60 Minutes Shows Some Geek Love

I was watching TV last night when 60 minutes came on. I usually don't watch 60 minutes too often but something caught my eye. They did a segment on geeks and the importance of us geeks to get the average person through their tech filled day.

The premise is simple. Technology is almost unavoidable now-a-days. Everywhere you turn there is something with a computer chip in it from your laptop to your iPod, from your car to your toaster. The funny thing is that with all of this technology, not everyone is interested in figuring out how it all works. That is where your friendly neighborhood geek comes in.

The video starts off following around the founder of the Geek Squad, and they go on to take you through call centers and other places geeks can be found. They really give you a good visual of what us geeks encounter on a daily basis, and the frustrations of users who just can't figure out the manual.

Here is the segment from CBS's 60 Minutes (Don't you love Tivo?):



This video really stuck a cord with me because every frustrated person, or non tech savvy person they mentioned reminded me of almost every user at my company. Especially in our smaller offices across the country. Many of those people have never used a computer in their lives. Good thing there are sites like Bauer-Power, or my buddy Karl's site Ask The Admin to get people through it.

Did you identify with this story in a certain way? Maybe you work at a tech support call center, or you are a home computer repair tech. Maybe you setup audio visual equipment for a living. Let me know in the comments.

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3 High-Tech Features Of The Apple Iphone

What's the big deal behind the Apple iPhone? It's expensive. It's revolutionary. But are its features worth the money?

With all the popularity, you can assume everyone's at least heard about it. What does the Apple iPhone feature and what can it do?

1) Multi-Touch Technology

The most outstanding feature is the iPhone's radical multi-touch screen. The MT screen allows any mechanical button to appear on this high tech toy. It simply allows you to use your fingers to operate it. This is contrary to any other phone today, which either have mechanical keyboards or a stylus.

By tapping the screen with your finger, you can navigate menus, dial phone numbers, write e-mail messages and likewise use the whole functionality of the popular gadget. The three-point-five-inch screen displays a keyboard for inputting text via multi-touch. Most consumers are seemingly skeptical about typing with the virtual keyboard, but Apple has predicted the common problems and has made sure the iPhone was constructed with features like automatic spell check and word prediction, not to mention an enhanced customizable dictionary. More so, the iPhone addresses the problems of typos commonly known to multi-touch usage by adding self-correction capabilities.

When scrolling, the usual wheel is not found at the side of the gadget. The multi-touch screen functionality allows its owner to scroll by dragging a finger in the desired direction. The speed of scrolling is designed to be proportional to the speed at which you drag your finger.

The multi-touch feature furthermore enables several more functions like multi-touch sensing for magnifying or reducing photos and even web pages. Using this feature, you can regulate object size simply by placing two fingers at the side of the object and then moving them, by dragging, either further apart or closer to one another. This feature does not distort images because images are initially scaled according to its original dimensions in the first place.

Hands down, the iPhone is more intelligent than any other phone today.

2) Revolutionary Sensors

The gadget's sensors have the ability to detect changes to the iPhone's environment. The sensors are minuscule yet absurdly powerful. The three major sensors include an accelerometer, sensor for ambient light, and a proximity sensor.

The accelerometer sensor conveys the ability to detect any changes in the iPhones positioning. ...The iPhone's screen display will actually rotate to portrait or landscape, while still packing its contents into the 3.5-inch screen. Because it changes the view according to ratio, images are not distorted among web pages, videos, or photos.

The proximity sensors.

These high-tech features detect the location of the iPhone with regard to the skin. When you make a call and hold the iPhone up against your ear, the display will automatically set to standby. This is important in that it serves two basic functions.

One, by shutting off the display when not necessarily needed, this saves your battery's life. More so, this avoids accidental touches to the screen, which would otherwise be sensitive. As soon as the cell is moved away from your face, the proximity sensors react in this way.

Ambient light sensor.

Through the AL sensor, changes in the phone's environment are detected and instantaneously adjust the display's brightness. Your iPhone's display will always be well adjusted in regard to lighting.

3) Mac OS X Operating System

The hype behind the Apple iPhone increased when Mac fans found out the Mac OS X would be included. The Mac OS X is the operating system inside the latest Apple computers. On the other hand, the electronic doesn't have the complete functionality of the operating system. The entire OS X is too large to fit within the 4GB or 8GB internal memory. The iPhone contains a 500 MB version of the operating system.


Author: Jason Parker

About the Author:
Visit electronics lover Jason Parker at What Features the iPhone Has Dot Com to read more about Apple iPhone features. Article Source: Articlesbase.com

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Who Would Have Thought Technology Could Be So Hot?

While milling around on Digg today I found an upcoming post about a new WEB 2.0 site aimed at...get this...digging on the hottest looking tech girls out there. It really isn't that there is a site for voting up the prettiest girls that amazes me though. Nope, what amazes me is there are actually really hot tech girls out there!

Lets be honest here for a minute. The computer industry really isn't known for its beauty. Actually it is quite the opposite. We are known for wearing high waters, tape on our glasses and pocket protectors. (Don't you just love stereotypes?)

Well, this site called DigATechGirl.com is breaking that stereotypical mold. Hurry up and check it out, because if you look at their "About Us" page, you will see that it is only a matter of time before Digg.com threatens to sue them.

For the ladies? Don't worry, they didn't leave you out, there is also DigATechGuy.com to fulfill your geeky fantasies.

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In Time for Black Friday: Tips to Becoming a Technology-Savvy Shopper

Many adults grew up in a world without the Internet, cell phones or personal computers, and often find themselves lost in the ever-changing realm of technology.

Today, students carry laptops and numerous gadgets that ring, buzz and sing, which leaves a number of adults at a loss when it comes to shopping for the younger generation.

So, in an effort to help parents and adults navigate the technology maze, we've compiled a list of buying tips.

• Cell Phones vs. Smartphones: With the ability to send and receive calls and the ever-popular text messages as well as take photographs and browse the Internet, both cell phones and smartphones have similar features.
  
  Smartphones, like the Blackberry and Treo, take things one step further by including full keyboards and software that tracks appointments, manages contacts and performs a host of other business-level functions.
  
  While smartphone software can be useful, it can also become a distraction for students. So, unless your student is a budding entrepreneur, a standard cell phone with a plan that includes both calling and texting is ideal.



• Mac vs. PC: Mac or PC? While PCs are more widespread, Macs are user-friendly and perfect for editing and downloading photos, music and videos. Macs also tend to be more secure because they are less likely to become infected with annoying viruses or spyware. PCs, however, are more affordable and have a wider variety of programs and games available.
  
  But who says you have to choose? You can get the best of both worlds by purchasing a Mac computer and downloading Parallels Desktop for Mac. The software enables users to run both Windows and Mac applications at the same time on any new Mac computer.



• Ask the Experts: Hopefully you're feeling more prepared to take a stroll through your local electronics store. If need more ammunition, you can also consult feedback from students and teachers.
  
  
  Each year, Project Tomorrow, through its NetDay Speak Up research project, surveys students in kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as teachers, to determine which technologies they are using. For more information, visit www.tomorrow.org. - (NewsUSA)

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Hidden Technology Makes Cool Gadgets Go

Time Magazine recently grabbed headlines by announcing its winning product for the 2007 Invention of the Year. Not surprisingly, the magazine's winning invention turned out to be the year's most hyped -; the Apple iPhone.

While some have debated whether or not Apple's new cell phone was truly the best of the best, most agreed on one thing -; the phone's overwhelming influence on modern gadgetry. The buzzworthy iPhone introduced a variety of groundbreaking features to the cell phone world, such as its touch-screen keypad and polished, sleek interface, setting the bar for all future cell phone models to come. But all the credit for "the phone that changed everything" doesn't go to one person or even to one company.

For hundreds of years, new inventions have shaped modern technology for the better, putting many companies' names on the map and into the buying minds of average consumers. What many don't realize, however, is that the vast majority of products carrying one company's name and logo contain dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of various technologies developed by others.

Smaller companies like San Diego-based Patriot Scientific have helped lend a hand to innovative computer products and technology for several years. And while creating behind-the-scenes technology may not always lead to their brand name being prominently placed on the newest cell phone or other popular device, their presence is felt. Computer-processing giants such as Intel, Sony and HP have all purchased licenses from Patriot Scientific that have allowed their own products to flourish in the competitive market of new technology.

"The average person buying a cutting-edge product like the iPhone doesn't immediately think, 'Wow, I'm holding dozens of companies products in my hand right now,'" said Jim Turley, Patriot Scientific's president and CEO. "But large companies are constantly utilizing patents and technology developed by other corporations and people that give their own product a life and promotes overall growth in the industry."

As consumers continue to be wowed by advanced, high-tech products, there are many smaller companies that will continue to contribute to big-name gadgets. For more information on Patriot Scientific, visit www.patriotscientific.com. - (NewsUSA)

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Tech Buzzwords 101

With technology moving at such a quick pace, it has become harder to keep up with the lingo that lingers in cyberspace.

A new survey conducted for Windows Live by Harris Interactive shows that only 43 percent of adults in the U.S. feel they are knowledgeable about the latest tech buzzwords.

For example, one in three U.S. adults do not know what "VoIP" is.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) allows people to have voice conversations using their computers through instant messaging services such as Windows Live Messenger, or even just through a regular phone.

"Many people seem to shy away from using new technologies," said Windows Live Director Phil Holden. "But just because these things sound complicated doesn't mean that they are. These technologies are built into many services people already use on a daily basis, such as instant messaging and e-mail."

The survey also found that nearly half are unsure of the term "Internet tagging," a tool for categorizing information on the Net.

Seventy-one percent of U.S. adults, and 41 percent of people ages 18 to 34, have never heard of "RSS," or Really Simple Syndication, which allows Internet users to subscribe to the information that appeals to them online, such as updates to blogs or online newspapers.

Subscribers to a Web site's RSS feed can receive real-time updates to their e-mail inbox or have a special Web page set up specifically to receive feeds from their favorite sites.

One way to put RSS to use is with sites such as http://live.com, which enables users to create a customized home page, similar to having a personalized newspaper that is updated 24 hours a day.

"Once they scratch beneath the surface and get past the intimidating lingo, people can discover new and wonderful ways to harness the Internet and perhaps even become passionate about discovering the next big tech breakthrough," Holden said.

Tech Buzzwords Explained

• VoIP. Short for Voice over Internet Protocol, it allows people to have voice conversations through their computers.
• Beta. The term is used to describe a preview version of a Web site or product.
• RSS. Short for Really Simple Syndication, it allows Internet users to subscribe to information via real-time updates to their e-mail inbox or a special Web page.
• Tagging. Similar to a bookmark, a tag helps people categorize information on the Internet. Tagged Web pages are stored online and can be accessed from any computer. .

Courtesy of Windows Live -(NewsUSA)

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The IT Room

If you have been living under a rock lately, you probably haven't heard about the new IT oriented web-based place for nerds. This new place is called The IT Room, and it just launched on November 11th.

Having watched their trailers, as well as the first "Webisode" (below) I have to say I love it! It is sort of a "Office Space" and "The Office" meet tech support sort of thing. Not to mention, they have a monkey and who doesn't love monkeys?

They also give you, the poor lonely system administrator who is just fed up with it all, the opportunity to submit your own horror stories, and video clips of IT Hell.

From their website:

The IT Room represents a world that increasingly touches all of us. Every day we praise, curse, and beg technology to get us through the day. Not enough bandwidth, we need the latest upgrade, our servers caught a virus, we can’t afford the latest upgrade, our email is down, etc. You know what it’s like. IT is no longer someone else’s problem. IT is no longer that curiously dull hobbycraft of the socially challenged. IT is the spinal cord of the global economy. IT is the central nervous system that initiates and traffics our every word and thought. When we share, rant, persuade, revolt, connect, we do it through IT. And its framers, its architects, deserve a voice. We want this site to be a place where IT professionals can talk, argue, or just hang out. We want The IT Room.com to be your place. So make yourselves at home, then make yourselves heard, and make it big.

If that doesn't do it for you, take a look at their first "Webisode"



The only draw back I found was that their video embed code didn't seem to want to work in blogger, so I had to download the video from their website, and re-upload it. That is only a minor inconvenience though, and it may also only be affecting my computer, or my browser (Firefox). DAMN TECHNOLOGY!

All in all, this looks like a fun site definitely worth visiting and spending a few minutes each week. You can check them out by visiting a http://TheITRoom.com.

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Microsoft Surface - Multi-Touch Table

This thing is crazy cool!

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