Dr. Blip's PC-Doctor Blog

Is Google the New Evil Empire?

Long-time Silicon Valley writer Mike Malone strikes a rather strident, conspiratorial chord in his latest column about Google's new Chrome browser.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5727509&page=1

Malone sees the timing of the announcement between the Democrat and Republican conventions -- normally anathema to PR announcements because of the noise volume -- to be suspicious from such a media-savvy company. And he paints Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who once-upon-a-time was Sun's chief scientist as well as CEO of Novell, as somehow obsessed with revenge for the trouncing that Sun received at the hands of Microsoft.

No doubt, Google is at the intersection of many information transactions on the net, and that Chrome helps it touch even more information transactions. But is it evil genius? Is it possible to "do no harm?"

Nikon D90 Box in the Wild, Anticipation is Palpable

Engadget - No matter where you fall in this crazy DSLR war between Canon folks, Nikon folks, Sony folks and "how do you turn this thing on?" folks, there's no denying the D90 has sparked quite a lot of interest from all the right places. The video feature is just plain exciting, as is Live View and that 3-inch LCD (oh, and we hear it also takes pictures), and Nikon could very well have a hit on its hands when it actually starts shipping the thing. Which is where this box comes in. A tipster says it popped up at his Best Buy, but he's getting the impression from inventory that it won't actually be for sale this week.

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Dell to Sell Most or All of Its Factories in 18 Months

Gizmodo - According to the Wall Street Journal, Dell is restructuring their production in a massive overhaul that will send the entire manufacturing process overseas. According to one insider's account, most or all of Dell's factories, which are based in the US, will be sold off in 18 months.

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Photo of the 4th Generation iPod Nano?

Mac Rumors - Alibaba, a B2B marketplace, has a photo (via Zollotech) of what appears to be the 4th generation iPod Nano that is expected to be released next week.

We can't be for sure if this represents a photo of the actual device, or simply a mockup based on circulating dimensions, but it does show what appears to be a dock connector on the bottom of the device. The image also correlates with all circulating rumors about the new iPod Nano.

Apple will be holding a special event on September 9th where the new iPod Nano is expected to be released.

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These Recalls Don’t Need to Happen

Yet another big recall by a major PC OEM is in the works. More than 400,000 Sony notebooks are being recalled because of the potential for burns. Apparently, overheating and short-circuiting in several Sony VAIO TZ models is caused by “irregularly positioned wires near the notebook’s hinge or possibly a dislodged screw inside the hinge.

See a complete story here: http://www.crn.com/retail/210300556.

That’s a big number of PCs and a multi-million dollar hit to earnings. More maddening, there is little reason for such things to happen. Stress testing with accurate diagnostics such as those from PC-Doctor is very efficacious in bubbling up intermittent problems, and could have helped Sony identify the issue in the design or factory phases.

Users can also call the VAIO TZ customer hotline at 1-888-526-6219 to determine if their notebook is affected.

Top Tech Headlines for Thursday, September 4, 2008

What's happening in tech today? Trust Dr. Blip to find out!

myMod: Sign Up for Hacker Community!
Popular Mechanics - Got a DIY computer rig, souped-up gaming system or custom mobile device? Upload your project with photos and even video, then show off against other PM readers to win prizes!

Coaster-sized Origami-optics Lens Boosts Focal Length, Shrinks Photog Egos
Engadget - Sports photogs aren't compensating for something by swinging gigantic, monopod-mounted lenses; they need the focal length. Focusing and zooming on outfielders usually means glass far from the camera body, but not so when using so-called "origami optics," flat lenses being researched at UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering that use internal reflection to achieve long focal lengths.

Continue reading "Top Tech Headlines for Thursday, September 4, 2008"

Top Tech Headlines for Wednesday, September 3, 2008

What's happening in tech today? Trust Dr. Blip to find out!

Mozilla Fights Back With New Firefox Benchmarks
TechCrunch - The dust hasn’t even settled on Chrome’s release and already Mozilla is feeling the pressure. The company today released a series of benchmarks showing Firefox 3.1 will be faster than anything Google can muster with Chrome.

Lenovo To Bundle EMC Storage With Thinkpad Notebooks
Channel Web - Lenovo will bundle EMC's Mozy online data backup service, giving the Mozy service an international boost.

Hewlett Packard's Virtualization Push
Channel Web - HP launched several new and updated products and services in an effort to help resellers and customers make better use of the power of virtualization. technologies.
Continue reading "Top Tech Headlines for Wednesday, September 3, 2008"

Top Tech Headlines for Monday, September 2, 2008

What's happening in tech today? Trust Dr. Blip to find out!

Google to Launch Webkit Based Web Browser Called 'Chrome'
Mac Rumors -
Google announced today that they would be releasing a new open source web browser called Google Chrome. The new browser will be available for download as a beta starting tomorrow. Google states that the reason for a new web browser is that the company believes that it "can add value for users and, at the same time, help drive innovation on the web." The new browser is said to be "streamlined and simple" and "clean and fast". The underlying rendering engine is based on Webkit which is also used by Apple's Safari.

Fingercams / Brain Scanners to Make Mice and Multitouch Displays seem Archaic
Engadget - Oh sure, we've known that mice were going the way of the Dodo for eons now, but a nice compilation over at Wired details just how close we are to relying on brain scanners and fingercams (among other unorthodox input methods) to do everything from play games to flip through photo albums. For instance, at Drexel University's RePlay Lab, students are currently "trying to measure the level of neurotransmitters in a subject's brain to create games where mere thought controls gameplay."

Continue reading "Top Tech Headlines for Monday, September 2, 2008"

Top Tech Headlines for Friday, August 29, 2008

What's happening in tech today? Trust Dr. Blip to find out!

Apple and AT&T Discussing Official Tethering Option for iPhone?
Mac Rumors - Gizmodo reports on an alleged email Steve Jobs sent to one of their readers. The email was in response to a complaint that AT&T is not offering a tethering option for the iPhone, even though it is offered on other smartphones as a $30/month add-on. The response acknowledged Apple and AT&T were discussing the option:

Why I Hate Netbooks
Gizmodo - The other day I walked into a coffee shop where I witnessed a man—a grown man—hunched over a tiny laptop. He wiggled with cautious, uncertain movements like a fat guy squeezing his way into an old pair of pants. His hands, too wide for the keyboard, made him look clutsy and a bit stupid. His face, in almost erotic proximity to the tiny screen, squinted to either see more clearly or repress the eyestrain. And to top off this scene of sleek convenience, a long, mismatching wire complete with power brick connected the computer to a nearby outlet. After all, such a small machine could never be expected to run off battery power alone!

Why I Love Netbooks
Gizmodo - Just because I’m a fat American doesn’t mean I’ve always wanted a fat American computer. Over the years I have grown to hate so-called performance laptops from Dell and HP. They were big, ugly and heavy enough to rip your shoulder out of your socket, and getting bigger, uglier and heavier all the time. Why didn’t we get those little laptops, you know, the ones made for Japan and available only on Dynamism? Like the lady who buys shoes a few sizes too small, I sought a computer that could be used for emails and surfing and not require steroid supplements to transport. Oh, and could it be cheap, too? I spend all my money on fast food.

Continue reading "Top Tech Headlines for Friday, August 29, 2008"

Top Tech Headlines for Thursday, August 28, 2008

What's happening in tech today? Trust Dr. Blip to find out!

MythBusters Tackle Moon Conspiracies: Behind the Scenes
Popular Mechanics - Ever since man went to the moon—and still today as America plans to go back (via DIY, NASA or the next president) —there have been those who said we never actually made it there in the first place. Instead, they say, the whole moon landing was a massive conspiracy perpetrated by NASA using elaborate sets and special effects.

Philips' 8mm Thin 32-inch LCD Turns the Screws on Sony
Engadget - This morning you saw what a 9.9-mm thin LCD from Sony looks like. Now it's Philips' turn to drop jaw. Albeit just a concept compared to Sony's ZX1, this 8-mm thin, 32-inch LCD with LED backlighting is done with the engineering and now waits for the suits to bring it to market.
Continue reading "Top Tech Headlines for Thursday, August 28, 2008"