The Android Switch

Lessons on Abandoning the iPhone

The Apple legion is so powerful that it is almost sacrilege to even know of someone who willingly abandoned his iPhone for its archenemy- an Android device. But the idea isn’t all wrong. The Android may be a fragmented operating system, but considering the strong advances it is taking this year and the opulent choices of Android-powered devices in the smartphone industry, we see hope for Google in this messy techosphere.

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Although I am not a total renegade of the Apple cult (I still believe that iOS is a better mobile ecosystem than Android), I can’t deny the fact that Android is slowly climbing up Apple’s high throne, and closing in on the differences between their distinct features and elements. The question is: Can you still gracefully leave the realms of Apple’s dominion without letting go of the nifty services you don’t want to sever your ties with, say the iCloud, iTunes, and AirPlay?

Generally, these services work well with iDevices like the MacBook, the iPhone, the iPad and etc. They make sharing and storing files instantaneous. But if you’re only abandoning the iPhone, and not your iPad or your MacBook Air, let me assure you that switching to an Android device like the Samsung Galaxy S III, the HTC One X, or the Sony Xperia T is easy breezy.

If you replace your Apple iPhone with an Android handset, some services- though perhaps not as competitive as Apple’s services- can replicate their basic functions. Consider, for example, the Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and Gmail. If ecosystem is paramount to your standards, I suggest that you don’t leave Apple. But if you’re not particular to the system, and only use it on rare occasions, a Google service should be fine.

At first, a Google phone can alienate you because of a practically new way of dealing with apps- the diversity, and the support. But after a little tinkering, you will find that the system is really majestic. Not to mention, it is way cheaper than an iDevice. Because Android programs are open-sourced, you can enjoy the smorgasbord of cool and exciting apps from Google and third-party app developers.

If you want a cheap yet fantastic smartphone experience, and don’t have qualms walking out of Apple’s biome, then I urge you to go ahead and seek what phone you really want. And just in case you don’t have the money to make the switch, you can sell used iPhone at Cashforsmartphones and get cold hard cash for your device.

When you visit www.cashforsmartphones.com, you can easily sell used iPhone without thinking about whether it is legit or not: The website bears the industry certification logos and thousands of online sellers can attest to the exceptional service of the site. It offers free shipping of the device, and the online quote is simply fantastic.

With Cashforsmartphones, the Android switch has never been easier!

Bop to the Top: iOS 6 VS Jelly Bean (Part 1)

It is basic knowledge that Apple and Android are arch enemies. Both companies have taken the battle to the next level. They take their patents so seriously that they have reached out to the courts to settle the cases for patent infringements. However, the real battle is in their software. Apple prides itself with their latest OS, the iOS 6 while Google spotlights their latest OS, the Android Jelly Bean. Android smartphones have been on top. iPhone 5 is selling fast, while Android phones continue to dominate the smartphone industry. Who of the two operating systems reigns supreme? Who takes the crown for supremacy?

Image Credit: www.androidauthority.com

Apps and Games
Apps and games are what make the smartphones a phenomenon. Without these, you can’t really imagine the smartphone of today. Apps and games highly depend on the phone’s operating systems and the system itself. If the OS only offers certain kinds of apps, then you are limited to only that. It was noted earlier that the iOS has a better and bigger library of games available for its users compared to Android. Most developers prefer making apps and games for iOS rather than Android. Why so? First, the iOS has a lot of hardware fragmentation that means more choices for consumers. Second, iOS users are more than willing to pay for apps compared to Android users. In a survey recently done a few months ago, two-thirds of Android user never spent a cent on apps. However, the trend may change and Android app developers are optimistic that Android users may spend more for apps.

For this time, iOS takes a step up while Android has many things to catch up on.

Maps vs Maps
Ahem. It’s more than obvious who takes the step up. Google’s Maps is much better than Apple’s. If you don’t know why, then you must have been using Apple Maps. Is Apple Maps’ Street View cooler? Yes, only if it works. Google Map’s navigation is better even though Jelly Bean separates Google Maps as an app. It even works if you’re offline or outside the Wi-Fi zone. You can also ask for public transit and walking directions without having to deal with overly distorted images (like on Apple Maps).

Without further ado, Android is a step beyond Apple’s surrealistic map.

Hangouts vs. Facetime
The equalizer is here. Both the iOS 6 and Jelly Bean have excellent video-chats. These apps are both proprietary but if you’re chatting across platforms, you’ll probably want to use Skpe.
Android and Apple are in a head-to-head battle now.

Social Integration and Notifications
This is very close to call the winner in this round. Jelly Bean’s email notifications are superb, but so is having notifications pushed to the lock screen. Apple may have borrowed Android’s notification-drawer but both have great finishing touched in their Facebook and Twitter apps respectively. iOS 6 still handles Facebook and Twitter well but its APIs are certainly more restricted. On the other hand, Android’s democratic APIs make it easy to share apps no matter how obscure it is.

Who takes the lead? It’s Android certainly.

Not enough? Part two of this sizzling fight between two OS giants is coming right up.

But before that, you might want to visit Cashforsmartphones.com to trade your iOS phone to Android phone or vice versa.

Three Mundane Things That the iPhone Can Now Do for You

Life truly has changed because of technology. The things you couldn’t do with your cellular phone before can now be done with a smartphone. Aside from being able to text and call people easily, smartphones like the Apple iPhone can now also serve as your cookbook, camera, map and virtual assistant. But aside from all these important features, did you know that your iPhone can do even the most mundane things in your household? I’m not fooling you here; I bet you’d even trade your cell phone if a new iPhone could…

Open Doors Remotely 

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Too lazy to get up and open the door for your roommate who always forgets her keys inside the apartment? That’s alright; you can simple open the door using your iPhone! Gone are the days of locks and keys. Apparently, some great genius thought of creating an iPhone app and NFC enabled casing that will allow your iPhone to control the door with just a few taps. Lockitron is a smartphone app and peripheral that uses Bluetooth, NFC and Wi-Fi to control door locks. All you have to do is to install the Lockitron device around your door’s cylindrical deadbolt and create an account on the app to access the door. The app even senses whether the user is near the door or not, this way you’ll never have to fish for keys in your bag while standing stupidly outside your door. The good thing is that you can now sell iPhone 4 because the company recently announced that it will be available on the iPhone 5 soon!

Turn Off Lights and Appliances

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 Forgetful people would also be glad to know that they can turn off all the electronic devices they left on even when they are out of the door. Just like Lockitron, Elphi also requires a peripheral and an app to function. Basically, the smart plug that works with the app is used to control all the electronic devices in your house as well as monitor all power consuming activities inside the house. So if you’re on your way to work and you can’t seem to remember if you unplugged your hair curler, all you have to do is to check your app to see if it’s been unplugged and if not, you can easily turn it off through your iPhone!

Play Music to Remote Stereos Without Docks and Connectors

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 This one’s pretty easy, and you’ve probably hear of it before. Die hard Apple fans have probably tried using Remote, Apple’s very own Wi-Fi dependent app that allows control over all your Apple devices inside the house. Through a shared iTunes, you can play music by sending songs to your Airplay speakers and Apple TV without having to connect docks and wires. Aside from sending out music for other Apple devices, you’ll also be able to control the volume remotely using your iPhone and even type using your iPhone to be seen on your Mac monitor.

However, you probably have to sell cell phone so you can buy other Apple gadgets if you don’t have any.

Cleaning Up the iPhone Clutter

The iPhone 5 is in our hands. The world’s thinnest smartphone has been released with a promising start. People have warmly welcomed it, generating more sales for Apple. The iPhone 5 not only brings progress to its eco-friendly designs and better performance, it also brings Apple’s latest smartphone OS, the iOS 6. With the latest addition to the family, the iOS 6 doesn’t only conform to iPhone 5’s rapid speed but also has better and new apps. That would surely excite users from all over the world. Since the iPhone 5 has promised to be an improved version of the former iPhones, it is packed with what iOS 6 can offer best. It may be the best chance for selling used cell phone and buying the latest iPhone.

Apple’s senior vice president of iOS, Scott Forstall promises the iOS 6 will bring 200 new features. This includes the amplified powers of Siri and the multi-faceted Facebook apps that allows you do to video calls on Facebook. Is your phone ready for that big leap? Or are you just leaping without looking? Or would you just probably sell used smartphone in order to solve everything? The iOS 6 may be used as long as the eligible requirements are met.

But, if you want things to be better, here are some tips for the readily-excited users of the iOS 6:

Trim down some apps

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Assessing your apps may be a good way of saving more memory space. At this time, you know exactly which of your current apps need to be deleted or not. Others may have numerous apps that are less likely to be used.

So, trimming some will not only save you memory space but also helps you get ready for the new iOS 6. Since the newer OS consumes much space, the best you can do is trim down all those unnecessary apps.

Backing up is good

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Backing up your info has twice the benefits. When you store you data in the computer over Wi-Fi, you may back things up in iCloud. You’ll get unlimited storage for all your techy stuffs from purchased music, movies, apps, and books. Simply go to your ‘iPhone Settings,’ then ‘iCloud.’ Once there, you go to ‘Storage & Backup,’ you scroll to the bottom of the page and select ‘Backup.’

As long as your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and a power source, the backup files will appear automatically even when your screen is locked. The second part is backing things up to iCloud. You initially get 5GB storage for all the things you want to store.

That’s more than just buying a smartphone. iCloud would be more than happy to store things when you change the phone’s settings to where it will store all data. It’s like cloud 9 on the iPhone. iCloud will be stored as long as the iPhone is connected to a power source. It will still appear even if you leave it overnight.

Organize what’s left

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Once you have trimmed down your apps and stored what’s necessary, all you need to do is organize what’s left. You don’t want your Home Screen Page to be messy. Start making folders to categorize your apps accordingly. The iOS will suggest names according to the app that is stored in a specific folder. For your most-used apps, try to place them in a corner of your home screen so you don’t have to skim throughout your folders. With that, you can tell what is in it or not.

You iPhone is ready for iOS 6. But, at least your iPhone has been purged of useless apps. So try to sell cell phone online at Cash for Smartphones and clean things up a bit.

New Lumia Phones At Large

The Success of the Microsoft-Nokia Merger

The technology arena has only been kind to the real superpowers. It doesn’t show mercy to the tech firms whose enterprising skills are outdated and whose principles are namby-pamby. It has been good to Apple Inc.; nice to Samsung or HTC; but phlegmatic to Microsoft and Nokia. These last two companies have not gotten much popular attention especially in the smartphone industry.

But they are now out to grab their chance for redemption.

Image Credit: www.phandroid.com

On Wednesday, the two tech firms decided to join forces and unveiled a new Lumia phone that hosts the latest Windows Operating System. The New York conference introduced Nokia and Microsoft’s Lumia 920- a new breed of high-end smartphone featuring the incredible camera technology of Nokia 808 Pureview and a wireless battery-charging capability.

As a matter of fact, the event served as an avenue to introduce two new smartphones: The Lumia 920 and the Lumia 820. The latter, however, was briefly presented as it was just a mid-priced handset with exchangeable covers (something old Nokia cell phones could do before they got kicked into oblivion). The highlight of the inauguration was the Lumia 920.

According to Jo Harlow, Nokia’s executive vice-president, the Lumia 920 is currently the most innovative smartphone in the world. She said that the phone takes pictures and captures videos of better quality despite the presence of low light. It also includes Nokia’s mapping database (which we hope is better than Google Maps and Apple’s homegrown mapping services embedded in its iOS), that provides maps for 200 countries.

It is universally known that in the late 90’s to the early 20’s, Nokia was the biggest phone manufacturer in the world. Samsung then usurped this feat from Nokia. Today, the Finland-based tech giant aims to achieve a strong foothold in the smartphone market using its Lumia phones as its mighty arsenal. Nokia attempted to make a gigantic wave this year when it released the Lumia 900 on AT&T, which cost around $100 along with a 2-year bond. In fairness to them, both Nokia and AT&T worked their asses off to provide a promotional campaign worthy of some reckoning. But efforts were still futile; sales were less than stellar.

The company also demonstrated a new feature called Nokia City Lens that allows users to point the camera at restaurants, food chains, and other local businesses and see reviews and recommendations above the image.

Microsoft also grabbed the opportunity to rehash its tools in Windows Phone 8. One feature is to be able to stitch together several photos into a panorama through PhotoSynth. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s Chief Executive, said the new Lumia phones portend a great year for the Windows OS.

According to him:

"This is a year for Windows. All of the devices are designed to be beautiful and functional, to work for you in your personal life and your professional life."

He was referring to the firm possibility that phones, tablets and PCs will soon run Windows 8.

The companies, however, have not divulged the prices nor the exact release dates of these new phones, but left a reassuring word that they’re going to be out before the year ends.

Will the new Lumia phone really dramatically salvage the apathetic condition of Windows phones, now that iPhone 5 is just around the corner? We'll never know then.. So, for you to not get drowned with the left and right new smartphone releases, better yet ask yourself..  Will I sell my cell phone for a new smartphone?

The iPhone Through the Years

A Showcase of iPhone pictures from its humble beginnings
Let’s take a look at the iPhone’s legacy through pictures.

Original iPhone: January 9, 2007
The first iPhone was declared on January 9, 2007, at Macworld in San Francisco, California and was released on June 29, 2007 in the United States. The phone was accessible in both 4GB and 8GB storage capacities, with the original 8GB iPhone for the price of $600.

Many would-be customers were enraged at the phone's expensive price tag so Apple plunged it down after several months. Then, the company offered a $100 store credit to early iPhone users who purchased the handset during its costly days.

 

Not the Details, But the Overall Design

Are the tech consumers really confused whether it is an iPhone or a Galaxy phone? This is the conundrum that the two tech giants Apple and Samsung are battling in an international courtroom centering on product design patents and copyrights. Apple’s team believes that a lot of buyers purchase a Samsung phone thinking that it is an iPhone. Well, this can only mean two things; either Samsung voraciously copied Apple’s iconic design, or consumers aren’t really paying attention to what they buy.

Image Credit: www.mirolta.com

It could also mean that Samsung phones are the affordable ones and somehow, people wanted a taste of an Apple phone, even if only by the looks of it.

2012: The Big-Screen Smartphone Era?

Gone is the year for ‘Retina Display’ iPhones or phones which have mutant photo-capturing abilities. I welcome you to the era of ‘frigging large’ screen smartphones!

Be ready to sell used phones when your heart wants you to!

If you think you have enough reason to gloat because you have a smartphone that has a 3- to 4-inch screen, you need to think things over. Allow me to crush your pride and glory into smithereens: Kiss your darn small-screen phone goodbye because this year, we pave the way for a whole new category in the smartphone market competition: Phone-Tablet hybrids, those with really big screens.

Have You Done the Necessary Upgrade?

Last week, we celebrated the International Technology Upgrade. The question is: Did you do the necessary upgrade?

Image Credit: www.macworld.com.au

Don’t you find that entrancing? I mean, for a lot of tech consumers out there, an upgrade is a task that is usually treated with apprehension and slight trepidation. If truth be told, an upgrade is very important and it ensures that your gadget is updated to accommodate the new functions that your OS provider offers.

Performance, Features, and Looks of Your Smartphone

Are you considering an upgrade for your smartphone? Before doing that, you have to get rid of your old phone first.  The smartest way is to sell your used smartphone for cash. That way, you can have some cash for the smartphone you will buy. Of course, before selling your old device, you need to do some things first.  Check its entire interface and make sure that you have noted whatever defects or flaws it has. The functionality of each feature will affect how much you will be getting once you sell it.

When it comes to features, you should consider this rule of thumb: You should not be expecting more than what the real state of your smartphone is. This means that you get only what is appropriate for your mobile phone. There are a lot of features that a smartphone has, but there are ones that may have already decreased in value due to wear and tear.  Check for the screen, the camera, and the battery, among others. People buying your used cellphone would be very practical as to how much they will pay you, knowing these things have been used by another person.

Motorola MOTOLUXE

I was looking for a new Android Smartphone when I stumble at Motorola MOTOLUXE. It's a sleek Android handset available for a cheap price.

Image Credit: www.bestmobilenow.com

It's a lot different than most smartphones that we cansmartphones that we can see these days because this one does not have a wide screen that most smartphones has. 

Motorola is definitely still in the race, check out its specs.

Ice Cream Sandwich for Samsung Consumers

"July 10, 2012 – DALLAS – As of today, AT&T Galaxy Note™ users have access to Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and exclusive new features with the Premium Suite upgrade from Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) 1. The Premium Suite upgrade includes S Note, a new application that enhances productivity and professionalizes communications; a widget that enables one touch access to all S Memo™ features; and My Story™, an application which uses the S Pen™ to create customized greeting cards and notes."

Source: Engadget

Who got an update?

"On AT&T, Android Ice Cream Sandwich is coming for the Galaxy S II, S II Skyrocket, the Galaxy Note, Glide, Nexus S and the 8.9-inch Galaxy Tab. For Sprint, the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch is set to get the update, while Ice Cream Sandwich for the Nexus S 4G is"

 Source: PCworld

                  [GALAXY Note] Introducing Premium Suite with Ice Cream Sandwich

Are Smartphones That Important to Us?

Mobile phones have come a long way since they became available to the public almost 2 decades ago. They moved along from being a status symbol when first introduced to becoming a tool for communication to being an enabler that allowed people to do things they do in the office even when they are traveling.

Integrating different gadgets into one nifty package has become the battle cry of mobile phone manufacturers.  It started with incorporating a music player into a mobile phone.  Then the introduction of camera phones jump-started the popularity of mobile phones.  Imagine, you can take pictures of things instantly even without a separate camera because your mobile phone has already a built in one.  The convenience of it surely satisfied a lot of people.  However, given the never-ending thirst of the human race for something bigger and better than what they have, manufacturers have no choice but to innovate and a make a better mobile phone than their previous model. 

A Smartphone by Any Other Name… Isn’t an Applicable Adage to the iPhone Line (Part 2)

Last time, I talked about how I’ve wanted to sell my iPhone 3GS and replace it with the iPhone 4S. Apple’s latest release certainly has appeal, and I stated that just because the company has a particular habit with naming their iPhones, it doesn’t mean that the iPhone 4S (or for that matter, the iPhone 3GS) is a simple nominal upgrade. (Can’t understand what I’m getting at? Read my previous entry.)

So, should I go ahead and sell my old iPhone? I argue that I should (you’re welcome to follow suit), and below are more reasons why I am led to that decision.

Image Credit: pocket-lint.com

Picking the Right Phone for Your Needs

If you’re thinking of selling your phone but have no idea of what to buy for a new one, it’s okay.

We have the freedom to choose, but sometimes, freedom can be overwhelming. We are presented with plenty of choices, and sometimes we don’t know what to choose anymore. With today’s technology, every cell phone these days looks like it can be a personal computer too.

So, how does one go about in buying a cell phone anyway? Well, here are some tips you can follow to help you in deciding.

Image Credit: 123rf.com

Issues on Smartphones to Watch Out For

Apps That Withstand the Test of Time and Familiarity

Image credit: droid-life.com

As I was surfing the web one night, I came across a helpful blog that marks the difference between an application and a platform. The blogger (Franco Travostino) says that a good application never surprises while a good platform never fails to surprise. Though the analogy is meritorious, he does not claim ownership and is willing to drop attributions for the person who provides proper citation.

The Guide to the Smartphone Etiquette Ignoramus

Let me give you some ironic ways to make sure our smartphones really make us look smart. And not dumb:

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