Global Geek News Blog

Greetings Readers!

Its almost that time of year again, when geeks either get the cool gadgets that they have been wanting thanks to holiday sales or are given the gifts they have been wanting by people that love them.  Whether you are looking for some great gadgets to get for yourself or that lovable geek in your life, I have compiled a list of some of the top geek gifts for the 2008 holiday season.

#10.  26-piece PC Repair Tool Kit

What true Geek doesn’t need a good repair tool kit?  Whether they are making some amazing case mods or just replacing a dead hard drive, a Geek needs his tools!  ThinkGeek has a great 26-piece PC repair tool kit for just $21.99!

26-Piece PC Repair Tool Kit from ThinkGeek

#9:  Circuit Board Necklace

Geeks often like to show off just how geeky they really are, and what better way to do that than with a circuit board necklace?  You may not want to spend the money on a fancy necklace made of all kinds of precious metals and stones, but you can still look good and show everybody just how geeky you are at the same time with a circuit board necklace from ThinkGeek.  For only $19.99, you can make a fashion statement and have a great conversation piece!

Circuit Board Necklace from ThinkGeek

#8.  Shut up and Reboot T-Shirt

Every geek that has ever played the roll of tech support to anybody before is guaranteed to have said “Just shut up and reboot” at least a million times.  Now you can just tell people to read your t-shirt!  This shirt, also from ThinkGeek, will allow you or the geek in your life to wear some of the best tech support advice ever, all for between $14.99-16.99 (depending on the size of shirt).

Just Shut Up and Reboot T-Shirt from ThinkGeek

#7.  2GB Secret Pen-Shaped Pocket Spy Camera Digital Video Recorder

Geeks are often looking for new ways to capture information and store it without bringing attention to themselves (except when they like to boast about how many Terabytes their computers and servers store).  This pen is great for doing just that.  This 2GB pen-shaped digital video recorder can hold up to 5 hours of video and uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that lasts close to 100 min.  Whether you are looking for a way to capture embarrassing moments for the company Christmas party or capture some blackmail material against that boss that refuses to give you a raise, for $67.66, you can own this 2GB spy camera pen that wields great power to those who know about its capabilities.

2GB Secret Pen-Shaped Pocket Spy Camera Digital Video Recorder from Blueplugged.com

#6.  NeatDesk

While not all Geeks are messy (I will admit that I am very messy), it is always a good idea to keep all of your contacts and financial information organized.  NeatDesk helps you accomplish this task.  NeatDest can scan business cards, receipts and documents all in one batch.  With NeatDesk, you no longer have to scan in all your items separately on a flatbed scanner.  NeatDesk also comes with software that helps you identify, extract and organize scanned information.  You can purchase this organizational wonder from Neat, makers of NeatDesk for $499.95.

NeatDesk

#5.  T-Mobile G1 Android Phone

The iPhone might be the sexiest phone of all time, but it can’t compare in openness to the new Android based G1 phone (”The Google Phone”).  Any geek that appreciates an open platform will love the new G1.  Open systems such as Android are a geeks dream.  Not only can you make your own applications for the G1, but you can hack the operating system till your heat’s content.  It is also a cheap alternative to Apple’s iPhone.  You can purchase the phone from T-Mobile, but rumor has it that Walmart has the phone considerably cheaper although the price isn’t listed on their website.

T-Mobile G1 Android Phone

#4.  Acer Aspire One Netbook

Netbooks have become wildly popular this year and few match Acer’s Aspire One in price or performance.  Although there are several models of the Aspire One which have different hard drives, batteries, operating systems and various other differences, the best deal is the Aspire One with XP, 160GB hard drive, 1GB RAM and a six-cell battery.  The screen comes in at a compact but nice 8.9″ and it has a larger, more comfortable keyboard than some of the competing netbooks.  Whether you or your beloved geek is looking to browse the Internet or do some coding on the go, the Aspire One is a great alternative to getting a full sized laptop, especially for road warriors.  You can pick up this wonderful device for $399.00 plus free shipping from Amazon.  It also comes in several colors!

Acer Aspire One at Amazon.com

#3.  iRex iLiad

If you or the geek in your life has been looking into moving from traditional books to an e-reader, the iRex iLiad is a great alternative to Amazon’s Kindle.  Although it is a considerably more expensive alternative ($699), it has the added features to make up for it.  One of the biggest features that this new e-reader boasts is the ability to write on it like you would normal paper.  This feature allows you to make notes, annotate documents which you can transfer to other iLiad devices or a PC and even play games like crossword puzzles and Sudoku!  The iLiad can hold dozens of books, documents and even digital subscriptions to international newspapers!  If that isn’t enough, you can quickly increase the storage with a Compact Flash card or even a USB stick.  The one drawback that it has compared to the Kindle is that instead of having a cell connection that you can download new content anywhere, you are restricted to Wi-Fi or USB to transfer content.  I don’t see this as a big deal since most people will load up on books before they leave the house anyway.

The iRex iLiad e-book reader

#2:  Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote

Are you tired of trying to track down the remote for each device in your house.  If you are like me, you likely have a remote for each TV in your house, DVD player, Blu-ray player, HD-DVD player, gaming console, stereo and other devices, plus a few remotes that you don’t remember what they are for.  The Logitech Harmony One helps you cut down on all of the remote clutter by allowing you to have a single remove for everything.  The Harmony One is able to replace the remotes of over 225,000 devices while still maintaining all the functionality of the original remote.  The Harmony One even has a color touch screen!  The Logitech Harmony runs $249.99.  If you think that is too much to replace just a couple of remotes, you can get the lower-end Harmony 510 universal remote for $99.99.

Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote

#1.  Vuzix iWear AV310 Widescreen

Having a screen that you could attach to your face so you can watch videos easily at any time has long been a dream of most geeks (although some just dream of looking like LaForge from Star Trek: The Next Generation).  The Vuzix iWear AV310 widescreen wearable display will help you do just that!  This unit’s display appears like a 52″ widescreen display viewed from 9 feet.  The unit is compatible with any device with a composite out connection as well as most iPods, portable DVD players, game consoles, and much more!  With independent focus adjustments and high quality stereo earphones, the iWear AV310 gives the user an engrossing entertainment experience.  The unit runs off of a single AA battery which can last for up to 11 hours.  Personally I find this as a drawback as I long ago gave up disposable batteries, but you can probably use the rechargeable AA batteries just fine.  You can pick up this visual wonder from Vuzix for $249.95.

Vuzix iWear AV310 Widescreen

These gifts are sure to light up any geek’s face this holiday season.  If you have any suggestions for other items that geeks might like this holiday season, tell us about them in the comments!

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-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

Greetings Readers!

It is almost that time of year again, to line up with dozens or hundreds of people at insane hours after a night of shoveling as much turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie in our face as humanly possible, all in the name of getting a bargain.  That’s right, Black Friday, the day I deem to be better than all other holidays combined, is just a few weeks away.  Black Friday circulars for the major retailers have already started to leak onto the Internet, but for some reason, retailers don’t see this as a good thing.

If you are like me and watch for new Black Friday ads closer than who won what state in the presidential election, you know exactly what I am talking about.  Every year, a handful of major retailers such as Walmart, Sears, Office Depot, and others send take-down notices and sue websites who post their ads early.  They bully the little guy just so that people don’t see their sales before they want them to, but of course this is often after the ads have been up long enough that countless people have already seen them.  This is one of the worst things that these companies can do, especially with the economic problems we have now.

Of course these companies defend this bullying by giving the excuse that other retailers are going to try to match or undercut them to take away their business.  This idea is a load of crap and here is why.  Most companies who are already pinching every penny, aren’t going to spend the money the time and money it would cost to redesign and reprint their Black Friday ad just to try to steal a handful of customers.  Rarely do I even see products that I want on sale at multiple stores, rather less at a big enough price difference that would make another company jealous enough to redo their ad to undercut or match the competition.  When you take into account price matching, which most stores do, this excuse becomes completely bunk.

Retailers need to realize that the more time customers have to plan their Black Friday shopping, the better.  Especially in bad economic times such as this, the more time customers have to save up and better budget their Black Friday spending, the more likely they are to purchase the big ticket items such as televisions, computers, digital cameras, and game consoles.  I typically start my Black Friday planning at the beginning of November or ads start to surface, whichever comes first.  By the time Black Friday arrives, not only have I figured out what I am going to get, I have the money saved up to do it and have my attack plan made (Figuring out what stores open when so I can get there early enough to get the bargains while not losing out on other bargains at other stores.  This occasionally involves multiple people).  With unemployment the highest it has been in years and the economy in the tank, it would be better for everybody if the ads were released as soon as possible so that consumers can save up and adjust their budget accordingly to get the items they need or just really want.

There is a major disconnect between the retailers and the consumer.  Until retailers such as Walmart understand this disconnect and change their attitude about this issue, they will fail to reach their potential sales figures.  Contact the major retailers and voice your opinion!  If enough people comment, they might just change their ways to the benefit of everyone.

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-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

Greetings Readers!

Do you buy products that come in packaging that is impossible to open without something short of a stick of dynamite?  If so, you have likely experienced “wrap rage.”  If you are tired of turning yourself into a bloody mess just to open your precious new gadget or gadget accessory, Amazon is coming to your rescue with frustration-free packaging!

I couldn’t even begin to count how many times I have cut myself on that impossible to open hard plastic packaging whenever I purchase a new set of headphones or memory stick for my PSP.  I have been wondering for pretty much my entire life, why can’t companies make packaging that I don’t have to use scissors or a very sharp knife to get into, only to still end up with several cuts?  I understand the whole idea of not wanting things easily stolen from a store, but to protect your product at the cost of my hands is beyond stupid.  Thank goodness, finally a company such as Amazon is standing up against this evil packaging practice and is on the side of the consumer.

Before you get your hopes up just yet, this is a multi-year initiative, not an overnight change.  They have this to say on their announcement on the Amazon home page.

Amazon is working with leading manufactures to deliver products inside smaller, easy-to-open, recyclable cardboard boxes with less packaging material (no frustrating plastic clamshells or wire ties).

It sounds like it will be a while before it reaches the majority of products typically contained in the clam shell packaging (the hard plastic stuff), but at least its coming.  Currently, you can only purchase select products from Mattel, Microsoft, Fisher-Price and Transcend with the frustration-free packaging.  To view the entire list of products available with this great new packaging, you can visit http://www.amazon.com/packaging.

While this is great for the consumer, I can only imagine how mad the bandaid makers are right now.  I expect to see a considerable drop in their revenue from this great development.

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-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

Greetings Readers!

For the past month, maybe more, the local Wal-Marts have been undergoing a major shift.  Nearly everything but groceries have changed their location.  There are now more groceries, less pet supplies, and the electronics department has roughly doubled in size.  Apparently this shift is taking place across the country.  A post on Gizmodo today revealed a change in business at Wal-Mart when it comes to consumer electronics.  It seems they are cutting back on CDs and DVDs to focus on other products such as Blu-ray.

With CD sales down, digital downloads through the roof, and Blu-ray hoping to replace DVD, such a move was destined to happen at some point, I was just starting to wonder when.  With digital downloads exceeding many peoples expectations, it is a matter of time before the CD becomes just another dead physical format.  With stores such as Walmart, Circuit City, Best Buy and others still promoting the latest music in CD format, I had honestly started to wonder just when digital downloads would kill the CD.  I have known for some time that it was coming but haven’t seen any sites of a death anytime soon, until today.

With CD sales down 23% just this quarter for Walmart, it is no surprise that they have now started to take away floor space from the CD and even the DVD to give more room for video games, various consumer electronics such as the iPod and Zune as well as Blu-ray.  Such a move is a sign of the times and that death for the CD and DVD formats is nearing.  I expect to see other major retailers follow suit in the near future.  I will admit that with DVD sales still much higher than Blu-ray sales, I was kind of surprised to see this move at this time.  I have long believed that this is necessary for the mass adoption of Blu-ray.  When stores stop selling DVDs, people will start moving over to Blu-ray, just like they did for the transition from VHS to DVD.  Blu-ray certainly has other issues that it needs to conquer before it can truly take the place of DVD, but this is the first step in the right direction.

While I agree with Walmart in their move to replace CD floor space with portable media players, that isn’t really going to help them gain market share in the digital download space such much as it does iTunes and the Zune Marketplace.  If they expect to see real success from this, they need to bundle a deal from their new digital download store with the devices.  Walmart must give people an incentive to buy music from them before the customer becomes addicted to iTunes or other download service.  If they did this, they would see huge growth in their new MP3 store while slowing the growth of their competition.

This is a clear sign that these formats are soon going to go the way of the formats that came before them.  While the CD and DVD still have some life in them, if other stores follow suit and this falling sales trend continues, I can easily see the death of the CD within the next 2 years, and the death of the DVD within the next 5 (likely less).

Long live the extremely expensive Blu-ray!

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-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray

Greetings Readers!

I have not been quite about the fact that I have been a huge lover of the Dash Express GPS Unit for some time.  I have often called it my all-time favorite device and a revolutionary GPS product.  It seems my dreams that it will one day be as mainstream as the TomTom GPS units or the Garmin Nuvi units have been shattered.  Earlier today, Dash announced that it would be stopping the production of its hardware and has fired two-thirds of its employees.

While I admit that I think the Dash Express was missing some wanted features such as bluetooth, I really liked the unit itself.  It is simple, elegant, and can withstand extreme conditions (sitting in direct sunlight in the middle of summer).  Of course my favorite feature was the constant Internet connection.  I loved being able to search for stuff on the fly or get information that I needed sigh as flight or traffic delays.  While there are very few services that I am willing to pay for, this was by far the most worthy of my money.  Sadly these days are coming to an end.

While Dash has announced that they will continue to support the device, with a major update coming out before the end of the year and the next one already in the works, they haven’t said just how long they intend to keep the backend servers running.  Personally, I hope they keep them running for a long time to come since I recently purchased a two year subscription to their service.  Apparently Dash hopes to focus on their software.

Dash has stated that they are now going to focus their efforts on their software and trying to get it on the GPS devices from other manufactures as well as cellphone manufactures.  While I do think it would be great for some phones to have Dash technology, I think that it is going to be extremely difficult to sell the software to their major competitors such as TomTom or Garmin just because they already have good, established products that are dominating the market, something that Dash could never have accomplished because they were only sold online on sites such as Amazon.  They certainly have some great software, but I dont think there is anything great enough to make the other major GPS manufactures jump at the idea of buying or licensing the software.  The GPS market is too competitive for something like this.

Given the fact that I don’t think that Dash can make it as a GPS software company unless it can successfully make deals with cellphone manufactures, I would say they won’t be around much longer.  While their death my not take place overnight, I do think it is not that far off.  When you fire 2/3 of your employees and completely change your business strategy, you are in an extremely desperate position and pretty much just clinging to life.  I do hope they they stay around long enough for me to enjoy my 2 year subscription, either that or they refund my money.

I really hate to see Dash go, they had a great product with an amazing service.  Like many products, I think it was the lack of availability and price point which ultimately caused their downfall.

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-Jeremy “pcnerd37″ Bray