Okay, I’m the first to admit it. I’m a techno-nerd all over. New technologies excite me in a big way. But I’m also a tech critic. Do it right and you have me won over. Screw the technology up and I’m outta here and will tell the world how bad you screwed it up. You see, technology these days is more about how you creatively put together technical components for everyday tasks than the old days of just seeing “Hello world” flash on a computer screen. So when Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone I liked it but it missed the mark in several ways. Slow network, no stereo bluetooth and several other missing features. But let’s face it, if Apple didn’t leave us hungering in some way we’d never come running like pigs to the Apple trough every June. Read more…
Last night was a busy night on the technology front. After years of planning and public outreach the nation’s television airwaves went all digital. Hundreds of analog transmitters were turned off across the nation and thousands of TV sets went dark. As a result of this transition stations are able to save thousands of dollars in energy costs since the new transmitters use substantially less power. It also marks the beginning of a new model in mobile communication but more on that in a bit. Last night also was when Facebook allowed users to pick their own identity on the popular social media platform. I went with my social media ID of RBearSAT while others who were up at the magical moment got more recognizable names like their real name. Read more…
On Monday I decided to jump on the iPhone bandwagon after the recent announcement of the iPhone 3GS. Most of us who watch technology had been anticipating this announcement, both from a hardware and software perspective. While the other versions of the iPhone have been good, this is the version I felt was a good mix of technology for a smartphone. In another development, Mayor Julian Castro has started vlogging from City Hall in an effort to provide a more open and transparent government for San Antonio. Aside from the normal political and civic agenda you get a better picture of what’s on his iPod. It’s probably the first time an iPod has been a main component of the office. Who knows? Maybe he’ll start podcasting for those of us with iPhones. Read more…
Just in case you thought all I ponder is politics, politics, and more politics there is another side to me. In reality I’m a techie nerd that just happens to have a political side to him. To the tech side, I am anxiously awaiting to see if Apple is going to come out with a new model of the iPhone. I’m not talking about the firmware upgrade that’s planned but an actual new device. The usual announcement date is at the World Wide Developers Conference held in June. That’s when the last iPhone debuted. However this WWDC is a little different in that Steve Jobs could be absent from the conference. John Paczkowski of All Things Digital reports that Phil Schiller, Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing for Apple, will be delivering the keynote address this year, a possible sign that Jobs may not be ready to return to the company he helped found. Read more…
Last Wednesday Congress voted to delay digital TV until the summer to allow time for millions who have not made the switch time to either acquire a set top box or subscribe to a cable or dish service. To help with this delayed transition up to $650 million in financing has been added to the stimulus bill to help people acquire coupons. The problem is that this delay has ripple effects in many areas of the communications infrastructure including delays for higher speed mobile data capabilities. Read more…
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