This is very exciting news for us to get some press on http://mashable.com/2011/05/11/foursquare-gas-discount-2/”>Mashable. In the Murphy USA Cheap Gas Finder app that we developed, users can check-in via Foursqaure and get discounts!
Here is the link to the article:
http://mashable.com/2011/05/11/foursquare-gas-discount-2/
Filed under Android, iPhone Apps
The best Android apps are getting harder to find in the increasingly crowded Android Market. We’re here to help as we test and rank the top applications available for Android phones.
When T-Mobile launched the very first Android-powered handset – the G1 – back in 2008, the app library to go along with it looked like a minimart beside Apple’s Walmart. But the past few years have been kind to Google. The recent release of several new high-profile Android handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S, Droid X and HTC Evo 4G have turned that initial drizzle of apps into a torrent. Now with over 100,000 apps and counting, Google’s Android Market offers applications for just about everything – sometimes making it difficult to choose. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up what we think are the best Android apps in several different categories to give new users a rough guide to getting the most from their phones, and experienced users a heads up on some apps they may be missing out on.
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Looking for apps to enhance your Super Bowl viewing experience? Check out USA TODAY’s augmented reality tour of Cowboys Stadium, available for iPhone or Android phones.
It features Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones showing you the ins and outs of the Super Bowl venue.
You can see a demo in the video below — then download the app!
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TechCrunch Review: The Name’s iPhone. Verizon iPhone.
Yesterday, I made a 45-minute phone call from my office.
This seemingly unremarkable statement is remarkable for two reasons. First, I was able to place a call from my office — something which was impossible for me to do a week prior. Second, I made it through the entire 45-minutes without the call being dropped once. Again, this was impossible a week prior.
So what changed? Well, my iPhone changed.
I’ve been an iPhone user since day one: June 29, 2007. Over the course of the past three and a half years, the coverage I’ve gotten from my service provider for the device, AT&T, has gone from bad to worse. AT&T would talk about how much money they were putting into upgrades for their system, and would continually promise that things would get better soon. But for whatever reason, in major cities like San Francisco and New York City, the situation has continued to deteriorate.
It’s so bad, in fact, that in the TechCrunch office in the SoMa district of San Francisco it’s impossible to make or receive calls. Perhaps our office is a Faraday cage — one that only seems to affect AT&T — I’m not sure. But what I am sure of is that our office is hardly the only place in the city where the same is true. And even outside of the Bay Area, there’s a reason why there’s so much excitement for the Verizon iPhone.
And now it’s here. And yes, it works. Beautifully.
Build
I’ve had a chance to carry around a Verizon iPhone for the past week or so. It’s a bit odd to write a review about it now because, well, I’ve already reviewed this product before. This initial Verizon iPhone, of course, is just an iPhone 4. It’s the same phone that was released on AT&T’s network last summer. But it has been slightly reworked to make room for a CDMA chip that Verizon’s network requires, replacing the GSM chip that AT&T’s network requires.
But holding it in your hand, most regular users would have no idea that there’s any difference. In fact, the only physical difference is that the single rivet at the top of the device near the headphone jack has been replaced by two matching rivets on either side of the top of the Verizon version of the device. While Apple won’t talk specifics, presumably, this is a change made to the antenna of the device, which is the metal band that wraps around the iPhone 4. As you’re probably aware, Apple had an antenna issue shortly after the iPhone 4′s launch this past summer. As I’ve said time and time again, the issue was real, but it wasn’t a really big issue. And the millions of iPhone 4s that Apple has sold so far are testament to that.
This Verizon version of the iPhone 4 seems to have none of the same antenna issues. Try as I might, using the “death grip” and every other grip I can actually do, I can no longer reproduce the same attenuation problem that the previous iPhone 4 model had. I death grip the thing, and no bars drop. More importantly, calls don’t drop and data doesn’t stop. Again, Apple won’t comment, but problem, apparently, solved.
Moving on.
(Quickly, as an aside, I have noticed that the back of the Verizon version of the iPhone 4 is missing some of the FCC, etc symbols usually found at the bottom of the device — no clue why those are gone, but it’s another small change in the design. It makes the back look even cleaner!)
Service
The single most important thing that would-be AT&T switchers and some new iPhone customers will want to know is: how does it compare to the AT&T version in terms of signal, dropped calls, data, etc. The answer, at least in my neck of the woods (again, San Francisco), is very, very good.
It’s funny, if you spend time in various parts of this city, you’ll know where you can and cannot use an iPhone. Huge swaths of SoMa, for example, are awful. Some parts of the Mission are even worse. Then there are random streets throughout the entire city where AT&T service seemingly disappears into a black hole. I’ve more or less trained myself to know not to even try to use the iPhone in these parts of the city. So it was very, very odd to test out the Verizon iPhone in many of those areas. But guess what? Nearly across the board, the Verizon version of the iPhone worked — as both a phone and a mini data-sucking machine.
I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been to walk through the city while being able to maintain a phone call, or Internet connection. Naturally, there are still a few places I was unable get service, but they’re typically places where it’s understandable — like underground.
Many skeptics will be quick to point out that things may change when Verizon’s network gets swamped with iPhones in the same way that AT&T’s was. The difference is that Verizon’s network is already swamped with data-sucking Android devices. Millions of them. Maybe I’m being naive, but I really don’t expect there to be a problem with Verizon’s network in the same way that there was with AT&T’s. And neither does Verizon. We’ll see, I guess. But the early results are very promising.
Speed
AT&T, in their PR scramble to attempt to hold on to some of their disgruntled users, has been playing up two key things that are advantages of their network over Verizon’s. The first is the ability to make a call and surf the web at the same time. It’s true, you definitely cannot make a call and surf the web at the same time on the Verizon iPhone. To some people, this will matter. But I have really never seen this as a huge issue. If I’m talking on the phone with someone, I’m concentrating on talking with them, not surfing the web. But I realize that everyone is different. But apparently some 90+ million current Verizon subscribers don’t have too much of a problem with this either — as none of them have that capability.
The second issue AT&T has been playing up is the speed of their network. It’s “the fastest 3G network” according to their ad campaigns. In my tests, when both phones have had signal, that is also true. There’s no question that AT&T’s network is faster than Verizon’s for data transfers — both up and down. I’ve tried this all over the city a number of times. AT&T is faster. But — and this is a very big but — in order for AT&T to be faster, it needs to have a signal. And again, that’s simply not the case in large parts of the city. So speed or not, Verizon still wins this battle hands down in my book. I’ll take Verizon’s coverage over AT&T’s speed any day.
As sort of an aside, the one other issue brought up when taking about CDMA versus GSM is that the CDMA version of the iPhone won’t be able to roam internationally. For many countries, particularly those in Europe, that is true. One can only hope that Verizon or Apple come up with some sort of way around this — perhaps partner with another carrier for a deal on a per-use MiFi card to carry around in another country. Or better, just make a CDMA/GSM version of the phone. For now, if you’re going to be doing a lot of traveling, you’re likely to be out of luck.
Hotspot
The big new feature that was touted at the press conference unveiling the Verizon iPhone was the “Personal Hotspot” option. This allows you to turn your iPhone 4 into a WiFi hub that can accept up to five connections. I’ve previously done a walk-through of how this will work. And in the field, it’s just as easy as it initially seemed.
I’ve used this feature a number of times over the past week. It’s brilliant. It could not be any easier to set up and manage. Once you enable it and connect, a blue bar will appear at the top of the phone’s screen letting you know that the hotspot feature is enabled. And it will tell you how many devices are currently connected.
Unlike with phone calls, other data can also come in at the same time you’re using the phone as a hotspot. For example, Push Notifications still stream in when you’re connected. If you receive a call, the phone will ask you if you want to connect. If you do, it will sever your data connection, ending the hotspot capabilities. But when you hang up, you can push one button to resume.
Yes, I realize other phones have had this hotspot capability for some time now. In fact, when I reviewed the EVO 4G, it was pretty much the only thing I liked about the device. But the iPhone 4′s Personal Hotspot blows it away for one reason: battery life.
The EVO’s battery lasted something ridiculously low, like 90 minutes, with the hotspot feature turned on. In my tests, the iPhone 4 can give you a solid 4 hours of hotspot/tethering time. That’s from a fully charged battery, all the way down to zero. I’ve run it down fully twice. Both times, just about four hours.
Verizon plans to charge an extra $20 for the hotspot feature. That’s on top of the $30 you’ll pay for data for the iPhone 4 (which is currently unlimited, unlike AT&T’s capped plans). But if you’ve ever owned a wireless dongle, you’ll know that $20 is well worth it — the dongles usually cost you upwards of $60 a month for the same 2 GB of data usage.
The Verizon iPhone Versus The iPhone On Verizon’s Network
A few months ago, before the Verizon iPhone was announced, I wrote a post entitled: The “Verizon iPhone” Versus “The iPhone On Verizon’s Network”. The main idea behind the post was to wonder what the Verizon version of the device would be like when Verizon and Apple finally came to terms they could agree upon? As I said at the time, Verizon would undoubtedly love to load the device up with crapware in the same fashion that they’ve done with their Android devices, and all of the other devices they’ve sold over time. Apple, on the other hand, obviously would not want that. But would they have to make any concessions to get a deal done?
The best part of the Verizon iPhone is that no, Apple did not have to make any concessions. The Verizon iPhone is not a “Verizon iPhone” — it’s an “iPhone on Verizon’s network”. There’s no Verizon branding anywhere on the device aside from the upper left of the screen which shows you the carrier next to the signal strength. There are no pre-loaded Verizon apps. There are no apps that work on the AT&T iPhones that won’t work on this model. Every app you’ve bought in the App Store will install and work on this Verizon version of the device. FaceTime is interoperable over the two devices. So is Game Center.
Will Verizon have their own apps in the App Store that they’ll want you to buy? Undoubtedly. But this is very clearly Apple’s device. Not Verizon’s.
So Is It Worth It?
If you’re an AT&T iPhone customer at the end of your contract who lives in an area with poor AT&T service, you need to get to an Apple or Verizon store next week to get this updated device. Seriously, mark down February 9 on your calendar so that you pre-order it. Then show up at a store on February 10 to pick it up.
If you’re an AT&T iPhone customer still on contract who lives in an area with poor AT&T service, I would definitely consider getting this updated device. It may be a few hundred dollars out of pocket, but think of that compared to what you’ve paid to AT&T over the years. If you’re anything like me, it makes you want to scream.
If you’re an AT&T iPhone customer still on contract who lives in an area with good AT&T service, then no, this probably isn’t the device for you.
If you’re a non-iPhone user who is interested in checking it out but has been waiting for it to come to Verizon, this is absolutely for you.
The caveat to all of this is that it’s well known that Apple releases a new version of the iPhone every summer. Expect this summer to be no different. So if you buy this iPhone 4 on Verizon right now, know that there’s a good chance that an iPhone 5 will be out in six months or less. One can only hope that Apple and Verizon would do the right thing and allow the early Verizon iPhone adopters to upgrade to the iPhone 5 for a heavily discounted (if not fully subsidized price). But it’s still very much up in the air.
Hell, we don’t even know for sure that Verizon will get the iPhone 5 this summer. Perhaps it will be AT&T-only based on some sort of contractual agreement. But the latest rumors suggest that a CDMA/GSM hybrid iPhone 5 that works on both AT&T and Verizon may be the most likely bet. So again, it comes down to how badly you want an iPhone on Verizon right now — and the hope that Verizon and Apple will do the right thing for customers in a few months.
For me, as someone who has spent three and a half years fed up with AT&T, the Verizon iPhone is absolutely, 100 percent worth it. I’ve already cancelled my AT&T contract (by way of Google Voice, actually) and I cannot forsee a future where I ever go back.
There’s long been a slogan that goes along with many Apple products — “it just works”. It’s also the best way to sum up this review. The iPhone 4 on Verizon: it just works.
Filed under Uncategorized
Based on new findings by trends analytics company, www.TheInternetTimeMachine.com, search volume and worldwide conversations based around help for a “Facebook addiction” is growing faster than some offline addictions, including sex addiction. The company compares search engine queries, blog conversation, and forum posting to organic and pay-per-click results for subjects to find new trends and ncihes with high demand worldwide, yet low supplier or informational results.
Middleton, MA (PRWEB) February 2, 2011
Based on new findings by trends analytics company, www.TheInternetTimeMachine.com, search volume and worldwide conversations based around help for a “Facebook addiction” is growing faster than some offline addictions, including sex addiction. The company compares search engine queries, blog conversation, and forum posting to organic and pay-per-click results for subjects to find new trends and niches with high demand worldwide, yet low supplier or informational results.
With all the accolades that Facebook has achieved in its early life, has it finally achieved a milestone that even Mark Zuckerberg never dreamed of? Has Facebook become more addictive than sex? That is a recent conclusion based on comparing worldwide search volume and blog conversations to relevant search engine results. “The rise in interest around terms centered around ‘Facebook addiction’ is off the charts,” says Internet Time Machine founder, Curt Dalton. “There are three very rapidly growing digital addictions that need a product or solution for those looking for it, and Facebook is growing at a faster pace than some offline addictions.”
The Internet Time Machine trends software monitors search engine queries and worldwide blog and forum conversation to find new niches and trends that are starting to grow in popularity, yet don’t have a sufficient number of organic or pay-per-click search engine results. “We use the economics equation of supply and demand and we apply it to the entire searchable Internet. Right now we monitor 55,000,000 sources every 24 hours,” added Dalton.
“The biggest mistake that companies and individuals in Internet marketing make in trying to develop products for these addiction niches, is that they develop the product for the addict person. In reality, the search is being done by a loved one or someone who wants to help the addicted person. The product need to be designed for a loved one trying to help, not the patient,” concluded Dalton.
The top 3 digital addictions as defined by growing worldwide interest and having scant information available to help the person searching? The phrases “email addiction”, “Facebook addiction”, and “internet addiction” all rank in near the top for growing areas of digital addiction. “The phrase ‘Chinese Internet addiction’ is growing too, so if you have a product or idea to help internet addiction victims, make sure you translate it to Chinese and you will own a whole niche in China,” Curt Dalton says.
The idea of using supply and demand in finding new trends and niches in unique to the Internet Time Machine software. “We saw everyone just looking at demand, like search volume, when trying to find a trend or niche, and we thought supply, or relevant results for those searches was just as important in trying to figure out if a trend or niche has enough suppliers or information, to see if was saturated or not,” added Ali Khan, head of IT for The Internet Time Machine project. “Search demand for solutions to “Facebook addiction” is up 1000% on the search engine NowRelevant.com. NowRelevant.com is a great new search engine since it only goes back the last 14 days and gives you a very fresh perspective on trends and niches,” added Khan.
The most searched for addiction help based on offline trends continues to be around phrases using the words alcohol, drugs, oxycontin, and heroin. “Unfortunately, there are still a lot of people with serious addictions that are looking for treatment and help in the online world for offline addictions,” says Dalton. “I hope one day we can see search volume for those trends go to zero.”
For more trend and niche information, visit www.TheInternetTimeMachine.com.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/02/02/prweb5029174.DTL#ixzz1D1Em7sVV
Filed under Uncategorized
Check out our Full Page Ad in the February Issue of Angeleno.
Filed under Uncategorized
Close your eyes and picture Times Square in New York City. What do you see? Probably an insane amount of ads. Sadly, that’s the defining characteristic. But what would it look like without ads? A few groups have teamed up to create a web app to find out.
No Ad – NY is a collaboration between Aviary, The Barbarian Group, and Morgan Spurlock’s Warrior Poets. The idea is simple: take a 360-degree picture of Time Square, and use an online picture editor to remove all the ads, the re-upload the edited picture to show the world what a Times Square without ads would look like.
Specifically, the image has been cut up into 100 smaller images that users are asked to click on to edit in Aviary to remove the ads in their frame. Currently, five of the frames are done, and at this rate, the hope is that all of them will be done in a couple of weeks (though it could be sooner).
So why do this? As the site states, Spurlock was inspired by Sao Paolo, Brazil. That city has banned all outdoor advertisements since 2007 in an effort to clean up “visual pollution”. (Check out the video below.) So Spurlock called upon The Barbarian Group and Aviary to create a virtual way to do the same thing.
Something tells me that Spurlock, best known for his extreme documentaries like Super Size Me, also has another documentary in mind here. So get to work and clean up Times Square — just like New York did in the 90s, but this time you get to remove ads instead of strippers.
Filed under Uncategorized
A survey from market analysis firm Compete finds that almost two thirds of mobile phone users’s next phones will not be smartphones.
It may come as a surprise to the tech-savvy, high-end, data-enabled, mobile broadband-addicted among us, but there are plenty of mobile phone users out there who aren’t using smartphones. And it’s not just because they haven’t gotten around to upgrading yet: according to a survey conducted by market analysis firm Compete.com, some 65 percent of wireless device users do not plan to get a smartphone when they buy their next device. Instead, they’ll be sticking with “dumb phones,” or feature phones that lack the flexibility and applications of major smartphone platforms.
The survey was conducted back in November, and found that over one third (35 percent) planned to get a smartphone as their next mobile phone. The survey found some variations in the types of smartphones that current cellphone owners were eyeing as a smartphone purchase: folks looking to Sprint devices were more likely than folks considering other carriers to go for a “business-focused smartphone, while folks considering Verizon and AT&T were more likely to consider an “inexpensive” smartphone. T-Mobile and Sprint roughly tied for the number of people considering “advanced” smartphones, although the numbers of users considering T-Mobile and Sprint were substantially lower than those considering AT&T and Verizon Wireless. (It should be noted this survey was conducted before Verizon announced it would begin selling the iPhone in February.)
Among the 65 percent of respondents who said they planned to stick with “dumb” phones or feature phones, cost was cited as the most significant reason: between voice and text plans, data plans, bandwidth caps, and possible add-on services like acting as a mobile hotspot, smartphone bills can easily approach (or exceed) $100 per month. Other non-smartphone users felt that smartphones just didn’t offered compelling features: after all, most feature phones these days can take pictures, play music, and even GPS and Web browsing capabilities.
Filed under Uncategorized
Two of today’s fresh apps seek to improve on existing services. Latify attempts build a better Google Lattitude and Social Secrets allows you to use Facebook’s powerful communication but make it more private. Finally, the PADI app let’s you locate SCUBA dive shops. Yeah, it’s winter, but we can dream.
Latify (~$2.73)
Google’s Latitude allows you to track the real-time locations of friends displayed on a map. The new Latify aims to improve on the service with background GPS syncing, offline capability, and location history.
With Latify, you can set the app to update locations even if the app is running in the background. Also, Google’s service must be online to function, but Latify offers an offline mode – where you can see where your friends most recently were when you were last online. Using the location history feature you can then see a line of movement from where your friends have been to where they are now.
PADI (Free)
PADI stands for the Professional Association of Dive Instructors. It is one of the two major SCUBA diver certification organizations in the world. Now, they have an Android app!
The PADI app allows you to search for PADI-certified dive shops. You can use your phone’s location as the search info, or enter in a physical address. The app provides the list near the location and allows you to navigate there. PADI dive shops offers dive lessons, SCUBA gear, air tank fill-ups, and more.
Download our new Android app!
Social Secrets (Free)
Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are so public! These popular services are becoming the standard for personal communication but unless you use the one-to-one message options, you are sharing your messages for others with everyone.
Enter Social Secrets. This app lets you scramble your messages so that they can’t be read by anyone but the recipients you want. There are two levels of scramble – one where the receiver just has to cut and paste the scrambled message into the app to see the decoding, and one which uses a shared key to make it even more secure.
Filed under Uncategorized
