Friday, 16 March 2012

Amazon Kindle Fire, Google TV and other great gadgets for 2012 - Computers - Software

It is almost the end of another year. "What better time to look at gadgets that could help your business in 2012? No longer are the business gadgets just restricted to a new laptop or iPhone but a plethora of gadgets that deliver real function, not gimmicks" "In this article we look at a number of gadgets to help your business" What did we miss? What gadgets will you are looking at next year?

The new Kindle is officially 'on fire', set to take the 2nd spot in the tablet wars, behind the iPad2 and ahead of Android powered tablets and the Blackberry Tablet. "At 7 the Kindle is bigger than the iPhone" smaller than the iPad. "The screen size is good for reading emails and basic web browsing, not so good for reading magazines"

Like the iPhone or iPad, creating documents or writing emails is fine but not do well for long form document writing or creating. "The Kindle works as a great media consumption tool - with access to the Kindle store you can purchase and download magazines, books, music and videos from the vast Amazon store" "With email support you can easily read and respond to emails on the go and the web browser allows you to keep up to date with your sites"

"Based on an Android operating system, the Kindle Fire also has its own app store allowing you to download form a large, but slightly limited range of apps" No Drop box or Spotify on here yet. With your own assigned email address, the Kindle allows you to send articles and documents to it so you can read these on the go too.

The Kindle Fire can work in the UK right now but with severe limitations. Access to the app store and content is strictly US based making it hard to easily use without a few tricks up your sleeve. Larger than the iPhone, it allows you more room to easily read documents and emails, slightly smaller than the iPad means it is harder to read image heavy documents or magazines. The lightweight and tactile design will make it a serious contender for business use when it launches here (hopefully) next year.

2 Apple iPhone Micro USB AdapterThe smallest of our gadgets in the list, but one of the most essential. With the release of the iPhone 4, Apple also released this clever little adapter. Converting a Micros USB adaptor to an Apple connection. The Micro USB is increasingly the default wire for charging mobile 'phones so this little connector works brilliantly if you don't have the full charging lead to hand or you operate more than one 'phone.

3 Power GorillasKeeping 'phones and laptops charged whist traveling has to be one of the biggest issues for modern mobile business, which is why I never travel without my Power Gorilla. An odd name for a handy gadget, this is simply a large flat-shaped battery pack charging any mobile device you connect it to. The pack, twice the size of an iPhone and about the same depth, works to charge anything through a USB connection and a pack of included connectors. It can also power laptops with the connection of a mag safe adaptor (like you have on airplanes) for extra.

Lasting for days of mobile charging, the Power Gorilla is an essential gadget for any business traveler. Priced over 100 it is an expensive item but the market for additional batteries and emergency charging is set to be big this Christmas, with companies including Duracell offering low cost 'emergency chargers' which can help you out of a tight spot.

4 Jam boxMost smart phones come with speakerphone capability, but have you ever tried grouping five executives around a handset? Sadly it fails to work effectively because it is too quiet or the sound quality is not good enough. Jam box is a small compact speaker from Jawbone, the makers of premium Bluetooth headsets. The Jam box is a small compact speaker using Bluetooth to connect to your 'phone. It will then become your speaker offering greater sound quality for those important calls. The Jam box is small enough to fit into a laptop bag (or beach bag) for easy transportation, amplifying anything you wish to share from your phone.

5 Google Chrome bookWhen Google launched their Chrome book concept, they asked, "why do you bother waiting to load up your computer only to go straight online and check your emails? Why not go straight to emails and skip loading everything you don't need.' And so the Chrome book was born. A laptop that has no operating system, loading straight to web browser (Chrome) allowing you to check your Google Mail, search on Google and experience the web as if you were on a normal computer, without Solitaire.

"The first generation of Chrome books launched in the UK during the autumn" The first books are slightly lighter than your average laptop and load far quicker, logging you straight into a Google account. From there, all of your content will be accessed through cloud based apps (preferably, but not exclusively through Google.)

So, when once you wrote documents on word and saved them to your desktop, you now edit them in Google Docs and save them to your Google storage. The browser can be extended to perform most other tasks through its Chrome Extensions and access to the Chrome Store.

If you are used to using Google Docs or Google Apps (as featured in last month's article) you will find this normal procedure. If you are not, it may take a little getting used to.

As with many first generation products, the physical aesthetics could be nicer, but that will change in time.

6 Google TVAn increasing global trend is the rise of parallel media consumption on the television and on a 'second screen'. Usually a mobile device or tablet whilst watching TV has been the standard form of two screen consumption but this may change in 2012. John Lewis have reported that 80% of their large screen TV sales will be connected, meaning sets that have Internet access and a basic set of social apps.

In 2012 we expect to see Google TV launch in the UK and with it a full app store. Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Google suggests 'most' TVs will have Google TV capability by the end of 2012.

To date the Google TV and its competitor the Apple TV have been quite lacklustre, allowing big screen media consumption with side by side app use (Google) or streaming from content from the cloud or your iPhone (Apple.)

The Google TV update will bring the full Google Market app store to your television allowing all the interaction and app use currently experienced on the Android phone or tablet. This becomes important as the Google TV could replace the boardroom computer which can deliver presentations, interaction without missing a minute of Bloomberg.

7 KinectBelieve it or not, the Microsoft Kinect has a business use. The motion sensor that has us jumping around like loons could well end up in the boardroom. The Kinect Effect is the latest Microsoft launch to bring Kinect to the classroom and into the office. A new competition offers app developers up to 20,000 to develop apps that extend the Kinect possibility. In a new video to promote the Kindle Effect, Microsoft shows applications including a Tedesys system allowing surgeons in Spain to gesture their way through patient records during surgery, the use of a Kindle to encourage rehabilitation exercises at and a virtual showroom for Toyota cars. Think Minority Report not Dance Central and you will have an idea of the business potential.


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