Look here for Brian M. Westbrook's tech news and details on topics heard on-air during weekly "Tech Expert" segments on FM News 101 KXL (101.1 FM) in Portland, OR. Listen Fridays at 6:20am and 8:20am as part of Portland's Morning News on KXL or online at: KXL.com.
Also find details of radio and television appearances. Feedback or questions to: techexpert (AT) brianwestbrook (dot) com
Today at the Google I/O conference at San Francisco's Moscone Center, the Project Glass team demonstrated a Hangout On-Air using Google Glass. Watch the video.
Also, we now know preliminary availability-- $1500, in 2013, but pre-orders are ONLY being taken by those at the developer conference happening this week in SF.
If you're like me, summer (or what we in the Northwest like to jokingly refer to as "the second weekend in August") is a time for travel-- and keeping you organized, and connected, while away from the home is what these gadgets do best.
Jumping back on KING 5's New Day Northwest with Margaret Larson, I shared some of my favorite finds for Summer Travel Tech 2012.
To get you there, or around while at your vacation destination, the portable Greenzone folding bike fits in a trunk, suitcase, or stashed away in your RV. Taking up very little room, the bike still retains all the features of a bulky full-size pedeler. Shimano components and a sturdy, yet easy-to-collapse, construction mean you'll be whizzing around the campground and out exploring in very little time. They start at $200 for the "Value" model and each bike comes with a handy carrying bag (helpful to keep your car's carpeting clean from grime and dirt the bike picks up during your adventure). Get yours at GreenZoneBikes.com or ask at your favorite local bike shop.
Seattle company Brenthaven makes a line of urban-friendly bike and messenger bags for bicyclists and travelers alike. Among the more fashionable is the Kona backpack with plenty of storage, great weight distribution and a rugged construction. The Kona Project 2 Courier Bags are stylish and functional, perfect for your laptop, and start at $150.
The entertaining behaviour-changing Striiv caught my attention as the perfect on-the-go fitness device. More than a pedometer, the digital coach helps motivate activity through game play, challenges with your friends, and real-time performance monitoring. Compete with your friends and raise money for charity (through Striiv's corporate donors!) just by staying active! The Striiv gizmo is $100 and the energy you'll gain by staying active is priceless. [We gave two Striivs away to audience members on the show-- all the more reason to come down to the studio and join us!]
Want to watch movies in your hotel room? backseat of the car? Perhaps on an airline tray-table? Brookstone makes a case for your iPhone 4 that turns the phone into a portable projector! Complete with battery-boosting, the case slips over your iPhone 4 and lets you play movies, slideshows, and more to any surface. While the case works best in lower-light (look for even brighter models in the future), I didn't find the image quality to be at all disappointing. Brookstone's got it for $229 online.
PivotHead puts a FULL HD camera right into your sunglasses. Stay active, record video, capture images and keep your hands free. Simple one-button recording takes full sweeping 1080p video with glasses that are discreet without a lot of extra bulk. Watch the clip above for sample footage. PivotHead.com to pick your frames and lens colors/style.
Liquipel in-action: My iPhone 4 gets wet!
If you asked me what one gadget I couldn't live without, I'd tell you my phone. (Camera being a close second.) Imagine my fright at the concept of being without my phone for two days so a company called Liquipel could treat it with a special process that would make my phone completely watersafe?! Today on the show, I dunked my PERSONAL iPhone 4 into a bath of water. And despite being extremely nervous-- the phone survived!! Sending in your phone takes a few days, but having your phone work after falling into the toilet thereafter? Dropping into the pool? Splashing into a puddle? I was amazed when I heard about the technology-- and now that I've tried it? In a word: Impressed. Watch the clip above to see my reaction the very first time my phone got wet. Liquipel has won awards for this technology, and like the water wisking away from the components of my iPhone-- so did my own nerves. Revolutionary technology. Treat your phone at liquipel.com starting at $59.
Keep all your gadgets organized on the road with the Targus Demolition Backpack. Mine's black, and has pockets for phones, tables, laptop, and all the charging cables/accessories that go along with the high-tech traveler. Targus has been making travel gear for years, and you can really tell between the comfortable wear and the durable construction. Check out the entire line at Targus.com.
What travel tech can you not live without? Ready to get your most prized gadget... WET? Let me know what you take with you on the road and as always, find me online:
A listener forwarded me an email that appeared to be from LinkedIn notifying them of a "new message".
What concerned this gentleman, and quite wisely, was that he didn't know a "Catherine Patterson". While only one of many clues, it was enough to raise the caution flag and seek assistance. Fortunately he asked questions before clicking the links.
I shared the following; perhaps it will be of value to you as well:
You can check the validity of links in Outlook emails by holding your mouse over the link URL. If the URL shown in the mouse-over does not match EXACTLY the URL you’d expect (i.e. linkedin.com -> linkedin.com or at least somethinghere.linkedin.com) you can bet this is bogus. In the example you forwarded, the URL *displayed* is www.linkedin.com but the email code would send you to some crazy amrpartners dot com dot br URL.
While it’s POSSIBLE this is an email re-direct from their email provider, the “.br” domain, among other clues (i.e. you don’t know Catherine Pathttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifterson) makes me confident it’s fraudulent. You can always log in to linkedin.com separately to see if Catherine HAS in fact sent you a message.
Short version: If the mouse-over URL does not equal the displayed URL (and the domain of the site you’ve heard of), simply press delete.
Did you know? The "Washington State Broadband Office of the Washington State Department of Commerce" is an actual, it seems, entity? They sent me a press release with information on the use and availability of broadband in the State.
Among the findings: "3.88 percent of all Washington households do not have access to broadband" (that number, the report states, is an improvement from 2010).
Washington State Broadband Office Releases 2011 Annual Broadband Report Access improves, private investment increases
Olympia, WA – The Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) of the Department of Commerce released its second annual comprehensive report today on broadband access, availability and use in Washington State. Highlights of the report include: • Just over 44 percent of all Washingtonians have a choice of four wireline providers. • Gaps still exist: 3.88 percent of all Washington households do not have access to broadband – down from 4.3 percent in 2010. • Grantees began work on more than $200M of American Recovery & Reinvestment Act broadband infrastructure projects. During 2011, private investment in broadband increased dramatically, particularly among wireless providers which are expanding their 4G service areas. In the state’s most populated areas wireless speeds jumped from 10 mega bits per second (mbps) to 25 mbps. The report also outlines the goals of WSBO during 2012 and is available online at: http://broadband.wa.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2011BBAnnualRptFINAL.pdf . In addition to the report, updated maps that include broadband availability, upload/download speeds and feedback options are available under the mapping tab at the WSBO website: http://www.broadband.wa.gov/
Virginia Tech, apparently, earned a graduate degree in crisis communications in the four years since the tragic 2007 shootings. When shots were fired on campus yesterday, campus officials used text message alerts, even Twitter, to keep their community and the public at-large informed.
One simple message, sent minutes (not hours) after initial reports of a gunman loose on campus --and several timely updates later-- informed students and staff to simply stay indoors.
After receiving a failing grade during the previous campus tragedy, VT went high tech, installing a outbound text alert system amplifying the message from the administration offices to personal cell phones in pockets across the community.
Such systems are becoming commonplace in universities, hospitals, even municipalities around the world.
One local school campus installed a similar program to notify students in a variety of emergency situations with instant updates in the aftermath of the VT shootings.
If you have a son or daughter in school, yesterday's news from VT should serve as a reminder to check the contact information on file with your campus. Alerts are useless if sent an old or incorrect phone number.
While no one technology is foolproof, even in the best of circumstances. Outages, errors, even dead batteries can thwart complex systems when they're needed most.
Always have a backup.
Think about your own, personal, communications plan: What will you do when the next emergency hits?
Once again, the list of 25 worst passwords is out and the results (as Rebecca asked: "How many years have we been talking about this?") are still somewhat surprising.
But do we really know what information the social media giant is sharing with others?
I recently spoke with KGW-TV (NBC/Portland) Reporter Abbey Gibb about some of the most important settings and how to protect what others see about you.
Few take advantage of the updated security options - possibly because users aren't even aware they're available.
Of course, the tip not listed if you really don't want your information out there? Don't share it on the web at all.
For more perspective on this, or any tech story, drop Brian an email: techexpert AT brianwestbrook DOT com.
