Fight Boredom with StumbleUpon App for the iPhone

Sometimes life just gets boring. The book on the table beside you looks distasteful and nothing is on television. Facebook? No one is online. Email? Inbox is empty. Free time can quickly begin to feel like wasted time. Millions of people have beat back the boredom in the last few years with StumbleUpon, the internet's version of channel flipping. The best thing about StumbleUpon is that you can customize the topics that you like to read about, so not only can you pass the time, you can also feel inspired by stories and web pages catered just for you. Now with StumbleUpon making its debut on the iPhone, you can stumble anywhere, anytime, into something incredibly entertaining.

For those unfamilar with StumbleUpon here are a few of the basics. StumbleUpon is a website dedicated to linking its Stumblers with web pages that will intrigue and entertain them. No membership or sign up is required. You don't even have to choose topics if you do not want to. Simply hit the "Start Stumbling" button on the page and have your browser whisked away to a new site that you have probably never seen before. Only the best of the web is featured. Once you are comfortable with stumbling, you can choose which topics you are most interested in and from then on you will only stumble to pages pertaining to those topics.

The new StumbleUpon app is simple to use and is available for the iPod Touch and iPad as well as the iPhone. Unlike the site itself, you must have an account to use the iPhone version, but the sign up is quick and easy.Upon first opening the app your options are simple. First timers may want to simply hit "Start Stumbling" first and see what the internet has to offer. Users more familiar with StumbleUpon will be able to choose specific topics, or if they have a previous accounts, their preferences will already be present. If the page is something that you enjoy, you can hit the thumbs up at the top of the screen and the app will filter its stumbling results to reflect what you have previously enjoyed. The same goes for the thumbs down. If you don't like what you've stumbled across, hit the thumbs down and StumbleUpon will try and avoid similar pages from then on.

A new feature that the StumbleUpon app offers is the option to choose only stumble pages that are mobile friendly. Right under the "Start Stumbling" are four buttons labeled "Photos", "News", "Flickr", and "Youtube". When you choose one of these options, you will stumble to mobile-friendly sites, pictures, and videos catered directly to the iPhone. This option is very convenient for quick on-the-go stumbling between classes or meetings, or even just to make lunch break a little more interesting.

With StumbleUpon finally arriving on the iPhone boredom has a much slimmer chance of taking hold. The StumbleUpon app is simple and easy to use, needing very little time to get acquainted with the setup. The app itself is quick and responsive, remembering all of your preferences and never taking you to the same page twice. The sites it will take you to will capture your imagination and stimulate your creativity.

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24 Hour Android Sale

Wirefly, the online site that sells discount mobile devices, is having a 24 hour Android sale that only lasts until this Thursday at midnight. They are offering amazing deals on some incredible phones. You can pick up the Motorola Backflip or the HTC Aria for free when you set up a new account with AT&T. You can also get the Sony Xperia or the Samsung Captivate for only $49.99. All you have to decide is which phone fits your needs the best.

Motorola Backflip
The Backflip features a great keyboard and has a battery life of about seven and a half hours of continuous talk time. MotorBlur also integrates e-mail and social networking quite nicely.

HTC Aria
This Android phone from HTC is absolutely adorable, and it is incredibly fast. It also has an excellent 5-megapixel camera. It is being called the first “usable” Android phone from AT&T.

Sony Xperia
The Xperia is great on battery life. It runs a little bit over 7 hours of continuous talk time. It also has a fantastic camera and great video playback. Sony gave the Xperia a slim, chic feel and plenty of features to make it a great choice.

Samsung Captivate
People are calling Samsung’s Captivate the top Android phone from AT&T and quite possibly the best alternative to the iPhone. It’s sleek, fast, and powerful. It has a big bright screen and tons of great apps.

You better hurry because this sale won’t last much longer. These are some excellent deals on some fantastic phones. Wirefly is the place to go if your looking for a new Android phone.

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Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

White Noise App Will Lull You to Sleep

I don’t know about you, but I have problems going to sleep in complete silence. Depending on where I am, there are different things that act as my white noise. Sometimes it’s the sounds of the city or of crickets in the country or even just the whir of a fan. At times, you might be sleeping somewhere where these natural white noises are not available. That’s where the White Noise mobile app comes in handy.

The White Noise mobile app is available for a variety of different devices. It can help you relax anywhere with different options ranging from crickets to rain and thunder.

There are two different versions of the White Noise mobile app. There is the White Noise Lite version that is free for iPhone, Android, and Palm phones. It gives you enough sample sounds that you might be completely satisfied with the free version, but if that isn’t enough, then you can purchase the full version. For $1.99 you can purchase the full version for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry phones. For $2.99 you can purchase the full version for Windows Mobile and Palm WebOS phones.

White Noise Lite (the free version) comes with 10 sample sounds including: trains rolling on a track, crickets chirping in a forest, and the sounds of an airplane cabin. The full version of the app has about a total of 40 different soothing sounds that allow you to choose between options like beach waves or crashing ocean waves, light rain or thundering storms, and tons of other sounds.

The White Noise app is perfect when you travel a lot. You can easily plug some headphones into your device and take a nap or sit your phone nearby before you go to bed and turn the app on. Now, you may be concerned that your battery will run down if the app is playing all night. Well, both White Noise and White Noise Lite feature a timer that you can set. It will allow you to decide when you want the app to turn off so your battery won’t be shot. Now, you will only be able to run the app in the background while you do other things on your phone if you have the full version, but that’s not a huge deal.

The lite version of the app is a great way to check out the app and see if you want to spend the money on the full version. It gives you a really good sampling and could be all that you need. Both versions of the app allow you to create playlists of sounds so you can fall asleep to something like a light rain and then wake up in the middle of the night to something like beach waves. You can mix and match tons of different combinations.

Want more free apps? Check out the top 10 free iPhone apps.

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Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

Dish Networks Turns Your iPad into a Remote Control

Imagine you've just settled into your favorite chair after a long, hard day at work, you've got a nice cold drink, you've got your iPad so you can catch up on some reading, and you're just about turn on the TV, when you realize your remote control is out of batteries. Let's face it, when we're tired, most of us would rather watch the worst TV show ever than get up and change the channel ourselves, but what if I told you you could change the channel with your iPad? Well, if you're a Disk Network subscriber, you can now do just that.

Dish's new app turns your iPad into a remote control for your Dish digital video recorder. Just like similar apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, the app called "Remote Access" allows you to access all of the same DVR functions and features as your remote control does.

You can use the app to schedule TV recordings on multiple receivers, delete timers, browse and search up to nine days of shows, manage your DVR library by setting priorities, resolve recording conflicts, and delete the shows you've already watched. It works with almost all of Dish's standard and high-definition DVRs.

Best of all, if your TV is connected to a compatible Dish receiver, the Remote Access app can work as a TV remote control. You can use it to change channels, browse the program guide, play recorded programs, and access navigation features such as rewind, fast forward, and pause.

Dish also offers similar remote control-type apps for laptops, desktops, and non-Apple smartphones.

Along with several other vendors, Dish is also partnering with Google to make an app for the upcoming Google TV. This web-based app by Dish would provide a search box that would allow you to search for data via web and television sources. It would also allow you to find relevant content, regardless of whether it's on TV or online, and allow you to personalize it so that it's easier for you to discover content that fits your tastes. The first Google TV device is supposed to be introduced this fall by Sony. Dish will make it possible to use Google TV on its DVRs as well. Companies such as Best Buy and Logitech will also have a hand in Google TV.

In the meantime, Remote Access for your iPad is free and can be downloaded at the Apple App Store. Don't have an iPad? Consider trying out a temporary iPad rental to see if you like Apple's latest device.

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Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.

BlackBerry Service Banned by United Arab Emirates

On Sunday, August 1st, the United Arab Emirates announced that BlackBerry service will be banned for security purposes as of October 11th. That means no BlackBerry messenger, e-mail, or Web browsing anymore.

This will not only affect those living in the UAE but also those that visit the country, even if their BlackBerry was issued in another country. The devices will still be able to be used for phone call purposes, but that’s about it.

The authorities say that the new ban is for security concerns. BlackBerry data is shipped to company computers that are abroad, so this makes it extremely difficult for local authorities to monitor and control any illegal activity or abuse.

Many people are very critical of this new ban. Some feel that it is simply a way for the country’s conservative government to control any content that they might consider politically or morally offensive. The UAE government officials says that there are BlackBerry features that are “causing judicial, social, and national security concerns.”

Maisoon al-Iskandarani, an Emirati BlackBerry user working at an international bank in Dubai, says, "I think it's a very big step back. All developed countries in the world have it. Why should we not? How are you going to stay in touch with your clients and colleagues?"

The country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) director General Mohamed Al Ghanim says, "With no solution available and in the public interest, in order to affect resolution of this issue, as of October 11, 2010, Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry Email and Blackberry Web-browsing services will be suspended until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied.”

P.J. Crowley, a U.S. State Department spokesman, said that such bans are "a move in the wrong direction." He states, "We're going to clarify with the UAE what's behind this announcement, but we think it sets a dangerous precedent. It is our view that you should be opening up societies to these new technologies that have the opportunity to empower people.”

Reporters Without Borders, a press-freedom group based in Paris, has urged the UAE to lift the bans and come to a compromise "that does not limit the freedom of the Emirati population,” but I don’t think that the UAE is going to consider another option right now.

Research in Motion (RIM), the Canada-based company in charge of exporting and managing overseas BlackBerry data services, defends their security policies. They released a statement stating, "RIM operates in over 175 countries today and provides a security architecture that is widely accepted by security conscious customers and governments around the world. RIM respects both the regulatory requirements of government and the security and privacy needs of corporations and consumers. RIM does not disclose confidential regulatory discussions that take place with any government however RIM assures its customers that it is committed to continue delivering highly secure and innovative products that satisfy the needs of both customers and governments."

Obviously despite all of this, the UAE remains unconvinced. Until they can come up with a satisfactory solution to their concerns about BlackBerry services, those living in or traveling to the UAE will just have live with out BlackBerry services. As annoying as this may be, it’s not the end of the world. I think people are more concerned about the principles of the matter. If the UAE feels they can take away things like BlackBerry service because of security issues, what else might they feel needs to be banned in the name of “security?”

Cell phones and all of their features and services are becoming a part of every day life for almost everyone. Read all about how landlines are quickly becoming obsolete.

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AT&T's Much Needed Android Smartphone: The Captivate

AT&T has finally come out with a much-needed Android smartphone. As one of the four major cell phone providers in America, AT&T was the only network truly lacking in the Android smartphone area. They no longer have this problem though thanks to the new Samsung Captivate. The Captivate is part of the Galaxy S series by Samsung and is by far AT&T's most dominant and feature-rich Android device. It has some really exciting features and is a great alternative to the iPhone 4.

The appearance of the Captivate is really nothing special, but the design is clean, simple and it gets the job done. The device is fairly large at 4.18 x 2.5 inches, but it is quite thin. It is only 0.39 inches deep and easily slips into your pocket. The Captivate is a very well constructed phone and feels very solid in your hand, but at the same time, it also feels sleek and modern.

The front of the smartphone is mostly taken up by the extraordinary 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen. This screen supports 16 million colors and a WVGA resolution of 480 x 800. The Captivate’s touch screen is one of the best-looking touch screens to be seen on a smartphone. It is truly brilliant. The coloring is incredibly vibrant and has a great sharpness that makes texts incredibly easy to read. Samsung’s decision to use the Super AMOLED screen presents several advantages. It has wider viewing angles, improved responsiveness, and also consumes less power. The scrolling experience on the Captivate is very smooth and supports the pinch-to-zoom feature. The display also possesses a six-axis accelerometer, which is quite useful for gaming. It is even quick to change the screen orientation whenever the phone is rotated.

The Captivate has four buttons on the front of the phone located below the screen: menu, home, back, and search. All four buttons are touch-sensitive. On the left side there is a volume adjustment button, and on the right is the power/lock button. Conveniently located on the top of the phone is a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Micro-USB port, and as usual, the camera is found on the back of the device.

As mentioned earlier, the Captivate is part of Samsung’s Galaxy S series and therefore runs Android 2.1 with Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0 interface. Samsung has worked really hard to re-vamp this program. They have enhanced the functionality and given it a more polished look. They also added new widgets including one called Feeds & Updates and another called Buddies Now. The Feeds & Update widget streams updates from Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. It has the capability to display content from one, two, or all three of the social-networking sites at once. The Buddies Now widget allows you to immediately call or text the contacts from your Facebook, Twitter, or MySpaces pages or comment on any of their updates. There are also a number of other Samsung and Android widgets and other shortcuts available.

The Samsung Captivate also comes equipped with a variety of features including: speakerphone, conference calling, voice dialing, text and multimedia messaging, and a full range of wireless options for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G, and GPS. It also gives you access to AT&T's Wi-Fi hot spots and a hot-spot locator app. The Captivate is also compatible with Gmail, POP3 and IMAP, Microsoft Exchange, Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

This magical little device also provides quite a nice list of available apps including a Write and Go app. The Write and Go app lets you compose a message on a notepad then send it to yourself whether it be by way of SMS, an e-mail, or a status update. Other apps include: Mini Diary app, Mobile Banking, Where, Yellow Pages Mobile, instant-messaging clients for Google Talk, AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo, a calculator, a voice recorder, and a memo pad. There are also several AT&T-specific services, such as AT&T Music and Video, AT&T Radio, AT&T FamilyMap, and AT&T Navigator. There are even more apps that you can obtain through the Android Market.

The camera on the Captivate is 5-megapixels and has an HD video camera. You have the ability to adjust the white balance and even add effects. The camera also offers lots of editing options like ISO settings, antishake, and blink and smile detection. One odd thing about the Captivate’s camera is that it is strangely missing a flash. This causes outdoor and night photos to be fairly poor, and the night setting doesn’t do much to help the situation. Despite the camera being a disappointment, the HD video camera is still very impressive.

The Captivate comes with a 1,500mAh lithium ion battery with a talk time rate of 5 hours and 50 minutes and up to 12.5 days of standby time. The battery should be able to easily get you though a whole day of checking e-mail, playing music, and browsing the Web. It’s well equipped with Samsung's 1GHz Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor. Every once and awhile there may be a very brief delay when exiting out of an app, but as a whole, the smartphone is extremely quick.

The Samsung Captivate is currently available from AT&T as of July 18 for $199.99 with a two-year contract. This is really a good buy with all the features it has to offer!

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Pocket Manager for iPad and iPhone

Last week, the company Intersog LLC, an "international software construction company that is located in Chicago, Illinois," announced an updated release of Pocket Manager: Accounting for Management for the iPad and iPhone. Pocket Manager is considered a Top 50 grossing business app and that shouldn't change with all the neat new features!

The original iPhone version of the app has lots of updates, including an in-app search feature and social networking options that allow you to post messages on Facebook and Twitter. It will also allow you to email course text to friends and co-workers. You can get the app at the iTunes App store.

The app itself is actually a course that is divided into three sections: the course, flash cards, and tests. It contains 11 chapters that cover many aspects of financial management. You can save your place at any time during the course and pick up where you left off at any time. There is also a glossary that helps you with definitions to words you may not understand. Once you complete the text, you can use flash cards which help you prepare for the tests, which follow each chapter. Regardless of whether you get an answer wrong or right, detailed explanations accompany each test answer and each test can be retaken.

Check out these related stories:
1. Rent an iPad
2. Chicago Computer Rentals

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Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.