Samsung and the Galaxy S4??

It's unofficially-official, that Samsung is expected to unveil the next in it's line of Galaxy phones in February 2013.  Is this Samsung's way of trying to sucker punch Apple.  Within recent weeks Samsung has gotten into heaps of hurt with Apple of their intentional copying of the iPhone design (which they admitted too by the way).  And only mere days after Apple releases the iPhone 5, Samsung basically teases us with their new phone.

I know these manufacturers like to stay ahead of the game and they are all in direct competition with each other, but common Samsung.  People are just now learning the in's and out's of the Galaxy S3.  And some of us are still loving out S2's (me included).  But here is the kicker, what changes will be made to the S4 that still make it great.  Or even can changes be added to make it greater than the iPhone itself?

And it gets even better, not only is Samsung no doubt trying to put the bug in people's ear who may be looking to upgrade their phone with their provider.  But also those who may be coming due for an upgrade between the end of 2012 and February.  Because buzz on the interwebs is that even though they are unveiling the phone in February, the phone is expected to hit the wild no more than a month later.  Making it available sometime in March.

As always, I'll be keeping watch on future developments.  Even though I am not due for another phone for a year still, at this rate by the time I am due for an upgrade maybe the S6 will be out. lol

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Apple vs Samsung = $1 Billion Bruise for Samsung

Before jumping into this, let me first and foremost say that I love my Samsung Galaxy S2.  It is an amazing device, and probably the best phone I have ever owned (and yes, I have used Apple products before).  If you have read any of my posts, you'll know that I am a proponent for Android (mostly because it will built ontop of Linux).  And yes, I will admit that there are striking resemblances between my Galaxy S2 and my wife's Apple iPhone 4S (mostly in terms of interface design).

If you have kept up with any of the news surrounding the Apple/Samsung patent lawsuits you'll know that Apple was recently awarded $1 billion big one's for basically admitting that they copied the iPhone design.  So, I'll have to say I kind of saw this one coming.  And knowing that Samsung is getting hit in the pocketbook for their admitted plagiarism of Apple's hardware, it was no surprise that the patents will be upheld and we will probably be seeing some big changes to some of the basics of even how Android works across the board.

So what is affected by the results of this lawsuit?  For starters, this lawsuit will not just affect Samsung products, but in the end will affect Android at the OS level as well.  As obviously, Google will try to steer clear of Apple patented design traits.  No more dedicated home buttons on Samsung hardware (they were notorious on some of their phones to have a rectangular home button).  Things like app icon design will more than likely change as well just for beginners.  But things like the "swipe to unlock" bars, various multitouch gestures, etc.  This is a big deal people.

So it sounds pretty bad doesn't it?  Let's look at it from a different angle.  Maybe this is a good thing.  Maybe this lawsuit is what it took to get some innovation back into our mobile devices.  Let's admit it, for the last several years the world has laid in wait to see what latest gimmicks Apple's latest phone gives us.  And then you start to see similar things show up in other places.  So we have let Apple be the innovation leader in the mobile device market.  Maybe now is when our mobile devices meet a "theoretical" fork-in-the-road where new interface designs, new product features, and new phone designs in general could pop-up and even succeed.  Let's face it.  A lot of Android user's like and use Android because it is different than Apple.  And because it isn't an Apple product, point blank.  Yet, our devices are starting to look more and more like Apple devices anyways.  Maybe it is a well warranted time for a change.

Personally, I feel the growing pains and changes may suck initially.  Hopefully, Samsung won't outright nerf many features; simply reworking them with Google's assistance in a Jelly Bean update would be nice. Being realistic and knowing how the whole Android development/release cycle works, I think I may be living in a dream.  But eventually, we may be seeing the start of an Android rebirth that can once again make us stand back and say "That phone can do that! Amazing!" instead of the now common "Cool Phone!" posts we see on forums today.

Either way, it looks to be an exciting time for Android users.  Whether that exciting is positive or negative remains to be seen.

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Guildies, Daleks, Labor Day Weekend, Oh My!

I know, I know...It's been quite a while. I hope everyone has been doing fine. It is by no chance that I am making my first post after somewhat of a hiatus on this very evening. After all with this past week being a huge week in tech, gaming, and nerdism alike; how could I possibly stay away?  Since my last post we have seen all sorts of craziness pop up on the interwebs. Aside from all the political jargon us Americans are having to put up with on Facebook and the general media, we have the "he said, she said" lawsuits between Apple and Samsung (for which it looks link Samsung is in deep bantha fodder over), new iPhone buzz and talk of an iPad Mini?! When does it stop? I always considered my iPod Touch to be a mini iPod... I guess Apple has proved me wrong once again.  Well played Apple... Well played.

In other quick news, my Samsung Galaxy Epic Touch 4G (from here on called the "S2") received it's Ice Cream Sandwhich OTA update a few weeks ago...Yay! Nope, no joy could be expressed.  As it appears my perfectly good S2 with great battery life (would go almost a full day of moderate use on a single charge cycle) is now a fancy phone which lags, screen animations hang up, buttons quit responding, and am lucky to pull a 4 hour life from a full charge... Thanks for breaking my phone!! If anybody knows of a good custom ROM, please leave comment with suggestions.

In better news, this week marked the release of "Guild Wars 2". If you don't know what Guild Wars 2 is.... Then you should be fed to the Char. Just kidding. Guild Wars 2 is a sequel to the much celebrated MMO title "Guild Wars". The original GW managed to survive the development cycle of it's sequel during a time when other MMO titles were being closed down or forced to switch to a "freemium" free-to-play business model.  The appeal to the Guild Wars games for me has to be the fact that there is no monthly charge to play the game; unlike other MMO titles. You purchase the game once and access to play is free from that point forward.  See Blizzard, it can be done!

I certainly hope GW2 is able to garner the same success that it's predecessor has let us long time fans enjoy for years now. The original Guild Wars brought us a total of 3 stand alone campaigns (Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall) and one expansion that was not a standalone expansion but helped shape the mold for GW2 (Eye of the North).  The original game still has some players left running through it (I have spent some time in-game over the last several days) so don't hesitate to pay us a visit sometime. I do plan on picking up Guild Wars 2. But it may be a few weeks before I get around to it.

Lastly and most importantly, tonight was the premiere of Season 7 of Doctor Who! It aired 9:00pm EST here in America on BBC-America and will be reairing at midnight tonight. It was a fantastic episode with more clever lines from the Doctor, a special cameo that leaves more questions than it answers, and a wild start to the new season.  Even though we now only have four more episodes till we have to wait for the Christmas Special (and a new companion); this season will definitely be a big one with the season premiere focusing on the Doctor's oldest and most feared enemy: The Daleks!

Wow, all of that was a keyboard full. But there you have it. And on that note, I will bid you all a good night. And for those of us in the USA, I hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend!  Allons-y, Geronimo, or maybe even a good old fashioned "Goodnight!" will do.

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No More Gmail Love for Blackberry

It was announced recently that Blackberry users will soon be unable to get their hands on a dedicated Gmail app for their devices.  However, as one might expect from a company like RIM who was basically one of the front runners in the smartphone market, this is kind of a surprise. Instead, the decision came from Google themselves.  RIM built their business in the phone market by granting a web experience on their devices and were one of the first to really get it right.  Only since the iPhone's debut has RIM been struggling to stay ahead of the tech curve. 

No doubt RIM is feeling the pressure being put on from both Apple and Google in the smartphone industry.  We have already seen this with the release of RIM's Blackberry Playbook which has all but been a 'hot item' since it's release.  So what is the plan with Google then?  Looks like the effective date is November 22, 2011.  If you are a Blackberry user who already has the Gmail app installed, you're in the clear.  Unless of course you require some sort of support for it.  Otherwise, you can continue to use it to your hearts content.  The other good news is that if you are indeed a Blackberry user, your device already includes native Gmail support via Blackberry Internet Services.  So you're still in the clear regardless what Google decides to do now or in the future.

If you are a Blackberry user who doesn't have the app but would like to get it.  You have until the 22nd of this month.  Instead of supporting a dedicated app, Google seems to be redirecting their efforts in this area to "building a great Gmail experience in the mobile web browser" per their website.  What do you think?  Does this sound like Google is trying to sway Blackberry/Gmail user's to move towards Android (or at least away from RIM)?  Either way, with about every other mobile device supporting a Gmail app sounds kind of funny with this move doesn't it?

It definitely sounds like it's been a big week as far as "tech shake up's" go.  With Adobe's announcement earlier this week of discontinuing mobile Flash to Google not supporting Gmail app's on the Blackberry platform...Man, what's next?  Is Netflix going to reopen Qwikster? (just a joke, sorry Netflix).

:)

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Adobe Kills Off Flash for Mobile Devices

It's no secret that HTML5 is a growing technology.  Now with a lot of desktop web browsers able to play nicely with HTML5 (and this is growing as well); it seems that it may become one of Adobe Flash's rivals on the web.  It is also no secret that Apple doesn't jive with Flash very well (at all) to put it modestly.

Up until yesterday (Wednesday) it seemed as though Flash had a decent foothold in the mobile sector when you figure it plays very well with Android based devices.  Why is yesterday such a point in the previous sentence?  Because yesterday; Adobe announced that it would no longer be developing Flash for mobile devices.  One thing you will also remember is that Adobe products are pretty decent.  At least as long as they are updated regularly when the newest versions roll out.  If not, then they typically turn into security risks (as with the case for most outdated software).

In a recent blog post by John Nack (product manager at Adobe) he pointed out that basically if Flash is kept from being run than they will have to find a different approach.  Is this a shot at Apple?  Apple doesn't ship their mobile devices or their computers with Flash preloaded.  Not really a big deal, right?  Since most Windows computers don't ship with it preloaded either (or at least an updated copy).  Wrong!  Apple has their reasoning behind this.

Apple's stance in the past is that Flash is more resource intensive than it probably should and caused lower performance in their products.  Meanwhile, the rest of 'web-world' uses Adobe products as sort of a 'defacto standard' on the web.  Regardless whether you are a fan or a "Flash hater", it's goes without saying that Flash is everywhere on the web.  If we look into the future just a short way, what if manufacturers and content creators find other ways to produce their projects and content on mobile devices; would this not also bring about a movement among people in the industry to figure out how to port their content away from Flash on the desktop/laptop side of things too?  That is speculation on my part though (I like to project ahead a little ways).  I hope I am wrong or that HTML5 is really that good to handle the migration from Flash by the industry.  On the other hand, it would be nice to be able to visit a site that was once Flash based and get the prompt that you need to install the latest "plugin for your web browser"...

As far as the mobile market is concerned, it looks as though Apple is probably pretty happy with Adobe's decision.  Seeing as how other devices may win some user's over solely on the fact that they grant a complete "web experience" in that they offer Flash as well (I have seen some ads that point this out specifically).  Either way Adobe rolls their dice, I hope for their sake they already have a plan in the mobile arena.  Otherwise, who knows?

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Android Coming To A Gamestop Near You

Seriously?  Yep, sounds that way.  Looks like taking a bite out of a rather popular fruit/device maker wasn't all that Gamestop had planned.  Just the other month Gamestop announced they would be taking trades and selling Apple's iDevices.  And now it looks as if they are actually branding their own Android based tablet as well.

I for one, fear that they may be too late to this show for anybody to care.  Especially with the controversy surrounding them the last several months.  If they are willing to snatch coupons from game boxes, why would they be willing to do anything better with an actual tablet device.  Even when they are already carrying another brand of a similar type of device.  I'm actually surprised that Apple didn't include in their agreement with Gamestop that they be the only device provider for the game chain.

Anyways, if you'd like to read the entire story, swing by:
TechCrunch

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Apple's New Award: Patented Slide to Unlock

No doubt there are advantages to being first to the game when it comes to a big company making a product.  We all see it every day (and have encountered it for years).  When it comes to Apple, they are currently one of the leading, trend setting companies out there.  They make a design and it takes off with the general public and they make money (lots and lots of money).  So naturally another company comes along and uses a competitors product for inspiration.  That has been the way of the consumer electronics world for many years now.

Well, it looks as though Apple has another win under it's belt when it comes to the 'slide to unlock' gesture that just about every touchscreen device and smartphone now uses to wake it up or unlock the screen so it can be used.  Although the appearance of the 'slide to unlock' screen may be different on various devices (given that none really mimic the exact look of Apple's unlock screen).  But they do require the same gesture to unlock certain devices.

In typical patent battle fashion, the patent name is so generic that it would no doubt encompass pretty much every method of physically touching a screen in any motion just to unlock it.  The patent name is: "Unlocking A Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock Screen" U.S. Patent Number: 8,406,721.  So what will happen to the lock screens that people have come to know as a defacto standard among smartphones and other handheld touchscreen devices?

I'm sure this will help Apple's crusade against companies who back similar devices to Apple's product lines (essentially Google with their Android devices/system and possibly anyone else who uses this gesture to unlock a device).  This could be a big slap in the face for Google, since a slide to unlock feature has been pretty much built into Android from the very start and with Microsoft already cashing in on patents targeted at Google, maybe Android lock screens will change for the better.

It's been said many times over the last several weeks that Ice Cream Sandwhich (Android's latest iteration) will feature facial recognition to unlock the screen.  Maybe they should run with that.  Just make sure you don't have to physically touch the screen or Apple will get ya!  lol

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Steve Jobs: 1955-2011

Yesterday evening the world lost one of our time's greatest innovators, Steve Jobs.  As one of the few truly visionary people in the technology world, he set out to make a difference in the way the world used and thought of not only computers but technology as well.  Jobs had been fighting a rare form of pancreatic cancer announced in 2004.  Then, in 2009 he received a secret liver transplant.  And in January of 2011, he took another medical leave.  Eventually leading up to his stepping down as Apple CEO in August 2011.

Jobs was the man in the black turtleneck that became so iconic with Apple products.  Thanks to the vision of Mr. Jobs the world was shown how to think outside of the traditional computing 'box'.  Leading the charge for Apple to jump into the personal media player market with the iconic iPod product line that would eventually jump start the 'tablet craze' with the release of the iPad.  And it all came from rather humble roots; as Apple was literally built from ground up originating out of a garage.

As the CEO of a revolutionary company that has helped change the computing experience for the world over it's lifetime; regardless of your opinion of these products or even Apple as a company, no doubt about it Mr. Jobs was successful in building a groundbreaking company.

As for Steve Jobs, your insight and innovation will definitely be missed.  And our thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to the Jobs family.

And food for thought:
“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” – Steve Jobs’ famous question to John Sculley, former Apple CEO

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Apple to World: No iPhone 5 for you!

So this morning was the big Apple announcement...What was it?  Was it worth all of the hype?  The big guess from just about everybody in the world was that Apple would be announcing the iPhone 5 (or at least iOS 5).  As the world eagerly awaited the freshly appointed CEO Tim Cook to take the stage and show the world the next version of the iDevices...

But that's not what happened.  Instead, it was announced that Sprint will start carrying iPhones and they will be the iPhone 4S.  And you can preorder your's on Friday.  Meanwhile, they will go on sale on October 14th.  So what makes the iPhone 4S newsworthy?  I mean, since it's obviously not an iPhone 5 or anything, right?

Well, the device will sport faster processing and downloads, and the camera gets a big bump.  It will jump from a 4 megapixel camera to an 8 megapixel camera.  And they now include an app called Siri for voice assisted features which also seems to tie into some web services like Yelp!.

On the iOS topic, they did announce that iOS 5 will become available on October 12th.

Personally, I don't see it's that big of a deal.  It seems like the whole event was over hyped.  I mean, are we really that surprised when another carrier picks up iPhone support?  Personally, my wife's HTC Evo 4G has a plenty fast enough processor and already sports an 8 megapixel camera.  So no real reason to jump ship to the iPhone camp here.

What do you think?  Is it worth your time to jump over to Sprint or even bother with an iPhone 4S?  Leave a comment about it below!

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The End of the Zune

Remember Microsoft's entry into the personal media player market with the Zune?  No?  It's no wonder.  The Zune was one of those devices that was released to compete directly with Apple's iPod product line.  The issues with it where mostly in adoption.  Apple was taking the world by storm; while Microsoft just couldn't seem to get their foot in the door.  In retail stores the two companies product displays were so close to each other that it was easy for anybody shopping for a media player to slide on down to the popularity-growing design of the iPod.  Around this same time period is when the term 'iPod' started to become synonymous with 'MP3' and 'Music'.

I know a couple people who own Zune's and yes, they love them.  For Microsoft, this product seemed to be a day late and a dollar short when it came to already the dominated iPod market.  So what happens to existing Zune customers?  And as of today, Microsoft has pulled the plug from the Zune product line.  Going forward, no new Zune's will be manufactured.  For those who have ordered a Zune prior to today, you'll still get it.  But your Zune is one of the last being shipped.

If you are a Zune owner, you will still be able to use your Zune as you always have.  The Zune brand will roll on through branding of Microsoft's Zune Marketplace.  Just don't look for the latest and greatest Zune once your's bites the dust.  After 5 years of fighting against the Jobs' Apple Empire, it was a valiant fight for the Zune.  But one that was destined to be lost from the start.

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Kindle Fire sells how many preorders?!

As expected Amazon's Kindle Fire seems to have taken off; if nothing else, the pre-order numbers seem to look good for Amazon's tablet.  Sitting at 95,000 day one pre-orders!  And spinning the tech-retail world into a tailspin by kicking off what appears to be the first of the tablet price wars that I predicted a few months back to start hitting about now.  Is it just getting warmed up?

It's kind of funny that in the same week that Amazon announces the Kindle Fire, Best Buy drops the price of the HTC Flyer to $299.  Will the other tablet manufacturers follow suit in fear of the Kindle Fire?  Do I think the Kindle Fire will dethrown the iPad as the king of tablets?  Probably not, because Apple has enough money to ramp up ad campaigns and sell more of their devices too.

But as far as casual tablet buyers, looking for a basic entry level tablet to get them into mobile computing.  Yep, I think those people will definitely bypass the iPad.  But time will tell!

And word of advice, if you're looking to get a Kindle Fire before the end of the year, it might be a good idea to go ahead and pre-order with numbers like those.  It wouldn't surprise me at all to see a shortage of Kindle Fire tablets before they even hit the street.

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Get your iOS Devices at your local...Gamestop?

Yep, you read that headline right.  Word on the web is that Gamestop is to start carrying Apple's iOS devices.  Apparently mobile gaming has becoming so prevalent that now the game stores can start selling mobile devices? I'm pretty sure that's just what we need.  Their stores are small and crowded enough as it is.  So let's throw some iPhone/iPod Touch displays in there, and let the kids play Angry Birds while the parents shop for games?

Gamestop's reputation has been anything but fantastic for a long time.  Especially among people who opt to trade their games to Gamestop for mere pocket change.  I don't foresee that changing with this new plan.  If you've ever traded a game with them, you'll know the issue.  I pay $40 for a game, and the give me $10 or less in store credit.  Want cash now?  They give you even less when you're credit is converted into cash that will walk out of their store.

So let's theoretically walk through this, shall we?  I walk in with an iPhone 3GS, the look at it and power it on.  While it's booting up the flip it over, yep.  The back of is has a few cosmetic scratches.  It's booted up, the look at it mess with it for a minute or two.  One of two things will probably happen, they will give store credit and knock a bit off from the already low store credit for the cosmetic wear or tear and still give you a sub-par return on your iDevice.  Or they will say 'Nope, it's jailbroken we can't take it.'.

My issues with Gamestop are issues that can be taken to other brick and mortar stores as well.  It's the short stock or availability of PC Games.  However, with the mess that went down concerning Square Enix/Gamestop/and the Deus Ex Onlive Coupon I doubt I'd even buy a PC Game from them now.

So beware, that Gamestop will now be taking iDevice trade-in's and selling Apple's wares.  Just a heads up.

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HP is doing what? Is the PC Market Approaching Death?

So by now you've probably heard that HP is selling of it's Personal Systems Group.  Basically, that includes PC/laptops/smart phones, and that little HP TouchPad tablet that all of the cool people are advertising but nobody is buying.  So what does this mean?

This is obviously a huge turning point for HP as a company.  Until now HP was primarily known as the computer and printer company.  They are one of the 3 leading PC manufacturers in the US.  But suddenly they are getting out of that market?  What are they thinking you may be asking?  It is very obvious that computers are becoming faster, smaller, and in the case of this story cheaper.  As the hardware gets cheaper, of course the profit margin that these manufacturers tap into is of course getting smaller.

Ten years ago, a PC half as powerful (if that) as an average use computer is now, would cost well over $1,000. My first Dell (purchased in 2004) cost me $1,100.  It was a Pentium 4 running 2.4GHz, with 1GB of RAM and an older Nvidia Gforce card (I can't remember it's specs).  My current rig is an Intel Core 2 Duo running a 3.0GHz with 2GB's of RAM with an nVidia 8600 GTS built almost 3 years ago for $400 with parts from Newegg.

The only company that seems to be able to make a rather substantial profit from their hardware sales appears to be Apple.  And they sell quite a few less machines, but make more money on what they sell than any other PC manufacturer in the US.  So, how do they do it?

Not sure, personally I believe it is smart implementation of their peripheral products.  Namely, the iPod brand.  Think about it.  Before Apple released it's very first iPod music player, Apple computers were basically commonly found in graphic design offices.  Applications were pretty scarce for it, and since their computers ran the older Power PC processors they were incompatible with anything else on the market.  Then came along the iPod and a small program called iTunes.

Now people who never thought about Apple were picking up iPod's and using iTunes.  The next step of course would be for a new customer to see what else Apple makes that might interest them.  So they get into the older iMacs or early MacBooks.  Fast forward several years, Apple makes a deal with Intel and replaces the Power PC processor for Intel.  Now you have the ability to pick between Windows or Mac OS X.  You can virtualize Windows using Parallels.  Now that their machines are 'Intel-Based' more software is being developed for their platform.  All the while, they continue to upgrade and build features into their devices that are based around apps like iTunes, easy use with their iPods.  Meanwhile, iPods are getting bigger and better and being turned into phones and tablet devices.  So in my opinion the iPod helped direct a lot of attention back to Apple over an extended period of time.  Instead of being one of these: "Hey, look what we have, shiny new tech" and then a couple years later they fizzle out.  Fast forward to 2011, people who own a Mac computer absolutely adore them.

Does this build up over time explain why Apple can sell a laptop and ask a substantially higher price for it and make more profit off of a single sale?  Maybe, I'm not market analyst but this makes sense to me.

As of late HP hasn't made the best business decisions, but at least they have taken risks other companies may have stayed away from.  For instance, remember when they bought out Palm?  They bought Palm for $1 billion dollars the other year.  Pretty much to strip out the webOS developed by Palm for the smart phone devices (which had a hard time selling) for use in future products.  Fast forward to now, they have released the HP TouchPad which has snazzy commercials being about the only thing going for it.  And in the meantime, will someone decide webOS is still valuable enough to invest in from HP?  Time will tell.





BTW, I love the Russell Brand 'Ostrich Commerical' for the TouchPad.  HP tried to do exactly what RIM did.  Both companies attempted to bring a tablet device into a market completely owned by Apple and Android at the moment.  As RIM found out with the Blackberry PlayBook, other devices are having a difficult time breaking through the crowd of Android devices and iPads.  Sure, they are nice devices.  But let's face it, why not go with the flow and ride the cash train while we can.  And it's at the point now that even Best Buy is trying desperately to be rid of the TouchPad.

So what does this mean for HP as a company?  Well, they are doing pretty much what IBM did years ago.  They are going to be focused more towards enterprise solutions where the sales are typically larger with a larger profit margin.  And for the most part, this has worked pretty well for IBM.

And what does this mean for the home PC market?  Is it dead?  Not quite.  There will always be a need (at least in our foreseeable future) for PC's.  After all, even devices that rely solely on the cloud (looking at you Google Chromebooks) without a PC or Server sitting in a data center somewhere, those devices will not have a reason to access the 'cloud'.  And let's face it, sure mobility is great.  But there comes a time (and some tasks) that a mobile device just can't handle yet.  Would Pixar be able to render another sequel to 'Cars' solely on an iPad?  Not currently.  Would Netflix be able to serve millions of subscribers using a data center of Android Tablets (definitely not at the rate they allow these devices access to their services).   So as far as I can see, PC's are going to be around for a while to come.  This doesn't mean they will be the most popular or most practical form of computing.  But they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Maybe one day a form of cluster computing may emerge that allows the internet to become a thriving, mobile entity as many devices are trying to make it now where everyone's computer serves everyone else's.  But that is a whole other security story in itself.  In the meantime, don't expect to see many TouchPad's floating around and the household HP Pavilion Laptop appears to be going the way of the dodo bird.

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Coming Soon?

Life has been fairly busy over the last few weeks.  Between work and being on vacation (away from any and all internet connections, yes I survived) my blog hasn't been very accessible.  So what's ahead for the TechieSmarts Blog?

One of the things I'm hoping to do in the near future is be able to bring a full review of Android Honeycomb.  I'm aiming to get my hands on one of the very nice Honeycomb tablets.  More than likely it'll be the Acer Iconia Tab (unless ASUS spits out a few Transformer tablets and they happen to land in my town, chances are unlikely).

With the access to Honeycomb I'll be able to review Android apps as well (most apps apparently run under Honeycomb) so I'll be able to cater to the Android crowd along with the iDevice crowd as well.

I'm looking forward to making blog posts and videos for this site using solely the Honeycomb tablet (I accomplished this on the iPod Touch and the iPad already).  I'll chronicle this adventure as it happens.

Along with mobile apps and capabilities, I plan on reviewing both 'Global Agenda' and 'Lord of The Rings Online' in the near future.  Especially since both of these titles now have Free2Play offerings, if you've been looking into getting in an online game this is a good time to do so.

Overall it's a fantastic time to be a tech freak and gadget fan.  Holding true to my gaming roots look for more reviews from the mobile genre to be coming soon.  So, sit back and relax and drop by soon for some fresh new content.

Happy surfing!

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Mobile App Review: TuneIn Radio

Every once in awhile, I seem to stumble upon really cool stuff.  And this is no exception.  Over the weekend I was at Best Buy playing with their Android tablets.  My wife took the Motorola Zoom for a spin and loved it.  While playing with it, she found "TuneIn Radio".  She installed it on her HTC Evo 4G (and absolutely loves it).  So I figured why not see if it is available on my iPod Touch.  And it is.

So, what does it do?  Easy, it streams radio stations from the internet (both AM and FM stations; for those who need AM access).  But that's not all.  It can use your location to compile a list of radio stations local to where you are located.  If you want to branch out a little, you can search for radio stations or specific songs/artists.  Are you a podcast fan?  I am.  And guess what?  You can also stream podcasts (without having to sync them via iTunes).  Playback is nice and smooth and sounds great.  The app also identifies the name of the song and the artist while it plays.  If you're using it on a iDevice with the iOS 4 update, you can multi task with it.  You can also record a desired station for playback later.

The app is free for Android users (requires Android 1.5 and up).  Drop by the Market to get it for Android: https://market.android.com/details?id=tunein.player&feature=search_result

For your iDevice, requires iOS 3 and up.  And it is currently $0.99 cents from the App Store.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tunein-radio/id319295332?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2

The app is extremely easy to use, and allows you to have a list of your favorite streaming stations in one place on your mobile device.  It's also available for other devices as well.  It's supported hardware list is:


Mobile

• Android
• Palm
• BlackBerry
• Samsung Bada
• Windows Phone 7

Other Devices

• Google TV
• Yahoo TV
• Roku

Check it out.
I'd give this about 4.75 stars out of 5.

*All images are copyright of Synsion Radio Technologies

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Tablets, iPads, and other Manufacturers...Oh My!

Looks like the old motto: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em", isn't one that Dell & HP exec's are even considering.  Instead, they decided to go the "All-American" route and start smack talking.  That's right.  We all know that Apple has been pretty much dominating the tablet corner of the technology market ever since the iPad was released.  Myself, not such a huge fan of how Apple keeps their gadgets locked down.  I like having the freedom to do what I want with my tech.  With that said, is iOS bad?  Nope, it's a pretty good system for a mobile device (all Apple based restrictions aside).  And it is very simple for people to use; people who may very well shun other forms of technology.

So, with the recent release of the iPad 2 by Apple; we are starting to see the feathers on their competition start to rise a little.  No doubt other manufacturers are starting to take notice that they are quickly losing ground in the tablet industry.  Recently, HP's Senoir VP of America's Solution Partners spoke out for his distaste in how Apple handles their business relationships with their partners.  Going on the record to say "Apple's relationship with partners is transaction, completely" and carrying on to say "Unlike Apple, HP is a very friendly channel" in an interview with CRN.  The point of his interview eventually leads up to his concern for their new line of tablets that will be touting the webOS.  Personally, I feel he should be very concerned about the upcoming system.  Reason being, if you follow technology you may have heard of webOS.  The system was developed by Palm (the makers of the once famous PDA brand); and was used in their debut phone: Palm Pre.

The Pre was a good phone, and the software got great reviews.  Much like Android it is running on a Linux kernal.  However, it seemed that the Pre couldn't stand it's ground against the iPhone.  Eventually Palm was facing a dire future, and HP acquired the company.  Now they are using the webOS for their mobile devices. And how many advertisements do you see on the web or tv for webOS?  Not many, if any.  I know their tablet line hasn't released yet.  But the PR departments are going to have to start feeding the public some pictures and footage of how this works within their products and start building fanfare.  Without that, I'm affraid a lot of people will set webOS on the backburner.  That would be bad.

Why?  Easy, another company competing in the tablet market will create even more competition.  Competition is good for us (the consumer) because it helps drive down costs as we raise demand.  Maybe then we can actually get a decent Android tablet under the $500 mark without having to buy an e-reader and mod it.

Enough on HP's stance, what is Dell saying?  In a recent interview with CIO Australia, Andy Lark (Global Head of Marketing for Dell) believes Apple will fall and Android will reign (not a direct quote) in the mobile market.  There is even room for Windows there too.  I have to hand it to Dell.  They have been supporting multiple operating systems for some time.  At one point, they allowed purchase of new systems with choice of Linux or Windows.  And it appears that they will continue that mentality with their newest tablets (which are slated to come out later this year).  Mr. Lark went on to say that their strategy is "multi-OS"; meaning they will offer Windows 7 or Android's latest rollout of Honeycomb on their tablets.  That is also a good thing.  People like choice and options.

Right now, it seems most mobile device users are either fans of Apple or Android devices.  Is there room for another player (HP/webOS) in this market?  Will Apple's iPad eventually get larger than itself and drop from it's high place?  Will their be an Android uprising in the future?  My answer, who knows.  But one thing is for sure, the future for computing is exciting and it's a great time to be a gadget lover.

My only hope is that we can eventually get our hands on a tablet without shelling out $500 or $600 dollars for the low end model.  My opinion, that should be the target price for the high-end models of these devices.  And somewhere are current Netbook costs should be where we see the devices price points sitting.  It's coming, but all in good time.  Until then, Happy surfing!


Source Article: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/03/30/dell_hp_execs_lash_out_at_apples_ios_successes.html

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Unreal 3 Engine Makes Debut on Apple's iDevices!

Been pretty busy as of late, so I have some catching up to do.  Last week an app by the name of 'Epic Citadel' arrived on Apple's App Store.  No big surprise, new apps show up all the time.  But two things picked my interest: 1- the name of 'Epic' being included in the title and 2- it runs off of the Unreal 3 Engine.

I downloaded it on the iPad right away.  And I must say, that I was immediately blown away.  For some time there has been rumor and speculation that the Unreal 3 engine would eventually bring forth a 'mobile' version.  But honestly, I wasn't sure how well it would hold up in the transition from being a major pc/console graphics engine to making the jump to small, handheld, mobile device.  But to be honest, it is pure awesomeness.

The app is pretty much a tech demo.  There are no goals or achievements to accomplish.  The app simply lets the player explore this lush environment.  And it is great.  From the fine details to the shaders.  It's all sweet.  There are no other players/people/npc's wandering the worls, so it feels a little lonely.  But keep in mind, it's only real purpose is for Epic to be able to show off what can be done with it's diverse graphics engine.  

From what I have been reading 'Epic Citadel' is actually a game that is in development, that should be arriving on the iDevices by year's end.  This app was Epic's way of showing us their hand of cards.  And I must say, it's pretty freakin' awesome.  Personally, at this point; I don't care what the final game will be about.  Story set aside, replayability set aside; I will purchase that app once it hits the App Store.  By the way, the 'Epic Citadel' demo is free.

Check out the section on Epic's site about this awesome app: http://www.epicgames.com/technology/epic-citadel

and the link to the Itunes App Store:

http://itunes.apple.com/app/epic-citadel/id388888815

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iPhone Game Review: Street Fighter IV

  As a long time fan of fighting games on the consoles such as: Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and of course Street Fighter. I was somewhat hesitant to try out the iPhone/iPod Touch port of 'Street Fighter IV'. And to be fair, I have yet ton play this game on the console as well. Literally, the iPhone verism is my first hands-on experience with this title. And let me say up format, it does not disappoint.

I have a hard time purchasing apps from the App Store that cost more than $3 or $4 dollars. But after reading good things about this app, I couldn't hold out any longer. Even at $9.99 from the App Store, I knew I'd have to check it out.  After starting up the app I was immediately blown away by the awesome intro scene. The artistic flare it showcases is simply amazing. The sound is great, and I am loving the "stylized" type of graphics the devs went with for this title.

Ok, first things first. The sound is spectacular, the themes are catchy and the fighting sound effects are dead on with the actions. The in-game graphics are definitely impressive. The gameplay graphics carry over the "stylized", cartoon type graphics that the opening scene shows off. Personally, a lot of games are going for a realistic look; however, games like Street Fighter need to keep the originality by staying unrealistic. And they have definitely pulled that off here.

Second item to cover is controls. The game is played via an onscreen game pad. The buttons are semi-transparent by default and can be adjusted even more in the options menu. The controls can hang some, but that is to be expected. Controls aren't always air tight on console fighters either. Some of that may be my iPod Touch, it is a little behind on updates or possibly the fact that it is a 2nd generation model. Anyways, it plays just fine. And the game is currently optimized for iOS 4.

With plenty of game modes and characters to play as, I don't for see this title getting old anytime soon. A lot of games for the iPhone/iPod Touch have limited replay quality. But I have found myself jamming away at this title and having fun that is reminiscent of the good old days playing my friend's Sega Genesis during a Street Fighter 2 marathon.

The fighters returning to this title are your maim staples of the Street Fighter ga,es over the years. Including Ken, Ryu, Chun Li, Cammy, Blanka, M. Bison and several more. The game features a practice mode, single player campaign, and even Bluetooth multiplayer. It would have been nice to have the capability to play against other people via a wifi network connection, but hey; beggars can't be choosers, right? :)

Overall, this is a great title from the App Store. A little pricier than my usual app purchases, but I'm definitely happy with it. If you own an iDevice and love a good fighting title, check this one out!

App Store Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/street-fighter-iv/id354655665?mt=8
Cost: $9.99
Rating: 5 out of 5.

 *Screen captures taken during play on my 2nd Generation iPod Touch.

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You Guessed It...More iPad News...

Apple started taking preorders today for it's new iPad.  According to the preorder site, customers who are in the market for the 'Wifi' only models will see that line of the iPad shipping on April 3rd.  The iPad is available in three different storage capacity sizes: 16GB ($499), 32GB ($599), and 64GB ($699).  Also, Apple is limiting the number of preorders to 2 units per customer.  Apple has also announced that they will be shipping the preordered units for free.

For those interested in the Wifi + 3G line of the iPad (same capacity sizes only 3G is added), you'll have to wait until they ship in late April.  The Wifi+3G line is somewhat more expensive: 16GB ($629), 32GB ($729), and 64GB ($829).  And the 3G data plan is not factored into the purchase price, this is sold seperately.

Apple will also throw in 90 days of complimentary telephone tech support, the hardware and it's accessories (yes, there are iPad accessories available too) all carry one year of waranty coverage.  The AppleCare Protection coverage is available as well for those who wish to buy it.

I love peripherals and accessories.  They help me geek out my stuff to my liking (as much as Apple let's a customer customize anything).  And the iPad is no exception, much like ebook readers there is a iPad cover/case and an iPad dock (both will ship for April 3rd), and an Apple keyboard dock will be available later in April; as well as other charging cables and a VGA adapter cable as well.

As far as other features, looks like the 3G features are a 'no-contract' offering.  Which means you can subscribe monthly to the 3G service without being tied to a contract with AT&T even though the service is provided via AT&T.  There looks to be two 3G plans available: 250MB/month ($14.99) or Unlimited ($29.99); as well as, access to the majority of the App Store apps, introduction of iBooks (surprised?), and the overall benefits of the larger size of the device when compared to the iPhone or iPod touch.

So hurry!  And go preorder one: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad?mco=OTY2ODA0NQ.  And let me know how it works when you get it ;)!

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This Week In The News: Fake Processors, Energizer Bunny is Evil, and much more!

This week in the news we have several newsworthy topics to cover.
-Newegg Ships Fake Intel Processors
-Energizer DUO usb Charger = Security Risk for PC Users
-Apple giving the App Store a 'Weight-Watchers' Treatment?
-Mac Gamers <3 Steam?  Coming Soon!


First up is the 'Newegg Controversy'.  For those who don't know, Newegg.com is one of the leading online computer/computer parts and accessory retailers.  Over the weekend it was reported that a small number of 'fake' processors where shipped to and sold by Newegg.  According to reports, there were 300 counterfeit Intel Core i7-920 processors shipped to customers.  I hate this for Newegg, because even if this is just a mishap it could negatively reflect on the company. Personally, I have used Newegg several times and have been thoroughly satisfied each time.  According to reports the packaging looks pretty genuine, but the instruction manual is a stack of blank pages stapled together, there were no pinouts on the processor, and the packging included a bogus fan.  See this site for more details: http://hardocp.com/article/2010/03/05/newegg_selling_fake_intel_cpus



Next in the news, is the Energizer Bunny Evil?  Turns out, no is the answer.  But it's software utlility might be.  The product in question is the Energizer DUO USB charger for NiMH batteries.  The product is safe for use; but for  Windows computer users who downloaded the software utility for monitoring the recharging batteries via your computer, not so much.  According to reports, the software tool creates a 'back access' for someone to remotely see/send/recieve or even execute a file.  Don't worry, the trojan can be easily deleted without much trouble.  This issue did not affect Mac users.  Energizer has discontinued this product before this issue was ever brought to light, but the product is still out the for purchase.  Please keep in mind that the battery charging hardware itself has no known issues; only the extra software (which isn't required to operate the product).  For more info on how to remove this trojan, check here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/190990/the_energizer_duo_trojan_what_you_need_to_know.html



Thirdly this week, Apple is doing some Spring Cleaning in their App Store.  Over the last couple of weeks, the hot topic has been the removal of some 'promiscuous' apps in the Apple App Store.  This involved removing a lot of 'softcore' type apps which depicted sexually/sensual pictures of women and or parts of the female anatomy.  As a user of the App Store, I was personally glad to see some of this go.  If kept unchecked, eventually apps like this would overrun the app store if not careful.  However, now Apple is going after apps that allow Iphone/Ipod Touch users to locate or find Wi-Fi hotspots.

Apple's reasoning is that these apps use 'undocumented or private APIs'.  If an app violates this part of the developer agreement, Apple axes it.  Why should it matter?  Have you ever needed to get quick web access and wasn't sure were the nearest public library or Starbucks was located?  I have used these tools before on PDA's and even laptops to locate the nearest coffee shop with free wi-fi for email access (who hasn't?).  One of the reason's I suppose Apple is aiming at these apps is due to the slow decline of Iphone user's who are seeking wi-fi access over using their 3G data connection on their Iphone.  Phone providers put a data cap on how much data can be used via that connection during the course of a month.  Using Wi-Fi does not.  Common sense in my book.

Apple has a lot going on in the coming weeks, with their iron handed rule over the app store, the upcoming release of the iPad (which may or may not revolutionize table computing, who knows).  Apple has their hands filled.  Apple owns the App Store and technically they can do whatever they like, regardless how user's feel about it.  But also, when Iphone/Ipod Touch user's get ticked off at Apple's decisions regarding their platform; said user's have been known to take drastic measures in forms of jailbreaking their devices which brings a whole new set of challenges for Apple.  And with Apple's recent banning of several prominent members of the jailbreaking community from the App Store; all we can do is sit back and watch with great anticipation of months to come in the Apple world.


And finally, Mac user's rejoice!  Steam is on it's way to the Mac.  Look for it this coming May.  And with it's release, Portal 2 is expected to be one of the premier games available for the Mac.  This is a huge step in the right direction as far as gaming on a Mac is concerned.  Why?  Mac's have never been known for their gaming abilities.  Games have always been on the back burner, but never really delved into on a Mac.  Hopefully, this will bring a welcome addition to the gaming community.  Steam is one of the largest digital distribution platforms in the world and is widely adopted on Windows based computers.  All I can say is, 'It's About Time'.

Have a great week everybody!

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