T-Mobile Showcases Google's First Phone: The G1

The latest buzz on the web is about the first Google-powered handset called the G1, announced by T-Mobile today. T-Mobile's created a website dedicated to the launching of their new phone, located here. Here is a breakout of articles across the web featuring the search giant's foray into the cell phone industry:

• Popular Science
  
• Engadget
  
• Popular Mechanics
  
• C|Net News
  
• CNN Tech
  

I, like other fellow bloggers out there, don't get the numerous comparison's typical media outlets like to make between smart phones like the G1 and Apple's iPhone. "iPhone-Killer" this, and "does it beat the iPhone" that...ENOUGH with the iPhone comparison's! Granted, the intuitive interface, features, and all around package (not to mention Apple's viral marketing) are what made Apple's iPhone ubiquitous. However, the G1 has a qwerty keyboard which the iPhone does not, placing it in a different sub-class altogether. Secondly, the iPhone wasn't the first touchscreen phone on the block...they've been around for years (remember the Samsung SPH-I300?). So, if you need to satisfy your craving for iPhone comparisons, click here, in the mean-time go check out the G1.

ATTENTION TECH RECRUITERS!

Are you a recruiter, search firm, or work in a technology company's HR department?

Are you planning on hiring any technology professionals in the near future?

Well, I came across a great article on a recruiting blog detailing how to post a "compelling" job ad to attract the right candidates to fill your opening. The article is actually pretty straight-forward and gives 7 key points to follow. Working for a retained search firm and having been posting jobs for a while now, I can agree with every one of those points in their effectiveness. Just as a hiring manager takes a limited amount of time to look at each applicant's resume (usually 30 seconds), a job seeker has an equally short attention span whilst looking through job ads. You can read the article here.

Here's an excerpt:

4. Keep ‘requirements’ brief…only listing the most important qualifications. Also, remember your audience…if you are hiring a Sales Manager with 12+ years’ industry experience, it’s safe to assume that they have computer skills….no need to list that in the ad.

Improve SATA Disk Performance

Ed Note: I'll be making this a regular feature on this blog.

Another tasty tip to improve PC performance in Windows Vista:

Do you have a SATA disk drive in your computer? If so, you can squeeze a little more performance out of your hard disk. This speeds up the performance of your hard disk by enhancing write caching. However, if your computer is not connected to a battery backup and you loose power you have a increased risk for data loss or corruption. If you have a laptop your chances are data loss or corruption are dramatically less since your laptop battery will kick on if your power source is lost. Let's get started:

- Click on the Start Button and key in Device Manager and hit Enter.
- Expand Disk Drives.
- Right click on your hard drive and select Properties.
- On the Policies tab, check Enable advanced performance.
- Hit OK and close Device Manager.

New Blog by Microsoft: Covers Windows 7

Microsoft recently launched a blog all about their new OS, Windows 7. I've read through a few of the posts, and although lengthy, they appear to be chock full of some good intel (no pun intended) from the bright minds over at Redmond and insight into what's cookin' in their next OS. One of their posts is on boot performance, which I know everyone, even the casual Windows user, has griped about at one time or another. I think this time around, they might actually accomplish their goal of speeding up boot time across the board. Here's a snippet from that post, but be sure to bookmark their blog and check it out from time to time:

For a PC to boot fast a number of tasks need to be performed efficiently and with a high degree of parallelism. --Ed Note. I agree!

• Files must be read into memory.
  
• System services need to be initialized.
  
• Devices need to be identified and started.
  
• The user’s credentials need to be authenticated for login.
  
• The desktop needs to be constructed and displayed.
  
• Startup applications need to be launched.
  

New Blackberry OS 4.5 Coming to AT&T

The fine folks over at DigitalBurn.com reported that AT&T beat Verizon to the punch with the latest OS release, version 4.5, up from version 4.3 (at least that's what I'm still stuck on). Hey Verizon! When are you going to release OS4.5 so I can get my HTML email on, hmm?

Quote from DB:
RIM’s BlackBerry OS update 4.5 is set to feature improved web browsing, an enhanced email and music player user interface, which will include HTML email and remote server search amongst many other new features. The update also includes a 8820 and Pearl 8120 WiFi client for free login at AT&T hotspots and simultaneous voice/data support when using WiFi.

The new OS is expected to be available later this month and will come loaded on new devices starting in October.

No More VGA Cables??

Anyone who knows me in real life, knows that I HATE CABLES. Not good for a tech dude whose life is pretty much surrounded by 'em, 24/7. So, any gadget that comes out that helps make one less cable possible, is a gadget I gotta have in my book. The boy's over at Engadget.com have reported that IOGEAR will be releasing their Wireless USB to VGA Kit sometime in October. That's right friends, you too will soon be able to enjoy 720p video wirelessly anywhere within 30 feet, for only 230 big ones.

Get Your Hulu On, Baby!

For those of you who still watch TV shows sitting in front of a ... well, ya know ... TV, that's so 20th century. Get with the times, people! Check out one of the Web's premiere destinations for watching TV shows and even full length feature films; Hulu.com. Here's what PCMag.com had to say about the service:

Although I've been TV-less for a while now, thanks to networks like NBC and ABC putting content online I can keep up with my favorite TV shows on my laptop. But why wade through a network's Web site to find episodes you want to see when you can have those shows and others from a variety of networks available for viewing on one easily navigated Web site? Hulu.com, an online video service, brings you a wide variety of full-length episodes, popular video clips, and even a few full-length movies you can watch right from your browser—for free.

Let me know what YOUR favorite site is to catch online video, tv shows, films, or the like in the comments.

Move Aside Firefox and IE, Google's Chrome Takes the Spotlight

It looks like Google's finally joined the browser wars and introduced its own, the Chrome browser. Read about it on Google's official blog. Just released a couple days ago, web journalists the world over immediately jumped on it only to post their first thoughts just hours later. So far, it seems a mixed bag with a lot of praise for how fast it is and how quickly it loads pages but with rendering problems among other things hampering any perfect scores, its got its work cut out for it in the days and weeks ahead.

I just downloaded it myself and will be pitting it against the latest versions of Internet Explorer (version 8 beta) and Firefox (version 3). I should have a write up on that in the coming weeks, but in the meantime why don't you download it and give it a try? Let me know what ya think in the comments.

Verizon to Release Touchscreen Blackberry

It's been rumoured around the web about a touchscreen Blackberry being released here in the States. It looks like Verizon will be the carrier of choice, and the name? Well, it's been changed back and forth so many times, it wouldn't surprise me if it happened at the last second before launch...but it looks like it'll be called the Blackberry 9530 Storm. Being a Blackberry fan myself, having purchased a Curve 8330 to tackle my 24-hour a day life, I can't deny I'm looking forward to testing the Storm when it comes out (rumoured to be a mid-October launch date). Specs include GSM and CDMA capability (meaning you can take it pretty much anywhere in the world, and get a signal), a microSDHC slot, TFT touchscreen, and bluetooth but no WiFi (odd, but true so far).