In the last few days I’ve noticed a regular spam problem from Facebook.

My notifications bar shows links from people I don’t know and am not friends with. They are inviting me to like a spam page – in this case “iPhone 5 testing” which leads to a multitude of pop-up windows and eventually pulls me off-site to another spam page which I’ve not bothered to click onto any further for fear of contracting malware-itis.

The issue with Facebook is:

• Non-Friends  should not be able to randomly send you notifications – if there’s an easy way to shut this off I’ve not found it
• On the incoming notifications there should be a way to flag a USER as sending SPAM – the current default action if you try to click on the user icon is to actually send you to the spam the user sent

In order to block/report the user you must know to click “See All Notifications” and from there you can click the users link and block/report them.

Related posts:

1. BlackBerry Bold 9930 Defect: Back Button Activates App Switcher Numerous BlackBerry 9930 users report that the back button on...
2. TouchPad User Manual and Guide – PDF Download Did you just pick up a heavily discounted HP TouchPad?...
3. Facebook Like and Dislike Rubber Stamps Just spotted these Facebook Like and Dislike rubber stamps over...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

For a short while I used the Taskforce App for Gmail. I was relatively happy with it until I tried synchronizing to Google Tasks and it kept disconnecting. Rather than spend an endless game of debugging an application that might never work properly (the developers last blog post was August 2011), I decided to cancel the auto renewal.

Auto renewal is in my opinion one of those tricky sales gimmicks employed by companies that hope you’ll forget the day after your auto-renewal goes into place. Then even though they miraculously could charge your credit card in milliseconds to get your signup – they have extreme difficulty reversing that charge.

Rather than take a chance that I would forget to cancel a service that I no longer felt was worth the money I decided to cancel online (which thankfully Taskforce allows).

However they immediately cancel your account in full and back you down to a free account — despite my having paid in advance for a full year.

In my opinion extremely poor business.

Related posts:

1. Beware AppSumo Sales Practices/Deal Requirements This morning a deal for Olark, an online chat support...
2. Sprint BlackBerry Bold 9930 – $199 via Sprint Online Sprint now has the new BlackBerry Bold 9930 listed online...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Interested in watching the festivities in New York City’s Times Square on December 31, 2011 – but not all that thrilled to fight the crowds. Well you’re in luck because for the last several years there has been a way to watch all the activity live from your computer via the power of the streaming webcams hosted by Earthlink.

These high definition streaming cameras offer a large number of viewing angles to choose from and new for 2011 is the Earthcam 3D which will allow those with special 3D televisions to connect (instructions here)  and view the action in full depth.

Watch the Times Square action from the Earthcam dedicated New Years Eve site here or view the every day Time Square Webcam here.

Related posts:

1. Amazon Prime Members Now Receive Free Streaming Movies and Video Amazon Prime members now enjoy not only free shipping on...
2. How to change your caller ID online – Verizon Did you know that consumers have a free way to...
3. iPad 2 Online Inventory Status Lookup For Target Stores Tired of driving from store to store and peering in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Did you know that consumers have a free way to change the name that displays when you make a call on your Verizon Wireless Smartphone? This works for any type of cell phone on Verizon and you can make the change yourself for free (business users must pay $1.99 per month). Verizon calls this Share Name ID which enables you to customize the name that others see when they receive your call on a device enabled with Caller ID. It is a free service (except for business lines). Here is how to set it up on your account.

How To Set Caller ID / Share Name ID On Verizon

To set your caller ID on Verizon, first login to your Verizon account online.

Next click on Change Name ID.

On the following screen simply change your Caller ID Name (maximum 15 characters).

According to Verizon Wireless the changes may take up to 24 hours to update and become effective.

Verizon Share Name ID FAQ

Related posts:

1. Verizon Thunderbolt Free Mobile Hotspot Through May 15, 2011 I’ll admit that I’ve not yet ready every review of...
2. Verizon BlackBerry Bold 9930: 5 Places Where It Is Winning I’ve beeng using a Droid X on my Verizon line...
3. iPad 2 Online Inventory Status Lookup For Target Stores Tired of driving from store to store and peering in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Big fan of NBC’s the office?
Ever wanted to buy actual Dunder Mifflin paper?

Now you can at Quill.com (owned by Staples). At $34.99 per carton (10 reams), it’s not a killer deal but is decent, especially when you add in the coolness factor.

Coupon code: JYC – Free USB Hub w/clock ($9.99 Value) with $45 order.

All orders over $45 ship free so if you want free shipping and a badass (sarcasm) USB hub/clock, you’ll need a filler item. While I was typing this up, I ran across a code for $20 off $100 dollar purchase (was going to use it with 3 cartons) but expired while I was checking out. Also, in case you want to get a few cartons and want something a little more useful than a USB clock there’s this code:

Coupon code: VKB – Free Wireless Mouse with $85 Purchase

Via: FatWallet

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Late last week I spotted that prepaid MVNO SIMPLE Mobile (a T-Mobile service carrier ultimately) was offering a $40 unlimited plan. This pricing, while low, is extraordinary for two reasons:

1. It allows you to bring any unlocked GSM phone – including smartphones – to the plan.
2. It offers seemingly unlimited downloads of data at “up to 3G speeds”

According to some early adopters on the Howardforums site – the “up to 3G” might be exactly the catch that you would expect it to be. In other words your download speeds could be from 0 to 3G and still meet the advertised specifications. In other words even if you have a download speed of 0 — or no data — the plan technically meets the advertised speeds.

Howardforum member BCW48 has some speed tests to share on his recent SIMPLE Mobile based phone. And just as you might have expected his testing shows that the “up to 3G speeds” seems to have been put into the advertising for good reason.

Here’s what he had to say about his SIMPLE Mobile purchase:

Just changed my Simple Mobile service from my previous $60.00 4G plan to the new $40.00 3G plan today, thought that I will save some $$$, am I wrong, have using the new plan for three hours and was very upset about the data download speed.
When I had the $60.00 4G plan, the download speed was really 4G, average 1.5M to 2M, which was really great.
And now today after the plan switched, the so call 3G download speed is cap at 119 kbps, yes 119 kbps!!! I have tried 10 speedtest tests within one hour period time and all cap at the same download speed of 119 kps, no more and no less.
Then I tried played some Youtube videos, the speed is so slow that even the low quality ones buffers constantly, damn, what a diffrence with my previous 4G plan.
I will now stuck with this crappy 3G speed for at least a month, hope that Simple Mobile will raise the download speed so it is more useable.
After this month, I am planning to either going back to the $60.00 4G plan or change my service to Straight Talk $45.00 3G plan, which my friends said is pity good, at least useable.

He follows up with some images that he claims are captures of multiple speed tests showing repeated 119k download speeds – leading him to conclude that (at least in his area) the downloads on SIMPLE Mobile appear to be capped at a rather slow EDGE like 119k.

If you’re thinking of migrating your T-Mobile account over to SIMPLE Mobile – consider the potential impact that “speeds of up to 3G” might have on your mobile use. If you’re primarily on WiFi all day and need just some light web surfing – then a reported speed of 119 k download may not be an issue.

Read the full report

Related posts:

1. Virgin Mobile Data Down For Some (ALL?) Judging by message threads on their Facebook Page and an...
2. LG Optimus V Prepaid Android Phone for Virgin Mobile for $129.99 plus a $20 gift card Target on 3/6/11 will be offering the LG Optimus V...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

OfficeMax this week (9/4/11 to 9/10/11) has the BlackBerry Curve 8520 on sale for $79. This is $50 off the normal $129. Expect that this model is likely going to be replaced within the next few months as RIM begins to roll out newer versions. Virgin Mobile is a prepaid (no contract) providers of cellular services owned by Sprint and uses their frequencies. What’s attractive about this prepaid carrier is data is included in the lowest monthly price of $35/mo for 300 minutes which includes your unlimited BlackBerry data and unlimited texting.

Use one of the readily available $10 coupons to bring your cost to $69.

Fatwallet

Related posts:

1. Virgin Mobile BlackBerry 8530 Deal – $169 at Walmart Looking to save money on a BlackBerry 8530? This isn’t...
2. LG Optimus V Prepaid Android Phone for Virgin Mobile for $129.99 plus a $20 gift card Target on 3/6/11 will be offering the LG Optimus V...
3. Virgin Mobile Data Down For Some (ALL?) Judging by message threads on their Facebook Page and an...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

For those living in Sunnyvale California you may want to head to the Palm/HP store and score what Fatwallet members indicate a cut rate no-contract prices on Palm WebOS phones.

Here’s a sample of what’s reportedly on sale:

At the Palm/HP store.
Address: 950 W Maude Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94085

Veer AT&T $55
Palm Pixi (At&T, Sprint, Verizon) $27
Palm Centro $27
Palm Pre Plus (AT&T) $27
Treo $27
Accessories 2 for $5
Touch Pad Chargers $8

All sales are final, no returns or exchanges.

via: Fatwallet

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Numerous BlackBerry 9930 users report that the back button on their device suddenly changes from the normal function of moving back one screen to activating the BlackBerry App Switcher. This means that backing out of menus is difficult (the red “end call” still works though not as conveniently). Turns out this appears to be a known RIM OS 7.x bug. Several fixes have been reported and I’ve only found two that work on my device (OS 7.0.0.254).
First many people have said that loading a newer version of the BB OS fixes this issue. This multi-step process takes a little longer (here’s instructions) than the two fixes I’ve seen:

a. Use the ALT key. Pushing the alt key supposedly solves this issue

b. Use the SLEEP button (very top of the BB device) – push this button twice to clear the App Switcher bug.

In my experience both of the above fixes are temporary as the bug will re-appear randomly. Until RIM is able to issue an OS fix for this the workarounds are the easiest way to clear the issue.

Related posts:

1. Verizon BlackBerry Bold 9930: 5 Places Where It Is Winning I’ve beeng using a Droid X on my Verizon line...
2. Sprint BlackBerry Bold 9930 – $199 via Sprint Online Sprint now has the new BlackBerry Bold 9930 listed online...
3. BlackBerry Roadmap 2011: BIS 4.1 and BlackBerry 7 A new “leaked” roadmap shows mostly incremental updates to the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I just spotted this dual mode cellular / satellite phone up for sale on Amazon Wireless. With a price (on contract) of $799 the phone is definitely not for everyday use.  Sadly the OS is stuck back on Windows Mobile 6.5 – so it’s not something that you’d probably invest in for everyday around town use.

What’s neat is how much satellite phone size has shrunk. Gone apparently are the days of brick sized phones with 4 inch long thick extending antenna.

Apparently this model offers dual high speed AT&T cellular service as well:

Enabled for use on AT&T’s lightning quick HSPDA 3G network, you’ll be able to easily access the Internet as well as quickly download video, music and more. Additionally, with AT&T’s 3G network, you can make a call while simultaneously receiving picture/text messages and e-mail or viewing Web pages.

The GENUS also connects to TerreStar-1 for satellite communications when not within range of cellular connectivity. It is a geosynchronous satellite covering North America and supports the delivery of advanced all IP-based mobile data and voice services.

The TerreStar GENUS with AT&T’s Satellite Augmented Mobile Service is available for consumers as well as for enterprise, government and small business customers. It’s a great choice for outdoor enthusiasts, recreational boaters, emergency personnel and anyone who needs backup satellite communications capabilities.

Pricing on the service plan seems unusually reasonable too (provided you aren’t using too much data):

AT&T Satellite Augmented Mobile service (“SAM”) provides customers with an integrated cellular and satellite mobile communications solution. Customers with compatible TerreStar GENUS™ devices are able to use their AT&T cellular wireless voice, messaging and data services for primary communications and access a satellite network for voice, messaging and data service when the cellular wireless service is unavailable.

Monthly Recurring Charge:

$24.99 Satellite Network

Pay-Per-Use Charges:

$0.65/min for satellite voice calls
$0.40/message for satellite SMS
$5.00/MB for satellite data usage

TerreStar AT&T Satellite Smartphone

Related posts:

1. Trup Saves on Overseas Cell Phone Roaming Costs One of the hidden secrets of traveling overseas is that...
2. Virgin Mobile Activation and Customer Service Fail This morning I spotted this deal on a Samsung Intercept...
3. LG Optimus V Prepaid Android Phone for Virgin Mobile for $129.99 plus a $20 gift card Target on 3/6/11 will be offering the LG Optimus V...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.