Sep 21

Wallets May Be Old News Thanks to Google

By AndroidMan Interesting Phone Stuff, Phones In The News 1 Comment »

Over the past decade cell phones have went from simply “mobile phones” to “mobile computers”. We can surf the web, check on our finances, pay bills, stay connected with social media and even use GPS to find our way around the world. It seems that with every year our Phones become more and more essential to our daily lives. Well, that is about to take another leap this very year. Google has just released, though limited, Google Wallet, an Android exclusive application.

Google Wallet, available only on the Sprint Nexus S (for now), is literally what it claims to be, your wallet. Anyone with an Android phone will be able to link their credit and debit cards to one simple application. Each card will be protected with a PIN code, which you unlock for every purchase. No more losing credit cards and scrambling to get it locked before someone uses it to buy a yacht. Now, if you lose your phone, horrible in its own way, you can feel better in knowing that your finances will remain secure.

Android phones outfitted with Near Field Communication (NFC), will be able to go to any store and purchase goods with a simple wave of their phone. The amount of stores accepting such a device are limited at the moment, but growing fast. You can search via the program itself, by entering your zip code, and find locations near you already accepting the new program. We searched for locations in Philadelphia and found dozens accepting Google Wallet.

At the moment only Citi Bank Mastercard is linked to Google Wallet, but Google already has deals planned with Visa, Discover and American Express. In the meantime you can use google’s prepaid card within the application and add money from any card you please. What does this mean for our Cell Phones future? And with such a major change to how  we do finances, how will Apples iPhone respond? Competition is healthy, and this can only mean great things for us.

Numerous banks already have finance applications linked to your account, but just imagine having them all in one simple location, in your pocket, protected with the same security as an ATM. No more clunky wallets, no more scrambling for that one specific card for that one specific store. All new Android phones will be NFC compatible, which is some bad news for older Droid users. Or is it? Visa is actually working on MicroSD cards with NFC technology. If such technology gets released, anyone with a microSD slot in their phone will be able to enjoy this application (and future ones to come). Droid X, Reality and even the very first Droid by Motorola could be potentially compatible.

But don’t count Apple or Windows out. If there is one constant in the world it’s that when one company innovates, the others copy and possibly enhance. Apple has been known to go toe to toe with Google on the software market. Apple will respond, and in turn, will cause Google to respond in kind. When that response will be is unknown at the moment.

But why the limited release? This seems like such an incredible program that anyone and everyone will want asap. According to Tech Crunch, Google wants to ensure the security and functionality of the NFC technology behind the Google Wallet. Considering this program could be potentially holding millions of people’s credit cards, it’s a wise choice to field test it as much as possible. Their goal is to make Google Wallet more secure than having a physical card on you at all times.  Just having it be PIN activated already makes it slightly more secure than its old plastic cousins. This is only the beginning though, so our flimsy credit cards will probably live on for a few more years before the general public will trust such a program.  Now we simply wait for the competition and see what innovation comes next.

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Oct 06

Cell Phone Etiquette – A Guide

By Chris Samaras Uncategorized No Comments »

Turn of your cell phone

We all know at least a handful of people who think they are the only person using  their phone when the whole world stands around them. So many people do not show common courtesy and basic etiquette when using their cell phones. Wouldn’t it be great if more people showed a little respect when using their phones when other people are around them? Everyone and their mom has a cell phone anymore. The average age of a person receiving their first phone is only 8 years old. The problem is there is no class to teach people how to use their phones properly.

Here are some things to avoid while using your cell phone:

1. Overbearing ringtones - We all know at least one person who has a ringtone that makes your ears bleed. That sound that just makes you want to jump off a bridge. The ringtone that makes the most annoying sounds in the world almost enjoyable. Their should be a law around the use of annoying ringtones. Some are straight up offensive, others are straight up annoying. Why do people feel the need to play an entire song when someone calls them? Isn’t that what Mp3 players are for?

2. Answering your phone during in a movie – I am not sure if this happens anywhere except my local theatres, but it seems like almost every time I am in a theatre lately – there is “that guy” who answers their phone in the middle of a movie. I mean come on! Did you not notice the hundreds of other people around? If you are one of these people you should be banned from using your phone entirely!

3. Yelling at your phone – Maybe some people just do not realize that they are screaming into their phone while talking to the person on the other end. Microphones have improved greatly since the original Motorola DynaTac phone. Noise cancellation technology has really come a long way. If you are a screamer who is reading this – please consider the people around you when screaming at your device.The other person can hear when talking at a normal voice. Just because you can not hear them does not mean they can not hear you. Otherwise – call them back.

4. Paying more attention to your phone than your friends – Ok, so I am guilty as charged here but I am working hard on kicking my bad habit. This is one that a lot of us can relate to, especially if you are rocking a blackberry smartphone or other similar device. They do not call Blackberry’s, Crackberry’s for any ol’ reason. They somehow manage to come out of your pocket even when you try so hard to keep them put away. I have to say – there is nothing more annoying than when the person I am hanging out with is on their phone the entire time I am with them. I want to take their phone and throw it out a window. The first part of realizing you have a problem – is acknowledging your addiction. I have started my path to recovery – have you?

5. Driving while txting – It is said that at any given moment in time at least 3% of drivers on the road are txting while driving. Kind of scary when you think about it. This is another guilty as charged – rule I break more often than not. It is another – habit / addiction of my Blackberry that I am working at overcoming. There is nothing scarier than being in a car with someone txting with both hands and using their knee to steer their car. As more people move towards a smartphone I am sure the percentage of people txting while driving will only increase. Hopefully, at some point in the near future cars will drive on their own. Until then – please consider the other peoples lives you are putting in danger while txting behind the wheel.

I am sure we can all name many others things to avoid when using your cell phone, and I am sure I will have another guide to follow. Please consider these 5 things to avoid next time any of these 5 circumstances arise. We can all make the world a better place by spreading the word about cell phone etiquette and applying the rules mentioned above.

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
May 14

3D Technology comes to Smart Phones

By phonemanandy Interesting Phone Stuff, Phones In The News No Comments »

The entertainment industry has been focusing on 3D technology in the film industry with intensity for the past few years. Just recently has the industry been scoping out the consumer market, pushing for 3D technology in the household.

The trouble with 3D, of course, is that the viewer is forced to wear special glasses; the old-school red-and-blue cardboard goggles, or the more modern tinted shades. Until the family can sit around a television and not have to don a funny pair of glasses, 3D-at-home is walking is crutches.

But what if you could limit a 3D screen to only one viewer at a time? This is the concept that may be ideal for handheld devices? TR10 in conjunction with Samsung and Dynamic Digital Depth have been experimenting with a new model for Smart Phones.

Because the device (Samsung B710) can be adjusted and angled by a single viewer, it unlocks the ability to sustain a three-dimensional image by reflecting outward light according to the position of the phone.

When the B710 is moved from a vertical to a horizontal position, the on-screen image jumps from 2D to 3D. While this isn’t a function that would be particularly useful while making calls, we’re all aware that we use our phones for much more than that. This 3D functionality will include a wide range of handheld entertainment for the phone (Nintendo could be looking at this technology for their next handheld entertainment system).

Once this application is perfected, the possibilities are endless. This could bring a whole new “dimension” to the way we interact with our mobile devices.

Dynamic Digital Depth is beginning to develop another device that extracts the 3D data that already exists in most next-gen console video games. Theoretically, this would turn any existing video game into 3D.

The future is uncertain—but the growth of new technologies is compelling enough to keep us all buried in the anticipation.

Sources: Technology Review |

–Alex

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Apr 06

Verizon Wireless Releasing App Store

By Chris Samaras Phones In The News No Comments »

I’m a little late on this, but I’m definitely interested in how this is/will be playing out. Verizon Wireless has officially announced that they will be releasing their own app store, called the V Cast Store, which will first be available for new and refurbished Blackberry phones. I’ve read several articles claiming that the V Cast Store would be unveiled on March 29th, yet five minutes of Googling (which the maximum amount of time I’m willing to Google any particular subject in this day and age) has yet to reveal anything exciting (and it’s April 6th).

I did go to Verizon’s website and found a tiny little link for apps but if the page it took me to is there new “big app store” that will compete with the iPhone and Blackberry’s app stores, my only response is, “Really?”

Now, I understand that Verizon has been around for a long time and that a lot of people who live in remote areas of the US have been loyal to Verizon and are thankful that Verizon covered them when no one else would but, for me, Verizon has always been a day late and a dollar short. Their phones are always the biggest versions in size and at the bottom on the “cool” list. The only thing keeping them in the game, as far as the technological forefront is concerned, is the Android platform, but it seems inevitable that Google will offer their own service via Voice Over IP in the near future, so who knows how long the Google/Verizon thing will last. If I were a Verizon customer, I’d be counting the days until my contract was up.

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Feb 18

Google Working to Add Translator to Google Goggles

By Chris Samaras Cell Phone Reviews, Interesting Phone Stuff, Phones In The News 1 Comment »

goggles_landmarkIn December, I did a post about what Google Goggles can do for your new or refurbished cell phone. I just read a post from Google today that was pretty impressive. Google is working to integrate their translator program into Google Goggles so that you can take pictures from your phone of things written in a foreign language, and, within a fraction of a second, Google Goggles translates the text for you.

In the video below, you can actually see it working with a menu written in German. According to Google, German is the only language that Goggles can translate as of now, but they plan on making it compatible with 52 languages in the near future.

Google’s online translator does work incredibly well (with, I believe, 52 languages), but Google Goggle with the translator will save you the time of having to enter the foreign text, and, being an avid traveler, I can tell you that the few seconds it takes to enter the foreign text into your phone usually costs you the entire conversation.

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • •
Nov 27

Swype Texting Review

By Chris Samaras Cell Phone Reviews, Interesting Phone Stuff 3 Comments »

htc3I just came across a video that is really interesting and seems to represent the future of text messaging on your new and refurbished cell phones. The software is called Swype and what it enables you to do is text on a touch screen without having to lift your finger, allowing a trained user to text a much quicker speeds than are possible with traditional texting (I think the guy in the video texts a something like 55 words per minute).

The way the system works is you slide your finger from letter to letter, and the software instantly figures out the word you are intending to type. It’s kind of hard to explain, so check out the video for a demonstration.

When the video first started, my initial reaction was, “That’s stupid,” but as the video went on, I began to see the possibilities that this system offers. It seems undeniable that Swype allows you to text faster (once you get used to it) but being a traditional touch typist, I am not sure that I want to train myself to text with one finger. I guess I’d have to try it to really know.

Tagged with: • • • • • • • • • •
Previous Entries Next Entries


Copyright © 2007-2010 TheBlueDot, LLC and BlueDot.
All Rights Reserved. BlueDot and the BlueDot logo are registered trademarks of TheBlueDot, LLC,