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Google: Your bridge from Outlook to any smartphone's calendar

I love Outlook. Don't judge; I'm not alone. It's an outstanding tool for handling e-mail and my calendar. But what if you want to view your Outlook calendar when away from your desktop? I've found Google Calendar Sync is an awesome solution.

I know there's Microsoft Exchange that many companies use for syncing Outlook to other devices. I've never been in an organization that used it. Instead, my life of syncing Outlook to a phone started years ago when I'd use Microsoft ActiveSync to have Outlook talk to my Windows Mobile phone.

Oh, … Read more

Google, Apple, Microsoft (oh, and Amazon): My multiplatform life

I was at the relaunch of Microsoft's Bing search engine yesterday, covering it as part of my "day job" for Search Engine Land. Blogger extraordinaire Robert Scoble was sitting next to me and got a kick out of how I had three different phones going: one Android, one iPhone and one Windows Phone. He then noticed I was running Windows 7 on my MacBook Pro and using Chrome as my main browser. Yes, I'm a mixed-up boy.

I thought it would be interesting to reflect why I'… Read more

Maybe tech needs less ch-ch-ch-change?

Two truisms. Change is good. People don't like change. Lately, the latter one has been winning with me in relation to tech. I feel like the constant pace of intended improvements is making things worse, not better.

I know, I sound like a curmudgeon. I also know I focus on change that leaves me dissatisfied far more than change that's improved my life. But still, the negative changes have recently built up enough that I've got a litany to get off my chest.

Maybe I'll feel better for doing it. Maybe others will feel better … Read more

Of e-book pricing, Justice Dept. charges, DRM, and Pottermore

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice took on Apple and publishers over charges of e-book price fixing. Depending on what you read, those parties are either guilty as charged or are the only thing holding back the greater evil of Amazon.com. I don't know who's right. I do know, however, that the e-book model itself feels pretty broken.

Over the past few years, I've gone from paying $7 for paperback novels that I could read anywhere, lend to others, or even resell, to paying $10 for the novels in e-book format with none of … Read more

These 'find my phone' services will ease your mind

A few months ago, I dropped my phone in the back of a cab. It got turned in, and I recovered it the next day. Phew!

But it was a much needed wake-up call that I hadn't enabled any type of "find my phone" or "wipe my phone" services on it. Don't make this mistake! It's free and easy to do for the iPhone and Windows Phone; a little more work and maybe some slight expense for Android.

All the services I'll cover below allow you to do these things:

Locate your … Read more

The Soap Opera Effect: When your TV tries to be smarter than you

"Why does everything on the new TV look like video out of a bad soap opera," my wife asked me, about a day after our new set arrived. "You're crazy," was my response. I figured the move from a 40-inch set to a 55-inch one was taking some time to get used to.

As it turned out, she was right. After a few more days, even I conceded that unless "Game of Thrones" was now being shot in the same studio as "The Young and the Restless," something was wrong.

It … Read more

Sprint and HTC look to Evo 4G LTE for a comeback

Sprint Nextel unveiled the HTC Evo 4G LTE today, its own take on HTC's highly touted comeback phone.

The Evo 4G LTE is a slightly redesigned One X, which HTC unveiled to critical acclaim during Mobile World Congress. It will be available some time in the second quarter for $199.99 and a two-year contract, although Sprint will begin taking preorders on May 7.

HTC is looking for the various versions of the One X to drive a return to its once bustling smartphone business, and has traditionally leaned on Sprint as a vital partner. Sprint, meanwhile, is in … Read more

Lady Gaga-esque headphones shield your eyes, too

If Geordi La Forge were to go punk, we imagine he'd wear something like these OneSense headphones.

Designed by Joe Doucet, this work of art will be on display at a design exhibition in Milan soon and are meant to encourage users to focus on listening to music and not be distracted by the world around them.

According to Doucet, the cautionary red hue and intimidating spikes are meant to "alert others not to intrude, while covering the wearer's eyes reduces distractions. There's no word on the actual specifications of these headphones (we doubt they actually work), but we have to admire the idea behind this Lady Gaga-esque design. … Read more

Win-Win: Hulu's custom clips fight piracy and enable fans

Like many people, I often want to share a television or video scene with others. Unfortunately, finding quality clips of want you want can be hard. The good news is that Hulu has been making my life easier.

For example, The Office recently did a hilarious sendup of what it would be like if the fictional Sabre company tried to have its own stores like Apple. There was a great scene in which Dwight Schrute explains the importance of bloggers to the store's success on launch day.

His awesome rant: "For a tech company, … Read more

My life among the Kindles: Comparing the models

In less than a year, I've gone from mocking e-books to never wanting to buy a print book again. Blame the Amazon Kindle. I've found it a great way to read.

A new generation of Kindles came out at the end of last year, including the Kindle Fire tablet. Here's how I've found them to measure up against each other, over the past four months or so.

Kindle's cool, but e-book high prices and limitations aren't Before I dive into the Kindles, let me get two issues that I hate about the Kindle out … Read more