Buying a tablet: Three things I am considering

This is going to be an exciting two weeks for the tablet computer market. There are three major announcements coming up in this order:

• Tuesday, October 23 - Rumored Apple iPad mini 7" tablet
• Friday, October 26 - Microsoft Surface RT tablet
• Monday, October 29 - Rumored Google Nexus 7 32GB tablet

So if you were thinking of purchasing a tablet like I currently am, you might want to wait and see what each of these companies are bringing to the table. Here are the three things I am considering as I weight my purchase options.

1) What do I plan on using this tablet for?
I've seen online the debate between consuming media and productivity when it comes to tablets. It seems to me, and I am by no means an expert, that the Apple iOS and the new Andorid Jellybean OS are geared towards the consumption of media (books, music, games and videos). While the Microsoft Surface, with its available keyboard, is able to do both making it a better, and possibly more comfortable choice. Although I don't see enterprise companies adopting the Surface in the beginning as the new Windows 8 OS is very different from what everyone is used to.

2) How much do I want to spend?
At this moment I don't think we know what all the prices are for these tablets so it is hard to do a direct comparison. However based on what we do know and how their previous products have been priced, we can make a few assumptions. The Google Nexus 7 made headlines for its low cost entry point into the market and that appealed to a lot of people including myself. Some features had to be sacrificed like a rear camera and 3G connectivity, but I don't think those belong on a tablet anyways. Apple and Microsoft are priced higher and they know they can get away with it. They are being offered as a more premium product and depending on their additional features the price difference could very well be justified. 

3) Ease of transition
My main reason for buying a tablet is to phase out my super-slow eight year old PC computer. I'm willing to bet that a tablet can replace 90% of what I use a computer for (email, browsing the web, and the occasional Blog post). I have been using iTunes for years and have purchased quite a few songs and videos in that time. I'd still be able to play back that content on the iPad mini while anything with DRM is useless on the other devices. Likewise I have Microsoft Word and Excel documents that I have made that would work best for the Surface RT or Pro edition, plus I am very familiar with those products. Google does have similar products and they could be stored online in the cloud or specifically the Google Drive storage space, thus not taking up hard drive space.

So, what's it going to be...
Like yourself I'll be paying very close attention to each of these announcements and the news coverage they'll receive to figure out which product is right for me. I currently feel drawn to the Google Nexus 7 and a 32GB version would be very welcome over the current 16GB version. It should prove very interesting week for the tablet market.

What tablet would you choose?? How often would you use your tablet versus a desktop/laptop?

Web Analytics & Marketing Automation

I have just read a very thought provoking article by Rodica Buzescu titled 'Web Analytics & Marketing Automation: Why Businesses Need Both' on the site B2B Blogging. The article, which you should read, echoed the exact thoughts I had Friday afternoon when I experienced my first interaction with Google Analytics.

My main focus has been on the Marketing Automation side of things and I rarely thought much about the contact information not captured on a 'contact us' or 'sales request' form. That all changed when I saw a few simple stats. Now I am wondering about those who didn't fill out the form and what lost opportunities there might have been.

Prior to Friday I thought that Google Analytics was a hard to navigate program and that it would take me hours to get any real information out of it. I was so wrong and I feel terrible that I haven't looked at this kind of data sooner. I challenge anyone who manages Marketing Automation programs to gain access to this data and get ready to see things in a whole new way.

Should we have a third child?

This is the question that has suddenly crept into my heart and is looking for some resolution. We have two beautiful daughters who fill our lives with such happiness and they are both at an age (5 and 3 years old) that we can start doing more activities as a family. So why would I want to rock the boat?

When asked in kindergarten what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer wasn’t the typical astronaut or fireman, I knew at that early age that I wanted to be a father. In grade twelve I had to write an essay and I chose the topic of success. I didn’t write about the millions I planned on making or about the luxuries my life would be able to afford me. I wrote a simple tale about building a family and loving them with all my heart. So I share all this because I think I’ve been hardwired since the beginning to grow a family.

Why not stop at two? Life is good right now, and with the two girls under our wings, I can see that trend continuing throughout our lives. Vehicles, vacations, and restaurants all cater primarily to a family of four. Once you start changing that equation, a lot more forethought has to go into everything. I don’t think it is impossible and where there is a will there is a way. But it is a major consideration which deserves asking; Should we have a third child?

My Thoughts: My Book Live Duo

I just want to express some love for the My Book Love Duo from the awesome people at Western Digital. This Network Access Storage (NAS) product has been a welcome addition to our home network setup.

There are great reviews for this product available out there and this isn't meant to replace any of those. Read  any of these for full information: CNET - PCWorld - TechRadar  I just want to share how our family is using this great product without going over too much technical information. 

Half of the capacity is used to store your
data and half is used for a second copy

The first reason that I pushed for our family to acquire this additional piece of hardware is the RAID 1 (mirroring) capability it has. In English that means that the six years worth of pictures of our children growing up and other treasured moments are safe and sound. You see there are two hard drives in the My Book Live Duo, and in the RAID 1 mode, the total capacity is split in half and it automatically copies itself. So if one hard drive fails the information is safe on the other one. I just need to replace the broken one and it will then copy the information onto the new one. 

Tip: When first setting up the My Book Live Duo, you have to allow for close to 12 hours to pass as it switches from the maximum capacity mode to mirrored. So don't expect to do much upon opening it.

The second reason for the purchase is the personal cloud storage. It is a perfect match for the WD TV Live Streaming Media Player, another great product from Western Digital. I'm able to access all of our video files from the comfort of our living room via its wireless or wired network capability. I no longer have to run up and down the stairs moving content around on portable hard drives. Setting up the Shared folders was easy to do and really the hardest part is changing your habits of how you save your files.

Tip: With the WD TV Live, first access your Shared Folders via the Network Share option. Select the Shared Video folder and then push the 'Option' button. Select the 'Add to My Media Library' option to add it to the default view. That will get you to your content quicker.

The third reason for buying this Network Access Storage (NAS) hard drive versus any others is because I've consistently had a great experience with the products from Western Digital. It all started with their first generation WD TV media player which changed forever how I watch content on the television. Western Digital is a brand that is continually innovating and produces products that work as promised.

If you are looking for a networked storage solution for your family or small business, take a serious look at the WD My Book Live Duo. It is currently available in two sizes: 4 TB and 6TB and prices sometimes vary so make sure you shop around online first.

What other NAS solutions would you recommend? Anyone have any other tips on how to best use this product?