We are here with the answers to all your tech queries from Ryan Block. So, check out Ryan’s thoughts on Windows 7, Droid, gdgt’s future and much more.

1). Joe: With so much product specific information and community contribution, are you planning to build gdgt a sort of Wikipedia for gadgets?

Ryan: I guess we’ll see! We created gdgt to be a social platform for gadgets and gadget users — we’ve added a lot of structure, but at a certain level gdgt doesn’t exist without people using it, plugging in new data and products, and telling us what they want us to do. I’m really excited about how active and engaged the community has been thus far, though.

2). Graham: Ryan, were you able to try Windows 7? What’s your take? Are you impressed?

Ryan: Yes, definitely. I think it’s a significant improvement in many ways, although I’ve been a big proponent of a big Windows schism that would break native compatibility and allow Microsoft to build a modern OS free from legacy technologies. We’ll see.

3). Allison: Will Android be able to make a dent on iPhone’s popularity?

Ryan: Maybe a little, but it’ll be marginal — but I don’t think that means Android can’t be extremely successful. The smartphone market is growing very vast, and right now the battle is on for these players to secure their seat at the table for the next 5-10 years. The success of one does not necessarily preclude the success of another.

4). Julia: With all other types of communication services, like Twitter and Facebook growing faster, does the good old email appear to be boring and outdated? What is the future of email now? Will Google Wave make any difference?

Ryan: I don’t think email is going anywhere, but it could seriously use a reboot. I don’t think Wave will accomplish that, though — having used Wave, I think it’s more of a wiki-like personal collaboration tool, and less of an “email replacement” as it’s been touted.

5). Vikas: As far as small devices are concerned, everything is going “touch.” What’s your take on the desktop touchscreens?

Ryan: They might catch on, but it would have to be something like the 10/GUI concept where the touch input is flat, like a keyboard, and isn’t a direct part of the display. It’s anatomically impossible for anyone to hold their arms upright for 8 hours a day.

6). Andrew: Tilera is coming with a 100-core chip. How many cores do you need, Ryan, to keep up the pace?

Ryan: Multiple cores don’t matter unless your apps are developed to parallel process! That said, I run a Core 2 Duo-based MacBook Pro (unibody) for my daily work stuff.

7). Davis: While the rumors about Engadget-Gizmodo rivalry are a closed chapter now, do you believe such rivalries exist in the blogosphere?

Ryan: I think the blogosphere has really calmed down in the past couple of years. The land rush is largely over and everyone’s starting to settle in for the long haul, so naturally the rivalries will cool off a bit. Everyone’s still competing though, no doubt.

8). Team: What advice would you give to the upcoming bloggers to make it big like you did with Engadget and now gdgt?

Ryan: I think the time to try building the next huge blog from scratch is probably over now — and if the window isn’t fully closed, but it’s not the same as it was 5 years ago. I’d say try to add some new value or angle that no one else is — differentiate. But most importantly, love it and be passionate about it, because if you can’t care about your product, why would anyone?

9). Peter: Your favorite gdgt moments. Where do you see it in five years from now?

Ryan: Well, we’ve only been around for a few months! But launching this summer was an insane, completely surreal experience. We also recently added our 10,000th product and launched a lot of new features (like our personalized gdgt stream), so it’s an ongoing series of awesome moments.

10). Lauren: People say there can never be another Engadget/Gizmodo, but gdgt happened. What do you think is the reason for gdgt’s success?

Ryan: Well, gdgt is only a few months old, and it is nowhere near the level of Engadget and Gizmodo — but even if it was, I wouldn’t put them on the same plane. Engadget and Gizmodo (and the thousands of other sites who’d love to take their place) are publications. With gdgt we intentionally avoided creating a publication in favor of creating a social platform for gadgets — we wanted to be complementary and take advantage of our ability to explore things as an app that publications could not.

11). Team: Your views on BornRich & Instablogs network?

Ryan: I’ve been reading BornRich for a while, keep up the good work!

RAPIDFIRE ROUND

1. Gadgets you can’t live without?

Ryan: If I could only keep two devices, it’d be my laptop and my phone. Doesn’t matter what kind, but nothing happens without one of those two devices.

2. You are an idol for millions of gadget bloggers. Who is your idol?

Ryan: I don’t know if I’d say that! But I do truly admire Johnny Ive — I think he understands design in a way that even world class designers aspire to.

3. Things you love about New York.
a). Subtropical climate b). Skyscrapers c). Wall Street d. Culture e). Status of Liberty f). Other?

Ryan: D. And more things under F than would fit into a rapid-fire round.

4. You have been privileged to have met Wall Street personalities like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Ralph de la Vega, Peter Chou, Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz and so on. Who was the one you were actually looking forward to the most?

Ryan: Bill Gates, I’ve met him a few times now and he’s always so incredibly nice and clued-in. Who he is has really shown in his work post-Microsoft — the fact that he’s now the most powerful philanthropist in the world. I’d say second place was maybe Shigeru Miyamoto or Al Gore.

5. Tell us about your hobbies?

Ryan: Not sure if I’d call them hobbies, but I’m pretty into coffee and exploring the restaurants of my city.

6. Your favorite online reads in your free time?

Ryan: I read a hundred or more feeds every day. I couldn’t live without Techmeme, though it’s where I tend to start.

7. The coolest technology of 2009?

Ryan: I was pretty impressed with Project Natal, but it’s not out yet!

8. Are you looking forward to CES 2010?

Ryan: Absolutely. Especially since now I’m not up 20 hours a day covering it — I finally get to go and experience the show a little bit.

9. The science fiction term(s) that every geek should know
a) Astrochicken b) Drake Equation c) Mary Sue d) Kardashev scale e) Penrose process f) Other?

Ryan: 42. Oh, I mean B. The Drake equation gives me an enormous amount of hope.

10. If a movie is made on your life, what should be its title, and which actress should play your love interest?

Ryan: You tell me!

Finally, we thank Ryan for taking out time from his hectic schedule to do this interview with us, and we wish Ryan and his whole gdgt team “Best of Luck” for all their future endeavors!492801