App Review Now of The Week: Auto Rap

In this new series on Tech New Now, I showcase new apps from various app stores.  Since I don't own an Android or Windows Phone device at the moment, those app reviews won't be done live on the device.

This week I showcased the app, "Auto Rap" by Smule.  I enjoyed playing around with this app and defiantly recommend it for killing some time and having a good laugh.

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New Mac Ads: Pointless or Genius?

If the spectacle of the Olympic Opening ceremonies wasn't enough.  Us geeks got another treat with a handful of new ads released by Apple to promote the Mac.  These ads consisted of an Apple genius fixing problems via various Mac features such as iPhoto or iMovie.  In my opinion, these ads can get a point across to those who know nothing about Apple (which isn't a majority by way of today's social media.) and the many features that "set apart" the Mac from other pc platforms.

These ads bring a tear to my eye thinking back to all of the Mac vs. PC ads.  Those were the best ads Apple has ever put out in my opinion.  They were informative and right to the point but most of all they were hilarious.  When the "PC" was spinning his game wheel to pick a Vista version I almost busted a gut.  I thought that was a hilarious way to get the message across.

This brings me to my favorite ad.  Even though I don't particularly care to much for the new commercials I do thing that the one about the wife having a baby if by far the most funny and also was my personal favorite.  The whole point of stupidity in that ad is what made it my favorite.  I also thought it was ironic to ask a "Genius" for help when somebody is in labor.

Overall I thought these Mac ads were a good start for Apple and I believe that it will draw more attention to the more average consumer which is Apple's targeted audience.


Do you like the new Mac ads?  Which one was your favorite?  Are the days of the Mac vs. PC ads coming to a sad end?  Comment below!


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Crome OS, Do We Even Care?

It has been quite sometime since the official release of Chrome OS.  Advertised as the next big step for the world of computers and inevitably flopped.  It wasn't very successful out of the gate and overpricing matched with not a lot of punched turned out to equal a great downfall for google.

Chromebooks and the new Chromebox however is interesting.  The concept is there and has the potential to be something really great especially powered by Google's web app empire.  However, the real downfall in price.  I myself like the idea and if presented with the opportunity would consider purchasing one of the Chromebooks.  But the Chromebox in my opinion is just a landslide waiting to happen.  When I think of a desktop I think of something powerful and something that get the the things I want to get done done fast and efficient.  However, the Chromebox doesn't offer most of these things. The bottom line is that the Chromebox doesn't offer enough power to separate itself from a laptop.  What's the point of having a desktop if it has the same power of the laptop without the portability.  It would be useless and that is what I believe that Chromebox is.

After reading my rant it may seem that none of this matters.  It is just as easy to pick up a Windows 7 pc of even a new shiny tablet for a fraction of the price of the Chromebook and have ten times more capability.  Nothing about the Chromebooks even matter to the average consumer. What the entire line of Chrome OS products are is the classification of a rich boy's toy.  However, when it comes to the Chromebox, it could be a possible replacement to the classic setup of having a Mac Mini work as a media player.  This would also classify under a rich boy's toy only because of the price.  Why pay $330 for something that doesn't have as many features as an Apple TV and can only support up to a 30" monitor?  The direction that Google is taking Chrome OS is definitely better than in the beginning but I just don't see any type of future for the platform.


Do like Chrome OS?  Do you own any Chrome OS devices?  Would you consider switching to Chrome OS?  Comment Below!


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How Technology Has Changed the Olympics

Unless you live under a rock you most likely watched the opening ceremonies for the 2012 olympic games last night.  As I watched the lights and music of the specticule I couldn't help but comtemplate how the olympics would be different if technology wasn't as advanced as it was.  For insctance more than half of the atheletes were walking around with smartphones taking video that they would then share to millions of people through social media.  That's an amazment in itself but if you look closer at the different parts of the opening ceremonies it becomes clear to see that without the advancements of today's technology, it wouldn't even be a thought to have the queen of England supposedly jump out of a helicopter into the stadium.  No matter how much knowledge you have of technology, it was obvious that there was a lot that went into that opening ceremony that couldn't of been done 10 years ago.  It just shows how fast technology has changed in the past 10 years.


Did you watch the olympic opening ceremonies?  What do you think?  Did you think technology played a big role in the presentation?  Comment Below.


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Wearable Technology: The Way of The Future?

Ever since the multitouch iPod Nano was released, it has been a discussion if the idea of wearing technology would catch on.  Then, some began to wear the iPod as a watch.  Even though some say it isn't practical to buy a $130 product as a watch but taking into consideration all of the extra things that an iPod does it more useful than a normal watch.  In addition, higher quality watches cost considerable more than the iPod, and without the extra features the iPod Nano watch was developed into a fashion accessory.

Even since Apple began this movement, other companies such as Sony and Motorola have developed their own "Smart Watches."  These watches both do different things.  For instance, the MOTOACTV is a fitness watch that does music. This is mainly for those who go on long runs to far away places.  This watch comes with a GPS, heart rate monitor, more fitness trackers, along with the ability to play music over Bluetooth.  This as more features for an athlete than an iPod Nano but for an everyday fashion accessory I believe that the MOTOACTV wouldn't be the best choice.  However, the Sony Smart Watch is the best pick in my mind.  This watch connects to certain phones, so you can read text messages, answer calls, and stay updated with your phone without actually taking it out of your pocket.    This should be the future purpose of these technologies.  They should keep people updated even though they don't have their phones out.

As the Smart Watches develops, Google has been hard at work on their own tech fashion accessory.  The Google Glasses were immediately noticed after a video posted by Google about what a day with these glasses would be like.  At the recent Google i/o this mystery project was finally explained. These glasses were released in a prototype testing program.  For $1500 you could own a pair of prototype Google Glasses.  This could lead to horror of the price of the actual product that will be released.  Will the price drop or will this development cost more than a Macbook Air?  If the price doesn't drop considerably for the released product this could easily turn into a rich boy's toy type of product.

What do you think of wearable technology?  Are you planning on buying a smart watch or the Google Glasses?  Comment Below.


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Mountain Lion First Impressions

As predicted, the newest release of OSX Mountain Lion was released today.  I have downloaded the $20 upgrade on my iMac and I am going to share my first impressions of the OS.

To begin, after I was able to boot into Mountain Lion I immediately was greeted by a newer and more modern finish to the entire experience.  Then I began to dive into the actual new features of the upgrade.  So far, for what I've used it for, this new Mac cat is delivering all that it was advertised to do. Notifications Center worked well with all of the applications that delivered notifications.  I immediately feel in love with messages.  I even tried to connect to other using Game Center and it worked a million times better than on iOS.

However, with every OS, comes it's downfall; for Mountain Lion this fall is a very critical one and much be fixed ASAP by Apple.  This isn't just my particular version because others have noted this issue.  This could be a vital issue for Apple to fix as a result of the reliability that Mountain Lion has on the internet.  Whats the point of using an internet driven OS without any wireless connection.  Especially for the large percentage of people who have laptops running Mountain Lion.  Apple is expected to jump on the problem very soon and the issue should be resolved.

Have you had this issue on your copy of Mountain Lion?  Comment Below.

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Mountain Lion Release!

It is reported that the new release of OSX Mountain Lion will be released Wednesday July 25th.  This release date isn't confirmed officially but it sure is a safe bet as a result of the various times around this date that Apple store employees are forbidden to take vacation and are requested to work late (to change various signs and other aspects of the store.)  These keys are very clear signs pointing to a Wednesday release.  In fact, if Mountain Lion was to be released tomorrow, it would most likely follow the same path the Lion took to get released.  It is most likely that the new OS will be brought out to the public in the beginning of Apples sales call on Wednesday morning.

Are you excited about the release of Mountain Lion?  Are you making the upgrade?  Would you switch to a Mac because of Mountain Lion? Comment below.

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