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Newstips Electronic Editorial Bulletin Issue # 2010-06d
The year's first news summery
In this issue:
Flow it, don't blow it, with new Antec HC PSUs... Definitively
big floor-standing treats build in powered subs... Some Fixmo
tools masquerade as natives... New Franklin Visual Illusions
helps kids perceive... Stylus getting tamed with Boogie Board
add-on... New Tiffen Photo fx Ultra iPad app debuts... Special
Report: Un-cameras ... Reviews: Netflix, Scoop Clip, Creative
Cutters, Quick-Stir Pitcher... plus our commentary on who we are
& what we do
Flow it, don't blow it, with new Antec HC PSUs
High Current Pro is the new Antec computer power supply product
line that uses full-bridge phase-shift topology to let the juice
loose without the shrieking whine that others can't seem to
reduce. The 4 new models (750-1200Watts) hit more than 85%
efficiency at 20-100% of their rated loads, even as hot as 50C.
These are 4-rail PSUs with overcurrent protection everywhere,
making them a clear choice for system survivability against
unprotected single-rail designs from competitors. They hit in
July; ask Veronica. Contact: Veronica Feldmeier, Antec Inc.
(Fremont, CA) 510-770-2150 vfeldmeier@antec.com
http://antec.com
Definitively big floor-standing treats build in powered subs
Because low-range audio is as non-directional as audio can get,
separate subwoofers have been a standard way to cover that range,
with the flexibility of that big cube going somewhere a little
more out of sight than the main speakers. That extra box can be a
factor in the most difficult part of configuring a home audio
installation: spousal approval. Definitive has two elegant
answers in its sculpted, furniture-look floor-standing full-range
speaker systems with powered subwoofers built in. The BP700SC
Bipolar (meaning speakers in both the front & back of the
enclosure to help more naturally fill a room with sound) Super
Tower system ($2749 each) will thrill any audio purist, as will
the high-performance Mythos ST Super Tower ($1999 each). If you
have the ear & the gear to evaluate & review any Definitive
system, Paul can arrange a loan. Contact: Paul DiComo, Definitive
Technology (Owings Mills, MD) 410-363-7148
paul.dicomo@definitivetech.com http://DefinitiveTech.com
Some Fixmo tools masquerade as natives
In a BlackBerry without Fixmo Tools ($20 with a year of updates),
you can hit the menu key on an e-mail message to reply to it or
forward it; if you have Fixmo Tools, the added choice to let you
edit what you forward or reply looks like it's always been there.
The same is true for the Fixmo Undelete function. It's a
philosophy of putting things where you want to use them, not
where you have to switch apps & call up new processes to make
them happen. To hear why or give it a try, Rick's your guy.
Contact: Rick Segal, Fixmo (Toronto, ON) 416-414-9726
rick@Fixmo.com http://Fixmo.com
New Franklin Visual Illusions helps kids perceive
Which distance is longer? Which shape is bigger? Does one image
unfold into the other? How many triangles or rectangles do you
really see? The handheld LRB124 Visual Illusion game ($10) is a
new addition to the Franklin Learner series, challenging kids to
explore what it is they really see (an important component of
literacy). It's fun & available for review now; ask Aline.
Contact: Aline Boutin, Franklin Electronic Publishers
(Burlington, NJ) 609-386-2500x4434 aline_boutin@franklin.com
http://franklin.com
Stylus getting tamed with Boogie Board add-on
Next month, a very cool new Boogie Board ($35) paperless LCD
notepad accessory clips to the top (can slide to cover & uncover
the "erase" button) & keeps its stylus handy. The plan right now
is to add the clip to the kit of magnets at the same price
($2.50). Ask Kevin for a photo. Contact: Kevin Oswald, Kent
Displays (Kent, OH) 330-673-8784x161 koswald@kentdisplays.com
http://KentDisplays.com
New Tiffen Photo fx Ultra iPad app debuts
Good news for anybody who fiddles with photos on an iPad:
Tiffen's new Photo fx Ultra app ($6) offers lots of ways to
enhance them, from color correction to filters, textures,
layering, masking & a heck of a lot more. Ask Hilary. Contact:
Hilary Araujo, Tiffen Company (Hauppauge, NY) 631-609-3216
haraujo@tiffen.com http:/.tiffen.com
Special Report: Un-cameras
It's been more than a century & cameras have changed shapes many
times; when they do, older accessories tend not to be as useful.
While it may not be impossible to use a hod-load of flash powder
with your DSLR, it's unlikely that you would. Modern point &
shoot cameras with hideaway lenses don't have threads, so it's
very hard to shoot with filters. Then there are all the devices
that are so different from traditional cameras (yet so popular)
that almost nothing to designed to work with a traditional
camera. Those "un-cameras" include Flip-like pocket video
shooters, embedded cell phone cameras, Pads that take pix, etc.;
these things tend not to have optical zoom lenses or image
stabilizers or workable macro modes or mike jacks or tripod
screws, are hard to use with attached lighting or flash & are
every bit as disruptive to the industry today as the Kodak
Brownie was when it first appeared. That's because these days,
people are more likely to use an un-camera, regardless the
difference in capabilities. As Marty always says, the specs don't
matter on the camera you don't have with you.
Special Report Bonus Review: Netflix
We get a ton of cable channels & rarely rent DVDs, so Netflix
wasn't at the top of our to-do list until three things happened:
we got gear (a Roku Box & and Insignia BD Live player) that could
pump their streams to our big screen & play BluRay discs on it,
we saw a ton of interesting streaming content we'd never pay to
rent (like MST3K episodes) & our daughter (not living here) said
we had to. We don't feel guilty if we miss a first-run feature,
knowing it can be in our mailbox almost as soon as it's out of
the theaters. We feel thrilled not to have spent money in
theaters if we find we really didn't like a movie (as was the
case with Avatar & 2012). The one part of the Netflix experience
we'd rather do without is the constant badgering to rate films &
have to endure their best guesses (usually wrong) about things
their algorithms think we'd like to see next. All told, for about
twelve bucks (including the BluRay upgrade) a month, the
positives outweigh the negatives. Bottom line: Netflix gives us
choices beyond cable that unlock the clock on viewing & don't
make us remember to DVR.
Special Report Bonus Review 2: Scoop Clip
We usually try not to review multiple items from one company in
one issue, but we ran out of other stuff to cover (hate that) so
we're ganging in 3 interesting items from The Pampered Chef.
Their Scoop Clip looks like it was born for bags of ground
coffee, with a spring clip that can clamp the top of a bag up to
4" across plus molded-in measuring scoops (teaspoon on one end,
tablespoon on the other). Beyond ground coffee, you might use it
for white or brown sugar or other often-measured dry ingredients
that store in a bag. Bottom line: The Pampered Chef Scoop Clip is
a neat gizmo.
Special Report Bonus Review 3: Creative Cutters
We often say that most lunches in are healthier than most lunches
out & can keep people more productive & we had that in mind when
we asked to review the Creative Cutters, a tin box packed with
small, shaped metal cutters. Where you might think of them as
cookie cutters, they're also good for cutting shapes out of
slices of cheese (we successfully tried it as thick as 3/8") or
slices of potato or sweet potato (nice for the grill) or pound
cake (stacks into an interesting parfait) or rice. The hidden
message in these shaped goodies: portion control. Bottom line:
The Pampered Chef Creative Cutters add enough eye appeal to food
that it gets easy to down-size portions without feeling
shortchanged.
Special Report Bonus Review 4: Quick-Stir Pitcher
It doesn't take a lot of tech to turn something reliable into
something new & improved; in the case of the Quick Pitcher all
the tech is mechanical. The pitcher has flat sides & rounded
ends, which we find a useful way to fit a gallon in the fridge.
The top has a lip that snugs inside the body to help prevent
spills. At one end, a top tab slides a pouring gate across an
opening to open it, close it or slit-filter it to pour liquids
while holding back solids (for Sangria, for example). The
cleverest part is a piston-action bottom divider with ramped
slats in multiple directions; a few pumps create a deliberately
chaotic churn & flow of fluids that does a better job of stirring
the contents than the eggbeaters or whisks or spoons we're used
to using. A packaged powdered drink mix that almost always leaves
clumps with other approaches left none with this. We can also
sneak one or two of those sealed freezer packs under the churn
plate to quickly chill what we're making without ice melting to
water it down. Bottom line: the Pampered Chef Quick-Stir Pitcher
offers welcome convenience & improvements to the jug.
Who we are & what we do
We try to run this item from time to time to help explain our
role. The first items in each issue (those with "Contact" info)
represent our sponsoring clients, but Marty still writes every
item to be true & offer you a legitimate coverage hook. The rest
of the issue is enterprise coverage, including special reports,
reviews, commentary & sometimes more. Our readers are, like us,
all journalists. We try to choose items that can brief you on
unfamiliar topics, scout out things that may be useful for your
coverage (or for your work) & have a little fun. We also love to
help when we can offer an idea or a contact that can help your
coverage. Contact: Martin Winston, Newstips (Novelty, OH)
440-338-8400; marty@Newstips.com http://Newstips.com
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Newstips Bulletin [Novelty, OH] +1.440.338.8400 http://Newstips.com
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