11/2009 ~ Tech Toxic

11.24.2009

iPhone Apps to keep you fit this Friday

11:15 PM

Dr STUD

Fitness apps for all!
iPhone fitness apps have come a long way since Nike+iPod. The addition of GPS opened entirely new vistas for running and biking enthusiasts and the iPhone’s video and audio capabilities made it fun to use the iPhone in the gym. Here are a few of my favorites.

PumpOne FitnessBuilder

FitnessBuilder offers [$9.99] 500 little workouts for you and allows you to stick to them by forcing you to record and possibly report them to friends when you’re done. You open the app, select a work out – there are a number of sets for various workouts including shorter sets for busy folks – and then you can record your reps and weight for posterity.

If you’re ripped like me you don’t need all 5,000 of the pictures and videos then you can just use the app to figure out what to do between hits of Muscle Milk. However, if you need some help in the gym this is definitely the way to go. One of my favorites and well worth the investment.

iFitness

iFitness [$1.99] is one of the first workout programs for the
iPhone and includes a method for creating your own workouts as well as a list of ready-made workouts for the lazy.

The app is less visually attractive than FitBuilder but it is considerably cheaper than the PumpOne offering.

Trimble AllSport GPS

Do you like to do all sorts of things? Running? Dancing? Hiking? Hang-gliding? Space walking? The Trimble AllSport GPS [$4.99] has you covered. The app allows you to select multiple activities including hiking, biking, skiing, and even driving. When you start a run it will map your exercise as you go and even allows for basic music control inside the app.

RunKeeper Pro

RunKeeper Pro is one of the first apps to use the iPhone’s GPS capabilities to track your runs. To use it, you start it up and press start. Then you run or bike. That’s it. You can then view your workouts online and share your runs with friends.

The app comes in two versions, Free and Pro [$9.99] and the Pro version includes voice prompts as well as photo and status updates from the road. The Pro version also allows you to set a special iPod playlist for your workout.

My Therapy Exercise [$19.99] might not be for everyone but it is an interesting addition to the fitness canon. The app includes 170 exercises for folks who may need to take things a bit slower due to injuries or illness. The system allows you to work on your therapy exercises at home and then email a trainer or doctor tour results.

It’s a bit pricey but it’s a very specific tool for a very specific purpose.

11:14 PM

Dr STUD

Sending feedback with office 2010 is really easy and simple as compared to the beta products released from Microsoft released till date, you can send both positive and negative feedback for office 2010 products like word, excel, access etc.

When ever you face any problem with office 2010, just search for Microsoft send a smile under start menu search.

Once you click it, you can see the two type of feedback symbol in the extended system tray

Yellow smile is to send a positive feedback and orange frown is to send a negative feedback

11:11 PM

Dr STUD

Windows 7 has come out with some amazing features like peek desktop, new stylish taskbar similarly another amazing feature is the new snap feature which has been introduced with windows 7

What is Windows 7 Snap Feature ?

re-Size and arrange windows by simply dragging their borders to the edges of your screen. Instantly expand to full screen and back to normal window size, or arrange two windows side by side.
Snap feature in windows 7 is a quick and fun way to resize open windows, simply by dragging them to the edges of your screen. Depending on which edge you choose—top or bottom, left or right—the window will expand vertically, fill the screen, or you can even position windows side by side. Snap makes reading, organizing, and comparing windows very easy.

10:59 PM

Dr STUD

I think we can all agree that these require a collective “aw.” Then again, I’m guessing the sound is somewhat… anemic.

cardboard_speaker

They’re cute, but I prefer the look and sound of my Muji cardboard speakers (–>). Plus, they’re compatible with anything with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

10:56 PM

Dr STUD

In that spirit, here’s a list of products that ought to make easy-to-use gifts for the technologically ambivalent in your life.

For the Information Junkie: WikiReader ($99)

The WikiReader is a handheld device loaded up with every Wikipedia article available. It uses two AAA batteries, requires no data connection whatsoever, and features a power-sipping monochrome screen that works in direct sunlight. It’s the perfect gift for your yarn-spinning know-it-all grandpa, except now he’ll actually get his facts straight.

When it’s time to update the WikiReader to the latest articles, Gramps can have a new microSD card sent to him twice a year for $29 (just pop it in behind the batteries) or you can download the update yourself for free and load it up for him.

For the First-Time Computer User: Litl Webbook ($699)

preview As the resident computer expert in your family, to hear that someone who’s never used a computer before wants to “see what all the fuss is about” and wonders if you can teach them how to use it should send chills up and down your spine (and up and down again).

The new Litl Webbook removes an entire layer of the traditional operating system, providing direct access to music, movies, photos, the internet and more. Everything is kept “in the cloud” and all system updates are pushed to the device automatically.

There’s a two-year return period, 178-degree viewing angle touchscreen, and the device flips over into “easel mode” to double as a digital photo frame.

For the Music Lover: SanDisk slotRadio ($79.99)

slotRadio_140 Take the portability of an MP3 player, strip out the hassle of loading music onto it, and you’ve got SanDisk’s slotRadio player. Once you’ve grown tired of the 1,000 popular songs included with the player, pick up another card preloaded with 1,000 additional songs for between $30 and $40 apiece and spread across genres such as Classical, Rock, Oldies, Country, and more.

Pop out the old card, pop in the new card. Boom. Simple like tapes and CDs, newfangled like an MP3 player.

For the Bookworm: Amazon Kindle ($259)

kindle You’ll probably want to drop some hints before you gift an e-book reader to someone, just to get an idea about whether or not they’d actually use an electronic gizmo for reading. Our own Devin Coldewey is in his late twenties and he won’t touch an e-book reader with a ten foot pole, opting instead to throw on a cardigan, light up an academic-looking pipe, and read a book the old fashioned way. He likes the smell of paper or something weird like that.

If you’re able to plant the e-book seed successfully, though, the Kindle should be easy enough to use for just about anyone. And it doesn’t require a computer, so there’s that. You could go with one of the other wireless e-book readers, but the Barnes & Noble “nook” is sold out and there’s loose talk that Sony’s Reader Daily Edition might be waylaid until after the holidays.

For the Neatnik: iRobot Roomba (starting at $129.99)

roomba It’s a strange world when a robot is a vacuum and the entire combination is as simple to operate as hitting a single button. That’s Roomba for you, though. Perfect for the compulsive cleaner in your life, the Roomba series gets into corners and around furniture, finds its way back to its charging base, and makes the mundane chore of vacuuming a thing of the past. Truly anal neatniks may complain that Roomba misses a spot here and there but, hey, that just gives them something to clean by hand – and that’s the gift that keeps on giving.

10:56 PM

Dr STUD

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There’s no real cause for alarm here, but it might be a good talking point (or at least something to be aware of) that Windows 7 is nose and nose with OS X for install numbers, according to stats published by Net Applications. This isn’t really significant in and of itself, as it was sure to happen at some point or another.

The fun part is that both sides can use it as ammunition: “We sold more copies in a month than you’ve sold in ten years!” or “A month later and only 5% have upgraded? Either Windows 7 sucks or you’re all stupid, or both.” Good points all around, guys.

The total share of the net commanded by Windows 7 (and by OS X, as they’re currently tied) is around 5%. Windows in its various forms makes up 95% of web traffic, a statistic I found surprising. Windows’ total proportion has gone up a touch since the 7 launch, but that’ll likely revert soon as redundant installs and such are cannibalized

10:55 PM

Dr STUD

Last fall it seemed as if Sarah Palin would light a fuse and cause a social explosion. Behind her beauty-pageant smile lurked the shadow, the dark side of human nature. Her tactic of appealing to the worst impulses of the electorate had a long history in the Republican Party. Indeed, Palin inherited the selfish, mean-spirited values of another politician with a gleaming smile, Ronald Reagan.

When it first dawned in American politics, the shadow was shocking. Values were turned upside down. The AIDS crisis? Ignore it. They deserve what they got. The deficit? Doesn't matter as long as the rich get what they want. Huge unemployment and falling incomes among the working class? Feed them crank social issues so they have someone to hate. Palin breathes this noxious atmosphere like the clear air of Alaska and thrives on it.

Now, however, Palin brings a smile. When she quit her job as governor, it was obvious that someone had whispered in her ear, "You're fading. Soon you'll be a nobody. Grab the money while you can." And so she did, earning a hefty advance, much of which, fittingly, goes to paying off lawsuits related to her ethical violations while in office. The shadow that seemed so dangerous a year ago has been defanged, reduced to spiteful backbiting against the McCain campaign, the very people who gave Palin her spot in the limelight to begin with.

I hope the left will take a deep breath and stop treating Palin like a diabolical force. The American character has always had a large dose of orneriness in it, and the more ornery you were, the farther west you moved. Alaska has a reputation for being an icebox for malcontents. Palin came straight from the source, and countless Americans root for her. In hard times, being the bellyacher-in-chief is a valid role. Hence the rise of Glenn Beck.

But nobody is being fooled. A recent Gallup poll showed that 67% of responders don't want Palin to run for president. Fear of Palin is ill-advised on two counts. First, fear is what the shadow wants. Without it, the shadow has no power. Second, the left needs to learn how to win graciously. The current upheaval in American society, which has been an enormous threat on many fronts, called forth a president and a constituency that knows how to handle crisis. The voices of sanity are prevailing. The solutions that have emerged on all fronts -- economic, social, and international -- represent the best in the American character.

But you can't expect everyone to join the party. As long as we know that Palin is fooling nobody all of the time, the darker side can be tolerated. The shadow is always with us. Today it's on a book tour.

10:52 PM

Dr STUD

payoffcash

Rupert Murdoch is pointing a gun to Google’s head, and Microsoft is helping him pull back the trigger. For the past few weeks, Murdoch and his officers at News Corp. have been very vocal about their distaste for Google and their desire to lead other media companies in a boycott of sorts.

Murdoch keeps threatening to stop letting Google index the WSJ.com and his other media sites, and wants other news sites to join him in this self-imposed silence. The folks at Microsoft’s Bing think this is a great idea. Not only that, but the FT reports that Microsoft is in fact in discussions with News Corp. and other publishers about the possibility of paying them to remove their sites from Google’s search index. This report comes on the heels of a meeting in Europe where Bing dangled the prospect of premium spots in search results to publishers and outright money for search R&D.

Microsoft is not afraid to buy search market share, which is what it’s doing with the Yahoo search deal and even its Cashback program. But with these latest talks, it is literally trying to buy the news, or at least exclusive access to the news.

Bing can’t buy all the news, it can only buy certain brands. If Bing can somehow become the only place you can find news results and working links to the Wall Street Journal and other top papers such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the LA Times, for instance, that would be a big reason to switch for a lot of folks. But it’s not clear how much Bing would have to pay the news companies of the world for them to give up all the traffic Google sends them in return for a fraction of that traffic and some cash.

Even Google couldn’t afford to strike such deals. Says Murdoch, of Google, “If they were to pay everybody for everything they took from every newspaper in the world, and every magazine, they wouldn’t have any profits left.”

In order to actually make a dent in Google’s market share, Bing would have to pay such exorbitant sums to so many different news companies that it would be difficult to recoup its investment. Bing certainly get some marketing buzz out of any such move, but that’s about it.

The big problem with a search engine trying to buy market share by buying parts of the news is that information spreads so quickly these days, exclusives last about 30 seconds. That information will end up on a site that is indexed by Google. Or the same news will be broken by someone else on the Web before the WSJ.com even gets to it.

Exclusive indexing goes against the Web’s inherent openness. Companies that try to curtail that openness don’t last long on the Web

10:50 PM

Dr STUD

A year ago, Swype launched a new way to type on a touchscreen phone at TechCrunch50. Swype was created by the inventor of the T9 predictive typing system used on most phones today because he felt that new text input methods for small touchscreens are sorely needed. Today, the startup announced the first phone to use the technology will be the Samsung Omnia II on Verizon.

As you can see in the video above, which shows a side-by-side comparison of typing on the Omnia II versus on an iPhone, the way you type with Swype is you literally swipe your finger from one letter to the next as fast as you can. In the video, the Swypist beats the iPhone typist hands down, so to speak. But the comparison is more illustrative than definitive. A practiced iPhone typer can bang out a few sentences just as fast. I tried it myself and was able to basically tie the Swype user on the video. Still, I’ll withhold judgment until I can actually try a Swype phone myself.

More phones with Swype built in will be launched next year. The Omnia II is a Windows Mobile phone. But Swype will be included in a new Android phone in the first quarter of 2010.

10:47 PM

Dr STUD

Internet commerce juggernaut eBay is unveiling a brand new iPhone application dubbed Deals today, alongside an upgraded version of its shopping app for the iPhone and iPod Touch platform and an enhanced mobile website. And there’s a good reason for eBay to bolster its mobile offering: the company says its mobile GMV (value of goods sold) via its iPhone app and mobile website (m.ebay.com) is on track to top half a billion dollars by the end of this year.

Impressive number, and that’s not the end of the story. eBay also shared that its mobile GMV is growing at a double-digit rate month-over-month, and that approximately half of its 750,000 unique mobile users per month are situated outside the United States. Another interesting tidbit: eBay says 1 item is purchased every 2 seconds through its mobile offering.

Earlier this year, eBay CEO John Donahoe told a conference audience that the value of goods sold through the eBay iPhone app alone would exceed $400 million, and that an upgraded version of the app was imminent. That updated app should now be available, and it gained a little brother, too.

Version 1.5 of the eBay iPhone application (iTunes link), which the company says has been downloaded 5 million times to date, should now be live on the App Store – in 8 languages and in 77 countries. It boasts a streamlined interface that lets buyers and sellers manage their eBay activity and accounts directly from their iPhone devices, Daily Deal access, social media and e-mail sharing options (new), ‘Buy It Now’ capabilities, push notification alerts (also new) and a more powerful integration with PayPal.

The e-commerce giant is today also debuting a new app, called Deals (iTunes link – US store only), that basically gives iPhone and iPod Touch users a way to access the seemingly never-ending stream of bargains among hundreds of millions eBay listings. The app has built-in integration with social networks like Facebook and Twitter, making it easier for buyers to share their shopping activity with other and even build consensus around deals with their friends. Nice touch: you can shake your device to refresh the deals on display.

The iPhone is one of the best phones in the world, carriers with it are the problem

5:01 AM

Dr STUD

I try not to link to posts I completely disagree with that reach conclusions that don’t seem fully backed up, but I just had to respond to this UK Crave blog post titled, The iPhone is the worst phone in the world. After reading the post and then thinking about my experiences with my iPhone 3GS on both AT&T and T-Mobile I really think the author meant the iPhone/carrier combo is the worst in the world. Every issue, other than battery life, that they mentioned was carrier related and not due just to the device. You see, with AT&T I too experienced constant dropped calls in full signal areas and massive data issues in areas saturated with iPhone users. Then, with T-Mobile I never have had a dropped call on my iPhone and data has been solid, although it is only EDGE data on T-Mobile.

The iPhone is actually a pretty incredible phone that offers the consumer an experience not ever seen before. While we all acknowledge the iPhone rocks at web surfing and media consumption I honestly think it does quite well as a phone too for several reasons as I have listed here.

* Answering calls is as easy as a swipe across the screen.
* Controlling how your call is handled couldn’t be easier. By this I mean the options for a Bluetooth headset, speakerphone, or headset speaker.
* The proximity sensor turns off the display so nothing is accidentally pressed.
* Voicemail appears in a visual list so you control what messages you want to listen to.
* Starting a conference call or swapping calls just takes a screen tap.

I am not saying the iPhone is the perfect phone, but it sure makes all these tasks above easier than I have ever before experienced on a phone before. We now see others copying these exact same interface elements. For example, the Nokia N97 and Touch Pro2 have swipe to answer actions.

4:58 AM

Dr STUD

The New York Attorney General’s office today accused chip maker Intel of engaging in “a worldwide, systematic campaign of illegal conduct,” including paying kickbacks and threatening computer makers, and filed federal antitrust charges against it. (PDF of Complaint)

In a statement, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said that e-mails revealed that Intel has scored exclusive agreements with computer makers to use its microprocessors by resorting to “rebates” and threats, such as cutting off payments, funding a competitor or ending joint development ventures. In a press release, Cuomo said:

Rather than compete fairly, Intel used bribery and coercion to maintain a stranglehold on the market. Intel’s actions not only unfairly restricted potential competitors, but also hurt average consumers who were robbed of better products and lower prices. These illegal tactics must stop and competition must be restored to this vital marketplace.

Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy told the Wall Street Journal that the company will defend itself against the charges and that “Neither consumers who have consistently benefited from lower prices and increased innovation, nor Justice, are being served by the decision to file a case now.”

Cuomo’s office said the company also tried to erase traces of its practices by “eliminating crucial but flagrantly objectionable provisions from written agreements or by camouflaging language about illegal guaranteed market shares with terms like ‘volume targets.’ ”

The AG’s office noted specific instances of the illegal practices involving Intel and Dell, HP and IBM. Among the allegations:

* From 2001 to 2006, Intel granted Dell a privileged position vis-à-vis other computer makers in return for Dell’s agreement not to market any products from Advanced Micro Devices, Intel’s major competitor
* Intel threatened HP that it would derail development of a server technology on which HP’s future business depended if HP promoted products from AMD
* Intel paid HP hundreds of millions of dollars in rebates in return for HP’s agreement to cap HP’s sales of AMD-based products at 5% of its business desktop PCs
* Intel paid IBM $130 million not to launch an AMD-based server product
* Intel threatened to pull funding for joint projects that benefited IBM if IBM marketed AMD-based server products

The AG’s office also offered examples of instances where PC makers agreed to go along with Intel’s practices, specifically a 2006 deal between HP and Intel that involved payment of $925 million to HP to increase Intel’s shares of HP’s sales at AMD’s expense and a collaboration between Intel and Dell to market microprocessors and servers at prices below cost to “deprive AMD of strategically important competitive successes.”

However, the AG positions the PC makers as victims here, not collaborators. For example, the AG’s office offers these examples, unveiled as part of its 20-month investigation:

* Internal e-mail from IBM executive in January 2005: “I understand the point about the accounts wanting a full AMD portfolio. The question is, can we afford to accept the wrath of Intel…?”
* Internal e-mail from HP executive in June 2004 after HP defied Intel and launched an AMD product: “Intel has told us that HP’s announcement on Opteron [AMD’s server chip] has cost them several $B [Billions] and they plan to ‘punish’ HP for doing this.”
* Internal Dell e-mail in February 2004 regarding the possibility of Dell ending its exclusive relationship with Intel: “PSO/CRB [Intel CEO Paul Ottelini and Intel Chairman Craig Barrett] are prepared for jihad if Dell joins the AMD exodus.
* Internal e-mail from Intel executive in April 2006: “Let’s talk more on the phone as it’s so difficult for me to write or explain without considering anti-trust issue.”

4:55 AM

Dr STUD

Even guys who don't suffer from video game addiction are sometimes unable to resist the thrill of killing a few more shambling zombies, saving the princess or winning World War II.

But for those gamers out there who simply cannot put the controller down, video game addiction is a much more serious affliction, as was reinforced by Michael Fahey of Kotaku recently coming forward with the story of an "EverQuest" addiction that cost him his car, job and girlfriend.

The outpouring of similar stories in the comments section of this post reminded us that while the affliction isn't officially recognized by psychiatrists yet, to those who have suffered from it, it is very real. Keep reading to explore some of the more extreme cases of video game addiction.

Failed Intervention?

This clip from the TV show "Intervention" focuses on a young man who plays both "Halo" and "Dance Dance Revolution" with equal intensity. Swearing when you're tea-bagged by a high-pitched 12-year-old from the U.K. we can understand, but it doesn't take a psychiatrist to know something is wrong when a guy screams and flips off a cartoon avatar in a dancing game. Luckily, he does seek help and quickly leaves for a 42-day-long wilderness retreat. Unfortunately, he begins playing games again after getting back, which begs the question: Should gaming addiction be treated the same as other addictions? Members of Alcoholics Anonymous proudly state how long they've been sober. Should game addicts be held to the same standard?

Gaming and Mental Health

This story from two years ago tackles two cases dealing with the addictive nature of both "EverQuest" and "World of Warcraft," the latter of which boasts an active online audience in the millions. It seems like games that feature never-ending gameplay (thanks to online functionality) tend to elicit addictive behaviors more easily from users. One gamer discussed in the video committed suicide after his "EverQuest" addiction led him not only to withdraw from family and quit his job, but to refuse medication prescribed for ADD and epilepsy. While going off his medication probably had more to do with his suicide than his gaming addiction did, it's hard to completely discount it as a contributing factor.

New Kind of Junkie?

The "gaming leads to violence" movement has been around for years. However, does gaming addiction lead to violence? Possibly, or at least as much as other addictions. A brutal murder in Vietnam lends credence to the argument that game addicts will do anything to feed their habit -- much like drug, alcohol or gambling addicts. The story explains how a 13-year-old boy murdered an 81-year-old for money to fund his online gaming addiction. In another case, a 15-year-old boy who relied on extortion to earn cash to continue playing online games was arrested. And you thought gold farmers were bad.

Blurring Line Between Reality and Fantasy

China enacted strict regulations regarding to online gaming back in 2005 after a gamer killed another player in real life for stealing his in-game sword. A general concern about video games is that gamers get so immersed in online gaming that they disregard common sense and reality -- a concern sadly proven true in this case.

Total Breakdown

While perhaps only a tenuous connection to video game addiction exists here, the murder of Susan Petric by her 17-year-old son Daniel after she denied him access to "Halo 3" is horrifying in its implications. Is the urge to game so strong in some people that they're willing to kill when it's taken away? It's still difficult for many to believe people can actually be addicted to video games. Once associated with Mario breaking bricks and stomping turtles, games now feature full-fledged worlds -- places for gamers to not just play, but inhabit. However, until game addiction is more mainstream (which, unfortunately, may hinge on more related deaths), those who suffer are unlikely to seek help at all, not even knowing they have a problem.

If you or someone you know suffers from video game addiction, you can find some support here or contact your family physician.

4:52 AM

Dr STUD

NEW YORK (AP) -- Paint the town in pinstripes! Nearly a decade after their dynasty ended on a blooper in the desert, the New York Yankees are baseball's best again.

Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs, Andy Pettitte won on short rest and New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 on Wednesday night, finally seizing that elusive 27th title - the most in all of sports.

It was the team's first since winning three straight from 1998-2000.

4:51 AM

Dr STUD

A leaked draft of the Internet chapter of the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) reveals that ISPs will be held liable for the infringements of their customers, unless they disconnect those accused. The draft aims to strengthen the power of the entertainment industries and other copyright holders, at the cost of the public.

ACTA is an international agreement that aims to target piracy and counterfeiting globally. The degree of secrecy surrounding the negotiations is astonishing. Many institutions, the press and various individuals have requested that participating countries provide an insight into their plans, but none have succeeded thus far.

While the public is denied access to drafts of the controversial agreement, lawmakers continue to receive input from anti-piracy lobbyists such as the RIAA and MPAA. Today, the 6th round of ACTA negotiations have started in Seoul, South Korea, where representatives from the U.S, the European Union, Canada, Australia and several other countries will discuss the treaty’s content.

As happened previously, parts of the document have leaked out to the public and they reveal that the agreement’s scope is even more far-reaching than previously expected. The Internet chapter of ACTA has very little to do with counterfeiting, but adopts many of the same policies that anti-piracy lobbyists have been calling for.Among other things, the ACTA draft calls for a global three-strikes policy to disconnect alleged file-sharers from the Internet, without solid evidence or a court order. If ISPs won’t do so, they will be held liable for the copyright infringements of their customers.

Similarly, all participating countries have to adopt a ‘notice and takedown’ policy where copyright holders can request ISPs to remove infringing materials, again without having to provide solid evidence or proof that they actually own the copyrights. When ISPs don’t comply with the requests they will be held liable, which means that they will be seen as pirates themselves.

Unfortunately, all parties involved in the negotiations refuse to make the ACTA plans public, effectively preventing any constructive input from the public. Yesterday, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) petitioned President Obama to change this situation and be transparent about the agreement that will affect millions of people. Until that happens we can only fear the worst.