Technology & Business
Amazon giving away $100 worth of app for free
Amazon has a 2 day promo giving away over $100 of free Android apps via its AppStore. The loot this time around is 30 apps ranging from games, utilities and more. Follow this special link to get it while it is available (link)
Roam Mobility released new plans
As part of their recent network upgrade to LTE, Roam Mobility has spiced up their plans. The new Text+data plan is an interesting option for people who don't really use their smartphone for calling (which is a surprisingly high number). Now my caveat. Anytime you see unlimited data, it is on the T-Mobile 2G network which is painfully slow and has spotty coverage across the US. It is enough to [very slowly] download emails but, during my tests in New York and Vermont, it was too slow for GPS navigation or web browsing on my iPhone 5s using Safari or Chrome.
A new era in cooler air conditioners
As many Canadians are getting ready to go on vacation, I though it would be a good time to write about the "next generation" of portable coolers with built in air conditioners. The IcyBreeze Cooler can be plugged in or operated from its built in rechargeable battery. <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/4a3f80c178.jpg" alt=""> It has different dan speeds and also keeps your drinks cold. That's it, nothing else to say. Source: IcyBreeze
Scan that file
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2500”] Image by Surian Soosay used under Creative Commons License [/caption] This blog is a hobby and in my day job (as the Chief Information Security Officer of a major international company) I see all kinds of attacks and malware. A considerable amount of infections are caused by users who run files that subsequently infect your machine. Doing so is as foolish as having unprotected sex. Before you run any file, make sure you scan it first. You should always scan files using the antivirus on your computer first but there are also 2 very good services that scan your file using over a dozen different scanners (since no one scanner detect every malware),
Google's Ingress finally comes to IOS
Google's Niantic Labs had a huge hit with the Ingress game on Android. It created something special with fans becoming ambassadors and creating meetups and thriving online communities. Now Niantic Labs has taken the next step by making Ingress available for iOS (link). <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/50b44be135.jpg" alt=""> The IOS release works on iPhone, iPad mini and iPad. It is a game that get's you moving in your area. The in-game chat allows teammates (there are 2 factions in the game) to coordinate and do real world meetup.
KGI says the unannounced 5.5" iPhone is delayed
Ming-Chi Kuo, the famous KGI Security analyst, is now claiming that Apple's iPhone 6 5.5" model will be delayed because of constraints with some key components. He claims that current supply chain contacts say it will be pushed post October (possibly into 2015). He claims the issue may lie in the drop test durability of the new sapphire display. His "unnamed sources" claim that when the larger iPhone 6 is finally released, fewer than 20 million units will be available.
Spotify coming to Canada
Canada always get's the short end of the stick when it comes to online streaming services. We get 5 year old films on Netflixs and music streaming services avoiding us like the plague. Spotify has been that elusive butterfly but not they announced they will be coming to Canada. We don't have a launch date but you can sign up for a pre-launch investigation. Go sign-up now (link)
Microsoft giving away hundreds of eBook titles for free
Microsoft just announced that it is giving away hundreds of free eBooks covering a wide swath of topics from Windows 8.1, Office 365, Azure and much much more. There are close to 300 different titles to choose from. Most books are available in multiple formats including PDF, ePub, DOC and MOBI. Books range from small 8 page titles to massive tomes. Click here to browse and download them now (link).
21% of Canadian households are cell phone only
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image by That Hartford Guy used under Creative Commons License [/caption] A recent StatsCanada report shows that Canadians are increasingly replacing their expensive home phone lines with their cellphones. Actually 21% of households have already made the switch to being cell phone only (13% in 2010). understandably this trend is stronger in the houses owned by sub 35 year olds. <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/89e0fbe612.jpg" alt=""> Source : Stats Canada
Gmail adds 13 new languages
Email has become an indispensable business tools for millions of users around the world. To make email just that much more personal, the engineers at Google have now added 13 additional languages (bringing the total to 71). The new languages are: Afrikaans Armenian Azerbaijani Hong Kong Chinese French Canadian Galician Georgian Khmer Lao Mongolian Nepali Sinhala Zulu It's important to note that these are not just straight machine translations but rather carefully translated versions quality checked by linguists to ensure the translation is region specific (including nuances).