a blog about tech stuff and RustyG
Archive for March, 2011
Viber 2.0 brings Free SMS to the iPhone
01 year ago
by RustyG
in Technology
Remember back in January when I told you that Viber, the app that lets you make 3G VoIP phone calls, was going to be releasing an update that was bringing with it a SMS function? Well, it finally happened! Today, 3/31/11, Viber released their update to the app. So go check it out! Now you can send SMS (text) messages for free to other Viber app users. This allows you to help cut down on your use of your allotted SMS messages that you use currently, and possibly in the future, we can quit paying for text messaging at all!
(Note: I hate how we over pay for $0.000001 it costs to send a freakint text message.)
via [TechCrunch]
It’s NOT Capped, its just not really 4G
01 year ago
With AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon all SCREAMING 4G, it seems more and more people are crying SHENANIGANS! Some people are getting really tired of hearing the 4G marketing B.S. and now that the ITU (governing body that sets the standards) has backtracked on what the standards are, allowing for all these LIES to be spread to the consumer. Especially since the HTC Inspire 4G, Motorola Atrix 4G & the Samsung Infuse 4G are all on the AT&T network, or coming soon. The problem seems to be that there are people giving factual speed tests that show that this is all crap! They are grouping together and starting to send their devices back as well. Some people were originally complaining that the devices were being capped due to the fact that they were on a new technology, when in reality, AT&T doesn’t really even have it turned on! Shown ever so wonderfully by the graphic above and the link to this page. The other issue is, that the older phones, like the iPhone 4, can sometimes show to have better speed than the new phones on the market. I am just glad that AT&T has adopted the 4G surcharge that Sprint does for their EVO customers for using 4G.
I guess they can’t really a this point, since they admit, that their 4G isn’t really 4G an it is just HSUPA or HSPDA+ at this point. AT&T did answer to Wired with this quote:
“We will be turning HSUPA upload speeds on via a software update to the Motorola ATRIX 4G and HTC Inspire 4G planned for April,” a spokesman said. He also added that “the Samsung Infuse 4G will launch with HSUPA.”
So you see that? We don’t really have it ready yet. WOW. So why are you selling me a 4G phone? This is more fuel to the fire that when you go to buy that new shiny cell phone, don’t let the 4G be a factor in your decision, find something you like and stick with it. Don’t worry about 4G until like 2012 or 2013. Maybe this acquisition of T-Mobile will help, who knows?
honorable mention [AndroidandMe]
Could Siri Assitant be the backbone for iOS 5 update?
01 year ago
Well it seems since Apple purchased Siri last April (2010), this new update to the iOS in June may be the reasoning for that purchase. There are rumors flying around that the voice recognition that is currently in the iPhone will be deeply integrated into the next iOS update. Siri originally won the 2010 Most Innovative Web Technology award at SXSW. The app helps you with voice activated commands and searches instead of having to type into the app. It’s great because you can do voice commands like “I need a taxi.” or “Where is the closest grocery store?”. There was supposedly at one time a command to call people inside the app, but I don’t see it the latest update to the app. It just leaves a text confirmation that it isn’t there yet, but coming soon. So is that a pre-cursor to validate that this rumor could be true? I don’t know, but it will be revealed soon.
The iPhone currently already does some of these voice commands like Call Jeff or Play Breaking Benjamin, but it maybe that this new update could bring more commands to the already popular iPhone.
via [Digg] via [Edible Apple]
Windows Phone 7 to get NFC too?
01 year ago
Well it seems the NFC rumors are getting louder and louder about NFC. With all the rumors about this technology going into the next iPhone, then not going into it, then it is; it seem that Microsoft wants to get into the rumor mill as well with its phones. These NFC chips are already being tested at Bank of America and in San Francisco. Right now though, this is all blackberry testing, no iOS or WP7 devices yet. It seems that the devices could support this technology even as early as this year. What is bad, is that Nokia already ships devices with this chip in it. So it seems everyone else is behind and trying to catch up.
Could this be in your next WP7 device? Could it be in the upcoming iOS update?
I can’t hardly wait to be honest, that’s one less thing that I have to carry with me when I go to concerts and events!!
(watch this trail… I thought it was funny to see how this story got around the web, since I found it on Digg first)
via [Digg] via [IntoMobile] via [Engadget] via [Bloomberg]
(i love following trails… Digg-news aggregator to site[IntoMobile] that got it from news aggregator Engadget that got it from Bloomberg. Nice. )
XBOX squeezing out 1GB of space on “new” format discs
01 year ago
by RustyG
in Technology
Well it seems that the XBOX discs are getting stretched out to the brim. Microsoft wanted to start a new Preview Program for the XBOX 360 community and did it by way of a tweet from Larry Hryb aka @MajorNelson on Twitter.
The details seemed to be that the company wanted to try a new format of discs and for everyone that got in on the program, got a free “new” format disc of Halo: Reach. The new format seems be that the discs are currently capped at 6.8GB of data for the game side of things and the rest for DVD-Video and copyright side of things. With the new format, they will now be able to use 7.95GB of the dual-layer discs. This means more space for the game side of things, but what happens to the copyright side?? Who knows? It seems that this will be rolling out in the near future, but until the new program testers get the “new” formatted discs, we won’t know what the difference is. The original Halo: Reach maxed out at 6.6GB, so now with the extra gig of space, will there be any difference in polygon count or just more game-play features? We shall see…
via [Engadget]
Kinect Makes It Cool to Fly in Cyberspace
01 year ago
So this video shows a cool new use for some really large media screens and Kinect. Let’s fly around in cyberspace and hit these weird Japanese tanks… I like the idea, but the tanks are just weird… check it out:
via [Engadget]
