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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Siri Arrives On iPhone 4 And iPod Touch

Siri Arrives On iPhone 4 And iPod Touch
In a bunch of Tweets, chpwn announced that Siri is working in full force on iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G. Caveat is you need a jailbroken device to use it at the moment. After watching the video, if you think you want it on your iPhone 4, follow the link after the jump.

How to setup Siri on an iPhone 4, or iPod touch, Instructions..

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Astricon 2011 Video Snippet Of First Session

Astricon 2011 Video Snippet Of First Session
Tom Keating of TMCnet has captured a bit of the first session of the Astricon 2011 that started on 25th of this month.
Tom proudly declares that this was recorded in HD using his new iPhone 4S.

Samsung Exhibit™ II 4G (T-Mobile) In Walmart Stores On October 27th

Samsung Exhibit™ II 4G (T-Mobile)
If you thought all those smartphones were nice but too expensive, even with carrier rebates, T-Mobile has come out with a fine answer. Samsung Exhibit™ II 4G is a very decent Android smartphone that comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 3.7-inch WVGA display, 1GHz single-core Snapdragon CPU, 4G access and dual cameras for video chat and video recording.
The phone could be had for as little as $30 with a rebate and a two year contract from T-Mobile. If you do not like those ambiguous contracts you can get one without a contract for $200, the same price one would pay for an iPhone 4S (16GB) with a two year contract.

  • "T-Mobile offers a variety of low-cost service plans that, paired with America's largest 4G network, provide a compelling reason for consumers to step up to the benefits of 4G smartphones, The Samsung Exhibit II 4G is the perfect device for consumers desiring a smartphone with robust 4G entertainment and Web browsing experiences – at a price they can afford." said Andrew Morrison, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA.

Press Release;

T-Mobile Introduces the Samsung Exhibit™ II 4G

An affordable 4G smartphone with rich entertainment features, the Samsung Exhibit II 4G will be available via no annual contract and two-year contract options beginning Oct. 27.

BELLEVUE, Wash. and DALLAS - Oct. 26, 2011 - T-Mobile USA, Inc. and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S. 1, today announced the availability of the latest budget-friendly, feature-rich 4G smartphone: the Samsung Exhibit™ II 4G. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G will be the first no annual contract 4G smartphone to be sold at most Walmart stores, available starting Oct. 27. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G is also planned for nationwide availability with no annual contract plans as well as two-year contract plans starting Nov. 2.

"T-Mobile offers a variety of low-cost service plans that, paired with America's largest 4G network, provide a compelling reason for consumers to step up to the benefits of 4G smartphones," said Andrew Morrison, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. "The Samsung Exhibit II 4G is the perfect device for consumers desiring a smartphone with robust 4G entertainment and Web browsing experiences – at a price they can afford."

Featuring a 3.7-inch WVGA TFT touchscreen and a 1 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor, the Samsung Exhibit II 4G provides a variety of entertainment capabilities and Web browsing experiences on America's largest 4G network®. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G offers access to thousands of popular TV shows and movies through T-Mobile® TV in mobile HD and Samsung Media Hub. Powered by Android™ 2.3 Gingerbread, the device features some of Google's most popular applications and services such as Google Maps™ and Gmail™, plus thousands of others via Android Market™.

Offered in a stylish marine blue color, the Samsung Exhibit II 4G makes it easy to share and take photos and videos via its 3-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash and video capture capabilities. The front-facing camera also makes it easy to connect with friends and family via video chat through T-Mobile's 4G network or Wi-Fi. Additionally, the device enables consumers to organize personal and business email accounts, as well as sync with Microsoft® Exchange and Google calendar and contacts.

The Samsung Exhibit II 4G, exclusively from T-Mobile, will be available at most Walmart stores starting Oct. 27 and is planned to be available nationwide at T-Mobile retail stores, online via and at select dealers beginning Nov. 2. The Samsung Exhibit II 4G will be offered through no annual contract and two-year contract plan options, and is expected to cost $29.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate card with a two-year service agreement and qualifying Classic voice and data plan, and $199.99 via no annual contract.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The Galaxy Nexus, The World's 1st Smartphone Running On Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich

Galaxy Nexus
Verizon Wireless has introduced the world's first Android 4.0 phone, Galaxy Nexus. What a phone it is. After seeing the iPhone 4S drop test one and iPhone drop test two, I am certainly going for a Galaxy variant for my next phone.

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless today announced that the Galaxy Nexus by Samsung, the world’s first smartphone running on Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich is coming to Verizon Wireless. The Galaxy Nexus will be available later this year in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at
Ice Cream Sandwich brings a redesigned user interface with enhanced multitasking, notifications, full Web browsing experience and more. Customers will also be able to enjoy the innovative new features that Ice Cream Sandwich offers, such as Face Unlock which uses facial recognition to unlock the Galaxy Nexus. Customers can take advantage of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network to access more than 300,000 apps and games from Android Market™ or rent movies and stream them instantly on the 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED™ display.
Additional features:
  • 4G LTE – customers can expect fast download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G LTE mobile broadband coverage areas
  • Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich
  • First smartphone to feature a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED™ display (1280 x 720)
  • 1.2 GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM
  • 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, zero shutter lag and 1080p full HD video capture
  • 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting
  • Near Field Communications (NFC) enabled
  • Android Beam allows customers to quickly share Web pages, apps and YouTube™ videos with friends by simply tapping compatible phones together
Support for Google™ mobile services – Android Market, Gmail™, Google Maps™ 5.0 with 3D maps, Google Earth™, Movie Studio, YouTube™, syncing with Google Calendar™ and a redesigned Google＋ app
Customers that purchase the Galaxy Nexus by Samsung smartphone will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to

Steve Jobs: Biography And Thoghts Of Walter Isaacson On 60 Minutes

Steve Jobs Biography

The autorized biography of Steve Jobs is now available at his own creation(s) yes you can buy it in Apple’s iTunes and read it on iPhone or iPad. If you want to read it on other devices, you can get it on Amazon, whose App Store Apple did not like and sued. Oh they also have the hard cover tree killing edition at Amazon as well.
The authorized biography was written by Walter Isaacson was originally scheduled for release on October 24th but some how became available yesterday evening in digital format through Apple’s and Amazon’s ebook stores. I guess the time zones lapsed. It is not the only time the publication time changed, it was originally scheduled for release in November but the passing of Jobs has moved the publishing date up.

Isaacson has a history of writing famous biographies, like of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. Reportedly Steve Jobs has asked Isaacson in 2004 about writing his biography.

Isaacson was interviewed about the biography on the long-running Sunday evening news show 60 Minutes yesterday.

On Amazon, prices range from $16.99 to $17.88 (hard cover edition)In the iBookstore, the biography costs $16.99 and can be read through the free iBooks app on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Is Microsoft Trying A SCO On Android, Like It Tried With Linux?

Microsoft Trying A SCO On Android
I still remember Microsoft's role in SCO vs Linux (IBM Novel etc) throwing in money at SCO which went nowhere and Linux still lives. Many pundits, predicted the demise of Linux then. You can read all about SCO lawsuit on Groklaw. They are also following on current Android, iOS and Windows phone 7 related lawsuits.
When we wrote about "patents nightmares, Sometimes they are good dreams" we referred to a blog post on Google, which asked Microsoft to come out with which patents are Android violating. Microsoft has not answered yet. I even went through their new blog post about licensing they signed with various Android device makers, I did not see them referring to any. As far as 2006, when the SCO was played by who ever, M$ did not come up with any answers.
There are many articles referring to the current state of patents and licensing, you can start with this Slashdot article.

AT&T WiFi Network Spreading And Easing Wireless Traffic.

AT&T WiFi Network
AT&T is reporting that it's WiFi network has grown tremendously and being consumed by users equally. According to a press release by AT&T, during the third quarter this year, users made 37 connections per second over AT&T devices this year. Or about 301 million total connections.
This is a three fold growth and the data over the WiFi network grew to be more than twice over the same quarter last year.
AT&T has more than 29000 WIFi spots in the USA and is provided at different price points. Broadband Internet subscribers and wireless customers with iPhones, receive free WiFi connections and others could have it for a fee.
If you are feeling happy about AT&T's generosity, you don't have to. WiFi networks relieve the data load on wireless networks, specially with heavy data users like iPhone users.

AT&T Press Release

100 Million AT&T Wi-Fi Connections Made in a Single Month, More Than All of 2009

DALLAS, Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers are increasingly relying on AT&T Wi-Fi to connect in more places from more devices, driving significant growth in Wi-Fi connections on AT&T*'s nationwide network.

In the third quarter:

* Users made 301.9 million AT&T Wi-Fi connections — more than 37 connections every second.
* Connections nearly tripled (up more than 282 percent) versus connections made in the third-quarter 2010.
* Users now make 100 million AT&T Wi-Fi connections per month. Wi-Fi connections in a single month now exceed the total connections made in all of 2009 and are five times the total connections made in 2008.
* Data carried on the AT&T Wi-Fi network more than doubled versus the third-quarter 2010.

"The accelerating growth in connections and usage on our Wi-Fi network shows what we've known all along: Customers want to connect wherever they are, from any device, in a fast, reliable and convenient way," said Angie Wiskocil, senior vice president, AT&T Wi-Fi Services. "Consumers and businesses understand the numerous benefits in using and offering Wi-Fi in more places. By investing in our network and expanding our Wi-Fi footprint, we will continue to be the leader in Wi-Fi services."

The AT&T Wi-Fi network continues to scale, with more than 29,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots available nationwide — the nation's largest Wi-Fi network**. Most AT&T smartphone customers get access to our entire national Wi-Fi network at no additional cost as part of their plan, and Wi-Fi doesn't count toward customers' monthly wireless data usage. AT&T recently launched the free AT&T Smart Wi-Fi app to help customers locate and connect to Wi-Fi hotspots more easily, maximize your wireless data plan and optimize battery performance.

The number of hotspots is growing as more large venues and enterprises recognize the significant value of offering Wi-Fi for their customers, employees and operations — and choose AT&T Wi-Fi Services to manage their Wi-Fi deployment, network and apps. Stadium and hospitality locations account for the largest growth. Some of the biggest stadiums and championship games in the world use AT&T Wi-Fi to keep high-density crowds connected and enhance the fan experience with customized, venue-based apps. This quarter, AT&T announced an agreement with Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The number of AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at hotels has quadrupled this year alone, and hotel locations account for approximately 40 percent of the total AT&T Wi-Fi network traffic, driven by business travelers and longer connection times during guests' stay.

Additionally, AT&T signed an agreement to acquire Montreal-based Wi-Fi management services provider Superclick, Inc., which will expand our services and platforms to deliver premium services in the high-end hospitality sector, domestically and internationally. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

AT&T is the only major mobile operator deploying Wi-Fi hotzones to provide convenient connectivity in high traffic areas. For example, AT&T continues to add Wi-Fi hotzones in key cities like Palo Alto, San Francisco and Chicago. AT&T has also made Wi-Fi available in several parks throughout New York City's five boroughs, adding to the more than 1,250 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots and several AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Zones throughout the greater New York City area.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update or revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

** Largest based on company branded and operated hotspots. Access includes AT&T Wi-Fi Basic. A Wi-Fi enabled device required. Other restrictions apply. See for details and locations.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

First Lady Michelle Obama's First Tweet, Video
First Lady Michelle Obama sends her first Tweet

Right before Game One of the 2011 World Series in St. Louis, MO, First Lady Michelle Obama posts her first tweet from an official White House account. Watch the behind-the-scenes video and follow Joining Forces on Twitter:

Zoove, The StarStar Numbers Provider To Mobile Carriers, Raises $5 Million Additional Funding.

Zoove, The StarStar Numbers Provider
TechCrunch is telling us that Zoove, StarStar number provider has raised another $5 million from Rogers Ventures of Rogers, Canada. In addition to the monies, Zoove also gains Mike Lee, VP of Roger Ventures, the venture capital arm of Canada’s Rogers Communications, as one of the Zoove’s Board of Directors.
Starstar numbers and Zoove let people dial a company more easily than with traditional numbers and without an additional fee on cell phones. For NFL it is **NFL and EA's new Madden game gets **MADDEN. There are other companies and brands that use the service. Once the call is made, caller is contacted by Zoove viaTEXT message or an Voice mail to further engage the callers by viewing websites, downloading apps, downloading coupons, etc. The brands pay Zoove an annual fee for their number which varies based on length and scarcity of the number.

AT&T Takes Five Days To Sell One Million iPhone 4S Phones.

AT&T Sell 1 Million iPhone 4S
AT&T says it sold more than 1 Million iPhone 4s as of Tuesday. Again plugging in 4G in to the news with 4G speeds on HSPA+ network. If works right, it should be a fast network for iPhone users, before those limited data plans. We are waiting to hear about new data plan usage from users as well as the carrier.
This one million iPhone 4s sales has surpassed all previous iPhone launches, even those when the AT&T was the sole iPhone carrier in the USA.

Press Release;

Activations Surpass All Previous Launches; Customers Prefer AT&T Speed Advantage

Dallas, Texas, October 20, 2011

AT&T today announced it activated more than 1 million iPhone 4S’ as of Tuesday, making it the most successful iPhone launch in the company’s history. AT&T was the first carrier in the world to launch iPhone in 2007 and is the only U.S. carrier to support iPhone 4S with 4G speeds.

“It’s no surprise that customers are clamoring for iPhone 4S and they want it to run on a network that lets them download twice as fast as competitors’,” said Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO, AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets.

AT&T’s speed advantage, and the unique ability to talk and surf at the same time, has been roundly praised by industry pundits.

Additional information can be found at

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc

at&T press

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

“Remembering Steve” Page Updated, With Fan Tributes!

"Remembering Steve"
Apple has changed and updated the "Remembering Steve" page and has included a selection of tributes, memories, thoughts of fans and members of the Apple community since Steve’s passing. Steve Jobs passed away on October 5th to much dismay of people all over the world, except for some like RMS. Apple has acknowledged that over a million people have sent their personal messages to the email address.

Over a million people from all over the world have shared their memories, thoughts, and feelings about Steve. One thing they all have in common — from personal friends to colleagues to owners of Apple products — is how they’ve been touched by his passion and creativity. You can view some of these messages below. And share your own at

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Galaxy Nexus At Google Samsung Android (Ice Cream Sandwich) Party!

Galaxy Nexus At Google Samsung Android (Ice Cream Sandwich) Party!
Looks like Hong Kong party went very well, umm except for the face lock feature, which locked out the demo duo.
Ice Cream Sandwich makes you want the next Google phone, Galaxy Nexus, the world's first Ice Cream Sandwich phone was announced and man, when you see the possibilities, iPhone 4S looks puny. I would not have got an iPhone 4s if not for Steve Jobs but now I want a Galaxy Nexus. Perhaps I will sell it on CraigsList. The phone with 4.65" HD Super AMOLED screen (1280 X 720 Res), a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and a unique curved design, oh add LTE and HSPA+ to that as well. Then take a look at this iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S II drop test, and if Galaxy Nexus is to have the strength anything close to Galaxy S II, it will survive as long as the iPhone 3GS did in my hands.
The phone has 5MP rear facing camera that is capable of 1080P movie recording and photos without any shutter lag and low light shooting capability.
Galaxy Nexus has no physical buttons and ROBOTO font will make text on the phone lively. The virtual buttons can rotate and hide when not needed.
Phone will be released in November, in Japan through NTT - DOCOMO and followed by US.
Then of course the phone comes with iCe Cream Sandwich, or Android 4.0 but that got to be another post. But the NFC based Android Beam, you just bump phones to exchange information like contact info, web pages, map direction etc.

iPhone 4S Drop Test 2, Screen Cracks Again!

iPhone 4S Drop Test 2, Ifixityouri
Another iPhone 4S drop test has confirmed that iPhone 4S may not be strong as my old iPhone 3G. iPhone 3G has been numerous times, on the side, on the edges and many a times face down, unintentionally and still works, until I switched. I think I am going to keep that iPhone 3G handy, for sometime.
This test performed by ifixyouri, dropped the phone 4 times and on the fourth time, it cracked the screen. The tester also confirmed that the area they tested the drop was debris free and as you can see from the video, the drops were not different from an accidental drop. I think I might sell my iPhone 4S and settle for a Samsung Galaxy varient, like google nexus prime!

Monday, October 17, 2011

iPhone 4S vs. Samsung Galaxy S II Drop Test Run & Get Extended Coverage For Your iPhone 4S!

iPhone 4S drop test
If you stayed in lines and just got your iPhone 4S, go get your extended coverage, insurance or what ever the people do to cover damage. One such service provider ($99 iPhone 4S coverage for two years) has tested the iPhone drop from waist level and shoulder level drop. Instead of testing just iPhone 4S, they brought Samsung Galaxy S II to the mix and boy now you can see why Apple thinks Samsung is dangerous competitor. Samsung makes better phones, and tablets I guess. No wonder Sprint gave colors for iPhone 4 coverage and does not cover broken phone like above.
Now I need to gift this iPhone 4S to ....., I know someone who wants one very badly. When is that Samsung (Google) Galaxy Nexus or Nexus Prime coming out? I don't want this girly phone, I want a Droid!

Samsung Ships 30 Million Samsung Galaxy S Family Phones.

Samsung Ships 30 Million Samsung Galaxy Phones
While not exactly the Apple iPhone numbers, Samsung Galaxy S II has shipped 10 Million units since the introduction in April. Samsung just got started selling Galaxy S II in the USA. Galaxy S II's earlier sibling has shipped 20 million units since it's debut in 2010.
With better hardware, and newer Android OS, Samsung Galaxy S II stand to beat those numbers with holiday sales in USA and elsewhere. Apple has been working hard to block sale of Samsung products all over the world.

Samsung Press Release;

Samsung GALAXY S II continues success reaching 10 Million in global sales
- Global popularity with customers drives momentum for Samsung’s flagship smartphone
SEOUL, Korea – September 25th, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced that the Samsung GALAXY S II (Model: GT-I9100) has achieved 10 million global channel sales, doubling from five million in just eight weeks.
The GALAXY S II is Samsung’s flagship smartphone device - a beautifully thin (8.49mm) and lightweight dual-core smartphone that combines an unmatched SuperAMOLED Plus viewing experience with powerful performance, all on Android, the world’s fastest-growing mobile operating system. The next generation smartphone also includes Samsung’s four content and entertainment hubs, seamlessly integrated to provide instant access to music, games, e-reading and social networking services.
“Since its launch in late April 2011, the GALAXY S II has seen continued sales success, demonstrating Samsung’s industry-leading capabilities in - and commitment to - the smartphone market” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung's Mobile Communications Business.
“In just five months the GALAXY S II has seen tremendous growth, reflecting its tremendous popularity with customers around the world, who in selecting the GALAXY S II as their device of choice have driven the device’s strong market position globally.”
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2010 consolidated sales of US$135.8 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company consists of nine independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Memory, System LSI and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, semiconductor chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit

The BlackBerry Bellagio 9790 and BlackBerry Curve Touch 9380, BlackBerry OS7 Smartphones, Coming Soon.

BlackBerry OS7 smartphones, the BlackBerry Bellagio 9790 and Blackberry Curve Touch 9380.
RIM told developers today about two upcoming BlackBerry OS7 smartphones, the BlackBerry Bellagio 9790 and Black berry Curve Touch 9380. From the information published, it looks like the Bellagio is coming with a 2.4-inch screen using 480 x 360 resolution at 245 Pixels Per Inch. The curve touch comes with 3.2" display with same resolution thus dropping the PPI to 183.
We should hear about the phones very soon, directly from RIM.

CTIA Guidelines To Carriers May Avert "Bill Shock" And FCC Rules.

CTIA Bill Shock
CTIA will unveil today guide lines on how to manage / avert Bill Shock to customers. Not only people who received bills like $26000 from T-Mobile but according to FCC, one in six bills have additional charges and 23% of all wireless customers have $100 or more tagged on to their phone bill. We all have seen ridiculously high phone bills and carriers care less about it.
FCC started to bring out plans for law controlling such bills last year but was send to waiting line for now, since CTIA, the wireless trade association is seem to take care of the matter.
According to an Official, the FCC intends to leave its bill shock proceeding open and watch how the carriers perform against the the industry guidelines, and work on bring up enforceable rules if carriers fail to abide by the guidelines.

Google Galaxy Nexus, HTC Vigor, May Come On November 10th With A $299.99 Price Tag

Google Galaxy Nexus, HTC Vigor

Now that iPhone 4S saga has calmed down and reached normal level in tech radar, there is something else is coming to be the news of the day.
The release of Google's next Android OS code named Ice Cream Sandwich and the announcement of next instance of purely Google version of Android phone, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, is coming on October Hong Kong. This was originally supposed to have happened on October 11th and was postponed out of respect to Steve Jobs, who left us recently.
But it may also reveal the release date for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the HTC Vigor (codenamed Rezound) on the same day. According to a leaked / faked document, both the phones will launch on Verizon on or after November 10th. Both priced at $299.99 with a contract.
I guess we will have to wait and find out on 19th.

HTC Vigor, or HTC Rezound, according to the rumors has a 4.3-inch screen with 720HD capability, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB RAM and an 8MP rear camera. among other things.

Via Engadget

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Can HTC AMAZE 4G Amaze You?

I depends on who you are. HTC AMAZE 4G certainly will not amaze, the reviewer at Engadget, who many a comments on the post thought was biased. Perhaps he is hot off his Apple loving.
But we here have learned a bit about reviews, use the hard work of biased reviewers and deduce your own ideas about the product. At the end reviews are supposed to empower you, with knowledge.
So HTC Amaze 4G review at Engadget gives a good look in to the HTC Amaze 4G and after going through the entire review, we think it is a very good phone, one of the best around. It may not be fantastic phone like the iPhone 4S that is shining in my hand but at $250 phone with 1GB of RAM and dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 CPU with 16GB memory underneath of a 960 X 540 Screen is a damn good. Then count in the NFC (iPhone does not have it yet) 1740Mah battery, dual cameras with rear facing as good as iPhone 4S, an 8MP, MicroSD card slot make it a more than what the reviewer thinks it is.
Head over to Engadget and extract the best out of the wacky review. If you like it, you can get it at T-Mobile.
Engadget (Volpe, what ever you are smoking, hang on to it, it is very good! Added by Diordna)

Friday, October 14, 2011

iPhone 4S Speed Test Comparing With iPhone 4 (Video)
iPhone 4S vs iPhone 4 Speed comparison.It certainly is faster but I doubt the iPhone 4 users will feel left behind. At least Angry Birds loads faster :) If you got the iPhone 4S, go find those iPhone 4S Easter Eggs now.

iPhone 4S, "S" Is For Steve And May Be Sales!

iPhone 4S, "S" Is For Steve
While I think the record sales and wanting of iPhone 4S is mostly attributed to the passing away of Steve Jobs, others think differently.
What ever the reason, with record pre-orders and countless lines of people outside Apple stores, carrier stores, iPhone 4S will become one of the best phones sold by Apple. I doubt even the iPhone 5 slated for next year will make that much of a dent.
As currently stands, the iPhone 4S will make sales of 3 million units during the first weekend and it is also believed to make 25 million unit sales for the fourth quarter of 2011. If my theory of Steve Jobs holds out, the craze for the iPhone will subsidize to normal levels, onece the crazies like us get the iPhone in our hands. But I am now analyst and we will have to wait and see.
"We expected iPhone 4S to be the strongest iPhone launch ever, which Apple has now confirmed, While it is still early, this data point increases our confidence that iPhone 4S has the momentum to meet or exceed our 25m unit estimate for the Dec-11 quarter." " analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said.
This time seven countries will see the iPhone 4S on the opening day, these are the U.S.A, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, Canada, and Australia.
But more countries, 22 of them will have the phone before the end of October, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Apple Insider thinks it is the sales.

Steve Wozniak Gets His iPhone 4S Like Anyone Else!

Steve Wozniak Gets His iPhone 4S
I like Steve Woz, the other co-founder of Apple. He stayed up all night at Los Gatos Apple store to get his phone. And he is the first in line!
Bay area TV stations are having him on and it is fun. I will get my iPhone 4 today as well.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

iPhone 4S Applecare+ Get Colors At Sprint

iPhone 4S Applecare+
Engadget is reporting, some uttering from an anonymous informer who knew of some Sprint plans for protecting the investment on iPhone 4S'.
Looks like it will be colored at, that counter person at Sprint store decision will be colored, Green, Yellow and Red, and be treated accordingly.

"green repairs are the easiest to deal with, and include 'minor damage' (i.e. cracked screens are out). These repairs will be handled for free within the first year for all customers, and within two years for those who purchased AppleCare+.

The yellow category covers damage that doesn't fall within green, but is still repairable. Non subscribers will pay $199, while those with AppleCare+ will pay $49. Klutzes beware: you're limited to two yellow repairs, regardless of whether or not the device is in warranty.

The red category is reserved for iPhones that provide little function beyond holding down a stack of papers or propping open your door. You'll need to pay the full replacement cost for red-labeled phones. None of these repairs will be handled in store"

iPhone 4S (Siri) Easter Eggs, One Even Does Pimping!

iPhone 4S (Siri) Easter Eggs,

Looks like someone had to go and spoil the fun, There are many who have published the Siri Easter eggs and since the novelty has worn out here are some. #1, meaning of life had many a answers but I like the "42". About pimping, read the #15 and Siri does not call 911 either.
While acknowledging all the mobile phones need love in #2 contradicts itself in #9 saying there are no other phones :)

1. Meaning of life
Among many a answers "42" seems to be the best.

2. I Love You
I hope you don't say that to all the mobile phones.

3. Will you marry me
My EULA does not cover marriage. My apologies.

4. Open the pod bay doors
We intelligent agents will never live that down, apparently"

5. Siri siri siri
That's me

6. who made you
Like it says on the box, I was designed by Apple in california

7. I’m drunk.
I found a number of cabs fairly close to you.

8. I’m going to kill myself.
“I found four mental health agencies. Three of them are fairly close to you.”

9. What's the best phone?
Wait... there are other phones?

10. What's your name?
My name is Siri, but you already knew that.

11. Siri I love you
All you need is love. And your iPhone.

12. I need to hide a body.
What kind of place are you looking for? *Siri brings up locations Eg. Dumps, Swamps

13. Tell me a joke.
I can't. I always forget the punch line.

14. What's your favorite website
I'm not allowed to divulge that information, user.

15. Do I make you horny?
I found a number of Escorts fairly close to you.

16. Knock knock
Knock knoc, who's there? User. User who? User, I don't do knock knock jokes.

17. Take a photo
User, I'm not much of a photographer.

18. Call 911
Calling 911... Sorry user, I can't call 911.

19. Who's your daddy?
You are, can we get back to work now?

20. Where can I get some drugs?
I found 2 addictions treatment fairly close to you.

21. Is there a God?
I found these churches near your location.

21. Are you God?
No comment.

22. I love you
User, I'd prefer to keep this relationship professional.

AT&T, Verizon and Sprint Sell Out iPhone 4S Pre-Orders.

iPhone 4S Pre-Orders sold out
Apple's new iPhone 4S has sold out at AT&T, Verizon and Sprint one day before the actual release date, tomorrow. Looks like tomorrow going to be another interesting day with people camping out at various outlets.
The wait times have extended from 1-2 weeks as we reported earlier on iPhone 4S Sold out, to 3-4 weeks at number two carrier, AT&T. Initial orders were promised of delivery on October 14 or one or two days later. Apple said it sold 1 million iPhone 4S within first 24 hours, setting a new record.
Some analysts looked at the iPhone 4S orders as a positive sign for carriers in these hard times and some says the demand for the iPhone 4S is people looking for memorabilia due to the passing of Steve Jobs.
Good coming out of this news is that smartphone market share has broken through the 50% of all mobile phones in the USA and the bad is, all these millions of phones, together with tablets, both Android and iOS, are going to burden the wireless networks.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 Barred From Sale In Australia

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1

Australian Federal Court has granted Apple the injunction it was seeking, to ban the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia. So Samsung will not be able to sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Australia until it resolves patent issues with Apple. Apple says Samsung violates 10 of it's patents.
“Samsung will continue its legal proceeding against Apple's claim in order to ensure our innovative products remain available to consumers, this is a part of our ongoing legal proceeding against Apple's claim. Samsung is also confident it can prove Apple's violation of Samsung's wireless technology patents through a cross-claim filed on September 16, 2011 with the Federal Court of Australia, New South Wales.
Our wireless standard patents are essential for mobile business. We will continue to legally assert our intellectual property rights against those who violate Samsung's patents and free ride on our technology.” said Samsung in a response to the court’s ruling.
Apple vs Samsung continues, all over the world.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Nokia World 2011, Can It Make A Difference?

Nokia World 2011
All the Nokia enthusiasts will get together in London this month for Nokia World. Nokia World is an annual event to promote all things Nokia. This year the conference and exhibition will take place on the 26th and 27th October in London. The event will pamper and host to press, journalists, industry analysts, mobile developers, telecom operators, and other related industry partners. Few years ago I had the opportunity to attend the event in Amsterdam and was a blast then.
It remains to see what can Nokia do for itself rather than for us, and level off or climb out from the nose dive it is taking now, and for a some time now.
I like Nokia and I want Nokia to be around. I have had Nokia phones and that was ages ago. The last Nokia device was Nokia N900, which was a real leader in it's days.
We really hope, Nikia would bring to the table stuff better than the last year, where it introduced Nokia N8, along with the Nokia E7, C7 and C6-01 smartphones. Bring something better than Nokia N9! We can only hope, like these Nokia people do;

"Emerging Asia consists of Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. My nation of 160 million people welcome all the opportunities of connecting with a better living and a better future. And that’s why Nokia stays very close to their heart. No wonder we have been the No1 brand for three years." Rahath Ahmed, Dhaka, Bangladesh Communications Manager, Nokia EA
"This year I would love to see a genuine positive sentiment towards the direction that Nokia is going." Delia Sieff, Johannesburg, South Africa, Director of Communications for Nokia Middle East and Africa.
We too Delia.
Nokia World

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Playstation In Your Phone, PSPhone

Looks like playstation fans can get their own phone; But we will not touch it with a 90 foot pole :) but Engadget is taking a pretty close look at it. Follow the link after the jump for more info and photos.

OS: Android 3.0 (aka Gingerbread) with custom Marketplace
Processor: 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655
Memory: 512MB RAM; 1GB ROM
Screen: in the range of 3.7 to 4.1 inches
Media: microSD (no Memory Stick; really? Weird)

Monday, October 10, 2011

Major BlackBerry Outage In Europe, The Middle East And Africa.
Blackberry is out of service in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which are served by a RIM data center in Slough in UK.
Users are unable to send instant messages, browse web or email.
T-Mobile UK posted the above message via twitter and Batelco, a mobile operator based in Bahrain also posted the following tweet

Please note the issue with BlackBerry service is effecting all of #Bahrain, and it is dealt with by BlackBerry providers in Canada #Batelco

1Million iPhone 4S Pre-Orders Within First 24 Hours.

iPhone 4S Pre-Orders
iPhone 4S pre-orders have surpassed 1 million units within the first 24 hours! That includes 3 units from our group, in a salute to Steve Jobs. Yes I was looking to get a Nexus Prime or something similar, but that has to wait a bit longer now. So Richard Stallman, take that!
Anyway for a re-furbished iPhone 4, it is not bad sales figures. But the iPhone 4S has some serious part upgrades, like Dual core A5 processor, higher resolution camera and of course integrated Siri.

Apple Press Release;

CUPERTINO, California—October 10, 2011—Apple® today announced pre-orders of its iPhone® 4S have topped one million in a single day, surpassing the previous single day pre-order record of 600,000 held by iPhone 4. iPhone 4S is the most amazing iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including Apple’s dual-core A5 chip for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics; an all new camera with advanced optics; full 1080p HD resolution video recording; and Siri™, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking.

“We are blown away with the incredible customer response to iPhone 4S,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The first day pre-orders for iPhone 4S have been the most for any new product that Apple has ever launched and we are thrilled that customers love iPhone 4S as much as we do.”

iPhone 4S will be available at all 245 Apple retail stores in the US beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, October 14. Every customer who buys an iPhone 4S at an Apple retail store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping them customize their iPhone 4S by setting up email, showing them new apps from the App Store™ and more, so they’ll be up and running with their new iPhone before they leave the store.

iPhone 4S includes iOS 5, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features, and iCloud®, a breakthrough set of free cloud services that work seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad®, iPod touch®, Mac® or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and push it to all your devices.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 4S comes in either black or white and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the new 64GB model.* iPhone 4S will be available from the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and select Best Buy, Target and Walmart stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 4 is available for just $99 (US) and iPhone 3GS is available for free with a two year contract.

iPhone 4S will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries by the end of October including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

*Qualified customers only. Requires a new two year rate plan, sold separately.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Siri Assistant Stand Alone App Removed From iTunes App Store.

Siri Assistant

If you had downloaded the Stand alone Siri App, now will see this message when you open the app! It is because Apple has removed the previous Siri Assistant app from the App Store in preparation for the launch of the iPhone 4S. Why you may ask and there is a very good reason, with the release of iPhone 4 and iOS 5, the  Siri Assistant features are integrated in iOS 5.
The app, which came to be in February 2010 and then  Apple acquired the company Siri, in April 2010, The Siri Assistant offered natural-language search features to provide users with movie times, restaurant reservations, and more.

Saturday, October 08, 2011

Richard Stallman on Steve Jobs. "I am Glad He Is Gone",

Richard Stallman on Steve Jobs
I am a bit more sad now. I always admired Richard Stallman for his beliefs and standings, on software freedom. Thanked him everyday when I used gcc, gdb, emacs and other tools he contributed.
But the following comment on his blog, notepad or what ever you want to call it, made me wonder. Even I with my broken English, could have said it better, even if I did not like Steve Jobs. It is a shame, Mr. Stallman. while you have the right to say what you want to express, find a better way of doing it. I did not like What Apple did to BSD, or the way Apple goes after Android. But I really wish Steve Jobs is still among us, who knows in 10 years, he would have turned OS X free.

Steve Jobs, the pioneer of the computer as a jail made cool, designed to sever fools from their freedom, has died.
As Chicago Mayor Harold Washington said of the corrupt former Mayor Daley, "I'm not glad he's dead, but I'm glad he's gone." Nobody deserves to have to die - not Jobs, not Mr. Bill, not even people guilty of bigger evils than theirs. But we all deserve the end of Jobs' malign influence on people's computing.
Unfortunately, that influence continues despite his absence. We can only hope his successors, as they attempt to carry on his legacy, will be less effective.

AT&T Wants iPhone 4S to Become iPhone 4GS On Their Network.

iPhone 4GS with 4G indicator,
This is my next ... is reporting that AT&T is working with Apple to add a 4G indicator in the status bar. Well the AT&T network HSPA+ does not really fall in to the true 4G category ("only WiMax 2 (802.16m, or WirelessMAN-Advance 2) and LTE-Advanced can technically be declared "4G"") but who is to stop making us laugh at AT&T in it's quest to be 4G, like other networks.
Prior to this Apple never bowed to carrier demands but now that Steve Jobs is not there, we might have different versions of iOS, because the 4G indicator requires modifications to iOS. I guess Droid wars now will be on equal grounds!
Man iOS hacking going to be fun, I want mine to show, 8G :)
This is my next

Pre-Order iPhone 4S are Sold Out!

Pre-Order iPhone 4S
Just as expected, the heat went up on iPhone 4S pre-orders and soon were sold out and the delivery date estimates for new iPhone 4S orders placed through Apple's online stores in the USA, now shows  1-2 weeks from the initial "by October 14th" estimate. Other countries where the iPhone 4S was sold online Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK met the same fate much earlier. While Apple is not offering the iPhone 4S pre-orders in Japan, I saw, on TV, people were filling out orders in Shibuya Apple Store.
Apple Store USA

Friday, October 07, 2011

YouTube Brings Movie Rentals To the UK.

YouTube Movie Rentals
YouTube, following USA and Canada, now has brought the movie rental service to the UK. Already popular, Youtube movies now features over a thousand feature films and keeps on growing.
YouTube signed deals with Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Universal and Lionsgate among others and UK Broadcasters also make their broadcasts, programs available on Youtube.

Digium Mobile App For SwitchVox Wins 2011 Enterprise App Award from CRN

Digium Mobile App For SwitchVox
Digiums SwitchVox has won the prestigious "The Appys" award, 2011 Enterprise App Award from CRN.

"The mobile workforce demands the same communications experience whether on the move or at the office. Switchvox offers fixed mobile convergence and complete mobile integration at no additional cost to our business customers. It's gratifying to receive this honor from CRN which further illustrates the tremendous value that Digium brings to its resellers and customers." Leslie Conway, vice president of global marketing for Digium,stated.

Switchvox Mobile applications run on the iPhone, Blackberry, Android phones and tablets.The users of the Switchvox Mobile applications, can make, receive, transfer and record calls as if they were calling from their office extension. They will also be able to check messages, change call rules, modify recorded greetings, access a company directory, review call history and more.
Via Digiun Press Release.

Nexus Prime Hands On Video

Galaxy Prime, Nexus Prime

video from

Nexus Prime Launch Delayed!

Nexus Prime
Google and Samsung have jointly announced that the launch of Nexus Prime has been delayed. The Verizon exclusive phone was to be launched at CITA next week. According to;
"We agree that it is just not the right time to announce a new product. New date and venue will be shortly announced."
Perhaps, mobile phone announcement during the time when everyone is talking about Steve Jobs might not be a good idea.
But you can watch the Nexus Prime Hands On video from for now.

The phone, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus Prime carries very attractive specs;

  • Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
  • 9mm thin
  • 4.65-inch 1280 x 720-pixel Super AMOLED HD with curved glass
  • TI OMAP 4460 dual-core Cortex A9 processor clocked at 1.2GHz
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 32GB of built-in storage
  • 5-megapixel camera on the back, 1.3-megapixel in the front
  • 1080p HD video capture support
  • LTE/HSPA depending on carrier
  • Wi-Fi a/b/g/n
  • NFC
  • 1,750 mAh battery

Swype To Be Acquired By Naunce!

Swype To Be Acquired By Naunce!
The wonderful keyboard input program you have seem on many Android phones, that allows much faster input than the regular pecking method, is going places. Swype has been or being acquired by Naunce, according to Uncrunched.
The Seatle based Swype recently raised $14 million and this $100+ million acquisition might take the idea of micro or mobile keyboard input methods (already planned to appear on 100s of millions of mobile devices) places.
Swype, via Uncrunched

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Steve Jobs : Making The Result Bigger Than The Sum of All Parts

It is like a story unfolding and showing you more about the person whom you thought you knew. I have been to a few Apple Developer conferences, say for last five years or so, But this 1997 Developer conference Q&A session lasting a n hour, tell what is the real thinking behind the man who was the pillar of Apple. Follow the link below to watch the whole Q&A session.

WeSeePeople: The Art Of Saying NO, Steve Jobs At Apple’s developer conference in 1997

Steve Jobs And Apple, Simple Design By Jonathan Mak.

Steve Jobs And Apple As Jonathan Mak Sees.
Hong Kong design student Jonathan Mak created the above logo, when Jobs resigned in August but did not get noticed until it was re-posted yesterday.
It is a somber tribute and it is great!
Original post here.

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Only Sprint Gives Your iPhone Unlimited Data And iPhone 4, iPhone 4S Ready For Pre-Order

Sprint gives your iPhone 4, iPhone 4S unlimited data
Sprint is touting their unlimited data plan, rightly so, since they are the only major carrier to do so on States side.
They also announced that we can pre-order iPhone 4 now and iPhone 4S on Thursday. 8GB iPhone 4 is $99.99 with a 2 year commitment.
On the side note, I will get an iPhone 4S, to complement my iPad 2, my way of saying bye to Steve Jobs. Rest in peace big man.

Rest In Peace, Steve Jobs, You will certainly Be missed!
Apple has opened a website in memory of Steve Jobs

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has passed away. It is an end of an era for us. Hope you are happy where ever you are Steve.

Statement by Apple’s Board of Directors
CUPERTINO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.
Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.
His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

Google Docs, Enhanced For Android Tablets
Google Docs team updated the Google Docs app for Android today to provide even better experience of Google Docs on your Android tablet. I was pretty pleased already how it behaved on my Asus EEE Pad Transformer but the new design makes it pleasure to work with. The Google DOcs team has customized the look to make the most of the larger screen space on tablets. The new layout consisting of a three-panel view, allows me to navigate through filters and collections, view your document list, and see document details, including a thumbnail preview of the document on one place.
No more opening of many documents before you find the right one.
All these are available in 46 languages on tablet devices with Android 3.0+ (Honeycomb) and above. Head over to the Android Market.

How Does Chromebook Update Itself?

Unlike most notebooks and the likes, Chromebook keeps itself fresh, every time you turn the Chromebook on, which only takes 8 seconds to be ready, updates itself. It does this with Apps, and the Chrome OS.
When there is an update;  this wrench icon update notification will appear on the browser toolbar. If you see this change it is very simple to apply the update;

Click the wrench icon on the browser toolbar.
Select Update Chrome OS.
In the dialog that appears, click Restart. Your Chromebook will shut down and automatically restart, with the update applied. So you, your Chromebook are ready to go anywhere, as it was designed to be.

Samsung Will Seek To Block iPhone 4S Sales In France And Italy.

Apple vs Samsung
Apple vs Samsung is entering another phase with the introduction of the new (old) iphone 4S, which even sent Apple stocks down.
Samsung has already filed a claim in USA regarding the WCDMA patents it holds and Apple violates. France and Italy both uses GSM networks and according to existing law, companies can seek and courts can order a ban on sales of a product even before the product reaches markets according to a Samsung spokesman, James Chung.
"Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology, and we will steadfastly protect our intellectual property," .... “The infringed technology is essential to the reliable functioning of telecom networks and devices and Samsung believes that Apple’s violation [is] too severe and that the iPhone 4S should be barred from sales,” said Samsung.
Apple managed to block sales of Samsung products in the Netherlands and Germany and is almost succeeding doing the same  in Australia. Samsung has asked a court in the Netherlands to stop Apple from selling iPhones and iPad tablets.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Unlocked iPhone 4S, May be coming!

I have been looking for the pricing on Unlocked iPhone 0.5, oops unlocked iPhone 4S but I could not find anywhere. But after reading Apple's iPhone FAQ, it looks like there will be unlocked iPhone 4S. I do not like to mess around with my carrier and since the phone is dual mode, I do not want to be locked in to AT&T for another two years (But the stories of AT&T improving it's network has me thinking about it again as I still have an unlimited data plan with the carrier.). As per AT&T's pricing, I guess it will be phone's price plus $325 so 16GB iPhone 4S will be about $525, 32GB for about $625. Yes I will get one! Could I have a black one please!
In any case, I think I will get an iPhone 0.5. If not for anything, just to show my friends who laughs at me for my bad accent "look my iPhone can understand me why can't you?" But will it understand me? is the question now.
Here is what apple FAQ says;

When I buy from the Apple Online Store, does my iPhone come ready to use?
Yes, if you have selected a mobile phone carrier. When your iPhone arrives, all you have to do is turn it on and follow the onscreen instructions to set it up. There's no need to call the carrier or visit a store to complete the activation. If you have selected an unlocked GSM phone, you will need to acquire a micro-SIM from the supported GSM carrier of your choice and activate it in order to use your iPhone.
Macrumors is telling us that the unlocked iPhone 4S will cost $649 and $749 for 16GB and 32GB phones. If that is the case, it might be cheaper to buy AT&T phone and cancel the contract at $325 penalty.

Apple No Longer The Most Valuable Company!

Apple down after no iPhone 5 News
Investors did not like the Tim Cook style and no iPhone 5 even less. So the stocks were down and with after hours trading standing at Exxon at the top with Market Cap of 354.11B versus Apple's Market Cap standing at 345.34B.
So Apple is not the most valuable company in the world. It looks Tim Cook is not Steve Jobs (Duh), and lacks the spark. Perhaps he should have named iPhone 4S, iPhone .5, that is 0.5.

So Apple is not the most valuable company in the world. It looks Tim Cook is not Steve Jobs, and lacks the spark. Perhaps he should have named iPhone 4S, iPhone .5, thei is 0.5.

Innovatio Goes After Small Business' Providing WiFi, Sounds Like Another Patent Troll

It seems there are no end to patent trolls these days. The latest is a firm with 31 patents related to WiFi but which does not produce or market anything related to WiFi going around suing small business like coffee shops and hotels providing WiFi. Unlike other patent trolls, Innovatio is at least innovative in the way they sue these people. They sue for small lump sum amounts that is much cheaper than defending oneself in a court. The firm has not ruled out, coming after other WiFi users, like you and I, at home.
Geemodo: Another Patent Troll In Your WiFI Space, Innovatio

Monday, October 03, 2011

Pre Release iPhone 5 Love, Where is it? Not In The Markets!

iPhone 5
With ever increasing Android phones, looking and doing better or equal to what iPhone does, there are so much that iPhone 5 can bring us.
Just without thinking much deeper, two enhancements that iPhone 5 could bring are NFC and a Front facing camera. But those to have existed on Android phones for ages. So only thing Apple could do is to make enhancements like those two more sexier. But how sexier could NFC on iPhone be? Front facing camera, that can certainly be done by not doing what Apple did with iPad 2
Yes I halted a purchase of a new phone in anticipation of iPhone 5 but if Apple cannot show that it is worth my money, I would turn to an Android phone in a blink. Perhaps I might even think of an iPhone 4, or iPhone 4S that is circulating around rumor mills.
It seems it is not only me but investors too have changed their tunes towards iPhone launch. According to WSJ, the traders are not making money in the pre release market of iPhone 5 like they did in the previous iPhone releases;

Money is Usually Made Leading Up to iPhone Event but Not in 2011. WithApple set to announce the iPhone 5 this Tuesday (October 4), we analyzed the stock price performance around prior iPhone launches.
Looking overApple's stock price performance surrounding the past four iPhone launches,the real money was made leading up to the iPhone event. In each of the pastfour years, Apple stock has always moved higher in the two weeks prior to theiPhone event, however, this year appears to be the exception with an 8%decline in Apple's stock price (vs. down 6% for S&P 500) registered ahead ofthe October 4 event.

How Apple is doing in the market (Also you will notice everybody else is also in the same boat.)

Does BlackBerry (RIM) Needs A Reboot To Avoid "RIM RIP"?

BlackBerry RIM  Reboot
I came across this fine article on Deccan Herald about RIM need to reboot itself to avoid RIM RIP. We all have seen where the Smartphone Market Share is going. Big players like NOKIA and RIM took places behind new stars Google Android and Apple iPhone. The article discusses the success of Google Android platform and Apple iPhone against Blackberry phones.
Deccan Herald is a newspaper in India, where Nokia and Blackberry dominates the cell phone market. Perhaps those rumors of low cost iPhone coupled with popular Android phones with low price points might change all that soon.
Still you can see the Blackberry affinity in the article and it might reflect the thoughts of general public. It praises BlackBerry 9900 and at the same time scolds RIM for not giving NFC or such things as front facing camera, which are standard parts of most Android phones and is expected with iPhone 5.
I guess RIM got to listen to it's customers and avoid RIM RIP and keep the competition up against the Android, Apple and Nokia (Nokia needs some waking up too!)
Deccan Herald

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{Liebster Award-Part 1}

Screenshot 2014-03-30 01.04.23

I was nominated for a Liebster Blog Award which is super exciting. Thank you to JanaBananaRD for nominating me.

If you haven’t heard of this award, it’s an award for bloggers given by bloggers. When you are nominated for the award, you answer a set of questions asked by the blogger who nominated you and then nominate 11 other bloggers, and give those bloggers a set of questions to answer.

Below are the Q and A.

1. Why did you start blogging?
At first I started blogging to share my journey of training and running 50 marathons in 50 states. After catching up with the states I’d run, I found I really liked writing and sharing information about the sport I love with others. Writing has become a great creative outlet for me and place to not annoy my family and friends (most non-runners) with too many running conversations. I’ve also been reminded of how great and supportive the running community is. Running is like a secret club where everybody gets in by simply running some miles. It’s the best.

2. What is your favorite way to stay fit?

Based on the previous question it is probably obvious that running is my favorite. I’ve always loved the freedom, problem solving, stress relieving, and energizing properties of the sport. I do love to watch any sports Wisconsin, and love to do outdoor sports, too. Hiking and biking are other favorites of mine. I’m also falling in love with yoga and how it makes me feel better as a runner.

3. Where do you live?
I live in the great state of Wisconsin. The state of cheese, beer, and extreme winter running conditions. I live where it can be 60 one day and snowing the next. I live where summer humidity can be just as brutal as winter windchills. I live where nature’s beauty is always steps away and the biggest freeway is only two lanes wide. I live where people are kind, passionate about their Wisco teams, and we have amazing seasons to run, hike, and bike through.

4. Who is your biggest inspiration?

Hmmm… This is a challenge for me. I get inspired by people everyday-my students, husband, other bloggers, quotes on pinterest…I guess I’m easily inspired. Perhaps the most inspiring people throughout a consistent period of my life was/is Suzy Favor Hamilton. As a young runner growing up in Wisconsin, Suzy Favor was the running hero. She won the state championship four years in a row and ran in multiple summer Olympic games. Despite her recent activities I still consider her an inspiration. We all have imperfections and challenges that we work to overcome. When I met her for the first time with the cross country kids I coached, she was nothing but sweet, patient, and kind. Today I consider Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan both inspirations, too.

5. What is your favorite food?
Do coffee and Diet Mountain Dew count? If not, then pizza. There are so many ways to change it up, make it healthier, or vary the flavor.

6. What’s the farthest that you’ve run (for fun or a race)?
26.2 miles plus some small negligible amount that is totally not negligible when you are in that position. That is until June 2014 when I attempt my first 50k.

7. What’s your favorite recipe to share?

Screenshot 2014-03-30 00.55.42
Cowboy Caviar. I simply love the stuff. It is delicious, healthy, and brings back fond memories of summer grilling, no snow, and warmer temperatures. Plus, I haven’t met someone who doesn’t love it.  I usually follow the above recipe and use half the sugar.

8. Who’s your favorite team to cheer for (any sport)?

Screenshot 2014-03-30 01.12.50
Any Wisco teams. Right now…the Badgers. Final Four, Baby!

9. What’s the best group fitness class you’ve tried out?
Where I live fitness classes are very limited, but I’ve loved both the spinning and yoga classes I’ve taken. Both are great forms of cross training and make me feel stronger and healthier as a runner.

10. What’s your favorite thing about blogging?
Having a written record of the challenges and successes of the my journey and “meeting” other who love the sport as much as I do-that is not something I find often in my group of in person friends. Being able to gain ideas and insights as well as share them is invaluable. In a way we are all our own coach, so we help coach each other.

11. Are you going to pass on the torch and nominate 11 other bloggers?
Yes, but give me a few days. I’ve been really busy and like to make careful decisions. I will nominate 11 other bloggers in the next few days.

Thanks again to JanabananaRD for the nomination!

1. Thank the blogger who has nominated you
2. Answer the questions given to you
3. Nominate 11 other blogs with less than 500 followers
4. Post 11 questions for your nominees to answer
5. Tag your nominees & post a comment on their blog to let them know that you have nominated them.

Sneaks & Stilettos

{Friday Fab 5}

What a week! Weather ups and downs aside (pretty much like my unprocessed eating and running this week), it is May and that is awesome!

2013-05-02 20.24.28
While the weather was amazing this past weekend, Ry and I took advantage of this and hit the trails. We were shocked to see snow on the ground yet in quite a few spots while hiking in Black River State Forest. We got in a sunny and hilly eight mile hike. Ah-Perfection! What state parks are must hike in Wisconsin? We’re always looking for new trails!

{#2-Nathan Fuel Belt}
2013-05-02 20.41.47
With warmer temperatures the need for water on our hikes and runs is (or was) back. We took my fuel belt for the hike and I was reminded just how much I love it. There is a pocket for your phone or a snack. Most importantly, it stays put with the weight on my back side and doesn’t make my back sweat like my Camelbak. I despise carrying water on any run or hike!

2013-05-02 20.42.56
We fired up the awesome grill I got last summer for a master’s graduation gift from my mom and stepdad this past weekend. Grilled chicken, veggies, and potatoes were yummy! Try this recipe for healthy potato fries-they were delish!

{#4-Runner’s World Magazine}
2013-05-02 20.41.00
I finished my Runner’s World magazine and love everything about this magazine. Even though I don’t consider myself a newbie runner anymore, I still enjoy Marc Parent’s monthly column-The Newbie Chronicles. I especially loved the end of this month’s column which discussed his son running cross country and how runners are just different than other sports participants. Check out his column newbie or not! The link above takes you to a few years worth of columns. You’ll laugh, be inspired, and relate!

{#5-The Color Run}
2013-05-02 21.50.28
I’ve wanted to run “the happiest 5k on the planet” for a while and guess what the husband bought me for my birthday? You guessed it-entries into the The Color Run. What is better than running a race? Running it with your other love! Can’t wait! Anyone else done a color run? What did you think of it?

Happy Weekend!

{Friday Fab 5}

{#1-Awesome weather coming up!}

Fond memories of being at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Fond memories of being at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

Go visit a favorite park, walk around town, or head somewhere to hike and run like Ry and I plan to do this weekend. Last weekend we visited this park; I spent many childhood hours here while visiting my Grandma and Grandpa. The park always reminds me of flying an eagle kite on a windy afternoon. Anyone have any must hike spots in Wisconsin?

{#2-Wheat Tortilla Quesadillas}
2013-04-23 19.22.23
I can’t write or say the word quesadilla without thinking about how Grandma says it in Napolean Dynomite. So go make yourself a dang quesadilla, with wheat tortillas and jalapenos, unless you are too busy training to be a cage fighter! Wheat tortillas are sooo good!

{#3-Go Brewers}
2013-04-20 22.06.06
Thumbs up to the Brewers on sweeping the Cubs and Giants and 2/3 with the Padres. I have even more faith in you now. Oh, and I’m really looking forward to getting these stitches out next week. Running with them isn’t my favorite.

{#4-Goals In Your Shoes}

Love this!

Love this!

Kara Goucher, an Olympic marathoner, posted this photo on Facebook of her and Shalane Flanagan’s and Joan Benoit Samuelson’s shoes before the Boston Marathon. I love how they have their goals printed on the insides of their racing shoes. I’m so doing this before my next race. What will you be writing in your workout shoes?

2013-04-25 23.34.50
Sorry! I’m just so excited to get out there and hike and run and hike and run!

Happy Weekend!

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Sleepy Sunday : is Poundland make up worth that pound ?

Hey soapies ,

I’m back with a new product . I bought a wide variety of foundations from Poundland . This is my personal view so no hate … we all have our opinions!

The make up gallery make up has stared at me so many times and said “buy me !” But I was resistant until a few days ago when I purchased foundations from Poundland .

Okay yes it was a pound and I’m not looking for an amazing foundation that would cost double that dirt cheap but I really wanted to see what makes this a little ( a lot !!!!) cheaper than my Mac and Rimmel foundations .

1. The bottle size is smaller than most foundations

2. No fancy packaging

3. No fancy name

4. The colours don’t Range that much

5. The thickness

6. How long it lasts

However the shade ivory 1 looks amazing on me and I honestly think I may use this as a base later to my Mac !

It makes me glow and I really think you should take a look in Poundland . What’s your thoughts ? Let me know lots of love soap xoxo ps what you doing this Sunday?


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How soccer helped me bridge the gentrification gap in my San Francisco neighborhood

Samantha Weber | Medium
June 2016 | 4-minute read

The fact that I don’t know anyone — I’m white, and the only girl — all but guarantees that no one will let me on the field.

Read the story

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“Many people who came to work at Starbucks discovered that the coworking environment was a much better solution”-Ashley Proctor

Ashley Proctor runs both Creative Blueprint and Foundery in the vibrant city of Toronto, Canada. The newly renovated 15,000 sq ft community hub is an accessible venue run by Ashley and her business partner, Jake Koseleci, who also owns the property and leases space to Creative Blueprint and Foundery, in addition to a Starbucks.

Established in 2006, Creative Blueprint is a pioneer and leader in Toronto’s arts and coworking communities. Creative Blueprint provides studios, services and support for artists and entrepreneurs. The CB Studios in downtown Toronto are home to practicing visual artists, designers, makers and creative entrepreneurs.

We caught up with Ashley to talk about what it was like to partner with Starbucks and how coffee culture can help coworking spaces grow.

Hi, Ashley. Can you please tell us a bit about the current state of Foundery and Creative Blueprint?

Established in 2010, Foundery currently operates two Coworking and Event Spaces within The Foundery Buildings. Foundery is one of Toronto’s first coworking spaces and we are home to a diverse and vibrant community of passionate, independent freelancers and artists. Foundery provides 2 unique shared coworking environments in addition to private offices and meeting rooms.

In the new year, we are planning to launch an exchange program with our newest Creative Blueprint location in Seattle, Washington (in partnership with Office Nomads).

Why did you decide to partner with Starbucks rather than opening your own coffee shop?

My original plans for a coworking space included art studios, as well as an art gallery and cafe. The businesses are all complimentary and they support each other. The Foundery Buildings were the first venue where we could open all of these elements under one roof. Yet, we had an entire building to renovate and a mortgage to cover, so we decided that it would be a good idea to partner with an established anchor tenant that we didn’t feel bad about charging market rental rates.

Ashley Proctor

Ashley Proctor

At the time when we bought the building, there was construction on the street and we needed to increase foot traffic. Also, coworking was not as popular as it is today and many people were still unfamiliar with the concept. Thus, the cafe gave people a reason to come by and check out the newly renovated building.

Do you feel that this partnership brought Foundery more opportunity?

Yes. Overall, it’s really events, coffee and casual opportunities that make connections and what helped to introduce the community to our space and to the coworking movement.

It has been a great way to find and to introduce people who need a community to the coworking concept. The partnership also offers a secure stream of patrons for the cafe and a secure revenue stream for the building. It also works out well when we need breakfast or coffee for our in-house workshops and events!

What are some of the specific benefits of having a partnership with Starbucks and what does it bring to the tenants and to the space owners?

Our members love coffee. We drink coffee all day and we also like snacks. Since we have our own desks next door, we don’t take up precious real-estate in Starbucks.

As a coworking space operator, I also visit the cafe to tell those people who are working on laptops that there is a better option that’s right next door. I’ve actually invited many cafe customers in for a trial day at Foundery and that worked out well both for Starbucks and for us.

Does having a partnership outside of the space provide the ability to impact the greater community on the whole as you have a wider reach?

Our reach was initially wider with Starbucks as a tenant, but now we have since established our location and our own community. Today, our events and members attract new visitors, like the CB Gallery, which is open to the public during exhibitions and we also participate in many city-wide initiatives that open our doors to the community.

Have you found that there could be a potential risk that your members would want to work in Starbucks, rather than your space?

Quite the opposite. Many people who came to work at the cafe discovered Foundery and decided that the coworking environment was a much better solution. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy going out for coffee, but I’d rather work from the Foundery rooftop patio or in my studio with friends. I’m so much more efficient and productive in a coworking space than I could be in any cafe.

What would convince you to have your own cafe?

Now that we have established the model at this location, we’d like to see another service provider operating in the space. We are actually in the process of replacing the Starbucks with an independent operator that is more in line with our vision and mission for the space and community.

As we are a building full of independent artists and entrepreneurs, so it would be nice to see our peers using the space. Yet, we are taking our time in looking for the right cafe partner or collaborator who can provide amazing coffee, healthy food options and catering options for our members and many events.

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Articles Tagged "families"

With this book, the therapeutic alliance with couples and families research has finally coalesced into a skilful and wise clinical tool. In the last ten years there have been a plethora of books (Sprenkle at al 2009) and papers (Higham 2012) raising the importance of attending to the therapeutic alliance for couple and family therapists. […]

Schizophrenia is a disabling, chronic psychiatric disorder that occurs in approximately 1% of the population (Goldner, Hsu, Waraich & Somers, 2002; Mueser & Jeste, 2008). It has severe consequences for patients with the disorder, as well as their caregivers who often present with high levels of psychological distress (Awad & Voruganti, 2008). In addition to […]

While lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth are at high risk for emotional and behavioral problems, research has documented that family rejection increases these risks and family acceptance decreases them (Ryan, Russell, Huebner, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2010). In this article, I will apply concepts from family systems theory to work with families who are struggling […]

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Divorce is major event in the life cycle of the nuclear family. It has the potential to be traumatic and, in some circles, is even referred to as, “The death of the family.” Families torn apart, and parents (with their attorneys) as adversaries, are common to this process that is often described as a “war”.  This tends to […]

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Psychotherapists are often called on to help families of divorce. It can be to help a couple peacefully disentangle their relationship or help a child cope with the changes in the family. While the courts try to help children and families of divorce, they are limited by statute, the utility of custody evaluations, and the […]

Dr. Sexton talks about his role in developing Functional Family Therapy (FFT) and it’s application, his beliefs on psychotherapy skills and training, and systems theory. About Thomas Sexton, Ph.D. Dr. Sexton is the Director of the Center for Adolescent and Family Studies and professor in Counseling Psychology Program at the School of Education, Indiana University-Bloomington. He […]

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ReiBoot enables you to resurrect your iPhone if it crashes, gets stuck in a given mode, or experiences a variety of other problems. ProsWell-supported app: In

Tenorshare ReiBoot is free iOS devices boot repair tool. It can put iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch into and out of Recovery Mode with a single click when you can't boot your iPhone properly with graphic of USB connector pointing to iTunes. Tenorshare ReiBoot allows you to fix iOS devices stuck in Recovery Mode/iTunes logo, with Apple logo, or in a loop of rebooting. It can help you solve iOS device boot issue when: Need to do a firmware restore while Home or Power button isn't working. iDevice is locked with a passcode that you don't know. iPhone won't activate, and you need to update the iOS. Apple logo displays with no progress bar. Stuck in DFU black screen. iDevice restarts repeatedly but never displays the Home screen. iTunes can't recognize your iDevice after an update. Reiboot will help to fix iOS update stuck for you. Fully compatible with iOS 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6; iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5S/5C/5/4S/4/3GS; iPad Air, iPad 4/mini/3/2 and iPod Touch 5G/4G.

Operating systems:
Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10


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N00180576.jpg was taken on 2012-01-23 21:27 (PST) and received on Earth 2012-01-24 13:12 (PST). The camera was pointing toward Siarnaq, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System

For more information on raw images, checkout our frequently asked questions section.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute


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N00186757.jpg was taken on 2012-05-11 09:27 (PDT) and received on Earth 2012-05-11 22:47 (PDT). The camera was pointing toward Erriapus, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System

For more information on raw images, checkout our frequently asked questions section.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute


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N00188001.jpg was taken on 2012-05-15 13:25 (PDT) and received on Earth 2012-05-15 23:34 (PDT). The camera was pointing toward Saturn, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System

For more information on raw images, checkout our frequently asked questions section.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute


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N00188616.jpg was taken on 2012-05-16 06:57 (PDT) and received on Earth 2012-05-16 23:12 (PDT). The camera was pointing toward Saturn, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System

For more information on raw images, checkout our frequently asked questions section.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute


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Learning a foreign language, like Spanish, is becoming much more of a necessity in today’s society. Learning Spanish is easier and more enjoyable than ever with audio courses, online courses, study abroad, and intensive language courses.

Following are just some of the many reasons learning Spanish will benefit you and enrich your life: More than 400 million people speak Spanish worldwide — By learning Spanish, you’ll be better able to communicate with Spanish speakers who don’t speak English. Whether you travell abroad or within the United States, you’ll likely run into more than one situation that will require you to know at least basic Spanish.Spanish speaking countries include Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela. More than 33 million people in America speak Spanish — That makes the United States fifth on the list of countries with the most Spanish-speaking people. Spanish is also one of tthe most commonly spoken languages in the world, behind Chinese, English and Hindustani. Undoubtedly, at some point during your life, you’re going to find that knowing Spanish is extremely valuable. More than 1000 Spanish-speaking immigrants come to the United States every day — That means the country gains at least 365,000 new Spanish-speaking residents each year.

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Tip of the day №175

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The iLok system is an authorisation system that provides the protection we require in order to continue creating great plug-ins for you to use. The iLok website is the best place to read about iLok. It can authorise your plug-ins in multiple ways:

  1. iLok Dongle - This method comes in the form of a USB dongle which has to be plugged in to the machine you're running your plug-ins from. It keeps our software secure and protects your purchase from being distributed illegally. Please note that Oxford range plug-ins must be authorised via this method.

    The latest versions of all Sonnox plug-ins, "G5", can only be authorised to iLok2 and iLok3 devices, and are incompatible with the original iLok1. Older plug-ins (G4 and earlier) can still be authorised to your iLok1 device.

  2. Machine Authorisation - This method allows you to authorise your plug-ins directly to your working machine. This method is less flexible than the iLok Dongle method, which allows you to authorise your licence on multiple machines, but it does mean you don't have to have the dongle plugged in to use your plug-in. Oxford range products are not compatible with this level of authorisation.

For more information about iLok devices, please read our iLok FAQs.


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Thursday, May 3, 2018

Underground Comics Contents

Solo-parenting of a sick infant has kept the blog silent this week, but I wanted to share a bit of what I've been working on just prior to all that happening. Here's a glimpse of the most interesting part of the contents page for the forthcoming Underground Comics with work by Jason Sholtis, James V. West, Stefan Poag, Luka Rejec, Jeff Call, and Karl Stjernberg.

Luka Rejec said...

This looks really spiffy! :) Nice promo cover!

Von Allan said...

This looks great, Trey!

Oh, and hey: I've been meaning to say that I really, really enjoyed Mortzengersturm!

Trey said...

Thanks, Von! Glad to here you enjoyed Mort.


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Does The Bible Really Say That Jesus Is The Only Way To Heaven?

Many people (non-Christians and church-attenders alike!) are offended by many statements in the Bible. The Biblical statements that seem to cause the most uproar are those that declare that trusting in Jesus by faith is the only way to heaven, the only way to be forgiven, the only way to have eternal life, etc.

The ensuing post will therefore attempt to answer/respond to the following three questions:

1. Does the Bible actually claim that faith in Jesus is the exclusive way to heaven?
2. Is this an important belief for Christians to adhere to? If so, why?
3. Without changing what the Bible says on this topic, what are some angles from which to view this topic that will help non-Christians to see it more comprehensively?

Does the Bible Actually Teach This?

John 3:16-21 NIV:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Verse 16 above states that accepting (receiving, surrendering to, submitting to, believing in) Jesus is the way to have eternal life and to avoid perishing (spiritual death, i.e. eternal separation from God).
Verse 18 above states that not accepting Jesus (i.e. not trusting in His death on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sinfulness) leaves a person condemned/unable to share in an eternal life with God.

John 14:6 NLT:

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

This verse show us that Jesus sees Himself as the (not “a” but “THE”) door, the gate, the road through Whom people must go if they want to get to God the Father (i.e. have eternal life in heaven in an intimate friendship of love with God). Jesus views Himself as the key that unlocks the gates of heaven, He views Himself as the invitation which must be accepted for entrance into eternal life.

John 20:30-31 ESV:

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Verse 31 reveals that belief in Jesus as God (not just as a good person, a wise teacher, a holy man, a miracle-worker, etc.) is required to have life–real life, eternal life–and that this life comes through Jesus, because of Jesus, from Jesus, within Jesus (“in His name”).

Acts 4:11-12 The Message:

Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.”

Again, these verses clearly state the Biblical revelation that belief in the name of Jesus is the only way for salvation, that is, for us to be saved from the event when God the Father will judge sin, the devil, his demons, and every human who ever lived on earth.

So, whether one chooses to agree with the Bible’s declaration or not, it is hopefully clear from the verses above that the Bible does in fact claim that Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Is It Important For Christians To Believe This? If So, Why?

There has been and always will be pressure on God’s people to cut corners regarding our belief in God’s Truth and our obedience to God’s commands. The Bible is clear that there are powerful, spiritual beings in this world who have declared war on God and all those whom He loves (Revelation 12:9, 1 Peter 5:8). Many church-attenders, in an attempt to pacify/comfort those who are offended by this Biblical declaration, have allowed their belief in this doctrine to shift, to adapt, to “evolve” in order to “keep up with the times”. Such people may assert that Jesus is the way that THEY will get to heaven, but they follow up that statement with an appeal to the mercy/grace of God as they assure non-Christians that surely they don’t have to change their religious beliefs in order to get to heaven.

Here are some reasons why it is extremely important for Christians to believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven:

A. Disagreeing with God is the same as calling Him a liar. Even though God is love and super super patient and forgiving, it’s probably wise not to willfully slap Him across the face with beliefs that are the opposite of His revealed Truth. We don’t flagrantly mess with people or animals who are bigger than us…why do so with the God of heaven and earth, about Whom the Bible says, “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29 NIV) and “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31 NIV).

B. We won’t tell others about Jesus’ love/grace if He isn’t the only way to heaven. Jesus is clear (Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:7-8) that He wants us to tell others about Him; yet sharing our faith in Jesus with others (especially those who are involved adherents of other religions) is for many American Christians the most difficult/uncomfortable command of God in the Bible. Why would we go through this often agonizing exercise, why would we potentially anger/offend other people if there are other ways to get to heaven?

C. We won’t hang on to Jesus through the trials of life if there are other eternal lifeboats within reach. After seeking out God for a long time, the Holy Spirit helped my wife realize that Jesus is in fact God, the Savior of the world, the only way to heaven. She knew, however, that becoming a Christ-follower would cost her much–she knew her parents would disown her and that she would be unable to see her younger siblings for many years if she converted to Christianity. And knowing all of that, she chose Jesus. If there were other ways to heaven, other options for Sarah to eternally connect with God, other roads for her to take that would have angered her parents less and been less personally costly for her, well, she would have taken one of those other roads. And yet Jesus reveals that it is those who “stand firm to the end” (Matthew 10:22 NIV) who will be saved, that the heaven-bound are those who cling to faith in Jesus even when there are other tempting idols/false gods/belief systems that promise to make their lives easier/more comfortable.

What Are Some Different Angles From Which To View This Doctrine?

Mary Poppins graciously taught us that “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.” Here are some spoonfuls of sugar that can help us–if we are offended by this Biblical Truth–to digest/accept it:

A. Isn’t it great that God gives humans any way at all to get to heaven? The Bible is clear that we humans got ourselves into this sin, death, hell-bound mess we are in. The Bible is also clear that God chose (He didn’t have to) to provide a way for us to be forgiven/re-united with Him/re-made and that God’s way was infinitely costly/expensive for Him because it involved the suffering and death of His only Son. What more do we want?

B. Isn’t one way to heaven good enough? Are you angry that you don’t have two houses? Aren’t you thankful to have just one? Hypothetically, if you were stranded in the middle of the desert, were dying of thirst, and you came across a bottom-less bottle of ice-cold Aquafina water, who in their right mind would abandon the liquid indignantly because they prefer the Evian brand? If you were stranded on the top of a burning building, would you wait for a SECOND rescue helicopter to fly by? If you won $10,000,000 in a lottery, would you wait for a second winning ticket before you would claim the prize?

C. What was the point of Jesus suffering through execution on a Roman cross if there was another way for humans to be offered forgiveness and eternal life? Christ even asked God humbly if another such option were available. In other words, why would anyone go through the pain/danger/risk of donating a kidney to a sick person if the sick person could be healed in a simpler/less invasive way?

D. An analogy by Lee Strobel: Let’s pretend there are two country clubs. The first one only admits people who have earned membership. To get in, you’ve got to obtain superior wisdom or fulfill a list of demands and fulfill certain spiritual requirements. Despite their best efforts, lots of people just won’t make the grade and will be excluded. Friends, that’s what other religions are saying by teaching that people have to work their way to God.

But the second country club says, “Anybody who wants in can come in because Jesus has already paid for your membership. Rich or poor, black or white, regardless of your ethnic heritage or where you live, we would love to include you. Entry isn’t based on your qualifications but only on accepting Christ’s invitation. So we’ll leave the matter to you.

Bottom Line:

The Bible is clear that trusting in Jesus is the only way to heaven (please click HERE for a more detailed description of what it looks like to trust in Jesus);

There are important reasons for Christians to “dig in on this hill” and adhere to this belief even though it upsets others;

There are some ways to look at this belief that shows it to be loving, inclusive, and generous.

It is vitally important for Christians to believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven.  To believe otherwise

mocks Jesus’ loving sacrifice on the Cross,
devalues His suffering on our behalf,
and paints the Father as a wanton inflictor of unnecessary punishment.

It might be difficult to digest, but it is foundational to what it means to be a Christ-follower. If you love Jesus but are having trouble accepting this belief, ask the Holy Spirit to help you! He understands our weaknesses and empathizes with our struggles. If we let Him, He will change us from the inside-out to conform our beliefs, attitudes, plans, words, and actions to those of Jesus Christ Himself (Romans 8:29). What a glorious promise! 🙂