Cool Product of the Day

With so many smartphones available to consumers, it can be overwhelming to try to shop for a new smartphone.  There are so many brands, so many operating systems, so many distinguishing aspects of the different smartphones on the market that it becomes a full-time job to keep up with the benefits and detractions of each different make and model of smartphone.  Fortunately, some of the new smartphones are delightfully simple in their pitch and intended market.  The Samsung Rugby Smart is one such smartphone and it is for active/sporty individuals.

The Samsung Rugby Smart is a brand new smartphone from one of the most reliable names in computer technology today!  The Samsung Rugby Smart is intended for the on-the-go, athletic type smartphone user.  In addition to having a more durable casing with a dust-proof seal, the Samsung Rugby Smart is waterproof.  Tested to resist submersion – not just a few drops of water, but actually being immersed in water! – the Samsung Rugby Smart will remain undamaged under a full meter of water for up to half an hour!  That means if you accidentally start swimming with your Samsung Rugby Smart, you should not lose your precious data or files stored on your smartphone!

Read more »

Despite other tablet computers preceding and following it, the Apple iPad has virtually dominated the tablet computer market since Apple first released it. While Amazon has attempted to compete with its Kindle Fire, the name iPad is considered synonymous with tablet computer, much the way “iPod” and “MP3 player” are used (incorrectly) interchangeably. With so many tablet computers hitting the market in 2012, it is tough to guess which one might bite into the iPad’s market share the most. It was tough . . . until ASUS announced the Transformer Pad Infinity!

The ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity is built with the same consideration ASUS has for its high definition monitors. In addition to having exceptional durability, the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity has a display that is at the cutting edge of the industry. With a 10.1” Super IPS+ display, everything looks incredible. With a native resolution of 1920 x 1200, the touchscreen display captures every fine detail from images and streaming videos. The 2.3 MP display on the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity displays colors brightly and has wonderful black depth, even when you watch videos in sunlight!

Read more »

Not too long ago, Apple and Adobe (the software company that publishes Flash and Photoshop software) were in conflict because Apple’s iOS would not run Adobe programs. This failure of functionality was be design, though; Adobe and Apple’s Quicktime video formats have long been in conflict and Apple hoped to force programmers and websites to use their coding as opposed to Adobe’s. So, for some time, you could not play most YouTube videos on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. But then, Apple and Adobe settled their differences and now Adobe is writing programs specifically for the iOS operating system. One of the first truly meaningful Adobe programs to be recoded for iOS functioning is Adobe Photoshop Touch for iPad.

As one of its flagship software programs, Photoshop is a big moneymaker for Adobe. Adobe Photoshop Touch is the pared-down program for mobile computing devices; already there is an Android-based Photoshop Touch that has made Photoshop tools available to the wealth of Android customers. Adobe Photoshop Touch for iPad allows Apple iOS users using an iPad to create, alter, and publish images based on Adobe programming. This gives visual artists and photographers a huge opportunity to continue their art. No longer do Apple Computer fans have to choose between their preferred mobile computing device and the opportunity to become more proficient at their visual art.

Read more »

Social networks come and go; that is rapidly becoming one of the realities of the Internet.  What is fascinating to see is how the different social networks attempt to appeal to different niches, whether they try to make their appeal from the interface device or to a target demographic.  LinkedIn appeals to professionals, Facebook appeals to friends with shared interests, Twitter appeals to cellphone users who are on the go; each social network has a niche.  Until now, no social network has been built around the sudden prevalence of video technology on smartphones.  That changes with the emergence of Viddy!

Viddy is most analogous to Twitter in that it is a social network built on very short communications.  Like Twitter, Viddy appeals strongly to the smartphone users who love to stay connected and share material through their smartphones.  As a more sophisticated way of social networking, Viddy uses videos as a platform for its network!

Read more »

Apple is not the only company that is working hard to fill in the last size gaps between the smartphone and the tablet computer.  While e-readers once had a niche of their own, with the emergence of the Kindle Fire and the growing rumors about the mini-iPad, it appears that every major mobile computer company is racing to create tablet computers or smartphones with screens in the 5” – 6” range.  One of the first to market is the Samsung Galaxy Note.

The Samsung Galaxy Note joins the Samsung Galaxy line as a smartphone with a significantly larger touchscreen – 5.3”! – than most and it is designed to impress.  With its HD Super AMOLED display, the Galaxy Note presents vivid colors in an incredible 1280 x 800 resolution.  This level of resolution is incredible for a handheld device and means that streaming movies and television will look about as good as they would on a high definition monitor!  With the display screen made of Corning’s Gorilla Glass, the Samsung Galaxy Note resists scratches and breakage.

Read more »

If you are a serious audiophile, or just love music and live in a noisy house or apartment building, there is one essential tool for you: noise cancelling headphones.  For those unfamiliar with the product, nose cancelling headphones operate on a principle much like earplugs.  Noise cancelling headphones eliminate overt loud noises as well as background white noise.  The theory behind the headphones – as opposed to earplugs – is that using noise cancelling headphones creates a clean auditory palate which will leave the music you play sounding extra clear, crisp, and unhindered by other auditory distractions.  For a long time, noise cancelling headphones were a Grail for audiophiles, now they are fairly common.  But arguably the best noise cancelling headphones are the new ones from AKG.

AKG’s new K 495 NC noise cancelling headphones represent the highest-quality headphone for listening to music from portable music devices.  With its 121 decibel sensitivity, you are much more likely to notice flaws in your digital music files than you are with the sound quality from the K 495 NC headphones.  To make that clear, most digital music is compressed and does not contain as much audio information as music does when you play it from a compact disc or over the radio.  With a basic pair of earbuds, though, you might never notice how much is missing from your favorite songs.  The K 495 NC headphones, though, are not a pair of cheap earbuds!  As a result, you will hear the full depth of sound that is in your music files.  When you hear how much is missing from your digital music files, you may feel compelled to upgrade your digital music service and player, just to keep up with your awesome new headphones!

Read more »

If you are a serious vacationer, odds are you have a digital camera.  After all, if you are spending serious money on a vacation, you should absolutely get the best possible photographs of the experience.  But most people who have a good digital camera and go on a wide array of vacations are still likely to have serious gaps in their photo albums.  That gap comes from lacking pictures from underwater.  Odds are if you are a serious world traveler, you have spent many great hours in the water – be it swimming in the ocean, wading in a river or enjoying a new beach.  Given that most digital cameras cannot function underwater, it is hard to get great shots to capture your subaquatic experience.  That changes with the new Sony Cyber-shot Digital Camera TX200V.

The Sony Cyber-shot Digital Camera TX200V is a brand new digital camera that features an airtight and watertight shell.  Yes, one of the key selling points for this digital camera is that it is waterproof down to a depth of sixteen feet!  With controls and an interior that are protected from dirt, dust, grime and water, the Sony Cyber-shot Digital Camera TX200V is ideal for shooting underwater.  The TX200V also features an 18.2 Megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor.  In addition to being very easy to clean, this sensor provides the camera with exceptional image quality, even in very low light.  Low light image quality is especially important when you are photographing underwater and it is essential when you get down below ten feet underwater.

Read more »

Learning a new musical instrument is never easy.  But, following the demise of Guitar Hero, there is – as one might suspect – an app for that!  Now, those who want to learn to play the guitar need only a guitar, an iPad, and Wild Chords to get started on a road to musical proficiency!

Wild Chords is an application, currently exclusively available for the Apple iPad, that helps teach you how to play the guitar.  In order to use Wild Chords, all you need is a guitar and an iPad; you do not need speakers or an amplifier if you are using an electric guitar.  In fact, if you are using an electric guitar, you have to unplug it from other equipment – like an amp – because the distortion from other equipment affects the program.  Even if you have never picked up a guitar before, Ovelin – the app’s publisher – is confident that Wild Chords can teach you.

Read more »

The Internet has become a free-speech battleground.  On the one side of the argument are people who believe that Freedom Of Speech is an absolute and information should be freely disseminated.  On the other side of the argument are those who see copyright protections as essential to protecting intellectual property rights.  While the Internet has enflamed this old argument, it also provides many remedies to the conflicting philosophies.  One of the remedies is to make clear exactly what is available for free use without any copyright protections.  For people who wish to avail themselves of works that are in the public domain, there is Public Domain Sherpa.

Public Domain Sherpa is a guide to all things that you may find on the Internet for public use.  “Public domain” is a term in copyright law that refers to a work – be it a song, story, film, book, photograph or other work that usually could be copyright protected – for which there is no copyright owner.  That means that items that are “in the public domain” may be used by artists, publishers or in any other medium freely.  There is no one you would have to pay royalties to in order to use an object in the public domain.  Because works on the Internet may not be properly annotated with the copyright information, and ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law, you might need a guide online to what is in the public domain.  That is where Public Domain Sherpa comes in!

Read more »

The computer hardware landscape is a surprisingly dynamic one, with innovations frequently changing the marketplace abruptly.  There was recently a parody of this principle in the advertising for a major electronics retailer in which consumers are dismayed when the product they just bought is made obsolete almost instantly.  Given that most chip manufacturers already have product lines planned for the next decade, the volatility of the market is surprising and there are measures that can be taken to minimize the chances that what you buy today will be unusable within three years.  To preserve your sanity (and your wallet!), sometimes, it helps to buy the best, most cutting edge equipment.  In the case of laptop computers, your best bet might well be the EON17-X.

The EON17-X laptop computer is a powerful laptop computer with a number of versatile options.  Built by Origin, the EON17-X utilizes some of the most advanced hardware on Earth to provide a superior computer, especially when compared to most big box stores.  For example, one of the processor options for the EON17-X laptop computer is the Intel Core i7-3930K processor, built upon the advanced Sandy Bridge technology.  Sandy Bridge is one of Intel’s most advanced chip designs available to the consumer market.  The fact that the EON17-X employs today’s cutting edge technology virtually guarantees that this laptop will remain usable and relevant for all programs for the foreseeable future.  Right now, it delivers incredibly fast results for complicated programs and graphics rendering.

Read more »