Let’s face it: everyone likes something for nothing. In that vein, freeware is a bargain. Check out this list of the top five freeware games of the last year. With several different genres represented, one is sure to please. and if you don’t like it, well, who cares, it was free.
Monthly Archives: December 2005
The Doberman Home Security Line
Introduction
We all want our gear to be safe when we’re not home, so why not an electronic Doberman? With a growling bark, and those gnashing teeth, it’s sure to keep all our gear safe. Today, we’re taking a look at the Doberman Product’s Home Security line. It is designed as a complete suite of products to keep your home safe and secure. This review will cover most of the lineup (I believe we’re the first to review it)! After all, I don’t know of anyone using their Sony Aibo as their electronic watch dogs. For those who don’t wish to feed and walk their dogs, this may be a perfect solution.
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Blu-ray double-whammy
Alas, those waiting for Blu-ray to hit the market can truly begin planning their next-generation optical drive honeymoon: today Pioneer announced that it will be releasing Blu-ray products starting *gasp* at CES next month (starting January 5th!). On top of that, regions for next-generation DVD formats were just announced! (Say it ain’t so, Batman!) Anime freaks, your time has come; the U.S. and Japan will be joined in a sacred electronic union as two of the nations crowned with Blu-ray region 1 status. Joining the behemoths will be powerhouses South America and east Asia (sans China).
Maglite Goes Digital
Now, after years of research & development, testing and refinement, Mag Instrument is committed to introducing, in early 2006, a line of MAG-LED™ flashlights. Like Mag’s incandescent-lamp flashlights, these newest members of the Maglite® flashlight family will have the style, performance, benefits and features that both professionals and consumers have come to expect from a Maglite® flashlight, including the fact that they are built for a lifetime of service. The Maglite® design tradition will be instantly recognizable in them, and they will offer the beam-focusing capability that has always been a feature of Mag® flashlights, AND MORE!
So, the American icon of flashlights, is entering the digital age. Some LED flashlights are very bright, and are able to provide a lot of light time between battery changes. I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these!
More info here.
Playo Recordable DVD Discs
Introduction
In order to store data on a disc, there are two essential ingredients: the optical drive, and the optical media. Many reviews focus on the optical drive, and how it performs writing a variety of media. We now have the opportunity to focus on the other component, the recordable disc. Playo products, manufactured by the Abcron Corporation have recently introduced their Playo line of discs. They include CDR, DVDR, and DVDRW (plus and minus) varieties. In this review we will focus on the DVD+R and DVD-R discs which are two of the popular discs that users feed their DVD rewritable drives. Other Playo products include flash media cards, flash card readers, and cases.
Methodology
Here at LIVEdigitally we have access to three of the current crop of DVD rewritable drives: the LiteOn 1693S, the Plextor 740A, and the Samsung WriteMaster. All are 16x burners that can write to both “plus” and “minus” discs. A good test of the media would be to see how each of the drives can write to it. The write time of each disc will be monitored. Each of the discs will be scanned in Nero’s CD-DVD Speed on my LiteOn 852S drive at 4x, which I’ve used for scanning duties on all my previous optical drive reviews. This will give us an idea of the write quality of the media with the drive. In addition, we will test that the discs play in a Sharp DV-S1U stand alone DVD player.
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iPod Video Content
Got the battery all charged up on that shiny new video iPod that Santa left you under the tree? This guide will tell you all you need to know to convert a standard .avi video file to and iPod movie for your new player.
From CD Freaks.
The case of the stolen flash drive
When Linda Cerniglia went back to school, it took her almost seven years to get through all the prerequisites, the labs, the research. And it took a thief just moments to grab her purse, with the only copy of her master’s thesis stored on a tiny jump drive inside.
For anyone who’s ever obsessed about a project but forgotten to back up the data, watched a computer screen fizzle just before a deadline or left crucial documents in a cab — here is a story about backing up, and moving forward.
It’s about how Cerniglia almost went crazy, then took a deep breath and thought like a crook, acted like a cop and ended up in a big trash bin — all in pursuit of her master’s degree.
The story goes on to describe the tale of this poor woman’s master’s thesis, on her flash drive. First it is stolen from her minivan in her purse. Next, she’s tracking the thief from the unauthorized use of her credit cards. And finally, in a dramatic climax, she’s diving into a dumpster to find her purse, and her flash drive. The moral of the story, ladies and gents, is to back up important data. Congrats to Linda Cerniglia on completing her master’s degree!
Logitech Wireless Headphones: Does Losing The Wires Make The Cut?
Introduction
Audio plays a critical role in so many experiences today. From listening to an MP3 player, computer gaming, or watching the latest action movie on DVD, these tasks all demand high quality audio in order to be enjoyed. The included speakers on many computers could definitely benefit from some serious upgrades. This is even truer on almost all notebooks out there, even so called multimedia models.
A good set of headphones has become an essential accessory and a great solution when the audio is a personal experience. While a good set of speakers can really crank up the soundtrack; when the rest of the house is asleep, headphones can be a great answer to quality sound.
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Ridata Unbalanced SD Memory Card
Advanced Media, Inc., manufacturer and marketer of the popular RIDATA brand of recordable CD and DVD media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories, is adding an unbalanced Secure Digital memory card to its RIDATA line “Our unbalanced Secure Digital memory card is further indication that Advanced Media is dedicated to providing its customers the latest advancements in electronic storage media,” remarked Charlie Shiang, VP of Flash Products “This fast card enables users to store specific navigational or mapping information for use in a variety of mobile devices. It can also be used to hold trip details and highly detailed charts.”
The applications are unlimited, any type of digital content provider with the consideration of protecting the intellectual content while in need to be able to sell or populate the whole content will definitely benefit from the Unbalanced SD card, more examples include educational markets, remote learning education, automobile and defense industry ” added Shiang.
The uses for this product will be centered on two parts of SD memory formation: encrypted output control segment and accessible data segment. The data stored on the Encrypted output control segment is strictly prohibited for any kind of “check-in” (write data) or “check-out”(export data) activities with any other devices. Any form of the data movement is actually impossible.
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Movie-Phone Restrictions
There’s two downs and only one up to the FCC’s notion to allow theatres to ban mobile
phone signals in theatres.
I use AIM and Yahoo! Messenger almost everywhere I go: in a theatre, public bathroom, grandma’s house, even in the car (at stop lights only I swear). Missing out on that connectivity during my viewing of Harry Potter just may push me to the brink of a panic attack.
Reason number two on my list against this petition passing is the commercials. I look forward to the movie mockery commercials that are interrupted by the original Nokia beep-ring. They are just a comical way to notify those absent minded movie goers to mute or power down their mobile phones. I get a kick out of those commercials no matter how many times I see them. With signals blocked, nobody will need to watch a commercial like that, and I would start a theatre boycott.
The one good thing, is, of course, that annoying girl. The one who’s phone is on mega-super-loud, buried at the bottom of her purse, she has a megaphone voice, and of course she takes the call –for 3 mintues.
Power Companies Offering Internet Services
The largest power utility in Texas is planning on offering internet services delivered over their power lines. This will benefit them in two ways. Firstly, it gives them a way to monitor the status of their power lines. Secondly, this allos them to generate an additional way of producing revenue.
This is likely a good move for consumers, as it should keep the monopolisitic phone and cable companies (traditional offerers of broadband) to keep their pricing in check. In my opinion, if this works out in “the lone star state,” look for this to expand into other areas.
Anyone for a “quadruple play?”
1-electricity
2-telephone
3-television
4-internet
No word on pricing or plans yet.
Solar Powered Battery Chargers
Advanced Media, Inc., manufacturer
and marketer of the popular RIDATA brand of recordable CD and DVD
media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories, is
adding two photovoltaic solar powered battery chargers to its popular
RIDATA product line. Model SP 3900 charges cell phones and any
electronic device that has USB connectivity, such as Cell Phones, MP3
players, PDAs, GPS, hand-held games, radios, etc. Model SP 1300 charges
up to two AAA and AA batteries. Both will be on display in the Advanced
Media 2006 International CES booth, South Hall #35320.“Solar power chargers may be the most important and most significant
addition to the electronic and battery accessories industries ever,”
said Harvey Liu, Advanced Media president. “They allow battery-operated
devices and batteries to be charged virtually anywhere in the world
without having to worry about a compatible electric outlet being handy.
Besides its convenience factor, solar power also is environment
friendly – clean, renewable – and absolutely free.”Both RIDATA photovoltaic solar-powered chargers are lightweight,
durable, and waterproof. Each is as efficient as any current
conventional charger. The company believes individuals who are
concerned with energy costs as well as those who favor green energy
will be attracted to its solar chargers. Additionally, the SP 3900 will
find favor with travelers and campers, while the SP 1300’s attractive
design will also draw individuals to it.The SP 3900 is a three-panel solar-powered charger with a 900mA power
bank. It will charge cell phones and any device with USB connectivity.
Typically, it will fully charge such items in direct sunlight in four
hours.The SP 1300 charges AAA or AA batteries. It will fully charge two
AAA-size units in five hours in direct sunlight and two AAs in 10
hours.One of the main pluses of solar power is the fact it is renewable. That
is, as long as it keeps shining, the sun will be an excellent source of
energy, and scientists believe that should be for at least another 4.5
billion years. It also produces no air pollution, little or no noise,
and requires no transportable fuels. Even on cloudy days, there is
still enough solar energy for these chargers to do their job, albeit
not as quickly.
For all those folks that need their batteries on the go, this will be a must have item. Any card carrying Greenpeace member will also want this in their bag of tricks. I hope this starts a trend of solar charging, as this will be convenient, and good for the environment.