Hi Guys,

We are off WordPress.com and onto our own hosting- Check us out http://technmarketing.com  

-Aryeh

Hi All,
We are moving from wordpress.com to our own hosting. We are sorry if the site is a bit buggy for the next few days. We will be back better then ever.
-Aryeh

Not much going on, so I thought I would just report a few small pieces of news. First of all, a mysterious picture showed up on the Web of an unknown Lenovo cellphone. I am a big fan of their laptops so this picture caught my attention. The phone will supposedly run on Android, which makes it the G2?

I am calling it the G2 because it will be the second Google phone, but from the looks of it, it cannot possibly have very much in common with the G1 or the HTC Dream, so to even put them in the same category is a little funny.

Absolutely nothing else is known about this device, but I say, if Lenovo is entering the cellular market, that means more players, cheaper prices, and better phones for us.

In other news, I do not usually take interest or post about these little cute inventions, but this just struck me as borderline genius, so I figured I would share it.

Yes, that would be a hollow coin, in which one can store/hide their Micro SD cards or any other really small memory card. I just thought that was really innovative and pretty cool.

Lastly, looks like Skype launched a beta version for Windows Mobile devices. Not sure what took so long, but I guess this is a good development. On the other hand, not sure why anyone would want to use this, with programs like Fring and others that include Skype, MSN Messenger, AIM, Gtalk and more, why would someone use an application that limits you to your Skype friends exclusively?

-Hillel

I recently posted about a well knows app called Joost. Joost allows you to watch videos online using your iPhone or iPod Touch. As I wrote in that post, Joost has a few quirks that need working out. Well, they have been worked out. The result is vSNAX. OK, that’s not the result, it is a totally different app, but it is leagues above Joost in almost every way.

vSNAX lets you view a guide where you can easily see what is playing (they are not really playing, it is more like what is available, but it totally reminds you of a TV experience) on the tens of channels offered. The available channels include CBS, Discovery, VH1, Trailers, Comedy Central, Celebrity, Box Office News, and many more.

You can also navigate by choosing a specific channel and watching the clips continuously, or click on the Most Viewed tab and watch the popular videos. There are many other options available, such as highest rated and others. The interface is very intuitive and user friendly. The app responds fast and the videos are high quality.

The only down side that I can see right now is a few extra seconds to load up the videos, and the lack of some of the content available on Joost.

Another very cool feature is the ability to browse clips while you are watching a video. It shows up as a filmstrip on the bottom of the screen and using your finger (of course) you can smoothly navigate through the available videos on the selected channel or select a different channel.

vSNAX is a great app that blows its competition out of the water, although, it is not perfect, as it needs a little more content. The winner will be decided by whether Joost works out its issues or vSNAX signs more contracts. Whichever comes first will win this war.

The only huge drawback of this app is well known to the developers themselves. In fact, it is written on the vSNAX’s iTunes page.  “Warning; may cause obsessive daily SNAXing”.  I think that is an understatement, I have not watched so much stand up comedy in a long time.

-Hillel

Hi All,

A few days ago Hillel posted about the new Apple headphones, and we got many people responding to his blog post. One of the responses was a post by a gentleman named Brian. Here is his comment:

Author : Brian (IP: **********)
E-mail : ************@mac.com
URL    :
Whois  : ********
Comment:
Sorry, this is complete FUD.  Just as Roger noted above, check out the various other in-ear buds out there and you’ll find they are all above $79. Anything less than that is in another class of quality.

Why are you blaming Apple for this?  I guess the secret is out. Apple is working with vendors to price fix all ear bud systems, oh wait, they weren’t the first out with these….

Please, remove the bullseye from Apple and let’s get some real facts in here before you spread more FUD.

I am going to leave all comments regarding the content of the post aside and focus on who is posting. I believe the person who posted this comment is a representative of the Apple corporation. If you look at the IP address, it tracks back to Apple Inc.  If this is so, I am very disappointed with Brian’s unwillingness to tell us who he represents. It is truly unacceptable for Apple to be doing this.

Using tactics of Guerrilla marketing are often times necessary, but it needs to be done correctly:

Brian had some very big beginner’s mistakes:

1. Mask your freakin IP address! Come on everyone know that WordPress tracks your IP.

2. Don’t use terminology that only people from the industry use, like FUD .  The Average Joe has no idea what FUD means.

3. Only use Guerrilla marketing when necessary – we are just some guys writing a blog about interesting stuff we come across and we write how we feel about it. DUDE, we are not your make it or break it point. Thanks for taking interest in us but look elsewhere.

I hope you own up to your comment and provide an explanation. Again, this is not about the content of the blog post or the comment (which is quite nasty) but rather about Brian and who he represents.

-Aryeh

There  is a picture of an unknown Nokia touch screen device floating around the Web.  The picture is actually taken from a Nokia presentation given in Nokia’s Capital Markets Day 2008, so you know it’s not fake. The phone looks pretty awesome, and I am hoping Nokia is really taking its gloves off and getting in the ring with Apple. The N97 is nice, there is no doubt, and the addition of a full QWERTY is a blessed one, but in terms of hardware, it does not compare with the iPhone. Very few phones do.

However, this new phone, pictured below, does compete, and in my opinion, blows the iPhone out of the water. It also looks like it offers some pretty cool features. Sorry there is no more information available yet, but knowing Nokia and the way they work, there will be an announcement soon. I hope.

-Hillel

Just two quick updates that are apparently very big news in the cellular world. Walmart is officially going to be selling iPhones for Christmas and the unlocked G1 is now available for $399. I say apparently because I personally am not overly excited about either one of these developments.

Let’s start with the first one. Walmart is selling iPhones. Why is this big news? Walmart is the most popular retailer in the U.S and the iPhone is the most popular cellular device. So my only question is why did it take so long? Why is this a big piece of news? If the rumors were true and Walmart was going to offer a $99 iPhone, now that would be exciting.

On to the G1. Well, I was not overly excited about the HTC Dream from day one and this doesn’t change anything for me. I honestly would never consider buying the G1 in its current form factor. Maybe HTC and Google should put their thinking caps on and get things moving for the G2 and release it unlocked. Now that would be exciting.

Just to summarize, the only thing that would possibly make today’s news any more boring is if someone would release the news that Target is going to be selling RAZRs and that Motorola announced  a new phone.

-Hillel

Alright, before I start I just want to make it very clear that I care much about the environment and I try to recycle as much as I can. We just got a recycling bin near our house so I will start sending my bottles in, but I will NOT start recycling my elephant poo. Yes, that is correct a company called The Great Elephant Poo Paper has begun making products from elephant stool. I really couldn’t believe it when I saw the site, but its for real. You can buy a whole bunch of products from the site that is made out of recycled elephant crap. I just want to leave off my saying, “to each his own”

-Aryeh

By now, I am sure most of you have seen The Simpsons’ take on Apple and their products. If you haven’t, you can watch it here.

When I initially watched that episode of the Simpsons, I thought to myself, are Apple products really that exclusive and expensive? After all, the amazing iPhone is only $199, so what are they talking about? Well, I found myself an answer to that question when searching for a better pair of earphones for my iPod Touch. The ones they come with are just not what they should be for so many reasons, so I turned to Apple.com to see what else they offer.

Here is where I almost fell off my chair. A pair of in-ear headphones that have a simple mic and remote on the wire (the 2nd gen iPod Touch needs a mic to use apps like audio recorders and VOIP calling), will set me back, $80??!! OK that’s a little ridiculous if you ask me. I guess Lisa was right.

OK so Apple is a little exorbitant, but here is the catch, here is where Apple’s genius comes into the picture. These $80 earphones received amazing reviews from anyone and everyone who had a chance to review them. CNET, for example, concluded ” If you own a new iPod, the Apple In-Ear headphones are a great value. Owners of iPhones and older iPods will have to decide whether the mic and remote compatibility issues are worth overlooking for the substantial boost in sound quality”. So they charge a lot, but at least they back their prices up with great products.

The even bigger catch than these earphones being worthy of everyone’s praise, is the fact that even though the price is outrageous, I want them! Not only do I want them (I want that Bentley too), I am seriously considering purchasing them in the near future (let’s hope my wife doesn’t read this).
-Hillel

Not sure who this guy is, but he is funny. Listen to his take on technology.

-Aryeh