MIX 2010 Day 1 Recap: Got Windows Phone 7 Series?
Greetings Readers!
I'm sure that by now, most of you have heard at least something that has come out of Microsoft's MIX 2010 today, probably from our keynote live blog, but there is a lot of newsworthy information that hasn't been talked about too much so I am going to share a bit of a recap of all of the juicy information I found out today.
The day started off with the keynote which was quite interesting or at least it was if you have the least bit of interest in Windows Phone 7 Series. There were plenty of demos on how to write applications to ready to demo applications from Seesmic and even Netflix. I wasn't too shocked to see applications from Seesmic or Shazam or anything but the Netflix steaming app really surprised me considering there is still no Netflix app for the iPhone.
The experience on the phone seems to be very smooth and is obviously very dependent on having a network to connect to. Between notifications and the fact that the phone pulls most of its information from the cloud, if you have no network connection, the phone seems pretty crippled as to what it can do. I'm not a huge cloud fan for this reason but I will hold off until everything is ready to ship to say just how bad of an idea this is.
The capabilities of the phone are very impressive. Thanks to the high, minimum hardware specs such as 256MB of ram, 8GB flash drive, 5MP camera, DirectX 9 acceleration and much more. They demonstrated the whole idea of playing a 3D Xbox Live arcade game on the phone, Windows and the 360. I wasn't as impressed by that since XNA which the phone uses has been doing this for a while, but I was impressed by the power of the phone. The game it was playing looked to be as good if not better a quality as many of my PSP games. In the mobile gaming market, it has the potential to be a major player. That said, I am slight annoyed that they aren't saying what graphics chip the phone is using although I suspect that it is nVidia's Tegra 2.
There was also some interesting talk in terms of what you can do for business models. We found out that ads can show up over your content like a pop-up ad which is extremely annoying. We were being shown an AP News app when suddenly the bottom 1/3 or so of the screen had a Ford Focus driving on it for several seconds. As a hater of ads that get in the way of the content and experience, this makes me want to bang my head against the wall. Luckily, there are more ways to monetize your app but not as many as there should be. You will be able to sell apps as normal and even let people try apps before they buy them which is awesome. One of the things that I noticed that was not mentioned, but I love is the fact that at least with the apps, there are no Microsoft points, just an actual dollar amount. Whether that is the case with the Zune Marketplace on the phone, I have yet to find that out but I am glad to see that they appear to be moving away from the whole points nonsense. One way you won't be able to monetize your app, at least initially, is with downloadable content. At launch, there will be no in-app purchases. If you want to have downloadable for your games or whatever, you will want to hold off a while. The last thing to note about purchases is that you can use a credit card or whatever or you can have it billed to your phone bill.
After they keynote and intro to Windows Phone 7 Series, there wasn't too much of note although I did have some great conversations with some people from Internet Explorer, XNA and others. I will share those conversations on the next Global Geek News Podcast because I am too tired to write separate posts for those.
I hope to have the chance to record the podcast tomorrow since I didn't have time today and there is a huge surprise for you all with the new show as the new Intro is finally done and ready to go! I can't wait to hear what you guys think about it. Anyway, stay tuned for the live blog of day two's keynote where we will learn about IE 9 and who knows what else. More MIX 2010 coverage to come!
Top 10 Geek Gifts for the 2009 Holiday Season
Greetings everybody!
It is that time of year again, with a little over a month left before Christmas, it is time to start figuring out what you are going to buy! The big question is what are you going to get that geek in your life? I have compiled another list again this year of great geek gifts to get that geek in your life assuming they don't already have them. Here we go!
#10. Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt
Are you so good at Rock Band and Guitar Hero that you want to take your act on the road? You can do something like that with this awesome electronic rock guitar shirt. With this shirt, you can let everybody enjoy your awesome guitar skills! The shirt comes with a mini-amp that you can clip on your belt that will allow you to tweak your sound and crank up the music so that you make sure that everybody can hear you. ThinkGeek is selling this awesome shirt for $29.99.
#9. Kill-A-Watt Graphic Timer
Are you or your loved one concerned about the safety of your electronic devices and just how much energy you are using? If so, than this Kill-A-Watt Graphic Timer is for you. Not only will it protect you from voltage spikes, but it will also protect your precious appliances and gadgets from over current, over voltage and even under voltage. This device will not only let you measure your power usage down to the minute, but you can program it to function at different times for up to 7 days. There are a number of other features, but if you are looking to track your energy usage to help cut down on your electric bill or just want to protect your appliances and gadgets, you should definitely check out the Kill-A-Watt Graphic Timer from ThinkGeek at the reasonable price of $69.99. If you can use it to save on electricity or protect your appliances, this wonderful meter could easily pay for itself over time.
#8. The Laptopper Portable Shelf
Have you ever been sitting in your car outside of a coffee shop using their wifi? Kind of uncomfortable isn't it? Well now you have a place to comfortably set your laptop while you are surfing the net. This portable shelf will slip on your steering wheel or even over a headrest to give you a place to set any laptop 17" and smaller as well as whatever other gadgets you may be using. Whether you just want to watch a movie or participating in a wardriving competition, at $14.99, the Laptopper Portable Shelf from ThinkGeek is great for anybody!
#7. Rovio - WiFi Roaming Bot
O Rovio, Rovio, where for art thou Rovio? Are you looking to keep an eye on your home while you are away on vacation or just want to check up on that new babysitter? If so, the wifi connected Rovio is just for you! This cool little robot is equipped with a webcam, microphone and speakers. You can control Rovio manually or set up way-points to monitor your house. Rovio can be controlled from any internet connection around the world. What is really impressive is that you can control it with a PC, Mac, an iPhone and even your PS3! The Rovio also has built in LEDs to light its way in poorly lit areas. At $229.99 from ThinkGeek, Rovio seems reasonably priced, especially considering the fact that it has a base station it returns to for charging similar to the Roomba.

Rovio - WiFi Roaming Bot
#6. Grab-It Pack Gadget Holster
I don't know about you, but I am always looking for ways to carry more gadgets with me. I have been made fun of on numerous occasions for having my pockets so stuffed full of stuff that you would suspect I just robbed an electronics store. Now you can carry more items and get more strange looks than ever before with the Grab-It Pack Gadget Holster! Strap this around your waist and legs and you will turn a lot of heads when people see just how many gadgets you can carry! ThinkGeek sells the Grab-It Pack Gadget Holster for $24.99.
#5. Scottevest Quantum Jacket
Maybe the Grab-It Gadget Holder isn't quite your style or maybe it doesn't have enough pockets to put stuff in, so why not try Scottevest's Quantum Jacket! Not only does this jacket look far less goofy, but it is also breathable and water resistant! Did we mention this jacket has an amazing 28 pockets?! Just think how many gadgets you can carry with you from phones to mp3 players to portable gaming devices when you have 28 pockets to store them in? Just think how much fun you could have have going through airport security when you have to empty out 28 pockets! Don't forget, this jacket has their patented Personal Area Network (PAN) to manage your earbud wires! If you head over to Scottevest, you can get this jacket for $250, but can you really put a price on carrying 28 pockets worth of gadgets while staying warm and looking good all at the same time?
#4. Mini 300Mbps Wireless N Travel Router
Have you ever wanted to say that you are the proud owner of the world's smallest wireless N router? Now you can! This tiny wireless N router from TRENDnet will make sure you can transfer data across your wireless enabled devices quickly and easily. A product like this is great if you are stuck in a hotel with crappy wifi that you can only get if you are standing on the toilet with your arm stretched out like a fountain. Just fire this up where you can get the signal and you instantly have a good enough signal that you can get anywhere in the hotel room. For $79.99 from ThinkGeek, the TRENDnet Mini 300Mbps Wireless N Travel Router might just be the best router for the road warrior in your life.
#3. Ironkey Military Strength Flash Drives
How important is the security of the files you move around? Do you carry your financial documents on a thumb drive so you can have access to them anywhere? What about confidential plans from work? Now you can rest easy because with an Ironkey USB drive because you won't have to worry about your data falling into the wrong hands again! With hardware encryption, the tough looking Ironkey can stand strong against both virtual and physical attacks. These drives have so much encryption and security on them thanks to a built-in encryption chip, even the military is using them in Afghanistan! The only way to access the information on the drive is with the password and if somebody tries to hack into it and enters the wrong password 10 times, the encryption chip self destructs and makes the drive useless and nobody will ever be able to get your data. If security is what really matters to you, you can't go wrong with an Ironkey Military Strength Flash Drive. ThinkGeek sells a 1GB model for $69.99 and a 4GB model for $139.99. Although they aren't cheap, you should ask yourself just how much your data is worth.
#2. Motorola Droid
My, how far we have come in a year. Last year's list included T-Mobile's G1 Android phone and this year, we have a vastly improved Motorola phone by the name of Droid for Verizon customers. With a 5-megapixel camera, turn by turn directions, a physical and virtual keyboard as well as turn by turn directions just to name a few of the features, many are calling this an iPhone killer or at least as good as the iPhone. With over 10,000 applications available on the Android Marketplace, now is a great time to be looking into getting the Droid on what many consider to be the best wireless network in the US. If you are in the market for a new phone and don't want to suffer the hell of the AT&T network just to have something as nice as an iPhone, check out the Motorola Droid which you can get from LetsTalk.com for $150.
#1. Mimo Mini USB Monitor
Not a day goes by that I think to myself, "Gee, I could be much more productive if I had room for a second monitor." Now I can and I won't need a new desk and power strip to get it! Any of the Mimo mini USB monitors might give you just the extra amount of screen you need to be extra productive without taking up as much room on your desk as a full sized monitor. These monitors are powered by a USB cable so you don't have to worry about trying to get a bigger power strip to plug a second monitor into or a new graphics card that can support a second monitor. Now you can keep email or whatever you want open on a smaller, secondary monitor while you work on your main screen so you can see when you get that important email you have been waiting for. Did I mention there is a touchscreen model? If you are into the touchscreen movement and want a monitor you can physically interact with, for a little higher price, you can have just that! You might have a hard time putting a price on productivity, but ThinkGeek managed put put a price on it, and depending on which of the three models you get, the Mimo Mini USB Monitor will cost you between $129.99-229.99.
Did we miss something? What geek items are on your Christmas list?
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Best Buy’s Palm Pre stock list leaked. Check your local store here!
Greetings Readers!
Portions of Best Buy's Palm Pre stock list were leaked a few days ago on some forms but now the complete list is available as a PDF. I personally won't be getting a Palm Pre. I would like to have one, but I still have another year left on my contract for my Blackberry 7100i. Also, my local store is only getting 3 Palm Pres and I really don't want to have to fight people for them. Anyway, here is the link to the PDF. [via Gizmodo]
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-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
Would you want to be buried with your gadgets?
Greetings Readers!
Earlier today, a story was brought to my attention that according to funeral directors, it is becoming common for people to be burried with their favorite gadgets. From iPods to bluetooth headsets to Blackberry phones, it seems people, especially tech-savvy ones are being buried with their gadgets.
Why would people want to be buried with their gadgets? According to some, it is because they loved the device when they were alive and spent much of their time with them. Families are even burying their loved ones with phones so that they can call them as a way to try to connect to them, even if they do only get voicemail. One obviously lonely woman continues to pay the phone bill for her late husband who has his phone buried with him so that she can call it to leave voicemails. Although the phone battery has been dead for sometime, at least she can call the voicemail and feel like she is still connected with him.
I see this new trend as rather silly. I can't use my gadgets when I am dead, so I don't think I should be burried with them. I think it would be better to give them to somebody who doesn't have the gadgets and would like them. A gadget being used is better than a gadget sitting six feet below ground doing nothing. Most people think the ancient Egyptians were odd for being buried with all of their wealth, yet this is really no different. If I could take my gadgets into the next life and still be able to use them, that might be a different story, but since I can't, somebody else should get to use them since I am not around to do so anymore.
While I can identify with the feeling of loss associated with a death, I can't see how people get the feeling of a connection with a deceased person just by being able to call their also dead phone. If you want to hear their voice again, there are better ways to accomplish this than continuing to pay a cell phone bill years after a person has died. If you are still longing for a person, you can't move on. Not moving on has and will continue to destroy many lives merely because people don't want to face reality and would rather live in the past.
What do you think of this growing trend? Would you want to be buried with your favorite gadget? Would you want your family member to be buried with their gadgets? I want to hear your opinion, so share it in the comments!
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray








