Tuesday Tech Talk #78

Greetings everybody and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Lot of big stuff broke last week in tech news after Tuesday such as Eric Schmidt stepping down as the CEO of Google which I covered in Googling Friday. Let’s see what is happening this week.

Verizon appeals Net Neutrality FCC ruling

Verizon is challenging the FCC new Net Neutrality ruling, keep in mind this is the Verizon wing and not the Verizon Wireless wing of the company from what I am reading. If I am reading this incorrectly then feel free to clarify in the comments. A deeper analysis from MacWorld appears here. On a separate note, Sen. Al Franken thinks Comcast is trying to whack Netflix.

Verizon kills off 150MB Data Plan for Smartphones

No surprise here as 150MB data plans for a smartphone are a joke. Instead they will just offer a $30 a month unlimited data plan. It will also apply to feature phones as an option beyond the 75MB plan for $10 a month on those, a nod to LTE feature phones in the future.

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox announce web tracking blocking tools

Chrome and Firefox just became a little nicer to users (even though I still don’t like their attitude toward H.264), by offering extensions to block advertisers from tracking your website visits. This is cool and gets them off my bad list over H.264 just about. It basically gives the user more privacy which is a great thing. The Google Chrome version called Keep my Opt-Outs, is available now. The Firefox version called Do Not Track is currently under development.

Pope Benedict weighs on on social networks

Today Pope Benedict XVI hailed social networks as “a great opportunity” but also warned against the dangers of living in a virtual world and cutting off real life relationships in his message entitled, "Truth, proclamation and authenticity of life in the digital age." If you are a Catholic Geek like I am, you can find the Holy Father’s full address here.

Star Wars Blu-ray set to appear in late September

According to Amazon the much awaited by many Star Wars Blu-ray set will appear on September 27th. There is much division here as it will NOT include the original Star Wars version in the Blu-ray set. Needless to say, I will be buying it regardless.

Use your phone to buy coffee at Starbucks

This is kind of cool if you are into chain brand coffee (you know where I stand as I support local).

Comcast now owns NBC

Last week Comcast received both FCC and Justice Department approval to purchase NBC. My thoughts are what can possibly go wrong with Comcast owning a channel? *note the sarcasm*

Well, that is going to do it for this week’s edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. See you next week for another installment and GO PACKERS!!!

Tuesday Tech Talk #73

Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Sorry for the delay today, but my favorite coffee shop, Joe Joe’s was in transition yesterday, thankfully they are all settled in at the new place and it is awesome! I have an announcement at the end of this blog as well regarding a new technology blog.

Amazon sells millions of Kindles in holiday quarter

Amazon announced they have sold millions of Kindles in the first 73 days of the holiday quarter. They did not release a specific figure but I’m guessing since they said millions that implies over 2 million. Not a surprise really with the much affordable $139 WiFi only Kindle 2, it has never been easier to enter the digital ebook age. I have not got one yet, but at some point I’m sure I will. For now I use the Kindle app on my iPad and iPhone 4 to read books.

Web based video at heart of Comcast-NBC deal

There is a concern that Comcast’s pending purchase of NBC will be bad for Apple, Hulu, and Netflix in-regards to NBC shows. With Comcast owning the content, they could monopolize the content as offered online or charge an extra premium to third-party providers for the shows. Federal regulators will have to fight Comcast on this one before approving said merger. Course you know what my feelings are regarding Comcast from previous posts.

Delta installs charging stations in 19 US airports

Delta continues to be my favorite geek friendly airline. First there was the iPad’s installed in their JFK terminal, now they are adding charging stations to 19 airports in the US. They are installing 2 charging stations per gate, each will have 6 110 volt outlets and 2 USB charging ports. I don’t know when I will fly next but I may fly Delta again depending on the fare.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Did you notice something missing here? If you said a lack of Apple stuff then winner-winner chicken dinner! I have decided to start a Apple only blog that will come out on Thursday each week. I haven’t decided on a name for it yet so if you have a suggestion, I’m all ears. For now I’m leaning toward AppleTalk Thursday, a play on their old network name. So come on by Thursday for Apple related updates and as always, Friday brings the latest in Google news.

Tuesday Tech Talk #48

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. The World Wide Developers Conference is a week away so Triple T #49 should have quite a bit of coverage from the WWDC keynote. But as for this edition of #48 lets get right down to it! New Facebook Privacy Settings Facebook has taken a lot of heat lately for it’s privacy settings or lack there of. But the biggest social networking site (500 million users) announced last week a new set of easier to use settings for controlling your privacy and content. Speaking for myself I tend to lock down my status updates to just my friends. But the new settings they announced are a huge step in the right direction. Comcast to offer extreme 105Mbps internet So if you can’t wait for Google to launch their fiber optic network in your neck of the woods, then you might want to check and see if Comcast is offering their 105Mbps Extreme speed internet where you live. Oh, did I mention the install price is $249 and the price for this speed is $200 a month? I love having fast internet, I’m not spending $200 a month on it though! New slimmer Kindle on the way? According to Bloomberg News Amazon maybe rolling out a thinner but still black and white screen Kindle in August. With the Kindle already 0.36” thin, one has to wonder just how much thinner can a Kindle get? LG 84” 3DTV So if you have the space and money available, LG has a 3DTV for you! All 84 inches of it. Course you will need a TV provider with 3D programming or a 3D DVD player to take full advantage of it and some glasses I suppose otherwise you just have a blurry picture. Concrete incased USB drive So you need a 128GB hard drive? How about one in concrete? Well its not out yet, only a concept at this point. This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch/iPad apps Skype (Free) - Skype has updated their iPhone app to be able to make Skype to Skype calls over 3G. So I guess this begs the question, how soon until we see the Google Voice app for the iPhone? Barnes & Noble eReader for iPad (Free) - B&N has released their eReader app for the iPad. So now your options for book buying on the iPad now includes iBooks, Kindle Store, and now Barnes & Noble’s ebook’s store. Well that is going to do it for this edition of Triple T. See you all next week with some big news items from the WWDC.

Tuesday Tech Talk #42

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Triple T. Lets see what is happening this week.

New MacBook Pro’s

Apple this past week refreshed the pro editions of the MacBook series. Of note is the addition of the Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. No word on when the regular MacBook will get an update. But you can read the specs on them here.

Apple going AMD?

Interesting note here, per AppleInsider, Apple has not only talked about using AMD chips in future hardware but is using test ones in their labs. Course I kind of like the relationship Apple has with Intel as it is but hey whatever makes the systems faster, go for it!

Apple Country

So ever wonder how your region of the country stands in Apple ownership? Well there is a map for that. It measures not just Apple Mac hardware but also iPhone and iPod and I would imagine iPad’s too. Quite an interesting map to read and apparently I am in a mission territory for an Apple user.



Google bringing printing to the Cloud

This missing link as it were, glad Google is working to resolve it though. It will be a lot easier to print from an iPad for example than this way.



CableCo’s team up for NYC WiFI

Good news if you live in NYC, Comcast, Time Warner, and Cablevision are teaming up for city-wide WiFi. This ought to give San Francisco a run for its money in terms of city friendly WiFi access.

This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch/iPad apps

Opera Mini Browser (Free) - Yes it has finally happened! Apple approved a competing browser app to Safari. My initial reaction is it is nice but it can’t remember the pages I had opened on it after an hour or so. So it has some room for growth there.

ZYRTEC AllergyCast (Free) - Very cool app here for those prone to allergies like I am with Pollen. Perfect for the traveler away from home.

Well that is going to do it for this weeks Tuesday Tech Talk. See you all next week with more news!

Tuesday Tech Talk #23

Hello folks, welcome to another edition of Triple T. Today is back to the usual form of topics. Here is what is catching my eye this week.

Engadget Nook review

Engadget has a review of the Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader. Pretty good job on the review and there is even a hands on video they have posted on it. It seems to be pretty durable in comparison to a Kindle and about the same size as a trade novel. There does seem to be some glitches so you may want to hold off until they update the OS if you plan on getting one.

Comcast controlled NBC may say no to iTunes subscription plan

Yet another reason Comcast should not be allowed to own NBC. Working for DirecTV (full disclosure), I have seen how Comcast tries to extort money from Dish, Time Warner, and other carriers with Versus but DirecTV stood their ground and as a result Versus is not carried by DirecTV. With Comcast owning NBC it would mean a much more restrictive distribution of enjoyable NBC content (pause for laughter). I think Apple, DIrecTV, Dish, TW, etc need to file a class action opposing Comcast’s buyout of NBC before the FCC. I’m not a fan of government intervention into private business but I have seen the mess Comcast has created with TechTV (now G4) and Versus.

Five Gifts for the iPhone owner

Christmas is drawing near and The Unofficial Apple Weblog has a write up on 5 gifts for those with an iPhone. I like the Walldock so if my wife is reading this let me just say I REALLY like the Walldock!

What in the Whrrl?

For those that can’t get enough of social media sites here is another one to add to your list. Whrrl allows you to post a real time photo story of an event with a mix of text and photos with captions storyboard. Try out a few stories first before trying a big one as it takes some getting used to but it is pretty cool. I might use this for my future 12 of 12 days.

This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps

Whrrl - In addition to using Whrrl via their website, they also offer an iPhone/iPod touch based app to post your stories (editing has to be done via their website).

AT&T Mark the Spot - Having issues with your date or voice network on your iPhone? Now you can communicate it via AT&T’s new app Mark the Spot. Oh yes, they are going to get tired from hearing from me Muhahahaha!!!

US National Debt - Want to know what the US debt is roughly in real time? There is an app for that.

WhatsApp - Really cool iPhone to iPhone (or iPod touch) IM app. Don’t have to add contacts to it, anyone in your contact list that has the app shows up in your WhatsApp list. Very similar to Ping. I use both but lately been using WhatsApp more. I chat with Jeremy quite a bit on it.

Well that is going to do it for another edition of Triple T. See you all next week!

Tuesday Tech Talk #16

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Triple T! Let’s jump right into things.

Zoom Q3

Samson has a new gadget called the Zoom Q3 handy video recorder. Think of it as an H2 but with a video camera. Basically this is Samson competing with a Flip Video camera.

There’s a bug in my Snow Leopard

Ok well not mine personally but Apple has acknowledged it and is working on an update to fix the issue.

Jobs helping out Disney on store makeover

Well he must be feeling a lot better. In addition to being very hands out with the much rumored Mac tablet, Steve Jobs is also apparently assisting Disney with their retail store makeover. Being how successful the Apple retail stores have been Jobs should know something about how a store should look and feel to the customer. Looking forward to seeing what the first prototype store will look like.

Personal commentary time

Canon, you need to make configuring your wireless printers easier! It should take me a USB cable to get your printer configured on my wireless network, that is ridiculous! BTW, I still love you guys just take this as creative criticism.

Comcast bidding on NBC

Ok at first I thought this was a bad idea considering what Comcast did to TechTV when it rebranded them G4. Then I remembered, wait this is NBC. How could Comcast possibly make worse decisions than NBC is already? This comes the same week NBC decided to pull the plug on “Southland” even before it could begin a full season. Morons! But Comcast would make me a happy camper if they gave Keith Olbermann his walking papers, I’m sure Obama can make Olby some sort of new Czar of something for a job.

This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps

Pizza Hut - Although I have not tried it out yet to do an actual order, I have used the demo mode on it and I’m really impressed. You can choose from multiple address accounts on it (Note: You will have to setup the actual addresses on pizzahut.com)

Tweetie 2 - Yeah I know I griped about how Tweetie was going to charge both new and previous existing customers $2.99 for the version 2 app. But after checking out the reviews and reading the new features, I decided to give in and buy it and boy am I happy I did. As a result I no longer have Twitteriffic on my iPhone and now just have 1 Twitter based app on my iPhone. It is very nice and has all the features I desire on one single app. Trends, posting photos and video within the app, searches, geotagging , hashtag searching, shrink URL’s, multiple accounts, oh and offline line Twitter drafts which is nice.

Those are the 2 apps I played around with this past week. That will do it for another edition of Triple T. See you all next week.

Tuesday Tech Talk #14

Hey folks it’s Tuesday so time for another installment of Triple T!

AT&T MMS for iPhone

Ok so it’s finally here after more then 2 years of waiting for it on the iPhone, MMS. All I can say is I can’t wait for AT&T to add Tupelo to 3G cause the last part of sending the photo hangs for a good minute. I’m convinced this is an EDGE/2G issue more than anything else but if anyone else has 3G and notice it is hanging on the last part as well let me know. Hey AT&T, Thursday is October 1st and you said 3G in Tupelo by the end of the year, you’ve got 3 months to make good on your promise there blue Death Star. This now concludes Rob’s weekly griping about all things AT&T, remember when Comcast was the ire of my venting?

Comcast props

Let me expand on that while I’m at it. You may recall I use to have a terrible internet experience with Comcast almost to the point where I was looking at AT&T DSL plans (the horror!!). Well I am happy to say nearly 3 months since Comcast routed a new line from the pole to my house I have had zero drops on the internet now. As someone that works with DirecTV, Comcast I’m giving you 2 thumbs up and taking you off my tech enemies list, AT&T you have the top spot right now, yes even over Microsoft.

Latest Apple Tablet speculation

MacRumors has some new tidbits via iLounge about features the new tablet may feature as well as a possible late Spring release (May or June). Interesting features but if you already have an iPhone or touch it may not be of much use besides having the bigger screen it will pretty much be the iPhone OS it runs on. But check out the articles if interested.

iMac and Mac mini supplies running low...update near?

Apple has informed it’s retail outlets of constrained iMac and Mac mini shipments leading to speculation of new updated iMac and mini lines. There has been heavy speculation about iMac and MacBook but not mini updates.

Tweetie 2 near...but with a cost

Our friends at TUAW report on a new Tweetie 2 for the iPhone and iPod touch with some new features but there is a catch...this one will have a $2.99 price tag on it and even if you have version 1 your still going to have to pony up the $3 for the new version which stinks. Maybe Tweetie is taking business lessons from AT&T. Guess I will be using Twitterrific 2, at least they were honest from the start about their cost and when they made a substantial update in version 2 didn’t charge for it. Shame on you Tweetie...shame!

Well thats about it, sorry but no iPhone/touch app reviews this week. Just haven’t really tried anything new this week. See you next week though for another Tuesday Tech Talk.