RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | June 20, 2011
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RichC | June 17, 2011
Well after hearing the latest rumor news from the Precentral blogs (Pre3 on Verizon and AT&T in July), I’m realizing that my days with a Palm Pre are numbered … maybe a good thing since I’ve enjoyed playing with a couple of the new Android phones in recent weeks. For now I’m not in a […]
RichC | June 15, 2011
It is hard to believe, but yesterday was the first chance I had to play with an Apple iPad – thanks @jwestwood. I surprised at just how snappy the large touchscreen was on her second generation tablet as compared to my aging Palm Pre. I especially liked the optional Logitech Bluetooth cover/keyboard … although the […]
RichC | June 11, 2011
Planned on making this a Tech Friday post, but Saturday will have to do. I’ve been talking with a few people who have adopted Gmail as their primary email and semi-forget about security issues. It is increasingly a problem as evident by the concern over government officials email accounts possibly being accessed. Although most of […]
RichC | June 10, 2011
I’ve been keeping my eye on the new Sprint “Android” offerings since both Sprint and HP Palm have been a bit quiet on the slow motion release of the HP Palm Pre 3. The recent news from Sprint is that it will have the Motorola Photon 4G running Gingerbread 2.3 – the latest Android release. […]
RichC | May 20, 2011
I’m posting Kickstarter link for a device designed to check the quality of engine oil. It is called Lubricheck and I’m hoping that someone reading this with engineering thoughts on how realistically accurate the device might be? I’m a mileage oriented oil changer, but with the price of synthetic oil, diesel oils and just plain […]
RichC | April 27, 2011
Most of us understand computer tracking cookies and many users (and web browsers) to make easier for users to keep some of their information private. Obviously advertisers and content providers see your online information valuable (just as do physical store offering credit and ID cards for discounts, etc). The latest stories in the news have […]
RichC | April 26, 2011
Now that my Sprint Palm Pre phone number is my Google Voice number, GV is handling both the audio and text transcription of my voicemail messages. After recording and transcription, an email is sent to my phone as well as picked up by my email client (or on gmail) – also there’s a copy archived […]
RichC | April 21, 2011
I’ve enjoyed my older Anniversary Edition Eye-Fi SD card for a couple of years now and have appreciated the way it uploads photos to my waiting computer via my home wi-fi access point. I’ve been watching Eye-Fi innovations and have often thought how much much more convenient it would be to have photos uploaded directly […]
RichC | April 14, 2011
CNBC displays impressive transcript and search features in its new video.cnbc.com archive. A few of the cool features are that the transcript can be searched. When highlighted the video jumps to the correct spot on the video … same for emailing or sending it to a social network. Technology at it best … except for […]
RichC | April 12, 2011
After a couple years of using two of the Palm Pre Touchstone induction chargers, they are great. Although I complain regularly that the battery in the Pre will not make it an entire day, it generally isn’t a big deal since I keep one Touchstone on my desk and the other on my nightstand. About […]
RichC | April 4, 2011
Having one company divulge my personal information is bad … but having three (to date) divulging my name and email information is ridiculous. One would thing that that companies like Chase, Walgreens and Tivo would fear a class action suit enough to be a bit more protective with their clients privacy? In other words, don’t […]
RichC | March 30, 2011
The next big Google thing? Not wanting to fall too far behind leading social sharing sites (primarily Facebook), Google is rolling out it’s new socially connected experiment they are calling “+1.” The new “+1” button is an opt-in service and will permit socially connected users to give their stamp of approval to a search results, […]
RichC | March 28, 2011
How much of Volkswagen’s unique ‘transparent’ Phaeton factory in Dresden, Germany will be found in their new Chattanooga, Tennessee operation? (The VW Phaeton is Volkswagen’s flagship ‘premium class’ automobile)
RichC | March 24, 2011
The DSL connection at the hotel was shockingly fast so I took advantage of the speed to update my Windows 7 with a Service Pack 1 update … and decided to update a couple of Internet browsers too. After installing Mozilla’s Firefox 4 and realizing that several of my add-ons needed to be disabled, I […]
RichC | March 22, 2011
Google Voice will integrate with Sprint phones according to recent press releases from both companies. With the new partnership, Sprint customers will be able use their existing number as their Google Voice (GV) number or be able to use their GV number instead of their cell number for outgoing calls. The features of Google Voice […]
RichC | March 16, 2011
While waiting for the HP Palm Pre3, I’m keeping my eyes on the QWERTY keyboard Android phones. One of the anticipated models from HTC was demoed at SXSW 2011 and it will be available on several carriers — the Merge. It has a 3.7 inch touchscreen, a full QWERTY keyboard, and Android 2.2 with HTC […]
RichC | March 2, 2011
The big tech announcement today came as Steve Jobs introduced a follow up iPad 2 to Apple’s previous tablet success. Apple has pretty much been the only game in town since the introduction of the iPad. This year’s model isn’t necessarily full of surprises, but does hold the price point while adding a camera, some […]
RichC | February 21, 2011
I like the concept of the Motorola Atrix which combines the larger working area of a lightweight laptop display/keyboard/battery and the portability of a pocketable smartphone. I’m not sure that I’m ready to give up a full-powered Windows 7 notebook, but IF the new Windows 7 mobile OS running on an Atrix-type phone with a […]
RichC | February 20, 2011
While doing a few chores around the yard on a bright and warm-ish Saturday afternoon, I decided to hook my old Garmin GPS 75 (early 1990s) to a solar panel scavenged from the boat to see if they both still worked. Besides being clunky, and slow to acquire the satellites, the GPS worked after putting […]
RichC | February 17, 2011
On the days that I am connected to the Internet during Wall Street’s market close, I often stream a tiny Slingplayer window of CBNC’s Closing Bell. Today I chuckled at someone on the trading desk holding up a “Hi Mom” sign (left). Also changes in technology has helped investors and traders in recent years by […]
RichC | February 10, 2011
Archiving Wednesday’s HP-Palm Veer, Pre3 and TouchPad product announcement event video — yesterday’s posts 1 and 2.
RichC | February 9, 2011
I particularly liked the new advertising coming to my email from HP above … nice! (I’m also including the specs and a couple hands-on first-look videos from Engadget below) Hands-on video from Engadget: Touch-to-shere demo: Press Release: HP TouchPad Brings webOS to the Big Screen First webOS tablet works the way you do, introduces fun, […]
RichC | January 29, 2011
While I’ve been anxious for the new tablet computer device from HP-Palm, expected to be announce at a California press event on February 9th, I wasn’t holding my breath as to when the devices would actually make it to market. Most industry watchers either have been told or expected them sometime this summer, although a […]
RichC | January 25, 2011
So the HP-Palm gadget many though might be the “PalmPad” is not going to receive the blessing of the United States Patent and Trademark Office; they sees the too close to other trademarks? (Palm, Palm Pre, etc) It sort of looks to me as if HP needs to go back to the ‘slate’ devices – […]
RichC | January 17, 2011
The WSJ This Morning podcast mentioned Flix on Stix, a new kiosk similar to Redbox, as yet another way to rent movies. The self-service kiosk delivers a movie to a USB flash drive which eliminates the need to return the movie. At first look it sounds like a great idea, as after selecting a movie […]
RichC | January 16, 2011
Once upon a time, I packed a small portable printer — Canon i70 — in my car when I traveled, but found it to be a hassle to keep it working. Fast forward to 2011 and I have found a possible use for a small lightweight printer – on the boat. Who knows if it […]
RichC | January 11, 2011
While staying on the smartphone subject trend, I’ve been curious as to where the market is going besides the phone’s hardware and operating system – yesterday’s grumbling about HP/Palm and webOS. The devices is only half the picture and far less of the investment – the carrier may be the game changer. In reading a […]
RichC | January 10, 2011
Well I’m not giving up on the HP/Palm and their WebOS entirely just yet as it does look as if there might be a few improvements in the new 2.01 operating system to keep me happy with my current Palm Pre for a little bit longer … if it is made available? Thanks to a […]
RichC | January 1, 2011
According to a Smartmoney.com article by AnnaMaria Andriodis, we could see states and counties increasing taxes on new technology such as cellphones and e-books. Unlike Uncle Sam, state and county governments are required to balance their budgets and as local sales taxes and both the real estate and income tax stream of tax revenue dwindle […]
RichC | December 31, 2010
Either I was way too early in adopting Palm’s webOS and the Palm Pre smartphone, or the powers that be are dropping the ball in moving ahead quick enough to satisfy me with their OS and product line. It is too bad that Palm, then HP, did not develop the alliances with partners and market […]
RichC | December 15, 2010
I’m not endorsing this $259 GoPro Hero camera (“Naked” as they call it) since I haven’t used it, but from the promotional photos, and particularly HD video (see below), it looks great. The fixed lens setup may be a limitation but it is one of the nicest action sports cameras I’ve seen to date and […]
RichC | December 8, 2010
Here’s crossing my fingers that WordPress 3.0.3 will be as solid as previous upgrades.
RichC | December 3, 2010
Admit it, you’ve been pretty annoyed receiving emails with extensive signatures or while reading in forums where regular users post distracting, offensive or just plain long-waste-of-screen-space signatures. This practice is one of my pet peeves when visiting certain‘permissive’ forums that allow ‘spam-vertising’ by user signature or avatar. This becomes doubly irritating when the same user […]
RichC | November 19, 2010
The boot modifying program called Soluto seems to help keep my Windows 7 notebook computer’s cold boot a bit snappier. Although my older Windows machine may not be up to netbook, tablet or Macbook speeds, the improved one minute and 44 second boot is better than without the Soluto tweaks. The company’s tagline as “anti-frustration” […]
RichC | November 9, 2010
Where would you install photovoltaic solar panels if they were clear? Perhaps they will be in the not so distant future as contemplated by Alyssa Danigelis in her Discovery News article. And here’s a new word of the day: buckyballs – spherical or ellipsoidal cages made up of covalently bonded carbon atoms discovered in 1985 […]
RichC | November 5, 2010
Here’s a last minute Tech Friday idea; a website that creates your own newspaper from Twitter connections. Paper.li is a service that assembles a newspaper-like page with links, photos and media from Twitter users, lists or #keywords. Within a minute you can publish and share a randomly composed page of interesting, or not so interesting, […]
RichC | November 5, 2010
For those of us who enjoy TED Talks, there’s a new app on its way for the HP webOS devices like the Palm Pre that should make content available on the go. According to a post on the Toondoctor, the app will be free as well as ad free. Features Browse, search and view video […]
RichC | October 16, 2010
Not that I’ve been all that regular at posting a “tech tip” on Fridays, but I did try out a new video recording program this week. It is called At-Large Recorder 2 (Windows only) by Applian Technologies and is a DVR of sorts for the Slingbox … which is a piece of hardware that broadcast […]
RichC | October 12, 2010
While struggling to stay productive during my out of town trip last week, I found it necessary to tether my computer to my Palm Pre a couple of times. On previous trips I bragged about MyTether as a way to do this, but after a summer webOS update it no longer works … so I […]
RichC | October 7, 2010
I don’t recall recall if the Apple iPhone advertisement appeared during the Philly’s no-hitter 4-0 win against the Reds or not, but the ad was intriguing in that the Twitter and Twitpic information had me checking the links. The marketing establish @gagebock account (currently 60-some friends) and Twitpic photo (700+ views) that was used in […]
RichC | October 1, 2010
It’s been on the list of things to do, but since my personal blog isn’t necessarily a ‘must read’ for people, I’ve been slow to adopt a better commenting methods or in this case “discussion” method — Disqus = dis·cuss • d?-sk?s’. After reviewing and listening to the opinions of tech savvy friends, I’ve opted […]
RichC | September 27, 2010
How do you keep all of your online passwords safe and secure? I’ll admit, I wasn’t all that smart about managing mine. About a month or so ago, a technology friend of mine shared his method of using the stand alone KeyPass Password Safe on his PC and explained how he then plop the encrypted […]
RichC | September 10, 2010
I’ve used Mozilla’s Thunderbird email client for quite a few years now and as it is with most software, it all in what one get use to using. Recent upgrades have required me to make adjustments to my set-up and I grumbled a bit … but for the most part upgrading to 3.1.3 has been […]
RichC | September 10, 2010
While still not quite ready to buy another gadget, I’m thinking a better time to adjust to using an eReader, iPad or tablet device might be winter? 😀
RichC | September 4, 2010
As the Labor Day holiday weekend kicks off, I did some light technology housekeeping chores on my Palm Pre smartphone. Besides finally getting around to smoothing out my app card screen order, I updated my UberKernel and the Govnah app to include a 1gHz screen-on mode. The doubling of clock speed may be pushing things […]
RichC | August 30, 2010
Every once in a while, the point of sale technique works on me … and today was the day. I coughed up $1.43 for a Palm Pre app called Neato! It’s a simple little application that runs on the webOS smartphone and receives webpage links, copied text and maps from a computer browser using a […]
RichC | August 25, 2010
A couple day’s before our vacation, Sprint pushed out the webOS 1.4.5 update to Palm webOS phones. I resisted the urge to update prior to leaving (thankfully), as I had some concern that the Pre Backup Utility wouldn’t be sufficient to restore the ‘homebrew’ apps, patches and tweaks I installed over the past year, an […]
RichC | August 12, 2010
Walt Mossberg from the Wall Street Journal (mp4) calls the Dell Streak a “tweener” device … with a lot of glitches. Download now or watch on posterous 081110ptech_1500k.mp4 (57428 KB) Operating System Android 1.6 Processors QSD 8250 Bands : UMTS 2100 / 1900 / 850 MHz GSM / EDGE 1900 / 1800 / 900 / […]
RichC | August 11, 2010
According to Sherri Wells, a leading expert on SMS messaging, the “SMS (Short Message Service) was developed in 1985 by a collaborated effort between Germany and France and was created by Friedhelm Hillebrand, Bernard Ghillebaert, and Oculy Silaban .” Ms. Wells also states that the first practical message was “Happy Christmas” and was sent in […]
RichC | August 10, 2010
The VOIP service called NetTalk now has a videophone software application for both it’s new DUO and TK6000 device. To used the videophone, the device must be plugged into the USB port rather than functioning as a stand alone box that plugs directly into the router (one of it’s most compelling features). I have not […]
RichC | July 21, 2010
I met my daughter at the Barnes and Noble bookstore tonight and had a chance to play with her electronic Nook reader again, but this time in the store. I have to admit for reading, the screen is excellent and reading text easy even for my presbyopia. Reading from the eReader has me re-thinking that […]
RichC | July 16, 2010
The NetTalk VOIP device and service that I use at the house has been far from perfect (initial post), but then again the cost is peanuts compared to landline or many other VOIP services – our device is grandfathered with lifetime service. Usually I’d be smiling to have something like this, but the recent have […]
RichC | July 15, 2010
Unfortunately I’ve been forced to end my fax to email service after well over a decade. At one time I had several EFAX or JFax (J2/JConnect) phone numbers, but as business changed so did justifying ‘paying’ for service. I did appreciate receiving faxes to my email box and have used several other freebie sending options, […]
RichC | June 28, 2010
Thanks for the tip Dieter Bohn – PreCentral.net … Google Docs is much improved on the Palm Pre; it is actually usable now! Fire up Google Docs on your webOS browser and you’ll find a nicer interface, courtesy of Google finally up and getting Document viewing working for Android browsers. The Google Mobile Blog […]
RichC | June 23, 2010
Since Palm is encouraging webOS Pre and Pixi users with a half price app sale, I picked up a couple applications including one to manage and post to both WordPress.com and server installed WordPress.org blog sites. So this is a first post from the Poster for WordPress (for $1.00) app posted from the Palm Pre. The smartphone based […]
RichC | June 22, 2010
I found this online security story from one of the tech blogs I read interesting. This is from Paul Thurrott who co-wrote the book Windows 7 Secrets who shared a bit about his kids online spending spree. This is amusing to me because my kids are 8 and 12 years old. You may have heard […]
RichC | June 19, 2010
I saw some video shot with an under $1000 Canon Rebel T2i/550D camera today that had me drooling to upgrade my digital camera. Although I’m not really in the market for a new 18 megapixel DSLR, the advertising video shot for Amber Mac’s (Amber MacArthur) book Power Friending had me thinking about it. The encoded […]