Horizon highlights: Rethinking the basics

Our regular roundup of sci-tech stories from across the Web includes: Professor Pogue teaches some tech basics, five Web 2.0 services that are actually worth your time, and could special lightbulbs replace Wi-Fi hubs? Let’s kick it off:

Showdown: BlackBerry Storm vs. iPhone 3G
"After teasing us with videos and a vague web site, Research in Motion has finally decided to come out of the closet with full details on its touchscreen handset, the BlackBerry Storm. Everybody knows that 'touchscreen' is code for 'iPhone competitor.' So we've compiled a chart comparing the two handsets' specifications. You'll be entertained to see that in terms of hardware, the Storm is much more competitive with the iPhone than the underwhelming T-Mobile G1." [via Wired]

What works: Five Web 2.0 products I still use
"On most days, I put my hands on two to five new Web 2.0 products. I write up some of them, but pretty much forget about all of them by the time I wake up the next day. A few things do stick with me, though. Here's a list of products I am actually still using, weeks or months after the initial review." [via Webware]

The Basics: Tech tips for the basic computer user
"I’m sure the basics could fill a book, but here are a few to get you started. All of these are things that certain friends, family, or coworkers, over the years, did *not* know. Clip, save, and pass along to … well, you know who they are." [via Pogue's Posts]

Treks: A video-game magnate gets his journey into space
"Richard Garriott, whose father was an astronaut, pays $30 million to go up Sunday to the International Space Station as a galactic tourist and working member of the space crew." [via CSM's Backstory]

Bright idea: Lightbulbs could replace Wi-Fi hotpsots
"Researchers expect to piggyback data communications capabilities on low-power light emitting diodes, or LEDs, to create "Smart Lighting" that would be faster and more secure than current network technology. This initiative aims to develop an optical communication technology that would make an LED light the equivalent of a Wi-Fi access point." [via Cellular News]

Broadband: Wireless at fiber speeds
"There's no shortage of demand for faster wireless, but today's fastest technologies--Wi-Fi, 3G cellular networks, and even the upcoming WiMax--max out at tens or hundreds of megabits per second. So far, no commercial wireless system can beat the raw speed of optical fiber, which can carry tens of gigabits per second." [via Technology Review]