Posts Tagged gadgets
Cell Phones Going on Another Diet
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on December 18th, 2009
Mobile (cell) phones have been getting smaller ever since they first hit the market. They once resembled hard-back books, and now you can find phones smaller than a pack of chewing gum. That said, there was a marked reversal in this shrinking progress as phones took on more and more functions and applications, such as being used as video cameras and personal organisers. Handsets such as the iphone and other ’smart’ phones did have improved styling, but are considerably larger than many of the previous generation handsets. However, this is soon set to change.
There is no longer a need to have every one of your phone’s files and functional programs loaded onto your handset, and this is down to advances in wireless and 3G connectivity. You can instead stream whatever information, games and functions you need from else ware, only when you need it. This then allows phones to essentially act like shells, that can be used for different things at different times, just by feeding different information into them.
A central information hub that is kept at home, or better yet with your network provider, would essentially act as the phone’s database. This hub will contain all your programs, songs, pictures etc, and will be able to feed them to your phone in an instant. You will still need a certain amount of hardware in the phone, such as a camera and other electrical components, but you will be able to save huge amounts of space where memory, processors and mini fan accessories would normally be found. This means then that phones could be not much bigger than cable ties and you could even wear them as accessories such on a necklace or as a wrist-band. As phones would not be constrained by previous standard conventions, their evolution in terms of appearance could be almost limitless.
Guys and Girls Newest Car Toys
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on December 18th, 2009
If you haven’t noticed, driving is very popular these days and car toys and gadgets are big business. There are literally thousands of different add-ons and build-ins that people can get for their cars these days, some very clever and others just ridiculous. Let’s take a little look at 4 of the latest and greatest car toys for boys and girls.
Variable heated seats. When your in a car, especially for long periods of time, being uncomfortable or cold is never a nice experience. Heated seats have been around for a little while now, but the latest generation allows you to vary the heat for different body parts. For those people who enjoy having one leg hotter than the other, or a warm lower back, but cool neck…then this is the gadget for you my friend. These make ideal Christmas presents as well as they are perfect for winter months.
360 TV. Guys like watching TV, fact. That said, they cannot enjoy it whilst driving around as men are terrible at multi tasking, as well as the fact it is very illegal. Well now men can have the best of both worlds as cameras mounted on every angle of the car relay images to a screen in front of the driver.Checking out other cars and reversing round corners is now simple as pie.
Makeup mirror. Probably more gifts for girls these things, rear-view mirrors that flip over to reveal a magnifying mirror, perfect for checking the makeup and applying lipstick. It’s probably best to only use these when you’re parked however, just to be on the safe side.
Sound effects horn. What man doesn’t dream about having a porsche in the garage or an air force helicopter in the garden. Unfortunately, unless you’re a millionaire or a helicopter pilot, you’re going to have to settle for a multi-effect car horn. These brilliant gifts for men can replicate over 100 cool sounds, including explosions, super car sounds and animal noises.In some areas these may not be entirely road legal, but that doesn’t mean you can drive up and down your drive, scaring the skin off your cat and neighbours with it.
When Will We See The Kindle 4?
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on December 9th, 2009
2009 has been an important year for e-book readers – substantially as a result of the efforts of Amazon. The Kindle 2 was launched by Amazon in February 2009, which was an improved version of the first Kindle, originally launched in November 2007.
Amazon followed up with the Kindle DX in June of 2009, which was a large format version of the Kindle 2. It was specifically targeted at readers of newspapers, magazines and academic textbooks – and it created a bit of a stir.
The possibilities in the academic world – from interactive textbooks to constantly updated texts, and not forgetting the opportunity afforded to academic bodies to save a good deal of money – attracted a good deal of attention. In addition to entering into partnership with various colleges and universities, Amazon received plenty of free publicity from the political scene – such as the New Democratic Leadership Council and Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his capacity as Governor of California.
Thanks to Amazon’s foresight and innovation – helped by all the free publicity – the Kindle reader has now become Amazon’s top selling product. The Kindle currently has an incredible 60% share of the U.S. e-book reader market and recently brought out an international version. The Kindle has, to all intents and purposes, become synonymous with e-book readers.
It’s probably worth pointing out that Amazon didn’t enter the e-book reader market until fairly late in the day. The first e-book reader, the Franklin eBookman, was launched in 1999 – a decade ago. The Sony PRS reader was launched in 2007, before the launch of the original Kindle.
Amazon may not have been first to launch – but by combining clever marketing with technical innovation and addressing customer needs, Amazon has secured its current number one position. The vast choice of books available for the Kindle on Amazon’s website (360,000 titles at the last count and growing daily) and the wireless connectivity (with no monthly fee) were every bit as critical to the success of the Kindle as were the technical aspects of the device.
However, now that Amazon has – practically single handed – established the market, it seems that there are a whole bunch of other manufacturers who all want their share. Sony, Microsoft, Apple, Barnes and Noble, iRex, Plastic Logic, Asus – the list goes on – all have their own readers ready for launch or in the final stages of development.
Amazon’s current unique selling point – wireless connectivity – will become the norm and Barnes and Noble will allow users of their new Nook reader the choice of over 1,000,000 titles. Sony’s new Daily Edition reader will allow users to download e-books on loan from participating lending libraries. 2010 will probably see some industry standard e-book format agreed upon, which will allow users to lend e-books to family and friends or move them over to other readers if they wish.
Currently, a lot of industry analysts are checking out the line up of new readers and trying to predict which of them is the Kindle Killer. Neverthelss, Amazon has been commercially aware up until now, so they won’t surrender their leadership position without a fierce struggle. It took them less than a year and a halft after the launch of the original Kindle to release the much improved Kindle 2. The DX was launched just a few months later. Amazon almost certainly has big plans for the further development of their e-book readers. Could it be that the Kindle killer will actually be the Kindle 4 and that could we see this sometime in 2010?
Top 10 Watchmaking Innovations
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on November 27th, 2009
Over the past few hundred years both watch and clock making have seen lots of major technological leaps forward. From the early days of the humble spring powered clock we have come a long way to the hi-tech accuracy of digital watches and the sublime elegance of ladies designer watches.Here are 10 of the most notable innovations.
The spring powered clock – The spring powered clock was invented in Nuremberg, Germany in the early 1500s.This early breakthrough paved the way for the size of clocks at the time to be reduced so much in size that they could become a watch.
The tourbillon – The tourbillon is responsible for watches being able to keep time, despite changes in time.This was introduced by Louis Briguet in the early to mid 1700s.
Mass production – this was the big leap forward that brought the price of watches down, making them affordable to the man on the street.
Automatic winding – After overcoming issues with inaccuracy and the risk of damage from water and dust rolex introduced the shockproof silent automatic winding watch.
The first electronic wristwatch – this was introduced in 1957 where a battery replaced the mainspring.This paved the way for a number of important stylistic innovations.
Quartz powered timekeeping – by 1969, movement sensor based timekeeping technology had become small enough to power a watch. Seiko manufactured the first, calling it the Astron.Amazingly it kept time to within an impressive 10 seconds per year.
The first digital display watch – this was produce in 1972 and was an expensive 18-carat gold watch.It wasnt long until much more affordable versions were manufactured.
The GPS wristwatch – the first GPS watch was manufactured by casio in 1999 to keep up with the growing technology industry.
Bluetooth – this is still a comparatively recent development, arriving as it did in 2006 with Seiko being the leader of the pack.Since that time other watchmakers have joined in with their own versions.
Gadgets – these days watches are used as cell phones, cameras and even media players.
Santa Training
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on November 27th, 2009
Yes that’s right, because its almost that time of year where hundreds people get into those big red suits to help kids to have a great Christmas it has been noticed that here in the UK the majority of men going for the job are of the older generation.
With all of the recent gadgets that are around these Santas are going to need a lot of training so they know what all of the kids are actually talking about when they are asking around.
Well this is where PC World has stepped in to help out all of the Santa’s. It is unsure on why PC world have been chosen for this as they seem to know nothing about the majority of the products they sell when I ask them about it instore there seems to be one guy that knows about it!
In theory this is in place to teach the santas about all of the newest gadgets that are out like the Xbox 360 and others such things. To be honest I do not think it is necessary to do this at all. I do not a kid that sees Santa that knows hte exact specs od any of these things? All they should be told is the name of the products as this will save a lot of time.
The one thing that these Santa’s are not being told is how much these items cost to replace so it is well worth looking into getting some gadget insurance or at the very least something like cheap laptop insurance or even cell phone insurance or you could find a very unhappy kid come January.
Make sure that this year when you take your kid to see Santa that he is trained.
So make sure that this year when you are going to see Santa that he knows exactly what your kid is on about or you could find yourself in a spot of trouble!
Gadgets In The Office
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on November 27th, 2009
There are many gadgets out on the market just for the office. But which ones are the best ones to have and why?
USB Gadgets
There are many USB gadgets out there and they work really well in an office full of computers. One of my personal favourites is the USB fridge as it can keep a normal sized can of drink cool by simply plugging it into a USB slot. If you are into your teas and coffees then look out for the USB cup warmer as that allows you to keep the drink warm as it is easy to forget a cup of tea.
Sound Hats
What if you are not allowed music at work? Put one of these hats on and your boss will just think you are cold in these winter monthes when you are listening to music. When of course you know you are listening to your favourite tunes.
Stress Balls
Okay so they aren’t really as important gadgets as the previous ones but they sure as hell come in handy if you turn up for work in a very bad mood. This is very useful if you get into a bit of trouble and feel you need to take your anger out on something.
USB Hubs
These will provide you with many places to plug USB bits and bobs into. These come in a variety of different ways from the awesome looking R2D2 to the time travelling Tardis.
All of these things can make a difference to those boring serviced offices and if these gadgets aren’t enough for you then look into getting some more interesting office furniture. So buy office chairs that is a bit different to see a difference in the way people work, you never know it could make a difference
Reasons Why You Shouldnt Take Your Mobile Abroad
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on November 25th, 2009
about taking your mobile phone with you? The first thing I would say is don’t even bother and the second is that if you are then make sure you have cheap mobile phone insurance.
Reasons
One of the main reasons that you should not be taking your mobile phone with you is because it just gets in the way of everything and does not need to be with you. If you are taking your mobile with you then you are going to call the people you miss because they are there in front of you. They will all still be there when you get back, if you are that desperate just use a pay phone. It will certainly bee a lot cheaper than using your mobile to make the call.
Using the internet even by accident can actually get you into a lot of trouble as it will cost a lot of money to pay fpr. This is even more so for phones such as the iPhone as they will charge you a lot of money for using the internet even if it is just a mistake.
Although you could get gadget insurance for breakages abroad it will not cover you from the mistakes you can make from all of the browsing that can be done. If you are thinking about texting then expect a large sum of money to be taken each time you ty.
The main lesson to be learnt from this is just to leave the phone at home as it is just not worth all of the hassle. If you are going on holiday then make sure you look into car hire insurance because at least then if something happens you are covered.
Make Sure You’ll Get Your Money’s Worth Out of the Latest Gadgets
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on November 9th, 2009
Today there appears to be gadgets for almost everything, for anything from doing the laundry to navigating your way around life. With so many gizmos it is easy to spend your money on a huge number, as the newly unveiled gadgets always seem incredible. That’s until you actually get it home and discover that you won’t ever use it.
Having the knowledge of which gadgets will be useful enough for you to use on a regular basis will not only save your funds on things you do not need. It will also save you from a lot of frustration when you attempt to find a home for all of the gadgets you buy.
Here are some ideas to help you to choose whether the item you are thinking of buying will be one you’ll actually need, or whether it will only end up thrown into your roof or basement.
The number one question to think about when you are browsing new gadgets is: How often will you use it? You may want to use a gadget, but day-to-day living may not make using it possible. For example, you’ve been thinking about buying a mobile phone with loads of great features, such as the opportunity to watch full-length movies. This sounds great, but you aren’t someone who has time to view movies while away from the house, so this mobile phone gadget won’t ever get used.
Do you think you will use the gadget or do you want it just because of the new technology? Some examples would include a DVD cleaner. Folks don’t use DVD cleaners half as frequently as they originally thought they woulddo. Instead, they tend to wipe the DVD with a cloth, as it’s muchquicker and less hassle than finding room on your TV stand for an extra piece of junk.
Do you really think you need a particular gadget? iRobot vacuums are just one example. Although they are a novelty and would possibly make housekeeping easier, if you only have a very small carpeted area this would likely be a waste.
Does that gadget really bring you a great benefit? Just because a gadget is nice doesn’t mean it will really be all that beneficial. One more example would be the wireless mouse. When these first were on the market, everybody needed one, that is until they realized how expensive it was to keep the thing supplied with batteries.
Will the gadget be used regularly – at least once a week? A gadget that labels file folders for you is quirky, but if you don’t label file folders more than once annually, this gadget will probably end up packed away for eternity.
To decide if you’ll really get your use out of a gadget, simply ask yourself those questions.
- If you will not use it on a regular basis, or
- If the gadget does not actually make a job easier,
there isn’t much of a chance that you will get much use out of it. You can conclude, then that it is not a “must have” gadget.
The Gadgets You Don’t Want To Get This Christmas
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on November 6th, 2009
The modern technological landscape is unrecognisable compared with that of the one 10 years ago. With the improvements in technology have come improvements in our household gadgets. There are have been advances in things such as cooking equipment, home entertainment and Internet access. That said, with every good thing there comes bad, and there have been lots of gadgets over the years that have given technology a bad name.
Well now, Sheila’s Wheels has conducted a survey to find out which gadgets really are the worst gadgets of all time. It transpired that there were quite a few terrible gadgets that made the shortlist, but the one that proved to be the worst was the shower radio.
The sorry excuse for a gadget was awarded the crown of worst gadget of all time due to a number of factors. The first one being that they regularly broke because water would leak into the batteries. On top of this, most of the radios suffered from poor sound quality, difficult usability and volumes so low that they are impossible to hear over the noise of the running water.
Other pointless gadgets that made it into the top ten worst gadgets of all time included the following:
- Electric candles
- Electric nail file
- Soda stream
- Teasmaid
- Pancake maker
- Fondue set
- Electric fluff remover
- Facial tanner
- Egg slicer
Alongside the survey for the worst gadgets of all time also came the best gadgets of all time. These findings were not too much of a surprise really. The most popular was the television, with gadgets like the washing machine, toaster and vacuum cleaner also performing well. It is clear to see that the gadgets considered best, were those that save lots of time or have a big impact on people’s lives. Fortunately, not all gadgets are terrible and the ones that aren’t can make great gifts. Items like sunrise alarm clocks and candy grabbers are great fun to have around the house. However, if you’re looking for gadgets that aid everyday life, maybe emergency chargers would be better.
Customised Halloween iPhone Costumes
Posted by 0845 Telephone Numbers in General on November 6th, 2009
How would you react if you were given a choice to wear an iPhone costume to a Halloween party? You would be amused. So was I to have read about a techie Halloween costume, and even more amazed that this costume had already been used two years ago, i.e. in 2007. Yes, this Halloween the costume that will stand out and make everyone around notice you will be the iPhone costume.
I stumbled upon this blog that talked about gadgets and most importantly interesting gadgets. And it was on this blog; I read about this creative and out of the world costume – the iPhone costume especially designed for the Halloween party. Ah, what fun it would be to drape yourself in the so coveted iPhone. And then applications being run on the display. Wow, that sounds like real fun thing to wear. You would be a iPhone yourself!
Next year perhaps, we will get to know something even more [interesting. With the technology getting so advanced and people getting tech savvy, this surely would not come as a shock.
The iPhone costume is made out if LCD TVs and will run on car batteries. Read a little excerpt from the post where the author has given clear description of the iPhone costume and details related to it.
“This is not the first time that the duo has done something like this. In 2007, they designed a similar iPhone costume that played videos on a loop. But this time, they have really taken it a step forward. The screen size for the current set of costumes is 42” while the 2007 version had a smaller screen at 37″.
There is more to this Halloween costume, read Halloween iPhone Costumes Are Fully Functional…really Oh yes, there is video too for you to watch.