It’s been two days after Apple made yet another historic press conference. Android/Google is ready to strike back and strike back immediately.
This is where Android Pay comes in. Android Pay debuts to the public today. This service is available?to all Android phone customers. Now, they can use Android Pay at one million retail stores across the US. To take part in Android Pay, your Android smartphone has to run 4.4 KitKat or newer. It needs an NFC chip. You can find the Android Pay app in the Google Pay store, and you need a credit/debit card to back your Android Pay account. It works with the most popular banks and credit card agencies. You can use your fingertip or passcode for security. Instead of storing credit card information, it uses ‘tokenization’. In an event your Android phone is lost or stolen, numbers on your phone can’t be exploited. Google Wallet is going nowhere. In fact, Wallet and Android Pay use the same technology. And like Apple Pay, most major retailers are accepting and embracing Android Pay. These retailers include Walgreens, Macy’s, Whole Foods, and Rite Aid. Eventually, Pay will have in-app payments as well.
Like I hinted before, you gotta applaud the timing of Android Pay’s debut. Sure they’ll probably say Apple had nothing to do with the chosen release date, but it’s just too much of a coincidence to me. Fingertip technology is a huge plus. First off, passwords are difficult to remember for many. Second off, hackers are getting smarter and smarter at breaking in smartphones. But what about smaller banks and small businesses? Do they have the capabilities to accept Android Pay? Do they have the will to? Who will win between Android Pay and Apple Pay? Or will there be any winners?
We at Computer Geeks would like to take time to honor and remember the victims, families, and survivors of the devastating 9/11 attacks on our nation. Let’s love and respect each other.
Yesterday, Apple held their annual September press conference. They demonstrated new and improved items for the upcoming 2015-16 year. As usual, Apple had the media and the public talking.
Yes, new iPhones were revealed, but that was the mid-card side show. The main events were the were the super sized 12.9 inch iPad Pro and Siri controlled Apple TV (which I talked about several times). Apple iWatch bands also made an appearance. We knew this was going to be an awe-inspiring show when Cook said monster announcements are in store. There were 2 1/2 hours of them. There were a few pleasant surprises. The new versions of iPhone 6 will cost the same as the old ones. But this iPad Pro is as powerful as is large. Thanks to A9X, it has twice as much memory bandwidth and ?store performance as it’s predecessor, iPad Air 2. Maybe that’s why it has twice as much price. The smallest iPad Pro will cost $749. The LTE 128 GB model will cost $1,079. Then there’s the Apple TV. The remote might be the best thing about Apple TV. It’s small, sleek and contains Bluetooth support and a touchpad to live for. The Siri app is even more far out. I saw a demonstration where the man said comedy. Apple TV immediately downloaded all the comedies available to him. There are so many apps here I don’t know where to begin. Don’t expect Apple TV to come cheap. They closed with multi platinum selling pop group One Republic.
Obviously, I can’t cover everything about this conference. So you can click here to watch the whole conference. And it was a great one. But here comes the big challenge: turning this conference into sales in the months to come. Will people buy this Apple TV over competitors like Amazon? Are people willing to pay anywhere from $750-1,080 for iPad Pro? Will Siri make you sorry you ever invested in your new Apple TV? Apple has talked the talk. They set the expectation bar high. Can they walk the walk?
The United States and United Kingdom aren’t the only nations embracing the Uber craze. One of the fastest growing economies in the world is joining the movement.
Uber expands in China. This ride-hailing app will expand to over 100 Chinese cities over the next year. That’s double of what Uber’s goals were just a few months ago. Chief Executive Travis Kalanick ?made this known in a speech in Beijing. Over four billion dollars were raised in a short time to make this happen. And now it’s happening by leaps and bounds. “When we started this year, we were about one percent market share. Today, nine months later, we’re looking at about 30 to 35 percent market share,” Kalanick said of Uber growth in China. Uber executives and investors bank heavily on China’s online transport market to become the biggest and most lucrative of them all. They’re even welcoming the Chinese government’s new regulations. That’s a far cry from other nations Uber has invaded (no pun intended). Kalanick spoke of the importance of a good relationship with China’s Internet services. Kalanick bragged about China’s ahem…’progressive’… government and services. This showering of praise came right after the Chinese Internet search leader demonstrated a smartphone finding services on it’s own with no human assistance.
Okay, China is the fastest growing economy in the world. In a few years, it might be the top economy in the world, whether we Americans like it or not. But look at the way Kalanick is kissing up to Chinese officials. I don’t remember Uber leaders rolling out the red carpet to other nations. I wonder how the Chinese people will respond to Uber. In the US and UK, Uber has done well. Uber has also been met with massive resistance from San Francisco all the way to London. No wonder why Kalanick is kissing up to China. Will it work?
Here and there, I’ve talked about how only a small handful of mega corporations are dominating the smartphone industry. To an extent, that’s true. But there’s a secret horse that’s catching up.
This is where the ZTE invasion comes in. You can find them in AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile stores in a neighborhood near you. It’s just going to take a little more effort. That’s because the ZTE Maven doesn’t sale as high as say, the iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 could costs you over $700. A ZTE Maven will only cost you $60! That’s right: It’s a smartphone that cost less than dinner for two at a fancy restaurant. And that’s not even ZTE’s cheapest brand. Some sale for as low as $30. This Chinese backed company is supported by all of the major phone carriers except Verizon (refer to second sentence in this paragraph). And low cost smartphones prove to be a highly successful market. In second quarter 2015, ZTE got approximately 8 percent of the American smartphone pie. That’s double of what ZTE got in first quarter 2014, just last year. It’s now the fourth largest smartphone market in the US behind Apple, Samsung and LG. But even ZTE is trying it’s hand at the expensive smartphone game. Back in July 2015, ZTE released Axon Pro. That will run you $450, but that’s far lower than most high end smartphones.
What ZTE is doing is extremely smart. Yes, they keep telling us the economy is getting better. Yet many Americans are still struggling. ZTE understands this, while rival companies continue to cater to the rich and privileged. This is while ZTE’s momentum is growing. I wonder why Verizon won’t carry them? When someone finds out, please let me know. Keep in mind ZTE is a China based company. When is an American smartphone company going to cater to the economically challenged?
Another school year is upon us. In much of the country, it’s already started. Do you or your kids need a tech boost to help make the As and Bs and avoid the Fs and Ds?
Here are some apps that can help. Is foreign language on the schedule course this year? Duolingo can help. This free app creates courses and lesson plans for 23 different languages. For example, there are four pictures and you’re asked to match which English word matches with picture, which is in the language you’re studying. This app is for all ages and can be addictive. It’s a lot more fun than sitting in the classroom breaking down the verb ‘etre’. ?Have you been assigned a research paper? EasyBib can help. It helps you create citations and bibliographies. There’s one version that helps you choose from 7,000 bibliography styles, from MLA to APA to Chicago. Do you need help in organizing your academic and social life (and in this busy and chaotic age, who doesn’t)? The My?Homework App can help. Geared for the high school and college crowd, it does everything from track class schedules to gather contact information. Then there’s Quizlet. This is the ultimate study app. This free app gives you study tools like flash cards, practice tests, and educational games.
Obviously, there are many, many more educational apps to choose from. The world has changed so very much since I went to school, even college. The best app we had was the library. But now, with these and so many other apps, there’s no excuse for our kids not to do well. You can’t say, “They’re too expensive”. The apps I mention are either free or nearly free. Take advantage of them. With back to school apps, this should be the most educated and knowledgeable generation of all-time. And in many ways, it already is. So what subject do you need a back to school app for?
We at Computer Geeks would like to wish everyone going back to school, and their parents, a very happy and successful upcoming school year.
There’s a lot I could talk about today. I could talk about the release of Ashley Madison data. I could talk about former Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle’s well deserved fall from grace. But I found one statistic that intrigued me.
That statistic is about how Android and Apple dominate smartphones. Over the last two years, a whopping 96.8% of all smartphones sold have been either Apple or Android backed devices. So far in 2015, Windows phone got 2.5 percent of the market, Blackberry got 0.3 percent and the rest got 0.4 percent. Over 329 million smartphones were sold over the past three months. Over 319 million of those either had an Apple or Android logo. Experts suggests the smartphone market has reached it’s peak maturity phase. China has reportedly reached cell phone capacity. Not to mention China’s economy is teetering on the brink. In fact, economies around the world are slipping. Look at Greece. Look at our own stock market recently. Maybe that explains why smartphone sales are dwindling. Experts suggest concentrating on both ends of economic extremes, luxury buyers and economy class buyers, is the only thing keeping smartphones sells afloat. But wait…both Android and Apple dominate both sectors.
There’s a part of me that’s wants to congratulate Apple and Android for building such mega prosperous smartphone conglomerates. But I‘m also concerned this is leading to smartphone monopoly. When two billion dollar companies own almost 97% of an entire market, that’s not good for competition. Competition is always good for a free market economy. It keeps prices fair and it keeps bigger companies accountable. Remember, when any corporation gets too big to fail, they’re often too big to care. Also, there could be a struggling entrepreneur somewhere who wants to build the next great smartphone. Going up against the two biggest companies in the world could easily discourage this up and coming entrepreneur. What are some other reasons why monopolies are bad for business, and bad for society in general?
