Tweet, Blog, or Link and you just might win a gadget.
I’ve been running some ad campaigns for Dream Player. However, I think I’ll try a different approach over the next few weeks. Rather than advertise on Facebook and Google, maybe someone would like a free Android device. Why not? Nothing ventured nothing gained.
I’m going to give away an Archos 28 Internet tablet. Keep reading to find how why I might just give it to you.
The Archos 28 Internet tablet is an WiFi connected handheld tablet. It isn’t meant to be an iPad or a Galaxy Tab.
Although Archos markets this as a Tablet, it’s really just a PMP.
It’s a small 9mm thick Android based device with a 2.8 inch screen. You can listen to music, surf the web, or install Applications from the Archos application store. It also has a feature to stream media directly from your PC.
I’m going to pick someone totally at Random. I’m not going to gather information on anyone and sell it, nor am I going to send out spam. It’s an experiment – If this works, this is how I’ll do future marketing. Frankly – I’d rather give stuff away to people than pay for ads. It’s more fun and it seems like it’ll take up less of my time.
Good luck. I hope this works better than paying for ads! Read the rules – it’s a two step process. It’s the best I could come with. I’m not a lawyer.
Here’s how to play – First, do one or more of the following
1) Tweet the following:
inzi.com Dream Player for Android http://goo.gl/T5KXb – I want the free inzi gadget http://goo.gl/1dsNa. #inzigadget
2) Post to the inzi.com Facebook wall:
This is the inzi.com Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/inzicom/158853210836513
inzi.com Dream Player for Android http://goo.gl/T5KXb – I want the free inzi gadget. http://inzi.com
3) Post something, anything, on your blog about Dream Player. It doesn’t have be a review, it doesn’t have to be positive. It just needs to meet these conditions:
Link to http://goo.gl/T5KXb
Link to http://inzi.com.
Have the phrases “Dream Player for Android” and “I want the free inzi gadget.” in the post.
Then you must do the following:
I need to be able to get in touch with you so….
An email must be sent to gadget@inzi.com before 1:00 AM CST May 25, 2011. The email rely-to address must be valid. If you want, you can put your location in the email. “Dallas, TX”, “Antarctica”, or “Seattle, Wa”. Make sure you send it from an email account you check regularly, or add a reminder to check that mailbox on May 25th.
Include a link to the blog, tweet, or your Facebook name & time/date you wrote on the wall
Emails with attachments are automatically deleted.
Emails with a different subject are automatically deleted.
When?
On May 25th, 2011 between Noon and 3PM CST – I’ll take all the email addresses and put them in an spreadsheet in no particular order. Then I’ll go to Random.org and generate a random number to pick a row. I’ll email the lucky person and I’ll put up a blog post linking to the tweet or blog post. If it’s on the Facebook wall I will message you there.
Some rules.
I feel like I have to say these. There are evil people in the world.
- First, you must be 18 years old or older. Sorry Kids, maybe next time. If you aren’t 18, don’t enter. Get your parents to enter on your behalf. It’ll be easier.
- Not everyone will win. Only one person, chosen by me, according to my arbitrary rules. It won’t be a family member or someone associated with inzi.com. But I get to choose the winner by whatever means I determine. However stupid, silly, incorrect, or ignorant they may appear to you.
- Only one entry per person
- If your email is deleted, your entry is null and void. I reserve the right to void any entry for any reason whatsoever.
- I reserve the right to change the rules, conditions, etc. at any time.
- I reserve the right to exclude anyone for any reason.
- I reserve the rights to change the rules at any time for any reason.
- You must live in the United States. (Sorry, I wouldn’t have a clue on how to do this internationally). I’ll only ship the tablet to a US address.
- If you win, I get to post your name and some information about you on inzi.com and on the facebook wall page. I won’t share your information – but I would like to be able to say “we gave Jane Doe from Jupiter’s 3rd moon a tablet!”
- If you win, I’ll email you by replying to your email to gadget@inzi.com. You *must* respond to me within 24 hours to confirm you are a real person. So make sure you check your mail and your spam quarantine on May 25th. If you do NOT respond I’ll select someone else. Auto-responders don’t count. Once we’ve established you won and you’re human – you tell me where to ship it and I’ll send it out and send you the tracking number.
- If something is wrong with it, talk to Archos. Not me. I write apps, not fix devices.
- I’ll put up a blog post that day detailing the goings on and a special word or phrase for the subject line so the email will be easy to find. That way, you can whitelist the word or phrase or easily search your email for it.
- By emailing me, you agree to receive emails from me. You agree to release me from any liability. You agree that you are over 18. You agree that you won’t sue me for any reason related to this. If anything about this is illegal in your state, then you can’t play and your entry will be deleted.
2Ghz-4Ghz Smartphones & Unlocked boot loaders.
Samsung is reportedly working on a 2Ghz smartphone for 2012. The first 1Ghz smartphone was unveiled in 2009. The LG eXpo broke through was a Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro phone. It also supported the pico projector.
We’ve come quite a long way since then, but most phones are still running along at 1Ghz. Battery life has greatly increases, however. Perhaps, with a 2Ghz smartphone, the performance bar will rise but the battery life bar will drop and the cycle will repeat itself. The higher the frequency of the CPU within the consumer electronics device, the greater power demands. More power usage increases heat which can reduce the efficiency of the electronics. It’s a vicious cycle.
However, 2Ghz puts the performance of the handheld device on par with some entry level laptops and PCs. Consider that such a device will have a multi-core CPU, and phone / laptop combinations like the Motorola Altrix will become more common. Depending on what type of content creation a user is doing, such a device may be perfectly acceptable as an everyday computing device.
PC Magazine is already talking about 4Ghz smartphones. When you step back and consider this amount of computing power in your pocket, it can be staggering.
Consider the power requirement implications as well. With Microsoft rumored to be porting Windows 8 to run on the ARM CPU, could we be on the cusp of a green revolution in the desktop market? Will corporate PCs move from inefficient, heat generating internal power supplies to small external bricks?
Samsung is reportedly going to ship their phones with unlocked bootloaders as well. Reports indicate that they’ll do this as long as Google will allow them to do so. This has huge implications for Samsung and their position within the Android ecosphere.
The bootloader is the little bit of code that device runs when you power it on. Much like the name implies, this is what the phone runs when it “boots”. To run custom ROMS and basically use the device to run any code you want, you might need to run your own software when the device powers on. Some manufacturers are working to prevent this (like Motorola).
Samsung could become the darling of the smartphone tinkerers, and there are a lot of them out here.
Amazon preparing to enter the tablet market
First, I’d like to apologize for how long its been since my last post. I came down with a pretty nasty sinus cold that kept me down for about a week. I’ve been playing catch up ever since.
Rumors are flying that Amazon may be getting ready to get into the tablet pool. Not content to wade into the shallow end, it looks like Amazon may be going right for the high-dive. And I love it.
BGR received a tip that Amazon is prepping a dual core and a quad core tablet for 2011. Reportedly, Amazon’s two devices are code named Coyote and Hollywood.
The Coyote device is suspected to have the NVidia Tegra 2 at it’s core and will be the “entry” level Amazon tablet.
The Hollywood, however, may have the NVIdia T30 “Kal-El” which is a quad core processor and provides a 500% increase in performance over the Tegra 2.
We’re not playing around here kids. That is some serious power in the form of a tablet. With that kind of CPU power, these tablets would be capable of performing the most rigorous computing tasks.
Web based services like Google Docs would perform more than adequately on such a device.
However, I suspect all this CPU power will have another purpose. I believe that Amazon has Netflix and Apple squarely in their crosshairs. With a quad core CPU, the larger tablet could be an incredible multi-media powerhouse.
Amazon recently opened their own Android market, and by launching their own tablets, they would clearly draw a line in the digital sand. Amazon has a streaming movie service and they’re digital downloads include music unencumbered with draconian DRM.
In my opinion, Amazon is marking their territory. Additionally, they may be establishing a digital ecosystem that could rival Apple’s.
The Amazon ecosystem based on Android will have:
- Digital Content (Movies, Music, Books, More)
- Consumer Goods (Furniture, Clothing, Electronics, More)
- Private App Market (A Private app market under their quality control)
- HUGE brand recognition (Amazon is a household name and a trusted online retailer)
- Broad support because they exist *on* an open platform
Considering Android marketplace is about to surpass Apple’s in terms of available applications and Android is now the largest smartphone platform in the world, will Apple’s strictly defined experience be enough?