jeff's blog

The user-friendly FR60 system is an advanced fitness watch which interfaces with other ANT+™ compatible fitness devices such as heart rate monitor, a foot pod that monitors speed and distance, or third-party fitness equipment. The FR60 is swim friendly too! Plus, cycling enthusiasts will like the handy bike mount for measuring bike speed and cadence.

The best part about the Garmin FR60 is the integration with Garmin Connect — Garmin’s online training site. When you pair your FR60 to Garmin Connect you can automatically log your workout, track, share and compete with friends across the country (i.e.; who ran the quarter mile faster).

There is both a men's version and women's version. The men’s FR60 weighs 1.6 ounces, and the women’s model weighs 1.4 ounces. The Garmin FR60 has a starting price of $129.99 and will be available the 2nd quarter of 2009.

The desktop is often overlooked today because it reminds consumers about a LARGE box computer. Acer identified this concern with an easily addressable solution – make the box smaller. They went a little further with a 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display with a glossy bezel and speakers that perform.

There are several Aspire models, X3200, X1700 and X1200. The Aspire X1700 is the newest member of the Aspire family with Intel’s Pentium Dual-Core processor that has 4GB DDR2 memory for extremely fast response times. The sleek display provides cinematic quality that displays the best of what you are working or playing. The compact desktop is simple and looks good enough to display on top of your desk vs. under your desk.

I would encourage you to look around for the best price as PC prices are all over the place. Acer is a well-known global brand, and they now own Gateway. Their customer service is better than most, and you will be pleased with your Acer computer no matter which model you buy. Find out more by visiting them, www.acer.com/us.

The Zeemote JS1 controller is intuitive and with Bluetooth connectivity – it is a perfectly designed and connected gaming remote controller. When I hold it, I say to myself, “why did I not think of this?” It only makes sense that your mobile phone has a joystick. Of course, those in Europe have been enjoying this device for the past year, and with the BlackBerry Alliance accepting the Zeemote as an approved product, the games will certainly follow and jump the big pond. Electronic Arts, SEGA, I-play, glu, gameloft, Hardwire, Digital Chocolate, and more are preparing their games for the BlackBerry now.

The Zeemote is well made, and is very small with comfort for thumb control that takes mobile gaming to a whole new level. Be patient… it is not available in the States just yet, but will most likely be sold where mobile phones are sold. Check with Zeemote by visiting www.zeemote.com for more information.

Many fossils of yesteryear are still in the ground – not yet discovered. How cool would it be to find one and geocache the exact location? Well the popular eTrex from Garmin is an affordable way to have the best GPS handheld to identify the specific location. If you like to hike, hunt or spend hours in wooded areas, this latest version of the eTrex from Garmin is just for you.

The eTrex Legend H and eTrex Vista H are made specifically for thick canopy areas. The vertical canyons also play havoc on most GPS receivers, but not the latest eTrex that have an MSRP of $149 for the Legend H and $199 for the Vista H. There is a fast USB interface on these units so you can load detailed topo maps from a computer onto the 24 megabytes of internal memory. If you enjoy hiking, I recommend getting a Garmin eTrex which will certainly make your excursions a lot more interactive.

First, you will need to write a Christmas list with your child(ren). Second, sit in front of your computer with your web camera attached. Go to www.tokbox.com/santa and submit your video to Santa. Then, before Christmas you will have a video response from Santa to show your child(ren). If you don’t have children don’t worry, Santa will send you a video too. This is all made possible with TokBox.com. TokBox is donating $0.05 per video that uses their holiday greeting card service to Child Foundation for all videos submitted before Christmas 2008.

TokBox is a simple and impressive web based video service. The ease of control with the user interface makes this service fun to use.

The Cerwin-Vega CLS-215 tower speakers have two 15-inch subwoofers per tower. The tower itself can handle 500 Watts of power to make your neighbors call you to see if you are okay. Then, when you say that you have new speakers, those neighbors will be asking if they can come over to watch the game or latest movie.

The MSRP for the CLS-215 is $499 per speaker ($998/pair). The Cerwin-Vega company web site says these speakers have guaranteed “eviction notice” performance. These are the type of speakers that will hurt your ears – be careful, and enjoy this purchase!

iLuv will be releasing in January from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the all NEW Vertical 4CD/MP3 Hi-Fi Audio System with a Subwoofer. The modern look and style of this music player will get your attention. Then, the quality of construction and sound the iMM9500 produces will captivate you. Even your iPhone 3G (along with iPods) will connect easily with the universal dock. You can also connect directly to the iMM9500 SD/MMC cards and USB flash memory devices. It even plays AM/FM radio stations and has alarm clock functions.

The price for this new modern audio device is not known at this time. Keep an eye out for the new iMM9500 from iLuv to be released in early 2009. www.i-luv.com

The BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone is slim with a modern black exterior. The push-to-talk feature that makes Sprint/Nextel’s phones stand out from the crowd has just been upgraded by RIM. The 8350i has built-in WiFi support and Group Connect with instant conversations with up to 20 participants. There is support for integrated business solutions that include a large selection of GPS-enabled solutions. The Talkgroup feature in the business solutions suite connects up to 200 people at once within the same fleet.

Danny Bowman, President of Nextel Direct Connect said it best, “The BlackBerry Curve 8350i is a premium smartphone that strikes a perfect balance between performance and usability.”

This modern marvel has an MSRP of $149 with a two-year service agreement, and $80 instant savings credit and a $100 mail-in rebate. You might want to buy a Kingston microSD card to enable the video recording feature this 8350i that is capable of recording.

Have you noticed that your iPhone battery does not last as long as it did when you first started using the device? This is a direct result of your fascination with all of those applications from iTunes. The battery that Apple is using for the iPhone is quite powerful, but like all batteries – they need charging. This is where Tekkeon found a solution with the myPower for the iPhone. This innovative iPhone battery also acts as a dock enabling users to automatically sync and charge the device. I like the myPower because you can use the USB 2.0 cables you have to charge your iPhone.

The myPower has an MSRP of $69.95 and you can place your order now on the Tekkeon Web site, www.tekkeon.com.

Now you can have your College team logo and your Professional team logo on the same chair. Not together, but interchangeably depending on when you want the chair to show your allegiance. Then, when your wife wants to have her Tupperware party, she can unzip your team logo from your chair to make the chair look plain again. This is all made possible with Fathead’s DreamSeat and the revolutionary new XZipit Recliner line.Check out the video here.

Now with the DreamSeat and/or the XZipit Recliner line from Fathead, and your Fathead poster on the wall, you can have your living room convert to a “Man Room” in seconds. There are three styles of chairs that range from $749 to $999 (thanks Megan T. for this info). Brock Weatherup, CEO, Fathead said, “Furniture For Fans is the next step for our passionate Fathead Nation Fans.”