GeekSugar

Golden Girls Can Still Get Their Ubuntu On!

GeekSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:00:09 -0700

Dear Higher Power, please, please, please let me be like this woman when I grow up.

Mamas, grandmamas, let this lady be a role model for you. You do not have to be technologically impaired!

The Google Phone To Debut Early Next Year

GeekSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:00:25 -0700

For those of you who practiced some serious restraint and decided to save your pennies for the second gen iPhone, behold the next superstar device which might make you change your mind: The Google phone. No word on specs yet, but I'm going to take a wild guess and assume it will be jammed packed with lots of Google apps goodies that will rock anyone's online world. Supposedly Google has been working with Taiwan’s High Tech Computer (HTC) Corp to make this Linux-based phone far superior to the iPhone. And yes, it will be here in less than a year. via techfresh

Download of the Day: WorkRave (Windows/Linux)

GeekSugar — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:08:05 -0800

With all the Macworld talk this week, the Windows/Linux crowd may have felt like they were left out in the dust - that is, unless they were in the gadget heaven that is CES. If you're hankering for a download and your a non-macer, check out WorkRave, a program that assists in the recovery and prevention of Repetitive Strain Injury.

Workrave reminds you to take micro-pauses, rest breaks and restricts you to your daily limit. The program runs on GNU/Linux and Microsoft Windows. For more about it, read more

WorkRave pops up and prompts you for a "micro break" or a longer exercise break at time intervals you determine. The app will even suggest anti-RSI exercises for your eyes, back and shoulders to help prevent backaches, headaches and carpal tunnel. WorkRave is a free download, Windows and Linux only. Mac users should check out MacBreakZ, a very similar Mac download.

Daily Tech: EA Sports Active Opens Two Temporary Stores

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:21:22 -0800

Right up until Christmas, you can test out EA Sports Active in stores in San Francisco and Boston - EA Sports Active
Walmart's Black Friday ad has surfaced - CrunchGear
Firefox 3.6 Beta3 for Windows, Mac, and Linux users is now available to download - Lifehacker
Hulu has just teamed up with EMI to offer music videos on its free video streaming site - The New York Times
The Nokia N900 is now on sale in the US - CNET
Find out how you can download videos to your iPhone - Switched

To Catch a Predator - With a PS3

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:25:24 -0800

Forget fancy expensive computers - Federal Agents have a new tool in the fight against child pornography - the Sony PlayStation 3. Turns out, when several PS3s are networked together, their processing component is perfect for cracking computer passwords, which are protected under the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. So investigators can seize a suspect's computer, but they have to crack the passwords on their own.

The gaming consoles work well because of their computing power; producing detailed gaming graphics requires a lot of power. The PS3 is particularly well suited because it allows you to install Linux, an open-source operating system.

One funny catch: you can't install a new OS on the new PS3 Slim, released in September - it requires an older model. The solution? They're buying old PS3s off eBay!

Daily Tech: Dell Inspiron 1525 Gets Ubuntu Linux

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:15:37 -0800

Dell has just added the Inspiron 1525 to their Ubuntu 7.10 lineup and it is set to arrive in the US later this month. - Gizmodo
Is it true? Is there finally a way to completely delete your Facebook profile? - The New York Times
The best PSPhone mock-up design has been unveiled, and it looks glorious. - Kotaku
The cute, little green-and-white OLPC laptop was actually spotted in the hands of someone riding the subway in NYC. - Consumerist
Apple has cut the price of the shuffle from $79 to $49 for the 1GB model. Stay tuned for a 2GB model, which is set to be available later this month for $69. - CrunchGear
Seven Mary Three's Jason Ross talks tech with AOL's Switched. - Switched

Are You Interested in Trying Google's Chrome OS?

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:45:00 -0700

On Tuesday, Google announced the launch of its new Chrome OS, which will be available for consumers next year.

Google's operating system will compete with OS X, Windows, and Linux, and promises to be open source and lightweight. Google says that it will first come to netbooks, and if it's as quick as the "lightweight" term promises, you can bet I'll be getting my hands on it as soon as I can.

Naturally, that's mostly due to my curiosity, rather than an unhappiness with OS X, which is what I'm running now.

Are you going to switch over to Chrome OS when you can?

Would You Rather: Netbook or Nettop?

GeekSugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:04:43 -0700

So with the majority of you on board with the whole Netbook craze, let me just throw a little wrench in your wish list and savings plan - it's called the Nettop. Although most people are smitten with the tiny portable computers, some are not so infatuated with the small keyboard, screen, and storage availability to match. Nettops, which made a big impact at the CES conference in Las Vegas this year, are smaller than your average desktop (with screens ranging from 15-19 inches), and come in an all-in-one bundle, which is easy on the eyes and great for maximizing space.

Both netbooks and nettops run Windows or Linux, and come with a smaller price tag than their full-grown counterparts - the eee Top shown above sells for around $550 and comes with a touchscreen. So knowing that the mini computer market will now grow from a laptop-dominated world to include mini desktops (seven million units are expected to sell by next year), which would you rather buy?

Source

Geeks We Love: Joshua Topolsky of Engadget

GeekSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:01:30 -0800

You'd think that Engadget's editor in chief, NYC-based Joshua Topolsky, would be too busy doing things like manhandling the new Kindle to have time to talk to geeksugar for this year's installment of Geeks We Love. But this is a man who says if he could, he'd be called "super king" rather than simply "editor-in-chief." Do not underestimate him.

Since taking over Engadget's top spot last year, the mass of responsibility that's been heaped on Josh is matched only by his irreverent sense of humor (just listen to an Engadget podcast). And from music-industry beginnings (he was a music producer with a studio in Brooklyn) to excellent taste in eyewear, Josh is nebbishly cool - the definition of one of my favorite cliches: geek-chic.

GS: As a fan of your podcast, I know you're a funny guy - does not taking things so seriously make it easier to process all the information overload of tech news?

JT: I think our industry has a history of taking itself a little seriously. I'm not sure that having a sense of humor makes it easier to process the information overload, but it definitely helps to keep things in perspective. Ultimately, I know that if one day our technology becomes self-aware and turns against us, chases us down with a Green Goblin 18-wheeler, and forces us to sail to an island where there's no electricity - at least I'll have my sense of humor. And this iPhone I whittled from driftwood, and these apps I made from leaves.

To read more of my interview with Josh Topolsky, which includes his love for books and zombie-infused video games, read more.

GS: Favorite gadget right now that you cannot live without?

JT: It's safe to say that I would be useless without my laptop. I wish I could tell you that all I need is a notebook and a pen, but that would be a blatant, cool lie.

GS: Gadget rundown! Cell phone?

JT: I'm currently juggling three phones - the G1, iPhone 3G, and BlackBerry Bold. I'm really frustrated because each one does at least one thing that I really love, but none of them do exactly what I want. For instance, the G1 is great for Gmail (perfect, really), the iPhone has its killer app ecosystem and is really good for getting around/doing "fun" stuff, and the Bold is the ultimate serious-phone, for when I need to impress bankers and stockbrokers. Which is often.

Mac, PC, or Linux?

JT: I use all three. I write for Engadget!

Home tech setup?

JT: My TV is a really depressing Olevia 37-inch, I really need to upgrade. I've got Time Warner's DVR, which is made by Scientific Atlanta (if you must know). We've got a huge pile of consoles here, and my favorite game is anything with zombies, and preferably so terrifying that people actually die while playing it.

GS: What do you do when you're not Engadgeting (that's my clever way of asking about spare time)?

JT: We actually don't get a lot of spare time, but I'm really a big book nerd - we have a large collection here, though I don't read nearly enough (hardly at all lately). I also enjoy video games, as previously stated, and I try to watch complete television series in a single sitting. I collect old calculators, Dune toys, and I love comic books. Oh, and I'm usually trying to get new distros of Linux and/or BeOS working on my many, many computers.

GS: You're married; is your wife also a geek?

Well, my wife and I work together (she's an editor at Engadget), so there is a lot of crossover, but she's really much more of a book person than I am. In fact, her collection of books is far more impressive, and she read something like 500 new books last year. It's staggering. Essentially, she makes me feel bad that I haven't read anything in ages.

GS: Lastly, what's your absolute favorite thing you've done with Engadget (like that open letter to Palm)?

I really loved the letter to Palm, and doing the first iPhone unboxing for the site was pretty wild - but the thing I love best about the job is all the nuts and bolts stuff that a lot of people don't see. Hunting down stories, working with the brilliant team we have, actually scooping something - it's thrilling. It's kind of impossible to pick one thing, but a friend of mine told me the other day that I have the dream job my 13-year-old-self would have wanted, and that's pretty much true. It doesn't really get better than that.

Image Courtesy of Morini & Montanari

Daily Tech: Classic Gadgets You Can Still Buy

GeekSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:00:59 -0800

Sure, there's a new hot gadget every month, but there's nothing like a classic gizmo to celebrate geekiness. - Switched
We better be careful. The Wii hospitalized 10 people this week already. - Gizmodo
Is Apple preparing a new multi-touch Mighty Mouse? - Unpluggd
The iPhone has quickly risen to prominence on Flickr, rivaling most SLRs in popularity. - Crave
VHS distribution is grinding to a halt. - Engadget
Linux has entered the operating system ad battle and is looking for you! - Wired