gadgetsonthego.net
home
Gizmodo is reporting convicted murderer, Phil Spector has requested his iPod while he spends 19 years in prison. He should receive a Zune to make him realize this ain't not country club.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/25/2009 12:21:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Officials at Apple [AAPL 137.37 -2.11 (-1.51%) ] have yet to respond to multiple phone calls and emails seeking guidance about Jobs and his whereabouts, but employees are doing what Apple PR isn't, and that's confirming that he's here at work." Via CNBC .
Apple's own press release for Apple Sells Over One Million iPhone 3GS Models confirmed Jobs is back on the job with a quote from Steve Jobs, something we haven't seen for a few months.
MacDailyNews reported earlier today:
"He's baaack: Apple CEO Steve Jobs has not been quoted in an Apple Inc. press release since January 21, 2009, one week after Apple issued a "Media Advisory" on January 14th announcing his medical leave of absence until the "end of June." It's typical Jobs style to "announce" his return with a simple quote in a press release."
Labels: apple, culture, sightings
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/22/2009 06:21:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
I just read on PreCentral that later in the wrap up show Lynne Fox, head of Palm PR (former head of Apple PR) called into the show to give them some info on the Pre. She did say it would be out before June. You can listen to the audio here @ PreCentral .
Ya gotta give Palm's PR team some props. They're getting the Pre into some pretty good places of discussion. Jimmy Fallon had the Pre on his show this past Monday . The King of All Media, Howard Stern is talking about it on his show, and Palm's Lynne Fox stepped up to the plate and called into the show to discuss the Pre. I give Lynne Fox major props for calling into of all shows, the Howard Stern show to talk Pre. No wonder Palm brought her aboard.
Labels: culture, palm, pre, sightings, treo
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/12/2009 09:51:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
The New York Times has an interesting article on President-Elect Obama's Blackberry addiction and what's in store for it once he is inaugurated in January.
According to the article, "his messages to advisers and friends, they say, are generally crisp, properly spelled and free of symbols or emoticons."
PS. Interesting side note, President Bush's AOL email address before he was elected was G94B@aol.com
Image from intomobile.com
Labels: blackberry, culture
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 11/16/2008 11:57:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
From Drudge:
GOOGLE will launch a new tool that will help federal officials "track sickness".
"Flu Trends" uses search terms that people put into the web giant to figure out where influenza is heating up, and will notify the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in real time!
From Google.org:
I actually don't know where I stand on this issue--I'm a big fan of online privacy. I'm also a big fan of Google (which would seem hypocritical of me being a fan of online privacy.) But, and this is a big but--if they put their powers to good use, maybe we as a whole will benefit...or it will lead to our demise. Either which way I'm excited about the technology. ¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 11/11/2008 05:45:00 PM 0 comments links to this postEach week, millions of users around the world search for online health information. As you might expect, there are more flu-related searches during flu season, more allergy-related searches during allergy season, and more sunburn-related searches during the summer. You can explore all of these phenomena using Google Trends. But can search query trends provide an accurate, reliable model of real-world phenomena?
We have found a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms. Of course, not every person who searches for "flu" is actually sick, but a pattern emerges when all the flu-related search queries from each state and region are added together. We compared our query counts with data from a surveillance system managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and discovered that some search queries tend to be popular exactly when flu season is happening. By counting how often we see these search queries, we can estimate how much flu is circulating in various regions of the United States.
During the 2007-2008 flu season, an early version of Google Flu Trends was used to share results each week with the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the Influenza Division at CDC. Across each of the nine surveillance regions of the United States, we were able to accurately estimate current flu levels one to two weeks faster than published CDC reports.
"Citizen journalism" apparently just failed its first significant test.From DrudgeReport:
CNN 'citizen journalist' issues fake report about Steve Jobs heart attack; stock slides...From Bloomberg:
Apple Rebounds After Saying Reports of Steve Jobs Heart Attack Were UntrueFrom FoxNews:
Heart Attack Hoax Bites AppleFrom Reuters:
Apple denies report of Steve Jobs heart attack
One person posted one phony story, internet explodes with rumors, Apple's stock slides, major news outlets cover the hoax, SEC will (probably) investigate, CNN's reputation is (probably) hurt, so on and so on...
Who would have thunk johntw from California (the iReporter who posted the story) wouldn't have been a reliable source?
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 10/03/2008 12:15:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin had this to say ;)
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 10/02/2008 06:44:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
The application (available only for iPhone) will initially offer videos and photos from the couture collections in July. It will be updated regularly beginning Sept. 5 with the New York ready-to-wear collections. Mr. Pallot said morning shows should be available by afternoon, and evening shows the next morning. An early version tested in his office showed a welcome screen listing new shows on one menu and blog items on another. Tapping on a collection opened a window that showed the looks in a grid, and tapping on each image caused them to fill the screen. Tapping again caused the image to flip over, revealing the model’s name and a concise review of the show. It did not include the model’s phone number." Via The New York Times .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/28/2008 03:57:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Apple has pulled another application from the App Store without any explanation. Although I wonder how it ever made it on to the App Store when other applications are still waiting for approval by Apple. Apple gave the green light to an application that was being sold for $999.99, it displayed the screen below.
The description of the "I am Rich" application from the App Store is below.
"The red icon on your iPhone or iPod Touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were able to afford this. It's a work of art with no hidden function at all."
If you purchased "I am Rich", there's also a bridge for sale you might want to buy;)
Labels: app store, apple, culture, iphone, iphone 3G, touch
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/07/2008 03:42:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Via TUAW .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/16/2008 12:07:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"A Las Vegas area resident has agreed to pay $1,200 to hire a stand-in for the lineup to purchase Apple's new 3G iPhone, which is expected to be available Friday.
eBayer 'Sumrstrm' on Thursday hired fellow eBayer 'Hamidih' to stand in line at the Apple Store at Las Vegas Town Square for Hamidih's "Buy It Now" price of $1,200, according toeBay (NSDQ: EBAY) transaction records.
Given the iPhone 3G's $199 price tag, Sumrstrm will end up paying a total of $1,399 for the new Apple device.
Hamidih had advertised the stand-in service with the words, "You don't have to wait, I will do it for you, so you can buy it at your preference." Via InformationWeek .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/10/2008 03:24:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
We love our Commander in Chief to be smart and up on the latest tech. Republican Presidential Nominee, John McCain joked to a small crowd of fundraisers in Virginia that he is using Google to research his list of potential Vice Presidents.
"You know, basically it's a Google," Mr McCain said, to laughter, when asked how the selection process was going during a 10,000 dollar-a-head luncheon in Richmond. "What you can find out now on the internet - it's remarkable." Via The Telegraph .
Who can forget this classic clip of Dubya telling us how he uses "the Google"?
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/10/2008 04:26:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
From Wikipedia:
The Apple I, also known as the Apple-1, was an early personal computer. They were designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak.Wozniak's friend Steve Jobs had the idea of selling the computer. The Apple I was Apple's first product, demonstrated in April 1976 at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California.
It went on sale in July 1976 at a price of $666.66, because Wozniak liked repeating digits and because they originally sold it to a local shop for $500 and added a one-third markup. About 200 units were produced. Unlike other hobbyist computers of its day, which were sold as kits, the Apple I was a fully assembled circuit board containing about 30 chips. However, to make a working computer, users still had to add a case, power supply, keyboard, and display. An optional board providing a cassette interface for storage was later released at a cost of $75.
The Apple I is sometimes credited as the first personal computer to be sold in fully assembled form; however, some argue that the honor rightfully belongs to other machines, such as the MOS Technology KIM-1, Datapoint 2200, or more commonly the Altair 8800 (which could be bought in kit or assembled form for extra cost). One major difference sets the Apple I apart — it was the first personal computer to use a keyboard.
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 4/01/2008 09:04:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Police were called to Britney Spears' mansion last night after she got into a heated argument with her "manager".Pictures were taken of an iPhone text conversation between Britney Spears' manager and her paparazzo boyfriend. I wonder if Apple thinks this is good product placement or bad? ;)
Labels: culture, iphone, sightings
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/29/2008 08:22:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Lego turns 50!
Everyone's favorite little brick company turns 50 today. Here are some sites I highly recommend: Even Google has a tribute:
Here's to another 50 years!
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 1/28/2008 11:56:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Look y'all, I got me an iPhone. I can watch my latest video, watch my older videos, listen to my latest CD, listen to my old music, surf the interweb, text the paparazzi, and flick through photos of my kids, I can even pinch them to make them grow y'all! The company that makes this thing even put a phone in it, it's crazy y'all!!!"
Welcome to the iPhone world Britney Spears...
Labels: culture, iphone, sightings
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/23/2008 12:47:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"Macheads" - the movie.
I came across this article written by Corrine Schulze from CNET about an upcoming movie called "Macheads".
"This afternoon, I heard about the forthcoming film, MacHeads, for the first time.
My first thought was, huh, someone has made a movie based on Leander Kahney's book, The Cult of Mac.
I watched the trailer, and sure enough, Kahney--a former editor of mine when I wrote for Wired News--was in it. But it didn't look at all like it was his film.
Rather, it appears to be a similar look at the cultlike community and emotions that surround Apple, the Mac, and all things non-Windows.
For me, the trailer itself was gratifying enough, as from the very first frame, I recognized someone I know and it only went on from there. All told, five of the people they used in the trailer were friends or acquaintances of mine.
But more to the point, I think it's an interesting idea, making a movie like this. Obviously, I don't know anything about the film beyond what I saw in the trailer. But it seemed like they captured the sense of charged emotions that Mac users have about their computers and the company that makes them: devotion, excitement, reverence, frustration, betrayal, and so forth."
Watch the trailer here . Steve Jobs is really the Walt Disney of technology ;)
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/22/2008 09:14:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
TMZ is reporting that Hillary Clinton was overheard telling her daughter that "she can't get her TiVo to work properly, her box overwrites the shows she inputs manually with shows she's not interested in at all." When Tivo got wind of this they offered to help out the former First Lady, and Presidential candidate.
"We'd like to send the 'TiVo man' himself straight to the campaign trail to teach Hillary everything there is to know about our product in just five minutes (yes, 5 minutes!). We know it will take no time at all to show Mrs. Clinton the right buttons to push so she can rest assured that while she's on the road, America's favorite DVR is not skipping a beat."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/09/2008 03:10:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
William's girlfriend Kate Middleton bought him the £200 gift for Christmas - but he now has to share it with his grandma.
A Palace source told The People: "When she saw William playing a game after lunch at Sandringham she thought the Nintendo looked tremendous fun and begged to join in.
"She played a simple ten-pin bowling game and by all accounts was a natural.
"It was hilarious. William was in fits of laughter. He was enormously impressed at having such a cool gran.
"And although she is 81 the Queen's hand-eye co-ordination was as good as somebody half her age.
It's not the first time the Queen has joined the hi-tech revolution.
In 2001 she got her first mobile phone and has regularly upgraded to one with the latest features.
Her Majesty set up her own email account years ago.
In 2005 she took delivery of an iPod that stores more than 100,000 tunes.
And last June she added a trendy BlackBerry to her technological armoury - and made sure her senior staff were equipped with them too."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 1/07/2008 04:39:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Queen Elizabeth will be broadcasting her 50th Holiday message via YouTube. The 81-year-old Queen of the Brits' annual Xmas speech is the only time during the year she writes her own lines.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/24/2007 10:04:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Demand melted the music firm’s servers shortly after When You Believe went on sale at midnight on Saturday.
The problem was only resolved some 15 hours later leading to thousands of punters being unable to get their hands on the ballad.
Last year LEONA LEWIS’ winning single shifted an astonishing 50,000 downloads on its first hour of sale.
The Scottish teen logged just 36,669 sales in three days and record label bosses are furious.
An insider at SonyBMG said: “Everybody here is up in arms.
“There’s been a monumental cock up. Simon is hugely disappointed about the situation and is considering launching legal proceedings.
“Everybody is really upset for Leon and don’t want technical malfunctions to mar his big week.”
A spokesperson for iTunes declined to comment."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/24/2007 08:18:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Sounds funny right. But I am dead serious. He signed my iphone and we had friendly conversation about it. He told me that Steve Jobs got him one too. I wanted to tell that Al Gore is on apple's board of directors, he should be able to get prerelease version with 3g or smth, but he was already taken away by his escort...." Via Livejournal .
Labels: culture, iphone, sightings
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/21/2007 12:40:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"Apple’s debut at second place across the entire North American smartphone market region for the third quarter ending in September is particularly noteworthy because the iPhone was only being sold in the US, and is only available through AT&T; all of the other mobile platforms are available to Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile as well as AT&T," Dilger reports. "The iPhone wasn’t available in the significant markets of Canada and Mexico, along with parts of the US that AT&T does not service, including much of Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Alaska."
Labels: culture, iphone, palm os, symbian, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/14/2007 03:35:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
From the Hollywood Reporter via DrudgeReport:
The "Jackass" gang is about to attempt its most audacious stunt yet: online-first movie distribution.
In a radical departure from the traditional movie business model, Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment and MTV New Media are co-producing "Jackass 2.5," a sequel to its two-time boxoffice hit that will skip multiplexes entirely.
Instead, "2.5" will be offered online for free over a two-week span beginning Dec. 19 courtesy of Blockbuster and its new online property Movielink, which will exclusively host the 64-minute film during that period. The movie will be made available at blockbuster.jackassworld.com.
I'm not sure this will become the standard but it's a pretty neat way to release a movie. The best part: it will be offered for free.
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 12/13/2007 11:52:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"In an inteview this week, Kawasaki recalled signing up 44,000 hardcore Mac users in 1995 on a listserv named, quite appropriately, "EvangeList." "All I would do is disseminate good news," Kawasaki said. He wanted his listserv to be a counterpoint to the torrents of bad news about the Mac, exemplified by a 1996 BusinessWeek cover story about Apple titled, "The Fall of an American Icon." For its cover art, the magazine placed an Apple icon in front of a black, funereal background.
Kawasaki's idea was to give Mac users hope, that they were not alone, and that they were on the right side of history. Hope is a powerful thing to someone at the end of their rope, and while that's perhaps overstating it a bit, that's how many Mac users felt in those years.
"It's almost like a religious experience in that you feel like you have to tell everyone you know in an effort to 'save them.' It's crazy, and I never understood those people but now I am one," said Doug Otto, a News.com reader, vice president of systems engineering for Govstar and a Sacramento, Calif., resident."
Check out the full article here .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/12/2007 08:24:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"iPhone, of course, is a word very few people typed in a search box in 2006," said Marissa Mayer of Google, an Internet search engine. "It didn't exist."
Apple rolled out the iPhone, which is a mobile phone, music and video player and Internet browser device, in the United States last summer.
Four social networking sites made the top 10, including Webkinz, which grabbed the No. 2 slot. Webkinz is a stuffed animal that customers can register and play with online.
Celebrity news Web site TMZ ranked third, while transformer toys took the No. 4 slot.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/05/2007 03:34:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy, a Portuguese translation of 'tired of being sexy,' taken from a Beyoncé Knowles quote) released its debut album in July 2006. American fans and critics touted the group for its high-energy act and playful innocence. But CSS soon learned that buzz, rave reviews and a small indie following do not necessarily translate into lofty record sales. The album sold just 340 copies per week through October, according to Nielsen SoundScan," Cadelago reports.
"Then the iPod Touch commercial premiered on Oct. 28. In the next two weeks, CSS sold 2,000 records and climbed to No. 15 in song downloads and No. 5 in ring tone sales at Apple's iTunes Store," Cadelago reports. "'This is one of the rare instances where we can point to a single event and say, 'This is for sure what's driving all of our record sales,'' said Tony Kiewel, CSS's agent at Sub Pop records. 'The band is completely absent from this country and has been for ages. And the record is over a year old.' CSS's year-old record now stands at No. 19 on Billboard's Top Electronic Album chart, and 'Music is My Hot, Hot Sex' has since broke onto the all-important Pop 100 chart."
"The Canadian band Feist was quick to realize the benefits of its Apple partnership. Headed by singer-songwriter Leslie Feist, it released 'The Reminder' on May 1, a well-reviewed collection of alternative and folk songs. The record sold decently - 31,000 its first week and 21,000 the next, according to SoundScan. On Sept. 9, when its song '1234' was paired with Apple's new iPod video Nano, the band was averaging 6,000 record sales weekly for a grand total of 216,000," Cadelago reports.
"Feist's single placed seven times on Billboard charts, climbing as high as No. 4 on Hot Digital Songs and No. 10 on the Pop 100 chart. At the iTunes Store, the record is No. 25 in album sales and No. 44 in song downloads," Cadelago reports. "On Nov. 3, Feist secured the highly coveted musical guest spot on Saturday Night Live. And as of last Saturday, 'The Reminder' had sold 346,000 total records, 130,000 additional sales since the iPod commercial premiered."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/26/2007 08:19:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
A passenger on a delayed flight tried this out. He checked the weather on his iPhone, noticed the weather was clearing up, told the flight attendant about his findings, the flight attendant relays the message to the captain. The iPhone owner probably had a brief feeling of "this gadget saved the day", just like the commercial Apple advertises on TV.
His "iPhone moment" would soon end very different than the commercial he saw on TV.
The pilot says over the PA system, “If the passenger with the iPhone would be kind enough to use it to check the weather at our alternate, calculate our fuel burn due to being rerouted around the storms, call the dispatcher to arrange our release, and then make a phone call to the nearest Air Traffic Control center to arrange our timely departure amongst the other aircraft carrying passengers with IPhones, then we will be more than happy to depart. Please ring your call button to advise the Flight Attendant and your fellow passengers when you deem it ready and responsible for this multi-million dollar aircraft and its passengers to safely leave.”
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/20/2007 05:21:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"The move replicates the US experience, where the first queues began to form outside Apple and AT&T shops the day before the product launched. Hundreds had joined these queues by the time the iPhone went on sale," Evans reports." Via MacDailyNews .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/08/2007 03:34:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Fortune has written a great article about everyone's favorite gadget blogs. Ryan Block (Engadget) and Brian Lam (Gizmodo) are extremely dedicated to their craft. This article highlights some of the great lengths they've gone to bring us the latest gadget news.
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/02/2007 03:15:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Apple Inc.'s latest darling topped dozens of other creations that made leaps in environmentally friendly technology, molecular science, robotics or military uses. The photogenic personality of the sleek, hybrid cell phone-iPod media player didn't hurt either.
"Intel's 45-nanometer (parts for chips) - that's a serious deal, but it's a lot less glamorous than the iPhone even though it's important," said Lev Grossman, a Time staff writer who covers technology and helped select the magazine's annual honorees.
The iPhone's design and beauty contribute to its appeal, but its functionality and features are what gets people talking. The features themselves may not be groundbreaking, but the way in which Apple presents them is.
Take the iPhone's touch screen. Apple neither invented nor reinvented the technology, Grossman contends, but "Apple knew what to do with it."
The wide-ranging impact of the iPhone - on the cell phone industry and how it will evolve into an ever more useful handheld computer - is only beginning, he concludes."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/01/2007 09:02:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Jennifer Chappell, Editor of TreoCentral starts out the Round Robin with "A Treo User's take on the iPhone" .
It'll be great to read about their experiences, and if the grass really is greener on the "other side".
Labels: culture, smartphone
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 10/30/2007 09:38:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"A television commercial for the new iPod Touch from Apple, scheduled to begin running on Sunday, 10-28 is being created by the longtime Apple agency, TBWA/Chiat/Day. It is based on a commercial that an 18-year-old English student and Apple devotee named Nick Haley, who says he got his first Macintosh when he was 3 created on his own one day last month," Elliott reports.
"His spot offers a fast-paced tour of the abilities of the iPod Touch, set to a song titled 'Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex' by a Brazilian band, CSS," Elliott reports. "Mr. Haley said he was inspired to make the commercial by a lyric in the song, 'My music is where I'd like you to touch.'" Watch the video here .
Labels: apple, culture, touch, youtube
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 10/26/2007 09:47:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: cell phones, culture, nokia
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 9/27/2007 10:47:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
D-Lister Kathy Griffin and Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak are engaged. The pair went public at this year's Emmys.
"Comedienne Kathy Griffin has landed one of the world’s richest bachelors, Apple co-founder Steve Wosniak. She brought the huggable guy to the Emmys with her, and looked like she was wearing an engagement ring, although she wouldn’t comment when asked about it, saying 'I don’t kiss and tell,'" Celebitchy reports.
"On an appearance on Larry King about her censored Emmy speech she said 'What do you make, Lar? You make a few million a year? He craps that out for lunch. I mean this guy has so much money — but I love him for his personality,'"
"Just one year after a bitter a divorce from husband Matt Moline, it looks like Kathy Griffin may be ready to walk down the aisle again. We spotted Griffin with boyfriend and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak at the Emmys, and the fiery comic was sporting what appeared to be an engagement ring. “I don’t kiss and tell,” the usually forthcoming Griffin told Usmagazine.com.
The couple did reveal that they met in Saratoga where Wozniak came to see Griffin perform. “I was a fan of hers before we met,” he tells Us. “I love her personality and her quick thinking. I think we have so much in common.” Quips Griffin, who later shared chocolate covered strawberries with Wozniak at the Entertainment Tonight party at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, “The thing is he doesn’t realize that I am the brains of the operation and he is like some dumb bimbo that I picked up!”
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 9/20/2007 12:06:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Language experts say the smiley face and other emotional icons, known as emoticons, have given people a concise way in e-mail and other electronic messages of expressing sentiments that otherwise would be difficult to detect.
Fahlman posted the emoticon in a message to an online electronic bulletin board at 11:44 a.m. on Sept. 19, 1982, during a discussion about the limits of online humor and how to denote comments meant to be taken lightly.
"I propose the following character sequence for joke markers: :-)," wrote Fahlman. "Read it sideways."
The suggestion gave computer users a way to convey humor or positive feelings with a smile — or the opposite sentiments by reversing the parenthesis to form a frown." Via Yahoo News .
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 9/18/2007 02:14:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Grey's Anatomy star Katharine Heigl has 2 good habits and one bad. She uses her iPhone while drinking Diet Coke and lighting up a cigarette. Hopefully developers will create a smoke quitting app for the iPhone and help her, and many others kick the bad habit:)
Labels: culture, iphone, sightings
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/20/2007 07:42:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Griffin, who split from former husband Matt Moline last year, met millionaire Wozniak after he watched her stand-up show last month."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/17/2007 03:48:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"At the time, we noted that, in addition to there being no synchronization process, nor conspicuous software update to enable the new function, some users received the function early in the day, some later in the day, and some not at all.
Apple has now addressed this issue in Knowledge Base article #306272. The article outlines several requirements for invoking the “Send to Web Gallery” function, including:
“iPhone Software Version 1.0.1 or later"
“An active .Mac account (full membership account—not just email)"
“iPhone configured with a .Mac mail account (the same account to which you published the Web Gallery) etc.”
What’s interesting, however, is the following paragraph:
“If the Send to Web Gallery option does not appear on iPhone, and you have installed iPhone Software 1.0.1 or later, press the Home button to exit Photos, wait an hour before you tap Photos, and then try again. During that hour, it’s OK to use other features of iPhone.”
This essentially confirms that some sort of network-based trigger — not a time-based mechanism — invokes the “Send to Web Gallery” option. Once the appropriate software is in place and a valid .Mac account is detected on the iPhone, it appears that some sort of fetching process is performed that delivers the new functionality."
Labels: apple, culture, iphone
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/15/2007 04:57:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Back in April of 2007 Amy wrote an open letter to Steve Jobs asking him to create a medical device that would have a huger impact on people's lives than iPods, iPhones, etc. Amy asked Steve Jobs to use his and Apple's design expertise to create a device for Diabetics that would test blood sugar levels, and also create an insulin pump that would give Diabetics the Insulin we need to survive. Amy's open letter was to try and get Apple to make a device that was easy to use, wasn't embarrassing to carry, and therefore make people more inclined to use. I can tell you after having Diabetes for 15 years our blood sugar meters basically look the same (bulky looking, outdated looking devices) because they're designed by medical companies. Amy was on to something by asking Apple to design a life device for Diabetics.
Apple might not have responded to Amy's request, but a company took Amy up on her challenge. A company called Adaptive Path has made a prototype of a sleeker, more functional blood glucose monitor, called the Charmr watch a video demonstration here , and an insulin pump that users can apply directly to their bodies as an adhesive. They researched extensively, interviewing diabetics and consulting with Amy Tenderich, a valuable source of information and a link to the diabetes community. While the Charmr vaguely resembles an iPod Nano, it has an appeal of its own. The device allows users to monitor the trends of their blood sugar levels, as well as administer insulin via a sweat-proof patch. Not to mention, the device allows for wear on the wrists, or as a keychain or necklace--all of which let the device simply appear to be another mysterious gadget, as opposed to a complex medical apparatus. Furthermore, the Charmr will triple as a USB drive that allows users to view daily trends and patterns of their condition, and other special features.
Big things come from people with big ideas, and as my birthday approaches I can't thank Amy Tenderich enough for thinking so big!!!
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/14/2007 09:35:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: culture, gaming, iphone, software
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/08/2007 04:20:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Martha Stewart is on the cover of the August edition of Wired. In the magazine Martha shows you how to make a cake in the shape of a Wii. Martha Stewart's love of technology doesn't stop at making edible confections that resemble gadgets, she's actually a gadget freak. How do I know this you ask? Her daughter told me (kinda).
Alexis Stewart (Martha's hot daughter) has a very un-Martha like radio show called "Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer" with the equally hot Jennifer Hutt, on Sirius Satellite Radio Monday thru Friday, 5pm-7pm E.S.T. with rebroadcasts daily from 11pm-1am E.S.T . They talk about "whatever", it's a hilarious and addicting show. They also have a blog over @http://www.whateverradio.com .
Alexis told listeners last week that Martha was spending her 66th birthday attending Google Camp. Alexis also revealed that Martha Stewart has an iPhone, and uses both a Mac and PC. How's that for some geek cred?
Labels: culture, iphone, sightings
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/06/2007 11:10:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Nissan is testing alcohol-detection sensors that check odor, sweat and driver awareness, issue a voice alert from the navigation system and lock up the ignition if necessary.
Odor sensors on the driver and passenger seats read alcohol levels, while a detector in the gear-shift knob measures the perspiration of the driver's palm when starting the car." Via CNET .
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/03/2007 12:18:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
In comments made before his performance at Macworld earlier this year, when Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, sapless singer/songwriter Mayer told attendees that Jobs' penchant for making consumer-friendly products was "like the opposite of terrorism." Should we therefore assume, then, that Mayer's current gig as a high-profile sponsor of iPhone competitor BlackBerry Curve means he's gone over to the dark side?
John Mayer has taken up with iPhone rival BlackBerry, probably ending his run of Macworld appearances.
Research In Motion (RIM) is the official sponsor of Mayer's summer tour, coming soon to a high-school cafeteria near you. The Unofficial Apple Weblog spotted a Web page on RIM's site that contains "exclusive" video and photos of Mayer fondling a BlackBerry Curve. The Curve is "an extension of thought," Mayer says in the video. "The BlackBerry kind of betrays geography."
As an Apple fan I much prefer seeing John Mayer using something I'm not. Just because he sings and occasionally blogs doesn't give him the street cred of telling people what the best tech gadget to own is, especially now that BlackBerry is sponsoring his tour. John do us a favor, stick to music, and trying to date B-List celebrities. We don't want/need your gadget advice, you're not that influential.
Labels: apple, blackberry, culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/12/2007 12:25:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
People are going insane over the iPhone. Now people are getting even more insane. Someone has posted the iPhone shopping bag (iPhone not included) on eBay, and sold it for $305. Via Gizmodo
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/05/2007 09:18:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Steve opened up with how he believes that the iPhone will change the mobile space forever. He said that when the Mac first came out, people talked about how some day, every computer would work that way, and the same would be true of the iPhone," Cheng reports.
Jobs said Apple has "the 'best Macs' in the new product pipeline ever right now, and that the stuff coming out in the next year is 'off the charts,'" Cheng reports. Jobs also said, "There is one OS group that does Mac OS X for the Mac and the iPhone, as well as 'some iPods we're working on,'" Cheng reports.
Underscoring the importance Apple's CEO places on the iPhone, Cheng reports Jobs said that "Apple employees will be able to tell their grandkids that they were at Apple when they launched the iPhone." Via MacDailyNews .
We'll be able to tell our grandkids we waited on line for the iPhone;)
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/28/2007 06:06:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Before the first ATM was installed by Barclay's Bank near London in 1967, there was a lot of standing in line and writing of checks, though there were probably a lot fewer $20 bills in the United States back then.
More than $25 billion will be withdrawn from bank accounts around the world today from 1.5 million of the ubiquitous dispensers. In keeping with our status as the most indebted nation in history, we Americans have more than a quarter the world's ATMs.
Despite some security threats and occasional hacks, there seems to be no worry that ATMs will continue to do be the teller of choice for most consumers. And for the record, when you're visiting its birthplace, the United Kingdom, don't ask for the nearest ATM. They're called "cash machines." Via CNET .
I still call the ATM a MAC Machine;)
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/28/2007 12:54:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"The combination mobile phone and music player has generated more pre-sale media coverage than any other product, says Al Ries, chairman of Ries & Ries, an Atlanta marketing strategy firm," Heiskanen reports.
"Apple released details little by little, teasing consumers to keep interest high, and followed with its first television spot with the simple tagline 'hello' during the Academy Awards. That meant much of the hype came from word of mouth, which Apple has mastered since its 1984 introduction of the Macintosh computer. And it made the campaign less expensive," Heiskanen reports.
"The appeal may propel sales to 200,000 in the first two days and 3 million in the second half of 2007, according to the highest analyst estimates," Heiskanen reports. "'If you're not on the market for an iPhone, you don't really want to find yourself anywhere near an Apple or AT&T store at 6 p.m. on Friday,' Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch said." Via MacDailyNews .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/28/2007 12:46:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"The new Apple iPhone goes on sale this Friday and people are already lined up at the Mac store in NYC to get theirs, PerzHilton.com has learned.
Bananas! "
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/25/2007 08:52:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
MacDailyNews has posted the picture of the 1st person in line for the iPhone @ Apple's 5th Avenue Store. If you are going to wait in line 4 days for a $600 phone, you shouldn't really be holding a sign asking for donations and metro cards. Notice the Apple Employee's strange look? ;)
On a side note, I was at an Apple Store tonight and spoke to a few sales people about the whole iPhone launch. They said that it's very "top-secret" and they're finding out bits and bits of information as the days go by, but can't share any information for fear they could lose their jobs (the girl seemed very serious). I asked what she thought about people beginning to camp out and was told "it's not necessary to camp out, major Apple Retail Stores will be well stocked and they're just wasting they're time camping out." Take it for what it's worth.
Gadgets on the go will not be camping out, but we will be at our local Apple Store around 12:30pm to provide comprehensive coverage of the iPhone launch (how's that for dedication) and finally get our hands on the phone that is going to change the world. Ok, that might be going a little too far, but haven't you noticed our enthusiasm over the iPhone the past few days??;)
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/25/2007 08:26:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
As I write this, there are 4 days and 20 minutes until the iPhone will go on sale at 6pm June 29th. Two people have already lined up at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in NYC in hopes of being able to be one of the first people to purchase the iPhone.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/25/2007 05:40:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
People familiar with the matter say the intrinsically valuable freight was carried inbound by a certain Hong Kong-based air courier, which services Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. The early arrival is to assure the cargo can clear customs with enough time to handle unexpected delays, those people said.
Awaiting the freight at each location on Sunday were armed personnel, who were reportedly hired by Apple through its courier's ground handling agent and then cleared by the Transportation Security Administration. Armed guards are extremely unusual for freight coming out of the Asian sector, those familiar with the matter explained, and are typically reserved for shipments containing riches such as gold and diamonds.
Once on the ground, the iPhone shipments were to be broken down under the watch of the armed personnel, who would then observe the loading of the freight onto ground vehicles and become party to its transportation outbound." Via AppleInsider .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/25/2007 12:37:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/25/2007 12:05:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"It doesn't have to sell more than its competitors... Nor does the iPhone need to be more expensive than other products... And the iPhone doesn't have to win the news media's approval, at least not at first, as another Apple "It Object," the iMac computer, demonstrated in the late '90s," Rawsthorn writes.
"What then does the iPhone need to do to ascend to "It-ness?" The first step is to be more alluring than other smart phones, and to achieve that it must do two things: 1. Look and feel great. 2. Enable us to do something that we couldn't do before, or couldn't do very easily," Rawsthorn writes.
"Apple pulled it off six years ago with the iPod. There were plenty of existing MP3 players, but they looked tacky and were irritatingly over-complicated... And it didn't just look good. The iPod's refreshingly simple user interface design... and the launch of iTunes as Apple's online music store made it much, much easier even for the technologically-challenged to download music from the Internet," Rawsthorn writes.
"Can Apple do the same with the iPhone? Well, its competitors have helped, albeit unintentionally, by producing smart phones that are as tacky and irritatingly over-complicated as pre-iPod MP3 players," Rawsthorn writes."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/24/2007 12:01:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
The iPhone is shaping up to be one of the most hyped and desired consumer electronic device that our generation has seen, even so much so that religious people are getting seduced by it. Take a look at this great article from Busted Halo.com .
"June 29th marks the feast day dedicated to the founders of the church of Rome: Saints Peter and Paul. The observance is an ancient one, but this year it coincides with a religious festival of a more modern sort. For the believers of this other faith, it’s the day of deliverance they have long awaited, the moment when they’ll finally be able to grasp the Holy Grail which they’ve long lusted and defended against all nay-sayers, sight unseen.
I’m talking, of course, about the release of Apple’s iPhone. And to say that the thought of nabbing one makes my brain water would be putting it lightly.
To be sure, I’m a new convert. But as with many others, the living encounter with the Mac has changed my life and the way I work. Even the Vatican “webmistress,” Sr. Judith Zoebelein, recently disclosed that the Internet Office over at Catholic Central had just undergone the same conversion experience." Read more here .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/18/2007 09:03:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
In particular, the company will begin measuring how consumers use mobile Internet and mobile video beginning in July.
The service will be called Nielsen Wireless.
Included in the metrics will be comparisons of how subscribers of different wireless carriers watch TV or play video games, compared to the same use on their cell phone.
One tidbit the company has already released is that 55 percent of users of video-enabled mobile phones are from households with total incomes of $75,000 or greater."
Labels: cell phones, culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/06/2007 12:08:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Or at least, that's what they claim. Nevertheless, it's an interesting (and surely a sorely-needed) mobile service that let's you schedule texts or calls to give your weaseling out plausibility. It also provides pictures of your "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" as proof.
But that's not all. MobileFaker gives you access to a trend database, so you can talk about the latest things without coming off as stupid. And if you need to reject or attract someone, MobileFaker's database also includes pick-up lines and creative ways of saying no.
There's a lot more under the hood apparently. So go check out mobilefaker.com." Via The Smart PDA .
Labels: culture, smartphone
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/06/2007 09:41:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Timberlake, 26, founded Tennman Records in a joint venture with Interscope Records last month; Denters is the first artist signed."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/06/2007 09:22:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Google Maps StreetView has been the center of controversy since its inception.
First, we see the faces of people.
Then, we see the home of the one and only, Mr. Steve Jobs.
Google has given us, the ordinary people, the power to find almost anything, anyone or any place.
But with all of the good that technology brings us, and Google brings us more than most, we must learn to take the good with the bad. Technology is good. It mustn't be stopped nor infringed upon. Let Google do what Google does: it makes my day ahelluva lot easier.
Besides, when exactly did email go from this to this to this NSFW anyway?
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 6/05/2007 10:08:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"Some lucky celebs came out in Hollywood last night to celebrate the launch (and probably grab some samples) of the new BlackBerry Curve." Via PopSugar .
It's great to be famous, have the money to buy expensive things, but be given them for free (to be seen with) so ordinary people will feel like Eva Longoria when they get their hands on a BlackBerry Curve. The BlackBerry is really catering to the celebs these days, the SideKick better watch its back and plan a party soon.
Labels: blackberry, culture, sightings
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/02/2007 12:20:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Gadget blogs like Gizmodo and Engadget are in the business of spreading news and rumors quickly, but to be taken seriously, blogs need to label all unconfirmed information as speculation. This is especially important for big news like the Apple iPhone delay rumor Engadget erroneously posted this morning.
They quickly redacted the factual errors, but not before the stock tumbled 3%, as people sold off many Apple shares. Apple's market cap, according to Valleywag, dipped $4 billion. Business 2.0 Blogs are quoting commenters as asking for an SEC investigation. Ars reports that someone sold off millions of shares within minutes of the post. People lost a lot of money, because of something they read that was wrong.
People have asked me if I'm gleeful. Hell no. Giz and Engaga are in the same boat. This sort of thing affects our rep, too. Sure, I could take a swipe at Engadget's reliability. I could put my fingers in my ears and shout, Nya Nyaa Boo Boo and stick my tongue out at my competitors. But I won't. Ryan, the real heart of Engadget's daily operations, is a great guy and I respect his work. We're both in the same situation of having to post news quickly, sometimes before confirmation. I knew that Apple would never spout this info internally without making it public first, but someone here could have easily made the same mistake if they weren't paying attention or drunk, which sadly happens quite often here."
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 5/17/2007 09:11:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
PDA Live has an interesting artilce about 10 unexpected uses of the iPod.
"New technologies often have unintended uses. Take the Ipod as a case in point. It was developed with the intention of playing music (and later videos), but its applications now go well beyond that. Here are 10 rather unforeseen, even surprising, uses:
1. Train Doctors to Save Lives
2. Bring Criminals to Justice
3. Get Yourself Into Serious Shape
4. Tour Around Great Cities
5. Calculate the Right Tip
6. Record Flight data
7. Throw a Meaner Curveball
8. Learn Foreign Languages
9. Learn to Love and Buy Wine
10. Test Cheating
Bonus: The iPod as Flashlight"
Check out PDA Live for more information.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/30/2007 12:33:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Now, schools across the country are targeting digital media players as a potential cheating device. Devices including iPods and Zunes can be hidden under clothing, with just an earbud and a wire snaking behind an ear and into a shirt collar to give them away, school officials say.
"It doesn't take long to get out of the loop with teenagers," said Mountain View High School Principal Aaron Maybon. "They come up with new and creative ways to cheat pretty fast."
Mountain View recently enacted a ban on digital media players after school officials realized some students were downloading formulas and other material onto the players.
"A teacher overheard a couple of kids talking about it," Maybon said.
Shana Kemp, spokeswoman for the National Association of Secondary School Principals, said she does not have hard statistics on the phenomenon but said it is not unusual for schools to ban digital media players.
"I think it is becoming a national trend," she said. "We hope that each district will have a policy in place for technology -- it keeps a lot of the problems down."
Using the devices to cheat is hardly a new phenomenon, Kemp said. However, sometimes it takes awhile for teachers and administrators, who come from an older generation, to catch on to the various ways the technology can be used.
Some students use iPod-compatible voice recorders to record test answers in advance and them play them back, 16-year-old Mountain View junior Damir Bazdar said.
Others download crib notes onto the music players and hide them in the "lyrics" text files. Even an audio clip of the old "Schoolhouse Rock" take on how a bill makes it through Congress can come in handy during some American government exams.
Kelsey Nelson, a 17-year-old senior at the school, said she used to listen to music after completing her tests -- something she can no longer do since the ban. Still, she said, the ban has not stopped some students from using the devices.
"You can just thread the earbud up your sleeve and then hold it to your ear like you're resting your head on your hand," Nelson said. "I think you should still be able to use iPods. People who are going to cheat are still going to cheat, with or without them."
Still, schools around the world are hoping bans will at least stave off some cheaters.
Henry Jones, a teacher at San Gabriel High School in San Gabriel, California, confiscated a student's iPod during a class and found the answers to a test, crib notes and a definition list hidden among the teen's music selections. Schools in Seattle, Washington, have also banned the devices." Via CNN.com .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/27/2007 02:24:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
It's not Paris Hilton, or Lindsay Lohan this time. Lindsay just had it done for the second time last week , poor girl. This time it's American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino. Looks like Fantasia likes using her SideKick 3 for more than just making phone calls, im'ing, and texting. She likes to take pictures of herself in various poses wearing panties and a top. Unlike other celebrities, Fantasia is more demure with her cell phone self portraits (possibly a tad smarter?) by keeping her panties on while posing for her SideKick 3. If you want to see more pics head on over to TheCellFreak.com .Labels: culture, hack, sidekick
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/24/2007 07:50:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"Time will tell if this is legit or not, but for now Oh No They Didn’t is reporting that a hacker has broken into Lindsay Lohan personal Blackberry, Gmail, and MySpace account, having gained access to loads of personal pictures and e-mail correspondence. Among the items already available are some MySpace photos, as featured here, and Myspace e-mails from such celebrities as the ubiquitous Paris Hilton, Shanna Moakler, and DJ Samantha Ronson, who’s dubiously rumored to be Lindsay Lohan’s big lesbian hookup."
Meanwhile Lohan’s hacker is promising to open up a website in the next 3-4 days; hawking their items for a profit no doubt. So will we get to see anything as interesting as Lindsey Lohan topless? We all know she’s far too modest for something like that.
Either way, this sure feels like a retread of last summer, when it was suspected that Paris Hilton herself hacked into Lohan’s BlackBerry and was leaving harassing messages on friend’s voice mail. While Lindsey Lohan’s publicist eventually acquitted Paris of the charge, it was not before admitting that Paris was the initial suspect; and accusations are again surfacing that Paris’ camp is behind this current hack." Via The Cell Freak .
Labels: blackberry, culture, hack
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/20/2007 12:01:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"While we already knew that most fellas would undoubtedly choose a hot new gizmo over a foxy new lady, this mentality probably changes once you're already committed, and in the case of Rafael Paz, the recent email glitches cost him the latter. In another story hampered by horrific timing, Paz and his SO suffered through "a really bad argument" shortly before the breakdowns began, and after writing her man several emails and getting no reply, she cut the cord on their relationship for good. Of course, Rafael received the notes hours later, but apparently, his lady isn't "falling for" the so-called BlackBerry outages excuse."
C'mon ending a relationship over this?? It's not like all telephone systems were down. It just goes to show you where some of us are as a culture when it comes to technology. Maybe his girl should check the net and would have seen that CrackBerry was down for hours (major news sites were reporting it), her bf just wasn't ignoring her, or maybe she/he could have called eachother like we did in the old days to argue with our significant other?? Just goes to show you that people are too dependent on CrackBerries these days and couldn't fathom it going down. It did, get over it. A phone call could have easily saved this releationship. Damn, I don't want to sound like Dr. Phil!
Labels: blackberry, culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/18/2007 08:54:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Research in Motion did not provide details of what caused the outage, which left millions of BlackBerry subscribers without access to e-mail on Tuesday evening and into Wednesday morning. The company said in a statement released early Wednesday that it was still reviewing the situation.
But analysts say that judging from the nature of the outage and who was affected, the problem falls squarely on RIM's shoulders. For one, the outage only impacted data services, including e-mail and mobile Web browsing. Subscribers were still able to make phone calls and send and receive SMS text messages.
All of this points to some kind of technical issue within one of Research in Motion's Network Operations Centers, which acts as an intermediary between corporate mail servers and recipients.
The e-mail outage, first reported by WNBC, began around 5 p.m. PDT on Tuesday and lasted until the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday when e-mail began trickling into inboxes to users across North America and parts of Europe and Asia. The widespread disruption highlights just how vulnerable RIM's network has become, especially as the company's subscriber base grows." Via CNET .
CrackBerry users suffered major withdrawal for a few hours, it's kind of funny how dependent instant email is for some people. Maybe some will take it as a sign to not be so connected, but I'm sure the majority are thanking higher powers that RIM's servers kicked in and got their mail sent to their CrackBerry;)
Labels: blackberry, culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/18/2007 05:21:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"The cellphone. TWO cellphones. Because the new Treo is such a whiz with its GPS, e-mail, video capability, correct time in Tokyo, etc., I fear something may go wrong with it, and so I keep the old dinosaur. Just in case. I therefore need to deprogram both. Between voice mail and text messaging, that's logging on to FOUR places just to get a message like "Why don't you respond to my fax?"
It's a pretty funny article coming from a non-techie's view point, check out the whole article for a good laugh. C'mon Cindy, a Treo with GPS?? She obviously doesn't know Palm;)
Labels: culture, sightings, treo
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/16/2007 01:57:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
From Flickr via Fark:Click here for the story. ¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 4/06/2007 09:28:00 PM 0 comments links to this postIts pretty amazing. Kevin Garrad (3rd Infantry Division) was on a street patrol in Iraq (Tikrit I believe) and as he rounded the corner of a building an armed (AK-47) insurgent came from the other side.
The two of them were within just a few feet of each other when they opened fire. The insurgent was killed and Kevin was hit in the left chest where his IPod was in his jacket pocket. It slowed the bullet down enough that it did not completely penetrate his body armor. Fortunately, Kevin suffered no wound.
"Revellers responded to e-bulletins urging them to 'dance like you've never danced before' at 6.53pm," Stewart reports.
Stewart reports, "There were knowing looks and giggles among the casually dressed crowd that gathered from 6.30pm, wearing earphones."
"A deafening 10-second countdown startled station staff and commuters before the concourse erupted in whoops and cheers. MP3 players and iPods emerged and the crowd danced wildly to their soundtracks in silence - for two hours," Stewart reports. "Last night's flash mob ended when four vanloads of police dispersed the dancers. The event was staged by clubbing website mobileclubbing.com. Invitation emails and texts went out a week in advance."
Check out the video @ MacDailyNews .
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/05/2007 03:16:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
A college student emailed me this picture, it seems he's uncertain of Palm's future like many of us. He's not sure if he wants to go with Palm OS or Windows Mobile, so he created his own multitasking, "homebrew" device :)
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/05/2007 03:02:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
I'd like to thank the fine people from Helicor for sending me a Stress Eraser to try out. I received it today and am looking forward to seeing how well it deals with my stress. Stay tuned.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/04/2007 05:14:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Can't get enough of "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills"? MTV is going to let you hang out with your favorite reality tv show personalities, virtually. I wonder how many times Spencer is going to get his @$$ kicked, too bad it'll only be virtual.
"MTV Networks' "4D" approach attempts to combine content from the network's television shows with fully 3D virtual worlds, and then put it all through a feedback loop in which users can interact with TV personalities and create content that becomes part of the shared experience. MTV has already launched two branded virtual worlds, Virtual Laguna Beach (pictured) and Virtual Hills. These take the story lines of the hit shows Laguna Beach and The Hills, respectively, and weave them into a public 3D digital environment."
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/29/2007 09:38:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
This is no joke, K-Fed wants in on the search engine action just like Google. The hopefully soon to be ex-Mr. Britney Spears has launched a search engine complete with Firefox and Internet Explorer plugins to help you get your search on "K-Fed style". If you use the branded SEARCH WITH KEVIN toolbar and plugin you get the chance to win prizes like tickets to his birthday party or some of Britney's money. Watch out Google, we all know how talented K-Fed is.
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/19/2007 12:10:00 PM 0 comments
links to this post
CNN.com is reporting that surgeons who play video games perform better than doctors that do not play video games.
From the article:Maybe that's why House, one of my favorite television characters, can be seen playing with his DS or PSP in many of the episodes. ¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 3/07/2007 03:33:00 PM 0 comments links to this postVideo game skills translated into higher scores on a day-and-half-long surgical skills test, and the correlation was much higher than the surgeon's length of training or prior experience in laparoscopic surgery, the study said.
Out of 33 surgeons from Beth Israel Medical Center in New York that participated in the study, the nine doctors who had at some point played video games at least three hours per week made 37 percent fewer errors, performed 27 percent faster, and scored 42 percent better in the test of surgical skills than the 15 surgeons who had never played video games before.
"It was surprising that past commercial video game play was such a strong predictor of advanced surgical skills," said Iowa State University psychology professor Douglas Gentile, one of the study's authors.
It supports previous research that video games can improve "fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, visual attention, depth perception and computer competency," the study said."
Question: How much digital information is the world generating?
Answer: A lot.
You know those 60GB iPods. Now, imagine 2 billion of them. For all of you non-math majors out there, myself included, that 161 exabytes.
From the article:A new study that estimates how much digital information the world is generating (hint: a lot) finds that for the first time, there's not enough storage space to hold it all. Good thing we delete some stuff.The report, assembled by the technology research firm IDC, sought to account for all the ones and zeros that make up photos, videos, e-mails, web pages, instant messages, phone calls and other digital content zipping around. The researchers also assumed that on average, each digital file gets replicated three times.
Add it all up and IDC determined that the world generated 161 billion gigabytes - 161 exabytes - of digital information last year.
That's 172,872,433,664 GBs.
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 3/05/2007 10:47:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
- 01 People will ridicule you for having a Mac
My former boss, an otherwise friendly and intelligent person, was always on the lookout for opportunities to poke fun at me because I used a Mac and brought it to work with me every day. This is changing, however, and mainly applies to corporate settings there days.
- 02 You'll feel like you're in a little club
When other Mac owners find out you have one too, you'll get a little smile of appreciation, and will likely end up talking about Macs for five or ten minutes - no matter who they are and what the circumstance is. You may or may not find this annoying.
- 03 People will help you for no reason
Other Mac owners are usually fairly willing to help you get up and running on the Mac. This may be self-serving on their behalf, because it helps sell more Mac stuff which in turn justifies their investment in a company with less than 10% market share, but it's still a perk.
The article goes on to state 19 other things that will happen when you make the switch from PC to Mac. My personal favorite is number 10: 'You'll have some ah-ha moments.' Three years later and I still find myself saying 'ah-ha'.
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 3/05/2007 11:54:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/28/2007 07:56:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
The study also found that users of Blackberry and other smartphone devices work longer hours but earn more money. According to the study, "BlackBerry and other devices owners do, however, have a higher average income and education level--54 percent completed college and have an average income of $94,000, about 50 percent higher than the national U.S. average."
Labels: blackberry, culture, smartphone
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/22/2007 04:18:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"Mattel wants parents to believe that its IM-Me mobile device will prevent bad people from IMing their children. It's comprised of two separate parts, a USB dongle with an attached RF antenna and the SideKick-like unit that kids use to communicate with their friends. Parents install the USB dongle into their computer through which kids then connect to the Internet. Kids will then be able to IM friends on their contacts list (presumably moderated by parents) so long as they're within range of the RF antenna." Via Gizmodo .
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/16/2007 05:16:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Palm's celebrity guests
"Lou Reed, one of the founders of the Velvet Underground and the author of a number of rock classics, recently suffered a personal loss: His Treo 600 got killed in a traffic accident.
"I can't believe this happened. I'm so bummed," Reed told Marcus Colombano, a marketing consultant who handles product placement for the Treo smart phone. "It fell in the snow and got run over by a truck." A new unit was sent off to him immediately.
Welcome to the world of influencer marketing. Colombano, who runs San Francisco-based Avantgarde, tries to build momentum for products by getting them in the hands of the right people. He conducts the Treo campaign for PalmOne, the hardware side of the former Palm, which acquired the Treo when it bought rival handheld maker Handspring in 2003.
For PalmOne and PalmSource--the software spinoff that is holding its developer conference in San Jose, Calif., this week--this personalized form of product placement appears to pay off. Actor Kevin Spacey gave the Palm companies a public-relations bump, for example, when he used his Treo 600 to conduct a remote television interview during the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
Avantgarde also landed a Treo 600 in the hands of Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz. Whether there is a connection or not, Starbucks is rolling out Treos to parts of its field force at the moment. Are people so shallow that they'll buy something, just because it seems sort of cool? A PalmOne spokesman said the company has always perceived value in this sort of effort.
In a lot of ways, influencer marketing resembles high school for bigwigs. Musician Peter Gabriel got a Treo when it first came out--a model 180--in early 2002, Colombano said. Reed saw it and called up for one. Later, Gabriel and Reed went to dinner with Laurie Anderson, who asked for one, after she saw them making phone calls.
Soon after, assistants for composer Philip Glass, jazz musician Branford Marsalis and Metallica requested, and received, Treo units for their bosses. Naturally, picking the right influencer isn't easy. Veteran comedian Shecky Green probably isn't high on Colombano's list of potential targets. The units don't randomly go out in the mail: Typically, the so-called target--or a representative--agrees to receive one.
Still, the list of targets is rather diverse. Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin has become a Treo user through the program, as have actor Evan Handler, Fiat auto designer Michael Robinson, Oxford professor and author Richard Dawkins, Nobel Prize winner Kary Mullins, and Andy Caldwell, a disk jockey. ("Caldwell's good for demonstrating it, because he travels a lot" and hence uses more of the communication bands, Colombano said.)
Celebrity ex-hacker Kevin Mitnick has joined the club, too. Colombano met Mitnick at a social occasion where Mitnick demonstrated to him--purely for entertainment purposes--how he could hack his cell phone to make it look like his wife was calling."
I know this article is now 3 years old, but it's still very relevant. I've been posting Treo sightings on GOTG over the past year, last week alone the Treo 700p was featured on 2 popular TV shows. Palm has done a great job of keeping the Treo in the hands of "important" people, isn't that the reason you use a Treo?
Labels: culture, palm, sightings, treo
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/16/2007 08:12:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Mark Petersen manages to beat Super Mario Bros. with his feet, using just one life to boot..." One life. That's pretty impressive.
As much of a challenge and feat (pun intended) this is, I'd like to challenge him to Zelda only using our elbows.
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 2/14/2007 10:55:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
From the Orlando Sentinel via Fark.Some say that the scroll wheel is one of the most innovatitve inventions of the past 25 years--ok, no one really said that but I think someone can say it--but it sure has left its mark. Almost all mp3 players come with some form of it, but much like velcro has outlived its NASA origins, the scroll will soon be found everywhere.
Now that the scroll wheel is slowly taking over, one can only hope Apple's minimalist design, ala IKEA, will soon follow. ¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 2/10/2007 11:32:00 PM 0 comments links to this postNew products that use a scrolling wheel with click button and an illuminated screen of menu choices -- made famous by Apple Inc.'s iPod -- are on display at this week's International Builders' Show at the Orange County Convention Center.
One of the headliners is Kohler's DTV Custom Shower System, which has multiple showerheads controlled by a digital interface that's set into the wall and features that ubiquitous wheel with the center button.
"Instead of mechanical valves and handles, we have a control wheel like you would find on other electronic devices," Kohler spokesman Michael Wandschneider said. "Obviously, technophiles will gravitate to it, but it's also for anyone who wants a high-end shower."
Depending on specific features, the system can cost more than $2,000 for the digital interface and shower components.
It seems as though IM Speak is creeping into the classroom. Teachers from across the country are reporting that the text messaging lingo is appearing in classroom assignments.
In honor of this new tradition, I will finish my post in IM Speak:Im not in2 d whol sms o txt tng. whIl I do find it somwot alarming dat students Cnot wrte d eng lngwij, DIS iz Nuttin nu. Xcpt previous gnr8nz couldnt teL d difference Btwen hu & huM, not into & in2.
(-<-) out, NRdz
Labels: culture
¶ posted by Rocco Mandaglio, Staff Writer @ 2/10/2007 05:48:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Contact Jimmie Geddes here: gadgetsonthego at gmail dot com.
