Archive | March, 2011
Google Gives Gmail Smart Labels
When I first tried the clutterbusting Gmail feature known as Priority Inbox last August, I wasn’t sure what to think of it. It took a couple of months of patient use, but I got hooked. And now Google is introducing a related feature called Smart Labels, which automatically figures out if particular messages are bulk mailings, forum missives, or notifications. As TechCrunch’s Jason Kincaid notes, Hotmail introduced something similar months ago–but it’s still good to see it land in Gmail. (It’s currently a Labs feature, which means you’ll need to enable it.)
Cloud Save Comes to Playstation Plus
9. March 2011
Playstation Plus subscribers will soon be able to trust their precious game save files to the Internet as well as a hard drive.
Sony is adding Cloud Save to the Playstation 3 on Thursday. The feature provides Playstation Plus subscribers with 150 MB of online storage for up to 1,000 save files. This allows users to load their game progress on other PS3s — for example, unlocked costumes in Street Fighter IV — or just keep their files online for peace of mind. The feature will be available for most existing and all future PS3 games, and supports game saves that can’t be transferred by physical media due to copy protection.
Sorry, Two Operating Systems Aren’t Better Than One
9. March 2011
Leo Apotheker, HP’s new CEO, says that in 2012, every HP PC will run the company’s WebOS operating system–presumably in conjunction with Windows in most cases, although no details are available just yet. ViewSonic has an Atom-powered ViewPad that dual-boots between Android 1.6 (a version so old that I’ve forgotten what its dessert-themed codename was) and Windows 7. Lenovo continues to demo its Windows laptop that lets you pop out the screen and use it as an Android tablet. Other companies are also working on split-personality, multiple-OS computers. More than one of the hardware makers that are doing this is using the phrase “the best of both worlds” to explain why it makes sense for one device to run two operating systems.
Is it just me, or is this a profoundly lousy idea?
The Troubling Thing About Twitter’s New Quick Bar
9. March 2011
Something’s bothering me about Twitter for iPhone’s obtrusive, but now somewhat less obtrusive Quick Bar. It’s not the principle of adverising — ads put the bread on my table, too — or even the unavoidable placement at the top of the screen.
It’s the fact that Twitter is willing to be so obtrusive in the first place.
Doing the iPad 2 3G Pricing Math
9. March 2011
AppleInsider has a good breakdown of the pricing differences for wireless service on AT&T and Verizon’s versions of the 3G iPad–as well as fo iPhone tethering, which may be a better deal for many folks.
Showdown: Chrome (Beta) vs. Firefox 4.0
9. March 2011
With new versions scheduled to be released for these two popular web browsers, many of us are rethinking where our loyalties lie. Should we go with the Google Chrome (Beta) or Mozilla Firefox 4.0? Is it worth the upgrade, or is it time to try something new? Here’s a list of the new and upgraded features to make your decision easier.
Release Date:
Google Chrome (Beta): Beta version available; Those using Chrome will be updated soon.
Mozilla Firefox 4.0: Web and mobile browser expected mid-to-late March. [NOTE: A beta version is available.]
Point Goes To: Chrome. It’s available now, and we all know what happens with tentative dates.
Beware of Knee-jerk iPad 2 iLine Analysis
8. March 2011
In what has become somewhat of a spectator sport among tech pundits, a good deal of line watching will be done this Friday as the iPad 2 launches to the masses. This time however, it’s going to be a little more difficult to judge just how big the launch of this device iis.
Why? Simple answer: distribution. Demand for the original iPad was pretty simple to gauge because it was only available through the Apple Store and most Best Buy stores at its launch. Thus analysts had a much easier time seeing just how successful of a launch the iPad was.
This time? Not so much. In what is the widest launch of an Apple mobile device outside of the iPod, the iPad will be available across a wide range of retailers on 5pm Friday. In addition to the aforementioned locations, the device will be available at Wal-Mart, Target, and most AT&T and Verizon stores.
Let the Xbox 720 Speculation Begin!
8. March 2011
Eventually, there will be new video game systems, but in the midst of an unusually long product cycle, Microsoft has avoided leaving any clues.
That changed with a few job ads, posted on LinkedIn by Microsoft. The company is seeking engineers and a graphics hardware architect for “next-generation console architectures from conception through implementation.” In other words, Microsoft is starting to work on the Xbox 720 — or whatever it may be called.
As for the other console makers, Sony has said that it’s not even thinking about next-generation game consoles. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said the company doesn’t necessarily have to release a Wii successor this year, despite some very old rumors to the contrary.
Microsoft, of course, isn’t commenting, and the job posting is no epic reveal. It’s not even surprising given that Microsoft is in the business of making video game consoles. But it marks the beginning of what will surely be a trail of rumors and speculation, and it should be fun to watch.
Overage Fees Are Good For You, Says the Wireless Industry
8. March 2011
Call me crazy, but I almost believed a study on “bill shock” that landed in my inbox today, despite being commissioned by the Wireless Communications Association International trade group.
Bill shock refers to the high charges that occur when you use more cell phone minutes than your plan allows. According to the study, conducted by Recon Analytics and based on a Nielsen Company survey, only 0.3 percent of U.S. wireless customers would be better off moving to a bigger bundle of minutes — totaling $120 or $240 per year depending on carrier — instead of paying occasional overage charges.
I agree that most people who pay an occasional overage are better off that way, but here’s where things get silly: The study concludes that because overage charges are beneficial to most people, the FCC shouldn’t enact safeguards against bill shock, such as notifying customers when they’re about to exceed their monthly limit of minutes. If you read the actual study, this is a logical leap based on conjecture.
SK Telecom to Carry CDMA iPhone
8. March 2011
Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom said Tuesday that it would carry the CDMA version of the iPhone 4 beginning on March 18, according to a press release. The announcement puts the device in front of another 24+ million customers across Korea.
SprinT-Mobile?
8. March 2011
Bloomberg’s Serena Saitto, Jacqueline Simmons, and Jeffrey (no relation) McCracken are reporting that Sprint and T-Mobile are in merger talks.
More on Twitter’s Iffy iPhone App
8. March 2011
That new version of Twitter’s iPhone app that I’m not so wild about? As Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle reports, Twitter is trying to fix it, or at least refine it. But Dwight also points put another aspect of the upgrade that’s really a downgrade.
Bizzy Wants You to Check Out Its New Feature: Check-Outs
8. March 2011
Local-information service Bizzy debuted last August–and it’s been evolving ever since. It started out as a guide to local businesses that hoped the local businesses would get involved. When that proved tougher than expected, it shifted its strategy to providing a Web-based recommendation engine for neighborhood spots. Then it brought those recommendations to the iPhone and Android.
Now Bizzy is building on its recommendations with a new feature for its iOS and Android apps it calls check-outs–a sort of flipside of check-ins as seen in FourSquare, Facebook, and innumerable other places. You check in when you arrive at a location, so your friends know you’re there; you check out when you’re ready to go and have formed an opinion you want to share.
Lenovo Launches Intel vPro ThinkPad Tablet PC and Ultraportable Models
7. March 2011
Lenovo has rolled out new ThinkPad Tablet PC and ultraportable laptop PC models based on Intel’s new second generation vPro Core processor, hot on the heels of Intel’s announcement on Monday of the speedier and more secure new chipset.
The new 12.5-inch X220T convertible tablet and X220 laptop will be available with second generation Intel Core and vPro Core chips. All i7 models will also offer USB 3.0 for faster data transfer, but the i5 and i3 models will be limited to USB 2.0, said Ross Compton, a Lenovo product manager, in an interview.
Aside from new processors, the new ThinkPads will also feature a revamped design revolving around changes to the display, touchpad, and latch.
Adobe Helps Turn Flash Into HTML5
7. March 2011
Flash vs. HTML5. HTML5 vs. Flash. Whatever your take on the respective merits of the two high-profile technologies for creating splashy Web content, you can’t deny that the rivalry between Adobe’s venerable Flash and the assortment of evolving open-source standards collectively known as HTML5 is intense.
But what if Flash could become HTML5?
Starting now–in certain limited instances–it can. First demoed at Adobe’s MAX conference last October, Wallaby is a free new app from Adobe using its AIR platform that sucks in Flash content created with the Flash Professional authoring software, then spits out an HTML5 version designed to work well in WebKit browsers.
Proof of An Unlocked Verizon iPhone
7. March 2011
Video has surfaced on YouTube apparently showing that just like its AT&T counterpart, the Verizon iPhone can be unlocked and used with other carriers. There isn’t a whole lot of detail, but a call to *228 (the CDMA programming number) shows that this iPhone 4 is definitely on the network, and successfully able to be programmed to run on Cricket’s network.
It was only a matter of time before this happened. I’m surprised it took this long!
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9. March 2011
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