пятница, 1 апреля 2011 г.
iPhone 5 Delayed Until 2012 [Report]
Your 2011 April Fools' Day Prank Spoiler [Video]
It's that day of the year when Google "launches" new features, tech blogs "report" astounding happenings, and every site gets a chance to get a bit crazy. It's April Fools' Day, and these are the pranks to take note of.
In the Google-verse
- Gmail Motion: "Now you can control Gmail with your body." Worth it for the second video alone, where you can watch a perfect straight man gesture out emoticons with his fingers.
- YouTube "1911 Mode": YouTube claims the button found at the bottom-right of every video will take you back to YouTube's founding, with scratched and stained footage, old-timey ragtime music, and sepia tones. Be sure to watch the video for the top 5 viral videos of 1911.
- "We are hiring Autocompleters!": You'll see that link whenever you're using Google Instant search from the Google home page today. The job description includes a video in which Michael Taylor describes his ascent from full-time spell-checker to the burgeoning field of completing people's queries.
Chromercise!: It is, of course, a program for keeping your fingers in shape and moving to the fast rhythm of Chrome browsing and searching. Finger sweatbands offered, while supplies last.
- Assorted other claims: Google offers various pages claiming that it's migrating its pages to Comic Sans font, offering old-school display ads (as in "Punch the monkey to win!"), and, potentially as a hold-over from last year, Google UK is offering Translate for Animals on Android. Finally, feel free to type "Helvetica" into Google's search bar, and see what happens.
Everywhere Else
Lacking the ability to actually introduce entirely new code features with introductory videos, most sites still manage to knock out a few laughs.
- xkcd's 3-D Headache: Point well taken: 3-D in the wrong context can be really frustrating.
Hulu loves the 90's: Marquee text! Grainy videos that take 18 minutes to download! Mulder, Scully, and your other favorites from that certain decade, all on Hulu's home page.
- Starbucks' "Mobile Pour: A new mobile app that pinpoints your location, then has Starbucks baristas on scooters head your way. Funny, right? But seriously—implement this.
- Groupon acquires the rights to April Fools': So just by writing this post, we owe the daily deal site something like 1.2 spa treatments.
ThinkGeek's Yearly April 1 Offerings: As Gizmodo points out, it's all about the Apple Store PlayMobil set, which, fate willing, will become something we can actually buy. You know, for our kids.
- Spotify closing EU service to launch in U.S.: TechCrunch makes us think about how far we'd be willing to go to see the lauded streaming music service launch here in the U.S.
Thanks to TechCrunch, Search Engine Land, and Gizmodo for helping us be no fun, and waking up really, really early. Found any great April Fools' pranks of your own around the web? Link us in the comments, and we'll add to the post, with thanks.
LG Optimus 3D P920 ? An Upcoming Smartphone
Will Regional Mobile Competition Thrive?
If the AT&T acquisition of T-Mobile is approved, does this lead to fiercer regional competition? There are plenty of small regional cellular firms that provide islands of access in specific metropolitan markets, some of them in several. Those, too, have been bought up by the big four in the last few years, but there are still plucky upstarts remaining, like Cricket.
Cricket has incredibly cheap service in its markets; you only pay through the nose when you travel. While many people travel far from home on a regular basis, there's a hefty number that don't need nationwide roaming. There's also Leap, MetroPCS, and US Cellular, to name a few. An AT&T spokesperson wants this conversation to happen, pointing out that 18 of 20 metropolitan markets have five or more cellular options. These aren't MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) who resell network access, but rather competitive network operators who operate their own infrastructure or lease infrastructure from third parties.
The most significant difference between regional and national carriers lies in 3G networks and 4G plans. MetroPCS launched a 4G LTE service early, and the regional firms all have 3G data services and reasonable plans. Cricket's mobile broadband plan is $40, $50, and $60 per month for 2.5 GB, 5 GB, and 7.5 GB of usage, respectively. US Cellular includes 5 GB with its Data Plus offering for smartphones (including Android models). One calling plan is 450 minutes, unlimited texts, GPS navigation, and Data Plus for $70/mo. No national carrier has such a sweet deal.
I wonder if the availability of small and often cheaper competitors will spark more an interest among customers as they find themselves navigating plans from what would be the three remaining national providers. I expect the iPhone, iPad, and specific models of Android and Windows phones drive the national market more than smaller carriers would like.
Copyright ©2011 Glenn Fleishman. All rights reserved. Please notify us if you find this content anywhere but at wifinetnews.com or wimaxnetnews.com. Reproduction of full articles from RSS feeds is prohibited without permission.
Google settles Buzz privacy case with FTC, apologizes
Google and the FTC have just announced that they've reached a settlement in the FTC's investigation of Google's privacy violations committed during the rollout of Google Buzz, the company's social network built inside of Gmail.One of the reasons Buzz never quite took off may have been the enormous backlash surrounding its launch, and Google's handling of Gmail users' privacy. The FTC claims that by not adequately informing users of the privacy issues surrounding Buzz, Google has violated the FTC Act. Specifically, Google didn't properly inform Gmail users that they had the option to decline or leave the social network, and the controls for limiting the sharing of personal information were confusing and difficult to find. If you remember, before the backlash kicked in and Google subsequently backtracked, upon joining Buzz the identities and email addresses of the people you frequently emailed were made public by default. Google received "thousands of emails" complaining about this situation, the FTC claims.
Continue reading Google settles Buzz privacy case with FTC, apologizes
Google settles Buzz privacy case with FTC, apologizes originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hide App Store App Updates Using Update Hider
From the Tips Box: Labeling Your Flash Drive, Turning C Batteries into D Batteries, Silencing Your Hard Drive with Elastic
It?s time to delve into the tips box and share this week?s top reader tips. Today we?re looking at tips and tricks to help you recover your lost flash drive, turn C batteries into D batteries in a pinch, and silencing your HDD with elastic bands.
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