Techie Gist: Latest Gists on Technology & Gadgets!

[techieguy]

FaceTime for Mac, which you can download right now, works pretty flawlessly so long as you have entries in your Address Book. Here's how it looks doing Mac to Mac and Mac to iPhone. There's even an iChat comparison.

Overall, it's good. Apple kept the aspect ratio vertical by default when you're doing Mac to Mac FT, but you can toggle landscape manually by doing Command + R. iPhone to Mac looks worse in terms of frame rate compared to Mac to Mac, but image quality is comparable. That says good things about the camera in the iPhone and not-so-good things about the camera in the iMac/MacBooks.

You can, however, free up the 15FPS limit in iPhone 4's FaceTime by jailbreaking your phone and installing a Cydia app called FaceTime Mod that lets the Framerate wander from 6FPS to 30FPS, rather than a locked 15. That's better coverage for when you're on 3G, and higher potential quality over Wi-Fi.         

What It's Like Using FaceTime For Mac

[techieguy]

Put bluntly, the Samsung Focus is the first Windows Phone that matters. But how good is it?      

   

Nine phones are impregnated with Windows Phone 7 at launch, and they're a remarkably uniform bunch. Most are recycled, reconfigured hand-me-down iterations of past models. It borders on inbreeding. Microsoft's tight control of Windows Phone hardware and virtual obliteration of custom software means it's that much harder for phones to stand out. But Samsung's Focus is the most eye-catching. It's the thinnest and lightest Windows Phone, and its Super AMOLED display is the best screen too. If you're going to get a Windows Phone, this is the one to stare at the hardest (even though we hear they're going to be in short supply).

Samsung Focus Review: The First Windows Phone That Matters [Review]

[techieguy]

Let's just get it out of the way: Windows Phone 7 is the most exciting thing to happen to phones in a long time.   


Windows Phone 7 Review: Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have Ourselves a Race

[techieguy]

I've just barely dabbled with iMovie '11, but I'm already comfortable saying this: The new "Trailers" templates are going to be this year's latest meme fodder.



They're so dumb. So simple. But the output—at least from the one I made in literally 15 minutes—is so incongruously hilarious compared to the low quality input I shot in my backyard in five minutes that I can already see a million kids with Flips and iPod touches running out into the backyard to perfect their shots.            

iMovie '11's Trailers Are the Next Big Meme You'll Be Annoyed By [Video]

[techieguy]

As we said before, Rock Band 3 is ambitious because it's not just a game where you push buttons to music, it's a game that gives you real(ish) instruments and makes you develop actual, usable musical skills.         


Rock Band 3 Instruments Review

[techieguy]

I've just barely dabbled with iMovie '11, but I'm already comfortable saying this: The new "Trailers" templates are going to be this year's latest meme fodder.

They're so dumb. So simple. But the output—at least from the one I made in literally 15 minutes—is so incongruously hilarious compared to the low quality input I shot in my backyard in five minutes that I can already see a million kids with Flips and iPod touches running out into the backyard to perfect their shots.         

iMovie '11 Review: These Trailers Are the Next Big Meme You'll Be Annoyed By

[techieguy]

These clunky "firsts" will leave you hungry for a game of Duck Hunt and your favorite cassette. Or possibly send you scrambling to hug your sleek iPhone while giving thanks for the goodness that is modern technology.            


12 Monumental Gadget Firsts [Gadgetmodo]

[techieguy]

Silly Bandz are great fun, but they're not really relevant to adults. So we made these Serious Bandz, suitable for anyone who has a dysfunctional marriage, a humdrum job, or a looming awareness of their own mortality. Get yours today!



Silly Bandz, of course, are the variously-shaped rubber bands that all the kids are wearing these days. And now adults can get in on the fun, too. Click the image for full-size seriousness.         

Gizmodo Presents... Serious Bandz! [Humor]

[techieguy]

It seems like everyone wants to get into your living room this year. Most companies are invading with media streamers, but Google wants to sneak an actual computer in there. It's an Android for your TV.         


Google TV Review: It's Kinda the Future [Video]

[techieguy]

We're taking our time with the new MacBook Airs, trying to find out if you can really count on these wonder wedges to serve as your main machine. But some early benchmarks are already out, and here's how they look:


How Fast Are the New MacBook Airs? [Benchmarks]