Category: Technology

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Technology

T-Mobile May Have Lied About Their New “Un-Carrier Plans”

Did you all read the fine print? Yea, I’m talking to all you folks who switched network when T-Mobile came out with their new “un-carrier” plan. Did you read the fine print?

Well I didn’t. When they advertised the end of the “two-year contract,” I was one of many who left my carrier and switched to T-Mobile. My contract with my old carrier (Verizon), was already over and I was actively shopping around. T-Mobile’s new no contract program was all I needed to sign up. And I’m happy.

Verizon is known for its service. And for the most part, I was able to get that service whenever I travelled nationwide. But for that service, you’re going to dish out some cash. And I quite frankly got tired of all those years of dishing. The un-carrier, no contract plans offered by T-Mobile got me.

And now this.

T-Mobile USA’s “radical” service plans promising no annual contracts aren’t quite as radical as consumers might think, and the mobile operator will change its advertising and offer refunds in a settlement with the state of Washington.

On March 26, the fourth-largest U.S. carrier introduced a series of new service offerings, including no-contract monthly plans and a program that let customers pay for a new phone over the course of 24 months. In unveiling the plans, T-Mobile thumbed its nose at rival mobile operators, calling the new offerings “uncarrier” plans that would free the company and its customers from the constraints of conventional service agreements.

Now the company has agreed to clarify a few things in that pitch after an investigation by the Washington Attorney General’s Office. Specifically, T-Mobile didn’t tell potential customers who bought phones on time that they would have to keep T-Mobile service for 24 months or pay off the rest of the phone’s full price when they canceled the service, said Paula Sellis, an attorney who handled the case in the Attorney General’s Office. The fine-print disclosures that T-Mobile did offer were hard to understand, she said.

“You had to dig very deeply to understand what the terms of the program were, and you had to put two and two together,” Sellis said on a conference call on Thursday.

T-Mobile ads that promised “no restrictions,” “no annual contract”, and no requirement to “serve a two-year sentence” actually only covered plans with no phone included, the Attorney General’s Office said. To get those plans, consumers would have to bring their own phone or pay full price at the time of purchase.

“In our view, those advertisements were quite deceptive,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said.

In a statement on Thursday, T-Mobile stood by its ads.

“As America’s Un-carrier, our goal is to increase transparency with our customers, unleashing them from restrictive long-term service contracts — this kind of simple, straightforward approach is core to the new company we are building. While we believe our advertising was truthful and appropriate, we voluntarily agreed to this arrangement with the Washington AG in this spirit,” T-Mobile said.

It’s kool. I’m okay with this. My monthly bill is half of what I paid with Verizon and I have a great phone. I am not upset with the fine print. I will save some money each month and I will use it to pay off for my phone before the two years are up.

Yep! This is what I call Freedom. 🙂

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Technology

Google Glass: Snap A Photo By Blinking

Google is really showing us what technology is all about. I bet it never occurred to you that blinking could capture a picture of what you’re looking at?

The code, discovered by Reddit user Fodawim, suggests users will be able to use their eyes, fingers, and head to accomplish various tasks. For example, a “head wake” function, listed in the code as a head gesture, could turn Glass on or off. An eye gesture called “wink” could be used to take a photo or calibrate the device. And there’s a “guest mode,” suggesting you could share your glasses without also sharing the pics you’ve snapped using wink.

Google unveiled Project Glass in April, 2012. It has since been spotted on random Googlers (including Google cofounder Sergey Brin) in the wild and has been offered to select members of the public through its #IfIHadGlass campaign. Google Glass should be widely available in 2014, a time frame reaffirmed by Google’s Eric Schmidt in a BBC 4 radio interview today.

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Technology

Hands on with the Retina-like Toshiba Kirabook

If the bulk of current evidence is to be believed, there’s a sweet spot in laptops right now around $799 to $999, where nearly any PC maker seems to be able to produce a slim, touch-screen laptop with an aluminum body running an Intel Core i5 CPU and a 128GB SSD.

Operating at the upper end of the laptop category is much more difficult, and very few brands have been able to create products that can successfully sell for $1,500 to $2,000. Apple is a rare exception, and if you’re pitching a laptop that costs as much or more than a comparable MacBook, that’s what we would describe as a bold move.

(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)

Toshiba, long a well-known brand in that midprice space, has thus far relied on its multimedia Qosmio line for more expensive laptops. But, these have been large desktop-replacement-style laptops, with big, bulky bodies, discrete graphics cards, and even 3D displays. While often a good value considering the high-end hardware inside, these systems are a far cry from the slim, premium ultrabooks that style-savvy consumers may be willing to pay more for.

To break into this high-end, high-style category, Toshiba is launching a new product line called Kira. The first product in that line is a 13-inch laptop called Kirabook. This is a 13-inch ultrabook, with high-end features that rival — and in some cases beat — anyone else in the market.

The Kirabook’s biggest selling point is its high-res screen. Far beyond 1,920×1,080, this is instead a 2,560×1,440-pixel-resolution display (called PixelPure), putting it firmly in the territory of the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Of course, that also includes MacBook-Pro-like prices, with the Kirabook running from $1,599 to $1,999.

(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)

Surprisingly for a 2013 luxury laptop, some models will offer touch screens while others will not. As of our recent hands-on briefing with the Kirabook, the base $1,599 model will not include a touch screen, but one will be available as a $100 upgrade. Will anyone spend $1,599 on a non-touch-screen laptop? Perhaps — Apple buyers do it all the time. But, what works for Apple doesn’t always translate to other brands (case in point: Dell’s Air-like Adamo laptop).

Another big selling point is the magnesium body. Using magnesium instead of aluminum saves weight and still provides great strength, and the Kirabook weighs a enviable 2.6 pounds. Toshiba is also including upgraded service and support (including a two-year warranty and U.S.-based 24-hour phone support) to help sweeten the deal.

In our brief hands-on time with the Kirabook, it certainly was thin and light, and it felt physically very well put-together. The high-res screen looked amazing when playing native resolution video content — as it would on a Retina MacBook Pro or Google Pixel Chromebook.

(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)

But, aside from the display, the rest of the system has a premium, but not necessarily luxury, feel. The magnesium body was finished so that it looked a lot like Toshiba’s less-expensive laptops, such as the excellent Satellite U845t ultrabook, which has a Core i5 processor and 128GB SSD for $799. Those two systems aren’t identical, but the Kirabook, while nicer, certainly doesn’t look like it costs twice as much.

Put another way, after seeing it and hearing the specs, we took guesses at how much the Kirabook would cost — and we weren’t even close.

A handful of laptops have tried for this kind of premium pricing recently. The Acer Aspire S7 is one example, but it at least brought a radically eye-catching design to the table (and some versions are already down to about $1,000).

Still, it’s great to see more PC makers embracing higher screen resolutions, and Toshiba has a commendable knack for putting itself out there early on, pioneering everything from autostereoscopic 3D to affordable ultrabooks.

The Kirabook will be will be available for pre-order on May 3 and for purchase on May 12, through outlets including Amazon, BestBuy.com, B&H, and the Microsoft Store.

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Technology

Bell & Howell XCharger 2600mAh Power Bank with Multiple Adapters

 

Bell & Howell XCharger 2600mAh Power Bank with Multiple Adapters

$16.00 Our Price

$69.99 Retail

Select a color Bell & Howell XCharger

You rely on your electronics for just about everything. Without your phone, eReader, camera, and tablet, you would never show up anywhere on time, never manage to keep in touch with anyone, and would always be missing out on the latest information. Make sure you’re always connected and never miss a beat by packing this handy XCharger 2600mAh Power Bank along with you wherever you go. This amazing portable charger comes with multiple adapters that make it compatible with just about any device from iPhones, Android phones, and BlackBerry phones, to cameras, and more. It’s easy to use and comes in a compact size that is easy to carry with you on the go.

 

Want to know more?

• On-the-go charger for portable devices

• 2600 mAh • Multiple adapters to fit a variety of devices

• Charge your phone, camera, eReader, and more

• Comes fully charged

• Charging time: 4-5 hours

• Input: DC5V 500ma

• Output: DC5V 1000ma

http://nomorerack.com/daily_deals/view/312357?n=1729&pid=1&pc=58082

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Technology

T-Mobile Debuts The iPhone 5 For $99.00

T-Mobile USA Inc., the fourth- largest U.S. wireless carrier, began offering Apple Inc. (AAPL)(AAPL)’s iPhone for the first time today, providing the biggest showcase yet for its new installment-plan approach to selling phones.

Customers line up to purchase the Apple Inc. iPhone 5 from a T-Mobile USA Inc. retail location in New York. Photographer: Scott Eells/Bloomberg

Customers with good credit can buy the iPhone 5 for $99.99 down and 24 monthly payments of $20, the Bellevue, Washington- based company said, breaking from a tradition of subsidizing smartphones in exchange for two-year service contracts. T-Mobile also will take old iPhones as trade-ins for a new iPhone 5 with no down payment and a credit toward future bills.

The strategy “could resonate with customers,” Walt Piecyk, an analyst with BTIG LLC, said this week in a research note. At about $100, the upfront costs for an iPhone 5 through T-Mobile are lower than the $199 typically charged by rivals.

T-Mobile, a division of Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE), is counting on the Apple device to help reverse an exodus of subscribers. The company was the last of the four major U.S. carriers to get the iPhone, and T-Mobile has trailed competitors in adopting a speedier network standard called long-term evolution, or LTE.

h/t Bloomberg

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Politics Technology

You Thought The Note 2 Was Big? Take a Look At This Cell Phone

This new smartphone from Samsung comes eith a massive 6.3 inch screen. Makes the Note 2 look like child’s play.

The firm suggested its size made it ideal for watching videos or running two apps alongside each other.Samsung helped popularise the so-called “phablet” category – in which phones approach tablet dimensions – with its original 5.3in Galaxy Note in 2011.

That proved more popular than many expected, but one analyst suggested the latest device might be a step too far.

Samsung is marketing the Android-powered handset as having a high-definition screen – however, a spokesman was unable to confirm whether it supported 720p or the “full HD” 1080p resolution.

Another South Korean firm, Pantech, currently lays claim to offering the biggest “full HD” smartphone with its 5.9in Vega No 6 which was announced in January.China’s Huawei had previously boasted having the biggest largest-screened 720p smartphone with its 6.1in Ascend Mate.

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Technology twitter

The New Trend – Paying Big Bucks For Fake Twitter Followers

Remember during the Presidential campaign when we found out that Mitt Romney had thousands of fake Twitter followers? Now it seems the fake following is becoming a huge money-making industry in itself. Politicians, celebrities and average joes are all shelling out the cash to magically gain thousands, even millions of followers… fake followers that is.

Although a big following may look good on your profile, the big losers here are the real lovers of Twitter who use the social media to genuinely communicate with those they consider ‘friends.’ Twitter itself is also a loser, as their credibility now comes into question.

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Technology

Woman Finds iPad Stuck In Her Bumper – PIC

Have you seen this photo yet? I’m sure you have. The photo has gone viral with over a million and a half views online. It shows an iPad, lodged in the bumper of a car. The car owner had no idea that the iPad was there until her father pointed it out to her.

We’ll file this one under ‘Technology…’ We’re sure Apple is proud.

The video below explains…

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Entertainment Technology

A Few Days Late, But I Still Pay My Respects

Ladies and gentlemen, may I please ask for a moment of silence to remember a once great gaming publisher, Lucas Arts.

 

Alas this once mighty game developer and publisher has been shuttered a few months after being acquired by The Walt Disney Company. While their more recent of games, I’m looking at your Kinect Star Wars, showed this companies complete and total disconnection from their gaming community; Lucas Arts was once at the forefront of the gaming world and continually pushing out great games for one of the best known franchises in the world.

The Knights of the Old Republic quickly became a favorite amongst gamers

Lucas Arts was created by George Lucas in 1982 to serve as the video game development arm of his original company, Lucas Film. At first Lucas Arts developed games outside of Star Wars such as the Monkey Island series and numerous military based simulators. Though Star Wars wasn’t licensed by Lucas Arts until the 1990’s, it soon became the cash cow for the developer. This became the case so much that during the late 90’s and very early 2000’s, there were so many Star Wars games being put onto shelves. Though soon the age-old rule of “quality over quantity” began to kick in and by 2002 Star Wars game started to get hit hard with poor reviews throughout the gaming community. This all started to change though when in 2003 Lucas Arts worked with video game developer Bioware to create the amazingly well review Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This game was the launching point for not only a sequel but the new wave of modern 3D graphics combined with perfect story telling within a game and lastly a very intelligent role-playing game.

In 2004 Lucas Arts was given a new president, Jim Ward, who did a total reconstruction of the company’s infrastructure. Behind Jim Ward Lucas Arts produced some of it’s most well-known and best games to date. Leading this charge would be the great Star Wars Battlefront, which became the best-selling Star Wars game of all time at that point. Battlefront quickly spawned Star Wars Battlefront II in 2005 which was also met very positively by critics and gamers, such as myself, alike. From 2005 to 2008 the Lucas Arts continued to pump out successful games such as Star Wars Republic Commando, Star Wars Empire at War, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Between these amazing years for the Star Wars franchise, Lucas Arts continually scaled down its in-house developing and started to rely heavily on 3rd party developers, their relation with such companies was…unprofessional to say the least.

One of their best known release, Republic Commando never spawned a sequel though the community demanded it

Jim Ward left Lucas Arts citing personal reasons in 2008 and this marked the increasing decline of the once powerhouse publisher. A month before Jim Ward stepped down, Lucas Arts released Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II which was given mediocre reviews by most critics. Continuing this downward spiral, Star Wars: The Clone Wars-Republic Heroes was launched in late 2009 and once again was met with a barrage of negative reviews. In their darkest of years a small glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a big budget game and resurrection of a classic tag; In late 2008 Star Wars: The Old Republic was announced and in production at Bioware studios. This game was supposed to be a big boost to the failing Lucas Arts, sadly The Old Republic did not give the lift needed for them. On the day of it’s launched the game faced horrific installation problems on its first day out coupled with game crashing bugs and glitches; This was the final nail in the coffin for Lucas Arts. Between 2010 and 2012 numerous key people left and layoffs hammered the company to a shell of its former glory. On October 30, 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucas Arts for a sum of $4.05 billion. At first rumors spread of current in-house and under development games, such as the eye brow raising Star Wars 1313, were put on hold and moved behind other more important projects. Sadly on April 3, 2013, Disney confirmed the shuttering and immediate closure of Lucas Arts and the cancellation or exporting of any current projects.

The beautiful Star Wars 1313 trailer was shown once and soon after the project was cancelled

I am saddened by the news of Lucas Arts and it’s closure to say the least. The games they produced during their glory days were some of the best I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Perhaps though they had it coming to them. Sadly they never did listen to the gaming community on what we wanted, as we never saw Star Wars: Republic Commando 2 and the much beloved Star Wars Battlefront III never did see the light of day. On top of that Lucas Arts continually bullied 3rd party developers into releasing poor games or making poor financial decisions. Maybe then, it’s best a company that’s last Star Wars game was entitled Kinect Star Wars is buried and laid to rest.

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Technology

New Developments in Google vs Apple Mapping Technology Competition

We all remember how surprising Apple’s decision last year to remove Google Maps as the default iOS Map was. We also remember the widespread criticism that followed, due to user non-satisfaction with Apple’s newly released Map. Well, this may have been just the beginning of a “war” for the dominion of the mapping technology market. In fact, on May 4 2013, the US Patents Trademarks Office published Apple’s new patent “3D Position Tracking for Panoramic Imagery Navigation” which describes a product similar to Google’s street view technology.

Two major  differences with Google’s street view seem to be:

  1. The use of mobile devices integrated sensors to navigate at street level allowing users to physically move the device up/down/left/right in order to virtually turn at street corner, enter/exit building, move up or down streets, etc.
  2. The possibility to expand the panorama by using more than one adjacent devices simultaneously. As it reads in the patent text: “For example, two adjacent electronic tablets can be arranged in a variety of portrait/landscape configurations. […] Although the overall layout is consistent, the relative orientations of the tablets to each other allow for a rich interaction, such as filtering, layering information, navigation information visualization, etc. Additionally, a 3D layout of multiple devices enables observing occluded or interior information. Some of the devices can be static while others can be moving .”

The publication of this patent follows the recent acquisition of WifiSLAM by Apple last March. WifiSLAM is an indoor-GPS company that aims to make indoor location as accessible as possible using integrated sensors and existing indoor Wi-Fi signals. The appropriate use of these technologies combined allows WiFiSLAM to pinpoint users’ indoor location more quickly and more precisely than what GPS alone could accomplish.

Even though we have no clue about when these technologies will be incorporated into Apple’s current Maps, this new patent (along with the recent acquisition of WifiSLAM) suggests that Apple is actively working on its mapping product and willing to get the competition to a new level. Google has dominated the mapping technology market for over 7 years, and, as one might has predicted, Apple will do nothing but improve its Maps and probably catch up with Google Maps… unless Google has some mind-blowing tricks in store. We shall see!

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Technology

The Sony Xperia Z Cell Phone Works UnderWater – Video

Sony is taking it to a whole new level, a level everyone expected to be pioneered by Apple, but Sony is leading the way. This is why I love Android. No hit to Apple products or Apple users, but Android devices and developers are showing why they must be recognized and reckoned with.

Here is another huge step forward for Android. A Sony cell phone capable of working and recording a fantastic video both on land and in water.

The Sony Xperia Z is definitely a must have!

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Technology

The Best Universal Remote Control On The Market – PIC

I’ve been in the market for another universal remote control over the last few weeks. And that’s how I came to find this unit. So in an effort to share, I’m passing along this bit of info to all my tech-heads on the internet.

This is, by far, the best Universal Remote Control on the market… and it’s cheap too!

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