Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

This is where we call out the tech moves that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity. 

Can you hear the drum beating for Black Friday?  It is getting nuts in here! Here is what caught my eye this week:

Gadget makers

Yes, I am calling the whole industry out.  Audacious?  Heck yeah.  Here is why:  Our editor Iyaz found this global talking translator and liked it.  At just $50 it seemed to fit the bill.  Now think about how much it cost to design, manufacture, ship and at some point, hopefully recycle.  We don’t need the physical gadgets anymore.

It seems to me all is needed is a mobile application.  We are never without our phones when we leave the house (I’ve been conducting an informal survey and watching you).  We have these things that can speak and listen, so why not wham-bam stick it in a phone.  I realize convergence is a scary word these days, but really how many gadgets can you carry?  How many are you willing to risk in a bar fight in Germany?  My answer to that question was one, my phone, so I could call the embassy.

So while I don’t question the usefulness of the product, I do question if we need another thing.  Sell it as software to the Apple App Store or the BlackBerry and Android versions.  Make it easy for us to get this, spend something on advertising if you like.  Our landfills and those of us who wouldn’t consider lugging around another gadget that makes a bulge in pants will thank you.

Classmates.com

It’s been a long time coming.  You know it and I know it: your hands are dirty on this one.  While most of us would file this chatter, “classmates want to talk to you” along with these impressive come-ons:

• Sexy women want to meet you
• You’ve won the lottery in the Netherlands
• This pill really works
• A random prince in Nigeria says you are his last hope

The difference here is those come-ons are from anonymous sources.  Good luck finding the dude in Nigeria or the lottery in the Netherlands.  They are ghosts.  But Classmates.com is a going concern and should be held accountable.  Gadgetell’s Jodie wrote about one user who got fed up with Classmates.com evil ways and decided to sue them.  My hat is off to you, Anthony Michaels, for the cajones to admit no one was looking for you.  By standing on the mountain top and shouting your desperation and single but looking status to the world, you’ve become an inspiration for just about everyone currently in or one-time attendees of high school.  I am pretty sure no one is looking for me either, at least, no one I want to find me.

Blogger leakers

Folks like Boy Genius, Crackberry.com, and probably me if I had access to insiders, info are sucking the life out of BlackBerry.  Want proof?  Who cares about the Storm?  At this point, only us phone junkies.  Babies who were born when this stuff was leaked are now in seminary school.  Come on, our short attention span has moved on.

Apple kept such a tight lid on the launch that until Steve pulled the phone out of his pocket we really were not sure what it was, what it looked like or anything.  There was no such drama with the Storm, thanks to the leaks.  And without the drama, who is going line up on the sidewalk on a cold November day?  It just isn’t that big a deal.

What can be done about it?  Judging from RIM’s refusal to even talk about the subject with me, probably nothing.  Maybe it is their game plan but from my point of view, it isn’t a game they are going to win.

Korean Dictionaries

Robert Nelson brings us news from AVING about a “Dictionary sized netbook.”  Thankfully, Robert quoted the phrase which led to me asking, “I have no representation of the size of a dictionary in my mind.  Quite honestly, I’d have 10 minutes of searching before I’d come up with one in my house.  I, like you, use the internet.

I can think of dictionaries I’ve owned, some were thin, some ridiculously thick.  So, I researched a bit further and learned this device is meant for Korea.  Presumably, Korean dictionaries maintain a specified size and do not waiver.  I guess it is like saying, “it is no bigger than a breadbox” for us yanks.  Anyone able to confirm the size of a Korean dictionary so I can sleep at night?  Thanks a lot Korea.

That is my list for this week.  What did you see that made you question if the maker was on crack?  See you in the comments.