Brandon Dimmel

The Apple iPod may be the most popular mainstream tech item on the market today. Its silky smooth white exterior and pastel-shaded commercials are perhaps the most recognized hardware and hardware advertising campaigns we've seen in years. While not ... everyone has an iPod, there are those like me who prefer the cheaper competition, we all know someone who does. And yet, Apple isn't really that mainstream. Its computer line is far less popular than the everyday PC, primarily because the Mac isn't privy to the kind of support afforded the average Windows-running desktop. Apple's latest product is ... (view more)

If you're a teacher, there's certainly extra incentive to routinely update your anti-spyware software. Substitute teacher Julie Amero is proof; not only is the 40-year old facing criticism and the loss of her job (maybe even career), she's recently ... been at the center of a fierce criminal case. Unfortunately for Amero, a pornography pop-up advertisement on her computer flashed just as students were using it. The incident has thrust both Amero and adware into the mainstream spotlight. Prosecutors successfully convicted Amero of four felony counts of "risk of injury to a minor", an offense that ... (view more)

With Sony confirming it will now be laying off workers in both Europe and the United States (while "restructuring" Japanese operations), the company appears to have little choice but to reduce the price of its PlayStation 3. Sony's console is ... responsible for the gaming division job cuts, largely because, although extremely powerful, the PlayStation 3 has simply been too expensive. It seems Sony may be creeping ever closer to that much-needed price slash, with its president calling such a move "a possibility". For those that can afford it, the $599 PlayStation 3 includes a Blu-ray high ... (view more)

A few months ago, I reported on Harvard University's decision to award Microsoft chairman Bill Gates with an honorary degree. Despite the fact that the average (and highly ambitious) college kid must maintain phenomenal grades and shell out ... thousands upon thousands of dollars to complete an Ivy league degree, billionaire Gates was awarded one recently, some 33 years after dropping out. Go figure. Luckily, Gates isn't taking the award too seriously. Speaking in front of graduates on June 8, he joked, "I've been waiting more than thirty years to say this: 'Dad, I always told you I'd come back ... (view more)

Although most gamers are aware that Sony has, for the time being at least, been stripped of its console crown, few realize just how bad times are for the Japanese company. Although speculation has run rampant for months that Sony might lay off some ... of its workforce in the wake of the PlayStation 3's early troubles, only recently is the company officially announcing plans to do just that stateside. It seems Sony's American workers will be worst hit, with plans for Japanese operations to remain mere "restructuring". When the PlayStation 3 launched in November, few could have predicted Sony ... (view more)

While it's heating up outside across North America, it seems there's nothing hotter than the battle being waged between Google and Microsoft. In recent weeks, months, and in some respects years, both companies have been forced to defend themselves ... for their impressive places within the search and software spheres. Now the two are at each other's throats, with Google alleging that Microsoft's Windows Vista is hurting competition and should be adjusted for antitrust purposes. (Source: washingtonpost.com ) So, what's got Google so hot under the collar? Google is upset over the way Vista runs ... (view more)

A few days ago, I reported on McAfee's recent study of the web's riskiest websites. Although just 4% of the Internet is considered plagued by the "risky" site, the danger changes drastically depending on the search term. It seems it may also depend ... on the search engine, as McAfee has followed up its risky report with one accusing Yahoo of returning the highest percentage of threatening sites. Like the last survey, McAfee's SiteAdvisor division is behind the analysis. Once a search powerhouse during the web's early days, Yahoo has been more than eclipsed by Google. Aside from more reliable ... (view more)

The Sony PlayStation 3, thus far, has been a failure. Outsold five to one in Japan by the Nintendo Wii and trailing the Xbox 360 in North America, the big black console has largely lost the gaming throne it inherited from its ancestor, the ... PlayStation 2. Much of the PS3's current condition is a result of Sony's high price point, with consumers forced to bone up $599 for the feature-laden system. Hopes, however, are now rising, ever so faintly. That's because Sony has recently dropped the price of its Blu-ray player, and it could mean similar reductions to the PlayStation 3. (Source: dailytech ... (view more)

Get ready for the disposable laptop. ASUS has recently announced a device that won't break the bank after being dropped, doused in coffee, or thrown from a sixth floor balcony. That's right, a sub-$200 laptop, proclaimed the lowest cost and easiest ... to use mainstream notebook, ever. ASUS chairman Johnny Shih stunned his Computex crowd with the device, which weighs just 900 grams. Using Linux technology, the device, dubbed "3ePC", reportedly runs an operating system similar to Windows. Computex attendees say they witnessed Mozilla's Firefox browser being used, meaning it will likely be capable ... (view more)

Some tech writers, including myself, have compared the upcoming Apple iPhone to the Sony PlayStation 3. Both boast a plethora of extras and an equally awe-inspiring cost, factors that could doom the iPhone's June release (and future). It certainly ... hasn't proven to be a successful tactic for Sony, whose PlayStation 3 is routinely outsold in mass numbers by the Microsoft Xbox 360 and especially the beloved Nintendo Wii, which also launched in November of last year. Recent sales statistics are even more depressing for PS3 owners, as the Japanese market continues to ignore Sony's big black ... (view more)