Technology & Business
RIM kicked out of the NASDAQ-100
The NASDAQ-100 is a stock market index of the world's largest non financial companies. NASDAQ recently announced that Facebook will be listed while Netflix and RIM will be shown the door (in 2013). Although this is another strike against RIM, it isn't unexpected. With RIM's stock being so low and projections so bad, no one should really be surprised that they will be removed from the NASDAQ-100. If you don't trust my information, head on over and check the official NASDAQ release [here](http://www.
How to detect counterfeit headphones
There are thousands of counterfeit products being sold on Craigslist, Kijiji, eBay and other consumer to consumer online sites. During a trip to New York last year, I even found counterfeit Apple products and headphones being sold in a brick and mortar store. As a consumer, you want to make sure you are buying the real thing. First rule of thumb Counterfeit products never perform like the real authentic product. Don't listen to what anybody says, they just don't. Best case, the counterfeit product just per form’s bad.
It may be time to check out Outlook.com if you use gmail
Full Disclosure I have been using Google Apps for some time now and it has proven to be reliable, fast and easy to use. December 7 2012, we learned that Google was killing off its free Google Apps offering and forcing new customers to its $50 a year Google Apps for small business offering. They said existing [free] customers will be grandfathered but who knows what the future holds. Truth be told, the one service I really use is GMAIL and Drive.
Could Google maps for IOS be released tonight?
AllThingsD is reporting that Google Maps for IOS may launch as soon as tonight on the Apple AppStore. Their information is provided by a "trusted inside source" so take this with a grain of salt. I'll believe it when I see it but I hope the rumor it correct. Update on 2012-12-13 13:34 by Edward N Kiledjian Google Maps for IOS was released just before midnight yesterday and I have been playing with it a little. First and foremost, it is true to the Google Maps name in that it provides fairly accurate navigation instructions and all of the joys of the niceties of Google Maps (walking and public transit).
2012 Interesting Twitter Statistics
Every year, the analysts and engineers at tweeter crunch all the tweet data for that year and present interesting trends. They then compile this wonderfully interesting twitterified data into a special site where anyone can go and explore. Click on the below image to see the full size version They have broken down their findings into these categories (with the twitter description for each) Golden Tweets: The top two Tweets that generated the most Retweets for the year, plus honorable mentions for a few others that caught attention around the world.
Samsung announcement at CES 2013
On December 6 2012, I wrote an article about the rumors surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S IV. Samsung isn't wasting any time and has started teasing the public, encouraging us to "get ready" because "something new" is coming. Samsung has released a teaser video which doesn't clarify anything. We know CES 2013 is taking place January 8-11 so it is possible we will see a couple new devices announced there. The reality is we don't even know if these teaser is related to a mobile device but we can all hope.
Mehr is the official video service for Iran
Iran's religious and political leadership view Youtube as a great evil and are launching an alternative called Mehr. Mehr allows registered users to upload videos and allows anyone to watch posted videos (like Youtube). Of particular interest may be the content provided by the national Iranian broadcaster IRIB. Iran is increasing its control on information and is even expected to lauch it's own Iranian Internet (or should we call it a national intranet) in 2013. We have read reports from activists that many Iranian's, thirsty for uncensored information, have started using technologies (like VPN, TOR,etc) to bypass controls.
Google Nexus 4 can LTE in select US locations
By all accounts, the Nexus 4 is a benchmark for other OEMs building Android devices. It is a beautiful, fast and intuitive device. The biggest complaint most customers have is the inexcusable lack of LTE. Imagine our surprise when it was reported that some Telus customers were able to force their phone onto the carriers band4 (AWS 1700 / 2100MHz) LTE network. Now users on XDA Developers have made similar claims in the US where AT&T uses the AWS 1700 / 2100 MHZ (Phoenix, Raleigh, San Juan, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Chicago, Athens, etc.
Pandora shows some love in Australia and New Zealand
Pandora has been available on the desktop in Australia and New Zealand but Pandora has now announced that its radio stations are now fully available in those countries. What is interesting is that this is the first time Pandora has offered its full service portfolio outside of the USA. This also means the Pandora Android and IOS apps are now available for OZ and Kiwis (downloadable from the app store).
Lark Life available in US Stores
Related articles: Lark Life May Be A Fitbit And Nike FuelBand Alternative When Will Lark Life Be Available In Stores? I haven't been able to reach the Lark website for the last 24 hours but a tweet from their official account probably made some people very happy: The official company tweet says that the Lark Life is finally available in US Apple stores. A quick search of the online Apple store came back empty (no Lark Life) If you see one in a US store, let me know.