Tag: IPhone

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Bye Bye BlackBerry

Who remembers the BlackBerry phone?

My earliest memory of it was, when I newly into a role… and the manager (GM) had a blackberry. We were on the shop floor (manufacturing company) and he asked me if I’d seen a particular note from another senior person. I said, no. He instantly, pulled his blackberry out – and said, it’s in your inbox, have a look and walked off.

Wow. The power in his hands at that moment!

I rushed up a flight of stairs, to the office, and put the laptop on and had a look for the email – and rightly so, it was there! Read the email and replied and knew what was happening.

It was rather ground-breaking.

Having the power to do your emails on the go. Not having to get to the laptop. Not having to run up a flight of stairs. Nope… none of that. In the palm of your hands – you could be quicker, simpler and empowered (to a certain extent) to make decisions and get work done!

What was your first memory of the BlackBerry phone? (if you’re old enough to remember them!)

But… we know what happened to the trusted BlackBerry device. Don’t we?

What Happened to BlackBerry | Toptal

You’ll have heard, it’s the End of the Road for them.

Sales have been plummeting for a while. Every since Apple and other devices didn’t use physical buttons, every since other devices had better integrations with other applications and then the whole eco-system between devices (laptops, phones, tablets, etc…)

BlackBerry stuck with their unique selling point – the physical buttons. And to be honest, there were some die-hard fans that loved them. But the problem was, technology moved on so much… that honestly, there were other features that were more important than having the physical buttons. And on top of that, we all got used to the simplicity.

Simplicity of the screen.

Unfortunately, BlackBerry didn’t advance. They didn’t innovate. They stayed as they are.

And the other strand to this is… people aren’t sending as many emails as they used to previously.

We have more chat functionality. (Yes you had that on blackberry – but it was limited).

We have MS Teams. We have Slack. We have Whatsapp. We have all the social media platforms – Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, etc…

Let’s be honest, who has the time today to read long emails. It’s quicker and easier to send a quick message.

I think this only proves one point. It’s not the strongest of the species that survive…

Blackberry/RIM’s revenue from fiscal year 2004 to 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)

… it’s those, who are most adaptable to change.

Unfortunately, BlackBerry, like Blockbuster, like Kodak… just didn’t adapt to the change. Didn’t innovate. We know companies like Apple have that innovative spirit built within…

iPhone sales by year | Statista

Look at the two graphs from 2011 to 2013. Blackberry’s huge decline and Apple’s huge increase in sales.

I’m sure there’ll be many who are emotional about BlackBerry being no more… and I’m sure they’ll tweet/share their sorrows via their Apple or Android device. Basically, their non-BlackBerry device.

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All about the Slofies

Do much last night? – No?… well… the first question would be, why didn’t you tune into the Apple event?! – I did tell you about it.

Okay, I get it… you’re busy, we’re busy… everyone is busy. And being honest, aren’t we busy on our devices – you know, the mobile phone, the tablet, computer, etc..

Anyhow – Apple released a few cool products. First up – the iPhone 11

That’s right – you get the 11, the 11 Pro and the 11 Pro MAX! – obviously, the first thing you’ll notice are the camera’s. That’s right – Apple have up’d their game on photography – and rightly so. The competitors have some brilliant cameras on the back of their phones.

Now – I could share a lengthy detailed blog post about the whole event, about the different phones, about the new products like the new watch, the new iPad and the new Operating system… but you know what – I’m also busy.

So – I’ll leave you with this video, a quick, short, snappy video which tells you everything you need to know. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA3MV2V–TU

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Sept 10th with Apple…

Excited much?

I’ve previously share what the new iPhone 11 will be like. But haven’t share a lot about iOS13 – the new operating system.

New information coming out is also suggesting, if you’ve got an iPhone 6 or older… you won’t be able to take advantage of the new operating system, therefore vulnerable to hackers.

So which phone will run the new iOS?

  • iPhone XS
  • iPhone XS Max
  • iPhone XR
  • iPhone X
  • iPhone 8
  • iPhone 8 Plus
  • iPhone 7
  • iPhone 7 Plus
  • iPhone 6s
  • iPhone 6s Plus
  • iPhone SE
  • iPod touch (7th generation)

If you’ve not registered for the event – you can do so. If you want a reminder, (like me) find Apple on twitter, like their recent post and they’ll send you a reminder on the day! Customer engagement done properly!!

I won’t share much more now… but will let you know about the event after the 10th… so stay tuned!!

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iPhone 11…

Seriously Bal? – another new iPhone? – seems like only yesterday the X, XS and XL was released.

Indeed. Not that long ago – but in this rapidly evolving world we live in, and the trillions that is in the bank of Apple, you didn’t think they’d just sit there and not do anything?

That’s right folks – there’ll be a new iPhone coming out later this year!

So what do we know – and how do we know it?

Well… the folks who make the protective cases for Apple leaked some images – and these have then been rendered!

So what do we know? – Firstly… it has 3 cameras!!!

That’s right – 3 cameras. We seen what some of the Chinese phone manufacturers are doing with their phones and their cameras – and let’s be honest, the picture quality is fabulous! – Even Samsung have serioulsy upped their game. So only time for Apple to do the same…

Admittedly- I’m taking more photos on my phone than my DSLR!

In addition to the 3 cameras – there’ll be a faster processor… more memory and a better battery! There’ll also be phone to phone (and other device like AirPods, etc…) charging.

We’ll no doubt receive more leaks (information and photos) over the next month or two – and as always, will happily keep you updated!

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Clearing those emails…

Well, first and foremost – I hope you all had a great Easter break.

Now, I appreciate, I have many readers from around the World, and not everyone celebrates Easter – but I’m living in England and we do.

Whilst on the whole, it was thoroughly enjoyable with the hot weather… there was one small problem I found… .that I’d have a million emails when I log back in when I’m back at work.

Now… being honest, we’re never away from work – are we? – we’re always connected. Mobile phone in hand… we will receive notifications of when we get an email (Yes – I do turn my notifications off whilst I’m on ‘holiday’)


However – you do see the number next to the icon (if you’re on iOS) just increasing all the time.

But can we move away from Email… the answer is Yes!

How’s that Bal?

Well… some people are saying, that email is dead. Technically, and if you ask me – it’s not dead… but is dying.

Because we have so many other ways to communicate.

WhatsApp for example.

It’s quicker. It’s easier. You can have groups. You can send attachments….

There’s so much going for WhatsApp – that it makes a variable alternative.

But there’s not only WhatsApp – there’s other tools as well…. for example Slack.

I do like Slack. You can create channels – have people invited to collaborate on certain topics… share files (attachments), and do so much more.

Then there’s other tools based around projects, based around events, etc…

So that’s why, I think email is dying…. we haven’t got the attention span – well, I say we, it’s these young folk! – Millenials have an attention span of 12 seconds!

It’s even disappointing with the Gen Z…. 8 seconds.

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Heated Seats… what a luxury!

This morning, I had the opportunity to review some of the latest news stories from over the past few days on BBC Radio Nottingham.

One of the news stories were about ‘autonomous vehicles’, and how they’ll be introduced in a few years benefiting disabled and the elderly.

Firstly, this time-line is tooooo soon. Yes – we have much of the technology available in the Tesla cars, and some other manufacturers are testing, but I feel, it won’t be that easy with the small, winding, countryside roads we have here in the UK. On long motorways, yes – great idea.

Then there was a story about the iPhone X… and how I referred to my recent blog post, if you should buy one of not… (I’m still leaning to the BMW 328 with beige interior). And reading a recent article, there was a great argument over why you should stick with your iPhone 6S… i’ll have to find it and share it with you. Yes the latest phones are quicker, and have better cameras, and a lot more tech packed into them, but are you really going to use Augmented Reality on a daily basis? – no, didn’t think so.

But then… if you’re taking alot of photo’s for your Instagram account, then good idea to upgrade, but saying that, photo’s on the iPhone 6S aren’t too bad… (@mrbalbansal on Instagram).

There were a few other stories, but we touched on the one (not so tech related), about some of the recent inappropriate behavior that’s been taking place in Westminster… people touching people which is unacceptable. I’m in total agreement, that there’s boundaries and lines you do not cross. I also believe you should state it very clearly if you a) do not agree with certain behaviors and actions and b) if someone has acted in-appropriately, you let them know immediately and if it carries on, inform someone who can ensure the corrective action is taken.

But with all these stories coming out, we spoke about… when do you know it’s okay to hug… or do you just give a handshake? –

Do men think twice now, before hugging or putting their arm around someone? – what if a lady acts inappropriately to a young male… and why haven’t we heard of those stories?

Well… I could’ve shared more detail and the other stories, but I think it’s only fair that you go visit BBC Radio Nottingham, and find Mark’s morning show for the 6th October and have a listen… hope you enjoy it!

Oh… but what about the heated seats Bal? – ah yes.. the heated seats…. well, you’ll just have to listen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05k34w7

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iPhone X… Should I buy one, Bal?

That, is a great question.

Should I buy an iPhone X?

Before I answer that… you may recall my blog post about the comparison of the new iPhone X and how it was the same price as a BMW 3-series with beige interior. Obviously, I wasn’t comparing apples to apples…

So, back to the question – should you buy one?

Well, it depends on a number of factors. Main one being, do you really need it?

There’s plenty of reviewers out there – who review. And they’re the ones that would compare it against existing iPhone models, old iPhone models, and non-iPhone models. I also encourage folk to look at these reviews before making an informed decision.

The problem here is – whilst i’m sat in a very cloudy and fairly cold, London… I’ve not been able to get my hands on the latest iPhone X. Therefore, unable to conduct a review and share it with you on this blog. But that’s ok… that’s absolutely fine, because my friends at The Verge… were able to review and make a little video for you…

 

So, back to the question… should you buy one?

Really goes back to the point of, do you really need it? – with all it’s functionality and capabilities… do you need all of them? – if the answer is Yes – then go ahead, and buy one. If the answer is, not really.. then look at the iPhone 8… which i’m sure will serve all your current needs.

And I say that, because technology is advancing and so are needs of the customer. Take Augmented Reality for example, it’s come leaps and bounds in recent years… so much so, it’s in the hands of everyday folk, like you and me…. knowing what to do with it, is another thing.