Anyway. Today is Boxing Day here in New Zealand, and true to the day's name, there's bound to be some adults somewhere fighting over the last heavily-reduced-in-price laptop. Reminds be of all those Black [Eye] Friday shopping stories I keep hearing about in the U.S.
Once again, I am on the opposite side of the counter to all the madness... not at Harvey Norman but at Repco, though their deals are just as mental.
Rather than go on about my work environment (co-workers are helpful and friendly), I thought I might talk about my technology wishlist this year.
I've had this fascination with tablets as of lately... when the iPad first came out there was a lot of scepticism on my part, mainly because it seemed to work (and look) like a big iPhone.
Lately though (and it's literally more apparent with the Samsung Galaxy Note) the line between phones, tablets and net books are blurring. (Note: this sentence excludes notebooks, they are still currently different and also awesome).
With Android being the tablet OS (Operating System) of choice for people that don't want to be locked in to Apple's "religion" of high prices and tech support, there's a lot more similar-looking (and cheaper!) tablets out there for the general consumer.
Now, whenever I get asked, "Which tablet should I get?", I typically reply with,
"How quickly can you adapt to new technology?".
If the answer is, "not very", stick to a tablet that has the same OS as your phone:
- iPhone: Apple (iOS)
- Most other smartphones: Android or Windows (It'll be obvious)
- Blackberry: Really? Probably Windows.
- Have a non-smartphone: Go with what your computer uses, or for something user-friendly try Apple.
And speaking of options, here's where my story comes in.
I've been looking for a tablet that can fully incorporate my phone - that is, I can still make calls and texts (SMS) on it. Luckily, such a device does exist: The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, and the Samsung Galaxy Note. Obviously the only devices capable of taking a SIM card would be the 3G versions, so I focused on them.
Before I finally narrowed it down to that stage thanks to a friend at my local Vodafone store, I was amazed how customisable the searches at PriceSpy were.
If you haven't heard of PriceSpy, it's basically a site that compares prices across multiple New Zealand retailers, showing you the cheapest options. And for those finicky people wanting exact features, you can customise every feature imaginable to narrow down your search - like the price range, screen size, or even if it has at least three USB ports. If you have a device feature wishlist and are not sure where to start, I recommend giving this place a go.
So today after I get out of work, I'll be dashing down to Coastlands to hopefully take advantage of the madness that is Boxing Day. Hopefully by 5pm the dust would have settled a bit.
That's all from me today, but before I go... just a friendly security tip.
If you're at all concerned whether your account details for a site have been leaked (because there are so many reports of this happening nowadays), check out HackNotifier and PwnedList, two sites that search publicly-available leaked account lists to see if yours has been compromised. If it has, change your passwords immediately. If they haven't, it's still good practice to have different passwords for different sites, or to change them often.
Feel free to add to this blog... comment below and pass it on!
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