Verizon came out of nowhere, literally nowhere sporting the Motorola “Droid” phone. To be honest, I don’t know what company I am more impressed by: Verizon for grabbing Motorola’s new, “make or break” phone, or Motorola for making a phone that I actually want to buy… off contract. (yeah, that’s how bad I want it)

After looking at Android on the G1 when it dropped, I became a fan. It was different yet similar to what was available. It was organized and customizable to my liking, but I just hated the G1. With new devices sporting Android emerging since then, I have been drawn closer to Android, drifting away from the terrible  Storm and BlackBerry OS.

And now to the Droid. So the black on gold is not the most attractive phone color scheme. The Droid has the stereotype Android chin, though not as large as the G1 or the My Touch. The keyboard looks a little cramped, but I could get used to it. The most attractive aspect of the Droid is, in my opinion, the fact that it is a Verizon device with potential. The first such device in a long time. It has an amazing screen, a solid operating system, made by Google, a viable selection of mobile applications and possibilities for further Google integration (maybe for Google Wave), its a good size, and it murdered companies like “Tom Tom” and “Garmin” (try Googling their stock prices following the Android 2.0 announcement).

Overall, The Droid looks like the new face of Motorola. It will either cause a buyer to emerge for the company (which has floundered in recent years), or it will make for a “new” company to once again emerge as a front-runner in hand-held devices.

Only, when I went into Barnes and Noble…,The store on Union Square North ,and asked a few questions to this guy behind the huge (ZOMG we have the) “Nook” display, he had absolutely no knowledge of the product. He had no idea what E-ink was. Meaning there was no explanation for potential buyers regarding the operations of the E-ink screen. He had no idea about the possibility for external memory expansion (and when I informed him about it, he mentioned Memory Stick….fool). Why Barnes and Noble would position an employee at a display for a product he knows nothing is beyond me. I found myself answering more questions than I was asking. Just another reason why my faith in humanity is dwindling.

Now, the Nook looks great. It’s a reader that I might actually consider buying. With a nice sized e-ink screen and a smaller color LED touchscreen below that offers new innovation to the E-reader world, and new ways to read books while in a Barnes and Nobles stores. -just a quick side note, the only knowledge this employee was able to tell me is as follows: The Nook will allow owners in a Barnes and Noble store with Wi-Fi to browse any book in stock on the reader, just as if they picked it up off the shelf.- which is a very cool feature, if it is actually true and the employee wasn’t making it up.

Until I find out about textbook integration in the Nook’s virtual bookstore, then I can say it is a no-sale for me. To make this truly impressive and a great buy for students, textbook integration really needs to be stressed. Otherwise I can see it being an impulse buy for avid readers, but loosing its appeal shortly thereafter.

Ok .. so how do you mesh?  Go to https://www.mesh.com/welcome/default.aspx and install the client on every  computer that will be sharing files.

As you can see in this example my two computers are listed as Laptop and Desktop.

( Keep adding as many machines are you need by hitting the “add Device” icon)

I also have something that is known as the “Live Desktop”.  The live desktop is the shared location that “meshes”  your “Live Mesh Folders” from both machines.

When you hit connect you will see your desktop which looks like your normal desktop with files and folders.

The Live Desktop

From here you can create folders, add files, or delete files, directly from the web interface.

When you right click you are also able to manage which computers you want to the added files to sync with.     The ability to change permissions on the fly is truly impressive.

But, what makes the Live Desktop a “killer app” for me, is the ability of not to be tied to the web interface.   On a windows machine the ability to share files is literally as easy as drag and drop.

If you go to your personal folder you will notice a folder that has been created called “Live Mesh Folder”.  Once you have located that folder all you have to do is drag and drop the files you want to share and Live Mesh software will instantly transfer those files to your Live Desktop.  Just remember to have your live mesh software running and sharing and syncing files will always been that simple.  Really,  It is that simple.

That is the basics of Live Mesh, but the software offers so much more.  In upcoming posts, I will demonstrate how you can use Mesh to invite your friends to your shared folders,  manage your workgroups,  manage your projects and simplify your life a few clicks at a time.

Live Mesh is currently available for Windows XP, Vista & 7, Mac OS X and is coming soon to Windows Mobile Phones. Making it pretty cool that myself (a mac user) and my brothers and friends (windows users) can seamlessly share files without turning to internet storage.

With the introduction of improved hand-held technology with the iPhone 3GS, the reduction of the iPhone 3G’s price-tag, and a new refresh in the iPod line, the introduction of new Mac computers – such as the new Macbook, new Macbook Pro’s, and new iMac’s – offer just a few reasons into why Mac sales have increased, iPod sales have risen, and the stock price soared.

Now we look to Microsoft and how their stock price will fare following the release of Window 7…

Behind the fancy pictures at Bing lies the Cashback button.  It was once up at the top next to the Hotmail button, now if is hidden.  You first need to hit “more” on the left navigation (listed below) and then find the cashback link at the bottom left hand corner.

Once you hit it you are taken to the Cashback site (www.bing.com/cashback) which allows you to get everything from from Buy.com, Barnes and Noble (I’m looking at you Nook), Tiger Direct, New Egg & HP.  Unfortunately, Amazon and Bestbuy are not listed, but the variety of stores should allow you to find what you are looking for from the ones that are currently listed.

Now start shopping.   Once you find the item you are looking for, you need to use your Windows Live ID and will be directed to the store front and be asked to sign into the store.  I highly recommend you creating store accounts before hand,  but for more stores you probably already have an account.

Now the Cashback bonuses vary quite a bit.. from the measly 2% to 20%.  and the wait time can be as high as 60 Days.  (This allows for returns and processing)  You can sometimes get your money quicker by having a PayPal account, direct deposit, or shop at a store with a lower payout range.    But waiting 60 days for getting money for things you would buy anyway is well worth the wait.. and takes money from Microsoft.. So it is a win… win for me.  I plan on using my money to buy a new Xbox 360.. i mean Zune HD.. Ok… Mircosoft you win this time.

Also… It will never close… Yes, it will be a 24 hour location. Because New York City is the “city that never sleeps,” I guess it would make sense, from a retail perspective, to make your first 24 hour location in one of the busiest locations in the downtown area. Finally, we will all be able to impulse buy TV’s, laptops, and video games at two in the morning in the midst of heavy intoxication.

As mentioned above, the location will offer new sales opportunities. Taken from the press release, “The Union Square location also will be home to the largest Best Buy Musical Instruments Department in the United States, offering a wide selection of instruments, lighting equipment and professional DJ equipment.” This statement must have rocked Guitar Center’s world. Those knowledgeable to 14th street know that a massive Guitar Center store resides just a few blocks away from the new Best Buy spot. Best Buy played a large role in the demise of Circuit City. If Best Buy will begin selling musical instruments and equipment, what will become of Guitar Center’s dominance in the market targeted at musicians?

Meet the New Imac

Today I got the chance to play with the new refresh of the iMac. While trying to kill a few hours, I took a walk down to the Apple store in Soho. Took a look around and saw a literal behemoth of a machine. After a few minutes of waiting for some guy to finish checking facebook, I stepped up to the machine, and was met with a bright, vivid display, a magic mouse, and a tiny keyboard.

Looks nice but...

First thing was first, I had to play with this new Magic Mouse. It is definitely a winner in the sleekness department, but as far as functionality goes, I prefer the trackpad on my macbook or an ergonomic mouse from logitech. I kept accidentally triggering the scroll command while browsing around safari. When I attempted to go left and right on the page, I was met with a counter-intuitive set of commands: the “Back” and “Forward” buttons have been replaced with gestures that I would associate with scrolling around on the webpage, or perhaps in Logic. This, In my opinion, is a big BIG flaw for the magic mouse.

Second thing was the huge pricetag associated with the iMac. For the entry-level model, a mere 21.5 inch display, you will have to drop $1200. We all know desktops are a dying breed of computing. I haven’t had a major desktop in 5 years. And you can spend about the same amount on a 13 inch macbook pro. Now, I know you are compromising computing power and screen size with portability by picking the macbook pro, but here is my argument:

The iMac has a bigger screen, bigger hard drive capacity, and a superior processor. The Macbook Pro’s selling is mainly portability. And for an extra $600 you can grab a refurb. 24 inch cinema display and hook your macbook up to an even BIGGER screen than the entry level iMac’s. This earns you portability, the ease of only having one computer, meaning a simple way to access your files without using a home network, and a larger display.As far as hard drive space goes, just grab an external… You need one anyway. Trust me… You NEED one.
Now, some people would say that a better processor is better than the portability issue. The iMac is just a macbook pro that is to lazy to get off the couch. And that bigger processor is just the result of to many cheetos. Meaning, the iMac’s logic board, and most of it’s inner components are identical to the macbook line. Of course, this is not considering the upcoming quad-core i5 iMac that drops latter this year. That machine is going to be a beast. But pushing the $2000 dollar mark for a 27 inch display and a cutting edge processor just to be stuck at a desk may not suit everyone.

In my opinion, just get a Macbook Pro (and a larger display if you really must), unless you have some serious number crunching to do, and a few seconds bothers you that much, then you win. But I do some heavy processing on Logic Pro. This program takes up the majority of my computers processing power at any given time. But that majority falls in the 60% range, leaving me plenty of space to multitask freely. I push this machine, and I can’t imagine pushing it much more past my daily usage as the only user of this laptop. Possibly, if I were working on a movie in Final Cut, I would prefer some more power but even that is testing my wallet and my need for a truly badass laptop.

Like I said before… desktops are a dying breed. I love laptops. The sexy trackpad and the idea that I can bring my work anywhere on my travels greatly outweighs the need for a slightly better, more powerful desktop.

My tech possessions include this 15 inch Macbook pro, that I love for some odd reason. It’s an OK machine, and a few Apple apps are just a tad crash prone, but it sure is a hell of a lot stable than Vista. To be honest this is my first real computer since my *shudders* Dell. Dude, I went to hell. So since I happen to be in college I got this Ipod touch… it’s OK too I guess… I was just so accustomed to my Zune 80 that a 16 GB Ipod is a little underwhelming.

I have the original Blackberry Storm…Yeah, I’m a masochist… and I think, Quite honestly I would rather have chose WinMo, but the Storm was the Iphone replacement. Yeah… I said it… REPLACEMENT. At&t just didn’t cut the Velveeta in my neighborhood.

Oh yeah and I have my 360… that I refuse to touch until Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 drops. Then I will disappear.

Aside from that I am gadget starved and living with no gadget love and friends to annoy hen I talk about cool stuff like Lego’s and Star Wars. Thus the creation for this blog. I would love to be a writer for Gizmodo, even though they will probably get more than a few laughs from this feeble attempt at a blog. But I figure it is worth the effort to ditch a job I hate for something I would really enjoy doing.

Hey, nothings impossible right guys?….. Guys?