Cranking out news for the geeks, music buffs and gossip junkies, my way. -Greg

Beginning today AT&T will begin rolling out an update to the Samsung Captivate Glide to support Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS). The update will be simliar to the update recently released for the Samsung Galaxy SII that I just posted recently. This will bring the Captivate Glide to Android 2.3.6 and will include fixes for Exchange Active Sync as well. The roll out will begin in NYC and Washington, D.C. first and the rest of the US to follow. Here is an excerpt from AT&T:

Effective December 21, 2011 AT&T will release new software for the Samsung Captivate™ Glide that supports Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS). CMAS is a new public safety system that allows customers who own an enabled mobile device to receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area. Consumers will receive only three types of alerts through CMAS:

• Presidential Alerts (automatic alerts that cannot be disabled by the customer)
• Imminent Threat Alerts (FEMA type alerts – customers can opt out of messages – see screen shots below)
• Amber Alerts (e.g., child abduction alerts – customers can opt out of messages – see screen shots below)

Note: While the emergency alerts are free, customers may opt out of receiving the “Imminent Threat” and/or “Amber Alerts” but they may NOT opt-out of receiving the “Presidential Alerts”. To opt-out go to; Messaging application > Menu > Settings > Notifications settings > Emergency Alerts and uncheck the box for each type of alert you do not wish to receive; a) Extreme alerts, b) Severe alerts, and/or c) Amber alerts. (See screen shots below)

The initial AT&T roll out is to its customers with compatible handsets in New York City and Washington, D.C. The CMAS software update for the Samsung Captivate™ Glide will enable the device to be Wireless Emergency Alert Capable (WEAC). The update also supports a Google security patch which upgrades the Samsung Captivate Glide operating system to 2.3.6 and a fix for Exchange Active Sync (EAS). This is an OTA update (no side load option is available).

 

Looks like we will continue to see this hit more phones as time goes on and will likely be included on future phones from the factory as they are released. I’m curious how soon and often we will begin to see the types of alerts and if there will be any type of user interaction requested. I’m sure with the Presidential Election next year it could be interesting to see how much electoral spam we receive. -Greg

Seems like just a few days ago I was wishing for an updated version of WordPress for Android. Well it was only few days ago and yesterday my wish came true. Automattic has released a sizeable update to WordPress for Android. This thing has really become a realistic tool to blog with now. They have added a bunch more features and gave it a friendlier interface and polished the look. Let’s not forget it’s now been optimized for tablets.

Here are some of the new features and updates:

• New UI: Action Bar and Dashboard
• New Post Editor with formatting toolbar
• Tablet Support – scrollable item list optimized for the extra real-estate
• Background post uploading
• Media – Titles, Captions, and Placement

One of my biggest challenges was trying to make blogging in WordPress from my Xoom. Automattic’s WordPress for Android was very helpful in making that a little easier. The only major problem I had was with media. Not being able to control the alignment of my media, being able to correctly title pictures, and adding captions just weren’t possible. I would have to create drafts, upload them, and then login from my desktop to make final edits before publishing each post. Not anymore, now that Automattic has addressed all the fore mentioned. WordPress 2.0 for Android is now more usable than ever and with CES 2012 just around the corner this couldn’t have come at a better time. Between my Motorola Xoom and WordPress for Android, live blogging should be a snap when I get to CES. –Greg

Automattic’s WordPress 2.0 for Android

Pirates of the Caribbean “Master of the Seas” is Disney’s new game on Android and iOS. What better way to spend your time gaming on Android then getting booty. Playing as a pirate you build a crew, plunder the enemy, buy land, and get booty. Taking social gaming with it you can have your friends become part of your crew.

Invite friends to join your crew, the bigger your crew the stronger you are!
Battle other pirates to gain rewards and increase your standing.
Buy cannons, weapons, amulets, and equipment to upgrade your ship.
Explore exotic islands, buy properties, and complete quests to earn gold and experience.

Best part of Disney’s new game, it’s free! So, head over to the Android Market or iTunes to grab the game today. –Greg

Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) is a service that provides safety alerts based on the geographical location of a mobile user. You know the “This is a test and only a test, should this be a real emergency…” that you get on your TV now and then. Well its basically the same idea, but for mobile devices. CMAS is not new and in fact was first introduced in the U.S. by Sprint back in November. Now AT&T is currently underway pushing this out to the new Samsung Galaxy S II™ (SGH-i777). According to AT&T this was to begin on December 16 with the release of new software. It’s not clear if this will be an update to Android or a carrier side update. The update will allow Presidential, Imminent threat, and Amber alerts directly to the mobile device. Here is some of the official info:

Beginning December 16, 2011 AT&T will release new software on Samsung Galaxy S II™ (SGH-i777) to support Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS).
CMAS is a new public safety system that allows customers who own an enabled mobile device to receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area. Consumers will receive only three types of alerts through CMAS:
Presidential Alerts (automatic alerts that cannot be disabled by the customer) Imminent Threat Alerts (FEMA type alerts – customers can opt out of receiving these messages) Amber Alerts (e.g., child abduction alerts – customers can opt out of receiving these messages)

I’m an owner of this exact phone and I myself haven’t received any type of update or notification about this specifically. We should hear more about this in coming days I’m sure. Presidential Alerts are not optional, hopefully this doesn’t include anything of less than National Security as I myself don’t want to hear about Obama’s new health plan via forced mobile messaging. If you have received this update or maybe know more about it I’d love to hear what you have to say. -Greg

**Update – Looks like a number of users have started receiving the update to Android version 2.3.6 on December 16th as note above. Some of these users had failed attempts, so maybe the update as been slowed or pulled temporarily. Either way looks like this is definitely underway.

Iptables in the simplest explanation is a firewall. It’s actually a program that allows the administrator to configure a set of rules that allow or deny traffic in and out of the machine it’s running on. I’m sure most anyone that has some basic understanding of their Linksys or NETGEAR routers can understand the firewall that is built into those devices. Maybe you setup RDP (remote desktop protocol) on 1 of you PC’s and had to open port 3389 and forward that to the IP address of your desktop. This is a firewall function, it’s allowing traffic to enter your network on port 3389 to a specific destination, in this case you desktop. Well Iptables is both complex in its endless ability to be very specific to the rules you set forth and simple (once you understand it) in the fact that there is no guess work, 1+1 will give you 2. nixCraft has written and excellent article on Iptables “Linux: 20 Iptables Examples For New SysAdmins“. The article makes understanding Iptables pretty easy for everyone as long as you have a basic understanding of network routing and firewalls. nixCraft has been one of the greatest resources (next asking a Linux / UNIX guru) I’ve found for help with do pretty much anything with Linux or UNIX. They have really done a great job of explaining Iptables by definition and examples. Head over to nixCraft and soak up Iptables knowledge today. –Greg

That’s right Google is celebrating 10 billion Android Market downloads by offering 10 apps for just $.10 each. That’s 10 apps for a buck for those of you counting on your fingers right now. Google is going to keep this promotion going for the next 10 days with a different 10 apps each day. Here is an easy  link to get to the 10 apps I’d bookmark it and check back each day – Android Market 10 Billion Promotion. Google made the announcement today on their developers blog. Here’s more about what they had to say. -Greg

One billion is a pretty big number by any measurement. However, when it’s describing the speed at which something is growing, it’s simply amazing. This past weekend, thanks to Android users around the world,Android Market exceeded 10 billion app downloads—with a growth rate of one billion app downloads per month. We can’t wait to see where this accelerating growth takes us in 2012.

To celebrate this milestone, we partnered with some of the Android developers who contributed to this milestone to make a bunch of great Android apps available at an amazing price. Starting today for the next 10 days, we’ll have a new set of awesome apps available each day for only 10 cents each. Today, we are starting with Asphalt 6 HD, Color & Draw for Kids, Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro, Fieldrunners HD, Great Little War Game, Minecraft, Paper Camera, Sketchbook Mobile, Soundhound Infinity and Swiftkey X.

Of course, none of these apps would have existed if it weren’t for the developers who created them. Every day, these developers continue to push the limits on what’s possible and delight us in the process. For that, we thank them.

Please join us in this 10-day celebration and check in every day to see what new apps our developer partners are making available on Android Market—for only a dime.

The SGP Neo Hyrbrid has to be one of the best aftermarket purchases I have ever made for any cellular device. I know that is a pretty strong statement considering I have had numerous cell phones and endless accessories to accompany them. I have not been so excited about my previous cases as I like the fact the new phones are slim, sleek, and light. Most cases change all of that simply by adding one. Cases range from cheap silicone jellies to the massive and heavy Otter-box. I’ve had them all and to be perfectly honest, they suck. Enter the Neo Hybrid case from SGP. It’s lightweight, durable, and almost adds nothing to the phones mass in anyway.

SGP Neo Hybrid Case not only protects the Galaxy S2 efficiently, but also perserves the original design of the Galaxy S2. The Body part of the case is high polymer coated Premium silicone case, and the Frame part is UV coated Polycarbonate frame

• Slim and form fitted to show the perfect shape of your device.
• Easy access to all control and ports.
• Available in 8 Colors.
• Ultra Crystal screen Protector included (1PC)

I have it for my Galaxy S2 for AT&T and it’s almost unnoticeable to everyone who has touched my phone. It’s design is a hybrid similar to most, it has the soft silicone with a more solid frame around it. Again, what makes it better is the fact that it can do all this with out losing the original size, shape, and weight of the phone itself. It protects the phone from everyday scratches and drops with out sacrificing the sleek design of the phone. This thing still fits in my pocket and doesn’t feel like I’m carrying a military issue phone in a crate. If you’re looking to protect you phone from the average abuse and still want your the original design of your phone, then the Neo Hybrid is perfect for you. Yes, they make it for the iPhone. -Greg