Jacob Hall, Editor-in-Chief of TapSauce | APPS | 10.14.2011 @ 11:15 am
(Welcome to Mobile News Round-up, the weekly column where we tell you about all of the cool stuff that didn’t get is own post during the week.)
Curious which phone carrier provides the fastest service for your iPhone on a state-by-state basis? This map should sort out your inquiries. Spoiler alert: it’s probably AT&T and if it’s not AT&T, it’s Verizon. Sorry, Sprint fans…but at least you’ve got that unlimited data plan, right?
What’s the future of Google+? Are you still on it? Is anyone still on it? Does it still exist? Apparently. The reasonably new social network had its public launch on September 20th and it’s traffic spiked 1,200%, which sounds great, until you hear about the part where it then plummeted 60% in the ensuing weeks. The current traffic levels are slightly higher than they were before the big launch, but a whole lotta’ people got a taste and decided to retreat to the familiar land of Facebook. Can Google+ survive as a niche network? It’s obviously not as big as Google wanted it to be, so how long until Google attempts a reinvention or pulls the plug? Google engineers accidentally letting their negative feelings on the platform known doesn’t help.
Hey there. Yes, you. The monocle and top hat wearing billionaire who also happens to be an Apple enthusiast. Have you seen this gold plated, diamond encrusted MacBook? I think it’s right up your alley.
If there’s one thing Amazon is exceptionally good at, it’s stealing someone’s thunder. While Apple is breaking records with the iPhone 4S, Amazon is offering 31 Android smartphones for a penny. That’s one cent. Of course, you still need to pay your monthly service fees and what-not, but these are exceptional devices (I can personally vouch for the HTC Incredible). If you can’t snag an iPhone, there is no shame whatsoever in going Android!
I haven’t owned a printer in several years and I rarely miss it. When I do need to print something, all I need to do is stop by my local library and pay a nickel per page and go on my merry way. Take that, printers! Long live email! Let’s just say that new HP printers randomly printing advertisements against your will is not only a waste of ink and paper, it’s a surefire way to guarantee my not buying a new printer anytime soon.
Kickstarter pledges have officially surpassed $100 million, which only solidifies it as the best place to get your independent film financed. Or to raise money to buy a pool table. We all have our priorities.
Mobile web browsing has been steadily overtaking browsing on regular ‘ol computers — Personal computers? You might as well ride a horse to work! — and iPads now account for nearly 7% of all digital traffic. That’s more than the iPhone.
Mobile devices now outnumber human beings in the United States. All they need now is an inspirational leader. Then the war can begin.
If you’re one of those people who woke up this morning and immediately thought “Hmm, I wonder when Angry Birds will stop being popular?”, just know that today is not that day. Shenzen Technology, a Chinese company, has designed a tablet built entirely around playing Angry Birds. In addition to every version of the game, the tablet offers Angry Birds themed ring tones and wallpapers. We thought you should know about this one, just in case you love Angry Birds that much.
The latest version of Foursquare will send you notifications when you’re near locations hosting local activities. Now, there is no reason to plan ahead. Just drive around town until Foursquare tells you what to do. This is the future.
Okay, everyone. You can stop holding your breath. It’s over. It’s finally over. Twitter has secured the trademark for the word “tweet.” Now, a couple billion birds worldwide are contacting their lawyers, wondering if it’s safe to speak.
Remember Google Goggles? Remember how they really didn’t work the way you wanted them to? Now Ebay is using the same technology, so you can photograph something and see what it’s going for on Ebay. This could prove invaluable for collectors of rare goods who stumble across something rare and wonderful at the flea market, but it just needs to work. Well, at least better than Google Goggles.
At least the Blackberry outage has finally proven the existence of extraterrestrial life.
When Apple gave us our first look at Siri, the artificial intelligence that lives in the iPhone 4S and assists us with our every technological whim, the internet instantly became awash in Matrix and SkyNet reference. However, this video that replaces Siri with the hilariously evil GlaDOS from the Portal series of video games probably wins this particular joke contest.
Siri may not be GLaDOS, but at least she has a sense of humor.