OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2 to bring Facebook integration, iMessage phone number merging

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software,

Hot on the heels of the release of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1, Apple has seeded 10.8.2 to developers, and it includes a couple of interesting features. With 10.8.2 should come the built-in Facebook integration that Apple promises will come to Mountain Lion this fall. In addition, iMessage phone number merging appears in 10.8.2 as well, a feature that will allow users to receive iMessages sent to their phone numbers on their Macs, iPads, and iPod touch devices. Apple asks developers to also focus on Game Center and Reminders in the first 10.8.2 build 12C31a.

Facebook 5.0 for iOS brings amazing speed boost

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Social Networking, App Updates, iPad Apps, Free Apps,

Facebook has (finally!) released its updated iOS app that's been rewritten from the ground-up in native iOS dev code. That means that instead of being HTML5 based (and super-slow,) it's now twice as fast. There are other visual tweaks, but they're relatively subdued. You can scroll faster in the News Feed, pictures are a bit larger, there are nicer animations, and Timeline profile pages can now be viewed on the iPad app. All nice, but make no mistake about it, the star here is the fantastic speed of the app. You can download Facebook 5.0 for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch now, for free on the App Store.

Read More | Facebook 5.0 for iPhone

Amazon set to unveil new Kindle readers on September 6

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds, Rumors,

We recently reported that Amazon is set to unveil an update to its line of Kindle ebook readers sometime soon, and now it appears that the date for everything to go down will be September 6. Amazon has sent out notifications of a press conference to be held in Santa Monica, California where we expect that we'll see the next version of the Kindle Fire as well as updates to the Kindle e-ink readers as well. Things kick off at 10:30am that morning, and of course, we'll have all the news right here.

Microsoft reveals new logo for first time in 25 years

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Design, Microsoft,

For the first time in 25 years, Microsoft has has given its logo a facelift. The new logo takes a bold step in highlighting the simplicity in the Metro Windows 8-style interface that we're seeing in Windows 8, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, and more. Hit up the video below to see Microsoft's take on the new design.

Click to continue reading Microsoft reveals new logo for first time in 25 years

Read More | Microsoft

Apple releases OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software,

This morning Apple publicly released OS X Update 10.8.1, the first update for Mountain Lion. The release comes just two days shy of a month since the initial Mountain Lion release on July 25th. Here are the major changes and improvements included in the release:

Click to continue reading Apple releases OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1

Vinamor wine aerator review

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Features, Smart Home, Product Reviews,

The Vinamor wine aerator, the concept of Gary DeJohn, was featured on ABC's Shark Tank with an impressive demo that showcased just how well the product can bring out all the flavors of a just-opened bottle of wine. The Vinamor has a stainless steel filter and a glass sphere that work together to aerate your wine. It sits atop your wine glass, and as you pour wine through the filter, it's exposed to the large surface area of the glass sphere, which in turn softens tannins and brings out flavor while the filter catches and sediment that may be present. Or, at least, that's the promise. How well does the $40 Vinamor actually perform? Join us in our full Vinamor review for our thoughts.

Click to continue reading Vinamor wine aerator review

Microsoft slashes Kinect price by $40, now costs $109

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Hot Deals, Kinect, Xbox 360,

Today Microsoft has announced a permanent Kinect price cut, bringing the motion controller peripheral down to $109. The change in price is immediate, as you can buy it right now on Amazon for the newly-reduced price tag, which still includes Kinect Adventures, by the way. Kinect also sees price drops in Latin America and the Asia Pacific area, with the exception of Japan.

Read More | Major Nelson

New iOS sync cable with smaller dock connector surfaces in picture

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Rumors, USB,

An image of the purported updated Apple USB sync cable with updated miniature dock connector has surfaced from Veister, a China-based accessory seller. As you can see, this matches up nicely with the rumored change from a 30-pin connector over to a 9-pin connector for the next iPhone 5, 7.85-inch iPad, modified third-generation iPad, and updated iPod touch.

Read More | iLounge

T-Mobile Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan is a great deal for fake 4G

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News,

T-Mobile has announced that its bringing back unlimited data plans beginning September 5th. The company is touting that there will be no speed limits, throttling, or data caps for customers who subscribe to the new Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan. The cost? Users can expect to pay $20 when they add unlimited data to a Value voice and text plan, or $30 when added to a Classic plan. T-Mobile will allow users to add unlimited data to any T-Mobile smartphone, or customers can bring their own smartphone (like the iPhone?) that's compatible with T-Mobile's network.

Click to continue reading T-Mobile Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan is a great deal for fake 4G

Read More | T-Mobile

Help stop AT&T from blocking FaceTime over Cellular from the majority of its customers

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Wireless / WiFi,

The fine folks over at FreePress are asking the public to take action in an attempt to convince AT&T to reconsiders its position on blocking iOS 6 feature FaceTime over Cellular for all customers unless they switch to a Mobile Share plan. It's an obvious money-grab, a way to encourage its unlimited data users to leave those plans behind, and it shows preferential treatment on how users can use their own data plans. We're signing, and we encourage you to do the same. According to Public Knowledge:

“By blocking FaceTime for many of its customers, AT&T is violating the FCC’s Open Internet rules. These rules state that mobile providers shall not ‘block applications that compete with the provider’s voice or video telephony services.’ Although carriers are permitted to engage in ‘reasonable network management,’ there is no technical reason why one data plan should be able to access FaceTime, and another not. ‘Over-the-top’ communications services like FaceTime are a threat to carriers’ revenue, but they should respond by competing with these services and not by engaging in discriminatory behavior.”

Read More | FreePress