GBTV #0309 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

GBTV #0309 (small) | GeekBrief.TV
I've decided to pursue a long-term goal of traveling around the U.S. for a year in an RV. That quest makes me notice stuff like the NAVIsurfer II. It's a fully functional PC that fits in a single DIN slot. DLO has a TDMA shielded speaker system for iPhone. It's about time. Google Docs now has a forms application that sends data to Google Spreadsheets. Unfortunately, you have to invite people to enter data into the form by sending them email. The his and hers key ring holder is all kinds of cute. Some of you might be interested in our GBTVmobile quest. I'm blogging about it at iCali.TV.

With promotion code "geekbrieftv", you can get a Nokia N810 for 15% off. Lots of countries are participating. For a full list, click here. For more details on the promotion, click here.

MacBreak 126: Macworld 2008: Verte Chair

MacBreak 126: Macworld 2008: Verte Chair
Dr. Kiki Sanford takes Anthro Technology's "Verte Chair" for a spin.

Geek Brief Radio - Psystar

Geek Brief Radio - Psystar
I love you guys, but there was no way I was going to spend $500 on a Psystar to try it out, even though it's deductible. John Biggs from CrunchGear.com did it, and I called him up to talk to him about it.

UFO-chaser extradited for mother of all military hacks

UFO-chaser extradited for mother of all military hacks
LONDON - Some call it the biggest hack of military computers; perhaps it was just a big embarrassment. Gary McKinnon - accused of breaking into military and Nasa computers in what he claims was a search for UFOs, allegedly...

MacBreak 110: Macworld 2008: Eye-Fi

Cali Lewis checks out the Eye-Fi auto-uploading SD card. Read More

Coupons for Online Shopping

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.

Read More

MacBreak 06: Email Encryption

Leo and Emery survey the available tools and techniques for keeping email secure and private on your Mac.
Read More

Protopage: Ajax-Driven Personal Pages

Ajaxy personal pages with newsreaders are gaining traction and usability. Protopage is a free service that is astonishing easy to use and doesn't even require registration. (If you create a page and wish to make it persist at an easy-to-remember URL, you must register. But it's still free.) Floating information panels can be dragged around the screen, and there are three basic types: RSS reader; sticky note; and link panel. As far as I can tell there is no way to add a photo to a page, which is a shame. Protopage also provides a default search panel with keyword boxes for Google, Yahoo!, Dictionary.com, and Wikipedia.

Overall a simple product, but the RSS panel does allow OPML uploads, and you can fashion more than one panel for extra sorting power. All colors and backgrounds are customizable with sliders and drop-down menus. You can add pages to your Protopage space, and make those pages public or private individually. A mechanism for inviting friends is furnished, but there's no integrated social action here. You share you page by giving someone the URL, and, of course, friends can build link panels with each other's addresses.

Perhaps the funnest application of Protopage would be to share a password, and get a group together to build a space. Protopage would be an entertaining environment in which to assemble news, links, and notes. Conversations could transpire on the sticky notes. More widgets are needed to bring this thing to life, though. Give it a calendar and photo uploading, and Protopage would start to rock.

Permalink�|�Email this�|�Linking�Blogs�|�Comments

Read More

Sony introduces another hot China-only PMP, the PMX-M80

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Sony's China-only PMPs have always been a little more interesting than the gear we see Stateside, and the new PMX-M80 is no exception. The 4.3-inch touchscreen player packs 16GB of storage and decent codec support into a sleek white box, as well as a new mapping application that's apparently a novelty in China. Too bad this thing won't ever make it over here -- although at 2,260 yuan ($331), it probably wouldn't shake things up too much.

[Via PMP Today]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read More

GBTV #0386 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

We're giving up DV tapes in our production flow with the Firestore FS5 release.

Matt, or Multiple Account Twitter Tweeting, is the first service I think I might continue to use to post my tweets to multiple accounts. The only downside that I've found is that posting isn't immediate.

AT&T is working to make purchasing the iPhone 3G seem as complicated and unpleasant as possible.

My t-shirt was provided by Allmightys.com. Read More

Microscopic microscope could fit on cellphones, cost just $10

Microscopic microscope could fit on cellphones, cost just $10

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Make no mistake, microscopes have been getting increasingly smaller for years, but a team of CalTech researchers have leapfrogged previous efforts by creating one minuscule enough to fit on a cellphone. The microscopic optofluidic microscope could one day be used in third-world nations to "analyze blood samples for malaria or check water supplies for giardia and other pathogens," and given that it could theoretically be mass produced for around $10, cost shouldn't be too much of a hindrance. Changhuei Yang, credited for developing the chip, is currently chatting it up with biotech companies in order to get this to the market, but there's no word yet on any takers.

[Via Physorg]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

RSS? Security Deadline

We have a deadline on our hands, folks. There are vulnerabilities that simply must be addressed before the unthinkable happens.
(more…)

We have a deadline on our hands, folks. There are vulnerabilities that simply must be addressed before the unthinkable happens.
(more…)

Read More

iPod software now lets you read more RSS items

A favorite shareware program of mine that adds all kinds of information to your iPod has raised the number of RSS feed items it can handle. Pod2Go, which has been a Mac product for a while, but just recently introduced a Windows beta as well, now lets you view 100 items or articles per RSS feed that are converted into iPod notes for later reading while on a plane or anywhere else. Essentially, you can turn your iPod into a PDA. Previously, you could only view up to 30 news items per feed.

The software comes with more than 1,000 built-in feeds to choose from. You also can add your own RSS or Atom feedst. If you're running NetNewsWire on your Mac, Pod2Go automatically lets you select which feeds you want to include from that program. It does the same thing with Safari's RSS feeds. However, the software doesn't support RSS feeds that require authorization.

But the software doesn't stop there. It also provides information about the weather, movies, stocks, lyrics, horoscopes (if you believe in those silly things), driving directions and gas prices. The Mac version also lets you sync with address book contacts, iCal calendars and other items. It also has a backup feature and a launcher so you can start any program when Pod2Go syncs. There's a 15-day free trial. After that, the software costs $15. Right now, the Windows version is free until the beta ends.

Read�|�Permalink�|�Email this�|�Linking�Blogs�|�Comments

Read More

MacBreak 138: NAB: Lite Panels

MacBreak 138: NAB: Lite Panels
Alex stops by the Lite Panel booth.

MacBreak 33: The Distracted Mac

MacBreak 33: The Distracted Mac
Merlin Mann is back to show you how to free your Mac from visual clutter.

GBTV #381 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

GBTV #381 (small) | GeekBrief.TV
Today's Brief comes to you from a hotel room that looks like a grandma's house. Tnkgrl solved the problem of why MacBook Air super drives only work with MBAs and she explains how to get one working with any Mac or PC on her blog, tankgrl.wordpress.com.

SmugMug has a new service for unlimited storage of any type of file. The service is called SmugVault and it's built on Amazon Web Services. Storage costs pennies per GB.

D-Link dropped an update for their DNS-323 NAS. The update turns it into a PC-free BitTorrent machine. They also released a new router, the DIR-628, that is dual-band. The 2.4GHz channel is for regular network traffic and the 5.4GHz channel is for media distribution.

The Boy Genius Report got a tip that the iPhone will go on sale at 8AM on July 11th.

SlashGear says JVC will release the world's thinnest 1080p LCD HDTV in July.

Tomorrow we're having a bus inspected. I'll be providing updates on Twitter and live video from Qik.

MacBreak 161: Macbreak: Wiimote Adaptation

Keith Lang stops in to show us how to adapt a Wiimote for a 3D experience. Read More

New-look Google Reader Is Stunning!

A Google based RSS reader. Sounds sort of strange to me, but then most of the stuff Google is doing these days generally is.
(more…)

A Google based RSS reader. Sounds sort of strange to me, but then most of the stuff Google is doing these days generally is.
(more…)

Read More

GBTV #0366 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

Amazon lowered the price of the Kindle by $40. I get asked on a regular basis if I would recommend it. Yes! It has hardware design flaws, but the reading experience is addictive.

The TelePrompTer company I've used since the first year of GeekBrief.TV, just released a new version, the ProPrompter HD.

LaptopMag.com had an interesting interview with Mary Lou Jepsen. She gave a bit of insight into what they're working on for the OLPC v2. Looks like they're integrating haptic technology.

I'm excited about the possibilities of an application called AnswerOil. It's an interactive tool to help narrow down shopping choices quickly. They're licensing the technology to online stores, so we don't get to really use it unless companies adopt it. You can experience the demo here.

DimP is an experimental video player that allows viewers to scrub through video by dragging moving objects on the screen You can download a DimP player for Windows here.

For a limited time, we have a new Go Daddy promo code. It's GB100 and it'll get you $25 off your order of $100 or more. The offer expires June 15th. Our other GoDaddy discount codes, GB1, GB2 and GB3, are always good. For more information, click here. Read More

GBTV #0342 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

So, this one's different. Today, we continually encountered slightly silly, but entirely lovable attempts at video today. That became the theme of Brief 342. It started with a project from Microsoft Research called MySong. The team had fun with their video showing how the technology works. It's a parody of bad commercials. The application though looks like it's going to be so much fun for kids when it's released. It creates an backing track to go along with what you sing into a mic. We had some fun with them having some fun.

Then today Flickr launched support for video and they used sock puppets to demonstrate what it's like.

Then John Biggs from CrunchGear.com was at some kind of event when he was attacked by a Lego Mindstorm robot.

Drew Domkus appears courtesy of Dawn and Drew TV. You can get a Nokia N810 for 15% off at podshowoffers.com (more details here). Use Promo Code "geekbrieftv". Read More

Cha-Ching 2 beta 2 makes interface changes

Cha-Ching 2 beta 2 makes interface changes
Midnight Apps says it has released the second beta of Cha-Ching 2, its Mac finance program. The new version mainly alters the interface, for instance adding a toolbar to the top, and status, flagged and attachment badges to the list view. The Cover Flow view is now said to be "actually useful," letting people quickly browse data based on date or ...