Escape Villas Offers Family Vacation Rentals for the Holidays

Trade the cold winter weather in North America for a tropical Christmas vacation in Costa Rica, where travelers can spend their holidays enjoying outdoor family adventures in the comfort of an Escape Villa family vacation rental.

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
As the holiday season approaches, more Americans are planning to travel for Christmas compared to 2011, according to a report by HomeAway, Inc. – an online vacation rental marketplace. The number of families traveling in December is expected to nearly double, rising from 22 percent in 2011 to 40 percent this year.
And while everyone looks forward to a “White Christmas,” some families are trading in blankets of fresh snow for the pristine white sands of a tropical beach. Costa Rica has long been a sun-kissed haven for vacationers seeking outdoor thrills and wildlife encounters, and its balmy weather is a welcome respite during the blustery winter season.
Escape Villas, Costa Rica’s leading vacation rental company, sees a ten-fold increase in reservations during the holiday season, with the majority of bookings made by large family groups. “One of the terrific features about vacation rentals is that extended families can stay together with all the creature comforts of home – but with a lot more space and privacy. They have their own swimming pool, kitchen, laundry facilities and an array of other amenities at no extra charge," says Escape Villas spokesperson, Sara Hopkins
With an impressive portfolio of villas and vacation rentals in some of Costa Rica’s most family-friendly locales, including Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo and Flamingo, Escape Villas caters to those seeking plenty of warm sunshine with easy access to national parks, beaches, nature tours and vibrant nightlife. According to Ms. Hopkins, most guests book their holiday beach vacation rentals at least six months in advance, sometimes even earlier.
On why families choose Escape Villas for their holiday plans, Sara Hopkins explains, “A Christmas vacation in Costa Rica takes the stress out of the holidays, as families can enjoy each other’s company in one of the most spectacular places in the world. The kids never forget the year Santa visited their beachfront home, where every day promised a new and exciting adventure.” Another built-in benefit to their vacation rentals: private chef services. No more slaving in the kitchen, as families can relax and spend time together while someone else prepares a home-cooked holiday feast.
When considering a holiday rental, timing is everything. Costa Rica has two tourism periods: a high season that lasts from December-April and corresponds with the country’s dry weather. And a low season, which runs from May-October, during Costa Rica’s rainy months. December and January are known for their fabulous climate, with cool breezes and average temperatures hovering around 82 F.
While prices may be steeper during this peak time, travelers are willing to shell out extra funds to reap the season’s many rewards, according to Escape Villas’ reservations manager. Recent statistics from a HomeAway, Inc. poll reveal that 31 percent of travelers are booking a vacation rental this December, and 21 percent say they’d pay more for more spacious accommodations, especially those that included a pool or spa tub, kitchen and laundry facilities.
Costa Rica has been a treasured vacation destination for many tourists during the festive holiday months. With its temperate climate, proximity to North America, and wealth of adventure activities, the perks of Christmas in paradise are many. And with more airlines offering direct flights into San Jose and Liberia, travelers have new budget-conscious options for booking their vacation. This past October, Canadian carrier WestJet announced non-stop seasonal service from Toronto to Guanacaste’s Liberia terminal. Other low-cost airlines including Spirit, JetBlue and Frontier also provide direct flights from major U.S. cities like New York, Denver and Orlando.

Read More..

Shiny Reputation Highlights Airbnb for their Focus on Local Neighborhood Information

Shiny Reputation proclaims their opinion on the recent launch of Airbnb’s Neighborhoods program, in which they are looking to narrow the focus of their site to concentrate on services in local neighborhoods where rental properties are located.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
Shiny Reputation has issued an announcement about the launch of the Airbnb Neighborhood program, which seeks to give users of its online holiday lodging rental marketplace more information about the areas in which the lodging is located.
The editor of ShinyReputation.com stated, “Local businesses will benefit greatly from the launch of neighborhood ratings by Airbnb, in which local neighborhoods are rated based on transportation, services, quality of local restaurants and more. This will create an all in one service for renters. The service, which is in its trial stage in San Francisco, will lessen Airbnb’s members need to use services such as Yelp. We still see Yelp going strong and always tell businesses that improving your reputation online is key to developing the business relationship with patrons. The neighborhoods service is another resource.”
Airbnb is an online marketplace in which people can offer their homes, apartments, and other types of lodging for rent directly to travelers, bypassing hotels and apartment-finding services. Airbnb was founded in San Francisco in 2008, and has since grown to host more than 200,000 unique listings in 26,000 cities in 192 countries across the globe. On Airbnb, individuals can search for lodgings available in a certain city for a certain timeframe, and then choose from the listings on offer by private renters in that location. Payment is done through the website itself, while all interactions between renters and lodgers are done on a personal basis. The Neighborhoods program is an attempt to give travelers more information about specific local areas of cities they travel to and choose lodgings in the area of their choosing. Currently the program is for information purposes only, and is not yet a channel for marketing online. “That being said the photos used to highlight the local businesses on the neighborhoods tool are amazing. Most travel savvy individuals will seek out those businesses’ websites. It is always recommended that server uptime monitoring receive some attention as we are primarily connected via the internet.”
Airbnb has launched the Neighborhoods program in this city in which it is headquartered, San Francisco, California. San Francisco is the financial, cultural, and technological capital of the West Coast of the United States. With over 800,000 residents in the city itself and more than 7.5 million in the metropolitan San Francisco Bay Area, it is one of the largest and most important cities in the US. The San Francisco Bay Area is known for being the home of Silicon Valley, and the center of technological innovation in the US. Some of the tech companies with headquarters in the area include Apple Computers, Adobe, HP, Google, and Intel.
The launch of Airbnb’s local Neighborhood program will give local businesses further exposure within this large community of travelers, and possibly increase business. Additionally, it will position Airbnb as a rival to Yelp when looking at local businesses and determining where to stay, and what to do. It has yet to be determined if the program will be successful, but local businesses should be entranced by the thought of become visible to a new pool of potential customers.

Read More..

KSL Cars Adds Contact At Once! Live Chat in Ads

Utah Dealerships Can Integrate Chat to Connect with Potential Buyers

Atlanta (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
Contact At Once!, the leading live chat provider connecting online and mobile car shoppers to auto dealers, today announced that it has been selected by KSL Cars, Utah’s leading online marketplace, as its exclusive provider of live chat for automotive advertising. KSL Cars will bundle Contact At Once! in its auto dealer packages.
Contact At Once! live chat is used by over 10,000 automobile dealerships and the world’s busiest online automotive shopping sites. Dealers who use Contact At Once! say they typically experience a 25% increase in the number of connections with website visitors.
“Contact At Once! was the first to put live chat in online automotive classifieds and they have unique features that make the software especially well-suited for connecting thousands of shoppers with dealers through chat in ads,” says Eric Bright, KSL’s Vice-President of E-Commerce.
“More and more shoppers prefer text and chat to old-fashioned lead forms and they like the instant access, as well as the convenience,” says Lloyd Hecht, Contact At Once! Director, Business Development. Advertising with mobile and desktop text and chat options can draw more attention and appeal to shoppers who might be reluctant to call or email.”
KSL Cars is the leading provider of auto classifieds in Utah, serving more than 45,000 car shoppers per month. Another factor in choosing Contact At Once! was ease of use and implementation, says Bright. “Our advertisers can be chatting with potential car buyers in a matter of minutes.”
About Contact At Once!

Contact At Once! pioneered the use of website chat in automotive advertising, enabling instant connections between online shoppers and dealerships through search websites, dealership websites, social media and mobile sites. More than 10,000 customers rely on Contact At Once! chat to drive incremental sales opportunities and increase return on advertising investments. For more information, visit http://www.autodealerchat.com.
About KSL

KSL.com is owned and operated by Deseret Digital Media (DDM), and powers the largest online marketplace in Utah - including auto, real estate, deals and local search verticals. In total, Deseret Digital Media properties attract more than 5.5 million unique visitors and serve nearly 300 million page views per month. The DDM network of web sites includes KSL.com, Deseretnews.com, DeseretBook.com, MormonTimes.com, LDSChurchNews.com, FM100.com, OK.com and 1035TheArrow.com. Deseret Digital Media's two-part vision is to become the largest and most compelling regional commerce marketplace in the United States and to also become a world-leading, values-based digital content marketplace. Deseret Digital Media is a part of Deseret Media Companies.

Read More..

BedEd.org Launches Blog for Mattress Reviews, Education, Consumer Tips & More

New blog, BedEd.org announces launch; to promote consumer awareness via buying guides, shopping tips, product reviews, and information related to mattresses and sleep.

Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
BedEd.org launches mattress education blog designed to offer consumer resources including reviews, buying guides, shopping tips, and more.
Shopping for a new bed can seem like a daunting task with so many brands, models, and types in the marketplace. How can consumers figure out the best bed for their needs? BedEd.org seeks to help shoppers make the research process a little smoother with informational support regarding mattresses, brands and innovations.
Using an easy to navigate blog format, the website will provide first hand research as well as write ups and summaries of third party reviews and research. As an information aggregate, the blog will contain information on the spectrum of companies and offerings available, making research simpler and more efficient for shoppers.
Planned topics are to include mattress buying guides, pros and cons of specific mattress types and brands, product reviews, and sleep hygiene tips. They will also run series detailing the best mattress types based on specific needs in response to common concerns and reader questions. The blog also hopes to serve as a social tool via commentary on personal experience and recommendations.
The blog’s initial post takes an informational stance on mattress material composition and effects on health. Titled “What’s in Your Bed? Choosing the Best Mattress for Your Health” the post outlines how flame retardants, volatile organic compounds, and allergens impact sleepers. Using these criteria, it is explained why natural latex and memory foam offer superior alternatives for individuals concerned about mattress health.
Upcoming posts will include tips for combating allergies in the bedroom, detailed information on mattress types, and how to pick the best beds for back pain and fibromyalgia. BedEd.org offers newsletter options and a Twitter feed for interested readers to receive updates on recent posts and industry news.

Read More..

Five Star Service Award for SIPP Providers Dentons Pensions

Dentons Pensions are the only Bespoke SIPP Providers to be Awarded 5 Stars at Financial Adviser Service Awards – the benchmark for service levels in the retail financial marketplace.

Godalming Surrey (PRWEB UK) 20 December 2012
Hosted by comedian Stephen K Amos, The Financial Adviser Service Awards were held on 22 November 2012 at The Natural History Museum. Dentons Pensions were the only bespoke SIPP Provider to win the 5 Star ‘excellent service’ Award, which is voted for by advisers.
The Financial Adviser Service Awards identify the importance of the highest possible quality services from all financial product providers to their IFA clients. They are well known to be the absolute benchmark for premium service levels across the retail finance marketplace.
“Dentons has always been focused on delivering exceptional service and flexibility – reacting to changes in the marketplace and making it easier for advisers to do business. It’s why we are delighted to have been awarded 5 stars at the Financial Adviser Service Awards 2012,” said David Fox, Director of Sales & Marketing.
These are not the first awards that Dentons has won. Having already received the Investor In Customers (IIC) ‘outstanding’ award, Dentons’ SIPP earlier this year was given a 5 star rating by Defaqto, a leading UK independent financial research company. The rating shows the level of benefits provided, allowing adviser’s clients to base decisions on features, not just on price. With this level of service and understanding, clients can be confident they will enjoy a comprehensive range of features, options and benefits.
These awards underline Dentons’ commitment to advisers and their clients whose ethos has always been one of delivering service and flexibility to clients without putting unnecessary barriers in the way. With the SIPP marketplace becoming increasingly crowded in recent years the continued delivery of a market leading service proposition has become crucial. As one of the few areas where a firm can really stand out from the competition, one can see that service remains a key focus for Dentons.
So the root of this success? The average pension consultant at Dentons has been there for over 20 years and each one is skilled at dealing with a range of investments from simple to complex transactions, including property purchase. Working with all appointed professionals to ensure everything runs smoothly and allowing clients to use their own contacts and to manage their own properties (if required) is part of the key to Dentons’ success. It currently manages in excess of 700 properties.
Dentons has made a huge investment in their SIPP and SSAS propositions, supported by an interactive website and secure adviser portal, giving advisers instant access to their client information 24 hours a day. The sales, technical and marketing functions have been strengthened and a new technical advisory service for advisers has been launched.
Overall, Dentons ethos has always been one of delivering service and flexibility to its clients without putting unnecessary barriers in the way. In such a competitive marketplace, introducers and clients want more than just competitively priced products. Dentons listens to client needs and this award endorses their ongoing commitment to deliver.

Read More..

US designates Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra front a 'terrorist' group at lightning speed

The US State Department designated the Jabhat al-Nusra militia fighting Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria a foreign terrorist organization Monday. The speed with which the US government moved to designate a fairly new group that has never attacked US interests and is engaged in fighting a regime that successive administrations have demonized is evidence of the strange bedfellows and overlapping agendas that make the Syrian civil war so explosive. The State Department says Jabhat al-Nusra (or the "Nusra Front") is essentially a wing of Al Qaeda in Iraq, the jihadi group that flourished in Anbar Province after the US invaded to topple the Baathist regime of secular dictator Saddam Hussein. During the Iraq war, Sunni Arab tribesmen living along the Euphrates in eastern Syria flocked to fight with the friends and relatives in the towns along the Euphrates river in Anbar Province. Think you know the Middle East? Take our geography quiz! The terrain, both actual and human, is similar on both sides of that border, and the rat lines that kept foreign fighters and money flowing into Iraq from Syria work just as well in reverse. Now, the jihadis who fought and largely lost against the Shiite political ascendancy in Iraq are flocking to eastern Syria to repay a debt of gratitude in a battle that looks more likely to succeed every day. The Nusra Front has gone from victory to victory in eastern Syria and has shown signs of both significant funding and greater military prowess than the average citizens' militia, with veterans of fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya among its numbers. The US of course aided the fight in Libya to bring down Muammar Qaddafi. In Afghanistan and Iraq, the chance to fight and kill Americans was the major drawing card. In Iraq, the US toppled a Baathist dictatorship dominated by Sunni Arabs, opening the door for the political dominance of Iraq's Shiite Arab majority and the fury of the country's Sunni jihadis. In Syria, a Baathist regime dominated by the tiny Alawite sect (a long-ago offshoot of Shiite Islam) risks being brought down by the Sunni majority. Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is in the odd position of now rooting for a Baathist regime to survive, frightened that a religiously inspired Sunni regime may replace Assad and potentially destabilize parts of his country from Haditha in Anbar's far west to the northern city of Mosul. For the US, the situation is more complicated still. The Obama administration appears eager for Assad to fall, but is also afraid of what might replace him, not least because of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile. If the regime collapses, the aftermath is sure to be chaotic, much as it was in Libya, where arms stores were looted throughout the country. The presence of VX and sarin nerve gas, and the fear of Al Qaeda aligned militants getting their hands on it, has the US considering sending in troops to secure the weapons. That's the context in which today's designation was made – part of an overall effort to shape the Syrian opposition to US liking, and hopefully have influence in the political outcome if and when Assad's regime collapses. But while the US has been trying to find a government or leadership in waiting among Syrian exiles, Nusra has been going from strength to strength. Aaron Zelin, who tracks jihadi groups at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, notes in a recent piece for Foreign Policy that 20 out of the 48 "martyrdom" notices posted on Al Qaeda forums for the Syria war were made by people claiming to be members of Nusra. Zelin writes that it's highly unusual for the US to designate as a terrorist group anyone who hasn't attempted an attack on the US. In fact, the US only designated the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan, which had been involved in attacks on US troops there for over a decade, this September. His guess as to why the US took such an unusual step? The U.S. administration, in designating Jabhat al-Nusra, is likely to argue that the group is an outgrowth of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI). While there is not much open-source evidence of this, classified material may offer proof -- and there is certainly circumstantial evidence that Jabhat al-Nusra operates as a branch of the ISI. Getting Syria's rebels to disavow Jabhat al-Nusra may not be an easy task, however. As in Iraq, jihadists have been some of the most effective and audacious fighters against the Assad regime, garnering respect from other rebel groups in the process. Jabhat al-Nusra seems to have learned from the mistakes of al Qaeda in Iraq: It has not attacked civilians randomly, nor has it shown wanton disregard for human life by publicizing videos showing the beheading of its enemies. Even if its views are extreme, it is getting the benefit of the doubt from other insurgents due to its prowess on the battlefield. Will it hurt the group's support inside Syria? It's hard to see how. The US hasn't formally explained its logic yet, but it's hard to see how that will matter either. The rebellion against Assad has raged for almost two years now and the country's fighters are eager for victory, and revenge. The US has done little to militarily assist the rebellion, and fighters have been happy to take support where they can get it. Most of the money or weapons flowing into the country for rebels has come from Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and Qatar and some of that support, of course, has ended up in the hands of Islamist militias like Nusra.

Read More..

Campaña en Facebook contra diputado costarricense gana premio internacional

San José, 11 dic (EFE).- Una campaña en la red social Facebook en contra de la designación del diputado cristiano Justo Orozco como presidente de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos del Congreso en Costa Rica, por sus posiciones en contra de la homosexualidad, ganó el premio Access Innovation Prize 2012. La agencia costarricense de publicidad en línea BigWebNoise, creadora de la campaña, en la que participaron miles de personas pidiendo la salida de Orozco de la Comisión, informó hoy sobre el galardón y que a partir de ahora trabajará con Access y Facebook en desarrollo de la herramienta a nivel global. La campaña "Fuera Justo Orozco" fue la ganadora de entre más de 300 postulantes de 66 países. La "manifestación virtual" FueraJustoOrozco.com inició en junio anterior tras el nombramiento de Orozco como presidente de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la Asamblea Legislativa de Costa Rica. Con el lema "si no bastó con la firma, pongamos la cara", la campaña invitó a los ciudadanos a "dar la cara", es decir a colocar su fotografía de perfil de Facebook en un espacio virtual para expresar su descontento por el nombramiento del diputado, que ha generando gran rechazo por sus posiciones abiertamente homofóbicas. La aplicación alcanzó las primeras 5.000 caras en solo 48 horas y y sumó 14.000 usuarios en los primeros 10 días en línea. También produjo un enorme eco en medios de comunicación locales e internacionales, y una masiva difusión viral en redes sociales. Esta es la primera vez que una acción costarricense de incidencia civil en línea es reconocida a nivel internacional. El Access Innovation Prize, entregado el lunes en Nueva York, premia "las mejores ideas y acciones que usen las nuevas tecnologías de información para promover los derechos humanos", de acuerdo con un comunicado de la organización. "En un país conocido por el respeto a los Derechos Humanos, esta iniciativa movilizó a los ciudadanos para dar la cara contra quien los amenaza", dijo al entregar el premio el gerente de Políticas Públicas de Facebook, Mathew Perault. Para el director de Estrategia Online de BigWebNoise, Cristian Cambronero, "la frontera entre el mundo desconectado y el conectado cada día es más difusa. Internet ha probado ser una potente herramienta para la participación y la incidencia de los ciudadanos. Es una extensión del espacio público". El jurado para este premio estuvo integrado por expertos en comunicación, innovación, derecho y emprendimiento como el consejero general de Twitter, Alex MacGillivray; el exCEO de Mozilla John Lilly y el vicepresidente de Comunicación y Políticas Públicas de Facebook, Elliot Schrage. El premio otorga un reconocimiento económico de 20.000 dólares para garantizar la sostenibilidad del proyecto galardonado, pero además, los costarricenses trabajarán ahora junto a Access y Facebook en una segunda etapa que consiste en convertir la aplicación usada en FueraJustoOrozco.com en una herramienta "open-source" que pueda ser utilizada para causas sociales y de defensa de los Derechos Humanos en cualquier lugar del mundo. EFE

Read More..

Samsung Galaxy Muse is like an iPod Shuffle that Syncs with Your Phone

In perhaps the most awkwardly titled tech press release ever, Samsung Mobile announced the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy Muse, a device which appears to have nothing to do with "CORRECTING and REPLACING and ADDING MULTIMEDIA" but everything to do with being a music player crossed with a smartphone accessory. ​Say goodbye to iTunes? While most handheld music players (and smartphone or tablets with music apps) sync with a PC or Mac music app, like iTunes or Banshee, the Samsung Galaxy Muse syncs with your Android phone itself. It uses the Muse Sync app, which Google Play says will install on devices like the Nexus 7 tablet but which Samsung says will only work with the Galaxy S II, Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note II smartphones. ​Plug it in, turn it on The pebble-shaped Muse connects to your Samsung phone via its headset jack. It doesn't have a screen, so you have to control it iPod Shuffle style, and use the Muse Sync app to see how much of its 4 GB of space are free and decide which playlists to sync. Since it only has those 4 GB, it can only hold a fraction of the music that can be put on the much more powerful smartphones. ​Who is Samsung selling the Galaxy Muse to? Samsung says "users can sync the songs they want and leave their phone behind," the usefulness of which may depend on whether or not you feel limited by having to bring your smartphone with you. The press release mentions its "wearable design and small form factor," and suggests taking it "in place of [your] smartphone ... at the gym or on the go." ​What other gadgets are like the Galaxy Muse? The most obvious comparison is to the iPod Shuffle, Apple's similarly tiny and screen-less portable music player. At $49, it costs the same as the Galaxy Muse (although a Droid-Life tipster found a $25 off coupon code for the Muse), but comes in seven different colors and has an embossed click-wheel controller instead of a flat and featureless surface. It requires you to use iTunes on a desktop PC or Mac, though. ​On the upside The Galaxy Muse's six hours of battery life may not be suitable for all-day listening, but may at least take the pressure off of a battery-hungry smartphone (so long as it's one of Samsung's flagship models). And as PCMag's Chloe Albanesius notes, "it's not very convenient to strap a 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II to your arm when you hit the gym." Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

Read More..

Facebook, Google tell the government to stop granting patents for abstract ideas

Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG) and six other tech companies have petitioned the courts to begin rejecting lawsuits that are based on patents for vague concepts rather than specific applications, TechCrunch reported. The agreement, which was cosigned by Zynga (ZNGA), Dell (DELL), Intuit (INTU), Homeaway (AWAY), Rackspace (RAX), and Red Hat (RHT), notes the only thing these abstract patents do is increase legal fees and slow innovation in the industry. The companies claim that “abstract patents are a plague in the high tech sector” and force innovators into litigation that results in huge settlements or steep licensing fees for technology they have already developed on their own, which then leads to higher prices for consumers. “Many computer-related patent claims just describe an abstract idea at a high level of generality and say to perform it on a computer or over the Internet,” the briefing reads. “Such barebones claims grant exclusive rights over the abstract idea itself, with no limit on how the idea is implemented. Granting patent protection for such claims would impair, not promote, innovation by conferring exclusive rights on those who have not meaningfully innovated, and thereby penalizing those that do later innovate by blocking or taxing their applications of the abstract idea.” The companies conclude, “It is easy to think of abstract ideas about what a computer or website should do, but the difficult, valuable, and often groundbreaking part of online innovation comes next: designing, analyzing, building, and deploying the interface, software, and hardware to implement that idea in a way that is useful in daily life. Simply put, ideas are much easier to come by than working implementations.”

Read More..

Verizon Offering $5 Shared 4G Plan for Samsung Galaxy Camera

Imagine the powerful Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, except that it can't make phone calls and its backplate has been replaced by a digital camera -- handgrip, zoom lens, and all. That's basically the Samsung Galaxy Camera in a nutshell, and whether it's a small, awkwardly-shaped Android tablet or a digital camera that you can play Modern Combat 3 on depends on how you look at it. When the Galaxy Camera launched last month, it was only available in white, and cost $499 on AT&T's network with a month-to-month data plan. But on Dec. 13, it launches on Verizon's network, in both white and black. The Verizon Galaxy Camera costs $50 more up front, but in return it has 4G LTE instead of HSPA+, and Verizon is offering a "promotional price" for the monthly charge: Only $5 to add it to a Share Everything plan, instead of the usual $10 tablet rate. A 4G digital camera While it's capable of functioning as an Android tablet (or game machine), the biggest reason for the Samsung Galaxy Camera's 4G wireless Internet is so it can automatically upload photos it takes. Apps such as Dropbox, Photobucket, and Ubuntu One offer a limited amount of online storage space for free, where the Galaxy Camera can save photos without anyone needing to tell it to. Those photos can then be accessed at home, or on a tablet or laptop. Most smartphones are able to do this already, but few (with the possible exception of the Windows Phone powered Nokia Lumia 920) are able to take photos as high-quality as the Galaxy Camera's. Not as good of a deal as it sounds Dropbox is offering two years' worth of 50 GB of free online storage space for photos and videos, to anyone who buys a Samsung Galaxy Camera from AT&T or Verizon. (The regular free plan is only 2 GB.) The problem is, you may need that much space. The photos taken by the Galaxy Camera's 16 megapixel sensor take up a lot more space, at maximum resolution, than ordinary smartphone snapshots do. Those camera uploads can eat through a shared data plan, and with Verizon charging a $15 per GB overage fee (plus the $50 extra up-front on top of what AT&T charges) it may make up for the cheaper monthly cost. On top of that, the Galaxy Camera's photos are basically on par with a $199 digital camera's -- you pay a large premium to combine that kind of point-and-shoot with the hardware equivalent of a high-end smartphone. It does run Android, though, right? The Galaxy Camera uses Samsung's custom software for its camera app, and lacks a normal phone dialer app. Beyond that, though, it runs the same Android operating system found on smartphones, and can run all the same games and apps. Some apps don't work the same on the Galaxy Camera as they do on a smartphone, however. Apps which only run in portrait mode, for instance, require you to hold the camera sideways to use them (especially unpleasant when they're camera apps). And while it can make voice and even video calls over Skype, it lacks a rear-facing camera or the kind of speaker you hold up close to your ear. So you may end up making speakerphone calls and filming the palm of your hand.

Read More..