Apps Archives - Breakpoint Book

Excerpt from LinkedIn:

Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the long-anticipated iPhone 5S, and also a second product, the iPhone 5C, with a suggested retail price starting at $99. While Cook later argued that the 5C was not intended to be an entry-level device, it is clear that the less expensive device—Wal-Mart is currently selling it for $49—could enable less affluent customers to join the Apple family.

Basic economics strongly support this reasoning: demand for a product or service goes up as the price goes down. Keep prices low; encourage high demand. But oftentimes, lower prices have a paradoxical effect. In fact, lower cost is often equated with cheap, and nothing could be worse for Apple than having that association. It is one of the reasons that Steve Jobs always priced his products higher than others, even at the risk of losing market share.

The alternative to reducing prices is to eliminate them entirely. For many products and services, it’s not acceptable for the price to be low: it must be free. Apple may have been better served by giving the iPhone 5c away for free.

Read the whole article on LinkedIn, where it originally appeared.

(Photo Credit: wicker_man, Flickr)

Hey, kids: Now there’s a new kit that lets you control a cockroach’s brain

Trying to teach kids about neuroscience and neurotechnology? What better way to engage a class then by taking over a cockroach’s brain! The RoboRoach allows a class to perform brain surgery on a cockroach and after the brief surgery, they can control its every move through bluetooth on a smartphone. Definitely a thrilling, new way to excite students about science.

For $100 — and a little bit of surgery — the RoboRoach can control a cockroach’s brain patterns to make it move via smartphone app. It’s aimed at helping kids understand neuroscience and neurotechnology in a more hands-on way.

‘Tawny crazy ants’ invade Fla. by millions

We all know how irritating ants can be, but nothing tops the infuriation of technology killing, livestock attacking ants. Now spread in over 20 counties in Florida and extending into Texas, millions of “Twany Crazy Ants” are slowly, but surely spreading around the States.

Insects called “Tawny Crazy Ants” have invaded 20 Florida counties by the millions.
Researchers said these ants can reach densities 100 times greater than all other ants in the area combined.

Wow, A Lot Of Stuff Just Happened In SEO

SEO news skyrocketed in the past week. Between Apple, Google, Yelp, and Facebook all incorporating new products and features, companies are demonstrating how fast search engines are growing. Take a further look to see exactly what happened in the past week with SEO…

It’s been a pretty big week for search and SEO news. There have been a lot of announcements, not only from Google, but from Google competitors. Let’s recap, and discuss in the comments. Which of the latest announcements do you

Wearable technology: This time it’s a $2,000 helmet

Wouldn’t it be handy for a motorcyclist with no sense of direction to safely navigate while riding? Well LiveMap, a Russian startup, created a helmet that will do just that. Using augmented-reality LiveMap devised a way for cyclists to navigate with ease through their very own helmet.

Russian startup LiveMap is working on a state-of-art motorbike helmet with a built-in navigation system that can take voice commands.

Google Fiber Helped a Sick Boy Throw a Baseball Pitch with Robots

Nick LeGrande is a 14 year old who loves baseball. But unlike most 14 year olds he suffers from a life-threatening blood disease called Aplastic Anemia, which makes it impossible for him to go to his favorite sports games. After Nick was diagnosed, Google Fiber went to Kansas City looking for ways high speed internet could impact peoples lives. They connected with Nick and found a way for him to participate in a baseball game 1,800 miles away. Check out how Google Fiber helped Nick LeGrande throw out the first ever telerobotic pitch at the Oakland A’s v New York Yankee’s game all the way from Kansas City.

When you combine Google Fiber, a robot and a boy 1,800 miles away from a baseball game, you already know it’s going to be a good story. Like most boys, Nick LeGrande wanted to play ball when he …

Mozilla launches Science Lab to help researchers transform scientific practice through the open Web

Mozilla draws attention to the fact that scientists created the web. They also draw attention to the fact that science researchers have yet to fully use the web in order benefit the science community and furthermore, society. Mozilla’s Science Lab hopes to bring scientists together by starting a dialogue about ongoing projects that may better society. Check out what Mozilla’s hopes are for this project and their plan to make this website a successful one.

Mozilla today announced the Mozilla Science Lab, a new initiative to help researchers around the world use the open Web to shape science’s future, taking it out of the analog… Keep reading

Restaurant Industry Embraces Apps and Mobile Technology to Enhance Customer Service and Operational Efficiency

With the Age of Apps upon us, it’s not surprising that companies have begun creating apps to simplify the functionality of restaurants. Restaurants now have the option to download apps that help with seating, management, serving, and more. This innovation will most definitely serve as a victory for both the restaurant and the customer.

Restaurants Using Apps, Like the New Suite from HME Wireless, to Enhance Customer Service (PRWeb June 14, 2013)

Nuclear bomb tests reveal brain regeneration in humans

Nuclear bomb tests throughout the cold war prove beneficial to science. Scientists found that throughout adulthood a specific set of genes called dentate gyrus recreate themselves, staying forever youthful. Check out more about the idea of brain regeneration in News Scientist….

Carbon dating brain cells provides conclusive evidence that part of the adult human brain constantly renews itself – and that this neurogenesis persists in old age.

Google Glass Gets A Teardown, Revealing It Can Be Hacked To Prescription Glasses

The Google Glass has been broken down to see exactly how it pieces together, and may have some people wanting it more. See some of the key features of Google Glass and what it takes to make up this brand new product…

Google Glass isn’t in the hands of consumers yet, but a pair of intrepid Glass explorers didn’t let that stop them from taking the thing apart to see what makes it tick. This teardown is also …

Most Insurance Agencies Say Technology Helped Fiscal Growth: Survey

Insurance agencies are linking their use of technology to their bump in revenues. An astounding 92% of the medium sized firms grew in 2012. However are insurance companies also linking their successes to mobile technology or are they finding it to be a hinderance?

The majority of insurance agencies (77 percent) directly attribute their fiscal growth during 2012-2013 to the use of technology, according to a new industry survey. The survey, conducted by …

Are Apps Killing the World Wide Web? Jeff Stibel Gives His Take to The Wall Street Journal

Free iPhones Would Yield Rich Returns – by Jeff Stibel

Control a Cockroach’s Brain