smart home lifestyle
November 10 , 2007
three new technologies sure to become the apple of your i
When comparing electronics, always make sure to think apples to apples, unless it is an Apple- then you’ll know it’s good. Apple’s simple innovation and user-friendly solutions make their gadgets best bets while making the competition look more bottom of the barrel.
It's a sell out
The frenzy surrounding the release of the iPhone was right up there with Play Station, Harry Potter and Tickle me Elmo. And despite the hefty price tag and exclusive AT&T partnership, iPhone has gotten around- as of September 10, 2007, one-million times around.
“One million iPhones in 74 days- it took almost two years to achieve this milestone with iPod,” said Steve Job, Apple’s CEO. “We can’t wait to get this revolutionary product into the hands of even more customers this holiday season.”
For those who held out for the newer version with the doubled 8GB, there’s good news. Apple set the iPhone price at $399 for the holidays. And for those that caved under peer-pressure and are feeling the pain in their pocketbook there’s Apple’s “Early Owner Credit.”
iPhones activated through AT&T and purchased before August 22, 2007 should qualify for a $100 credit through the Apple online or retail store. Just make sure and put your request in by November 20, 2007.
I'm touched
Like the user interface and music and video options of the iPhone, but love your current cell phone carrier more? Check out Apple’s new iPod touch.
“The iPod touch is a landmark iPod, ushering in a whole new generation of features based on its revolutionary multi-touch interface and built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking,” said Jobs. “People are going to be amazed at how thin it is and how much it does.”
iPod touch’s 3.5-inch widescreen display lets you watch movies and TV shows and view photos and album art. It also includes Wi-Fi wireless networking, the first on any iPod, and Safari, which is an advanced mobile device browser that features Google Search or Yahoo! Apple’s YouTube application lets you watch over 10 million free videos wirelessly. And iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store lets you preview and buy songs and albums.
So, what’s the coolest feature? The portrait and landscape modes. iPod touch has a built-in accelerometer that automatically senses when you rotate it into its landscape position. When you’re in music, it automatically switches to Cover Flow, which lets you browse your music collection by album cover artwork. And Photos and Safari also prompt the landscape aspect ration. iPod touch also has a built-in ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the display’s brightness.
iPod holds up to 22 hours of audio playback and 5 hours of video playback. It measures 8 mm thin, and costs just under $300. While the user interface is a nice option, iPod touch is going to run you about twice as much as other MP3 players like Zoom and Sansa with similar options including Wi-Fi.
Coffee Beans and Apple Seeds
With iPods and iPhones comes the need for iTunes, another con to Apple’s music players. But like typical Apple, they’ve turned it around and planted even more seeds by partnering with Starbucks. Now, when you enter a participating Starbucks location, your iPod or iPhone will automatically recognize the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. It can even be accessed on a PC or Mac running iTunes. You can see what song is currently playing or has recently played in the store and then instantly preview, buy and download it over Wi-Fi.
“With this partnership, we’re bringing Apple’s leadership in digital music together with not only our retail footprint, but the unique Starbucks experience, to offer customers a world-class digital music experience,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, Starbucks Coffee Company. “Introducing this new service is a natural extension of our music strategy which only enhances the retail coffee experience for customers by helping them discover and acquire new music instantly.”
Author: Diana Kostigen, Marketing/Public Relations Director, Comtec
