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      13 year-old racks up over $21,000 in wireless charges

      December 14, 2009 /

      Verizon data plans.It’s hard to say who to blame for this one. On the one hand, I want to scream at Ted Estarija for not explaining the idea of data charges to his 13 year-old son. Not everyone is as tech savvy as you and me, though. On the other, you have to wonder why no one at Verizon noticed the sudden surge on the account – from zero data to 1.4GB in a month.

      Whoever you blame, Ted Estarija still got slapped with a $21,917 bill for the server traffic. In a rare show of understanding, Verizon waived the entire bill. The lesson in all of this? Buy a data plan. That $15/month looks pretty great next to $21,917.

      Source: AP

      Mobile, News

      Google dogfood testing the Google Phone

      December 13, 2009 /

      The Google Phone from HTC.Earlier this weekend, tweets started showing up from Google employees about a new phone. The new phone. The Google Phone. I wrote about it last month, based on a report from TechCrunch that claimed we’d see it in early 2010. Google has given the phone, which is made by HTC, to wide array of workers to field test it, or as the Google blog calls it, dogfooding.

      From what few pics are available, the phone looks great. It’s got a sizable OLED screen, runs on a Snapdragon, and thankfully has no hardware keyboard. I’m not just excited about the hardware, though. Google has designed the entire experience here, something I’ve waited for them to do since Android launched. Sure, they’ve contributed on the UI for the G1 and the Droid, but this is the whole package, all from Google. They’ll be selling the device directly as an unlocked GSM device. That means T-Mobile or AT&T, to be released some time in early (likely January) 2010.

      One of the earliest tweets says this: “Google Phone = iPhone + a little extra screen and a scroll wheel. Great touch screen, and Android.” Is this really comparable to the iPhone, or is it something completely different?

      iPhone, Mobile, News

      Classic authors fight for their ebook rights

      December 13, 2009 /

      Styron's Sophie's Choice.The NY Times published an interesting article today that details the struggle between classic authors and their respective publishing houses for ebook rights. The article is focused on William Styron, author of great books like Sophie’s Choice and Darkness Visible and his family’s struggle to maintain rights to the digital versions of those books.

      It’s not that no one saw ebooks coming. They did. In fact, most titles published after 1994 have the rights for ebooks laid out in full detail. But there were a whole lot of books published before 1994, Styron’s books among them. As much as Styron’s family may want control of those titles for the digital age, the publishers are doing everything they legally can to maintain control. Random House recently sent out letters to authors and literary agents claiming control of the works, arguing that ebooks fall under the same category as books, so the rights extend to digital works.

      It gets messier from there. In 2002 a judge in Manhattan ruled in the authors’ favor, but that’s probably not going to stop big publishing. In the mean time Styron’s family, like many others, have turned to third parties with the rights, trying to get things published before publishing houses can get a hold of the work.

      Source: New York Times

      Digital Media, News

      Macbook superdrive firmware update quiets things down

      December 12, 2009 /

      Macbook Pro superdrive.I’ve often wondered why my Macbook needs to growl every time I open the lid to wake it from sleep. Granted, I’m a little grumpy in the morning, but I don’t grind my superdrive like I’m trying to break it, now do I. Thankfully there’s a firmware update that will fix the problem without too much trouble.

      The update includes some AirPort changes as well to help with connection issues. The update is simple enough. Just run your software update and follow the instructions. For this one you’ll definitely want the machine to be plugged in, just to ensure no interruption. Don’t worry too much about the intimidating warnings – the update’s not actually dangerous.

      From there, your computer should be nice and quiet every time you open the lid.

      Source: Apple

      Apple, Computers

      Analyst suggests iPhone users have Stockholm Syndrome

      December 12, 2009 /

      Apple fanboy.Do you ever find yourself wishing you had one of these Apple swimsuits? Are you the annoying guy that defends Apple’s every action? Has your iPhone turned you against other phone manufacturer’s despite its technical shortcomings? If so, you might be suffering form iPhone-induced Stockholm Syndrome, according to Strand Consulting.

      The firm released a report entitled, ““How will psychologists describe the iPhone syndrome in the future?” this Friday, and it’s a decidedly strange read. The report opens with an anecdote just about everyone can agree with: “It is no secret that there has been a great deal of hype surrounding the iPhone and it is also no secret that Apple probably has the most loyal and fantastic customers in the world.” From there Strand posits that iPhone customers look past the phone’s shortcomings and go on to defend the worst parts of the device to the phone’s critics.

      “When we examine the iPhone users’ arguments defending the iPhone, it reminds us of the famous Stockholm Syndrome – a term that was invented by psychologists after a hostage drama in Stockholm. Here hostages reacted to the psychological pressure they were experiencing, by defending the people that had held them hostage for 6 days,” reads the report.

      It’s definitely a different take on what most people write off as fanboyism. You have to wonder, though, what you would call the fact that millions of cellular customers continue to purchase and pay for phones and services they are unhappy with. Bearing that in mind, it’s tough to fault anyone for defending one of the best phones on the market. Or is that just my SS flaring up?

      Source: 9to5 Mac

      Apple, iPhone, Lifestyle

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