Houstonist Tech Buzz

Local tech news in a compact, digital format.

UH Number One in Online Dating
According to IamFreeTonight.com's website, University of Houston was ranked number one in online dating last week. So, how did UH get this distinction? It appears that the results are based on a complex mathematical formula incorporating numerous variables relating to how college singles interact on the IamFreeTonight.com website. Sounds like something Chris Knight would be involved in.

WhiteFence Secures $14M in Funding
WhiteFence is an online service that enables consumers to comparison shop for home services and utilities such as electricity, natural gas, phone, broadband Internet, and cable and satellite television. It appears that WhiteFence will be able to continue providing comparison shopping online with this second-round of funding. So that means shop, shop, shop dear Houstonist reader. Get online and find the best deals.

Gobble, gobble
Quantas Services has eaten up one of their competitors and increased their workforce by 4000 people. Quantas Services installs and repairs major utility lines including gas, electricity, cable and telephone with the help of eucalyptus munching koala bears. Not really. But they did buyout their competitor InfraSource Services for stock valued at $1.3 billion.

Tablet PC's Reviewed
Good 'ol Dwight Silverman over at chron.com has reviewed two tablet PC's. Dwight says tablet PC's are more expensive than traditional portables and they are marketed toward specific industries. He also states that, "they simply don't work as well as they should." Click over to Dwight's review for the low down on tablet PC's.

NASA + Houston Technology Center
NASA and HTC have signed a Space Act Agreement that will extend their partnership and allow both groups to collaborate on new technologies for use in space and among emerging commercial enterprises in the Houston area. That's one small step for NASA and The HTC and one giant leap for Houston.

Text Message Rates Going Up For Some
jkonthephone rants on the increase in charges for text messaging from companies like Sprint, T-Mobile, Cingular and Verizon. If you or your family use text messaging, be sure to check this out.

Spoofing Your Caller ID
abc13.com covers a story on spoofing Caller ID which if used maliciously could reek havoc on the unsuspecting. Two companies provide this service for about $10 for 60 minutes of talk time, they are Spoofcard and Telespoof. Tech Buzz just doesn't see a legitimate use for this service and urges caution when asked to give out detailed information over the phone.

Chasing the Cylon
GeekSpeak writer, Barrett Canon is off on some wild Euro adventure as he chases his "Cylon girlfriend" all over The Netherlands. Tech Buzz awaits his return in hopes of cool photos and geeky Euro tech stories.

How Many Miles to DeleteLand?
Jay Lee of chron.com's HelpLine, answers a common question among computer users, Where does a file go after you delete it from your recycle bin? Follow this link for the answer.

That's it for the Tech Buzz. Surf safe and surf smart, Houston. Remember if you have an item you'd like covered, drop us an email or leave a comment.