Consumer News
All T-Mobile 4G Smartphones & Some Tablets to Be Free for Valentine's Day Sale
By Julie Kent. Published on 02/08/2012 - 1:17pm
On Tuesday, T-Mobile announced a special, one-day sale to celebrate Valentine's Day in which all 4G smartphones will be free with a new two-year contract.
T-Mobile's senior vice president of marketing John Clelland said:
“T-Mobile has a commitment to make the 4G experience affordable and accessible to everyone, so this sweet deal on smartphones and tablets is our Valentine’s gift to consumers."
The wireless carrier is offering the Samsung Galaxy S II, BlackBerry Bold 9900, HTC Amaze 4G, Lumia 710, SpringBoard tablet, and other 4G devices, for free with a new two-year contract. The one-day sale will be on Saturday, February 11.
Microsoft May Soon Be Integrating Kinect Motion-Sensors in Laptops
By Julie Kent. Published on 01/30/2012 - 4:06pm
Microsoft's Kinect currently functions as an optional peripheral for the Xbox gaming system and uses a camera and microphone to watch and listen to a user for commands. Soon, however, Kinect may be coming to laptops. Microsoft is said to be working on integrating the Kinect motion sensor into laptops.
The Kinect has been successfully hacked to work on a computer, but in order to work on a portable device like a laptop, significant modifications would be needed.
The Kinect was released in early November 2010. Microsoft has not given an estimates as to when consumers might see the Kinect-integrated laptops, but what we do know is that they'll be licensing the technology to manufacturers rather than building their own in-house solution.
Virgin America Plane Honors Steve Jobs
By Leader Staff. Published on 01/25/2012 - 11:02am
Virgin American, a domestic carrier known for its innovation, has paid tribute to late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs by etching one of his signature phrases on the nose of its Airbus A320 aircraft.
The phrase "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" was put on the plane, which started flying late last year. It's naming was the result of an internal employee naming competition.
The phrase is a nod toJobs, who used it as a motto when he delivered a commencement address at Stanford University in 2005. He gave that speech shortly after he was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Jobs said that he saw those words on the back of a final edition of a publication known as The Whole Earth Catalog, and that they stuck with him. He said:
"It was their farewell message as they signed off. 'Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.' And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay hungry. Stay foolish."
Virgin America has become well-known for its uniquely named planes. Some of the names include #nerdbird, Virgin & Tonic, The 1-year-old virgin, and Air Colbert (in honor of Stephen Colbert).
Apple CEO: Kindle Fire Had No Impact on iPad Sales
By Julie Kent. Published on 01/25/2012 - 10:48am
Amazon's Kindle Fire had a successful holiday season with fourth-quarter sales that may have exceeded 4 million units according to analyst estimates. A number of analysts also predicted that the $199 tablet would take a bite out of iPad sales, it seems that wasn't the case at all.
Following Apple's first-quarter earnings report, CEO Tim Cook said that the Kindle Fire had no impact on iPad sales whatsoever. In fact, it was Apple's most profitable quarter ever, and the most profitable quarter ever reported by a technology company.
Cook said that he carefully examined iPad numbers and is convinced that the Kindle Fire didn't affect iPad sales. He said that he looked at the iPad sales numbers in the U.S. every week following the Fire's launch and noticed nothing.
Gisele Set to Become World's First Billionaire Supermodel as Her Lingerie Line Goes Global
By Julie Kent. Published on 01/24/2012 - 9:06pm
Gisele Bündchen is already the world's richest model, but her wealth is about to hit new heights. As her lingerie line goes global, Gisele is set to become the world's first billionaire model.
The Gisele Bündchen Brazilian Intimates range was launched last May and has already proved popular in Latin America, Portugal, Japan and Israel. Now, further expansion is expected.
With her various product endorsements and business ventures, Gisel earned a total of $45 million USD last year. She's now on track to become the first billionaire supermodel.
Model Bar Refaeli, 26, is said to be following in Gisele's footsteps and is also preparing to launch her own collection of underwear next month.
Facebook Begins Mandatory Roll-Out of "Timeline"
By Julie Kent. Published on 01/24/2012 - 8:43pm
You have been warned. If you're a Facebook user that hasn't already voluntarily switched over to the new "Timeline" profile layout, you'll be switched over regardless of your preferences now as Facebook begins the mandatory roll-out of the new layout.
The Timeline feature, for those not acquainted with it yet, differs from the default profile pages we've come to know on the social networking site. Instead of just showcasing your most recent posts, your profile can be scrolled back weeks, months and even years at a time. It could still be done with the old layout, but it was a much more time-consuming and cumbersome process. Human resources personnel and background investigators will now be able to scan your Facebook past much more efficiently and quickly.
Timeline can be both a positive and a negative. Looking back through the past can bring about some nostalgia, but it can also drag up some of your less positive moments and posts.
Fortunately, nothing is set in stone and you can go back in time and remove some of your more embarrassing posts. You now have until Tuesday, January 31 to look over your Facebook timeline before it goes "public" for all the world to see. So use that time to find any of those posts you'd not like seen before it's too late.
Starbucks to Add Beer & Wine to Menus at Select Locations
By Leader Staff. Published on 01/24/2012 - 12:25pm
By the end of 2012, four to six new or remodeled Starbucks stores in Southern California, as well as a few locations in Chicago and Atlanta, will begin offering alcoholic drinks. In addition to the alcoholic beverages, Starbucks also said that it will offer "premium food" like hot flatbreads, savory snacks and small plates for happy hour patrons to order.
Starbucks began to test out its alcoholic menu in 2012 in its hometown of Seattle. Five locations in Seattle and one location in Portland, Oregon, currently offer $5 beers and wines ranging from $7 to $9.
The locations will start serving alcohol after 2pm on weekdays and after noon on weekends. All beer and wine will be kept behind the counter, rather than on display cases or shelves. Customers under the age of 21 will still be allowed inside the coffee shops.
Analysts Predict Windows Phone Will Bump Apple iPhone for Second Place in 2015
By Leader Staff. Published on 01/23/2012 - 11:48am
2012 promises to be the year of the Windows Phone, as Nokia has begun launching all their handsets featuring the Windows Phone operating system. Other manufacturers, such as HTC, are also releasing new Windows powered phones. Analysts at IHS (fomerly iSuppli) believe that the Windows Phone's best year will come in 2015, when they predict that it could edge Apple's iPhone for the second place ranking behind Google's Android smartphones.
IHS analysts say that thanks mainly to the new Lumia 900 and Nokia, Windows Phone could represent 17 percent of smartphones shipped in 2015.
Windows Phone made up just 1.9 percent of the market in 2011, with Apple at 18 percent and Android at 47.4 percent.
IHS predicts Windows Phone will reach 16.7 percent of market share in 2015, behind Android at 58.1 percet and iOS at 16.6 percent. IHS said that the introduction of the Lumia 900 running Windows Phone 7.5 at CES showed both Nokia and Microsoft's promise in smartphones.
The Lumia 900 will be coming to AT&T in the coming weeks. Pricing hasn't been announced, but it will be the first Nokia device to run over 4G LTE in the U.S. Nokia is also planning to sell the Lumia 900 to businesses through Microsoft's business channels.
Francis Sideco, an analyst for IHS says:
Nike Unveils New FuelBand That Tracks Movement & Exercise Goals
By Julie Kent. Published on 01/19/2012 - 1:57pm
If you're looking for a way to meet your New Year's diet and fitness resolutions, Nike may have just the device to help you meet your goals. On Thursday, Nike announced the new Nike+ FuelBand, which takes the Nike+ data collection engine and expands it into a full day's worth of activities, and combines it with a basic LED wristband for data reporting and interaction. Similar to previous incarnations of Nike+, FuelBand can sync with an iPhone over Bluetooth, or can report straight back to your computer by USB.
So how does it work? The concept is pretty simply. You just set a day goal of physical activity, and the FuelBand will keep track via a built-in accelerometer. When you start out the day, the color display is fully red, and shits fully to green as the user reachers his or her goal. Progress can be measured in time, calories burned, steps, or the proprietary NikeFuel, which is a social metric that gives you more "points" for more strenuous activity. Syncing with the iPhone app or Nike+ website will get you detailed goal tracking and motivation.
Nike hasn't said when it plans to begin selling the FuelBand, however, pre-orders be start at 5:0pm EST. The device will retail for $150.
Facebook Launches Apps for Timeline
By Julie Kent. Published on 01/19/2012 - 10:35am
On Wednesday evening, Facebook announced new applications that may be used to help populate users' Facebook Timelines with new information. Apps available for the initial launch include Ticketmaster, Pintrest, Rotten Tomatoes, Pose, Kobo, Foodspotting, Gogobot, Trip Advisor, and more.
Facebook has fortunately also added an option that will allow users to choose precisely who can (or cannot) see the updates from each app.
Facebook product manager Carl Siogreen said that more applications for additional interests will be added over time.

