Tech Blog

Continuing on the theme of laptop gear and accessories, especially for travel, let's talk laptop stands and desks. In case you hadn't noticed by now, your laptop gets might warm the longer you use it. The reason is simple, heat is generated by the processor and other components as the laptop runs. The harder it has to work, the more heat generated. You've probably heard your fan come on periodically as you're working. That is the laptop's way of pulling cool air into the machine and expelling the hot. Here's the problem, if your laptop is on a desk or your lap, it can't breathe very well and can start to get pretty toasty. There is a simple solution to this: a laptop desk or stand. Read more...

Because it's Saturday, and I'm feeling a little flighty after all the unseasonably cool weather we've had in Edmonton this past week, I'm going to take off the 'tech-head' hat and take a look at three Air Traffic Control games (for three different platforms). The first thing to remember through these thumbnail reviews; an unstated yet obvious rule is to keep the aircraft separated. As in real life, when two aircraft share the same airspace; bad things happen. Time management and organization are key skills you'll need. Read more...

I didn't post yesterday as planned because I'm on the road this week attending the Yorkton International Film Festival as a delegate and presenter. Yesterday I spent a lot of they day working and planning for the session this afternoon. Mulling over what to write it hit me that I'm living what I should write: traveling with tech. Read more...

Never mind the less filling, tastes great debate, a more serious battle has been waged in the message boards of the web for decades: Star Trek or Star Wars? Live Long and Prosper or Use The Force? Kirk or Luke? Spock or Yoda? Tribbles or Ewoks? Chekov or Chewbacca? Uhura or Leia? Khan or Vader? Phaser or Lightsaber? It's is the ultime nerd battle, but unlike as with the Highlander, there need not be only one. Go ahead, love them both - on your iPhone. Read more...

Greetings my fellow gamers! Welcome back for part two of my crazy and zany E3 predictions. I say that because, well, the whole point of E3 is for the big three console makers -- Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft -- to knock us off our feet with their bold reveals, and only the truly nutty would try and guess what surprises await us enthusiastic gamers. If you ask me, predicting isn't about your scorecard after all is said and done, but rather the fun and excitement that comes with trying to foretell the bombshell announcements we all know are looming on the horizon. Read more...

Well, Nikon doesn't exactly tell you to do so, but having put the Nikon Coolpix S710 camera through a weekend of exhaustive testing it is what I recommend prospective buyers of the camera do. On paper the camera looks very promising with a 28-101mm lens (in 35mm terms), f2.8 maximum aperture, 14.5 MP sensor, full manual control and Vibration Reduction (VR) built-in. Read more...

Last time out I helped you trouble shoot your iPod shuffle to get the podcasts properly fired up. I'm sure many of you like to just unwind with music while you're walking the dog, running, at the gym or just cleaning up the house with the headphones in. Me? I like to fill up the brain with extra learning, so I take the 5hrs+ a week I'm running to listen to some podcasts. Read more...

I've been struggling to think of what would be the best first post to start my tenure here at the Future Shop Tech Blog, and then I realized -- everyone likes free games! So I think on at least a semi-regular basis I'll spotlight some of the games that you can play or download online for free -- in particular from indie developers (who are doing some of the best work out there.) Our first spotlight is on Adam Atomic, who (full disclosure) I've personally worked with. Read more...

I've been fortunate to never have significant or catastrophic data loss due to a computer crash. Maybe that's because I'm paranoid. Or lucky. Whichever, it is, I believe in making your own luck, so here's how I back up my data...just in case... Read more...

I remember getting my first flash drive. It was 32 MB and about $20. I think have it somewhere, but I haven't used it in years. Regardless, prices of flash drives have plummeted recently, so much so that I've been getting 1 GB flash drives at conferences as freebies. I'm sure you all have a flash or two kicking around, but have you done anything more with them than store files on it? If not, you're missing out, here are some of my favourite uses for flash drives: Read more...

Are Netbooks the next big thing or are they simply powered up PDAs? I've been using small portable computers for a long while now, and find the new crop of netbooks interesting for a variety of reasons... Read more...

That bubbling sensation you're feeling? It's E3 excitement about to unleash itself! With the expo kicking off in approximately two weeks, I thought I'd use my second post to discuss my predictions for this year's event. Since there's so much to talk about I think what I'll do is start off with my Microsoft predictions and I'll be back later in the week with my best guesses for Nintendo and Sony. Read more...

How many podcasts could an iPod shuffle shuffle if an iPod shuffle could shuffle podcasts? That's a crazy tongue twister, but the answer is simple: zero. The iPod shuffle may shuffle up your music, but if you like to run listening to podcasts, you'll be forgiven if you think your iPod shuffle is broken when you try to rotate up the order of your favorite mix shows. The iPod shuffle can't shuffle podcasts. Read more...