“Tech Companies” collection
Follow the innovations and strategic directions of the giants that define our digital world, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, and more. This section offers an expert look at the product ecosystems and corporate shifts of the world’s leading technology brands.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →April 4, 2012
Shopping for Smartphones Making You Feel Dumb? It’s a Walk in the Park!
Everything is going smart these days. We have smart TVs, smart cars and the most obvious one, smart phones. What really is the meaning of "smart?" Are these items actually "intelligent" or do you have to be "smart" to use them? I would say it is a mixture of the two. "Smart" phones are probably the most intriguing of the…
Read more →March 27, 2012
Just Cover It Up! Pritect – A Privacy Guard for the Xbox 360 & Windows Kinect
Sometimes low-tech is the best way to go. I hadn't really thought much about the Kinect for Xbox and Window in terms of privacy, until the folks at Catalyst Components reached out to me about their new product called the Pritect cover. It's a privacy guard for the Xbox 360 Kinect. What is the Kinect? It's a gesture, motion and sound…
Read more →March 26, 2012
Understanding Cloud Security and Mobile Platforms on Digital Nibbles Podcast #6
You really should track your digital devices, at least according to Ken Westin who is the founder of GadgetTrak. I actually agree with that. In fact, I have been using some other services (Prey Project and Find my iPhone) to do just that. It does look like what Ken's company has come up with in their GadgetTrak service goes quite…
Read more →March 14, 2012
Walking Through IBM’s New iPad Cloud Application
It's no surprise that I'm writing about clouds and iPads and applications. If you do a search on my site, you will see that I write about all 3 of these topics, just never at the same time. When I found out that IBM had produced a Cloud application, my interests were sparked for many reasons: 1) I helped produce…
Read more →March 2, 2012
Guest on Intel’s Digital Nibbles Podcast – Talking about Consumer Clouds
Recently, I was invited to be a guest on a podcast (sponsored by Intel) called Digital Nibbles and the topic was Consumer Clouds. Digital Nibbles is a podcast that discusses data centers, cloud computing and other topics around big data, DevOps, mobile and IT in the enterprise. As an interesting twist to the traditional corporate subject matter, we turned to…
Read more →February 21, 2012
The “i” in iRadar from Cobra Means “Intelligence” – A Smartphone Radar Detector
Many years ago, I had a few radar detectors. That was back when I had a fast little Honda CRX-Si - BWAK (Before Wife and Kids) and I tended to race around, watching for speed traps, and keeping my eyes and ears glued to my radar detector as I sped around. Now, I'm a bit more conservative on how I…
Read more →February 17, 2012
Extend Your iPhone 4/4S Power with the CasePower A4 Battery Case
I burn through batteries on my iPhones faster kids go through their Halloween candy. (Well, maybe not that fast but you get the point.) Just about every iPhone that I have owned, I have had to replace the battery in it (seem my iPhone 3GS & iPhone 4 posts on how to do this). But if you don't want to…
Read more →January 23, 2012
iOS 5 Tip: Using Siri As A Spell Checker and Spelling Assistant – Spelling Test Results!
For a few months now, I have been using the iPhone 4S and enjoying the wonders of Siri. There have been literally thousands of posts on tips and tricks that you can do with Siri (and I'm sure the one that I'm about to mention has been covered in some form or another). For those of you hiding under an…
Read more →January 19, 2012
A Solid, Tech-Filled, All-Around Performer – 2011 Ford Explorer Test Drive
A few months ago, Sony and Ford Motors invited the Cast of Dads out to the East Coast to participate in a variety of events, one of them was driving a 2011 Ford Explorer (note, link is for the 2012 model) from Boston to NYC. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the event, and boy was I jealous. Part…
Read more →January 10, 2012
Video: How To Wrap a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro MagSafe Power Adapter the NEW Way
I have been in search of a really good way to wrap up my MagSafe power adapter for both my MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The reason being, if you simply wrap them up the "conventional" way, you run the risk of fraying the connections which increases the risks of electrical shocks or shorting out your power adapters. And to…
Read more →January 9, 2012
I’m an Ultrabook Fan – the Speed, Weight, Performance & Design Convinced Me (An #UltrabookDads Video Production)
Remember when netbooks were the "next big thing"? A few years ago, everyone wanted one of these small, compact and seemingly essential computers. But after a few years, the fog lifted from people's eyes as they realized that the small form factor wasn't the only thing that people needed. They wanted the best of all worlds, a small, lightweight, portable…
Read more →January 3, 2012
The “Power” Behind the New 2013 Ford Escape
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with the Ford folks at a San Francisco 49er game. There I got to see a preview of the new 2013 Ford Escape, which is billed as a "smart utility vehicle." I didn't actually get to test drive it, but I did have a chance to test out a new,…
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