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Category Archives: General

Who'da Thunk it? – 2

Posted on June 26, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Once again it is time to look at another pointless electronic product available to you, the technology junky. This particular product is geared more towards pet owners. More specifically, dog lovers. Even more specific, dog lovers with a dirty mouth and no limit of shame.

The product to be looked at today is the “X-rated Talking Dog Collar”

Woof Woof
Now there is finally a way to make those big loud german sheppards or pitbulls even more aggressive and those Chihuahuas even more yappier – by mixing in rude and obnoxious phrases such as “Tricks! You wanna see tricks? Get yourself a hooker!”

What a cute doggie! What's its name?

Doesn’t the dog look more loyal and obedient with the talking collar? You would never have to worry about anyone kidnapping your beloved rex so long as it spews out such classic lines like “Hey, ever eat your own s**t? I have!”. If you ask this guy, there are absolute no drawbacks for putting this product on your dog.

If you want to purchase this product, please go here .

Coming to you with another wacky and useless product, this is Merv.

Posted in General | 1 Comment |

Why isn't my car on the Information Superhighway?

Posted on June 26, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Yesterday after work I got out to my car and realized I was almost out of gas. Not usually a huge deal but I was on a tight schedule. I now had to take time out and drive, in the opposite direction of my destination, to get gas. This annoyed me.

So I was thinking to myself, “I wish I could have known earlier if I was going to need gas or not so I could have factored this in.” Then it hit me – I need my car to be a little more proactive when it needs something. Yes, I could have just looked at the gauge before I went in to work or better yet I could have just paid attention and gotten gas the day before or earlier. But with technology embedded almost everywhere, why is it that I don’t have the option of getting emails or text messages from my car when it needs things done?

Continue reading →

Posted in General | Leave a comment |

Super Talent MP3 Player review: nano or no-no?

Posted on June 25, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Super Talent in handTo call the iPod the “market leader” is an understatement.  Ars Technica recently reported the iPod is so popular that beer sales on college campuses are decreasing as a result!  Personally, I’ve never owned one (although I had a free one which I never used and eventually dumped on Craigslist), and I remain surprised that nobody can best them still.  In fact, I must say I tend to jump at the opportunity to try other MP3 players when I get the chance.  When the Super Talent “MP3_4-2GBK” arrived, I hoped from the start it would be impressive.  And impressive it is, but it is unfortunately no David to Apple’s Goliath.

Continue reading →

Posted in General, Product Reviews | 17 Comments |

A New Look for the Tube

Posted on June 23, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Go to any big electronics store and check out all the humongous, flat screen, HD TVs with speakers that knock you down; they are at once terribly thrilling and immensely boring. There are black boxes and there are silver boxes. Boxes. The rationale certainly has something to do with decorating, matching anything, being inconspicuous. For anyone who thinks that is a little too drab, HANNspree provides an alternative.

Animal plushie? Smooth wood? Trucks and trains for your son? Fanciful crystals for your daughter? The sports fan can get a TV to match a favorite team, and kids of all ages can appreciate the Disney licensing. HANNspree is about expressing your personality not just through what you watch, but how you watch it. Their website proclaims, “Our televisions are meant to be bold declarations of individuality, pride, and personal style.”

However, it’s obvious looking at one of these perky sets in action that the screen quality isn’t quite up to what you’d expect from the mainstream brands. The staff at the Flagship Showcase in San Francisco weren’t hiding the fact that, “It’s definitely a trade-off,” between technology and personality, but they also were quick to note that the screens they do use are made by Hannstar, one of the top 10 LCD display manufacturers.

Another potential concern is the small size of the screens. To address this, the company will begin to release larger models. One example is seen here, and I was able to take a look at pictures of some others. It seems that with the screen enlargement, the televisions regress back into simple boxes. I, for one, would have no problem with a giant plushie giraffe. Hopefully in the future some of the whimsy of the smaller TVs will be injected into the big screens.

Prices are currently being tested in the range between $199 and $999, but look for them to settle somewhere between $249/99 and $999. The larger models will increase the range of prices, as well as products. Since many people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a super hi-tech TV, it seems perfectly reasonable for others to pay hundreds for something that is so personal. At first, I was thinking kids would outgrow the more playful sets, but when I found myself picking out which one I would take home if I had a choice, I realized that’s probably not the case.

Posted in General, Video/Music/Media | 1 Comment |

The Prey Demo isn't out!

Posted on June 23, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Not for Xbox 360 owners, anyways. The promised demo for this still-hotly anticipated game (it’s been about ten years of dev time) released for PC owners flawlessly, but the Xbox Live Marketplace demo is still sitting somewhere not reachable by mere gamers. With the upcoming Live Anywhere feature, does Microsoft really think anyone buys into it anymore? Downloadable content is reaching a boiling point of costing too much and delivering too little, and Microsoft’s Xbox division has only been fronting it for six months. Add in some chronic lateness (Street Fighter II arcade? Anyone? Street Fighter II arcade?) and it’s a horrible fantasy land for MS to think that being able to access the marketplace anywhere is a perk.

The worst part is, they’re still likely to end this generation the solid market leader in console games.

Posted in General | Leave a comment |

Opera 9 is Out!

Posted on June 22, 2006 by Guest Contributor

opera_9_preview.jpgI’ve just downloaded the new version of Opera’s web browser, and my Official Stance is: Nifty.

It’s not so much that I’m a stickler for particular features; I just want a browser that’s fast and doesn’t crash. Is that too much to ask? Regardless, here’s the skinny on the latest features available in Opera 9.

  • Tabs display a thumbnail of the webpage: How cool is this? If you’re looking at your tab and can’t figure out what it is just by the title alone, hovering over the tab will display a little thumbnail image of the page for you
  • Built-in BitTorrent support: Now, when you click on the download link for a torrent file, Opera begins its download, without requiring you to save the file and opening your torrent client manually
  • Widgets: Yep, just like Mac OS X, Widgets are little stand-alone apps that do just one thing, unconnected to the browser. There are a bunch of them, too, in categories ranging from games to graphics to weather to blogs, etc.

One thing that peeves me about Opera 9, however, is the way it organizes my imported bookmarks alphabetically. I’ve gotten quite used to my preferred organization, thank you… I don’t need them alphabetized! I will say this, though… this browser proved quite speedy in opening and displaying graphics for many of the sites I regularly browse. Having said all this, however, I’m sticking with Firefox. I’m just that way, I suppose. But the rest of you interested in an alternate browser, you can download Opera 9 here.

Posted in General | Leave a comment |

Redmond & Robots

Posted on June 22, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Okay, picture this… it’s 2016 and your Honda XT3 SE Personal Robotic Assistant (I’m officially staking claim to this futuristic term – minus the “Honda”) walks into the dining room after dinner and asks, as usual, “Is there anything else I can get for you before I clear your plate, sir?” You say “no” but the PRA continues asking, becoming increasingly belligerent. You ask, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, the standard diagnostic question – “What’s wrong?” All you get is the BFOD… the Blank Face Of Death.

Microsoft Robotics StudioIn case you haven’t caught on yet, Microsoft is getting in to the robotics business – at least the software end of it. So now my stupid joke makes sense (BSOD)! Enter Microsoft Robotics Studio, which “offers [an] end-to-end robotics development environment … for hobbyist, academic and commercial developers.” Basically it’s BOT-DOS (boy, I’m a roll – I should get kick-backs from Webster).

Trower [general manager of Microsoft’s new robotics group] says Robotics Studio is intended to help the robot industry “bootstrap itself,” the same way Microsoft’s first DOS operating system provided a standard platform that other software writers were then able to use to write a host of applications, such as spreadsheets and word-processing programs, that eventually made PCs indispensable.

Trower believes that PCs and robots are converging — and that Microsoft must invest in robotics if it wants to be a player in personal computing five to ten years from now. “Your PC is getting up off the desktop and beginning to interact in the same environment where you live in new ways, using cameras and sensors and speech technology and a variety of other advanced technologies,” he says. “This is the direction that PCs are evolving.”

Microsoft showcased this programming environment at the RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition 2006 (official press release).

“Microsoft, together with the upcoming LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT, will help further amplify the impact of robotics,” said Søren Lund, director of LEGO MINDSTORMS at the LEGO Group. “The MINDSTORMS robotics toolset has enjoyed a strong community of users since 1998, and the launch of our next-generation platform includes many built-in features that further the community’s ability to take MINDSTORMS programming out of the box. In combination with Microsoft Robotics Studio, PC users will have a sophisticated tool that will further extend the powerful NXT hardware and software to an even wider range of developers who wish to create advanced applications for their LEGO robots.”

We’re working to get a demo of the Lego Mindstorms NXT system so I’ll follow up with a thorough review of that product and also how well it integrates with MS Robotics Studio. Stay tuned!

Posted in Convergence, General, Product Announcements | Leave a comment |

Who'da Thunk it?

Posted on June 21, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Alright, I think it’s time someone started a section on unecessary yet nonetheless cool products available that most of us probably don’t even know about.

The product I have chosen as the initial “go figure” gadget is what is called the “Blue Faucet Light”.

Go Figure!

Yes, it is what it looks like and exactly what it says it is. For less than 20 bucks, you too can have neon blue water coming out of your tap.

Wow...it's like drinking draino!

Does this make your water any safer or healthier? No. Does this product have any benefits whatsoever? Again no. Do I recommend this product? Hell yeah. Imagine brushing your teeth with kool-aid?

If interested, go here to make all your neon water dreams come true.

Coming to you with another wacky and useless product, this is Merv

Posted in General | 4 Comments |

What is Batman like?

Posted on June 21, 2006 by Guest Contributor

He’s like, it turns out, a lecherous old porn producer with a brilliant wit and snazzy glasses. 1up.com’s designer and myself got the chance to interview Adam West at this year’s E3, so you all get to share in it.

Posted in General | Leave a comment |

Girl's Gadget Report: The Electronic Defence Whistle

Posted on June 21, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Pink WhistleGirls are always concerned with their security and self-protection. Actually, lots of women feel vulnerable from time-to-time, perhaps when travelling alone, when their car breaks down, sometimes at work, or when there are certain difficulties in a relationship or within the home. They are principal users of all those self-defense tools like pepper sprays, stun guns, etc. In some cases these tools can be very useful.

The device we’d like to present you today is, in our opinion, a must have for every girl. I’m talking about the Electronic Defence Whistle. This one is a hand-held personal alarm that emits a very acute sound when brought into action. Frankly speaking, the sound is rather piercing and strong enough to scary both the attacker and the victim. It looks like a whistle and functions like one.  You are not going to kill or hurt someone this way, but you will surely attract attention and get a chance to escape.

The Electronic Defence Whistle is very small and stylish, but powerful enough to fulfill its “lofty mission” of protecting you from an attacker. It’s available in three colors: pink, blue, and orange. It fits perfectly any handbag, even the smallest one. You can also wear it on a necklace or keep it in a pocket.

Don’t let them attack you! Use this Electronic Defence Whistle! Available soon at http://www.futureinstore.com/FIS-web%20folder/images/FIS_wheretobuy.html

The Weekly Girl’s Gadget Report is brought to you by http://www.gadget4girls.com/

Posted in General, Mobile Technology | Leave a comment |

Gamera Walkie Bits!

Posted on June 21, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Oh, look! It’s so cute! Takara toys has released limited edition Gamera Walkie Bits to coincide with the new Gamera movie. These little robot turtles are very popular in Japan. They will walk to a rhythm you specify by clicking their mouse button-like shells. They also sing and race. Gamera singing, that seems like a new one to me. There doesn’t seem to be an excuse to not get one, unless you have a dislike for adorable little toys with the power to entertain children and draw attention from adults in coffee shops. Note, though, that all the instructions are in Japanese.

Posted in General, No/Low-tech, Product Announcements | Leave a comment |

Google's Browser Sync for Firefox

Posted on June 20, 2006 by Guest Contributor

This is such a simple idea, it’s a wonder you don’t see it more often. The Wonderful Google (hallowed be thy name) has given us an extension for the Firefox browser that synchronizes your bookmarks between different computers. So if you’re using Firefox at work and at home, you can rest assured that you’ll never have to send yourself emails with the newest website bookmark in them; Browser Sync does it automagically for you!

Learn more about it here.

Posted in General | 1 Comment |
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About

Jeremy Toeman is a seasoned Product leader with over 20 years experience in the convergence of digital media, mobile entertainment, social entertainment, smart TV and consumer technology. Prior ventures and projects include CNET, Viggle/Dijit/Nextguide, Sling Media, VUDU, Clicker, DivX, Rovi, Mediabolic, Boxee, and many other consumer technology companies. This blog represents his personal opinion and outlook on things.

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