GeekSugar

Ladies Love The New Sidekick iD

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 11:35:40 -0700

Pop caught Adam Brody at the T-Mobile SIDEKICK iD Launch in Hollywood and I noticed there was an unusual number of ladies out to celebrate the event as well - making me wonder if the new Sidekick will be the more feminine counterpart to the limited edition Dwayne Wade Sidekick 3. The iD certainly has the whole pretty and pastel thing going for it in these photos, but from what I hear you can actually customize the cover and make it whatever color you want. Jenna Jameson and Kelly Monaco showed their love for it by doing the "here's my sexy pose with the phone" move that's become popular on the gadget red carpets.

T-Mobile is marketing the Sidekick iD as an "entry level edition of its popular 'BlackBerry' for the young and hip," reports Smart Phone Today. The new Sidekick is the same size and shape of the $200 Sidekick 3, it has a few less features and is only $100. Unfortunately, there's no camera, Bluetooth or MP3 Player on this model, but you have the bonus of being able to customize the exterior.

Teen pop queens and Simlish fans AJ Michalka and Aly Michalka, Michelle Rodriguez and Taryn Manning also walked the red carpet. For their photos, read more

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Geeks We Love: Peter Ha of CrunchGear

GeekSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:00:15 -0800

In my daily online tech travels, there are always sites that I visit not once, not twice but multiple times a day. One of the sites in this daily line-up includes CrunchGear, a chic tech blog filled with gadgets, geek gear and up-to-the minute news stories. I particularly enjoy reading posts by freelance writer Peter Ha, who dishes about everything from his wild Seoul trip adventures to his first experience on a Virgin America flight. Peter incorporates honesty (Sony I don't understand your commercials), wit, and insight into all of his articles, making them fun and enjoyable to read. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Peter and getting to know all his geeky quirks and favorites. Let's just say that after I learned he contributes to Surfing magazine and men.style.com, I was even more of a fan... talk about the ultimate geek chic package!To learn more about Peter and check out the entire interview, read more
GS: Tell my few readers that haven’t heard of you a little about yourself…
PH: Let’s see here, I was born and raised in Oregon and spent some time along the west coast before moving out to NYC. I’ve been freelancing for CrunchGear since December of ’06 and I’m now the news editor. I also contribute to Surfing magazine and men.style.com.

GS: You knew you were a geek when...
PH: I’ve been a geek since day 1. If I had to pick one particular moment then it would have to be…the day I started writing for CrunchGear.

GS: What are the top three gadgets you can't live without?
PH: Hands down, I’d go with my MacBook, Pentax K100D Super and then it’s a toss up between my iPod, Helio Ocean and Sidekick Slide. If I had to pick, though, I’d take my…Ocean.

GS: What are you hoping Santa will bring you for Christmas?
PH: You know, there really isn’t that much I find myself salivating over anymore. It’s quite sad, really. I wouldn’t mind a couple of new lenses and maybe a MacBook Pro. I’m pretty content with what I have now. I also don’t have any more room in my apartment for gadgets. Heh.

GS: What are your favorite websites?
PH: Waiter Rant, Jango, gossip blogs, OurStage, NOTCOT, flickr, and I’ve found myself obsessing over Facebook, again.

GS: How many blog feeds are in your RSS reader?
PH: Somewhere in the range of 150, but it changes daily as I drop some feeds and add new ones.

GS: Who do you think are the top 3 sexiest female geeks in the world?
PH: Cali Lewis is a good friend of CrunchGear and I’ve always had a crush on her. Natali Del Conte isn’t too shabby and I’m leaving the last spot for someone new to come along, but Amanda Congdon isn’t unattractive.

GS: Who do you think are the top 3 sexiest male geeks in the world?
PH: Me, myself and I. Ok and maybe Matt Hickey.

GS: How many hours do you spend online a day?
PH: I spend entirely way too much time online! I’m usually at my desk by 7:30 and I’ll sit there until 5 or so. I’ll get a few things done here and there in between and then I’m back on my computer until I go to bed around 1 or 2. So, I’d have to say I’m online anywhere from 12 to 16 hours a day.

GS: What is one geeky habit you’re trying to quit?
PH: I’m not so sure this is a geeky habit, but I really need to detach myself from work ‘after hours’. I’m constantly on my Sidekick/Ocean checking e-mails, AIM and CG.

GS: Which do you think will come first... The next generation iPhone, the Google phone, or something so cool we can't even talk about it?
PH: I think it’s safe to say that the next iPhone will be first, but you never know what some of the other phone manufacturers are laboring over right now. CES is just around the corner and I expect big things to be announced.

GS: How do you feel about people calling you a “geek?”
PH: I’m not ashamed to call myself a geek. I was just watching the show Chuck and one of the characters in a flashback to ’99 said the new millennium would be the age of the geek. I think everyone is geeky in their own special way. I just have a platform to show the whole world.

GS: What are some non-geeky things you do in your spare time?
PH: I try and surf as much as I can, but it’s hard living in the city and not seeing what the ocean is doing so I usually get skunked. I enjoy doing anything outdoors since I grew up in the great state of Oregon. I’ve been pretty keen on photography lately as well. So I’ll just wander the city and snap pics of anything that piques my interest.

GS: What's the best part about being a writer for CrunchGear?
PH: All the new toys I get to play with before everyone else.

Colorful Sidekick To Hit Market Soon

GeekSugar — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 08:02:49 -0700

With a reputation as the communication device of choice for B-list celebrities like Brooke Hogan and Brody Jenner, the newest Sidekick model may soon hit the market in a more colorful, eye-catching package. According to Gizmodo, the Sidekick ID will be available in a variety of colors and will have a $50 mail-in-rebate (making the final price $100) and an April 18ish release date.

The special edition Dwayne Wade Sidekick 3 was released in February.

Geeks We Love: Cat Schwartz of eBay and HiTechMommy

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 03:40:40 -0800

As much as I love the fellas that have been featured in our Geeks We Love V-Day showdown, I can't help but give some love to one of the coolest "Cats" in the industry. This versatile gadget guru gal is not only eBay's Gadget and Toy Director, but she is also the founder of HiTechMommy, a site which caters to all things tech for gadget-loving parents. The woman I am referring to is the fabulous Cat Schwartz! Cat is most commonly known for her appearances on shows like Live With Regis and Kelly, MSNBC's Hot List and The Today Show, and can be found making fun videos like eBay's Granny gadget makeover holiday video. With a resume that's so long and diverse, you can't help but admire how she's paving the way for the rest of us in this otherwise male-dominated field. To learn more about Cat, check out our interview below!

GS: If someone were to describe a typical day in the life of Cat Schwartz, what would they say?
CS: First off they would say, baby Jack needs to sleep in his own bed and not in mamma's because to start off the day with footprints all over your back is no way to live. Also, not eating until noon is bad for your health, and working from your couch with the TV and radio on can't be very productive.

GS: Who is someone in the tech industry you admire, and why?
CS: I'd say my fellow chick tech reporters like yourself, Veronica Belmont from Engadget and Mahalo, Kara Rowland from The Washington Times and Natali Del Conte of CNET. I'm really happy to see all of us busting out great content and being kind to each other along the way. Rock on, ladies.

To continue reading Cat's fun-filled interview, read more

GS: What are some gadgets you are addicted to right now and can't seem to live without?
CS: For sure the SideKick LX. Love it. Love looking at it even when I'm not using it. Is that normal? Next is my Zeppelin speaker system. . . Another gadget that I can't help but drool over, even when it's off. The design on this speaker system is to die for and once it starts kickin' out The Beastie Boys, for me, I'm in lust all over again.
Last, lately I've been really using my Magellan Maestro Elite 5340 GPS way too much. I mean, I've been programming in the route to my house just to watch how I digitally move around the world!

GS: I noticed a special section on your site featuring camera phone images. The quality of the pictures are exceptional (Jack is sooo adorable)! Do tell - what kind of phone do you use and do you still use a regular camera?
CS: Yeah, baby! That's all my Sidekick LX. It's all about the lighting, you know?

GS: I loved your appearance on The Tyra Banks Show when you talked about gadgets to catch a cheating mate. What are some other tech topics you enjoy chatting about on television?
CS: Yeah, that was really a fun segment for me because I had JUST caught my ex cheating on me and he kind of didn't tell anyone why I dumped him so abruptly. . . Ha! EVERYONE knew after that! I love talking about any tech that will help others realize that their own world can be a little easier if they just embrace gadgets, instead of run from them. A few upcoming Today Show segments I have coming up are, "Bluetooth Explained," "Baby Gadgets" (LOVE this topic!), and "Snowboarding Gadgets." I feel really lucky that I get to talk about this stuff all day long and actually get paid to look at cool trends on eBay!

Celebs Help Launch LG's New Phone

GeekSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 06:00:36 -0700

LG held a special "Mobile TV Party" at Paramount Studios this week to celebrate the launch of the LG VX9400. If the celebrity status of the people that show up for such events is any indicator, this device looks to be a little less alluring and youthful than the Sidekick iD. Not that I don't have a soft spot in my heart for Brenda Walsh or Lauren Conrad, but you gotta admit the crowd was less, how shall I say this, "hip" than some launch parties.

Why were people like Scott Baio, Christopher Knight, Gary Coleman, Shannen Doherty and Alan Thicke in attendance? The LG VX9400 is one of the first handsets to support Mobile TV, which delivers programs from some of the biggest television networks to your cell. LG themed out the entire party recreating what they called three of television's most memorable shows "Brady Bunch, Star Trek and Happy Days." The VX9400 phone allows you to make calls, answer messages, and when finished, go right back to enjoying TV programs.

To check out more of the red carpet pictures, read more

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Could it be LC is turning in her beloved BlackBerry for a LG VX9400? Stop the press!

Source and Source

Geeks Of The Week: Hanson

GeekSugar — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:00:39 -0700

You really just don't hear enough about the Hanson brothers these days, save for their appearance on VH1 One Hit Wonders list and the occasional award show. In fact, I didn't even realize how much I'd missed ironically singing their "MMMBop" song (or maybe I wasn't being ironic) with my girlfriends until I read their answers to the Switched Questionnaire about technology.

Apparently, the bros are grown up, have a new sound, self-released album and the youngest of the trio Zac Hanson - pictured at left - is almost a geek. I say almost because he doesn't quite match the geekiness of Hilary Duff. Highlights include:

What's the longest time you've ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game was it?
I played Final Fantasy X for 10 hours when I first got it.
What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love/hate about it?
I have the BlackBerry 7130c. I hate the scroll wheel. I am left handed but the scroll wheel is on the right side.
Name one thing you wish your iPod/cellphone/laptop (any gadget) could do that it doesn't do now?
Make me coffee, and tone my abs.
Blackberry, Sidekick, or Treo?
BlackBerry. Being able to sent a PIN message to someone and know they will get it in 3 secs is pretty cool.
Are you getting an iPhone? If so, why?
Yes. I have a MacBook Pro, and the iPhone will be the best Phone to sync with all of my programs. Also Apple stuff rocks, so the more of its products I can use, the better.

Check out the full interview on Switched.

Love 2.0: Heather Champ and Derek Powazek

GeekSugar — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:00:40 -0800

If we’re to believe pop culture, a Beauty and a Geek can fall in love in six episodes, teach each other to dress and balance their checkbooks and combine to make the perfect pair. It may not be that easy in the real world, but there are plenty of beautifully geeky couples that continue to inspire us with their innovative ideas and contributions to the technology and resources we use everyday. As part of our Geeks We Love series, I caught up with a few couples that, through the beauty of the internet and technology have influenced both our lives and each other in a wonderful way.

Heather Champ is the Community Manager at flickr and co-founder of JPG Magazine. Her husband, Derek Powazek is the founder and CCO of 8020 Publishing and Editor-in-Chief of JPG Magazine. A life-long camera junkie, Heather never leaves home without a camera, hoping to capture the small moments that catch her eye. Derek was an early blogger - even though he never liked calling it that. He also used to run fray.com, the original digital storytelling magazine, which Heather calls a “wonderful gift to the web in a time when self-publishing wasn't as ubiquitous as it is today.” What geeky things do these two love about each other and life? read more

Geeksugar: Tell me a little about yourselves!
Derek: I graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1995 with a degree in Photojournalism. When every paper I talked to said they just weren't hiring photographers anymore, I fell into the web. I never really realized it would become my life, but here I am. Of course, now I'm running a photo magazine, so I guess I've come full circle. I invented the magazine I wanted to work for 10 years ago.
Heather: I built a home page in August of '94 while working at Princeton and immediately fell in love with life online. I developed websites professionally for 10 years and then joined Flickr as Community Manager in 2005.

Geeksugar: What’s the geekiest thing about yourself?
Derek: The other day I was on the subway going to work, listening to a NPR podcast on my iPod and checking my email and surfing the web on my Hiptop, and I thought, when did it become the future?
Heather: I've geotagged over 3,000 of my photos on Flickr. I became absolutely obsessed with adding the geo location information a few weeks before we launched the photos on Flickr. Given that I shoot mostly film, I find myself making mental notes of where I am when I'm out and about.

Geeksugar: How about the geekiest thing about your significant other?
Derek: Heather's pretty oldschool. She loves her Polaroid SX-70 and shoots mostly film. But come between her and her Treo and there'll be trouble. She's also the only person I know who can actually watch the low budget Saturday movies on the Sci Fi channel.
Heather: He gave me a dual tuner DirecTV TiVo a couple of year's ago for Valentine's Day. Given that our viewing preferences fall into two buckets ("hand drawn", ie cartoons: him, accents and/or costume drama: me), a dual tuner device is a must.

Geeksugar: How and when did you two meet?
Derek: We met at SXSW in 2000, which I guess is pretty geeky, too. That was the same year Kottke and Meg met, and a few other couples, too. Love was in the air.

Geeksugar: What are your top three favorite gadgets:
Derek: Number one has to be the gadget I use most, which is my 15" Powerbook. I still have the pre-Intel version, which I'm sticking to until CS3 comes out. But it's just a marvelous machine. Two is Danger Hiptop, aka T-Mobile Sidekick I've had every version of this device, and each gets better. I love the flip-out display, qwerty keyboard, and mobile email, web, and chat. I wish the hardware design was better, but I guess the iPhone will be here soon enough. Three is the Apple iPod (video, 30gig). I know, so pedestrian. But it's a nearly perfect device. I love that I can use the click wheel through it's case. And the videos and games are a nice addition for boring Muni rides. I do wish the batter lasted longer, though.
Heather: My Treo 680 (red), Sony DSC-T5 (the wet suit accessory is most excellent for the beach and rafting) and our dual tuner DirecTV TiVo (a Valentine's Day present a few years ago).

What about the top three luxury gadgets you really want?
Derek: The Leica M8. It's the digital version of the M6 I mentioned earlier, and it's expensive as hell, but I'd love to give it a whirl. If they could finally make a digital Leica as sweet as the film Rangefinders, it'd be a dream come true. Does a car count as a luxury gadget? If so, bring on my Mini Cooper. Silver and black with moon roof, please. A stylish car that you can actually park in San Francisco. Bliss. Also a big ass HDTV. When I picked up a plasma display last year, the actual HD models were just too pricey.
Heather: Leica M8, Slingbox, Sony GPS tracker (oh, and a more current version of my point and shoot to go with it), that set of 128 tea mugs designed by Onkar Singh Kular - "Each of the 128 tea mugs is a Pantone shade of brown, which allows people to pick out the mug that matches the way they take their tea. Depending on which one they pick, the host with the most can judge how much milk to put in." And a My5 Power Plate (very weird jiggly, anti-fat thing).

Geeksugar: Your first computer was a…
Derek: Commodore 64. I was bootlegging video games on 5" floppies in grade school. Yeah, I was THAT cool.
Heather: Mac Iici with a whopping 8 MB of ram, baby!

Geeksugar: What are your favorite websites?
Derek: Heather's site, of course! Daring Fireball is a must-read and Ze Frank has
put a smile on my face nearly every day since he started the show. And, of course, the flickr addiction must be fed daily.
Heather: Flickr.com (natch), jpgmag.com, cuteoverload.com, mightygoods.com, dooce.com to name a few.

Geeksugar: What is your Valentine's Day plan?
Derek: I'm not saying! Surprise is the spice of life.
Heather: I don't know. We alternate and last year I made the plans: we went to EOS, a lovely restaurant in Cole Valley where we had our wedding reception. Derek's on deck this year. No pressure. Nope. None at all.

Geeksugar: Who makes the final decision when it comes to gadgets for the home?
Derek: We both do! We had dinner with a couple of friends not long ago, and she said something about not being able to buy a camera because he wouldn't let her. Heather and I just looked blankly at them. If I ever came between Heather and a camera, well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty.
Heather: We both follow our bliss when it comes to gadgets. Derek definitely plots out the big ticket items while I gift him gaming devices for Hanukkah.

Geeksugar: Who solves tech problems at home?
Derek: Judging solely by who cusses the most when the airport network goes out, it'd have to be me.
Heather: Derek. Period. I once almost had a nervous breakdown when presented with a TiVo green screen of death while he was away at a conference.

Geeksugar: Are you going to buy an iPhone?
Derek: Are you kidding? I may buy two: one to use and one to keep pristine in its box to save for future generations to admire. "This was the moment, children, when computers went mobile," we'll say. And they'll respond in some sort of future kid lingo that we cannot begin to imagine now.
Heather: Will my super secret de-coder ring be taken away if I say no? I'm a big fan of a qwerty keyboard and a die hard Treo fan.

Geeksugar: How do you feel about people calling you a “geek”?
Derek: Amen! To me, "geek" just means "someone who's just a little too into something." I was a guitar geek before becoming a camera geek before becoming a web geek before graduating to being a coffee geek. I can't wait to see what I geek out on next. It's better than being a nerd, anyway.
Heather: That they're misguided.

Geeksugar: What has been your partner’s greatest contribution to the tech/blog?
Derek: As a prominent woman in tech, Heather's been a real inspiration to a lot of girls out there. She's also inspired a lot of people to pick up their cameras again. I know she inspires me to want to be a better photographer.
Heather: If you've seen the Blogger "B", then you've seen Derek's work, but I think that Fray (fray.com) was a wonderful gift to the web in a time when self-publishing wasn't as ubiquitous as it is today.

Geeksugar: How many hours do you spend online a day?
Derek: Pretty much all of them.
Heather: Too many.

Geeksugar: How many hours does your partner spend online a day?
Derek: Same. We try to get out of the house and away from the computers on the weekends. But, otherwise, the net is just part of the fabric of our lives. It's never far away.
Heather: Too many.

Geeksugar: What is one geeky habit you’re trying to quit?
Derek: I think I've already done it: After 10 years, I just recently killed my blog. It was one of my new years resolutions: There's enough pressure already, don't put more on yourself. It was stressing me out whenever the top post got more than a couple days old. I decided to just take it down until I have the time to enjoy it again.
Heather: I think I'm a great multi-tasker, though Derek would disagree. Less SMSing while out and about together would be greeted with enthusiasm.

Are you the “Beauty or the “Geek” in the relationship?
Derek: Oh please tell me I'm the geek.
Heather: While Derek's wardrobe is far more beautiful than mine, I would crown him alpha geek at Casa Chawazek.

Want to know more about Heather? Check out HChamp.com. For more about Derek, check out Powazek.com.