Tech news as it happens

Archive for July, 2005

Huffing - inhalant danger from Dust-Off

Thursday, July 28th, 2005

There are lots of phony e-mails and urban myths circulating on the Net. But if you get one from a police officer warning about a product called Dust-Off, know that this one is true. Typically used to send a blast of compressed air into a computer to blow off dust and grit, the product is […]

Count your calories

Wednesday, July 27th, 2005

My NBC-TV piece this week has a site you exercisers will want to bookmark. Among other things, it counts the calories you burn while working out and doing all sorts of activities. High Tech Talk TV segment.

Cell phone is now news outlet

Wednesday, July 27th, 2005

The cell phone is America’s new front porch, the main information portal into the lives of many people. The cell phone is now the trusted and essential information connection for an entire culture. MIKE WENDLAND: Next medium for news is that handy cell phone

EV-DO comes to town

Monday, July 25th, 2005

EV-DO service is steadily being rolled out across the nation. It officially became available in Detroit today. MIKE WENDLAND: Verizon’s new portal speeds Web access from cell phones, laptops

Fitness logging sites

Saturday, July 23rd, 2005

Over on Ride to Fitness, my bike riding blog, I’ve been testing out some Web-based logging services to keep track of workouts. One of them even takes my daily mileage on the bike and plots it on a map as if I was riding cross-country… which, Lord willing, someday I really WILL do.

Satellite radio listeners complain about reception

Friday, July 22nd, 2005

About half of them say they do not receive good reception when driving. So says a new survey. Broadcasters don’t fear satellite radio competition — yet

eBay as an occupation

Thursday, July 21st, 2005

eBay announced today that the number of people using eBay as a primary or secondary source of income has risen to more than 724,000, a 68 percent jump from the previously recorded figure, 430,000 in 2004. In addition to these professional eBay sellers, another 1.5 million individuals say they supplement their income by selling on […]

Public doesn’t get tech terms

Wednesday, July 20th, 2005

Thanks to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, we’re reminded that Internet users aren’t as steeped in geek-speak as the people who work in IT-related industries or cover technology news often assume. Only 13 percent off the public knows what the term “podcasting” means. Nine percent have heard of “RSS feeds.” Only 19 percent […]

iPod halo drawing Windows users

Wednesday, July 20th, 2005

Needham & Co. estimates that the “iPod halo” may have attracted up to 400,000 Windows users to the Mac so far this year. Apple luring switchers. if true, that is a tremendously significant number.
And it comes on the heels of another report by TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence that says over 32 million adult Americans plan […]

Wiki world

Wednesday, July 20th, 2005

Like thousands, I am seriously hooked on Wikipedia.MIKE WENDLAND: Wikipedia’s influence spreads across the Web
I also did my NBC-TV segment this week o the site.

Podcasting record tools still lacking

Monday, July 18th, 2005

The podcasting craze shows no signs of letting up. Podcasting Spurs a Media Land Grab. Most podcasts, though, are pretty amateurish, with poor quality and limited material. My biggest frustration in making podcasts is the lack of an all-in-one recording tool that makes the creation process simple.

SunRocket’s explanation

Friday, July 15th, 2005

I received an e-mail apology and explanation from SunRocket today about the big system shutdown earlier this week that sent me, hat in hand, back to SBC to get my landline restored.. Here’s an excerpt:
On behalf of SunRocket and all of our dedicated employees, I would like to apologize for any inconvenience that resulted from […]

Big screen monitor

Thursday, July 14th, 2005

Reader John Eisenschenk from Grand Rapids, MI has his priorities right. He recently bought a big screen TV to replace the 19-incher in his apartment. He also bought a 20-inch monotor for his ‘putrer. But after bringing home the ViewSonic 31 1/2″ LCD Monitor/TV and the monitor he thought about what was really important and […]

Comcast’s boosting speed

Wednesday, July 13th, 2005

Later this month, Comcast is upping download speeds from 4 Mbps to 6 Mbps at no extra cost for current subscribers. Fot $10 more a month, you can get 8 Mbps. Count me in. Comcast boosting Internet speeds

Apple keeps rolling

Wednesday, July 13th, 2005

Apple is going to release sales and profit figures today and they are expected to show almost a quaduple increase, say analyists. In today’s Freep, I write about the Apple bandwagon. MIKE WENDLAND: Apple piles up profits