Friday, January 1, 1904
THINGS I WISH MY KIDS WOULD ASK ME
Editor's note: Barry Courter has a 22-year-old son who recently graduated from college and an 18-year-old daughter who is a senior in high school.
Q: Dad, what are some characteristics shared by successful people you've met?
A: Passion and professionalism. The truly successful people are passionate about what they do. They love it, which makes doing almost anything easier. That doesn't always mean they love the task in front of them, but they are passionate about doing things correctly. Even if the job is not high on their fun list, they do it professionally. That translates to going to class as well.
-- By Barry Courter
NEW NOOK TABLET
Barnes & Noble unveiled its new Nook Tablet on Monday, a $249 media tablet that's going head-to-head against Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire this holiday season. BN began taking orders Monday for the tablet, which is expected to be in stores late next week. Both tablets have 7-inch displays, dual-core processors, Wi-Fi aheir company's e-reading devices. While Amazon is relying on its streaming media services to light up the Fire, BN is emphasizing third-party services including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Rhapsody, MOG and Pandora, which are preloaded with free trials. BN's tablet doesn't have the advanced Silk browser, but it supports more document formats, including Adobe's ePUB format. BN's special sauce apparently is its "VividView" display that the company calls "the world's finest screen for readability and viewing content." The Nook Tablet looks like a slightly larger version of the Nook Color e-reader, which is getting a $50 price cut and is now $199. BN also cut the price of its touchscreen Nook Simple Touch to $99. BN said its tablet weighs 14.1 ounces -- 10 percent lighter than its Nook Color and "one-third lighter than the leading tablet." It claims 11.5 hours of battery life when reading or nine hours viewing video.
TOP 10 GAMES
Game Informer Magazine ranks the top handheld games for November.
"Super Mad," 3DS
"Professor Layton and the Last Specter," DS
"Kirby Mass Attack," DS
"Aliens: Infestation," DS
"The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition," DS
"Star Fox 64 3D," 3DS
"Tetris: Axis," 3DS
"Bit.Trip Saga," 3DS
"Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2," DS
"Solatorobo: Red the Hunter," DS
VIDEOS ONLINE
Americans think online videos are getting more offensive, according to a new survey revealed Wednesday. Qumu, an enterprise video service, says 34 percent of those responding to its Harris poll said the top-ranked trend in online videos is that they are becoming more offensive. Another 28 percent thought online videos are getting more sexual; 21 percent thought they are getting more pervasive and 18 percent said they are getting funnier. The survey of 2,361 Americans ages 18 and older was conducted in September. The poll also found that more men had watched online videos (92 percent) in the last year than women (88 percent), with men ages 18-34 watching the most ons (97 percent). The commercially coveted 18-34 category found online videos had become funnier in the past year more than any other age group. Meanwhile, 54 percent of online Americans 45-54 said they noticed videos becoming more pervasive over the past year.
TECH QUESTION
Q: Why do tablets and e-readers need 3G and USIM?
A: Tablets and e-readers need 3G and USIM so you can download information over the wireless networks, even if you are traveling abroad, quickly and securely. 3G requires the USIM to provide additional security compared to the SIM. With 3G and the USIM, you are ensured a secure encrypted connection to and from the tablet and/or e-reader when you are transferring data or surfing the Web. The USIM is used to connect to the 3G wireless network, which is essential for quick transfer of data like e-books, videos and music.
-- McClatchy Newspapers