You are looking at the future. It's called Graphene

Article first published as You are Looking at the Future - Called Graphene on Technorati.

Welcome. You are gazing upon a new substance, in it's infancy, called Graphene.

You might have heard the word Graphene before, but didn't really know what it was all about. Well, imagine future cell phones as thin and flexible as this. The iPad2 will look like a ganite slab compared to how thin devices with Graphene might be designed.

Before I explain graphene, and for you to understand the future we are headed into, we need to take a quick trip back in time to the last invention that changed our lives the way we know it. The transistor.

A little history: "In 1947, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, working at Bell Telephone Laboratories, were trying to understand the nature of the electrons at the interface between a metal and a semiconductor. They realized that by making two point contacts very close to one another, they could make a three terminal device - the first "point contact" transistor. They quickly made a few of these transistors and connected them with some other components to make an audio amplifier. This audio amplifier was shown to chief executives at Bell Telephone Company, who were very impressed that it didn't need time to "warm up" (like the heaters in vacuum tube circuits). They immediately realized the power of this new technology.

This invention was the spark that ignited a huge research effort in solid state electronics. Bardeen and Brattain received the Nobel Prize in Physics, 1956, together with William Shockley, " for their researches on semiconductors and their discovery of the transistor effect." Shockley had developed a so-called junction transistor, which was built on thin slices of different types of semiconductor material pressed together. The junction transistor was easier to understand theoretically, and could be manufactured more reliably."

As you know, because of the transistor, it has paved the path for all variety of modern consumer electronics devices and computers. (Computers are just incredibly densely packed transistors on a single chip).

Back to the future: Graphene. So what IS graphene stuff? Quite literally, it is a sheet of carbon atoms, 1 molecule thick. It was first isolated by Professors Konstantin Novoselov and Andrew Geim and Manchester University in 2004 in England.

Imagine, for similarity, a sheet of seran wrap made of carbon atoms just 1 molecule thick. That sheet, in theory/principal, is so strong, you could put an elephant on top of a pencil, with the point of the pencil digging into the graphene sheet, and it wouldn't break. If you stacked 3 million sheets of graphene on top of each other, it would only be 1mm thick.

Graphene is seven times stronger than diamond, but it will stretch like rubber, it is nearly invisible, 200 times stronger than steel, and almost weightless, and unlike most everything else in nature, it is a truly 2 dimentional structure. This means it has unique properties, like it will conduct electricity better than anything we currently have available. Carbon is one of the most common substances in the world, so graphene will be extremely inexpensive to produce. This is in stark contrast to the high costs of processing silicon to make computer circuits.

Still having problems visualizing the future? You might want to watch this short YouTube video that shows a future device made of Graphene, and what it may be able to do.

Get your ZOOVE on!

Article first published as Get Your ZOOVE on! on Technorati.

In days past, the only way businesses had to communicate with customers were via conventional methods. A physical address, a telephone number, and if you were really fancy, you did the direct mail fliers.

As the 1984 breakup of AT&T (Ma Bell) created competition in the marketplace, new and innovative  services like toll free 1-800-vanity numbers gave businesses a way to give customers an easier way to remember them.

Then during the 1990's, the advent of the internet, and dot com addresses really turned things around, till everyone and his brother had domain names.

Prepare yourself for the next step in the evolution of business to consumer marketing and promotions.

A company called ZOOVE is now able to deliver vanity ** (Star Star) numbers. What could be easier than telling your customer to dial **PIZZA the next time they get hungry?

Zoove says a StarStar Number is supercharged mobile direct response, delivering content on demand - anything from SMS, MMS, web to voice services. It's completely opt-in with unlimited response options. Consumers can bypass text messaging, receiving instead real-time delivery of brand content.

The Zoove service is compatible with (I am not mentioning any names here) all the major carriers, as well as smartphone operating systems.

To get started, Zoove has you search the national StarStar registry to see if the name you want is available. If it is, they get you started in as little as 10 business days.

Great, so you are all exited now, you want to get a ** code for your business. Well, there's a little hitch. Zoove isn't exactly forthcoming with their pricing structure. In fact, on their "pricing" page, you don't get any answers. Basically, if you have to ask, you can't afford it. Unfortunately, that may give some the impression that prices are made up depending on who is asking. (two identical businesses can ask for pricing and get two different fees.)

Think about it. If most people see an advertisement for something, and it doesn't show a price, they tend to think it's either too expensive, or there is a catch involved. Either way, most people believe the seller is trying to hide something.

Yes, it is a great marketing concept, however I think a company should be direct, clear, and up front about what their prices are, not keep them a secret.

I would love to hear what you have to say. Forward to your friends and leave a comment below!

Amazon unveils... your future.

Article first published as Amazon Unveils... Your Future. on Technorati.

The 28th day of September, 2011.
From this moment on, the playing field of E-Readers has changed. Not only has the technology evolved and matured, ready for "prime time"as they say, but now... the price point is right for everyone.

Today, Amazon unveiled four brand new devices to their product lineup, just in time for everyone to drool over and get their orders in before the Holiday season.

The "all new Kindle" ($79), Kindle Touch, Kindle Touch 3G, and the Kindle Fire ($199). The Kindle with the physical Keyboard, and Kindle X with Keyboard, are still available.
In a wonderfully stated open letter tastefully displayed on their website, C.E.O Jeff Bezos stated:

"Dear Customer,

There are two types of companies: those that work hard to charge customers more, and those that work hard to charge customers less. Both approaches can work. We are firmly in the second camp.

We are excited to announce four new products: the all-new Kindle for only $79, two new touch Kindles – Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G – for $99 and $149, and a new class of Kindle – Kindle Fire – a beautiful full color Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games, web browsing and more, for only $199.

These are high-end products – the best Kindles we’ve ever made. Kindle and Kindle Touch have the most-advanced E Ink display technology available, and the 3G Kindle Touch adds free 3G wireless – no monthly fees and no annual contracts. Kindle Fire brings everything we’ve been working on at Amazon for 15 years together into a single, fully-integrated experience for customers – instant access to Amazon’s massive selection of digital content, a vibrant color IPS touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle, a 14.6 ounce design that’s easy to hold with one hand, a state-of-the-art dual core processor, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, and an ultra-fast mobile browser – Amazon Silk – available exclusively on Kindle Fire.

We are building premium products and offering them at non-premium prices.

Thank you for being a customer,

Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO"


While most of the other tech reviewers and websites are talking rampantly about the (admittedly lust worthy) Kindle Fire, comparing it along side the Apple iPad, I think it's interesting, and important, to take a detailed look at the $79 entry level "All New Kindle" device. Why? Because at $79, this is the real game changer. This is the one that is most likely to end up in stockings this season, not only for adults, but children as well. Getting children to read is a major hurdle for most parents. At this price point, it just might be the magic device.


While I am personally not crazy about the new slate grayish color scheme, (I preferred the dark charcoal of the existing Kindles), the all-new Kindle is 30% lighter (weighs less than 6 ounces), has an 18% smaller body, while keeping the same 6" screen size, so it can easily fit in your pocket or purse, and features the most advanced E Ink display that reads like paper, as the Amazon website details.

The most elegant feature of a physical book is that it disappears while you're reading. Immersed in the author's world and ideas, you don't notice a book's glue, the stitching, or ink. Our top design objective is to make Kindle disappear — just like a physical book — so you can get lost in your reading, not the technology.

Kindle is easy to hold and read. When reading for long periods of time, people naturally shift positions and often like to read with one hand. Kindle's page-turning buttons are located on both sides, allowing you to read and turn pages from any position.

Kindle has an easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words. No on-screen fingerprints, and unlike a laptop, Kindle never gets hot so you can read comfortably as long as you like, and Kindle automatically detects nearby Wi-Fi networks at school, home, or your favorite café.

Latest Generation E Ink: Kindle uses E Ink Pearl – the latest generation of E Ink technology available – to deliver clear, crisp text you can read without eye strain. Electronic ink uses actual ink particles to create crisp, print-like text similar to what you see in a physical book. Kindle uses proprietary, hand-built fonts to take advantage of the special characteristics of the ink to make letters appear clear and sharp.

Reads Like Real Paper, Even in Bright Sunlight Because Kindle's electronic display uses E Ink, it looks and reads like real paper. Kindle's screen reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, so you can read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room.

Reading on Kindle is amazing. Adjustable Text Sizes, Font Choices Kindle has eight adjustable font sizes to suit your reading preference. You can increase the text size of your favorite book or periodical with the push of a button. If your eyes tire, simply increase the font size and continue reading comfortably. Kindle also has three font styles to choose from – all optimized and hand-tuned to provide the best reading experience.
 
Kindle uses hand-built, custom fonts and font-hinting to make words and letters more crisp, clear, and natural-looking. Font hints are instructions, written as code, that control points on a font character's line, improving legibility at small font sizes where few pixels are available. Hinting is a mix of aesthetic judgments and complicated technical strategies.
 
Kindle now has faster page turns. By fine-tuning Kindle's proprietary waveform, the series of electronic pulses that move black and white electronic ink particles to achieve an optimal display of images and text, and Kindle supports the display of non-Latin characters, so you can read books and documents in the translation that's right for you. Kindle displays Cyrillic (such as Russian), Japanese, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), and Korean characters, in addition to Latin and Greek scripts.

Full Image Zoom: Images and photos display crisply on Kindle and can be zoomed to the full size of the screen.

Rotate Between Portrait and Landscape Mode: Switch between portrait and landscape orientation to read maps, graphs and tables more easily.

Real Page Numbers! Easily reference and cite passages or read alongside others in a book club or class with real page numbers. Using the computing fabric of Amazon Web Services, Amazon created algorithms that match specific text in a Kindle book to the corresponding text in a print book, to identify the correct, “real” page number to display. Real page numbers are available on tens of thousands of our most popular Kindle books, including the top 100 bestselling books in the Kindle Store that have matching print editions. Page numbers are displayed when you push the menu button.

I am very interested to know your comments about the new Kindle series. Please comment below, and share with post with your friends!

Thanks For The Memory - Digital Amnesia

Article first published as Thanks For The Memory - Digital Amnesia on Technorati.

The WORST thing you can do is back up your data, and think you're safe. I am continually shocked at the true lack of protection the average person has for their information. Yes, I am talking about YOU, sitting there right now and reading this. You are >.< this close to losing all your important information... and it isn't YOUR fault!

If you are like most individuals, you are quite concerned with making sure you don't suffer a hard drive failure and lose all your data. Photos, music, videos, contacts, files, documents, email, the way data is multiplying exponentially, you have a lot to worry about.

You do some research on data security and backing up your hard drive, read all the advertisements, ask the "experts" at a popular local electronics store, and you are lulled into a false sense of security when you are advised to buy one of the USB external hard drives from popular manufacturers like Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, LaCie, Hitachi, etc, and breathe a sigh of relief. All your precious files that compose your digital life are safely tucked away. I mean, it SAYS on the package it keeps your data safe.

NOT. They are only marginally safer than they were in your computer. A study by Carnegie Mellon University shows that hard drive failure rates are much higher than manufacturers let you know. There is a wide body of academic evidence among true industry experts that show how fragile a hard drive is, and relying on just one is total folly. A single external hard drive should be considered, at best, a temporary "work / hold" drive, not your safety net you were convinced of by the salesman who sold it to you.

ANY "expert" that sells you an external USB hard drive and tells you that it will fully protect your data is absolutely lying to you in your face. The knife in your back is delayed. You feel it when your data is lost... while the "expert" made his sales quota. Why?

Inside that external hard drive, is a single hard drive...which itself can fail, crash, get stolen in a burglary, destroyed in a fire, flood, earthquake, etc... with ALL your information. 

Poof. Is that a chance you really want to take? I will repeat myself here: The WORST thing you can do is back up your data, (on a single drive solution) and think you're safe. So what DO you do?

If you are truly serious about protecting your data, there are two very simple, elegant steps to guarantee 100% protection from data loss.

#1. Buy a Drobo. drobo.com It works with Windows / Mac / Unix
What the heck is a drobo? Ask your local tech "expert" and watch his eyes glaze over. A drobo is a DATA ROBOT, simply an external hard drive with multiple drives, without you having to do ANY configuration. Literally plug and play, it does all the work for you automatically, IF one drive fails, it automatically protects your data on the other drives, you can change a defective/failed drive on the fly without using any tools except your thumb, and without losing a single byte of data. It will automatically rebuild the new replacement drive. Don't let anyone uninformed tell you this is just a standard raid solution. This is unlike anything else available. It's raid, with brains, elegant, sleek, hands free, configuration free.

This option guarantees you 100% immunity from losing anything due to hard drive failures. That still leaves natural disasters, theft, flood, fire, etc. This brings us to:

#2. Cloud storage. For example, DropBox. This guarantees your data can't be drowned, burnt, stolen, blown, or any other nightmare scenario you can think of. Your data is available from any computer you go to, it can be shared, it is platform independant, working with Windows, Mac, Linux, and Mobile devices.

This is one instance in your life when you SHOULD be thinking INSIDE THE BOX, utilizing both Drobo and DropBox to guarantee you peace of mind, and true data safety: and yes, I am being extremely hard on salesmen, because I am tired of seeing people get hurt and lose everything due to misinformation and someone trying to make a quick sale. I want people to understand how easy it is to protect themselves before something happens.


I enjoy reading your comments and feedback.

New Reconnaissance Recruits - better call S.W.A.T.

Article first published as New Reconnaissance Recruits - better call S.W.A.T. on Technorati.

The Terminator, one of the most recognizable icons in the world, and a perfect example of what a CYBORG is: According to Wikipedia, "living tissue wrapped around a mechanical or artificial (e.g electronic,mechanic, or robotic parts.)

The stuff of science fiction? Think again. You just might be seeing one sooner than you think, in the form of a cyborg bug... a "CYBUG". 
For decades, research into robotics and miniaturization have impressive, if not miraculous. Robots build the cars we drive, however getting robotic parts down to the size of an insect, and being functional, have hit quite a few obstacles.

Since 2006, the U.S. DARPA, (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), has invested over $12 Million into research. The fruits of their investment? CyBug cockroaches at Texas A&M, Horned beetles at University of Michigan and the University of California at Berkeley, and Moths at an MIT led team, along with another project at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research.

Instead of trying to miniaturize robotics, and then control it, they decided to use what Mother Nature has already designed. Insects, one of the most populous life forms on earth, their bodies a design that has successfully survived through the eons to the modern day.

The concept is actually quite simple. The hard shell of an insect is an exoskeleton, already a miniature marvel of evolution. Body, legs, wings, everything you would want a robot to have.

Scientific researchers implant a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) circuit into the insect while still in the pupae stage of life. As the insect matures, grows, molts, the body tissue grows around the implanted circuitry, literally fusing the insect body with the implant, which is able to control leg and flight muscles, and nervous system processes.

This means that you can be THE FLY ON THE WALL. Surveillance, intelligence gathering, recon, all are applications for this technology.

At first, only Governments with deep pockets to fund this research will have access to it, but imagine a future where people can hire a private detective to spy on their cheating spouses with CyBugs.

What do YOU think about this? I would love to hear your comments below!

Ebay: A Lose/lose/lose sitution.

Article first published as Ebay: A Lose/Lose/Lose Situation on Technorati.

Ebay. The ingenious concept that allows anyone who wants to sell something to not only a national but an international pool of potential buyers. The Ebay success stories of sellers making six figure yearly income just staying at home selling on Ebay have been touted far and wide.  At one time it was great, however if you listen, you will hear lots of grumblings how Ebay has raised their fees over the years, and if you do a simple google search, you will find a plethora of reasons why sellers feel Ebay is really harming them. Among them:

* Illegitimate feedback
If a buyer gives you a negtive feedback for no reason, you can’t remove it. There goes your entire reputation and sometimes your entire business.

* Annoying rules
For example in the last 12 hours of an auction you can’t change images. A potential buyer emailed a seller to notify they had put the wrong picture on the auction page.  There was no bid but because there were only 10 hours left, the seller couldn’t change the picture, and what do you know, no sale.

* Bogus buyers
No more negative feedback for bogus buyers, meaning that buyers who don’t pay for their winning bids cannot be penalized by the seller. This too destroys the entire feedback system.

* Fees
Ebay’s sale commission is a good chunk plus you have to pay for every listing detail practically. Subtitle: $.50, picture: $.25, bold title: $1, etc.

* PayPal
If you use PayPal, which is very handy for eBay selling, you’re going to be ripped off. They continually take more and more commissions. Plus eBay owns PayPal so you are charged 3 times, listing, commission and PayPal!

* Refunds
Someone can buy your item using PayPal, receive the item, and then lie and say that it was not shipped. PayPal will then refund them the entire purchase amount. 

* Shipping
Everything relies on shipping. The postal service once lost a small expensive package that was sold; the buyer had not paid for insurance. So the seller had to wait for weeks to find out what happened, and then reimburse the item from their pocket.
 
* Terrible customer service
If you have a problem with a sale or purchase, you have to go through bots and finally days later receive a humans actual help.
 
Ebay also has a dark side no one wants to talk about. I am going to relay a situation to give an example. Follow along, and feel the tension grow...
Imagine you buy something for $450.00, your needs suddenly change, and you no longer need the item. It is in perfect new condition, but you can't return it where you bought it, so you think, "OK, I will list it on Ebay". Sure... simple enough.

You post it on Ebay for a 7 day standard auction, listing the item at $200.00. The listing ends with a winning bid, the buyer sends you an email saying they need it shipped to Nigeria. A little surprised, you inform the buyer that there will be extra shipping that you hadn't anticipated.

You then receive an email from the buyer stating they have sent you payment via "PayPal" and they are in a hurry for you to send the item immediately. Logging into your Paypal, you find there has been no payment made to your account. When you question the buyer, they never respond, and the phone number listed as a contact for the buyer is disconnected. The buyer isn't buying or sending you money.

Not only aren't you making a sale, Ebay has already charged you $20.00 as a FINAL VALUE FEE on the item that you never got paid for, and you haven't shipped yet. TO get this refunded due to a non paying bidder, you must file a claim with Ebay, and per their policy Per, you then have to wait 4 days past the end of the auction before Ebay will allow you to file a non paying bidder claim. Ebay sends the buyer another notice to pay, and you have to wait another 4 days for the buyer to respond. (8 days total after the end of the auction.)

15 days after you first posted the item, ebay finally gives you a FINAL VALUE CREDIT.

Because it is 8 days after the end of the auction, other bidders have moved on, thinking they lost the auction to the winning bidder, so you can't make an offer to any of them, so you decide to re-list the item, optimistic the second time around will bring a solid transaction.

Rinse and repeat. The same thing. A different bidder wins the auction, but this time,
there is no response to emails, and the phone number listed is an area code 809-XXX-XXXX. This is a variant of the 809 Area Code Scam.

You now have to wait another 8 days to get your final value fee refunded.

30 days since you first posted the listing, 2 non sales, disheartened, you reluctantly re-list your item yet again for the third time. Another 7 day auction listing results in a winning bid. This time, there is no response, and no sale.

This is an actual situation, not a fabricated example. 15 + 15 + 15 = 45 Days have passed, 3 failed auction transactions in a row. What's wrong with this picture?

EBAY POLICIES...geared against sellers, letting an undesirable element run rampant on their system. There isn't any real protection for a buyer, in fact, the buyers are protected. A single buyer can bid and NOT PAY on 3 separate occasions before they are banned from Ebay.

What Ebay SHOULD do:

#1. A winning bidder should pay within 24 hours of the end of the auction, or at least contact the seller within 24 hours to confirm they are going to pay.

#2. If a winning bidder doesn't pay, that would be an instant 30 day ban. If they do it again, permanent ban.


#3. When an auction ends, all bidders are put on standby notice for 24 hours till the willing bidder pays. If they don't pay, #2 applies, PLUS the next highest bidder is offered the item. This would prevent a lost sale due to runner-ups going elsewhere to buy.


#4. Lower the ebay listing and final value fees. It's an automated website for Pete's sake, lower your prices, more people will sell and more buyers will come. Between Ebay fees, and PayPal fees (also owned by Ebay) they are getting approx 11% of your total sale price.

Have YOU had a bad experience with Ebay? Leave your story and comments, I would love to hear what you have to say!

Desperate Houseplants Tweet For Help!

Article first published as Desperate Houseplants Tweet For Help! on Technorati.

Everyone, their brother, and their dog are on Twitter. The latest Twitter stats, say they have 106 Million user accounts, with 300,000 joining every day, with 180 Million unique daily visitors. Now, just when you thought it was safe to go out, the next revolution in social networking has landed.

There is no longer any need to stay home and talk to your plants.
Now your houseplants can tweet you.

An ingenious electronic device (sku: KIT-10334) from SparkFun, offers a connection to your leafy pal via online Twitter status updates to your mobile phone.

When your plant needs water, it will post to let you know. Forget RSS feeds, Pffft. This is an S.O.S. feed! Plus, it sends its thanks when you show it love. Now when is the last time your cat thanked you?

It comes as a kit, so you can hone your soldering skills, (or teach someone else), while you build an essential line of communication between you and your houseplant, so you can bond and have a dedicated relationship!


It comes with everything you need to get your plant tweeting in no time, pre-programmed, but you can customize it with your own messages. The only thing you need to provide is a plant, network connection (and ethernet cable), and a power outlet. Unfortunately, it will set you back $99.95... per device.

If you are like most people, you have several house plants. This enters the territory of serious ethical dilemmas, as you will have to decide which is your favorite plant of all, among the little cries from all the other plants that come to the realization that you don't love them as much. :P


Comments? Leave them below and be sure to share this with your friends.

Merchants check out the cash cloud

Article first published as Merchants Check Out the Cash Cloud on Technorati.

Congratulations! You decided you wanted to go into business for yourself, you through and thought, had a brainstorm to decide what you wanted to do, you carefully rented a storefront location, stocked it with your chosen specialty, advertised, and after significant expense and cash outlay, you are open and ready for business... but ARE you really prepared?

One of THE most important things a merchant needs, and should invest their time setting up, is usually the one most often overlooked, or at best, not optimized for maximum efficiency. What could this possibly be? Three little letters.

P. O. S. - Point Of Sale. The buck quite literally stops here.


Elaborate Point Of Sale systems are usually quite expensive, you need an I.T. technical person to set it up for you, and maintenance and understanding how to use it is a massive problem for most merchants. Most times it backfires, and you will actually still see some merchants using nothing more than a cash drawer.


Well all that that has changed. Vend has come up with a revolutionary way to take the complicated electronic cash register systems and make them as simple to use as a cash drawer.

There is no software to install, no intricate set up, no contracts, and the price is manageable for even the smallest Mom & Pop storefronts.

Vend has moved everything off your computer, and into the Cloud. If you can use a web browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, etc.) you can use the Vend system.

It automatically lets you keep track of your customers, accounts, record a sale directly against a customer account, and process payments against that account at another location or on another date. You can organize your customers into groups, and also view a full sales history for each account.

This is IMPORTANT, because the only business worth having, is REPEAT BUSINESS.
If you are only using a cash drawer, or a regular cash register, when your customer walks out your door, what are the chances you will see them back again? By keeping tabs on them, you can interact, invite them back with coupons, promotions, and much more.


Vend is scalable from one register, to multiple registers at multiple locations. They have done an amazing job of keeping the user interface clean and uncluttered, so when it comes time for the all important check out, it's quick, easy, and fun to use.


I have seen many different POS systems, and in my experience, Vend is by far the best economically, technically, and for ease of use, freeing a merchants frazzled mind to focus on the important things, like running their business.

The good news: Everything above, plus you can use Vend free to start with.

Caveats: The free trial is limited to 200 products and any sales data you enter is erased after a week.

Virgin Mobile Triumphs This Summer

Article first published as Virgin Mobile Triumphs This Summer on Technorati.

VirginMobile USA is about to blow their horn on July 20th, 2011, and announce one of the most anticipated phones of the summer, but also new rate plans to use it on.

The Motorola TRIUMPH features a 4.1-inch touchscreen display, a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor, 5-megapixel camera with 720p video capture, VGA front-facing camera, 512MB RAM, 2GB built-in storage, HDMI out, 1400mAh battery, and Android 2.2 (Froyo).

The responsiveness of the Triumph is quite snappy with no lag or delay, plenty of screen real estate for your eyes, and no MotoBlur.


This is arguably the most advanced phone available from any carrier on a PREPAID service basis.

Changes to pricing and data usage costs are a familiar topic in the wireless industry these days, and customers are beginning to understand that the dramatic increase of smartphone usage and mobile internet access, now and in the future, means many carriers are making adjustments to their plans.

According to Nielsen’s May 2011 survey of mobile consumers in the United States, 38 percent now own smartphones. Of those consumers, 38 percent own an Android™-powered device. Further, 55 percent of those who purchased a new handset in the past three months reported buying a smartphone, up from 34 percent just a year ago.

New Beyond Talk plans show that the unlimited option is down by $5, so it really makes a lot of sense to go for the unlimited and not have to count your minute usage.

$35 – 300 anytime minutes / unlimited messaging and data
$45 – 1200 anytime minutes / unlimited messaging and data
$55 – Unlimited anytime minutes / unlimited messaging and data

Virgin Mobile USA, Inc. is a wireless communications services provider based in Warren, New Jersey, United States, founded in 2001 as an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator). This means, unlike AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or Sprint, Virgin Mobile USA did not own their own network. They simply used the Sprint network under a private label of Virgin Mobile, USA.


Virgin Mobile USA, Inc. commenced operations under the Virgin Mobile brand in June, 2002. Virgin Mobile USA was acquired by its network services provider, Sprint Nextel Corporation, in 2009 and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Sprint Nextel Corporation. Virgin Mobile has about 6 million subscribers.

If you are looking for an attractive modern smart phone without getting locked into a contract, this is basically the way to go.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, please share this post with your friends.

RIM -v- Nokia: The Loser's Cup - Racing to fail

That explosion you just heard was the sonic boom of two titans in the wireless industry crashing down in flames to their firey demise.

Nokia v Rim (Blackberry) - It isn't a question of who is going to win or lose, the question is who is going to lose fastest, and worst. Shocking isn't it? The perfect storm of bad timing, and poor vision.

Neither Nokia nor Rim are competing against each other, they have much bigger problems to worry about... like Apple iOS and Android.

The feature phone market has imploded, and smart phone markets soar. Nokia is hemorrhaging market share, in both. Once the king of feature phones / phone first devices, Nokia, is in a triple lose situation. No one wants a boring old style flip phone that is mainly just a phone anymore, they want the Apple iPhone type of smartphone.

Nokia does make smartphones, but their phones are based on the very aged and relatively antiquated Symbian operating system. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user interface component based on S60 5th Edition. The latest version, Symbian^3, was officially released in Q4 2010, first used in the Nokia N8. Symbian OS was originally developed by Symbian Ltd. It is a descendant of Psion's EPOC, and runs exclusively on ARM processors, although an unreleased x86 port existed.

Nokia was in the perfect position, massive market share, there were more Symbian devices in use worldwide than any other operating system.


Symbian and Android are both open source operating systems, but due to a lack of savvy marketing, Symbian could have been what Android is today.


Android is signing handset makers at breakneck speed, while Symbian only has Nokia. You can't modify Symbian installed on your Nokia phone, but Android you can. Android is also sleek, easy to use, has a youthful "cool" brand... Symbian... feh.
For these reasons, Android is beating Symbian.


If all that wasn't enough, the recent deal between Nokia and Microsoft puts all the risk in Nokia's lap. If Nokia succeeds, Microsoft succeeds. If Nokia fails, Microsoft just walks away unscathed. Worse yet, the deal is good news for Android.

As Nokia phases out Symbian and moves to Windows Mobile, it will reduce Nokia's market share significantly, adding to the burn.

 As for RIM (Blackberry), they have some real problems, but not as serious as Nokia. The main problems for RIM, is of course Android, but more so, Apple, as well as another surprise, RIM.


Apple is Rim's biggest threat, that's no surprise to anyone, but what may be overlooked, RIM is RIM's own problem. They can't seem to get out of their own way. Another year has passed, the current Blackberry product lineup is getting very stale, and RIM has failed to produce a breakthrough touchscreen device that can compete.

RIM is several quarters late in introducing its new handsets based on its 7.0 operating system. For every day that passes until the new BlackBerry models become available, RIM is losing sales. This is all quite troubling because RIM doesn't seem to be in any hurry to correct things. They don't seem realize the threats are as great as they are.


I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

HDMI CONnection Scam Hits Consumers Hard

Article first published as HDMI CONnection Scam Hits Consumers Hard on Technorati.

When it comes to HDMI cables, retailers and salesmen have had a roarin' good ol time at the expense of the consumer. It's time to put the facts where they are and show them up for what the are, CON MEN.

I call it, the CONnection Scam.


Scenario: Joe Consumer is excited, he got his paycheck and finally has enough to get himself that flatscreen TV he's had his eye on for months now. The salesman starts telling him he needs special HDMI cable to connect his Blu-Ray, PS3, etc (this is true), now here comes the CONnection SCAM.


The salesman tries to sell Joe Consumer a 4 foot long $200 HDMI cable, confident that Joe Consumer has no idea that a $20 HDMI cable will do the exact same thing.

That's right, let me restate a fact in big bold red print to make sure this is clear:


A 4 foot long HDMI v1.4 cable costing $20 will perform the same as a HDMI v1.4 cable costing $200.


Let's see why: An HDMI or DVI video signal is a small signal and it is digital. It is either good or not good. As long as the length is under 8 feet, there is NO signal degredation.

Another CONnection Scam

You will see HDMI packages in the store, screaming "120 Hz," "240Hz" and "480 Hz".

HDMI cables can no more be manufactured for specific refresh-rate HDTVs than a garden hose can be manufactured specifically to water seeded lawns and sod lawns. The same water flows through either one.

The same HDTV signal flows through all HDMI cables, whether labeled "120Hz" or "480Hz" — or not labeled at all.

FACT: A TV's refresh rate has nothing whatsoever to do with the signal flowing to that set. The refresh rate is determined by the set's circuitry once the signal gets there, so how can different HDMI cables be manufactured for different refresh-rate sets?


HDMI Licensing LLC licenses the design, specifications and requires labeling of cables as either "Standard" or "High Speed." Only two types of HDMI cables are included in the HDMI licensing spec: "Standard" (aka category 1) or "High Speed" (aka category 2). Category 2 is required to insure the cable passes 1080P HD signals, (which includes 3-D), and is the highest bandwidth video signal available now and the forseable future. (The most current spec is Category 2, Version 1.4).

HDMI cable makers are intentionally misleading consumers by hyping their cables with the various refresh rates used by set makers to improve picture quality. Despite the fact that some labels indicate signals of 480Hz, the signal fed by an HDMI cable to a set never exceeds 60Hz.


Any "High Speed" HDMI v1.3 cable should handle any display and any video signal you can throw at it. Period. Full Stop. The next version is 1.4 which is intended for "4K" video, which only exists in extreme high end commercial applications.

As an extreme example of the CONnection scam,  AudioQuest has a line of  "High Speed" HDMI cables; its packaging states that it "delivers 100 percent of the data required for 120Hz, 240Hz, 600Hz  displays." It costs up to a whopping $299.99 for its 9-8-foot Carbon model (sold online from Bestbuy.com).

What this means to you is that there really is no such thing as a "better" HDMI cable. Either an HDMI cable works or it does not. If it doesn't work, you will immediately know it. Your screen will freeze, or it will skip frames, or it will show big square blocks instead of a picture. It will be completely obvious that there is a problem. In that case you need to throw the cable away.

How much have YOU thrown out on HDMI cables? I would love to hear your comments! Link this article to your friends and see what they say!

Why AT&T desperately needs T-Mobile.

Article first published as AT&T: Desperate and Out of Time? on Technorati.

When AT&T announced it was acquiring T-Mobile In March, 2011, it made quite a few people unhappy. After getting past the grumbling of T-Mobile customers who like T-Mobile, not AT&T, the grousing of Sprint who vehemently objects, and the grumpy media in general., and several other companies hate the takeover.

Most people assume that it's just another mega merger, big AT&T wants to take over a smaller T-Mobile to expand their customer base by almost 60 million to compete with Verizon, etc. Sure, that doesn't hurt, but that isn't the real reason.

The real reason is one simple word:   SPECTRUM.


AT&T has run out of it, they are in very serious trouble, and are desperate for T-Mobile. How desperate? A deal fact sheet says:

“In the event the transaction does not receive regulatory approval satisfactory to AT&T and the transaction does not close, AT&T will be required to pay a breakup fee of $3 (billion), transfer to T-Mobile certain AWS spectrum that is not needed by AT&T for its initial LTE roll out, and provide a roaming agreement to T-Mobile on terms favorable to both parties”.

That's right. AT&T loses $3 Billion, and additional spectrum. 

Think of wireless spectrum like a pipe. If the amount of water you need to flow is more than you can fit through the pipe, you have problems.

Problems for AT&T started with the iPhone. Wireless data / web usage on the AT&T network went up 8000% in 4 years. Unfortunately, unlike other carriers, AT&T has considerably lagged in the expansion and development of their network, (pipe), and they were not prepared for the ravenous data usage of iPhone users. The problem has only gotten worse.

In short, they need more pipe.

It was painfully evident during Apple's 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference. Steve Jobs was embarrassed when the WiFi network he had planned to use as the primary access wasn't working as planned... he then tried using AT&T as a backup option, he got "CANNOT ACTIVATE CELLULAR NETWORK . Steve Jobs has also considered dropping AT&T six times in the past.

Carriers can get more spectrum, (pipe) in 2 ways.

#1. They can buy it from the FCC in bidding auctions with other carriers bidding on it as well. If the carrier wins and gets more spectrum, they then have to pay more money to build out their network with more towers, upgrades, etc. This takes alot of time, and this is one commodity AT&T doesn't have.


#2. You can buy out another carrier (T-Mobile) with a compatible network, and combine network resources. This is what AT&T is trying to do.

By taking over T-Mobile, it gives them the time they need to focus on further expansion of their LTE network.

Please leave comments, I would love to hear from you.

Steampunk Gadgets - Turn Art Deco Into Art Techno

Article first published as Steampunk Gadgets - Turn Art Deco Into Art Techno on Technorati.

What do the movies: Time After Time,  Wild Wild West,  The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Skycaptain and the World of Tomorrow, Around The World In 80 Days, Young Sherlock Holmes, and Kate & Leopold have in common?


How about the Gnomes in World Of Warcraft, the most successful MMORPG game ever created, boasting 20 million players worldwide?


They are all
STEAMPUNK THEMED.

Audiences are captivated by the unique romance of the steampunk genre, and marvel at the quirky gadgetry. What if you could own real life working gadgets like that?

They do exist, you just have to look. For example:

Looking for a unique cell phone? Ask your carrier if they have this little Steampunk themed little number!

Richard "Doc" Nagy, steampunk contraptor, technical artist, and self proclaimed jackass-of-all-trades, is the genius behind the website Datamancer. He says "I don't just build products. I create heirlooms."

That's an understatement. Just one look at the "New Yorker" keyboard will make you gasp, and you will find yourself staring in amazement at the one of a kind steampunk laptop.

Another website, Gadgetsin has an 8GB steampunk USB Flash Drive with glowing quartz crystal, while another site ETSY sells their version of a 2GB Steampunk copper USB flash drive.


Steampunk goes beyond flash drives. How about a mouse? A Russian "hardware modder" created this one of a kind hand made steampunk mouse.


PopGive has quite unique Steampunk Jewelry.


How about some music? Rock out playing this steampunk themed stratocaster.

Remodeling your home? How about some Steampunk designed switchplates?



What exactly IS "Steampunk"? It's a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne or real technologies like the computer but developed earlier in an alternate history.

Leave comments and feedback, I would love to see your opinions!

Cell Phones Carcinogenic - WHO says so?

Article first published as Cell Phones Carcinogenic - WHO Says So? on Technorati.

The WHO (World Health Organization) has classified radio frequency electromagnetic fields as "possibly" carcinogenic to humans, based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.


Over the last few years, there has been mounting concern about the possibility of adverse health effects resulting from exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by wireless communication devices. The number of mobile phone subscriptions is estimated at 5 billion globally.

From May 24–31 2011, a Working Group of 31 scientists from 14 countries has been meeting at IARC in Lyon, France, to assess the potential carcinogenic hazards from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.


One similar study of past cell phone use (up to the year 2004), showed a 40% increased risk for gliomas in the highest category of heavy users (reported average: 30 minutes per day over a 10‐year period).

We all love our phones, so let's see if there are things we can do every day that will make it just a bit safer to use. Some are quite obvious, but make sense:

* Keep calls as short as possible. The longer you talk, the more radiation you are absorbing.

* Use a Bluetooth earpiece. While still a radiating wireless device itself, Bluetooth radiation is a miniscule fraction compared to a cell phone. Bluetooth signals only travel a maximum of 35 feet, while cell phone signals have to carry for miles.

* Use a hard wired earpiece. Remember the pre-bluetooth days? It may have been the healthiest way to use a cell phone, and whether we want to admit it or not, the audio quality is better, they are lighter, thinner, less bulky that most bluetooth earpieces... if it wasn't for that darn wire catching on doorknobs and everything else in between.

* Send SMS TXT messages instead. Go ahead and add that unlimited texting package to your plan. Texting is more convenient, you can carry on a conversation in places that would disrupt or annoy others around you, plus you don't have anyone else listening in on your intimacies.


* Buy a phone with the lowest SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) of <0.6 W/kg. All cell phone manufacturers publish the SAR rating for every model phone they produce. Granted, they burry it in the fine print or deep in the specs list, but it is there.

* Don't use a mobile phone in an enclosed space. Places like elevators make the phone work harder to get a signal OUT, thereby causing more radiation into YOU.

* Before making a call, make sure you have good signal strength, for similar reasons, if the signal strength is poor, the phone will be cranking out the highest radiation to maintain the connection.


* Radiation Blockers make it worse. We have all seen these sticky little things you put on your phone to supposedly block the radiation, well even if they DO work, it makes things worse by making the cell phone work harder, put out more radiation to reach the tower, thereby defeating the entire purpose of the radiation blocker.


* Don't hold your phone directly against your head. Try to use your speaker phone if it won't disrupt anyone around you, or hold the phone a little away from your ear. For example, in the Apple iPhone manual, it says:
“when using iPhone near your body for voice calls or for wireless data transmission over a cellular network, keep iPhone at least 15 mm (5/8 inch) away from the body, and only use carrying cases, belt clips, or holders that do not have metal parts and that maintain at least 15 mm (5/8 inch) separation between iPhone and the body."

* It is recommended that individuals who have medical implants, like pacemakers, etc., must keep their cell at least 300mm (11.8") away from the implant.

* When all else fails, use a landline or payphone

I would love to hear your comments.
You can also follow me on Twitter @TheCyberati

The Ghost In The Machine - Microsoft Haunts Android Success

Article first published as The Ghost In The Machine - Microsoft Haunts Android Success on Technorati.

That's a snazzy slick super cool new Android device you have there! Most likely, you chose it because Android is a new open source OS based on Linux, and you wanted some independence from the usual iPhone / Blackberry / Microsoft Windows Phone options. Not so fast.

Microsoft actually has their hand in your pocket. Welcome to "Microsoft Android".

Impossible you say? Android is from Google, and has nothing to do with Microsoft? Just like Voldermort, it seems Microsoft has gone over to the dark side, the "Ghost In The Machine", haunting the success of Android.

For those who aren't well versed about Android, allow me a moment to fill in a few quick details. You see, Android was a relatively new OS. Android is actually a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. Google Inc. purchased the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., in 2005. Android's mobile operating system is based on the Linux kernel. Google and other members of the Open Handset Alliance collaborated on Android's development and release, and the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android. The Android operating system is the world's best-selling Smartphone platform. 

STOP RIGHT THERE. The last sentence above is the only excuse Microsoft needs for an all out attack. In an effort to delay the success of Android, and profit from it at the same time, Microsoft decided to get a "FEE" for every Android device sold.

How is this all even possible? How does a company, any company, up and decide they are going to get a fee? Simple.

Either an Android device manufacturer pay Microsoft a "patent fee", or Microsoft will sue them. Whether valid or not, just the prospect of a massive company like Microsoft with infinitely deep pockets taking you to court... smaller companies simply roll over and pay the fee. That's protection money. Some are saying that this is basically mafia behavior. Can you say Mafiasoft?

Most people have no idea, but behind the curtain, Microsoft actually is making more money from Android than they are on their own Windows Phone OS. Mr. Walter Pritchard, a Citi analyst, revealed that Microsoft extracts a $5 "patent fee" from HTC for every Android device they sell. Microsoft is also suing other Android makers, and is seeking $7.50-$12.50 per device.

Going back to almost since Linux was created, Microsoft has argued that it infringes on Microsoft Intellectual Property, and as a result, Microsoft has often sought, some say bullied, royalties from businesses who base their products on Linux.

Because Microsoft is upping their offensive with Android, there are whispers and rumors that Microsoft and Apple may tussle a bit in new court action as well.

The problem, is that large tech companies, such as Microsoft, have purposely vague, huge patent portfolios. This vagueness overlaps with some other large company's vague portfolio, and BAM. You have the decision to go to court, threaten to go to court, or... extract a fee and label it "licensing fee" or "patent fee".


As an Android device owner, I can just hear you now...
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."


I would love to know what you think.
Please leave comments and share this post with your friends.

You can always find me on Twitter @TheCyberati

Medical CyberBots May Be Crawling Around Inside You.

Article first published as Medical CyberBots May Be Crawling Around Inside You on Technorati.

It may sound like something straight out of The Matrix, but advances in robotic miniaturization have made it a reality. It isn't a future concept anymore.
"They're Here!"

Example: Israeli researchers from Technion (Medical Robotics Laboratory at the Israel Institute of Technology) created "ViRob", with a diameter of just 1 millimeter wide, 14mm long, it was designed to crawl through vessles and cavities. It can deliver a dosage of medication to a precise location in the body, or pull a microcatheter deep inside where it would normally not have been able to reach previously.

Photo credit: Medgadget.

Researchers can also use ViRob to deliver drugs in lung cancer patients, as well as take tissue samples from different areas inside the body.

As development progresses, it will be possible to add miniature tongs, video camera, and other extra functions as needed. ViRob is just one of many different types of medical microbots being developed.

Research is under way to make nanobots even smaller, much smaller... down to a MOLECULAR level. The NANOBOT. When this happens, we will have hundreds of medical cyberbots patrolling our bodies, carrying out routine tasks such as scouring the insides of our arteries to remove plaque, all but eliminating heart attacks, atherosclerosis, and much more.

Mollecular bots could assemble other bots while inside the body as needed for specific tasks.


A first wave of molecular bots could detect cancer cells, target them, and remove them before cancer can get started, while a second wave delivers anti-cancer medication to the exact spot where the cancer cells were just targeted and removed.


While this is truly an amazing thing, a benefit to mankind, it also brings with it some very ugly and serious ethical questions...


Who will be able to afford this? Only wealthy individuals, or will the common peasant in a third world country be able to have it as well?

Some doomsayers may go so far to say thing such as: If mankind eliminates cancer and heart attacks, people start living much longer, world population increases beyond any normal conditions, famine and world starvation kick in because we can't produce the quantity and volume of food to feed everyone.


You can always reach me directly on Twitter @TheCyberati. I would love to know what YOU think. Please leave comments, please share this Technorati post with your friends.