Articles by Wayne Schulz

Amazon Echo Now Ubers!

Beginning today you can now officially hail an Uber ride.  Connect your Uber account to Amazon Echo and you’re off and running. The functionality allows you to hail a specific class of ride , “Alexa, ask Uber to request an Uber X,”.


BlackBerry Priv Now Available on T-Mobile for $719 or $30/mo

T-Mobile is now offering the Android-based BlackBerry Priv for $719 or $30/month for 24 months. Hailed as the (possible) savior of BlackBerry, this qwerty keyboard device has drawn mixed reviews. The keyboard has been welcomed by fat-thumbers. An excess of heat from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor and creaking body panels has been mentioned as negatives by a few purchasers. The Priv is available in the U.S. at AT&T and T-Mobile.


T-Mobile Takes $75 off Any Note 5 with Code NOTE5DEAL

Have you been thinking about a Samsung Galaxy Note 5? If so, this could be your lucky day. T-Mobile offers $75 off any model Note 5 with promo code NOTE5DEAL. The Note 5 first appeared in the U.S. in late August. Three months later in November, a gold platinum variant was added.  In other deals, T-Mobile is also offering $80 off the Samsung Galaxy S6, and $40 off the LG Leon LTE. Deals are good online or via telesales with no expiration given.


Motorola Brand to Fade, Survived by Moto and Vibe

News today from CES that Lenovo plans to phase out the Motorola brand during 2016. We had to know this day was coming ever since Motorola was sold by Google to Lenovo in 2014. Fear not though, the Moto branding will live on for higher-end phones while Lenovo will use the Vibe brand for the cheap stuff.


Saying Goodbye To Google Project Fi

I joined Project Fi in August of this year. Project Fi is essentially a prepaid phone service for which Google acts as an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator). This is just a fancy term for a company which doesn’t own the cellular towers but merely purchases a bulk block of service from the carrier(s) and resells it.


Speck 40% Off Sale Ends Today!

Speck makes some of the most solid and best-fitting cases I’ve used. Today is the last day to save 40% on just about everything they offer – as well as receive free shipping which enables your gift to arrive in time for the December holiday.



Holiday Gift Ideas for Android Addicts

It’s that time of year when you find yourself wracking your brain for gifts for the hard-to-buy-for person in your life. Here’s a quick look at some popular items for that special Android user. Some are cross-platform (battery chargers), and some are specific to Android (smartphones); all of them should put a smile on your Android addict’s face.


Sprint Celebrates With 50% Off Through 1/8/2018!

Sprint has just rolled out a 50% off promotion. Bring your device(s) to Sprint and they’ll reduce your monthly service fee 50%. On the surface this might seem attractive, peel back the offer and you’ll find the deal is loaded with terms and conditions. It probably makes more sense to people moving from expensive plans with early termination fees.


Amazon Now Allows Two-Factor Authentication

One of the weakest links in online accounts is  the password. You re-use them and make them easy to guess. Then if (when) there is a breach on a site you used your password you scramble to change it everywhere. Luckily there’s a better way to secure that password and it’s two-factor authentication.


Rumor: T-Mobile Uncarrier 10 Unlimited High Speed Data for Streaming Netflix, HBO

If rumors are correct, the next T-Mobile Uncarrier announcement could send shock waves through the mobile and cable industry. According to blogger and  smartphone device leaker Evan Blass, T-Mobile’s Uncarrier 10 announcement on November 10 is set to announce unlimited high-speed data for watching select streaming video services (think Netflix, HBO, etc).


Facebook Kills Your Other Inbox

Facebook have announced the elimination of your “other” inbox. This was the place where messages sent by those you weren’t connected to would sit and languish. If you look into your messages and click the “other” tab you probably will find half a dozen spam messages – as well as one or two valid messages.



Project FI Community Site Answers Almost All Your Fi Questions

I’m in the process of evaluating Google’s new Project Fi service which promises to simplify cellular costs by charging only for what you’ve consumed, while also widening the coverage map by combining the data reach of both Sprint and T-Mobile. The service is intriguing-though not perfect.


Amazon Offering $5 Prime Pantry Credit for No-Rush Shipping!

Amazon seems to be offering $5 Prime Pantry credit for Prime members who select No-Rush shipping instead of Prime’s standard Two-Day method. This $5 credit may replace the prior $2 Video, eBook or MP3 credit being offered to Prime Members who select a slower shipping method.



iOS 9 Public Beta Available Now

Apple just released public betas of both  iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. There’s no requirement to be a developer or do anything except visit this link to sign up with your Apple ID. Before loading this (or any) beta software  be certain you have a complete backup of your data. This is the fourth beta release of Apple’s  iOS 9 which is expected to release in Fall 2015.



SaneBox: A Cure Worse Than the Disease?

I’ve been testing an email management tool from SaneBox for part of the past week. Although a portion of this duplicates functionality present in the Gmail Default Inbox, I found some good parts to the service, particularly the SaneTomorrow and SaneBlackHole. However there are enough hidden “gotchas” that I won’t be subscribing. Here are my observations about the SaneBox service.


Windows 10: The Official Operating System of Hendrick Motorsports

Microsoft has announced a multi-year agreement with NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports.  Under the agreement Microsoft becomes an official Technology Partner of NASCAR and major technology partner of Hendrick Motorsports. Both NASCAR and Hendricks Motorsports will adopt Windows 10 and Microsoft Azure cloud computing “to deliver technology solutions to help improve performance on and off the track”.


Otterbox Strada Line of Protective Leather Cases for iPhone and Galaxy S6

Otterbox is now offering Strada, a line of stylish protective leather cases for iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6. The new cases feature a slightly more stylish look with a leather flip cover while still retaining drop protection. Both cases include a single card slot for  driver license or debit card. Easy-on and easy-off fit is  promised.