GeekSugar

Ashlee Simpson's Guilty Tech Pleasures: Her BlackBerry and Electric Toothbrush

GeekSugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:02:53 -0800

Pop rock singer Ashlee Simpson recently caught up with AOL's Switched to talk about all things tech. . . Including her love for her BlackBerry Curve and how she can't wait to get an iPod touch- If Mayer can get an Air, Simpson can surely get a Touch! Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

On what gadgets she takes with her during her down time (tapings, appearances, etc): "My iPod, knitting needles, and yarn."
The cell phone she has right now and what she loves or hates about it: "The BlackBerry Curve - I love the camera feature."
The longest time she had ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what it was: "I played Tony Hawk for 75 hours."
On whether she's a Mac or a PC girl and why: "Mac - it's more user-friendly."

Source

Rosie O'Donnell Loves Her iPhone

GeekSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:00:27 -0800

When Rosie O'Donnell is chillin' out on set, her gadget "must haves" include her Nextel cellphone and her iPhone. I always knew Rosie was crafty, but until she started her own blog, I had no idea she was so tech savvy! AOL's Switched recently chatted with Rosie and her partner Kelli about their favorite websites, texting, and yes, the iPhone. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

On what cell phone they have right now and what they love/hate about it: Rosie: "We have a Nextel phone because we love using the two-way radio service with the family. It's easy for the kids to use, plus it seems to work many times when regular cell service does not."
The sites they go to pretty much every time they get online: Rosie: "We frequently go to The Drudge Report and the Huffington Post almost every time we're online."
On what gadget they would want to have with them on a stranded island: Rosie/Kelli: "I would bring my iPhone. You can do just about anything-from e-mailing and surfing the net to listening to music, watching movies, and taking photos on it.

Source

Ruben Studdard Discusses His Tech-Obsessed Life

GeekSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:20:30 -0800

Recently, AOL's Switched had the pleasure of talking with American Idol Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard about his love for his BlackBerry, how he still wants to get an iPhone, and his annoyance with the short battery life on his iPod, phone, and laptop. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

On what was the longest time he's ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game it was: "About three hours. It was NCAA college football from EA Sports. I played against my brother and my friends and I came out the tournament victorious."
Discussing whether he's a Mac or PC kinda guy: "I have a Mac but I really don't know why. . . . I just love it. I guess since all of my other artist friends had one, and it's the industry standard in every major recording studio I have been in, it just seemed like a really good move. Peer pressure is still alive and well."
On what gadget he would want to have with him on a stranded island: "If I was on a desert island I would need a battery-operated refrigerator with an automatic fire starter and a GPS tracking device on the side."

Source

Top 10 Most E-Mail Addicted Cities In The US

GeekSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:00:34 -0700

The folks over at Switched inform me that AOL just completed a massive survey on e-mail usage throughout the United States, which polled residents of the country's top 20 markets. The results? While teens may think e-mail is so 1999, there are many adults (and teens) who are in need of a little e-mail detox. America's top 10 e-mail addicted cities are:

Washington DC - This year, our nation's capital was the most e-mail addicted city in the country. More than eight in ten Washington users (82 percent) have multiple e-mail accounts and four in 10 DC residents say they keep a PDA by their pillow when sleeping to listen for late-night emails, while 58 percent of city residents fessed up to checking e-mail with a portable device while sitting on the toilet.
Atlanta - Atlanta ranks as the second most e-mail addicted city in the survey, making a dramatic jump from 12th place last year.
New York - The number of New Yorkers who check their work e-mail over a typical weekend rose to more than 70 percent this year, while 24 pecent of New Yorkers think they are addicted to e-mail.
San Francisco - San Francisco won the top spot in last year's email addiction survey, but this year slipped to number four.
Houston - For the third year in a row, Houston has made the top five. Residents are checking their PDAs in some pretty interesting places too. 53 percent admit to checking their email in the bathroom.

The rest of the list is Los Angele, Seattle, Orlando, Denver and Miami. Do you agree with the list?

Source

Do You Sleep With Your Cell Phone?

GeekSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:00:09 -0700

Turns out our addictions to our smartphones and laptops aren't just affecting our love lives and vacation time.

According to AOL's E-Mail Addiction study for 2007, 40 percent of e-mail users have checked their e-mail in the middle of the night. Which means, people are sleeping with their laptops, smartphones (ie BlackBerries, iPhones and Treos) right at their bed side.

Apparently men are more likely to check their e-mail in the middle of the night, with 44 percent saying they've checked vs. 36 percent of women.

I can't say I've ever woken up to check e-mail on my computer, but whenever I see the red light blinking on my BlackBerry I do reach over and sleepily check my messages. Are you guilty of checking your mail in the night?
Source

iPhone Obsessed? Is it A Mental Disorder?

GeekSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:30:35 -0700

With the week of iPhone madness almost over it's time to sit back, relax and consider what it is we've all been through. The folks over at Switched have put together a hilarious and thoughtful video looking at America's "iPhone hysteria," i.e. i-Sanity, which has had its grips on millions of us since Macworld. Are iPhone fans crazy or are we being controlled by marketing genius? Is Greg Parker, the shirtless man who has been lined up at the 5th Avenue Apple Store in NYC since Monday a nut, or can he just not help himself? Important questions all around.

Eco-Friendly Outlet Banishes Power Vampires For Good

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:50:52 -0800

Vampire power month may be over (how appropriate that it was in October, no?), but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying to find ways to reduce our electric bills! We are living in a digital world, which means nearly everything needs to be juiced up to work. I've already got my laptop working overtime at the office and at home, so you can imagine that I'm a pretty powerful energy vampire on my own. But I wouldn't be if I had this outlet.

View 4 Photos ›

A concept design I found while cruising Yanko, the Switch outlet allows you to keep your appliances plugged in (no more unplugging your power strip), but with a simple rotation, it cuts off all power to your gadgets, so you aren't draining electricity when it's not needed. Way to be eco-friendly and efficient! Power vampires, be gone.

Crazy, Awesome, Geeky Computers Spotted at a Live Concert

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:05:26 -0800

I'm a big live music fan, as evidenced by my love of websites for finding live music near me and my dislike of tech-related distractions like texting during shows. While at a concert last week, I stood behind the most impressive sound and lighting boards that I have ever seen!

The lighting computers on the left were operated with touchscreens. There were at least eight different screens, and watching the technician hop from computer to computer changing the lighting as the show went on was mesmerizing. Equally impressive: the sound board, on the right. I wish I could have gotten a tiny bit closer, but check out all of the knobs, switches, and colored lights. I can't pretend I know what any of them control (unless there's a master volume dial), it's interesting to watch. At times I found myself more captivated by the lighting and sound techs than the actual concert!

To check out my favorite stunning lighting scene from the show, read more.

Check out all of the different lighting elements - makes sense why there are so many controls!

Daily Tech: Find Out What Google's Chrome OS Is All About

GeekSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:52:58 -0800

Gizmodo explains to the rest of us why Google Chrome matters - Gizmodo
The next Flip camcorder is rumored to include WiFi - Engadget
More than 300,000 people in Bangladesh have signed up for English classes that will take place via cell phones - Switched
This Space Invaders car is too cute for words - Kotaku
Here are five rules to follow when buying an HDTV - CrunchGear
Looks like Apple's iTablet won't be making its debut until late 2010 - Wired

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