jeff's blog

When I play card games I might expose my cards, and when someone looks I call them, "a cheater." Are they really cheaters, or are they naturally doing what their brain wants to do – look at the cards?! When you walk into an establishment with media screens delivering impressions, you naturally look, and advertisers pay BIG money for those impressions. What about coffee shop patrons and their computers? You want to look at their screen because it is natural to look at the screen. It is hard for me to not look at the computer screen of the person sitting next to, or near me on an airplane.

3M knows this, and they have spent significant time and money to bring you the 3M Notebook Privacy Filters. The sizes range from 12.1" wide to 17.0" wide diagonal screens. The Privacy Filter from 3M has a dual purpose… it literally protects your computer screen and it protects the information the screen displays. Watch the video to see the protector in action.

Here is where you get started… www.3mskins.com.

Prices vary based on computer size, and product type (ie, Apple Laptop, PC Notebook, Mobile Phone, etc.). Is your privacy worth a few dollars? Create a custom skin for your computer too!

I was skeptical at first, and did not think this device was practical – I was wrong! The Brickhouse Child Locator provides a level of confidence when you find yourself out with children in public places. We live in different times, and protecting the children in our lives is a priority. The BrickHouse Child Locator was created to help parents maintain their children's safety. The device not only helps you directionally locate your child, but it sends a warning if your child wanders too far from the device. It also works well for pets!

Parents know children can disappear quickly. They are curious, and innocent which is a combination for exploration in their world. We take our kids everywhere, professional football games, amusement parks, camping, street festivals, and more. The kids wander and in seconds they are out of sight. The BrickHouse Child Locator is to be used as an aid, and not a replacement for parental supervision.

The feature I like the most is the "alert" with vibration alarms which beeps to warn you that a child has wandered off too far. Inside, the BrickHouse Child Locator device has a range of 250 feet, and outdoors it has a range of 600 feet. My wife and I had a great time playing hide-and-go-seek with our boys, and this device took our game to another level. Read more

The BIG screen being your 16:9 ratio HDTV home television. In our home we use the Apple cables to watch our iPod and iPhone content on the television. These cables are great for traveling with kids too. ezGear has an April special for $29 for this cable made for your iPod or iPhone. The cables that provide the same function from Apple are $49 on the Apple Web site. ezGear is an effective, affordable solution for this cable.

We call the video on the iPhone the electronic babysitter. You can go anywhere with the kids and to ask them politely to sit down and be quiet, but that doesn't work as well as handing a handheld video machine over – especially one with games! When traveling, we simply buy the kids some of their favorite content from the Apple iTunes store, and it becomes a plug and play solution. Most new cars with video solutions also come with the proper connections for this cable set. It is worth the money to buy these at this price.

More information is available at www.ezgear.com/iPod/ezGearVideoCable.html.

The new Armor Series cases from OtterBox are cool. Like this Apple iPod nano fourth generation case, for example. It features impact-absorbing rubber on all sides to protect your iPod from impact. This case - as well as other OtterBox cases - can be submerged up to a yard (3 feet) under water. It protects against dust and dirt too.

I have a few of the small waterproof OtterBox products. They are perfect when traveling, camping, boating and more. I primarily store Compact Flash (CF) cards in the small OtterBox when traveling.

There are some bigger cases as well from OtterBox. We have a staff photographer who keeps a large OtterBox case in his SUV. His DSLR is always with him, and the foam filled OtterBox gives him peace of mind.

Visit www.otterbox.com for more information and to view their wide selection of protective cases.

Talk about putting some pressure on the competition… Westinghouse is going right to the point with the consumer of today. The launch of the TX-42F450S means that Dad or the Grad will have a great new television without breaking the family budget. If this price point for a quality 1080p LCD HDTV does not get the economy going, then nothing will. If you have been waiting for the right price, then your wait is over. The TX-42F450S has all of the HD connectors you need, HDMI, component and VGA.

The 32-inch from Westinghouse is the SK-32H635S, and is the ultimate price point for multiple rooms, a dorm room, garage or bathroom. This versatile display is designed for HDTV viewing, gaming, and PC computing. The HDMI connectors will ensure easy connection to your components. Even the speakers on this HDTV provide great sound quality for this size television panel. The SK-32H635S will be available in June for $429 MSRP.

There is no reason why you can't take that tax refund, and satisfy your HDTV needs with a Westinghouse.

There are 51 million members of AAA, North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization. The non-profit has been an advocate for safety and security for all travelers since its founding in 1902. It is only fitting that Magellan GPS and AAA have formed a partnership that delivers the AAA data to the latest Magellan GPS devices, RoadMate 1470, RoadMate 1440 and RoadMate 1340.

All three of these devices feature AAA TourBook listings and member Roadside Assistance menus. And these features:

• Easy-to-use OneTouch favorites drop-down menu
• Personalized search icons to easily find favorite places
• Announces street names and directions at each turn
• Highway Lane Assist
• Highway Exit Points of Interest search
• QuickSpell with New SmartCity Search
• Offers multi-destination routing with route optimization
• Includes maps of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico
• SmartDetour prompts drivers to route around heavy or stationary traffic
• 2-D and 3-D map views with auto day/night mode switching
• Trip computer and trip planner

The best part of this device is the graphical user interface (GUI). Like the table of contents of a magazine, the P7 delivers key information from the home screen. The P7 supports many types of video formats (codecs), which means there is no need to convert your video before loading to your personal media player (PMP). The touchscreen P7 not only supports many codecs, but has other multimedia features like an FM radio, photo viewer, text viewer, and voice recording.

The battery in this little gem of a PMP can play continuously for 35 hours. There is a built-in micro SD card slot to expand your memory. Or, if NetFlix, or other services ever start renting movies on micro SD, you have a place to insert them.

The P7 cradle has a built-in speaker, so you can hear your media playback while you possibly share the screen with a friend. The all aluminum casing of the P7 has a great look and feel. The 8GB version has an MSRP of $179, and the 16GB version has an MSRP of $209.

What I like about iriver is the support of DESIGN in the products, packaging and corporate identity. Their Web site www.iriver.com is even cool. The package that the P7 comes in can be reused for your own container needs. iriver suggests that you can use the container/P7 package as a business card holder, a pen holder, a picture frame, or even a flower vase.

This is one television that you will praise the built-in speakers! Mitsubishi has announced the 2009 Unisen line of Premium Flat Panel TVs with integrated surround sound speaker bar built right in. The fully integrated 16-speaker Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround system will immerse you in sound.

Mitsubishi is meeting the budget of the consumer with their pricing of this new television. There is the Unisen 249 Diamond Series (46-inch and 52-inch), The Unisen 153 Series (40-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch), and The Unisen 151 Series (40-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch). The MSRP ranges from $1,799 - $3,299.

Mitusbishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. is the Official HDTV Sponsor of the PGA TOUR, and if you have not watched golf on a 1080p HDTV from Mitsubishi … then I can honestly say that you are missing the experience.

AT&T is introducing a new range of smartphones and quick messaging phones this spring. These phones help make life easier for customers as they stay connected to family, friends and business connections on the move.

In the smartphone category, AT&T will offer the Nokia E71x & Samsung Propel smartphones. In addition, AT&T will have the Samsung Impression, Samsung Magnet, and LG Xenon and Neon, which takes the number of full-keyboard mobile phones offered by AT&T to seven.

Nokia E71x

The Nokia E71x is the thinnest smartphone, with award winning design and a black steel finish. It is based on the Symbian Operating System S60, which offers Symbian-based applications and Wi-Fi. It also features AT&T's popular AT&T Navigator. It is priced at $99.99 (with contract).Read more

Speck is bringing their fashionable "fitted" hard shell cases, which are very popular among iPhone 3G users, to the iPod touch 2G and iPod nano 4G. These stylish cases come in female friendly patterns, materials and colors.

The new patterns include BubbleSpotDot Aqua and CheeryPlum Purple for the iPod nano 4G and Lovely Roger White/Pink, Lovely Roger Black/Grey and CheeryPlum Purple for the iPod touch 2G. The new styles are made out of durable, textured vinyl creatively wrapped over a protective hard shell case.

The cases for the iPod nano 4G and iPod touch 2G are available in colors and styles that express the personality of the user as they browse through songs, videos and podcasts. The simple case is a custom-fit design that allows full access to viewing the screen, controls, ports and plugs.

Speck cases for the iPod nano 4G also feature a clear, hard shell front with click-wheel opening to protect from scratches. All fitted cases are priced at $29.95 MSRP.