Tech Archives - SheenOnline

June 7, 2011February 18, 2017

Gingerbread a Double-Edged Sword for HTC Evo. No More Netflix.

Excited about Gingerbread?! Loving the fact that you can stream Netflix?! Well, too bad you can’t have both on your Evo. The latest update to the Evo, which includes Gingerbread, apparently renders the device incompatible with the Netflix service. Netflix has even removed the device from its supported list. But you can get netflix in other countries just click here to see how to get american netflix.

Having this service available on Android is great, but it has also been a great disappointment for Android users. The fact that it is only compatible with a few devices is definitely a big issue in and of itself, but it seems like OS updates might be bringing issues as well. One does wonder if this problem will rise up every time a device receives an update. What do you guys think? EVO users, are you upset about this?

Am I upset? Nope. I’ve been running Gingerbread for quite a while using CyanogenMod 7. Rooting was painless and CyanogenMod with Gingerbread is a beautiful thing. Reminds me why I love using Android: Control. Not being controlled by a wireless carrier or a hardware manufacturer, but the ability to control my device and do whatever-the-hell I want with it.

via Android and Me

May 23, 2011May 26, 2011

Amazing Danger Mouse, Jack White, Norah Jones HTML5 Experience

If a web page calls itself an “experience” and requires Chrome Canary, the “cutting-edge experimental version of Google Chrome,” it’s gotta be awesome…RIGHT?! Check out the behind-the-scenes video below, download Canary, and check out the experiment.

“3 Dreams of Black” is Chris Milk’s new interactive film, created in WebGL with Google for Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi’s ROME, featuring Jack White & Norah Jones. The project is a Chrome Experiment which pushes the boundaries of HTML5 and showcases the potential of video on on modern browsers. Watch the “Creation Of” video:

via hypebot.

May 21, 2011June 24, 2011

Google’s Movie Rentals for Android Blocked for Rooted Devices

That fancy new movie rental section on the Android Market? You can’t use it if you have rooted your device. Kinda sucks and I can understand why many rooters would be upset, but I think Android Central goes a bit overboard here:

So now people who root their phones, whether to get rid of the crap “open” that’s forced down their throats, or to have a current version of Android, are punished and lumped in with folks who steal movies. Nice move, Google. That makes me want to buy more of your products and use more of your services, so I can be treated like a criminal just because I’m smart enough to get rid of CityID, or want a safe version of Android on my phone.

There is one important point we have to remember here: Google did not create these movies. In order for Google to distribute them, they need permission from the movie industry. We’ve already learned from the Netflix launch on Android that this industry forces those distributing their content to be very careful. This is one of the reasons Netflix isn’t available on all handsets yet.

Let’s also take a peak at the new Google Music and Amazon Cloud Player services. Both operate as simple cloud storage lockers which just so happen to be geared towards playing music. Without the music industry behind it, you are forced to simply upload all your junk instead of having these services recognize and match your library as Lala has done in the past. More than likely, Apple’s cloud-based music service will have this ability. Remember? Apple bought Lala and later shut it down.

Let’s not go blaming Google and try to realize that, without these restrictions, there probably wouldn’t be any movies at all for any Androids.

May 19, 2011May 19, 2011

How to Import Foursquare Check-ins Into Google Places

If you’re reading this, I must assume you’re some type of techy. Who else would bother with Google Places? Facebook and Foursquare have that location check-in thing on lock. At any rate, Google just announced the ability to import any RSS feed that includes location data and I’m going to show you how to do so with Foursquare.

Google Places just announced a new feature that lets you import the places you’ve checked-in to on Foursquare into Google to rate and review. It’s as simple as finding the feed from your Foursquare profile, copying its link and pasting it into the search box in Places. It’s really easy! via ReadWriteWeb

Well, it’s not that hard, but if you haven’t a clue about RSS and all that jazz, I don’t think “really easy” covers it. Especially not with an exclamation point (Marshall, you’re still my dude).

The first thing you want to do is grab your Foursquare RSS feed. For your privacy, these feeds are available using private token URLs. This means you have to be logged into Foursquare to even see them.

Login to Foursquare.
Go to Foursquare.com/feeds.
Copy the link to the RSS feed for your check-in history (right-click on PC, control-click on Mac).
Fire up Google Places.
Paste the URL you just grabbed from Foursquare into the search box and hit Search button.

Now, this will pull in some of your recent check-ins and give you the option to rate them. Here is where things get a little funky. You’re only going to get the last 10 or 20 check-ins, not much if you actually use Foursquare.

To increase the number of results you see, you have to add a parameter to the end of the URL. Try adding “?count=1000” to the end (no spaces) before you hit Search and you should see more results as you hit Load More at the bottom of the page.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Google Places is all about Ratings. If you don’t actually go through and rate the places that show up from Foursquare, you haven’t actually imported them into Google Places.

Again, if all you do is paste the feed from Foursquare and hit Search, you haven’t imported any info into Google Places. You must go through and rate the places you’ve been.

via Google Places Now Imports Your Foursquare Check-Ins.

May 19, 2011May 19, 2011

Are Google And Amazon’s Cloud Music Services Dead in the Water?

Google Music

As you may have noticed, Amazon and Google have both launched cloud music services. These work as storage lockers, where you can upload music from your computer and play that music, streamed directly from the cloud, to just about any computer or mobile device.

iTunes Dominates

Apple’s iTunes, the king when it comes to buying music online, has been rumored to be launching a similar service. The main difference being that Apple will launch with support from record labels while Amazon and Google are going it alone.

Why is this important?

It all comes down to how you get started on these services. With Amazon and Google, you have to upload all of your music to the cloud. As I can personally attest, this takes for-freaking-ever even for a modest amount of music.

It’s hard to overstate how critical this is. Right now, Amazon makes you upload your own library for any song you haven’t purchased from them since their service launched those you purchase from them can automatically be added to your locker. Google doesn’t even have a music purchase option at all yet, so you have to upload music.

As Jason and I talked about on OMG/JK this week, that means hours or days of uploading — that’s what he had to go through. How many people are realistically going to do that? Not a lot.

via TechCrunch

Look Mom! No Uploading!

You see, Apple could get around the uploading by scanning your music library and simply unlocking those tracks for you in their online library. You won’t have to upload, but you’ll still have access to your music in the cloud. This is exactly what LaLa used to do.

Why This is Dangerous

We have to remember that the gate keepers are gone. The music industry is desperately trying to hold onto a revenue model that consumers and artists are just not feeling anymore. They tried to lock us down with DRM, which failed miserably, so how else could they possibly limit our music?

Oh! I know. Get direct access to all the music on your local drive. Scan it and compare it with watermarks (yes, they can do that), hashes, or whatever from “official” services like iTunes and Amazon. Maybe they even compare your library to an extensive library of pirated music they snagged from torrents.

Bottom line for me is that I don’t think I want a cloud music service that has anything to do with the record labels. A dying beast is always the most dangerous. Of course, I’ve never bought anything from iTunes anyway and never plan to start.

Back to the Technical Side

You only have to upload your music once. After that, uploading an album here and there isn’t going to be a big deal. With Amazon, you don’t even have to upload anything because they’ll automatically dump your purchases into your cloud storage. Purchases made in their store don’t count against your storage limit.

What Do You Think?

I’m not down for an industry-backed cloud player, but what about you? Why? Which company will you roll with?

March 22, 2011May 26, 2011

Angry Birds Rio is only free today and only from the Amazon Appstore

The Amazon Appstore opened it’s doors today. This should concern you, my fellow Android user, as they are going to be giving away a free app every day. This isn’t just another random free app. It’s the ability to download an app for free that otherwise would have cost you money.

Today’s free app? Angry Birds Rio. This is a special version of Angry Birds that ties into their upcoming movie, or so I hear. The Amazon Appstore works just about as smooth as the official Google Android Market, but only if you’re on a carrier besides AT&T.

For you AT&T folks, there is a work-around. My fellow FriendFeeder @rodfather points out this article on Android Central that should help you get some Amazon Appstore love.

For everyone else, check out the Amazon Appstore and grab your free copy of Angry Birds Rio….or whatever app is free for the day at the time you’re reading this.

via You do realize that Angry Birds Rio is only free… – Rah – Rahsheen – Sheen – FriendFeed

March 22, 2011March 22, 2011

Are there any Black owned mobile app Startups, that Robert Scoble and other pro bloggers have done interviews on? – Quora

I happen to be black and this is by no means a ‘gotcha’ question. I’m a big fan of Robert Scoble’s YouTube Channel and also follow major tech blogging sites such as Mashable & Engadget, but have yet to see Black owned mobile app development company interviews. This leads me to believe either they are non existent or may not be considered newsworthy by the major tech blogosphere. I am quite interest in an honest response to my sincere query.

via (22) Are there any Black owned mobile app Startups, that Robert Scoble and other pro bloggers have done interviews on? – Quora.

March 19, 2011March 30, 2017

How I Accidentally Upgraded to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread

It was just another day in the office, I was sipping my coffee, going through emails, and trying to get re-acquainted with Feedly in between taking tech support calls from clients. Eventually, I stumbled across a post from MobileLuv talking about the latest CyanogenMod 7 RC2.

I knew I would probably want to install that, but I got to thinking about my original rooting experience. My Evo had been running Myn’s Warm TwoPointTwo for a little while after I’d used this handy-dandy Rooting for Dummies thread a few of my awesome Twitter friends sent me (sorry, don’t remember who it was, but big-ups). I won’t say it was a harrowing experience, but I was definitely on edge with my baby on the operating table (if you don’t think of your phone as a close friend, relative, or partner…you have the wrong device).

So, anyways, you’ll have to remember that I’m doing a million things at once. I’m not really reading as much as scanning and my eyes fell on the phrase “ROM Manager.” I’m thinking, “Oh yeah, I have that. Let me fire that puppy up and see what it do.” ROM Manager came as a package deal when I rooted my phone and I’m glad it did. I went in and first tried to Check for ROM Updates, at which point I was reminded that I hadn’t paid to be a premium user.

Mind you, I have no idea what I’m doing at this point. Just randomly hitting buttons. Download ROM looked like a winner, so I hit and, CHA-CHING, there goes CyanogenMod right at the top. Tapped that and found the link to the RC2 ROM I’d just read about.

Now, here is where things get a little fuzzy because I think I was trying to walk someone through something on the phone while composing a blog post and playing Lord of Ultima. I know I hit the button to download, and I think it said something like “Prepare for Flashing.” I obviously switched into 12 o’clock flasher mode and just kept hitting buttons.

The next thing I know, my phone has rebooted into Recovery mode. I’m busy with a client at this point, so all I saw were green progress bars when I glanced over. I tried to pay attention to what the client was saying, but the sinking feeling in my stomach was a bit distracting.

A short time later, my Evo rebooted again and spent an excruciatingly long time on the “htc Evo” boot logo. I thought it was a wrap, but I eventually saw the CyanogenMod animation spinning on my display. I breathed a sigh of relief and started to get excited about what gems I’d find in Gingerbread. I was not disappointed at all. It was like I had a brand-new phone, which may be a story for another day.

March 17, 2011March 22, 2011

HTC Thunderbolt: First 4G LTE Smartphone for Verizon Available Today

The HTC Thunderbolt, The first 4G LTE smartphone for Verizon, arrives today, March 17th. The Android 2.2 device features the latest version of HTC Sense. The new Sense experience includes new personalization options, consolidated email inbox, and camera effects and filters.

The ThunderBolt comes with all of the standard apps you’d expect from Google and HTC, but also comes with some extra goodies. These 4G LTE optimized apps include EA’s Rock Band, Gameloft’s Let’s Golf, Tunewiki, and Bitbop.

Additional features include:

4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage area
4.3” WVGA display
8- megapixel rear facing camera and HD (720p) video recording
1.3- megapixel front facing camera with video chatting capabilities
Newest generation of the 1GHz Snapdragon processor
Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G connection with up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices
8 GB of onboard memory and a pre-installed 32 GB microSD card (Actual formatted capacity will be less)
Built-in kickstand for easy media viewing

Plans for the Verizon Thunderbolt start at $39.99 for Nationwide Talk and access to the 4G LTE network starting at $29.99 for unlimited access. Obviously, both the talk and data plans are required to use the device. The Mobile Hotspot feature will let you connect up to 8 devices to the Verizon network via your Thunderbolt. Hotspot will be free through May 15th, but will cost $20 for 2 GB of data per month after that.

You can get your Verizon HTC Thunderbolt for $179.99 on and individual two-year customer agreement or $679.99 with no contract.

get yours from Amazon

March 9, 2011March 22, 2011

Fab / Fabulis Gay Social Network Not Gay Anymore

Fabulis is…uh…was a social network for gay men and their friends. It all started in January of 2010 and has been going strong ever since. Eventually, the name changed from Fabulis to Fab and the focus of the site seemed to shift from sexual orientation to design and discounts. Also, the team feels there has been a shift in gay rights and acceptance.

This past year has been a monumental year for gay rights and acceptance. From the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, to court victories over Prop 8, “Born This Way,” the President walking away from the Defense of Marriage Act, and the impact of the It Gets Better Project, this has been an incredible year of progress.

As we reflected on these developments, we realized that all of this progress has diminished the need for a gay-specific social network. We don’t need a gay Facebook or a gay Yelp or a gay Foursquare or a gay Groupon. The original versions are fantastic, and we are becoming more and more integrated into the mainstream.

The site will become a destination for design enthusiasts everywhere. There will be “daily design inspirations for everyone” and “daily 50% discounts on ‘wow’ products from leading manufacturers.” The re-launch is set for Spring of 2011. Current Fab.com users can trade in their “bits” for credits. If you want in, request an invite and invite your friends to get moved up the list.

Want in on Fab? Here is my special invite link.

via Fab.com | daily design for everyone

February 27, 2011March 19, 2018

Your Article Marketing Strategy is Crap

Google has recently made some changes in how it ranks sites viewed as content farms. These are basically sites that publish crap content to target keywords for the sake of attracting eyeballs for ad revenue. If you want to achieve an increase in revenue safely and accurately, visit the Salesforce website to know more about their strategy called marketing automation.

Actually, they don’t create the content. You do. That’s why your article marketing strategy is crap.

Here is what it probably looks like:

Write a “quality” piece of content about your niche
Post it on every available site that will let you, possibly with minor changes
Include a link to some kind of landing page with each posting
Profit!

According to the successful Supple company, the key problem here lies in duplicating your content. Sure, you just got a crap ton of backlinks to whatever you’re promoting, but it’s no benefit to a user searching for a solution to see your article 17 times in the search results.

The solution? Kill all the sites hosting your duplicate content. From ezinearticles and Associated Content to Examiner.com and Hubpages, just about any place you’d think to use has received a mighty slap from the #1 search engine.

So, what should you do now? Stop trying to game the system. Don’t be a one-hitter quitter. Create a home on the web and post your content there. Look for organic ways to grow your presence like social media, guest posts, and just being awesome in your own right.

You should be building your brand as a leader and authority in your niche, not spinning your wheels trying to get a few backlinks.

via SearchEngine Land

February 25, 2011

The 100 Most Powerful Black People on Twitter? Seriously?

Note: I wrote this last year and never posted it. It was a heated topic at the time and I didn’t want to add to the mêlée. I probably shouldn’t bother now, but I think some of the points are still solid and I hate to see words go to waste. Plus, it’s my blog and I can post what I want to.

Anjuan (@anjuan) of Black Web 2.0 (@BlackWeb20) recently wrote 2 posts pointing out the Top 100 most powerful black people on Twitter (link below). One highlighting women and the other highlighting men. Everyone is all pissed about these lists for one reason or another.

Let’s go ahead and ignore the fact that most lists are not perfect by default because they will always be missing something or someone. Let’s also ignore the fact that I haven’t seen any other site trying to highlight the black community while focusing on emerging technologies.

Outrage?

Not understanding the outrage and anger that I see about this. It’s plainly stated what tools were used in the analysis. It’s a list to spark discussion, just like most others. Instead of filling in the blanks or having a productive conversation as to why the list looks like it does, we have people nitpicking about how black some on the list are. People have taken to Twitter to attack Black Web for even taking the time.

The Real Discussion

Elon James White himself, who was actually overlooked, hits the nail on the head in the comments saying, “That’s the conversation that we should be having. How do we as Black people change the national conversation on race and perception when we AS BLACK PEOPLE aren’t even aware of the different voices that are out there.”

Based solely on the numbers, these lists are what any publication would come up with. So, rather than complaining, we should be coming up with solutions. This is how the world sees us, folks.

Celebs Will Always Dominate

Athletes and Rappers and other celebs will dominate the web because they are already popular. They already have people “following” them in real life, not just on Twitter. Not only that, as @DryerBuzz points out, many of these celebs are promoted even further by Twitter itself.

Solutions?

It was pure luck that I came across folks like @iluvblackwomen, @blogdiva, @corvida, and @waynesutton. The only reason I even figured out Black Web 2.0 existed was because they linked a video of mine and someone (I think @solacetech) gave me a heads up.

While the numbers don’t lie, they also don’t always tell the whole story. If you don’t like how the black community is represented on Twitter, change it. Promote those who you think deserve to be promoted at every chance you get. Reach out to people outside of your circle, don’t wait for them to find you.

The 100 Most Powerful Black Men on Twitter « Black Web 2.0.

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iTunes Dominates

Why is this important?

Look Mom! No Uploading!

Why This is Dangerous

Back to the Technical Side

What Do You Think?

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Outrage?

The Real Discussion

Celebs Will Always Dominate

Solutions?

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