TracFone Comes Clean About Straight Talk Throttling, Admits Only 2.5GB High Speed Data Each Month

América Móvil's U.S. MVNO TracFone Wireless provided some clarity to its data throttling policies for its Straight Talk and Net10 brands, explaining that it will throttle subscribers down to 2G speeds after they use 2.5 GB of data.

A TracFone spokeswoman said in a statement that Straight Talk's 30-day $45 "unlimited" plans and $60 "unlimited international long" plans include 2.5 GB of high-speed data. "After reaching that usage, data will continue at 2G speeds for the remainder of the 30-day cycle," she said. "High speed data is restored once a new 30-day service plan is added. For further information refer to StraightTalk.com." The company said ii reserves the right to terminate service for "unauthorized or abnormal usage," as many wireless carriers do.

TracFone made a similar disclosure for the $50 and $65 plans it offers through Net10. In August, TracFone confirmed it was bringing back unlimited data plans to customers who use a SIM card for AT&T Mobility's network.

The disclosures come after TracFone and Walmart, which sells the Straight Talk brand, were sued in a proposed class action lawsuit in federal court in California, with the plaintiffs alleging that the companies falsely advertise Straight Talk as providing unlimited data service when the plans actually throttle users' speeds.

In an April company blog post, Straight Talk denied claims that it only offers users 1.5 GB of data per month.

"You may have heard rumors online that there is a hard cap of 1.5 GB for data on Straight Talk," the company wrote. "We want to clear this up for you right away: We are NOT cutting off data at 1.5 GB on Straight Talk. The data limit in reference only applies to Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP™) AT&T-compatible SIMs on our sister brand, NET10. In fact, most of our customers enjoy their unlimited data plans with no issues or complaints regarding their data speeds or service. Please see sections seven and eight of Straight Talk's terms and conditions for full details." (The bolding and links were included in Straight Talk's original post.)

In its post, Straight Talk also offered hints on how users can limit their data consumption, including switching to Wi-Fi when available and employing data-management apps like Onavo.

A TracFone spokesman clarified today that the newly disclosed throttling policy applies to all Straight Talk and Net10 BYOP products as well as all carrier-compatible SIMs, including the Net10 BYOP with AT&T-compatible phones. He also said there is no cap on Net10 and Straight Talk BYOP carrier-compatible SIMs, including all Net10 AT&T compatible SIMs.

The new disclosures make clear that there was not a 1.5 GB cap on usage, as rumors had indicated but the company never fully clarified its data throttling policies. The newly disclosed policies did not mention service from any specific carrier. TracFone uses Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, Sprint, and T-Mobile US networks. The company is the largest U.S. MVNO by far, with roughly 23 million customers as of the end of the second quarter.

Five percent of Americans find the internet pointless according to survey

The majority of Americans use the internet with at least some regularity, but according to a new study from the Pew Research Center, there are still many who see no use for it in their everyday life. Pew's survey, released earlier this week, finds that 15 percent of American adults don't use email or the internet at all. Among this offline population, 34 percent say the internet is simply "not relevant" to their lives, while another 32 percent say they find the web too complicated, risky, or cumbersome to use. An additional 19 percent of non-internet users said they couldn't afford to own a computer or connect to the internet.

As with previous Pew studies, internet use varies significantly across demographic groups, and age brackets, in particular. Among Americans aged 65 and older, 44 percent do not use the internet, compared to 17 percent of adults aged 50 to 64. Income and education levels play a role, as well; 41 percent of people without a high school diploma are offline, as are 24 percent of people with a household income under $30,000.

Internet use is the same across urban and suburban areas, where just 14 percent of adults are offline, but slightly more adults (20 percent) go without the internet in rural areas. Rural coverage has been a focus of internet service providers and the Obama administration, which launched a program earlier this year focused on expanding broadband access to schools nationwide and to rural areas, in particular.

The reasons for which people choose to abstain from the internet have fluctuated over recent years. In 2010, nearly 50 percent of offline adults said the web had no relevance to their lives — far higher than any other reason for not using the internet. This year, nearly the same percentage of respondents cited relevance and usability as primary reasons for staying offline, while slightly less blamed their absence on price levels.

Yet even offline adults admit that the internet plays at least a tangential role in their lives; 44 percent of non-internet users say they've asked a friend or family member to look something up for them online, while 23 percent live in a household where other family members use the web. Overall, 33 percent say they've had at least some exposure to the web, but very few offline adults have a desire to make the internet a part of their lives; 92 percent of those surveyed said they have no interest in going online or using email.

Ads in Google Mail may be coming...

One of the pleasant things about using Gmail on Android is that it’s entirely ad free.  The days of an ad-free Gmail experience on Android may be coming to an end. According to Android Police, the latest version of Google's email app contains references to built-in advertisements. The uncovered code hints that users will be able to save ads that catch their interest as messages, but little else is known about the company's approach to mobile ads — or how intrusive they'll be. As part of Google's broad overhaul of Gmail back in May, it introduced a new Promotions tab that displays ads closely resembling regular inbox messages. At the time, Google insisted that most users would expect to find ads in a specialized Promotions section. Many users weren't happy with the change, even though it often results in fewer ads for those who ignore Promotions. We'd expect to see Google take a similarly careful and mindful approach to ads in Gmail for Android, whenever they finally appear. We've reached out to the company for more details.

Android Police noticed a few strings that suggest Google will allow you to save advertisements that apply to you as new messages. So if there’s a deal that interests you , you can save it and keep it in your inbox to take advantage of later. Other features include a card-based user interface, which Google uses for Google Now and other apps, and a warning that alerts you that you have unsent drafts, in case you forgot about them. The notification panel in Android will also populate generic images for contacts who don’t have an image set, instead of an empty white box.

There are a few other smaller tweaks pointed out by Android Police, though it’s unclear when they’ll be activated.

Amazon Tries Breaking From the Streaming-Video Pack With Offline Viewing for New Kindles

Amazon has been spending a lot of time and money trying to catch up to Netflix in the subscription-video race. So far, not much luck.  But now Jeff Bezos has something new: Offline viewing.

Amazon’s new line of Kindle Fire HDX tablets will let Prime Instant Video users* download some movies and TV shows to their devices, for free, for up to 30 days, so they can watch without an Internet connection. Once they start watching a particular title, they’ll have 48 hours to finish.

That’s a feature no other U.S. subscription-streaming service currently offers. And it might prove very handy for travelers, or anyone else who wants to watch something on a laptop or tablet but doesn’t have access to good broadband.

Amazon says it would like to make the feature available for all of its Prime Instant shows and movies. But, for now, it’s only going to be available on a subset of its titles, because the company has to haggle with rights owners to get the extra feature.

Amazon won’t spell out how many of its titles will be available for download, but says the feature will apply to “tens of thousands” of movies and shows. In June, the company said Prime Instant had more than 41,000 titles, which suggests that it may be available on at least half of Amazon’s catalog.

Amazon says participating studios include Comcast’s NBC, Viacom, Sony, CBS and Time Warner’s Warner Bros.; titles include “Under The Dome,” “Downton Abbey,” “Justified,” “Dora the Explorer,” “Sponge Bob” and “Goodfellas.”

The move is interesting because it shows Amazon’s desire to differentiate itself from competitors like Netflix and Hulu. Up until now, the only way for the services to really stand out from each other is via exclusive content deals — Amazon, for instance, has been the only place you could stream CBS’s “Under the Dome” this summer.

It also demonstrates that Hollywood and the TV networks’ thinking is evolving when it comes to “windowing” their products via different delivery methods. In the past, video owners have tried to keep download rights separate from subscription-streaming rights, reserving the former for sales and rentals.

Video industry executives say they expect download rights to eventually show up at Amazon’s competitors; Google’s YouTube has already announced plans for offline viewing for its free videos. It’s also possible that downloads really won’t be significant for lots of people, who don’t have trouble finding a good broadband connection in the place they want to watch “Dora.”

So, it may be that Amazon’s move won’t mean much in the long run. For now, at least, it’s an interesting twist, and well worth watching.

*Amazon’s streaming service is provided free to people who pay $79 a year for Amazon’s Prime delivery subscription package.

DEA says, "Medical records handed to pharmacies have no constitutionally protected privacy"

Like emails and documents stored in the cloud, your prescription medical records may have a tenuous right to privacy. In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over the privacy of certain medical records, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is arguing that citizens whose medical records are handed over to a pharmacy — or any other third-party — have "no expectation of privacy" for that information.

The administration's argument plays off of the "third-party doctrine," which says that handing over a document to another party — even if that just means sending an email through someone else's server — revokes any fourth amendment right to its privacy. The DEA also argues that a 1977 Supreme Court ruling should be read to say that "there is no constitutional right of privacy to prescription information" — though the ruling itself doesn't say that quite so explicitly.

"THE MOST DEEPLY PRIVATE AND SENSITIVE INFORMATION ABOUT US."

The ACLU disagrees with both of the DEA's arguments. "The information we share with our doctors ... constitutes some of the most deeply private and sensitive information about us," Nathan Wessler, an ACLU attorney, writes in a blog post on the case. "Just because we trust our doctors and pharmacists with our medical information doesn't mean the DEA should be able to easily access it too."

The third-party doctrine has been a continuing concern for professionals handling sensitive data, such as lawyers and physicians. In this case, the DEA compares a patient handing prescription records over to pharmacy, to a homeowner handing electrical usage information over to a power company — something that a US appellate court recently found to not require a warrant. The ACLU disagrees with this doctrine being applied in sensitive situations, and notes that the DEA's comparison here is "absurd."

The ACLU's suit represents complaints from four patients, whose prescription records are stored in a state database used to assists doctors in preventing drug abuse. The DEA has been requesting information from this database through subpoenas — rather than a probable cause warrant as a state law reportedly requires — and the ACLU's clients have objected to the practice. According to the ACLU, all four patients have prescriptions that would detail personal information about them, including gender identity and mental illnesses, underscoring exactly how revealing such data can be. For now the suit remains early and ongoing, as both sides continue to file briefs after the initial complaint was raised earlier this year.

Source: aclu.org

Apple to refunding purchases of iTunes "Breaking Bad" season pass

Probably a little more than a barrel but less than eight.



Breaking Bad fans have seen things get pretty dire as the show has moved towards its closing moments, but those that watch the program on iTunes have something to smile about. Apple is sending out emails to users that paid for both halves of the show's final season, refunding their second purchase.

Breaking Bad's fifth and final season was split into two eight-episode halves, each airing a year apart. However, when those episodes were sold through online services like Amazon and iTunes they were made available separately, under the names "Season 5" and "The Final Season." Because of the change, users that had purchased season-long bundles for the first eight had to pay a second time for the final set of episodes. Considering AMC had marketed the show as one, drawn-out season, there was reason to expect that an iTunes Season Pass, for example, should cover all 16; one fan was so outraged that he actually filed a lawsuit against Apple earlier this month.

In an email that started going out to customers today, Apple provides a redemption code in the amount of $22.99, while also stating that it was not responsible for choosing the season names nor the episodes contained within. (It's important to note that the initial run of eight have already been made available on DVD and Blu-Ray under the name Breaking Bad: The Fifth Season.) It's not clear whether Apple is doing the right thing on its own or whether AMC is behind the refund, but the news will certainly be welcome for fans of the Emmy-winning series. Another double-dip may be just on the horizon, however: the final season of Mad Men will also be split up, with the first set of episodes released under the name "The Beginning," and the final set under the moniker "The End of an Era." We're including Apple's email below.

Dear Customer,

We apologize for any confusion the naming of "Season 5" and "The Final Season" of Breaking Bad might have caused you. While the names of the seasons and episodes associated with them were not chosen by iTunes, we'd like to offer you "The Final Season" on us by providing you with the iTunes code below in the amount of $22.99. This credit can also be used for any other content on the iTunes Store. Thank you for your purchase.

Detailed instructions for redeeming the code can be found at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1574.

Source: Apple.com/itunes

iPhone 5s Touch ID hack should not worry the “Average Consumer”

Apple’s Touch ID system, which was introduced in the iPhone 5s earlier this month, has officially been hacked. Following a video by Chaos Computer Club demonstrating how the exploit was achieved, the full process has been detailed in a new video by CCC member Starbug. It didn’t take long at all for the new system, which is more of a convenience rather than a surefire security Fort Knox, to get bypassed, but it apparently shouldn’t worry the average consumer, according to security expert Marc Rogers.

When the hack was initially achieved, CCC claimed it was super simple, attained through everyday and inexpensive office equipment. Turns out that’s only partially true; it’s important to put things in perspective. According to Rogers, much of the equipment required to complete the hack can cost “over a thousand dollars,” and none of that equipment is likely to be just lying around your house. Things such as an image scanner, laser printer and a kit for etching PCBs, among other things.

“The reality is these flaws are not something that the average consumer should worry about,” Rogers explained. “Why? Because exploiting them was anything but trivial. Hacking Touch ID relies upon a combination of skills, existing academic research and the patience of a Crime Scene Technician.

Here’s how the process works: after lifting a perfectly unsmudged print (using cyanoacrylate fumes, fingerprint powder and fingerprint tape), the print must then be photographed, edited and printed onto transparency film. After that, the film must be converted to an actual usable print, either through a PCB board or a laser printer. Even when a perfect print was lifted, and then printed, it was often prone to failure, and very tricky to use.

“It is certainly not something your average street thief would be able to do, and even then, they would have to get lucky,” Rogers said. “Don’t forget you only get five attempts before Touch ID rejects all fingerprints requiring a PIN code to unlock [the iPhone 5s],” he added.

Rogers does admit that a “dedicated attack” could be executed, though none of us are likely that important for that to even be a worry. During Touch ID’s announcement, Apple said the sensors used are capable of reading a user’s sub-epidermal layers, so it’s a little worrying a fake print could be used to bypass the system. Still, the fact that it has been hacked should deter the average person from using it, unless you’ve got some very, very important information to hide.

Source:  macrumors.com

Casting call for.......Wookies?

So you want to be a Wookiee? This could be your lucky day! That is, if you're extremely tall, relatively thin, and have good posture.

British casting service Spotlight has reportedly put out feelers for actors who fit the body type of Chewbacca. The film is unnamed in the call, but we're all but certain it's for "Star Wars: Episode VII" as the production date is listed as "early 2014" and the producers named include Lucasfilm co-chair Kathleen Kennedy and "Episode VII" writer-director J.J. Abrams.

Not a lot of actors will meet the physical requirements for role: "Male, 7 ft. to 7.3 ft. tall with a slim/thin build and upright posture. Not too worked out or too 'thick set' especially in the shoulders. Broad facial features would be a bonus."

That's in the range of the height of Peter Mayhew, who played everyone's favorite Wookiee in the previous "Star Wars" films. The Chewbacca actor stands 7 feet, 2 inches tall. Mayhew is now 69 years old and has been having health problems that make it difficult for him to walk, so if Chewie is coming back, they'll need someone new to fill the suit.

Unless Disney, Lucasfilm, and Bad Robot (J.J. Abrams's production company) are secretly shooting a film about an NBA star in the UK, it looks like Chewie — or some of his kind — will be returning for "Episode VII." And yes, this is just one of many details about the upcoming film that hasn't been revealed officially just yet.

The listing plays coy, saying the casting call is for an "Untitled Studio Feature" that will begin shooting in early 2014. But it has already been revealed that "Episode VII" is being shot in England, and Disney, Lucasfilm, and Bad Robot aren't known to have any other projects shooting in the UK at that time.

If you're over seven feet tall, not too bulky, and you're OK with the fact you're not going to get a medal like all your human (and droid) friends, get in touch with Spotlight and let them know you're available.

And let's all hope you and Han Solo have worked out your differences by now.

Specs Comparison: New Kindle Fire HDX and Kindle Fire HD Tablets

Amazon was kind enough to offer up this pre-made spec comparison chart of their new tablet line-up. You can see exactly how the new Kindle Fire HDX family compares to the regular Kindle Fire HD models.

Source: Amazon.com

Amazon Announces Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch and 8.9-inch Tablets Starting at $229

Amazon seems to have listened to not only the critics but their consumers about the past generations of the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD.


Amazon just went massive late night press release and product announcement on us, with an unveiling of their new Kindle Fire HDX line of tablets. The new tablets come in both 7-inch and 8.9-inch display sizes, run 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processors (quad-core), last for up to 11 hours of “mixed use,” utilize a new forked version of Android called Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito,” introduce free 24×7 tech support through the Mayday button, and can connect via LTE on both AT&T and Verizon networks.

The Fire HDX 7 WiFi model starts at $229 for the 16GB WiFi model, and is available for pre-order starting today. Amazon plans to begin shipping orders by October 18. If you want the 4G LTE version of the HDX 7, you’ll pay at least $329 and see shipments beginning November 14.

The Fire HDX 8.9 WiFi starts at $379 for the 16GB WiFi model with pre-orders opening today as well. Amazon expects to begin shipping 8.9 orders by November 7. If you want to go 4G LTE HDX 8.9, you are looking at a price of at least $479 with a shipping estimate of December 10.

Amazon Links: Kindle Fire HDX 7 | Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 

Kindle Fire HDX

The Kindle Fire HDX 7 sports a 7-inch display resolution of 1920×1200 (323ppi) and “perfect color accuracy” with 100% sRGB, 2GB RAM, the previously mentioned Snapdragon 800, Adreno 330 GPU, front-facing HD camera, Amazon Prime, enterprise support, and the newest version of Amazon’s Android fork called Fire OS 3.0.

The Fire HDX 7 comes in both WiFi and LTE models, with LTE connectivity on Verizon and AT&T. You are looking at storage sizes of 16GB ($229 WiFi, $329 LTE), 32GB ($269 WiFi, $369), and 64GB ($309 WiFi, $409).


Kindle Fire HDX 8.9

The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 uses an 8.9″ HD display with a resolution of 2560×1600 (339ppi), and again with what Amazon is calling “perfect color accuracy.” It also sports that previously mentioned Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 8MP rear camera, front HD camera, and an ultra-light design that weighs just 13.2 ounces.

The Fire HDX 8.9 comes in both WiFi and LTE models, with LTE connectivity on Verizon and AT&T. You are looking at storage sizes of 16GB ($379 WiFi, $479 LTE), 32GB ($429 WiFi, $529), and 64GB ($479 WiFi, $579).


Mayday Button

With their new line of HDX tablets, Amazon is introducing a support service that can be accessed via the Mayday button. This service provides 24×7, 365 tech support in case you ever have a question on how to use a new feature or run into trouble. Within seconds of pressing the button, an Amazon expert will appear on your tablet and can then co-pilot you around until you are fixed or understand confusing features.

You can preview the Mayday button functionality in these TV ads.

Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito”

Fire OS 3.0 is Kindle’s new forked version of Android that introduces “hundreds of new and upgrade features, Amazon-exclusive services, platform updates, and more.” Amazon’s goal was to start with Android and then add cloud services, a content-first user interface, built-in media libraries, productivity apps, and other enhancements to integrate Amazon’s digital content library.

Just remember that even those these tablets have access to the Amazon Appstore and technically run Android apps, you won’t ever see Google services or the Google Play store on them.

Press Release

Introducing Kindle Fire HDX—Powerhouse Tablets Built for Work and Play

All-new Kindle Fire HDX—stunning new 7” or 8.9” HDX display, quad-core 2.2 GHz processor with 3x the processing power, 2x more memory, 11 hours of battery life, and dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio

New HDX display goes beyond HD—exceptional pixel density, perfect 100% sRGB color accuracy, reduced glare, dynamic image contrast, and improved brightness for the best viewing experience indoors or out

Lightest large-screen tablet—Kindle Fire HDX 8.9” is startlingly light at 13.2 ounces, 34% lighter than the previous generation

Introducing the Mayday Button—revolutionary on-device tech support—free, 24×7, 365 days a year

Prime Instant Video movies and TV shows now available for downloading—watch anywhere, even when offline—available exclusively on Kindle Fire HDX

Stay connected and productive with updated email, calendar and Silk browser, plus seamless integration with Facebook and Twitter

Enterprise-ready with support for encryption, Kerberos Intranet, secure Wi-Fi connections and VPN integration

SEATTLE—September 25, 2013—(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today introduced the third generation of Kindle Fire—the all-new Kindle Fire HDX. The new Kindle Fire HDX tablets combine groundbreaking hardware, the latest version of Fire OS, and exclusive new features and services like X-Ray for Music, Second Screen, Prime Instant Video downloads, and the revolutionary new Mayday button. Learn more about the new Kindle Fire HDX family at www.amazon.com/hdx.

The new Kindle Fire HDX family features:

Stunning exclusive HDX display—beyond HD with exceptional pixel density (323 ppi for 7”, 339 ppi for 8.9”), perfect 100% sRGB color accuracy, reduced glare, dynamic image contrast, and improved brightness for better viewing in any lighting conditions.
Powerful quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.2 GHz provides over 3x the processing power compared to the previous generation, plus the latest graphics engine and 2x more memory for fast and fluid performance. These are the only tablets with a processor over 2 GHz.

• Startlingly light design—at just 13.2 ounces, the 8.9” Kindle Fire HDX is the lightest large-screen tablet, 34% lighter than the previous generation.
• Powered by the latest version of Fire OS—Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito”—with hundreds of new and upgraded features, platform updates, and Amazon-exclusive services like X-Ray for Music, Cloud Collections, Goodreads, and more.
• New Mayday button delivers revolutionary live tech support—one touch connects you to an Amazon expert who can guide you remotely through any feature—24×7, 365 days a year, and it’s free. 15 seconds or less is the Mayday response time goal.
• All-day battery life—up to 11 hours of mixed use and 17 hours of reading.
• Updated email, calendar, and Silk browser to stay connected and productive.
• New enterprise features including hardware and software-encryption, Kerberos Intranet, secure Wi-Fi connections, VPN integration, and wireless printing.
• Both HDX 7” and 8.9” available with ultra-fast 4G LTE wireless. Available on the AT&T network, and for the first time on the Verizon Wireless network.
• Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio and virtual 5.1 multi-channel surround sound—the standard in high-end audio.
• Front-facing HD camera makes it easy to stay in touch with Skype, plus a new 8 megapixel wide- aperture rear-facing camera on the 8.9” Fire HDX offers crisp photos and 1080p HD video.
• Best video experience on a tablet with new Amazon-exclusive features like Prime Instant Video downloads, Second Screen, and expanded X-Ray for Movies and TV.
• Deep integration with the world’s best content ecosystem—over 27 million movies, TV shows, songs, apps, games, books, audiobooks and magazines.
• New Origami covers feature an innovative design that allows you to position Fire HDX in both portrait and landscape.

“It’s been just two years since we introduced the first Kindle Fire, and the team is innovating at an unbelievable speed,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “2.2 GHz processor, 339 ppi display, new 34% lighter design, Fire OS 3.0, and new exclusive features like the Mayday button, X-Ray for Music, Second Screen, and Prime Instant Video downloads. We’ve worked hard to pack this much hardware, innovation, and customer obsession into these prices.”

World-Class Hardware

First-Ever, Exclusive HDX Display—Beyond HD

Amazon’s exclusive HDX display brings together exceptional pixel density (1920×1200 at 323 ppi for 7”, 2560×1600 at 339 ppi for 8.9”) and perfect color accuracy (100% sRGB), resulting in images and videos that display as the photographer or videographer intended. The new display also features dynamic image contrast, a unique algorithm that adjusts the color of each pixel depending on the ambient brightness in order to maximize contrast. This makes images and videos even easier to see in any lighting conditions, including outdoors. See a video: www.amazon.com/display.

2.2 GHz, Quad-Core Processor and 2x the RAM

Kindle Fire HDX tablets are the first tablets powered by the most advanced quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. These are the only tablets with a processor over 2 GHz—the four cores can each run at 2.2GHz, providing 28 billion instructions per second—over 3x the processing power of the previous generation Kindle Fire HD. Fire HDX also doubles the RAM to 2GB, resulting in faster app launch times, faster website load times, smoother multi-tasking, and better overall performance.

New Graphics Engine Perfect for Gaming

The new Adreno 330 graphics engine on Kindle Fire HDX delivers 4x the graphics performance of the previous generation Kindle Fire HD. This combination of a new graphics engine, HDX display, quad-core processor, and 2x the memory creates a more immersive, high-frame rate HD gaming experience.

Lightest Large-Screen Tablet—13.2 ounces, 34% Lighter

Amazon integrated the capacitive touch layer directly into the glass display on Fire HDX, leaving a lighter single layer instead of the typical 2-layer display stack. The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9” frame is a single-piece of machined magnesium with a blend of glass and nylon molded onto the unibody to create openings for the antennas and maximize signal strength without sacrificing sturdiness. The result is the lightest large-screen tablet—at just 13.2 ounces, it is 34% lighter than the previous generation large-screen Fire HD tablet.

11 Hours of Battery, Up to 17 Hours for Reading

Even with all this additional power, Fire HDX still delivers 11 hours of mixed use battery life. When you are reading, Fire HDX automatically powers down the CPU and any unnecessary system components and stores the displayed text in dedicated, low-power memory—the result is up to 17 hours of battery life for reading.

8MP Rear-Facing Camera for Kindle Fire HDX 8.9”

Both the 7” and 8.9” Kindle Fire HDX feature a front-facing HD camera to help you stay in touch with friends and family with Skype. Fire HDX 8.9” features an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera that allows for high-resolution photos and 1080p HD video, plus an LED flash, Electronic Image Stabilization, and a wide-aperture 5P f2.2 lens that lets in more light, reducing exposure times and producing sharper images. See a video:www.amazon.com/fire-camera.

New Origami Covers

New origami-style cover design provides a simple stand for both portrait and landscape positions, and attaches magnetically so it’s easy to take on and off. The cover for the 8.9” Fire HDX features a custom slide feature that quickly exposes the rear-facing camera and automatically launches the camera application so you won’t miss a great photo opportunity. See a video: www.amazon.com/quickpic.

The Mayday Button

Revolutionary On-Device Tech Support from Amazon’s Tech Advisors

Having trouble or want to learn how to use a new feature? Simply tap the Mayday button in Quick Settings, and an Amazon expert will appear on your Fire HDX and can co-pilot you through any feature by drawing on your screen, walking you through how to do something yourself, or doing it for you—whatever works best. 15 seconds or less is the Mayday response time goal. Mayday is available 24×7, 365 days a year, and it’s free. See the separate press release on the Mayday button and preview three upcoming TV ads that show how the Mayday button works: www.amazon.com/mayday.

New Amazon-Exclusive Features and Services

Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito”

Kindle Fire HDX is powered by the newest version of Fire OS – Fire OS 3.0 “Mojito”, which introduces hundreds of new and upgraded features, Amazon-exclusive services, platform updates and more. Fire OS starts with Android and adds cloud services, a content-first user interface, built-in media libraries, productivity apps and low-level platform enhancements to integrate Amazon’s digital content and improve performance for Kindle Fire tablets. If an app runs on Android, it can run on Fire OS. Read more: www.amazon.com/fireos.

Download Prime Instant Videos on Kindle Fire HDX to Watch Anywhere

Prime Instant Video is the only U.S. online subscription streaming service that enables offline viewing—on a plane, on vacation, and anywhere else where you may not have Wi-Fi. Tens of thousands of Prime Instant Videos are now available for download on Fire HDX. If you are new to Prime, you get one free month of Amazon Prime when you purchase Fire HDX.

All-New X-Ray for Music

Amazon is expanding X-Ray to music by adding lyrics that let you follow along with songs. Lyrics display and scroll automatically line-by-line as the song plays. See a screenshot: www.amazon.com/x-ray.

X-Ray for Movies and TV—Now Even Better

Customer-favorite X-Ray for Movies and TV now shows the names of songs as they play as well as a list of all music in the movie or TV show, and lets you jump to the scene in which a particular song is playing. X-Ray also shows trivia items in context with the action on the screen. For example, in The Godfather when Clemenza tells his henchman to “leave the gun, take the cannoli”, X-Ray alerts you that actor Richard Castellano ad-libbed that famous line of dialog. X-Ray for TV also provides character backstories so you can easily remind yourself of the character’s history. X-Ray is offered only by Amazon and is powered by IMDb.

Second Screen Lets Others Join In

Fling TV shows and movies from your tablet to your big-screen TV using Second Screen, which turns your TV into the primary screen and frees up your Fire HDX to provide playback controls, a customized display for X-Ray, or simply a place to email, browse the web, and more while you watch a movie. Second Screen will be available starting next month for PlayStation 3 and Samsung TVs, and later this year for PlayStation 4. You can also wirelessly mirror movies, TV shows and photos from your tablets to your big-screen TV with Miracast-enabled accessories or TVs.

Stay Connected with Expanded Email, Docs, and Printing

With the new email on Fire HDX, it is easier than ever to set up your accounts, group conversations by subject, sync your email and more. Reading and managing documents on Fire HDX is simple: email them, sync them from a computer with Cloud Drive, clip them from the web with Send to Kindle, or transfer them via USB. Coming mid-November as part of the free, over-the-air Fire OS 3.1 update—print documents, photos, emails, and calendar events directly from Kindle Fire to compatible wireless printers.

Complete Enterprise Support

Fire HDX is ready for work, with support for encryption of the user partition of the device to secure data; support for Kerberos authentication so corporate users can browse secure intranet websites; the ability to connect to secure enterprise Wi-Fi networks as well as corporate networks via a native or a 3rd party VPN client; and Mobile Device Management solutions ranging from Amazon’s Whispercast service to 3rd party vendors like AirWatch, Citrix, Fiberlink, Good Technology, and SOTI. Some of these features will be delivered as part of the Fire OS 3.1 update. See the separate press release on enterprise features: www.amazon.com/kindle-enterprise.

Cloud Collections

Organize your books, newspapers, magazines, and apps in customized collections for easy reference, and Amazon’s Whispersync technology synchronizes the collections across your Kindle devices and reading apps so they’re available on all of your devices. Cloud Collections will be available as part of the Fire OS 3.1 update.

Goodreads on Kindle Fire

Join over 20 million other readers and see what your friends are reading, share highlights, and rate the books you read with Goodreads on Kindle, available exclusively from Amazon. Goodreads will be available as part of the Fire OS 3.1 update. See screenshots: www.amazon.com/goodreads.

Accessibility Features

Blind and visually impaired customers will discover new and improved accessibility tools such as Screen Reader, Explore by Touch, and Screen Magnifier, enabling access to the vast majority of Kindle Fire features. Screen Reader features IVONA’s award-winning natural language text-to-speech voice.

New Exclusive Deals for Kindle Fire Owners

Kindle Fire’s Special Offers are better than ever with exclusive limited-time, limited-quantity deals available directly from the lock screen. These deals are similar to Lightning Deals that run on Amazon.com, but with even greater savings. The first deal, available in the coming weeks, will be the Madden NFL 25 video game for $5 (92% off). See screenshots: www.amazon.com/offers.

All the Content

The Kindle Fire family offers the best selection of digital content—over 27 million movies, TV shows, songs, apps, games, books, audiobooks and magazines—including hundreds of thousands of exclusives:
Over 150,000 movies and TV episodes—stream or download, purchase or rent.
Tens of thousands of popular movies and TV episodes are available at no additional cost for Prime members with Prime Instant Video, the exclusive subscription streaming home to shows like Downton Abbey, Under the Dome, Justified, Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues and many more.
The most popular apps and games. Apps are tested for the Amazon Appstore and Kindle Fire.
Millions of songs—stream, download, and store purchases for free in the cloud for access anytime, anywhere.
Hundreds of magazines and newspapers.
Millions of books, including hundreds of thousands of titles that are exclusive to the Kindle Store. Over a million titles are $4.99 or less, over 1.7 million are $9.99 or less.
Over 400,000 titles available for Prime members who own a Kindle to borrow for free as part of Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
Over 150,000 professionally-narrated audiobook titles, with free samples to listen to before buying.

“Buy Once, Enjoy Everywhere” with the Best Cross-Platform Interoperability
With apps available on the largest number of devices and platforms, Amazon makes it easier than ever to access your content anytime, anywhere. Use the Kindle, Amazon Instant Video, Amazon MP3 and Amazon Appstore for Android apps to “Buy Once, Enjoy Everywhere.” No other company offers the same level of flexibility with your content.

Pricing & Availability

The 7” Kindle Fire HDX is $229. It is available for pre-order starting today at www.amazon.com/hdx-7 and it will begin shipping October 18. The 4G version is $329—you can pre-order today to reserve your place in line atwww.amazon.com/4g-hdx-7 and it will begin shipping November 14.

The 8.9” Kindle Fire HDX is $379. It is available for pre-order starting today at www.amazon.com/hdx and it will begin shipping on November 7. The 4G version is $479—you can pre-order today to reserve your place in line atwww.amazon.com/4g-hdx and it will begin shipping December 10.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the world’s best-selling and most advanced e-reader. It features new display technology with higher contrast, the next generation built-in light, a faster processor, the latest touch technology, and exclusive new features designed from the ground up for readers. Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, features improved fonts and faster page turns. The new Kindle Fire HDX features a stunning exclusive 7” or 8.9” HDX display, a quad-core 2.2 GHz processor, 2x more memory, and 11 hours of battery life, as well as exclusive new features of Fire OS 3.0 including X-Ray for Music, Second Screen, Prime Instant Video downloads, and the revolutionary new Mayday button. The all-new Kindle Fire HD includes an HD display, high-performance processor and dual speakers at a breakthrough price.

Source: Amazon.com; youtube.com

Commissioner Gordon is getting his own pre-quel television show "Gotham"

Commissioner Gordon is the hero Gotham deserves......?

Sure, most of the attention has been on Ben Affleck being cast as Batman in Zack Snyder's sequel to Man of Steel, but what about the rest of the Batmanuniverse? Deadline reports that Fox has closed a deal for a television series centered around none other than the Dark Knight's ally Commissioner Gordon. Called Gotham, the show focuses on Gordon's early years as a detective on the Gotham City police force, and while it will include some of Gotham's most famous villains it will reportedly notfeature Batman himself.

Bruno Heller, the creator of The Mentalist, will be producing the show in conjunction with Warner Bros. Television, and Fox's deal includes a series commitment — signaling just how bullish the network is on the project. The Gotham announcement comes on the same night that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. makes its debut on ABC, and with a Flash show also in the works at the CW, one thing's for sure: Warner Bros. and DC aren't ceding television to Marvel without a fight.

Source: deadline.com

You Win, Republicans. My GIF Reaction To Their GIF OpED

GIFs are the hot new thing. News organization BuzzFeed.com, which has staked its future on dozens of GIF and listicle posts a day, now has a staggering 85 million unique visitors a month. Attention-starved politicians want in on the action. So last week, Republicans published out a GIF-filled attack article against Democratic opposition to an oil pipeline.

It was an instant success; the post snagged headlines from a dozen tech and mainstream outlets. The Internet went bananas:

Here’s a sample of what the Energy and Commerce Committee put out (full post here):

“On September 19, 2008, five years ago, when TransCanada first submitted its application to the U.S. State Department to build the Keystone XL pipeline, a $7 billion private infrastructure project that would create thousands of jobs and advance America’s energy security:”

“In April 2010, when the State Department issued its Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which said the pipeline “would result in limited adverse environmental impacts during both construction and operation”

“Today, after five years, when the president has still not approved Keystone XL, keeping America waiting for thousands of jobs and greater energy security:”

_________________________________________________________________________________
When I first saw mentions of the article fill up my Twitter feed, I couldn’t understand why everyone was drinking the Kool-Aid:

I was all like, “No, I’m not going to click on this transparent click-bait piece of propaganda. Democracy deserves better.”

Then, at some point in the day, I was burnt out.

In a moment of weakness, I decided to see what all the fuss what about. I clicked and was instantly all like:

It was addicting. Ordinarily I fill my downtime with a mix of tech blogging and imgur. Instead, I was learning.

Ten minutes later, I awoke from my daze with the full (if biased) history of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Despite my knee-jerk belief that GIF posts were devolving news into an adolescent version of itself, I’m now convinced that these playful little guys deserve a seat at the big boys’ table.

Let’s face it, we’re all on information overload, and we can’t read every piece of serious news out there.

It’s okay to laugh and learn at the same time, especially when we would otherwise just choose to laugh.

Ben Smith of BuzzFeed crafted an eloquent defense of this new type of journalism, arguing “Once you stop laughing and start thinking, the extreme virulence of the social web just might revolutionize the way you think about the world too.”

In the end, I don’t care how people share important nuggets of information, just so long as they do, especially if it reaches a demographic that never would have read it in the first place. So, kudos Republicans. May we all enjoy many more GIFS.

Disney and Pixar delay movies until 2015 and 2016

As a Dad, this is really a bummer.

For the first time in nearly a decade, a year will pass by without a new Pixar film in theaters. The Good Dinosaur was originally scheduled to hit cinemas in May 2014, but on Wednesday the Disney-owned studio announced that it's pushing the picture out to November 2015, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The studio is also delaying Finding Dory, its Finding Nemo sequel, from a November 2015 release date out to June 2016.

The delay is merely the latest setback for The Good Dinosaur — a film about a boy named Spot befriending Arlo, a 70-foot-tall Apatosaurus. In August, Pixar pulled Bob Peterson, a co-director on Up, off the project. The studio has yet to name Peterson's replacement. As the Journal notes, pushing back films is nothing new for Pixar: Finding Nemo was delayed from November 2001 to May 2003 and it went on to win an Oscar.




In 2008 Pixar announced a film called The Bear and the Bow which was set for a Christmas 2011 release with director Brenda Chapman attached. But, along the way, many significant changes took place. Eventually, The Bear and the Bow became Brave, the director was switched to Mark Andrews, and the release date was pushed to June 10th, 2012. Like Finding Nemo, Brave went on to win an Oscar.

Pixar has provided with the following statement on the shift.

-We continue to believe at Pixar, "quality is the best business plan," and we live by that. It is because of this we have decided to move the release date of The Good Dinosaur to November 25, 2015, to ensure we make the best film possible. Pete Docter's film Inside Out will remain on June 19, 2015, and Andrew Stanton's filmFinding Dory will be released on June 17, 2016.-

I am extremely excited about all three of our upcoming releases.

Ads are coming to Pinterest

Bye bye Mrs. American Pie.....well not exactly

Online advertisers have been excited about Pinterest's potential for some time, but today they finally got their wish. Ads are coming to Pinterest. In a blog post, Pinterest laid out its plans for a new system of "Promoted Pins," which would allow corporate partners to promote certain posts within category streams and search results. So far, the model is still in a test mode and, as the post put it, "nobody’s paying for anything yet."

The plan is similar to revenue models already adopted by Twitter and, to a lesser extent, Tumblr. Using data from a user's profile, the ad system can target users interested in a certain product, and promote pins within their stream to make sure they see it. CEO Ben Silbermann said he was determined to keep banner ads off the platform, adding, "we’ll always let you know if someone paid for what you see, or where you see it."

Google makes Quickoffice for iOS and Android free plus more (UPDATED)

In an aggressive move to compete with Microsoft, Google today made document editing software QuickOffice free for iOS and Android. The professional version of the software, which previously called $19.99, allows users to edit Microsoft Office documents on their mobile devices.

Google bought QuickOffice in June 2012 for an undisclosed price, bringing the company a popular mobile productivity suite that integrates with Google Drive storage. As part of making QuickOffice free, anyone who logs in to a Google account from Android or iOS by Sept. 26th will get 10 GB of free extra storage in Drive for two years.

Quickoffice is available for Android and iOS.

Apparently there is so much traffic to itunes for the app it takes several error tries before getting through.  Just keep trying.

Science: "That's the power of poop..."

I apologize, this is a really sh**ty article..... (I had to do it)

Researchers at Stanford University have found a way to harvest considerable amounts of electricity from an unlikely source: poop. In a paper published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Xing Xie and his team of engineers describe a "microbial battery" capable of generating electricity from naturally occurring sewage bacteria.

Deriving energy from feces is hardly a new concept, but previous attempts have struggled to do so efficiently. The Stanford team's innovation involves their use of so-called exoelectrogenic microbes, which create electric energy as they consume organic material. The researchers clustered groups of these wired microbes around the negative node of the battery, where they attach to carbon filaments.

A POTENTIAL POOP POWERHOUSE

As the microbes consume organic material, excess electrons are deposited onto the filaments and then transmitted across to the battery's positive node, made of silver oxide. The silver oxide converts into silver as more electrons gather, storing potential energy along the way. It takes about a day for the node to completely fill up and turn to silver, at which point it is removed from the battery and re-oxidized, releasing its stored electrons.

According to the researchers, their battery is currently capable of extracting about 30 percent of all potential energy stored in sewage — roughly equivalent to the rate at which solar cells harvest energy from the sun. Sewage, however, carries far less energy, though the team says their technique could at least be used to compensate for the electricity used at sewage treatment plants, or to break down organic water pollutants that deplete oxygen levels and threaten marine life. The biggest challenge going forward, they say, will be to find a less expensive, but equally efficient material for the positive node; poop may be cheap, but silver is not.

YouTube working on letting you download videos for offline enjoyment

Take that laughing baby video where ever you go!

Soon, YouTube is going to let you download videos from your mobile devices to watch offline. The company announced today that the feature would let users “add videos to their device to watch for a short period when an Internet connection is unavailable.”

Until now, downloading YouTube videos has been against the service’s terms and conditions, but the company has been relaxing the restriction. Last year the company began implementing pre-downloading of videos in its Android app, letting people finishing watch a video offline so long as they had started it online. We’ll have to wait to see exactly how this new offline feature works in comparison.

Updated reports are that videos can be stored offline on mobile devices for up to 48-hours starting next month.

Source:  allthingsd.com; mashable.com;

College tips for survival as taught by the Disney Princesses

This one is a little different form my norm but I am thatgeekDAD so I thought why not.  So this one is for my daughter Claire with hope that nothing about college changes too much or I will look like a noob writing this for her now, sixteen years before she heads to college.

It's hard to know how to navigate the murky waters of college. Before you dissect Pitch Perfect in hopes of some guidance, try looking to the women who taught you all the important lessons when you were a kid: the Disney princesses.

While Mulan, Belle and company did not technically pursue higher education, their overall messages can easily be applied to your freshman year.

1. Don't get all your advice from one source.





It might be easier to receive all your campus info from that nice junior in your history class, but as countless movies with "the new kid" have shown, even the most well-meaning tour guide is going to give you a biased explanation of the school's dynamics.

Worst-case scenario, you could be taking tips from someone who was just waiting for a gullible freshman to believe all the girls are fixing their hair between classes with sporks. Crowdsource your advice -- you'll meet more people.


2. Don't take the smoothest path.





Holing up in your dorm room every night is easier than braving the common room. Taking English 101 is safer than exploring the unknown waters of Philosophy.

Whenever you feel yourself leaning towards the safe choice, ask yourself, do you want to end up with John Smith or Kocoum? If the outdoors club is sponsoring a whitewater rafting trip, just sign up. It could be fun.


3. Clean your dorm room.





If you don't, there's the distinct possibility that furry creatures will find their way into your room -- only they won't help you dust or appreciate your singing.


4. Challenge people's expectations (and your own too).





You might seem like the kind of person who would never enter the talent show or campaign for student council, but that shouldn't stop you from trying new things.

If you need to psych yourself up, just sing "I'll Make a Man Out of You."


5. Leave your high school heartbreaks at home.





Even if you sold your soul to the god of the underworld to ensure your boyfriend's acceptance to your dream school, only for him to follow someone else out of state, that's no reason not to give the new guys you meet a chance.

Likewise, a string of bad math teachers doesn't mean you might not find a great Calc professor. High school is over, and your expectations for the next four years should be high.


6. Get some rest.





Sleep is important. Too many all-nighters can leave you passed out in the quad without the help of an enchanted spindle. Make it a point to carve out some nap time.


7. Don't rely on first impressions.





Throughout the first few months of college, people will try on a lot of new identities -- but not all of them will stick.

That guy on your floor who spent the fall as a super-jerk jock might morph into a friendly geek by Christmas break. Keep an open mind and consider re-introductions.


8. Fight for something you believe in.





Protesting is often part of the college experience. Even if circling the campus court makes you dizzy you can still try out activism. Join a cause you believe in, even if that's fighting for better snacks in the vending machines.


9. Keep thinking about the pay-off.





A twenty-page paper sounds awful, but being a college graduate is going to be awesome. Don't let anyone tell you different.

By concentrating on your end goal, the grunt work it takes to reach it will eventually be worth it. Focusing on one task at a time will make things more manageable.


10. Don't be afraid to try out a new look.





Dye your hair; go from prep to jock; try out a piercing.

College is a great time for an extreme makeover. As long as you stay away from the tattoo parlor, you can always return to your original style by spring break.


11. Invest in good shoes.





Yes, the slippery glass heels worked out for Cinderella. But if you leave your shoes at a party, the only thing you're left with is pieces of broken beer bottles stuck in your feet, and possibly tetanus.