SOMEWHAT FRANK

The MBT Anti-Shoe Challenge

SOMEWHAT FRANK MBT Anti-Shoe Challenge from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

Having comfortable shoes is important so I was intrigued recently to find out about MBT, a Swiss company that has made some changes to your typical shoe paradigm by creating the "Anti-shoe." I recently got my hands on a pair and put them to the test to see what they were all about. I have heard they help cure back pain and also contribute to burning more calories so I wanted to try the MBT anti-shoes for myself. I snagged a pair of MBT Loafers and I shared my experiences as part of my latest SOMEWHAT FRANK adventure in a personal technology lifestyle episode 56 if you are counting at home. You can watch The MBT Anti-Shoe Challenge  in HD.

WIRED NextFest Looks Into The Future

What does the future hold? I am not a psychic but I recently attended the opening preview of the WIRED NextFest in Chicago as it looks to enable visitors to experience the future. It was a great event kicked off by a breakfast keynote by WIRED Editor in Chief, Chris Anderson. The event focused on innovations as exhibitors from across the country were on hand showing off their products. Check out the full list of exhibits. I captured the WIRED NextFest Experience as episode 53 on SOMEWHAT FRANK (below).

WIRED NextFest Looks Into The Future from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

What will computers empower us to do?

Intel recently unveiled the World Mural Project to coincide with its 40th Anniversary celebration. This unique collaborative Web artwork offers content from the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, a worldwide after-school community-based technology learning program for kids in under-served communities. The project offers an interact display as you can navigate the globe looking at the various pieces of user contributed artwork around the theme "what computers will empower us to do" over the next 40 years.

Drop your SOMEWHAT FRANK perspective on that very question:

What will computers empower us to do in the next 40 years?

In the comments section.

Cuil Search Launches Aimed At Google

There have been a number of startups that have launched with Google in its sites and most have failed miserably as it is very much like the story of David and Goliath. But I love to see the competitive spirited startup that is up to taking on the challenge. Cuil, pronounced "cool," launched today looking to take the Google challenge. I took a look at the new search service and reported my findings in this article.

Apple MobileMe Syncs Everything For A Fee

The release of the new 3G iPhone and the launch of the Application Store secured the spotlight last week but there was another release which caught my attention. Apple launched MobileMe to replace the .Mac service which has been around for awhile. Though the .Mac migration may have had a few hiccups, the new MobileMe service offers users who pay just $99 per year an Apple run exchange for keeping contacts, calendar events and email synced to a PC or Mac computer and iPhone or Touch. The release positions Apple into a new space as a supplier of personal enterprise computing solutions. Apple takes on "free" email providers by locking up new me.com users to an account on a yearly subscription. Will this change the "free" email standard?

Video: Inside Intel As An Intel Insider

I got a chance to visit Intel this week as I was selected to the "Intel Insider" advisory board as the leading microprocessor chip maker anchored in Silicon Valley looks  to make some changes in the way they reach out to their customers. What does this mean? It means that Intel has embraced social media and has pulled in a dozen bloggers, video bloggers and social media/community experts to pick there brains on Intel's brand strategy. It means I will have the scoop on products and new developments at Intel. As an Intel Insider I will be a part of the conversations related to leveraging social media at Intel and lend some brand association for my own personal brand to Intel.

Why would I become an Intel Insider? First, I think it is a great experience and should be a lot of fun. Second, I want to be in the know on the latest Intel advancements and technology so I can offer it up to SOMEWHAT FRANK readers. Additionally, Intel will be supplying me with a MacBook Air which they worked with Apple to ensure an Intel chip would fit inside the slim notebook.

Intel Insiders from left: Frank Gruber, Chris Heuer, Brian Solis, Sarah Austin, Christian Perry, Justine Ezarik, Ken E Kaplan, Adriana Gascoingne, JD Lasica

MagCloud: Publish Your Own Magazine

Do you want to publish your own magazine? MagCloud a byproduct of HP Labs is currently in private beta and allows anyone to create a magazine by simply uploading a hi-resolution PDF file. MagCloud does the rest from printing, mailing, subscription management, and more.

Seriosity Email Currency To Curb Overload?

Information overload attributed to email is a serious problem. There have been a few companies looking to help. I have been using AwayFind with an away message to help set email reply expectations and allow users to get ahold of me more quickly with important messages. I also recently heard about a well-funded company called Seriosity looking to put a currency around your email inbox to help combat information overload. This intrigued me so I dug a little deeper to find out just how they are looking to accomplish their mission.

PicLens Offers 3D Browsing Now For YouTube

Now here is an interesting and innovative way to explore videos! Leveraging the CoolIris 3D browsing technology, PicLens is able to explore videos and photos via a wall of videos. PicLens allows users to search Flickr, Photobucket, Facebook and recently added the ability to search YouTube in this same 3D fashion - among others.

So next time you get bored with traditional search metaphors for videos or images you might want to install PicLens and search in 3D.

Kirix Strata: Web Browse Your Data

At the heart of just about every web application is a database. Getting at and manipulating that data is often done through SQL statements which involve a level of database understanding. Kirix, a Chicago-based startup, is looking to help change that by exposing your data in a Web browser experience with the launch tomorrow of Strata. Strata is a powerful set of tools that enables anyone to access, browse and manipulate data from a Web browser.

Sungevity: Solar Power Made Easy

Looking to do something to help the environment on Earth Day? Why not try adding solar panels to your home? Sungevity, a Berkeley-based startup, is looking to help make the process of adding solar powered panels to your home as easy as putting in your address and identifying your home on a map.

Video: BlogTV Now Streams To Mobile

BlogTV, the personalized online TV platform which I use for streaming live split-screen video interviews, has just made it possible to watch all those videos from your mobile phone while on the go. Now with BlogTV offers all its live streams for free, without any installation of software for all major mobile carriers. But they are still waiting on the iPhone to be able to play these types of videos. 

EveryBlock: A Hyper-Local News Aggegator

Map mashups have become almost a dime a dozen these days as the release of open APIs by just about every major online mapping site and and development tools has lowered the barriers of entry. That was not always the case though and as recently as 2005 trailblazing mashup like HousingMaps.com (a cross between Google Maps and Craigslist housing listings) and ChicagoCrime.org (used Google Maps and Chicago Crime data to display crimes on a map) developers actually had to reverse engineer JavaScript code to create  mashup. This all changed with the release of Google Maps API and most of the major mapping sites on the Web have since followed suit.

It was recently announced that due to some server issues and overlaps with another new mashup the 2005 Batten Award for Innovations in Journalism award winning early mashup ChicagoCrime.org will be redirect to - EveryBlock. EveryBlock, launched recently, is also mashup of sorts created by Chicago-based Adrian Holovaty the developer that produced ChicagoCrime.org. EveryBlock is a news aggregator site for Chicago, New York and San Francisco that looks to help you answer the question:

“What’s happening in my neighborhood?”

The site compiles all the openly available public records and then slices and dices them so that they are easily accessible by zip code, address or neighborhood.

DEMO 08: My Favorites

DEMO 08 was a blur of excitement and adrenaline as 77 companies showcased their stuff in front of the tech world. I pulled together roundups for Day 1 and Day 2. Now I want to look back and express the launches that I found the most interesting. Please keep in mind that there might be some great products that I left off this list because I could not relate to them as well as the ones on the list. If you attended DEMO 08 please drop a comment below and let me know which launches were keen on.

DEMO 08 Day 1: Roundup

After an evening mixer last night which helped to get everyone together DEMO08, as its name implies, was filled with lots of demos. Rather than review every single company that launched a product today I will give you a brief overview of each one. Overall, I was impressed by a couple of pen-like gadgets, a few enabling technology sites, a couple video sites and of course mobile products.