The Computer Guys & Gal

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-08-02/computer-guys-gal
The Computer Guys & Gal

They're back!

Tech titans are bringing their "A-games" this summer. A much-hyped streaming music service has arrived in America, via Europe. Early adopters are flocking to the new social network "Google+," despite concerns about "not safe for work" content. And Apple is cracking down on knock-off stores in China. It's the first Tech Tuesday of the month and the Computer Guys and Gal are back.

Guests

John Gilroy

WAMU Resident Computer Guy; and Director of Business Development, Armature Corporation

Allison Druin

WAMU's Computer Gal; ADVANCE Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the College of Information Studies, University of Maryland

Bill Harlow

WAMU Computer Guy; and Hardware & Software Technician for MACs & PCs at Mid-Atlantic Consulting, Inc.

Items Heard on Today's Show

Counterfeit Apple Stores

  1. On the BirdAbroad Blog, the author documented her visit to an Apple Store in Kunming, China.

The End Of Unlimited Data Plans

  1. Video Streaming makes up 39% of all mobile traffic

  2. No more “all you can eat” plans at Verizon

Streaming Music

  1. Spotify has finally hit our shores

  2. Spotify conversation on Tech Tuesday on July 26th

Computer Deals

  1. Dell, H.P. and Apple

  2. From Dell if you're a student you can qualify to get a free Xbox

  3. Cell phone carriers are offering free phones this summer IF you sign up for a 2-year package, buyer beware

  4. Personal Computers: out of fashion --- who's cutting the cord?

  5. An ad deal with AT&T is allowing Amazon to lower the price bar on its Kindle 3G from $189 to $139.

Google+

  1. Google+ hit 20 million users much faster than Facebook or Twitter

  2. Third-party companies have cropped up that are selling Google+ "likes" to publishers and businesses

  3. A Google+ attempt to make itself kid-friendly has some artists upset because they can’t upload certain content

  4. The Facebook-Skype connection

Cool Apps

  1. Little fan that plugs into the base of an iPhone

  2. A shirt that can charge a phone

Water Apps

  1. TapIt: This app gives New Yorkers free access to clean sustainable water on the go.

  2. A reminder app that reminds you to drink water at regular interval of times

  3. Koi Pond: Listen to the sounds of a pond as you drift off to sleep

Interesting Developments With Touch Screens

  1. Toyota's "Window to the Word" where the back window is converted into a see-through, touch-screen device capable of allowing people, likely children, to draw images with their finger, magnify objects they see outside the car and much more

Tracking Software

  1. Tracking your cell phone

Comments

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MadSci wrote:

Let's hope the Reality Distortion Field doesn't obscure the real mobile News: Windows Phone, the newest and best mobile OD available (I've have iOS, Android and WP7 and there's no comparison!) is going to be the SOLE OS for Nokia Smartphones starting this August, with the first of the "Mango" powered WP7 phones from Nokia.

When the Mango update hits the current Users, they will have an OS significantly superior to iOS or Android, and with the integration of Windows products and lack of fragmentation, plus the massive production and Sales power of Nokia and HTC, WP is on track to surpass both iOS and Android.

Tue, 08/02/2011 - 12:08pm
Marie Parker Strahan wrote:

It is obnoxious and offensive to have your experts imply that people are stupid or like the "unibomber" if they do not keep up with all of the new technology. Many of us have physical labor jobs and children to raise and homes to care for. We do not have time to "play" with a piece of technology all day. We are not all techie teenagers, loafing around with our newest gadget. The stress produced by new technology and the cost of needed new technology just adds to an overworked and overstressed society. I refuse to get sucked in. The technology industry should serve us; not the other way around!

Tue, 08/02/2011 - 12:53pm
The Kojo Nnamdi Show is produced by member-supported WAMU 88.5 in Washington DC.