Let's Talk Tech
We’re just starting to review the NX1, but that doesn’t mean we can’t share some video samples! Samsung’s newest APS-C mirrorless camera is a beast capable of shooting true Cinema 4K resolution. Here’s an afternoon in Los Angeles shot in Ultra High Definition. Be sure to hit full screen, and toggle your quality settings to see every picture from this monster video file. Enjoy!
An interesting story has been developing in the use of WiFi hotpots in hotels.
The FCC fined Marriott hotels for blocking their customers from using their own WiFi, powered by phones and MiFi’s using 3G/4G data connections. The fine amounted to $600,000, and Marriott petitioned the commission, asserting that blocking customers was a way for them to better protect the security of the networking solutions they were offering.
The FCC responded with a public advisory yesterday reaffirming their previous stance:
Personal Wi-Fi networks, or “hot spots,” are an important way that consumers connect to the Internet. Willful or malicious interference with Wi-Fi hot spots is illegal. Wi-Fi blocking violates Section 333 of the Communications Act, as amended.1 The Enforcement Bureau has seen a disturbing trend in which hotels and other commercial establishments block wireless consumers from using their own personal Wi-Fi hot spots on the commercial establishment’s premises. As a result, the Bureau is protecting consumers by aggressively investigating and acting against such unlawful intentional interference.
Continue reading “FCC Public Advisory: Blocking Personal WiFi Hotspots is Prohibited”
I’ll admit it. I’m a prime snob.
In moving from Canon to Samsung, I was worried about lens selection. While it’s certainly not as robust as Canon’s first party offerings, Samsung has some really decent glass to play with. Let’s check out one of the wider lenses available for this APS-C shooter!
Shop the 16mm f/2.4 Prime Lens for NX Cameras
Shop the Samsung NX30 Mirrorless APS-C Camera
Shop the Samsung NX1 Mirrorless APS-c Camera
I’m really happy to see more tablets offering LTE connectivity at a wider range of prices. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 is targeting consumers shopping in the mid range, how does it stack up to the competition? Let’s take a look!
And if they break that record, as they’re expected to, IBM will be taking the layoffs crown from…
IBM
In an age where companies are rushing away from the kinds of server and data solutions IBM has traditionally offered to focus on “cloud” things, International Business Machines is looking to cut a quarter of its 400,000 employee workforce. They’re scrambling to catch up with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google in a hyper competitive services market, and one has to wonder how they’ll do that paying for an incredible number of severance packages, and with customer confidence likely taking a hit.
While the company sells mainframes, something you would think would be necessary for a cloud economy, that hardware only makes up about 10% of IBM’s business. Continue reading “IBM to Set Record for Corporate Layoffs Next Month, Over 100 Thousand”
Back in September we got our first look at the next version of Windows. It was a somewhat underwhelming affair, detailing the next steps Microsoft will take to retain their lead in corporate computing, and the gist of that announcement was focused on how to make their current version of Windows feel more like their last version of Windows.
But there’s a whole wide world of devices out now, and manufacturers are starting to deliver on hardware that blurs the lines between consumer tablets, laptops, desktops, and workstations. 
Taking the stage, Terry Myerson, Executive VP of Operating Systems, thanked the Windows Insider participants for their interactions with the Windows 10 BETA. Microsoft is working hard to make this version feel like it’s been built from a community perspective.
The focus moving forward is on ecosystem and tying data and devices together. Being able to move seamlessly from device to device with data and apps intact, for both business and consumer solutions, creating a “global” platform. Continue reading “Microsoft Windows 10 Announcement: OS Updates, XBOX Gaming Cross Platform, and HoloLens Augmented Reality!”
Following their acquisition of Mexican carrier Iusacell, AT&T is updating their World Connect international calling package.
World Connect still costs an additional $5 per month per line, and calls to Canada are still 1¢ per minute, but now all of your calls to Mexico will no longer have additional minute charges.
This update includes calls to landlines or cell phones, so if you’re making a lot of calls down south (Mexico is the most called country from the United States), this could be a handy way to save a little cash on your international communications.
Full PR below.
Continue reading “AT&T World Connect Delivers Unlimited Calling to Mexico”
The smartwatch market is still wide open, with a spectrum of options for what you can wear. While some watches focus on strapping a phone to your arm, Martian’s approach is far more conservative. Let’s see how it holds up in a growing wearable market.
Shop the Martian Notifier on Amazon.
More info on Martian Products.