The iPhone5 Sets Sales Records

When the iPhone5 was announced earlier this month, people responded with over 2 million orders in the first 24 hours.

Are you getting the new iPhone? If so, you'll have lots of company. Apple announced that the pre-orders for the iPhone5, the newest version of the most popular smartphone, were double the number of the previous record-holder, the iPhone4S. Pre-orders from Apple.com now have a wait time of 2-3 weeks. So what's new? It's thinner (.3 inches), taller (4.87 inches) and lighter (3.95 oz) than the 4S and increases the display size from 3.5 inches diagonally to 4 inches. This allows for an extra row of App icons and of course, larger viewing surface for photos and videos. It has an extra microphone, improved noise-cancelling and wide-audio sound. The camera is upgraded and includes panorama capability. The glass back has been replaced with metal …

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Congressmen Call on FCC to Prevent Future 911 Failures

Moran, Connolly, Wolf want the FCC to reconsider a regulation concerning backup power that the commission proposed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Northern Virginia's three congressmen called on the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday to take action that will prevent future outages to the region's 911 systems. In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, U.S. Reps. Jim Moran, Gerry Connolly and Frank Wolf asked that the commission dust off a post-Hurricane Katrina regulation that would have required all telecommunications companies to provide at least eight hours of backup power for all cell phone towers. The regulation was subsequently struck down on a technicality related to how the commission handled public comments, according to a news release. “In the event of an emergency situation, whether it be a natural disaster or man-made threat, the public needs confidence …

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Verizon Making 'Substantial' Progress in Service Restoration

Post-Derecho the telecommunications company is continuing to restore service to all customers in Northern Virginia.

A possible tornado in Fredericksburg, a derecho and other severe weather have thrown service out of commission for many Verizon customers. Since June 29, Verizon has been experiencing service outages due to the freak weather occurances and has been assessing and repairing damage. "After Verizon technicians worked extended shifts throughout the weekend, the company’s service levels are nearly back to normal in most of the Washington metropolitan area," said a prepared statement from the company. "Company technicians now are focusing on service restoral for several hundred customers in areas technicians could not previously reach due to downed power lines." The possible tornado in Fredericksburg downed approximately 20 power poles. "As of …

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Board of County Supervisors Pushes for Investigation Into 911 Failures

The Prince William BOCS has asked Verizon to provide a full report for why the 911 system failed in PWC and other nearby counties.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has asked Verizon to investigate the 911 system outages after the recent derecho in Northern Virginia, the county announced today.  “While we appreciate the efforts Verizon made to get the system back up and running, all efforts should be made to ensure that the critical 911 system does not fail in the future,” BOCS Chairman Corey A. Stewart said. “We expect Verizon to conduct a full investigation into how the 911 service failed and offer solutions to better secure the system. It is imperative that residents of Prince William County and the entire Washington metro area never have to face such emergencies without the critical 911 service that can be the difference between life and death for …

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Verizon Restores Partial 911 Service to Prince William, Fairfax

Verizon is still hampered by the lack of power. Meanwhile, power companies are having trouble reaching line technicians to tell them to report to work.

Update: July 1, 2:25 p.m.: Verizon spokesperson Harry Mitchell says they have had to deal with "a number of technical and mechanical challenges, in addition to storm damage such as downed poles and trees on our wires."  One of the biggest challenges has been a power failure at one of the Verizon facilities in Arlington, which has made it more difficult for some callers to dial 911 in Prince William and Fairfax Counties.  "These counties' 911 centers now are receiving most calls, and we continue to work diligently to restore full calling to them, as well as 911 centers in Manassas and Manassas Park," Mitchell said. "We’re working late hours – often around the clock – and bringing in additional technicians from other parts of our service …

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Tackling Technology

Trading In Your Old Gadget Is Quick and Easy

Did you get the latest and greatest version of your favorite gadget? You have lots of options to find your old gadget a new life.

If you got the newest version of your favorite gadget you may be wondering what to do with the old one. If you have a friend or family member who would love your hand-me-downs then you have an easy solution, but if you’d like to use your old device to help pay for accessories or to get some cash in your pocket, many retailers will happily pay you in cash or trade for your tech. You could sell it on eBay or Craigslist for higher prices than what these trade-in programs will offer, but most of us find the ease and straightforward process from a reputable retailer to be the more attractive route. There are several websites that will offer you cash for your devices, but below are some of the retailer programs that I’ve had experience with.

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Verizon Data Network Experiencing Outages

Verizon phones may have difficulty picking up a 3G/4G coverage today.

Twitter is a flutter today with Verizon customers complaining of spotty 3G and 4G service throughout the day in Northern Virginia. TechCrunch reports that the outage appears to be widespread across the country, with people in New York, California and Ohio without coverage.  Twitter user GeoTechie in Montclair tweeted, "#Verizon data service #outage update... 3G on/off and no 4G since last night in N. Virginia. #3G #4G" WTOP reported that Verizon said 4G service had been out of commission since late Tuesday night. 

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Lauren Jost

10:49 am on Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Jean, To the best of my knowledge its been flipping on and off throughout the day for some users, it is a widespread outage but may not be affecting all customers. I have a different service provider, so I don't know how bad the issue is.   more ›

Tackling Technology

Google's Chromebook--The Next Phase of Computing?

Google's Chromebook is a laptop that relies on the cloud and apps, is this the future of computing?

Google shook things up a bit by introducing a new  way of thinking about a computer--the Chromebook. Google announed Chromebook at this year's Google I/O Developer conference.  It is a computer that relies on the web for its software and for storing your personal data.  Both software and your data  reside in the cloud (centalized storage that is accessed through the web). Your laptop stores very little locally (basically the OS, some profile settings and things like cookies).  The Chromebook accesses the web to connect you to your cloud computer. This method of computing has advantages.  Because it doesn't have to load software as it starts up (booting), you are ready to get to work or fun in about eight seconds.  You don't have to worry …

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Connie Moser

5:09 pm on Monday, May 16, 2011

Good point, regarding the school subscriptions, Jean. Now, if businesses will buy into the $28.00 a month plan, then pass the savings on to the consumers, we'll have struck gold! :-)   more ›

Tackling Technology

Tech companies respond to Japan's crises

In the aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami and the continued nuclear crisis, tech companies step in to offer their assistance

As we all watch the terrible news out of Japan, it is sometimes hard to imagine that millions of people in this ultramodern nation are facing such basic struggles as homelessness, food shortages, oil shortages and the need to find their friends and families.  News is a valuable commodity as well, and communications are disrupted. Tech companies have strong connections to Japan.  They are reliant upon Japanese technological innovation, high-end manufacturing and artistic influence.  These business connections often overlap with personal connections.  So when the tragedy started last Friday, the tech community was quick to respond. One of the first respones was Google's Person Finder which helps maintain a list of missing persons in order to…

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Tackling Technology

Ask the Techie: Can I use my AT&T iPhone on Verizon?

You may have heard that the rumors are true, Apple's iPhone is coming to Verizon. Does that mean you can simply sign up for Verizon service and bring your phone along?

With Verizon's announcement this week that it will be selling the Apple  iPhone, one of the most common questions is, "Can I use my current AT&T  iPhone on the Verizon network?"  Unfortunately, the answer is no. This isn't a matter of carrier exclusivity or a case of poor customer relations policies--it is because of the technology. Verizon's network uses CDMA and AT&T's network use GSM. While there are debates about which technology is "best," the carrier's maintenance and investment in enough towers is much more important than the underlying technology. GSM networks are the dominant technology in most of the world, which is why some say that GSM networks are preferable for frequent travellers. GSM phones have a SIM card that can be …

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