DealWithTech

Hello Nelly!  Verizon Wireless is opening up their data network to VoIP calls.  Okay, that’s a bit of an overstatement.  VZW has formed a strategic relationship with Skype and will now let users call any where in the world using their Skype account while connected to 3G (read: not WiFi).  Initially Skype will be available on the following VZW handsets: BlackBerry Storm 9530, Storm2 9550, Curve 8330, Curve 8530, 8830 World Edition and Tour 9630 smartphones, as well as DROID by Motorola, DROID ERIS by HTC and Motorola DEVOUR.  Well folks, it looks like were hitting the point where ‘any time minutes’ will begin to cease to exist.  What date Skype will roll out on Verizon has yet to be announced, but I’d probably expect it to happen sometime by the end of February or early March.

Read

The touchscreen smartphone ship sailed sometime ago for me – I’m an iPhone user – but for those of you that still havent’ signed onto a fingertip/stylus friendly handset, you might want to consider the small and friendly LG Mini GD880.  Yesterday, the phone got fully officialy.  From a spec standpoint here is what we know: 3.2-inch touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, WiFi, 7.2mbps HDSPA, FM radio, 10.6mm frame, 99 gram weight and LG’s Air Sync service which presumambly keeps your contacts and more always up to date with your computer.

The LG Mini will roll out in Europe in March, but for how much is anyone’s guess.

LG Unveils The World’s First 3 Way Sync Feature Phone At MWC 2010

Seoul (Korea Newswire) February 16, 2010 — LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, has showcased its new LG Mini (LG GD880), the world`s first feature phone to support 3-Way Sync service, at the Mobile World Congress. The mobile trade show began on the 15th of February in the Spanish city of Barcelona and will run until the 18th.

Measuring 10.6mm in depth and weighing just 99g, the LG Mini boasts an array of superb features including LG’s 3-Way Sync service, called LG Air Sync. This next-generation mobile technology enables users to continually sync the data on their phones with information stored on their PCs and their browser history over a wireless network, ensuring that contents such as photos, video clips, calendars and phone books can be updated and accessed at all times. As the first feature phone to support LG Air Sync, a form of the cloud computing so far available only on smartphones, LG expects the LG Mini to generate considerable buzz on the market.

“We live in an information-oriented society with vast amounts of data and content scattered all over the place. Because of this, one of the major battles in the future mobile market is likely to be in the data management technology industry, focusing on seamless access among different devices,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “We have developed the LG Mini, which offers technological integration with its unique LG Air Sync service, in response to this trend.”

In keeping tabs on users’ personal preferences and information, the LG Air Sync works in three ways. First, through the History Sync function, the phone’s browser is updated with the 100 most recent websites users visited on their PC, allowing users to return to the exact webpage where they left off. Second, through the Personal Information Manager (PIM) Sync function, contact details and daily plans in the LG Mini can be transferred to user’s PC. Even when users lose or misplace their phone, any important data will be still accessible through their PC. Finally, with the R-Click function, pictures and information on users` PCs can be transferred instantly to the LG Mini, meaning any picture on a website can become the LG Mini`s wallpaper with just a simple click of the mouse.

The smallest and slimmest 3.2-inch full touchscreen phone on the market today, the LG Mini also comes with speedy web browsing and fast push email functions for even greater user convenience. Thanks to powerful SNS features, users can easily keep in touch with friends online via social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter while also getting constant updates of what their friends are up to.

With its tiny frame, the LG Mini also boasts a 5.0 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, FM radio and 7.2 Mbps HDSPA. The LG Mini will be available in Europe from March, followed by other markets.
News Source: LG Electronics Inc.
Web Site: http://www.lge.co.kr

At the risk of playing Captain Obvious here—it’s easy to see why people would want to go online for more information after big events—I’ll conclude that feltron’s research into CNN.com’s traffic over the last 13 years is proof that historic events drive pageviews and unique visits.

At least that’s true if you’re a well-known baseline news source like CNN. Feltron’s graph below, aside from plotting the site traffic’s steady rise, also points out the 10 busiest weeks, shows how much of the traffic each part of the site enjoys, and marks important events in recent (American) history.

The research also makes it clear that the aftermath of the September 11 attacks represented a turning point for CNN.com’s traffic, bringing a 1053% rise in views. September 12 itself was the day when CNN had the most average page views. Apparently, with everyone wondering what happened, they turned to the internet to satisfy their curiosity.

The ten busiest weeks were during these events:

1. 2004 US presidential election
2. September 11 attacks
3. 2008 US presidential election
4. Iraq War begins
5. Hurricane Katrina
6. Virginia Tech Shooting
7. 2006 US mid-term elections
8. Week 2 of the Iraq War
9. Barack Obama’s Inauguration
10. Week after the September 11 attacks

Feltron’s research also reveals that CNN.com had nearly 122 billion page views (121,853,965,311) between May 1, 1996 to September 30 of this year. It also shows that every officially recognized country in the world visits the site.

Source

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Apple fans remember October 23, 2001 as the debut of the first ever iPod. Turns out right on the day of its launch, people were already dissing what’s easily Apple’s most successful product line as “just another MP3 player”. Get ready to feel smug folks, for hindsight always is, and dismissive thoughts were saved for posterity at the MacRumors forums:

elitemacor: “iPoop… iCry. I was so hoping for something more.”

WeezerX80: “Great just what the world needs, another freaking MP3 player. Go Steve! Where’s the Newton?!”

Pants: “hey – heres an idea Apple – rather than enter the world of gimmicks and toys, why dont you spend a little more time sorting out your pathetically expensive and crap server line up? or are you really aiming to become a glorified consumer gimmicks firm?”

And, my personal favorite:

nobody special: “All that hype for an MP3 player? Break-thru digital device? The Reality Distiortion Field™ is starting to warp Steve’s mind if he thinks for one second that this thing is gonna take off.”

Still tripping on smug nostalgia? Here’s how Steve Jobs packaged it for the masses, at a “low key” event:

I disagree that the iPod was a “quantum leap”, as Steve Job insisted, as there were already MP3 players with hard disks on the market when the iPod was launched. But there’s no doubting the iPod’s appealing usability, nor the willingness of Apple to stick with its own vision.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

AppleInsider’s Kasper Jade today reports that Apple has new plans for its workhorse laptop, the MacBook. This will be the first time since the product’s launch in 2006 that the company’s entry-level Mac has received a complete design update

Read the whole story on TheAppleBlog

In his Taste Test guest editor intro, Nick Kokonas recounts meeting chef Grant Achatz and founding Alinea, a restaurant that cooks food by freezing it, distills ingredients’ essences to vapor and questions the very eating utensils you use everyday. Let’s bend history a bit and pretend it is 1948 and a 22-year-old Miles Davis is playing in a small club in suburban New York. He is well known, but not exactly famous yet.

Read the whole story on Gizmodo

So what is the build number of the final version of Snow Leopard shipping in boxes next week ? Is it 10A432, as had been widely speculated

Read the whole story on Gizmodo

Generally speaking, 40 is considered “over the hill” in human beings. I’m 35, and as I get closer and closer to the crest of that hill, I can tell you with some certainty that the best is yet to come

Read the whole story on CrunchGear

With the academic year about to begin, and having already tackled the important issues of iWork vs. Office , it’s time to turn our attentions to the iPhone

Read the whole story on TheAppleBlog

TheRadio is a web-based radio station aggregator which pulls stations from all over the world into a simple to use interface. You can play music instantly with no fussing or you can build a finely-tuned playlist.

Read the whole story on Lifehacker