Category: Small Biz Go Mobile

First Look: The HTC Windows Phone 8X on AT&T

by Shy Mukerjee

HTC Windows Phone 8X
HTC Windows Phone 8X

Despite the East Coast being completely shut down by Hurricane Sandy, Microsoft is going full steam ahead with their Windows Phone 8 announcement today in San Francisco. One of the phones that we’re finally allowed to show off, and the Windows Phone 8 device I’m most excited about, is the HTC Windows Phone 8X. Check out the video above to see my quick look at the phone.

We’re still waiting to hear about pricing and availability, so we’ll be updating this post later today if those are announced at the Microsoft event.

Lighter, thinner, sleeker, and softer than the Nokia Lumia 920, this is the Windows Phone I’m declaring the early winner in the race between manufacturers to bring out exciting new phones this holiday season. I’ve gotten a couple of chances to play with the phone now, first at the the AT&T Unveiled event last month and, last week, in-person and hands-on with Mario. For my thoughts, be sure to check out the video above.

UPDATE: 2:03 PM EDT:

Steve Ballmer is on stage now in San Francisco hyping up the Windows Phone 8X. Pricing and availability are not being announced at this time, but this phone will be available in November.

[This] is a remarkable phone. HTC’s designers saw our Live Tiles and were inspired to build Windows Phones from the ground up… Both the Windows Phone 8X and its little brother the 8S have killer sound thanks to beats audio and built in amps… Movies and music really sound incredible on these phones
– Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer

In the meantime, the AT&T Press Release has some of the tech specs for this phone:

The stunning Windows Phone 8X boasts an iconic design, immersive studio-quality sound and incredible camera capabilities. The first-ever Windows Phone 8 device with built-in Beats Audio™ technology, Windows Phone 8X offers authentic, studio-quality sound that delivers the spirit of the original recording. The 4.3-inch 720p HD (1280 x 720) display comes to life in the phone’s slim, sculpted design and improvements to the rear-facing camera let you capture great photos and record video in 1080p HD.

The HTC 8X isn’t the only Windows Phone hitting AT&T stores this fall. Sign up for news alerts from AT&T to be the first to find out when they launch.

A quick look at the Google Nexus 7: How does it compare with the Kindle Fire and iPad mini?

by Shy Mukerjee

With the Google Nexus 7 tablet by Asus, you get an amazing combination of software and hardware. While I don’t recommend the $199 version (go for 16GB at $249 instead!) I do have to say that you can get what amounts to an iPad Mini for $80-130 cheaper. For our full look at the Nexus 7, check out the video above and leave a comment in the section below letting us know what YOU think!!

Mario’s Hands-On Review of the Microsoft Surface

by Mario Armstrong

We’ve had the new Microsoft Surface in our hands for a few days but now that the big Microsoft event happened yesterday, we’re finally allowed to share our hands-on experience with the Microsoft Surface tablet!

The new Surface is a big move from Microsoft as they move to compete head-to-head with Apple and Amazon. And the launch corresponds with the brand-new Windows 8 operating system too. In the video, I walk you through how the new Windows (called Windows RT on tablets) is new and different. Plus I demonstrate the innovative new tablet cover that double as keyboards, called the “Touch” and the “Type,!” We also walk us through the App Store, and give you a general “feel” of using the device. It’s not quite the same as trying it out yourself, but it’s close!

The Surface costs $499. If you want to pick one up try the Microsoft site or the Microsoft retail stores.

For a complete comparison of recent tablets, check out our tablet comparison chart where we compare all the major tablets on the market.

Last Chance to Win a Free Sony Reader

by Katherine Elsasser

enter to win a free sony readerHave you tweeted to enter our Sony Reader contest yet? Make sure you enter today, because tonight at midnight our contest will be over! It’s make a great gift a Reader would make this holiday season…though you may just want to keep it for yourself.

Reader is the brand new e-reader from Sony, with access to a huge book library. It has great web integration for “Read it Later” web content like Instapaper. Plus it works seamlessly with Facebook and Evernote, something competitors can’t claim.

To enter click here and follow the directions. You’ll be prompted to make sure you’re following @marioarmstrong on Twitter and tweet him about a book you’d like to have on your new Reader. Pretty simple and it might even help us build up our reading list for the future!

Why Apple’s New Fusion Drive May Be More Exciting Than the iPad Mini

by Katherine Elsasser
Apple iMac with Fusion Drive
Apple’s new iMac with Fusion Drive will begin shipping next month

Explaining hard drive technology is not nearly as fun or glamorous as talking about how thin or light a new device is. You can’t exactly pull an iMac out of your pocket to exclaim “It’s so efficient!” But in reality, the Fusion Drive might be the most innovate idea Apple has come up with in awhile.

My evidence is anecdotal, and based on my experience, but here’s my story. I bought a new computer a couple months ago, and went into the Apple store all ready to buy a new MacBook Pro. That’s what I had before, and I loved it. I thought the MacBook Air was just a machine that sacrificed power for looks, and I didn’t care that it was super thin. But what I had forgotten about was the flash memory.

Basically, the MacBook Air has solid state (aka SSD aka flash) memory. Without getting too technical about it, it runs faster. It can open programs and load processes quicker than old-fashioned hard disk drive (aka HDD) memory. So what’s the problem? It’s significantly more expensive than HDD memory: until the last couple of years, we only used SSD memory in small amounts, like thumb drives and old-school iPod Nanos.

Read More

Giving away 10 AT&T smartphone and tablet accessories!

by Shy Mukerjee

We’re giving away a ton of products this month here on Small Biz Go Mobile! Thanks to our sponsors, AT&T, we’ve got a whole grab bag of goodies. Watch the video above to find out more about what we’re giving away, and then hit the contest links below to enter! It’s super easy—each product just has ONE TASK you have to complete, and they’re all simple social actions. Leave a comment or follow us to win!  Read More

iPad Mini: Complete Coverage of Today’s Announcement

by Shy Mukerjee

We’re covering this event in our liveblog below! Plus @MarioArmstrong will be bringing you live updates on Twitter so be sure to follow him there.

Please note, the liveblog below will refresh automatically, with all of the latest updates as Apple reveals them, starting at 1pm ET, 11am PT today.

Plus if you’re on a Mac and using Apple’s Safari web browser, or on an up-to-date iPhone or iPad, you can click on the link below to watch Apple’s iPad Mini announcement live:

http://www.apple.com/apple-events/october-2012/

If you have an Apple TV, you will also be able to tune in to this special announcement live there as well. Unfortunately we don’t know yet if this will work for PCs, but we’ll have all the photos and coverage you could want right here!  Read More

LG Optimus G Coming November 2, $199 on AT&T

by admin

While we wait to find out what Google phone (or phones!) are going to be the next Nexus phones, possibly an alternate version of the LG Optimus G smartphone running a new version of Google’s Android OS, pre-orders for the actual, existing Optimus G are already starting on AT&T.

What is the Optimus G?

The new high-end smartphone from Korean smartphone giant LG, the Optimus G is a totally loaded smartphone featuring some of the highest end specs available today. The phone includes Qualcomm’s 1.5 GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon S4, 2GB RAM, and 32GB of storage memory (expandable up to an insane 80GB with a micro SD card).

There are a few standout features of this new phone, detailed below.  Read More

Tablet Roundup: We Talk iPad Mini, Kindle Fire, Microsoft Surface & More

by Katherine Elsasser
iPad Mini Mockup by 9to5mac

This is going to be a big week for tech. Huge, even. This week the big guys (Apple, Microsoft, Google) make some of their biggest announcements of the year about devices, all in an effort to get us psyched for the holiday gift-buying season. We’re going to take this (special) occasion to talk in-depth about tablets all week, and compare the features and prices of the leading models that will be out this fall/winter.

Tuesday is the big Apple event, where we expect to see the announcement of the iPad mini and a couple other product updates. We’ll be liveblogging the whole thing, so sign up for our email newsletter or follow us on Twitter and we’ll remind you to tune in. Will we see an iPad under $300? We’ll just have to wait to find out!

Wednesday we’ll go hands-on with Amazon’s competitor, the Kindle Fire. After all, just because Amazon has already made their big announcements doesn’t mean we should ignore the Fire! After all, a year’s data on the Fire is only $50. That’s crazy cheap!

Thursday there are two huge tech events we’ll be covering: the introduction of Microsoft Surface and Windows 8, plus a mystery event being held by Google. We just found out about the Google event, so we haven’t gotten a chance to do a ton of speculating yet, but don’t be surprised if we meet another Google phone. We’ll also go hands-on with the brand new Microsoft Surface to check out the hardware and see if Windows 8 really is the revolution Microsoft needs.

Friday we’ll take a hands-on review of the Google Nexus, Google’s 7″ tablet that’s only $200. After Tuesday’s event, we’ll have a better idea about how the hardware and price compare to Apple’s latest offerings.

Short version: we’re reviewing the leading tablets this week, including the new ones, so you can figure out which one may be right for you this holiday season. Come back all week for up to date coverage of the major device announcements!