Ok... well maybe not anytime in the near future but judging by the way they're expanding, it just might happen.
Let me explain. I know I can speak for many people when I say that Google knows more about me than I do. They have every email I've ever sent/recieved in the last 7 years. They know my hobbies by looking at my google reader RSS subscriptions. I've made purchases through Google checkout. I now own a phone that has all my contacts, calendar appointments, and text messages which was made by Google. They have every single Gchat conversation I've had with people. And the thing is, they're only getting bigger! (there's a 'that's what she said' somewhere in there)
For example, they've just introduced a new service called "Favorite Places on Google". This new service is like a Zagat for not only restuarants but any business that has been Googled repeatedly on well... Google (damnit, when did Google become a verb?). These businesses will get a window sticker that states it's a "Favorite Places on Google" letting people know it's a hotspot. Not only that (here's the cool part), you'll be able to scan the barcode of that restaurant with your cell phone to get more info, coupons, and reviews, straight to your handset. Pretty genius if you ask me. It's almost as if real life is becoming more digital. This is just one of the many ways Google is extending their reach... and it's only a matter of time until Google will somehow find a way to give me my annual prostate exam... and the sad part is, I can't wait because you know it'll be free and better than 99% of what's out there already.
Monday, December 7, 2009
I Tech You to School: Google will soon be giving you prostate exams
Monday, November 9, 2009
I Tech You To School: The Droid
So I woke up on Friday morning at 6:30am to my brother gently whispering in my ear. Why 6:30am and why my brother? Friday was the day that Verizon launched the Motorola Droid and HTC Eris to the masses. More importantly, Friday was the day that Verizon took its first steps into their new relationship with Google in bringing all the latest and greatest "Droid" phones to the public. Yes... all of VZWs android phones will now be called "Droid" as "Droid" is not a phone but instead a chain of Google phones they will be releasing... but I digress.
So I bought the Droid on Friday. My brother bought the HTC Eris on Friday. And its sweet.
Here's the quick and dirty. Both phones (one made by Motorola and the other by HTC) run the new Android OS. Android is an open source operating system, meaning anyone or any company can take it and make it their own. And it shows as my brother's HTC looks nothing like my Motorola. Both are highly polished and work just like you would expect it to.
What makes Android special? Well, for one, think of it like a computer. You have your Start Menu with all your apps but then you also have a desktop that you can customize, and this is how Android works. You have your sliding dock with all your apps but your life will revolve around your three desktops. Shortcuts to contacts, websites, or whatever else you can think of can be placed on this desktop. Additionally, Android revolves around widgets. Widgets are mini programs that sit on your desktop and does everything from stocks to weather, giving you instant info updated to your liking. It's a great little system that really takes some getting used to, but once you set it up, it's great.
Like many of you, my life revolves around Google. My email, calendar, Google Reader etc., so it's really nice that once I entered my gmail info, everything was right there on my phone. Now I know many of you are iPhone fans and if you MUST compare it to the iPhone, I'll admit that I bought the BlackBerry Storm thinking it would quiet all the iPhone snobs out there. It didn't. These new Android phones do.
If you're a die hard iPhone fan, you should stick with the iPhone and you won't lose any sleep over not having a Droid because the iPhone is a great phone. If you've been on Verizon, are addicted to the network, and have been looking for a phone that's comparable, this is it. In most aspects, it matches the iPhone and in some, even excels.
Friday, October 16, 2009
I Tech You To School: Windows 7
Next Thursday, Oct 22nd, will be a big day in the computing world. It's the day Microsoft will get its dignity back after the ridiculiasco (ridiculous fiasco... just run with it) monstrosity that was Vista. Most people wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole and have stuck with Windows XP to this day. XP was launched in 2001. We're talking about an 8 year old OS and in technology years, it means XP would've had gone through menopause already and is now wearing Depends adult diapers.
That's all about to change though because from first hand experience, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. I know many of you will still hold on to XP with a kungfu grip but it's ok... let's let go and move forward. First thing they got right is that Windows 7 is STABLE. It doesn't crash, it doesn't burn, it doesn't give you blue screens of death. That's not to say that programs don't crash, but if they do, Windows 7 neatly closes the delinquent and you are able to move on with your life instead of frantically hitting Ctrl Alt Del. Second is that it just works. No more messing with drivers and hardware that is incompatible and the stupid "Hardware Wizard". New printer? 7 sees your printer, installs what it needs to, and you'll be printing in minutes.
Last is that it's very polished. They named their new user interface "Aero" and the name fits nice because it really is kinda Aero-y. There's a lot of little things they did to make your life easier on a day to day basis. Folders are neat, Desktop is clean and the new Taskbar is actually useful! (I have a certain animosity towards the XP taskbar) You'll see what I mean once you get it. It's a bit pricey but do your homework and you can actually score one for pretty cheap. Oh and don't try to buy 1 disc and share between 12 of your buddies because I'm sure it'll be nothing but a headache in the future. I'll check back in on the 22nd to follow up so til then, have a good weekend.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I Tech You to School: Microsoft Antivirus Suite
If you didn't know, this should be some exciting news for most of you that use a Windows PC.
Recently, Microsoft announced that it is slowly moving away from expensive paid software to free web based applications (better known as webapps in the geek community).Next year, Microsoft will make available Microsoft Office online for free (much like Google Documents).
Well, yesterday, this became more evident beginning with Microsoft releasing a new Antivirus suite... that's FREE. That's right, free. This is not one of those half put together pieces of crap that usually floats around the internet. It's a full strength suite that covers ALL security areas such as web fraud, spyware protection, malware protection and of course, virus protection. Also, it updates itself automatically so you don't have to ever worry about it being up to date. It works on XP, Vista and Windows 7 machines, and judging by what I've read, is one of the best options out there for computer security. I suggest everyone go and download it.
I guess M$oft is really taking notice of the little fruit that is growing to be a big fruit (and I'm not talking about Grimey) and competition is really making Bill Gates uncomfortable. Long live capitalism...! When there's free stuff involved that is...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
I Tech You To School: Buying a TV
So I get asked this question pretty often... "Dude, can you help me choose a TV?"
And this is what I usually tell them... "Shut yo face before I end your..."
Actually, I don't say that. The first question I usually ask is, "You want LCD or Plasma?"
They usually reply, "Which one's better?" and so here begins my advice.
It depends on what you plan on using it for. The short answer is that if you want a TV with very low maintenance, go with a LCD. If you want the best picture quality and don't mind paying a little attention to upkeeping your TV, go with a Plasma. But, if that was the answer I got, I'd be a little dissatisfied, so I'll give you the long answer, in hopes that you'll be able to make an educated consumer choice.
LCD's are very easy to plug in and watch. LCD's aren't plagued by the many issues that Plasmas have. You don't have to worry about burn in, which happens when you leave something static on your screen for too long (ie. a game scoreboard, the little logo at the bottom of some tv channels). So if you plan on watching nothing but Sportscenter on ESPN, LCD is probably the way to go. Also, you don't have to worry about the glare from a bright room with a LCD, which is something that Plasma owners have to deal with. Additionally, the general rule is that if you're looking for a TV under 42", you want to go with a LCD. There's not too many Plasmas you can purchase that is under that size. For all this low maintenance though, you're gonna lose out on picture quality. With LCD's, colors usually don't "pop" off the screen and with fast movie motions like explosions or car chases, you're gonna get pixelation.
Plasma TVs are everything opposite of LCD's. Yes, you do have to worry about burn in, BUT if you properly break in your TV for about the first 250 hours or so, this becomes a nonexistent issue. Breaking in a TV entails lowering all the brightness and color settings to low and avoiding content that has any type of static images. This means no black bar DVD's, no SportsCenter, no History Channel (damn that big yellow H at the bottom right!), etc.. And I'll tell you this much, those first 250 hours are a pain in the butt. 250 hours are more or less 24 hours of looping a DVD for 11 days straight. (Yea, I did it.)
Also, with plasmas, you have to be conscious of where you're placing the TV. If your TV is facing the opposite of a bright window, forget watching TV in the daytime. The sunlight will be all in your face and it'll just not be very pretty. But once you figure these things out, man oh man, that picture is sweet. Colors are vivid, HD content is super crisp and clear... it's great. Plasmas inch for inch are usually about a 1/4 cheaper than LCD's too.
The brands you want to stick with are as follows:
LCD: LG, Samsung, Vizio, Westinghouse
Plasma: Panasonic, Panasonic, Panasonic... and Pioneer (best in class). If you have that kind of money, in which case... hook a brotha up!
Size wise, I always recommend buy the biggest you can afford. An average TV has a life span of 6-10 years depending on how well you keep it. You have to think of it as an investment. The last thing you want is to move and find that the TV you have is too small for your living room and now you're squinting to watch that tiny 32" screen from 20ft away. The general math though is, for every foot of distance you are sitting from your TV, you want 7" of viewing space. So 5 feet from your tv? You want 36". 8 Feet? 42" 10 feet? 50". You get the idea. Happy TV watching!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tech Geek 101: Onyx
Today, we have a guest post from our Technology expert friend Andy. He'll be contributing weekly articles on all things tech related, so enjoy!
Ok… so everyone knows that Mac’s are more stable, virus free, and fun to use than a PC (or so says the Apple commercials) and while this is true, it’s still a good idea to do some housekeeping so your shiny new $3000 Facebooking machine runs top notch.
An easy, and more importantly, FREE option is to download a program called Onyx.
This is one of the top downloaded apps that basically does everything to keep the inner cockles of your machine tidy. A host of actions, such as repairing permissions, verifying your disk and clearing caches can be done with a couple button clicks (you can ignore all of what I just said in the last sentence if you really don’t care). Basically, when you run the program, all you have to do is click 'ok,' enter your password, click on the automation tab, make sure everything is checked, and hit 'run.' You’ll probably notice an improvement right away. Give it a go about once a month and you’re set!
