Sony Finally Announces a Netbook– Yes, They Are Calling it a Netbook July 9, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in Computers.Tags: Computers, netbook, sony, sony vaio
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The Sony Vaio W netbook
Meet the Sony Vaio W– Sony’s first venture into the ever growing world of netbooks (ok, in my opinion it’s the second Sony netbook– the first being the Vaio P they announced back in January, though Sony will never admit that it’s a netbook, even though it fits all the netbook descriptions). Anyways, back to the Sony Vaio W netbook. At first glance (as you can see in the pic above) this netbook definitely stands out, and is much more stylish looking than your traditional netbook that you’d find from ASUS, HP, Dell or Acer, instead keeping to the Sony Vaio style even in this smaller, cheaper model.
Beyond that nice outside design though, Sony keeps the inside to the standard netbook specs that you find on pretty much every netbook out there: 1.6 GHZ Intel Atom processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive, webcam, memory card slot, Windows XP, WiFi and Bluetooth, etc. It does though have a 10.1 inch HD screen (a resolution of 1366×768– or very good and clear for a 10 inch computer screen, making viewing things like videos and pix much better and easier to do), a “chicklet” keyboard (like those found on regular Vaio’s and MacBooks) which is 86% the size of your standard keyboard, and Sony’s Vaio Media Plus software for streaming your music, movies, and pix to and from the netbook with other PC’s and the PS3.
My thoughts on this new netbook? It’s nice, but I personally am not sold on it particularly with it having a smaller than average netbook keyboard (the average netbook has about 92% size of a regular keyboard like those found on normal laptops– and trust me, from someone writing this post on a netbook– an HP Mini 2140– that extra 6% is important, especially when you’re gonna need to write a lot like with notes in school). It also is still a Sony, so don’t expect the price to be so cheap– they’re saying it will be about $500, and you can get a much better deal on a netbook with a better keyboard from one of those other companies mentioned above for well below that $500 price (Best Buy.com for example, has some pretty good deals on some solid ASUS netbooks with pretty close to the exact same specs for only $300).
Anyways, if you really want a Sony computer (or a netbook that is really more style oriented than anything else), but never wanted to pay a “premium” price for a traditional Sony laptop, here’s your chance to pick one up when it launches sometime in mid-August in either black, white or pink.
Google Announces Chrome OS July 8, 2009
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in Computers.Tags: chrome os, Computers, google, internet, netbooks
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Are you a Mac, PC, or a Chrome OS?
Yup, you read that headline right. The often rumored Google operating system is coming. Announced earlier this morning by Google, Chrome OS is an operating system designed to run on netbooks (those laptops that are realitivly low powered and cheap– usually between 10-11 , and with cost usually under $500. A lot of companies like ASUS, HP, Dell, Acer all make netbooks) and is designed to be simple and fast.
Google has yet to release, well, pretty much any info on this new OS, but it definitely sounds interesting– after all, Google makes some pretty interesting software, and an OS that could in a simple and quick way (hopefully built around the great Chrome browser interface that is found in the browser that is out now for Macs and Windows) combine the existing Google suite of services, and you have one really nice product. Seriously, Google already has all the parts: Gmail for email, Google Docs for word processing and as an office suite, Chrome for web browsing, Calender for, well a calender.. you get the idea.
As for the other half of software (i.e. developers)? Well, Google will be using a web-based application system (think early iPhone stuff, pre-2.0 update, when apps were only online and couldn’t be saved to the phone), and this will for sure be interesting to see if it’ll work or if they too will switch to an “App Store” type model like Apple has now, where you can download apps to run on the device without the need to be online. No word yet on how Google’s mobile Android OS will play into this (which is really gonna be interesting to see because netbooks running Android are said to be coming later this year).
While it’s WAY to early to say how Chrome OS will turn out (it’s said to be coming second half of 2010– or a year or so from now), Google has managed to get my (and pretty much the rest of the internet’s) attention on this very cool and promising product. As always, we’ll post more updates as soon as we get ‘em.
Is this the Samsung Glyde 2? July 6, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in Cell Phones, Rumors.Tags: Cell Phones, Rumors, samsung, samsung glyde, samsung impression, verizon, verizon wireless
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A rumored pic of the Samsung Glyde 2 (pic from HowardForums, click on pic for bigger version), next to it is a pic of AT&T’s already released Samsung Impression for comparison purposes (you gotta admit, they look a lot like)
We all know the first Samsung Glyde for Verizon had its ups and downs (looked really cool, but originally the touchscreen stunk, and was so bad that they had to actually recall all the phones to fix it….), but now pix are popping up of a new Samsung Glyde 2, and boy does this look to not just fix everything possibly wrong in the first one, but actually do even more!
Right now all we got are a couple of pix (like the one you see above), but the phone itself to me looks like a sleeker, Verizon version of AT&T’s very good Samsung Impression (which I have actually seen in person and played with for a couple of minutes– the screen and keyboard on it are AMAZING!), and that is definitely a very good thing.
As I said, we don’t know much yet specs wise but we can safely assume this will be touchscreen (my guess on screen size is somewhere near the Impression’s 3 inches– though that is just my guess, and seeing as this is a rumor, isn’t confirmed anywhere), possibly an AMOLED screen like the Impression (again, just a guess, but could very well be as Samsung has been very big on this tech lately. Oh, and in simple terms– this means an AMAZING screen that is up there with the iPhone and Pre’s), Verizon 3G and Samsung’s TouchWiz interface (both of which we can tell from the pix. And the TouchWiz interface is basically a bunch of cool widgets you can place on your homescreen, it’s definitely nice to have and sure beats Verizon’s standard UI on the homescreen). There also looks to be some sensors like a light sensor by the Verizon logo, which also is a nice touch (though what exactly are the sensors we don’t yet know), and the keyboard looks to be easier to use than the very hard keyed keyboard on the first Glyde.
We’ll of course keep you updated on this, but even if the specs are close to what we guessing, then this is looking like another winner for you Verizon users out there.
And we now gotta ask, if your looking for a new phone for Verizon over the next couple of months, what ya gonna get– this (basing on the rumored specs and assuming it gets released soon– like in the next couple of months), the BlackBerry Tour, the enV Touch or the enV3? Or are you gonna look for something different entirely? We’re all ears so sound off in the comments.
When Gadgets and Social Networks Collide– Meet gdgt July 2, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in Misc..Tags: blogs, gadgets, gdgt, social networks, Tech, tech blogs
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We got something here today we think a lot of you will love. It’s a brand new site by Ryan Block and Peter Rojas (the guys who made the big tech blogs Engadget and Gizmodo– they also are our mentors here and have helped get us off the ground, just a little side note) called gdgt (pronounced either g-d-g-t, like saying each letter, or just “gadget”). As we said in the title, it’s a site that mixes both gadget news and social networking. It’s really cool, kinda like a Facebook/Twitter for gadgets.
It also really let’s you focus on the gadgets you own, and in your profile, you actually can make a list of the gadgets you want, have, or had– and clicking on one of the gadgets in your list takes you to that gadgets page, where theres a whole bunch of information like a basic overview, tips, tricks and hacks for said gadget (do at your own risk!), and even reviews. Speaking of reviews, you also can post your own reviews on the gadgets (though you can’t just write “this iPod is awesome!”, the reviews need to be at least 200 words), and you can also edit information on gadgets on the site if you find them inaccurate, and you can even add another gadget to the site if you find the one your looking for missing (kinda adding a Wikipedia like element to the site).
There are also a lot of discussions on the site, so if your having trouble with something, there may be a good bet you’ll find an answer to it there– and if you know the answer to someones problem, you can add in a comment to help them out. Those are just a few of the new things at gdgt, you can see a whole video walk through of the site here.
It really is cool and you can check it out for yourselves here. Oh, and friend me and Chaim!
DigitalPersona’s Personal Fingerprint Reader – Review July 2, 2009
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in Computers, First Look/Reviews.Tags: Computers, fingerprint reader, pc, security, windows
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DigitalPersona’s Personal Fingerprint Reader (And yes, it does glow with a cool blue light when you use it).
Alright, after that mouthful of a title, here’s the post. Recently, I had the chance to try out DigitalPersona’s Personal Fingerprint Reader, and in short, it’s pretty awesome. Personally, I think fingerprint reading tech is one of the coolest things out there, and this is no exception.
Instead of on some laptops, where there is a little strip that is a slide reader where you slide your finger, this is a full fledged finger print pad, and the difference is noticeable – throughout all my time testing, I never ran into one misread, which is impressive. Accuracy is also good – the reader was able to recognize my prints, but rejected my twin brother’s, which says a lot of how accurate it is. There are several features built into the software that it comes with, that all work pretty seamlessly with Windows (sorry, no Mac support)– logging into Windows, protecting folders, and Internet logins are some of the specific areas where the program works. Logging in is simple– you set up the password, and when the reader is plugged in, when you log in, it’ll give you the option to just scan a finger, and presto – it logs in. Websites work similarly– when you visit a site with a login box on it (like say your email or a site like Twitter or Facebook), a fingerprint icon will appear in the corner of the browser, asking you if you’d like to register an account. It all works simply and efficiently, just as you’d expect. File encryption also works in the same way– select a file, encrypt it, and it can only be accessed by your finger alone.
However, it is a little pricey – costing $90. A cheaper version of the software and reader is available, although I have not tested it, and is instead being a swipe style reader (similar to those found on laptops), and does not include the file encryption software.
Overall, the Personal Fingerprint reader is a cool, interesting way to use fingerprint technology on the web and on your PC. If it’s something you’ve just wanted to try, it might be a little expensive, but for those who like fingerprint security, this is an excellent implementation of it. We are going to give it a very good rating of 4 out of 5, losing points only for the somewhat high price.
We give the Personal Fingerprint Reader a Very Good 4 out of 5
You can order the Personal Fingerprint Reader from DigitalPersona’s site here.
Firefox 3.5 Out– All the Info You Need and First Take July 1, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in Computers.Tags: browsers, Computers, firefox, firefox 3.5, first look, internet, internet browser, web browsers
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So, you like using Firefox 3 as your browser of choice over other options such as Safari 4, Opera 9, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer 8? Hey, that’s not a bad thing at all and Firefox 3 is my proud browser of choice (I like it a WHOLE lot better than IE8, Safari 4 and Chrome– and I never really got into Opera). I really love its simplicity and speed, and today Mozilla, the guys behind Firefox, today have officially released the next version of Firefox 3– nicely named Firefox 3.5.
For all the info on what’s new in 3.5 and for a little first take, hit the more link.
HTC Hero and HTC’s All New Sense UI for Android June 29, 2009
Posted by Nik G in Cell Phones.Tags: Android, Cell Phones, google, google android, htc, htc hero, htc sense
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Recently we ran a search looking for new writers to join us here at TeenTechBlog. And as a product of that search, we are proud to reintroduce Nik back to TTB.
HTC’s All-New Hero
So on June 24th, HTC held a press event in London, England and New York to introduce a new phone– the HTC Hero. There was lots of speculation of it being Android related and as a matter of fact, it was a huge announcement about Android. HTC’s latest adventure into the Android game hardware wise (following the G1 and the new myTouch3G– which we wrote about here) is the Hero. Software wise though, is a different story, and HTC showed off their brand new user interface for Android called Sense. Hit the break for more pics and a breakdown of the new software and hardware.
BlackBerry Tour Release Dates Leak Out– For Verizon AND Sprint (UPDATE: Confirmed by Sprint and Verizon) June 28, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in Cell Phones, Rumors.Tags: Blackberry, blackberry tour, Cell Phones, Sprint, verizon, verizon wireless
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The Verizon version of the BlackBerry Tour (Pic from Boy Genius Report.com)
We really are into the new BlackBerry Tour said to be coming to Verizon and Sprint sometime over the summer, and we know a lot of you are too. Today we got some really good news for those of you interested in the Tour, and it really is awesome news.
Ok, so as we said in the title, this concerns the release dates for the next awesome BlackBerry, and as in our last post we said the news was really great for Sprint users interested in getting the new BB, this has to be a win for Verizon users. Here we go: Boy Genius Report is saying that Verizon will be getting the Tour on July 12th– only 3 weeks away! Even better for Verizon users? Just as we speculated in that previous post, the Tour is said to be coming to Verizon for the same $199 it is said to be coming to Sprint for. Definitely awesome. Speaking of Sprint, you guys also can share in the good news, as your rumored to be getting it only 8 days after your Verizon friends on July 20th.
Now, none of this is confirmed yet by either Verizon, Sprint or RIM (the makers of BlackBerry)– but the rumors are pretty strong. So, you going to get this once it comes out?
UPDATE (7/1): Verizon has announced that they will launch the Tour on the 12th for that $199 price, and you can pre-order it now here. Sprint also has just announced on their Twitter page that they too will be launching the Tour on the 12th for $199.99.
