Skip to main content

Latest by Mike Flacy

commercial-break

Mobile app lets you know when the commercial break is over

Potentially useful when watching college or pro football this season, Commercial Break is a new app that sends a mobile notification the second that the commercials end on a specific channel.
packed-resturant

OpenTable wants to make paying the check completely painless

Potentially an excellent way to zip out of a restaurant without having to wait endlessly for the check, OpenTable is rolling out a beta test of a simple mobile payments system for restaurants.
christina-bratcher-facebook-taunt

Woman taunts police on department Facebook page, gets arrested

Definitely not a great idea when attempting to conceal your location from police, a Kentucky woman very publicly dared police to arrest her within a post on the department's official Facebook page.
Jay-Riley

Computer virus tricks man into turning himself in for child pornography

Definitely one of the few times that a computer virus has been useful, a confused Virginia man thought the FBI was after him for child pornography due to a malware message on his laptop.
tooth-sensor

Wi-Fi enabled tooth sensor tracks your eating and smoking habits

Definitely a high-tech way to help prevent unhealthy habits like smoking cigarettes, a group of researchers have created a tooth sensor that's keeps track of all kinds of data relevant to overall health.
ialert-app

IAlert car seat sends reminder texts if you leave the baby in the car

Designed to help forgetful parents from leaving their child locked in a hot car, the IAlert car seat syncs with the owner's smartphone to provide important data about the safety of the small passenger.
plug-hard-drive

Plug transforms an external hard drive into your own personal cloud

Marketed as an easy way to setup private file storage between your computers and mobile devices, Plug provides all the conveniences of Dropbox while increasing the security of your data.
kids-watching-television

Study: A falling television injures a child every 30 minutes in the U.S.

Definitely a potential danger within a household filled with multiple children, the rate and number of injuries related to falling televisions and children has shot up over the past twenty years.
eBay Now

eBay expands one-hour-delivery service to desktop, more regions

Potentially ideal for people living in New York City, the San Francisco Peninsula, Chicago and Dallas, eBay Now is expanding within those areas and offering a new desktop user interface.
Chelsea-Chaney

Teen sues school for $2 million over misuse of Facebook bikini photo

Clearly not the smartest way to teach parents and students about responsibility on the Internet, one school district is in hot water after using a student's Facebook photo without her permission.
HOUSE-OF-CARDS

Netflix Instant’s House of Cards racks up nine Emmy nominations

Definitely offering an indication that Netflix is heading in the right direction with original programming, Netflix's House of Cards political drama picked up several major Emmy nominations.
Texting-While-Walking

Restaurant owner fires all employees by text message

Definitely an impersonal way to find out that you have lost your job, a restaurant owner in Florida opted to send out text messages to all employees earlier this month letting them know not to come into work anymore.
checking-smartphone-in-bed

Nearly 1 out of 10 Americans use smartphones during sex

Definitely a gadget that's constantly found on a nightstand within the bedroom, some American adults are so addicted to their smartphones that they can't resist powering it up while having sex.
fugitive taunts law enforcement on twitter gets arrested jailbird

Fugitive taunts law enforcement on Twitter, leads to her arrest

Definitely a stupid move to make when running from law enforcement, a fugitive thought it would be a brilliant idea to taunt police and other law enforcement using a tweet on Twitter.

Garmin HUD displays driving directions on your car’s windshield

Definitely ideal for keeping the driver's eyes on the road rather than fumbling for a smartphone, the Garmin HUD creates a visual display of driving directions directly in front of the driver on the windshield.
sony-active-3d-glasses

BBC suspends all 3D content production due to low demand

Definitely another nail in the coffin for the future of 3D television, BBC has decided to end a two year trial of 3D content production citing extremely low demand for the service among UK viewers.
Boxee Cloud DVR

Boxee Cloud DVR is dead, but Samsung televisions could get Boxee interface

Definitely bad news for anyone that was invested in the Boxee Cloud DVR service, the Samsung acquisition of Boxee means all video content stored in the cloud will disappear in less than a week.
twitter e commerce

Twitter starts targeting ads based on Web history, but you can opt out

The next time you log into Twitter, you may be looking at an ad for an online retailer where you recently shopped. Twitter's new ad targeting program ties retailer's account data to your Twitter account.
zimmerman-skype-callers

Zimmerman trial interrupted by comical barrage of Skype callers

After the Skype disruption during the George Zimmerman murder trial this week, it's clear that law schools should do a better job teaching future attorneys how to handle digital communication in the courtroom.
Outback B-day Chair

B-Day Chair gives out hugs when you get Facebook happy birthday posts

Definitely an intriguing way to integrate social media into the restaurant experience, Outback Steakhouse is currently testing a chair that offers robotic hugs when tied to a Facebook account.

Southwest, Dish team up to offer free in-flight TV on mobile devices

Definitely a great source of entertainment during Southwest flights, the airline and Dish Network have partnered to provide passengers access to a selection of live television stations on mobile devices for free.
Yelp Wordmap Hipsters in Los Angeles

Want to avoid hipsters, frat boys or yuppies? Yelp can help

Definitely ideal for anyone that's just moved to a big city, Yelp Wordmap can help users find businesses and venues that are frequented by hipsters, yuppies, frat boys or tourists.
Google Plus Circles

Google launches photo, badge updates to celebrate Google+ 2nd birthday

Ideal for anyone that uploads tons of pictures to Google+, Google launched a handful of updates to Google+ Photos in addition to new buttons for page, community and profile owners.
cox-installer

Cox testing $35-a-month TV, cloud DVR package aimed at cord cutters

Looking for a way to win back consumers that are ditching traditional television service for streaming video, Cox's FlareWatch Internet TV package is packed with channels and easy on the wallet.
netflix-max-rating-game

Netflix gamifies content recommendations on the PS3 with “Max”

Looking for a new way to encourage more Netflix Instant users to use ratings tools, Netflix is launching a voice assistant called Max on the PlayStation 3 which is tied into a batch of mini-games.
Microsoft and Xbox 360

Media Streamer Showdown: PlayStation 3 versus Xbox 360

Interested in adding a gaming console as a dedicated media streaming device in your home theater? Check out our breakdown of the PlayStation 3 versus the Xbox 360 for streaming video off services like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video.
keyme

KeyMe stores a copy of your house key in the cloud, prints at kiosks

Definitely a great idea for anyone that's extremely forgetful with their home or office keys, the KeyMe kiosk will save a digital scan of your key and print off a new copy if you lose your original.
peloton-bike

Peloton Bike brings exercise classes into the home with Android tablet

Ideal for anyone that hates to make the trek to the gym, but loves to participate in classes at the gym, the Peloton Bike may provide the extra motivation you need to get in shape without having to leave your home.
jackery-air

Jackery Air offers slim design, will charge a smartphone two to four times

Ideal for anyone that needs a significant amount of battery power for mobile devices, the Jackery Air offers an extremely slim design in addition to significant recharging capabilities.
game of thrones retains the crown for most pirated show 2013 season 3 wallpaper rob

Game of Thrones retains the crown for most pirated show of 2013

Continuing to be an extremely popular show within the torrenting community, HBO's Game of Thrones racked up more than five million illegal downloads per episode during the most recent season.

Withings launches Pulse fitness gadget to compete with Fitbit, Nike

Entering an already crowded market for fitness gadgets that track user activity during the day, Withings is hoping that consumers will want to check their heart rate with the Withings Pulse.
virgin mobile users get access to the iphone 5 next week review main

Virgin Mobile users get access to the iPhone 5 next week

Potentially good news for anyone looking for the iPhone 5 without having to sign a service contract, Virgin Mobile plans to start carrying the Apple smartphone starting late next week.
dietbet

DietBet encourages weight loss through betting on yourself

Ideal for anyone that needs extra motivation to get off the couch and hit the gym, DietBet allows users to put some money on their progress and compete for the entire pot by hitting a specific weight loss goal.
ivee Sleek

Siri for the smart home, meet the ivee Sleek Wi-Fi voice assistant

Attempting to transition consumers away from controlling smart devices with their smartphone or tablet, the ivee Sleek offers voice control for smart home functions like changing the temperature.