Geekly Update September 21

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

• Twitter users can now have 2-way voice chats with others by typing "@call @username" thanks to Jajah. The second person has to be following the first and both must have Jajah accounts. The beta allows a two minute conversation as its verbal tweet, can work with any PC or phone, and numbers will remain private. Great, but will the voice chat be limited to 140-character sentences?
• LG has unveiled its first Android based smartphone. The LG-GW620 features a 3" touchscreen and slide out QWERTY keyboard. The consumer friendly phone, due out in Q4 (in select European markets), supports social networking, HSDPA and WiFi. Hey Verizon, can we have a smartphone with wifi?
• For those worried about radiation from cell phones, the Environmental Working Group has released a ranking of about 1,000 cell phones according to emission levels. The Samsung Impression and Motorola RAZR emit the least amount while the Motorola MOTO VU204 and T-Mobile myTouch 3G have the most. The US FDA claims there is no proof of danger, but can we trust them to protect us from brain cancer with so much money at stake?
• Microsoft has added "visual search" to its Bing search engine. The beta was unveiled at TechCrunch 50 in San Francisco this week and allows users to work with imaged-based search results instead of just text in the area of travel, leisure, shopping and health.
• Take a peek at Fast Flip from Google Labs, Google's answer to combining print and the Internet. They are hoping that the service, which is very simple to use, will be adopted by major newspaper publishers as one way to recapture lost revenue due to the decline of the newspaper industry. Fast Flip allows quick browsing through news, headlines and feeds like a print magazine, but apparently does not detect editorial bias.
• Sony released a new ebook reader this week, the Reader Pocket Edition at a price of $199.99. The PRS-300 has a 5" display and E-Ink Vizplex paper-like screen technology for reading in all light. Available in silver, rose or navy blue, it has an advantage of three adjustable font sizes and supports multiple formats.
• The Zune HD has finally arrived with its multi-touch navigation, HD Radio technology, and HD video out. In addition, the Zune 4.0 update is also available for download with new features Quickplay and Smart DJ. Zune: The portable music device for people who just don't like iPods.
• Microsoft has filed 5 lawsuits in an effort to keep "ITmeter INC." and "Soft Solutions" from using online advertising to post "malvertisements." They are hoping to set a legal precedent with the move that will help deter other malware from spreading.
• The RSA FraudAction Research Team has found a phishing site that pretends to be a bank's fraud department. When launched, the victims see a live chat site where they are asked for their name, phone number and email address. Just a reminder, always initiate online banking activity by going directly to the bank's website, or use a bookmark. Never click an email link to do so.