Growing Up Geek: Terrence O'Brien

Welcome to Growing Up Geek, an ongoing feature where we take a look back at our youth and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have our very own Associate Editor, Terrence O'Brien.

Growing Up Geek: Terrence O'Brien
In case you hadn't guessed, that's my father up there with a tiny me cradled in his arms. He's OG -- original geek -- and a defier of easy categorization that clearly explains how I ended up as the son of a gun I am today. In fact, without an understanding of where he came from and who he is, much of what would fill a completely self-centered Growing Up Geek simply wouldn't make sense. So, that's where we'll start the story, with a quick look at the man who, for better or worse, made me the nerd I am today.

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Growing Up Geek: Terrence O'Brien originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Popcorn Hour A-300 ready to sit quietly and enjoy the movies, starting October 18th (video)

Syabas has released a torrent of details about its next media streamer. The forthcoming Popcorn Hour A-300 houses the latest Sigma 800MHz CPU and Real Media decoder support, plus USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet connections to ensure dizzying transfer speeds. Like its predecessor, the aluminum-encased streamer is entirely fanless, broadcasting your favorite content in stoic silence. The A300 will be available starting October 18th, direct from Syabas. You can prepare yourself by checking out the source link below for a plethora of detailed videos and screengrabs of the A-300's interface in action.

Continue reading Popcorn Hour A-300 ready to sit quietly and enjoy the movies, starting October 18th (video)

Popcorn Hour A-300 ready to sit quietly and enjoy the movies, starting October 18th (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint's LTE plans detailed: phones, tablets and modems coming by 2012

If you were holding out hope that Tuesday's Apple announcement would be trumped by an exclusive iPhone 5 on Sprint, prepare to be disappointed. The company's confirmed that no new handsets would be shown off at its Strategy Event today. Instead, the carrier is focusing on how it intends to bundle all of those separate radios -- CDMA, LTE, WiMAX -- into a future device line up. Emphasizing the need for an enhanced user experience over 4G technology marketing, the operator stressed a commitment to supporting existing WiMAX subs. Dual-mode CDMA / LTE products are set to launch in the middle of next year, with tablets, smartphones and modems across both the high-end and mid-range to be on offer. Motorola's Sanjay Jha appeared in a taped segment to confirm his company's involvement in the production of these 3G/4G products. Of course, Sprint plans to support current CDMA and WiMAX products, offering them for sale throughout 2012. As for Direct Connect, three of those Push-to-Talk handsets will hit the carrier in the last quarter of 2011, with additional devices planned for 2012.

Sprint's LTE plans detailed: phones, tablets and modems coming by 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/07/sprints-lte-plans-detailed-phones-tablets-and-modems-coming-b/

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Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look

mitoza
While not a game per se, I found Mitoza intriguing enough to spend quite some time with it. You start off with a seed, and are then presented with two choices: you can either click a flower pot, or click a cute little birdie.

If you click the flower pot, a flower pot appears and the seed is planted inside. You're then presented with two further choices -- a water can or a bottle of fertilizer. Each choice you make causes your creation to morph, and presents you with two other choices.

There's no winning or losing, really. Each "game" usually lasts around four or five choices, at which point the plant/animal dies in some creative (but not too gruesome) way. At this point you instantly start over with a new seed.

The graphics are captivating; the whole thing has a cinematic feel to it, with a bit of artificial camera shake added for style.

All in all, it's a fun, peaceful way to spend a few minutes, and it might even make you think a little bit while you're at it.

Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/mitoza-is-a-fun-freaky-web-toy-with-an-artistic-look/

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Motorola EX225 and EX226 saunter through FCC like nobody's watching

Like we said, the Status shouldn't have much to worry about, but Motorola's recently outed Facebook feature phone (along with its less socially aware twin) just passed through the FCC. The obligatory tests reveal support for AT&T's 3G bands, although curiously enough, only the EX225 handles both spectra; the EX226 will connect to Ma Bell's 850MHz band just fine, but not its 1900MHz counterpart. The shame doesn't end there, either, as the Facebook version supports 802.11n, whereas its sibling does not. Who knew Moto would play such a blatant form of favoritism with its own children? At least phones don't have feelings -- we think.

Motorola EX225 and EX226 saunter through FCC like nobody's watching originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Sensation XL promotional videos

Sensation XL

HTC has released five new promotional videos showing off various features of the Sensation XL, the new 4.7-inch phone with Beats Audio that was unveiled yesterday at an event in London. We were there. We think "glitzy" is probably the right word to describe it.

The first is an abstract "reveal" video similar to what HTC's done for many other devices, and was shown on-stage at last night's shindig. In addition, there's a thirty-second ad and feature videos showcasing the 8-megapixel camera with f/2.2 lens, the 4.7-inch Super LCD display and the all-important Beats support. Hit the jump to find all five videos, or check out the rest of our Sensation XL coverage using the links below.

Hands-on with the Sensation XL | Sensation XL Specs | Sensation XL Forums

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/eXoc8i1yb8I/htc-sensation-xl-promotional-videos

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Rumor Says Acer and Asus 15-Inch Ultrabooks Will Be Fiberglass [Ultrabooks]

Aluminum is out. According to a rumor, Asus and Acer are planning to switch to fiberglass cases in their 15-inch models to cut production costs. [Digitimes] More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/DSSDKJidG5s/rumor-says-acer-and-asus-15+inch-ultrabooks-will-be-fiberglass

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TiPb Asks: Are you pre-ordering an iPhone 4S and if so, which one?

In a few hours, at 12:01am PDT / 3:01am EDT, iPhone 4S pre-orders will begin. So… are you pre-ordering? Or if you’re reading this later, did you pre-order already? If so, let us know what you’re getting (or what you got!) Black or white? 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB?...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/wug9l1P9eok/

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Sprint to roll out LTE in mid-2012

Sprint

We're knee deep into Sprint's "Strategy/Network" update. The big (yet unsurprising) news is that, yes, it's moving to LTE. It'll be run on Sprint's 1900 MHz spectrum, with other spectrum to follow, including LightSquared's 1600MHz spectrum.

The first markets and devices are expected to be available in mid-2012.

Wimax devices, like the HTC EVO 4G, EVO 3D, Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, and others, will continue to be sold through 2012.

Sprint's Direct Connect service, which is replacing iDEN, launched last week. It's got broader coverage, and migrations are expected to be complete by mid-2013.

Developing ...


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/dhYxf0x9qlY/sprint-roll-out-lte-its-1900-mhz-spectrum

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Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

windows 8 explorer ribbon
Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott have posted a second look at some of the early changes which have surface in Windows 8 milestone 3. First there was the restyled Welcome Screen, and now it appears that Microsoft is toying with bringing the Ribbon UI to Explorer.

The Ribbon, like in Microsoft Word and Excel, is context-aware, adding tabs for specific tasks which apply to the folder you're viewing -- such as library or picture management. You can also make out two new buttons in the status bar, which allow you to change the current folder's view style.

It's clear from all the placeholder images and repeated elements that this is very much a work in progress, but featuring the Ribbon more prominently in Windows 8 would certainly be a logical progression for Microsoft. It's slowly become more ubiquitous, moving beyond Office and into Wordpad, Paint, and several of the Windows Live Essentials applications.

There's more to the screenshots than the Ribbon UI, however. Our friend Long Zheng has noted two interesting elements in the images: Web sharing and sync (image after the break). That would likely mean users will be able to quickly upload files to SkyDrive and synchronize using Live Mesh right from Explorer in Windows 8. That's not a total surprise considering many of the earliest leaked images of Windows 8 showed Windows Live integration on the desktop.

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Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/03/windows-8-explorer-to-feature-ribbon-ui-skydrive-and-mesh-integ/

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