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Intel Spotlights the Real Rock Stars of the Tech World

GeekSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:05:35 -0700

Sure, you know Steve Jobs, the Woz, and Bill Gates, but do you know the name Ajay Bhatt? He invented the USB, and in this new commercial from Intel he's being given the celebrity treatment - a premise that's equal parts inspiring and amusing.

Yahoo! Unveils the Widget Channel For Televisions

GeekSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:30:05 -0800

I'm not really a stickler for needing to know what the weather is doing outside at all times. But for those who are (mom and dad listen-up), Yahoo! has designed a Widget Engine that allows TV viewers to access a wide range of information, all from the convenience of their TV screen. During CES last week, Yahoo! showcased the weather widget on a Sharp widget-enabled television. As you can see, a full weather forecast is conveniently displayed to the left of your screen.

These new TV Widgets will allow users to do things like interact with friends, track their stocks or favorite sports teams, or check out the latest news headlines. The Widget Channel was created by Yahoo! and Intel and can work on televisions as well as LCD TV/DVD combinations.

Source

Daily Tech: LG Debuts Video Phone Watch at CES

GeekSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:00:24 -0800

Labeled as the "smallest wrist phone in existence", the LG GD910 is the first HSDPA wrist phone by LG and comes with a touchscreen, MP3 playback and high speed video conferencing. - Unplggd
Microsoft's free Windows 7 Beta is now available for everyone to download. - Gizmodo
Intel will soon be coming out with a new touchscreen tablet-style PC called the Classmate. - Switched
Urban Tool bags offer a hip and non-conventional way to tote around your gadgets. - CrunchGear
Dell has just announced its latest notebook - the Adamo. This thin, black notebook, is not a Netbook since it has a processor inside, but other than that, details are still limited. - CNET

Giles Deacon Creates His and Her Laptop Covers

GeekSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:00:00 -0700

London fashion designer Giles Deacon has been working with Intel to spice up select Asus notebook covers with exotic designs. Boy did she ever deliver.

Featured on Styledash via Fashionweek Daily, the new tribal printed laptops will come in blue and pink and will be available exclusively at Selfridges in July.

The new notebooks are not only designer but très exclusive- only 150 of each design have been made.

The Super Slim Intel Mobile Metro Notebook

GeekSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 03:44:30 -0700

Wouldn't you agree that these look more like purses with built in e-book readers than laptops? Intel has come up with this prototype laptop - it was actually co-created with Ziba design - that seems to be the catwalk model of laptops. In fact, it's already been nicknamed the "world's skinniest laptop" and measures 0.7 inches thick and weighs only 2.25 pounds. And if you do the math, that's only a quarter of an inch thicker than a Motorola Razr - very impressive!Intel still needs to fine-tune this model but you can expect features like WiFi, EVDO, WiMAX, and a flash memory hard drive. And according to Gizmodo, these laptops will let you attach a strap so it looks like a real fashion accessory. I'll believe it when I see it! Wondering when you'll be able to purchase this teeny notebook? They could be on the market as early as the end of this year.

To check out more images of the mobile metro notebook, read more

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BMW Designers Help Make Laptop Line More Luscious

GeekSugar — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:00:44 -0700

Intel might be making the snazzy Santa Rosa laptops, but Acer has its own shiny trick up its sleeve - a lineup of luscious and shiny laptops with a pearly interior. Apparently, Acer's design team worked with BMW Group Designworks USA to study design trends, develop the concept and visualize new forms. Findings showed that three of the most important design features to consumers were color and material, branding and naming, and shape treatment. Named the Gemstone, the new line seems to be all that and a bag of chips.

There are four models: the Aspire 5720, the 5920, 7720 and the high-end 9920, apparently the 9920 features a 20-inch display, camera (iSight copy?), digital TV tuner and HD DVD drive. According to UK Gizmodo, the line is the first to get Dolby Home Theater Virtual Surround-approved. For an additional image, read more

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Geeks We Love: Doug Aamoth of CrunchGear

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:06:23 -0800

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we're kicking off our third annual Geeks We Love interview series to showcase some of the most talented and loved tech writers in the industry. And who better to get things under way, than the charming Doug Aamoth, who spends most of his days reviewing high-tech gadget goods for CrunchGear? I had the pleasure of meeting Doug at the HTC Touch Diamond Event in London last year, and found him to be very much the way he comes across in his work - passionate and knowledgeable about technology, and a really great guy with an addictive sense of humor. By the end of this interview, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about - enjoy!

GS: Considering you're the king of product reviews, what types of gadgets are you most excited to take for a test drive?

DA: I'll review just about anything, but I really like to take a look at stuff that has some sort of technological slant to it instead of being a full-fledged technology product. Basically, if I think it's something that would be interesting to other geeks, I'll review it. We get some pretty good response from stuff like the Penguin Home Soda Machine and a little four dollar keychain breathalyzer that also has a built-in stopwatch and flashlight. Of course, right? Every breathalyzer should have a stopwatch just in case you want to have an emergency footrace outside the bar before you figure out if you're okay to drive home.

As far as "real" technology products go, I'm really enjoying this netbook craze right now. I think it'll get much better, too, once Intel sees some more competition from AMD, NVIDIA, and VIA. Other than that, I also really like reviewing things that make people's lives easier. The simpler the better. Oh, and energy drinks. I love taste-testing energy drinks.

To learn more about Doug, including his "ah-ha" moment and his thoughts on technology and dating, read more

GS: What's the most outrageous and hilarious gadget that's arrived on your doorstep?

DA: I think that one of the best reviews I've done was for a product that never showed up. I spent a few days waiting for the new Flip Mino to arrive, at first thinking it would be here on a Tuesday morning, then being told Wednesday instead, then getting a press release envelope but no camera on Thursday, and finally having it show up Friday morning after all our competitors had gotten theirs on Wednesday. It wasn't really that big of a deal but I thought it'd be funny to chronicle the event as though it were an episode of The Office.

Aside from that, the most outrageous review would definitely be for a product called FyreTV, which is a set-top box that streams, um, "non-traditional" video. It's weird because it's basically a review just like any other. We rarely look at the media content for set-top boxes, but more at the actual hardware and how well it handles streaming. So for the FyreTV review it was like, "Here's the box, here are the connections, here's the remote, it streams stuff really quickly, and the video quality is pretty good. Oh, whoops, sorry I had to blur everything out and block the camera with my hand at certain points but you get the idea."

GS: Describe one of the most memorable moments of your career thus far. . .

DA: I had an "a-ha" moment about six months into my career when I was at this Acer conference in Spain. It was my first real work trip and I postponed my own bachelor party to go to it. I remember getting into this big conference hall with a bunch of other reporters, and sitting down at this long table with my laptop and my voice recorder waiting for the presentation to begin. I looked around and thought to myself, "This is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. I love this stuff." I've had over 30 jobs in my lifetime (I get kind of restless) but I finally felt pretty calm for the first time.

In retrospect, I wouldn't have moved my bachelor party for a work trip but at the time I didn't know how often an opportunity like that Acer conference would come around. Turns out, it was a lot. It was still a great experience, though. Singing White Wedding at CES this year was pretty cool, too.

Also, any time I meet someone that I used to read before I started blogging is always really cool. Every person I meet always looks at me weird when I tell them I'm a big fan of theirs or that they're like a hero to me. I used to read tech blogs and magazines and think "Man, that would be the best job." Now that I'm actually doing it, I still haven't forgotten that feeling. I consider myself to be really fortunate.

GS: How geeky is your significant other? Who makes the final decision when it comes to gadgets for the home?

DA: My wife is probably about a three out of ten on the geekiness scale. She's not into tech stuff whatsoever, but she'll think some of the things I tell her about and some of the products I show her are cool. So she's definitely not against technology and she's pretty savvy with the stuff she uses on a daily basis. She does NOT like all the boxes we have around the house, but I can't blame her for that. It gets pretty out of hand sometimes.

I handle all the IT administration and technical support in the Aamoth household. Interestingly enough, I've been terrible about picking a good cell phone for my wife. I got her the LG Chocolate a few years ago and she didn't like it. Then I recommended the Samsung Glyde and between the non-responsive touchscreen and the poor reception, it's really been a terrible device as far as our relationship goes. One of these days, though, I'm going to pick out a good phone for her. It's just tough being in the doghouse for two whole years while we wait for her contract to come up for renewal!

GS: In the new movie He's Just Not That Into You, Drew Barrymore's character has the following to say about technology and dating:

"I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work, and so I called him at home, and he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It's exhausting."

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you think technology makes dating more complicated?

DA: Sure, I can see technology complicating things for people who don't embrace it. As someone who's into all this stuff, though, the thought of having seven different technologies that don't synchronize with one another is mortifying to me. I have a single Grand Central phone number that forwards to any other phones I might currently be using and my various e-mail addresses all funnel into a single Gmail account.

It's funny, though, because people will be like, "Give me your cell phone number, I can never get a hold of you at your work number," and I'll try to explain that my work, home, and cell phone numbers all forward to the same place. So they'll leave a voicemail on what they think is my home number saying that they'll try me on my cell, which leads to them leaving the same message in the same voicemail system two minutes later. Same thing with email: the same message three times to three different email accounts.

I think just starting to date someone would be really weird nowadays with Facebook and Twitter and everything. Do you friend this person right away or what? Is there a rule as to how many dates you go on before you can friend someone? And it'd be super weird if you were dating someone for a little bit and then they told you they were getting too busy with work or whatever, and then all of a sudden you see their status change on their profile and you see photos of them with someone else and all that. My buddy told me he watched his little brother's relationship with his girlfriend fall apart over Facebook, which seems totally surreal to me. That's what happens now, though, I guess. Everyone has access to everyone else's private lives with all the social networking stuff.

I'm really apprehensive to admit this but a former girlfriend and I actually broke up over AIM once. And we'd been seeing each other for a long time - like a couple years. We'd been living together in Seattle and I'd moved home to Minneapolis and I think we were both kind of ready to move on, so the mutuality of it made everything easier. I don't think most breakups would work that well over AIM but if you're both pretty much on the same page and it's going to be a relatively clean breakup because you both want the same thing, then it actually kinda works. Weird, huh?

GS: Now for the lightning round!
Mac or PC? DA: PC
iPhone or BlackBerry? DA: I love my T-Mobile G1 but I'd take a BlackBerry. I need a real, physical keyboard.
MySpace or Facebook? DA: Facebook (as the lesser of two evils).
iPod or Zune? DA: I really like my iPod Touch.
The Hills or Gossip Girl? DA: I've never seen Gossip Girl, but The Hills is absolutely, positively, 100 percent the bane of my existence. My wife has to watch it in our bedroom with the door closed or when I'm not around because the way the brats on that show talk is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me. So Gossip Girl.
Steve Jobs or Bill Gates? DA: Bill Gates. His acting in the Seinfeld Microsoft commercials was mesmerizing.
Picasa or Flickr? DA: Picasa. Great example of a desktop app working harmoniously "in the cloud."
Texting or Emailing? DA: Email. I like the cost better.
WiFi or Wired? DA: I'll borrow from a golf saying here and say WiFi for show, Wired for dough.
Pac Man or Space Invaders? DA: Pac Man, preferably Ms. Pac Man.
Star Wars or Star Trek? DA: Star Wars
Laptop or Desktop? DA: Ouch. That's like Sophie's Choice. I have both and could never part with either of them.
The Bachelor or the Bachelorette? DA: ABC should cut out the fluff and have them marry each other. I mean, they're both looking for the same thing, right? Set them up together and spare us all from having to sit through it.
Coffee or Tea? DA: Monster Low Carb energy drink. Coffee will do in a pinch, though.

Watch the Monsters vs. Aliens Trailer in 3D During Super Bowl Sunday

GeekSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:00:57 -0800

I recently attended a Special 3D Footage Presentation here in San Francisco where DreamWorks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, chatted about his latest film - Monsters vs. Aliens. He also gave us an early sneak peek of some clips from the movie, which is the first of its kind to feature Intel InTru state-of-the-art 3D technology (it will also be available in 2D). Set to make its nationwide debut March 27, this fun-filled, brilliant film will show off its 3D trailer, right before the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday.

The one minute commercial is one of the highly-anticipated commercials to be shown during the Super Bowl, as viewers are encouraged to pick up a pair of 3D glasses at one of the 25,000 SoBe Lifewater retail displays in grocery, drug and other retail venues. And you can even reuse your glasses for the 3D episode of Chuck airing on Monday!

Get a MacBook Air For Under $1,000!

GeekSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 02:00:01 -0800

Have you had your eye on a MacBook Air but can't fathom its price, which starts at $1,799? Well, now you can get a refurbished MacBook Air from Apple's online store for $999.

This Air is the newest model, just released in October, with the 1.6GHz Intel Core processor and an 80GB hard drive. Now would be the right time to add this small wonder to your repertoire and lighten your load.

Win One of Two Laptops From Windows!

GeekSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:35:29 -0800

To kick off our girlfriends and sister gift guide week and to continue on into guys and brother gift guide week we're giving away two hot new laptops. The first is the Windows Vista powered Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue Notebook, which comes with Dolby Home Theater sound and a CineCrystal full 16-inch HD display. While the second is a Windows Vista powered Sony VAIO CS laptop that weighs only 5.7 pounds and comes with an Intel Centrino 2 processor, 4GB of RAM and a whopping 320GB hard drive. Just in time for the holidays - either a gift to yourself or pass on to a loved one. So listen up TeamSugar members, now's your chance to win a chic new laptop!

To enter, you must log in and take the quiz below. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just by completing the fun quiz once you are logged in. You do, however, need to be a TeamSugar member and log in before you take the quiz. If you're not already a member, just register here for an account. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored.

The contest is open to US residents only and ends on Dec. 7, 2008, at 11:59 p.m. PST. For Official Rules, click here.

Take the quiz