Should I Port My Number to Google Voice? [Google Voice]

Should I Port My Number to Google Voice? [Google Voice]: "

The one last barrier for you using Google Voice full time—number porting—just got knocked down. But should you use Google Voice? Almost certainly yes. More »

Screenshot Tour of Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Built for Tablets [Screenshot Tour]

Screenshot Tour of Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Built for Tablets [Screenshot Tour]: "

Google gave us a glimpse of Android 3.0 Honeycomb earlier this year, but today they released more details on the upcoming OS. Here's a look through what we can expect. Spoiler alert: It's awesome, and it fixes many of Android's biggest annoyances. More »

Giz Explains: Why Your Call Dropped [Giz Explains]

This is a long article, and I will bet most of you won't read it. But it is interesting, if you care about such things.

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Giz Explains: Why Your Call Dropped [Giz Explains]: "

The call just died, and for no apparent reason. You were just walking down the street, for God's sake. So, let's talk about it: What happened? More »

HeyTell for iPhone and Android [Video]

HeyTell for iPhone and Android [Video]: "

Phone calls suck because you're stuck talking to someone in real time. Text messages suck because we all have Godzilla thumbs compared to the keys on these ridiculous touchscreen keyboards. There must be another way. There is! Walkie talkie smartphones. More »

Verizon iPhones to come with $30 unlimited data option

Verizon iPhones to come with $30 unlimited data option: "

Verizon will indeed offer an unlimited 3G data plan with the CDMA iPhone once it launches on February 10. The company's COO Lowell McAdam confirmed the rumor with the Wall Street Journal Tuesday morning, hoping that the move would lure away AT&T customers who no longer have an unlimited option for their iPhones.

The speculation that Verizon would roll out an unlimited plan for the iPhone started just days before the carrier's announcement that it would begin offering the device next month. At that time, unnamed sources said that Verizon hoped the plan would be a key differentiator to AT&T's two tightly-capped data plans (which currently sit at 200MB and 2GB per month).

"I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot," McAdam told the Journal when he confirmed the rumor. He added that not offering the plan would just give AT&T customers an additional reason to avoid making the switch, and why would Verizon want that? The plan will be $30 per month—$5 per month higher than AT&T's 2GB monthly plan.

This is good news for heavy data users, though those considering the jump to Verizon should exercise some caution: Verizon has already declared that the future of its 3G network is tiered. Although the company appears to still be open to unlimited plans for smartphones, that could always change in the future—just like it did at AT&T.

Why 3D Will Never Ever Work [3D]

I don't like 3D, except at the movie theater on a movie that needs it. Avatar is one of those films. The fact that everything is being made in 3D is just plain stupid. TV in 3D moves my rage to another level. Do we really want/need to sit in our houses with glasses on our face so that something has depth and dimension. I've been watching TV for 48 years now and I don't feel like I'm missing anything by watching TV in 2D. I know ESPN is trying to convince us that it is cool to watch 3D sports, but I don't buy it.

I'm posting the article below for historical sake. Will 3D ever work?

Why 3D Will Never Ever Work [3D]: "

So why will 3D content never take off? It's not the silly glasses or the lack of content. It's not even that we all kinda hate it. According to Academy Award-winning editor Walter Murch: it's evolution, baby. More »

The Social Network - Movie Review

by Brian Davids

Generally I avoid sharing my opinions about movies, outside of a simple "I liked it" or "I didn't like it". But The Social Network struck me with its brilliance, and I need to share. My only hope is that you will be intrigued enough to watch the film.

I went into this movie thinking it was going to suck. I really didn't expect it to be worth my time. I mean, really, how do you make a geek film interesting? I've seen a bunch of them, and they appeal to my geek nature, but they aren't good films.

The Social Network is brilliant!

The opening scenes sets the stage for the entire movie. We learn about Mark Zuckerberg and who he is. The acting in this scene is brilliant and the actor selected to play Zuckerberg is genius. I've never met Mark Zuckerberg, but I can assume this portrayal is close to what he is like in real life.

The entire film is wrapped around lawsuits that are brought against Mark while starting facebook, and the story plays really well this way. We go from the deposition room to the story. This weaving of current lawsuit and back story was a great way to go. We get to learn about the different people in Zuckerberg's life and we continue to learn more about him.

With a very simple idea facebook is born, and The Social Network does this startup justice.

The acting was brilliant from every actor. The color of the film was great. The story, editing, and directing was fantastic. I was blown away by this film in every way.

See The Social Network. This is a geek film that everyone can enjoy.

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What Google Voice Number Porting Actually Means for Your Cellphone [Explainer]

What Google Voice Number Porting Actually Means for Your Cellphone [Explainer]: "

Google Voice is offering number porting, but in a limited test. But couldn't Google Voice already work with any number? Isn't it easy to transfer numbers? Here's the long and (very) short of how and why you'd port your digits to Google. More »

32 Ways to Secure Your Digital Life [Security]

So much info here, but worth a quick glance. Read the headlines. There is some info about phones, and Internet safety, but primarily it is about Windows PCs. You know I hate them, but I don't hate you. Make sure you are safe.

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How to Pick Your Next Android Phone: The Specs That Matter (and the Ones That Don't) [Android]

Some of the points in this article may seem obvious, but even obvious sometimes needs to be pointed out. This also has a side-by-side comparison of the Android phones coming to Verizon. The article is long, but it applies to almost any phone you are thinking about buying.

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How to Pick Your Next Android Phone: The Specs That Matter (and the Ones That Don't) [Android]: "

Manufacturers are constantly popping out new Android phones, and it can all be a bit overwhelming when it comes time to buy a new phone. Here's how to avoid getting overwhelmed and narrow down your buying decisions. More »

Zodiac signs remain the same - The Student Printz

Well, I'm glad this is resolved. I get to stay a Gemini. Whew!

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Zodiac signs remain the same - The Student Printz: "

Christian Science Monitor

Zodiac signs remain the same The Student Printz The social network world descended into chaos last week as frantic Facebookers joined Twitter users who were chirping rumors about a change in the Zodiac. According to the rumors, astronomers had discovered a change in the earth's relativity to the ... 13th zodiac sign not officialAsiaOne Ophiuchus: what you didn't know about the zodiac's 'new' constellationChristian Science Monitor Guidance in a Zodiac-confused timeUW Badger Herald Gothamist -WACH -Synthesis all 122 news articles »

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs back on medical leave

Whenever Steve Jobs leaves Apple, even for a moment, I get nervous. I've seen Apple almost destroyed by bad decision making. It encourages me that he is going to stay involved, but it does remind me that at some point, Steve Jobs will no longer be at Apple.

Apple - Don't screw this up!

I wish you the best Steve!

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Here's the text of the e-mail Jobs sent to Apple's staff:

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

Alfred for Mac [Video]

I am not a fan of modifying or using something to do what the Mac already does. This app however is worth getting. It's not that you can't do what it does with Spotlight, but it does it really fast, really elegant, and allows you to use your keyboard instead of your mouse.

Give it a go. I think you will like it.

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Alfred for Mac [Video]: "

Application launchers are one of the simplest ways to speed up your computing—and certainly faster than hunting for icons in your dock. For ages, Quicksilver set the launch bar bar on Macs. Alfred leaves it in the dust. More »

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The Daily Show reacts to Verizon iPhone, Jon Stewart gets a little excited (video)

I had to repost this because the video is awesome and it is all true! AT&T - You suck!

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The Daily Show reacts to Verizon iPhone, Jon Stewart gets a little excited (video): "

Were you excited about yesterday's iPhone announcement? Not so much as The Daily Show, which spent a whole seven minutes and 18 seconds out of its 30 minutes of programming to celebrate the announcement -- and certainly not sparing the whip when it comes to AT&T. Jon Stewart appeared to be somewhat excited, screaming in excitement at being able to use "the world's most popular almost phone" as, well, an actual phone. See it for yourself below.

Continue reading The Daily Show reacts to Verizon iPhone, Jon Stewart gets a little excited (video)

The Daily Show reacts to Verizon iPhone, Jon Stewart gets a little excited (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon is getting iPhone 4 on February 10th

The rumors over the last couple years are now finally true...

Verizon is getting the iPhone 4 in February 2011.

If you are an existing Verizon customer on February 3, 2011, you will be given an exclusive opportunity to pre-order your iPhone 4.

One week later on February 10, 2011, the iPhone will be available to everyone.

General Motors takes us on a crazy test ride in the EN-V electric prototype vehicle (video)

I have nothing to add to this. Watch the video. Awesome!

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General Motors takes us on a crazy test ride in the EN-V electric prototype vehicle (video): "

Cars are big and stupid. Well, most of the time, anyway. Need to bring home a couple sheets of drywall in the rain? Man it's nice to have a big truck with a cab. Need to run Jr. to school five miles away on a smoothly paved? Suddenly that full-size, extended cab, 13.5mpg dually monster starts seeming just a little silly. Assuming people continue their flock to the cities, in the future that latter situation will be an awful lot more common than the former and our cities simply won't be able to manage. The streets won't be wide enough, parking garages tall enough, nor oil wells deep enough. We need something different, and GM thinks that something is the EN-V. Even though it still isn't the future we just got a drive in one, so read on for our impressions.

Gallery: GM EN-V test drive at CES 2011

Continue reading General Motors takes us on a crazy test ride in the EN-V electric prototype vehicle (video)

General Motors takes us on a crazy test ride in the EN-V electric prototype vehicle (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 21:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spam is a huge problem

Now it is possible to see how many pages of spam are being created. I just checked out this site, and since January 11, over 176 Million Pages of spam have been generated.

The site is spamclock.com and it is a simple page with a counter.

They give great advice at the bottom of the page: "So check the URL first - look before you click!"

If you get an email with a link, even if from a friend, and it doesn't make sense to you...Don't click it! Lately I have been getting email from people I know that are unknowingly spamming me.

Just because you get an email, doesn't mean you need to read it. If you get an email from your bank, credit card company or anyone asking you to update your personal information, ignore it or go directly to your account on that company site. Never, never, never follow a link from an email to any financial institution asking for information. Never click on a link that doesn't make sense, and always check (hover over the link and your browser will show you the link location) and see where it is taking you. Once you click, it is too late!

Wow! A spam rant, and I wasn't even planning on it.

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Mac App Store Downloads Top One Million in First Day

Holy Cow! Apple Opens the Mac App Store on January 6th. One Million Apps get downloaded...

Apple announced today that over one million apps have been downloaded from the Mac App Store in the first day. “We’re amazed at the incredible response the Mac App Store is getting,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Developers have done a great job bringing apps to the store and users are loving how easy and fun the Mac App Store is.” Read more: apple.com/mac

Verizon Press Conference Next Tuesday

There has been a ton of buzz around CES this week. Lots of Android tablets and Android phones. Verizon came out with 12 4G options, and now they are going to have a press conference next Tuesday. More News Verizon?!

Well, we are all guessing that they are going to announce the iPhone for the Verizon network.

Let's wait and see what happens on Tuesday...I can't wait!

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Verizon reveals range of new tablets, smartphones for 4G network - USA Today

Yeah! Middle of the year. That is when my contract is up. Check out this article, and the insane devices coming to Verizon this year. Yahoo!

Here are some links of the awesomeness that is coming...
Motorola Bionic
HTC Thunderbolt
LG Revolution (not the corporate site - just a review)

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Verizon reveals range of new tablets, smartphones for 4G network - USA Today: "

Reuters

Verizon reveals range of new tablets, smartphones for 4G network USA Today As expected Verizon Wireless is going full throttle with consumer plans for its next generation 4G LTE network. The company unveiled a suite of 10 consumer-oriented LTE (Long Term Evolution) devices at a CES press conference, including smartphones from ... CES-UPDATE 2-Verizon promises 10 high-speed gadgets by mid-yearReuters Motorola's Atrix bends the definition of mobile computingBetaNews CES 2011: Morotola Xoom, Sony 3D TVs all the buzzWashington Post SlashGear -Wired News -PC Magazine all 1,314 news articles »

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Apple's Mac App Store goes live

Just like Apps for your phone, but for your computer. No more trips to the Apple store. Now you can find and buy right from your machine. You need the latest update for Snow Leopard, so update your machines and start browsing apps.

Here are the details of the update:

The Mac OS X 10.6.6 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. It also includes the Mac App Store, the best way to discover and buy new apps for your Mac. The Mac App Store, a new application you'll find in the Dock, includes the following features:

• Discover Mac apps: Browse featured apps, top charts, and categories, or search for something specific. Read detailed app descriptions and user reviews, and flip through screen shots.
• Buy and install: Easily purchase apps with your iTunes account. Apps install in one step and are quickly available from the Dock.
• App updates: The Mac App Store keeps track of all your purchased apps and notifies you when free updates are available.

To learn more about the Mac App Store, visit: http://www.apple.com/mac/app-store.

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4459.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

This is a great idea! Nice job Apple.

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Apple's Mac App Store goes live: "

Well it's official boy and girls -- Apple's Mac App Store is live as of this morning, and available to use and abuse via a Snow Leopard update (version 10.6.6 to be exact). The OS X application market takes the company's wildly successful iOS App Store to its logical conclusion, bringing an orderly, structured app buying experience to desktops and laptops across the globe. The Store will launch with over 1,000 titles, including Apple standards like the iLife suite broken out into separate parts (iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand) selling for $14.99 each, Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for $19.99 apiece, and the bank-breaking Aperture for $79.99. Of course there'll also be third-party apps present at launch, including Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, Pixelmator, Cheetah 3D, and Flight Control HD (yes, a port of the iPad version).



The software itself will be a separate application that functions much like the App Store, providing update notifications and a universal installation process. That process, mind you, will be part of the requirements for getting your application into the store, along with Apple's famous content policies -- so we're sure we'll see some irate devs with painful rejection stories. Or maybe not. We know that the company is planning on getting lots of familiar developers into the Store, but we also know that some of what Apple is looking for may not gel with, say... Adobe's installation procedures (or worse). Regardless, right now the number of apps available is small, but you can expect it to grow fast now that it's open for everyone. We're going to be doing a much deeper dive on the experience and report back -- until then, if you're using it, let us know what you think in comments.

Apple's Mac App Store goes live originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T launching 12 Android devices in 2011

Android is going to be the king of the mountain. AT&T launching 12 Android devices is just another sign. AT&T however sucks, and they will lose my business this next June. An iPhone on AT&T network is simply an "i"...there is no phone. I can't imagine it will be any better with Android.

Goodbye AT&T!

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AT&T launching 12 Android devices in 2011: "

AT&T has mentioned today at CES that it's prepping to launch some 12 Android devices this year -- presumably a mix of phones and tablets, many of which have been announced here today at the carrier's developer event. For the mathematically challenged, that works out to one a month on average -- a pretty aggressive pace and a sign that Android's showing no signs of slowing down in terms of carrier and manufacturer adoption. Though the hardware looks great, none of AT&T's Android announcements so far here feature a stock UI experience -- sure, nothing they've done in the past year suggests they're keen to offer a stock device, but with 12 in the pipe, surely just one of 'em can go skinless?

AT&T launching 12 Android devices in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WiFi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab confirmed for first quarter US launch

This makes me happy. I love this device, but didn't want a contract. Looks like I'm going to get my wish. A Samsung Tab with no 3G, no contract. Yippie!

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WiFi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab confirmed for first quarter US launch: "

It's been a bit of a wait, but Samsung's starting leak some more details on the 3G-free (and contract-free) version of its Galaxy Tab. What you really want, of course, is a concrete date and price -- but you're not going to get it. Instead, we come bearing news that they've at least committed to a first quarter launch in the States (retail partners are yet to be announced, though Best Buy certainly seems like a lock) and that the units will have 16GB of internal storage along with a microSD slot capable of another 32GB. Everything else is a line-for-line spec match with the Tab you're already used to, save for the lack of 3G data when you fall off the warm embrace of a WiFi network. Follow the break for the press release.

Continue reading WiFi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab confirmed for first quarter US launch

WiFi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab confirmed for first quarter US launch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Video Preview of Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' [Video]

A Video Preview of Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' [Video]: "

Like we've seen in bits before, Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' was designed with tablets in mind. That means bigger animations, more useful widgets, a new tablet-optimized Gmail, and even Google Talk video chat. Looks awesome. Check it out! [AndroidPolice] More »

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Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon

Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon: "

Things are getting real with Motorola -- it's just announced the LTE-equipped Droid Bionic which, like the Xoom tablet introduced alongside it, will be headed to Verizon. The phone packs a dual-core processor with each core humming along at 1GHz, a 4.3-inch QHD screen, 1GB 512MB of RAM, a front-facing VGA camera, an 8-megapixel on the rear, HDMI out, and a Mirror Mode that will let you do simultaneous streaming of video to the TV and on the device. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the link below for the product page.



Update: The press release states 512MB of RAM, while Motorola's product page lists 1GB, one of which is probably right.

Gallery: Motorola Droid Bionic official press pics

Gallery: Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon

Continue reading Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon

Motorola Droid Bionic announced for Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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