Tech & Co.

If you have not been living under a rock for the past 365 days, you would know that a few things happened in 2014. Some of these events are more important than the others, so here is what you need to know from 2014. FCC and Net Neutrality Net Neutrality has been an issue for many years, but 2014 was the year more people started to take notice. If you are one of the many people that still do not know what net neutrality is, it is the issue of broadband providers wanting to treat internet traffic in different ways. This does not sound very important, but it can make the internet a complete nightmare to use. Broadband providers can slow down your internet when you visit certain websites, and even make you pay extra to use them. When you pay $8 a month for Netflix, Comcast or Time Warner Cable will be able to make you pay an extra amount on top of that just to use it. Time Warner can make Spotify stream so slowly that you are forced to use Rdio. We are not quite there yet, ...

As technology constantly evolves, older technology is phased out. Welcome to RIP, our dedication posts to slowly dying technology. The gaming industry has been the star of the technology industry for decades now. Before we had computers on our desks, and way before cell phones were in our pockets, there were video games. Whether it be going down to the arcade, playing Star Wars: Battlefront at home, or duking it out in MarioKart while on the go, almost everyone has played video games. Despite what you may think, people of all ages play some form of video games and that is not going to change anytime soon. I can say without a doubt that someone, somewhere, will always be a gamer. But the times, they are a changin'. Many people don't need a console or handheld to get their gaming fix. Why pay $500 for a Xbox One or $200 for a PS Vita when the iPhone you already have has  Infinity Blade III . And if you do buy a console, is it really worth the bag/purse/gigantic pocket s...

A little more than a week ago, Apple made some new things. The usual new iPhone came out, but it was also accompanied by a much larger iPhone and the long anticipated Apple Watch. Apple has always made great products, and that has not changed much with the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch. The 6 and 6 Plus have bigger and higher resolution 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch displays, faster processors, improved cameras, and come optimized for iOS 8. The Apple Watch works seamlessly with the iPhones, the 5 and newer, and has a "Digital Crown". There's nothing wrong with these products, and they work quite well. Everything's fast, improved, and just works. Two big iPhones are nice, but they are just that. Apple made a good phone, but why didn't they make a great  phone? Apple has been making gorgeous, intuitive, and fantastic products for quite some time. There's no argument about it. Save for the 3G and 3GS, every iPhone has been a beautiful engineering feat...

In just this month we had Apple and Amazon already unveil some of their most exciting things of the year. Apple released their refreshed look and features for OS X Yosemite, and Amazon released another buying machine. This week, Google is strutting their stuff at I/O in San Francisco. Whether or not you believe that Google is making killer robots to wipe out mankind, Google did manage to show off some pretty neat non-lethal software. Let's dive in. Android One will probably have the biggest impact on the world. It is designed to be used in developing markets, and it will provide people with high quality and low cost smartphones, somewhat like the recent Nexuses but much cheaper. The reference hardware will have a 4.5 inch screen, FM radio, dual SIM card slots, an SD card slot, and it will be available for under $100. Micromax, Karbon, and Spice are the first hardware partners for Android One when it goes to India later this fall. Don't worry, it will go worldwide late...

Welcome to Gigabits, a new kind of post that gives you what you need to know. Earlier today Amazon released their much rumored smartphone, now known as the Fire Phone. It is essentially another method Amazon has to get you to buy their services. It has mid-range specs with a 4.7 inch 720p display, 13 megapixel camera, 2GB of RAM, and Snapdragon processor. Nothing will really wow you here, but it will not let you down either. Amazon claims that the camera does better in low light than the competition, but we'll have to wait for some full reviews to agree with that. What Amazon lacks in hardware, they somewhat make up for in software. The Fire Phone's operating system looks very similar to that on the Kindle tablets, but it has a few extra tricks. It uses special sensors and four front-facing cameras to add some gesture and 3D effects. Your wallpapers have realistic depth to them, you can move your phone from side to side to get more information, and you can have menus s...

Amazon's smartphone has been rumored for quite some time, but it is just now becoming a reality. It stands alongside the Kindle Fires as a portal into Amazon's vast and constantly growing ecosystem. Does Amazon's Fire Phone have the hardware and software chops to sway your wallet towards Bezos & Co? Let's find out. The Fire Phone is not some spec monster like the Samsung Galaxy S5 or the HTC One M8, but do you really need all of that? Like Motorola did with the Moto X last year, Amazon thought that you need a phone that is enjoyable to use and that's it. Why does the number of gigahertz and cores matter if the phone already works perfectly? If you have yet to buy these excuses, the Fire Phone has a 4.7 inch 720p HD LCD display, a Qualcomm processor, 2GB of RAM, and an Adreno 330 GPU. This puts the Fire Phone behind most Android flagships and squarely in the mid-range section. Amazon has yet to specify which Qualcomm processor it usesy. The physic...

As you readers have probably noticed, I have not been writing much over the past few months. A few things came up, and I no longer have as much time to write as I used to. No I am not going to end this website, but I have decided to instead introduce a new kind of post to you. All of the 2,000+ word articles and hands-on posts are somewhat slow to read and write, and that does not reflect how our society is today. We live in a fast paced, and constantly changing world. Today I have decided to introduce these new posts called "Gigabits". They are quick, short posts about what is happening, happened, or will happen in technology, science, and other interesting aspects of society. You could say they give  bits of information and opinions. There will still be lengthy reviews and wrap-up posts from time to time, but hopefully Gigabits will be some of the more ubiquitous posts. We have many exciting things to cover in the coming months, so stay tuned. -Tyler Sepulveda, Editor-in-...