Tag Archives: iPad 2

zBoost your iPhone and iPad at Home and on the Go

Posted on January 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

 A Macworld’s First Looks Product Provides Miles with No More Slow Data or Dropped Calls

 San Francisco – January 26, 2012 – Wi-Ex (www.wi-ex.com), a leading provider of consumer and commercial cell phone signal boosters, showcased its zBoost line of cell phone signal boosters at Macworld/iWorld in Booth #347 including its new zBoost zForce and zBoost SOHO Xtreme.  The award-winning zBoost home and office solutions help today’s connected consumers including iPhone, iPad, DROID, Blackberry and smartphone users take full advantage of data, voice and Internet services on their smartphones and connected devices.

 The zBoost zForce is one of the Macworld/iWorld First Look honorees and will also be on display in the First Looks kiosk during the show. zBoost will also offer special show pricing for Macworld/iWorld attendees interested in purchasing during the show.

“Today’s consumers want technology that lets them enjoy their favorite shows, work and personal calendars, games, social networks and emails on the go and the extreme data requirements this requires make consumers even more aware of the of the reliability and strength of their cell phone signal,”  said Sharon Cuppett, vice president of marketing for Wi-Ex.  “Even with carriers continued focus on improving networks and indoor cell phone signal, more than 60 percent of consumers experience problems with their indoor cell phone signal.  Macworld provides us the opportunity to connect with iPhone and iPad users who can utilize the zBoost line of products to improve their indoor cell phone coverage and maximize their device.”

According to the zBoost State of the Signal Survey, commissioned by Wi-Ex and conducted online by Harris Interactive, 65 percent of online cell phone/smartphone owners experience problems with their cell phone or smartphone service including dropped calls or data, poor reception or dead zones in their home or poor signal reception or dead zones at work.  The survey also found that 71 percent consider their cell phone/smartphone their essential voice and/or data connection tool.

zBoost zForce

Retailing for $99 or $149 with gooseneck adaptor at Amazon or other leading retailers, the z-Force is a dual band cradle unit that captures the signal outside of the car and amplifies it on the inside for a stronger “hands-free” signal reducing dropped calls and slow data. The zForce works with 800 MHz and 1900MHz phones which covers most carriers (except Nextel/iDEN, 4G or 2100MHz). The zForce is easy to install and includes a bi-directional amplifier unit housed in a sturdy, lightweight cradle for hands-free operation, 12V cigarette power adaptor, external magnetic mount antenna with 15 ft cable and optional gooseneck cigarette lighter adapter.

Benefits include:

·         Reduces dropped calls and dead zones

·         “Hands-free”

·         Extends cell phone range

·         Improves signal strength for voice and data

·         Works with most phones and most carriers (except Nextel/iDEN or 4G)

·         Extends cell phone battery life

·         Features built-in port for charging, auto-shut off when your vehicle is not in use and adjustable arms to fit most any phone

 zBoost SOHO Xtreme

Designed for consumers, the zBoost SOHO Xtreme cell phone signal booster, extends a Cell Zone™ for multiple users and all devices operating on 800 and 1900 MHz frequency bands (except those using Nextel/iDEN or 4G) up to 5500 square feet. The zBoost SOHO Xtreme package includes everything you need to boost your signal including the zBoost amplifier base unit, directional base unit antenna, power supply, coaxial cable (RG-6), industrial grade signal antenna and mounting hardware. The wide radio wave beam width directional antenna receives signals from multiple cell towers.

Additional benefits include:

·         Increases indoor signal coverage-up to 5500 square feet

·         Decreases dropped or missed

·         Increases signal strength for better voice and data transmission ·         Extends phone battery life (uses less power when signal is stronger)

·         Supports multiple users simultaneously

·         No cradle or connections to your phone

·         Easy to set up – comes complete with everything you need ·         Compatible with all U.S. carriers and mobile devices using 800 & 1900 MHz (except Nextel/iDEN or 4G)

The zBoost SOHO Xtreme is immediately available and retails for $549 (MSRP).

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Posted in Macworld, Roni Pridemore

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Bits blog: Is the iPad 2 a Lot Better Than the Original?

Posted on April 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

Thinner iPad 2Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
 
Apple says the iPad 2 is 33 percent thinner than the original model.

Over the weekend, Chris Dixon, an entrepreneur and co-founder of the social site Hunch, lamented on Twitter that he still had not purchased a new iPad 2. Although Mr. Dixon hopes to buy the highly coveted device soon, he questioned whether it was a “must have” upgrade from the first generation iPad.

I responded, along with a number of other Twitter users, that the new model had changed everything for me. I personally find that I use the iPad 2 for about 15 hours a week; when I owned the first-generation iPad, I used it for only one to two hours a week.

For me, there are several explanations. The iPad 2 answered a number of complaints I had with the previous model, which always felt a little too heavy and slow. Although the new model is only slightly smaller around the edges — Apple shaved millimeters off the exterior bezel — it is quite a bit thinner and lighter. As a result it is easier to hold when reading or surfing the Web. It is also more manageable on a morning commute.

Others I spoke with who have upgraded iPads also liked it better than the original version.

“Although the new iPad isn’t dramatically thinner, lighter or faster than the first, the collection of small improvements Apple has made make it feel like a huge deal,” said Alex Rainert, a designer who is head of product at the location-based start-up Foursquare. “The first iPad always felt a bit too heavy when typing or surfing the Web. The changes to the second generation make it feel like a fundamentally more usable device.”

For me, the iPad 2 also feels considerably faster than its predecessor. In part this is because the new smart cover, as I’ve written in the past, turns the device on as soon as you open it.  Typing is quicker, apps are more responsive, and the Web browser to me feels almost as fast as that of a desktop computer. In the past, the browser was extremely slow with image-heavy Web sites.

Justin Ouellette, a developer at BetaWorks, noted that the small increases in performance on the iPad went further than they would on a desktop computer.

“The iPad kind of ‘becomes’ whatever app you’re currently running, and being more powerful and physically slighter allows it to deliver that transparent experience ever more convincingly,” Mr. Ouellette wrote in an e-mail. “The best user interface is one you don’t notice because it never lags or causes you trouble.”

What do you think? For those of you who have upgraded to an iPad 2, do you think it’s a big improvement? Is it a “must have” upgrade?

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/do-the-ipad-2-upgrades-make-it-a-must-have-device/?ref=technology 

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Posted in Tech Buzz, Technology and Our Lives, Technology Trends

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CNET First Look: Apple iPad 2

Posted on March 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

Asking all zBoost Your Life readers:

How many of you got the iPad when it first came out and how many of you waited for the iPad 2 to make your decision?

Are any of you looking at other tablet devices like the Motorola Zoom versus the iPad 2 and why?

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Posted in Gadget Review, iPad, New product, New Products, Technology and Our Lives, Technology Trends

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Five things we want from the new iPad, and why

Posted on February 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

From WIRED.com

It’s been reported that Apple will make an iPad 2 announcement on March 2nd, giving us a few days to dream about what the next generation of iPads has in store for us.

(WIRED) — Apple will announce the iPad 2 next Wednesday, as made rather obvious by invites sent out to press this morning.

Apart from the new iPad, that means one thing: speculation. I’m not immune, so here’s my list of things I think will make it into an already capable machine. I have stuck to features, rather than things like CPU speed, as the internal specifics matter less than what they actually enable you to do.

Cameras

Obvious, this one. We’re almost certain there will be a front-facing camera for FaceTime and other webchat applications, but I really don’t care. I’ll use that for Skype once in a while and that’s it. What I want is a decent rear-facing camera, like that in the iPhone (not the crippled piece of junk in the iPod Touch).

Why? Because it would be so useful, and not just for photography. Augmented reality, Instagram, scanning things, snapping photos and then drawing on top of them, the list goes on.

One of the things I took away from all the tablets I tried at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week was just how good a camera is on a big device. It seems like it would be awkward, but the big screen is great for composing and the size turns out not to matter at all.

Speakers

The single iPad speaker isn’t bad, but for movies and music you really want something beefier, and preferably in stereo. The rumors point to at least one big speaker grille on the back of the iPad’s case. Currently I get around this with an assortment of Bluetooth speakers around my apartment, but I’d rather do without them.

SD card slot

This one would be purely for importing photos and video. Basically, it would be nothing more than a built-in camera connection kit.

The Apple’s Camera Connection Kit is great, but it is one more thing to lose and carry. I use my iPad more and more for processing photos (courtesy of Photogene and FX PhotoStudioHD), and until I can send direct from my camera via Eye-Fi, a slot is a lot more convenient than yet another dongle in my bag.

A better connector

The 30-pin dock connector is one of the worst things Apple has made (the other is “all mice it has ever created”). It is symmetrical, so it’s hard to put in the right way in bad light. It’s delicate (the cord breaks easily where it enters the plug) and worst of all, it’s huge. In fact, the iPod Nano is barely big enough for the connector slot.

The likeliest candidate for a replacement is Light Peak, or Apple’s rumored implementation of it, Thunderbolt, which might show up in this week’s new MacBook Pros. This could be a small port that could carry power and data of any kind.

That in itself would be good enough, but you know what I’d really like? A Thunderbolt data-cable with a MagSafe plug. That would be just about perfect.

Better case

The size and weight of the current iPad are just fine. Anyone who complains that a 1.5 pound sliver of aluminum and glass is too heavy needs to shut up and go join a gym. But it is slippery. I keep mine in Apple’s own case 24/7. This is partly to protect the screen, but mostly to stop me dropping it, especially when I’m walking on crutches with it tucked under my arm.

A little more friction on the back would help a lot. Perhaps a plastic rear, or just a grippy coating.

Bonus: The screen

This is a small request. I don’t want a retina display (or rather I do, but I don’t want the current penalties of price and battery life associated with it). All I want is a dimmer screen.

The brightness at the top end is fine, but even at its dimmest setting, the screen is too bright for using indoors at night. It’s true, I keep my apartment fairly dim (I call it “moody and romantic,” but you may call it “cheap”), but unless you keep your place lit up like an office, the screen glows a little too much.

Those are my requests. What about yours? Do you want a built in printer? A near-field communications chip to turn your iPad into the world’s biggest wallet? Or even a flashlight? Let us know your suggestions, as ever, in the comments.

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Posted in Tech Buzz, Technology and Our Lives, Technology Trends

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