I remember watching my grandfather hand crank one of his company trucks when I was a youngster. Of course electric starters had been invented by then (hey-I'm not that old) but it was the first truck he bought for the company and it had a lot of memories for him so he wasn't going to part with it although he was the only one in the company who knew how to start it.
The hand crank has made a return, this time into the world of technology. Read more below.
I was in an electronics store checkout line yesterday and the lady in front of me had placed a desktop PC on the counter that she was clearly unhappy with. The cashier was also clearly unhappy because not only was this lady in the wrong line but she had no idea how to calm the lady down. The customer had obviously reached her breaking point and wasn't about to listen to the fact that she should go to another counter to speak to a technician. Most of what she was complaining about seemed to stem from the fact she really had no idea how to operate a PC and had even less comprehension what an Operating System does. Her point was that the sales person had told her that it would be cakewalk to set up her new PC and she would be surfing the internet, sending emails to her daughter in University, and downloading pictures from the 5 SD cards she had filled up because she had no idea how to download them.
She said she had spent at least 50 hours trying to get everything to work and now she just wanted her money back. Finally a manager managed to entice her to another part of the store but I thought as I left the store that it was probably about to refund over $1,000 to the customer and all because they had failed to overcome her EFQ.
Continue reading "What is your EFQ? (Electronics Frustration Quotient)" »
In the 70's and 80's and 90's, the big convention for the hi tech crowd was COMDEX. It brought together over 150,000 people to see the latest releases in hardware, software and networking. It was a big dollar event held in November in Las Vegas every year although the average participant was labelled "cheap" because they didn't gamble and spend a lot of money. A cab driver told me that he hated working that week because the Comdex attendees were the lowest tippers at any Vegas convention. While it was a huge money making vehicle for Shel Adelson who eventually sold it and built the Venetian in Vegas with the proceeds, the popularity of the internet has caused Comdex to be indefinitely "postponed" since 2004.
The Consumer Electronics Show was in the Comdex shadow for 30+ years but has now become "the" hi-tech Convention not to be missed in Vegas. With the popularity of electronic gadgets that interface with the web and the advent of "hi-def", CES is the place for companies to launch their new products and get the media buzz necessary to try and make an impact on the market.
You'll be hearing a lot of announcements from the show that runs Jan 7-10, or you can go to their web site to keep up to date with all the happenings.
I learned about the diversity of USB ports when I bought an Archos 605 which uses USB technology to recharge the unit's battery. So it makes sense that a company called USB Cell markets AA batteries that recharge off a USB port. They claim they will soon be introducing other battery types as well. I would imagine it's just a matter of time before the big guys move into this lucrative eco-friendly market.
If you have ever lost or had one of your USB electronic gadgets (camera, pda, Ipod etc.) stolen, you realize there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. TechCrunch has coverage of a couple of software products that can track your gadget and one of them is even free for now. Be sure to read the comments on the post. It seems that the original company is accusing the new company of ripping them off and even threatens to sue them. Ahhh I love technology.
TIVO is basically a very sophisticated digital video recorder that records programs from your TV cable or satellite. TIVO announced today that it will soon be legally sold in Canadian electronics stores. Up to now, TIVO boxes had to be brought in from the US and if you ran into technical problems you were on your own and that's if you could somehow get a US subscription. There are already similar products available from the Canadian cable carriers so the introduction of TIVO will probably make DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) start to become more popular in Canada. Apparently the initial model being released will not be HD capable so that may be a hindrance to sales as the ones provided by the cable companies are. Also, the DVRs are built into the same box as the HD receiver so the monthly fee covers both. The TIVO set will cost $199 plus a monthly fee. Canadian cable companies are quite protective of their turf so I predict a battle for TIVO.
If you are a regular reader, you know that I love high tech "stuff". I've got a PDA, MP3player, digital cameras, cellphones, laptops, desktops, a scanner, USB drives, etc etc. So when someone told me they had a PCA, I hesitated, so he said, "you know- a personal communications aid" I was taken aback. But I couldn't let him know that the Savvy Boomer was not at all savvy about a PCA. I just said "yeah, they're great," and quickly changed the subject. I had no idea what it was but what a cool name. I had to get one.
Call it serendipitous (what a great word) but that same day I received an email from someone called "Boomer Babe" who thought my readers might be interested in "cool and sexy" hearing aids. Now I have to tell you that I have never taken notice of or even thought about hearing aids because for some reason, I have extraordinary hearing. It's probably to compensate for other parts of my body that are less than extraordinary, but the ears are like supersonic listening devices for me. People who know me well do not say anything that they don't want me to hear if they know that I am even in the same area code.
But being the dedicated boomer geek that I am, I was interested to see how hearing aids could be sexy.
So I went to Boomer Babe's link and started reading. And there it was, a couple of paragraphs in:
"The new ear pieces are not "hearing aids." They are PCA's, "personal communication aids." And the PCA is the "ultimate high-tech accessory."
Well, "the ultimate high-tech accessory" may be a little overstated but they do look like a Bluetooth receiver, actually even sleeker which is good because I'm not a big fan of wearing those things in public. So I learned something new and while I hope my hearing remains 20-20 or whatever excellent hearing is, it's nice to know that if it fails as I age, I won't need a hearing aid, rather a cool and sexy PCA.
Maybe we can "sex up" the names for some other enabling aids for aging by using some new acronyms:
to Boomer Babe's site.
Look at me!! I use Bluetooth!!
Remember when geeks were always teased about wearing pen pocket protectors? Most of them actually seemed to wear it as a badge of honor. And now the Bluetooth ear piece seems to be the new badge of honor. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, the gentleman in the picture isn't wearing a hearing aid, it's a Bluetooth headset connected to a cell phone.
Bluetooth is simply a wireless protocol that allows a headset like the one above to connect to a phone, computer, mp3 player etc. I think it's great in the office or home but in my opinion, they look ridiculous when used in public.
The first time I saw one, a guy in Costco was in an obvious and very loud argument with his son about a car. I was confused because he was by himself and I kind of felt sorry for him having to wear (I thought) such a big hearing aid and obviously had a mild case of Tourette's the way he was arguing with his non present child. Then I realized it was a wireless headset. A few days later I was passed by a woman doing about 140 (Kmh) in an SUV and she was by herself yakking into a Bluetooth headset. Last weekend at Whistler, there was a guy playing golf with one on. Sam Snead must be rolling over in his grave. I've also seen people seemingly involved in law enforcement wearing them-that makes sense.
Give me a break, it's bad enough that we use cell phones in cases like these, (although in a moving vehicle I disagree with the use of euther by the driver) but am I the only one who thinks these BT people look like self-absorbed cyborgs? As a friend of mine said "When I see someone wearing one of those in public, I already know I don't like them and I don't even know them."
If you absolutely must wear one, at least try to fit it into an overall "look" like the lady here has managed. My friend still wouldn't like her though.
