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Friday, 28 February 2014
Spain overtakes France for mortgage demand, says advisor - OPP Connect
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Agents already agreeing 'Golden Visa' property sales - OPP Connect
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Spanish agent sets up new company to promote 'Golden Visa' - OPP Connect
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Greek 'Golden Visa' is more competitive, says agency - OPP Connect
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Chinese snap-up four out of five 'golden visas' in Portugal - OPP Connect
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eWEEK at 30: Tablet Sales Surge After 20 Years of Development
Overseas buyers aid Spanish market recovery - OPP Connect
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France and Spain top investor interest - OPP Connect
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Prime Mallorca villa sales hit annual record - OPP Connect
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France wins Winter Olympics 'property gold' - OPP Connect
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Milk? Check. Bread? Check. Tablet Computer? Check!
Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesU.K. retailer Tesco began selling its own brand of tablet computers last fall.By Leila Abboud and Paul Sandle
BARCELONA -- Originally derided as a pricey niche product for geeks, tablet computers have become so common that supermarkets are now selling their own brands, pushing out low-cost rivals.
The shifting nature of the market underscores how millions of people are choosing simpler devices to surf the web, send emails and shop, putting pressure on traditional PC companies.
And since Apple pioneered the tablet in early 2010, the gadgets now available at the lower end of the market are becoming commodity items that non-technology companies can order from Asian contractors using common components.
'Reference designs for tablets and smartphones from companies like Qualcomm ( QCOM) have drastically reduced barriers to entry and increased commoditization pressure in the hardware industry,' said Sameer Singh, Hyderabad-based tech analyst.
'This opens the door for not only players that can survive on low margins, but also for companies that use hardware as a channel for something else.'
Tesco in Britain and Walmart ( WMT) in the United States, are selling their own branded tablets pitched at customers unwilling to pay $400 or more for an Apple ( AAPL) or Samsung product.
Grocers like Tesco and France's Carrefour aren't only trying to cash in on booming tablet sales,
but also to nudge people to buy everything from films to groceries from their online stores, pushed through their devices, a lesson learned from Amazon ( AMZN) and Google ( GOOG).
Traditional computer makers including Asus, Acer, Hewlett-Packard ( HPQ), Lenovo, Dell, Sony ( SNE) and LG will continue to be squeezed, said Gartner ( TI) analyst Tracy Tsai.
They account for only 10 percent of the market today, far behind Apple and Samsung with 60 percent and also smaller than the 20 percent share held by white label tablet makers who manufacture for others, such as Archos. Amazon and Google hold the other 10 percent.
'Some of them will pull out from the market of tablets altogether,' Tsai predicted.
The price for tablets running Google's Android software ranged from $99 to $299 in 2013, providing an estimated 15 percent to 25 percent gross margin to hardware vendors, but when prices need to be cut to meet the competition the margin could drop.
Lessons Learned
Amazon, which sells its Kindle Fire tablet at cost or even at a loss, ties people to its site to buy music, books or films rather than them buying Apple's iTunes or going to Carrefour and Tesco.
'If you get a tablet into someone's hand, it is almost a digital shop window,' said Ben Wood, analyst at CCS Insight.
'The retailers are realizing: 'Crikey, we need this to be part of a much bigger strategy to make sure that Amazon does not eat us alive.' '
Carrefour is also selling smartphones and a smartwatch starting at 149 euros, in addition to four tablets, while a Pakistani bakery chain called Gourmet poached a former Samsung executive to help it sell smartphones starting at $15.
Tesco shifted more than 400,000 of its Hudl tablets, priced at 119 pounds ($200) in little over three months after a September launch.
'We saw an opportunity in the market for a lower priced but highly spec-ed tablet,' said Michael Comish, who heads Tesco's digital strategy and operations.
'We were certainly pleasantly surprised by consumer demand,' he said, adding that Tesco was selling as many Hudls as it could produce in the autumn.
Carrefour's cellphone, dubbed the Smart, launched at Christmas and was among the store's top-five selling products in recent months, said Jose Zdziech, sales director for technology products.
Big retailers have been here before. In the past many worked with manufacturers in Asia and elsewhere who produced everything from clothing to refrigerators that the retailers then sold under their own brands. Carrefour and Tesco, the world's second and third-biggest retailers, then turned to that network of manufacturers to make gadgets.
Tesco's Comish said they designed the Hudl to drive people to purchase films, music and now books from blinkbox, a video-on-demand provider Tesco bought in 2011. The company spent a lot of time on the user interface, he said, to make it easy to get to Tesco services, without forcing customers to use them.
Carrefour's Zdziech said the retailer would continue to sell Apple and Samsung products since its own products weren't aimed at the high-end. But Carrefour has dropped some competing tablets and phones from lower-end manufacturers he declined to name. 'We had to make some choices so as to better showcase our own branded products,' he said.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Now even supermarkets sell their own tablet PC brands
Barcelona: Originally derided as a pricey niche product for geeks, tablet computers have become so common that supermarkets are now selling their own brands, pushing out low-cost rivals.
The shifting nature of the market underscores how millions of people are choosing simpler devices to surf the web, send emails and shop, putting pressure on traditional PC companies.
And since Apple pioneered the tablet in early 2010, the gadgets now available at the lower end of the market are becoming commodity items that non-technology companies can order from Asian contractors using common components.
'Reference designs for tablets and smartphones from companies like Qualcomm have drastically reduced barriers to entry and increased commoditization pressure in the hardware industry,' said Sameer Singh, Hyderabad-based tech analyst.
'This opens the door for not only players that can survive on low margins, but also for companies that use hardware as a channel for something else.'
Tesco in Britain and Walmart in the United States, are selling their own branded tablets pitched at customers unwilling to pay $400 or more for an Apple or Samsung product.
Grocers like Tesco and France's Carrefour are not only trying to cash in on booming tablet sales, but also to nudge people to buy everything from films to groceries from their online stores, pushed through their devices, a lesson learned from Amazon and Google.
Traditional computer makers including Asus, Acer, HP, Lenovo, Dell, Sony, LG will continue to be squeezed, said Gartner analyst Tracy Tsai.
They account for only 10 per cent of the market today, far behind Apple and Samsung with 60 percent and also smaller than the 20 percent share held by white label tablet makers who manufacture for others, such as Archos. Amazon and Google hold the other 10 percent.
'Some of them will pull out from the market of tablets altogether,' Tsai predicted.
The price for tablets running Google's Android software ranged from $99 to $299 in 2013, providing an estimated 15 percent to 25 percent gross margin to hardware vendors, but when prices need to be cut to meet the competition the margin could drop.
LESSONS LEARNED
Amazon, which sells its Kindle Fire tablet at cost or even at a loss, ties people to its site to buy music, books or films rather than them buying Apple's iTunes or going to Carrefour and Tesco.
'If you get a tablet into someone's hand, it is almost a digital shop window,' said Ben Wood, analyst at CCS Insight.
'The retailers are realizing: 'Crikey, we need this to be part of a much bigger strategy to make sure that Amazon does not eat us alive.''
Carrefour is also selling smartphones and a smartwatch starting at 149 euros, in addition to four tablets, while a Pakistani bakery chain called Gourmet poached a former Samsung executive to help it sell smartphones starting at $15.
Tesco shifted more than 400,000 of its Hudl tablets, priced at 119 pounds ($200) in little over three months after a September launch.
'We saw an opportunity in the market for a lower priced but highly spec-ed tablet,' said Michael Comish, who heads Tesco's digital strategy and operations.
'We were certainly pleasantly surprised by consumer demand,' he said, adding that Tesco was selling as many Hudls as it could produce in the autumn.
Carrefour's mobile phone, dubbed the Smart, launched at Christmas and was among the store's top-five selling products in recent months, said Jose Zdziech, sales director for technology products.
Big retailers have been here before. In the past many worked with manufacturers in Asia and elsewhere who produced everything from clothing to refrigerators that the retailers then sold under their own brands. Carrefour and Tesco, the world's second and third-biggest retailers, then turned to that network of manufacturers to make gadgets.
Tesco's Comish said they designed the Hudl to drive people to purchase films, music, and now books from blinkbox, a video-on-demand provider Tesco bought in 2011. The company spent a lot of time on the user interface, he said, to make it easy to get to Tesco services, without forcing customers to use them.
Carrefour's Zdziech said the retailer would continue to sell Apple and Samsung products since its own products were not aimed at the high-end. But Carrefour has dropped some competing tablets and phones from lower-end manufacturers he declined to name. 'We had to make some choices so as to better showcase our own branded products,' he said.
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Honey, can you pick up a tablet at the grocery store?
Credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Apple's iPad devices are displayed at its store in Tokyo January 18, 2013.
The shifting nature of the market underscores how millions of people are choosing simpler devices to surf the web, send emails and shop, putting pressure on traditional PC companies.
And since Apple pioneered the tablet in early 2010, the gadgets now available at the lower end of the market are becoming commodity items that non-technology companies can order from Asian contractors using common components.
'Reference designs for tablets and smartphones from companies like Qualcomm have drastically reduced barriers to entry and increased commoditization pressure in the hardware industry,' said Sameer Singh, Hyderabad-based tech analyst.
'This opens the door for not only players that can survive on low margins, but also for companies that use hardware as a channel for something else.'
Tesco in Britain and Walmart in the United States, are selling their own branded tablets pitched at customers unwilling to pay $400 or more for an Apple or Samsung product.
Grocers like Tesco and France's Carrefour are not only trying to cash in on booming tablet sales, but also to nudge people to buy everything from films to groceries from their online stores, pushed through their devices, a lesson learned from Amazon and Google.
Traditional computer makers including Asus, Acer, HP, Lenovo, Dell, Sony, LG will continue to be squeezed, said Gartner analyst Tracy Tsai.
They account for only 10 percent of the market today, far behind Apple and Samsung with 60 percent and also smaller than the 20 percent share held by white label tablet makers who manufacture for others, such as Archos. Amazon and Google hold the other 10 percent.
'Some of them will pull out from the market of tablets altogether,' Tsai predicted.
The price for tablets running Google's Android software ranged from $99 to $299 in 2013, providing an estimated 15 percent to 25 percent gross margin to hardware vendors, but when prices need to be cut to meet the competition the margin could drop.
LESSONS LEARNED
Amazon, which sells its Kindle Fire tablet at cost or even at a loss, ties people to its site to buy music, books or films rather than them buying Apple's iTunes or going to Carrefour and Tesco.
'If you get a tablet into someone's hand, it is almost a digital shop window,' said Ben Wood, analyst at CCS Insight.
'The retailers are realizing: 'Crikey, we need this to be part of a much bigger strategy to make sure that Amazon does not eat us alive.''
Carrefour is also selling smartphones and a smartwatch starting at 149 euros, in addition to four tablets, while a Pakistani bakery chain called Gourmet poached a former Samsung executive to help it sell smartphones starting at $15.
Tesco shifted more than 400,000 of its Hudl tablets, priced at 119 pounds ($200) in little over three months after a September launch.
'We saw an opportunity in the market for a lower priced but highly spec-ed tablet,' said Michael Comish, who heads Tesco's digital strategy and operations.
'We were certainly pleasantly surprised by consumer demand,' he said, adding that Tesco was selling as many Hudls as it could produce in the autumn.
Carrefour's mobile phone, dubbed the Smart, launched at Christmas and was among the store's top-five selling products in recent months, said Jose Zdziech, sales director for technology products.
Big retailers have been here before. In the past many worked with manufacturers in Asia and elsewhere who produced everything from clothing to refrigerators that the retailers then sold under their own brands. Carrefour and Tesco, the world's second and third-biggest retailers, then turned to that network of manufacturers to make gadgets.
Tesco's Comish said they designed the Hudl to drive people to purchase films, music, and now books from blinkbox, a video-on-demand provider Tesco bought in 2011. The company spent a lot of time on the user interface, he said, to make it easy to get to Tesco services, without forcing customers to use them.
Carrefour's Zdziech said the retailer would continue to sell Apple and Samsung products since its own products were not aimed at the high-end. But Carrefour has dropped some competing tablets and phones from lower-end manufacturers he declined to name. 'We had to make some choices so as to better showcase our own branded products,' he said. ($1 = 0.6011 British Pounds)
(Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
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St. Louis Firefighters using tablet computers to outsmart flames
ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) - Firefighters are going high tech. They're hoping a new tool will improve their response times and help save lives.
The Saint Louis Fire Department is using a million-dollar federal grant to buy Command Scope Technology. The software gives firefighters quick access to floor plans, fire hydrant locations and other critical information. It also gives them a list of disabled people in a building.
The software will be installed in tablets. St. Louis officials are now uploading site plans for high-occupancy buildings such as Busch Stadium and the US Bank building.
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A twofold investment opportunity - Executive
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Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Golden visa schemes for non EU investors gaining momentum - Global Property Guide
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Tuesday, 25 February 2014
UK proposal for £2.5m 'premium' visas for wealthy foreigners - Financial Times
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Hard-hit EU countries resort to selling passports to HNWs - Spear's WMS
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Monday, 24 February 2014
Between Fact and Fiction - Newsweek Pakistan
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Friday, 21 February 2014
Golden visa schemes for non EU investors gaining momentum - Global Property Guide
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What tablet should I buy? Tablet buying advice 2014
Such is the huge growth in popularity of tablets over the past couple of years that there are now vast swathes of possibilities for a would-be buyer. In this test we'll try to make things a bit simpler by taking many of the top models in different size categories and exploring what makes them worth your hard earned cash. The test is broken down into three sections which focus on large, around 10in, small, 7in, and dedicated children's tablets. Before we begin though here are a few helpful tips that could make deciding on your tablet a little easier. Take a look at the best tablet of 2014 also.
What tablet should I buy in 2014? Why are you buying one?
Tablets are fantastic portable devices which sport long battery life and easy to use interfaces. We love them. But they're not necessarily for everyone in every situation. Like any computing device the first question you need to ask yourself is what you want to use it to do? If it's a case of checking Facebook, surfing the web, email, reading, playing a few games, and things along these lines then a tablet is a superb choice - arguably better than any other type of computer. If you're intending to replace your laptop with a lightweight productivity unit, then things are not quite so clear. Typing on a tablet is fine in short bursts, but you'll quickly get a pain in your neck if you want to work on it all day. Also the files systems are a little less accessible than on a traditional computer, especially on Apple products. It's worth checking if the software you like to use is available in the relevant app store for your device (you can't install anything that isn't, well, not easily). You certainly can work on a tablet, but it might involve buying a bluetooth keyboard and adjusting your workflow a little to achieve this.
What tablet should I buy in 2014? What size do you need?
Apart from a few outliers the tablet market has settled down into two main size categories - the large 10in models ( iPads, Samsung Galaxy Tab, MS Surface) and the smaller 7in ( Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle HD, iPad Mini Retina). Both run exactly the same software and apps as their differently sized siblings, and increasingly we're seeing the internal specifications beginning to reach parity too. This means that now the choice is simply the size of the screen rather than power. If you want something that you carry everywhere with you, and is primarily a consumption device, then the smaller devices are an excellent choice. 10in tablets are hardly gargantuan, but they don't easily slip into a coat pocket. What they do offer though is more screen to display websites, movies, and word documents. So if your eyes aren't what they were, or you want to do some work on your tablet, the bigger models are the way to lean. One important spec to look for is ppi - or pixels per inch - which shows how detailed the display is and how clear the text will be. Anything over 200ppi is decent, but with HD and Retina screens now available on many devices we'd encourage you to go higher.
Storage space is a very important consideration when buying a tablet. Most popular models - iPads, Nexus, Kindles - offer no way to increase the onboard capacity, so you need to decide how much you need before you buy. If you want to store all of your music collection and videos on the device then you'll need to get the biggest model you can afford. Check the reviews for tablets with Micro SD slots, as these do give you the option of additional storage, sometimes up to 64GB more. You'll need to buy an SD card of course, but these are a great deal cheaper than the upgraded storage options on a tablet. If you're needs are more modest, web surfing, social media, a few games, then the lower capacity models should be fine. We wouldn't happily recommend going lower than 16GB, and bare in mind that the operating system and pre-installed apps will usually take up a few of those precious gigabytes before you even start.
What tablet should I buy in 2014: Which operating system is the best?
There are currently three main flavours of operating system on tablets - Android, iOS, and Windows. Each has pros and cons. Android is the most popular mobile OS at the moment and boasts an excellent choice of apps and devices. It's not quite as simple as Apple's iOS to use, although you get the hang of it very quickly, and currently has less apps that are optimised for tablet, but this is increasing all the time. iOS has the Apple App Store on its side, which is still the best, allbeit by a much lesser margin than in the past. Apps often come out on iOS first, some exclusively, and the interface is incredibly easy to get to grips with. iPads are wonderful, but they do restrict how you use files and share data with other applications. This can lead to frustration if you want to do more than simply consume content. Windows is more confusing. There are currently two types of OS to choose from - Windows RT or Windows 8.1. The former is Microsoft's tablet specific platform, which looks pretty but prohibits you installing any traditional Windows software. Instead you are behoven to the Windows App Store which is sadly bereft of many useful apps. Windows 8.1 is a full blown version of Windows running on a tablet, no small achievement there, but the models which include it are expensive. If you want Windows on the move then these are worth a look. One plus for Windows RT is that it comes with a stripped down version of Office, but the non-optimised nature of the software negates some of the advantages.
What tablet should I buy in 2014: Warranty
If you like to tinker with technology then you'll be disappointed to find that your screwdrivers are useless on a tablet. Pretty much every model is sealed and has no user-serviceable parts. This means when it goes wrong you'll need professional help. Apple has its high street stores which will often repair its devices for free while in the first year, it also sells an additional two years of support via its Applecare policy. Android and Windows devices are again covered by the manufacturers' one year warranty, which usually entails sending the device back to them for maintenance. Shopping around for deals is a good idea, with companies such as John Lewis offering two year warranties on devices purchased from them.
What tablet should I buy in 2014: Children's tablets.
Kids love using tablets, and often work out the OS quicker than their parents. Remember though that these devices are fully fledged computers, with access to the internet and your bank account. When buying for children you want a tablet that has the option of separate user profiles so you can restrict their access to certain types of web content and stop them buying £200 worth of Temple Run extras. In other instances you could go for a dedicated kids' tablet which has parental controls built in, or even one that has a specific OS written for children - such as the Leapfrog devices. These restrictions might make the device redundant quicker than a traditional model as the kids grow up, but will keep them safe now. Of course you'll want a hardy device too, as little hands have a habit of dropping those shiny, glass units. Most normal tablets have protective cases available, but kids' tablets often come with them as standard.
What tablet should I buy in 2014: Conclusion
The large tablet market is maturing nicely, as can be seen by the amount of four star reviews in this test. Two models do manage to stand out above the rest, with the iPad Air stealing the Best Buy award. Apple's newest iteration is very fast, impressively light, and still has the most, and best, tablet optimised apps available. Of course the iPad Air is one of the newest devices in the test, so you'd expect it to do well. The same can be said of the Samsung Note 10.1 (2014) which is another hugely capable tablet with plenty of features - the microSD slot and S-Pen are a big deal. This is why it comes a close second and picks up the Recommended award.
Choosing between the smaller tablets was no easy feat either. The Tegra Note is very fast and the Tesco Hudl offers incredible value, but in the end the Nexus 7 which possesses a mixture of those two qualities push it up onto the podium to collect the Best Buy accolade. For a hair under £200 it really is an immense bargain with little in the way of compromise. It pips the iPad Mini Retina mainly due to cost, but Apple's diminutive powerhouse is a worthy Recommended winner.
Probably the most diverse category was the Children's tablets. Purpose-built devices such as the LeapPad and Innotab 3S found favour with the kids who helped us test them, but their closed systems feel too restrictive to take the prize. Both awards go to tablets that can grow with their users, while still keeping them safe online. The Samsung Tab 3 Kids is a great little device which easily deserves the Recommended rosette, but Amazon's inclusion of Freetime on the Kindle HD transforms a decent unit into a fantastic children's tablet, making it a Best Buy for us.
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Basic school students to get tablet computers too
MINISTER of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell has announced that the tablet computer project, originally earmarked for primary and high schools, will now be extended to basic schools.
'Over 400,000 students will have their own individual device, starting with the pilot project,' the minister announced, while delivering the keynote address at the re-launch of the Grant's Pen Cyber Club in Kingston on Wednesday.
The minister pointed out that the tablet project will be fully in place by the end of the school year, and while all the computers will be allocated to the students, free of cost, part payment will be required from parents in the future.
He emphasised that it will be cost effective, and the parents will not be required to continue the purchasing of so many books for the children, as the contents will be available on the tablets.
'Initially, it is going to be fully funded by the Government, but eventually there will be a cost sharing component, to enable us to roll out the project much more quickly than the four years we had envisioned,' Paulwell said.
He explained that it is the Government's position to expose children at an early age to computers.
'We believe that you have to (provide) the youngsters, at the earliest stage in their educational development, with access to the technology,' Paulwell added.
The Grant's Pen Cyber Club was first launched five years ago by telecommunications provider LIME. The equipment became obsolete over time, and the Universal Service Fund (USF) has provided nine computers, and a printer, at a cost of $2 million and the telecommunication company will continue to provide Internet to the facility.
The club is located at 35 Grant's Pen Road, where the police station and other facilities are housed.
-- JIS
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Thursday, 20 February 2014
Tablet Deals at Staples This Week – Rollback Thursday for Tablet Computer ...
While the source of the report isn't exactly 100 percent reliable, rumors citing an 'unnamed Taiwan supply chain' suggest that the Google Nexus 8 will be released in April. This could be accompanied by another Nexus 10 iteration, but with two tablets rumored the spring, it's not quite sure whether Google will follow up the first two Nexus 7 models with a Nexus 7 (2014). Still, it may be a bit too early to think about whether Google should release a third Nexus 7 iteration or not, and those who are interested in the present version can now get it at lower prices this Presidents' Day week.
Here's a look at the Nexus 7 (2013) and other discount tablets on Staples - it's not an official deal name, but since today's Thursday, we might as well call this recap 'Rollback Thursday' due to the low prices you can find on tablet computers.
The Nexus 7 (2013) kicks things off, and Staples is selling the slate for $30 off - that means the 16 GB version costs $199 instead of $229, and the 32 GB version is priced at $239 and not the usual $269 price point. Regardless of storage option, the Nexus 7 comes with 1920 x 1200 Full HD display resolution, support for stock Android 4.4 KitKat, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2 GB RAM, and, new for this generation of Nexus 7 tablets, a 5-megapixel rear camera. The Nexus 7 (2013) is supposedly capable of up to 10 hours of battery life for Internet surfing and video, as advertised by Google.
Nexus 7 manufacturer Asus has at least one interesting product available on Staples apart from the Nexus 7 which, as we know, is primarily a Google product. The Asus T100TA-C1-GR is a two-in-one '10.1-inch laptop', though the more accurate term may be crossover device, as it can be used as both a tablet and a laptop. Basic specs include an Intel Atom processor clocked at 1.3 GHz, 2 GB RAM, and a 64 GB hard drive. While the Nexus 7 (2013) is, as advertised, more suited for gaming, this Asus tablet is more of a productivity device, what with the extra onboard storage. Pricing is normally $449.99, but Staples has it discounted by a hefty $120, rolling the price back to $329.99.
The Dell Venue Pro 8 doesn't get as much ink as some of the leading tablets in the market, but it's a solid Windows 8.1 device that comes with an 8-inch WXGA display, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage, and an Intel Atom processor under the hood. Pricing, which is usually set at $329, has been knocked down by $100, making the device cost only $229 as part of Staples' tablet specials for the week.
We'd normally go with Apple for our 'one more thing' deal, but since Staples isn't offering any iPad discounts on its newer tablets, we shall stick with the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX, or, as some call it, the 'Mayday tablet' due to its distinguishing feature, the 'Mayday' instant customer service button. With strong fundamentals that include a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB RAM, and a 7-inch Full HD display, you'll get a lot from its sale price of $199.99, which is $30 off the regular price of $229.99.
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Wednesday, 19 February 2014
canada ends its millionaire visa - International Adviser
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First Chinese investors in Spanish property receive 'golden' visas - Property Investor Europe (subscription)
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Pros and cons of tablet computers like Microsoft Surface Pro
Posted by J.Aparri ( japphils@yahoo.com) on Feb 19, 2014 11:54 AM EST
The aptly named '2-in-1' is an innovative breed of Windows device perfect for anyone struggling to decide between a tablet and a laptop. Powered by Intel, 2-in-1s have an obvious goal to provide the best of both worlds.
Pros
Hybrid computers support a trackpad and keyboard so that any work you do on your computer, such as a PowerPoint presentation or a formal report, can be easily displayed by transforming the device into a tablet.
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You can tap it with your fingertip, flick on the display or swipe. The keyboard, meanwhile, is easily detached.
Other advantages include the light and thin design, all-day battery, instant access and an app store that is easy to use. Unlike most other tablets, 2-in-1s have a full-sized port for a USB drive, allowing it to connect to a wide range of accessories. What's more, many have expandable memory through card slots of microSD.
By major manufacturers
Previously known as 'ultrabook convertibles,' all major makers of computers have adopted the 2-in-1 design, each handling the switch from tablet to laptop (and vice-versa) in its own unique way. Examples are the ASUS Transformer Book T100 (priced $349 - 32GB model), Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 ($799.99), Dell XPS 12 ($999.99), Sony VAIO Flip PC ($899.99 - 14 inch model) and the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 ($899.99).
Cons
With all the features offered by 2-in-1s, they still have their share of drawbacks, especially for those who aren't fans of their platform Windows.
Its tucked-away keyboard adds bulk and weight compared to the Android or iPad tablets. And then there's the price. You're getting both a tablet and a laptop in a single device and prices reflect that.
The good news is that as PC makers embrace 2-in-1s and Windows Stores evolves to become a main player in the app arena, competition continues to drive the prices down.
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Tuesday, 18 February 2014
China's rich beat a path to foreign shores - Deutsche Welle
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Open borders for China's mega-rich - Deutsche Welle
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Colombia to Equip State School Pupils with Tablet Computers
By Narayan Ammachchi
Colombia's ICT Ministry has set aside nearly $45 million USD to purchase tablet computers for students learning in government-run schools. This is just the latest in a series of efforts Colombia is making to bolster its IT human capital.
A good knowledge of information technology is increasingly crucial to obtaining a high-paid job in the South American country; candidates with IT skills have a 98% chance of finding employment.
The news of the distribution of tablets follows the government's announcement that it plans to launch six software development centers across the country, each dedicated to developing software for specific verticals of the economy.
Last year, the Colombian government allocated about $4.7 million USD primarily to finance its IT workforce.
Colombia, according to official figures, grew 5.1% in the third quarter of 2013, with foreign direct investment rising in November to $15.17 billion. Yet the country has to go a long way to produce enough workers for its booming technology sector.
Under a program called Digital Talent, Colombia is offering wide-ranging courses in IT, including oracle, SAP and Adobe. In addition, the country's software association Fedsoft is training more than a thousand people in scrum agile software development.
In 2013, it eliminated tax on IT service exports and revealed plans to double the size of its IT industry revenue, which reached $3.9 billion USD in 2012. The IT services sector is growing at about 13% year-on-year, reaching $1.85 billion in 2011.
According to Proexport , Colombia's export promotion agency, outsourcing accounts for around 40% of the IT services sector. The outsourcing sector contributes over 13% of the country's total services export revenues.
The IDB, which lent Colombia $12 million to help promote the country's outsourcing services industry, says the South American country has immense potential to grow as a global outsourcing destination.
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Monday, 17 February 2014
Turkey implements project for free tablet computers in schools
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 17
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey has launched the FATIH project, under which 775,000 teachers and students of the country's public schools will be provided with tablet computers free of charge, Turkish TV channel TRT Haber reported on Feb. 17.
The ceremony launching the project was attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Under the FATIH project some 675,000 ninth-grade students and 100,000 teachers in 3,500 of the country's schools will get free tablet computers.
The project also includes installation of 80,000 'smart boards' in classrooms. The 'smart boards' will be synchronized with tablet computers, making it will be possible to conduct interactive lessons.
The FATIH project was launched as a pilot program in some schools in February 2012 by the General Directorate for Innovation and Educational Technology (YEĞİTEK) of the Turkish National Education Ministry.
As of 2013, some 60,165 public schools are operating in Turkey, according to the National Education Ministry.
Translated by E.A.
Edited by C.N.
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Tablets or laptops: which is best for you and your business?
If you believe the hype, you need nothing more powerful than a tablet computer. They're lighter, just as efficient as their full-sized counterparts and retail figures published in January suggest everyone is buying them.
To an extent this is right. For data gathering and for entertainment they're a great alternative. But they do have their limitations. These aren't bad points, it's just that they aren't full-spec computers and nobody has ever pretended they are.
Keyboard
The first very clear difference between a tablet and a laptop is the absence of a keyboard. If your tasks don't involve typing, or only involve a small amount of typing, then you can safely ignore this as a drawback. If you collect a lot of data door-to-door, as some professions do, then a small hand-held will almost certainly be better.
For writing or number-intensive tasks then a keyboard is a given requirement. Voice control is good but many people will prefer an old-fashioned key-it-in approach. There are keyboards and keyboard cases for tablets but these vary in performance; early models tended to make characters appear a split second before they were typed, for example. Go to a shop and try one out; keyboard cases that hold plenty of charge are available for seven inch tablets and they work well, but the physical size means they're small and cramped to use.
They also require independent charging which means organising yourself so that they don't conk out while you're in the middle of something. And keep an eye on the cost. A tablet plus keyboard case might well end up costing as much as a full-blown laptop.
External storage
One advantage of a laptop is its ability to use external storage media. If you have a large file on an external drive and can plug it in via USB, great - but this may not be possible without at least an adapter for your tablet, depending on which model of tablet you're using. And if you wanted to use a CD drive it's far simpler if it's built in to your computer (although these are being phased out on some laptops as well - an external CD drive connected through USB will still work).
File system
Related to external storage is internal storage. Download a file to your laptop, find the downloads file and you can send it to someone else. Download the same thing to your tablet and good luck finding where it's put it. Picking up more than one document and sending it by email starts to require a new app to help you work out just where they're located on the disk.
This isn't a criticism - the essence of tablet computing is that it's supposed to hide some of the complexities from the person using it. They're supposed to be as easy to use as your phone and that means the manufacturers are going to conceal as much under the bonnet as they can. Which means you're going to get a slightly cut-down version of a computer when you use one.
Connection
One area in which tablets are better than standard computers is connectivity. One or two computer manufacturers have in the past tried putting a sim card into a PC but for whatever reason these haven't sold in large numbers. This will surprise many people as connecting goes almost without saying for most computer tasks these days, but if you're out of Wi-Fi range and don't have a dongle or phone you can use as a modem, you might well find yourself stuck.
Here the tablets can score as long as you buy the right model. Tablets with 3G (some of which will have 4G connections when they become available) will connect independently by themselves whenever you need them to; pay-as-you-go sims are available inexpensively and data allowances appear generous by most current standards.
If you're going to be around Wi-Fi networks this is less of a concern - and of course a 3G signal can drop to something slower when you're not expecting it. Travel through even Central London by train and you'll be surprised at how often the signal drops - but that's going to be true of any connection.
Apps
The area in which the tablet is really going to score is its configurability. You can download, subject to affordability and space on your device, multiple apps so you end up with the system you want rather than the one the manufacturer opted to provide. Be careful of upgrading your device, though; if (say) the screen size changes with the new model, or the screen resolution alters, there's no absolute guarantee that every app will work with the new version immediately. And if it's a corporate, business-essential app that fails, you could have a problem.
This isn't about denigrating tablets. For the right task - online work, carrying entertainment as well as work information around for business trips, video conferencing and a great deal else they're terrific. They can also be very inexpensive; of course everyone knows who offers the premium brands, but the own-brand supermarket offerings function perfectly happily as well.
It's just a matter of assessing exactly what you want to do and assessing the tools you'll need - then not falling for the hype when friends and marketing departments think you ought to have the latest and most expensive shiny device.
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Sunday, 16 February 2014
Chinese elite face price hike for Canada residency - Asian Correspondent
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Work changes for Romanians and Bulgarians could damage agricultural sector ... - Yourcanterbury.co.uk
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Work changes for Romanians and Bulgarians could damage agricultural sector ... - Kent News
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Thursday, 13 February 2014
Cubans Diaz, Despaigne show skills at Padres camp - Padres.com
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Canada Clamps Down on Rich Chinese -- Update - Wall Street Journal
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Tablets From VINCI and Michley Tivax Take Mobile Computing to New Frontiers
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A tablet is a tablet, is a tablet, etc. Or at least that's what I thought until I became aware of the variety of ways they're adapting to our lives -- at work, in education and at play.
We recently received two tablet computers that have opened our eyes as to what the future may hold for these mobile devices.
The VINCI MV ($199.95) and the MiTraveler 3D ($349.95) are designed to offer tools and resources we may not have realized were key to the development of mobile computing.
The VINCI MV is a seven-inch Android-based tablet aimed at the education of toddlers, from preschool to second grade. Although it's running an older version of Android (Version 4.1 'Jelly Bean'), this seemed adequate enough to get the job done.
We gave the VINCI to an overly bright seven-year-old girl for the ultimate 'like' or 'dislike' test. The final verdict? She's still using it after two months.
The downside is that she found the so-called 'learning' tools weren't advanced enough to hold her interest, so she's been seeking out more advanced challenges. We've discovered that this is common with most learning devices due to the fact that they have to be 'dumbed down' to accommodate the 'average' child in each age group.
The upside was that she was able to find many apps that provided more of a challenge through various learning websites and through her elementary school.
Dual SIM slots for connecting to any mobile network worldwide A slot for a MicroSD card for up to 32 GB of extra storage space VINCI Curriculum contains structured learning programs for children aged four to seven The VINCI Kids Library contains more than 800 apps created to encourage learning Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth Front and back cameras Eight gigabytes of internal storage It comes with a leather case, travel charger, USB cable and an earphone with a microphone One gigabyte of RAM
I can see this as an invaluable tool if your child needs tutoring in elementary reading or math. There is a bevy of apps that address these problems -- some of them preloaded on the VINCI Tab == and others provided as downloadable apps using VINCI Curriculum and the VINCI Kids Library. A few of these apps are preloaded on the device, with others available free or for a nominal fee.
Its key features include:
The MiTraveler 3D was provided to us by the folks at Hammacher Schlemmer, but we found a discrepancy between what the high-end catalog retailer wanted and the price posted on the tablet computer's website. Both Hammacher Schlemmer and Amazon have a list price posted of $349.95, but, when we checked out the manufacturer's website, we found a list price of $299.
The tablet, manufactured by Michley Tivax, features a 'no glasses' approach to 3D display, which literally means you don't need to wear those old, bulky 3D move-theater glasses to enjoy your favorite movies, videos or photographs in three dimensions. It accomplishes this through a process known as 'parallax barrier 3D technology,' which, according to the Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue, 'delivers a slightly different set of pixels to each eye, creating depth of field' known more commonly as 3D.
Micro HDMI and Micro USB output ports A micro SD card slot for up to 32 gigabytes of additional storage space Built-in speakers and a microphone 3D versions of games including Angry Birds and Temple Run The ability to download 3D movies through the Yabazam 3D on-demand service The ability to convert video clips and photos to 3D Access to 3D videos through YouTube, GoPro and Vimeo Dual Core processor Attention Facebook users: Check out Michael Berman's Jocgeek fan page or his website at www.jocgeek.com. You can also contact him via email at jocgeek@earthlink.net
Like the VINCI, the MiTraveler comes with Android 4.1, front and rear-facing cameras, built in WIFI and Bluetooth capability, one gigabyte of RAM and eight gigabytes of internal storage.
Its other key features include:
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Canada Clamps Down on Rich Chinese -- Update - Wall Street Journal
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Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Canada Clamps Down on Investor Visas - Wall Street Journal
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