January 2010

Nexus One First Impressions

After having seen the Nexus One in the flesh prior to it being launched, I knew that I would have to order one as soon as it officially launched. As soon as the online store went live during the presentation, I placed an order for the unlocked version, as my T-Mobile family plan doesn’t qualify for the subsidized version. Read on for more thoughts on the ordering and delivery process, some unboxing photos, and some initial thoughts on the Nexus One hardware and Android 2.1. The Ordering Process The Google launch event was not quite a rock star event like…


Alex Dual Screen Android-Based eReader Gets More Real

Spring Design’s Alex Dual screen eReader is finally coming closer to a release.  This is probably the first eReader with a fully functional web browser with the exception of Flash since Android doesn’t have it yet. Alex™ features a 6″ E-Ink EPD display and 3.5″ color LCD display, earphones and speakers. A removable SD card will free up library space on the device while letting users archive content for future reference. The enhanced Android OS is optimized to support integration between the color and monochrome displays while preserving battery life. Users can capture and cache web content from their online…


Mr. Puzzle Genius 3D Puzzle for iPhone / iPod Touch

It’s no mystery that I’m a fan of casual gaming.  So I was excited when recently I was given a copy of Mr. Puzzle Genius 3D Puzzle for iPhone.  This game looked like it might be a real challenge with possibly lasting play value. So did it hold up to the hype? Let’s take a look…


Staying Motivated: Learning a Language on a Budget, Week Six

photo credit: woodleywonderworks So you’ve been at this language learning thing for a while now and you find yourself losing interest – or getting too busy – or whatever the case may be!   Now a few days or even weeks have gone by and you need to get yourself back into studying again.  One of the most important things in learning a language is to keep working at it and using it.  If you don’t, you will start to lose what you’ve learned already.  So how do you keep yourself motivated?   How do you keep things interesting?   This week, I’ll…


Que Publishing Releases Windows 7 Your Way by Michael Miller

Just published is Windows 7 Your Way: Speed Up and Customize Windows  by Michael Miller from Que Publishing. This book promises to help you make your Windows 7 experience “faster, smarter, easier, better.” They talk about removing bloatware, surfing the web safely, getting better performance and battery life out of your notebook, fixing some of the Windows 7 annoyances, and even finding alternatives to some of the built-in MS software.  Better still, they promise to help you with all of these things in a way that is easy to understand – no advanced degree required! Not long ago I reviewed Microsoft…


Gift Box for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

Are you ever out running errands or shopping, see an item in a store, and think, “hey, that would make a great gift for ______ …?”  It definitely happens to me.  The problem is that I pretty quickly forget about that great idea and when the intended recipient’s birthday or Christmas rolls around, I’m in a cold sweat, trying to figure out what to get them. Just before Christmas, Zicron Software released Gift Box, an iPhone application intended to help folks like me stay organized at birthday and holiday times.  Zicron Software is still pretty new to the world of…


MyDeskFriend Pingo Review

I have a confession to make.  I like penguins.  Part of this is I am a Linux user and Tux, the Linux mascot, is a penguin.  The other part is they are so darn cute.  That’s why I decided to take a look when Arimaz offered to send a sample of MyDeskFriend AKA Pingo. Part Tamagotchi, part Facebook app, part Tux Droid and all cute.  That about sums up this tiny robot that fits in your hand.  MyDeskFriend comes with a little USB docking station, Pingo the Penguin and a little rubber visor that Pingo wears.


The Klipsch LightSpeaker Shines a Light on Your Musical Tastes

I’ve got no word yet on how they sound, or whether it’s even practical, but Klipsch has come out with a way to wirelessly stream music to a dimmable LED bulb which also functions as a speaker. Their aptly named LightSpeaker screws into an existing light fixture, and when you attach a digital music player to the included transmitter, sound ensues. You can “connect two different music sources to the setup and separate the different music to play in two different zones.  For example, if you’re throwing a party, you can play certain playlist on your iPod in the kitchen…


Jabra HALO Bluetooth Headphones Review

Jabra None of the previous Bluetooth headphones that I have had the chance to use have really felt “right”. Many of them were either just like two enormous earbuds in each ear tethered to each other with a wire behind my head, or were too large to chuck in my slender laptop bag that I carted to uni everyday. The idea of cutting the cord between my head and my pocket was a good one, but there were just too many drawbacks. That’s until I tried the Jabra Halo, which has brought me that much closer to wireless freedom. The…


DXTop Home Replacement Review

I just bought my Droid a few weeks ago, and I’ve been testing various programs and getting acquainted with Android 2.0. In the stock configuration, 2.0 only has 3 “home screens” for widgets and quick app access. A few quick scans around various Android forums, and I found out about one “home replacement” program that seemed to add a lot of functionality in addition to an extra home screen: DXTop.


The Porsche Design mPower Illuminator will shine a light on your financial situation

Do you have more money than sense? If you do, then the new mPower Emergency Illuminator will likely be your flashlight of choice. What does $289 get you — other than an LED flashlight that vaguely resembles the SS Enterprise? The mPower Emergency Illuminator™ is a personal illumination tool that offers Power On Command™. In addition to primary standard lithium batteries, the illuminator also features a groundbreaking reserve lithium battery with a shelf life of at least 20 years. Upon activation, via the simple twist of a knob, the reserve battery will provide power to light a high intensity LED…


Is Text to Speech Copyright Infringement or Accessibility?

Famously, the Kindle 2 debuted with Text to Speech enabled, only to see it yanked for many books after the publishing companies complained it violated audiobook copyrights. This debate is becoming an issue all over again because of devices like Intel’s Reader for the blind, which uses a scanner and text to speech to allow a visually impaired individual to “read” a written passage.