Gadgets

More Proof That Gadgets Are Good for You

November 20, 2008

See -- as if we needed confirmation -- gadgetry is good for you.
Well, maybe I'm taking a small step here, but a new study from the MacArthur Foundation has found that all those hours that teenagers spend socializing on the Internet are not a bad thing.

(And how to they get access to the Internet? Gadgets, of course!)

"It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of time hanging out with new media, whether it's on MySpace or sending instant messages," said Mizuko Ito, lead researcher on the study, Living and Learning With New Media. "But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They're learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page."

See?

More at the New York Times or go directly to the MacArthur Foundation.

Posted in Gadgets, Internet

PC Magazine Stops the Presses - Online Only

November 19, 2008

I grew up reading PC Magazine and I looked forward each couple weeks to picking up my copy of PC Magazine at the local grocery store. But today, Ziff Davis has announced that the legendary PC Magazine print publication is shutting down its print publication and focusing exclusively on online content. This is truly a sad day... Hold on while I grab some tissues...

PC Magazine started the whole in-depth comparative reviews of PCs and Microsoft software.

Posted in Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Mobile Phones, News, TMCnet, Video Games & Gaming, Video Hardware & Software

Callpod Drone VoIP Bluetooth Headset

November 14, 2008

Callpod's new Drone USB Bluetooth adapter turns your mobile phone's Bluetooth headset into a headset/mic for your PC or Mac allowing you to receive Skype or other VoIP calls using your high-end Bluetooth headset (Plantronics, Jawbone, etc.). Just connect the Drone into the USB port of your computer, and it will immediately connect with your Bluetooth headset or headphones to provide streaming music and voice over a 100 meter (328ft) range. When a Skype call comes in, Drone switches over to the call automatically. It supports the A2DP (Stereo) Bluetooth profile.

Of course, many PCs and laptops come with Bluetooth built-in, making this device unnecessary.

Posted in Gadgets, Headsets, Mobile Phones, Skype, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless

Mojo Mobility Charges Gadgets Wirelessly

November 14, 2008

Mojo Mobility Inc, a Silicon Valley-based venture firm, has developed a technology to simultaneously charge multiple mobile devices simply using a flat surface that doesn't even to touch the charging circuitry of mobile phones, iPods, iPhones, and other gadgetry.

While NFP (Near Field Power) is not a new concept, the non-contact charging system leverages an electromagnetic induction method. The system is composed of two coils, one for transmitting and the other for receiving electric power.

Mojo Mobility has developed a prototype sheet-type charger equipped with multiple transmitting coils. On this sheet to the right, up to four devices charged at the same time with the ability to produce 2.5W to 4W of power ..

Read

Posted in Accessories, Digital Cameras, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, MP3 Players & Digital Audio, Mobile Phones, PDAs & Handhelds, TMCnet, Technology and Science, Wireless

Gadgets Going Green

November 13, 2008

Green indeed!

We can now trade our used electronics in exchange for Amazon.com gift cards through third-party Gazelle.com.

This is both a convenience and additional way to save money this season. It's also a very handy option to trade in unwanted items for Amazon.com gift cards.

Gazelle, which recycles or resells the used devices depending on their condition, also provides users with the option to receive their payments in the form of a check or PayPal deposit -- or to have it donated to charity.

The company said that its customers earn an average of about $115 when selling their electronic devices -- but doesn't say how many gadgets that is.

Sears.com recently unveiled a similar offer through Venjuvo.com.

Thanks to TWICE.

(And thanks to HowStuffWorkscom for the image.)

Posted in Gadgets

Opera Mini 4.2 beta mini-review

November 11, 2008

Opera Mini 4.2 beta just launched today. Opera Mini is one of my favorite mobile phone Internet browsers. It's a tough call between Opera Mini and Skyfire. Skyfire supports Flash and video, so it's better at multimedia, however, I find Opera Mini better suited to regular web pages with just graphics and text.

Posted in Gadgets, Internet, Mobile Phones, PDAs & Handhelds, TMCnet, Wireless

Circuit City's Lights Get Even Dimmer

November 10, 2008

Circuit City, the No. 2 U.S. consumer electronics retailer, has filed for bankruptcy -- just weeks before the start of the holiday shopping season.

(A sad day for the gadgets world ...)

CC is the largest retailer to file for Chapter 11 since Kmart in 2002. (Seems even longer ago than that!)

Circuit City fell victim to tighter credit terms from vendors, a dwindling cash position and decreased consumer spending amid a deepening economic crisis.

The filing comes one week after the 59-year-old retailer said it would close 155 U.S. stores, or more than one-fifth of its retail base, and cut 17% of its U.S.

Posted in Gadgets

Future Mobile Phone Features 20 Megapixels, 100Mbps, HD Video - in other words it'll kick ass

November 7, 2008

Ericsson is predicting the future mobile device by 2012. Ericsson predicts mobile devices with 12-to 20-megapixel cameras, support for full HD video shooting capabilities, 1Ghz processors that don't suck your battery dry, 1024x768 XGA resolution, and high-speed Internet access using "HSPA evolution". HSPA evolution is the successor to HSPA, and "LTE (long term evolution)" with speeds of more than 100Mbps.

I still can't over the fact that the iPhone, supposedly the "bleeding edge" of mobile devices is only 2 megapixels. In any event, it's hard to predict the future, but I'll take a 20-megapixel camera, 100Mbps mobile device sooner rather than later thank you very much.

Read

Posted in Gadgets, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Technology and Science, Unified Communications, VoIP, Wireless

Rovio Wi-Fi VoIP Robotic Webcam

October 24, 2008

The WowWee Rovio is a cool Wi-Fi enabled robotic webcam. I like to call Rovio a remote-controlled VoIP webcam sentry robot.

The Rovio is pretty futuristic looking. It looks like it belongs on some sci-fi TV show or movie.

Posted in Digital Cameras, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Internet, Technology and Science, Video Hardware & Software, VoIP, Wireless

The Best Gadgets of the Year?

October 15, 2008

Popular Mechanics has jumped the gun and already given us their ten best gadgets of the year.

Here's their lead-in: The early 20th century produced a breathtaking succession of innovations--the Wright Flyer, the Model T, the Panama Canal. It was a golden age of engineering. (Some serious gadgets indeed!)

A century hence, observers may well look back at our era in much the same way: Cars are being reimagined from the wheels up. Advances in solar energy show the way past fossil fuels. And space probes explore planets that could become our future homes.

Check out their "Top 10" here and let us know what you think.

(And thanks to the New America Foundation for the Rube Goldberg image.)

Posted in Gadgets

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