Geekly Update April 19

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Not content to attack online sites and email inboxes, cybercriminals are now attacking devices such as battery chargers and digital photo frames. I am SO glad I got the non-USB toaster.

Tired of being put on hold? LucyPhone lets you look up any customer service number, then place a call. If you get put on hold, press "**". You'll be disconnected, but Lucy will hold for you, call you back when a human is reached, and reconnect you.

Twitter has finally decided to use advertising as an extra source of revenue. With Promoted Tweets, companies can purchase rights to keywords that will come up during searches. Best Buy, Virgin America, Starbucks and Bravo have already committed to the program. If this turns out to be cheaper than hiring kids from the Philippines to spam forums, it might catch on.

Got too much stuff cluttering up your space? Recycle some of those old electronics at Best Buy. Most things are recycled free, including TVs, DVD players, computer monitors, audio and video cables, and cell phones. Too bad they don't take members of Congress...

Those who are thinking of investing in a new external drive can get a bonus when purchasing the 500GB FreeAgent Go. In an agreement with Paramount, Seagate has pre-loaded Star Trek (2009.) The film can be unlocked after registration and other titles are available for a small charge.

Viewsonic has released two new 6-inch ebook readers dubbed the VEB620and VEB625. Both have E-ink monochrome displays with 800X600 resolution, 1.5 GB of internal memory and a G-Sensor for orientation. The VEB625 also features a touchscreen and WiFi. But sadly, both models lack a veggie slicer.

iPhone and Android users can have a great time with KnockingLive. The app shares real-time video with others instantly, no matter where they are located. Watch for Knocking to become available soon for Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Mobile and Palm phones.

Microsoft debuted two new phones with younger users in mind that will arrive in the fall. KIN One and KIN Two, made by Sharp, and to be sold by Verizon, have touchscreens, slideout keyboards, cameras, accessibility to the Zune Marketplace and feature easy connectivity to social networking sites.

Google has acquired Plink, an Android application that allows you to snap a picture of a work of art. Once the piece is recognized, it sends information on the artwork and artist, lets you share with others or order a print.

Toshiba is bringing their line of Camileos to the US. The mini-camcorder has a 3" LCD screen and YouTube support. There are three models, with prices beginning at $180.00. All of them record in 1080p, use SDHC cards for storage and have HDMI connections.