?Tis the seasons to be traveling ? We all know that traveling, whether or not it is for business or pleasure, can be stressful. The packing, the preparations at home to be sure all the loose ends are sorted out before going away, and keeping organized, are challenging when we are on the go. NOT ANYMORE!
Your smart phone or tablet has found a way for us to have the stress free travel with Apps that will make our lives a little easier on the home and on the business front while traveling. The old saying, ?There?s an App for that,? certainly rings true in today's day and age. There are Apps for our phones and tablets that help us secure a car at our hotel, house, or apartment right from the convenience of our devices, Apps that will virtually eliminate roaming charges when we are overseas, and there are Apps that sync all of our calendars, to-do lists, and reminders. Did I mention that they are FREE? Below are some very cool Apps for the tech savvy traveler on-the-go.
Best Stress Free Travel Apps
UBER is an up and coming, and very popular App for today's traveler. Download the free App, and you can hail a cab from the convenience of your Hotel, office, apartment, or home. Your location is saved, and UBER will quickly send the nearest car. No cash? No problem. Tip and fare are automatically charged to your debit or credit card.
Wi-Fi Finder is one useful little gem while on the road. With all of the data restrictions on most cell phone providers, one often resorts to feverishly searching for a hot spot. Not a problem if you download Wi-Fi Finder. This App finds a local hot spit worldwide.
Voxox is a must have for the business traveler. Thus App eliminates, or drastically reduces, the roaming charges one incurs while on the road overseas. All you need is a hot spot ? don?t forget Wi-Fi Finder above to help you in that department. With this, you get a free Voxox number to use worldwide, the ability to e-fax all of those important work documents, language translation and the ever so convenient voicemail transcription. How can you beat that, and it?s all FREE!
Happy stress free travel all you techies. Your phone or tablet has you covered while you are away.
With Christmas only a few days away, HOPEFULLY, you have gotten all of the Holiday shopping done for the tech-lover in your life. Popular tech items are typically high ticket items, such as HDTV s, cameras, laptops, tablets, and smartphones and we all are looking for bargains in today's economy. So, what are we to do? Below are some tips that can help you find the bargains when purchasing these items, as well as help you get a head start on next year by taking advantage of online sales many retailers put out starting as early as Christmas Day.
Where to find these Bargains
Christmas day is a great time to keep an eye out for the online sales many retailers post, so timing is essential when trying to find the best bargains. This means you can buy that item for your tech lover (or let’s be honest, yourself..) at a great price, and be ahead of the game for the 2015 Holiday season. Popular tech items typically see the best bargains after the New Year and March. Websites and mobile apps, such as fatwallett.com are also becoming an amazing resource for smart, and savvy online shoppers. They work closely with popular retailers, such as Best Buy and Target, to publish store discounts, coupon codes and Cash Back rewards to its members. FatWalllet is also the place for you if you like to stack deals and coupons. The FatWallet forums have become a place for smart consumers to share and learn in this evolving online marketplace. Additionally, keeping on trend, their?Deal Hunter app?enables the mobile shopper to compare current bargains, and the new?FatWallet Express?allows for quick cash back activation while shopping online.
So, get going on your shopping, get the best bargains on those gifts for the tech-lover in your life, (or yourself) and look like a rock star this New Year!
Yesterday I talked about the cancelling of New York’s premier of the movie The Interview. Then Carmike theaters pulled the plug. In the 20 some hours since I wrote that blog, the situation has gotten a lot worse. The final score: tyranny 1, freedom 0.
As most of you probably know by now,the Sony movie house and all the major theater chains have pulled The Interview. That means on Christmas Day, you will not be able to see this movie anywhere in the US. You can thank Guardians of Peace for this. They made threats of a 9/11 level event ?and everyone got so cautions that they all pulled the plug, despite Department of Homeland Security’s insistence these threats aren’t even credible. Though some intelligence agents believe North Korea is involved behind the hacking, there is no hard evidence to prove this. But Sony went further: they removed The Interview from their website. ?Some suggest Sony should put it on DVDs and on streaming sites like Netflix. But Sony says they have,”No further release plans”. Nonetheless, The Interview is expected to be released in international markets starting in late January 2015.
What more is there to say? This is the first time, well, at least in my lifetime, that a movie has been cut because of international political concerns. If someone knows of a recent incident like this, let us know about it. So we’re looking at world history here, and it’s not good. Remember the early 2000s, when everyone said phrases like: “We won’t negotiate with terrorist”, “We won’t surrender to terrorist”, and “We won’t cave in to terrorist.” With this move that Sony did, and the movie theaters did, they negotiated, surrendered, and caved in. It made our whole nation looks weak. And there’s no hard evidence North Korea is behind this. For all we know, these could be teenagers in some basement in rural Mississippi. How foolish would these mega conglomerates look if they surrendered to a bunch of teenage hackers? ?And when you open the door for censorship like this, where do you stop?
Remember the hacking group called Guardians of Peace? They’re the ones who started the Sony hacking scandal a few weeks ago. Now, they’re making terror threats so severe that New York and Carmike theaters are cancelling upcoming movie The Interview.
The Interview premiere in New York City was canceled thanks to a 9/11 level threat issued by hack group Guardians of Peace. Carmike Cinemas, one of the largest theater chains in the US, are pulling The Interview from all 278 of their theaters. Los Angeles and other major cities still plan on showing the film. The message sent by Guardians of Peace says anyone living near a theater showing The Interview should leave their home and also said, “The world will be full of fear.” It’s believed that the North Korean government is behind the hacks and messages, but they vehemently deny it. The Dept. of Homeland Security says there is no credible threat posing for any theater. ?The Interview stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalist called on to interview, then assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
This is a sad day for American freedom itself. American philosopher Benjamin Franklin used to say, “Those who give up liberty for security deserve neither liberty nor security“. Even Homeland Security said there’s no credible threat. They could have stepped up security and if there was a hard, credible threat to a certain theater, then cancel it for that local theater. Don’t cancel it for everybody! This was a bad move on the part of Carmike Cinemas and everyone else who approved this decision. They just gave Guardians of Peace (interesting they call themselves that when they’re making these kinds of threats) exactly what they wanted. ?They caved into their wants. Who is this group anyway? Are they really from North Korea? Are they from another nation that doesn’t particularly like us? Or are these high school or college kids in some dorm or basement? Don’t you think it’s time to find out who these Guardians of Peace are?
The question that we go through every holiday season, “what do I get the tech guy for Christmas?” It’s not always clear what the hottest new gadgets are, and it’s nice to have a little help every now and then. So we here at Computer Geeks have decided to use our Geeky expertise and give you some suggestions. Because we are always here to help when you need us!
Top 10 tech gifts
10. UE Boom
The UE Boom is a great outdoor speaker to get as a tech gift. It’s Acoustic Skin with Plasma coating, makes it both stain and water resistant. Which means you can actually wash it when the outdoors has an unfortunate accident on it. the UE Boom is compact, and durable, with Bluetooth and 15 hours of battery life! It also has speakerphone capabilities and if you buy a second speaker you can make a wireless pair of true stereo speakers by using the UE Boom App for both Android and iOS devices!
Price: $229.39
9. GoPro Hero 4 Silver
For its latest Silver edition, GoPro seems to have taken the specs of 2013’s Hero3+ Black edition, added new features like HiLight Tagging so you can quickly find that cool thing that happened, improved low-light performance and, perhaps most importantly, a touchscreen on back! This is a great on the go camera for the price, making it much more affordable than the Black edition, without a huge drop off in performance.
Price: $399.99
?8. Samsung Galaxy Note 4
Another great tech gift is the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. And Before you Apple users blow me up with hate comments, read the whole blog first. The first smartphone to carry Qualcomm’s fastest 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor and quick-charging technology, the Galaxy Note 4 is also the only one of its kind to give you a stylus for writing and multitasking. Like many phones these days, it’s crammed with a 1,440p quad-HD screen and a high-performing camera that uses optical image stabilization. With its faux-leather backing, this is one device that really comes together. For Android users this is THE PHONE you want, Large screen, sleek design and super fast!
7. Xbox One
Talk about a tech gift that your geek will love, here it is. THE XBOX ONE. The Ultimate gamer experience, when you want the best in graphics and online gameplay, you have to go with Xbox One. The PS4 may be better for solo gaming, but in today’s gaming world, we don’t just want to kill AI over and over. We want to destroy someone on the other end of the headset and then dance on his lifeless body. And now Microsoft has dropped the price and promised us more games in 2015 which will be a treat. Also the Xbox One allows you to integrate it fully with your home entertainment center and control everything by voice, which comes in handy when your remote decides to walk away and hide under the couch
Price: $349.00
6. Vizio E0i-B Series
The models of the Vizio E series equipped with local dimming deliver superb picture quality for a very affordable price. The image evinces deep black levels with little to no blooming and great bright-room performance, and it provides for plenty of adjustments. The Smart TV component combines ample content with a simple design. With picture quality that outdoes that of numerous more-expensive TVs, Vizio’s E series likely represents the best value of 2014.
Price: $528.99
5. Apple iPad Air 2
Apple’s formula for success includes a high regard for design. The Apple iPad Air 2 continues a legacy of high-end aesthetics that help propel the tablet’s popularity. From gaming to steaming movies and TV Shows this device does it all
If you’re already wrapped into the Apple ecosystem, the iPad is meant to easily sync with your digital content, and if a slimmer design isn’t enough to appease those looking to upgrade, Apple also designed a speedy new processor just for the iPad Air 2.
Price: $499.99
4. FitBit Charge
The Fitbit charge is for those runners and health nuts in your life, that also love technology to take their fitness to the next level. *spoiler alert* I actually bought one for my wife for Christmas this year. The FitBit Charge Tracks steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes and sleep. It even includes Includes Caller ID.
Price: $129.95
3. Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Here it is Apple lovers your beloved iPhone 6 Plus. I have done an extensive review of this which you can check out HERE. This phone has all the bells and whistles, from a beautiful display, to a superfast processor, and if you can find one in the stores it would make the perfect tech gift for the geek in your life.
Price Starting at: $199
2. Death Star Bluetooth Speaker
Meet the iHome Death Star Bluetooth Speaker. When you’re not using it, it’s a lovely c. 4 1/2″ diameter Death Star on an acrylic stand. When you are using it, it’s a wireless speaker with one-touch connectivity to your Bluetooth device. Oh, and did we mention it also lights up? Yup. It can also play music from devices with a standard 3.5mm audio out jack (if it has a standard headphone jack, you’re good). Unfortunately, the model we got does not include Concave Dish Composite Beam Superlaser, but you know, them’s the breaks.
Price: $69.99
Star Trek Phaser Remote Replica
Sometimes after a long week filled with landing parties and surprise Klingons, you just want to prop your boots up and watch a little mindless television. Or maybe you’re ready to catch the weekly adventures of those wacky kids on-board the U.S.S. Enterprise. What sort of mischief will Captain Kirk get into this week? Aim that phaser at the TV and…. pew pew pew!
This ST:TOS Phaser Remote lets you harmlessly blast your home entertainment system into submission. Recreated from 3D laser scans of the last known screen-used hero prop, it looks good, but it’s also a fully-functioning programmable infrared remote control. And when we say “phaser” we aren’t getting away with just giving you the Phaser I. Nope. It does include the Phaser I which functions as a standalone gesture-based universal remote control but also slots into its Phaser II pistol-grip base, which provides additional controls. You can store up to 36 programmable gestures: plenty to control all of your Earth-based entertainment equipment. The combined unit (Type I and Type II together) features a wide range of settings and beam strengths, including different Phaser firing sounds (including Phaser Overload sequence) and authentic Starship Enterprise sounds.
Just be sure you’re not wearing a red shirt while aiming this at your TV set. We’re pretty sure that voids the warranty.
Today, Google’s blog released it’s top 10 trending items of 2014. There were some hit and misses, but the ranking of Google’s 2014 trend list is what struck me.
What was the number one trending event search for 2014? It was the tragic suicide of actor/comedian Robin Williams. It brought up a lot of other issues, like depression and mental illness. The second was this summer’s world cup, and the USA’s brilliant play in that world cup. ?A serious medical crisis, Ebola, was the third biggest trending issue of 2014, followed by the mystery of Malaysian Airlines 370’s disappearance into thin air. Rounding the first five is the ALS ice bucket challenge craze of this past summer. A technology trend was the sixth highest trend: the Flappy Birds game. Rounding out the top 10 were Austrian entertainer Conchita Wurst, the terrorist group ISIS, movie sensation Frozen, and the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Now I’m no sociologist, but I see we love our celebrities, especially after they’ve passed away. With all the serious news issues that happened this year, like the rise of Ebola and ISIS terrorism, I’m surprised Robin William’s death surpassed even them. But the sudden death of one of the all time comedic greats was a great loss for us all. And it has gotten a much needed conversation on mental illness started. I look at the major news issues of the year that didn’t make the top 10: Ferguson, Israel vs. Palestine 7-week-war, Ukrainian crisis, plummeting gas prices, I can go on and on. ?And of all the young celebrities that made the 2014 trending list, Conchita Wurst was the only one who made it? No Taylor Swift? No Kerry Washington? No Jennifer Lawrence? All had amazing years, but I guess not amazing enough to trend as much as Conchita Wurst has. I find it strange only one technology trend made the trend list. Where’s the smartwatch? What does Google’s 2014 trend list say about our society?
