Google TV Beta Tester's Leaked Video

Check it out, here's a quick peek at Google TV running on a  Logitech Revue. I like the idea that it is controllable with the Harmony remote or the Harmony Android app! 



Credit: Gizmodo

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My Name Is Earl... and I'm A Big Blow Hard!

We are in the middle of a visit from Hurricane Earl. Still a Hurricane (Level 1) as it passes through Nova Scotia but is expected to be Post Tropical when the eye of the storm passes over us on Prince Edward Island. Woke to no power this morning and that was before the winds even picked up, apparently Maritime Electric had equipment failure at our local substation and power is back for now. While we've endured such weather in the past, this is the first time in recent memory that it's come during the day, and so we can view the storm in all it's glory. I'll try to get some photo's / video if I can but our subdivision doesn't have a lot of mature trees, which is both a blessing and a curse. I'm not sure that any images I will be able to capture will be that impressive but then again, it's not likely that a tree will land on my house. I have to admit, I am fond of a good storm and have been ever since I was young, mother nature has always fascinated me. I hope the damage is minimal and that everyone stays safe, but I do enjoy being in the middle of the action. :)

NASA iPad App = Geek Eye Candy

It's no secret, I'm a huge fan of NASA and all of the technology they develop and use. When I heard that NASA had developed a free HD app I quickly fired up the iPad and made my way to the app store to download NASA App HD a fist full of interactive hi-definition goodness. Next to Flipboard this might be my new favorite app. I love the shots of and from space, and who isn't impressed by big toys these folks get to play with? Pictures from todays full-scale test firing of the DM-2, the largest and most powerful solid rocket motor designed for flight, are awesome. Incredible photos of hurricane action down here on earth from the ISS crew and tons of info about many NASA projects past and president. Very pretty!

Priority Inbox, Gmail - Now With Even More Awesomeness

I have virtually replaced all of my other email clients and accounts with Gmail, the transition has been gradual and was spurred largely by my acquisition of an Android phone over a year ago. Until that time my Gmail account was definitely used but not nearly to the extent that it has been since. Now Google has unveiled another reason to love Gmail with the release of Priority Inbox. Gmail was already good at sniffing out spam but with priority inbox Gmail learns, over time, what is important to you by analyzing which mail you open and beyond that what you reply to. It's more than just starring an email, it... well... prioritizes your mail to make it easy to find the really important stuff. If I haven't sold you then you must check out the dance of joy that this happy fella does!

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Source: The Official Google Blog

Facebook Places - Good For Location Based Services?

A recent report from Forrester Research suggests that only 4 percent of Americans have tried location-based services, and that 1 percent use them weekly. The numbers also indicate that users of the service generally live in urban areas and are very tech savvy. “Ever since mobile phones and location technology got started, there have been conversations about the potential for doing something really incredible with this for marketers,” said Melissa Parrish, an interactive marketing analyst at Forrester. “But clearly the question is whether it has reached the mainstream, and it looks like the answer is no.” I think that I would also add, a big... not yet!

“Clearly location is not yet mainstream — it’s still a younger-demographic phenomenon — but if anyone can change it, Facebook will,” said Sam Altman, chief executive of Loopt. I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Altman. Consider how many many of your elder family members and friends who might have ever tried video games, now think of how many Facebook messages you receive regarding Farmville, Mafia Wars, and the like... who are the people associated with these requests? If your Facebook timeline looks like mine, it's the older less than technical folk. Additionally, while this is a very small sampling, my 16 year old asked me about foursquare recently. He, as you can imagine is truly tuned into technology and while he and his friends have largely shunned Twitter, foursquare has caught there attention and they are after all the Facebook generation.

In my mind it is business, large and small, that have to take the lead and make location based services more than a game that is played between tech savvy friends, and they will, over time. I can't imagine that phone manufacturers will start abandoning location, nor do I imagine that location based services will give up and go away. It's but a matter of time before we see the real value that location holds and when we do, look out.   

Source: nytimes.com