Fire Sale on Amazon Fire Phones
Posted: November 26, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Bing Maps, Clearflow, e-paper, Fire phone, Microsoft, Navteq, Nokia, smart watch, Sony Leave a commentYep, there’s a fire sale on Amazon Fire phones. Already 99 cents with a 2 year AT&T contract, geekwire.com says now you can buy an unlocked one for $199, down from $649 when it came out. How long before they have to promise that Bezos will deliver yours in person?
Sony may roll out an e-paper smart watch next year. Gigaom.com reports that in addition to the face, the entire band will be an e-paper display. Taking a page from Apple’s playbook, Sony will try for style.
Microsoft has just launched Clearflow for its Bing Maps. Engadget.com says they use Nokia’s Navteq system, but use live data from main roads to essentially guess traffic on unreported routes. Good luck!
Amazon’s Warehouse Robots
Posted: November 21, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Biotech, Bleeding, NextGlass, Robots, VetiGel, Wine Leave a commentAmazon has tripled warehouse picker productivity with an army of orange robots, Geek.com says. The robots bring moveable shelves to the pickers, who grab your item and get it on its way to you. The Tracy warehouse is one of 3 equipped with them.
A biotech startup called Suneris has created a plant based polymer gel that can stop a wound’s bleeding in just 20 seconds. Cnet.com reports VetiGel is being FDA tested…it’s already coming out for vets to use on animals.
A free iPhone app claims to use your personal taste to predict whether or not you’ll like a wine you look at at a store. 9to5mac.com says NextGlass takes your input, reads the label, and gives you the verdict.
A Hardware Hit for Amazon- Fire TV Stick
Posted: November 19, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 21 megapixel, Amazon, Chromecast, Code, Disney, DSLR, Fire TV Stick, Frozen, iPhone 7, Sony Leave a commentIn need of a hardware hit after the Fire phone, Amazon is getting it. Techcrunch.com says the Fire TV Stick is their fastest selling hardware ever. The Chromecast competitor is $39, after an advance bargain deal of $19.
Bgr.com reports that next year’s iPhone 7 may have a digital SLR quality camera. It may use a two-lens system to pull that off. What’s not clear is if it will use the just announced Sony 21 megapixel camera sensor.
Code.org has teamed up with Disney to create a coding tutorial starring Anna and Elsa from Disney’s “Frozen.” There are also short videos from women in tech, encouraging young girls to learn programming and go into tech.
Interactive Shopping Maps From Target
Posted: November 17, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Google, Interactive, Kickstarter, Roost, Shopping, Smoke Alarm, Target Leave a commentTarget has added an enticement for holiday shoppers. Geekwire.com reports they’ve added interactive maps of all their stores to their iPhone app. They’ve also added free shipping for target.com buys to battle Amazon.
The European ‘right to be forgotten’ by Google may be extended worldwide. A French court has ruled that way, according to 9to5google.com. Google is reviewing the ruling and considering its options.
There’s a way coming to connect to your dumb smoke alarm. It’s a Kickstarter called Roost…a 5 year battery in a 9 volt size that also connects to your smartphone with an app. $55 buys you two, and it’s out late Spring.
More Picture Space For Your Smartphone
Posted: November 14, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Android, family, iOS, iPhone, Kindle, Photos, PhotoShrinker, Selfie Leave a commentIf you take a lot of selfies, and are always running out of space, there’s a new app called PhotoShrinker. Techcrunch.com says it’s out for iOS and Android, and will compress your photos to a tenth their original size, making room for more. The shrunken pix look fine online, etc. but save a normal copy for any you intend to make large, actual prints from.
Appleinsider.com reports that the iPhone 6 is outselling the larger 6 Plus by a 3 to one margin in the US. The study comes from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. The average storage size is now 48 gigs, which shows that more people are buying the 64 gig and 128 gig models…which means more profit for Apple.
A nice feature in the latest Kindle software just being pushed out…gigaom.com says Family Library lets people with Amazon accounts linked to family members share ebooks others have downloaded.
Beats Solo 2 Headphones Cut the Cord
Posted: November 12, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Beats, Bluetooth, Cat, Drones, Solo 2, Tailio Leave a commentBeats best selling Solo 2 headphones have cut the cord. Gigaom.com says the wireless Bluetooth phones should last 12 hours on a charge, and are $299. There’s no Apple branding, and they charge with Micro USB, not Apple’s Lightning cable.
For the cat lover with everything, there’s Tailio…a $100 net connected scale that sits under the letterbox. Engadget.com reports the kickstarter device weighs kitty, and tells you when to change the box…if your nose hasn’t already!
Last summer Amazon asked permission from the FAA to test drone deliveries. Now, not content to wait on the US, thenextweb.com says they’re planning to start testing in Britain.
Amazon Prime Adds Free Photo Storage
Posted: November 4, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alienware, Amazon, Amazon Prime, Android, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, HP, iOS, Macs, NFC, PC, Softcard, Windows Phone Leave a commentYou can never have too many backups, and now if you have Amazon Prime, you get unlimited photo storage in the cloud, according to theverge.com. Note that this will work on PCs, Android, and iOS, but not yet on Macs. Amazon says that’s coming. Keep in mind that cloud storage is great for convieninece, but do keep a local backup or 3 of your pictures.
Apple Pay has grabbed a big chunk of the pay with your phone market, even though Google Wallet was already available. Now, gigaom.com reports that Windows phone users can make payments at NFC retail terminals with the Softcard app.
HP is taking orders for a new gaming laptop to compete with Alienware models. Engadget.com says the big plus for the $1500, 15.6 inch touch screen rig is that it’s noticeably thinner than Alienware machines. It will ship this month.
Outlook for Mac Gets an Update
Posted: October 31, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Fire phone, Galaxy S5, iPad, iPhone, Microsoft, Office, Outlook, Sprint Leave a commentMicrosoft has put a fresh face on Outlook for Mac. 9to5mac.com says an updated version of Office is coming in 2015. Microsoft claims the latest Outlook gives users a more consistent experience with the iPhone and iPad versions.
The next iteration of Amazon’s Fire phone will be less expensive. Amazon has admitted they considerably overpriced the present model. Gigaom.com reports that future Fire phones will have better software and a lower price, much like Amazon has done with Kindles.
Sprint is expanding its smartphone lease program. Cnet.com says in addition to Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, you can now rent Samsung Galaxy S5 and S5 sport models. The lease is $20 a month for 24 months, then you buy or pick a new phone.
Fire TV Stick-Amazon’s Answer to Chromecast & Roku
Posted: October 27, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Burner, Chromecast, Fire TV Stick, HID, NFC, Roku, SIM, Swytch Leave a commentAmazon has launched Fire TV Stick. Geek.com says the Chromecast and Ruku streaming stick competitor is $39, but you can preorder it for $19 the next two days if you have Amazon Prime. It will ships November 19th.
Apple is in talks to expand their NFC reach for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. 9to5mac.com says they’re angling to integrate HID and Global building keycards, and transit fare cards. Forget your BART card or key card to get in the building…just bring your iPhone.
Your phone company will hate it, but in Britain, Swytch is building an app that allows multiple, simultaneous phone numbers on a phone with one sim card. Techcrunch.com reports the app would allow for business and personal numbers on one phone, use of a ‘burner’ number if you were selling something, etc. It will work on iOS and Android, and on tablets with cellular as well. Expect it to be here early next year.
Microsoft Smartwatch Out Soon, Will Work With Multiple OS’s
Posted: October 20, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Kindle Voyage, Microsoft, Smartwatch Leave a commentAccording to geekwire.com, Microsoft plans to release it’s own health tracking smart watch in the next few weeks. It will be unique in that it will be able to work not only on Windows, but on iOS and Android. It will also talk with Microsoft’s X Box One.
If you really, really like your books on an e-reader and not a tablet, Amazon has just dropped the Kindle Voyage. Arstechnica.com reports that it’s sharp and crisp, can last 30 days on a charge, but priced from $199 to $289!
Apple is pressing to get Beats Music prices down to $5 a month. 9to5mac.com says Apple wants to keep the Beats Music Service brand, but the pricing matches what the best iTunes customers spend a year on music. No date has been set for the relaunch.
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