Image: Jaybird I've tried a number of fitness wearables and most of them wind up lacking in one area or another. With many you can have solid hardware with shoddy software, or the software offers outstanding tools, but lacks in the hardware department. So when Jaybird asked if I'd be interested in giving their Reign a go, I was (as you might expect) skeptical. But I agreed and slapped one on my wrist. That was about two months ago. The Reign hasn't left my arm since (outside of charging). Strangely enough, More about MobilityThe BlackBerry platform's slow fade to blackDon't sideload Android apps from untrusted sourcesVisio alternative SmartDraw makes diagramming and drawing a breeze for Mac/iPhone usersSubscribe to our newsletter, The Mobile RevolutionI've become quite fond of the device and use it daily for runs and keeping track of my physical output.
Image: Facebook As it has grown, Facebook has become the de facto digital photo album for many of the more than one billion active users of the site. However, that has made it more difficult for visually-impaired users to engage the platform. On Monday, April 4, Facebook introduced automatic alternative text, a feature that uses object recognition technology to form a description of a given photo as the user passes over it. While using the Facebook app on an iOS device, the feature would tell the user that the image "may contain three people, smiling, outdoors," according to the official Facebook press release.
Image: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic When you need to take notes while you browse, Google Docs might not be the best solution—especially on Apple devices. As of early April 2016, Google Docs supports neither Side View nor Slide Over on iPad. So, you're stuck switching back and forth between a Google Doc and your browser. But, you don't have to wait for Google to update the Google Docs app. Instead, try Google Keep, Google's note taking app. Split View with Keep (iOS) Google Keep and Chrome both now work with Side View and Slide Over. Draft a document in Keep while you view a web page in Chrome, all on a single iPad screen.
Image: iStockphoto/gregory_lee I hate to break it to you, but you're average. I know, I know—you got a trophy every time you stepped onto the court or soccer field. But here's the truth: You're just like everyone else. Which means, of course, that you spend several hours each day gaping at your mobile device. If you're like me, you read statistics from eMarketer that claim we spend more than three hours every day on our mobile devices and you say, "Not me." That is, I did, until I spent two weeks tracking my mobile usage with the Moment app, which sits in the background and counts the minutes your phone is unlocked.
Image: Jack Wallen The only reason this headline should surprise anyone is the fact that BlackBerry OS is actually still alive. End of story, right? Truth be told, most assumed BlackBerry's operating system dead when the company decided to release a device running the Android platform. It seemed to be the only logical step forward for BlackBerry Limited. And yet, BB continues on. Only now, they continue on without Whatsapp and Facebook support. More about MobilityThe BlackBerry platform's slow fade to blackDon't sideload Android apps from untrusted sourcesVisio alternative SmartDraw makes diagramming and drawing a breeze for Mac/iPhone usersSubscribe to our newsletter, The Mobile RevolutionWhen pressed for the reason why they are pulling support, Facebook made their case quite simple, stating that 99.5 % of all smartphone sales are of the Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile platforms.
Image: iStock/mppriv My older son and I watch a lot of films and terrorism has been a long-running theme both in fiction and real life, sadly enough. Therefore, I wasn't particularly surprised by the vivid dream I had the other night. In the dream I was visiting lower Manhattan with my wife and three kids. A nuclear bomb scare forced the immediate and frenzied evacuation of the area. My younger son and I were split off from the others; my wife - I hoped - was with our older two children blocks away, but a dark comedy of errors ensured as I tried desperately to reach her: I couldn't call her on my phone since I kept receiving an "All circuits are busy" error - no surprise given the population of lower Manhattan (see, the mind of a creative writer at work).
Image: Jack Wallen In the race for privacy, some turn to encrypting their email. Why? Because there are times when sending sensitive information needs a layer of encryption. But adding encryption to mobile email can sometimes be a bit complicated. Until now. Thanks to a company called ProtonMail, you can take advantage of encryption on your Android device with very little hassle. A caveat to using the ProtonMail platform: This is a service...not a stand-alone app to be used with your current email address. So you must sign up for a ProtonMail account, install the Android app, and use your newly created ProtonMail email account to send your encrypted email.
AT&T spent over $1 million on the aptly named Giant Eyeball Antenna to improve LTE coverage in downtown Houston for the Final Four. Image: AT&T/Eric Fry Fans flocking to NRG Stadium in Houston this weekend to watch the NCAA Final Four and cheer on their favorite college team will be unaware of the behind-the-scenes scrambling to prepare the venue for the connectivity needs of more than 75,000 fans. The Final Four is the pinnacle of years of planning to prepare each host venue for what it needs to handle the More about MobilityThe BlackBerry platform's slow fade to blackDon't sideload Android apps from untrusted sourcesVisio alternative SmartDraw makes diagramming and drawing a breeze for Mac/iPhone usersSubscribe to our newsletter, The Mobile Revolutionconnectivity needs of hordes of basketball fans that will flock in from all parts of the country to watch the battle for the championship title.
Image: iStock/Wavebreakmedia Vodafone Americas Foundation is at it again. Promoting programs and practices designed to make the world a better place, that is. I wrote last June about a contest held by Vodafone Americas Foundation to foster and promote innovation and increase the development of mobile and wireless technology for a better world. The goal of the annual contest, known as the Wireless Innovation Project, is to award cash prices to companies which develop beneficial and creative technology intended to help improve human health, living conditions and development, particularly in impoverished regions or areas.
