Apple TV Confirmed As the Hub for HomeKit
Posted: June 3, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Apple TV, Free Shipping, Homekit, Small and Light, WWDC 1 CommentAs Moscone Center in San Francisco is being readied for Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference next week, more keeps leaking out. This week, several early HomeKit devices from 3rd parties rolled out, and now thenextweb.com reports that…as expected…you’ll need Apple TV to remotely control HomeKit gadgets. Apple has posted a setup page to help people configure the system. If you already have Apple TV, it needs to be 3rd generation or later with software version 7 or newer.
Amazon has rolled out free shipping on small and light products…that is, ones that weigh less than 8 ounces. According to geekwire.com, ‘Fulfillment by Amazon Small and Light’ will also focus on items that cost less than 10 bucks. No more $35 minimum purchase requirement or Prime membership for free shipping of these small and light items. It won’t be free TWO Day shipping though…expect your items in 4 to 8 days.
Intel Joins the USB C Bandwagon
Posted: June 2, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Chrombook Pixel, Doctor Who, Gamestop, Google, Hot Topic, Intel, Macbook, Nokia N1, Star Trek, Star Wars, Thinkgeek.com, Thunderbolt 3, USB type C Leave a commentAs has been widely reported, the latest 12 inch Apple Macbook has one port…the new USB C mini reversible cable. The Google Chromebook Pixel and Nokia N1 tablet also spot the versatile mini plug. The USB C can power the laptop, carry a display signal, and has fast data speeds all in one plug. Now, theverge.com says Intel is jumping in, announcing that the Thunderbolt 3 will use the USB C connector instead of the mini display port. Every time a standard like this changes, expect to drop more bucks on adapters, like Apple’s crazy-expensive $79.99 Macbook adapter…but it will allow for lighter thinner laptops and tablets…and you can never be too thin or light—or well heeled, right?
If you’re a little geeky, you’ve heard of thinkgeek.com. If you’re as geeky as some of us, you’ve ordered stuff from them. The website known for fan gear for Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and both Marvel and DC comic gear is being bought by GameStop, according to engadget.com. It looked like Hot Topic was a foregone conclusion, but at the last minute, GameStop jumped in with $20 a share, eclipsing Hot Topic’s $17.50 bid. The collectables category is growing fast, and games from stores have been taking it in the shorts from online sources, so GameStop helps itself considerably with this purchase. Don’t forget to check your geek points!
Windows 10 Release Date & Prices Leaked
Posted: June 1, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Microsoft, Newegg, NREC, Self Driving Cars, Uber, Windows 10 Leave a commentThe cost and release date of windows 10 may have been leaked by a reseller. A page at newegg.com shows a release date to hardware makers of August 31st, according to zdnet.com. Newegg.com is taking preorders, and lists the Home edition for $109, and Professional edition $149, again to hardware makers. Ed Bott of ZDnet says Newegg also jumped the gun on preorders for Windows 8 in 2012.
Update: The Official Windows blog at blogs.windows.com announces Windows 10 will be available as an upgrade starting July 29th, and you can reserve an edition now.
Uber has wooed away a number of staffers from Carnegie Mellon University’s robotics department. The verge.com reports that the exodus started in January, and now nearly a third of the staff has joined Uber. It’s not uncommon for the National Robotics Engineering Centre to be doing work for external clients, and the staffers that have moved to a nearby building will also be wrapping up projects at Carnegie Mellon’s NREC. This is yet another indication that the move to self-driving cars is getting into high gear. Uber plans to be moving into their own new 53,000 square foot facility in San Francisco’s Mission Bay area by the end of the year.
Did Google Just Win the Cloud Wars?
Posted: May 29, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Consumer Reports, Dell, EasyTech, FREE, Geek Squad, Google, I/O, iCloud, Lenovo, Photos, Tech support Leave a commentAccording to bgr.com, Google may have won the cloud wars, with the announcement at I/O yesterday that their Photos app will allow for unlimited photos and videos in the cloud for FREE! By comparison, Apple gives you 5 Gigs of free storage on iCloud, then hits users with a buck a month for 20 gigs or $20 a month for a terabyte. If you have a large collection, and switched from Apple to Google, you’d save $240 a year. Google photos runs on Android, iOS, or the web, and syncs across all your devices.
Although that was just one of the things rolled out at Google I/O that caused gnashing of teeth at Apple, they should be smiling about this: Appleinsider.com says Consumer Reports ranked Apple highest for computer tech support in their annual survey. According to Consumer Reports, 4 out of 5 Mac owners using AppleCare said the service was able to solve their problem, compared to 61% for Dell and Lenovo. They were ranked pretty much even with indy stores for retail support, although Best Buy’s Geek Squad and Staples EasyTech both charge, and Apple’s geniuses will diagnose problems for free.
GoPro Quadcopter Out Next Year
Posted: May 28, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chromecast, Drone, GoPro, Lenovo, Quadcopter Leave a commentWhy wear a camera for active videos when you can fly one overhead? Theverge.com says GoPro announced at the Code Conference that they plan to launch their own quadcopter drone the first half of next year. Although they declined to put a price point on the drone, CEO Nick Woodman noted that they’re a consumer focused company, so expect it to be competitively priced. GoPro also said there will be a number of related products available when the quadcopter launches.
Lenovo has dropped a competitor to Chromecast. According to slashgear.com, the hockey puck shaped gadget is due to sell for $49, and should be out in August. Like Chromecast and Roku and the rest, it’s plug and play. It has HDMI and micro USB ports, dual band WiFi, supports up to 1080p resolutions, and comes with a bracket, so you can mount it on the back of the TV instead of laying it on your TV stand.
Force Touch in iOS9 & Jony Ive’s Elevation at Apple
Posted: May 27, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Force Touch, iOS 9, Jony Ive, Split Screen WWDC, Steve Jobs Leave a commentApple looks like they’re integrating ‘Force Touch’ across the upcoming iOS 9. Another big feature is supposed to be split screen for iPads…so you can switch quickly between a couple of open apps (I hope this will work on older models!) Future MacBooks with Force Touch could lose trackpads, making for even more insanely slim and small footprints…you could swipe your fingers across the keyboard and different amounts of force on the keys could allow for multiple functions. Force Touch might also help the new super slim Macbook, which has gotten rapped for its keyboard. apple is expected to show it off iOS9 at World Wide Developers’ Conference. WWDC is June 8-12…also at Moscone Center in S.F.
At Apple on Monday, Jony Ive was elevated to Chief Design Officer, and two of his trusted lieutenants were made VPs and will handle the day to day management of design teams. There has been a bit of hand wringing this week as analysts and Apple watchers are worrying that Ive may partially retire, move back to England, and Apple will go down the tubes. Apple didn’t implode when Steve Jobs left the planet, and it probably won’t if Ive leaves entirely, but it does provide lots of fodder for the tech chattering class.
The Next Version of Android
Posted: May 26, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Active Cellular Connections, Android M, Google, I/O, People Online Leave a commentGoogle is getting ready to unveil the latest version of Android…Android M. 9to5google.com says so-called ‘Macadamia Nut Cookie’ will bring improvements to battery life and RAM performance. No, they won’t be calling it by that mouthful of a code name upon rollout…it will likely be called Marshmallow for the public. We should get a preview Thursday at Google I/O, with the final release of the latest, greatest Android version slated for August.
An amazing number of people will be online by the end of the year. According to a report from the International Telecommunications Union picked up by thenextweb.com, that number would be 3.2 billion people. Out of those, 2 billion are from developing countries. There will be a mind-numbing 7 billion active cellular connections…nearly equaling the population of the entire planet!
Google Prepares to Enter the Internet of Things OS Sweepstakes
Posted: May 22, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Clipboard, Google, I/O, Internet of things, Microsoft, OneClip, Pushbullet Leave a commentGoogle reportedly may unveil an internet of things OS at their I/O conference next week. According to a report in The Information picked up by theverge.com, it runs on low power devices, and gives them the ability to communicate with other connected devices in proximity. The OS has had the code name ‘Brillo,’ but will likely carry an Android name when it’s rolled out. It’s expected to work on everything from refrigerators to small monitoring gadgets. The biggest issue with the internet of things may well end up being which OS to go with, since Google, Apple, Microsoft, Huawei, Samsung, and others are all angling to be in this market!
Microsoft is quietly working on an app that will at as a clipboard across your devices, whether iOS, Android, Windows Phone, or Windows PC. Thenextweb.com points out that this would compete with the Pushbullet app in many ways. Microsoft’s OneClip auto detects if the item on the clipboard is a URL, physical address, phone number, text snippet, or image, and categorizes it for you.
Tiny LiteOS Prepares for the Internet of Things
Posted: May 20, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Amazon Web Services, Android, AWS, Cloud, DOS, Google, Huawei, Internet of things, iOS, LiteOS, Microsoft Leave a commentHuawei is readying their minuscule operating system, LiteOS, to power everything from wearables to cars to the electronics around your home. The system is 10 KILObytes! For a little perspective, Apple’s iOS 8 takes a gigabyte of space, and ancient DOS 2.11 was 28 kilobytes! The mini-system is designed for zero configuration, auto-discovery, and auto-networking. The verge.com says it isn’t intended to compete with iOS or Android, but to power small internet connected gadgets from light bulbs to toothbrushes.
From the very small to the biggest on the block…or in this case, the planet. Despite growing competition from Microsoft and Google, Amazon is the 800 pound gorilla of the cloud world. According to geekwire.com, Amazon Web Services not only increased market share in 2014, but operates more cloud capacity than the next 14 providers combined! Google cut cloud prices by 30% just yesterday, to try to grab more share, but it’s a long climb. Microsoft’s strategy is to provide more complete services for a price, where Amazon sticks to a la carte pricing. Microsoft’s revenues from cloud were up 96%, making them the leader by that metric.
clarkreid 
Recent Comments