Finding Real Electronic Gadget Giveaways Online

Who wouldn't love to receive a free ipad, iphone, xbox or Wii in the mail? If you've spent even a few hours on the web than you've no doubt seen advertisements for all kinds of electronic gadget giveaways of this sort popping up. Most of us just tune these messages out figuring it has to be a scam of some kind. After all, if it's too good to be true than it probably is, right? I mean come on, obviously these gizmos are expensive so who in their right mind would give them away for free? There must be a catch. Well the answer to that line of reasoning is yes, and no. In this article I want to talk a little about how to actually find legitimate websites that specialize in gadget giveaways, contests and sweepstakes that do in fact deliver on their promises.

How Do Free Gadget Giveaways Work?

It's all related to a concept known as referral marketing. Basically you, as a visitor to one of these giveaway sites, are asked to perform a series of surveys, polls or other offers that the advertiser (the company paying the referring site for your visit) wants you to complete. You will generally be asked to perform a number of these surveys and offer details before you qualify to receive the electronic gadget. This can require a bit of time and energy on your part but if your willing to sacrifice a few hours then you will in fact be sent the item being promoted. So while it's not a completely “free” to get your hands on these electronic gadget giveaways, they don't for the most part equire you to shell out any actual money.

How Do You Find Legitimate Giveaway Sites?

Most people would tell you to just do a search in google to find these sites, the only problem with that approach, in my pinion, is the fact that the big G no longer returns the kind of quality results that once set it apart from other search engines. Even with the recent changes google has made to it's search engine it still has a tendency to throw back a lot of junk. Over the years the spammers have become quite skillful at manipulating the rankings.

That's why I always recommend web 2.0 properties when looking for the best give away deals. The reason is because the communities on these sites do a pretty good job of commenting, giving thumbs up ratings, and an all around honest review of the merits of one electronic gadget offering versus another. On Facebook alone you can find a fan page for most of the legitimate give away sites and their offers, and where there's a fan page there are real humans giving real ratings! Other great resources to check out are Youtube (again, look at the comments and the likes it gets), Squidoo and Hubpages. Good
luck and may all your free gadgets giveaway dreams be fullfilled ;)

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The 5 Best iPad Financial Apps

The Apple iPad is another great gadget combining portability with power in enabling customers to view data, graphics, and documents wherever they may be. There are many great iPad financial applications that assist customers in managing their money.
The 5 best iPad financial apps can be divided into the following categories:

1.) Calculator
2.) Budget
3.) Expenses
4.) News
5.) Investments

Best iPad Calculator App: powerOne Financial Calculator

A good, solid calculator for crunching numbers on every day bills like car insurance to more involved cash flow calculations is always valuable. The powerOne Financial Calculator, made by Infinity Softworks, transforms the simple calculator into an "Advanced Calculating Machine."

Here is just a brief list of the calculations available on powerOne:

• Algebra
• Area
• Arithmetic
• Auto loan
• Bonds
• Cash flow
• Currency
• Investment
• Mass
• Medical
• Profit margin
• Real estate
• Trigonometry
• Volume

This powerful app has so many calculating features that it leaves all competitors in the dust. The library of templates - which can be customized for individual needs - may be one of the best features.

For a small fee, customers can acquire the powerOne Financial Calculator.

In July 2010, Apple staff recommended this app to their customers. According to AppAdvice, the powerOne Financial Calculator is "The creme de la creme of calculators." Apple customers gave it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Best iPad App for Budgeting: SplashMoney

Balancing the budget has been made much easier with SplashMoney (created by Splash Data) for the iPad. This is one of the best iPad financial apps because it is a mature budgeting tool.

SplashMoney helps customers clarify their financial positions by displaying account and transaction information. The display lists "Accounts" on the left and individual "Transactions" on the right.

It is easier for customers to understand the status of their budgets when viewing multiple accounts and transactions on the same screen. Multiple account types - checking, savings, credit cards, and money market - are supported.

SplashMoney uses "Direct Connect" to link with banking accounts. This app uses the Blowfish encryption for security protection. SplashMoney can be purchased for a small fee.

Best iPad App for Tracking Expenses: xPenseTracker

During business travel, keeping track of expenses on trips can be time-consuming and confusing. It is easy to lose valuable receipts, invoices and documents.

The xPenseTracker app, made by Silverware Software, has simplified the process of filling out expense reports. Not only can users manually enter their data into their iPad, they can also take a photo of their receipts permitting more organized expense reports.

Multiple expense reports can be created. Sorting can be done based on date, category or client.

The xPenseTracker app has nice large buttons that are easy-to-read. There is a small fee for the xPenseTracker.

MSN rated the xPenseTracker as a "must-use" app for 2010. Apple customers gave this app a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Best iPad App for News: Bloomberg

Accurate, timely financial news can be the difference between profits and losses when making trading decisions. Over the years, Bloomberg has become a trusted name in financial circles.

The Bloomberg app for the iPad offers a variety of economic news from around the world so that people can keep abreast of the most important market news of the day.

This financial app displays stock quotes, market statistics, price charts and market analysis. The multimedia content is probably the most attractive feature with links to other interesting subject material.

Consumers can customize options so they are more tailored to their own special financial interests. They can use the dashboard to track their portfolio of stocks, commodities or currencies.

One serious drawback is the dominance of banner advertisements on the screen. This is a recurring problem with "free" apps and all of Bloomberg's competitors have the same problems with their iPad apps.

Bloomberg has made this iPad application available for free.

The Bloomberg app has garnered a top rating by users at the App store. Apple customers gave this financial app 3 out of 5 stars.

Best iPad App for Investments: Stockwatch

StockWatch is a good, accurate iPad app for monitoring stock, bonds and mutual funds on more than 50 exchanges. Regular traders can easily keep an eye on multiple securities.

StockWatch, made by Toughturtle, has a great user interface where customers can view securites on their "Watchlist." Smaller screens display individual stocks and charts. This app can be purchased for a small fee.

Apple customers gave StockWatch 3 out of 5 stars.

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iPad - Much More Than A Toy

Sweeping generalizations have branded the iPad as little more than an expensive toy. Sure, there are thousands of games that already run on the iPad, not to mention the thousands more iPhone games that can run in "pixel doubled" mode. But is the iPad really just a toy, or is there more to the iPad than just having enough horsepower to run just about any apps you want on it?
A Multimedia Player

The iPad is, without a doubt, among the most versatile and best performing multimedia players on the market. It can handle high definition video as well as nearly all forms of audio files, YouTube videos, podcasts, TV shows and music. Having all these functions combined into one sleek, portable device may be worth the $499 base price alone.

An E-Reading Device

Many see the iPad as the biggest competitor to Amazon's Kindle. Despite the Kindle's E Ink display, which is easier to read in many respects than LCD, many Kindle users have already jumped on the iPad bandwagon.

Lots of Apps To Use

Apple's tagline, "There's an app for that" does not apply only to the iPhone. And if the current offerings are not enough, developers continually create new apps to add to the already extensive collection of currently exists for the iPad. The iPad's popularity ensures that there is a continuing stream of new apps to come.

Wi-Fi

Nothing in the Apple ecosystem is without an Internet connection these days, and you can use the iPad to access the vast array of online content wherever you can find a hotspot.

3G Connection

For times when there are no WiFi hotspots available, Apple integrates 3G into some models. As with its smaller sibling, the iPhone, iPad uses AT&T's 3G network, which does not bind users with long-term contracts. You can activate or deactivate your 3G connection at any time, since AT&T's partnership with Apple insures a completely customizable arrangement.

Bluetooth

The iPad has a built-in advantage of allowing external devices that connect via the Bluetooth interface. Apple stores and other retail outlets already sport a wide range of Bluetooth headphones and keyboards compatible with the iPad.

Storage Capacity

The iPad has a number of internal storage options available, allowing you to choose from 16GB, 32 GB and 64 GB versions.

YouTube and Other Video Hosting Sites

As with the iPhone, a frequent complaint about the iPad is it's lack of flash capability, and it is admittedly a drawback. However, there are apps that allow you to get around this limitation, at least when it comes to watching videos. You can watch YouTube, Hulu, and other videos sites using one of the many available video apps.

Web Browsing

The iPad sports a full featured version of Safari, the same browser in use on the Mac and the iPhone, enhanced to accommodate the touchscreen features of the iPad.

Email

The iPad is a great device for sending and receiving e-mails on the go. In the landscape orientation you'll get a convenient split screen view showing both the e-mail list and the currently opened e-mail message. Turn the iPad to portrait orientation to focus on a single message, and it will automatically rotate to fill the screen. Want to print out a message? Use Apple's AirPrint to do it wirelessly.

iWork

You can get some serious work done on the iPad with the use of Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Although typing on the iPad virtual keyboard is somewhat slower than on a real keyboard, the built-in auto correction features do a pretty good job of smoothing over many of the difficulties, and third party and Apple keyboards are also available.

In short, the iPad is a remarkably convenient, portable, flexible device that can go with you just about anywhere. What you do with it is really up to you, the user.

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At Last! A Human Review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab

On Christmas day, my Wife handed me a small present and I could not tell if it was clothes or a tablet. I knew it was not an iPad because she already had hers and did not believe in duplication. Well, low and behold, it was a Samsung Galaxy Tab from AT&T

Tab vs. the iPad

The Tab is no where near as simple as the iPad. You actually have to read the manual to learn how to start using your device. In addition, looking up articles or YouTube clips helps learn how to use multitasking features and shortcuts.

They also give you some default apps that are pre-installed. Be careful not to sync too many contacts in as that will eat up your memory – the store tells you that after the fact.

Beware of the Apps

Only download one App at a time and make sure you do your research. The default apps such as email take a little time to learn; however, do not download all the same apps you already have on your iPhone.

I believe the Twitter for Android app caused my device to crash so much that AT&T just switched me out for a new device.

Settings

This is where you will want to spend a lot of your time. Make sure to customize your settings for yourself. Make sure to set the email chime reminders, weather, world clock and daily news updates. Don’t forget about your predictive text or other settings.

Video Conferencing

This is was one of the big sellers for me. So far, the only app that seems to be the one that works is Mirial, but I can’t find any that have that green video conference button. I can do voice Skype calls, but can’t see the other person nor can they see me.

The Verdict

I like my device and knew about the potential headaches that are with most new products; however, I am not stuck to my desktop or lugging around a laptop anymore.

I think Samsung should centralize a blog around the Tab, but I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.

What do other Samsung Galaxy Tab owners have to say? Let’s share our experiences!

About Author

Deepak Gupta is serving as the VP of Marketing for Help My Resume, a Florida-based non-profit and is the Principal of Marketing By Deepak Consulting Group.

Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media/inbound marketing and PR as a means of aggressively increasing brand awareness and consumer engagement, Marketing By Deepak Consulting Group partners with clients and successfully converts their online efforts into qualified leads.

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Verizon Jury Rigs Mobile Internet Service for iPad

Since it was released this past April, iPad Wi-Fi + 3G users have had the option of subscribing to a monthly data plan from AT&T to have internet access anywhere they can get a 3G signal. Not to be outdone, Verizon has now begun to offer their MiFi Mobile Hotspot bundled with the Wifi-only model of iPad. This is a clever response to the contract Apple has with AT&T for providing service to the device, which is incompatible with Verizon’s CDMA network on its own. Verizon’s MiFi Hotspot is a small, battery-powered device that contains both a 3G modem and a WiFi transmitter. It is programmed to automatically connect to Verizon’s wireless data network and relay that connection in WiFi format, supporting up to five WiFi-enabled devices simultaneously.

Interestingly enough, Verizon is offering its iPad/MiFi Mobile Hotspot bundle at the same price as the 3G iPad sold online and in retail stores by Apple and AT&T Wireless. Verizon, like AT&T, offers wireless service on a month-to-month basis. Monthly plans differ, however, as plans for AT&T start at $14.95 for 250MB and Verizon’s plans start at $20 per month for 1GB. AT&T only has one other monthly plan, $25 for 2GB, but Verizon offers a 3GB plan for $35 and a 5GB plan for $50. Verizon also offers a 10GB package for $80 a month, which might seem like a ridiculously excessive amount of data for an iPad until you consider that the MiFi Hotspot’s WiFi can be used by full size laptops and other devices too.

So who this iPad/MiFi offering aimed at? Well, to a large degree, Verizon is targeting its existing customers – especially those who are fans of Apple products. Many Verizon Wireless users have been anxiously waiting for a Verizon model of the iPhone, which, at the time of writing, still does not have a release date. To some degree, Verizon has also been pointing out that, unlike the integrated 3G service of AT&T’s iPad, their MiFi Mobile Hotspot isn’t just good for getting their iPad online. This is a common complaint among many would-be 3G iPad users who realize “I’m locked into paying a monthly data fee for my iPhone already, why should I hand over more of my money to get online with a device that’s really just a super-sized iPhone?”

This post has been provided by Nicolas D'Alleva. Nicolas is the owner of Specialty Answering Service, a nationwide phone answering service that caters to large and small businesses. Specialty also provides virtual answering service support for businesses with no central office location.

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