Hasta La Gadget!

Gee, that was fast. Skype recently updated its iOS app and added the nifty Microsoft account integration which basically allowed iOS users to chat with their contacts on Messenger, Hotmail, and Outlook.com. It also included the capability to edit instant messages, use emoticons on instant messages, and edit saved phone numbers from the dial pad. While the updates were rather overwhelming, users began to complain about some issues they’ve experienced after the update.

Today, Skype is announcing that it has identified the issues and is now launching a quick fix to the update. Skype has identified four issues – sign-out takes longer time in case if user has many MS and Skype contacts, user is able to cancel the sign-in process only in early process of authorization, call sometimes cannot be ended when the same account runs on several devices, and Skype may crash with a subsequent call if the application was in background mode before the remote side has answered the call. By releasing Skype 4.2.1 for iOS, the company promises to end those issues once and for all.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC appoints new marketing chief, hopes to usher in a new era of brand awareness, Nexus 4 Backorder Stretches To 2013,

In a new advertisement focused on Internet Explorer, Microsoft addresses the elephant in the room, which is that the company’s web browser hasn’t been up to snuff in recent years, but Microsoft is slowly changing that by introducing new features that appeal to those who use competitors like Firefox or Chrome. Specifically, the add features a persistant internet troll who bashes Internet Explorer, but eventually comes around to accept that it’s getting better.

The overall message of the advertisement was “progress,” which appears at the end of the ad, and reassures users that Microsoft can’t build Rome in a day, but are making progress to improve their web browser and make it as feature-filled and fast as possible. Microsoft has certainly done that with their latest versions.

Anyone who has used Internet Explorer 9 knows that the browser took on a whole new meaning of quality, and the company continued their momentum with Internet Explorer 10. The video above tracks an internet troll throughout the evening, and shows him commenting on Facebook and various forums about how “IE SUCKS.” However, at the end, the troll is succumbed to admit that Internet Explorer has improved after seeing other comments that mention different new features.

While it was a great advertisement from Microsoft, it was a bold, but classy move on their part. Essentially, they admitted that their web browser actually wasn’t that great in the past, and instead of just saying, “it’s all better now! IE10 is now the best browser!,” they simply note that it’s improving and that progress is key for the company.

Microsoft takes on trolls with new Internet Explorer advertisement is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Listen up, you folks who happen to own an Xbox 360 and have not yet forked out good money for an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription, there is something you might want to check out. From today onwards, you are able to enjoy the full online experience without having to fork out some dough for it, and the offer ends this coming Sunday, December 2. It does not matter just which kind of LIVE subscription you own, you are still able to access online multiplayer.

In order to take advantage of the free LIVE Gold weekend, you will first need to be living in one of the following regions – the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Singapore or Taiwan. Hmmm, it does seem as though that folks living in the UK and other European territories will sit out on this offer this time around, with Larry Hyrb mentioning that “there was a UK only weekend recently, while the US did not have that one”.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Gran Turismo 5 Corvette C7 Is Playable, Yoshi’s Island Wii U Listed,

I receive a terse invite from Lockheed Martin that asks me to take a “glimpse into the future,” but it doesn’t mention whose future it is. I could write about what I know of the American defense contractor on the back of a postage stamp, but a cursory Google search fills in some of the blanks. The company reportedly receives around 7 percent of the US military budget on its own – and with that, my imagination runs rampant about what I’m likely to see. Dreaming of playing with laser pistols, intelligent cyborgs and giant robots, I tell them I’m coming.

A few days later, I turn up at the Honourable Artillery Company in London’s glitzy financial district, a miniature castle that’s dwarfed by the gleaming skyscrapers that surround it. In a way, the landscape is telling, since the occupants of those buildings can shoulder some of the blame for the current financial crisis – while across the street, Lockheed Martin is preparing its cost-cutting response.

Two hulking vehicles guard the entrance off a small courtyard, and through a window I see a plush room full of red velvet and leather, stuffed with computers and pensive, well-dressed operators. I wonder if I’m being vetted as I amble inside, my now-sodden socks and matted hair marking me out as unthreatening — just as long as I promise not to get out my camera. As I’m ushered inside and the tour begins, I’m expecting to see jetpacks and robots, but the reality is much different. Not even this industry is immune to the world’s financial problems, and my tour would reveal that its future lies decidedly in our past.

Continue reading What’s Past is Prologue: a look inside the future of Lockheed Martin

Filed under: Robots, Science, Alt

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Nothing much has changed in this year’s mobile carrier satisfaction survey from Consumer Reports, with Verizon again being rated the best of the major providers, netting good scores for voice and data service quality, staff knowledge and issue resolution. The other big players also ranked in the same order this time around, with Sprint and T-Mobile following behind Big Red, and AT&T staying in last position. None of the bottom three scored particularly highly, especially in relation to voice service quality, and only four points separated them in the ratings. While AT&T had the worst value and data service quality scores, its LTE network was ranked the best of any carrier, and the least problematic. MVNO Consumer Cellular, which piggybacks on AT&T’s network, didn’t disappoint after last year’s overall first place finish, keeping the top spot and receiving great scores all round. Full results of the survey, which polled 63,253 subscribers, will be available in Consumer Reports’ January 2013 issue.

Continue reading Consumer Reports: Verizon ranked the best major US carrier, AT&T ranked the worst

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile

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Via: USA TODAY