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Cell Phones for a Unix-head, part 2

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*** Warning: I rip quite a few companies a new one in this blog post, due to this post’s content, I recommend that no one reads it ****

So I went to the AT&T dealership after leaving work early, hoping that at 2:30pm, I’d be able to beat a lot of the traffic there.  Well I get to the dealership and I notice there are a lot of people in there, every sales person is occupied with a line waiting for the next available.  I stood around the iPhone equipment, looking at accessories, looking salesmen in the eyes with a look of “I’m willing to shower you with money if you’ll give me 5 minutes of your time”.  Did I get attention?  Not for 15 minutes, when someone FINALLY took my name and put it in the queue….wonderful.

After about 10 more minutes of waiting, I finally got a salesman, not exactly Johnny Enthusiasm, but whatever.  Whole transaction took 10 minutes.  Registering the SIM was probably the longest part.  Salesman didn’t even have to migrate my contacts for me (phone was FUBAR’d anyways, hence my need for a new one).  But, I have the dang thing, finally.  I miss the days where you could just walk up and pay someone for something.  Now there’s a whole process to it. So I have the piece of crap and I’m taking it home, kinda itchy to play with it, but no one in this state can freaking drive so I had to keep all attention on the road (and don’t start in on me about “no texting” laws, I REALLY don’t want to hear your communist banter).

And when I finally get it home, I start going app-happy. Then I notice.  There aren’t any free SSH clients.  WTF?!?  Seriously, no free SSH applications?  The majority of the logic code is already done and F/OSS, the only thing left to do is integrate it with Apple’s GUI and you Mac lovers brag about how easy that is anyways.  So I fork out the cash for a premium SSH client (might as well go big while I’m going to have to pay anyways), and download a few other pay apps (equation reference for math/physics/etc, XMPP client, IRC client, etc), and then go a little crazy with the free apps.

Yes I did download a fart app thank you.  I’ve earned my man points for the year, and now I don’t have to watch pro football on Thanksgiving, thankfully. Also got a few music apps (Pandora and Slacker).  Please note however, that I am an audiophile.  I’m one of those guys that spends the absurd amounts of money on high end audio gear and even makes my own stuff all in the pretense that a high-hat will sound a little less like someone blowing their nose into a crunched up aluminum can. And ON that note, I will note that the audio connector on the iPhone sounds like crap.

More crappy writing after the break.

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Google Maps Gets Updated With Bicycle Directions

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If you are a biking nut like I am, this is some very cool news indeed. Google Maps has just released an update that adds Bicycle Directions and will be unveiling this new feature at the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC. Google says: “This new feature includes: step-by-step bicycling directions; bike trails outlined directly on the map; and a new “Bicycling” layer that indicates bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly roads” and

The new bicycling layer for Google Maps, accessible via the “More…” drop down menu at the top of the map, will display an overlay of the various bike-friendly roads and trails around town. The layer is color-coded to show three different types of paths:

  • Dark green indicates a dedicated bike-only trail;
  • Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road;
  • Dotted green indicates roads without bike lanes but are more appropriate for biking, based on factors such as terrain, traffic, and intersections.

Check out the video that Google released as well:

Even though Google Maps with Bicycle Directions has only been released to desktop versions, Google says a Mobile Version is planned. If you want to learn more about Google Maps with Bicycle Directions, jump after the break for the Google Press Release, or check out the Google Maps web page or CLICK HERE.

 

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Sprint and Walsh Wireless Launch M2M Device to Drive Usage-Based Insurance for Vehicles

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Increasingly automobile insurance companies are adapting the way they charge customers, basing rates more on individual vehicle use and driving behavior. This is known as Usage-based Insurance (UBI). Sprint (NYSE: S) and Walsh Wireless today announced the certification and availability of a solution developed to meet this unique and growing market – the Walsh Wireless … Read more

CareerBuilder Survey Paints A Darker Picture Of Our Obsession With Staying Connected

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I will start by saying that I REALLY hope that my wife does not read this article! There is no telling what kind of medicine she is going to put me on or counseling she will insist I go to! I am addicted to Mobility. After reading through a Survey taken by CareerBuilder, a darker picture is being painted about our need to stay connected, even at times when we should be focusing in on what is really important in our lives. No with all that being said, I am not going to delve into a lot of depth with this as nothing I could write could compare to our own Dr. Jim’s work on the Psychology of Technology Series he so brilliantly writes for us. But what I would like is for you to take a little quiz. There are 8 different locations or times that have been listed below, ask yourself how many of those you have used your mobile device during:

  1. During a meal  
  2. While in the bathroom  
  3. Lying in bed at night 
  4. At a movie, play, musical, etc…
  5. On a date  
  6. Working out at the gym  
  7. At a child’s event of function
  8. At church

Now, I had already known that I would score badly on any mobility obsessive test, but I was a little pleased that I did not go 8 for 8! How many did you score on? Here is what the survey found on what percentage of people polled used mobility on or where as the case may be:

  1. During a meal – 62 percent 
  2. While in the bathroom – 57 percent 
  3. Lying in bed at night – 50 percent
  4. At a movie, play, musical, etc… – 25 percent
  5. On a date – 18 percent 
  6. Working out at the gym – 17 percent 
  7. At a child’s event of function – 17 percent
  8. At church – 11 percent

You can read the entire CareerBuilder Survey after the break, but I invite you to share your scores with us and leave a comment. Mine was 7/8.

 

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Skype Mobile And Verizon Exclusive Agreement Video

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I think everyone knows about Skype and the value it has given people to keep in touch using their PC’s or what is otherwise know as VoIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol. I use Skype daily to keep in contact with manufacturers all over the world. But as many of you know, there was also a popular mobile application that worked using your data plan and not your minutes, making it a very cost effective way to keep up with people. That is where there was high speed service because it was very poor call quality otherwise. In a series of Skype news that had Skype pulling their software from Windows Mobile Devices (CLICK HERE) and then announcing Skype available for Nokia’s Smartphones via the OVI Store (CLICK HERE). Skype also announced at MWC that they had reached an exclusive deal with Verizon on Droid and BlackBerry Handsets. (CLICK HERE).

So that kinda brings us to today where Skype and Verizon have released a video on the advantages of Skype on the Verizon network. It is a pretty basic video but with a couple of key changes. First, Skype will not require a Data Plan from Verizon to work and will run in the background, being “always on”. This is a pretty big change for Skype not using Data to work on Mobile Handsets. Check out the video below for some more information:

  • make and receive unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls to any Skype user around the globe on America’s most reliable wireless network;
  • call international phone numbers at competitive Skype Out calling rates;
  • send and receive instant messages to other Skype users; and
  • remain always connected with the ability to see friends’ online presence.

If you want to re-check out the press release from Verizon Wireless and Skype, jump after the break and enjoy. We’ll keep you posted with more information on Skype so stay tuned. You can also check out more at the Verizon website or CLICK HERE

(via)

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Samsung Announces Launch of Highly-Anticipated eReader for the US Market

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With the success of the Amazon Kindle and the interest in the yet to be released Apple iPad, there is no doubt that many manufacturers are trying to figure out the recipe to cash in on Wireless Reading Devices. Samsung is no different and think that they may have found a unique twist on their eReader that may give them a leg up on the rest of the competition. The Samsung eReader comes with:

  • 6” E-ink display (600×800) with 8-Gray scale for easy readability both indoors and out
  • Built-in front speakers or the convenient head-phone jack
  • Samsung’s text-to-speech (TTS) technology
  • Built-in MP3 player
  • Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
  • Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
  • EmoLink technology (enables users to share content between Samsung eReader devices)
  • 2GB of internal memory
  • Micro SD card slot increases the device’s storage capabilities by an additional 16GB

Stay tuned for more information on release and pricing for the Samsung eReader as we get it and don’t forget to jump after the break for the entire Samsung press release.

 

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T-Mobile HTC HD2 Unboxing Leaks

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With a device like this, we just can’t get enough leaked goodness! This time BGR’s ninjas score the T-Mobile HTC HD2 just like the rest of us will see it on March 24th. Looks like the basic accessories will be coming with the HD2 with the exception of a skin you can see listed in … Read more

Batterygate II: Exposing Fakes

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In my war against crappy cell phone batteries I’ve been dying to dig into the whole Chinese bathtub battery world as doing so could yield more effective and actionable information to use to shake things up and blow off lids than just fighting on the eBay feedback front would offer. But that’s a dark place you may not find on Google (or Pamela) to get access to and information about, one thing I’m hoping HTC can give me if they take my little email seriously. I want them to help me help them help me help you patronize the right people, you dig? That could take a while so I want to hand some of this off to you in case you ever buy a battery on eBay, either a counterfeit OEM, a crappy battery or a crappy counterfeit battery, as one of you might be able, with the right footwork, to crack their Great Wall of Cell Phone Accessory Secrecy. By they I mean China obviously. And Hong Kong and Singapore too at least have some peripheral involvement but we’re dealing with, primarily and as usual, China.

I bought three batteries advertised on eBay as being OEM/HTC. Two of the three were counterfeits. It seems there is a sea of counterfeit batteries and that ain’t right so I want to waste a ton of time trying to do something about it. If you get burned with a fake OEM or otherwise unsatisfactory battery, here’s how I recommend you handle it: First hit the seller with a negative feedback rating using language like “counterfeit” and “fraud” then contact the seller demanding your money back — but not in exchange for sending the battery back as, and you can advise them of this if asked, sending something that is fake in exchange for money, either normal money or refunded money, may constitute mail fraud. I wouldn’t worry about being prosecuted, but why make the schlep to the post office just so they can make sure there isn’t any loose evidence of their fraud? And you don’t want to mail it back just so they can sell it to someone else. If you’re not sure if your battery is copacetic or not and want to run it by me, I’ll test that sucker for you and even cover the return postage, no problem (but right now I can only charge Tilt 2 batteries, sorry everyone else).

The one legit OEM, by the way, came from Brooklyn.

These people are desperate to protect their feedback rating so you have some leverage here, at least enough to get your money back if not more. Actually by this point you may already have gotten your money back but let’s aim higher: In exchange for retracting your negative feedback in exchange for a neutral rating and not pursuing the situation further with eBay, PayPal, HTC, or if there actually is any, an equivalent their country has of a better business bureau, ask for the contact information of their supplier or the manufacturer. There are so many resellers that it’s pointless to try to report them all but getting information on who’s cooking up the bathtub batteries with the fake labels, now we’re talking. About what exactly I don’t know yet but it just feels like the right direction to head. I could use your help in getting that information in order to have any affect at all on this dirty industry so let us all benefit from your being victimized and not let the deal die in vain.

But it’s a safe bet they won’t cough that information up (at least the two I tried to pressure wouldn’t). So, demand next (in exchange for the bad feedback retraction) that they take the listing down of the fake item along with any duplicates, searching through their other listings for others of the same item. If they won’t do that, for your next counteroffer I would recommend to retract your negativity and stop breaking their balls if they would just remove any reference of HTC, OEM, HTC model numbers and the like — anything misleading buyers viewing the item into thinking it’s OEM. That’s just too much not to feed back negatively over. If they won’t do that, leave the negative feedback intact, sting them with a counterfeit report to eBay and move on in life.

So that’s what I did with Lovely Betty from Hong Kong. It’s both a good how-to for this situation and an amusing read. Sweet girl, so polite and even left me and now you too with a happy ending. Hit more so I can hit you back with the transcript.

Doug Simmons

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