AT&T + iPhone = Free Wifi

Posted by Chris under Apple, Broadband, Mobile, Technology, Travel, iPhone

That’s right, recently announced by AT&T and shared across twitter and the web, free AT&T Wifi for iPhone users at AT&T WiFi hotspots. So beyond just Starbuck, including any of the public AT&T Wifi hotspots, you’ll get free Wifi on your iPhone, can you tell I’m excited.

As AT&T says

AT&T knows Wi-Fi is hot, and FREE Wi-Fi is even hotter. Which is why FREE AT&T Wi-Fi access is now available for Apple iPhone at thousands of hotspots nationwide, including Starbucks*. Users can relax and access music, email and web browsing services with their favorite blend in hand from the comfort of their nearest location. For information visit www.att.com/attwifi.

Enjoy the experience of mobile Internet on Apple iPhone. Your iPhone now has free AT&T Wi-Fi access at thousands of hotspots nationwide, including Starbucks*. Visit www.att.com/attwifi for more information or find a Starbucks location near you. That’s all you need to get going – so go ahead, see what your iPhone can do!

And it’s pretty darn easy to activate, instuctions via AT&T are below.

iPhone users, get started with Wi-Fi

• Activate Wi-Fi from the settings icon on your iPhone
• Select “attwifi” from the list of available networks
• Enter your 10-digit mobile number and check the box to agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. Tap ‘continue’
• You will receive a text message from AT&T with a secure link to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. You will not be charged for the text message.
• The SMS link will only be valid for 24 hours at the location it was requested. Another request must be submitted when using another hotspot location.
• Open the text message and tap on the link for 24-hour access to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot

His Master’s Voice

Posted by Chris under CNMS08, Google, Mobile, Technology, trends

Remember the days of calling 411 and hearing, “hello Operator” and before calling 411 cost from $1.25 and upwards? What about what I used to do in the early 90’s, calling the Chicago Public Library’s reference desk to answer questions that are now a click away on Google? Sure, I could have gone over there and done the research, but the librarians on the other end of the line were too happy to do it for me.

Well, there are a couple of newish tools and websites that  allow you to have much of the same functionality all at your voice or if needed, fingertips, all of which are free. Why are these important to look at? Well, just as I described a few weeks back how the iPhone is more computer then phone, services like these make any phone more computer-like.

There are three services that I’ve been using for a while, all of which allow you to use your voice for tasks. First is 1-800-GOOG-411, Google’s answer to 411. A simple call and I get not only the number I’m looking for, but I also get connected or can get a text message with the number and address. GOOG-411 has been a around for a bit, so chances are you have used it already; if not, however, give it a go.

I find that while I’m driving is when ideas, to-do’s or follow-up’s come to mind, but I can’t very well stop or keep driving safely and write them down. So that’s where Jott comes in. Just out of beta, Jott is still free for the ad-supported version and low cost for the pro version. What is Jott? Well, think voice-to-text but with actions associated with it.

After an initial set-up through the Jott website, and a confirmation text with your phone, you’re ready to go. A simple call to (866) JOTT-123 / (866) 568-8123 and you can record to-do lists, send emails or texts, add an appointment in outlook, post to twitter or your blog, and even get Amazon prices/results back. This list keeps growing each day.

And while Jott works with any phone, there are applications for the iPhone and Blackberry. With Jott’s iphone application, a tap to the screen and you can record a message and use a second tap to stop. These Jotts are transcribed to text notes and become available on-line or on the phone itself as part of the notes.

Next up is ChaCha, which for the back-to-school crowd is like a cheat sheet on your phone. By either texting CHACHA (242242), calling 1.800.2CHA.CHA or twitter @chacha any question you have, you’ll get an answer back from one of their guides. Yes, a human at the other end. Now some questions like weather or stock are automated when you text message, but I find that I use ChaCha when I’m in a hands-free situation for anything I might have looked up on Google.

And ChaCha is also the ultimate bar/party bet decider, as we found out one night at a ping pong night over at CrowdSPRING. Questions like “how long is the conveyor belt at at Wal-Mart distribution center” or “what’s the largest public building” were handled with ease by the ChaCha guides. -note I mention CrowdSPRING because as a reader of this blog and TalentZoo, they are worth checking out, and most recently presented at DEMO and CNMS08, but I’ll cover them in a future post.

From my usage, these three apps are harbingers of another form of change in how we access and use data. For example, with GOOG-411, why would I pay for a call to 411 or if GOOG-411 isn’t finding my info, why not try ChaCha? And if I can’t or shouldn’t (walking, driving) use my phone’s keyboard, why not let my voice do the work with Jott or ChaCha?

I think these three tools are just the start; there are others as well but it’s the tip of the iceberg in how we now and will access data and information. Call it part convergence or part device specialty–either way, jump in and try them out, because there will be more to come.

Roaming with your iphone, better have lots of cash!

Posted by Chris under Apple, Mobile, Technology, Travel, iPhone

So I’m getting ready for a trip to Canada, which according to AT&T, may be our northern neighbor but your phone and data plan is US only. Which means get ready for some extra $$, especially around data usage.

Now I’m well used to paying high costs when traveling internationally for mobile phone calls. Of course paying for an international plan can lower the rate slightly or going full native and getting local pay as you go sim/phone can be one way to go. Or at the other end use Skype or tools like that for free skype to skype calls.

But it’s the data that will really get you. After all in my article on TalentZoo.com I wrote about how the iPhone was more computer then phone and I still stand by that.

So first a BIG thanks to AT&T for calling attention to the issue and for Felix Salmon over at Portfolio.com for pointing out even more.

International data roaming can get expensive quickly. In two weeks I’ve pushed almost 100MB to/from my iphone, which if I was international would be about a $2000 bill (based on pay-per-use international data rates of $.0195/KB). Or breaking it down a bit more uploading one photo to Flickr would be about $20-30. OUCH!

What can you do to minimize your international data charges? Here’s where AT&T is very helpful.

1) Turn Data Roaming “OFF”: Be sure to download and install the latest version of iPhone software (version 2.0) from iTunes. By default, this setting for international data roaming will be in the “OFF” position.

To turn data roaming “ON/OFF” tap on: Settings>General>Network>Data Roaming

2) Utilize Wi-Fi instead of GPRS/EDGE/3G: Wi-Fi is available in many international airports, hotels and restaurants to browse the web or check email.

Turn Off Your Phone’s “Auto-Check” Function for Email: Data usage from email can accrue quickly. Check email manually using Wi-Fi instead of having email downloaded automatically to your iPhone. This way you can control the flow of data coming to your iPhone.

To turn off the Auto-Check functionality tap on: Settings>Fetch New Data and select manually

3) Consider Purchasing an International Data Package: Purchasing an international data package can significantly reduce the cost of using data abroad. AT&T now offers two discount international data packages.

$24.99 per month - 20 MB Data Global Plan (20 MB of usage in over 65 countries*. Overage is $.005/KB)

$59.99 per month - 50 MB Data Global Plan (50 MB of usage in over 65 countries*. Overage is $.005/KB)

*for a list of countries visit att.com/dataconnectglobal for current information

Reading Felix’s article he points out the issues of the Data Global Plan, one being that you have to keep it for multiple billing cycle. Otherwise if you cancel it upon your return and the charges haven’t come in yet you be charged the non-plan rate. -note my call to AT&T did confirm this as well but they also said there is no termination charge for the plan you can keep it as long/short as you like. They also did, to their credit, point out the same point that Felix made.

So what am I going to do? Well the plan is to get the 20MB plan so at least if I really need to use things like Google Maps (as in help I’ve wondered off and am lost) I won’t feel like my $ are flying away. But this is for “emergency” use only I’ll plan to use WiFi as much as I can.

I’ll let you know when I return how that all worked out. Oh and one last note I’ll be resetting the Usage Tracker to Zero when the plane touches down (in the general settings menu & select reset statistics.) This way I’ll rally know how much data usage I use. Unfortunately it doesn’t differentiate between WiFi and 3G/Edge.

Lastly, no comment on how crazy this feels having to plan my data usage, so much for the ubiqutous internet, I guess that’s just for the well heeled vertu crowd.

Crowdsourcing a trend or…

Posted by Chris under Community, Mobile, Search Engines, Social Networking

Maybe because I’ve been reading a few books, posts, articles, etc. on crowdsourchign lately but it seems we’re at another lift in the plateau of crowdsourcing.

I know it’s been out for a while but ChaCha has really caught my eye lately and more from the guide vs. the user. Sure I could just look up the stuff myself on google but why if I can have someone else do it for me. And this brings me to the guide.

It’s a very interesting model of crowdsourcing for $.20 an answer I can spend, as they say “15 minuets or 15 hours” answering questions that come in. Kind of intersting for say someone who has a few hours to in which they are otherwise not engaged. Or a retiree who can’t get out to work easily but has their computer right there, well I could go on but you get the idea.

Sort of plays right into other activities that ordinary citizens can do at the leisure of their computer, but in this case get paid for it.

I think it’s a trend to watch both in crowdsourcing and tapping into a market that may not be reached through help wanted ads but are imminently employable none-the-less.

yellowpages.com optimized for iPhone

Posted by Chris under Apple, Browsers, Mobile, Safari, Search Engines, Technology, iPhone

That’s right, why pay the $.99 for the application when yellow pages has been optimized for the iphone. Not on an iPhone check it out here.

Otherwise open that Safari browser on your iPhone, go to www.yellowpages.com and the click on the +, select “add to home screen” (can do this for any web page) and you’ve got your quick link right to it.

IDEA: Design Award Winners, 2008

Posted by Chris under Community, Fashion, Mobile, Technology

The Best Global Design of 2008

Business week has fantastic coverage of the IDEA 2008 design award winners

Thumbnails lead you to large photos and descriptions of the products, where inspiration is just waiting for you. Great design at it’s best.

For the full, story click here, excerpt from Business Week below:

The globalization of design achievement is evident in the 2008 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEAs). Europe is surging, with its corporations, consultancies, and schools winning substantial numbers of awards. Asia is rising fast, with Japan back in force, joining China and Korea. And, for the first time, Latin America is making a strong impact. While the U.S. held first place, taking 114 IDEAs, Korea came in second, with 19, and Brazil ranked third, with 12. Run independently by the Industrial Designers Society of America and sponsored by BusinessWeek, the contest features 17 categories ranging from computer equipment to entertainment, and from design strategy to student design.

The second big trend in 2008 was the return to minimalism and elegance. Apple’s (AAPL) gold-winning MacBook Air laptop and iPhone best represented this trend. So did the silver-winning Whirlpool (WHR) Duet front-loading washing machine. Other winners were not beautiful but simply sensible. The Flip video camera by New York’s Smart Design and Pure Digital Technologies is a pocket-size, easy-to-use videocam that employs no cables or complex software.

Tap Tap Revenge and iPint - iPhone fun

Posted by Chris under Advertising, Apple, Mobile, Social Networking, Technology, iPhone

Tap Tap Revenge, a Guitar Hero-like game for the iPhone where the user taps colored dots in time with the beat of a song, is surging up the iPhone App Store rankings despite having launched a few days after most of the original apps.

It’s like Hansel of Zoolander, “so hot” and in the two player mode it’s beyond mildly addictive.

Oh did I mention it’s now the #1 unpaid app on iTunes

Also worth a check out iPint, from beer maker Carling, it’s a fun game and since we’re in the biz it’s worth a look for a nice unobtrusive form of advertising. And when you “win” each level you share a pint, yep your screen fills up and as you tip the phone (remember the accelorometer) the beer is drained. A great great example of a fun game, built from the brand connection and taking full advantage of the iPhone features.

Don’t have an iPhone well watch their video here and you’ll get the picture

What’s on my iPhone

Posted by Chris under Apple, Mobile, Technology, iPhone

Here’s the latest list of what’s rolling on my iPhone.

Remote, v1.0
Pandora Radio, v1.0
Google Mobile App, v0.1.337
Light, v1
Local Picks by TripAdvisor
Facebook, v1.0
WeatherBug, v1.0,
Pownce, v0.01
AOL Radio, v1.0
NYTimes, v1.01
Jott for iPhone, v1.01
Evernote, v1.0
Yelp, v1.0
WHERE, v1.0
Tap Tap Revenge, v1.0
iPint, v1.0
Tips, v1.0
Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, v0.7.4
NetNewsWire, v1.0
Evernote
Loopt, v1.0
AIM, v1.0
SmugShot, v1.0.0
ShoZu – Share. Blog. Connect., v4.1.18
Twitterrific Premium, v1.0

What am I missing out on, any reccomendations?

Worth it’s Weight in well… awesome

Posted by Chris under Fashion, Mobile, Social Networking, Technology, trends

A big shout out for Oliver Tse, planner/cultural anthropologist/cool hunter at Element 79. His Blog Worth it’s Weight in Awesome or know around the office as WiWiA, is a great collection of as he says “Awesome things happening now”

I’d recommend putting it in your bookmarks.

Got one! iPhone 3g that is

Posted by Chris under Apple, Mobile, iPhone

Friday
Oak Brook mall Apple Store 6:45AM, looked like well over 300 people in line. Decided to come back on the weekend

Sunday
Oak Brook Mall Apple Store 9:45am (store opens at 11), long line but probably only about 150. Three hours later they are out of 16GB Black. One hour later, very low on 8GB black. Now it’s 3:15, woohoo next in line. Sign us up for two white 16GB iPhones (wife and me), 20 min later, walking out

Rest of night spent downloading apps, recommend you do this through itunes on your computer for now, and playing around.

Yes it was worth the wait. ohh and we were one of only a few people who brought chairs, smart us.