Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 93 of 168)

      Twitter lands shitmydadsays a TV show

      November 9, 2009 /

      shitmydadsays-twitterIf you haven’t heard of the Twitter account “shitmydadsays,” you should check it out. Written by a guy named Justin Halpern, the site is supposedly just what the account name suggests – a running list of anecdotes from this guy’s grumpy old curmudgeon of a father. According to the bio on the account, Justin says, “I’m 29. I live with my 73-year-old dad. He is awesome. I just write down shit that he says[.]” Things might change around the Halpern household, though, unless Justin is in desperate need of new material for his TV deal. Yes, the Twitter account has turned into a TV deal for Halpern.

      The deal for the show came from CBS, with Warner Bros. set to produce. Halpern is actually going to write the show, and will be working with Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick. I’m still so shocked I feel like I should rewrite the whole thing to see if it makes any more sense. The weirdest part is that the account doesn’t even have that many followers. Sure, it’s grown exponentially, but exposure on sites like TechCrunch will do that. But 700,000 followers = TV deal? CBS must really like the content.

      Maybe that’s the part that isn’t so surprising, and actually turns out to be kind of reassuring. I think Halpern’s funny – damn funny, in fact – so it’s kinda cool to see a network pick up something with a little potential. Now, if we could just get them to stop cancelling shows like Arrested Development.

      Source: TechCrunch

      Lifestyle, News

      Yes, Australia, there is an iPhone worm

      November 9, 2009 /

      Rick Astley.There’s a worm spreading among jailbroken iPhones in Australia that makes one hilarious modification. The virus changes the iPhone wallpaper to a picture of Rick Astley. Luckily for those who have picked up the bug, there is no malicious code involved. It’s just a stunt by a 21-year old who hopes to get a few laughs and get people to get a little more serious about phone security.

      “The virus itself is not malicious and is not out to hurt people. It’s just poking fun and hoping waking people up a little,” said the creator, who lives in Sydney. For those of you who are unaware, jailbroken phones can be accessed using the password “alpine” for SSH control. If you don’t change the password upon jailbreaking, anyone with a little tech savvy can add or remove files to/from your iPhone.

      Luckily for you, the fix is really simple. Just load up Cydia and get the MobileTerminal app, and then use the “passwd” command to make the necessary change. And do it now. Rick Astley may seem harmless, but he’s just a gateway drug to much more serious problems.

      iPhone, Mobile, News

      Verizon lays into AT&T with new 3G ads

      November 8, 2009 /

      Island of misfit toysAT&T might have done well to keep quiet about Verizon’s “map for that” ads. Since bringing a lawsuit concerning the original commercial, Verizon has launched three more ads, all bearing the same message: AT&T’s network sucks. It’s not that the message is anything new, but AT&T has made it clear that network quality is a pressure point, and now Verizon’s going to squeeze.

      The new ads will likely air all through the holidays since they’re all about Christmas. In one the iPhone ends up on the island of misfit toys, not fitting in until it shows its new friends the AT&T 3G coverage map. That one works on two levels, digging at AT&T and reminding Apple that Verizon still really wants the iPhone.

      The second ad turns the naughty gift from coal into AT&T’s network, and the third features a man having a Blue Christmas (yes, the song runs in the background) until he walks home to find a festive red package sitting on his front porch.

      The last two ads sound like the usual competition bashing you see in any industry, but that the commercials have so much truth behind them makes them devastatingly effective. Talk to anyone with an iPhone and you’ll hear about AT&T’s crap network. Apparently no one has mentioned to Big Blue that fixing their network would solve all kinds of problems, the least of which is this new ad campaign.

      iPhone, Mobile, Video

      iPhone Nano coming in 2010?

      November 8, 2009 /

      iPhone nano?iPhone Nano rumors started to resurface this week, based on photos from a manufacturer and supposed insider reports that Apple is working up a device for Verizon’s CDMA network.

      The rumored device would sport a hybrid UMTS/CDMA radio, making it compatible with pretty much any network. The screen is down from 3.5 inches to 2.8, which seems way too small to me. Granted, there’s always zooming to get to hard to read text, but there’s really nothing worse than scrolling a page around while you’re trying to read.

      Speculation points to a 2010 release, which would make sense considering the massive Android rollout that has been taking place. As Android makes it onto more devices, particularly cheaper ones, Apple’s going to want a way to get those entry-level smartphone owners. A smaller iPhone might not get those folks, but a cheaper one definitely would.

      Apple, iPhone, Mobile

      Why does the Droid have that keyboard?

      November 7, 2009 /

      Motorola Droid from Verizon.I was pretty excited to go out and get my hands on a Droid yesterday. I made my way out to a local Verizon store, where a new owner was kind enough to let me play around with the phone and make a few calls. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with the device. The screen looks incredible and the whole thing operates pretty quickly. Call quality was better than my iPhone, but what isn’t. What I can’t understand, though, is why Motorola added the physical keyboard. It’s not that a hardware keyboard is a bad idea, but that keyboard is the bad idea.

      Seriously, that keyboard is terrible. The keys are too close together and so difficult to push that I found myself hitting multiple keys at once pretty often. The top row is too close to the slider, making it difficult to get my thumbs in there to push. The keyboard seems even more out of place when you use the virtual keyboard. I didn’t like it as well as the iPhone, probably because of the lack of multi-touch support, but it’s the best I’ve used outside an Apple product.

      The obvious conclusion is that it’s meant to be a differentiator from the iPhone. Unfortunately, it detracts from the quality of the phone, and makes it a lot thicker than is necessary. I think part of the problem is that no one wants to make anything so close to the iPhone that an exec says, “Well why wouldn’t they just buy an iPhone,” and that’s a terrible strategy. The iPhone is great, but it can be improved upon, and there are people who just want something a little different. So give them Android, but leave the pointless differentiators on the design table.

      My only other problem with the phone is the Android Market. It’s still too barren to make me seriously consider a switch, even if it would mean Google Voice and Google Navigation.

      iPhone, Mobile

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