NXTab Site Update: November

The NXTab site was successfully moved to a new host at the weekend and I am proud to say we are now fully hosted in the cloud!

Thanks to the Vidahost cloud hosting service we’ll now be able to grow smoothly throughout 2013 to become the leading nexus tablet blog in the UK, if not the world!

I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of the site’s stats with you.

Blog

We are proud to have published just over 100 posts to the site’s blog, covering a whole range of subjects such as:

• Handy “how to” guides
• News on the latest Android updates
• Picking out the best tablet deals on the web

We’ve also published a useful accessories list, a popular getting started page, a comprehensive buyer’s guide and our famous app pack has helped thousands get going with some of the best apps for the Nexus 7.

To get new posts emailed directly to you, just pop your email into the form at the bottom of this page. The email system is managed by WordPress so you can be assured your details are kept safe.

Forum

First off, a massive thanks to the regular posters on the NXTab forum. Getting a new forum off the ground is a massive challenge and I wouldn’t have got anywhere without your help!

So a big thanks to all those that have registered and posted!

To date we have:

• 280 registered members
• Around 300 threads
• And over 3000 forum posts!

With new areas for tablet app development and the new Nexus 10 tablet I look forward to watching the forum grow faster and faster!

Whilst we can’t compete with the highly technical XDA forums, or the commercially run sites, our friendly little community blog is starting to carve out its own niche for supporting new owners and a range of UK specific tablet issues.

Web traffic

Traffic has continued to grow steadily month on month and I’m really pleased by how the sites is continuing to get recognition both around the web and in the search engines. We are now receiving referrals from 100s of different sites and rank number one in the search engines for some key terms.

Since the site started back in August, we’ve had almost 80,000 visitors who have viewed close to 200,000 pages!

This is really good going and I think the site has done well to notch up these numbers in a little over three months.

Social media

Twitter

I had never really got into Twitter before, partly because I didn’t have a lot to say, but also because I had no readily available way to access it.

My Nexus 7 changed that. The tablet gave me the perfect view onto Twitter, and thanks to my burgeoning interest in the Nexus tablet range I finally had something to talk about.

Since then we have:

• Tweeted 18 times a day on average
• Built up over 300 followers, a number that is increasing consistently every day
• Shared top tips amongst Nexus owning twitter users,
• Spread the latest news from around the web
• Tweeted out Amazon’s free app of the day
• Highlighted a range of deals on tablets and accessories.

A big thank you to everyone who has ever replied to or retweeted one of my posts.

If you are on Twitter be sure to follow us right now!

Facebook

I haven’t spent much time working on the NXTab Facebook page, afterall there is only so much a one man hobby operation can do!

However the page has been growing in popularity and we recently broke through the 100 Likes barrier. Admittedly a small mile stone compared to many sites but nonetheless it is proving to be another community area for Nexus owners.

If you are a Facebook user (and that covers about a billion of us!) then please drop by and Like our page!

Where Next for NXTab.co.uk?

NXTab will continue to track the progress of the Nexus tablet range, we’ll be posting up more user guides and continue to help out fellow tablet owners on the forum.

I expect the focus of the site will remain on the Nexus 7 (mostly because I own one) but we’ll be covering news on the Nexus 10 and any stories relating to the brand and of course updates on Android.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to growing the site with you in 2013!

Related posts:

1. NXTab Community Gets Off the Ground
2. Nexus 7 Blog
3. Final Pre-Ordered 16gb Nexus 7s on the Way!
4. 3G Nexus 7 Rumours
5. Nexus 7 Models and Prices November 2012

Source : nxtab[dot]co[dot]uk

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Android Overload: Loads of app updates and releases, HTC Desire blamed for dog’s death, and more

• How the HTC Desire killed a family’s long-haired chihuahua. (Um, what?). Thanks, Keith! [News]
• Google Voice updated with Android 4.2 compatibility (didn’t take long, now did it?). [Play Store]
• FolderSync for Android updated with 4.2 compatibility. [Play Store]
• Cricket announces new 4G LTE markets and new LG Optimus Regard as first 4G LTE smartphone. [LeapWireless | Cricket]
• Expedia for Android overhauled in latest update. Gets all new flashy UI. [Play Store]
• Much hyped Twitter app Echofan is now available for Android. [Play Store]
• The 1999 Dreamcast cult-hit, Expendable: Rearmed, is now available for Android. [Play Store]
• Google Drive (web) update brings dropable folders, new search tools, Google Earth map file viewing. [Google]

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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iZettle comes to the UK, car boot traders look forward to taking your credit card

Ker-ching

The next time you go to a farmers market in the UK expect to be able to pay with a credit card thanks to the launch of iZettle, a new chip and signature payment system being rolled out from today in the UK for small businesses.

The new system run by iZettle, the European equivalent of Square, will come with no monthly fee, but will charge merchants a 2.75 per cent handling charge on every transaction businesses make with the system.

Costing ?20 for the card reader and available exclusively in the new EE stores, the dongle either connects with the 30-pin dock connector on the older iPhones and iPads, or via the headphone jack for new iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. An accompanying app does the rest.

In practice and the system works as stated giving you an almost Apple retail like experience wherever you are.

In a demo of the new technology, Pocket-lint tested it out with a stallholder at the launch event, successfully buying a pair of sunglasses.

Unlike NFC there is no low threshold for contactless payment, although individual transactions are restricted to ?1250. Merchants will also be restricted to taking ?5500 in a single day as well, but as Jacob de Geer, iZettle's CEO, told Pocket-lint, if they are taking more than that they really should be talking to their bank. ?

“The beauty of iZettle is that it’s simple to use, totally secure and takes seconds for a transaction,” said Jacob de Geer, CEO and co-founder of iZettle, which is used by more than 75,000 small businesses and individuals in six countries.? “Whether you are a cabbie, florist, tradesperson or a courier, iZettle gives you the flexibility to operate in both cash and cards. The possibilities are endless because hundreds of thousands of small business can now take plastic. We are very excited about our full commercial launch in the UK and the positive results of our Beta test with 4,000 users over the past six months.”

Once a customer decides what they want to buy, the details are punched into the iZettle app before the customer is asked to insert their card.

Rather than using the Chip and Pin system, iZettle has opted for the equally safe Chip and Signature option. Signature given, and you can have your receipt emailed to you even with a picture of your good so you can quickly remember what the receipt is for.

The process is very simple, and talking to a few of the stallholders at the launch event all seemed very happy with the system tells us that it has also helped them understand their business analytically as well as the app tracks sales and generates sales reports for them even.

The system works with Mastcard, Amex, and Visa.?

Tags: Phones Tablets Apps iPhone apps iPad apps Android apps iZettle

                   

iZettle comes to the UK, car boot traders look forward to taking your credit card originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 09:31:00 +0000

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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RetroUI Pro Makes Windows 8 More Usable, Adds a Start Menu (Video)

You had your share of Windows RT in our review here and now it appears that you will actually be able to customize your experience, thanks to a utility called RetroUI. People feel overwhelmed when they use Windows 8 for the first time, so they may want their Start button back and maybe some extra menus and options.

That’s what the free utility called Classic Shell is for, bringing the Start button to Windows 8, but we’re here to cover a related piece of software called RetroU. Thinix is the company behind the software, allowing users to login directly into the classic Windows desktop and skip the Metro features. RetroUI Is available for download here and costs $5 for a license that can be used on 3 PCs. The new Start menu actually looks nice and you can even resize windows of apps and have a taskbar ready when you need it.

The taskbar stays visible when you’re in the app and there’s even the red X on the upper right corner to close down apps in the old fashioned way. Of course you can make the app full screen and use standard gestures in Windows 8. You can even drag and drop stuff in the start menu and fill it with shortcuts and apps. Pretty cool, right?

Related posts:

1. Windows 8 Release Preview Will Improve Multi Monitor Functioning, Thanks to Metro UI (Video)
2. ASUS Windows 8 Tablets Prices Leak, Rumored to Start at $599
3. Windows 8 Lets Microsoft Know About the Apps You Install… Creepy Right?

Source : androidtabletblog[dot]com

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Nexus 7 32gb Available at Currys

Thanks to the forum for the heads up on this one, but you can now go and order the Nexus 7 32gb at Currys.

Click here to buy.

As far as we can see it is available for delivery right now. As you know, Google cancelled their Nexus launch event yesterday due to Hurricane Sandy but I guess the tablets are all shipped out and ready to go on sale.

Prices are now listed as:

• 16gb at £169
• 32gb at £199

Also available at PC World.

Have you ordered one? Let us know when it turns up, we’d love to hear from you!

For more information on the new Google Nexus devices

Related posts:

1. Nexus 7 32gb Model Expected
2. Pre-Order the 32gb Nexus 7
3. Existence of 3G N7 Confirmed

Source : nxtab[dot]co[dot]uk

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