photo credit: Winter Storm Tips

This morning 49 of 50 states had snow on the ground. Sure, it’s winter, but that seems like a big deal to me. In any case, if you live in an area that experiences extreme cold or heavy snow storms, you may want to put a little time and effort into being “winter storm prepared.” Being caught without electricity during the winter can not only be inconvenient, it can be life threatening.

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photo credit: Pay-by-Smartphone

Rumor has it that Apple is planning to introduce pay-by-phone on the next generation of iPhones and iPads. The new technology would allow you to use your iPhone or iPad to pay for products or services just like using your credit card. This could effectively reduce the number of plastic credit cards you need to carry in your wallet. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Mobile Health Apps

Doctors have a new worry regarding their medical practices. Not only do the doctors have to worry about rising liability insurance costs and decreasing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, but Smartphone health apps may take a bite out of their practice as well. According to an article by Seth Deepak, DemocratandChronical.com, “a recent survey by Pew on the adoption rate of mobile health (”mHealth”) applications found that a full 9 percent of American mobile phone users said they have mobile health apps on their phones that enable them to “track” or “manage” their health. Other studies predict that more than a third of 1.4 billion Smartphone users in 2015 will be running some kind of mobile health care application.” Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Sony’s New Playstation Phone

The buzz is out that Sony will reveal its new Playstation phone at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress, which begins on February 14th. Of course this is probably one of the worst kept tech secrets. Rumors of it came out in August, with pictures following in October. But apparently the Playstation phone is real because this week, the tech blog Engadget got its hands on a Chinese prototype and posted a detailed review. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Use Smartphone to Pay

Do you want to pay for things through your mobile phone? You’re not alone. Mobile carriers, device manufacturers and point-of-sale (POS) vendors also want you to pay in this convenient way. After all, if it is convenient, you’ll possibly spend more money. Payment providers like Amex, Visa, and MasterCard are on top of the idea of mobile payments in a big way. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Android SMS Bug

Are your SMS messages going to the right person? Have you been sending messages to one phone number, only to have it received by someone totally different? Apparently this has been an ongoing bug in the Android SMS App system for about 6 months. As of today Google still hasn’t fixed the problem. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Smartphone Camera

82% of US households have some sort of point-and-shoot camera. And this camera may be the last of a dying breed. According an article by Sam Grobart, NY Times Business Day Technology, the point-and-shoot camera, which has been a part of American households since George Eastman introduced the Kodak Brownie in 1900, is endangered. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Rider Safety Tips

USRider provides roadside emergency assistance for equestrians. Members simply call the toll-free number on the back of their membership card from their cell phone. USRider is in its ninth year providing emergency roadside assistance to horse owners. This is all well and fine as long as your cell phone battery isn’t dead. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Lookout App to Protect Your Droid

It was only a matter of time before malware hit the Smartphones. A new Android Trojan that displays some botnet characteristics has emerged from China, Lookout Mobile Security warns. This Trojan is called Geinimi, and can compromise a significant amount of data from a user’s Android Smartphone, sending it to remote servers. Once installed on the phone, it could allow the server’s owner to control the mobile device, says Lookout. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: dzdock

Dino Zaharakis has designed a stand to fit the iPad, iPhone, virtually all Smartphones and eReaders, like the Kindle. The 11 year old from Pennsylvania accepted a challenge from his father to design a better stand for his iPad, and also a website to market it. The prize? Dino’s dad would buy him a new cell phone. Read the rest of this entry »