jeff's blog

When I say thin – I mean it is the thinnest QWERTY smartphone on the market today. AT&T has this one exclusively for the U.S. market, and the 3G connectivity allows for more function than you could imagine for services like Kyte. The built-in music player and 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera make this device fun and functional. The WiFi allows for Web surfing and UMA calls.

You can find this phone at AT&T with a retail price of $99 (2-year contract and mail-in rebate price). To find out more information please visit the manufacturer's site, www.nokia.com or AT&T, www.att.com/nokiaE71x. You can also read the press release here.

HP announced the print from mobile at CES this year. Here is the free iPhone App. BlackBerry's are now printing from mobile devices, www.blackberry.com/hp. Now Epson is joining in the fun of print from your iPhone or iPod Touch to their printers. The only reason Epson will not see the success from this App is their decision to charge $6.99, and HP gives theirs away. It is my opinion that Epson will sell more printers and ink if they give this App away for free.

Now, with all the buzz on the digital tablets, and the speculation that Apple will release a touch screen digital tablet to rival the SONY Reader, and Amazon Kindle – Epson should take note, and seriously reconsider charging people for drivers to print on their printers. Good luck with your App, Epson. Isn't the data of who downloads the App, where they download it, etc. more valuable than selling it? Read more

It is not just a radio; it is a device that can harness the music played on the Internet. It does not need a computer to access the World Wide Web, and is easily controllable with the very simple user interface and control dial. This new device can also play HD Multi-cast and DAB stations previously only available through very expensive HD or dedicated DAB receivers.

NetWorks from Tivoli is an amazing "Audio Device" because you can tune into Australian Opera from Sydney, Country Music from Nashville, or any other specialty niche radio station from any location in the world in its native language, and in real time. This is Global radio in its purist form. Yes, you can still listen to your favorite local radio stations too.

We have a Tivoli Audio Henry Kloss MODEL ONE radio in our office. This specific radio has a manufacturing date of October 2000. It is an amazing audio device in itself because it has a sound quality that cannot be found in other radios. The same is true for the Tivoli NetWorks that employs a full-range 3.5" magnetically shielded driver that is capable of high quality audio reproduction. Read more

Savant has a great Home Automation product called Rosie. I am sure the founder, Bob Madonna, has a real George Jetson style Rosie that keeps his house clean. This one his company sells is almost as good as the Rosie we all know from yesteryear on the Jetson's.

This iPhone App is not new, it is actually the very first iPhone App remote that controls your Home Audio/Video experience. There are many more today. I actually prefer the Rosie Contemporary Remote over the iPhone Rosie App, and I could only be so lucky. The iPhone App alone costs $199 from the App Store. The current version is 3.8 and you need 2.9MB of space on your iPhone/iPod touch.

The Savant Web site is cool, and you should check it out… www.savantav.com/home.php.

Have you ever held a camcorder in your hand to capture life's precious moments? Have you held that camcorder for longer than 30 minutes at one sitting? Samsung's camera designers know that comfort is as important as function. Sure, this camera looks funny, until you hold it in your hand. Then, you realize it is exactly what you have been looking for in a video camera.

There are two new camcorders from Samsung, the SMX-C14 and the SMX-C10. They are compact digital camcorders that are packed with features that make your memories look great when viewed. These features are a 10x optical zoom and Hyper Image Stabilization that helps reduce blurry footage.

The SMX-C14 has 16GB of internal Samsung flash memory and is expandable via an SD/SDHC memory card slot. You can actually record and store up to six hours of video. The battery life can hold a charge of two hours and forty minutes, and the SMX-C10 has the same battery (but no internal memory). Read more

This 2GHz Intel Core 2 dual-core processor notebook computer is amazingly slim, and packed with value. It comes with Microsoft Vista Home Premium and an 8X super-multi DVD/CD reader-burner drive. This model is known as the Averatec N2700 and has an MSRP of $699.

The Intel GMA X4500HD graphics will deliver quality images on the 12-inch screen. With an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera you can have video chats as well. There are also three USB 2.0 ports, one IEEE 1384 (firewire) port, headphone output, microphone input, D15 VGA external display output, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader (MS/MS PRO/MMC/SD).

If you are looking for a quality notebook, this might be the computer for your needs. TriGem USA is the manufacturer of the Averatec and they are based in Orange County California. Here is the company's web site, www.TriGemUSA.com. To buy this laptop computer you can buy it directly by visiting www.shopAveratec.com.

Affordable computing means having a good looking, functional computer that delivers on your expectations. The NEW N110 has an MSRP of $469 and the N120 has an MSRP of $459. The battery life on these machines can go for six-hours on one charge for the N120 and nine-hours for N110. It is a good idea to not have all of your data on one machine (use an external hard drive, cloud computing storage, or a home desktop/laptop for all backup files). This new Notebook line is affordable to the point that you can pick this Samsung N110 or N120 up as a second computer.

Both of these notebooks weigh in at an astonishing 2.78 lbs., with a keyboard that is 93% of the size of a standard keyboard. The screen is a backlit SuperBright Glossy 10-inch display to ensure enjoyment of the videos I am sure you are watching.

There is not much difference in these two machines for a $10 MSRP price variance. As with all purchases, make sure you do your research first. The good news is that these little powerhouse notebooks come with a 160GB hard drive (5400 rpm SATA), 1GB of memory, Genuine Windows XP Home operating system (What? No Vista?) and an Intel Atom Processor N270 (1.6GHz, 533MHz, 512KB).

Check out the manufacturer's Web site… www.samsung.com.

The BlackBerry is a wonderful communication device. Sure, the iPhone is cool to play with, but it is the BlackBerry that is truly the communication device of mobile phones. I am always traveling to trade shows, CES, PMA, CTIA, etc. meeting with the latest device manufacturers to discuss the latest and greatest from their research and development efforts. The one thing I notice is that all of the technology industry people that attend these trade shows use BlackBerry's.

I need to communicate, not surf the internet or watch videos. Sure, the games on the iPhone rock, and the Apps are plenty – and solve real world problems in some cases. It is the BlackBerry that has games, Web browser capabilities, and much more – even their own App store.

This sleek, Pearl Flip BlackBerry is a device that delivers on your expectations of what a smart phone should be. Alltel Wireless customers can expect to pay $79 after the mail-in rebate.

Check out the many options from Alltel www.shopalltel.com.

Talking on a cell phone with a Bluetooth headset has become the norm for today. The technology continues to improve, and the styles available have also become abundant. The Jawbone from Aliph is a quality earpiece, and the Jawbone with NoiseAssassin 2.0 raises the bar for the competition in this space. Aliph claims theirs has five-times better call clarity than the previous generation.

I like the Jawbone PRIME because it includes multipoint functionality and can be simultaneously connected to two Bluetooth enabled devices. Meaning you can talk on your SIP phone (Magicjack, Gizmo, etc.) and your cell phone (not at the same time of course).

The technology and design from Aliph in this new Jawbone PRIME means that the company is delivering what customers want. I would prefer that the device was not as good looking because it really bugs me when people wear their device all day long and only have a few short conversations on the phone.

The Jawbone PRIME will be available at retail stores on May 2, 2009. Prior to launch, consumers can pre-order it at www.jawbone.com.

The need for speed comes from wireless devices doing more than just delivering voice communication. The manufacturers of consumer electronic devices are building smaller, more functional products that exceed our needs in most cases. Bluetooth technology must keep up the pace, and Bluetooth 3.0 delivers on the requirements for wireless devices that deliver large video files, music and photos.

The good news for consumers is the Bluetooth 3.0 devices have power control built in the device. This means longer battery life and use between charges. Those who understand radio protocols will appreciate the 802.11 speeds that Bluetooth 3.0 uses. This means data transfers will have an approximate rate of 24 Mbps!

The best way to find Bluetooth enabled devices is to search the Bluetooth Gadget Guide.