Tag: Samsung Galaxy

iPhone 5s and 5c and What I Would Have Done If I Were Apple

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

I’m am an apple product fan.  Huge fan of the iPhone and the iPad.  I own a first gen iPad and still use it. Even though I am an android phone user I can still appreciate Apple hardware.

Every product refresh they make they include great enhancements but I think there is one move they have yet to make but I think would be an absolute monster boost to their sales.

A larger iPhone to me would be a monster hit.  As a Samsung Galaxy s3 user I really appreciate the extra screen real estate and I appreciate even more the ability to strap on a cheap aftermarket battery to the back of my s3 which triples the battery life. 

I believe there are many people out there that want the smallest and lightest phones they can get but with the sheer computing power available on today’s smartphones they are being used more as portable computing machines and I think there is a distinct trend with people who want larger phones to be able to hit the keys easier and navigate easier, see videos more clearly, ect, ect ect. 

Although I recognize that Apple will probably never let you open up your iPhone or add a micro sd card slot for more memory a larger iPhone would mean more space internally for a larger high capacity battery.  If there’s one thing that sucks about a smartphone for a power user it’s the amount of life a battery on a small phone has.  Bigger phone, bigger battery.

For me the ability to get many different android smartphones with detachable backplates allowing for huge batteries and larger screens are the difference and why I’d recommend an android phone over an iPhone.  But if I was a casual non-demanding smartphone user it would probably be iPhone.

The success of the Samsung Galaxy Note which is basically a Samsung Galaxy with an even larger screen shows there is big demand.

I don’t agree with Apple’s tactic of offering a low cost iPhone either with the 5c and it’s plastic parts.   Apple has always been synonymous with unapologetic top grade hardware and premium pricing.  people were and are willing to pay for it knowing they are getting the best hardware without ever questioning it. 

I equate coming out with a lower grade iPhone to a brand like Tommy Hilfiger who for a brief moment was competing with the likes of Polo/ Ralph Lauren and then went and sold out and buried there products into discounters like Marshalls and TJ Max.  Forever to be equated with a poor man’s Polo and never will they ever be able to command the premium pricing they once did.

I say instead of offering a cheaper iPhone option that they should have offered a larger iPhone option with a mongo battery and charge even MORE for it.  That would have pleased Wall Street I bet.

.Samsung Galaxy s4 vs iPhone size-

image

 

Galazy Note vs iPhone size-

image

Samsung Galaxy vs Samsung Note size

image

RD Tech Tip: Credit Card Swipers for Your Small Cape Ann Shop

Posted on by paultmorrison

EJ asked me about credit card swipers and I think we both knew about the same amount. That there were two out there that worked easily on smartphones. PayPal Reader and The Square. (Click either for signup and more info.)

The Square on the left and PayPal Reader on the right
The Square on the left and PayPal Reader on the right

So it’s 2013 and Rubber Duck thinks it is time for all the galleries and small shops to get one of these if they are still using the old paper ka-chunk machine for credit card transactions. Even the old phone swipe machines are old technology and slow. Are you going to lose sales if you don’t upgrade? Maybe. Crowded shop on Saturday and you want to spend time with the customers and they don’t want to wait in line while you either ka-chunk or use the telephone to call in a card.

Rubber Duck recommendations. What you need:

1) Smartphone. Android or iPhone both can use them. You probably already have one or you already know if you are an iPhone person or an Android person. Joey likes Androids, I like iPhones, personal choice. (Do make sure your phone version is new enough. It likely is.) There is a caveat to the iPhone. It is very easy to turn an iPad into a cash register. If you have wireless in your shop that iPad is a cash register and a credit card swiper. Clear all the old tech away and you may not need the smartphone.

2) PayPal Reader or The Square. Kind of a toss up. Both are dead simple to use once you have given them all your documentation. Rates are 2.75% or 2.7%. I hope everyone picks both then complains about the percent. Competition will drive it to a more reasonable 1.85% of the old ka-chunk. But that extra one percent is worth the convenience.

One caveat: If you already have a PayPal commercial account as a collection source I would look at their set-up first. If you are really pinching pennies The Square rebates the ten bucks you paid for it. And the deals you can get on smartphones are pretty decent lately. You don’t need the newest model iPhone 5. You can get the iPhone 4S for 99 cents when you sign the two year deal. Same kind of deals on Androids since the wicked awesome Samsung Galaxy S4 that tracks your eyeballs is coming out the S3 is/will be cheap.

Will I buy lobsters from Joey with a swipe next to the scale? Sometimes cash is the handiest and 2.7% would pay for a few rubber boots. But transactions in a gallery where the tourista only has a card and not much time, it’s a good fit. It only takes one extra impulse purchase per month to easily cover the cost.

Imagine you have a card table in front of the store with mugs. Someone walking by likes one. Swipe right there, they sign the phone with their finger, and done.