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.
Showing posts with label iPhone 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPhone 4. Show all posts
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tuesday Tech Talk #72
Greetings everyone and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Quite a bit of news this week I want to share so lets get right into it!
I have an iPhone 4!
Out of the blue, I upgraded to an iPhone 4. Thanks to a week long promotion going on at Radio Shack, I was able to trade in my iPhone 3GS for a $125 credit toward an iPhone 4 which was also sold for $50 off the regular price. What this meant was I was able to walk out of the store with a brand new 32GB iPhone 4 for $125 instead of the regular $300 price, a $175 savings! But it gets even better, my wife who has had a flip phone for a few years now, purchased an 8GB 3GS for $49. Now the catch is obviously you have to be eligible for an upgrade with AT&T and you agree to a new 2 year contract.
So, how is the iPhone 4? It is great! I can FaceTime now with it, take HDR photos, and the Retina display is awesome! You really have to see an iPhone 4 in person to grasp just how rich the display is. A good test is to visit the New York Times website and close in on the “New York Times” banner and the detail of the font is spectacular! My wife really likes her first iPhone and loves that her Yahoo email comes right to her email now instead of having to login on the Yahoo website. It has been a bit of a learning curve for her, but she likes it a lot! Here is an HDR photo I took last night at Oby’s of our bread pudding dessert.
Yum!! So, if you are eligible for an upgrade from AT&T, you might want to check in at your local Radio Shack before Saturday.
Facebook Profile Facelift
So I watched 60 Minutes on Sunday night which I never do but Mark Zuckerberg was interviewed by Lesley Stahl and they hinted something new Facebook was working on, would be shown on 60 Minutes. Sure enough, they have given a whole new look to the Facebook profile page. To give you an idea, here is what mine looks like now.
So basically you enter in your key information and it spells out a nice summary of who you are. It also offers an expanded family tree for connections. Now in addition to spouse, brother, sister, mom and dad connections, it also offers uncle, aunt, cousins, niece and nephews. Interesting enough in-laws is still not an option so if you have a brother-in-law for example and want to add the family connection, you will just have to label them as a brother for now. So check it out, I happen to like it but your mileage may vary.
Google offers e-Books
Also announced yesterday, Google is now an e-book seller and offering reader apps for iOS and Android devices. Stay tuned for this Friday’s Googling Friday where I talk a lot more about the pros and cons of Google’s e-book reader app.
Mac App Store to launch Monday?
Apple may be preparing to launch their Mac App Store as early as this coming Monday. Apple did state during the OS X 10.7 Lion preview that they would launch a beta version of the Mac App Store within 90 days so this seems to fit into that timeline. If it does then we will have something to discuss here next week.
AirPlay coming to Safari and Third-party apps in 2011
Once again Steve Jobs fired off an email reply from his iPhone to someone that asked about AirPlay limitations on video from iOS devices to AppleTV. Jobs states that Apple hopes to add video features to third-party apps and Safari. This is great news for folks that use Netflix and Hulu Plus on their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad as they can then stream video to the AppleTV.
This Week’s iOS app Reviews
iMove ($4.99) - IF you have an iPhone 4 then you really should get this app. What it does is allow you to edit video shot on your iPhone 4, on your iPhone 4. I was able to put together a video overview of the Google Books reader app using my iPhone 4 and iMovie. You can find the video here!
Loopt (FREE) - Yes, another location based social networking app. I try them all folks and what I like about this one is it integrates with Facebook’s Places. So you tie your Facebook account into Loopt and whenever you check into a location using the Facebook app, Loopt will also show you at such place. You can also connect your Twitter account to Loopt as well.
Words with Friends (FREE) - Ok so there is also an iPad version as well. They also offer a paid version without advertising. Basically Words with Friends is Scrabble that you can play with friends and family. You will have to setup a username, but it is fairly easy to setup a game quickly with a friend. I have learned words I didn’t know existed and you can also chat with each other as well. It is a lot of fun.
Google Books (FREE) - As I mentioned earlier, Google is offering their own e-book reader app now (iPad version). The look and feel is similar to that of the Apple iBooks and Amazon Kindle app. On Friday, I will have more about it.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. See you all next week for another fixin’!
I have an iPhone 4!
Out of the blue, I upgraded to an iPhone 4. Thanks to a week long promotion going on at Radio Shack, I was able to trade in my iPhone 3GS for a $125 credit toward an iPhone 4 which was also sold for $50 off the regular price. What this meant was I was able to walk out of the store with a brand new 32GB iPhone 4 for $125 instead of the regular $300 price, a $175 savings! But it gets even better, my wife who has had a flip phone for a few years now, purchased an 8GB 3GS for $49. Now the catch is obviously you have to be eligible for an upgrade with AT&T and you agree to a new 2 year contract.
So, how is the iPhone 4? It is great! I can FaceTime now with it, take HDR photos, and the Retina display is awesome! You really have to see an iPhone 4 in person to grasp just how rich the display is. A good test is to visit the New York Times website and close in on the “New York Times” banner and the detail of the font is spectacular! My wife really likes her first iPhone and loves that her Yahoo email comes right to her email now instead of having to login on the Yahoo website. It has been a bit of a learning curve for her, but she likes it a lot! Here is an HDR photo I took last night at Oby’s of our bread pudding dessert.
Yum!! So, if you are eligible for an upgrade from AT&T, you might want to check in at your local Radio Shack before Saturday.
Facebook Profile Facelift
So I watched 60 Minutes on Sunday night which I never do but Mark Zuckerberg was interviewed by Lesley Stahl and they hinted something new Facebook was working on, would be shown on 60 Minutes. Sure enough, they have given a whole new look to the Facebook profile page. To give you an idea, here is what mine looks like now.
So basically you enter in your key information and it spells out a nice summary of who you are. It also offers an expanded family tree for connections. Now in addition to spouse, brother, sister, mom and dad connections, it also offers uncle, aunt, cousins, niece and nephews. Interesting enough in-laws is still not an option so if you have a brother-in-law for example and want to add the family connection, you will just have to label them as a brother for now. So check it out, I happen to like it but your mileage may vary.
Google offers e-Books
Also announced yesterday, Google is now an e-book seller and offering reader apps for iOS and Android devices. Stay tuned for this Friday’s Googling Friday where I talk a lot more about the pros and cons of Google’s e-book reader app.
Mac App Store to launch Monday?
Apple may be preparing to launch their Mac App Store as early as this coming Monday. Apple did state during the OS X 10.7 Lion preview that they would launch a beta version of the Mac App Store within 90 days so this seems to fit into that timeline. If it does then we will have something to discuss here next week.
AirPlay coming to Safari and Third-party apps in 2011
Once again Steve Jobs fired off an email reply from his iPhone to someone that asked about AirPlay limitations on video from iOS devices to AppleTV. Jobs states that Apple hopes to add video features to third-party apps and Safari. This is great news for folks that use Netflix and Hulu Plus on their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad as they can then stream video to the AppleTV.
This Week’s iOS app Reviews
iMove ($4.99) - IF you have an iPhone 4 then you really should get this app. What it does is allow you to edit video shot on your iPhone 4, on your iPhone 4. I was able to put together a video overview of the Google Books reader app using my iPhone 4 and iMovie. You can find the video here!
Loopt (FREE) - Yes, another location based social networking app. I try them all folks and what I like about this one is it integrates with Facebook’s Places. So you tie your Facebook account into Loopt and whenever you check into a location using the Facebook app, Loopt will also show you at such place. You can also connect your Twitter account to Loopt as well.
Words with Friends (FREE) - Ok so there is also an iPad version as well. They also offer a paid version without advertising. Basically Words with Friends is Scrabble that you can play with friends and family. You will have to setup a username, but it is fairly easy to setup a game quickly with a friend. I have learned words I didn’t know existed and you can also chat with each other as well. It is a lot of fun.
Google Books (FREE) - As I mentioned earlier, Google is offering their own e-book reader app now (iPad version). The look and feel is similar to that of the Apple iBooks and Amazon Kindle app. On Friday, I will have more about it.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. See you all next week for another fixin’!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday Tech Talk #53
Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Triple T. Excuse my absence last week, just had too many things in the hopper to get a post out. This week Apple held a press conference about the iPhone 4 so lets get right into things.
iPhone 4 bar issue
Apple held a press conference on Friday to discuss the signal and bar issue on the iPhone 4. Apple did announce the iPhone 4 has dropped more calls than the 3GS but it is less than 1 per 100 calls. They also announced that until 9/30, they are offering free bumpers for the iPhone 4 purchases and if you bought one already you get a refund. Also they are accepting iPhone 4 returns for full refund within 30 days of purchase. So if your not happy with your iPhone 4 then you have no excuses but for the most part this story is blown out of proportion.
AT&T and the free 3G MicroCells
Not only can you score a free bumper with your iPhone 4 purchase but you may also get a free 3G MicroCell tower from AT&T if your lucky enough to receive one of the golden tickets..err...I mean orange envelope with a letter stating so from the blue stripped Death Star itself.
MacBook saves late night!
So you have a popular late night talk show, your set to do a show and the set has a power outage affecting the control room and broadcast areas. What do you do? Well in Jimmy Kimmel’s case you whip out your MacBook and film the show using its webcam. Now that is genius! If it were Jay Leno or David Letterman they would just call it a day and put on a best of episode, but not Jimmy! Kudos to Kimmel for his creativity!
More thoughts on iPad
So it has been a few weeks since I have had my iPad and I continue to enjoy using it. Right now I am blogging from my MacBook but it is one of the rare times I am also using the MacBook lately. For the most part my MacBook is used to sync up my iPhone and iPad every few days but other then that it stays on my desk plugged in mostly.
Which leads me to my next point, what I would love to see in a blogging app for the iPad. I really want something that allows me to create a link simply by highlighting text and clicking a link icon to create a drop down link box that makes the text a clickable link and of course the ability to drop a photo in the blog post and resize it while writing it. That being said Mariner Software the makers of MacJournal is preparing an iPad version so hopefully my dream blogging app will be here soon enough.
The battery life is incredible on it. On average I can go 2 days without charging it with normal use. I enjoy using the NetNewsWire app for my RSS feeds and HelloTxt for posting my updates to Facebook and Twitter. HelloTxt also allows you to schedule a post much like HootSuite which at this time doesn’t offer an iPad version of its app but you can run the iPhone version on the iPad. But HelloTxt has won me over, I no longer use Ping.fm for my daily updates.
So those are my thoughts of the iPad so far and will continue to share more about going forward.
This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch/iPad apps
Navigon MobileNavigator ($49.99) - Yes, Navigon has at last got the update out for the iOS4 and with a nice price drop as well. Of course it now supports multitasking but it also has live weather updates and has a feature called CleverParking which shows you parking areas around your destination. I haven’t used it since the update since I haven’t been out of town to use it. But it is nice to take a call now or play Pandora on the iPhone without losing your directions.
Netflix (FREE) - This is the iPad version and I finally got around to using the features of it including watching the movie Moon on it. In-fact I even capture a screenshot while watching it.
Well that will do it for this edition of Triple T. See you all next week!
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