Geekly Update - August 19 2010

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

RIM's latest BlackBerry, the Torch, is a slider with full backlit QWERTY keyboard, an optical track pad, a 3.2" touch screen, 5MP camera, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Unfortunately, it's not an iPhone.

Google Earth has a new weather app that allows realtime information. To access it you have to enable the clouds and radar layers, then zoom in on an area in North America or Europe.

Stealth has released an ultra small form factor PC that is only 4x6x1.5 inches and weighs a mere 1.2 pounds. Packed inside the LPC-100 is an Intel Dual Core Celeron T3100, an Intel Mobile GM45 Express Chipset with 3D graphic capability. But sadly, the price is not as tiny. The Stealth starts at $995.

PDClipart.org provides over 25,000 pieces of public domain clip art. The free collection is available with no registration needed. Choose between dozens of categories that can fit in to almost any project.

Tweet-U-Later is the ultimate tool for Twitter addicts. Free to use, you can post unlimited amounts of updates and decide when you want them to appear.

According to an NPD report, smartphones running Android software accounted for about 33% of all phones purchased in Q2, making them the top seller. BlackBerry placed second with 28% while Apple came in third with a 22% share.

Don't expect to find The Beatles library on iTunes any time soon. According to Reuters, Yoko Ono and others are holding out for more money from Apple. So for now, I guess folks will have to continue downloading their favorite Beatles songs for free on P2P networks.

Comex, with the assistance of others, has devised JailbreakMe, a download for your iPhone 4, iPad or iPod touch via its Safari browser. The app is free, reversible and allows access to lots of cool apps that are not in the Apple App Store. One of those apps is Frash, which enables basic Flash animation.

Sprint has finally updated its WebOS software with changes that include power and battery optimization, better download of podcasts, video trim, security updates and SprintTV update. Hit WebOS 1.4.5 firmware on their site to see how to download on your Palm or Pre. Unfortunately, it doesn't turn your Pre into an iPhone.

Speaking of gaming, Blockbuster has finally added game rentals to their mail service. Subscribers can order them as part of their usual movie selections and Total Access members can trade them for other movies or games at participating stores.

In a new report issued by wireless industry Chetan Sharma, Internet connected devices now outnumber humans. Although the amount of users will continue to grow, web-connected electronics will still outnumber us in the future. Warning: robot attack imminent.

Ordo is trying to appeal to business types with its HDV-D350S Camcorder with a removable pico projector that displays a WVGA image with 15 lumens. The cam has a 10x optical zoom, 3" touch screen LCD, SD/SDHC card slot and carries a price of $549.00.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled about 470,000 batteries that were placed in refurbished BlackBerrys. It seems that the batteries, installed by Asurion, may overheat and cause fire and burn hazards. Note: This never happens to iPhones.