Marketers’ plans to track you may not be nefarious. But they sure can feel that way.
[PC World, May 20, 2011. See Orignal]
When Apple sneezes, the world takes interest in ear-nose-throat medicine. So upon learning that their iPhones have been building a bloated file of location data, consumers started wondering if mobile service also means mobile surveillance.… Read the rest
[Technologizer. Read Original]
Recently, I drove a Mini Cooper for the first time. (Rented from Zipcar for $13/hour. Not bad.)
That’s not news, obviously. They’ve been around forever. But it taught me something very important about product design: It’s really hard–and aggravating–for us consumers if you mess with our way of doing things.… Read the rest
Fear and rebutting at the Future of TV conference in New York City
[Technologizer. Read Original] Cord cutting–getting rid of cable or satellite TV–is the buzzword du jour in the TV and electronics industries. Pundits have proclaimed TV dead, or at least dying00going the way of the recording industry, which went from pricey CDs to cheaper downloads and now to mostly-free streaming.… Read the rest
When Wired hyperbolically declared that “The Web is Dead,” it didn’t challenge my worldview but rather surfaced what I knew subconsciously.
The browser is not always (and increasingly less so) the best window to the Internet — especially on mobile gadgets.… Read the rest
I was walking around Best Buy last night (yeah, that’s what geek guys do) and noting the deplorable state of the store. In addition to the overall “man cave” aesthetic, it was just plain messy, like a forlorn hardware store.
See what I mean….… Read the rest
Do real people think 3D movies, sports, and shows are neat? Sure. But that doesn’t mean they’re ready to plunk down money. [Technologizer. Read Original]
We’re hearing a lot about 3D television these days– from TV manufacturers, directors, journalists and pundits.… Read the rest
[Switched. Read Original] The social media fast lane is heating up with real-time location updates. Apps now tap into your cell phone’s GPS to track where you and your friends are, and, more importantly, what’s happening nearby. Now that the world can finally say “tweet” with a straight face, there’s a new term to learn: MoSoSo, or mobile social software.… Read the rest
Six Generation III+ reactors set for the U.S.
[Popular Science. Read Original] The Big Picture: It’s nearly impossible to imagine making meaningful carbon dioxide reductions without designing safer, cleaner reactors and rolling them out immediately — because no one wants to build more of the reactors we have today.… Read the rest
[Swicthed. Read Original]
If its mission succeeds in 2012, NASA’s latest Mars rover, the newly christened Curiosity will join an elite group of robots that have managed to touch down safely on an alien world. Click through to see Curiosity’s five greatest forbearers.… Read the rest
[Swtiched. Read Original]
Burning question: Should I pay extra for an extended warranty?
The short answer: No.
The much-longer answer: Probably not, though it depends on what you buy, what the plan covers, and how techie you are.
We do recommend warranties for theft-and-loss-prone handheld devices like cell phones, but it’s likely that your laptop, TV or cell phone won’t bite the dust in that narrow span of time between the end of the manufacturer’s coverage and the end of the extended warranty.… Read the rest
