Sunday, September 30, 2012

iPhone IOS 6: Google traffic and street view best alternatives

There is a very simple way to get Google traffic and Street View for your iPhone.

There are two third party programs to download from the application store.

Simply go to the App Store and download:
  • PD Maps: This will allow Google Traffic
  • Live Street View Free: This will allow you to see street view.

PD Maps:
  1. Hit the little settings on the top left and then hit the lock navigation on the bottom right to lock the navigation.
  2. Make sure Google traffic is on by hitting settings on the top left. And then on the bottom the second icon from the left that looks like a map. Make sure Map: Google is selected.
  3. Click the third icon from the left which looks like a car to refresh traffic view.
Live Street view Free:
  1. Simple copy paste the address you want to see into the bar of the program.
  2. Click the arrows to navigate through street views.
 

Friday, September 28, 2012

iPhone 5 Maps: Drawbacks & Alternative Apps

iPhone 5 maps:
Waze: Waze is good for figuring out things like traffic lights, police, etc. The traffic on streets was not as good as I thought. Also, the community seems to be small. Even in Los Angeles I am not getting enough community for good traffic on the street level.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Starbucks stops free syrup and soy for gold card members

Just got the dreaded email! Starbucks stops free soy and syrup.

Now, I understand free soy stopping as soy is not a cheap product. On the other hand, syrup is just sugar. It doesn't cost Starbucks much for sugar water. I have already sent feedback, and I ask you to do the same, to bring back free syrup at least.

The good news is that now you get a free drink every 12 instead of 15, so that should help the situation.


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

iPhone 5 vs Galaxy SIII Analysis and Specs

Analysis:
1. Very disappointing that near field communication isn't there for iPhone5. Both Galaxy S3 and the new Windows 8 phone will have this.
2. Screen is taller. I am somewhat happy it isn't wider. I currently have a Galaxy S3 and even though I like more screen space, it doesn't fit easily width wise in my hand.
3. Happy about the headphone connector on the bottom. Right now its difficult to put my Samsung in the charger and also plug the headphone in because they are on different sides.
4. Weight is less than the Galaxy 3.
5. On/off is at the top, which is good and bad. I have turned off my Galaxy 3 several times because the same place I hold the phone is the same place the on/off button is located. At the same time, I would rather not reach to the top.
6. There is no way to compare the processor speeds here. The Galaxy S3 is really fast, but I have had to restart it a lot. As far as I know Apple iPhone has less restarts.
7. I was unclear if I can use the speech recognition button on the iPhone5 keyboard. Similar to the iPad keyboard with the mic button. Still waiting to get more information on this. Without voice recognition on my Galaxy S3 I wouldn't be able to survive, so this would cause a problem.
8. The Apple iPhone 5 has 1 gig of ram, the S3 has 2 gigs. Most reviewers and Apple have confirmed the iOS Apple operating system is more efficient and therefore it doesn't need the full 2 gigs of ram. I agree as the iPhone 4s is just as fast as my current S3 phone and it has 512K of ram.

I am thinking I will order the iPhone5 and try it for a while. If I am happy with it I will keep it, if not back to the Galaxy S3.


Specs iPhone 5 Samsung Galaxy S3
Processor Apple A6 Samsung Exynos 4 Quad (quad-core)
Operating system iOS 6 Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, TouchWiz UI
Storage 16/32/64GB onboard storage, non-expandable 16/32/64GB onboard storage, expandable via a microSD slot
RAM 1GB 2GB
Camera 8-megapixel BSI camera 8-megapixel BSI camera
Screen 4-inch (1,136 x 640 pixels) IPS 4.8-inch (1,280 x 720 pixels) Super AMOLED
Near field communication No Yes
Dimensions 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm
Weight 112g 133g