The $129 Android Tablet
This deal could be too good to pass up. If you missed out on the last TouchPad deal or you would like a tablet for testing, reading or gifting, today might be your lucky day.
For $129 you can walk away with the Skypad Alpha 7 inch Android Tablet.
Its available today only on Groupon Deals for $129.99. (sign up if youre not a member)
If you miss the deal, you can get more information on their Amazon Review Page.
Tablet Comparison Grid
Choosing the right tablet can be difficult. This grid might help you make the right choice. Or, will it make things harder?
How To Turn Off LTE
If you live in a LTE market and you have the Lg Revolution or the Droid Bionic, toggling back to 3G can be a battery saver. This tip is also useful if LTE hasn't reached your hometown yet and you need to conserve some juice.
With a few simple clicks your 4G can be turned on and off.
- Go settings
- Scroll to wireless and networks
- Go to mobile network
- Click on network mode and select CDMA Only
If you want to toggle back to LTE, do the same and select CDMA/LTE instead of CDMA only and you are good to go.
1 Reason to Try Groupon
This receipt speaks for itself... Learn more about Groupon <-- here
[photo via Techcrunch]
I Love Pictureka
I've had the iPad for a minute and I can honestly say that Pictureka by EA is one fun family game. I'm not a big gamer when it comes to my mobile devices (that's what my psx is for) but after EA put a few titles on sale, I decided to spend a little.
Pictureka is a simple picture finding game but with a mix of great looney graphics, upbeat music and interactive game play it's a good investment for kids and grown ups alike.
Pictureka (Itunes Store)
How To Add Google Contacts to Your iPad 2
I love my iPad 2 but I must say that I'm not a fan of syncing to iTunes to keep my contacts up to date.
A friend of mine recently reminded me that gmail can act as an exchange account (which is perfect for contact management) on your iPad.
If you want gmail contacts on your iPad without having to hook it up to computer, do not add it as a "gmail" account under mail settings. Add it as an Exchange account. Check out the server settings below.
Cheers!
How To Put Movies On Your Ipad 2
Thanks Cookie!
Thanks to @atlboricua's Grandma, I now have an iPad 2 case... You can always still get yours here!
The Top Ten Tech Toys for Christmas 2010
This is my Top Ten Tech Toys for Christmas 2010. Technology has brought us lots of goodies since last Christmas. It was difficult to pick just ten. Let me know which ones you're eyeing and what gadget you thought should have made the cut. Also, before you get too critical, the list isn't sorted by influence or impact so go easy 
This new ebook reader has been packing a punch in the past few months. It's a great gift for the gadgeteer who isn't quite ready for a tablet but would love to take their books with them on the go
This is currently the second most requested item by teenagers surveyed in the past two weeks. The sleek design, dual cameras, apps and the ability to browse the web makes you almost forget that this thing started out as just an mp3 player.
Stylishly the most popular android based tablet currently on the market, the 7inch design is small enough to sneak into any situation. From watching movies to playing angry birds, the Galaxy gets the job done without being cumbersome.
I've loved the Flip series of video cameras since the Mino. The HD Ultra gives you the ability to become the next YouTube sensation without breaking the bank!
Imagine being able to use the Flip Ultra HD under water!! This video camera option is a perfect gift for that geek who's also an outdoors-man.
Let's face it; blackberry addicts are jumping ship for android and iphone lovers despise android. And with devices on every carrier across the globe, non-android users are getting curious about the fuss. With customization options, multi media capabilities and an ever growing app store, any android phone is better than what you have now.
Basically "You Are The Controller". Gesture based gaming goes beyond what the Wii and Playstation Move have shown us so far. Kinect literally lets you get in the game!
The Playstation Move has the motion controls of the Kinect and the controller functionality of the Wii. As stated before, motion gaming is the future and now you can do it on the console that already does it all --> your PS3
The Nook is one of my favorite ebook readers. Running on an android based platform, the Nook gives you access to over 2 million books driven by the Barnes and Noble network.
The iPad is by far the biggest selling tablet to date with over 4 million sold since launch. And if you play with one for 10 minutes its not hard understand why. The feel, features and practicality of the iPad makes it great for any one. From music to recipes to games to business, this tablet gets the job done for a competitive price.
Tech Deals
There's a lot to choose from so construct your wish list wisely. To take advantage of Tech Toy Christmas deals Click Here.
Location Is The New Hustle
I logged into the web based version of twitter a couple of hours ago and found a new surprise. One of my status updates had a new tab beside it in addition to the city that I was broadcasting from.
This didn't bother me. After all, I'm aware and actually encouraged by Foursquare to "shout" my location for additional points. If you haven't heard about foursquare, it's one of many new geo social networking tools on the tech scene. Foursquare managed to get me free breakfast so i'll be sticking with them for a while.
But Foursquare and now Twitter aren't the only ones making noise. Facebook announced yesterday that they will soon add location based information to their status updates as well. With a global rise in GPS equiped smartphone usage as well as the growing need for everyone to socialize via online networks, another boom is on the way.
How can you capitalize? It's simple. If you are a business owner it's time to make your establishment Geo-Tag ready. Foursquare already has a system in place for business owners to offer incentives for check ins. Yowza, a popular iPhone app, is fueled on generating ecoupons for tech savvy shoppers. The mash up of location based incentives will be huge in the later part of this year.
My predication is that Google will eventually blend Buzz with Google Latitude and mix in their Favorite Places launch in order to compete with start ups such as Foursquare and Yowza.
Another question is, are consumers ready? Shoppers and mobile phone users are already sharing more information than they even know. Adding location to the mix opens up more information than ever before. The benefits are huge. Imagine walking into a store and being able to experience ads that are based on buying history or preference. It could make life very simple but at what stage would you consider it an invasion of privacy?
Either way, know that Location will soon be King. Business owners and consumers ask yourself if you are ready to play.
P.S. you can stalk me using my own Geo-Social page --> currently.at
Musically Amazing
So here's the question... If you had the musical talent and you were locked in your room for three months, what would you come up with? Ask Kutiman.
Kutiman is an Israeli producer who took hundreds of Youtube videos, spliced and sampled them together for the ultimate funk, reggae, hiphop, jungle, techno, jazz, pop visual mash-up ever. Using different instruments and vocals from amatuers across youtube, he has created seven tracks. You can watch three of them below but please eventually visit the ThruYou site to hear/watch all seven tracks.
And the marketing? Well, he has no record label... This is all viral. The project was initiated by 3 people who emailed a total of 20 people, who then spread it through twitter, myspace and facebook. Just when technology or music seems like it's up against the wall, someone does something amazing.
Updates To Tied In (Free Blackberry Apps)
Since the soft launch of the Tied.In app a few weeks ago, I have received tons of new free material for your blackberry devices
Here are some of my favorites
Slacker Radio - free streaming radio
Mapquest Mobile 4 - Mapquest on the Go
Audible - Audiobook Player (thanks Jim)
Talk Lock - AutoLock Your Blackberry Storm during phone calls
To download these new apps plus any other free apps from the library, just download the tied.in app first and everything else is cake.
Check out Tied.In
If you have any other Free Blackberry Software suggestions, please let me know
Tied In Free Blackberry App
As many of you already know, I am a blackberry fanatic. In my efforts to spread the gospel I try my best to spread my favorite free blackberry utilities to everyone I know. I usually did this with a blog post or twitter update or even via pin messages.
In an effort to keep up and keep you updated, I've whipped up a simple free blackberry app that will help you get more free blackberry apps.
This tiny app is totally free so pass it along to your blackberry buddies, especially new users who are always asking you for new tools. If you would like to see a link added, just hit me up in twitter or drop a comment on this post.
To get Tied.In visit http://tied.in
Pay it forward!
How To Update Your Blackberry
In February of 2008, RIM announced that a big update was coming out for its BlackBerry handsets: OS v4.5. You can read all about the new features here and here. It ended up taking about 8 months before the update actually became available, but it's finally arrived... well, for some BlackBerries, on some wireless carriers. Rather than go nuts trying to figure out if yours is one of them, RIM has a Web site that will easily check your 'Berry and update it if applicable. Here's what you do:
1. Hop on a Windows computer running Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher.
2. Plug in your BlackBerry via USB cable.
3. Use Internet Explorer to navigate to http://na.blackberry.com/eng/update/.
4.Click "Check for Updates."
Mod Your Blackberry
Five years ago today, I was modding Nextel phones for a living. Knocking out i95's in 15 minutes and lining them up with l.e.d.s - until... I got burnt out!!
Today, I just did my first blackberry mod and I remembered why I decided to get out of the game. I just don't have time. Even though the berry turned out sweet, I can't see myself turning this into a business model. Instead, I'll point you to the video so you can learn how to break the warranty on your device yourself. Check out Blackberry Housings and get your precision screwdriver set ready.
Click here to see more Nextel throwbacks from five years ago!!
Using Twitter to track words and uh yourself
I was starting to get disturbed by the fact that I couldn't get notified of @replies to myself unless I had direct message/sms notification on for the person I was following. People have been replying but sometimes while on the go, I wouldn't know until I logged back into twhirl or jumped back on to check statuses.
While digging around on twitter I found a tracking command. Via sms you can track a work on the fly simply by typing track and then the word. This can be great for following whatever it is you follow in your industry. If you are a widget maker and you are away from your computer, you can type in track widgets and get notified on the spot or until the next person (even if you are not following them) talks about widgets.
To untrack, just type in - untrack word.
Now on to my original problem. If you want to get notified of all of your @name replies, just track @yourname and you will know when people are replying to you or at least twittering about you behind your back
If you're not following me yet, it's @casthompson
My favorite Twitter Tools
I never thought that I would say this, but I'm feeling Twitter. In the past two years I've signed up for at least a dozen social networking sites. I test them out, I study, I network and then I leave them alone. The truth of the matter is, if it doesn't make me any money or makes my life easier, then it's a waste of time.
As simple as it is, Twitter makes my life easier and makes me money (indirectly). With so much other stuff to manage, I hardly blog on my own personal site anymore but everyone still want's to know what I'm up to. Twitter is very public but in an intimate way.
Here are five Twitter Tools that help me throughout the day.
Twitterberry - is a mobile app designed for the blackberry. It's free and very easy to use. It's also a great way to save on sms charges if you don't subscribe to a texting plan. You will need data services active on your blackberry but then again, why would you have a blackberry with no data services? The program handles replies and direct messaging flawlessly as well. Many of my Iphone pals are using ThinCloud
Twhirl - is a desktop AIR client for your PC. When I am online this is the only client I'll use. Very intuitive and responsive. Twhirl will also handle multiple Twitter accounts at once. Great for site owners who pull multiple followers to different accounts. Honestly Twhirling is easier than using Twitter's own homepage.
Twitterfeed - feeds your blog to twitter. Simply put - blog something and it's gets pushed automatically to your twitter account. It's a great way to feed traffic back to your blog but can come off spammy if you publish a blog not in tune with your current twitter following. I currently feed this site as well as my couscous site. <--- shameless plug
TwitPic - keeps your audience awake with an occasional picture. Twitpic uses pictures taken with your mobile phone and sends it along as a Tweet. Tweets are only 140 characters but a picture can be worth a thousand... well, you know the rest. Their homepage also has an interesting mash-up of google maps, similar to Twittervision.
Summize - is a Twitter Conversation Search engine. I use Summize for research only. It's a great way to getter Twitter user's opinions on products, places, movies, media, websites and just about anything. Every now and again, i'll toss out a question to my followers but having the opportunity to search the world of Tweets can be powerful.
Twitter is simple and it works. If you're not on it yet, sign up. If you're already on, what are some of your favorite Twitter Tools? Tell me on twitter... www.twitter.com/casthompson
Free Blackberry Links
Here is my list of favorite blackberry tools that I have come across over the years. The links in this article are mostly meant to be downloaded directly from your browser's screen. Knock yourself out!
Blackberry Ringtones
www.blackberrymp3s.com
Facebook
www.blackberry.com/facebook
Myspace
http://m.myspace.com
Youtube
http://m.youtube.com
Google Search, Google Reader, Google Docs, Gmail, Google Maps
http://m.google.com
Blackberry Wallpapers
www.blackberrywallpapers.com
Bank of America
http://mobilebanking.bankofamerica.com/bb/
Opera – Alternate Browser for Blackberry
www.operamini.com/download
http://mobile.nytimes.com/bbinstall
http://mobileapps.cnbc.com/mobileLoad.do
TV Guide
http://tvguide.handmark.com
Blackberry Movies – Download Full Length DVDs for your Blackberry
www.blackberrymovies.com
Weekly Blackberry Tips
www.blackberrytips.com
http://www.rovemobile.com/support/downloads/mfm/
Blackberry Tip Calculator
http://www.gpeters.com/tipgo/
Twitter
www.twitterberry.com
RSS Reader
http://viigo.com/download/method.html
Local Search Tool
m.mypoynt.com
Visual Voicemail
http://www.fvmplus.com
ESPN Launcher
http://espn.mobi/bblauncher
ETrade Stocks (free but Etrade membership required)
etrade.com/mobile
Flickr for Blackberry
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/features/social/flickr.jsp#tab_tab_download
Free Countdown Timer
http://northcubed.com/installers/com_northcubed_countdowntimer_app.jad
http://mobile.blackberry.com/homepage?book=applications〈=en
Beyond411 (one of my favorite search tools)
http://thebogles.com/blog/projects/berry411/
Yahoo Apps (including messenger)
http://mobile.yahoo.com/go
AIM, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, Skype and Yahoo Messenger in One App
http://www.webmessenger.com
Yahoo Messenger
http://www.blackberry.com/YahooDownload
AIM and Windows Live Messenger
http://www.blackberry.com/instantmessaging
Videos (BB Pearl Only)
http://videostreamsmobile.com/downloadmgr/index.htm
Vlingo – Type without Typing (Super Awesome)
www.vlingo.com/getvlingo
To email this list to your device, just click the Share This button at the end of this article and shoot yourself an email.
Code Name: Blackberry Javelin
- QWERTY keyboard
- 480×360 LCD
- Quad-band GSM/EDGE
- GPS
- Wi-Fi
- 3.2 megapixel camera
- 4.6 OS platform
- BES 5.0 support
- ArgonV processor
Does it look like A Curve replacement to you?
Blackberry Thunder Sneak Peak
BG just dropped a pic of the Blackberry Thunder coming to Verizon Wireless. I'm looking forward to this model and I'm very curious to see how it will be received by the public.
It's going to be the first touchscreen blackberry and more importantly, It will be released to Verizon Wireless exclusively. Verizon Wireless is usually the last provider to get any device, so I would watch this closely.
@casthompson
- ... Five Easiest Ways to Save Money http://t.co/YCelE16z 2 hours ago
- ... are you on tour? @un_lished 2 hours ago
- ... #breakfast http://t.co/aWITYe30 3 hours ago
- ... 9 Ways to Get Rid of All the Crap in Your Life That’s Holding You Back http://t.co/ddq7dEXi 7 hours ago
- ... how to: be able to walk away http://t.co/GS9YAl9X 16 hours ago
Recent Posts
- Can Your Smartphone Do This?
- The $129 Android Tablet
- Tablet Comparison Grid
- How To Turn Off LTE
- The iQuit TShirt
- 1 Reason to Try Groupon
- I Love Pictureka
- How To Add Google Contacts to Your iPad 2
- Thanks Cookie!
- 11 Things to Accomplish in 2011
- The Top Ten Tech Toys for Christmas 2010
- Success Principles by Will Smith
- 13 small things to simplify your workday
- Location Is The New Hustle
- Stop Whining!