Sprint’s shameless “unlimited” plan shoves users to 2G network after 1GB of data
Sprint is offering a new plan they’re calling an “unlimited data plan” for only $20 a month. Unlimited data plans have long been the holy grail of power users, some of which found themselves buying phones outright to keep their grandfathered plan rather than sign a new contract. However, Sprint isn’t using this word the way it’s universally understood.
Sprint’s shady little plan offers a paltry 1GB of LTE data, after which subscribers are shoved down onto 2G networks. That’s right: the mobile equivalent of the 28k modem. A technology so antiquated that it’s expected to be shut down completely sometime in the next two years to make room on the electromagnetic spectrum for services that are actually useable.
The desperate mobile carrier isn’t the first to offer low-cost, low-service plans like this – T-Mobile, for instance, has an almost identical one they call “Simple Choice” -but they are the first carrier to try to spin this bug into a feature by using blatantly misleading language.
As mentioned previously, the data portion of the plan is only $20 a month, but you’re going to fork over another $20 for unlimited calls and texting. That brings this godawful plan to $40. If you want to stay on LTE rather than bump down to 2G, Sprint’s offering 1GB chunks at $15 a pop. This means if you’re the kind of user who actually needs real unlimited data, by the time you hit 3GB, you might as well have just sprung for Sprint’s actual unlimited plan which runs for $70 a month.
The grungiest thing about all this is how deliberately misinforming it is. If Sprint sets a precedent and is able to start calling an extremely limited plan “unlimited” by just kicking you over to dial-up once you pass a threshold, mobile companies may start throwing around loose language all over the place.
What do you think of this development? Is it fair for Sprint to call this plan unlimited since it is technically unlimited, or is this a case of false advertising?
Video games are pretty lazy in their portrayal of PTSD
It’s reported that one in three troops returning home from war are being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress symptoms. If you look at video games, those numbers are probably exponentially higher considering the events characters endure while saving the (virtual) world. But games aren’t exactly known for being particularly subtle, and that’s what the latest episode of Low Batteries from Eurogamer is all about. The clip examines Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Spec Ops: The Line, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and a few others. The findings? Sadly, games use PTSD as short-hand to fill in character backstory or motivations and sometimes are pretty lazy about it.
Via: (2)
Source: Eurogamer (YouTube) (1)
Tor Messenger makes chatting off the record easier
Tor has finally released a beta version of the cross-platform chat program it’s been working on for quite a while. The client works with several chat services/protocols such as Jabber, IRC, Google Talk, Facebook Chat, Twitter and Yahoo, but its main draw is definitely the privacy features Tor is famous for. It uses Off-the-Record (OTR) protocol to encrypt your IMs, which pass through Tor’s network of volunteer computers for security and anonymity. According to Wired, it even has chat logging disabled as a default setting. “With Tor Messenger, your chat is encrypted and anonymous… so it is hidden from snoops, whether they are the government of a foreign country or a company trying to sell you boots,” Kate Krauss, the company’s public policy director, told the publication.
Via: TheNextWeb
Source: Tor
Sony sees profit in Q2 2015, but not from smartphones
Things have been tough for Sony this last decade or so, with their once-towering stock ($150 a share in 2000) bottoming out at $9.75 in 2012. Since then, the Japanese company has been on the move to adopt a new corporate identity and remain competitive in the global market. As of the close of second quarter 2015, things might be looking up. Their stock has risen 35.6% in 2015, and the company has reported a narrow profit of $280 million.
In addition to changes in corporate policy that involve extensive restructuring and trimming, this boost is due in part to a recent drop in the value of the Yen (which has made Sony more globally competitive) and the ongoing success of the PS4. Advantageous exchange rates and a profit of $199 million from their game-related subdivision constitute the vast majority of this profitable season.
However, these boons don’t quite offset the billions of dollars they’ve lost in the television market against less expensive competitors from Taiwan and South Korea since 2005. Sony’s mobile division is still having a hard go of it as well, reporting a “significant decrease” in smartphone unit sales over the second quarter of 2015. Their smart phone business dropped 15%, a $172 million loss.
On a smaller scale, this drop seems like bad news, but when you compare it to the $1.58 billion Sony Mobile lost in the second quarter of 2014… it’s really not so bad. Sony Mobile has a long way to go before it’s in the black, but it has also come a long way as well.
Sony is choosing to de-emphasize these less-than-profitable endeavors, and they’re focusing on those areas of business that are seeing good returns. Their ongoing sale of camera components and semiconductors to bigger mobile players like Apple and Samsung, for instance, continues to be on the rise.
As it stands, Sony is still struggling to get back on their feet, but things are looking brighter. It seems they have the PS4 to thank for that, however, not their mobile devices.
Blocks is the first modular smartwatch and they are killing it on Kickstarter
Blocks is a new type of smartwatch that allows you to change parts of the band in order to add more function. Rather than buy a whole new smartwatch, just add more modules.
Blocks smartwatch has a circular display that offers things like phone notifications, wifi connectivity, and activity tracking. Nothing too special over regular smartwatches, but what makes it really stand out are the modules.
Users can simply buy more and insert them into the band whenever they want. Currently, five modules are out, extra battery, heart rate sensor, GPS, NFC, and Adventure module that measures altitude, pressure, and temperature. There are many more being worked on too, plus, developers can also design their own modules.
“We have already partnered with major technology companies to develop our Modules and have over 1,500 individual developers signed up to work on our platform. The BLOCKS Software Development Kit (SDK) and Module Development Kit (MDK) will be made available soon.”
If Blocks smartwatch is something that might interest you, check out their Kickstarter page. So far, they have 20 days left and have destroyed their goal. They were asking for $250k, but have already received over $1.1 million.
Source: Kickstarter
Come comment on this article: Blocks is the first modular smartwatch and they are killing it on Kickstarter
Best Buy to Begin In-Store Sales of New Apple TV Tomorrow
Best Buy will begin selling the new fourth-generation Apple TV in its retail stores beginning tomorrow. The retailer is also allowing customers who pre-ordered for in-store pickup to pick up their set-top boxes starting tomorrow morning as the stores open up for the day.
While Best Buy began accepting pre-orders for the new Apple TV on Monday, it originally listed November 4 as the date when customers would be able pick them up in stores. Several MacRumors readers who pre-ordered began receiving notices tonight letting them know their purchases would be ready for pickup tomorrow, nearly a week early.
Apple retail stores around the world will also be offering the Apple TV, and in countries where October 30 has already rolled around, stores are already selling the new set-top boxes. Stores in the United States will be revamped overnight to feature advertising for the new Apple TV to prepare for its in-store launch.
Apple will also be selling accessories like the Apple TV Remote Loop and the SteelSeries Nimbus controller, and it also plans to begin selling the new Beats Pill+ speakers in its retail stores beginning tomorrow.
The new Apple TV, which includes features like a full App Store, universal search, Siri integration, and a touch-based remote control, is available in two configurations: 32GB and 64GB. The 32GB model is available for $149 and the 64GB model is available for $199.
Discuss this article in our forums
Terror returns in ‘Outlast 2,’ confirmed for fall 2016
Outlast was one of the most horrifying games of 2013 — and perhaps of all time. Our review called it a “perfect nightmare” of gore, mental strain and tense sound design, and the Whistleblower DLC, which followed in 2014, was similarly heart-pounding. Just two days before Halloween 2015, independent studio Red Barrels has unveiled Outlast 2, due next fall for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Mac. Details are scarce, but we know that this sequel will be a brand-new beast. “The game will be a survival-horror experience and it will take place in the same universe as Outlast, but it will have different characters and a different setting,” Red Barrels co-founder Philippe Morin outlined in October 2014. A brief teaser trailer released today suggests Outlast 2 will continue the franchise’s theme of haunting religious imagery.
Source: Red Barrels
Gibson takes a whimsical approach to the podcast microphone
When it comes to USB microphones, you’re pretty much limited to a collection of black, silver and gold devices. There really isn’t a ton or personality in the color schemes or look of those accessories, save for a few exceptions. Gibson’s Neat Microphones line is a welcome exception, though, and its latest delivers a combination of whimsical hues and futuristic aesthetics George Jetson would fancy. The trio pictured above are Widgets, and more specifically go by A, B, and C. All three pack custom capsules, built-in pop filters, shock mounts and adjustable stands. Like a lot of USB mics, the Widgets are very much a plug-and-play add-on, as they won’t require you to install drivers or software to get started. When you’re ready to record, the company says you can use the gear for anything from podcasting to Skype calls and tracking instruments and vocals in 96kHz/24 bit audio. At $99, the Widgets are pricier than the popular Blue Microphones Snowball and cost the same as its newer Nessie USB mic. If the looks are too much for you to pass up with Gibson’s latest, you’ll be able to nab them starting November 15th.
Source: Neat Mircophones, Amazon
Internet providers invest in networks despite net neutrality jitters
If you ask most big US internet providers, they’ll swear up and down that the newer, tougher net neutrality rules will kill investment in their networks. Surely the only way to promote growth is to loosen regulation, right? Well, not quite. After digging through carriers’ earnings, Ars Technica has determined that most big ISPs have been spending more on upgrading their networks in recent months. Comcast’s capital expenses increased 11 percent year-over-year, largely due to newer-generation home equipment; it’s also launching pushing hard on multi-gigabit service. Time Warner Cable also spent 10 percent more upgrading its network in the first nine months of the year. Telcos like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have seen mixed spending, but they’re still pushing harder than ever on services like gigabit internet and upgraded cellular data.
Source: Ars Technica
License plate readers can be a security nightmare
The fact that automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems can store data for years is apparently not the only disturbing thing about them. Some of them are exposed online and are easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection and a browser, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has confirmed. The EFF investigated over 100 cameras in five various locations across the country starting this spring and discovered that most of the vulnerable ones were manufactured by a company called PIPS, which is now owned by 3M. The degree of vulnerability differed across locations: in extreme cases, you can view the camera’s live feed online and even pull up its control panel.
Source: EFF
AIVAnet 