Thursday, April 1st, 2010
It’s a nifty & shiny gadget and here is a post I made about it over at Urbin Technology.
I was discussing tech stuff with a buddy and made the following comment.
The Apple iPad really isn’t a new product trying to break into the market, it’s an expansion on an existing product line with a rabidly fanatical user base.
It’s not the magic device that many had hoped for, but it’s magic in a business sense that is pure Steve Jobs. It’s certainly good enough.
I used to carry a better phone than my iPhone, and a better PDA, and an MP3 player with more storage, and better camera. My iPhone does all those functions, not as well, but good enough, that I only carry one device all the time, instead of four.
Ya, the Kindle is probably a better e-text reader due it’s E-ink screen, but is it good enough to spend an additional $260 for when your $500 tablet, that does a bunch of other stuff as well, is a good enough e-text reader?
As for that “bunch of other stuff,” just look at the itunes store. Not just the apps, but the movies and TV shows. The iPad is handier than my notebook, has a better screen than my netbook, and with the rumored Hulu app, I’ll be able to stream Red Eye and watch TV shows as well as video bought or rented through iTunes. That isn’t even counting the apps being written now to take advantage of the new features of the bloody thing.
My prediction is that it’s going to sell and sell well. It’s popularity will drive sales for other tablet platforms, such as the Adam. The beauty of is that is a typical Apple product in that there is nothing really ground breaking about it. It’s a collection of well known and existing technology put together into a really well designed package.
Tags: Apple, gadget, iPad, Technology
Posted in Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
When the US Army adopted the ACU (Army Combat Uniform) with a new digital camouflage pattern, the color black was not to be found in the pattern. The argument was the the color black is not found in nature. I’ve talked with members of the military who were on exercises with people wearing both the ACU and the older BDU uniforms (the BDUs had the woodland pattern) and was told that it was much easier to spot the people in the ACU at night.
It has been announced that the US Army is now producing a variant of the ACU with the MultiCam camouflage pattern. If you look closely at the MultiCam pattern, you will see that it includes the color black.
For now, the MultiCam pattern is only being issued in Afghanistan, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the more effective pattern make its way through the Army supply chain.
There are other changes being made to the ACU, based on feedback from soldiers in the field. One that caught my attention was replacing the Velcro ™ seals on the sleeve cargo pockets with buttons. Makes sense. Buttons are quiet.
Originally published at Urbin Technology
Tags: Technology, US Military
Posted in Technology, US Military | No Comments »
Saturday, February 13th, 2010
By way of Apple Insider, is this TechCrunch post about Hulu getting around the lack of flash support on the iPad/iPhone/iTouch by creating a dedicated app.
One rumor I’ve heard from an industry insider is that Hulu is working on an iPad-friendly version of its site that should be ready by the time the iPad hits the market. Hulu itself is still vague about its plans.
Hulu is a major source of online videos direct from the content providers (i.e. quality streaming videos instead of hacked, malware ridden stuff), so having it on the iPad will provide a lot of added value. I still hold that the apps customized to take advantage of the iPad will be a major factor in driving sales.
HT to Vodkapundit.
Originally published at Urbin Technology.
Tags: Apple, Hulu, iPad, tech rumor, Technology
Posted in Gear, Technology | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Not a problem for me, but just in case your friends are getting a bit geekier than thou, I have the solution.
A Star Trek:TOS communicator that is a functional USB Microphone/Speaker device.
I kid you not nerdlings. You can plug this thing into your computer and use it with Skype and other VoIP apps, if you dare…
Ok, it would be cooler if it had a USB port instead of an attached cable. Perhaps in rev 2.0.
Tags: gadget, geek, nerd, Science Fiction, SciFi, Star Trek, Technology
Posted in Science Fiction, Star Trek, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
With Apple’s announcement of the iPad and the Apple iBook store, people have been noticing the ongoing debate about e-books, e-readers and the ugly concept of DRM, which assumes that paying customers are thieves.
Joining the fray, is is Stephen Green, also known as the Vodkapundit.
Of course, I had join in.
Originally published at Urbin Technology.
Tags: Apple, book, ebook, ebook reader, iPad, Technology
Posted in Baen Books, E-Commerce, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
This isn’t new news, I ran the same headline back in September.
Well it’s back in the news, including a link at Instapundit.
When the White House releases his budget proposal Monday, there will be no money for the Constellation program that was supposed to return humans to the moon by 2020. The troubled and expensive Ares I rocket that was to replace the space shuttle to ferry humans to space will be gone, along with money for its bigger brother, the Ares V cargo rocket that was to launch the fuel and supplies needed to take humans back to the moon.
There will be no lunar landers, no moon bases, no Constellation program at all.
So no money for the exploration of space, but our Dear Leader still wants to give billions of tax payers dollars to the crooks at ACORN.
This is yet another really bad move on the part of Team Lightbringer. As I said in back in September.
One thing that is clear from the American space program is that it created high paying, high tech jobs that contributed to the health of the American economy and spin off technology that has not just benefited America, but humanity as a whole. I’m not talking just Tang and Velcro here folks. The GPS system and satellite TV just two examples of space program spin off technologies that are still driving growth industries today. The weather satellite system that makes it possible to produce enough food to make famine obsolete is also a product of the US space program.
Ya, I said enough food to make famine obsolete. Let’s be honest here people, any wide spread famine on this planet in the last couple of decades has been the result of politics and not the lack of ability to produce or deliver the food.
To recap, an additional $3 billion a year to NASA would once again put Americans on the Moon. It would also be highly beneficial to the US economy by fueling the high tech industry, putting skilled American engineers back to work and producing a very noticable “trickle down” (more like a monsoon) effect on the industries that support that high tech economy. It would also spark an renewed interest in the sciences in American schools and universities, and promote a sense of adventure in America in a positive and constructive endeavor.
Instead, our Dear Leader and the s0-called democrat “leadership” in Congress would rather pour that tax payer money down the drain by giving it to their political allies who are under investigation for massive vote fraud in multiple states.
Is this the “Hope and Change” you were expecting?
Mr. Reynolds points out that he spoke to “some folks at the International Space Development Conference a couple of years ago who were really high on Obama — they thought he’d emulate JFK when it came to space policy.” Smart folks, but clearly delusional when it comes to politics. There is nothing in our Dear Leader‘s thin resume that suggests the he is pro-science in general, and he certainly has never been pro-space exploration. The worst part is that these same people would probably vote for Obama and his Socialist policies again, much like a battered wife with a black eye telling a police officer that her abusive husband “really loves her.” Pathetic.
Tags: ACORN, Barack Obama, corruption, culture of corruption, NASA, Politics, Space, Technology
Posted in Culture of Corruption, Politics, The Peoples Commonweath | 1 Comment »
Saturday, January 9th, 2010
AT&T is finally carrying an Android based phone, this one is made by Dell, and called the Mini 3. This phone has been selling overseas already, so the specs are pretty well known. 3.5-inch 640×360 display, Bluetooth, 3 megapixel auto-focus camera with flash, microSD, and GPS. Two things catch my eye, no WiFi and and microSD support. So that is the bad and good points right off the bat. No WiFi was one of the major complaints about the Crackberry Storm.
The inclusion of a microSD slot is a big, big plus. The lack of an additional memory source is the biggest strike against the iPhone hardware, IMNSHO.
The other new Android phone is Google’s own Nexus 1. We’ll see how long that name lasts. The estate of Philip K. Dick is already taking legal action against the name. Otherwise, this is an impressive bit of hardware. It sports a one-gigahertz processor, a 3.7-inch display, a five-megapixel camera, light and proximity sensors, and dual microphones that allow for noise cancellation. Woot! This phone also has a removable battery! The serious road warrior can pack a spare for emergencies. The phone itself only has 512 Meg of flash memory, but it comes with a 4 Gig microSD card. The phone will support up to 32 Gig in that slot, so expansion is available.
You can buy an unlocked phone direct from Google fro $529.
Originally posted at Urbin Technology.
Tags: Android, Google, Smart Phone, Technology
Posted in Gear, SmartPhones & PDAs, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Power outlets with two USB power points. There are couple of spots in the house were this would be really useful, especially for charging iPhones. What is nice about this model is that the adapters don’t draw power when nothing is plugged in, unlike a wall wart.
The rumor is that these will run for $10 and be available in early 2010.
Originally posted at Urbin Technology.
Tags: gadget, Technology, USB
Posted in Gear, Technology | No Comments »
Sunday, August 30th, 2009
My brother liked my iPhone more than his smartphone, so he bought himself one yesterday.
More details over at Urbin Technology.
Tags: Apple, iPhone, Smart Phone, Technology, Urbin Technology
Posted in SmartPhones & PDAs, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, August 10th, 2009
Mad Science by Theodore Gray
Mad fun science experiments that hark back to the day when Chemistry sets had real chemicals in them! Great fun in here, and ya, more than a wee bit dangerous at times.
Monday Book Pick Archive.
Tags: book, Monday Book Pick, Science, Technology
Posted in Monday Book Pick, Technology | No Comments »