Wed, July 23, 2008

Cyber 9

    It's taking time to 'grow' green PCs

    Lenovo's ThinkCentre "A" series line of desktops includes models that are Energy Star-compliant, meaning the computers consume less power, emit less heat and make less noise. PC manufacturers are working hard to sound PC about green computers, and some are taking it seriously, saying they’re doing everything they can to minimize the negative effects their practices and products have on the environment.


    Latest and greatest in inexpensive tech

    July 22: TODAY’s Al Roker talks to eBay gadget director Cat Schwartz about technology gadgets you can get for free or at low cost. (Today Show)From handy, cheap cameras to easy-to-use entertainment libraries, eBay gadget and toy director Cat Schwartz presents the best technology has to offer (on a budget).


    1,600-year-old version of Bible goes online

    A leaflet on the so-called Codex Sinaiticus, one of the oldest bibles, laying on a showcase displaying an original page of the manuscript at the university library in Leipzig, eastern Germany. More than 1,600 years after it was written in Greek, one of the oldest copies of the Bible will become globally accessible online for the first time this week.


    Black market iPhones big in Russia, China

    Models hold the new iPhones during the first day of the release in Hong Kong. The new iPhone, which is faster because it works on third-generation (3G) data networks, went on sale in 21 countries on July 11 and will soon be available in 70 countries. But Russia is not one of them, and neither is China. In the Soviet days, Russians asked their American friends to bring blue jeans, rock records and other Western goods into the country. Today Russians can buy almost anything they want here — but they are still begging for one item: Apple Inc.'s slick iPhone.


    Survey: Consumers steered to costlier TVs

    LCD or plasma? If you've been shopping for a flat-panel TV, that's the big question. According to a mystery-shopper survey, electronics salespeople don't know much about the differences, but still have a ready answer: LCD.

    The market for skinny laptops gets fat

    HP's 2133 Mini-Note PC, which it dubs the "HP Mini," starts at $499 and has an 8.9-inch screen with a 4-gigabyte hard drive. The company, which released the computer in April, says it was originally intended for the education market, but is finding appeal in the United States among consumers who want a second, or even third computer, just for Internet and e-mail use when they're out and about.Ultra-mobile notebooks  represent a small, but growing,  segment of the PC market finding favor with  American consumers, as well as  those in countries like China, India and Japan.


    Latest Mitch Albom treatise is online only

    Mitch Albom's latest work is a 99-cent e-book that can be read on Kindle, the $359 reading device sold by Amazon.com. Mitch Albom has a new book out — well, not really a book, but a commencement speech in book form. And not in traditional book form, but as an e-book, published exclusively through Amazon.com's Kindle reader.


    Lighter laptops move to flash-based drives

    A look at some of the laptops that use flash-based solid state drives — and what they cost.If you want it all, and you want it small, then you're going to have to pay a great deal more than $500.


    Review: iPhone outdoes Instinct

    Apple's new iPhone, released July 11, is being challenged by Samsung's Instinct, which came on the market in late June.Review: Between the iPhone and the Instinct, the iPhone wins because it’s relatively simple to use and because of the vivid visual experience and multi-touch screen it offers, which makes it a pleasure to maneuver around the screen.


    Software for new iPhone benefits current owners

    July 11: The new iPhone G3 hits the stores in the U.S. today and shoppers are lining up early. CNBC's Brian Shactman reports. (MSNBC)You won’t have to buy a new iPhone to get a new iPhone.  Millions of current iPhone owners can  download the phone’s free 2.0 software Friday  that will let them use Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, as well as access Apple’s new App Store, which "opened" Thursday.


    No time for mistakes for Omega at Olympics

    When Omega first kept time at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, it had one technician and 30 stopwatches. When Omega takes on the job again in Beijing in August, it will be using 175 kms (109 miles) of cables and optical fibre and 420 tonnes of equipment including transponders in shoes and GPS systems to time the 302 competitions. When Omega first kept time at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, it had one technician and 30 stopwatches. When Omega takes on the job again in Beijing in August, it will be using 175 kms (109 miles) of cables and optical fibre and 420 tonnes of equipment including transponders in shoes and GPS systems to time the 302 competitions.


    World's oldest blogger signs off at age 108

    July 14: Olive Riley, considered the world's oldest blogger has died at the age of 108. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.  (msnbc.com)An Australian woman renowned as the world's oldest blogger has died at the age of 108, with her last posting talking about her ailing health but also how she still sings a happy song every day.


    Tech takes its place in the garden

    The Wireless Weather Projection Station ($50) tells barometric pressure as well as humidity, among other features.Whether you're a weekend or a year-round gardener, there are gadgets and tech tools to help you get your garden in shape.


    Just how many 'brains' does one PC need?

    Just how many "brains" does your personal computer need, anyway? Not that buying a PC was ever as easy as, say, buying a toaster or an electric toothbrush, but the companies that make the electronic brains, or microprocessors, for PCs today have managed to make it even more complicated.