Geekly Update - 02 August 2012

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

"Forget Voter ID. How about Voter IQ?" Lowell Turpin got upset when he saw a photo of a man he didn't recognize on his girlfriend's Facebook page. Turpin smashed her laptop and punched her in the face before realizing it was the face of presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Not to be outdone by NBC, the Yahoo Sports Beyond Gold app is available via their Connected TV store. Built-in to many Sony, Vizio, Toshiba and Samsung HDTVs, it will cover Olympic events with news, videos, analysis with game updates and medal count.

"No tablet for you!" Google temporarily suspended sales of their Nexus 7 16GB tablet for a week, because it was more popular than anticipated. The manufacturer has ramped up production, and you can buy it now for $249. The 8GB version sells for $199. The Nexus 7 competes with Apple's iPad, the Kindle Fire, Samsung's Galaxy Tab2 and other Android-based tablets.

The London Eye Ferris Wheel's lighting can be controlled via Twitter during the Olympics. During the day, participants can tweet their sentiments that will be transformed by an algorithm into the "Energy of the Nation" illumination between 9:00 and 9:30 pm.

"Smellevision Replaces Television!" Newsweek will soon be transitioning to online only and Weekly Reader, a grammar school magazine, is going belly up, further proof that the printed word may eventually become a thing of the past.

A Kickstarter project for a portable credit card-sized iPhone charger (Android and Blackberry versions to come) will soon become a reality. Charge Card is a mere 0.1" thick and uses USB ports on laptops, game consoles and other electronics to power up on the go.

"We were doing The Bump long before these punks..." For $15, your child can communicate with a Hallmark TextBand, a bracelet that can create messages up to 10 characters with three buttons. They have to connect literally with a fist bump, making the range of the wrist strap somewhat limited.

The $25,000 Kenguru will be the first electric car designed for those in wheelchairs and should launch in the U.S. sometime in the second half of 2012. Not only does it have easy access with remote control and rear door, it can be driven by the chair-bound. Unfortunately, it bears a too-strong resemblance to the Fisher-Price Little Tikes kiddie car.

Currently Windows Store apps are free to its users, but when Windows 8 comes out October 8, developers will be able to charge for them. The minimum price for apps has been set at $1.49, and developers will have the ability to offer a "try before you buy" option.

Symantec has discovered new malware that claims the user can save battery life. Delivered in Japanese spam email, BatteryLong will steal your contact information if you click on the link and install it. Note that this app is NOT in the Google Play store, or any third-party app store.

"The cat parade continues..." Apple's Mountain Lion has come out at the Mac App Store. An upgrade from Lion or Snow Leopard costs $19.99. New features of the OS include iCloud integration, iMessage that can connect to Macs and mobile devices, and Notification Center that streamlines email.

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