Tech Goes Strong

How to Waterproof Your Smart Phone

stewartwolpin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:00:00 +0000

"Whoops!"

Ker-PLUNK!

These are not words or sound effects you want hear where your spanking new $200 or $500 smart phone is concerned.

But it is accepted that the biggest cause of smart phone damage is "Whoops!" and ker-PLUNK, usually right in the toilet bowl. And if it isn't the toilet, it's a puddle. Or a swimming pool. Or the kitchen sink while you're washing dishes.

Water. A smart phone's worst enemy.

Why I Won't Boycott Apple

stewartwolpin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Some people's opinions about Apple and the recent reports of working conditions in the Chinese factories where iPods, iPads and iPhones are made remind me of that scene in Casablanca where Claude Rains is shocked – SHOCKED – to find there is gambling going on here.

Super Bowl Week: The Best Time To Buy a New TV

stewartwolpin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:00:00 +0000

It's the week before the Patriots beat the Giants (for New England readers) or the Giants beat the Patriots (for New York/New Jersey readers) or you see a lot of really cool commercials (for those who don't care about football) in the Super Bowl this weekend.

In tech land, the Super Bowl means one thing – it's the best week of the year to buy a new TV. If you can't find a ridiculous bargain on a new set, you aren't trying.

Why is this cheap HDTV week? A confluence of two events, a perfect storm for HDTV bargain hunters.

What is the 'Future of Television'?

stewartwolpin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

It seems as if you just bought that flat screen HDTV, doesn't it? And based on the headline of this post, a sickening feeling is curdling in your innards that that HDTV you sorta just bought is already out-of-date.

Fear not. Your current HDTV in fine and dandy, and will be fine and dandy for a long time to come. No need to have an HDTV inferiority complex.

JVC Turns its Camcorders into Security Cameras

stewartwolpin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Sitting in your closet or a bottom drawer is your camcorder, taken out for special occasions or a vacation. Sort of seems like a waste. You spent all that money only to have your camcorder go unused for 99 percent of the year.

Not any more. JVC is one of a growing number of camcorder makers, including Canon, Sony, Samsung and Polaroid, to add Wi-Fi capabilities to their video capture wares, usually to facilitate wireless transfer of your footage to a PC or online.

No More 'Kodak Moments'?

stewartwolpin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:09:38 +0000

It was with profound sadness that I read of Kodak's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, especially since the story was buried by SOPA. Regardless of the company that emerges from the process, Kodak as you and I knew it is gone.

There was a time when the only American logo more prevalent than Kodak in even the most out-of-the-way locales around the world was Coca-Cola, and in most tourist stops, not even.

Defining SOPA Solutions

stewartwolpin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Let's say you go to a Lady Gaga concert. Using your smartphone, you video her performance of "The Edge of Glory." When you get home, you upload your video of "The Edge of Glory" to YouTube and your Facebook page.

Have you broken the law?

Let's say you own a copy of "The Edge of Glory" that you ripped from a CD, and your neighbor wants a copy. So you email her your "The Edge of Glory" MP3 file.

Have you broken the law?

What if you use that MP3 copy of "The Edge of Glory" as the soundtrack to a Lady Gaga video montage you post on YouTube?

Why is Wikipedia Dark? What is 'SOPA'?

stewartwolpin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:29:42 +0000

If you tune your Web browser to Wikipedia, you'll find not the familiar search bar, "Today's featured article," "In the news," "Did you know…," "On this day…," but the screen pictured on the left with this message (in case the type is too small in the picture):

"Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

Hands On With Nintendo's New Wii U

stewartwolpin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

In case you haven't heard, Nintendo will be introducing a new-and-improved version of its wildly popular Wii video game system, the Wii U (and, no, I don't know why it's the "U") sometime later this year at a price yet to be determined.

At CES last week, I got a personal Wii U hands-on tour.

The Best Way to Exercise While You Work?

stewartwolpin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:42:51 +0000

Where are you right now? I'll bet you're lumped in an office chair or sunk in a sofa as you're reading this.

See the photo at the left? That's my wife. She's also surfing the Web. Except, she's simultaneously cycling away the calories on a gadget called FitDesk. After she dismounted, I hopped on and started writing this post while cycling.