BOL 1085: Amazon, I need a refill

Amazon announced same-day delivery for certain areas today, although we're not sure if you can buy wines by the glass. We also cover the BlackBerry Storm and the Motorola Cliq announcements. Guess which one we like better? And the Danger Sidekick tale continues.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Don’t change your Twitter passwords if you don’t want to lose your account
http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/twitter-warns-users-not-change-log-in-data-until-further-notice-815

Microsoft confirms data recovery for Sidekick users
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/oct09/10-15sidekick.mspx
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=4245

Sidekick outage is more than just an inconvenience for deaf people
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10375186-56.html

Sidekick users file a lawsuit
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10375240-56.html

BlackBerry Storm 2: Marginally better
http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/rim-blackberry-storm-2/4505-6454_7-33776074.html
http://cnettv.cnet.com/rim-blackberry-storm-2-verizon-wireless/9742-1_53-50078204.html

Motorola Cliq
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/motorola-cliq-t-mobile/4505-6452_7-33770768.html

Wal-Mart to launch prepaid plans
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/10/14/walmart-launching-own-pre-paid-cell-plans/

Amazon.com introduces same-day delivery
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/amazoncom-introduces-same-day-delivery/?hp

Gartner Says worldwide PC shipments returned to growth in third quarter of 2009
http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1207613

Google to launch remote book downloading service
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-10-15-google-editions_N.htm?csp=34

U.K. copyright group tells cinemas to ban laptops
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/10/15/1321243/UK-Copyright-Group-Tells-Cinemas-to-Ban-Laptops

New CBS News iPhone app (shameless)
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=334256223&mt=8

Voice mail
Rob wants to know about this Sprint data-only phone

Vic the Texas Rancher Pilot on a use for the iPhone car starter

E-mail
Hi Buzz Crew

See:

http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/index.php/software-update-causes-mass-box-
failure

A major software update to UK sat tv HD Freesat boxes has bricked many
boxes including mine. No warning and no way to re-wind. I have no TV at
all now and helpful tech support guy says they will be sending out a
new over-the-air update in the next few days – hopefully. Don’t know
how it will work as box reboots every 30 secs at the moment!

So no TV, no Hulu in the UK. Looks like a lot of Podcasts to listen
to.

Love the show

Paul the no-tv-for-now guy in the UK.

***********

Hey buzz crew,
When you were talking about the business week article on WiFi direct I
couldn’t help thinking this sounds an aweful lot like a protocol that
we already have: ad-hoc wireless!
I’ve used this tons of times to connect two laptops without a router.
What’s the big deal?

Love the show!

Ben the network security admin
Rochester, NY

***********

After hearing Texas Instruments threatened individuals who hacked their TI calculators, I began to wonder why would Texas Instruments even care. In my mind, other than being completely ignorant to the potential of the benefits of hacking, there are only two reasons why Texas Instruments would care.

1. The software programs offered on the more recent versions of the TI family don’t require the CPU processors or Ram that they currently have. If you are able to hack the calculator and import the TI-89 version on the software on a TI-83 version, you have now better calculator without them getting the additional payments. (Which, if true, is sad because they would rather protect their old technology than innovate and develop a brand new standard for calculators)

2. They are protecting the ability for their calculators to be considered “approved” for standardized testing. If hacks are available, they may feel they could lose that “approved” branding, which would hurt their sales dramatically.

(One could make the argument of preventing students from flashing a library of game-boy games onto the calculator and making it the best hidden video game toy in the school system. But games have been available for at least 10 years now on the TI-brand of calculators.)

Either way, these actions are surprising for a company that was voted by Business Ethics as one of the top 100 corporate citizens in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007

***********

Hi Buzz Crew,

Just had to report a strange occurrence involving bluetooth, an iPhone
and a Toyota Prius:

My wife and I were both driving home from the gym. I was engaged in a
phone call (using my iPhone and a bluetooth earpiece). She was
following a few car lengths back in our new bluetooth-equipped Toyota
Prius. Suddenly my phone call ended. I chalked it up to typical
cellphone dropped calls. But in fact here’s what happened. Our Prius
was close enough behind my car that its built-in bluetooth paired with
my iPhone, effectively hijacking the call. My wife said she was
listening to the radio and was interrupted by my friends voice asking
“are you still there?”

Anyway… thought it was an interesting story.

John, Rochester, NY