Sometimes, our worlds collide and we get techy about beer. Today was one of those days. Previously posted on Hoperatives.com :

At Hoperatives, we love location based apps like FourSquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places. While they all have their own specific advantages, Gowalla has a feature that seemed perfect for Hoperatives to use.  Gowalla Trips lets you group locations together according to a theme and then other Gowalla users can take your trip to check out the locations you recommend.  

So we are proud to announce the Hoperatives' Better Beer Locations Trip on Gowalla. We described it this way: "As Hoperatives - Believers in Better Beer (in Cincinnati and Beyond), it was hard to pick just 20 better beer locations in the Cincinnati area. While this is categorized as a bar crawl, we've included stores with better beer that offer tastings. Visit 10 of the 20 listed and you'll have a great start at really knowing better beer in Cincinnati!"

So what are the 20 better beer locations you may be asking?  Here they are (in alphabetical order):

Arlin's
Arnold's Bar and Grill
The Bistro (still listed on Gowalla as JeanRo Bistro)
Cock and Bull (Covington)
The Comet
Cork 'N Bottle
Dilly Cafe
Gordo's Pub and Grill
Great Crescent Brewery
Hebron Brew Haus
Listermann Brewery Supplies
Mac's Pizza Pub
Marty's Hops and Vines
Mellow Mushroom
Nicholson's Gastropub
Olives at Ludlow Garage
Party Town
The Pub at Rookwood Mews
Rock Bottom Brewery and Restaurant
Teller's of Hyde Park

So check out our Gowalla trip and perhaps create your own.  If you do, let us know about it and we'll share it here.

Lots of news out of last week's Consumer Electronics Show. It will be interesting to test the Droid Bionic side-by-side with the new Verizon iPhone.

VERIZON WIRELESS AND MOTOROLA MOBILITY ANNOUNCE DROID™ BIONIC ON NATION’S FASTEST, MOST ADVANCED 4G NETWORK

 

New Android Device Combines Dual-core Processor with Fastest 4G Network for Unrivaled Mobile Internet Experience

 

LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today unveiled DROID^™ BIONIC, a powerful new Android^™ smartphone.

Packing a dual core processor with each core running at 1GHz, delivering up to two GHz of processing power, and 512 MB RAM, the sleekly designed DROID BIONIC smartphone with 4G LTE delivers a mobile Internet experience that’s up to 10 times faster than 3G.  This means consumers can stream their favorite music and the latest TV shows with unparalleled quality experience.  DROID BIONIC also races through loading of complex web pages and media that take advantage of Adobe^® Flash^® Player and HTML5, rendering graphics faster than previous generation single-core devices.

Motorola’s DROID BIONIC gives new meaning to the word “socialize” by delivering multiple ways for customers to stay connected.  With the device’s front-facing VGA camera and See What I See video feature, consumers can share experiences – either via Wi-Fi or 4G – with family, friends and co-workers. A rear-facing 8-megapixel camera also allows consumers to capture their favorite pictures and videos.

DROID BIONIC’s multiplayer gaming capabilities allow consumers to challenge friends to live peer-to-peer gaming, viewed through the device’s 4.3-inch qHD quality screen that delivers console-quality graphics.  DROID BIONIC’s HDMI connectivity also enables consumers to connect the device to their HD televisions to experience their favorite games, as well as purchased HD content, in full 1080p.  And for multi-taskers, DROID 4G’s Mirror Mode function enables simultaneous streaming of video to the TV and on the device.

As a fully featured work device, DROID BIONIC comes equipped with corporate email, remote wipe and data security and encryption capabilities IT departments appreciate.  DROID BIONIC also features productivity tools such as Quickoffice^® for document review and editing, full calendar management, one-click access to conference calling, and a full suite of Google applications and services. 

“DROID BIONIC brings to life the speed and power of Verizon’s 4G LTE network, giving consumers an unrivaled mobile experience,” said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Whether downloading movies in minutes, connecting with friends or co-workers through video conferencing, or blazing through the Internet, Motorola’s DROID BIONIC is what the 4G LTE experience is all about.”

 “DROID BIONIC is the epitome of speed, providing consumers with instantaneous access to their personal and work content, anytime and anyplace,” said Alain Mutricy, senior vice president of portfolio and device product management, Motorola Mobility.  “By combining such a powerful mobile device with the performance and capabilities of Verizon’s 4G LTE network, we’re empowering consumers to define how they want to live their mobile lifestyles.”  

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network, launched in December 2010, is the fastest, most advanced 4G network in the United States, providing speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless’ 3G network.  Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network currently reaches one-third of all Americans, with plans to expand the network to the company’s entire 3G coverage area over the next three years.

For more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, visit www.verizonwrieless.com/lte and for more information about Verizon Wireless at CES please visit www.verizonwireless.com/ces or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/verizonwireless.>

Press release on today's Verizon iPhone announcement

BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey and CUPERTINO, California—January 11, 2011—Verizon Wireless and Apple® today announced that the iPhone® 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning on Thursday, February 10. Qualified Verizon Wireless customers will be given the exclusive opportunity to pre-order iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability.

 

iPhone 4 is the most innovative phone in the world, featuring Apple’s stunning Retina™ display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone resulting in super crisp text, images and video, and FaceTime®, which makes video calling a reality. iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless will also include new Personal Hotspot capabilities allowing customers to use iPhone 4 to connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.

“We are pleased to introduce millions of wireless users to the industry leading iPhone 4 on the nation’s most reliable network,” said Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon. “This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century.”

“Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can't wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers.”

iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 chip, a 3-axis gyro and a beautiful glass and stainless steel design like no other mobile phone. iPhone 4 also comes with iOS 4, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes multitasking, folders, Game Center, AirPlay® and AirPrint wireless printing.  iPhone 4 customers have access to the world’s most popular App Store℠ with more than 300,000 apps available in an incredible range of 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health and reference.

Pricing & Availability

iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning Thursday, February 10 for a suggested retail price of $199.99 for the 16GB model and $299.99 for the 32GB model with a new two year customer agreement. iPhone 4 will be available at more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide, online at  www.verizonwireless.com/iphone, at Apple Retail Stores, at the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), at Apple Authorized Resellers, and by calling 1-800-2 JOIN IN.