Geekly Update - 10 October 2012

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

"Play dress up with your Facebook page..." Nostalgic for earlier days of social networking? BuzzFeed offers to take your Facebook account and turn it into a Myspace page (including Tom on your friends list) or a Geocities site complete with animated GIFs and Comic Sans font.

FreedomPop is now in beta and offers free 4G mobile broadband Internet access in certain area. Make a deposit of $49.00 for a USB modem or $89.00 for a hotspot. Freedom Sleeves that effectively turn iPods into iPhones will be offered soon. The contract-free service allows bonuses such as 10GB for getting others to sign up.

"What if the dryer eats the RFID chip, too?" For those who consistently lose one sock at a time, Samy Liechti of Blacksocks has designed a system that tags them with an RFID chip, so you can find with the aid of a scanner and an iPhone app. A 10-pack of Smarter Socks and scanner will set you back a whopping $189.

"No candy for you!" Here's a great way to save money on Halloween candy -- don't give any. PopCap Games and the American Dental Association are offering unlimited printable coupons for a free Plants vs. Zombies game, redeemable Oct. 30 - Nov 10.

Barnes & Noble unveiled their new NOOK HD and HD+, including a slight jab to its competitor by announcing it had "no annoying ads." At starting prices of $199.00 and $269.00 respectively, each has book catalogue accessibility, the company's new Video Store access and can be pre-ordered for a November 1 delivery.

"I see something green..." Google unveiled Field Trip, a free exploration app that runs in the background of Android smartphones (an iOS version is in development.) When you get close to something interesting, it pops up a card with details about the location.

HP has finally revealed its mysterious Windows 8 tablet that will become available January 2013 for business types. The ElitePad 900 features a 10.1" diagonal display with 16:10 aspect ratio, a Corning Gorilla Glass 2 screen, a front facing camera that can be used for video calls with software and an 8mp cam with LED flash.

Live vicariously underwater through Google Ocean. The new addition to their mapping service includes panoramic images of the Australian Barrier Reef, Hawaiian islands and Philippines Apo Islands. Hey, I think I just found my missing socks!

RIM held its BlackBerry Jam this week and announced that apps for Facebook Twitter, Foursquare and LinkedIn will be included in the BlackBerry 10 launch. In other news, nobody cared.

Sony's latest PlayStation PS3 became available Tuesday in both 250GB and 500GB models. The 250GB PS3, at a price of $269.99, comes packed with UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception: Game of the Year Edition and a voucher for $30.00 worth of digital content for DUST 514.

Twitter reported that there were more than 10.3 million tweets during the first 2012 presidential debate, setting a record as the most tweeted event in U.S. politics. If you missed the event, see comedian Bill Maher's debate tweets for a concise and humorous recap.