Google Cloud Printing…and a Space Coffee Mug

Google is making some upgrades to their cloud service, including bringing cloud printing to Windows desktops. The computer will have to have their Chrome browser installed, but this should make printer sharing easier if you use Google cloud services. Speaking of Google, Samsung is cutting loose from them and doing their own developers’ conference. It will be in San Francisco in October. Since word has slipped out that Google will be keeping some unique features and a sleeker look for Android on their own Motorola phones, expect Samsung to pull away even more as time goes on.

Drinking coffee from a straw sucks, so scientists at Portland State have figured out a cup astronauts can sip coffee from in space. One sharp corner uses capillary force to get every drop of java into the space traveler’s mouth. The scientists just got a patent for the Zero Gravity Coffee cup.

Remote Cam Trigger for Selfies & Rejected GoogleGlass Commands

There’s probably not much more popular when it comes to cameras in smartphones, than taking selfies…or so it seems. Have trouble taking that great selfie? Help may be on the way. There’s a Kickstarter project called Shuttr. It’s a little bluetooth keyfob with a button that fires your phone’s camera…it should make for much easier selfies to post on social media. Because you can never have enough great selfies.

If you think people walking around wearing GoogleGlass, prefacing everything with ‘OK Glass’ seems a little silly, consider this: before Google settled on ‘OK Glass’ to activate GoogleGlass, they actually considered ‘Go Go Glass’ and…are you ready….’Pew, Pew, Pew.’ Seriously…you just can’t make this up.

Your Location Value, Tablets for Education & Real $ Games on Facebook

You’ve heard how your personal information is being sold on the web for pennies…but some things about you are worth more (that may or may not make you feel better.) Your car’s location can bring up to 10 bucks, thanks to those cameras that shoot your license plate.

Education, like the medical market, is embracing tablets in a big way, but the iPad’s biggest rival in schools is not another tablet, it’s google’s Chromebook. Some schools can pick them up for $99. Since the education market for years has been an Apple stronghold, they are no doubt not amused.

Facebook is getting real money gambling games in Britain, thanks to Zynga. It may not be limited to the Brits for all that long, either. Zynga has big plans to bring games like ZyngaPlusPoker and ZyngaPlusCasino to the US, starting by getting a gaming license in Nevada.

Zooming Maps & Florida Bans Computers-Oops!

Most people have GPS and mapping software on their phones, but now tech invades the venerable paper map. A Brit has developed a paper map that zooms in as you unfold it! It’s a Kickstarter campaign that will allow you to see more than the 4-5 inches on your phone’s screen…you can view a city on your 8 inch square map. As Apple continues to tweak the new mobile operating system, here’s something cool in the new iOS 7- although it may not be a feature you’ll use right away. Apple has baked in Airplay for cars. You could leave your phone in your pocket or purse in your next car and it will connect to the car via wifi for phone, music, navigation, and more. Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Ferrari, Hyundai, Kia, and Infiniti will have cars that utilize Airplay, some as soon as next model year. A story not ripped from the Onion, but it sure seems that way…a law was passed in Florida to kill gambling at internet cafes…but the wording inadvertently bans computers and smartphones. Oops. Next time people complain about lawyers in government, keep in mind that it helps to have them when you need to write a law that does what the legislators intend!

Euro Anger at NSA, & Apple Wants More In-Store iPhone Sales

It’s not just people here in the US that are upset over the scope of NSA spying…the Europeans are getting madder and madder. They are angry enough, they may freeze American cloud providers out, setting up their own European cloud services. It’s a bit of pot meets kettle, since word has gotten out that the British, Germans, & French are also spying on their citizens to one extent or another.

Apple’s Tim Cook is starting to crack the whip…he plans sweeping changes for Apple Stores to get staffers to sell more iPhones…will that kill the buzz over genius bars? Employees say one of the thing adding to 80% of iPhones selling elsewhere is…according to customers…the lack of one with a bigger screen! Will that be one of the ‘special projects’ the former CEO of Yves St Laurent, Paule Deneve, who Apple just hired as a VP?

Stand Back- Science is Marching On!

A team at UC San Diego has come up with a telescopic contact lens for people with macular degeneration. It will allow patients to switch between normal and magnified vision with up to a 3 power zoom without bulky, thick glasses.

Your luggage tag is about to go high tech…British Airways & Designworks will start testing a reusable, e-ink luggage tag that talks to your smartphone. The flight info and barcode can be read by airport scanners.

The Japanese space agency is readying to launch two little white helmeted robots into space. An astronaut at the international Space Station will try to converse with one of them. Kubrick’s 2001 will come true…’I can’t let you do that Dave.’

A Couple of Plusses for Viewing Video

One of the most irritating things about video on the web is lag. Youtube has a plan to kill video latency by dynamically adjusting the quality level of the video according to your connection’s bandwidth, and also by transmitting control commands at the same time as the content you’re watching. It will be great not sit and watch the little pinwheel spin for a while every time you want to load up a short video. Don’t expect movie length vids to load instantly, however.

Speaking of video, Intel is reportedly working on a set top box that will stream a form of pay per view. Some claim it will crush cable TV’s ability to bundle and charge us for all those channels you never watch. A la carte video and movies may not be a pipe dream with the power of Intel moving things in that direction. Will they lure Apple TV into some kind of deal?

Galaxy Tabs, School Bing, & More

New Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablets are coming out July 7th…the cheapest will be an amazing $199…but don’t expect much memory or a Hi Def screen at that price. Getting into the grade school and middle school market worked for Apple years ago…so Microsoft is giving it a try. Microsoft’s Bing for schools will strip out ads, and beef up privacy protections and adult content filtering. The opt in program gives Bing an entry into the grade and middle school market. Will kids use it at home and later, or will they just go right back to Google? Time will tell. It’s not an avalanche, but audio component manufacturing is returning to the US from Asia…and not just the high end, nosebleed priced equipment…some of the gear is priced as low as $99. Manufacturing coming BACK to the US? When was the last time you heard that?

Breathalyzer Watch, Facebook WiFi, & More

Dick Tracy had his 2-way wrist radio. Now, Gizmodo is reporting about a watch that tells you if you’re too drunk to drive. The watch, from Tokyoflash, has a breathalyzer…blow into the side, and if it turns red…call a cab. It’s $100 direct from Tokyoflash the next 2 days. Taking a look at wired.com, Facebook is expanding it’s Facebook wifi to cafes in Palo Alto and San Francisco. It’s free…kind of. The catch…you check in through Facebook, so they have your location data to sell. At bgr.com, they’re talking about why no company really wants to buy Nokia right now, despite rumors that either Microsoft or a Chinese cell phone maker is about to. The problem…Nokia is really a feature phone maker, not a smartphone maker, and featurephone sales are declining.

Seen on Tech Blogs

Here are a few things you may have missed this week that have been written about on some of the technology blogs. We’ve all heard a lot about 3D printing lately…including a library in Silicon Valley that is making one available. Now, techcrunch.com says Amazon is getting ready to make 3D printing available for everyone…with a store for 3D printers and accessories.

Showing up on Wired.com’s radar is a story that says Google actually sends the NSA requested information by secure FTP or courier…the old school way…and that there’s no back door to its servers. Who needs a back door, when they will send info to the NSA when asked?

Bloomberg.com says thousands of tech, finance, and manufacturing companies work closely with US national security agencies, providing sensitive information, and in return getting benefits including access to classified intelligence. Free enterprise at work? You be the judge of that.

Checking businessinsider.com, your personal online data is being sold to marketers for a pittance…your basic age, gender, and location info goes for as low as 50 cents per thousand people. I feel so cheap.