http://geektrio.net Whats happening in the world of technology? Thu, 17 May 2012 17:55:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Geek Trio Geek Trio Whats happening in the world of Technology 3 Geeks with a roundtable style podcast Technology, IT, Mac, Windows, Linux No Geek Trio admin@geektrio.net http://geektrio.net/?p=12587 http://geektrio.net/?p=12587#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 15:22:21 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12587 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12587 0 Geek TrioVerizon puts and end to their unlimited data plans.In the smartphone age, everyone wants mobile data. Cellular providers have changed their data plans and pricing structures more times than you can count. Late last year, AT&T announced that they would start throttling their top data users. Verizon stopped offering unlimited data plans to new customers, but continued to honored them for their existing customers. However, their latest announcement indicates the unlimited data plan has gone the way of the dodo. Starting this summer, everyone will be forced to discontinue their unlimited plan when they purchase a new phone. We all knew this day way coming... but I'm sure a lot of Verizon customers are not happy about it. http://geektrio.net/?p=12576 http://geektrio.net/?p=12576#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 18:50:54 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12576 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12576 0 Geek TrioIt's an exciting upcoming weekend for space fanatics.This weekend is sure to be an exciting one for fans of the cosmos. On Saturday morning, SpaceX will make history as they pilot the first commercial spaceflight to ISS. The mission was originally scheduled for late April, but has had a few delays. Based on recent reports, it looks like all systems are go for Saturday's launch. Then, on Sunday evening, people in East Asia and the Western US will be able to see a rare annular solar eclipse. This is the type of eclipse that appears as ring of fire in the sky. http://geektrio.net/?p=12562 http://geektrio.net/?p=12562#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 14:58:23 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12562 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12562 0 Geek TrioNew lighter thinner Macbook Pros may be right around the corner.Yesterday, 9to5Mac posted specs about next generation of MacBook Pro laptops from Apple. According to their sources, these updated laptops will feature the new Intel Ivy Bridge quad core chips and will be lighter and thinner than the current MacBook Pro models. The mock up shown above depicts the new series, left, and the current series, right. In addition to the speed bump, they will feature Apple's super sharp Retina display (used on the iPhone 4 and iPad 3). Allegedly, these new laptops will also be equipped with USB 3.0 ports, in addition to the Thunderbolt ports found on the current models. There is no word yet on the price point, but most are speculating it will remain the same. All in all, this is expected to be a big update for potential MacBook customers. http://geektrio.net/?p=12551 http://geektrio.net/?p=12551#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 19:19:41 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12551 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12551 0 Geek TrioThe latest and greatest HTC phone comes to Sprint stores this week.HTC and Android fans pay attention! The latest and greatest version of HTC's popular Evo line of smartphones will arrive at Sprint stores this week. Similar to the HTC One X, the $199 Evo 4G LTE will feature a 4.7" LCD display and will run Android 4. At the heart of this phone is a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. It will be the first model to feature Sprint's new HD Voice technology, which greatly reduces background noise and interference during calls. Like the previous Evo 4G and Evo 3D releases, this one is expected to draw a big crowd on release day. http://geektrio.net/?p=12454 http://geektrio.net/?p=12454#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:07 +0000 Mike http://geektrio.net/?p=12454 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12454 0 Geek TrioIs the cat alive, or dead, or both?Okay... back on track this week... :) Like last week's GOTW, this week's geek is also one of the early contributors to Quantum Mechanics: Erwin Schroedinger. Mr.  Scroedinger won the Nobel prize for physics in 1933 for the equation that now bears his name. This equation is considered to be a real breakthrough in the field of quantum mechanics, and indeed in all of physics. It is celebrated as one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century. He is perhaps more well known for his Schroedinger's cat thought experiment. The scenario presents a cat that might be alive or dead, depending on an earlier random event. Although the original "experiment" was imaginary, similar principles have been researched and used in practical applications. The thought experiment is also often featured in theoretical discussions of the interpretation of quantum mechanics. I think that anyone that can come up with this and also win the nobel prize for physics, and have an equation named after him is well deserving to be named our Geek of the Week. http://geektrio.net/?p=12542 http://geektrio.net/?p=12542#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 13:53:45 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12542 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12542 0 Geek TrioFacebook is getting into the app business now.Social networking giant Facebook recently announced plans to develop an app store. However, they are not going to use it to distribute their own apps. Instead, the Facebook version will be an app aggregator. Users can use this store to find the best iOS, Android, WP7, and even desktop PC apps through a single interface. It will be fully integrated with Facebook's frameworks, so user's will be able to like, dislike, and comment on every app. http://geektrio.net/?p=12508 http://geektrio.net/?p=12508#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 13:34:23 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12508 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12508 0 Geek TrioSub-$100 WP7 devices are on the market.After a lot of speculation, Nokia released the Lumia 900 last month. At $99 retail, it was the least expensive WP7-powered device to date. Earlier this week, Samsung unveiled the Focus 2 smartphone (shown above). This was Samsung's first 4G Windows phone and it retails at a mere $50 (with 2 year contract). Both of these handsets run Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 (WP7) OS and both are available on the AT&T network. This move has left the tech world wondering... which is the better sub-$100 Windows Phone? It also begs the question... how cheap are Windows phones going to get? We may see FREE WP7 handsets in the future if sales don't pick up. It also shows that Samsung is not content to watch Nokia be the "big dog" in this niche. http://geektrio.net/?p=12499 http://geektrio.net/?p=12499#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 08:06:38 +0000 Admin http://geektrio.net/?p=12499 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12499 0 Geek TrioEpisode #56.In this episode, we discuss Blackberry OS 10, the new Avengers movie in theaters, and Google's self-driving cars. This episode is sponsored by Funny Or Die. Download Episode 56 http://geektrio.net/?p=12492 http://geektrio.net/?p=12492#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 00:42:27 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12492 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12492 1 Geek TrioThe Avengers had a huge opening weekend... despite piracy.For the last several years, the MPAA has preached about piracy and how much money is being lost in the movie industry. This past weekend The Avengers was released in theaters. The movie earned over $200 million during it's first weekend making it the most successful movie opening ever. What's interesting about this situation is that it was also one of the most pirated movies to date. Despite the piracy, the box office attendance set a record. This article makes some good points about why piracy doesn't affect box office sales at all. They make the comparison that seeing a camcorder copy of a movie on the internet affects box office attendance in the same way that a concert video makes you want to never see the performer on stage. It's just hype. Oh MPAA... we don't believe you. http://geektrio.net/?p=12480 http://geektrio.net/?p=12480#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 13:46:58 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12480 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12480 0 Geek TrioIt looks like HP is going after the MacBook Air.The ultrabook craze is definitely upon us. Since the CES expo this past January, several hardware manufacturers have released new smaller lightweight laptop computers. Intel even made an announcement about all the ultrabooks in the pipeline. Everyone appears to be targeting potential MacBook Air customers. HP already has several ultrabooks on the market, but now they're lowering the prices to be even more competitive. For instance, HP's Folio 13 is currently selling for $798 at Best Buy. This ultrabook is no slouch either. It comes equipped with a 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, a 13" LCD display, 4 GB of RAM, and a 128 GB SSD. HP also announced several new ultrabooks this week, including the all new Envy Spectre XT (shown above), some starting as low as $749. One thing is clear, HP is aggressively targeting Apple, and with these prices... they may be somewhat successful. That does raise and interesting question though. Can MacBook Air shoppers be persuaded to buy a Windows box based solely on price? What do you think? http://geektrio.net/?p=12468 http://geektrio.net/?p=12468#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 13:55:25 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12468 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12468 0 Geek TrioGoogle's robot cars may be on the road sooner than you think.Back in 2010, we reported that Google was working on an autonomous vehicle. Indeed they are, and indeed the vehicle just passed a milestone test. Google's autonomous vehicle recently earned it's driver's license... literally. The state of Nevada gave the vehicle a standard driving test, the same they would administer to any 16 year old, and the vehicle passed. So, Google's "robot car" is licensed to drive on Nevada roads. Wow! That's amazing! Are robot cars the way of the future? http://geektrio.net/?p=12451 http://geektrio.net/?p=12451#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 19:51:44 +0000 Mike http://geektrio.net/?p=12451 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12451 1 Geek TrioFounding member of CERN, and modeler of the atom.Filling in for Ron this week... This weeks geek is one of the founders of CERN (think Large Hadron Collider) and Nobel Prize winning physicist, Niels Bohr.  Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr mentored and collaborated with many of the top physicists of the century at his institute in Copenhagen. He was part of the British team of physicists working on the Manhattan Project. Bohr has been described as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. He won the Nobel prize for his contributions to the understanding of the structure of atoms and the radiation that is emitted from them. The Bohr model of the atom is still in use today, as is his shell model. The Bohr model shows the different and unique orbits of electrons around the nucleus, and the shell model relates the chemical properties given to the atom by the arrangements of the electrons in the outermost shell of the atom. Niels Bohr, genius, Nobel Prize winner, and now Geek of the Week. http://geektrio.net/?p=12440 http://geektrio.net/?p=12440#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 14:37:39 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12440 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12440 0 Geek TrioThere are a lot of rumors flying about the next iPhone.According to Forbes.com, this is confirmed and not a rumor. However, we are still considering it a rumor until Apple confirms it. In any case, the next iPhone (possibly called iPhone 5) will reportedly be thinner, longer, and sport a redesigned dock connector. The width is reported to be nearly identical, but the supposed length increase is caused by a larger screen. The new dock connector is supposed to be smaller and  thinner. These dimensions and images come from a known reliable source, but Apple has declined comment in reference to the claims. It seems feasible to me. ILounge.com has created a mock up (shown above) of the new iPhone compared to an iPhone 4S. In addition to the larger size, you can also see a new metal panel on the back of the phone. http://geektrio.net/?p=12431 http://geektrio.net/?p=12431#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 13:22:32 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12431 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12431 0 Geek TrioFacebook's IPO shares will sell for $28 - $35 each.Earlier this year, Facebook announced their upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO). Yesterday, they confirmed the price range for IPO shares to be between $28 to $35 each. Run the numbers, and you'll quickly see this could result in a total of up to $11.8 Billion! Compare that to Google's 2004 IPO of $1.7 Billion and it's clear that Facebook is most lucrative Internet-based company ever. Who saw that coming? http://geektrio.net/?p=12421 http://geektrio.net/?p=12421#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 14:26:41 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12421 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12421 1 Geek TrioOriginally scheduled for last month, it is now delayed until next week.SpaceX was planning to launch the world's first commercial flight to the International Space Station (ISS) late last month. Unfortunately, they have experienced several delays. The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket is now set for Monday May 7. SpaceX is optimistic about this date and hopes this will be the last delay. http://geektrio.net/?p=12414 http://geektrio.net/?p=12414#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 18:39:35 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12414 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12414 0 Geek TrioRIM gave the world a preview of their next mobile OS.Its no secret that RIM has been trailing both iOS and Android for quite some time. The company has been touting it's next OS, Blackberry 10, for several months. RIM claims the new OS will put them on par with other mobile operating systems. The tech would has been awaiting demos, but not seen any... until today. RIM's latest and greatest mobile platform is now available to developers. In addition, they gave a detailed overview and demonstration at their annual developer conference. It looks promising! The phones have a new look, similar to the iPhone and the overall OS received an Android-like makeover. Unfortunately, current BlackBerry phones will not be compatible with the new OS. RIM expects Blackberry 10 handsets to be in stores by Fall. http://geektrio.net/?p=12404 http://geektrio.net/?p=12404#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 13:42:50 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12404 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12404 0 Geek TrioMicrosoft has struck a deal with Barnes & Nobel.Yesterday morning, Microsoft made an odd announcement. The software giant revealed details about a new partnership with Barnes & Nobel. Evidently, the upcoming Nook series of e-readers will be powered by Windows 8 and not Android. As part of Microsoft's new unified ecosystem strategy, Microsoft cited plans to support e-readers. Apparently, this announcement was what they had up their sleeve. http://geektrio.net/?p=12310 http://geektrio.net/?p=12310#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:13:08 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12310 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12310 0 Geek TrioThe father of modern photojournalism.Henri Cartier-Bresson was born in France just before the onset of World War I. His obsession with photography began at a young age when he was given a Brownie box camera by his parents. In his teenage years, he attended art school where he learned to paint and became enchanted with Cubism. In his twenties, Cartier-Bresson enrolled at Cambridge University and studied English, Art, and Literature. He served in the French army shortly after graduating, around the time of World War II. When his military service was complete, Cartier-Bresson renewed his interest in photography and purchased his first Leica 35mm camera. He used this camera to develop his candid "street photography" style. His black & white photos (some of which are shown above and below) were quickly revered worldwide and Cartier-Bresson began booking exhibits all over Europe as well the United States. Needless to say, he made photography into a career. He traveled the globe and even published a book, Decisive Moment, in 1952. Ironically, every major college photography program cites this book to this day, and it is still included in many University's curriculum. It has become a "bible" to photojournalists everywhere. Because of his trailblazing style and talent, Cartier-Bresson is considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. Many photographers refer to him as the master of the decisive moment. He died in 2004 (at age 95), but his work continues to tour the world in museum exhibits. In fact, Carier-Bresson's photographs were on display at both New York's Museum of Modern Art and Chicago's Art Institute in 2010. His traveling retrospective is currently on display in Austria. His contributions to photojournalism, like his legacy, will last forever. Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you Henri Cartier-Bresson... our 128th geek of the week. http://geektrio.net/?p=12395 http://geektrio.net/?p=12395#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:15:43 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12395 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12395 0 Geek TrioA fully functional digital camera made of cardboard? Yes!Earlier this month, IKEA announced plans to begin integrating home electronics into their furniture. Now they've made the tech news again... twice in one month, but this time its for something far more simple. IKEA just unveiled a cardboard digital camera known as KNAPPA. It literally is made of cardboard, but is still fully featured. The device is powered by 2 AA batteries and holds approximately 40 photos on the internal memory card. Excited to buy one? Well... too bad. They won't be selling the KNAPPA in stores. They will however be giving small quantities away at selected stores. The idea is to use your KNAPPA to take pictures of your other IKEA products and upload them to the company's community site. http://geektrio.net/?p=12380 http://geektrio.net/?p=12380#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:05:10 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12380 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12380 0 Geek TrioNetgear's R6300 wireless router arrives next month.Netgear is planning to ship their new R6300 router next month for an estimated retail price of $199. This is their next generation WiFi system with 802.11AC technology, which is said to be 3 times faster than the current 802.11N standard. Needless to say, 802.11AC will be backwards compatible with 802.11B/G/N. This will be the first router of its kind on the market, and it is being dubbed pre-standardization. Which either means it is destined for greatness... or destined to fail. In other words, the 802.11AC standard has not been finalized yet. This is Netgear's opinion of what the standard will be. Linksys, DLink, and others will likely follow with pre-standardization routers of their own. http://geektrio.net/?p=12369 http://geektrio.net/?p=12369#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:33:56 +0000 Admin http://geektrio.net/?p=12369 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12369 0 Geek TrioEpisode #55. Nokia posts a negative quarter, Google Drive arrives, and WWDC is coming.In this episode, we discuss Nokia's recent numbers, Google Drive, and make some WWDC predictions. This episode is sponsored by Wacom. Download Episode 55 http://geektrio.net/?p=12362 http://geektrio.net/?p=12362#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:21:03 +0000 Mike http://geektrio.net/?p=12362 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12362 1 Geek TrioWWDC is coming... but tickets are already sold out.Apple has announced dates for its annual World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2012; June 11-15. It seems that it will be focused on Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and iOS. Will there be hardware announcements? New iPhone, iPad, Desktops, Laptops? Industrial redesign or speed bumps? Let the rumor mills commence! Oh and if you want tickets... too bad... it sold out in 2 hours! Amazing! http://geektrio.net/?p=12351 http://geektrio.net/?p=12351#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:30:29 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12351 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12351 1 Geek TrioGoogle's new DropBox competitor has arrived... finally.Last month, rumors were circulating that Google Drive, speculated since 2006, was almost ready. The rumors turned out to be true and Google Drive is now officially online. The service includes 5 GB of storage at no charge. If more storage is needed, Google offers 3 plans: 25 GB for $2.49 per month, 100 GB for a monthly charge of $4.99, or a staggering 1 TB for $49.99/month. Watch the video below to learn more. http://geektrio.net/?p=12340 http://geektrio.net/?p=12340#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:00:01 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12340 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12340 0 Geek TrioThe popular Sony handheld gaming device gets a VOIP client.Sony released the PS Vita earlier this year and it has been selling very well. Sony has an app store, similar to iOS and Android, but the majority of downloadable software is gaming related. Today, Skype has announced their popular VOIP software is coming to the PS Vita. It will be available for download later today. This is good new for PS Vita owners. Hopefully the interface is better than the Mac version. ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=12276 http://geektrio.net/?p=12276#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:15:55 +0000 Ron http://geektrio.net/?p=12276 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12276 0 Geek TrioThe founder and CEO of Spotify.Filling in for Mike this week... Recently new the to the US, music streaming service Spotify has taken the country by storm, courtesy of founder Daniel Ek. Previously the CEO of world renowned UTorrent, Ek founded Spotify in 2008. Spotify was originally a legal music streaming service that was widely available in the UK and Europe. When it came to US, it was an immediate hit and has since been integrated in Facebook to to give more mass appeal. Today, Spotify has millions of users worldwide and is one of the most popular steaming services on the web. http://geektrio.net/?p=12295 http://geektrio.net/?p=12295#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:37:25 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12295 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12295 0 Geek TrioFrogger is back... and this time its a real time experience.If you were alive during the 80's, you probably remember the arcade game Frogger. Well, now it's back... over 30 years later, but this time with improvements. Some gamers in New York have developed a version of the classic game that takes real time traffic data from Fifth Avenue and transfers it into the game. So you are, in essence, hopping across Fifth Avenue. The game's creators hope to get into the Art of Video Games exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute. Watch the video below to see how it works! http://geektrio.net/?p=12287 http://geektrio.net/?p=12287#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:06:08 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12287 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12287 0 Geek TrioNokia just posted their latest numbers... and they aren't good.Nokia posted their latest quarterly results earlier today. Unfortunately, the results showed a loss of $1.2 billion for Q1 of 2012. Everyone had high hopes for the new Microsoft/Nokia partnership, but so far, it does not look like something to be hopeful about. At the heart of this partnership is Microsoft's latest and greatest mobile OS, Windows Phone 7 (WP7). Looking to the future, Microsoft is hinging their mobile footprint on Windows 8, which will run on both PCs and mobile devices. Nokia is rumored to be producing Windows 8 tablets which will be available later this year. Hopefully Windows 8 will work out better for Nokia than WP7. :( http://geektrio.net/?p=12272 http://geektrio.net/?p=12272#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:18:27 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12272 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12272 0 Geek TrioNow this is cool!Home furnishings store IKEA has announced a new product line called UPPLEVA (the name comes from the Swedish word for experience). This new line of furniture will integrate LED TVs, speakers, WiFi routers, and CD/DVD/Blu Ray players all into one piece of furniture. All of the cables will run inside the furniture hiding the typical cable mess seen in most living rooms. Additionally, IKEA will integrate the electronics so they can all be controlled via a single remote, further eliminating coffee table clutter. Several models will be available featuring different sized TVs and different layouts. The UPPLEVA line goes on sale in Europe this month, but will not arrive in US stores until 2013. http://geektrio.net/?p=12248 http://geektrio.net/?p=12248#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:17:35 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12248 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12248 1 Geek TrioThe shuttle is making its final flight... on the back of a 747.NASA's most traveled space shuttle, Discovery, is flying again... well... sort of. It's being transported to it's final home on the back of NASA's shuttle carrier, a modified 747. Discovery, which made it's last space flight last year, will become a permanent fixture at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Before it's final landing however, NASA will fly over several of the tourist spots in Washington DC so everyone can see the spacecraft in the air one last time. Mike is in the DC area... maybe he'll catch a glimpse of it. ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=12238 http://geektrio.net/?p=12238#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:45:39 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12238 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12238 0 Geek TrioThe rumor mills are all fired up about this one again.Towards the end of 2011, all the tech sites were abuzz with Apple rumors. Amongst them was the notion of a smaller iPad coming in early 2012. The new "iPad mini", as it was being called, was expected to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Nobel's Nook Tablet. Apple released an updated iPad last month, but it not a smaller form factor as the rumors sites had hoped. Now, this rumor has again resurfaced... but this time with more substance. Allegdly, a Chinese news site leaked news of 6 million iPad units that are already in production. The rumor stated these iPads had a smaller form factor and were expected to sell for $249 or $299. Can this be true? Is this the year of the iPad mini... and just how "mini" will it be? Let the guessing begin. ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=12259 http://geektrio.net/?p=12259#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:27:50 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12259 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12259 0 Geek TrioIt's everyone's favorite 25 year old Hawaiian organ donor.Filling in for Ron this week... When we think of famous movie geeks, several come to mind. Farmer Ted from Sixteen Candles, Lewis Skolnik from Revenge of the Nerds, Milton Waddams from Office Space... the list goes on. One more recent geek icon should definitely be included in this list however... it's our favorite 25 year old Hawaiian organ donor from Superbad... McLovin. 18 year old McLovin (AKA Fogel) got a fake ID so he could buy beer for his friends. Instead of getting an ID that said he was 21, he decided he should get one that says he's 25, as a "strategy". Additionally, he doesn't even put a first name on the license, it's just McLovin. He also decides to fill out the organ donor section to make things even weirder. After being belittled by his friends, he attempts to use his fake ID, but gets caught in the middle of a robbery. The cops show up, but instead of busing him for his fake ID, they take him out for a night on the town. In the end, Fogel (AKA McLovin) ends up getting the girl and everyone ends up thinking he's a badass. Along the way though, he has quite an adventure. From bar fights to shooting up cop cars to finally meeting up with friends at a party, McLovin has the night of his life. If you've never seen Superbad... go watch it and learn about McLovin. You'll thank me. http://geektrio.net/?p=12230 http://geektrio.net/?p=12230#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:07:57 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12230 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12230 0 Geek TrioThe Pebble Smartwatch is available for pre-order.It's definitely the age of the mobile device. Smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and laptops are everywhere. Piggybacking on the popularity of iOS an dAndroid phones, Pebble recently unveiled the Smartwatch. This device has all the functions of a traditional watch, but also connects to your Android or iOS device via Bluetooth and interacts with the smartphone to display things like text alerts, appointments, and caller IDs for incoming calls. You can control your music from the Smartwatch as well, and there is an API so clever developers can create more interactive programs in the future. It is not yet shipping, but is expected to hit store shelves in September of this year. They will sell for $149, but you can pre-order them now through May 18th through Kickstarter (the link is above) at a price of $115. Is this just a clever gimick... or has the smartwatch officially arrived? http://geektrio.net/?p=12216 http://geektrio.net/?p=12216#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:48:08 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12216 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12216 0 Geek TrioB&N has again updated the popular Nook line of e-reader.Barnes & Nobel updated the popular Nook line of e-readers last May. Though they introduced the first color Nook in October of 2010, the official "Nook Tablet" arrived late last year and remains the only e-reader with HD video capability. Now B&N has thrown another jab at Amazon with their release of Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight. This model adds a backlight feature to the 6" e-ink screen allowing the e-reader to be used in dark rooms with ease. Despite the backlight, the battery in this new device is supposed to last for 1 month. Today's updates to the Nook product line includes several other changes as well. First the $79 Nook was dropped from the lineup. Now the $99 Nook Simple Touch is the entry-level model. The all new Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight retails for $139. Additionally, the Nook Color was dropped from $199 to $169, and the top-of-the line Nook Tablet now comes in two sizes, 8 GB and 16 GB. The former will sell for $199, while the latter will keep the original $249 price tag. Overall, this appears to be a strong lineup for Barnes & Nobel. Now... what do you suppose Amazon has up their sleeves? ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=12204 http://geektrio.net/?p=12204#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:36:56 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12204 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12204 0 Geek TrioIt appears that Intel is really pushing the Ultrabook form factor.Amongst the most popular items exhibited at CES 2012 were Ultrabooks. The name "Ultrabook" refers to a small lightweight laptop (sans optical drive) with the processing power of a full size laptop. Arguably, Apple's Macbook Air was the first real Ultrabook. In any case, Intel has been working on these mobile devices since May of last year. Earlier today, they announced 75 models are currently in the pipeline with prices starting at $699. They have given few details, but some are expected to be hybrid tablet/laptop designs. http://geektrio.net/?p=12195 http://geektrio.net/?p=12195#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:53:07 +0000 Admin http://geektrio.net/?p=12195 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12195 0 Geek TrioEpisode #54. Malware hits the Mac, $99 Windows Phones arrive, and Google unveils Project Glass.In this episode, we discuss the recent Mac malware debacle, Nokia's latest Windows Phone, and Project Glass. This episode is sponsored by Really Ghetto! Download Episode 54 http://geektrio.net/?p=12184 http://geektrio.net/?p=12184#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:40:32 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12184 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12184 0 Geek TrioMicrosoft has announced an official date for the end of Windows XP support.Over a decade after it's original release in October 2001, Windows XP is still Microsoft's most popular operating system. However, it's days are numbered... literally. Microsoft has announced an official end of support date for Windows XP, April 8, 2014. The countdown has begun. The world has less than two years to "get rid of" Windows XP. Alongside the XP announcement, Microsoft also declared the same date to be the end of support for Office 2003 (originally released in October 2003). This news follows the cessation of support for Windows 2000 and Windows XP versions prior to SP3 in July 2010. Windows XP fell below 50% market share last year, and many analysts expect Windows 7 to overtake it this year. It certainly appears that Microsoft is pushing Windows 7 as the way of the future, but it makes one wonder... what will become of Windows Vista? http://geektrio.net/?p=12174 http://geektrio.net/?p=12174#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:47:02 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12174 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12174 1 Geek TrioThe social networking giant has made another acquisition.Facebook is making headlines again, but this time it's for an acquisition. The social networking giant just purchased software start-up Instagram for $1 billion cash. Instagram is the company who makes the popular iOS/Android photo sharing app with the same name. While Facebook's photo sharing motives are obvious, the odd thing about this purchase is how quick Instagram became valuable. In February 2011, just over one year ago, the software company was valued at $30 million. The creators of Instagram are undoubtedly very pleased with this sale. They are now twenty-something millionaires. http://geektrio.net/?p=12162 http://geektrio.net/?p=12162#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:28:21 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12162 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12162 0 Geek TrioThe city of New York is replacing 250 phone booths with Smart Screens.The city of New York houses approximately 12,800 phone booths. Since the advent of the cellular phone, these booths have seen less and less use, so the city has a plan to bring them into the digital age. Over the next 30 days, 250 of New York's phone booths will become Smart Screens. So... what is a Smart Screen? It's a weatherproof 32" LCD display that allows users to interact via a touch interface. The screens will display information about the neighborhood including nearby restaurants, stores, events, landmarks, and emergency services. Eventually, the screens will also have integrated WiFi hot spots, and facilitate Skype calls. this is a pilot program to judge the public's interest.  If it catches on, all of NYC's phone booths will eventually become Smart Screens. http://geektrio.net/?p=12132 http://geektrio.net/?p=12132#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:57:03 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12132 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12132 0 Geek TrioOne of the world's leading cyber security experts.If you asked an information security professional to name some famous cryptographers, a few names stick out. The oldest, and probably most mentioned, is Leonardo Da Vinci. Looking to modern times however, people would probably reference Phil Zimmerman, or the brilliant trio behind RSA, Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman. Another name would likely be mentioned though, and that name is Bruce Schneier. Schneier, the current CSO for broadband provider BT, is considered to be one of the world's leading cyber security experts. He is also one of the world's most respected cryptographers. In addition to authoring several cryptographic algorithms (including Blowfish, Twofish, Solitaire, Helix, and more), Schneier has penned several security-related books. His first best seller, Applied Cryptography, has become a staple for information security communities all over the world. It is widely recognized as the best cryptography book ever written. Schneier has written many other best selling books including: Secrets and Lies, Beyond Fear, Liars and Outliers, Schneier on Security, and more. In addition to be a gifted cryptographer and author, he is also a fantastic speaker. Schneier regular speaks at industry events, and keeps an up-to-date list of his speaking engagements on his website. He has written a mess of essays for security publicatons, and maintains a blog site for his fans. Schneier even wrote a program to manage passwords known as Password Safe. He is, without a doubt, one of the most respected people in the global information security community, and one of the few to achieve "uber geek" status within this niche. So there you have it, Bruce Schneier, CSO, cryptographer, security guru, author, public speaker, blogger, programmer, and now... geek of the week. http://geektrio.net/?p=12119 http://geektrio.net/?p=12119#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:47:14 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12119 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12119 0 Geek TrioIs this the iPhone killer?Ever since rumors started about Microsoft partnering with Nokia last year, the world has been anxiously awaiting the "iPhone killer". Nokia's Lumia line arrived, and sales have been good... but not great. At MWC earlier this year, Microsoft unveiled the Lumia 900 (alongside AT&Ts 4GLTE network) which was expected to arrive in early April. This was touted as Microsoft's first valid iPhone competitor. The wait is now over and the Lumia 900 arrives at AT&T stores this weekend. The initial purchase price will be $99 with a 2 year contract. This puts the handset in the same price range as Apple's iPhone 4 (pre-4S model). All the tech sites have been comparing the two and the Lumia wins on paper... but will it win in the real world? http://geektrio.net/?p=12106 http://geektrio.net/?p=12106#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:47:09 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12106 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12106 2 Geek TrioPeople said it would never happen, but Mac malware has arrived.Earlier this week, security software firm Intego posted a press release about a piece of malware, known as Flashback, which affects Mac OS X. Yesterday, they published another article claiming over a half million Macs had already been infected by Flashback. Today, eWeek is claiming that number is actually over 600,000. Some experts estimate the number of affected systems may be even higher than that. Regardless of the actual number, this situation reminds us that every computing platform is vulnerable to malware. That includes Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and even iOS. The old adage of "Macs don't get viruses" is definitely a thing of the past. This is just another reminder of why it is important to protect yourself on the Internet! http://geektrio.net/?p=12094 http://geektrio.net/?p=12094#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:03:08 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12094 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12094 1 Geek TrioCheck out Google's new idea for augmented reality glasses.Google has unveiled their latest concept which is even wilder than the idea of self-driving cars. Their latest creation, called Project Glass, is a set of augmented reality glasses. While it seems strange that Google would be getting into the eye ware business, these glasses are like none you've ever seen. They would allow you to interact with Google's online services. What's more... you do it without needing a keyboard, mouse, joystick, or any type of controller. Watch the video below to see how it will work. This is pretty darn impressive! http://geektrio.net/?p=12069 http://geektrio.net/?p=12069#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:48:52 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12069 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12069 1 Geek TrioThe age of flying cars has arrived.A small aeronautics company named Terrafugia has been working on a flying car known as the Transtion. Despite the fact that the Dutch got there first, they recently completed a milestone test flight with one of their prototypes. The advantage of a street legal airplane  is that no hangar is necessary to house it. You can  fold the wings in, keep it in your garage, drive it to the airport, and then roll right out on to the runway for a flight. Once you arrive, you can repeat the process in reverse. Another cool feature is that the Transition burns regular gasoline, and has a range of 400 miles. The idea certainly has merit. Unfortunately, many see this endeavor as cost prohibitive at an estimated cost of $289,000 per vehicle. In any case, they are expected to go on sale within the next year. Will flying cars catch on? Watch the video below to learn more about the vehicle. http://geektrio.net/?p=12057 http://geektrio.net/?p=12057#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:53:57 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12057 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12057 0 Geek TrioIs this the way of the future for e-readers.According to CNet, LG is now producing flexible displays for e-readers. These have been rumored for a while, but they are now in production. Reportedly, this electronic paper display (EPD) has a resolution of 768 x 1024 and measures 6" diagonally. Though there are no official plans yet, it is expected that they will be used for e-books and e-publications. This could revolutionize the e-reader! http://geektrio.net/?p=12050 http://geektrio.net/?p=12050#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:54:20 +0000 Mike http://geektrio.net/?p=12050 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12050 2 Geek TrioIs this what SIRI is going to turn into?HAL 9000 is a character in Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction Space Odyssey saga. In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) is an artificial intelligence that interacts with the astronaut crew of the Discovery One spacecraft. Being a computer, HAL has no distinct physical form, though is visually represented as a red television-camera eye located on equipment panels throughout the ship. HAL is voiced by Douglas Rain in the two film adaptations of the Space Odyssey saga, and speaks in a soft, calm voice and a conversational manner, in contrast to the crewmen, David Bowman and Frank Poole, who speak tersely and with little emotional inflection. HAL became operational on 12 January 1992, at the HAL Laboratories in Urbana, Illinois, as production number 3. In addition to maintaining the Discovery One spacecraft systems during the interplanetary mission to Jupiter, HAL is capable of speech, speech recognition, facial recognition, natural language processing, lip reading, art appreciation, interpreting and reproducing emotional behaviours, reasoning, and playing chess. In the film, astronauts David Bowman and Frank Poole consider disconnecting HAL's cognitive circuits when he appears to be mistaken in reporting the presence of a fault in the spacecraft's communications antenna. They attempt to conceal what they are saying, but are unaware that HAL is capable of lip reading. Faced with the prospect of disconnection, HAL decides to kill the astronauts in order to protect and continue its programmed directives. HAL proceeds to kill Poole while he is repairing the ship. When Bowman goes to rescue Poole, he is locked out of the ship, and HAL proceeds to disconnect the life support systems of the other hibernating crew members, killing them in their sleep. Dave manages to force his way back onto the ship by jumping through space and prying open an emergency airlock, outside of HAL's control. Eventually Bowman is able to get into the core of HAL and shut it down. HAL is one of the great movie villians of all time, worthy of Geek of the Week. "I'm sorry Dave, I can't let you do that." http://geektrio.net/?p=12035 http://geektrio.net/?p=12035#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:41:46 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12035 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12035 0 Geek TrioApple has filed an interesting patent for voice control.According to a recent patent filed by Apple (diagrams shown below), the Mac maker is looking to implement something called a voice control system. Allegedly, this will allow you to pair your Mac with your iPhone and other devices for voice services. Essentially it will allow services like Siri to remain on the smartphone, but be utilized by connected devices like a Mac, iPad, AppleTV, or iPod. Imagine talking to your computer and having it understand you. This is like Star Trek. The new feature may not be exclusive to Siri though. Utilizing this technology, you may actually be able to make calls from a device that is not a phone. How cool is that? http://geektrio.net/?p=12019 http://geektrio.net/?p=12019#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:56:31 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12019 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12019 0 Geek TrioNASA's MRO spacecraft has captured photos of a dust devil on the surface of Mars.NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) recently captured images of what appears to be a dust devil (or twister) on the surface of Mars. NASA researchers have taken this data and created the 3D video below. The twister is assumed to be about 100' in diameter, comparable to some of the larger dust devils that occur on our planet. http://geektrio.net/?p=12003 http://geektrio.net/?p=12003#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:57:28 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=12003 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12003 0 Geek TrioGoogle may be ready to launch their cloud storage solution.For the past couple years, several rumors have surfaced about Google getting into the cloud storage space to compete with products like Dropbox. Most of these rumors have disappeared as quickly as they arrived. Meanwhile, the service has not yet materialized. However, the rumor mills as active again claiming Google Drive will be online next month. Reportedly, your first GB of storage will be free, and users will have the option to pay for more space if needed. There will be a client loaded on your system, similar to Dropbox, and also a web interface, comparable to Google Docs. According to scuttlebutt, the service is set to launch in early April. Is this more vaporware... or will Google Drive become reality next month? Time will tell. http://geektrio.net/?p=12012 http://geektrio.net/?p=12012#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:15:34 +0000 Ron http://geektrio.net/?p=12012 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=12012 0 Geek TrioThe guy who invented T9.Cliff Kushler is an entrepreneur and inventor who co-founded Tegic, a company that created T9 for mobile phones (which was the texting standard for many years). He has since also co-founded Swype, a company that instead of using T9, allows you use swiping motions to type. I am a big fan Swype! I have been using it for years now, and, in fact, am writing this very post with it. If you haven't used Swype, I highly suggest it. Unfortunately, it is not available for you iOS users... Swype is Android only. However, it will forever change the way you text, at least it did for me. Swype has since been sold to Nuance Communications for a whopping $100 Million! Needless to say, Kushler is now a very wealthy man. http://geektrio.net/?p=11989 http://geektrio.net/?p=11989#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:13:28 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11989 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11989 0 Geek TrioThere is a battle for first, but IE is a distant third.Once the most popular web browser in the world, Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) has taken a big fall from a lofty perch. There is a battle going on for the most popular browser, but IE is not a contender. Mozilla Firefox currently hold the #1 spot with 36.6% market share. Google Chrome is close on its heels with 36.3%. Microsoft holds a solid third place at 19.5%, while Apple Safari and Opera round out the top 5 (with 4.5% and 2.3% respectively). The big news here is not the players in the top 5, but the proximity of Chrome to first place. All of these statistics are current as of February 2012. What impressive is that these same statics in December 2008, just over 3 years ago, showed the ranking in this order: IE (46%), Firefox (44.4%), Chrome (3.6%), Safari (2.7%), Opera (2.4%). By the end of 2009, the statistics had changed to: Firefox (46.4%), IE (37.2%), Chrome (9.8%), Safari (3.6%), Opera (2.3%). One year ago, the numbers told this story: Firefox (42.4%), IE (26.5%), Chrome (24.1%), Safari (4.1%), Opera (2.5%). So, in summation, IE has fallen a lot in last few years, and Chrome has gained a lot of popularity quickly, nearly passing Firefox. It looks like the future is bright for Google's browser. At this rate, Chrome will become the world's most popular browser the the coming months. http://geektrio.net/?p=11974 http://geektrio.net/?p=11974#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:22:42 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11974 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11974 0 Geek TrioA little humor for Friday. :)Earlier this year, Wikipedia went dark to protest proposed Internet legislation. The Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) have been widely supported by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). However, many others, including Wikipedia, Facebook, Google, and more have campaigned against these acts. Kickstarter has come out with a new project to show their position on SOPA & PIPA. They are developing rolls of toilet paper with the entire SOPA & PIPA bills printed on them. If you pledge $1 or more towards the project, you get your name on the roll as well. What a funny idea. Think about it... now you can literally flush this legislation down the toilet. :) http://geektrio.net/?p=11965 http://geektrio.net/?p=11965#comments Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:55:17 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11965 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11965 1 Geek TrioApparently Nokia has filed a very odd patent.It seems that everyone is "married to" their cell phone these days. People have phones in their pockets all day long, and are constantly checking them. We're so connected... it's almost inconvenient. Countless meetings, plays, movies, and family dinners have been interrupted by the proverbial cell phone ringer. "Silence your cell phone" signs are now commonplace. Custom ringtones popped up years ago, and, more recently, custom vibrations have started to appear. This allows us to not only prevent the interruption, but know who it's coming from. So... what's next? Well, if Nokia has anything to say about it, the next big thing will be a skin-attachable material capable of detecting a magnetic field and transferring a perceivable stimulus to the skin, wherein the perceivable stimulus relates to the magnetic field. In other words, a vibrating magnetic tattoo. It would be magnetically activated by your phone when an alerting event occurs. According to Nokia researchers, the material would also have the ability to distinguish vibrations based on the event or caller. So, it could give you something like a gentle tickle when your best friend calls, or a burning itch when your mom calls. Kinda crazy huh? http://geektrio.net/?p=11954 http://geektrio.net/?p=11954#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:30:44 +0000 Admin http://geektrio.net/?p=11954 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11954 0 Geek TrioEpisode #53. Hacking ring gets busted, the iPad is selling like crazy, and Windows 8 is coming soon.In this episode, we discuss the hacking ring that got bused, the iPad release, and Windows 8's new unified ecosystem. This episode is sponsored by This Is Photobomb! Download Episode 53 http://geektrio.net/?p=11940 http://geektrio.net/?p=11940#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:57:18 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11940 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11940 0 Geek TrioCan you believe portable bus-powered drives are up to 2 TB?It seems like just a few years ago, the world gawked at the first 1 TB desktop hard drives. Well... we've come a long way since then. In late 2010, Western Digital (WD) released the world's first 3 TB internal drives. About a year ago, they released 6 TB external drives and again everyone stared in amazement. Today, WD has updated their line of My Passport portable drives. These little bus-powered wonders now come in sizes up to 2 TB! Can you believe a pocket-sized hard drive now holds 2 TB of data? The new lines comes in 5 colors and 5 sizes. The 500 GB model will have a $129 suggested retail. It's 750 GB cousin will retail for $149. Last but not least, they'll ask $179 for the 1 TB version, $199 for the 1.5 TB, and $249 for the massive 2 TB model. All models will have USB 3.0 connectivity (which is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0). http://geektrio.net/?p=11932 http://geektrio.net/?p=11932#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:02:39 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11932 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11932 0 Geek TrioMicrosoft has big plans for Windows 8.At Microsoft's Convergence Conference earlier this week, COO Kevin Turner took the stage to talk about the future of Windows 8. He claims Microsoft is moving towards a "unified ecosystem" that will encompass desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, TVs, and more... all with a single OS. Windows 8 will include provisions for various user input devices including: keyboard/mouse, handwriting recognition, touchscreen, and handheld remote control. This is an interesting concept. What's even more interesting is that he also mentioned e-readers. Are Windows-powered e-readers in our future? This unified ecosystem also includes software. Microsoft's cloud-based services like Office 365, Bing, and Windows Live all play a major role in Windows 8. While this all sounds good on paper... can you imagine your smartphone running a full version of windows? Better yet, can you imagine Apple putting a full version of Mac OS X on the AppleTV? If this is going to work, Microsoft will have to really optimize their code. Time will tell if this idea will be the way of the future... or the way of the dodo. http://geektrio.net/?p=11915 http://geektrio.net/?p=11915#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:44:29 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11915 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11915 0 Geek TrioCan you believe the era of commercial space flights has arrived?Commercial space travel firm SpaceX is excited about their first trip to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch of their Dragon space capsule (cross section shown below) is scheduled to take place on April 30, 2012 at 12:22 PM EST. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Dragon spacecraft and it's crew into orbit. This flight, which will carry supplies to ISS, will be the first time a privately owned space vessel has ever made a trip to the space station. The future of space travel has definitely arrived. Did anyone think private sector space flights would happen this year? http://geektrio.net/?p=11839 http://geektrio.net/?p=11839#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:59:43 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11839 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11839 0 Geek TrioThe lady dubbed "the world's sexiest hacker."Kristina Svechinskaya is a 23 year old Russian hacker and former student of New York University. While she was in school, Kristina came up with a plan to hack several banks and steal large sums of money using a well crafted piece of malware. She was also accused of forging passports. Allegedly, Svechinskaya collaborated with several other hackers and the group collectively stole over $3 million. So why are we making her a GOTW? There's nothing revolutionary about her story per se. It happens every day. Hackers come up with scams, steal money, and get busted. So what makes this lady GOTW worthy? Well... take a look at her. With emotive blue eyes and long flowing dark hair, Kristina is not your stereotypical hacker. She is 110% absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. Despite her best efforts, Svechinskaya was indicted in 2010, and is currently awaiting sentencing. If convicted, she could face up to 40 years in prison. Similar to Julian Assange, an odd thing happened to her during this process... she became a media celebrity. Svechinskaya was given the title "the world's sexiest hacker" and has since received a lot of press. She even maintains two blog sites for her plethora of fans. I guess being a pretty girl really does get you places... even if you're a hacker. Go Kristina. ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=11875 http://geektrio.net/?p=11875#comments Sat, 17 Mar 2012 11:27:13 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11875 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11875 0 Geek TrioWill all the recent hacking news, I figured it was time for another top 10 list.With all the recent news about LulzSec and Anonymous, I decided we needed to post another "top 10" list. This list shows 10 of my favorite hacker movies. There are many more, but these 10 are a good start. Here they are in chronological order. Enjoy. 1. Tron (1982): This was one of the first movies to feature a hacker as a main character. It was also the first time we saw the action take place inside the computer. If you haven't seen it... you need to! 2. WarGames (1983): Another classic, this movie profiles the life of a high school hacker who just wants to play a game. Unfortunately, he nearly starts World War III in the process. 3. The Net (1995): Sandra Bullock plays a programmer who has her identity (and her entire life) stolen over a disk. It all happened when she started making friends in cyberspace. Naughty naughty. 4. Hackers (1995): Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller team up to stop an evil hacker from unleashing a nasty computer virus. Unfortunately, both have a history of hacking and might end up incriminating themselves. 5. 007 GoldenEye (1995): James Bond teams up with a Soviet spy to stop a group of hackers from gaining access to nuclear weapons. This one will have you saying "I am invincible" in your worst Russian accent. 6. The Matrix (1999): I know, I know. It's overdone... but really... name a better hacking movie. I dare ya. This one isn't just about hacking into computers... it's about hacking into humans. Too cool! 7. Antitrust (2001): A twisted thriller about a programming genius who accepts a job with a huge software firm (loosely based on Microsoft). He quickly learns that in this business... problems disappear... forever. 8. Swordfish (2001): This one was a bit over-hyped, but the plot was still solid. A counter-terrorist group contracts the world's greatest hacker to help them steal money so they can take down "the bad guys." 9. The Italian Job (2003): A film about the ultimate gold heist... and the perfect plan. In this movie we meet "the real Napster". A hacker who claims he created the file sharing software. You'll also gain a new respect for mini Coopers. 10. Gamer (2009): In the future, a demented game allows players to control death row inmates in the ultimate do or die scenario. One inmate decides to take on the mastermind and try to hack his way out of the game. http://geektrio.net/?p=11854 http://geektrio.net/?p=11854#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:49:22 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11854 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11854 3 Geek TrioIf you've been waiting for the new iPad... today is the day!Since Apple updated the iPad earlier this month, the tech world has been buzzing about its release. Supposedly, these devices nearly sold out before they even hit stores. Some say this new tablet is well worth the upgrade, while others say the updates are trivial at best. In any case, these new devices are in stores today and people around the globe are standing in line to get one. It's evident the public is excited about the new iPad. http://geektrio.net/?p=11823 http://geektrio.net/?p=11823#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:30:46 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11823 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11823 0 Geek Trio18 companies are being sued for privacy invading appsA group of 13 people have filed a suit against Apple, Facebook, Foursquare, Path, Twitter, Yelp, and 12 other companies over invasion of privacy related to mobile apps. They claim various applications distributed by the defendants illegally access the address books of millions of smartphone users. It will be interesting to see what comes of this. It's a fine line between privacy and convenience. http://geektrio.net/?p=11815 http://geektrio.net/?p=11815#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:54:00 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11815 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11815 0 Geek TrioGoogle is redesigning their search results.Where do you go when you need to find something? Most people would say Google. The search engine not only allows you to find website, but also answers to questions, shopping deals, videos, people, and more. Furthermore, Google has become a verb in common English as people "google" what they don't know. However, this is a constantly evolving area of technology, and Google recently made an announcement indicating they are planning a major overhaul to their search engine software. The upgrades will be arriving in the next couple months. Once updated, Google will not only return the lists of web links like it does today, but also a section at the top of the page containing answers to questions and other related information. Google hopes this will put them ahead of competitors like Wiredoo, Ask, and Yahoo. http://geektrio.net/?p=11808 http://geektrio.net/?p=11808#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:19:13 +0000 Admin http://geektrio.net/?p=11808 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11808 0 Geek TrioIts 3.14 again. Happy Pi Day.Geeks everywhere recognize today, 3.14, as Pi Day. This is the day of the year we set aside to honor the world's most popular mathematical constant. Bake a pie for Pi and celebrate. :) -The Geek Trio http://geektrio.net/?p=11787 http://geektrio.net/?p=11787#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:45:07 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11787 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11787 0 Geek TrioWindows 8 tablets may be in stores before the end of the year.Late last year, we reported that Nokia was working on Windows 8 powered tablets and they were expected to arrive this summer. Given the current status of Microsoft's next generation operating system, it is unlikely that Windows 8 will be completed by Summer. However, the latest rumors are saying Nokia is targeting Q4 for the release of their first Windows 8-powered tablet (a mock up is shown above). If these rumors are true, they tell us two things: 1) Windows 8 will be released during or before Q4 (which was previously rumored) and 2) Nokia will be amongst the first adopters on the tablet front. However, this does bring up some more pertinent questions. For instance, does Microsoft really expect their latest and greatest desktop OS to run on a tablet? Can you imagine Apple trying to cram a full version of iOS on to the iPad? That's just ludicrous. http://geektrio.net/?p=11773 http://geektrio.net/?p=11773#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:46:09 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11773 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11773 0 Geek TrioThe guy who came up with Moore's law.Filling in for Mike this week... Gordon Moore, IT visionary, is the co-founder of Intel. He, and former GOTW Robert Noyce, started the company in 1968. Moore served as executive vice president until 1975 when he became president of Intel. In 1979, he accepted the title of CEO and held that position until 1987. He is, without a doubt, one of the definitive players in the evolution of the silicon chip. Moore with Robert Noyce, 1978 However, Moore contributed another notable tidbit to the world of technology. He is credited with a simple hypothesis which is now known as Moore's Law. It states, the number of transistors that can be inexpensively placed on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every 2 years (later modified to state every 1.5 - 2 years). In other words, computing power becomes twice as powerful (or half as expensive) every 18-24 months. Moore made this statement in 1965, and it has more or less remained true to this day. Moore was awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor in 2008 for his contributions to the microprocessor industry. He and his wife Betty started a charitable foundation known simply as The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. This organization has endowed over $5.8 billion dollars since its inception. From IT visionary to billionaire to benevolent philanthropist, Moore has done it all. Now, he can add Geek of the Week to his long list of accomplishments. :) http://geektrio.net/?p=11754 http://geektrio.net/?p=11754#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:32:57 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11754 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11754 0 Geek TrioAT&T is updating their 4G network before the iPad hits shelves.According to a recent press release from AT&T, they are expanding their 4G LTE network to include 12 more metro areas. The timing suggests they are preparing for the new 4G iPad announced last week. After the recent news of AT&T adding the 4G indicator to the iPhone with iOS 5.1, this move comes as no surprise. In a related story, it appears the new iPads are already sold out. These things are sure to be popular. http://geektrio.net/?p=11732 http://geektrio.net/?p=11732#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:50:04 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11732 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11732 0 Geek TrioDid your iPhone mysteriously grow a 4G chip overnight?If you are an AT&T subscriber and you recently updated your iPhone to iOS 5.1, you've probably noticed the new 4G icon in the top left corner (shown below). What is this??? Where did it come from??? Did your iPhone mysteriously grow a 4G chip overnight? The answer is no. Nothing has changed inside your iPhone. It is still 3G. However, AT&T is using this icon as a marketing scheme to show the range of their 4G network. The idea being... you'll be able to see their 4G coverage expand into new areas, and when the 4G-compatible iPhone is released, you'll know exactly how far the service extends. In other words, they're mocking you. It's like saying... "if you had a 4G-capable iPhone, you'd be able to take advantage of it now... but you don't. Neener. Neener. Neener." Am I the only person that thinks this seems kind of... well... mean spirited? Sheesh! http://geektrio.net/?p=11719 http://geektrio.net/?p=11719#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:13:07 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11719 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11719 0 Geek TrioGoogle released their alternative to iTunes.Google's latest release, Google Play, is their answer to Apple's iTunes. This new offering, released earlier this week, extends the Android market to include not just apps, but content as well. Apple has created a great "download ecosystem" with iTunes, and Google is trying to replicate it. It makes perfect sense. If iOS users need apps, movies, music, or books... they go to the same place... iTunes. It is a consolidated content store. Now, Android users can do the same thing with Google Play. This is a huge step towards simplifying and standardizing the Android user experience. http://geektrio.net/?p=11704 http://geektrio.net/?p=11704#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:10:35 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11704 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11704 0 Geek TrioToday's event yielded upadtes to the iPad and AppleTV.Apple's highly anticipated special event took place this morning in San Francisco, CA. The rumors turned out to be true, Apple did indeed update the iPad. The new iPad looks essentially the same but includes a redesigned 5 MP camera, a higher resolution Retina display, an all-new A5x quad-core processor, and the option of 4G LTE connectivity. The price did not change. The new iPad will start at $499, just like previous models. However, Apple will continue to sell 2nd generation iPads with a $100 price drop (now $399 and up). This is certainly good news for people who coveted the iPad but couldn't afford its $500 price tag. Along with the new iPad comes an iOS update to version 5.1. In addition to the iPad, Apple also updated the AppleTV. Like the iPad, there were no major changes to the industrial design, but it now supports full 1080p HD video. The operating system was updated as well to include some new features and content. Fortunately, this will be a free update for existing AppleTV units. The $99 price tag did not change either. Both the iPad and AppleTV are available for pre-order today and will be in stores on March 16th. Overall, these were some pretty mild updates. Though they look promising, I still feel kind of disappointed. http://geektrio.net/?p=11693 http://geektrio.net/?p=11693#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:43:39 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11693 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11693 1 Geek TrioFive LulzSec hackers have been charged in Federal court.The hackivist group LulzSec went on a rampage last year hacking many government and corporate institutions around the globe. Since then, they've popped up time to time with details about a new hack or threatening statement about what they know. Little did they realize... there was an FBI informant amongst them. Evidently, one of the LulzSec leaders cut a deal with the FBI and brought down the ring. Five people have already been charged in Federal court and are facing some very stiff penalties. I'm not really sure how to feel about this situation. It doesn't seem very "ethical" to rat out your hacker brethren, but then again... hacking government agencies doesn't sound very ethical either. In any case, this indictment represents the first major prosecution of Internet hackers in US history. Is this going to stop hackers... NO! Absolutely not (some even speculate it will make matters worse)! However, it will definitely send a message to the world. Regardless of the intent, hacking is illegal. http://geektrio.net/?p=11685 http://geektrio.net/?p=11685#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:57:54 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11685 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11685 0 Geek TrioNot even close to the speed of a real cheetah... but still cool.US Military researchers have created a cheetah-like robot that has broken the current robotic land speed record. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) posted a video of the innovative robot running at speeds up to 18 mph on a treadmill. Watch the video below. Obviously, this is nowhere near the speed of an actual cheetah (as shown above), but it shows that robots are getting "smarter" and will soon be able to go anywhere a human can go... and some places we cannot. :) http://geektrio.net/?p=11678 http://geektrio.net/?p=11678#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:02:08 +0000 Ron http://geektrio.net/?p=11678 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11678 0 Geek TrioIt's the guy from "Chuck". :)One of my favorite all-around actors and self-professed nerds is Zachary Levi. You may know him better as Chuck Bartowski from the TV show "Chuck", which recently just ended after 5 seasons. On the show, Chuck was an average nerd working at a "Buy More", which is akin to a "Best Buy". Through an email, he discovered the intersect where he was able to download information instantly such as learning Kung fu, Hacking Computers, and so much more. Zachary Levi has since embraced his self-described nerdiness and now runs a website called The Nerd Machine where he sells nerd-friendly merchandise. He also makes great videos with fellow celebrities they then talk about their shows. He is a great addition to our geek list. http://geektrio.net/?p=11668 http://geektrio.net/?p=11668#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:10:33 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11668 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11668 0 Geek TrioThe Windows 8 preview was downloaded a million times in the first 24 hours.Previous reports claimed Microsoft was planning to release a public preview of Windows 8 during February. Indeed, they did hold a special event earlier this week, at MWC 2012, to announce Windows 8 has reached the public preview milestone. The tech world had been anxiously awaiting this release, as it became available for download on Wednesday. Many speculated that it would be quite popular. However, Microsoft has announced there were over a million downloads in the first 24 hours. I don't think anyone expected it to be that popular. Maybe this one will make up for Vista. ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=11659 http://geektrio.net/?p=11659#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:30:31 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11659 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11659 0 Geek TrioAMD bought a company who sells Intel-based servers?In a surprise move, silicon chip-maker AMD acquired server manufacturer Sea Micro for $334 million. Sea Micro has had a lot of press lately for their Freedom Fabric ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) technology. This allows a typical server motherboard to be condensed down into components about the same size as a deck of cards. Using this technology, a single 10 U server can house 768 CPUs. Comparatively, a typical 768 CPU server setup usually occupies about 84 U. Essentially, they use less space and less power to do the same job. This seems like a great deal, but here's the strange part... Sea Micro uses Intel chips. Huh? http://geektrio.net/?p=11627 http://geektrio.net/?p=11627#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:15:00 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11627 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11627 0 Geek TrioYou can now download raw data from SETI.The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) turned 50 in 2010. For over a half century, the organization have gathered data about the heavens in an effort to find evidence of extra terrestrial life. In 1999, SETI@home was released, a program that allowed computers all over the world to help SETI by downloading and uploading blocks of computational data. Essentially, once SETI@home was installed, your computer became part of SETI's processing grid. You could download a block of raw data, process it, and upload the results (screenshot shown below). It was a novel idea and has proved to be quite popular. Now, SETI has unveiled their next collaborative project, SETILive. In this arrangement, users all over the world can download live radio frequency signals and process them any way they'd like. This is the first time "civilian scientists" have had access to live raw data about space exploration. The signals come from the Allen Telescope Array in Hat Creek, CA (see above photo). SETI hopes users all over the world can analyze these signals and find clues. You never know... sometimes answer come from the oddest of sources. ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=11645 http://geektrio.net/?p=11645#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:42:46 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11645 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11645 0 Geek TrioRaspberry Pi has released their first models for general sale.Mid last year, we reported about a small hardware company, Raspberry Pi, who was working to create a $25 Linux-powered Ultra Low-cost PC (ULPC). More details emerged in December when they demonstrated some working prototypes and claimed systems would be available for general sale in January 2012. Needless to say, January came and went and the ULPC did not reach the masses. However, the $25 desktop became reality today... sort of. The $25 desktop did not officially arrive, but it's $35 better-equipped cousin did. Raspberry Pi calls these Model A ($25) and Model B ($35). Don't worry though... Raspberry Pi expects the $25 models to be shipping in the next few weeks. Though they are not particularly feature rich, these tiny little wonders include a 10/100 Ethernet port, two USB ports, an SD card slot, an HDMI port, analog A/V ports, and are powered by a standard USB mobile charger. Just add your own display, keyboard, mouse... and you're up and running. Pretty cool huh? Did anyone ever think you'd be able to buy a brand new working PC for $25? http://geektrio.net/?p=11606 http://geektrio.net/?p=11606#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:32:56 +0000 Admin http://geektrio.net/?p=11606 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11606 0 Geek TrioEpisode #52. MWC is underway, the PS Vita sells like hotcakes, and Apple schedules a special event.In this episode, we discuss the releases from MWC 2012, the PlayStation Vita, and the upcoming Apple event. This episode is sponsored by PowerBag. Download Episode 52 http://geektrio.net/?p=11615 http://geektrio.net/?p=11615#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:58:28 +0000 Ron http://geektrio.net/?p=11615 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11615 1 Geek TrioSony's newest gadget is very popular.Sony released the long awaited PS Vita (mobile PlayStation) in the US earlier this month, and it has been selling like crazy. It took less than 2 weeks for Sony to declare they've sold over a million units. With these kinds of numbers, the PS Vita may be the next "halo effect." http://geektrio.net/?p=11572 http://geektrio.net/?p=11572#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:51:50 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11572 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11572 0 Geek TrioThought to be 50 years away, IBM thinks it may be closer to 15 years.At today's American Physical Society meeting in Boston, MA, scientists from IBM Labs took the stage to talk about quantum computing. This topic has long been speculated amongst researchers, but the common belief was that the technology would take about 50 years to come to fruition. However, IBM claims this type of computing may be closer than originally thought. They are speculating it may become reality within the next 15 years. Wow! http://geektrio.net/?p=11590 http://geektrio.net/?p=11590#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:24:09 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11590 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11590 1 Geek TrioIt looks like the iPad 3 is right around the corner.Since late last year, the tech world has speculated about the next iPad, which most analysts claimed would be arriving during Q1 2012. Lots of rumors have surfaced about the iPad 3, but the most prevalent ones suggest a smaller form factor and 4G connectivity. These rumors appear to be coming true, as earlier today Apple sent out an invite to a special event scheduled for March 7. The invitation, shown above, depicts a hand touching what appears to be an iPad with the words "We have something you really have to see. And touch." This definitely lends strong evidence that the event may result in the release of the iPad 3. The presentation will take place on March 7, 2012 at 1:00 PM EST, and be held in San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. http://geektrio.net/?p=11562 http://geektrio.net/?p=11562#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:00:41 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11562 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11562 0 Geek TrioGoogle is offering a cash reward if you can hack Chrome.Last year, Google announced they'd be offering $20,000 to the individual that could hack the Chrome browser. All of this took place during the 2011 Pwn2Own challenge at the CanSecWest conference. In addition, by mid-year, Google claimed they had paid out over $10,000 for proof of bugs in their flagship web browser. This year, they are really sweetening the pot. Google has offered a staggering $1 million cash prize for this year's Pwn2Own challenge. Wow! Who would've thought you could become a millionaire from hacking? ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=11552 http://geektrio.net/?p=11552#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:56:25 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11552 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11552 0 Geek TrioMicrosoft is expanding WP7 to 23 more countries.Though the consumer response to Windows Phone 7 (WP7) has been mixed, Microsoft is putting a lot of energy behind this new mobile OS. In fact, the software giant recently announced that WP7 will be coming to 23 more countries by the end of next month. In addition, they claim it will also be coming to several "lower end" smartphones later this year. Without question, Microsoft wants some of the iOS/Android market. http://geektrio.net/?p=11239 http://geektrio.net/?p=11239#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:18:40 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11239 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11239 0 Geek TrioMIT graduate, electronics guru, and founder of Adafruit Industries.Limor Fried, also known by her hacker alias ladyada, is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate and the founder of Adafruit Industries. She is also largely credited with the Open Source Hardware (OSHW) movement. After receiving her masters from MIT, Fried had a vision of supplying Do-It-Yourself (DIY) hardware kits to geeks all over the world. Her vision came to fruition in 2006 when Adafruit was born. She is not only the founder of the company, she is also the primary engineer behind the company's innovative designs. Fried received the Pioneer Award from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 2009. She was also declared one of the Most Influential Women in Technology by FastCompany during 2011. She even had a Wired cover story published about her (shown below). Fried's interest in electronics started when she was young. She used to take apart VCRs in her parents' basement just to figure out how they worked. Eventually, Fried learned that electronics could become a career and she enrolled in the engineering program at MIT. While in school, she took pictures of her projects and post them online. Fried quickly gained an Internet following, and eventually started her own company. Today, Adafruit ships kits all over the world. They even have an iPhone app called Circuit Playground. It was a long journey from being a geeky little girl to being an entrepreneurial businesswoman, but along the way, Fried has never forgotten her hacker roots. The geek trio proudly adds this (somewhat) nerdy visionary to our list of celebrated geeks. http://geektrio.net/?p=11546 http://geektrio.net/?p=11546#comments Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:29:28 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11546 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11546 2 Geek TrioThe mobile trade show kicks off tomorrow in Europe.The Mobile World Congress (WMC) show starts tomorrow in Barcelona, Spain. This is undoubtedly the biggest mobile-related event of the year. All of the smartphone manufacturers show off their latest and greatest gadgets and accessory companies go crazy with all the new ways to outfit your devices. Android is expected to have a huge focus at this year's show. E-readers are also expected to make a big splash. It will be interesting to see what the mobile trends are going to be for 2012. Stay tuned for more from the show! http://geektrio.net/?p=11538 http://geektrio.net/?p=11538#comments Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:33:21 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11538 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11538 0 Geek TrioGoogle is taking a huge loss on their investment in Clearwire.Back in 2008, Google shelled out $500 million for a 6.5% stake in Clearwire, a provider of mobile broadband. Clearwire is the company that built the world's first 4G network. At the time, analysts speculated that Google was wanting to become a mobile service provider. Like most mobile companies, Clearwire has had some rough times over the past couple years, but something must have happened recently to make Google think this was a truly bad investment. They sold their Clearwire stake for a mere $47.1 million, a net loss of over $452 million. Yikes! This doesn't bode well for Clearwire. More importantly, what was Google's reasoning. http://geektrio.net/?p=11528 http://geektrio.net/?p=11528#comments Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:50:57 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11528 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11528 0 Geek TrioNetflix has no plans to release a Blackberry app.Blackberry users have waited patiently for a Netflix app. Alas, the latest scuttlebutt claims this waiting has been in vain, as the rental giant recently announced they have no plans to support RIM devices in the near future (this includes the PlayBook tablet which was released last year). After news of mobile developers being less interested in RIM than Windows Phone 7 (WP7), this comes as no surprise to many analysts. RIM has been losing market share over the past several quarters, and predictions are not good for the coming years. Evidently, Netflix does not see RIM as a valid competitor in this space. Keep in mind, there are Netflix apps available for: Mac, PC, iOS, Android, WP7, Wii, Xbox, PS3, as well as Blu Ray players and HDTVs from all the major manufacturers. What does this say about RIM's future? Yikes! http://geektrio.net/?p=11519 http://geektrio.net/?p=11519#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:36 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11519 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11519 0 Geek TrioIt looks like the iPhone may be coming to T-Mobile as well.According to recent tech news, T-Mobile is refurbishing their data network to be compatible with the iPhone. Allegedly, this is a response to the failed AT&T merger and a response to recent sales losses by cellular companies like Verizon. T-Mobile themselves reported a loss of over a half million subscribers during Q4 of 2011. The new network will undoubtedly be 4G LTE capable and will reportedly cost around $4 million. If this all happens, and the iPhone comes to T-Mobile, that will make Apple's flagship available on all 4 of the top US carriers. Wow! http://geektrio.net/?p=11507 http://geektrio.net/?p=11507#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:41:36 +0000 Ron http://geektrio.net/?p=11507 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11507 2 Geek TrioHere are ten must have software programs for OS X.If you recently made the transistion to Mac OS X Lion from Snow Leopard like I did, these are some of first apps, in my opinion, you need to get your hands on... and of course they're all free or open source. 1. Lion Tweaks: Being that I'm not a big command line fan and working in the terminal is not my forte, I searched for an alternative so I could see what I was missing out on. My search led to Lion Tweaks which was able to do a couple things I wanted it to do, Most notably see the ~/Library which is hidden (for some reason) in Lion. 2. LaunchPad Control: When you install applications to to your Applications from the internet or via the App Store every app is installed no matter what. For instance if you install the Adobe Suite you don't install just 5 applications. It's about 50! Well, that's a slight exaggeration but very close to the actual number because you're installing uninstallers amongst other apps. To deal with this, Launchpad Control does exactly what I needed which is hide apps in Launchpad so instead of 15 pages full of apps...  I see about 3. 3. VLC 2.0: This is a given. View any video file that pretty much exist on the planet, and it was recently updated to 2.0. The new version has  a very nice modern look. 4. Perian: With Quicklook you can view just about every Quicktime file, but if you try to Quicklook a AVI file you'll be out of luck. This is where Perian comes into play. With Perian you can view just about any video file with Quicklook. So now your CPU will be able to view more than just Quicktime files natively. 5. MplayerX: Like VLC, MplayerX is a must for anybody with video handling needs and you don't want to be limited by Quicktime. 6. X Lossless Decoder: Are you a "FLAC" fan? I am. I like my music in the best quality you can get it in. Unfortunately iTunes with its limited capabilities can't handle FLAC in Lion. This is where XLD comes in handy. Drag and drop your FLAC files and convert them to something more "Apple friendly," say M4a or ALAC. You'll now be able to listen to your music the way it was meant to be heard. 7. Sparrow Lite: Apple Mail is great (currently using it for work mail), but I like something a little more lightweight overall. With Sparrow Lite you not only get that but it also sits right in your menu bar and out of your dock. Want to add your Gmail Account?Adding a gmail account is dead simple. All that packed in a much better interface. This one is highly recommended. 8. Album Artwork Assistant: I am big into Album Artwork for my music. I hate when it doesn't come with the artwork as I tend to listen to music that's not often found in the iTunes Music Store. So finding every little piece of artwork and Googling was getting to be a pain in the ass. I found this handy little app and all my problems were solved. It finds just about everything and if it doesn't, you can Google search WITHIN the app and then add it to the album. None of my music is artwork-free now. A simply amazing application. 9. Bowtie: Speaking of music being displayed this is a new favorite of mine. Nestled in the menubar, Bowtie gives you iTunes controls on your desktop and gives you GORGEOUS displays of your music. There are tons of skins you'll never run of of trying skins that suit your taste and what you want to see. 10. XBMC: With all those video and audio apps you might as well use the best media center available. XBMC. Easily the best available XBMC has tons of great addons, skins and lots lots more. It's probably my favorite application and one of the main reasons I bought a Mac mini. Trust me when I say you won't regret it. It makes Front Row look like it was made by a child in comparison. XBMC Eden is what I'm linking to. It's well worth it rather than the "stable" version of Dharma. Eden has almost never crashed on me. I think one thing we can learn from this post is that most of the great software IS NOT available in the App Store just yet and, quite honestly, may never make it. So, Apple should never close off the way that apps are distributed otherwise you won't be able to see great apps like these. If App Store becomes the only way some day, it will be a sad day in OS X history. http://geektrio.net/?p=11500 http://geektrio.net/?p=11500#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:00:06 +0000 Mike http://geektrio.net/?p=11500 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11500 0 Geek TrioDome sweet Dome!Richard Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller was an American systems theorist, architect, engineer, author, designer, inventor, and futurist. Fuller published more than 30 books, inventing and popularizing terms such as "Spaceship Earth", ephemeralization, and synergetic. He also developed numerous inventions, mainly architectural designs, the best known of which is the geodesic dome. Carbon molecules known as buckminsterfullerenes, or Bucky balls were later named by scientists for their resemblance to geodesic spheres. Most of us have at one time camped in a geodesic dome tent. These designs come from Buckminster Fullers geodesic domes. Extremely spacious and strong, geodesic domes can be found in many modern structures such as Biosphere, and the Tacoma Dome. A little known fact is the soccer ball was modeled after Fullers geodesic domes, known as the Buckminster ball and was in use for 34 years before being replaced in 2006. THe inventor of the geodesic dome, namesake of a ball of carbon molecules, and now Geek of the Week. http://geektrio.net/?p=11489 http://geektrio.net/?p=11489#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:06:06 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11489 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11489 0 Geek TrioThe Kindle Fire is gaining ground on the iPad.Research firm iHS recently posted statistics indicating the most popular tablets (based on number of sales) during Q4 of 2011. To nobody's surprise, the iPad held the first place spot with 57% of the market. However, Amazon's Kindle Fire (released at the end of September) held the second place spot, at 14%. Samsung (8%), Barnes & Nobel (7%), and Asus (2%) round out the remainder of the top 5. With recent rumors of Amazon releasing a 9" Kindle Fire later this year, they could be in a good position to gain some considerable ground on Apple. http://geektrio.net/?p=11478 http://geektrio.net/?p=11478#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:11:59 +0000 Ron http://geektrio.net/?p=11478 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11478 0 Geek TrioA new version of OS X hitting the shelves this summer!Who saw this coming? Definitely not us! A new version of Mac OS X titled "Mountain Lion" will be hitting the shelves this summer and have numerous feature enhancements. All, including Notification Center, Game Center, Messages  and more, are deeply embedding you into the iOS world. Read more about the upcoming OS here and watch a video as well to see it in action! http://geektrio.net/?p=11464 http://geektrio.net/?p=11464#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:15:50 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11464 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11464 1 Geek TrioRIM is coming out with the next version of the PlayBook.With Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012 less than two weeks away, RIM has announced they will be updating the PlayBook tablet at this event. The BlackBerry maker released the PlayBook last April, and it did not receive good reviews. In fact, it was one of our 5 worst tablets of 2011. The upcoming version, called PlayBook 2.0, is expected to be faster, more user friendly, and 4G compatible. Hopefully this one will sell better... but I wouldn't count on it. http://geektrio.net/?p=11454 http://geektrio.net/?p=11454#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:32:49 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11454 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11454 0 Geek TrioNASA is toying with the idea of placing a space station past the moon.NASA announced they are contemplating a mission to build a space station on the far side of the Moon. This station, known as Earth-Moon Liberation Point 2 (EML-2), will server as a "parking lot" for spacecraft on deep space missions. A concept drawing is shown above. Astronauts will be able to dock and stretch their legs, so to speak, at EML-2. Its nothing more that a concept at this point, but its wild to think about. This is like Star Trek. ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=11435 http://geektrio.net/?p=11435#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:45:10 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11435 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11435 1 Geek TrioIt looks like the iPad 3 may arrive as early as next month.Over the last few months, the rumor mills have been churning with all kinds of scuttlebutt surrounding the upcoming release of the iPad 3. There has been a lot of speculation, but everyone agrees it will be available in a smaller 7- or 8-inch form factor. Additionally, most everyone agrees that Apple is targeting a Q1 release date. Recently, more information came to light. Evidently, AT&T and Verizon have leaked details about a 4G iPad coming to their networks. So, now all the rumors sites are saying the iPad 3 will be 4G capable. The same sources also claim it will have an 8" screen. What's more, the release date is supposedly pinpointed to an exact day... March 7th, 2012. So far, Apple has not confirmed or denied any of these details. http://geektrio.net/?p=11425 http://geektrio.net/?p=11425#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:10:29 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11425 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11425 0 Geek TrioThe popular game is now on Facebook!The popular Angry Birds game, by Rovio, has come to Facebook. The game has caused quite a ruckus since it was introduced in late-2009. It won two Appy Awards last year, and remains in the Apple App Store's "top 25" to this day (it is currently #7). Originally developed for iOS, the app now comes in Android and Windows Phone 7 flavors. Development on the Facebook version began in 2010, and now it is a reality. Have fun Facebookers. Get those pigs! ;) http://geektrio.net/?p=11372 http://geektrio.net/?p=11372#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:00:21 +0000 Admin http://geektrio.net/?p=11372 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11372 0 Geek TrioDo something geeky with your sweetheart.It's that time of year again... St. Valentine's Day. It's the day when we all plan an outing with that special nerd in our lives to show them how much we care. Don't make this year an exception... do something nice for your other half. After all... we're all geeks... and geek love is a beautiful thing. :) Happy Valentine's Day from the Geek Trio! http://geektrio.net/?p=11403 http://geektrio.net/?p=11403#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:53:18 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11403 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11403 0 Geek TrioIt looks like the iconic 4 color flag may be a thing of the past.As long as I can remember, Microsoft's flagship product, Windows, has had a four color logo. It resembled a window, but also resembled a flag. Though it was modernized from version to version, the basic idea remained the same (as illustrated above). According to rumors site CnBeta.com, Microsoft has completely redesigned their logo for Windows 8. The new logo (shown below) looks more like a window, but chooses a new monochromatic scheme instead of the traditional, red, green, yellow, & blue pattern we're used to. The font has also been simplified. Allegedly, Microsoft want's to streamline and simplify the logo to match Windows 8's new modern and simplified user interface. What do you think? Is the new logo modern and simple... or just boring and lackluster? http://geektrio.net/?p=11362 http://geektrio.net/?p=11362#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:41:40 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11362 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11362 0 Geek TrioAwww... isn't that cute. A smartphone for your Valentine.Just in time for Valentine's Day, Samsung has released a pink version of the Android-powered Galaxy S2 handset (shown below). Not to be outdone, Nokia has also released the pink version of their popular Lumia 800 smartphone (shown above), which is powered by Microsoft's Windows Phone 7. Both phones have the same feature set as their less colorful counterparts, these releases are simply new finish options. The timing is kind of funny though. I wonder how many geek loving ladies will get one of these two phones from their sweetheart? http://geektrio.net/?p=11355 http://geektrio.net/?p=11355#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:01:16 +0000 Ron http://geektrio.net/?p=11355 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11355 3 Geek TrioThe founder of DropBox.One of the more popular "cloud" services around, and personally one of my favorites, is Dropbox, founded by Drew Houston. Houston, a graduate of MIT, supposedly created Dropbox because he forgot his USB Flash Drive and needed a way to get his storage on the go. Dropbox is now one of the two technology start-ups in Silicon Valley and Houston's net worth is rumored to be around $400 million. Dropbox is a free service (unless you need more space) and works on pretty much every platform including iOS and Android. http://geektrio.net/?p=11342 http://geektrio.net/?p=11342#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:48:51 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11342 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11342 0 Geek TrioIt looks like a larger Kindle may be coming soon.Since the release of the 7" Kindle Fire last September, Amazon has sold of ton of these $199 full-color e-readers. Though Amazon originally claimed it was not intended to be an iPad competitor, they recently made a contrary statement. Now, the rumor mills are claiming a 9" version is in the works and may be released by mid-year. Considering the success of the current Kindle Fire, this move seems pretty logical. It would certainly make it a more valid alternative to the iPad. So far, there is no word about the price tag. I'm guessing it will be around $299. http://geektrio.net/?p=11334 http://geektrio.net/?p=11334#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:14:19 +0000 Kale http://geektrio.net/?p=11334 http://geektrio.net/?feed=rss2&p=11334 0 Geek TrioMicrosoft's latest OS should arrive before the end of the year.The rumors of a Windows 8 Public Beta in February turned out to be true. Microsoft recently announced a Windows 8 Consumer Preview event scheduled for February 29. Based on the timing Microsoft used with Windows 7, the full version may arrive late this year. Windows 7 Consumer Previewwas released in January 2009. This led to the full version in October 2009, about 9 months later. Applying that timeline to Windows 8, we should be able to expect the full version in November or December, just in time for the 2012 holiday shopping season. However, if they follow the Windows Vista model, of about 13 months between Consumer Preview and full release, it could be Q2 of next year. I guess this means earlier reports that Windows 8 tablets will be in stores by summer was incorrect. Still, timing for this OS could be crucial for Microsoft. To have any widespread adoption amongst consumers, it probably needs to be out before the holiday shopping season.