07/02/09Editor: Ernest Lilley / News Editor: Charles Mohapel
Contributing Editors: David Em / Daniel Dern / EJ McClure / Alex Pournelle / Daniel Spisak
Griffin PowerBlock Reserve for iPhone & iPod
by Charles Mohapel
Knowing that Griffin Technology specializes in accessories and more for all of Apple's iPods and iPhones, I was interested in evaluating their claims of compatibility with other makes of MP3 players and cellphones so I requested a unit to conduct tests of my own.
Pepcom Summer 09 Digital Experience
by Ernest Lilley
Pepcom's Digital Experience events are press/analyst only meets where the technoratti get to kick the tires on new gadgets with a host of consumer electronic vendors. Chris and Jon are always good hosts, and there's a lot of energy around the booths. This event's theme is bowling, and I'm wandering the floor at their Summer Digital Experience Event and taking notes on whatever strikes my fancy...
Kodak EasyShare Z980 12MP Digital Camera with 24x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0 inch LCD
by Charles Mohapel
When I read the press release for the Kodak EasyShare Z980 ultrazoom digital camera, the feature that grabbed my attention was the 24X SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON Optical Zoom Lens. If this lens were mounted on a 35 mm. film camera, it would be the equivalent of a 26–624 mm., mounted on a reasonably sized, relatively light camera.
When I requested a unit for review purposes, I was told that I would have to wait until they became available.
OtterBox 3510 Waterproof Electronics Case - Yellow
by Charles Mohapel
When I saw the press release from OtterBox in early May, it caught my interest and I went online to check out the company and their products. At first glance they seemed very similar to some of the Pelican hard cases I'm very familiar with (I own three). I contacted the OtterBox PR department and they politely explained some of the differences between their products and those manufactured for Pelican.
Survival Meets Neuroscience
Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
by Ernest Lilley
Laurence Gonzales is a risk taker, but more than that, he's made a study of risk taking and what it is that makes the wheels come off the wagon. Accidents, he tells us, aren't, and the trick to surviving, whether in the wilderness or crossing the street is a matter of knowing the limitations of instinct and training and thinking your way out of danger.
Power Off? Crank Up The Radio
Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio Metallic Red
by Ernest Lilley
It's coming on hurricane season here, and though we're on the edge of the stormy weather zone, we take an annual look at our emergency kit. This year we added a hand crank radio with flashlight and weather channels to our kit, and about my only complaint is that I didn't know it came in orange too...
The People's Car Grows Up: VW CC
2009 VW CC
by Ernest Lilley
Sleek, sophisticated, low slung, and brainy. Three out of four of those words are adjectives you don't normally associate with Germany's icon of sensible transport, but they all fit the new Volkswagen CC. This car is clearly targeting more expensive marques affordable offerings, like the Mercedes CLS, which is new territory for VW. We took one on a road trip to see how it handled, and found that it's as comfortable on winding mountain roads as it is pulling up to a chateau. Its low profile isn't for everyone, but VW still makes plenty of cars that match its signature style: practical, economical, and a little bit funky. The CC may be practical and economical, but it's more in style than offbeat.
photos: Ernest Lilley 2009
Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR 12MP Super CCD Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Stabilized Optical Zoom
by Charles Mohapel
When I contacted the PR agency for Fujifilm to request their current highly rated ultrazoom digital camera, I was informed that it was being phased out and replaced with a newer, better model, but would I be interested in reviewing Fujifilm's brand new 12 Megapixel FinePix F200EXR digital camera featuring their Extreme Sensor Super CCD EXR sensor. I quickly replied yes, then went online for more information about this cutting edge technology.
Panasonic's Interchangeable Lens NON-DSLR
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G1 12MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens
by Charles Mohapel
The Panasonic Lumix G1 is the first camera to use the new Micro Four Thirds lens system, but it's also the first non-DSLR to allow you to use interchangeable lenses. In fact, you can get an adapter to use Leica M series lenses with it, earning it the nickname of the Poor Man's M8.
Intuit Turbo Tax Home & Business: Make Your Tax Prep Less Taxing
TurboTax Home & Business Federal + State + eFile 2008
by Daniel P. Dern
TurboTax from Intuit, Inc., makes preparing federal and state taxes less painful and time-consuming, among its other benefits.
The prices are fair -- from free to about a hundred bucks -- and between the time and stress they'll save, and the legitimate deductions they're likely to help find and calculate, you're bound to come out ahead of the game.
The 2008 version includes some new features; once I take the product out for a spin, I'll add some notes on this year's version below.
FCKeditor - Semi-Painless HTML editing for Drupal
FCKeditor Install with Drupal 6
by Ernest Lilley
You've probably used one of the lightweight HTML editors on a website and not thought much about...cont
Simple USB Device Sharing With a Network Hub
Belkin F5L009 5-Port Network USB Hub
by Ernest Lilley
We noticed this at Pepcom's Digital Experience and got one to try out. It worked so well we tota...cont
Verbatim Nano Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse
by Charles Mohapel
During the course of a conversation with the PR agency representing Verbatim, I was offered a cha...cont
Verbatim 500 GB Professional Quad-Interface Desktop Hard Drive (USB/FW400 /FW800 /eSATA ll)
by Charles Mohapel
After reading the Verbatim press release from CES 2009 in January, we were itching to get our hands ...cont
FUJIFILM'S S 100FS
Fujifilm Finepix S100fs 11.1MP Digital Camera
by David Em
The S100FS has most of the capabilities you'd expect to find in a true DSLR, including a plethor...cont
Buckyballs Plus Oil Equals Buckywires
And here we thought that buckyballs were simply cute aberrations of science. Now we read that adding...more
Worldwide Financial Situation Forces Cutbacks To ExoMars Mission
For years science fiction writers have delighted us with stories of how space exploration will lead ...more
Funky Looking Hydrogen Car Porsche Connection
While we claim no prescience as to which alternate power sources will permit cars of the future to t...more
Will Your Future Computer Function Thanks To Magnetic Superatoms?
With all the new technologies that might or might not lead to new computers in the foreseeable futur...more
Hey New York, Go Fly A Kite! Make That A Fleet Of Kites
While we're reasonably certain that most people have told someone to go fly a kite, that may hol...more
Previously Hidden Magnetar Reveals Itself
While we had previously heard of magnetars, the most intensely magnetized objects in the known Unive...more
The Digital TV Transition Went Smoothly For Some, But Not Microsoft
Whether justified or not, Microsoft works like a powerful electromagnet for abuse and ill will, but ...more
If It's Time For A New iPhone, It's Time For New Cases From Belkin
Continuing their successful working relationship with Apple, Belkin announces several new cases for...more
First Extra-Galactic Planet May Have Been Discovered
If researchers are correct, then they have discovered the first planet outside the Milky Way Galaxy....more
Who Brings A Faux Ming Vase To A Repair Depot?
When we saw this article, our first thought was "Who brings a Faux Ming vase to a repair depot?" The...more
Celebrate The July 4th Weekend By Spotting The International Space Station (ISS)
Space Station Appearing Nationwide Over July 4 Weekend
NASA has a suggestion to make celebrating the July 4th Weekend special - try spotting the Internatio...more
Is Apple's New iPhone 3GS 'TOO HOT' For Its Own Good?
Fahrenheit 113: Hot iPhone's Tragic Number
When we heard that 113 degrees F (45 degrees C) is the temperature at which the new iPhone 3GS can s...more
Are The Days Of Lithium-Ion Batteries Numbered?
Waterproof Lithium-Air Batteries
When we read the article our first thought was "Are the days of lithium-ion batteries numbered?" If ...more
How Do You 'Hide' A Building From Earthquakes?
Invisibility Cloak Could Hide Buildings From Quakes
When we read the article "Invisibility Cloak Could Hide Buildings From Quakes", we were wondering wh...more
'Let's MakeThe Web Faster'
Google Rallies Developers To Make Internet Faster
Tired of waiting forever for a web page to load, even when your connection is normally fast? If Goog...more
Vizio's Widgets Get Rhapsody
VIZIO Internet Apps: Rhapsody digital music service
Among the interesting things we saw at the recent Pepcom Digital Experience was Vizio's integrat...more
Don't Try This At Home
The Tiger-Resistant Laptop
No doubt about it, Panasonic's CF-30 Toughbook lives up to the marketing and then some, but even...more
How Can We 'Solve' The Oil Crisis?
'Milking' Microscopic Algae Could Yield Massive Amounts Of Oil
If some geologists are correct in their conclusions, then much of the world's oil supply came fr...more
Want A Comfortable Mouse? Belkin Has 3 New Models For You
Work Comfortably with Belkin's New Retractable, Wireless, and Bluetooth® Comfort Mice
Speaking as heavy-duty computer users, we're always looking for the "Perfect" computer mouse (an...more
Kodachrome Users Really Need to Stock Up NOW!
Kodak Retires Kodachrome Film At Age 74
If you're one of the loyalists who love Kodachrome slide film for its rich color palate and feel...more
Ground Broken For Spaceport America; Completion Expected In 18 Months
Work Starts On New Mexico Spaceport
Now that ground has been broken for Spaceport America in Upham, New Mexico on June 19, 2009, complet...more
Belkin Lets You Use Your Existing Home Electrical Wiring To Stream HD Content
Belkin Introduces Fastest Way To Stream HD Movies Over Your Existing Home Electrical Wiring
...more
ESA's Herschel Space Telescope Takes Breathtaking Photos
Herschel's Daring Test: A Glimpse Of Things To Come
Only 8 days in space and the Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) onboard the ESA'...more
The Pentagon Wants Smarter Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
Inside the Pentagon's New Plan for Drones That Don't Tick Off Pakistan
From what we're reading, the Pentagon wants smarter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) than the one...more
NASA Launches Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)
NASA Successfully Launches Lunar Impactor
Later this summer NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) will make a big...more
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Ernest Lilley
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