The Girl With A Mac Blog

Record Kindle Sales In December

Posted Dec 19, 2009. Filed under Gadget. Leave a comment?

Amazon is reporting that this December has seen record setting sales levels. Perhaps this is because this is the first year since 2007 that Amazon has actually been able to meet the demand for the e-reader. Or maybe it’s because of the new promotion guaranteeing free two-day shipping and an arrival before Christmas (the promotion runs until the 22^nd).

Either way, Amazon reports that the Kindle was bought, gifted or wished for more than any other product on their site. While it may be easy to get your hands on the Kindle this holiday season, it may not be as each to get ahold of Barnes & Noble’s Nook or Sony’s Reader Daily Edition. Barnes & Noble and Sony are experiencing problems meeting demand as Amazon has faced over the last two years.

I don’t have much experience with e-readers, personally I just don’t see the real need for it. I don’t enjoy reading something on my computer screen, I’d much rather read it on paper and I feel that the screen on the Kindle could not be much better. And for the occasional book I read, I can handle buying the paperback.

However, I am curious about the high demand on the Kindle. From what I’ve read it seems that the e-readers made by Barnes & Noble and Sony are more technologically advanced, with touch screen and color. Are people willing to compromise better features simply because Amazon has a constant supply on Kindles?

eBay Introduces Holiday Deals App

Posted Nov 24, 2009. Filed under Gadget. Leave a comment?

I hope that everyone is preparing for some major shopping on Black Friday. I know I’ve been. If you’re like me and will be up at 4 a.m. check out this website (my mom sent me the link and it seems to have quite a few stores’ ads, including ads for my favorite store- the Apple store!). But if you’re not really the shopping type, eBay has a new iPhone (or iPod Touch) app for you!

The eBay Deals app is designed to direct customers to the better buys on the online auction site, featuring auctions that have no bids, no reserve, less than four hours remaining and free or fixed-rate shipping already calculated into the price. The app allows users to browse across eight categories, including apparel, collectibles, computers, games and electronics. In addition, you can also search through the deals by entering a product name, price range and category. And just in case, you can save your search results to browse through later. If you happen to find a deal that is better for someone else (maybe you found that iPod Touch you’ve wanted forever and want to forward it to your mom, ok so maybe that’s just me), you can e-mail the deal or share it through your Facebook or Twitter.

If you’re not happy with the deals, shaking your iPhone or iPod Touch will clear the deals and give you a whole new set of deals. And if you do find an item you like, all you have to do is tap on it and a listing will pop up where you can decide to watch the item or bid on it. The app features push notifications to alert you if you’ve been outbid and PayPal integration for payment if you win.

This app is available for download through iTunes in 8 languages. And the best part is the app is free!

Personally, I’d rather go to the mall than stare at my iPhone all day looking for good deals. However, the app does have its advantages. It’s nice that eBay is looking out for you and not wasting your time on an item with a reserve set $1000 over your budget or on a 30 day auction. But, from my experience with eBay, you’ll be outbid at the last minute anyways, or end up paying way more than the item is worth after getting caught up in the moment. I’d rather go to the stores with amazing deals, than get outbid at the last minute and end up with no gift for grandma. Yikes.

A Mini iPhone In The Future For Verizon?

Posted Nov 9, 2009. Filed under Gadget. Leave a comment?

Lately, I’ve been reading a whole lot about the Verizon and AT&T battle. We’ve all seen the “there’s a map for that” Verizon commercial that compares the 3G coverage of both carriers side by side, and thus highlights AT&T’s shoddy coverage. But now there seems to be better news for Verizon and Apple lovers everywhere.

Computerworld’s Matt Hamblen reports, “Apple Inc. will launch a smaller ‘worldmode’ iPhone next year that will be ready for Verizon Wireless to sell in the third quarter of 2010, according to an analyst report citing unnamed handset maker sources in Taiwan”. You can read his article here.

According to the OTR Global analyst report, quoted by Apple Insider, the global iPhone would have a 2.8 inch diagonal display screen (the current iPhone has a 3.5 inch diagonal screen) and will have a hybrid chip from Qualcomm Inc. that makes it compatible with GSM/UMTS 3G networks (including AT&T), as well as CDMA2000 networks (including Verizon). Hamblen says, “The worldmode hybrid, using Qualcomm technology, will allow Apple to sell iPhones to AT&T and Verizon in the U.S., as well as other carriers globally.”

I’m pretty excited about this, although a little skeptical. I mean, the current iPhone is a bit larger than I would like it to be, but can Apple make a smaller iPhone that still does so much? If the global iPhone isn’t as amazing as the original, I would be really disappointed, even if my 3G coverage was way better. In his article, “Verizon To Offer An iPhone Nano? Daniel Indiviglio mentions that the keyboard on a traditional iPhone couldn’t get much smaller and that viewing a video on such a tiny screen is pointless, pointing out that “an iPhone nano would be more of a traditional phone than a robust smart phone. That ignores the essence of what separates an iPhone from the pack, and I’m not sure which consumers this would really appeal to.”

I also don’t know why Apple would only make this mini iPhone available across multiple carriers. I’ve heard many times that Apple made a mistake when choosing AT&T, and solely AT&T (ask my dad how upset he is about the whole situation, I think he may have actually considered moving to an area with better AT&T coverage in order to get an iPhone). There have been many rumors that Apple may turn to Verizon to boost sales, which makes me think it’s odd that only the global iPhone would be available. If you can make the technology available, you could certainly use it to improve the current iPhone. And you can certainly use it to improve profits.

And there’s one more thing. Indiviglio asks the ultimate question, why is Verizon running anti-iPhone ads if it is really in talks with Apple about carrying an iPhone? It’s a good point, and leads me to believe that I will never be able to get my hands on an iPhone. Well, at least not until I move somewhere with better 3G coverage.

The Just Because We Love You TwitterPeek Giveaway

Posted Nov 7, 2009. Filed under Twitter, Social Networking, Gadget. Leave a comment?

So, I’ve come across an amazing giveaway that I thought you should know about. Earlier this week I blogged about the TwitterPeek, and now the Washington Post is giving one away. If that wasn’t enough for you to be enticed, it’s aqua!

The Washington Post is giving away a TwitterPeek to one TechCrunch reader tomorrow. In order to enter “the Just Because We Love You TwitterPeek Giveaway” all you have to do is retweet their post with the URL (http://bit.ly/3U2Yhy) and the #crunch hashtag (must be in the United States to enter). The winner will be drawn randomly tomorrow (November 7^th) and will receive the gadget in the mail along with a bonus TechCrunch t-shirt.

I don’t know about you, but of course I’m retweeting. I can’t wait to get my hands on a TwitterPeek, and I absolutely love free stuff!

Is The Baby Crying? There’s An App For That.

Posted Nov 6, 2009. Filed under Gadget. Leave a comment?

The Cry Translator is an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that helps parents understand their baby’s cries. The Cry Translator is able to decipher amongst the five distinct cries of an infant; hungry, sleepy, annoyed, stressed or bored. In order to decipher the cries, place your device near the baby and press the start button. Within 10 seconds, the app will have translated the cry and display suggestions to calm the baby.

In his article, “IPhone Application Translates Babies’ Howls,” Charlie Sorrel explains, “The Cry Translator listens to a whining child and analyzes the pitch, volume, tone and inflection of his nerve-jangling noise. Ten seconds later, it provides you with one of five ‘translations’.”

The Cry Translator seems to take the guess work out of parenting, or in my case babysitting.

Another great feature of this app is that it allows you to enter emergency contacts for quick and easy access. But, the best part about the Cry Translator is that it actually tells you what will make baby happy again with a fair amount of accuracy. Biloop Technologic, the developer of the application, cites clinical research conducted in Spain reported a 96% success rate of the suggestions displayed by the Cry Translator to calm the crying babies. The developer also suggests that the 4% of cases that did not respond to the suggestions, may have been adversely affected by external noise or other issues not related to the five types of cries the app deciphers.

I’ll admit that I hate the fact that I’m completely clueless and the baby can’t just tell me when he’s hungry or tired. For the $9.99 I would have to pay for the application, it would be more than worth it (the app originally costs $29.99, but is on sale for $9.99 through November 11^th). I’m sure that most people would be willing to spend much more to know what their little guy or gal is thinking.