Zatz Not Funny!

Assurance Wireless Makes Mobile Free for DC

Here’s a story that got short shrift during the CES madness. Assurance Wireless has expanded its coverage to Washington DC, which means low-income people throughout the DC metro area can now apply for a free cell phone and free voice plan with 250 minutes per month. No contracts. No surcharges. No early termination fees. If you … Read more

Security Alternatives to Norton

Internet security month continues here at Zatz Not Funny. Personally and professionally I’ve had a hand in this arena to varying degrees over the years. As our origin story remains untold, you didn’t know that we launched “Project Safety Net” before ZNF morphed into a digital media blog – and the site was intended to provide security guidance for lay people. Like my mom.

As Norton periodically blocks our site from visitors, I’d like take this opportunity to provide some alternate solutions that might serve you better.

The false positives seem to have started about 15 months ago, when various Norton products or components would throw up an interstitial web page strongly encouraging visitors to steer clear of ZNF. One regular reader kindly alerts me when this happens, as he did yesterday, and has previously provided screenshots (above) that’s allowed me to file reports with Norton. Additionally, Norton’s incorrect flagging led to a rather entertaining exchange on the Roku Forums a few months back. From “Village Idiot” :

I have good reasons to trust Norton. – i have no reason to trust you. I DON’T trust some site i never heard of before. It would be really stupid to throw away a trusted Norton program for an unheard of site. Good luck on your site. I just don’t need the risk.

Twitter & Southwest Need To Check Their Security

At every available opportunity, I partake in airborne WiFi services. Yeah, I know public wireless isn’t the most secure form of connectivity. But, at the same time, I haven’t been bothered to set up a personal tunnel. And I’ll do just about anything to pass the time on a cross country flight… as I did … Read more

Deal of the Day: Refurb TiVo Premiere @ $65

Woot’s offering the TiVo Premiere for $65 today, including shipping and while supplies last. These refurbished units also happen to be grandfathered in under the previous $12.95/month service plan. Which seems to suggest current subscribers could alternately add this unit to their account with a multi-unit service discount (MSD, $9.95/mo). Over the years, I’ve purchased … Read more

Photo Fun at CES

CES is over for another year, but the photos live on. There was the minion who visited the blogger lounge, the Panasonic sand sculpture, and the masses of entirely non-goofy-looking people wearing 3D glasses. I also snapped a pic of a dude named Mo, who was selling solar chargers in the middle of the night … Read more

iOS 4.3, The Secrets Within

The beta of iOS 4.3 hit yesterday and contains more than we might typically expect from a point upgrade. Yeah, you’ll probably still have to wait until v5.0 for a sensible alert system and widgets. But 4.3 contains a number of promising and surprising elements.

The personal hotspot functionality touted at Verizon’s iPhone launch, will indeed become available to all iPhones. Or, is that all iPhone carriers? As it’s something they’ll have to enable and a luxury they will no doubt charge you for. Additionally, it looks like a new “Find my Friends” service is in development – perhaps something akin to Google’s Latitude?

iOS 4.3 also builds upon the disappointing launch of hobbled AirPlay functionality found in 4.2. Whereas the initial iteration was primarily audio-focused and native, third party apps can now stream video to AppleTV. If developers choose to go down that path. At the very least, personal videos shot on an iPhone can now be shipped to the television.

On the iPad front, there’s some pretty significant and practical multitouch interface additions. Swipe multiple fingers left or right to cycle between open apps (yes!) or drag multiple fingers up and down to reveal and hide the task bar. You can also pinch all of your fingers together to hide an open app and reveal the home screen. Related, there’s a rumor circulating that the next iPad and iPhone models do away with the Home button. Which doesn’t sound too practical and doesn’t line up with the supposed iPad 2 case shown above. Lastly, the iPad’s physical slider button regains the ability to (optionally) lock screen orientation. Check out Engadget’s video below to see these elements in play.

PBS iPhone App Streams Frontline, NOVA, More

A few months ago PBS launched an iPad app which allowed users to stream video of PBS programs for free, as well as viewing clips, previews, and program schedules. Now the public broadcast network has launched a version for the iPhone and iPod touch. It’s cleverly called “PBS for iPhone,” and it’s available as a free download … Read more

Goodbye, AT&T?

The Verizon iPhone has arrived! That means we’re all abandoning AT&T, right? Not so fast… As Gizmodo and the Houston Chronicle point out a few reasons it could make sense to hold out a bit longer. Their primary argument is based on an assumption that Apple will maintain its annual summer release cycle and new … Read more