Point of sale software on the iPad is nothing new, but it’s definitely worth a second look now that Square has released Square Register, their app for accepting both card and cash payments via your iPad.
The new Square Register should be ideal for a small business owner. Once you sign up for Square, you get a Square “Card Reader”, a little dongle that allows you to swipe credit cards. As long as you have a place to stash your cash, you can also take cash payments with just a tap of your touch screen. Read More
I’m not known for being an early adopter; I usually like to hunker down and wait for the perfect upgrade opportunity. The new iPad, however, has me so excited that I even considered doing something that I’ve never done before: pre-ordering technology.
So why am I so excited? Well, there are a lot of great things about the new iPad, the most obvious being the great new display. Though the idea is simple, great-looking images can be a powerful draw. Also, the processor been upgraded, and the new cameras are really impressive. While all of this is exciting, the really exciting upgrade for me is the move to 4G LTE technology. You may remember that a while back, I wrote about how my father insisted on a 4G tablet for his Christmas gift. I told him to get an iPad, but he insisted on having 4G. He ended up with a Galaxy, which I tried out over the holiday at his home way out in the boondocks of North Carolina. When I attempted to use his satellite wifi (since he’s so far out in the country that cable and DSL internet isn’t available), I realized why the 4G was so important to him. The 4G speed was wildly faster than his home internet service.
So, this morning I was sitting on my couch with the wife, discussing our next batch of gadgets while digging through the Apple iPad site. By habit, she had picked out a white 16 gig Wifi model. Remembering her experience with her father’s Android over the holidays, and thinking of our propensity to travel, I told her I think it’s worth the extra money to get the 4G model. After reminding her of the same thing, she agreed, the iPad really is about mobile productivity. So we’re now gunning for the 4G model and upgrading yet another of our household’s data services. I’m really excited about it, because I think that with the extra speed we’re going to increase our ability to be productive, connected, and entertained no matter where we are.
I must admit, the “New iPad” features are really impressive. The 2048 x 1536 resolution alone is enough to have most people justifying the purchase. Add that with a quad-core processor and 4G/LTE connectivity, and the New iPad will practically sell itself.
There are a ton of features that make the New iPad a no doubt “buy” if you’re a small business owner who hasn’t quite bought into the whole tablet craze. But the “Resolutionary” features alone won’t make you a on-the-go productive whiz on the device. You still need a solid suite of business apps to uncover just how productive you can be on the New iPad.
Now, if you’ve been following Small Biz Go Mobile, all we do is identify resources, services…and apps that can help you stay at work, even when you’re not at work (did I just blow your mind?). Now, we don’t want you to just go out there and download tons of apps without knowing how you can use them for your business, so here are just a few ways you can close those deals on your New iPad…cause we all know you’re getting one.
Document Management
If you’re not in the cloud, or don’t have a way to retrieve important documents from your office computer, you might as well stop reading now. There is nothing like leaving an important document on the printer because you rushed out the door to a meeting with a client, or to catch your flight. That’s one of the reasons why I suggest any small biz invest in the cloud to at the very least, make sure you have access to all your documents on any device, whenever you need them. A good document creator/editor is needed as well. If a client or team member wants to adjust some numbers in a spreadsheet and you’re not nowhere near a computer, you still need to capability to open and edit that document from your email, then send it back to them lickity-split. Read More
Tim Cook just left the stage from Apple’s iPad event in California, where he and his team brought us the latest Apple announcement, presumably including “the new iPad” (yes, that’s it’s full name!). It hits stores next week, on Friday March 16th and this page has all of the news you need to know about today’s announcement.
A Post-PC World
It’s no surprise that Tim Cook is leading off this event with a discussion involving one of Apple’s favorite terms, “post PC.” We’re all doing more on our iPads and iPhone, so it’s no surprise that these post PC devices (plus the iPod) make up 76% of Apple’s revenue.
iOS is the Key
The reason for Apple’s success with post-PC devices? iOS. Right now there are 315 million iOS devices in the world, 62 million of those sold in the last quarter of 2011 alone. At the forefront of this innovation in the mobile OS, is Siri, Apple’s “intelligent personal assistant” that comes with every iPhone 4S. Today, Cook is announcing that Siri now speaks Japanese and she’s coming to Japan today along with iOS 5.1. Amongst other fixes, iOS 5.1 brings fixes to battery life on iPhone and iPad and is available over-the-air for download right now.
A New Apple TV
Turns out the rumors were true! Apple is announcing a new Apple TV that supports 1080p HD video. As a result, they’re re-releasing all of their movies in this higher-def format (and it’s a free download for anything you’ve already purchased!). A new Apple Genius will work just like on your iTunes and suggest movies and television shows based on your interests. You can even store them in the cloud—iCloud is being expanded to cover music AND movies now. Your photo stream syncs effortlessly to your Apple TV now too – take a picture on your iPhone 4S, and instantly show it off to your friends on your big-screen TV in HD! It still costs just $99, a great price for what you get! Combine that with the amazing AirPlay mirroring features that the Apple TV provides, and this looks to be an exciting update to the device. Pre-orders start today and the new Apple TV is available March 16th.
iPad outselling the competition
If you need proof that post-PC devices like the iPad are taking over computing, check out this fact: Apple sold more iPad’s last quarter than HP sold PCs.
There’s no doubt as to the direction of the computing industry right now, and Apple is unquestionably at the forefront in terms of sales.
What you’ve been waiting for: introducing the new iPad
Here are the features Apple is including in the new iPad:
Retina Display. Much as everyone predicted, the new iPad will have quadruple the resolution of the original, with a retina display screen at 2048×1536. That’s 3.1 million pixels on the screen, or 1 million more pixels than 1920×1080, the resolution of even a 60″ HD TV. It translates to 264 pixels per inch, an amazing pixel density. All this means is that the screen is going to look amazing on the new iPad, and this is going to be a huge boon to any apps that work with photos and video as well as text. If you used an iPhone before they went retina with the iPhone 4, you know that this isn’t just a new feature on a list but a HUGE CHANGE that will really impact how you’re able to work on the device.
It’s not just the density of the display though. The new iPad also offers a much better screen, with 44% greater color saturation. Not only will you never have to see a dreaded pixel again, but colors in images will “pop” in a way never before seen on a tablet device.
iPad 2 (left) vs. the new iPad (right) – 44% greater color saturation
A5X Processor with Quad-Core Graphics. Designed for the retina display, the new iPad is “four times as fast” as nVidia’s Tegra 3. A dual-core processor with quad-core graphics, the chip has to be way more powerful than what’s in the iPad 2 since it’s pushing 4x the number of pixels!
While not some massive upgrade to quad-core as some were hoping for, if the A5X can provide an experience as snappy as the current A5 can in the iPad 2 while simultaneously pushing 3.1 million Retina-enhanced pixels, you shouldn’t hear a single complain that the new iPad is in any way under-powered.
Massively improved iSight cameras. The cameras on the iPad 2 worked, but they were kinda a joke for any real photo or video applications. The back side camera took images you’d expect from a mid 90’s digicam, and the front-facing camera was even worse. The new iPad is packing in an iSight-branded camera, meaning that this 5-megapixel rear-facing camera boasts illumiation, a 5-element lens, an IR filter, and 1080P video recording—in other words, it’s high enough quality that you’ll actually feel comfortable using it. No word yet on whether or not you’ll still feel awkward holding up your iPad, though. Overall, it seems like everything on the new iPad is going HD in a big way.
Voice dictation. The new iPad will let you dictate in US English, British, Australian, French, German and Japanese. A new button on the software keyboard will let you talk to your iPad and have your text automatically inserted into your email or Evernote documents.
For the mobile professional who can’t always stop and type (and even then, typing on the iPad without a physical keyboard isn’t the easiest thing to do) this will make a huge difference in terms of how you use your new iPad.
4G LTE and Hotspot. Aside from the Retina display, this is the feature that got the most applause from the audience and for good reason. If you read my recent article about how fast 4G LTE is on AT&T, you’ll know why it’s exciting that the new iPad is an LTE device. 4G LTE isn’t just fast for mobile, it compares well and is often faster than your Internet at home!
The iPad will have 4G LTE on both AT&T and Verizon for a theoretical maximum of 73 megabits per second—huge news for these carriers. Unfortunately, these will be separate devices thanks to the different bands these carriers use. You’ll have to choose either the Verizon or the AT&T iPad 4G LTE. However, they will both work anywhere in the world with 3G as they carry the most wireless antennas ever put in a mobile device.
One cool new feature they’re adding is that the iPad can now serve as a mobile hotspot, allowing you to share it’s internet access with a number of devices. Since the iPad doesn’t come with any kind of contract, this could be a huge new feature for the mobile professional. Imagine having the power of the new iPad by your side at all times, but also the ability to pass along a 4G LTE signal to your laptop no matter where you are. All that on a month-to-month plan from your carrier of choice.
Same battery life and price. Thankfully, no surprises here. The 10 hour battery life and $499 introductory price will be staying the same. Since 4G LTE is a huge battery hog, that’ll knock you down to 9 hours, which really isn’t too bad.
Since a few reports have mentioned that the new iPad is a little bit thicker (9.4mm) and a little bit heavier (1.4lbs) than the iPad 2, this makes a lot of sense. Clearly, Apple had to expand the battery capacity a bit to accomodate the faster processor and the LTE chipsets inside the new iPad.
Apps
What would an Apple iPad announcement be without some new apps? The iWork suite is getting a full upgrade to take advantage of the faster processor and retina graphics, with Keynote, Pages and Numbers all updated in the app store today. With features like stunning new 3D charts, and new builds and transitions, the new versions of Apple’s suite will really show off the retina display on the new iPad. All three apps still sell for the low cost of just $9.99, and if you already own them you’ll be getting these updates for free from the app store today.
Garageband is getting iCloud support, easy sharing, a note editor and smart strings, to add a whole orchestra to your performance and then later edit individual notes.But Jam Session is the most exciting feature that lets 4 users on iPads play together at the same time and create original compositions over Wi-Fi on the iPad. Again, Garageband still costs just 4.99 and these updates are free for everyone who already owns it.
iMovie is getting a huge boost and a free update for the $4.99 app. Now there are some new features, including advanced editing tools, storyboards, and beautiful transitions. Combined with that 1080p camera, the new iPad should prove to be a great platform for making AND editing videos!
A huge new app release too – iPhoto for iPad. New gestures, new effects, multi-touch editing, and with iCloud you can effortlessly beam photos from iPhone to iPad to desktop and back. With editing support for images up to 19 megapixels, ways to automatically find images similar to the one you’re looking at, views that only show you flagged photos that you like, and easy share support to Flickr, Twitter and more, this looks to be a hot new app.
The biggest new feature is probably that all of these new editing features are non-destructive. Meaning, no matter how many times you crop or add filters, your original image is always there and can be recovered easily. This is just like ProTools for audio or Final Cut for video on the Mac. A huge feature for pro users looking to edit photos on the go.
Full Pricing and the iPad 2
As a final note, Apple’s going to keep selling the iPad 2 but at a $100 discount. The 16GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi now costs $399, and the 3G-enabled version is going for $529. An amazing deal on some great tech, and if you don’t need the absolute latest it’s even cheaper to take your business mobile (and still take advantage of all these amazing new apps) at a lower cost. The iPad 2 is a great tablet, and this price cut should help get it into a lot more hands.
Apple’s emails for their invitation-only events don’t come with press releases, PR contact info, or any of the things you come to expect in this industry from most other tech companies. No, they come with a teaser image designed to give you just a taste of what’s to come.
I don’t know about you, but that sure looks like a retina display to me (I can see pixels at that distance on my ipad 2 no problem). What other features will the iPad 3 include? 4G LTE? Siri? Who knows, but the speculation game is sure to heat up over these next few days!
My mother called me a few days ago with a simple question:
“What kind of tablet should I buy for your father’s Christmas present?”
Should be easy to answer, right? But, she had a few requirements:
– Must be 4G
– Large, bright screen
– Easy to use
– less than $400
And with that list, the pool of qualified applicants dwindled significantly. However, this list of “must-haves” might also need some examination. First off, we’ve explored previously in this blog that 4G doesn’t always mean “faster”. I explained to my mother that, while dad may want the fanciest new technology, it might not actually provide a tangible benefit. Unfortunately, I could hear her shrug through the phone; “Well, you know your father!” Read More
I recently got a demo pair of SOL Republic Tracks headphones and I couldn’t have been more excited. Honestly, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I unboxed them. Everyone with a mobile lifestyle knows that headphones are a vital part of your day. As a New Yorker, I wear headphones a lot; like, really a lot. I wear them on the subway, in the gym, at my desk, and just about anytime that I take a phone call.
Because I do all of these different things with my headphones, I need durability; but I also want something that is comfortable and cool-looking. It would be a bonus if they could also control my iPhone, and maybe even actually produce good sound. At the same time, I don’t want to break the bank buying headphones. It’s hard to explain to your wife that she has to wait to replace the dishwasher because your headphones make the latest Ratatat single sound REALLY awesome.
I’ve got to say, these Tracks headphones had me covered on all counts. Read More
Square is looking to replace your cash register…or is it? The service that helps small businesses accept credit card payments via a smartphone or tablet, now offers the ability integrate a cash register and receipt printer in the mix.
That’s right, now you can use your iPad and the Square credit card reader to accept credit transactions as well as cater to those “cash-only” customers. Read More
Doing a presentation/pitch using your iPad or iPad 2 can wow your potential clients. Prepping for a presentation in the lobby while waiting for your preso to start can be nerve-racking. Evernote makes cramming studying a little easier with the combination of Evernote Peek and an Apple Smart Cover for the iPad 2.
That’s cool if you bought the iPad 2. If you decided to squeeze a little more time out of your iPad “Classic”, Evernote has decided to bring Peek to your device as well by updating the app with virtual smart covers that bring all the cool Peek features to the iPad, sans the $40 Smart Cover accessory. Read More
To combat Apple’s iCloud offering for iOS 5 users, the Box.net cloud storage service has announced its “50gigs for 50 days” promotion for anybody who downloads the latest version of the mobile to their iPhone or iPad.
Box.net is a rival to the popular Dropbox, Sugarsync, and now iCloud services that offer similar features and options in regards to cloud storage. All of them have free storage offerings as a basic package (2-5GB). Anything after that, you have to opt for a paid personal or business plan that start around $10/month, or refer a ton of people to get additional free storage in smaller megabyte increments. Read More
Point of sale software on the iPad is nothing new, but it’s definitely worth a second look now that Square has released Square Register, their app for accepting both card and cash payments via your iPad.
