Let's Talk Tech
Just a friendly reminder folks. This is the last week to use those terrific 3rd party Google Voice clients like MetroTalk on our Windows Phones.
Rumors are pointing towards merging Voice and Hangouts on Android handsets, but that’ll leave WP users out in the cold as there is no Hangouts app for people who happen to prefer Live Tiles.
Live it up. Send a few extra texts. Make a few more phone calls. In seven days the cord gets cut.
Nothing like waiting until the last minute right guys?
While Netflix had been a common talking point for illustrating the concept of Net Neutrality, pretty much any company doing business online should be interested in how bandwidth is regulated.
Now the big boys are starting to make a little noise. In a letter sent to the FCC yesterday, 150 companies including those listed in the title of this post, signed on in opposition to the FCC’s proposed “fast lane” rules. The proposed rules will allow carriers and ISP’s to negotiate separate deals with individual companies for consistent bandwidth.
The FCC will vote on the proposal in one week. If you’re interested in voicing your concerns to the FCC and your elected officials, we’ve put together a contact list here.
You can read the letter below.
Continue reading “Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and More Stand Against FCC Proposed Rules”
Posted to their Facebook page today, Microsoft will be giving away eight Windows Phones at each of their stores this May 3rd and 4th.
Details are a bit slim, but if you’re looking to score a free phone, it looks like you’ll be playing a game. We know it’s called the “Opportunity Rings, Answer It” game, but we don’t know how it’ll be played. We also don’t know what phones will be given away, and what carriers will be supported.
Still a free phone is a free phone, and if you live near a Microsoft store it might be worth the trek. A little additional info can be found on their Facebook event page. Good luck!
Here’s the big daddy review and walk through of Windows Phone 8.1!
Even though it’s only a 0.1 update, Microsoft crammed A LOT OF STUFF into this update, so settle in as we check out all of the new apps and services on tap for our live tiled phones!
We’ll also take a quick look at legacy support for older Windows Phones, as well as discuss what’s still missing from the Windows Phone platform.
Enjoy!
It’s the thing about tech blogging which most gets under my skin, the confirmation bias. I love a little snark and editorial with my news, but the reality distortion field surrounding certain topics can be suffocating.
The Office for iPad roll out had a taste of that in the tech community. There was the expected gnashing of teeth over how long it took to port the suite over to the iPad, criticisms I also shared reflecting an older Microsoft which grossly underestimated their competition. However, it was some of the social media backlash I found most interesting. The idea that we just didn’t need Office anymore, that there were Office solutions available on the iPad which were “good enough”, and that Microsoft was so late, they weren’t relevant anymore.
Yesterday Microsoft announced via a tweet that Office for iPad had been downloaded 12 million times. It’s easy to get big numbers when you put out something for free, but that’s 12 million devices which now will potentially start converting more Apple users into Microsoft customers.
If anything it’s a small sign that Microsoft is starting to figure out that being a services company means having to make your services available to popular platforms. It’s another babystep out of the pit of irrelevance they were crawling into, and hopefully it means this tech game will get a bit more interesting this year…
No really. You HAVE to let go of Windows XP. It’s time.
Support for XP is really ending, for real, we mean it this time. You’re off the reservation, no more updates. Those who write malware will be able to find exploits to damage your system.
To ease the transition both Microsoft and Best Buy are offering up $100 trade in to give up your older XP system and move up to a shinier new system. I’m sure both companies would prefer you take the plunge on a Windows 8 machine.
Microsoft’s trade in deal is already live, and Best Buy should be unveiling theirs over the weekend. Let’s get a move on people. Windows XP is almost thirteen years old. We’ve moved on from there…
I totally called it! My review of the Icon was LITERALLY labeled “A Glimpse of Things to Come”, and I was absolutely on the right track! The unveiled Lumia 930 will be an international version of the Icon currently available on Verizon Wireless.
Thankfully, in true Nokia fashion the Lumia 930 will arrive in a variety of colors instead of stingy VZW and their black or white options. The hardware looks largely unchanged from the Icon, the same metal and polycarb build, the same wireless charging built in.
We’ll likely see the Lumia 930 release closer to the proper release of Windows Phone 8.1. It’ll likely follow the Lumia 630 as the second phone to launch with the WP8.1 OS.
If you’re curious to see how the Lumia 930 is going to perform, we’ve been producing long term reviews of the Icon, including speaker and camera tests, all available below!
Long Term Review!
Continue reading “Nokia Unveils Lumia 930 – An International Version of the Lumia Icon”
