The Tech Temple Has Moved!

Blogger has been a great tool in aiding me with getting into the world of blogging and web site creation.  For those of you who follow this blog, I would like to inform you that The Tech Temple has officially moved to www.thetechtemple.com.  I've found that working with Wordpress has a more professional look and therefore, I will be using that platform in order to maintain a high quality website.  Click here for the new RSS feed for The Tech Temple.  Be sure to add it to your Google Reader as well.  Hopefully you like the new look of the new website.  I'm still adding to it and learning how Wordpress operates, so new things are to come in the near future.  Thanks for the continued following and I look forward to bringing you more great content :-)

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The HTC Evo Has Gone 3D...Don't Purchase That Evo 4G Just Yet!

via Sprint

HTC's Evo 4G was unarguably one of the hottest smartphones last summer, and Spint is looking to do the same thing again with the release of the HTC Evo 3D.  No specific release date has been given yet (I hate when carriers do that. Just do like Apple: announce something then release it week) outside of a summer time frame.  The two phones are identical from the front and pack the same features, minus the 3D capabilities of the Evo 3D that allow one to view/take pictures as well as video in 3D.  It also comes with a hefty 1750 mAh battery and great dedicated shutter button for photo taking.   Unfortunately the kickstand has been dismissed.  I'd rather have a 3.7" screen, same sized battery and kickstand in exchange for the 3D...but that's just me (c'mon now, how many people do you know with a 3D tv?).  

Check out Engadget for a video overview of the phone, as well as for a comparison of the Evo 3D versus the original Evo 4G.

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Droid Does...Dancing?

Via TopNews

In order to promote their new Xperia Arc, Sony decided to grace the mall with it's presence using the little green guy himself.  Don't let him fool you, he can do more than just the robot...Android can get down!  I can't even lie, it's pretty amusing and entertaining.

If you haven't heard of the Xperia Arc and it's available in your area, you might be doing yourself a favor by giving it a look.  It's an extremely nicely designed phone, smooth looking interface, thin and has a great camera for taking stills as well as video.  Even better, it ships with Android 2.3. 

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Sprint + Google Voice = Goodness

Image via CrunchBase

Sprint and Google Voice have combined forces in a way that should benefit all customers.  You no longer have to have a smartphone in order to get all of the benefits that Voice has to offer.  After pairing your mobile number with your Google Voice number, the receiver of the call (or text) will see your Voice number.  Furthermore, your texts and voicemails will all be stored in your Google Voice account once you logon using a computer.  And don't forget you can receive and make calls from your computer as well...all for free!

Who Really Has the Fastest 4G Network?

via Unreality

For the past several months AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon have all been focusing their advertising on promoting their 4G networks, each claiming to have the fastest or largest network in order to draw more consumers.  You can't really believe the info coming from either company because of course their going to construe the facts into a more favorable outcome for them. Thankfully an outside entity, PC World, has performed a relatively extensive speed test to find out who really holds the title as speed king of the 4G networks. 

via PCWorld

And the winner is...T-Mobile!  Which Network has the fastest laptop modem speed? Check out PCWorld's in depth test for the full report.

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HTC SuperHero with Cyanogenmod Slowing Down :-(

The last few days my phone slowed down to a screeching halt.  I had no idea why.  Everything was sluggish.  I tried modifying Launcher Pro settings, removing Handcent, removing ShapeWriter, clearing the Dalvik Cache...nothing seemed to work!  Luckily the CyanogenMod forums came through once again.

The Solution:
Download "GPS Status," press the menu buttons and choose tools.  Select manage a GPS State.  Reset the GPS then download the data again.

After I did this my phone was instantaneously fast again. The SuperHero is back!

This app is also great for speeding up the time it takes your phone's GPS to lock on.  It will dramatically decrease your lock on time as well as help to ensure that you have a strong signal.

Correct Problems with Inaccurate Android Picture Gallery Thumbnails

If you've ever gone into your picture gallery and clicked on a picture, but then your phone ended up showing you a different one...or your gallery has previews of pictures that you know you deleted a while ago...or any other strange problems in your picture gallery, then this is the fix for you.

I'm running stock Android so I'm not sure if this works for phones running HTC sense or Motomessblur.  I would assume so since everything should be in same folders, regardless of the carrier's customization.  Follow these steps to get your gallery up and running the way it should:  

1. Click Settings > Applications > Manage Applications and clear the thumbnail cache
2. Use a file explorer, such as Astro File Manager to navigate to the folder /sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails.  Once there, delete everything in that folder.
3. Navigate to /sdcard/Android/data/com.cooliris.media/cache. Again, delete everything inside of the folder.

After following the above steps, restart your phone and head to your gallery.  The thumbnails should rebuild and any problems you had before should vanquish.  Shout out to Shay D. Life for the tip from the Cyanogenmod forum. 

 

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Visual Android Activation Timelapse, from Droid to Galaxy S Launch

Image via CrunchBase

Google has put together a worldwide visual representation of Android handsets being activated from October 2008 to January 2011, with major activity occurring with the release of the Motorola Droid and Galaxy S devices.  It's a great sight to see how widespread the Android operating system has become over the years across different countries.  

Verizon Getting Rid of Mail in Rebates Through Valentine's Day

via Android Central

Ever get tired of those $199.99 (with $100 mail in rebate) deals from Verizon?  Followed by having to mail in the rebate along with the UPC code that you cut form the box, then waiting two months before you see that gift card arrive in the mail.  

Yup, we've all been there.  From January 31, 2011 through February 14, 2011 Big Red is turning those mail in rebates into instant ones, meaning that you can actually get that $199 phone for $199.  The deal only applies to current phones $149.99 and up, so now would be a good as time as any to get that new phone for that special Valentine.

Peep the full list of phone rebates below:

via Boy Genius Report

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Let the Verizon iPhone Commercials Commence!

I have been already seen the Verizon iPhone4 commercial 4 times already while watching the Playoffs.  Here's the one I've repeatedly seen: 

And here's another that you'll probably be seeing as the coming weeks past until the arrival of the iPhone 4 on February 10, 2011:

If you were one of the unfortunate people who renewed their contract before the announcement of the iPhone4, fear not for Verizon hasn't left you out.  As long as you purchased your new phone between the dates of November 26, 2010 and January 10, 2011, you have the opportunity to receive a $200 Visa Debit Card in exchange for purchasing the iPhone4 at the full retail price (16GB - $449.99, 32GB - $749.99).  Is that a good deal?  I'd say it's worth it for the 16GB model, but not for the latter, especially considering the fact that the contract price is $199.99 for the sixteen gig.  And why the off contract prices are $50 more than what AT&T are selling it for is beyond me.  It's probably just VZW being greedy again. 

With that said, of course people will be rushing to go out and get this thing when it drops.  Let's just hope that Big Red's network doesn't experience an overload similar to Sprint's when their HTC Evo 4G was released earlier this summer.

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Say It Ain't So Sprint...Say It Ain't So!

Last week Sprint puts out some bootlegged, rehashed commercial for their Evo Shift 4G (still would've bade more sense to me if it was called Evo 4G Shift) and today they dropped a fairly huge bomb that affects all of the carrier's smartphone users.

If you're currently a Sprint customer who owns a smartphone and use the Everything Data plan, after January 30th,  you will be charged an additional $10 should you chose to upgrade to a new smartphone.  Not only does this hold true for individual plans but the $10 fee, known as the Premium Data fee, will be charged to each additional line on the family plan for those smartphone users.

Seeing as the main reason I switched to Sprint last summer was because of their pricing plans, this is a quite a downer.  On the other hand, it's still better than paying $20 for unlimited texting and $30 for data on Verizon.  That's already $50 and that doesn't even include the calling plan.  

Currently, the Everything Data plan includes (using 450 min in this example):

• Everything Data 450 $69.99
• 450 Anytime Minutes Included
• Nationwide Long Distance Included
• America - Roaming Included
• Unlimited Any Mobile, Anytime
• Unlimited SMS Text Messaging
• Unlimited Picture Mail
• Unlimited Data Usage
• GPS Navigation
• Sprint Data Essentials Pack
• Nights: M-TH 7pm-7am Wknd: F 7pm-M 7am
• Caller ID
• Call Waiting
• Three-Way Calling
• Voicemail

Below is Sprint's Press Release:

Premium Data Add-on Charge for All Smartphones
Effective 1/30/11, all current and future 3G and 3G/4G smartphone activations will require the $10/month Premium Data Add-on charge. This allows Sprint to continue to offer simple and affordable unlimited data plans for our smartphone customers, while maintaining a wireless network able to meet the growing appetite for mobile data.
Complete details are included in the Premium Data Add-on Charge Launch Guide found on ISC > Quick Links > Premium Data Add-on Charge.
Details:
The Premium Data Add-on charge applies to:

• All smartphones operating on the CDMA, iDEN and 4G networks.
  • A smartphone is defined as a device that supports a robust operating system including: Android, BlackBerry, Instinct, Palm and Windows Mobile.
• All customers activating a new line or upgrading/swapping existing lines (consumer, IL, and most CL customers).

The Premium Data Add-on charge does NOT apply to:

• S&R exchanges (warranty or insurance events)
• 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee devices exchanges for handsets activated 1/1/11 to 1/29/11
• Existing smartphone customers will remain on their current rate plan, until they upgrade, perform an ESN swap or activate a new smartphone
• Existing Seasonal Standby customers prior to 1/30/11

Special priced CL customers tied to a Corp ID

Another Bad Sprint Commercial feat. the Evo Shift 4G

Image via Wikipedia

As much as I love Sprint, they  have the worst marketing team of any cell phone provider company I have ever seen.  In recent memory there's been the awful Epic commercial and now this one that features Sprint's newest phone, the Evo Shift 4G.  The commercial is the exact same as the Evo 4G commercial, except for the end where it shows the Evo having the slide out keyboard.  C'mon Sprint, that's just lazy and unappealing.  


Evo Shift 4G Commercial

 

Evo 4G Commercial

Sad, Sprint.  Just sad...

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The Playstation Phone is Real

I'll admit, when the protytpe pictures leaked I was extremely skeptical.  It just didn't look real to me at all.  Then I saw this: 

via Droiddog

YUP! It's real and is named the Sony Xperia Play.  More photos and video are available over at Droiddog.

A Phone, A Computer and A Tablet, All in One Device

Now this is the kinda phone I'm talking about.  I can't even explain how cool this phone is.  Just check out the video.  Oh, and it comes with a 1930 mAh battery.  It's about time cell phone companies started focusing more on the longevity of their devices. 

Make A YouTube Link Begin Where You Want It

Ever have those times where you wanna share a YouTube video with your friend, except you want the video to start a specific point rather than at the very beginning?  Just pause the video where you want it to begin, right click and chose "copy video URL at current time", then send the link to your friend.  Easy peasy.  

 

via Lifehacker

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Winamp Automatically Plays Similar Songs for You

Image via Wikipedia

One of the problems with having a huge music library is deciding on what songs to listen to.  Yes I know, that sounds strange but just hear me out.  Let's say you play one song that puts you in a certain mood and you wanna keep the groove goin', but it can be pain sorting through hundreds or thousands just to find one that matches the set mood.  And we all know there are times where you don't wanna ruin that mood ;-)

Winamp easily solves this problem.  Just right click on the song you're playing and choose "play tracks similar to..." Based upon your settings, Winamp will generate a playlist of related songs.  That's it!  Simple right? There are several options to choose from such as if you want to include the same artist and album you began the playlist with, as well as how long you'd like the play list to be.

Solving the Winamp Playlist Generator Problem

Every now and then, usually when I upgrade to a new version of Winamp, it's unable to generate the playlist.  Here's a fix for it:  

1. Make sure Winamp is closed
2. Enable the viewing of hidden folders on your computer
3. Navigate to: %AppData%\Winamp\Plugins\Gracenote or %ProgramFiles%\Winamp\Plugins\Gracenote
• You should be able to get to these directories from from My Computer\Users\
4. Delete the file named: cddbplm.pdb
5. Delete the file named: cddbplm.idx
6. Open Winamp, right-click, go to options and select preferences
7. On the left side, under Plug-ins, select media library and then click on Playlist Generator in the right side of the window
8. Click on scan (or reset database and then click scan)

Thank you to Juanus in the Winamp Forums for the fix.