MacBook Air Has First OWC SandForce Processor Solid State Drive at CES 2011

CES 2011 wasn't all PCs. Even though Apple wasn't there, it was, in products like the Other World Computing (OWC) Mercury Aura Pro MBA Solid State Drive (SSD) line, billed as the first high performance SandForce processor based SSD available for all 2008-2009 Apple MacBook Air models.

The makers say the product is designed to establish OWC as the most comprehensive U.S. manufacturer of industry leading SandForce processor based SSDs, with OWC Mercury Pro brand SSD models available for nearly every Mac and PC produced over the past decade.

You can get up to 41 times the performance over the original models with the OWC Mercury Pro brand SSD models.

HTC Thunderbolt 4G Smartphone at CES 2011

This is an amazing smartphone by HTC, presented at CES 2011 (Consumer Electronic Show) but not yet out on the market; hurry up, please. The HTC Thunderbolt features a blazing fast and bright display, plus the capability to wirelessly beam a video from the phone to a television set (that's capable of receiving such transmissions.) It has a vast set of features that makes it head-to-head competitive with the iPhone and G2 Phone.

Here are the specs:

Networks: LTE 700, CDMA EvDO revA
Operating system: Android 2.2 + HTC Sense
Display: 4.3″ WVGA TFT capacitive touch screen
Camera: 8MP with autofocus, LED Flash (2x LED), 1.3MP front facing camera
Memory: 8GB emmc + 768 RAM Memory card, preinstalled 32 GB microSD
WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: 2.1 with EDR (3.0 when available)
GPS: GPS/AGPS
Battery: 1400 mAh
Special features: Dual mics with noise cancellation, Surround sound, Compass sensor, G-Sensor, Proximity sensor, Light sensor, 3.5mm audio jack, MicroUSB, FM radio, LTE SIM slot , TI audio DSP
Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM8655, 1GHz, Qualcomm MDM9600

As for release date? It's not official, but I would not expect to see it until April of this year.

Stay tuned.

CES 2011 - eLocity Tablets and 3D Without Glasses

As mentioned before, the Stream TV Network's eLocity brand has a tablet that's already out and with all of the features of the Blackberry Playbook, and at the same size. But the most exciting products are their 3D prototypes: the tablet, and the 3D television. Both don't require 3D glasses at all.

eLocity's 3D tablet was a non-working model, but the 3D television was very much operational, and as the video shows, impressive.

For more information visit http://www.elocitynow.com/

Gabrielle Giffords Shooting: Tucson, Arizona Protest Videos Show Climate

In the wake of the shooting of U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 13 others by Jared Loughner (who's insanely smiling for his mug shot in this ABC News photo), six of which were killed, not enough focus has been brought to bear on the Tucson, Arizona environment that the Congresswoman operated within.

A YouTube channel called JeremyINTucson1 provides a view in three protest event videos specifically directed at Congresswoman Giffords, and from her city of Tucson, Arizona.

The point I'm making here is that the climate of negative discorse about Congresswoman Giffords provided the crucible within which Jared Loughner's actions were planned out and eventually done. 

Here are the videos:

Second Gabby Protest Video (so named by JeremyINTucson1:



Third Gabby Protest Video:



Fourth Gabby Protest Video:



There's no "First" "Gabby Protest Video" for whatever reason. But from the videos, all in Tucson, and all against Congresswoman Giffords on the specific issue of healthcare, it should be clear that Loughner was not alone in Tucson, in his essential dislike for the involvement of government in our lives.

That should raise this question: to what extent were his own parents influential in his anti-government thinking, and did they make statements against Congresswoman Giffords?  (His parents aren't talking as of this writing.)

Also, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow created this segment outlining the threats and racist incidents over the Obama Health Care Reform Initiative:



As the video shows, a number of Democratic Congresspeople have received death or quasi-death threats from people opposing the Obama Health Care Initiative.  But Tucson stands out because of its climate of negative discourse against its Congressperson - in this case Gabrielle Giffords.   Moreover, what kind of influence did this culture have on the now-obviously mentally unstable Jared Loughner?

My view is the influence was considerable, and it was unchecked.   The result is what we're dealing with today.

It also why former Governor Sarah Palin's crosshairs map is so wrong: it contributes to this negative discourse just by its design.  As revealed on Anderson Cooper 360 this evening, Governor Palin herself called the crosshairs "bullseyes."

Shameful.

CNN's David Gergen is wrong here. Tucson is at fault. Sorry.

Why Bloggers Are Broke - Jessica Gottlieb

Jessica Gottlieb is a "mommy blogger" who, as my friend Marla Schulman put it, isn't "just plain giving it away."

Although, technically, Jessica's doing just that on YouTube as she's not a YouTube Partner, but giving her view for free, essentially. But that's a minor technicality at best.

Enough from me; more from Gottlieb:

The word is Nigger

Michelle Diane has penned a heartfelt, cogent, timely response to the politically-correct, navel-gazing frenzy which Auburn Professor Alan Gribben stirred up with the planned release of a re-written, sanitized version of Mark Twain's work.

”We may applaud Twain’s ability as a prominent American literary realist to record the speech of a particular region during a specific historical era, but abusive racial insults that bear distinct connotations of permanent inferiority nonetheless repulse modern-day readers...”

Professor Alan Gribben, Wall Street Journal Interview

Writing at the new michellediane-naked blog, she bluntly goes beyond what most mainstream media pundits bother to explore, urging her readers to tear down the curtain on a step backwards deceptively cloaked in gentle political correctness. This is not an academic discussion, the effects of which will be confined to ivory towers and American Literature classes.

"...America needs to keep saying it until America stops living it. Hold it up as a mirror on the realities that be. Demand that neither they nor we can hide behind a politically correct “N” until criminals like Haley Barbour can no longer circumvent ethics, even simple human decency, in the name of political gain."

Michelle Diane, in

The "N" Word Deception

I'm not in a position to comment on Gribben's motivation, but if we ascribe the best of intentions to his undertaking one must still be wary of the constant reality of unintended consequences - and Michelle Diane is a voice well-worth heeding on this topic. If she persists, hers will be a blog well-worth following; her forthright perspective is clear, well-articulated, and more importantly thought-provoking.

Read it.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, former Democratic Campaign Manager, journalist, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Sarah Palin Crosshairs Map Still Up; Palin's Insensitive To Shooting

Sarah Palin, the person who is the former Governor of Alaska, still has her infamous "crosshairs" map up on her Facebook page here.

And yes, the map includes Tucson, Arizona, where U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is still fighting for her life in the wake of a point-blank range shooting by an off-kilter person named Jaren Loughner.

Louhner shot 14 people; six are dead. And some political anchors claim there's no direct connection with Former Governor Palin.

Like hell there's not.

Palin's helped extremist conservative groups attack and protest Giffords, planting the seeds for the idea that harm should come to the Congresswoman (and all over the Heath Care issue), and so much so that Giffords herself mentioned Palin's approach and it's possible consequences.

Moreover, Sarah Palin's spokespersons are saying the crosshairs on the map are "surveyor crosshairs."   Right.

That from someone who loves to have you see how much they love guns.

Palin's thin skin and massive ego strikes again.  She can't even show the proper respect this matter calls for; she's got to stick it to the rest of us.



Sarah Palin, take down that damn map, NOW!

The Green Naked Lady by Snakebyte at CES 2011

Basically, this lady is naked, OK. It's hard to tell where she's not. Check her out. The The Green Naked Lady by Snakebyte was all over the North Hall Exhibit floor, showing it off. Dancing and prancing.

The personal trainer by day explained she had to undergo 4 hours of body painting work for her role at CES 2011 for Snakebyte.

And it was a smart move for Snakebyte, because while I never got over to their booth, they got coverage anyway.

San Francisco News: Transbay Terminal Construction Schedule

In this San Francisco News, construction of The Transbay Terminal is under way. This space will have updates from the newsletter of the Transbay Terminal organization. If you're wondering what this is all about, the idea of a new transportation terminal in downtown San Francisco started almost 20 years ago. It culminated in this design competition:



From the newsletter of The Transbay Terminal organization:

This week at Transbay...

Weekend Work (1/7/11 - 1/9/11): This weekend, work will take place on Saturday, between the hours 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM. The contractors will move the crane known as “Big Red” into the west portion of the old Terminal footprint in order to continue demolition of the West Terminal building.

Weekday Work: Weekday work between Monday, January 10, 2011 and Friday, January 14, 2011 will focus on the demolition of the West Terminal building using the wrecking ball. Work began on Thursday, January 6, 2011 to demolish the ramp between Howard and Natoma and will continue for the remainder of the week.

Webcor’s subcontractor, Trinet, will continue utilities work along on Minna Street. Sewer trenching along Minna Street will begin on Monday, January 10, 2011 and will work its way towards Second Street. Due to the trenching, a small portion of Minna Street will be closed entirely, however all affected buildings will be granted full access to their loading docks.

The contractor will work between the hours of 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM.

Street and Sidewalk Closure: The sidewalk on the east side of Fremont Street is closed. Pedestrians must use the west side of Fremont Street. Pedestrian protection will be provided.

Lane restrictions will remain on Natoma Streets. A small portion of Minna will be closed, however all affected buildings will be granted full access to their loading docks. Lane restrictions will be in effect on both Fremont Street and First Street between Mission and Howard Street between the hours of 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

What to Expect Next Weekend (01/14/11 - 01/16/11): Demolition of the West Terminal building using the wrecking ball will take place on Saturday, January 15, 2011.

Should you have any general questions about the Transbay Transit Center Project, please call Courtney Lodato or Adam Alberti, Transbay Outreach Team, at: (415) 227-9700 or via e-mail at: info@transbaycenter.org

If you have any urgent questions regarding site-specific demolition or construction activities, please call our construction activity number: (415) 409-TJPA (8572).

Please continue to check our website for the most up to date schedule of activities at: http://www.transbaycenter.org/demolition

CES 2011: 3D Tablets? Stream TV Networks Says No and Yes

CES 2011 featured an estimated 75 different tablets, which is what the iPad is. Yep, 75 of them. But of all of these tablets, was any one of them a 3D tablet?

No and Yes, says Stream TV Networks, Inc, which presented their eLocity brand at CES 2011.

The focus of a Monday video release, Stream TV Networks' announced an eLocity 3D tablet at CES 2011, but they only featured a prototype. Stream TV Networks reports the eLocity 3D tablet will have the following features:

3D Without Glasses Display,
Storage: SDHC (Up to 64GB)
USB2.0 Host & Slave
NVIDIA Tegra 2 T250,
1GHz, 1MB L2 Cache
Android 3.0 (Honeycomb)
IPS Multi Touch 1366x768
1.0W Stereo Speakers
Haptic Feedback
3MP Front Facing CMOS, 5MP Rear Webcam
802.11b/g/n w/ Internal Antenna
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
3G & 3.5G Options w/ GPS
HDMI Output (1080P)
3-Axis Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Vibrate Mode

I've seen the eLocity 3D without glasses TV, and it's real, and real impressive. As my upcoming video will show, Stream TV Networks's demonstration of the technology really works and if they can release it this year, eLocity will become a new household word in America.

CES 2011: Walking Around The Vast Exhibit Floor and Press Lounge

CES 2011 Las Vegas is history. What's neat about the video age is we have an active record of events, moments, and happenings. So, this blog post briefly presents two videos: one a walk around the vast Central Exhibit Hall at Las Vegas Convention Center, and the other a tour of the press and blogger lounges.

(As a note, there were three main exhibit halls: North, Central, and South.)

There are more videos to come, but here, you'll gain an excellent idea of just how many people attended CES international, and what it was like to walk around. As a warning, you may get dizzy while watching the "exhibit hall" video.

Exhibit Hall Walk Around Video:



Press and Blogger Lounge Video:



And a note of thanks to the Consumer Electronics Association for providing excellent Internet connection systems. The ethernet was high speed and great for uploading large video files. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences could learn something from CEA.

CES 2011: The Blackberry Tablet Stands Out

CES 2011 Las Vegas featured one of the coolest exhibits this blogger has ever seen: The World Of Blackberry. Much of the buzz was around Blackberry's new tablet "The Playbook." Now, there were an estimated 75 different tablets at the 2011 Consumer Electronic Show. What makes Blackberry's tablet stand out? Well, money in marketing, retail outlets, and service.



CES 2011 is a show for retail buyers to be convinced to purchase thousands of units of a product for sale at their outlets at a price markup such that they can make money along with the manufacturer. Blackberry has thousands of long-standing relationships with buyers, and wants to gain new ones, so having a big presence at CES 2011 is critical.

The Blackberry Tablet is, frankly, a very sexy device because of its size: that of a giant postcard of 5 by 7, and because of its gaming, multimedia and video conferencing capabilties. I've stated that Apple's iPad would be the preferred device for kids because of its larger size. But Blackberry's aim is the business market, where it already has a significant foothold with its smartphones. From that perspective, it appears to be on to something.

Moreover, the issue of Apple's iPad not using Adobe Flash (because of a war between the companies that has taken on a personal tinge) may, over time, get it into trouble. From a marketing standpoint, products using Android and now Android 3.0 Gingerbread are being marketed as being more "open" than Apple's popular iPad. The Blackberry Tablet's called "flash-loving" by tech publications, a term that should give Apple's Steve Jobs some concern.

I think.

But what we're seeing in 2011 is a flood of tablets on the American market and many from smartphone makers like HTC (to come later in the year), and Samsung (at CES) - that was reflected at CES 2011 Las Vegas. A friend pointed out to me that tablets are already standard to some degree in Asia, so we're just catching up. The Blackberry Playbook is new: the tablet by makers like iQuality out of Asia, and the subject of a video coming later today, are out already and are feature-competitive with Blackberry's new-to-the-market tablet.

But with all that, what Blackberry has, as I've stated, is a heavy retail and service network. If you need your tablet repaired within a reasonable time period and at little cost because of a great warranty program, that's something to consider.