Must have GIZMOS

Must Have GIZMOS editors’ review: Epson WorkForce 610 All-in-One Inkjet Printer

The Good:  2 times faster productivity speeds of leading competitive ink jets, exceptional print quality, inexpensive for a high quality all-in-one home/office printer, easy set-up, built-in Wi-Fi or Ethernet networking.  User friendly 2 ½ inch tilting LCD display screen.  Memory card reader for easy file transfer compatible with; CompactFlash, Microdrive, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, MagicGate, Memory Stick, MagicGate Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SD, SDHC, MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card, xD-Picture Card Type-M, and the xD-Picture Card Type-H.

 

The Bad:  I would like the Auto Document Feeder paper capacity increased from 30 sheets to 100 sheets. 

 

The Bottom Line:   The Epson WorkForce 610 is a very competent all-in-one printer that will improve the efficiency of any home/small office printer while producing high quality printing with easy set-up, great software all for under $200 by a reliable Epson company.

 

Reviewed By: Bruce Downs

Reviewed On: October 26 – November 18 (24 days)

 

PictureMate® Show: Epson’s First 2-in-1 Digital Photo Frame & Compact Photo Printer

On December 3rd, Epson announced a breakthrough in the compact photo printer market with the introduction of PictureMate^® Show -- an ultimate, portable two-in-one digital photo frame and 4” x 6” photo printer. This versatile hybrid offers consumers a convenient solution for displaying, sharing and printing better-than-lab-quality photos in the convenience of their homes all year round.

 

PictureMate Show offers an incredible display for photos with its seven-inch, 16:9 tilt digital photo display with 800 x 480 dpi WVGA resolution, and has 12 entertaining slideshow formats that the whole family can enjoy!  Combined with the best quality 4” x 6” photo printer, it also offers the highest maximum print resolution in its class (5760 x 1440 dpi) to produce beautiful photos with incredible detail and longevity in as fast as 37 seconds.

 

Tge Epson PictureMate Show is currently available now for $299.99 at Epson.com

Must Have GIZMOS editors’ review: Epson WorkForce 1100 Wide-format Printer

I was so excited to unpack and set this printer up!  I work from home as a digital scrapbook designer and printing documents for quality check is very important.  Having a printer in my home office to do this is something I have wanted for quite a while.  These quality control prints need to be printed at 12 x 12 inches and the Epson Workforce 1100 does that and so much more. 

Verizon and Google's newest commercial for the Droid -- Very Cool

Batch Conversion to PDF with Google Docs

Batch Conversion to PDF with Google Docs

Do you have a massive amount of Word Documents, Excel Spreadsheets and PowerPoint Presentations on your hard drive that you would like to convert into PDF?  Now you can use Google Docs as a batch PDF converter.

While it has always been possible to convert Office documents into PDF using Google Docs, the new export feature makes it even easier for you to batch convert Microsoft Office and OpenOffice file formats into PDF (or HTML) in three easy steps.

Step #1 – Create a new “input” folder in Google Docs where you’ll upload all your documents and presentations that are to converted into PDF.

Step #2 – Now select the Upload Document option in Google Docs, set the destination folder to the one that you created in Step #1 and upload* all your documents.

 [*] You may also use the email option to upload documents onto Google Docs but that would put everything on the main folder and managing documents can therefore become an issue especially when you have too many files.

Google Docs officially supports the following file formats though you may also upload images:

• Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt, .pps).
• Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), OpenDocument (.odt) and StarOffice (.sxw).
• Microsoft Excel (csv, .xls, .xlsx) files and OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods).

Step #3 - Once all files are uploaded onto Google Docs, open the dashboard again and select the “input” folder from the right sidebar. Select all the files in this folder and choose “Export” under “More Options”.

Here’s select “PDF” (or HTML) as the output format and all your Word Documents, presentations, spreadsheets, etc. will be instantly converted into PDF.

And if you are converting a large batch of documents into PDF, you don’t have to wait in the browser for the conversion to finish as Google Docs will automatically send you an email once the processing is over. The email will have a link from where you can directly download all the PDF files in one large ZIP.

Draw Your Accident with AccidentSketch.com

Here's a site that lets you draw a diagram of your traffic accident: Accident Sketch.

Drag your own vehicle from the upper left into the drawing area by using the left mouse button. You can drag the other party's vehicle from the upper right into the sketch. Rotate the vehicle by holding down the right mouse button. All further drawing objects can be dragged, moved and rotated in the same way as the vehicles.

Here's a sketch I made of a nasty accident involving two cars, a bus, a motorcycle, and a pedestrian.

inPulse Bluetooth Watch for Blackberry Phones shows SMS, emails and more -- Not made by/for BlackBerry

CrackBerry.com has sources.  The wrist-worn peripheral itself, believed to be called the inPulse, won’t be made by or for RIM and won’t carry the BlackBerry logo, but it will be designed especially to work with the messaging-friendly smartphones:

• it has been designed specifically for use with BlackBerry Smartphones from the ground up - developed by a new BlackBerry-dedicated accessory company
• it features an OLED screen that we hear is "big, bright and beautiful" and optimized for displaying text clearly, and thanks to OLED has solid battery life
• it's designed to show you notifications and previews of messages arriving on your BlackBerry
• judging by the filename of the photos as they were sent in to us, we're thinking it's going to be branded the inPulse smartwatch

As for functionality, there’s an OLED display which CrackBerry have been told is “big, bright and beautiful” and the frugality of which amounts to lengthy battery life for the watch.  Notifications and previews are shown on the color display, though there’s no provision to reply to emails; instead, you’re expected to check whether new messages are important enough to whip out your BlackBerry or leave it until you’re back at the office.

Definitely a cool accessory.

3D Eyetracking Cellphone UI

3D interfaces are generally a bad idea and usually impede user experience rather than improve it, but since the 3D implementation on this cell phone UI is minimal, I think it really does bring an interesting touch to it.

The concept, which gives traditionally flat interface elements a very convincing sense of depth and layering, relies on eyetracking and TAT’s in-house 3D engine, which renders in real time in the video. This isn’t your dad’s eyetracking, which analyzes your eyeballs for control cues—no, it really just uses your eyes’ locations, along with the orientation of the device, as part of the perspective equation that creates a convincing 3D effect.

Nevada casinos alerted to card-counting iPhone app

The business model for casinos always includes the simple idea that in general, gamblers will lose more than they win. Every game is constructed to fulfill that expectation, while still allowing enough winnings to keep hopeful gamblers interested. Any factor that alters those odds, therefore, threatens the casino business.

It isn’t illegal to count cards when playing blackjack, even though knowing what’s left in the deck gives you a considerable advantage. There isn’t any way to prove what’s going on in the gambler’s head (at least, not yet) – though if he or she is suspected of card counting, they’d probably be asked to leave.

On the other hand, using a device to aid you in counting cards is a felony in Nevada (gives you an idea of how much the gambling industry means to that state’s economy, eh?). If discovered, casino operators are given the latitude to decide whether to hand you over to authorities or deal with you in their own (gulp) way.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has sent out a warning to casinos about a new IPhone app by TMSoft called Card Counter. They were tipped off by California gaming authorities, who were in turn notified of the app by operators of an Indian Casino in the northern part of the state. Supposedly, this app can be used to count cards during a game, and can even be operated in “stealth mode” with the screen off. If you know where the right keys are, I guess you can hold it in your pocket and avoid detection.

The app is available through iTunes. Its description there and on the TMSoft site says a lot about how it can teach you the strategies for card-counting, but nothing about being able to use the app as a card-counting aid while gambling.

Soyo 21.6" Widescreen Lcd Monitor (dylm22e6) MT-DYLM22E6 $139.99

OfficeMax has the Soyo 21.6" Widescreen Lcd Monitor (dylm22e6) MT-DYLM22E6 for the Bottom Low Price of $139.99 with free shipping.

21.6" WSXGA Widescreen LCD Display, 1680x1050 Resolution, 1000:1 Contrast Ratio, 2ms Response Time, 300 nits Brightness, Integrated Stereo Speakers, 1-Year Limited Warranty.

Read Users Reviews I Write a Review I Discuss Before You Buy

SanDisk 16GB Cruzer Micro U3 USB Flash Drive $29.99

Staples has the SanDisk 16GB Cruzer Micro U3 USB Flash Drive for the Bottom Low Price of $29.99 .

Cruzer Micro is an incredibly small, portable, and smart USB flash drive. The small, compact size fits easily on any keychain. The retractable USB connector design eliminates the need for caps and protects the connector..

Read Users Reviews I Write a Review I Discuss Before You Buy

Corsair Voyager 8GB Flash Drive $26.99

Amazon has the Corsair Voyager 8GB Flash Drive for the Bottom Low Price of $26.99 with free shipping.

This 8GB Voyager USB Flash drive is rugged, stylish, compact, reliable and exceptionally fast, making it ideal for transporting MP3s, digital images, presentations and more. With a data transfer rate up to 19MB/s, this drive is fully Hi-Speed USB 2.0 compliant and is backward compatible with USB 1.1. The drive also has data transfer read rates up to 33MB/s and write rates of 16 MB/s. It supports Plug and Play with many operating systems. Its durable rubber casing is easy to grip and water resistant..

Read Users Reviews I Write a Review I Discuss Before You Buy

Kindle 2

At Gizmodo: Kindle 2: First Hands On.

Still no color. Same size but a lot more memory (1,500 books instead of 200). But "overall handfeel is a lot nicer," and the display is much better. Faster page-turning, and a new text-to-speech feature -- so any book can be an audio book.

The price is the same ($359). Pre-order it now and it will ship February 24.

Details:

• Display: 6" diagonal E-Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale.
• Size (in inches): 8" x 5.3" x 0.36".
• Weight: 10.2 ounces.
• System requirements: None, because it doesn't require a computer.
• Storage: 2GB internal (approximately 1.4GB available for user content).
• Battery Life: Read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to two weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly.
• Charge Time: Fully charges in approximately 4 hours and supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.
• Connectivity: EVDO modem with fallback to 1xRTT; utilizes Amazon Whispernet to provide U.S wireless coverage via Sprint's 3G high-speed data network (check wireless coverage). See Wireless Terms and Conditions.
• USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) for connection to the Kindle power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer.
• Audio: 3.5mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted stereo speakers.
• Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.
• Included Accessories: Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, rechargeable battery. Book cover sold separately.

Verizon to offer 2 BlackBerrys for price of 1

Starting today, for every BlackBerry purchased, Verizon Wireless will throw in another for free.

It's a buy-one-get-one-free special that will run until March 31, and it applies to all BlackBerrys--including the brand new Storm. That's what makes this promotion kind of surprising: the touch-screen Storm is Verizon's supposed answer to AT&T and the iPhone and they're giving them away now?

Well, not entirely. The second piece of hardware will be free, but you still have to sign two-year contracts on each phone involved in the deal. And in the long run, Verizon extracts more money from customers through contracts than on hardware. Still, we won't see AT&T doing a two-for-one iPhone deal probably ever.

Best Buy feels bad about Circuit City, really

Combination Lock for USB Drives

 

If you want to keep your precious data from prying eyes, there are plenty of ways to go about it. You can password your files, you can get a USB stick that supports encryption or has a fingerprint reader, or you can do things the old fashioned way and lock them with a padlock. Unfortunately, being just three digits long, it wouldn’t take too much persistence to brute force the thing, but it is a deterrent and it is available in a choice of three colors.