Technology meets people.

July 2009 Blog Posts (19)

Sheryl Crow to Help Open USGBC's Greenbuild With Chase Field Performance

Contact: Ashley Katz

Communications Manager, USGBC

202.742.3738

akatz@usgbc.org

Follow us on Twitter at @USGBC

USGBC Annually Convenes More than 25,000 at Greenbuild

July 30, 2009 (Washington, DC) – The U.S. Green Building Council today announced that a performance by environmental advocate and nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow will help open its Greenbuild 2009 Conference, the world’s premier forum on sustainable buildings and… Continue

Added by Joyce Pellino Crane on July 30, 2009 at 3:52pm — No Comments

Pass the OTT Video Popcorn: Popcorn Hour Podcast

In the latest in our podcast series on IPTV and over-the-top (OTT) video, we speak with Alex Limberis, COO of Syabas, otherwise known as “Popcorn Hour”. Alex knows a thing or two about digital media, as he was formerly the go-to guy driving Microsoft’s strategy for integrating Windows Media with just about every device that could fit it, including high-profile wins getting WM… Continue

Added by Brian Mahony on July 30, 2009 at 12:00am — No Comments

Round One in Over the Top Video Battle— Free(ish); Round Two— Not Free(ish)

Perhaps in a slip-up of judgment, last week Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger suggested that one day Hulu may charge to watch its content, which today is free but advertising supported. Mr. Iger’s comment makes one wonder whether this was part of the secret plan for Hulu all along, and the reason the company finally added its content to the Fox… Continue

Added by Brian Mahony on July 28, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

A New Application for Managing Diabetes: WellDoc System Promises Cost Savings

(Listen to the accompanying podcast: “Impact! A New Approach for Patients with Diabetes”)

Managing diabetes is a fulltime challenge that requires patients to track their blood sugar levels on an ongoing basis.

Typically, patients visit an endocrinologist once every three months for monitoring. But this approach has done nothing to stem the devastating results of the… Continue

Added by Joyce Pellino Crane on July 27, 2009 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Imagine the Possibilities-Smart Home going mainstream

Turn on your iPhone and see who is at the door? Change your home security options on the road? Turn down the thermostat when on vacation? Entertainment options in the home that store and manage digital media is commonplace. We can download movies from the Internet on a television and play our favorite songs stored on our computers to listen on a stereo system around the house. Moving beyond entertainment, and exploring future options, companies like… Continue

Added by Ellen Veden on July 25, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

GigaTribe: Videos on the Road

GigaTribe, the free community file sharing software, has partnered with DivX to integrate the DivX Web Player within GigaTribe for unlimited personal video streaming from a web browser while using GigaTribe on the road. The DivX video streaming feature is available immediately from GigaTribe.

No Waiting to View Your Videos-Previously, when downloading video from GigaTribe’s “Private Area,” users had to wait until the video was completely… Continue

Added by Ellen Veden on July 24, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Free McAfee - For Comcast Customers

Everybody needs an anti-virus and anti-spyware software product installed on each one of their home computers. Some prefer the basic paired down freeware version from the likes of AVG, Clam, etc. Most of us prefer to have the psychological benefit of knowing that someone is actually paid to keep up to date with the many threats in cyberspace. Being in the security business is a non stop night and day job – always staying abreast of the latest threats.… Continue

Added by Michael Whalen on July 24, 2009 at 6:00am — 1 Comment

The Honeymoon is Over. Time to Look at Our Relationship with the Apple iPhone 3Gs

Let’s face it, us technology people are a somewhat fickle bunch. We “oooh” and “aaaah” over our shiny new toys. We treat them better than most of our extended family. And then the moment a shinier newer toy is available, we grab it and then the cycle starts all over again.

Such is the case with our iPhone. We traded in that Edge model for the sexier new 3G. Once we grew tired of our slimmer & sexier phone, we were treated to the… Continue

Added by Jason Kren on July 23, 2009 at 4:12pm — No Comments

Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse at IPTV Forum: Over the Top Video Threat is Overblown

I have been in New York City this week attending the IP&TV Forum North America event. Many of the major telcos and cable MSOs are here, including Verizon, AT&T, Cox, Comcast, SureWest, QWEST, Orange (France Telecom), and Rogers. Though skewed towards players in the Pay TV/IPTV realms, there is also a smattering of over-the-top video (OTT) devices and services including Sezmi, Popcorn Hour, BeeTV and… Continue

Added by Brian Mahony on July 22, 2009 at 8:30am — 1 Comment

Heading to the beach or taking a safari?

The Samsung TL320 ultra-wide angle lens 12 mega-pixel compact digital camera is a pocket favorite. With a 24mm ultra-wide angle lens, this rugged camera has a 3” screen with a high resolution, easily viewed indoors and in direct sunlight. The features makes this camera special – wide angle lens with 5x optical zoom and high-definition video recording with a cradle to view your videos and photos on HDTV. For easy use, the automatic controls make it… Continue

Added by Ellen Veden on July 20, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Selecting Anti-spyware for the home

With 50-60 Anti-virus and Anti-spyware products available how is a home computer user supposed to decide which one is the best choice to protect their home computers? Most home users do not have the time or desire to become an expert on AV/AS packages. One way to narrow down your choices is to check and see what the experts are saying regarding the effectiveness of different AV/AS products in detecting malware on your PC. This information changes over… Continue

Added by Michael Whalen on July 17, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Home Controls for Digital Livins

With a new round of funding, Control4 is expanding their platform for the home by adding energy monitoring for you to control energy consumption and entertainment on one box. The company already offers a networked thermostat, the Control 4 Wireless Thermostat that allows people to control temperature settings. Early next year, with new funding, the company plans to include smart meters, which have two-way communications built in, into the home-area… Continue

Added by Ellen Veden on July 15, 2009 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Sony Adds Netflix: OTT Video Catch-Up or Leapfrog?

Not to be outdone by rivals Vizio, Panasonic, LG, Samsung, and other HDTV manufacturers, as well as gaming consoles like… Continue

Added by Brian Mahony on July 13, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

RETAIL WAR-Walmart and Best Buy

With the close of Circuit City, Walmart and Best Buy are out to gain customers and market share in the consumer electronics market. Announced in the New York Times today, the retail battle is on with BestBuy announcing a partnership with TiVo, promoting a special version of DVR in Best Buy’s US stores in the US with Best Buy promoting to their customers TV’s on a special TiVo DVR and their Napster… Continue

Added by Ellen Veden on July 10, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Revolutionary? No. But Chrome OS Could be Giant Evolutionary Step.

When I'm looking at an offering in the technology world aimed at the average end user, I often use this simple criteria in judging it's ease of use, "Would my mother be able to enjoy the primary benefit of this product/service/software without my help."

I know. I know. Sounds like I'm insulting Mom. I swear, though, I'm not.

She's a smart, intuitive, capable woman (of course she is - I'm her son!), but she likes her… Continue

Added by Jason Kren on July 8, 2009 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Home Computer Safety Basics – A Refresher

We pay taxes to fund the local Police who help insure our physical safety and keep the peace. It would be great if there were an online equivalent to the local police, someone that you could count on to catch the bad guys. The distributed nature of the internet would require much more international cooperation than there is today in order to really take a bite out of internet crime. However, there is actually an organization, funded by your tax… Continue

Added by Michael Whalen on July 6, 2009 at 9:39am — No Comments

High Tech "Wake and Shake"

iLUV has done it again by bringing out a unique product for those who cringe at the sound of the morning alarm. The iMMM 153 desktop alarm for your iPod has a bed shaker you can tuck under you pillow to shake you out of your slumber along with your favorite music. The alarm has built-in speakers to hear your music with depth and clarity and features a large, easy to read display with a dimmer control. You can listen to the sounds from your IPod,… Continue

Added by Ellen Veden on July 5, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

FIRST Robotics Competitions: Can (Lots of) Kids in Braces Help Foster Consumer Adoption?

There are a few ways to increase the acceptance and adoption of consumer robots. One way is to build better robots. Another way is to educate consumers about what robots can (and can’t) do for them. Another is to create a diabolical army of robots that kill off all the humans so it won’t matter. Assuming the first two methods are more practical, one might want to focus on the next-generation of consumers and business leaders. You know, those sentient… Continue

Added by Brian Mahony on July 3, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

With ROCKET LIFE-cool personalized gifts

If you are looking for a program to make personalized gifts – mugs, teeshirts, photo albums, this one is fun, compared to other tedious programs like Kodak and Snapfish. With an upcoming Fourth of July celebration, we found this program to make fun mugs for the occasion for our guests. The program is simple, easy to use, with simple creative tools to organize and upload images off your computer, with the ability to crop and edit. And the best… Continue

Added by Ellen Veden on July 1, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments