Mobile Technology: iPhone 6 Plus Summarization on the iPhone 6 Plus Review Darrell Etherington, author for the Techcrunch article entitled iPhone 6 Plus Review: The First Truly Well-Designed Big Smartphone (2014) discusses the new layout and design of the recently released iPhone 6 Plus. One benefit to this device is the large screen size, but some people are viewing this as a drawback due to their inability to grasp such a device. The iPhone 6 Plus has a fast processor and is equipped with the standard iOS operating system, which is a part of the standard Apple products. A variety of storage options are available for this phone including options such as 16GB to 128GB hard-drive. This new phone moves Apple into the phablet category once dominated by Android and Windows devices. Adding to the appeal of the new iPhone 6 Plus is an upgraded camera and some applications that help the user feel more comfortable with the device. The author recommends this device as a combination technology element that is useful for many different aspects of life. This overall package leaves the new iPhone 6 Plus as one of the best phones coming onto the mobile market. Internet Articles on the Usability of Smartphone Devices Utilizing two well-known search engines, Ask and Google, many relevant articles about the iPhone 6 Plus were obtained. Using the search term iPhone 6 Plus Review, two similar articles were selected to analyze the usability of this specific device. Gareth Beavis, author and editor for techradar.com, completed a review of the newly released iPhone 6 Plus (2014). Beavis decided that the device, although a new addition to the phablet line-up of phones, falls short of the abilities of its android counterparts. The phone Sam Ayers Assignment 1: Information Literacy
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would be perfect for Apple users who are in need of a larger display, otherwise, the phones specifications are similar to previously introduced Apple devices. Critic Molly Wood of the New York Times, completed a recent review of the iPhone 6 Plus (2014). Wood feels that although there are some new features and a larger display, the new iPhone isnt anything to be running off to get. The previous Apple customers with older devices will be receiving the new software updates keeping their devices competitive with the new phone. Both Ask and Google have the option to use advanced search parameters ensuring that results yielded are narrowed towards the desired search term. Utilizing the search term iPhone 6 Plus Review yielded comparative result quantities for both search engines. Google is a preferred engine for my search due to frequency and comfort of use, compared to Ask which is rarely used due to my uncertainty of it as a question-answer based search tool. TRAAP The article titled Review and Video: With Big New iPhones, the iOS 8 Software Inside Shines was written on September 16, 2014. The article serves as a critique for the new device release, therefore does not require updates. With regards to the iPhone 6 Plus review, this article discusses the pros and cons of the device, which is relevant towards the search topic. Molly Wood, the author of this article, has worked for the New York Times for 15 years covering the technology industry as a commentator, critic, reporter, podcaster, and video host. Wood has a reputable background in the technology industry and therefore seems to be an adequate source for a critique on the subject matter. Due to this being a review of a manufactured device, the specifications are accurate and reported in trustworthy detail. The device itself has to undergo Sam Ayers Assignment 1: Information Literacy
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series of tests before being released, but the information presented by Wood is a personal critique which requires no further evaluation in order to be presented. The purpose for the article is to inform consumers about the Apple product. Due to this being a critique based article, personal bias must be accounted for due to the authors experiences with similar products. Journal Articles on Usability of Smartphone Devices The keywords mobile technology and iPhone AND design were utilized to search for scholarly journal articles about the iPhone 6 Plus device. The database used was the Business Source Premier. The database was chosen due to the ability to use limits such as full text, scholarly journal specifications, and publication date restrictions (2000 to 2014). When using the search term mobile technology and applying the limits as described above, 338 results were obtained and the article Understanding Personal Mobile Technologies: Decomposing and De-Averaging the Value of a Smartphone was selected. Arbore, Graziani, and Venturini (2014) completed a study to determine which value a consumer uses to choose a smartphone device. When using the search term iPhone AND design and applying the limits as described above, 31 results were obtained and the article Usability Ratings for Everyday Products Measured With the System Usability Scale was selected. Krotum and Bangor (2013) utilized a standardized scale in which consumers rated a product on its usability. Both articles add to the premise on how a product should be selected using a standardized approach. Internet and Journal Article Comparison Due to being a college student with ease of access of the CCBC Library, the availability of both internet and journal articles is easily comparable. The internet articles are more recent due to the recent release of the product onto the market, but both types of sources are published Sam Ayers Assignment 1: Information Literacy
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within the past two years. As discussed previously, both internet articles are authored by critics/editors of an organization. The authors of the journal articles have more credibility due to their studies being published in well-known journals. The journal articles utilized quantitative data to ensure accuracy of presented information while the internet articles display information on a somewhat personal opinion. Conclusion In conclusion, both source types discussed can be utilized to gather information about a specific topic, but a person must be able to differentiate authoritative versus unauthoritative information. There are many techniques that can be used to analyze usability of emerging mobile technology, and these techniques will be helpful for consumers interested in purchasing the iPhone 6 Plus.
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References Arbore, A., Graziani, R., & Venturini, S. (2014). Understanding personal mobile technologies: Decomposing and de-averaging the value of a smartphone. Journal of Information Systems, 28(1), 167-185. doi:10.2308/isys-50668 Beavis, G. (2014, September 17). The big iphone is here, with a stunning design and sizeable body. Retrieved from http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/ipho ne-6-plus-1264566/review#articleContent Etherington, D. (2014, September 17). iPhone 6 plus review: The first truly well-designed big smartphone. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/16/iphone-6-plus-review/ Kortum, P. T., and Bangor, A. (2013). Usability ratings for everyday products measured with system usability scale. Intl. Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 29, 67-76. doi:10.1080/10447318.2012.681221 Wood, M. (2014, September 16). Review and video: With big new iphones, ios 8 software inside shines. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/technology /personaltech/review-and-video-with-new-iphone-6-and-6-plus-its-whats-inside-that- counts.html?_r=0