Geekly Update - 18 Apr 2011

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Commodore's new C64 may be gimmicky for those who remember the "good ole days" but it is also fully functional with Dual-core Intel Atom 525, 2GB memory and an NVIDIA Ion 2 chipset. If you're feeling nostalgic, it can be yours for $250. 300 baud modem not included.

If you want tiny and money is no object, Stealth's LPC-670 is full featured with 8GB memory, a built-in 2.5" mobile hard drive and runs Intel Core i7/i5/i3 mobile. Mini PCs do not come cheaply as prices start at $1650.

RIM launched Mobile Conferencing for Blackberry, designed for students and small business owners. Compatible with BlackBerry OS 5 and above, the free beta download can be found in their Beta Zone and utilizes "one click join" to participate in a call without needing to do the dial-up work yourself.

In a survey released by Google AdMob, it seems that 77% of those who acquired a tablet stopped using their PC. Forty three percent of the 1,400 admitted that they spend more time with them than their desktop or laptop and 82% said they mostly used them at home.

Speaking of tablets, Acer unveiled its dual-screen Touchbook with 14" HD widescreen LEDs with backlit LCDs, 4GB memory and a 640GB hard drive for multitaskers. Watch a video on one screen and surf away with Social Jogger, their answer to connecting to social networks, at a price of $1,199.

BLAZE released a contact-free Induction Charger for Nintendo Wii Motes at a price of £24.99 (~$41.00.) Simply place up to two of the included rechargeable battery packs on the charger and the chore is quickly accomplished.

Cisco is shutting down Flip Video as part of a restructuring. They will concentrate more on their Home Networking business, their Business TelePresence line and Eos media solution.

HTC's latest Android phone, the Sensation, has a 4.3" high res display, runs Gingerbread and features HTC Watch video service for usage of up to 5 devices simultaneously. It also comes loaded with HTC Sense with 3D effects and lock screens and will be available on T-Mobile.

Sony Ericsson launched its own Android Market channel that features applications from some of their partners. Users get access to apps and games, many of them recommended based on preference.

The Department of Justice agreed to let the U.S. disable the Coreflood botnet by seizing servers and domain names, and remotely turning off malware. This is the first time the US has been granted permission to perform this type of operation that will benefit over 2 million infected computers.