As if to make up for Monday’s barebones post, the tech world decided to go off the wall this week
1. Google Evernote Keep
Google launched Keep today after it made a short appearance in Google Drive earlier this week.
The app, which syncs notes and to-do lists across all Android devices and Google Chrome, is available.
Check out the release trailer:
2. T-Mobile to drop contracts?
The smallest big-name carrier in the U.S. said in December it would get rid of subsidies on cell phones, and it’s announced an event for March 26 to announce just that.
T-Mobile will have two plans according to TMoNews: an “UNcarrier classic,” which will be offered by national chain retailers, and the “Value” plan, which will only be sold in T-Mobile stores.
All plans with T-Mobile include unlimited calls, texts and 500MB of data for free, but any more than that will cost you. According to the leaked content, it’s $80/month for 2GB of data on an individual plan.
Why the carrier would drop two-year contracts, but I guarantee no one is complaining. Cell phone contracts are an entirely unnecessary and outdated form of staying in contact with others.
Want to know why data speeds are horrible and 90 percent of Android phones come pre-loaded with bloatware that ruin the user experience?
Carrier. Contracts. Companies like AT&T and Verizon offer phones much cheaper than they actually are through subsidizing you for two years. It’s also the reason it’s incredibly difficult to break your contract.
Now, it would be great if T-Mobile, the pink carrier-that-could, would set a precedent for others. We’ll just have to see what happens.
3. The Littlest DSLR
Canon is definitely bucking the mirror-less trend with its latest DSLR.
The EOS 100D fits in the palm of one’s hand and weighs 407 grams with an 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS image sensor, making it the smallest DSLR in the world.
It also has a decent ISO range (100-12800) and four frames per second continuous shooting.
One reason interchangable-lens cameras (ILC’s) exist is because photo enthusiasts want the quality of a DSLR camera, but in a smaller camera. So companies like Sony and Panasonic made cameras with interchangeable lenses and large sensors, but took out the reflecting mirror.
Although removing the mirror significantly reduces the size of the camera, it makes having an optical viewfinder (as opposed to a digital one) impossible.
Optical viewfinders can more accurately preview your picture and show action in real-time. Plus, including the mirror helps with autofocus. Mirror-less cameras often rely on “phase-shifting” autofocus, which is slower and more unreliable than standard focusing.
Canon also revealed the 700D/T5i on Wednesday, which has the same 18-megapixel APS-C sensor, but in a more traditional-sized body.
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That’s all the news for this week! Make sure to check next week for my review of “Ridiculous Fishing,” (which I’ll hopefully complete), and come back every Monday and Thursday for the latest and greatest in tech.
