Twitter May Explode From 140 Characters to 10K, SanDisk Bows 200 Gig Wireless Flash Drive
Posted: January 6, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 140 Character limit, 200 gig, Amazon, Best Buy, blogging, SanDisk, Twitter, Wireless flash drives Leave a commentTwitter may soon drop its 140-character limit and allow users to write as much as 10,000 characters in a single tweet, according to recode.net. The plan is for the expanded tweets to appear the same way as they do now, showing just the first 140 characters, but users will be able to click on them to expand. This would be one of the biggest changes ever to Twitter’s design-in fact, it would change the entire character of the service. Some are already complaining it would basically turn Twitter into more of a blogging space. Last month, the company started testing a timeline that didn’t show tweets in the traditional reverse chronological order.
Wireless flash drives are pretty handy. I’ve been using a 32 gig one for over a year now, and it connects easily with my phone, and recharges just by plugging it into a usb drive. Now, SanDisk has rolled out a 200 gig model. If you are running out of memory on your smartphone…like the entry level iPhones with their puny 16 gigs, this may be a fix for you. Bgr.com reports that the new 200 gig model is $199.99 from Amazon, Best Buy, and SanDisk, and works with iOS, Android, Macs, and PCs.
Oculus Rift Pre-Orders Open Wednesday, Leak: Galaxy S7 Water Resistant & Micro SD, & Some Crazy Car News
Posted: January 5, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bentley, Bespoke, Electric Car, Faraday Future, Galaxy S7, Oculus Rift, Samsung, VR Leave a comment
The long wait is nearly over for those wanting to immerse themselves in virtual reality with this highly touted device. Oculus Rift VR headsets go on pre-order at 8am Pacific tomorrow, January 6th. But…and there are always a couple of hitches…no pricing has been released yet! TechCrunch.com notes that the dev kit Rift was priced at $350, so you can count on it being more than that. Pre-orderers will get two games along with the purchase…Lucky’s Tale and Eve: Valkyrie.
A new leak indicates the the Samsung Galaxy S7 will be water resistant down to a meter…that’s 39.37 inches, and have a MicroSD slot…two features that aren’t on the S6 and S6 Edge. According to mashable.com, the MicroSD slot will support up to 200 gigs. The upcoming Samsung flagships will also have bigger batteries, revamped cameras, and a new processor.
Monday night, Faraday Future gave a peek at their modular electric car. The coupe looks like a Batmobile, is claimed to have 1000 horsepower, and do zero to 60 in under 3 seconds. As theverge.com notes, however, these are all theoretical…they haven’t produced a real car. Faraday claims it’s not vaporware, but come on, Faraday…even Preston Tucker built almost 50 pre-production models and that was in the 40’s! If you are insanely rich, and want to really stand out, Bentley has added a feature to their ‘bespoke’ collection. You can now get stone dashboards and trim to match your granite counter in the kitchen of your mansion. The bespoke line is for the ‘if you have to ask how much, you’re too poor’ crowd!
Fords to Get Apple CarPlay & Android Auto; 18 Inch Roll Up LG Display!
Posted: January 4, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, CES, Ford, LG, Paper thin TV, Roll up screen, Sync 3 Leave a commentFord will integrate both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto into its in-dash infotainment system. Thenextweb.com reports that all existing and future models with the Sync 3 connectivity system will support both platforms. This means all 2017 Ford models will work with either for calling, music playback, and voice commands. Ford predicts that 43 million Sync 3 equipped cars will be on the road by 2020. If you have a present Ford with Sync 3, you’ll be able to upgrade and add CarPlay or Android Auto later this year.
The folks at LG have been experimenting with roll up screens for a while now. They are now going to show a prototype 18 inch screen at CES this week! Sony, Samsung, & Sharp are all looking into rollup screens, but this is the largest one by far. Theverge.com says LG will also show off a 55 inch ‘paper thin’ TV that has all the electronics installed independently.
Apple iPhone 7 Rumors & Holiday Sales; New Google Glass Model Leak
Posted: December 29, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, Google Glass, iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, phablets, Waterproof Leave a commentAnother rumor has the iPhone 7 being waterproof, and in addition, appleinsider.com is reporting it will used new compound materials to conceal antennas, losing those unsightly plastic antenna cover bars. There is some hand wringing that iPhone 6S sales won’t be as good as the 6 had, but the holidays were great for Apple…according to a Flurry Insights report picked up by appleinsider.com, 49.1% of all devices activated Christmas week were from Apple. Phablets were only 13% of last season’s sales, but this year they grabbed 27% of the device market.
Whether we like it or not, there will be more glassholes. Google Glass lives! Hi resolution images of the next generation Google Glass have showed up on an FCC site. They look almost identical to the previous model, but have a hinge to fold just like regular glasses. The prism is larger, as well, according to arstechnica.com. This version of Google Glass is supposed to be enterprise only, and not intended to retail customers.
Samsung Plans Millions of Galaxy S7 Phones by February; App Finding Apple Pay Merchants Sees Huge Usage Increase
Posted: December 28, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Apple Pay, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, PayFinders, Samsung Leave a commentSamsung is planning a run of 5 million of their next generation flagship Galaxy S7 smartphones ahead of the February rollout. Venturebeat.com reports that 3.3 million will be the 5.2 inch flat screen models, and the rest will be the 5.5 inch model with the curved screen dubbed the Galaxy S7 Edge.
A new app called PayFinders uses crowdsourcing to find merchants that accept Apple Pay. According to appleinsider.com, they had a 750% increase in usage in two days on December 26th and 27th. Apple Maps already has badges showing Apple Pay merchants, but really only the larger chains are represented, and it doesn’t always show all of the stores that have the system.
Google-Password Free Sign In Using Phones; Smaller iPhone 6c…or is it 7?
Posted: December 23, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 6c, 7c, Apple, China Mobile, Google, iPhone, Password-free log in Leave a commentGoogle is testing a way to sign in to your Google account without entering a password. You associate a prime smartphone with the account…locked with a PIN or password. Then, when you want to log in, a notification is sent to that phone. If you click yes, you’re logged in. It’s not super high security, but occasionally asks for a number you have on the phone. Since no password is entered…on a work computer, for example, it can’t be compromised that way. According to 9to5google.com, no word on when or if Google will roll this feature out.
China Mobile just held an event previewing upcoming plans for 2016, and they indicate a 4 inch iPhone which they call iPhone 7 in April, along with the new version of Apple Watch. Most other rumors have this phone as the iPhone 6c. Macrumors.com says it’s supposed to have an aluminum casing like the 5s, and use the A9 processor of the 6s and 6s Plus.
Google Partnering with Ford on Self-Driving Cars; Sony Working On 40% Longer-Lasting Battery
Posted: December 22, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 40% longer life, Ford, Google, Lithium Ion Batteries, Magnesium-sulphur batteries, Self Driving Cars, Sony, Sulfur based batteries Leave a commentGoogle and Ford are partnering to build self-driving cars, according to a report by Yahoo Autos. Businessinsider.com says the deal should be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month. The joint venture will create a company that builds self-driving cars using Google technology. The entity will be legally separate from Ford, partly to protect Ford from potential liability. Google has been testing out their odd looking little self driving cars on city streets for a couple years now. Ford and numerous other car makers have been hard at work on self-driving car tech. The partnership would represent Google’s first success enlisting an established car-maker to adopt its technology.
Lithium-ion batteries have been powering our phones and laptops for a long time, but there are other technologies that may work better. Sony played a key part in popularizing Li-ion batteries in the 1990s. Mashable.com reports they are now working on new, sulfur-based batteries, which could offer up to 40% better energy density per volume. That means battery life would last roughly 40% longer.The first Li-S batteries were built in the late 2000s, almost none are commercially available today, mostly due to the sulfur easily degrading. It’s unclear exactly how Sony plans to solve this problem with its new batteries. Sony is apparently also working on magnesium-sulfur (Mg-S) batteries, which are potentially both more efficient and cheaper than today’s batteries.
Sony reportedly aims to have the new batteries ready for commercial production by 2020.
Nexus 6 for $250 at Amazon; Hi-Res Music May be coming to iTunes & Apple Music
Posted: December 21, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apple Music, Hi-res, iTunes, Lightening, Marshmallow, Nexus 6 Leave a commentIf you are in the market for a phablet at a great deal, or for a last minute gift for someone you REALLY like, Amazon has a 32 gig Nexus 6 for $249.99 shipped in Cloud White or Midnight Blue. With Amazon Prime, it can be under the tree by the 23rd. 9to5toys.com says the 64 gig model is $299.99, and both come with Android Marshmallow.
A rumor is afoot again that hi-resolution audio is on the way to iTunes and Apple Music. This one is from Japanese blog Macotakara, picked up by 9to5mac.com. The blog claims Apple will have better than CD quality for iTunes sometime next year. The leak is from some manufacturers that make Lightening based headphones, which would support the higher res format.
Amazon Rolling Own in Air Cargo; Messenger Fastest Growing App
Posted: December 18, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Air Cargo, Amazon, Apple Music, Boeing, Facebook, FedEx, Logistics, Messenger, Moments, Nielsen, Post Office, UPS Leave a comment
In a move that should strike terror in the hearts…or at least indigestion in the bellies…of competitors, Amazon is talking to Boeing about acquiring 20 767 freighter jets. Geekwire.com reports that as of last month, some unknown firm, now presumed to be Amazon, was flying 4 cargo flights a day out of Ohio’s Wilmington Air Park…which was a DHL facility until 2008. They were bound for Allentown, PA, Ontario CA, Tampa, and Oakland…all close to Amazon distribution centers. DHL previously had 7500 employees at the air park. Earlier this month, Amazon bought thousands of truck trailers. They are getting ready to disrupt shipping and logistics….look out FedEX, UPS, and Post Office.
A lot of people questioned Facebook calving off Messenger into a separate app, bout according to Nielsen research picked up by techcrunch.com, it was a brilliant move. Facebook remains the top app of 2015, but Messenger is now the fastest growing app installed on smartphones. It’s not up as much as last year, when Facebook split it off and growth was 242%, but still up 31% from 2014. Now, Facebook has broken off its private photo-sharing feature into the Moments app. The second fastest growing app was Apple Music, at 26% increase year over year.
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