HP's Elitepad 900 is almost here!

I think most of you know my history with HP and their Touchpad.  I was an early adopter and loved the merits of that device and WebOS.  It looked to be a good alternative to the iPad, and if marketed/priced right it could have been a great enterprise tool.  However, with the status of executive management at HP in shambles, they bumbled the whole thing, and ended up falling flat on their faces.  A lesser company would have given up and stayed out of that market...or worse, run themselves into the ground with a product that wasn't going to work.  HP let WebOS die a very sad death in the OpenSource internet zone...and have been working on the ElitePad ever since.

Now we're faced with this bad boy, that can take on the enterprise space of IT, and do in the corporate world what the iPad cannot.  Be a native.  What I mean is that it's ready to work with the systems you already have, because let's face it, a VERY LARGE % of businesses do not have an Apple infrastructure.  Those who are using iPads still have to cobble together a solution from companies like Airwatch or MobileIron or Meraki, in order to get the Apple products to play nicely in their space.

But what if you didn't have to do that?

Take a look at the site here.  I had the chance last week to handle the Elitepad 900 and was thoroughly pleased with it.  As many of you know I own a Nexus 7 tablet, and love that too...but if given the chance, I'd give it up for the Elitepad 900.  Why?  Let's count off the awesome features:

• Windows 8 Pro


• 1.8GHz Dual core Atom


• 1.5 lbs / 9.2mm in depth


• 1280x800 / 10.1" gorilla glass


• Micros HCSD card slot


• 8mp rear facing camera/1080p hd front camera


• Built in security features including Computrace


• A bevy of accessories including the awesome Expansion Jacket (with a battery add on that can increase battery life to 24 hours), and the docking station.

Yes, yes I know this looks all well and good.  The Expansion jacket adds USB ports, an HDMI port, and and MMC port...add the battery portion and BLAMMO, this tablet becomes ultra useful in the corporate environment.  Add the display dock & keyboard...and you've got a real mobile desktop setup.

While not cheaper than the iPad on release...come Feb 7 when these are in stock, there will likely be plenty of deals floating around.  Keep your eyes locked here for more details!

Thank you HP for getting your act together and pushing out a product that looks to be extremely good for Enterprise and Business. :)

(click the link for "the iPad"...I thought that was funny)

 

Jailbreakers are locked out!

One of the more interesting news items that's come down the pike in the past week was the note that iOS jailbreaking site, Hackulous, shut itself down.  Claiming that their forums are too difficult to maintain because they're a "ghost town" seems a bit nonsensical...so I'm willing to agree with this article here that it's likely because there is no ability to jailbreak into iOS 6.

For those of you who don't fully understand, people "jailbreak" their iPhones in order to put unapproved apps, and pirated apps onto their phone for free.  Illegal and immoral, yes.  Not to mention a great way to brick your phone and make it more useless.

If you can't use it as the manufacturer intended, you should move over to Android since there's a ton of apps for that, and plenty of ways to circumvent that system without creating trouble for yourself.

 

Or...maybe...JUST MAYBE...use the phone like you're supposed to.  I've done my time breaking systems...it doesn't do you any good when you destroy the device you own AND get yourself in trouble.  :)

7" tablets on the rise!

Howdy Everyone!  Just happened to read about how the demand for 7" tablet screens has gone up throughout 2012, and by the end of the year, those size screens sh0uld hold 32% of the marketshare.  Wooh...very interesting.  Had I heard that prior to Friday afternoon, I would have dismissed it.

On Friday, I had a chance to meet with some of Samsung's personnel, who came on site to our offices to show off quite a few new technologies.  I"ll only mention in passing the near-bezel-less Digital Signage and the wireless printing...really it was about the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy tablet.  Now I hear about a lot of things...and I'll play with them when I get a chance, but I'd never had the chance to see one up close & personal til then.  The 7" screen is a lot more easier to wield than I thought, and a heck of a lot less heavy than a 10" tablet...really in that unit I saw the future of tablet computing.  That was the size we've been looking for...it's easy to see, compact enough to carry without issue, you can use a stylus to write notes (if you're old fashioned like me)...to name a few.

This is what I see in factories, offices, and in public.  The size is what counts.  Put it in a pocket and you've got everything you need.  (Heck, i was thinking of the note technology coupled with wireless Samsung printing in a restaurant.)   Maybe Apple will do a mini-iPad...who knows?  What I can see is that companies like Samsung are going to try and bank on this 7" standard, just to give you more options.

More options = more better. :)

PC Mall Event: Secure Mobility Summit 2012

Howdy folks!  I'm fresh off of the end of the quarter, and after recovering from the 4th of July holiday (nothing like being around mortar rounds being fired off) I wanted to get this over to all of you.

PC Mall is holding their Secure Mobility Summit on August 24 at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles hotel.  This free event is loaded with seminars all day that will allow manufacturers to give you the information about Secure Mobility that you're going to need in the coming months.  As I've said many times before, the Consumerization of IT has hit us and it's time to get involved now before you start taking punches to the face that you aren't ready for.  We'll have Seminars being held by Cisco, Microsoft, Trend Micro, Apple, Symantec and VMWare for free.  All you have to do is register, and you can attend.

Now kicker #1.  We're also offering a special paid hands-on workshop on Apple - iOS deployment, being run by none other than Dr. Robert Kite, Director of Apple, Mobility & Consulting Services for PC Mall Services.  (some information:  Prior to joining PC Mall, Dr. Kite was a consulting engineer for Apple and he is the Author of the Xsan 2 Administration and the Mac OSX Security and Mobility V10.6 certification books.)  This training will be $99 until July 20, and after that it will be $229.  It will cover all aspects of deploying iOS into your environment from planning to installation & management.

Did I mention all attendees will receive a free Apple TV? :)

Interested in going?  Just click here, or you can contact your rep here at PC Mall to sign you up.

Now, as many of you know I'm going to be on vacation for some time over the next few weeks.  No worries...there will be posts going up from myself and Thaddeus as often as possible, and I"ll be having some things I've already written and are ready to go, pop up as well.

Take care and talk to you soon.  (If you're my client you're gonna hear from me today or tomorrow I promise!)

 

 

Apple vs. Samsung - Round 2: Legal Smackdown

This just in...

(I've always wanted to type that.)

Looks like Apple got what they wanted in their lawsuit against Samsung for infringing their patent on the iPad.  (You know, the device that existed long before in design before Apple made it a reality...thank you Star Trek.)  The patent revolves around the design of the device and how it is similar to Apple's iPad.  The courts originally told Apple no, but the court of appeals said otherwise, granting them a preliminary injunction (sales ban) against Samsung's Galaxy 10.1 and has pretty much forced this to a trial by jury.

Originally, Samsung countered this in Germany and other places by designing the Galaxy 10.1 N, which looks a little different than their standard model.  LOOKS.  This isn't about the system itself of what the product does...Apple has stated that they're concerned that Samsung is pushing "cheap knockoffs" that look like their product into the market.  My opinion?  Horsehockey.  Samsung is a competitor, Apple is sue-happy (much like Microsoft used to be), and Apple doesn't like competition...from Google, Samsung, Microsoft or anyone else.  Other such knockoffs exist, and I'm sure Apple will find a way to go after Microsoft in the future for something to do with the soon-to-release Surface.



Like I said above, this is going to a trial by jury, so that'll be the proving ground.  It'll be interesting to see how this will pan out for all parties involved.  Maybe Apple needs to sue Paramount for reruns of Star Trek that have their pads in them too...they look awful similar. ;)

Lastly, before the Apple-fanboys get on here and flame me, let me say this.  I own Apple products, but I am allowed an opinion on their tactics in the free market...which are poor and heavy handed when they don't need to be.

Where oh where has my Start menu gone...

Oh where oh where can it be, Windows 8?

Talk about moving someone's cheese right?  After all of these years of tapping the start button to find thing and launch programs, in Windows 8...it's gone.  POOF.  Nada.  Zilch.  While this doesn't bother me like it does some people who can't accept change at all...and seriously it's starting to sound like someone needs to let the red swingline stapler go.

Is the learning curve a little bit higher than normal on Windows 8?  Yes.  Is it higher than OSX from Apple?  Heck no, it's still Windows for the same folks who always use it.  Heck, like I said before, if you have multiple screens, it's a great piece of software already...and will likely continue to be when it releases.

There's a good article over at Computerworld.com about what's good and bad about Windows 8.  Although throughout my running of Windows 8, I've had ZERO issues at all (knock on wood), and none of the ones he describes.  Mashable.com has an even more in-depth review.   It really comes down to the machine you're running it on...and if you're up to date (within the past year), it'll be a smokin' experience.

Tell me I'm right or I'm wrong.  I want to hear it from all of you.

Best wishes for Monday!

Mobile Web Content...brought to you by...

The US Government?  Those guys who still think a Fax is an acceptable method of transmitting data?  Yup them.  Apparently, our president has made it a mandate for government agencies to make all information available to US citizens on their mobile devices.  Now as many of you know, this does require that special mobile sites be created and the like...but is this a necessary immediate step?  For our government, anything faster than a hobbled elephant is too fast, but maybe this political cynic will be proven wrong.  (I REALLY hope so.)

While the US Government is moving on getting things up on mobile platforms, it appears that internet ne're-do-wells (aka hackers) are doing their best to take information down off of those platforms.  This great little article discusses that and how Apple is now under attack.  Apple-ites should now ask their Microsoft friends for a hug, it's going to get ugly before it gets better.  While I'm no fan of McAfee's statistics, they are sound and something to take seriously.

If you're investing in a mobile platform and workforce, I'd recommend staying away from Android and working with Apple's iPad.  As I mentioned in another article (and it's covered above), the number of threats to Android platforms was 600 in 2011, and has jumped to over 7,000 threats in the first half of 2012.

Need help managing or looking into how to plan a mobile setup and how to manage those devices?  Give I and my team here a call/email.  We're very good about helping you find out what you want to do...and get you started on that path.

Apple Flambé Anyone?

Caught this news article this morning from over at Daily Tech.  (Awesome graphic btw.)  Now, while Kaspersky isn' t the number 1 AV software out there, their opinion should surely matter.  With Apple products now being targeted with viruses and other kinds of malware (malapp?  hmm...I think i should trademark that.) more frequently, Apple is now getting a taste of what Microsoft has been going through for over 10 years.

Think about it, Apple's security notions are technically 10 years behind where Microsoft is.  Now they have a good chance here to catch up and fight a better fight...but it's a STEEP hill to climb.  With FlashFake already driving them and their users nuts, I can see a lot more of these on the horizon...long before they get their security standards up.  With 4 million new & unsuspecting Apple users out there, there's going to be a lot of falls before they can get to the summit of the first hill on this trek.

I'd like to be one of the first to welcome Apple to the real world, where real people are real jerks, and will try to really hurt your users.  While that may sound a little mean, I would like to also state that Apple and its users for years bragged about no viruses and malware...and pride always cometh before a fall.

Apple users...get a copy of Kaspersky's software or  Symantec's software for your computer asap...better safe than sorry.

Managing your systems for...Free!

The word Free is now an ignored word in many ways.  When people overuse it, the true meaning of it falls away into jargon and disbelief.   You hear things like this:

"Oh SURE this is 'free'...I don't believe it.  What's the catch?"

or

"Nothing is ever free my boy, you always pay in the end."

I never said there wasn't a rider to something that's free, but in this case, a single phone call is better than shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars for a real system to manage your environment.

The Meraki Systems Director is something I've been talking about with my clients for the past few weeks.  Recently, Meraki actually made it free for download, (in my opinion) to show everyone how good the backbone that their products run on, and as a thank you for those of us working hard to show others their goodness.  You can download it right here, but if you're still skeptical of a Free system to manage your desktops, laptops and iOS devices...give me a call.

I want to talk to you about it...heck, I'll even give you read access to my own Meraki network so you can see it for yourselves.  I'd like to hope that my happy clients would join in here to say what they said when they saw how good it is...because the shock & amazement is a good marker on how much something like this is needed.  (Hey, it runs on ANY network...why?  Because it only pushes out agents that report to your dashboard on Meraki's servers...THAT easy.)

If you like it, I would hope you'll contact us to help you purchase some Meraki wireless, Security Appliances, or switches.  They will compliment the System Director nicely, and you'll be really happy for it.

Consumerization of IT Strikes Back...

(Cue cease and desist from Lucas in 3...2...1... ;) )

Seriously folks, if you didn't heed my advice in prior posts about the Consumerization of IT...what we in the VARspace are calling "Mobility Device Management" or MDM...please take a look at some of the information I have for you here.

Hands down, if you work in IT you know that your users in your company are bringing in their own devices.  Whether it be their smart phones, iPads, laptops, tablets...you name it...it's logging into your wireless and using your network, or it's a tool they can use to work smarter.  In the end, I've always found that IT isn't just about managing systems, but y'all are the core that helps employees work smarter and faster.  Why wouldn't you want to give them every tool available to get their work done?  I'll tell you why in two reasons:

1) It is a lot of work that you may not be able to do, or aren't a specialist in

2) It is expensive work...or at least perceived that way.

There are solutions, and the work involved can vary quite a bit, that's where folks like us here at PC Mall come in.  We have a team of experts in MDM that are at your beck & call...and they're led by a well known expert in this particular field, Dr. Robert Kite.  Whether it's Apple-focused, or other kinds of focuses, they can help you build a solution and implement it.

Not keen on bringing in our service team, or you've got less than 100 employees?  The easiest solution is from the folks at Meraki, who I talk about quite a bit.  The reason being is that their system is designed to manage content and access to wireless and wired units...all with a few clicks and pulldown menus.  Take a look at our webinar page and take one of their trainings!  Like what you see?  Let us know and we can make sure you get a free trial unit.

In the end, the most important this is to engage help now before the Wolf of Consumerization has already eaten Grandma Network and taken over her bed.  If you have any questions, ASK. :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Why I love working with Dell...

I don't think many of our clients understand how well Dell has embraced the channel over the past year.  They've followed suit behind HP who was in this position 10 years ago...and really are working hard to let us sell their product.

Now, I don't know if you as one of our clients/friends realize how big this is.  Chances are if I speak to 10 clients, 6 out of 10 uses Dell in at least one way.  Two years ago, it was a chore to sell their desktops and servers, let alone printers.  Now, we've got printers in stock ready to ship right alongside desktops and laptops...that's HUGE.  Heck, right now there's a decent little mono printer the 1130 Single User...normally $120, now down to $76!  Right now if you're looking at adding 5-10 printers over the year, let me know and I can talk to our Dell rep about getting a demo unit out to you right away.  Never hurts to try things right?  Options are good, and their product is good!

So there you have it...we have their products stocked and ready to ship...on the equipment side of things that's a great thing to have.  If you have Dell in your environment, give us a call and talk to us.  We have an amazing team who can help you grow the way you want to grow...with Dell. :)

 

(Don't think HP is slouching...they're going to throw us some major stuff tomorrow with the quarter ending...so if you're an HP user, or just want an awesome deal, keep your eyes peeled here tomorrow for something cool. :) )

Absent but busy...

Howdy folks...it's been awhile...but with all of the insanity around the end of Quarter, and the release of the new iPad, life's been a bit busy to post.  But, true believers, it's not like we here at the PC Mall Dragontech team are not thinking about you.  Yes, here are some of the tech news bits that I've drummed up over the past week.  I'll be posting more over the next few days...some of which will be automated posts, but new things will always cause me to post immediately.

For those of you who travel or have folks who work for you that travel...here's something interesting I've found in the New York Times.  Apparently the FAA is now doing testing on electronic devices that can be used during flight.  They even admit that the last time they did any testing was in 2006...you know, back in the dark ages before the glorious iPad and iPhone (or any other real smart phone) existed.  Granted, I don't fly, but when I did, it was a pain to not be able to get my email, work on what I needed to work on, etc...because who can actually get any real sleep on a plane?  Anywho, look for this boom in tablets to affect every industry...even the airlines who will find a way to make $20 off of this somehow.

Speaking of Apple, they now have $97 billion in cash reserves and are trying to figure out how to spend it.  Good Gravy.  I'm praying that they give out free iPads to schools.  Heck, every school is fighting to keep up with technology...because state budgets are apparently better spent on Prisons than on educating your children...so why not reinvest in our youth again?  Not only that, but you'll nail that 'cradle to grave' strategy that every business strives for.  Heck, Apple...iPads for textbooks for children.  Let's help Americans be strong again...or at least let all the kids play Angry Birds at recess.

That's just to start...more to come later this week, folks!

The "New iPad" is here!

I'm following in the wake of the 128379283792387 blogs talking about this...because this isn't really heavy IT/Tech news.  The "New iPad" (frontrunner for the lamest product name update) had some minor changes, but the only real major change was the graphics.  And a pretty significant change at that. The new Retinal Display compacts the amount of pixels per inch down to 326 pixels...somewhere near 4x the density of most other displays out there. At 2048X1536 it's the highest resolution tablet on the market...I'm not precisely sure what that gets the users who are going to buy the New iPad, but I'm sure it looks good. :)

Signs also point to a possible shortage of the Retinal displays.  See here for more details.

Bottom Line:  If you're interested in the new iPad, it's a pretty beautiful machine...but if you have an iPad 2, don't toss it just for a new display.

The "New iPad" will be on sale March 16th...and if you need to buy more than a couple units, give us a call here at the office.  We can help get your request into our shipments from Apple, so you can be shipped out on the primary wave of shipments.

Also, we've dropped our prices on the iPad 2...so if you want one, now's the time to buy.  Remember, give the Dragontech team a call or email...WE can help you get what you want. :)

How to get Apple Certified...mmm certified

With the great rush of consumer items into the IT world (see my Consumerization of IT post awhile back) and a good majority of them being Apple products, what are you the IT person supposed to do when it comes to these devices?  It used to be that IT would dictate what machines would be used and how things would be run, but now, more and more top-level execs are telling their IT divisions that they want Apple right there on their desk.  How many of you are confident with those products?  Raise your hands.

Ok...so about 15-20% of you are.  The rest of you should get on board this train before it leaves you at the station in a whirl of leaves and old newspapers.  There is a way to do this without having to run around and look where there are training centers, or where you can go...

We can help you there.  (What? You didn't think I had an answer?  Come on.)

PC Mall actually has classes we're going to be holding at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA...and for those of you not lucky enough to be local to us, there's an alternative.  We can come to you.  Now there are requirements for everything, and it does cost money...but wouldn't you rather be trained by the team that works for Dr. Robert Kite?   Take a look at this document about what we're offering, and see if it meets your needs.  Have questions?  Give us a call.  Interested in talking to our services division about this?  Give us a call.  Want to buy me lunch?  Give us a call.

(what?  I had to give it a shot. :) )

Upgrading Adobe software just became a major PAIN...

I don't believe in beating around the bush on this...because as a former IT person it bugs the heck out of me.

If you haven't heard by now, as of the release of CS6, Adobe is changing how you can upgrade to it.  If you do not have CS5.0 or CS5.5, you cannot upgrade to 6.  Yup...that means it's only for 1 version back!  For many of you, I know you're not on 5 or 5.5...and that's going to present a cost saving issue for when you have to upgrade.
So, if you've been considering an upgrade...now is the time to do so before the end of 2011.  If you upgrade to 5.5 and do Adobe's maintenance contract, you'll be covered for the release of CS6, and CS7.  (Since they're now releasing new versions yearly.)  Don't believe me?  Check out Adobe's blog page that talks about it.  They're serious.

I would suggest giving your rep here at PC Mall a call right now and talking about this upgrade.  With the special 20% off discount on Adobe upgrades right now through the end of 2011, it's a good time to get square and upgraded before you're going to have to pay TWICE that amount to get current.

Food for thought...mmm I'm thinking pie. :)

 

 

Hard Drives ... get your Hard Drives! While supplies last!

Thailand has had a major adverse effect on the supply of hard drives in the last two weeks. Approximately half of the world’s hard disk drives are produced in Thailand. In the last two weeks, we’ve seen both Western Digital and Toshiba suspend production, due to flooding in factories. Western digital issued a press statement early last week (17 October 2011) assuring that their employees remain safe, but warning that the floods would affect its ability to meet customer demand for its products in the December quarter. This is despite the company’s other facilities in Malaysia, Singapore and the U.S. being fully operational.

While Seagate’s factories have not been flooded, there have been issues in the supply of components that are sourced through the local Thai market.

In Memoriam...

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple days.  Things have been quite hectic, and now with the passing of Steve Jobs, it's going to be interesting.  Steve Jobs made a lot of difference in this industry, and love or hate Apple, I believe we all should respect the innovation he brought in his lifetime.  The products he helped to create have touched all of our lives in one way or another...and we can't deny that.  Rest in Peace Mr. Jobs.

Here's a tribute from one of my favorite webcomics:



Another...