Technology

iPhone’s Siri Nearly Doubles Data Consumption

January 6, 2012 By DJ Yoshi Leave a Comment

Siri How Much Data Am I Using

via Bloomberg
According a report by network metrics firm Arieso, iPhone 4S users are consuming twice the amount of data than users of earlier iPhone models, and the reason is Siri. Siri is getting the blame for the huge increase in data consumption as it communicates with Apple’s servers to provide its personal assistant features.
“Voice is the ultimate human interface,” Arieso Chief Technology Officer Michael Flanagan said in an interview in London. “As you lower the barriers,” consumers will use their smartphones’ functions even more often, he said. Arieso, based in Atlanta, advises clients such as Vodafone Group Plc (VOD), Telefonica SA (TEF) and Nokia Siemens Networks Oy on how to manage wireless networks.
Data consumption remains a concern for those on restricted plans and on networks like AT&T that have historically suffered connectivity problems due to excessive load. Arieso claims to have measured one million subscribers across a single European network in both urban and rural areas to come up with its findings about Siri. We can understand a small increase in data with the additional functionality that Siri brings, however, it shouldn’t be forgotten that iOS 5 was also released for other devices at the same time as the iPhone 4S was launched with Siri. iOS 5 brought a little extra service called iCloud too. We are sure a lot of this additional data usage could be explained by over the air updates, iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and many other data intensive tasks available for iPads and earlier iPhone models and not just Siri on the iPhone 4S.
And if Siri is responsible for the spike, it will be interesting to see what if any decline results when the novelty wears off. How many times can you really ask how to hide a body, or have the pod bay doors opened?

Verizon To Charge $2 Fee For Phone & Internet Payments

December 30, 2011 By DJ Yoshi Leave a Comment

Verizon Adds $2.00 Service Charge

-via Droid Life- A couple of years back, AT&T offered select customers a $25 prepaid MasterCard to switch their billing over to autodraft. Soon, Verizon Wireless will be following Sprint’s footsteps and charging you for every month that you aren’t using that very system. Tactical differences aside, the leaked memo shown above details what has to be one of the most consumer-unfriendly policy changes since the carrier boosted its early termination fee for “advanced devices.” Effective January 15th, any customer that opts to pay their wireless bill online or over the phone will be charged an extra $2 each month, and the only way to sidestep it is to sign up for AutoPay or to pay by electronic check, where there’s no credit card fee passed on to the carrier.

For those unaware, AutoPay automatically drafts the most recent amount from either a linked checking / savings account or a credit card on file, and while we can understand VZW’s desire to better control when it’s getting paid, charging customers to make it happen is just downright ludicrous. Here’s a thought, Verizon: enforce stricter penalties on late payments, or just offer those that shift to AutoPay a small discount for going out of their way to make your life a little easier. Or, you know, for all those hours that your network has been down during the holidays.

Update: Verizon has officially confirmed the change to its policies and the $2 surcharge you’ll be hit with each month if you’re not using autodraft or some other small subset of payment options. Head after the break for all the details straight from the horse’s mouth.

UPDATE (12/30/11) FCC to Investigate Verizon Wireless’ Plans For The $2 Charge
“On behalf of American consumers, we’re concerned about Verizon’s actions and are looking into the matter,” the FCC said in its statement.

DJ Yoshi: To Help Improve Monster Cable Products

December 21, 2011 By DJ Yoshi Leave a Comment

In a commitment to achieve the highest level of excellence, sound quality and versatility,
Monster Cable has tapped DJ Yoshi to be part of the special Famous Monster DJ’s group.
In addition to promoting the products of Monster Cable including the BEATS series of products, the group focuses on how to build a better product. With ears to the street and a direct connection to the public that purchases the products on a regular, the Famous Monster DJ’s are in a class that is poised to help YOU the consumer.

In order to help Monster achieve the desired goal of being the best in class, DJ Yoshi will be taking suggestions to help better the product!
Simply comment on this thread as to why you love/hate your Monster Cable, Beats by Dre, Beats Headphones and products!

More on Monster

Monster Cable Products, Inc. was founded in 1979 by Noel Lee, who was then a laser-fusion design engineer at Lawrence-Livermore Laboratory, as well as an audiophile and professional drummer. Lee discovered that wires of different constructions produced varying degrees of audio performance when hooked up to loudspeakers. From this discovery, he developed a high performance speaker cable, named it Monster Cable, and literally created an industry. The invention of Monster Cable created a new product category that revolutionized the audio market. Prior to Monster Cable, most stereo systems were wired with ordinary “zip-cord,” the same cable used for electrical household and lamp wire. Their inferior construction and cheap materials restricts power, dynamic range and clarity in the lows, mids, and highs.

Monster is now the world’s leading manufacturer of high performance cables that connect audio/video components for home, car and professional use as well as computers and computer games. Monster Cable is an indispensable component for music lovers, audiophiles, recording studios, sound professionals, musicians, custom-installers and home theatre enthusiasts. Monster’s audio cables increase the clarity, dynamics and power of the audio signals that travel through them. Monster video cables deliver the sharpest, clearest picture possible with naturally vivid color from traditional and digital television, projectors, home theatre and satellite systems. Monster Game products lets enthusiasts enjoy the ultimate gaming experience by maximizing sound and video quality of a gaming system. Monster Power, a division of Monster Cable, delivers cleaner AC power to A/V components and computer products and high joule surge protection for maximum performance.

Olympus Tokyo Raided for Accounting Scandal

December 21, 2011 By DJ Yoshi Leave a Comment

Olympus Tokyo Raided for Accounting Scandal

via engadget
Eke. A nearly-century old outfit is currently giving up office space to Japanese prosecutors, who today moved in on Olympus’ Tokyo facilities in a raid surrounding an ongoing accounting investigation. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, the scandal involves many billions of dollars — “irregularities” that have raised serious concerns about the outfit’s handling of funds. It’s bruited that the company has been running a scheme to conceal over $1.5 billion in investment losses, and we’re told that the raid should pass right on through Olympus’ headquarters and into the “homes of executives involved in the cover-up.” All of this follows an admission last month that the firm had used “inflated payments made in acquisitions in recent years,” and while it remains unclear what all of this means for its future, there’s no doubt a few dark months are ahead as things sort themselves out. So much for looking pretty for the camera, eh?

BlackBerry PlayBook On Sale Again!

December 19, 2011 By DJ Yoshi Leave a Comment

RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook Starting at $199

Still stuck on a gift idea for your family, friend, loved one or your employees? While most retailers have now placed the BlackBerry PlayBook back to their normal pricing, there is still a few places out there that do have them on sale. Best Buy it seems, has once again lowered their prices as well. If you head on over to the Best Buy USA website you can once again scoop up a BlackBerry PlayBook in various sizes for:
•$199 – 16GB
•$249 – 32GB
•$399 – 64GB
Sadly, it doesn’t look as though shipping is included here unless the Best Buy site is still updating. Adding items to the cart leads to an error message. It may only be applicable for in-store pickups only but it’s hard to say. Worst case, give your local Best Buy a call before heading out into the cold. If you missed out on previous sales though, now is your chance to scoop one up.

Apple’s Big 5 Product Releases of 2012

December 19, 2011 By DJ Yoshi 1 Comment

Apple’s Top 5 Products to Watch for in 2012

Via Anthony Agnello -> Investor Place
After years of consecutive record-breaking quarters, it seems a bit like pointing at the moon to say that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is going to have a successful 2012. Consumer excitement for the company’s products remains high. Wall Street remains rapt by the company as well. Despite a few months of wiggling, it’s not unrealistic to think AAPL shares could very well hit $500. Apple’s quarterly report states that the company netted roughly $6.62 Billion ending in September!

Is the company’s momentum guaranteed to continue into 2012? After all, 2011 has been a year of refinement rather exciting new goods. The company’s most successful products — like the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air laptops — saw new releases throughout the year, but all were only incremental upgrades over previous products. Even Apple’s major software release for the year, the new laptop and desktop operating system Lion, is an iterative product that brings traditional computers closer in line with the company’s portables in terms of use.

2012 will not be another year of merely refinement. Much as 2010 was marked by the release of bold new releases — particularly the original iPad — next year will see Apple release a number of new devices sure to capture the attention of excited consumers. Here are five big Apple releases to expect in 2012:

1. Apple HDTV

Just weeks after former Apple CEO Steve Jobs passed away, the iconic technologist still was making headlines for a new Apple product. Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs quoted the CEO as saying, “I finally cracked it.” The “it” in this case being an Apple high-definition television set connected to the Internet as well as Apple’s iTunes, App Store and other digital storefronts. The HDTV will be the centerpiece of Apple’s 2012 product lineup. Investors take note: Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes this TV business could raise Apple’s market cap by $100 billion.

2. Motion Control

A number of Apple patents for motion-control technology — you can control what’s on the screen by waving your hands in mid-air, as with Microsoft‘s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Kinect device — have been made public over the past two years, the most recent of which came out Dec. 8. This release will affect all of Apple’s products, from Mac computers to the iPhone. Like the company’s voice-control product, Siri, Apple’s motion control interface has the potential to take something that already exists in other products and make it immensely popular through Apple branding. Expect motion control to be a key part of the Apple HDTV as well.

3. Touchscreen Mac, MacBook Air

Strange that now, as people are buying fewer PCs and more handheld computing devices, Apple’s PC business is booming. JPMorgan analyst Mark Moskowitz expects Apple to sell 1.6 million MacBook Air laptops alone every quarter after 2011. Bringing Macs closer to working like the iPad and iPhone is a clear goal at Apple considering the latest operating system, and the next step will be to introduce touchscreen PCs in 2012. Apple patents for technology like “Multiple Position Stand” have indicated that Apple has been preparing touchscreen-equipped PCs for some time.

4. iPhone 5

Of course there’s going to be a new iPhone next year. Unlike the iPhone 4S, however, the iPhone 5 is likely to be a dramatic re-imagining of Apple’s current smartphone. First, the device itself is going to look and feel quite different. Apple’s suppliers currently are stocking up on a bendable glass made by Corning (NYSE:GLW) called Gorilla Glass, lending credence to rumors that the next iPhone will have a curved form rather than the hard-edged rectangular shape of current models. On the inside, though, Apple will change up the device by finally releasing a phone compatible with burgeoning 4G networks. The 4G iPhone 5 will be compatible with LTE phone networks — the kind used by Verizon (NYSE:VZ), AT&T (NYSE:T) and perhaps most significantly, China Mobile (NYSE:CHL).

5. iPads

Of all the devices on this list, the iPad 3 is perhaps the least interesting. While these other products are significant new releases, signs at this point suggest that the next iPad will be an incremental upgrade. When iPad 3 releases in the spring, its major improvement will be a high-resolution screen similar to the one in the current iPhone. More revolutionary for the iPad could be a change in pricing. Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White is suggesting Apple will release a significantly cheaper “mini” model of iPad in 2012 to combat Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). That new iPad would be priced in the “mid-to-high $200″ range.

As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him on Twitter at @ajohnagnello and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook.