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Review: Fire phone, an improvement on the familiar

By WTOP Staff

ANICK JESDANUN
AP Technology Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Many of the Amazon Fire phone’s features are twists on apps and concepts tried in other devices.

But in a number of cases, Amazon’s technology is more comprehensive and reliable, showing that innovation is often about rethinking old ideas.

— Beyond the apps.

On iPhones and Android devices, each icon takes you to a different app. The Fire and Windows phones break away from that and offer direct links to content as well. In Amazon’s case, that’s a book you just read or a video you just watched.

Windows icons also give you a preview of new messages and notifications, so you can decide whether the app’s worth opening. The Fire does better in letting you interact with the message and see more of it right from the home screen.

Windows makes you customize the home screen yourself, which gives you more control but takes time. The Fire does all this automatically, based on recent apps and content, though you can choose to pin items you use often.

— Automatic scrolling with a tilt.

Samsung offers this feature on its Galaxy phones. Just tilt your phone or your head to scroll text when you’re reading a long article on a Web browser. Samsung uses motion sensors and a small camera to do that.

Amazon uses four separate cameras to improve accuracy. With the Fire, I can make the scrolling go faster by tilting the phone back a bit more. With the Galaxy, scrolling inexplicably stops when I do that.

— Image recognition.

Samsung has an image-recognition app that’s largely limited to text and QR codes. Sony’s version recognizes more, including images of books and landmarks, but results are mixed. The technology is also available in apps such as Vivino, which identifies wine bottles based on the label.

Amazon’s Firefly is useful in bringing all that into a single app. Amazon uses its own databases and lets outside app developers add their products, too. Vivino, for instance, is working on enabling that.

Firefly also recognizes sound, similar to what stand-alone apps such as SoundHound do. Firefly tells you the name of the song along with movies and TV episodes that song appears in.

Best part: You access Firefly with a physical button on the side. Competing apps require several more steps.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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