Leadpile’s Blog

Yet another way for your friends and family to have up-to-date notifications of your “who, what, when, where and why” ? Facebook announced Wednesday a new location-sharing program that will allow you to send updates letting you announce your location. Similar to the iPhone application Foursquare that has been previously the leading location-sharing site. Foursquare reached a membership level of 2 million users in July.

Privacy uses have already been brought to the table with FaceBook “Places” as it gives friends the option to tag others when they check in somewhere, posting the updated location for everyone tagged. There is a “yes” option allowing friends to tag you, however there is not a “no” option, only a “not now”.

Facebook has said that “this is not a service to broadcast your location at all time, but rather one to share where you are, who you are with, when you want to…It lets you find friends that are nearby and help you discover nearby places”. The “Here Now” feature will let anyone who has checked into a pace see who else has done the same.

Although there has been some controversy over the new iphone, Apple isn’t going to stop pushing out their products. Apple has new merchandise to offer their users, and many are already excited about the new options.
Starting at $69.00, Apple users will be able to purchase a trackpad that is designed to give the MacBook Pro touchpad experience. Also coming out next month is the new Apple Mac Pros desktop with quad-core and 6-core intel Xeon processors. These desktops will be selling a $2,499. The new iMac is going to be available starting at $1,999. Another product that will be available to consumers from Apple is a 27″ LED cinema display screen for $999 that is compatible with other Apple products. Many businesses such as Leadpile use Apple products and are anxious to continue use of the brand.

Microsoft is stepping up to the plate and creating a market for their new phone, the Microsoft Windows 7 Phone.

Although the last attempt to compete with the iphone failed when creating the KIN phone, senior vice president of mobile Andy Lee says,

“…We’re back with something very different and innovative.”.

The new Microsoft phone will feature a Find My Phone service that offers people a way to look on their computer and trace where their phone is if it becomes lost. It will also have a companion site for storing photos, contacts, etc.

As part of a plan for publicity, they will be distributing the new phone to their 87,000 workers for Microsoft. The new phone is set to launch around October or for the Holiday season. Leadpile

Today was the day the Apple junkies have been waiting for! The iPhone 4 was released for sale today in the U.S. , Tokyo, France, Germany, the U.K. and Japan. Thousands of consumers lined up outside of stores for hours to get their hands on the newest model. The iPhone which more than 600,000 people pre-ordered forced AT&T to stop taking orders for pick up or shipment by today and could not promise delivery until July 14th.

The iPhone 4 retails for $199 or $299 depending on the amount of storage on the phone.

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It seems that there is some controversy going on with the recent news that a potential Apple iPhone prototype was stolen from a California bar. The controversy started when photos of the stolen iPhone supposidly ended up on a blog. The question is, how exactly did this happen… Who forked over the recovered phone to this blogger? Should the blogger be protected to not have to disclose his source of how the lost phone ended up in his hands, or is he protected to not have to disclose his source?
NPR points out that the individual that got the phone turned over to him for a reported $5000 is now under investigation, but the question is….. should he be required to release his anonymous “source” of where the phone came from, or is he protected by the same rights as California journalists are? Your call!

Whether it was a plotted marketing scheme or a mistake that one Apple engineer will never be forgotten for, the newest model of the iPhone was left in a bar in California and sold to the tech site Gizmodo. The iPhone, which was not to be formally unveiled for a couple of months has now been dissected and photos posted by the technology news site. Over a million people visitors had made it to the site to view the iPhone just an hour after it had been posted.

Apple has not formally made any comments regarding the technology leak, however late Monday evening Gizmodo received a letter from Apple’s senior VP and general counsel requesting the phone be returned.

Every year, iPhone users anticipate the latest and greatest technology from Apple.  To date, AT&T has had the exclusive rights to the Apple iPhone, but is it possible this may be ending?  Loyal Verizon consumers are hopeful.  In the past few days, rumors have announced that the new iPhone could work on the CDMA network, which is used by Verizon Wireless.

Mass production of the CDMA iPhones could start in September 2010, however, some analysts forecast the release of an actual Verizon iPhone would be more likely in 2011.  Opening up the iPhone availability to Verizon, which has over 91 million customers, would greatly expand the iPhone market.  It is estimated that it would nearly double the number of iPhones in the U.S.  Those are numbers that Apple can’t ignore forever.

Just as you thought you had all of the gadgets that you needed, Apple comes up with something new! The iPad, which is a large version of the iPhone without phone capabilities, will be hitting the shelves in the US on April 3rd. The iPad was originally unveiled in Jan and expected to be on the market in March, but has been delayed now until April. The iPad is smaller than most laptops, but much larger than a cell phone. The device’s first version will only be able to connect to Wi-Fi networks, while the second will be able to connect to “3G” cell networks. Ranging in price from $499 – $829 depending on data storage size and version.
There are 12 specific new applications for the iPad, as well as it is able to run many of the apps already created for the iPhone. Apple’s Web site will allow you to place orders for the iPad starting March 12th!!

Apple seems to always be on top of being the most innovative company. With the touch screen iPhone being a huge success, it only makes sense that a touch screen computer was in the works. The new iPad is said to be able to access the internet faster than a regular laptop. This little gem is only about a half an inch thick and has a 9.7 inch touch screen. There is built in wi-fi with a flash memory (available in 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB), 3G wireless access, and is App accessible (which can be enlarged to fit the iPad). Let’s not forget about the hefty price tag that comes along with it, ranging from $499 – $829.
Whether it is the iPhone, Mac, or just and iPod, people seem to be Apple obsessed these days. Even here at LeadPile we are all on our iPhones and Mac computers to ensure that all of or work is being done in the most effective and efficient way. It is interesting how in a so called “struggling economy”, people always find a way to get the newest technology. I know that I will not be purchasing one of these iPad’s anytime soon, will you??

The US Postal Service has just launched an iPhone and ipod Touch application! In an effort to make it’s services more appealing to a younger demographic and attract more mobile web using consumers, the application features a GPS equipped post office locator, maps, directions, a Zip Code locator and provides the ability to track and confirm packages. The second edition of the application being created currently will include a rate calculator.
According to dmnews.com the USPS is planning to consolidate many bricks-and-mortar location due to a reported $3.8 billion net loss for 2009.

It seems like everyone thinks that the iPhone is the best invention that has happened to cell phones. Whether you just use it for talking and texting, or if you are someone who pretty much has it glued to your hand for work or play, the iPhone does it all. No matter how hard other companies try to copy all the unique features, they just can not seem to hit it on the nose…until now that is.
Google has just released their new Nexus One Phone. The Nexus phone has a very similar style to the iPhone, but it does have one improved feature that sets it apart. This new cell phone has the ability to run multiple applications at the same time. This is a huge advantage over the iPhone. There will be no need to close out of an application because a text comes in or trying to figure out which app you need to use first to make sure that you have everything ready for the next one that you need to go into.
The only real down side that can been seen in the phone is the fact that it is not a multi touch touch screen, meaning that you are not able to increase or decrease an image size just by a pinch of the fingers. This might not even be a downsize if you are someone who is accustom to using a Blackberry. So how much will this new little item set you back? About $179.99 with a contract from T-Mobile or $529.99 to purchase the phone by its self. Price wise, it is right at the same level as the iPhone, and even the Droid (which has been receiving both positive and negative buzz). It looks like there is finally some real competition for the iPhone.
The real questions is, will this be the next big phone or will the IPhone continue to remain on top?

With all the fancy phones that we all have, there are challenges that have come up for the wireless carriers. Unlike the internet, wireless carries are concerned about regulations being implemented that would allow users to freely go to any and every website(s) on their phones. They see this as a real issue because there are designated wireless towers in specific areas that are providing the wireless service for those in the area. If wireless carries are not able to manage traffic that their users can utilize, then certain “internet surfing” is going to ultimately affect those around them. For instance, there are certain websites/applications that are considered bandwidth “hogs”. This is not necessarily an issue when on the internet, however certain sites/applications are affecting the service of those around you because of the “hogs”. For this reason, wireless companies are wanting the traffic to be managed so you can not access certain websites or applications, because they do not want the others to feel the affects from this “internet surfing”.
So what is the best way to resolve this sort of issue? Should there be regulations put on wireless customers on what websites or applications they utilize on their cell phones? My concern is this is only the beginning of what our cell phones and internet are going to be able to do, so isn’t there a way to maybe increase wireless towers around our country to overcome this potential issue? If we are facing issues with not enough bandwidth for everyone to go to any website or use any application they want, then isn’t it just a matter of adding more service?