Author Archives ⇒ Brandon Hann

Unlimited Data*

· Brandon Hann

I’m really getting fed up with all of these services offering “Unlimited Data” with a little asterisk next to it. When you finally make your way down to the fine print, you end up learning that your unlimited data plan is anything but.

AT&T

It seems like AT&T is the ringleader in this mess—starting first by removing the unlimited data plans for iPhone and continuing now by adding a data cap to their Internet customers! You heard me right, as of May 2nd, AT&T now caps Internet usage on both DSL and Uverse accounts! For DSL customers, the cap is set at 150GB of data transfer per month. Uverse customers get 250GB of data transfer. It’s not clear whether the TV portion of Uverse is included in the 250GB. In either case, AT&T will send you two warnings if you exceed these caps. On the third time, you will be billed $10 for each 50GB you go over.

When asked why they did this, AT&T’s response was:

AT&T has experienced a dramatic increase in the amount of data that is sent and received over its wireline broadband networks. This dramatic increase is driven primarily by a small fraction of our customers. In fact, the top 2% of customers use about 20% of the total capacity on our network. A single high traffic user can utilize the same amount of data capacity as 19 typical households. Lopsided usage patterns can cause congestion at certain points in the network, which can slow Internet speeds and interfere with other customers’ access to and use of the network.

For complete details on AT&T’s new data caps, check out ATT.com.

Verizon

Fortunately, for those of you lucky enough to get FiOS, you don’t have to worry! When it comes to fiber optic Internet lines directly to your home, Verizon got it right. Each home is outfitted with a direct fiber line to Verizon which minimizes slowdowns and network congestion which has caused AT&T to limit their customers.

The same might not be said about Verizon Wireless when the iPhone 5 comes out. Rumors are abound that Verizon will cap their wireless data plans for smartphones soon. Of course we’ve heard this before, so maybe nothing will come out of it, but the thought is still daunting. It’s a fair statement to say that most people will never reach a data cap, but just the thought of having a limitation there is agonizing. Nobody wants to be surprised with a cell phone bill that has suddenly increased due to unknown overages.

According to Mobiledia, this rumor looks to be coming true.

Sprint

Sprint appears to have the best “Unlimited” service you can get. According to one of their commercials, “only Sprint gives you true unlimited” and it would seem so. Nowhere on their website do they say anything about data caps, speed throttling, etc.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlkT7gRM0xo

My two cents

If you’re going to cap your data plans, do it. But, don’t sell them as unlimited just because your definition is that your customers won’t reach the cap, thereby making it feel unlimited! To me, this is false advertising at its worst.

Get Paid to Take Pictures With Your iPhone

· Brandon Hann

Attention iPhone owners! Get paid to use your camera while walking around various locations where you’re already at! Say what?! That’s right, I just discovered a new company called Gigwalk that creates photo assignments for you to pick up and complete. For that, you get a simple commission.

I downloaded the app and began the signup process, but it looks like they don’t accept just anyone. I’m actually in a virtual line to find out if I’m approved. How they pick and choose who get’s access is beyond me, but until I get an answer, I’ll at least go over how this new service works.

Photo Assignments

Gigwalk uses pre-assigned tasks to hand out to the community of app users based on a number of various requests such as verifying street signs, business locations, interior photos of restaurants, etc. Once you choose an assignment that is close to your current location, Gigwalk will tell you the instructions for what kind of photos you need to take, how many and any other instructions that are required. Once you complete the assignment and it gets approved, you get paid.

So who’s paying for all this and why? It’s business owners and anyone else interested in obtaining photos from people using the app. As an example, if you own a local restaurant and you want Gigwalk users to come take photos of it, you create a new assignment (a Gig) dictating what you want a Gigwalker to take photos of and where to do it. The assignment is then sent out to all the local Gigwalkers and they begin to take the photos.

These assignments can range from the mundane like taking pictures of toilets in bar or the detailed like exploring the ins and outs of a swanky hotel. The cost of these assignments can range drastically. In the case of the toilets, you could make about $4, but the hotel review could bring in about $35.

What’s all this for?

Just like Google is out there mapping the world with street view access to almost any populated area on the Earth, Gigwalk decided to take things a step further. For one, they’re not investing in a huge fleet of camera vehicles that simply drive around and take pictures of whatever it sees. Plus, it allows businesses to decide how they want their businesses to be presented.

For users, I think the biggest benefit is to have more accurate information at your disposal. I’m sure you can understand that one of the most frustrating things about using a GPS or even Google Maps Street View is when you finally locate a business you were looking for, but when you drive to it, it no longer exists. Gigwalk can help with that by providing verification photos of things that have changed.

An example of this might be a user complaint that says such and such restaurant is no longer there, so a Gigwalk assignment is put out for someone to go take a picture of the empty building or even the name of the new place.

My two cents

Of course I can’t actually review the service as I haven’t used it yet, but from the surface, it looks very promising. Since I’m an iPhone owner and I like getting out, I know this will be just one more thing I can do with my device while I’m on the go. And if I make some money doing it, then so be it! I’ll report back with my findings if I get chosen to become a member.

In the meantime, go check out Gigwalk.

Apple iOS 5

· Brandon Hann

Not much is known at this time about what iOS 5 will bring to Apple’s devices, but one this that is becoming certain is that Apple plans to bring software updates directly to your device “over-the-air”.

Currently, you have to plug into iTunes, wait for a 600MB+ download to finish and then proceed with the backup, sync and update of your device. With iOS 5, Apple could send updates like this right over the 3G network. The problem as you might imagine is the 600MB file size!

With AT&T already capping their data transfer rates, consumers could potentially exceed their cap without even knowing how or why. This is all of course if the carriers go for the idea anyway. One way that Apple could “sell” the idea to them is to have many more, smaller updates be released over various lengths of time.

On the surface, this idea doesn’t sound so bad. In fact, it sounds rather convenient for those on the go, but that’s all relative as to how the updates would implement. As it stands now, updates require the phone to not be in use and then a full restart follows the software installation. I can’t imagine what it might be like if iOS 5 needed to restart every day after seemingly insignificant updates. However, for anyone that runs OSX knows, there are few updates that don’t require a system restart!

Another question up for debate is whether a new iPhone will be released with iOS 5. AT&T has already been quoted as saying: “Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July timeframe.”

Others have speculated that a new iPhone might be in the works for a September release and it may only be a refresher phone much like the 3GS was in comparison to the 3G. Personally, it doesn’t matter to me. I’ll be waiting either way. I like the iPhone 4 and I can’t see any major reason to upgrade anytime soon.

Apple MacBook Air vs Samsung Series 9

· Brandon Hann

In my never-ending search for the perfect mini-laptop, the Series 9 is looking like a mighty contender to the MacBook Air. Originally, I compared the MacBook Air to the MacBook Pro and iPad 2 to find out which device held up as a better “portable” computer, but it looks like a new competitor has stepped into the ring: Samsung.

From the looks of it, Samsung has a great product and by all accounts it appears to have the Air licked, but after looking closer, it might seem like you get more for your dollar with Apple. When have you ever heard anyone say that before?!

Design

Both of these lightweight computers are designed to be as thin as possible. While I still love the design features of practically all Apple hardware, the Samsung Series 9 is very close in style and material to the Air. In fact, it’s even .04 inches thinner than the MacBook at its thickest point. I know .04 inches is nothing, but I’m sure there are some people out there that might raise a fuss about it!

Apple MacBook AirSamsung Series 9

One major complaint I have about the MacBook Air is that unlike its Pro counterpart, it does not have an edge-to-edge glass screen. The silver border around the screen is actually a separate piece above the screen and this allows dust and grime to accumulate at the edges. Ironically, Apple has veered away from designs like this on every other one of their product partly for this reason.

Features

Take a look at the comparison between the two. While the Samsung has more than the Air on many points below, I still can’t see how they justify their pricing.

Comparison: (Series 9 is compared to base 13-in MacBook Air)

MacBook Air Samsung Series 9
Base Price $1299 $1649
Colors Silver Aluminum Black Duralumin
Dimensions (HxWxD) 0.11-0.68in x 11.8in x 7.56in 0.64in x 12.9in x 8.9in
Weight 2.3 pounds 2.88 pounds
Storage 128GB SSD 128GB SSD
Memory 2GB DDR3 (4GB Max) 4GB DDR3 (8GB Max)
Connections Wi-Fi (A,B,G,N), Bluetooth 2.1 Wi-Fi (B,G,N), Bluetooth 3.0
Screen 13.3in HD LED glossy 13.3in SuperBright LED HD anti-glare
Processor 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 Processor 2537M
Battery Up to 7 hours Up to 7 hours
Camera Standard VGA 1.3MP HD
I/O Ports Mini Display port (supports HDMI, DVI and VGA via adapters), RJ45 LAN (with adapter), Mic-in, Headphone Jack, 1 SD card Slot, 2 USB ports Micro HDMI Input, Headphone Jack, Mic-in, 1 MicroSD Slot, RJ45 LAN, 2 USB Ports (1 Chargeable)

Apple gets beat out in almost every category except for size and weight (although these two factors are not likely to be dealbreakers for most consumers). Not only does Samsung have Apple beat on everything listed above, there are also two other major differences. The first one is that the Series 9 has a backlit keyboard and the second being a 3-year warranty. On the Air, you can’t get the backlit keyboard and the only way to get 3 years of warranty service is to buy AppleCare for another $249.

My two cents

If we’re comparing the lowest priced 13 inch MacBook Air to the Series 9, the Series 9 has Apple beat, however you’ll be paying $350 more for it. If you bring up the MacBook Air to the same 3-yr warranty coverage, you would have only a $100 price difference with Samsung still be the more expensive device.

Another thing to remember is that Apple also has two 11 inch models to consider with prices going as low as $999. My opinion is that the huge difference in price doesn’t seem to justify the small differences in features except maybe the processor and more memory. I’d say if you’re thinking about the Series 9, maybe it’s more of a comparison to the 13 inch MacBook Pro except in thickness and you might want to take a look at where you money is being spent.

The last major difference is obviously the operating system. Although I love Windows 7 and how much better it is than previous versions of Windows, I still love my OSX much better! Plus, if you get the MacBook Air, you can still install Windows on it so you can have the best of both worlds.

If you’re considering spending $1649 on the Series 9, you may want to consider a MacBook Pro. If you’re just looking for a mini-laptop and don’t have the heart to go all the way down to a netbook, check out the MacBook Airs.

President Obama Gets It Done

· Brandon Hann

I’ll mention up front that I haven’t been a big fan of Obama so far, but after the events that unfolded last weekend, all I can say is he got it done and got it done right. I reported the news of the events as they unfolded (with any and all incorrect details at the time) and originally, I was going to write another post about it, but there’s no need. There are plenty of news outlets where you can get all the latest updates, so instead, I just wanted to post some of my opinions.

Obama’s statement about the killing of Osama bin Laden:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNYmK19-d0U

That was probably one of the best statements I’ve heard from any president in a long time. It was to the point, it said what needed to be said, it wasn’t bogged down with political rhetoric and it was as serious as it should have been.Osama bin Laden dead

I share the same sentiments that many others had when they stood out in front of the White House and in Times Square and Ground Zero in New York, but I regret not being able to be there with them. What a momentus day for all of us.

Whether you agree with his politics or not, Obama was able to accomplish in 831 days what Bush could not do in 2,686. And now, as we usher in a slightly less-dim future, who knows what’s in store for us. Some say retaliation is imminent, some say terrorism will be on the rise and others are already complaining about how we laid Osama to rest. Personally, I’m just happy to be able to say that as much as I disagree with our current leader, he had the backbone to go after the world’s most wanted man, succeed and then casually walk back to his office. The big question is, who’s next on the hit list?

Obama walks away

Google In Trouble for Location Tracking Software

· Brandon Hann

Directly on the heels of developments revolving around Apple’s iOS 4 privacy concerns, Google is now up to bat. Only this time, there’s a lawsuit involved. $50 million to be exact.

Now, $50 million seems like a drop in the bucket for the likes of Google, but as with most lawsuits, it’s the point that’s more important and this case is no different. According to Wired.com, “Detroit area residents Julie Brown and Kayla Molaski filed a class action lawsuit against Google over concerns that the location data that Android devices send to Google “several times per hour” is tied to a unique (though random) device ID.” What this tells me is that people are becoming more and more aware of just what kind of personal information is getting out to the world. The irony of this is we also live in a world where we’ve never been connected more.

With Facebook, Twitter, and personal blogs and the ability to “check-in” to practically all these, does it really surprise you to find your name on Google? If we learn anything from movies these day, we should all know just how traceable the cell phone world is, so does it also surprise you that your smartphone is sending data to the companies that run the software?

Of course not! In fact, it’s not even personal data that’s being transmitted (or so they say). It’s simply location data. Naturally, when you hear such a term, your first thought is a horror story about how Google (or Apple) will always know where you’re at. This is just not the case. At least in Apple’s story, they were collecting location data in the form of cache that allows them to reduce the amount of bandwidth required to pull the same data off the same cell towers everyday. To put it in English, if you are using an app that uses location mapping, your phone has to contact each local cell tower and download some data in order for your phone to know where you’re at. Part of the process includes your device uploading some data to that cell tower. Apple was basically storing that data for you so the next time you accessed it, the desired results would come to you much faster.

The other major concern in both of these cases was how accessible such data could be should your device fall into the wrong hands. In other words, if your mortal enemy got a hold of your phone, could he/she download files that would tell them where you’ve been? It would seem that in Apple’s case, that was true—this was fixed in the latest software update. In Google’s case, the data remained on the phone in an encrypted state that could only be accessed through a root connection (which on Android phones, it’s the equivalent of jailbreaking).

Lastly, the class action lawsuit is claiming that Android devices are collecting this data every few seconds and then transmitting it back to Google every hour or so. Google claims that this data is transferred with a unique (and random) ID number that in no way allows Google to know what device the data came from or who owns it. I for one, am not worried about this. Well, actually my only real concern would be the likelihood that my battery will die much sooner with all those “extra” connections.

Bin Laden is Dead

· Brandon Hann

It’s official and president Obama is about to report it.

Osama Bin Laden is dead.

Osama Bin Laden's Body (Fake)
Osama Bin Laden's Body (Fake)

The U.S. has killed the man responsible for planning the 9/11 attacks along with many other attacks of terror including the first bombing on the World Trade Center. It’s being reported that Bin Laden was killed in a mansion outside the Pakistan capital of Islamabad.

Although the news is being brought to the world tonight, it was confirmed that Bin Laden was killed during a ground operation a week ago. The news reports were delayed while DNA tests were performed on his body. U.S. intelligence is being cited for the finding and ultimate demise of Osama Bin Laden. He was not killed by a predator drone.

The Best of Apple at The Onion

· Brandon Hann

Since it’s Friday, I’m taking some liberties with today’s post. Every so often, I check out The Onion and I always find myself laughing at some of the stuff they come up with. I especially like the Apple “news” because it’s so easy to make fun of almost everything they do! Because of this, I decided to search their website for anything Apple and came up with the 5 I liked most.

iLaunch

March 2007 – Apple launches the iLaunch—a revolutionary product that revolutionizes how innovative technology is unveiled. For the low price of $12,000, you too can have a product-launching product that launches your product with almost no human interaction! Steve Jobs’ new product is poised to take down any other competing product-launch product with features such as automated keynote creation and presentation, the saving of a significant product feature for the end of the presentation to WOW audiences and its simplicity. Jobs said it’s so easy, “Even an intern can use it.” Read more about iLaunch.

iHand

Apple iHand
February 2011 – Finally you can now cut off your hands (or even just one) and install the latest prosthetic appendage from Apple! This new revolutionary device will revolutionize how you use your hands. You can now hold simple, light-weight objects, wave to your family and friends with ease and give high-fives to other Apple fans. Later models will allow you to write and poke people on Facebook. Hackers have already stepped in and are looking for ways to allow the iHand to display the middle-finger gesture should the need for that arise. Read more about iHand. Watch the iHand video.

iPhone 3GI

Apple iPhone 3GI
July 2009 – It’s about time, loyal Apple customers! You can now get the new iPhone 3GI—the new iPhone that’s only visible to you…the real fans. That’s right, non-dedicated Apple customers and other device owners will be jealous beyond normal levels when you walk into the room with the new invisible iPhone. According to Apple, the screen resolution is the finest ever made for a phone. The new iPhone 3GI comes in black, silver and white. Features include the ability to run dozens of simultaneous apps at once, never a single lost bar of signal strength and one-tap video editing using Final Cut Pro. Again, the phone is only available to those who believe in the company more than anything else in the world, and who would never, ever dream of questioning it. Read more about iPhone 3GI.

Apple Friend Bar

July 2010 – As an addition to the already popular Genius Bar available at all Apple Stores, the Friend Bar offers a special place for Apple fans to sit and chat with Apple experts about the latest technology and how they use it. You can discuss anything from how Safari is superior to Firefox to how much time you spend editing skateboarding videos with iMovie. If you can’t get your fix during store hours, Apple has also setup up the Friend Bar to be accessible 24/7 via a toll-free call center. Apple has already announced they’re going a step further by offer the iStore, a $6,000 product that allows you to setup up your own miniature Apple Store inside your own home. Other fees include the monthly salary for your personal Apple employee as well as any products you purchase from your store. Watch the Friend Bar video.

Think Different

Apple - Think Different
February 1999 – For years, Apple has touted their superiority using slogans like “Think Different”, but for one Apple employee, doing just that cost him his job. Brent Barlow was one of the unfortunate individuals to learn the hard way that thinking different at Apple was only for the customers. He was fired after heavily modifying his workspace including the installation of hooks above his desk to hang a mountain bike, using an unapproved desktop image featuring Jim Henson and replacing the familiar Apple startup sound on his computer with that of a portion of “Imagine” by John Lennon. Barlow has stated that the personalzation of his workspace has inspired him to “think outside the box”, but his boss responded, “If he wants to think that different, he can do so on his own time.” Read more about Brent Barlow.

Visit TheOnion.com for much more tech news and have a few laughs at the expense of the industry.

Las Vegas Casino Opens and Closes in Less Than 8 Hours

· Brandon Hann

Don’t you just love implied headlines?! If you were thinking that you would hear about some lavish Vegas mega resort being opened and then closing soon after, you’d be wrong, but that doesn’t make this story any less true. In fact, Las Vegas did just see another one of its gambling halls demise into the blowing sands of the desert, but which one? There was no name, there was no alcohol and there wasn’t even a building.

At its height, the casino brought in $3 from two patrons and paid out zero in returns. Its most historic hour was probably around 11am when the $2 bet was placed at a video poker machine. Tensions ran high as the cards were dealt and after the hand was lost, the outlook seemed promising for this little outfit. One could even speculate that this casino would rage on for many more hours, but alas, the doors officially closed at 2pm, citing low revenues.

Las Vegas Tent Casino

It appears that Marriott International bought a 14.4 acre plot of land just off Las Vegas Boulevard back in 2006 for $225 million with plans to build some sort of “real” casino or resort. After the recession hit, all plans were put on hold. This plot of land is currently zoned for unrestricted gaming and Marriott doesn’t plan on losing this zoning any time soon. County law states that as long as active gaming takes place on the land for at least one full shift every 18 months, the zoning designation will not expire.

What to do? What to do? That’s right…put up a temporary casino!

Although in past years, this temporary casino has been held in trailers, thus earning its nickname the Trailer Station, this year’s was held in a tent—a cold, dark one at that. Apparently when Walter Jones opened the casino at 6am, the electrician responsible for the lighting and heat hadn’t even showed up. Rather than deal with the crisp morning air, Jones decided to wait it out in his car.

Once the casino got swingin’, Jones and his bosses were actually hoping that nobody played so the paperwork would be minimal. There’s no telling how much it actually cost Marriott to hire United Coin to setup the tent, but it’s a sure bet that they’ll be back in 18 months to keep things in check.

Las Vegas is in a serious slump with the nation’s highest unemployment rates and home foreclosures. It’s amazing to think that anyone would want to start construction on a new casino or mega resort given the lack of business. I guess that’s why this little plot of land will probably remain just that for 10 or more years. It’s going to be interesting to see what Vegas even looks like in 10 years.

Twitter Gets Banned for The First Time

· Brandon Hann

I’m not really too sure why Twitter was singled out in the news today when it was announced that cell service will be blocked during the Royal Wedding this Saturday, but one thing is for sure, there will be no tweeting of any kind. In fact, with the loss of all cell service, you can say goodbye to Facebook and every other social networking program.

According to Yahoo!, authorities are instituting signal-blocking technologies inside Westminster Abbey during the entire length of the ceremony. I’m not here to report that news because the article already does a fine job of that and really, what else do you need to know?!

However, after reading this, my interest was piqued and now I’m wondering why more and more places and events aren’t using this technology. I can think of a million times when this would serve great purpose, but to save you time (and energy) I’ll just list my top five:

  1. Movie theatres – I don’t care who you are or how popular you may be; there is no valid reason whatsoever for you to be texting or making/receiving calls in the middle of a movie! And while we’re on the topic, you shouldn’t be talking either.
  2. Restaurants – You’re there to celebrate an event, spend time with a loved one, impress a date or just to have conversation with your close friends. The point being made here is that anyone you should be talking to is already at the table, not on a phone.
  3. Museums – Most museums are quiet, tranquil places for people to soak up some culture and feel connected to history. There’s no need to conduct a business meeting while gazing at a Van Gogh.
  4. Weddings – The sheer fact that you aren’t cognizant of turning your phone off (or at least on silent) when you’re at a wedding says volumes about your personality and lack of respect for two people who have spent thousands of dollars to make the day perfect while also providing you with free dinner.
  5. Public transportation – I don’t use public transportation that much, but when I was in New York, I was all over the subways. Fortunately I never ran into any talkative passengers because there is no service underground, but I can imagine what it would be like to be stuck on a bus with someone that just won’t shut up!

I’m all about the latest in technology, but I do have some sense of civility left. In the aforementioned locations, it’s not always about being kind to your neighbors, but it’s also about being respectful to your surroundings. As with anything in life, there is a time and a place for using a cell phone and taking calls.

Signal blocking devices

Fortunately, we no longer have to wait for disrespectful people to hang up their phones. We can now buy our own signal-blocking devices and carry them wherever we go. I found a fairly cheap one on Deal Extreme for about $26. This little thing gives you about a 30 ft range in which you can block all cell phone services! On the battery, it’ll last for about 3 hours so that’s plenty of time to get that nap in you were hoping for. For an even larger model, get one that looks like a router and start blocking signals up to 30 meters away!

The problem with such devices is that they are illegal in many countries including the U.S. so good luck getting one and don’t get caught. In the U.S., a fine can be issued in the amount of $11,000 and you could serve jail time. While this is absurd in my opinion, I do understand that signal jammers not only block the annoying cell users, but also anyone else in the area and that could pose a major problem should someone actually need to use their phone for emergency purposes.

The only alternative to not using these devices is to teach people cell phone etiquette and hope for the best. Whatever happened to everyday manners?