GeekSugar

Expect to See Plenty More Ultrabooks From Acer

Kristy Korcz — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:05:35 PST

Acer introduced three new ultrabooks at its CES press conference today (two sizes of the Timeline Ultra and the "world's thinnest ultrabook," the S5), and chairman and CEO J.T. Wong made it clear that the company has no intentions of slowing down. According to Wong, Acer is expected to introduce many more ultrabooks over the next two years with a goal of 25 to 35 percent of its laptop lineup being of the thin and light variety.

Tell us - are you into the ultrabook trend?

Vampire Bill Skypes and Other Awkward Uses of Tech in Entertainment

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:31:53 PDT

You know the moment, a scene in a film is moving along swimmingly until the character decides to log in to a chat service with outlandish graphics and finishes every sentence with an inexplicable emoticon. The crime? Awkward and unnecessary use of technology and social media in entertainment. If the audience knows what they're watching is set for the current year, giving such explicit visual cues often just looks comical and can come off as blatant product placement.

These three scenes of awkward tech moments left us a bit puzzled.

True Blood - A notorious suspect of this action, True Blood characters' use of social media or the latest gadgets is odd because it's not a regular occurrence. Throughout season four, we have seen characters playing a zombie game on an iPad, Bill Skyping with Nan, and Alcide talk on his shiny iPhone 4. Alcide seems more like an Android or old-school flip phone kind of guy, don't you think?
Sweet Valley Confidential - The 2011 update on the Wakefield twins has the girls in the modern era, so of course their slang, fashion, and culture would mirror that. Reminding the reader that even Jessica Wakefied uses social media, though, might be a little too much, like in this quote about the twin's boredom in an unhappy relationship. "Even updating Twitter would be more exciting, if only I had something interesting to say."
Gossip Girl - An episode of the show last year showed Vanessa stalk a girl on Foursquare. This is actually a scary reminder of the privacy you're giving up through social media, but the whole premise was so out of character for Vanessa that it couldn't help but feel as though the app and service were forced in the plot.

While we do appreciate the effort of TV shows, movies, and books to stay culturally relevant, having characters check in or update a status can feel forced. After reading our looks at unneeded technology inclusion in media, are there any similar scenes that have left you wincing? If there are moments where the pop culture tech references were spot on, tell us those too!

Does Google Cause Internet Brain Burnout?

GeekSugar — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:21:29 PDT

Never one to win a round of Trivial Pursuit? A new study in Science magazine suggests you're not alone. Our culture is becoming increasingly reliant on Internet searches in lieu of old-fashioned memory.

The study led by Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor of psychology at Columbia University, examined how likely people are to remember facts if they are easily available online via a Google search. Researchers had a group of college students type trivia into a computer. Half were told the statements would be saved, and the other half were told they would be erased. Those told the text would be erased were able to better recall the statement than those who thought the information was saved. Researchers argue that unless told to remember something, like when studying for a test, we are less likely to recall facts for future use, letting search engines pick up the mind's storage slack instead.

Though his memory may still be in tact, former Twitter addict John Mayer said at a recent college appearance that he quit thinking in 140 characters, because the digital platform also affected how he thought. He said: "I stopped using Twitter as an outlet and I started using Twitter as the instrument to riff on, and it started to make my mind smaller and smaller and smaller. And I couldn’t write a song."

Have you had a similar experience? Has Internet use changed the way you process information and remember facts?

Hoo'd Have Thought? A Magical Ancient Owl Background

GeekSugar — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 05:30:41 PDT

The below video is evidence enough of just how darn cute owls are, and Harry Potter's pet owl, Hedwig, proved to be the most loyal of all owls. Adorableness aside, do you know why the nocturnal creatures are icons of wisdom in folklore? While in the Harry Potter movies, Hogwarts students could opt to bring owls to their dormitories, their legends go much further back through the ages.

Click through the break for magical owl legends dating back to ancient times

How Deep Does Your Geek Go?

GeekSugar — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 03:15:48 PDT

Do your friends and family have you on speed dial as their personal IT department? Do you rush to the Apple store after a press conference to sneak a peek at the new goods? Do you pride yourself on your knowledge of shortcuts, killer apps, plug-ins, and superheros? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you're probably a geek. Own it. I certainly do.

We all have our geeky quirks born from years of reading comics, using technology, and mining the Internet. For the sake of solidarity, share the depths of your geekdom in the comments. Yes, we want to know about your wedding cake topped with iPhones. And your closet full of Comic-Con costumes. Better yet, we want to see photos.

Source: Flickr User stewtopia

A Trio of E3 Expectations

GeekSugar — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 05:21:20 PDT

With the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) kicking off this week, gamers are buzzing with early news and industry rumors. For our top three anticipated products and games, Monday can't come soon enough.

Wii 2 Code-named Project Café, we can't wait to see what Nintendo has in store for Wii 2.0. Will they follow Microsoft's leap into motion-controlled gaming or introduce a 3D console? Either way, this will be the "It" product in the coming year.
Kinect Games Please, oh, please, announce new games for Kinect. Though we love them, there are only so many times we can play Dance Central or Michael Jackson the Experience at housewarming parties.
Call It a Comeback Fan favorites Lara Croft and Zelda resurface this year. 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda, and naturally, Nintendo will celebrate in style. Sneak peeks on Link's latest adventures abound, while Tomb Raider fans can take an early look at Turning Point, a prequel to the Lara Croft series.

Whether it's Playstation news or handheld gaming updates, what are you looking forward to seeing from E3?

Total Recall Reboot: Who Would You Cast?

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:30:40 PDT

Virtual vacations, wall-sized LCD screens, and trips to Mars may have been nothing but fantasy fiction in 1990, but Total Recall showed us how future technology could change our lives forever. One of my favorite '90s sci-fi movies is getting a reboot (filming is said to be starting soon in Canada), but getting much closer to the original book the film was based on, "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale," and won't include a trip to Mars at all. There's already been some casting news about the Total Recall remake, (Bill Nighy as Kuato!?) so take a look at each of the main characters and tell me if you agree with the casting, and if not - who would you tap to play?

How NYC Is Paving the Way For a Digital Future

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 17 May 2011 01:07:19 PDT

Rachel Sterne, the newly appointed chief digital officer for NYC, released her first report on the city's digital roadmap, and goals she'll be implementing over the course of the year that will provide connectivity for its citizens. While I haven't finished reading the entire 60-page document yet, I am pretty impressed with all the digital tools the city already enjoys. Below are just a few I've already found published in the report:

More free WiFi in public places, including parks.
An official @nycgov Twitter account, updating followers on city happenings, news, and alerts.
Online bill payments for city dues like water, parking tickets, and property taxes.
311 service requests, which allow users to report incidents, sanitation issues, taxi or noise complaints, and a number of other issues via a mobile app or website.
Condom finder iPhone app.
School-based iZone tools that allow teachers to track progress of their students in real-time, and customize learning plans to individual student needs.

Does your city offer any of these digital perks? What kind of digital progression woud you like to see in your own town?

A Conversation About Android

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 10 May 2011 03:07:20 PDT

With the love of the Infuse 4G still swirling in my head, I struck up an IM conversation with a friend of mine about the Android operating system yesterday. I didn't know exactly what I was getting into when I asked, but my friend brought up some really good points about Android that even I didn't consider.

Recently there was a debate as to why more women aren't using Android devices. Some say there's no "emotional attachment" between the female geek population and Android like there is on Apple, but these points my friend and I discussed could be more reason why women (or a large population as a whole) don't "get" Android: it's totally confusing! I've compressed our conversation into three points below. Read through, and tell me what you think in the comments.

It's Insanely Fragmented
Right now, you can find four different versions of Android floating around on several different devices. There's no regulation given that the hardware and software are from different origins. Android 2.2 is on most phones, while only the newer phones can support 2.3. Obviously, 3.0 is for tablets.

Read the rest of our discussion after the break.

Geek Out: Does Size Matter When It Comes to Your Phone?

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:22:40 PDT

I got two deliveries this morning: the Samsung Infuse 4G and the HP Veer 4G. Both phones are due to hit AT&T on May 15, and have quite the size difference between them. Initially, I thought the HP Veer would be my favorite of the two (since it's so adorably small), but after a quick tour around both devices, I'm kind of digging the Infuse's large 4.5-inch screen. It's almost like I'm holding a mini tablet that could still fit in my bag. Plus, it's so slim!

How do you feel about smartphone size? Does function trump form, or is it a special mix that attracts you to a new device? Talk it out in the comments!