Ultrabooks no longer ultra-pricey
Google takes the Project Glass camera for a spin, orangutans are communicating with iPads, and the prices are dropping for Ultrabooks.
- Bridget has spent over 18 years as a consumer tech reporter, hosting daily tech news shows and writing syndicated newspaper columns. She's often a guest on national radio and television stations, including ABC, CBS, CNBC and NBC.
In today's show, Google takes us for a spin, ultrabooks are no longer ultra-pricey, and the iPad isn't just for humans anymore:
Hewlett-Packard announced several new thin and light laptops under the Envy brand. Some are officially called ultrabooks, equiped with Intel's latest Ivy Bridge processors, while less-expensive ones are called sleekbooks. But regardless of the different labels, it means high-quality thin and light laptops are moving into the $600 to $700 price range. (There's even a rumor that the MacBook Air -- the computer that kickstarted the ultrabook craze -- will drop its price to $800.)
Techies are buzzing about a photo taken with Google's Project Glass prototype headset. It shows a first-person action shot that could really sell people on the potential of the glasses.
Scammers are causing trouble on Pinterest and Tumblr, so be sure to think before you click on suspicious posts. A report from GFI Software indicates there is an increase of cyberattacks on these growing networks, tricking users to click on malicious links.
Lots of gadget news coming out of the CTIA Wireless show in New Orleans. Sprint has a new hotspot that will support all three of it's data networks. It's called the Tri-Fi Hotspot and goes on sale next week. Virgin Mobile will also launch two hot spots at the end of the month, as well as its first 4G phone, the HTC Evo V 4G.
Kyocera announced two phones: the Rise, with a slide-out keyboard, and the Hydro, which is waterproof.
And if you're hankering for an iPhone, head to Target. The retailer just cut $50 off the price of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S (in-store only), and the sale goes on until the end of June.
The Associated Press has a neat story on Jungle Island, an animal attraction in Miami, where orangutans are using iPads to communicate with trainers. It's the younger oranutans of the group that are interested in the iPad, and they are using an app designed for people with autism to express what they want and how they feel. They also play games and expand their vocubulary.
For now, the trainers have to hold the iPad or the orangutans might break it. But Jungle Island plans to get a protective case so the orangutans can use the iPad themselves. And then, the park will put another iPad outside the enclosure so visitors can use an app to ask questions and communiate with them.
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