Ramsey Mohsen » tech news & insight

Which is Faster? 3G iPhone vs 4G Samsung AT&T Speed Test

ramseymohsen — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:39:24 +0000

3G, 4G, 5G …what does it all mean? The average person doesn’t know the SPEED difference between 3G or 4G. You need to actually SEE it. I decided to put it to the test by using 4G Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket vs. 3G iPhone 4S (both running on the AT&T network). What does it actually mean when you watch YouTube videos? Or load a webpage like ESPN or cnn.com? Watch my 4G vs 3G video blog speed test to see who wins.

‎**my apologies- i mistakenly read the Speed Test App numbers when I filmed this as “megabytes” and it’s actually megabits**

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Free Klout plugin for Twitter? Yeah- this is awesome.

ramseymohsen — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:48:05 +0000

Every once and a while I come across a tool or tip that I think it’s so cool- I just have to share it…

Read any digital marketing or social media blog or publication in the past year- chances are you’ll come across articles featuring or highlighting the social influence scoring system Klout. They’re positioned as a influence measurement platform that makes it easy to identify whom is influential online (this is measured by analyzing: RT, mentions, Facebook comments/likes, Google +1′s etc.).

Typically, to see Klout scores for any given person- you have to go to Klout.com/[INSERT-NAME-HERE] (or tools like CoTweet have plugins built in to see scores). However, I came across this nifty plugin that was developed at Klout’s own internal hackathon. This allows you to see the scores on Twitter.com right next to each Tweet like this:

Yeah- pretty slick isn’t it?! I think so.

You can download and grab the plugins here:

Chrome Klout Extension

Firefox Klout Add-on Extension

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I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Interview on KCTV5 about "The Best of CES 2012"

ramseymohsen — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:11:31 +0000

KCTV5 asked me to come on to their afternoon show today with Carol Long to talk about the new iPhone announced today. You can watch the interview on KCTV5 here.

Here are the 5 devices I highlighted in the interview:

1.) Dell XPS 13 – “Ultrabook”

2.) HTC Titan 2 – Smartphone

3.) Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga – Laptop

4.) simple TV

5.) i’m watch

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

CES 2012: evolutions not revolutions

ramseymohsen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:32:01 +0000

I’ve noticed a trend and a theme for CES this year (International Consumer Electronics Show). There are few truly interesting and disruptive products being shown, only evolutions not revolutions. While it remains the world’s largest consumer technology convention, it has lost its clout. CES 2012 has exactly what I expected- the latest and greatest: TVs, smartphones, tablets, and ultrabooks (over 75 ultrabooks will be launched this year). But there isn’t anything groundbreaking.

It’s also interesting to note the biggest technology companies on the planet do not show up to CES: Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google and soon Microsoft. They have followed suit with Apple- hold your own private event, control and contain the announcement(s) on your terms and turf <– yet they are at CES because all of these companies are “in” the devices.

I think CES has become less relevant- because technology innovation has shifted more to the software side (the cloud + software as a service). Over the recent years, many of the biggest announcements at CES were just for Apps and services. And that shift has illustrated that it’s less about the hardware. This is because the death of the spec has set in. No longer does only the “biggest, fastest, and lightest” win consumers over. Consumers want devices that perform the best, have a digital ecosystem around it (apps and content), and is priced right. The average person simply asks of their electronic devices, “I want it to be easy and I just want it to work”.

Make no mistake- the show is still important to many retailers and device manufactures. Companies still need to sell their products to retailers and take orders (many people forget, a ton of business takes place at CES).

I don’t think CES should go away. And I don’t think it will shut down. However, it’s already transitioned to being less of “the exclusive” and first place to debut electronics- and more of what it ultimately is, just a trade show.

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I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

How to embed a Tweet on WordPress with 1-line of code

ramseymohsen — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:55:20 +0000

This is a helpful tip and trick I discovered- this is how to embed a Tweet into a blog post. The advantage of doing this (other than not having to take a screenshot) is this allows you pull in the Tweet with native Twitter buttons that allow people to 1-click: retweet, reply, favorite, and follow the account of the embedded Tweet.

Copy and paste this 1-line of code:

^TS
— Twitter API (@twitterapi)

*Please note, you need to copy this on the HTML editor not the Visual tab

The result should look like this:

^TS

— Twitter API (@twitterapi)

Pretty slick huh? Tell your blogger friends- or better yet, click the RT button above

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I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

1.2 billion Apps were downloaded in the last week of December

ramseymohsen — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:19 +0000

I recently shared some jaw dropping statistics regarding mobile and smartphone usage (via Mitch Joel). The analytics firm (Flurry) who broke this news- is now reporting even more mind-blowing statistics.

“1.2 billion apps were downloaded in the last week of December”

“Looking forward to 2012, Flurry expects breaking the one billion download barrier per week”

“Google confirmed that more than 3.7 million Android devices were activated over the Christmas weekend.”

“6.8 million new iOS and Android devices activated on Christmas Day alone, 353% increase.”

On Christmas Day alone, people downloaded an estimated 10 million apps per hour.

And I shared this study recently…

— Twitter API (@twitterapi)

What does this all mean?

First and foremost- this doesn’t mean if you’re a brand or business you need to go design and create an App. Stop. Do not assume it’s as easy to think if you invest money in building an app- “they will come (or even use it)”. There are over 500,000+ Apps in iOS, and 400,000+ in Android Market ← it’s a very crowded space

It’s also important to understand there is a distinct difference between the need to develop an App and building a mobile optimized website (and significant cost difference for upkeep). A careful needs assessment should be done to evaluate if an App is really necessary.

I suggest to first ask yourself what you’re trying to achieve first. Are you creating a resource, utility, function or broadly helpful tool? Or are you just repurposing the content from your company website? Asking a user to download an App is not only a hurdle from an awareness perspective (they have to know it exists) but from a user experience standpoint- unless the utility or content you provide is high, the user may not even do it.

Think about if you- yourself would download your own App? Or why you would visit your own business or brand website? What functional/practical expectations do you would need to exist?

From a mobile design perspective, always keep in mind the context of their users visit is from their phone ← it’s very different than full desktop browsing. and knowing someone has a phone in their hand is helpful- it should narrow the focus on features and navigation options (you know more context than you do with a website: they have a mobile phone in their hand- and you can use hardware features to detect location and customize content and the experience). the golden rule: mobile forces you to focus on only the most important data and actions (top tasks needed to be accomplished).

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I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

[in progress] here we go…

ramseymohsen — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:15:35 +0000

(i’m in the process of setting up my iTunes Match- i hope it’s as easy + great as it claims to be… i’ll let you know)

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Digital Natives won’t care to "own" their music.

ramseymohsen — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:44:11 +0000

Recently I took a roadtrip with my sister to my hometown of Springfield, MO. Being a huge music hoarder (and former DJ in college) i plugged in my iPod loaded with over 14k+ songs. About 30-minutes into the trip, my sister asked “Have you heard the new Drake album?” I replied, telling her I had- but didn’t have it transfered it to my iPod. With a few taps and a quick search- my sister launched the Spotify Mobile App on her iPhone and we were streaming the whole album in seconds. We went on to listen to many other albums and songs together on the roadtrip, all without downloading a single song. Spotify is just one example of the beginning of the end to the idea of “music ownership”.

2011 was the Digital Music Cloud Revolution

2011 marked the year that digital music made it’s giant leap to the cloud. Services like Spotify, iTunes Match, Google Music, Amazon Cloud, and MOG provide 2 types of digital options for users:

1- digital “locker” music storage
2- unlimited music streaming

And the reality is this is more than just “the next big thing”. The revolution is happening now. Over 2.5 million+ people are paying for premium streaming music on Spotify today (and that’s just 1 of the services…)

YouTube is the new MTV

More people are turning off MTV and turn to YouTube for their music. Nielsen conducted a study that found that more people watch music on YouTube than download it. Turns out, audio streaming is actually more popular than legal digital downloads.

…but our kids won’t get it

We need to understand that Digital Natives will not understand the same concept of what it’s like to own a physical copy of music. They won’t understand what we mean when tell them how hard it is (was) to try to pick and tear open the clear wrapping on a new CD. Moreso, they won’t care either because they won’t see the value in a physical disc or even a .MP3 file.

It begs the question: why do we need to own copies of our music? Only us old-timers carry the nostalgic baggage of ~~needing~~ wanting to own a physical copy of our music. But the question is why? Is there any real need to have a physical copy? Both the cloud and streaming services offer temporary “offline download storage and sync” so you can still listen to your favorite music or playlists even when you don’t have 3G or WiFi. Digital Darwinism has changed music for both consumers and the industry- it’s a disruption and evolution.

Chances are you’re already carrying your phone or are at a computer with you when you want to listen to music. So why do we need to carry CDs or even an iPod with you?

The definition of “owning” our music- has changed.

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I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Smartphone screens are getting bigger. Is this phone too big?

ramseymohsen — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:59:35 +0000

Smartphone screens are getting bigger. It begs the question- is the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus too big? For perspective- i put the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus next to the EVO and iPhone 4S and a Moleskine journal). The Galaxy has a huge 4.65-inch screen!

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

AMAZON KINDLE FIRE!!! (review, unboxing and demo)

ramseymohsen — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:16:30 +0000

Meet the new Amazon: Kindle Fire. At $200, it’s significantly more affordable than most tablets. Here’s my video blog review on the Amazon Kindle Fire (if you can’t see the video below, click here).

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Facebook iPad App: a video walkthrough + demo

ramseymohsen — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:43:06 +0000

18 months ago the iPad was first released and everyone since then has been waiting for the official iPad app to be released. Well- it’s finally here! I have to admit, using your fingers with gestures to browse Facebook is just plain fun. I recorded a walkthrough video of the Facebook iPad app to show you just how it works. You can download the Facebook iPad app in the App Store or here (there is also a new version if the iPhone app out as well).

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Interview with KCTV5 about the new iPhone 4S

ramseymohsen — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:35:42 +0000

KCTV5 asked me to come on to their afternoon show today with Carol Long to talk about the new iPhone announced today. You can watch the interview on KCTV5 here.

My thoughts? So no iPhone 5. But it’s now on Sprint! And the iPhone 4S + iOS5 + iCloud is awesome. Photogs and @instagram lovers, the new camera on the #iPhone 4S is incredible. It’s faster (1.1 sec), 8-megapixels, f/2.4 aperture, sharper. It’s amazing the expectations Apple has set for themselves when they release a phone. No iPhone 5, but this is the best cell phone ever made. So why no #iPhone 5? I think the hardware isn’t there yet. And they need to figure out mobile payment. When they do, then we’ll get iPhone 5. I think Apple will keep a close eye on the wins / failures of Google Wallet, then steal best of breed and put it in the #iPhone 5. BTW, I’m shocked @Sprint PR/CC has nothing on Sprint.com or http://newsroom.sprint.com RE: iPhone. On Twitter they’re sending people to Apple.com. Shocking they’re missing such an opportunity here.

Here’s the official Apple commercial for the new iPhone 4S:

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

If you own a MacBook, you’re gonna want this.

ramseymohsen — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:55:14 +0000

My friend Pat showed me this AWESOME app. Yeah, this is cool. So cool, I had to vblog it…

if you want to buy it, you can grab it in the App store for your Mac.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

My girlfriend is better using Twitter than me.

ramseymohsen — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:55:03 +0000

There’s something to be said about the trend over the recent years about the usage of infographics. Recently, I was doing research for one of my a big brand/ corporate clients on infographics …and stumbled upon this “Twitterize Yourself!” infographic tool. I plugged in my girlfriend’s Twitter handle vs. my own (@rm) and found out some interesting data. I also compared it to our Klout scores. The results were interesting…

As you can see, my girlfriend is way better at using Twitter than I am!

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Interview with KCTV5 about Facebook Video Calling, Group Chat

ramseymohsen — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 06:25:23 +0000

KCTV5 asked me to come on to their afternoon show with Carol Long to talk about the Facebook Video Calling and Group Chat announcements. During the interview, I shared my thoughts on how people can use the new features and a couple things to consider.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

iPad 2: the video blog + unboxing + photos + review

ramseymohsen — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:21:57 +0000

I video blogged with my iPhone front-cam the magical journey that was to Best Buy getting my iPad 2!!!!! At the end of the vid is the un-boxing and comparison to the iPad 1.

So far I’m impressed. Especially with how thin and light the iPad 2. It’s 33% thinner, and 15% lighter than iPad 1 (thinner than the iPhone 4). But it’s the speed of the dual-core A5 processor that is the biggest difference. When loading web pages, images and apps, it’s noticeable.

The up-shot? If you have iPad 1, there aren’t significant enough updates to warrant the upgrade cost. But, if you don’t have a tablet, and want one …the iPad 2 is easily the industry front-runner.

I tweeted other 140-character thoughts about the iPad 2:

And I also took some picture of the un-boxing:

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

My ugly mug talking tablets on the KCTV5 morning show!

ramseymohsen — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 19:43:34 +0000

KCTV5 had me on their morning show to talk iPads and Xooms!!! I shot this video blog to show you the studio and what the video quality looks like when using the Motorola Xoom tablet (click here if you can’t see the video).

BTW, in the video blog, Matt from KCTV5 jumped out of nowhere, I had no clue he would do that! Overall, the quality of the video from the Xoom isn’t bad. Don’t you think? Especially for YouTube.

…I should share, it does feel weird holding a tablet and filming video. It’s like you’re holding a steering wheel up in the air

If you want to watch the interview, it’s online here:

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Ear warmers + headphones from Midland, CES 2011

ramseymohsen — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 06:16:01 +0000

A look at Midland Radio‘s SubZero headphones (full disclosure: Midland was the company who sponsored me at CES this year). If you can’t see the video, click here to watch.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

CES 2011, this video blog is just totally random fun stuff!

ramseymohsen — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 06:12:01 +0000

This is just some fun random bits of footage from the conference. There is SO much fun stuff at CES, sometimes it’s hard to put it all in 1 video blog! If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

CES 2011: Discovery Karaoke an iPad accessory

ramseymohsen — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:50:36 +0000

A first look at Discover Karaoke, a iPad powered karaoke system that’s simple to use. You can even download songs from iTunes for your karaoke songs. If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Nike Plus GPS watch powered by TomTom at CES 2011

ramseymohsen — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:46:17 +0000

A first look at the Nike+ SportWatch GPS powered by TomTom that tracks your runs and gives you reminders to go running. The sensor can track time, pace, distance, calories burned, and heart rate. Your running history of every run is tracked and stored.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Tesla Model S 17-inch car console display by Nvidia

ramseymohsen — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:40:07 +0000

I’ve always wanted to SEE a Tesla in real life. I’ve read SO much about them from the valley, this was so cool to see. Tesla is a all-electric car company out of California. They partnered with Nvidia to power this insanely awesome 17-inch infotainment display and video based instrument cluster. The Model S Tesla is an all-electric car that will be released in 2012. If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Wireless electricity is coming to your kitchen and grocery stores!

ramseymohsen — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:33:26 +0000

Fulton Innovation shows off wireless electricity concept in the kitchen. Powered cereal boxes and soup! If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Etch A Sketch iPad case!!!!!! AWESOME!!!! (CES 2011)

ramseymohsen — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:53:22 +0000

Carry your iPad around in style with a Etch A Sketch iPad case! If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch it.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

CES 2011: Electronic Cigarettes demo by Karma

ramseymohsen — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:49:33 +0000

Have you ever heard of electronic cigarettes? I hadn’t until CES this year. Here’s a demo of how the Karma E-Cigarettes device works. If you can’t see the video, click here to watch.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

CES 2011: ION iCade makes your iPad an arcade!

ramseymohsen — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:02:46 +0000

A first look at the new ION iCade a new product that allows you to control iPad games with an arcade joystick via bluetooth.. There is even a developer friendly API so apps can be created by anyone.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

PLEO, the dinosaur robot that is incredibly real!

ramseymohsen — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:55:59 +0000

Meet Pleo, the dinosaur robot that is incredibly lifelike. Priced at $469, Pleo has 14 sensors to see, hear, and feel. It features voice recognition to respond to a given name, motion sensing, awareness of the time of day, and temperature sensor that makes it shiver in a cold room. More information at www.pleoworld.com. Infrared sensors enable it to communicate with other Pleos. When two males meet, they’ll shout at each other, but a male and female will nuzzle. If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

SUH-weet iPod Nano WATCH and SLAP BANDS!!!!

ramseymohsen — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:44:11 +0000

Check out these awesome iPod Nano watch and slap bands I found at CES 2011 this year!!!!! If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

Saying YO HI to iJustine at CES!!!! (hugs were involved)

ramseymohsen — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:39:34 +0000

Guess who I ran into at CES …vlogger iJustine!!!
If you can’t view the video below, click here to watch.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen

CES 2011: New light-up TRON T1 Monster headphones

ramseymohsen — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:36:12 +0000

Monster is launching an entire set of TRON branded products. These Monster T1 TRON headphones are part of the initial release of a handful of products. There is also a Daft Punk edition that are similar, but colored white. More details are at www.tronbymonster.com. If you can’t see the video below, you can watch the video here.

I like to Tweet about tech: http://twitter.com/rm And you can friend me: http://facebook.com/ramseymohsen