion

AAPL137.26, +2.37, +1.8% ) on Wednesday reported that their fiscal third-quarter profit of $818 million, or 92 cents a share, compared to $472 million, or 54 cents a share during the same period a year ago. Revenue rose almost 24% to $5.41 billion from last-year's $4.37 billion. These results are greater than estimates of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.  Thomson forecast Apple to earn 72 cents a share on $5.29 billion in sales. Apple said that it sold 1.76 million Macintosh computers and 9.8 million iPods during the quarter. In a statement, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said the company expects to have sold 1 million iPhones by the end of its fiscal fourth quarter.

Apple continues to keep growing and growing, still a good investment imo.

Matt
Searching eBay made easier! getitnext.com

Apple's Stock Heading Through The Roof?

With what seems to be a great success thus far, the iPhone has left Apple (AAPL 143.75, +3.75, 2.7%) with high expectations in terms of earnings and stock growth. Gene Munster, an analyst for Piper Jaffray, believes that Apple's stock will grow to a shocking $205 a share in two years time. The biggest surprise through for many was not Munster's estimate but more so his drastic increase from the previous price point of $160 a share. This change reflects that Munster has much faith in the iPhone considering it is the only recent product that could have caused such a drastic reevaluation. In a recent statement he talks about the iPhone being a major contributor to Apple's earnings both in the short and long term. There is also great potential for increased earnings with Apple's great line of mac computers that are constantly seeing new design and technological innovations. He sees the iPhone gaining much revenue in the short term through product sales but also in the long run with revenue through AT&T's 2-year contracts. Since Apple will see contract revenue over a longer period Munster believes this will help to "smooth out the revenue impact of iPhone sales." Munster estimates that Apple gets $3 per month for the length of a two-year contract for every iPhone sold through AT&T and an additional $8 per month for every new iPhone subscriber that transfers service to AT&T from another wireless provider.

While Munster knows that he has made a bold move to raise the price point so high he does reinstate that this estimate is based mainly on Apple's ability to sell 45-million iPhones by 2009. He draws a comparison to the iPod which took some time to take off but when it finally did it blew away analysts predictions. Apple has now sold over 100 million iPods since the products debut only a few short years ago. If the iPhone can respond with even half of the success the iPod has had over these years than we can expect some very happy stock owners and a world further enlightened by Apple products. My only regret now is not following my initial instinct to buy Apple stock back when it was a mere $87/share... I guess its still not too late!

Victor

iPhone first hand consumer review, best mobile device ever invented.

I am posting my own first hand experiences and also my buddy Mark who is a big Mac fan.

The iPhone is one the greatest electronic devices ever invented, write it down. Kiss the walkman, boombox, cell phone and uumm the ipod goodbye in the history books.

Simply put it is the best phone ever invented.

Impressions/Comments:

• Coolest device I’ve ever used, every feature works brilliantly.
• Google maps is sooo friggin cool.
• Super easy to setup, went way beyond my high expectations.
• 2 mega pixel camera makes other cell phone camera phones look like toys.
• Ipod is similar, some cool features like the ability to drag over albums and flipping thru to get to the songs you want. Turning it sideways gives you a nicer profile.
• It does not seem to be missing anything.
• It feels like a $600 phone, feels like a substantial item, honestly surprised didn’t think I would like it this much.
• I’m blown away.
• Can’t believe how quick everything is. Everything is so fast just like the apple video about it, it’s almost in fast forward.
• Talking and browsing at the same time no issues, cool.
• Perfectly balanced, fits my hand perfectly.
• It’s really nice not pressing buttons.

They thought of everything!

Cool features:

• When you talk with the phone against your face, it blacks out the screen and disables the buttons via a proximity sensor, crazy stuff.
• You can be on speaker phone and using google maps, at the same time.
• Weather widget allows you to setup as many locations as you want. Drag with the picture with your finger and just drag them over and it updates the whole week and transitions fluidly across without delay, cool effect.
• Loads links from email no problem.
• Imports over from icalendar, safari or outlook.
• Screen is beautiful, edge network moves quick not rocket fast but very useable.
• Nice stock ticker, everything looks and works correctly.
• The switch to the silent mode is really easy and no way to turn it back on by accident.
• Dictionary recognizes words and fills in names making things much faster and it learns the words you use.

Quality/Packaging

• Build quality is built like a brick, looks like if it drops it will hold up
• The glass smudges easy but you can only see it from side angles, direct view you don’t notice.
• Glass is a heavy thick screen, it provides very good feedback with your finger.
• It comes with a dock for the computer and wall charger, no case or clip.
• Back is a matte finish metal, not the shiny chrome finish found on an ipods so shouldn’t show off scuffs as much.
• Packaging typical apple, well packed, no chance of getting broken, store gave out nice iphone bags.

Setup:

When you open the phone it tells you open iTunes, once you open iTunes it starts the activation.

It took each of us 25-30 minutes to setup, play with it and get used to features (without a manual). Setup included: activating the account via itunes, setting up wireless node, playing with stuff during setup, email is a breeze to setup it displays all service providers and setttings are already pre-saved, multi email accounts, password protection, weather widget setup, ipod loaded a couple of albums, sync’d the old phone address book via Bluetooth sync’d perfectly.

Apple Checkout:

About 300 people on line, we were 80^th on line. The entire process from doors opening to walking out took 27 mins. Apple had 20 clerks ringing people up.

To sum it up, this is simply the best phone ever built. Possibly one of the best electronic devices ever, doesn’t beat the computer but one of the coolest most innovative products ever, touch screen will revolutionize the industry.

Get your iPhone or accessories before they sell out!

Matt

Outwit, outbid, out get. getitnext.com