MyAnswers: Pendo Pad 7" tablet from Coles and Target

The following MyAnswers solution 2389 is now available:

Experience with the Pendo Pad 7" tablet from Coles and Target purchase for $69.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au/myanswers/
(An Online Connections service.)

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Apple iPhone 5S and 5C Australian prices a disappointment.

Apple's release of their new iPhones was very predictable and is exactly what was expected. Whilst there was some hype about an iPhone 6, I suspect this may have been deliberate PR. In any case, in a post a few weeks ago I predicted only the 5S and 5C would be released. What was unexpected to me was the price manipulation and the dropping of the Apple iPhone 5. Didn't see that coming.

Normally the lead Apple iPhone (16GB) has typically sold for around the $800 mark in Australia. The 16GB iPhone 5 sold for $799. However the new lead phone has now jumped in price to $869. This is an interesting method to increase profit and is regularly done by companies. Increase the price and those who continue to buy the product increase profit more than those who stop using the product. Microsoft is doing the same with their licensing fees. Once a company has you hooked they can increase prices.

Apple quite to my surprise was very aggressive with their iPad price when they released it. Apple was always known for their premium price and the iPad, a fairly unique product, came out at excellent prices well below the Mac Air range. Microsoft on the other hand priced their tablets above the typical notebook price and the perceived value in their products wasn't there. The market voted with their wallet and we saw the massive write-off by Microsoft.

To see Apple release the 5S with a jump in price is a real shame.

The next surprise was the 5C which was being promoted as the low cost model to compete in the lower cost segment. All Apple seem to have done is drop the price a little to $739 so there appears to be a large enough price gap between the 5S and the 5C. As a status symbol the 5C is going to be a hard sell. Who wants to be embarrassed for buying the cheaper model. What you couldn't afford the 5S! That's the problem when people buy for status over the functionality they really desire.

The unlocked version of the Apple 5S is $649 in the States. Convert for the current exchange rate, add GST and the price should be around $764. Yep about right for an easy sell at $799, but for Australians we're being slugged nearly $100 more.

What's also with the dropping of the iPhone 5? Shouldn't that have been their third option rather than the 4S. It is after all one year old technology. I suspect the problem for Apple is the iPhone 5 was probably too close to the 5S when loaded with iOS 7 and thus selling the 5C would make almost no sense. All of this feels far too much like trying to manipulate customers perception rather than focusing on bringing to market products customers want to buy. What I'd would have expected to see is the 5S at $799, the 5 at $679-$699 and the 5C in the $499-$549 price area, perhaps also keeping the 4S and dropping the price to perhaps $399, it is after all, quite an old phone in the fast moving mobile market.

What we now see is the iPhone 4 has gone (was $429), the iPhone 5 (was $799) has gone, the 5S is more expensive at $869 and the 5C is really not a good low cost option at $739. It all feels to me like Apple have moved the overall pricing up across the board and thinks no one will notice.

Overall I think Apple have done themselves a disservice. They appear to be using the marketing tactic to extract larger margins from their customer base rather than being cutting edge on the products and pricing. A premium of $100 for being in Australia doesn't really cut it when many of their products can be shipped direct from China.

Those who love Apple will happily pay the premium. Those who are sitting on the fence will most likely seriously consider Samsung or perhaps a more cost effective mobile.  I know one person who is over Apple's cumbersome iTunes approach and looking seriously at a Samsung Galaxy S4 and another at a refurbished Apple iPhone 4. Premium prices in what is now a mature market and far from the excitement past, is not going to help Apple compete against Samsung. As I read that back I thought, funny isn't it. Apple has to compete against Samsung. It used to be Samsung had to compete against Apple. How things change.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

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MyAnswers: How to remove delta-homes.com search page from Internet Explorer.

The following MyAnswers solution 2388 is now available:

After removing malware from a client's computer the one last remnant of unwanted software was the default page (delta-homes.com) shown when Internet Explorer opened. The page is a search engine which could be doing anything in terms of privacy and even loading malware into the computer. It was thus important to remove this page.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au/myanswers/
(An Online Connections service.)

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MyAnswers: DVD drive no longer visible in Windows XP computer.

The following MyAnswers solution 2387 is now available:

Under Windows XP the DVD drive is no longer visible in My Computer and File Manager. Testing of the DVD showed it still worked so the problem was a software related problem.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au/myanswers/
(An Online Connections service.)

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Alert: BaDoink porn site advertised by CNET site pretending to be an Apple app.

This morning I checked a news article on CNET using my mobile phone. I'm using Feedly as a newsreader. I clicked on the link to the article and up popped the porn ad I shared previously. I then went back and clicked on the link for the article and a different porn ad appeared which I thought was interesting on technical merits.

What I thought was particularly interesting is the quality of the page and how well it mimics the Apple app store layout. It really is a very good copy.

This could easily be a scam which I think could trick many Apple users. All that would be required is an install button, make it free and people would click on the link providing their Apple ID and password. Provide a legitimate looking porn site as a web app and the user would be none the wiser.

This is very scary stuff as it shows how easy people can be tricked. That's a really worry.

It is standard for some sites to flick people across to the Apple App store and because people are very familiar with this behaviour they can easily be tricked.

If you get flicked across to an app from a website perhaps it is time to stop trusting that action. You may not actually be at the Apple App store at all. I recommend that people don't trust links in emails and to open their browser and then enter the site address. It would now appear this is the approach you should use with Apple and Android apps as well. Best not to trust links that pass you across to the App store automatically anymore.

Kelvin Eldridge
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

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Toshiba announced 8" Windows 8.1 Encore tablet at IFA in Berlin.

I’ve been looking forward to the new smaller 8” tablets which will come out later this year. Intel have released their faster Atom processor and Microsoft has released Windows 8.1 to manufacturers. This is now a good combination, although it has taken some time to get there.

All-new Encore Tablet With an 8-inch Multi-touch Display and Intel Atom Processor Delivers Fast, Full-screen Web Browsing, Best-in-class Skype Experience, Xbox Second-screen Capabilities and Much More... Read More

Toshiba won’t be the only company releasing 8” tablets this year. The Encore however does have relatively good specs from what I’ve read. Acer did bring the first 8” Windows tablet to market but the reviews of the screen quality weren’t good. Also the Acer didn’t include the new Atom processor or Windows 8.1. I’ve read Acer will be re-releasing the product with updated features.

I’ve not been totally happy with Windows 8 tablets for a range of reasons. First I simply dismiss Windows RT tablets since if you’re going to buy a tablet that is not fully compatible with Windows you might as well consider all the options including iPads and Android tablets. Microsoft’s Surface Pro doesn’t include GPS which I think is a basic requirement for a mobile device. The Surface Pro is a tablet with a fan and five hours of battery life with a high price tag just doesn’t feel like a winner. Current tablets using the Atom processor concern me with regards to performance. Whilst the Encore is still an Atom processor the performance has doubled. I expect it will still be sluggish, but hopefully it will be acceptable.

My only concern with the Encore tablet that I’ve identified is the 32GB of installed memory. I’d prefer 64GB and the ability to add another 32/64GB using the microSD slot. Having said that, there may be ways to work around the limited storage.

I like that there is a micro HDMI connector, and as I mentioned, the GPS sensor. What I do wonder about is the battery life since it isn’t mentioned.

It will be good once all the main players have their devices released. Pricing will matter as I’ve noticed some suppliers charge a premium for Australians so hopefully competition will keep that premium in check.  

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 announced at IFA show in Berlin.

I often find lots of sites republishing snippets of press releases but what I'd prefer is direct access to the press release to make up my own mind as to what is important or not important. It took me a while but I found the Samsung press release for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 which can be found here.

According to another article "Samsung GALAXY Gear will be launched with the GALAXY Note 3 in more than 140 countries around the world starting from September 25."

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

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