While everyone else is getting tired of talking about the iPad, I couldn’t get enough–especially when I heard that Skype is possible with the new iPad.

Think about it: a tablet, just 1.5 pounds and 9.7 inches square, with internet/microphone?

Tell me it’s too good to be true!

Skyping on such a piece of machinery is akin to the futuristic phones on Disney’s made for TV movie “Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century” that my 12-year old girlfriends and I all coveted, but knew we couldn’t have (“but maybe our children will,” we said).

Then as I read about it closer, my heart sank. It turns out one key element is missing to get a pure Zenon phone: the video recorder at the top of the screen.

Get on that, Apple, and I’ll buy iPad/Zenon phones for myself and all my friends.

Google has a philanthropy established through Google.org, and has invested $45 million since 2007 to research global issues, including energy efficiency and innovation. One of the new services launched by Google is “Google PowerMeter,” a free tool that measures the amount of electricity used in a household throughout the day.

Despite the philanthropic arm, Google is still a for-profit company. Should extra energy be created from this project that Google doesn’t use, it can be sold back to the power grid. “We’d be delighted if some of this stuff actually made money, obviously; it is not our goal to not make money. All else being equal, we’d like to make as much money as we can, but the principal goal is to have a big impact for good,” said Bill Weihl, Google’s “Green Energy Czar,” in an interview with the New York Times on Thursday.

“There are three areas we’re looking at: concentrated solar thermal, enhanced geothermal and high-altitude wind,” Weihl said. Concentrated solar thermal uses special mirrors rather than panels to collect sunlight, and geothermal collects steam from water thrown on heated rocks deep in the earth, closer to the magma layer. Google’s research team is even considering going into the jet stream to collect wind power.

This green initiative and desire to become a power broker hasn’t been without criticism. Critics say Google is attempting to do too many things at once, or trying to control everything off- and on-line.

I think Google is one of the few companies with the money, time, resources and commitment to revolutionize the way we collect and distribute our energy. Full steam ahead, Google, especially if the steam will keep my lights on one day.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is going to unveil its revolutionary touch tablet later this month at a conference in San Francisco.

Apple’s tablet would retail for around $1000 and be equipped with a 10- to 11-inch touch screen, according to WSJ. The tablets may come with a nationwide WiFi plan. Tablets will be shipped in March.

The product sounds like a large iPhone to us, without the phone. Will it replace laptops? Only time will tell.

This year, toast the new year on your own [virtual] Waterford champagne flute with Waterford’s Clink-Clink iPhone application. It’s free, and features a picture of a champagne glass that “clinks” when you tip your phone.

If you “clink” with an iPhone of a stranger with the application, you will exchange contact information.

It certainly is a fun idea, but how many of you will be carrying around a virtual glass of champagne in place of a real one?

Myhrvold proposes we combat climate change by pumping liquid sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere through nozzles in a hose lifted more than 15 miles into the atmosphere with helium-filled balloons. This sulfur cloud will dim the sun in critical areas of the world by just enough to reduce or reverse the effects of global warming. He calls this cloud a “Stratoshield.”

Since sulfur occurs naturally in the environment, he says it will not disrupt our climate in a negative fashion, and will lower temperatures as desired in areas that need to be cooled.

Do you think this could work?

Source: http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2009/10/video_nathan_myhrvold_explains_how_to_save_the_world.html

5. Digital Photo Frame, $9.99-49.99

I once thought these were an awkward way of displaying photographs, but they’ve become more commonplace and thus they have grown on me…and I want one! Sold under many brands at any computer–or even gift–store. Consider picking one up for your favorite digital photographer this Christmas.

4. Rubik’s Touchcube, $84.99

This toy is a new twist on an old favorite—but it’ll actually give you hints! Swipe your finger across the rows to find the solution, and just tap on a middle cube when you’re stuck, or even *gasp* tell it to auto-solve.

3. Dell’s Mini 10v Netbook, $299

A must-have for techies on-the-go, the small Dell netbook has all the bells and whistles of a full-size laptop but can fit in a purse or briefcase. Specs: 1 GB Memory, 160 GB hard drive, WIFI with optional Bluetooth, and a 10.1” display.

2. iPhone 3GS, $299 with a new AT&T plan, $499 without new AT&T plan

The fastest, most powerful iPhone is up for grabs this year. New features include voice recording, voice control, video, a 3-megapixel camera, advanced text messaging with pictures, copy-paste, and up to 32 GB of storage.

1. Amazon Kindle 2, $259

The Kindle’s revolutionary way of delivering books has been touted “the future of reading.” Over 390,000 titles are available to read on the “electronic-paper” screen, including 101 of 112 current New York Times Best Sellers. Magazines and newspapers are available too, and all of this can be done without wires, cables, or syncing. The new Kindle 2 is thinner, has a sleeker design, and the pictures are sharper with enhanced 16-shade technology.

With it you can create reports, sort and group data, collaborate with others, design forms, share and collect data, provide notifications, and it offers powerful filtering. With MyTaskHelper users can enter and edit data on the internet with pages with ease. When your database is up and running simply drag and drop the elements onto the page. This allows you to publish a web-accessible form in seconds. You’ll be able to put together as many pages as you like in order to create a workflow. You can control exactly who can access the pages that you’ve constructed.

You’ll even be able to add data views so people can only edit certain data instead of having access to the whole application. You can analyze and report the data collected as the form goes straight into a MyTaskHelper database. Once there you’ll be able to instantly manipulate it and create intelligent, powerful reports without having to touch any code or having to work with a programmer.

Below, you’ll find a multitude of things you can do:

For Home :

- home inventory list

- address book

- cataloguing your collection

- phone directory

- notebook

- journal / diary

- client management (CRM) archiving

- headache journal

- DVD – movie collection

- game collection

- CD – LP – music collection

- Todo list

- client management (CRM) archiving

- bookmarks online

- recipes

- shopping / grocery list

For Office :

- client management (CRM)

- product database

- inventory list

- phonebook

- telephone call tracker

- multiple users

- archiving

- Todo list

- customer service database

With some of the main features:

- you can create complex web-forms

- you can place this forms to your site, using Widget Builder menu(now you can edit

Widget-form: background color,text color,height,width etc)

- you can create file/image/video databases(using this service as a free hosting. )

- again you can integrate Widget-form for adding some records to your site, and another

widget for  integrating  your collected data(Web-Widget builder has one important option

- opportunity to hide a field from users. MyTaskHelper  is searchable database. After you

place the Records Widgets on your site your users can to use search and sorting on these

records)

- you can add validations, to be sure your users add proper data, for example Email

validation, uniqueness etc

- team work(creating a database it is possible to edit it by users group)

- and it’s all for FREE
Elements description of  the system :

Web-Forms Builder

MyTaskHelper makes it easy to let your users submit and edit data on the web with Pages. Once you’ve started a database, simply drag-and-drop the elements you want to a page. You can publish a web-accessible form within seconds. Build as many different pages as you like to create a workflow. Control exactly who can access what page, be it a limited set of people or the world at large. You can even add data views and let people edit certain data without access to your entire application. You can add on form input boxes, text areas, lists, drop-down boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons, Files/Video/Images, Country box, Time zone box, Language box and more.

Each field has validation. This option allows to expand properties of fields. For example You can establish uniqueness of a contained field. Also on each field it is possible to establish default value.

Web-Widget Builder

You can collect, store and share Forms using Web-Widget Builder. This service has been created for integration  forms on your sites. You must  copy a code and to place it on your site. Your form will appear on your site in such kind as you see on this page. For convenience the form can be edited using following parameters :

- Background color

- Text color

- Height (Width)

- Top and bottom margins (Left and right margins)

- Enable scrollbars

- Border

Also you can place a trade mark(logo) on the form.

Web-Widget builder has one important option – opportunity to hide a field from users.

MyTaskHelper  is searchable database. After you place the Records Widgets on your site your users can to use search and sorting for these records.

Collect the data

The published pages are streamlined and simple so they can be offered as-is, or embedded within your own web site. Forms automatically validate user input for required fields and invalid data.

Analyze and report View your data Data collected by your form goes straight into a MyTaskHelper database where you can immediately manipulate it and create intelligent, powerful reports, all without touching a single line of code or bothering a programmer.

Compatibility

Runs on any computer using one of the following Web browsers:

* Internet Explorer 6 or higher, Firefox, Mozilla, Safari, Opera;

* Support for Safari Mobile on iPhone/iPod Touch

Collaboration

Multiple users

* Separate login

* Simple administration

* Two levels of access Owner and Member. You can manage your Team on the Team

page.

Public access

* Control public access to data exports

* Share data on web pages with Widgets,

- just few lines of code, which will show your forms and data on your own site

* Build forms to collect data from the public

Tracking

* All changes tracked by user

* Add columns to show date last modified and user who last modified

Table

* Add/remove any column

* Sort by any column

* Multi-level grouping

* Derive data from linked entries

* Last modified (date/user)

* Edit data in columns

Compact

* Summarize grouped data

* Total and Average for Number properties

Input and Imports(Export)

* Comma (CSV) or tab-separated values

* Direct from web page or RSS feed

* Easy-to-use form-based editor

* Drag-and-drop form builder to collect data from others

* Now You can use Export to XLS

Publish data

You creating online database, making it public and copy/paste widgets code.

Embed dynamic pages with data views and/or forms into a web site. We know that putting data onto the web is a security concern for some users. Everyone should be concerned about the privacy of their data including, and especially, personal information. Below are some answers to some questions on this topic. You can also consult our full Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Forms

* Graceful Degradation (Runs with or without JavaScript, CSS and Cookies)

* W3C Valid XHTML and CSS

* 508 Accessibility Compliant

* UTF-8 (Views and Accepts International Characters)

* Can be Personalized and Branded with Themes

* Customized Confirmation Messages

* Redirect to Web Page on Confirmation

* Confirmation Email Receipt to User

* Field Instructions for the User

* Automatically Validate Data by Type

* Required Fields

* Randomize Choice Order

* Hidden Fields

* Admin Only Fields

* Predefined Values

* (Certain Fields)

* Password Protection

* Schedule Form Activity

* Limit Entries by IP Address

* Limit Maximum Number Entries Accepted

Fields

* Single Line Text

* Multi Line Text (Textarea)

* Numbers

* Multiple Choice (Radio)

* Checkboxes

* File Upload

Fancy Pants Fields

* Name

* Date (Includes Date Picker)

* Time

* Phone (US and International)

* Mailing Address (Map Integration)

* Web Site Address

* Email Address

* Currency (Dollars, Euros, Pounds Sterling, Yen)

* Notify Multiple Users

* Customizable Emails

* Email Workflow Integration

* Windows Desktop Notifier

* Advanced Templating API

Security

* 128 Bit SSL Security

* SPAM Protection

* Nightly Backups

* Onsite and Offsite Backups

Who is this app designed for:

For people who need to create online database and place it into them websites. For everyone who wants to create online databases without php,sql,asp…other programming languages.

For businessmen which save time and money.

The Good

It’s easy to use yet extremely flexible and powerful.

* You saving your time.

* It’s all working – you don’t need to download/install/configure/learn

databases/programming/HTML/CSS.

* You just get it all and filling your projects with your data.

* You can export collected data(from users input) to Excel, share with the Team
Why I think you should use this product

Online database is the powerful addition for every website these days. I know many ways to create online database, but necessary to know php, sql, asp…other languages. At our days we have not a time for this, therefore I think you should use this system, because MyTaskHelper absolutely free, ease in use, you should not learn programming languages.

How does it compare to similar apps

In a web you can find some similar sites, but they basically paid or difficult in use. MyTaskHelper has many features, unites in itself Form Builder, Widget Builder, Online Database and ease in use.

Conclusions

The main features:

- you can create complex web-forms

- you can place this forms to your site, using Widget Builder menu(now you can edit

Widget-form: background color,text color,height,width etc)

- you can create file/image/video databases(using this service as a free hosting. )

- again you can integrate Widget-form for adding some records to your site, and another

widget for  integrating  your collected data(Web-Widget builder has one important option

- opportunity to hide a field from users. MyTaskHelper  is searchable database. After you

place the Records Widgets on your site your users can to use search and sorting for these

records)

- you can add validations, to be sure your users add proper data, for example Email

validation, uniqueness etc (more about validation)

- team work(creating a database it is possible to edit it by users group)

- and it’s all for FREE

Please visit www.mytaskhelper.com to get started now!

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.

I have seen the iCat in motion and another cool thing is if you pet behind the iCat’s ear a few times, the ears will move. The iCat will also meow if it is hungry for music. Thankfully there is a button where you can shut off the iCat as the meowing can be fairly loud when your child is sleeping and the iCat is in the same room.

Look out if you try to touch and move the iCat’s tail! The iCat will let out a loud screech as a real cat would if you pulled on its tail. At least if you gently pet the iCat’s nose it will happily purr for you or your child.

Keep your iCat (or iDog and iFish) happy by feeding it music. If you do not feed the pet music, it acts ill. Your pet cannot die, only get sick.

Your pet can even be decked out in clothes. Find “Chill” clothing for your robotic pet. Keep your child’s pet warm with a hat, scarf, or tail warmer.

Each iCat comes in the color black or white. The iDog can be found in black, white, tiger style print, red, pink, and Dalmatian print in the usual black spots or your child can choose a dog with multicolored spots. The iFish can be purchased in black or white.

If your child likes listening to music, he or she is sure to find a new best friend in the iCat, iDog or iFish.

Associated Content will let you set up your own page. You choose to use your real name or a pen name. The form will take about ten minutes to fill- out. The form will ask you where you live, a short biography, education experience and what your interests are. All of this will be public on your page.

You can make money by writing about what you want. Write poetry, short stories, product reviews, information on about any topic, book reviews, etc. Associated Content only asks that you write at least 400 words in your article, unless it is a poem. You make money by friends, family and Internet users clicking on the links to your articles. Associated Content makes it easy for you to invite family and friends to your site. Every time you publish something your family/friends will receive an e-mail notifying them that you published a new article.

The second way you can make money is by promoting your page. All of the tools are right on your page to spread your page throughout the Internet.

The third way to make money on Associated Content is to accept articles that are posted by Associated Content. The article will let you know how much you will be paid upfront or if it is a pay per click only article. Even if you are paid upfront for writing an article on a subject, you will still make money on the pay per click on your link. Pretty cool.

The fourth way you can make money and gain exposure is from webmasters. The webmasters can buy your original article, audio and/or video.

The last way you can make money on Associated Content is to enter contests that are available to enter on the site.

Check out AssociatedContent.com and start making money today.

You can choose the font style you’d like for the already set up pages. Pages already included are the Home Page, Photo Gallery to display your products, Rates and Services where you can post the prices of your items that are for sale, About Us Page to give your customers an idea of who you are and what you are selling. Add a photo of yourself at work on your items to give the customer a feel of you hard at work. The Testimonial Page is great for new customers to see happy customers that recommend you and the Guest Book for guests and potential customers to comment on your items on your website and a Contact Form for customers to ask you questions or order from you.

To set-up your Home Page you can include a photo of yourself or anything you would like. Make your Home Page appealing to draw your customers in.

The Photo Gallery is so easy to use. Simply click on Add Photo Album and search your computer for the photos of your items you have. You can make different photo albums to keep your items organized in different categories.

The Rates and Services Page is set up so customers can easily read the prices. I would recommend putting the price right on the same page as the photo of your items, too. This will make for easy navigating on your website for potential customers. You do not want someone leaving your page because they could not find the price of an item.

The Guest Book Page is wonderful as you get to see who stopped by your page. Besides the guestbook there is a free page hit counter you can sign up to receive. With the page hit counter you will not know the names of the people that stopped by, but you can get an idea of how many people are seeing your website.

If there is a page you do not want on your website you can go to the editing page and simply delete it. You can even add special pages to your website. Some of the special options are a blog and add a new page and name it.

You may add videos, links, and widgets on your free website.

There are many ways to advertise your page with Freewebs.com for free such as joining groups called rings, holding forums and more.

For a small fee you can upgrade your page to get your own domain. Included in the free price your website address will read:

www.freewebs/yourname.com. With your own domain name it will read: www.yourcompanyname.com.

There are many other options on getting your own free website to choose from. Don’t spend hundreds to thousands of dollars having someone else set up your website. Freewebs.com makes setting up your own website super easy and you cannot beat the price of freewebs.com. Get your own site today and start making money doing something that you love.

For freelance writers articlechecker.com is a must. You may write your own articles for clients but it is wise to run your article through this website. Someone else may have already written an article similar to yours and it will look as if you plagiarized their work. Your boss and client will not be happy with you.

Or maybe you found love on the Internet. Your significant other sends you poetry and you are falling hard and fast for this person. You hear horror stories of people pretending to be something that they are not only to get their heart broken. The words, the poetry, you have never met a person like this in your life. How can such a fantastic person as this be in love with you? Of all of the people in the world, the person wants YOU. Before you fall hard and fast for this person, check out articlechecker.com.

The website articlechecker.com is simple to use. Go to the website and just copy the words you want to check. There is a box that says “paste text here.” Simply follow the directions and paste your words in the box. Below the box there is a checked box for Google. You can leave the check mark so Google searches it. All pages I’ve checked were scanned within twelve seconds or less. Uncheck the box next to Google and check your words through Yahoo by clicking on the box and leave a checkmark for maximum results. Articlechecker.com will let you know what percentage of the words is plagiarized and which ones. The website will even bring you to the copied page. Talk about cool.

No matter what the reason is if you want to check out a report, poem, or article feel secure knowing if the writer is being honest to you by using articlechecker.com

Webkinz are cute fluffy stuffed animals. You can choose from a variety of pets. There is a gorilla, alligator, kangaroo, a few cats, different breeds of dogs, fish, frogs, skunk, monkey, a few horses to choose from and more. One pet is sure to fit your child’s taste in favorite animal. Your child can add to his or her pet collection any time he/she wants. Have a room full of plush pets to virtual pets.

Webkinz are registered by you or your child on your computer. Each Webkinz has a secret code so your child can enter the exclusive Webkinz World. Your child will adopt his/her pet; name his/her pet and chose if the pet is male or female. Your child can dress up his or her pet. Your child must care for his/her pet including feeding the pet or it can virtually get sick. Your child can see how happy, hungry and healthy his/her pet is by watching an easy-to-read meter.

Your child will be given “cash” to decorate the pet’s room. Your child will win games; answer trivia questions, etc., to get more “cash” for his/her pet to buy furniture, food and clothes. If your child’s friends have a Webkinz your child can invite them to the pet’s room. How fun is that? The kids can chat online in a safe way as no personal information can be shared. When the kids chat, the words will pop-up above the virtual pet as if the pets are talking to each other.

You as a parent will love the fact that your child will be playing educational games. Your child is given age appropriate games to play that are available to those with a secret coded Webkinz pet. Your child can play games with his/her online Webkinz friends. A teacher recommended the Webkinz as your child can learn about math which is a very important subject in today’s world. If your child wants to become an engineer, computer programmer, teacher, chemist, etc., math is a must have subject he/she must acquire.

A variety of daily activities, fun surprises and contests will keep your child coming back for more.

Get your child a Webkinz to have a cute fluffy animal to cuddle with, learn responsibility in caring for his/her virtual pet, and have fun learning without even realizing it.