Mix 93.1 » technology

The Future of Typing Appears to be Fading

Dave Goldman — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:09:23 +0000

Typing words is becoming less of a challenge, and a Dallas typing instructor believes mobile technology is taking the skill out of keyboarding. Dallas typing instructor Julie Phillips says predictive keyboards on smartphones and tablet touch screens that guess which words are being typed may make keyboarding go the way of cursive writing lessons in [...]

Facebook Reveals All-New News Feed

Chase Colston — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:41:09 +0000

In its biggest design change since unveiling the Timeline in 2011, Facebook announced and unveiled a radically redesigned News Feed today during a special press event. But how will users respond? The new News Feed, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, is inspired by mobile technology but the look will be consistent across all devices — computers, [...]

Fork Created to Help You Watch What You Eat [VIDEO]

Leslie Reynolds — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:56:14 +0000

Studies show that an average of 35% of Americans are either obese or overweight. This includes people of every age ranging from children to the elderly. And no matter how old you are, losing weight and watching what you eat is not easy. Well a company called HapiLabs has just released a fork that's whole purpose is to track what you're eating.

Revolutionary 'Paper Tablet' — The Windows Tablet and iPad Have Some Amazing Competition [VIDEO, POLL]

Nora Schreiber — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:17:33 +0000

The days of the old PC computer that take up an entire desk with the huge monitor, gigantic modem, keyboard, and mouse are quickly fading away. With the introduction of the iPad and Windows Tablet, the world of technology took a giant leap towards the future of computing. But, this 'Paper Tablet' is teleporting us to a Jetsons kind of world.

Mother Buys Son an iPhone — With an 18-Point Catch

Buddy Logan — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 23:21:59 +0000

What this Massachusetts mother did was awesome. We need more moms like her. Janell Hoffman’s 13-year-old son wanted an iPhone for Christmas, and she thought he deserved it. But she didn’t hand it over until he signed an 18-point agreement plan. Here are her rules: 1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay [...]

911 Butt Dials Are a Growing Problem

Jen Austin — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:00:42 +0000

9-1-1 false alarms are nothing new. We've heard of kids dialing 9-1-1 when there's no emergency, and Kidd Kraddick has shared some gems with us in the past about people calling emegency dispatchers for all the wrong reasons.

But have you ever been driving on the The Loop in Tyler and accidently butt-dialed 9-1-1? In the age where everyone has a smart phone that's always at the ready, accidental pocket-dials to emergency officials are a growing problem.

Outrage? Verizon Wireless Killing Unlimited Data Plans [POLL]

Chase Colston — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:00:30 +0000

Verizon Wireless announced today its plans to get rid of its unlimited data plan that was grandfathered to previous users in favor of “tiered” data plans — and Verizon subscribers are NOT happy about it. FierceWireless reported earlier today that Verizon CFO Fran Shammo was speaking at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference [...]

Research Finds Young People Can't Live Without a Smartphone

Shauna Wright — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:30:40 +0000

A new Nielsen poll finds smartphones are becoming less of a luxury and more of a so-called necessity — at least for younger people. Nielsen gathered data to learn more about the age, income and demographics of the typical US smartphone user. Specifically, the firm wanted to know if lower prices are making the devices [...]

There Will Soon Be More Cell Phones Than People in the World

Shauna Wright — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:00:34 +0000

Cisco’s annual Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast makes some interesting (some may say frightening) predictions, including the fact that the number of mobile-connected devices will exceed the world’s population sometime this year. The study, which looked at worldwide mobile networks, also found mobile data traffic went up 133 percent in 2011 and will likely grow [...]

Police Pay a Visit to Dad Who Shot His Daughter's Laptop

Don Deane — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:29:20 +0000

Ever since he filmed himself shooting his daughter’s laptop with a .45 handgun, opinions have been sharply divided over Tommy Jordan’s brand of extreme parenting. In fact, someone who disagrees with his methods called police to his North Carolina home. But instead of arresting him, cops offered their thanks.

6 of the Worst Tech Predictions of All Time

Shauna Wright — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:00:52 +0000

Predictions about technology are notoriously tough to make. Still, the experts and visionaries often get it right — but when they don’t, they get it colossally wrong. Here are some of history’s most famously bungled insights made by tech giants and industry bigwigs, as rounded-up by Scientific American. I predict the Internet will soon go [...]

Megaupload Founder Arrested, Found Hiding With Shotgun

Amanda Hensel — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:30:31 +0000

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom was arrested earlier this week, just after the site was shut down by the Department of Justice — but he didn’t go down without a fight. Police officers found Dotcom, real name Kim Schmitz, hiding in a safe room in his home with a loaded shotgun in hand.

Sorry Drivers, Hands-Free Devices Aren't Safer Options to Cell Phones

Danny Gallagher — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:00:35 +0000

In response to the National Transportation Safety Board-proposed ban on cellphones while driving, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers tried to defend hands-free devices. They’re “designed to be used in a way that helps drivers keep their eyes on the road,” they said, but now it looks like this defense doesn’t hold water. Jim Hedlund, a [...]

Taggie Smartphone App Helps Kids Make Smart Food Choices [VIDEO]

Shauna Wright — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:30:07 +0000

If you’re someone who wants your kids to know more about food — something we should all know more about — you’ll probably find a new app in development pretty interesting.

Taggie, the brainchild of recent Dutch design school graduate Niels van Hoof, uses your smartphone camera to scan a barcode of food items. It then launches a 3D augmented reality animation to give children a short, fun lesson about the food’s origin, growth process, and different varieties.

Could Facebook's 'Buffy' Phone Slay the iPhone?

Jeremy Taylor — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:00:35 +0000

Facebook plans to enter into the smart phone market in the next 12-18 months with a phone that they have codenamed ‘Buffy.’ And, yes, that’s because Mark Zuckerberg and company thinks the device will be an iPhone slayer. According to the tech blog Allthings D, ‘Buffy’ will run on Google’s open source software Android and [...]

5 Things You Shouldn't Buy on Black Friday

Shauna Wright — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:00:00 +0000

leejordan / stampendous / bcinfrance / pedrokwezi / anthonydecosta, Flickr Savvy buyers know Black Friday can be one of the best days of the year to find terrific bargains, but not all items are such great deals. In order to better your experience on that infamous shopping day, here are some things you may want [...]

Cell Phones Eliminate the Three-Day Rule in Dating — Survey of the Day

Shauna Wright — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:00:53 +0000

If a new survey from dating site Match.com is to be believed, the rules of dating have changed — largely because of cell phones, email and texting. The so-called LoveGeist survey, given to singles in the UK, found the traditional “three-day rule” for contact after a first date no longer applies. The new standard? A [...]

Prestigious Waldorf Private School Keeps Computers Away from Kids

Shauna Wright — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:00:03 +0000

The 160 Waldorf private schools in the United States boast an impressive student body: the children of tech luminaries from firms like eBay, Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard.

But what makes Waldorf a seemingly odd choice for such parents is that until kids are in the eighth grade, the school is completely unwired with not a computer screen to be found.

Why Are Most Computer Voices Female?

Kathy Landin — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 06:00:06 +0000

Who knew — there’s a reason why most computer voices are female. In fact, there are several reasons. The main reason is probably biological. Research has shown that humans are simply programmed to favor female voices. Studies suggest that this preference starts in the womb, where fetuses have been shown to respond to the voices [...]

FCC and Wireless Providers Reach Agreement to Stop 'Bill Shock'

Shauna Wright — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:30:30 +0000

After an almost two-year investigation, the Federal Communications Commission said Monday it had reached an agreement with most of the nation’s cell carriers that should protect consumers from “bill shock” — unexpected increases in a monthly wireless bill.