Let's Talk Tech
Qualcomm is teaching their Toq smartwatch a new trick!
I was really happy to see this, as I wasn’t completely sure if the Toq even had an accelerometer built into, but apparently it does, and this newest software update has unlocked activity tracking. It’s SUPER beta, but let’s take a look!
Continue reading “Qualcomm Toq Update: Activity and Fitness Tracking Applet!”
Building a little momentum with their Windows 8.1 offerings, Microsoft now sells Asus’ mini tablet, and the price is pretty reasonable.
$329 gets you an 8″ screen powered by an Intel Atom quad-core and 2GB of RAM running a full version of Windows 8.1, giving consumers yet another reason to ignore Windows RT. 32GB of storage on board, but with the full OS and recovery partition, a good chunk of that wont be available to consumers. You’ll probably want to opt for a memory card as VivoTab accepts MicroSD upgrading. A 5MP rear camera is on board. You’ll also get Microsoft Office Home & Student, which usually retails for $140.
Plus, this budget friendly tab comes with a Wacom stylus for precision selection and pressure sensitive drawing. It makes the VivoTab a handy all-rounder, and an interesting alternative to the Android and iOS solutions available.
The next stage of our mobile devices will be contextual notifications and smart alerts. Google Now feeds us info before we search for it, and now Qualcomm wants to improve your at-a-glance experience on you lock screen.
Snapdragon Glance analyzes your behavior, and will attempt to prioritize notifications based on your past actions. It will also rank apps and contacts for quick access to the services you use most and the people you most often communicate with.
Snapdragon Glance also works in tandem with Qualcomm’s Battery Guru to help improve run time.
While this all sounds great, there is a small hitch. To run this new lock screen, you must have a phone using a Qualcomm processor, and it must be running Android 4.3 or higher, so a pretty significant chunk of the Android ecosystem wont be allowed to play. If you do meet those criteria, it’s free on Google Play.
The insane difficulty of this awkwardly controlled bird navigation makes it crazy addictive. It taunts you. You can’t let it beat you.
Thankfully Youtuber DSV has provided this handy tip, which after watching it, is truly the only way to play Flappy Bird. Enjoy!
We all like to speculate about what’s coming down the pipe, what “THE FUTURE” will look like. One thing is becoming abundantly clear however, a good chunk of what’s coming is going to be delivered via networked, over the air, services. AKA The Cloud.
I know, shocking revelation. I’m sure none of you saw that coming, which is why it’s a good thing you read this blog, as I’m pretty terrific at delivering the obvious. All joking aside, we’re seeing some pretty exciting trends, and a few concerning ones.
Storage & File Delivery
This was essentially a proof of concept that basic data intensive services could work online. Putting larger files onto a server for easier delivery than email or “sneaker-net” style solutions. From YouSendIt to DropBox and everything else in between, we’ve flirted with the cloud primarily to sync and share information. It’s only been recently that data networks have gotten robust enough to offer…
Media Services
We’ve had Youtube for about nine years now. It’s made such a profound impact that it’s difficult to remember the internet without it. Of course, the push for HD video, and then competing services like Netflix and Hulu, really took hold over the last couple years. Online streaming radio is hot right now, and improved sharing and creation tools have lead to…
Collaborative Services
It’s not enough that we can upload a document. Multiple people can now work on it at the same time instead of emailing revisions back and forth. It’s not enough that I can vlog in front of a webcam, I can now broadcast to a live audience with multiple participants and have that automatically added to my Youtube channel.
So What Comes Next? Continue reading “It’s a Cloud Services World. We just pretend it’s about the hardware…”
Oh, the time I used to spend putting together dream workstations on Newegg. Looks like they’re getting tired of people like me putting products in our shopping carts, and are looking for ways to make it easier for us to push “Ship”.
Welcome Newegg Premier, a $49.99 per year membership fee gets you three day shipping (better rates on 2-day and overnight), no restocking fees on returns with complimentary shipping, early notifications on sales and events, and exclusive deals. You can sign up for a free 30 day trial, and Newegg will throw in 100 “Egg Points” (worth a dollar towards your next purchase).
Newegg will have to combat Amazon’s included media services, but the timing on this move could be pretty good, as there are rumors Amazon might be increasing the price of Prime. For people focused on the shopping experience, this could be an interesting (potentially cheaper) alternative.
Here’s the scoop.
Trade in an iPhone 4, 4S, or a Galaxy S2 in good working condition.
Sign up for a new two year agreement on AT&T.
Walk out with either a Lumia 1020 or Lumia 1520 for free.
But seriously, if you were shopping a new phone, and were considering a Windows Phone, you can pick between the best smartphone camera on the market, or one of the best phablets available. All you have to do is turn over a phone which was likely destined for a recycling center.
Full details on the Microsoft Offers page!
(via Baran Gercek, Analie Cruz)
I’m a fan of Windows Phone, but I’ve primarily used Nokia devices.
My one other experience with a Samsung WP was decent enough, so I felt it was time to revisit them with the ATIV S Neo on AT&T. I really wanted to give the phone a fair shake, and see if I liked Windows Phone, or if I just liked Nokia hardware.
The grand experiment. It didn’t go so well…