Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking  So apparently this whole “I’m gonna quit Facebook” thing is a lot more serious than I had initially thought. I know what you’re thinking, “how am I supposed to quit Facebook when it’s such a great outlet for honing my procrastination skills and messaging people I don’t want to see in person?” Well, the way I see it is that quitting Facebook will cut out all of the unnecessary interactions in your digital life. If you’re worried about keeping in touch with someone, quitting Facebook will not (and should not) prevent you from keeping in touch with him or her in the future. Remember E-mails? Heck, if you can think back far enough, people actually used to write personal, hand-written letters to their friends and family. They even used these things called “stamps” to ship them where ever. Ahh the old days…
Anyways, here’s what the fine folks leading the “Facebook is for losers” rally have to say about kicking their addiction: For us it comes down to two things: fair choices and best intentions. In our view, Facebook doesn’t do a good job in either department. Facebook gives you choices about how to manage your data, but they aren’t fair choices, and while the onus is on the individual to manage these choices, Facebook makes it damn difficult for the average user to understand or manage this. We also don’t think Facebook has much respect for you or your data, especially in the context of the future.
It seems as though the Diaspora boys could really capitalize off of this anti-Facebook trend. Kudos to them as they’ve already reached over $100,000 in donations to fund their project. Via [QuitFacebookDay] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile, Reviews, Features 
I was able to spend a few days so far with the latest Android phone on the Verizon network, the HTC Droid Incredible. Thus far, I’ve been pretty impressed with the overall touch and appearance of the smartphone. It is a lot more sleek and slender than the Motorola Droid, and feels really good in my pocket - not obtrusive at all. The touch screen is really responsive and the 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor handles multiple tasks and switching between apps without missing a beat. I have yet to fully explore the phone, but it’s definitely an improvement over the last Android phone I used, the Motorola Droid. Verizon really does not need the iPhone when it has a comparable phone in the HTC Droid Incredible. Check out the gallery below to see the HTC Droid Incredible right out of the box, running the Android Market, and using the Internet browser to view Gadgetell. Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Features, Originals . image courtesy of flickr Radio, possibly one of the most powerful means of communication, is on its last leg. For decades DJ’s and talkshows have long been great to listen to in the car on the way to work, school, and of course, for entertainment. But how long do they have left? One would hope that the traditional radio stations will join text and adapt to join the internet. But the more that I think about it, the more I believe the word, “radio,” will have entirely different context in several years. In a NYTimes article, the author brings about some good points that put the whole situation into perspective. The gist is that the line between radio and personal libraries is blurred already. With services such as Pandora, Last.fm, and Slacker is their really any appeal to listening to the radio knowing that a commercial is right around the corner? With dataplans on cell phones becoming more accessible, there isn’t really any reason as to why someone would want to stick with the traditional medium. So what happens to it? Well when you think about it, this is where radio and print start to contrast. Print already has a place in the internet. There will always be demand for high quality articles. But radio is different. For one it is too localized. People are used to their local radio stations. With 17 different stations running on the same frequency across the US, competition for any internet space becomes very crowded. Plus who would want to listen to the traditional radio? There are nothing but ads and the same 20 songs that you hear everyday. Internet radio is far superior and has pretty much already won the battle of the future. The closest things that we will have to radio are livestreams of podcasts to replace our daily talkshow followed up by a mix of your favorite bands from Pandora. There is simply no place for the traditional radio or radio stations to migrate to the web. This, however, does not meant that DJ’s and the companies behind radio stations are out of a job. People will still listen, they just need to migrate to a new medium such as podcasting in order to maintain their audience. I know I personally would subscribe to a podcast of my favorite former-Dj, or even a new one I discovered from across the country on Google Listen through my Android phone. There will need to be changes from the usual mix of music and talk that usually take place on the radio to more segregated, niche based models that would be distributed through the web. This vision, I believe, can hardly be called a, “radio station,” anymore. And this is why I believe that Radio is dead. RIP Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, Content, HDTV, Video Providers, Communications, Smartphones  Google TV is rumored to shot itself at the world tomorrow at Google I/O. The event, which is expected to be a celebration party for Google Android and the launching point for Android 2.2, might also get an Apple, “one more thing.” Reportedly, Google’s got a prototype of Google TV, but what the heck is it?
The New York Times reported Google has created a TV platform with Sony and Intel. The platform is supposedly powered by Android and will bring the internet, along with Google’s bread and butter advertising. “Google and Intel have teamed with Sony to develop a platform called Google TV to bring the Web into the living room through a new generation of televisions and set-top boxes. (...) The partners envision technology that will make it as easy for TV users to navigate Web applications, like the Twitter social network and the Picasa photo site, as it is to change the channel. Google intends to open the Google TV platform, which is based on its Android operating system for cellphones, to software developers in the hopes of spurring the same creativity that the consumers have seen in phone apps.” It seems a bit odd that so far, the rumors point to calling this Android, not Chrome OS. Surely they are not going to magnify the Android apps, as we’ve seen that tried with iPad pixel doubling iPhone applications and the result is less than stellar. I can’t imagine how bad that might be on a 50” HDTV. Presumably the new platform would invite new developers for new applications. Is this about content (creating an evolved just-for-you network) or just ways to consumer the internet on your TV? To date, consumers have failed to grab onto “just the web” on TVs, will the web broken into apps be different? For Google, the answer usually comes years from now. Read: [Google Operating System] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, Content, Video Providers Roku have recently unveiled a new channel, and its one that is sure to make UFC fans happy. That’s right—Ultimate Fighting has arrived on the Roku player in the form of its very own channel. The new channel is going to make its debut on May 29th for the UFC 114 Rampage vs. Evans fight. The event will be pay-per-view and set you back $44.99. In addition to live pay-per-view events, users will also be able to check out other events such as the UFC Vault, previously run pay-per-view events and live pre- and post-fight events. Additionally, there is also said to be some free content mixed in also. Anyway, if you are a UFC fan that happens to own a Roku player—you may want to look for the channel. Read [Yahoo!] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile Just like the Bold 9650 coming to Sprint, this phone release also comes as little surprise. But given all of the rumors in the lead up for this release, its nice to say that its official. In short, if you have been waiting on AT&T to release the Palm Pre—the wait is now over and you can head on over and shell out some of you hard earned cash. The pricing for this one is simple, the phone will set you back $149.99 on a two-year agreement. The perk here is that price does not, I repeat does not come along with any mail in rebates. Its just a flat out $149.99. The sad part here is that you are not getting the Mobile Hotspot service that comes with the Verizon branded Pre Plus. But on the positive side—you will get a Touchstone charging dock. Product [AT&T] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile This one comes as little surprise, but still its nice to know. Well, nice to know if you were looking for a new BlackBerry on Sprint. In short, Sprint has officially launched the recently announced BlackBerry Bold 9650 and the handset will set you back $199.99 on a two-year contract. The downer here is that price comes after a $100 mail-in-rebate, which means you will need to fork over $299.99 to make the purchase. Still, as long as you fill out and mail in the rebate form you will get $100 back. Personally I would prefer to wait for the EVO 4G, but hey, plenty of people still like the BlackBerry, and what better BlackBerry than the latest and greatest Bold. Product [Sprint] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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