Computer Overhauls

Turning iOS Into Your Own Personal Arcade.

Born last year out of an April Fool's Day joke, the iCade is a bluetooth controller for games on iOS that is stored within a minituare arcade cabinet.

iOmega, the company that produces, has just introduced new versions of the popular device at CES. iCade Mobile serves the same purpose as the original, but isn't as bulky. iCade Jr. will provide the same effect for your iPhone or iPhone Touch. iCade Core actually attaches to your phone or iPod to make it into a physical controller.

Few games support the device, so it's little more than a pricey novelty, (the original is $99,) but definitely a conversation starter. 

Stopping SOPA.

A few websites have censored themselves dramatically over the past few weeks, to raise awareness about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA,) a bill currently in the US House of Representatives.  SOPA, while perhaps noble in it's simple name, is a very broad set of rules that govern the internet.  In a nutshell, it grants the US greater and wider power over policing copyright infringement and counterfeit goods. It allows for the government to order ISPs to ban access to sites, foreign or domestic, they deem as infringing,  or offensive. And while processing these allegations and infringements, it provides immunity to the ad and payment networks involved.  They'll stop the site from accepting payments on copyrighted goods, but any money made from ads or transactions, can stay with their respective companies.

Not surprisingly, the biggest backers of the bill are gigantic entertainment names, like the MPAA, RIAA, Viacom, Nike, and others.  Those against, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo!, AOL, eBay, and others are among the most vital names in technology.  The legislation is currently worded very broadly, which opponents say needs to be more precisely defined in order to be effective.  In it's current state, it dangerously impacts free speech by it's vague description.  

RIM Stock Lowest in 8 Years; Is the Blackberry Dead?

What was once was the go-to, must-have device for any business employees, or individuals who need to be connected, may be fading away.  With Apple, Google, and Microsoft platforms recent surge into smartphone dominance, the original 'smartphone,' may not be able to catch up.

Blackberry models now include touchscreen phones, and an app store, but both were introduced after the competitors versions. The early iPhone didn't interest many die-hard Blackberry users, but now that Apple has enterprise support, a gigantic App Store, and works with Microsoft Office, the switch isn't that difficult. There's also a better entryway and more perks for developers working on the more popular platforms.

Can Blackberry loyalists hold out?  Have you recently switched, or are you sticking with RIM?  Let us know by visiting our Facebook, or Twitter. 

NYC Gets Another Apple Store This Friday.

New York City is getting a sixth Apple Store (5 in Manhattan, 1 in Staten Island,) this weekend.  The tehcnology giant has set up shop in a prime location; Grand Central Terminal.  The store is built-in to the surronding architecture.  With glass walls as barriers, it looks less like a store, and more like a plethora of products on display in the middle of the busy station.

The retail store should expect to be busy with commuters going in and out of the city.  For those regulary passing through Grand Central, it'll be more accessible than the 24-hour 5th Avenue location, and hopefully cut down on some of the 5th Ave store's traffic (that store is always crazy busy!)  Apple opened a location on the Upper West Side last spring, and just recently renovated their SoHo store.

New YouTube For You.

Been to YouTube lately?  Notice anything different?  There are big changes to the YouTube interface, focusing more on social sharing and customization.  This is the biggest change to the UI YouTube has ever seen. Rather than a grid layout and random assortment of videos, there are now customizable columns, showing you the videos you've taken interest in.

It also intergrates into Facebook, so you can see what your friends have recently shared.  There's a strong focus on channels that you can subscribe to. Subscriping has been an option on YouTube for a while, but this new layout aims to deliver the content to you easier, and make it more attainable.

Check out YouTube's demo video after the jump.

Softwares We're Thankful For

Thanksgiving and the holidays are upon us.  Before we give thanks over a meal with family and friends tomorrow, we wanted to thank the tiny things that help us out everyday.  Computer software, obviously. Without certain programs, our workdays would no doubt be longer and less efficient.  After checking out our list, be sure to tell us what software you're thankful for via Facebook or Twitter.

Google Music: Still Free, Selling Songs.

Another week, another Google story.  The internet giant released their GoogleMusic service out of Beta this week, keeping it free for all users.  The service allows users to store their music libraries in the cloud, accessing it from any web browser or smart phone.  

The new additions to come with this announcement are integration with Google+ (of course,) and a store to purchase songs.  The pricing scheme rivals that of iTunes and Amazon.  It also lets artists set up their own profile pages, and sell their own music.  For a one time fee, artists can manage what content is sold at what price, and receive 70% of sales.

With the risk of sounding like a broken record, we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out.  Sure Google is a giant presence online, but the iTunes store towers over it in awareness.  For all of these companies making new services and phones to directly take on Apple, here's a tip:  So far, it's not working.  Stop matching what Apple is already doing and look one step ahead.  Beat them to the punch.

 

 

Google+ Adds Business Support.

Google+ debuted to much fanfare.  It was perhaps the first real Facebook competitor, and promised easy integration with existing Google accounts.  With newly announced Pages, Google+ gives businesses and brands the ability to create a profile for themselves.  Again, as with any Google product, the integration with their search engine is a major selling point.  Search results for a business can now show instant access to the company's Google+, YouTube channel, and more.  It's aiming to make getting from your initial search to the info you want quicker, which is great.

But the thing about Google+, is that's it's still not as widely used as Facebook.  It may be 'better,' technically speaking, but the user base just isn't there yet.  All the bells and whistles don't mean much if there's no one around to use them.  Buzz and Wave, two other bygone Google social products, similarly grabbed users attention, but never caught on strongly enough to stick around.  As always, time will tell.

 

Rumors Abound That Apple May Nix Mac Pros?

Much like the Macbook Pro has usually been geared towards power users, and MacBooks geared toward every day users, the Mac Pro was the professional equivalent to the iMac.  But the lines between professional and general use continue to blur with the advancement of technology.  Could it be that the Mac Pro is on it's way out? 

Back to Basics - Optical Drives

While 'optical drive' sounds like a big fancy word, it's something you've heard of and use often.  More commonly known as a CD or DVD drive, the optical drive is the part of the computer that reads said discs.  If you're looking to purchase a computer, or compare specs, it's important to know what you'll need from the drive.  Here's a quick breakdown of what different types of optical drives and their capabilities.