A Waterproof Solar Cell Phone

Although Samsung and LG are both working on a Solar Cell Phone, Sharp is one step ahead. Sharp is taking the solar cell phone to another level by making it waterproof aswell. Sharp is working with a partnership with KDDI on this project and KDDI has announced its release this June.

Source: KDDI partnering with Sharp on solar phone this summer

from Engadget by Chris Ziegler

My Delicious Bookmarking

Here is the link to my public bookmarks!

http://delicious.com/charles.87

Delicious Bookmarking or Google Bookmarking?

After using both Delicious and Google Bookmarking I personally prefer Google Bookmarking. But I guess it depends on what kind of bookmarking you are looking for. If it’s to share bookmarks with other people Delicious might be the better option. Unlike with Google, Delicious is specialized in Bookmarking alone. There are therefore more people searching for bookmarks and posting bookmarks on delicious.com. As more me I rarely bookmark unless it’s an important website that I go often to or that I find important and might forget the link to. Since I have a Google account and use the Google toolbar all my bookmarks are stored on the Google server. I can therefore use any computer and still have access to my bookmarks. This provides me with additional security for my bookmarks, if my machine crashes and dies; I can still access my bookmarks since they are saved externally. It’s a matter of taste and for me the Google toolbar offers many useful services in one easy to use toolbar so it’s more convenient for me to use Google bookmarking.

MP3’s Underwater?

The joint project between Japan iriver and Speedo to create an MP3 player that works underwater seems pretty cool for those of us who swim. This little beauty is called Aquabeat Runners enjoy the comfort of mp3’s while running why can’t swimmers do the same? Now you can have up to 2GB of internal memory and 8 hours of playback with a built-in rechargeable battery. It is already out in Japan for a good 128 USD and won’t be coming out in the US until they get a Michael Phelps endorsement. For those of us who cannot wait you can always swim to Japan and then swim back with music.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/14/iriver-speedo-suit-up-for-new-aquabeat-underwater-mp3-player/

Check Out the Picture Book

Samsung's latest fuel cell prototype proves again that soldiers get the coolest toys

Back in 2006 Samsung developed a prototype methanol power dock, basically a super powered battery the size of a briefcase. This little baby could power your laptop for a whole month. Now Samsung plans to create these fuel cell batteries for the army by 2010 but only for the army. These 3.5 kilogram will be enough to power all of a soldiers gadgets for 3 days. We are far from the 30 days promised but this is a lot better than the current 10 kilogram battery.


http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/09/samsungs-latest-fuel-cell-prototype-proves-again-that-soldiers/

The Finger

When i first heard that I could log by sliding my finger on the fingerprint reader I thought to myself what a time saver. Now that I have installed the fingerprint reader program, I find it useless. It takes 4-5 sweeps for it read my finger. When I try to login to website with it, it doesn't select the right login instead the signup window (ex: facebook). I thought it would be a time saver but in reality it takes more time to login with it. I give it a negative review!

Mobile OS Shootout

Today the market is saturated with smart phones. As customers how do we know what is best for us out there? We all hear about the iPhone, using iPhone OS 3.0 how does that compare with the other OS out there. Let us compare the iPhone OS, Android, webOS, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and S60. The iPhone is quite popular but it has had trouble entering the business world. BlackBerry and Windows Mobile are holding that market. So here are some charts comparing these different OS.






Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/mobile-os-shootout-iphone-os-3-0-enters-the-fray/

Hot Blackberry? Not Always a Good Thing!

Why is the Blackberry Bold a little toasty? RIM and Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo still don't know what is causing the over heating near the keyboard. So far only Japan has been affected by this malfunction. The regional software might be the cause of this overheating. Anyway I hope you didn't buy a Blackberry Bold, IPhone is the only way to go.

From http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/ntt-docomos-overheating-blackberry-bold-not-caused-by-battery/

Shoebox and Evernote Fuse

Shoebox is the company that offers to automatically scan and manage your receipts and Evernote is a synchronized note-taking service that works almost on everything. Your probably thinking right now what happens when we fuse the two together? Evernote has the ability to read scans and digital photographs. Now since the two companies merged you will now be able to search your receipts and business cards. Personally I don’t do taxes but if I did I would definitely just fill all my receipts and one big envelope and use this service. Evernote is free while shoebox has both free and paid accounts.

Article from: http://lifehacker.com/5160892/evernote-and-shoeboxed-team-up-for-searchable-scanned-receipts

Kindle 2!!

Kindle 2 is out! What is kindle 2 you might ask? Kindle is the new product from Amazon that is a book reader device. This allows you to read your books on the display screen on the device. The advantages include being able to download books through a wireless connection that connects directly to Amazon. I'm posting the new pictures.

From: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/24/kindle-2-unboxing-and-hands-on/

Crossloop Assignment

Here's the link to our Crossloop project video: http://www.screencast.com/t/Yv5AjH9XS

Nokia signs a 500 euro loan for Symbian R&D

What’s next in the cell phone world? Nokia is not putting white gloves when it comes to R&D. It has just signed a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to the tune of €500 million ($623.9 million). What will this money be used for? Most of it will be used for software research and development, since Nokia has a goal for 2009-2011 to make Symbian-based smartphones more competitive. This loan will also benefit the Symbian Foundation who creates open-source software for mobile devices.
What is Symbian technology you might ask yourself? Symbian OS provides a secure, reliable operating system for smartphones. Being specifically designed for mobile devices with low power consumption and small memory footprint, Symbian OS provides a rich and stable operating system for feature-rich smartphones with technologies such as 3G, WLAN, VoIP, multimedia, and Web technologies. As an open platform, virtually anybody can develop software for Symbian-powered devices. This means more applications to choose from, and a larger market for developers. (From http://www.forum.nokia.com/Resources_and_Information/Explore/Runtime_Platforms/Symbian_C++/)
Article from: http://www.engadget.com/tag/SymbianFoundation/

An RSS Feed and a Podcast

Download from YouTube, Officially not joke

YouTube just got a little bit better. How many of us use YouTube daily or at least weekly? And how many of us actually posts videos on YouTube? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to download those videos? Well now you can, YouTube has made it easy for people to download videos in MP4 format if the creator allows it. You will also be able to purchase official videos. This will be very useful for me who sometimes need to look up a certain video multiple times and waiting for it to load.

"Cell Phone Reunion"

We live in a world of cell phones, who doesn’t have a cell phone now days? I can’t think of anyone, even my grandmother has a cell phone. There are so many different kinds of cell phones on the market each made to target a specific customer. Depending on who you are, you will buy a cell phone that fits you. We could even say that by looking at your cell phone we can know more about what kind of person you are. What does your cell phone say about you?
This is a funny video that shows the evolution of cell phones incase some of you forgot or weren’t born yet. I still remember when my father had a car phone. And today I have an IPhone. What does that say about me?


Click Here and Enjoy!!


From Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/cell-phone-reunion-shows-what-happens-when-handsets-stop-being/

Ever Heard of Google Latitude?

Have you ever used Google maps? It’s a nice compromise between you standard road map and a GPS. Their latest little baby is Google Latitudes, a nice little feature in Google maps that allows you to share your location with your friends. This article focuses on the privacy aspect of Google Latitudes. Your location is not shared automatically. It’s only if you start to use latitude and you invite your friends to share your latitude. You have 3 options when someone invites you to share: accept and show your location, accept and don’t show your location or refuse the invitation. Another very important feature is in the privacy menu, you have yet again 3 options. You can set it so it detects your current location automatically, you can set a location manually on the map, or you can hide your location. This can be a very handy tool to know where your friends are at all time. This can also be a very dangerous program. If you share your location with friends that are not really your friends they can know where you are, stalk you, rob your home, etc…
What is very interesting is that Google stores your location on a server when you select detect location or enter a location manually. What can Google do with this information? I have yet to research if they have the right to sell this information for commercial purposes. If you are on Google latitudes and on Facebook then your whole life is pretty much on the internet.
I can see that this feature could become very useful in certain circumstances. No more calling up your friends for directions, meet multiple friends at different locations easily, etc… Personally, I don’t think that I will use this feature as it seems to have too many potential risks. If anyone uses Google Latitude and wishes to talk about his/her experience, don’t hesitate to do so.

Protect Your Privacy When Using Google Latitude,
By Adam Pash, 5:30 PM on Wed Feb 4 2009, 7,965 views

Other Adware and Spyware Questions?

What are the most common ways for your computer to get adware and spyware?
You can get adware and spyware simply by visiting a webpage or downloading and running a program that has adware and spyware built in. Famous examples are Kazaa, BroadcastPC, Comet Cursor, GeoWhere, Network Essentials, 123 Messenger, Direct Revenue, and so on.

Why do you think some software contains spyware or adware in the first place?
Money is the very crux of adware and spyware. Adware is basically a form of advertisement and we all know that there is a lot of money in the advertising business. Spyware collects information about individual users, this information is very valuable and can be worth a lot of money.

Who has the potential to gain from it?
The people who make the adware probably have the most to gain. You (the victim) probably have the most to lose. The corporations that buy spyware information or sell their advertisements also have a lot to gain.

Which do you think is more dangerous to have on your PC, spyware or adware?

What is the difference between them?

Adware is a program that displays advertisements on the computer whether you want them or not. They are not just connected to particular websites or free software but are programmed to start up whenever your computer is switched on. (ezinearticles.com)

Spyware is a program code that relays information about you and your work without your permission or knowledge. Some just “spy” on you conveying your Internet habits to marketing companies, while others are “thieves” they access credit card information as well as other sensitive files. In plain terms, it is malicious software that can intercept or take control of a computer’s operation without user knowledge or consent. (ezinearticles.com)

To my oppinion spyware is a lot more dangerous and that is probably why spyware is illegal and adware is legal.

For more infromation check out http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-on-Understanding-the-Dangers-of-Spyware-and-Adware&id=113973

Here's a little information about CCleaner and Spybot

Publisher's description of CCleaner

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. (download.com)

Publisher's description of Spybot - Search & Destroy

Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove a multitude of adware files and modules from your computer. Spybot also can clean program and Web-usage tracks from your system, which is especially useful if you share your computer. (download.com)

Here are some sample scan results for CCleaner and Spybot:

Is Adware and Spyware a problem for you?
You might not know it, but if your computer is slowing down and you have lots ads, pop ups, tool bars you probably have an Adware Spyware problem.
It’s ok! You’ve come to the right place. Now let us refresh your computer to its former youth.
· Step 1: You will need to download one of these software (or both to be really effective), CCleaner and Spybot – Search & Destroy .
· Step2: Install each program (there are some preferential choices while installing but you can’t go wrong).
· Step3: Run the scan as shown below:
For Cleaner click on Analyze
For Spybot click on Check for Problems
· Step4: Look at the results of your scan.
· Step5: Run the cleaner:
For CCleaner click on Run Cleaner
For Spybot click on Fix Selected Problems

Your computer should now feel a lot better and act a lot faster. Feel free to post any questions or concerns you might have about adware and spyware!

Additional information for those of you curious about adware and spyware will be posted.

Welcome

Hey, what's up?