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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/15/taco-bell-app-smartphone-online-ordering/

Fourth Meal even faster, Taco Bell testing online ordering app

Taco Bell is about to make getting “Fourth Meal” a whole lot easier. The company will be rolling out its own smartphone app later this year that will allow hungry customers to order their Nachos Bell Grande’s and Crunchwrap Supreme’s from their mobile devices on the go. The app would allow customers to place and pay for their orders from their smartphones and then pick it up at a Taco Bell location near them.

Taco Bell isn’t the first quick-service Mexican joint to offer this service. Burrito specialists Chipotle and Moe’s Southwestern Grill have been offering smartphone ordering via the Chipotle app on iOS and Android and Moe’s app for some time now. It’s a great way to order food when you’re short on time,  just want take out, and don’t feel like waiting in ridiculously long lines.

Taco Bell hasn’t released any specifics about when the app will launch nationwide, or if all of their thousands of locations will support the application. It also isn’t clear if customers who use the app will have to go inside to pick up their online order, or if they can pick up their food via the drive-thru. What we do know though is that before the end of this year, getting your hands on some Taco Bell late after a night of drinking will be a lot quicker.

Taco Bell isn’t the only major fast food chain reportedly working on an online ordering smartphone app. Reports are that Chick-Fil-A and former Chipotle investor McDonald’s are also testing similar apps that could also launch this year as well.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/15/mind-geek-podcast-ep-68/

Mind Of The Geek Podcast Ep. 68

Episode 68 of the Mind Of The Geek Podcast is here, and it’s a must listen. In the first half of the show, Brett and Steve sit down to discuss the latest stories in the world of tech and video games, including Steve’s new “must-have” game on Steam. In the second half of the show, Brett and Tobias sit down to wrap up our thoughts on the new movie trailers seen after the Super Bowl. The game may have been a blowout, but are the movies coming in 2014 going to be blockbusters? Listen to find out. Subscribe to the Mind Of The Geek Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher now for your weekly does of all things geek.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/15/verizon-same-day-delivery-expansion/

Verizon expands same-day delivery service to 15 cities

Want to get your hands on a new smartphone or tablet, but don’t want to wait for it to be delivered? Verizon’s got you covered. Verizon has expanded the availability of its same-day delivery service to fifteen cities nationwide.

Verizon started its same-day delivery service last summer with a pilot on Philadelphia. They expanded the service quickly to New York, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco in October 2013. Now ten more cities – Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C. – also have the same-day delivery option for Verizon Wireless customers.

Customers in these fifteen markets can opt for this delivery service provided they place their orders Monday through Friday before 10 AM local time online. Same-day delivery is guaranteed by 7 PM local time later that day. Customers who place their order Sunday through Thursday between 4 PM and 12 AM (after the normal shipping cutoff) will have the option of selecting next-day delivery of their devices in these markets.

Same-day delivery costs $19.99, which isn’t a terrible deal considering overnight shipping is $14.99. So for five bucks, your guaranteed that shiny new iPhone or Android device will be in your hands before supper. Verizon is the only carrier that offers this service. If you live in one of these fifteen markets, simply choose the same-day delivery option at checkout on Verizon’s website.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/14/t-mobile-jump-unlimited-upgrades/

T-Mobile's Jump adds unlimited upgrades starting Feb. 23

T-Mobile just made their Jump! program a heck of a lot better. Starting February 23, all T-Mobile Jump! users will be able to upgrade their devices as many times as they want. That’s right, no more waiting six months to upgrade your device. The only stipulation is that, like Verizon’s Edge program, users will have to have already paid at least one-half of their device’s cost already, or come up with the difference between one-half and how much they’ve already paid on their device under the Jump plan.

But if you just can’t wait to get your hands on the latest and greatest smartphone, like the upcoming Galaxy S5 or HTC One 2, then T-Mobile has you covered. It was T-Mobile’s introduction of the Jump! plan last summer that fired off a war among the carriers. Whether or not you are a T-Mo user, you can thank them for AT&T’s Next and Verizon’s Edge plan, and to a degree Sprint’s Framily Plan. Current Jump! subscribers will be eligible for the updated terms on February 23.

This move by T-Mobile comes hot off Verizon’s introduction of their “More Everything” plans, which offer Verizon Edge customers lowered monthly pricing and increased data caps. Verizon Edge was the only plan that allowed users to upgrade after 30 days and paying off half of their device’s cost, and T-Mobile just one-upped them by allowing customers to upgrade after one-half of the device cost is paid, no matter how long they’ve had it. The updated Jump! plans also include tablets, like Apple’s new iPad Air or iPad Mini Retina.

While this is a great move by T-Mobile, it’s important to remember that the Jump! plan does cost an extra $10 per month. It does include wireless insurance on your device, which costs about the same amount anyway but in this case it’s forced upon Jump! customers. Either way, T-Mobile is making some bold moves here and making it a very attractive carrier to people, especially considering they still do offer unlimited data and have grown their 4G LTE footprint to cover most major metro areas.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/14/playstation-4-outsells-xbox-one-two-to-one-in-january/

PlayStation 4 outsells Xbox One two to one in January

If the first (almost) three months of availability are a sign, it looks like Sony has reclaimed its top spot in the console market this generation. According to market research firm the NPD Group, Sony sold more PlayStation 4 consoles than Microsoft sold Xbox One consoles in January. NPD Group didn’t report exactly how many more consoles Sony sold than Microsoft. However, Bloomberg is reporting that the amount of PS4 consoles sold over Xbox One consoles is a staggering two to one. That’s two PS4′s sold for every Xbox One.

This is a reverse from December’s data where Xbox One sales beat PS4 sales by a slim margin. However, Microsoft’s Xbox One wasn’t available until late November, and high demand for Sony’s console made supplies short.

While it’s certainly encouraging to see next-generation consoles gathering steam, actual physical game sales dropped 21 percent to $664 million. However, tack in sales of rentals, digital distribution, used games, and social networking games, and revenue was a little over $1 billion. When normalizing sales due to the extra week in January 2013, sales were actually only down 1 percent. The takeaway here is that digital distribution is definitely heating up as consoles get more storage space and broadband penetration expands across the globe.

January’s top five titles were Call Of Duty: Ghosts, NBA 2K14, Battlefield 4, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and Grand Theft Auto V. Four out of five of these games are available on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Already have a next-generation console? Which one did you buy and why? If you still haven’t made the upgrade, does Sony’s stellar start with the PS4 have any effect on your decision? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Source: CNET

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/13/sprint-galaxy-s4-android-kitkat-update/

Sprint Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat OTA update out now

If you’re a Galaxy S4 user on Sprint’s network, your smartphone is about to get even more awesome. The company confirmed today that they are beginning roll out of the Android 4.4 KitKat update to all Galaxy S4 devices on the Sprint network. As with every over-the-air (OTA) update, it will roll out over the next couple of weeks in stages, so even if it’s not available now, that doesn’t mean it won’t be soon. However, if the push notification doesn’t arrive on your Galaxy S4, you can always check in the Settings menu manually for the update.

Have a Galaxy S4 but not on Sprint’s network? If history says anything, it’s that the update for other carriers isn’t too far behind. In many cases Sprint has been the first carrier to roll out updates, like the HTC One Android 4.3 update, with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mo customers not far behind. It’s been reported that Samsung plans on updating all of its latest smartphones to Android 4.4 soon, especially with the Galaxy S5 just around the corner. Currently, there are no Samsung Android devices running Android 4.4 except for the Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition, with which Google controls the software updates instead of Samsung.

Besides the slew of Android 4.4 KitKat goodies from Google, the Sprint update also includes bug fixes and Zact Mobile compatibility. The complete update information can be found over at Sprint’s dedicated support page for the Galaxy S4 update. From the look of the release notes, Samsung’s love-it-or-hate-it TouchWiz UI will still be the default launcher for the KitKat Galaxy S4.

Considering that the best-selling Android phone last year is still running Android 4.2, now two updates behind the most current version of Google’s mobile OS, it’s about time Samsung finally got it together and finished this update even if it’s just one carrier. Already got your update to Android 4.4 on your Sprint GS4? Let us know your favorite, or least favorite, features in the comments below.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/13/verizon-more-everything-plans/

Verizon's 'More Everything' plans shrink prices, add free international texting

Verizon likes to be fashionably late to the price war party. Amidst the flurry of recent price wars among T-Mobile, AT&T, and even to a degree Sprint, Verizon has played it their cards close to the chest. Starting today, however, Verizon has double-downed with not only offering a new pricing strategy, but also new features to compete with its competitors. Dubbed the “More Everything” plan, these new plans cut the monthly bill for most of its customers while adding one key feature in my opinion.

With the “More Everything” plans, which require Verizon’s early upgrade “Edge” program (just like AT&T requires AT&T Next for its Mobile Share Value plans), users now get a $10 discount on the monthly device access charge when signing up for 8 GB or less of data. That discount jumps to $20 per month when signing up for 10GB or more of data. Current Verizon Edge customers have already been enrolled in these new plans with the updated data limits and pricing.

Verizon is also increasing the amount of data with certain plans. Verizon’s 500 MB plan now comes with 1 GB of data for the same $40 per month, the $50 plan bumps up to 2GB from 1GB, and the $60 per month plan, you guessed it, increases from 2GB to 3GB of data. While the higher data caps and lower prices are certainly a step in the right direction, they still are more pricey than rival AT&T’s recently updated Mobile Share Value Plans. For example, a family of four with 10GB of data would pay $160 per month with AT&T, where even with the new prices Verizon customers would pay $180 per month (both prices are before any additional device costs).

Perhaps more exciting is that Verizon is now including free international texting with its More Everything plans. To be clear, free international texting only applies when sending a text internationally from within the United States; there’s still ridiculous roaming fees when using your Verizon device overseas. While it’s not as game-changing as T-Mobile’s addition of global data access at no extra charge, it’s still better than AT&T or Sprint, who offer no free international communications over their network.  Another free addition from Verizon is 25GB of free cloud storage for all More Everything subscribers.

Is Verizon’s More Everything plans enough to make you switch to or stay with Big Red? Let us know in the comments what you think of the new plans below.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/13/bbm-update-adds-free-calling-dropbox-integration/

BBM update adds free calling, Dropbox integration

Despite its own OS being dead in the water, BlackBerry hasn’t given up on its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) quite yet. In fact, with today’s update now available for iOS and Android, it looks like BlackBerry is just getting started. The new update released today includes a slew of new features including BBM Voice, Dropbox integration, and BBM Channels, to name a few.

BBM Voice gives users of the service the option of free voice calls over any 3G or 4G data network. While BlackBerry isn’t necessarily the first to do this, apps like Facebook Messenger have included this option for some time now, it’s certainly a step in the right direction. BBM Channels allows users to join or create conversations with other users, brands, or companies with similar interests. Want to start a conversation on who shot first, Han or Greedo, with a bunch of Star Wars fans? BBM Channels may be a good option (although we can’t guarantee there will be a whole lot of people actually using BBM to join your debate). BlackBerry has also made sharing larger files much easier with the introduction of Dropbox integration and one-click (well in this case one-tap) sharing. Users can share photos, videos, and other large files instantly with BBM via Dropbox, and recipients can download the attachments to their device from Dropbox or add the file(s) to their own Dropbox. This could also bode well for business users who need to share large presentations or spreadsheets among colleagues.

Location sharing has also been added to BBM, allowing users to share their real-time location with other users for a specified period of time. Lastly, hundreds of new emoticons have been added to the app for those who love to express themselves with colorful little pictures.

BlackBerry may have a long way to go before penetrating the market the way Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, or WhatsApp has, but these additions are definitely a good way to get users to consider using BBM. Are these new additions enough for you to download BBM for your iPhone or Android phone? Let us know in the comments below.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/12/review-robocop-theaters/

Review: 'RoboCop' in theaters

It’s a difficult thing to accept – for those with a certain rebellious fondness for the character – that RoboCop was always a goofy superhero, really. Despite the original’s blackly comic satire and over-the-top violence, provided by director Paul Verhoeven’s memories of the Second World War, 1987’s RoboCop was poured from an arcane mixture of Judge Dredd, Iron Man and Rom the Space Knight. What Verhoeven and screenwriter Ed Neumeier managed to do, to great effect, was imbue a relatively archetypal story – the superhero origin story – with religious allegory and bald-faced frustration with 80s corporate power.

So, after a decade and change of successful “comic book” superhero movies, why not dust off good ol’ RoboCop and give him a more straightforward superhero origin story? The new RoboCop remake, directed by José Padilha and starring Joel Kinnaman as the titular hero, is sorely missing much of what made the original such an Important Movie. RoboCop instead focuses on whiz-bang action and a less fearful fondness for clean, sharp technology in its story, production design, and special effects. The crime-ridden Detroit of 2029 looks more like an episode of NCIS than the dirty, grimy dystopia of the original (and possibly the modern day), and – up until the final act, anyway – every motivation is plainly stated by every character, with little room for nuance or interest. But once it gets its gears turning, though, it’s a fast-paced entertainment machine.

Cast

This time around, Kinnaman’s Alex Murphy is a detective, which gives him ample time in plain clothes and just enough time to have a little more broadly sketched background. He’s just stumbled onto a far-reaching conspiracy when those he’s looking to bust car bomb him into the next world. Meanwhile, Omnicorp CEO Sellars (Michael Keaton) needs a federal law repealed to allow his robotic enforcers – you know… Drones – deployed on U.S. soil. His solution is to put a man in a machine, tapping the skills of robotics expert Norton (Gary Oldman, doing a fantastic job taking this all very seriously) who normally specializes in fitting amputees with cutting-edge prostheses. Conveniently, most of the world building is done through broadcasts of The Novak Element (only somewhat reminiscent of the original’s MediaBreak) with a corporate-friendly, Glenn Beck-esque Samuel L. Jackson decrying the Senate’s “pro-crime” stance and America’s “robo-phobia”.

Script

Oldman’s ethical physician is exactly the kind of person we all hope is in charge of this kind of technology when the time comes, but his corporate masters are not. Yes, the edge is filed off the violence with bloodless discharges of thousands of rounds of bullets, but RoboCop suffers most from too much time dedicated to boardroom shenanigans and political maneuvering. Before, “Alex Murphy” was the organic component designed to drive the RoboCop product. There was a cold brutality to his demise; he was expendable, as was the city of Detroit, and the world. Here, Alex Murphy remains a fully formed man whose mind and body have been co-opted by a marketing scheme. His humanity is manipulated, but for no greater purpose than to create a more effective product. The Omnicorp higher-ups aren’t selfishly destructive, just… driven. Other than a few throwaway lines, the moral and philosophical quandary of technology replacing the organic is never really addressed. In RoboCop’s world, the robots are the better enforcers… People seem to just get in the way. It’s not only a somewhat troubling message, but also a missed opportunity at real 21st century commentary.

Probably due to its release just before Valentine’s Day, RoboCop’s marketing has made much of Alex Murphy’s wife (Abbie Cornish) in the proceedings, but that part’s relatively underplayed. Joshua Zetumer’s screenplay stuffs RoboCop full of plot – there’s also a snide weapons expert (Jackie Earle Haley), Alex’s partner Lewis (Michael K. Williams), and Murphy’s son’s struggle with his robot dad – but very little actual story. Where the original was fleet and anarchic, this one’s slickly packaged, if a bit… robotic.

Visuals

However, the original RoboCop was a product of its time, and this one is, too. There’s plenty of action – the sound mix I saw was spectacular – and Kinnaman does a good job as a man facing what is, essentially, a terrifyingly existential disability. Technology, simply, isn’t as dangerous and mysterious as it used to be, and serves here as Alex Murphy’s only salvation. Like any good superhero movie, RoboCop leaves the audience wanting more; when the hero can spend more time being hero, than figuring out how he got there.

RoboCop, a Strike Entertainment production distributed by Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, is 118 minutes long and rated PG-13.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/07/darpa-enlists-ibm-for-mission-impossible-chips/

DARPA enlists IBM for 'Mission Impossible' chips

Much of our modern technology fact was once reserved for science fiction. Cell phones that can video chat, GPS in our pockets, these things we now take for granted at one time were the visions of the “future” in science fiction. DARPA is looking to make another piece of science fiction a technology reality, this time self-destructive microprocessors and other electronic components, like the famous mission intel delivered to Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible movies.

The research is being completed for military use. Imagine special ops soldiers being able to bring a cell phone or radio that will simply degrade in a certain time frame, or being able to send drones on a one way trip into the worst parts of the world. And it’s very possible this technology will eventually become consumer accessible, considering DARPA’s track record – they did after all create this thing a few decades ago called the Internet for military use, and it kind of changed the world.

If IBM can first perfect the technology, and then figure out a way to make it cheap, it could mean huge leaps forward in the medical world. Nanomachines once conceptualized in the pages of comic books and science fiction movies could one day be used to target and kill anything from the common cold to deadly cancers, only to dissolve harmlessly into our bloodstream to be filtered out by our kidneys. That is truly what makes me the most excited.

Unfortunately, the technology could take years to develop and perfect, but we’re glad to see DARPA still attempting world-changing ideas. What do you think would be the best way to implement this tech? Let us know in the comments.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/07/cell-phone-anti-theft-software-could-be-california-law-soon/

Cell phone anti-theft software could be California law soon

California state Senator Mark Leno has introduced a bill in the state legislature that, if passed, would require all smartphones and tablets sold in the state to include anti-theft measures built into them. According to the Los Angeles Times, the term “kill switch” has been used specifically. The bill is pushing for implementation by January 1, 2015.

Theft of personal electronic devices has increased since the introduction of smartphones, as resale values of these devices make it an appealing target for bad guys. However, the issue hasn’t gone unnoticed by the world’s two largest smartphone OS developers. All iOS devices support Apple’s Find My iPhone software, which includes the ability to track the location of your device when lost or stolen. Google last year introduced Android Device Manager with similar features. Both options include a “kill switch” option, allowing owners to remotely wipe their devices in the case of unrecoverable theft. Other products like Lookout Security even offer the ability to have your device snap a mugshot of a thief’s face and email it to you after a predetermined number of unsuccessful unlocks set by the device owner.

While I get Senator Leno’s logic here, it seems like unnecessary government oversight on an issue the market has already addressed. Market pressure, not politics, drove Apple and Google to create their security software, and it’s market pressure that will keep the good guys hopefully one step ahead of the bad guys. Unfortunately, it seems like a certain state senator should probably focus more on the plethora of other pressing issues in California – I don’t know, perhaps the state budget, crime, and  unemployment for starters – and let the market do what it’s been doing: a decent job of doing in protecting our devices.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/06/verizon-htc-one-android-kitkat-update/

Verizon HTC One Android 4.4 KitKat OTA update imminent

Verizon has approved the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the HTC One, and it should be arriving via an over-the-air (OTA) update soon. As with most OTA updates, Verizon will slowly roll out the update to all HTC One users, so eager beavers will need to keep checking their settings menus for software updates if they don’t want to wait. The news of the wireless carrier’s approval was announced by Mo Versi, an HTC Product Manager, on Twitter. Along with the improvements from Google that Android 4.4 brings, such as Google Caller ID and OpenGLS 3.0 support, HTC has bundled some improvements into its Sense 5.5 UI in the update.

Sense 5.5 may have arrived with Android 4.3, but it’s with Android 4.4 that HTC has really refined the experience. First, users can now opt to enable or disable BlinkFeed, HTC’s homegrown social and news aggregated, and have added Google Plus support to it. Secondly are improvements to the camera. Zoe mode can now create GIFs from videos, and a new option allows users to shoot with the front and rear cameras simultaneously. The latter is essentially a carbon copy of Samsung’s Dual Shot mode on the Galaxy S4. On the notifications side, Do Not Disturb has been added to the notifications menu along with some other minor tweaks. HTC’s Sense has been praised in the past for actually adding some good functionality to the Android OS and not adding duplicative features like with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.

Until now, only the international GSM, Sprint, and Sense-less Google Play Edition HTC One were running Android 4.4. With the arrival of this update for Verizon users, with AT&T and T-Mobile hopefully not too far behind, HTC should complete the rollout to all HTC One owners hopefully by Spring. Another item of note is that amidst all the hype surrounding Samsung’s upcoming event where they will likely announce the Galaxy S5, have we forgotten that with this update, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is not just one, but now two, Android updates behind its biggest rival?

Image Courtesy of Android Pit

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/06/boost-mobile-offering-unlimited-lte-for-35-per-month-until-march-31/

Boost Mobile offering unlimited LTE for $35 per month until March 31

Just when competition couldn’t get anymore heated for postpaid wireless plans, it’s warming up over in prepaid wireless. Boost Mobile has announced limited-time promotion where customers can grab unlimited talk, text, and data for $35 per month. The data plan includes access to Boost’s, well technically Sprint’s, high-speed 4G LTE network provided your device supports LTE.

Sounds like a great deal. But there’s a catch (like I say, there’s always a catch). The $35 price only lasts for the first six months of service. After six months, the price will return to Boost’s normal $50 per month for the same access. While certainly users can jump ship after their six months is up, that’s a little easier said than done considering even a two year old device like the Samsung Galaxy S III costs $399 (no contract means no subsidy!). Another important item in the fine print is that unlimited data doesn’t necessarily mean unlimited LTE data. After 2.5 GB of data usage, Boost’s throttling policy means your lighting quick data speeds become molasses until your next billing cycle.

But if your someone who just despises postpaid wireless or doesn’t have the budget room for one of the big four carriers, Boost’s newest offer may be right for you. This is also a great option for parents of tweens or teens looking to get them their first smartphone, but don’t want the hassle of ETF’s or suspended line fees when said teen loses their privileges. As always, check your local coverage area before getting too excited. It’s worth a few minutes of research as well on Root Metrics to see how well Sprint’s network fares in your area before committing to Boost.

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/05/nypd-google-glass-explorer/

Meet the latest Google Glass Explorers, the NYPD

There truly are some exciting possibilities with Google Glass. Whether its helping surgeons in the medical field, special needs individuals overcome obstacles, or helping firefighters rescue people in peril, the possibilities are truly astounding. Now the finest police force on the planet, the NYPD, are field testing Google’s cutting-edge shades to help them lock up the bad guys.

The intelligence unit of the NYPD, whose responsibilities include counter-terrorism, have received a few pairs of Google Glass for field testing. A ranking NYPD officer confirmed the report, stating, “We signed up, got a few pairs of the Google glasses, and we’re trying them out, seeing if they have any value in investigations, mostly for patrol purposes.  We’re looking at them, you know, seeing how they work.” The NYPD isn’t the only police department looking into the use of Google Glass for its police officers. San Francisco Police have confirmed while they aren’t actually field testing Google Glass yet – surprising consider their close proximity to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California – their interest is definitely piqued about the possibilities Google Glass could bring to law enforcement.

Google has maintained a very closed beta when it comes to Google Glass. Glass can only be obtained by invitation into Google’s Glass Explorer program, which millions have applied for yet little have been accepted. A large hurdle for many would-be Explorers, however, is the hefty price tag for a pair of Google Glass. Google Glass will set Explorers back $1,500, or about the cost of a top-of-the-line 13-inch MacBook Pro. Reports have circled that Google is working hard with parts suppliers and manufacturers to bring the cost of Glass down to a more reasonable level by the time it becomes available to the public.

It’s exciting though to see the NYPD putting Google Glass through the paces in real field testing. Regardless of what videos you may find on YouTube of Glass owners doing extreme things, one thing that is for certain is this group of Glass Explorers is without a doubt the bravest of the bunch.

Image Credit: Officer.com

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New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/05/facebook-paper-prettier-flipboard-pirated-name/

Facebook Paper, a prettier Flipboard a pirated name

With all the hype surrounding Facebook Paper, it may be hard for some people to step back and see what it really is. It is Flipboard, or more precisely it is what Flipboard should have been in its next iteration. Paper has the potential to be the future of curated news apps combined with your Facebook new feed. Yet the app still lags behind.

Starting with the looks of paper the first word that comes to mind is seamless, the app just works like it should. Everything is manipulated by swiping in one direction or another. The top half of the screen is a constantly updating stream of photos giving a sampling of the topic that is noted in the right hand corner. Swiping left or right on this section scrolls through your sections. The available presets are topics like Tech, Headlines, Score, and LOL. Once a section is picked at the top the bottom half of your screen is a wheel of stories and articles matching your topics. There is an obvious preference for what articles show up first. Some news sources show repeatedly across the categories regardless of your interest in what those sources may offer. CNN, The New Yorker, and the Verge are very often the first articles to pop up. Mark Zuckerberg definitely has the look and feel right. Now if only the app would start monitoring your preferences to try to show you want based on your likes.

Ease of use is one of the most important parts of an app. Paper nails it yet again. It works like a news paper. You fold and flip through the pages. Flip to you topic, flip-up the article and enjoy. When your down grab the top of the screen and fold the article back over and you’re back on the home page, all of this without getting any ink stains on your fingertips. Like Flipboard, Paper is susceptible to putting up what it thinks are articles, but are actually pictures with links to external sites or you get BitURLs.

Over 2 days of use the app has not crashed and no bugs have been encountered. For someone who switched from android to iOS, this may be the closes thing you will get to a widget. The biggest hurdle that Facebook will need to overcome with this app is something that could have and should have been avoided in the infancy of the project. The name Paper for a mobile app is already in use by Fifty Three. They currently have a trademark for Paper by Fifty Three which is a drawing application that has won numerous design awards from Apple. The patent was for Paper by Fifty Three but the day that Facebook rolled out “their” Paper app, Fifty Three filed for Paper as a stand alone. If you Googled Paper app before the last few days Fifty Three was the top 2 returns in the search. They have now been knocked back one position, but on the upside the hits for their site, wether it be accidental or not doesn’t hurt. For a start-up company Facebook blatantly taking your name, and when advised of it does not care, it is a slap in the face. There must have been another name out there Zuckerberg could have chosen.

CODE

Nothing fancy here. Paper uses your Facebook feed and your choice of news you would like to read about and it aggregates everything into one app. You can like, share, post and comment. Some would say this app is what Facebook mobile should have been from the start.

If you are familiar with Flipboard, but want something cleaner, or have recently transitioned to iOS from android and miss your news widgets, Paper is the app for you. It has all the ease of use of Facebook with simple intuitive controls and is a much cleaner and smoother operating app than most other news pulling programs.

To view photos that are Hi-Res and may not fully fit on your screen you can tilt your phone from side to side to see the portion of the photo that is off the page, sort of like peering around a corner. It works very well, and it eliminates the need to pinch and zoom, then drag the photo around to see everything.

Compatibility 

Right now the app only works on iOS so Windows, Android, and Blackberry users will have to wait for knock off apps to show up in their respective markets until the developers port it over.

Convenience

Very. It’s always a good thing when an app releases that it work as it is intended with little to no learning curve. Facebook nailed it with Paper. With the first use, if you are a current Flipboard user, you will be put off as its nearly the same app and serves the same purpose and function. But after some time you will see that it has a place in the pantheon of applications on the market. It functions like it should and everything just makes sense.

[mindofthegeek]

New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/04/google-maps-ios-update-rerouting/

Google updates Maps for iOS with dynamic rerouting

Google has updated its iOS version of Maps to include a key feature Android users have enjoyed since last summer: dynamic rerouting. This means that Google Maps for iOS will help you avoid traffic jams and the headaches that go with them during your route when in navigation mode. The feature isn’t new to users of Waze for iOS, but Google purchased Waze last year and has integrated its tech into Maps since.

Now Google Maps users on iOS will be notified, for example, when there is a delay, whether it be a traffic jam or accident, on their route and offers the ability to reroute users around the snafu with the touch of the iPhone’s screen. Users can also decline the rerouting by touching “No Thanks”. Information on traffic incidents is relayed to Google Maps via Google’s own sources as well as Waze users.

Google Maps has continued to top the charts as a top download in the App Store. When Apple dropped Google Maps from the core OS, returning the reigns of development to Google, iOS users have enjoyed a much more polished experience. Meanwhile, Apple is still trying to overcome the brouhaha that was the release of their own Maps app that had some huge mistakes.

[mindofthegeek]

New Story has been published on http://mindofthegeek.com/2014/02/04/red-nexus-5-new/

Red with envy for the new Nexus 5

The new Nexus 5 has me literally red with envy. It’s not because I don’t have a Nexus 5, it’s because I don’t have the red Nexus 5. Red is my favorite color, and while I love my white one, damn the red Nexus 5 is sharp, and it’s available now from Google and LG via the Google Play store.

The red variant of the Nexus 5 features the same color placement as its white counterpart, the backside of the device is bright red along with the earpiece speaker grill on the front of the phone. Otherwise, it is exactly the same inside, and if you weren’t aware already, it’s a beauty.

The Nexus 5 features a full HD 1080p display at five inches, 2GB of RAM, and 16 or 32 GB of internal storage depending on your preference. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU with four processing cores at 2.26 GHz powers this beauty. And all this for only $349 for the 16 GB model or $399 for the 32 GB model, fully unlocked with no contract.

The Nexus 5 is also the only Android handset running Android 4.4 “KitKat” in the United States, which features better power management, Google Caller ID, and a plethora of other under-the-hood improvements.

Simply put, if your looking to break off a piece of that KitKat, you definitely want to give the red Nexus 5, or the white or black models if that’s more your speed, a good look.