Gadgets Blog » 2009 » May

Does your idea of a good time involve high tea packed with intense psychic séances and vacations spent taking haunted tours?  Are you an ardent viewer of anything with the prefix of “Ghost” on TV a la Ghost Whisperer, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures…?  If so, it is time to take your game to the next level.

The Swedish games studio, A Different Game, just announced that they are developing a reality game called “Ghostwire” intended for the new Nintendo DSi platform.  Nintendo DSi is the latest version of the hand held game console that was released by Nintendo.  It already has picked up an extensive following thanks to its enhanced features such as two LCDs ,two interactive digital cameras that let you modify photos extensively, connectivity with an online store, provision for downloading games, internal/external storage of music, movies, games and a sophisticated audio player that can rival any latest MP3 player.  According to the Ghostwire website, the DSi will be your psychic medium to communicate with the world beyond.  Its built-in cameras will allow you to find and hunt down ghosts seen through the camera lens and project them onto the real world.  The game will help you “find and collect” ghosts that exist all around you with the aid of the built-in camera and microphone.  To add to the spookiness factor, it even incorporates a special tool called “frequency modulator” for tuning into ghosts.  No, it does not stop there either.  Additionally you can conduct your own research on the spirits you have discovered by documenting them, find why they haunt you and even play the good Samaritan by helping them find eternal peace.  According to Anders Bergman, lead designer of Ghostwire, the DSI platform’s state of the art high tech provisions perfectly complement the nature of the game to give you a thrilling real world window into the spirit world.

Check out this You Tube trailer, for a cell phone preview of how the game works. It’s so much fun, you may enjoy it even if you are not into ghosts. The game is set for release later this year though no precise date has currently been provided. Nintendo DSI can be purchased at Nintendo US website at around $165 .

YouTube - Watch 

The details can be deadly. As recently shown by the tragic accident resulting in the death of Mike Tyson’s young daughter Exodus, our homes have hidden dangers.  But there are ways to be vigilant.

For example, most of us know (or can imagine) how exciting it is to bring home a new flat screen TV and get it set up with the awesome home theater system we just purchased.   But the caution we should remember is, as with other furniture, an inquisitive toddler can climb up and accidentally cause it to become unbalanced.  Therefore it’s recommended to have the flat screen properly attached or mounted to the wall and set far back on its stand to position it out of a child’s reach.

Furniture can be secured to the wall with brackets as well.  Appliances, TVs, bookcases and the like can become unbalanced and fall on children.

Exercise equipment is another hidden hazard.   It’s preferable to keep children away from the equipment entirely by closing the door or locking the room, but if you’re like most of us this might be impossible with rooms doubling as home gyms/home offices/bedrooms.  While manufacturers have safety recommendations, a parent’s monitoring is the most effective.  Common culprits are stationary bicycles, treadmills and stair climbers with many accidents being power cord related.  Keep the equipment locked (most have key locks or lock positions), tie up cords, keep an eye on children and remind them not to play around the equipment.

Cords can be kept neatly out of reach with tie up kits like this one.

Wiremold Home Entertainment Cord Cover Kit: $62.23

This will help prevent kids from tripping or pulling the electrical cord and possibly knocking the appliance on to themselves. Sliding safety covers for surge protectors & outlets are also helpful for protecting those unused plug-ins.  Some surge protectors come with this feature.

Fire extinguishers and smoke detectors are basic gadgets for making your home safer, whether you have children or not.  Combined with a ready plan of escape, these can help save lives. You also might want to check out carbon monoxide detectors.  Here’s a reasonably priced one:

Costar Carbon Monoxide Detector: $29

Taking a few precautions can help us keep our families and ourselves just a little bit safer, and that’s a comforting feeling.

Sources: CNN, Consumer Products Safety Commission, Safe Kids, DIY, Baby Center

Watching a movie is one of the easiest ways to pass the time on a long (or not so long) trip.  With airlines making cutbacks on everything else, you might find it necessary to bring your own entertainment soon anyway.  Not to mention, for those of us with young children this is a valuable tool for long drives or when you suddenly find yourself stuck in traffic and a 20-minute car ride just became an hour.

I keep a stash of DVDs along with the portable DVD player in the storage pocket behind the front passenger seat.  And I have to admit, there were a few lunch breaks when I drove away from the office, parked somewhere peaceful and zoned out on an episode of Firefly before returning to the grind.

As far as portable DVD players go, something that can do double duty — be mounted on a headrest for in-car play and then removed for on-desk play — is the best fit for those of us on a budget who seem to live in our cars but are also endlessly running from place to place.

The Coby TF-DVD7307 Portable DVD Player is a good example.

From: $82.99

Widescreen DVD player, 7 inch LCD swivel screen, folds down for easy carrying when not in use, anti-skip circuitry, headphones, remote control, AV cable, UL-listed AC adapter, Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and headrest mounting bag.  It also plays your CDs and MP3s.

Get it at Amazon.com and get free shipping.  Decide to purchase it at Newegg.com and get a free gift with select items.  No codes required.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more affordable portable DVD players.

I don’t know if I should be grateful or nervous.

Toshiba debuted its automotive monitoring system at the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2009 in Japan last week, with the capability to read a driver’s face and alert him if his eyes become distracted from the road, thus prompting the driver to correct his view and assumingly, avoid a possible accident.  Kinda cool, right?

Actually, yeah, it is.  The camera reads the driver’s face and evaluates his eyes’ direction to one of eight areas (the left, center and right areas of the windshield, left mirror, right mirror, meters, car navigation system and audio system).  The driver can also use the system to activate devices in the car like the GPS system (Winking to activate it? Really?  That’s kinda weird.).  It also picks up on the frequency of the driver’s blinks and can alert him to drowsy driving — alarming (haha).

Ignoring the subtle echoes of an Orwellian pattern somewhere in here, this could make for safer roads, which is good for all of us.  And it’s not like the guys at Toshiba are aiming to take over the world with a robot army or anything… or are they?  Just kidding. No release date has been announced but we look forward to news on this development.

Sources: Tech-On, New Launches, Gizmodo
Photo source: Uburgizmo.com

Unfortunately, the Internet is not a safe place.   Whether you’re using a desktop or laptop, you’ve got to be protected (insert obvious condom comedic reference here).   People spend big bucks on security and firewalls to thwart attackers.  Think back to Harrison Ford in the movie of the same name, that was an extreme case but just the same, your firewall is your first level of protection.

A correctly configured firewall will keep out most baddies and people intending harm to your system.  At the office, it can keep you from visiting “undesirable” web pages like pornography or wasting time on Facebook – called content filtering – or keep out jerks who want to hijack the company website for there own amusement.  At home, issues can be just as potentially harmful with intruders spying on your personal information.

When you employ firewall software or hardware, think of it as a dual-duty operation.  On one hand it blocks traffic to your system, and the other allows traffic, both based on the rule set you’ve provided.

For the general user, the terms can be daunting, especially when trying to avoid security risks.  Do I want it embedded? Who is this SOHO person?  I thought that was a city in New York?  At a basic level, there’s the simple broadband router that screens content – like packet filtering.

Netgear WGR614 802.11g Wireless Router with 4-Port Switch: $31.46

A level up would be a system that inspects the new content and checks it against content that’s previously been approved or accepted.  To be most secure, though, the proxy server is preferred.

This guy changes outbound and inbound IP addresses and then compares them against the given rule set for admittance so there’s no “direct” traffic.

Basically, you want to find something that complements your network, is manageable and affordable.  Most use the stateful inspection and proxy method and will walk you through installation.  You want to look at how many users you have, less users = less RAM.  You want NAT capabilities, which most will have.  If you’ll be streaming, you want a VPN.  And you want it the ability to log as many different events (by IP address, date, time, domain name, etc.) as possible with different content filters.  Most importantly, ask questions.

Even with these access limitations, clicking on the wrong webpage or opening an undesirable file can cause havoc with your system.  That’s why it’s advisable to implement programs like Norton Anti-Virus and Spybot as support to your firewall defense.

Norton Antivirus 2009: $14.95

That way, you can probably avoid most compromises to your system from intruders, spyware and viruses.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for firewall hardware and security software.

I’d bet many of us spend the daily 8 hours in front of a computer at work and then go home and spend another six gaming or surfing.  Spending so much time on one position, it’s easy to find ourselves slouching or rolling our shoulders resulting in sore muscles.  We know we shouldn’t, but we do it anyway.  Here’s a refresher on some simple exercises we can do to increase circulation and minimize the physical stresses of the daily grind:

• First of all, sit up properly with back straight and shoulders back.  The top of your monitor should be at eye-level.  Hopefully your chair has lumbar support or you can use an orthopedic pillow to fill in.  Adjust your chair so your feet are flat on the floor with your knees level with your hips.
• Squeeze a stress ball or hand gripper from time to time, maybe while reading and not using your hands on the keyboard.   This helps your hands and wrists from getting stiff and can help prevent carpal tunnel.
• Stretch out your arms to the sides, pointing your thumbs up and back, pulling your shoulders back and correcting that hunched over position we easily slump into.
• You want to get up and walk every 30 minutes to an hour. Just a short walk around the office, to the water fountain, to get more coffee will do.
• Let your eyes focus on something other than the screen. Look out the window or across the room.  You can do this while you’re taking that walk as well.
• While seated, roll your wrists and ankles every now and then.
• Lean your head forward and slowly move it left to right, right to left, stretching those stiff neck muscles.
• Contract your abs and glutes, holding them for a few seconds and then release. A good point about this move is no one can really tell what you’re doing so you can repeat it every few minutes throughout the day.
• Hold the frame of a doorway and lean forward. This stretches your arms and shoulders.
  To give the neck a stretch, turn your head and torso each way like you’re looking behind you.
• Also, a large ball style desk chair is effective for keeping that back straight and those abs firm.

If you’re feeling extra ambitious and don’t mind comedic co-worker commentary, the standard push-up and sit-up is helpful for whole body circulation.

Find ergonomic chairs and stability balls at Smarter.

Image Source: SafetyConcepts.com.au

HP OfficeJet J3680 All-In-One Printer
From: $49

You can get units devoted to printing for near $20 nowadays, but why not have it all?  Here’s a deal — for under $50, your home office can be made complete with the HP Officejet J3600 All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier.  HP says this affordable compact inkjet unit is designed for home office and micro-business users and can print and copy up to 20 pages per minute in b&w and 14 pages per minute in color.  Print quality stands at 1200 x 1200 dpi for b&w prints and up to 4800 x 1200 dpi for color.

Not to mention faxing as fast as 3 seconds per page.  The sheet-fed scanner uses 48-bit color depth and produces up to 19,200 dpi resolution in full-color.  Windows and Mac compatible; 20-sheet automatic doc feeder and 100-sheet input paper tray; 1,500 pages per month.

Don’t forget the extra ink!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more all-in-one printers.

Are you in the market for a new note/netbook?  If so, why not go for a functional sleek model that also lets you do your piece for the environment? Keep your eye out for these three beauties:

1) iUnika GYY :

This solar powered ultra light notebook that weighs just 700 gms, is made from biodegradable plastics.  The GYY runs on a 400MHz processor and on Linux with128MB of RAM and has more than 5000 free applications.  It has a 64GB solid-state drive and an 8-inch display that’s WVGA with an 800 x 480 resolution.  IUnika GYY will be available for purchase world wide next month at just 160 euros.  Gotta love the price!  Watch for it to hit the stores next month.

2) Asus Bamboo Eco Book Computer:

Asus calls it a fusion of aesthetics and engineering.  It looks so organic and clean that if one can pictorize oneself getting away from it all and sipping green tea in a remote serene Buddhist retreat, this would be the laptop that would be a perfect match for the setting.  But don’t let it’s sedate appearance fool you!  It packs quite a punch in design and performance.  Made of biodegradable and rapidly renewable bamboo (which by the way has very high tensile strength) it comes in 11.1- or 12.1-inch, 1,280 x 768 pixel displays and your choice of 3/6/9-cell batteries.  The 12.1-incher lets you have your pick of Intel T9400/P8600/P8400 Core 2 Duo processors, 256MB of NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS graphics, a 320GB hybrid hard drive sporting 256MB of flash, and Intel’s WiMAX / WiFi Link 5100 chipset.  It also features LED backlight for lower power consumption and Asus’ Super Hybrid Engine Technology that makes for more efficient power allocation.  Moreover i think it’s pretty neat that each piece is going to be different appearance wise thanks to varying naturally ingrained bamboo patterns lending them some personality that is a welcome relief from the generic plastic laptops most of us are used to.  It retails in the US for about $1899.

3) The Modulus:

The Modulus is another very promising eco-friendly laptop designed by industrial designer Ed Boaden targeted for schools, libraries and offices.  What makes this so unique is the way it has been created to assemble and disassemble the different parts including internal components, like a child’s building block if you will.  It is said to come with a map of all the components and full instructions for the removal of all the parts which makes for efficient repairing - we would only have to pull out the individual component requiring replacement.  Also the replacement parts can be sent back in postage paid returnable packages to be recycled or re-used to lessen the load on the land fills.  It’s shape has been structured for better natural air cooling and most of the processing is done on a central server for maximum energy efficiency.  It also features many other desirable features like a hand rest designed for comfort and a choice of fun colored caps to go on top of the snap fittings.  Watch for more information to emerge after its display at the Lakeside Arts Centre University Park Nottingham UK from May 30 to June 2.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more laptops.
Discounts on eco-friendly laptop bags.

Aw… I loved my Palm Pilot.  It helped me keep track of notes and schedules, kept a thesaurus, important papers, presentations, contact lists and so many other nifty items that helped me through college.  It was power packed with everything I needed.  And the Treo was even better.

Enter the Palm Pre with both touchscreen and keyboard, officials (Palm and the Los Angeles Times) just this morning confirmed the Palm Pre would be available at stores like Best Buy, RadioShack, Wal-Mart, Sprint stores and online June 6.

Your cost? $199.99 (after a mail-in rebate) and two-year service agreement… of course.

The Touchstone-compatible, webOS-based phone allows the user to run more than one app at once and “continuously updates multiple applications in real time.”

From the Los Angeles Times: “Pre consolidates your important information – professional, social and personal – into one revolutionary device using an operating system that redefines the experience of living and working wirelessly,” Sprint said in the release this morning.

I’m kind of excited!

I mean, up to now it was all about the iPhone.  But I could be converted… I guess it depends on the availability of apps and the actual usability.

So, anyone want to send me one to test out?  Sprint?  Palm?  C’mon!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for Palm Pilots.

Image Source:  whatleydude at Flickr

Here’s the thing, when shopping for your system, sometimes a cheap motherboard offers a great price but is otherwise low on performance and ability.  We know this.  Fortunately, Asus has another winner for us.  Known for performance, extras, and overclocking tweakability, the Asus P5Q3 Deluxe is based on the Intel P45 chipset, combining high performance with energy efficiency.  The reviews and forums we’ve seen on this 16GB mother are resoundingly positive.  While not a “cheap” motherboard, so to speak, it’s a nicely priced unit for your home gaming PC.

Asus P5Q3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP Motherboard: $151.01

From the manufacturer:  Supports DDR3 2000 (O.C.) dual-channel memory architecture and Dual PCI Express 2.0 x16 lanes for extreme graphics performance.  It also comes with the world’s first ASUS EPU-6 engine, allowing the CPU power supply to be digitally monitored and fine tuned with improved VRM efficiency in heavy or light loadings attaining the best possible power efficiency and energy savings to help save the environment. The P5Q3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP also supports 802.11n Wi-Fi specifications onboard for faster data transfers, and ASUS Express Gate optional Linux OS bootup for instant access to the Internet in 5 seconds.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more affordable motherboards.