Geekly Update - 09 May 2011

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Pepsi is rolling out social vending machines that let you buy drinks for a friend or even a complete stranger, calling it "Random Acts of Refreshment." You can even personalize your gift with a short video recording at the machine itself.

Those who want a Kindle but can't shell out the $139.00, can now pay $25 less. The new Kindle features ad-supported "Special Offers and Sponsored Screensavers" at a price of $114.00. I predict free Kindles for all.

Why are AT&T users so happy? Perhaps because the company has slapped Smart Limits on their Internet usage, and has given them a free tool to calculate their overage charges. Thanks, Ma.

This time it's Mac users who have become the target of malware that seems to attack even when searching images. Fortunately, the so-called MacDefender can be removed by deleting the app.

Redbox has finished testing game rentals at 5,000 locations which resulted in more than a million rentals. Beginning mid-June, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 titles will rent for $2 per day and the company believes that impulse buying will help encourage potential customers.

Sony announced that it will have a partial restoration of its PlayStation Network and Qriocity soon. Included is online play, movie rentals and music, and 30 days of free service.

Speaking of the security breach, Sony blamed the group Anonymous for indirectly allowing it access to over 100 million gamers. In response to a letter from the Energy and Commerce Committee, they say the breach came when it was trying to deal with a denial-of-service attack but they are not yet sure if they are connected.

IT consultant Sohaib Athar, the man who first tweeted about the Bin Laden raid, now has 80,000 followers. Although there were hints that someone installed malware on his Twitter site Really Virtual, that issue now seems to be corrected, and reading those tweets is an interesting grasp into the incident.

Zokem, a company that aggregates cell phone data worldwide, has determined that 60% of all smartphone users game on a regular basis, with games of choice being Words With Friends and Angry Birds.

Apple's release of iOS 4.3.3 (version 4.2.8 for CDMA handsets) and update ends the "Locationgate" problem. It includes reducing the cache size, no longer backing up the iTunes cache and deleting it entirely when Location Services is turned off.