It turns out that his hobby 9to5Mac.com blog was always his favorite and in 2011 he went full time adding his Fortune Google followers to 9to5Google.com and adding the style and commerce component 9to5Toys.com gear and deals site. In 2013, Weintraub bought one of the Tesla’s first Model S EVs off the assembly line and so began his love affair with the Electric Vehicle and green energy which in 2014 turned into electrek.co.
In 2018, DroneDJ was born to cover the burgeoning world of drones and UAV’s led by China’s DJI.
From 1997-2007, Weintraub was a Global IT director and Web Developer for a number of companies with stints at multimedia and branding agencies in Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Madrid and London before becoming a publisher/blogger.
Seth received a bachelors degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California with a minor in Multimedia and Creative Technology in 1997. In 2004, he received a Masters from NYU’s Tisch School of the Art’s ITP program.
Hobbies: Weintraub is a licensed single engine private pilot, certified open water scuba diver and spent over a year traveling to 60 cities in 23 countries. Whatever free time exists is now guaranteed to his lovely wife and two amazing sons.
CBS News went behind the scenes to see how Google has people constantly trying to make Googlers’ work lives even better. Remember, this is the company that just reported record earnings, so focusing on the employee work-life balance seems to be paying off.
Ultimately, the goal behind all of this number-crunching is to extend the life of the average Googler by an astonishing 30 years. The company wants people to live longer, Bock said. “It’s funny,” he said. “I think our oldest Googler is 83 years old and we want people at Google for a lifetime.” Expand Expanding Close
I imagine in a few months that this will be commonplace as the 3 train is on a lot of the Chelsea Googler’s commute. But, at the moment, a Glass spotting in NYC (outside of a fashion show) is unique. Oh, and it happens to be the founder of that company. Perhaps Brin was doing some comparison-shopping with the headgear.
Google’s Mr Search, Amit Singhal, has likewise come a long way to get here. He started out in a village in Uttar Pradesh in India, in a home that for the first eight years of his life possessed no screen at all. When one arrived in 1977, a black-and-white television, it carried for Singhal, he tells me, all the magic of prophecy. “There were two kinds of programmes,” he recalls. “Programming for local farmers and reruns of American series such as Star Trek.” You don’t really have to think too hard to imagine which of these programmes Singhal chose.
“I watched way too much Star Trek, to the extent that I could remember episodes by heart,” he recalls with a laugh, “and I deeply believe now that shaped my thinking. The fascination with flying through galaxies and talking to a computer that could answer any question was always there for me. But of course I never imagined those problems would begin to be solved in my lifetime at all.”
It is interesting to see what “Star Trek” innovations are being solved now and which are still too far off to even imagine really being solved. Expand Expanding Close
From Sony Japan comes news of Sony’s latest and most impressive Android tablets. Apparently, the Tablet Z wasn’t quite ready for CES earlier this month, but it is, at 6.9mm thin, svelter than Apple’s iPad mini while using a “Bravia”, “Retina” 1080P display. Also a high point for a tablet, Sony will incorporate an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor.
The Z is no slouch in the CPU department, with a quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM, and it will somehow support NFC and LTE within its 6.9mm thick constraints.
It will also come with Android 4.1, but hopefully Sony gets more serious about updating its Android devices here. Prices and shipping times are still not determined.
We told you about Goole chairman Eric Schmidt’s visit to North Korea with Bill Richardson last week. He’s back now, and today we learn that his daughter Sophie was part of the delegation. The elder Schmidt’s Google+ post on the matter is pretty predictable in noting that the government risks falling further behind in not opening the Internet to its citizens.
But an even bigger problem is that opening the Internet to a bunch of people living in “The Truman Show, at country scale,” as daughter Sophie noted in a much more entertaining and insightful post (go read it at “full screen width!”), could break the countries propaganda and fear model of rule.
Google quietly added a new option to its Nexus 7 lineup on the Play device store today. You can now buy a Nexus 7 with a T-Mobile SIM card and (assuming here) radios that take advantage of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network.
The $299 tablet compares favorably with the lower-res iPad mini which starts at $329 for Wifi only.
Previously the Nexus 7 was only available directly from Google with AT&T’s HSPA network radios but the devices are sold unlocked. T-Mobile has been a much stronger Google partner offering the Nexus 4 from launch with plans specifically geared to the Google device.
Sitting down? You might want to. The February issue of Consumer Reports will include the graphic above, clipped by Business Insider,that ranks numerous Android devices above the iPhone 5 in its “What’s Hot” February 2013 list. On every carrier, the Samsung Galaxy S3 ranks higher than the iPhone 5. Even the LG Optimus G and the Droid RAZRs top the iPhone on various carriers.
The LG Optimus G, for those unfamiliar, is the carrier-modded version of the Nexus 4 that we love. To be honest, however, where is the HTC One X? Expand Expanding Close
Google didn’t even wait for the ink to dry on this week’s FTC decision for it to start messing with its nemesis, Microsoft. Windows Phone 8 users, all 8 of them, reported that they weren’t able to access Google Maps via the built-in IE browser this week. Initially Google said it was because Maps only worked in Webkit browsers like Safari and Chrome. But if you’ve ever used Firefox or IE on the desktop, you know that’s not true. Microsoft wasted no time in debunking that assertion to Gizmodo.
A Google Spokesperson said:
The mobile web version of Google Maps is optimized for WebKit browsers such as Chrome and Safari. However, since Internet Explorer is not a WebKit browser, Windows Phone devices are not able to access Google Maps for the mobile web.
Update 2: A Microsoft spokesperson has responded to Google saying that:
“Internet Explorer in Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 use the same rendering engine.”
We periodically test Google Maps compatibility with mobile browsers to make sure we deliver the best experience for those users.
In our last test, IE mobile still did not offer a good maps experience with no ability to pan or zoom and perform basic map functionality. As a result, we chose to continue to redirect IE mobile users to Google.com where they could at least make local searches. The Firefox mobile browser did offer a somewhat better user experience and that’s why there is no redirect for those users.
Recent improvements to IE mobile and Google Maps now deliver a better experience and we are currently working to remove the redirect. We will continue to test Google Maps compatibility with other mobile browsers to ensure the best possible experience for users.
Google has already said they have no plans to build any native apps for Windows Phone 8 which includes a native YouTube client that Microsoft has been clamoring for. Google also recently pulled its Active Sync functionality (though that might have been to avoid heavy licensing fees) for iOS and Windows Phone 8 devices meaning those devices would need to use a different method to get push email. And YouTube native client for Windows Phone 8? Not happening.
They had a brief flurry of minor popularity amongst the team — enough to pick up the nickname “Dandroids”, anyway. But then +Irina Blok (as I recall) presented her work: the bugdroid we all know and love. Funny how the professional work is of vastly higher quality than the amateur, isn’t it? ;) Even so, these guys have the distinction of being the first proposed mascots for Android (that I’m aware of, at least.)
Dan Lyons has an epic piece on the failure of Microsoft’s paid lobbyists and fake grass roots campaigns in their quest to kneecap Google at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
Microsoft has spent the past 10 years missing out on every big new trend — search, social, mobile. Instead of looking inward and trying to fix its own problems, Microsoft has become ever more obsessed with Google…
…Going negative might work in politics, but when you’re selling products it’s probably wiser to tout the virtues of your own product. The risk Microsoft is taking is that by howling about Google, Microsoft starts to look like a company that can no longer compete, a desperate dinosaur that has toppled into the tar pit.
Worse, Microsoft starts to seem a little unhinged. Nevertheless, don’t expect this freak show to end anytime soon. Supposedly Penn has been going around Washington trying to recruit consultants, telling them that Microsoft has armed him with a $50 million budget to go after Google.
Eric Schmidt will be traveling to North Korea on a private trip led by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson that could take place as early as this month, sources told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The sources, two people familiar with the group’s plans, asked not to be named because the visit had not been made public.
If you are a student (or have access to a .edu email address), Amazon is having a special New Years Day deal on the Kindle HD 8.9. The online retailing giant is offering $50 off the price of an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire that yields a $249 price.
Exclusive Discount on Kindle Fire 8.9″
Special pricing available only to Amazon Student Members with an active Prime account (free six-month or $39/year plan). Join Amazon Student or start your [$39/year] discounted Prime membership to take advantage of this sale. The promo codes below will become available 24 hours after activation of your account, through January 30. New members, don’t forget to check your .edu email and verify your account.
How to Redeem This Deal
Place a Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ or a Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ 4G LTE Wireless in your cart. At checkout, enter the promo code KNDL4STU. If you are an Amazon Student member in a free or paid Prime plan, the discount will be applied to the items in your cart. This promo code may be redeemed once per customer. offer good only while supplies last. Expand Expanding Close
Reuters has a good one today titled “Analysis: Amazon, Google on collision course in 2013”.
This statement is akin to the continent of India being on a crash course for hitting Asia. Amazon and Google have been at war for ages. If you need proof, look at the Kindle Fire line. Using Google’s Open Source OS, but supplanting Google’s services for rival Bing’s? War!
More recently, Google eliminated Amazon from its product searches. That’s the heart of Amazon’s business. War!
But Reuters notes that Amazon’s ad business may someday encroach on Google’s, and, more importantly, Google is starting a locker service for delivering goods to individuals as early as the same day they order.
LG continues to lead Google TV development, and it pre-announced its latest foray that will be released at CES. Along with the two new TVs, LG is the only vendor with announced Native Amazon Video capability. LG’s 2013 also has access to OnLive, which was a Vizio-exclusive until now.
Radioshack has the HTC One V no contract smartphone for $49.99 with free shipping on orders over $50. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen on this product or any smartphone of this quality. Note this is out of stock online but available for Site-to-store.
Even without a Data plan it would make a heck of a nice Android powered iPod-like device. Expand Expanding Close
The sale—on the surface—is a curious one: Motorola’s Home business makes cable boxes, and Google and its Google TV division clearly have an interest in this area.
The deal is $2.05 billion in cash and a $300 million stake in Arris for Google.
Ray Kurzweil confirmed today that he will be joining Google to work on new projects involving machine learning and language processing.
“I’m excited to share that I’ll be joining Google as Director of Engineering this Monday, December 17,” said Kurzweil.
“I’ve been interested in technology, and machine learning in particular, for a long time: when I was 14, I designed software that wrote original music, and later went on to invent the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, among other inventions. I’ve always worked to create practical systems that will make a difference in people’s lives, which is what excites me as an inventor.
“In 1999, I said that in about a decade we would see technologies such as self-driving cars and mobile phones that could answer your questions, and people criticized these predictions as unrealistic. Fast forward a decade — Google has demonstrated self-driving cars, and people are indeed asking questions of their Android phones. It’s easy to shrug our collective shoulders as if these technologies have always been around, but we’re really on a remarkable trajectory of quickening innovation, and Google is at the forefront of much of this development.
“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Google to work on some of the hardest problems in computer science so we can turn the next decade’s ‘unrealistic’ visions into reality.”
As if Google’s endeavors into futurism needed a jolt.
I (and, to be honest, more my kids) have used the Kindle Fire HD for over a month, and I thought I’d share some thoughts from an iPad/Android user’s perspective.
The hardware is excellent and a significant upgrade from the original Fire. It feels extremely solid and the 1,280-by-720 HD display looks great. The speakers are better than either the iPad Mini or the Nexus 7 and not barely — by a long shot. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they are “stereo speakers” (it is a 7-inch device obviously and there is little separation), but they are both louder and clearer than the competition. The HD is also noticeably thinner than the original Kindle Fire, but that comes at the expense of bigger bezels that give it a bigger footprint than the same-screened Nexus 7 and similar size to the bigger-screened iPad Mini. This is unfortunate because one of the nicest things about the size of a 7-inch tablet is either it can squeeze into a back pocket or, more likely, a coat pocket…and those inches count. Neither the iPad Mini nor the Kindle HD fit in my jacket pocket as well as the much more slender Nexus 7.
One of the more interesting products released in 2012 is the $500 Samsung Galaxy Camera— a little combination of an Android smartphone and a high-end point-and-shoot camera with a 21X optical zoom.
Samsung isn’t the first one on the scene with an Android point and shoot. That award goes to Nikon with its $350 Coolpix S800c, and technically Polaroid, too. However, with Samsung’s leadership role in smartphones, as well as a strong point-and-shoot camera business, this one is the most anticipated with knock-your-sock-off specs.
