Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Netbooks, Features, Originals
Warning: this is not an Apple love-fest. This week, Apple announced and launched two new MacBook Airs. The two are a marvel of construction and aesthetic design. And Apple charges more than would seem the going rate for them; this is dubbed the Apple tax. I am here to tell you, that’s a really good thing.
Are the two MacBook Airs the tops? Nope, in fact, PCMag ends their review with a specific recommendation: “(i)f you want a practical Windows-based laptop that costs half as much, runs faster parts, and has more features, look no further than the Toshiba Satellite T235-S1350—the Editors’ Choice in the CULV category.”
So what is the Apple tax, really? It’s rather simple, the Apple tax is why Apple innovates. You get up every day and go to work for a paycheck, right? That is essentially what Apple does, only the Apple tax is the paycheck, ie the incentive to do what they do.
Without this Apple tax, there’s no incentive to dump money into R&D. If there is no Apple tax, telling the difference between Dell, HP or Acer would be just as hard as it is telling a notebook from one of those other makers apart. If you compete at the going rate, you can’t afford to innovate - you only look to cut costs. Adding to them with R&D, innovation, even marketing in most cases is out of the question.
But now, I suspect we’ll see clones of the MacBook Air design cropping up from the usual suspects. And they’ll do it cheaper, because, well, that’s what they do. They will probably be faster, more feature laden and have a longer battery life.
Don’t get me wrong, Dell, HP and Acer innovate. Their innovation tend to be less aesthetic and more competitive advantage to bring the price down, rather than drive it up. And that certainly is a viable business model (when the economy is good, anyway).
Don’t like the Apple tax? Fine, you’ve got tons of options. But don’t begrudge them it.
Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
Section: Communications, Smartphones, Web, Web Apps, Websites
Food data. That’s what ShopWell has and is willing to share it. The best thing it is intended to be customizable - the stuff you want out of food is probably different than I want.
New users to their website are treated to just a few steps to get started. Users select things they want from food and things they don’t. For example, I selected general health, weight management, high blood pressure and heart healthy? Those selections ticked off things like whole grains, low cholesterol, low fat, low sodium etc. Things I don’t want were ticked off or can be manually adjusted such as added sugar, corn syrup, and trans fats. Users can also enter allergies.
Next, simply enter food that you want, lets say we are looking at spaghetti. ShopWell puts up Ronzoni Smart Taste as one of the best choices, with a 95% match for me. The “for me” part is based on all the choices I entered during registration. The list goes on detailing my old brand (a lower score than the Ronzoni) and that’s the benefit - what is best for me.
The mobile app builds on the websites usefulness. Simply scan the bar code of the product with your phones camera and you’ll get your score for that food and other options that might be a better match. It works fantastically well. The database is impressive, finding most of the things I had in my kitchen. A few store brands were lacking.
What’s also neat is the nutrition label is for the products is shown and personalized based on my nutritional needs. So, users can see what percentage of a given nutrient is based on their suggested calorie intake. Cool.
With anything claiming to be a health helper, take it with a grain of salt (unless you have salt issues). Overall, it looks like a great helper when shopping. Don’t just by spagetti, by the one that works best for you nutritionally.
Registration, website and app are all free.
Site: [ShopWell]
Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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