Archive: This Google meme has been around …

| November 16, 2011

…but it is still worth sharing and archiving on my blog. Do a barrel roll – http://bit.ly/uT7a9E Google Sphere – http://bit.ly/uXfgyO Epic Google – http://bit.ly/uGANwB Google Gravity – http://bit.ly/nLGzd1 *Tilt/Askew* – http://bit.ly/vNtlSn Google Loco – http://bit.ly/urU8vW Google Gothic – http://bit.ly/v2VhZm Google Pacman – http://bit.ly/s1nNin Google Guitar – http://bit.ly/uiJKH1 Google Pirate – http://bit.ly/tNQmEa Google Rainbow – [...]

Trying out Google’s latest music beta. So far, so good.

| November 15, 2011

Thanks to Google+ friend Paul Young, I had a chance to play with Google’s new Music beta on Monday. I can’t say that I’m a must have music listener (I’m not), but I do enjoy listening to tunes once in a while. I’m partial to Pandora but have enjoyed Spotify and do listen to several [...]

Reports are hinting that HP is nailing the webOS coffin shut

| October 31, 2011

Since HP’s new CEO, Meg Whitman, reversed course on spinning off their PC division (link), many who use and appreciate Touchpads and Pre smartphones have been hoping the same thing might happen for the webOS division. Some believe (or believed) that there was new hope for webOS devices like the Touchpad and Palm Pre smartphones [...]

Who’s taking the lead in Internet TV? Google, Apple, etc

| October 28, 2011

The next big technovation for the big Internet players is no doubt going to be “winning” in the TV space — here’s a short vidoe demonstrating where Google TV is going with their product (below).

And what kind of computer are you looking for sir?

| October 18, 2011

Perhaps it is my age … or just not paying attention to the changing terms associated with portability when talking computers, but as I contemplate upgrading my daily computer I realized the terms have changed yet again. My first “portable” computer went by the trade name Compaq … but it was basically a transportable. At [...]

New software for sharpening photos in our future

| October 14, 2011

If you enjoy taking and working with photos, you might appreciate the advancements coming to software to help with optically blurry photos. The demonstration is not particularly easy to see (video below), but the reaction of the crowd was enough to thinking a plug in for Adobe Photoshop might be in our future. Check out [...]

Taking count of my Apple life after the passing of Steve Jobs

| October 6, 2011

   I’ve been thinking about the passing of Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) and realized that there wasn’t enough time to include all I wanted over a lunch hour. First, his innovative vision, business savvy and keen sense of “what customers wanted” have earned him a place in my list of [...]

Somewhat underwhelming was the anticipated Apple event

| October 5, 2011

I wasn’t alone in paying attention to Tuesday’s much publicized Apple event which showcased a new an updated iPhone. Perhaps the enthusiastic hype isn’t Apple’s fault as “we” have reason to anxiously wait, considering the the cool new stuff that comes out of Cupertino California. Unfortunately the “updated” hardware and new software integration wasn’t as [...]

An update and mini review on our Roku 2XD

| October 1, 2011

So far I have been satisfied with our relatively low cost purchase of a Roku 2XD as a way to stream Internet content to our plasma TV. The Roku is must quicker to navigate than our TivoHD and offers a simple interface and one HDMI wire set up. Amazon online movie rentals worked great and [...]

Kindle Fire and new eInk readers from Amazon

| September 28, 2011

Stopped to check on the big NYC coverage from Amazon for their new eInk Kindle Touch reader device and highly anticipated Kindle Fire 7″ tablet device. A couple surprises are the “Silk” browser and pricing at $199. For those looking for a competitor to Apple’s iPad … look elsewhere. The new Kindles are more of [...]

Defunct Satellites: How many are there?

| September 24, 2011

Although my question wasn’t answered as to how many are due to plummet to earth in the next few years, it is good to know that “more recent satellites are designed so that operators can bring them out of orbit and control their trajectory as they take the final plunge through the atmosphere.” With an [...]

Netflix splits streaming & DVD business–CEO says he messed up

| September 19, 2011

After talking with a few disgruntled NetFlix subscribers (and ex-subscribers) this morning, I can attest that I’m not the only one thinking “spin-off” after CEO Reed Hastings relays the news that their new DVD-by-mail service will be a dying “wholly owned subsidiary” being called Qwikster.

My Desultory Blog returns this weekend and a Roku2 XD

| September 17, 2011

After a few days off after arguing with my “previous” web hosting company in serving up my blog, I’ve moved the 12 gigabytes of files and content over to a new server. The task was not made any easier by my 6 years of linking photo, video and embedded content from a variety of places. [...]

Read only Google Docs and Calendar content available off line

| September 2, 2011

Google web-based products such a docs and calendar were once upon a time available for off line use; thankfully they are now being re-launched. Things are slowly coming back to a more useful state with the new off line viewing (read only) extension for the Chrome browser. I’m looking forward to hopefully once again being able [...]

HP says more touchpads on the way

| August 30, 2011

If I can pick up a Touchpad for $99 … I think I will. If any readers find out when and where, tweet me! (@richc) I finally have some solid news to share about TouchPad availability. Before I share, let me first say thank you for enthusiasm for this product. Since we announced the price [...]

Tech Friday and QR codes for smartphones and tablets

| August 19, 2011

I’m getting pretty geeky with this post, but then again it this is a Tech Friday post. Having recently installed a QR (Quick Response) code reader on my Palm Pre, I’ve been trying to figure out just how to use them effectively. Obviously people sitting on a computer don’t need to use their smart-phone to [...]

A sad day for the future of HP/Palm webOS devices

| August 19, 2011

I was disappointed to hear that HP lost its way as a productive technology company in this economic downturn and was caught off-guard in their decision to say “so long” to webOS. (business story LINK) As a longtime webOS Palm Pre user (a “longtime” is a relative term for smartphones), I’ve been wondering just what [...]

HP showing me the “Roadway Ends Here” sign

| August 17, 2011

From the start, it wasn’t that hard to predict a slow go for HP in releasing their Touchpad. As a Palm Pre webOS user and sometimes enthusiast, the slow-motion releases in handset, webOS and tablet products have left existing users wanting and contemplating buyers asking “Why?” Couple that with the largest users base (Sprint) feeling [...]

Shifting from Google for web searching

| August 3, 2011

I’ve recently made a switch to a new search engine after reading Google’s Terms of Service Agreement a little more closely. The wording of the TOS along with my security conscious friend’s regular reminders regarding web privacy and information security triggered a search for a better search engine. DuckDuckGo.com offers a free, lean webpage search [...]

Smartphone paperless E-Boarding went smoothly this week

| July 17, 2011

This was the first air travel that I opted to go fully paperless using Delta’s E-Boarding barcode utilizing my Palm Pre. The process from check-in online to bag checking and the TSA and boarding went well and although I questioned losing the barcode webos card (and Internet connection!) between the ticketing counter and TSA, it [...]

Tech Friday: Giving Mozilla Aurora 7 browser a try

| July 8, 2011

I’ve been somewhat disappointed with my memory hogging Mozilla Firefox 5 browser install (as I have with the last couple versions) so decided to go out of my comfort zone to give their Aurora 7 browser (pre-beta) a try. Supposedly it will be faster to load and a much better memory manager for most users [...]

What is an overreaching “Terms of Service” agreement?

| July 7, 2011

Am I the only one questioning how some Terms of Service agreements are chipping away at user’s privacy, or just plain legally taking their posted information? Take for example Google+ project … they aren’t exactly protecting the users while freely offering this new social networking service. Will it be enough to prevent me from using [...]

Google to rebrand Picasa and Blogger

| July 6, 2011

Looks like the Picasa and Blogger names are being retired by Google in the next “six weeks” according to Mashable.  ”The move is part of a larger effort to unify its brand for the public launch of Google+, the search giant’s social initiative.”

WSJ’s Walt Mossberg has a few thoughts on the HP Touchpad

| June 30, 2011

Although Mr. Mossberg is rightly critical about some of the shortcomings regarding HP’s late entry into the tablet computing market with the webOS Touchpad, he had a few complements too (LINK). Clever Interface I like the interface a lot. Instead of a screen full of app icons, the main screen of the TouchPad’s operating system, [...]

“Me thinks” early HP Touchpad pre-sales must be slow?

| June 30, 2011

While I continue to put of buying new technology including a phone, computer, a low cost e-reader (yesterday’s post), I continue to ogle the HP Touchpad and Apple iPad. Wouldn’t you know that HP is tempting me … June 28, 2011 Early adopters: your new TouchPad just got $50 closer When the first webOS phone [...]

Debating the Kindle vs. Nook e-reader

| June 29, 2011

Still contemplating an e-reader or tablet computer and reading a WSJ article and opinion. At least for now, the Nook is in the lead. Even without its touch screen, the Nook has a few other features that the Kindle lacks. Its company-estimated battery life is two months when used for reading an hour a day [...]

And you think your diesel or hybrid gets impressive fuel economy

| June 28, 2011

How about topping this hypermiling diesel concept vehicle developed UK’s Cambridge Design Partnership and driven by an eleven-year old kid – 1,325 mpg.   When I told my parents how far this car could go on a gallon of fuel they were absolutely amazed! It wasn’t too hard. The Go system helped me use as [...]

Tech Friday: Mozilla rapid fire update to Firefox 5

| June 24, 2011

Firefox 4 has only been around for a few months, but Mozilla’s Firefox 5 is already being push to users (beta out about a month). According to reviews, the version 5 of Firefox has "more than 1,000 improvements," which include the "Do Not Track" privacy feature and support for the CSS Animations standard, among other [...]

Netflix quality setting helps users control data use

| June 24, 2011

The online streaming component of Netflix is tweaking their user preferences that should help with both ‘paused’ streaming delays and data caps many users are facing. The Good, Better, Best quality adjustment will be a welcomed addition for heavier bandwidth users and helpful for those struggling with inconsistent provider speeds. One sacrifice to setting quality [...]

LightSquared – Sprint Agree to 15-Year Network Accord

| June 21, 2011

Looks like a technology change in Sprint’s 4G strategy? The Clearwire 4G / Sprint future is not as ‘clear’ as it once was now that the LTE networks seem to be the path forward. No announcement from Sprint just yet, but Lightsquared seems to be boasting about the billions headed their way from Sprint. Billionaire [...]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.