GeekSugar

Daily Tech: Refurbed TiVo HD DVRs Now $199

GeekSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:11:39 -0700

At $199 for a refurbished TiVo HD DVR, it's hard to to pass up this deal. - CrunchGear
RIM to soon release a new version of BlackBerry Messenger. - The Boy Genius Report
Google Calendar will soon be getting some nifty Google gadgets. - Mashable
The CTO and director for technology in the White House tests out the Palm Pre. - Switched
Apple's new unibody MacBook Pro is said to deliver eight hours of battery life. . . wow! - Macrumors
This bar-inspired workstation is simplistic and modern chic. - Unplggd
Olympus will be announcing this vintage style E-P1 camera tomorrow. - Gizmodo

Olympus Tough 8000 Dares You to Abuse It

GeekSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:50 -0800

Although I was smitten by the bright and rugged Olympus Stylus 790 SW I was still afraid that I would drop it on a recent skiing trip, and shatter it to pieces. That or end up cracking the screen while hiking in the sierras. Either way, I was still gingerly handling this baby like it was made of glass.

Certainly, I'm sure I'd feel that way about any gadget, but the newest edition to the Olympus family wants you to know it can take a beating.

The 12 megapixel Olympus Tough 8000 has a name that says it all - tough. Waterproof up to 33 feet (hello scuba diving!), freezeproof up to 14 degrees, and crushproof up to 220 pounds, this is the true take-anywhere-cause-it-still-fits-in-your-pocket digital camera. Plus, you can drop this baby all day long, and it won't break, since it has a 6.6 foot drop threshold. If you want a camera that is going to stand the test of time, this is the one. Don't get me wrong, it's an investment at $400 dollars, but it's sure to be worth it.

Olympus Retro Micro Four Thirds Camera: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:00:06 -0700

Yesterday, Olympus showed off its concept for the new Micro Four Thirds camera, and to channel Borat: Wowaweewah! It has never been a secret how much I love vintage geek, but this is a brand-spankin' new camera (and not even Steampunked!)! The intersection is brilliant, beautiful, and appreciated.

No pricing, specs, or availability were announced yet, so I am eagerly awaiting that stuff, but in the meantime, tell me what you think of it - is it a hot throwback or is it too reminiscent of those old Woodie station wagons?

Olympus Waterproof Cam Permits Wet 'n Wild Photo Fun

GeekSugar — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:05:05 -0700

I've already touched on a few waterproof cameras in my waterproof gadgets slideshow, but here's a newbie that should have made the list! The bright and bold Olympus Stylus Waterproof Digital Cam, (they advertise it as being orange, but it's totally yellow), offers 7.1-megapixels, a beautiful 2.5-inch LCD screen for viewing your pics and waterproof capabilities down to 10 feet. And the price tag? $257 - the perfect Summer gadget!

5 Awesome Newlywed Gadgets to Splurge On

GeekSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:06:21 -0700

Now that you're Mr. and Mrs., you'll want to invest in a few things for your new lives together. And where better to start than in the electronics department? I've talked at length about the benefits of having a small and compact camera around to capture great memories, and the Flip UltraHD, as well as the new (and oh-so-stylish) Olympus EP-1 fit the bill quite nicely. Of course, the pair of LCD screens are a nice touch (a waterproof number for your bathroom, and a 42-inch model for your living room), and although the George Foreman Indoor/Outdoor Grill is pretty low tech, I think it's fit for any geek-chic apartment or house out there. May you enjoy your steaks well-done for many years to come!

How Many Megapixels Does Your Camera Have?

GeekSugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:31:59 -0700

Are you a megapixel hoarder, just waiting for them to up the total in your next new digital camera? Well, exec Akira Watanabe of Olympus says that 12 megapixels is plenty - "enough for covering most applications most customers need."

I have to agree with him, especially that considering once you get to a certain point, the average person doesn't need that many megapixels, considering what most people end up doing with their photos.

I get wonderful quality out of the 6 of my little point-and-shoot, and beautiful, rich photos with the 10 of my DSLR.

I doubt this declaration will put any cap on the rising number though (megapixels being the high-thread count in the digital photography world), but now I'm curious - how many megapixels does your digital camera have? Do you want more?

Source

De-Coding the Fashion Camera

GeekSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:00:56 -0700

We've all seen the shiny candy colored cameras lined up at your local electronic stores' display shelves, ripe for the picking. Those colors! I know what you're thinking: It would match perfectly with my bag/shoes/iPod/insert accessory here. But what are these cameras made up of, other than flashy and oh-so-tempting exteriors? We'll divide and conquer five different models, learning the pros and cons of each so you get the camera you'll love and one that fits your needs too. Plus, explain what all the techie jargon means, so you can actually have a convo with the sales guy, and not just look like a deer in the headlights. Keep in mind, all of these beauties have at least 8-megapixels for super clear prints, as well as 3x optical zoom when you're ready for your close ups!

View Slideshow ›

Daily Tech: HP's Latest Blu-Ray Drive Is Total Eye Candy

GeekSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:30:03 -0700

HP's new dv2 ultraslim notebook comes with this shiny, sleek, and sexy external Blu-ray drive. - CrunchGear
Here's another tool for Twitter addicts. A new service called Birdhouse acts as a place for you to store your tweets before you post them online. - Boing Boing
Pick up an Olympus Stylus 830 8-megapixel digital camera today for only $99 (in silver or orange). That's $150 off the regular price. - Switched
The Nikon D5000, which offers 11-point autofocus, a 3200 ISO, movie image editing, and a 2.7-inch LCD screen, is coming out in Japan on May 1 and will cost $830. That means it may just make its way to the US by the Fall or Winter. - Gizmodo
This robotic table, which was created by UK designer Chris Murphy, is perfect for those who constantly need tables that vary in height. . . one for eating, working, playing, you get the point! - Unplggd

LittleBigPlanet Takes Four Developers Choice Awards at GDC

GeekSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:00:18 -0700

Although it wasn't your favorite game of last year, we all know that LittleBigPlanet is an amazing (and adorable) game. So it's only natural that at this year's Game Developers Conference, it was rewarded with four Game Developers Choice awards including Best Game Design, Best Technology, Best Debut, and Innovation.

Those little sackboys worked their way into our hearts, and personally, I still can't get enough of them! Also taking home awards are Fallout 3 for Best Writing, and Dead Space for Best Audio. I can totally agree with that last one - have you played Dead Space yet? It's pretty darn creepy and the sounds definitely add something to the game. However, I am a bit disappointed that Patapon didn't take the award for Best Handheld (it went to God of War: Chains of Olympus), as it was by far my favorite PSP game of last year. But hey, I guess I'm partial.

Geeky Girl We Love: Kate of Apartment Therapy

GeekSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:00:04 -0700

CasaSugar and I share an appreciation for Apartment Therapy, a network of sites that's all about making small spaces more livable, hip and beautiful. In the past few months, I’ve fallen in love with the network’s Home Tech section, which features great tips, tricks and gizmos that will enhance your tech life without costing you a bundle or taking up too much space (we don’t all live in homes that can fit giant home theaters, right!).

Home Tech’s editor, Kate Mulinix, is just as lovable as the site. She claims she has appreciated good design in small spaces ever since the Barbie bus of her childhood. From her appreciation and understanding of good design, as well as the ability to articulate why it was so, came work in the advertising business when she was six-years-old, writing copy and designing the ads. Technology and the newest tools to increase productivity must run in her blood, as her father had one of the first portable computers that eventually became her first computer, one of the first cell phones (heavy enough to be a boat anchor), and GPS long before it became mainstream.

Kate has been the editor on Apartment Therapy's Home Tech site since it launched in March. I recently tracked her down to interview her about all things geeky. To check out the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: What element of Home Tech or technology in general interests you the most?
Kate: The best part about my AT:HT gig is being able to connect people with meaningful things that are well-designed and improve the quality of their lives. That's the entire premise of what we do, and though we occasionally divert from that premise to bring news like the Mobile Phone Throwing Competition to our readers, or the coolest, oddest, or most expensive prototype out there, our sweet spot is where technology, design, usefulness and home intersect.

Geeksugar: Do you use a PC or Mac?
Kate: PC, but my next one will likely be a Mac

Geeksugar: How many hours are you online everyday?
Kate: About six, spread out over the course of the day; one-half to two-thirds is for researching and writing for AT:HT. I have a full-time, non-internet-based job besides AT:HT, so I can't be as involved as I would like in all things Apartment Therapy.

Geeksugar: Your first computer was a ...
Kate: Corona PPC-440, billed as a "portable" computer…weighing in at 40 pounds!

Geeksugar: How many gadgets do you carry in your purse? What are they?
Kate: Cell, Compaq iPaq (old PDA, until I upgrade), red iPod Nano, Olympus FE-190 digital camera

Geeksugar: What's a practical home tech or computer tip you use all the time?
Kate: If you have a laptop, stash multiple wireless, laser mice in multiple locations so you don't have to worry about carting around one more thing.

Geeksugar: What are some of your favorite websites/websites that inspire you?
Kate: All of the Apartment Therapy sites, but especially NY and Green. Plus, MoCo Loco, Danny Seo's blog and Dooce.

Geeksugar: How many blog feeds are in your RSS reader?
Kate: I'm old-fashioned when it comes to my RSS reader and don't use it because I like the visual piece of the blogs I read that doesn't come through on the RSS reader. Instead, I use the links on AT:HT's homepage, and my other favorites are planted under the address bar and above the tabs within Firefox. I read about 10 with regularity (usually daily or every-other-day), and another 10-15 semi-regularly (once a week), though I'm also not afraid to go from site to site to site as I'm linked through.

Geeksugar: Who do you think are the top 3 sexiest male geeks in the world?
Kate: My husband, Jonathan; Jon Armstrong, husband of Dooce; and Ryan Opina, a fellow AT:HT editor.

Geeksugar: And sexiest female geeks?
Kate: Heather Armstrong, aka Dooce (her humor kills me every time), Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Kelly Goodman, a fellow AT:HT editor.

Geeksugar: How do you feel about being called a "geek" or "techie"?
Kate: Geek=cool, in the tech blog world, so I'm all over that one! However, in the rest of the world, they still haven't picked up that geek=cool, so they don't yet know how cool I am. I'm just waiting for the inevitable throngs of fans to pick up on this.

Geeksugar: What is your main goal for Home Tech? What do you want your readers to get when they visit?
Kate: I want readers to be able to integrate technology in a way that will improve the quality of their lives, not just have a gadget for the sake of having it. Technology for the home has too much potential, especially when combined with great design, to miss out on the opportunities arriving all the time.

Geeksugar: What is one item you've featured that you had to purchase?
Kate: Haven't purchased it yet, but will when it becomes available I want the Solarjo "Power Purse". It's a handbag with the ability to recharge your gadgets via solar power (the panels are the pattern on the outside of the handbag) feeding the USB port inside. Next phone and camera will definitely have to be USB-rechargeable.

Geeksugar: What's the most useless thing you've featured?
Kate: It's probably useful to someone (see the comment on the post), but I don't want to be talking to someone through my pillow as I'm drifting off to sleep except if I were in a long-distance relationship while in college: perCushion Cell Phone Cushion.

Geeksugar: Did you buy an iPhone?
Kate: Nope. 97 percent of my calls are on the Verizon network, so I'm sticking with that, for now, because then they're "free." If someone hacks it for the Verizon network, then I'd seriously consider.