Ted's Tech Corner

New YouTube look

2013-04-10T23:43:00.000-04:00

So YouTube rolled out a new layout and I can say I love it. It is great for people like me who use YouTube to reach others. It has not changed so much the overall layout of the page but more so the channel page. You can get such a better for for the content of the page your on at first glance now, which is a great addition. Here take a look.

I especially love the banner now at the top with the included social networking sites, great touch Google. Also a welcome change are the related channels on the right hand side and the recent window activity. I can't wait to see what the next changes bring they just keep topping themselves.

The iPhone 5 . . . . . meh it's OK

2012-09-23T09:13:00.002-04:00

So Apple has released another rendition of the iconic iPhone, labeled of course the iPhone 5. Shouldn't it be like 7 or 8 by now but anyway the phone finally gets a screen size change and a minor redesign on the exterior. Inside are the necessary upgrades that should come along with a new generation device. A quicker A6 processor, 4G LTE radio, and updated iOS. Now you would think with all of these upgrades to the hardware some significant redesign would come to the UI as well but no, not this time. Apple has been using the same icons since the iPhone showed its face back in 2007. C'mon guys I think it is time for something to change. I'm not trying to be Debbie downer here but these little changes here and there ain't cutting it anymore. There is room for customization within the Apple ecosystem but you always have to jailbreak the device and I am not against that at all, it's just that the iOS 5 jailbreak didn't go public for almost 5 months after release (who knows how long it will take this time)? As you can tell I am a bit underwhelmed by the software and UI but you really cannot beat Apple's engineering and hardware design. Oh well I guess you can't have everything, cue iPhone 6 rumors now.

Windows 8 Pricing

2012-09-06T18:49:00.000-04:00

So Windows 8 is set to hit shelves on October 26 and I was hoping they had simplified things as far as how many versions they were going to offer. If you remember in the past Windows has always had multiple versions of the OS home, pro, ultimate or what have you whenever Microsoft released the OS you needed to have a damn manual on which version would be best for you. You can breath a sigh of relief, there are only 2 versions this time. Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro, it seems like they finally listened and got rid of all those ridiculous versions they have had in the past. So they got one right and screwed up another now the actual pricing is what will confuse you. Although lower than it has been in the past you know need an explanation for the pricing of Windows 8. Mr. Gates goes against the grain this time and offers the OS for a mere $40 bucks if you are a previous Windows user, this however is only available through January 2013. A retail version will be sold in stores at the same time but for $69.99 which is what the online price will move to after January 2013. So will this radical price drop promote early adopters of Windows 8 or will it put people off as an interim upgrade? What do you think?

Wouldn't it be great? #2

2012-08-19T17:24:00.002-04:00

So I think it would be great if you could watch YouTube videos through your Roku 2 streaming device. The Roku 2 is already bad ass with all the streaming services you can get from it, but why no YouTube? It seems they used to play nice together but since Google forced Roku to take down the app fellow users have become quite resourceful in finding other ways to access YouTube content. There are 2 private channels Raterix and 1080P showcase. How I do it is through the Plex app for Roku, but it forces you to have a dedicated pc running the Plex server software. So technically you can watch some YouTube content on the Roku box but as always I must ask, Wouldn't it be great if we could get an OFFICIAL app for YouTube on the Roku? What do you guys think, does the work around satisfy you or are you in the same boat as me?

New toy . . . . finally

2012-08-03T13:49:00.001-04:00

Yes it is finally here. I just got my Nexus 7 and I didn't have to wait for shipping at all. I was able to go and pick it up at my local Staples retail store. So I guess you could say similar to shipping, but anyway I have had the device for a few days and even through I still have that new gadget love I can tell that this feeling will last for quite some time. Getting the sleek device in my hands only leaves me wishing for one thing, to have been able to go to Google I|O 2012 and to have had a Nexus Q bundled with it. Even though the Nexus Q is a bit overpriced for what it does now I can't wait to see what some developers will be able to do with it, but that is a whole other conversation. I had a rooted Kindle Fire before picking this up and compared to that it is significantly lighter all while packing a camera, better speakers + processor, volume buttons, GPS and blue tooth. The software on this thing matches the build quality easily and may surpass it, running Jellybean Android 4.1.1 (at the time of writing). This new revision of Google's OS is focused heavily on user input and experience trying to stop Android from dragging it's heels so much and I must say they have gotten it damn close to that liquidy goodness all you iOS device users are accustomed to. Google has put all tablet manufacturers on the watch with an exception to the iPad and I always welcome competition because that means better gadgets at lower prices for all of us.

Problems with Google's new toy

2012-07-22T01:35:00.000-04:00

Uh Oh looks like there are some issues with the new tech from Google and Asus. So this makes another problem for the super tablet from Google, before supply just couldn't keep up with the insane demand now it's just more bad news with problems like back light bleeding for a small one all the way up to some users reporting that during data intensive operations the touchscreen would get a bit janky and non responsive. Now that sucks if I must say because I wanted one of these bad boys but I wasn't smart enough to reserve one earlier. On the extreme side of jacked up some Nexus 7's have been coming with defective screens that are not attached correctly and can become detached from the housing of the tablet. Of course you can return the tablet if you get on that is screwed up. Maybe it was a good thing I didn't pre-order the tablet.

The Dark Night Rises movie review

2012-07-22T00:06:00.002-04:00

So just got out of the theaters a few hours ago and I was throughly entertained during my viewing of the final installment of Christopher Nolan's take on Gotham's caped crusader Batman. Running 2 hours and 45 minutes it is quite lengthy but I barely noticed I was in the theater that long. Christian Bale puts in a solid performance as Bruce Wayne but Batman is barely seen in the movie(I kinda started to miss the over scratchy bat voice) till about an hour in. I was a bit worried about Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and rightfully so, all of her fight scenes were totally unbelievable, scarce as well. I was left longing for more action and kicking ass by Batty but there are only 3 major fight scenes involving Batman, but when on the screen he did not disappoint at all. He had all his familiar toys plus a new mode of transportation known as the Bat, a flying bat mobile if you will. Stealing the show surprisingly was Tom Hardy as the villain Bane. Hardy to pack on some serious weight to play the role and you can without doubt see just how jacked he is(he dwarfs the Dark Night)30 pounds to be exact.

I thought his voice would be hokey as hell from what I heard in the previews and teasers but while watching I have to shamefully admit I was waiting in anticipation. Every scene with Bane had me asking for more I loved his presence in front of the camera, especially scenes with him and the caped crusader. All in all I whole heartedly enjoyed this movie and it is definitely worth the 10 bucks to go see it in the theater. Not to spoil anything but the last 5 mins of the movie will def have you thinking could there be another movie in line for Mr. Nolan and I would love that.

Final score 8 out of 10

Android fragmentation

2012-07-18T04:38:00.001-04:00

At times I wish Google was a bit more like and Apple and did not have an open source mobile OS. Android is becoming more and more popular but at the time of this writing only one phone has the latest Jelly Bean OS being the Galaxy Nexus from Samsung. I have this phone and it annoys me so much when I see a fellow Android user out and about and they are running an Eclair build or Froyo build, and they are perfectly fine with it. Now don't get me wrong, in no way am I upset at the phone owners this is all directed at the manufacturers. HTC, Samsung, Motorola, etc they all have to get there you know what together and push these updates out quicker. There has to be some sort of regulation on this by Google. They have already since stepped in (sort of) and put up guidelines for a more uniform look for developers when creating applications so why not implement some sort of time table when it comes to OS updates? I can see maybe skipping a few incremental releases but when a major overhaul is done to the OS there should be some haste in getting that out to all the recent phones. Android is already stupid popular, just think how much better it would be if every phone had the latest OS?

The Amazing Spider-Man movie review

2012-07-06T17:47:00.000-04:00

So just saw the new Spider-Man reboot film directed by Marc Webb(fitting for a Spider-Man movie huh) staring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone and I have to say I was a bit let down. Now by no means am I a comic expert so I'm not all into the movie doing better justice to the comic but I went into the movie with some high hopes being that it has not been that long since the Sam Raimi films. With this movie coming so soon something new has to be done something better than the Raimi films did. Visually this is an awesome ride especially if you see it in 3D, which was done great you know there are no cheesy scenes with stuff coming right at the theater screaming hey we have a 3D movie(I hate that). Every time Spider-Man starts swinging you get that sense of movement and they really nailed it with no over the top CG moments which is nice also. Where the movie falls a little short with me is the story, not the plot so much but the villain is just so forgetful it's almost as if your waiting for the boss to show up and find out he is the right hand man or something. I cannot quite say but he is missing "it", some flare or charisma maybe. All in all I did have a good time and wished there was a better villain, you will be fully entertained and it's definitely worth the money especially for fans.

Final score 7 out of 10

Samsung and Google V.S. Apple . . . . . still

2012-07-06T17:20:00.003-04:00

Longtime mobile partners Google and Samsung have been battling it out in the courts with Apple for quite some time now and a recent injunction filed by Judge Lucy Koh has now made it illegal to sell the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the USA. Samsung of course did try and stay the ban but that was denied by Koh. Google recently announced the sale of its Nexus line of devices again direct from the internet giant but has since pulled the phone from there online store. So what did Google and Samsung do wrong to warrant pulling the phone? If you ask me, not much but I'm not a lawyer and I don't know who owns what patent just like any other Joe Consumer out there. Now all this fuss is over the unified search bar show in the picture above. Apple believes they already have a patent for a "universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system" as they put it. I can't believe that they would make a stink about how the phone is searched. In hopes to have this ban removed a Google spokesperson said an update to simplify or dumb down the search bar is in the works. I personally have this phone and I hope they get this resolved soon, luckily Google now, a new search feature in Jelly Bean Android 4.1 will not be at risk and will still be included.

Google I|O wrap up

2012-07-02T22:37:00.000-04:00

Well unless you were living under a rock you would know Google I|O was just held last week and they had some pretty amazing announcements to say the least. Now I know this is primarily for developers so I won't bore you with all the behind the scenes stuff and just get to the good stuff.

Google released 2 brand new pieces of hardware. The Nexus 7 which is there 7" tablet and their take on a streaming media device the Nexus Q branded the first social streaming device.

The device that took the show would have to be the tablet easily. Coming in at 7" I would love to have had the Nexus 10 shown but I guess 7" will have to do. Being that size there will be no comparison to the iPad rather the Kindle Fire and Samsung Tab 7. Now I think this will be the tablet to get in the 7 incher category, it out specs the competition and gives you a pure Google experience. Hit the link for more details.

Next in line would be the Nexus Q a strange take on streaming with in the Android community. I say strange because in order to control the Q you need to have an Android device, no remote control here. So with that you already cut the user base down then there is the price. The spherical toy will set you back a cool $300 bones so only Android fan boys need apply. I really think Google missed the mark here, not including a remote and then charging so much for the device. Now the reason for such a high price point is because their is 25W amplifier inside that can power a pretty descent set of speakers. Here the specs.

Google also showed off there newest installment in the mobile OS game Jelly Bean Android 4.1. The biggest additions to Android would have to be Google now and Project butter. Project butter is Google's attempt to smooth out the OS and keep all animations running at a buttery smooth 60FPS. Google now has been integrated into Google's already killer search and gives users the most pertinent information they need at the touch of a button. Need to know the traffic before leaving the office or are you travelling and need to know whats near by? Google now will give you all of that relevant to your location, patterns and habits. The more you use it the more useful it will become as it learns your behavior. Of course there were some minor UI changes as well. What did you like best at Google I|O?

Wouldn't it be great? #1

2012-06-25T22:43:00.000-04:00

So the first ever wouldn't it be great post (for me at least)

In these I'm going to write about what I think would be great if it happened hence the name wouldn't it be great. I had recently blogged about Facebook acquiring hip mobile photo app Instagram and possibly going after face. Now with the absorption of Instagram wouldn't it be great if Facebook made some sort of web application to allow us to upload photos to Instagram via our PC's pr Mac computers. At the time of this writing there is currently no way to get your photos to Instagram via your computer. Now almost everyone we know has a Facebook account and you can already sign into the Instagram mobile app via Facebook connect. So now that Facebook owns Instagram and their API it should be easy to incorporate something like this online, I don't really care if it is tied into Facebook some how (I may regret that later). This would benefit Facebook if it were tied in to their site by more traffic and add revenue (pretty much all Facebook cares about now). So what do you guys think? Wouldn't it be great if you could upload photos to Instagram via a computer?

Wouldn't it be great? intro

2012-06-25T22:42:00.002-04:00

So yeah wouldn't it.

Just a little intro for some posts that I thought would be cool to do. It will be a sequence of on going posts with the title of Wouldn't it be great and I will writing about how awesome it would be if something happened. For example Wouldn't it be great if all game console manufacturers made one single console putting all their minds together to make something awesome? Or wouldn't it be great if mobile apps came out across all platforms at launch? Things like that, nothing out of the ordinary or off the wall like wouldn't it be great if games were 40 bucks instead of 60 bucks. So nothing that couldn't happen, more to come soon.

Awesome new Mac Book Pro's

2012-06-13T14:22:00.001-04:00

Apple has done it again with the new stunning Mac book pro's. The biggest addition to the new generation of the 15 inch would be the sick display. Coming in at a whopping 2880 by 1800 resolution, that is unheard of in the laptop world today. They also added USB 3.0 (finally) and they put her on a bit of a diet now just about as thick as an air at the hinge .71 inches thick to be exact and right under 4 1/2 lbs. Of course Apple has also supplied this beast with the new ivy bridge quad core processor and 8 gigs of ram and geforce 650m graphics to give you all the mobile computing power you need. But, and there is always a but this baby is tipping the price scales at over 2 G's, yes 2 grand. Now with all the hardware you get you may be able to argue that its worth it, but costing more than the usual mortgage payment (at least for people I know) I see it as a fan or professional buy at the moment. What do you guys think of it so far?

E3 Wrap Up

2012-06-07T21:34:00.001-04:00

Well E3 has come and gone and there were some announcements that surprised me and some leaving me feeling a bit underwhelmed. I wont point any fingers cough cough Nintendo cough. Sony and Microsoft did have some interesting things to show but this year I was hoping Nintendo would carry the conference but it was the most lackluster presentation. Sony really blew me away with there next game coming from the makers of Heavy Rain called Beyond. I'm especially looking forward to this title due to the lead character choice who is none other than Ellen Page the actress. She has never disappointed in a live action role so I'm hoping she will bring some spot acting to this title and if so may open the door for more big name actors/actresses having lead roles in video games which is always great. Another game standing out that I thought had a good showing would be the Tomb Raider reboot. We haven't seen Laura Croft in over a decade and her comeback outing was nothing short of awesome. It seems like the weapon of the year is going to be the bow and arrow and you better bet that Laura has one as well. Of course best in show, at least for me is going to be from Naughty Dog's The Last of Us which reminds me a lot of Uncharted which is not a bad thing by any means. The Last of Us also looks to be bringing back true survival horror, something we have been missing ever since the original Resident Evil's on the 1st generation PSX.

Microsoft I say would be next in line with the focus being on a more social and entertainment driven console for the future, although they did have some cool games slated for 2013 also. Xbox Smartglass would have to be there biggest announcement where Microsoft claims to have plans to make the Xbox the best entertainment console to date. Smartglass will allow users to interact with contact they see on the big screen with either a tablet or a smartphone in real time. Now this sounds all great and everything but I personally do not think this will be that great of an innovation. If you look back to augmented information with Blu Rays how well has thought caught on? When was the last time you used any of the interactive features on a Blu Ray or a DVD that "connected" you to extra info as you watch a movie? I don't want any of that crap I just want to kick back and watch a movie, but to each his own. They also did say some more content providers will be coming to the Xbox as well, but what about the games? Microsoft announced some advancements with sport titles and the Kinect. But who could forget Halo 4? I could I'm not looking forward to this release at all since the rights are no longer with Bungie and now with 343 industries.

Bringing in the rear of the conference is good ol' Nintendo. Now you would think being the only vendor with some hardware announcements they wold have stolen the show but as I hinted to earlier they did not wow me in any way. Now I'll admit I was expecting a bit much from Nintendo so my critique may come as a bit harsh but the same problem that plagued the Wii looks like it might be taking the down the Wii U already, No 3rd party support from developers. Yeah there were the fun motion games at first but after a while it was just wash rinse and repeat, move the controller it moves the finger yada yada. I want the same games offered on the PS3 and Xbox 360 but that never came, yes the system was a bit behind those just mentioned but they had a chance to make a so called next gen console and unfortunately I think they fell short again. Now let me stop bashing Nintendo because there were some great things shown off like the hardware, now it was not what I wanted but its a step in the right direction for Nintendo bringing HD gaming to the company. Lego City Undercover I would say was the best thing from Nintendo other than the console announcement. I guess we will have to wait how Nintendo will change the way we game because we have to wait to find out how for another week.

There were also some noteworthy gaming releases such as Assassins Creed, Call of duty, Pikmin, and Watch Dogs the game of show for me. I am so excited for this game because its a mix of Blade Runner and I would say Mass Effect. I cannot wait at all for this game nor all the other games set to release in 2013. So did the show disappoint you, were you satisfied? Leave your comments below

Nintendo's E3 Press Conference 2012

2012-06-06T11:28:00.001-04:00

Nintendo's E3 press conference

Very very excited for the Wii U hardware, video below

Watch out Kinect here comes Leap !

2012-06-05T16:30:00.001-04:00

What is Leap might you ask? Leap is a new motion controller produced by Leap Motion with insane sensitivity. The motion control bug has bit and bit hard first with the Nintendo Wii really bringing it mainstream a few years ago. Then what I would categorize as motion interaction and just not control was brought forth with the Kinect from Microsoft. Being able to browse your media via voice and hand gestures has been steadily increasing in popularity and is almost perfected here with the leap controller. Described by the company "a revolutionary piece of hardware no larger than an iPod that is 200 times more accurate than any product currently on the market" leaves much to back up and Leap does not disappoint. Check the tech demo below.

Leap claims the motion sensing tech in the controller is accurate down to 1/100 of a millimeter and can sense hands, fingers and handheld objects like a pencil or ball, all within 8 feet of cubic space. With this much tech in such a small form factor Microsoft and Kinect better get on the ball, especially at a $69.99 price point.

Sony's E3 Press Conference 2012

2012-06-05T15:31:00.002-04:00

Sony's E3 press conference

Very very excited for The last of them. Video below

Microsoft's E3 press Conference 2012

2012-06-05T00:19:00.000-04:00

Microsoft's E3 press Conference

Very very excited for Halo 4!, video below

Philips may have replaced the 60W light bulb

2012-05-31T02:13:00.002-04:00

The most popular bulb in the world currently is the 60 watt incandescent light bulb, but that may be changing soon. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize) competition. The L Prize competition is the first government-sponsored technology competition designed to spur development of ultra-efficient solid-state lighting products to replace common lighting products. First on the list was the ever so popular 60 watt incandescent light bulb. To win this competition the new LED bulbs are put to the test and must meet rigorous technical specifications before being crowned a winner. A few of these are maintaining at least 80% of bulb output across the life of the bulb and produce 150lm/w (lumens per watt). A lumen is how we rate the brightness of a bulb, the higher the lumens the brighter the bulb will be. So I'm sure by the picture you can take a stab at the company that won the $10 million dollar prize + bragging rights, and that would be Philips. The competition that created this bulb was started in 2007 and has since been closed, so why the hell are you writing about this I bet your asking? Well that is because this bulb that one the competition in 2011 is now available for purchase in a store near you. However with new tech like this there is always a premium to pay set at $60 retail. The bulbs will last 25,000 hours or 20 years if you use it an hour a day so I think the price is justified plus there will be some rebates for energy saving etc. to lower the cost. With all this success it has been a bit of a catalyst and another competition is in the midst, this time for the Par 38 bulb. Another popular bulb usually found in outdoor flood lights and garden lights. Hopefully this one will be on sale soon too.

iOS 5.1.1 untethered . . . . finally!!!

2012-05-30T01:03:00.001-04:00

The long awaited jailbreak for iOS devices running 5.1.1 is finally here. After the 3rd gen iPad was released with iOS 5.0.1 many users were itching to jail break there brand new device (along with iPhone 4S users) that itch can now be scratched with the release of Absinthe 2.0 (at time of writing current Absinthe version is 2.1) , a program you run on your computer that will jailbreak your iOS device. The word on the street about the new jailbreak is that it is so easy to do your Grandmother could do it. I guess the caveman bit has run its course! The new jailbreak is available to most iOS devices out right now.

iPhone 4S
iPhone 4
iPhone 3GS
iPad 3
iPad 2
iPad 1
iPod touch 3G
iPod touch 4G
Apple TV 2G

So if your device is on the list head on over to The Absinthe website to download the jailbreak. If not stay patient there may be one out soon.

Facebook to buy Face.com?

2012-05-29T11:53:00.001-04:00

Face book is allegedly on the move again and may be purchasing Face.com now for a speculated $100M. Facebook has recently made headline news with the IPO launch and the acquisition of the niche camera app Instagram. Face.com is all about facial recognition and it is quite obvious why Zuckerburg may be interested in them. Pictures on Facebook are a huge part of the social networking giants success and anything they can do to improve that will put more money in there pockets. If this happens Facebook will greatly improve there facial recognition on the mobile side and will have completed its second buy out of a company. I use Facebook quite heavily but do not upload many pictures and the ones I do are not tagged, but I can see this being a huge advantage to some users who do tag there photos.

Intro post: hello world

2012-05-27T14:51:00.003-04:00

Hey whats going on people, names Ted. First post to just kind of lay out what I would like to do with this space. I am a huge tech junkie and I love music. So obviously that is what this will primarily be about. There will be a few randoms here but I wont deviate far from the techie/music world. Maybe some things that inspire or interest me. But we'll see.