Gadgets You Should Get Rid Of (or Not)

Gadgets You Should Get Rid Of (or Not) - Yahoo! Finance: "The common rap against technology is that it leads to an accumulation of devices. But the nature of technology is changing. Fewer products are doing more tasks — all accomplished by countless lines of massless software code.

And so we no longer need to accumulate products. If anything, we can cut down. The question is, Which can be replaced and which are fine, or even preferable, to keep? It is plain as day that paper maps and Rolodexes have given way to their digital counterparts. But what else can you get rid of? Here is a list of common consumer technologies and products and a somewhat opinionated judgment on whether to keep or pitch it.

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Wi-Fi cars hitting the information superhighway

Wi-Fi cars hitting the information superhighway - Yahoo! News: "More cars are hitting the information superhighway thanks to new automotive Wi-Fi technology that allows vehicles to become rolling 'hot spots.'

Analysts say consumers are warming to the notion of more connectivity in their cars, with 'apps' for information and entertainment just as they have with their smartphones or tablet computers.

'Initially, putting Internet access in the car sounds like a distraction and frivolous but as time passes it will become a part of our lives and we will feel uncomfortable not having access,' said Jeff Kagan, an independent telecoms analyst.

'I think this is going to grow into a vibrant sector.'

Market research firm iSuppli said it expects a surge in worldwide shipments of car Wi-Fi systems to 7.2 million units by 2017, from just 174,000 in 2010.

Wi-Fi has been around for several years as an aftermarket accessory but many major manufacturers now offer some form of Wi-Fi or are developing it.

Ford has been offering Wi-Fi in selected models since 2010 and some form of Internet access is also offered by many other major automakers including General Motors, BMW, Audi, Saab and Chrysler.

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To take on Apple, new tablets go where iPad won't

To take on Apple, new tablets go where iPad won't - CNN.com: "Electronics manufacturers have all the pieces they need to create a great competitor to the iPad.

The challenge may be figuring out which technology gives them the greatest strategic advantage.

Whether it's using the fastest 4G cellular chips, myriad screen size options, 3-D viewing, 3-D image capture or those retro stylus pens, tablet makers are hoping to mine a niche that Apple is ignoring.

When it comes to tablets, Apple doesn't have the vast technological lead it had in touchscreen smartphones when it introduced the iPhone in 2007.

When rival phone makers finally caught up years later, they were able to outflank Apple somewhat by offering similar products on cellular networks, such as Verizon, where Apple was not.

But the iPad 2, which went on sale two weeks ago, is available on the two largest carriers. Apple also has a significant lead in software, with more than 60,000 applications tailored to the iPad. Google's tablet operating system, called Android Honeycomb, has only a few because it's so new.

So competitors aim to flood the tablet industry -- and smother Apple -- with new choices.

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SHOW #101 - NerdBoyTV: Disaster in Japan

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee discusses the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan that struck on 3/11/2011. If you can help, go to this Yahoo! page, Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: How To Help, to donate to a variety of organizations from the Red Cross to Save The Children.

SHOW #100 - NerdBoyTV: Android NOOK Color

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee shares how some people are getting around the high cost of Android tablets by converting their NOOK Color e-readers into touchscreen tablets with full access to the Android App Market.

Nook Color Android hacks are being sold on eBay

By Crave - CNET

"Hacking or rooting the Barnes & Noble Nook Color has become a commercial venture for some, and that has plenty of Android enthusiasts calling foul.

In recent days folks on eBay have started selling hacks for the Nook Color pre-installed on microSD cards, which start around $60 for 4GB cards and work their way upwards. Installing one of the cards in the Nook Color's microSD slot allows users to override Barnes & Noble's 'closed' Android-based Nook firmware with an open Android system that supports running a multitude of Android apps. 'Modders' have been 'porting' various 'rooted' versions of the Android OS to the Nook Color, including a preview version of Honeycomb (Android 3.0), which is designed for tablets. This has made the affordable though slightly underpowered Nook Color ($250) a popular item with Android enthusiasts who don't want to shell out bigger money for true Android tablets like the $799 Motorola Xoom.

Over at the Android Police Will Shanklin was dismayed at the turn of events. He urged readers not to pay money for a Nook Color SD card that runs Honeycomb.

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Laptops play catch up to the iPad, Xoom

By Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

"Market researcher Gartner released a research note Thursday claiming that laptops are not meeting the demands of the social-networking era. So, will mobile PCs become more like the Xoom and the iPad, which are, in turn, larger versions of the smartphone? In a word, yes.

This theory--or fact, depending on how you look at it--can also be restated as the post-PC era, which is the Apple marketing-spin corollary to the Gartner argument.

But let's stick to Gartner's analysis about the unsuitability of laptops in the social-networking era. Here are the most significant points in the note about the average mainstream laptop:

* Battery life: not capable of all-day 'untethered computing'
* Connections: constant and immediate connections are not possible (i.e., no standard 3G/4G)
* Heavy: still too heavy, lacks real mobility

What this means is more laptops need to be like the 11.6-inch MacBook Air: very light, very thin--just like a tablet and, by extension, like a smartphone.

Though small laptops aren't for everybody, it does mean more people will gravitate to this style as companies like Apple upgrade to powerful silicon like Intel's low-voltage Sandy Bridge processor (and its future Ivy Bridge chip) and upcoming power-efficient chips from Advanced Micro Devices.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

SHOW #99 - NerdBoyTV: National Day of Unplugging

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee jokes about how miserably he failed to stay off gadgets and the Internet for National Day of Unplugging. It's still a good idea, so if you missed this annual event, try it another day — no gadgets, no WiFi.

SHOW #98 - NerdBoyTV: iPad 2, Twitter, Facebook

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee discusses the new release of Apple's iPad 2, provides a word of warning about tweeting on Twitter, and gives a creative example of the new pictures feature running along the top of your Facebook wallposts.

Android and iPhone: It's a two-horse race

Courtesy of Technolog (CLICK to read more)

"It's official — there are only two mobile operating systems that matter right now. Even as underdog competitors march onto the field trumpeting enthusiastic comeback strategies, the big money is on Apple's iOS and Google's Android, the Mac and PC of the 21st century.

No matter how much enthusiasm HP and Microsoft can drum up, their product lines are years behind the competition, and they currently sit on extremely minuscule market shares. Microsoft might get a big push from Nokia, but their joint products won't even come to market until 2012. Meanwhile RIM, former big cheese, is seeing its BlackBerry fortune fall fast. Though the PlayBook tablet may be the company's first buzz-worthy gadget in years, it comes with a strange requirement: To get full functionality out of it, you have to already use a BlackBerry. Preach to the choir much, RIM?

By contrast, Apple and Google are hustling to reach new customers. The Android camp wants to get into the iPad business that, with over 14 million in sales in just 8 months, Apple proved to be viable. In the phone business, Apple is fighting to gain back its lead from Google. Not only is Apple finally supplying iPhones to a second U.S. carrier — doubling its potential American customer base to roughly 190 million — but it's rumored to be devising a cheaper iPhone that addresses Android's best asset: its relative cheapness.

The main reason why these two will stay on top is half a million mobile apps, and counting."

Apple iPad 2 is a winner!

It's here! The new Apple iPad 2! Jeez, Apple is sooooooooooo smart: 1) Thinner, 2) Faster, 3) Front/Rear-Facing Cameras (FaceTime, anyone?), and 4) Same price points! Don't think that iPad Killer is coming anytime soon! Just imaging, nothing less and a whole lot more! Way to go, Apple!