Don’t ask me why but I have never been a Facebook head. Twitter has always been my social network of choice (well at least after MySpace died). Sometime last year though I did give in and decided to join Facebook to connect with some of my friends and associates that don’t use twitter. I’ve even tried recently to use the social site more to communicate and interact; although, it annoys the hell out of me when I get a request from my dad, a cousin, or any of my family members! Like…how did you find me! ugh!.
Despite my non appeal for Facebook, there are millions of Facebook members that love and use the site daily. Because of its popularity, it looks like Hollywood believes they can capitalize on a movie about Facebook. Lawsuits, hot college chicks, betrayal, and the movie tagline “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies” actually may WILL make this movie a HUGE hit in the theatres come October 1st. Oh and did I mention Justin Timberlake co-stars as Sean Parker, the Napstar co-founder and Facebook founding President.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you all should know there’s been a battle going on in the cell phone/PDA industry. Two of the biggest competitors, Android phones by Google and Apple’s I-phone, have been the forerunners in this battle.
A few weeks ago, tinywatchproductions uploaded two You Tube videos with a cartoon parody comparing the two phones. In the first video, an Evo customer goes to an Apple store asking for technical assistance on it’s plagued Evo phone.
In the second video (the funnier of the 2) a customer goes to Phone Mart to purchase an I-phone only to find out that they are all sold out and the sales person just doesn’t get the fact that she does not want an Evo in place of an Iphone!
Check out the videos below.
Can You Fix My Evo?
I WANT AN I-PHONE!!!
The two videos became so popuplar on the internet that the creator of the videos was suspended from his part-time job at Best Buy due to the fact that Best Buy did not like the fact that the videos were making fun of products they sold. After word got out about Best Buy suspending the guy, Best Buy then requested he come back to work. He stated he would think about it!
Chevrolet is finally catching up with the times and doing it in a big way. The Volt, one of Chevrolet’s hybrid electric cars, is being integrated with Android OS and On-Star which will allow drivers to voice activate features on their car and have mobile-to-car communication.
Customer’s that have a Chevrolet Volt and uses a Blackberry Storm or Motorola Droid (for now) can download the Volt app from their phone and have the capability to navigate using the mobile app as well as see their personal location and car location using Google maps. Users can also use voice-activated search in the application and the data will be sent from the Android device to their On-Star.
Other features of the Volt mobile app include the ability to receive a text message for car battery charging notifications, remotely start the car (yes start your car with your phone), lock and unlock car doors, blow the horn, and many more.
Check out this video of the On-Star system and Android Mobile application in action. Makes me very excited to see what else is coming in the future of mobile integration with vehicles!
So I’m always on Twitter battling with the #TeamBlackberry telling them #TeamIphone is the best. But after @Booskee9 pointed me to this app that has apparently been avaialable for Blackberrys and their users since last year, I’m beginning to look at the #TeamBlackberry users in a whoooole different light.
There is an app that turns your Blackberry into a Vibrator! A VIBRATOR!!! The app is called Vibe 101 and is produced by “Toy With Me“. The app allows users to pick their speed (low, medium, or high) as well the vibration mode (constant, wave, or tickle). Once the user has their settings the way they like then they are free to do their thing!
So there you have it for those #TeamBlackberry fans. A Handy Dandy Vibrator app for your Blackberry. I’ll stick to #TeamIphone.
On April 8, Apple unveiled plans for the biggest and most exciting iPhone software update yet. iPhone OS 4 will include over 100 new user features for iPhone and iPod touch owners to enjoy. There were 7 main features to the OS4 that were highlighted during the special presentation and they included Multitasking, Folders, Enhanced Mail, iBooks, Enterprise, Game Center, & iAD.
Multitasking
“We weren’t the first to this party but we’re gonna be the best!” Thats what Apple’s CEO Steve Job explained on Thursday when he introduced OS4 and the ability for users to multitask with the new software update which will be available later this summer. Everyon that has a phone that’s capable of multitasking (androids, Palm Pre, etc) has the same issue - Huge Battery Life Issue & Sluggish Phone! In Apple’s new OS4, battery life is not affected when multi-tasking nor is the phone’s speed and response time compromised. There are 7 features to Multitasking which includes:
Background Audio: You’re listening to Pandora and you receive a text message. In the current software for Iphone, you would have to exit your Pandora app if you wanted to respond to the text and lose your music. OS4 allows users to switch to any other app whether texting or checking your bank account online while still listening to Pandora. Even with the phone in a locked state, you can switch to the next song just by hitting the arrow as if you were playing your Ipod.
Voice Over IP: When you receive a Skype call currently with OS3, you can’t check your email or check to see what’s playing at the movies. But with OS4, users can now be talking via Voice Over IP and browsing through other apps or on the web at the same time.
Background Location (GPS): This was a big one! At least for me it was. I love my GPS on my phone but I hate having to lose my gps just to answer a phone call or surf the web. With OS4 you can still get directions all while browsing the internet, talking on the phone, or using other apps. The audio will continue to give you directions in the background.
Push Notifications & Local Notifications: This is kind of self explanatory. You can still receive push notifications while in other apps and browsing the web or on the phone.
Fast App Switching: Users can switch from one app to another while multitasking without using the CPU hardware. That means no sluggish wait time when using your iPhone.
Ability to change Wallpaper: Another popular request from user. You can now change the wallpaper on your Iphone.
Folders
Another major addition with OS4 is the ability to make folders. Many Iphoners have pages and pages of apps on their phone and no organization. With the new software you can create a folder simply by dragging the icon of the app to another app which then creates a folder. The folders intelligently names itself based on the category (ie. games, finance, social) or you can rename the folder whatever you like.
Email
Users now will have a unified email box. This makes it convenient so you dont have to switch from one mailbox to another mailbox when you receive mail. And of course. Those who like to keep their email boxes separate that option is still there as well. Another cool feature to the new email is now when you are having an email conversation with someone, a thread is created of the conversation so if you’ve replied to the person 3 or 4 times you can see the string of email conversation all there at once.
iBook
With over, 20,000 books downloaded in a weekends time, iBook is already a huge hit with the Ipad and of course we all knew Apple would bring it over to the Iphone right? Purchase your favorite book, comic, or magazine from iBook and read it right on your Iphone
Enterprise
Apple is showing that they’re getting more serious about attracting corporate company’s. OS4 will incorporate even more secure data protection, Mobile Device Management, Wireless Application Distribution (previously Enterprise users would have to plug into Itunes to download the apps distributed by their company), and multiple exchange accounts.
Game Center
This is big! If you have an Xbox or have kids that have an Xbox then I’m sure you’ve heard of the popular Xbox LIVE which allows users to play each other virtually online. OS4 brings “Game Center” to the Iphone! Apple has over 50,000 game titles in their application catalog and the new game center will allow Iphoners to to invite their iphone buddys to play each other. If you’re in a game and you need a partner, game center will automatically pair you with somebody with similar skills.
iAD
Leave it up to Apple to find a better way to do anything! Currently, on many of the free apps, users have to deal with annoying advertisements and banners for products. The developers incorporate the ads in their apps to make some type of income when users click on them. Apple has come up with a better way of advertising through iAds. Steve Jobs explained that the lack of interaction and emotion from web advertisement is what spun their interest in adding iADs to OS4. Instead of a user clicking on an ad and the ad taking them outside of their app, it keeps them in their app. A lot less annoying. Check out the video above for a better example. It’s almost like an app inside an app!
Again this are just some of the 100 new featured coming to the Iphone OS4. A few other features i though that were worth mentioning is the camera will have 5x zoom on it with OS4 as well user will now be able to “tap to focus” in video mode. And if all if this doesn’t get you excited, develpoers have discovered that Ichat is definitely coming to the Iphone and it will probably be available in the summer with the new Iphone that comes out. But thats a whole different tech t article for another time!
Expect OS4 this summer (more than likely June) available for iphone 3GS, Iphone 3G, and the second & third generation Ipods. it will be available for Ipad later in the fall. Not all features are compatible with all devices. For example, multitasking is available only with iPhone 3GS and the third-generation iPod touch (32GB and 64GB models from late 2009). And if you asking why…Jobs wil tell you straight up, its time to upgrade! Gotta love technology!
You can watch the full presentation from Apple here…
We’re only five days into the New Year, and the tech geeks over at Google already have our pockets burning to spend money on what they call their “Super Phone”. Today in Mountain View, CA, an invite group of people were invited into the Google Headquarters to be witness to Google’s brand new Nexus One phone.
Twitter was abuzz as tech sites like CNET blogged live from the headquarters play by play on what Google was introducing and after taking a look at the specs and features of the Nexus, I believe it’s safe to say that 2010 has began with a BANG in the tech world!
Check out the features and main specs of the new Nexus One:
Specs/Features
- 3.7″ Display
- 480 x 800 OLED display (for brilliant colors and deep contrast)
- 5 Megapixel Camera
- Audio Stere Bluetooth
- Google Maps Navigation
- Voice to Text Capabilty for emails, text, tweets, & more
- 1GHz Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm (Super Fast!)
- Android 2.1 Operating System
One of the smart things that Google has done is created their own site where customer’s can go to buy a google phone and activate with their carrier with no hassle. It’s one stop shop! The Nexus One is just one of many phones that will be available by Google. The President stated that other phones would be coming in the months ahead as well.
Customers can purchase the phone outright and unlocked for $530 or $179 with a T-Mobile two year contract. And if you’re not to fund of T-Mobile’s service, Verizon will be selling the Nexus One later this Spring. The phone is available for purchase now at http://www.google.com/phone.
