Poll of the Day “New Facebook”: Results

Looks like Facebook’s new re-design isn’t as popular or well received as California-based Facebook would hope. In our very unscientific poll, 50% (29) of the 58 respondents voted “No” — that they do not like the Facebook re-design. Meanwhile, 33% (19 votes) of people who voted don’t have any problem it seems. Finally, 17% (10 votes) of respondents said that while they don’t necessarily like the new Facebook now, it could grow on them over time.

The results are interesting because a visual person myself, I love the new redesign. Less text and white space is a plus in my book. Apparently the masses feel differently. Anyone care to chime in with their thoughts?

UK Smartphone Users to Get Faster, L-Band Wireless Thanks to Qualcomm’s FLO TV Spectrum Sale. #qualcomm

Thanks to a new decision by Qualcomm to sell their remaining chunk of defunct FLO TV wireless spectrum, UK users will soon be enjoying even faster cellular data. The chip maker is planning on integrating “L-Band” support that when paired with other cell networks will enable dramatically faster downloads thanks to the multi-lane approach. It is a similar approach that U.S. carrier AT&T is taking locally.

All of the new spectrum becoming available from failed FLO TV will certainly help the ailing cellular industry who voices concerns almost daily about shrinking bandwidth. With that said, FLO TV is scheduled to be shut down for good on March 11th, 2011.

UK users can look for better cellular performance in the coming months. Official statement from Qualcomm after the break…

Android Market Carrier Billing Rolling Out to AT&T Users. #android

Up until now, if you wanted to get something on the Android Market you needed some form of 3rd party account whether it be Google’s own Checkout service or the more matured PayPal. But today it gets easier for millions of Android users running on AT&T’s network, for the carrier has announced that they’ve been rolling out carrier billing options to Android users over the last few days.

Besides the addition of carrier billing, the latest Android Market update features new app sections/groupings, a larger 50MB cap for app size, and unfortunately, a smaller refund windows (15 minutes down from 24 hours). Nevertheless, we all long for the latest update. If you haven’t received the update yet, be calm. It’s coming soon.

LTE Packin’, Android Powered, Samsung SCH-I520 Image Leaked. #samsung

We already know that Verizon is preparing an onslaught of LTE handphones for early 2011. They’ve already got an impressive LTE network up and running, with next year promising to be many times better. On that note, we’ve already seen a couple of LTE phones leaked such as the HTC Incredible HD and Motorola Olympus. And now, we can add a third device to that list of leaked phones — the Samsung SCH-i520.

Truth be told, the SCH-i520 is very likely close in design and style to the current Galaxy S variants (SCH-i500), with the only major difference being the LTE radio stuffed inside. While we’d like to see a freshened design, we’re certainly not complaining.

CES 2011 is in less than two weeks. I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about regarding Verizon and LTE in the very near future.

[Update] AT&T Network Problems Affecting Wisconsin/Illinois/Indiana. #att

AT&T users residing in the mid-west area of the country need not pull their hair out. Your phones are not broken. You did not accidentally change some setting. AT&T’s network is more or less down. A short but clear thread on AT&T’s own user forums highlights the issue as affecting MicroCell towers as well as actual transmission towers. So far, the entire Chicago-land area, parts of Wisconsin, and northern Indiana have been affected. Though there are some people reporting more recently that their service is coming back up in south Chicago and northern Wisconsin.

I can personally attest to the northern Indiana outage. I haven’t been able to do much of anything over AT&T’s cellular connection since 12pm yesterday, December 20th. A call to AT&T resulted in nothing more than a trip through the typical CSR troubleshooting and no actual acknowledgement of any problems even after pressed.

AT&T’s network taking a hit isn’t new. Though previous network problems have elicited some type of official statement, and at the very least, a blip on Twitter. At this point I’d even take a simple text at least giving a heads up that something is wrong.

For now however, all we have is this one thread. If anyone has found out more information or updates as to affected/reinstated areas, drop a line below.

Update

Back up here in South Bend.

[AT&T]

Westone 4 In-ear Phones Coming Q1 2011 for $449 #westone

Those who dabble in the world of high end audio know that with great quality comes a great price — most of the time. There are in fact some pretty good sounding audio products at bargain bin prices. But we’re not here to talk about the cheap seats today. Instead, we’re focusing on the upcoming quad driver equipped Westone 4′s. At $449, they’re far from cheap. But you often get what you pay for in life. And if it were me and I had the money, you better believe it would be going to those beauts above.

Westone is scheduled to unveil about the Westone 4′s at CES as well as the Q1 release date. Tune back during CES as we’ll be stopping by Westone’s booth to get a hands (and ears) on.

[Westone]

HyperMac Batteries Are Back! #hypermac

That whole HyperMac drama looks to be settling down with both sides reaching a common ground. If you’re new to the story, HyperMac took Apple AC adapters, cut out the MagSafe adapters, and then built them into their external batteries. Extremely useful and helpful, but not so much legal. Apple threatened HyperMac with a lawsuit and the HyperMac batteries we subsequently pulled from online store fronts. But now, they’re back! The solution is being called “temporary” at this point and involves nothing more than an extra adapter. Each HyperMac will come with an adapter that can fit either airline or auto (USB) connections. From there, the end user just needs to by the appropriate adapter for the job and you’re good to go. Essentially, it’s the same product as before just without the actual MagSafe connector coming from HyperMac. So it’s a win win, right?

Well, not so fast. Part of the “temporary” solution in this scenario means these new redesigned HyperMac batteries can’t actually charge anything that’s plugged into them. Plug in at 50% and you’ll still have 50% 10 hours later.

With the new, temporary design in mind, it will be interesting to see how the public adopts this new style of HyperMac battery as well as how the company plans on transitioning to a more permanent product. Anyone picking up a few?