In part one of SD memory cards: Tips, hints and why you need one, we went over the basics of SD cards regarding storage size, speed, which ones you can buy, and the different types of these great storage devices.
In part 2 we’ll give some insights on accessories for SD cards, what to avoid when buying one, how to spot fakes, and general advice on how to take care of them.
SD card adapters
While it isn’t obvious at first, an accessory named an SD card reader is an essential gadget if you want to move, store, and write data to and from your computer. These devices don’t cost much and the multi-readers are compatible with just about every type of SD card sold on the market. These card readers usually range in price from $4 and up. More...
Let’s face it, part of the enjoyment of owning a good mobile phone is using it to play games. You can grab a quick fun session while waiting for your boyfriend/girlfriend to finish shopping, while attending a boring lecture or the famous “checking email” maneuver when sitting in a lomg company meeting. Oh, you can play any other time too!
Our list will cover the most popular ones plus a few that you may or may not have heard of before, but as far as fun factor, they rank right up there with the biggies.
Any Rovio game
For newbies, the game developer Rovio doesn’t mean much, but to half a billion people around the globe, it means one thing: Angry Birds! These games are simple physics-based action puzzles featuring various birds with special powers.
They are launched from a slingshot and barrel into various obstacles in order to eliminate dastardly green piggies, free other birds or perform acrobatics in space. Various iterations of Angry Birds include the original title, Seasons, Rio, Space, Angry Birds Star Wars, and Angry Birds Friends.
Other fun titles from Rovio include Amazing Alex and Bad Piggies More...
Usually, this type of hype and excitement about the launch of a new smartphone is usually reserved for iPhones, but “the times are a-changin’” and HTC’s One has created a buzz that even Apple would be envious of.
It’s here!
T-Mobile announced today on its website that “the one you’ve been waiting for” is finally here. And that “one” is HTC’s One flagship smartphone. Preliminary reviews of this device have been very high, and users have been anxiously waiting for its arrival.
Even some who would never even consider purchasing an HTC phone are looking forward to getting their hands on one, and there are good reasons for this; the HTC One is a stunning looking smartphone that has features that will make any gadget fan happy. More...
When thinking about purchasing a new mobile phone, most people like to compare different models from all the manufacturers in order to gauge which ones are the best. Each company has a “flagship” phone or in other words, a device which represents the best it has to offer.
In this article we’ll present the flagship phones from some of the most popular companies in the industry and give a brief synopsis on each device.
Which one is the best out of all of them? For that answer, we’ll leave that up to you because everyone has different needs, tastes, and preferences. But what we can do is to showcase what’s out there so you can make the right choice. More...
Although it may seem odd to those who live and breathe cell phones, some people want simple mobile phones. Some scenarios include those who only need them to call for help in case of emergency, individuals who are baffled by high tech but like the idea of having a mobile phone, and for those who just want something simple and low cost.
But with current phones that sport quad and even eight core processors, it is increasingly difficult to find plain vanilla devices. But they are out there and we’ll list a few of them for those who want to get one for their mom, dad, aunt or uncle.
Flip phones
The flip phone (“Beam me up Scotty”) was the prevalent style only a few years ago, but has almost been totally replaced by iPhone-styled devices from virtually all cell phone manufacturers. Interestingly enough, many of the simple mobile phones available today incorporate the flip phone design—go figure. More...
As a company expands, its needs for cutting edge technology also grow, and the eventual phasing out of old electronics will eventually happen.
BuyMyTronics, part of the GameStop network, understands this and has just launched its Enterprise Buyback Program to address the issue of recycling old devices, which will help to cut down the e-stream, and also benefit businesses, both large and small, by recouping part of the purchase price of their decommissioned electronics.
The way it works
The lifeblood of any successful corporation is effective business communication. Employees use mobile phones, tablets, and laptops to process orders, contact clients, generate marketing campaigns, and a host of other essential functions important to the growth of a company. More...
Wireless retail stores can increase their point of sales revenue by implementing a new mobile web-based application, newly launched by BuyMyTronics--a part of the GameStop network, which can help sales reps to instantaneously quote current trade in values for used tablets or cell phones. The new service is called TIMS or Trade In Management System.
How it works
Customers who walk into wireless retail stores are often looking to purchase a new mobile phone. But what do they do with their old phones? This is where the genius of BuyMyTronics’ TIMS program enters the scene.
A sales rep can show customers what new mobile products may be a good fit for them, but now they can sweeten the deal by using the TIMS program to find out what sort of trade in value they can get for used phones or tablets. The TIMS app shows the cash value for thousands electronics, and displays the most current information with just a few clicks. More...
Since the iPhone first launched in 2007, the device has taken the world by storm and has been a consistent top seller in the smartphone industry. But in spite of the popularity of the iPhone throughout the years, Apple’s competitors have been constantly challenging the iPhone for market share.
We’ll go over some of these alternatives to the iPhone and give a quick overview of each one, their advantages, and who may want to purchase them.
Samsung Galaxy S4
Of all of Apple’s rivals, Samsung is the one company that gives Apple the most worries because of the South Korean smartphone manufacturer’s constant drive to overtake Apple as the world’s number one phone company.
For anyone looking for a solid performer in smartphones, the new upcoming Galaxy S4 is something to definitely look at, literally, because it sports a huge Super AMOLED 5-inch HD screen. The display has 16 million colors available at its beck and call, and a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels for super sharp detail, color, and contrast.
If you are someone who wants to use a smartphone as a primary way to view video content, for playing video games or surfing the Internet, the Galaxy S4 fits the bill nicely. More...
Every year the electronics industry comes together to show off all of the advancements made, and to share in the celebration of innovation, technology, and cutting edge inventions. They call it CES. For the second year in a row, BuyMyTronics made the trek to Las Vegas to see what the future of electronics will have to offer, as well as learn more about what great eco-friendly products will be entering the market very shortly. Here are some of our highlights from our visit.
More...
By Frank Ling
Getting a cool new smartphone is great, but there are additional charges that aren’t always apparent, especially for individuals who have never owned one of these devices before--wireless carriers require a mandatory data plan with the purchase of a smartphone, and these fees can range anywhere from $30 a month or substantially more.
There are “unlimited data plans” offered but as we’ll see, many of them aren’t really unlimited at all, but have serious restrictions. We’ll try to lift the fog on these plans and see which ones are really unlimited.
What’s a data plan?
A data plan is a service you buy from the wireless carrier that enables you to connect to the Internet with your smartphone. You can surf the web, watch videos, listen to music, shop on the Internet, view content, and just about anything else you’d be able to do on an Internet connected computer – just on a smaller scale.
Data plan prices
Data plan prices vary according to the amount of bandwidth or data you want to use per month. A basic 2GB per month plan will allow you to watch 2 HD movies, 5 hours of TV shows or download 41 music albums. These plans start at around $30 per month from most carriers. More...
By Frank Ling
As everyone knows, mobile phones aren’t just for making calls – they’ve evolved into devices that help us to do tasks such as schedule our week, remind us of events, surf the web, take photos, shop online, and of course, play games!
We've selected some of our top picks for mobile phone games and hope that you'll get as much fun out of these as we do. But we never play these games during work or school hours, right? (wink, wink)
Angry Birds
The game Angry Birds has the distinction of being the most popular game app in history with over 500,000 downloads. It only takes a minute to learn but the game has such an assortment of fun physics-based puzzles that you can literally spend days in trying to solve some of the more challenging levels.
Gameplay is simple: slingshot various birds to crash into green pigs and other baddies. There is a selection of different types of birds for each version of Angry Birds, each one possessing a unique power. Some act as bombs, others can split up into several smaller birds, and one even blows itself up like a balloon. More...
By Frank Ling
As new models for smartphones come out every few months, the costs of owning one of these cool devices may seem out of some people’s price range and budgets. But not all is lost because you can buy a good one for just under $50, believe it or not.
iPhone 4
If you don’t mind last year’s tech but still want to own one of Apple’s most successful products, you can pick up an iPhone 4 for the price of $49.99 with a two-year contract, and applicable data plan through Best Buy stores.
The iPhone 4 has an abundant supply of features for any potential smartphone customer. It has a great easy to use interface, is relatively speedy, fun to use, and has access to the iTunes store where tens of thousands of apps are available for downloading.
Some of the tech specs for the 8GB iPhone 4 model are its super-sharp Retina display, 3.5-inch touchscreen, 960x640 resolution, 7-14 hours of talk time, up to 300 hours of standby time, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, 8GB storage, 5-megapixel camera, LED flash, HD video, and 1 GHz Cortex-A8 processor. More...
By Frank Ling
At one time or another you’ve probably heard about devices called unlocked phones. If you’ve wondered what they are, what unlocked phones do, and where to get one, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ll give you information about how much they cost, who may need one, and what the benefits of owning one are. So if you want the key to finding out what unlocked phones are all about, keep on reading!
Two standards
Mobile phones that can be connected to different wireless carriers are called unlocked phones. These phones accept SIM cards from any mobile phone company as long as they operate on compatible mobile networks. About 99% of the world operates on the GSM network standard.
In the U.S. the major wireless carriers that operate on GSM are AT&T and T-Mobile, while Verizon and Sprint run on the CDMA network. All unlockable phones are GSM phones and use SIM cards, while CDMA phones do not.
On the flip-side locked phones are devices that are "locked" to only one wireless carrier and cannot be switched to another company. So if you own an AT&T locked phone, it cannot operate on T-Mobile, Verizon, or any other network except AT&T. Virtually all mobile phones sold by wireless carriers are locked. More...
By Frank Ling
Many of us don’t give a second thought to how we carry around our mobile phones. They’re usually tucked away in a pocket where they’re susceptible to all types of damage from loose change, house keys, and other objects. Purses also contain their own little shop of horrors to mar and scratch cell phones.
Tablets fare a little better because most users buy an aftermarket case or screen protector. But after a while, the care for a new device starts to get more casual and the dings and dents start to accumulate.
Keep your machine clean and pristine
The thought of keeping our electronics neat and clean isn’t the highest priority for a lot of us, but the benefits of doing so can mean extra cash in your pocket when you trade them in. All it takes is a little care, a few dollars of investment, and a little foresight on what these preventive measures can do for you.
Buy an outer shell
Whether you have a tablet or a mobile phone, a small investment in the purchase of a protective case covering can not only help you to preserve the new look of your device, it can also save it from minor damage related to slippery fingers syndrome or the occasional accidental drop. More...
By Frank Ling
If you want to see some sparks fly among dedicated gamers and smartphone users, just mention that smartphones are as good as handheld game consoles for gaming---you’ll witness some intense debates on the subject and in some cases, perhaps a bit of yelling, too.
To clear the air, we’ll try to give a general overview of the two types of devices and make a determination on which one wins in terms of being the best portable mobile video game platform.
Handheld game consoles
When it comes to these types of gaming machines, Nintendo rules the pack as far as the selection of different models. They range from the standard versions such as the DS Lite to Nintendo’s crowning achievement, the 3DS, which offers three-dimensional graphics that pop right out of the screen without wearing special glasses.
Sony offers three handheld gaming machines; the Sony PSP ( PlayStation Portable) that allows gamers to play from Sony’s library of old and new games; the PSP Go, a smaller edition of the PSP; and the recently launched Sony Vita that sports a quad-core processor, super-fast performance, 3G connectivity, and other upgrades.More...