Book N Tech

Friday, January 17, 2014

Brand Changing Day

Overview
     A book I'd define as surrealist fiction starts out a bit well different. Still the author takes you on a mellow journey that is as deep as I've read so far. The book follows a restaurant chain that goes on a brand change that somehow deeply effects some interesting characters. Plus how could you not love the cover?

Review
     I will say this book is for adventurous/non traditional readers only. It at times will make your head spin but at no times is it boring. The book seems targeted at the far out ballers who like interesting books. The plot was good but the true calling card was the amazing character development. At the core of every book is good character development. Some stories focus more on plot but I like how the characters change and mature over time. Plus the cover is amazing.

Rating
4/5 A very solid read for the awesome people even though at times it can IMO ramble or show a wall of text which isn't ideal. Still I loved it!
http://www.amazon.com/Brand-Changing-Day-Shawn-Mihalik-ebook/dp/B00GPB4PD6

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Meta Glasses | Wearables | CES 2014

    All this wearable technology but the most well known probably has to be Meta's Space Glasses. Now, you've probably heard of Google Glass but Meta's Space Glasses is the one catching a lot of interest and is even being talked about at school. It's funny because it's not even just the nerds and geeks I hang with, it's even non-techy people talking about it. So hearing it a few times, I looked them up https://www.spaceglasses.com/. There site is well programmed too and they also brag about their glasses having 15 times the screen area of Google Glass.


"The MetaPro glasses do some pretty amazing things with augmented reality" - Engadget. Some people even say they make you feel like Iron Man. I think it would be pretty interesting to try them out because this definitely looks cool.  Here is a list of some pretty amazing specs for this computer:
-Intel i5 CPU
-4GB RAM
-128GB SSD
-32Whr battery



    So yea, this thing is pretty amazing and is probably the next popular form of PCs. Very personal computer. It basically has equivalent power to the average hybrid (tablet/laptop) computer. As you can see, the interface is produced on the lenses and the interactivity uses some kind of Kinect like technology to read your gestures and see things. Just think, all this is being made by a start up. See what all it can do on this video.



Check out the site at https://www.spaceglasses.com/. Here are the full tech specs:

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Wearable Tech | CES 2014

    So CES 2014 has come and gone but there was a theme this year that I thought would eventually come. Wearable's. I'm going to wait and see what the companies have to offer on wearable technology but for now, I prefer a full computer. Laptop, tablet, hybrid or whatever, do provide the performance and non-hassle that most wearable's can't for now.


    Intel has invested heavily into this market because this could be the next major thing worth making processors for. They have high expectations for them and so do I. The team said, 'What do you think?' I said, 'It's great, but you have to lose the batteries and the Bluetooth.' - Mike Bell. So, the only way to make it widespread is to make it not noticeable, not required to charge or anything obtrusive.
So, wearable tech is all the hype right now, but as a student, I'm for the cheap, productive, useful, privacy tech, which includes desktops, laptops, hybrids and more. So what do you all think about wearable tech?

Friday, January 10, 2014

Clearview Clio see-through speakers | CES 2014

   

    Well, sad to say good bye to CES 2014 but there were many cool technologies worth talking about. Now, I'm not a fan of the un-needed, extreme, $$$ technology but I do like innovative, futuristic technology that will shape the future. One that caught my eye was the Clearview Clio sea-through speakers that literally produce the sound through the transparent transducer.
    This new speaker technology is an ultra-thin, slightly curved, and optically clear acrylic glass transducer that allows it to disperse sound waves in multiple directions according to Yahoo. “We believe that good design, innovative engineering, and advanced acoustic technology are key to the enjoyment of audio in the home,” said Stefan Bokamper, CEO of Clearview Audio. I think that maybe Bose needs to experiment with different transducer types to see if costumers are more willing to try this stuff out. So, define transducer.

Definition of transducer (n)

Bing Dictionary
  • trans·duc·er
  • [ tranz dssər ]
  1. device that converts energy: a device that transforms one type of energy into another, e.g. a microphone, a photoelectric cell, or an automobile horn
  2. biological converter of energy: a biological entity that converts energy in one form to another, e.g. the rods and cones of the eye or the hair cells of the ear
    So it turns out a transducer could be just about anything. Some things are just more efficient than others. Woofers have been the traditional way of producing sounds but need a box. A company that uses different types of transducers that people might be familiar with is Eminent technology. There most known of technology is their rotary subwoofer, which uses blades and rotation to produce Guinness World Record bass to below 1hz. So you see, sound technology is interesting.
    So back to this cool, little, transparent speaker. Instead of pushing from behind, like a traditional cone speaker, Edge Motion-driven speakers actuate a thin membrane along the side in a manner that creates an extremely efficient, piston-like motion in front. The speaker creates panoramic sound which produces sound in the front and the back because there is no box or anything. That bottom, non glass part you see does all of the processing and is also the box for a down firing woofer to produce sounds below 200hz, while the transparent part produces sounds above 200hz.

Clio Wireless Invisible Speaker Hands On  

 

 
 
    Read more from Yahoo - http://finance.yahoo.com/news/clearview-audio-launches-clio-revolutionary-142400483.html

    Stay tuned to BookNTech for more spotlight technology from CES 2014. We will still be looking at some cool tech from there and whatever caught our eyes.


CES 2014 | Day 5 final day

    So sadly, today, day 5, was the last day of CES 2014. Less people were there today of course, but it was an amazing week of cutting edge technology at the largest technology show in the world. Even though the day is over, you can still watch this video if you want to see everything CNET covered  today with there live coverage, which isn't so live anymore.


Thursday, January 9, 2014

Michael Bay Melt Down Onstage at CES 2014 Vegas



    Many people who have been keeping track of CES 2014 has probably already seen this. So CES always starts out with keynotes from giant companies. Well this year, during the Samsung keynote, Michael Bay didn't seem to be the readiest of them all. That's what makes this one the most interesting!

CES 2014 | Live: Day 3 coverage



    Here is some live coverage for Day 3 at CES 2014 for the interested!
 

#CES2014

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

CES 2014 | Live: day 2 coverage



    Hearing about all this technology from the World's largest tech show is making jealous. Wish I could be there right now. For all of you tech fans and CES fanatics, here is CNET's live coverage from CES 2014, Day 2.

CES 2014 | Day 2 from the Consumer Electronics Show

Here is the Los Angeles Times with what stood out to them for day 2 at CES 2014.


#CES2014

AMD Nano PC | #CES2014


    With all this CES 2014 technology, the vibe is going strong, and now with AMD showing off palm sized PC prototypes. I think that AMD and Intel are pushing for ever so thin and small PCs with full pc power.
    This reference design, according to Engagdet, packs enough to run Windows 8.1 seamlessly and even get in a quick game of FIFA 14 at 1080p. This contains their Mullins chip, a 256gb solid state drive (SSD), camera, Bluetooth, Wifi, and a DockPort connector. This design also features HDMI and USB ports. Sounds good to me!
    Engadget says, "Here's hoping that a company or two picks up on the design and starts making absurdly thin machines of their own."

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

CES 2014

With the close of 2013 and the new year ahead, CES 2014 starts the new year with the latest and greatest technology and previews of products from various companies.
 
 

     CES or Consumer Electronics Show is the largest technology show in the world. This year, it is in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 7-10, 2014. We can expect to see Microsoft's presence there with the OEMs showing off there hybrids, and transformers, etc. running Microsoft software. You can check out there products for CES 2014 on their beautifully designed site - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ces/2014/index.html.

    Another thing you can expect is popular 3D printing - Most interesting industry of 2013?

The big announcements from Press Day at CES 2014

    Sorry guys, I can't cover even half of CES but Engagdet has a CES 2014 preview - http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/03/ces-2014-preview/ . I'll be covering some interesting spotlights of CES 2014 over the week of CES.

Here is the official site for CES - http://www.cesweb.org/.




Sunday, January 5, 2014

The Lead Cloak

Overview
    Erik Hanberg's science fiction read may not be a quick read, bit its a highly enjoyable one that kept me up till 3am to finish it. What makes a book that good? Well it starts off very intriguing with a good backstory to finish very climatic, unexpected, and challenging everything you hold to be morally upright.

Review
   Well I enjoyed the book because of the story telling. It used excellent literary devices and the sensory details were superb. I liked how the author takes character development and warps how you really read books. Parts in the middle could keep you down if your a hack n' slash sort of reader, but they really add to the whole experience. The entire package is clean especially the brilliant cover.

Rating
   4.8/5 An excellent science fiction novel with a great cover. Took .2 points off because it is long at 422 pages for the paperback but one of the best for the new year!
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