AT&T Bidding on HULU?
Posted: June 6, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentAT&T is teaming up with the Chernin Group to make a joint bid for HULU. Chernin is lead by a former executive from News Corp. All Things D says they haven’t made a bid yet, but if they do, it will certainly exceed the less than 500 million Chernin has already offered for HULU. They’re up against Yahoo and Time Warner Cable, which have bids in already. Word is that HULU’s owners…Disney, Comcast, & Newscorp, may not sell if they don’t get more than a billion dollars. Getting control of HULU would seriously bolster AT&T’s move into the TV space. The giant telcomm declined requests for comment.
Is the Wrist Phone Near?
Posted: May 29, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentWhile Apple CEO Tim Cook was dropping hints on stage at the Wall Street Journal’s digital conference yesterday about a future iWatch, a Bay Area startup has started taking preorders for a smartphone you can wear like a bracelet. The Emopulse Smile will answer calls with a word from you, like ‘yes,’ or any other affirmative word. You will be able to Tweet, post on Facebook, blog, and read messages easily this way too. The Smile can function as a universal key and wallet…just wave your hand in front of an NFC terminal at a store, and you’re done. It’s a smaller screen, since it’s on your wrist…about the size of 3 rows of icons on an iPhone screen. It’s being crowdfunded on indiegogo, and the base phone starts at $300. Dick Tracy has already sent his money in!
The Web Watching Back
Posted: May 27, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentIn everything from apps to mobile systems…more and more, they’re watching you while you watch them. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 pauses video when you look away. Volkswagen has a Chrome plugin that does the same to demo their start-stop tech. Microsoft may be going everyone one better….or worse…with the new version of Kinect, out with the XBox One later this year. We reported it can sense your position and even heartbeat…well, it can also tell how many people are in the room watching a video. Microsoft may be able to cut deals with Netflix and other video suppliers to charge extra for extra viewers. If you think, more and more, that Big Brother is watching…you’re right.
The iPhone to Let You Give the Finger to Passwords?
Posted: May 15, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThe strongest evidence yet that the iPhone 5S will have a fingerprint reader as that ‘must have’ feature…the chief information security officer at Paypal, Michael Barrett, has said a large technology provider in Cupertino will be out with a phone that has a fingerprint reader this year…and not just one phone…multiple ones. Apple acquired Authentec over a year ago for this technology…that firm used to be a supplier to Samsung, too, so if they choose to use it, they’ll have to pay Apple. The fingerprint reader can replace the lock code on your phone, and also could replace all those hard to remember passwords for apps…you’ll be the password.
From Phone to Phablet to Tablet-Phone
Posted: April 29, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 CommentSmartphones have been growing, with 5 to 6 inch screens not uncommon….the bigger ones have been dubbed phablets….part phone, part tablet. Now, Samsung really goes big, adding 3G phone capability to the next generation of the 7 inch Galaxy Tab Mini. The price hasn’t been announced, but it’s widely expected to be less than the $329 iPad Mini. The Galaxy Tab mini will be out in May, with the 3G version available in June. Will Apple follow suit? All the 3G iPads already have a cellular number for data. An optional bluetooth headset would be mandatory….can you imagine holding a 7 to 10 inch tablet to your head, taking a call? Will people drop their smartphones and just carry a mini tablet that’s also a phone? That will be the real question for the market to sort out.
LinkedIn Contacts
Posted: April 25, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentLinkedIn, that social network for business that you posted your resume on and don’t visit very often, is trying to change that. They are releasing a new stand alone iPhone app for your LinkedIn contacts that serves as a personal assistant for managing and interacting with your work contacts. It plays well with Google, Yahoo, and Evernote. While LinkedIn has always let you…in fact, pestered you…to import your contacts to its platform as a one time thing, now you can integrate your contacts as live links. That way, when something changes about a contact on any of your other accounts, it’s automatically updated on LinkedIn. You can sort your contacts by company, location, and a number of other criteria, and there’s a notes section you can update like many free standing contact managers.
Google Now-Desktop Bound?
Posted: April 22, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentGoogle Now, the clever Siri-like assistant that looks at your search history and email and actually anticipates what you will need before you request it, has been one of the cooler apps on Android–helping tweak your directions, travel times, and much more. Some code just spotted in a sample page indicates that Google could be getting ready to make it available on desktops through the Google homepage…and not just on Chrome. Combining your desktop info should help Now to focus recommendations even more accurately. The trade off, as always, is more of your information for Google to use to serve up targeted ads to you. For those that have wondered what Google will do beyond search, this may be it.
Yahoo Mail & Weather Apps
Posted: April 18, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentYahoo has just released a new mail app for iOS and Android tablets. The new version not only takes advantage of the large screen with a great looking display, you can now flip through your email messages like the pages of a magazine. All ‘starred’ messages pour into a folder where you can review them together…ignoring junk mail and other ‘it can wait’ messages. It’s an innovative new approach to mail that users should like. Yahoo also rolled out a weather app with localized background pictures, and recently revamped their home page, as new CEO Marissa Mayer pulls out all stops to reinvent Yahoo as a more modern, relevant tech company. They are supposed to be talking with Apple about partnering more on content, as Apple eases away from Google.
Samsung Goes Big on Phablets
Posted: April 11, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentWith rumors flying that Apple may release iPhones in 3 different sizes, including one with a bigger than 4 inch screen, Samsung has announced a preemptive strike with the Galaxy Mega. The Mega..which is more of a phablet with a 6.3 inch HD screen…starting in Europe first in May, and hitting the US later. It will complement the Note in the phablet market…the niche between phones and tablets. The Mega will come in two models and be ‘ultra thin,’ fitting in a pocket…according to Samsung. Both have duel core processors, compared with the Note’s quad core, so they look to be more affordable. With a screen a full inch bigger than the Galaxy S-4, we may all need bigger pockets or purses before long!
Enter the Bike Spike
Posted: April 5, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThere are all kinds of chains, bars and the like to secure your bicycle, but nothing like what’s available for cars. That’s about to change. There’s a great Kickstarter project called the Bike Spike. It’s a small GPS you attach to your bike that works over cellular. When you electronically lock your bike, if it’s moved, the Bike Spike alerts you over an app on your Android or iPhone. You can track it, alert police with the touch of a button, and share the location with friends on Twitter, Facebook, or by text. It can help you track rides, if you are competitive. It also has an accelerometer, so if you crash, it will notify a list of contacts you choose automatically. You can preorder the Bike Spike for $155…it takes a cheap cellular data plan, but Kickstarter backers get a free trial on that.
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