Author: Navneet Alang

Eric Schmidt, CEO of small, obscure search company ‘Google’ (man, that name is never gonna’ take off, amirite?) revealed that the folks at Mountain View have no interest in either a Google-branded netbook running ChromeOS or a followup to their Nexus One smartphone. Their reasoning? While the Nexus One was a necessary ‘experiment’ to push the hardware requirements of the smartphone forward – which, we might add, worked pretty well – notebooks and netbooks are already pretty powerful, especially when it comes to basic tasks like web browsing. What’s more, claims Schmidt, computer manufacturers…

Or, at least, these are the preliminary findings of a small test group comparing how and how quickly people read printed books and ebooks. The research study by the Nielsen Norman Group – who, with a name like that, one assumes is composed of a bunch of guys with bow-ties and tweed jackets – found that the printed paper book lends itself to a faster reading speed than iBooks on the iPad. So, despite all the advancements in technology, the book is still better at conveying information directly to readers. Who knew, right? Surprisingly, the iPad, which was 6.2% slower than the book, proved faster the…

So, okay. It’s possible that feeling up a virtual hottie is not quite what the designers of this incredible haptic interface had in mind. But c’mon: this is the internet! Dirty thoughts come first; practical thoughts come later. Still, now that we’ve gotten that out the way, as the above video shows, this complex combination of robotic levers and sensors was created to allow its user to ‘feel’ what it’s like to hold a virtual object, conveying dimension and even weight. So you could see where my mind went with this. Ahem. But the actual uses for a system like this include conveying skilled techniques…

Just a short while ago, we all assumed the Kindle was to be for books what the iPod was to music: the thing that ‘changed everything’ about how the medium was used in modern times. Oh, how times have changed. In the past few weeks, Amazon has dropped the price of the regular Kindle in an effort to combat new competition and price pressure from Kobo, the Nook and the Sony Reader, while tweaking the Kindle DX and chopping its price. The moves are, depending on who you talk to, either aggressive – or just desperate. Some sites have suggested that this is enough to reinvigorate interest in the e-reading device….

Though it may not be a well-known date worldwide, July 1st is Canada Day! While technically speaking July 1st marks the 1867 signing of the British North America Act – which made Canada an independent country – it’s now an excuse to celebrate all things Canadian. So what’s to celebrate about Canada? Well, to a lot of people, it means hockey, snow, moose and other Canadian stereotypes. But in actuality, in 2010 what it also means is multiculturalism, health care, liberal pot laws, teh gayz gettin’ hitched – and a history of cool tech. Here are just a few of the many things Canada has given the world of…

Today, new developments in media and technology are almost always about making people’s lives easier and more fun. Social networks let us stay in touch with our friends and family quickly and easily. Advancements in video games let us immerse ourselves in increasingly compelling worlds. And smartphones let us access information we need almost anywhere. But changes in technology aren’t just about convenience or functionality. They often have an effect on how we relate to society and government. Many developments in how books were made (much more than just Gutenberg’s printing press) allowed…

For as long as the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 have been on the market together, debate has raged over which online service, Xbox Live or the Playstation Network, is better value for gamers. Although many people argue that Xbox Live Gold’s service is a superior offering, many others feel that its advantages are offset by the fact that it usually costs about $50/year, while Sony’s PSN is free. Well now, fanboy arguments are going to get unusually complex and nuanced, as Sony are set to launch Playstation Plus, a so-called ‘premium service’ that will exist atop the existing Playstation Network and…

Many of you will no doubt remember the heady, early days of YouTube. The promising new site that simplified video sharing was (and still is) all the rage, mainly because it allowed people to share the bits of video they were watching and liked with others. Of course, that also meant that you couldn’t go two clicks without stumbling on a short snippet of The Daily Show, a music video or part of a movie uploaded to the site without the owner’s consent. Seemingly overnight (but not really), the web was awash with things that used to be limited to TVs, cinemas or the radio. Unsurprisingly, content owners…

The world of technology is unarguably one of the most exciting fields in the contemporary era. The breathless pace of change, the innovation, the competition – it’s all so exciting! But at the same time, the world of tech has bred some unfortunate side effects. Whether it’s the pace or the newness, something about technology gives rise to things that just aren’t acceptable or desired. I’m not talking about reduced attention span here, people. What I’m talking about is a kind of petulant, selfish, annoying behavior that we really need to stop. Here are five things that can occasionally make the…

Now that some of the dust has settled from this year’s (rather uninspiring) E3, it’s time to step back and think about the prospects for Microsoft Kinect and Playstation Move. After all, these products are like mini- console launches mid-generation – and that’s not something we’ve seen before (unless you count something like Sega’s 32X0. So what does the future hold for these two peripherals – other than you waving your arms around like an idiot? Wii Are Not Threatened First, it’s important to note that neither Move nor Kinect can, in terms of sheer numbers, pose a real threat to the Wii. The Wii has…