In the latest episode of New Stuff, join your host Lee Yount as he welcomes a panel of guests to discuss all things new in the fast-paced world of technology. Mary-Margaret, Alan, Matt, Donnie and Lee tackle the recent, controversial issues of SOPA and lead into discussing the quirks of mobile app developing. Tune in as Lee educates and converses with his tech savvy co-hosts to bring you the latest in developing technology, including information about iTunes University. Find out what’s going on with the Kindle Fire and the iPad, and the trendy, new website Pinterest that’s taking the Internet by storm. All of these things and more will feed your inner techie and it’s all on the newest episode of New Stuff!
Have a busy new years eve planned this year? Here are some ways that you can watch the NYC ball drop without having to be in front of a TV.
Follow the ball on Twitter
The folks that are managing the Times Square Ball Twitter account (@timessquareball) are really doing a great job humanizing this big sparkling ball. Here is an example of a recent tweet:
I’ve got to spend the rest of the night memorizing my moves. Tomorrow is#NYE2012. See you there! — Times Square Ball (@timessquareball) December 31, 2011
Like the Ball on Facebook
Along with several resources of how to “connect” with the Times Square Ball, you can view up-to-date status updates, photos, and more on the official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TimesSquareBall
Watch the Livestream Feed
If you are not going to be in front of a TV, but want to watch the ball drop the same way you have for so many years, you’re in luck! The Times Square Alliance will be using Livestream to stream live video of Times Square and the ball drop. Here is the Livestream channel: http://www.livestream.com/2012
There’s an App for That!
That’s right, the big shiny ball at the “crossroads of the world” has an app (or 2). There are native apps for Apple iOS and Android devices, here are the links:
Find all the information that you would ever want to know about the NYC New Years Ball. You can also find photos of previous balls and the history of why the NYC ball has become so popular! Here is a link to the official website: http://timessquareball.net/
Here is to a prosperous and uplifting 2012! Do something different, smile more, create more, push the envelope more! Cheers!
iTunes Match is quite possibly one of the best moves that Apple has made in the music realm. It is also one of the best uses of Apple’s new iCloud service. If you are unfamiliar with iTunes Match, here is a quick summary of what it is:
iTunes Match is a feature of iTunes in the Cloud that allows you to access your entire personal music library from any computer with iTunes 10.5.1 or later installed or any iOS 5.0.1 or later device with an active Internet connection. iTunes Match requires an annual subscribtion of $24.99 a year. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of your subscription. Once you have subscribed to iTunes Match and matched or uploaded your eligible music, you will be able to access your music in iCloud directly from within your iTunes Music library, or the Music Player app on your iOS 5 device.
Also, if you are wondering about the specifics about iTunes Match, here ya’ go:
iTunes Match is limited to 25,000 songs.
iTunes Store purchases made with the same Apple ID being used for iTunes Match do not count towards the 25,000 song limit.
Unmatched content will be uploaded as is; upload time varies depending on the amounts uploaded and local network speeds.
Song files over 200 MB will not be uploaded to iCloud.
Songs containing DRM (Digital Rights Management) will not be matched or uploaded to iCloud unless your computer is authorized for playback of that content.
Songs purchased outside of the United States iTunes Store containing DRM (Digital Rights Management) will not be matched or uploaded to iCloud.
Songs encoded in ALAC, WAV, or AIFF will be transcoded to a separate temporary AAC 256 kbps file locally, prior to uploading to iCloud. The original files will remain untouched.
Songs encoded as AAC or MP3 with a bitrate lower than 96 kbps will not be matched or uploaded to iCloud.
Recorded: October 28, 2011
It’s the all-Apple edition of “New Stuff”, where this month’s panel talks about the new iPhone 4S, the new iCloud strategy, and the life and death of Apple founder Steve Jobs. The panel also speculates whether residing so close to the North Carolina Apple Data Center gives them any special “insight” into Mac rumors.
Show host Lee Yount (www.catawbacounty.gov) brings together a group of fellow “MESH-Heads” for this month’s episode, including MESH founders Mary-Margaret Baker and Alan Jackson (both from Jackson Group Interactive, www.jginteractive.com) and “Free Range Chicken Thinking” experts Houston Harris and Ryan Carroll (with Pixelspace,www.pixelspace.com).
On October 5th, 2011 Steve Jobs passed away after a battle with cancer. Steve was an inspiration to many and changed the way we thought about technology, and life in general. He will be missed.
Today will be another page in the history books for Apple Inc.. At 10:am PST Apple will hold an event where Tim Cook will announce the next version of the Apple iPhone 5 (or 4S depending on the rumors). In honor of this event, I found this interactive infographic created by Thinglink that shows you where the history of the iPhone. Rollover the infographic below to see more information about each section. Enjoy!
This past Friday I had the opportunity to host the first episode of “New Stuff” on TheMESH.tv.
The MESH is a new media online network, designed to produce and deliver unique content to computers, mobile phones, iPods, iPads, and any other device connected to the Internet. Just like a traditional television network, The MESH has a series of programs and “shows” on a variety of topics… the difference is you can watch or listen to what you want, when you want, and where you want.
96% of small to medium sized business are using some kind of mobile technology in their day to day operations, are you one of them? Whether you are using an app like Square to make a sale or you are telling people about your new product/service on Facebook, businesses are using this technology to get a competitive edge on their competitors.
Below is an Infographic from Intuit and design shop Column Five that will show you how mobile devices are changing the way business do business, enjoy!
We just may have a clue as to what the $1 billion, 500,000 square foot Apple Data Center in Maiden, NC will be used for. On Tuesday May 31st, 2011 Apple sent out a press release announcing that they will be unveiling “Next Generation Software” at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote on Monday, June 6th at 10:00 am PDT. In the press release, Apple announced “iCloud, Apple’s upcoming cloud serves offering”.
At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS® X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch®; and iCloud®, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.
Without speculating too much, some of the rumors of this service have been, streaming music, syncing your media in air between all your devices, etc. Is this something that you think will be useful?
Here is a flyover of the Apple Data Center in Maiden, NC:
In a joint press conference [Live Blog], Verizon and Apple announced that the iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon network. The long awaited Apple mobile device will available on February 10, 2011 with pre-orders beginning for existing Verizon Wireless customers only on February 3, 2011.
The Apple iPhone that will live on the Verizon Wireless network is basically the same one that lives on the AT&T network with a few slight, but somewhat significant differences.
CDMA technology – The technology that Verizon uses to connect to their network. AT&T uses GSM
Photo: Matthew Rivera / msnbc.com
WiFi Hotspot – This allows you to turn your Verizon iPhone 4 into a wireless hotspot for up to 5 connections, using your Verizon connection. So no more looking for a hotspot for your laptop when traveling, your phone can accommodate this.
Data and Voice, but not at the same time – The technology that Verizon uses, CDMA, does not allow simultaneous use of data and voice. For instance, if you are talking to someone on the phone and you want to use an app that needs to make a data connection, you are not going to be able to do that, where on AT&T, it is possible.
SIM card slot – There is no SIM card slot on the Verizon iPhone 4. This means that you are not able to easily take out your SIM card.
Antenna Design – In comparisons of the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4, you can see a noticeable difference in the antenna design on the outside of the phone. During the press conference Tim Cook from Apple said “We had to make changes [to the antenna] to work on the CDMA network — it’s going to work great.“
The Verizon iPhone 4 is set to be in high demand since many have been waiting on this partnership for well over a year. However, for me, I am going to hold off canceling my AT&T contract and jumping on the Verizon bandwagon…for now.
According to MacRumors’ Buying Guide which is usually pretty accurate, Apple will release the next version of iPhone sometime this Summer.
My predictions for the next version of the iPhone are that we will see a rock solid antenna, 4G capabilities, better camera on front and back, and faster processor.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2012 AT 10:57PM
