Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone out there a very happy new year! :)

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Be safe and enjoy! :)

Goodbye Steve

Rest in peace

The future of mobile computing is probably in your pocket already

What's the next big thing in mobile computing? First there were netbooks, next the iPad and the hoard of competitors running Google's Android operating system and now what? Well you might be surprised that you probably already own one, the smart phone. Be it an iPhone, Android phone or BlackBerry you're probably already holding the future of mobiling computing in your hand.

Since the inception of the iPhone we've had mobile computing in our pocket, except now manufacturers such as Motorola are taking this to the next level with phones like the Atrix. A phone with a laptop dock that allows it to function almost as well as a full fledged laptop. With apps like DropBox for file transfers, springpad for online organization and google docs for Microsoft Office like functionality the Atrix could very well be all that most people need in both a computer and a mobile device.

Most users don't need much more than a web browser for their day to day computing needs and would more than likely love the simplicity of having one device that caters to all their online communication and computing needs. We've always liked smart phones but needed to be able to input things faster, look at content through a bigger screen, or just have the option to use our smart phones in a more computer like fashion. I believe we'll have it soon enough as more phones like the Atrix penetrate the market.

This is just one of the many devices that I think we'll be seeing in the near future that will blur the line between smart phone, tablet and computer.

Who wouldn't want to have one device that did it all? I know I would! What do you think?

Cleaning up the Geek Squad's mess

This story isn't about assuming that all Geek Squad employees are incompetent or blasting Best Buy as a company. It's simply a tale about what had to be done in order to get a client's very basic home theater setup working after Best Buy's Geek Squad configured it.

I went over to Jim's place to help him figure out how to record television shows on his new DVD/VHS recorder. He had the Geek Squad hook up his cable box from Time Warner and his DVD/VHS recorder to his new Samsung LCD television and could not for the life of him figure out how to record a program with his new setup.

I sat down and quickly skimmed the associated manuals and then looked at his cabling. The cabling of the system was completely incorrect. The Geek Squad had done exactly what the manual for the DVD/VHS outline in bold for them NOT to do. Yes, that's right, they set it up completely incorrect and left Jim $200 poorer and with a non functioning home theater setup. Jim said they told him that he needed "something" from the cable company to record cable TV programs. Really Geek Squad? All you needed to do was connect the DVD/VHS recorder to the cable box via A/V cables instead of RF cables as the manual clearly pointed out.

So what's this mean? Why bother sharing this story with you guys? Well it just means that you DON'T always get what you pay for. How could Best Buy charge so much for a service that left Jim with a DVD/VHS recorder that didn't even record? I'm not sure if he went back to get a refund for this botched service job or not, but buyer beware...you may want to reconsider who you invite over to setup your home theater.