What's newS

Out With the Old, In With the New

2011-03-30T00:26:00.001-05:00

As most of you may know, I was heavily involved with Whtsnews.com - my personal blog where I shared many of my reviews, stories, pictures, videos, etc. Slowly but surely, I began to stop posting on the site. Why? Well, Blogger was lagging in times and I wanted to take some time to find another host that not only was with the times, but also allowed me to post on the go as easily as possible. Where I focused on product reviews, news, and mainstream stuff, I wanted a change that also included things about my life. You are probably thinking, "That is what Facebook is for." and you would probably be right, however, this will be a way to inform my viewers more in depth.

Will there be many changes to the structure of the site? No, there will not be. I will still be writing (probably every other day), and still cover what I have always been covering with a personal flair to it. I will also have my guest blogger, Brooks Sanford, who has contributed in the past occasionally.

With all this being said, I hope you enjoy the new site! I will be making changes here and there. Feel free to contact me regarding anything you want to share. I will have a new URL for this blog so you will easily be able to access www.JoCoWash.com.

Take care guys and thanks again for reading!

Apple Announces iPad 2.0

2011-03-02T14:57:00.005-05:00

As expected, Apple announced the next generation of its popular tablet device at a media event today. The iPad 2 will have the same 9.7-inch display but will be 33% thinner than the previous model. It will have front-facing and rear-facing cameras and Apple's new 1GHz dual-core A5 processor.

The next-generation iPad will be capable of making FaceTime calls with other FaceTime-capable devices. The rear-facing camera can capture 720p HD video. The iPad 2 will also have the same battery life as the first generation of 10 hours and 30 days of stand-by time despite the thinner appearance.

The iPad 2 will be available March 11 for the same price as the first generation. Have your credit cards ready!

Anybot - The Self-Ballancing Robot with Eyes

2011-02-01T11:55:00.003-05:00

Companies will love this. Anybots are coming - the self-balancing QB robot available for purchase and shipping now. However, at $15,000 I'm thinking not too many consumers will be jumping on this bandwagon to start.

The self-balancing bots enable you to be somewhere that you aren't, controlled through a simple web interface and enabling executives to remotely monitor and control comfortably at home. Check out the video below for more details.

Google Brings Cloud Printing

2011-01-24T23:50:00.003-05:00

Google is getting better and better for the iPhone and other mobile devices. Google has now announced that it's begun rolling the service out to its mobile Google Docs and Gmail sites, which you'll be able to use to print documents from most mobile devices that supports HTML5 -- those running Android 2.1+ or iOS 3+, for instance.

"To get started, you’ll need to connect your printer to Google Cloud Print. This step requires a Windows PC for now, but Linux and Mac support are coming soon. You can learn more at the Google Cloud Print help center."

Visit the instructions here.

Verizon iPhone Finally Landed

2011-01-11T11:33:00.002-05:00

Verizon has acquired the right to sell the iPhone starting February 10 with pre-orders beginning on February 3, the company announced this morning in one of the worst-kept secrets since the Beatles appeared on iTunes.

The iPhone will connect to the CDMA network and will be $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model (with a 2-year contract and required data plan, of course). What is different? Not much except a mobile hotspot is included, allowing you to connect up to five devices through the iPhone.

The talks began in 2008, when the two companies began to discuss bringing over the iPhone over for the CDMA network, and indeed the release of the iPad on the carrier last year was proof of the iPhone's imminent arrival.

CES Begins Tomorrow. What Will the Future Hold?

2011-01-05T13:23:00.003-05:00

With more than four decades of success, the International CES reaches across global markets, connects the industry and enables CE innovations to grow and thrive.

What is CES?

The International CES is produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the consumer technology industry. CEA represents more than 2,000 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of consumer electronics products. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.

The year 2011 will bring a host of new gadgets and gizmos, but the highlight will be the tablet. CES starts tomorrow and already you can see a variety of sneak peek tablets that will hit the market this year. If you would like to stay up to date on this year's tech, be sure to check out Engadget and Gizmodo for constant coverage.

Learn How to Always Save Money "Being a Student"

2010-11-30T14:51:00.004-05:00

Student discounts are annoying now that I am no longer a student. Are you eligible for the Student Discount, student photo ID, documents, paperwork, enrollment verification... Sheesh.

But do you want to know a secret? You can get a student discount forever!

"First of all, student discounts are most commonly awarded to college students who either are wealthy enough to afford college or are able to incur a massive amount of debt (scholarship folk—congrats, but you're a rare breed and therefore do not count). The idea here is that college students aren't necessarily stricken with poverty or will be more so after finishing their education. For that reason, the student discount might actually be better applied after a student has graduated. If you agree with this reasoning, welcome to the forever student discount club."

Lifehacker, one of my favorites sites to visit, explains the juicy details.

Facebook Address, You Are All Getting One!

2010-11-15T20:28:00.003-05:00

Today, Facebook just launched a new messaging service -- what Mark Zuckerberg called a "modern messaging system," not a new email system. Email's "too formal," according to Mark, and the new system is designed to be seamless, simple, and short in comparison.

It'll handle email and users can have facebook.com email addresses, but it also integrates SMS, IM, and Facebook messages.

Facebook is also doing what it calls a "social inbox," which sounds like Gmail's priority inbox on steroids -- it uses your Facebook contacts list to automatically build whitelists for important messages. Unfortunately, there's no IMAP support at launch, so you won't be able to plug in your favorite mail client, but it's coming, says Facebook. The new messaging system should be rolling out slowly over the next few months -- hopefully Facebook will come out with a pithier name than "new messaging system" by the time everyone gets it.

Logitech's Solar-Powered Keyboard

2010-11-01T21:05:00.002-05:00

I couldn't imagine having a solar powered keyboard, however, Logitech could. The K750 has integrated solar panels, and grabs whatever light it can get while indoors. A solar power app shows you the battery levels and ambient light available, so you always know the vitals of the keyboard.

The $80 keyboard is the first solar keyboard built of fully recyclable plastic. The device has a set of solar panels along the top edge and even includes a luxmeter to tell how well things are charging. It charges in sunlight and even under a standard bulb.If you’re familiar with Logitech keyboards, they usually last for months – if not years – on the same battery. This, however, will ensure that you don’t go dark in the midst of writing a book or a marathon writing session.

Netflix All Streaming, No Disc

2010-10-24T23:59:00.002-05:00

Just last week Netflix hinted during its quarterly earnings report that it would be exploring the concept of Watch Instantly-only subscriptions here in the United States. That is to say that it would be a whole new world for the company that built its name on renting DVDs by mail has already said it is beginning to view itself as a streaming company, and now it is definitely moving in that direction.

Before you get too excited however, it isn’t being offered to everyone.

Do you think this is the best option for you?

Logitech's Wireless Illuminated K800 Keyboard

2010-08-18T11:44:00.002-05:00

It is not often i write about keyboards, but the new Logitech is looking pretty good. It has the requisite inflated price, adjustable and intelligent illumination to please functionalists, and a dagger-like profile for aesthetes. Ambient light sensors will align the keyboard's brightness to your environment, while proximity detectors will only flip the switch when your hands are in position to start writing.

There's a Micro USB cable to refresh your battery when it starts running low and is going to cost you $99.99. The K800 should be shipping out later this month. Stay tuned...

Apple Hand Out Cases

2010-07-16T19:10:00.003-05:00

If you have not hear the news, Apple will be issuing free cases to all next week if you just so happen to have an iPhone 4. Since Apple can't build it's own Bumpers fast enough, they will give you a few options and let you decide which case you want, then send it to you for free as long as you purchased the phone before September 30th.

Not good enough for you?According to Gizmodo, If you have already purchased a bumper from Apple, you will get a full refund and you can also return that phone of yours for a full refund within 300 days as long as it is not damaged.

What are you going to do? Is this a solution that you like? Let me know if the comments.

Let BuyMyTronics Help You Buy an iPhone

2010-06-11T11:17:00.007-05:00

It’s always great to see more companies involved in recycling. BuyMyTronics.com is one of the companies that buys your gadgets and recycles them. The company gives you an eco-friendly avenue to get rid of electronics while pocketing some extra cash. BuyMyTronics offers a fast, simple and green way to get money for your gadgets—free shipping included.

If you look around you today, it would seem everyone is out to get something. Our economy encourages us to buy, buy, buy. The new iPhone which was just announced by Apple will cost $199 for 16gb and $299 for 32gb of storage. The new phone is powered by an A4 CPU (the same chip used in the iPad) and sports a 3.5-inch screen with 960×640 resolution, dual mics, and an upgraded camera system that will include HD video recording and editing capabilities.

Many people are now going to start looking for excuses to get rid of their old phone for the best, so what will you do? BuyMyTronics.com has a solution. Anyone wanting to upgrade to the new iPhone, can head over to BuyMyTronics.com where they offer up to $280 for a used iPhone. The customer can then take the earnings from the iPhone sale to BuyMyTronics and buy a new 4G iPhone. The process is really easy. I've done it several times. The company will provide free shipping to get the item to them and once they receive the product, it will take only 7 days to get the money to you.

What about if you have a broken iPhone? BuyMyTronics will buy those too. BuyMyTronics pays
up to $106 for a broken iPhone. Take those earnings, apply it to the purchase of a new $99 iPhone and you have a new iPhone for free! It's smart, it's simple, and there is no charge to you to get rid of your old phones.

"Recycling your old or broken iPhone and gadgets is the greenest thing you can do; your old gadgets won't end up in a landfill polluting our water tables and your old or broken iPhone or gadget will get put to use again, which decreases the need for new gadgets to be produced. All in all, it's healthy for the earth, and for our customer’s wallets." -Brett Mosley

So what are you waiting for? Get rid of your old gadgets now!

A Board that Hovers - I Want

2010-05-28T16:22:00.003-05:00

Engadget posted an article on a board that hovers and there is a video to prove it. This board uses electromagnets embedded in the podium and a laser system to measure its position. Take a look at this video to see it in action! Looks rather unstable, but give it a few more years...

HOVERBOARD - NILS GUADAGNIN from nils guadagnin on Vimeo.

Viewsonic Releases VT2300LED LCDTV

2010-04-14T16:29:00.003-05:00

I have been waiting on this one.. for several months now (since January) and finally it has been release. The side lit LED backlighting does apparently help to deliver energy savings of 30 to 50% over traditional LCDs, and you'll get some decent specs all around, including a full 1080p resolution, a 5 ms response time, an ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, and three HDMI ports, among other standard fare.

The company is listing this at $399, however, you can get it off of Amazon for as low as $299! I think they have me sold ;-)

Want to Make Your Browser Render Gmail Like the iPad?

2010-04-06T12:27:00.005-05:00

Unlike many, I am not very fond of Gmail's conversation-style email, but I have played with the iPad a little and I do like the way it looks custom made on the iPad. So I did a little digging and discovered I can make my browser load Gmail just like on the iPad. Just takes a few changes in the settings and you will be all set. Take notes and let me know if you have any problems. I even included another bowser. I have yet to figure out some of the other browsers.

You can trick Gmail into thinking you're on an iPad with some tweaking. All that needs to be done is to change the browser's user agent, which can be done with just a small amount of effort on some browsers.

On Safari, this works on both the Mac and PC platforms. Just head into Safari's "preferences" menu, then hop over to the "advanced" tab. Go all the way to the bottom, and make sure the "show develop in menu bar" box is checked. Close the menu, then you'll find a new "develop" option in the main menu. On the Mac this can be found as one of the options on the top of the screen. On the PC, it's on the page-looking icon next to the Safari settings button on the top right of the screen. Find the develop menu, then go to user agent, then pick "other." You will get a menu to type a custom user agent string. Just drop this in there:

Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/531.21.10 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.4 Mobile/7B334b Safari/531.21.10

That is it. Enjoy!

For FireFox it's not nearly as easy to change user agents as it is in Safari. You're going to have to download an extension for it first. User Agent Switcher is the most popular one. Once you've installed UAS, you'll find its options in the Tools menu at the top of your browser. A new option for "default user agent" will be there, go ahead and select that, then "edit user agents" in the sub-menu. Now you just have to opt to create a new user agent. Clear out all the text boxes that are already filled out, then give it a name (like "iPad"), and drop the same user agent text that we used in Safari (above) in the user agent box.

You are all set. I still have not figured it out on Google Chrome or any others, but I'll let you know if I figure it out. If you do first, let me know.

The femtoJack: magicJack's Next Big Cost Cutting Telecommunications Product

2010-03-25T08:45:00.001-05:00

If you have ever seen the infomercial for Ymax's magicJack or are one of the millions that own one yourself, you may want to take a moment to read this article regarding an even better device that's on its way from the same creators. It's called the femtoJack. Essentially the device is designed to do the same thing as the magicJack, reduce the amount you pay in phone bills each month by allowing you to make phone calls via VoIP by routing your calls through a computer. There is one major difference however, this time you get to save money on cell phone bills, which the average consumer knows can get out of hand quickly.

According to one review, the concept behind the femtoJack is very simple, which makes it very surprising that there is not a VoIP product already on the market that can offer similar services at an affordable price. It uses femtocell technology to setup it's own home based cell network. This home based network then catches all calls within it's range and instead of sending them over your carriers network sends them over magic Jack's self-dedicated VoIP network. The result is unlimited minutes in your home for a low price of just $20 per year.

Use of the femtoJack is so simple that nearly everybody will be able to set it up with ease and be using it within minutes. Simply plug the femtoJack into your computer, enter a given code on your mobile phone, and begin making phone calls from your home via your cell phone without using any of your allotted plan minutes. Even better is the fact that it can work on any GSM cell phone (unsubscribed, pre-paid, or contracted). Even if you are not currently contracted with a cell company you can go ahead and use the femtoJack so long as you have a GSM phone.
Despite it's clear benefits above there is still a dark cloud surrounding the future of the femtoJack. Cell carriers have refused to comment but tech experts have speculated that the cell carriers may try to fight the femtoJack's FCC approval by claiming it infringes on their exclusive right to use the mobile spectrum that they have paid billions of dollars for. Ymax, the makers of the femtoJack, and many other experts however claim that spectrum licenses do not legally apply to ones own home and that everyone has the legal right to setup their own mini network so long as it is contained within ones home.

Ymax says that they expect to offer the femtoJack to current magicJack subscribers sometime during the 2nd quarter of 2010 but we anticipate the offering may be delayed if cell carriers do indeed decide they want to fight it's legality, something we stand strongly against since this product has an opportunity to save people so much money. For more info on FemtoJack, be sure to point your browser here. You can also ask any questions you have in comments.

Write Well with the Logitech io2 Pen

2010-03-10T14:50:00.004-05:00

The Logitech io2 pen is wonderful for college students, business women and men, teachers, doctors and anyone who takes a lot of notes. I have a client that I work with for my day job and he loves his Logitech pen. According to him, the Logitech io2 pen will save you precious time, and I would definitely agree with that. Once you handwrite your notes, you attach the pen to your computer with a USB cord. The handwritten notes will then be transferred to typed notes. The notes will pop-up on your monitor screen and will be surrounded by a framed box.

Not having to re-type your notes is also a huge stress reliever. If you have a laptop the Logitech io2 pen is for you. You truly do not have to save any notes to disc as you already have a hard copy–your handwritten notes. If you do not use a computer to store your notes you may prefer to start. No longer will you need hard copies of folders and file cabinets, now that you can easily store your information electronically.

The Logitech io2 pen has a curve to fit your hand comfortably. The circumference of the pen is larger than a normal pen but the curvature makes up for it. The pen refills are very simple to do.
To start using the pen simply remove the cap. To stop the pen simply put the cap back on.
A power adapter is included with your Logitech io2 pen purchase as well as five pen refills, a cradle to lay your pen in when downloading to your computer and when recharging, a Post-It note pad, a notebook of paper and directions.

You will have to purchase paper designed to work with the pen. The cost range for the paper is $4.95 to $14.95. The software used to work with the pen is $39.95 and is called MyScript Notes.
The operating systems the Logitech io2 pen work with are Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows 98 and Windows XP though it has been updated to work with more operating systems like Vista and Windows 7 as well.

The Logitech io2 pen costs around $199.00. I have seen it online for $39.99 to $139.99 for used pens. Even with the cost of the pen and accessories, I highly recommend the Logitech io2 pen for people who want to save time and stress.

Watch With Lasers

2010-02-27T14:33:00.004-05:00

It has been a while since my last post, but I thought I would share my desire to own one of these watches. Though I do not wear watches any longer, I would imagine for the looks and the price of the Aurora watch, I would wear it every day. Designer Jihun Yeom has put laser lights in a watch, with red indicating minutes and blue indicating hours. Unfortunately, it's only a concept for now, but definitely something to keep an eye out on so I can have my checkbook ready.

Google Chrome Releases Update for Mac

2010-02-11T16:51:00.004-05:00

As most of you know, Google Chrome was released for Mac not too long ago. Google just released a new version of Chrome for Mac OS X that restores a key feature - extensions - that had been missing for weeks!

On Google's blog post they said, "With this new version, you'll be able to install any of over 2,200 extensions currently available in Chrome's extensions gallery." Extensions are a key asset for one big rival browser, Firefox. Interestingly, the beta version--5.0 for Mac OS X and Linux as well--made it to beta status earlier than the Windows version, which is still a more raw developer-preview.

Google plans to bring the Mac, Linux, and Windows versions to feature parity with version 5. "If we brought to beta on 4, then to stable on 4, then the Windows version would be speeding ahead on 5.0." That is probably true. The new version also catches the Mac version up with Windows by adding support for bookmark synchronization and management interfaces for bookmarks, cookies, and tasks, according to Chrome program manager Mark Larson in a separate blog post.
Also new are some stability improvements with Adobe Systems' Flash and some new multitouch support, Google said.

So what are you waiting for - go get the newest update if you have already!

Apple Announces iPad

2010-01-30T20:12:00.003-05:00

Apple was expected to release the over-hyped tablet and when they did, Apple disappointed quite a few people, however, there is a lot to be liked about the device so I am as excited as Steve about the possibilities.

On Wednesday (Jan. 27) Apple announced the iPad tablet device, featuring a 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 display and 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB capacities. Carrying a custom 1 GHz "Apple A4" chip, the iPad weighs in at 1.5 pounds and is .5-inch thin. The iPad will be priced at $499, $599, and $699 for the varying capacity models without 3G, and $629, $729, and $829 with 3G. Wi-Fi only models are scheduled to ship in 60 days, with 3G-capable model shipping in 90 days. A video preview is also available.

In terms of standard connectivity, the iPad offers Wi-Fi (802.11n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, with 3G models also offering cellular data connectivity. All iPad models have an accelerometer, compass, speakers, a microphone, and a 30-pin dock connector. The iPad also offers a claimed 10 hours of battery life for viewing video, with 1 month of standby battery life.

Models with 3G will be unlocked and will be able to use GSM micro SIMs. AT&T will offer two data plan options $14.99 for up to 250 MB per month and $29.99 per month for unlimited data. No contract is required for either option, and free access to AT&T's Wi-Fi hot spots is included. Data packages for iPad users outside of the U.S. will by in place by June.

The iPad will have standard apps for personal information management, including an address book and calendar, along with e-mail, Safari, Google Maps, and Notes. A special version of iTunes is also on board to provide an optimized browsing experience on the device's 9.7-inch screen.

The big question is whether AT&T will be able to handle the iPad as they have had a heck of a time dealing with the iPhone. Either way, I look forward to getting my hands on this device.

What Does Apple Have Up Their Sleeve?

2010-01-20T12:08:00.003-05:00

Apple, as you may already know, has confirmed at least some rumors today by announcing a special event on January 27th. The company plans to hold the gathering at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and teases it with just a spray-painted Apple logo and an invitation to "come see our latest creation."

Most expect the announcement to center on the much talked about tablet, a 10-inch touchscreen device that would run a heavily modified variant of OS X iPhone. Other candidates for the event have included iPhone OS 4.0, Core i5 MacBook Pros and other portable hardware. We will see next week, but you better believe I will be on the lookout!

E-Book Readers Took Over CES

2010-01-09T22:53:00.002-05:00

Besides 3D HDTV, e-book readers were everywhere on the show floor at CES. It remains to be seen which one will stand out from the crowd, but there will be plenty of e-book readers to choose from in 2010. We all know of Amazon's Kindle and a few of you may know of B&N's Nook, but there are many more out there and I think you are going to like the picking.

http://ces.cnet.com/

Ford Sync is Like an Apple iCar

2010-01-04T08:48:00.002-05:00

Aside from announcing that in-car WiFi will be available next year, the iconic blue oval is today calling itself the first car manufacturer to offer factory-installed HD Radio with iTunes tagging capabilities. Slated to become available on select 2011 Ford models sometime next year, the implementation will enable listeners of HD Radio to "tag" songs they like via a single button press; from there, the song information will be logged within the radio's memory, and up to 100 tags on Sync can be stored until an iPod is connected to suck them down. Once that data hits the iPod, users can then preview or purchase them conveniently through iTunes. If Apple were to make a car, of course it have this feature.

Ford has also explained more in their detailed press release:

FORD FIRST TO ENABLE iTUNES SONG TAGGING WITH LAUNCH OF NEW HD RADIO CAPABILITY IN ITS LINEUP

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 29, 2009 – iTunes Tagging and crystal-clear radio sound through HD
Radio technology are the latest features on Ford's growing list of factory-installed customer
conveniences and technologies that will be newly available in 2010.

HD Radio receivers pull in digital radio signals and play them with dramatically improved
sound. FM stations, for example, have near-CD quality, making it convenient for customers to
select songs they want to download and purchase.

"iTunes Tagging and HD Radio technology are strong new additions to the growing collection of
Ford convenience features and technology we're offering customers to make driving even more
enjoyable," said Mark Fields, president of The Americas. "This is another example of Ford's
commitment to bring the widest variety of factory-installed customer-focused technology,
features and conveniences to millions of people."

• Ford is the first auto manufacturer to offer HD Radio™ technology with iTunes® Tagging
capability; this new functionality will be available next year
• HD Radio technology captures free digital radio broadcasts, which eliminate static, fadeout
and other problems associated with conventional analog radio signals; the result is FM audio
that's comparable to near-CD quality and AM audio that sounds like today's FM broadcasts
• HD Radio digital technology provides a number of advanced services not available with an
analog radio. Extra FM channels, called HD2/HD3 channels, are delivered, as well as useful
on-screen Program Service Data such as artist name and song title

In 2010, Ford vehicles will offer familiar terrestrial radio, HD Radio technology, SIRIUS®
Satellite Radio as well as Internet radio through Ford SYNC® from a Bluetooth®-streaming
audio-capable smartphone.

"Ford continues to lead the market in bringing advanced capabilities to popular vehicles. We are
very pleased that HD Radio technology is an integral part of Ford's broad offering of new
features," said Jeff Jury, COO of iBiquity Digital Corporation, the developer of HD Radio
technology.

Like the song? You can tag it
The world's first implementation of iTunes Tagging in a factory-installed HD Radio receiver will
launch in 2010 on select Ford vehicles. Through the SYNC system, iTunes Tagging will provide
Ford customers with the ability to capture a song they hear on the HD Radio receiver for later
purchase. With a simple push of the "TAG" button on the radio display, the song information
will be stored in the radio's memory.

Up to 100 tags on SYNC can be stored until the iPod is connected. When the iPod is then synced
to iTunes, a playlist of "tagged" songs will appear. Customers then can preview and, if desired,
purchase and download tagged songs from the iTunes Store.
All HD Radio-enabled receivers in Ford vehicles also will provide Program Service Data –
information that appears on the radio screen and includes song title, artist name and more.
Familiar controls with better quality

HD Radio technology enables more listening options and increased sound quality by using the
same radio interface customers are used to as well as the same antennas and analog tuners with
an added digital decoder inside the radio. Additionally, HD Radio-enabled receivers provide
listeners with unique advanced services.

To operate, there's no difference from today's radio operations – customers just tune in your
favorite station. If the station is broadcasting with HD Radio technology, the system
automatically picks up the signal and will transition to digital audio once decoded.
Exclusive to HD Radio receivers are HD2/HD3 channels, which resemble mini-stations that
could be spun off the "mother" station or completely new content for the local market.
HD2/HD3 channels are found directly adjacent to the main (HD1) channel on the dial if
available.

If additional HD2/HD3 channels are available, the radio will indicate how many on a multicast
information bar. Users may tune up to the new available channels like they would tune to any
other analog station. Users also may store HD2/HD3 presets, just as they do with today's radio.
HD Radio technology enables better audio and exclusive unique content choices
One significant benefit of HD Radio technology is that the sound quality of the broadcast is
dramatically better because of the digital transmission – FM sounds like a CD and AM sounds
like today's FM broadcasts. Also, the sound itself is much clearer and more consistent, without
issues such as pops or hisses. Unlike analog broadcasts, digital broadcasts aren't susceptible to
interference, fadeout and other issues.

Most stations use the additional HD2/HD3 channels to provide more unique coverage of sports,
music or other niche programs often tailored for their individual markets – all for free. For
example, in Dallas there is now a dedicated 24/7 Cowboys channel on 105.3-HD3. In Pittsburgh,
there is a dedicated 24/7 Penguins channel on 105.9-HD2. Broadcasters may choose any genre
they wish for their additional channels.

Nearly 2,000 radio stations in the U.S. currently broadcast in digital HD Radio sound, with
nearly 1,000 stations also airing HD2/HD3 channels. Approximately 85 percent of the U.S.
population is served by a station broadcasting with HD Radio technology. and http://www.ibiquity.com.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T08:10:00.000-05:00

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Nexus One, Have you Heard of it?

2009-12-23T11:32:00.003-05:00

Of course you have! It is going to be the new kid on the block. The next iPhone Killer? Who knows, but we shall find out in due time. So, what makes this phone so cool? Well, for starters, it is a Google phone. Not to mention, it is using the fresh new Android operating system that many of you love. But don't take my word for it. If you haven't seen the video floating around, take a look:

Google Updates Picasa for the Better

2009-12-13T12:49:00.004-05:00

I am a big fan of Picasa. Besides iPhoto, I use Picasa quite often and love to see the updates. Recently, Google made a small, but big change. Since August, you've been able to let friends upload photos into your Picasa Web Album, and vice versa. The way you grant permission on the Web is with a subtle icon next to the name of the person with whom you've already shared the album. Your friends can then quickly add their own photos to the online mix without having to first send them to you. They'll also be able to edit photos in the album. We immediately see the appeal for those who are working together on a project, like creating a family reunion album.

Last Tuesday, Google included this album-building tool into Picasa's upload process. When you upload photos from Picasa 3.6 to a Picasa Web album, you'll be able to grant those with whom you share the album dispensation to work with your shots. After choosing the pictures you'd like to upload, you'll choose a group you want to share with and check that box to let them contribute to your work. You can also click the "Share" button in an album on Picasa for the desktop to type in e-mail addresses for individuals.

Picasa 3.6 can now also suggest contact names in the "People" tab for the app's name-tagging feature, which helps you speedily put namea to the faces in your entire photo collection. There's also more control over which photos get scanned in the Tools menu. Other additions include being able to save custom crop sizes and an option to keep a JPG photo's compression metrics when uploading to Picasa Web Albums.

Thanks Google!

Apple Now in the Streaming Music Business

2009-12-05T20:02:00.003-05:00

Apple bought internet music site Lala.com late on Friday for an undisclosed amount. If you are not a member of Lala.com, the service allowed you to listen to your music from anywhere by simply streaming it across the net. Very neat, very cool, now very Apple.

WHat could Apple do with the service? A lot, but I speculate that one feature would be to allow the service to improve social tools on iTunes, allowing users more flexibility to recommend or comment on music on the store.

Maybe we may also see a subscription option to play into this. Who knows, but as we all find out more, we will discover what Apple has up their sleeves for the takeover.

What Mood Are You In?

2009-11-27T21:22:00.004-05:00

As a child, I used to be so fascinated with mood rings. As an adult, I am so fascinated with mood chairs. Equipped with LEDs and sensors, this chair will know how you feel and display it to those around you. The mood chair is designed by by a company called Aether & Hemera. This chair looks extremely uncomfortable, however, who needs comfort when you have coolness?

Take a look:

Hello to Google Wave

2009-11-11T18:35:00.005-05:00

Google always has something up their sleeves. Recently, it is the new Google Wave announced over the summer. I was given the opportunity to try out Google Wave and I am still wondering what it is. It is easy to tell you what it is, but when I actually use the product, it is hard to understand. Let me give you the gist of it.

Wave is real-time e-mail. What that means is that when you're writing a reply to a message (or "wave") that you receive in the system, the recipient can see what you are typing as you type it.
You can put your replies anywhere in the message. You can also do this in regular e-mail, but in Wave, your comments are easy to pick out since the app bounds reply text in colored boxes with authors' pictures embedded in them.

You can drop pictures straight into Wave messages (a neat trick in a browser-based app, made possible by Google Gears), and smart assistants will let you convert addresses to maps, automatically fix spelling errors, and expand contact names. It is all a realy cool concept. It's the reply-anywhere feature combined with the real-time function that's most interesting. It makes Wave the first useful blend of e-mail and instant messaging that I've seen.

I haven't had too much time to play with it, but the more I play, the more features and functionality I find. I am slowly getting the hang of it, and as more people are exposed to this service, the more interaction not only I can have within Wave, but others as well, which would be way better than testing this with only a few people. If you haven't already, sign up for a beta invite. They are slowly releasing them ;)

Apple's Magic Mouse is Indeed Magical

2009-11-03T15:42:00.003-05:00

Well, I got my Magic Mouse a few days ago, and I've been using it for my everyday tasks for a few days (and I'm still using it), and here are my impressions. I love it!

Once you've installed the Wireless Mouse Update, you'll want to go to the Mouse Preference Pane in System Preferences and click the new "Set Up Bluetooth Mouse..." button. You no longer have to use the Bluetooth Setup Assistant to pair, which makes it a little simpler. It will then search for your Magic Mouse, and make sure it's turned on, which is done by a switch on the bottom of the Magic Mouse. Once it's paired, you'll be all ready to use your Magic Mouse.

Clicking still feels mostly the same as it did on a Mighty Mouse. If you've used a Mighty Mouse before, you'll already be familiar in how clicking works. However, there's no side button or scroll ball that can be clicked. You can configure different actions for the two "buttons" in System Preferences. Scrolling works well, and again, if you've been using a Mighty Mouse or a mouse with a scroll wheel, there's little to get used to. I just never liked that pesky ball in the middle of the Mighty Mouse. Also, swiping works just like it does on a Multi-Touch trackpad, which can be used for many different things in your favorite applications.

Overall, I am happy with the Magic Mouse. It is beautifully designed and quite functional. What will Apple think of next?

Facebook Makes More Changes, but for the Better

2009-10-19T15:10:00.004-05:00

My birthday is coming up this Thursday, and one thing that has always annoyed me since the last major revamping of Facebook is that the birthdays are not that noticeable. A lot of people rely on Facebook to keep them updated on their friend's birthdays, so it didn't quite make since to me to shove birthday notifications all the way at the bottom of the screen. That will soon change with the newest update to come.

It won't look too different. The biggest change is that Facebook's home page news feed will now be divided up into "top news" and a more real-time "recent activity" view.

"Facebook is simplifying the user experience on the home page by introducing Top News and Recent Activity streams. Now, when users log on to Facebook for the first time in a while, they will see the most important stories that they missed while they were away. From there, users can navigate to the real-time stream and toggle between both views throughout their sessions. In addition to making it easier for users to view content that is most relevant to them, this change also speeds up the time it takes for the home page to load and makes birthday reminders more prominent."

When I read this statement, I noticed "birthday reminders more prominent," and that is something that will be the most exciting change for me. Unfortunately, it took them this long to realize that it was annoying, but fortunately, they have realized this and making the changes to make most of us happy again. Of course, according to some disscussions I have read, that is the least of people problems with Facebook. Keep complaining. Perhaps they will eventually listen ;-)

Control Your Car Using Your iPhone

2009-10-14T16:06:00.004-05:00

I normally don't mention the iPhone here since you can always go to iPhone Matters or Apple Matters for that, however, I just though it was very cool that perhaps one day, we can download an app that allows the phone to link to our cars to allow you to control it. How wonderful would that be? Pretty wonderful if you ask me.

An app called iDriver just might be the most impressive use of Apple's smartphone. The accelerometer handles the steering, and two soft buttons on the screen handle braking and acceleration. But don't take my word for it. Take a look at the video!

Dell Adamo XPS Thinner Than Macbook Air

2009-10-07T13:49:00.003-05:00

Dell really inspires to be Apple one day in terms of looks. You can see it in many of their new products. That is a great thing. A good looking computer is definitely a selling point these days. In a recent announcement, Dell will be releasing a laptop as thin, if not thinner, than the Macbook Air. That is pretty thin and light!

9.99 mm is about 0.39 inches what is said to be the size of this new computer. The original Adamo is .65 inches thin, and the MacBook Air is 0.76 inches at its thickest point, making the Adamo XPS concept nearly half as thin.

Be on the lookout for more information as time gets closer to a launch date.

TomTom is Live

2009-10-01T15:15:00.002-05:00

Here is a release from TomTom on their announcement this past week. Very cool, if I do say so myself!

TomTom, the world’s leading provider of navigation solutions and digital maps, today announces the newest addition to its GPS product line, the TomTom XL 340S LIVE. Following the success of TomTom’s LIVE Services on the premium TomTom GO range, TomTom brings LIVE Services to mid-range navigation devices with TomTom XL 340S LIVE. The connected portable navigation device provides the industry’s best routing and helps drivers take control of their daily drive via automatic delivery of helpful features including: Local Search powered by Google, real-time traffic information, TomTom Fuel Price Service, TomTom Weather and QuickGPSfix™.

"With the new TomTom XL 340S LIVE, we are bringing unrivaled quality and truly connected navigation to the mass market," said Jocelyn Vigreux, president of TomTom Inc. "Now backed by the strength of AT&T’s network, we’re giving drivers the very best foundation on which to enjoy a range of useful, real time services."

Local Search powered by Google
The TomTom XL 340S LIVE features Local Search powered by Google. In addition to millions of Points of Interest that are pre-loaded on the TomTom XL 340S LIVE, customers can also access countless s hops and businesses via TomTom’s LIVE Services from wherever they are and navigate directly there.
Optimal Routing
The TomTom XL 340S LIVE enables users to always drive the smartest and most efficient routes, whenever or wherever they go. The TomTom XL 340S LIVE includes TomTom’s exclusive IQ Routes™ technology. It calculates routes based on historical speed measurements for every time of day and for every road segment, from large highways to small local roads. In up to 35% of all cases, drivers get a faster route, saving significant travel time, money and fuel.

Wireless Real-Time Traffic Feeds
In addition to TomTom’s embedded IQ Routes technology, the XL 340S LIVE automatically and wirelessly receives real-time traffic speed and incident reports every two to five minutes. Traffic delays can be heard audibly and are displayed on the screen. The driver can either choose to remain on their current route based on the new estimated time of a rrival, or can take advantage of a faster, alternative route suggested by the device based on its knowledge of current and historic traffic conditions.

TomTom LIVE Services
The TomTom XL 340S LIVE also comes with a range of other relevant services delivered directly ‘over-the-air.’ All LIVE Services work right out of the box via a built-in wireless modem. Three months of service is included in the box.

TomTom Fuel Price Service
Get the latest fuel prices on the go or in your area. Locate the lowest priced fuel and navigate directly to it.

TomTom Weather
Receive local and five-day forecast so you can make plans based on the latest weather and road conditions.

TomTom QuickGPSfix™
Locate satellites automatically and begin your trip even faster.

In addition to the above mentioned features, the new TomTom XL 340S LIVE comes with:
- Full maps of the US, Canada & Mexico
- Seven million points of interest, so users have access to information and location details of more restaurants, hotels, gas stations, etc. than ever before
- Advanced Lane Guidance for realistic representations of complex highway junctions and lane-specific visual directions that take the stress out of navigating these otherwise challenging areas
Availability and Pricing
The new TomTom XL 340S LIVE will be available in retailers across the United States. The new TomTom XL 340S is priced at $299.95, which includes three months of LIVE Services.

For more information, please visit: www.tomtom.com

Motion Detecting Headphones

2009-09-21T14:33:00.004-05:00

If you are a music-lover like myself, then of course you like a good pair of headphones. How about a good pair of headphones with an extra feature? Sony has created a good pair of headphones that have a pretty cool feature. Pull one ear bud side out and music automatically pauses. Calls are received/ended in the same way.

You don't need to press any buttons, as the earphones use Sony Ericsson's "SensMe" technology to sense your body. They come in chrome and yellow/white, and will be available worldwide this week for about $55. Unfortunately, the feature will only work on Sony Ericsson. I now see some interesting things you can do with a pair of buds now...

Check them out!

Rats Levitate Using a Super-Magnet

2009-09-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned that I love science? Something that is rather puzzling in that this defies gravity, is the fact that scientist have managed to use a super-magnet that generates enough energy to lift small animals.

Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, have created a superconducting magnet that generates enough energy to lift small animals off the floor. The magnet pushes the water inside the animals up, making them fly. The magnet is large enough to make rodents to levitate.

The researchers first levitated a young mouse, just three-week-old and weighing 10 grams. It appeared agitated and disoriented, seemingly trying to hold on to something.
"It actually kicked around and started to spin, and without friction, it could spin faster and faster, and we think that made it even more disoriented," said researcher Yuanming Liu, a physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. They decided to mildly sedate the next mouse they levitated, which seemed content with floating.

I see good uses for this in the future for us humans. To read the rest of the story, take a look here.

Apple's Live Event Brings iTunes Updates

2009-09-09T13:11:00.002-05:00

I love iTunes, and many people do as well. Here are some updates (amongst others) to iTunes that were announced today:

New features mentioned:
Improved store navigation, including persistent navigation menu.
Full window iTunes store. For times when that sidebar is just too much.
Previews from anywhere in the store -- don't have to drill down to preview.
iTunes LP includes lyrics, liner notes, video, photos and "more."
iTunes Extras. It's like DVD extras, but with iTunes. Not clear if it includes director's commentaries, but let's hope.

Update 2:
It's now official, and Apple has fleshed out some more functionality.
Genius Mixes. It's like Genius Playlists, but it plays forever like a radio station.
App management, letting you set up and arrange your home screens on the iPhone and iPod touch. You can drag and drop to move certain apps or whole pages of apps.
Home sharing enables file transfers between up to five local computers of songs, videos and even apps.
You can send items in the iTunes Store as gifts, add them to a wishlist, and publish them to Facebook and Twitter -- look who's getting all social all of a sudden!
It's available today.

ScreenTunes is My New Favorite Service

2009-08-27T14:30:00.003-05:00

One of my hobbies is to collect music. Not all music, but music I actually like and a few ways I have been finding new music is by snatching lyrics or where the song was played to get the actual song. It can be quite a chore if you hear a song you like from a movie or TV show and have no idea what the song was. Usually, I just pull out my iPhone and launch Midomi that listens to tell me what the song was. That doesn't always work though. After searching for a song from the movie "The Last House on the Left," I stumble across a service to die for.

ScreenTunes is a free search tool that helps users find where a song has been played in any piece of professionally-produced video content. You just type in the name of the song and it tells you all the films and TV shows in which it's appeared. You can then listen to the track right from the results, or purchase the track on iTunes or Amazon's online stores.

Along with acting as a search tool for individual songs, ScreenTunes can be used to look up a track by its lyrics. This also works on entire movie titles, so you can type the name to get a quick track list. Unfortunately, it isn't quite refined yet when searching, but it has great potential and I was able to scratch off a few songs from my list of "movies and tv show songs" that I add to on a daily basis.

If you are like me, you'll love it. Go check it out!

Mobile Computer to Die For

2009-08-18T09:57:00.004-05:00

I have been keeping my eye on cool designs for computers and stumbled across another head turner. Look at this picture and you can only imagine how good your computer would look attached to this.

Meet the Iropod. Designer Rad Iliuta seems to have built the computer right into the chassis of the iropod (Interactive Robotic Pod) while fitting it with a battery "as powerful as a car battery" offering a claimed 24-hours of freedom. Not bad at all. It's said to be launching in the 3rd quarter of this year which means probably by September.

How cool would that be in my office? Very cool!

Stylish PC Will Turn Heads

2009-08-12T10:08:00.003-05:00

Want to make your office the coolest office ever? Try getting one of the newest Dell PCs called the Dell Vostro. This computer will make any office look cool. Of course, it isn't all about the looks, but it sure does help!

The 19-inch system was already available in Japan and China of course, and sports VESA mounting compatibility for a wall-mount or an accessory arm stand. The base versions have a 2.6GHz Pentium dual-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive preloaded with Windows Vista Home Basic and an integrated DVD player.

The higher-end model gets users 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, double the RAM at 4GB, and a larger 250GB hard drive with Windows Vista Business, but otherwise the same features as the base model.

Prices start at $599 after $30 in instant savings, and range to $909 for the flagship system without options. The arm adds $90 to the Vostro All-In-One's bottom line, though desk or wall-mount third-party arms can be added to any of the models for slightly more.

Look Out Google Voice. There's a New Kid on the Block!

2009-08-04T07:50:00.000-05:00

If you're looking to try Google Voice, but haven't received one of the coveted beta invites, a company called 3jam is offering an alternative. 3jam announced an open beta of its new voice forwarding and transcription service. If you are a Google Voice member, you'll notice a striking resemblance.

3jam gives you the option of choosing one or more phone numbers. It, too, routes calls to VoIP, including Skype and IM voice services such as Yahoo Messenger with Voice. Like Google's product, you can manage texts and visual voice mail messages online. Unlike Google Voice, you can preserve your original phone number by porting it over to 3jam's service. 3jam also supports voice-to-text machine transcription and SMS routing. It's a premium service so not as free as Google Voice unfortunately. How much does it cost, you ask?

3jam beta costs $4.99 with a 12-month subscription. A three-month bundle costs $5.99, and you'll pay $8.99 for one month. The charge won't include texting rates, which 3jam will tack on for $5 to $20 per month.

Is it better than Google Voice? Eh, I am not sure yet, but give this service a try. It is pretty cool. You just might love it!

LG BL40 - The New Chocolate

2009-07-31T12:30:00.002-05:00

It's not every day I find a phone as nice as my iPhone, however, I must pause at the LG BL40. This phone is sure to please a lot of LG fans out there and give Verizon a little something to be happy about. Take a look at the ad and tell me what your thoughts are. Clearly, they are boasting the beautiful 4inch 800 pixel wide screen this sucker has:

YouTube Isn't The Only Video Site Out There

2009-07-28T14:53:00.005-05:00

For years, we have turned to YouTube for our video watching needs. YouTube has seen tremendous growth and you can watch any video imaginable on YouTube. It is amazing. Not only viral videos but TV shows, music videos, movies, etc. It all can be found at YouTube. But what about the others out there? Let's not forget about them!

I have personally used all options. Either for review or just stumbling on them and liking what the service offers. On sites such as Hulu.com, you can watch free TV shows and movies. There are "vertical content" sites that focus on single subjects like birdcinema.com or the extreme sports site, shredordie.com. Unlike YouTube, these sites don't scour the web looking for videos.

Something rather cool that I discovered is a site called Blinkx.com, which is a search engine that analyzes each videos and constructs a transcirpt of the audio to better find what you are looking for. MeFeedia.com uses social networking to help you find videos your friends are watching. Truveo.com lets users see tthe most frequently Twittered vidoes (which is huge!).

Let's not forget one of the most popular video applications out there -- Boxee.tv. Boxee can access videos from many sources, including Hulu, YouTube, and Netflix's streaming services. Boxee is still being tested, but since it was made to be used on multiple platforms, it's interface is designed to be displayed on a TV. Boxee is growing, and eventually it may be the best option for searching and watching web video.

Moving? Try CityMove.com

2009-07-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

I recently moved to a larger city about 2 months ago, and I did all the moving myself. My work office is moving to another location soon; I'm sure there comes a time in life when someone eventually has to move. Of course, it was only a matter of time to think of a cool way to do it, that, of course, involved an online service.

Meet CityMove. The free service lets you post a job for movers who can then offer you a bid, allowing you to choose the best deal if there are multiple offers. You can select to pay your movers on a flat rate for the whole move, or by the hour. Either way, everything short of the transaction is managed on the site using a simple, but detailed wizard.

As the person who's moving, there are a few things you have to know. For one, you have to estimate how many people you'll need to help you out, as well as what kind of transportation they should bring. You can also leave it up to the movers. You're required to provide a detailed of estimate on how much stuff you have, right down to how many boxes are being moved, what size they are, and how much they weigh.

Once you choose the company you want to hire, and finish the move, the site lets you review those movers for future customers. These are called "verified" reviews, and can only be done if the move is organized through CityMove's system. That way, people are ranked and hired more often based on rating.

It is a very cool system. Although, I have yet to give them a real life test (since I just moved), I will make sure I look at CityMove.com for my next move. It sure beats doing it yourself, that's for sure!

Wireless Charging Lamp

2009-06-30T16:41:00.004-05:00

Before I head off on vacation for the 4th, I'd like to point out a very cool lamp I came across. Sanyo's Eneloop Lamp, a vaselike, wirelessly chargeable table lamp that turns into a flashlight when picked up. How cool is that? The lamp is suppose to spend most of its time on a wireless charging stand, which is similar to the way a Palm Pre charges.

The lamp can be switched between the brighter white light mode and a low-draw blue, or "Healing Light," mode. The stand charges two AA batteries inside the lamp, which power the lamp when it removed from the base. Sanyo's press release says it'll switch modes when it's turned horizontal, mentioning that there's some kind of accelerometer like an iPhone.

You should definitely take a look at this lamp. Price is unknown right now, but I would just love to have this in my apartment. If you can get your hand on one, please let me know how it is.

Backup Your Online Social Life

2009-06-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

We all have an abundance of social networks that we update on a daily basis sometimes, so it makes since to back up your updates - you know - just in case. Lifestream Backup is a new service that backs up your data from a handful of popular online services including Flickr, Twitter, BaseCamp, Google Docs, and WordPress. You just provide it with your log-in credentials (or give it permission through authentication), and it quietly makes a daily or weekly backup of all your data from each site. It can then be viewed and downloaded if one of those places suffers an outage or data loss. Not that data loss happens often, but how nice would it be to know you won't ever loose your data?

I tried it out for Twiter and really enjoyed it. It saved all of my past tweets in an XML file which could not be viewed in Firefox, IE, or Chrome. Instead I had to open it up in Windows Notepad They were all there, going all the way back to 2005 when I started my account. Not a bad start, however, I would like to see (in a future update) a way to incorporate all this data into an easy document of some sort.

Same goes for other networks. If you have a Flickr account, Lifestream Backup will scour through all your photos ever posted and back them up. Pretty cool, eh? Unfortunatey, Facebook is not yet an option, but it is coming soon. There are a few more sevices that it backs up as well. For $30 a year you get 20GB of storage, which is shared across all of the different services and hosted on Amazon's S3. If you have your own S3 account it's only $15 for the whole year, and it does not impose any storage limits since you're paying for that separately through Amazon. I've seen better prices for more storage, however, if you are looking to backup just data across all your social networks and documents, then that is pleanty of space. Just not for pictures since many of us have pictures that'll take terrabytes to backup!

But don't take my word for it. Take a look at it and let them know what you think about their sevice by signing up today!

Oops. Wrong Coordinates, Wrong House

2009-06-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I rely heavily on Sarah (my GPS personality) to get me around everywhere. I place all my directional trust on her so perhaps that is what a demolition crew did when they tore down the wrong house. A demolition crew in Georgia managed to accidentally destroy the wrong house based on GPS coordinates.

Apparently, the man who cuts the grass noticed that the power box was missing from the home and the holes were punched into the walls about a month ago. He thought it was vandalism. Wrong! The demolition company says it had paperwork authorizing the destruction, complete with coordinates and a discription of the home.

"The demolition company said it had paperwork. “I said, ‘Paperwork for what?’ and he said, ‘For the house, to demolish the house.’ I said, ‘I’m the owner of the house, I haven’t given anybody any authority to demolish this house,’” said Byrd."

Luckily, no one was enjored. The owner was told that a company in Texas authorized the demolition, but her calls have yet to be returned.

Trillian Goes Public

2009-06-10T08:09:00.001-05:00

Trillian Astra, which has been in development for nearly three years, is now available to users as a public beta. You won't need to register for a private key to download it. Just go to the site and download.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Trillian, Trillian Astra is the next generation of Trillian, the popular multi-account instant messenger from Cerulean Studios. Astra is pretty. Really pretty. The new default skin called 'Cordonata' has that slick plastic look you'd find on Mac OS X or Windows Vista. It's also functional, taking up no more onscreen space than the current version of Trillian does. It is an all-around great option for chatting on multiple platforms so I encourage you to check it out.

The Sonos System Reviewed

2009-06-01T07:55:00.001-05:00

Ever since I have heard of the Sonos system from Engadget, I have wanted myself one. It has been perhaps three years following the growth of the Sonos system and for some reason, despite my tendency to grab gadgets off the shelf first day, have not given myself a chance to get one. Why? Who knows, but after spending a good month with one, I can clearly say that will no longer be the case!

The start-up, based in Santa Barbara, managed to attract so much attention for its relatively expensive audio-only Digital Music System because it's essentially the product everybody's been hoping Apple would make: a simple, elegant solution to streaming hard-drive-based music to multiple rooms via a series of networked ZonePlayer base stations and an awesome command module.

When I got the Sonos System, I was a little intimidated by all the parts and pieces and wires. However, the system is rather easy to set up actually. In addition to its on board amplifier, my review system came with two speakers as well. Simply connect the ZonePlayer to your audio system, and then connect the other ZonePlayer to your network using Ethernet. You also get software, which you install on your computer. Everything is a simple walk through so not much thinking to do on your part, which is something I like. Keeping it simple is the key to success.

After finish, pick up the controller and it begins to search for its components and once found, you can begin naming them: Living Room, Bedroom, Kitchen, Den, Etc... The only possible snags you may run into when setting up the Sonos System involve whether you have unusual network scenarios such as lack of an Ethernet connection or an over-protective firewall. In either case, Sonos has plenty of documentation to solve most types of problems. My network was rather convoluted, but to my surprise, never encountered a big problem. After browsing through the website several times, I noticed the Sonosnet which appears to be their own wireless network solution which is convenient.

Sporting what can only be described as iPod-style touch-sensitive scroll wheel and a full color 3.5" diagonal LCD screen, the Sonos Controller is really what sets apart this Digital Music System. It combines ease of use, style, and a suite of flexible options and controls. Once you have configured your system, the Sonos Controller is your all-in-one tool for sending your desired sources to their appropriate destinations. The Controller itself has a very simplified interface. The scroll wheel has an 'Enter' button inside, play/pause, and stop buttons. At the top right there are hard buttons for selecting a zone, backing up in the menu, and bringing up the available music choices. The left features volume and mute controls, while the bottom has three soft function buttons that interact with the LCD screen contents.

What I really enjoyed about the controller is that it is automatically backlit, meaning that it has a built-in sensor that engages a backlit when it is being used in low light environments. It also automatically disengages backlighting to conserve battery power when the Controller is well lit. The buttons just popped to life as I was walking and just as suddenly went back to normal once I reached a well-lit room. Once you pick it up, it "knows" and seems to come to life. A great feature that I actually played with longer than I should have!

Listening to music on the system is just as wonderful as the aforementioned "knowing" feature which, of course, I spent more time doing than picking it up and putting it back down again :). Each Zone can either stream music from your music library, any of the ZonePlayer line inputs, or the Internet by a number of free internet radio options provided free by Sonos. When playing music, you have total control. You can select zones, or even link zones so that more than one ZonePlayer can play the same source. I can tell this would be perfect for party scenes.

I am no audiophile, however, the music sounded just right from every zone, and every source in which I had it connected. One thing I almost forgot about is the software that I installed on my computer. Pull up that software and the controller application is quite similar to using the Sonos Controller, though it offers a more organized, expanded view of many of the options. This is probably due to a larger amount of screen space I was working with. You have a 'Now Playing' view with Music, Volume, EQ, and Queue controls; and a Music Library pane for displaying your playlists, tracks, line-in sources, and /or Internet radio stations. It is amazing!

Speaking of controllers, I also have my handy dandy iPhone. Look for the full iPhone application review here, however, all I can tell you is that it does not disappoint. Have so many controllers laying around, it was difficult to pick one I wanted to use. I always have my phone, so I mostly used my iPhone after playing with each option.

The Sonos System is brilliant in every way. With my interesting setup before Sonos came into my life, I simply had a computer in the living room connected to speakers and a computer in my bedroom also connected to speakers, and my laptop which would sometimes go to rooms that I did not have a computer. I would use iTunes which connects to all my computers and plays music from my networked hard drive. After the Sonos System, I can say that my solution did not work as a true multi-room solution should. I look back and think to myself, "why have I gone so long this route?"

I have not tried other music systems similar, but Sonos doesn't get good ratings for just looking neat. It's functional, it's simple, it's smart...it's just awesome. Its uniqueness and attention to detail is spot-on. The Sonos LCD Controller is painstakingly cool, taking a well-thought-out music system and making it excellent. I dare someone to challenge me with a system that is just as fantastic as the Sonos System!

I want to thank Sonos for letting me review the unit. The unit that I had comprised of the ZonePlayer 90 (ZP90) to your home theater or stereo. I place the ZonePlayer 120 (ZP120) with built-in amplifier in the living room. I also had the ZoneBridge (sold separately) that went to my network. I reviewed the Sonos Bundle 150 with Loudspeakers which is a $1149.00 value. Of course, you can buy individual units to fit your needs, however, I would recommend starting at the Bundle 150 and that has a value of $999.00. Rather pricey, but I think it is a small price to pay for something so great.

Palm Pre Hits Stores June 6th

2009-05-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

You've heard the buzz I am sure. I've just been too busy to add my 2 cents, but as you know, Sprint has finally announced the details: In two weeks, you'll be able to get the Pre for $200 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) in stores around the country. If you don't have a Sprint retail outlet in your town, not to worry. Best Buy, RadioShack, Sprint's online store, and even some Wal-Marts will carry the phone, too.

To start making calls on your brand-new Pre, you'll need to sign up for two years of service on a plan that starts at $70 a month. If I wasn't perfectly content with my iPhone, I'd snatch up a Pre in a heartbeat, however, I would not jump for joy at the fact it is with Sprint.

For more info, check out some pretty nice details at www.palm.com

1.6 terabytes on one disc???

2009-05-21T21:53:00.004-05:00

How would you like to have almost 300 movies on one disc? I know I would. I know Jovan and his massive DVD collection would also.

The Nature Journal is reporting that a new optical recording method could pave the way for data discs with 300 times the storage capacity of standard DVDs.

They are describing their method as "five-dimensional" optical recording and they say it could be commercialised.

For more info on this visit BBC News.

Want the Palm Pre?

2009-05-19T07:28:00.000-05:00

If you have been waiting for the Palm Pre, you don't have too much longer to wait. According to the New York Times, the Pre is due out in the first week of June. Interestingly enough, that is when the next iPhone is said to be released.

It'll be a true showdown. The Pre is quite compelling, but is it the "iPhone Killer" that we've all been waiting for? Time will only tell. Tomorrow is suppose to be the revealing of the exact date of the Pre launch, so stay tuned.

Win Your Pick of a Netbook Computer!

2009-05-15T10:22:00.003-05:00

Want to win something cool? Of course you do! How about a nice Netbook? If you do, you should trying going here for more details.

I randomly purchased a HP mini the other day and I love it. We actually have it in the list you can choose from if you win! Check it out. Get yourself involved and you just might win!

Robot Climbs Poles, Creeps Us Out

2009-05-14T07:54:00.005-05:00

I've posted many a story on robots doing crazy things, but I have never posted a story on robots climbing poles until today. Named RiSE V3 pole-climbing robot, this robot will show you its skills without batting an eye.

In addition to a vastly different leg mechanism, this model (because there is more than one unfortunately) also makes use of some brushless DC motors that increase the power density to let it climb poles at rates up to 22cm per second.

Take a look at the video and you'll find it isn't ready for stealthy operations just yet, but give it some time and you may look up a pole to see a robot stairing at you.

Captain Kirk's Chair Just for You

2009-05-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen an episode or the movie of Star Trek then you don't know how badly you want this chair. I am not a true fan of Star Trek, but the chair that Captain Kirk sits in just makes you feel nice. At least, I would imagine it would...

Some bad news - This chair will set you back not $1000, but a lovely (sarcasm) $2200. Ouch! I guess my the normal lazyboy will do for now. If you don't care, it is shipping in the near future.

Via: Entertainment Earth

The Move

2009-05-08T11:10:00.002-05:00

Hello. I must apologize for my absence. If you haven't been following me on Twitter or Facebook, then you wouldn't know that I have been packing and moving for the past week. It has been quite exhausting. I plan to get back to the flow of things next week sometime so stay tuned.

In other news, I have accepted a position to work with Clark Covington who is quite successful. With over thirty web businesses to his name, Mr. Covington has helped redefine how to sell services on the internet. His sites include the leading SEO content producing company, the number 1 press release writing service, and the largest online book review club on the internet. Also, if you haven't noticed, he also has a web show called Livin' Venti where him and his buddy Wesley Donehue talk about business and online business and anything in between.

I may also be working alongside Wesley Donehue who is quite successful himself. He is a Republican political consultant, tech enthusiast, and coffee addict. Called “the political high tech ‘Wizard of Oz’” by WSPA’s Amy Wood, Wesley blogs about the intersection of politics, technology, and business. When he’s not running political and communication strategies for the South Carolina Senate Republican Majority, Wesley spends his time teaching candidates and elected officials how to use the Internet through his web firm Under The Power Lines. To take a peak at his blog, visit Wesley Donehue.

So while you are waiting to get back to some tech news and reviews next week, how about you take a look at the 5th episode of Livin' Venti:

Livin' Venti: Episode 5 - Crawfish Festival 2009 from Wesley Donehue on Vimeo.

NASA's Electronic Nose To Sniff Out Danger

2009-05-04T10:12:00.004-05:00

An electronic nose...that can smell... I am blown away every day by the leaps of technological advances. Of course, NASA has a keen sense of smell for cool technology, so it comes as no surprise that they have created a nose that sniffs out cancer.

NASA's recently developed electronic nose, intended for air quality monitoring on Space Shuttle Endeavors, has a rather fortunate and unintended secondary role. In addition to being able to detect contaminants within about one to 10,000 parts per million, scientists have discovered it can also sniff out the difference in odor between normal and cancerous brain cells.

Groups such the as Brain Mapping Foundation, City of Hope Cancer Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been testing the technology and hope it one day leads to a new understanding of cancer development. I also share their hopes and dreams as someone I know has been recently diagnosed with cancer.

Livin' Venti - Episode 4

2009-05-04T10:05:00.003-05:00

Last week, Clark Covington and Wesley Donehue posted up a pretty good video at the Dave Matthews Band concert, and they even included a special guest. Take a look at what the three talk about in regards to online business.

Livin' Venti: Episode 4 - DMB in the CLT from Wesley Donehue on Vimeo.

Deposit Your Checks From Your Phone

2009-04-29T11:46:00.004-05:00

I thought there would never be the day when you could deposit a check simply by taking a picture of your check and submitting it to your bank account. Now you can with NCR's APTRA Passport checking software.

NCR is now allowing customers to deposit checks anywhere they get reception on their data-enabled mobile phones. How? Your phone's camera (which must be at least 2-megapixels) acts as a scanner that captures an image of the check. APTRA then uses Mitek Systems' advanced recognition and image quality technologies to validate all data before transmitting those images directly to your financial institution or online banking web site. Voila!

You'll have money in your account without waiting in line at the bank during the crowded lunch hour rush or worse yet, tearing your hair out because you arrived five minutes after close.

Perhaps the iPhone will get an app like this...

Dell's Studio One 19 Now Available

2009-04-28T11:16:00.003-05:00

Looking for a nice all-in-one? You should look at getting a Dell. Prices start at $699, with a Pentium E5200 Dual Core processor, GeForce 9200 integrated graphics, a 320GB HDD, 2GB of RAM and a slot-loading DVD burner in the low-end. Built-in webcams and multitouch features are present across the board.

Take a look at this video to see what you may just be interested in:

Receive Text Messages From Your Lawnmower

2009-04-27T11:05:00.004-05:00

Robots are a big interest of mine, so one day, I can see myself owning a few to do some chores around the house for me. For instances, a robot to cut the grass. Swedish outdoor equipment maker Husqvarna has recently added the Automower 260 ACX to its line-up of robotic lawnmowers and it is cool.

What differentiates the new product from the current range is its GSM network support that allows the mower to send SMS messages to a preselected cellphone if it needs assistance. Of course, being a lawnmower, the Automower 260 ACX cuts the grass, spreads the clippings as fertilizer and can scare away wildlife that is detrimental to a lawn's health.

Ultrasonic sensors allow it to avoid obstacles such as trees, people and lawn chairs. Security against theft has been ensured by a four-digit password and an audible alarm.

Price: $5,310... I think I'll wait a bit to get this one.

Livin' Episode 3 Has Posted

2009-04-21T12:31:00.003-05:00

The guys have posted again. Full of tips, ideas, and books to help anyone on their quest to start a business online and Wesley Donehue talks about one of his favorite gadgets (Apple TV) and canceling his TV service.

I've talked about that before here on What's newS and it is something becoming more common everyday. I have not been a cable subscriber for a year now and have been just fine. The interenet has opened the doors for online video and people are catching on like crazy. Anyway, check out the new video below and learn why Clark Covington has a shirt on with a bar of soap saying, "Rub me on your Butt."

Livin' Venti: Episode 3 - Rub Me On Your Butt from Wesley Donehue on Vimeo.

Solar powered city?

2009-04-15T18:19:00.004-05:00

That is what a Florida developer wants to build. Florida Power & Light wants to build a $350 million, 75-megawatt photovoltaic solar power plant to power the $2 billion Babcock Ranch planned community near Fort Myers. Not sure wheter Florida's real estate will be able to handle a place like this. Whether or not Babcock Ranch comes to fruition remains to be an open question, however, given the poor stae of the Florida real estate market.

Florida Power & Light plans to break ground on the 75-megawatt solar power plant later this year. The utility is already planning a 75-megawatt plant called the Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center, though the project would involve a solar thermal power plant combinded with natural gas-fired power plant. If this ever did come true, I would love to live there. Imagine the possiblities!

Control Your Home Via Voice

2009-04-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've dreamt of a future where I walk into my home and tell it to turn on the kitchen lights, preheat the oven, turn the television to the Discovery Channel (my favorite channel), etc... Simply control everything in my house via voice. I knew something like that was out there. Bill Gates has it! Hopefully as a system for the home becomes more ubiquitous, they'll get cheaper, and my dream will come true. For now, I can dream...

A company behind the main software, Home Automated Living, named their product HAL. With this software, Electronic House says you could say something along the lines of "Play Crash by Dave Matthews" and HAL will play it. HAL also works with the Leviton lighting system, the GE security system and the HAI thermostat—all over voice.

There isn't a price, but this is probably for a good reason...

Real or Fake? Use the Diamond Detector!

2009-04-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have a feeling this device is going to break some hearts. Have a diamond that you are just itching to find out if it is real or fake? Try the diamond detector. This $199 DiamondNite supposedly tells the difference between real diamonds and cubic zirconia, but do you really want to know??

"DiamondNite tests for non-diamond, synthetic moissanite and genuine diamond with one touch in only 1.5 seconds! No beep means it is a simulant, other than moissanite. The first continuous beep with a green light indicates that the stone is diamond; if it is followed by a higher pitched continuous beep and red light, then it is moissanite. Initial warm-up time is eight seconds. Recovery time between tests is an astonishing one second. Completely portable, the DiamondNite uses one 9 Volt battery (included). The three-minute shut-off alert saves battery life. The unit comes with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty."

The DiamondNite diamond detector is $199.95 and you can order it now. If you do get one, drop me an email and let me know how it works because I am a bit skeptical...

Livin' Venti: Episode 2 - Pallet of Panties

2009-04-09T13:41:00.004-05:00

Just a couple of days ago I posted a new podcast that I thought was really interesting to not only me, but to readers of What's newS. Two guys - Clark Covington and Wesley Donehue take time out of their lives to talk about one of my addictions - the internet. Internet business, taking your day job and fusing it into the internet and anything else dealing with the internet.

In this episode, they talk a little about value and branding, Twitter, domain buying, blog creation tools, and more. There some great things coming such as getting into iTunes and a new website Clark Covington just registered. New show is next week. Until then, enjoy Episode 2!

Livin' Venti: Episode 2 - Pallet of Panties from Wesley Donehue on Vimeo.

Electronics for Cash

2009-04-08T14:56:00.005-05:00

Everyone, and I mean literally - Everyone has old electronics that get placed aside and thrown away everyday. We all live in a materialistic world and that causes many things to be thrown away. If you are like myself, it is sometimes hard to throw something away that you paid so much money for to begin with. I know how you feel, but there is a way to get money. Allow me to explain.

Of course, you wont get back every single penny you spent on your gadget. That is preposterous, however, you can get back something, and that is definitely better than nothing, right? BuyMyTronics pays you for your new, used, or damaged electronics when you send them in by mail. To receive some money for your “tronic,” you will need to use the provided pull-down menus to describe the condition of your item. BuyMyTronics will then generate an approximate value of your tronic, like a blue book value. Should you choose to accept their offer; BuyMyTronics will reimburse you via check or PayPal for the amount they quoted you within 24 hours of receiving your item. Pretty simple, eh?

So, how much can you get? More than you expect. I just put in a quote for my iPhone not to long ago. Not to ship it out (of course), but to see the current rate at which they will take it. Being OCD about all my gadgets, I have everything, it is in great condition, and %100 working. Surprisingly, I would get an awesome price of $245.44 for my 8GB iPhone and I didn't even spend $245.44 on my iPhone!!

BuyMyTronics is one of the only major companies that accept broken electronics, so even if your gadget is broken, you'll get money. So, next time you decide to throw away that old game console or cell phone, you may want to think about BuyMyTronics. And they aren't taking your gadgets and throwing it in the dumpster. They reuse the parts to fix others. E-Waste stays out of landfills and they are able to put cash in people’s pockets. Everyone wins. The company practices Green operations and are 100% wind powered which has lowered the harmful impact on the environment.

Go ahead and dig around in your closet and when you find something, get some money for it. It won't hurt.

Are You "Livin' Venti?"

2009-04-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

It is very fascinating to know that so many companies are turning towards the web for services, marketing strategies, etc. It is particularly interesting that many individuals themselves are turning towards the web to start businesses.

Do you ever get that feeling that one day we will all start working from the web? That is a long time coming, but it is interesting to think about. I want to point your direction to a new podcast called Livin' Venti. In the first show a guy named Clark Covington and Wesley Donehue talk about their experiences, what they do, and how internet is incorporated in their lives. What is neat is that you get two perspectives. Take a look:

Livin' Venti: Episode 1 - The Warehouse Experiment from Wesley Donehue on Vimeo.

Japan to Send Robots to the Moon

2009-04-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned robots quite often on What's newS, and so you can probably guess that I love robots. In my quest to read up on the latest robot news, I thought I'd share with you an interesting article I read that involves robots and space. Two things I love.

Strategic Headquarters for Space Development said recently that they expect a two-legged droid traversing the satellite's surface by 2020. Should that prove successful, it'll be followed later by a joint mission with humans.

"Development of a lunar robot is part of a broad framework outlined by the group, which is charged with plotting a new course for Japan's space strategy. As a next step, joint exploration of the moon involving robots and astronauts will be considered."

Can you imagine Asimo on the moon? I sure can. Take a look at the potential with this nice commercial of him:

Work from Home in the OfficePod

2009-03-30T16:07:00.002-05:00

I spend several hours in front of a computer working and making phone calls and one thing that would be nice is if I had a completely secluded place to do my work. Like an OfficePod!

The idea is to separate your office from the house with an easily constructed pod that provides both style and functionality. The OfficePod is very eco-friendly with recycled building materials and energy efficient lighting /cooling.

Not being sold here yet, but I can imagine as more and more individuals become self-employed, the need for an OfficePod will grow quickly.

Check it out:
OfficePod

Warm Your Body in Style

2009-03-27T08:30:00.003-05:00

I've purchased many a radiator and although I diligently tried to find one that look decent, I was always mildly impressed with the looks. Radiators are made to be out in the open, so it makes since to make them as nice as possible, right? Feast your eyes upon the "Bag" and "Totem."

Unfortunately, I didn't stumble over these radiators in my searches, however, if you are looking for a radiator, I suggest these. Both models are composed of a warm wooden body that is heated with aluminum detailing.

"New heating brand I-Radium present its first collection during Milan Design Week. Its exclusive and unconventional products experiment new expressions with the aim of presenting new functional ideas to the market. The concept of heating is combined with the noble and live material of wood, thanks to the infrared technology that makes the products unique – guaranteeing the perfect balance between functionality and aesthetics, high technology and the environment."

There isn't a release date as of yet, but once they are released, I want one!

Do You Tweet?

2009-03-24T02:42:00.006-05:00

So the internet rave lately is all about Twitter. I'm adding to it unfortunately, but if you haven't been living under a rock for the past few years, then you probably know all about Twitter. In a nut shell, Twitter is a simple service that allows you to post 140 characters or less about you status. "I am watching Heroes right now, what do you think will happen next season." Hopefully there won't be a next season of Heroes, however that is basically how you use Twitter, but allow me to explain ever further:

Members like the service because it lets them stay connected with friends without having to think about technical details such as their friends' instant-messaging handles or which cellular carrier they use. It is simple. Yes, Facebook does the same thing, but also includes Pages, Groups, applications, constant upgrades (which no one likes), Pokes, annoying iLike quizes, etc. I see an older crowd using Twitter and the younger crowd using Facebook. Or what some people say, Twitter is "a sophisticated, device-agnostic, social message routing system that nobody realizes they need until they try it."

I would agree. When I first heard of Twitter, I instantly registered because that is what I want to do to secure my name to new startups. I did not use Twitter however. My account literally sat untouched for sever years. Then one day I decided to try it out; Lasted a few weeks and I stopped. Tried it again a few months ago and I am somewhat addicted.

Twitter is a system that quickly matches new messages coming in from members with the followers who have signed up to receive them, then retransmits them using each follower's preferred channel: instant message, SMS, or the Twitter website. There are so many ways to use Twitter and if you have an iPhone then you know there are a million and one Twitter applications to choose from.

Even today, I still look at Twitter as somewhat pointless, however, there are beginning to be quite a few uses to the service these days. I was watching my local news the other day and the reporter asked the viewers to "follow us on Twitter to find out more." I was flabbergasted. Really? That is useful, but wow...

I follow many people and I must say, if your news stations aren't using Twitter, people are great sources of news. Not everyone tweets about "eating oreos." Some user tweet about a plane crashing in the Hudson with a picture attached. Remember that? Some users tweet about celebrity gossip. Not my thing, but a lot of people love that. Even our president is on Twitter, tweeting his presidential policies. Although, I refuse to believe those tweets are actually him, but I digress...Twitter is becoming a lot more than what it use to be and just how blogging was when that started - a lot of talk about it.

And just like blogging, you will eventually join the crowd in the rush to have Twitter accounts and I am thinking this will be the next big thing to come. Try it. It is so simple, you'll feel the same way I do - unimpressed, however, you'll love it. If that makes since. Don't let all this Twitter news discourage you though. It'll pass like every new and big thing.

So, do you Tweet? Follow me. I don't talk about much, but I can assure you, I won't ever mention "going to take a piss," I promise.

Google's Grand Central Get a Facelift

2009-03-19T14:41:00.003-05:00

I have been a huge fan of Google's Grand Central service for many many years now and although I didn't use it much, it was sure nice to have. What Grand Central did was let you choose one number for all your phone. When someone called that number, every phone you registered would ring as well. You could pick any one of them up and enjoy the conversation. Of course with some extra cool features to boot. Grand Central has kind of been dead to Google for quite some time now. It is now back alive, but not as GrandCentral, but as Google Voice.

With Google Voice, your phone number becomes a portal to as many devices as you want, whether home, mobile, work or just somewhere you're passing through. And with every call you receive, Google is sitting in the middle, offering conferencing, voicemail and recording services.

You can pick both the US area code you want (nowadays this functions more to tell people which time zone you're in, rather than making any difference in call charges) and the number itself. The next step is to enter your existing phone numbers. Simple!

Now call quality is indistinguishable from the standard phone system, although not quite up to the excellent audio you get with the latest version of Skype and a decent headset. As Google is hosting the call, there are a host of smart features. Conference calls can be arranged on the fly, calls can be recorded (with an announcement) by pressing 4 and you can switch your call seamlessly to another device by pressing *. This is a great feature.

Voicemail options are equally wonderful. Not only can you screen calls as they arrive (and take the call if it's important), all voicemails are automatically transcribed and can be texted or emailed anywhere you want. Transcription quality OK but I am sure it'll get better over time. And talking of texting, Google Voice offers free SMS messaging to any mobile number, anywhere in the world; receiving and outgoing! My main problem for not giving this number out to everyone was the fact that many people are texting and I could receive a text previously, but now I can and the text will also be transferred to you cell phone.

Google Voice is a much needed improvement and I am glad I was one of the first to experience this great service. I will actually start giving out my Google Voice number now. Grand Central has been a closed beta since the beginning and I was lucky enough to be a tester for years and so I was able to upgrade my account automatically. If you are a Grand Central user, you can too. For everyone else, Google plans on rolling out Google Voice in the next "few weeks."

This service is going to scare a lot of VoIP companies out there. Free doesn't compare with the $2.95/month Skype is charging for there unlimited calls. Google Voice's international plan is even cheaper than Skypes' so perhaps will start seeing some changes in other VoIP carriers because of Google. Time will tell...

In the meantime, keep a close eye on Google Voice!

Lasers Take Out Mosquitoes

2009-03-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

I often times wonder what else lasers can do besides keep my cat entertained. A team of scientist have figured that out. Take out malaria-carrying mosquitoes! A team of scientist in Washington have introduced a system tat could eliminate mosquitoes carrying malaria with lasers.

"We'd be delighted if we destabilize the human-mosquito balance of power," says Jordin Kare, an astrophysicist who once worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the birthplace of some of the deadliest weapons known to man. More recently he worked on the mosquito laser, built from parts bought on eBay."

In theory, this laser would shield a city, town, or village from mosquitoes or a "laser-equipped drone aircraft could track bugs by radar, sweeping the sky with death-dealing photons." There only dilemma? Trying to figure out how to make it poweful enough to zap out mosquitoes, but not so much to zap out humans.

I do hope they get it right...

New iPod Shuffle Features "VoiceOver"

2009-03-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Apple unveiled a surprise (for me anyway) - A brand new, re-imagined iPod shuffle. The new shuffle offers 4GB of storage space, which equates to about a 1,000 song capacity, and is half the size of the previous generation iPod shuffle, which in and of itself was pretty small.

A great new feature that I hope comes to other devices is VoiceOver, which is basically a text-to-speech technology built into the shuffle. Since there is no screen, this feature is quite useful. With VoiceOver, you press a button and the shuffle will tell you the name of the song and artist, as well as the name of the playlist.

Take a look at another video of the week all about the new Shuffle:

Steve Wozniak on Dancing with The Stars

2009-03-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

I have been all about the video lately so I am going to post another one to feast your eyes upon. If you aren't quite sure who Steve Wozniac is then you will now. Wozniac (AKA The Woz) is the co-founder of one of my favorite companies - Apple. Wozniac is not as involved with Apple as he could be, however, he is trying some new things with his boring wealthy life.

If you have been watching Dancing with The Stars, then you know he is on there. I am not a fan of the show, however, I can imagine many Apple fanboys and tech enthusiast were curious to see just how "The Woz" holds up in a dancing competition. He isn't that nimble, but the guy sure can move. Take a look:

Joshua Topolsky on Jimmy Fallon

2009-03-10T11:36:00.002-05:00

If you haven't noticed, Jimmy Fallon is a big tech guy. He is a big twitter'er, his favorite sites include Digg, Engadget, and Gizmodo, and he loves his iPhone. Even more, he is bringing on guests to his show that love tech as well. Joshua Topolsky of Engadget (below) talks a little bit about the Palm Pre. Next week, he will have the Digg guys, Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht. I think what Jimmy Fallen is doing makes the show a little more interesting for tech geeks like myself, but I am not a big fan of the show and from what I hear, the distaste in the show spreads beyond me.

Take a look:

Microsoft's Ideal Future for All of Us

2009-03-02T13:19:00.002-05:00

Stephen Elop, Microsoft's Business Division President, sees a very promising future for us. The video below will give you a glimpse into the future, which I think looks pretty enticing. Take a look:

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&amp;amp;amp;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&amp;amp;amp;showPlaylist=true&amp;amp;amp;from=shared" target="_new" title="Future Vision Montage"&amp;amp;gt;Video: Future Vision Montage&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Footage of An Eclispe

2009-02-26T12:22:00.003-05:00

Perhaps you have been lucky enough to see an eclipse, but it is rare that we get to see the rarest eclipse of them all - A penumbral eclipse.

Even while it's all black, in the video you can see the Earth rising over the Moon's surface and hiding the Sun at the same time. It is rather awesome. Take a look:

Couple Buys $1100 Broken TV

2009-02-23T14:28:00.003-05:00

Most of us know about the closure of Circuit City. If you were able to make it to their liquidation sale, then you know, there weren't much deals at all. However, the thought of a liquidation sale just flocks people in. One couple decided to take a gander at the selection and ended up making a TV purchase. Unfortunately, it was an $1100 broken TV.

A couple in Boston bought an $1100 Samsung TV from Circuit City’s liquidation sale, only to find out that, once they got home and opened it up, it was shattered. Why didn’t they inspect it at the store, you ask? It is very rare when someone inspects a television at the store if it is in a box. In addition, there were signs in the store that said “DO NOT OPEN THE MERCHANDISE” alongside other signs that say “ALL SALES FINAL” and “CHECK YOUR PURCHASES,” among others.

So you can’t open the merchandise to check it before you buy it, but you’re supposed to check your purchases even though all sales are final. Hmmm.

Unfortunately, they could not return it. A big part of this problem may be that the couple drove the TV to their house before opening it. Even worse, this liquidation is covered under federal bankruptcy laws, not local laws, so the couple isn’t covered like they normally would be had they purchased the TV under normal circumstances.

The couple is fighting and accodring to TheBostonChannel, "A spokesman for the liquidation group, Great American Group said, “We have signs posted indicating all sales are final,” and “Consumers are protected by the manufacturers warranty.” But Samsung wouldn’t help Gina and Emilio, saying their TV was damaged, not defective, and not their concern. “No one’s there to help us … we’re out $1,100,” Gina said. Gina has appealed to her credit card company but so far Citizens Bank has not said whether it will help."

Be careful out there, shoppers, especially if doing business under these circumstances.

TrapCall Shows You Blocked Calls

2009-02-18T12:50:00.003-05:00

Isn't is annoying when you receive a call that is blocked? Perhaps you were the wonderful recipient of a prank call. That has all changed with the new service that is in town. Dubbed "TrapCall," this service will show you every single number that calls you, even if blocked.

TrapCall reroutes unanswered blocked calls through a 1-800 number then back to your voicemail. Since anonymity is denied to 1-800 numbers, TrapCall simply picks up the number as the data moves through their servers. Of course, the caller on the other end doesn't notice a thing. Very sneaky.

For a $10 upgrade to "Mouse Trap" service, users can receive transcripts of voicemail messages and can, in some cases, send text messages with the phone number of the caller. A $25 "Bear Trap" upgrade allows you to record phone calls and receive text messages with the billing name and street address of your caller. Interestingly enough, a service called SpoofCard allows you to display a number of your choosing on a Caller ID.

I am sure this service will get a lot of phone calls about the privacy concerns. Perhaps even more contreversial is the recording feature that records incoming calls. Dereguarding those concerns, the service is great. Currently it is available for T-Mobile and AT&T with other support on the way. Check it out. And go ahead and call me - I dare you!

Blockbuster is Trying

2009-02-11T15:03:00.005-05:00

Last week, I mentioned Netflix growing. They are integrating themselves in all sorts of devices, and their selection is growing every day. The longtime competitor, Blockbuster, has been fighting to win the battle with Netflix for years, but they just seem to not be going anywhere. Most likely in an effort to get a few more users, Blockbuster has announced that it is adding game rentals to their current online subscription.

Coming soon to subscribers of Blockbuster Video's Total Access service are video game rentals. Today, the company announced it would be adding gaming titles alongside movies to its movies-by-mail monthly service as part of a pilot program. I think this is a great idea on their part, because as most of us knows, games are still huge, even durring this economic downturn.

If you are a current Blockbuster subscriber, don't think game rentals are going to work the same way. Subscribers of the Total Access service currently get a handful of free in-store movie rentals each month, whereas for game rentals the company will simply be offering them at half price. Such movie and video game rentals are subject to due dates and late fees however. This makes a little since because games are so expensive these days.

Not everyone will have a chance to change their plan just yet. This program will start in the second quarter of this year, and will only be open to a limited number of subscribers. The company hopes to have it available for everyone else by the "second half of the year."

Stay tuned...

Kindle 2 Announced

2009-02-09T15:53:00.005-05:00

I'm not book reader anymore. However, I liked the idea behind the first Kindle , but it just wasn't doing anything for me. The device looked awkward, the button layout was awful, and the response was slow. Today was the announcement of the Kindle 2 that seems to improve many of these features, and it even looks good!

Amazon announced the second-generation Kindle ebook reader with the exclusive Stephen King novel today. The new version will still cost $359, but it's much thinner than the original. Thin is in.
According to some sources, one of the biggest features is "Read to Me", which can read any content on the device back to you in a decent-sounding computerized voice, but there's also seven times more storage, a sharper 16-level e-ink display that turns pages 20 percent faster, 25 percent longer battery life, and a new five-way joystick that improves navigation.

If you are looking to grab yourself a Kindle 2, you can order now and receive February 24th.

The Ultimate Living Room Couch

2009-02-05T16:09:00.005-05:00

As if we all aren't getting lazy enough, we produce what has to be one of the most superfluous living room sets that I have seen. However, don't get me wrong - it is a very cool couch. I just hope it is comfortable.

The Athena Sofa is one-part luxury sofa that you will likely stain, one-part PC. Although, there aren't any specs on the couch/PC, you can surely expect a high price. A cheaper way is to buy a nice couch and a laptop. Although you won't have dual touch-screen monitors that retract and fold neatly from the arm rests, you will have a laptop that you can fold neatly and place on the arm rests... But hey - you may get one, and when you do, I'd love to get a review from you.

SimilarWeb - Find Sites that are Similar

2009-02-03T14:27:00.003-05:00

Called SimilarWeb, this small Firefox (and soon Internet Explorer) add-on sits on the side of your browser and pulls up sites that are similar to the one you're currently on. For example, visiting YouTube brings up a long list of other video hosts. The same went for the social news site like Digg.

You can scroll through these and open them up in new tabs, or pick from one of the tags SimilarWeb believes to be related to that page. This will pull up an entirely new list of places it thinks you should visit.

Users can also re-arrange the lists and submit new sites that are not yet in SimilarWeb's index. There are thumbs up and down buttons which can raise or lower a site's standing on the list. Down-voting any site will actually remove it from the list. As a result, if users continue to vote the list gets more accurate.

I really like SimilarWeb and it reminds me of StumbleUpon which learns from the sites you browse and suggests similar sites. So, between the two sites, I have come across some very fascinating websites.

Hands-on Video of Palm Pre

2009-01-30T15:23:00.004-05:00

Palm's VP of design was showing off a demo and I must say, as the days go by, I get more and more excited about the Palm Pre. However, I am an AT&T customer so I can't try out this phone for a while, but believe me, I plan to when it does. Don't get me wrong, I'll always be a loyal iPhone fan, but there is always room for great technology on my desk. ;)

Take a look:

Netflix is Growing

2009-01-27T14:14:00.003-05:00

With people relying more on home entertainment during the financial crunch, Netflix is taking obvious advantage of the trend, reporting astonishing growth during these hard economic times. I have been with Netflix for quite some time now, and I must say, I love it!

Netflix first began dabbing into video streaming in January of 2007, with the introduction of live streaming as an alternative to its DVD-by-mail rental service. Meanwhile, it has boosted demand for its streaming service by entering into pacts for devices from Samsung, LG, and Microsoft that let consumers "Watch Instantly" on TV, as opposed to the PC screen. I think the integration into big-time manufactures is a great move for Netflix and they truely stand out from their competition - one being Blockbuster's service.

If you aren't quite sure what Netflix is, I encourage you to try it out. The company provides a monthly flat-fee service for the rental of DVD movies. Essentially, you create an ordered list, called a rental queue, of DVDs to rent. The DVDs are delivered individually via the United States Postal Service from a plethora of regional warehouses. You can keep the rented DVD as long as you want, but there is a limit on the number of DVDs (determined by subscription level) that you can have on loan simultaneously. To rent a new DVD, you must mail a previous one back to Netflix in a prepaid mailing envelope. Upon receipt of the disc, Netflix ships the next available disc in your rental queue. Pretty simple, pretty convienient, pretty amazing. Try it!

Have a MacBook? Grab Some Wood

2009-01-20T13:07:00.003-05:00

These unpriced wooden slip cases with leather lining and magnetic enclosures are designed and custom crafted by Rainer Spehl to fit 13-inch MacBooks or 15-inch MacBook Pros. Unfortunately, there is one problem with these - a tree has to be cut down to keep a computer safe.

While that's clearly a last-gen MacBook Pro pictured, I bet that Rainer will build the case to whatever dimensions you'd like. Money equals customization so as long as you have the money (unkwnown) then you'll be all set.

To get yourself one of these visit here. You'll also get to see some very nice pictures.

14528 Text Messages In One Month

2009-01-14T06:21:00.003-05:00

I must say, my text message usage has gone up significantly in the past year, however, I am no where near 14,528 text messages. A 13-year old girl in California racked up 14,528 text messages in just a month, which is about 484 messages a day, 20 every hour, 2 per minute.

When I break it down, it begins to get rather annoying to me. I cannot imagine receiving or sending 2 text messages per minute…wow. Reina Hardesty’s excuse for her 440-page phone bill (obviously not an e-bill) was, “I just like to talk.” If she has that much talking to do, she should probably call people a little more often.

Fortunately, she has unlimited texting, but of course her parents had to place a stop to this madness and have restricted her cell phone usage.

Out of curiosity, how many text messages do you send a month?

Lock Your Front Door Via the Web

2009-01-12T14:36:00.005-05:00

How would like to be able to lock and unlock your front door from the internet? You are probably thinking, "why," but I am sure there are plenty of good reasons why one would use this. Perhaps you forgot to lock the front door? Maybe you have a housekeeper you don't want to give a key to and you could unlock the door from work? Perhaps a friend of your forgot something at your house and you can't come unlock it for him/her? These are just a few scenarios in which one might use this new locking system.

Lock company Schlage is launching Schlage Link, a suite of products to allow over-the-Web control of a home's locks, lights, and thermostats. It also integrates with Webcams. It can be opened by key, with a four-digit code, or through the online and mobile sites. The lock can also alert its owners via a mobile message when it's opened or tampered with (when incorrect codes are entered multiple times in a row).

An online control center lets you program the system to turn on lights when someone enters the house or at certain times, to send your phone photos of your doorway when a door opens, and so on. You can enable and disable specific codes as you wish--useful to give service people access only at certain times, for instance.

I am very optimistic about a smart home and with smart-home items like this, we are that much closer to integrating internet services in every household product we use. Everything is going online. The starter kit with one lock set, one light module, and the home network connector box, costs $299, and the network access costs $12.99 a month. The subscription plan may be a deal break for a lot of people however.

Three 2009 Predictions

2009-01-05T11:34:00.006-05:00

2008 was a big year, but I have a feeling 2009 is going to be an even bigger year for tech. CES and Macworld are this week and we will be seeing a lot of new tech I'll probably get my hands on at some point or another. I'm going to give you a 3 trends that you may have noticed last year that will probably be huge this year.

THIN IS IN:
As we started seeing last year, it is no surprise that manufacturers are going to start pumping out products that are unbelievably thin. For instances, LG's new insanely thin 55-inch TV to soon be released.

GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK:
2008 was a year that Green tech really took off in my opinion. We are finally starting to realize that being energy efficient is key. Most of our tech products don't turn off and even consume energy while off. In addition, the hazardous material used to make the products (since we Americans are so materialistic) are non-eco friendly in the event we upgrade for something better. JVC is managing to be one of the Greenest at CES announcing a new 32-inch LCD that is completely Green.

LED WILL BREAK FREE:
Not only is LED energy efficient, but also promises astonishing color accuracy, better battery life, brighter viewing, longer lasting, thinner-than-ever displays, and of course just a general more pleasant viewing experience.

So there you have it folks. Three predictions that I see going far in 2009. I am looking forward to it. Each of these of course is not only subject to TVs. We will see each of these in computers (laptops and desktops), cars, Digital frames, kitchenware, etc... You'll see!

To tune into CES and Macworld news, be sure to visit a few of the some good tech sites such as Engadget, Gizmodo, ArsTechnica, etc. And of course, although not live, you can check here to see some new releases and we'll talk about them a little.

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

What’s your New Year’s resolution? What's newS' New Years resolution is a few changes but I'll announce those in the coming weeks ahead. Until then, you all have a great New Years and stay safe!

Sunglasses That Power Your Elctronics

2008-12-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure why someone did not think of this sooner than now. Designers Hyun-Joong Kim and Kwang-Seok Jeong should be proud of their project, which integrates dye solar cells into a pair of semi-fashionable sunglasses in order to power your gadgets.

The SIG (Self-Energy Converting Sunglasses) convert the sunlight that they'll obviously see into usable energy. This is a great idea, however, I can foresee some lawsuits coming that individuals go blind by looking into the sun. I wouldn't recommend looking into the sun with any glasses.

This product is not out yet, but at least someone is thinking about it. Now that we are finally realizing what we can do with the energy all around us, I am sure there will be other ideas and products to enter the market like these sunglasses as well.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T19:18:00.003-05:00

Seasons Greetings! I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! What's newS will see you back Monday December 29th.

Is it Better Than Sex?

2008-12-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

"It" being the internet. What's more enticing, having sex with your significant other or surfing the Internet? You'd be surprise that the majority chose the internet in a recent poll.

According to the survey of 2,119 adult Internet users, commissioned for Intel by Harris Interactive, 95 percent of all respondents said it was at least "somewhat" important to have devices that allow them to get online. 65 percent said that they simply could not live without Internet access, period. Clearly, this is a crowd that loves their Internet.

So it shouldn't surprise you (based off of that percentage) that almost half (46 percent) of all women said that they would choose the Internet over sex for two weeks. Men have trouble resisting the tantalizing online world themselves, but in lower numbers. 39 percent of men between the ages of 18 and 34 said they would sacrifice sex for the Internet for two weeks, while a mere 23 percent of those between 35 and 44 said no.

Fascinating... The survey doesn't stop there either. Cable TV subscriptions, dining out, shopping for clothes, and gym memberships all lose out to the Internet when push comes to shove. Take a look at some of the commenters. Very interesting.

Super Tiny Keyboard That Lights Up

2008-12-18T07:51:00.004-05:00

Brando is the king of small keyboards so it comes as no surprise that their newest keyboard is just as small and is back lit.

This appropriately titled "Wireless Illuminated Super Tiny Keyboard" is a slim 15mm, has 56 keys, and operates wirelessly via an included dongle. I am not the biggest fan of small keyboard (Thin, but not small), but if you are, then this is perfect. I could probably see many people ordering this for their children perhaps. It'd make a great stocking stuffer!

To get your hands on this super tiny keyboard, go ahead and place your order and you should get it by the "end of December." They keyboard is $47 and you can order here.

In-Car Fingerprint Scanner Keeps Car Safe

2008-12-16T13:40:00.003-05:00

Zhao Wencai and Li Zhoumu, two graduate students at the China University of Geosciences, have concocted a prototype device which checks for two important bits of information before allowing a car to start.

First, it scans your fingerprint to make sure you're on the authorized driver database; second, it scrutinizes the sweat on your digit to determine just how sober or inebriated you are. It does all this before the car will even start.

Although there is technology that, if not already out, is coming soon that does something similar, I don't believe that this invention will fly very well. That is, in the states at least. We'll see though. I have been wrong before.

Via: Wire

The Ultmate Keyboard for the Ultimate Gamer

2008-12-10T14:48:00.003-05:00

I'm not a gamer, but for those who are may appreciate this gaming keyboard. This things is a beast! Logitech just announced its G13 Gameboard.

With a trio of game modes, built-in 160 x 43 pixel LCD for stats and messaging, 25 programmable keys, and a programmable joystick, Logitech says that the G13 "offers up to 87 ways for you to control your game." It comes with pre-configured settings for World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to name a few. Otherwise, you can setup custom button-profiles as you please and even create macros on the fly without having to pause your quest.

Available in US and Europe sometime this month for $80.

Want a $15,000 Door?

2008-12-08T14:56:00.003-05:00

I'll pass for now, but it is a cool door. For $15,000, I would hope it would be cool, plus some! Masterfully crafted by the carbon fiber gurus at Brazil's own Chaote Carbon, this 99-pound, 7.5- x 4.9-foot door was carefully wrapped in carbon fiber and equipped with a biometric scanner to keep unwelcome guests out.

If you would like more info, check out CarbonFiberGear. One comment made from a reader mention the fact that there is no peep hole. That is a good point to bring up. I would imagine there is maybe a camera. If you happen to purchase one, let me know. :)