GeekSugar

Daily Tech: Use Google Maps to Find H1N1 Vaccine Locations

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:40:58 -0800

Google already has data for locations of H1N1 flu vaccine programs from 20 states and counting - Gizmodo
Apple beefs up their HD movie selection in the iTunes store - TechCrunch
Cute! UK designer Kyle Bean has created this Russian Babushka doll style cell phone set - Popgadget
Staples shows off its extensive Black Friday ad - CrunchGear
Google has developed a new feature called SafeSearch, so you can easily filter out sexually explicit sites from your search results - The Google Blog
Blockbuster plans to start renting movies on SD cards - Gadgetell

A WHO Report Says Cell Phone Use Leads to Brain Tumors

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:05:10 -0800

Cell phone use causing cancer - certainly not something we haven't heard before and not something that is going away anytime soon. First we learn that the electromagnetic radiation from cell phones doesn't cause cancer and when I asked you if you were worried about your cell phone increasing your risk of getting cancer, most of you said no.

The latest news? Well it doesn't get more legit than the World Health Organization, who have been working on a ten-year investigation called Interphone to see if there were any correlations between prolonged cell phone use and brain tumors. According to CNN the study will be published by the end of the year, and did reveal that those who had cell phones for 10 years or longer had the strongest risk of tumors.

And another recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology supports the link between cell phone use and tumors as well. The CNN article states:

Studies that looked at people who had used cell phones 10 years or longer tended to find the strongest risk of tumors. Researchers found that cell phone users had a 10 percent to 30 percent higher risk than people who barely, if ever, used this technology.

They also touch on Bluetooth devices, which aren't as harmful, but could cause tumors if worn on your ear all day. I don't know about you, but whenever I know I'm going to have a long cell phone conversation, I make sure to pop in my ear piece (not a Bluetooth) so that my phone isn't glued to my head for a couple of hours.

What do you think? Would you consider changing your cell phone habits after learning about these findings?

List Calls Out Cells That Emit Most and Least Radiation

GeekSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:25:06 -0700

We've heard talking on a cell phone before bed can result in health complications. We've heard that germs on cell phones can cause rashes. And about half of GeekSugar readers worry about their phone causing cancer or other health issues. We use our phones daily - sometimes for hours on end - but how bad is the radiation really?

The Environmental Working Group has crafted a list ranking more than 1,000 cell phones according to the radiation levels they emit. The list is based on technical data provided by the manufacturers.To see the top 10 best and worst rated phones (and more importantly, check where your cell stands), read more.

Lowest Radiation Phones	Highest Radiation Phones
1. Samsung Impression (SGH-a877) [AT&T]	1. Motorola MOTO VU204 [Verizon Wireless]
2. Motorola RAZR V8 [CellularONE]	2. T-Mobile myTouch 3G [T-Mobile]
3. Samsung SGH-t229 [T-Mobile]	3. Kyocera Jax S1300 [Virgin Mobile]
4. Samsung Rugby (SGH-a837) [AT&T]	4. Blackberry Curve 8330 [Sprint, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS]
5. Samsung Propel Pro (SGH-i627) [AT&T]	5. Motorola W385 [U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless]
6. Samsung Gravity (SGH-t459) [CellularONE, T-Mobile]	6. T-Mobile Shadow [T-Mobile]
7. T-Mobile Sidekick [T-Mobile]	7. Motorola C290 [Sprint, Kajeet]
8. LG Xenon (GR500) [AT&T]	8. Motorola i335 [Sprint]
9. Motorola Karma QA1 [AT&T]	9. Motorola MOTO VE240 [Cricket, MetroPCS]
10. Sanyo Katana II [Kajeet]	10. Blackberry Bold 9000 [AT&T]

Kelly Ripa Kicks Off a Text-a-Thon For Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

GeekSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:36:38 -0700

It only makes sense that daytime talk-show host Kelly Ripa - a self-proclaimed iPhone addict - is teaming up with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund to help raise awareness during Ovarian Cancer Month with a text-a-thon!

Throughout the rest of the month, Kelly will be encouraging people to help fund research for a cure by donating money by either texting "Kelly" to 85944 or by visiting Kelly Confidential.

I'm sure Kelly will keep us posted on the text-a-thon progress via her new favorite microblogging site - Twitter!

Testing Out the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach

GeekSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:50:45 -0700

In my opinion, achieving a sense of general well-being includes three vital components: incorporating a balanced and nutritious diet into your lifestyle, getting regular exercise, and getting enough sleep. Not surprisingly, most people are lacking in one or all of these areas, which is why I am thrilled to tell you about this new device that acts as your personal sleep coach - because we all know if we don't get enough sleep, diet and exercise tend to be the last things on our minds.

Based on academic articles within sleep science and designed in conjunction with sleep scientists, the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach is a four-part system which includes a headband, a bedside display, an interactive website, and a seven-step sleep fitness program. Its purpose is to measure your sleep patterns and give you tools to help improve your sleep by educating you on how you're actually sleeping. It's not some magical sleep doctor in a box, but it is pretty cool.

To keep reading about my first few experiences with Zeo and to see some more photos of the device, just read more.

If you're already thinking, "Huh?" let me explain. The way it works is you wear the wireless headband to bed, and with its sensor technology, your sleep patterns will be tracked and transmitted to your bedside Zeo clock. You can see me wearing the headband below - it's really not that bad once you get used to it, just make sure on your first night you're really tired and it's the weekend so you can slowly adjust!

After a night of wearing the headband (it fell off my first night, although I learned I could pull my ponytail right through the back strap), you can read the bedside display to see a sleep graph which summarizes your pattern of sleep phases each night (like total amount of REM, and light, and deep sleep, which is broken down into hours, minutes, and percentages), and your ZQ score. I think the best part of this entire trial run was the excitement of waking up to read the graph - and check out my ZQ score, naturally! It's funny because my highest score (usually around 110) would be on the weekends (they say your ZQ can range from 0-120). The fact that I was completely tuckered out from the week before, and relaxed because it was the weekend, made for some ideal sleeping conditions.

Zeo also comes with a SD memory card that will load all of the info from your headband onto it (when you dock your headband), which you can then upload onto your computer to your web-based personal sleep account. The Zeo's seven-step fitness program will then analyze your sleep patterns and lifestyle (like exercise, diet, stress, and environment), and recommend techniques, tools, and tips to address the issues that may be affecting your sleep. The program is intended to be completed within eight to 12 weeks.

The Zeo also includes a neat feature called the SmartWake Alarm which will look for a moment when you transition into and out of REM sleep when the brain is highly active. Therefore Zeo may wake you as early as half an hour before your set wake-up time, but it will never wake you up later than your actual alarm time. Because the Zeo costs $399, you'll be happy to know that this is one fancy schmancy alarm clock. Even if you're not using the headband, the alarm clock itself includes settings to adjust its brightness, and it offers relaxing alarm sounds to make the wake-up process a little less startling.

Overall, I give the Zeo a nice four out of five stars. As I said, it's not some magical sleep doctor that's going to cure insomniacs or people with major snoring issues, but it is going to educate you on your sleep style and give you some helpful suggestions for improving your sleep. Note to self: no more gadgets in the bedroom!

View 5 Photos ›

GymPost Finds Fitness Centers Near You

GeekSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:30:15 -0700

Tis' the season to want to get in shape and although I'm already participating in the EA Sports Active Fitness Challenge, I don't think it hurts to make regular trips to the gym, too. I already have a gym membership, but sometimes I like to check out other gyms and switch it up a bit. A site called GymPost will show you all of the sport centers and fitness centers in your area (it includes cities in both the US and Canada) by simply entering your location. The site also provides info for each fitness club when you click on the colored marker. Too bad working out wasn't this easy!

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Period Tracker App Tracks Your, You Know, on Your iPhone

GeekSugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:30:17 -0700

Ladies, holla: The iPhone is an excellent tool for a woman who's as organized as a girl scout, but organization is not limited to keeping your schedule of appointments and dinners in order, no no - sometimes you need to keep track of when ol' Aunt Flo is coming (and going).

The Period Tracker App costs $2 and is the ultimate menstrual mentor. You enter in your info, and it tracks your cycles, letting you keep notes about your activities and well being, all the while using twee 'lil hearts and flowers to denote important days (to be fair, "ovulation" would be too long to fit in those boxes).

Don't have an iPhone but still need a period tracker? Use the website Mon.thly for free.

Daily Tech: Second Android Phone Coming This Summer

GeekSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:40:06 -0700

It's confirmed: the next Android phone by HTC is on its way. - Gizmodo

President Obama is putting cybersecurity at the top of his priority list. - USA Today

Hulu's Desktop application offers a nice interface to view Hulu movies. - Switched

Samsung is gearing up to debut a new handset on June 15. - The Boy Genius Report

Google launches Local Business Center to help business owners integrate listings on Google. - Google Blog

Twitter may soon be adding location data to tweets. - The Silicon Alley Insider

Constantly on your cell and suffer from arm pain? You may have cell phone elbow. - CNN Health

Spi Gadget Belt Bag - Fanny Pack or Useful Accessory?

GeekSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 06:00:29 -0700

Look, I'm not about to condone fanny packs, and I definitely recognize that the Spi Gadget Belt Bag ($20), meant to carry your cell phone or iPod, looks, well, related to the much maligned bags.

The thing is, though, it looks like the perfect workout accessory. I run, and if it's cold out, I put my iPhone in my jacket, but if it's warm, I have to wear it in my armband, which is pretty uncomfortable. This could solve my, and every iPod, cell phone, or iPhone-toting gym-goer's problem.

Of course, I don't want to end up on this list either. Dilemma!

Personal Trainer: Walking Hits Stores May 26

GeekSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:30:15 -0700

Nintendo is really trying to get us in shape for Summer! Set to make its official debut on May 26 here in the US, Personal Trainer: Walking works by sending data between a wireless activity pedometer (which you can place anywhere - even inside a bag!) and the infrared game card in your Nintendo DS or DSi to track your walking progress.

Your DS will record your daily step count, minute by minute, so you can always go back and see your activity level. And because the card can store up to five years of records, you'll see if you're improving from year to year!

Personal Trainer: Walking costs $49.99.