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Blackberry would do best to forget the year that 2011 was. Only if it could manage to re-write history and re-define new rules to come off its own inertia would that be made possible. For a technology giant that boasted of 'Corporate Communication' and total control of the business mobility, 2011 was a year full of hard facts and reckoning that would nimble Blackberry fans. Let us review the major points of interest that marked a turbulent year for Blackberry's owner -Research in Motion.
Erosion of market capitalization - For a start, we know that the parent company of Blackberry, Research in Motion is a publically listed and traded firm. And, the last few years have seen an erosion of RIM's market capitalization as if investors have decided to shun the product and the brand associated with RIM. How else could anyone explain a decline of RIM's share price from the levels of $150 to $15 as of December, 2011? This is a 90% decline in its share value and a complete decimation of investors' faith in the ability of the company to cut a new corner.
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It looks like Amazon and their Kindle Fire tablet have had a good impact on Apple. They are planning on squeezing an iPad model down to 7.85 inches of digital real estate. It will not be a replacement for the big model, so no need to worry if you like a large screen. Take a look at the details of the upcoming 7.85 inch iPad here in this quick article.
Black Friday receives a great deal of press as the busiest shopping day of the year, but as consumers are increasingly turning to online retail stores to fill their holiday wish lists, Cyber Monday is rapidly becoming a significant presence in retail sales. Online sales for Cyber Monday in 2011 broke the $1 billion dollar record for the second year in a row, showing a 22% increase in sales from the time of its inception. Cyber Monday was originally coined in 2005 by Shop.org, the digital division of The National Retail Federation, which is the world’s largest association of retail traders. The association includes many different kinds of retailers, from department stores to chain restaurants and grocers that all offer a variety of savings from discounts to coupons through the Shop.org portal.
Black Friday never fails to make headlines in the following morning’s newspapers—shoppers scramble for hot deals, hoodlums occasionally resort to violence to get an unfair advantage, and the status of an entire economic system is given a 4 AM gut check as bleary-eyed analysts cull statistics from across the board.
On a national scale, Black Friday sales were higher this year than the last, with Shopper Track reporting that Black Friday sales were 6.6% higher than last year. In addition, the National Retail Federation estimates that the average shopper spent $400 dollars during this national event. Between 2008 and 2009, Black Friday sales only increased by 0.3%, and so this year’s figures may indicate a broad-scale improvement in the economy.
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If you are bored with your emails and text messages, it is possible to make them a little more interesting. Typewriter is the name of an iPhone app that does just what its name implies. It types out text messages like in the olden days. Check out this new iPhone app here in this informative article.
Get Back To Your Typing Roots
Some things just get your attention in a good way. The Typewriter iPhone app is one of them. This is an app for those who miss the day of the old "hunt and peck" typewriter with the "ding" at the end of every line. The app imitates those old typewriters of yesteryear with an amazing retro feel to it. It actually has a little more freedom than the typewriters it imitates. The typewriter arm can be placed anywhere on the screen and the typing can begin there.
Some people have really big ideas and the Megaphone is one of them. This is an amplifier for your iPhone that looks just like its name. It should prove to be a nice gift for the holidays. Get a closer look at the megaphone for the iPhone here in this informative article.
Old Meets New With The Megaphone
The Megaphone reminds a person of one of those horns used from days past. It is a simple but powerful artistic statement as well. The iPhone sitting in the top looks out of place for those who are not accustomed to technology. The design is one of quality and good looks. The Megaphone itself is formed out of hand made ceramic with a small three-legged wooden frame to support it. The best part may be that this device is totally passive and uses no energy to work. There are no batteries to install and no wall chargers to hook up. This makes it something of a work of art with aesthetic value to accompany its audio amplification.