Everything together: The LG Chocolate Touch

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LG Chocolate Touch. All opinions are 100% mine.

Today, there are many phones out there. But few of them can do everything for you.
Imagine a phone that could call, send text, go online, use social media, take pictures or video, a built-in mp3 player with 1 GB of dedicated storage and Dolby Mobile technology for crystal-clear sound quality, a microSD(HC) slot, and 3.2MP Camera/Recorder–quality pictures and videos, with image editor. It sounds like it can do anything. Then also add in some touch screen and a few other features:

-Rhythmical Beat that vibrates the handset to the beat of the music
-One-touch Social Network Message Key for easy use of Mobile Blogging
-Mobile Media – top-notch text, picture, video, and voice messaging, including Visual Voicemail

What more can you ask for?

A phone like this does everything you would need. If I had this phone, I would no longer need my mp3 player, or my camera (except for situations where extremely high quality is a necessity), and I could also get rid of my current phone which does not even have touch screen.

With all of those applications running on the same system, it becomes much easier to do things in life. I won't have to carry around a bunch of devices to do various things. It becomes easy to access whatever I need quickly and go to the same device every time.
Now there's a phone that can do just that.

The LG Chocolate Touch.

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Google vs Microsoft Part 1: Stocks

One of the hottest names in the tech industry, Google (GOOG) seems to be taking the world by storm, bringing all sorts of new products such as Google Wave, Chrome OS, and even their own phone. But is it really what it seems to be? Google’s strongest competitor is none other than the world’s 7th most profitable company: Microsoft (MSFT). 7th? That doesn’t seem TOO high does it? Well actually, it is, because the top 6 are all oil and gas companies and we all know how much of an energy demand we have right now. Microsoft is clearly a potent competitor to Google, and the reality is Microsoft is the future of the technology world.

Before we discuss the merits of Microsoft, let us simply tackle the fundamental problems with Google stock and their business.

Valued at $590 currently, this is far beyond their pre-recession values. That’s astounding, and the only reason it is like this is because of the perceived potential for growth. However, their percentage return on equity is only at 16%. Return on equity is simply the amount of earnings they have expressed as a percentage of total shareholder value in the company (which is assets minus liability). Compare that with Microsoft: an incredible 36%. In fact, Warren Buffet, the world’s most famous investor by far is known to only invest in companies with ROEs at least above 20%. That makes Google seem like a weak candidate. In addition, their operating and profit margins and return on assets are all lower than Microsoft’s. What’s more, it is clear that even insiders at Google have no confidence in their company. The amount of Google stock owned by insiders is less than 0.5%. The amount of MSFT stock owned by insiders is over 10%. Plus, Google Co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin who sit on the company’s board of directors do not hold any Google stock. That’s right, they hold 0 Google stock. They have no faith in their own company. Neither does the Google CEO Eric Schmidt. There is no real reason to invest in a stock that does not have the confidence of its executives. Google stock is simply not compelling.

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Transfer photos wirelessly from your Camera with a simple chip

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Eye-Fi. All opinions are 100% mine.

I tend to be one of those people that have lots of photos from all sorts of places, but they're mostly all stored on my computer. I occasionally upload some photos to my favourite photo sharing sites like Flickr or Facebook, but it's only occasionally because I'm just too lazy to get the loads of photos I take every time I go somewhere all uploaded. It takes too long, and it's a hassle to even transfer the photos from the camera to my computer, what with missing USB cables and the like.

But it seems there's a solution out there to all that. Enter the Eye-Fi, which is an SD memory card that has *get this*, built-in wifi capabilities!

Whenever I had to upload photos before, I've always had to dig around for the USB cable or card reader, and many times I simply left the photos on the camera because I was too lazy to get it uploaded. But then, my cousins keep asking me where the heck are some pictures of that wonderful vacation you talked about? And I have to upload it then. So now, with the Eye-Fi, I wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of the old way of uploading photos. I can just WIRELESSLY connect the camera with my computer, or even directly with Flickr/Facebook. That will save an incredible amount of time, and I can finally upload my pictures right away, so my cousins won't have to bug me all the time.

Now, if you want to know exactly how it works, I've embedded a video of just that right below here. So check it out:



Of course, maybe you don't have the time to see the video. In that case, allow me to summarize some of the features of the Eye-Fi.
Eye-Fi is a wireless SD memory card with up to 4GB of memory PLUS built-in Wi-Fi. To use it, just turn on your camera!

It can automatically backup your pictures and automatically organize (by date) them on your computer.

Not only that, it can send the photos directly to sites like Facebook/Flickr, as long as you have an SDHC capable camera and a wireless router.

Now doesn't that sound like a great way to save time and share your photos? Maybe you can even get one for your friends this holiday season!

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Google stock shortcomings

Currently, Google is heralded as a great tech company with the power to revolutionize many things. However, their stock is not necessarily a good option right now.

One of the important metrics in determining the strength of a business is the Return on Equity percentage. This is simply the amount of earnings per year as a percentage of the total amount of value in the company (anything of value minus all debts). Higher percentages equate to a more profitable business and capable management.

Google has an ROE of merely 16%, while Microsoft has an incredible 36%. This shows that MSFT’s management is far superior, and that they have a business that makes a lot more money for less . Generally, companies with low ROEs (less than 20%) are mediocre and many will phase out or lose money eventually.

Now, there’s a reason that management seems to perform badly at Google, and that’s because they have no confidence and no commitment to their company. Plus, Google Co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin who sit on the company’s board of directors do not hold any Google stock. Neither does the Google CEO Eric Schmidt. [Source: Yahoo! Finance]. When a management does not hold any stock in their company, they have no reason to make the company better because their money is not at stake. With Google, only 0.5% of their stock is held by insiders at the company, so no employees of Google really have a reason to make Google better.

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Win a NESCAFE Dolce Gusto machine!

Do you love coffee? Then I'm sure you've heard of Nescafe's great coffee products. Most recently, their Dolce Gusto machines are providing everyone with easy access to high quality coffee, and production right in the comfort of your own home. Why wouldn't any coffee lover love it?

Even better, they are running a great new online sweepstakes from November 2nd to December 20th. You could enter now online now to win a NESCAFE Dolce Gusto machine.
This machine can produce eight customized beverages (piping hot or perfectly iced) and comes in three cool colours.

It's perfect for just making coffee, entertaining friends and family, and a great gift for anyone for the holidays.

All you have to do is go to Sweetspot.ca, enter your information and enter the contest. It's that easy. You could have the chance to win 1 of 6 of these fantastic coffee brewing machines!

Here are some cool facts on this machine:
The only single serve coffee machine designed with a 15-bar pressure system – comparable to coffeehouse machines – to create the all-important crema layer and a frothy milk.
• Innovative, proprietary technology of NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto’s capsule system ensures a perfect cup, made-to-order every time.
• Produces both hot and cold coffeehouse quality beverages. Perfect for entertaining all year round!
• All 7 coffee varieties are made with a premium blend of 100% roast and ground Arabica beans: Caffè Lungo, Espresso, Americano, Latte Macchiato, Cappuccino, Iced Cappucino, Café Mocha...even Chococino (hot chocolate) for the kids.
• The Custom Control Lever, which optimizes extraction pressure, allows for easy customization of froth, heat, and coffee strength.
• Sleek, funky, and easy to use, the NESCAFE Dolce Gusto coffee machine by KRUPS comes in three colours with chrome detailing: candy-apple red, creamy white and sophisticated black.
• Two models now available: Krups, $199 and T-Fal, $179.


Why wait any longer? Enter for free, and WIN NOW!

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The Real Microsoft: Windows Azure

Whenever Microsoft is criticized for being cumbersome and not innovative, it always seems to come out on top regardless. Some people think it's because Microsoft tends to have great vision, but never tell the world about it until they're already there. Others say Microsoft is just an evil company that uses its monopoly to do whatever it wants.

I think the reality is that Microsoft knows what it's doing, and they do it well, even if they need some serious competition to make them do something. When Microsoft gained dominance with Windows, and everybody started using Microsoft products on their new PCs, it seemed like there was nothing left for them to do. That's when they stopped really doing anything. Then came along Netscape, and things really changed, as they worked hard on IE and overtook Netscape shortly after.

Time and time again, Microsoft faces its challenges head on and is able to succeed even if they have what others seem to think is a bad start.

This time shouldn't be any different. People are saying that Microsoft failed to embrace the cloud, that they are too focused on their Windows and Office products. This is completely invalid, as Microsoft has expanded their product offerings to include most aspects of technology in people's life: Client operating systems, mobile, server, Xbox 360, ZuneHD, Office, Bing, Exchange, and very soon Windows Azure.

Azure is the first of its kind, a large scale product that truly provides developers with access to software development on the cloud, a product that allows a whole cloud computing experience, and more. This is Microsoft's answer to Google and other companies' cloud offerings, and there's no reason for it not to succeed.

Soon, we will witness the fruits of Microsoft's labour yet again.

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You Gotta See This

Everyday, millions of people walk around suffering from bad vision. It's very common nowadays to see people with glasses or contacts or other products that supposedly help their vision.
Why do these people have to continue suffering from bad vision, or using such products? They are clearly not conveniences.

Abbott Medical Optics Inc. who is a global leader in providing eye improvement solutions, is now hosting a new contest. They want to know how better vision has or could improve people's lives.

This is the "You Gotta See This" iLASIK Video Contest in which entrants must submit a VIDEO in one of the following categories:
1. "My contacts are getting in the way of my good time"
2. "My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision"
3. "You should see life after the iLASIK Procedure"

If you participate, you could have the chance to WIN any of the following prizes:

• One Grand Prize winner will win $5,000 — selected from all submitted videos
• Three First Prize winners will be selected — one per video category
• Three Second Prize winners will be selected — one per video category

Why don't you share your opinion now, make a video, and tell the world just how improved vision has helped your life, or could help your life? With the chance to these prizes, why wouldn't you?

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Bing's relatively quiet improvements

After the huge launch of Windows 7 that included "Windows 7 Parties", it was to be expected that everything else Microsoft releases would be drowned out. That may be why Microsoft has chosen to not have a big launch of some new products, initiatives or changes they made to existing products.
Here's just some what what they did:

- Xbox 360 got Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm integration
- Exchange 2010 was released
- Bing UK Goes live (the beta tag is gone)
- MSN Video is merged with Bing Video
- Bing gets Wolfram Alpha info, etc

What we're here to talk about today is Bing's improvements.
Bing Video is not another Youtube service to replace the SoapBox they took out. It's just a search service that should be matched up against Google Video. Obviously, it offers many advantages over Google Video or Yahoo video, and one of those is the preview feature. Some people also like the Bing layout better, and they provide a massive amount of search customization for Videos. They've added feeds from a variety of sources, and now has over 900 Television shows.

Also, Bing partnered up with Wolfram Alpha to provide information or data on certain searches using Wolfram's advanced algorithms. This isn't just some crappy new addition to play catchup, this is a serious addition to Bing. Wolfram Alpha has been praised to offer some very compelling features and search capability. They can't dominate traditional web search, but what they do have is some incredible access to data that nobody else can offer: nutritional information on foods for any query, definitive answers based on equations and computations, etc. This is a huge addition to Bing, and will certainly increase its appeal.
Furthermore, Bing added to its Local and weather searching capabilities and some tweaks to Bing Shopping.

There is serious evidence that Bing usage is picking up, and quite rapidly too. A recent study by Hitwise showed that Bing had over 9.6% of the search market in October. This is compared with 16.1% for Yahoo, and 70.6% for Google. While Google is still ahead by a huge margin, Bing has increased its share significantly since its release and especially since the old Live search. Google and Yahoo seem to have each lost 1% of share, and that is highly significant considering the timeline of Bing's release.

Once the Yahoo deal goes through, Bing will have a serious chance to challenge Google.

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British Ariways: Huge November Sale!

Feel the need to go on vacation or just travel somewhere?
If you're in Canada, you're in luck, because British Airways is offering a great deal this November, until the 19th.

Starting from just $386 for a round-trip, and $599 for package deals, you can book a trip to many different places all over the world!
British Airlines isn't just an airline to get to Europe, but you can also go to the Middle East, India and Africa.

This "world sale" that they're offering includes an Upgraded Experience including the following: 200+ On-Demand Entertainment Options, Complimentary food and cocktails on all flights, World Class service, Ergonomically designed seats with blankets, cushions, eyeshades and flight socks, convenient and relaxing lounges at Terminal 5, destination guides, MetroTwin (an online community that provides recommendations for New York and London).

Here are just some of the places you can go to on this deal:
Cairo, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Maldives, Mumbai, Paris, Rome, and MUCH MORE!
Book before November 19th to secure your spot on a British Airlines flight until March 28, 2010.

You can check out more at British Airways. There, you can find out more about the specific details.

Unfortunately, I can't take advantage of this offer, because I have other commitments during this time, but if I could go to any location they offer, I'd check out Paris. I've never been there before, and it's known as the most beautiful city on Earth, so I may as well go and see what makes Paris so beautiful. While I'm at it, I can eat some of their great gourmet foods (expensive!).

Don't miss out on this great offer if you're looking to go somewhere anytime soon! Check it out at British Airways now.

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The old goes new: Charging for online content

Rumors are a-swirling that Rupert Murdoch may discontinue the practice of allowing search engines such as Google to index his websites' content.

This is one of the most influential media moguls ever, so that's a pretty heavy stance, if it's true. This could change the online news industry big time, seeing as Murdoch owns all sorts of newspapers and websites all over the world, especially big names like the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, etc.

A long time ago, when the web was still new, businesses tended not to provide free content as well. That was because advertising wasn't readily available, and the only source of revenue for content had to be subscription payments, just like regular newspapers. Or at least, advertising wasn't as widespread, and news companies just didn't provide free information online.
As advertising is dropping off in profitability due to the vast amounts of "real estate" for advertising online, all thanks to a boom in the sheer number of websites that duplicate or take content away from news websites, news companies are increasingly wary of the lower profitability.

If we return to those days of subscription services, would you still pay for online content? It seems a lot of people still do pay, as the Wall Street Journal charges for their content, and yet remains profitable.

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