Official TechtalkRadio Blog

April 1, 2008 Andy TaylorLeave a commentUncategorized

Microsoft Surface Launching April 17 with AT&T

No, Microsoft hasn’t suddenly transformed its 30-inch, multi-touch Surface into a big-ass cellphone. It has, however, chosen AT&T to launch the world’s first Surface into retail. Shoppers in New York, Atlanta, San Antonio, and San Francisco will be treated to what amounts to the novelty (at least initially) of learning about a device (Samsung BlackJack II, pictured) by simply placing it atop the Surface. They’ll also have the ability to explore interactive coverage maps. Later, users will be able to drag ringtones, graphics and video and drop it into “the phones.” Note their use of “the” and not “your” phone in the press release. Nevertheless, we’re happy to see Microsoft get the technology out the door on its long march towards consumerdom.

April 1, 2008 Andy TaylorLeave a commentUncategorized

Intel Reveals June Date for the first Atom Processor

Intel announced Sunday that is has chosen the name “Atom” for a new family of ultra-small chips.

The “Atom” moniker will be applied to a family of chips with two members that are expected to be released later this quarter. One–previously know as Silverthorne–is a low-power mobile processor destined for the next generation of mobile Internet devices. It incorporates a new low-power state, allowing it to essentially shut down in between processing tasks and limit power consumption.

The other, code-named Diamondville, is a single-core processor for ultra-low-cost laptops. Intel refers to the low-cost notebook design as “netbook” and estimates the pricing for these devices will go as low as $250. Diamondville is a tiny 45-nanometer processor that employs a simpler design than standard Intel processors.

Intel also rebranded its Menlow chip as the Centrino Atom–a low-power companion chip with integrated graphics, a wireless radio, as well as thinner and lighter designs.

March 31, 2008 S!ickLeave a commentUncategorized

(Tucson) phone directory on CD

(This is not new, but I know a lot of people are not aware of it…)

A CD-ROM version of the Tucson White and Yellow Pages directory is available free by calling 1-877-2-GET-DEX (1-877-243-8339)…some might be available in some Albertsons, Fry’s, Kmart and Osco stores…

(Versions of other cities might be available, also.)

March 31, 2008 S!ickLeave a commentUncategorized

girls gettin’ (more) geeky

After seeing a post from GamerEdie, I thought to share these:

“American women are now ahead of men in activities ranging from streaming on network TV websites, frequent DVR use and casual gaming to participation in social media such as MySpace and Facebook…70% played a PC game in the last month…Among teen girls and young women 12-24, 82% participated and among those 40+, 66% played PC games…Top handhelds and consoles for girls and women were: Sony PS2, Game Boy, Xbox, Nintendo 64 and DS. Women were also more likely to have a Sony PSP than men…African-American women are particularly engaged in console games, with two-in-three participating…”
(http://lifestyle.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=12483)

Femma Geeks Take Charge

No one should be surprised: I remember being aware of many similar reports and predictions YEARS AGO. Those who SHOULD have been marketing to them, and planning to, have chosen to ignore their potential customers…again.

March 29, 2008 Andy TaylorLeave a commentUncategorized

Google Turns Out the Lights

Google turned the lights out. Now it’s your turn – Earth Hour.

Google users in the United States will notice today that we “turned the lights out” on the Google.com homepage as a gesture to raise awareness of a worldwide energy conservation effort called Earth Hour. As to why we don’t do this permanently – it saves no energy; modern displays use the same amount of power regardless of what they display. However, you can do something to reduce the energy consumption of your home PC by joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

On Saturday, March 29, 2008, Earth Hour invites people around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – from 8:00pm to 9:00pm in their local time zone. On this day, cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Chicago, Melbourne, Dubai, and Tel Aviv, will hold events to acknowledge their commitment to energy conservation.

Given our company’s commitment to environmental awareness and energy efficiency, we strongly support the Earth Hour campaign, and have darkened our homepage today to help spread awareness of what we hope will be a highly successful global event.

Why did Google choose this specific organization?We believe in doing our part to help combat climate change, and found the Earth Hour initiative to be a timely, important event. Further, we think the “lights out” idea’s individual-centered nature is something that millions of people worldwide can participate in. In short, we really like it. So we did something about it.

How can I get Google to do something similar for my organization or project? We welcome your ideas on how we can become more socially and environmentally responsible. Although we can’t guarantee either a placement on the Google homepage or even a response to every query, we do read every email we receive and welcome your ideas of organizations that you believe we should feature. If you’d like to submit a proposal, please send it to us at proposals@google.com.