Okay, we all know about diet soft drinks. Also, many of us know about light beer. They’re to be lighter and a little healthier than the original. But what is Twitter Lite?
Twitter Lite is a new version of Twitter mobile. But this one avoids slow connections. It also cuts on data use and takes up less of your device. Of course, all of this is according to Twitter. In fact, they say it’s 30% faster than regular twitter. However, it will still include all the regular Twitter goodies, from typical Tweets to profiles. I hope in includes NFL games.
The only thing the consumer needs, is obviously, a smartphone a tablet. The smartphone and tablet need a web browser. Now that we got the basics out of the way, let’s get to new business. Twitter Lite includes a ?data service mode. This reduces the amount of mobile data. They say this reduces data by as much as 70%. They do this because they want to keep your mobile data expenses low. But here is one huge plus for Twitter Lite. It offers offline service. This really comes in handy to a lot of people. Let’s face it: not everyone has a WiFi spot. And it gets annoying asking people, “Do you have WiFi? What’s the password?”
These are all great promises, if they can deliver them. In our Boston computer service shop, we use Twitter quite often. I sure hope Twitter can deliver the goods. They need to. In the past several years, Twitter struggles with a lot of issues. They include falling stock prices, bullying, competition, and Silicon Valley cost of living woes. Like Samsung with the Galaxy 8, Twitter needs to hit this home run out of the park. Can they do it? Will this get more people to use Twitter, or make it easier for them? Or will Twitter Lite leave a bad taste in everybody’s mouth?
It’s the final countdown. As for Samsung, this might be. Because Samsung Galaxy 8 begins pre-orders today. They also release their phone on April 21. This had better be good, after what Samsung went through. It’s the Samsung Galaxy 8 countdown: Failure no option.
So it looks good. The S8 has a 5.8 inch OLED screen. Furthermore, the S8 Plus has a 6.2 inch OLED screen. The screen is also curvier and covers almost the whole phone. Galaxy 8 US phones have the?Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Octa processor. Then there’s the S8 camera. In the front, it has an 8.1 megapixel auto focus. And in the rear of the camera, it has a 12-megapixel OIS.
But wait. There’s more to the Samsung Galaxy 8 countdown. Meet Samsung’s Galaxy 8’s virtual assistant, Bixby. Bixby helps you use your phone directly. So it looks like Siri will have some competition. Also, like Alexa, Bixby can turn off your TV and lights. Then there is Bixby Home. Bixby Home can give you the news, literally. Samsung Galaxy 8 US phones will come in black, grey and silver. Other features include Samsung Pay, wireless charging, and IP68 water and dust resistance. It also has Bluetooth 5.0. That means you can stream two devices. I don’t know what the exact cost is, but brace yourself. They expect it to run for at least $720.
However, let’s get the elephant out of the room. That’s the battery. That’s what caused last year’s fiasco. You remember. That’s when Samsung Galaxy 7 burned and exploded, causing injury to customers and embarrassment and lawsuits to Samsung. And there’s no screen replacement, no computer repair, no anything that can help matters with that. ?The S8 has the 3,000 mAH. The S8 Plus has a little more. That’s the same thing the S7 had. But Samsung assures us they tested the battery chemistry. They say not only is it safe, but the battery lasts longer. Forget long lasting battery. Is it safe? That’s Samsung’s dilemma right now. Will the Samsung Galaxy 8 countdown be the comeback they need? Or will it sink their sales and reputation even further?
Here’s a trivia question for you. Who invented the Android? If you say Andy Rubin, then you win. But Andy Rubin is ready to re-enter the smartphone game. Android inventor releases new smartphone.
So some time ago, Android inventor Andy Rubin left his own creation. Then, he started Essential, a rival smartphone company. They tested their first phone yesterday. I guess it came out well. Because Rubin tweeted, “I’m really excited about how this is shaping up. Eager to put it in more people’s hands.” But too bad he’s not telling us much else.
However, the rumor mill is churning. Some sources claim it has edge-to-edge screening that covers the whole phone. Few, if any phones, have that. Samsung and Apple are trying to do that for their upcoming editions. Is Rubin’s tweet suggesting the Essential phone closer than we think? I say this because he said he wants to put it in more people’s hand. Big emphasis on the word more. That tells me some people may already have it. Furthermore, look at the Android inventor’s optimism. It wouldn’t surprise me if Rubin held a press conference in the very near future…I mean days or even weeks.
Should Samsung and Apple be nervous? I would. Don’t underestimate Rubin or Essential. The man created one of the most successful smartphones of all-time. This is great for us smartphone consumers. Competition is always good for any business. Why should Apple, Samsung, and Android have all the fun? It’s good for anybody in screen replacement and computer repair and other services. If and when something goes wrong, they’re coming to us. I doubt Essential will be ready for Galaxy S8 in April. But what about the Apple iPhone 8? That does come out until September. Hence, Essential could be out right on time to compete against Apple. Lots of people I know are fed up with Apple. Will disgruntal Apple customer fall in Essential’s arms? Also, what will Essential’s prices be? How will Essential do?
Since it’s creation, Facebook Messenger took off in use and popularity. Hence, on my personal page, 80% of my Facebook friends use Messenger. But could that change soon? Will Facebook Messenger matter after April 2017?
I ask this because of the sources I read. They say Facebook considers quitting the Windows Phone 8.1 version of Messenger. In fact, they believe Zuckerberg plans to slowly kill Messenger’s support on Windows phones. But wait. There’s more. They also believe older Facebook Messenger apps aren’t what they used to be. And this is on Android and Apple phones. But let’s focus back on Windows 8.1 phones.
According to an Italian tech news website, Facebook will stop supporting Messenger on Windows 8.1 phones. What does that mean? That means if you have this smartphone, then ?Messenger will be as good as Windows XP. That means no good at all. ?Also, these phone owners are already getting email warnings. The warnings tell them what’s coming and that it’s coming soon. The support will start at the end of March. They give two ways to avoid the shock of unsupported Messenger. One is to upgrade your software to Windows 10. Or, they can buy a smartphone that has the latest software.
Also, they suggest Android and Apple users have the latest software, if they want to have Facebook Messenger. Already, customers bring their phones to our Boston computer service shop with these concerns. We tell them what I’m telling you. Make sure you have the latest Messenger app. Plus, when support for the old systems go, it’s not coming back. But if you continue using the old support, you’re opening yourself up. You open yourself up to viruses, malware, and goodness knows what else. When you do, Facebook, Windows, and others won’t support you. Yes, we at Computer Geeks specialize in laptops fixed, but why wait that long?
You spend hundreds on an iPhone or other Apple device. What is something goes wrong? But instead of running to the Apple Store, you fix it yourself. That’s awesome, isn’t it? But Apple doesn’t think so. The right to repair: techs love it, Apple hates it.
So New York mom Jessa Jones found herself in this situation. She fixed an iPhone with her bare hands. Then she became an independent technician in phone repair and screen replacement. ?However, Jones didn’t know about Apple’s strict laws against these kinds of repair. These laws forbid technicians using parts outside of Apple facilities and those Apple don’t approve. Also, these ‘renegade techs’ are messing up Apple’s dependence on Chinese parts. If you ask me, that’s a good thing.
Consequently, the state of New York has a bill in the works. They call it the Fair Repair Act. This gives people the right to repair. It also cuts down on people throwing away phones because of minor, but expensive repairs. The average smartphone life span is 18-24 months. But after that, most of them end up in landfills. If this bill gave techs the right to repair, more people would keep their phones longer. Furthermore, it would cut down on e-waste.
Even a third grader can figure this out. Apple doesn’t want this to interfere with their money. Also, Apple doesn’t want people to get hip to people fixing their own phones. Not only that, Jessa Jones is holding workshops, and teaching others how to fix their phones. The right to repair techs grow into a grassroots community. In the Boston computer repair community, we know of a few. ?It’s a threat. Come on, Apple! You’re a multi-billion dollar corporation. Surely you can, I hate to use the phrase, ‘share the wealth’. Also, maybe this get us off Chinese dependence. Hence, maybe this right to repair movement will open more American jobs. So I give props to these right to repair activists. Instead of stopping these guys, shouldn’t Apple learn something from them?
In the mid-2000s, the Blackberry was the premier cellphone. Then, in 2007, the smartphone came along. So this was the beginning of the end of the Blackberry era. Now, it is making a comeback. But let’s talk about the keyboard. The new Blackberry keyboard: genius or failure?
They call the new Blackberry the KeyOne. The debate is the keyboard. The new Blackberry keyboard looks just like it did 10 years ago. But I must admit. the new phone looks very 2017. It’s an Android device with top security, apps and Google Nougat. It also has the Snapdragon 625 processor. Phone maker TLC is responsible for bringing the smartphone back, or at least, attempting to. But if you look at the screen, it looks like a modern sleek smartphone.
But then you look at the price. How much are you willing to pay this new Blackberry KeyOne? Maybe$100? How about $200? Consequently, you’d better be ready to shell out $550 for this new blackberry keyboard. Not only that, there are some things the KeyOne doesn’t have, like dual cameras and triple imaging sensors. But according to many reviews, the new Blackberry keyboard is easy to use and rivals keyboard on expensive smartphones. The Blackberry KeyOne should be available to the public in April 2017.
But will the public want it? Yes, there are some Blackberry users that will follow this brand no matter what. Let’s face it; there are Apple and Android followers that will follow the brand, no matter what. But what about everybody else? I find it hard to believe average smartphone users will pay $550 for KeyOne or the new blackberry keyboard. Keep in mind anybody can get a decent smartphone for well under $100 today. If KeyOne even wants to survive, they’d better have technology that rivals that of the Apple iPhone 7. And even then, it’s a gamble. It’s either that or significantly lower this ridiculous price. ?But if you must get this Key One, remember: At our Boston computer service shop, we do a mean screen replacement. Okay, with the plug aside, the new Blackberry keyboard: genius or failure?
