Month: October 2009 (Page 8 of 11)

      Twitter to add video tweets

      October 11, 2009 /

      Twitter logo.According to an article in the Telegraph, Twitter plans to add video tweeting service to the site. Startups like Tweetube and Twiddeo have tried to do the same but with little success. Up until now users had to exit Twitter proper to see the vids. With the update they wouldn’t have to.

      It sounds like Twitter is hoping to use new features to bounce back from bad press surrounding celebrities leaving the site. I mean, Hannah Montana is gone. You gotta do something to get back on top, right? Seriously, if content is vapid enough that even Miley Cyrus would leave, I’d say skies look stormy in Twitter’s future.

      Video tweets sound so painful I would be forced to immediately unfollow anyone making them. Of course they could make those daily recording devices extremely popular. I do love me a good privacy scandal.

      Digital Media, Lifestyle

      International students can hate the DX too

      October 10, 2009 /

      Kindle DX.Amazon today quietly confirmed that it would start selling the Kindle DX in international markets in the near future. The news isn’t really a shock after the GSM Kindle announcement. As you may recall, the DX is the bigger version designed for textbooks and newspapers. It’s the model that was offered to Princeton students free of charge. The model those same students hated.

      According to SlashGear, Amazon has only said “next year” with regard to a date and won’t say anything about pricing. The international Kindle 2 runs $20 above the states-only version. I’d guess the DX will be about the same, giving Princeton the unique opportunity of subsidizing $20 toward even crappier AT&T service for the rest of us. Thanks guys!

      Digital Media, News

      Photoshop on the iPhone? Not exactly

      October 10, 2009 /

      photoshop-iphoneIf you’ve been waiting for Adobe to put Photoshop on the iPhone, your wait is over. It’s about what you’d expect (and certainly all you need) from an editing application on your cell phone, though calling it “Photoshop” is a bit misleading. The app is free, though, which was a nice surprise.

      The interface is probably the best part of the app. It’s simple slider controls for most effects, which include standard adjustments for saturation, exposure, tint, and all that. You can also crop and use filters, which makes it pretty easy to put together a decent looking picture for a quick Facebook upload. Oh, did I mention the app is free?

      The app includes integration with Adobe’s online system and allows you to upload photos or just save the changes right on your phone. As I may have mentioned, the app is free.

      Apps, Cameras, iPhone

      iPhone takes home JD Power customer satisfaction awards

      October 9, 2009 /

      JD Power award.The iPhone has yet again proven that people will put up with some of the worst wireless service in the world just to have a phone they can love. The iPhone won the 2009 JD Power awards for customer satisfaction in both the consumer and business categories.

      If you take a look at the breakdown, no other phone came close. Sure, battery life was the iPhone’s weak point, but for all the other criteria, users scored the phone as high as possible. That’s quite a testament to the fanatical love people show for a phone that struggles most with actually making and holding calls, thanks to AT&T’s network.

      In other, much less interesting news, LG was the winner for feature phones. Anyone surprised?

      What more proof do you need than the iPhone’s sales figures that at the end of the day, it’s customer satisfaction that really matters. Sure your phone might be able to multi-task, it might have a unique, web-based operating system. It might even have the physical keyboard its competitor lacks. But if the whole world likes that other phone better, those features don’t mean a thing.

      Apple, iPhone, Mobile, News

      Product Review: MusicSkins

      October 9, 2009 /

      EXDOG-TECH-DP-(TOUCH)[1]There’s nothing quite as lovely as a brand new piece of tech gadgetry…and nothing quite as heartbreaking as that first permanent scratch or smudge on said gadget, which is why there are so many options for tricking out and covering up our precious grown-up toys. One of the latest contenders in the skinning sweepstakes is the aptly named MusicSkins, which takes the basic essential ingredient — a piece of adhesive vinyl — and adds a couple of interesting twists.

      The first — and arguably most important — of MusicSkins’ claims to faim is the sheer ease with which the stuff goes on and comes off. The company sent me a skin for my iPod Touch, which I decided to put through its paces by sticking it on while I was sitting in the front seat of a car with the iPod in my lap. Having tried (and failed) to achieve a bubble-free Belkin screen protector under what were close to lab conditions, I expected I’d have to re-fasten the MusicSkin indoors, with the iPod on a flat surface. I was pleasantly surprised, though — the stuff goes on easy, and isn’t prone to bubbling; what’s more, it comes off just as easily as the company promises, leaving behind very little in the way of residue. And, of course, while it’s on, it acts as a slick barrier for pretty much any scuffs or scratches; in order to even mark the surface, you’ve basically got to rub your device over asphalt. Ordinary wear and tear don’t even show up.

      The other feature that sets MusicSkins apart is the fact that the company not only offers a huge assortment of skins (everything from phones to game controllers to guitars) and a wide variety of (largely celeb-focused) skin designs, it also allows you to customize your skins by uploading your own artwork or photos, thus giving you the opportunity to choose between covering your iPod, phone, or laptop with a picture of Madonna, Bob Marley, your company logo, or your cat. Not as important as whether or not the stuff really works, of course, but in a crowded product field, it’s the little stuff that sets brands apart, right?

      MusicSkins run $15 and up. Visit the company at its official site to see more.

      Reviews

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