Microsoft changes their mind about Family Guy ad partnership
by Justin Horn on Nov 22nd, 2009 @ 9:53 pmPeter Griffin tries to spell Windows 7 in a quick 15 second commercial during tonight’s episode of Family Guy. I guess they thought it was okay to pair their ad with this particular episode? Or they just changed their mind in a desperate attempt to appear cool before Apple puts them out of business?
Better Version:
YouTube Version:
UPDATE Later during the episode (not commercial) Peter has to stop talking as the OSX wait icon pops up, pretty funny.
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Newsweek names Steve Jobs #1 “New Thought Leader”… see what he says…
by Chiyin on Nov 20th, 2009 @ 9:58 am
Newsweeek published their Top 10 List of “New Thought Leaders” (anyone knows what that means?) and they gave Stevie the top spot… And this is what he has to say about that, well sort of:
I definitely deserve it. I’ve done many amazing things in the last 10 years…
Totally deserves it… Hahaha… Actually they got Fake Steve Jobs writing the blurb… Actually it was Katie (what Katie?) and they put his name on it… Right… Anyway, congrats Steve!
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Apples & Oranges, Humor
MicroClone Stores, please don’t try to be original
by Justin Horn on Nov 17th, 2009 @ 4:49 pmYou know by now that Microsoft has started opening their long rumored retail stores which are basically an exact clone of the Apple stores. Can’t really blame them for using a format that works (at least for Apple). Guess someone at Microsoft didn’t like being a clone and decided to add this twist to the mix…oh Microsoft, you make it too easy. You can take the Microsoft out of Redmond, but you can’t take the Redmond out of Microsoft.
(via @cabel)
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Apple vs ?, Humor, Microsoft
Review: Cable Jive duraSync … how tough is your cable?
by Chiyin on Nov 17th, 2009 @ 4:03 pm
A while back Justin had some troubles with his iPhone USB cable breaking and apparently he was not the only one. The folks over at Cable Jive also experienced the same problems but instead of replacing theirs with a standard cable, they created the duraSync, a tougher cable that would not suffer the same tearing as the original.
How tough is this sync cable you ask? Well, our friends at Cable Jive sent us a sample to test it out…
The first thing we noticed was how much thicker the cable is. It has a thick rubber outer layer and a tear resistant inner shielding. The ends are also a lot tougher than the standard ones, the product description says there is a double layer protection on them, I didn’t try to pry them open to find out though, so we’ll take their words for it.
Function wise there’s not much to say, it works just like any other sync cable. Connect your device and it syncs.
To find out how tough the cable really is, we ran a few tests. First we tried pulling it, which didn’t do anything as the inner braided shielding is designed to keep the cable from tearing. Then we tried crushing it in a car door. We were actually able to charge the iPhone while the cable was caught in the car door. And for good measure we decided to run it over with a car. And guess what? The cable still works.
Now the question is, do you really need a cable this tough? And would you pay $20 for it? Personally I don’t think it’s necessary. For my daily use this cable would be overkill, especially when I can get a replacement cable for a fraction of the price. But if you live or work in a rough environment then it would probably make more sense. Overall this is a very well built cable that certainly lives up to its name, but at this price I don’t think it’s for everyone.
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Apples & Oranges, iPhone Accessories, iPod, Reviews
Verizon doubles early-termination fee for smartphones
by Justin Horn on Nov 12th, 2009 @ 9:12 pmDavid Pogue ask, Verizon: How Much Do You Charge Now? In this article he discusses how Verizon is going to double their early termination fee:
Starting next week, Verizon will double the early-termination fee for smartphones. That is, if you get a BlackBerry, Android or similar phone from Verizon, and you decide to switch phones before your two-year contract is up, you’ll be socked with a $350 penalty (it used to be $175).
I guess Verizon is tired of losing customers to AT&T and the iPhone? I have a friend that switched early from Verizon to AT&T to get the iPhone. She wanted the iPhone bad enough that she just paid the fee. So it looks like Verizon’s logic is instead of trying to offer something better to their customer to compete with the iPhone, they are taking them hostage.
This new policy fits right in line with Verizon’s recent moves with negative ads against the iPhone and especially AT&T’s network. AT&T has several lawsuits filed against Verizon claiming false advertising and today publicly responded to Verizon’s ads. The response from AT&T let’s know the ads are serving their purpose, but with this new early-termination fee it’s clear that AT&T and the iPhone are really hurting Verizon’s bottom line.
(via @ApexMI_Bob)
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AT&T publicly responds to Verizon negative ad campaign
by Justin Horn on Nov 12th, 2009 @ 7:52 pm
AT&T just posted a press release entitled “AT&T Sets the Record Straight on Verizon Ads” where they rebut several aspects of Verizon ads. This press release isn’t that surprising as we’ve been hearing all about the behind the scenes lawsuit filings. AT&T has been getting a lot of bad press lately due to network issues and the fact that they limit everything having to do with the iPhone including MMS, tethering, VOIP apps, etc.
AT&T has been working hard though and have made some headway by finally by upgrading many areas to 850MHz and plan to launch HSPA 7.2mbps in 6 cities by the end of the year. They also finally got MMS running and more recently have given Apple permission to allow VOIP apps like Skypes to run on the 3G network (still no tethering though). Even with these improvements AT&T has a long way to go and Verizon is to taking advantage of that…rightly so.
Here are the “key facts” AT&T points out:
AT&T’s wireless data coverage reaches 303 million people – or 97% of the U.S. population, where they live and work. Our data coverage consists of 3 different types of technology:
- 3G. 233 million people or 75% of the population are covered by AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest.
- EDGE. 301 million people or more than 96% of the population are covered by EDGE.
- With both 3G and EDGE coverage, customers can access the Internet, send e-mail, surf the Web, stream music, download videos, send photos, text, talk and more. The only difference – with some data applications, 3G is faster than EDGE
- GPRS. Covers 303 million people, allowing you to talk, text, e-mail and access basic websites optimized for wireless.
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