photo credit: HBO Go Mobile Apps

Your Smartphone isn’t just a cell phone any more. Starting next month you can start using HBO for streaming videos to your iOS and Android devices. Following Netflix and Time Warner Cable, HBO will start the new HBO Go for mobile devices next month. Available with subscription will be all your favorite HBO shows, including all the past seasons, as well as feature films. The new service will no doubt be especially popular with tablet users.

HBO Go has been available since 2009. It wasn’t really catching on all that well. Now with the new mobile app available for Android and iOS platforms, HBO is hoping it will gain some ground on Netflix. HBO snubbed Netflix by not allowing any of its content to be available on Netflix. Netflix already has free Android and IOS apps available. HBO is now taking on the mighty Netflix giant with 1400 choices, and more promised. According to an article posted by Don Reisinger, The Digital Home, In January, HBO senior vice president of corporate affairs, Jeff Cusson, told The Hollywood Reporter that his company “believes in content exclusivity, especially for high-value content.” He said that HBO “has no intention of making its content available for streaming on Netflix.”

An HBO video was posted last week on YouTube. According to the video, HBO Go is scheduled to be released May 2nd to Android and iOS devices. “Get every episode of every season of your favorite HBO shows, plus hit movies and much more,” the video’s voiceover states. “All free to HBO subscribers and all streaming on your iPad, laptop, or Smartphone wherever you are.” They aren’t specific about whether it will work on 3G, but since they are touting “Wherever you are,” I am assuming it will also work on 3G.

DirectTV won’t be streaming HBO Go through mobile apps. According to Richard Lawler, Engadget, a “mis-tweet” by the DirectTV Twitter account originally stated it would be including the HBO Go mobile apps. Corrected, it now stands that DirectTV won’t be adding HBO Go access through their own apps and DirecTV customers will have to use the native HBO Go app just like everyone else.

Are you anxious to watch HBO shows on your Smartphone? I think even with my Droid X’s 4.3 inch screen, I would rather watch shops on a tablet. Of course until I get a tablet (hint for Mother’s Day), I will probably try it out on the Droid X. What about you?

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photo credit: New Twitter for BlackBerry

Today it’s official! Twitter for BlackBerry v1.1 is finally released. A select few were using the beta version, but the real McCoy was released today. According to a post by Kristy C., Inside BlackBerry, they have “made several changes to enhance the Twitter for BlackBerry Smartphone experience, like updated graphics that reflect the new look of the Twitter brand and a streamlined layout of the Add Photo and Add Location icons on the Home screen. The next time you Retweet something, it will appear in your Home timeline as ‘Retweeted by You’, to quickly alert you that your Retweet was sent successfully.”

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photo credit: Texting During Disasters

Phone call restrictions in Japan leave more people texting. After the earthquake in Japan earlier this month, cell phone providers as well as landline phone service was restricted or at best, heavily congested. Many found the only way to reassure friends and family was through texting. CNET reported that in addition to texting, people were using “social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Mixi” to stay in touch. The phone carriers were “limiting voice calls on congested networks, with NTT DoCoMo restricting up to 80 percent of voice calls, especially in Tokyo and in northeast Japan, where 30-foot tsunami waves caused extensive damage.” Even after restrictions were relaxed, coverage was spotty. For many, texting was the answer.

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photo credit: Internet Dark in Egypt

First the Egyptian government blocked social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Now rumors have it that the Egyptian government has blocked Internet connections countrywide. According to an article by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, ZDNet, his sources (Renesys, an Internet analytics firm) confirmed that Egypt has really blocked the vast majority of its Internet connections. Essentially, this has cut off the Egyptian people from the Internet. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Cyberbullying

Is technology responsible for cyberbullying? Does cyberbullying even exist? Yes, unfortunately, cyberbullying is a real phenomenon. Cyberbullying is the new term for online bullying, i.e. writing nasty comments about someone on the various social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. It has received a lot of press lately with some high profile teen suicides being blamed on cyberbullying. But the issue of whether or not technology is responsible is murky. The problem doesn’t lie with technology but instead with the cruelty of people using online methods of taunting and harassing others.

Does Cyberbullying Exist?

Is it illegal to taunt someone online? Different states have different laws or regulations about cyberbullying. Massachusetts passed legislation in May and 44 other states have some sort of legislation pending, even if only to discourage bullying at school. There is concern among lawmakers that even if passed, there will be legal challenges concerning the right to free speech.

High profile teen suicides have made big splashes in the media. Tyler Clementi, a student at Rutgers University, committed suicide when his roommate posted some very personal info on the web about Tyler. The two fellow students involved have been charged with invasion of privacy that could result in 5 years in prison. Megan Meier, a 13 year who committed suicide, was taunted by an adult neighbor, Lori Drew, who posed as a teenage boy on MySpace. Ms. Drew was convicted, but the conviction was overthrown because the laws are so vague.

Many teens live in a naïve world. They don’t realize that what may have started out as a joke or a flirt could end up hurting their entrance into some colleges or even their careers later on down the line. Imagine how surprised and hurt that teen will be when the photo they sent over their phone to their current sweetheart ends up on the web after a breakup. James Lipton, Inside the Actor’s Studio on HBO, has been instrumental in a campaign about sexting, a term coined from sex and texting. See my blog, Sexting: Give It a Ponder before you text.

What is the solution? Do you think we need laws with stiff penalties to stop this new trend of cyberbullying? Is public awareness through the press, as well as campaigns at schools against bullying the answer? Clearly something needs to happen to protect the young people. Will it take more teen suicides to make this a top priority with lawmakers? But will the laws even be effective? What’s your take? Give us a shout about your feelings.

photo credit: Pay using a Cell Phone

Will cash become totally obsolete? Square, the plastic card reader cell phone attachment, makes it easy for street vendors to accept credit cards. No merchant account is needed for the vendor to accept payment. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Smartphones

New comScore data reports that Facebook and Twitter use on mobile devices is growing exponentially while MySpace use is declining. Facebook now sees 25.1 million mobile users as of January 2010, more than double the users in January 2009. Twitter grew to 4.7 million, which is 4-times what it was last year. MySpace has lost 7% of its users in that same time period. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Stalker Note

The new Android app, Recognizr, would allow you to use your cell phone camera to snoop out someone’s identity. You could take a photo of someone’s face, and then know that person’s name, schedule, profile, and latest tweets. Created by the Swedish development company, The Astonishing Tribe, the new app in development would bring a whole new level to the lack of privacy. It uses a 3D modeling and facial recognition software. James Bond has come to the real world. Read the rest of this entry »