Interesting Photo of the Day

Censorship Technology Bug

There are definately good uses for censorship- particularly when the some forums are constantly read by children. However, in this case, Therapist was censored due to the word "rapist" contained in it!

A big thanks to Sean James for tip off!

Alert: Symantec CEO to retire

John Thompson, CEO of Symantec, will be retiring after years of leadership for the company. during his tenure, he has brought in many advances including expanding the company's area of operations and purchaing Veritas. Chief Operating Officer Enrique Salem will be taking his position; Salem will also be appointed as a Director.

Blackberry Storm Review

Credit: sfgate.com

Since the release of the iPhone, the cell phone industry has flooded the market with touchscreen phones. Most of those phones are simply deplorable. However, the Storm by Blackberry has flooded technology blogs and forums as it is the Canadian company's first, and fairly late entry, into the touchscreen market. Does it live up to its hype? The answer is easy: Yes, and the phone will only get better as time goes by.
The design of the phone is quite simple and clean as it features less than six physical buttons and focuses on touch capability. However, the best part of the physical design is the appearance and weight of the phone. If I did not know of its fair price which is currently at $200 after rebates and discount, I could have easily assumed that the phone costs easily more than $400. In addition to its luxurious appearance, the phone feels a little bit heavy, this is actually a good thing as it gives the user a solid feeling. The screen is slightly smaller, when compared to the iPhone. However, that has not affected my experience when using the phone for essential daily tasks.
Aside from the excellent design, the feature set of the phone is quite promising and has room for much improvement, which will be good for future owners. Like all other Blackberries, the Storm has push e-mail and one of the best e-mail programs in the smart phone industry.
Even though it has a great feature set, its other features leave much to be desired. Since the phone and its system is extremely young, there are not many developers currently having finished third-party applications like those found on the iPhone or the T-Mobile G1. In addition to its lack of additional software, the initial release version of the phone system is quite buggy- there are many small quirks that will frustrate the user, but it will not negatively change the overall experience by a significant margin.
The Storm also features many new interface and software updates compared to the previous generation of Blackberries such as the Pearl and the Curve. The look of the software has a much more sophisticated look that puts the previous models to shame. The Storm also includes a new Internet browser that contains much improvement but is still many thousand meters behind that of the iPhone. The web browser and Internet-related services can utilize Verizon's 3G internet network, which offers vast coverage and strong speeds. The improvements to the interface and essential feature set are quite impressive and bring Blackberry devices much closer to becoming both a business and entertainment gadget.
Is this a good with so many options offered? If you are quite addicted to the digital age and need to be in constant communication with friends and family, this is definitely a device you should consider. However, if interested owners are willing to wait out for a few months as more software become available and wait until the annoying bugs get fixed, this phone should be on the top of their list.

News Alert/Update- Ballmer- No Interest in Yahoo!

Photo credits: Microsoft Corproation (PressPass)
News Update: Ballmer- Microsoft not interested in Yahoo!

Amid the news of Jerry Yang's decision to resign (soon) from the CEO position at Yahoo!, rumors has once again gained ground about a potential Microsoft purchase of Yahoo!. However, at a company annual meeting, Ballmer stated that Microsoft is not interested in Yahoo. In the midst of the statement, the stock price has dropped by over 20 percent throughout the day to close at $9.14. Perhaps Yahoo! should have accepted the offer earlier?

How to build a computer series!

New Series Announcement: How to build a computer series

Beginning next week, within a 5 day period, a series of post will be made on a daily basis that will feature a basic yet helpful and insightful set of instructions on building your own computer. You may now ask: Why build a computer when there are so many makers out there?

Building a computer is not for everyone. However, personally building a computer will give users a nice chance to choose everything to their need. Also, in the midst of building a computer, builders will gain technical insight- an invaluable resource.

Expect the first of the series to published this coming Sunday.

Coast-tech blog is not responsible for any mistakes or inaccuracies in the building process. Proceed at your own risk. Enjoy :)

Photo of the Day

Is the quality of the T-mobile G1 camera good?

Welcome to our new feature, Photo of the Day, updated on a daily (if not once/2 days). The Photo of the Day covers any topics. However, technical information either about the camera or technology will be mentioned.

Location of the picture: Mt. Baldy Area in California; Angeles National Forest

Technical background: The picture came from a G1 camera, which is supposedly a 3.2 megapixel one with ability for autofocus. However, the camera is mediocre at best. The distance shown is quite unclear- the reason behind it is the recent fires (primarily Triangle Fire) in the LA area that has severely compromised air quality. To battle the situation, many airplanes were brought in- including a McDonnell Douglas aircraft and turboprops. A big thanks to the many fire departments that battled the fire.

Have an interesting picture? Please e-mail Ken (Director) with photos and your name (and other credits) along witha brief description. E-mail: kenctblog@gmail.com

First examination- GMX mail

GMX Mail- First Examination
With big players such as GMail by Google and Windows Live Mail by Microsoft, it is quite easy to forget about smaller players in the never-ending list of e-mail providers. Global Mail Exchange, more commonly called GMX, has a fair share of users in parts of Europe. In 2007, GMX has launched an English version of the service and Coast Tech Blog is here to bring a "First Examination" into the product.

Pros: Extremely clean interface- quite hard to find in services today. Nice, handy toolbar for composing e-mails. Nice set of essentials- spam filters, organizer, etc. However, to add some spice, the service includes an indepedent "File Storage" service that allows users to store up to 1 GB files on there. The service is simple to use and is fairly organized. Forum offers communication between users and GMX personnel (at times) and general set of information.

Cons: Not as sophisticated feature-wise compared to other services such as GMail. Does not offer enough integration with other online services when compared to Google (Blogger, IM, chat, etc.) and Windows Live (Spaces, Messenger, access with same account to many Microsoft services.)

First evaluation: Considering it is not more than 2 years old- the service is great. The service is clean and easy to use. If you strictly use e-mail for the purpose to e-mailing, you should definately look into this service.

*The review is strictly the opinion of the reviewer. Information accurate at the time of posting.

Jerry Yang to Step Down....`

Photo credits to Yahoo!

Changes can happen quickly-

Its been more than a year now since Jerry Yang has taken the boss job from Terry Semel, former corporate leader of Warner Bros. However, the takeover by the co-founder has not been the one filled with glory- missed a chance for a solid buyout by Microsoft, financial performances going deeper in the hole, and most depressingly, trouble to innovate or gain market share. Despite all this, Yang is a co-founder of the company whose contributions are important and cannot be missed.

On the interim, Yahoo is searching for a new Chief Executive; Yang will continue to serve as CEO until a suitable leader is found.

Will Yahoo! survive? Will it return to glory ages? Get purchased? Only time and innovation will reveal these questions.

New series- MicrosoftElement

Photo credits- Microsoft, PressPass

Coast Tech Blog is pleased to announce a new series of technology posts that will debut next week- MicrosoftElement. In the series, members of the blog will analyze many parts of Microsoft's business- and present their views of the future of that division/department!

Please note- the analysis is in no way affiliated with Microsoft. It is strictly the opinions of the writers for the blog.

T-Mobile G1 Review!

In the midst of heavy competition and quick enhancements in the world of mobile devices, Google recently entered the market by offering the Google Android, an operating system for mobile devices. The first device to use this system, the T-Mobile G1, is now on sale. With juggernauts such as the iPhone and the Blackberry Curve, will the G1 be able to aggressively compete?

The G1’s design, which is considered by many to resemble a modified T-Mobile Sidekick, combines the luxury of both a touch screen and a slide-out keyboard. However, based off of first hand comparisons, the G1’s screen offers slightly less real estate and sensitivity in comparison to the iPhone and is quite similar to those found on other touch-screen phones. In addition, the slide out keyboard offers less tactile feedback when compared to the Blackberry. Despite these small quirks, the phone offers a friendly design that attempts to combine the best of both worlds, and, for the most part, it succeeds.

Aside from the design, the most anticipated section of the phone is the new operating system developed by Google and its partners- the Android. Considered by many to be a potential iPhone killer, Android is unique in that it is open to developers everywhere, and it has nearly unlimited customizability, which shows the potential of development for the platform. Only days after the release, there have been over 30 applications on the market and the list is growing rapidly. The applications range from Pac-Man by Namco to a barcode scanner.

The full-featured Web browser is quite easy to use and it easily beats the standard ones found on Blackberries and Windows Mobile devices. However, the G1’s internet browser is not as easy to use when compared to the iPhone Safari web browser. However, a feature set lacked in the iPhone but included with the G1 that gives the phone the ability to synchronize with Gmail and Google Calendar. With more and more developers focusing on releasing additional software, the system has a promising and bright future.

With phones such as the Blackberry Curve and the iPhone, how does the G1 match up in terms of ease of use? Missed calls, arriving text messages, e-mails and voicemails are all displayed on a notification bar on the top of the screen. The notification bar makes replying and reading information a breeze. However, learning to use the phone and fully taking advantage of its features is not as easy. Without an on-screen keyboard, users will have to flip open the phone to type anything. Also, for first time smart phone users, the system may be slightly too complicated. However, with a few hours of play, users will master the many features, like the ability to create a desktop-like front page and small shortcuts that will assist users.

Is the phone a good buy? At about $180 with a new contract on T-Mobile’s network, the phone is about $20 cheaper than the iPhone and about $100 cheaper than the new Blackberry Bold. The phone plan is also generally cheaper than those offered with Blackberries and iPhones. Despite the inherent risk for early adaptors, the phone is a great buy and is highly recommended for all phone users, both new and old.

Welcome!

Welcome to my tech blog! The Coast Tech Blog will focus on everything in technology ranging from gadget reviews to opinion-based articles.
Many of my articles are originally written for The Webb Canyon Chronicle, an official school newspaper where I serve as Business Manager and technology reviewer.
Want to know more about me? Why read my articles? Feel free to read more in the "About me" section.
Want something or want to tell me something? Feel free to drop a comment!

Thanks and enjoy!
Ken