Cisco had a press conference today, to reveal their big announcement that they hinted to a month ago. The hint was that it would change the impact the internet would have on the world.
Today Cisco announced that it had created a 322 TB router called the CRS-3. How fast is 322 TB? According to Business Insider, it would be like downloading the entire printed collection of the Library of Congress in one second (assuming you have the space). The Cisco CRS-3 could bring enormous changes to cloud computing as we know it.
News released from Xbox on March 5th states that there is an update to the Xbox Live Code of Conduct. The new code of conduct has a distinct change that I feel needs to be mentioned. The new Code of Conduct allows a person to express their orientation in their profile or gamertag. Here is an excerpt from the Code of Conduct:
You may use the following terms to express your relation ship orientation in your profile or Gamertag:
Lesbian
Gay
Bi
Transgender
Straight
CNET News was told by Stephen Toulouse, the head of policy and enforcement for Xbox Live that he felt the previous policy regarding members expressing their sexual orientation was “inelegent” and that though he and his team were working on improving the situation, they had no timetable. Xbox did this to alleviate discrimination concerns that may have been plaguing them in the past. I am sure these changes are welcomed by tons of Xbox Live members. I also applaud Xbox for making this change in support of their customers. Xbox needed this change to remain diverse in their 23 million member strong community.
Steve Ballmer made a visit to the University of Washington on the 5th to talk about the importance of cloud computing. While he was there he hinted at a possible smaller form factor Xbox 360 and different pricing points for them. Here is a quote from Ballmer:
For that big screen device … there’s no diversity. You get exactly the Xboxes that we build for you. We may have more form factors in the future that are designed for various price points and options, but we think it’s going to [be] important. (Source: Engadget)
Now who would’nt want a smaller more slim Xbox 360, the Xbox can finally compete with the new PS3 Slim. Now, What would Microsoft charge for the new Xbox, who knows but I would pay it. Also don’t forget Microsoft has Project Natal comming soon to Xbox 360, could they include the hardware with the new system? That would be pretty sweet to be able to get an Xbox with the hardware integrated and not have to worry about the bar that the Wii has. I am excited to see the new Xbox 360, heres to hoping.
The Apple iPad has been announced for release on April 3rd by Apple. But if you visit the iPad page on Apple.com you notice at the bottom of the page it says “This device has not yet been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.” I can only assume that is why the iPad release date is set behind the announcement date.
None the less, the iPad release date, the date it will be in stores for purchasing is April 3rd and preorders start March 12th.
The Microsoft Courier is supposed to be a device that will allow you to write in it like a notebook or a book. According to Gizmodo, the device will ship with dual 7-inch screens on each side. It appears that the functionality of the Courier is much like a blog or an online journal. The Courier seems to have Bing Maps integrated into it as well. The pictures of the drawings on the screen are stunning to say the least, but will it hold up when it is released in the fall (rumor)?
Netflix recently sent out a survey to select members that specifically asked if members would like to be able to stream Netflix from their iPhone. Netflix has been steadily expanding its business from DVD’s to instant streaming to a computer, to streaming on the Xbox, Playstation 3, and even the Wii. Now the rumors are that it will be unlikely that AT&T will let us use Netflix over 3G, so it will likely be over Wifi which I feel is fine for now.
Survey text as follows:
“Imagine that Netflix offers its subscribers the ability to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on their iPhone. The selection availability to instantly watch includes some new releases, lots of classics and TV episodes. There are no advertisements or trailers, and movies start in as little as 30 seconds. You can fast-forward, rewind, and pause or watch again. The movies & TV episodes you instantly watch are included in your Netflix membership for no additional fee.
Whenever you want to instantly watch content on your iPhone, your iPhone must be connected to a Wi-Fi network (such as one you might have at home or at work, or in public places like coffee shops, book stores, hotels, airports, etc.)
If this functionality were available, how likely would you or someone in your household be to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on your iPhone via a Wi-Fi network?” (Source: HackingNetflix.com)
According to HackingNetflix.com, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told Reuters that an iPhone app would not be released in the near future. Heres hoping. Whats you opinion, would you like to see it?
I have written a lot of reviews for various iPhone apps so I thought I would put together some of my favorite ones in a list of Top 5.
1. SoundHound
First on my list is an app by Melodis called SoundHound. With the Soundhound app you are able to identify any song that may be playing around you easily. SoundHound is not just limited to listening to a song already playing, SoundHound can also identify a song that you are humming or singing as well. SoundHound also features, speak a title or artist as well as search for a specific title or artist. Some new features to SoundHound include Pandora stations based on what kind of music you like.
Official Features:
Just hold your iPhone up to a speaker, and SoundHound names the tune in as little as five seconds!
It even works if you sing or hum the melody, or if you do it while an iPod song plays – no more title or artist confusion for your iPod songs.
Instant lyrics and lyrics text search for most songs – whether you find the song with SoundHound or have it in your iPod.
The world’s first ever combined “My Music” and online search: when your SoundHound search results match a song in your iPod library, you’ll see an iPod icon right there to play your own version.
Charts of the hottest songs, just grabbed songs, and SoundHound’s much-anticipated “Underplayed” list.
Groundbreaking new design with instant access to previews, bios, top songs and YouTube videos.
Sharing on email, Facebook and Twitter.
See lyrics for most songs
Play the song right from your iPod if you already have it
See lyrics, bios and more for any iPod song
See top songs for the artist, and which ones you already own on your iPod
Buy the song in iTunes
Share it over email, Facebook, or Twitter
Check out the whole album, or the artist – including a bio, photos, similar artists, and top songs
Play a free preview or youTube videos without leaving SoundHound
Instantly launch a Pandora station based on any song or artist. (US only)
Tour Dates – See when and where your new favorite band is playing.
My second most favorite and most used app would be the AirYell app by Avantar. The AirYell app for the iPhone allows you to search Yellowpages.com for the phone numbers and locations of businesses around your or what you are searching for. AirYell is a very handy app, I use it all the time to find the phone number to somewhere I am going or want to go.
Official Feature List:
Auto-detects your current location
Finds local businesses and services, giving you a distance reading from where you stand
My third most favorite app is RedLaser by Occipital.The RedLaser app for the iPhone allows you to scan barcodes where ever you are! Say if you are in the supermarket and want to see if you can get the same thing somewhere else cheaper, just scan it with RedLaser. RedLaser will then compare the prices to competitors online. This app comes in very handy when you are trying to save money.
RedLaser Official Feature list:
Scans UPC, EAN, UPC-E, EAN-8
US and UK Searches for prices with TheFind Product Search as well as Google Product Search
Local search powered by TheFind (US Only)
Email a list of products
Send barcodes as email attachment
Search ANY website using a custom URL
Automatic search localization for USD, EUR, and GDP
My fourth app for the iPhone will be the Personal Assistant app by Pageonce. With the Personal Assistant app, you can virtually do anything! The Personal Assistant app allows you to access all of your bank accounts, shopping accounts like Costco, Netflix, etc, and more… The Personal Assistant app is just a really good choice if you want an app that makes everything easy.
Official Feature List:
Monitor banking, credit card transactions and investment accounts
Keep track of frequent flyer miles, travel itineraries and flight information in real-time
Track cell phone minutes and get reminders when your bills are due
Stay on top of bill due dates and expiration dates
Guard against fraudulent activity
View your Netflix queue, eBay bids, and view feeds from your social networking sites
The Eliminate app from Ngmoco, is my final app for this list.Eliminate is what I believe to be the best FREE first person shooter on the iPhone to date. Eliminate has stunning graphics and awesome game play. Eliminate features global multiplayer competition over 3G or Wifi. Eliminate is relatively easy to use on your iPhone or iPod Touch, it may take some practice but soon you will be fragging with the best of them.
I hoped you liked our first Top 5 list, please let us know what you think by posting a comment below or sharing this post with friends, Thanks from TekGoblin Reviews!
Today, Apple announced that the iTunes store has hit 10 Billion Songs Sold. The 10 billionth song that was downloaded was “Guess Things Happen That Way” by Johnny Cash. The person that downloaded the 10 billionth song was awarded a $10,000 iTunes gift card for being soo darn lucky. The person that got the card was Louie Sulcer of Woodstock, Georgia. According to WikipediaWikipedia Louie got a call from Steve Jobs himself and got the surprise.
Eddie Crue, Apples vice president of internet affairs said:
“We’re grateful to all of our customers for helping us reach this amazing milestone,”
“We’re proud that iTunes has become the number one music retailer in the world, and selling 10 billion songs is truly staggering.”
The Apple iTunes music store opened on April 28, 2003.
History of the iTunes Music store (Source: Wikipedia)
100 million songs sold: Summer, 2004
(Kevin Britten of Hays, Kansas, bought the 100 millionth song, and the twenty-year-old was given a call from Steve Jobs congratulating him.)[32]
(Alex Ostrovsky of West Bloomfield, Michigan, bought the billionth song, “Speed of Sound” by Coldplay.[42] He later got a call from Steve Jobs with the good news that the sixteen-year-old was getting ten iPods, an iMac, a $10,000 music gift certificate, and a scholarship established in his name at the Juilliard School.)[32]
Apple is going to release its next maintenance patch to Snow Leopard being 10.6.3 very soon. From my sources I have heard that 10.6.3 fixed the 802.1x authentication issue with WPA enterprise. The new update did not just cover the airport, but covered many other things as well. The airport actually was not mentioned in the notes, but developers were asked to test the airport. This will be a welcome fix if it does actually fix the airport issue discussed above we have been having this kind of trouble here at Purdue University since 10.5.8.
10.6.3 Feature List:
Features
Performance improvements for 64-bit Logic
Addresses compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications
Includes changes to QuickTime X that increase reliability, improve compatibility and enhance security.
Improves printing reliability and compatibility with 3rd party printers
Respects the DNS server ordering as specified in Network Preferences
Addresses an issue that causes background message colors to display incorrectly in Mail when scrolling
Resolves an issue that prevented files with the # or & in their names from opening in Rosetta
Resolves an issue that prevented files from copying to Windows shares
Resolves an issue that caused machines using BTMM and the Bonjour Sleep Proxy to wake unexpectedly
Newegg is selling video games for the PC, PS3, Xbox360, Wii at Blowout prices. Visit THIS LINK to get your as fast as possible before they are all sold out. I don’t know about you but $8-$9 video games and FREE SHIPPING sounds pretty good. I don’t like paying $70 a video game so this is awesome, check it out!
