It is rumored that apple is going to replace google search in the mobile safari app with Bing. It only makes sense at this point. Apple and google seem to have been at each other over the past 6 months, and it makes sense that apple is wanting to put less interest into google and show more support to microsoft.

iTunes may soon be headed to the cloud. With the recent acquisition of lala.com, apple is leaning more and more to actually making all our music cloud based for easier access. They already have it set up for web based music previews when you share a song link on twitter and facebook. Only time will tell though.

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Korea will be getting their first android 2.0 handset in the Motorola Motoroi. The phone has a very sleep look, and looks like it will be running Blur, the motorola android build. It is rumored that the US will be getting this phone in March, Carrier is currently unknown.

AT&T has lowered their Unlimited calling plans by $30. Unlimited data + voice is now $100, Unfortunately for iPhone users, there is still no included text messages, so you are still out $20 a month for unlimited texts.

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Facebook has finally introduced the ability to reply to comments via email. This is so great. This is a feature they should have had for a while. Some of us would rather reply to our emails than have to use an app or visit the site to reply to someone.

Google introduces "Near me Now". This feature allows you to do a google search and top searches are things that are actually near you. Using GPS location, this is making google even better than before. Some may argue that they know to much at this point, but this is an exciting new feature.

Flip is working on releasing an Android application. They already have an iPhone app. However, how useful will this app be, when android users have access to upload video to youtube directly from their phones.

If you have questions or want to comment about this episodes or others, call 202-596-8324 

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A few of the things discussed in this episode include: Lady Gaga becoming creative director of Polaroid, iPhone deactivation, Midget Talk, Podcamps, Facebook birthday etiquette, Glympse, Lying on the internet, Dead Baby chat, CES, and much much more. This is an entertaining episode, and I hope you enjoy it. 

If you are offended by midgets and dead babies, you should not listen to this episode.  

FCC commission says they are not satisfied with the answer Verizon provided them with when it came to their new $350 early termination fee for their customers. This fee was started because of consumers jumping from cell provider to cell provider for the hippest newest phones. This new higher fee is supposed to detour this. It is a crappy move from Verizon, and this is going to end up being a huge story in 2010 I believe.

A un-announced LG android device has been found in the Sprint inventory system recently. This could be a phone that is going to be announced at this years CES event, and may even be going on sale as soon as the announcement. I myself have always been an LG fan, I have had a couple LG phones in the past and they are easily the best phones I have owned other than my iPhone and HTC Hero.

Some reports are showing that the first Google Chrome OS notebook may actually be a tablet. This could actually be what Chrome was designed for. I will definitely be keeping an eye on this OS this year.

And finally....AT&T doesn't know how it feels about new york. It had stopped selling iPhones in new york. It was originally reported that this was due to not being able to provide coverage in the area. Now AT&T says that it was an issue with some fraud and they are now selling the iPhone again. I think AT&T better watch out, because they are getting some serious bad press recently.

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Google has released Google Goggles for the Android and it is a killer app. The concept is to be able to search the web by just taking a picture of what you want to search for. Currently goggles is only available for android and I actually hope it stays that way.

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Old news, but wanted to mention it any ways. Amazon and put out an update for the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. The update offers improved battery life, Improved PDF functionality and allows for older model Kindle 2's to have screen rotation. I love my Kindle and I love this update.

Apple has acquired streaming music service Lala.com. No one is entirely sure what the plan is for this buy out, but you can believe that apple is wanting to broaden their reach in some way. I think this can be a very good thing, but we will have to wait an see.

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The last bit of this episode is a rant on brightkite, you can read my article at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-12905-Social-Media-Examiner~y2009m12d4-Brightkite-CEO-puts-foot-in-mouth 

We also have to ask the question though, is the phone going to go ahead and have Android on it, or is it going to be more a Chrome OS on a phone? I think the phone could be successful, but you also have to watch out for the people that think google is an evil empire selling our information to companies. Either way, I can't wait to see how this story develops and I plan on following it closely.

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When apple introduced the New nano with video, they kind of took a shot at flip. Even I couldn't resist. But flip is not going to take this laying down. There are talks that their next version of video cam will have built in wifi so you can upload on the go. I don't know if I will buy one. I really want them to sell me on features of it and why I want this more than using my HTC Hero to do the occasional video.

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Recently Joe Hewitt the man behind the iPhone Facebook app has handed the app development off to another developer. The reasoning seems to be apples app store. Because of the approval process the app store is not a very desirable place. It is sad that even if you are facebook and you have your app in the app store already that you still have to go through the full approval process every single time. This is something that I think will drive many developers away from the iPhone and I strongly believe that this is going to start being an issue were people and companies may just forget about the iPhone all together until apple changes their ways.

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Last show I talked about OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 dev build not working with netbooks. Shortly after the show went live, there were reports that in fact it was working. Now that 10.6.2 is live to all snow leopard users there are mixed reports. Some say it works fine, most say it doesn't work at all. Some also claim that there is a hack available. If you are running 10.6.2 on your netbook and it is working, let me know at techhijack@coreyharris.me

Google is possibly going to bring the look and feel of google wave over to their other apps including mail, docs, and calendar. I am using google wave, and though I enjoy the interface and would like it in gmail, I don't think it would work out as well in the other google apps. But we shall see when or if this even happens.

There has been talk for over a year now that verizon wireless is going to get the iPhone. I have always hated this idea myself, just because verizon coverage here in Kansas City is worse than Sprint coverage. That being said, with the recent droid commercials coming out on verizon I think they have pretty much shot themselves in the foot. If I was apple all discussions would end at this point because of the bashing of the iPhone. It is understandable that verizon wants to go after at&t. But bringing the iPhone into your bashing is a little ridiculous. If apple wants to make a CDMA phone, I think they should go with sprint and try to save sprint. If the iPhone went to sprint, iPhone bills would be lower using Sprints "Simply Everything" plan. But I don't see apple making a CDMA phone though. That will raise production costs since they would then have to make two different phones. That being said, we will find out for sure next june.

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Google Voice has recently opened their service a little more, now allowing you to use your existing number for google voice services. You don't get the full experience, but you do get visual voicemail and some other features.

Google has also said that they are now blocking fewer than 100 numbers through google voice. This comes after AT&T complained to the FCC about Google blocking numbers via their voice service. It is nice to see that google is doing something about it.

Apple has killed atom processor support in the latest developer build of Leopard 10.6.2. Atom is the processor that netbooks use. If you are currently running snow leopard on your netbook hackintosh, do not update the software. You will be left with a paper weight.

Apple has also been approaching TV studios about working out a possible all you can watch deal for itunes subscribers. Right now it is looking like they are wanting to charge $30 a month to view all the tv shows you can watch via your apple tv. This I am sure would be expanded to their other devices. But we will see when or if this happens.

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The macbook now has a unibody on the low end, yet is still plastic. Technically the batter is replaceable still, however they entire bottom must be removed to get to the battery. It looks pretty slick, they managed to give it the same curvature of the other macbooks in the line of MacBook Pro's.

Mac Mini has been upgraded for faster and better performance. It is looking like apple is actually taking it serious that people are wanting to use the mini as a media hub.

The biggest news is that of the iMac, and I think most are thrilled about it. The iMac is seeing huge updates. Now coming with HD screens and screen sizes from 21.7 inches and 27 inches. Hard drive sizes from 500GB to 2 TB. And lastly Memory all the way up to 16GB of ram. The iMac has cometh. Also new to the iMac, it now ships with bluetooth keyboard and the new blue tooth magic mouse. The magic mouse multi touch and can now be used with gestures.

One last thing, Apple has updated their remote for their computers, It is now aluminum as well and has a slightly updated design.

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First up, Mizzou (University of Missouri) has developed a Nuclear Battery! This is huge news coming out of the midwest because we don't do much here. But this is something that can change energy the way we see it today. This battery is capable of powering devices that are minds can't even imagine. The power is outrageous "six orders of magnitude higher than chemical batteries". The biggest concern from everybody has to be safety though. Can you imagine running something nuclear like that in your house? Can we say Tumor?

Next is more AT&T news. I know, I cover it to much. But this is big news. AT&T at a press conference announced that they want Skype and google voice to run on their network. This is huge. This opens up so much especially for iPhone owners. Apple also responded with excitement. The only question is when will all this happen? I believe we will start seeing all this before the end of the year. But then again, knowing both apple and at&t the way we do, it will probably be next year. But I will definitely be on the lookout for more on this.

If you want to get in contact with me over anything tech related or podcast related shoot me an email over at techhijack@coreyharris.me or call the voicemail line at 202-596-Tech

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Apple has rejected yet another application for the iPhone, this one seems to be for political reasons though. What ever that means. iSinglePayer has stirred up some noise, But for me, this doesn't seem like an interesting app any way. But I think it is time that apple let us be adults and use what ever apps we want to at this point.

Also on the app front, the Dropbox application has finally been approved and is in the iPhone app store. It is a free app and allows you to sign up for an account from within the application. I have heard the in app sign up is a little janky though, so you may want to sign up over at getdropbox.com before downloading the app if you are not already using the service.

I finally have a new logo thinks to HeyitsRachel. I am super exciting. I will be playing with the background colors over the next few weeks and may just default to plain white, but I just wanted to thank her for a great job on the new logo. She rocks!

We have a listener number now call 1-202-596-TECH(8324)

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MMS is coming to the iPhone and I think it is a waste. I have never in 12 years used MMS on any phone I have owned. I have always sent pictures from my phones in emails. That is even true on every flip phone I have had, even my phone that I got shortly after color screens became available. I think MMS is over hyped and people that still use it need to step into the 21st century.

Evernote has updated their windows software. Apparently it has been completely redone. Like any software update, this is sure to fix several minor bugs and you should probably go ahead and update to the latest version.

Palm is finding themselves in some hot water recently. They recently went to the USB-IF with complaints about apple breaking the Pre's ability to sync with iTunes. They stated that they are constantly having to fix this and even explained how they are fixing this by using apples own USB assigned serial. They claim that apple is in the wrong. The USB-IF sides with apple, but then tells palm that they are in the wrong. Finally!!! This has been going on for too long. Palm needs to make their own software like blackberry if they want their crap to sync with iTunes.  

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Googles statement though was redacted so the public could not see their response. This could be due to many things. But it has finally become public and google stated that Phil Schiller himself called and told them that apple would be rejecting the Google Voice app. Apple responded to this statement by saying it is not true and they are still analyzing the application.

This bothers me for many reasons. I think apple thinks their iPhone is untouchable. Really there hasn't been much competition so far. The Pre should have been, but it really wasn't. Though the Pre does have it's fans. I think the real competition for the iPhone lies with the Android Platform from google, I also believe this is why we are seeing apple get more and more strict with google applications. That being said, I have used the Google Voice web App for the iPhone and it works. It isn't pretty, but it works.

All in all, this could be apple trying to get more people to develop web apps instead of native applications. I actually prefer some web based apps over native myself. But I am an oddity with that.

I will continue to follow this. But I don't think we will see a lot of change in this situation.

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Earlier in the day sprint made an incentive for users of other smart phones and carriers to get a $100 credit for signing a sprint account and getting a pre. While many flocked, quite a few were left out after sprint later pulled the incentive claiming it was a mistake. This is a common occurrence for sprint. They have been making customers mad for a while now.

Rumors have been spreading about the Palm Pixie for a while. But today the rumors shot through the roof claiming that we will see it as early as next week.  My biggest issue though with the Pixie is it looks like a modern Centro. I think it is time for palm to step up their game and get out of their comfort zone and that begins with moving forward and leaving the physical keypad behind. Though we all know palm has been around for a while, we also know that palm will be their own demise. 

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Next up is eBay and Skype. Yes, we haven't touched on that at all I don't in the past. eBay is selling skype and this can only mean good things. Though this was probably mostly done to get the baggage of skype off of them, we may now see skype grow and become what it needs to become. I hope to start seeing some amazing new features around the corner.

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One, Don't memorize a script!

Two, If you are going to use a tele prompter, be good at it.

Three, Be spontaneous.

I get so irritated when podcasts, video podcasts especially are rehearsed and over acted. Or they have to read off a prompter the entire show or use cue cards. I love being spontaneous! I think that is how podcasting should be too. It is fine to have your talking points and some notes, But don't script out your whole episode.

When you decide to start a podcast, you don't need big fancy equipment either. I use an iMac with Garage band for recording and a Snow Ball Microphone. I keep skype and wiretap studio on hand just incase I want to have guests on.

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This episode of Tech Hijack is Brought to you by SquareSpace.com 

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SquareSpace is where your imagination can come to life on the interwebs!

Apple has denied the Google Voice app, The FCC is investigating. AT&T claims they have no say in the approval process, But we all know that's a lie. Hmm. Maybe soon we can get some answers

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I am ranting about the iPhone, but mostly about the apple fan boys that think they need special treatment. HTC Hero may finally be real competition to the iPhone and my thoughts on next years model. I also want to see a camera in the iPod touch (Been saying that for a while) and would love to see apple make the same kind of deal with a wireless carrier that amazon made with the kindle.  

BlockBuster admits their Demise!: Yes, BlockBuster has admitted that they will probably not survive at this point. Who uses blockbuster any more?

Apple Kills Satellite Radio?: Duh! Ok, Satellite radio has been dying for a while. They are only prolonging their own death.

Apple allows Push testing: Thats right. Push notification is now being fully tested by developers! How exciting is that!

On other apple news, apple is going to stop using windows mobile devices for check out. This is due to iPhone 3.0 software. 

And Finally,

Amazon and Walmart are playing follow the leader with apple!: Well they didn't have a choice really. Now all three offer tiered pricing. Oh the world we live in. 

Remember, Keep your data safe and back up to Mozy.com.

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