Shelly Palmer Daily Report

Google Fiber

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 02:02:28 +0000

I wasn’t exaggerating when I said recently that the Internet speed wars were beginning. Google has now entered the race by building their own fiber optic network, and its new service is light years ahead of Comcast and Verizon when it comes to speed and price. Google Fiber offers speeds of up to 1000 megabits or 1 gigabit per second for 70 bucks a month. Compare that to Verizon’s 300 megabits per second for 205 dollars a month and it sounds like a steal. Google Fiber will also offer TV service that comes with a Nexux 7 tablet, which will serve as the remote control. The combined Internet and tv package will cost 120 bucks a month. What’s the catch? It’s only available in Kansas City and is still considered experimental. Google hasn’t announced any official plans to expand the network but let Google Fiber serve as an example of the kind of service we all may have access to one day in the future.

Comcast Increases Internet Spees

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 02:06:06 +0000

In order to compete with Verizon Fios, Comcast has announced that it will increase Internet speeds in ten Northeast markets. Its new tier will offer download speeds of up to 305 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 65 Mbps. In case that sounded like gibberish, let me break it down for you. MBPS stands for megabits per second. Verizon’s top tier plan has download speeds of up to 300 megabits per second and costs 205 dollars per month, while Comcast’s fastest service will cost 300 dollars a month. Wondering if you need the speed? An average single user doesn’t really need more than 55 megabits. So unless you’re a family who connects to the Internet with several devices for several hours a day, you can probably skip the top speeds. Comcast also announced that if you’re a subscriber to Xfinity Blast or Xfinity Stream, your Internet speeds will be doubled at no additional cost. Looks like the Internet speed wars have begun.

Apple’s newest operating system, Mountain Lion, has finally arrived.

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 01:23:04 +0000

Apple’s newest operating system, Mountain Lion, has finally arrived. Let’s take a look at the new features it will bring to your Mac: Mountain Lion is more compatible with other iDevices than past operating systems. iCloud plays a much greater role, allowing for easy syncing of media, calendars and contacts. A few new apps let you sync messages, reminders and notes between devices as well. The new OS is more social too, with integration for both Facebook and Twitter and with multiplayer gameplay through the iOS Game Center. It also has a new notification center that pops up in the right hand corner and looks very similar to the notifications on iOS5. Safari gets a few updates too. A copy of Mountain Lion costs 19.99 at the Mac App Store and can be downloaded to multiple Macs after purchase, but you have to be running the latest version of Snow Leopard or Lion to install it.

Smaller iPhone Dock Connector

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:49:22 +0000

If you follow my blog, you’ll have read a post I wrote recently called Dear Apple – let me tell you where to stick your MagSafe 2 Plug. I wrote that blog after receiving my brand new, all singing, all dancing Macbook Air, only to find out that it has a new power adapter, rendering the 50 or so power supplies I have useless without a 10-dollar converter. Now it seems that something similar may happen with the new iPhone. Reuters is quoting two unnamed sources as saying that the next generation iPhone will have a smaller dock connector than the one that’s been used for iPods, iPhones and iPads for the last nine years. If you’ve been a loyal Apple, you’ve probably amassed a collection of accessories that will be useless with the new phone without a converter of some kind. I can think of only one group that will be happy with the news: accessory makers. But what will they do with all the unsold inventory?

Still not on Google Plus?

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:34:30 +0000

Still not on Google Plus? A lot of people aren’t, but maybe they should be. In a new survey that measures user satisfaction of social media websites, Google Plus came out on top, while Facebook’s score was at a record low. Google Plus’ growth has been slow since its debut in 2011. It currently has about 250 million users, while Facebook has over 900 million. But Facebook users are often left dissatisfied and confused by sudden changes in interface and privacy settings. Just because Facebook has been on top for a few years, doesn’t mean it will be on top forever. Remember MySpace and Friendster? Yeah, me either. In the end, it’s our friends that we’re addicted to, not any individual website. Google is betting that by providing a better user experience and better tools that eventually, Google Plus is where everyone’s friends will be. Give it a try and add the Shelly Palmer Digital Living page to your circles for more tech news.

Botnet Grum Down

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 06:34:40 +0000

It’s time to celebrate. Your inbox just got one step closer to being junk free. Computer security experts have taken down Grum, the world’s third largest botnet, that until now, was responsible for 18 billion spam emails per day, yep, that's Billion with a "B." The researchers responsible started by blocking the botnet’s command and control servers earlier this week, but Grum’s quickly recovered. As cyber-warfare goes, this was over pretty quickly. The good guys prevailed and eventually took down the new Grum's servers too. Those servers were in Panama, Ukraine and Russia, which until recently were all viewed as safe havens for this kind of activity. Instead of law enforcement authorities, technologists have started to take the lead in combating digital crime and that could start a pattern of more big take downs. There’s no guarantee that the Grum servers will stay down, but security specialists are hopeful. Let’s be thankful for what we have while we have it and rejoice in our cleaner inboxes.

AT&T Mobile Share

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 23:38:30 +0000

AT&T has announced that it will soon offer plans that allow customers to share data between devices. The new plans are similar to Verizon’s recently available Share Everything plan. Let’s compare: AT&T’s data plans start $10 cheaper than Verizon’s, at $40 for 1 gigabyte. Both plans charge a monthly fee for each device, but AT&T’s fee gets smaller as you add more data, while Verizon’s stays the same no matter what. AT&T offers a 20 gigabyte plan for $200 a month, while Verizon’s plan only go up to 10 gigs. But, Verizon’s plan provides more choices for users who use smaller amounts of data. Current customers are not forced to switch over with either company, but you’re probably wondering if you should. It all depends on your data usage and number of devices. If you have several devices, pay attention to their data usage in the next couple of bills to see if you’d benefit from the switch.

New CEO Marissa Mayer

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 04:22:47 +0000

Yahoo has named a new CEO, its fifth in as many years. Marissa Mayer, a former top executive at Google, has taken the reins at the struggling company, whose revenue has dropped steadily over the past three years. Much has been said about her gender and current pregnancy, but there’s really only one thing that matters: how is she going to save Yahoo? Though it still has a high number of users and is the 4^th visited site on the Internet, it has failed to innovate the same way that companies like Google or Facebook have, and remains without a distinct identity. Mayer was chosen for her background in engineering, user experience and product design and says she wants to focus on Yahoo’s strong franchises including, email, finance and sports. She says she also sees opportunity for big growth in its video broadband and mobile businesses. Will she succeed where so many others have failed?

Tablet Wars

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:36:20 +0000

If you were skeptical about the existence of the “tablet wars” before, there is no denying they are in full swing now. It’s widely agreed that Apple’s iPad trumps its competition but don’t count out Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 just became available and it’s rumored that a redesigned Kindle Fire will be available soon. They may just be making headway due to their smaller size and cheaper price. And let’s not forget about Microsoft, who announced its Surface tablet a few weeks ago. The device will run the yet to be released Windows 8 operating system and if you live in a Windows world, it may be the tablet for you. Though the iPad is still king, Apple is acting like it feels the heat – rumors are swirling that it has a tablet with a 7.85-inch screen in the works that is as thin as an iPod and will be sold for significantly less than $500.

Is the Internet making us crazy?

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:22:58 +0000

Is the Internet making us crazy? A recent article in Newsweek Magazine asks that very question and finds that increasingly, experts think it might be. Internet Addiction is at term you may have heard before, and next year for the first time, it will be included in the DSM, the guide that psychiatrists used to classify mental disorders. Though extreme, life-threatening cases are rare, studies have shown that the brains of heavy internet uses often resemble the brains of drug and alcohol addicts. Here’s the kicker: as little as 38 hours a week online can be considered heavy use. By that standard, almost everyone has something to worry about. In the past few years, we’ve begun to outsource our brains more than ever before and that behavior will only grow as devices get more affordable and more efficient. The way we approach everything from shopping to education will continue to change, so we’d better find a way to make it work.

Yahoo Usernames and Password Theft

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 06:45:49 +0000

Yahoo has confirmed the theft of over 450-thousand usernames and passwords. The information was posted online by a hacker group, who says it didn’t publish the list maliciously, but instead to highlight security holes in Yahoo’s servers. In a statement, Yahoo said the file came from its Contributor Network and therefore contains the information of not just Yahoo users, but some gmail, Hotmail, aol, Comcast and MSN accounts as well. It added that the compromised file was old and of the usernames posted, less than 5% of the Yahoo accounts had valid passwords, but did not mention anything about the passwords from the other services. If you’re a user of the Yahoo Contributor Network, best to change your password right away. Security company Securi has set up a site where you can check to see if your email was one of the ones leaked, but if you’re not sure it never hurts to change up your passwords.

Ouya

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:18:43 +0000

Two new Kickstarter records have been set by a project whose popularity has exploded since it was added to the site. The Ouya video game console became the fastest project to raise a million bucks and raised the most money ever raised on Kickstarter in one day. The low-cost, Android-based, open-source device intends to pave the way for independent game developers to get their games to your television screen. Kickstarter users seem to agree with that sentiment; the project is raising money so fast, if I say a number now, it will be inaccurate by the time my voice reaches your ears and it still has until August 9^th to raise more money. Gamers are hungry for a new system – it’s been several years since the release of a popular tv-based device and technology and gaming has advanced significantly since then. The console is expected to be available in 2013 and by pledging 99-dollars or more, you can reserve one for yourself.

T-Shirt Device Charger

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:24:20 +0000

Ever wish there was an easier way to charge your phone on the go? Well, one day, you might be able to charge your devices using only the shirt on your back. Scientists are working on a t-shirt with individual fibers that store electrical power. The scientists see that we are approaching a future where cell phones and computers are as flexible and thin as paper. So, they set out to create a charging method to match, where you could, for example, roll up your phone and put it in your pocket to charge. They started by taking a t-shirt and soaking it in a fluoride solution. Then they baked the t-shirt at a very high temperature. During the process, the fibers in the fabric converted from cellulose to activated carbon. Small parts of the fiber were then used as electrodes and were able to act as capacitors, which store electrical charges. Simple, right? And it’s environmentally friendly to boot.

Power Searching with Google

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:47:22 +0000

Did you know that you can filter Google image searches by color? Or, that you can use the Google search box as a calculator? How about just typing the word movies and your zip code into the Google search bar to see what movies are playing? There are literally hundreds of Google tips and tricks that can save you time and make you much better at the art of search – and Google wants you to know them all. On Tuesday July 10, Google will begin offering "Power Searching With Google," a free, two week, six part course to help you find things faster and more efficiently. The classes will include some traditional exercises, interactive searching, Google + Hangouts on air and Google Groups and, you can take them whenever you want over the two week period. Becoming an expert at Google search will really help you, so google "Power searching with Google" and sign up.

Having trouble getting online?

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 05:20:57 +0000

Having trouble getting online? This might be the reason: as of Monday July 9th, if your computer is one of the thousands still infected with the DNS Changer virus, your access to the internet will be cut off. The malware redirects the victim’s web browser to sites designated by the attackers, who were caught and charged last year. For example, victims who tried to Apple’s iTunes were instead sent to a site claiming it sold Apple software. If your computer is still infected, it’s still trying to go to the malicious sites while you’re surfing the web. The FBI had servers set up to point your machine to the correct websites instead of the ones dictated by the virus. But not anymore – they have now pulled the plug on the original server they seized from the scammers and on their own servers. If you’re experiencing problems, borrow a friends computer and visit www.dcwg.org or call your internet service provider.

Apple Warranty

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 01:08:43 +0000

A friend of mine dropped his iPad 2, and not surprisingly, it stopped working. He asked me about his options. So here's a brief tutorial in Apple's in and out-of warranty service for the iPad, iPad 2 and even the new iPad. First, Apple does not like it when you drop or drown your device. If there is a visible sign that you have dropped or drowned your iPad, you may have trouble getting any kind of in or out of warranty service from Apple. That said, if you have a minor crack on your screen or something else is not working, there is a very good chance that your in-warranty repair will be free and you will only be on the hook for $249 to $299 for a replacement unit from Apple. Apple doesn't actually repair broken iPads, it replaces them, so make sure your iPad is completely backed-up before you bring it to Apple for service, since you won't be getting it back.

The Higgs Boson Discovered!

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 09:24:12 +0000

Scientists have announced that they are 99.99 percent sure they’ve discovered the sub-atomic particle known as the Higgs boson. Often referred to as the “God particle”, the Higgs boson is an integral part of what scientists call The Standard Model of particle physics, a set of rules that lay out the fundamental building blocks of the universe. Think of it like a puzzle with a missing piece. You can see where the missing piece goes and you think you can imagine what it looks like but you can’t actually see the full picture until you’ve found it. Until now, the Higgs boson was just a theory. It was that missing puzzle piece. If it’s shown to exist, it will prove our understanding of the basic universe correct. Confirming the existence of the particle will take a considerable amount of time, but scientists are optimistic that our knowledge of the universe and its pieces is about to take a big step forward.

Netflix Viewership Exceeds Cable

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:13:12 +0000

According to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, its subscribers watched more than one billion hours of programming in June. One billion hours of Netflix programming averages out to around 80 minutes per subscriber per day. Though numbers for cable networks have not been reported for last month yet, it’s likely that Netflix has them all beat. This marks the first time the streaming service has performed better than traditional cable networks since it first allowed users to “watch now” in 2007. This is very good news for Netflix. In the past couple of years it has put a big push behind its instant watch service. It’s tried to brand itself as a place not just to watch your old favorites but as a place for new content too, with one original series available now and several more to come in 2013, including a series by David Fincher and new episodes of the cult favorite Arrested Development.

Crime Prediction Technology

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 02:26:39 +0000

Ever wish the crime-prediction technology in the movie Minority Report was real? We’re on our way. One police precinct in Los Angeles tested software that was twice as good as humans at predicting where burglaries and car break-ins might happen. The software, built by a start-up company called PredPol, told the police where they should focus their patrols. Those areas experienced a 25 percent drop in burglaries and break-ins. The program makes its decisions based on previous crime reports and sociological studies and is able to detect patterns over time. It then produces maps for each patrol shift, suggesting where crimes might occur. It may be science or it may be luck, but there’s one thing is for sure: the software reduces the time officers spend on bureaucratic procedures, and helps them spend more time on the street fighting crime. Officers noticed that simply having a vehicle in the vicinity made potential perpetrators far less likely to commit a crime.

iTunes Overhaul

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:34:27 +0000

According to unnamed sources, Apple is planning the biggest overhaul of iTunes since its debut in 2003. The changes are expected by the end of the year and are intended to improve ease of access across all Apple devices, by integrating more closely with iCloud. The new iTunes will also make it easier to share media between users. The past few years have brought huge changes to media ownership and sharing. Where Apple was once ruled, services like Pandora, Spotify and Amazon Prime have soared in popularity, by offering streaming media for free or at a very low cost. iTunes has also been criticized in the past for organizing files poorly; where it once only had to organize music, iTunes now has to deal with television, movies, podcasts, books and apps. I say it’s about time. If Apple is going to force its customers into a service, they’d better keep it fresh.

Verizon's New Share Everything Plan

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 05:27:07 +0000

Verizon's New Share Everything plan is now available. It will allow you to share data across up to ten devices: like smartphones, tablets and netbooks. The monthly cost is made up of two parts: a line charge for each device, and a data charge that everything will share. Get it? It's the Share Everything plan. Unlimited talk, and txt messaging are free under the plan and data is included up to 10 Gigabytes. If you go over your data allotment, you will pay $10 for each additional 2 Gigabytes. How much data is a Gigabyte? Great question. How many gigabytes will you use? Another great question. If you like to watch lots of movies in HD on your smartphone and your tablet, and you like to listen to Pandora all day, you may want to pay attention to the first couple of bills. I was suspicious at first, but I did the math and, if I switched, my bill would come out about the same.

Nexus 7 Tablet

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 06:24:52 +0000

As expected, Google made some big announcements during the opening of its annual developer conference yesterday. First things first: now available for pre-order is the Nexus 7 tablet, a device running the brand new Android 4.1 Operating System, better known as Jelly Bean. The quad-core tablet has a seven-inch screen with a 1280x800 HD display and is available for 199 bucks directly from the Google Play store. Jelly Bean promises to improve performance and includes a new predictive keyboard, better voice search and enhancements to the notification system. It will also come with a feature called Google Now, which provides information based on your personal tastes and current location. Stuck in traffic? Google Now will figure out how you commute to work and give you a faster route. The OS update will also be available on the Galaxy Nexus, Xoom and Nexus S next month.

Orbitz Catering to Mac Users

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 05:28:37 +0000

Bet you didn’t think e-commerce sites knew or cared what kind of computer you use. You thought wrong. In a story published yesterday, the Wall Street Journal said it found that the travel website Orbitz has started steering Mac users towards pricier hotels, based on data that says they spend more on accommodations. Orbitz has found that Mac users spend 20 to 30 more dollars a night than PC users and the Mac users are 40% more likely to book a four or five star hotel. Marketers have always wanted to know as much about you as possible and that’s no different in the digital age. They simply have a new set of tools to use when identifying and measuring your behavior. The practice may seem a little unfair, but it’s likely to become more common as online retailers fight for business. If you don’t like it, here’s a simple fix: next time you’re on Orbtiz, sort by price.

MIcrosoft Purchases Yammer

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:34:35 +0000

After weeks of rumors, Microsoft confirmed that it purchased Yammer for $1.2 billion dollars. That's billion with a "B." Yammer is a social networking site for business users, that currently has about five million users over 200,000 companies. Think of it as Facebook for your business. It’s a place where users can sign in to post short messages, share links, create events, and do other cool stuff. The main difference between Yammer and open social networks like Facebook, is that you can restrict Yammer users to people inside your company. If you've used it, you know how valuable real time social communication inside an organization can be. Over time, you can expect Yammer to be integrated into Microsoft's Office Suite, SharePoint, Office 365, Dynamics and Skype. Although some analysts think Microsoft paid too much, and waited too long to enter the social sphere, Yammer looks like a good acquisition and it should help Microsoft enhance many of its business products.

Facebook Sponsored Stories

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 08:33:03 +0000

More legal trouble for Facebook. Last year, five Facebook users filed a lawsuit against the social networking site over the company’s “Sponsored Stories”. “Sponsored Stories” are ads that appear in newsfeeds and can include the names, photos and likes of your friends without consent. The verdict became public last week and the users were victorious. Users will now be able to opt out of Sponsored Stories and Facebook has promised to communicate better about what’s being used in the ads. It’s a victory for privacy advocates who have been making a huge push for users to have more power over their personal information. The settlement is not permanent though; under the agreement the changes only have to be followed for two years and Facebook will likely do whatever it can to get back to the old system. According to one estimate, Facebook could lose over 103 million dollars in revenue because of the ruling. That may not sound like much, but a few million here and a few million there can start to add up to real money!

Twitter Outage

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 04:26:24 +0000

Twitter had a rough day yesterday. For many users, the popular social media site worked only intermittently throughout the day. Logging into Twitter and seeing the fail whale isn’t uncommon, but that usually lasts a few minutes at most. A larger outage like this one is rare. One of Twitter's highest purposes is that it enables the real time distribution of news about events that are important to specific communities of interest, but not large enough to be covered by traditional media like TV, Radio, and Wire Services. When it fails, it shuts off thousands of dedicated, live news feeds to literally millions of people. So instead of asking why Twitter crashed, let’s ask ourselves the following: as we become more dependent on technology, should we spend some time crafting ways to protect ourselves against single points of failure?

Microsoft Phone Windows 8

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:08:19 +0000

It’s been a big week for Microsoft. At a press conference shrouded in mystery, the company announced its first tablet computer. Yesterday, it followed up by releasing details about its newest mobile operating system, Windows Phone 8. Since entering the mobile phone market, Microsoft has struggled to keep up with Android and Apple, but don’t count them out just yet. Though Microsoft lags behind its competitors in mobile device sales, Windows Phone 7.5 has an elegant easy to use interface and Windows Phone 8 will be very similar. The new OS will also be tied very closely to the desktop version of Windows 8 offering extraordinary integration between the Microsoft Office suite, Xbox 360 and Microsoft's new Skydrive storage cloud. Apple creates such a media storm that it’s easy to forget that over 90% of personal computer users live in a Windows world. And seamless integration between phone and PC could make all the difference for Microsoft.

Sharp's 90 in LED TV.

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 04:23:26 +0000

Got a huge blank space in your living room and $11,000 extra bucks lying around? Sharp sure hopes you do. The company released the largest ever LED television set coming in at a whopping 90 inches. To give you a sense of scale, that’s as wide as the average NBA player is tall. Sharp’s strategy has been to differentiate itself from other TV manufactures using size, releasing 60, 70 and 80 inch models earlier this year. The set is WiFi ready and comes with standard apps like Netflix, Vudu, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. If you've been dreaming about viewing larger than life Facebook photos on a 90" TV screen, you're in luck. Which begs for the question: can a TV be too big? Find out for yourself; this monster set is available for purchase now. Bring cash and a few friends to help you carry it.

Microsoft Surface

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 04:47:47 +0000

At long last, Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer announced a Microsoft branded, Windows 8 tablet called the Microsoft Surface. It's a 10.6 inch, tablet with a removable battery and it weighs only 1 ½ pounds. The Microsoft Surface is obviously designed as direct competition for the Apple's iPad. Will the new Microsoft Surface be an iPad killer? Here's the thing. Windows 8 is a really nice operating system. It uses unique graphics that present your content in easily movable tiles and it seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft products like Office, Skydrive and Xbox. If you're a Windows user, the new Microsoft Surface may be that table you've been waiting for. One cool feature of the new Microsoft Surface is its smart cover. It looks like an iPad smart cover, but the Microsoft Surface smart cover has a full sized touch sensitive keyboard built in. Look out Apple, here comes the Microsoft.

FCC Revisit Cell Phone Radiation Issue

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 04:43:10 +0000

For the first time since 1996, the Federal Communications Commissions has decided to revisit the issue of cell phone radiation. In past studies, there has been little evidence to show that cell phones and other gadgets are dangerous, and of course the mobile phone industry says its devices are perfectly safe. Despite this, environmental and health advocates worry that over time, devices held close to the head can cause users to develop life threatening brain tumors, as well as headaches, dizziness and memory loss. The FCC is especially interested in whether emission standards should be different for children. In 2011 the World Health Organization added cell phone radiation to a list of possible carcinogens, and decided that more study was needed. If you're really worried about holding a 1 and a half watt microwave transceiver next to your head, consider a wired headset. Although, there really is no conclusive evidence that you should worry about this at all.

3D Camera Planes a Privacy Violation?

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 06:18:15 +0000

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in the 21^st century. Still, people are irked when they think their privacy is being violated. The latest uproar is over so called ‘spy planes’ used by Google and Apple to produce extremely detailed maps. They are using 3D mapping technology that captures aerial images, so detailed, that it is possible to tell what brand of pen you are using. Obviously, this is a new use for some very sophisticated technology, so it’s easy to understand why some people are up in arms about it. But that’s putting blame in the wrong place. Technology can’t be good or bad – that’s a distinction reserved for people. This is perfect opportunity to start talking about what privacy really means in the Information Age. Should companies be allowed to watch you sunbathing in your backyard without asking your permission? Is that a price we’re willing to pay to have 3D maps?

TLD's

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:29:44 +0000

ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, released a list that details who has applied for new top level domains or TLDs. Big companies like Google and Amazon applied for their own names like .google and .amazon. But that’s not the interesting part. Donuts Inc. applied for 307 generic or gTLDs including .art, .buy and .pictures. This new system will change how domains are purchased and how you visit sites on the Internet. Are you a boutique owner who wants your site to end in .fashion? If the company that purchased .fashion doesn’t want you to have it, you’re out of luck. I read through the list and I’m still not sure how a lot of the new gTLDs will be used, but there’s still fun to be had imagining. Who is going to have a .pizza site? Will internet surfers even bother typing a URL that ends in .afamilycompany? We’ll see soon enough.

Verizon "Everything Plan"

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:45:37 +0000

On Tuesday, Verizon announced a new data plan it’s calling the “Everything Plan.” The plan, which goes into effect on June 28 of this year, shares unlimited voice and texting over all devices on your account and shares data for up to ten devices. That means you’ll have all Verizon devices, be they phones, tablets or anything else, on one plan. Here’s how the pricing works: there will be a monthly line access charge for each device, ranging from $10 for a tablet to $40 for a smartphone. Still with me? Good. Data will cost between $50 and $100 depending on which plan you choose, somewhere between 1GB and 10GB. And if you use more than 10GB? Add an extra $10 for every 2GB you go over. I did the math and under the new plan, I’ll be paying about the same as I am now. What does the change mean to you? It all depends on which devices you use and how you use them.

Apple WWDC 2012

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:10:41 +0000

It’s that time of year. Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference opened yesterday and true to form, some very exciting announcements were made. Apple’s top executives took to the stage to show off the new MacBook Pro with the world’s highest resolution notebook display and up to 768GB of flash-based storage. The new Macbook Pro starts at $2199, with the most expensive model topping $4000, the good news, it’s available right now. Also on its way is iOS6, which will bring updates to everyone’s favorite personal assistant. Siri will now read you sports scores and stats, find movie trailers, and dictate posts to Twitter and Facebook. With the iOS upgrade, Siri will be delighting iPad users for the first time. Also new to iOS6 will be the ability to FaceTime over cellular networks, a Safari update, and a new Maps program. Lastly, the MacBook Air are getting more powerful and less expensive. New models will start at $999 and they are awesome!

Apple Abandoning MobileMe

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:36:59 +0000

Say goodbye to Apple’s MobileMe. Previously known as .Mac and iTools, the online services tool will disappear on June 30, 2012. Apple began to encourage users to migrate to their new service, iCloud, late last year. Still haven’t made the switch? No sweat. Just follow the instructions at me.com/move but beware: a few services included with MobileMe will be left behind for good. Galleries, iDisk, and iWeb will cease to exist come July. And while Apple is abandoning you, instead of Galleries try Flickr, Picasa, Snapfish or any of the other thousand sites made exclusively for photo and video sharing. Instead of using iDisk try one of my very favorite products, Dropbox. Google users can also use Google Drive and fans of Microsoft can use SkyDrive for file storage in the cloud. Getting away from iWeb, Apple’s web hosting tool is a little more complicated. You’ll have to change your web host, which can get a little technical.

Linked In Hacked

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 09:17:41 +0000

LinkedIn just found about 6.5 million current passwords on a Russian file server. No one knows who hacked LinkedIn or what the hacker was planning, but the security breach was bad enough that LinkedIn suggested that users change their passwords. So, this is a great opportunity for you to change all of your weak passwords to strong passwords? Here's how you do it. Think of a famous quote or a line from a favorite movie that you know. Got it? Now take the first letter from each word in the quote and use it as your password. One of my favorite lines is from Jaws, when Chief Brody says, "We're gonna need a bigger boat." That password would be WGNABB. Impossible to forget and impossible to guess. Add a couple of numbers or random characters at the beginning or end and you'll have a super strong password. WGNABB12!, who could ever figure that out.

Linked In Password Change

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 05:39:57 +0000

Cyber security is a lot like oxygen. You don't really think about it, until it's not there. Today, if you have a LinkedIn account, don't pass go, don't collect $200, go straight to your LinkedIn settings and change your password. All kidding aside, if you have a LinkedIn account, go directly to settings, which is located under your name on the upper right hand side of the browser window, and change your password. Why? Well for openers, hackers have posted 6.5 million LinkedIn passwords on a Russian website. Because of the way the passwords were encrypted, it is very, very easy to crack them – and, so, the safest thing you can do is change your LinkedIn password immediately. No one is quite sure how the hack occurred and LinkedIn has no comment, but every cyber-security professional I spoke to today said the same thing. Just go change your LinkedIn password. It's the only way to protect your personal data.

E3 2012

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 02:15:32 +0000

This week game makers and gamers alike have made their way to the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3. So far, the big announcements have come from Xbox and Nintendo and it's all about multi-screens. Microsoft announced Xbox SmartGlass, an app that will work with Windows 8, iPhone and Android devices to create a seamless experience between your Xbox and your mobile device. For example, you’ll be able to start a movie on your console and finish watching on your iPhone. SmartGlass will also enhance gameplay using the player's mobile device. Not to be outdone, Nintendo announced more than 20 games in development for its upcoming gaming system, the Wii U, including new Mario Bros and Batman games. It focused on how the GamePad, the new touch-screen, tablet-like controller, will create a multiscreen environment for players and change the way its games are played. For the first time, you will also be able to access multiple streaming media apps like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube.

Facebook For Children?

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 07:58:52 +0000

Facebook is exploring ways to allow children under the age of 13 to use the social network, with parental supervision, of course. As you can imagine, allowing children under 13 to use the site would be awesome for Facebook. Kids love games and Facebook really makes money from games. And even though it's technically illegal, kids lie about their age to get on Facebook anyway (many with their parent's help and permission). So, what could be better for Facebook than to try to protect young children from all the potential bad stuff that goes on in social networks, like cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking? It sounds like a great plan? On the other hand, privacy advocates are being very vocal about their opposition to allowing anyone under age 13 to use Facebook. They say there are just too many things that can and will go wrong. Not the least of which is that Facebook hasn't even gotten it right for teenagers.

Verizon's New Pricing Plan

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 06:18:11 +0000

Verizon recently announced its new pricing plan for bandwidth. You can get a very low speed (3 mbps down by 1mbps up) connection for about $55 per month, but if you feel like living in the fast lane, for $205 per month, you can crank your bandwidth up to the almost unimaginable speed of 300 mbps down by 65 mbps up. How fast is that? Working on a 300/65 connection would allow you to treat the cloud like a local hard drive. Truthfully, that's pretty cheap – but, it begs for the question, do you really need that kind of speed? The short answer is not yet. Even if everyone in your house was watching HD video on Netflix and you were uploading hour long HD movie files to your new storage cloud at the same time all day long, you wouldn't come close to using it all. When will you need this kind of speed?

SpaceX Ushers in Privatized Space Travel

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:03:02 +0000

Now that SpaceX has ushered in the era of privatized space travel. Where do we go from here? Yesterday, Dragon, SpaceX's Appolo-like space capsule successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean just off Baja California. The flight was monitored by NASA, SpaceX and every other organization that could possibly monitor a spacecraft landing on the Earth. SpaceX is a private company doing contract work for the government – but it certainly doesn't have to. In 1492, Queen Isabella I of Castileand King Ferdinand II of Aragon decided to fund Christopher Columbus' expedition in the hope of bypassing Portugal's monopoly on west African routes to "the Indies" by travelling west across the Atlantic. America may have been discovered by a government contractor, but it didn't take long for private investors and private companies to become the dominant players. What will happen in space? Go re-watch the opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, change the logos to ones you recognize and you'll have a good idea.

Free WiFi

Thu, 31 May 2012 00:22:40 +0000

Have you been dreaming about free WiFi for your new Intel-powered Ultrabook? If so, you're in luck, because Intel announced a partnership with Devicescape to include its software in upcoming Ultrabooks, tablets and a wide range of new devices. Devicescape's network has more than 8 million free, quality controlled WiFi hotspots and its growing by over 30,000 hotspots a day. Up to now, Devicescape's software has mostly been used by mobile carriers to switch users between their own networks and free WiFi hotspots to help reduce bandwidth congestion -- but Intel has a better idea. By combining it with Intel's Smart Connect Technology, new Intel-powered devices will have the ability to automatically find a connection whenever you're in one of Devicescape's hotspots. That means your email can update, even if your Ultrabook is sleeping. What could be better than automatically connecting to a clean, approved, free WiFi hotspot? And, yes, this is awesome for syncing files in the cloud.

Super Cyber Weapon, Flame

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:56:04 +0000

Russian Cyber-security firm, Kaspersky Lab has discovered a highly sophisticated, malicious computer program that is actively being used as a cyber weapon, attacking entities in several countries. Kaspersky Lab has named the virus, Flame and is calling it a super-cyberweapon, with complexity and functionality exceeding all other cyber menaces known to date. Flame is designed to carry out cyber espionage. It can steal valuable information, like computer display contents, information about targeted systems, stored files, contact data and even audio conversations. Preliminary findings indicate that Flame has been “in the wild” since March 2010 – but, due to its extreme complexity, no security software detected it. Kaspersky also believes that Flame is so sophisticated, it must have been created by a government entity. Interestingly, Israel’s Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said, “For anyone who sees the Iranian threat as significant, it is reasonable that he would take different steps, including these, in order to hobble it.” It looks like the super-cyber war has begun.

Facebook Phone

Mon, 28 May 2012 23:48:08 +0000

Google just closed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility and officially became a smartphone manufacturer. Is Facebook jealous? It must be, because the New York Times is reporting strong rumors that we could see a Facebook phone sometime next year. Facebook did not confirm or deny the rumor, it pointed to an earlier statement saying, “We’re working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers.” So, is it a good idea for Facebook to start manufacturing and marketing smartphones? It depends on whom you ask. Some analysts say it's a terrible idea, because Facebook has absolutely no experience in the hardware business and the competition is just too tough to learn on the job. Others say, that a proprietary mobile device would help Facebook execute a profitable mobile strategy and, more importantly, help properly position the company in the mobile space. One thing is for sure, Facebook is now public and everything it does will be carefully watched.

Facebook to Acquire Opera

Mon, 28 May 2012 07:24:40 +0000

Facebook says that about half its users access Facebook via mobile device. Which is great! Except that Facebook doesn't have any way to sell ads in its mobile offering, so all of those page views are served without any hope of revenue. But this may be about to change. This weekend, in the wake of Facebook's lackluster IPO and a bunch of shareholder lawsuits, a rumor emerged that Facebook is thinking about acquiring Norwegian browser company Opera. If you don't know what Opera is, you're not alone. Opera accounts for less than two percent of the world's browser market, however, it is one of the very few well-established browsers that can be acquired. On the plus side, acquiring Opera would give Facebook its own desktop and mobile browser and help the social network create a workable mobile advertising strategy. On the negative side, it puts Facebook into competition in a very crowded space and, the user experience would most certainly change.

Facebook Camera

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:00:16 +0000

Facebook has been all over the news, with last week's lackluster IPO and this week's lawsuits, but, if you remember, just a few weeks ago, Facebook spent a billion dollars buying Instagram, a very popular photo sharing site. Well, yesterday, Facebook launched its own camera app called, wait for it: Facebook Camera, that can only be described as Instagram-lite. Except – other than some fun filters, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with Instagram at all. Available only for Apple iDevices, the company says Facebook Camera makes Facebook photos more fun and accessible. The app lets you crop photos and add colorful filters (just like Instagram). And you can also upload multiple pictures at once. Most of the reviewers I know like Facebook Camera and I do too. It's much faster than using the regular Facebook app and I like the way Facebook Camera lets you share and display your pictures. What's next? You mean after Facebook redesigns your profile page again?

Facebook Lawsuits

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:09:07 +0000

As if having your stock tank wasn't bad enough, Facebook and its banks are now facing lawsuits from disgruntled shareholders. The suit claims that Facebook hid weakened revenue growth forecasts from the general public while alerting a select group of investors ahead of its IPO. Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesman, said: "We believe the lawsuit is without merit and will defend ourselves vigorously." Morgan Stanley had no comment about the lawsuit, but previously said that Facebook IPO procedures complied with all applicable regulations and were the same as in any initial offering. No matter how you look at it, this is not great news for Facebook or any other tech company looking to go public in the near future. NASDAQ already apologized for a series of technical glitches that had a negative impact on Facebook's IPO, this lawsuit – one of many that are being filed – just adds insult to injury. What's next for Facebook? Redesigning profile pages of course.

Verizon's Capped Data Plans

Wed, 23 May 2012 01:18:45 +0000

While it's true that Verizon Wireless is going to force customers with grandfathered unlimited data plans into new, capped data plans. If you happened to have a grandfathered unlimited data plan, there's a loophole ... you can pay full price for your next mobile device and keep your plan. Yes, you heard me right. If you want to pay $849 for your iPhone (as opposed to $399 with a two year contract) you can keep your unlimited data plan. When you first hear this, you may balk at the idea, but – if you're a heavy user, the unlimited data plan may be worth much more to you than the difference in the cost of the mobile device. After all, there are lots of places to get discounted smartphones and tablets, but there is only one Verizon Wireless and, in the world of big data and big streaming, unlimited data is an almost priceless asset.

Karan Capato's Twins

Tue, 22 May 2012 01:18:27 +0000

You know technology is way ahead of the law. But yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, says it's way, way ahead. 18 months after Karen Capato's husband Robert passed away from cancer, she gave birth to his biological twins through artificial insemination. A blessing, to be sure, but – the Supreme Court ruled that the twins can not get Social Security survivor benefits because Mr. Capato was not alive when they were conceived. No one is denying that the twins are the biological offspring of Mr. Capato, just, that, because he was dead, even though his sperm was alive, the kids are on their own. Now there is legal precedent for this and the jurists probably have it right under the law, but the law better get ready for what's coming. Would Mr. Capato's clone, born after his death, be him? How about if he was frozen, instead of just his sperm, and then revived. It may sound like science fiction, but the technology is around the corner.

Facebook IPO

Mon, 21 May 2012 02:21:42 +0000

Did Facebook have a successful IPO last Friday? Absolutely. Facebook raised over $16 Billion dollars of public money to use to expand its business. Early investors who chose to cash out received an exceptional return on their investment. And that's really what successful IPO's are all about. Now, if you happened to be lead underwriter Morgan Stanley, or JP Morgan or Goldman Sachs, the other underwriting banks, Friday was not the best. In order to keep Facebook's shares trading above the $38 initial price, the underwriters had to move into the market and buy shares. So, while 28 year old, Mark Zuckerberg joined the ranks of multi-billionaires, his bankers had a very bad day at the office – their fees reinvested in Facebook to prop up the stock price. What's next? I'm not a financial advisor and this is not financial advice, but don’t be surprised to see this stock go down before it goes up.

Facebook Inc. at $38 a Share

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:33:06 +0000

Facebook Inc. set its share price at $38 for today's initial public offering. Should you get in line to buy it? No. And here's why. A lot of smart people who invested in Facebook are selling now, in fact many early investors have increased the amount of shares they plan to sell. What do they know that you don't? Plenty. Ask your financial advisor about Facebook's price to earnings ratio. You will not like the answer. Then, there's Mark Zuckerberg, who is about to become one of the richest people in the world. Even after the IPO, Zuck will still control the company. He doesn't like advertising, and Facebook really doesn't make money doing anything else. Of course, none of this information will stop the feeding frenzy. Facebook's IPO is destined to be one of the most amazing, most talked about, most debated, most analyzed ever. If you're really thinking about buying Facebook shares, please consult with a trusted professional financial advisor beforehand.

Verizon's 3G Unlimited Data plans are about to go extinct.

Thu, 17 May 2012 06:48:49 +0000

If you thought your grandfathered unlimited data plan on Verizon was safe, think again. During a speech at an investor conference, Verizon's Chief Financial Officer said that Verizon's 3G Unlimited Data plans are about to go extinct. What will replace them? Tiered data plans, of course. Although Verizon has not said anything about pricing, you can bet it's going to be less bandwidth for more money. Verizon did say that it will be pushing its customers toward family data share plans on its 4G network, which will allow families to connect all of their devices to one plan. Of course, the plan will still be tiered. What does this really mean for consumers? Nothing good. What are your choices? Well, T-Mobile has an unlimited data plan that it slows down when you use it too much – which leaves Sprint as the only truly unlimited data plan available. Are you ready to move your data business to Sprint? OK Then.

Virgin Atlantic Mobile Connection

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:38:32 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This is your indication that all electronic devices, including all mobile phones and pagers, be switched off. We will notify when the use of approved electronic devices is allowed. Please note that FAA regulations prohibit the use of cellular phones at anytime during this flight. Love it or hate, it's the rule. But now, Virgin Atlantic Airlines thinks they have a better way. On select Virgin Atlantic flights between London and New York, passengers will be able to use their cellphones through a special satellite connection. For now, it will only work with T-Mobile, Vodafone and O2 cell phones, but if the service becomes popular, you can bet it will be rolled out on other Virgin Atlantic planes and routes. You'll still have to turn off your phone once you enter US airspace, but at least you can txt your friends and tell them you'll be landing on-time.

New 15" MacBook Pro

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:38:47 +0000

Here's my favorite mac rumor of the day. 9to5mac.com says that Apple is getting ready to release a new 15" MacBook Pro that will be almost as thin as it's 13" MacBook Air and even more powerful. New features will include a retina display, like the stunning screens on the new iPad, and USB 3.0 for very fast device to computer connectivity. Of course, it's just a rumor, but 9to5mac.com says look for the new MacBook this summer. And, according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is also preparing its first major upgrade to its iCloud service. Soon you will be able to share photos with others, as opposed to just between your own Apple iDevices – and, sync your personal videos as well. Sources say that all of this may be part of Apple's next mobile operating system iOS 6, and could be announced as early as June. Which is great because starting July 1, everyone's going to forced to be on iCloud.

Scott Johnson will resign as Yahoo's CEO.

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:26:56 +0000

There are some big changes at Yahoo! In what can only be described as a stunning victory for Dan Loeb and his hedge fund Third Point, Scott Johnson will resign as Yahoo's CEO and three of Mr. Loeb's hand-picked directors will join Yahoo!'s board. Although the official announcement will say that Mr. Johnson's is leaving for personal reasons, Loeb has been pressuring Yahoo to fire Johnson for quite some time. Just this past week, Yahoo gave in after Loeb publicized his suspicions that Johnson had fudged his resume by adding a computer science degree that he did not earn. The phony document was filed by Yahoo with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Which is serious stuff. Thompson's squirrelly explanations of the gaff tied Yahoo's hands. What will happen now? Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo's current EVP and head of global media will become interim CEO and Third Point's new directors will take their seats. How this affect Yahoo?

FBI Warns of Software Updates

Thu, 10 May 2012 23:08:32 +0000

The FBI is warning travelers to beware of software updates offered while logging in to hotel or public networks. The bureau says that users are being tricked as follows: You're in a hotel, you complete the login process, then you're offered a software update. If you click, you will infect your computer. So, here's what the feds suggest: 1 - Carry out all software updates before traveling. 2, and this is more complicated, check the author or digital certificate of any prompted update to see if it corresponds to the software vendor. And, 3 - Download software updates direct from the vendor’s website. The FBI goes on to recommend that you make sure that you are on a secure connection HTTP-s (instead of HTTP) or a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when you log on to a hotel network. Is there a better way to protect your computer? Choose name brand anti-virus software and keep it up to date.

Amazon.com to sell high fashion

Thu, 10 May 2012 03:26:16 +0000

Are you really going to buy high-fashion clothing online? Couture dresses, designer suits? Amazon thinks so. The world's most famous online retailer has signed up a whole bunch of high-end designers including Michael Kors, Vivienne Westwood, Catherine Malandrino, Jack Spade and Tracy Reese, and it's looking for more. Why now? It's about money of course. Shipping a $5 dollar cable or selling a $1,500 designer dress costs Amazon about the same – so, according to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, "gross profit dollars per unit will be much higher on a fashion item.” So should you expect deep discounts on your favorite designer fashion on amazon? Nope. Mr. Bezos says amazon's fashion biz is not about selling clothes at deep discounts, but at prices that will keep the designer brands happy. Will that make you happy?

$99 XBOX 360

Tue, 08 May 2012 23:24:00 +0000

Microsoft confirmed that there will be a $99 xbox. It's the 4GB model and they will be selling them at 16 of the 21 Microsoft retail stores. What's the catch. Actually, there are several. First, you will have to agree to a two year $15 per month contract, bringing the price of a normally $299 4GB Xbox 360 up to $459. If you were to purchase all of the gear up front and take Microsoft's discounted Xbox Live account plan, you would save $110. So, no, the $99 Xbox is not a good deal. Can I think of any reason to put $99 down and commit to two years of $15 dollar per month payments for a 4GB Xbox 360? No. And neither won't be able to think of a reason either. Oh, and by the way, almost everyone expects Microsoft to announce a new Xbox in 2013 which you would not be eligible to get. Did I mention that this is a bad idea?

Nimble TV

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:56:25 +0000

Now that you have a powerful smartphone, a tablet, a great laptop and Internet access almost everywhere, wouldn't it be great if you could get any TV show you wanted to watch on any device anytime? That's the idea behind Nimble TV. The new cloud TV service will charge you a small fee to stream all of the TV you already subscribe to, to any device you own. It's an idea whose time has come. Is it going to work? Absolutely. The technology to do this is actually pretty simple. Is Nimble TV going to get sued by the big content providers? Probably, but Nimble TV is ready for it. Nimble is doing a small test in New York City, and they plan to roll out the service as soon as possible. Is watching anything you want, anytime on any device the future of video entertainment? You bet it is.

Verizon FiOS Service

Mon, 07 May 2012 15:32:20 +0000

I've had Verizon FiOS service for about a week now and I immediately started sharing my experience in a blog series called, the FiOS Chronicles which you can find at shellypalmer.com. I live in midtown Manhattan and I waited over 18 months for FiOS to wire my apartment building. It was worth the wait. After a relatively painless 7-hour conversion process I was able to say goodbye Time Warner Cable, so long old-fashioned Verizon landlines, adiós cable modem, hasta la vista backup DSL modem – hello 150 Mbps down, 62 Mbps up – awesome! The first thing I noticed was that nothing, and I do mean nothing, prepares you for browsing the web at 152/62 (Verizon’s published specification is 150 Mpbs down and 35 Mbps up). You may wonder if you need that much speed. Time is money – you do! The next thing I noticed was the FiOS user interface, it's feature-laden and completely intuitive.

Samsung Galaxy S3

Thu, 03 May 2012 23:39:55 +0000

Samsung has unveiled the much anticipated, Samsung Galaxy S3. This new smartphone has a simple mission, be the best Android smartphone you can buy – and, although it won't hit the States until this summer, it may be just that. The Samsung Galaxy S3 features a big, bright 4.8 inch HD screen, an 8 MP camera, a removable battery, a super fast quad-core processor and it runs the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. In non-Geek-speak that means, a beautiful big screen, excellent pictures, long battery life and the best and latest version of Google's Android operating system. It also comes in two colors, kind of blue and white and, it will have lots of internal memory and a micro-sd card slot for more storage. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has no price and the company is not saying anything about phone companies just yet. However, we do know that when it arrives in the States it will be 4G capable.

Studios.Amazon.com

Wed, 02 May 2012 22:57:49 +0000

Do you think you have a great idea for a hit sitcom? If you do, Amazon wants you to upload it to studios.amazon.com. If they think you've got a hit idea, they may slate it for development, if they do, you'll get $10,000. If your new hit sitcom idea really turns out to be a hit, there's pretty big money in your future. All you need to go is go to studios.amazon.com and upload your big idea. The rest is, pretty much out of your hands. Why is Amazon getting into the sitcom production business? The short answer Amazon Instant Video needs great content, and Amazon thinks that one great place to look for it is in your head. So, if you're feeling creative and you think you've got what it takes, start writing, because – as you know, the only thing you need to make a great sitcom is great characters and a great idea. Think that sounds easy?

Facebook Organ Donor Button

Tue, 01 May 2012 23:26:38 +0000

Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced a new addition to the Facebook's life event button – you can now designate yourself as an organ donor. And, if you haven't registered with the appropriate agency, there's a link you can use to begin the process. People immediately started asking me about privacy and how health officials will actually get the information. Both are good questions. For the 800 million Facebook users, just click the life event icon and follow the instructions. For everyone else, this is a great time to start thinking about what it means to make this kind of personal information public. Should everyone be able to see that you're an organ donor, or just your family and the appropriate medical professionals? What if you want to do it, but you don't have time to change the status on your driver's license? The answer is, congratulations to Mark Zuckerberg and his team for using the power of Facebook to bring this important life-saving topic front and center.

UK ISP's Blocks Pirate Bay

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:32:46 +0000

Internet Service Providers in the United Kingdom must block access to the world's most notorious file-sharing site, The Pirate Bay. Why? Because, Britain's High Court believes that requiring ISPs to block access to The Pirate Bay will reduce illegal file-sharing in the UK. Will it work? Of course not! When asked if the High Court's order was going to hurt its business, a Pirate Bay spokesperson told TorrentFreak that circumventing any blockade will be easy. The spokesperson went on to say, and I quote: “This will just give us more traffic, as always. Thanks for the free advertising.” Why is The Pirate Bay so nonchalant about the new anti-piracy law in the United Kingdom? Because it was built by and for pirates. They break the law for a living and they know that no matter how hard you try to stop piracy at the ISP level, pirates will navigate around it. Is there anyway to stop illegal file-sharing?

CISPA Passed

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:13:48 +0000

Want to know what your Government is doing about cyber-security? Well, this past Thursday the House amended, then passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, also known as CISPA. The Bill was written to help private businesses share cyber-threat information with the Federal Government and each other. How would this work? The authors of the bill imagine Google discovering a cyber-security threat and sharing it with Microsoft. (Obviously, very few congresspeople know much about Google and Microsoft, but that's not the point.) The point is that several privacy groups think there are two really bad aspects of the bill: the national security clause which allows the protections of the bill to be use in any case where national security is deemed to be at risk, and the second clause protects any business that shares cyber-security information from lawsuits from users who think their privacy has been violated. What's next? CISPA goes to the Senate.

Geeks grumbling about Google's privacy policy.

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:13:10 +0000

Google Drive, Google's version of Dropbox was announced the other day and there are already geeks grumbling about Google's privacy policy. As it's written, it could be interpreted in a way that would make you think that Google would not only have access to, but also have some ownership of the files you store and share on Google Drive. As it turns out, that's not what the privacy policy says at all. It says that Google needs your permission (which you automatically grant) to take possession of your files to transfer them or help you share them and, of course, index them for your convenience. Google promises that it will never share your data with anyone or ever own any of your personal information. If you're wondering how this is going to play out, you're not alone. The idea of storing your personal information and files on someone else's computer comes with a new set of problems.

Klout.com

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:34:45 +0000

If you're into social media, you've probably heard of Klout. That's K-lout. According to Klout's website, your Klout Score measures influence based on your ability to drive action. Every time you create content or engage you influence others. So, your Klout score is supposed to measure how influential you are in the world of social media. Mostly that means Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. My Klout score was 60 out of a hundred a few weeks ago, but I haven't been tweeting as much as usual this month so it dropped to 52. I guess I'm not as influential as I was a month ago. Of course, it's easy to mock a score that ranks media mogul Rupert Murdoch as the 8^th most influential person on the subject of cloth diapers, but I'll resist the temptation. Even if you haven't signed up, you have a Klout score. Just visit klout.com to see what it is.

GoogleDrive is here!

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:14:00 +0000

Move over Dropbox, get out of the way Microsoft SkyDrive, there's a new kid on the block – GoogleDrive is here and, at first glance, it looks like an outstanding service. GoogleDrive is fully integrated with Google Apps and, with 5GB of free storage, and competitively priced options up to 16TB, yep, you heard me Terebytes of storage, GoogleDrive is serious about business users. When you open it up, GoogleDrive looks alot like Dropbox. Your files are stored locally on all of your connected devices as well as in the cloud. But that's where the similarity ends. GoogleDrive is also the new face of Google Docs and it now serves as the file manager for Google's suite of cloud-based productivity apps. So you can mix and match your Google docs and spreadsheets with all of your other files in one simple interface. GoogleDrive also features text extraction, optical character recognition and a host of other awesome features that truly set it apart.

DCWG.org

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:08:24 +0000

The FBI wants you to know about a computer virus called DNS Changer. On July 9, the bureau is going to literally shut off the Internet for computers that are infected. How can you tell if your computer has the virus? Go to dcwg.org, that's D – C – W – G dot org and follow the instructions. Once again, that's D-C-W-G.org. When you get there, just follow the instructions. Even if you are currently using name brand virus checking software, you still need to go to dcwg.org and make sure that your computer is not infected. If it is, dcwg.org has a one-click fix for your computer. It is safe and it is easy. This malware has been around for a couple of years and the FBI was going to shut down the infected DNS server back in March, but a Federal judge ordered an extension until July 9^th so that the FBI would have more time to warn people about the shut down.

Nokia Windows Phone Lumia 900

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:54:22 +0000

I've had my Nokia Windows Phone Lumia 900 for a couple of weeks now and I have to say, I like it way more than I thought I would. Just like many of you, my company uses Microsoft Office and the new Lumia 900 has absolutely flawless integration with Microsoft Exchange, Outlook, Word, Excel and the rest of the Microsoft Office suite. Web browsing in 4G on its 4.3-inch, AMOLED screen is an absolute pleasure and the phone is made of a very tough polycarbonate plastic that feels great in your hand. If you're a gamer, you'll really like the Xbox Live integration and the Windows Phone 7.5 operating system is growing on me. And, for you geeks out there, while the Lumia 900 looks underpowered on paper, I was delighted by its speed and power. If you're a Windows person, for $99 with the obligatory 2-year AT&T contract, this is a smartphone should take a serious look at.

There are lots of for-profit institutions that offer college courses over the Internet – but a new interactive online learning system created by two Stanford University computer scientists may change everything.

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:37:05 +0000

Online education is nothing new. There are lots of for-profit institutions that offer college courses over the Internet – but a new interactive online learning system created by two Stanford University computer scientists may change everything. Coursera offers free college level courses in partnership with some extremely prestigious institutions of higher learning, including: Stanford, UC Berkeley, Michigan, Penn and Princeton. What’s the new part? Well, last fall, a free course taught by Stanford’s Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig, attracted more than 160,000 students from 190 countries. The free course launched an intense debate at Stanford, where tuition is over $40,000 per year. Ultimately, the 22,000 students who finished the course received “certificates of completion” rather than credit towards a degree. But these are early days. If you want to start your free college education, you have some great options. Besides Coursera, you can take free online classes at Udacity, Minerva, Udemy, and even MIT. Is going to college online for free the future of education? It sure beats student loans.

A Canadian Justin Bieber impersonator has been accused of threatening and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl here in the United States.

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:26:37 +0000

A Canadian Justin Bieber impersonator has been accused of threatening and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl here in the United States. Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said that 34-year-old Lee Moir of Toronto, pretended to be Justin Bieber on Facebook then threatened to harm the girl's family in order to force her to perform sex acts online. He was arrested and charged in with luring, manufacturing child pornography and extortion after an undercover Canadian officer posed as a 14-year-old girl online. So how could this have been prevented? Surely there's some technology that her parents could have used. Nope. In fact, using any kind of software to monitor your kids is a really bad idea because the software will lull you into a false sense of security. The only way to prevent cyber-stalkers and online predators from endangering your children is to personally monitor your children's online activities, then set boundaries and constantly talk to them about cyber-safety. It's the only way to truly protect your kids.

Hulu is going to pitch advertisers on something really new – original programming.

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:52:49 +0000

Believe it or not, Hulu has been around for five years. But the big news is that its $8-a-month Hulu Plus service just topped 2 million subscribers. This week, Hulu is going to pitch advertisers on something really new – original programming. You know Hulu from its humble beginnings as the best place to watch network television content on the Internet, but now Hulu is going to try its hand at the most difficult game in town – selling a new series that will only premier on Hulu online. Jason Kilar, Hulu’s CEO recently said, “If we’re really on our game, people will look back on it and will say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe TV was like that in 2007’.” Of course, he is referring to the online experience he helped create. And, Jason’s right, Hulu is a great place to watch network tv content online. But, will Hulu’s original content be equally great? Can Hulu compete in a world with Comcast Xfinity, Netflix and dozens of other online video competitors?

Best Buy has disclosed the locations of the 50 stores it will be closing.

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:22:04 +0000

Best Buy has disclosed the locations of the 50 stores it will be closing. The world's largest specialty electronics chain will close seven locations in California, six in Illinois, six in Minnesota and even one way uptown New York City. In a statement, Best Buy said, "This wasn't an easy decision to make ... we chose the stores carefully, and are working to ensure the impact to our employees will be as minimal as possible." Best Buy said most of the stores will close by May 12, with three locations closing later this summer. There is no word on how many employees will be laid off, but Best Buys says that the workers will be notified Saturday and will be offered severance packages. Is this the beginning of the end for Best Buy? Some say it can't possibly survive with people shopping in the stores and purchasing online. But others believe that this cost cutting move will make Best Buy stronger.

Pottermore.com, a free website developed by J.K. Rowling to apperate you directly in to the magical world of Harry Potter.

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:02:05 +0000

If you Muggles are thinking that Harry Potter is over, think again. Now there’s Pottermore.com, a free website developed by J.K. Rowling to apperate you directly in to the magical world of Harry Potter (even if you’re an underaged wizard). It’s filled with new writings, games and a whole host of social tools. Ms. Rowling says that, at Pottermore , “The digital generation will be able to enjoy a safe, unique online reading experience built around the Harry Potter books.” I signed up, and the sorting hat assigned me to a house at Hogwarts. And, of course, when I went to get my wand, I didn’t really have a choice, as you know, the wand chooses the wizard. Just remember anything worth having is worth waiting for, after you request your username, it may take up to a day to receive your login credentials. But once you get to Hogwarts, it will feel like home. You’ll meet up with all of your magical and muggle friends for some great fun at Pottermore.com.

Software Update Java for OS X 2012-003

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 23:51:34 +0000

People with Macs don't have to worry about computer viruses. Well, that's not true, but it's what most people thought until last week, when a nasty Trojan called Flashback infected about 600,000 Macs worldwide. Flashback is a form of malware designed to grab passwords and other information from your computer, through your Web browser and a few other applications. Even if you don't think your Mac is infected, you should run Apple's security update to protect your computer and your personal information. The update is available on your computer right now. Go to the Apple menu on your Mac, select "Software Update" and follow the directions. This is an important software update and you should absolutely take the time to do it. You're specifically looking for a program called Java for OS X 2012-003, even it you don't run any other updates, make sure you run this one.

The smart kitchen floor invented by IBM will be able to track the who and what is on it and even be able to sense if you've fallen and you can't get up.

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:35:57 +0000

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up ... but I don't have to worry because my kitchen floor is going to save me. Well, at least that what would happen if my kitchen floor was built using some newly patented technology from IBM. The smart kitchen floor invented by IBM will be able to track the who and what is on it and even be able to sense if you've fallen and you can't get up. In fact, the monitors in this futuristic floor will even know if you're having a heart attack or other types of health issues. IBM's patent also claims that the invention will alert you if there are intruders, or simply too many teenagers in your kitchen when you're not home. When will IBM's smart floor be available? Actually, the company has no plans to create the product, it just a random invention that IBM decided to patent. But, you have to admit, a smart kitchen floor sounds awesome!

Best Buy Chief Executive Brian Dunn has stepped down while Best Buy's board conducts a probe into his "personal conduct."

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 03:12:28 +0000

Best Buy Chief Executive Brian Dunn has stepped down while Best Buy's board conducts a probe into his "personal conduct." So far they say the investigation is unrelated to the company's operations or financial controls – which is good news, because just recently Best Buy announced that is will be closing 50 of its 1,450 Big Box, US stores. Even though these events are unrelated, Mr. Dunn's departure can't be good for Best Buy and probably won't get it any closer to a good anti-showrooming strategy. What's showrooming? It's what the retail industry calls it when you walk into a Best Buy, look around the showroom, see an item, then use your mobile phone or computer to buy it online at a lower price – it's costing Best Buy, big time.

Facebook Buys Instagram

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:51:07 +0000

Would you buy Instagram, the second largest photo site on the Internet for a billion dollars? Facebook did. Considering that they can never make back the billion dollars Instagram will cost, what could have possessed Mark Zuckerberg and company to buy it? Well, this is an easy one. People upload about 250,000,000 digital photos to Facebook each day, and Instagram is the next most popular photosharing site. With this acquisition, Facebook now completely owns the photo sharing market – no one else comes close. Want a point of comparison? Instagram has a dozen or so employees and they are going to divide up about $100,000,000 from this sale. Kodak has about 17,000 employees and recently filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11. Anyway, Facebook says that it plans to run Instagram as a separate business so you'll still be able to use Instagram with other social networks like Twitter – which is great if you like to filter your digital photos so they look like you took them in 1970.

AT&T is finally allowing iPhone owners to unlock their phones – but there's a catch.

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:21:40 +0000

AT&T is finally allowing iPhone owners to unlock their phones – but there's a catch. You must be finished with your initial 2-year AT&T contract. Why would you want to unlock your AT&T iPhone? Well, if you travel abroad, you can just pop in any compatible SIM card and save a ton of money on mobile calls when you're traveling abroad. Of course, as long as your account is in good standing, Verizon and Sprint have always let you unlock your iPhone, but because Verizon and Sprint iPhones use CDMA chipsets, there's not much you can do with the phones in Europe. What else can you do with an unlocked AT&T iPhone? How about saving some money by switching to T-mobile? Just remember, even though T-mobile voice plans are less expensive, T-mobile's 3G data network is slower than AT&T's. The good news is that you no longer have to jailbreak your iPhone to unlock it. AT&T has seen the light.

Trojan BackDoor/Flashback

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 07:39:35 +0000

Think Mac are immune to computer viruses? Think again. A virus known as the Trojan Flashback has infected over 600,000 Macs in around the world and the number is increasing fast. Now, this virus was first detected back in September of 2011. Back then, Apple dragged its heals with a patch that would solve the problem. The new variant is called Trojan BackDoor/Flashback and your computer can be infected by simply visiting an infected website. Unfortunately, you cannot eliminate the virus by just running a software patch, you will now have to get some antivirus software and clean up the mess. According to Russian antivirus company Dr.Web, not only has this variant of the Flashback trojan infected over 600,000 Mac computers, it has created a HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet" botnet that includes over 274 bots. What does that mean to you? Nothing good. If you are a Mac user, you need to protect your computer.

Google ProjectGlass

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:51:42 +0000

You put on your glasses and look out the window, out in the distance, almost instantly you see the temperature and the weather forecast icons. A moment later, information about your morning meeting shows up in your field of vision. You ask for a Google map and then for walking directions. On your way, you see a food truck and stop to get a coffee. It’s great and you share the location with your friends by simply asking your glasses to take a picture of the truck and checking in to the location. It’s not science fiction, it’s Google’s ProjectGlass and the search giant finally revealed some details about Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s vision of hands-free, smartphone free, augmented reality. It’s not a product yet, but it is on its way. What about distracted walking? Is there a chance you’ll find yourself reading directions while crossing the street and become roadkill? Well, nothing’s perfect.

Windows Phone Lumia 900

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:00:53 +0000

On April 8 Nokia will bring its Windows Phone Lumia 900 to AT&T for only $99.99. This is a Windows phone, and the user experience is decidedly different from an Android or an iPhone. If you’re all-Microsoft the way many iPhone users are all-Apple, and many Android users are all-Google, this phone may work for you. With Xbox Live and Microsoft Exchange integration, the Lumia 900 takes advantage of what Microsoft does best. And, while the Windows Phone App Marketplace is small, all the classics are there, with more on the way. When Nokia announced the tech specs of its new Lumia 900, I was skeptical. On paper, the phone underwhelms, but in practice it's pretty awesome. The Lumia 900 takes full advantage of AT&T’s LTE network without encountering the classic AT&T problem of the dreaded dropped call. If I was an all-Windows person, I wouldn't think twice; even with the obligatory 2-year contract, for $99 dollars this is a lot of phone for the buck!

Best Buy closing 50 of its 1,450 US stores.

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:57:22 +0000

Best Buy recently announced that is will be closing 50 of its 1,450 US stores and replacing them with 100 mobile locations. One of the biggest reasons is showrooming. What's showrooming? It's where you go to a store, like Best Buy, look around the showroom, talk to salespeople, then use your smartphone or computer to purchase the item from an online retailer at a lower price. It started a while back when people just copied down models numbers and went home to find items online, but now, with 4G smartphones, you can make the purchase right from inside the store – it's costing big retailers a lot of sales. Price comparison apps like Amazon Price Check let you take a picture of the barcode in a store and just click to buy the item on Amazon.

Smartphones are trending up, they now account for almost 50 percent of mobile phones in the United States.

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:02:53 +0000

Smartphones are trending up, they now account for almost 50 percent of mobile phones in the United States. And, not surprisingly, feature phones are trending down – four out of five new mobile phone purchases are for smartphones. The clear winner is Google, about 48 percent of smartphones are Android devices. iPhone is second with about a third of the market, although iPhones sales are trending up at a remarkable pace. In the last three months, 43% of smartphone purchases were iPhones. And, down and out in smartphone land is BlackBerry, struggling to hold on the 12 percent of the smartphone users who get their phones free from their bosses, or who just love to type with their thumbs. What are we doing on our smartphones? We're not talking. For the first time, voice calls on mobile phones is down 11 percent year over year. But, there has been a massive increase of data usage in the same period.

Facebook will force your profile into timeline mode forever.

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:15:14 +0000

As of today, Facebook will force your profile into timeline mode forever. If you loved the old new Facebook, sorry, now you’re going to have to love the new, new Facebook. What’s the good news, well, actually some people really like the timeline. Others complain that search is more difficult. But, no matter what you think about it, from today on, all Facebook profiles and pages are now only going to be available only in timeline mode. That said, businesses should love timeline. According to a study done by Wildfire, about 85 percent of brand pages on Facebook will see an increase in engagement. What does that mean? It means that Facebook users are going to spend more time on brand pages after the mandatory upgrade to timeline, which is good for business. Is the switch going to be good for you? As they say, you be the judge.

The Wall Street Journal and Parks Associates did a survey of Apple iPhone 4S users to see how much they liked using Sir.

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:27:56 +0000

The Wall Street Journal and Parks Associates did a survey of Apple iPhone 4S users to see how much they liked using Siri, Apple's personal digital assistant. Not surprisingly, usage is limited and it's pretty easy to understand why. Let’s try Siri, schedule a call for me and John Doe tomorrow at 4pm. After about 10 seconds Siri says, "I don't see John Doe in your contacts perhaps you meant one of these 22." This is a pretty typical response, and, as you can hear, it is not very useful. How about traffic conditions, "what's the traffic like." Getting your current location, here's the traffic." One for two isn't bad, but this still feels more like a parlor trick than a paradigm shift. Are there alternatives to Siri? My favorite can be found on the Google Mobile app. Just touch the microphone and tell Google what you’re looking for, the results are almost instant.

Microsoft getting a jump on the competition.

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:19:08 +0000

Watching Apple stock soar and seeing iPads flying off the shelves, you might forget that the next great product from Apple is supposed to be iTV. No one knows what it will look like, or how it will work, but that hasn't stopped Microsoft from getting a jump on the competition. Using its super powerful, super popular Xbox 360 + Kinect, Microsoft has started making some serious content deals, including streaming content from Comcast, HBO and Major League Baseball. One of interesting thing about watching video through Xbox 360 and the Kinect Media Interface is how you control your experience. You can use voice and gesture commands to navigate through your videos. But, much more exciting to me is being able to search all of my premium video content in one place. Apple's iTV may turn out to be awesome, but Microsoft's Xbox 360 + Kinect is setting the bar pretty high.

Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Smartphone

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:20:03 +0000

In a couple of weeks, AT&T will begin selling the highly-hyped and fairly well anticipated Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Smartphone. And the really big news is the price point: $99 dollars with the obligatory two-year contract. It's 4G, has an 8MP camera and 16Gig of storage, which is a lot of features for $99 bucks, but, should you buy it? While it certainly is cheap enough, consider this. If you're an iDevice user, you know iPad, Mac, iPod, etc, then you should get an iPhone. If you're a heavy Google user, gmail, Google docs, Google apps for business, then an Android phone is the way to go. However, it you are a heavy Windows user who spends your day in Microsoft Office – the new windows phone operating system make lots of sense. Why is the new Nokia Lumia 900 going to be so cheap? That's easy, AT&T, Nokia and Microsoft want you buy as many of them as they can make.

Potential employers asking for Facebook passwords.

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:04:34 +0000

New York Senator Chuck Schumer and Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal are calling on the Department of Justice and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate reports that employers are asking job applicants for Facebook and other social media passwords during job interviews. This begs for the question, why would a potential employer feel the need to ask for your Facebook password in the first place. The answer is simple, Facebook allows you to restrict access to your profile to just your friends or even a totally private group, so unless you grant access or give a potential employer your password, the potential employer would have no way to see your private information. And, this begs for another question … what is private information in the 21^st century. If you publish your pictures, writings or opinions on a social media site, isn’t it already there for the world to see? Obviously, these are growing pains as we transition into the information age.

Find great vacation deals at Tingo.com

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:40:38 +0000

A website and a couple of apps caught my attention today. The summer travel season is almost upon us and a new service called Tingo is here to save you money on your hotel. When you book your stay through Tingo.com, your reservation will be rebooked every time the price of the room is lowered. If there is a change in price, your credit card will be refunded after you check out, ensuring you get the best possible deal. And -- An all-out app war is brewing between the Pictionary-like game Draw Something and the newest release in the Angry Birds franchise, Angry Birds Space. Draw Something started the week on top, boasting over 15 million daily users. Draw Something’s developer OMGPOP was acquired by Zynga on Wednesday, so the game’s popularity is not likely to fade anytime soon. But Angry Birds Space flew in today to steal the top spot in Apple’s App Store. Who can resist space pigs in zero-gravity? Not me.

China fastest growing smartphone users.

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:46:42 +0000

As you know, China is not only the most populous country in the world, its economy is growing very fast. Statistical experts say that by 2050 China will have a larger population of English speakers than we do here in the United States. I'm told that, right now, there are more "honors students" in China than there are "students" in the United States, and, mobile analytics company Flurry Inc says, that this past February, China surpassed the United States in smartphone activations. This is great news for Apple and really great news for Android smartphone manufacturers. Flurry says that “Not only is China already the second largest app economy, but also could eventually overtake the U.S. as the country with the largest installed base of smart device users.” Why do you care? Well, smartphone activations are a very good indicator of how fast China's middle class is growing. It also tells us that ordinary people in China are getting connected.

Bit throttling may sound like a funny combination of words, but it’s no laughing matter.

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:20:36 +0000

Bit throttling may sound like a funny combination of words, but it’s no laughing matter. Especially if you’re Matt Spaccarelli, the California student who won a small-claims court decision against AT&T over its throttling of his smartphone data plan. When you buy a smartphone, you expect to browse the web, listen to music and watch movies, but it you are in the top 5% of data consumers, AT&T may send you a txt message telling you that it is going to slow down your data connection for the rest of your billing cycle. Mr. Spaccarelli didn’t think AT&T had the right to do it to him, so he sued AT&T in small claims court and won $850 in damages. He received the check this weekend. Sadly, the problem is not solved. AT&T had no comment and has no plans to change its policy on bit throttling, but, if you’re a victim, at least one California judge is on your side.

New iPad Verizon 4G Network

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 03:33:10 +0000

I’ve had my new Verizon iPad for a couple of days and I am in love with Verizon’s 4G network in New York. I’ve been getting connection speeds that rival or exceed the speeds I get from my cable network at home and, truthfully, it has changed my relationship with the content. I’m used to fast computers and fast broadband connections, so I did not thing that browsing the web on a 4G iPad would be a big deal, but it is! Between the processor speed, the clarity of the retina display and the speed of the 4G connection, web browsing feels instant and the ability to literally touch the content is pretty remarkable. I also learned something about my Verizon iPad over the weekend … you can put an AT&T SIM card from an iPhone 4S in it and connect to AT&T’s 3G network. And no, it does not work the other way around. What does that mean to you?

The new iPad goes on-sale today.

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:16:37 +0000

The new iPad goes on-sale today. In case you missed the hype, the new iPad has a 5 megapixel camera, shoots HD video, has a faster processor, has an awe-inspiring display, and it's 4G, which means that you can browse the web six to 10 times faster than you can on an iPad 2. -- Will they be hard to come by? A little bit, but while it's true that the pre-orders are sold out, Apple has a certain amount of inventory dedicated to walk-in customers – otherwise, you wouldn't line up outside the stores, and there wouldn't be any Apple-iPad-mania! So, if you want to line up (as opposed to going online to make your purchase) you'll find the new iPad at your favorite Verizon or AT&T store, or you can try Radio Shack, Target, Sam's Club, Walmart, Best Buy, Tekserve, Amazon, and of course, the Apple Store.

Trade in your old iPad!

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:04:14 +0000

So, you want to get the New iPad, but you just don't know what to do with your old iPad ... how about trading it in? Apple has amended its Reuse and Recycling program to include the iPad. Depending upon the model, age and condition of your old iPad, Apple will give you a gift card worth up to $320, which you can used to purchase your New iPad. If you like to shop at Amazon, its offering up to $460 in trade-in value for your old iPad 2. Not interested in trade-ins or gift cards? Other outlets like eBay and Gazelle.com offer actual cash for your old Apple iDevices. Wondering if this makes sense? Well, if you haven’t ordered your new iPad yet, you’ll have some time to think it over; orders from the Apple Online Store list shipping times at 2-3 weeks.

Walmart Disc to Digital Service

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:54:08 +0000

Walmart unveiled a "disc-to-digital" service that lets you buy online access to movies you've already purchased on DVD or Blu-ray. Starting April 16^th you can take your discs to a Walmart and pay $2 to access a standard definition copy of your movie or $5 for an HD version. If you’ve always wanted to be able to watch any movie you own on any device you own, this is the service for you.

In other news, Yahoo! filed a lawsuit against Facebook for patent infringement. Yahoo! claims that Facebook is infringing on 10 individual patents. Not surprisingly, Facebook disagrees. By the way, this is not a new trick for Yahoo! If you remember, it sued Google in the run up to its IPO, which yielded Yahoo a pretty nice chunk of Google’s pre-IPO shares. As you know, those share turned into real money. Is Yahoo! trying it again? You be the judge.

New iPad Wait List?

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 07:47:12 +0000

If you want a New iPad, you’re going to have to wait. Apple says pre-orders are sold out so if you order one now, it will not arrive on March 16^th. But that may be good news because you’ve got another choice to make. Are you going to get a New Verizon iPad or a New AT&T iPad? What’s the difference? Well, both Verizon and AT&T say they have the largest 4G Network, but remember, 4G is not a technical standard, it’s a marketing term, so all 4G is not alike. Verizon has over 196 markets covered with LTE which, depending where you live, is 6 to 10 times faster than 3G. AT&T says its network is larger, but in many markets, it uses a slower technology which is just a suped-up version of its existing 3G network. Will it matter to you? It certainly will, so, before you choose your carrier, be sure to check out what 4G really means where you live.

Is the New iPad Worth Buying?

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:04:54 +0000

You can visit the Apple store and pre-order the New iPad, but should you? It's got a faster processor, better camera, it shoots in HD and it's 4G. And, although it does not have Siri, the new iPad does take dictation. It's the same price, except for the data plans, which cost a lot more. So, should you buy one? Well, as I like to say, if you want an iPad, nothing else will do. An iPad is "the" tablet to own and, as everyone knows, it is also a fashion accessory. That said, if you own an iPad 2, you don't really need a New iPad unless you live in an area with excellent 4G coverage. There's no point paying for a faster network connection that you can't really use. Of course, if you dont' have an iPad or if you have an original iPad and you really want Facetime, two cameras, HD video and a faster processor, now would be a great time to buy.

Facebook Interest Lists

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:19:34 +0000

Facebook is introducing a new way to sort your newsfeed with Interest lists. Soon you’ll be able to organize your feed by through user created feeds comprised of content from public brands and pages. For example, if you like football, you could subscribe to a curated list of NFL-related pages.

In other news, the Justice Department is allegedly planning to sue Apple and five major publishers for collusion and price-fixing of e-books. Lawmakers believe that the companies are working together to artificially raise the prices of e-books, simultaneously violating antitrust laws. For consumers, it’s likely the case will result in lower prices.

And finally, Twitter is planning big changes to the way a brand’s page looks on the social networking site. Customization is currently limited to major advertisers, but Twitter plans to add experiences including e-commerce and contests to brand’s pages.