Tech Lab
Technology advice and reviews from the Boston Globe's Hiawatha Bray
Latest gory video games serve up surprises
There’s something about the holiday season that just makes me want to blow something up. Zombies, perhaps, or outlaws, or perhaps a few terrorists. It all depends on the video game. A bunch of new ones have recently turned up in stores, in time for tomorrow’s Black Friday shopping binge. (Globe Staff, 11/25/09)
Microsoft makes modest strides to regain ground in smartphones
Remember when Microsoft Corp. seemed unbeatable, like the New England Patriots with a 17-point lead? (Globe Staff, 11/18/09)
Google Dashboard paints the story of your life as data points
Now appearing on Google: The story of my life. And yours. Not everyone can read it, but the engineers and advertising specialists at Google can. And now users can get a peek, thanks to Google Dashboard, a new service developed at the search giant’s outpost in Zurich. Dashboard lets registered Google users see what the company knows about them. If ... (Globe Staff, 11/11/09)
Google touches add value to Droid
I love it when big, rich technology companies start smacking each other around like robots in a Transformers movie, because you’ll generally find some pretty cool gadgets poking out of the wreckage. (Boston Globe, 11/4/09)
DJ Hero puts a spin on music gaming
Nearly everybody wants to be a rock star. That’s why consumers have spent billions on such video games as Rock Band and Guitar Hero. But who dreams of being a record-spinning disc jockey in a grungy nightclub? (Globe Staff, 10/28/09)
Windows 7 upgrade may be chore for some
Ready to upgrade your old computer to Windows 7, Microsoft Corp.’s new operating system? I wasn’t, and I do this sort of thing for a living. (Globe Staff, 10/22/09)
A puzzling play by Sony
What was Sony thinking? That’s what I wondered while testing the new PSP Go handheld video game device from Sony Corp. Like most Sony gadgets, it’s well-engineered and attractive, but not quite right. (Globe Staff, 10/14/09)
New Nikon camera can project images onto walls
My wife takes pictures of everything. Then she immediately shoves her camera under my nose to demand I admire the digital view. Drives me nuts. (Globe Staff, 10/7/09)
Microsoft’s free antivirus program changes game
You paid for your antivirus software? Why? Good free options have been available for years, mainly from no-name companies. Nervous consumers figure they’re better off buying major brands, like Norton security software from Symantec Corp. Well, here’s a major brand for you: Microsoft Corp. (Globe Staff, 9/30/09)
Software puts captions on the real world
The world around us is getting something it’s needed for a long time: captions. Yes, captions - the explanatory text that accompanies images in newspapers and magazines, and on Web pages. (Globe Staff, 9/23/09)
Elegant new Zune HD may be a little late to the game
If someone had handed me Microsoft Corp.’s new Zune HD back in 2006, he would have had to mug me to get it back. Thin, elegant, stuffed with advanced features, the new Zune is one of the best portable media devices yet. It’s certainly far better than Apple Inc.’s 2006 line of iPod media players. (Globe Staff, 9/16/09)
TomTom navigates its way into your iPhone
GPS navigation device maker TomTom NV of Amsterdam and Concord, Mass., has fastened millions of its units to American windshields. Now the company is climbing into our pockets as well. (Globe Staff, 9/9/09)
Apple’s Snow Leopard is inexpensive - but not cheap
Here are two words you rarely see in the same sentence: Apple and cheap. You’ll generally pay twice as much for one of Apple Inc.’s Macintosh computers than you would for a Windows-based PC of equivalent power. But Snow Leopard, the new upgrade to Apple’s operating system software, has a basic price of only $29. By comparison, Microsoft Corp.’s upcoming ... (Globe Staff, 9/2/09)
Kodak inkjet wins on costs, not on quality
Four years ago I learned a foolproof way to save a fortune on inkjet printers - don’t use them. (Globe Staff, 8/26/09)
Windows 7 is a big step up from Vista, XP
Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system is snappy, stable, and a pleasure to use. Sadly, you won’t be able to get your hands on it until Oct. 22, when it goes on sale. If you’re buying a machine today, you’ll have to put up with Windows 7’s despised predecessor, Vista; but most computer makers will give you a free upgrade ... (Globe Staff, 8/19/09)
Flip a flop compared to Kodak’s new Zi8
When entrepreneur George Eastman needed a name for his camera company, he came up with something short, crisp, and memorable: Kodak. When Kodak needed a name for its new pocket video camera, its marketing geniuses came up with something dreadful: the Zi8. (Globe Staff, 8/12/09)
Is your computer ready to go to college?
Congratulations - you’re off to college in a few weeks. But you had better make sure your computer can pass the entrance exam. (Globe Staff, 8/5/09)
Google’s Android system extends its grip on smartphone market
In the movies, androids are always taking over the world. In real life, not so much. (Globe Staff, 7/29/09)
Web gets comfy in your den
The next big thing in Internet video is 10 feet away. That’s the typical distance between your living room TV set and a comfy chair. That’s where most of us want to be when watching video, not hunched over at a desk, staring at a computer screen. To bring Internet video out of bedrooms and home offices and onto our ... (Globe Staff, 7/22/09)
Latest netbook incarnations are an improvement
They don’t make netbooks like they used to, and a good thing, too. The first of the portable computers came to market two years ago, stripped-down laptop computers with narrow screens, cramped keyboards, no-name software, low-powered processors, and low prices - as little as $300. (Globe Staff, 7/15/09)
Features
- slideshow Hiawatha Bray tests the G1 phone
- gallery Five ways to upgrade your computer
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