Those who’ve watched their Windows Mobile phones languish without an update, ever, probably have watched enviously as smartphones using new platforms (Android, iPhone, webOS) receive frequent updates. Better than that, if a rumor is true, all Android phones, including the very ancient (by tech standards) T-Mobile G1 will receive an update to Android version 2.1.

That’s the latest version of the OS, and the one running on the so-called Google phone (the HTC Nexus One). One might think it would be a stretch for the G1 to run that OS, based on its age (it was launched in Oct. 2008, an eternity in tech), but that’s the rumor.

However, some of those phones that receive the upgrade will have to do a PC-based install (which is quite familiar to those running Windows Mobile or even iPhones, which don’t receive OTA RMO updates). That’s not really that big a deal, but some of them will be wiped in the process (also not that unfamiliar to WinMo users).

However, much of the data stored on your Android device is stored in the cloud anyway, with your Google account. The biggest issue here would be reinstalling applications. Still, many would probably go through the trouble, assuming the upgraded phone would run efficiently, which would be a question for the oldest among them, like the G1.

A group of college students in the San Francisco Bay Area have found a worthy cause for student protests in the form of lousy AT&T coverage. Despite a recent study that showed AT&T has improved its 3G performance, that hasn’t quieted critics of dropped calls, poor performance, and over dissatisfaction in many markets.

Students at Santa Clara University (my alma mater), which is located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area organized a “Campus-Wide Call AT&T to Complain Day.” According to Kelsey Houlihan, a junior at SCU who helped organize the event, AT&T users can’t get reception in many of the dormitories, in the basements of the library and the student center, in some academic buildings, and in student housing near campus.

AT&T has taken grief for its service, which seems overburdened by the data-centric iPhone. It’s even taken the brunt of Verizon advertising gibes over AT&T’s 3G coverage vs. Verizon’s. Recently, however, AT&T won PC World’s latest 3G performance test after a dismal showing last year.

AT&T also recently expanded its trial for its MicroCell service, which leverages a customer’s broadband to supplement poor cellular reception. Of course, in the original trial, AT&T was charging $150 for the device, which grates on those who feel they are paying to fix AT&T’s problems.

The Santa Clara University protest apparently attracted between 200 and 300 complaint calls to AT&T. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, one solution of the reception issues is already being looked at. If all goes well, SCU could have better service as soon as this summer.

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 02-28-10. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific that’s 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Office Depot offers the Toshiba Satellite AMD Athlon II 2GHz 15.6″ Widescreen Notebook (pictured), model no. L505D-LS5007, for $399.99 with free shipping. That’s $30 under our mention a month ago and the lowest total price we could find for this model. Sales tax is added where applicable. This 6-lb. notebook features an AMD Athlon II M300 2GHz dual-core processor, 15.6″ 1366×768 widescreen LCD, 3GB RAM, 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive, ATI Radeon 4100 graphics, dual layer DVD burner, media card reader, 802.11g wireless, up to 2.4 hours of battery life, webcam with microphone, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

The HP Home & Home Office Store offers its recently-released HP G62t Intel Core i3 2.13`GHz 15.6″ Widescreen Notebook, model no. VU667AV, for $579.99 with $29 for shipping via the directions below. Features include an Intel Core i3-330M 2.13GHz dual-core processor, 15.6″ 1366×768 LED-backlit widescreen LCD, 3GB RAM, 250GB 7200 rpm hard drive, dual layer DVD burner, 802.11n wireless, 6-cell battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Coupon ends April 30. To get this deal:
1.Click here, and choose the top “Customize & Buy” option
2.select “FREE Upgrade to 3GB DDR3 System Memory (+$0)”
3.add to cart for $599.99
4.apply coupon code “SVBT557331″ and it falls to $579.99

onSale.com offers the Vizio 32″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. VOJ320F1A, for $354.99 plus about $22 for shipping. That’s $22 under our December mention and the lowest total price we could find by $118. Sales tax is added where applicable. It features a native resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), 1,300:1 contrast ratio, 480 cd/m² brightness, 6.5ms response time, three HDMI inputs, and VGA, component, and other video inputs

FREE
BlackBerry Curve 8900 Mobile Communicator for AT&T for free + free shipping $36 activation fee. With activation of a new line of service, WireFly.com offers the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 Mobile Communicator for AT&T Wireless in Silver bundled with a 2GB microSD Card and Car Charger for free. With free shipping, it’s the best bundle deal we’ve seen for this phone this year. The 8900 is a quad-band phone featuring Bluetooth 2.0, backlit QWERTY keyboard, built-in Wi-Fi, 3.2-megapixel camera, 5-1/2-hour talk time, microSD slot, and more.

B&H Photo-Video offers the ViewSonic 24″ 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. VX2433wm, for $204.09. This $20 mail-in rebate slashes it to $184.09. With free shipping, it’s $13 below our mention from earlier this month and the lowest total price we could find by $15. Features include a native resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, 2ms response time, and HDMI, DVI with HDCP, and VGA inputs. Rebate ends February 28

Western Digital “Green” 2TB SATA 3Gbps Internal HDD for $140 + free shipping
For its “M” Club members only, mwave.com offers the Western Digital Caviar GP 2TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Internal Hard Drive, model no. WD20EADS, for $139.99 with free shipping ($0.07/GB) via the directions below. . This “green” product promises reduced power consumption compared to other models by up to 50%. It features a 32MB cache. 1. sign up for the “M” Club (it’s free),
2.add the 2TB hard drive to your cart.
3.apply coupon code “SUBSCRIBER” to drop it to $139.99

For “M” Club members, mwave.com offers the Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Internal Hard Drive, model no. WD10EARS, for $74.99 with free shipping ($0.08/GB). That’s $6 under last week’s mention and the lowest total price we’ve seen. This “green” drive purports to consume less power compared to other models and features a 64MB cache.

Newegg has the Gigabyte GV-R455D3-512I Radeon HD 4550 512MB 64-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card for $45 – $20 rebate [Exp 2/28] = $25 with free shipping

ZipZoomFly has the Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM for $180 – $5 off with coupon code ZZF1046 [Exp 3/31] – $15 rebate [Exp 3/5] = $160 with free shipping. Ultimate includes everything that’s found in Home and Professional editions in one package. [Compare]

Windows 7 Professional 64-bit = $124 shipped w/ ZZF1046 [Exp 3/31]

1) Kind of hard to not open the week with the Bloombox after all the hype started off with the Sixty-Minutes unveiling last week after our show. Going to post two links one to an article in the Christen Science Monitor, I was Googling around looking for skeptics must be a little early. I could not find any negative reviews, but I am sure they are coming. Hope this is as advertised we sure could use a decent breakthrough. This has so much going for it; it is already proven, saves on fossil fuels, can power my electric car, saves on need to run new power lines, helps national security by breaking up the grid, looks to be cost effective, could be adapted to condos and apartments, as well as houses, lots of small and large business applications, can be adapted to renewable energy sources, solves power distribution issues in undeveloped countries, increases military flexibility, and I am sure a lot more. Monitor Article http://www.csmonitor.com 60 Minutes Segment http://www.cbsnews.com
2) This is another of those where the headline did its job, how could I pass on “Smart salad dressing’ could save Venice”. Other than the obvious visuals dealing with gondoliers and Good Seasons, I have been following the related issues of Venice, Climate Change, and sea rise for a long time I am extremely curious as to how we will deal with that situation. This might prove to be an answer. Looks like it would be fairly simple if it worked as they hope, would be cheaper than the flood gates, I would think. http://www.telegraph.co.uk
3) It has been a while since I put up one of those “if I had billions of dollars I want to buy one of these” sites. This one even has a green side to it. This something I would just move on to get a few slips in temperate climates and become a harbor rat. When I first clicked on the site I thought the picture was a model, until I saw the reference to the fork lift, and the guy inside cleaning the window. The push to solar is heating up, and diversifying. http://www.csmonitor.com
4) This is one of those stories that I find disturbing to the point I am glad to be getting older, and most likely will be in the check-out line about the time things get unbearable. This is about how in Great Briton they are weaponizing classical music. Not for the military, the police are using it to control people. I don’t know why the whole Orwellian movement in England bothers me so much, but it does. The idea of controlling, and manipulating the people by the government just seems wrong to me, can newspeak, and thought police be far behind. http://reason.com
5) For my weekly geek link this week I thought this might offer some insight as to just how vulnerable we may be when it comes to the potential cyber-war I keep hearing about. I mean if this article is correct about the guys who are supposedly funneling all that black budget money into high conspiracy projects dealing with new super stealthy technologies. If they have access to the money, and this is the best they can do to keep up with computer technology in their main offices, what shape are the lesser agencies in. http://abcnews.go.com
6) Just had to toss this in for all of those guys out there with GPS units wondering what the girl behind the voice looks like, check it out here. http://www.smh.com

The HP Home & Home Office Store offers its recently-released HP G62t Intel Core i3 2.13`GHz 15.6″ Widescreen Notebook, model no. VU667AV, for $579.99 with $29 for shipping via the directions below. Features include an Intel Core i3-330M 2.13GHz dual-core processor, 15.6″ 1366×768 LED-backlit widescreen LCD, 3GB RAM, 250GB 7200 rpm hard drive, dual layer DVD burner, 802.11n wireless, 6-cell battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Coupon ends April 30. To get this deal:
1.Click here, and choose the top “Customize & Buy” option
2.select “FREE Upgrade to 3GB DDR3 System Memory (+$0)”
3.add to cart for $599.99
4.apply coupon code “SVBT557331″ and it falls to $579.99

onSale.com offers the Vizio 32″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. VOJ320F1A, for $354.99 plus about $22 for shipping. That’s $22 under our December mention and the lowest total price we could find by $118. Sales tax is added where applicable. It features a native resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), 1,300:1 contrast ratio, 480 cd/m² brightness, 6.5ms response time, three HDMI inputs, and VGA, component, and other video inputs

FREE
BlackBerry Curve 8900 Mobile Communicator for AT&T for free + free shipping $36 activation fee. With activation of a new line of service, WireFly.com offers the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 Mobile Communicator for AT&T Wireless in Silver bundled with a 2GB microSD Card and Car Charger for free. With free shipping, it’s the best bundle deal we’ve seen for this phone this year. The 8900 is a quad-band phone featuring Bluetooth 2.0, backlit QWERTY keyboard, built-in Wi-Fi, 3.2-megapixel camera, 5-1/2-hour talk time, microSD slot, and more.

B&H Photo-Video offers the ViewSonic 24″ 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor, model no. VX2433wm, for $204.09. This $20 mail-in rebate slashes it to $184.09. With free shipping, it’s $13 below our mention from earlier this month and the lowest total price we could find by $15. Features include a native resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m² brightness, 2ms response time, and HDMI, DVI with HDCP, and VGA inputs. Rebate ends February 28

Western Digital “Green” 2TB SATA 3Gbps Internal HDD for $140 + free shipping
For its “M” Club members only, mwave.com offers the Western Digital Caviar GP 2TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Internal Hard Drive, model no. WD20EADS, for $139.99 with free shipping ($0.07/GB) via the directions below. . This “green” product promises reduced power consumption compared to other models by up to 50%. It features a 32MB cache. 1. sign up for the “M” Club (it’s free),
2.add the 2TB hard drive to your cart.
3.apply coupon code “SUBSCRIBER” to drop it to $139.99

Newegg has the Gigabyte GV-R455D3-512I Radeon HD 4550 512MB 64-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card for $45 – $20 rebate [Exp 2/28] = $25 with free shipping

ZipZoomFly has the Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM for $180 – $5 off with coupon code ZZF1046 [Exp 3/31] – $15 rebate [Exp 3/5] = $160 with free shipping. Ultimate includes everything that’s found in Home and Professional editions in one package. [Compare]

Windows 7 Professional 64-bit = $124 shipped w/ ZZF1046 [Exp 3/31]

AT&T has finally expanded its MicroCell service trial beyond Charlotte, NC. Unfortunately, they chose not to expand the trial to San Francisco or New York City, two ares of the country well-known to be sagging under the weight of the iPhone.

The trial has been expanded to “select counties” in the following states and metropolitan areas:

• Georgia
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• San Diego
• Las Vegas

To determine if you are actually eligible for the program, you have to enter your zip code, as well. In the Charlotte test, the MicroCell was running $150 with no monthly fees. It covers a 5,000 square foot area and can handle up to four users simultaneously.

AT&T’s MicroCell is actually a femtocell. Femtocells can be thought of as cellular base stations, that connect to the service provider’s network via broadband (such as DSL or cable).

While it is true that there are some areas of the country that simply will never be covered effectively, it’s a little disconcerting for users who live in areas that should have decent coverage (such as, in the future, New York City and San Francisco) to have to pay to supplement AT&T’s overloaded network.

AT&T has finally expanded its MicroCell service trial beyond Charlotte, NC. Unfortunately, they chose not to expand the trial to San Francisco or New York City, two ares of the country well-known to be sagging under the weight of the iPhone.

The trial has been expanded to “select counties” in the following states and metropolitan areas:

• Georgia
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• San Diego
• Las Vegas

To determine if you are actually eligible for the program, you have to enter your zip code, as well. In the Charlotte test, the MicroCell was running $150 with no monthly fees. It covers a 5,000 square foot area and can handle up to four users simultaneously.

AT&T’s MicroCell is actually a femtocell. Femtocells can be thought of as cellular base stations, that connect to the service provider’s network via broadband (such as DSL or cable).

While it is true that there are some areas of the country that simply will never be covered effectively, it’s a little disconcerting for users who live in areas that should have decent coverage (such as, in the future, New York City and San Francisco) to have to pay to supplement AT&T’s overloaded network.

As hard as it might be to believe, the killer whales at SeaWorld have a Twitter feed. However, following the death of SeaWorld veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau, Shamu’s Twitter feed has been shut down.

Despite the fact that each orca (killer whale) has its own name, “Shamu,” “Namu,” and “Ramu” are trademarked stage names given to all of the orcas residing within the SeaWorld parks. In the wake of the tragedy on Wednesday, however, the following Twitter post was made:

At this difficult time, @Shamu will not be active. For Twitter updates follow @SeaWorld_Parks. http://bit.ly/b0oU3l

The URL-shortened link in the post leads to a longer statement, which says, in part:

[...] At this difficult time, @Shamu will not be active on Twitter, as users who follow @Shamu have come to expect posts that are light-hearted and perhaps a bit quirky. SeaWorld’s other accounts, including @SeaWorld_Parks, will remain active and regular updates will be communicated through Twitter and other social networking platforms.

We will continue to provide information in this space on our review of this incident and the changes to our procedures that may progress from it. We thank you for the thousands of messages of support during this extraordinarily difficult time.

Despite what that statement says, if you read through the comments on that post, you see plenty of people “being unsupportive.”

Prior to the incident, in which Dawn Brancheau, 40, was pulled by her ponytail underwater and drowned by Tillikum, a 30-year-old orca, Shamu had over 10,000 followers. Her (Shamu is really short for She-Namu) bio:

I live at SeaWorld. I’m a large, athletic, black and white marine mammal. I’m not THE star of SeaWorld, I’m A star of SeaWorld

As hard as it might be to believe, the killer whales at SeaWorld have a Twitter feed. However, following the death of SeaWorld veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau, Shamu’s Twitter feed has been shut down.

Despite the fact that each orca (killer whale) has its own name, “Shamu,” “Namu,” and “Ramu” are trademarked stage names given to all of the orcas residing within the SeaWorld parks. In the wake of the tragedy on Wednesday, however, the following Twitter post was made:

At this difficult time, @Shamu will not be active. For Twitter updates follow @SeaWorld_Parks. http://bit.ly/b0oU3l

The URL-shortened link in the post leads to a longer statement, which says, in part:

[...] At this difficult time, @Shamu will not be active on Twitter, as users who follow @Shamu have come to expect posts that are light-hearted and perhaps a bit quirky. SeaWorld’s other accounts, including @SeaWorld_Parks, will remain active and regular updates will be communicated through Twitter and other social networking platforms.

We will continue to provide information in this space on our review of this incident and the changes to our procedures that may progress from it. We thank you for the thousands of messages of support during this extraordinarily difficult time.

Despite what that statement says, if you read through the comments on that post, you see plenty of people “being unsupportive.”

Prior to the incident, in which Dawn Brancheau, 40, was pulled by her ponytail underwater and drowned by Tillikum, a 30-year-old orca, Shamu had over 10,000 followers. Her (Shamu is really short for She-Namu) bio:

I live at SeaWorld. I’m a large, athletic, black and white marine mammal. I’m not THE star of SeaWorld, I’m A star of SeaWorld