Robocalls are infuriating. They’re even more annoying, and also dangerous, when they target mobile phones. Imagine expecting a call from family while you’re driving. You really shouldn’t answer, but then imagine reaching for your phone and seeing a number you don’t recognize. Maybe it’s a business call? Then you answer and it’s a robocall.
Everyone with a mobile phone has had this experience way too often. If this is driving you nuts, then check out this useful article on ways to avoid these annoying robocalls by installing an app on your smartphone.
Will Google be making its own phone? Does it need to given its control of the Android platform. Check out the video above for a discussion. In many ways, going in this direction makes little sense for Google. Let’s see how eager they are to enter into the hardware wars. while Microsoft has had some success with hardware, they’ve had their share of failures as well. Google should probably be cautious here.
Brands keep pushing the limit on audio and video as we start to record more and more of our lives. Nokia’s new Lumia Icon has some impressive features, like four microphones to boost sound quality along with full 1080p HD, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and unpixelated zoom. Now we’ll see if this phone can make a dent in the market share for Apple and Samsung.
I haven’t used a BlackBerry for years, but I have some friends that still swear by them. But apparently there aren’t enough people who feel like them, as sales keep trending down.
Maybe the announced Q20, or classic BlackBerry, will help a bit, as there are tons of people who still love a phone with buttons. That one can’t come fast enough.
Christmas shopping has certainly evolved over the years. With gadgets now dominating our lives, they also dominate our Christmas shopping, even for younger kids as the age minimum for smart phones in many families keeps getting lower. Sure, boys still love footballs and girls love their dolls, and parent will buy all sorts of things large and small. Clothes and stocking stuffers and trivial gifts like cards puzzle frames are still common, but gadgets have certainly become the most important item on many gift lists.
The gift guides will be coming out soon, and you can expect the iPhone 5 to dominate many of these lists, and that shouldn’t be a surprise. The only thing holding it back is that so many people have already purchased one, as the introduction of the iPhone in many ways was an early Christmas for those involved in the logistics of delivering the new phone. The iPhone hysteria is certainly good for companies like UPS and serves as a warmup for the crazy Christmas season.
Despite the maps fiasco, the new iPhone 5 is obviously a hit. But it’s certainly not for everyone with the high price tag. Parents in particular will be searching for less expensive alternatives, and many parents frankly don’t want to spoil 10-year old kids with a new iPhone. Yet the pressure remains. So scour the upcoming holiday gift guides for other ideas that will make the kids smile.
