Friday, July 30, 2010

Droid app of the week


This week's Droid app of the week is Old Timer Radio. This was recommended by my brother to check out and once I did I loved it. This app is all about the old radio shows before people had TV's in their homes. Families would gather around the radios and listen to these old serials. Well this app has many of those old classics. I can listen to all my favorite oldies in a pinch. So if you folks are into the old radio shows give it a try.

pats training camp


Its that time of year when the New England Patriots begin the start of their training camp. A wonderful time because the Red Sox are playing and football is getting close to beginning. My family and I went to the first training camp yesterday and its an experience. The Pats really go out of their way to make it such a family and fun environment no matter how old you are. Its fun for all ages. They have a kids park they set up called the Patriots Experience with all kinds of bouncy rides and crafts. Kids can take their photo with some of the Pats cheerleaders and have their faces painted. There is even lots of free goodies you can get. The whole complex that is Patriots Place is an attraction from fine dining to shops, there is something for everyone. Let's not forget the Bass Pro Shop which is an attraction itself. That place is unbelievable. Out behind the Bass Pro Shop is a 1 1/2 mile hiking trail that has beautiful scenery and cranberry boggs. What a sight. So if you ever get to New England or live in New England head to Patriot Place and check it out. Remember to root for the Patriots. Go Pats!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Latest mobile news

Well for you Iphone 4 owners you will soon be able to get a free case to help with your antenna issues. Apple's Steve Jobs said at a conference that all Iphone 4 owners are eligible for a free case for their device. On the Droid front, the official release date of the Motorola Droid 2 will be out on August 23rd. There will be an early release to a few lucky people for the Droid 2 on Aug. 12th and there will also be a limited edition R2-D2 Droid 2 phone. It will have an R2-D2 image on the back of the phone. This is awesome as a Star Wars geek myself, I am excited.

Droid app of the week


This week's Droid app of the week is the Slingbox app. Just like the article from below, you can remotely watch what you want wherever you want from your Droid. This is pricey for an app at 29.99, but well worth it. With Slingbox whatever channels you pay for via your satellite receiver or cable box you will be able to watch and change channels, or even record your shows with a DVR. How sweet it is. You can even stream your shows in HD! Definately a must have for everyone who is always on the go and doesn't have time to catch your shows or sports games at home.

slingbox


Well folks have you ever had to be somewhere but at the same time you knew you'd miss your favorite show. Well today you won't ever have to miss your favorite show again. There is a product I highly recommend called the Slingbox. There are a couple of versions. One is the Slingbox Solo and the other is the Slingbox Pro-HD. They connect to a cable box, satellite receiver, DVR, video/ security camera, DVD player recorder, Apple TV, and Windows Media Center. Yes you see right, you can connect a video camera and watch from anywhere you are, so if are on vacation you can check to see if your house is ok. But its more than just that. If you have a laptop, mac, netbook, or mobile device with an internet connection you can watch your shows. For my fellow sport fans that have to be at their mother-in-laws and have no access to your sports game can use this and not miss the game. lol! The Pro-HD version can do everything the Solo can plus connect up to 3 home theater devices, stream your HD content, and built-in TV tuner. This is gadgety goodness at its best! To be able to use this you will need a Windows or Mac based PC, high speed internet connection, and home network router. Retail prices for the Slingbox Solo are 149.99 and for the Pro-HD version is 299.99. The only other kicker is a one time fee of 29.99 to get the program to run on your preferred portable device. From the Android, Iphone4, blackberry, Windows mobile, Symbian, or Palm OS all are supported so everyone can watch. Definately something I will invest in once my rural community gets hooked up with high speed internet.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Droid app of the week


In staying on the same subject as my previous post, this weeks Droid app of the week is the Kindle for Droid. It came out recently and has been amazing. With this app there is no need to buy a Kindle, but if you own one you can sync your Droid and Kindle with Amazon Whispersync. It syncs your last page read between the devices. There are over 620,000 books you can download and thousands of free ones. You can adjust text size, color mode, and brightness. Its pretty much like the Kindle but a smaller screen. You can get your books through the app also. You just need an account with Amazon. I love this app as I've wanted my own Kindle but didn't feel like spending the money on one. Give it a look and you won't be disappointed.

Audiobooks and E-books


As my wife's book writing heats up, I'd like to talk about books with a tech twist. You see today, thanks to technology, books are now more accessible more than ever. There are a couple of different ways to get this without having to go to the library or bookstore and buying one. Thanks to the internet we can download them. People can purchase them for their e-readers or download them in audiobook format. Either way you get to the new age of reading or listening to books. I personally like listening to audiobooks and because of my hectic schedule I don't have time to read as much, so I can listen when I'm out on the road with either my MP3 or Droid Incredible phone through my car stereo. Now as I am a tech geek this is my preferred way of doing my reading. I also when I can get a chance, download e-books to read if I have time. But to a lot of other people, like my wife, love to just have a book in hand and read. I'm not knocking this because on occasion I like to go old school and read a book. Sometimes just sitting there with a crackling fire flipping through pages is relaxing. You can have your choice of E-readers like the Kindle, B&N E-reader Nook, Ipad, and the list goes on. E-readers are also for the most part environmentally friendly. Saving trees in the process. People can even read newspapers through E-readers. Audiobooks are perfect for people on the go. Some people who workout have a choice to listen to an audiobook instead of music. When I go walking on the track this is what I do. So there are endless ways to stay connected to the literary world. Whether your choice is a book, e-book, or audiobook all will bring you the joy and satisfaction of the genre of book you love without missing a step in today's fast paced world.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Droid app of the week


A little late on the Droid app of the week, but here goes. This week's app of choice is Astro file manager. Probably the best app on the Android market today. This app is a must have for every Droid phone out there. Astro file manger is the first app you must download. It does so many different things such as: read zip and tgz files, send attachments, task killer, SD card usage, search text and files, image and file viewers, and SFTP, SMB, Bluetooth networking. This has made my Droid experience easier and smoother. Droid phones don't have a central location to see files so, this app takes care of that. Now you don't have to go pulling your hair out searching for a file all over the phone itself. So for those new to the Droid scene this is a must have.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Incredible News


To all my fellow Droid Incredible owners, rejoice. Yes we know 2.2 Froyo update will be out late July or early August, but there is an OTA we will be receiving soon. No date as to when it will happen. You see this update will add 2 features to our phone. They are as follows, the first will be a mobile hotspot feature. Yes we will be a walking hotspot but will have to pay more monthly to use it. We will be able to use up to 5 wifi devices but at a 2gb max, unless you want to cough up an overage charge. The next part of the update is something we've been wanting, with all these other super smartphones coming out with this feature we needed it. It is..... 720p HD recording. We will be able to record in 720p HD folks and this is awesome. The phone should have come with 720p HD recording in the first place but I will take this. Nice!