Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Need help conserving that laptop battery?



After a recent test, Internet Explorer 9 proved to be the most energy-efficient browser!

Microsoft compared its new browser with Opera 11, Firefox 4, Chrome 10, and Safari 5 on an Intel laptop, measuring how many watts the machine consumed with the browser idling, showing a news site, and running graphics-intensive Web tests.

Monday, March 28, 2011

HTC Evo - Terrible Device?



When MG reviewed the new HTC EVO, which is now selling out in the U.S., I wasn’t surprised he gave it a thumbs down. The device was too big in his opinion, the software too flaky. And the battery life isn’t just bad, it’s 90′s laptop bad. You need to be near a power source at all times.
But the commenters came at him anyway, attacking so viciously that they were actually starting to act like the evil twins of rabid Apple fanboys. “Android Fanboys Have Arrived,” quipped MG.


Well, I’m an Android Fanboy, and I’m telling you not to buy this device. The battery life is abysmal – MobileCrunch calls it a “dealbreaker” and I agree. Yes you can do a few things to get a little extra time out of it, but this device routinely runs out of power while sitting on standby overnight next to my bed. You aren’t just charging this once a day. Or twice a day. You need to be thinking about your next power fix just about any time you are using it. I keep chargers at home, in my office, in my car, and an extra one to suck power from my laptop. That keeps it going, but it isn’t fun.


And it’s more than that. The HTC Sense user interface and all the extra HTC and Sprint software on this device just makes it a joke for anyone that wants to fully control and customize their device. You can get rid of or at least turn off much of it, but it’s a pain to do that. And worse, you can’t upgrade the Android OS to new releases until HTC and Sprint are ready to let you do that. See Gizmodo for a full analysis of the problem.

See full story here

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Don't you hate it when you just bought the latest, hottest gadget on the market, only to find out another, better version of it has been released? No need to worry, retailers have a solution for consumers — and for themselves. They will buy back your old gadget in hopes that you turn around and purchase the next best gadget on their shelves.

Under these buyback programs, big-box retailers and online merchants give cash or credit for a piece of used electronics. Best Buy, the world's largest consumer electronics retailer, launched its program this year.

One company in particular using this program is Best Buy. They aired a commercial with Justin Beiber a few months back, take a look.



www.bestbuy.com/buyback

Rebecca Black - Dead?

On March 27th, 2011 Black was found dead in her home in Anaheim Hills, California. While Orange County Sheriff's Department is still investigating the death, an officer at the scene commented "It has all the signs of a suicide". No details regarding a possible cause of death have thus far been released. The Orange County Sheriff's Department was unavailable for a statement.






Wow, that has to be pretty devastating to her fans, friends and family. My condolences goes out to her loved ones. R.I.P. Rebecca Black


EDIT: Seems a kind person already created a tribute.









Edit: Disregard that, she's alive and well

Facebook to Buy Mobile App Developer Snaptu




Facebook has agreed to buy Snaptu, an application developer for mobile devices that are less sophisticated than smartphones, as the world's largest Internet social network focuses on expanding its mobile services.

Facebook will pay up to $70 million for the London-based Snaptu, according to the Israeli newspapers Calcalist and The Marker.

Snaptu confirmed the deal, which is expected to close in a few weeks, on its website on Sunday.

Facebook spokesman Jonny Thaw declined to comment on the deal's terms, but said in an email, "As part of Facebook, Snaptu's team and technology will enable us to deliver an even better mobile experience."

The site has been increasingly focusing on building up its mobile phone services for its 500-million-plus member online social network, and is in the market for more deals. Last week, Facebook said it had hired a member of Google Inc's corporate development team to lead its fledgling merger and acquisition efforts.

Snaptu, founded in 2007, develops applications for feature phones, which have fewer capabilities than smartphones. The company helped develop a feature phone Facebook app earlier this year.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Geek version of Sherlock Holmes?

Mark Bao is a Massachusetts college student with enough computer savviness to track down a thief who broke into his dorm and stole his laptop.
The 18-year-old's MacBook Air was stolen in February and through the help of Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, he was able to track the perpetrator down single (and gadget) handedly.
The perpetrator


 
Apparently the thief used the stolen computers web cam to record himself dancing to a a rap song. Bao uploaded the video to YouTube which can be viewed below!




He's got some pretty groovy moves for a thief!

Glass Phone?


Called the CPT002, this transparent glass Aston Martin phone by Mobiado "can control many of the car's functions." Aside from its stunning looks, "cameras integrated into the vehicle can be set to periodically update Facebook and Twitter with pictures, video, and information of passing cities/landmarks during road trips."

Gamestop - Rolling in dough



Get ready to open up your money vault, Gamestop! The company reported "all-time high" sales of $9.47 billion for 2010, with a record net profit of $408 million. During the fourth quarter, the company also saw a 4.8 percent increase in sales to $3.69 billion, with a 10 percent increase in net earnings to $237.8 million.