Tag Archives: PC Magazine

Google This!

The Westport Library sends out a steady stream of press releases, humping upcoming events. Discussions, movies, meetings — all are interesting (at least to someone), and important (ditto).

I ignore most of them. If I flogged even 5% of the library’s PR efforts, “06880” would be a bulletin board, not a blog.

Yet every now and then, an upcoming event causes me to raise an eyebrow.

This one does — literally.

On Saturday, October 12 (2 pm), former PC Magazine editor-in-chief — and Westport resident — Michael Miller will talk about Google Glass.

He’ll also show it off.

The future of cool? Or just really silly looking?

The future of cool? Or just really silly looking?

I don’t spend a lot of time in Silicon Valley or hipsterish Brooklyn, so I haven’t seen Google Glass in action yet. But I’m fascinated by it. I’m not sure whether Glass is an amazing step into the future — or a frightening, intrusive technology.

I’d love to “see” for myself.

Unfortunately, I can’t be at the library that day. The Staples soccer team I coach has a huge game in Greenwich.

Fortunately — thanks to Google Glass –Miller can record his talk, and simultaneously send it to me.

I think. I hope. I fear.

Making Things Measy

Choosing a digital camera is one thing.  Selecting a president is entirely different.

Or not.

Staples grads Ev Boyle and Ian Manheimer see a similarity:  The more information you have, the more manageable your choice.

Building on the success of Glassbooth — their wildly successful website that provided tons of personalized information on presidential candidates, from Barack Obama to Bob Barr (!) — the duo recently unveiled Measy.

Measy.com

Operating like Glassbooth, the new site collects, aggregates and analyzes thousands of product details, reviews and consumer needs, helping users decide not the best digital camera, DSLR, netbook or HDTV — but the best one for your particular needs.

Next up:  smartphones and laptops.

One difference:  Glassbooth was non-profit.  Ev and Ian hope Measy will make money.

“It’s all about making complex decisions simple,” Ev says about both sites.  With Measy, he explains, “you don’t have know anything about megapixels.  Just tell us, ‘I want to take pictures of my kid’s soccer games’ or ‘I want to use my computer for games.'”

What sets Measy apart from other product-info websites is the human touch.

“We don’t automate our information,” Ev says. “We draw from trusted sources like CNET and PC Magazine.  Then we research like crazy, and aggregate expert reviews.”

Measy’s target audience, he says, is “everybody.  Well, everybody who doesn’t feel like an expert, or who needs an unbiased source.”  His parents and their friends — particularly women — find it very helpful, he says.

“It’s hard to find unbiased, well-organized sources of information,” Ev says.  “People really dig it.”

Which is more than you can say about the name.  “It combines ‘me’ and ‘easy,'” Ev says.  “Some people really like it.  Some people hate it. 

“But it’s hard to find a name that’s short, and has a domain still available.”

Little in life is easy.  Happily for anyone looking for cameras, netbooks and HDTVs, using Measy is.

(Ev and Ian have enlisted a host of other Westporters to help launch Measy.  Among them:  Alex Jacobs, Alex Wasserman, Rich O’Reilly and Will Cimarosa.)