Category: Gadgets

Cool Gadgets

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Best of 2009: Terry’s Top 10 Gadget Picks

Happy New Year! It's that time once again to take a quick look at my favorite gadgets of last year. The gadgets I've chosen were the ones that I used the most and that had the most positive impact on my day-to-day life. These gadgets were either introduced in 2009 or had significant updates in 2009. These are the gadgets that I would recommend to a friend without hesitation. So let's get to it…

 

iPhone 3GS

iPhone 3GS

Anyone that knows me knows that the iPhone 3GS is my communications device of choice. The 3GS made my life easier this year with more memory, a faster processor, and graphics to run apps that I never dreamed of right from the palm of my hand. I use my iPhone quite a bit in my day to day routine. I actually get a ton of work/communications done with this device.  I get both work and personal email, SMS and MMS messaging, productivity and business apps, and yes even the ability to make calls. This is the one gadget that I now couldn't imagine being without. See my original iPhone 3GS review here. Learn more about the iPhone 3GS here.

See my Must Have iPhone Apps here.

See my favorite iPhone and iPod touch accessories here.

 

Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote

When I am at home and not producing content, I enjoy my home entertainment systems and home theater. The one remote that has worked for me better than any other remote I've tried is the Logitech Harmony One. This remote is configured from your computer to do exactly what you want. Anyone with more than a couple of entertainment components should do themselves a favor and check out the Harmony One. See my original review here. Get the Harmony One Remote here.

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Carry Sensitive Data on an IronKey

ironkey

Although I have what seems like a mountain of thumb/flash drives lying around, I've never had one as cool as the one my friend Mary just gave me. It's called the IronKey. While it looks like an ordinary thumb drive in a cool aluminum casing, it's actually a lot more.

 

For the Security Conscious

As computer users we're taught not to leave a list of our passwords next to our computer right? Some will take it a step further and put that list on their computers in a text filed called something less obvious like "Johnson Rod Repair Manual". However, sensitive data should really be encrypted! While there is no shortage of encryption apps for Mac and PC's, I don't run across hardware solutions as often. Sure, most portable drives will offer something, but in that case it's usually very platform specific and requires the software to actually be "installed" to use it. The IronKey takes a simpler more straight forward approach.

 

Set it up

ironkeysetup

When you first plug in the USB thumb drive, you can launch the app for your platform right off the device itself. They have the documentation there as well. Give it a name and your secure password (please remember it!). You can also enable the Device Reset feature at this point so that if your device is lost/stolen and someone keys in the wrong password too many times it will automatically and securely erase or destroy the device. 

ironkeyinit

 

At this point your IronKey is ready to use

ironkeyunlock

Just key in your password and it will unlock and mount the drive

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Kindle 2 eBook Reader Review

Kindle2

If you know me, you're probably surprised that I would be writing anything about an eBook reader. Why? Because I'm not an avid book reader. However, my daughter is and the one thing she wanted for her graduation present from high school was a Kindle. Being a straight A student (yes, I'm bragging. It's my daughter), I had no problem with this request. Selfishly I also knew I'd get a chance to play with it, um, I mean set it up for her.

 

When the Kindle arrived…

I went through the standard unboxing and setup. Everything was pretty straightforward. I set it up on her existing Amazon.com account and with a gift card she was able to buy some books and download them. The first cool thing I noticed here is that the downloading is over the air via 3G technology. So you don't have to worry about having a WiFi connection, nor do you pay any monthly costs for the data connection. That's right! It's all included in the price. I guess Amazon figures that if they make it "easy" to get the content to your device, you'll probably buy more of it.

 

What I liked…

I really liked how thin the device was. The LCD was certainly easy on the eyes and the size of it seemed about right. Not too big and not too small. Battery life so far (it's been since May 2009) has also been good. The Kindle 2 is also very light weight. Navigating the menus works OK, but it's all with buttons as there is no mouse or trackpad. The Kindle charges with a stand USB charging connection and of course comes with a nice compact travel charger.

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What I want in a digital picture frame

My buddy Dave Moser asked me the other day for a recommendation on a digital picture frame. Luckily it was over email and text messages and therefore he couldn't see the blank look on my face. I have a few digital picture frames in my house, but sadly none of them really stand out or come to mind as something I'm so excited about that I would joyfully recommend. The problem is that I haven't seen a digital picture frame yet that is GREAT! I haven't even seen any yet that are really good. The current selection of frames out there that I've seen are just "OK".

 

What I want in a digital picture frame

The problem is that when it comes to a digital picture frame it not only has to have great technology in it for loading images and seeing them, but it also has to be aesthetically pleasing because this is something that is going in your home on display. And therein lies the problem, I haven't seen one yet that's a good enough blend between art and science. So I thought I would build "my" perfect digital picture frame here. Hopefully it already exists and one of you will point me to it and if not, someone will read this and build it some day. So here goes:

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Nike+iPhone – (Nike+) Shoes = Flexibility

myshoes

I’ve been a fan of the Nike+iPod kit since day one. Although I don’t consider myself to be a runner. I am a  walker and therefore like to keep track of my walking goals and progress. When the Nike+iPod kit first came out it was a two piece kit sold by Apple and Nike. What you got in the box was a sensor that went into a special compartment in the sole of your Nike+ shoes and a receiver that attached to the dock connector on the iPod nano.

nikesensor

With this combination you got music while you ran or walked, voice prompts let you know your stats and distance to go and stats that would automatically get uploaded to your Nike+ account on the web each time you’d sync your iPod. It’s GREAT!

nikeinshoe 

I’m an iPhone user though

When the iPhone came out two years ago I wasn’t really interested in carrying both an iPod and my iPhone. After all the iPhone has an iPod built-in. So I kinda got away from using my Nike+ kit. Sure I was still walking, but I just wasn’t keeping track anymore. Well when I upgraded to the iPhone 3GS, I was very happy to see that like the iPod touch (2nd gen), Apple had built-in support for the Nike+iPod integration. Now I could carry just the one device and I would no longer need the receiver attached to the dock connector. Cool! I still have my original Nike+ shoes and I started using them again. This is when I realized that I’m not always going to want to wear these shoes everywhere I go. I have nothing against Nike shoes (you should see my closet), but I just didn’t want to be limited to the one pair of shoes every time I wanted to walk and track my progress.

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Travel Tips for the Techie-Part 3: What’s in my bag?

If I covered every single item I traveled with it would probably bore you to tears. So instead I’m going to focus this last segment of my favorite travel tips on my favorite/must have travel items that I take on practically every trip. Now keep in mind that the items I mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2 are also included in my favorites.

 

At least one camera

D5000

Honestly I usually have 3 to 4 cameras with me on every trip. At a minimum I have my iPhone 3GS, which I consider to be my "I want to take a picture and don’t have anything else with me" camera. I also keep my Canon PowerShot ELPH 870IS point and shoot camera in my laptop bag (in one of those mesh bags I mentioned earlier this week). Between these two I’m usually covered for those surprise photo ops. However, if I know that I’m going to be taking pictures or the purpose of the trip is photography, then I’m also going to pack either my Nikon D700 or D5000. If there is going to be a video opportunity I’m also going to pack my Canon VIXIA HF10 HD video camera too. So you see, we got to 4 cameras without blinking an eye. I never want to say that "I missed a great chance to take a shot because I didn’t have a camera with me-AGAIN." 

I also always carry either my di-GPS Pro (if I carry the D700) or Nikon GP-1 (if I carry the D5000) GPS units for Geotagging my Photos.

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Travel Tips for the Techie – Part 2: Absolute Power

If you travel with electronics then you know how important it is to keep them powered while on the go. So in this Travel Tips segment I’m going to cover some of my favorite options for keeping my gear charged/powered when I travel.

 

The HyperMac Battery

This is probably my favorite new backup battery because it does double duty. It keeps my MacBook Pro charged on long flights AND it can also keep my iPhone/iPod charged too. See my original review here. Prices for the HyperMac Batteries start at $199.95. As a bonus you also get a car charger for your MacBook/Pro if you go with the $299.95 model or higher. See the HyperMac products here.

 

iGo

igoslim

The next solution is the Swiss Army Knife of chargers. The idea behind iGo is that you buy one universal charger that plugs into the wall and buy Tips for all your devices. Honestly I used to use the iGo charger all the time. However, I don’t carry it any more (although I should) because they don’t yet have an Tip for MacBooks/Pros because of the proprietary MagSafe plug that Apple uses (I wonder how HyperMac does it?). However, for your non MacBook laptop and your cellphone, iPod, GameBoy, video camera, etc., this one charger does it all. 

You can get the iGo Slim Design 90W Laptop Wall Charger here for $79.99. Then you can use the iGo Tip Finder to find the Tips you need for each one of the devices you want to be able to charge with this charger. So you carry ONE charger and a Tip for each device instead of having to carry multiple chargers!

  Continue reading “Travel Tips for the Techie – Part 2: Absolute Power”

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Travel Tips for the Techie – Part 1: Avoid a TSA “Bag Check”

meshbags

I’m dedicating three days on my blog to "Travel Tips for the Techie". Having done a lot of travel recently I’m reminded of those things I do and bring along that make travel a little easier. So I decided to share some of my favorite tips with you here.

As a gadget junkie, I travel with a lot of electronics. So it was a common occurrence for me to hear the words "bag check" from the TSA x-ray person. I would hear those lovely words at least 50-60% of the time when going through airport security. Recently I decided to do something about it. I started to think about what  is it about my laptop bag that causes the x-ray agent so much trouble? Then it dawned upon me that I carry a lot of loose crap. What I mean by that is that I carry a lot of loose cables, connectors, adapters, etc. 

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This is not a “Do-It-Yourself” blog

notadiy

I love the positive feedback I get from readers of my blog. It also makes my day when blog readers come up to me at events and tell me how much they enjoy my blog. 

 

Suggestions

It’s impossible to review a product and not have someone give their option of the product too. Many times people offer alternatives too. I welcome this as many of the suggestions posted here have actually led me to products I might not otherwise have discovered. As a matter of fact many of the products I’m using right now are as a result of your suggestions. So thanks!

 

However, sometimes someone will respond with "wouldn’t it be cheaper if you built one yourself?" or "wouldn’t product X be cheaper?" Here’s the thing, the products I review here are either products that I liked or products that are the best of breed in their respective category. Yes, it’s my opinion. Yes, it’s my blog! That’s the whole point, It’s my opinion. It’s my experiences. It’s my take on the product one way or the other. So while suggestions are always nice, I’m never claiming that the product I’m reviewing is the "cheapest" product on the market. You can almost always find an alternative to the products I review here.

 

Keep the suggestions and opinions coming! However, keep in mind that this is not a "hey couldn’t you go to Home Depot or Target and build a solution that works" kinda blog. There are plenty of do-it-yourself blogs out there.

 

Thanks!

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NewerTech Voyager Q Review

 A couple of weeks back I reviewed the NewerTech Universal Drive Adapter. While that solution works for both IDE and SATA drives, it only works over USB 2. I wanted something that was faster! Well NewerTech does make a faster device that’s actually a bit more elegant as well. It’s the NewerTech Voyager Q. This external device resembles a toaster. You insert your bare SATA drive, connect the power and connect it to either your Firewire 400, 800, USB 2 or eSATA port, turn it on and you’ve got access to the drive. This is great for people upgrading to larger drives or just have older drives lying around that they want to periodically access. Check it out in action here:

 

 

The Bottom Line

If you need to connect SATA drives to your computer on a regular basis, there is no better, faster or easier solution. The fact that it supports all the interfaces in use today and that it supports both 2.5" and 3.5" drives makes it a winner. The Quad Interface Voyager Q goes for $94.99 from Other World Computing.