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Newstips Electronic Editorial Bulletin Issue # 2010-11d
A short news week but long on thanks
In this issue:
Antec PSUs: 5 new High-Current Gamer models debut... New Franklin
AnyBook makes any book a more personal gift... Iconosys Black Fly
Day Android app for Black Friday buzz... Kent Reflex can do
ePaper... Tiffen for before the holidays... New long-range Zoom
wireless keyboard drops size, price... Special Report: Computers
versus pharmaceuticals... Reviews: Audiovox Ecco, BlackBerry
Torch; Telos Hx1 phone hybrid, DNA Energy drinks/snacks, Native
Union MM04 speakerphone... plus our commentary on Radio's
surprising foothold: moms
Antec PSUs: 5 new High-Current Gamer models debut
Gamers & others who run multiple graphics cards or lots of hard
drives or high-horsepower multi-core CPUs really challenge the
ability of a PSU to continuously deliver lots of current. The new
Antec High Current Gamer PSU line has 5 new models (400, 520,
620, 750 & 900 Watts continuous) with fully protected rails. They
stay "Ninja quiet" with 135mm double ball bearing fans. They're
reviewable now; ask Veronica. Contact: Veronica Feldmeier, Antec
Inc. (Fremont, CA) 510-770-2150 vfeldmeier@antec.com
http://antec.com
New Franklin AnyBook makes any book a more personal gift
If there are any kids anywhere who love having you read story
books to them at nap or bed time, do you ever wish you could do
that more often? The next storybook they get can bring you along
with it using the new Franklin AnyBook ($40 DRP3000 holds 15
hours; $60 DRP4000 holds 60 hours). You place a removable circle
on each page as you record yourself reading that page (one button
does it); when the child touches the tip to that circle, it plays
back your voice reading that page. You know you want to cover
this; ask Aline to help. Contact: Aline Boutin, Franklin
Electronic Publishers (Burlington, NJ) 609-386-2500x4434
aline_boutin@franklin.com http://franklin.com
Iconosys Black Fly Day Android app for Black Friday buzz
Both English & Spanish versions of the new Iconosys Black Flyday
app for Android lets pals update each other on where (GPS-tagged)
the bargains are, including a map & integration of Facebook
friends. Ask Wayne. Contact: Wayne Irving II, Iconosys Inc.
(Laguna Hills, CA) 949-335-5350 wi@iconosys.com
http://iconosys.com
Kent Reflex can do ePaper
The root B2B product at Kent is passive (no power except to
write) LCDs, especially those using flexible (not to forget
ultra-thin & durable) plastic sheets. That can apply to
electronic shelf labels, ePaper, electronic skins, signs,
readers, smart cards, even memo tablets like Boogie Board. Ask
Kevin. Contact: Kevin Oswald, Kent Displays (Kent, OH)
330-673-8784x161 koswald@kentdisplays.com
http://KentDisplays.com
Tiffen for before the holidays
Before even thinking about what people should be getting, you
know everybody plans on shooting snaps or videos & Tiffen has
some (ahem: reviewable) items that can help make that part easier
or better. Filters for DSLR or better camcorders can add their
own magic, tripods can take a lot of frustration out of
self-timer shots & bags can help the gear travel more safely. Ask
Hilary. Contact: Hilary Araujo, Tiffen Company (Hauppauge, NY)
631-609-3216 haraujo@tiffen.com http:/.tiffen.com
New long-range Zoom wireless keyboard drops size, price
The first Zoom ZDTV long-range (65') wireless keyboard looked
like a thin top layer of notebook got peeled into a light &
nimble keyboard with track pad & hot buttons. New this week, the
second-generation Zoom ZDTV Model 9006 long-range (30' via 2.4GHz
USB dongle, included) wireless keyboard ($50) is less expensive,
smaller & compatible with PS3, Xbox 360 & Windows 7/Vista/XP. The
track pad is now on the right, allowing a smaller footprint. You
can use it lots of ways, but it really resonates with video on
the big screen & people on the sofa. Ask Terry for info, pix or
hands-on. Contact: Terry Manning, Zoom Telephonics Inc. (Boston,
MA) 617-753-0087 terrym@zoom.com http://zoom.com
Special Report: Computers versus pharmaceuticals
A decade ago, joint efforts among universities et al finished
mapping the human genome; you may have noticed how few
revolutionary new medications were engendered by that effort. It
is reasonable to posit that perhaps there's not enough detail in
a genome map to get there; it is equally reasonable to suspect
that the lack of progress may serve the interests of traditional
pharmaceutical research. One obvious next step could have been to
continue mapping (or even better, modeling) to protein or even
cellular levels, all the way down to molecular bonds. High school
physical chemistry gave us all a peek at how molecules can be
mathematically modeled; consider the computing horsepower of
modern graphics cards with thousands of processors, currently
dedicated to drawing polygons, repurposed to analyzing
characteristics of those molecules. Ultimately, a room-size
system could solve for any variety of cellular incursions,
providing innumerable "cheat sheets" to traditional
pharmaceutical research for creating preventives or cures or
maybe both for a spectrum of cellular-level diseases.
Special Report Bonus Review: Audiovox Ecco
"Ecco" is Italian for here (or here is or here it is); Audiovox
may be no more Italian than the rest of Hauppauge, but their new
little Ecco device is really cool. The brand has a lot of
experience in navigation systems for cars, which may have
inspired this tiny gizmo (about the size of the car key's
remote-lock fob). It uses GPS to store up to 3 locations then can
point you back to them on its tiny LCD screen. A pointer shows
which way to go, a "proximity ring" circle tightens as you get
closer, it displays the range & current compass direction & shows
both rechargeable battery & GPS signal status. Experienced users
can also get it to show latitude, longitude & satellite info. It
comes with a charger; a 90-minute charge is rated for 10 hours of
use or 16 days of standby. Bottom line: Audiovox Ecco is a cool
little gizmo for getting you back to an unfamiliar place, a
campsite or where the heck you parked the car.
Special Report Bonus Review 2: BlackBerry Torch
We have 2 BlackBerry handsets here; one is a Bold & until
recently, the other an older Pearl. We got in a new BlackBerry
Torch & the contrasts to both are telling. The large touch screen
& slide-out full keyboard are its most obvious assets, but
digging a little brings our much more. 3G brings femtocell
compatibility the Pearl didn't have; it's so fast that we didn't
realize until later that we hadn't enabled WiFi on it. The depth
of bundled apps is amazing, even in comparison to the Bold; the
user interface that slides, spins & scrolls through it all keeps
them from becoming lost in the crowd. Audio & call quality are
top-notch & as you'd expect, the messaging features are still
leagues ahead of any other smart phone brand. The camera offers
killer cool performance, the multimedia playback is stellar & the
battery life wonderful. Bottom line: the BlackBerry Torch is a
full-fledged participant in just about everything digital you'd
ever want to accomplish wherever you happen to be.
Special Report Bonus Review 3: Telos Hx1 phone hybrid
Analog phone lines have to do a bushel of tricks to fit
everything on 2 wires, which is great for most people most of the
time but tough on people who want to separate the audio from both
ends of the line for things like talk shows or recorded
interviews. That function is called hybrid, based on the term
hybrid transformer, used in early phones to put both sides on the
same wire. Telos is the prestige brand for broadcast gear & they
kicked their tech up several notches with the new Telos Hx1
Digital Hybrid Telephone Interface. The practical challenge for
most hybrids is that the balance on a phone line is constantly
changing; the Hx1 auto-adapts to that while also automatically
riding gain on both paths, fighting leakage (between paths),
shifting pitch to avoid feedback & tweaking the EQ. Complexity
within yields simplicity with only 4 connections needed (power,
phone, caller audio output, local return audio input). We ran it
through our little Behringer mixer & saw complete separation
between paths plus surprising detail in the audio we recorded.
Bottom line: the Telos Hx1 Digital Hybrid Telephone Interface is
the European touring sedan of phone interfaces, complete with a
robot chauffeur.
Special Report Bonus Review 4: DNA Energy drinks/snacks
In terms of workplace productivity when your energy begins to
flag, wrong choices are very easy to make, so we keep trying new
things. We got in the DNA Brands Energy Drink (citrus with &
without calories, lemon-lime with), Shred Stix & Beef Jerky. The
carbonated energy drinks (2 servings per 16oz can) feature
caffeine, taurine (helps keep potassium & magnesium inside cells
& sodium out), inositol (can't say for sure what it does), folate
(ditto) & a list of many ingredients. We're told it has received
best-taste awards; our own experience finds the flavors tolerable
but not especially appealing. Testing before bedtime showed no
notable extra wakefulness or lost sleep; testing at lunch
delivered a slight headache but no perceptible increase in energy
or attention. The best element in the kit is the Beef Jerky,
flavorful without being overwhelming, surprisingly moist &
enjoyable; we would not hesitate to recommend it (in controlled
portions) as a satisfying alternative to the empty calories of
most office vending machine choices, especially because it
requires a long period of chewing which helps satisfy more than
the immediate peckishness. Bottom line: DNA Brands energy drinks
& snacks offer alternatives for people who may have tired of or
lost faith in other products.
Special Report Bonus Review 5: Native Union MM04 speakerphone
The Native Union MM04 Bluetooth speakerphone, handset & stereo
speaker set is a huge treat for the eyes, with a sculpted,
slightly oversize modern-architecture-look active top piece
nested on a mating charger dock base. Using BT 2.1+EDR, you can
simultaneously pair this with both a handset & a second BT
device, like a PC. When playing music (A2DP), the sound elements
at both ends act as speakers for (confirmed) stereo with just
enough volume for a personal workspace. For calls, you can leave
the 2 pieces docked & use it as a speakerphone or pick up the top
to hold as a handset for more privacy. That top piece is a little
bigger & heavier than most handsets (even the one on your
grandma's phone), though not heavy enough to make you want to cut
a call short. Bottom line: the multipurpose Native Union MM04
Bluetooth handset, speakerphone & stereo speaker set adds classy
touches to work.
Radio's surprising foothold: moms
Commercial broadcast radio still depends on advertisers to fund
operations & advertisers are a lot less savvy than they were
before social media or the Web, but eventually the truth does
come out. While the young, cheap, inexperienced help working as
ad agency media buyers may tend to recommend the media they
experience as best for every buy (Psychologists call that
projection), the truth is there is one very critically
significant audience segment that radio absolutely owns: working
moms. The majority of those still drives to work & still listen
to the radio when they do; few of those are on Twitter or
Facebook while driving. We're seeing other foothold segments
elsewhere in traditional media, too; how about you? 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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