Best Buy is Ready for the Holiday Season!

This past Tuesday I was invited to Best Buy's Holiday Media Preview event by a very good blog friend. It was the first technology event that I attended on my own and it was definitely more then I expected. Product displays lined the perimeter of the room and Best Buy employees were readily available to demo each for you. It was such a weird yet amazing feeling having people wait on you.

From lights that could improve your mood,

to food and drink resistant laptops,

to a machine that could change any hard candy into cotton candy,

all of the products that I saw were innovative in their own respect but there were two that truly stole the show.

The G1 Blaze (G2)

 

Google and HTC's newest creation packs a punch. It will be T-mobile's first HSPA+ phone, which in layman terms means it will have 4G data speeds; but unlike Sprint you won't need to pay for this extra feature. It comes standard in the data package you already pay for.

The phone features a crystal clear 3.7 inch capacitive touchscreen, 4 soft keys beneath it, an optical trackpad, Android 2.2 out of the box, an 800 MHz processor, a slide out 4 row QWERTY keyboard and a 5 MP camera with LED flash.

The screen was amazingly vibrant and was extremely responsive. Although the phone only has an 800 MHz processor Android 2.2 ran smoothly. Apps were snappy and page turning was a breeze.

The G2 boasts a lush 4 row QWERTY keyboard. It usually takes a bit of time to get used to a new keyboard but I was instantly typing out full length sentences with few errors.
The slide out mechanism was also a welcome surprise. The top of the phone actually lifts off of the base as it slides back.

The 5 MP camera looks nice on the back of the phone but the photos are nothing to brag about. If you are looking for a phone that can also be used as your go-to digital camera then this isn't the phone for you.

The G2 has an expected release date of October 16 and will retail at $200 with a 2 year contract.

X-Box Kinect

I brought a Wii about two months after it's initial release and I loved it from day one. Although the graphics weren't great, the fact that it was an interactive game made it amazing. As soon as I heard of the X-Box Kinect I knew it would instantly fail. It was just going to be a mindless copy of the uber successful Wii.


While at the event I was asked to demo the product and boy was I wrong! The Kinect combines the amazing graphics of the X-Box and today's innovative motion sensing technology. Even without a remote the motion sensor was more sensitive than the Wii. While playing Kinect Adventures even the slightest lean (or misstep! ha) was recognized. I was actually able to pay closer attention and excel in the game because I didn't have to make sure that I was pressing the right button, or play in fear because I might lose grip of the remote and break something.

I found it amazing that on top of all of those great features the Kinect can track 3 people at a time and can be placed above or below your TV without being affected (the motor within the device will orient the camera and motion sensor to best capture your movements). In conjunction with X-box Live it can also be used as a webcam.

Upon release, on November 4th, the Kinect will retail at $150 (just $50 short of a full fledged game system) but for the amount of features that it has, the price is reasonable.

Are you thinking of adding any of these products to your holiday wishlist?

Let me know in a comment!

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The iPhone 4G has Been Leaked

These previously leaked images of the iPhone 4G have turned out to be more than just Chinese counterfeits. They are the real deal. That's right, this is the new iPhone 4G.

The new additions to the phone include:

1. A Front-facing video chat camera.
2. Improved regular camera as well as flash.
3. Micro-SIM 
4. Improved display.
5. Split buttons for volume.
6. Metallic power, mute, and volume buttons. 

The new iPhone now boasts a square design but I doubt that that will stick after the official release of the phone. Apple is all about aesthetics meeting innovation. This design is neither aesthetically pleasing nor innovative. This design actually takes a step back. Although it makes the phone thinner it makes it harder to fit the hand and it doesn't match the design of all of their other gadgets. 

The iMac has a rounded back, the Mac Mini is rounded, the whole MacBook line is rounded, and all the iPods besides the oldest --the classic-- have curved backs. Why would Apple ostracize it's highest profit gainer with a whole new design?

I choose to stay optimistic. I believe that Apple has way more up their sleeves then we can possibly imagine... Don't they always?

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Google is Trying to Take Over the World

Google is said to have put a lot of thought and effort into Google Buzz; and I believe it. They just haven't used a lot of creativity. They are using status messages like that of Twitter, photos like Flickr, and liking and directly commenting on posts just like Facebook. They also don't forget to include the fact that all of the social media sites are compatible with Google buzz. Essentially Google is trying to push themselves into the social media space and eradicate the competition. It's not the first time they've tried to do this either:

Google brought out Blogger to compete with Wordpress and made Google Docs to go against Microsoft Office and now more companies use Google Docs than Microsoft Office and Blogger now has a higher Alexa rank than Wordpress.

Before you know it Google is going to own the whole internet...and then the world!

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Can Your trackpad do this?

Although I'm not a big gamer this game definitely caught my attention.

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Windows Phone 7

Just when I thought Windows was losing it's flair they blow me away yet again...

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"Come See Our Latest Creation"

The Apple Tablet aka the iPad is here. It feels like a dream. Just a few days ago noone thought that it was going to happen. All of the far fetched rumors made it impossible to believe but in actuality most of the rumors came true. The tech specs are as follows:

• 1GHZ processor courtesy of Apple's very own A4 chip
• 9.7 inch oleophobic IPS screen
• 1/2 inch thin build
• Aluminum backing and full glass screen with black bezel
• 10 hour battery life; 1 month standby time
• e-Book store called iBooks
• modified iWork suite to work with the capacitive touch screen
• AT&T 3G coverage (on select models)
• Built in speakers, microphone and 3.5 mm headphone jack

Although the iPad and the iPhone don't look alike on the outside they have very similar software. Besides the fact that the iPad's backdrop is customizable both the iPhone and this tablet feature the same home screen. The come with the same standard apps. They also have the same format. You could only have four apps in each row and 4 apps in the dock. It is a bit spacious but I have a feeling that this will be fixed in a soon-to-come software update.

The Capable

Even though this device is "truly magical and revolutionary" and a whole new segment to the tech world Apple has enabled the Tablet to access and use all the apps from the iPhone and iPod Touch appstore. You don't have to do any hacking, "it all just works".

The Free

The iPad allows you to connect to AT&T's 3G network; not only at a cheap price ($14.99 for 250 mb and $30.00 for unlimited data) but also as a pay-as-you-go plan. You are under no contract and you can cancel at any time without having to pay an extra fee. That means all us Teens On Da Rise can have internet wherever we have cellphone coverage; and our parents have no reason to say no because they don't have to sign a pesky contract.

To say that this gadget is a beauty inside and out is an understatement.

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Don't Miss Out!

Everybody and their mother has heard about Apple's latest event, "Come See Our Latest Creation". It's been the talk of the town. Websites and newspapers alike are filled with rumors of what's going to be released. Many say a new tablet, a MacBook Pro refresh, and a software update for the iPhone. It could all happen but no-one knows yet.

The event is going to be amazing. The only problem is that it's tomorrow, Wednesday, a school and work day. Most people don't have a computer to watch the event live while they're at work or school. If you're one of those people don't fret. I'm here to save the day.

If you have Mobile web on your phone then you can get live updates by following the #ALCE hashtag. If you don't have mobile web you can simply follow my Twitter stream and enable SMS forwarding so all the updates are automatically sent to you. When the event is over you can just disable the SMS forwarding.

Whatever you do just don't miss the event, it's going to be mind blowing.

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Something New for Someone Old

As you get older you start losing more and more things. It starts with your sight, goes to your memory and then ends with your hearing. Although this TV doesn't give you back all of these things it does enhance what you have left of them.

As you lose your sight it gets harder and harder to see your remotes. The buttons are small and there are just so many. The TV Ears TV comes with a remote that has only six buttons (Power, Volume up, Volume down, channel up, channel down and mute). It also has a slide down panel that reveals a traditional number keypad to get to a channel faster. TV Ears takes great pride in their remote and they have every right to.

Usually the farther you sit from your TV the harder it is for you to hear... but not with this TV. As long as you are in range you will have no problems hearing from anywhere you're sitting. This set comes standard with a comfortable set of wireless headphones. This move was was made to cut down on volume blasting when switching from channel to channel.

The best feature, in my opinion, is what the creators included for those that fall asleep while watching TV. After 4 hours the set will automatically turn off so as not to waste any money on your electric bill and not surprise you when you wake up in the morning. The TV's timer resets whenever you press a button on your remote so it won't turn off while you're actually watching TV.

The price is steep at $1,199 but all that money doesn't just go into the set. To maintain their senior friendliness the company offers White Glove Services. They deliver the TV, hook it up, program the remote for all of your external devices, and they initiate one on one instruction for the owner. If the price hasn't turned you away and the features interest you the set will be available to consumers in March. You can find more information about this set HERE

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The First Surprise of 2010

Yesterday in technology class we had to find movie animation software. I know about movie-making software but not animation so I went on the #1 ranked website in the world and I screamed when I saw the screen.

For some reason I thought that the Google Nexus One was going to come out later on in the year and all of the videos and pictures were just leaked to get the hype up from consumers. The idea really stuck in my head because for me it was the most ideal. The Google phone coming out later in the year would give me an ample amount of time to save for it.

As I dug into the site I was even more impressed. The videos and pictures of this device did not lie. It seems that Google did enough work to beat out Apple's iPhone on almost every front. The iPhone has a 3.5 inch screen and the Nexus One boasts a 3.7 inch screen. The Nexus One costs $529.00 with no contracts and the iPhone costs $599.00. The iphone allows 5 hours of talk time and the Nexus One allows 7 hours of talk-time... and the list goes on and on.

The features of the actual device aren't even what push it over the edge. It's the fact that this phone is open to almost every carrier; not one sole carrier who's network isn't even that great (Ahem, ahem iPhone). It's now available on a plan with VodaFone and T-Mobile. If you buy it unlocked it can be used on any GSM carrier except you will not be able to get 3G connection, just EDGE. It will also be available for Verizon in the Spring time of this year.

The NY Post called this device a 'Superphone' and I totally agree with them!

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A perfect 10!

2010 is going to be a big year. Not only is it going to be the last year of this decade but we are supposed to be hit with a huge amount of technological advances. We hit the ground hard last year because of the recession so there is no where to go but up.

These 10 gadgets and implementations have been the talk of the town and are said to bring 2010 sky high in terms of technology.

The Apple Tablet

Long awaited and highly anticipated.

The Palm Pre coming to Verizon

An amazing addition to the Verizon lineup.

The Nexus One

Many say that this phone is going to change the cell phone industry.

Thinner laptops

Seagate has taken the lead and has made the world's thinnest hard drive.

More mobile credit card readers

Because we're not in enough debt already?

Bigger USB 3.0 implementation

Some computer manufacturers have already started making machines with this port.

Less printed media and more e-books

E-readers are taking over and we are going with it.

More sales

Businesses are going to have to do something to get consumers to buy in this wretched economy.

New types of games from Disney

This game has yet to come out but I was able to play it while at a Disney event. The graphics are amazing.

My website will be switched over to a .com domain.

This move will open up many doors for this blog.

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Twitter Has a Brother!

The creator of Twitter, Jack Dorsey has made yet another ground breaking invention. It's called Square. It plugs into 3mm headphone jacks and turns some smartphones into credit card readers. You swipe your card, use your touch screen to sign for transactions and you are then sent a receipt via e-mail. Like Twitter the service will be completely free.

The company's set release date is March of 2010. Many ordinary consumers haven't been able to get their hands on the device but a few retail stores have. They are already calling it a "really good tool" and "super-convenient". Even though they love it, there is heated debate on whether or not this device is going to be as revolutionary as Twitter. Many say no because it's not the first of it's kind (Verifone is making a mobile card swiper and Apple has already made a card reading device for the iPhone and iPod Touch) but there are more than a handful that say yes because if it truly gets adopted it will change the way that we pay for things. I am still on the gate because I haven't used or seen demos of the device.

Although the Square website didn't include any demos of the software, it did include one amazing feature that would make me and many others want to buy the device: For every transaction that is made with Square one penny will be donated to a charity that you choose. Dorsey says that the gadget can be used anywhere "from a major retail store all the way down to selling your couch on Craigslist". That means a lot of transactions and in turn a lot of pennies. They say with this device they are going to better the world and I believe it.

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Leader of the Pack

The HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart leaves nothing to be desired. It is the first printer that allows you to connect to the internet. The machine also boasts a 4.33" touch screen that can easily be customized to include all of your favorite apps. The touchscreen on this machine is as responsive as most touch screen phones and doesn't take much getting used to, actually when you do start using it you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. With a few taps it will get you whatever you need.

There is also Bluetooth connectivity so you can directly print from a cell phone. I tested out the image quality while at the #hpwebprinter event and surprisingly it's amazing even from a measly 2 megapixel camera. It enlarged my picture from a 2.5" screen to a 8.5" by 11" piece of paper and I couldn't see any pixilation. It made my jaw drop!

Along with the neat hardware features, the software on this machine was amazing. The apps were extremely intuitive and worked hand in hand. Since this is the first home printer that can do all of these things, most apps are still being worked on but they are still great, they did what they said and were supposed to do, so really what can you complain about?

The price tag is a bit heavy at $399 but it is definitely worth every penny!

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The Forgotten...

Many know that Apple released the new generation of the Mac Mini, MacBook, and Mighty Mouse (now called the Magic Mouse). But, many don't know about the few other products that Apple released, so I decided to search their website for all of those forgotten products.

1. The newly designed Apple Remote now has an aluminum body and can control any Mac made since 2005 with an infrared port. It also controls iPods and the iPhone but only when they are docked on the Universal Dock.

2. The Airport Extreme is said to now be 50% faster and have a greater range by 25% beacause of a new antenna design

3. The Time Capsule now offers 60% faster Time Machine backups.

4. If you look really hard on the MacBook page you can also see that there is a new Magsafe Power Adapter. It has a new revised plug that looks much like the new gray iPod shuffle.

What do you guys think about all of the new products from Apple?

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