WHAT’S NEW+WHAT’S HOT IN THE WORLD OF


SMARTPHONES + TABLETS Need a guide for the latest technology?


Look no further! It’s 2013, and although we survived last year’s Mayan apoc-


alypse, at press time we’re enjoying the best Winter weather that Spring has to offer. The new season brings a fresh start to many projects and business ideas. It also brings a new lineup of mobile devices, with new looks, new sizes and new prices. We also have two veteran players looking to revitalize their pop- ularity in the mobile device world. For the REALTOR®


alternative to a laptop in many cases. The issue of portability becomes a factor compared to using a smartphone, but there are varying sizes now to give you choices to suit your lifestyle. Apple iPad is still considered the best tablet on the market,


, choosing the right technology for his


or her business increases productivity, reduces overall expenses and will almost certainly increase return on investment.Use- ful features and applications now make for an effective mobile office experience. There are lots of choices, and now a wider range of pricing designed to lure the mobile user to the side of the OS with the best siren song. The Google AndroidOS con- tinues to dominate the smartphone market, with dozens of models from a number of different manufacturers. An esti- mated 485,000 Android devices are activated daily, represent- ing 68 percent of worldwide smartphone devices in use. The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy 4 is already a lead-


ing contender to unseat the iPhone as the go-to smartphone, and has yet to become available as of press time. Delivery is ex- pected in either April or May 2013. Comparatively, the new Windows Phone devices have pleased the tech community with a fast, powerful and very impressive smartphone platform that is certainly worthy of consideration. Combine that to the surprisingly low prices for the devices, and Microsoft may have earned themselves a winner with the new Windows Phone. Blackberry, long suffering from a lack of innovation, has


finally delivered what may bring them back to respectability with the Z10. Sleek, fast, and powerful like the competition, but for the purist, it is pure Blackberry. Apple continues to stay at the top with the new iPhone 5, and its recent predecessor, iPhone 4S. It’s still considered best in its class despite gains made by Android phones, so you can’t go wrong with an iPhone.


Remarkable Tablets from Which to Choose Many REALTORS®


have discovered the benefit of adding


a tablet to their mobile office strategy. The larger screens, nu- merous apps, and Internet connectivity make tablets a viable


26IGEORGIA REALTOR®


and continues to outsell the Android tablets, but with the im- pressive technology and pricing, the balance is shifting rapidly. The small tablet getting the most recent buzz is the iPad Mini, an 8-inch, sized-down version of the legendary iPad. The tech- nology is comparable, but critics have cited the resolution to be less than expected from an iPad, given its reputation from its famous Retina Display. Microsoft has finally added a tablet with the Surface RT,


holding out until the release ofWindows Phone. It’s fast, im- pressive with good screen resolution. Android tablets are gain- ing fast on the iPad in terms of sales, and with good reason. The platform continues to impress, and with multiple manu- facturers, there are lots of models from which to choose, from the top-rated Galaxy Nexus, in both 7 and 10-inch screens, to the Amazon Kindle Fire HD. Priced from only $199, Android tablets are offering power, capability and value. If you purchased a new tablet recently, I applaud you. The


latest devices are guaranteed to deliver lots of features for busi- ness and entertainment. If you are still in the market, take the time to try these devices out for how they will fit your business uses, your level of comfort with technology, even the size of your hand. Most now also provide free cloud storage, such as Apple’s iCloud, Microsoft Skydrive or Google Drive. With Internet access, your tablets and phones can access volumes of docu- ments, photos and music from anywhere. This feature helps maintain memory by allowing you to store necessary files on the device, but everything else is still accessible over the Internet. Try to avoid models that still use older versions of the OS,


or may not be upgradeable. Don’t forget to inquire about processor speeds, as dual and quad core processors could give your device needed computing power and speed you will come to appreciate, especially when multitasking. Mobile office tech- nologies have changed how we manage business activities while on the go, and that’s a great thing. Now, if I could just get that voice-activated kitchen they’ve been promising me ...


MAY I JUNE 2013


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40