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Newstips Electronic Editorial Bulletin Issue # 2010-08b
Calming the storms of news
In this issue:
Set-top boxing match odds on Antec... It's Definitive: going
bipolar can make it more real... Electronics of Biblical
proportions from Franklin... Punk Blocker adds Google Voice
support... Boogie Board accessories arrive... Little Smoothee
targets bigger small screens first... Next week, Zoom ZDTV does
more PCs... Special Report: Trash lint as energy... Reviews:
TI-nSpire, GammaTech Durabook, Chico bags for produce, Small
Micro-Cooker, Weighty spoon... plus our commentary on Snarky
juice
Set-top boxing match odds on Antec
Set-top boxes used to just mean cable or satellite boxes, VCRs or
DVDs, but these days, a lot more of them are about bringing
digital content across the Web & onto that big home screen.
Whether or not you're among them, a growing is population
building their own set-top stuff so you owe yourself a peek at
the Antec goodies that house them. Great looks, cool displays &
remotes are just part of it. Ask Veronica. Contact: Veronica
Feldmeier, Antec Inc. (Fremont, CA) 510-770-2150
vfeldmeier@antec.com http://antec.com
It's Definitive: going bipolar can make it more real
Every speaker has a front & a back; while you can hear from the
back, the sound really isn't directed that way. The Definitive
Bipolar series of speakers have both forward- & rear-facing
drivers, making for a much more omnidirectional sound presence
like you'd hear live. In a surround or even just stereo set-up,
the result is a spatial listening experience without sweet (or
sour) spots. Ask Paul. Contact: Paul DiComo, Definitive
Technology (Owings Mills, MD) 410-363-7148
paul.dicomo@definitivetech.com http://DefinitiveTech.com
Electronics of Biblical proportions from Franklin
As you plan your coverage for the rest of the year, we'd be
remiss not to remind you that Franklin handheld electronic Bible
products are available & reviewable. Religious schools too soon
come back into session now; later there's a Holiday context.
Aline can get you units or info. Contact: Aline Boutin, Franklin
Electronic Publishers (Burlington, NJ) 609-386-2500x4434
aline_boutin@franklin.com http://franklin.com
Punk Blocker adds Google Voice support
That new Punk Blocker app ($50/year for up to 6 handsets per
family, Android this month, WinMo next month) that screens,
tracks, tattles & can provide evidence trails when bullies or
spammer prey on kids is adding support for Google Voice to its
call & SMS tracking tools. It's more than parental control; it's
proof; ask Wayne. Contact: Wayne Irving II, Iconosys Inc. (Laguna
Hills, CA) 949-335-5350 wi@iconosys.com http://iconosys.com
Boogie Board accessories arrive
You don't need a pencil or paper or power to make persistent
handwritten notes or scribbles on a Boogie Board ($35, Brookstone
& online) but there are other accessories that you may want. For
your Boogie Board (let him know if you don't have one yet), ask
Kevin to send you the new add-on kit with a top-mounted sliding
stylus clip & magnets you can mount on the back (great for dorm
room doors) plus the new sleeve. Contact: Kevin Oswald, Kent
Displays (Kent, OH) 330-673-8784x161 koswald@kentdisplays.com
http://KentDisplays.com
Little Smoothee targets bigger small screens first
The little under-$200 Steadicam Smoothee will let a pocket-size
camcorder or handset video recorder shoot like a bigger camera &
it's still on-target for a 4Q intro. The first ones out will
support a sweet spot collection of devices with both bigger user
bases & larger screens, like iPhone, Droid & Flip Ask Hilary.
Contact: Hilary Araujo, Tiffen Company (Hauppauge, NY)
631-609-3216 haraujo@tiffen.com http:/.tiffen.com
Next week, Zoom ZDTV does more PCs
Terry admits they made a mistake in focusing too tightly on
Windows 7 for the new ZDTV long-range wireless keyboard (street
$70-75); they correct that next week with new software to also
support Vista & XP. It's thin, light & perfect for controlling an
HDMI-connected PC from a sofa or easy chair across the room, very
interesting for PC-gaming, has a crazy long reach (more than 60
feet) for dealing with across-the-room servers & has a big track
pad so you don't need to find a mouse with a 60' cord. Ask Terry
for one. Contact: Terry Manning, Zoom Telephonics Inc. (Boston,
MA) 617-753-0087 terrym@zoom.com http://zoom.com
Special Report: Trash lint as energy
We've spoken to the principal of a local company to learn about a
fascinating pilot process that can recycle trash into fuel; a
private demonstration test is planned with a utility, so we are
able to describe the process but as yet unable to name names. One
of the company's operations is an aggressive trash handling
facility that takes in intermingled trash & recycled goods & uses
a lot of automation to separate absolutely everything recyclable
from the rest. (The high cubic yard costs of landfills make this
attractive even for recyclables with little or no inherent resale
value; there aren't many of those). One of the "products" that
this operation is now able to yield is a flammable fluff, not
unlike lint in its consistency. In the pilot demonstration for
the utility, they will be blowing this fluff into a boiler to run
generators to prove that it can provide enough energy to sustain
appropriate boiler temperatures & to prove that the fluff burns
cleanly. (Note that even a dirty burn could be an improvement
because the fuel it is most likely to replace is coal). We
probably won't post any further reports on this here, but we did
want to brief you on the basics of a clever, promising &
intriguing turn of tech.
Special Report Bonus Review: TI-nSpire
What would a back-to-school theme be without the latest graphing
calculator from TI? The big addition this year is a touch pad for
easier navigation around the screen. For schools that still use
the TI-84 for teaching, a snap-in compatible keyboard is free by
mail. Bottom line: The new TI-nSpire boasts updated the software,
adds a track pad & tweaks the keyboard for the latest incarnation
of a really good learning tool.
Special Report Bonus Review 2: GammaTech Durabook
We spent an unusually long time reviewing the GammaTech D14E1
Durabook notebook PC simply because we weren't sure how best to
explain it. It's externally ruggedized with rubbery surrounds &
port flaps, internally ruggedized with drop-sensor-triggered head
parking, uses a 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo to run Windows 7 Pro, drives a
1280x800 display & offers an HDMI port for driving big screens.
While it's far from optimized as a gaming machine, we did some
gaming to push its envelope & it responded pretty well. In its
$2000 price class, it's at the high end of first apartment tech
or back to school tech, though it could handle either handily;
it's more of an armored road warrior's weapon, though the
graphics, A/V & other features also line it up as an able
entertainer. Bottom line: the GammaTech D14E1 Durabook PC is an
"army of one" notebook as much at home in the den as in the wild
with good performance & solid protection in every environment.
Special Report Bonus Review 3: Chico bags for produce
All tech is fabricated but sometimes the pivotal tech is a fabric
- or several, as was the case with this response to our editorial
call for first-apartment tech. The Chico Bag Produce Bag is a
4-piece kit involving 3 different kinds of produce bags that all
fit into a small apple-shaped pouch you can clip onto whatever.
You use these instead of the off-the-roll plastic bags when
shopping for fresh fruits & veggies. For grains, leafy greens or
green beans, a hemp & cotton bag restricts air flow & absorbs
moisture. One bag is made from recycled plastic bottles to block
air flow & lock in moisture for carrots, celery, broccoli, etc.;
for onions, potatoes, oranges or apples, that material is used in
a mesh to vent the gas (ethylene) that can accelerate their
spoilage. Bottom line: The Chico Bag Produce Bag ensemble offers
an environmentally conscientious alternative for produce
shopping.
Special Report Bonus Review 4: Small Micro-Cooker
We all know how much the microwave fits into the definition of
first-apartment tech, so we said yes when The Pampered Chef asked
if we wanted to review their Small Micro-Cooker, a vented-cover
plastic pot. The lid clamps on & won't blow off when microwaving;
the top vents help release vapor pressure when steaming & provide
a way to vent excess liquids without taking the lid off. We tried
it for cooking soup & reheating chicken gumbo, with good results;
it's potentially a lot less messy than nuking food in an open
bowl & it's top-rack dishwasher safe. Bottom line: The Pampered
Chef Small Micro-Cooker is a very handy companion for many
microwave cooking or reheating chores & in a first problem, less
prone to problems.
Special Report Bonus Review 5: Weighty spoon
By now, you may be familiar (from our review here or coverage
elsewhere) of the Knife & Fork Lift marriage of those everyday
eating utensils with small hand weights as handles. Now there's a
companion tablespoon, too; allegedly, enough soup can lead to a
super-strong arm. Bottom line: still more fun than practical, the
Knife & Fork Lift spoon joins the collection.
Snarky juice
Marty finds 2 great things about getting older: one is that there
are more attractive younger women every year & the other is that
sometimes he can address problems from memory instead of
analysis. Recently, all the gear in the bunker (basement) office
went crazy, including one or two of the UPS units. A Voltmeter in
the outlet confirmed small but continuing shifts. That happened
before & got fixed by replacing a strap connection on the "pole
pig" (power transformer) out on the street; with that suggestion
to the utility, when the doorbell rang later it was a worker
confirming that the same thing had happened again & was now
fixed. Power utilities aren't spending money to maintain local
grids the way they used to, so file this as a hint you may
someday find useful. 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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