Mobile: Dumbass Texting While Driving Off Clip (He Lived)

Another example of (stupidity) why texting and driving don't mix.  It should be in the came category as drunk driving as far as I'm concerned.

The idiot in the case lived but I hope they billed him for all the clean-up.  I might sound harsh but what if he had drove head-on into a family of four with young kids and killing them all - one of the kids could one day become a great doctor who find a cure to a disease or solve our energy problem?

It's a must watch video.

Mobile: "Metro" Is Dead, Now Called "Windows 8-Style UI" (Yikes...)

Source:  Arstechnica

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Microsoft will be abandoning the "Metro" name and in its place, the UI will be called "Windows 8-style UI". Talk about a mouthful.  Why the change?

According to Ars, it's because a German company threatened to sue.  With Windows 8 launch happening soon, Redmond figured it would be easier to just work around it.  Unfortunately, while Microsoft put on a brave face about how "Metro" was only a code-name, a look around its website shows that Microsoft had long term plans for "Metro".  I mean, it's all over the place.

Hope this doesn't trip things up for Surface and subsequent tablet and phone launches.  We general mobile fans and consumers need a strong Microsoft to compete in the market place.

Scary Trailers (Paranormal Activity 4, The Possession): I get Scared Easily But...

Source:  blastr.

I get scared easily but I love it.  Having said that, after watching Paranormal Activity 3 in a theater with a friend, and there were just the two of us in there for the matinee, we went back home and rented Paranormal Activity 1 and 2 to catch up.

Needless to say, I did not sleep with the lights off for nearly a month.  It was only a powerful windstorm that knocked out power for three days that I had the lights off at night.  And my house is freaking filled with mirrors and very reflective windows.

Well, Paranormal Activity 4 will soon be upon us.  And here is the trailer.  The only reason I was brave enough to watch it is because I'll have a house guest with me for a couple of weeks.

See the end of it?  Puts a whole new perspective on using Facetime, Hangout, or Skype.

Also, here is another movie, The Possession, that...sigh, I don't know why I do this to myself.  Yes, I look forward to scaring myself when it's released too.  It's from Sam Raimi.

Oh, it's based on a true story...

  

Next iPhone: What Kind of Camera?

While there has been a lot of speculations about the screen of the iPhone, whether it'll have NFC (near field communication) chip to go along with Passbook, and how thin it'll be, I have wondered about what kind of camera it'll have.

It's conceivable that Apple could go with the same camera as the iPhone 4S because of all the above features I've mentioned.  It could be that there will be enough new features and a form factor for the next iPhone that Apple doesn't see any need to upgrade the camera this time around.

On top of that, let's not forget the CPU upgrade that the iPhone is likely to get.  

Another factor that I think Apple might keep the camera at 8MP with marginal improvement at that is because of storage.  Let's say Apple goes ahead with a 10MP or 12MP camera upgrade.  The storage could be an issue for the 16 GB version of the new iPhone.  Then again, it could be because of the added storage requirement for photos that will drive users to go with the 32 GB iPhone instead.

This is just something that came to mind as I ponder about the camera upgrades for the iPod touch and the unicorn iPad mini.  Oh, and let's not forget that Steve Jobs had met with Lytro's CEO in the past.  Believe me when I tell you that Jobs doesn't meet with just anyone and certainly not for idle chitchats.

Obviously, it's highly unlikely that Apple's engineers will be able to fit that inside the iPhone but the discussion could result in sparking some new innovative juice for the camera.  

Anyway, I just thought it odd there's been no word on the camera.  It's been pretty quiet on this rumor front.

AT&T Might Not Be Asking Reps To Stieer Customers Away From iPhone But Competitors Might

Source:  BGR.

AT&T is disputing a post on BGR that its managers are telling store reps to steet customers looking for iPhones towards competing devices on Android and Windows Phone.  I don't know if AT&T is necessarily the ones doing it but I reckon Apple's competitors might provide incentives for them to do that while AT&T turns a blind eye.

No one would put it past AT&T and its Apple's competitors to employ such tactics.  There's nothing wrong with that by the way.  However, you can just feel the intense feelings and regrets coming from AT&T for giving Apple so much power over its customers back in 2007 when the iPhone first came out.

Seriously, otherwise, why would AT&T put so much money in trying to help sell the Lumia devices from Microsoft and Nokia?

Anyway, AT&T disputed the assertion but it doesn't say that its competitors are not behind it.  In the long run, it is hurting only itself and its customers.

Cloud: Dropbox Adds Security Features After Accounts Hacked

Source:  MacdailyNews, Techcrunch.

One of the things I find interesting about cloud security and companies that ask us to entrust them with our data is that they only act after something bad has happened.  As in this case with Dropbox where a number of accounts were hijacked.  And only after they were hijacked did they institute some additional security features.

My question is where were these security features before the hacking and why only after?  Why not before?  My Google accounts has double authentications and while it's a pain, I feel better about having it.  

I think it doesn't matter if you're an Apple, Google, Microsoft, or RIM fan.  Or if you're another cloud customer.  Wouldn't it be better to have more security than not?

In the case of dropbox, it appears that one of their employee account was hacked and then that's where the problem started.

So, this is what Dropbox will be doing:

• Two-factor authentication, a way to optionally require two proofs of identity (such as your password and a temporary code sent to your phone) when signing in. (Coming in a few weeks)
• New automated mechanisms to help identify suspicious activity. We’ll continue to add more of these over time.
• A new page that lets you examine all active logins to your account.
• In some cases, we may require you to change your password. (For example, if it’s commonly used or hasn’t been changed in a long time)

More info on their website.  

Let's hope more companies follow Google's example.  I'm an iCloud user, Amazon, and of a dozen or more other online/cloud user.  I sure would like additional security for my accounts.  What happened to Dropbox is only the beginning.  Frankly, I'm not surprised this has not happened even more.  

Last year, we had companies with breaches with a number of credit cards.  Millions.  Be it a stolen laptop, employee password stolen from a third party site, or a server that was not properly protected, hackers will find a way in.  

So, hopefully, others will follow Dropbox's example and not have to put its users needlessly through pain.  

Cord-Cutting: Hulu Plus Makes Pointless Appearance On Apple TV

Source:  Macworld.

Yeah (unenthusiastic).  This morning, reports are popping up all over the pace that Hulu Plus is finally on Apple TV.  Hey, that’s great.  Except the only way to access it is if you pay for shows you can watch for free on the Hulu website.

And then even if you decide to fork over $8 a month (that’s about three venti coffee at Starbucks there right), there’s no promise that the show you wanna watch will be available on Apple TV due to licensing terms.  Some shows are "web only".

I would not even call the addition of Hulu Plus under such conditions a step forward in cord-cutting.  Let’s see what happens this fall when Apple unveils its Christmas products and hope there will be some changes or additional options to accessing videos in iTunes like renting TV series that you can already do with movies.

For now, I’ll stick with my Macbook connecting via HDMI to the HDTV.  More about this uneventful event at Hulu blog.