Another year has come and gone and with it, a cavalcade of gadgets. Here are a few that I’ve really enjoyed using during the past year, in no particular order. → Read More
We’ve reviewed a lot of home audio solutions, and they all offer different benefits and drawbacks. The big trend is “music everywhere”, whether through powerline networking or wirelessly. Most of these products require a specific music source to feed into the system. Sonos brings something rather more complete to the goal of “music everywhere”. Read on for the… → Read More
eStarling offers the Impact7 (7″, 480 X 234 pixels) and Impact8 (8″, 800 X 600 pixels), a pair of WiFi-enabled digital photo frames. They’re easy to use, functional, and nice to look at. They include a remote control, and each frame gets its own email address to which you can email photos. You can also easily subscribe to RSS feeds of photos (your own, or any public feed). Read… → Read More
It’s old news that Nokia bought Symbian, the software used to power many mobile phones today. The deal finally closed, and now the Symbian Foundation is officially in charge of Symbian development. There are currently ten participants in the Symbian Foundation, though membership is open to anyone with $1,500 to spare. The Symbian Foundation has big plans for the platform. Read on for a… → Read More
The kind folks at Nokia arranged for a quiet chat with a few of the folks behind the Nokia Research Center. In addition to specific product development issues, a lot of interesting information was shared about Nokia’s research efforts in general. For example, Nokia is one of the few big players left with a pure research department, not a combined research and development arm. The… → Read More
http://www.viddler.com/player/3c2d32b6/ Ever lose your hotel keycard? Ever have it get de-magnetized? Both of these are simple to resolve – just go to the front desk – but wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t need to worry so much about the darn things? Nokia is working with VingCard to allow you to use your cellphone to open your hotel door. As described in the video above… → Read More
http://www.viddler.com/player/df48093d/ One of the most exciting things I’ve seen at Nokia World 2008 is the Point and Find service: aim a phone camera at an object and the camera detects what it is. Currently set to debut in London and San Francisco, the initial version of the application will be tied to movie posters. Point your camera at a movie poster and the software will identify the… → Read More
http://www.viddler.com/player/ef68075d/ Nokia is working hard to merge mobile phones with mobile computing, making it easier to access and use of the full suite of Internet resources from a variety of devices. Annssi Vanjoki, Nokia Executive Vice President of Markets, said at the Nokia World 2008 keynote “I want to surf the entire Internet, not just some pieces of the Internet.”… → Read More
I’ve just left the Nokia World 2008 keynote, in which the new products and services were announced, like the Nokia N97, Nokia Maps, and Nokia Messaging. The presentation was interesting, and highlights Nokia’s vision for mobile communications. Read on for a quick summary and some thoughts. → Read More
Nokia is pushing hard for consolidation, looking to make their smartphones the go-to device for communication. One of the major announcements at Nokia World 2008 this year is about their Nokia Messaging solution. It is essentially a multi-platform messaging solution that enables email considerably more gracefully than the original Symbian interface. → Read More
At Nokia World 2008, Nokia announced their new Nokia Maps product. The most compelling feature is the ability to plan your trip on your PC, and then sync the route to your Nokia phone. Also included are 3D landmarks for 216 cities, to help users visually identify where they are! Camera locations are included for select cities, so folks can avoid those pesky speeding tickets. Neat stuff. → Read More
My buddy Owen wrote up his short list of geek gifts for 2008. His list includes some pretty interesting items. I particularly liked this one: Algin and Calcic Algin and Calic are two additive ingredients for food that will let you do something called “Spherification” in a cooking discipline known as “Molecular Gastronomy”. The basic process is this: First, mix some calcic… → Read More
Like my review of the Juiceman, Jr., the Black and Decker 10-speed Cyclone Blender caused me to move beyond my staple meals of ramen noodles, chicken wings, and beer. I spent time in parts of the grocery store that I didn’t know existed. As a bachelor, blending isn’t high on my list of food preparation activities, but for you, dear reader, I tied on my apron and blended a variety… → Read More
What is it about airports that bring out the worst in humanity? Is it waiting in long, arbitrary lines? Is it being forced to reveal to everyone the holes in your socks? Is it the $100 beers at the airport bar? I try pretty hard to be a “good citizen” when I travel: my carry-on luggage doesn’t exceed the maximum dimensions permitted by the airline; I make sure I put all of… → Read More
Many of the gadgets mentioned on CrunchGear are geared for the living room or office. There does exist, however, an entire range of under-represented gadgets designed for the kitchen. For you, dear reader, I have explored all that the Juiceman, Jr. has to offer. (Note: that link will resize your browser window. Bad Juiceman, Jr!) The Juiceman, Jr. is an entry-level juicer, costing about… → Read More
http://www.viddler.com/player/df3b72de/ Short and sweet: Kidz Gear Headphones for Kids are just that: headphones for kids. The cans fit little ears, and the swivel mounts allow for comfortable positioning. Volume control on the cord, reasonable sound quality, and an affordable price make these a pretty good buy for Junior. → Read More
Sometimes, the simplest tools are the best: the wheel, the hammer, the chopstick. Today, we can add to that list the FURminator, the pet de-shedding tool. You might say “Oh, it’s just a pet brush.” Yes, it’s just a pet brush. It might be the best pet brush you’ll ever buy. → Read More
The IOGEAR Powerline Stereo Audio System connects your iPod or other audio input device to speakers in a different room through the magic of electricity, avoiding all the cancer enducing radio waves that pollute our air. The base station has an iPod dock, with several brackets included in the box to ensure your specific iPod model fits snugly, as well RCA jacks and a 3.5 mm input jack. The audio… → Read More
http://www.viddler.com/player/9cd39f87/ Zagg makes the InvisibleSHIELD line of gadget protectors. The one I install in the video above is for my Canon DigitalRebel XT camera, but they make screen protectors for a dizzying number of cameras, phones, laptops, and more. Bottom Line Installation is quick and easy, and it really is invisible once installed. For a couple bucks, these are a pretty nice… → Read More
I’ve really been looking forward to trying out the Myvu Shades made for iPod edition. I’ve always had some techno-lust for wearable computing, and I love the idea of being able to enjoy watching the old Dungeons and Dragons cartoons without people making fun of me. Keep on reading for my thoughts. → Read More
I like Sansa media players. I always have. They’re not quite as sexy as Apple iPods, and they’re not that much cheaper, really. The reason I like the Sansa players is because they don’t require any special software on my computer — heck, the review model I received contained only the player itself and the USB cable: no software CD at all! As a GNU/Linux user, I… → Read More
The G.E. Digital Speakerphone System offers two nifty features over your standard cordless phone package. First, it has a dedicated speakerphone unit. Second, it has a dedicated Goog-411 button. But wait! There’s more! → Read More
http://www.viddler.com/player/c3bc2eba/ The Proporta Gadget Bag is a handy way to store all the stuff that comes with your gadget lifestyle: batteries, battery chargers, media sticks, cables, etc. The Transformer-like nature of this bag means you can take the right-sized compartment for the trip to the coffee shop, or assemble the whole thing to organize your gear for a longer junket. Perfect… → Read More
This review might be cheating the CrunchGear 300 a little bit, since it’s covering three products in one post, but they’re all from the same manufacturer and all do pretty much the same thing, so it makes sense to review them together. Read on for information about an LCD and two OLED digital picture frames from Digital Foci. → Read More
The Solo Tabletop RF-Armor from Revolabs is a high-end wireless microphone system using 1.92 to 1.93 GHz for its radio transmissions, with enhanced shielding which allows it “to operate cleanly even when in direct contact with all wireless electronic devices known to cause unwanted audio interference, such as GSM mobile phones, smart phones, etc.” The base station connects to your PC… → Read More
There are lots of GPS units out there, talking to lots of drivers. Some people may even enjoy the voices produced by their GPS units. But only the Mio Knight Rider GPS can speak to you in the voice of William Daniels, the original voice of KITT from the Knight Rider television show. Sure, it’s gimmicky, but it’s also a lot of fun to hear Daniels’ voice giving you turn-by-turn… → Read More
http://www.viddler.com/player/f852d79a/ The Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS is a 10.1 megapixel camera with 12x optical zoom and image stabilization. It also records video at 1280×720. The Good This camera is really, really light. It’s surprisingly light. You could easily forget that this thing was in your pocket. It’s got a fast start up time, which means you’re less… → Read More
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