CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-23 16:35:35 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 7 +1s)

WWDC is coming, which means so is a new version of iOS. Here the features I most want to see added.

http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2013/05/7-features-i-want-in-ios-7/

2013-05-07 15:25:23 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Having a knee-jerk reaction to subscription software? Hey, paying monthly for Photoshop may actually be good for you. 

http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2013/05/paying-monthly-for-photoshop-may-be-good-for-you/

2013-05-02 15:24:59 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

I've been pretty happy going cable-TV-free . . . until last night's Rockets vs. Thunder playoff game. But is the Rockets' playoff run worth going back to paying $1600 a year?

Also, very cool: Using Google Now on iOS to keep up with the game while I was doing my Technology Bytes radio show.

2013-04-17 14:50:53 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Could Microsoft be about to change its mind and allow users to restore the Start button and boot-to-desktop in Windows 8.1, a.k.a. Blue? Signs point to: Maybe.

If you've been avoiding Win8 because of its new interface, would this make you more interested in it?

2013-04-03 15:40:43 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

So Google has changed how it tracks versions of Android. Instead of using device check-ins to Google servers, it now tracks deliberate visits to the Play Store. Does this make the numbers less valid?

And a question for Android device owners: How often do you visit the Play Store each month, either to download something new or update an app?

2013-04-01 13:45:57 (14 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

I'm on the verge of giving up my cable TV service and getting all my TV content via the Internet. It may be a bit of a hassle cobbling everything together, but it will be worth it: well under $300 a year vs. more than $1,600 a year.

2013-03-06 18:56:45 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

Office users were pretty upset when Microsoft changed the licensing so the software couldn't be transfered to a new PC. Now, the company has reversed itself.

2013-02-28 14:43:21 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

I hear several times a year from people who've been hit with this scam: someone calls on the phone to warn you that your PC is infected. They want money to clean it up. 

Here's a peek inside such a scam, via Fred Langa at Windows Secrets.

2013-02-18 19:21:06 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

I really like Microsoft's Surface Pro, so long as I'm using it as a notebook PC. As a tablet? Not so much . . . 

http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2013/02/in-praise-of-microsofts-surface-pro-as-a-notebook-pc/

2013-02-12 14:41:26 (10 comments, 4 reshares, 13 +1s)

I used to be irritated with pokey Prius drivers. Then my wife bought one. Now, I AM a pokey Prius driver, and here's why.

http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2013/02/heres-why-prius-owners-drive-like-that/

2012-12-06 16:32:52 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a detailed intervew with Bloomberg Businessweek, describes a former workplace where employees couldn't be bothered to check out new products set up in building lobbies. Is he describing his previous employer, Houston's Compaq Computer Corp.?

2012-12-03 16:14:01 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 7 +1s)

When folks ask me about giving a smartphone as a gift, I usually have one-word advice: Don't. 

But if you must, here's what you need to think about.

2012-11-27 16:40:50 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 6 +1s)

The tech-savvy among us know better than to discard a cell phone without first wiping it clean. The less savvy? Their personal information ends up in a book.

Oh, and if you live in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land and recently discarded a Razr flip phone? You may want to read this . . .

2012-11-19 14:33:08 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Since I wrote back in September that I'd decided to stick with iPhone and AT&T (was considering a switch to Android & Verizon), a LOT of people have asked if I've been happy with those decisions. For the most part, yes.

But there are some caveats.

2012-11-12 14:37:51 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

If you've been one of Apple's newest stores, such as the one in Highland Village here in Houston, you know that they can be unbearably LOUD. There's evidence the company may be considering changes to fix that.

2012-11-05 14:30:09 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Microsoft's Surface tablet makes a great first impression, but as you use it, its flaws become more clear.

I was tempted to say "...it's all downhill from there", but that's a little harsh. This is a good first step for Microsoft, but I'd advise waiting for version 2.0, or waiting for the Windows 8 Pro version, due in a few months.

2012-10-24 19:29:47 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

http://storify.com/dsilverman/will-you-get-an-ipad-mini-is-it-to-expensive

2012-10-10 13:43:51 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

I wanted to go to a Toyota dealer, but Apple's Map app sent me to a uniform and apparel business instead.

Yelp's partly to blame.

2012-10-05 19:45:22 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Best Steve Jobs death anniversary story award goes to +Jacqui Cheng at +Ars Technica 

I've read as many as I had time for today, and this is great. Thoughtful, balanced, many people quoted. Excellent work.

2012-09-27 02:45:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Panorama in the studio during Technology Bytes.

2012-09-22 14:32:27 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Here's my first-looks review of the iPhone 5. The double speed, bigger screen and LTE support make this a great smartphone experience.

And seriously, if you're a smartphone user - regardless of platform - you want LTE. Trust me on this.

2012-09-17 16:08:44 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Been obsessively checking the order status page on that iPhone 5 you pre-ordered on Friday, but not seeing the status change? Your Beloved may have shipped anyway. 

Here's how to check.

http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2012/09/your-iphone-5-may-already-have-shipped-heres-how-to-tell/

2012-09-14 21:16:26 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

I finally decided which carrier to go with just a few hours before I ordered the iPhone 5 ... but it wasn't actually the carrier I WANTED to pick. 

2012-09-13 20:41:25 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Since late July, I've been agonizing about whether to switch from an iPhone to an Android device, probably a Galaxy S III. On Wednesday, I made up my mind. Agony over.

2012-09-13 21:54:51 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 2 +1s)

AT&T customers in Houston are reporting serious connection issues with the carrier's LTE network during workday hours. It seems to be fine late at night and early in the morning, but about when folks start heading to work, the network becomes almost unusable. 

Is anyone seeing this pattern in other cities with AT&T LTE?

An update: AT&T says this issue has been resolved in Houston. How 'bout, Houston AT&T LTE customers? Everything aces?

2012-09-06 15:30:26 (19 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

If you're an Android user and you're not outraged over Google's Motorola not putting Jelly Bean on its new, otherwise state-of-the-art Razr HD phones, you should be.

2012-09-04 22:51:01 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

2012-08-23 14:57:22 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Oh look! Microsoft has a new logo! 

What do you think? Simply elegant? Or simply boring?

2012-08-21 15:33:29 (16 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

A while back I wrote about my deliberations on possibly switching from an iPhone to an Android smartphone. Today, I did the math on the cost of doing this. The numbers favor Android for higher-capacity phones.

2012-08-11 15:09:23 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

Here's a rare commercial for the original Macintosh that Chiat-Day made in the fall of 1983 , featuring snippets from interviews of the design team.  It never aired because Apple deemed it too self-congratulatory, although it was used in some promotional materials sent to dealers.

2012-08-07 13:41:41 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 4 +1s)

The hacking of Mat Honan is one of the most frightening tales I've read in a long time. Apple and Amazon need to batten down their hatches, ASAP.

2012-08-06 13:43:25 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

It's a long, complicated tale. But bear with it, and you may find yourself nodding in agreement, particularly if you're at AT&T customer.

2012-07-31 21:18:27 (0 comments, 7 reshares, 5 +1s)

2012-07-31 17:56:10 (20 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

It's true. I'm seriously considering switching from iOS to Android. I'm waiting to see what the next iPhone looks like, and maybe that could come as early as Sept. 12 (according to the latest rumors du jour), but I could soon be a former iPhone user. 

2012-07-01 14:36:52 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

+Marco Arment says on Twitter that, after using a MacBook Pro with retina display, he hates his 30" desktop monitor.

Interesting. I've got a review unit and, while the screen is excellent, I don't find that screens with lower ppi bother me. I've got a 13" MacBook Pro from 2009 and its display is just fine. 

Are other users of the MBP/retina finding they can't go back? 

2012-06-22 17:40:20 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I love smartphone & tablet cases, so I thought I'd ask the readers of TechBlog what they use. I'll use their answers to put together a photo gallery of cases next week. So far, there's a nice list forming in there.

How do your protect your digitalia?

http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2012/06/ask-techblog-what-case-do-you-use-to-protect-your-mobile-device/

2012-06-20 15:11:30 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

For years, Microsoft begged its hardware partners not to junk up their PCs with crapware. Those OEMs ignored those pleas. Now, Microsoft is competing against them with PC hardware in the Surface tablet.

Can you blame Microsoft? I certainly can't.

2012-05-22 22:43:24 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

In which Michael Wolff at Technology Review plays the role of Cassandra.

An excellent read. And very similar to the kinds of things I read just before the dotcom bust.

2012-05-22 13:37:44 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Microsoft is doing away with Aero Glass - the transluent border/title bar effect in Windows 7 and Vista - on the desktop component of Windows 8. It's doing this to unify the experience with the Metro UI side of the OS. If Microsoft implements this without allowing for an optional Aero Glass theme, I think it's making a big mistake.

2012-05-21 13:20:59 (12 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

According to at least one metric, Chrome has passed Internet Explorer to become the top browser in the world.

But the numbers from StatCounter look very different when focused on North America and the U.S. There, IE keeps a comfortable lead.

Which browser are you using right now?

2012-05-15 14:00:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Most folks probably don't have a problem with Apple disabling older Flash plug-ins within Safari with the latest version of its browser. But did you know that the update also disables older Flash players in Firefox as well?

And for the player to be disabled, it must be really, really old, leaving a lot of copies out there on Macs that remain chock-full of vulnerabilities.

If you installed the latest Safari for Mac and it didn't disable Flash and prompt you to update it, don't presume you're protected . . . even if you're using Firefox. (Chrome includes the latest version of Flash, so it's not an issue here.)

2012-05-11 13:27:22 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

This is just wonderful. Read it out loud, with feeling, for best results.

2012-04-26 17:22:52 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

My print column is being discontinued so I can focus more on social media for +Houston Chronicle. However, TechBlog lives on.

2012-04-17 13:32:45 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

With Windows 7, there were six versions, but only three you had to pay attention to. Now, with Windows 8, you'll have to pay attention to 3 of 4 ... and one of them, you can't buy on its own. Got that?

Oh, and one version is called Windows RT, which does not stand for Windows Retweet. But it should.

Windows RT runs only on ARM-based processors, and it won't run legacy, x86 desktop apps. So much for Microsoft's whole "no compromises" message ...

2012-04-09 13:39:17 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Late in March I reviewed a new iPad case, only it turns out it wasn't actually the case I'd ordered. I've now got the right case, and oh yes, it's a keeper.

2012-04-06 14:00:18 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Hardware manufacturers are catching on that toeing Google's Android line may not be in their best interests. Open source, after all, means "open".

The Kindle Fire is a wake-up call.

2012-03-29 14:02:36 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

What do loyal AT&T customers really want?

Probably just not to be throttled.

2012-03-28 13:38:17 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I never much liked Apple's Smart Cover for the iPad. The fact that it doesn't protect the back strikes me as not-so-Smart.

But this case from MiniSuit provides full protection, retains the iPad's slim profile and still has an open-to-wake cover. And, it's a steal at $20 from Amazon.

2012-03-27 13:40:05 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

The arrival of a retina display for iPad has sparked a debate about whether the Web should serve graphics that support it. But this means a slower and potentially more expensive Web.

2012-03-15 16:02:26 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I'm doing a training session for our staff today on increasing Twitter follower counts. I presume most of you here are also on Twitter, but the question is appropriate for Google+ as well:

Why do you follow journalists in social media? What do you want to see from them? What inspires you to click that "Follow" button on Twitter, or add a journalist to a Google+ circle?

I'll show your answers to those attending my session today. Thanks!