4
Sep, 2015
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The Newest Smartphones From Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft

b2ap3_thumbnail_smartphones_on_market_400.jpgSmartphones are firmly established as a staple of modern society. In fact, sales of smartphones grew a whopping 23 percent during the previous year. It’s the nature of mobile devices for consumers to look forward to the latest models. To that end, here’s our preview of this year’s top three smartphones.

Due to the sheer demand of smartphones flooding today’s market, there are way more than three models to choose from. However, for the sake of being concise and relevant, we’ll focus on the flagship device from these three mobile manufacturer; Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Samsung has taken the lead as far as smartphone marketshare goes, garnering 24.6 percent of the market in 2014. They’ve achieved this success with their line of s-model phones and Note phablets. All eyes are on Samsung and its latest offering, the Galaxy Note 5.

Galaxy Note 5 Specifications
Display: 5.66-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 1440 x 2560 resolution made from Gorilla Glass 4
Operating System: Google Android v5.1.1 (Lollipop)
Processor: Samsung octa-core Exynos 7420
Memory: 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB models available; 4 GB RAM
Cameras: 16 MP camera with optical image stabilization, 5 MP front-facing camera
Battery: 4,100 mAh
Communication: NFC, Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi, Infrared, microUSB
Other features: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, gesture, UV, heart rate, Sp02, integrated s-pen

iPhone 6s
The iPhone has been Apple’s best-selling device for almost 12 years, and the iPhone 6s looks to continue this trend. The latest iPhone will include an all-new A9 processor, designed to exceed in computing power Samsung’s Exynos 7420 processor. It’s also been confirmed that the iPhone 6s will get an upgrade to its body. Presumably, this will make it stronger and more durable, especially in light of how the previous model was ridiculed for bending too easily. Additionally, the iPhone 6s will have a larger display than the iPhone 6.

iPhone 6s Specifications
Display: 4.7-inch Retina display with 750 x 1334 resolution with ion-strengthened glass and a oleophobic coating
Operating System: iOS 9
Processor: Apple A9
Memory: 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB models available; 2 GB RAM
Cameras: 12 MP camera with phase detection focus, 5 MP front-facing camera
Battery: Li-Po 1,810 mAh
Communication: Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi, v 2.0, reversible connector
Other features: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

Lumia 940
Microsoft recently acquired Nokia and its line of Lumia smartphones. Despite the fact that the Lumia phones have received great reviews, they’ve never made the kind of sizable impact that Microsoft would have liked. Thanks to the success of the newly-released Windows 10 OS (a system that promises one single interface across every device, including the Lumia smartphones), the time may be ripe for Windows Phone to finally take off.

Lumia 940 Specifications
Display: 5.2-inch display with 1440 x 2560 resolution with Gorilla Glass 4
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10
Processor: Dual-core 1.82 GHz, Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808
Memory: 32 GB, 64 GB models available; 3 GB RAM
Cameras: 20 MP camera with phase detection focus, 5 MP front-facing camera
Battery: Li-Ion 3,000 mAh
Communication: NFC, Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi, microUSB 2.0
Other features: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, sensor core

These three smartphones are the flagship devices sold by each manufacture, but they’re not the only devices offered by each company. If you like what you see here, but you’re looking for variations in regards to features, check out these alternative models:

  • Samsung Galaxy s6, s6 Edge, s6 Edge+
  • iPhone 6+
  • Lumia 940 XL

Which smartphone is right for you? While you’re sure to have personal preferences toward a particular brand, it’s in your best interest to do your due diligence when shopping for a new phone so you can obtain a model that best meets your needs. Want to know about how mobile technology like this can improve your business? Call us at 810.230.9455 to learn more.

31
Aug, 2015
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Colonel Sanders Might Be a Technology Genius Thanks to KFC’s Bucket/Printer [VIDEO]

b2ap3_thumbnail_kfc_bucket_tech_400.jpgHuman ingenuity never ceases to amaze us. This whole information technology revolution has pushed access to information to levels that any person that lived before the advent of the computer could never have imagined. What’s more, the establishment of the Internet of Things has made it so humans even have remote access to the goods they own. So when we first saw the technological marvel that KFC had in store for the Canadian chicken consumers, we weren’t so shocked as excited that we’ve reached the next step in humanity’s trek into the future.

The marketing geniuses at KFC have recently struggled employing an engaging Colonel Sanders, replacing Saturday Night Live veteran Darrell Hammond, with another SNL vet, Norm Macdonald. No matter whom KFC tabs as the southern gentlemen in white, nothing will compare to their Canadian colleagues’ idea to create a piece of marketing material that is sure to stay with consumers. For the diamond anniversary of KFC in Canada, they have created the KFC Memories Bucket.

What is the KFC Memories Bucket?
KFC Canada has created a chicken bucket that comes equipped with a color printer. The idea is that you buy a bucket of chicken for your friends, family, or (gulp) yourself, and then you take some pictures of you enjoying the meal, and you can print them out right there and then. Nothing describes a good time like taking pictures on your $500 smartphone after you just plowed through a drumstick and a thigh of Col.’s Original Recipe. This video merely cements the practical (and fulfilling) applications of the Memories Bucket

According to the online technology magazine, The Verge, this is just one in several attempts to use technology to drive their marketing initiatives.

The company’s Japanese chapter raffled off a chicken-themed keyboard, mouse, USB stick, and sets of 3D-printed earrings as part of a social media promotion last fall, and its German outpost gave customers a thin, rechargeable Bluetooth keyboard in place of the usual grease-sopping paper sheet this May. The company’s experimentation goes beyond physical products, too. If you have a minute at lunch, you can play ColonelQuest, an 8-bit romp through Colonel Sanders’ life released in May. The Memories Bucket may raise the bar on ridiculous poultry products.

KFC’s Memory Bucket comes with a photo printer in the bottom, that produces Polaroid-style photos. The printer is accessed by bluetooth, making it probably the weirdest thing on the Internet of Things, but at least it executes its practical use (as a vessel for fried chicken) commendably. Can you think of other bizarre technological roll outs from over the years? Join the conversation below in the comments.