Every Geek Blog is talking about it! After 4 months of waiting, Google’s Chrome OS is supposedly slated to be launched next week.

Seeing how this is going to be an early version of the OS, driver support will probably be few and far between.  Keep in mind, however, that the Chrome OS is more or less designed to target the Netbook crowd, so this probably won’t be the ideal release for the more powerful computers.  According to the original article at TechCrunch, there are numerous conflicting rumors about whether or not Google has its own engineers working on creating hardware drivers, or if they are going to rely on the hardware manufacturers to create the drivers.  Be careful, Google.  You don’t want another Windows Vista driver problem out there.

I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to think that a netbook is looking quite attractive as a holiday gift…I’d love to try out Google’s OS.

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Apparently Ford has some geek employees that are obsessed with safety.   Certain Ford models  are soon to roll out with airbag-equipped seatbelts

These high-tech seatbelts, said to help reduce injuries during an accident, will first be available on the Ford Explorer, and then other models as time goes by.   In the event of a collision,  the seat belt will inflate in just 40 milliseconds with compressed cold gas, much in the same way that our standard airbags work today,and stays inflated for several seconds.  According to Ford, the increased diameter of the inflated seat belt “helps spread the force of an impact across a wider area of the passenger’s body, which dampens the pressure and reduces the risk of injury”.  This also keeps your body in the appropriate position (if there is such a think during a collision) so as to help prevent neck and chest injuries.

According to research, the new inflatable seat belts  are  more comfortable, as well.  This is rather critical, I would think, as this new technology is only beneficial if the consumer actually buckles up…

And now, the statistics (after all, this is a geek blog):

Currently, only 61% of rear seat passengers use seat belts, and only 82% of front seat passengers use them according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  These statistics are actually the reason that it has taken so long to introduce this technology.

View the originial story here.

(all images courtesy Ford.com)

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Scottevest has recently revamped their marketing, trying to appeal to the traveling type. But it’s still worth mentioning its Fleece 5.0 jacket in our geek blog.

(images courtesy scottevest.com)

This could be the ultimate geek jacket. It has a pocket for everything: phone, iPod, magazine, etc. To be more precise, it has 24 pockets.

Now, a friend of mine brought up an excellent point when I was laughing at this. Picture yourself at the airport, going through security. You’ve got your phone, ipod, wallet, keys, change, and who knows what else, that you have to take out and put in those trays. Well, with this jacket, you just have to take off the jacket, let it slide through the x-ray machine with everything inside it, and then put it back on! Sounds like a winner!

Here are some down-and-dirty details, straight from scottevest.com:

• 24 Pockets, perfect for travel or outdoor activities
• Soft fleece with breathable mesh lining
• Version 5.0 styling includes all of our latest features designed for travel!
• Works as a fleece jacket or vest with zip-off sleeves
• Patented Personal Area Network (PAN) for wire management
• Incorporates clear touch fabric interior pockets, weight management system and NoBulge™ pocket design
• Ergonomic zippers and subtle reflective accents

Oh, and if that’s not enough for you, you can get this jacket in combination with the company’s Quantum Jacket for the ultimate set.

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Soon enough, you might not see those high-tech handheld billing systems in Apple stores. Our geek blog is here to tell you that something better is in the wind. Billing via iPod Touch!

OK, so the EasyPay devices aren’t all that high-tech…

Apple is already in the process of implementing a system that will use the iPod Touch, in combination with a credit card reader and barcode scanner.

This new iPod-based system is promised to be faster, smaller, and will not require a stylus. All these are definite pluses, especially due to the fact that multiple Apple store delays have been blamed on the pocketpc EasyPay system. This will also display “self-endorsement”, and gives customers the ability to see the iPod Touch in action in a commercial, high-speed environment. It will also be much more cost effective.

Apple’s plans are to roll out this new system for the 2009 Holiday season.

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Upgrading to Windows 7? Well our geek blog is here to give you some pointers.

As most of you know, Windows 7 was released today. And I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials telling you to throw your launch party. Well after reading this post, I’m confident that you’ll be excited enough with Windows 7 that you’ll want to throw more than one party. So here’s our geek blog’s recommendations for upgrading to Windows 7:

If you were dissatisfied with how clunky your machine ran when you used Vista, then DON’T SIMPLY UPGRADE. An upgrade installation won’t give you much improvement. In order to see the BIGGEST improvement in performance with Windows 7, my recommendation would be to run a clean install. Before doing so, you will obviously want to save all of your documents and other pertinent information on an external drive.

The installation process, if going through a clean install, is INCREDIBLY easy. You will only have to click 3 or 4 buttons, and then less than half an hour later, you should be ready to go! Assuming you are already connected to the internet, Windows Update should start downloading your important device drivers for you (at least it did for me). Based on what I’ve already experienced, you shouldn’t run into any of the driver problems you experienced with Vista, and I’m sure that you will find Windows 7 to be infinitely better than Vista, much as I did. I like to think of it as Vista as it should have been the first time.

And for those of you who aren’t convinced on the upgrade yet, check out these five reasons to upgrade.

So party on, Windows users. Your future is here.

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No geek blog is complete without constant posts about Apple.  And here’s the latest news:  one of Apple’s recent patent filings may be foreshadowing a future of ad-support operating systems…

We’ve all seen some sort of software that is supported by annoying ads.  Limewire is an example.  Well, before long, you might see this persistant irritation inside operating systems.  Apple’s patent, originally submitted last year, suggests a way for ads to be displayed to customers inside the operating system.  To further this pestilence, a vast amount of the available features in the OS would be disabled while the ads are displayed.  There is, however, an advantage to this type of ad-support.  It could give Apple the ability to market a version of its operating system for little to no cost to users, hopefully with the option of an upgrade.

We all knew that some sort of web-based OS could be coming soon, but I’m sure that none of us expected the ads to come with it..

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Every geek blog out there is talking about it: Apple’s new Magic Mouse is quite possibly the coolest mouse ever.

This latest addition to the Might Mouse product line brings your favorite gestures from the iPhone and Macbook Pro to a mouse that you can take with you everywhere. And it still fits in your pocket.

Rather than your traditional mouse, the Magic Mouse, in its entirety, is a big button. By using advanced touch-sensing technology, the mouse can tell whether you are trying to left- or right-click, as well as a handful of other great gestures. Instead of the Mighty Mouse’s scroll-ball, you can use your finger to scroll up, down, sideways, and any other way you want, just like on the iPhone. And of course, the Magic Mouse is fully Bluetooth capable, so you don’t have to worry about any obnoxious cords.

Oh, did I mention that the Magic Mouse comes STANDARD with all new iMacs? Pretty stellar…

Want to find out more about the Magic Mouse? Check out Apple’s Product Page.

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Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional certification is awarded by Microsoft. This certification helps the professional to gain adequate knowledge on troubleshooting the latest version operating systems like Microsoft windows vista, Microsoft windows XP etc. The credentials in the MCITP certification can be considered as the leading certification of Microsoft windows 2008 server providing validation in a professional’s ability to perform in IT careers and other job roles with the usage of latest Microsoft technologies. This certification mainly focuses on some specific jobs that validate the professional’s skills. If the professional has their MCTP (Microsoft certified technology specialist) certification, then it would be a great advantage to the professional if they choose to a strong MCITP career path.

MCITP Certification is available with Microsoft SQL 2005 server. Candidates have to prepare for MCITP: database administration certification examination. This database server administration certification validates the skills and leadership qualities as well as problem solving abilities that are required for Microsoft Windows 2008 server administration. These server administrations can be considered leaders of day to day activities held in Microsoft 2008 server management. There are wide job opportunities for professionals as soon as they complete this program.

Job roles:

The following can be the possible job opportunities to the professionals and they are:
1) Monitoring operator
2) Windows server administrator
3) Network administrator
4) Server system administrator.
5) Help desk technician
6) Customer support technicians
7) PC support specialists
8) Technical support specialist etc…

Since there are several opportunities like this, many people wanted to certify their MCITP certification by just knowing the actual concept behind it.

There are several benefits of the certification to the professionals and they are:

Benefits of the certification:

1) Microsoft products are used in every business and also prove the credentials on the latest operating systems like Microsoft windows XP, Microsoft windows vista etc.
2) Professionals who are certified successfully will be ready to face the new challenges coming up in the IT field
3) Successful candidates will be able to troubleshoot the desktop environment and also upgrade credentials as well as get proper recognition from the organization.

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Chinese Company Lenkeng knows how to do it!  With their new PSP-to-HDMI converter,  you can enjoy your PSP in a Hi-Def, not-so-portable manner.  Great news for us handheld geeks…

This sizeable brick will give you the ability to take your PSP’s 480p image, and automatically upscales it to 720p, and spits it out the other side, giving you a larger-than-life full-screen experience on your favorite HDTV.

True, most TV’s on sale right now can do this job for you right out of the box, without need of converters, but according to Lenking, you’ll still just have a small viewing area in the center of your HDTV screen.  By pushing the video signal through their converter, your PSP’s video will take up the entire screen.  Who knows, could be worth it?

Lenking will be shipping the converter with all of the necessary cables to get the job done.  Currently, however, they are not shipping to the U.S.  Oh well…

Be sure to catch the original story at Engadget

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McLaren is a common name to anyone who appreciates fast cars. The 15 year old McLaren F1 is still one of the most praised and talked about supercars to date, and has been the Worlds fastest car for a record holding number of years. Now McLaren is taking on the Ferrari F430 and the Lamborghini Gallardo with fill force, and a lot of carbon fiber. The supercar competition has recently picked up speed, and McLaren is ready to lead the pack.

Meet the new MP4-12C.

The chassis is a full carbon fiber tub, the engine is a 3.8 litre twin-turbo V8. The tranny is a 7-Speed Seamless Shift linked up with a dual-clutch, and it has double wishbone suspension on all four corners. These key features, with the use of state of the art technology dreamt up by McLaren, have helped to produce a light, fast, effective, realistically priced Supercar. This car is setting the standards in regards to handling, performance, and even safety.

From www.telegraph.co.uk:

“These are the first pictures of McLaren’s new supercar, the MP4-12C, which goes on sale in early 2011 with a price tag of about $250,000. Telegraph Motoring viewed the car at McLaren Automotive’s headquarters in Woking last week and was briefed on the plans for a range of sports cars from the new company, headed by former F1 McLaren boss, Ron Dennis.

The 12C follows the McLaren F1 supercar, which had a top speed of 240mph in the mid-Nineties, and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, which ended production earlier this year. A McLaren spokesman said this week: “The rules in the sports car world are about to be rewritten.”

At the 12C’s heart lies a carbon fibre monocoque (a tub light enough for two men to lift), a structure that McLaren insists means new standards in handling, ride, performance, safety, economy and practicality. Behind the rear seats sits a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with 600bhp, that is driven through a McLaren seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, controlled via steering-wheel mounted paddles.

McLaren Automotive claims that “12C is the most efficient, most drivable high-performance sports car in the world”. The engine revs to 8,500rpm; 80 per cent of the torque is available below 2,000rpm. Although no official fuel economy figures are available yet, the car should end up with a CO2 g/km emissions figure somewhere in the 200s.

McLaren claims the car has more power per gram of CO2 than any car that’s not fully electric; not so surprising given that most hybrids concentrate on economy rather than power, but impressive nonetheless.

A handling feature called Brake Steer, a development of an electronic system used by the F1 team, brakes the inside rear wheel when the car is entering a corner too quickly, to stop the car understeering. It also works on acceleration out of the corner when the inside rear might spin.

Inside, driver and passenger sit close to minimise the car’s width. There are climate controls on each door, a digital display and huge central rev counter in the middle of the instrument cluster, a free-floating tunnel console with transmission buttons and launch control, and cup holders beneath it.

Frank Stephenson, design director at McLaren Automotive, said: “Many sports cars and supercars present an ‘in-your-face’, ‘look-at-me’ image that can become wearing and boorish. I hope that with the 12C we have produced a car that will still look great in years to come.”

As for the difficult economic conditions, Ron Dennis said, “What we are offering is a new approach to the market, through a skilled, solid, debt-free and risk-managed company. McLaren is right to take this step now and support future growth of high-technology manufacturing and engineering jobs in the UK.”

The 12C faces stiff competition from the new, well-received Ferrari 458, which McLaren admits is the benchmark, as well as the Porsche 911 Turbo, Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin DB9.”

Here’s some beauty shots:

(all photos courtesy of supercars.net)

… now its time to win the lotto/file a lawsuit to afford my new daily driver.

-kDubb

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