Apple’s latest quarterly results were astounding! It was the best quarter for any technology company in history. Apple’s profits are doing nothing but rising and they have amassed a huge surplus of cash. So naturally, when you are on top, you become a target. This latest assault places partial blame on Apple for the poor working conditions and poor treatment of the people working in China building their products. However, Apple isn’t the only company using Foxconn and the technology industry is by far not the worst when it comes to worker treatment.

The NYT didn’t take aim at Microsoft, who has the Xbox built at Foxconn, when 300 workers threatened suicide over pay. They failed to point out that Sony has the Playstation built there, that HTC and Motorola both use Foxconn to make their smartphones, and Amazon’s Kindles are all built there as well. Do all of these companies get a pass because they aren’t recording record breaking profits? Why weren’t they targeted?

I’ll tell you. Bullshit headlines. The New York Times is using the oldest trick in the book. We like to call it “link bait”. They have wrapped a real problem in a grim story and made Apple the bad guy. I don’t have to tell you that corporations are amoral. What’s the goal of a company? To make money. Apple is doing just that. The suggestion that Apple should take it’s crazy money they have hoarded away and some how change the labor situation in China is completely irrational. Foxconn and companies like it work in a completely different way than we do here in the United States. We have laws, unions, and government organizations that provide protection and support for workers.

Is Apple a company or a political lobbyist? It’s not their problem to mess with how the economics work in China. Would they like to have all of their products made in the United States and still have profits close to what they have now? Sure, and I want an flying car and a lightsaber.

If the New York Times wants to write a humanitarian piece, stop pointing the finger at Apple and take a look at diamonds (like they did in 2006), oil, or freaking sneakers for crying out loud. These industries have a far higher “cost” to bringing these products to the United States.

Apple’s billions of dollars isn’t enough to Change China’s economic strategy and the way they do business. When the United States owes China over $1 Trillion, what makes you think one company could have anything to do with the way they make money?

Let me first introduce myself by a name that most of you haven’t heard in a long time. I’m Nic Ball the “Berry Guru”. Before there was a Gadget Gurus, before there ever was an Angry Guru and much before I secured my doctorate, I was simply a blackberry junkie. I walked around with my head held down and my thumbs busy typing away on a keyboard as I weaved through pedestrian traffic. It was the best of times. The smartphone market was on in it’s early childhood. We’d finally crossed over the threshold of Windows Mobile and the world was ours to take. Then the iPhone came along and started the downward slide. Android came on the scene and it was as if all the air in the room had been let out. Now here we are only a few years later but it seems like forever ago. Now here we are, RIM, the former king of the market is now the ugly red-headed step child of smart phones. What, if anything, can RIM do to save this ship?

The most obvious problem with RIM has been the total consumerization of IT. No longer are system admins able to keep everyone on an easy to manage and easy to control system without justification for that granular control. Now days CEO’s are demanding the use of an iPhone or iPad and the notion of using a BlackBerry is quickly fading away. RIM has missed out on consumer market in belief that there would always be a rock solid business market. As this layer starts to fade away we have to look at other solutions at RIM.

Management:

Let’s start with the people steering this ship. Co-CEO’s and Co-Chairmen Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have lost touch with the pulse of consumers. Being both co-CEOs and co-Chairmen of the board they dictate the agenda and answer to no one. This and their admitted success in the industry to the point of total domination before the iPhone have lead to delusional isolationism. Just one month ago Mike Lazaridis said

“These new models will build on the incredible success of the BlackBerry Curve line and further expand the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history” and “RIM has taken a unique path and the reason why we do things might not always be obvious from the outside.”

Might not be obvious? How about ‘is clearly mind boggling.’ These two would better server as CEO where they’d have the ability to kill any ideas they didn’t like, but would also be held accountable by shareholders via the board of trustees. With the threat of being canned over their head they might be more willing to try new things.

Ecosystem:

What started out as an alternative to Flash could be the answer to solving a lot of RIMs ecosystem problems. Outside of BBM there aren’t too many applications that RIM has nailed down that anyone wants to use outside of their ecosystem. RIM doesn’t have Instagram, or FaceTime or anything else Apple ‘wows’ you with. What they do have is strong developers who create apps that you would only want and know about if you already had a BlackBerry. There’s hope that more major titles will come to BlackBerry but I think there’s an easier solution. With HTML5 a company such as Instagram would be able to make a single HTML5 app that looked beautiful on PCs, Macs, Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone.

Think this is all crazy talk? Here are a few early examples.

• DeviantART Muro - HTML5 based sketch app
• Hootsuite - Social media dashboard
• Coolendar - Simple and ‘polished’ calendar app
• Grooveshark - Music service whose apps were pulled from iOS and Android markets

Hardware:

When it comes to deploying your own OS and hardware RIM hasn’t always been the worst but they’ve run into stagnation. Their phones all seem to be the same and look the same. When was the last time someone was asked “did you see the new blackberry?” Heck the last innovation this company made was the Storm, which was a flop for consumers and critics. Perhaps the solution is in licensing their OS out to the likes of HTC and or Samsung. Two companies who know how to make fresh and appealing hardware. Even Microsoft with all of its cash didn’t decide to make hardware on their own. Allowing another manufacture to develop hardware for them could really give a fresh start to RIM.

NFC:

NFC is currently in its infancy. Only one American device currently has it. If RIM were to commit to this new technology they could be the forefront of a new and developing market. RIM is already starting to dabble in this technology with their “BlackBerry Tag” protocol. If done right this could be the equivalent of BBM appeal. NFC door locks, car docks, nightstand dock, etc. It’s really a crazy and fun tech that could do so much for their bottom line.

PR:

Finally the first reason of hope I’ve had for this company in a very long time came from the following video from Ashley Esqueda. It was the first breath of fresh PR air I’ve whiffed in awhile from camp RIM.

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Now Ashley does two things well. She shows cleavage and seems to be genuinely excited about what she’s seen from RIM at CES. RIM basically we need more excitement. We don’t need some unknown DJ explaining how his eccentric life-style fits BlackBerry. Or for that part how some broke ass bike messenger uses BBM to meet up after work with his fellow broke as messenger friends.

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Apple nails this. They show “real” people using their products in “real” ways.

Conclusion:

The bottom line here is simple. RIM has a ton of ways to save their company and right this ship. The only question is whether or not they’ll be able to do any of these things. RIM has shown that over the years they’ll make the wrong choice despite what seems obvious to the rest of us.

There are a lot of thoughts rolling through my mind on all what to say in this post, hopefully I can get them out like I want. First, let me preface this whole thing with a little info about my history in mobile for those who don’t know. I love tech and trying out new operating systems. I use a lot of the main platforms frequently and have switched back and forth several times. I am currently an iPhone 4S full time user, I love Windows Phone, and like Android also. I have been using Android since it’s launch on the G1, and have used every version to date, along with multiple skinned devices. I have been called an Apple Fanboy before, I personally do not label myself that because I am honest about the products that work best for me. They just happen to be mostly Apple. If that labels me a Fanboy, then so be it.

Okay, now that you know where I am coming from, let’s talk about the Galaxy Nexus. I was really hesitant to buy the Nexus to try, knowing how hard it would be to replace my iPhone. I waited a couple of days after the release and could not pass it up any longer. I needed to get the phone and use it extensively, day in and day out. I wanted to experience Ice Cream Sandwich on Google’s flagship phone, especially since I have owned the past two Nexus phones.

Let’s start with the hardware, the phone is big just like you have heard, or seen yourself. The device is hard to use with one hand for me, but will vary for individuals. Even though the device is huge, I really like the big screen. Every time I switched the phone on I would think wow I like this screen. The resolution is good, but still when compared to the iPhone retina display, the colors do not compare in the true real color. The AMOLED displays are still very vibrant but over saturated. Even though the phone is plastic, I loved the curved screen, the notification light at the bottom, and the mysterious look that the phone has. With that said, I think a 4 inch screen is the sweet spot for me, anything more is overkill.

I love the iPhone 4S hardware but let’s be real here, I get sick of every single average Joe walking down the street having the same exact phone that I have. I know that it is a good thing that so many iPhone’s are out there but, the geek in me wants to have something different so when people see it they say, what is that phone? The Galaxy Nexus fits that bill.

Getting to the software, Ice Cream Sandwich is a really, really, nice update for Android. Love or hate the looks of it, Google has really pushed forward with the user interface on the platform. The gestures, swipes and over all look, have been improved by fifty percent across the board. Google’s apps for the most part very clean and snappy. I didn’t hardly noticed any spots on the device’s OS where I got lag, it was very fast and the animations are beautiful. I do however get a little frustrated with Google’s lack of a consistant UI across their apps. It does seem that they are trying to fix the issue, but having a constant look across apps is very nice and necessary.

The Galaxy Nexus’s camera is a weak spot for me. The camera is one of the most important parts of a phone to me. I have two daughters and like to take pictures and videos quite often. I know that when they are old and go back to look at all the pics, I want them to be in the best quality possible. Sure, I could use a full camera but that isn’t in my pocket 24/7. The iPhone 4S just outshines the Galaxy Nexus’s camera in all ways, except for quick shots. Most of the time the quick shots are blurry though, so it is pretty much a useless feature for me.

Let’s hit on the 3rd party apps. Android is no where close at all, to having the quality 3rd party apps that iOS has. The apps do not look as classy, they do not operate as well, and some won’t even work on a 3 month old released phone. I found several apps (Path, Twitter, Facebook) that the scrolling was very choppy and would stutter. It is very annoying to have a flagship Google phone, scroll down a page and see lag. It actually infuriates me. The iPhone 4S scrolls so much more smooth and the touch sensitivity (however it has improved on Android) still is better by leaps and bounds.

Siri is my newest friend. Whether you like it or think it is a waste, there is no denying that if desired, it is a killer feature and makes the future look brighter for mobile devices. Google has good speech to text dictation but I do like to option to tell Siri to remind me, get me a phone number, what is 15 x 21, etc. I think Google is on the way with this type of voice integration, and I welcome it. It makes your life so much easier when used to it’s full advantage.

Next, is being invested in an ecosystem. I have mostly Apple products in my house. They work together in harmony, I AirPlay to my Apple TV’s very often and use photostream to transfer pictures. It all works and works good. Also, having iTunes on my phone is really convenient. Yes, I know Google has other services to offer, and you can buy content through them, but it still isn’t as seamless as iTunes is with iOS.

The battery life was not horrible, but was also not great on the Nexus. My iPhone 4S will make it though a day with no problem, and the Galaxy Nexus will also if you really pay attention to your use. I do not want to fully compare these features because of the iPhone lacking LTE. For a LTE Android device it was decent, but you can chew through the battery quick if you really push it. Bottom line, I really need a phone that will last through a day with hard use if I need it to.

One last thing I will hit on is accessories. I love the fact that you can find any style case, any dock, any skin, etc, for the iPhone. You don’t ever have to search hard to find a product that fits your phone or that is compatible. Almost every factory car and aftermarket radios now come with an iPod/iPhone hook up, to charge your device and hear your music right through the audio system.

The Galaxy Nexus was a phone that I had a hard time taking back. I wanted to keep it, but the little small issues I have about Android, really start to eat on me after a while. I want a phone that works smooth and works good when I need it to, at the highest percentage of the time. Android fits the bill for most people, but for me, I am stuck on the iPhone. A phone that in my opinion is the best hardware, paired up with software, available to purchase on the market.

Today Twitter released a big update for their Android app and the iOS app (not so much the iPad though). The updates provide a new UI for both apps that are very similar in nature. They have changed Mentions to being called Connect now, combining an Interactions tab along with your Mentions.

Also included now is a Discover tab/hub, that allows you to to search hashtags or keywords, see what is trending, and also view your suggested friends. It is really nice that both Twitter and Facebook are trying to get on the same page with their apps on both platforms. Go ahead and update your apps or download them to try out the new updates, and tell us what you think?

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The What? Gravity stand is a plastic “L” shaped stand with a black piece of soft-touch silicone on the front that hold just about any mobile phone or small to medium sized gadget. The silicone is not sticky in the traditional sense that it will leave a residue on things it touches, it feels more like rubber.

The What? Gravity stand was made for phones, but we couldn’t help ourselves and put all kinds of stuff on it to see how it did. We were pretty impressed with the stand. It held just about everything we threw at it. In fact, I have made the What? Gravity a permanent fixture on my coffee table to hold my Apple remote, as I am always losing it. For around $6 on Ideas by Net, we would recommend this stand to just about everyone.

Make sure you download The Gadget Gurus App available on Android and iOS!!!

Help Support or Sponsor The Gurus

Want to get in touch with the Gurus? Leave us a voicemail at 805-69-GURUS or send us an email at podcast@thegadgetgurus.net

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Finally iOS users can get a native Gmail experience on their device! Google announced today that the Gmail app with push notifications, full inbox search, starring, archiving, and even pull down to refresh is now out for your iPhone, iPod, and iPad. The iPad interface uses the extra screen real estate and gives users a split window view. So what do you say iOS folks? Will this app keep you from the Mail client?

UPDATE: Due to a notification bug, the app has been temporarily removed. Stay tuned as they update and fix it.

via [Gmail Blog]

GarageBand is very popular software that comes installed on all Macs, and has even been available in the iOS App Store for the iPad for a while now. Today, version 1.1 was released, along with some updates it now has support for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Here is the feature list.

Create custom chords for Smart Instruments

Support for 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures

Reset song key without transposing original recordings

Transpose songs in semitones or full octaves

Additional quantization options for recordings including, straight, triplet and swing

New audio export quality settings for AAC and AIFF (Uncompressed)

Arpeggiator available in Smart Keyboard

Adjustable velocity settings for Touch Instruments

Numerous enhancements, including automatic fade out and improved audio import options

If you have already purchased the app on your iPad and you have another recent iPhone or iPod Touch, you can install the universal app on them also. So, go out and play with it, tell us what you think?

(via The Verge)

“I was talking about how up and coming film makers have access to a whole range of new technologies which expand our options as filmmakers. I mentioned that the iPhone and the Canon 5d Mk2 were devices currently used on many Hollywood productions. I used the Canon on some shots on Marvel’s The Avengers movie… Unfortunately, this was edited to read that I shot some of the film with the iPhone. This is not true.”

Being a fan of comics and mobile tech, this story could not be more cool to have read.  Seamus McGarvey, director of photography for Marvel Studios, revealed to press that parts of the upcoming blockbuster The Avengers were filmed using an iPhone! He went on to say that even the trailer contains a shot from Apple’s smartphone and that not all film work has to be expensive.

“The beauty of photography or cinema is that you make every choice based on the content at hand. On ‘The Avengers,’ I did a couple of shots on the iPhone and they are in the movie. In fact, they are in the trailer! I understand that sometimes there is no choice and you have to go for the cheapest option, but if you are limited for choice, you can still make poignant decisions that will effect the look of the film.”

via [GeekTyrant] Update Via [Gizmodo]