Blog Archives
Humor in Social Networking
Here’s some funny new media stuff for your enjoyment. As social networking is gaining in popularity, there are always little quirks that either might be annoying. This video talks about Facebook Chat. Now, I like to partake in a Facebook chat (personally, I am a Google Chat fan) from time to time, but at times, they can be mildly annoying, especially when working on a project. This clip might speak for someone who hates the chat mechanism on Facebook. Enjoy!
Want a Netbook? Check Verizon this weekend
Netbooks are all the rage recently, and I was even contemplating purchasing one recently, so I would not have to lug around my laptop everywhere. However, I decided to sideline my netbook purchase for the new BlackBerry Curve 8900, which will be available at AT&T in June. If you want a netbook, Verizon Wireless will be selling HP Mini 1151NR netbooks for $199.99 with a 2-year wireless broadband services contract. The only caveat to this is that the wireless broadband service costs $40 a month for 250 MB of data or $60 a month for 5 GB of data.
According to CNET News, this is not a good deal, considering that most netbooks are retailing at a cost of about $300. Over time, the Verizon netbook plan will cost anywhere between $1000-$1600/year, which is not a bargain considering that most places have wi-fi access.
At this cost, it would be more cost effective to purchase a netbook at a retailer, like Micro Center, and utilize the free wi-fi access at places like Panera Bread, the library, or even pay the minimal costs at Starbucks to get online. Verizon’s offer is probably not worth its weight in gold.
Are books gone with the wind?
It seems with the rise of technology (not that I am complaining, because I am a techno-diva) that a lot of things are being replaced by slim line devices to make your life easier. After all, the newspapers in America are being replaced by online subscriptions and free online media. Now, it appears that your bookshelf might be replaced by the new Kindle. According to BBC News, the new Kindle DX will soon have an extensive library of books that won’t take up space on your bookshelves. Now, how will this impact book stores? While I do not believe that people will stop buying books, especially due to the high cost of the Kindle DX, this device will definitely spur competition between online businesses and book stores.
While I think the Kindle DX will transform the way the way people gain their daily dose of news or fiction, nothing is quite like reading a newspaper or a great classic. I’ll stick to my books until the Kindle DX has a reduced price tag.
Mobile Browsers for Smartphones: Are they better than the standard?
Lately, I have been conducting a lot of research on mobile browsers for my BlackBerry. It’s not that I don’t love the standard browser that what was included on my BlackBerry Curve 8310, but I am looking for a mobile browser that allows me to see graphics more efficiently and has faster speeds over the AT&T EDGE Network.
On my personal laptop, I use Firefox 3. I like how I can multi-task, and have the option of having several web pages open at once. So, I was surprised when I read that they were test driving a mobile browser called Fennec. Currently, Fennec is only available for Nokia N810 Internet tablets, but Mozilla is working to prepare Fennec for BlackBerry and other smartphones. CNET discussed that this is still in the development phase and it will most likely be considered Firefox Mobile. CNET also reports that Fennec will also have an add-on, which will synchronize your tabs with your laptop.
This feature is similar to Opera, which also has two mobile browsers. Opera Mini, which is the suggested download for BlackBerry, allows you to synch your information with your laptop. Opera does allow you to see graphics vividly and offers more speed, and like many of these applications, they consume a lot of space on your device. While you have the graphics and tab capabilities, you have to click on the page to zoom in and it has a slightly harder learning curb.
Overall, I think with the upcoming release of Firefox Mobile and other mobile browsers, RIM (makers of BlackBerry) and Windows Mobile will have a great opportunity to improve upon their servers. Apple is winning in this market with the iPhone using Safari browsers, but there is no doubt the market will improve as new technology continues to improve. However, with BlackBerry’s current browser on the Curve and Pearl devices, there is a great need for improving the speed and graphics quality, in order to make the phone more marketable.
It's here…
For BlackBerry users, the long awaited BlackBerry App World has now been released. This is BlackBerry’s response to the iPhone’s App feature, and offers many of the same apps that iPhone offers. In fact, some of the feature BlackBerry apps include: Guitar Hero, Pandora, UNO, a calculator to assist with workouts, and many more. Now, BlackBerry is becoming more competitive in the smartphone industry, and competition is a very good thing (maybe, it might help to lower the iPhone prices).
New iPhone and BlackBerry Curve to hit shelves in July
Yesterday, I was talking with one of my friends who works for AT&T, and we were discussing the new BlackBerry Curve, which will be hitting the shelves in July. As we were talking, he also mentioned that the new iPhone will be arriving at the same time. Since I am eligible for an upgrade in November, I was starting to weigh the pros and cons on both phones.
Currently, I have a BlackBerry Curve 8300, which has definitely been a great smartphone. After all, it has great sound qualities, whether you are using the handset or listening to Pandora on the phone. In fact, I often treat my BlackBerry like it is an iPod by downloading music from my computer on to the phone. Aside from the sound, I also like that you can copy and paste stuff on the BlackBerry, and the Documents to Go feature allows me to access Word documents at the click of a button.
The new BlackBerry Curve offers these features, along with a 3.2 megapixel camera and video recording technologies. In fact, the new BlackBerry Curve will also feature a format that is similar to the BlackBerry Bold. The other good part to the new Curve is the fact that BlackBerry is featuring a new applications store to remain competitive with the iPhone.
As for the iPhone, all of the cool kids have these amazing devices. Although it is more pricier than the BlackBerry, it offers more applications and features. With a larger display screen and touch screen capacities, the iPhone is a more modern device that offers many of the available features of the BlackBerry Curve devices. You can still video record, take pictures, use the Google Maps feature, and Twitter on the iPhone. However, with the new software upgrade, you will now be able to cut and paste, as well as having direct wi-fi access. In fact, Engadget has a great breakdown of the new features with the iPhone software upgrade.
Overall, both the iPhone and Blackberry Curve will no doubt provide competition with each other. In the meantime, it looks like I have a difficult decision to think about before November.
The BlackBerry Storm is on My Wish List
Wow, I am psyched about one of the newest BlackBerry releases, and it has now joined my wish list of technology gadgets (along with a MacBook Pro and IPod Touch).
Research In Motion has just released the BlackBerry Storm, which has an uncanny resemblance to the Apple IPhone and offers many features that current BlackBerry phones do not have. As a BlackBerry Curve owner, I would like to have the opportunity to use my phone as a video device, and the BlackBerry Storm offers the video capabilities. This is not the only feature that really sets the Storm apart from other BlackBerry devices. The Storm has offers the same qualities that an IPhone offers with sync technologies to download music, as well as offering 1GB of memory. The one quality that this phone offers is the opportunity to revise Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from the phone.
I look forward to eventually owning one of these phones for the amazing technology advances that BlackBerry keeps turning out. While I love Apple products, I just love learning about new technologies that are innovative and much more compatible with other devices.
John C. Dvorak on Net Neutrality and Senator Ted Stevens’s idiocy
The Net neutrality bill took kind of a weird turn despite its defeat, when the public got to hear the mouthpiece for the telecom industry, Senator Ted Stevens.
I hope Stevens gets defeated by Dave Cuddy, an Anchorage businessman who will be giving him the most substantial challenge of his political career.
