If you are an Apple stockholder, these are not good times. Last week, the tech giant reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $1.90 a share on $50.56 billion in revenue, marking its first quarter-over-quarter revenue decline since 2003. Apple shares had lost 9% of their value since Apple revealed their first quarter financial results. In itself, this would not be anything to worry about for a behemoth like Apple. There are several other factors however that must be considered before being able to fully understand what is going on here. 1) World class Apple Analyst/Prognosticator, Ming Chi Kuo is the most respected Apple analyst on the planet. I'm aware of 26 of his previous predictions of which 23 of them were spot on. Ming claims that this September when Apple will launch their newest iPhone 7, the response is going to be mediocre. He feels this device is just not different enough from the 6s series to excite people. He also feels, as I do, that removing the industry standard 3.5mm headset jack in favor of their own proprietary "Lightning" style was a big mistake that is really going to anger a lot of folks. 2) Yesterday, billionaire business magnate, Carl Icahn, dumped the remainder of his Apple stock shares which amounted to about 1% of Apple's worth. He told CNBC that it was a combination of factors. First, there was a 26% sales drop in greater China, compared to this time last year. Much of this likely had to do with the initial infatuation for the Apple iPhone as a status symbol. Well, the shine is apparently wearing off the Apple. Today, there are some amazing new Chinese made Smartphones at a fraction of the cost of Apple's models such as Huawei's new P9 Android with Leica camera. 3) China's government regulators recently took aggressive measures against Apple by blocking access to the company's online stores for digital books and movies. This capricious behavior, combined with the fact that the iPhone and many of its components are actually made in China were too much for Icahn to handle. After all, he took a beating with his oil holdings last year and was possibly feeling like Apple might be a Deja Vu. Maybe Carl Icahn feels Trump is going to be the next POTUS and knows how he feels about China? While Apple's earnings are down, Samsung is still on the rise and doing great. There are also now at least a dozen really good Android options out there, including the new BlackBerry PRIV Android. Lately, I have been hearing quite a few people say that "Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs". Well, for Mr Cook's sake and all of Apple's shareholders, I sure hope Apple does something revolutionary in September.
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According to James Clapper, the US Director of National Intelligence, “As a result of the Snowden revelations, the onset of commercial encryption has accelerated by seven years,” The examples for this began two years ago when both Apple and Google strengthened their encryption within their operating systems. Recently, Facebook-owned WhatsApp joined the encryption wagon, which already included chat messaging applications Signal, Wickr, and Telegram. Last week our favorite voIP voice calling app Viber followed suit too. The FBI, CIA, DEA,NSA, DOD and all those other 3 letter government organizations are obviously not happy. Their jobs just became much more difficult and you can bet they are looking for skilled hackers. For consumers, this is all the more reassuring that our personal information, pictures, banking info, passwords, and proprietary information that resides on our devices should remain safe. Obviously, one of the main reasons that Apple and Google keep coming out with newer versions of software is to thwart the bad guys and any vulnerabilities they should discover. Hardly anybody had ever heard of the Telegram application until the FBI started complaining that they cannot crack their end-to-end encryption , making it a favorite for ISIS and other terrorist groups to communicate. Hacking is a never ending battle and will likely never end, even as it gets more difficult. Ransomware has become the latest threat and the bad guys even have the audacity to target hospitals. That was the case recently with a Hollywood California hospital that's computer network was held hostage for a week before they paid a bitcoin ransom. My insurance company was hacked and my wireless provider's vendor, Experian was hacked. Both offered me free monitoring for a year which I didn't need. I had already had my identity stolen the year before. After filing a police report, they added an 7 year lockdown on my social security number. In an ironic twist, the FBI is no longer seeking Apple's help to hack the San Bernardino Terrorist's iPhone 5c. They've already handled it but won't divulge how. Rumor has it that Israeli forensics company, Cellebrite did it for them. This company specializes in mobile forensics. Almost everyone in the US who has ever had their wireless carrier transfer contents from one device to another has used Cellebrite's technology. My company also utilized mobile Cellebrite machines to do mass migrations for our larger corporate clients. This equipment extracts data on one device, then allows it to be moved to the newer device. These days, many people own a 42" or larger Flatscreen TV. Today's most expensive models usually have 4k resolution and are "Smart" TV's that support specific pre-programmed streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, iHeart Radio, FaceBook and others. I'm going to reveal something that is so simple, most people overlook it. Check your Flatscreen to verify that it has an HDMI input on the rear. If it does, and you do not have an HDMI cable, take a trip to Marshalls, Target or BestBuy and purchase one. From your laptop or SmartPhone, it is possible to connect the HDMI to HDMI, or mini HDMI to HDMI cable to your Flatscreen. Once you do this, your Flatscreen instantly becomes a jumbo computer monitor. Obviously, you will need to toggle between HDMI 1 and HDMI 2, or Cable on your Flatscreen depending on how you set it up. Don't worry if you don't have a 4K super hi resolution Flatscreen. I'm using an 720p in my office and an 1080p in my home and they both look stunning as you can see on the above image. The monitor above is a 42" Vizio that cost less than $300. There are two devices pictured on the right below the speaker. The one on top is the Mac Mini. The one on the bottom is my Router/Time Machine which is not needed for this operation. Also pictured is my bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I decided I wanted a permanent solution for both my home and office. After doing quite a bit of research, I discovered that as of June 2010, and after, all of Apple's Mac Mini models included an HDMI port. I found one from late 2010 on e-bay for $250. I also found an Apple WIreless Keyboard and wireless Mouse for another $100. These I used in my living room. This solution worked so well, on my 55" living room flatscreen that I figured why not utilize the 42" TV in my office and "create" a 42" Mac Mini. The above is a picture of that set up. Nothing like viewing photos, streaming video, reading e-mail or using social media on a humongous screen. I loved my iPhone 6/128GB device. The only thing that really appealed to me on the newer models was the larger screen size. I came close to going back to the "Dark Side" and getting an Samsung S7 edge model but couldn't quite pull the trigger. The problem is when you get into the iEcosystem, it's like the Mafia. They make it so darn seamlessly easy to upgrade devices, you just can't leave. The plan was to wait until September for the iPhone 7. Someone recently traded in a used iPhone 6S+ in good condition and I decided to try it. I knew the screen size was 5.5" versus my previous 4.7" and the resolution went from 1 million pixels to 2 million. The difference was pretty blatant. I also knew the camera would be a significant upgrade and it was. I went from 8mp to 12mp on the rear cam and from 1.2mp to 5mp on the front (selfie) camera. Pictures are sharper and brighter on the 6S+. I almost feel sorry for the camera manufacturers because this new iPhone makes buying a stand alone camera almost redundant. I also noticed that the A-9 processor seemed much faster than the A-8 in my iPhone 6. Streaming video was a much nicer experience on the 6s+. As far as the 3D Touch feature, either I haven't figured it out, or it's overblown. I could care less about that feature. The only two downsides I experienced were the following: -The larger size, while easy on the eyes, is not as pocket friendly when wearing shorts. The larger size also makes one-handed dialing a bit more challenging. -The accelerometer (device that switches screens angle when turning it) seemed much more sluggish and did not respond as quickly as my older iPhone 6 model. That being said, my wife is now the proud owner of my iPhone 6/128GB and I am now pretty happy with Big Momma! Buy One Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 edge phone, and Get One FREE - Limited Time Offer That’s right, the Samsung Galaxy BOGO offer has been extended to May 5 and now includes the S7 edge beginning April 8!
Contact me to make arrangements to have a couple devices delivered directly to your home or office! Funny, I had just told my T-Mobile channel manager that it was too bad that to get TM's best deals required a minimum of 3 lines. That just changed! T-Mobile today announced a killer two line offer for customers who need fewer lines, AND want to stream unlimited video and music from 100+ services without using any of their LTE data—all while still getting unlimited talk, text and data on the nation’s fastest 4G LTE network. And unlike the carriers who advertise large data buckets while they hide costly monthly data access fees in their fine print, TM won’t charge you extra to use the data you’ve already paid for. T-Mobile’s Spring Break starts tomorrow! For a limited time, customers can get two lines with 12 GB of LTE data (6 GB each – no sharing required) for just $80 a month. PLUS, only T-Mobile offers Binge On and Music Freedom which allows you to stretch your data bucket further. On top of that, for a limited time, any new or existing T-Mobile customer—regardless of credit—can walk away with a hot new smartphone for $0 down, starting tomorrow with the LG K7 and coming soon, the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime. “Families who want fewer lines deserve a better option and we’re giving them one! Don’t let Verizon trick you with their misleading ads. They lure you in with the promise of a ‘Large’ serving of data for $60, only to sneak in another $20 PER LINE in monthly access fees – to use the data you already own! At Verizon, $60 actually means $100 for 2 lines and 6 GB!” said John Legere, President and CEO of T-Mobile USA. “Even worse, these guys charge you those access fee again and again, every single month. Don’t believe the BS; come to T-Mobile where we do data different!” That’s right. TM does data differently. With 6 GB of Un-carrier data, you get a whole lot more than 6 GB. Un-carrier Data not only rides on T-Mobile’s blazing fast LTE network; with most Simple Choice plans, it also comes with unlimited video and music streaming from services like YouTube, Netflix and 100+ others. Thanks to Binge On and Music Freedom, 70% of video and 96% of the music T-Mobile customers on qualifying plans stream won’t even hit the 6 GB of LTE included in this two line plan. And, T-Mobile gives you the ability to stash your unused data to use up to a year later; so you keep what you already paid for. The carriers can’t say the same for their data. To make sure that ALL Simple Choice customers can fully enjoy the benefits of Un-carrier data, the company also launched a new offer on select LG and Samsung phones. ANY new or current T-Mobile customer looking to upgrade their phones to the new LG K7 or Samsung Galaxy Core Prime will be able to walk out for $0 down when purchased on an Equipment Installment Plans (EIP), while supplies last. That’s right, no down payment required (excluding taxes)! Remember, T-Mobile's plans offer FREE global data and texting, along with $0.20 per minute voice roaming from 140 countries. If you use TM wifi dialing, roaming becomes totally FREE. Learn more... I am often asked which SmartPhone applications I recommend. As there are literally millions, that do all kinds of stuff, that can be an overwhelming question. Here are some of my personal favorites that I find myself using daily. I'll break these down under categories to keep it simple. Everyone knows about Microsoft's Productivity applications so here are some that are not as well known... Browsers I hate Safari and Explorer and only use Google Chrome and Puffin's Free version and here is why. Google's browser is more compatible than any other and is fast and easy to utilize. I also love Puffin's FREE browser which is the fastest of all browsers and has some very cool properties not found on others like pinch and pull zooming. Cellular Voice Mail Most people use the voicemail that comes with their carrier and don't even realize there are far better FREE options. Of course, you can buy the premium versions of the products I mention below for an enhanced experience, but it really isn't necessary as the FREE versions are pretty amazing, compared to generic carrier voicemail. YouMail is a very cool and impressive solution. Your calls are answered by a virtual secretary. What distinguishes this FREE solution from the rest and blows your callers away is, if they are in your contacts list, they are actually greeted by first name, "Oh Hi Jeff, Joel cannot come to the phone at the moment. Please leave a message..." The other solution that I like slightly better is "Google Voice". With Google, you can have an independent number from your cellphone's that will forward automatically to it. This is great when you need to give someone your number but don't want them to have your personal number. I love it because I can forward my T-Mobile mobile number to it and get FREE Voice-to-Text transcription, and a FREE WAV file is recorded, along with the conventional voice mail message. That means you have three options to retrieve your voicemails, reading them in text, playing the recorded audio WAV file, or dialing in old school for the voice message. Cloud Storage There are many, many FREE cloud storage options. I personally have almost a half dozen clouds that I utilize. I do it this way as most clouds give a limited amount of storage space. For my really important stuff that I prefer to keep secure, I have a paid cloud service I utilize. For my photos, and regular documents, music and videos, I use DropBox, Box, OneShare, and Apple's Cloud. Communication T-Mobile's Voice over IP/Wifi dialing allows me to dial where there is no wireless coverage & to roam for FREE. -WhatsAPP Messaging offers FREE and super-secure picture, video, calling and audio messaging globally. -Viber is a great AP for those who roam globally It offers totally FREE global voice calling. -SKYPE- The pioneer is still here and as good as ever. Skype is a great way to call internationally for FREE, or peanuts. -Facetime- Video calling for iPhones is so cool but very few people actually use it because they were never instructed how. -Instagram- This FREE APis a terrific way to follow friends by their photographs -FaceBook- No explanation needed for this Ap. -Alaska Airlines- This Ap is great for checking in and pre-boarding . Fun Stuff -Swellmagnet.com is a FREE Southern California surfing AP with FREE beach cameras, surf forecasts and very cool stuff. -Ultratide is a very cool Surfline powered forecasting tool designed for Nixon's Surf Watches. Don't buy the watch for this cool Application because It works really well on iPhone and Android devices too and is totally FREE. -Amazon- I originally got this for FREE amazon prime two day shipping. I later found out they offer FREE Cloud and downloadable music and videos. I find myself watching many of their TV and Movie shows, much of which is FREE for Prime. -Netflix- One of the smartest things I ever did was buying an old mac mini off e-bay and plugging it in via HDMI cable to my 55" Flat screen TV. Facebook and photos never looked so good. I love watching Netflix and Amazon movies this way too. -FlipBoard- This is one of the quickest and funnest ways to get your news. It works great with all SmartPhone operating systems and is now working with many desktop operating systems. You can even customize your categories of interest. WSL- World Surfing League AP lets you watch every tour event LIVE, from all over the world. The Ap will even send you an "It's ON" e-mail whenever a contest is going to run. FREE, awesome and another great argument for UNLIMITED data! Maps/GPS -Google Maps The gold standard and great AP for getting around -Apple Maps After a rocky launch, this AP is now ready for primetime. -Waze- This is the choice of professionals due to user input. A favorite of Lyft and Uber drivers. If you have any favorite applications that you feel I should share with our subscribers, please contact me. Samsung/Verizon Galaxy S7/S7 edge, Buy One, Get One FREE* If you missed T-Mobile's Samsung Two-For-One S7/S7 edge offer, we have it available this month with Verizon until April 14th. Buy two (contract or finance) and Verizon will refund the amount for the second device 8-10 weeks later in the form of a Mastercard debit card. Not an instant credit, but a great deal nevertheless for two awesome models. If you want in on this, or more info, contact me ASAP. What a crazy week in the world of wireless. Last week, the FBI was demanding Apple provide a Back door solution. This week Apple is demanding the FBI disclose how they unlocked the San Bernardino terrorist's iPhone 5c model without their assistance.
-Apple Mac users are no longer safe from virus and malware. -MLB signs deal with Apple to provide dugouts with iPad PRO devices -The scoop on the iPhone 7 coming in late September -The Newest $399.99 iPhone SE is available. -Facebook messenger to check in for your flight? -Free Microsoft Windows 10 Upgrade coming. -Apple's new iOS 9.3.3 screws up 4G access for Sprint users To access the full articles for the above topics, please visit our facebook/drwireless page. Hot Deals... $399.99 for the new iPhone SE. This newest model is essentially an iPhone 5S, but with the processor and rear camera of the 6S, along with a few other goodies. It is far faster than the 5s model but looks identical as far as design and screen size. We have these for Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. Imagine being able to use your iPhone or Android in areas of no wireless signal? Globalstar's SatFi router is awesome as it will connect up to 8 lines simultaneously by using a Low Earth Orbiting Satellite constellation. The cruise ship operators are going to hate these and may try to ban them. As they charge $5 per minute for calls, and Globalstar is less than $1 per call, I think I can cover the cost of a cruise if I can get passengers to use my Hotspot instead of the ship's. We still have T-Mobile's amazing deal for $150 offering three lines of Unlimited 4G data, with a fourth line for FREE. I'm on this plan and loving it with my new iPhone 6S+. We have new and used iPhones and Androids for all carriers, usually below dealer cost. Ask me. |
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March 2021
CategoriesAuthorJoel Saltzman has over twenty years of wireless industry experience. He is currently CEO and Chief Wireless Analyst for Dr Wireless. |