TechCrunch and Engadget
The meccas of Nerd: Techcrunch and Engadget. These two sites together have got to be some of the most comprehensively inclusive technology blog sites on the web (we’ll talk about Slashdot later). TechCrunch has been featured in mainstream media and newspapers and they definitely know their audience. Writing up everything-tech in verbiage that most people who understand how to work a DVR could understand. There are a few drawbacks to the site that I don’t particularly like: the necessary ads – monetization is important; a forum – useful, but still… not needed in my eyes; and oddly enough, the print post feature – to me? that’s a little throw back, and not very green… promoting the use of that archaic device, paper… yeck!
Other than that knit-picking; TechCrunch is hands down a professionally run blog, with real live persons writing for it who understand what “blog” actually means… What does it mean? Go check out the “Associated Press”, and then – imagine the opposite. They’re informative, personable, and seriously on top of the ball when it comes to Internet’s finest companies.
Strangely enough, if you take TechCrunch and swap out the subject matter from the “finest in Internet Companies” to what’s up in Hardware, you have Engadget. This site is by all means in need of a redesign, that’s for sure – but perhaps the authors/owners of Engadget are simply… designerly-republican in that, if it isn’t broke, why re-design it?
“Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics. Engadget was launched in March of 2004 in partnership with the Weblogs, Inc. Network.”
They’re not kidding… these guys are so obsessed with gadgets there is no end to content in sight once you track down their sections list. Like you can expect with hardware junkies, the writing on the site is very straight forward, occasionally a little too technical for the common folk that aren’t neck deep in chips all day, but nevertheless – they’re awesome.
