Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

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Netflix for iPhone and iPod touch streams the big screen to the small screen

Published on Thu, Aug 26, 2010, 9:16 am 0 Comments

Last night my friend (and Flip Video For Dummies co-author) Drew and I crashed out in front around my iPad to watch John Cassavettes’ brilliant film “Husbands” (1970). Both of us were fading to black before reaching The End so we opted to pause and finish watching another night.

Drew this morning was saying how it would be cool if the Netflix app was available for the iPhone too so he could finish watching on the train, and low and behold, that feature (plus iPhone touch streaming) was added to the app today.

Key features of the Netflix app include:

Watch as often as you want
Resume watching where you left off on your TV, computer, iPad or wherever you last watched
Browse movies and manage your Instant Queue right from your iPhone or iPod touch (or iPad)

Download the Netflix app from the iTunes App Store here: Netflix.

Checking in: 2010 Neuroscience Boot Camp @ University of Penn

Published on Mon, Aug 2, 2010, 8:32 am 0 Comments

Attending the 2010 Neuroscience Boot Camp at University of Penn here in sunny Philadelphia (August 1 through 11). Stay tuned for the occasional “brainy” dispatch.

Penn’s Neuroscience Boot Camp has been endorsed by the Neuroethics Society as a way for non-neuroscientists to gain a better understanding of the science behind the proliferation of new “neurofields” including neuroethics.

Electronic House Interview: Green Gadgets Author’s Fave Green Tools

Published on Thu, Apr 15, 2010, 10:18 am 0 Comments

Green Gadgets Author’s Fave Green Tools

We need more sexy green products, says writer Joe Hutsko.

Apr. 14, 2010 – by Steven Castle

Joe Hutsko is a technology writer and the author of Green Gadgets for Dummies, which covers green and sustainable technologies from mobile gadgets to energy-efficient home systems. He is a veteran of Apple during the John Sculley reign, and is the author of the novel, The Deal, based on Steve Jobs-Sculley corporate fracas. We recently caught up with Hutsko and posed a few very jealous questions.

Read the full interview: Electronic House | Green Gadgets Author’s Fave Green Tools.

Green Gadgets Author’s Fave Green ToolsG

Greener Gadgets 2010 Video: Joe Hutsko interviews HP and Panasonic execs

Published on Thu, Mar 11, 2010, 11:59 am 2 Comments

Here are links to videos of my interviews with HP and Panasonic execs at the Greener Gadgets 2010 conference:

Maria Tate, Senior Industrial Designer, HP

Peter Fannon, VP Corporate and Government Affairs, Panasonic

Update boosts ASUS 1005PE, 1001P netbook display brightness

Published on Sat, Feb 27, 2010, 11:01 am 0 Comments

1000PE-0804 What a bummer when I discovered I couldn’t run the over-clocking utility eeectl on my new ASUS Eee PC 1005PE to increase the netbook’s display brightness level beyond the limited (and way too-dim) maximum brightness level ASUS enables. ASUS purposely locks out maximum brightness in order to make super-long battery life claims like 11- to 14-hours on its latest 1005PE and 1001P models.

Running eeectl and choosing the “ultrabright” setting on these latest “Pine Trail” Intel Atom N450-based models has no effect on the display.

Thankfully ASUS’s recently released BIOS update (0804 – 02/05/2010) fixed my 1005PE’s dim-bulb brightness limit by installing two tweaks: “Update Brightness table” and “Modify thermal policy” (as shown in figure).

Although the BIOS 0804 update carries an early February release date, the downloadable file is no where to be found on ASUS’s Eee PC support site.

To get the update, run your netbook’s ASUS Update for Eee PC utility, choose and run the BIOS 0804 option, reboot, and low and behold, a brighter display.

(For me, this update came just in the nick of time because I was just about to return the netbook because of the dumbed-down brightness limitation.)

Green Gadgets | Radio Times | WHYY

Published on Wed, Jan 20, 2010, 12:35 pm 0 Comments

Talking about “green-er gadgets” on Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane | WHYY.org

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 | Hour 2

What do you do with your old cell phone when you’ve bought your upgrade? Are you using your home computer in the most energy-efficient way? Technology enthusiast JOE HUTSKO explains how to use our home entertainment devices in a more environmentally-friendly way in his new book, Green Gadgets for Dummies.

Listen via Green Gadgets | Radio Times | WHYY.

Had a great time speaking with Marty Moss-Coane about greener gadgets at the WHYY studio in Philadelphia. Special thanks to Patty and Denis for the invite and proper care and feeding of this on-air guest.

Links to green gadget-related websites | gGadget.org

Published on Tue, Jan 19, 2010, 9:56 am 0 Comments

Links to green gadget-related websites

Some handy links to green gadget-related websites: Green Gadgets For Dummies.

via gGadget.org.

Interview – E-Readers: Are they greener than books? Radio Netherlands Worldwide | gGadget

Published on Sun, Jan 17, 2010, 9:45 pm 0 Comments

From Radio Netherlands Worldwide:

With the future of digital reading undeniable, we decided to speak to someone who knows gadgets. Joe Hutsko joins Marnie to talk about e-readers vs. books, the advantages, disadvantages, and which of the two is greener.

Listen to interview via gGadget.org via Mud graffiti and book pulp | Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

iPhone OS 3.1 update available; organize apps in iTunes, download ringtones, MobileMe remote lock, anti-phishing and more

Published on Wed, Sep 9, 2009, 2:59 pm 0 Comments

While everyone’s following the blogs covering Apple’s announcements today, I checked iTunes to see if there might be an iPhone update available before the show’s over.

3.1update1

Low and behold, I’m downloading the iPhone OS 3.1 Software Update and installing it on my iPhone 3G as I write this.

Here is what appears in the dialog after you click Download, or Download and Install:

iPhone OS 3.1 Software Update

This update contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:

Genius recommendations for Applications
iTunes 9 support
- Genius Mixes
- Organize your apps directly in iTunes
- Improved syncing options for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and photos
- iTunes U content organization
Redeem iTunes Gift cards, codes and certificates in the App Store
Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store
Browse and download ringtones wirelessly from the iTunes Store*
Save video from Mail and MMS into Camera Roll
Option to “Save as new clip” when trimming a video on iPhone 3GS
Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on
Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe
Use Voice Control with iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets
Paste phone numbers into Keypad
Option to use Home button to turn on Accessibility features on iPhone 3GS
Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing)
Improved Exchange calendar synching and invitation handling
Fixes issue that caused some app icons to display incorrectly
Products compatible with this software update:

iPhone
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS

The update completed just as I finished writing this post, and now when I check Settings > General > About I see Version 3.1 7C144) and Carrier AT&T 5.0. Stay tuned for more details.

iPhone & iPod touch tip: Undo accidental Home button press

Published on Thu, Aug 27, 2009, 9:41 am 0 Comments

It happens all the time: You’re using an iPhone app and you accidentally press the Home button, which takes you home whether you like it or not. Here’s an easy trick to undo an accidental Home key press:

Keep the Home button held down, then touch and hold on the screen for two seconds then let go of the Home button. You stay in the app rather than go home.