TechnoDad Picks His Favorite Toys
I’ve been attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES to insiders) for five years, and maybe it’s just me, but I’ve come down with a slight case of “technology overload.” It’s not that I don’t get a kick out of playing with all sorts of new gadgets at the show, but once I get home from the giddy trade show world of Las Vegas, reality comes back to haunt me. For instance:
OK, enough of this complaining. I did see and touch a number of truly useful devices, some of which are surprisingly affordable and most important, simple to use.
Want to dramatically lower your long distance bill? The Chatter Bug is a $20 phone accessory that you plug into your phone outlet and then attach to your regular touch-tone phone. You then register for new long distance service and then cancel your existing service, but keep you local service. You then just pay $9.95 a month for unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada and you can cancel at any time. Seems like a pretty good deal, especially if you’ve got far-away friends and family. Visit: www.chatterbug.com
Walk into any discount or computer store and you’ll be assaulted with a bevy of cases for iPods. They all offer some measure of protection for these fashionable, yet somewhat fragile players. The OtterBox for iPod allows you to take your music, photos and movies in the pool and just about anywhere else. It’s waterproof, drop resistant and keeps out dust and dirt. Even with this protection, you can still access the Click Wheel and see the display clearly. Quite a deal for $49.95 for the video iPod case. Other sizes are also available. Visit: www.otterbox.com
Speaking of iPod accessories, DLO (Digital Lifestyle Outfitters) has introduced a HomeDock that lets you play your music, pictures and video through your home stereo and television; sort of a reverse TiVo for $100! The cool thing is DLO gives you all the cables to hook up your iPod to these devices. It even has an S-video output for higher quality pictures and video. I was quite impressed how good the TV episodes I had on my video iPod looked on my projector at home. The HomeDock also works with smaller powered speakers and can synch up with your PC or Mac via its USB cable. Visit: www.dlo.com
My favorite iTunes accessory has to be the new Squeezebox by Slim Devices. This attractive brushed metal-and black plastic convergence device can access your complete iTunes library off your computer and play your music anywhere in the house using your wired or wireless broadband connection and a pair of powered speakers or your home stereo. Prices start at $249. In addition to accessing your iTunes library, you can also access RSS news feeds, Internet radio and ambient sounds, all without a computer. The bright aqua display is almost worth the price alone. Visit: www.slimdevices.com
The Kensington SX 2000 Speakers deserve special mention as the most sleek-looking and one of the best sounding speaker systems for iPod and other audio sources like your computer or a TV. The bi-directional (sound comes out of both sides) flat speakers produce enough sound for even a large room, and the styling is appropriately smooth and white (how about an all-black model?), with integrated volume controls. ($159). It comes with adapters for all iPods except the Shuffle. Visit: www.kensington.com
It’s hard to get excited about a portable DVD player, since they seem to have become a fairly cheap commodity item, but Mustek (Most Unique Sensible Technology), the maker of scanners for many years, has added quite a few cool features to their MP100 player. Most notable is the 180-degree swivel screen that makes it adaptable for use in the car with the included canvas harness that can slip over your headrest. It has shock-protection and a rechargeable battery. It also features a USB slot for your flash drive, and MMC/SD card reader. $299. Visit: www.mustek.com
Now if you are lucky enough to have a Bluetooth-enabled phone or even an MP3 player, the Plantronics Pulsar 590 Headset ($149) is for you. With a cool, modern design that folds for traveling, you can purchase the headphones with an adapter ($199) for your iPod or computer to listen to songs or movies while on the road, and then switch to your phone if you get a call. The Pulsar also comes with a cord to use in airplanes and can be charged via the included USB cable. Visit: www.plantronics.com
Finally, if you’re in the market for some playful TVs for a child’s room or your den, check out Hannspree’s new line of Major League Baseball designs. They’re high-quality units with 15-inch LCD screens and gold-plated inputs and outputs. They even have diamond-shaped controls and can be hooked up to a DVD player or another video source. Price: $399.99 at www.hannspree.com. Many other designs are available, including NBA teams and fun animal shapes. There are even TVs with real wood!
TechnoDad Mike Ferrara appears on morning TV news shows across the country with useful products that make life a little easier. You can contact him via his website: www.technodad.tv.
- I still don’t own a big-screen TV, even though they seem to literally grow on trees at CES trade show booths.
- I don’t own a 6,000 square-foot home with seven or eight bedrooms that are in desperate need of full High Definition video and audio piped over a sophisticated broadband network.
- My kids don’t have the latest Xbox or Playstation and get by with a 10-year-old SuperNintendo console, albeit shown on the living room wall with our projector.
OK, enough of this complaining. I did see and touch a number of truly useful devices, some of which are surprisingly affordable and most important, simple to use.
Want to dramatically lower your long distance bill? The Chatter Bug is a $20 phone accessory that you plug into your phone outlet and then attach to your regular touch-tone phone. You then register for new long distance service and then cancel your existing service, but keep you local service. You then just pay $9.95 a month for unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada and you can cancel at any time. Seems like a pretty good deal, especially if you’ve got far-away friends and family. Visit: www.chatterbug.com
Walk into any discount or computer store and you’ll be assaulted with a bevy of cases for iPods. They all offer some measure of protection for these fashionable, yet somewhat fragile players. The OtterBox for iPod allows you to take your music, photos and movies in the pool and just about anywhere else. It’s waterproof, drop resistant and keeps out dust and dirt. Even with this protection, you can still access the Click Wheel and see the display clearly. Quite a deal for $49.95 for the video iPod case. Other sizes are also available. Visit: www.otterbox.com
Speaking of iPod accessories, DLO (Digital Lifestyle Outfitters) has introduced a HomeDock that lets you play your music, pictures and video through your home stereo and television; sort of a reverse TiVo for $100! The cool thing is DLO gives you all the cables to hook up your iPod to these devices. It even has an S-video output for higher quality pictures and video. I was quite impressed how good the TV episodes I had on my video iPod looked on my projector at home. The HomeDock also works with smaller powered speakers and can synch up with your PC or Mac via its USB cable. Visit: www.dlo.com
My favorite iTunes accessory has to be the new Squeezebox by Slim Devices. This attractive brushed metal-and black plastic convergence device can access your complete iTunes library off your computer and play your music anywhere in the house using your wired or wireless broadband connection and a pair of powered speakers or your home stereo. Prices start at $249. In addition to accessing your iTunes library, you can also access RSS news feeds, Internet radio and ambient sounds, all without a computer. The bright aqua display is almost worth the price alone. Visit: www.slimdevices.com
The Kensington SX 2000 Speakers deserve special mention as the most sleek-looking and one of the best sounding speaker systems for iPod and other audio sources like your computer or a TV. The bi-directional (sound comes out of both sides) flat speakers produce enough sound for even a large room, and the styling is appropriately smooth and white (how about an all-black model?), with integrated volume controls. ($159). It comes with adapters for all iPods except the Shuffle. Visit: www.kensington.com
It’s hard to get excited about a portable DVD player, since they seem to have become a fairly cheap commodity item, but Mustek (Most Unique Sensible Technology), the maker of scanners for many years, has added quite a few cool features to their MP100 player. Most notable is the 180-degree swivel screen that makes it adaptable for use in the car with the included canvas harness that can slip over your headrest. It has shock-protection and a rechargeable battery. It also features a USB slot for your flash drive, and MMC/SD card reader. $299. Visit: www.mustek.com
Now if you are lucky enough to have a Bluetooth-enabled phone or even an MP3 player, the Plantronics Pulsar 590 Headset ($149) is for you. With a cool, modern design that folds for traveling, you can purchase the headphones with an adapter ($199) for your iPod or computer to listen to songs or movies while on the road, and then switch to your phone if you get a call. The Pulsar also comes with a cord to use in airplanes and can be charged via the included USB cable. Visit: www.plantronics.com
Finally, if you’re in the market for some playful TVs for a child’s room or your den, check out Hannspree’s new line of Major League Baseball designs. They’re high-quality units with 15-inch LCD screens and gold-plated inputs and outputs. They even have diamond-shaped controls and can be hooked up to a DVD player or another video source. Price: $399.99 at www.hannspree.com. Many other designs are available, including NBA teams and fun animal shapes. There are even TVs with real wood!
TechnoDad Mike Ferrara appears on morning TV news shows across the country with useful products that make life a little easier. You can contact him via his website: www.technodad.tv.
posted by TechnoDad at 3:09 PM
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