I Love Gadgets

Nothing suggest/implies/screams ?fake!? better than a crummy technicolor backdrop on a nylon screen. This is barely high-tech but is awkward enough to merit some contrived measure of acclaim. If you haven?t figured out what it does, the StarScreen is a prop for your teleconferencing and Skype sessions?a ?vivid? background to lend an utterly false sense of where you?re at. Thus, have a white sand beach in place behind you rather than the dirty garage you actually live in. For example, of course.

StarScreen

It?s a bit awkward and no doubt rather funny that trying to Google StarScreen for additional info reveals links to Bollywood and a suggestion to try StarScream instead.

Yeah, StarScream?since the StarScreen is about fakery in grand scale, why not have a backdrop for Cybertron? You know, as if you?re getting in touch with the other person from another planet. (According to the product page, there are no Cybertron backdrops, but ?zombies? are available.)

At $29.99 the Star Screen is cheap enough for anyone who wants to try teleconferencing from the Pyramids of Giza.

Source SkyMall

Audioengine D2 Premium 24-Bit Wireless Digital-to-Analog Converter

11:00

Tom

by Janet Cloninger on December 31, 2011 � 0 comments

in Audio, Video, TV Gear,News

If your computer?s sound card leaves a lot to be desired, you can bypass it with the Audioengine D2 Premium 24-bit Wireless DAC.� Connect the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to your computer, and you?ll be able to wirelessly stream HD audio to any system.� It?s a high-quality USB wireless computer DAC, a wireless USB-to-SPDIF converter, and a wireless optical PCM-to-stereo link in one device.� The D2 includes USB and optical inputs and a high-performance DAC, and it operates independently of your home?s WiFi network.� No software is required for setup, and it can playback any files that your computer can play.� The D2 ?processes digital audio at any bit depth up to 24 bits and sample rates to 192KHz, then sends your music over-the-air at 24/96. It accepts USB or PCM-stereo optical and will automatically configure to match either of these inputs.?� The Audioengine D2 Premium 24-bit Wireless DAC is $599.00 a set, and you can audition it in your home for 30 days.

Tagged as: Audio, Digital-to-analog converter, Wireless

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The Jabra PRO 930 for telephony

05:00

Tom

by Mark R - on December 30th, 2011

Jabra has recently started an entry-level wireless headsets, and one of them is the Jabra PRO 930.

Normally, Jabra creates a lot of Bluetooth headsets and occasional speakers, but the PRO 930 is designed for telephony services like Skype. The PRO 930 comes with a stand that can be plugged into a computer for charging and syncing.

Not only is it good to use with an adjustable headband for a good fit, but the PRO 930 also has an earpiece that can snap on so it looks like a usual Bluetooth headset.

Other features of this device include a dedicated button to answer calls, as well as volume controls. It also has a convenient noise canceling microphone that eliminates ambient background noise, like in a busy office environment.

I recently had a chance to try this out for myself, and I made the mistake of assuming that it was a simple Bluetooth headset. Yeah, my smartphone didn?t pair with it.

I?m not really a guy for Skype, but I got it working quickly enough. If I can do it, I am pretty sure that anyone can, so I will recommend this product for those new or old to telephony.

You should be able to get the Jabra PRO 930 for a price of $199. The similar PRO 920, designed for desk phones, is available for the same price.

Source

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Friday 30 December 2011

Easyscreen Adds a Pop of Color to iPad 2 Screen Protection

17:00

Tom

Earlier this week I was reading tweets from bratty kids cursing their parents and wishing them dead because they didn?t get a car for Christmas or got the wrong color iPad 2.� Instead of cursing about the iPad 2, add an Easyscreen Screen Protector from MediaDevil.� Not only can you cover up the offending colored bezel with a color more to your liking, you?ll add a 3-layer anti-glare protective layer that prevents scratches and fingerprints.� Adhesive is only used under the colored border, so there will be no air bubbles on the screen.� With ten colors (white, black, silver, red, blue, pink, green, orange, yellow, and purple) to select from, even the most demanding customer should find what they like.� They are �16.97 (about $26) from MediaDevil, or $16.97 at Amazon.com (just do a search on MediaDevil Easyscreen iPad 2).

Tagged as: iPad 2 accessory, Screen Protector

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Portals: Like I really wouldn?t report on this

11:00

Tom

by Mark R - on December 30th, 2011

What you are seeing here is not a deleted scene from Poltergeist where the TV sucks someone else in, starting with their hand.

This is a Kickstarter project called Portals, and it has nothing to do with the popular video game franchise Portal. What you see here is exactly what you think it is: someone has made a display that you can literally reach into.

It works with a simple greenscreen and webcam. When you stick your hand in the box, the webcam records your hand against the green screen and on the display you are looking at. In the case of the illustration, the user has chosen Google Streetview.

This reminds me of one of those shoebox dioramas I used to make in elementary school. In fact, you can even put other things on the Portals display besides your hand. All it takes is a little bit of touch surface and RFID tags.

As I have mentioned before, this is a Kickstarter project, which means it requires funding to get off the ground. Designer Jayne Videheecharoen has already achieved her goal, but it looks like she only wants to make two prototypes to finish her thesis. I really hope that you can buy something like this in the future, as the neat factor is really high.

Source

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Nokia 801T Specs

05:00

Tom

Tags: Nokia 801T, Nokia 801T dual-mode quad-band GSM, Nokia 801T NFC, Nokia 801T Price, Nokia 801T Processor, Nokia 801T Specs, Nokia 801T Symbian 3, Nokia 801T Symbian 3 Antenna TV, Nokia 801T TD-SCDMA system - 801T CODEC, Picture Nokia 801T, Video Nokia 801T

Nokia re-introduce the new cell cellphone and now Nokia 801T was existing as the first cell cellphone with Symbian 3 Antenna TV and NFC are certain for The far east with dual-mode quad-band GSM and TD-SCDMA system ? 801T CODEC.

Nokia 801T is also not missing with china cell cellphone, now eliminating many functions of the TV in it, of course, may also in the competition when its complexity, especially considering Nokia is the no.1 cell cellphone is no not accepting his success and how the marketing of Nokia.

Nokia 801T is outfitted with a 4 in. display, the TD-SCDMA system, cellular TV (CMMB), NFC.

Complete Specifications Nokia 801T:

* TD-SCDMA/GSM dual-mode digital
* Network frequency 900MHz,1800MHz,850MHz,1900MHz
* 3G Support TD-SCDMA
* Operating system version number Symbian^3
* Color Gray
* Size 125.12 x 67.97 x 11.57 (mm)
* Weight 171 (g)
* Color screen color depth 16 million
* Standard Travel Charger, charging cable, data cable, headset
* Mobile phone standard TD-SDCMA/GSM dual-mode
* Internal display parameters
* Screen Resolution: 360 x 640
* Screen size: 52.64 x 96.06 x 1.41 (mm), support touch screen, TFT
* Antenna internal
* Terminal styles straight
* Chinese input Handwriting, Pinyin, Stroke
* Operating System Symbian
* WAP function Support, Wap 2.0
* GPRS function Support
* Camera 8 MP
* Phone memory 256MB
* Local connection Bluetooth, USB
* Radio Support, built-in
* WLAN Support
* Core chip (chipset) Model PNX6718
* E-mail Support, POP3/IMAP Mail for exchange
* GPS

Thursday 29 December 2011

Protect the iPhone 4/4S with Professional Grade Underwater Housing

23:00

Tom

by Mark R - on December 29th, 2011

For those of you who desire to take their iPhone 4/4S underwater to about 100 feet should look into this Professional Grade Underwater Housing.

This FourPro mount allows you to place the iPhone 4/4S in a waterproof housing, and it comes with some handles made of Teak that will give the user the opportunity to have a more stable shot. The design reminds me of the OWL-E iPhone video/audio rig that we reported on a while ago.

This is yet another one of those Kickstarter projects, which means that they need your money to get this gadget up and running. If you want to see more information about it, go to the FourPro Kickstarter page and see a little video.

Not to be too much of a spoiler, but it shows these men going underwater with sharks with blood in the water. If I was in their finned shoes, I would be less concerned about getting a gash taken out of me than my iPhone getting water damage.

If you are willing to wait until the video is over, you can see some beautiful underwater footage of some non-carnivorous sea turtles with music that sounds like it is out of Titanic.

Source

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Wake Up Early If it Snows With the Winter Wakeup App

17:00

Tom

If you live in a snowy area like I do, you know how�annoying�it can be to spend an extra 15 minutes�shoveling�and clearing snow off �car in the morning, especially if you didn?t wake up early.

Sure, you can set the alarm early and get up to see if it snowed, but the weatherman is wrong as often as he is right and you?ll never get those 20 minutes of sleep back.

Enter a new app that can wake you up early if it snows in your area.

Winter Wake Up app is free for the�iPhone and Android. This app�monitors the weather and can wake you up early for frost or snow. Check out a video from the creators below.

The app has�separate�settings for frost and snow, so that you can set up your alarms to go off 5 minutes early when there is frost and perhaps 20 minutes early when it snows. The times are customizable so you can adjust for your needs.

You can even set the app to wake you up late if it snows too much. This is perfect for those of us who can work from home or who might just write the day off and make up the work some other time.

The app looks like it will come in handy this winter. Too bad it won?t start your car, turn up the heat and scrape off�your�windows for you.

As with all third-party alarms, I would suggest setting a second alarm on your phone or another device the first time you use this app so that you don?t accidentally sleep through the morning if�your�phone?s GPS goes wonky.

Via Techcrunch

Tags: Alarm, Android, App, iphone, snow, winter app, winter wakeup

Category: Apps, Mobile

About the Author (Author Profile)

Josh is technology enthusiast who enjoys pushing new gadgets to their limits and helping the average user make informed choices about technology. Josh has had technology articles appear on WalletPop and MSNBC as well as coverage from CNN.Josh also teaches business technology courses and is the Editor at Notebooks.com. He uses a Galaxy Nexus and a iPhone 4S and his Tablet is an iPad 2.Follow Josh on Twitter @Josh_Smith or email him josh@notebooks.com. You can findJosh Smith on Google+

Verizon Confirms $2 Fee for Paying Online and on the Phone

11:00

Tom

Late yesterday it was revealed in a leak that Verizon would begin charging consumers $2 for each single bill they pay on the phone and online. Users who pay in store or pay online via electronic check or autopay would not be affected.

Verizon confirmed the news today and said that it is indeed to help offset the costs of them having to accept those types of payments.�"The fee will help allow us to continue to support these single bill payment options in these channels,? said Verizon.

So there you have it. It?s set to go down on January 15th. We know many of you are wondering about contract options and we?re�sure Verizon has thought this one out carefully. Since you can avoid the charge in one way or another it probably doesn?t breach contract.

It?s only two dollars but we can?t imagine many of you hare particularly happy with the change. Electronic checks are quick and easy ways to pay your bill without incurring this charge if you need control over when you actually pay your bill.

Others have suggested that using your bank?s bill pay options will help you bypass the charge since your payment would be mailed off, though there?s not much difference between that and autopay from Verizon. What action will you be taking?

I personally like paying my bills with my credit cards (more convenient to pay one big bill at the end of each month for me) but this change would encourage me to switch it up. Let?s hear it in the comments below!

HP TouchPad Go Gets Reviewed (Video)

05:00

Tom

The last time we heard about HP?s unreleased webOS tablet, the HP TouchPad Go, the device had appeared on eBay, and now the guys from webOS Nation have released a video review of the tablet, which you can see below.

HP TouchPad Go

You can find out more details about the HP TouchPad Go review over at webOS Nation, and from the looks of it , the TouchPad go wasn?t a bad tablet.

Source Dvice

Wednesday 28 December 2011

LG introduces new Prada phone

23:00

Tom

by Edwin - on December 28th, 2011

Luxury phones like Vertu are an acquired taste ? personally, I do not see much sense in forking out insane amounts of money on a handset considering how technology ends up obsolete after a while, so what are you going to do with the phone when you want to make an upgrade? Melt all the gold and make an earring, while making sure those diamonds are removed beforehand? Well, thankfully those who want more elegance and class for their handsets can always settle for something cheaper than a Vertu, without sacrificing too much in terms of quality. LG and their Prada phone by LG 3.0 is now public in South Korea, while those living in Europe as well as other parts of Asia will have to wait until January next year to get their mittens on it.

Originally announced last month, the Prada phone by LG 3.0 was unveiled in London a fortnight ago, attracting a fair amount of attention in the process considering how it is the only smartphone on the market right now with premium branding. This is the third Prada phone, hence its name. Just what kind of high end physical features can you expect to see with this? We are talking about a full glossy touchscreen on the front, in addition to Prada?s signature Saffiano pattern on the back. The entire phone is also an engineering marvel, measuring a mere 8.5mm thin, sporting minimal hardkeys and a classic black finish.

There is also a 1.0GHz dual-core /dual channel architecture to keep things running, where the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update is coming your way sometime in Q2 2012, so you will just have to make do with Android 2.3 Gingerbread until then. Sporting up to 8GB of internal memory, the 4.3? touchscreen display sports a WVGA (800 x 480) resolution at 800 nits of brightness. As for its digital camera, it keeps up with the times as well thanks to an 8-megapixel camera. Any idea how much it would cost when it arrives at your country?

Press Release

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PumPing Tap Boots You Cables out of the Outlet

17:00

Tom

I can recognize the fact that a lot of power is wasted by gadgets and electronics that are left plugged in when they are fully charged. That power draw is called phantom power and it adds up to some serious lost power over a month with all the devices around the country that are left plugged in.

PumPing Tap

A new concept plug has a way to stop that phantom power draw that would drive me nuts. When the plug senses that the gadget it no longer in use or is fully charged the plug goes from green around the edges to red. Ten minutes after it goes red, the center section pops out like a turkey timer and pops your power cable out.

That would drive me nuts if the outlet was hard to get to or if it was a smartphone left on that doesn?t last long on standby. I think the better solution is a switch that just cuts the power off and leaves the cable plugged in.

via YankoDesign

Evidence Shows US Cellular Getting Galaxy S II, Tab 10.1`

11:00

Tom

US Cellular may be a bit late to the game compared to the rest of America?s carriers but it looks like they will indeed be offering the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Their model numbers showed up inside US Cellular?s ESN system. We have no indication as to when exactly these devices will head our way but we can?t imagine Q1?12 will go by without a word. [via Android Central]

Sony Ericsson LT28at To be Called The Xperia Ion?

05:00

Tom

We recently saw some leaked details on Sony Ericsson?s latest Android smartphone, which has the codename LT28at and is expected to launch with US mobile carrier AT&T.

Now according to a recent report by Fusible, it would appear that the device may be called the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion, as the company has just registered this new trademark.

Xperia Ion

What we know so far is that the device will feature a 4.55 inch HD touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, plus a 13 megapixel back illuminated camera and a front facing camera which is capable of 720p video.

Of course these specifications have yet to be confirmed by Sony Ericsson, as soon as we get some more information we will let you guys know.

Source Fusible

Tuesday 27 December 2011

Apple Suppliers Getting Ready for iTV Production says Source

23:00

Tom

Rumors have been floating around for months now that Apple would be launching a new HDTV that has been dubbed the AppleTV or iTV. Apple already had the AppleTV set-top box that has been around for a while and has been selling decently in the latest form.

AppleTV

A source has now said that the Apple supply chain is ramping up to start preparing the materials for the iTV in Q1. The source claims production will kick off in Q2 or Q3. Apple is said to be prepping 32-inch and 37-inch sizes to start.

The next generation of the AppleTV set-top boxes are also said to still be coming. A solution for users with existing TVs and one of people that want a TV with the tech inside already makes sense. I would bet that the set-top box and the iTV would share many of the same features.

via DigiTimes

Deal of the Day ? Dell Vostro 260 2.7GHz Dual-core Mini Tower w/20-inch Dell LED-backlit LCD Monitor for $379

17:00

Tom

by Janet Cloninger on December 27, 2011 � 0 comments

in News

Today?s LogicBUY Deal is the Dell Vostro 260 2.7GHz dual-core mini tower with a 20? Dell LED-backlit monitor for $379.� Features:� 2GB RAM, 250GB 7200rpm hard drive, DVD burner, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), more.

$478.00 ? $99 off = $379.00 with $8 shipping.

This deal expires December 29, 2011 or sooner. Check the above link for more details on this deal, and check the LogicBUY home page for other deals.

Tagged as: Deal of the Day

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Nokia 801T Specs

11:00

Tom

Nokia 801T is outfitted with a 4 in. display, the TD-SCDMA system, cellular TV (CMMB), NFC.

Complete Specifications Nokia 801T:

StarTech Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock Product Review

05:00

Tom

With the move to eSATA, many consumers are looking for a way to quickly and easily clone or move their content from their current SATA or IDE disk drive to a new eSATA drive, or they may be looking for a way to connect a new eSATA drive to a USB port for quick and easy access to data from another system. In either case, most of those looking to use this kind of product are professional techies within the IT Support Function of a company or service provider looking to deliver quick and easy service to their clients who want their important data moved between an old system and a new one, or have had a system failure and want quick access to recover their data. StarTech, the maker of many useful gadgets to connect everything from your home theater to your servers and USB devices, asked The Gadgeteer to review the StarTech Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock. While I do not regularly need to clone disk drives, I do have the need to copy my trusty USB 500GB hard disk drive to a eSATA drive that I am installing in my kids? PC so I have an online backup copy of my content. Read on to see how the product fared and if it ended up in my gadget graveyard or not.

I received the box and quickly opened it to find the following:

StarTech Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock
AC Power Supply for the StarTech Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock Product Review
USB to eSATA Cable
Mini USB to USB Male Cable
Product Manual written in several languages

The StarTech Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock is tiny and easily fits in the palm of my hand. Weighing 1.59 oz (45G) and measuring in at a scant .64? (16.3mm) high x 2.76? (70mm) wide x 3.15? (80mm) long it is easy to see how taking the product along for the ride would be simple.

The Hard Drive Duplicator Dock is well labeled with ports for every hard disk drive interface that you can think of, save for SCSI, but no one really uses SCSI devices any longer. With that said, the weight of the product and size does not include the required power supply, which easily quadruples the weight. I would have thought that StarTech would have gone for a smaller cell phone style pop up AC prong charger to match the scant size of their Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock, but then they would have had to pick a voltage and made two part numbers, one for the 240 folks, and another for the 110 folks. This way, they killed two birds with one AC Adapter, but gave up on the ultimate portability.

I used the StarTech Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock to duplicate one of my USB hard disk drives to a new eSATA drive that I planned to install in a PC that my kids are using. To use the device, one simply connects the AC power and the source and target hard disk drives to the correct ports on the Hard Drive Duplicator Dock and presses a button and the cloning magically happens. The process can be monitored by looking at the progress bar LEDs that are broken into four 25% segments. Depending on your drive size and drive characteristics, the cloning process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours for larger drives and those with slower interfaces. When I cloned my drive, a 500GB disk drive it took a bit under two hours. The drives were connected via USB and the eSATA connections. From my review of the clone drive, it was a perfect copy of the original ? there were no issues with the files nor directory structure of the cloned drive. I used the Drive Duplicator to connect the eSATA drive to my laptop via USB, as the dock enables one to use an eSATA drive through USB in a slave mode. I tried a number of drives and the device was a bit finicky on which drives it would connect to, but after a bit of fiddling with the connection and powering the device off and on I was able to see the drives.

The Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock can also be used as a slave device to allow you to connect your USB, SATA, or eSATA devices to your PC or Mac to browse the contents of a disk drive. To change the mode of the device, one simply presses the Mode Selection Button and the color changes to show you that the mode has been switched. I should add that the device also shows that source, target, and slave devices have been successfully recognized by changing colors on the LEDs. This is important as you need a visual ?OK? to show you that you are ready to go. The Slave Mode is a very useful feature as I was able to connect my PC drive to my Mac without the use of a drive enclosure. For a professional techie or service technician this capability is invaluable as one can show up at a job site and access any disk drive type simply and easily. As we all know, or should know, when you have a system failure, the first thing that you do is worry about your precious data and many of us do not backup our data as we should. Being able to connect up any disk drive type to your laptop and check that the information is ok is worth the $75 asking price alone. Having drive cloning capability on top of that is an added benefit along with the size and portability of the StarTech Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock.

To sum up the review, I would happily recommend the StarTech Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock for any professional techie or service technician that needs to quickly and easily clone or access the contents of a disk drive. The Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock is available on the StarTech website as well as your favorite gadget retailers for around $75. The StarTech Portable eSATA USB to SATA Standalone HDD Hard Drive Duplicator Dock will live on, perhaps not in daily use, but at least a couple of times a year.

Product Information

Price:	$74.99
Manufacturer:	StarTech
Retailer:	StarTech
Requirements:	Microsoft Windows 2000/ XP(32/64-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2003(32/64-bit) MIcrosoft Windows Vista(32/64-bit) MIcrosoft Windows Server (32/64-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Mac OS X Linux 2.5" or 3.5" Hard Disk Drive with the following connectors: eSATA (7 pin; Data) Plug USB Mini-B (5 pin) Female SATA Data & Power Combo (7+15 pin) 110-240 AC Power with US Style Plug
Pros:	Portable drive cloning and data access without a host computer Small size Any-to-any drive type connectivity makes cloning and access simple and easy Well-constructed and detailed design including simple to read port naming Status lights clearly communicate the mode of the device as well as the current status of the cloning process Cost - at $75 this is an inexpensive way to ensure that you have access to any information on any disk device that you may need to access When duplicating drives the source and the target must be of equal or greater size (Duh!)
Cons:	Added weight of the included AC Adapter cuts down on the portability factor - StarTech should have gone with a Cell Phone Style AC Adapter to ensure portability

Tagged as: Duplication, eSATA, Hard Drive

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Monday 26 December 2011

Japanese Geniuses Building A Gundam

23:00

Tom

The Japanese are still at it, people. (Okay so they?re always at it.) More than 50 years since Ozamu Tezuka conceived of Astro Boy, Japanese scientists continue to obsess over that most illusive goal?a robot. But this time, they?re building a giant one. Fine, it?s not a Gundam, but what else can you call a 13 foot mecha? The Hajime Research Institute, rather than give Bandai free promo, consider their current work as building a viable ?4 meter robot? aka mobile suit. Close enough.

Gundam classic

Of course, seen above is a scale model Gundam. The Hajime Research Institute?s own mobile suit, which is un-built at the moment, is a far cry but similar in principle, i.e. housing a pilot.

Go check out Hajime?s official site, which is in English and includes lots of material like pics and diagrams. These guys are pretty serious. Wonder if the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force are even remotely interested in their work.

What really makes the Gundam reference apt is future models based on this super-tall droid will eventually tower 50 feet over us mere humans.

Since this is the last post from yours truly until next week, Happy Holidays to y?all! Keep it rocking and spread the good cheer. Remember: Don?t eat the yellow snow.

Source Popular Science

Capture 360-degree Panoramic Video with Your iPhone

17:00

Tom