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Newstips Electronic Editorial Bulletin Issue # 2011-01a
We resolve to bring you more news
In this issue:
Antec CES show but not tell: water CPU cooler... Did anyone
resolve to get better grades?... Girls, gadgets, gear - gotta see
Tiffen... Welcome Vardr with wireless-to-cloud video security...
Zoom at CES: keyboards, 3G modems, more... Special Report: LED
light bulbs & HVAC costs... Reviews: Dry Case, TrendNet TEW-640MB
bridge, PowerBlock Plus Universal, Gurkha Assassin, Zippo Blu
butane lighter... plus our commentary on What not to miss at
CES
Antec CES show but not tell: water CPU cooler
The official announcement of new water-based CPU cooling from
Antec doesn't go out until a week after CES, but if you make it
to the booth (South/lower 21802) you can see it - along with some
amazing new cases, the category's most dependable full-power
PSUs, fantastic new audio & AV gear & a breakthrough in hard
drive & case convenience. Contact: Veronica Feldmeier, Antec Inc.
(Fremont, CA) 510-770-2150 vfeldmeier@antec.com
http://antec.com
Did anyone resolve to get better grades?
Franklin is a fountainhead of gear (from handheld dictionaries to
translators to skill-developing learner products) that can help
any-age student get better grades. If that's a topic on your
get-done list, get with Aline for pix, info or products. Contact:
Aline Boutin, Franklin Electronic Publishers (Burlington, NJ)
609-386-2500x4434 aline_boutin@franklin.com http://franklin.com
Girls, gadgets, gear - gotta see Tiffen
The least expensive Steadicam ever, made for shooting Flip or
iPhone video, a full-size tripod that folds down to 16" & weighs
just 3.3 lbs., a new Domke line from the people who created the
pro camera bag, the Playboy Clubs 2010 winner & a lady who can
make you go gaga add up to a lot of reasons to see Tiffen at CES.
Contact: Hilary Araujo, Tiffen Company (Hauppauge, NY)
631-609-3216 haraujo@tiffen.com http:/.tiffen.com
Welcome Vardr with wireless-to-cloud video security
Vardr starts with a completely cordless video camera (2 AA cells
power it for a year & WiFi connects it) that connects to the
Cloud, to your handset, to social media & more, all for under
$100. First-looks units come in late February with retail likely
in April. Ask Mark. Contact: Mark Richards, Vardr (Sydney, NSW)
512-487-7274 mark.richards@vardr.com http://vardr.com
Zoom at CES: keyboards, 3G modems, more
Tickling you on why you want to seek out Zoom at LVCC South hall,
upper floor: compact long-range full keyboard with track-pad
(ideal for PC home theater control from the sofa), bigger &
longer range alternative, Bluetooth full keyboard for iPad, a
full line of 3G modems, a smarter 3G router, pack-of-gum-size USB
dial-up modem & more. Ask the Manning who's manning the booth.
Contact: Terry Manning, Zoom Telephonics Inc. (Boston, MA)
617-753-0087 terrym@zoom.com http://zoom.com
Special Report: LED light bulbs & HVAC costs
Light bulbs tend to produce heat at 3.41 BTU per Watt. In winter,
that may help warm a house with a little less furnace time; in
the summer, the AC has to work that much harder. Brightly lighted
rooms often involve 600-1000 Watts of lighting when incandescents
are the source. During a family's busy evening hours, that could
run to 3000-5000 Watts across the house, eating up 10-15,000 BTU
of air conditioning. Switching directly from incandescent to LED
bulbs for lighting can drop that total to something in the
300-1000 Watt range & drop the BTU load by 9-14,000 BTU. That
difference means early adopters may (depending on climate)
realize more indirect (HVAC) than direct (power cost of lighting)
savings.
Special Report Bonus Review: Dry Case
We've seen many products made to keep water out of handheld gear,
but none quite like the Dry Case. Have you seen infomercials for
the clothing bags that shrink when you pump the air out? This is
the same concept only smaller & more elegant. The soft plastic
pouch is fitted with a headset connector feed-through, a one-way
valve on a pump bulb fitting (the bulb itself is removable) & a
clever top cloture with rotating clamps. Stick your gear inside,
pump all the air out & there's nowhere left for water to go; we
like that they test every product underwater overnight before
shipping. The case is clear enough to let you shoot pictures
through it (may or may not affect the shot; you'll know). Bottom
line: the Dry Corp. Dry Case may be the most watertight solution
we've seen for gear that you have to take to wet environs.
Special Report Bonus Review 2: TrendNet TEW-640MB bridge
We have an Insignia (Best Buy house brand) BluRay player in the
living room that wants a wired Ethernet connection, which would
be a 50' run through hardwood floors. We looked for a wireless
bridge product that could sit next to the player, connect to it
by wire but connect to our router by WiFi. When we got the
announcement of the TrendNet TEW-640MB 300Mbps Wireless N 4-port
Media Bridge we nagged them into sending one for review. The
bridge connected quickly (thanks to pushbutton WPS) but the
BluRay player didn't see DNS; an hour of diagnostics later, we
determined the bridge was not at fault & manually entered the
router's IP address for DNS. Our immediate reward was a 15-minute
wait for the BluRay player to receive a software update, then the
screen showed us Pandora, our Netflix instant queue & more.
Bottom line: the TrendNet TEW-640MB 300Mbps Wireless N 4-port
Media Bridge proved to be a pushbutton-easy solution to our need
to connect wirelessly to a wired port.
Special Report Bonus Review 3: PowerBlock Plus Universal
How many power outlets are you eating up with USB-port chargers?
There's an interesting way to eat up one less with the Griffin
PowerBlock Plus Universal but only within limits. The limit is
not on the charging side; the USB-A female charging port puts out
a full 1A at 5.2V, a smidge over the 5V spec but no problem for
most gear. The limit is in the AC socket, which is not grounded;
it's a polarized 2-prong outlet rated to handle loads of 5A
(600W) or less. With that caveat, placing one of these between
that kind of plug & its current outlet gains you a USB charging
port out the bottom. The design is also polite enough not to
block the socket above or beside it. Bottom line: the Griffin
PowerBlock Plus Universal is a handy way to charge one more
device without adding an octopus to an outlet.
Special Report Bonus Review 4: Gurkha Assassin
In addition to the Cognac-blended Grand Reserve we reviewed last
time, we got 3 other cigars in for review which we had intended
to review together, but as a practical matter, with smoking
opportunities limited by the weather, we need to approach these
one at a time. This round, the intense little Gurkha Assassin is
a robust, even aggressive full-bodied cigar that strikes the
palate with not at all subtle notes of black & red pepper in a
pungent smoke reminiscent of something between mesquite &
eucalyptus burning. Bottom line: for experienced smokers seeking
distinctive intensity, the Gurkha Assassin cigar is up to the
challenge.
Special Report Bonus Review 5: Zippo Blu butane lighter
For years, the Zippo in our pockets has been a bit of a fraud, a
revered Zippo chrome case housing a butane-fueled insert. When
speaking to Zippo about their multi-purpose lighter & their hand
warmer (reviewed in recent issues), we couldn't resist the
suggestion of also reviewing their new butane offering, Zippo
Blu. No other case ever opened or closed quite like a Zippo &
we've never seen a lighter use the time-proven Zippo flint &
wheel igniter; both happen here. The narrow spike of plasma-blue
flame neither has nor needs any adjustment. Intriguingly, the
flam snuffs out when you turn the lighter upside down (pipe
smokers can adapt by inverting the pipe bowl to light). Yes, this
sleek black beauty is our new everyday pocket lighter. Bottom
line: Zippo Blu brings legendary great lighter engineering to
butane.
What not to miss at CES
If you're spending some significant work-time in Las Vegas, here
are the things to be sure not to miss: Water (every chance you
get - it's a desert & it will weaken you if you don't hydrate
well), sleep (naps can help, like between the end of the day &
beginning of the night), portion control (no matter what's on
your plate, anything that wouldn't fit the palm of your hand is
too much), darkness (feet up & eyes closed for a couple 10-minute
stretches each day) & doubt (the claims are almost certainly
exaggerated if not worse & that's as true for the exhibits as it
is for anybody you meet at the bar). 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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