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Now browsing: Hometown News > Computer/Technology > Geekspeak
Geekspeak
This Week | Archive
April 5, 2013
GPS is starting to get amazing - The vehicle GPS business is not what it was a few years back when the idea of having a satellite navigation system in your car seemed like science fiction. Back then, these gadgets that cost a small fortune were positively primitive compared to what you can find on store shelves today. I'm talking ugly, low-res black and white sc... Full Story
March 8, 2013
New approach to smartphone service - By Tony Briggs It may be hard for some folks to realize in this hype-connected age, but there are still a lot of people who don't use smartphones. I'm talking about the iPhone and it's many brethren, the kind of phone with a touch screen and supports real Internet Web browsing and opens the door to tens of thousands of super useful Web-base... Full Story
February 8, 2013
Internet spreads to many tiny devices - By Tony Briggs In the beginning, the Internet was for computers -- and nothing else. It allowed two parties to share information over long distances. At first, using big mainframe computers and later, PCs. At first, using only primitive text and later, with the development of the World Wide Web and Internet browsers, graphics. Today, it seems a... Full Story
January 4, 2013
Roku can be part of the TV alternative - Be honest. How many of the hundreds upon hundreds of cable TV channels do you actually watch? A dozen? Fifty? More? My guess is for most consumers, it's closer to the smaller number than the big one. Which is why many of them are taking a long look at their ever-rising cable bills and asking "Do I really need to pay the big bucks for all of thes... Full Story
December 14, 2012
Join the e-reader revolution - When it comes to reading books, I used to be an old school guy. Nothing but printed pages and hard covers for me. I scoffed at new fangled e-readers. No more. After first dipping my toe into e-reading a few years ago using the widely available Kindle app (which works on most tablets, smartphones), I am now at the point where I would hardly even c... Full Story
October 19, 2012
New iPhone is just catching up - Now that we have gotten past the relentless hype surrounding the release of the new iPhone 5, it's time to get past the predictable gushing from the Apple-worshipping fan boys and media about how it's "the best smart phone EVER!" and do a reality check. Before I begin, let me first say the iPhone is a fine product and Apple is a fine company. Cer... Full Story
September 14, 2012
Amazon vs. Apple is new tech battle - It wasn't all that long ago that two companies called Microsoft and Apple were locked in mortal combat over the desktop PC market. Microsoft won that war, but that was then and this is now. Desktop PCs no longer matter, and some believe, are doomed to extinction. Tablets are where it's at now. And the roles have reversed. Apple now is the und... Full Story
August 31, 2012
4K TV or Quad HD coming - Remember when you shopped for your first HDTV and how you struggled to understand those confusing new terms like 720p, 1080i, 1080p and Full HD? Well, get ready to get confused again. Now that most of us have finally made the transition to HD, the companies that make the TVs are about to unleash yet another new variation that promises to be bett... Full Story
June 29, 2012
Let the tablet wars begin - Here we go again. The folks at Microsoft are going to battle against long-time rival Apple - this time in the tablet wars. Are they crazy? Yes, and here's why. Microsoft has proven that it is incapable of building any kind of hardware that is better than the Apple counterpart. Its forthcoming new tablet, dubbed Surface and announced in late June... Full Story
June 15, 2012
It pains me to say this but 3-D just ain't what it's cracked up to be - If you have been to the movies or shopped for a new TV lately, you know the big upgrade everyone is pushing is 3-D. The latest craze started with James Cameron's groundbreaking 2009 movie "Avatar," which became the highest grossing move of all time. Hollywood and the TV manufacturers have been trying to cash in, with varying degrees of success, e... Full Story
June 1, 2012
Trying to watch movies with UltraViolet is ultra-frustrating - Well, it sounded like a good idea anyway. Buy a video, Blu-ray or DVD and get the rights to stream the movie to any digital device you own. It's an initiative called UltraViolet. But that turns out to be a misnomer. Ultra-bad would be more accurate. Ultra-difficult to set up. Ultra-hard to use. In fact, it takes an Ultra-genius just to figure ... Full Story
May 11, 2012
Trying to watch movies with UltraViolet is ultra-frustrating - Well, it sounded like a good idea anyway. Buy a video, Blu-ray or DVD and get the rights to stream the movie to any digital device you own. It's an initiative called UltraViolet. But that turns out to be a misnomer. Ultra-bad would be more accurate. Ultra-difficult to set up. Ultra-hard to use. In fact, it takes an Ultra-genius just to figure o... Full Story
April 13, 2012
Want to know more than just where you are going? Try this GPS add-on - Almost everyone knows a standalone car GPS will correctly guide them to their destination. But some Garmin models can provide guidance of a different sort - if you are willing to shell out $100 or so for a little-known add-on called ecoRoute HD. Instead of dealing with maps and routes, this little gadget focuses on the internal workings of your c... Full Story
March 9, 2012
Be smart about smartphones and save a lot of money - Many people eagerly spend $200 or more every year for the privilege of owning the latest and greatest smartphone. Then they shell out another $100 a month or so to ensure they can use that phone to talk, text and tap into the Internet as often as they like. Certainly that buys you a lot of convenience. Smartphones and the service plans that suppo... Full Story
February 3, 2012
Make sure your wireless network is secure - Most people who have Internet access at home also have a wireless router, so they can easily surf the Web using their notebook computers, smart phones, tablets and the like. Unfortunately, a lot of those people don't have a secure network. Most wireless routers come from the factory with all wireless security features turned off. That makes it e... Full Story
December 30, 2011
Apply these useful apps to your phone or tablet - If you own a smart phone or a tablet computer, you know it's all about the apps. Applications, or apps, are little programs that take information from regular websites and reformat them into a form you can actually read on smaller screens. They first appeared with the first iPhones, probably as an afterthought. But if most people are honest, they... Full Story
November 4, 2011
Do you really even need a tablet? - In the world of gadgetry, there is always one type of device that rates as the latest hot toy. At one time, it was the Walkman. Then came the iPod, followed by the iPhone and other smartphones. More recently, the small portable netbooks were all the rage. Now, it's the tablet. The jury is still out on whether tablets will have staying power, espe... Full Story
October 7, 2011
GPS devices: What's worth paying for and what's not - Geek Speak By Tony Briggs Women have complained for years about their husbands or boyfriends who, when lost on a roadtrip, steadfastly refuse to stop to ask for directions. The men are always certain they can find the way - eventually. It's a genetic thing. These days, that's less of a problem, thanks to female guidance of a different sort - th... Full Story
August 26, 2011
Are you a technological foot dragger? - In the world of technology, there are the "Me first!" early adopters, the "I'll buy it as soon as the price comes down" regular folks and the "Heck no, I won't go" foot-draggers. If you have not bought an HDTV yet and are still watching one of those big square TVs that uses bulky picture tubes, you definitely fall into the foot-dragger category. ... Full Story
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