Is the Tablet War Fizzing Out?

Posted on May 19 by Kelly Johnson

This is a special guest post by Shannon Wills. Read more from Wills at her Internet Provider blog. She welcomes your comments and questions, .

Competition drives innovation and inspires creativity. So just how good is the news that Microsoft has scrapped Courier, its prototype tablet device, or rumors that HP is rethinking its Windows 7 tablet, the Slate?

It’s definitely not good, not if we want a worthy competitor to Apple’s iPad, which now enjoys a market monopoly when it comes to snazzy tablet devices.

Apparently Microsoft’s tablet was just a concept and it’s not likely to see the light of day anytime in the near future. HP’s Slate is not so easy to dismiss. The company revealed an actual working model of the Slate earlier this year and said it was “committed” to making the product available by the end of this year.

Industry experts are scratching their heads trying to understand why HP is delaying the Slate’s launch. Apple has moved over 1 million iPads in the past month in the US alone. There’s no reason for HP to worry about a potential market for its own device. Some theorize that Windows 7 could be the problematic issue and that HP has doubts it the Slate’s battery can sustain an OS as resource heavy as Win 7 and still run various applications on the device. Others feel that it’s just a matter of time before the Slate is available and that HP wants to build the perfect iPad competitor, now that they’ve seen what Apple’s product actually does. Yet another group points to HP’s recent acquisition of Palm, surmising that the Slate could be made available in two versions, one with Windows 7 and the other with Palm’s webOS.

If HP presents the Slate in the next few months, it has to be better than the iPad in most aspects. Also, it has to address the obvious drawbacks that the iPad possesses and add options for printing, Flash, a built-in camera, and multi-tasking features. It’s likely HP needs some more time to perfect such a device.

There’s hope in the air from the direction of the RIM camp. The makers of BlackBerry are working on a tablet device that could be called Cobalt or Blackstone and available sometime in 2011. Leaks from the industry say that the gadget will be sleeker and slimmer than the iPad. But then, 2011 is a long way off, and if HP doesn’t get it together, it’s safe to say that Apple’s iPad will remain the undisputed ruler of the tablet world for some time to come.

Just Hold It

Posted on Apr 12 by Kelly Johnson

I’ve been reading a lot of what other bloggers have been saying about the iPad.

It doesn’t support Flash. Okay. It doesn’t have a camera. Nope. There’s no HDMI out. That’s true. The name sucks. Yes, but only because we’re a nation of adolescents.

I have just one question for all these naysayers.

Have you held it?

My brother, ever the early adopter, came over a few days ago to show off his new iPad. He’s single and can afford every new toy. I’m married to an M.D. with about $250,000 in student loans. I buy my toys off the clearance rack. Anyway, he brings it over and I pull out my best Marlene Dietrich devil-may-care tude, which lasts until the exact moment he places it in my hands and drool begins seeping from the corner of my lips.

Sorry Marlene, but the iPad is too effin cool! Read More

Spring Into Summer

Posted on Mar 13 by Kelly Johnson

Spring hasn’t yet sprung, but if you’re the parent or guardian of a geek kid, it’s already time to plan for summer.

The joys of summer camp are alive and well at tech-focused camps, but instead of singing kumbaya by the campfire and eating S’mores, these kids are designing computer games and building robots. Most of the residential programs offer a more rounded experience, incorporating many traditional summer camp activities.

Tech summer camps are popular and spaces fill up fast. Some offer scholarship programs, but those deadlines are typically in March/April, so you may need to move quickly. Many YMCA programs offer tech camps, as well as many local universities.

Following is a list of camps that offer programs in several states:

1. Internal Drive Camp – ID Camp is for kids ages 7-17 and takes place on college campuses all over the U.S. Of all the camps I’ve reviewed, ID offers the largest variety of classes. They are a bit pricey, but tuition assistance is available
2. Emagination Computer Camp – open to kids ages 8-17 in IL, NY, MA, GA and PA.
3. Giant Campus – Based in WA, Giant Campus is different in that it also offers online courses for students outside the area. Sort of takes the camp out of summer, but if you live in a remote area, this may work for you.
4. Children’s Technology Workshop – CTW offers iCamp for kids in grades 2-8. Classes are offered in animation, robotics, game design and audio engineering.
5. Apple Camp – Each summer, Apple opens up its retail stores to children ages 8-12. Kids learn how to create multimedia projects on their Macs. Registration for this program doesn’t open until May.

GeekBabel, a San Diego website design company, specializes in budget website design in San Diego. We work with a number of san diego web designers to provide website design services San Diego, web development in San Diego, and web design in San Diego.

Amazon Needs an iPad Strategy

Posted on Mar 12 by Kelly Johnson

With the iPad’s official coming out (or soon to be coming) party today, I began wondering if the reigning eReader pageant winner, the Amazon Kindle DX, was getting nervous. Sure, you can read books and magazines on the Kindle, but the iPad does all that and more. It looks and acts more like a laptop. It’s like that sibling rivalry between the Cylons, Centurions versus humanoid.

Curious, I decided to sit down with Kindle for a little tête-à-tête. What follows is a transcript of that meeting. We had tea, crumpets, those little sandwiches with no crust, you really shoulda been there.

Me: So, today’s the big day, huh?

Kindle: No dear, the first day of spring is March 20.

Me: [Nervous laughter] Ah, no. I meant today is the first day you can order the iPad.

[30 seconds of uncomfortable silence]

Me: Sooooooooo…I was wondering…do you have any thoughts on that?

Kindle: None.

Me: Would you care to elaborate?

Kindle: No.

Kindle is a biatch. Read More

Don’t Ask. Don’t Tell.

Posted on Mar 11 by Kelly Johnson

I’m a very private person. I have lots of friends, but the truth is, I’d rather be on the beach with a good book than partying in the Gaslamp Quarter. I don’t always answer my cell phone. Most of the time, I don’t even know where it is. I’d rather email or IM than talk. My Facebook page is woefully bland. I connect socially on my terms, when, where and with whomever I choose.

I do love emerging technology and like most geeks, get a thrill from being an early adopter. In one area though, I still hesitate. I’ve been told time and again that resistance is futile, but I see no need for friends, family, or Borg to know my exact location 24/7.


Loopt, Mologogo, Palringo for iPhone, Twitter’s Tweet With Your Location, Best Friends on Facebook, Google Latitude – all allow you to post your current location to anyone who cares enough to look. There are practical aspects to the GPS software. Parents can track wayward teens, bar flies can easily find the latest watering hole to which their friends have wandered, and as for jealous lovers, let’s just say jackpot! Read More

SEO: It’s All in the Wrist

Posted on Mar 10 by Kelly Johnson

There are companies that will gladly take hundreds, even thousands of your hard-earned dollars to improve Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website. My best advice? Pay it.

Quality SEO is well worth it.

I’m not saying you can’t do it yourself. You absolutely can. But if you own a business, the hours you would spend researching and mastering SEO could be better spent elsewhere. SEO is kinetic, evolving constantly. Even Darwin would be stymied. Search engines often change their criteria for top placement. And the qualities that Google finds attractive may repulse Bing. It’s like the blind date from hell or a box of chocolate with no user-friendly guide in the box.

Even if you know the ingredients comprising the secret placement algorithm for each search engine, you still have to make it happen. That takes time, lots and lots of time, time away from your business. Read More

Geek Merchandise Goes Mainstream

Posted on Mar 09 by Kelly Johnson

Steve Urkel defined Geek fashion for an entire generation. No more. Thanks to Big Bang Theory and Michael Cera, geeks and their geeky t shirts have entered the mainstream. It’s not just the fashion industry that has taken notice.

Below, behold a plethora of clothing and other geek merchandise, perfect for birthday gifts, 40th birthday gift ideas, 50th birthday presents, and of course Christmas gifts for geeks.

Best geeky shirts:

1. No, I will not fix your computer
2. Binary People
3. There’s No Place Like 127.0.0.1
4. Blue Screen of Death
5. Enough Social Interaction
6. Pop Quiz Math Clock
7. Wi-Fi Detector
8. Electronic Guitar
9. 8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirt
10. Zombie Protest

Best geek gifts:


1. Powers of 2 BCD Clock
2. 8-Bit Tie
3. LED Binary Watch
4. Remote Control Walking Zombie
5. PI To The 50th Decimal Extra Long Tie
6. Phraseology: Thousands of Bizarre Origins, Unexpected Connections, and Fascinating Facts about English’s Best Expressions
7. Periodic Table Shower Curtain
8. Vidpro Gripster Flexible Camera Tripod
9. Newbie
10. Deluxe Jedi Robe

GeekBabel, a San Diego website design company, specializes in budget website design in San Diego. We work with a number of san diego web designers to provide website design services San Diego, web development in San Diego, and web design in San Diego.

Facebook Founder Accused of Hacking Emails

Posted on Mar 08 by Kelly Johnson

Sometimes smart people do really stupid things. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, was accused of hacking the email accounts of rivals and journalists. BusinessInsider.com lobbed the accusations at Zuckerberg in a series of articles published last week.

If true, Zuckerberg has committed an ethics breach so large that even coming from what comedian Louis C.K. calls the “the crappiest generation of spoiled idiots,” it’s still shocking.

Business Insider spent 2 years investigating Zuckerberg. For those with short memories it was Zuckerberg who claimed earlier this year that privacy is a “social norm of the past.” Read More

Animated Yes, but is it Acting?

Posted on Mar 07 by Kelly Johnson

The fact that Avatar is the front-runner in tonight’s Oscars raises an interesting question. Who really deserves nods for the film, the actors or the animators?

Before I get attacked by all the fanboys and girls, let me just say that I loved the film. It reminded me of why I fell in love with the movies. The film is amazing, a visual spectacle and emotional roller coaster. But let’s face it, of the film’s nine nominations, not one came in an acting category.

James Cameron has stated that he feels this slight is just a matter of educating Academy voters about motion-capture. The actors in the film do indeed provide strong performances and breathe life into their animated characters. However, the argument that it is the animators who provide the finishing touches is not one to be taken lightly.

“Avatar was good, but it wasn’t a movie, it was a spectacle,” actor Anthony Mackie told MSNBC recently.

Avatar isn’t the first film to raise the question of well, what exactly constitutes acting? Andy Serkis gave an outstanding performance as Gollum. Can you imagine Shrek without Mike Meyers?

LA Times Reporter Rachel Abramowitz writes, “The snubs reflect the apparent ambivalence of the film community — especially actors …” Read More

Nickel and Dimed to Death by Verizon

Posted on Mar 06 by Kelly Johnson

My AT&T contract comes up for renewal later this year and I’ll just say it. It’s been a long 2 years.

I hate AT&T. Dropped calls, no coverage, pitiable customer service – all hallmarks of my tenure with the company. Consequently, I’ve been salivating about a transfer to Verizon. I dream of their cellular army following me around San Diego, led by that cute geeky guy. Can you hear me now? I can! I can!

Then my brother, a former Verizon customer and current curmudgeon, burst my cellular fantasy bubble.

“Verizon nickel and dimes you for every service that is available for free from other providers,” he says.

He’s right. Read More