We’re trying out something new on SlashGear today. It’s called “Buy This, Not That” and with it we hope to focus in on two similar products and give you the lowdown on which is the better buy. You with us so far? Good, let’s dive right in.
Let’s start off with the e-book reader everyone knows about already. The Amazon Kindle has gotten quite a bit of press already, but for many, it is the only e-book reader they’ve ever heard of. That makes it as likely a place to start as any.
I’m a fan of Blu-ray. Sure back when it was first announced, initial speculation leaned in HD-DVD’s favor. But with the PS3 sporting a Blu-ray player, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind now–Blu-ray won the battle of the next-gen DVD player.
And that’s great. Blu-ray is awesome. The picture is clearer and the menu features are much more interactive. Even so, many consumers are saying, “so what?”
Anyone that’s into online gaming has heard of World of Warcraft. We talk about it here on SlashGear pretty often. So, it comes as no surprise that the game’s second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King is highly anticipated. And it’s even more anticipated than other games because no official release date has been announced. There’s a rumor that it will come out by the end of this year. And the game has entered the beta phase, which backs up that idea, but that’s not always a sure sign. You see, Blizzard has a habit of taking awhile when it comes to releasing new games. And while this is frustrating for many people, I’m not too upset by it.
There comes a time in every Xbox 360 owner’s life when they realize that they can no longer play games on their beloved console. It will be a day that they never forget, the day they saw those three red lights flashing at them, mocking them. They’re like a giant red middle finger from Microsoft. Yes folks, yesterday was that day for me.
Awhile ago, I needed a new printer. Nothing fancy, just something for my home office. I’d settled on an HP all-in-one. But when I went into Best Buy, not once did any of the blue-shirted customer service reps offer to assist me, but that’s just as well. That’s not what I found to be rude. Rather, once I’d picked a printer, I had to get an employee to either retrieve my selection from the back room or from one of the mountainous stacks above the display shelves. But after approaching three different blue shirts, I noticed a trend: they run away from you.
You may remember the ITN news video that circulated the web back in March. It showed street posts wrapped in cushioning to protect those pedestrians that chose to text and walk at the same time. And while this was really nothing more than a publicity stunt, just how severe is the texting and walking problem? According to the Wall Street Journal, people that text and walk are more likely to trip and when they do so, land on their faces because the devices are held too close to the face for their hands to break their fall!
I’ll admit it. I’ve texted and walked before. I think just about anyone with a cell phone has committed this crime against paying attention. So if we all do it, it’s not really a problem, right? Wrong!
Matters of privacy have been in the news recently, as Google’s Street View cars continue their initial mapping of the UK. The search giant was criticised by campaigners concerned that their street-level photography constituted an intrusion of privacy and asked the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to look into the project. However the ICO ruled it was “satisfied” that Google’s face and numberplate blurring, “opt-out” settings and other controls were sufficient.
One of the more interesting suggestions was that “web-savvy” burglars could use the Street View information to remotely “case the joint”. Google’s answer is that the delay between photos being taken and them being uploaded minimizes any real risk; I’d personally think that users on social networking sites such as Facebook, together with those blogging their daily lives, probably open themselves up to more risk by discussing their holiday plans. A still photo on Google Maps doesn’t say whether the family will be home (or the dog locked up at the nearby kennels!)
I don’t spend all that much time watching TV anymore. In fact, while I spend more time than ever in front of the computer, I hardly ever sit for hours straight in front of the TV. And I’m okay with that. And though we have a DVR and all of that, I still don’t get antsy if we miss a favorite show. No, I’m not sure that I’ll catch it in a rerun. I’m positive that I’ll catch it online.
A comment on our new “He Said, She Said” feature discussing the likelihood of either an Apple Mac Tablet or a Mac UMPC took us to task for our reliance on acronyms and abbreviations. It started me thinking about how naming conventions start, what degree of understanding by others we take for granted, and how we might be in fact promoting misunderstanding by attempting to streamline how we discuss technology.
“What is a UMPC? Please let’s stop using abbreviations all the time, we should be able to speak and write words, properly spelled and not to be primitive and use only one letter from each word which is properly describing an object. Communication is not a quiz, but it is a skill!” Gyula Bognar
Something is amiss in the universe. Thousands flocked to ComicCon a few weeks ago. Superhero movies are topping the box office and not just comic book lovers are in attendance. Everyone is calling themselves a “nerd” or a “geek.” But they don’t wear pocket protectors or horn-rimmed glasses. They may be socially awkward but they’re generally accepted. This is strange and I’m not sure if I like it. Being a geek has become cool.
And I should feel delighted, right? Being a geek, I spent years being ostracized for my interests, but now I can play WoW in public and no one will say anything when looking over my shoulder except maybe to comment on their level 51 mage and ask what realm I play on. It’s bizarre, to say the least!
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