Smartphone Powered Motorola Lapdock 500 Pro

Posted on 27. Apr, 2012 by in Android, Equipment, Wireless Equipment

Motorola has introduced a dock for your Motorola smartphone. Ideal for on the go, you can use the lapdock to work online, create and edit documents, access your apps, and participate in video conferencing–all powered via your Motorola Smartphone.

This lapdock comes with a 14″ display, full-size keyboard, built-in webcam, 2 USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader, headphone jack, Ethernet, and a Kensington lock slot.

A large trackpad supports two-finger scrolling for easy navigation (on the web, your documents and navigating your phone screens). Plus it comes with VGA output, so you can connect it to an office projector or monitor to share presentations, videos or a website with a broader group. It weighs around 2 pounds and offers a seven hour battery life, so it’s perfect taking on the road, in the coffee shop or just using around the office.

Connects to 4G LTE Network via Smartphone.
 The Smartphone plugs into the back of the lapdock (there is even a phone cradle for portability), and then you can utilize the Smartphone’s 4G LTE connection or WIFI for online access from anywhere you go.

Compatible with Motorola Smartphones.
 The Droid RAZR, Droid RAZR MAXX, Droid Bionic and Droid 4 are all compatible with this new lapdock. Plus, the lapdock charges your phone while docked.

Supports Smartphone and Lapdock Multi-tasking.
Even as you are surfing the web, working on documents or accessing various apps, they can still text or take a call on the Smartphone. The lapdock comes with a full Firefox® browser and Adobe®Flash®.

The Future of ChromeOS?
 Jason Hiner (TechRepublic/CNET) thinks this could be the strategic future of the Google Chrome, giving the Android community a device that Apple will not have any time soon. While it is initially aimed at business consumers, this could offer appeal to people wanting to replace an old PC but not wanting to spend the money on a new.

Buy LG and Get 50GB Free on Box

Posted on 26. Apr, 2012 by in Promotions

Great news for Android lovers! Box(R) is giving away 50GB of online storage space to LG users. Simply download Box on your LG, and you’ll qualify for 50GB online storage for free for life.

Store your content.
 Using Box, you can easily access your music, documents, images or any other files from anywhere, using your LG smartphone, your tablet, or your computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux). Your personal content is always at your fingertips. If you’re working on a project for school and business, you can upload content, and present PowerPoint slides directly from Box (no software needed), etc.

Share your content.
Box makes it easy to share content with friends and to collaborate on content with colleagues. You can turn on sharing for any folder and invite others to view the file. If you’re working with a group on a project, you can have discussions online, assign and mange tasks, and track file versions. Plus Box offers full integration with a variety of online services such as Google Apps, Salesforce, NetSuite, eFax, FedEx, DocuSign, and many others.

Protect your content.
 Box protects your content with Enterprise-Grade Security, using 256-bit SSL Encryption and SSAE 16 Data Centers with 99.9% Uptime Guarantee.

This is a great deal for LG users. So if you’ve been thinking about upgrading, this might be a good time to look at LG.

Apps for Seniors

Posted on 24. Apr, 2012 by in Android, Apps, iOS

Wireless technology is fast becoming popular among senior citizens. From tablets to smartphones, seniors are discovering how wireless is more about providing accessible tools and less about the latest trend. While some techies track new smartphones like teens track the latest pop song, there is a much larger emerging market that is discovering how technology can offer applications that support every day needs.

I have a friend who is turning 80 this year. He’s had a mac for about three years, and his favorite website is Facebook. The technology has given him a way to stay in contact with friends and family all across the country. Plus, it’s given him an opportunity to meet and engage a variety of people he would never have met otherwise. His story is similar to many seniors who are now turning to smartphones and tablets. So how might this technology meet their needs?

Communication
Seniors can stay in touch with children, grandchildren using tools like Skype. I know one man who is in his 60s. He still spends part of his time on the road. The iPad is a gateway for him to spend time each evening talk with his wife and family via Skype. Meredith Bower over at Curiosity.com mentions a neat communication app for seniors. A Story Before Bed gives grandparents the ability to record a video of them reading a story for their grandkids. 

Family Research
I was eating supper the other night with an older couple who kept telling me stories about their favorite service: Ancestry.com. Leveraging the research potential of the Internet, Ancestry.com is helping people research family trees and build an extensive online database of family history information. The smartphone and tablets apps provides users with a steady stream of new discoveries about relatives, family heirlooms, living relations, pictures, gravestones and more. Reading With the wide range of reading apps like Kindle, Nook, Aldiko and more, seniors are re-discovering many of the classics from their youth. I have one older friend who started reading through Moby Dick, Captain Nemo and more on his iPhone several years back. Now he reads virtually all his books on the iPad. The adjustable font size and lighting allow him to keep reading long after his wife has gone to sleep.

Health
Researching and tracking health issues has never been easier. With apps like WebMD, users have the tools that can help them research health issues and improve decision making, plus it give access to first aid information (with requiring an Internet connection). Plus there are a variety of wellness tools and information apps from providers like Mayo Clinic.

Travel
As seniors take to the road, they can take a favorite PBS travel companion along. Popular tour guide and travel show host, Rick Steves offers a range of apps, podcasts and books for the smartphone and tablet. He offers both audio tour information and tour booklets. Additionally, there are a wide range of other tour guide apps like PocketGuide, Tour Eiffel, Digi Guides, TourBuddy, and more that give seniors a personal guided tour through various travel sites around the world.

Cooking
An iPad in the kitchen replaces a shelf full of cookbooks as iPad and Android tablets offer a wide range of great cooking tools like AllRecipe, Cooking Lite, Menu Picker, CookFresh, Conversions for Cooking, BigOven and many, many more.

Games
From Suduko to Crossword Puzzles to Word with Friends, seniors can discover a variety of classic and new games that will keep them engaged with friends and family while playing games at the same time.

Expanding Networks: Verizon 4G LTE and Cellular Sales

Posted on 20. Apr, 2012 by in 4G LTE

Verizon Wireless expanded their 4G LTE coverage this week. The 4G LTE Network moved into 27 new markets while also improving coverage in 44 existing markets. As a result of this significant expansion, the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE  now covers two-thirds of the U.S. population.

Even as Verizon continues expanding service to serve and reach more customers, Cellular Sales also continues to expand. In the last few weeks, we’ve opened new stores and/or added new positions in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, New York, Alabama, Virginia, Kansas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and more. As we continue expanding, our goal remains focused on serving customers.

Consider our new store in Johnstown, New York. “Cellular Sales aggressively pursues the best locations available, and the new Johnstown store is a prime example of that effort,” said Luke Fletcher, regional director of Cellular Sales. “We want our customers to experience the superior service by our Verizon experts.” (From Times Union)

It’s this commitment to superior service that makes Cellular Sales stand out. By focusing on building customer-businesses, Cellular Sales has enjoyed a constant growth pattern over the 18 years. At 500 stores and growing, we continue to attract sales professionals who are committed to delivering the best wireless customer service in the industry.

Out sales team is made up of people who are committed to building businesses around customers . When you walk into a Cellular Sales store, you don’t simply meet a sales clerk, you encounter a professional business person who is dedicated to helping you find the best wireless solution for your personal and business needs. And we’re committed to servicing and supporting your needs long after the sale.

The 4G LTE wireless network by Verizon Wireless and the expanding network of stores by Cellular Sales offer you the perfect wireless combination.

How To Turn Off Apps on iPhone

Posted on 19. Apr, 2012 by in iOS

If you’re iPhone battery seems to be depleting too fast or your iPhone seems to be running slow, you can try turning off some of the background apps. This shouldn’t be a problem, but there may be some apps that are draining too much battery life or processing too much in the background.

The way Apple designed the multitasking feature, background apps should not cause a slowdown and increased battery drain.

The reason? It’s not real multi-tasking.

When you switch from one app to another on your iPhone, you essentially pause the background app. It cannot continue draining resources. At the same time, some apps do continue to run in the background. For example, if you’re listening to a music app and want to check your email, you want the music to continue playing.

The iOS multitasking feature is designed to pause applications but allow certain functions to continue. These functions include:

  • Background Audio
  • Voice Over IP Services
  • Background Location-based services
  • Push notifications (think timers, alarms and such)
  • Task completion (if the task started before switching apps, it will complete)

There may still be times that you want to turn off background apps.

Here’s how you do it:
1. Unlock the iPhone, then double click on your home key.


2. The top of screen fades, but the bottom row remains. All the apps on the bottom row are currently running in background.


3. To close an app, touch and hold a specific app. The app icons should slightly shake and a red minus sign appears in the top left of each app.


4. Simply tap the red minus sign to close the app, then scroll from right to left to view (and close) all the apps running in background.

Easter Eggs in Android and iPhone

Posted on 09. Apr, 2012 by in 4G LTE

Used by permission (mollystevens)

After spending yesterday hunting Easter eggs with my nieces and nephews, I thought it might be fun to uncover an easter egg or two on my iPhone and Android. I didn’t find anything mind-shattering, but some of these are interesting and humorous. I actually found several interesting tips on IOS 5 that I had never discovered before, but I’ll post those in a separate column later.

iPhone
Crazy Cat on Speedtest – Apparently a crazy cat inhabits the facilities at Ookla, developer of Speedtest. To see the cat, open the Speedtest app on your iPhone. Press the “Begin Test” button. Once the app has finished the test, slide the speedmeter down to reveal a crazy cat beneath. You can keep sliding the speedmeter down to see various message from the cat.

Kelley Blue Book – If you’re a fan of Kelley Blue Book, you can catch a sneak peak of the original Kelley Blue Book (dating back to 1926). Open Kelley Blue Book on your iPhone. Shake your phone. Suddenly the 1926 version will appear, and you can get a sweet price on that Chandler sedan you’ve been eying. To get back to a current version, click the home button.

Android OS

In the spirit of Google’s playfulness, Ice Cream Sandwich, Honeycomb, and Gingerbread embed an animation in the About section under Settings.

Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) – Go into Settings and select About. Begin repeatedly clicking the Android version number or long-pressing the Android number. After a few moments, you’ll see the Nayandroid appear in one of several animations.

A team of Nyandroids come to save the day.

Honeycomb (Android 3.0) -Repeatedly tap the Android version number in About, and you’ll be treated to a Tron-like Android buzzing and re-buzzing.

Gingerbread (Android 2.3) – Tapping the Android version number this time reveals a wacky apocalyptic image of the Android mascot, zombies and Gingerbread man with fangs. Yikes!

Comparing 4G Networks

Posted on 04. Apr, 2012 by in 4G LTE

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With the release of the iPad 4G on both Verizon and AT&T, there have been a flood of tests between the two networks. Even as Verizon produced the above video that highlights speed tests in different areas, PCMag, GottaBeMobile, Digital Trends, and a host of other digital reporters have also been conducting their own speed tests and network comparisons.

Most reporters are hesitant to recommend one service over another, but in service by service comparisons, the following points emerge again and again:

AT&T HSPA+ is not 4G. It’s 3G+.
For the last couple years, AT&T has consistently tried to convince the consumer that HSPA+ equals 4G coverage. While HPSA+ is admittedly faster that 3G coverage it does not meet 4G specifications. Over the last year, AT&T themselves have practically admitted that HSPA+ is not 4G by moving future development to focus on LTE.

Verizon dominates LTE coverage.
LTE is the accepted 4G standard.* Verizon has been investing in LTE for several years and has plans to completely cover their 3G footprint with 4G LTE service by early 2013. AT&T’s limited 4G LTE coverage simply cannot compete with Verizon’s current 4G LTE coverage and it’s projected expansion over the next years.

Verizon offers Tethering for iPad.
One of the big reasons for comparing Verizon and AT&T over the last month was the launch of the new 4G LTE iPad. Verizon is the only provider to support a personal hotspot for the new iPad.

Verizon has solutions for heavy data users.
Alex Colon over at PCMag acknowledges that AT&T has a cheaper plan but the data usage is so limited it’s not hardly worth it. He goes on to say that Verizon offers the “best bang for your buck.” So if you want a competitive data plan, don’t just look at prices. Compare prices and data usage, price per GB, and other features like the free hotspot. All these add up to make Verizon a more cost competitive plan.

These are just a few of the high level advantages of Verizon that consistently show up in the reports of columnists and reviewers alike. Of course, the best way to compare is to make the comparison yourself. Talk to your Cellular Sales representative to learn what options are best for your needs.

*Over time, we can expect to see a graded expansion of 4G that will fully realize the full intent of IMT-Advanced (the original term for the technology protocols that would come to be called 4G). It is unclear if another term will emerge to indicate the full realization of IMT-Advanced protocols.

Cellular Sales Reaches New Milestones

Posted on 02. Apr, 2012 by in Cellular Sales News, Customer Service, Locations of Cellular Sales

This past week Cellular Sales opened our 60th store in North Carolina, our 50th store in Texas, and a new store in Savannah, Georgia. Hard work and loyal customers has helped us reach these new milestones. We work hard to build strong customer relationships because loyal customers help create other loyal customers. This pattern of ongoing growth has helped make Cellular Sales the nation’s largest Verizon Wireless reseller.

“Opening our 60th store in North Carolina is an exciting milestone for us and the entire Cellular Sales team who works hard every day to bring our service model to new areas throughout the country,” said Dane Scism, founder and CEO at Cellular Sales. “Since our first store opened in North Carolina in 1997, we have been committed to our mission of providing the best customer care in the mobile industry.”

In 2005, Cellular Sales opened our first store in Texas. Since then, we’ve experienced tremendous growth and opened 10 new stores in the past year alone. “We continue to experience rising demand for our services and our record expansion across the Texas market illustrates that,” said JT Thome, COO. “Cellular Sales is committed to meeting that demand and we strive to exceed our customers’ expectations as we look forward to continued growth in the future.”

This pattern of continued growth translates into 10 to 15 new store openings every month nationwide and an annual growth rate of 30 percent. Cellular Sales faces the great challenge of continually recruiting talented sales professionals. On any given day, we’re looking for motivated, sales people who want the opportunity to build their own business. We train our team members to focus on customer service as the foundation for a successful business. This focus has paid off. In 18 years, Cellular Sales has grown to over 500 stores with a thriving team of 3800 sales professionals. We hope to open 150 new stores in 2012 alone.

For more information on working for Cellular Sales, contact us today.