IKnowRusty.com

a blog about tech stuff and RustyG

Skype updated with over 3G and Multitasking

Jul 21

Posted by RustyG in Apple, Technology | No Comments

Remember way back last year when AT&T announced they would allow Skype VoIP calls over 3G? Well its been quite a while, but now with the new iOS4, Skype has finally updated to allow their calls over 3G to happen and allow them to be received even after the app is left. It will run in the background to allow you be online all the time. When you receive a call, a little notification bubble will pop up and let you know who is calling. The best part is that there are no additional charges for using your data instead of minutes. The only thing is, if you just jumped on the “unlimited” iPhone plan, you only have 2GB instead of those who were grandfathered in with the 5GB cap.

You can download the app here (opens App Store)

via [Skype]

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FaceTime goes Multi-Deviced

Jul 8

Posted by RustyG in Apple, Technology | No Comments

So you think your iPhone friends are the only people you can talk to with your brand new shiny iPhone 4?? As of today, no longer. Fring (fring.com) has updated their app (and it was approved by Apple) to now include the front facing camera to be used in their app over 3G. Now the caveat is that they need to be using Fring as well on the other side, but this is open to all smartphones that can install the Fring app. For example the Droid family or even Nokia devices. The bottom line is, Video Calls over 3G! For the rest of you that don’t have a iPhone 4, you can still use the app with its updates of multi-tasking, a social stream and a smarter address book.

Check out the video below:

via [Engadget] via [Fring]

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Open Letter to Apple

Jul 3

Posted by RustyG in Apple | No Comments

Really Apple??? Really???!!!!! You were completely surprised????? You had no idea the phone had antenna issues?? You don’t read any blog but your own don’t you???

Oh wait, WE ALL GRIP our phones!! They all loose signal when you use it? WOW!!! I didn’t know that!! It’s the weirdest thing ever, when you pick up your phone, it drops calls. Not just your iPhone, but all phones including the Droid? REALLY???!!! Let’s ask droid users… NOPE.

You receive HUNDREDS of letters that say the reception is better than the 3GS and 3G, REALLY??

WHAT PHONE WHERE?????? In the words of Lewis Black,

“If you work for these f*****s, I want to talk to you”.

STEVE JOBS! Are you listening? Are you that obnoxious and arrogant that you can accept your phone SUCKS and give us a better fix than, oh, we messed up our math, you only get 2 bars everywhere instead of 4, so it’s all AT&T’s fault.

WOW….

Here’s the letter, you have to read this garbage…. WOW Apple.. I almost want you to refund my iPhone and buy me a HTC Evo 4G, and I don’t even get 4G here in Nashville..

Dear iPhone 4 Users,

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s  history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best  smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were  surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately  began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will  reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone  3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have  reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way  which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band.  This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have  accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of  emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the  iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and  testing. What can explain all of this?

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is  both simple and surprising.

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to  calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong.  Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it  should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4  bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a  drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are  most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t  know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big  drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first  place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for  calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The  real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report  it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the  reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2  and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that  incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present  since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available  for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results  are the same— the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have  ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled  by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more  accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety  we may have caused.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your  undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store  within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Apple

thanks, thanks a lot…

oh yeah… email this two goons:

Press Contacts:
Natalie Harrison
harri@apple.com

Steve Dowling
dowling@apple.com

via [Apple]

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Google Voice opens to the world

Jun 23

Posted by RustyG in Technology | No Comments

So if you haven’t heard, Google has now opened the by-invite-only Google Voice service. With the service only being just over a year old, and having a modest 1 million users it seems fitting to open it up to the public. I have been using this service for over 6 months now and it is great to see it now open to everyone. The idea is that you only need one number for the rest of your life, and you can just forward your Google number to your actual number. It’s great, because if you ever change service from landlines or cells, you don’t have to go and change everything, as long as you told everyone your google number… Check it out below:

via [GoogleVoice Blog]

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How YouTube deals with Copyright

Jun 18

Posted by RustyG in Videos | No Comments

So this video is from the TED (Technology, Entertainment & Design) talks shows how YouTube apparently has Super Computers doing their dirty work for them, but they do allow for some videos to be copied, watch to see how it all works:

via [Digg]

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New Mac Mini Appears in the wee hours of the morning

Jun 15

Posted by RustyG in Apple, Technology | No Comments

Look! Did you miss it? I certainly did this morning in the craziness of pre-ordering my new iPhone 4G. Apple quietly updated the Mac Mini, and this time with a HDMI port out!! What’s worth a look @ $699 or $999? Let’s a take a peek..

Well, they added the uni-body design to the machine and it looks GREAT! The power brick has also been eliminated and the power supply is internal to add to the new design. Well, we see the new ports being HDMI (with mini display port) and now an SD card slot as well! Plenty of USB to go around and even an ever dying firewire…

Now how about the fact that you can upgrade (sort of) to DUAL 500 GB and loose the SuperDrive? Think you can attack all that storage space in one sitting? I’ll give you a chance, and then come back to me… Also you go from a dual core 2.4 to a 2.6GHz with both having the NVIDIA 320 chip inside.. You can also double the memory from 2 to 4GB or from 4 to 8GB… Now try watching your favorite podcasts on that machine connected to your HDTV of choice.. I bet it looks PHENOMENAL!!

Your $999 price gets your Mac SnowLeopard Server instead of the home version of SnowLeopard. I think this may definitely be my next desktop PC, Seriously….

via [Engadget] and [Engadget - Unboxing]

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