Friday Linkage [Do I still want the iPhone edition]

In case you haven’t heard the news from the past week, Apple and AT&T; have blocked Google’s official Google Voice application.  This really bothered me along with many other Google Voice and iPhone users.  Why can Blackberry users on AT&T; use Google’s app but my iPhone on the same network cannot? I actually started looking at other platform’s just to see what was out there and what was coming out.  The HTC Hero (pictured above) looks like an awesome phone and it runs the Android Operating System.  Android is a much more open platform and I wouldn’t have to worry about them blocking applications.  Apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way.

The rant is now over.  Here are some links for your reading enjoyment.

• If China Gets Microsoft Office for $29, Why Don't We?
• Take 18 Minutes to Keep Your Days on Track
• What if…Microsoft Had a Windows App Store?
• What Twitter and Facebook Can Learn From Phish
• How To Sniff Out A Liar
• iPhone Jailbreaking Could Crash Cellphone Towers, Apple Claims
• Use Gmail Drafts to Sync Text on Your Phone
• Underarm Stains on Shirts No More

Mac Tablet?

The rumors about this fabled Mac Tablet have gotten me excited.  For the longest time I have wanted an iPod touch like device with 3G.  The rumors swirling have put specs like 3G chip, 10” screen, and iPhone OS 3.0 not OS X like the normal Mac's run.  I will probably wait in line for this to come out.  Especially if I have to move into an office where I wouldn’t want to browse the internet on my work computer.  Why not just browse the interwebs during the day with your Tablet PC that fits easily into a backpack/briefcase.  And maybe even small enough to fit into a pocket.  What kind of specs would you like to see, and is this something people would upgrade from an iTouch for?  With the 3G it makes it worth the money in my mind.  Also would this mysterious device have a camera for pictures/video.  I am interested to hear if people would pay $600-800 for a device with no physical keyboard.  I think they are planning on changing the way we look at computers like they did with the phone.  Who’s buying out there with me?

One point of discussion that Praz and I have been arguing about is the price point and the monthly service charge for the 3G or 4G.  For me the monthly charge is a deal breaker. It’s an endless expense that as long as you own the device you will be paying.  I am more likely to buy a higher priced device and not have to deal with a Verizon or AT&T.;  My personal issue is why would I want to pay $60.00 a month for only one device connectivity when i can pay $60.00 for a broadband card and have my laptop/desktop, or really any device that has an operating system and a usb port online.  And I have a feeling this connection will be dedicated to the tablet.  Let us know your buying preference.

Friday Linkage

Another week, another set of links.  I’m also pretty happy that the Student Nerds team got their Google Voice invites.  Now we just need to get the invite for our company line.  Anyway, here are the best of the rest for the week.  Have a great weekend!

• 30+ Useful Websites You Probably Didn't Know About
• How to Photograph a Sunset
• Cool Down a Scorching Car as Quickly as Possible
• Why the #$%! Do We Swear? For Pain Relief
• Remembering Apollo 11
• Jefferson's Cold Feet
• Apple demanded Microsoft to stop its Laptop Hunters ads
• President Obama in the booth, first pitch
• The best FREE iPhone games
• The Invisible Flash That Takes Clear Pictures at Night
• New York Nearest Subway Augmented Reality App for iPhone 3GS
• Revving Up Digg
• GButts Gives You Quick Access to Your Favorite Google Services

Recover your Google password via Text Message

If you’ve ever had your Google account compromised you know how frustrating that can be.  It happened to my brother and he was unable to get Google to reactivate his account and had to create a new one. It was very time consuming and he also lost all of his email.  Luckily he didn’t have anything crucial in the account, I think.  Anyway, there is a new feature from Google that allows you to prove that you own your account.  You can setup a mobile phone number that Google will use to text you a code to reactivate your account.

Click here to activate this feature.  You’ll be asked to verify your Google password and then you should be presented a screen that looks like this:

Click “Add a mobile phone number” and add your phone to enable this feature. 

On a side note I just got Google Voice. What happens if I use my Google Voice number for my mobile phone number for this and I get locked out of my Google account? That would suck.

Friday Linkage

Have a great weekend!

• The PEN Story
• Video: Jaguar's 2010 XJ cockpit is a dual-view, 7.1 surround sound lovers'
  aradise
• Microsoft Silverlight Now Supports GPU Video Acceleration
• BlackBerry Clearly Has Some Apple Envy Issues
• Facebook's Own Estimates Show Declining Student Numbers; Now More Grandparents Than High School Users
• Find the right internship with these tools
• A 6,000 year old world needs no mining laws
• Anticipate Your Interviewer's Next Question to Ace Your Job Interview
• How Large Is a Petabyte?
• 9 Google Labs Projects You Must Try Out!
• The Seven Types of Employees You Meet at Best Buy

Blackberry Tour, Who’s Buying?

There is finally a new CDMA phone coming out next week for Verizon.  What is the big deal and why would I buy this phone?  First of all to recap for all those who don’t know the difference between CDMA, and GSM.  CDMA is the cell phone band that Verizon and Sprint operate off.  GSM is what ATT, T-Mobile, and all the rest operate on.  This means that phones can’t work between the two bands.  Hence why you don’t see an iPhone on Verizon’s network; it just simply won’t work.

I have been loyal to Verizon for as long as I can remember.  A few blips here and there, I had been on T-Mobile and Cingular/ATT for a short period of time.  They were both terrible compared to Verizon.  However, the one complaint I have is the type of phones Verizon has on its network.  Well now some are claiming the best CDMA phone ever is coming out next week, the Blackberry Tour.  After looking at the review at Engadget here.  I am simply unimpressed with this phone.  I don’t understand who would pay the up front cost of this phone just because it looks cool and has some better features.  I have a Blackberry Curve 8330 and there is really nothing that looks inspiring about this phone at all.  Let me know if all you Verizon loyal’s are just waiting it out for the LTE (4G) iPhone on Verizon?

Monday Linkage [Catch-up Edition]

Looks like we missed the Friday linkage due to the holiday. Hope everyone had a good and safe weekend.  I’m going to try and catch up with some of the best links I’ve seen in the last week. I’ve also included one of my favorite SNL clips that I can’t help but crack up at.

• Skier saved from death plunge by Blackberry
• Schaumburg Dumps Redlight Cameras After They Show No Safety Benefit
• Cook the Book: Perfect French Fries
• Jon Stewart on Mark Sanford Going Old Testament
• The Nazi Stealth Planes That Could Have Dropped a Nuclear Bomb in NYC
• Michael Jackson First Artist to Sell Over 1 Million Downloads in a Single Week
• Enigma Battleship Is Probably the Best Drinking Game Ever
• 11 Reasons Why You Absolutely Need More Sleep
• Facebook Now Growing by Over 700,000 Users a Day, and New Engagement Stats

http://www.hulu.com/embed/wJWwv-HGn0ONqCtHyVCvcQ