:: SECURE DATA STORAGEI recently discovered something interesting. Checking out Aio Wireless, I discovered I could add data-only service to an old iPhone for as low as $15 per month all-in and no contract.
Aio Wireless is the new LTE pre-paid service from AT&T. It's not listed anywhere that it's run by and uses the AT&T network, but this is mentioned in press releases about the service. They offer both recurring and single month services.
Aio Wireless offers a set limit 250MB tablet rate for just $15/month. With additional GB available to add for $10/month. Not a bad deal. To use the Aio service a SIM card will need to be ordered from the site for $9.99 (make sure to order the correct size for the phone or tablet to use). In my test it got to me in just a day.
Once the account is set up and the SIM is registered for the $15/month tablet plan, the SIM will then work in any iOS device that is unlocked and compatible with the AT&T network. Even an iPhone. Voice and SMS won't work, and don't expect it to since this is just a data service. But iMessage will work as well as any other feature that uses the data connection.
The downside, and it's not a big one, is that the service provided for pre-paid cell phone services like this is never first-tier. Meaning it isn't prioritized on the host network like contract services. Aio Wireless specifies that the LTE service is capped at 8MB. Still a great speed, but well below the 30-40Mbps I have seen on AT&T LTE. So data rates will be slower, but still very usable. Especially considering the price.
I'm guessing this little loophole will be closed eventually, but until then it's a great way to give access to an old iPhone or iPad for an extra device for a relative, to use as a hotspot, or to have a device on another network.
Roambi Analytics has always been about data presentation, but with Apple's new iOS design it was time to change things up a bit. Visually, I mean. The new update, which will be available on September 24, adjusts the interface and overall look of the app to be more in-line with iOS 7's style with an emphasis on lighter colors. It's also adding something called the "Roambi Card View," which claims to have perfected the mobile dashboard.
It's the same handy data-analysis app that it's always been (plus a card view), just but now it's dressed up to match the new operating system. And I have to say it's looking mighty nice!
Other apps work with people while they’re sleeping. There are even accessories like the Jawbone UP that keeps track of sleep phases and sleep time. Dream:On also monitors users’ sleep patterns but uses that information to sense when users are dreaming. While we’re dreaming, the app starts to play a “soundscape.” That soundtrack playing during users’ dreams are meant to induce a dream selected by the sleeper before he or she went to sleep.
There are only two soundscapes available for dreamers to pick from for free. Additional soundscapes are available as in-app purchases for about $1.10 each. Recording experiences with the dream will also help the app change to work better in the future. There are also sharing options like tagging Facebook friends that were in a dream.
It’s also important to realize that this app is an ongoing experiment. Data obtained by Dream:On is sent anonymously to aid in an experiment by psychologist, Richard Wiseman, at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. Wiseman hopes that by using the app and data from thousands of participants, our understanding of the science of dreaming will grow.
[via The Next Web ]
The new update allows users to stream songs at 320kbps. which doubles the high quality option (160kbps) and utterly destroys standard quality (96kbps). The only downside is that if you're planning to use the maximum available quality then you'd best either be connected to a Wifi network at all times or packing an unlimited data plan that isn't likely to get throttled. Still, power users with access to copious amounts of data will likely be thrilled at the prospect of never being without Spotify's 15 million tracks, now available in a higher quality than what even iTunes has to offer.
Hueristic Media has chronicled 100 different bikes throughout history. Some of which have had a profound impact on the way we get around on two wheels and others that... well, that are just plain weird. Each model's image can be rotated a full 360-degrees and zoomed in up to 20 times via finger movements (naturally). The added touch of being able to fold-up the folding bikes via swiping is also pretty cool.
In addition to all the images and descriptions, the app includes well over 300 additional photographs (courtesy of Bernhard Angerer), more than 200 pages of brochures and manuals, and even archival video clips. There's a ton of historical information within these virtual pages. More than enough to make bike fans happy, anyway. And said bike fans can check out Cyclepedia for their iPads right now for $9.99.
Read all of this need-to-know info on 148Apps.com.
Meanwhile, on sister site GiggleApps, Amy Solomon reviewed an app sure to help your child become more adept with the alphabet, while also cultivating them into kiddie foodies. Solomon says that ABC Food is, "the latest and possibly greatest app from Peapod Labs’s series of ABC apps focused on both letter recognition as well as teaching about a specific topic, be it animals, music, modes of transportation or sports and includes the use of beautifully detailed photographs, videos from Youtube and sometimes fun facts as well. ABC Food includes a new feature to this series as this app contains fun interactions for each food highlighted within this application."
Read the full review with a quick click over to GiggleApps.
Data was the name of the game on 148Apps.biz. Rob LeFebvre writes that, "App search company Xylogic has released 220 app download reports from 29 different countries in order to provide partners with a huge amount of data to be used in decision making process across app publishers, developers and the like. The data is sortable across countries and mobile app platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows Phone."
Read what all of this data could mean for you on 148Apps.biz.
That's the long and short of it for this week. Keep watching our Twitter and Facebook feeds for lots of news, updates and contests. See you next week, crimefighters!
:: WORTH IT
:: PRACTICAL
This confirms that AT&T iPhone users will finally be getting tethering, nearly a year after the rest of the world got it. The cost will be an additional $20/month -- and there's a catch.
The two new data plans announced are DataPlus and DataPro. The DataPlus plan will give you 200 MB of data for $15/month. For the majority of users, this should be your new plan of choice. AT&T notes that 65% of their data plan users don't go over 200 MB/month. If you go over the 200MB, you'll automatically be billed another $15 for 200MB extra.
The DataPro plan gives you a cap of 2GB of data for $25 / month. While it's cheaper than the unlimited plan by $5/month, there is a cap. AT&T notes that if you go over that 2GB, you will automatically be billed $10 for an additional 1GB of data for your current month. On their new dataplans info page they mention that 98% of their data plan customers don't go over 2GB per month.
Tethering will only be an option for customers that switch to the new DataPro plan. If you are a current AT&T customer and have the unlimited plan for $30/month, you can keep it. But you can not add tethering to that plan. New customers will not be able to choose the unlimited data plan.
While I really like the new data plans, I like that all iPhone users will no longer be forced to pay $30/month for data, I don't like the extra charges for tethering.
I think charging extra for tethering in this new format is a very anti-consumer move. By re-formatting the data plans, AT&T now makes it explicit that you are paying for a set amount of data. Data is therefore a commodity. How you use the amount of data you purchase should no longer matter. In an unlimited plan it's understandable that a provider would want to charge more since you are now connecting multiple devices to the data plan and theoretically using much more data. But if you are buying a set amount of data, you should be able to use it on as many devices and in any way you wish.
As usual, AT&T has taken a small step forward and a huge step back. They are sticking with the bull headed mentality of a 100 year old utility company. But, for US customers it's still our only option.
Now, let's discuss the coincidence of the data plans going into effect on the day the next iPhone is expected to be announced....
[photo credit: Flickr user Eddie-S]
In the run up to the iPad launch, many touted Verizon as a shoe-in to become the next iPhone carrier alongside AT&T as well as to provide data services for the iPad. This never happened.
Although his claims appear unsubstantiated, Marshall, who currently works for BroadPoint AMTech, believes that AT&T, in a desperate bid to hold on to the lucrative iPhone carrier rights, made some serious sacrifices in providing a hugely discounted data contract for iPad owners.
Consumers questioned the need for another 3G contract alongside their iPhone when the iPad was announced with many pundits claiming that the price of the service would be key to Apple’s strategy. By granting an additional six months to AT&T’s exclusivity, it appears Apple was able to meet this target.
AT&T currently offers two data plans for the iPad 3G, one for $14.99 per month for up to 250MB and another at $29.99 for unlimited data. Neither package requires the user to sign a contract and both include free access to AT& Wi-Fi hotspots. By comparison to the competition, this is a very reasonable deal for iPad users and one that will surely have come at a cost to AT&T, which has struggled with wireless data loads since the iPhone was launched.
By contrast to the US, Europe has multiple carriers for the iPhone that are currently fighting to offer data plans for the iPad when it is released this summer.
AT&T’s network has long been criticized for a number of failings including dropped calls and poor coverage, notably so during a very public spat between the company and Verizon. Verizon launched a stinging ad campaign comparing its 3G coverage to AT&T’s while also aping Apple’s iPhone ads with the slogan “There’s a map for that” resulting in a legal back and forth between both companies. In response to AT&T’s suit that claimed the ads mislead the public, Verizon simply commented “the truth hurts”.
Verizon has reportedly conveyed to Apple its desire to carry the iPhone but, at present, it seems they can’t offer the right goods to seal the deal. Not even, it appears, the offer of a better network.
via Computerworld
:: BASIC SECURITY
:: EXCEPTIONALLY USEFUL
Firemint Games, the developers of the 148Apps five star rated game Flight Control, have just released their sales figures for the app while it held the #1 spot in the iTunes App Store. The period covered stretches from March 24th to April 25th 2009, which is a sizable amount of time for an app to hold that position.
Here's some of the information from the report:
