Morning Bits

Good morning everyone! SXSWi is just around the corner! Here are some tech and SWSW related news items:

Yesterday, Apple announced a new round of updates. The company added a $2,400 24-inch iMac and a faster Macbook Pro. The processor has been bumped up from 2.53 GHz to 2.66 GHz. Other updates include: Airport Extreme, which adds a duel broadcasting mode on the 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz band and Time Capsule will run duel Wi-Fi streaming at 802.11n and  802.11 g speeds — Time Capsule will automatically pick the right speed allowing for more efficient backups. Apple also announced the new Macbook Mini, which they tout as being more energy efficient. It draws less than 13 watts of power when idle . Speaking of Apple, forget the iPod and get the icePod!

Twitter has gained in popularity since the earthquakes in China last summer. This weekend, Twitter (and Google Maps) was used to track down two missing skiers. Friends of the skiers used the microblogging site to obtain the skiers phone numbers. Then, they used the signals to track the skiers. One person was rescued using Google Maps and GPS. Tragically, the other skier, was not able to be saved. This article on TechCrunch shows a screenshot of the  tweets from the rescue mission.

South By Morning Bits

Can you believe there are only 23 more days until SXSW Interactive? Believe me, we can’t, because the team at South By Texas State is in a frenzy to get you the information you need to stay SXSWi savvy.

OK, maybe we aren’t running in circles screaming for content, but we will start bringing you daily morning updates on tech news related to SXSWi in what we like to call South By Morning Bits. As the day rolls along, we will also give you a snapshot of what we at sxtxstate.com are looking forward to seeing at the conference. The Interactive schedule is finally up, so you can start googling that panelist, follow them on Twitter or take a gander at their Facebook page.

Onward with the news…

• Facebook has been in the headlines recently since they update their Terms of Service February 4, which has caused quite a stir among privacy advocates. However, Zuckerberg tried to calm fears by those saying Facebook owns your information now and forever in a blog post that attempts to clarify the changes. The issue of privacy will be one of the hot topics at SXSWi with panels focused on the topic, namely one on Saturday, March 14 titled Is Privacy Dead or Very Confused?. PC World: Facebook’s Zuckerberg Calms Privacy Fears Over TOS Change.
• Skype and Nokia are the latest pair to announce a partnership for mobile devices. Nokia’s N97, which is scheduled to be released later this year, will have the popular Internet calling software installed. This is just one of the many new developments in mobile technology, much like the recent Flash for mobile announcement  at the Mobile World Congress, that will be highlighted at SXSW. Rob Gonda of Sapient will discuss mobile technology at his panel March 14. ZDNET: Skype Strikes Deal With Nokia.