Archive for the ‘Gadgets’ Category

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The Best Christmas Gadgets For Your Technically Minded Friend

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

There are certainly plenty of options available when buying a Christmas gift for your technically minded (geek) buddy, but sometimes the brain doesn’t stretch when it comes to making a choice. One way you could brainstorm is to hop on the internet and bring back a bunch of gadget stores in a search. Some websites allow customers to give their reviews of the most popular technology products, but if you want some ideas on finding the best Christmas gadgets, right now then what follows here are a few simple suggestions to get you started.

Your geek friend might be one of those people, who is never long away from his computer. If he is smart, then maybe he’d be into a computer programming book or some other book of a technical nature? These can be interesting as well as handy references when it comes to performing certain computer tasks. Computer magazines are an alternative computer gift, that offer plenty of nice new information on the latest and fastest processors, RAM, hard drives and other computer hardware and software that your friend might enjoy reading about.

For gadget crazy geeks, a quick way you could search for the best gifts to give him this Christmas is to get on Google and type in “top 10 Christmas gadgets 2010“. There are tons of new cell phones and other cool gadgets that are constantly flooding onto the market, offering you plenty of great options that will be sure to pique his interest. The down side is that many technologically minded folk are quite particular about the versions of gadget products they want and if you think this might be the case with your good buddy, then you could instead give a gift certificate so as to allow him to make his own choice.

There are also countless novelty items and while the best Christmas gadgets tend to be those that offer some practical value, a great gift need not do so. You could buy him a geeky t-shirt for instance or a poster than you think he’ll like, or a star-wars figurine toy and many countless other novelty items that you think will tickle his fancy. There are plenty of novelty portable memory keys to choose from and other gifts that are related to computers like external hard drives, printers and a multi-button advanced optical mouse for his PC. Buying gifts for a geek, is not too hard, once you get your imagination on the task, when it comes to buying a great gift for your techie friend, you can start with the ideas mentioned here or broaden your search by seeking out infinite more options online.

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Best Kindle 3 Sleeves

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

Choosing the best Kindle 3 Cover is of course a very personal choice.  If you want to keep reading your device without anything extra weighing you down you would probably prefer a simple sleeve.  These are pouches, with zippers, Velcro or just a good fit to keep the ebook reader inside.  They will offer protection when you aren’t using your reader, but will let you get at it quickly when you do want to start reading.  There are hundreds to choose from and some are decidedly better than others.

Here are a few of our favorites and the reasons why we recommend them:

  1. M-Edge Touring Kindle sleeves are our favorite zipper type carry case.  These are made from tough neoprene so are difficult to damage but easy to keep clean.  The double zipper means you can charge your device easily whilst inside and a large extra zip up pocket on the front lets you store a reading light or charger easily.  Being M-Edge they are made well with a great fit – your device won’t move around inside so remains safe from harm.  Best of all they come in a wide range of cool bright colors that mean you will never lose your favorite ebook reader.
  2. Timbuk2 quilted envelope sleeves are a little more expensive, but offer a good deal more protection.  These have a memory foam core that gives great padding against knocks and bumps.  The interior is fake fur which gives a great soft feel and keeps the display free from scratches.  The tough nylon exterior has carefully laid out stitching to further help offer some shock absorbency for the device.
  3. Built sleeves are the most simple on our list.  These again are made from neoprene.  This time though there is no closure mechanism.  But because they are perfectly designed to fit the device so well it should never accidentally escape.  These simple pouches have a curvy shape almost like an hourglass to ensure the corners of the reader are given extra protection against knocks.  Best though is the great range of retro designs and bright colors that these come in.

I hope this run down of the best Kindle 3 sleeves available at the moment helps you pick the perfect on for your ebook reader.

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How to Pick the Best iPad Case

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

With thousands of different covers and cases available how do you pick the best iPad case?  Well it takes a little research but more importantly some decisions about how you use your tablet and what you really need before you even start looking.  Here is my guide to picking the right case for your iPad:

  • Decide on a budget.  There are fine cases for a few dollars and a few thousand and everything in between – so decide on what you are willing to spend before you go window shopping and waste time looking at items you would not wish to fork out on.
  • Decide on your style.

Skins are the most lightweight, offering protection at all times.

Sleeves and carry cases offer protection when the tablet is not being used and allow you the freedom to use it unencumbered by a bothersome case.

Folio style covers protect the device at all times and can be used to prop the iPad up for viewing movies or gaming.  They do add weight though and may get in the way if you use a docking station.

  • Choose your material.

Leather looks good and tends to age well offering great protection but the cheapest leather may scratch and fade.  Check for reviews on the quality of stitching, fit and the accuracy of cut outs for accessing controls.

Silicone feels good in the hand and being machine made should fit like a glove.  It is easy to wipe clean but may attract lint.

Polycarbonate will offer the ultimate in shock absorbing protection, such as the ultimate Otterbox iPad cases.

Canvas and fabrics so long as padded offer more scope for patterns and fun prints and should be easy to wash.

  • Choose a color range and you’re pretty much ready to start shopping.

Now you have answered a few questions you have more idea of where to start looking for the best iPad case to suit your needs.  If you shop on-line the larger retailers will have lots of customer reviews that should help you narrow down your search even further till you have “the one”.

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Which is the Best Kindle 3?

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

To those unfamiliar with the world of wireless – knowing which Kindle 3 to buy can be a touch difficult.  Go with the more expensive Kindle 3G because if its more expensive it must be the best seems to be the average response to the dilemma.  But often customers would have just a fine user experience if they went for the cheaper wi-fi only model instead.  Here is a little guide to knowing which of amazon’s book readers are best for you:

The first thing to realize is that in all respects other than the way the device connects to the internet and Kindle book store, both 6″ Amazon readers are identical.  So the only reason to choose the more expensive model is if you will benefit from the 3G capability that allows it to go on-line using the 3G mobile network.

To determine this you should think about where you will be using the Reader.  If you have a wireless internet router at home and that is where you are likely to be when wanting to access the internet, then the wifi only version will serve you very well.  For actually reading you do not need to be connected to the web, it is only when downloading material, accessing the internet or synchronising your library.

If you would prefer to be able to do all these things without looking for a wireless hotspot you should consider the more expensive model that has both 3G and wifi connectivity.  But before you buy it do be sure to check the 3G coverage map to ensure there is a good enough signal in your area or you could be sorely disappointed.

We hope this has simplified the matter for you and explained completely that it is only with regard to wifi versus wifi + 3G that you need to think about when deciding which is the better Kindle 3.

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Nintendogs for the New Nintendo 3DS

Friday, October 15th, 2010

Way back when, during the first release of the much awaited Nintendo DS, Nintendog’s was THE game bundled with most DS consoles. Who could resist playing with cute little puppies? It seems that with the release of the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendog’s is likely to release another edition of its successful franchise along-side with the release of the much awaited 3DS. Nintendog’s and Cat’s will surely send young boys and girls home happily playing with their virtual puppy or kitten.

Reception of Nintendogs

NINTENDO® 3DS (Hardware) E3 2010

Without a doubt this will be one of the best 3DS game out for a while. It is not because it is filled with action or has an engaging story line. It is because Nintendog’s has built up its own reputation in the past few years. And like the other games in the series, gives the user hours of mindless fun.

How Does Nintendogs Stand Against the Competition

Well obviously Nintendogs is not the most action packed game you would expect to play. With games such as Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy being released in parallel to the game, it’s hard to say how well the game would do in relation to them. But without a doubt the game will sell. After all the games target market is people under the age of ten. Anyone above that is just an added bonus.

What Sets This Game Apart From Previous Nintendogs?

With the 3DS’s new GPU (graphics processing unit) we can expect greater graphics for this game. We can expect to see more detail on the dogs and the environment which they live in. This adds a bit more realism to the game. With the addition of 3D, bouncing tennis balls look better and give the game a bit more excitement as it takes the gamer into the world of their dog or cat. No major features have been released and not much has been said. The 3DS’s planned release date is somewhere at the end of 2011 nearing the Christmas holidays.

In a Nutshell

With so many added features we can expect the game-play to be significantly improved. Obviously this game will use the 3DS features such as the front facing camera and the built in gyroscope and accelerometers. This will be a big step up in the world of gaming, with systems and games becoming bigger and “badder” as the years go by. This will be hands down one of the best 3ds games of the year just like its predecessors before it. As I said before, who can resist a cute ball of fur to begin with?

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Amazon Android App Store is Soon to be Launched

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

Amazon is about to enter the Android market and join the competition with its new Amazon Android App Store. This will make it easier for users to do online shopping for the Android mobile OS. A $99 annual joining fee will be charged and 70 percent revenue will be shared with developers on the selling price. This is not much different from other app store agreements. If developers have their applications on other app stores or any other platforms, they will need to update it on Amazon as well.

Amazon introduces the app store with more stringent terms to avoid piracy and assure exclusivity. The competition with Google will benefit the consumers in more ways than one. There will be free and as well as paid applications. Amazon will have the discretion to pull off any application it wants.

Due to be launched in the last quarter of 2010, initially the Amazon Android App Store will be available for the US customers and only.

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Amazon’s Kindle for the Web

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

Amazon recently launched the beta for Kindle for the Web, an application that will lure many bloggers, authors and website publishers who can now be a part of the Amazon Associates Program and embed samples of Kindle e-books on their own websites. This way they will be entitled to a percentage of the revenue from referrals if customers complete a book purchase using their website links. This makes it an attractive viral marketing tool.

With Kindle readers can now read book samples directly from the browser and there is no need for any kind of installation or downloading. You simply click the “Read the first chapter FREE” of any book product button and the first chapter will pop up in the browser. There is an option to customize the font size, line spacing and background color for your convenience. There is also a networking aspect that allows you to share your favorite reads through Facebook, Twitter or e-mail.

The Kindle offers free applications for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Mac and Windows PC computers. Amazon will soon launch it for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

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10 Non Tech Reasons to Buy the Kindle 3

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

For something a little less serious than we are used to in this technology obsessed world, here are my non tech reasons to buy the Kindle 3.  This is not scientific it is just a little light-hearted take on the world of the Kindle Reader:

  1. All those cool new brighter, funkier accessories available - Kindle 3 Covers are groovy baby!  There are so many cool retro designs out there – I love the scatter-dot designs by Built.  Any excuse to shop is fine by me!
  2. Its just so teeny tiny and pretty, now you get the chance to order one in cool slate grey – no more boring white eBook Readers.
  3. There are millions of free books that are now actually easy to get onto your eReader.
  4. The fact you don’t need to be scientifically minded to get the thing to work (yes Sony Reader we’re talking about you!).
  5. Now I can chat to all my Facebook buddies and Tweet all my Twitter friends while I am trying to read.  Cool!
  6. I can sit back and let the reader do all the work for me.  Turn on the Text to Speech feature and you don’t even have to bother reading anymore!
  7. It’s now a working mp3 player too, so that’s one less gadget to carry around with me.
  8. It can display alternative scripts and characters so its great if you happen to be learning Japanese or Latin.  No this point is definitely not going to be of any concern to me, but I’m sure someone will love it!
  9. It’s so much lighter than before, that even a wimpy girl like me has no problem carrying around her Kindle 3.
  10. You get tons of storage.  Now around 3500 books can be saved onto one Kindle.  That’s going to take a long time to read, so should keep you busy if you get stranded on a desert island with your ebook reader!

There you go ten daft reasons to buy the Kindle 3, what are you waiting for?

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Getting an Electronic Organizer

Monday, October 4th, 2010

If you have trouble remembering birthdays, appointments, and other important events, then perhaps an electronic organizer might be something you need. These organizers will help you make your life a bit simpler and less stressful.

One great reason to get electronic organizers is that they will help make life a bit less stressful for you. Even if you don’t have a bad memory, with the lifestyle that many of us live today, forgetting something can be common. Remembering simple things such as a person’s likes and interests can help to make or break a deal.

Depending on the particular model that you buy, you will be able to hook up your organizer to a laptop for easy data transfer. With a built in keyboard, you will also be able to quickly type in what you need such as personal reminders. Not only that, some of them will act as a reminder and alert you when it’s almost time for your meeting or an appointment with the doctors.

There are many different types of organizers that you can choose from such as the touch screen ones. These will allow you to use the different functions with either a pen or your finger. Many of them will also have a PC cable that will allow you to hook it up to a computer as well. These will typically cost more than the basic ones of course.

Whether you plan on getting an electronic organizer at the store or over the internet, figure out what you really need first before you buy. Although some of the models will have cool functions, they will typically cost more money and if you aren’t going to even use most of the functions, it will just be a waste of money. You can read reviews online to find out which brands and models are the best.

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Blackberry Playbook – The First Professional Tablet

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

The tablet marketplace is soon to experience a breakthrough development product, announced in the Research In Motion’s annual Blackberry Developer Conference. Blackberry PlayBook is a more suited carrier for the corporate world as it is fully equipped with the best web browsing features, multitasking and high performance multimedia applications. With the thickness of less than half an inch and weight less than a pound, it is a very convenient and portable device.

The QNX OS in Blackberry Playbook is ideal for handling Flash 10.1, Adobe AIR and fully supports Java, HTML 5 and C or C++. This will allow the users with a great multiprocessing and a multitasking experience that compares to none others in the market.

Blackberry Playbook has a 7-inch LCD touch screen and 1GHz dual-core processor. High quality video-recording and video conferencing is possible with 1080p HD and dual cameras. The front facing in 3 megapixels while the rear is 5 megapixels.

Blackberry Playbook will be fully integrated with the Blackberry smartphone with a secure Bluetooth connection. It is expected to be launched in early 2011 in the U.S. and in the second quarter in the rest of the world. Pricing has not yet been announced but is speculated to be high and somewhere between $500 and $1000.

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