Archive for ◊ October, 2008 ◊

Shopping for IT products
Thursday, October 30th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

Nowadays, we are all seeking good bargains on technology related products. I have found a good website called everythingoutlet.com that provides a wide array of products at good prices.

The website is divided into five sections: Software, Hardware, Downloads, DVD, and Video Games.

The software section offers applications such as McAfee Virus Scan Plus 2009 for a mere $19.99 as well as graphics and arts, business, educational, home and kids, Macintosh software and more.

In the hardware section, you can find anything from fiber jumpers, iPod and KVM accessories, LCD monitor mountings, PC accessories, laptop batteries, and hdmi cables for for high-definition home theaters.

The next section has more software, this time for direct downloading. I’ve downloaded Ashampoo AntiSpyWare software for only $29.99.

The next section contains DVD of both movies and famous TV shows, again at affordable prices.

As I recently bought a Nintendo Wii, I intend to shop for some games found in the last section.

The site also contains a resources section with lots of relevant links to other hardware, software, and the hobby industries. Notably, the customer support is very good, even offers a live chat service, and the products come with a 30-day money back guarantee.

Overall this is a good website where you can find lots of deals.

The Internet Changes Your Brain
Thursday, October 30th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

The web isn’t just changing how we live but also alters the way our brains work.

Gary Small, a neuroscientist from UCLA has discovered, by conducting research studies, that web search and text messaging has caused the brain to be more capable for filtering information and making quick decisions.

Gary Small stated that people of the next generation will ideally have a combination of technological and social skills.

The study looked at 24 adults using the Internet. They found that expert Internet users displayed twice the activity in areas of the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning as compared to Internet novices.

On the downside, Small believes that since Internet users constantly scan for new information, this can create and even damage neural pathways. While technology has been shown to accelerate learning and boost creativity it might also have the disadvantage of creating web addiction to virtual friends and there is some indication of computer use and increase in diagnoses of Attention Deficit Disorder. Any conclusive results are still pending.

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LinkedIn Offering External Apps
Thursday, October 30th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

LinkedIn is now trying to provide a site that is somewhat lighter by offering applicatons that are created by other companies.

8 such external programs debuted on Wednesday. By using these, linkedIn is hoping to become a more attractive place to keep in touch with business contacts or further one’s career options.

More than 30 million people worldwide have created a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is now trying to imitate sites such as Facebook or Myspace who allow games and media sharing with fellow members.

Clearly the applications still have to be of a professional nature and are being screened to prevent the loopholes that negatively affected MySpace and Facebook applications.

Some of the initial LinkedIn external applications include a file management system from Box.net, a business presentation software from Google, a Tripit travel itinerary tool, and an Amazon application for sharing book recommendations.

Easy Shopping Online
Thursday, October 30th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

Undoubtedly, the Internet offers a convenient way to shop for many of the modern and fantastic products we’ve seen or heard of. People can buy products in a matter of a few clicks, and hopefully save money as well.

One such an exciting product is the Nintendo Wii. This gaming console has surged ahead in popularity, compared to its Microsoft and Sony rivals, by offering a truly unique device. The Wii gaming device is based on a wireless remote control that uses Nintendo’s motion sensing technology. This controller offers players the ability to use it as they would use their hands in real life activities, such as: tennis, bowling, baseball, boxing, etc’. Coupled with the original Wii console, players can purchase a Wii Fit – fun for all the family balance board, which offers additional gaming and sporting interactivity.

A good price comparison website for purchasing the Wii console as well as cheap wii games is Savebuckets.co.uk. You could use the website to find the best price and save yourself having to shop around at multiple electronics stores.

Notably, the price comparison site offers a section called ‘My Price’ which allows users to stick to their budget. All that is required from the users is to provide their email address and the maximum amount that they are prepared to pay for a given product. The users will subsequently be notified by email when a store offers the exact or lower price to what they have specified.

Google Flooded with Great Ideas
Thursday, October 30th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

Google has recently announced a $10 million project for the most beneficial, world changing ideas, which subsequently generated 150,000 online submissions.

The deadline for the project was Monday and now Google employees are going through the suggestions written in 25 languages, to choose the 100 semifinalists by January 27th. The funding for the winning ideas will start in May.

Project 10^100(pronounced “10 to the 100th”), was launched on September 24 to help celebrate Google’s 10th anniversary. The purpose behind the project is to solicit beneficial ideas and for Google to fund them. The ideas could cover important issues involving topics such as food and shelter, building communities, improving education and health, supporting clean energy development, etc’.

For example, a submitted invention was the Hippo Water Roller which is a barrel shaped vessel, with a capacity of 24 gallons, which can be rolled as a wheelbarrow. This would greatly assist villagers in remote location in hauling large amounts of fresh water.

The project10tothe100.com website had received more than 2.5 million unique visitors and the introductory video was watched more than a million times.

Eventually, from the top 20 ideas, up to five winners would be announced.

Space Tourism Faces Limited Future
Monday, October 27th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

The most recent space tourist Richard Gariott said that government space agencies like NASA and the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos need to give private entrepreneurs a wider access to the orbiting station and encourage private space journeys.

Garriott spent 12 days on the International Space Station. He is the first American to follow his father into space, and promises to publish the outcome of his scientific observations.

Part of the work he did was the comparison of photos taken 35 years ago by his father from the space station, Skylab, and comparing the changes in the Earth’s environment since them.

Garriott lavished compliments on the Russian space program, “saying the launch “strong and confident but elegant” and “the weightlessness and the view from space was unforgettable,” he said.

Garriott is a computer game designer is the sixth space tourist to have flown to the international space station. Additionally, he is an investor and board member of Space Adventures, a company that introduced the space tourist concept.

In recent years, there has been an increased effort by private companies investing millions to offer private citizens the opportunity to become space tourists.

This approach has been aided by NASA’s decision to ground its space shuttle fleet starting in 2010. NASA now studying whether the shuttle program could continue flying in 2010. If NASA doesn’t extend the missions, this will leave the Russian spacecraft the only method to get people and cargo to orbiting space station. The Russians doubt that they could fly more space tourists given, the limited number of vehicles that would be available to supply the Space Station.

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A More Personal Way to Karaoke
Monday, October 27th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

Most people have attempted  to vocalize their singing talents at least once using a Karaoke machine. Normally a Karaoke machine would be available at a bar or a party where participants would select and sing songs that sounds similar to the original versions. Even for people who do not Karaoke very often, there will be times when the song they wish to sing is not available. Also, sometimes people wish to sing their favorite song in their home or car without any interruptions from the lead singer.

Make-your-own-karaoke.com is a website that offers a vocal removing software. The program allows users to edit their favorite songs from compact discs, digital downloads, etc’. This smart software removes the vocals part of the original singer, while keeping the tune and any vocals from the background singers. As a result, when a person sings, they get a more realistic recreation of the song.

Once the original vocals are removed, the user can burn the music back to a CD and use it in any Karaoke machine, stereo, or upload it to their MP3 player. The software works with files of any audio format and is compatible with both PCs and Macs. Overall, this would be a nice gift to give children as well as adults.

Karaoke Music

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Modernizing the Traditional Office Space
Monday, October 27th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

Just imagine going to work in the future, where the workstations have a built-in treadmill.

Workplace technology has evolved significantly in recent times. The introduction of laptops, Wifi, and blackberries signified that high-tech workers are often unattached to their desks. As a result, the office of the future will be designed to accomodate a more mobile workforce.

Another trend is the rising number of people working from home. The resulting empty office space would be converted to allow mobile meeting rooms. This approach stems from the observation that some good ideas rise from casual conversations and impromptu meetings when workers do occasionally go to the office.

Another trend is the introduction of green technologies to the office environment. With the goal of increasing energy efficiency, most of the heat in the smart workplace could originate from solar thermal energy as well as recaptured heat from generators. Also, adding daylight sensors and occupancy sensors means that lighting wouldn’t be wasted. Workers would additionally be given more control over their environment as far as temperature, air flow and lighting level and direction.

The treadmill at your desk idea is also being tested and it could really benefit many people who are trying to multitask work and health.

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Fashion of the Future
Monday, October 27th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

Clothing innovation, such as M-Dress, could soon double as a mobile phone. The M-Dress is a silk garment that is produced by the UK firm CuteCircuit. The garment works with a standard SIM card and whenever the user hears a ring, they raise their hand to their head in order to answer.

The concept of combining electronics and clothes is catching on among clothes designers. The view for the next 10 years is that clothes will contain devices that help us talk on a mobile phone, navigate our surroundings, detect how fit we are, get informed of the events which are happening at a certain location, etc’.

The sports and fitness industries have led the innovations in wearable technology, such as found in shoes with built-in pedometers and clothes with integrated iPod controls. Technology incorporated into every day fashion has been slower to become adopted, beyond some creative catwalk examples. It is possible that garment customization will become more prevalent in the future, where a person’s physical details will be available on an electronic card and used to order fitted clothes. It is likely that beyond the design of the clothes themselves, mass customization could also be used for fitting wearable computers on fashionable garments.

Create an Online Storefront Easily
Sunday, October 26th, 2008 | Author: techconsumer

Yet again, PepperJam Networks is offering some good news by going beyond what traditional affiliate networks provide for their customers. Pepperjam is a website that offers millions of products from hundreds of Pepperjam network advertisers. Affiliates get compensated for advertising the products whenever a transaction takes place.

PepperJam now offers a new store builder for affiliates, which quickly and simply creates an attractive online storefront. It is quite common for affiliates to wish they could have their own online store, but do not have the time or know-how to set up a data feed or store database. The beta Pepperjam script can help anyone create a specific store with ease.

In order to create a store, login to your Pepperjam Store Builder account. In the following page check the boxes for the merchants, categories, and filters that fit your store. It is possible to customize the format and content to fit any website’s design. The last step is to copy the code to your website to display the store details.

After trying it out, I know that the Store Builder functions without bugs, which is a rarity for a beta version. Both mercahants and affiliates will benefit from this service.

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