AppleTalk Thursday #14

Hey everybody and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday, a blog about all things Apple, from Macs to iPhones to AppleTV, it is all here! So let’s get started!

Verizon iPhone Update

It has been six weeks since Verizon began selling the iPhone and already they have snared nearly 13% of the iPhone market...not to shabby. Additionally, more Verizon iPhone users are satisfied than AT&T iPhone users which does prove one thing to AT&T..it’s the network stupid! Which is why AT&T is buying up T-Mobile to better compete with the Verizon network going forward which is a very impressive network.

Apple reaches out to Japan Employees

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has reached out to Apple’s employees in Japan after the devastating earthquake to offer the employees time off and any supplies it needs. On a related note, Kevin Rose from Digg received an email from an employee of an Apple Store in Japan who tells of how the store became a gathering point for people to communicate with families and to see just what was going on. The email is very much a good read and I highly recommend to take the time and read it on Kevin’s blog.

NFC coming to iPhone 5 after all?

These stories seem to go back and forth on the next iPhone in terms of both NFC and LTE capability. Now it seems that NFC will be coming to the iPhone 5. As I have covered here previously, NFC is short for Near Field Communication and is seen as a way to create a digital wallet to basically use your iPhone to purchase things by waving it as a capture device for payment. If you go to Exxon for example you might be familiar with their SpeedPass system where a little peg on your keychain is tied to a credit card or debit card of your choice to swipe and pay for your gas. That is what this does although it does have more possibilities beyond digital payments. One day I will post a thorough breakdown on NFC and for that matter LTE (4G). Other speculation about the next iPhone is an aluminum backing and a bigger screen.

New York Times goes InApp Subscription based

Apple’s controversial InApp subscription model has scored a big customer in the New York Times which will be going to a subscription based model for its digital content both in website and iOS app content. But if you are expecting something similar to what The Daily charges, then you are in for a sticker shock.



That is a high price for me considering I am not a power reader of the Times. But they are offering free articles up to a certain number for users, however once you exceed that number, you have to pay up.

MobileMe rebirth in April?

With the launch of Apple’s North Carolina data center just around the corner, there is new reports that Apple will precent its new MobileMe service soon and what it will offer. The constant seems to be a digital locker to store your movies, music, and photos to and use from the cloud on devices with limited storage. I would personally love this as I can then not load my music on my iOS devices and just listen to them from the cloud when needed. That I would gladly pay $99 per year for.

iOS 4.3 Battery Issue on iPhone

You may have recalled over the weekend I wrote about how my iPhone battery drained faster than normal while I was out of town in New Orleans and Hattiesburg, MS. It seems there is an issue specific to iOS 4.3. Without getting much into the matter here you can read what I wrote about over the weekend here.

Apple sues Amazon over “App Store” name

What is it with all these tech companies suing each other recently. Now Apple is suing Amazon over them using the term “App Store” for their new Android-based store. Apple, your quickly becoming what I despise in Microsoft...stop that or I’m going Android...Ok maybe not, but still chill!

iMac’s with Sandy Bridge, Thunderbolt in May?

A rumor from a CNet reporter speculates that a revised iMac with Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt technology maybe coming in May. So if you are in the market for an iMac, you may want to wait for now.

Steve Jobs: iPod classic not Going Anywhere

Rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated according to Steve Jobs who says the iPod classic will indeed be around for a while (unlike the Zune).

Apple to License AirPlay?

This is an interesting bit of news that hints that Apple may license AirPlay to TV manufacturers. This makes a lot of sense and reminds me of how Microsoft licensed its Sync feature to Ford in their cars (see I did say one nice thing about Microsoft here.) It will be interesting to see how this will come about and who will adopt it.

Wife says no, Apple says yes to iPad 2

Finally, a lighthearted piece of news as Apple reportedly send a customer a FREE iPad 2 after his wife made him return the one he bought back to the Apple Store where he put on a sticky note “Wife said no”. The customer received the iPad from Apple with a sticky that read “Apple says Yes”. That is just awesome and is a reason that despite Apple’s ego, they are still a company dear to my heart.

iOS App Reviews

Boxcar (FREE) - First off I need to credit this find to Erik J. Fisher of GSPN’s Social Media Serenity. What this app does is unify all your notifications from Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, Foursquare, Google Voice, Gowalla and many others, in one place! It works like a charm and they also offer an iPad version as well.

Osfoora ($2.99) - I have heard Cliff Ravenscraft mention how much he loves Osfoora so I decided to finally give it a try and I must say I am impressed! The home screen offers a robust set of features for Twitter. You can see who is tweeting nearby, what the trends are like, your favorite tweets, and lists. The only thing it doesn’t have is push notifications when someone mentions you which lead me to Boxcar. Again there is an iPad version as well for $3.99. From the compose window you have the option of attaching your location, a song you are listening to, photo and video share, and of course hash tag support. What does that mean? Well if you are using a hash tag frequently, it will save the hash tag so when you compose a message, you press the hash tag button and select the tag and it will auto insert it at the end of your post. Pretty cool!

iTalk Recorder (FREE) - A nice little audio recording app is iTalk by Griffin Technology. It will record your audio into different variations of AIFF which you can then email or place in your Drop box account. It works pretty well if you can’t afford a digital audio recorder like an Edirol or Zoom H2. The only downside is it only encodes in AIFF so no support for WAV or MP3 and you will need an application like GarageBand or Audacity to convert to those formats and compress to a more reasonable size to use in a podcast. In addition they have a $2 version if you don’t like ads.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week for another installment and thanks for reading.

AppleTalk Thursday #10

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Got quite a bit of Apple news so let’s dive right into things.

iPad 2 coming next Wednesday

Apple has scheduled a press event for next Wednesday in San Francisco where it will announce the iPad 2. This has been a rumored date for the past week but it is now official. So based on what has been said about it the expectations are we will see a second generation iPad with a front and rear facing camera and a more anti-reflective screen to make it easier to read for long periods of time. One thing that will not be in the second gen. is a retina display but that is rumored for the iPad 3 which Apple may announce in the Fall. I also expect the new iPad to be sold at both AT&T and Verizon locations as well as the usual Best Buy and Apple Store locations.

A MobileMe Makeover

According to a report in Cult of Mac, Apple is about to totally rebuild MobileMe into a combination of Facebook, uStream, and FourSquare. Basically allowing you to have a dynamic website that is live. If they make good on only half of what is in the article it is totally worth the $99 I just paid again for it this year. Apple stated yesterday that their new massive Data Center in North Carolina will support iTunes and MobileMe when it goes live in the Spring.

Sony backtracks on iTunes Crazy Talk

A Sony executive stated that it has no intention of pulling their music content from iTunes. Glad you bozo’s got your story straight! Any label pulling its music content from iTunes would be like a TV network pulling its shows from say DirecTV...it would only hurt their sales in the long run. Like it or not iTunes is the standard for digital music distribution, if someone can do it better then people will flock to that service in large numbers, but it hasn’t happened yet. Certainly Amazon does a good job with their music content but it is still not as simple as iTunes IMHO.

Apple Looking at Offering a Cheaper iPhone

Apple is said to be looking at developing a cheaper iPhone, one that can better compete with Android offerings. Presumably this lower cost iPhone could be free if signed with a 2 year contract with a carrier. Of course you can get the iPhone 3GS right now for $49 but only through AT&T. Another story floating around is that this cheaper iPhone would be more of a streaming device with content coming from a digital locker in the new MobileMe revamp as mentioned above.

AT&T Allowing Mobile Hotspot for 4.3 Users

Here is an interesting piece about how developers using iOS 4.3 are being allowed access to AT&T’s new Mobile Hotspot service. I hope this will be the case when iOS 4.3 goes live to the general public and that AT&T will allow an iPad for example to be a part of the hotspot. Why pay AT&T $25 for 3G access on the iPad when I can just use it as a device with a hotspot service?

Apple adopting Thunderbolt (Light Peak)?

Perhaps this will explain Apple’s reluctance to adopt USB 3.0. They appear to be adopting Intel’s Light Peak or High-Speed Connection Technology which offers a connection speed of 10Gbps (USB 2.0 is 480Mbps and USB 3.0 is 5Gbps). Apple would rebrand it as Thunderbolt, think for example how they renamed iLink (IEEE 1394) as FireWire.

Readability app Rejected and Resubmitted

Readability which is an application that strips away a lot of advertising junk from stuff you want to read as rejected earlier this week by Apple over the lack of in-app subscription, but the issue seems to have been resolved as it has been resubmitted. Readability is more of a Software as a Service app than say a subscription content something Steve Jobs stated in an email to a developer. Apple’s new in-app subscription policy has caught the eye of the FTC which is investigating the policy. From Apple’s standpoint I can see where they want to make it easier for the consumer to purchase content from within the app, but from a developer perspective it is more of a twisting of the arm to get to play in Apple’s App Store club and giving Apple a 30% cut of the in-app purchase on top of that. I think Apple should be more flexible on that percentage offer as Google’s new service simply takes 10%. I don’t have a lot of big beefs with Apple but this would be one of them.

24-bit Music coming to iTunes?

Apple is in discussions with music labels on offering 24-bit music in its iTunes music store. Currently it is only available in 16-bit format where 24-bit is a HiFi format.

Will OS X 10.7 Lion bring new UI?

Another bit of information here is will the upcoming Mac OS update of 10.7 Lion bring an updated user interface? Maybe something more iOS like? Will be interesting to see what Apple has up their sleeves for it.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week where we will have a good breakdown of the iPad 2 announcement. See you then!

AppleTalk Thursday #9

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday where we discuss all things Apple. Let’s see what is going on in the world of Cupertino today.

iPad in the Enterprise Marketplace

The iPad which btw is still not even a year old yet, is making great strides not just with the general public but also in the enterprise market. In-fact 80% of Fortune 100 companies are already deploying or piloting the iPad according to Apple in its recent earnings call. Imagine what the 2nd generation iPad will do.

Apple could benefit from Nokia-Microsoft partnership

An analyst with RBC Capital Markets has speculated that with Nokia abandoning Symbian for Windows Phone 7, the move opens up possible significant gains for the Apple iOS, Google Android, and possibly BlackBerry (remember them?). Course he also stated that Microsoft could see gains as well (insert laugh track here).

MobileMe for FREE and the mini-iPhone Rumor

So lots of talk this past week of a possible smaller and less expensive iPhone and also an updated MobileMe that will not only may be free but will offer cloud based access to music and photos. This would seem to make sense as it would help Apple fight off the Android market and give that data center in North Carolina a purpose.

iPhone 5 with a Slide out Keyboard and a Bigger Screen?

Another rumor is that Apple is working on iPhone 5 prototypes one of which has a slide out keyboard while another model would have an 8MP camera but otherwise be the same as the iPhone 4. Yet another rumor speculates that the next updated iPhone could have a 4” screen up from the current 3.5” screen. I am not putting much stock into either rumor as this point, but it is a lot of fun to talk about.

Apple and Samsung, partner and competitor

Apple will soon be Samsung’s biggest customer with a $7.8 Billion deal for Samsung to manufacture the screens for the iPhone and the iPad’s. On the flip side of the coin, Samsung has announced a new 10” Galaxy tablet with 16 or 32GB configurations. No word on pricing yet.

Apple debuts App Store Subscriptions

On Tuesday, Apple made it official with App Store subscriptions from within the app or in-app subscriptions. The move opens up an area for content to digital newspapers, magazines, and music based services. Apple has also advised developers they have until 6/30 to comply with the new method in their apps. This of course is not making a lot of developers happy. On a side note, The Daily which has been plagued with crashing issues, has extended its free subscription to the end of February. I was really happy with it at first, but lately not so much. Will be interesting to see who follows The Daily with a similar app.

Kindle iOS Update

Speaking of developers that will soon be effected by Apple’s new rules, Amazon has updated their Kindle app with a couple of handy features. One shows the progress bar on the home screen of your book shelf showing where you are on your books, another now actually shows what physical page number you are on which makes it easier to site passages to people reading a physical book. This is also a feature Amazon just updated on their own Kindle devices as well.



Verizon handling iPhone Traffic Smoothly

There was a lot of talk on how the Verizon network would handle the iPhone’s once they got into the wild, well it appears it has met the challenge without a hitch. Very good news for Verizon there!

iOS App Reviews

So for this week’s app reviews I wanted to focus on online radio apps. There are quite a few of them out there and I use a few of them.

Pandora (FREE) - Course the most popular radio apps out there is Pandora. By choosing an artist or a song, it will play tracks similar to that artist or song for hours! They also have an iPad specific version as well. It is a free service however if you pay the $36 per year subscription, it allows you to skip more tracks up to 6 per hour I believe.

iHeartRadio (FREE) - This application allows you to listen to 750 radio stations across the US. I use it to listen to KFI out in Los Angeles, a station I listened to all the time when I lived out there.

TuneIn Radio (99 cents) - TuneIn Radio is similar to iheartradio but it tends to offer more radio stations so it might be worth the 99 cents to buy and use and it has an iPad version too.

SiriusXM (FREE) - If you are a subscriber to SiriusXM, then this is a nice app you have your stations with you all the time. This has been handy for me when I am driving a car that doesn’t have satellite radio. My truck was in an accident this week which does have an sat radio unit and since I am in a loaner, I can play the stations through my AirTrip device through the car stereo.

Well, that is going to do it for this week’s AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week for another edition of all things Apple!

Tuesday Tech Talk #80

Hello all and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Can’t believe this is #80, only 20 more to go to numero 100! Let’s see what is going on this week!

Microsoft paying Nokia Billions to adopt OS

Wow, Microsoft, it has come to this, you have to pay people to be your friends? Generally speaking when you license out your OS to a hardware maker then you are the one getting paid...not the other way around. Oh Microsoft, just call it a day and just make X-Boxes, that is one thing you have excelled at.

Pandora going Public

Pandora announced on Friday it will be going public but did not specify as to when. They hope to raise $100 million in an IPO. This may be a great buy actually and I may add it to my portfolio, will probably fare better than my SiriusXM stock.

AT&T Rolls out Unlimited Calling to Any Mobile Carrier

Last week AT&T announced it will now offer its cell customers the ability to call any mobile phone no matter the carrier, for free, but there is one catch, you have to change your texting plan to an unlimited one. Haven’t decided if I will do it or not as most of my cell contacts are already AT&T users. Also if you send them a text message they will apply 1000 minutes to your plan if you happen to be an iPhone owner.

Kindle Getting Real Page Numbers

Kindle will be rolling out a software update to its devices as well as third party apps over the next few months that will add the actual page # on the page you are reading. Currently it just shows you the percentage of book you have read.

HP bringing WebOS to its PC’s

Wow, another hit to Microsoft possibly as HP is looking to deploy its in-house OS when it purchased Palm, into its PC’s. Join the club HP, it has worked for Apple for years!

Verizon Shows Off Voice-Over-LTE

Verizon this week is showing off the ability it will have to use voice and data at the same time when it makes the jump to LTE from CDMA, currently on the CDMA network you cannot do both, something AT&T has used against them in marketing. Can we say LTE iPhone 5?

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. See you all next week for more talk about things in the tech world!

AppleTalk Thursday #8

Hey everybody and welcome to the AppleTalk Thursday late late edition! We had another slow storm come through here that disrupted my blogging pattern and schedule. There is a lot of Apple related news so let’s see what is going on!

Netflix getting more user traffic on AppleTV than iPad

To me this is not a big story, I mean if you are watching video content you are more likely to want to view it on a bigger screen. Being that I own an iPhone, an iPad, and an AppleTV, I opt for the AppleTV every-time. I have Netflix on my iPhone but that is more to just add content to my queue while on the fly. Furthermore this should really inspire Apple and Hulu to get a deal done already to bring it to the AppleTV.

iPhone strikes again at BlackBerry in the Corporate World

Another blow to RIM in the corporate world as the iPhone continues to make strides in the Enterprise market. Deutsche Bank Equity Research announced it is switching to the iPhone and dumping their BB’s.

iPad 2 Rumor Rundown

Some of the latest information regarding the 2nd generation forthcoming iPad. One analyst with Concord Securities claims it will have a more anti-reflective screen providing a better reading experience, also the front and rear camera quality would be similar to that of the iPod touch instead of the iPhone 4. Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal is reporting they are in production and will be offered through both AT&T and Verizon. Both articles seem to hint that it will not have the retina display found on the iPhone 4.

Verizon iPhone 4 Followup News

Of course last week existing Verizon users got to pre-order the iPhone 4 and this week converts got their chance. A review from WIred of the Verizon iPhone even suggested it is an actual phone now...OUCH! My personal experience with my AT&T-based iPhone is a positive one. Granted it took them a long time to deploy 3G in the Tupelo area, but now they have gotten more aggressive with 3G rollout in the rest of Northeast Mississippi. So much so that even my parents little town as 3G now, something I never saw coming. Verizon stated it sold more iPhone 4’s on pre-orders in the first 2 hours than they have on any previous product launch in one day...yes that includes Androids! Another benefit of the Apple-Verizon partnership is that the iPhone is arriving in new areas that previously it could not. A recent survey found that 54% of Verizon’s BlackBerry and Android users are somewhat likely to switch to the iPhone as well which further hammers home Verizon’s thought that iPhone users are more loyal when compared to BB and Android users. I would tend to agree.

Apple sets 3/31 Deadline for in-app Purchasing for Periodicals

To follow up on last week’s Apple rejection of the Sony e-reader app, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has set a March 31st deadline for periodical apps to offer an in-app purchase option for content. To me I like this idea as I hate leaving an app to purchase say an e-Book from Amazon via the Safari browser. One thing about iBooks is you don’t have to leave the app but the content is not as great as Amazon. I don’t really like the take it or leave it attitude Apple is giving the developers of such apps. But I think in-app is something a lot of customers will enjoy but from a developer perspective I can see where this would be an issue when it comes to revenue splits which is really the bottom-line of the story here.

iPhone and iPad Shifting Reading Habits

An interesting study here pointing to the ways iPhone and iPad users reading preferences have changed. I would tend to follow into this ground. I rarely read on my MacBook anymore and tend to prefer my iPad for that. My MacBook is pretty much for creating content such as blogging, but when it comes down to say reading others blogs, I grab the iPad and fire up River of News.

The Confession App

Ok so there has been a lot of news about a Confession app that is available for both the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Being that I am both a Mac geek and a practicing Catholic, I thought I would share my thoughts on it. First and foremost, this is NOT a replacement for confessing your sins to a priest and receiving the proper penance. It is instead a guide to helping you make a good confession and a handy thing to take with you into the confessional. It is an aide when examining your conscience prior to going to confession at your local parish. I have it myself and will use it at my next confession next month (I go monthly). For another take on the Confession app check out what the good folks at Southern Fried Catholicism over in Oxford, MS say about it.

Reagan Library adds iPod touch to Exhibits

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library now offers 250 iPod touch units as part of the museum tour. Pretty nifty and tech savvy to utilize.

Finally I wan to share an entertaining graphic on the different type of iPhone users. It is pretty interesting, I think I know which one I fall under. See you all next week for another edition of AppleTalk Thursday.

Tuesday Tech Talk #79

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. I apologize for no edition last week but I had a family medical emergency that I am happy to say is much better now. Well we have a lot to catch up on so let’s see what is happening.

Mozilla’s Do Not Track feature has a Flaw

You will recall a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox we’re all implementing Do Not Track tools for their browsers. Well, it seems that the Firefox one has a key flaw...it relies on websites to play nice and obey the wishes of the user. Granted it is easier than IE’s case by case solution but what good is it if the website is not being respectful of the user wishes?

LinkedIn going Public

Rumored for months, LinkedIn is taking the first steps to launching an IPO later in the year the first social media site to do so. So the question is will Twitter and Facebook follow?

DISH Network shells out $1 Billion for a Bankrupt Satellite/Antenna Company

Maybe this is DISH being like those folks on Storage Wars that bid outrageous money in the hopes of finding something of great value in abandoned storage sheds. But goodness...$1 Billion? That is what DirecTV pays annually to the NFL for the exclusivity rights to NFL Sunday Ticket. Then again the technology they buy may pay off in the long run. We will have to wait and see.

More trouble for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab

Return rates on the Galaxy Tab are at an astonishing 16% compared to just 2% for the Apple iPad. This comes on the heels of Samsung saying they initially sold 2 million of the devices only to backtrack and say those were distribution channel says and not consumer sales. Welcome to the big leagues kid!

AT&T adding 2GB to Tethering Plans

Starting February 13th AT&T will be adding an extra 2GB to its tethering plan for those with smartphones wanting to share it with their laptops and other devices. This would give the user 4GB of space to use monthly with every extra GB costing $10 in contrast to Verizon’s $20 per gig.

AOL buys Huffington Post, Arianna put in charge of editorial for all AOL Web Content

This is puzzling. I can understand AOL buying the left-wing HuffPo, but putting Arianna Huffington in charge of all the news sites under AOL’s umbrella including Engadget and Tech Crunch makes no sense! Let me put it in a different way, it is like Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan married...it is just not going to end well for either. I can say this much, the minute Engadget goes political on technology is the same time I will unsubscribe to them. It’s not enough they are a bunch of Apple haters over there as it is.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. I will see you all next week for more great tech news and opinion that is neither right or left-wing.

AppleTalk Thursday #7

Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Quite a bit of Apple news this week so as always let’s dive right in.

Verizon announces price plans for iPhone

Verizon yesterday announced its pricing plans for the iPhone 4. Which are the same as their other smartphone plans. Existing Verizon customers can order their iPhone TODAY! All you AT&T (and other carrier) switchers, will have to wait until next Thursday.

Skype 5 out for Mac

Great news Skype has released Skype 5 out of beta for the Mac. There is one catch to it though, group video chat is now a premium feature. You can go with a monthly fee of $9 or a day pass of $5 for the service. I couldn’t imagine doing the $9 a month as it is a feature I hardly use, however the pay as you go $5 plan is appealing. If I do video chat it is usually 1 on 1 and not a group video chat. I guess we can call this the “Leo Laporte Fee” as he relies on Skype video group chat for his TWiT podcasts with contributors that are not in the TWiT Cottage.

Apple wants eBook makers to offer in-app book purchasing

Ok so this one is looking nasty. Apple rejected Sony’s eReader app on the basis that it lacked an in-app purchase of book content. Now keep in mind Apple approved the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook apps, both of which when shopping for content, open the mobile Safari browser to access the Kindle and Nook eStore...just like the Sony eReader app does. So this is baffling but Apple has offered an explanation in that it is simply enforcing a pre-existing rule in the app store and that developers must offer both in-app purchase content along with web-based store access. So does this mean that Apple will be pulling the Kindle and Nook apps soon? I sure hope not as I rely on the Kindle app for my book reading and if they did pull it I would buy a Kindle before using Apple’s own iBookstore and iBooks reader app. I hope Apple rethinks this policy quick.

Apple introduces Paid Subscriptions to iTunes App Store

With The Daily coming out yesterday, Apple announced it now supports subscription plans in the iTunes store for publishers content. I think The Daily will be the first of many publishers under this new plan. Which leads me to the last article of the day....my initial review of The Daily!

The Daily: Initial Review

So yesterday Rupert Murdoch the CEO of NewsCorp announced The Daily for the iPad. It was also released about an hour after the announcement. I downloaded it right around that time and I have to admit it is pretty cool! The photos of the stories are great quality and video is sharp. Also it has the ability to read out articles to you so you can be doing something else while still getting caught up on the events of the day. It will also update throughout the day so in essence it is a live paper. During the first 2 weeks it is free courtesy of Verizon, after which it will cost 99 cents per week or $39 a year. That is a great deal for a daily publication. The closest thing I can compare it to is the Wall Street Journal app also owned by NewsCorp, but even better. For now The Daily is strictly an iPad publication but the door is open to other platforms making tablets such as Android once that market has established itself.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week for another edition.

AppleTalk Thursday #6

Greetings everyone and welcome to another installment of AppleTalk Thursday, a blog about all things Apple, from Macs to iOS devices and everything in between. Let’s see what is going on in the world of Apple this week!

Apple beats the Street

Results for Q1 sales are in and Apple easily beat the Wall Street estimates. Recording revenue of $26.7 Billion in the first quarter of 2011 with earnings her share of $6.43. During the quarter Apple sold 16.24 million iPhones (86% increase over last year Q1), 7.33 million iPads, 19.45 million iPods (a 7% decline over last year Q1), and 4.13 million Macs which is a 23% over the same quarter last year! Morgan Stanley analyst Kathy Huberty is estimated that Apple may sell 100 million iPhones and 40 million iPads in 2011. If you are an Apple stockholder like I am, this has to put a big smile on your face! That should be good enough for Apple to top Microsoft in quarterly profits for the first time in 20 years.

TiVo releases iPad app

Good news for TiVo users, there is an app for that...in the form of an iPad version. It acts as both a program guide and a remote so that is pretty cool. Let’s see if DirecTV can come up with something as cool for their users. It does require TiVo Premiere or TiVo Premiere XL box as well as a TiVo account to be of any use of course.

Tim Cook smack talks Windows and Android iPad wannabes

The more I hear from Steve Jobs stand in COO Tim Cook, the more I like him! He is willing to go toe to toe with Ballmer on smack talk. Here he refers to as the Windows tablet as big, heavy, and expensive and refers to the Android tablets as “scaled-up smartphones”. Keep it up Tim, I love it!

Apple and AT&T new deal great for consumer choice

Apple and AT&T have a new non-exclusive deal in place in the US which ends all exclusivity deals for the iPhone worldwide. So now Apple can offer the iPhone to any GSM and CDMA carriers in the US. Great news for T-Mobile, Sprint, CellularSouth, and other carriers. This is smart strategy for Apple as it will put it in a more competitive position against Android devices.

Giffords recovery and therapy includes an iPad

While we continually hear awesome news regarding the recovery of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, news last week that one of her doctors mentioned she is even able to scroll through an iPad makes it even more awesome! By having the ability to navigate through the functions of the iPad, it means her Fine Motor Skills are doing very well and she has since been moved to Houston for further treatment where her condition this week was upgraded to Good. We continue to pray for the full recovery of Congresswoman Giffords here at TupeloGeek Media.

Apple brings on former NSA analyst to head up global security

Apple has hired David Rice to be Director of Global Security starting in March. Previously Mr. Rice has worked at the National Security Agency as a Global Network Vulnerability analyst and for the Navy as a Special Duty Cryptologic officer. This will help Apple as it addresses security concerns with enterprise clients.

Verizon dangles the unlimited data carrot to iPhone 4 switchers, $20 hotspot tethering plan

So this is how Verizon will persuade users to upgrade or switch over to the iPhone 4 next month. For a limited time, Verizon will offer people buying the Verizon iPhone 4 the unlimited data plan. After that Verizon will indeed move to a tiered data plan similar to AT&T. In addition it also announced its Mobile Hotspot plan will be $20 per month with a 2GB data cap with each additional gigabyte costing $20. To counter the move of unlimited data plan, AT&T is quietly allowing users who once had the unlimited data plan but moved to one of their tiered data plans, is allowing users to switch back to unlimited data providing they had their iPhone prior to the June data plan change. This means if you got an iPhone with AT&T after June you are SOL...sorry! That being said, one analyst suggests Verizon could sell 19 million iPhones in 2011 alone.

iPhone and iPad extend lead over Android devices in Enterprise in 2010

Adoption of the iPhone and the iPad in the enterprise sector continues to do very well. Far outpacing Android devices while Windows mobiles devices decline in adoption according to Good Technology. Here are a couple of charts that puts things into perspective.





Pretty impressive if you ask me! I really love that Windows Mobile is imploding, payback is a...oh wait got to keep it clean here. ;)

The Daily to launch within weeks

James Murdoch, Chief Executive of NewsCorp in Europe and Asia and son of Rupert has stated that The Daily digital periodical for the iPad will be available in the US within the next 2 weeks initially followed by launches internationally, in addition he confirms it will cost 99 cents per week on a reoccurring subscription something that will be rolled out as part of the iOS 4.3 update.

Next gen iPhone and iPads supporting NFC?

Although slow to rollout in the US, the idea of Near-Field Communications is starting to catch on. Basically allowing a user to pay for items by a wave of their mobile device, the feature maybe built into the next generation of iPad and iPhone devices. This might be something I personally might use depending on the security of NFC when making a purchase such as what would happen if someone got a hold of my device and decided to go on a shopping spree? Something to consider.

Apple App Store approving 4.3-compatible AirPlay third party apps

Looks like the App Store is approving third party developers apps that take advantage of AirPlay. Hmm could Netflix and Hulu Plus app updates be not too far behind?

iOS App Reviews

So this week I thought I would focus on some fitness and health related apps as I know a lot of people have that at the top of their New Years Resolution list.

Lose It! (FREE) - This is a great app for tracking your calories! It allows you to enter in your exercise routine and your food intake so you know just where you stand on your daily calorie cap so you can hit your target weight loss goals. I am on a 2 pounds per week plan so I can hit my goal in 39 weeks.

RunKeeper Pro (FREE until end of January) - RunKeeper has an outstanding app to enter in your workout routine so you can see how your are doing on your workouts. It is usually $9.99 but if you get it this month it is FREE! Don’t let the name fool you though, it is not just for runners but also walkers and people using equipment at fitness centers too.

CalorieCounter by ShapeUp Club (FREE) - Another good calorie tracking app is CalorieCounter by ShapeUp Club. I have both Lose It and CalorieCounter as I haven’t decided which one works best for me. I will follow up with my decision soon but they are both good apps.

Nike+ GPS ($1.99) - Of course there is the Nike+ system which relies on the sensor in your shoe for records but Nike also has a GPS related app that is similar to RunKeeper Pro and cheaper on regular price by $8.

Well, that should give you a running start on fitness apps for the new year. That is going to do it for this extra packed issue of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week for another edition of all things Apple!

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!!!

AppleTalk Thursday #4

Hey everybody and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday. We have a bit of Apple news to discuss this week so let’s get right into things.

Mac App Store is Here

Of course hours after last week’s AppleTalk Thursday went out, Apple rolled out the Mac App Store as part of the 10.6.6 update. Among the notable apps is Angry Birds and Flight Control HD which are popular games on the iOS devices and the Twitter app (formerly Tweetie). They also are selling the iLife (3 of them anyway) and iWork apps, although the iWork apps are still the ’09 variety and not the updated iWork ’11. iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand each sell for $14.99 which if you add them up, come up to $45, a single license copy of iLife ’11 sells for $49 in optical media format but you can actually install the apps on the Mac App Store on multiple computers so if you add in the Family Pack cost of $79 you are getting quite a deal. Pages, Keynote, and Numbers sell for $19.99 each compared to $79 for optical media single copy and $99 for Family Pack. Of course not all the developers have jumped on board yet, they maybe taking a wait and see approach. But I love it, it is like having one big software virtual mall. It also scans your other apps that you have pre-installed and will alert you to an update for it if that application is part of the store. Apple has reported it had 1 million downloads of apps in the first 24 hours of its launch.

Verizon gets the iPhone 4

I discussed this on Tuesday Tech Talk as it broke that day. I had quite a bit of information on it and you can find that post here. What has not been determined yet is the cost of the data plans from Verizon for the iPhone. One would think they would be the same as the data plans for their other smart-phones. But the fact they are throwing in a mobile hot spot device (MiFi) to connect up to 5 devices to it, is pretty sweet and reinforces Verizon’s confidence in their network where AT&T had to be dragged kicking and screaming to a still pricey tethering plan for the iPhone. Now comes word that the iOS 4.3 update will include mobile hot spot feature as part of the OS so clearly, Apple by teaming with Verizon can negotiate with AT&T from a position of strength for a more competitive tethering plan. The Verizon iPhone will go on sale on February 10th at Apple and Verizon store locations as well as their online stores. Also of note Verizon and Apple will sell a CDMA based iPad as well.

Microsoft fights Apple on “App Store” trademark

Microsoft being the crybabies they are (see Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer), have filed an objection with the US Patent & Trademark Office over Apple’s plan to trademark the term “App Store”. Hey Microsoft, it sucks to be dominated doesn’t it? In my opinion, Apple was the first to launch such a store way before Android and Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry so they should get the right. Be creative enough to come up with your own name losers..oh wait this is Microsoft we are talking about...they have no imagination!

Jobs and Murdoch to launch The Daily on January 19th?

The much rumored iPad only digital magazine The Daily is expected to be announced on January 19th in San Francisco. If it is anything like NewsCorp’s Wall Street Journal app for the iPad, then it would be well worth subscribing to at the 99 cents per week expected cost.

Apple eliminated restocking fees

Wow, first Best Buy and now Apple will be eliminating restocking fees according to an article from 9 to 5 Mac starting this past Tuesday. Not heard anything confirming this so take the article for what its worth.

AT&T and Apple lower price of 3GS iPhone to $49

If you just want to get an iPhone but don’t need the latest and greatest there is good news, both Apple and AT&T have dropped the price from $99 to $49 on the 8GB 3GS iPhone. So if you missed out on the Radio Shack and Best Buy offers, the deal is here to stay. iPhone 4 pricing remains the same though.

iOS App Reviews

Apple Remote (FREE) - If you have an AppleTV did you know that with the Apple Remote app you can control it from your iPhone or iPad? I have used both for controlling mine and I actually prefer it over the line of sight based remote that comes with the AppleTV. Course it can also play iTunes content from your Mac(s) while you are sitting in the recliner or pulling into the garage and pulling a nice prank on your unsuspecting significant other who thinks your Mac is possessed all of the sudden (Yes, I did this once.)

Goodreads (FREE) - If you are a user of Goodreads and have an iPhone, then this app is a must have! For those that don’t know, Goodreads allows you to share what books you are reading, have read or want to read with other friends that are book readers. Think of it as Facebook for book worms. So sign up for the service which is free and download the app. You can find me here to see what I’ve been or will be reading.

Green Bay Packers (FREE) - Ok so I am a bit bias here as Green Bay is my team in the playoffs right now being that my Chargers and Titans failed to make it this year. But this is a good model for how any sports team thinking about making an app should follow. Videos, schedule, injury updates, etc. it is all there.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Look forward to sharing more Apple related news with you here same time next week!

Tuesday Tech Talk #76

Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. A lot of stuff to cover with CES last week and the iPhone-Verizon announcement earlier today so I’m going to get right into it.

Verizon Gets the iPhone!

Yes, the big day a lot of people have wished for has happen! Earlier today Verizon and Apple announced the iPhone 4 will go on sale on February 10th at Verizon and Apple Store locations as well as online on their sites. Here is what we do know, the 16GB will have the $199 and 32GB will be $299 both with a 2 Year Contract (same as AT&T), however Verizon is throwing in a mobile hot spot device with the iPhone that can connect up to 5 devices...take that AT&T tethering! Also the CDMA based iPhone deal with Verizon is NON-exclusive so Apple has the freedom to allow other CDMA carriers in the US to carry the phone as well. Not sure if AT&T still has an exclusivity on GSM based iPhone’s in the US but I doubt they do which may be good news for T-Mobile. I would love to see the iPhone on many US carriers as possible as it helps in fighting off the Android and Windows Phone 7 for market share. If any more details come about, I will have more in AppleTalk Thursday.

MySpace lays off 47% of Workforce

Just announced today is the news that MySpace will layoff about 500 employees or about 47% of its workforce. I can’t say I am surprised, with Facebook finding more and more ways to innovate, MySpace is quickly falling behind in the battle of social network sites. They are owned by NewsCorp and one has to wonder just how much longer Rupert Murdoch is willing to hold onto this operation.

Facebook to go Public in 2012?

Although Mark Zuckerberg continues to deny it, an interesting article here hints at an April 2012 Initial Public Offering for Facebook stock. It would be interesting just to see what it would be valued at on a per share basis. Something rivaling Google I would think. Only time will tell though if this will happen. But in another interesting story, LinkedIn may become the first social media site to offer an IPO.

Ballmer: Windows 7 is an OS for all devices

Uh, no its really not! I really don’t need anything made from Microsoft in my personal tech ecosystem! I don’t use any of the Office products anymore (thanks Google Docs), I don’t know anyone that uses MSN Messenger so no use there either. At this point I am living Windows free and loving it so Steve take your operating system and stick it where the sun don’t shine...Redmond!

AT&T LTE Plans

AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega announced that AT&T will start to deploy its next generation LTE wireless network and capable mobile devices around mid-2011 (hey isn’t that when the iPhone gets updated?), with plans to have it completed by the end of 2013.

LG annonces SmartTV Upgrader

LG is getting into the battleground with AppleTV, Roku, and GoogleTV boxes that offer internet based services for your TV. Like the AppleTV, it has a similar shape and requires WiFi and an HDMI capable TV to connect to. No pricing mentioned in the article but I would say $99 would be the price as it is similar to the AppleTV.


Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Be back next week for another installment.

AppleTalk Thursday #3

Hello all and welcome to the first AppleTalk Thursday of 2011! Got a lot to get into over the last 2 weeks so let’s dive into it!

McAfee warns Apple users of viruses in 2009...2010...2011

Yeah, we have heard this before, a company who makes money by selling antivirus software warns of how the Mac will be targeted for viruses, yet the threat never materializes as compared to a company in the Pacific Northwest that makes an inferior OS. I have never bought an antivirus program for my Mac and don’t intend to start now. Go scare someone else McAfee!

iPhone maintains lead over Android and BlackBerry in the US

Despite what Apple haters and Andorra fanboys say, the iPhone is still king in America over the Android and BlackBerry smart phones. Yeah all that talk about the iPhone 4 antenna issue was overrated too. A recent story said it was the biggest tech disaster of 2010, I disagree...that belongs to GoogleTV IMHO.

Mac and iOS alternatives to Delicious

Concerned about Yahoo’s long term prospects? Yeah, you are not alone. MacWorld recently wrote a great article about alternatives to Yahoo’s Delicious service. I really don’t use Delicious, but I know many of you might so it might be worth checking out.

Skype brings video chat to iOS devices on WiFi AND 3G

To quote VP Biden, this is a pretty big @#$% deal! Skype has a lot of users and now if you are out and about with your iPhone, you can now Skype video chat with friends on other iOS devices or desktop clients of Skype and you can do it on 3G as well. Which begs the question, when will FaceTime support 3G? Yahoo also supports video over 3G and WiFi as well with its Messenger app. But Skype is a bigger deal as it is based on audio and video communication. If you have an iPod touch and in a WiFi zone you can also join the party, The iPad can view video but until it has a camera (which is rumored in the iPad 2), then you can only watch one way on it.

Verizon iPhone by Valentine’s Day

Yes, another rumor regarding the iPhone for Verizon, but again it is coming from a reliable source. The timeline makes sense too and this will only help Apple maintain the iPhone lead over the Android and BB throughout 2011 in the US.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. The rumored Mac App Store may arrive in time for next week so I will have a review about it. See you next week!

AppleTalk Thursday #2

Hello everybody and welcome to the second edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Just a quick note, I am taking a Christmas and New Years break next week so there will be no AppleTalk Thursday next week. With that said we got a lot to cover here so I’m going to dive right in!

iPad 2 Rumor Roundup

Lot of stuff out there on what might be in the upcoming iPad 2 so here is a quick rundown of rumors regarding the tablet. DigiTimes is reporting Apple has added 2 new touchscreen suppliers for the iPad. The article goes on to say that Apple is expecting to ship 6 million iPad 2’s per month. The Unofficial Apple Weblog explains that DigiTimes is hit and miss on rumors so only time will tell. Another source, a Japanese Mac blog named Mac Otakara states that it will sport a larger “wide-ranged-speaker” and a flatter backing to it similar to the new iPod touch. They have an image of the reported speaker as well. Again this is speculation and rumors, but here is the photo of what they claim is the new speaker.





Course the at this point it is a safe bet that the iPad 2 will sport both a front and back facing camera. Not sure if it will sport a Retina Display like the iPhone 4 does, but it would be nice if it did. But that is a run down of the latest iPad 2 rumors. Sounds like we could see it ship around February.

Apple TV News and Notes

Apple announced that this week it expects to sale its one millionth new AppleTV. For those that don’t have one, I can assure you it is worth the $99! We have enjoyed watching Netflix on it, renting movies from the iTunes store that are not available on Netflix yet (Inception and A-Team), and with AirPlay now out, I can stream Pandora from my iPhone and iPad to my stereo system. It also works with apps like iheartradio and TuneIn Radio as well. As long as you have an HDTV already and a broadband connection, then you are good to go with one. In addition, it has also been a boom to Roku sales as well. If you don’t have an HDTV but have RCA connections, then Roku is the way to go although it doesn’t have access to iTunes movie rentals and lacks AirPlay support, but it does have Hulu and MLB as apps among others. Another bit of AppleTV news is this story on how using Google’s public DNS address for your internet can hinder the AppleTV’s performance on iTunes movie rentals. Now this could be just a fluke, but if Google is doing this then isn’t Google breaking their own “Don’t be Evil” policy? Oh, maybe not. Then again maybe it is just sour grapes over the failure that is GoogleTV. Another interesting note is according to a DirecTV survey, they may soon offer their popular and exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket to AppleTV users. This would be huge if it were to happen!

Apple removes Unofficial WikiLeaks app from Store

This week Apple chose to remove the Unofficial WikiLeaks app. I agree with this decision, Apple is choosing to be a responsible party here in removing an application that supports a service that could cause severe harm to our troops overseas. If you still want the app I’m sure you can get it on the Android market next to the porn section which Apple also does not allow thankfully.

Verizon sees iPhone as “Essential to Future Success”

Continuing the long rumors of the iPhone to Verizon stories, comes this article on how Verizon which apparently has seen its Android unit sales decline, very much sees the iPhone as vital to sales and market share. This story kind of surprised me as I thought Android was going to take over the world according to what its proponents have been stating. Apparently the numbers just don’t add up in Verizon’s case anyway. Full disclosure, before I upgraded my 3GS to an iPhone 4 at Radio Shack, I did research the Android phones and was just not impressed in how it would relate to my Mac hardware such as syncing my iTunes music library and such. Plus their battery and network icons at the top of the screen just look tacky and not as smooth as the iPhone icons. Ok, I have said enough, I’m sure I am going to hear from the Android fanboys and girls out there now.

Sam’s Club selling iPhone 4 for $147

Well, if your reading this on Thursday or Friday and missed out on the Radio Shack deal, Sam’s Club is selling the iPhone 4 16GB model for $147 and the 8GB 3GS for $47. No word on the price of the 32GB model though. Hurry!

iWork ’11 to arrive in Early January?

Based on limited retail copies of iWork ’09 and the launching of the Mac App Store on January 6th, there appears to be growing speculation that iWork ’11 will make its debut as part of the App Store. This would certainly entice people to come check out the Mac App Store on launch day and maybe even buy some apps for their Mac. Sure makes sense to me.

Skyfire coming to the iPad

Yes, it is finally coming soon, Skyfire which allows you to view Flash content on the iPhone using its browser, will soon have a counterpart on the iPad. Should arrive any day now and sell for about $5. It will also have social network quick view for Facebook and Twitter updates.

iOS App Reviews

CNN iPad app (FREE) - CNN has launched an iPad only app. Of course it already offers an app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The view on the iPad app is very nice as you scroll down to view photos of stories with captions over them. Selecting on the photo opens the story up, it is like reading Flipboard almost in terms of how it displays.

MobileNavigator ($44.99 North America) - MobileNavigator recently updated their app to include some new goodies, among them is an iPad version, also Active Lane Assistant which gives a more accurate view of the road you are on in terms of lanes on the road. Also offers Travel and Restaurant guides via in-app purchases, and sharing favorites between iOS devices via email, and MyReport which allows you to leave feedback on a route that is no longer accurate on MobileNavigator which will allow it to be more responsive with map updates.

Flipboard (FREE) - Speaking of Flipboard, it has been updated to support Google Reader and Flickr. If you have never tried Flipboard then you really should. It is like reading your social media in a magazine form. Please note, this is an iPad only app though.

Voices 2 (99 Cents) - If you have ever tried Talking Tom Cat, then you will love this app. It gives you the ability to record your voice and then add about 26 different effects to your voice. My favorite is Max which basically makes you sound like Max Headroom.

Emoji (FREE) - This is a nice free app that allows you to add emoticons to your text messages. It was one of the first apps I added to my wife’s iPhone so she could insert the smileys she had on her old flip phone. It is very cool and for a free version, it includes a lot of icons to use.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday, A lot of news this week but you got 2 weeks to digest it all before another edition of AppleTalk Thursday on January 6th which will be the same date the Mac App Store launches. So now doubt we will have a bit more news then over the course of 2 weeks. See you then and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

AppleTalk Thursday #1

Hey everybody and welcome to the first edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Over the past year or so, I have written a blog called Tuesday Tech Talk. When it first started out, it was all things technology. But as Apple and Google continue to grow with exciting products, it began to dominate Triple T. Earlier this year, I launched Googling Friday to talk about all things Google related and now this will be the blog to talk about the Macintosh and iOS devices like the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad as well as the AppleTV. This I hope will allow Tuesday Tech Talk to focus back on general technology and even offer more time to things not Apple and Google. So, that is my intro, lets get down to business!

Verizon and iPhone Update

Yes, another week of Verizon and the iPhone uniting rumors. One source saying Verizon may get the iPhone as soon as after Christmas as part of Verizon’s LTE “4G” network. Although it is just a rumor, it also offered plenty of details and an analyst at Asymco states that Verizon really needs the iPhone to help catch up with AT&T in smartphone sales. I think it is only a matter of time before Verizon gets the iPhone, just a matter of if it will be in January or late June-early July when the iPhone 5 arrives with a dual chip capability to run on GSM and CDMA networks as well as LTE.

iPad Biggest Tech Winner of 2010 and other iPad News

Business Insider has named the iPad the Biggest Tech Winner of 2010. This is not a surprise at all, since it launched in April, Apple has sold over 10 million units. It will be interesting to see what the iPad 2 brings in the Spring or maybe even earlier. Also of note, the iPad is now available from Best Buy’s online store. In addition, it is quickly catching up to the Kindle as an ebook reader. I’m sure Amazon doesn't mind that though as it offers a Kindle ebook reader app for the iPad which is what I use to read books with.

MobileMe to get a lot Better Next Year says Jobs

In response to an email regarding MobileMe,Steve Jobs stated that the service will be even more better in 2011. This has me curious enough to go ahead and continue for another year on the service.

Verizon FiOS coming to Mac and iOS in 2011

Verizon announced they are working on a Mac and iOS application for their FiOS TV service. It will require a Verizon internet connection, but they hope to have it launched in the early half of 2011. Are you listening DirecTV?

Google Voice updated to support iPad and iPod touch

On Tuesday Google updated its Google Voice application to support iPad and iPod touch devices. It has an option called Click2Call which you can choose which phone to ring to call out to.

Well, that is going to do it for this first edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Next week I will add some app reviews. See you next week!

Tuesday Tech Talk #64

Greetings everyone and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Please excuse the late edition this week, I had some lower back pain that made it difficult to sit in a writing position for an extended period of time. The good news is I am much better now and Phillip Rivers I am not apparently when throwing around a football on a beach. So with that in mind, we have a lot of tech news to catch up on.

iPhone to Verizon...No, Seriously This Time

So I have tried to stay away from the whole “when is the iPhone coming to Verizon” chatter in this space because quite frankly it was a whole lot of rumor and speculation from less than credible sources. But now we have the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times saying that in fact, Apple is preparing a CDMA based iPhone for Verizon in the early part of next year. To add further credibility, Verizon brick-and-mortar stores will start selling the iPad on October 28th in conjunction with MiFi mobile hot spots.

So what does this mean for me personally? Well, my contract with AT&T expires in June which is right around the time of the 5th gen iPhone which no doubt will sport a GSM and CDMA-based models. I will let my contract run out and then decide at that time who to sign up with. Verizon no doubt has better coverage but the drawback of CDMA is you are not able to access data and voice at the same time...that is a major issue for me. If they can work out that issue, then it is a no brainer, I will sign up with Verizon whom I had when I lived in L.A. and Nashville before moving to Tupelo where at the time Verizon didn’t have coverage until they bought Alltel in 2008. Not to mention that as of right now, Verizon still offers an unlimited data plan to new customers where AT&T does not (I am grandfathered in with them on that right now). So that is my take on the Verizon iPhone talk, what do you think?

Apple “Back to the Mac” event

Next Wednesday, Apple will be hosting a Mac based event on its campus. Speculation is we will see iLife ’11 and iWork ’11 make their debut along with possible upgrades for the MacBook Air and a sneak peak at OS X 10.7 (Lion). I will either delay Triple T next week or have a special blog about the event on Wednesday.



Steve Ballmer Speaks Idiot Again

Every time Baldo Ballmer says something stupidity comes out. Yes, Steve it is true the Microsoft brand does mean something to users...CRAP! Even fertilizer can have a brand Steve, doesn’t mean I want to smell it just the same as a lot of people don’t want to use Windows but have to because of a backwards thinking business culture.

iPad All time fastest selling gadget

Speaking of fat Dr. Evil, this will not make him a happy camper. Yeah, how many Kin’s did you sell again Steve?

Facebook introduces Group Chat

Facebook has announced a new feature called Groups. It allows you to create a group of friends to share posts of common interest. For example, I can create a group called Football to basically post all my NFL and College football updates in and it would only be viewable to people that also like football. I really like this new feature and can’t wait to use it.

This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch/iPad apps

GetGlue (FREE) - This new social media app allows you to share just what your watching, reading, playing, listening to, wine your drinking, or topic you are thinking about. Also has an iPad version.

Tango (FREE) - So you don’t have an iPhone 4 or the newest iPod touch for FaceTime? Well no problem Tango is here. It even allows you to use a 3G connection too. Course if you have an iPhone 3GS or earlier it does make it hard to chat without the front facing camera, but I am willing to try it.

Angry Birds HD($4.99)- I have heard Fr. Roderick and others talk about this game for the longest time but never tried it...until now. Boy is this game both fun and a major time suck. No I mean it really is, I was playing it until 4am last night and only stopped because my iPad battery drained and had to recharge it. This is crack on an iPad. Oh yeah, there is an iPhone/iPod touch version for 99 cents too. No, I am not buying that version cause then I would really have no life.

PlainText (FREE) - This is great for making quick notes while on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. It also syncs with your DropBox account too. I use it to make notes for my blog without using my BlogPress app.

Justin.tv (FREE) - If you want to live video stream right from your iPhone, then you should check this out. I have tried uStream’s app and found it to crash or not work, but Justin.tv works like a snap and it is easy to find anyone that is streaming live on Justin.tv, on your iPhone as well. With uStream it only list the “popular” streams. In addition, my live chat room stream is now Justin.tv based.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. See you all next week for news from the Apple event.

Tuesday Tech Talk #56

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. I have quite a few things to talk about this week and not all of them are Apple related so hope you enjoy!

Google Wave shutdown

Google announced last week it will be ceasing updates to Google Wave and will shut it down at the end of the year. For those that don’t know, Google Wave is a online collaboration web application that had a lot of buzz initially but faded fast. I haven’t used it in months.

Android update

There appears to be an update on the way to the Android OS in early September. While I’m on the subject of Android, I’m not getting into the whole iPhone vs Android “battle” anymore. You have 2 great mobile OS’s that are NOT using Windows and that is a win for almost everyone.

Microsoft Office for Mac release date

Microsoft has finally set a release time for Office 2011 for Mac. It will become available in late October and will be available in 3 flavors. A Student & Home edition for $119 which will include Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Messenger, a Home & Business edition for $199 ($279 for a 2 computer install) that will include all the above plus Outlook, and an Academic version for $99 that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Messenger but will only be available in authorized academic channels and from Microsoft directly.

Verizon to get iPhone in January?

Stop me if you heard this one before. According to a source Apple has apparently ordered millions of Qualcomm CDMA chips from a January launch. What I don’t understand though and correct me if I’m wrong but the CDMA doesn’t allow you to both talk and use data at the same time so to me a CDMA based iPhone would lack the feature found in the GSM based iPhone available from AT&T. Personally I would love to see it happen, this is America and the iPhone should not be tied down to a single carrier.

Google now allowing switching between multiple accounts

If you happen to have more than 1 Google account, you can now switch between them without having to log out and log in. Yes I do admit, I have 2 Google accounts. Why? Because their free and why not.

Bill Gates on the future of education

Bill Gates has some interesting ideas on how in the future the dynamic of learning will be turned on its head. No longer would there be an X amount of students in a classroom, instead students for free will be able to watch lectures online. He envisions higher learning as not place based and how no matter how you learn you should get credit for it i.e., watching an online lecture.

This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch/iPad apps

Instapaper ($4.99) - This app which works for both the iPad and the iPhone and iPod touch allows you to read stories you choose to read later off websites. The cool thing about it is you can read them while offline. Here are a couple of screenshots.

Vonage Mobile for Facebook (FREE) - This awesome app allows you to talk for free with other Facebook friends who have the app on their iPhone, iPod touch, and Android devices (iPad coming soon). I tried it out with my friend Dave in California and the quality was excellent! Dave lives in an area where his 3G is not the best so a lot of times his calls will drop or fade but with the WiFi connection on the Vonage Mobile app it was excellent. Which leads to my next point with Vonage and Skype having apps for the iPhone, how soon until Apple allows the Google Voice app into the store?

CellTower ($2.99) - This handy little app will show on a map the nearest cell towers to you and who owns them. So if you are ever in an area with low bars, now you can find out why that is.

Friendly ($3.99) - This is a nice iPad based Facebook browser. Although for the price I would like to see a few more features like chat and attaching links with a status post. That being said there is a 2.0 version coming soon so hopefully it will offer such features.

TuneIn Radio ($1.99) - My friend Jeremy was telling me about this app. It allows you to listen to radio stations all over the country on your iPhone or iPod touch. It also allows you to record them within the app as well.

Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Triple T. Tune in Friday for another Googling Friday post about all things Google. Take care!