Technology and Science

Gadget Lovers Rejoice! AAA Battery Delivery!

August 29, 2012

Have you ever had a gadget or toy stop working because the batteries died? Of course you have. Worse, have you or Santa Claus forgotten to include batteries in the Christmas stockings to be used with the various children's toys and games? If you've ever had to experience your own child with those sad, sullen eyes looking up at you in disappointment because they cannot play with their newfangled toy on Christmas, you know it is not a fun feeling.

Making a battery run on Christmas is no fun and most stores are closed.

Posted in Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Technology and Science

Microsoft Store in Danbury Fair Mall Is No Apple Store

July 9, 2012

The new Microsoft Store had its grand opening in Danbury Fair Mall recently and I wanted to check it out. I happened to be in the Danbury Fair Mall to (ironically) visit the Apple Store to have my busted iPhone replaced. [Side note - none of the Apple Store employees had ever seen my shaking screen problem and they were all oohing and ahhing over the oddity.]

Anyway, after getting my iPhone replaced I headed over to the Microsoft store, which had just opened a couple weeks earlier. I fully expected the Microsoft Store to be a cheap knockoff or clone of the Apple Store and to smirk at the audacity of Microsoft copying Apple's retail idea.

Posted in Apple, Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Tablets, Technology and Science, Video Games & Gaming, Video Hardware & Software

Microsoft Surface Surfaces With Dual Mic Skype!

June 18, 2012

The verdict is in and alas the new Microsoft Surface does not support PixelSense as I first theorized. The good news there is a lot to like about the new Microsoft Surface. First off, Surface sports a 10.6", 16:9 widescreen HD Display along with Microsoft's ClearType HD Display technology and multitouch. It also has an ultra-wide viewing angle and comes with an integrated Kickstand and what Microsoft calls a "revolutionary, 3mm thin, pressure sensitive cover" that doubles as a fully functioning keyboard and trackpad.

Posted in Gadgets, Microsoft, PDAs & Handhelds, Skype, TMCnet, Tablets, Technology and Science, VoIP

Terahertz Wi-Fi Super Speed Breakthrough Coming Soon...

June 8, 2012

Japanese researches have crushed the record for wireless data transmission utilizing the terahertz band, an uncharted part of the electromagnetic spectrum, resulting in 20x better performance than Wi-Fi.

The band makes use of frequencies from about 300 gigahertz (300GHz or about 60 times higher than the current highest Wi-Fi standard) to about 3THz and it lies between the microwave and far-infrared regions of the spectrum. Wait, between microwaves (cook/heat via vibration) and infrared, which can be used to heat or cook things? And you thought cell phone radiation was bad for your brain...

But don't worry, the 20x faster than Wi-Fi data rate is worth cooking a few brain cells! I jest - there is absolutely no evidence terahertz frequencies poses any health risks.

According to the BBC terahertz rays or "T-rays" can "penetrate many materials as effectively as X-rays but deposit far less energy and therefore cause less damage." Well, there you have it - the BBC says it causes less damage than X-rays, so it must be safe.

Posted in Gadgets, Mobile Phones, Technology and Science, Wireless

Skype Integration with Microsoft Xbox 360 & Lync is Slow Going

May 29, 2012

Microsoft's purchase of Skype for $8.5 billion was considered a risky move considering the failure of eBay's acquisition of Skype, which did not result in any synergies between these two companies. The New York Times gives some interesting insights into the inner workings of Skype within the Microsoft juggernaut. For one, the article states, "Microsoft gave Skype a longer leash than it grants most of its divisions, even allowing Mr. Bates to work in Silicon Valley." Apparently, Skype is the only Microsoft division located almost entirely outside Microsoft's Seattle-based headquarters.

The article goes on to explain that Tony Bates, the head of the Skype division, uses a Apple MacBook Air and not a Microsoft operating system.

Posted in Lync, Microsoft, Skype, TMCnet, Technology and Science, Unified Communications, VoIP

Swann Unveils MP3 DJ Doorbell

March 13, 2012

With the Swann MP3 DJ Doorbell - nostalgia aside - you can say goodbye to the days of the boring "ding-dong" doorbell. The Swann MP3 Doorbells lets you customize your doorbell and play your favorite music in MP3 or polyphonic formats as your visitors arrive. Scare your trick-or-treaters with some scary music or play some Christmas music when your Christmas guests arrive. Certainly putting custom holiday-themed music on your doorbell with make you the envy of your neighbors.

The MP3 DJ Doorbell sports a doorbell unit, backed with double sided tape for mounting in your doorway and a wireless speaker unit for mounting inside in your living area, kitchen, hallway etc with screws in the pack.

Posted in Accessories, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, MP3 Players & Digital Audio, Sports/Outdoor Technology, Technology and Science, Wireless

March 7, 1876 Telephone Patented + How to Dial the Telephone Video (1927)

March 7, 2012

On this day March 7th in 1876 - 136 years ago - Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone. Interestingly, with the patenting of this world-changing technology an instructional black & white video was released in 1927 - a silent one at that, so pay close attention to the captions for this "Dialing for Dummies" instructional video. After all, dialing on a rotary phone is really hard! Wow, it's been 30 years since I used one.

Posted in Technology and Science

Cheap Gadget Insurance Saves the Day

March 6, 2012

Protect Your Bubble, a new specialty insurance brand, launched today in the U.S., offering affordable and comprehensive gadget insurance for those pricey gadgets starting at $2.99/month. Perhaps more importantly Protest Your Bubble guarantees 24-hour turnaround for a replacement phone or tablet. So now you will only have to feel gadget withdrawal for 24 hours. Hey, if Jack Bauer can survive 24 hours fighting terrorists, being tortured, with barely time enough to check his Facebook, then surely you can wait 24 hours to have your gadget mailed to you.

Posted in Gadgets, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Technology and Science, Wireless

Kinect Grocery Cart Follows You and Helps You Shop Efficiently

February 29, 2012

Let's face it, between checking email, tweeting, updating your Facebook status, sending/receiving text messages, taking kids to soccer, etc., every second of our daily lives is precious. So if we can squeeze in a little bit more time via more efficient grocery shopping that leverages a robotic Kinect-camera-enabled grocery cart that stalks you, then by all means.

Microsoft recently demonstrated a prototype of a Kinect-enabled shopping cart that leverages a monitor screen, a motor and a Kinect sensor usually reserved for the popular Xbox 360 console. The shopping cart can recognize a membership card, pull up a customer's shopping list, speak items, offer suggestions, tell you where items are in the store, and scan objects as they are placed in the cart.

Posted in Microsoft, Technology and Science

Windows on ARM - New Tablet Operating System With Some Limitations

February 10, 2012

Microsoft Windows President Steven Sinoksky OR is this Bruce Willis?

The next version of Windows will run full-sized desktop applications on low-power ARM-based tablets. However, the only desktop applications approved to appear on ARM devices will be those designed by Microsoft such as Internet Explorer 10, Office, and the Windows file explorer. Affectionately known as WOA (Windows On Arm), it includes desktop versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

Posted in Computer Software, Microsoft, Tablets, Technology and Science

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ... 35 Next

VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Technology and Science