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Jeffery Simpson

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras shoot for consumers and pro photographers

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras shoot for consumers and pro photographers

By Jeffery Simpson | December 27, 2011
Mirrorless cameras, such as the Nikon 1, are smaller than DSLRs, but are bigger than point-and-shoot cameras.
Gadgets that will electrify those on your holiday shopping list

Gadgets that will electrify those on your holiday shopping list

By Jeffery Simpson | December 1, 2011
Technology is always moving forward, and yesterday’s hot gift is tomorrow’s Apple Newton.
Google+ challenges Facebookâs social-networking dominance

Google+ challenges Facebook’s social-networking dominance

By Jeffery Simpson | October 11, 2011
Google+ allows users to post status updates, links to web content, and photos, and to view a feed of content created by other users they follow.
For techies, thereâs Yuletide cool aplenty

For techies, there’s Yuletide cool aplenty

By Jeffery Simpson | December 2, 2010
To help you rekindle some of that holiday magic, here’s the Straight’s annual techie gift guide.
DSLR photography newbies advised to shoot for simplicity

DSLR photography newbies advised to shoot for simplicity

By Jeffery Simpson | November 16, 2010
As the price of digital cameras comes down, DSLRs are an increasingly accessible option for people looking to take their photography to the next level, even if they have no plans of ever doing it professionally.
Vancouver app developers seize iPad opportunity

Vancouver app developers seize iPad opportunity

By Jeffery Simpson | June 8, 2010
With more than two million iPads sold since the device’s April 3 debut in the United States, and now that it’s been released in Canada, Apple’s newest gadget presents a major opportunity for software makers.
Augmented reality gets a boost from wave of new apps

Augmented reality gets a boost from wave of new apps

By Jeffery Simpson | May 6, 2010
Augmented-reality technology is turning your handheld device into an information source on everything from subway systems to the stars.
iPad proves to be fine reading device with amazing battery life

iPad proves to be fine reading device with amazing battery life

By Jeffery Simpson | April 9, 2010
It’s a step toward computers that aren’t designed to be easy for us to learn how to use them, but that are designed to be easy to use.
Comic book industry shouldnât wait much longer to embrace digital age

Comic book industry shouldn’t wait much longer to embrace digital age

By Jeffery Simpson | April 5, 2010
The problem is that, as much as I and other comic book readers might want to buy all their comics digitally, it’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Cataloguing software keeps collections neat

Cataloguing software keeps collections neat

By Jeffery Simpson | April 1, 2010
Cataloguing software isn’t exactly a bestseller, but it’s useful for people whose media libraries are growing.
Comic publishers sketchy on digital future

Comic publishers sketchy on digital future

By Jeffery Simpson | March 25, 2010
While Web comics similar to those found in newspapers have been around for years, digital comics are still in their early days.
Twitter's now a dating tool

Twitter's now a dating tool

By Jeffery Simpson | February 4, 2010
Social-media services like Twitter and Facebook are opening up new avenues through which people can make on-line connections.
Tech stuff to take them back to the future

Tech stuff to take them back to the future

By Jeffery Simpson | December 3, 2009
Nothing reminds one of the relentless march of time like an annual tech gift guide.
With Shortcovers, Indigo charts different course than Amazon, Barnes & Noble

With Shortcovers, Indigo charts different course than Amazon, Barnes & Noble

By Jeffery Simpson | November 18, 2009
Unlike other e-book moves by print-book retailers, Indigo is not selling its own device but instead making books available on smartphones, computers, and Sony’s e-book readers.
Amazon's international Kindle e-book reader works wonderfully, even in Canada

Amazon's international Kindle e-book reader works wonderfully, even in Canada

By Jeffery Simpson | November 4, 2009
When Amazon released its Kindle with U.S. & International Wireless, a worldwide version of its previously U.S.-only e-book reader, there was a great deal of disappointment that it was not bound for Canada.
Gaming now central to Facebook experience

Gaming now central to Facebook experience

By Jeffery Simpson | October 15, 2009
Many developers are using the hugely popular social-networking site to distribute their games among the on-line masses.
Snow Leopard runs how Mac OS X should have from the start

Snow Leopard runs how Mac OS X should have from the start

By Jeffery Simpson | September 9, 2009
This is a tightening of existing features, fixes based on a few years of user feedback that could not be envisioned when developing the software.
Vancouver Internet start-ups need to network for success

Vancouver Internet start-ups need to network for success

By Jeffery Simpson | September 3, 2009
While Vancouver is home to a growing number of Internet start-ups in various stages of development, some say the infrastructure and investment required to make the city a top high-tech hub have yet to be established.
Open Web advocates say social media needs reform

Open Web advocates say social media needs reform

By Jeffery Simpson | August 6, 2009
A question that’s increasingly being raised is, who should control all of the data shared through social media sites—the user or the service?
BCIT spawns iPhone games

BCIT spawns iPhone games

By Jeffery Simpson | April 23, 2009
The British Columbia Institute of Technology launched its iPhone Game Design course in September, just six months after Apple released the smartphone’s software-development kit.
Geotags help locate photos

Geotags help locate photos

By Jeffery Simpson | January 29, 2009
One method of cataloging digital photos, known as geotagging, uses where they were taken. Geotagging goes beyond labelling a photo with a place name.
In Second Life, it's a wonderful, virtual world

In Second Life, it's a wonderful, virtual world

By Jeffery Simpson | December 11, 2008
What do you get when you remove the gaming from a multiplayer on-line game? Second Life, an on-line virtual community, where users can socialize and explore without having to battle pixelated foes.

Some tech gifts Canadians won't be getting this Christmas

By Jeffery Simpson | December 4, 2008
With Christmas time coming, you'll be seeing a lot of lists of great gifts to get for that special someone. This isn't that list.

Pownce's closure warns us about trusting the cloud

By Jeffery Simpson | December 2, 2008
With the announcement that Twitter rival Pownce is shutting down on December 15, users of the microblogging service who want to save their posts had better do it soon. Following recent news of other high-profile on-line closures, like that of Sandy and Stikkit, the question is what other Web services will be shut down.

Software lets you be Choosy about your browsing

By Jeffery Simpson | November 28, 2008
If you're like me and use different browsers for different things, you're probably as annoyed as I am by the way that OS X is set up to launch a default browser.

Northern Voice blogging conference is looking for speakers

By Jeffery Simpson | November 24, 2008
Northern Voice is an annual blogging and social media conference that's held near the start of every year in Vancouver. It manages to attract bloggers and Web media people from right across North America, and it's regularly a sellout.

Flying high with Wi-Fi

By Jeffery Simpson | November 24, 2008
In-flight Wi-Fi has not been something that the average commuter had access to up until recently.

Latest iPhone update adds wealth of new features

By Jeffery Simpson | November 21, 2008
Good news for iPhone users: Apple released the 2.2 software update this morning. Just plug your iPhone into iTunes, hit Update, and you'll get a whole bunch of enhanced functionality within minutes.

Some tech blogs can be trusted

By Jeffery Simpson | November 20, 2008
I've called into question the level of trust that readers can put into the average tech blog, pointing out that more often than not a fantastic scoop will outweigh whether or not a story is true.

Tech blogs are often loose with the truth

By Jeffery Simpson | November 20, 2008
In tech blogging it's often not who's right; it's who's first because the currency for most bloggers is hits and being proven wrong days or weeks later doesn't hurt the same way that it does for a print publication.t publication.
Vancouver bloggers have their say in cyberspace

Vancouver bloggers have their say in cyberspace

By Jeffery Simpson | November 6, 2008
Whatever the reason, there's no doubt that the city offers a lively and diverse blog scene.
Loopt and Brightkite put friends in their place

Loopt and Brightkite put friends in their place

By Jeffery Simpson | September 18, 2008
Social-networking service are making a breakthrough by allowing friends to navigate their social lives by orienting them to people, places and events via detailed, interactive maps on their cellphones.
Status-update site has Net in a Twitter

Status-update site has Net in a Twitter

By Jeffery Simpson | September 4, 2008
The microblogging service is a cross between the status-update feature in Facebook and social-bookmarking sites like Delicious. "Tweets" are used to solicit aid, information, and opinions from other users.