T-Mobile & Sprint to Merge; Twitter Also Sold Data to Cambridge Analytica; Siri Mother-Effing Glitch; Fitbit To Use Google Cloud Healthcare API; Dating Apps Employ Paid Impersonators
Posted: April 30, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 5G, Apple, Cambridge Analytica, Closer, Cloud Healthcare API, Dating app, Fitbit, Google, Siri, Sprint, T-Mobile, Twitter Leave a commentIt’s been a while in the making, but over the weekend, T-Mobile & Sprint announced their $146 billion merger. The companies are crowing about how the combination will bring the only company with the network capacity to launch a nationwide 5G network, according to bgr.com. The merged company will keep the T-Mobile name, and John Legere insists they will stay ‘magenta.’ Legare will be the CEO, and they will remain in Bellevue, WA but keep a second headquarters in Overland Park, KS, the present home of Sprint.
Twitter confirmed Saturday that Dr. Kogan, who supplied data from Facebook to Cambridge Analytica, also bought a one-time API that gained access to a random sample of public Tweets over a 5 month period. In a Bloomberg report picked up by techcrunch.com, Twitter claims that the company didn’t find any access to private data about people who use Twitter. The net is, Cambridge would have been unable to get the treasure trove of personal data from Twitter it got from Facebook, but after an investigation, Twitter has decided to off-board advertising from all accounts owned and operated by Cambridge Analytica.
Another embarrassing glitch has popped up involving Apple’s Siri. Arstechnica.com reports that if you ask it to ‘define the word mother,’ then wait for the assistant to offer an additional definition and say yes, Siri will offer ‘As a noun, it means short for “motherf**ker.” ‘ Be careful trying this out in public…
Fitbit has announced that it is partnering with Google to use their new Cloud Healthcare API to help you and your doctors to manage your healthcare better. Cnet.com says the deal will eventually let users connect results from Fitbit wearables to your electronic medical records. The deal will help Fitbit stay in the game with the likes of Apple Watch, which has the CareKit and ResearchKit platforms to manage medical conditions.
If you use a dating app, you could have flirted with a paid impersonator called a ‘closer.’ According to quartz, there are people who do this for prospective daters that find it to much work or too tedious to do the actual online flirting! One paid impersonator said the makes a screaming $1.75 for every phone number he gets, and the service…which spans a number of dating sites…has quite an extensive training program. If you are too lazy or too clueless to do the online flirting youself, check out ViDA….and good luck when you meet someone in person, and can’t flirt in real life, either!
Galaxy S9+ Cam Best Yet; Carriers Tout Phone # App Authentication; Uber Health Launched
Posted: March 1, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: App authentication, Apple iPhone X, AT&T, Camera, Galaxy S9, Google. Pixel 2, HIPAA, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, Samsung, Sprint, T-Mobile, Uber, Uber Health, UberCENTRAL, Verizon Leave a commentIt will probably only last until the new models of their competitors come out, but Samsung’s Galaxy S9+ camera has snagged the highest DxOMark score ever at 99. Fortunately for the cellphone makers, the scale doesn’t end at 100! Bgr.com reports that the Galaxy has narrowly eclipsed the cameras on the Google Pixel 2, which had a 98, and the iPhone X with a 97. Huawei’s Mate 10 Pro also scored a 97. No matter how objective these test try to be, with photos, there’s still a subjective element…just like a painting, the art is in the eye of the beholder…but for now, Samsung reigns supreme!
The 4 major US phone carriers, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, & T-Mobile, have rolled out plans for an authentication platform that would add extra security for people downloading apps to Apple’s iPhone and other handsets. Appleinsider.com says the tech uses a ‘cryptographically verified phone number and profile data’, info such as how long you’ve had the number, the account type, IP address, and SIM card info. The carriers plan to trial the system in the next few weeks, and launch it later this year. It is hoped the extra layer of security will help counter fraud and identity theft.
Uber has launched Uber Health, a new ride hailing platform for healthcare. According to techcrunch.com, the service is like UberCENTRAL, their ride-booking service for business customers. With the service, the riders don’t have to have the Uber app, the healthcare provider can book rides to and from appointments. Uber says it is HIPAA compliant, and can be used by the clients via a landline. The ride hailing company points out that the service is just for appointments, and is not designed to replace 911 or ambulance rides for emergencies.
HP Education Chromebook is Out; Sprint & T-Mobile Merger Talks; iOS 11 is Out for iPhone & iPad; Microsoft Mixed Reality Event
Posted: September 19, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Chromebook, HP, iOS 11, Merger, Microsoft, Mixed reality, Sprint, T-Mobile, x360 Leave a commentHP has released their touted Chromebook x360. It had been only available as an education edition, but now is on sale to the public. According to theverge.com, it has a 1.1 Gig processor, 4 Gigs of RAM, and 32 Gigs of storage. The touch screen is Gorilla Glass, and it has 2 USB-C ports and two USB 3.0 ports. The rugged laptop will make it 11 hours on a charge. Best of all, it’s $299….and on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Costco.
We’ve heard this story before, but now, it appears that Sprint and T-Mobile are actually in serious talks about a merger. Engadget.com reports that CNBC has picked up on the scent that the two are in active talks about a merger. This was a story back in 2014 too, but now the regulatory environment may have loosened enough that they think it will work. While less competition is usually not great for customers, it can be a boon to investors…or not. Sometimes, it’s like tying two bricks together and seeing if they’ll float. Time will tell…stay tuned.
Today is iOS 11 release day…10 am is the usual time Apple makes operating system updates like this live. Cnet.com notes that this upgrade really shines on the iPad. The iPad gets a dock much like the Mac OS has on laptops and desktops, and a Files App keeps files and folders handy…much like on a regular desktop. Also, the App switcher supports drag and drop…text, images, and more. Apple has said that the send money feature to friends via Apple Pay won’t go live until later…maybe when the iPhone X comes out in November.
Microsoft has invited a small number of journalists to a ‘mixed reality’ event in San Francisco October 3rd. Mashable.com says they don’t expect a huge reveal of gear, but more about Microsoft’s mixed reality strategy and Redmond has teased the opportunity to ‘experience Windows Mixed Reality for yourself.’
Sprint Will Have Exclusive on Essential Phone Launch; Xbox One X Reveal; HelloSign Gets $$ to Help You Stop Having to Sign Paper DocumentsSprint will be the exclusive vendor for Android father Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone. 9to5google.com says the titanium and ceramic phone with the edge to edge display will sell separately from the 360 degree camera attachment for VR content, though. Interestingly, there’s no word on availability or price, but you can pre-register online at Sprint’s website. So….do you feel lucky? It’s the most powerful and smallest Xbox yet…the Xbox One X was revealed yesterday. It will be $500, and should be out November 7th. According to businessinsider.com, it is capable of 4K gaming and can handle 4K Blu Ray discs. Microsoft is touting that it has ‘6 teraflops’ of processing power, which blows away the Xbox One and Playstation 4 Pro. Anyone who has had to sign a 6 inch stack of documents to buy a house will love this…HelloSign, the eSignature platform, has obtained 16 million in financing. Techcrunch.com reports that they will have a ‘freemium’ product for up to 3 documents per month, and are comparing themselves to Box and Dropbox. They also are offering HelloWorks to turn .pdf forms into easy to edit digital files. HelloSign claims they have talked 55,000 companies into using its paid subscription service, competing with Docusign and Adobe Sign. Here’s hoping one of those companies is your title company next time you have to re-fi or buy a house!
Posted: June 12, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 4K, Android, Andy Rubin, Blu-Ray, eSignature, Essential Phone, HelloSign, Microsoft, Sprint, XBox One X Leave a commentSprint will be the exclusive vendor for Android father Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone. 9to5google.com says the titanium and ceramic phone with the edge to edge display will sell separately from the 360 degree camera attachment for VR content, though. Interestingly, there’s no word on availability or price, but you can pre-register online at Sprint’s website. So….do you feel lucky?
It’s the most powerful and smallest Xbox yet…the Xbox One X was revealed yesterday. It will be $500, and should be out November 7th. According to businessinsider.com, it is capable of 4K gaming and can handle 4K Blu Ray discs. Microsoft is touting that it has ‘6 teraflops’ of processing power, which blows away the Xbox One and Playstation 4 Pro.
Anyone who has had to sign a 6 inch stack of documents to buy a house will love this…HelloSign, the eSignature platform, has obtained 16 million in financing. Techcrunch.com reports that they will have a ‘freemium’ product for up to 3 documents per month, and are comparing themselves to Box and Dropbox. They also are offering HelloWorks to turn .pdf forms into easy to edit digital files. HelloSign claims they have talked 55,000 companies into using its paid subscription service, competing with Docusign and Adobe Sign. Here’s hoping one of those companies is your title company next time you have to re-fi or buy a house!
iPhone Users on Sprint Join T-Mobile Users With Wi-Fi Calling
Posted: April 9, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Edge, Galaxy S6, iPhone, Samsung, Sprint, T-Mobile, Wi-Fi calling, YouTube Leave a commentWith Apple’s latest update, iOS 8.3, iPhone users gain Wi-Fi calling on Sprint. T-Mobile users have had it since fall. The verge.com says AT&T and Verizon will cave, and allow the feature later this year. Wi-Fi calling routes calls through Wi-Fi you’re connected to, instead of over the cellular system, so doesn’t count against your minutes.
Samsung is expecting record sales from the Galaxy S6, but warns that the S6 Edge will be in short supply at launch. 9to5google.com reports that Samsung has warned that manufacturing difficulties will make the ‘edgier’ phone scarce at first.
According to thenextweb.com, YouTube will launch a paid service later this year for users that don’t want to see ads. It will cost you 10 bucks a month. Content creators will still get a percentage of revenue from the paid views.
Sprint Adds An Apple Bundle For Life Deal
Posted: February 4, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Encrypted, Flash Drive, For Life, Galaxy S6, iPad Mini, iPhone 6, Samsung, Sprint, Toshiba Leave a commentIf you’re big on Apple, and due for an upgrade, Check out Sprint. Engadget.com says an addition to their For Life deals gets you an iPhone 6, an LTE iPad Mini 3, and service for $100 a month. That’s $17 less than separately.
With the Samsung Galaxy S6 due to roll out March 1st, new big leaks that include pictures show a round edged metal chassis like the iPhone 6. Bgr.com reports that It will feature a smaller, thinner battery and an Apple Pay rival.
For transporting most sensitive files, or offsite storage, Toshiba has released a hardware encrypted flash drive, with physical buttons to key in a passcode. Betanews.com says it comes in 4 to 32 gig sizes, and costs from $95 to $200.
Motorola Makes Some Strong Smartphone Gains
Posted: February 3, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Google, Lenovo, Motorola, Nest, Radio Shack, Samsung, Sprint Leave a commentThey’re not up there with the big boys like Apple and Samsung, but Motorola did sell 10 million smartphones last quarter. 9to5google.com says that’s up 118 percent! Lenovo says the division will be profitable in a year and a half.
Apparently, Sprint isn’t the only company interested in some of Radio Shack’s 4000 locations. According to gigaom.com, Amazon is looking at dipping its toe into brick and mortar retail. It could show off it’s mobile and living room gadgets with the locations, which could also serve as a physical pick up and drop off for packages.
Citing 3 studies, Google’s Nest claims the learning thermostat pays for itself in less than 2 years with savings on heating and cooling. TechCrunch says heating costs dropped by an average 10-12 percent, cooling by 15 percent.
The Smaller Phone Carriers Duke It Out
Posted: January 24, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Apple Watch, Burberry, Nano-bots, Sprint, Switching, T-Mobile Leave a commentThe carrier wars have escalated. A day after T-Mobile rolled out a program letting loyal customers avoid credit checks, Sprint has unveiled one guaranteeing any T-Mobile customer $200 credit for a working and activated T-Mobile smartphone. 9to5google.com says it’s still not as sweet a deal as Sprint offers switchers from AT&T and Verizon.
According to BGR.com, the upcoming Apple Watch, currently seeing much hand wringing over lack of battery life, will actually be more powerful than the first iPad. Meanwhile, Apple has hired Burberry’s VP of Digital Retail Initiatives. Chester Chipperfield is expected to help reorganize part of Apple’s stores to feature the watch.
Scientists have developed self-destructing nano-bots and implanted them in mice. Engadget.com reports that they are first being used to treat peptic ulcers and other stomach disorders. They can survive the gastrointestinal tract long enough to release medication, then destroy themselves without leaving any trace of harmful chemicals behind. You won’t be turning into a Borg for a while, yet!
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.
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