Shure Unveils New USB Mics for PC Users

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Shure unveiled a pair of new USB microphones called the PG27USB and the PG42USB side condenser microphones. Both of the mics are shipping now. The mics are designed to complement the Shure line of pro mics and home recording products.

Both mics connect directly to a PC via a USB port with plug and play performance. The cardioid condenser mics have built-in headphone monitoring and zero latency with a mix control. This allows the user to hear what they are recording on the go and make adjustments. Read more

Posted on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

T-Mobile Users Can Now Get Motorola Cliq

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If you are a T-Mobile customer, you can now get the Motorola Cliq for $199 plus activation fees and the typical associated costs with getting a new mobile phone. All other users will not be able to get the Cliq until November 2nd.

The Cliq is one of Motorola's very anticipated Android smartphones. One of the key features of the Cliq is Motoblur to allow you to see apps without having to launch them fully. The device is built around social networking with access to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and more from the home screen. Read more

Posted on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Data Recovery for Sidekick Users Successful Says Microsoft

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Microsoft issued an official statement regarding the T-Mobile Sidekick Data Loss disaster. The statement is signed by VP Premium Mobile Experience Roz Ho and says that Microsoft recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage.

Microsoft plans to begin restoring personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after the company has validated the data and restoration plan. Read more

Posted on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:28:06 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft Opening Zune Services To Apple Users?

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Zune isn't just a brand of media player, it's also a subscription-based music and video service that exists outside of any one set of devices. At least, that's the way Microsoft is increasingly starting to view the Zune service in light of disappointing media player sales. While the HD has been a fairly successful device, it's become increasingly clear to all observers that it isn't going to 'kill' the iPod. That's why, according to ZDNet, Microsoft is looking into providing the Zune subscription service to Apple users.

Apparently Redmond's thinking is, "If you can't beat 'em, sell them a $15/month subscription service and get their money that way." Jose Pinero, a Director of Communications at Microsoft, told ZDNet that his company was looking into making their Zune services available on a wider variety of platforms, including the iPod/iPhone.

Posted on Thu, 8 Oct 2009 09:49:18 CDT | by Robert Evans

Apple Surveys User Battery Life Issues

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After iPhone OS 3.1 hit, people started to notice some problems. Outside of the Exchange issues, 3.1 also lead a number of people to experience a precipitous drop in battery life. While the problems with Exchange came from Apple fixing something that was broken, the origin of these new battery issues is a mystery. According to AppleInsider, AppleCare workers are busy getting to the bottom of it right away.

They've started sending out brief, 11 question surveys to certain customers who posted in the Apple support discussion forums. Apple is also asking these users to download an attachment that allows their iPhone to log its battery life. If Apple can get some useful info on what is causing the battery drain, they should be able to fix it.

Posted on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:39:59 CDT | by Robert Evans

99% of iPhone Users Satisfied, 55% Dislike AT&T

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As a general rule, customers tend to be quite satisfied with their Apple purchases. App Store faults aside, the company makes great products that are loved by millions of people around the world. The iPhone 3GS is no exception; AppleInsider reported today on a ChangeWave survey about customer satisfaction with the 3GS.

The results were largely positive. The 200 person study found that 99% of respondents reported being satisfied with their purchase. 82% of those people stated that they were “very satisfied” with the 3GS. This is a substantial improvement over the satisfaction scores of both prior generations of iPhone, and is a testament to Apple's ability to adapt to meet customer needs.

Posted on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:30:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Global Handset Nav Users to Hit 26M in 2010

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ABI Research reports that the number of global mobile navigation device users is set to grow to 26 million by 2010. ABI says that PNDs and in-dash navigation device sales are slipping in the global economic recession, but sales of smartphones are booming. Along with the booming smartphone sales, more users are signing up for navigation services on mobile phones.

The region of strongest growth for mobile nav services will be the Asia-Pacific region. Navigation software is being launching for all major smartphone platforms including Android, iPhone, and webOS. ABI points out that there are still some barriers to entry for many mobile users, the largest of which is cost. Read more

Posted on Mon, 6 Jul 2009 19:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

World of Warcraft Users can tweet now with TweetCraft

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There is a new add-on for the massive online game World of Warcraft that lets players use Twitter from inside the game.
TweetCraft is an in-game Twitter client for World of Warcraft featuring sending and receiving Tweets in-game, Queue Tweets, Upload in-game screenshots using TwitPic, AutoTweet when you log in, and Extensibility, so that AddOn authors can register messages or events to AutoTweet.

As if Twitter would just need another huge user group, but here we go and Twitter will grow again with this connection. According to Hitwise, the site is now the fifth most viewed social networking site. As reported Twitter does not like it when 3rd party tools use Tweet or Twitter in the naming of there tool. Read more

Posted on Sun, 5 Jul 2009 09:23:59 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Users Like Bing More, But Still Prefer Google

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Microsoft's unprecedented advertising campaign to turn Bing into a household name continues on unabated. With Google weathering slings from the government and consumer advocacy groups, now is the perfect time for Microsoft to start making inroads. Right now, Bing holds steady as the third most popular search engine in the U.S, right behind Yahoo and miles away from Google. The question is, will it ever get big enough to yank the #1 spot out from under Google?

A new study from the Catalyst Group says...no, no it won't. They studied the surfing habits of 12 users and found that, after trying several search engines, 8 out of 12 wanted to stick with Google, primarily for reasons of comfort. The users were also asked to rate the search engines they used. Most of them rated Bing as the superior engine, but that didn't make them want to switch.

Posted on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:20:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Users Report iPhone 3.0 Upgrade Problems

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It's no secret that there have been some issues with the iPhone 3.0 upgrade release. Slow servers have been a bit of a problem, thanks to the sheer volume of people downloading the firmware upgrade. That is pretty much par for the course. What's surprising are the issues that the 3.0 upgrade itself is causing.

For one thing, a bunch of first and second generation iPod Touch owners have encountered WiFi problems since updating. Most of the issues deal with the iPod failing to reconnect to the network after sliding into sleep mode. Every time the iPod goes dark, users are forced to reconnect manually to the Internet. Some owners have also experienced more severe issues, like the Touch failing to recognize its own internal WiFi chip.

Posted on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:40:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

VoiceSafe for iPhone Opens with Users Voice

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Voicetrust has announced a new security application for the iPhone called VoiceTrust. The software allows the owner of the iPhone to log in and retrieve personal secrets using their voice alone. The company says that a free version of the software will be available in the next month.

Voicesafe stores PIN numbers, credit card numbers, debit card numbers, passwords, and other personal information directly on the iPhone. When setup the software has the user say a sentence that will be used for their password. Read more

Posted on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Study Shows iPhone Users Are Wealthy and Nerdy

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Forrester Research just released a study that gives us a fascinating look at iPhone owners as a demographic. The study costs about $750 for full access, but luckily for us AppleInsider has posted a summary. The study shows that iPhone owners are, by and large, younger, wealthier, and more in-touch with the online world than other smartphone and mobile phone users.

That shouldn't really surprise anyone. Apple is a hip company and the iPhone is the most fashionable smartphone you can own. The iPhone is a fairly pricey smartphone, and the folks who buy one tend to spend more money on their phone plans than other smartphone users. They spend a lot more time browsing the Internet through their phones than other mobile users, and they're more likely to use their phone to keep up-to-date on their company's network than non-iPhone owners.

Posted on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:20:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

AT&T Leads the U.S. in Smartphone Users.

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If you walk around with the Internet in your pants, chances are it comes courtesy of AT&T. The communications giant has twice as many smartphone users as any other carrier in the United States. They are also industry leaders when it comes to so-called 'integrated devices', which are texting and picture messaging phones with QWERTY keyboards and a load of IM applications. Almost 32% of AT&T's business comes from these 'integrated' phones.

This new info comes courtesy of an independent market research study conducted by Bloomberg. AT&T intends to use this to kick off a new ad campaign that "highlights its smartphone leadership and illustrates the many ways AT&T customers stay productive using smartphones.."

Posted on Fri, 15 May 2009 11:50:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Over Half of US Phone Users Access Mobile Content Weekly

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A new study released by Frank N. Magid Associates has shown that in the US 51% of all mobile phone users access some sort of mobile content on a weekly basis. According to the study, users spend more time accessing mobile content each week than the average user spends sending text messages. Each week 39 minutes are spent on mobile content with 38 minutes spent texting.

The study shows that users spend an average of 44 minutes talking on their phone each week. Most of the mobile content accessed is mobile games, music, and social networking. The study shows that 80% of mobile social networking is done by 12 to 34 year olds while news consumption is mostly used by 18-54 year olds. Read more

Posted on Fri, 15 May 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

AMD Promises Ultimate Visual Experience for Windows 7 RC Users

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AMD has announced that it is providing computer users running the new Windows 7 Release Candidate with the ultimate visual experience. AMD has announced a new Windows 7 driver that has received WHQL certification for compatibility and performance.

The new driver offers a unified installer package and is compatible with Windows Display Driver Model 1.1. AMD says that it continues to work closely with Microsoft to ensure that its hardware and software are compatible and ready for the full launch of Windows 7. Read more

Posted on Thu, 7 May 2009 08:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Apple to iPhone Users: No More 'Baby Shaker'

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It looks like the arbiters of good taste in the App Store let one slip Monday when they approved Baby Shaker, a $.99 app from Sikalosoft that allows users to silence a virtual baby’s cries by shaking the iPhone. Players “win” when the virtual baby is muted, triggering red x’es over the baby’s eyes.

According to CNET, the app description included this gem from the makers, "See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!"

Posted on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:40:00 CDT | by James Douglas

Magellan RoadMate GPS offers OneTouch User interface

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Magellan has announced its newest GPS device called the RoadMate 1470 featuring OneTouch user interface. The 1470 has a 4.7-inch display and offers premium navigation features like the AAA TourBook and highway signs, along with lane guidance.

The OneTouch favorite drop-down menu offers personalized search icons to find favorite places. An AAA member roadside assistance menu is also built-in. Highway lane assist helps assure that drivers are in the right lane for the next upcoming turn. Read more

Posted on Tue, 7 Apr 2009 13:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Tap Tap Revenge Downloaded by 1 out 3 iTunes App Users

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I really like the App Store on iTunes and anytime I find myself sitting with nothing to do, I inevitably end up surfing the available free apps. I don’t really like paying for apps though. According to comScore the iPhone/iPod touch game from Tapulous called Tap Tap revenge has been downloaded by 1 out of every 3 iTunes application store users.

comScore says that it is impressive that a game from a small studio like Tap Tap Revenge can achieve a better penetration than games from larger studios. The game has even higher penetration numbers than MySpace Mobile and Facebook's applications. Read more

Posted on Tue, 7 Apr 2009 09:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Snow Leopard rumored to get major User Interface Update Marble

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Apple always stated that the new OS X update will focus on stability, performance and security. Now the rumors that Snow Leopard is indeed getting a major UI update are raised again by Apple Insider.
The new Snow Leopard UI is really supposed to be called Marble as rumored already back in January.

The new UI is possibly part of the next developer build of Snow Leopard. Read more

Posted on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:16:40 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Confessions of a Reformed IE7 User

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For as long as I have been using a computer and surfing the Internet (it has been over a decade now) I have been using Internet Explorer. I have never wanted to try another browser, trusty IE did what I wanted and usually worked well.

Over the last several months I have been plagued by issues with IE7 that didn’t pop-up until some of the more recent updates for Windows Vista. I'm not sure if the issues with the browser locking up several times per day, the browser not being able to access web pages and other assorted miseries were due to my specific system or if other users were seeing the same issues. Read more

Posted on Fri, 6 Mar 2009 12:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

YouTube Passes the 100 Million User Mark

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If you ever needed more proof that YouTube was very popular, you can get it today. According to ComScore YouTube has passed the 100 million viewer mark. Too bad that despite all of that traffic Google still isn’t sure how to make money off the site.

Overall Internet users viewed a whopping 14.8 billion videos during January 2009. That amount is hard to fathom and is a 4% increase from December 2008. Hulu did pretty well with 250,473 videos viewed over the month. Read more

Posted on Thu, 5 Mar 2009 09:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun