Text2Email or is it Email2Text?

Today we pushed out a new feature, but it is hard to say what to call it - probably should let marketing do that :) - but the feature makes it possible for you to get all your inbound text messages (responses from your friends) sent to your registered email address. The nifty thing is though is that you can reply to the emails as well. So, it really is Text2Email2Text

We hope you enjoy the feature. All new signups have the option automatically turned on. We thought it might be disturbing for existing users to start getting emails out of the blue. You can turn it on by going to the bottom of your account profile and turning on the checkbox.

Be aware that if you start using this feature right now that the messages might end up going into your spam folder as our mail domain "text.tabrio.com" does not have much of a reputation. In the world of spam protection, being new means you go into the junk folder.

This is a new feature and we are very open to enhancements. Just drop us a line.

What's The Deal With Virus Protection?

New elective surgery to make facial recognition technology obsolete!

No – just kidding – but imagine if there was such a thing? All that money sunk into the video cameras and software – poof gone. It would be gone because the taxpayers simply would not pay for such an ineffective system. It wouldn't work.

So why are you paying for Antivirus software? Does it even work? Any self-respecting virus writer (hacker) changes their “face” every time they create a new virus to spread. And guess what? Almost every antivirus vendor out there has “facial recognition” software. What this means is they check to see if the code looks like an already identified piece of bad code.

If we are to combat the enemy (computer viruses), we've got to eliminate our vulnerabilities. The operating system manufacturers are always hard at work eliminating vulnerabilities proactively as well as reactively. The message: take the nectar they give you and apply it liberally to your OS. It will make you much more resilient to attacks and will probably keep your machine working better.

Now, a caveat – sometimes they make mistakes and blow stuff up, but that's rare. The same argument can be made about whether you should wear a seat belt or not – the odds are for the seat belt in the same way as the odds are for patching regularly.The following article is what got me long winded this crisp Tuesday morning.

- Christian Jensen, VP, Technology for Tabrio. -end-

Blackberry Pearl Flip-Phone Product Review

Here's Gizmodo's review of the new Blackberry Pearl flip-phone. The phone will be released in time for Christmas, don't worry! The big question is: will YOU buy one? -end-

Is This The New MacBook Pro? We'll Know In 3 Hours.

Could this spy-shot really be a sneak-peak into what Steve Jobs will announce this morning at his Macworld press conference? What will it mean for the future of laptops and digital media? Stay tuned... -end-

Gizmodogate: How AOL's Engadget Stole The CES

It's official, the battle of the tech blogs is getting bigger. CES announced this week that Engadget would be the official blog of the CES show this year. The CES (consumer electronics show) is considered THE premier venue for tech companies to showcase their latest products. Who knows what that really means aside from a hefty paid sponsorship bill (footed by AOL), since any media can cover the event. Still, as Gizmodo and Endgadget battle it out for the #1 tech/gizmo blog in the world, this could be a huge coup for Endgadget. Currently, Endgadget boasts over 3 million unique hits a month. Gizmodo also claims more than 3 million as well. You can read more about this story here. -end-

Microsoft Sees VoIP As The Holy Grail: Duh.

A great article in today's GigaOm (web 2.0 blog). It seems that Redmond is pushing their VoIP offering to the next level, in an apparent attempt to take out Cisco (or at least be more competive). This could be great news for other VoIP carriers looking for a bigger player to help further define the space and present the virtues of VoIP to a sometimes hesitant marketplace. The technology is only getting better and it's becoming the real alternative to traditional telephony services.

Hey, what if you could blend the best parts of VoIP with the clarity/quality of traditional carrier services? That would be amazing! Oh, wait - you can, with Tabrio! You can read the story here. -end-

Hakia is here. Should Google Be Worried?

The age of the semantic web is getting closer and closer. Hakia.com is here. Hakia is a general purpose "semantic" search engine, dedicated to quality search experience. To achieve this goal, our team aspires to establish a new standard of focus, clarity and credibility in Web search. If Google is Ivy League then Hakia is Mensa. This engine is smart and thinks beyond just complex algorithms. What does this mean for the future of web search: You'll be able to connect quick with exactly what you're looking for (hopefully). Click here to check out the latest beta release. -end-

Tabrio Breaks Into Techvibes Canadian StartUp Index.

More good news from Team Tabrio: for the 2nd consecutive month, Tabrio has ranked in the Techvibes.com Canadian StartUp Index. We ranked #38 (way up from #94 last month) in Canada and #11 (up from #28 last month) in Vancouver. Techvibes charts the hottest startups based on web traffic scores pulled from both alexa.com and compete.com. Bookmark this list, it's more addictive than horse racing! Some big players starting to emerge on this index, keep an eye on us, we're competitive! -end-

Evidence points to more than 10 million iPhones sold.

Text messaging overtakes mobile voice calls.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. "Text Me" is the new "Call Me" according to latest media surveys. Nielsen and e-Marketer report: The average mobile subscriber in the US sent and received more SMS text messages than mobile telephone calls during Q2 2008, according to Nielsen. This was the second consecutive quarter in which the average number of text messages was significantly higher than the average number of phone calls. -end-

Do You Swurl? Aggregate Your Social Media Footprint

What if you could aggregate everything you do online via social media? Have you heard of swurl.com yet? You will soon. Swurl is a place to bring all the things you do online together to share in a blog-like format. What's really cool about this site is that it allows your friends and colleagues to track your social media 'footprint' without having to visit your various profile pages on multiple sites. Swurl is one-stop shopping for social communication and a great tool to keep connected with your network. -end-

Tabrio Posts New Feature Updates for Q4

Team Tabrio announced today the release of new Tabrio product developments for the start of Q4. Tabrio’s newest features now include online web texting, web-based contact management control and a ‘duplicate contact’ checker for the MS Outlook Sync function. These latest features are among several expected over the next few quarters to further expand Tabrio’s product suite, functionality and user control options.
Basically, Tabrio users now have even more freedom in how they manage their accounts. These new additions to the current product suite mean more web-based functionality, in addition to ‘duplicate contact’ prevention with Tabrio’s two-way contact sync with MS Outlook 2007 which was released back in Q2. -end-

Mobile is the new PC: Google Eyes Mobile Ad Profits

This month's advertising age is loaded with insights into the changing face of mobile advertising and why it's poised to become bigger than ever, even outpacing TV and print advertising. Abbey Klaassen sat down with Google's Sumit Agarwal (Mobile Product Manager) for this fascinating interview about this emerging market. You can read it here. The interesting question for consumers will be how much advertising will they tolerate on their mobile devices, and in what form will it be most effective? (text based, audio, video?) What do you think? -end-

MS EXPLORER MOBILE v6 LOOKS COOL

Okay all you mobile browsers out there: if you still haven't leapt into the iPhone Safari experience yet, there's good news on the Windows Mobile front. Gizmodo Reports: It's not out yet, but this is how Microsoft Internet Explorer Mobile 6 looks (<< see photo on left). It will be part of Windows Mobile 6.1, finally replacing the old browser codebase from 1997's Internet Explorer 4, bringing much-needed modern standards support. It has two modes of operation, which can be specified in a preferences screen: Mobile Device and Desktop Computer. Team Tabrio is excited. We love this kind of stuff. -end-

Tabrio Builds Momentum With Twitter And Facebook

If you love using Tabrio, then be sure to get our latest news and info through our social media portals on Facebook and Twitter. Catch our latest "tweets" online or straight to your mobile phone by following our twitter news feed here.

If you want to join in on some forum discussions or post some pics, become a Tabrio 'fan' on our Facebook page here. Social media allows us to connect with our users around the world and get you up-to-the-minute news and information about the latest Tabrio products. -end-

Calling Cards Risky Business: Congress

Have you been fumbling around with a calling card lately? Did you buy one thinking you'd get great long distance savings for your international calls? Turns out you're probably not getting what you really paid for, and Congress has done something about it.

Good News: A House panel has approved a bill to set universal disclosure standards on rates and other terms for prepaid calling cards. Lawmakers want to stop calling card companies that repeatedly fool customers on available minutes. A similar bill is pending in the Senate.

Cellular-News.com reports that congress is worried about all the hidden fees, printed in near illegible type, that cause callers to lose up to half of the advertised minutes they promise. In one example, staffers found companies that market prepaid calling cards in non-English languages and print the disclosures only in English.

So while you wait for some calling card companies to clean up their act, be sure to sign up for real savings and crystal-clear quality with Tabrio instead! Click here to start your free sign-up. -end-

T-Mobile Launches Google Android Phone

It's official, the Google Android phone has arrived in North America! T-Mobile beat other mobile phones to the punch. You can read the story in the NY Times right here.

The Time's reports: T-Mobile will be the first carrier to offer a mobile phone powered by Google’s Android software, according to people briefed on the company’s plans. The phone will be made by HTC, one of the largest makers of mobile phones in the world.

Here's a cool YouTube demo if you want to take a sneak peak:


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Is VoIP Really Dead? Skype Says Maybe...

Could it be? VoIP is dead? Recently, Skype's GM of audio and video announced that VoIP is dead. Fierce VoIP has the story here.

While speaking at an IT Expo in LA last week, GM Jonathan Christensen declared VoIP morte during a presentation to attendees. He further suggested unbundling is part of the cause, as it steers voice technologies in an unexpected direction and making them less important as a result. It seems that IM and its support systems could become much more important to this space in the months and years ahead. So could this really mean the end of VoIP? A catchy headline maybe, but we don't think so! What do you think? -end-