The MoPR Blog

Thank goodness for technology is here again, we know you were cravin’ our weekly wrap-up. The technology loop is always throwing people for a loop so stay informed with the following articles.

“Good” News:

• What is dominant in your state, iPhones, Androids, or BlackBerrys? This graph is too interesting to not check out.
• “PR Welcome” on a blog could be the start of a good (for PR pros) trend.
• Want a fast PC on a budget? This article will show you how to build your own computer for under a grand.
• Now viewing your Gmail account in your browser can give you an experience as If you are in Outlook or Mail.
• Apple strikes back and bumps into the top spot for shipping the most smartphones during the last quarter.

“Interesting” News:

• Bad news for people trying to get data for free from Verizon, good news for Verizon.
• Microsoft and Google just can’t get along. If you haven’t checked out the virtual fight yet, you have some catching up to do.
• 
  Individuals looking forward to the PlayStation Vita under their Christmas tree (or elsewhere in December) will have to wait.
• If you have privacy concerns this study on Facebook’s face recognition software probably won’t put you at ease.
• Could Amazon’s free app slot be less appealing to app developers?

It’s the end of the work week, and you know what that means: two more work days until Monday, and time for another 5 versus 5. Five articles packed full of good news and five other articles holding ominous clouds of information you will want to know. In this week’s line up we have…

The Good:

• If you’ve stayed away from Smartphones due to a dislike for the touch keyboard, here is a guide to finding the “best” Smartphones with keyboards.
• There are reports spreading that Apple is looking to buy Hulu. This is good news for Apple and Hulu and TBD what kind of news for consumers.
• The GMSA ends rumors that Mobile World Congress, a crucial tradeshow in the wireless industry, will relocate to France or Germany by   committing to keep the event in Barcelona, Spain at least until 2018.
• Competition is a good thing in business, and the iPad is losing popularity to Android tablets.
• AT&T is still beating Verizon in iPhone activations, but AT&T is also beating Verizon in dropped calls.

The Bad and the Ugly:

• Ivan Seidenberg will soon be the EX CEO of Verizon Wireless.  Find out why.
• Here are ten Google labs projects that could get the boot.
• The U.S. is behind other countries, like Asia, on using NFC phone wallets.
• AT&T and Verizon are both susceptible to security threats.
• If you are all about avoiding being tracked by “the man,” read this article.

Be sure to tell us if you missed any articles that have news in the good bad or the ugly. What do you think is the best tech news you’ve read all week?

Next week is my personal favorite week in the technology industry, with Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). But just because next week is debatably my favorite week of the year does not mean cool stuff did not happen this week. Shopping over Skype, WWDC 2011, family shared data plans, and a Windows 8 preview are all excellent things to read this weekend.

What do Skype and Calvin Klein have in common?

I must say this is my favorite article I found this week… it’s innovative and amusing. For a year now Hendricks Park has been offering personal shopping – for men only – via Skype. That’s right; men who fear malls, shopping for themselves and do not have time are set. It’s easy; you fill out an application and then you attend one Skype session for an hour or two with a Style Expert. After a pro analyzes your lifestyle, preferences, and body type, you are shipped your first set of clothing. After that base relationship, style and measurements are established you can Skype your Style Expert when you are in need of new items instead of braving a store.

WWDC 2011 place your best bet!

Next week is the WWDC 2011, did I mention that yet? With the conference so close you’d expect the Apple speculation to slow… but that is not the case. Patience is not a virtue in the technology world. There is talk of an iPhone 4S being released to bridge the gap between the iPhone 4 and iPhone5. However, with the white iPhone 4 being released not too long ago and the iPhone 5 being rumored to be released in early September, I doubt releasing an iPhone4S next week is on the table.  We already know Lion will be released as well as the launching of iCloud (allowing iTunes users to listen to their music via other devices). Here are one person’s predictions for the WWDC 2011.

AT&T vs. Verizon rouuuunnndd … does anyone know what round they’re on?

The AT&T and Verizon battle continues; this week AT&T and Verizon have started hinting at family plans offering shared data. AT&T’s CEO Ralph de la Vega revealed that the mobile conglomerate is seriously considering the idea. This plan will be great to families and businesses that provide cellular devices to employees. However, many who are already grandfathered on with unlimited data plans with AT&T are less likely to make any switch. New AT&T customers will likely love the idea, or low data users might switch to this option. Verizon is “moving toward such plans,” and if it does current Verizon users are more likely to take advantage of this shift.

Windows 8 tiles things up.

Microsoft made a good PR move; it showed a preview of Windows 8 the week prior to Apple’s WWDC. The OS is designed to interface with touch screens and more traditional PC’s alike. The home screen will become a series of tiles; these tiles are previews of apps, such as weather, news, etc. With Apple’s announcement of Launchpad on its new OSX, Windows’ apps on desktop feels oddly familiar. The tile layout is unique to Windows, and there are new movement shortcuts that seem awesome. Windows 8 will stray away from the standard interface of how the operating system has appeared, veering more towards a user friendly system (also like Apple has been). Even with the Apple similarities, I must admit I am excited to try Windows 8.

Enjoy your weekend.