Terms of service are becoming increasingly restrictive as well as increasingly cryptic. What exactly can you do with your own property/services? What can big corporations do with that data?

If you have ever spent a few billing periods with either company, you know how expensive their entertainment packages can be. In some areas, you don’t even have a choice as Comcast has either paid someone to be the exclusive provider in that area (apartments), or other providers simply haven’t made it there yet. Still, in the year 2009 one would like to think that competition in on the uptick, especially with the economy so low. Why with the economy in the gutter and the assumed competition, the consumer should be saving a boat load right? Not to mention, with the growth of the internet, almost unlimited amounts of new technologies and services are just waiting to be discovered. The only problem is, the industry doesn’t want to discover. They want to recapture the monopolistic past.

In what can be a sad revelation and truth to come to terms with, the U.S. of A. is not as steadfast in their “free internet” beliefs outside of home grown soil. While the internet in the U.S. is uncensored, and hopefully will remain that way for…..ever, it seems we have different motives elsewhere. When you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, the west *that’s the U.S….among others* is one of the top providers and supporters of internet censoring software and tactics outside of U.S. borders. Surprised? I was. So how exactly has the U.S. aided such anti-American tactics abroad?

Apple’s Push notifications while grossly past due from their original due date of last year, were at least delayed for good reason. At the iPhone OS 3.0 preview, Apple stated the delay was because of “developers suggesting ideas and methods of implementing the push service that they had never thought of”, which in return required a complete re-write of the service, hence the massive delay. But the real question is why does Apple refuse to bring by far the most requested and undoubtedly most important feature, background processes, to the iPhone platform?

While wars currently rage between labels, copyright holders, RIAA-like companies, and consumers alike, a small movement may be on the verge of starting. A new band, “We Are The Fallen” has risen from the ashes that was Evanescence. While many will confuse the old and the new, Ben Moody, the co-founder of Evanescence sees the two bands as walking the path of life on this earth peacefully rather than resorting to typical celebrity drama/bashing. So what exactly is the big deal with this new band. At first glance many will more than likely confuse them for Evanescence as it is again a group of guys with a girl fronting the band. The real difference isn’t in the structure of the band, but in how they will share their creations with the rest of the world. Hint: Don’t think of “big CD releases”, instead, think of more sporadic updates. Their approach is exciting to say the least…

While there were many things announced yesterday at WWDC, several of those pertaining to the new iPhone 3GS, one in particular left me wanting more - the camera. The old iPhone 2G and 3G cameras were 2 megapixel shooters with nothing else to aid in mobile static image gathering. The new iPhone 3GS uses a *slightly* higher resolution 3 megapixel camera, except this time auto-focus, auto-white balance, and a few other small software tweaked features are also added. As soon as I saw the camera I thought to myself “That’s it?”. Do you find yourself asking the same question?

With the race for alternative energy sources to replace our dependence on non-renewable sources grows more intense, scientists are looking for more exotic and unique ways of supplying energy to our gadgets and electronics. Moving past carbon based fuels, wind, and solar power alternatives, biomass seems to be taking the favoring eye of the military. Biomass doesn’t must mean “plants”. Do little and big military robots who are on a mission to kill and eat humans sound like the sort of cute little Johnny 5’s you want running around the planet?

The glossy “Aqua” style of Tiger and Leopard isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. iLeopard will appeal to those users by toning down the gloss and glare giving Leopard a new, darker lease on life.

A weather nut and Crackberry lover knows that finding a good, robust, and fully featured weather application for Blackberry is no small chore. The market is flooded with them (no pun intended). However, with all of the choices to choose from, the results so far (in my search so far), are proving to be more elusive and difficult than I believed. My next stop in the Blackberry Weather application scene took place using eMobile Weather.

Those of you who value sound quality and don’t just settle for the stock ear buds will be pleased that Apple’s new In-Ear headphones deliver awesome performance for the money. While they won’t please super critical audiophiles, the population between average Joe and the super critical will definitely enjoy Apple’s latest.

We’ve all had times where we were trying to grab that last gummy bear underneath the seat but just can’t quite see where your paw is grabbing. Sure, you could use one of those little keychain lights. But those require batteries that you have to change all of the time. You can also use a bigger flashlight that could be seen from space. Though, those also take large batteries that over time are costly to replace. Why should you even have to replace batteries? Take your old flashlight and throw it in the trash because the 12v Spotlight will be the last light you ever have to get.

Coming off of yesterday’s review of BerryWeather, HandyWeather is following closely vying for your dollar and dedicated spot on your berry. As far as weather information is concerned, HandyWeather does a good job of laying out the information on the screen in a decent manner that is easy to read. Though, while the app isn’t ugly by any means, I much prefer BerryWeather’s visual appearance and overall more “modern” feel. Is it the right Blackberry weather for you?

The Logitech MX Revolution is an outstanding mouse that cuts the cord and ends a valiant quest that has stretched on for many months. Finally I can declare the search over as the MX is by far the best mouse for the money.

Blackberry users who enjoy a “deeper-than-average” weather forecast on their addictive devices will find that BerryWeather, while not perfect, brings a lot to the table. Is it enough to part with $10 of your hard earned money? If you can live without a dedicated radar and a few inconsistencies between the in-app temperature/condition current forecast and the homescreen icon’s display of temp/forecast, you’re already winning half the battle. BerryWeather while not perfect has a lot to offer. Is it your next app purchase?

Eveek is back with a trio of awesome Blackberry themes. Distortion, Sector, and Onyx cater to the people who like a little bit of “pizazz” and flare in their lives and on their Berries. Let your personality shout out with one of these impressive themes.

Are you a Blackberry user who has so many favorite applications and/or email address that you couldn’t possibly just pick 5-7 to fit on a bottom dock theme but despise “Icon” style themes? Good news for you as the 50 x 50 Bottom and Hidden docks today theme is exactly what you’ve been looking for. CrackShack.com has stuffed 11 icons into a hiding bottom dock as well as crammed 4 more additional icons on a second hidden side dock bringing the grand total to 15 icons on the homescreen. Indecisive users have finally met their match!

Sand! is a one of a kind Blackberry theme that brings a beach front like environment to your phone. Coupled with the wallpaper holding old style Polaroid photograph, and you have the recipe for a truly sweet theme.

Blackberry themes and theme making are quickly becoming saturated to the point that it can at times seem overwhelming trying to find or make a unique theme in a sea of imposters and copies.  Rising above commonality and the sea of averageness, Bedaweed, a talented theme builder over at Crackberry has published pictures of an upcoming theme titled “Pro Blue” that looks to be one of the more unique themes I have seen in some time now.  It has a very minimalistic yet sophisticated look to it that screams practicality.  Wow you with flashy graphics and resource hogging transition features it wont.  What it lacks in outright “pizzaz”, it more than makes up for in the slick and futuristic look it brings to your Berry.

If flashy themes aren’t your forte, Z Man Design’s Storm X theme for the Blackberry Storm has the class and sophistication you are looking for. Impress the more business minded people in your life with Storm X.

If the wave of “iPhonish” themes is getting old and wearing thin leaving you looking for something new, the Chiron Blackberry theme has just what you need. Featuring a brushed metal/chrome look to it, it takes on a more machined/industrial look that says “Hey, I’m a serious here”. So the theme won’t talk to you or help your masculinity, but it will look pretty darn good on your Blackberry 8900 Curve, Bold, or Storm.

Android has quickly become a tech nerds dream. Complete customization is at your fingertips. The first OS built for nerds by nerds. Get the unique look of Android on your Blackberry and support the open source movement.

We’ve seen some pretty unique uses for lego in the tech world such as the Lego Flash Drive, the Lego USB hub, and even a Lego MP3 player. The latest use of Lego’s, while not quite “gadgety”, is none the less cool and unique. Instead of having electronic circuits inside the legos, they themselves become literal building blocks, supporting aging wonders of architecture.

Have you ever spent hours upon hours starring at your keyboard desperately trying to figure out how to get the delete key and its deleting ability into a more “old school” form? You can now take a breather and rest your precious brain cells as the Art Lebedev studio has come up with an ingenius solution: Deletus. Said item is an eraser modeled directly after a standard computers delete key. Delete handwritten data errors in style and sophistication and let the world know what kind of geek you really are!

In years past, letting bad drivers know how you really feel made you resort to such barbaric practices such as cryptic hand gestures, rolling down the window and screaming obceneties, or even returing a favor or two with your own car. Such practices are now outdated. Thankfully technology and gadgetry has stepped in to make this once troublesome task more of a joy. The Drivemocion is a neat little LED sign which you can hang anywhere inside you car that will display on it’s “screen” either one of several pre-programmed expressions/words as well as user generated content. Get a Drivemocion and receive a new outlook on driving.

Are you the type of geek that is reserved, a closet geek will you, one that doesn’t let the general public witness his extreme bouts of geekiness? Or, are you a flaming geek who proudly wears his hobbies on his sleeve. If you fit the latter, a T-Shirt from Think Geek is something you may want to start wearing. While your feelings and hobbies won’t be “on your sleeve”, they get an even better position - front and center right on your chest for everyone to see.

Nature lovers and camping gurus who constantly find themselves toting around dying/dead flashlights in the wilderness as they aimlessly wonder through the earth’s various layers of environment will find the NoPoPo Water-Powered Flashlight a blessing from above. Wait a minute…a flashlight that runs on water!? We’ve seen hand cranked flashlights, shake activated flashlights, and even the old as dirt battery powered flashlights…but water? How?

If you are a tech/gadget junky, chances are you have at least heard of a show called Mythbusters. It is a myth debunking/confirming show on the Discovery Channel that has over the last couple of years been an extremely entertaining show while also delivering knowledge…two things that don’t play well together very often. An episode of Mythbuster that raises the show to a new level of awesomeness shows a sled outfitted with various rockets completely decimating a tiny car.

Though this isn’t gadget related, it is undoubtedly cool. The human body while certainly a walking vessel full of miniture miracles or feats of science happening every second, is still limited in its abilites. For example, our eyes are weak. We can’t see as far or crisp as an owl let alone a telescope. But what if our eyes had the power of the Hubble?

If there’s one thing about Mac fanatics it’s that they love eye candy. That love spreads to others areas than just the immediate Mac operating system. For those Mac readers who want to give Google Reader a bit of Leopard flare this how-to is just for you.

If you have an unlocked WiFi enabled Blackberry and want to use it with T-Mobile’s UMA service, you’ll have to take a few extra steps than your locked brethren. Come inside to get your device up and running quickly and easily.

The WSJ is one of the most widely read and highly regarded newspapers in the world. Because of their global success, the subsciption costs that are required to read said paper don’t deter many as it is again a very established and well respected newspaper. As far as actually spreading news and getting the word out there, having subscription costs and paywalls aren’t exactly the greatest method for Google popularity or subscribers as the people receiving the subscription payments are the only real beneficiaries. In order to be more indexable by Google, a sweet little back door is now open allowing anyone and everyone the ability to read any WSJ article online for free. While more technologically less intelligent people won’t ever stumble upon this wonderful backdoor, I’m letting you fine people know about it in order to “spread the open flow and movement of news”. Want to know how?

While many of you out there either don’t have a Wordpress blog or care in the world to even start one, there may be several of you fine individuals out there who are looking to dip their toes into this whole blogging thing. Besides the obvious and more often talked about domain names, server hosts, etc., the biggest question you need to ask yourself is: “What are you going to blog about?” Picking a too general or too specific topic/genre will hamper your ability to grow and attract readers. We’ll assume you’ve already made it through the whole “finding yourself” stage as well as server set up and the other beginning set up junk. For this post we’ll focus on how to actually write an article.

If you are a Crackberry user but aren’t too kosher with mixing and matching the Blackberry OS files Crackmem makes it drop dead simple to edit your Blackberry OS to your little hearts content.

Anyone who knows something about something probably knows the big rip off, eye gouging, theft practices that goes on with the extremely over inflated cost of ink cartridges. Such wallet emptying practices never please anyone. The trend the last couple of years has been geared towards deception. For example, while ink cartridge prices have been falling on certain manufacturers models, the actual physical size of said cartridges is also falling — you’re getting the same raw deal folks. So what is a cash strapped, printer loving person such as yourself to do?

Mac OS X users who want to bring back a little of the Aqua shine to iTunes 8 now have a solution with iTunes Blue compliments of Larzon83 over at deviantart by way of a modified iTunes.rsrc file that once copied and pasted in place brings the sexy back to iTunes.