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More Chinese Residents Visited Olympic Site Than Americans

GeekSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:00:43 -0700

China and the United States competed for the top medal contender, and now they're competing for which country's residents visited the official Beijing2008.cn website more. Between Aug. 8 and Aug. 17, 2008, the website attracted 16.5 million visitors, with China taking the lead at 4.3 million visitors, the United States coming in second with 4.1 million visitors, and Canada coming in third with 937,000. Overall, China accounted for 25.7 percent of visitors who went to the site.

One interesting point to note is the fact that the main site is in Mandarin, and I'm assuming the 95 percent of people who have Internet ADD (like me) probably didn't notice the English, French, Spanish, and Arabic language options at the top right of the page. Did you guys check it out, or did you go elsewhere for Olympics news?

How Did You Follow the Olympics: TV or the Internet?

GeekSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:00:16 -0700

With the 2008 Beijing Olympics freshly behind us, it's time to muse over how the games changed this time around. From a tech perspective, things were monumentally different. Today's Internet allowed people to follow along online and stream the Olympic games - to boot, NBCOlympics.com streamed over 2,200 live hours of games!

I have friends who watched the Olympics only on the Internet, and some who watched it the old-fashioned way - on TV. It's fantastic that we live in a time where we have that option; so now, tell me: How did you get your Summer Olympics?

Geeky Secrets About Michael Phelps

GeekSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:00:50 -0700

With the 2008 Summer Olympics coming to a close in Beijing yesterday, all eyes were certainly on Olympic gold medal winner (eight times over) Michael Phelps. So we already know that Phelps had a fancy schmancy Speedo suit that made him super slippery and buoyant during races, but what about his tech habits? In this week's issue of People, some tech tidbits about Phelps were revealed! Here are some of my faves:

He just taught his mom Debbie how to text message so she can text him from the stands at the games. Although he admits she's still pretty slow and makes lots of spelling mistakes!
His iPod has some techno and country music on it, but it's mainly filled with rap. Some of his favorite artists include Jay-z, Eminem, OutKast, and Lil' Wayne.
The song he played on his iPod before races during the Olympics was Lil' Wayne's "I'm Me."
To help him relax between meets, Phelps would get geeky and play cards (mainly poker) with teammates.

Source

The Bird's Nest USB Speaker: Silver Medal?

GeekSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:45:38 -0700

Can't get enough of the constant Olympic coverage on TV and the Internet? Overnight yourself this Bird's Nest USB Speaker ($12) (in the likeness of Beijing's Olympic stadium to those who've been on a media blackout) and don't let yourself suffer from Olympics withdrawal for one moment.

Brought to you by your friendly neighborhood USB creators, who will never let a thing go by without USB-ifying it!

Daily Tech: iTunes Gets Blocked at the Olympics

GeekSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:23:12 -0700

Craziness! Chinese authorities are at it again, blocking access to iTunes after some athletes downloaded a pro-Tibet album. - CrunchGear
Image quality on the new PSP-3000 compared to the older PSP-2000 is a gazillion times better! - PSP Fanboy
Unplggd checks out the Sony VAIO LT all-in-one HDTV/PC and they were very happy with its appearance and performance. - Unplggd
If you have a jailbroken iPhone, Snapture 2.0 is a camera suite that will will enhance your iPhone's camera. - Gizmodo
An interactive picture lets you check out a panoramic view from the 10-meter platform at the Water Cube in Beijing. - The New York Times

Source

Daily Tech: Sony's NW-E Media Players Coming in the Next Couple of Months

GeekSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:02:18 -0700

The latest by Sony, the colorful NWZ-E435 (2GB), NWZ-E436 (4GB), and NWZ-E438 (8GB) devices are said to be super slim, offer decent battery life, and are not only compatible with Windows Media Player but iTunes as well. Stay tuned for their release in the US in the upcoming months. - Sony Insider
Michael Phelps is not only a star in the pool, but on Facebook as well. This past weekend, Phelps' received over 7,000 Facebook friend requests, which I'm assuming were after his seventh and then eighth gold medal wins. - USA Today
Washington DC is going to be one of the first cities in the US to adopt a high-tech bike-sharing program where users can conveniently use bikes from a variety of stations for only $40 a year. - Boing Boing
Ever wonder if gamers annoy nongamers? Well here's a list of 25 funny reasons how they do. - Kotaku
An activist twittering at a free-Tibet protest in China, was deported by Chinese authorities.- Valleywag

Daily Tech: Speedo's Innovative Yet Controversial LZR Racer

GeekSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:00:30 -0700

All eyes are on Speedo's ultrabuoyant LZR Racer swimsuit during this year's Summer Olympics as a high percentage of athletes wearing the suit are breaking world records. - Engadget
Check out all the movie titles that are making their way to Blu-Ray format this week. - Crave
Gold winner of the men's 100m breaststroke, Japanese Olympic swimmer Kosuke Kitajima said that playing Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games helped him train for his big win! - Kotaku
Love Maloo laptop sleeves? Well the fabulous felt cases are now available in miniature sizes for your iPhone. Keeping your phone scratch free and stylish at the same time! - Unplggd
The luxurious Mercedes-AMG motorcar will be outfitted with Bang and Olufsen speakers, which are already in high-end Audis. - CrunchGear
Last day! Be sure to log into your TeamSugar account for your chances to win a white Nintendo DS Lite and a Space Chimps game! - geeksugar

Get It While It's Hot: Olympic Tech Treats

GeekSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:00:53 -0700

With the 2008 Olympic Games kicking off on Friday - and what a spectacle it was - it's now time to check out all the cool phone apps, fun Olympic tech news, and neat gadgets, all inspired by the Summer games! Oh yeah, and remember, even if you're away from your TV, you can catch all the gaming action online as well!

View Slideshow ›

2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony: A High Tech Masterpiece

GeekSugar — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:00:27 -0700

Did you happen to catch NBC's broadcast of the opening ceremonies from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on Friday eve? What a sight it was! Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were installed across the entire stadium (even the roof!) and a LED screen, measuring 147 meters long and 22 meters wide was placed in the center of the stadium. And for the full futuristic effect, around 44,000 tiny LED beads, all different colors, were embedded within the LED screen as well as in the costumes of the performers. "We have combined creativity with the most complicated technologies in Olympic history to maximize the visual and sensory impact on the audience," said Yu Jianping, technical team leader for the opening. To see just how magnificent the show was, check out my slideshow. And be sure to catch all the highlights and video footage from the games online! Source

View Slideshow ›

Daily Tech: Google Gets Its Own Olympics Site

GeekSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:00:44 -0700

Head on over to Google's Summer Games website to check out a variety of GOOG tools that are tracking all of the events in Beijing! - Lifehacker
The $999.99 "I Am Rich" glowing red gemstone iPhone app was purchased by eight people from the iTunes App Store! - Valleywag
Belkin has a new messenger bag that offers practical features and comes in five different color combinations. - Unplggd
Radio frequency identification technology (RFID) chips have been embedded in all Olympics tickets as the Chinese government hopes to crack down on counterfeit tickets. - Crave
A neat travel online travel tool called Schmap, which offers interactive online maps and useful travel tips, has just launched a free iPhone-friendly map on their website. - The Boy Genius Report
It's giveaway time! Be sure to log into your TeamSugar account for your chances to win a white Nintendo DS Lite and a Space Chimps game! - geeksugar