Rumor Roundup: The New Google Nexus by LG

October 11, 2012February 4, 2014 by Katherine Elsasser

Google Nexus LG Optimus Photo — Leaked photo of the back of the new Google Nexus by LG

Rumors about Google’s new Nexus phone have really started flying in the last couple days! We’re going to round up the rumors, but remember…they’re just rumors! Even if it seems like a sure thing, it’s all still subject to change. One thing is certain though: now is the time for manufacturers to release their new products. Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and probably Google, everybody’s pulling out all the stops in anticipation of the holiday season, even though it seems like it’s too soon!

Lots of sources, including NBC, are reporting that the device will most likely be announced on Monday, October 29. Supposedly the device is modeled after (and fairly closely resembles) the LG Optimus G model. The Optimus G is not available yet in the United States, but it did go on sale in South Korea last month, and boasts some really impressive specs: a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 32GB of storage (plus MicroSD expansion), a 13MP camera and a 4.7 inch screen with 1280×720 resolution.

It’s far from certain how exactly the hardware and Android experience will compare from the Optimus G to the Nexus, but it’s definitely worth noting that this is LG’s first real big push into the high-end smartphone market, and expectations (and promises) are high. The Optimus G is LG’s first real attempt to compete with the Galaxy SIII and the iPhone, and comes with the backing of Google. Rumors are also flying that Google has plans to beef up their support staff to deal with an anticipated increase in customer inquiries, presumably from consumers buying the Nexus.

But perhaps the most fun thing to speculate about is leaked product photos, especially the side-by-side comparison with the iPhone 5. The photos are from Tech Onliner, and if you read Russian you’re welcome to go take a look at their original coverage. For the rest of us, we’ll just take a look at the photos below and hold tight till October 29th!

MiFi Liberate, the World’s First LTE Touchscreen Mobile Hotspot, Now Available from AT&T

October 10, 2012October 10, 2012 by Shy Mukerjee

AT&T announced recently that they’re going to be bringing the world’s first touchscreen mobile hotspot device to customers in the US. The global-ready MiFi Liberate is a top of the line 4G LTE hotspot that will bring super fast network speeds to your laptop, tablet or oer mobile device anywhere AT&T provides service.

The device will be exclusively available to AT&T customers, and you can sign up for notifications from AT&T to be amongst the first to learn when this and other hot new AT&T devices will ship this fall.

First up, the touchscreen. The Liberate sports a 2.8″ display that will allow you to quickly and easily access your settings, so yo can change your network name or password on the fly. With a powerful battery that boasts up to 11 hours of life, this device should more than outlast any device you connect to it, and then some. The included MicroSD slot will further allow you to share files with up to 10 connected devices super fast.

The global connectivity is another big big selling point for this device as well. AT&T promises that it will work in more than 200 countries–so no matter where your business takes you, you needn’t worry about being able to work while on the go. Whether you just need to send a few emails or upload some images or video, this device has you covered.

For the mobile professional, few devices offer quite the same value as a good MiFi. While tablets often allow us to get more done on the go, being able to get online with your laptop can often mean the difference between making deadlines and having to wait to finish work when you’re back home or at the office. With a MiFi device, your office is everywhere you are.

Nokia Lumia 920 Coming in November, Exclusively to AT&Tatt,

October 8, 2012October 18, 2012 by Shy Mukerjee

When we attended the Nokia Lumia 920 launch event back in September, we got a ton of chances to find out about all the hot new tech that was going into Nokia’s new flagship device. Great features like the camera and “Lens Apps”, and top of the line internals like a Snapdragon S4 processor and wireless charging bult-in.

What we didn’t get to find out is price, availability and what carrier the phone would be on. As of today, we know two out of three. Both the Lumia 920, and the “budget” 820 model, are launching next month, in November, and exclusively on AT&T. We don’t have an exact date yet, but I’d expect it won’t be too late in the month—Nokia isn’t stupid and will want to capitalize on as many Christmas sales as possible.

The pairing of AT&T and the flagship Windows 8 phone isn’t too much of a surprise. AT&T carried the original Lumia 900, the previous Windows Phone 7 flagship device, and as the press materials note, “The unrivaled leader in Windows Phones, AT&T has sold more Windows Phones than any other carrier.”

Want to be the first person on your block to find out when the Lumia 920 is released? Check out AT&T’s fall portfolio preview and sign up to be notified when the device comes out!

Final colors for the phones have been announced as well, and it looks like the slate grey is being dropped from the lineup and the cyan of the original is being reintroduced. The 920 will be available in red, white, black, yellow, and cyan

Microsoft Windows 8, Surface Coming October 25th

October 5, 2012 by Katherine Elsasser

Mark your calendars now: we got the official invite to “celebrate” Windows 8 and the Microsoft Surface later this month in NYC! It’ll be an all-day event on October 25th as (presumably) Ballmer and team introduce us to the new Windows operating system that will also be powering a lot of the new smartphones coming for the holiday season (like the HTC 8X that we are very excited to get our hands on).

But perhaps the most interesting part of the day will be the launch of Surface, Microsoft’s long-awaited competitor to the iPad. We’ve talked before about how this is a crucial move for Microsoft as they try to catch up in the world of mobile devices, and we’ll all be waiting to see if Windows 8 seems like a real competitor to the more established mobile operating systems, iOS and Android.

There’s a lot riding on this event for Microsoft, and luckily we’ll be there to capture it all right here on the blog and of course on the smallbizgomobile twitter account.

Check out the Sony Xperia TL, aka the new James Bond Phone

October 5, 2012October 5, 2012 by Shy Mukerjee

While pricing and availability for the new James Bond phone, the Xperia TL (called just the Xperia T in the UK, as seen in the advert above) have now been announced, I’ll give you two hints.

– Skyfall, the latest James Bond thriller starring Daniel Craig, hits theaters in the US on October 23rd (and the 26th in the UK)

– This is a premium Android smartphone, boasting a best-in class 13-megapixel camera.

You do the math.

The Sony Xperia TL will be available exclusively from AT&T in the US and will be backed by AT&T’s lightning fast LTE network, so it should be able to achieve super fast speeds if you live in an area with LTE coverage.

Want to be the first to find out when the Xperia TL is made available for sale? Sign up for AT&T’s mailing list to find out when all of their newest 4G LTE devices launch this fall.

I got to play with the phone briefly last night, and can definitely say this is one to watch out for. It’s got a really cool curved design just like the old Xperia Arc, is fast and snappy—basically, it looks and feels like a James Bond phone.

I also had a chance to play with the new bundled apps from Sony, Walkman, Movies, and Album. Combined, these offer great ways to access your music, movies and pics. Album, the photo app, includes some cool features to help you make the best of that 13-megapixel shooter (seriously, how did they cram that thing into this phone?) with a ton of Instagram-like filters, red eye reduction, and more. It’ll also geotag your photos and put them on a map so you can quickly see which photos you took where.

Specs from the press release below. Read More

Why you should take a look at HTC’s upcoming phones on AT&T

October 5, 2012October 5, 2012 by Shy Mukerjee

3 New HTC phones on AT&T — Three new HTC phones launching this fall on AT&T

At the AT&T Unveiled event last night in NYC, AT&T showed off their full lineup of hot new 4G LTE phones as well as some other cool devices. Over the next few days we’ll be breaking down everything we saw and telling you what to watch out for this holiday season.

Currently, the Samsung Galaxy S III is pretty much the premier Android device on AT&T, but that’s about to change in a big way. HTC’s update to the HTC One phone, the HTC One X+, is going to be a serious contender for that crown.

Want to be the first to find out when HTC’s new phones are released? Sign up for AT&T’s mailing list and get notified when all of the great upcoming 4G LTE Android devices are released this fall!

From the second you pick up this phone, you can tell something great is happening. It’s amazingly thin, light, and the polycarbonate casing feels amazing in the hand. Unlike the harder plastics of phones like the Lumia line and Samsung’s Galaxy series, the polycarbonate case on the One X+ feels a bit softer to the touch, yet still rigid. Read More

Five Underrated Features of iOS6 & the iPhone5

October 4, 2012 by Katherine Elsasser

Add a photo in Mail with iOS6 — iOS6 lets you add a photo in Mail. Not exactly groundbreaking, but somehow revolutionary anyway.

They say the devil is in the details, but it for Apple it seems like the small stuff is actually the most redeeming feature of their latest software update, iOS6, which is otherwise getting killed by complaints about the new Apple Maps. You’ve seen http://theamazingios6maps.tumblr.com/, right? These small updates aren’t as obvious (or glamorous!) as Maps, but they’re way, way more useful, and not just because they seem to work.

Reminders Badges
Badges are what Apple calls those little circle notifications that show up on the top right of your apps (like when you have App updates to install, for example). If you’ve got reminders piling up, the Badges will remind you of your reminders.

Improved GPS Reminders
I love reminders, can you tell? In iOS5 we were able to set a reminder based on our current GPS location so we’d be reminded of something whenever we arrived or left that location. The problem was that the only location you could be reminded about was wherever you were. Now you can set an address and be reminded whenever your in the vicinity of that location: near the grocery store or the library for example.

Phone Calls “Reply With Message”
I have one phone for personal and work use, and no landline. That means I spend a decent amount of time on it, and in things like conference calls you’re usually not free to do any call waiting magic! The new reply with message feature lets you send a pre-written message letting the caller know you’re on the phone and you’ll call them back when you can, so they know you’re not just ignoring their call.

Add a Picture from Mail
This one is so obvious (and handy) it’s almost infuriating we didn’t have it before! How many times have you gone into mail to send a picture, only to realize you can only do it from your photos? This is finally fixed so you can email a photo from Mail. Seeing as that’s how it works for every other email service it shouldn’t feel revolutionary, but it does.

Custom Text Message Vibrations
This is another one that doesn’t sound groundbreaking, but has already improved my life substantially. Basically, you can assign contacts a special vibration for when they text you. So for example, your S.O., boss and best friend could have a “priority” vibration, your other close friends a different one, and then everyone else is unassigned. It’s already kept me from jumping up to check a text message that’s actually just a reminder to pay my wireless bill :)

So yes, they’re small changes, but they really have made a difference in how I use my iPhone. Besides, I already have a GPS Unit in the car.

For more on how to upgrade to iOS6, check out our post from a couple weeks ago.

Facebook’s New Advertising Platforms: Exchange and Custom Audiences

October 4, 2012 by Katherine Elsasser

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg with Matt Lauer — Mark Zuckerberg interview with Matt Lauer

This morning on the Today Show, Mark Zuckerburg told Matt Lauer some pretty big tech news: Facebook has reached one billion users. That’s about one in every seven people on the planet sharing updates, photos, and the meme du jour. Despite this, Facebook’s stock closed at $21.83 per share yesterday–about a 30% drop from its IPO price of $38.

Why hasn’t Facebook been able to convert its eyeballs into the sort of growth that investors want to see? Well, like so many internet businesses, it wasn’t really designed to make money. Facebook’s great promise is that they have so much data on their users (which, let’s remember, now number One Billion), they can offer highly customized advertising that advertisers will pay a premium for.

Let’s take a look at two new initiatives Facebook is rolling out to make good on this promise. First is Facebook Ad Exchange, which reconfigures their ad-sales model to something more like Google AdX, allowing for something known as re-targeting. Let’s say that I’m shopping for a comforter online (which I am), but I haven’t actually purchased anything yet. The store I was shopping at could purchase ads on Facebook encouraging me to purchase the very same comforter that I was looking at before. These ads are more valuable because they’re directed at people who probably want to buy something–and so they’re more likely to actually do just that.

The other initiative, Custom Audiences, allows businesses to find their previous customers using information the businesses already have. It’s kind of like Facebook friending someone after a good first date. Let’s say that I already purchased a comforter from the comforter store. The store has my email address and knows that 75% of people who buy a comforter will also buy pillow shams. Custom Audiences will allow the comforter store to target me with their pillow sham ads– and since I’ve already purchased something from that store, I’m way more likely to purchase something else from them. If this seems a little creepy, all the information given to Facebook is encrypted, so it’s not like some guy in the shipping department is looking at pictures from your last vacation.

These initiatives show Facebook doubling down on what sets it apart– a huge user base, and a lot of information on those users that make their ads more valuable than most. It’ll be interesting to see if this is the kind of revenue boost Zuckerburg and Co. (and investors) need. Have you seen any retargeted ads on Facebook? Would you consider using Custom Audiences? Let us know in the comments!

#Blogalicious12 Q&A With Mario: Can You Make Money With AdSense?

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012 by Mario Armstrong

This Q & A series is a continuation of Mario Armstrong’s presentation at the Blogalicious Conference, a leading industry event celebrating diversity in social media. You can see highlights from his presentation & submit your own questions here.

Question: About earning revenue for your blog, what are your thoughts about Google’s AdSense for blogger, where ads are placed on your blog based on text and content related to the advertiser?

—
Answer:
One nice thing about AdSense for Blogger is that they’re both Google products, which means it’s super easy to implement, so that’s good. The bad news is that for most of us, it’s never going to bring in the kind of money that sustains a business. It’s harsh but it’s true.

It’s really hard to predict how well AdSense will perform for you. The Pay-Per-Click Google offers varies based on a lot of things, like how much traffic you get, the keywords users searched, competition between advertisers and much more. For every ad click, you could receive anywhere from a penny to several dollars, but that number tends to be low, especially as you start out.

A couple of other things to remember if you do decide to use AdSense. First, be respectful of your reader’s eyeballs: don’t go overboard with ads, and make sure your actual content is still easy to read. Second, AdSense basically uses a “match-up” between advertisers and search to deliver ads, so it’s extra important you’re doing your best with SEO.

Bottom line: there’s no real harm in using AdSense unless it’s taking up site real estate that could be put to better use, like making you more money. But to really turn your blog into a business, you’re going to need to come up with more revenue-generating strategies beyond just AdSense.

Mario Armstrong

TV Host and Motivator for the Modern World

Category: Small Biz Go Mobile