Digital Balance

It's easy to spend too much or too little when shopping for a camera

Before purchasing a digital camera, you need to have a clear understanding of what the camera will be used for. You can waste money by setting out to buy the most expensive camera on the market, or one with the most bells and whistles, or even the cheapest, says Tony Mino of Ritz Camera in Temecula.

Too many of his customers come through the door looking for a camera with the highest image quality, not realizing that they can get by with a much cheaper camera.

"They come in and they're looking for 12 megapixels, but they're not going to need it or use it," he said. "Eight megapixels is perfect for most people. It's going to give you excellent files, and you can do your editing without breaking the image apart."

Likewise, steer clear of those too-good-to-be-true $59.99 digital-camera specials at big-box stores, advises sales manager Shawn Pennell of Davis Camera in San Bernardino.

"The problem we find with the cheap cameras is you're throwing the thing away in six months or buying something else," he said. "Something either breaks or a part fails, and you're dead in the water. ... I'd definitely go with one of the top manufacturers to get the protection, the reliability and the warranty you need."

Many customers this year are buying their second or third digital camera. Mino says many people are surprised to find out that quality has improved while prices have dropped in the past few years.

Three years ago, he said, 5- to- 8-megapixel cameras sold for around $600. Now you can find better quality for less than half that price. He recommends that if you are using your camera mainly for family portraits and travel photos, you should stick with a name-brand camera with around 6-8 megapixels, 3x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. These cameras generally sell for $100 to $300.

If you're more interested in shooting landscapes, high-speed action, weddings or nature photos, you can easily spend $1,000 or more on attachments and high-powered lenses. "So many people ask me, 'What's the best camera?'" Mino said. "There is no answer to that. It's all up to personal preference. The wife might like the Nikon D40 and her husband will like the Rebel XTi.

"There's definitely a lot of things that go into it, and price doesn't seem to be much of the issue," he said. "They're seeing it as an investment, so they want the best money can buy."

Know the features

Megapixels

What it is: Megapixels measure image quality. The more pixels in the camera generally means the better the photo quality.

What to look for: In many cases, bigger is not necessarily what you want. Most amateur photographers won't see a difference in images made with a 6-megapixel camera versus a 10-megapixel camera. But there can be a big price difference.

Digital Zoom vs. Optical Zoom

What it is: Digital zoom enlarges a portion of the image but often sacrifices image quality. Optical zoom magnifies an image with an adjustment of the lens on your camera without reducing the quality. Go for the bigger optical zoom and ignore the digital zoom.

What to look for: Turn off the digital zoom feature. After images are made with digital zoom, you're stuck with them.

Live LCD and Image Review

What it is: This is one of the best features users find when switching to digital. Digital cameras come with an LCD screen that previews images. A live LCD allows viewing of the actual image before it's taken. This is a great help in composing photos.

What to look for: Bigger is better. Cameras with the bigger displays are now sacrificing the viewfinder--but you probably won't use it anyway.

Single Lens Reflex (SLR)

What they are: SLR cameras are bigger than pocket cameras but have more options. They have better quality in low light, focus faster, have more shutter speeds and lens settings, higher ISO and interchangeable lenses and flashes.

What to look for: These cameras are generally packed with features and the ability to expand.

Waterproof

What it is: Many manufacturers make waterproof cases for nonwaterproof digital cameras. Some digital cameras (including some by Pentax and Olympus) can go directly into shallow water without special housing.

What to look for: Unless you plan to shoot in shallow water, Southern Californians generally don't require waterproof cameras.

Source: http://www.pe.com/lifestyles/stories/PE_Fea_Daily_D_digital07.17b6cf2.html

FinePix F50fd Digital Camera

Digital photographers looking for a top-of-the line compact digital camera can now take advantage of the latest in Fujifilm's F-Series digital cameras with the 12-Megapixel FinePix F50fd.Following a long line of award winning F-Series models, the FinePix F50fd, like the FinePix F31fd and F40fd before it, offers consumers a super-compact digital camera that takes beautiful shots with the most advanced features and technology available, so that missing great shots is not an option.

Combining a 12-MegaPixel, 7th Generation Super CCD with a 3.0x optical zoom and a 2.7"; high-resolution 230,000 pixel wide angle view LCD, the FinePix F50fd is a compact powerhouse that incorporates all the features users have come to expect from Fujifilm's more advanced digital cameras. With the addition of Dual Image Stabilization, Face Detection 2.0 Technology with Automatic Red Eye Removal function, and ISO settings of up to ISO 6400, the F50fd takes compact digital cameras to the next level, arming users with a host of new features and enabling them to take pictures never before possible.

Face Detection 2.0 – The Next Generation

Fujifilm's proprietary Face Detection Technology also gets an upgrade in the F50fd with the arrival of Face Detection 2.0, featuring Automatic Red Eye Removal. As with the original version of Face Detection, it can detect up to 10 human faces in a scene in as little as 5/100's of a second, correcting focus, exposure, and white balance automatically, regardless of where subjects are located within the frame. Face Detection 2.0 adds to this technology by being able to identify faces at much more extreme camera angles than before. No longer does the camera need a head-on shot to identify a face, because now even a profile will do – with up to 90O movement in either direction for profiles, and up to 135O for leaning or lying down in either direction, for a total range of 270O.

Additional improvements to Face Detection 2.0 include a new Automatic Red-Eye Removal feature that automatically corrects red-eye directly after the shot is taken and then saves both the original and the corrected image file.

Dual Image Stabilization

To ensure that users achieve even greater blur-free pictures, the FinePix F50fd adds to Fujifilm's Picture Stabilization mode to create the improved Dual Image Stabilizationmode. This combines a mechanically stabilized CCD sensor with high ISO sensitivities for Total Anti-Blur protection. The combination of these two different approaches reduces the "blur"; effect from the photographer's hand-shake and subject movement even further to provide the highest quality digital pictures yet, with sharp, clean and clear results.

Not much light? Not a Problem!

All too often, digital photographers run into problems when taking pictures in low-light or dimly-lit situations and have to rely on the flash which can lead to over-exposed and washed-out shots. The FinePix F50fd builds on the great strides previous Fujifilm digicams have made with low light photography and allows users to effortlessly capture the moment as their eye sees it, with tremendous clarity and low noise, using Fujifilm's Real Photo technology. Thanks to the 7th generation FinePix Super CCD-HR chip and the RP Processor II, the Finepix F50fd can utilize ISO settings of up to ISO1600 at full resolution and an amazing ISO 6400 at reduced resolution1, capturing stunning images even in low light while preserving the natural color and clarity of the shot.

In addition to these advancements, the FinePix F50fd possesses a number of other impressive features:

• Portrait Enhancer Mode: Mimicking a professional photo studio setting, by using Face Detection and preset camera settings, Portrait Enhancer minimizes fine lines and small skin blemishes for smooth, natural looking portraits.
  
  
  
• Dual Shot Mode: In this selectable mode, the FinePix F50fd quickly shoots two images in rapid succession -- one with the flash and one without – and saves both. This convenient function lets the user perform a comparison at their convenience and select the most pleasing image.
  
  
  
• i-Flash Intelligent Flash: i-Flash (Intelligent Flash) detects subtle lighting differences within a scene and then varies the flash intensity accordingly. It also leverages the high sensitivity of the FinePix F50fd to enable the camera to use less flash, resulting in an image that displays pleasing, natural tones without a "washed-out"; effect. And with an automatic pop-up flash, it's always ready when you need it.
  
  
  
• Full Manual Photographic Control: Gives the user total control with manual adjustment options for settings on the camera (resolution, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc), and is desirable by the photo enthusiasts/advanced photographers.
  
  
  
• GUI Micro Thumbnail: A new playback feature that allows for viewing an index print on the LCD. The F50fd will show up to 100 images in micro form, then the control buttons are used to move over specific images and select them. This makes it easy to quickly find a single image by being able to jump to particular segments of images in the time sequence. So rather than using the left/right arrows to move through one image at a time, you can move up/down/left/right and then select the image you want to view. The back button takes you back to the thumbnail view in one step. The micro view lets you get close to the image you want, and then scroll to find the specific picture. As memory cards become larger, and devices become as much about sharing images as capturing them, this is a handy feature to enable the user to find specific images quicker.
  
  
  
• IrSimpleTM: Infrared communication via IrSimpleTM technology for fast, easy wireless image transfer to a compatible device.
  
  
  
• Special Scene and Blog Modes: The FinePix F50fd has 16 pre-programmed scenes, including a special underwater scene mode for use with a special underwater casing. In the Blog mode, the FinePix F50fd copies and automatically reduces the size of copied images for easy posting to a blog, Web page or as an attachment to email for easy sharing with friends and family while maintaining the original file.
  
  
  
• xD / SD / SD-HC Compatible slot: The FinePix F50fd features a "xD/SD Compatible slot"; which accepts not only Fujifilm's traditional xD-Picture Cards but also Secure Digital (SD) and SD-High Capacity/SD-HC cards too.
  
  
  
• Battery Life: Long-life rechargeable Li-ion battery (up to 230 shots).

Source: http://www.cameratown.com/cameras/detail_page_sql.cfm?productid=15764326

5 Megapixel Underwater Digital Camera

Jaques Cousteau, Nemo and Marine Boy (boy we're getting old) eat your heart out! Most 'affordable' underwater cameras are great fun, but their price tag tends to mean that whilst they're fun, the pictures are not that brilliant. Well this Underwater Digital Camera is a whole new ballgame. We took it to Egypt (at great personal sacrifice) to put it to the test, and the results speak for themselves. It was easy to use, we know this because we didn't bother to read the instructions (though you should of course), and the 5 Megapixel resolution was excellent. As well as stills it shoots video at 18-20 FPS (frames per second) QVGA, and will take SD cards up to 2GB. A TV output cable lets you play your movies and pics on the box, the waterproof housing is safe down to at least 15 metres, and of course you can take it out of its case and use it as a land camera. You can even use it as a webcam if that's your bag. It uses just two AAA batteries, so no matter where you are you can keep the power going. All in all this is a deeply impressive underwater digital camera.

Features

• A Digital Aqua Pack, waterproof to 15m.
• A digi-cam and waterproof case.
• 5.0 Mega Pixels CMOS Sensor (2560 x 1920).
• 16MB Flash Memory.
• 8 x Digital Zoom.
• A video mode of 18-20 FPS at QVGA with sound.
• A voice recorder.
• A memory card slot that supports SD cards up to 2GB.
• A TV output and cable.
• A CD Rom.
• A driver for webcam functionality.
• Ulead Photo Software.
• A pouch and strap.
• A user manual.
• Suitable for ages 16 years+.
• Requires a USB cable (included).
• Requires 2 x AAA Batteries (not included).
• Size: 11.5 x 8 x 6cm.

Source: http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/new-arrivals/5-megapixel-underwater-digital-camera/index.html

December's coolest gadgets

As one year ends and another begins it's a natural time to reflect on things. In the consumer electronics market that reflection often centers on the big Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that takes place in Las Vegas the first week of each January.

The biggest news of last year -- the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc -- has hardly moved on at all, with consumers wisely staying away from both formats until the battle is settled, or at least until players become cheap enough that it's not a huge problem if your chosen format fails.

This particular battle highlights the disadvantage consumers find themselves at when companies don't remember that "the customer is king." Looking at the hottest gadgets of December reveals a similar example. In the first few days of the month NEC showed a concept PC that offers a lot of interesting features -- but suffers at the hands of rules and regulations.

The Lui PC, which is described below, can act as a home media server that lets you connect the device to another PC or a TV across a home network to watch stored programs -- but you can only do so on DLNA (digital living network alliance) compatible devices. That's because Japan's strict digital TV copy restrictions require HDTV content to be sent over protected networks so that it can't be copied. No matter what your views are on unauthorized copying, the restriction effectively means that only consumers with very new PCs or TVs -- i.e. those most likely to support DLNA -- will be able to use the network streaming function.

A second problem exists with logging into the server from outside the home. Here, the licensing terms of Microsoft's Windows Vista come into play, which restrict access to Vista PCs to one user at a time. That means someone at home can't use the PC function on the Lui if a user is logged in from outside, although DLNA devices can still stream programming from the Lui's tuners and hard-disk drive.

In the last year we've seen movement towards giving consumers more reasonable rights with the content they have acquired legally. Apple has begun offering DRM-free music through its iTunes Music Store, and in Japan the industry is moving towards allowing limited copying of digital TV shows after complaints from consumers. Let's hope for more of the same in 2008.

NEC Lui concept PC

Imagine most of the PC innovations you've seen in the last few years thrown together inside a single box and you start to get an idea of what the Lui from NEC is all about. The machine is a PC running Windows Vista that can also act as a home server. It has two digital HDTV tuners, so you can watch one channel while you record another. It has DLNA connectivity so that programming -- live or recorded -- can be streamed to other DLNA devices over Ethernet, and it will come with a Blu-ray Disc writer so that TV shows can be copied to disc. Users outside the home can log into the server and access content in the same way Slingbox or Location Free TV works. The PC is due on the Japanese market in the first half of next year at a price yet to be announced. NEC is one of Japan's leading PC makers despite not being well known for PCs in all countries.

LG Hybrid Blu-ray Disc / HD DVD drive

South Korea's LG has upgraded its dual-format blue-laser optical disc drive so that data can be written to discs faster. The drive, which can read HD DVD discs, and both read and write to Blu-ray Disc, now supports 6X Blu-ray Disc writing. That's half as fast again as the 4X write speed of the previous model. The price has also been cut, to 490,000 won (US$532), so it's good news all round. It's now available in South Korea and should reach other markets soon.

Sony HDV Camcorders

Sony is expanding its range of camcorders based on the HDV high-definition tape format. The format, which uses regular camcorder DV cassettes, is regarded as the best HD format on the consumer market. The new camcorders include a handheld and shoulder cam. Both support 1/3-mount lenses and can record in HDV up to 1080i. The DVCAM and DV formats are also supported. Sony is also offering a digital video recording device that will remove the need to capture recorded footage. The device stores data on Compact Flash cards. An 8G-byte card can store 36 minutes of video. All will be available in February. The handheld HVR-Z7J will cost ¥735,000 (US$6,676); the shoulder-type HVR-S270J will cost ¥1,155,000, and the HVR-M35J recorder will cost ¥609,000.

Panasonic camcorder DVD burner

With Panasonic's new VW-BN1 DVD burner you can burn high-definition video direct from a camcorder to a DVD disc without using a PC. The slim burner plugs straight into the USB port on Panasonic's HDC-SD5 and HDC-SD7 camcorders and will record AVCHD format high-def video to a conventional 12cm DVD-RAM/-RW/-R or -R DL disc at 6X speed. Playback of the discs is a little clunky as it requires you plug the drive back into the camcorder and then connect the camcorder to your TV. Perhaps future versions will have direct playback capability. The drive will be available in December in both Japan and the U.S. for about US$200.

Casio hi-zoom digital camera

Casio has launched the second camera in its Exilim Hi-Zoom range. The EX-V8 has an 8-megapixel image sensor and includes Casio's YouTube movie capture mode, which shoots movies in MPEG4 that can be uploaded directly to YouTube without conversion. Packed inside the body is a 7X zoom lens that doesn't protrude from the camera when it's in use, an unusual feature for a compact camera. The camera has a 2.5-inch display and records to SD memory cards. It's available worldwide for around US$320.

LG LED Laptop

The P300 laptop from LG Electronics is a sight for sore eyes. The computer has an LED (light emitting diode) backlight behind the 13.3-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) that should give an improved image with better colors. The machine is based on an 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and comes with a GeForce 8600M video card, 250G-byte Serial ATA hard-disk drive and 2G-bytes of memory. It's thin too, at 21 millimeters, and weighs about 1.6 kilograms.

Sharp Color electronic dictionary

About a decade ago all electronic dictionaries were good for was looking up the meaning of words or translating between two languages. These days you find them loaded with multiple reference works and other features. Sharp's PW-TC930 comes with more than 40 reference works and includes audio samples of bird calls, animal sounds and classical music clips, which come up alongside relevant words in the dictionary. To help English learners there are also 50,000 audio pronunciation clips. It's currently available in Japan only and costs ¥53,000.

Source: http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=9124

10 Absolutely Best Video Games to Buy Teens This Christmas 2007

Wondering what would be the best video game to get as a gift this this holiday season?

This Christmas, game developers and publishers are rushing out games for gamers of all types and of varying quality.

To make things easier for people who are not active gamers but want to get a really great video game as a gift , here's a list of the 10 Best Video Games to Get Teens this Christmas.

This list of games covers the best games aimed at an older video game audience, typically suggested for those from 13 to 18 years and beyond.

Best Video Game 1. Call of Duty 4

Imagine yourself in the role of a United States Marine, fighting a war against intelligent and vicious enemies in a fictitious war in the middle east. The conflict involves terrorists, who have managed to obtain nuclear weapons, and are threatening to use them. The imagine yourself in the role of an S.O.S. (British special forces military), executing covert operations in Russia, who has stockpiled enough nukes to destroy the entire world a dozen times, and who's government is now collapsing and the threat of those nukes falling into the wrong hands becomes real. In Call Of Duty 4, you'll play as both a United States Marine (for part of the game), and a member of an elite S.A.S. team, in one of the most intense and satisfying first person shooter campaigns of all time. This Christmas hit is available on Xbox 360 , PLAYSTATION 3 , and PC , and is Rated M for Mature (appropriate for gamers 17+ years of age).

Best Video Game 2. Assassin's Creed

This Christmas hit comes from one of the world's biggest video game publishers, Ubisoft. From the creators of the critically acclaimed series, Prince of Persia, comes a new action adventure game based in the 1191 AD. You play as an Assassin named Altair, and are assigned to stealthily assassinate several highly important targets in the Holy Land. To do this, you will learn to scale walls, climb incredibly high buildings, and engage in some of the most ferocious third person combat seen in any video game to date. You're able to utilize several weapons, including your fists, a long sword, a short sword, throwing knives, and my personal favorite, a knife that is attached to Altair's arm. To experience one of the most incredibly cinematic stories of any video game ever made, buy Assassin's Creed for the Xbox 360 , PLAYSTATION 3 , PC, or Nintendo DS. The game is Rated M for Mature (appropriate for gamers 17+ years of age).

Best Video Game 3. Bioshock

One of the most original games of all time, Bioshock puts you in the shoes of Jack, who is the lone survivor in a plane crash in the middle of the ocean. Meant to take place during an alternate timeline in 1960, Jack discovers an underwater dystopia based on the novel "Atlas Shrugged," written by Ayn Rand. After you enter this underwater city that you have found, you discover that the city has fallen into ruins, and is now being run by monsters and crazy citizens. This video game will have you on the edge of your seat with some of the most original gameplay and story twists of the decade, and is sure to scare you at every corner. You can purchase this game on the Xbox 360 and PC , and is Rated M for Mature (appropriate for gamers 17+ of age).

Best Video Game 4. Mass Effect

This Christmas release takes you on an epic journey through the universe, travelling through various galaxies, discovering planets of many varieties and complexities. This is the only big Christmas Role-Playing Game , and allows you to create your in game character from scratch, choosing how they look and what they wear. As you advance in the game, you'll get to outfit your character with specific armor to protect yourself, and with weapons to attack your foes. This title is one of the most visually stunning titles for the Christmas holiday, and is one of the longest to play, so if you're looking for a high quality experience that will last for quite some time, you might want to pick this title up. This game is available exclusively on the Xbox 36 0, and is Rated M for Mature (appropriate for gamers 17+ years of age).

Best Video Game 5. Halo 3

Finish the fight with one of the most anticipated games of all time. Halo 3 is the final game in the Halo series, and you continue the fight with Master Chief, a genetically enhanced soldier from the future defending the human species from an invading force of aliens. Take the fight online with the critically acclaimed multiplayer, battling with up to 15 other players at once. This game was developed on a massive scale, and broke sales records all over the world. If you don't already have this game, it's in your best interest to get it for Christmas, as it's one of the biggest hit games of the year. Halo 3 is only available on Xbox 360 , and is Rated M for Mature (appropriate for gamers 17+ years of age).

Best Video Game 6. Warhawk

Warhawk is a massive scale, online multiplayer only game for the PLAYSTATION 3. This game is special in that it is completely downloadable from the internet onto the PLAYSTATION 3, and supports up to a massive number of 32 players in one game at a time. With chaotic combat, tight controls, good graphics, and many customizable features, this game will please many shooter fans. If you're a fan of shooters or action games, and own a PLAYSTATION 3, this game is certainly a great purchase for Christmas. As mentioned, this game is only available on the PLAYSTATION 3 , and is Rated T for Teen (appropriate for gamers 13+ years of age).

Best Video Game 7. Medal of Honor: Airborne

Step into the shoes of Airborne soldiers during World War II and defeat Germany in this Christmas video game hit. Containing good graphics, a good story, and intense gameplay, the Medal of Honor: Airborne has taken the Medal of Honor series to a new level of realism and entertainment. This title is available on the PLAYSTATION 3 , Xbox 360 , and PC , and is Rated T for Teen (appropriate for gamers 13+ years of age).

Best Video Game 8. Manhunt 2

This title is one of the most controversial games of the year, and is published by the company known for such controversial hits as Grand Theft Auto and Bully. It's extreme violence is a landmark for video games, and is the first controversial title to be initially given an AO (18+ only) Rating, requiring Rockstar to alter some of the video game's content. The game puts you into an extremely violent situation where an ex-scientist is injected with a killer's personality, and brutally executes people in an attempt to escape the insane asylum that he has been stuck in for 6 years. If you're into controversial content, or like games such as Grand Theft Auto or the first Manhunt, this game is just the game for you. The game is available on the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo W ii, and is Rated M for Mature (appropriate for gamers 17+ years of age).

Best Video Game 9. TimeShift

TimeShift is one of the few games made that will allow you to take control of time. Wearing a suit that can alter the stream of time, you can pause, slow down, and even reverse time. Be involved in gameplay as you've never seen it, fighting enemies and solving puzzles using your amazing time affecting abilities. Don't get too settled in, however, because you should be aware: you can alter time and create alternate time streams! You can buy this action packed, exciting first person shooter for the Xbox 360 , PLAYSTATION 360 , and PC , and is Rated M for Mature (appropriate for gamers 17+ years of age).

Best Video Game 10. Kane and Lynch: Dead Men

This intense Christmas release, by the makers of the Freedom Fighters, takes you on the journey of two escaped convicts that were both on death row for murder. After being helped to escape on a prisoner transport, it is discovered that Kane's family has been captured and is being held until Kane has returned money that he owes to a group called The 7. Recruiting the brutal Lynch to tag along, they go on a bank robbing spree, killing and stealing their way to a small fortune that is enough to repay Kane's debts to The 7. This title is available on PLAYSTATION 3 , Xbox 360, and PC , and is Rated M for Mature (appropriate for gamers 17+ years of age).

* * * *

Well, that's my list of 10 Best Video Games to Buy For Teens This Christmas. If you choose to purchase one of these games, please keep in mind that they are appropriate only for the age groups given, and buying this game for a person under the age rating is not recommended due to violence, blood, or language. Please pay attention to the ratings system when looking for age appropriate video games, and if they confuse you, you can ook up more information at the ESRB website.

Source: http://inventorspot.com/articles/best_video_game_christmas_gifts_2007_8551

Cell phones now able to display electronic books

Cell phones aren't just getting smart. They're turning into bookworms.

From their humble start as a simple phone that you could carry in your pocket, mobile phones have added a raft of features, such as the ability to take photos, shoot video, receive and send e-mail, and search the Internet.

Now, cell phones are in the process of adding another feature: the capability of displaying electronic versions of books.

With their small screens, cell phones might not spring to mind as a suitable medium for reading lengthy stretches of text.

And a much ballyhooed e-book revolution during the dot-com era in the late 1990s and early 2000s fizzled, leading many in publishing to doubt whether books would ever escape the bounds of paper.

But that hasn't stopped such publishers as Houghton Mifflin, Simon and Schuster and Avalon Travel from making deals with specialty firms to produce mobile versions of some of their titles.

In one of the most recent deals, Boston-based Houghton Mifflin, which traces its origins back to 1832, agreed to work with Mobifusion, a Silicon Valley firm, to make some of the publisher's reference and children's books available in mobile versions.

One of the first titles that they hope to have out by the end of the year is "Fast Food My Way" by celebrity chef Jacques Pepin.

The cell-phone version will probably cost $30 - the same as the print version.

"You could be at Dean and Deluca in New York and look up the recipe for what you're going to make for dinner that night," said Houghton Mifflin's David Langevin, referring to the gourmet food store.

"So with your phone, you know what to shop for. That seems a lot more functional than the print book."

Last week, Harpercollins UK announced a deal with Apple to make excerpts of the publisher's books available on Apple's iPhone for free in Britain.

In addition, the phone will carry author interviews and audio clips of writers reading from their work.

Part of the reasoning behind such deals is that mobile versions of popular titles may help sell more printed books.

When you get home from the gourmet store with your chanterelle mushrooms and heirloom tomatoes, would you rather read one of Pepin's recipes from a cell-phone screen or from a large printed page, with a big color photo to show how the dish should look?

But another reason for the deals speaks to the uncertainty of the Internet age: nobody knows for sure what format of electronic reading will prove to be the ultimate winner, or whether there will be an ultimate winner.

So why not hedge your bets and try cell-phone books as well as more conventional electronic books intended for bigger screens?

"We're really aiming to be agnostic and ubiquitous," said Claire Israel, director of digital content at Simon and Schuster, which is planning to make some consumer reference material, such as buying guides, available on cell phones, possibly by the end of the year.

"In terms of format, we're just trying to push this content out there. I'm very comfortable with letting the consumer make the choice."

Source: http://media.www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news/2007/12/05/Features/Cell-Phones.Now.Able.To.Display.Electronic.Books-3132556-page2.shtml
http://media.www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news/2007/12/05/Features/Cell-Phones.Now.Able.To.Display.Electronic.Books-3132556.shtml

Cell phone guide: Gifts to gab on the go

While the iPhone is a hot holiday gift, it isn't for everybody. The business department decided to check out some cell phones that have been making news lately. Here's our roundup of reviews for a cross section of cell phones now on the market:

T-Mobile Shadow
Price: $149 after rebates
Carrier: T-Mobile
Category: entertainment phone with slide-out keyboard

The iPhone it's not. But the T-Mobile Shadow has a couple of cool features. Calling friends is easy because it has T-Mobile's MyFaves quick-dial icons that allow you to call up to five friends with just a push of one or two buttons.
The phone feels solid in your hand and has a slide-out keyboard that I kept sliding in and out as a nervous habit. The phone was designed to allow the edge of the screen to blend with the dark borders, hence the Shadow name. It has a pretty 2.6-inch display, a "spin navigation wheel" that allows you to scroll through menus at high speeds, and a 2-megapixel camera with video capture. It has Bluetooth and WiFi. It isn't as big as an iPhone, nor is it tiny. It runs with Windows Mobile 6 software, meaning you can run Windows compatible software for viewing Word or Excel documents.

BlackBerry Curve 8320
Price: $249
Carrier: T-Mobile, Wirefly
Category: smart-phone for work

For the past year, I've been searching for the impossible: a cool smart-phone that would let me hop on and off any network I wanted, whether it was WiFi or regular wireless. I wanted to be free and connected at the same time. That ruled out the iPhone.
Luckily, the new BlackBerry Curve 8320 was released in September. Deceptively sleek and petite, the new Curve is the closest thing to communications freedom on the market today.
It handles all the typical BlackBerry tasks - e-mail, calendar, Web search - and also lets you add your own apps, like Google maps or Yahoo oneSearch. Plus, it has some nice extras: a built-in camera and voice recognition tool that lets me yak to my heart's content during a brutal commute - without taking my hands off the wheel or my eyes off the road.

Jitterbug
Price: $147
Carrier: GreatCall

Category: simple phones

Sometimes simplicity is a virtue when it comes to tech gadgets. Certainly that's the marketing shtick of the Jitterbug phone and accompanying cell service from GreatCall.
In fact, the clamshell-style Jitterbug is as simple as you can get. No text messaging. No Web browsing. Nothing except phone calls. In other words, the kind of phone my mom would like.
And people my mom's age are the target audience for this phone. The keyboard features large lighted keys, which make for easy dialing even if you're all thumbs.
The Jitterbug interface scores points for guiding you through its menu. At every screen, the phone asks you a yes-or-no question, such as "Voice Dial?" or "Call?" You answer with the "yes" or "no" buttons. That's a lot more intuitive than most phones.
Still, the Jitterbug is so basic that it drove me crazy. Scrolling through the phone list is clunky - there's no search function, so you have to page through the names with the arrow keys. Figuring out how to access the most recent calls also took some hit-or-miss keypunches.

Sidekick LX
Price: $299 with two-year contract
Carrier: T-Mobile
Category: texting phone for social teens and young adults

While my first impression of the new Sidekick was lukewarm, I found it was a much different story in the eyes of my kids.
The new Sidekick LX has a sleeker design and larger display screen than its previous version. It is a great messaging device with a spacious keyboard that operated well even under my clumsy fingers. I also liked that it offered Bluetooth, MySpace and a camera. This should all impress me, right?
But it wasn't really enough. Overall, the device still felt plastic and lightweight. It didn't seem solid enough to withstand being dropped more than once. The roller - mouse? - was probably the least fluid roller I've used and I initially thought it was broken. (It wasn't).
On the other hand, the interface was easy to figure out and the screen color felt crisp. I could navigate well and liked the modern look.
I left the phone lying on the table just to gauge the reactions of my kids. Needless to say, they (ages 11 and 14) both swooned over the device and begged to keep it. In their eyes, it completely outshines my iPhone, which for some reason doesn't really compare in the "coolness" factor.
The Sidekick line deserves a good look for its cool-looking design, past innovations and great IM capability. It should also be applauded for it's superb marketing in selling an image to teens. Sadly, I can't recommend the LX unless you fit within a certain demographic and spend more time texting your friends rather than talking to them.

Palm Centro
Price: $99 after rebates with two-year contract
Carrier: Sprint
Category: smart-phone for the rest of us

It may lack the name, but the Centro is essentially a Palm Treo at heart. Indeed, the biggest noticeable difference between it and its predecessors - besides its bargain basement price - is its size. Compared with the Treo line, it's tiny. Still, this is no RAZR-thin phone.

And the phone's new size has its drawbacks. The keyboard - already compressed on previous models - is downright cramped.
Like all smart-phones, the Centro can be used to surf the Web and check e-mail. But both features are rudimentary at best - don't expect much more than text e-mail, for instance. Despite hooking up to Sprint's high-speed network, the Centro's display of Web pages is somewhat slow.
And don't plan on doing a whole lot at once because the phone runs Palm's aging operating system that doesn't support true multitasking.
Still, the phone is worth a look for those who are looking for a smart-phone, but can't afford to pay the typical smart-phone price.



Source: http://origin.mercurynews.com/business/ci_7622069?nclick_check=1

Cell Phones to Replace Paper Boarding Passes

What do an MP3 player, a GPS navigation system, digital cameras, e-mail, video games, and browsing the Web have in common? They are things you can do on a cell phone other than talk. Well, here's another to add to the list: airline boarding pass.

According to a story I spotted at USA Today's Web site, Continental Airlines says it will begin allowing customers to substitute paper boarding passes with a cell phone-based boarding pass system.

For the next three months Continental will test the system out of the Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. It won't be the first, according the news report. Since September Air Canada has been using the system and allowing user to board aircrafts with their cell phone or PDA - sans a paper pass.

The Paperless Boarding Pass program, as it's called, was devised by the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA says the chief advantages of the cell phone-based boarding passes are that they are harder to forge than the paper equivalent and that they will reduce the number of lost paper boarding passes it has to deal with.

Here is how the program works: The airline sends a message to the air traveler's cell phone at time of check-in. Next, when passengers go through a security checkpoint or boards their plane instead of pulling out a paper boarding pass all they have to do is present their cell phone and the electronic boarding pass message they received at check-in. The message, which includes a cryptic code, is scanned by a TSA agent using a handheld scanner.

Here is my question: Does anyone actually still use their cell phone to call people anymore?

Source: http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006020.html

Use Your Mobile Phone To Create Your Own Wi-Fi Hotspot

Mobile phone users with broadband wireless access can create a portable Wi-Fi hotspot through the use of a pocket-size portable EVDO device unveiled this week by CradlePoint.

Similar in function to home office and small office Wi-Fi routers, the pocket-sized PHS300 can be combined with a 3G cellular modem or 3G handset to create its own access point

"Plugging a phone or modem into the PHS creates an instant hotspot for consumers and enterprises that is flexible, reliable and secure," said Gary Oliverio, CradlePoint's co-founder and VP of marketing, in a statement. "With the PHS300, shared Internet access is simple and available at higher speeds with virtually unlimited coverage."

The device, which is available starting this week, carries a suggested retail price of $179. The PHS' intuitive software requires no special installation by users and connects at broadband speeds to PCs, PDAs, MP3 players, gaming devices and smart phones.

CradlePoint said the PHS -- the PHS stands for "personal hotspot" -- connects users of Wi-Fi-enabled devices at broadband speeds. The PHS is powered by an AC adapter or by a user-replaceable lithium-ion battery.

The company said the device can be used with some Verizon Wireless and Sprint (NYSE: S) data plans operating with USB modems manufactured by Sierra Wireless, Novatel Wireless and Franklin Wireless. Also, some smart phones, PDAs, and Blackberries can be used with the PHS.

Based in Boise, Idaho, CradlePoint also makes docking cradles, cellular routers, and support software. The company's branded technology is called WiPipe and is marketed to mobile business customers and emergency responders looking for online access and traffic management functions.

Source: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=204701124

GIFTS FOR ... the foodie

Wears chef’s clogs while cooking at home but swears it’s only because they’re comfortable. Keeps an Insta-Read thermometer ready at all times to ensure safe food temps. Will devote every night this month to holiday bake-a-palooza. Covets all the latest gadgets and cookbooks - but doesn’t always know which are the best.

COOKBOOKS ‘Cucina del Sole,” by Nancy Harmon Jenkins (Morrow, $29.95). In her newest book, Jenkins, who has eaten her way up and down Italy, explores the foods of Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia and Campania. Now you can enjoy authentic Southern Italian fare at home.

“How to Cook Everything Vegetarian,” by Mark Bittman (Wiley, $34). Quite simply the only book you will ever need to cook meatless meals. Bittman, who writes “The Minimalist” column for The New York Times, is master of the easy recipe - and this tome has 2,000 of them.

“Knife Skills,” by Peter Hertzmann (Norton, $19.95). A practical guide to purchasing, using and caring for a kitchen knife. Profusely illustrated, it’s a master class on knives between two covers.

“Morimoto,” by Masaharu Morimoto (DK, $40). The acclaimed “Iron Chef” demystifies modern Japanese cuisine with recipes even a home cook can accomplish - although obtaining hard-to-find ingredients such as kinome, kinki and obrata may still present a challenge.

“Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook,” by Fuchsia Dunlop (Norton, $29.95). A comprehensive selection of recipes from Hunan province, including beloved dishes such as Chairman Mao’s red-braised pork. Dunlop’s smoked bean curd stir-fried with Chinese celery is killer.

“The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food,” by Judith Jones (Knopf, $24.95). The memories and musings of the renowned cookbook editor - who discovered Julia Child and Marcella Hazan, and rescued “The Diary of Anne Frank” from a publisher’s discard pile in post-World War II Paris.

GADGETS

Messermeister 12-Inch Silicone Locking Tongs are the ultimate form of the ultimate chef’s tool. Tipped with silicone so they can grab without slipping, stir in a Teflon pan without scratching yet still pick up red-hot stuff without melting, they lock closed and hang from an eyelet. In four Food Network-ready colors as well as basic black. $10.99, at amazon.com.

OK, OK, so the KitchenAid Euro-Peeler isn’t exactly a cutting-edge tool. But it’s hands-down the best peeler out there: wicked sharp, rock-solid and ergonomically designed despite its cool retro look. Sharp shades, too: cobalt blue, empire red and onyx black. $7.99, at shopkitchenaid.com.

Every kitchen needs a rotary cheese grater, but most are flimsy, clumsy to squeeze or prone to grating plastic shavings into your fromage. The best ever produced - the French-made Mouli Grater - isn’t manufactured anymore. Thank goodness for eBay, where vintage aluminum Moulis with their bright red wooden handles abound - kitchen tool and objet d’art in one. Ooh-la-la! $3-$16.50 at ebay.com.

Prepara Herb Savor: Plastic canister with water reservoir preserves cut herbs for up to three weeks in the refrigerator. $29.95 at Sur la Table in Chestnut Hill, or at surlatable.com

Sometimes the best thing to give a foodie is more of the same - a second bowl for the stand mixer, a backup coffee carafe or a new blade for the food processor. $40-$100 for all kinds of replacement parts at thegourmetdepotco.com

DeLonghi Magnifica Digital Super Automatic Espresso Machine: The Mercedes of household espresso machines grinds, tamps and brews espresso, while adding a frothy layer of steamed milk and foam for cappuccinos and lattes with the touch of a single button. $1,499.95 at shopdelonghi.com

FOR SOPHISTICATED PALATES

Caviar gift set:For those who can taste the difference between Osetra from Iran and Osetra from Uruguay. 1 oz. of each, packaged with a crystal server and bone spoon for elegant caviar service. $190 at chefswarehouse.com

Cheese sampler assortment: From Boston’s own Formaggio Kitchen, choose from a sampler assortment of blue cheeses, British cheeses, goat cheeses or samplers to pair with wine or beer. $53.95 at formaggiokitchen.com

Artisan Sea Salt: Unique and rare varieties of sea salt lend subtle taste, texture and visual appeal to fine cooking. Try alder-smoked, black Salish for a smoky flavor, or Cyprus Black Lava flakes and coarse Peruvian Pink for a sprinkle of sophistication over the finished dish. 3.5 oz. jar with cork stopper; $10.99 at seasalt.com; $12.98 for select varieties at Wilson Farm in Lexington.

Spice flights: Purchase three or more varieties of a single herb or spice, and package in attractive bottles (try paprika, peppercorns, oregano or basil). Throw in some recipes that highlight the nuances of each variety. If you’re lucky, your giftee will invite you to a tasting! Pictured: Smoked Spanish Paprika, Hungary Sweet Paprika and Hungary Half-Sharp Paprika; $2.29 for 1.2 oz. each at Penzeys Spices, Arlington, or penzeys.com.

Puzzle-Tin Cocoa: Party Favors, the Brookline shop famed for cakes, cookies, fudges and pastries, offers 5-oz. holiday puzzle tins filled with gourmet cocoas in seasonal flavors, such as candy cane or Belgian white caramel. The decorative tins twist to create mix-and-match Santas and snowmen. $7.95 at partyfavorsbrookline.com or 617-566-3330.

Dakin Farm Gift Box: The Vermont smokehouse’s “Most Impressive” selection includes a 6-pound dinner ham, cob-smoked bacon, a slab of Vermont cheddar, buttermilk pancake mix, clover honey, strawberry and blueberry jam and one quart of Vermont maple syrup, all packed in a nifty wooden gift box. $136.95 at dakinfarm.com or 800-99-DAKIN.

Savenor’s Meat of the Month Club: Treat your favorite carnivore to a very special delivery: 12 months of high-quality meats from Savenor’s Market. Offerings range from heart-shaped tenderloin (February) to boneless smoked ham (April) and Kobe beef hotdogs (August). $497.23 (for 2); $908.67 (for 4); at savenorsmarket.com.

The Nantucket Storm Pack: This treasure chest for the merry tippler includes one 750-ml. bottle each of Nantucket’s micro-distilled Gale Force Gin, Hurricane Rum, Riptide Tequila and Nor’Easter Bourbon packed in a heavy-duty cardboard crate. $125 at select Massachusetts liquor stores or from Nantucket’s Triple 8 distillery, 800-324-5550. For the high roller, Triple 8 also sells private barrels of bourbon for a mere $6,000.

Private label brewskis: BeerOnTheWall.com, a California-based beer-gift specialist, offers a wide selection of themed gift baskets featuring a variety of popular brews. For a truly unique gift, order a private-label six-pack of blond ale customized with the name of your giftee printed on colorful labels. $19.95 per six-pack at beeronthewall.com or 888-840-2337.

COOL STUFF

Chef’s Center Cookbook Stand: Spring-loaded clear splash guard keeps your pages flat, Lazy Susan base rotates 360 degrees for easy viewing. Need to convert a measurement? Pull out the handy weight and conversion chart inside the base. Folds flat for storage. $34.99 at pastrychef.com

OneNote by Microsoft: Microsoft’s notebook software is a perfect choice for making a digital cookbook. Your favorite cook can type in his recipes, or scan those old recipe cards and paste them into the notebook. Soon all those cards, newspaper clippings and handwritten notes are organized in one place - and searchable! List price $99.95; $79.99 at amazon.com

Edibles ’08 wall calendar: Luscious full-color photographs of fruits and vegetables by renowned photographer Robert Kaufman. $12.99 at silvervisions.com.

Even the most obsessed cook needs some playtime. Help her kick back with Celebrity Chef! The Game, a six-player board game that’s a little bit Monopoly, a little bit “Top Chef.” Players collect fans, cookbook offers, TV shows and endorsements, along with answering questions in categories such as Name That Dish! and Tools & Techniques. The player with the most points wins the game - and the coveted title of Celebrity Chef. $29.99 at amazon.com

Beach Grass Shop Bamboo Cheese Board:($65) This attractive 8-by-9-by-2-inch oval cheese board made of bamboo conceals a sliding drawer with a four-piece set of stainless-steel cheese knives. $65 at the Beach Grass Shop in Kennebunkport, Maine; beachgrassshop.com.

FOR WINE LOVERS

The Wine Lover’s Calendar: A page-a-day calendar from Karen MacNeil, author of the bestselling “The Wine Bible.” Daily entries range from wine recommendations and pairing advice to trivia and vineyard lore. $9.59 at amazon.com

STORViNO Wine Storage System: Store your wine bottles properly on their side using these inexpensive plastic storage modules. Units lock together using wine corks to create a scalable system that can fit anywhere. Each unit holds six standard-size bottles, with room for three more on the top. $19.99 at target.com or wineenthusiast.com.

For an evening out with fabulous wine and food, treat your foodie to one of the many events at the 2008 Boston Wine Festival. Billed as the nation’s longest-running food-and-wine pairing event, the festival runs from Jan. 11 to April 4 with a wide range of tasting dinners, seminars and receptions at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Tickets for the Jan. 11 opening reception and buffet are $100, dinners range from $145 to $320; at bostonwinefestival.net

FOR BAKERS

“Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (St. Martin’s Press): Mix a large batch of dough each week, then pop a loaf in whenever you want one. Nearly 100 recipes put Hertzberg and Francois’ foolproof techniques into action. Hardcover, $27.95; at bookstores or amazon.com.

Lekue Silicone Financier Pan: Bake 20 perfectly formed cake bars in this oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe nonstick pan. Recommended by master baker Rose Levy Berenbaum at her blog (realbakingwithrose.com) as the best way to make brownies - no cutting into bars! $9.99 at amazon.com.

Rose’s Heavenly Cake Strip: Keep cake sides moist and prevent doming by wrapping your cake pan with this food-grade silicone strip. Fits around 9-inch-round and 8-inch-square pans. Endorsed by Rose Levy Berenbaum, author of “The Cake Bible” and other baking books. $9.99 at amazon.com.

Brotform and lame: Shape and raise bread dough in a traditional brotform basket made from coiled cane, which imprints the loaf as it rises. Holds any recipe with 3 to 5 cups of flour. Lame bread-slashing tool has a curved -inch blade for making perfect slashes in your loaf before baking. $29.95 (brotform) and $6.95 (lame) at kingarthurflour.com

Perforated French Bread Pan from Chicago Metallic is a professional-grade pan made from heavy-gauge steel, with perforations to ensure even browning and a crisper crust. Coated with SilverStone nonstick surface for easy release and cleanup. $19.95 at cooking.com.

Techniques of Baking class at Cambridge School of Culinary Arts: Learn classic technique for yeast breads, cakes, pies and choux pastry. Four-session class meets every Sunday beginning Jan. 13. $300; information at cambridgeculinary.com

Source: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1048776#articleFull

Wi-Fi Extends to Gadgets

Short-range home networks link Web radio, picture frames, cameras, and even cell phones in many new uses.

uited executives, grungy teens and even some savvy grannies are already using Wi-Fi to wirelessly link their laptops to the Internet.

It may not be long before the short-range high-speed technology is just as popular for those looking to connect music players, phones, cameras, game consoles and more.

Wi-Fi's expansion beyond its role linking computers to the Internet should be good news for consumers -- making a host of electronics devices easier to use and more useful.

For example, Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA, a longtime provider of Wi-Fi Web links for laptops, has expanded its service to let customers who have weak cell phone coverage at home automatically transfer calls to their home Wi-Fi network.

Squeezebox, a Wi-Fi device made by Logitech, has been winning fans among music lovers who use it to transmit Internet radio stations and personal digital music collections to various locations around the house.

Another gadget, the Eye-Fi card, was designed to make sharing photographs from digital cameras less of a chore by automatically moving photos to computers or online albums.

"Products involved in media transfer from point A to point B without using a wire are becoming very popular," said Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg. "We're moving past the early adopters into mainstream consumers."

London-based architect Alistair Twiname was so enthusiastic about the Squeezebox that he posted a step-by-step chronicle of his installation of the device in his bathroom at chasingparkedcars.com.

"I had a dream... a dream about music... music and soap," Twiname wrote in his Web entry. "Some people suggested extension cables and mini boom boxes, shower radios... running lengths of cable... these all had various disadvantages."

Twiname, who also manages a rock band called Big Strides, says the wireless device has multiple advantages beyond simply letting him listen to his music collection while bathing.

"Handing over the remote to a dinner party guest to choose a tune is a great way to find out about the hidden depths of your music collection and your guests at the same time," said Twiname in an e-mail. He also uses Squeezebox as a clock.

Wi-Fi Music and Photos

Rivals of Squeezebox, which costs about $300, include the SoundBridge from Rokulabs.com and Sonos Digital Music System.

Apple Inc also uses Wi-Fi in its home media hub Apple TV, which streams music and video from the computer to the television and to stereo systems.

It also added Wi-Fi to its first cell phone, the iPhone, and has put it in its latest music player, the iPod Touch, which works for Web surfing as well as music downloads.

In order to make management of digital photographs less time consuming, privately held Eye-Fi recently started selling a camera storage card with a built-in Wi-Fi connection.

To be sure, using a card reader or a cable connection to transfer photographs between digital cameras and computers is relatively simple. Yet many pictures never get moved to the computer, often because the photographer is too busy or simply forgets.

The Eye-Fi card, which sells for about $100, solves this by automatically moving copies to the computer or online albums every time the camera is switched on and within range of the user's Wi-Fi network and computer.

Ron Glaz, an analyst for research firm IDC said the Eye-Fi was easy to set up and made managing photographs less of a chore. As an added bonus, it also provided entertainment for his young children.

Glaz has connected his computer to his television at home, so when the Eye-Fi card updates his PC photograph album the pictures automatically show up on the TV.

"I can see myself throwing a birthday party, taking pictures and letting the kids see them on TV upstairs. It would make it fun for them," he said, "Oh, look at me! I'm on TV."

But Jupiter's Gartenberg notes that Wi-Fi devices, while making certain tasks easier and allowing consumers to enjoy media all over the house, do have drawbacks. The biggest one may be that they can be complex to manage for the non-techie.

"Consumers are suddenly discovering they have to become network managers in their own home," he said.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140195-c,homenetworking/article.html

Memo to Santa: Ask parents before gifting tech toys

Tech toys are all the rage this holiday gift-giving season, and I have a request for all the cool, creative, and wired aunts, uncles, and friends who are choosing presents for the kids in their lives. Please consult with parents before you buy a child a high-tech gift, especially any toy or gadget that has an online connection.

Just as you wouldn't spring a puppy on a family as a surprise, you should check in with parents before you give a tech toy. I can testify on behalf of frazzled parents, even those of us with a techie bent ourselves, that we are dancing as fast as we can to keep up with the implications of computers, gadgets, and online communication for our kids.

To give one example, in our hometown there is intense peer pressure among tweens to get a Webkinz. I have talked to many parents whose kids first went online after receiving a Webkinz as a gift, including some parents who didn't even realize that the stuffed animals had a social-networking component. Some families who have taken the online plunge are not happy with their experience. While some parents are embracing Webkinz and Club Penguin as sites they perceive as safe, others are dismayed that their children are getting into surfing at such a young age and being socialized as online consumers. (Disney is investing more in Club Penguin than News Corp. paid for MySpace: you can bet they're busy figuring how to make money from their potential $700 million deal).

There are so many gadgets that are being designed to appeal directly to kids, including Web cams, digital cameras, MP3 players, and cell phones. These can be great additions to a family's life when parents are ready to embrace and supervise them. But it is doing everybody a real favor to ask first.

Source: http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9828609-7.html?tag=nefd.only

The 10 worst geek gift ideas for the holidays

Sometimes it’s not so obvious that something will make a horrible holiday gift (or just a grudgingly accepted one). That’s why we’re here to clear the air for you. Following are 10 tech-related products, which, while potentially tempting, you might want to rethink before wrapping up in red and green (or blue and silver, or whatever the colors for your holiday of preference happen to be).They aren’t necessarily bad products, just not particularly apt choices for the holidays.

#10: Pointless USB add-ons

We’ve had enough of these. Stupid gadgets that plug into your USB ports are not only a waste of space, they’re totally 2006–come on, USB 2.0 is no longer a novelty! So, for the sake of humanity, please don’t stuff stockings with USB rocket launchers (pictured), noodle strainers, aromatherapy humidifiers, and vibrating massage toys (err, OK) Your loved ones will thank you later.

#9: Leaf blower

Leaf blowers. They’d make great gifts, wouldn’t they? Your neighbor with the sloppy yard might really appreciate one of these Toro Electric Ultra Blowers, right?

Think carefully.

Yes, it might be great for keeping lawns tidy, but mark our words–you’re going to regret buying one of these as a gift for anyone who lives within a few hundred yards of your house. That is, unless you manage to invest in a set of high-end noise-canceling headphones for yourself and never take them off.

#8: Nose-hair trimmer

The nose hair trimmer is the gadget equivalent of fruitcake. It will never be a tasteful gift, ever. We’re not going to say any more on this one.

#7: Everki Plunge waterproof iPod case

We couldn’t skip this one–it is, so far, the lowest-rated product out of everything CNET Reviews has catalogued in the entire 2007 calendar year. Sure, this $19 iPod case will keep your music player dry, but unfortunately, it makes it unbelievably difficult to actually hear the sound that comes out. Kind of a bad thing.

CNET Reviews senior editor Donald Bell called the Plunge “a step up from a sandwich bag.” That’s probably telling.

#6: Anything with the “Digg crack code” on it

This past spring, social news site Digg soared to the top of mainstream news when the company refused to obey a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice concerning an HD DVD crack code that a member had posted on the user-powered news rankings. As a result, the “forbidden” code became the geek slogan du jour to toss on mouse pads, coffee mugs, boxer shorts, and just about anything else you can make on CafePress or Zazzle. Also getting in on the trend were tech-focused retailers like Think Geek, which still sells this T-shirt.

But we don’t recommend that you give any “Digg crack code” gear as presents this holiday season. First of all, only the most uber-tuned-in of tech enthusiasts would even understand this in the first place. And second, even if they did, their reactions would probably be something along the lines of, “That is so last year.” You’d be better off with “All Your Base Are Belong To Us,” which at least has some retro-chic appeal now.

#5: Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs, A Parody by Daniel Lyons

This is another instance of “only the geeks would get it.” The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, a once-anonymous blog created by Forbes editor Daniel Lyons (under the pseudonym “Fake Steve Jobs”), was a runaway hit with the Techmeme set as it lampooned the iconic Apple CEO and all the people around him. Unfortunately, Fake Steve’s influence failed to reach very far outside Silicon Valley, and so the novelized version of the blog, published in November, has a narrow potential audience indeed.

Additionally, three CNET News.com reporters who read Options agreed that the book just isn’t that good. It has its funny moments, but the plot doesn’t really work (especially considering that a shareholder lawsuit over Apple’s stock options mess was just dismissed), and some of the most hilarious characters from the Secret Diary, like Squirrel Boy (a.k.a. Google CEO Eric Schmidt) and Mr. Bigglesworth (Valleywag gossip blogger Owen Thomas) failed to merit any appearances in the novel.

So, yeah, skip this one. Get your favorite Apple geek some new iPod accessories instead.

#4: Motorized toothbrush

Motorized toothbrushes have been around for a while. This one sold by Hammacher Schlemmer is even ultrasonic. You might be tempted to grab one of these for a family member as a holiday gift that would actually be useful–it seems like a logical choice.

But stuff like this just makes an awkward gift. You never know who will open one of these and take it as a subtle statement of “your breath smells bad.”

Likewise, some people, upon receiving exercise equipment, will take it to mean “you’re fat.” Or “your feet smell” for one of those, uh, foot smell-reducers, or “you have a drinking problem” for a personal breathalyzer.

Best to steer clear of these unless you’re really confident about how it’ll be received. Heck, even a Roomba robot vacuum could be taken the wrong way by certain people-you know: “Not only are you a slob, but you’re lazy, too.”

#3: Anything HD DVD or Blu-ray

So maybe you have good reason to know that someone on your holiday shopping list is going to actually have use for HD DVD or Blu-ray products, whether they be the discs themselves or the hardware to play them–PlayStation 3 owners, for example (the Sony console comes with a Blu-ray player), or someone who’s actually taken the plunge and purchased an HD DVD or Blu-ray player (or the combo player that LG makes). But that’s the exception to the rule.

The ugly hi-def format wars unfortunately aren’t over yet. Maybe we’ll know by next year, but this is still enough of a toss-up that it probably merits holding back on the holiday gifts.

Plus, there’s always the awkward situation in which you thought your brother had a Blu-ray player, so you bought him the first season of Prison Break on Blu-ray, only to learn that he’s actually an HD DVD devotee. Oops.

#2: Windows Vista

Let’s face it. Anyone who actually wanted Vista already has it; the system’s been out for almost a full year now. The folks who don’t have it are either Mac or Linux users, or holdouts who’ve heard about the well-documented bugs in the system.

Moreover, operating systems are a total yawn. Who wants to get one of these as a holiday gift, anyway?

#1: Anything holiday-themed

So you’ve picked out a set of solar-powered Christmas tree lights, Hanukkah-themed iPod skin, $1,500 outdoor light-up display shaped like Santa Claus driving a golf cart (pictured), or some other gift that (you think) ties in nicely to the holiday season.

Well, guess what? By the time that special someone opens the gift up, the holidays are just about over, sucker! That is, unless your friend receiving the gift is one of those wackos who puts out Christmas decorations on 12/26 and leaves them up through July…and if that’s the case, we think you have weird friends.

Source: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=273&tag=nl.e550

Google Launches Locator For Non-GPS Mobile Phones

My Location launched by Google enables phones without an in-built GPS to be used as locators. Google aims to tap a large chunk of the mobile market through this new mobile tracking system.

At present, an estimated 85 percent of mobile phone handsets do not include in-built GPS systems. Converting a simple, useful application like Google Maps into a desirable feature (i.e. GPS) is a smart way to prompt users to adopt Google technology on their mobile devices.

My Location vs. GPS

My Location provides indoor coverage. Its battery consumption is low and its location tracking service is faster than GPS. On the other hand, GPS systems are much more accurate and can track down the location of a user to a within 10 meters or less. Google’s tracking system does not show this level of precision. Google have stated that users can be traced within a range of 400 meters to 5 kilometers of their exact location.

In order to put Google’s pseudo-GPS accuracy in perspective, consider this: In a city like London, a distance of +/- 400 metres could cover an area serviced by three different tube stations! It may be easy to locate a user’s neighbourhood through My Location, but quite a task to navigate the city streets.

Privacy Concerns

Google has addressed privacy concerns at the outset. However, in spite of assurances from Steve Lee, Google’s Mobile Maps product manager, that My Location won’t collect “revealing” personal information, it remains to be seen how true Google stay to their promise. My Location presents the means through which Google can enter the realm of location-based advertising. Google are rather unlikely to miss an opportunity to capitalise on this by selling location-specific mobile ads.

My Location can be quite a handy utility tool but there are a few loopholes that Google needs to close quickly. The backing database of My Location is not yet ready. To avoid privacy related issues and potential mobile spam, Google will also need to take care that the privacy of its users is respected. Most importantly, though, Google need to improve the level of accuracy to make the tool useful to city dwellers, who will end up being the main adopters of such technology.

Source: http://www.accuracast.com/search-daily-news/mobile-7471/google-launches-locator-for-non-gps-mobile-phones/

Senior-Friendly Holiday Gift Gadgets

Everybody likes gadgets, even your grandparents

Gadgets make fantastic presents! Everyone loves to receive gifts that make their life a little easier or more fun, and today there are thousands of gadgets for boomers and seniors that can accommodate almost any need. Here are some popular items to consider.

Senior-Friendly Electronics

For technology-adverse seniors who like things big and simple, there’s a variety of on the market that make great gifts.

Some of the most popular include the no-frills Jitterbug cell phone (www.jitterbug.com), which has features like large buttons, simple functions, easy-to-read text, voice dialing, and a cushion that cups around your ear to improve sound quality for $147. Also see the new Coupe cell phone ($50) designed for older adults at www.verizonwireless.com.

How about a senior-friendly camera? Check out Hewlett-Packard’s Photosmart R927 ($279; www.shopping.hp.com). An 8.2-megapixel digital camera that has simple functions, a 3-inch-wide color screen that makes it easy to see what you’re shooting, an “image advice” feature, which offers suggestions on how to improve your pictures, along with a menu that provides written explanations on the camera’s screen. Or, if you’re interested in a camcorder, the Flip Video ($150; www.theflip.com) is a wonderful product and simple to use.

What about an easy-to-navigate GPS systems? The TomTom One XL ($350; www.tomtom.com) and TomTom Go 910 ($500) are dandy with a large 4.3 inch color screen that’s easy to see in bright daylight and its touch-screen controls are smartly designed and easy to learn.

And for the computer-less seniors out there, put a Celery (www.mycelery.com) on your shopping list. The Celery device that prints out e-mails and pictures sent via the Web, and gives seniors the ability to send handwritten letters as e-mails, all without a computer. It uses a color fax/printer ($99) connected to a standard phone line instead of a computer. Service fees are $140 per year. Also check out the HP Presto at www.presto.com.

Healthy Living Gifts

Staying healthy as we age is a huge priority for most seniors. That’s why exercise gadgets like pedometers (step counters) make wonderful gifts.

For around $20, a pedometer can help supply motivation to get moving, and the Digi-Walkers (www.new-lifestyles.com) and Omron HJ-150 and HJ-151 (www.omronhealthcare.com) are nifty little devices that are accurate and simple to use.

Another great gift idea to help keep your elder loved ones healthy and strong is the Resistance Chair ($240; www.continuingfitness.com). This all-in-one, home strength training tool is designed for seniors because it allows them to exercise in a safe seated position, using low-impact resistance bands, which minimizes the risk of exercise-related injuries.

And don’t forget that seniors need to keep their noggins sharp too! For this, see Nintendo’s Brain Age and new Brain Age 2 (www.brainage.com). These are senior-friendly electronic games that offer mind-boosting games that are fun and mentally stimulating. Each game cost $20, but to play them, you’ll need to buy a palm-sized DS Lite game unit which costs $130.

Helpful Household Gifts

Believe it or not, magnifiers are a favorite gift idea among older boomers and seniors, and Great Point Light (www.biggerandbrighter.com) offers a variety of styles in a rainbow of colors to meet almost any need, all for under $20.

For help in the kitchen, garden or tinkering around the house, you can’t go wrong with OXO (www.oxo.com) who makes a fabulous line of “good grip” products that are easy on aging hands. Everything from kitchen utensils to hardware and garden tools, OXO makes over 500 different products at prices, starting at around $5 per item. Two other great kitchen gadgets are the new “One Touch Can” and “One Touch Bar” openers ($20 each; www.onetouchopener.com and www.onetouchjar.com). As the name implies, these small devices open-up any can or jar at the push of a button.

And finally, because seniors are prime targets of identity theft, a Fellowes P-57C ($59. www.fellowes.com) home power-shredder makes a smart gift.

Source: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/11/senior_gadgets.html