A KERnel-copia of information!

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That’s not the first and probably won’t be the last Thanksgiving reference you hit on the web in the next few days*.  It does sit in a sliver-sized union on the ‘Thanksgiving’ and ‘UNIX’ Holiday/Computer Reference Venn diagram I made.  Speaking of references, this week’s show ‘BROWSER WARS‘ is ripe for them.  For your sake, I am saving those all for the SHOW PAGE because Tom Gutnick is on the show this week talking BROWSER WARS on Sunday, November 28 at 5pm EST | 3pm MST.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in radio land and on the other side of the intertubes! See the previous sentence, this one, the blog post title and below titles that did not make the cut as examples how single exclamation points are where it’s at! Two is bit much and three is just trying too hard.

*Other blog post titles that did not make the cut:

• This Week on IMI’s TurkeyTalk
• A show you will gobble up!
• Hey there, Pilgrim!
• Listen up, Turkeys!
• This week’s show is aMAIZEn!

DM us on Twitter @imitechtalk to let us know what you really think.

Lastly, if you are going to be in Brooklyn on Dec 11 or 12, Punching a Panda really relieves the stress.  If you made it this far, here are some articles to get you moving on your way now…

Related Articles

• New Social E-Reading Platform Allows Real-Time Discussions, Right On the E-Book’s Pages (readwriteweb.com)
• Copia’s ‘social reading’ platform goes live, abandons hardware plans (engadget.com)
• Copia: An e-bookstore plus social networking (blogs.consumerreports.org)
• Happy Thanksgiving From GoodGuide (goodguide.com)

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Tis the season – to be Mary

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Mary!? That’s my name!

There are many classic holiday stories that mean different things to different people. Over the next weeks, we will have time to reflect on those cherished stories and traditions with friends and family.  First up on the list is Thanksgiving…

Along with Thanksgiving comes the holiday shopping season and Black Friday, so we have Keith Shaw on this week to talk about NetworkWorld’s gift guide, 2010 Cool Yule Tools.

For a link to the full guide and to find out what Tom and Keith will be covering, check out the SHOW PAGE.

Don’t forget that Santa is watching and that we will be on at 1pm EST this weekend on 1100 KFNX.

Related Articles

• Black Friday deals to draw 138 million shoppers (money.cnn.com)
• Tightwads and spendthrifts: A Black Friday tradition (esciencenews.com)
• More US shoppers at malls Black Friday weekend-NRF (reuters.com)
• ‘Tis the Season to Be Creative (hollabackhealth.com)
• More shoppers forecast for Black Friday weekend (reuters.com)
• UPDATE 1-More US shoppers forecast for Black Friday weekend (reuters.com)
• ‘Tis the season (advancedreporting.wordpress.com)

Pinkies up! Time for Social Media Manners with the Swami

Image via Wikipedia

While we are still putting together our coverage from this year’s Interop in New York City that is just wrapping up, Tom will be on Sunday with Shashi Bellamkonda, Social Media Swami.  Shashi was at BlogWorld this week and is going to educate us on social media and customer service etiquette.  Find out more on the SHOW PAGE.

Our RSS readers are going overtime this week.  Apple’s announcements, New York City made a big announcement about its relationship with Microsoft along with plenty of new product hype with companies looking to take any holiday dollars people are looking to spend.  Speaking of, we are trying to get our hands on some gadgets to review and bring to you.  If you have any products you think we should give a spin before you do, let us know by emailing techtalk@imi-us.com or sending us a DM on Twitter @imitechtalk.

Here are some stories to keep you busy.  This post’s picture is circa 1900 Mulberry Street from Wikipedia.

Related Articles

• Interop: Enterprises Lax On Mobile Security (informationweek.com)
• Interop: Social Media Should Be CIO Priority (informationweek.com)
• Interop: Social Networks A Fact Of Corporate Life (informationweek.com)
• Five Social Refreshers from BlogWorld: Largest Social Media Conference (livingstonbuzz.com)
• ProductCamp DC Recap (networksolutions.com)
• October 28th is great learning day for Small Business (networksolutions.com)
• Microsoft lifts New York City into the cloud (venturebeat.com)
• Hot Topics in Digital Media – Digital East 2010 (revenews.com)

November 29 – GovTech 2009

This week’s show [DOWNLOAD/LISTEN] is one of two upcoming ‘TechTalk on the Road’ shows. This week, Tom joins the GovTech 2009 event at the Brooklyn Marriott. Find out more about GovTech at www.govtech.com

We started 2009 with our coverage from the 2008 event. Once again, we’re glad Sal joined us as well as Craig Hannah from EMC and Henry Jackson from the Office of Emergency Management.

The show will air Sunday at 5 pm EST | 3 MST & be ready for download or delivery to your inbox by Monday.

Our second ‘TechTalk on the Road’ with our coverage from the floor at the INTEROP NYC show. We are thinking about making it available online before it airs on KFNX. What do you think?

October 4- Gary Arlen and Telecommunications

Gary Arlen stops by this week to tell us about “Telecommunications in Today’s World”.  Gary is the President of Arlen Communications Inc.For 20 years, Gary has accurately analyzed the emergence of new media and technologies, forecasting the evolution of customer-controlled video and data services.  Gary has published future-looking periodicals and consults for clients seeking strategic and business guidance in these fields.  His clients range from the National Football League, Sony Online Entertainment and Microsoft to GTECH, Into Networks, NBC Interactive, Intel plus media, entertainment, telecommunications and marketing firms and several interesting technology start-ups.

It will be a show that you will not want to miss.  

The show will air THIS Sunday at 6 pm EDT/ 3 pm MST on KFNX 1100 in the Phoenix area and can also be streamed at this same time on this link.

Also, get ready for lots of product reviews for the holiday seasons to see what hot products are in for 2009 and what is to come for 2010.

Monday, our Week In Review post will be up for all of the stories that are featured in this weeks show.

Thanks for the support!

Aerolatte – Used and Reviewed

We got our hands on an Aerolatte after seeing it in the Wired $879 Office product review. The short version is we liked it so much, we bought another one from Amazon.

For our review, Aerolatte sent us their top of the line ‘professional’ stainless steel model. It has a bigger motor, but we could not tell the difference between its functionality over the ‘regular’ model. But it is stainless steel – ipso facto it is fancier. It has the same form factor as the other version but is a little heavier and comes with a stand so you can proudly display your air infusing milk mangler to all who come through your kitchen. If stainless and stands do not fit your decor, there have gray, white, black and a spotted black and white one.

Who are we to say it how it works? We are glad we asked. Our primary reviewer of the Aerolatte worked at a coffee shop for a while and used the big machines. His verdict – “the Aerolatte does just as good a job, if not better at frothing milk. The best part is no steam, so no water in the milk – you microwave the milk, then froth. 2% milk froths like whole milk with it.”

As coffee snobs having foregone drip makers for the Aeropress (does not work well as Frisbee), we are always in search of a better brew – and we found it. We say put your beans through the Aeropress and the Aerolatte through your milk to make a $4 cup of coffee without putting on pants (note: both still work if you are wearing pants, but not without two ‘AA’ batteries which are included). When you finish – pick up your cup, extend your pinky and tell the six people that follow you on Twitter how fancy you are.

In closing – Thumbs up! Frothy milky mustaches all around! Next time you class up the kitchen with fancy coffee, do it right…or any other concoction you find or create.

We were going to link to a story about the FCC requiring us to tell you Aerolatte sent us one of these at no cost, but we fell asleep looking at their website.

Originally Posted: 7/2/2009
Posted Again in Entirety: 7/13/09

TechTalk Product Review – Otterbox Rocks

The OtterBox 7030 laptop case is described on OtterBox’s site as Waterproof, dustproof, drop-proof, dirtproof protection. High impact Polypropylene construction for maximum strength. Shock-absorbing Elastomer corner bumpers. This case includes a shoulder strap, and a removable file folder accessory for files, pens, business cards and more.

We simply call it one mean motor-scooter. Not only is it lockable, it also has …wait for it…automatic pressure equalization in case it is submerged in water. The OtterBox is rated ‘MIL-STD 810F’ and IP67. Those equate to approximately 30 minutes in one meter of water. We did not test this feature. We have to take their word on it until we get a bigger budget.

It comes with customizable bumpers to ensure a snug fit for your laptop. We should note is it will not fit all laptops. Please check the site to make sure yours will fit. There is no give. It do or it don’t.

There is not much more to say about this case. It is simple. It is tough. It is a must have for mobile workers in extreme conditions – sandhogs, we are talking to you. Weighing in a just under seven pounds for the case only, it is not the lightest in the market. But, we are also pretty sure the doors at Fort Knox are not light either. Overall, the protection you get for the extra weight is well worth it if protection is a priority for your laptop.

We also tried out Otterbox’s iPhone case. The case retails for around $50. Considering it is water resistant and tough as nails, you can look at that as a $50 insurance policy for your device. It is also the best looking case we have seen for those that clip the phone to the belt. It has all of the same characteristics of the laptop case. They have PDA cases for iPhone, Treos, iPods, iPaqs and more on the way. We are not saying this is the toughest case on the face of the earth, but we are saying you should let us know if you find one that is tougher.

You can find all of these at http://www.otterbox.com and most likely in the offices of MI6. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Whatever it is, we are not worried about breaking it or whatever it encases.

December 21 Show’s Week in Review & Part 2 of Our TechTalk Gadget Review

Week In Review from December 21 only had two news stories so we could make time for all the great gift ideas we had from our staff and Ben Patterson

Here are the two stories from the Wall Street Journal Online edition Tom suggested:

• What’s in a name, More and more a number – Carl Bialik [LINK]
• The Way We Will Watch – Wall Street Journal – Sarah McBride [LINK]

PRODUCT REVIEWS
Last week, we brought you our first installment of product coverage for the 2008 holiday season.We reviewed the Cardscan for Mac, the Pathfinder TSA CheckPoint Friendly Compu-brief and the WildCharge charging mat.

This week we bring you a couple of very different digital frames.

The first was the DPF 1411 model, 14.1 inch from Westinghouse. With such a large display, the software on the device is able to show either full frame of one picture or split into three it using Westinghouse’s MosaicView™ technology. This technology shows three of the pictures at the same time with a vertical and two horizontal. Though the Westinghouse model only has 128 MB of internal memory, it is compatible with most memory card format (including SD, CompactFlash and even XD from Olympus). It will display JPEGs, A.V.I motion JPEG, MPEG 1 & 4 file formats. The frame is at home on the shelf and is wall mountable. Though, you will still have a power supply cord hanging down if you hang it on the wall.

Picture quality is similar to other models, but the extra screen real estate brings the suggested retail above $200. We did find it on a few sites between $160 – 180.

The next digital frame we tried was eStarling’s Impact 7. How is it so different from the Westinghouse? The biggest difference is the Impact does not have anywhere to put your storage device …of any kind. The way the eStarling frame works is wirelessly. This means the first thing you have to do is set it up on your wireless network. Then, you go to their website, sign up for an account and you are given an email address. Then you email your new address the pictures you want on the frame. You can also set the frame up to read feeds using RSS (like you use to download the TechTalk podcast).

The Impact retails for around $100. If you are an avid flickr or Photstream user, separated from from a friend/family member or want to put one in your reception area at your business, then the Impact 7 from eStarling is a very viable choice.

Finally, the belle of TechTalk’s 2008 Holiday Gift Product Tests comes to us from Otterbox.

The OtterBox 7030 laptop case is described on OtterBox’s site as Waterproof, dustproof, drop-proof, dirtproof protection. High impact Polypropylene construction for maximum strength. Shock-absorbing Elastomer corner bumpers. This case includes a shoulder strap, and a removable file folder accessory for files, pens, business cards and more.

We simply call it one mean motor-scooter. Not only is it lockable, it also has …wait for it…automatic pressure equalization in case it is submerged in water. The OtterBox is rated ‘MIL-STD 810F’ and IP67. Those equate to approximately 30 minutes in one meter of water. We did not test this feature. We have to take their word on it until we get a bigger budget.

It comes with customizable bumpers to ensure a snug fit for your laptop. We should note is it will not fit all laptops. Please check the site to make sure yours will fit. There is no give. It do or it don’t.

There is not much more to say about this case. It is simple. It is tough. It is a must have for mobile workers in extreme conditions – sandhogs, we are talking to you. Weighing in a just under seven pounds for the case only, it is not the lightest in the market. But, we are also pretty sure the doors at Fort Knox are not light either. In conclusion,

We also tried out Otterbox’s iPhone case. The case retails for around $50. Considering it is water resistant and tough as nails, you can look at that as a $50 insurance policy for your device. It is also the best looking case we have seen for those that clip the phone to the belt. It has all of the same characteristics of the laptop case. They have PDA cases for iPhone, Treos, iPods, iPaqs and more on the way. We are not saying this is the toughest case on the face of the earth, but we are saying let us know if you find one that is tougher.

You can find all of these at otterbox.com and most likely in the offices of MI6. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Whatever it is, we are not worried about breaking it or whatever it encases.

The staff would like to thank Kristin at Otterbox, Michael for Westinghouse and Jessica from eStarling for all their help getting these products to test out.

TechTalk Product Review – WildCharge: Stay in Charge of Your Battery

We first saw the WildCharge in an article from David Pogue at the NY Times (and a video).

This intrigued us to try it for ourselves.

As seen below and on the WildCharge site, the WildCharge comes with a pad adorned with metallic strips. When the phone (with the adapter) is placed on the mat, the 4 small posts on the back of the case make contact with the mat and begin the charge.

Picture from WildCharge Products page.

The mat is smart enough to detect human fingers. No electroshock therapy here. If a person touches multiple strips, the device shuts off.

Our use proved to be …well, just as expected. We did not run scientific stopwatch tests , but the WildCarge charged our BlackBerry’s in around the same time it takes the wall charger. We did not notice any difference in the length of time the phone stayed charged.

As of now, there are a few cases for phones. Motorola Rzrs (some models. see site for details), BlackBerry Curve & Pearl are the only models with cases available now. iPhone cases are planned for the first part of 2009 and WildCharge is also planning to expand their offerings to video games as well.

We’ll let you make the call on this. If you already have a case you like or don’t want a case in general, this may not be for you. If you are always running out of battery because you forget to plug in your phone, then you may have found your soul mat.

The mat will run you around $65 and each case comes in at around $35

TechTalk Product Review – Pathfinder Checkpoint Friendly Compu Brief from Parragon Luggage

Pathfinder CHECKPOINT FRIENDLY™ COMPU BRIEF

A bag with a TSA badge of Approval from Pathfinder…

All three of our users were mild upon first inspection of the Paragon’s TSA’s CHECKPOINT FRIENDLY™ COMPU BRIEF. What it lacks in WOW on 5th Avenue is forgotten the first trip through airport security. One less bin, one less thing to monkey with as you take off your shoes and belt is a very good thing. Since most of us aren’t excited about showing off our juggling skills, this bag “gets your laptop through airport security with an ‘unzip and flip’.”

The bag is pretty standard computer bag gear. It is black with an iridescent silver lining. Hearty zippers tempt you to overstuff the various sections. The side pocket protector compartment holds cell phones, pens, business cards and includes the real estate worthy of over packing…because you need both calculators, and there is room if you need it. The space opposite this area is perfect for networking tools and other everyday items for field techs. The file/folder area is also minivan spacious. Now, best for last is the TSA approved compartment. While it is only a neoprene sleeve, it has a “save time and juggling your laptop show at the airport” tag and print on the sleeve.

The maker of the bag, Paragon, went through forms, tests and other screenings so you can save one to two minutes every trip to the airport. If everyone that carried a laptop could save one or two minutes using a CHECKPOINT FRIENDLY™ bag, think of all the time that would save at the airport per day, week and year. An operations teacher could have a field day with this calculation, but we will stick with the vague “lots of time”.

The only key to getting through security quickly is “to not put anything else in the sleeve with your laptop” which means chargers, files, paper, pens…anything… just the laptop, that’s it. Opposite the approved laptop glove are three compartments, continuing the silver motif, that are good for adapters, drives, chargers and the associated what-not’s we all have to have when traveling.

The “one less hassle at the airport” makes the Pathfinder worth checking out for frequent flyers. Even casual or infrequent travelers can get plenty of miles out of the ample storage and solid construction of the Pathfinder CHECKPOINT FRIENDLY™ COMPU BRIEF. The bag as tested retails for $99. There is also a wheeled version for $149 available on their website. There are plenty of bags in the $100 – $200, but there are not any others we have tested that are TSA approved.

Company contact information:

Pathfinder Luggage, Inc.
1111 –A Bell Ave.
Tustin, CA 92780