Geekly Update - 11 July 2011

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

South Korea will be the first to make their schools paperless by 2015 as it will spend over $2 billion developing digital textbooks. I wonder, does that include the bathrooms, too?

Always wanted to play WOW but too cheap to pay for it? Blizzard has released a free WOW Starter Edition version where you can go as far as level 20. Hopefully by then, you'll have a job and can move out of your parents' basement.

Sony's latest Handycam comes with a built-in 60-inch projector in the back of its LCS for those who want instant sharing, at a price of $999.99. The HDR-PJ50V captures full HD at 60 frames/sec, 7.1 MP images, has Dolby Digital sound and a 160 digital zoom.

Hey, remember the Zune? Microsoft has quietly shut down its Zune Originals Store. The players themselves are still for sale at Best Buy or Walmart but no orders for those with customization is possible.

As per usual, when something hot hits the planet, there are spammers who take advantage of it. This time, Sophos has discovered emails that look similar to Google+ invitations but will take you to a pharmacy website or perhaps release spyware on you and your friends. Hey, it's still social media!

After two of his comrades were killed in a rocket attack in Afghanistan, Captain Jonathan Springer created an app that might have pre-warned them. Tactical Nav combines a compass, map and camera and can pinpoint the location of enemy fire and is available for $5.99. Now I'm actually happy that the iPhone doesn't do multi-tasking.

President Obama participated in the first Twitter Town Hall Wednesday as thousands of Tweets were sent in and the best selected for answers. While questions were limited to the 140 characters, the President gave answers as long as eight minutes. Tweeeeeeee-eeeeeeeeeeeee-zzzzzzz-eeeeeeeeeeeet.

Google Maps has now added the ability to download directions on Android smartphones for later offline usage. They now can also be used on public transportation to let passengers know when to get off or transfer.

Mark Zuckerberg made a live announcement Wednesday to let the gleeful masses know that Facebook's "social ecosystem" is evolving via Skype. Group chat includes a downloaded applet, a video call button on a sidebar and future apps to come. Do Facebook employees get paid every time they use the word awesome?

Taco Bell plans to make WiFi available to all its 5,600 locations via Indoor Direct. Customers will also be treated to free downloads, opt-in text messages and special offers while wolfing down their 880 calories of Grilled Stuft Burrito goodness.