| GeekBrief.TV | Video Podcast (iPod) |
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Video Podcast with news about tech tools and toys featuring Cali Lewis. The format is fast, fun, fresh and flirty. Most Briefs are fewer than four minutes.
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GBTV #777 (small) | GAEMS Entertainment System, iPhone4 Orders Cancelled, WireTape, WordPress 3.0
06/21/2010 10:44 PM
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The GAMES Portable Console Gaming and Entertainment System is a hard case that houses your Xbox 360 along with an LCD and speakers for easy traveling and gaming. AT&T and Apple are canceling iPhone 4 orders. It might just be that they're canceling EXTRA orders from the website hiccups last week, but we might not know for sure until actual launch day. WireTape cables are going to be super flat cables that clean up the cable clutter. (via Scott Ellis) WordPress 3.0 is out and you can upgrade now. If you want to learn more about it, come to OpenCamp in August! You'll learn that and tons more about how to take advantage of your CMS platform (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla!) to make your website even better, and learn about topics we all have in common like SEO, marketing, driving traffic, and making money off your website. For you podcasters, there's a New Media track. We have great room rates at the venue/hotel, the Crowne Plaza in Addison when you use Discount Code OCD.
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GBTV #773 (small) | Microsoft Kinect & New Xbox 360
06/16/2010 01:41 AM
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Project Natal has been officially renamed Kinect and will be available for sale on November 4th. I have some demos and additional information for you in the video! The new Xbox 360 has 5 USB ports, 802.11n WiFi, a 250GB hard drive and a special port for connecting Kinect. Use ACLens.com with discount code GBTV in the Special Instructions box to save 10%.
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GBTV #769 (small) | iPhone 4 from WWDC
06/08/2010 01:39 AM
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At WWDC 2010, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4. You can reserve it on June 15th and buy it on June 24th. The 16GB version will be $199 and the 32GB will be $299. A few important things to note about the new iPhone 4: The resolution has been increased. It's now 960x640, known as a Retina Display. The Apple A4 chip and bigger battery life means 7 hours of talk time. The antenna is actually built into the design of the hardware, and you'll notice it on the sides. There are two cameras, one on the front, one on the back, and it'll record 720p video. The new iMovie app will allow you to edit your movies on the fly. With FaceTime, you'll be able to do video chats from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4, and only on WiFi for now. Developers will get iOS4 today. The only thing in the OS that hadn't been announced previously was that Bing and Yahoo are being added as search options.
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GBTV #767 (small) | Pulse, Lumix DMC-FX75, Perching Drones
06/02/2010 12:18 AM
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The Pulse iPad app organizes your RSS feeds in a more visually stimulating way than most news apps. Panasonic's new Lumix DMC-FX75 does HD video, with 14 megapixel stills and has "Intelligent Resolution". Researchers at Standford University have created Perching Drones. It looks like a small toy plane that you'd throw around your living room, but this one has special powers and can perch on walls for days or weeks for recharging or surveillance.
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GBTV #766 (small) | WindPad 100 & 110, EeePad, Sanyo Xacti Underwater, Snapfinger, Skype Calls on 3G, Music for Deaf People
05/31/2010 10:45 PM
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The MSI WindPad 100 is a 10" tablet running Windows 7 with the Wind Touch UI on top. The WindPad 110 is an Android version, also 10". Asus also announced a tablet at Computex, the EP121. It's a hybrid with a dock and keyboard. The Sanyo Xacti DMX-CA100 will go underwater, up to 10 feet. It'll record 1080p video. Snapfinger is now an app on your phone. It'll allow you to place food orders ahead of time so it's ready when you are. Skype 2.0 on the iPhone gives you the ability to make calls over 3G, not just WiFi. It'll be free until the end of the year. Music for Deaf People is a neck wrap that lets deaf people experience music through vibrations. JR used< my discount code GEEK at AngiesList.com to save money on a membership. The membership gives you peace and mind, and more discounts, as you search for people to hire in your neighborhood that will do a quality job fixing your toilet, repairing your roof, or hanging a heavy ceiling fan.
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GBTV #765 (small) | Iota Flex, Fring, Sell on iBookstore, OLPC Tablet, AppleTV Update, OpenCamp
05/30/2010 08:36 PM
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The Iota Flex will give you the ability to add voice and text to your Android tablet or eReader. Fring released an update giving Android phones video calls. Apple opened up the iBookstore to any author who want to sell their book to multiple countries. The OLPC effort is moving into the area of tablets. The AppleTV should be getting an update soon that will allow cloud storage and 1080p playback. Don't forget that the OpenCamp early registration discount ends on Monday, May 31st, so best to get your ticket now! There will be lots of networking opportunities and it's a great place to learn all you can about making your website or podcast the best it can be. www.openca.mp Phillip Stratton saved $25 more at ACLens.com than at 800 Contacts just by using my coupon code GBTV. Just enter that code in the Special Instructions box to get your discount.
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GBTV #763 (small) | PowerV Duo, Wii Gloves, Smartphones & Hotels, Sony Rollable Display, Anybots
05/27/2010 08:50 PM
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The PowerV Duo from Konnet is a wireless induction charger for two Wiimotes and has two USB ports. CTA's Weighted Wii Gloves give you a more realistic boxing experience and more exercise. Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) is working towards the future of hotel room entry. They're testing room entry with smartphones instead of plastic keys. The Chicago OHare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Convention Center locations will be the first to test it out. Sony's rollable OLED screen is being shown off. It has a 1000:1 contrast ratio and 432x240 resolution. If Anybots makes it to market, these robots will follow you around your office during video conference calls. It has a camera and a display for seeing the other party. Thanks for the link, John! Brief 763 was brought to you by ACLens.com, where you can buy contact lenses and glasses at a very big discount. You can get an extra 10% off with my discount code GBTV.
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GBTV #763 (small) | PowerV Duo, Wii Gloves, Smartphones & Hotels, Sony Rollable Display, Anybots
05/27/2010 04:27 PM
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The PowerV Duo from Konnet is a wireless induction charger for two Wiimotes and has two USB ports. CTA's Weighted Wii Gloves give you a more realistic boxing experience and more exercise. Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) is working towards the future of hotel room entry. They're testing room entry with smartphones instead of plastic keys. The Chicago OHare Rosemont and the Holiday Inn Express Houston Convention Center locations will be the first to test it out. Sony's rollable OLED screen is being shown off. It has a 1000:1 contrast ratio and 432x240 resolution. If Anybots makes it to market, these robots will follow you around your office during video conference calls. It has a camera and a display for seeing the other party. Thanks for the link, John! Brief 763 was brought to you by ACLens.com, where you can buy contact lenses and glasses at a very big discount. You can get an extra 10% off with my discount code GBTV.
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GBTV #761 (small) | Google I/O: Google TV, Chrome Web Store, Android 2.2
05/21/2010 10:03 PM
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Google TV aims to bring the Internet and TV video content together and easy to find. It has speech recognition built in and will run Android apps. You'll see TVs with Google TV built in by next fall. The Chrome Web Store will give you a one stop shop to get web apps like TweetDeck and Plants & Zombies. Froyo, Android 2.2, will be faster, backup better, can be used as a WiFi hotspot, and run Flash 10.1. Early registration and the discount that goes along with it for OpenCamp is gone at the end of August. It's a conference that embraces all bloggers and website owners, regardless of what platform you use. You'll learn a ton and have a great time. I'll be shooting Briefs live for the next couple weeks. You can follow me on Twitter to find out when I'm shooting CaliLive.TV, or head on over to where you'll be able to watch live and get updates on when I'll be on. This episode was brought to you by ACLens.com, where you can save money on contact lenses and glasses by using my discount code GBTV.
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GBTV #759 (small) | Lasers' 50th Birthday, EeePC 1015P, Mobilicity, Electrochromic Panels
05/17/2010 11:55 PM
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In 1917, Albert Einstein thought lasers were possible, and yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of when Theodore Maiman demo'd the first working laser. Asus announced their 1015P and 1015PE models have 13.5 hours of battery life. If you're in Toronto, Mobilicity is offering an alternative to Rogers and Bell by giving you the choice of prepaid, no contracts and unlimited plans, starting at $35/month. Aaron Schild and Rafael Cosman, students in San Diego, showed off a cool prototype at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair of electrochromic panels that darken and lighten based on the sunlight. My coupon code GEEK at AngiesList.com will save money on your membership. At Angie's List, you can look at reviews on the people you're about to hire to do work on your house.
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GBTV #758 (small) | Sharp 3D Module, Mind Controlled Prosthetic Arm, Evo 4G Price, OpenCamp
05/15/2010 03:23 PM
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Sharp announced their 3D module that shoots 720p 3D video for use with portable devices. The mind controlled prosthetic arm is ready for the public, and Christian Kandlbauer is the first European to have it installed. The EVO 4G has a date and price. It'll be available from Sprint June 4th for $199 with contract. I'm very excited to announce a conference I've been planning in Dallas called OpenCamp. The goal of OpenCamp is to encourage everyone, regardless of which CMS platform you use (like WordPress, Drupal or Joomla) to get together, learn from each other and network with a larger community rather than separating ourselves and defining ourselves by the type of website we own. During our morning sessions, we'll have everyone together in one room to focus on topics we all want to learn... Promotion, SEO, Making Money, that kind of thing. In our afternoon sessions, you'll be able to focus on your platform of choice and delve deeper into how to get the most out of WordPress, Drupal or Joomla. We'll also have lots of New Media sessions where you can learn how to podcast or how to make your existing podcast or video series better. I'll be speaking, and we already have a few great speakers on board like Chris Pirillo, Giovanni Gallucci and Trey Ratcliff. AND! As long as I can get all the details worked out, Leo Laporte will be there! It'll be worth coming into town to spend a couple days filling your head with knowledge, networking and having a blast! Even if you're local, consider staying at the Crowne Plaza for convenience and so you can take part in some after hours parties. Early registration ends May 31st, so don't delay in getting your name on the website! It's www.openca.mp. See you here August 27-29! You can use discount code GEEK at AngiesList.com, where you can find reviews on companies in your neighborhood so you make sure you're getting the right person for you when you hire a painter, housekeeper, pretty much anyone!
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GBTV #756 (small) | Pioneer XW-NAC1, Sony NEX3 & NEX5, Twitter Business Center, Molecular Computing
05/12/2010 02:47 PM
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Pioneer's new speaker system, the XW-NAC1 is a dual dock for your iPods and iPhones and can play from either device. Sony announced their NEX3 and NEX5 cameras. They look really good, have small bodies and interchangeable lenses. The NEX3 shoots 720p and the NEX5 shoots 1080. They promise good low light performance. The new Twitter Business Center allows businesses to add a verified account tag, receive DMs from any customer regardless of if you're following them, add multiple contributors and more. Researchers are making some big moves forward in the area of molecular computing. Their tests show that a single iodine molecule can run calculations thousands of times faster than our current computers. You can save money at ACLens.com when you use my discount code GBTV.
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GBTV #754 (small) | Humble Monkey, i-LIMB Pulse, Clear Rollout & New Phones
05/07/2010 05:09 PM
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I've been playing with the Humble Monkey 360-T2 Camera Truck. If you need to shoot images or video low to the ground with some movement, this is key to getting good shots! Touch Bionics' new i-LIMB Pulse prosthetic hand uses high frequency electronic pulses to control individual limbs, like fingers, more precisely. Clearwire is rolling out to 19 new cities over the summer. They're Kansas City, KS; St. Louis, MO; Salt Lake City, UT, and the core area of Washington, D.C.; Nashville, TN; Daytona, Orlando and Tampa, FL; Rochester and Syracuse, NY; Merced, Modesto, Stockton, and Visalia, CA; Wilmington, DE; Grand Rapids, MI; Eugene, OR; and Yakima and Tri-Cities, WA. They're also coming out with Clear branded HTC and Samsung mobile phones.
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GBTV #752 (small) | HTC Incredible
05/05/2010 04:46 PM
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I've had some time with HTC Incredible, and I'm really enjoying it! It's a very good option if you're looking at an Android phone or iPhone alternative. Android 2.1 HTC Sense UI 1GHz Snapdragon Processor 3.7" 480x800 AMOLED capacitive touchscreen 8MP camera, dual LED flash, auto focus 8GB memory Virtual keyboard only Bluetooth WiFi FM Radio .47" depth microSD slot (up to 32GB) Optical trackpad This episode was brought to you SquareSpace.com. If you're looking to build a website that's easy to put together and maintain, and don't know how to code, SquareSpace is the solution. My coupon code GEEK will save you money.
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GBTV #750 (small) | Microsoft Courier, Windows 7 Not on HP Slate, Textie, Steam
05/01/2010 11:46 AM
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Microsoft announced they wouldn't be bringing the Courier to market. It was a research and testing product, so we may see parts of it in some future products, but don't expect to buy a Courier, ever. HP is canceling their Slate running Windows 7. It's very likely we'll see a tablet with webOS. Textie saves you money on SMS fees by bypassing the courier. You can use it even if other people don't use it and still save money. The Steam online gaming marketplace is opening up to Mac users. You'll be able to play online with friends using Windows, and access 560 games under $10. You can save 25% on an Angie's List membership using coupon code GEEK, and you save additional money by using trusted vendors in your neighborhood.
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GBTV #749 (small) | Nokia N8, HP & Palm, AT&T 3G Plan, Hallmark Star Wars Card, Brizzly Picnic
04/29/2010 06:22 PM
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HP bought Palm, most likely for Palm's WebOS, which they might be thinking about combining with HP's tablets. Nokia announced their flagship phone, the N8. It has a 12 megapixel camera that can shoot some pretty fantastic video! Example in the show above. AT&T gave some more information about the iPad 3G data plan. Most notable, you'll get notifications before you run out of data if you're on the limited plan. Hallmark created a Star Wars greeting card for Father's Day. It plays clips from Star Wars. There will be a Brizzly Picnic Friday, April 30th with House's producing director, @GregYaitanes. He'll be answering all your questions, and I'll be joining in!
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GBTV #748 (small) | Zomm Review, No Touch Typing
04/27/2010 06:23 PM
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I got a Zomm in for review. It's a device that attaches to your keyring and buzzes at you when you get too far away from your phone so you don't loose it. It also serves as a speaker phone, an alarm, and will make emergency calls. Masatoshi Ishikawa, a professor at the University of Tokyo, wants you to be able to type and operate devices just by moving your fingers in front of it. The system uses a small camera that shoots 154 images per second and they're looking to target the 3D app space. HotRodPartsGuide.com used my promo code GEEK to set up a SquareSpace account and save 12% on a site that was easy to use and easy to maintain.
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GBTV #746 (small) | Dell Smoke, Thunder, Lightning & Looking Glass, Hulu Plus, Power Skin, New Salt Crystals
04/24/2010 11:13 AM
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Dell announced a lot yesterday! Their Smoke and Thunder phones are running Android, the Lightningslider phone is running Windows Phone 7, and the Looking Glass is a 7" multitouch tablet with a TV tuner. Hulu will be implementing their subscription model, Hulu Plus in May. You'll need it if you want to watch more than 5 episodes of certain TV shows. The Power Skin from MiLi is the thinnest iPhone battery pack, but still offers double the battery life for $74. PepsiCo is working on changing the way salt crystals are structured so they melt faster and PepsiCo can use less salt on chips without affecting the taste! I don't think I really deserve to have iPhones because I keep breaking mine. My iPhone screen shattered again but Mark Taylor from TAYLORMARK and the good boys Chris and Mike at the Apple Store came to my rescue. If you ever need to recover data from an iPhone or if you need to replace the screen, head on over to taylormark.com - he'll take care of you and for a really good price!
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GBTV #745 (small) | Temple Bags, Panasonic 3D Sales, Steampunk Goggles, Pioneer Blu-ray Players, Biotech Sensor Wristband
04/22/2010 04:54 PM
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Steve Opperman at TempleBags.com has a manly iPad case called the Leather & Canvas iPad Case, that looks a little like something your grandfather might have given you. Panasonic is increasing their 3D HDTV production units by 30% because sales have gone so well. The Steampunk Goggles might make 3D a bit more fun! Pioneer's new Blu-ray players, the BDP-330 and the BDP-LX53 allow you to control them via your iPhone with the free app, iControlAV. Scientists at Fraunhofer IZM research institute in Germany are working on a wristband that will take bloodwork without the hassle of a doctor! Zooey Deschanel might be playing the role of Ada Lovelace in an upcoming movie, which I can't wait for. If you want to create a website all about Lovelace, you could use my discount code GEEK at SquareSpace.com and save money, just like GetAwayApps.com did.
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GBTV #743 (small) | Holocube Touch, Netflix Subtitles, Zeiss Cine Lenses, Ping Clothing, Robot Population
04/19/2010 03:40 PM
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The Holocube Touch is a small box that displays a hologram, and you're able to manipulate the video with touch. Netflix is offering subtitles on certain TV shows and movies. It'll be available on more titles soon. Carl Zeiss announced their line of CineLenses , the Compact Prime and the Lightweight Zoom lenses each have interchangeable lenses. Ping Clothing, from Jennifer Darmour, wants to give you Facebook updates by small electronics embedded in the clothing. The Robot Population is growing. As of the end of 2008, there were 8.6 million robots in the world! SquareSpace.com gives you the option of setting up a website with ease of use. They use drag and drop elements to create the theme and layout, and if you use my discount code GEEK, like willem oswald.com did, you can save 12%.
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GBTV #741 (small) | New MacBook Pros & MiniDisplay Port, WarGames Computer for Sale, Mitsubishi Diamond 82, iPad Delays
04/14/2010 06:53 PM
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Apple updated their MacBook Pros, as we've been expecting. The 13" MBP is available with either a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a 250GB hard drive for $1200, or with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and a 320GB hard drive for $1500. The 15" MacBook Pro is $1800 for a 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 with a 320GB hard drive. For $2000, you can get a 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 with a 500GB Hard Drive. For $2200, you can get a 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 with a 500GB hard drive. The 17" doesn't get the Intel Core i7 goodness. Its specs match those of the mid-priced 15-incher, except for it's 1920X1200 LED-backlit wide-angle display. Apple also updated its Mini DisplayPort technology in the new MacBook Pros. The ports down transfer BOTH video and data. The original IMSAI computer from the movie WarGames is for sale. It's valued at $25,000. The Mitisubishi Diamond 82-Inch 3D HDTV is a 1080p display with a 5G, 12-bit Video processor. It streams Pandora and Flickr and has an integrated 16-speaker, 5.1 channel Dolby Digital surround system. The release for international iPads has been delayed for another month due to high demand in the US. You can save 10% on already deeply discounted contact lenses and glasses at ACLens.com. Just put coupon code GBTV in the Special Instructions box at www.aclens.com.
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GBTV #739 (small) | Canon XF305 & XF300, Chat on iPhone OS 4, Asus EeeKeyboard, Memristors
04/12/2010 07:36 PM
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Canon is releasing two cameras with their XF Codec. They're the XF300 and XF305. They have three 1920X1080 CMOS sensors. Another camera Canon's believed to be working on has the same sensor as the Canon 5D Mark II. iPhone OS 4.0 might have iChat capabilities, according to 9to5mac.com. We've been waiting for the Asus EeeKeyboard, with a HTPC built in, and it looks like it'll be shipping soon. Memristors allow scientists to store data without an electrical current, so they're looking at using them to make storage that'll hold 20GB per square centimeter. ChiliGear.com saved 12% on a SquareSpace website when they set it up by using coupon code GEEK. SquareSpace gives you a website that's easy to setup with drag and drop elements and great looking themes. When you use my GEEK code, be sure to let me know by tweeting me @calilewis.
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GBTV #738 (small) | iPhone OS 4.0
04/09/2010 11:46 PM
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Apple announced the features of newest iPhone OS update - 4.0. It'll be available to developers today, and users will be able to download this summer. All the features will be available for 3GS and latest iPod Touch, but some of the features, like multitasking, won't be available for iPhone 3G and earlier versions of the Touch. The iPad will get the update this fall. Multitasking is the most exciting announcement. You'll be able to play music in the background in apps like Pandora, not just the iTunes app. Skype will also be able to run in the background so you can still receive calls when you're working in other apps or have the screen locked. There will be a dock that'll display current applications that are running. Inboxes will have the ability to merge in iPhone OS 4.0, and we'll be able to view threaded conversations. Bluetooth keyboard is finally here! Apps will be able to be sorted into Folders, instead of having them all strewn about different pages. This will help the organized person like me. iBooks will be available on the iPhone, and you'll be able to wirelessly sync your books so you can stop reading on one device and pick up on another, just like the Kindle. The most controversial update is iAd. Apple wants to help developers keep their apps free and still make some money. But Apple doesn't just want to put ads in the apps, they want to revamp what we think of when we see ads by making them "interactive and emotional". Salina and Jerry set up a pre-wedding website, SalinaHeartsJerry.com, using my promo code GEEK to easily build and easily maintain a website at SquareSpace.com, and saved 12%.
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GBTV #737 (small) | ARRI 4K Camera, Allegro WiFi Radio, Squeezebox Touch, Element 117
04/08/2010 07:52 PM
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The makers of the camera the TV show House uses normally, ARRI, are coming out with a 4K professional camera called the ARRI Alexa. It's a camera made for movies and supports formats Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) and ProRes4444 that are compatible with Final Cut Pro. The Allegro WiFi Radio has support for Pandora, Sirius Internet radio, Live 365, CNN, NPR, BBC and more. Or you can take a look at the Squeezebox Touch from Logitech. It gets audio via WiFi, but also can play off an SD card or USB drive. The NexConnect SOHO is a 3G/4G router that allows you to plug in a broadband card and send the signal to several devices. Scientists have created Element 117 to study how neutrons and protons bind together. It lasts for fractions of a second, then self destructs. My discount code Geek will save you 25% when you sign up for a membership at Angie's List, and it'll save you a lot more in the long run by helping you hire trusted people in your community for things around the house as well as doctors!
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GBTV #736 (small) | I'm an Action Figure!, Drobo FS, Slate PC, iPhone OS 4
04/07/2010 05:17 PM
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Country Music Television turned me into an action figure! They're premiering a couple new shows on Friday, April 9th, Danger Coast and Gator Country. The previews I got were fun, take a chance to check them out on CMT and WelcomeToAdventureCountry.com. Data Robotics released the Drobo FS. It does file sharing over your network, and it works very smoothly. You can enter to win a Drobo FS. They'll announce a winner Thursday, April 8th at noon Pacific time. Better hurry! Apple will be showing off their plans for iPhone OS 4.0. Apple bills it as a "sneak peek of the next generation of iPhone OS software." I'll be live on Thursday at 10 AM Pacific time during the announcement at calilive.tv. I hope you'll join me for a fun chat! Trendfarm.co.uk was built using my discount code GEEK at SquareSpace.com. You can get an easy to build, easy to maintain website too, and be sure to let me know when you do - twitter.com/calilewis.
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GBTV #735 (small) | iPad Sales, Sub-25nm flash memory, [H]ouse using 5D Mark II
04/06/2010 04:27 PM
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Apple says they sold 300,000 iPads by the end of Saturday, April 3rd, 250,000 eBooks and over 1,000,000 apps were downloaded. Toshiba is working on packing more storage into smaller packages, and they're spending $160 million to do it. I visited the set of the TV show House a few weeks ago where they were shooting an entire episode on a Canon 5D Mark II. No TV show has ever done that, and it's very exciting to see technology impact the way our entertainment is being made. You can follow the producing director, Greg Yaitanes, on Twitter. Please leave a comment below with your thoughts on how traditional media and new media could work together in a partnership rather than seeing each other as competition. Brief 735 was brought to you by ACLens.com, where you can get contact lenses and glasses at a great discount by entering coupon code GBTV in the special instructions box at ACLens.com.
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GBTV #733 (small) | HMTL5 on iPad, Wolfram|Alpha App, Google Envelope, Unvarnished
04/01/2010 08:04 PM
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HTML5 is about to blow up thanks to the iPad. When you browse to Flickr and Ted.com on the iPad, you'll be automatically switched over to viewing videos with HTML5. Netflix will have a free iPad app, with the ability to switch devices (iPad to TV, or vice versa) in the middle of watching a movie. Wolfram|Alpha just lowered their iPhone app from $50 to $1.99. If you paid $50 for it, you can get a refund. Unvarnished allows you to rate and review people, just like Yelp does for businesses. What do you think about this? Horrible or kind of interesting? Leave a comment below! This episode is brought to you by Angie's List where a gathering of people's opinions IS a good thing. It allows you to hire contractors, painters, and housekeepers who others in your community trust, and you can save money by using my discount code GEEK at angieslist.com.
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GBTV #731 (small) | iPad Guided Tours, Coby MP570, Aegis Padlock Pro, Portable GuideLight, Cloak Bag
03/30/2010 05:07 PM
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Apple released guided tours for the iPad. Take a look at how apps will work, starting on Saturday, April 3rd, when the iPad is released and ready for purchase! How Numbers will work on iPad How Pages will work on iPad How Keynote will work on iPad How YouTube will work on iPad How Videos will work on iPad How iTunes will work on iPad How iPod will work on iPad How Photos will work on iPad How Mail will work on iPad How Safari will work on iPad How Books will work on iPad The Coby MP570 is an MP3 player with 2GB of storage, but more importantly, the Coby is a perfect example of what a mouse design should look like! The Aegis Padlock Pro is an eSATA / USB Portable Drive that has a keypad on it to lock and unlock 256-bit AES real-time Hardware Encryption. Philips' Portable GuideLight Nightlight brings back the old notion of walking around your house with a lantern. It's safe for kids, too! Cloak Bags help protect your camera and at the same time, give you instant access to take pictures without the struggle of removing your camera from the bag. Brief 731 was brought to you by SquareSpace. BuYousef.com was set up using my discount code GEEK at SquareSpace.com. He's a photographer and the site is worth browsing around!
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GBTV #729 (small) | 22 Megapixel Display Wall Featuring a Gigapixel Image
03/25/2010 04:11 PM
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Tor-Magne Stien Hagen, Daniel Stødle and Otto J. Anshus, students at the University of Tromsø, Norway are working on a 22 mega pixel display wall constructed from 28 projectors and driven by a display cluster of 30 nodes. Each projector creates a 1024x768 resolution image and the 28 images are tiled together to form a 7168x3072 resolution display. The goal is to provide a way for people to interact with massive gigapixel photographs. The image the students were working with was created by Eirik Helland Urke and is available on his Web site, gigapix.no. Brief 729 was brought to you by ACLens.com. You can save 10% off your prescription sunglasses, contacts or glasses by using discount code GBTV, for GeekBrief.TV.
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GBTV #728 (small) | WePad, Gowalla, QuantamFilm, OWLE
03/24/2010 08:36 PM
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The WePadis an iPad alternative with an 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, a webcam, two USB ports and more. Some of you may like it more than the iPad. I met Josh Williams, the co-founder ofGowalla, and interviewed him right before Gowalla won two awards. You can see the full interview at calilewis.me/gowalla. I love the OWLE! It's a cradle for your iPhone that gives you interchangeable lenses, a mic and a cold shoe. Brief 728 was brought to you by Angie's List. You can find contractors, painters, housekeepers (the list goes on and on) in your community that are trusted and rated. And you can save 25% when you use my coupon code GEEK.
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GBTV 726 (small) | Ooma, Hydro Floors, Surgical Sponges with RFID
03/20/2010 03:40 PM
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A while back, I tweeted that I had set up and was using Ooma . I have since gotten many requests for me to give an update on my experience. Ooma allows you to skip the bill with regular phone service, get free calling and just pay a one time fee of $250 for the device. Hydro Floors are moveable floor that covers a swimming pool. One minute it's a floor you can walk on, the next...or okay, probably about twenty minutes later...it's a pool! ClearCountmakes surgical sponges with RFID in them to help with the problem of doctors leaving sponges in patients before sewing them back up. Today's Brief was brought to you by ACLens.com. Put my discount code GBTV in the Special Instructions box when you order contact lenses and glasses to save an additional 10% off already 70% discounted prices. Tweet me @calilewis when you use the code!
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GBTV #720 (small) | Pandora Thriving, Joey Roth Ceramic Speakers, Martin Jetpack Update, Code Organ
03/09/2010 11:20 PM
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One of my favorite companies, Pandora is thriving lately. They've gone from the founder driving around the country spreading the word about the service, to 48 million users and an expected $100 million in revenue this year. The Joey Roth Ceramic Speakers are cool looking speakers made of porcelain and baltic birch plywood, cork, aluminum and cast iron. I talked about the Martin Jetpack on Brief 692, and now I have an update for you. They're going to be making 500 units available for sale for $75,000 each. Codeorgan.com turns your website's code into a song, using the most commonly used note to formulate a unique song. Watch the video to hear GeekBrief.TV's song. You can use promo code GEEK to save 25% on a membership at and the membership pays for itself when you hire trusted contractors, housekeepers, and painters in your community. Vendors often offer coupons to Angie's List members!
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GBTV #719 (small) | Rapportive, World's Smallest Computer, Panasonic G2 & G10, Kojiro Robot
03/09/2010 12:44 AM
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I've always said I don't want my Gmail and my social networks to collide, but with the release of a browser plugin called Rapportive I change my mind! Rapportive replaces the ads on the right side of your email with information about the person you're talking with. USmart claims to have the world's smallest computer with a 4.8" screen, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage. Panasonic announced another round of Micro Four Thirds cameras. The DMC-G10 and DMC-G2 both shoot 720p video and have a 12.1 megapixel Live MOS sensor. The University of Tokyo's JSK Robotic Laboratory has been building Kojiro, a humanoid robot that's made up of artificial bones, muscles and tendons. It has a human like spine structure, and motors move cables in a way that mimics human movements. The guys at eyotaambulance.org used my coupon code GEEK at SquareSpace.com to build an easy to maintain website. Make sure you tweet me @calilewis when you use the code, and let me know what site you built!
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GBTV #715 (small) | iLet Mini HAL, PowerA IR Case, Shuttle Barebone XS35, Q Speakers
03/02/2010 02:46 AM
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The iLet Mini HAL looks like it'll be an interesting tablet device, but tell me...because of the iPad, do you care? Leave a comment below! Power A has an iPhone case that adds remote IR control so you can use your phone to control devices around the house. Shuttle announced their Barebone XS35 mini PC meant to be mounted behind an HDTV. A major plus is the lack of a fan so you know it'll be quiet! QSpeakers.com were developed in collaboration with the sound engineer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Levine, and they have an energy efficient Hypex Class D amplifier. The guys over at eyotaambulance.com used my promo code GEEK to save 25% when signing up at SquareSpace.comto create a website that's easy to build and easy to maintain. It's all drag and drop! You don't need to know ANY programming code.
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GBTV #714 (small) | A Closer Look at Bing & I'll Honor the Embargo
02/26/2010 10:38 AM
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Today, I take a closer look at Bing and why you'd want to use it. For a more detailed look and to see the video where Bing answers your Twitter questions, read my post on CaliLewis.me. A video about PR relationships posted on TechCrunch made me laugh, and since it's one of the things you have to deal with if you're interested in doing something similar as what I do on GeekBrief.TV, I wanted to share it with you! Brief 714 was brought to you by ACLens.com, where you can save 70% on contact lenses and glasses, and on top of that, you can save an additional 10% by using my coupon code. Just enter GBTV in the Special Instructions box, and you're all set!
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GBTV #711 (small) | Jazari, Sigma DP2s, Samsung Pocket & Compact Camcorders, Smart Car iPhone App
02/23/2010 10:25 PM
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Patrick Flanagan hacked the Wiimote to control Jazari, a robotic drumming system. The Sigma DP2s compact digital camera has a 14 megapixel FOVEON X3 direct image CMOS sensor and lots more, but only shoots 320x240 video. Samsung's new line of HD Pocket Camcorders include the HMX-U15 and the HMX-U20. They have a similar option to the Sigma DP2 called the TL500. It's supposed to have one of the brightest lenses on a compact camera. The Smart Car has a package with an iPhone app, a cradle and navigation upgrade. The app's interface gives drivers quick acces to media, phone, maps and GPS functionality, and the app interacts with the car's audio system to provide information about songs playing on the radio. The Port Arthur Little Theater used my coupon code GEEK to save 12% when signing up at SquareSpace.com to create PALT.org. You can too, and make sure you tweet me when you do!
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GBTV #710 (small) | DIY 3D Video System, Google Docs Update, HTC Legend, Square, Panelfly Comics
02/19/2010 04:52 PM
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Ron Proctor and Amy Jo Proctor created a 3D video system that you can do yourself for only $250. Google announced an update for Docs. The clipboard will be on the Cloud, so copy and paste will give you more functionality. The HTC Legend is a unibody Android phone with a couple cool features like the ringer sensor and ability to silence your phone just by flipping it over. Square is an attachement for your iPhone allowing your to swipe credit cards and process them over the Internet. Panelfly gives you access to a library of digital comics on the iPhone and iPad and it's growing every day. You can find more about where I am and what I'm up to at Facebook.com/CaliLewisFans. Angie'sList.com/Geek will save you 25% on a membership, and with that membership, you can save money on an ongoing basis by hiring trusted people to work on your house, and getting a good deal.
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GBTV #708 (small) | The Internet Bus, Savant & iPads, SublimeVideo HTML5 Player
02/16/2010 10:14 PM
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A school district in Vail, Arizona decided to test what would happen if they put WiFi in a schoolbus that has a 140-mile round trip. The results? The students are quieter and more productive. Savant President, Jim Carroll says the iPad will change the business model for home automation. The SublimeVideo HTML5 Video Player is a great looking HTML5 video player that is being demo'd at www.geekbrief.tv/sublime I know a LOT of you watch on your TiVo box, and many of you are experiencing issues with the aspect ratio, where the sides of the video are cut out. Unfortunately, the problem seems to be completely random so far, so I need your help! If you're experiencing this, please leave a comment below telling me what you're seeing, and most importantly the specific TiVo box you have - HD, Series 3, and any other information you think I need to know.
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GBTV #707 (small) | PaperShow, SkyFi, U-Socket, Autopark, ShowWX Laser Pico Projector, Kanex HDMI to Mini DisplayPort Adapter
02/15/2010 07:01 PM
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PaperShow combines a special pen and special paper with a computer screen. What you write on the paper appears on the screen and then what you write on the screen can be printed out on more paper. SkyFi is a Wireless Telescope Controller that when combined with the SkyVoyager iPhone app, will give astronomy geeks the ability to control a GoTo telescope from an iPhone. The U-Socket AC/USB power outlet from Fastmac picked up a Best of Show prize. We've already talked about the outlets on the Brief. They're still waiting on UL approval, but are available for pre-order. The Autopark iPhone App helps you with all aspects of parking, from finding your car, to reminding you that your meter is about to expire. Microvision announced the ShowWX Laser Pico Projector. It's always in focus, no matter how close or far from the surface it's projecting on. Kanex has an HDMI to Mini DisplayPort adapter that lets you connect HD sources. Smoothbassman Productions used my discount code, GEEK, to save 12% at SquareSpace.com.
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GBTV #703 (small) | Sling Player on 3G, Nexus One & Droid get Multitouch, eBook Prices Rising, Twitter Makes Popcorn
02/08/2010 10:43 PM
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Google advertised during the Superbowl. The ad wasn't new, but it was cute. I asked you guys on Twitter what you thought. Was it worth it for Google to spend this kind of advertising money? Most of you liked the ad and were happy to see it. Some of you thought they should be promoting other services or the Nexus One instead of Search. Moosimus Maximus said "Google's advert was great! Smart, funny, and touching. Google is the king of search. Eat your heart out, Bing." and Mr Bijoy said "I loved it, just don't tell my guy friends...." AT&T announced that the Sling Player iPhone app will finally be allowed to stream over their 3G network. Previously it was only allowed to work over WiFi. The Nexus One received an update that includes multitouch for Maps, browser and the gallery. The Droid now has multitouch in maps. It looks like the price of best selling eBooks are indeed rising to the $12.99-$14.99 price range. Three of the major publishers have moved in that direction. Dave Britt and Justin Goeres made a robotic Twitter-powered popcorn machine. You can see the video at CaliLewis.me/popcorn. Jack Irby used my coupon code GEEK at SquareSpace.com to build himself an great looking website, wiredtowine.com. When you do it too, you can save yourself 12%, and when you do, be sure to let me know about it!
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GBTV #696 (small) | Apple iPad
01/28/2010 01:08 AM
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Today, Steve Jobs took the stage to satisfy the cravings of thousands of geeks. We've been hearing rumors about the Apple Tablet for well over a year now, and the past month has been sheer torture with all the speculation surrounding this unicorn of a device! It's called the iPad . I'll get to the price in a couple minutes, but first let's take a look at what it does. Steve talked about having a spot to fill between the iPhone and a laptop. There's a gap there that netbooks have tried to fill, but they haven't been so successful at filling the need. I'd agree with Steve on that with the exception of the Nokia Booklet 3G. There is a need for a portable device that's larger and does more than the iPhone but isn't as heavy or cumbersome as a laptop. That was Apple's goal with the iPad. They wanted it to be better, more intuitive at browsing the web than a laptop is. They wanted people to be able to share and browse photos and videos, listen to music, play games and read eBooks. My initial opinion? They mostly succeeded, with a couple exceptions. The device is very thin at 1/2 an inch, and it weighs 1.5 pounds. No netbook that I'm aware of matches these specs. The screen is 9.7 inches, which I'm thrilled about. I really didn't want an 11 incher. They're using a custom silicon chip called the A4 and Steve says "it screams". It has 802.11n, WiFi and Bluetooth. The battery life is 10 hours. That's much better than the iPhone and better than most netbooks. Of course, it has an accelerometer, a compass, a built in speaker, a mic and a dock connector. There are a couple accessories. One of them is a black case that doubles as a stand. The other is a dock with keyboard. I love that they did this. I don't mind a virtual keyboard one bit but it certainly is nice to use a real keyboard from time to time. Outside of the expected apps on the iPad like Calendar, iTunes, Mail and Google Maps, there will also be three things to look forward to - iWork, iBooks and 3rd Party Apps. Apple has spent the last year rebuilding iWork to play nicely with the iPad. Keynote, Numbers and Pages are all available in a format that looks very pleasant to use. You can even hook up a projector to display your Keynote Presentation. Each iWork app will be available for $9.99. iBooks is their eBook reader application. The browsing and purchasing process is very visual - it looks like a bookshelf so you can not only see book titles but also the covers. You'll of course be able to download books directly from the iPad. Apple teamed up with Penguin, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachett Book Group to provide a full library of books. Not only best sellers and classics, but also textbooks. You'll have access to the same 3rd party apps from the App Store without the developers having to make any modifications. Devs can modify their apps with the new SDK, but they don't have to. When you're viewing an app, tap a button to scale it to full screen. I expect this will be tied to your iTunes account, so whatever you have on your iPhone, you should be able to get on your iPad. There are two major things the iPad lacks. There is no camera. At all. So no iChat or video conferencing with this device, which is going to be a huge disappointment for a lot of people. The other thing is multitasking. Unfortunately I think this might be a deal breaker for me. For the iPad to truly be in the middle...in between the iPhone and a laptop, it really should have the ability to run a couple applications at once. The main reason Apple doesn't do this is because running multiple apps makes it possible for the device to crash from time to time. But, it's more of a hinderance on the educated consumer to not be able to do what we need to do than to have to deal with a crash from time to time. Let's get down to business. I know you want to know one thing and only one thing. What are they charging?? There are three base models. The 16GB model is $499, the 32 gig is $599 and the 64GB version is $699. These are WiFi devices only, and if you want 3G capability, add $130 to any of those base prices. We all thought Verizon would be taking claim to the 3G contracts, but as it turns out, there will be no contract with AT&T. It's prepaid and you can cancel at any time. The 250MB plan is $14.99/month. Unlimited access is $29.99/month. This is half the price of any other data plan you can get on any of the networks. We can expect the WiFi models to start shipping in 60 days, and the 3G versions in 90 days. International plans will be coming in June. The prices are better than we expected, but it's lacking some functionality. Will you be buying one? Leave a comment or tweet me . This episode was brought to you by Angie'sList.com where you can use discount code GEEK to save 25% off your subscription. Angie's List will help you find respected contractors, housekeepers, plumbers and more. I'm Cali Lewis. Thanks for watching!
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GBTV #694 (small) | Thom Filicia Design & Savant Home Automation
01/22/2010 08:31 PM
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Savant and one of my favorite designers, Thom Filicia teamed up to create an amazing showroom in New York. The HVAC system, security system, computer network, lighting and entertainment system are all connected. Everything can be controlled from various touch screen controllers installed around the house. There are controllers in the walls, controllers accessible from any TV or projector in the apartment, and like we talked about on the Brief before, there's an iPhone app that makes it possible to control everything with an iPhone or iPod Touch. From anywhere in the apartment, you can pull up content from connected iPods, Apple TVs, cable boxes, blu-ray players, and DirecTV. Even the grand piano is connected. You can be in bed and send a command to the Piano to play a song for you. You can be in the home theater and play a movie stored on an iPod docked in the bedroom. Thanks to Tom Filicia for taking the time to do this interview, and to Savant for showing us around!
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GBTV #693 (small) | Apple Tablet on Verizon, Tablet Face Recognition, Kindle Dev Kit & Free Promotion, Saygus Vphone
01/21/2010 03:53 PM
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We've heard it before, but we're getting more concrete information that the Apple Tablet will be subsidized by Verizon. It may also have face recognition with the ability to share the device between all of the family members.Â
Amazon released a Kindle Dev Kit that'll allow developers to create apps for the Kindle. They also are giving certain users the chance to buy a Kindle at no risk. If you don't like it, get your money back and keep the device.
The Saygus Vphone specializes in video calls on low bandwidth. You can talk for over 160 hours on a 5GB monthly limit.Â
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GBTV #686 (small) | HP & Dell Slate, Sony Blu-ray Player, Sprint Overdrive, A.R. Drone
01/07/2010 06:28 PM
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Last night, Microsoft announced Slate PCs in their otherwise disconnected keynote presentation, and pinpointed the HP Slate. Dell is also coming out with their own version. The BDP-S770 Blu-ray player from Sony has an iPhone app already to go so you can use your iPhone as a remote. Sprint announced their 3G/4G Overdrive mobile broadband hub. The Parrot A.R. Drone is a WiFi enable helicopter that uses an iPhone to control it. GeekBrief.TV CES coverage is brought to you by Angieslist.com/geek where you can find member recommended service providers from carpenters to doctors to wedding planners. Promo code GEEK saves you 25% when you join and supports the production of The Brief.
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GBTV #683 (small) | CES Coverage, Olympus EP-1, ZOMM, Popbox, Touchless Phone Navigation
01/04/2010 04:59 PM
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Since we can't make it to CES this year, we'll go live and stay live to cover the news as it happens. Follow me on Twitter for CES updates. I've been testing the Olympus EP-1. The last test before having to send it back was at the Japanese Garden at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. You can see pictures and video on my blog, www.calilewis.me. ZOMM hasn't been released yet, but when it is, it'll serve as a wireless leash for your phone by beeping at you when you get too far. The Popbox Media Hub is a box that will send media from your network to your TV for $129. Tokyo University is showing off technology that brings gesture control to mobile phones and registers gestures for clicking, typing and interacting with photos and video. If you have home improvement projects in the plans for 2010, Angie's List is the best way to find help you can trust, and my code GEEK will save you 25% when you join.
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