Tech Blot Spot

Apple What Ifs

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 13:05:00 +0000

What if Apple began making more than just electronics. What if they started making household items such as washing machines and toilets. Well, La Repubblica.it has brought these what ifs to life. They have compiled a gallery of some different Apple inventions. They have taken into account some of Apple's previous designs such as the iPod and also the Apple logo. Check out these 19 ideas that they have come up with and see what you think.

UMG Will Not Renew Thier iTunes Contract

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:08:00 +0000

This is breaking news. Universal Music Group (UMG) will not be renewing thier contract with iTunes. This means there will be a large portion of music that will have to be removed from iTunes. Since they will be losing songs, customers are soon to follow. With the current release of the iPhone, this news is sure to be a set back for Apple. It will be interesting to see how Apple responds to this.

Picasa's New Face

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 01:20:00 +0000

Yesterday, Google introduced a couple of new features for their online photo sharing site, Picasa. One of the new features allows you to tag your photos by location in which they were taken. Once you tag them by location, your photo albums will show up on a Google Map and your friends can view your pictures that way. It is actually a really cool feature, especially if you do a lot of traveling. Take a look at the Picasa site to see an example of this on the Las Vegas Strip.

Google also launched a version of Picasa that is designed for cellphones. The version is made to be used on the small screen of your cellphone. It uses your phone's built-in Web browser and allows you to take your Picasa with you anywhere. Overall, both introductions seem to be a great addition to an already nice piece of software.

Corian's New Z. Island

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:32:00 +0000

There are all type of products out their for your kitchen countertops. But, I must say this is the most futuristic product I have seen of it's type. Corian has introduced the Z. Island. The island boasts LED touch panels that are embedded in the surface and well as a mounted Mac that can be used for its multimedia functions. This thing also has three aroma deviecs that stick out of the island which can pump various scents out into your kitchen. This unit also has the capabilities to control a wall of abstract lighting fixtures which allows you alter the color and intensity of the lights. This new island seems way out there to me and I'm not sure how practical it will be for most home builders, but it is an interesting concept.

Ikan: Making Grocery Shopping Easier

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:13:00 +0000

Do you hate grocery shopping? Always feel like no matter how long you spend making a list, you always forget at least one thing you need? Well, then Ikan could be for you. Ikan revolutionizes your shopping. It is a little scanner that you use to scan all of your items before you discard them. It will then keep track of all of those items and put them in an online grocery list. With that grocery list you can either submit your order online, or you can simply print the list and take it to the store with you so you know exactly what you need. The Ikan also tells you if the item you scanned it recyclable and in which bin you would need to put it. I guess that's Ikan's way of being more environmentally friendly.

New Sanyo LP-XL50 Projector

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:08:00 +0000

Sanyo has come up with with a revolutionary short throw projector design. Their new projector, the LP-LX50. This projector can fill a a wall from as little as 3-inches away. It can be hung diretly above or below the screen and its unique design will prevent shadows from appearing on the picture. Its original target market is classrooms and meeting rooms, but I wouldn't be shocked if eventually you see a similar design out made more with a home theater in mind. Sanyo plans to release the projector in Japan in late 2007, and worldwide shortly after that.

SUV Turned into a Giant Scratch Card

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:28:00 +0000

Now this is truely bizarre to me. We are all used to seeing scratch cards in things such as the lottery. We get excited to scratch them off and see if we won. Think about that, except on a much larger scale. In London's Covent Garden, Chevrolet launched their new Captiva in a big way. The had the new Chevy Captiva "Scratch Car-d" on top of 16,995 pennies that were to be used as scratching utensils. Passers by could then take their turn at scratching off portions of the car until one lucky person found the winning symbol and won the car. I think this was a really cool way for Chevy to introduce their new Captiva. For more information visit CarTech.

WWDC: A Disappointment

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:17:00 +0000

Every year you can look forward to some cool new stuff being introduced at WWDC. Not this year. Sure they talked about the new OS and the iPhone. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm beginning to get sick of hearing about the iPhone. I know it's cool and all, but they are playing it up way to much. When I think of WWDC, I think of new, cool stuff that nobody has ever really heard about before. The only thing that came out of WWDC this year was Safari for Windows and I don't even think that's cool. I don't use Safari when I'm on my Mac, so there is no way I'm going to use it when I'm on my Windows machine. Multimedia-Pcs.com has a good summary of why Safari for Windows is nothing to get excited about.

World's Largest HDTV by JVC Now For Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 03:25:00 +0000

JVC is now selling its 110 inch HDTV. This TV boast a 1080p picture, HDMI, Component, D4, S-Video, and D-sub15. This huge TV comes in at a whopping 8 feet wide, 3 feet deep, and 730 pounds. You can get all of this for only $53,000. That's right $53,000. I'm sure everyone, including myself, will be jumping up to spend this insane amount on a new TV.

Automated Berlin Toilet

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 03:08:00 +0000

In Berlin, there is a toilet that locks and washes itself after every use. It also has special features which allow it to instantly reconfigure itself when a handicapped person or individual with special needs wants to use the bathroom. Jared Harley has a video of the toilet in action from his recent trip to Berlin.

LED Fan

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 02:58:00 +0000

ThinkGeek is offering a fan which allows you to upload animated GIF files from your computer to display on the blades of the fan. You can download up to 128 frames of art into the internal memory via a serial connection. There are 42 programmable red, green, and blue LEDs which create the mental illusion called persistence of vision. You can get your very own LED art fan for $389.99.

Temperature Sensitive Coffee Lids

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 02:47:00 +0000

Since the numerous Warning labels on coffee cups are not enough, they have now developed temperature sensitive coffee lids, the Smart Lid system. This lid will turn red when the drink it too hot. It will also tell you if the lid is attached properly or not. If it isn't attached right, it will show a broken rim line on the lid. The lid is used as a visual warning system. What will they come up with next?

Graduation Ceremonies via Webcast

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:04:00 +0000

Graduation is a big time in a lot of people's lives and it is a time you want to share with friends and family. But, that is not always possible. Either your friends and family live to far away to make it to the ceremony, or you have a limited number of tickets that you can give out. Recently, some schools have been turning to webcasts to help with this problem. This is especially relevant at the College level, but is also starting to pop up at the high school level. By showing the ceremony via webcast, freinds and family from all over the world can tune in and share the special time with you. It can also help with overcrowding problems in schools who have a limited number of seats available. I would look for this to become common with most all schools in the next few years.

GATR-Com Broadband Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 02:58:00 +0000

These inflatable balls each have a satellite antenna in them that gives nearby users instant broadband satellite connection. They were created by Paul Gierow for use in emergencies when connecting could mean the difference between life and death. With these GATR-Com (ground antenna transmit and receive) packing a price of $50,000 I wouldn't expect that many people go out and buy them for personal use.

Samsung i620

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 02:46:00 +0000

The i620 is a new and upcoming phone from Samsung. It has a full QWERTY keyboard which is a big plus for this small sized phone. No official announcements have been made by Samsung about the phone, but it is expected to have a 320x240 QVGA display, a 2 megapixel camera, a VGA front camera, Wi-Fi, bluetooth and microSD storage. This small phone offers a big punch and could be just what some people are looking for.

Lego USB Flash Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Thu, 31 May 2007 15:07:00 +0000

Zip Zip has introduced Lego USB flash drives. They will be available in black, white, red, green, yellow, and blue. Each one holds up to 1GB of storage and has USB 2.0 connectivity. These flash drives are much smaller than the traditional ones and sports a Lego look. They are 31 x 15 x 10 millimeters. They come with a lanyard that allows you to attach the device to your keyring. The price tag may seem a little steep at $48, but I'm sure there will be a ton of people wanting to buy these. If you are interested in Lego storage, you may want to check out the LaCie Brick HDD.

Unlocking your Car Door with a Cell phone

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:58:00 +0000

There are many myths going around on ways to unlock your car door if you, for instance, lock your keys in the car. Well, as with many myths you never know if they really work or not. Cell phones are not meant to transmit RF signal, which is what the keyless entry of your car transmits. But, most phones have a telecoil that allows the phone to interface with hearing aids. This coil may be able to pick up the RF that is transmitted by your keyless entry if it is placed close enough to the phone. Visit Hacked Gadgets site for some more interesting ideas on opening your car.

Logitech Harmony 5000

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Tue, 29 May 2007 21:44:00 +0000

Logitech has introduced a universal touchscreen remote, the Harmony 5000. It is supposed to be easy enough for any user to set up. You program the remote by plugging it into your USB port and selecting the devices you wish to control, and then downloading the needed data. The remote has a 3.5 inch screen, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a USB cable. Average programing time for the remote according to Lloyd Klarke, director of product marketing for Harmony, is around 30-90 minutes. This comes as a great relief to many. Many universal remotes such as this require a specialist to come out and program it for you which will in turn run up the cost of the already expensive product even more. For all of the features offered this remote actually comes in at a decent price of $499. Visit Logitech's website for more information.

Harman Kardon GPS-300 Navigation System

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Tue, 29 May 2007 21:09:00 +0000

Harmoa Kardon has introduced a new navigation system, the GPS-300, and is set to ship in about four to six weeks. It features a four-inch WQVGA touchscreen, turn-by-turn directions, and it supports English, Spanish, and French. It also boasts maps for both the US and Canada. This Navigation system has a compact flash card slot so that you can load some of your music. The MP3/WMA audio player has its own dedicated screen to show details about the song as well as album art. With a $299.95 price tag, this navigation system looks like it could shape up to be a great buy.

USB Cell Batteries

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:50:00 +0000

Moxia Energy Ltd. has a product called USB Cell Batteries. The batteries recharge in about 5 hours from any USB port. The batteries are NiMH batteries that can be used in normal battery applications. A 2 pack of AA batteries will cost around $19. For more information on the batteries and the other products they offer, visit USB Cell's website.

A Cell Phone Aimed at the Baby Boomers

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Tue, 29 May 2007 18:18:00 +0000

When around 100 million people who are using cell phones are baby boomers and seniors, do you think it's time that we make a cell phone with them in mind? That is exactly what Jitterbug did. They designed the Jitterbug and Samsung manufactured it. It comes in two models. One with a normal keypad, and one that only has 3 buttons (one to dial 911, one to reach a Jitterbug operator, and one that can be programmed with a number chosen by the user.) The Jitterbug is set up to make older individuals feel more comfortable when using the phone. Many individuals noted that the extra features that cell phones have just confuse them. The Jitterbug is set up so there is no signal strength indicator, but instead when the phone is flipped open if they hear a dial tone, they know they can make a call, and if they don't, they know they can't make a call. The Jitterbug has some features that many tech savvy individuals wouldn't want, but for the older technophobes, the features are welcomed with open arms. The Jitterbug has an earpiece that covers your ear and a microphone that is next to your mouth, rather than around your cheekbone. The rubber cup around the earpiece blocks ambient noise which makes the phone easier for the hearing-impaired to use. For more information on the Jitterbug, visit Business Week.

LG Introduces the Prada for Verizon

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Tue, 29 May 2007 02:23:00 +0000

The Prada by LG, is Apple's answer to the iPhone. With a price tag of $600 the Prada will is Verizon's newest phone. The phone is 98.8 x 54 x 12 mm and weighs only 85 g. The display on the phone is 240 x 400 pixels and is a TFT touchscreen. Costing $100 more than the iPhone it will be interesting to see how this phone rates when it comes out.

Cellphone Banking is Here

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Sat, 26 May 2007 16:03:00 +0000

Citibank recently announced that their customers can now do their banking on their cellphones. It can be done on any cellphone from any carrier as long as it has internet capabilities. With Citibank's service, customers have to download a special program onto their phone which will allow them to access their account on their cellphone, pay bills, transfer money, and much more. Shortly after Citibank's announcement, Bank of America followed suit releasing cellphone banking for their customers. No special program is needed to use cellphone banking through Bank of America. To make the information more legible, Bank of America chose to use wireless application protocol (WAP). Basically what this does is eliminate all superfluous graphics so that the text can be more easily transmitted and displayed. I'm sure before long, cellphone banking will become available through most all of the banks and it will be as common as internet banking is today.

Sanyo's New Underwater Camcorder

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Fri, 25 May 2007 21:00:00 +0000

Sanyo has just released their new Xacti E1 digital camcorder. The camcorder sports a unique, colorful case design. The camcorder is designed to handle being wet for up to an hour, under about five feet of water with no problems. This product will have a $500 price tag on it when it hits stores in June. This product comes with a 8GB SDHC memory which will allow you to store up to 10 hours of VGA-resolution video. It will also take still images at a 6 megapixel resolution. It is great for shallow water use, but should not be used deep water.

31-in-1 Card Reader by IO-Data

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Hendrix) — Fri, 25 May 2007 20:32:00 +0000

IO-Data has just announced the release of their 31-in-1 card reader. It will support every type of memory card format that is currently on the market. It is hard to believe that their are so many type of memory cards out there, but if you have one, you can bet that it will be compatible with this card reader, at least for now.