Tag: apple

A list of the “Most Breakable Gadgets” has now been released to show that some of the priciest break the most easily.

An insurance company has now released a list of mobile devices that they feel are the most fragile based on their own testing and data, and what they have found is that the Apple iPad Mini and the Samsung Galaxy S4 are among those that are the easiest to break.

Following some research, the firm came to the conclusion that durability is not Apple’s strong suit.

This is one area where those mobile devices were decidedly not superior to some of the competing brands such as the Google Nexus, Samsung, or Motorola gadgets. That said, even though the iPad Mini was the mobile gadget that was the most breakable, the Samsung Galaxy S4 was a close second, so it shouldn’t be too keen to rub it in, quite yet.

The tests were conducted by SquareTrade Europe to test the durability of top mobile devices.

The research was held based on certain common scenarios that could be experienced by these gadgets throughout their lifetimes. For example, they were dropped onto a concrete floor from a predetermined height, and were dunked into water. According to the SquareTrade managing director, Kevin Gillan, explained that consumers are pouring an increasing amount of money into their portable tech, so it is important to know that the device will be able to hold up to the purchaser’s life, to “get our money’s worth”.

Gillan added that “By putting devices through tests that replicate real life situations, we want to help people make smart choices when it comes to choosing gadgets and ensure they are covered against accidental damage.”

The SquareTrade Most Breakable Gadgets top 10 list actually included four products from Apple, including the iPad Mini at the top of the list, as well as the iPad Air (in third place), the iPhone 5C (in fifth place) and the iPhone 5S (in eighth place). Top competitor, Samsung, had three devices of its own on the list, including the Galaxy S4 (in second place), the Galaxy S3 (in fourth place) and the Galaxy Tab 3 (in seventh place).

To complete this list of fragile mobile devices was the Google Nexus 7 (in sixth place), the Google Nexus 7 2013 (in ninth place), and the Motorola Moto X (in tenth place).

Leaked documents suggest that Twitter is looking to establish itself in mobile shopping

Twitter may be preparing to jump into the mobile commerce game. According to leaked documents obtained by the UK Telegraph, the social network may soon make it possible for its 232 million users to purchase products directly from their mobile devices. The documents suggest that the service would be called Twitter Commerce, but there are not indications when this service would be made available for certain. Moreover, the leaked documents cannot necessarily be considered accurate and they could be nothing more than simple rumors.

Documents imply that Twitter has partnered with Fancy

The leaked documents suggest that the social network’s mobile commerce endeavors will come to fruition through a partnership with Fancy, an e-commerce merchant. Fancy counts Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s founder, as one of its prominent investors and board members. While this does not indicate Twitter’s absolute interest in mobile shopping, it does help establish a solid connection between the social network and Fancy. The leaked documents show mock-ups concerning how Twitter users would purchase products directly from product tweets that include a button that says “buy with Fancy.”

Twitter retains a strong focus on the mobile sector

Twitter has a strong interest in the mobile sector, but not necessarily commerce. The social network has done little in the way of directly supporting mobile payments and shopping, but Twitter has been working on ways to monetize its mobile interests. Facebook recently discovered the benefits of mobile commerce and how to integrate mobile shopping into its network and Twitter may soon follow suit. Indeed, this may be the beginning of a new trend in social media, wherein social networks begin to play a bigger role in the commerce space.

Mobile competition is already fierce

While Twitter may show an interest in mobile commerce, it will have to find a way to compete with organizations that already have a strong presence in that sector. The commerce space is awash with competition from various small firms and some large companies, including Google. Apple is rumored to be looking to enter into the mobile commerce space as well, which will add further competition to the crowded field.