byte-sized

IMPORTANT: We've Moved!

2010-06-23T09:46:00.002-04:00

Hey hey! Are you looking for Byte-Sized?

We've officially moved to www.CaptivateBlogs.com/Byte-Sized -- a brand new look across the network!

Head over and check us out! :-)

-- Amber

E3 demos galore!

2010-06-18T10:09:00.001-04:00

Weekend! Woot!

--No more ties or cologne or ‘car wash’-themed gift baskets -- get Dad a cool gadget for Father’s Day.

--Oh NO. This doesn’t bode well.

--We all know someone we want to send this article to … and if you don’t, well, then that person is YOU.

--World Cup: Geonosis has made another enemy: Geeks of the world are uniting against the grating vuvuzelas. Do you all have *nothing* to do? Really? Even with E3 going on?

--Speaking of E3 … here are some more game deoms to check out, again courtesy of G4!

Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2010 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2010 - Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Do you remember Castlevania? Here’s the revamp!

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2010 - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

See you all Monday : - )

E3 -- it doesn't get bigger than this

2010-06-16T09:46:00.001-04:00

We might not be at E3, but we’ve got the news covered. Normally, I’d offer up headlines, but COME ON – it’s E3!!

G4, as you can imagine, is all over this conference. All the videos below are courtesy of them and their lights-out coverage of the annual gaming conference. And, if this isn’t enough for you, here’s the full video coverage. Sit back and enjoy!

Adam Sessler, my second favorite video game geek of all time (honey, you still take the cake) helms Feedback, a nice long feature on the highlights of the big 3 – Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. There’s lots to talk about, so take it away, Adam …

PC Games - E3 2010 - Gears of War 3

I hear Nintendo *bombed* their new Zelda demo. Here’s the video … But, see if you can’t look beyond the gaff (toward the end) and check out how awesome this freaking game looks. I’ll admit it, I squealed. I mean, it’s Zelda.

Wii Games - E3 2010 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Oh, and here’s the trailer for Skyward Sword!

Wii Games - E3 2010 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Portal, one of my favorite games for its utter lack of combat encounters and awesome puzzles, is back, and Morgan Webb has a demo:

PC Games - E3 2010 - Portal 2

If you’ve got a game you want covered here at Byte-Sized, shoot me an email at ByteSized@captivate.com and I’ll take care of it!

World Cup abuzz with controversy

2010-06-14T10:28:00.005-04:00

World Cup: Geonosis has begun!

Oh wait ... you mean the games aren't on the Outer Rim planet from Star Wars? The one with all the human-sized bees? It's in South Africa ... All that buzzing isn't the natives, it's the native horn, the vuvuzela. That explains a lot.

All kidding aside, my insides leaped and cried when the USA scored. Want to write your own caption for the goal that ended that keeper's professional life and ensured he's going to be egged forever? Click here for Captivate's newest caption.

Moving on, what's abuzz in the world of technology and pop culture this week?

--Told you we'd have it here first! Microsoft has officially renamed Project Natal as 'Kinect' -- pretty cool name, but it reminds me of those weird blocks with joints and stuff.

--I'm looking forward to Green Day Rock Band, but here's a list of the other most anticipated games for the rest of 2010.

--The Feds are looking into those hacked iPads from last week.

--My sister's apartment has become a two-iPad home. Here are some tips and tricks if you couldn't hold off either.

--Subway riders have another reason to say FML: 'A service merger means that a Manhattan station now bears the acronym of one of the Web's best-known profanities for expressing frustration.'

Off to catch some more soccer action! Head over to Captivate.com/WorldCup if you need deets on your favorite teams. 'Till Wednesday, take it easy!

Summer books and geeky movie news

2010-06-09T10:19:00.002-04:00

We at Byte-Sized are masters of pop culture. Everything geek-tastic makes the cut, so check out these stories while you rate your own quotient of coolness.

-Movies Coming Out That We Hope Won’t Suck: ‘If it rocks, it will be like having awesome poured through your eyeballs into your brain.’ Tee Hee.

-I know I’m not the movie blog . . . but I didn’t even know they were making a fifth Indiana Jones, let alone that plot details are surfacing! PS – I am the only one who actually kinda liked the fourth one? : - )

-I am the biggest Harry Potter fan ever, so there was no way I was going to resist posting the new ‘Deathly Hallows’ trailer!!

-Are you getting seriously annoying with all the ‘new’ websites that just regurgitate the same old ideas with a bright new brand? Me too. Here’s a site that’ll make you laugh at all the fakes flooding the market.

-Got DirecTV? Yeah, and did you have a weird glitch happen to you TV earlier this week, too? Here’s why.

-What is this, ‘ruin my favorite entertainment’ day?

-I need some heartening news. Here’s some: Microsoft’s Bing search engine and Stephen Colbert raised over $100,000 for the ‘Gulf of America’ oil spill – because as Stephen says, ‘We broke it, we bought it.’

Looking for some good books to download on the Kindle (or Nook) while lounging on your beach towel? (Yeah, you can totally do that.) Check out *my* list (mostly my list) of ‘Beachy Keen’ summer beach reads!

See you all Friday!

I dreamed a dream of games gone by...

2010-06-04T09:14:00.012-04:00

A new study has emerged from Britain that suggests people who play video games right before bed have a higher chance of being able to control what happens in their dreams.

Aside from playing 8 hours of Hexic in my sleep, I've never had this happen -- but in the real, waking world, I will occasionally see things on the side of the road and wonder what's inside if I break them, or try to open our front door with a controller. Fortunately, I've been able to resist the temptation.

But what would happen were I able to control my dreams? Hmm...

I see an adventuring party made up of me (clad in anime-style pink cloth armor, of course, and twirling daggers in my palms); Link and his 'HIIYAH!' sword are a few paces ahead. That blue archaeology chick from Mass Effect is trying to hit on Marcus Fenix, who slings exuberant expletives over his shoulder while we cross over the Hyrulian plain. Of course, there would be no bad guys (because I don't like the fighting scenes), but we would have to wrestle with some serious puzzles -- not the least of which would have the solution 'They all have apples.'

Yeah... :-)

What would your video game dreams look like? Send me your answers to ByteSized@Captivate.com and perhaps I'll post up some of my favorites on Monday.

'Till then, have a fabulous summer weekend! Oh, and btw, her name is Dr. Liara T'Soni -- I had to look it up. She is totally adorable, right?

Mrs. Plante goes to Washington

2010-06-02T09:27:00.004-04:00

Morning, everyone. Hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend! I’m making today’s post short and sweet – I have an afternoon full of rushing around to wait ahead of me.

Lesson learned: Always make sure to have two functioning headlights in your car and proof of insurance. You never know when a Statie will try to “make an example out of you.” Sigh.

Regardless, moving on, back to regularly scheduled programming …

-Apple announced the iPad has topped 2 million sold since its launch.

-More good news on the Gulf oil spill. (Note: If you don’t click on this link, I understand. I didn’t read the story either. I’m too depressed/angry/helpless over the whole thing.)

-Google, whose company up until this point ironically ran on Microsoft’s Windows, has decided to dump cet OS due to security holes. My opinion? Secure your infrastructure, Google, and perhaps you won’t need to rely on an OS alone. That’s what anti-virus, firewalls, etc., are made for. Dummies.*

-Do you work for HP? Yeah, you’d better double check that.

-Guillermo del Toro has officially stepped down as director for the two Lord of the Rings prequels planned around The Hobbit. He’ll stay on to help producers Peter Jackson (who should just be a man and direct the movies already), Phillipa Boyens and Fran Walsh finish writing the scripts.

-I don’t care if they put movies on a USB and sell them for $5 each – I’m not making another switch away from Blu-Ray for at least another 10 years. Suck it up, people, you chose this substandard format over HD-DVD.

-Oh, gawd. I think I’m going to faint. Or puke. Or something that involves my utter astonishment that this story ever needed to be written. Crave, you’re better than this.

OK, that’s all from me for the day. I’ve got my fancy duds on for my date with the local district court. Wish me luck v. the man!

*Remember: I was a security expert in anotha life, brotha.

Long weekend -- 2 mls. ahead

2010-05-28T09:46:00.007-04:00

Don’t the weeks ahead of a long weekend seems excruciatingly long? For all of you who haven’t cut out early to enjoy the beautiful weather, here is a recap of this week’s big news in science, technology and pop-culture!

-Big news this week is Microsoft has officially been overtaken by Apple as the most profitable technology company. I can’t help but feel like this isn’t a big surprise. How many of those iPods (and iPhones and iPads and ugly-as-s%&# iLaptops) could Apple actually sell at a 300% profit before they eeked past Redmond?

-This totally offends me. On a few different levels.

-Environmentalism and technology overlap in this story about Microsoft’s new Hohm program that measures the energy efficiency of your home vs. others in your neighborhood. Plus, there are recommendations should your home not rank well.

-News on Natal: It might not be called Natal anymore when it launches this fall. Reports pitching a possible name change also have a pricetag: around $150. I’m SO on it.

-OK, this is just weird. Matrix meets Grey’s Anatomy.

-Thank goodness – Amazon.com’s CEO Jeff Bezos is finally settling the record straight on a color Kindle. How many times do I have to explain this: Color drains battery life way too fast, and the LCD screen strains the eyes more than the Kindle’s eInk display ever will. I know, I bought my mom a Nook over a Kindle for her birthday/Mother’s Day gift, but that’s only because of Barnes and Noble’s brand recognition and their in-store support programs. Anyway, thank you, Bezos. I believe you.

-This new video game is making big waves in the community. I hear it’s fabulous – and I mean that in the most manly way a girl possibly can.

-We all know I dislike USAToday columnist Kim Komando with the fire of a thousand suns. (Sorry, Gannett – I still love you!) Why? For recommending people use those *ridiculous* screen saver programs willy-nilly without concern for internet security – that’s why! Trust me – don’t do it!

Anyway, now she’s suggesting you can bypass purchasing those hot beach reads we all need when baking in the sun for free e-books. Once again, Kim’s missing the mark. Beach reads are not classics, nor are the intended to be – they are entertaining books meant to make the hours of lounging for the perfect tan enjoyable!

Next week, Captivate.com will feature a list of our own suggestions for Beach Reads, and I promise you they’ll be some actually worthwile choices on there, rather than reading ‘Pride and Prejudice’ again or suffering through other way-past-its-prime lit that made your college English classes oh so fun. Just because an ebook is free doesn’t mean it’s worth reading! Come on now, people!

**Side note: USAToday, I’d be *fabulous* at writing the CyberSpeak column. Call me. Seriously. **

Anyway, rant over this round. We’ll be taking Monday off to celebrate Memorial Day with a beer in one hand and a cheeseburger in the other. See you back here Wednesday for a short week filled with news and tech bytes.

Previously on LOST

2010-05-24T09:33:00.007-04:00

Just on my drive in this morning, I was upset twice about LOST. Here’s the thing: There are going to be thousands of reviews this morning full of people calling shenanigans on Lindeloff and Cuse. This is not one of them. Frankly, I don’t know what the eff those naysayers were watching, because whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t the most perfect ending to television’s most perfect show ever.

*** SPOILER ALERT: Stop reading NOW if you haven’t watched it yet. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s experience – the crying and gasping and chest-clutching moments I had while I watched. Really, I’m not making this up. Go watch, then meet me back here! ***

Back to my ride in: Husband didn’t like how the arc of the show didn’t feature the Island’s story more. But, LOST was never really about the Island at all, was it? This show’s brilliance (and to some, it’s ultimate downfall) was it’s focus on the relationships. The survivors of Oceanic 815 were lost before they even got to the Island. The Island helped them find themselves and each other.

That the Island had mysterious electromagnetic properties that fostered time travel, polar bears, undead smoke monsters (because the Man in Black never was *dead* because Jacob wasn’t allowed to kill him. Anyway, more on that in a sec) was always just a side story to these people.

‘But didn’t that Ben guy kill people? Wasn’t he a murderer?’ Of course, but LOST isn’t about good and bad, or black and white. It’s about all the shades of gray that exist in between. Everyone had a reason behind the good things and the bad things they did in their lives both on and off the Island.

‘LOST’s ending was worse than Seinfeld’s.’ Before my shaking hand could even turn my radio dial off that blasphemous comment, I gave it a moment’s thought. What about the ending do people not understand? The Island was always a mystery, and the people were the central theme of everything. It only makes sense the creators left the Island a mystery at the end. We don’t need to know what happened – that was never the important part. It was the cool, theory-inducing hook that brought us all to the ‘Net to discuss seconds after an episode, but the Island was meant to stay a mystery because, in the end, it wasn’t important.

Let’s talk for a minute about the Man in Black: Mother said he and Jacob couldn’t hurt each other – and this is why MiB couldn’t kill Jacob to leave the Island. So, it stands to reason that Jacob couldn’t kill him either. So, what happened in the light cave after MiB’s unconscious body floated downstream? The light turned him into the unkillable Smoke Monster. And, Jack knew this, which is why he let Desmond uncork the evil. He needed to disrupt the flow of energy and rewrite the rules, so to speak. Once the cork was yanked out, MiB could be killed. It was all a set up – Jack knew what was going to happen.

And, speaking of Jack and the MiB, I offer this theory to you, Losties: Who is Jack’s son? Why does Jack need to have a son in the sideways timeline? I proffer this was the Man in Black, finally off the island. I’ll bet his name is David.

See, isn’t that amazing? The show is done, and yet I still have a theory about it!

For those of you still confused about what Christian meant in the church (and, trust me, it took a night of tossing and turning for me to work it out, too), here’s the deal:

Everything that happened on the Island was real. Oceanic 815 really did crash. The survivors really did get off the Island. Jacob and Smokey and Ben – they were all real. Christian explained that they had all died, some before Jack (Boone, Sayid, Locke), some much, much later than Jack (Hurley, Kate, Claire, Sawyer, Ben). How? Does it really matter? What does matter is that all these people needed each other.

And, in death, after all of the events on the Island in the timeline, they created this place between the real world and the afterlife where the could all find each other again as if the plane crash had never happened. So, you see, they wouldn’t remember each other. They were all like reincarnated soul mates playing a game whether they could find each other again even without the Island bringing them together. And, the answer was yes.

Brilliant end to a brilliant show, I say. Thank you, LOST, for being awesome and for making me think even as your curtain closed. You’ve rocked my world for 6 years.

OH, and before I conclude, I need to give a few nods to Target for some hysterical ads during the finale. I hate commercials, but I do appreciate clever marketing and that smoke detector had me on the floor laughing. And, a nod to the ‘Final Transmissions’ from Verizon. ‘Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, 4 8 15 16 23 42’ was fabulous. Loved reading everyone’s thoughts in the pre-game!

Cooking Gadgets for Burger Week!

2010-05-19T09:01:00.015-04:00

It’s Burger week at Captivate.com – and in honor of the perennial summer BBQ season, I am offering you all a look into a different kind of gadget today – cooking gadgets!

My mom loves buying me these infomercial products – you know, the ones overly enthusiastic blondes hawk on cable channels when regular programming is off the air, and are packed onto the ‘As Seen on TV’ shelves in Kohl’s?

They’re revolutionary achievements in making our lives simpler, cleaner and lazier – but do they really work? Before you dial in an order (along with whatever free offer is being pitched to sweeten the deal) read on for my own experiences.

The Perfect Brownie Pan
“You cut, rip and tear – but your brownies never turn out square! And when they’re stuck, you’re totally out of luck! Need a hand? Now there's the perfect brownie pan!”

Really? I’ve never had a problem with my baked treats looking like slasher-movie rejects. Alas, mom wanted me to have the best brownies at my kids’ bake sales (assuming I’d ever participate in one), so I now own the whole set – including the ‘buy now’ sugar stencils still in their packaging.

Does the Perfect Brownie work? Sure, if you douse the entire apparatus with cooking spray before you even think about pouring in that ooey, gooey batter. I happen to love when my brownies are under-done and wet in the middle, but you can’t really accomplish this with the Perfect Brownie. Each little portion (and by little I mean embarrassingly small – that’s really the size of a brownie portion? Because if so, I’ve been eating, like, 4 servings every time I made them the ‘old’ way) is chewy and a tad on the dry side. But, even a bad brownie tastes kinda good.

You have to give the divider a helping finger when you remove the squares – if you don’t mind wrestling a bit (isn’t that what we are trying to avoid?), the disengagement is not an issue…

... Unless the Perfect Brownie fails, because that is a sad, sad, epic fail I’ve lamented on Facebook more than once. Brownie holes weren’t really on the menu that night, and we all learned a valuable lesson re: cooking spray.

Bottom line, though: The kids liked the brownies – my children, I mean, not bake-sale customers. The teensy (tiny) little squares were cute, easy to decorate with M&Ms and fit perfectly in lunch bags. And, throw two or three down as a base for some ice cream and hot fudge, and you almost forget the portion size and dryness.

Perfect Pasta Pot
“Do you love pasta, but hate that splashing, scalding mess? Pour out the liquid right through the lid – it’s a built-in colander with a non-stick surface!”

We’ve all had a pasta facial – and dread those few times we have to take the mondo pot over to the sink to drain. Does that mean we need a special pot/colander combo, though? Eh. Not really.

Metal, you see, conducts heat. It’s why you can boil water and cook pasta in metal pots so splendidly. So, it stands to reason that when you pour the scalding hot water out of a cover where you have to, in some supportive way at least, hold the lid on, your fingers are going to get scalded. And, moving the necessary colander up to the pot lid instead of the sink only moves your face closer for the facial.

Spoken from experience, locking lids will only get you so far. You tilt that big, heavy, burning hot pot in the wrong direction, the whole thing – pasta included – pours right out into the sink and splashes. And that’ll just ruin your dinner and your mood. Trust me – I’ve had it happen.

Then again, when did draining spaghetti/steamed veggies become such a cumbersome job, anyway, and why do the people on the infomercial have such a problem with it? If you can’t boil water and make pasta … well, then I’m not really sure you should be in the kitchen to begin with. You’re a 911 call waiting to happen.

The Magic Bullet
“What can you do in 10 seconds? You can start chopping onion for an omelet … Or you can chop onions, eggs, ham and peppers – even grate cheese! – at the same time for the fastest, easiest omelet ever with the Magic Bullet: the personal, versatile countertop magician!”

I’ll cop to it: I actually asked for this one. I mean, watch that commercial and tell me you don’t want a Magic Bullet! I love all those foods, and to have them made so quickly and with a high-powered, easy-to-clean, space-aged blender? Awesome!

Well, sort-of. My Magic Bullet only ever really worked for making homemade marinara sauce from my own recipe. Necessity breeds genius, and one night we were out of jarred pasta sauce, so I took a can of diced tomatoes, added in some dried spices and minced garlic to the Magic Bullet’s screw-on container and pulsed that baby for 30 seconds. The resulting sauce was tasty, simple and heated in the microwave in the same container in about a minute.

Here’s the thing, though (there’s always a thing): Those tomatoes were squishy. And the garlic was minced. And the spices were little. It only took 30 seconds because everything was already pretty malleable.

Days after delighting in my Magic Bullet, I decided to make homemade salsa from the fresh-from-the-organic-farm produce I’d just bought. I put in chunks of hot and green peppers, spices, onions and cherry tomatoes – just like in the commercial! – and hummed happily the whole time. You see where I’m going with this?

The vegetables were too crisp for the Magic Bullet to handle. The bottom-most parts were ground into mush, while the top parts barely moved in the blender. I ended up salvaging what salsa ingredients I could and hand-chopping the rest, which totally ended my love affair. I tried making an ice-based smoothie and ended up with something so chunky and gross I couldn’t sip it – I had to crunch it with a spoon.

To this day, my Magic Bullet sits on a cupboard under my counter. And, I make sure to have jarred pasta sauce on hand at all times.

Pancake Puffs Pan
“Perk up mealtime or snack time by making healthy, delicious new foods with the Pancake Puff pan.”

I swear these infomercials must hire the most daintily-handed actors on the planet to handle their food. These portions are so small! But, regardless, let me just say that, of all the products I’ve featured (and own) here, this pan is the best.

Genuinely, the Pancake Puffs Pan is simple to use and makes the most adorable (tiny) little balls of goodness you’ve ever seen outside a restaurant or that perfect soccer mom down the street’s kitchen. You know the one -- with her assymetrical bob and pressed khakis.

Based off the tried-and-true Nordic recipe and cast-iron design (but not made of cast iron), Pancake Puffs are hard to mess up. The caveat: The bottom of the pan isn’t flat – it’s shaped like inverted circles (of course), so the pan will not heat properly depending on your stovetop. I’m not sure why or what the parameters are, but my mom can’t use one in her electric flat-top, but my sister’s electric coil stove is fine. Speaking of my sister and her Pancake Puffs Pan: She made apple-filled pancakes that her boyfriend said were the best things he’s ever eaten.

OK, so I’m being a wee dramatic singing praises, but with so many tried-and-failed attempts at finding the golden infomercial product, spare me a little excitement!

One thing that will knock your socks clean across the room is my recipe for pepperoni balls. These are a throw-back to the treat we used to get at Grandma’s Bingo hall, and OMG are they delicious: Use the typical bread/roll recipe, but fold in a piece of pepperoni and a sprinkle of cheese right into the center before you flip them. When you’re done, the little pocket inside will be oozing with the most delicious (not healthy) filling you’ve ever tasted.

We've got a ton more offerings on Captivate.com for Burger Week -- be sure to check them out:

Captivate Cooking has the burgers and sides to keep your grills sizzling with gourmet treats and your guests begging for the recipes!
Our online Watering Hole quenches everyone's thirst with 8 simple, delicious drinks.
Want to imbibe but are unsure of how your bathing-suit diet will be affected? Weigh-In has Slimming Summer Drinks as an alternative to bottle of beer!
Need a new apron for a man or woman? Don't start shopping until you've read this Indulge post!
Environmentalists will want to head over to Green Among Gray for the answer to which is better: charcoal v. propane and chicken v. beef.

It's all about the search engine, baby ...

2010-05-17T10:48:00.005-04:00

Word on the street is that the Google v. Bing rivalry is heating up.

Which side do I fall on? As my main man Weird Al rapped in 'It's All About the Pentiums,' I'm totally down with Bill Gates -- I call him 'Money' for short. I call him up at home and I make him do my tech support WHAT! :o)

Seriously, though, there isn't a reason I can see to stick with Google. Their drawings and attempts at personalization have become lame as of late (sorry, but it needed to be said), and in swoops Bing, this great image/text search provider with interesting travel pics making up it's home page.

Search-wise, which is why you'd actually go there beyond to be dazzled by pretty pics, the two are pretty comparable. Months into my own cold-turkey conversion -- I've never *not* found something on Bing that Google could give me.

Don't get me wrong: It's not that I suddenly find Google to be shoddy, or a less good search engine than I did a year ago. It's just that the leaders in the race will never run faster unless there is someone on their tail, coming up fast and really giving them chase.

All I'm saying is you should give Bing a chance. Seems like alot more people are on the bubble -- and those search numbers don't lie.

Meanwhile, in Captivate Web Land, we've kicked off a new feature this week to prep you all for those Memorial Day, unofficial-start-of-summer BBQs: Burger Week! All the blogs are involved, so be sure to surf on over to check out the offerings:

-Captivate Cooking has the burgers and sides to keep your grills sizzling with gourmet treats and your guests begging for the recipes!
-Our online Watering Hole quenches everyone's thirst with 8 simple, delicious drinks.
-Want to imbibe but are unsure of how your bathing-suit diet will be affected? Weigh-In has Slimming Summer Drinks as an alternative to bottle of beer!
-Need a new apron for a man or woman? Don't start shopping until you've read this Indulge post!

Hair helps mop up oil spills!

2010-05-14T10:34:00.001-04:00

Do you ever have those days when you do absolutely nothing constructive and time just drags, then follow them up by doing 18 things before your morning coffee gets cold? That's my day today! Exhilarating, no? :-D

Moving on, let's take a look at what's lighting up the tech talking boards this morning across WebLand:

--Is your computer keeping you up at night? Are you sabotaging your night's sleep by texting until the wee hours, but don't know why? Try this new download that changes your screen hue based on time of day.

--Kobo's new e-readers will be available at Borders for $150. I don't like Borders -- there, I said it. We've got the classic rivalry going on in my home town, and our Barnes and Noble is gorgeous, library-like establishment with high ceilings and quiet rows ... then the Borders has stacks of books on the floor and art deco everywhere and cheap trinkets ... Anyways, it's no contest. I'm not a fan.

--This video/article on the oil spill makes me a little light-headed. I've been thus far avoiding the story because the idea of all that oil spilling into the ocean hurts my heart and soul. I want to cry for the animals and the environmental disaster, but instead I'm the coward ostrich choosing to stick my head in the sand to not deal with it. I know, I'm hiding a pretty hard-core environmentalist under all this pink hair.

--Speaking of hair: Did you know getting your hair cut can help with the oil spill cleanup? Yup, apparently hair is a good sponge. Contact your local salon and make sure all the clippings and scraps are going toward the effort. Mine does, I already called.

--I need a distraction ... Oooh, these bamboo iPhone cases are pretty ...

--Is your Facebook page valuable? Check this site and find out.

We've got a fun week of posts headed your way next week with Captivate's Burger Week! Each and ever Captivate blog will feature something about summer barbecues and entertainment options, and the new Captivate Watering Hole will hook you up with some great drink options!

See ya then!

Project Natal set to debut, and Gyllenhall melts the screen

2010-05-12T09:14:00.005-04:00

With the retirement of our 'Gamer's Edge' blog, Byte-Sized has once again taken up the reins of Video Game News.

Here, with our first installment, is fabulous news about Microsoft's Project Natal (nah-TAL): Rumors say it's going to be released this October!

Project Natal is the XBox's answer to the Wii: The system uses face and body movements to control games, as well as voice recognition software for commands. Think of Natal like real-time CGI technology in your living room -- only without the ping-pong balls stuck all over your body. You can sit on your couch and drive race cars, with multiple people sitting besides you playing too -- and Natal will keep it's eye on you and let you control only your movements. This technology is amazing -- it's the future.

So when is the big news set to drop? All eyes are trained on E3 in June, when the industry heavyweights get together for the biggest and best video game conference there is. Check back here for the news -- and possibly the NAME -- of the new Microsoft system as soon as we get th announcement!

In other gaming news, have you *seen* the trailers for 'Prince of Persia: Sands of Time'? I'm dying to see this movie, and I'm not even a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan! In case you're oblivious, here's the trailer:

Dare I say this movie might just break the curse of bad video game movies? I mean, how many 'Resident Evil' B flicks can Milla Jovovich star in before she hangs up the zombie weapons? Even Angelina Jolie knew when to bail on 'Tomb Raider' when the cool franchise idea that was floundering!

But a sweaty, drool-worthy, half-nekkie Jake Gyllenhall (which will alone bring the chicks to the theatres)? Come on now. I think the studios might have actually struck the right chord! It's all about keeping the fun and adventure of the game while adding in witting, humorous dialogue and casting a lead who knows how to laugh at himself. I mean, sure, the brooding heros from the games are great, but how many times can we hear an angry battle cry or alien-like guns blasting before we yawn and reach for more popcorn?

To see more of my suggestion (albeit for the ladies), check out my 'Summer Chick Flicks' list over at Captivate.com! See ya Friday!

Weekend Update: With Amber Plante

2010-05-07T10:40:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday, everyone! Here are some stories to help make quitting time come a little quicker …

--Scrambling for mom but still trying to think outside the vase? Check out this list of the coolest tech gadgets for Mother’s Day.

--Facebook postings aren’t private. Shocker. But, apparently it’s gone a little far, and a glitch yesterday in the social network exposed pending friend requests and chat info to non-friends. Ouch.

--There have been 1M iPads sold, despite a name that makes me throw up in my mouth a little. If you have one, which you most likely do, check out these must-have games.

--On a similar note: CNet seems to think the iPad is killing the netbook. I disagree – the netbook, however clunky it is now compared to the touchpad, it still has a keyboard and, at the very least, a method to hold itself upright on its own.

--‘Apple’s decision to ban Flash and make developers use Apple tools may be an antitrust violation, according to federal authorities.’ Oh really? You don’t say.

--The new Worl’d Fair looks awesome – well, except for the creepy 2-story baby. Here are some pics …

--I don’t know about you, but my commute is getting worse every week. Either that, or I keep getting up later and using traffic as an excuse … No, I’m just kidding, those damn jams are becoming a real problem, and here’s a solution.

--Fellow anthropology/genetics enthusiasts, hollah! The Neanderthal genome is rewriting how we view human evolution, says MIT.

--Google is redesigning parts of its site. Looks like Bing is having an effect on the G-man after all.

--Warning: If you use Yahoo Messenger, there is a worm propagating through the IM tool, so watch out.

Have an awesome weekend, everyone! My baby boy turns 2, and I can expect lots of hugs on Mother’s Day! Oh, and just in case you’re thinking a social-network shout-out to mom is appropriate – IT’S NOT.

When you wish upon a superhero

2010-05-05T09:25:00.004-04:00

So, I know this isn't really a technology story today, but I don't care ...

A Seattle-area boy became an honest-to-goodness superhero for the day. If this story does not make you cry, you’re made of stone.

Hundreds of people banded together – including a professional sports team, Puget Sound Energy, and the sheriff’s departments of two different counties. Major highways were shut down. Jumbo-trons broadcast messages from evildoers. Crowds cheers and lined the streets. Even Spider-Man put in a special call.

Why? Because a 13-year-old boy living with liver cancer wished more than anything else to be a super hero for the day. Here’s the CNN video of the event. MADE OF STONE!

Dr. Dark and his sidekick Blackout Boy played this message over the Jumbo-tron at Qwest Field after Electron Boy saved the Seattle Sounders pro soccer team:

I can’t get enough of this story. Sometimes, people are just amazing. Wonderful and amazing.

Here’s a gallery of pics from the event.

Wanna be a fan of Electron Boy on Facebook?

Oh, and a shout out to Meredith at io9 – I wouldn’t have seen this without you!

'Star Wars' parody: 'Galactic Empire State of Mind'

2010-04-30T07:29:00.004-04:00

Morning -- short post today since I gotta register my car!

Here's that 'Star Wars' list I promised you -- just in case you all were still laughing from the 'Granite State of Mind' video from last time. Not that I would blame you -- I totally watched it again this morning. Never gets old... Sigh.

'--Are you a ‘Star Wars’ geek? Do you have a Millennium Falcon sitting on a shelf high above the grasping, sticky hands of kids? Do you secretly want someone to buy you a Taun Taun Sleeping Bag form ThinkGeek.com? (Side note: Who *doesn’t*?) Then I’ve got a fun top 10 list for you.'

Also, something new: Here is a 'Star Wars' parody of Jay-Z's 'Empire State of Mind' ... not quite as funny as the NH one, but more reaching a broader audience, I suppose :) ... Speaking of broads, I still give the edge to the NH chick over the Leia one. Sorry, dudes. Enjoy!

Oh, and I found 'Vampire State of Mind' about the Twilight series while I was looking ... Dude. Lame.

Anyway, see you all Monday!

You Might Even See a Moose...

2010-04-28T09:54:00.003-04:00

I woke up this morning, and it was snowing. For real. And temps are predicted to rise into the 80s this weekend. Only in New England can the weather be so drastically different in 3 days.

I need coffee, a long wooly cardigan and some entertainment, stat.

Here are some of my current top picks:

--I live in New Hampshire – and I’m proud of it. This viral video, ‘Granite State of Mind,’ which has more than 1M hits on YouTube and growing, is a hysterical parody of Jay-Z’s ‘Empire State of Mind.’ Maybe you have to live here to get it, but it’s still well worth the 4 minutes. The guy is great – so serious and stoic while also being comedic – and the Alicia Keys’ counterpart is … well, I know quite a few men who say they’d leave their wives for her. Great voice, too.

--In Stephen Hawking’s most recent interview, he discloses that aliens are indeed real – but we should stay the eff away from them. Why is it that everything Hawking says is taken as the ultimate truth? Oh yeah. Because he’s the *man*.

--Got 45 minutes during lunch to spare since LOST decided to get all DB on us last night with a Richard Alpert repeat? I humbly suggest this … well, I’m not really sure what to call it. It’s like a music video and a scrolling graphic novel and a ‘Yellow Submarine’-ish trip into someone’s wacky, beautiful mind. There is a story there, if you have the patience to look for it.

MARCH 3 from Jake Lodwick on Vimeo.

Check it out, even if you only have a few minutes. It’s mesmerizing and colorfully surreal – but BE SURE to watch it on full screen mode and, if you have headphones, use them.

--Are you a ‘Star Wars’ geek? Do you have a Millennium Falcon sitting on a shelf high above the grasping, sticky hands of kids? Do you secretly want someone to buy you a Taun Taun Sleeping Bag form ThinkGeek.com? (Side note: Who *doesn’t*?) Then I’ve got a fun top 10 list for you.

--Speaking of Star Wars … Straight out of ‘Star Wars: Attack of the Clones’: Japan is launching a spaceship equipped with a solar sail – yes, just like the one Obi Wan used to get to Kamino. It’s thinner than a human hair and cost more than $16M. Psh, ‘Clones’ did more than that in the first minute of ticket sales.*
*This is not true. I’m joking.

--OK, I know I was going for an ‘entertainment’ theme today, but this story needs to be told: Have you tried to return a broken iPhone only to be told it’s not covered under warranty anymore because the internal sensor indicated it got wet? According to this pending lawsuit, that sensor can be triggered in the cold, in humid conditions and simply by sweating near the headphone jack while working out. That doesn’t sound exactly like ‘submersion’ to me, either.

That’s all for me today. The snow is all melted, and I’m ready to emerge from the very last (hopefully) snowstorm of Spring 2010.

Watch those two videos – I promise you’ll love them. You might even see a moose.

-- am

Weekend recovery with a twist of tech

2010-04-26T10:29:00.004-04:00

Good morning, everyone! I treated myself to that ‘industrial’ piercing over the weekend – let me just say this: Stupidity should be painful. And it was.

However it’s also super cute, so the fiery pain and the tattooed piercer wielding two 14-gauges – who had to put some muscle into it to actually get the job done – was worth it in the end. Now I just have to come up with a new name for it: An ‘industrial’ just doesn’t do the adorable-ness of the final product justice.

Anyway, enough with the talk of my own crazy attempts to feel cool at 30 – onto some headlines!

--Whoa. Look at Tom and Gisele’s new mega-mansion in LA. It’s … well, see for yourself, then vote in Captivate’s online poll. I’m interested to hear your take – especially considering she’s the United Nation’s goodwill ambassador for the environment.

--Money is going 3-D. No, seriously : - )

--I told you about NASA’s new images of the sun. They really are beautiful.

--Here’s a silly list of the 10 worst jobs in science – strangely entertaining in a gross-out kinda way.

--OMG, Apple apparently was pissed over the whole leaked-iPhone thing: They’ve gotten the local police involved. Yikes … someone’s getting fired …

--Aww man. Now how am I going to watch LOST during my lunch break?

--I seriously almost bought one of these over the weekend. I may still do it for my mom as a Mother’s Day/Birthday gift. Despite all her B&C to the contrary, I know she’d love it.

--A new frontier has opened on the laziness horizon: For those of you whose arms get tired of steering and whose feet would rather recline than push the accelerator (and I do know a lot of you), here’s your solution.

--Check out the newest video blog/report from our friends at CNet, featuring how flash and the iPhone no longer mix.

OK, I have to go put some sterile salt-water solution on my ear to douse the fire. Stupidity does indeed hurt – the things we do to be cute. See you back here Wednesday for some more hot headlines…

'Back to the Future'-style geek love makes our day!

2010-04-23T10:36:00.002-04:00

Someone has a case of the Fridays! Let’s check out everything that’s going on this week in the world or sci-tech gadgetry and mayhem!

--Breaking news (as of yesterday): Target is going to start selling Amazon.com’s Kindle! If you’ve ever been curious about the e-reader, this is your chance to get your hands on it and try it before smacking down the big bucks.

--NASA announced some spectactular new satellite images of the sun. Scary stuff.

--Microsoft’s Windows 7 is doing some great things sales-wise!

--Want a new touch-screen phone but unsure of what to get? Here’s a review pitting the iPhone against the much-hyped HTC Incredible.

--Speaking of the iPhone … here is a funny story on the new prototype of the iPhone 4G. Apparently, there was a huge leak of information and even photos, but Apple’s mediocre reaction has diffused most of the speculation … which wasn’t that big in the first place. Like I said, it’s a pretty funny situation : - )

--Hehehe Here’s more on the prototype iPhone. Apparently Gizmodo paid $5,000 to acquire the model, but decided to return it to Apple, thus confirming it was a leak.

--Want to watch the 2010 NFL Draft but can’t because of that pesky job of yours? You can watch it online and get updates sent to your cell – here’s how.

--Awww! Who says geeks don’t understand romance? This story is so sticky sweet it’s almost too much! And, PS – I love Back to the Future!!

--It’s official: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had the best launch in video-game history. I’ve heard some amazing things but have yet to see it in person. I’m just not a FPS kinda girl.

--Barnes and Noble has released a big update for the Nook. Gee, wonder what I’ll be getting my mom for her birthday?? : - )

OK, I’m tapped out for the week. Is it quittin’ time yet on this gorgeous spring Friday? Just a few more hours and we’re all free to enjoy the weekend! See you back here Monday ….

Byte-Sized's Random Top 30 List

2010-04-21T11:17:00.017-04:00

Ho hum … it’s just another normal day here at Byte-Sized … except that it’s totally not!

Happy birthday to me! I have officially joined the ranks of the 30-somethings, a fact made painfully clear when I filled out a customer satisfaction survey this morning and had to click the 30-34 age bracket box. Sigh.

But, onwards and upwards. I want to celebrate with you all by offering up some of my favorite things, accrued over a looong time in the industry and sitting behind this desk. Without further ado, I give you…

Byte-Sized’s Random Top 30 List
Sponsored by Amber’s 30th birthday

30.) Best Camcorder-style Gadget: The Flip Mino HD. It’s small, it’s portable, and you can totally video yourself doing a newscast while not looking ridiculous. Kudos to you, tiny little camera of wonder!

29.) Best Coffee Drink: Starbucks’ double-tall, sugar-free vanilla soy latte, no whip. And, yes, that’s how you order it. Get that in a recyclable mug and you’re good to go for hours, plus you’re being healthful and environmentally aware. Thanks.

28.) Best Book Series: Harry Potter. I’m probably the biggest fan you’re going to find. Heck, I named my two sons after them (no, they’re not Harry and Ron). There are no words to properly describe how affected I was by the books, so I’m going to stop trying and simply insist that all those who have not yet read the series go away.

27.) Best Bumper Sticker: ‘My Other Ride is a Silver Volvo.’ Short, sweet, and with a ton of hidden meaning. Runners up include ‘I drive like a Cullen’ and an oval stocker that says, ‘d20.’

26.) Favorite Geeky Accessory: Glasses. I sport them, as do all the best alter-egos. You could also go with a tweed jacket or a fedora worn with jeans and a video-game tee, but I’d steer clear of pocket protectors. Speaking of which …

25.) Best Comic Book t-shirt: Sheldon’s Flash t-shirt on the Big Bang Theory. Bazinga! It was a tough call, but I gotta go with the catchphrase. And, did you hear Mayim Bialik will be guesting as a love interest? Way!

24.) Best mp3 Player: Zune HD. Shocker, I know. The bright, bold color display and the touch screen are top-notch, as it the interface and control mechanisms. I just really like this silly thing, and the fact that I can now aux-in in my car really tips the scales it its favor.

23.) Best TV Show-Comedy: Arrested Development and Friends – tie. I couldn’t decide, then I remembered that it’s my list and I make the rules : - )

22.) Best Vampire Book Series: The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. There were lots to choose from here, but I’m going old-school. These books were the originals – they hooked me when I was a kid, and Lestat and Louis are still the hottest vamps ever to grace the page and the big screen. Tom and Brad in the same scene? Come on now!

21.) Best Video Game Series: Zelda. Link is the man. I’d follow his little elf butt anywhere. Except back to where ever that ‘Windwaker’ nonsense took place. What the hell was that?

20.) Best TV Show-Drama: LOST. I. Can’t. Miss. An. Episode. I’m like an addict waiting for her next fix. Never has a TV show made its viewers feel so smart and so stupid all in the same 60 minutes. Brilliant.

19.) Best Summer Shoes: FitFlops. OK, so random. I know; that’s the point. I wear these work-out flip flips all the time, and I swear they work.

18.) Best Smartphone: Blackberry. I can’t go a day without mine, though I resisted the temptation for years. Thank goodness for my constant link to email, facebook and my address list.

17.) Best Techno Song: ‘Fireflies’ by Owl City. Here’s a link to the video. I could literally listen to ‘Ocean Eyes’ on repeat for hours – and every time, I hear something new hidden underneath the melodies. Enjoy.

16.) Most Indulgent TV Show: Vampire Diaries. It’s like mixing ‘Dawson’s Creek’ with ‘Twilight’ … only infinitely better. Thursday nights rock.

15.) Best At-Work Snack Food: Dark chocolate covered raisins and almonds. I don’t have a preference here as to brand or variety, I just know that I keep them on hand at all times so I don’t raid the office candy bowl. And, the ingredients are totally good for you.

14.) Best French-Fry Recipe: Yucca Fries, featured today at Captivate.com/Cooking. A close second would be the French-Canadian marvel that is poutine – fries with melted cheese and gravy on top. OMG, I could swim in a pool of them.

13.) Best Comic Book Movie Hero: Christian Bale. Holy hotness, Batman. In the first movie, when he hauled up that crooked cop and screamed in his face, did anyone else fall out of their chair? Just me? Gotcha.

12.) Best Name For a Car: Us girls in the office like to name our cars. Topping the list is the Infinity called Denzel Washington Jr.; the black Honda del Sol named Pepper; and Azula, my gray Honda CR-V. Yeah, we’re a fun bunch of chicks : - )

11.) Best Band: Green Day. They started off as a punk band from Oakland and turned into the anthem for America’s youth. There isn’t an album of theirs that isn’t amazing – not to mention that ‘American Idiot’ opened on Broadway last night!

10.) Best Workout Song: ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga. Our workout blogger insists anything by the queen of dysfunctional fashion rocks her sneaker-clad feet. Take her advice – she’s kind-of awesome. Here’s a link to the video. Enjoy.

9.) Best RPG: Dungeons and Dragons. Fresh from the stale basements of geeks around the world, the game has moved from a movement in the 80s to a quiet wave in the 90s, and in the past two years has truly become something amazing. My 11th level drow rogue and I salute you!

8.) Best TV Show-SciFi: True Blood. Here’s where Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series gets its shout-out. I mean, if there wasn’t a single character on this show who wasn’t stunning beautiful, I’d think I’d drop dead, too. 'Firefly' was a close second ... oh, Nathan Fillion ...

7.) Most Indulgent Celebrity Website: PerezHilton.com. Hi, my name is Amber, and I'm an addict. I wish I could stop ... but I can't.

6.) Best Cubicle Decoration/Gadget: USB Glitter Lamp. It flashes different colors and shoots sparks on the walls like a pint-sized disco ball. So, it leaks a little – so what? It’s cute!

5.) Most Adorable Video Game Hero: Ezio from Assassin’s Creed II. Maybe it’s the accent. Maybe it’s the wall jumping. Maybe it’s the Italian brothels in the heart of Venice. Who knows? All I care about is that I could fall asleep to that game every night.

4.) Coolest Web Celebrity: iCarly. I don't know about you, but I love this chick. She's everything that's cool about being a cool girl on the internet. Yes, I am aware she's a fake character with a fake web show. Don't care. I totally fess up to watching every new episode.

3.) (coming soon)

2.) Best Source for News at Work: Captivate Network. We’re in the elevators, dude! How cool is that? And, with the new Captivate.com, you can browse the headlines at your desk!

1.) Favoritest Blogger With Pink Hair: Me! Well, what did you expect, really?

… aaaand scene : - )

Think I’m missing something? Hit me up at ByteSized@captivate.com and let me know.

Thank you for the birthday wishes, and we’ll see you all back here Friday!

Running with gadgets

2010-04-19T10:48:00.002-04:00

Morning all! I’ve got the Boston Marathon on the office TV, and I’m snacking on jelly beans to feel at one with the runners. Me? I don’t run unless chased, and even then I’m weighing my options.

Leisurely stroll with me through the headlines?

--Geneticists discovered that inducing biological conditions similar to living in high altitudes can make mice thinner. What’s this mean? There might be a reason people Denver are less likely to have diabetes and are generally cuter in their ski suits. True story.

--Turns out, Pres. Obama doesn’t want to go to the Moon because he wants to go to Mars. I say: Way to aim high Mr. Prez, but shouldn’t we train a bit before tackling the marathon?

--Hey, recycle your e-waste, k?

--This video review pits a Kindle, and iPad and a Nook in a three-way ‘Who’s the best’ challenge. My interest in this topic is waning – can’t we all just agree that e-readers are all an awesome option and standardize the industry already? Sheesh.

--One of my all-time fave gadgets, the Flip MinoHD, has been re-thunk and redesigned as a touch-screen SlideHD. I’m totally interested. You?

--Tech is helping to fuel green businesses, and this makes me happy.

OK, so I don’t need much (much) fanfare, but my next post will be Wednesday -- on my 30th birthday.

I’m coping fairly well and will be celebrating with refreshing the pink/green dye in my hair, getting a cool ear piercing called an ‘industrial’ and having my family and friends over for a bash at my expense.

Until that fateful day, have a good week :-)

Right now, though, I’m going to pop in some more jelly beans and finish watching the Boston Marathon!

--am

Spicy meets sweet!

2010-04-14T10:48:00.004-04:00

It's Hell Night! Wait, you all have no idea what that means. OK, so tonight I'm headed into Boston for the East Coast Grille's Hell Night of super-spicy food made for the singular purpose of seeing how hot I can go. It's gunna be epic. Until then, I'm warming my taste buds up with a dash of cayenne in my mac and cheese ... and a healthy dose of headlines:

-In honor of one of my favorite holidays, Earth Day, I challenge all you coffee-loving geeks: Step up and do your part. I did.

-I loves me some Michael J. Fox. Did you know he's a high-school dropout? I don't care, I still think he's awesome.

-The US is essentially grounding the space program, and that makes me really sad. And angry.

-AT&T is hanging up the sword in the wireless war with Verizon. Does this mean no more Luke Wilson? (Fingers crossed.)

-I'm feeling science-y today apparently: The deepest undersea volcanic vent has been found -- I can't wait for the show on it!

-Twitter-roonie has a business model -- oh, our little social network is all growed up! But,what do all those ads mean to you?

-So, you have an iPad. Now what? I'll share some cool apps ... as long as you promise to never, ever say you 'pimped your Pad' like this story does. Shudder.

-Google Street View has been blamed for a burglary. I'm just surprised it's taken this long.

-I kinda want one of these phones. Not sure why, but I am totally feeling them.

-This story on digital parenting actually strikes a chord with me. Cute kids are one thing, attention-seeking parents is quite another.

OK, blame it on the capsaicin in my breakfast making my mouth all spicy ... but you're all going to have to bare with me for a minute for a rant I probably shouldn't do. No scratch that -- I'm a smart girl and I *know* I shouldn't be saying this about my big sister/cousin over at USAToday's stellar website ... But would someone please take Pop Candy's Whitney aside and tell her that the 'Pop Five' feature is duuuumb? 'Pop Five episodes of Columbo'? Really? I hesitate to even link there lest I accidentally kill a few of your brain cells. Granted, I can't get you all to write in to me with ideas unless I'm giving something away, so kudos to her on the awesome fan base, but there has to be more interesting topics out there than one random person's 'Pop Five Concert Experiences.' But even when they're good topics, the lists are unreasonably obscure and mundane -- which, correct me if I'm wrong, flies directly in the face and idea of 'pop culture.' Alas, maybe the feature is going through a stale period (maybe? psh), but let's rev the engine and move on! Oh, and if anyone does mention this to Whit, please also mention that I think she's adorable and I love Tattoo Tuesdays. K, thanks.

Wish me fun tonight at Hell Night! We'll be taking Friday off here at Byte-Sized for a much-deserved vacay .. see you back here Monday!

--am

GelaSkins review: Beauty before Function?

2010-04-09T09:40:00.013-04:00

I’m not the kind of klutz who trips over her own stilettos. I do not spill drinks, nor do I dribble food down my belly. I can wear a white shirt and drink a wobbly cup of coffee in 60 mph traffic, no prob.

Here’s the thing, though: I drop stuff. Namely, electronic gadgets. Constantly. I busted a hole straight through the carbonite-like casing I bought for my Blackberry. Heck, I killed that thing so badly it wouldn’t snap shut anymore. And, when I drop something, I don’t drop it on the back or side – nah, I get the corners every time.

So far, only my phone has suffered any lasting damage from slippery fingers, but that’s only made me extra vigilant with my other gadgets. Even so, thank goodness for padded floors at my gym, or else I would be crying tears of sorrow over my Kindle and Zune. Thus, when I came across GelaSkins’ line of sticky vinyl covers for electronics made to eliminate scratches, I was over the moon! Dare I believe this was the answer to my klutziness?!

I tested the Kindle 2 “My Bookshelf” GelaSkin ($19.95) and the iPhone “Almond Branches in Bloom” ($14.95) GelaSkin, and here’s what I think:

GelaSkins come in a ton of varieties in the most beautiful, bold colors you've ever seen. There are romantic ones, post-apocalyptic ones, ones that reflect abstract art, legendary art and incredibly creative illustrations – all in color ranges from simple black and white to photorealistic and even surreal. And, in real life, the visual appeal of the ‘Skins do not disappoint. They are rich and shiny and gorgeous. My Kindle and Jacqui’s iPhone have never looked better – I mean, just look at the pictures.

This, however, is where my love affair comes to a somewhat gentle end.

GelaSkins are, at their essence, stickers – thick, vinyl stickers that aren’t prone to tearing and are robust enough to stop surface scratches, for sure. But, in the end, you have to peel them off a big sheet of 3M paper, place them on the device and hope you’ve got it lined up properly the first time.

Bubbles in placement are not a real concern, provided you went to kindergarten and know how to work stickers. But, use caution, wash your hands and be freaking careful because, as I discovered, you only get one shot.

Wait, I messed up – can I have another one? Yeah, about that … no. It is clearly labeled and advertised that you can remove and re-stick a GelaSkin if you accidentally make a bubble or are off in your placement by a few millimeters (which makes a *huge* different when you’re dealing with teeny little gadget controls) but I recommend that you do not. The front Kindle ‘Skin was fairly intricate and picky when it came to placement, and when I inevitably messed up, I picked and peeled back a corner to replace it – a corner that now sticks up in an annoying little point despite my best efforts to reseal it down.

Bottom line: How much do I like them? Protection-wise, GelaSkins are pretty much a non-entity. I mean, they’ll save surface scratches to the wide planes of the back of your device, but nothing to the screen as there is no screen cover. And the corners? Forget it. There is nothing about a GelaSkin that will protect the corners if you, like I’m prone to do, drop things perfectly. Also, placement is a little wonky along curved sides.

As I said eluded above, my impetus for this review was to find a really pretty alternative to the mall-kiosk cases for protecting my phone and Kindle from, well, myself and my slippery fingers. What I found was an exceptionally beautiful covering that changes the attitude and style of my devices while also offering a tiny semblance of protection from the most inconsequential of scratches.

Would I spend $25 (including shipping) for a GelaSkin? Yes, as a special treat for me – it’s worth it for the colors and style alone. Is that money better spent on a mall-kiosk carbonite-like cover? If you’re a gadget-klutz like me, probably.

If you’re interested in getting one of your own, browse for your device at http://www.gelaskins.com/. You’ll be surprised at the selection and range of devices, which includes video-game controllers and mp3 players in addition to phone, laptops, netbooks, etc.

As for me and my GelaSkin-covered Kindle ... I'm happy to say that, as long as she stays in her rubberized, padded little carrying case when I'm walking and exercizing and other things that involve movement, Kindle can keep her new duds. They totally suit her :) And, truth be told, I'll take all the help I can get.

And the winner of the Byte-Sized Superheroine Bracket is ...

2010-04-07T09:17:00.004-04:00

Please excuse me for Monday’s unexpected postponement of the Superheroine Battle Royale! There was a wardrobe malfunction – busted seams and everything. Not pretty. Actually, it was really pretty, but moving on … :-P

The match-up was epic, but as you can already tell – we’ve crowned us a winner!

Miss Quinn, Miss Quinn, do you have any comment for your fans?

‘Hehehe Never go against me or my baby, Mista Jay. That gun-toting walking bra needed a lesson that powerful things come in little packages – just like me and my explosives! Kablooie!’

… is what she would say if I were writing her dialogue :-) Thank you all so much for playing with me and distracting me from the monotony of the real March Madness. It might be sacrilege to some of you, but I really don’t ‘do’ basketball.

Anyway, let’s move on! Here’s a peek at what’s going on today:

--My love affair with all things G4 hasn’t come to an end yet: AOTS host Olivia Munn is branching out while keeping those roots firmly planted in her Leia gold bikini. PS – She posed for Playboy? Really? Huh.

--My non-love affair with iPad hasn’t moved either: Looks like it’s another Apple hit, but techies are holding back. Oh, and are you having connectivity issues with yours? The fix is here.

--Not if you gave me a free ticket and a multi-million dollar life insurance plan. No.

--Ohmigosh, my nerdy-editor little heart just skipped a beat – but don’t worry, Scrabble really isn’t changing its rules. Breathe.

-Sister of mine, I found this iPad story for you. And, I mean it in the most non-snarky way possible. We only learn through being showed the facts, right?

--Only read this story on Facebook if you’re secure enough in your own browsing rationale. Otherwise, it could feel like a bucket of ice water tossed directly into your nice warm bed.

... On Friday, I’ve got a review of GelaSkins: the vinyl covers for all your best gadgets. Sneak peek: They are beautiful, but functional as protection? Umm… See you then!

Harley Quinn v. Lara Croft: Who's the baddest bad girl?

2010-04-02T09:12:00.010-04:00

Is there anything better than a Boston Creme Dunkin' Donut to get your day started? Yeah, all you health nuts can balk in dissent, but that slight crust of hardened chocolate, that burst of the creamy center, the light density of the donut cake... Mmmm... Pair that with some bold espresso and some Owl City and you've got my morning.

Anyway, moving on, we've got headlines and an update on the Superheroine bracket! We're down to the final two combatants and I'm *dying* to crown the winner. And, if there is anyone who can explain some of the lyrics to the 'Ocean Eyes' CD to mean, I'd welcome your insight ...

--You know what an Easter Egg is, right? ... Yeah, that's not what I meant. I mean the little hidden treasures and features secretly placed on DVDs and websites. Here is a great example: go to http://www.jkrowling.com/. That site is pretty much made of Easter Eggs -- click on the pen, or type on the cell phone, or find your own -- each little egg you find unlocks a bonus piece of content otherwise hidden to the average user.

The internet is famous for these little bits, and DVDs have gotten in on the game, too. That was a long intro to the idea of an Easter Egg, but this feature story on, if you will, the treasure maps to finding DVD Easter Eggs is worth it.

--Greenpeace has now turned its sights on cloud computing. It's a funny article, but first...

What's cloud computing? If you think of your personal desktop as the ground, and the internet as the blue sky above you, cloud computing is the act of keeping your programs, or 'desktop' somewhere in the sky -- hence, among the clouds. Facebook and Twitter are good examples of cloud computing. Why is this good? If you computer crashes, you don't lose your files; and, you can access your 'desktop' or programs from any computer with a www connection. The bad? Privacy concerns and, according to Greenpeace, it's still not good for the environment.

Sigh. Yeah, that's right, bash everything trying to help and you'll keep convincing those converts.

I'm just making myself aggravated, so let's move on the the 'Superheroine/Villainess Bracket'!

I've tallied all your votes and counted mine twice -- Hey, whose idea was this anyway? :) Pipe down! -- and here are the final two for our 'Last Chance' Round 3:

Harley Quinn v. Lara Croft! Email me your vote at ByteSized@Captivate.com NOW!

OK, let's forget all of the other match-ups that have lead to this epic battle and just take a look at our featured ladies.

On the left, we have the epitome of sass. Harley Quinn used to be a psychotherapist at Arkham Asylum -- until the day she became unnaturally obsessed with her patient, The Joker. Initially, she pined for him in a lapdog kinda way -- until she realized that she could breakout her own small band of clown-faced misfits. Of course, she still has her 'Mista Jay' on her speed dial in case she needs a late night, erm, smile fix.

So, what's she got going in this fight? First, she's a sprite -- small, fast and absolutely adorable. Weapon-wise, she has comically large guns and explosives ... you name it, Harley will try it. She's the bad girl who can make you laugh even while she's lining you up in her sights. If Hollywood were casting her for Dark Knight 3 (which they will, unless they're a bunch of MORONS), the no-brainer pick would be Reese Witherspoon.

So, does this make Lara Croft the underdog? Hardly -- and don't ever let her hear you call her that. Born into great wealth and privilege, Lara has always made her own way. She's got all the bleeding-edge tech her gajillions can buy without the entitled-bitch attitude to go with it. No matter where adventure lives, Lara will find it.

Then we have her beauty. Girlfriend has made a generation of gamer-boys (and some girls) lifelong fans with her go-on-forever legs as stocked with sleek feminine muscles as they are with guns, ammo belts and combat boots -- not even to mention her other, erm, assets.

If Harley is cute, Lara is beautiful. I mean, has there been a better casting (other then my previous idea) than Angelina Jolie? I think even Lara herself would nod in approval.

So whose got the edge -- the harlequin doll with the deadly sense of humor, or the stocked-and-stacked tomb raider? Don't forget to email me your vote now at ByteSized@Captivate.com!

Check back here Monday for the winner and the match-up recap ... oh, and I might have some headlines too ;) Have a good Easter weekend!

'Prince of Persia' wrap-up from PAX

2010-03-31T10:38:00.013-04:00

I was too sleepy and the rain was too delicious pattering on my roof to stay awake to watch ‘LOST’ last night, but please by all means discuss and dissect to your heart’s content.

Here is my PAX East video again for your viewing pleasure! I hate to preface something – it starts you off on the wrong foot – but this was a pure Amber effort save for the questions I asked ‘X-PLAY’ host Adam Sessler. I taped the whole thing on my Flip Mino, which worked splendidly, and spend most of Saturday editing and adding the music track – which, btw, I’m not sure I’m allowed to do in the strictest sense, but oh well. And, I was chewing gum. I *know* -- totally sorry.

Now, enjoy :-) PS – Adam, call me if you want to do a DnD segment, k? :-)

So, as far as highlights from the show, I totally loved the new ‘Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands’ game. I’m always the navigator to Husband’s Xbox heroics, and there is something about the ‘Prince of Persia’ stories that makes sitting on the couch as an observer really come to life. And, when a game’s mechanics and action sequences make you gasp … well you just know it’s going to be awesome.

This time around, they’ve added the idea of the prince having control over different elements – earth, air, fire and water – which then manifests into your character’s ability to freeze spurts of water coming off the walls to zing across them, or freeze waterfalls to wall-run across them, then unfreeze a curtain of ice to jump onto a ledge hiding behind it … Just really cool stuff to look at, and a different dynamic than I’ve seen before.

Also, there is this power called ‘crowd control’ where the prince can call out a whirlwind-type destruction blast by planting the little sword/knife thing into the ground (great descriptions, right? very professional … geez). The swirling wind kills all the minions attacking you and leaves you free to kill the ‘spawner’ guy in the corner who’s making all the minions.

See, this is why I don’t do video game reviews :-) hehehe Anyways, it’s totally cool and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Now it’s just a waiting game -- and, had Husband not lost a bet to his friend, I’d already be enjoying ‘BioShock 2.’ Sigh.

Moving on from PAX, I’ve got some fun stuff lined up for you all in the coming weeks, including a review of GelaSkins – they’re like protective covers for your electronic gadgets but they’re much nicer-looking – and the wrap-up of our ‘Superherione’ Bracket …

... Speaking of which, let’s check in on the Femme Fatale round to see who came out on top! (BTW, cast your votes by emailing me at ByteSized@Captivate.com – like, now.) We’re down to four wicked cool ladies and tempers are set to ‘fierce’! I feel like I need Tyra to ref this one as the battles start raging …

Samus was no match for bubbly Harley Quinn, who bounced around and giggled her way to a shut-out victory. Meanwhile, Rogue sapped all Wonder Woman’s wonder and walked away with a TKO.

Round 3 Preview: They say everybody loves a joke but no one loves a fool – can Rogue overpower Harley and her overwhelming cuteness?

---------------------------------------------

Lesson learned: Never underestimate the bitchiness of a cat. Batgirl did and she was batted out of the air by Catwoman too many times to count. And speaking of underestimation, Teela must not get a lot of kick-ass females in Eternia, because she got her staff handed to her by gun-toting bad girl Lara Croft.

Round 3 Preview: Precocious felines will turn a playful companion to tatters – think of what they can do to their enemies. Lara Croft sure shows a lot of skin. Can she keep Miss Kitty and her claws at arm’s length?

Remember, send me your votes to ByteSized@Captivate.com! We’ll be back Friday with a preview of the weekend’s ‘Double Trouble’ matchup between the best two ladies standing. See ya then!

PAX East Video w/ Sessler Interview

2010-03-29T10:08:00.022-04:00

Tah-dah! Without any ado, here is my video coverage from PAX East 2010! It's about 10 minutes long and includes my interview with G4's Adam Sessler from 'X-Play' -- plus some great music tracks!

OK, so a few things to keep in mind: I was there by myself. I was the camera girl. The place was massive. I edited the video myself.

So, I was a little starstruck meeting Adam ... but he was just so nice :) And, I love that I'm, like, the face of Captivate now for the G4 crew as they make their way up the elevators. Cracks me up :) I'll have more coverage of PAX East in a few days after I gather my thoughts a little more and download my camera pictures ... Oh, and thank you all for your great questions!

Now, onto The Superheroines/Villainesses Bracket!

As promise, if you want to follow along at home, here is a .PDF download of the weekend's action!

In the Sugar and Spice Round:

Harley Quinn out-sassed Mystique with a few well placed explosives before back-flipping her way back to 'Mista Jay!' Meanwhile, Samus and her cannons proved too much for Princess Allura. Sans the rest of her multi-limbed robot, though, she didn't really stand a chance.

Round 2 Preview: Harley is a wicked little clown but she'd better watch her back against this robotic chick. Overall, this is the battle for the spotlight -- Harley has her self-image issues, but there is something about a bodysuit of metal armor that just screams 'Look at me!'

She-Ra was smack-talking Rogue's premature gray, but this X-Man flattened the crowned beauty and her bountiful gold hair. Across the pond, this was a close one -- neck and neck most of the bout -- but Wonder Woman's fierce whip cracked one time too many for psychic Jean Grey.

Round 2 Preview: Rogue has the magic touch and is heavily favored, but Wonder Woman's reach-2 could give her the edge. The girl power is overwhelming on both sides. Will a dose of anger and a box of black hair dye give our flag-pantied femme the 'fatale' to move on?

There were claws and balls of fur flying everywhere, but Catwoman prevailed over Black Cat in the end and celebrated with a much-deserved bath. Up in the air, Batgirl's nimble acrobatics caused Supergirl to foul out early in the third quarter -- tough break and tough call by the refs, but she deserved it.

Round 2 Preview: It's the cat vs. the bat -- and honestly your guess is as good as mine. The feline is slinkier and smoother, but blue eyes, pointy ears and a cape? Come on now! It's too close to call but definitely one not to miss.

Hawk Girl swooped but bobbled her shield-like mask, giving Teela and her staff an opening to break through. In the other match-up, I wish I could say it was close ... but it wasn't. Lara Croft was in and out and done before Zelda could straighten her skirts and finish texting Link.

Round 2 Preview: Will it be as easy this time around for our 'Tomb Raider' against the wickedest bikini-clad bad girl ever to come out of Eternia? Tune in on Wednesday and find out!

(Again, if you want to play along, here's the PDF download!)

Superheroine Bracket -- Who'll Be On Top?

2010-03-26T10:07:00.031-04:00

I have never participated in a real March Madness bracket, like, ever -- but I do love the silly ones that pit awesome characters against each other! And, being a girly geek, I (with some awesome man help) made up my own. So, without further ado, here is ...

Superheroine/Villainess Bracket!

Sugar vs. Spice Round, here are the combatants:

Harley Quinn -- Pigtails and explosives are a deadly mix ... but even more so when you're absolutely adorable and The Joker is your booty call.
vs.
Mystique -- Of X-Men fame, this beauty can be your wildest fantasy or you scariest nightmare. Either way, shapeshifting bad girls are cool.

---------------------------------------------

Princess Allura -- She was just a shy girl until Voltron was awakened. Now she's one fifth of the greatest cartoon robot ever, with the pink outfit to prove it.
vs.
Samus -- Most men don't realize this Metroid hero is a girl, but with her monster guns and fearless attitude, she'll make sure you never forget.

---------------------------------------------

She-Ra -- She's He-Man's sister and every girl's first kick-butt role model. The best part is her name sounds cool when you shout it. Go ahead, try.
vs.
Rogue -- This X-Men alum once put a guy in the hospital just for kissing her. Just think of what else those hands could do when they're not covered.

---------------------------------------------

Black Cat -- You have to be pretty fierce to put pretty boy Peter Parker in his place. Just watch out for the claws.
vs.
Catwoman -- She's got nine lives, and she's not afraid to use every last one. And that black vinyl catsuit? MEE-OW!

---------------------------------------------

Jean Grey -- Flying into the sun and destroying solar systems = cool. Levitating objects and reading minds = kinda lame, but a super power I'd love.
vs.
Wonder Woman -- The kick-butt outfit and whip worn to perfection by 'Bones.' Need I say more?

---------------------------------------------

Bat Girl -- She's rough and tumble, and she's the chief of police's daughter. Plus, people tell me I look like her (minus the blonde hair) so that makes her awesome.
vs.
Supergirl -- She's the yin to Superman's yang. And her 80s movie was pretty fabulous if you were a little girl back then.

---------------------------------------------

Teela -- The re-invention of He-Man's best girl friend made her hair longer and her style much more cool. Plus, her dad's Man-At-Arms -- wicked.
vs.
Hawk Girl -- I'd love to see what she looks like under that face shield thing, but those wings? I'm drooling with envy!

---------------------------------------------

Lara Croft -- You don't have to be of a particular gender to find this femme-fatale gorgeous IRL or the games. And, the fact she's totally fatal is a plus.
vs.
Zelda -- Best left for last? Zelda seems like a meek behind-the-scene chick ... until she breaks out the double blades and kicks some Hyrulian butt.

---------------------------------------------

Now, if you want to participate in my bracket, email me at ByteSized@Captivate.com and I'll post up a bracket sheet on Monday to download. Until then, ponder the match-ups while I bust a move on over to PAX EAST!

I'll be back here Monday with all the top news and interviews from the show -- until then, l8rs!

I'll show you mine if you show me yours ...

2010-03-24T10:54:00.005-04:00

Sometimes, it’s hard to judge a real person by their online persona – and though I do talk in almost the exact same voice in which I write, I feel it’s time I give you all a peek into the geek behind the header! There is a funny online site I talked about a while back that shows cubicle desktops, so I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!

Now, I’ve been threatening you all with a peek at my desktop for weeks now, and I finally took some pics with my camera phone – don’t judge me! Or, when you do judge me, at least get a good laugh out of it!

I call it my ‘muse wall’ because it’s got all the happy people I love looking at all day! You’ll also see a few gadgets lying around – the glitter lamp is a USB hook-up! -- my various notebooks and pens scattered across my calendar … I’ve got a Rosetta stone in the corner and Shakespeare quotes all over the place.

It’s definitely a fun space, and a very geeky space, to relax and work in day after day. Cubicle decoration is such an under-emphasized part of daily life: You spend more time at your desk than at home, so you should enjoy yourself as much as you can within the confines!

Totally nerdy ideas for your cubicle kingdom:

-Do the panels on your makeshift walls come out? Think about adding in a window or, if you’re super adventurous like me, line the panel with a crazy fabric.

-Give yourself $100 from one paycheck and invest in some decorations from ThinkGeek.com, or get a fabulous mousepad from Zazzle.com.

-Stealthily hijack your office’s color printer (I recommend early or late … not from personal experience or anything) and print off a bunch of visual representations of your favorite things. Word to the wise – cute guys are OK, too much skin is NOT. There is no way to dampen the fun than with inappropriate pics at work.

Next post will be the morning of PAX East, so keep those questions coming! I’ll be live-blogging from the show floor, and I may even break my ban on Twitter and take over the @Captivate account for the afternoon!

Oh, and before I forget, send me YOUR cubicle images to ByteSized@Captivate.com NOW … just for fun : ) I’d love to see how all my fellow geeks are living it up at work!

Only a few more days till PAX East! Who's with me?

2010-03-22T10:36:00.004-04:00

Yawn … happy Monday morning everyone. My weekend was full of ‘Art,’ delicious food and gardening. But, my arms now feel like rubber hoses reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Prof. Lockhart debacle, so typing is about all I can manage at the moment.

Let’s take a look at the day’s headlines before my fingers wear out, too.

PS – I totally crit all the useless, ugly plants from in front of my house, so at least it was a ‘mission accomplished’ kind of effort.

--I’m absolutely bouncing off the jigsaw-puzzle walls of my cubicle this week in preparation for PAX EAST! Please keep those questions coming for G4’s Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, and I’ll try to ask as many as possible. ByteSized@Captivate.com

--Looking to enjoy March Madness on something more massive than your silly little 42” wall-mounted LCD? Try these TVs on for size.

--Speaking of which, Captivate has a gallery of the best March Madness photos up live now!

--Apple has had it’s issues over the years – here’s a nostalgic look back. Why? I don’t know, blame CNet.

--Let’s get ready to rumble: In one corner, Kindle! In the other, Nook! Ding ding ding!

--OK, I know I’m totally supposed to fill out my Census form. I get that. But I also don’t see why they need more information than the ages of number of the people living in my house. Everything seems completely unnecessary, and I’m glad some people agree.

K, now my fingers are getting tired, too, so I’m going to go massage them and rest up so I’m in top form this Friday! Talk to you all laters!

T-Minus one week and couting!

2010-03-19T07:01:00.007-04:00

OK, so today I've got a lot to tell you guys!

Have you been feeling this undeniable pull toward Boston lately? You know, like a dawning sun get brighter and brighter? That would be PAX EAST 2010 -- the biggest gaming conference to greet the east coast in ... well, I don't really care how long, only that it's hitting my side of town next week and I'll be there!

From the site's FAQ (and for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about ...) : 'PAX East is a three-day game festival for tabletop, videogame, and PC gamers. We call it a festival because in addition to dedicated tournaments and freeplay areas we've got nerdcore concerts, panel discussions, and an exhibitor hall filled with booths displaying the latest from top game publishers and developers. Even with all this amazing content the best part of PAX East is hanging out with other people who know their shit when it comes to games.'

Will Wheaton (bazinga) will keynote the event guaranteed to be resplendent in geeks of all shapes, sizes, RPG- and console-preferences. I feel like the mother ship is calling me home. Anyway, here is a list of the scheduled panels and events. I'll be at as many as I can fit into a day (and possibly a few), and Gamer's Edge blogger Jim Dumas will be joining me for a joint-blog report on the coolest news, trends, celebrities, dice colors, funny t-shirts ... you name it, we'll be soaking everything in!

Could I be geeking out more over this? Oh, I haven't even gotten to the cool part yet.

On tap (and impetus) for the weekend is a special treat: Details are in the works to get some face-time with G4's Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb from the network's 'X-Play'! I'm so psyched to bone-up on all the need-to-knows before I meet these gaming rock stars for a two-on-two interview directly form the show floor!

(PS-- I can neither confirm nor deny that I have the total hots for Sessler. Were I putting my money down on a side, I'd go with 'confirm,' though. Wowzers... This should be interesting.)

Got some great ideas on what questions we should ask Sessler and Webb? Which panel should I be sure not to miss? Email your ideas to me NOW at ByteSized@Captivate.com so I can be sure to cover what you guys want to know!

OK... whew, so that's my big news :) I am physically incapable of thinking about anything else other than PAX EAST 2010 at the moment, so I'm foregoing headlines today with the hope you all will fill my inbox with ideas and requests and fun stuff and ... gah!

Have a wonderful weekend, and rest assured assured that I'm stressing out over which of my gaming t-shirts I should wear, and what I should talk about with two obvious experts, and how I should corner a Wizards of the Coast rep and snag myself a job editing the DnD 'Players Handbook 4' -- wait WHAT?! :) Nevermind, I didn't say that ...

LOLz -- see you Monday!

A steaming cup of headlines for your dreary morning

2010-03-15T09:03:00.003-04:00

Have you ever tried putting chocolate milk into your morning coffee? It's pretty good, like a really cheap version of a mocha -- it'll do in a pinch but won't hold a candle to the original.

Let's browse some headlines while I sip. Don't worry, I'll wait for you to get your own cuppa and join me. .... OK, we good? Onwards!

--I happen to be in the market for a new car, and I swear if another salesperson pitches to me the special 'iPhone dock' without clarifying it's an 'mp3 dock' again, I'm going to scream. Not everyone owns a iPod, people! Vive Zune! Alas, here are some car kits for the iPhone -- see which comes out on top.

--Kindle will blow your mind, Nook will engage your imagination, and Sony's mediocre competition is, well, not worth your time to stop and look at it. If you're looking for the Que, Plastic Logic's pricey entrant, however, looks like you're going to have to wait a bit longer.

--Rah-ah-ah-ahahhhhh ... Lady Gaga's headphones get reviewed ... and, as is so often the case with her, it's not pretty.

--The argument saga continues between China and Google. Is it just me, or does no one else care about this either?

--Woot! The XBox 360 outsold the Wii in February. Oh, and stay tuned ... The Gamer's Edge blogger and I are headed to PAX East in Boston in a week or so for some exciting interviews and pretty superior gaming browsing. We'll have a full report (this time, written by ME) and hopefully some pics of the event!

Talk to you all Wednesday ... you never know what I'm going to come up with for you, so be sure to join me ... :)

Winners of 'Alice' Contest and more ...

2010-03-12T07:38:00.007-05:00

'If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?' -- Alice

Good morning -- or good afternoon -- everyone! I apologize for the unscheduled day off Wednesday and for leaving you all without your Byte-Sized fix! But we're back, we're breathing easy (easier) and we're ready to fall down Alice's magical rabbit hole to find our winners!

First, thank you to everyone who entered out 'Alice in Wonderland' Cap Contest, sponsored by the delightful folks at New Era. The 59Fiftys they sent over were the talk of the office for the few days I had them in hand, and I'm totally excited to announce our winners:

Congratulations to Kyle T. from Humble, TX; Joy R. from San Francisco; Clinton K. from San Francisco; and Barbara K. from Chicago!

Each of you will receive one of either the 'Cheshire Cat' cap, complete with the almost-creepy toothy grin, or the 'All Over' cap, with its white canvas covered in pencil-like sketches of the whole Wonderland crew.

Yay to all of you!! And for those of you whose luck seems to have peaked a little before St. Patrick's Day, visit http://www.neweracap.com/ and check out the selection online! If you order it soon, you could still rock your new cap while 'Alice' is in theatres.

Now, as my favorite character, the March Hare, would say, 'I have an excellent idea: Let's change the subject.' Good call, my friend! Here are a smattering of headlines to gobble while I think up another awesome giveaway for all of you, my little Byte-Sized readers! (... Side note: I'm going to miss all these 'Alice' quotes -- they're wicked fun ...)

-- Please, spare me the dramz: PlayStation's latest play is to go after Project Natal. Well, at least they're aiming high.

-- Bing is making it's mark. I'm telling you: It's totally better than Google, if only from a purely cosmetic standpoint. (PS -- Android has dropped Google in favor of Bing for it's phones. Take that.)

-- I would never, ever live in space -- but this ... well, I'd certainly consider it.

-- I promised you all a look at the best toys from the Toy Fair, and though I wasn't able to get a good look on the floor myself, here's a good replacement :)

-- If there were ever a reason to dislike Twitter, I'm pretty sure this is it.

And, one more quote for the road ...

Mad Hatter: Ah thank goodness! Those are the things that upset me!
March Hare: See all the trouble you started?
Alice: But I didn't think...
March Hare: Ah, that's just it. If you don't think, then you shouldn't talk.

Ah, truer words were never spoken by a madder, hare-brained rabbit.

'Alice in Wonderland' Cap Contest continues today!

2010-03-08T08:01:00.008-05:00

'We're all mad here' at Byte-Sized this week! As you know, today is the last day of our 'Alice in Wonderland' Cap Contest, sponsored by New Era Cap, which we all know makes really high quality baseball-style hats.

'No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow.' -- Excuses like this won't work with me, kiddos! This contest ends at midnight tonight!

'Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!' -- Enter *right now* by emailing me at ByteSized@Captivate.com with your name, address and phone number. I've got a limited number of the $35.99 hats to give out to to some lucky readers, so make sure to get your name in the, er ... hat ... to win.

'It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.' -- In this case, check the official rules here for all your ponderings.

'Now, I give you fair warning, either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time! Take your choice!' -- Dayum, Queenie, calm down! Before you go, take a gander at these headlines sparking the news today!

--Apparently Steve Jobs made a low-key appearance at the Oscars last night. He is the single largest shareholder in Disney right now after he bought and sold Pixar to the Mouse House, so I guess it makes sense.

--Did you watch the Academy Awards last night? Don't even get me started on the madness that must have infused the voters not to give the big prizes to 'Avatar' -- talk about a rabbit hole. Anyway, you probably saw Apple's iPad commercial. Thoughts?

--Here's a story on OLED TVs. Yeah, I didn't know what they were either, but apparently there is a debate over whether they are a success or failure.

--YouTube has opened up the option of captions on all its videos. They say it's for the deaf, but I think it's so people can watch the videos at work without being blaringly obvious.

--Are you clinging onto your original XBox games for dear life? Time to cut that cord. Starting April 15, Microsoft will no longer support the gen-1 games on XBox Live. Sorry, dudes.

'Curioser and curioser!' -- See you all back here Wednesday, when I announce the winners and celebrate by watching 'Alice in Wonderland' for myself in IMAX! I mean, you can't come with me, but we could synchronize our watches or something, right?

Our 'Looking Glass Cap Contest'!

2010-03-05T09:17:00.010-05:00

Who's ready to tumble through the looking glass this weekend? Oh, oh, pick me!

In honor of the much-anticipated premiere of Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland,' starring the Technicolor and always brilliant Johnny Depp, we at Byte-Sized want to give you a chance to win something exciting from the movie!

With New Era Cap, we're totally excited to announce the 'Looking Glass Cap Contest'!

Send me an email anytime from *right now* to bytesized@captivate.com until midnight on Monday, March 8, with your name, mailing address and phone number and you'll be entered to win a baseball-style fitted hat featuring iconic scenes and characters from Burton's wild vision of 'Alice in Wonderland' from New Era!

Here are the company's descriptions:

All Over cap
The All Over cap is a white 59Fifty style cap with a 360 degree sketched portrait which features Alice, Mad Hatter, March Hare, White Rabbit, Mouse, Caterpillar, and the Red Queen. On the top of the cap brim features the Cheshire Cat, and TweedleDee and TweedleDum on the inside of the brim.

Cheshire Cat cap
The Cheshire Cat Cap is a black 59Fifty style cap with the Cheshire Cat’s highlighting his grinning expression. His eyes are bright blue giving the hat to stand out with his detailed white grin. For the rest of the cap it displays strategically detailed designs which make the hat look like the Cheshire Cat’s fur. On the back of the cap there is a spiraling saying “Most everyone’s mad here. You may have noticed that I’m not all there myself.”

If you want to bypass the contest and simply must have one of these awesome hats, go to www.neweracap.com/alice to order your own for $35.99!

Good luck! We'll have a little more on the giveaway on Monday, then we'll announce the winner right here on Wednesday!

TiVo debuts new DVR ... and other cool stuff!

2010-03-03T08:41:00.005-05:00

I have a secret -- shhh don't tell!

Hopefully, I'll be able to tell you all about it on Friday, so be sure to check back here for all the details! I'm so excited, I want to put tape over my mouth to keep myself from blabbing(metaphorically, of course ... tape wouldn't hold me back).

I know I promised some LOST talk, but I didn't watch it yet. (Ducks from the tomatoes). I know, I know. But, see, we live in the woods and I didn't get power back from the 'wind storm' that hit our area last week until 10 minutes before LOST was set to start last night! So, I do have it TiVoed with every intention of watching it right after work, but until then, no one is allowed to talk to me about it ... But feel free to talk amongst yourselves in the comments below!

For those of you DVR geeks like me, here is a tasty batch of new headlines:

--TiVo has done it again, raising the bar on the DVR market! Now, the big question is ... When can I get mine?

--Spain has arrested three people accused of running a botnet of more than 12 million computers. Wow, I wonder what they were doing with all that bandwidth.

--India has found ice on the North pole of the moon. Pardon me for being lackluster ... but didn't we already know this?

--How cool is Microsoft's Project Natal? Pronounced nah-TAL, as I was reminded multiple times this weekend by a snarky soon-to-be-brother-in-law, is a system I've talked about before right here where you can control a video game with no controller. Think ... CGI imaging, only instantly. Microsoft is so awesome.

--Who'd've thunk it? Apparently Comedy Central is where all the scientists go to talk about their craft -- namely into chairs opposite Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Hehehe Those guys are so funny ...

--Can't be in Switzerland but was cool info from the Geneva Auto Show? CNet has complete coverage.

--We've got a ton of new stuff on Captivate.com this week:
.....I've written a review of Owl City's 'Ocean Eyes' CD, which is dreamy and meandering and wonderful.
.....We're launching a new Vermont Spring Skiing Giveaway, where, if you're in NYC, Boston or DC, you can win a trip for 2 for 5 nights to a Killington-area resort to enjoy the warm spring slopes!
.....Check out the new 'Captivate Caption' and see if you can top mine.

OMG, OMG, I'm excited about Friday's entry! Be sure to check back!

New 'Zelda' out this year?

2010-03-01T07:10:00.004-05:00

While our 'Gamer's Edge' writer is out for a few days, I'm going to sprinkle some video game news in with my Monday morning roundup!

--First things first, our hearts go out to Chile, and those who have loved ones in the country. If you have not yet located yours, here's a link to Google's People Finder, which launched hours after the quake to help people locate lost family members. Good luck.

--Be still my heart -- Nintendo VP Cammie Dunaway slipped in a seemingly innocuous comment during an interview on the latest releases for the Wii: The company is working on a new 'Legand of Zelda' game for possible release this year!

Link and his adventures are the ultimate old-school-graduates-to-new-school success story, and 'Ocarina of Time' still holds a special place in my heart and on my game shelf. Hopefully, the developers have gotten all of that 'Windwaker' nonsense out or their systems so we can move on to something better!

--ET, phone headquarters ... If you ever dreamt of having light at your fingertips like that fleshy, foldy alien, these gloves might grant that wish. Flying bicycle not included. (PS-- Who needs lights on the tops of their hands? If you're working with something that requires you to have light in the first place, shouldn't cet light be on the under side of your hands so you can see what you're working with? I mean, come on ...)

--In the market for a great LCD TV, but concerned about all that wasted energy it puts out? Sony's new energy-efficient Bravia might be juuuust what you're looking for.

--We'll be talking 'LOST' here on Wednesday, but here's a preview: Michael Emerson (Ben) talks 'LOST' tech with our friends at Digital Trends via podcast. Ohh, Ben, I do love your dastardly ways ... I hope that you turn out to be good!

--So, I know what it's like to get your cellphone signals crossed and accidentally (for a while) listen in on someone else's conversation. However, it feels a little more invasive when it happens on Facebook.

--More problems for the PlayStation 3 ... is it worth anything more than a sort-of cheap Blu-Ray player, really?

--And, finally, a public health warning from me: Always take the full course of your antibiotic treatments! Even when you're feeling better, you still have to finish off the icky pink stuff or else!

See you back here Wednesday, where we'll talk a little 'LOST.' (Now, the pressure is on for me to stay awake for it...)

Old Spice commercial is all the rage

2010-02-26T09:28:00.004-05:00

Would you even believe me if I said I've got two toddlers at my feet? Didn't think so, but such is the life when the stupid daycare doesn't have power. Or a phone line. Sigh. I need a distraction that isn't asking to use my pen or fighting with his brother about which notebook to color in. And, I think I've found the perfect one! :)

You've seen that *hysterical* commercial from Old Spice, right? The one with the 'Look at your man, now back at me' guy who's on a horse? :) Hehehe I'm giggling just thinking about it -- here's the YouTube of it as a refresher.

Here's some info I got from the company:

-The commercial has spread virally, reaching over 3M YouTube hits -- placing it third among Super Bowl commercials ... and it didn't even play during the game!

-Traffic at http://www.oldspice.com/ has hit 5x its total monthly average with more than 1.5M hits.

-An underground movement has begun to get the actor (Isaiah Mustafa) on Saturday Night Live. Check it out on Twitter at #isaiahmustafaforSNL if you'd like to join in.

-There has been at least one popular remix of the commercial on YouTube. It's pretty funny too.

-For me, though, I'm curious how the whole freakin' commercial was shot *without* CGI! Seriously! Check out the 'Making Of' video with Old Spice's agency creators.

-Oh, and just in case you still haven't had enough of the buzz, you can also vote on the next T-shirt Old Spice will offer as swag at its online store!

Hehehehe ... OK that was fun :) Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here Monday for a (hopefully less hectic) post!

Snowed in with headlines

2010-02-24T10:31:00.004-05:00

It's a snowy morning in New England and the buzz form the DnD weekend has pretty much burned off. Good news for you all because that means some headlines are on tap!

--Looking to be ahead of the curve in 2010? Here are the top gadgets already making waves.

--I'm always wary when it comes to money and technology, but this seems pretty freaking cool.

--People are getting fired up about Apple's recent string of app-store censorship. Kind of a cool story on that fine line between logical and racy.

--Paleontologists from the National Dinosaur Monument in Utah have announced that they've uncovered a previously unknown species of plant-eater! The best part for me is that they found the skulls of the dino-vegans a quarter-mile from the museum!

--Are you on the market for a new camera? Check out this review article from USAToday.

--Do you like in dry air? If so, get your flu shot.

--Holy interconnectivity, Batman: 1.2B cellphones were sold last year.

See you all on Friday for more news!

We interupt this program for ...DnD!

2010-02-22T09:37:00.012-05:00

Good morning, everyone! Husband and I went to TotalCon in Mass. and played DnD 12+ hours a day for 4 days. It was without a doubt the *geekiest* weekend of my life, and I loved every minute of it! I mean, it only takes a few dragons, drug-addled barmen and plague-changed tentacle-thingys before you are all friends, right? :)

If you know what I'm talking about, then you're already ahead of the game -- if not, check out Wizards of the Coast, your one-stop shop for Dungeons and Dragons knowledge and info on how to start playing.

Anyway, I took a quick peek at the tech headlines of the day, but there isn't anything out there that trumps DnD for me this morning, so that's what we're going to talk about. Riding the fence on this one? Well, don't make fun of me until you've tried it!

How's DnD work? It's like mixing a board game and a video game together, only you're playing the video game in your mind. OK, weird explanation, let's try again ...

Imagine you're sitting around a table. There are little miniatures showing your piece on the board, and there is a little path your mini has to follow to win and rules of what kinds of movements you can make. Roll your dice, make your move, then the next person goes. Pretty standard, right? These, my friends, are the rules to DnD, too, only much cooler!

Instead of a metal top hat, you get to create a mini avatar to represent yourself -- you can be an elf ranger who shoots arrows, a gnome sorcerer who casts wicked spells, a halfling thief with a dagger, a big brutish fighter with an ax ... the possibilities could go on for hours. You have a bunch of fun, colorful dice to roll for all of your moves and attacks (really simple instructions with them, too ... mine are sparkly).

The board-game aspect of it is simple: There is a Dungeon Master (the most experienced person who knows all the rules) who plays the story narrator. This person will take you through the story and tell you everything you need to know. Oh, and they control all of the monsters, so they're also trying to kill you :) Games take 4 hours and will be the most fun you've had playing a game in a long time.

Girls, may I suggest 'Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress' for your reading pleasure? The author is a true girly girl, with her Prada pumps, her Gucci purses and, you know, optimal personal hygiene. She worked for Wizards of the Coast as a PR rep, and ended up being invited to play a game one night. Needless to say, she's totally hooked, and she shares her gradual acceptance of the game -- and her friends' acceptance of her new hobby! -- in this hysterical how-to. (Click the link box to check it out!)

We'll be back Wednesday for some real news, but thank you for allowing me to indulge and share my weekend hobby with you all! Email me if you have more questions or want to know more!

Roundup of days top stories

2010-02-17T11:07:00.002-05:00

We've got some fun toys winging our way from the Intl Toy Fair, but we don't have anything in hand yet, so let's move on to our top headlines!

--Technology has made a big leap forward at the Vancouver Olympics this year. Also, if you're looking for some of the great photos you've seen on the Captivate Network from the Winter Games, check out our online gallery!

--CNet has another list of 'Must-Have Gadgets.' Yawn.

--If you're taking the chance to jailbreak your iPhone from the carrier, then you'd better read this story.

--Wii owners are getting a new world to explore next week when 'Endless Ocean: Blue World' hits store shelves. If hype and previous Wii history is taken into account, I'd preorder my copy today to make sure you are one of the first explorers!

--Good news for all you tiger fans -- and, no I don't mean baseball: Wild tigers are making an encouraging comeback from the brink of extinction!

--OOh, in my favorite story of the day, scientists and historians and geneticists have banded together and released a study on the fate of King Tut! Sweet! I mean, not for him, but for humanity ... It's like the very first case of paparazzi and celebrity fascination!

--Check out some stats on 'Halo: Reach' -- looks like it could be awesome, but I want to know if they're bringing back Cap'n Mal and Jane! (... from 'Firefly'? Come on, people, stay with me.)

--I'll be honest, I haven't tried the Buzz. But, that's only because of stories like this.

--This 'Death Star' looks awful life-like. Oh wait ...

So, I'll be gone this Friday -- Everyone has to take a vacation, right? -- but I will be back Monday with some fresh news, headlines and stuff for you all to check out ... cross your fingers for some fun toys to test!

Playful week ahead!

2010-02-15T10:36:00.002-05:00

Hey faithful readers! It's going to be a playful week for all of us here at Byte-Sized, as our contributor Lorenzo is heading out to the International Toy Fair to get the scoop on the newest, coolest things to decorate your geeky little desks ... oh yeah, and keep your kids happy, too.

We'll have more as the week goes on, but since it's a holiday, I'll just leave you with that little tidbit! Have a great week, and I really hope you're not working ... like me... Sigh.

Stay tuned!

Musings this close to the weekend

2010-02-12T10:15:00.004-05:00

Yikes! Too much time and so little to do! ... Wait, strike that. Reverse it.

--TiVo is stroking the building buzz over a pending announcement of a Series 4 TiVo. Need I express my massive excitement? :-)

--Aww, help a single, loving seeking nerd out, won't you?

--Buzz popped up in my Gmail account this week, and I'm not gung-ho about it. If you're like me, maybe you should disable it before it gets annoying.

--CNet's daily video channel has a Valentine's Day Guide for men and women.

--OK, I know I'm late to the party, but 'HALO: ODST' features the voice of my favorite 'Firefly' browncoat and tool-monikered superhero Nathan Fillion! What a dee-lightful surprise!

--This story poses a question. My answer is, 'Yes.'

--So, I recently broke down and bought a Blu-Ray to sit next to my obsolete HD-DVD player. Looks like I should also get these flicks to christen it.

--I've contemplated giving up my social networking for more free time, but I don't think I'm strong enough or willing to make the cut. Are you?

OK, that's plenty of stories to keep you buzzing as the weekend quickly approaches! See you back here Monday for more headlines (and snark) from yours truly.

Back to business as usual -- but at least it's fun!

2010-02-10T09:28:00.007-05:00

Somewhere right now in Georgia, a girl is screaming in delight that she's won our final Hello Kitty Valentine's Day Giveaway :-) Congratulations to ...

Jennifer S. of Marietta!

OK, well that's it! I'm totally tapped out on Mimbots for now, but as I've said all along: Get your butts to http://www.mimoco.com/ and check out the company's vast selection of 2-gig USB flash drives! They average about $30 each, are the perfect gift for geeks in your life and they just make the act of transferring files more fun.

I do the whole cubicle thing, too, so I really appreciate a company that can add some spice to my otherwise bland office walls ... though, truth be told, my office walls are totally not bland :) I'll have to post pictures some day ...

Anyways, back on topic, I can't thank you all enough for entering this contest and for reading Byte-Sized three times a week!

Now, as promised, we're back to business as usual at least for a few days. The entire Eastern seaboard (including my perch up north in Boston) is being hammered with snow today, so I'm going to make this quick and cut outta here just as the first flakes start to fall! Here are your headlines:

--Ohh, how could I resist this review? If you're in the market for an e-reader, check out what happens when you pit the Kindle Gen2 against the new B&N Nook. *Love* it. Meanwhile, if you're looking to get your love the Nook, looks like it will be in stock around the US this weekend. (If you're gunna make the leap into that and not the Kindle, at least go for this Kate Spade case, too. Just saying.)

--Check out this review for the new Bioshock 2 game. I'm *dying* to play with the Big Sister!

--This CNet video feature looks at the changing world of passwords ... and why it's starting to look like a mirror.

--I really like the newest Facebook redesign, but in case you're a member of the very vocal dissent, good news: If you don't like it, you don't have to use it anymore. You know, just as long as you can get all of your friends to switch over to Gmail's new social experiment too. Otherwise, pipe down and get used to it.

Have a good rest of the day, stay warm and cozy, and we'll see you back here on Friday!

Love -- and celebration -- is in the air!

2010-02-08T10:09:00.005-05:00

While I am still calming my heartbeat down from the numerous times I jumped off my couch cheering and smacking my husband's hand in shock -- and in the process woke up every sleeping child in my house -- I'll get you right to the goods:

Today and tomorrow (until midnight tomorrow night) are the very last days you have to enter yourself into the Hello Kitty Valentine's Giveaway right here on Byte-Sized!

The response to this giveaway has been overwhelming to say the very least, and I want to take a moment not only to thank our partner in this event -- the wonderful, creative folks at Mimoco, whose products are really just that cool -- but also to the 600+ people who've entered the contest! You all are fabulous, and you've really made this an exciting month here in my little cubicle!

For those of you just joining the party, here's the rundown: Send me your name and other relevant contact info to bytesized@captivate.com. Wednesday morning, I'll randomly pick one lucky winner to win the last Hello Kitty Mimbot!

Specs: Aside from obvious adorability factor (love those overalls!), this little lady packs 2 gigabytes of storage in her teensy 2 inch-body -- plenty to carry around music, books, files, pictures, etc., to always have them at your fingertips! Even if you just want to carry her around for the fashionability of it, trust me, I can relate to that :)

If you don't win, be sure to visit http://www.mimoco.com/ to scoop up your own Mimbot -- there are so many different, eclectic styles and designs to choose from!

And, as promised, for all you lovers out there looking to pair that Hello Kitty Mimbot with some delicious chocolate for your sweeties, the female editors here at Captivate (namely me, Jacqui and Kate) spent a day eating the most delicious chocolate truffles in the world and reviewed them just for you! I call the feature 'We (Heart) Chocolates' and it's live right now over at www.Captivate.com!

... Don't be too jealous, I actually got sick from the whole thing -- a definite case of too much being a bad thing.

See you back here on Wednesday where I'll announce the final winner and catch you all up on some awesome headlines! L8rs!

Almost the weekend ... just a bit longer!

2010-02-05T09:06:00.003-05:00

Yay! It's the weekend! Well, almost ... A few more hours until you're out for a few days -- this is what makes Fridays so awesome! Let me add to it by offering up so cool stories for you to read and enjoy while you wait for quittin' time!

--Google and Amazon are all over the iPad situation by planning competitors right out of the gate.

--OK, I'm a geek, but I loves my football. Here is a list of some fun gadgets that will help spice up your Super Bowl experience! I'll be honest, most of them are no-brainers, but what can ya do?

--Bethesda's fallow-up video game 'Fallout: New Vegas' was announced and set for this fall. Word. Something tells me I may be short one husband for a few weeks.

-The Large Hadron Collider (and still my best on-screen typo EVER) is about to be powered up for it's longest ever run -- 18 months! It goes over my head after the first few sentences of explanation exactly what it is being geared up to do, but whatever it is, I'm sure it's *awesome*!

--What color were the dinosaurs? Who knows, right? Scientists have figured it out -- for real.

--Word to the wise: Pay attention and do your research when you're giving to charity. The FBI is tracking so many Haiti scams right now that it breaks my heart.

--Just because it's on Facebook (which is sporting a new design today! I like ...) doesn't mean that it's safe. And, I don't want my company getting fed up and blocking it from the office, so I'm extra careful. You should be too.

Catch you all back here on Monday!

We break from our regularly scheduled programming ... to talk 'LOST'

2010-02-03T10:18:00.006-05:00

Did you *see* 'LOST' last night?

How could I possibly be expected to think about anything technology related whilst also pondering the concept of two connected-yet-separate strands of time co-existing on the same path yet separated by years and experiences?

The sheer acting feat of playing the same characters from different perspectives -- one evolved, who we've grown to love, and the other the fresh face we met 5 years ago -- is banging my head around and around!

But, before I delve into any concept of theory in relation to the best show on TV, let's announce this week's winner of the Hello Kitty Valentine's Day Giveaway, courtesy of the fine folks at http://www.mimoco.com/!

Congratulations to ... Jeremy G. of San Ramon, CA

If that's not you, email me at bytesized@captivate.com! ... Gosh, what am I going to do when I have no more Mimbots to give away? ;)

OK, back to 'LOST'. I had a text-date with a friend of mine, and we gasped at all of the revelations! Here were our biggest take-aways:

Where the heck is Christian's body?
I think it's the strand that connects the two different times! Maybe Jacob is to Christian as Smokey/Gray Shirt is to Locke! I mean, you heard what Jacob said: 'There's only one end. Everything else is just progress.' Ohhhhh :)

What happened to Sayid?
My husband, who only got part-way through Season 1 because he 'didn't like the flashbacks' (GAH,I *know*), called this one minutes into the episode: If Christian isn't the new Jacob, Sayid is the new Jacob.

Why was non-crash-Jack bleeding?
This is my proof for my ultimate theory that the different timelines will reconnect -- both careening to the same end. What happens on the Island effects what happens in LA, and vice versa!!

Who didn't get goosebumps when Charlie said, 'I was supposed to die.' ? Liars! :)
What a prophetic statement -- actually, we got prophetic statements from all of the returning deceased! Boone suggesting that, should the plane go down, he's sticking with Locke!

What's up with all the lists?
We keep seeing a 'list' being brought out -- first when the Others kidnapped the plane survivors form the beach, and now with Jacob's massive ankh holding a note to the weird Asian guy and the hippie!

What in the frickity frick was Desmond doing on the plane?
Your guess is as good as mine.

Got a theory or an observation you want to share with the group?? Leave a comment below or email me! I'll post up the best ones on Friday along with your weekly look into the biggest technology headlines!

Only two more weeks left to win a Mimbot

2010-02-01T09:31:00.006-05:00

I had a long, sickly weekend, so it's going to be a short post for me today, my friends, while I work to shrug the blahs.

Cheering me up, as always, is being able to give cute things away to you! For those new to Byte-Sized (shocker, I know), let's do a recap:

For the last few weeks, I've been giving away ONE Hello Kitty USB flash drive with 2 gigs of storage capacity, courtesy of Mimoco, home of the cutest USB drives on the planet. All you have to do is enter once by emailing me at bytesized@captivate.com and your name will go in a pool for every week of the Hello Kitty giveaway.

This week's special friend is merrily frolicking through fields of green and tulips while she teases and tempts you to win her!

Please visit http://www.mimoco.com/ to see the latest designs the company has commissioned for their 'bots, and join me back here on Wednesday when I announce the winner!

Until then, I think I need some Vitamin B12 or something ... :) Here are a few tasty headlines to tickle your fancy:

-- The Olympics are coming up, and I can't get enough. So, here's some interesting coverage from CNet on how the event coordinators are using bales of hay to augment not enough snow.

--It's becoming the most retold story of our age -- and no, I'm not talking about 'Romeo and Juliet finally have a happy ending' that is 'Twilight,' I'm talking about which system is more secure, PC or Mac. And, as it turns out, you shouldn't take your security knowledge from Drew Barrymore's boyfriend.

--Honey, if you're reading, I posted this story for you: Dell has a new netbook out.

--I'm all about e-readers, and I say to you, iPad, bring it ON.

--Yay, best for last! Here is a great list of some amazing projects from NASA and beyond! Wooo!

Worst. Name. Ever.

2010-01-29T09:00:00.003-05:00

I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon, but in this case, do I really need to say more?

OK, moving on, here are the pebbles that made the biggest ripples this week:

--CNet.com is all over this Apple iPad story. Here's the editor's take. And here is a story answering your questions about the tablet. Is it for you? Find out here. Wait, is the iPad even a computer??

--But, you just got that awesome netbook for Christmas! Don't fret your geeky heads, here's why you're still better off than having an iPad.

--If Apple even thinks this silly tablet is going to kill my ereader, then we might have to throw down.

--Oh MAN I would love to do this ... PS- 'LOST' is next week!

--Here's a list of the 10 most anticipated games of 2010. Some of them are definitely on my list!

Catch you all back here Monday for the fourth week of our Hello Kitty giveaway series. Until then, I hope you have a blast reading all about the iPad -- yeah, still the worst name ever -- and have a great weekend!

In news other than Apple ... let's goof off!

2010-01-27T09:47:00.015-05:00

OK, so I'm not going to bother trying to keep up with the other second-by-second, blow-by-blow bloggers crashing the 'net this afternoon with news on Steve Jobs' big announcement. Though, if the my favorite little munchkin guy from 'Dancing with the Stars' showed up to the Apple press conference, I'd be totally into it!

Instead, first I'm going to announce the winner of this week's Hello Kitty 'Apple' flash drive! Big congrats to ...

Rachel L. of NYC!

If that's not you, please hop on over to http://www.mimoco.com/ and check out the rest of their assortment of 2-gig flash drives! Not a huge Hello Kitty fan? Try Princess Leia from Star Wars! LOVE it!

We kick off the fourth (of five) week of our Hello Kitty giveaway on Byte-Sized this Monday, so be sure to check it out!

So, back to the goofing off ... It's apparently 'celebrity doppelganger' week on Facebook, and in an effort to get me involved, a friend of mine sent over this website that matches you by percentage with whom you look like most! All you need is a clear picture of your face. In a hysterical craze, I sent this site all around the Captivate office, and, just to show you all how willing and open us Captivate editors/bloggers are to poking fun, here are our results:

Apparently, I'm the love child of Helena Christensen and Elvis Costello :) Hey, I'll take being compared to a mega-super model any day, though I swear I've been told Alicia Silverstone (circa Batgirl) and I are identical.

Captivate editor and Indulge author Jacqui looks so much like her matches, Beyonce and Maria Meneudos, it's scary! Isn't she a stunner? Check out Jacqui's beauty/fashion tips here!

Captivate editor and Weigh In author Kate Scanlan is perfectly matched here with Camilla Belle and Liv Tyler, though in real life, she's a walking replica of Tina Fey -- lucky! :) Check up on Kate's fitness tips here!

Captivate's editor and Green Among Gray blogger Kyle was matched to Marlon Brando and Matthew Perry -- though he really looks so much like Daniel Radcliffe that we sometimes call him 'Harry Potter.' Get your environmental tips from Kyle here!

Captivate's Canadian editor and I'd Rather Be Watching Movies author Justin is a pretty accurate mix here of heartthrob Johnny Depp and your favorite 'friend' Jennifer Aniston. Find out Justin's movie news and opinions here!

Captivate's director of content and music reviewer Dee Murray is a sassy mix of Cate Blanchett and Ashton Kutcher, right? Listen to Dee dish on music's biggest artists here!

So, you can see we had a lot of fun with this :) It's obviously not an exact science ... but for amusement purposes, it had us rolling on the floor laughing.

Feel free to send me some of your best celebrity matches and I may post them up! Otherwise, thank you for taking some time away from obsessing over Apple's iTablet or whatever with me!

See you back here Friday for the week's top headlines (... OK fine, I'll round up the Apple news, too)! L8rs!

My rant on TiVo and its business practices, By Amber

2010-01-25T10:49:00.006-05:00

'Oh Monday -- What have I ever done to you?'

Well, here's a Monday treat: Enter now to win the third (of five) Hello Kitty USB flash drive! This one is bright red, and looks like Miss Kitty is wearing an apple costume -- pure and simple in design, it packs 2 gigabytes of storage into a drive smaller than a lighter and infinitely cuter!

Email me at ByteSized@Captivate.com if you haven't already entered your name to win! If you have, well, I always like getting fun emails, but it won't up your chances! Click HERE for the official rules, in case you're interested ...

And remember: If you want to bypass the whole giveaway, head straight over to http://www.mimoco.com/ to by your own before they're sold out! At $24,99 each, how can you resist, really?

Now, onto bigger things ... I'd like to talk to you all about TiVo.

We all know how much I love my TiVo. If I had to ditch my satellite TV and go back to bunny ears (or their now-digital equivalent), I'd still save enough money to keep this service running -- that's how much I love it. And, I don't mean DVRs in general -- the competitors made by DirecTV and Comcast are laughable in comparison. Terrible GUIs and databases, and brand recognition is embarrassing.

Anyway, so why am I ranting on TiVo? Well, the company recently announced they are pursuing a lawsuit against AT&T for patent infringement. Fine, they aren't paying you for taking a portion of your technology that, really, you never had 100% claim to (more on that in a sec). But, in response to TiVo's suit, now *Microsoft* has filed a counter suit on TiVo as a way to back up AT&T, one of their big-time sponsor companies.

So, Microsoft is suing Tivo because TiVo is suing AT&T. Got it?

Now, how this will all play out legally really doesn't matter to me. I just want to take a moment to recognize two separate camps in the battle: the TiVo engineers and the TiVo management.

Tivo engineers: You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for making an amazing product that I adore and that has changed the way I watch TV forever. You guys totally rock, and I'm so sorry that your management is being retarded and not giving your product enough exposure and, honestly, making your job go unnoticed. They are *actively trying* to put you all out of business. Totally sucks.

TiVo Management, meet me at Camera Three: Are you all completely out of your ever-loving minds? Your engineers and software guys gift-wrap for you the best, highest quality DVR on the market, and it's like you're in a sick competition to see how horrendously you can eff it up. First, you screw up deals with Comcast AND DirecTV separately, both of whom made absolute crap products to try to duplicate your DVR and failed. Then you miraculously get back in their good graces long enough to pick a fight with *Microsoft*, a company who could buy and sell you twice in its sleep? Seriously??!!

Look, guys, I'm sorry you have brand management issues with your product being verb-ified and losing its cache -- 'I have to TiVo the game,' in the same way 'I need a Kleenex,' and 'Let's FedEx that package' -- but please fire *every single person* giving you such terrible business advice and hire intelligent people to manage your business! Geez!!

For more on this story (but without any commentary from yours truly) DOW JONES has a wrap on it.

See you all back here Wednesday, when I announced this week's Hello Kitty Winner!!

Hello Kitty winner announced

2010-01-22T10:11:00.004-05:00

I'm so tired of people saying TGIF -- like I'm an extra in 'The Office' remake or something -- so, I'm forgoing all of that today in favor of announcing our Hello Kitty Valentine's Day Giveaway winner:

David L., from NYC!

Thank you again for all of your entries -- it's been overwhelming and one of the best giveaways we've ever had the pleasure of hosting. The people at Mimico are fab, and so are their products! Head over there and browse the totally geeky assortment of little Mimbot characters! Even if it's a sweet treat for you (or wicked cool gifts for friends/wedding attendants/dinner party guests), it's totally worth carrying around your files in style.

So, onwards and upwards, the third week of the Hello Kitty giveaway will kick off Monday, with the winner being announced on Wednesday. Until then, I'll have some byte-sized headlines to chew on later today!

Our second Hello Kitty Giveaway for Valentine's Day

2010-01-20T09:49:00.006-05:00

Just as promised, today we are featuring Week 2 of our Byte-Sized Valentine's Day giveaway -- and she's just as cute, if not cuter, than the Week 1 model:

This Hello Kitty could be yours! Enter NOW to win by emailing me at ByteSized@Captivate.com! (Last week's official rules still apply, btw.)

If you entered before for the Hello Kitty Mimbot and did not win, you are automatically entered into this week's giveaway (though I'd sure love to hear from you :) hehehe).

All of our Hello Kitty USB flash drives are courtesy of the folks at MIMOCO. If you want to bypass my giveaway, please head straight there and buy your own! The 2-gig flash drives cost around $25-30 each, and they are a perfect gift for your Valentine's Day love!

... So, let's say you've won the Hello Kitty gift, you've already bought a dozen of your Valentine's favorite flowers (because if you show up without then, be prepared to have a door shut in your face) -- but you are at a loss for what chocolates to buy! Well, check out Captivate.com on Feb. 1 for a feature on the best of the best gourmet chocolatiers in the world, and how to order some truly original treats that will have your sweeties melting in your hand!

See ya back here FRIDAY when I announce the winner of little Miss Kitty and her sweet, painted-on teddy. OH, I just got another idea for a Valentine's Day must-have ... :-D

Weekly tech-headline roundup, esp. for you

2010-01-15T08:46:00.006-05:00

In between the giveaways there has to be some news, right? Here is a rundown of the latest in tech news this week:

-Biggest on the radar, as well it should be, is the relief effort in Haiti. Click here for a complete list of sites accepting donations, or if you are looking to contribute online of via your cell phone. Amazingly, people have really banded together to help, with more than $5M having already been donated to the Red Cross via texters on mobile phones. Wow.

-PLEASE look out for charity scams. They'll rob you blind by playing on your good will. Donater beware.

-And, not only are celebrities pitching in huge amounts of money in relief, but tech companies have stepped up with massive donations, too.

-I'm not the only on who wants to remind you that Valentine's Day is closing in: Check out this Valentine's Day gadget gift guide. I already have most of the gifts suggested for 'her,' so it's actually a pretty great list.

-Take a look through the technology crystal ball and see what will really take off in 2010. Or, so the forecasters think, anyways. Grain of salt.

-It's one of the largest problems in American culture today. No, it's not obesity or lack of physical activity -- it's small ears. What are those poor people with tiny exterior auditory canals to do with all the humongous sizes in ear buds? Alas, Cnet has your little ones covered.

-Looks like everyone had a Christmas video-game-wise. Best of the year, in my opinionated opinion? Assassin's Creed II. Buy it now, if you store even still has a copy. It's phenomenal -- loved it so much. Best game of the year. For more video game stuff, head over to Captivate's Gamer's Edge blog.

-Oh goodness. The Governator is tweeting.

-One of my favorite blogs on the 'net (aside from Perez Hilton) is USAToday.com's Science Fair. The writers just have some really great stories for those of us science intellectuals looking for a cool thing to talk about with our spouses/company. I highly recommend checking it out.

Readers, Monday is a holiday, but we'll have your back with some cool things to check out if you're looking to waste some time :) Otherwise, meet you back here on Wednesday with the next HELLO KITTY Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Hello Kitty winner announced

2010-01-13T09:43:00.010-05:00

OK, note to self: Next time I want my blog to crash, all I have to do is mention Hello Kitty! Holy overloaded servers, Batman!

Needless to say, I got WAAAY more entries than I ever expected into this giveaway, and I'm feeling a bit guilty that I only have one of the sweet little 'Hello Kitty Balloon' Mimbots to hand out this week ... Either way, you never win if you don't enter! :) So, thanks a zillion times for everyone's record response!

Congrats to our super-lucky winner ... Kathy D.C. from Dallas!

For all of you who did not win (and there are, like, a thousand of you), your name will automatically be entered into next week's drawing of another 'Hello Kitty' Mimbot from the generous, awesome folks at Mimoco! I'm just going to take a moment to thank them for their participation and for making such cool products all the time. Really, really top notch.

Should you not want to wait for the next 4 weeks' drawings, please visit http://www.mimoco.com/ and order your own USB drive today -- at $24.99, they are srsly the perfect gift. Oh, and have I already mentioned how they only make so many of these? So order the one you want before it's gone!!

The next Hello Kitty Giveaway starts next week, so check back to put your name in the hat.

Now that I have your attention, let's talk headlines ...

-Apple insiders are quietly gunning the rumor mill by hinting the next-gen iPhone is going to debut in April.

--For fashion-savvy men, looks like skinny suits are SO last decade ...

--For my regular readers, you all know I'm not a Twitter fan. Regardless, if you're looking to go to the dark side, here are some tips to get started tweeting.

--Google is not happy with China -- and China isn't too happy with them either.

--If you have Verizon Fios and, for some whacked-out reason, aren't digging it, your cancellation fee is about to go up.

Quiet day in Captivate land, so log on to our main site and check out our Spotlight: International Business! I wrote a complete guide to fitting in and not making yourself look like an idiot when you're traveling abroad, so check it out! See ya Friday!

Valentine's Day Giveaway

2010-01-11T10:02:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday, readers! I’ve got some big news today, but before I get to it, I’d like to give a big shout out of thanks to Peter Szabo, our Byte-Sized reporter who’s been on the floor covering the Consumer Electronics Show from Las Vegas. Such a great show, and so much fun stuff to discuss!

All the sites are buzzing today with wrap-ups and highlights – looks like 3-D has made a huge splash on the market, and everything from glasses to home theaters are being tossed around as the heir-apparent future! Oh, and e-readers rock, which we all (I hope) already knew.

Moving onwards and upwards from CES, I’d like to take a moment to remind all of you significant others out there that Valentine’s Day is a month away. I know, it’s like a cruel trick from the greeting card companies putting such a pressure-filled holiday so close to Christmas.

Rest assured, though, you forlorn loved ones, Byte-Sized has you covered!

Starting today and lasting one-a-week for the next 5 weeks, I’m going to give you the perfect gift for your sweetie: A Mimobot designer USB flash drive courtesy of the folks at Mimoco! But, it gets better: Each drive features the world’s most lovable, adorable, super-sweet mascot of cuteness Hello Kitty!

Fresh out of the design shops at Mimoco (my well-known personal fave – I own 2 myself), these Hello Kitty flash drives feature the iconic feline in 5 different settings. We’re giving away one of each. And, for the tech-heads, *2 gigs* of storage space to carry around everything from that novel she’s working on to a thousand love notes from you that you’d rather not leak on the ‘net.

This is how it’s going to work: Send me your name, number and address NOW to bytesized@captivate.com. If you don’t win one week, your name will automatically be entered into the next week’s drawing. The final winner will be picked on Feb. 10. Click here for the official giveaway rules.

If you’d like to bypass the chance aspect of the giveaway, head straight over to Mimoco’s site to browse there selection of amazing flash drives (some even come with a little hoodie to keep them warm!) or click here to go straight to the Hello Kitty section of the site.

This week’s design (featured above) is the Hello Kitty Balloon, retailing online for $24.95 – a perfect amount for every stage of relationship! Package it up with a box of designer chocolates** and you’re good to go!

**Hmmmm wonder where you could get an entire feature just on which awesome chocolate you should get for you’re sweetie this Valentine’s Day? Perhaps you should check out Captivate.com on Feb. 1….

CES 2010 in pictures & recap

2010-01-10T18:00:00.002-05:00

Recap of our posts from CES 2010:

Click here for Final Thoughts from CES

Click here for Driver Distraction - Do You Txt While Driving?

Click here for Free Home Phone Service

Click here for Noise Canceling Headphones for $99 & 2 tech companies you've never heard of

Click here for An Easier Way To Share Pictures

Click here for Computer Backups Made Easier

Click here LG, Netgear, Toshiba & Audiovox new product overviews

Click here for CES 2010 Preview

--Peter

Final thoughts from CES 2010

2010-01-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

I love that 3D is coming to TVs. I hate that I’m going to have to buy a new TV ($2,000+) to watch it. Didn’t we just get done upgrading to HD? Now we have to upgrade to 3D? I can’t wait to watch football in 3D, as well as other sports, but what about everything else? Commercials – will everyone have to quickly move to 3D commercials? Overall programming- a friend at a cocktail party over the weekend who works for a cable network shared that DirecTV is mandating a portion of their network shows come in 3D by 2011. Exactly how much, and what shows, is TBD, but is it really worth having all shows in 3D? It seems great for certain things (sports, some movies) where you will tolerate wearing the glasses. But other than that, I’m not sure.

I love the new wifi hotspot function in Palm’s Pre Plus and Pixi Plus coming to Verizon Wireless! Not only is it a great smartphone, but it creates a wifi hotspot for you to connect your laptop too as well! I hate carrying multiple devices, but I would love to connect my laptop to VZW’s network. I’m not sure that I’m ready to trade my BlackBerry or iPhone for a Pre, but this made me seriously start considering it.

In other connected news, this one not from CES but similar to the wifi hotspot on the go, when talking about the new Palm function, a friend of mine mentioned Tether – a BB app that lets you connect your BB to your laptop and use your BB’s data plan to connection to the internet. Brilliant! http://www.tether.com/ It costs $50 (was on sale for $20 last week, maybe they’ll have another sale), and if it works are advertised (and the slew of positive reviews would make that seem likely)- what a great way to extend your internet reach without paying extra! Again, I would love to connect my laptop to Verizon’s broadband internet- but I have that they tack on an extra fee to do so. I’m already paying for internet on the BB, now with Tether it would allow me to use what I’m already paying for!

--Peter

Driving safety- do you txt & drive?

2010-01-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

A big emerging technology I was eager to see at CES was products that strive to make txting while driving safer. OK, safer isn’t the right word- txting while driving isn’t safe- products that strive to balance communicating while on the road with safety.

Taser (the company that produces the non-lethal shocking device used by law enforcement) is branching out into technology protection as well. I saw demos of 2 products that seem to be very well thought out, and could be a huge asset to parents.

The first is their Driver Protector. Aimed at parents of kids age 15-18, it strives to cut down on kids’ ability to use their phone while driving. (I couldn’t help thinking this should be mandatory for drivers beyond 18 as well! I personally can remember at least 2 or 3 near misses when the person who almost ran into me was starting down at a cell phone.)

Driver Protector works only with certain smartphones- BlackBerry, Android, etc- which the company figures most kids are begging their parents for anyway. It takes that device and, through a device that connects to a car’s circuitry, tells that phone when it can and can’t operate certain functions. For example, once the car is moving, the phone locks and only 3 options are available on the screen: favorites (to call certain pre-programmed numbers), voice dial and request exemption (to call mom or dad and tell them someone else is driving, at which point mom or dad can remotely unlock the phone).

Taser said they studied other solutions to driver distraction and found many of them to be either too strong or too weak. Either the phone was completely disabled, which frustrates users because they can’t do anything with the phone, or it was too easy to bypass the safeguards by overriding them. They sought to strike a balance where the phone is still usable for parts that can be made safe while driving.

Driver Protector will be released later in the spring, with final pricing TBD, but expect about $200-300 for the device that connects to your car to monitor whether it’s moving, and then $10-30 / month.

Taser’s other new product speaks to parents who have ever wanted to give their child a cell phone for the convenience of being able to reach them anytime, but didn’t want them to be able to use all it’s features at all times. Until now, it was pretty much an all or nothing proposition. Either you give them the phone, and take the risk they could start txting 5,000 times each month, not only running up your phone bill but probably not studying too hard for school while doing that, or you didn’t. Taser’s Mobile Protector seeks to give logical parental controls for your kid’s cell phone.

Again, only working with smartphones, it is aimed at the first time a child gets a cell phone, amazingly 8-12 years old, according to the company. (Why an 8 year old needs a BlackBerry is another story. If there was a way this product could work on a plain phone, I think it would be even more beneficial. Due to the technology that goes into it, sadly, it only works on smartphones.) So, 8 year olds toting BlackBerries aside, this is a very innovative product.

It has an app that is installed on both the parent’s & the kid’s smartphone which, essentially, first routes all communication to the parent’s phone. For example, the first time your child receives a txt from a certain number, it first routes to the parent’s phone. The parent can then decide if that txt is safe to be allowed through. Naturally, to do this every time the kid gets a txt is pretty cumbersome, so you can assign certain numbers “safe” status. In other words, all txts from Uncle Mike (who you trust) are allowed through automatically, but all txts from your child’s friend Rodney (who you never trusted anyway) are still routed to you.

There is a similar functionality to voice calls as well. Calls can be first routed to the parent’s phone, and again, safe ones are allowed through. Obviously for working parents this can become a bit cumbersome, but there is a desktop version of the parent’s monitoring app which can run on the parent’s work computer.

A few other great features of Mobile Protector… it automatically screens txts for a predetermined list of problematic words (based on categories like sexual content, drugs, etc) and alerts you if those words are used. Txts are monitored even from people you have put on the “safe” list and the txts go directly to the kid’s phone. Another feature is that each time a call is made or received, or txt made or received, Taser’s system takes a GPS snapshot of where the communication occurred. This can be helpful in locating a child, should that need arise. They’re quick to point out this isn’t a monitoring device- those GPS locations are only revealed with police involvement in a missing person’s case.

All in all, Mobile Protector seeks to allow parents to give their kids a phone they can use for they parts they want, rather than all or nothing. It all felt a little Big Brother-ish at first, but the company seems to have gone to some lengths to balance parental control with kid’s phone needs. With some of the scary stats the company cited (more than 1/3rd of teenagers admit to sending naked pictures of themselves using their phone, 40% of them have been bullied through the phone, 1 in 5 has been sexually solicited online, 20% regularly use their phone to engage in “sexting”) I’m guessing there will be a version of mobile protector for teens 13-18 as well very soon. And let’s also hope that LG’s “Give It A Ponder” campaign is around for a while!

Pricing hasn’t been announced for Mobile Protector either, but will likely be a monthly service cost of aprx $30 / month. With Mobile Protector and Driver Protector, maybe you’ll feel more comfortable with your child having a smartphone.

While we’re on the topic of driver safety and distraction while driving, let me tell you about the few minutes I spent learning about how much research goes into driver safety from Ford. Ford made a lot of headlines at CES unveiling upgrades to their Sync system, which allows drivers to connect more gadgets to the car to use while driving. The highlights were the ability to have the car read you incoming tweets from Twitter while driving and the ability to listen to Pandora & Stitcher internet radio in the car. Many of the articles announcing these new technologies pointed out driver safety concerns, basically theorizing that the more technology we have in the car, the less safe we are while driving.

I love technology, and I love cars, so I was particularly excited to speak with Ford about their new gadgets, and what steps they take to ensure driver safety. I spent a few minutes with Ed Cadagin from Ford’s Auto Safety Office, who has been working on driver distraction for 10 years. He told me about Ford’s ongoing commitment to driver safety in the wake of explosive wireless use in cars.

He pointed to 7 million miles of road driving data from a VTTI (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute) study that Ford relies heavily on to determine the causes of accidents, and design their technology appropriately. Interestingly, talking on your phone while driving is only slightly more distracting than driving alone- it’s the dialing or answering calls part that gets people in trouble. (Also, “personal grooming” was more than double as distracting a talking on the phone.)

Ford also has copious amounts of data from their Eyes on Road Research where average Ford employees drive in a simulator and are monitored while they execute typical driving tasks. This is a big foundation for their Sync system where voice commands allow typical tasks (like playing a certain song on your iPod or inputting a navigation destination) to cut down how long your eyes are off the road by 90% or more.

These 2 studies, as well as some Federal Government research has led Ford to institute a few basic guidelines for all their in-car technology. For example, a single glance off the road can only be 2 seconds maximum. Whether for inputting a navigation address or changing a radio station, 2 seconds max. This means Ford has locked out the majority of navigation function while the car is moving. You cannot enter a new address or point of interest, you must choose from a previous destination or use Sync to input it by voice command.

It’s worth pointing out that this is Ford’s own analysis and guidelines. Other car manufacturers do their own thing. Honda, for example, allows full use of it’s navigation system while driving. Ford says that’s their choice, they would rather err on the side of safety based on their findings. Now, I did ask if any thought had been given to allowing a passenger to input a destination while the car was moving, and Mr Cadagin said they had considered that, but ultimately decided against it. He said people could put a suitcase on the front seat to override it, then. I had to chuckle as I heard that, and countered that perhaps there should be some balance between how the majority of people would likely benefit from a feature like that, and if a few, let’s call them knuckleheads, choose to drive around with a suitcase in their front seat, well, then, that’s their prerogative.

Another guideline Mr Cadagin shared was that all visual displays in Ford vehicles had to be at 30 degrees or above on the dash. That was the point at which Ford determined people could see brake lights ahead of them in their peripheral vision. This guideline led Ford to redesign all of their dashboards (not a cheap undertaking, he pointed out) to be 30 degree compliant.

Along with the Twitter, Pandora, Stitcher announcements, Ford will also feature more technology additions to their cars. You will be able to search for directions on Mapquest, then send your route to your car (conveniently Microsoft is the company behind both Mapquest and Ford’s Sync technology), and for sports fans, once you provide an internet connection for your Ford, you can set the system to keep you updated on your favorite sports team scores as they play!

In any event, I was impressed to learn the amount of research that goes into designing in-car tech at Ford. While not as sexy as the technology itself, it’s nice to hear these devices aren’t just being crammed into cars as fast as they can be produced. Ford’s use of naturalistic, real world driving research will hopefully make their cars safer for the people excited to use their new tech features.

--Peter

Free home phone service?

2010-01-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Home phones seem to be dwindling at a rapid pace, but what about those people who still want one? If you talk too much to justify a cell-phone only existence, or cell coverage simply isn’t great at your house, you might be interested in Ooma. They have a product (pictured below) you plug into your existing high speed internet connection at home which gives you unlimited home phone service for no monthly cost. It sounded too good to be true, so I checked it out.

You have to buy an Ooma Telo for $250- but after that, you have no monthly cost. (You are responsible for $12 / year in taxes, so set aside $1 month to make sure you save for that.) The Telo will work with your existing home phones, and allows you to call any phone in the US (cell or landline) and talk for unlimited minutes a month- all for free. It’s all through VOIP technology, which has come a long way in clarity- the demo I heard sounded amazing. Certainly better quality than a cell phone. You may have heard of Vonage, or many other companies doing the same thing with VOIP calling- but they charge you a monthly fee. Ooma eliminates that, and also adds a missing feature from many VOIP companies- 911 service. You can use Ooma to call 911 in an emergency, which eliminates a big knock on other VOIP services that don’t have that.

You can transfer your existing phone number if you would like, or get a new one when you sign up. Incoming, outgoing calls- all free every month with calls in the US. International calls are significantly cheaper, too.

Of course, like any tech company these days, the $0 / month version is their base package. For $10 / month you can add a second phone line, choose an out of market phone number if you want (so if you like in LA and your family lives in Boston, they can all dial a Boston number and call you as a local phone call), and have a telemarketer block put on your phone numbers.

They have some other great add ons- like an iPhone app that lets you answer your home phone calls on the go over wifi, or the ability to use your home phones to answer calls to your cell phone using Bluetooth. Those will appeal to the ultra geeks (they sounded really cool to me!)

Ooma is available at major retailers- Best Buy, Amazon, Costco, Walmart, etc. Could be a great way to save money.

--Peter

Noise canceling headphones for $99 & 2 companies you've never heard of

2010-01-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

I have a few friends who would love noise cancelling headphones, but don’t need them enough to shell out $300+ for the Bose models you see advertised all over the place. There are a few cheaper models, some that work better than others, but walking through CES I found a company called Able Planet that makes a solid noise cancelling headphone, similar to the Bose version, for $99. Called their NC200 model, it sounded slightly less perfect that their $299 NC1000CH, but certainly very usable, especially at a price under $100.
(picture, $99 version on left, $299 version on right)

The company has their foundation in the medical industry with years of hearing aid technology, so these guys know their stuff. They use those 6 years of research to improve upon their noise cancelling technology, and apply them to headphones now rather than hearing aids. They’re available at Best Buy, BJs and other major retailers now.

I like to think I’m pretty up on tech trends and electronics companies. So I was a little surprised to walk by 2 booths at CES that featured a full lineup of GPS navigation units, digital camera, digital picture frames, netbooks and more- from companies I hadn’t even heard of! Cydle- a Korean company that has been around since 2006- and aigo- a Chinese company that has been around since 1993- are 2 companies that have been known in Asia but are now making a push into the US market.

One product that stood out was a cell phone from aigo that doubles as a Wii style controller. They were demoing a tennis game that you played on your TV using the cell phone as your controller. Pretty cool. It’s a GSM phone, so you buy it, insert a SIM card from AT&T or T-Mobile and you’re off and running.

--Peter

An easier way to share pictures

2010-01-09T09:00:00.004-05:00

One of my little tech pet peeves involves digital cameras. Have you ever been out with a group of friends celebrating, say, a birthday, and everyone gets together for a group picture to be taken? I hate when some nice stranger volunteers to snap the picture, but then is bombarded by 8 digital cameras to take the exact same picture with. “Oh, can you take one with mine too?” “yea, and mine” “oh and here’s one more”. We’re talking about the exact same picture, captured digitally- I always thought the idea of using one camera and then e-mailing the picture to everyone was a pretty simple concept. Recently, though, I’ve found the person who’s camera is assigned “master camera” duty forgets to e-mail the picture, and 3 weeks later is still making excuses like “I keep meaning to send out that picture, but I’ve just been so busy.” So now no one has the important picture.

Sony has introduced TransferJet – a technology included in their new digital cameras which allow you to transfer pictures from one camera to another without wires. I immediately saw great possibilities for this. Use one Sony camera to take that master picture, and then instantly share it with everyone at the birthday party. Problem solved.

TransferJet, I later learned, is actually a consortium of electronics manufacturers who will all develop and use this technology. Even better! Canon, Kodak, Nikon, Panasonic, Samsung, Epson, Sharp, Toshiba, JVC, Kenwood, Pioneer and many more are on the list. This technology will also allow you to transfer files from your digital camera to your computer using a wireless TransferJet dock, to your printer, TV or digital picture frame- all without wires! I love simple improvements that make a great product even better.

Another great unveil at Sony’s booth was their new Bloggie – their new HD camera that captures HD video, 5MP pictures and costs only $169! A friend of mine had an earlier version of these cameras, and shot a great skiing video on a trip last year, so I can vouch for the quality of these. We’re not talking professional quality, but certainly good enough to carry around on a trip, snap some quick highlights and easily share memories with family & friends. The camera is tiny (about the size of a compact digital camera) and the battery will last about 90 minutes when shooting video.

For a cool add on, spring the extra $20 and get a 270 degree fish eye lens on their $189 version- pictured to the right. (They also throw in a 4GB memory stick for your extra $20, which makes it even more worth it.) I tried a demo model with the fish eye, and this thing is just plain cool! You hold it above your head and walk normally- the camera will capture everything around you as you go. The cool trick comes on playback- it doesn’t play a giant circle video file (as it does on the screen to the right), it actually converts your video to look normal, with a scroll bar underneath that lets you move your vantage point. For example, you start off watching what was happening in front of you, then you slide the bar under your video and look at what happened to your right, then slide to see what happened on your left. Great way to capture parts of your life when there is a lot going on!

--Peter

Computer backups made easier

2010-01-08T22:04:00.005-05:00

One of the growing issues with producing more content (pictures, music, videos, etc) is not only where to store it, but how to back it up. I know I personally have a running paranoia in the back of my mind that keeps me constantly copying a backup set of pictures onto an external hard drive, and usually a USB key chain as well. These backups typically consist of various versions of files and multiple duplicates of the same thing. Every few weeks, I think, “gee, I should do a backup”. So I highlight a bunch of files, hit copy and paste them onto the external drive. It gives me piece of mind that a backup copy exists, but wastes a decent amount of hard drive space, and wouldn’t even be particularly efficient should my fears come true and I actually need to replace files from there.

I’ve seen various storage solutions over the past year or two- some popular ones recently like Mozy that allow you to backup all your files to a hard drive in the sky. Cloud backups are great, but require an upload over the internet- not typically the fastest thing ever. I’ve tried syncing software, where it supposedly keeps track of your files and only backs up modified files or new files. Somehow, it never seems to work exactly right.

Enter Clickfree. This Toronto based company has improved on this backup problem in a few ways. First, it takes typical external hard drives, and integrates the USB connection. I love my Western Digital Passport drive, but I have to always make sure I carry a USB cable in order to connect it. The Clickfree drives have a cable directly tied into the drive that easily slides out and connects to your USB port.

Second, it backs up your entire hard drive, as the company’s name would suggest- click free. You just plug the drive into your USB port, and voila, full backup. Even better, after the first backup (which will take longer as all of your files are copied) the drive will automatically backup only revised or new files. I love the simplicity of this. My mom always asks my “are my files backed up?” And over the phone, I walk her through a clunky copy & paste backup onto an external drive. I would have no problem handing her one of these drives.

Third, as a fun added bonus, once all your content is on the drive, Clickfree includes some nifty features of what you can do with your files. As it creates the backup files, it actually groups your files by content: music, movies, pictures, etc. From there, you can browse by type. If you pull up your pictures, for example, they can be automatically uploaded onto Facebook from the Clickfree interface. Just select the thumbnails you want to upload, click the Facebook icon, and up they go. Much easier than Facebook’s picture interface. All this is done with no software installed on your computer- it’s all contained within the drive.

Expert users can configure their backups (to only backup certain files, for example), which is a nice touch. There is actually a handy 30 second countdown clock when you connect the drive that gives you time to click to options. Novices can let the clock run down and stay in automatic mode, experts can configure to their heart’s content.

Another feature I thought was particularly impressive was iPod backup. As their knowledgeable rep pointed out, by now, some early adopters have multiple iPods, some of which may have been connected to old iTunes accounts. That hit very close to home for me as I have an old 60GB iPod which used to sync with an old desktop. In transferring that desktop to a newer laptop, iTunes didn’t transfer over properly so many Playlists were lost. They are still on the iPod, but not on any computer. It’s been an ongoing source of frustration as I am now onto my 2nd laptop that doesn’t have many of the playlists I cultivated and perfected over a few years. (If you’re asking why I don’t just copy my music back onto my computer, well, Apple has taken great lengths to make sure that isn’t easy.) With the Clickfree system, I can now pull off not only the songs from the iPod, but the Playlists as well. I can’t wait to try this. I was so excited I bought one on the spot! (Quick side note, the company was nice enough to sell me their 500GB Clickfree backup drive by writing my credit card on a piece of paper. They never actually ran it. Must be the Canadian in them. I don’t see many US companies doing that. You can’t sip a coffee in this country without laying down some cash!)

There is also a point to be made about piracy here- the fact that since you can now copy songs from any iPod, you could take all your friends songs very easily. The company points out they just created the solution and trust people to use it appropriately. Sounds good to me!

A few more nice touches- you can backup multiple computers onto one hard drive. Each will have its own icon, and the drive will sync files with that computer’s backup.

Anyway, this device impressed the heck out of me! There are 3 versions of this basic Clickfree backup drive- 250 GB for $119, 320 GB for $139 and 500 GB for $159. A little more than you’d pay for a drive without their software, but if it works like the demo, it’s well worth it.

If you have multiple computers on one home network (or work network) there is a network version of each of the drives above for slightly more money. The advantage there is that after connecting the drive once to each computer and doing a backup, it leaves behind a tiny tag which allows the drive to remain connected to only one computer yet backup all computers on the network. It’s a neat trick, and a very simple solution for multiple computers.

Now a few final cool ideas- If you want to look cool doing your backups, try their Ultra Portable Traveler. Roughly the size of a credit card, I can promise you’ll get some jealous stares. They somehow even fit a tiny USB connector into this thing. All the same features as the bigger hard drives described above, just on a tiny drive. Available in 16/32/64 GB sizes for $69/$129/$219, respectively.

If you have free space on your iPod touch or iPhone, Clickfree has a system that allows you to backup your hard drive there. This seemingly is for people who don’t hoard too many files, but if they don’t, would allow them to not only backup, but easily have their files with them. That connector with built in backup for iPod Touch / iPhone is $49.

Similarly, they have a Traveler for BlackBerry which allows for backup of your files onto your trusty BB. It’s actually a 16GB microSD memory card for $89, but then you have your files with you. The company points out this is for an professional that has a series of files they need with them at all times- spreadsheets, budgets, etc. If it’s on your BB, you don’t have to worry about carrying them.

Finally, there’s a backup version that puts your files on an SD card. 16GB for $90 and 32GB for $150. Those are on the pricey end, and more than standard SD cards without the backup program. But if you want to have easy backup on an SD card, it’s a nice solution.

All in all, a great suite of backup products!

--Peter

LG at CES!

2010-01-07T12:47:00.003-05:00

Wasting no time at Press Day, LG was nice enough to greet everyone with bright lights and a full array of TVs illuminating their press conference at 8am. Functioning like an extra shot of caffeine in case the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet so early in the morning, the bright lights made sure you knew CES was under way! LG got us up to speed on their plan for home domination, I mean their product line, by showcasing their TVs, washers, dryers, refrigerators, solar power technology and projectors.

I’ll start with the most entertaining part, which actually isn’t even a product but a recent advertising campaign. If you haven’t yet seen LG’s “Give It A Ponder” series of “PSA’s” (commercials), click here (http://www.giveitaponder.com/). James Lipton of Bravo’s “Inside The Actor’s Studio” fame does a fantastic job highlighting the perils of gossip txting, sexting and mean txting facing today’s teens and tweens. I was amused by the campaign when I first saw it, and was surprised to learn the amount of research that went into launching the campaign. LG commissioned a study of teens & tweens (the same people who use their popular Chocolate cell phone and other cell phones) and learned how prevalent nasty txt messages were in that age group. No shock there, but LG took saw an opportunity to spread a positive message in a humorous way.

The campaign shows teens at the moment where they might send a nasty text and urges them to think it over. Watch the videos- it immediately made me think that all advertising should be required to be this creative and amusing.

Now to the fancy and shiny new gadgets LG unveiled…. (quick note here: CES Press Day is all about announcements from the podium – a very hand’s off way to learn about new technology. So I’ll share a whole lot of what sound like great ideas and technology, but in no way am vouching for whether the products are as good as they sound. This was quickly proved by the incredibly awkward Skype test call demonstration on stage at LG’s unveiling.)

-the LG Expo smartphone has an optional PICO projector attachment(a tiny projector that allows you to project video onto the wall in front of you) – very cool idea made even better by being built into the phone! – the phone also has a 1Ghz processor which LG says will allow you to multitask much easier with your phone- no hiccupping or lags when changing apps or moving among music or video (most phones have less than half that speed of processor)
-a new Skype option for their TVs- you can now easily connect a webcam to your TV and use it to Skype your friends without using your computer
-TruMotion 480 Hz TVs- up from 240 Hz last year- making fast motion TV even smoother
-the LGX120 netbook- which runs Windows 7 yet has LG’s “smart on” operating system allowing you to boot in 7 seconds- sounds too good to be true!
-LG showed the latest model in their “Chocolate” cell phone line- it looked great, featured a 4” screen, but I had to chuckle when the gentleman introducing it touted it as “perfect for watching movies”- I don’t know about you, but when I think movies, a cell phone screen isn’t my ideal viewing experience
-they unveiled a new LED TV that is 6.9mm thick- this was a big theme last year, thin TVs, which I still don’t think are completely necessary (my plasma is 4” thick and I have never particularly worried that is too thick). But I will admit that these super thin TVs that keep popping up everywhere are awfully sexy!
-LG is expanding their Netcast TV to pull in more content- the aforementioned Skype, also Picasa, AccuWeather
-solving a common problem of people not wanting to run a standard network cable to their TV, LG now makes connecting their TVs to the internet a lot easier with their USB wifi adapters

Netgear

Netgear started with a simple premise – that all these wonderful tech gadgets people are unveiling need to connect to the internet and Netgear wants to be the company to make that happen. It’s a smart idea, and some of their gear seems not only ready connect your devices, but help you access your content in a variety of ways as well.

With their “Anytime, Anywhere, Any Media, Any Screen” philosophy, Netgear launched into a very energetic presentation. One item that caught my eye is their Stora network storage device. NAS (small cube like boxes that connect to your network for all your home computers to use for file backup) have been around for a little while, but now it’s capabilities have expanded. Netgear aims to let you “Access, Backup and Centralize” your important files. Not only can you backup your pictures onto your Stora, but you can then view them from any web browser on any device anywhere in the world. Pretty cool.

It basically gives you access to your files anytime & anywhere. You can both place files onto the Stora and retrieve files from it using any browser. It’s a great branch on the growing tree of cloud computing. Rather than uploading your pictures to a nameless storage location, you actually place them on your own device. You can then control access to friends, family and anyone else you want to be able to see.

The demo showed pictures from the Stora on a laptop, as well as an iPhone. I love the idea of being able to access all your pictures (and other content) at any time. Someone asks you at dinner if you have pictures of your latest vacation and you can just pull out your iPhone and show them.

Another feature Netgear is looking to provide, and a growing theme at CES, is the conversion of SD content into HD quality. With everyone moving to HDTVs in their home, and now theoretically connecting those TVs to the internet, a gap still exists in the quality the web video provides and what your TV can display. Web TV just doesn’t look good on a TV designed for HD. Think of how grainy many YouTube videos are on your smaller computer screen. Now imagine that magnified on your bid HDTV. Not an ideal viewing experience. Netgear demoed their SD upconversion to HD and it looked phenomenal. It uses a technology which they claim allows you to utilize more of your broadband’s speed to allow for smoother playback and better picture. In a side by side comparison, the picture was night and day better. While the SD picture continued to stall and re-buffer, the Netgear version played smoothly, clearly and with a better picture quality. Details were sketchy on when exactly this would be available, and how, but when it is, I’m looking forward to it.

Netgear also showcased improvements to their Range Max wireless routers which have expanded capability for streaming video. They claim it can handle more video over longer distances. The stat they used was the ability to stream video wirelessly throughout a 3,000 square foot house. I have a 900 square foot apartment and can’t seem to get good wireless connection in the back bedroom there, so if Netgear’s stats are accurate, I’m buying one of these immediately! (Competitor D-Link also unveiled upgrades to their wireless routers today, so the ability to stream more video faster over longer distances is quickly becoming another theme.)

Toshiba

If you’re curious what a CES press conference looks like, he above picture is a good example. Especially on the TV manufacturers end. It’s a big room, with eye catching TVs on stage and big screens to capture your attention. Lights, sound, glitz.

In a very stat heavy presentation, Toshiba pointed out that 2009 actually exceeded expectations in flat panel TV sales. LCD continues to dominate Plasma, with LED quickly gaining ground. To keep ahead of the curve and stay true to their “Leading Innovation” motto, they showcased the myriad of features in their new Cell TV series.

Aimed to be the Ferrari of HDTVs (notice I jumped right over Mercedes and BMW), Toshiba listed impressive stat after impressive stat for their Cell TVs. It’s 10x faster than normal computers. It has 147x more processing power than today’s average TV. It converts SD content to HD automatically. It converts web content to near HD quality. It connects to your net channels. It has video calling worthy of a big screen TV (not a crummy computer webcam blown up to look grainy). It converts standard 2D TV to 3D on the fly (this is quite the impressive magic trick if it works!). It has a 1TB built in hard drive. It has a built in BluRay Player. It has an RF remote so you can use that 1TB hard drive to send content to other TVs in the house and control the drive in any room. It has twice the brightness of the average TV today. In summary, it’s more. As Toshiba pointed out, it’s not that one or two of these features are slightly better than typical TVs, it’s that all of these features are significantly better. I’m anxious to see this one up close on the convention floor.

Audiovox

The title of Audiovox’s presentation was “Promises Delivered”. Which is to say they went to great lengths to prove they did what they said they would do a year ago. They get an A+ in thoroughness if only a B- for fresh innovation. I like the ideas, but when you spend most of your time referring back to last year, well, you get the idea.

This isn’t to say that last year’s ideas were bad. They talked about their expanded line of Flo TV enabled products. Flo is the premium mobile TV service that allows you to watch live TV from ESPN, MSNBC, Disney, etc on your cell phone and now in cars as well through Audiovox products. The big advancement this year was an easy add on product that would allow the 20 million existing TVs in cars to receive Flo TV. (Last year you had to install a fresh system to receive Flo.) You do have to pay a monthly service charge for Flo TV, but the channel lineup is fantastic. And as Audiovox pointed out, once it’s connected in the car- there’s no battery to charge, no DVDs to remember, just instant on TV to keep the kids entertained for hours.

Next up was RCA’s Lexi e-reader. Short on details, but promised to be a low cost, high quality e-reader to get RCA into this rapidly expanding category. Content will be delivered through Barnes & Nobles’ BN.com page. Sadly no wireless connectivity so you have to plug it in to receive fresh content, but depending on the price point, could be a nice addition to the e-readers currently available.

My grandmother’s dream of a way to find her lost glasses is moving closer to reality. Available soon from Audiovox is a personal tracker. While not quite small enough to attach to eyeglasses, it is small enough to easily fit in your child’s backpack. Roughly the size of the cigarette lighter, it allows you to track whatever or whoever it is attached to through GPS. You can set geo-fences or perimeters and are automatically warned when the device leaves that perimeter. Price is $129 and seems to be a great solution for keeping tabs on kids, elderly drivers, or anyone else that needs monitoring. Available later this spring.

Audiovox’ Acoustic Research arm showcased a variety of home command products which allow you to use your BlackBerry or iPhone to control your home audio and video system, open your garage door, etc. Seems like a cool tie in. Though I was surprised to hear they have no intention of expanding the product to other mobile device platforms- particularly Android. Android is set to appear on a plethora of devices this year, so I suspect they may be amending that strategy soon. I also question whether people will want to change the channel on their TV through their cell phone. Interesting technology, but sometimes just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.

In the “makes me wish I had an outdoor patio” moment of the day, Acoustic Research showcased their Outdoor Living collection of weatherproof speakers. They are a variety of speakers which look like ordinary outdoor lights, lanterns and rocks. They look great, if the sound quality matches, these look to be a great product line!

--Peter

Consumer Electronics Show Coverage 2010

2010-01-06T08:55:00.003-05:00

Hey readers -- We're welcoming guest blogger Peter Szabo on Byte-Sized for a few days to make live updates from the CES floor in Las Vegas! Check back early and often for all the news and amazing gadgets to come out of the show!

Here is the first update from Peter -- after this, I leave you in his hands as he leads you around the biggest consumer electronics show of the year ...

Hard to believe a year has gone by from CES 2009. As I was preparing to return to CES 2010 this week, I thought back to the big news from last year’s show and wondered what progress had been made. 3D TV was a big “wow” at last year’s show, and just as I was thinking it was too bad more progress hadn’t been made to bring 3D TV into the home- ESPN & Discovery each announced their own 3D channel rollout. Sadly you’ll need to buy a new TV for it, but still, great technology getting one step closer to reality.

Connected devices were also big last year, and after initially wondering if we really needed every device in our home to be connected to the internet, I now have a Roku box in my living room at love it. Watching Netflix movies on-demand and listening to Pandora through my surround sound system made me a big fan of “connected devices” when done right.

Some of the gadgets I saw here last year have become staples in my every day life- Canon’s Powershot SD 880IS, Koss’ PortaPro headphones and the BlackBerry’s Tour (a version of the 8900 first seen here last year). I can’t wait to see what new gear will become part of my life in the coming year!

I’ve been monitoring the hot topics leading up to the show, and while you certainly have your core products (apps, more apps, even more apps, more connected devices, more 3D TV) I am excited to see some truly innovating products (devices to keep you from txting while driving, cars with broadband internet, wireless HDTV and many more).

The Google Nexus One phone had me really fired up on Tuesday. Though not revolutionary, and not unveiled at CES, some of the features mark a nice step forward in smartphone (or app phone) technology. Let’s hope we find many products like that in the next few days. We’ll bring them to you as quickly as we can find them! Should be fun!

--Peter

Moving forward into 2010

2010-01-04T14:34:00.003-05:00

Happy 2010, everyone! Let's start the year off right by catching up on the cool stuff that happened while we were all on break ...

-As we did last year, Byte-Sized is putting a reporter on the floor of this year's CES! As a preview, here is a list of the hot gadgets already making some waves.

-Big surprise: Amazon touts the Kindle as the most-gifted item ever! Too bad they won't give real numbers to back it up, though.

--For those of you who can't get enough Star Wars ... and who also love shoes (?), here are some kicks you're sure to get a kick out of.

--There were some great games released in 2009 -- CNet has compiled a list of the year's best! My pick is Assassin's Creed II ... if only because Ezio is such a cutie!

--Oh, good lord. This is what happens when social media meets a-holes with too much time on their snobby little hands.

--Here is a cool article on what the Internet might look like in 2020 ... and why we won't recognize it.

See you back here Wednesday!

New decade, new possibilities

2009-12-30T14:05:00.005-05:00

It's been a long, wonderful year here at Byte-Sized. We had a bunch of great giveaways (more to come in mid-Jan.!), reviewed some pretty amazing products, and covered the heck out of the biggest stories of 2009 (can you say 'Kindle explosion'?)!

Last year at this time, I waxed philosophic for a few hundred words about the power we as geek wield over the economic and technological future of mankind -- and I meant it then just as much as I want to reinforce that message to you today, on the eve of the eve of a new decade.

The 2000s ushered in a new wave of personal gadgets most of us would consider absolutely necessary today. MP3 players, smartphones, ereaders ... if I left the house without any one of these things, I'd be a lunatic for the day. They are literally as essential to my morning pack-up-for-work routine as slipping on my glasses ... though truth be told I've worked a few days with the specs just to see if I could. Splitting headaches say I can't, btw.

Anyways I'm trying to illustrate for you more than the smartness of the world's human populace. The most exciting thing about the past decade isn't all of the wonderful, amazing things we would have never in million years thought about in the 90s -- it's the possibilities history has for the future.

What will happen in the '10s? Will we all be watching 3D TVs? Will our coffee tables actually be entertainment centers/tablet computers? These are very real possibilities that I invite all of you, dear beloved geeks, to think about for a few minutes as the new decade dawns.

I said it last year -- but geeks will save the world. How, well .. that's really up to you, isn't it?

Have a wonderful, happy New Year from all of us at Byte-Sized! We'll be taking the rest of the week off to ring it in in style, so we'll see you back here Monday morning for the top headlines in the world of sci-tech, pop-tech, sci-pop and everything in between!

PS -- Be sure to check out this TOP 100 MOVIES OF THE DECADE LIST by Kid Frank! He's pretty spot on, if you ask me ... with the exception of 'Start Trek,' but I'll forgive him the occasional obvious oversight :)

Bring out your inner 007!

2009-12-23T11:13:00.007-05:00

I’m doing my own bit of spy work today and slipping the 12th Day of Geek-mas in with the 11th, just so I don’t have to leave my nice warm bed tomorrow morning until absolutely necessary.

Have a wonderful, merry and bright Christmas from all of us here at Byte-Sized! Stay safe, recycle what wrapping paper you can, and hey: Be a kid again for a few hours, OK? :)

So, on the last day of Geek-mas, my true love gave to me:

Awesome Secret Spy Stuff!
Buy now at: http://www.thinkgeek.com/ (or click here) http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/

Do you have a wanna-be spy in your life, or are you just looking for that great gift for the person who has absolutely everything (and apparently isn’t having their Christmas party until next week, given that nothing shipped today will reach your house in time for St. Nick)?

The 007 music is already playing in my head. I mean, let’s be honest here: A guy who sneaks around in the middle of the night on an important mission with global implications, and lives in a secluded hidden location at the top of the world? Santa is, like, the ultimate spy!

Check out these awesome spy accessories to sneak in Christmas at the last minute!

Hidden Wall Safe ($7.99)
You know that outlet in your house – the one that hooks up to absolutely nothing no matter how many lights you flick on and off in testing? Make it useful with this hidden wall safe. It’s as smart as it is secure – provided you can keep it secret and not show everyone your awesome hiding place.

Night Vision Digital Video Camera ($99)
Are you searching for ghosts or evading capture? Either way, this camera just makes you want to find a dark room and spend some time sneaking around. Just watch out for those flying bricks and low-hanging beams!

Micro Camcorder Pro ($99)
He did what? Record it all with this teensy little camcorder –the smallest in the world. No one will look twice at it hanging off your belt, and the video quality is actually pretty good. It’s got a memory card with 2 gigs of storage, which translates to about 90 minutes – more than my Flip Mino!

USB 8G Flash Drive Lighter ($39.99)
We here at Byte-Sized are big fans of USB drives that pretend to be something else. This one has me geeking out: It’s a *real* lighter that has a monster USB storage capacity hidden inside! The lighter end is refillable, and the fire and electronics actually play nicely inside the shiny metal case!

… Baby’s First MP3 Player,

… a Scottevest Fleece 5.0 Jacket,

… a Zeo Personal Sleep Coach ,

… LogiTech’s Harmony 510 Advanced Universal Remote,

… Nextar’s 43LT Navigation System,

... Skullcandy’s Wooden Earbuds,

... a Strong Caffeine Buzz,

… a Sonic Fabric Necktie,

... an iGo Green Laptop Charger,

... and a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag!

'No, don't touch mommy's Zune!'

2009-12-23T10:38:00.004-05:00

... on the 10th day of Geek-mas, my true love gave to me ...

Baby’s First MP3 Player
Buy now at: http://www.thinkgeek.com/ (or click here)
Price: $49.99

Mommies, daddies, aunties and uncles: What can you give those little geeklets-in-training? Gift them with their very first MP3 player! This model is made of durable, chewable plastic, with a handle for tiny toddler hands to carry their tunes with them!

Fill it up with ‘The Wiggles’ or, if they’re my kids, Rascal Flatt’s ‘Life is a Highway’ and ‘Bounce’ from System of a Down. Whatever your babies fancy, this seriously kid-friendly player has big buttons to give the munchkins control over their playlist, but hides the special grown-up buttons like volume.

And, at $50, it’s a cheaper way to give the kids something better to toss around than your Zune or iPod.

… a Scottevest Fleece 5.0 Jacket,

… a Zeo Personal Sleep Coach ,

… LogiTech’s Harmony 510 Advanced Universal Remote,

… Nextar’s 43LT Navigation System,

... Skullcandy’s Wooden Earbuds,

... a Strong Caffeine Buzz,

… a Sonic Fabric Necktie,

... an iGo Green Laptop Charger,

... and a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag!

A gadget-friendly way to stay warm out there, kiddos!

2009-12-21T12:06:00.007-05:00

On the ninth day of Geek-mas, my true love gave to me ...

Scottevest Fleece 5.0 Jacket
Buy at http://www.scottevest.com/ (or click here)
Price: $140

I originally had something else on tap for today, but that gift idea got bumped to tomorrow in favor of showing you all how to keep yourself warm and cozy after torrential winter storms dump 2 feet of powder snow into your driveway. And, please, we all know that shovelling goes by much faster when you're listening to music!

So, I give you the Scottevest Fleece 5.0 -- it's got 24 pockets for every personal communications and music gadget you could possibly own. No chargers inside the garment at all, but there are more perks other than pockets! Say you're shovelling, as mentioned before, and you start overheating. Well, nothing it more dangerous when it's cold outside than to sweat (for real), and this jacket has *removable sleeves* to keep you temperate, aside from the breathable microfiber inside to wick away the excess warmth and let your body breathe!

The Scottevest comes in multiple colors and styles, and in separate cuts made to hug a woman's curves and cover a guy's shoulders without all your gadgets bulging out of your pockets and making you look like, well, someone whose carrying too many things hidden all over his/her body.

Don't let the snow get you down, people! This vest, while it can't melt the white stuff, will help you at least enjoy it more.

… a Zeo Personal Sleep Coach ,

… LogiTech’s Harmony 510 Advanced Universal Remote,

… Nextar’s 43LT Navigation System,

... Skullcandy’s Wooden Earbuds,

... a Strong Caffeine Buzz,

… a Sonic Fabric Necktie,

... an iGo Green Laptop Charger,

... and a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag!

The gift of a great night's sleep!

2009-12-18T14:04:00.003-05:00

... on the eighth day of Geek-mas, my true love gave to me ...

Zeo Personal Sleep Coach
Buy now at: http://www.myzeo.com/ (or click here)

Price: $249.99

OK, so this gift is a little expensive for your Geek-mas list, but I couldn’t resist! I recently got some great info on the Zeo Sleep Coach, and if the testimonials, reviews, expert opinions, trials and recommendations can be believed (and we’re hedging our bets that many people can’t be wrong), it’s a must-have for those of you who have trouble sleeping.

Grrranted, this product isn’t for the occasional bout of insomnia: It’s garnered international acclaim as a integral tool in medical sleep studies. The kit includes a soft headband to measure your brainwaves (yeah, told you this thing isn’t kidding around), a bedside alarm clock/display, a data card to record, monitor and track your sleep patterns online, and a beginning guide to understanding how sleep coaching can help your awake time feel better.

The Zeo is a hard-core gadget that totally gets that you don’t sleep the recommended time every night, and it helps you increase the quality of the sleep you get. Have you ever woken up a few minutes before your alarm goes off, only to fall back asleep and wake up groggy? Yeah, Zeo monitors your brainwaves and will help you wake up during that more natural rouse than with the jarring alarm 10 minutes later. Seriously.

This Big Poppy of alarm clocks is the real deal. It’s pricey, but if your days are spend irritable and your night are spent tossing and turning, it just may be worth it to take the plunge.

… LogiTech’s Harmony 510 Advanced Universal Remote,

… Nextar’s 43LT Navigation System,

... Skullcandy’s Wooden Earbuds,

... a Strong Caffeine Buzz,

… a Sonic Fabric Necktie,

... an iGo Green Laptop Charger,

... and a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag!

One-stop for the best TV entertainment!

2009-12-17T12:13:00.005-05:00

... on the seventh day of Geek-mas, my true love gave to me, programmed and set up ...

LogiTech’s Harmony 510 Advanced Universal Remote
Buy now at: www.logitech.com (or click here)
Price: $99.99

I know you. You’re the geek with an audio receiver, a DVR and/or HD cable box, and at least two video game systems fighting for the scant HDMI ports on the back of your mondo LCD HD TV, which may or may not be wall-mounted over your living room fireplace. I also know your daily woes: too many freaking remotes to deal with. I’ve got the ingenious solution made especially for you: the Harmony 510 Advanced Universal Remote. And trust me, this is *not* your average, old-school universal.

Program the ‘clicker’ (as we call it in our house) with the included software CD, and you’ll never have to fiddle with another remote again. Once all your current device info is loaded on (it doesn’t take long to find your make and model in the vast library on the software), you’re literally one click away from a quiet living room to watching ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ on the PS3’s Blu-ray.

The best feature on this remote is the ‘Help’ button. If something goes awry in switching between DirectTV and the Xbox, the help button will try to auto-correct your TV or audio feed, then will walk you through a simple troubleshooting menu until everything is tuned properly.

Really, really a must-have gift for all year round, but especially sweet to give around the holidays. You’ll be the hit of the household, and the lucky recipients will be singing your praise when they no longer have to search under couch cushions and the coffee table to locate all the remotes.

… Nextar’s 43LT Navigation System,

... Skullcandy’s Wooden Earbuds,

... a Strong Caffeine Buzz,

… a Sonic Fabric Necktie,

... an iGo Green Laptop Charger,

... and a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag!

Navigate your way to a great gift

2009-12-16T14:40:00.005-05:00

... on the 6th day of Geek-mas, my true love gave to me ... no, really, he did ...

Nextar’s 43LT Navigation System
Buy now at: http://www.bestbuy.com/ (or click here)
Price: $139.99

Husband and I named ours ‘Elsa’ – because when you have such a cool GPS system who talks to you in the car, it’s rude not to talk back or thank her.

This portable GPS system, with its delightfully pleasant female voice, features a touchscreen display and live traffic support to help you navigate through the tough spots during your daily commute. The screen is easy to see, simple to set up and cake to hook up. The maps are simple and the directions are clear and direct – if a tad redundant in her effort to get you to your destination perfectly. Added bonuses (boni?) are that you can listen to your mp3 player through the plugged-in device, you can upload additional maps via a secure side port, and you can tell ‘Elsa’ to stop at different points in your journey – called multidestination route planning.

I know there are a lot of GPS systems on the market – and I don’t purport to have tried and tested them all – but this one is a keeper for sure. If you don’t have one built into your car already, I highly recommend ‘Elsa.’ Husband does, too, since she lives in his car.

... Skullcandy’s Wooden Earbuds,

... a Strong Caffeine Buzz,

… a Sonic Fabric Necktie,

... an iGo Green Laptop Charger,

... and a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag!

Fiiiiiive wooooden earbuuuuuuds!

2009-12-15T12:42:00.005-05:00

... on the 5th day of Geek-Mas, my true love gave to me:

Skullcandy’s Wooden Earbuds
Buy now at: http://www.anthropologie.com/ (or click here)
Price: $98
I’m biased: Anthropologie is by far my favorite store/site ever, so anything from here is a dynamite gift in my eyes. The store is the paradise for shabby-chic, and these earbuds from Skullcandy agree wholeheartedly.

Sometimes the perfect gift is the simple one with a flair for the original – that’s exactly what you give with these earbuds. With a rustic, old-school vibe and fantastic tones, they exude a classic beauty that won’t fluctuate through the style seasons, and the case is a gift in itself. And, wood has fantastic natural acoustics, and the grain is lovely.

Buy one for the music lover to go with their new Zune HD, or for you mom, who is a little scared of technology. Both will approve of the smooth lines and charm of the Skullcandy Wooden Earbuds.

Oh, and while you’re at Anthropologie, get yourself something special. Their clothes are the ultimate personal indulgence, and I’ll recommend them over anything else. Always.

... and a Strong Caffeine Buzz,

… and a Sonic Fabric Necktie,

... and an iGo Green Laptop Charger,

... and a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag!

Byte-Sized '12 Days of Geek-mas' continues with a jolly jolt!

2009-12-14T11:17:00.008-05:00

On the fourth day of Geek-mas, my true love gave to me ...

Caffeinate Your Life
Buy these products at: http://www.thinkgeek.com/ (or click here)

OK, I’m addicted – but so are you. Does that mean I need a fix 24-7? No, but in case you’re strung out and need a hit, try these caffeinated products heralded to boost your pep and perk up your morning, noon, night and every time in between.

It’s a total geek thing, harkening back to the up-all-night days of Jolt Cola and Crank-2-O. And, they’d make great gag gifts/stocking stuffers : )

Shower Shock ($6.99 per bar, or $19.99 for 5 bars)
First things first: Did you know caffeine can be absorbed through your skin? Work the soap into a wicked lather and give it a minute to do its work. 200 mg of the good stuff later, you’re a live wire. Maybe you should skip the trip to the doughnut shop on your way to work – this soap kind-of scares me, in the good way.

Spazzstick Lip Balm ($2.99)
Because when you’re kissing someone, the first thing you need is super-soft, yummy lips – and the last thing you need is to fall asleep mid-snog.

‘M agic’ Brownie Mix ($13.99)
Hmm, what now? Nothing makes chocolate taste more like chocolate than coffee. These fudgy delicious babies have four different sources of the good stuff: smashed coffee beans, coffee, guarana and straight caffeine. Each of the 18 serving in the sheet pan contains the jolt of a cup of gourmet coffee-shop goodness. You have to make them yourself, but this adds a whole new level of deliciousness to licking the batter bowl clean.

Caffeine Molecule Stainless Travel Mug ($12.99)
Forget all these candies and tricks – you’re a purist. Dare I call you, a snob? You like your joe hot and your accessories smart. This travel mug is for you. Emblazoned with the chemical compound that is caffeine, only other purists will decipher the code and understand your coolness. We know our own.

… and a Sonic Fabric Necktie,

... and an iGo Green Laptop Charger,

... and a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag!