Is It Time for Amazon to Follow Apple?

There are a lot of places that sell iPad WiFi/3G 16GB and other mobile gadgets like tablet PCs and mobile phones. You can go and visit the nearest shop in your neighborhood or you can just go online to buy one. The great thing about this is that the consumer is given the freedom to choose the way he shops even for grocery items. Those who are intimidated when setting foot in tech shops, or those who live far from the big cities that have swanky stores can get their gadgets from large retail stores that sell anything. Yes, Target, Kmart, and Wal-Mart sell tablet PCs, too! 

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The latest news that rocked both the tech and business worlds was the announcement of Wal-Mart discontinuing distribution of the Amazon Kindle in its stores and online site. There is no denying that Amazon is one place where you can buy almost everything from small appliances to tech gadgets and even toiletries. It is much like a grocery store in every sense only that it has no physical store, as it is an online retail shop. You can say that it is already directly competing with the online shop of both Wal-Mart and Target because of the same items that they offer. But then, you can say the same thing about Wal-Mart and Target. These stores sell anything you can think of, which sort of makes them Amazon, only with actual stores. 

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Now that Amazon has offered the Kindle at a rock bottom price, the giant retailers do not have enough room to make a profit for every Kindle that they sell in their stores. Amazon itself is already cannibalizing its own sales with this move. So, it does not make business sense for Wal-Mart and Target to continue selling the Kindle if this continues, as they only get very minimal profits or none at all. Those retailers who sell iPad WiFi/3G 32GB and other tablet PCs might just end up doing the same thing because what’s the use of selling the Kindle if they do not make any profit out of it.

With this, Amazon is left with a greatly reduced number of channels where customers can purchase their product. If this move happens again with the other retailers that still sell Kindle, then it leaves Amazon with a very limited market. It might just end up with the Kindle being available only through online purchase through their website unless Amazon puts up a store in every major city in the country.

Come to think of it, this has worked for Apple. Through the years, Steve Jobs’ company has operated its own stores and kept authorized retailers at a minimum. This has given the company an aura of exclusivity that sits well with its loyal customers, and at the same time also allowed them to maximize profits. If Amazon wises up, they could follow this brave business model and operate stores themselves, and maybe even expand their product line to accessories and whatnot, building a better and stronger brand for themselves.

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When iPad Meets Classroom

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Even though there are a thousand game apps available out there for the iPad, we all know that there are still educational benefits that students can get from it. It is not only a boredom buster, but it is also a homework buddy. The iPad opens more doors to education and presents more ways to learn from digital textbooks to edu-apps. You can enjoy even more these apps if you sell your iPad online and get the new one that has Retina Display. However, the iPad is not only students’ study-mate; it can also be a teachers’ pet. There are a lot of ways that teachers can use the iPad to educate, communicate and still stay organized.

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Since its first release in 2010, the iPad becomes more and more a part of everyone’s education, from pre-school to graduate school. Nowadays, even teachers can now monitor how students learn.

The iPad can be a time saver for many teachers. For example, a teacher can give a quiz after a lesson. The students take the quiz on the iPad and the teacher will receive feedback fast. This saves time. If the students seem okay, then they can immediately move on with the lesson. If not, the teacher can go back through the first lesson again. The iPad can help you a lot more ways than that.

Secondary and college lecturers can also use the iPad in class. There are apps like Nearpod and Lecture Tools that can put teachers and students on the same digital page. That way, no student will stray somewhere in the digital book because the teacher can monitor it.

Although technology continually changes and develops, education seems like it stays stagnant. Almost every teacher teaches the same way, using the chalkboard or the white board. So, if a teacher is smart enough to use the iPad, he will open more opportunities to engage the students in the lesson.

The iPad offers a new way to share knowledge with the students in an easier yet more engaging way. Moreover, it helps the teacher build a stronger connection with his students, thus everyone benefits from it.

A teacher can use the iPad as a digital board, with an app like Educreations Digital Whiteboard. He can also connect his iPad to any electronic device in the classroom using apps like BrainPop or Spelling City. With these likeable apps, surely, no one will fall asleep during classes.

College professors can use apps like GoodReader or DropBox to let students study lecture notes, guides and other required readings without the need of wasting paper with photocopies. With those apps, even those students who are absent with good reason can catch up with the lesson before the next one comes, so there are no alibis for being unprepared.

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The iPad is not just a tool that can help teachers in the classroom. It can also help during non-class hours. Teachers can use the iPad for class preparation and management. There are apps like Classroom Management Essentials and Classroom manage that can help teachers to track grades, assignments and even behavior. For higher education, professors can track grades with Numbers and use Evernote to compile material needed for the semester.

Because of the portability of the iPad, teachers can now work anywhere. Teachers can now check the students’ grades, prepare for lectures, and many other things, anywhere, anytime. This just proves that iPad really is a very flexible gadget because of its efficiency and features.

So if you are a teacher, I suggest you sell your broken iPad at CashforiPads.com and buy the latest iPad to help you get better in your class! Your students will surely love you!

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Can Your Tablet PC Be Safe From Malware?

A lot of people are already using Android tablet PCs for work and for play. You can see a lot of stores that sell Android tablets and iPads side by side to give their customers the chance to pick which device they prefer to have. Also, since Android tablets are much more affordable than the lowest priced iPad, people are leaning towards purchasing an Android tablet instead.

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Having an Android tablet is no different from getting an iPad. After all, Android tablets can do most of the things that the iPad can do. It really depends on the applications that you have installed on your tablet PC. However, there are instances that Android-based tablet PCs have been attacked by malware, something that has not been reported with devices running on iOS. Thus, one of the downsides of getting an Android-based tablet is its susceptibility to malware compared to Apple devices.

Malware is a malicious code sneaked into a program, which is installed when an infected file is run on the device and is meant to do harm to it and its owner. Thanks to the corrupt mind of hackers who spread nothing but negativity and things that would make them rich and powerful, these kinds of software programs have persistently ruined networks and devices. Android tablets are susceptible to malware because the operating system of the devices is an open source, which means anyone can make a program based on it without any restrictions. Android is based on Linux, which is free for all to use. Since this is the case, hackers have been using this to take advantage of people who do not have the know-how about these things.

image credit to letstalktablets.com

As for iOS devices, we cannot really say that they are not susceptible to viruses or malware at all. After all, any device that can be connected to the Internet is exposed to viruses. However, developers of viruses are not really that keen on making viruses for Apple devices. One, the iOS system only runs on Apple devices, which means the scope of damage a virus or malware for iOS devices is not as extensive compared to the damage a virus for Android devices may bring. Moreover, iOS is not an open source software, which means there are some restrictions on it that even hackers cannot fully crack. So, if you are very conscious of device safety and such, it is not really advisable to thinking of selling your iPad and switch to an Android device, because as far as security issues go, the iPad is more secure compared to Android tablet PCs.

Spreading malware becomes an easy task for the hackers because people are not careful with the programs they are installing in their devices. People easily allow these programs to run and have access to the information stored. When the malicious code is given access to the device then it already becomes infected. It is adviced by those who sell tablet PCs that to screen programs that are installed in the tablet PC because there are programs, even though legitimate have been infected by malware and virus.

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Be More Productive With iOS 6!

Some things we cannot do with an iPad we can do with laptops. So, many sell their iPad in exchange for laptops. But then again, we hate carrying laptops in our bags, right? Because of the new operating system of Apple, there are several improvements on your iPad that can now help you become more productive.

Contacts

Using the iPad, you can now also search all the fields in the Contacts list. This will be very useful to people who have numerous people on their list to keep tract of. You can now easily find everyone in your address book depending in their “Job” or “Location.

Mail

Receiving a dozen e-mail messages is part of everyday life for some. So, if you suddenly receive an important message, you might not notice it because of the other messages dumped into your folder. Apple added some features that will make this problem smaller.

With the new operating system, you can now make your contacts VIP, like your boss, partner, spouse, or anyone else. So when that VIP sends you a message, it will appear in the VIP folder. It appears in the Inbox too, but with a star next to it for you to know that it’s a VIP message.

You can also put flags on your messages, and they will appear in another folder so that you can keep track of them.

Don’t worry about the memory storage because you will only have one file for each message even if they are in many different folders. They are not copied, but they just show themselves in those folders. So when you change a file in one folder, then it will also change in the rest.

If you do not want your automated signature to appear in some messages you want to send, iOS 6 now allows users to set separate signatures for different e-mails. This will save you time changing them manually.

You can now also add images of videos to an existing message, meaning you can now reply to an e-mail with a photo.

If you are worried about security, you can now open the new iOS Word files that you receive as attachments with password protection.

Maps

Although the Maps app of the new operating system received negative reviews from many, the good thing about the app is that it has spoken navigation. This will be very handy if you are lost and you need help finding a place.

Safari

One feature added in the iOS 6 is the ability to upload images to websites. This will be very handy for those who work with pictures as part of their job.

Another improvement in the Safari browser is that if you have another iDevice with you, your iPad can see the URL sites you visited using your other iDevice, like an iPhone.

FaceTime

One of the most lauded apps in the iPad is FaceTime which is the best app when it comes to talking face to face. It offers a great video-chatting service. Now you see the person you are talking to using the free FaceTime app, and at the same time, he is seeing you!

But of course, FaceTime was already in the previous operating system. It’s improved because now you can make FaceTime calls if you’re connected to a wireless network like AT&T and Verizon, unlike before when you could only use FaceTime with Wi-Fi.

See, you can now be more productive with the iPad because of the new iOS 6. However, this operating system does not support the iPad 1, so why not sell iPad 1 at CashforiPads.com.

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Multitasking With the New iPad

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Many pundits found the original iPad almost flawless when it was released in 2010. It was regarded as the best tablet PC yet. However, some users found it disappointing when they tried to view some videos online. The iPad 1 could not play videos that ran on Adobe Flash player, which was the major online video player. Another missing feature from the iPad was the function to multitask. It could not run multiple applications at the same time. Some even sold their iPads just to get a laptop, which is, of course, far more efficient. Because of this, users could not look at the iPad more than just a novelty; certainly never a device for serious work.

The second generation of the iPad, which was released in March 2011, Apple developed to be almost similar to a standard computer: It can now multitask. If you want to toggle back and forth between one app to another, you can now do so with the iPad 2 without turning off the app. There are several ways to multitask.

Multitasking can now be done with the iPad because of the iOS 4.2. In this operating system, you just tap the iPad’s Home button twice to see the recently used applications and select the one you want to use now. If the iPad is in portrait mode, meaning the screen is vertical, six app icons are on the Multitask Bar; in landscape (the screen is horizontal), there are six icons in the bar.

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You can close an app by removing it from the Multitask bar. You just press down on an app and hold it until it vibrates. Tap the minus sign on the app you want to close.

With the Multitask Bar, you save time and energy. You can copy and paste data from one app to another with the multitasking function. It also lets you go from one app to another without closing the first app, letting you go back to your previous work. Besides, who uses just one app, anyway? With the Multitask Bar, you do not have to sell your iPad to buy a laptop because it is not as good as the latter.

However, there can be a bad side whenever you multitask. Imagine doing all this work at the same time: You are typing an e-mail, while receiving calls, then someone comes in the room and asks you to do this and that. Your head might explode with too many tasks. Maybe it is not really multitasking, since you switch from one task to another.

One disappointment brought to Apple users was that the new iPad did not have the iOS 5 operating system. The If the new iPad has this new OS, then it allows the user to bring up the Multitask Bar by swiping four or five fingers on the screen, which is not available in the new iPad’s OS. You can also swipe left or right to view and switch apps.

See, Apple really wants its customers to have better tablet experience than any other tablet companies. Who says you cannot multitask with the iPad?

If you have an old or broken iPad, try selling it at CashforiPads.com!

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