indirectvision.com - Gadgets

Internet Speed Test

nospam@example.com (Nate) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:06:31 -0400

Have you ever had the feeling that you had the slowest internet connection in your neighborhood? Take a look at the link below. All you have to do is type in the first 3 digits of your area code and your connection type and the program does the rest. It compares your internet to different types of connections.

Take a look:

MSN [[article]]
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Card Reader and Flash Drive Are Now One

nospam@example.com (Dustin) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:49:26 -0500

Kingston, one of the largest memory-related products manufacturer in the world, has released a flash drive that has a built-in microSD card reader inside of it.

These flash drives aren't limited because of the integrated card reader. They still come in very nice sizes of 1, 2, or 4 gigabytes, but will be a little more in price than their flash drive-only counterparts.

USA Today [[article]]
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Best Valentine's Day Gadget Gifts

nospam@example.com (Nate) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:22:36 -0500

Retrevo recommends the best gadgets gifts for Valentine's Day including GPS, MP3 Players, Digital Cameras, and more.

This year, why not say “I love you,” with something that lasts longer than a dozen roses? The right gadget can score points with your favorite sweetheart and be the one Valentine’s Day gift that keeps on giving.

The iGifts Have It

Apple Macbook Air

For the ultimate gadget gift you could get that special someone in your life one of the sexiest laptops on the market; the recently announced, Apple Macbook Air. This super svelte laptop is so thin it fits inside a manila envelope yet it still boasts a full size keyboard and 13.3 inch LED backlight display. It may not be available for Valentine's Day but you can preorder it now for $1799.

iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch

Take your pick of Apple gadgets and score major points with your special gadget lover. You might consider an 8GB iPhone or a 16GB iPod touch for $399. The iPod touch which has everything the iPhone has minus the phone service.

There are many recently redesigned iPods to choose from including ones with different colors and capacities. Watching videos on iPods is very popular with videos becoming more widely available for download especially with Apple’s recent launch of an online movie rental business.

Apple iPod shuffles are smaller than ever and come in many colors. They cost $79 and hold 1GB worth of files which is about 240 songs. The iPod nano comes in colors, displays photos, plays videos or audio files, and costs $149 for a 4GB version and $199 for an 8GB one that will hold 2000 songs.

The iPod classic comes in black or white, has a big 2.5-inch color display. You can buy one with 80GB of storage for $249 or 160GB for $349. The iPod touch 8GB version sells for $299 and the 16GB version $399.

Buying red gadgets can help support the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Apple offers a red iPod and Motorola has a red Razr that are both associated with the charity. Microsoft has a red Zune but it appears to be geared for Valentine's Day not for Bono's fund.

Free Engravings
For a special touch, you can get a free engraving on an iPod or iTouch when you buy it from Apple's online store.

Free engraving

Microsoft's Red Zune

Microsoft continues to improve their Zune MP3 player and even offers features not found on iPods like WiFi connectivity which lets you trade songs with other Zune users, surf the web, or use other online interactive features. For Valentine's Day they are offering a Red, 80GB Zune and free engraving with one of 20 special valentine designs or a personal text message. You can buy this or other similar Zunes for around $249.

Zune

GPS

The right GPS PND (personal navigation device) might just help find the way to your special friend's heart. GPS devices continue to get better and cheaper every day. For Valentine's Day gifts, we recommend looking at a portable unit that fits in a pocketbook or even one of the sports versions that you wear on your wrist.

The Garmin nuvi 680 could be a very expensive Valentines Day present but for under $600 you can give someone a highly rated, versatile GPS , that has a large 4.3 inch color display and is still small enough to fit in a pocketbook or briefcase.

The TomTom Go 920T is another highly rated GPS that falls in the same price range and feature group.

The TomTom XL-S sells for around $350. It has a 4.3 inch widescreen display, offers text-to-speech and MapShare which allows users to update maps.

For the budget minded, the Mio c230 is a basic 3.5 inch screen GPS that features TTS (Text-to-Speech) functionality and gets high marks for performance and ease of use for well under $200.

The Garmin Forerunner 205 is a GPS device that you wear like a wristwatch. It tells you how far you ran and how long it took. Serious runners rave about this GPS device. You can buy the Garmin Forerunner 205 for around $180. If you prefer to wait, Garmin just announced a very cool wristwatch type GPS called the Forerunner 405 which is supposed to ship in the first quarter of 2008 and sell for around $300.

Photo Frames

Digital Photo Frames were a big hit this holiday season. They provide an easy and attractive way to put your digital photos on the mantle, kitchen counter, desktop, or even on a key chain. Some units play audio files as well.

The Kodak EX811 is an 8 inch, 800 x 480 pixel photo frame, with 128 MB of memory that will cost you around $200. You can load pictures with the built-in WiFi, through the memory card slot, or the USB connector.

The Westinghouse DPF 0802, 8 inch photo frame has a wood frame,128 MB of storage, and a high resolution 800 x 600 screen. You load up the frame from your camera’s flash memory card or a USB connection. You can buy the Westinghouse DPF 0802 for around $150.

The Tao 1.4 inch Digital Picture Keychain holds 56 photos and costs $29. It has a rechargeable battery. You load it with a USB connector. They offer a square version and a round one.

The Coby DP 151 1.5 inch Digital Photo Key Chain is a tenth of inch bigger than the others. It stores 62 pictures and is on sale at Amazon for $16. Some users are happy with it, some aren't.

Digital Cameras

A small and compact point and shoot camera might be just the right gift this Valentine’s Day.

The Canon SD1000 fits easily in a pocket or pocket book, offers 7.1 MP and new face technology that makes taking bad pictures harder. You can buy one for under $200.

If you can afford to spend around $300 then take a look at the 12.1 MP Nikon CoolPix P5100 which has optical image stabilization to eliminate fuzzy pictures, a big 2.5 inch LCD screen, and 3.5x optical zoom.

Don't forget to check out all the latest information for GPS, Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Laptops, and more. You can also find manuals and reviews for all popular gadgets and gear.

For more information, visit:
Retrevo [[article]]
(Article By Andrew Eisner)
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Improve your laptop's battery life

nospam@example.com (Nate) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 10:37:59 -0500

Laptops have impacted the way we communicate with others. It allows us to be in a mobile environment while still being able to transport any information you may need. What good does a laptop do if you can only use it for 30 minutes before it dies? Stanford University is trying to find a way to improve laptop batteries to last more than a day with only a single charge.

Researchers have found a potential to give a conventional battery-powered laptop 40 hours of battery life. If you are interested and want to look more in depth about the science of this, be sure to take a look at the link below this article.

MSN [[article]]
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Having problems tuning your guitar? Let a robot do it!

nospam@example.com (Nate) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:20:35 -0500

Gibson has released a self-tuning guitar that would make all of your trouble go away. This robotic technology allows the musician worry less about the guitar and more about the music. The user is able to set the guitar to standard tuning or other various settings. If they need to lower the pitch of one string to a certain note, the self-tuner is capable of doing this. The Gibson self-tuning Les Paul will not only make your life easier, but it also has some stylish looks.

Gibson informational video of the Robot Guitar
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Pleo, the toy robot

nospam@example.com (Nate) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:45:15 -0500

Ugobe, a new company formed primarily to make advanced robotic toys, has created a toy robot that is able to exhibit social behaviors and learns from experience. There are many product similar to this one, but there are many features that makes this top the list. Some robotic toys have light and sound sensors and are able to do certain functions, but according to the company's CTO, he says that this product has a higher level of organic movement and dynamic behaviors that other robots don't have.

Pleo shows many emotions and interacts in many ways. It may cuddle with you, crouch, wag its tail, or even sneeze. The robots hardware involves 38 sensors, 14 motors, and over 100 gears. There are also eight touch sensors that are placed on its shoulders, back, legs, head, and chin. This $329 robot has recently been released and may be purchased in time for the holiday season.

Technology Review [[article]]
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Surface; The new coffee table computer

nospam@example.com (Nate) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:56:00 -0500

Microsoft has been working on their new product which is known as “Surface.” It is said to be a coffee-table shaped computer which includes touchscreen capabilities. This computer is able to read special bar codes which are attached to the products that you encounter every day. The Surface is basically a Windows Vista computer which is transformed into a black table base, including a 30-inch touchscreen.

This computer has five cameras that are mounted under the screen which can sense nearby objects. While many touchscreens are only able to respond to one touch at a time, this computer is able to sense multiple touches. You are able to drag your fingertips on the screen and the computer will sense all of those points. You are also able to place real-world items which are tagged with the special bar-code labels on top of the table.

Some of the early models are expected to show up in the T-Mobile stores which will help customers with various operations. You simply place a phone onto the screen; the Surface will read the special bar-code and display information about that specific phone. You are also able to find out more information about calling plans and ringtones through the Surface. When the phone is placed on the screen, the computer allows you to add ringtones by dragging them toward your phone.

Microsoft has been working on various programs to install on the Surface, one of which will be for sharing digital photographs. They expect these models to cost about $5,000 to $10,000 per unit and are set to be released later in November. The company has noted that they plan to drop the price enough to make the consumer versions more affordable, but that isn’t going to occur for about three to five years.

DL.TV informational video of the Surface

Microsoft [[article]]
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Picture this, Bluetooth

nospam@example.com (Nate) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:12:27 -0500

Technology has gone a long ways in the past decade and it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. I still remember back in the “old days” when you had to buy film for your cameras. You only had one shot to get the best picture, but what happened? Cameras now have digital displays, memory cards, and digital pictures.

Now what about the other side of photography? G. Yean Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. has created a digital photo frame. You might have already heard about this sort of idea before, but this is different than anything you have heard. They have created a 7” LCD panel display with an acrylic frame. It also has a memory card slot allowing you to transfer picture files from your computer to your digital frame.

Here’s where they pull away from their competition. Because of technological demands and an ever-changing modern world, they have added Bluetooth capabilities to the frame. This will allow you to transfer your files from your computer without having to use a memory card. And if that doesn’t strike your fancy, they have also included a calendar and clock function to the digital frame. This product has not yet hit the market but isn’t that something worth having in your home?

Global Sources [[article]]
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