Honeycomb Tablets

I got a chance to play with the Asus Transformer and Acer Iconia tablets yesterday. I have to say that these Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets are really nice. I was able to compare them to Android 2.2 tablets (Archos) and have to say that the newest generation of Android tables have hit the sweet spot. The new ones have 1280x800 displays and fast processors that can handle it all. I am impressed. Android tablets have come a long way since last Fall when I started looking at them.

Google Music Beta

Google has activated my Google Music account. Very nice and comparable to the Amazon Cloud Player. I now have two sources of cloud-based music services that work excellently on all my digital web devices.

Google Chromebooks are officially released!

One future vision of computing, web based ChromeOS Chromebook devices, is now available for everyone to try. I have been using my Google Chrome OS Cr-48 notebook since Dec 2010 and the instant on web-only OS has completely replaced my netbook. Cloud services and applications have matured considerably in this timeframe and will continue to evolve for the better.

FitBit working great

I got the FitBit in early April to replace the Omron pedometer. The FitBit is working out great.

Omron HJ-720IT device failed again, Time to try FitBit

My Omron HJ-720IT pedometer with USB sync to a WIndows machine has failed. This is the second one since 2008 when I first started using this. I have 2.5 years of data. The past month's data is not syncing to the Omron Windows software.

I think I am over the Omron reliability and Windows software issues. The last time this occurred was in Feb 2010 which is just over a year ago. Therefore, I plan to get FitBit and try that out. At least it supports the Mac OS X. The FitBit costs a bit more (about $99) compared to $32 for the Omron. The advantage of the FitBit is Mac support, cloud services tracking, and an API that will allow me to export data in XML or JSON format. I am not sure of the FitBit API status since their website says is coming and is currently in Beta.

At any rate, I really do need a good pedometer for tracking and monitoring my activity like I have been doing for over 6-years now using Omron pedometers. I really do like the Omron devices but they just do not seem to be built to last and do not appear to be evolving to the web, cloud, or other than Windows software. Omron has not support for Mac OS X planned and I see no evidence that they are moving to the cloud.

Fitbit on the otherhand is all about the cloud-based future. The Fitbit is the next evolution where the software is cloud-based and acceessible from any web browser. My only concern is the battery life. I think it must be re-charged on the base station every 7-days. Time to order it and make the switch and find out.

Troubleshoot VMware USB Issue

This is a good article for troubleshooting VMware USB device issues. VMware KnowledgeBase article.

Researchers Create Artificial Leaf Solar Energy

Researchers at MIT have emulated photosynthesis and created an artificial leaf that is very efficient. "One Small Leaf Could Electrify Entire Home"

Offshore Wind in Chesapeake, Virginia

I wonder if these two announcements are related:

Google Blog: "the wind cries transmission" dated 10/11/2010

"PilotOnline: Offshore Wind Technology Center Opens in Chesapeake"

This is a start in the right direction.

Swype text input for Android of other screens

Swype is an touchscreen input system designed for Android and other devices that takes flat screen text input proctivity to a new level. See this video. Swype has been showing up on many Android smartphones lately.

SunTactics PC5 USB Power supply and very fast charger

The SunTactics PC5 device is a compact solar USB power supply that actually provides enough 5V USB power to run your iPod, Android, or other 5V USB devices. It also will charge your devices in the same amount of time as plugging into standard AC power source. It just went onsale in Jan 2011 for around $129. This is a move in the right direction instead of solar trickle chargers and other devices which have an on-board battery. Here is more details on the PC5.

Most Secure Wireless Data Transmission using LEDs

Light Technology sends information via LEDs. Saw this in this USToday article, "Light Technology sends information via LEDs" Results in the most secure wireless transmission on the planet today.

Nook Color Site

Here is the site that contains some really useful information about the Nook Color. http://nookdevs.com/Portal:NookColor

Hack Turns Nook Color into Kindle

This article describes how a hack can turn your Nook Color into a Android tablet that can load the Kindle eReader for Android. Also, all the Android Marketplace apps work. It looks relatively easy to accomplish.

SoftTrucks

For learning how to ollie and other skateboard tricks, SoftTrucks are a great way to go for practicing these.

Chrome OS Notebook Cr-48

Google sent me a Cr-48 for the Pilot Program. So posting this from it. First impressions are very positive. I was hoping for a netbook, but the Cr-48 is actually a 12.1" Notebook. There are a few rough edges which will be worked out by the Google team once these become generally available next year.

Been posting more to Twitter than this Blog

Since July 2010, I have been posting to Twitter more than to this blog. Since Twitter is more convenient to access from my computers and my mobile smartphone it seems to be taking over. Is this a trend or just a convenience? I think blogs are still useful but the advent of smartphones has made the micro-blogging technique more productive and accessible anywhere and anytime.

I do like blogs since you are not limited to 140 characters and which allows you to post more expressive content. But lately, it seems micro-blogging is just more convenient.

Plugless EV Charging Stations from Evatran

Wireless EV charging station introduced.. wow! Much sooner than expected. See this posting. Evatrans technology is based on electromagnetic induction. This system is only about 10% less efficient than a cord-based charging system.

CHAdeMO Quick Charging Tech for EVs

CHAdeMO is a new proposed standard for quick charging electric vehicles at Level 3 or higher. Is this Level 4 charging? Anyway, here is an announcement about it. This is definitely something to follow in the coming years as EVs and PHEVs are mass produced.

Evidence of Natural Selection in Humans

Research of Han and Tibetian human genetics has uncovered evidence of human evolution by natural selection in recent history. The amazing part is that this has occurred over a period of approximately the last 3000-10000 years. Here is the NYTimes article.

Terrafugia Flying Car Cleared by FAA

The world's first flying car, Terrafugia Transition, just received FAA approval according to this article. Delivery is expected in late 2011 and will cost about $195k.