This week on Simulcast 157, we have a ton of good news – Android is off the hook, the Galaxy SIII is unleashed in Dubai, Apple is trying to ban another Android device, and Apple might finally be releasing a phone with a larger screen.

We’ll talk about it all, right here on the Simulcast.

Google
Android found NOT GUILTY!
Samsung S-Voice leaks, promptly locked down by Samsung
Samsung Galaxy SIII now on sale in Dubai
Some HTC phones released by US Customs
Googlerola is now official
ChromeBox available for $329
Galaxy Note 10.1 will have S-Pen slot after all
New Sony GoogleTV set-top box coming this summer
Galaxy Nexus 4.0.4 OTA going out to Verizon phones right now
Google Will Reportedly Release 5 New Nexus Devices On 5th November To Commemorate 5 Years Of Android

Apple
Apple seeks ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1 in US
Rumor: Apple picks non-standard resolution, new dock connector for new iPhone
iPod Touch screen at 4.1 inches?
Samsung chief: we’re open to a cross-licensing deal with Apple, but 4G chip shortage might last until the fall
Apple breaks ground on second solar farm for North Carolina data center

Miscellaneous
MetroPCS and T-Mobile want Dish to give up half of its wireless spectrum, worry about AT&T and Verizon swooping in
ASUS and MSI launch Thunderbolt motherboards, tie for first place
Comcast rethinks bandwidth caps, trials two new policies that involve higher 300GB monthly limits
T-Mobile launches new contract-free, data-only plans
Gmail and iPhone alums create Electric Imp, connect your toaster to the web

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com – Call us 203-903-CAST

Listener emails

Hi Bill,

Just a quick question after listening to TheSimulcast 156 regarding BTGuard. A great tip, but do you use BTGuard Encryption as well, or just the standard BTGuard. Reading the docs, I have no idea if my ISP does deep packet inspection, I suspect they don’t, so do I need the extra overhead for BTGuard encryption?

Cheers,
Jim

Listener Questions (from the chatroom)

Why do you guys like Google+ as much as you do? – @Colmination

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Contraband
Dave – COD MW3 face off maps
Patrick – The Serpent’s Shadow (Kane Chronicles), The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Black Ops (maybe some MW3 too)
Geoff – Dexter Season 5, Diablo 3, Max Payne 3

Picks of the week
Bill – reddit by brian
Dave -
Patrick – Parallels Mobile App (iOS)
Geoff – Diablo 3 and this stupid lady

We’ll talk about it all, right here on the Simulcast.

Google
Google rumored to bring more Nexus devices, manufacturers this year
EVO 4G LTE and AT&T One X delayed by Apple patent dispute
Chrome updated with tab syncing
[FIXED]PSA: Google Music allows four device de-authorizations per year, rooters beware

Apple
MacBook Pro with retina display coming soon?
MacBook Pro and iMac with next-gen Ivy Bridge processors crop up on benchmarks (update)
iPhone 5 rumored to have 4” display
Gaming
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announces cloud-based, virtualized Kepler GPU technology and GeForce GRID gaming platform
Miscellaneous
Verizon to force unlimited 3G customers to data share 4G LTE plans when upgrading
Comcast fires back over Xfinity TV on Xbox 360, says no way, no how it’s violating net neutrality
Facebook proposes more transparent privacy policy, wants to know what you think of it

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com – Call us 203-903-CAST

Listener emails
Just a quick note.
Bought the Gnote and I’m using it on my 13th day now. It is AWESOME! One thing puzzles me though.
The size of it quickly becomes familiar. That is until you put it next to my old Nexus S, which makes the S look pitiful now. And the more used to it I get the more I wish the Gnote would be closer to 6 inches.
But it is fast, rivaling the Nexus S and easily outperforms my trusty old transformer. Both of which are on 4.0 And in daily life it replaces both of them, while my pockets shows no sign of complaints.

Only annoyance is that my dad is visiting from Denmark and his has had ICS pushed out, while I’m still waiting on mine. I will be rooting it as soon as ICS comes to mine.

Have fun.
Arne, Cyprus.

Tweets

From @fubaracing @TheSimulcast Any chance of you guys going over Dave’s setup with regards to proxy servers and downloading “legal” stuff onto a computer??

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Avengers!!!!!!!
Dave – The Devil Inside
Patrick – Avengers 3D IMax! Gi Joe the Original Cartoon (Netflix)
Joe – Playing – N.O.V.A 3 Watching – The Borgias/Touch/Awake

Picks of the week
Bill – Machinarium
Dave -
Patrick – Dollar Shave Club
Joe – Google+ for iAndroid

We’ll talk about it all, right here on the Simulcast.

Apple
Apple releases OS X 10.7.4
Apple releases iOS 5.1.1
Google released G+ 2.0 for iOS only (for now)
Scott Forstall sells 95% of his Apple stock
Tim Cook tells the competition to invent their own stuff and that Apple is not the World’s developer.
Notification Center coming to iCloud.com?

Google
Flipboard for Android leaks, is amazing
Google+ lets you broadcast your Hangouts
Incredible 4G LTE announced, coming soon
Sprint EVO 4G LTE coming May 18th
HTC One X now available from AT&T
AT&T CEO blames Google for update process, proves he is an idiot

Microsoft
Samsung Focus 2 LTE announced for $50
$99 Xbox 360 with Kinect now official, requires two-year contract

Gaming
Minecraft out today on XBOX 360
Diablo 3 is out next week
BoomExplode Dedicated Battlefield 3 Server
BioShock Infinite pushed to February 2013

Miscellaneous
MasterCard introduces PayPass Wallet Services, Online and API at CTIA 2012
802.11-2012 WiFi freshens up spec with 3.7GHz bands, mesh networking
Brookstone fuel cell USB charger to keep phones powered for two weeks, Engadget editors happy
BlackBerry Curve 9320 now official: BB OS 7.1, 2.44-inch display, BBM button
Sub-$1500 Kingmax 1TB SSD spotted in Japan
AT&T to start testing small, short-range cell sites this year to boost network coverage

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com – Call us 203-903-CAST

Listener emails
Hi Guys,

I’m interested in Bill’s home media setup. I’m looking at using Windows Media Center at the core with XBOX’s acting as TV/Media Extenders, I know Bill has this in place, so, can you go into a bit more detail on how it all hangs together?

I have a Media Center PC in the Loft, in the UK we have Sky Satellite TV and currently I have an external tuner connected to the set top box. In the future I may look at expanding the Media Center setup and use an internal Satellite tuner.

I know I can stream live TV to the XBOX using it, but do you allow your Media PC to go into a sleep state. Mine is currently set to do that (to protect the environment of course, not reduce my electricity bill! ), but once it is in standby, I then cannot connect to Live TV from the XBOX which is in another room. No issues with the Media Centre waking up to record shows, but I’m wondering if I should turn off the standby mode.

I’m also archiving the TV recordings to my Home Server, which sits in the garage, albeit, I’ve not managed to work out (or had the time to look at) how the XBOX can access those recordings, does that still have to be through the Media Center PC?

Still listen to the show every week, keep up the good work!

Cheers,

Jim
Twitter: @fowljr

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – UFC
Dave – The Avengers Imax 3D
Patrick – Lots of stuff to review from CTIA, Getting a PHD in iMovie and WordPress
Geoff – Minecraft, Battlefield 3, Dexter Season 4
Clay – Battlestar Galactica/Game of Thrones

Picks of the week
Bill – Notifier Pro Plus
Dave –  Flipboard ( Android )
Patrick – iKeep Charger, iWOW-U, The Feinger
Geoff – Crucial M4 256GB SSD
Clay – HTC One X/Google Music

This week on Simulcast 154, RIM staged a lame protest, the Verizon GNex FINALLY gets an update, and Black Ops 2 releases this holiday. We’ll talk about it all, right here on the Simulcast.

Apple
RIM was behind the “Wake Up” protest on Apple store?
Dropbox SDK violated App Store policy, promptly removed (and all apps that integrate it)

Google
Verizon GNex finally gets 4.0.4 update
Galaxy SIII coming to Verizon in blue or white?

Microsoft
Motorola wins injunction against Xbox and Windows in Germany
Microsoft and Barnes and Noble settle and create subsidiary
Target pulling all Kindles
First glimpse of a possible Windows 8 business tablet

Gaming
N.O.V.A. 3 coming soon
Call Of Duty Black Ops 2 set in 2025, releases 11/13/12
Skyrim gets Kinect voice features
Skyrim Dawnguard coming this summer
$99 Xbox 360/Kinect subsidized bundle coming next week?

Miscellaneous
RIM guarantees $10k to BB10 certified app devs
Amazon will soon charge tax in more states
Hulu will start requiring cable subscription
Ceton opens a beta signup page – companion app and new extenders coming!
Amazon Launches Cloud Drive Desktop app for Mac and PC

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com – Call us 203-903-CAST

Bill was on the Gadget Gurus Sunday evening – Listen!

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Onkyo TX-NR616 7.2 receiver
Dave – Battlefield 3
Patrick – Uncharted, Fallout 1, Starcraft
Geoff – Uncharted 2, Alien, Dexter Season 4, Fable Heroes (XBLA)

Picks of the week
Bill – Draw Something Assistant
Dave – The Avengers Live wallpaper
Patrick – iHangy music necklace
Geoff – Lenovo Ideapad Y470p and Chris Kapusta’s HD Homerun/Windows Media Center Post

Apple
Apple Q2 2012 earnings exceed expectations. ($39.2 Billion Revenue, $11.6 Billion Net Profit)
US International Trade Commission (ITC) judge finds Apple in violation of Motorola patent
Rumor: Apple may be cutting the 17” Macbook Pro line
Denver Broncos join an emerging trend of NFL teams shifting to iPad from paper playbooks
New Flashback variant emerges using same exploit (shouldn’t affect patched mac users)

Google
Google Drive take the world by storm, Google raises Gmail storage limit to 10GB free
Samsung teases next Galaxy
Droid Incredible 4G appears on Verizon website
Samsung releases ICS update list for US Carrier devices
Google begins selling unlocked Galaxy Nexus (GSM) for $399 through Google Play Store
HTC One X AT&T pre-orders begin for $199 ($149 via Amazon Wireless)
Verizon axes Galaxy Nexus price, now $199 on contract

Microsoft
Skydrive tiered plans announced 100GB for $50/year. 7GB free
ITC Judge rules Xbox 360 violates 4 Motorola patents and in favor of Microsoft on 1 other patent
Microsoft sells 650 AOL Patents to Facebook for $550 Million
Windows 8 Release Preview scheduled for first week of June

Gaming
Call of Duty announcement coming May 1st
Skype launches for PS Vita, allows in-game video chat*

Miscellaneous
HP announces its first Ivy Bridge Desktops starting at $699 on April 29th
Firefox 12 now available for download, Windows users get silent updates
Amazon opens up AmazonSupply to sell parts and supplies to businesses
Dropbox now allows sharing via link from any folders
US Senate Bill proposes requiring blackboxes for all automobiles come 2015

We have our own Google+ page, @TheSimulcast and an Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com – Call us 203-903-CAST

Listener emails
Hey guys

I’m seriously thinking of rooting my wife’s htc desire z, as she has been experiencing problems with poor signal and battery life lately.
Will rooting and installing a custom rom help or hinder these issues? On Tuesday her phone battery died by 4pm but today (Wednesday) with exactly the same usage, the battery lasted a whole day.
It’s annoying because it’s a good phone but little niggles like this are becoming annoying!

Ian in London

Listener voicemails
Arne
Clay

Tweets
@fubaracing What do you guys think of this HTC One X on AT&T? I’m stuck on AT&T, is it better then an unlocked Nexus from Google?

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Finished Uncharted 3!
Dave – Battlefield 3 Karkland Map Pack
Patrick – Uncharted, Hunger Games Trilogy, Marvel Collections on Netflix
Geoff – Ghost Recon:Future Soldier Beta, Diablo 3 Beta, replaying Uncharted 2

Picks of the week
Bill – LOLShirts.com
Dave – UNetbootin ( Multi Platform )
Patrick – Draw Something
Geoff – Diablo 3 beta

Apple
Logitech reveals ultrathin keyboard/smartcover for iPad2/new iPad for $100

Google
Galaxy S3 annnouncement May 3rd
Sprint Galaxy Nexus lands April 22
HTC OneX hitting AT&T on May 6th for $200
US Acer A100 & A500 tablet owners to receive ICS on April 27th
Samsung confirms rumors of Tab 2 10.1 release delay and quadcore upgrade are FALSE

Microsoft
Windows 8 to have 3 SKUs
Windows Phone 8 upgrade might not be available to existing devices

Gaming
Geoff’s Pax East recap
Halo 4 Coming November 6
Crysis 3 Announced
Drone Gamepad for your phone

Miscellaneous
Pebble E-Paper watch
Holographic Tupac may tour with Dr Dre and Snoop Dog – WHAT?
Verizon offering to sell some of its 700mhz spectrum to get FCC approval on AWS purchase
Amazon Publishing gets exclusive US rights for 10 years on James Bond novels (print & ebook)

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com – Call us 203-903-CAST

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Uncharted 3
Geoff – Yakuza 4, Halo Reach (BoomExplode Community Event)
Patrick – Halo Reach (BoomExplode Community Event)

Picks of the week
Bill – RANT: Verizon Customer Support
Patrick – Paper (iOS)
Geoff – Nike Fuel Band

Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook to open D10 conference

AT&T to begin unlocking off-contract iPhones this Sunday, April 8th (update)

Apple publishes support page for Flashback malware, is working on a fix

US sues Apple and publishers over ebook pricing

Google
Major Google+ redesign puts focus on discovery, lets users customize layout
Toshiba unveils new tablets including a 13 inch monster
Amazon App Store now has in-app purchases, we still won’t use it
Google simplifies multiple account interface
Samsung prices the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1″ at $400, Galaxy Tab 2 7″ $250

Miscellaneous
Verizon Wireless introduces $30 upgrade fee            (Follow up:)-Not a Fan of Verizon’s New Upgrade Fee? There are Already a Handful of Petitions for That
Twitter files suit against spam bot distributors
Facebook to Buy Instagram for $1 Billion
Netflix for Xbox 360 updates with better contrast and episode navigation
Samsung rolls out Ultra High Speed microSD cards destined for LTE phones and tablets
Asus readying cloud computing solution to be unveiled in June
500px launches $19.95 image hosting plan to compete with Flickr Pro
Maryland passes law prohibiting employers from asking for social network passwords
Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint team with FCC to track stolen cellphones in the US
Bill’s Gadget Gurus appearance
New Simulcast Jr

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com – Call us 203-903-CAST

Listener Questions (from the chatroom)

Best remote desktop software for noobs?
-Daniel Koos

Logmein or TeamViewer

Listener Email

Hey Simulcast.
Once again greetings from southern Europe.

Just following up on my last mail regarding the Gnote.
Sorry if I’m a bit long winded here but I am that way

I’m now pretty much settled on the Gnote, and writing to see if you’ll shoot me down on my arguments for it.

It’s good to see the general public is warning up to it, noting that even Micky and Joey over at The Cellphone Junkie think positive of it.

Most positive comments say that it’s actually not as big as it sounds.
Me, I’m opposite and get absolutely amazed at just how big it is in actual life.
In some ways it’s not that it is a great sized phone but rather an (almost) perfect sized portable tablet.
I’ve long thought that 6 inches is the ideal size for a portable one, and 13 is the perfect size for the the lab or table at home.

Next is the battery, which seems closely linked to size.
It’s original is 2500mAh which ain’t all that bad, but all over ebay you find double sized ones with capacities all the way up to 5200mAh.
At 5200mAh you can basically keep this thing on from dusk till dawn (great movie by the way).
And since it’ll power an external 1.8 inch pocket drive I can pretty much have all the media with me as I can consume :-p
Secondarily it can charge my bluetooth headset on the go, and about once a month that ability will come in real handy.

Last there is the storage.
It’s internal 16gig can be augmented with sdcards, external flash drives and even the aforementioned pocket drive.
My though is to keep the internal storage free for torrent downloading and the sdcard I’ll fill with music, music videos and audio and Ebooks.

The extended battery backs can be found with kickstand which is more than a little cool, though at roughly 7 ounces I don’t see many complain about holding this in their hand for extended periods of time.

I’ve been going on for quite long but at least your podcast doesn’t have time limits, though your patience might…

As for coming on the podcast I’d have to get over my stage fright and it’d probably be difficult to do without waking my 10 month old daughter.
Your recording time translates into 5am. locally.

Also I hope you don’t think that I was putting down the verge as a site.
They are pretty smart guys, yes.
And they have exceptional sources.
But on the vergecast they seem nearly obsessed with being heard, rather than actually talking with their listeners.
This week they did tone it down greatly, and I may be proven wrong altogether.
I have been a fan of Dieter and Chris over at the verge mobile since before their verge days.

Have I been doing something wrong, or do you know why beyondpod won’t accept the boomexplode podcast rss?

Thanks for your patience (unless it ran out 5 hours ago) and keep up the good work. Arne, Cyprus

PS: don’t believe the pictures of Cyprus you commented on. They are promotional worthy of Apple.

Arne

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Survivor
Dave – Immortals
Patrick - Transformers Prime (Netflix)

Picks of the week
Bill – Master Lock Speed Dial combination lock
Dave – Frisbee Play Store
Patrick – Screen Flow

She and Bill discuss/argue about Temple Run, and Bri confesses her love for Android.

They talk about their thoughts on the “new” iPad, and Bri talks about her review of the Accell cable.

You can visit Brianna’s website at http://briscrafts.com or http://briannastebbins.com

Apple
Flurry’s analytics: Apple’s App Store revenue still leading, but Amazon Appstore close behind
Seas0npass tethered jailbreak now available for Apple TV 2s running iOS 5.1
Nano-SIM standard vote postponed while RIM accuses Apple of cheating
Is Apple preparing a gamepad for iPad?

Google
Google Drive leaks suggest 5GB free storage, in-app document editing
Instagram now available for Android, iOS fans lose their minds about it, 1m downloads in a day
Google Unveils “Project Glass” – Here are Your Google Powered Glasses with Navigation, a Camera, Music and More
Sprint announces the HTC EVO 4G LTE (that’s a mouthful)(TWSS)
GMail App update brings ICS experience to Honeycomb Users, Performance updates to others
Galaxy Tab 2 release delayed due to Android Ice Cream Sandwich, now should come with ICS
Rogers (Canada) offers HTC One X for pre-order for $170 on contract through April 30th
ICS leaks for Galaxy Note
“Hulu for magazines” Next Issue coming soon

Microsoft
Qualcomm details Snapdragon S4-loaded Win8 notebooks further, will be lighter than Ultrabooks

Lumia 900 Reviews

Gaming
PS3 gets Amazon Instant Video and Prime
PS Vita gets 1.66 Firmware update (minor UI tweaks & a couple functional updates)

Miscellaneous
Netflix snags DVD.com domain, invests in the future of optical media
Plex Media Server beta adds DLNA support, streams to PS3, Xbox 360, WP7 and more ( YES!!!)
Roku celebrates 100 channels on UK & Irish boxes
AT&T announces 3 April LTE Markets & others for May/June
Brianna’s first review

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com – Call us 203-903-CAST

Listener Email

Hi guys :
Going way back I’ve had several Motorola phones including the V262 or the original Razor V9m and quite liked the Triads ringtone.

Do you have any idea where I can get for my iPhone (s)  tried Google even Motorola no joy.
Any suggestions
Enjoy the podcast up here in Vancouver
Bob

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Uncharted 3 + Bill’s sad tale of woe about his PS3 controller
Dave – BF3 , Spartacus Season 2 Finale, Game Of thrones
Patrick – MW3/ American Reunion /Hunger Games
Geoff – Swordigo, Dead Island, Uncharted 1, Dexter Season 4

Picks of the week
Bill – GrowlVoice for OSX
Dave – Plex DLNA update
Patrick – Dragon Go App (iOS / Android)
Geoff – Amazon Instant Video PS3

Apple
Apple ready to license its nano-SIM design for free, on one not-so-nano condition
Apple patent app portends gadgets made of glass (Hmm…)
Apple patents ejectable SIM card tray as nano-SIM battle rages on
Apple Claims the iPad’s Charging “Bug” Is Actually a Feature
Apple offers refund to Australians confused over New iPad’s (3rd Gen) 4G moniker
Apple rumored to be bringing a 5” retina display device to the market in 2013

Google
Google rolls out 4.0.4 updates, not found for VZW GNex
Google Voice gets an ICS update, brings visual voicemail to the missed call log
Galaxy Note sells 5 million devices in 5 months
Google drive rumored for April launch
Slick Google Voice integration may not be Sprint exclusive for long

Microsoft
Smoked by Windows Phone: Microsoft makes up lame rules?

Gaming
Angry Birds Space hits 10 million downloads in 3 days
Xbox 360′s Comcast Xfinity TV app in beta testing, won’t count against data caps when it launches

Miscellaneous
Sony to add photo editing to PlayStation 3′s repertoire this week?
Major ISPs agree to FCC’s code of conduct on botnets, DNS attacks
T-Mobile to eliminate 1,900 US call center jobs, says more ‘restructuring’ ahead
Leave wallet at home, pay with Square?

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com – Call us 203-903-CAST

Listener Email

Email #1
Hi guys,
Question for Bill Stebbins, how in heck does he backup 8TB? Or doesn’t he?
Listen to the show every week, along with the Simulcast!

Cheers,
Jim Fowl

Email #2
I have a bit of unusual question this time.
Do you know of any old style turn-by-turn strategy game for Android?
I was a huge fan of “Master of Orion 2″. Kind of civilizations in space, and I recently got a craving for it again.
but since my primary computer has been an Asus transformer for the past 9 months, I was hoping you knew of something similar.

Also, what do you think of the vergecast doing listener call-ins?
They do some decent blogging, but I’m not sure they should interact with humans.
Their heads, in my opinion, are just too big for that kind of thing…

Keep up the good work.
Arne, Cyprus

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Temple Run, The Hunger Games, Alcatraz
Dave – Battlefield 3/ MW3 New Map Pack, Game of Thrones Season 1
Patrick – Angry Birds Space HD, MW3/ Hunger Games
Geoff – Swordigo, Dead Island, Dexter (finished season 3)

Picks of the week
Bill – Amazon.com
Dave – tTorrent, Temple Run on Android
Patrick – Screen Flow and Reflection App
Geoff – Swordigo

Apple
Apple announces dividend and share repurchase plan
New iPad is HOT!! (Literally)
Apple A5x vs Tegra 3 with unbiased test
Untethered jailbreak for new iPad shown on YouTube, not quite ready for download

Google
HTC One X heading to Sprint in June
Droid Fighter hits in April
Google gets go ahead to provide video services to all Kansas City residents (Don’t wet your pants!)
Unnamed Samsung exec says quad-core Exynos inside Galaxy S III, LTE on-chip
Samsung Galaxy SIII to Allow for Wireless Charging Up to 2 Meters Away?
CyanogenMod disables root access by default, now requires user configuration
Google Wallet brings back Pre-paid card support
Leaked Sprint memo hints at push to talk direct connect app for Android coming soon
Study says poorly designed ad processes in free android apps might be root of poor battery life.

Microsoft
Microsoft aiming for October 2012 release of Windows 8, tablets and PCs on deck
Microsoft says there will be ‘no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon’

Miscellaneous
Mozilla caves, will support H.264 to avoid ‘irrelevance’
FAA to take ‘fresh look’ at gadget restrictions on flights
VMware’s WSX promises to bring virtualized desktops to the web browser with HTML5
Seagate promises 60TB hard drives by end of this decade

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com

Listener Questions (from the chatroom)
How long will Apple last without Steve Jobs?

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill - Puss N Boots, Halo Anniversary
Dave - Battlefield 3
Patrick - Draw Something, MW3

Picks of the week
Bill - Pritect Sensor Cover for Kinect
Dave - Temple Run (iOS) iRunner (Android)
Patrick - Canon Vixia HF R20, Open States (iOS)

Apple
Apple stores open Friday at 8am for iPad sales
Hague stops any further Samsung suits against Apple for 3G patents if Apple agrees to consider licensing them and grants victory to Apple
Apple buying up old iPad 2s
Verizon CTO confirms that Verizon only releasing LTE handsets rest of 2012
Rumor: Macbook Air Accessory Manufacturer claims 15” Air coming next month

Google
Google I/O pre-sale on March 27th
ICS coming to Tab 10.1 soon (officially)
HTC has 16 devices on ICS upgrade list
Samsung looking into Android powered cameras
Instagram for Android makes appearance at SXSW 2012

Gaming
Black Ice DLC for MW3 released Tuesday
Update for Black Ops Zombies iOS App – 3/16 according to Treyarch Twitter
StarWars: The Old Republic free to play this weekend

Miscellaneous
Twitter buys Posterous
WalMart digital conversion service official
Verizon lights up its 200th LTE market and plans to double their coverage by end of 2012

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com

Listener email
Hey Simulcast.
I’m about a month away from upgrading my phone.
But I’m split between the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy Note.
The Note is attractive to me because of its huge screen and battery.
Whichever one I choose, I’ll be stuffing in a double sized battery.
Having 5 amps in my pocket just sounds juicy.
But I am a bit nervous about going back to 2.3 after having 4.0 on my Nexus S for several months.
The Note will fit my pocket and either of them will require two handed use as my hands size limit is 4 inches anyway.
Also the Nexus only comes in 16 gig flavour here, whereas the Note has room for SanDisk’s new 64 gig MicroSD (yes people have tested it with success) on top of the internal storage.
I do sound like a Note buyer don’t I?
Still love your show, and I hope you have some advice for me.

Arne, Cyprus

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – MW3 Black Ice, Halo Anniversary, Scramble
Patrick – MW3, Scrabble (iOS)
Brian – The Walking Dead
Geoff – Mass Effect 3 (a little), Halo Anniversary, Dexter Season 2, Walking Dead

Picks of the week
Bill – Androidified Case for Galaxy Nexus from Cruzer Lite
Patrick – Audiotechnica ATR-6550
Brian – gMusic app, iomega Network hard drive.
Geoff – Mass Effect 3 and Zagg (good rant)

Apple
iOS 5.1
“new” iPad with retina display, voice dictation, and a chunkier beltline
iPad 2 16gb Wifi – $399
Apple TV refresh bringing 1080p video content and new streamlined UI, still $99
Apple now willing to license patents

Google
Google Nexus Tablet to be made by Asus, have Tegra 3
Google’s new Assistant coming Q4?
Google Wallet now showing unsupported on rooted devices
Android Market now allows up to 4GB applications and games
Android Market is now Google Play. It’s a dumb name

Gaming
Master Chief returns this holiday season
Assassins Creed 3 Announced with video trailer
Forza sequel coming (of course)

Miscellaneous
Lightroom 4 released at half price

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – The Ben Heck Show
Patrick – Final Fantasy (PS3), Phantasy Star (360), 11/22/63
Dave -
Geoff – Mass Effect 3, Wipeout 2048, Dexter, Motorstorm RC, Walking Dead

Picks of the week
Bill – Nest
Patrick – Reflection App (OSX 10.6 or higher)
Dave – HHO Dry Cell technology
Geoff – Google Music (Google Play)

Apple
Quad core iPad 3 with LTE to debut March 7th
Adobe Photoshop Touch for iPad is here
German court stops Motorola patent ban against Apple

Google
Google will “double-down” on tablets this year
HTC One line of phones looks impressive
Asus Padfone
Ubuntu for Android looks promising
Android: 450k apps, 300 million devices, 800k activations per day
Samsung Galaxy S Wifi coming soon
LG wants to make the next Nexus. In talks with Google now. ( Uh…….)

Microsoft
Windows 8 consumer preview released, we go hands-on
Skype can’t run in background on WP7 because of WP7

Miscellaneous
AT&T proves they suck, want to charge App Developers for Consumer Data Use
Dell says it’s ‘no longer a PC company,’ focusing on enterprise
Netflix and Starz end their agreement, Starz Play content to be removed

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Windows 8 Consumer Preview, Ubuntu
Patrick – Transformers (Gen 1), Lord of the Rings, The Power of Six (2nd book in I Am Number 4 series)
Dave -
Steve – Diggers
Geoff – I’m lost and can’t find the podcast

Picks of the week
Bill – Zedge app for Android
Patrick – Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (360), Sima SLB-M Video Bracket
Dave – InRix iOS/Android
Steve – Uneia Caj Pad for the iPAd2
Geoff – Alone with WIFI in a hyatt hotel watching spankavision (Alone in the Dark)

Apple
iTunes makeover on the way?
Potential iOS bug allows access to contacts without passcode (requires lot of effort)
OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion preview released to developers
iOS apps will be required to state permissions (ala Android)

Google
HTC Thunderbolt getting ICS along with Rezound and others
Microsoft attacks Google Docs on YouTube
Ubuntu for Android at MWC?
Google sued over Safari Privacy Debacle
Google’s notification bar patent application could spell trouble for Apple (or end of Patent War)

Miscellaneous
Qualcomm announces new Snapdragon S4 (dual core with integrated LTE)
Blackberry Playbook 2.0: too little too late?
Blackberry Bridge app allows old Blackberry to become PS3 Remote
TMobile USA attempting to get FCC to block Verizon spectrum purchase
Barnes & Noble stores to repartition Nook Tablets to allow more user content starting 3/12/12
Canon 5D Mark III/X to be announced on 2/27 or 2/28  (depending on where you are) (confirmed)
Canon Rebel T4i announcement on/around  March 2, 2012 (rumor)

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Polk Audio Monitor 40 Series II rear surround speakers
Patrick – Final Fantasy I
Dave – Spartacus Season 3
Steve – Walking Dead, Top Shot

Picks of the week
Bill – Sucuri.net, Google Chat extension for Chrome
Patrick – CTIA:  Wireless 2012 – Media Credential FTW!
Dave – tune in next week!
Steve -

Listener Questions (from the chatroom)

Joe B.
Hi Everyone.   Awesome Show-If you’re not following me then I am @techguy40

Apple

iPad 3 components show up, show QXGA display
Apple to intro a 8” Kindle Fire competitor?
iPad 3 will have LTE – duh?
Some iOS devs accused of using bots to bolster rankings
Apple wants to file patent suit against Kodak
Congress sends Apple letter seeking answers on Path data collection fiasco
iOS future update will fix contact leaking with explicit permissions
Google+ iOS app update brings instant image upload feature

Google
Samsung announces Galaxy Tab 2, we say meh
Apple sues to ban Galaxy Nexus
Galaxy Note 10.1 coming soon?
Google TV updating YouTube app
Leaked HTC Endeavour ICS ROM looks just like Gingerbread with Sense, and that sucks
New Scalado app removes unwanted moving objects in your pictures
Motorola ICS updates not until Q3 at earliest in US
No 32gb GSM Galaxy Nexus for you!

Miscellaneous
Photoshop CS6 content aware move makes us happy
FCC expected to officially reject Lightsquared LTE bid due to GPS interference (No Sprint LTE?)

Geoff’s Big Announcement
www.BoomExplode.com

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com

Listener Questions (from the chatroom)

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark
Geoff – Halo Reach, Mass Effect 3 Demo, Back to the Future Episodes 1-5, Dungeon Siege 3, PS Vita Uncharted, Wipeout 2048, Modnation Racers and Little Deviants
Patrick – Top Chef: Texas
Dave – Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal

Picks of the week
Bill – Camera ICS+
Geoff – PS Vita and www.BoomExplode.com
Patrick – Vokle
Dave - Super Marcey Wescott 43” Apollo Orb

Google
Chrome Beta released for Android – ICS only
Google Voice update brings Honeycomb and ICS UI updates and Asynchronous SMS
Samsung Galaxy SIII will be 7mm thin, May release?
Report: Google hires Apple exec to work on ‘secret project’
HP releases Android Kernel for Touchpad

Apple
Apple 42 inch TV in Best Buy survey for $1499
Motorola wins permanent injunction against Apple’s iCloud in German court (update: ban lifted)
Tweetbot for iPad released and update for iPhone app

Miscellaneous
Verizon and Redbox team up to launch streaming and physical media service later this year
Netflix teams with eyeIO to lower bandwidth use on movie night
Verizon double data returns Friday
Vonage Mobile App allows free calls and texts worldwide to fellow Android and iOS app users
Amazon and Viacom make deal to bring more TV shows to Amazon Prime Instant Video Service
Sony announces that “UMD Passport” service will not be offered in the US for Vita

Microsoft
Stepto leaving Microsoft for parts unknown
Microsoft to lauch Windows 8 Consumer Preview at Mobile World Congress on Feb 29th
Preinstalled Windows 8 consumer preview apps revealed

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Bill – Chrome beta for Android
Geoff – Back To The Future The Game Episode 1 and 2 (there are 5 total), Dungeon Siege 3, The Tester Season 3
Patrick – Transformers Seasons 1-4 (Gen 1), Technician Class Amateur Radio Study Guide

Picks of the week
Bill – Monoprice.com
Geoff – Playstation Plus
Patrick – OneNote Mobile for Android

Apple
Apple releases updated Final Cut Pro X, brings multicam support, broadcast monitoring love
Apple hires former Dixons CEO John Browett as senior VP of Retail
iPad 3 rumors swirl on that non-news news site
OS X 10.7.3 released with bug fixes aplenty

Google
Google strikes deal to bring 27,000 Chromebooks to US schools in three states
Google adding Public Alerts to Maps, keeps you in the loop in times of worry
HTC Ville caught on camera before MWC
Motorola’s RAZR with unlockable bootloader and no warranty
Symantec was wrong
Google’s new privacy policy
Galaxy Note for $299 on AT&T Feb 19
No SGS 3 announcement at MWC

Miscellaneous
Verizon finally launching shared family data plans?
Redbox ditches Warner Bros and 56 day waiting period
T-Mobile brings Square to select small businesses, does the mobile payment thing
WiGig SD card gets demoed on tablets, makes DVDs gone in 60 seconds
North Carolina launches FCC-approved TV White Space network in Wilmington
RIM has lost it
Angry Birds on a Blackberry
Nintendo officially announces Nintendo Network, promises personal accounts for Wii U
Breaking Bad RPG reinterprets the series

Microsoft
GeoffEff wins a free Windows Phone for expressing his #DROIDRAGE
Kinect for Windows now available – for $249

Listener Voicemail

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app! You can also email us podcast@thesimulcast.com

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Dave –  Spartacus Season 1
Steve – War Games
Bill – Alcatraz ←——- love this show!
Geoff – The Tester Season 2, Skyrim (finishing up side quests), Starhawk beta, Twisted Metal demo

Picks of the week
Dave –  Nova Launcher
Steve – Intelliscreen X Call bar
Bill – RND Power desktop dock for Galaxy Nexus
Geoff – Starhawk beta

Apple
iBooks 2 /  iTunes U (Thoughts?) iBooks Author reaches 600K Downloads, iTunes U nets 3 Million
Dutch court rejects Apple appeal, says Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is legal
VoiceUtils makes your iPhone 4S wish into a Siri command
German court shoots down Samsung’s 3G patent lawsuit against Apple
Rumor: Foxconn source says “iPhone 5″ gearing up for production with Summer 2012 release

Google
G+ finally allows nicknames and pseudonyms
HTC and IBM hooking up to charm commercial clients
Galaxy Note launching Feb 18th on AT&T

Miscellaneous
SITA and Orange develop NFC-based airport check-ins, let you bump the TSA
AT&T and T-Mobile file request for FCC approval of spectrum transfer
KDDI putting ads in the notification bar on Android phones ( This is the shit I DONT want!)
Supreme Court says police must get search warrant to use GPS tracking devices
Verizon reportedly trials VoLTE services in two cities, eyes nationwide rollout next year
HP pays $425K to US Consumer Product Safety Commission to settle defective battery issue
Federal Judge requires that a defendant decrypt laptop in response to discovery request, says does not violate self-incrimination (5th amendment) protections.  

Gaming
Microsoft eliminating virtual currency?
Rumor: New Xbox in Fall 2013?
Blizzard auctioning off retired WOW blade servers to raise money for St. Judes
LEGO has given approval for Minecraft-themed LEGO sets.
BlizzCon 2012 Cancelled, show will resume in 2013

Listener Email
Greetings from southern Europe. Though I love it I’m having some trouble with my nexus s. It won’t let me unlock the bootloader. I’ve tried both the official “fastboot OEM unlock” and the one click unlock, but it simply stops at the main fastboot menu- no question about wanting to unlock. Instead I put the official ICS on it and that runs just fine (ICS runs soooo damed smooth, love it soooo much).

Since I have a 9220 SLCD version, ICS has coursed some trouble for my future messing around in the the bootloader menus. It turns off the backlighting. It is possible to put a LED torch up against the screen and front light it but the dammed thing is made to resist reflections so it’s a real pain. Any good advice? Do you know a fix for the 9220′s backlight trouble? It used to be locked to the carrier “3″ in Denmark. Could they have blocked off the unlock option? Would it help to roll it back to a stock gingerbread build? Love ICS so I’m not in any hurry, but this is a nexus and so the universe is just a bit off as long as it is still locked… Regards, Arne, Cyprus.
PS: I’d like to send you a voicemail and pronounce my name for you but alas, while I DO have a face for radio i don’t have the voice for it. I guess I can’t win them all, and will just have to be content with whichever way you pronounce it

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app!

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Dave –  “First Week In” & MW3
Patrick – DC Universe Online and MW3
Steve – Chuck Season 4
Bill – 50/50 and Killer Elite
Geoff – Uncharted 3 started DC Universe

Picks of the week
Dave –  Tiny Flashlight
Patrick – ZAGGfolio for iPad 2/ CardMunch (iOS)
Steve – EVI
Bill – Booq Boa Nerve M backpack
Geoff – Samsung Galaxy Nexus OEM extended battery

Apple
Nissan’s self-healing iPhone case
Apple patents clothes that track how you wear them, tell you when it’s time to update your wardrobe
Apple announcing GarageBand tool for eBooks? or A new textbook format?
IK Multimedia iRig PRE to allow use of XLR mics with iOS devices

Google
Galaxy Note could be the Galaxy Journal on VZW
CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0 brings ICS to HP Touchpad

Miscellaneous
AT&T increases data prices and allowances
T-Mobile, Walmart do another kumbaya with contract-free unlimited family plan for 3G users
Samsung wasn’t interested in buying RIM, still isn’t interested in buying RIM
Kodak joins the party and sues Samsung for patent infringement

Microsoft
Tritton Warhead 7.1 Headset for Xbox 360 brings direct connection to Xbox 360

Gaming
Geoff and the PS Vita
Call of Duty Elite App out for iOS and Android

Listener Email

Email #1

Hello Simulcast crew,
I have a question regarding blogging.  I have a friend that wants to start a blog, and being the local geek, she’s turned to me.  I’ve read blogs forever, but never thought about starting one for myself or anyone else.  From searching around I have seen services like Blogger and WordPress.  Do you guys have any good recommendations and why do you prefer that service?  Thanks for your help, and love the show.

Rob (@brat1475)

Email #2

I was wondering if you could do a compare and contrast on the Roku vs Apple TV. What do i get on the Roku but not on the Apple? What can the Apple TV do the Roku cannot? The old Roku I think had a dual band built in but the Roku 2 does not, is there any loss of value as a result? If i were to dump cable, which would make me happier?

Also, how can I get a better signal from my wireless router? It appears to reach throughout the house most of the time, but does drop off to the back of the house at times.  How can i tell if my problem is placement of the router vs the need for more bandwidth?

Thanks

Frank ‘Butch’ Bruscato

We have our own Google+ page! and an updated Android app!

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Dave -
Patrick – MW3
Steve – MW3for Playstation Infinity Blade II
Bill – Cowboys and Aliens
Geoff – Dragon Age II (catching up), Kingdoms of Amalur Demo, Darkness II demo and Uncharted 3

Picks of the week
Dave -
Patrick – Downcast (iOS) (thanks to @colmination for the suggestion)
Steve – Playstation 3, Not the element case Vapor 4
Bill – CWM Recovery Touch for Galaxy Nexus
Geoff – PS Vita and Pocketcasts

This week on Simulcast 138, we’re not at CES and we’re pretty bummed. However, we have newsreaders and we’re ready to talk about all the fabulous news from CES. We have a special guest, and we should have one of our GGN cohorts calling in live from CES!

Apple
Bill bought a Nano/watch
Amazon introduces a touch-friendly web-based Kindle store for iPad users
Ion’s Docs 2 Go & Pics 2 Go scanner docks bring digital scanning to iPad & iPhone 4/4S
Snapseed Photo Editor coming to Mac App Store

Joe Lombardo calls in

Google
OnLive bringing console class gaming to GoogleTV
Motorola and Intel Announce Multi-Year Partnership to Produce Android Mobile Devices
Huawei Ascend is 6.68mm thin. What? 1/4in
Transformer Prime TF700T with a 1080p screen. What?
Sprint Galaxy Nexus with Google Wallet onboard! (Sprint confirms it will have 32 GB storage)
Galaxy Note for AT&T announced with LTE support
Sony wants in on the iWatch/MotoACTV scene.
Polaroid announces 16MP Android powered Smart Camera for 2012
Viewsonic announces 7” e70 Tablet running Ice Cream Sandwich for late Q1 2012 for $170
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 releasing on Verizon with LTE soon (Launching with Honeycomb 3.2)
Verizon announces Purple Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx (bigger battery and 32 GB storage)
Verizon announces launch of Droid 4 with LTE and QWERTY keyboard

Miscellaneous
Vizio has PCs and laptops that are sexy. What?
Warner Bros Studio now has 56 day delay for Netflix (Still 28 days for Redbox (for now))
Dell Announces XPS 13 Ultrabook for $999
RIM bringing Playbook OS 2.0 to the masses in Feb (actually has native email client, gasp)
Canon announces Powershot G1X point and shoot camera with 14.3 MP 1.5” CMOS for $799

Microsoft
Nokia & Microsoft announce ATT Exclusive Lumia 900 (w/ LTE) (Rumor: March 18th Release)
ATT announces HTC Titan 2 bringing LTE and 16MP camera to WP7 (Q2 2012 release)

Gaming
Sony’s Kazou Hirai officially announces there will be no Playstation 4 announcements at E3
Turtle Beach introduces the XP400 gaming headset (brings long awaited 2.4/5 ghz support)
MW3 C.O.D. Elite members to get 20 DLCs in next 9 Months (starting with 2 new maps on 1/24)

Listener Email

Hey Simulcasters – quick question… have you used the Amazon Kindle app on an Android tablet that’s not running Honeycomb/ICS?

We’re looking at getting the Lenovo Thinkpad A1, mainly as a compromise (I want to get a Kindle, the wife wants a tablet that isn’t a slow piece of crap… we’d gotten her mum the Thinkpad for Christmas, and so far so good). I’m just wondering whether it blows up to full screen – i.e. more lines per page – or whether it just has the same number of lines as on the mobile phone app, just in much bigger text?

Cheers,
Ian

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app!

What are we playing with /watching/reading this week?
Dave –  Columbiana, Straw Dogs
Patrick – Dragon Ball / Dragon Ball Z
Nic – The Hunger Games Trilogy/MW3
Bill – The Help, Halo

Picks of the week
Dave –  Vulkano Flow ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxDRcyl2OB4) And Google TV ( Logitech Revue)
Nic – TheGadgetGurus.net
Patrick – AIPTEK Action-HD HDMI 1080p (iPad CCK & iMovie for iOS compatible)
Bill – tagsfordroid.com

We won’t be gone so long next time. We promise!

We’ll never wwebsite as on the internet! ←bonus!

Apple
Untethered iOS5 jailbreak now available (Only A4 not A5) (Fragmentation?) SOL
Airtight Android app brings iOS device Airplay to Google TV
New Apple ID Phishing Scam

Google
Galaxy Nexus + ICS
Samsung rethinks ICS upgrade for Galaxy S and Tab – should consumers expect updates?
Galaxy S and OG Tab users, Samsung says no upgrade for you; oh here’s a value pack
Google Nexus Tablet in next 6 Months according to Eric Schmidt
Bob’s Your Uncle
Google Android Market music sale continues
Google+ surpasses 62 Million users
All newer HTC devices now unlockable on HTCdev website

Miscellaneous
Penny Arcade vs Ocean Marketing
New Dropbox beta adds photo and video import
ANOTHER VERIZON 4G OUTAGE. WTF?
NFC Tags

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app!

What are we playing with/watching/reading this week?
Bill – Galaxy Nexus
Dave – Puss in Boots, Alvin and the Chipmunks 2, Friends with Benefits
Patrick – MW3, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Storage Wars

Picks of the week
Bill – Tagstand.com
Dave – Galaxy Nexus ICS,
Patrick – MW3 Delta Edition Turtle Beach Headset

Apple
Netflix brings new UI in update for iPad

Google
VZW Galaxy Nexus launches December 15, gets pre-emptive update to 4.0.2
Logitech Revue gets Honeycomb update, we’re hands-on
Android’s voice actions to get update
Google+ app getting update, initiate Hangouts from your phone
Google buys “Alfred” app developer Clever-Sense
Google extends free Gmail VoIP domestic calling in US & Canada through 2012

Miscellaneous
O2 allows phone leasing
YouTube app rolls out to Xbox 360 owners
Verizon to buy Netflix for $4.6B?
FCC passes rules restricting audio levels of commercials
LED film may soon bring nighttime reading to an E-ink reader near you

Microsoft
Nokia Lumia 710 Announced for T-Mobile $49 on contract

Gaming
Microsoft releases Kinectimals to iOS App Store
Sony 1 – Consumers 0
Nintendo to release 3DS Circle Pad Pro (Slidepad) for $20 at Gamestop 2/7/12
Early 3DS adopters to get GBA Games this week
VGAs last weekend did anyone watch?

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app!

What are we playing with/watching/reading this week?
Bill – Galaxy Nexus
Dave – Walking Dead ( Season 2 ep 1-7 )
Patrick – Big Bang Theory / Enders Game
Geoff – Skyrim, Enslaved: Lost Odyssey
Steve – Mirrors Edge

Picks of the week
Bill – ADW EX Launcher for Honeycomb
Dave – GALAXY NEXUS!!!!!!!!
Patrick- Chronotrigger (iOS)
Geoff – Age of Zombies
Steve – Sirius iOS App thunderbird

Apple
Siri ported to other iOS devices [guide]
Apple hiring more Siri engineers – what features would we like?
Did Apple rig eBook prices?
Flipboard for iPhone launched

Google
10 Days of $0.10 Premium Android Apps to celebrate 10 Billions Downloads
VZW Galaxy Nexus December 9th? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE MAKE IT SO!
More evidence of December 9th
NOOOOOOOOOOO!
VZW Galaxy Nexus won’t support Google Wallet
Verizon announces 2 new LTE tablets and a white Droid RAZR
Blind Type is the ICS keyboard
Logitech Revue getting Honeycomb update

Listener Email
Hey guys, just got a quick question on a week where the show’ll be full of Android users.

Does using CyanogenMod void any warranties on your handset? The HTC Desire Z that I got for the wife a few months ago has been working fine, but ever since we updated it to Gingerbread (OTA) there’s been plenty of annoying bugs on the phone, not to mention the fact that the handset is stuck on the old Android market.

Pretty much every time the home button is pressed (to exit Market, e-mails, browsing, some apps), the screen flashes white with the HTC logo, before the phone performs a mini reboot and goes back to the home screen. Downloading app updates is hit and miss too; the Market says it’s updating, but an update for a 6Mb app claims to take overnight (although it’s downloaded and installed in a minute according to the notifications bar, the Market app insists it’ll still be downloading and updating the following morning).

It’s to the point where using the phone as a smartphone is pretty annoying – would rooting void any warranty on the handset, and would I be able to keep any apps bought on the Google market after rooting?

Thanks for your help guys, I always go out of my way to grab the show on Thursday mornings to listen to at work.

By the way, if anyone wants to attempt to do an accent for myself or Chris Oldroyd, they’re both pretty similar (although my Sunderland accent is apparently better). Just say: “Haway the Lads!” and you’ll sound like someone from the North East of England!

Cheers
Ian Hamilton

Listener Voicemail
Thanks Clay!

Gaming
Xbox 360 update – who got it and what do you think?
Xbox 360 gets new content partners

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app!

What are we playing with/watching/reading this week?
Bill – 30 Seconds or Less
Dave – Walking Dead Season 1
Patrick – MW3
Geoff – Limitless, Skyrim

Picks of the week
Bill – Christmas HD Live Wallpaper. 10 cents in the Market
Dave – Go Launcher
Patrick – Xbox Live App (iOS)
Geoff – Xbox Live Update

Apple
Apple seeds 5.1 beta to devs
Apple approves subscription based iPad gaming service
Rumors starting to surface that Microsoft Office may be coming to the iPad
Converting protected iTunes songs through iTunes Match
Zagg.com starts iPad2 a day giveaway (Today – Dec 31)

Google
AT&T releasing LG Nitro on December 4th
Google Catalogs released for Android tablets
Google Maps 6.0 update brings indoor navigation
CM7 lights up the Kindle Fire
Samsung wins a patent battle to sell Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, war with Apple not over
Apple seeking to ban sales of Modified Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Germany

Miscellaneous
Update on Bill’s home phone number porting to Google Voice and Obihai 110
Crapgadget: ‘you really shouldn’t have’ edition
Verizon and Cricket proposing Spectrum Swap to FCC
Spotify unveils developer platform to allow 3rd party apps using its service
Facebook settles its FTC privacy complaints
AT&T and Deutsche Telekom now talking joint venture partnership (Plan B?)

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app!

Email #1
Hi Guys,

Need your help again!

Have an Uncle in Canada who has just been over to us here in the UK.
While he was here I lent him a MiFi of mine so that he wouldn’t get shafted with using his iPhone on data roaming charges and to be able to use his laptop.

I used a “Pay as You Go” sim card on a Data only deal (similar tariff to those for the iPad) and in fact the £15 credit i put on lasted him all month!
He was very impressed with the MiFi and the way it works.
Now here’s where I need you!

He’s off to Phoenix at the end of the year for 3 months and would like a Mifi to use there in the same way.

Q1 Can he buy a MiFi outright in the US that would still work when he brought it back to canada. (or even the other way round) http://www.amazon.com/Novatel-Wireless-MiFi-2372-Unlocked/dp/B0039ZLMK0
Q2 What are the deals (and are there any) on  Pay as you go basis for Data only rather than signing up for a contract.
Q3 What are the best networks?
Q4 He does have an iPhone with Telus.  Would tethering be an option, I would doubt it myself as once he uses in the States he’s going to get charged international rates I assume??

Anyway I think you get the picture!
Any suggestions?
Gordy

Email #2
Hey Guys,

Great podcast, love listening every week; even though Steve is the only one with anything decent to say (Bloody Android Fanbois!) Anyway I have a question about Sling Player, specifically the iPad app.

My setup is quite simple; I have a Slingbox Solo HD connected to a Sky HD satellite box via component connections. The SlingSolo is wired with Cat5E to a Netgear 5GHz N access point which is only there for the Sling Box.

Watching Sling via the PC the picture is perfect and the iPhone app is pretty good too. My complaint is with the iPad app, it looks like shit, its jerky and just plain bad. I actually use the iPhone version on my iPad in 2X mode as it is way better than the iPad app.

My question is do you think this is just another crappy job from Sling or is it a problem with my setup, the app shows great bandwidth so I thinks it’s the former. What does the Android tablet version look like particular with fast moving sports action? Would be interesting to know what you guys think!

Cheers guys
Chris Oldroyd

What are we playing with/watching/reading this week?
Bill – Shadowgun, Boardwalk Empire
Dave –  Misfits (Tv Show)
Patrick – How I Met Your Mother, Game of Thrones
Geoff – Walking Dead, The IT Crowd and Skyrim
Steve – Walking Dead

Picks of the week
Bill – Quick settings app for iOS – brdrck.me
Dave –  CM7 for LG Optimus
Patrick – Noteshelf (iPad)
Geoff – GrooVe IP for Honeycomb Tablets
Steve – ifrogz Backbone for iPad 2

Google
Google TV Youtube and Photos updates
Flash not dead on ICS, coming by end of year
ICS supports mass storage mode, but Galaxy Nexus doesn’t. Duh.
Galaxy Nexus volume fix in the works, Google confirms

Apple
iOS 5.01 released, still doesn’t fix battery issues
iOS 5.02 coming soon? 5.1 to bring more Siri integration to 4S?
Siri hacked to work on any device
Gmail iOS app back in the App Store
Steve Jobs wanted to create his own MVNO
Levinson named Apple chairman and Bob Iger (Disney CEO) joins Apple Board

Microsoft
Xbox 720 at CES 2012?

Gaming
Halo: Anniversary released!
Infinity Blade II for iOS release date confirmed for Dec 1

Miscellaneous
Researchers increase Lithium Ion battery life and charging speed to 10x current technology

We have our own Google+ page! and an Android app!

Email
Hey guys,
It seems like the Pogoplug has fallen out of favor with you, as far as online storage is concerned, and since mine just up and died the other day , I’m curious as to what y’all use for cloud storage, and/or what you would recommend.  I could probably get away with 50GB or so and free would be great, but most importantly ease of access of the information, with streaming being a possibility.  An Android app (like Pogoplugs) would be nice
As a side note, I don’t hear much about the Acer Iconia A500 tablet and I just wanted to tout it’s exceptional performance.  I have Transformer and Galaxy tablets in the house (and of course the obligatory “Dumb-pad”) and it easily outperforms them all.  Plus it was only $299 on sale!  Just my 2 cents,  Thanks for the info-tainment!
Bruce

What are we playing with/watching/reading this week?
Bill – Halo: Anniversary, Kindle Fire, Adobe Photoshop Touch
Dave –  MW3
Patrick – MW3, No Ordinary Family (Netflix)
Geoff – Halo Anniversary Edition, Battlefield 3, Home front, Walking Dead, Hell On Wheels, Breaking Bad

Picks of the week
Bill – Polk Audio Monitor 70 Series II home theater tower speakers
Dave – Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE
Patrick – Nothing!
Geoff – Motorola Xoom Family Edition and Halo AE

Google
Nexus Prime revealed and ICS screenshots
ICS event rescheduled for October 19th?
SlingPlayer for Android tablets released, costs $30

Microsoft
Yep, Geoff wasn’t here tonight. Sorry WP7 fans!

Gaming
Sony hacked again (surprise surprise) and locks over 90,000 PSN/SOE accounts

Miscellaneous
Netflix changes mind again, Qwikster now defunct, might not rent video games either #FAIL
Blackberry’s outages spread to US and Canada
Sony initiates recall of some Bravia TV sets due to melting components
US Drone Fleet Hacked

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Steve – iWoz
Bill – Gears 3 Beast Mode
Patrick – Gears of War 3 (Beast and Horde Mode)
Dave – Fast Five (ah-mazing) iSoccer MOM

Picks of the week – sponsored by BrianandDeniseHarris.com
Steve – iOS 5
Bill – AirDrop
Patrick – iOS 5 (only took 11 upgrade attempts)/ Air Video
Dave – Legacy Blade  (www.gryphonsroar.com) (www.facebook.com/legacyblade)

Google
Nexus Prime teased in video, curved screen and contact charging pictured
Nexus Prime will dock in a tablet?
Shadowgun for tablets coming soon
Adobe announces Photoshop Touch for Android $10 available soon

Microsoft
Xbox 360 will transform TV – tipsters says Lovefilm will hit before EOY, possibly in dash update
Xbox companion will let you control your Xbox from your WP7 device
The iPhone 4S is Microsoft’s chance to catch up to Apple

Miscellaneous
Showtime launches Anytime streaming portal, social iPad app
Early Android Emulation App appears for TouchPad
Boogie Board Rip ($130) preorders begin, brings storage and porting options.

Listener email
Hi guys,

I am looking for some suggestions for a good video editing package for windows. I know most (if not all) of you mainly use Apple machines but I just wondered if any of you did have any experience with video editing on the windows platform.

I have recently launched my website for covering news and reviews in the gaming world (cheap plug). I am seriously considering doing some video reviews as well as old fashioned text based and I have started to look at capture cards (if you have any info in this area that would also be greatly appreciated!)

As you can see the site is still fairly empty but we are trying to get more content onto it as quickly as possible. Anyway, as always keep up the good work and have a great weekend

Your friend in Glasgow Scotland

Chris @Gamer_Chris

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Steve – Chuck Season 4
Bill – Gears 3/Boardwalk Empire
Patrick – Gears 3/ Lion King BLU-Ray/ Son of Neptune
Dave –  Tanked/ Gears 3
Geoff -Started Breaking Bad Season 1, Playing RAGE, Vanquish, Portal 1, Battlefield 3 Beta

Picks of the week – sponsored by BrianandDeniseHarris.com
Steve – Nuvi GPS
Bill – Proclip Tablet Headrest Mount
Patrick – 8gb Ram Upgrade for Mac Mini ($44.99 from New Egg)
Dave – Mirage for Mac
Geoff – RAGE/Zune Pass

Apple
Apple event to be held in Cupertino? – confirmed for October 4th
LOVEFilm offers iPad app, Europeans rejoice
Apple killing off the shuffle and classic ipod?

Google
Ice Cream Sandwich to be revealed October 11th
SGS II surpasses 10 million sold
Verizon HTC Vigor pictures and specs leak Bill likey!
HTC Thunderbolt Gingerbread OTA Update now available!
Flickr App for Android goes live

Microsoft
Windows Phone Marketplace on the Web
Windows 8 log in via WindowsLive
Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” released worldwide
Microsoft announced Windows Phone Suggestion Box
Geoff’s new Trophy, and Mango!

Gaming
Patrick and Bill beat Gears 3 Campaign.

Miscellaneous
Bill was on the Gadget Gurus Sunday – LISTEN

Listener email
Hi gents enjoy the podcast from up here in Vancouver.

I have an Airport express with reasonably good speakers, is there a way to listen to radio broadcasts live that use in one case Windows Media player through the Airport speakers rather than the laptop speakers?

If I didn’t want to listen live I could wait for the one program until posted on iTunes or listen to the other via my iPhone.

I may have just answered my own question
Bob

Bill: Not sure if this will work? http://thedigitallifestyle.com/w/index.php/2011/09/24/aerodrom-brings-airplay-video-photos-music-and-slide-shows-to-windows/

Email #2
Hey guys,

Seeing that a few of you often throw in video games in your pick of the week selections, I thought I’d e-mail and ask if any of you had any experience with the cloud gaming platform called “OnLive”?

The system launched in the UK last week, and I’ve been lucky enough to try it out after picking up a free console at a video game expo in London last weekend. On paper, it seems like a good idea, but in execution – especially with the state of broadband internet in the UK – it’s not that great.

I’ve written two stories on it on my own blog at www.theianhamilton.com – but it seems that OnLive’s servers have struggled to cope with the high demand created by giving out 12,000 consoles for free on launch weekend. The selection of games, whilst not triple-A level, are pretty respectable, but given the reactions I’ve read in the first few days, it isn’t cut out for the UK just yet.

Is OnLive mainstream at all in the US, or do you think that it’s a niche that will only take off once another company jumps on the idea?
Ian

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Steve – Still stuck on Tiny Wings
Bill – Gears 3 – Horde mode rocks!
Patrick – Gears 3 – Horde Mode Weak Link
Dave –  Gears 3 (Of course)

Picks of the week – sponsored by BrianandDeniseHarris.com
Steve – 240GB SSD Drive
Bill – CyberPower CP625 battery backup
Patrick – Flickr App for Android
Dave – Gears 3 (Of course)
Geoff – Windows Phone 7.5 Mango

Apple
Apple event scheduled for October 4th?
iPhone 4s the only planned hardware?

Google
HTC Rhyme, a phone for women who like phones with tentacles
HTC Beat a competitor to the iPod Touch?
Google+ Hangouts on Mobile and now open for all!
Samsung Galaxy S II coming to AT&T October 2nd on contract for $199

Microsoft
Mango confirmed to begin rollout in the next 1-2 weeks
Xbox LIVE outages the day after Gears 3?
Live TV coming to Xbox 360 from Comcast and Verizon?

Gaming
Gears of War 3 released officially, Bill and Patrick go Lancers-on
Sony announces that DC Universe Online (PS3) will be free ( free download & no subscription required ala WOW)

Miscellaneous

Netflix splits streaming and DVDs, comes up with terrible name for DVDs by mail (adds Discovery Content to Streaming Service)

Verizon begins throttling data for top users (4G handsets not included)
Pandora rolls out HTML5 redesign to everyone and drops 40 hour listening cap for free users
Amazon Kindle expands library checkouts beyond Seattle to one of 11,000 library sites near you.
AOC’s 16” USB Powered Monitor could make portable dual screen laptops a workable reality
A use for NFC beyond Google Wallet
Instead of shipping box for broken computer, Sony accidentally has other people’s broken laptops sent to customer’s house

Listener Voicemail!!!!!!
Listener email

Email#1
Greetings from the Cyprus.
Still loving the show and i play it every week without fail.

I was wondering if you have any good recommendations for some starting tech for my daughter.
I’m a little late out of the gate as she is already 3 (months) but hoping to get caught up on it.
Bear in mind that ios products here have no access to the app store, and all ios of them are sold jailbroken here. Other than that, we’re open to suggestions.

She’ll be growing up tri-lingual as my wife speaks turkish, I speak danish, and between us we speak english.
Probably the danish will be of least focus, but I’m hoping to push english early.
I’m heavily into android though hoping my asus transformer will dual boot win8 at some point.

• Are there any good apps for learning english?
• And are there any good apps to aid in our new parenthood? Though we have hit an aging 34 already this is our first child.
• If you still have any invites left for Google+ I’d gladly take one off your hands.

If I may also make a couple of recommendations:
1. the asus transformer with its keyboard dock.

Though the use case is somewhat specific, i really love its abilities as a portable consumption device. I rooted it and loaded a “revolver” custom rom on it, and it runs sweet.

It’s only a 16gig version but stuck a 32gig MicroSD in it, and an old 8gig in the dock (what else use is there for the old cards?)

The real kicker though is a piece of velcro on the bottom of the dock. A short usb cable with on-off switch, and a 500gig usb drive…
Anyway my audiobooks alone would take up most of its internal space not to mention my music.
And I need some of the internal space free for BitTorrent also of course.
For connectivity it relies on my trusty XPERIA X10, using either wifi hotspot, or if I know I’ll be long from a fresh charge I’ll connecting via USB is the way to go. Let the docks battery charge the phone’s while it’s at it.
Granted my use case here is primarily consumption and maybe some of the cloud services in the states might suit you better. But here I need to rely on less than awesome 3g and the only cloud service in the country IS BitTorrent (any dvd you buy in a shop here is a burned torrent file anyway and often enough a cam-rip on top of that- imagine! ).
And the dock is a must, for the connectivity.
As for this, the asus transformer performs quite well.

2. Mortplayer for android is really nice.
By the way: for the last 2 months i’ve been using android devices exclusively, and I was wondering if I am the only one who is just about burned out regarding the way pc’s are used.
Honestly, I’d rather hand feed a lion , rather than go back to the clicke-ti-click of a mouse or a track pad.
Time will tell if the world agrees with microsoft, but at least microsoft agrees with me. The old input methods have got to go.
And it seems Samsung may agree with me also; the current tablet sizes are wrong. 7″ is too big to be truly pocketable, and 10″ is too small to serve as workhorse. 5-6″ would fit any jacket pocket and still be big enough for a good battery. 12-14″ would be much better near the edge of what a hand can hold, while providing excess real estate and information.
I can’t help but drool over the coming galaxy note, and wish I was at the Build conference to, if only to grab the developer edition win8 tablet.

Anyway; thank you again for a great show and keep up the good work.

Arne

Email#2
Hi guys, awesome podcast.  Wanted to give some info to your listeners for next podcast.  I bought the Driod Bionic and laptop dock, which works pretty good with LTE network.  I have the Motorola Photon on Sprint as will which is a great phone.  On Sprint though, they don’t currently provide the laptop dock.  I said what the hell, put the photon in my bionic laptop dock, and it worked.  The phone sticks out a bit from the holder in the back of the dock, but it is snug enough to stay there while using it.  Anyone who has the Photon and wants the doc can buy the bionic dock and put the Photon in it to have a laptop dock, despite Sprint not selling on themselves.

PS. can I get a google + invite please.  Thanks…Jon

Jonathan Burge

Email#3
Hey Simulcast,

I have a question for the show this week.

I am looking for either an app or a setting on my phone that will allow me to see both, then number that is calling me and my Google Voice number. Right now there are only 2 options. I can set it up that I can see the number calling me, but I don’t know that they are calling my Google Voice or my regular cell number. Second option allows me to see my Google Voice number as the number calling me, but I can’t see who is calling me. Like most Google Voice users, we gave that number out when we don’t want certain people to have our cell numbers. I also use it for Craigslist and Ebay transactions.

When my phone rings and I don’t recognize it, I have no idea which caller they are calling. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys, keep up the good work.

Darren
@deemota

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Steve – Portal
Bill – Gears of War 3
Patrick – Gears of War 3
Dave –  Gears of War 3 w/devs (obviously) ←SHOWOFF!
Geoff – Dead Space 2/Halo Reach/Kinect Sports

Picks of the week – sponsored by BrianandDeniseHarris.com
Steve – Booq Mamba Shift L
Bill – Reader HD for Honeycomb
Patrick – ifrogz Earpollution Ronin (headphones)
Dave – Gears of War 3 posters,shirts and game case signed!
Geoff – Pandora HTML5

Apple
HTC exec: iPhones are for old people
NBC, TNT, and TBS bring full episodes to ipad apps.

Google
HTC announces Sensation XE with Beats audio
CM7 available for Sensation and EVO 3D
HTC Bliss and Runnymede leak, Bill reminisces about his Nexus One
Google announces flight search service
Gamestop will have an Android gaming tablet next year?
Philadelphia Media Company launches $99. Android Tablet – Spec Sheet

Microsoft
Windows 8 tablet shown off on video
Windows has 500K downloads of Windows 8* in 12 hours. * Developer Preview

Miscellaneous
Amazon preparing “Netflix for books”?
Logitech announces new bluetooth headphones (with boom mic) and boombox for tablets and smartphones. Patrick wants the headset for his iPad2
Youtube now allows online editing of posted videos (<1000 views and no copyright id claims)
Qualcomm announces Snapdragon processor roadmap, 2.5GHz quad-core devices coming early 2012 if true, this is sick for mobile devices

Listener email
Hey guys – just thought I’d give you an update… after a lot of research, I finally got the HTC Desire Z (aka the T-Mobile G2 in the US) for my wife. She’s been using the phone for about a fortnight now, after some issues with our mobile phone network.

So far, she’s had no problems with it, despite it being her first Android phone. Save for a rookie wi-fi error (forgetting to turn Wi-Fi off in the morning meant that the battery went from 100% to 15% in four hours!), the only problem we’ve found had been with my phone: despite the Desire Z being almost a year old, it can run several apps that my brand new Galaxy S II can’t – such as the new Madden NFL game, and several others. She’s used an iPhone before (casually), and has found the Android a lot more user friendly and a lot easier to use than the iPhone, and the extra customisations are a bonus as well.

It’s just a shame that the Desire Z has now been discontinued in Europe and is getting increasingly difficult to get hold of.

Thanks for the advice guys – one last question for anyone who’s got/used a G2 (Brian…): do you recommend updating the firmware to Gingerbread? What changes does it make to the phone, and will all apps already on the device be lost in the upgrade?

Cheers guys

Ian in London

We take a break to leave a voicemail for the Gurus. F yeah!

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Brian – Sons of Anarchy
Bill – Home Theater Magazine
Patrick – DC Universe Online (Fired up PS3 to make sure it still works)/ Halo: Reach
Dave – Xmen First Class
Geoff – Dead Space 2 and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (finishing up the rest of the achievements)

Picks of the week – sponsored by BrianandDeniseHarris.com
Brian – Has none but will use Ian’s email as pick
Bill – Burn the City
Patrick – Universal Laptop/Ipad Stand (iGobee)
Dave – Juice Defender
Geoff – Power support

Apple
Confirmed: iPhone 5 takes nice pictures of sushi
Deutsche Telekom offers customer opportunity to reserve iPhone 5
GameStop to carry iOS devices soon, begins trading-in used iPhones, iPads and iPods for in-store credits
Judge (Australia) To Apple: Show Us Your iPad 2 Sales Numbers

Google
Droid Bionic launches tomorrow for $299
Droid Prime and Nexus Prime get certified
Samsung Note fills that gap between phone and tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 has super awesome SAMOLED Plus display, unknown pricing
Apple injunction pulls the Galaxy Tab 7.7 off IFA floor
HTC sues Apple with Motorola patents obtained last week from Google
Official Gingerbread update released for HTC Incredible

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Brian – Red Dwarf
Bill – Top Gear USA, Portal 2, COD: BLOPS campaign completed
Patrick – Man vs Food, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Steve – 24 season 1
Geoff – Stargate SG-1, Halo Reach, BLOPS

Picks of the week
Brian – VPN Tracker 6 for Mac, Video Time Machine for iPad
Bill – Lenovo N5902 Multimedia Keyboard
Patrick –  Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac
Steve – Carbonite
Geoff – Stargate SG-1, Google+ Photo Gallery

Apple
iPhone 5 to keep screen size, gain metal back?
iPhone 5 icon leaks new design?
Apple employee loses another iPhone 5 prototype in a bar?
iPod touch to be replaced by cheap iPhone?

Google
Samsung SGS II LTE  and Tab 8.9 LTE announced
Samsung Droid Prime launching on Verizon in October?
DROID Bionic releasing September 7
Offline Gmail goes live

Miscellaneous
US files antitrust complaint to block AT&T-Mobile merger
Geoff’s new TouchPad – what does he think so far?-Editing this Google Doc right from the quickoffice app now since they added editing capabilities on Monday.
CM7 booting on the TouchPad
Will Samsung buy rights to WebOS?
Wacom Inkling – Digitally capture drawings on any paper
Dish Network’s Tailgater brings portable satellite tailgating solution

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Dave -
Bill – Motocross Mayhem
Patrick – Lego Starwars the Complete Saga (360) / “Swing Your Sword” by Mike Leach
Steve Steve Jobs new book- Top Gun
Geoff – The Expendables

Picks of the week
Dave – PC Mover
Bill – Sprinkle for Honeycomb
Patrick – US Dept of Justice
Steve – camera sync
Geoff – HP Touchpad?

Apple
Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple!! Tim Cook to take over as CEO, Jobs to be Chairman.
Samsung starts with the 2001: A Space Odyssey Defense
Apple wins preliminary ban on all Samsung Galaxy phones in EU?
iPhone 5 to be a dual-mode phone?

Google
Google buys Motorola for $12.5B
Google+ adds Celebrity Verification Policy, apparently forgets The Simulcast staff
First US Galaxy S II coming to Sprint as Epic Touch 4G on Sept 9th?
Leaked AT&T 2nd half of 2011 Roadmap shows lots of Android phones
Asus Transformer gets update and Netflix
Samsung announces its new naming convention for cellphones, everyone goes WTF?

Microsoft
HTC event will focus on Mango?

Miscellaneous
Devs begin porting Android to dead TouchPad
AT&T getting rid of $10 Text Plan for new customers
MP3Tunes lawsuit gives mixed results, possibly good news for cloud music business.

Gaming

Listener email

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Dave -
Bill – Portal 2 – DONE!
Patrick – Halo Reach, SGU (SG1 10 seasons & SGA 5 season already done)
Steve -
Geoff – Started watching SG-1 again, Sucker punch, Halo Reach

Picks of the week
Dave – ThinkTankDigital Holster 30
Bill – Tab for Google+ (Mac client)
Patrick – CES Press Certified
Steve – HP douchepad
Geoff – iOS 5 Beta 6

Apple
Apple testing 4G LTE devices
Starbucks to give away free iOS apps in store via “pick of the week”

Google
Google buys Motorola Mobility
HTC Bootloader Unlock tool live on the web, for international customers
German judge lifts ban on Tab 10.1 sales (Sales allowed in other EU countries, not Germany)
HTC sues Apple for patent infringement
Steve Kondik hired by Samsung

Miscellaneous
Obama joins Foursquare (How is this not a National Security Risk?)

Gaming
Gears of War 3 will be a (fake) 3D title
Xbox going Matte, RIP Glossy?
Kinect Star Wars (Enough said)
PS3 price cut to $250
DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket on PS3
Hack your Wii : Homebrew

Listener email
Dearest Simulcast,

Thanks for your previous advice. (insert accent as/if desired)
Moving with the android world seems to give me continued need for your help, and since you seem to like listener emails why not keep bothering the **** out of you.
When i wrote you a few weeks ago i was having trouble with my X10 running android 2.1 with 2.2 extentions and an archos tablet with 2.2, but time goes on and 2.3 came out for my phone and My primary tablet is an asus transformer with 3.2…
While both are considerable upgrades it leaves me with two issues:

1. The market enabler doesn’t work with 3.2 for tablets.
Do you know if work is being done to remedy it? Or if there is a comparable alternative elsewhere?

2. It seems my favorite music player Tinyplayer seems to work on none of them now.
I loved it because it was crazy small, simple and based its library off of my file system and not the mess that is the mp3 tags of my files.
Is there a good similar player that works on GB and HC?

Lastly, may I suggest a pick of the week?
It’s a free android app called swipepad, and it makes fast app switching a true breeze.
Basically it allows you to put invisible touch fields on the edge and corners of your screen which stay present throughout the system. Touch the place that you preset and a launcher pops up with 12 shortcuts.
You can set several different fields with different launchers or buy the add-ons that allow for more shortcuts in a launcher, a full applauncher shortcut, on-off widgets, and tasking.
It’s some of the best money I’ve spent in the android platform, and the learning curve is in the minutes range.

Again, thanks for the great show and keep up the good work.

Arne, Cyprus.

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Dave – Step Up 3
Bill – Portal 2 – yes, I’m still trying to finish it ; Halo: Reach
Patrick – Studying for Ham Radio License / Halo: Reach Rocket Hog Races
Steve – hot tub time machine/Studying for my Technician class license
Geoff – Hobo with a shotgun/New Madden 12 demo. It is garbage.

Picks of the week
Dave – FreeMusic (iOS)
Bill – Do It Tomorrow for Android
Patrick – Scrabble HD (iOS)
Steve – iOS Apps Translate and transfer
Geoff – OSX Lion (late to the game, finally upgraded)

Apple
Apple sued for Patent Infringement over OSX’s fastboot feature
Apple releases utility to create Lion recovery USB key
Skype 5.3 brings HD video calling, Lion Support
iOS 5 Beta 5 gets tethered jailbreak (no ipad 2)
Boxee for iPad is out
Vudu now optimized for iPad (SD streaming only & no Disney content)
Kindle Cloud Reader allows Amazon to sidestep Apple’s subscription rules.

Google
HTCDev.com up and running, will unlock bootloaders soon
HTC holding teleconference tomorrow at 11:30am. What could it be?
Google+ now on iPad & iPod Touch
Apple blocks sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe too

Miscellaneous
Barnes & Noble giving away $100 in books & study guides with purchase of Nook & Nook Color
Amazon cloud storage outage downs Netflix, Quora, Foursquare, and others
Happy 20th Birthday World Wide Web – (August 6, 1991)
FCC to review AT&T’s T-Mobile and Qualcomm deals together
Hacker is able to unlock cars (make/model undisclosed) with a text message
Nokia N9 not coming to America?
Acer Aspire 3951 – PC clone of Macbook Air?
Verizon joins AT&T in blocking unlicensed tethering apps

Gaming
Ten-year-old hacker exposes potential iOS and Android games exploit

Listener email
#1
I’ve been listening to your show since before the “Beachbody breakup” and I always listen to your show on Wednesday nights.  The reason for my email is because I am looking for advice on upgrading my MacBook Pro.  I am ripping DVDs with Handbrake and am close to running out of room on my Hitachi 5400 250GB hard drive.  I was looking at OWC and there are so many choices, sizes and brands I have no clue even where to begin.  Also my other question is regarding upgrading my RAM.  I have 4GB DDR3 1066MhZ of RAM in my Mid 2010 13″ MacBook Pro and was wondering if it makes sense to upgrade to 8GB or even more if possible.

Thanks again guys for any advice you can give and keep up the good work,

Rob “Fubaracing”

P.S. I’m glad Steve went back to the iPhone or I myself would have had to convert to Android.  Thanks Steve!!

#2
Hey guys – just an update on an e-mail I sent a few weeks back about the HTC Desire Z. Apparently in the US it was released as the T-Mobile G2 – knowing that, does anyone have any experiences of that handset, and does it change your original opinion to pick the HTC over a similar Sony Ericsson handset?

Second question, my father, who knows of computers, but isn’t terribly computer literate beyond that, is looking to get a computer so he can browse the internet. Which would you say would be the best balance between a safe option and a cheap option? An Android tablet or a netbook? I was thinking an Android tablet as it will browse the internet, and some can output in HDMI (plus you can’t do that much damage just browsing, as compared to on a PC with various hijacked/booby trapped sites) – do you guys have any tips?

Cheers

Ian H (from near London, England – not affected by the riots, but a little too close to them for comfort!)

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Dave – Case 39
Bill – “Take the Money and Run”
Patrick – 80s movies (Flight of the Navigator/ Something Wicked This Way Comes)
Steve – all of the original Planet of the Apes Movies

Picks of the week
Dave – Optibay knockoff
Bill – PhoneSuit Elite battery case for iPhone 4
Patrick – Moo.com Business card/ Stickers
Steve – Otterbox box commuter for iPhone 4/ Netflix

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!

Apple
Apple blocks sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia (Samsung vows to sell other versions anyway)
Skype for iPad hits App Store
Apple TV update adds streaming TV show purchases
Analyst predicts an iPad Pro will be launched this quarter
Apple iCloud goes live and pricing revealed
Apple to launch iTunes Replay Service?
Patrick’s thoughts on his new Mac Mini

Google
Google cries foul with Apple and Microsoft
Amazon Appstore caught leaving Android App developers unpaid or is that article just ½ the truth?
Newly discovered Android malware records your calls
Android tablets go toddler
Samsung announces new Tab 10.1 Accessories Touchwiz UX OTA update to go public 8/5 but Bill already has it
Logitech Revue – Bill’s take

Miscellaneous
AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great
OnStar Family Link to allow vehicle tracking
HP Touchpad gets first OTA

Gaming
EA Season Ticket to offer pre-release games and cheaper DLC

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Dave – 30 Minutes or Less
Bill – Take Me Home Tonight
Patrick – Warehouse 13
Steve – Angry Birds Rio on the iPad

Picks of the week
Dave – Bomb Disposal Unit
Bill – Samsung Galaxy Tab Pouch
Patrick – Mac Mini (2011)/ AOL Editions App for iPad
Steve – 8GB of ram for $42.00/ 3G unrestrictor

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL!!!!!

Apple
Kindle App updated to meet Apple’s new policy: No more buying books through the app.
Apple rumored to be developing 15 and 17 laptops in the mold of the Macbook Air
Performance variations found in the SSDs shipping in the new Macbook Airs.
Future iPhones, like Superman, to be powered by the sun?
Apple Charges Customer 122 Times for Lion
Survey: 35% of U.S. Consumers Planning to Purchase Next-Generation iPhone

Miscellaneous
Bill’s new MacBook Air – thoughts
Walmart taking another crack at challenging Netflix
New Device can test for recent drug use through your fingerprint
Sandybridge processors now in budget end (<$400) HP and Toshiba laptops

Google
Galaxy S2 coming to Verizon first?
Tensions flair as Google deletes Google+ users accounts with fake names
Google Exec calls for US Patent Law reform after Nortel sale loss.

Gaming
Phantasy Star Online 2 alpha tests to start this summer
Avatar Kinect is up and running

Listener email
Follow-up to last’s week email:

The marketenabler did the job- no trouble. though it needed root access so i had to root my archos also. anyway, theres plenty of other benefits to that also so it would only have been a matter of time. regarding my accent i’m half danish, half inuit (greenland) and i learned most of my english watching american cartoons in the mid and late 80′s so maybe it’s mostly a zentraedi or autobotian accent my danish accent is definately worse than my english. i’d definitelt be happy if you would send me the new android market anyway, though marketenabler does say it wornt work with the latest version.

anyway, thanks for your advice.

arne

New question:
Greetings from across the pond again here, cheers again for the iTunes voucher thing the other day!  Kids off school so the apple TV is getting a pounding!

Have a listener question/challenge for you!

Now I’ve upgraded my iMac to Lion, i seem to have lost the Time machine client for my Media Smart Server.
It runs and confirms there is a server there but all the options are greyed out for setting a partition etc.
Long story short I don’t have a backup right now!

I looked on some forums and apparently that is a consequence of Lion and the HP Media Smart server team have been disbanded to work on Web OS so there is unlikely to be a new update!

Did you use your MSS as a time machine for your macs or did you have another solution?

I’m about to go out and buy yet another plug in Hard Disk to be a time machine but to be honest I liked the way the HP Server backed up everything in one place.

If you know of a workaround or a fix then I would be extremely impressed and grateful!

PS, Love the Screen video,  and I’m so jealous of the new macbook air that i’ve decided to definitely get one,  Did you get the faster processor?  there was an option to get an I7 or an I5?

Cheers for now

Gordy

What are we playing/watching/reading this week?
Dave –  Duke Nukem, Sucker Punch
Bill – Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2
Patrick – Naruto Shippuden (on Season 9) Free via Crunchyroll.com
Steve – Chuck/ The Cuckoo’s Egg – Cliff Stol

Picks of the week
Dave – Beats by Dre
Bill – new 13” MacBook Air
Patrick – 2.7ghz i7 Mac Mini
Steve – Tout

Apple
New Macs hit, Lion released into the wild, so long white Macbook (except for Ed. Institutions)
iUsers brings multiple user profiles to jailbroken iPad
Google Plus now available for iPhone users too
Macbook Air refresh hits hard now Sandy Bridge BOOM!
Mac Mini refresh! Who wants some cake?

Miscellaneous
Patrick’s appearance on The Gadget Gurus
Bill’s appearance on iPhone Docked
CES registration – who’s going?
Spotify finally available in the US – do we care?
Garmin GPS embraces the Darkside, and so can you for $13
Amazon Prime to stream CBS shows and complete StarTrek series (Netflix Alternative?)

Google
Schmidt: Competitors can’t innovate, so they sue
HTC guilty of infringing Apple’s patents
HTC Status Facebook phone now on sale
Netflix update now brings streaming to 24 android devices and Tablets
Chromium OS running on a Macbook Air (project for Bill’s old Macbook Air?)

Gaming

Listener email
Hey guys, love the show.
i have a problem regarding my android devices. (a rooted SE x10 and an archos 70 tablet)
i’m danish and have a danish google account, but i live in northern cyprus and use my phone with a local sim card.
the trouble is that my phone sees that i’m on a foreign sim card and will only let me access the free part of android market.
i can remedy that by turning off my phone, putting in a danish sim card, rebooting, find a wifi access point, and logging in to google again.
hardly ideal as my battery cover will only survive that for so long, and going through that while out and about is just not practical.
i have tried two other things to get around the problem without luck.
first i tried creating a turkish google account (phones in northen cyprus is seen by the world as turkish).
and i have tried setting up a vpn to a danish server, but as i still have my cyprus sim in the phone no luck there either.
do you know a way to make my phone and the android market disregard which sim is in use?

i have the same problem with my tablet.
i has no sim card so i guess it looks at which wifi it accesses, and it also only sees the free part of android market.
my only solution is to download a paid app with my phone, back up the apk and send it to my drop box, and then install it from there to the archos.
doable, but still far from ideal.
and since i have an asus transformer wifi on it’s way from the states i’m gonna be in even bigger trouble getting honeycomb and tegra apps.
i could just get pirated apps but i’d prefer to get them the right way.
you don’t get developers to make better software by stealing the current ones right?

thanks for your time and a great show, and i really hope you can help me.

arne.

What are we playing/watching this week?
Dave -
Bill – Hall Pass
Patrick – BLOPs/ Stargate Atlantis
Steve – fallingskies
Geoff – DiRT 3 (Xbox 360)

Picks of the week

Dave -
Bill – BlackRapid RS-4
Patrick – Padd App (ipad) / Air Video
Steve -Verizon iPhone/Lion
Geoff – DiRT 3

Google
Spam filter now preventing unwanted calls in Google Voice
Google updates the Android Market App: Adds Books and Movies Tabs
Xoom getting 3.2 and FCC approves LTE module

Apple
TIVO remote app now on iphone and ipod touch
Apple to bring back backlit keyboards on the Macbook Air?
Lion GM build out. Who has it and thoughts?

Microsoft
Windows 8 to bring 360 compatibility?

Gaming
Netflix (assuming you don’t cancel) coming soon to a Nintendo 3DS near you?
EA announces latest list of games to lose online support

Miscellaneous
Netflix introducing new rates and raising rates. Boo
Court case may determine if 5th Amendment protects your right to withhold decryption password
Ad-sponsored Kindle 3G announced for $139

Listener email

What are we playing/watching this week?
Dave –  The Rite
Bill – The Lincoln Lawyer
Patrick –  Finishing up Stargate SG1 – then on to Stargate Atlantis
Steve – Hangover 2

Picks of the week

Dave – Lion GM
Bill – Verizon iPhone 4
Patrick – Flipboard
Steve – Lion/Tout

Apple
iOS5 = no more untethered jailbreaks and downgrades?
Singapore Army’s lastest equipment issued – iPad 2
Could Apple’s MusicMatch be used as a tool to catch infringers?
Steve’s iPhone 4

Google
Nexus Prime will be a Samsung pure Google phone with Ice Cream Sandwich?

Microsoft
Microsoft part of effort to develop white space spectrum recapture to solve spectrum woes

Gaming
Gamers can apparently now add “Art Aficionado” to their resumes and bios.
Geohot hired by Facebook.
For Bill – R2D2 Operation – Nuff said.

Miscellaneous
Sony announces their own (non-Mac) Thunderbolt integration.
Interesting developments in wireless computer docking technology.

What are we playing/watching this week?
Steve – Nada!
Bill – Cut the Rope
Patrick – BLOPS (New Annihilation Map Pack)

Picks of the week
Steve – iPhone 4 and iFrogz case
Bill – Fring
Patrick- Blogsy

Apple
Apple Mac Pro and Mac Mini Refreshes coming in August with Thunderbolt?
iPhone 5 will have radical case design?
Apple announces Lion Server Option along with Business and Educational pricing.
Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, and Compressor 4 now in the Mac App Store.
FCC Filing shows new AirPort Extreme refresh coming soon.
Broad multitouch patent granted to Apple seen as ‘huge blow’ to rivals
Geoff left AT&T and went back to the iPhone

Google
Bill’s new Galaxy Tab 10.1 – his thoughts – and it’s already rooted
Android 3.2 coming this summer with 7inch tablet support and bugfixes
Google buys Sage TV – GoogleDVR, anyone?
Deep Shot – Think Chrome to Phone and throw in a camera.
Google bringing WebRTC integration to Chrome.

Microsoft
Could Microsoft and the DMCA spell the end of 3rd party gaming peripherals?

Gaming
Redbox now has video games Been…?! in some areas (what normal people call test markets). now nationwide
Black Ops Annihilation Map Pack (June 28th on Xbox 360) (This is bullshit)

Miscellaneous
Verizon tiered data plans July 7th
New Federal Law in the works to make illegal streaming of copyrighted material a Felony
With all the hacking going on, CNET has a handy dandy chart to keep it all straight.
Dropbox’s Security Glitch – Check your files.

What are we playing this week?
Steve -
Dave – Infamous PS3 and Battlefield 2 Bad Company
Bill – businessman
Geoff – Dead Space, Illusia
Patrick – DC Universe Online/ BLOPs (getting practice in before the new map packs hit)

Picks of the week
Steve – Weatherpro
Dave – vTok, Splashtop RDP
Bill – WiFi File Explorer Pro
Geoff – Illusia and Airport Express
Patrick- ZigZag Board App (ipad)