WIth the iPhone/iPad App Store and the Android Play markets being two such examples everyone wants to know how big of a market is China actually. A report by Flurry has recently revealed that China is the hottest place for apps these days. Any developer looking to make apps for an emerging market should definitely take a look at that area of the world since it is looking very busy these days.

Flurry Blog: http://blog.flurry.com

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

http://weknowmemes.com/2012/09/25-funniest-apple-maps-fails/

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TechStop (JW)

The AppleTV does have a few areas that I don’t particularly appreciate. For example, it doesn’t play AVI files. That is very annoying but not a deal breaker. Also, you have to tie it to your home computer which has be to be turned on in order to access your iTunes library. While none of these are deal breakers they are pretty annoying. Annoyances aside, for anyone thinking of purchasing an AppleTV it is a great buy.

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

There have been several issues with the iPhone’s recent release but were they crippling? The 2 million plus people that had their pre-orders in weren’t cancelling in droves. The issues, although shouted from the rooftops, didn’t quell the demand for the iPhone 5 as the lines around the block indicated in the days that followed the launch.

There may be better smartphones on the market but how much better are they? At what point does the small number of features really make a difference? This is that time. While the iPhone 5 might not be the most cutting edge technology anymore it still leads the pack in a few areas and the ones where it doesn’t win in clearly aren’t deal breakers … yet.

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

In the past 10 years, Apple’s stock increased by more than 8000 percent. Today they are the most valuable company in history.

It seems everyone has an Apple something… whether it’s a computer, an iPad, iPod or iPhone. At least one of those, and often more.

While it remains arguable that their 2012 value of $615 billion is greater than Microsoft’s 1999 record, due to inflation rates and such, it is still an incredible feat for a company that was once on the verge of bankruptcy.

Here’s a fascinating infographic from Statista.com on Apple’s value and the valuations of other tech and media companies.

Now if I only I’d bought some Apple shares 10 years ago…

Til next time,
TechStop (JW)

Source: http://www.statista.com/topics/847/apple/chart/562/apple—the-most-valuable-company-in-the-world/

If you’re an IT person who finds yourself in a constant loop of studying for a cert or exam, flash cards can be a great tool for remembering a lot of those terms or command structures.

Check out gFlash+ in the App Store. The app gives you the ability to create Flash Cards right on your iPhone, or you can create a file in Google docs and download it straight into the app for instant card creation.

Features include a quiz setting to keep score, reverse Q&A, a random shuffle, and a multiple choice setting that tosses a few of your answers in for you to select from and moving the flash cards you quickly learn into a “known” box so they drop out of your rotation for as long as you want.

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

My wife and I were recently at a wine and food pairing event. At our table, when everyone pulled out their phone over the course of the evening, there was only one type of phone at our table: the iPhone.

I can’t help but recall that a few years back, the smartphone you’d see most often was the BlackBerry.

We all knew that RIM was taking a beating, but when recent news showed that the once-powerful BlackBerry has been knocked out of the Top 5 Smart Phones category according to market share, it was still a bit of a surprise to hear.

Canada’s newspaper The Globe and Mail reports:

“RIM is in uncharted territory now,” says Kevin Restivo, an analyst with IDC, noting that since the firm started tracking the statistics in 2004, RIM has always been in the top five. “Its newfound standing in the world is a direct result of intense competition and share losses to the likes of Apple, Samsung and other Android-powered phone sellers. RIM needs new products in market soon if it’s to staunch the bleeding.”

The BlackBerry 10 operating system is set to release next year. Will it be what RIM needs to boost itself back into the Top 5… or is it just too late? Time will tell.

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

I love the mobile app. It easy to use, reliable and above all lets me make call using the corporate infrastructure from my phone with minimal cost to me. They way the mobile Lync client makes calls is that you launch the app, go to the keypad and type in the number you want to call. The server makes a voice phone call to your cell that is a traditional voice call. When you answer the incoming call from the Lync server it then calls your destination number. The result is that Lync creates a 2 person conference with the server in the middle.

Since the server makes an incoming call the charges to my cell phone bill are much less than they would be if I had to make the long distance calls with my cell alone. It is a great feature that I hope they don’t change anytime soon.

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

Lync iPhone App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-lync-2010-for-iphone/id484293461?mt=8

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

RIM Tools for Other Phones

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/29/us-rim-idUSTRE7AS0A720111129

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)