Happy Birthday TeenTechBlog! November 29, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Announcements , add a comment
Yup, a year ago today Chaim and I created this little website, and today WE TURN 1!
Wow, what a crazy first year its been! Over the last year we saw this little idea grow from a couple of hits a day, to now having about 1,000 HITS A DAY, and more than 100,000 HITS over the past year- and that number has continued to grow daily.
Just to thank a few people who helped us start this journey: our mentors on this project — Ryan Block and Peter Rojas, the TABC Leadership Institute for providing the proper forum for an idea to become reality, (brace for cheesiness) our families for their support, and most importantly (get ready for another huge dose of cheesy goodness) — to you, our dear and loyal readers. Without you guys, none of this would’ve been possible.
So now how are we going to top this for year 2? Well, for starters….
We got a whole bunch of things planned, such as:
- A new ratings system for reviews of products- We’ll base this on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1, “OMG NO!” to 5, “RUN AND BUY THIS NOW!”
- The reviving of our Ask TeenTechBlog weekly post- Here you can ask us directly any questions you may have on technology, computer and cellphone products worth purchasing, etc.- and we’ll look to answer them in a blog post in the coming week. All you do is post your question(s) as a comment, and we’ll select a few to respond to. And since we can’t get to all the questions we hope to receive, we recommend posting it as a comment, so that other people can check it out, comment, and who knows, maybe they have your answer!
Those are just 2 brief ideas, don’t worry we got a lot more coming as we look to make Year 2 of TeenTechBlog even better!
Stay tuned!
Eli, Chaim, and all of us at TeenTechBlog
Review: New Xbox Experience (aka the Xbox 360 Dashboard Update) November 28, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : First Look/Reviews, Video Games , add a comment
The main dashboard on the NXE
So the new Xbox 360 Dashboard Update (aka NXE for New Xbox Experience) has been out now for about a week, and I got mine the night it came out and have been using it for the past couple days more frequently (I had some tests I needed to study for before, which is why this review is coming a little late 
).
Anyways, what are my thoughts? Is this better or worse than the old Xbox 360 “blade” dashboard? Read on for the answer. (more…)
Dell Mini 12 Netbook to Ship in December November 26, 2008
Posted by Zev Rosenbaum in : Computers , 3comments
The Dell Mini 12
So we all know about Black Friday and the deals (see our previous post here), but what about the new netbook from Dell – the Dell Inspiron Mini 12. Will it come out in time for Black Friday?
The answer is No. The Dell Mini 12 will be coming out on December 8th (though you can order it from Dell’s site now). (more…)
Official T-Mobile G1 Review November 25, 2008
Posted by Nik G. in : Cell Phones, First Look/Reviews, Google , 1 comment so far
So I think it’s easy to say that hands down, the T-Mobile G1 Google phone, featuring the all-new, open sourced Android platform and a killer resistive touch screen, was one of the most anticipated handsets of 2008.
Fortunately, I was able to get a hands-on with the phone and have been using it for a couple of days now and I have seen impressive results with it.
This phone seems to be perfect for me, a complete slide out QWERTY keyboard, an awesomely amazing touch screen that is just as good as my iPod touch and of course, the iPhone, and the brand new, never before seen Android platform. (Android, for those who don’t know, is the new operating system from Google that is open-sourced, meaning that developers can make all sorts of applications to use on the phone, sort of like Apple’s App Store just here there is no blocking of apps like with Apple’s store)
Because the phone has been out for a while and you can find all the design/tech specs all over the web, I’ll focus more on 1) the apps available to the phone as well as 2) what you as a teen would care more about.
Black Friday Deals Highlights November 25, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Misc. , add a comment
There’s a reason all these people lined up last year (Pic from ABC News)
For those who don’t know, Black Friday* is the day after Thanksgiving — the first day of the holiday shopping season – and stores put out deals with HUGE SAVINGS on EVERYTHING, including electronics.
So if you want/need something new and value your wallet, READ ON!
*alludes to companies profits rising from “red” to “black” from its large volume of sales, though its less likely due to the current economic turmoil
Blackberry Storm Out Now for Verizon! November 21, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , add a comment
Those of you on Verizon waiting for the first ever touchscreen Blackberry Storm to come and challenge the touchscreen champ – the Apple iPhone 3G – finally have your day.
Yup, Verizon has finally let this one out for $199 on a 2 year contract and special Blackberry plan (similar to the deal for the 8 GB iPhone 3G). On a smaller note, the Storm includes an 8 GB microSD card in the box.
The early reviews of this phone aren’t 100% positive (see Cnet.com’s here which also has a video review). The “clickable” touchscreen is supposedly something that demands a real learning curve, but we’re curious to hear what you think from those who do get the Storm.
For a full recap of the Storm’s features see our previous post here.
What you waiting for! Go run down to your local Verizon store and pick one up if you’re so inclined (and we mean run because the rumor is supplies are very limited).
Also let us know in the comments what you think of this phone- is it worth the money, are you better off going for a LG Dare, Motorola Krave or LG Voyager or another Verizon phone altogether?
Customize your Gmail Themes November 20, 2008
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Computers , 1 comment so far
Once again, Google’s added another nice update to the technically still-in-beta Gmail.
While this won’t be doing a whole lot functionally, Google has added themes to Gmail, allowing you to customize your entire interface in one of about 30 themes. They look nice, and add a little coolness to the normally bland Gmail interface, similar to iGoogle themes. Also, it seems that, like with iGoogle, they’ll be adding more themes over time.
Useful? Not really. Fun and Cool? Yes. To apply, just go to your settings, and click on the new theme tab. Even if you dont customize btw, Google has updated the entire Gmail interface slightly. That’s all folks.
Xbox 360 Dashboard Update Out NOW November 19, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Video Games , add a comment
The new Xbox 360 Dashboard Update
Tired of that old, blade Xbox 360 interface and looking to change it up to something a little cooler like a nice flip interface?
Go connect your Xbox to Xbox Live and start your mandatory (yes, Microsoft is making you do this) update to that sweet new interface and all the goods that come with it– avatars (similar to the Mii’s on the Wii), game loading off the Hard Drive, and of course that great new interface. For a full recap of the features, see here.
I’m downloading mine now, and will post a review on it soon.
What are you waiting for? Go download this new update and let us know what you think of it in the comments.