Tech news, gadget reviews and how-tos on just about anything and everything.

Monday, April 28, 2008

ClickBooth CPA Network

There are various ways of monetizing traffic from your sites. You can join various affiliate networks or advertising networks. Advertising networks pay for traffic either on per page views, per clicks or per action. Clickbooth Publisher Network is an advertising/affiliate network that pays on a Cost Per Action (CPA).

On a CPA model, advertisers pay publishers per set of action which a publisher’s user must complete. This can range from just visiting the ads, signing up for newsletters, leaving email address, and even purchasing a product.

Though CPA models seem more hard work for publishers, your possible earnings differ because advertisers on Clickbooth vary. If you choose campaigns that are more suited for your traffic, your earnings would definitely increase compared with other Publisher Network. Clickbooth also has a high-paying referral program. You can earn 2% of the gross earnings of your referrals plus $10 for every affiliate referred. So even if your site is not generating that much traffic, if you can get more people to sign up under your affiliate code, you can further increase your earnings.

Your earnings from Clickbooth are paid out every 15 days after the end of the month via check, that is, if your account reaches the $50 threshold. If you’re already earning $5,000 a week, you can opt to receive your payment every Monday after the end of the week by requesting Net 7.

New HP Business Desktop PCs


HP has unveiled their new business desktop PCs: the HP dc5850 and HP dx2450.

The HP dx2450 is a microtower PC packed with AMD processor. Users can choose from AMD Sempron, Athlon, or Phenom processors. The HP dx2450 has a maximum 4GB of memory, and includes an Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Graphics or choose between the optional NVIDIA GF 8400 GS (256 MB SH) Single Head (PCIe x16 or ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT (256 MB DH) PCIe x16 graphics card. Standard ports for the HP dx2450 includes: Standard: 6 USB 2.0, 1 microphone in, 1 headphone/line-out, 2 PS/2, 1 external VGA monitor, 1 audio in, 1 audio out, 1 RJ-45, and 1 microphone in.

The HP dc5850 also features AMD's business class processors and an integrated ATI Radeon 3100 graphics with support for DirectX 10 technology. Specs for the HP dc5850 is not yet available at HP's website but it is expected to be available on May 5 at $599.

The HP dx2450 is already available for order at HP's US website for $369.0

Saturday, April 26, 2008

3G iPhone to be unveiled in June??

Well, looks like there's no stopping Apple from releasing a 3G iPhone. According to this Yahoo News Report, Analyst say that the 3G iPhone will be coming as early as June 9.

Looks like things are looking good for the iPHone. First, third party compatibility, and now 3G. Now if only they could do something about the crappy camera, then there's nothing that would stop me from getting in line for this one.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Win A Rolex



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Sell Your Used Cars Online

The internet has made it easy to find used cars. There's eBay and craigslist and a ton of other websites wherein you can find cars, however, none of them can make finding used cars as easy as justgoodcars.com.

The site is really very simple and has a nice design. It's not "cluttered" like other websites that sell used cars. The quick search function is the most prominent because from my point of view, it's the highlight as it's the one that makes finding cars so easy. When you select the make of your car, the bottom drop down menu already has a set of models selected. This is a great tool for those looking for something very specific but those just "shopping around" may find the site hard to use.

You can also sell used cars for free, no hidden charges. A cool site which you should check out.

Jeep Renegade shows up at the Auto China 2008


The Jeep Renegade which was first shown at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show and which I failed to report about, was seen at the Auto China 2008. This cool looking car is an electric car powered by two lithium ion batteries which is located at each axle to create a 4x4 feel. According to Chrysler, the Jeep Renegade can go from 0-60 mph at 8.5 seconds. Not exactly fast but nevertheless, this is one cool car.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

New Nintendo DS Games lets you become a Pokemon



Every Pokemon game released only lets you be the trainer but the upcoming Pokemon titles: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness, will now allow you to play as your favorite Pokémon.

The storyline of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game involves the player being transported to a land inhabited only by Pokemon. Players will take a personality test in order to determine which Pokemon best represents a player's personality and then the player will get to explore the land as an actual Pokemon. The players will have to discover why they were turned into a Pokemon and stop a Pokemon from plunging the world into darkness.

These two new titles will be available this week.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Sony Announces Further Delay of PS3 Home

PS3 owners would have to be disappointed yet again as Sony further delays the release of their own virtual universe called "Home". According to Sony, the delay was due to the fact that the game would need "further development". Hmm, I wonder what are the odds that if Microsoft announces it would be releasing a similar service, the PS3 Home would miraculously be "finished" *cough*Blu-ray*cough*?

Anyways, just to give everyone a background, the PS3 Home is a virtual universe similar to that of second life. PS3 owners would be able to create their own virtual characters, make friends, build their own virtual homes, and play online games.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50


Panasonic has recently introduced their Lumix DMC-TZ50 digital camera. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50 has Wi-Fi capabilities so users can upload their pictures to Picasa Web Albums.

Features

The Panasonic DMC-TZ50 has a 9.1 megapixel, 28mm wide-angle lens, 10x optical zoom and HD video recording capability. The HD video recording capability of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50 is at 720P, however, it doesn’t have an HDMI capable, you can only connect it to your HDTV via component cable or by inserting your SD card unto your Panasonic HDTV. Furthermore, the Panasonic DMC-TZ50 has a large 3 inch screen where you can preview your pictures.

Standard camera features on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50 includes: Intelligent exposure, auto red-eye reduction, Mega O.I.S, Intelligent ISO, scene selector, face detection, and continuous auto focus.

The advantage of having a Wi-Fi capable digital camera is that whenever you’re on vacation and you run out of space on your memory card, you don’t have to delete any photos. You can conveniently upload your pictures to Picasa Web Albums using T-Mobile’s HotSpot service. You can even browse and delete any pictures on your Picasa Web Albums right on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50.

Pricing and Availability

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50 will be available in May for a suggested retail price of $449.95.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Sports Forums

Forums are always a great way of finding real information and connecting with people who has the same interests as you. Addictsports.com is a sports forum where you can connect with a variety of sports fans. Whether you're into football, soccer, baseball, or basketball, you're sure to find someone who likes the same sports team.

You can speculate on nfl picks, debate about sports teams, and they even have their own sports fantasy thread. This is one site that a sports fan should truly visit.

New Alexa Rankings

If you see some changes in your site's rankings on the Alexa Toolbar or the SearchStatus Plugin on Firefox, it's because Alexa has changed the algorithm for calculating a site's popularity. According to Alexa's announcement page, "Alexa's rankings are now based on more sources of data to give a better indicator of website popularity".

The previous Alexa Ranks was solely based on the Alexa Toolbar. Visitors to a certain website need to have the Alexa toolbar installed in order for that traffic to count on your Alexa Rank. This system earned criticisms because there was room for Alexa ranks to be "cheated" and Alexa ranks doesn't show the true popularity of a website because visitors without the Alexa Toolbar will not be counted.

There's no news as to where Alexa will be "sourcing" the information for their new ranks. But give professional SEOs a few days before "theories" are put out in the news.

How to Find Cheap Prepaid Phone Cards

America is home to millions of immigrants. Though some already live here with their families, others left their loved ones behind on their home country. Naturally, prepaid phone cards are one of the many items that you’ll usually find inside an immigrant’s wallet.

Though telecom companies such as AT&T and Sprint have lowered their international calling rates, prepaid phone cards is still the cheapest way to call overseas. There are a lot of prepaid calling cards that you can find on the internet or in some brick and mortar stores. If you want to compare prepaid phone cards and find the one with the best value, try visiting TheRichcom.com. TheRich.com is an online phone card center that helps you find the cheapest phone card or one that gives you the best value for your money.

Their Phone card finder is very easy to use; just select the country to call, choose whether you want a card that has a connection fee or not, and then select the phone card value. The search results will then list the phone card brands, their rates per minute, the rating given to that brand, and total minutes and value.

In order to save more bucks for your future purchase, you might want to consider joining the site’s cash back reward program so you can get 3% savings on your present and future purchase.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Cheap iPhone---in the UK

O2 and Carphone has just cut the price of the Apple iPhone by 100 pounds. This is for the 8GB version of the Apple iPhone. T-Mobile has made a price cut of their own over at Germany. Reports say that this is in anticipation for the 3G version of the iPhone. The 169 GBP 8GB Apple iPhone will remain at that price point until June 1.

Hmm, hope AT&T follows suit.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

JetBook Reader


Move over Kindle—well, at least until you're in stock again. Ectaco has previously announced the JetBook, which they say is a revolutionary e-book reader. Well, let's just leave that to the readers. Features of the JetBook Reader include a 5 inch display, built in MP3 player, photo viewer, plus a built-in dictionary and translator. Well, what can you expect? This device is from a company who has made a living selling dictionary and translator software so naturally, they have to include this.

The JetBook reader weighs only 7 ounces and very slim. So if you're still waiting for your kindle, you might want to take a loot at this baby.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Markup Languages and Web Designing

A markup language is a set of symbols or words for describing or identifying pieces of a document. XML and HTML are two kinds of markup language. XML stands for Extensible Markup Language and is used to transport and store data while HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language and was designed to display data.

Most people think that XML is a replacement for HTML but both actually complement each other and were designed for different goals. XML describes the data on the document while HTML can display what the data is all about.

A large number of software vendors have already adopted XML, even Microsoft Office Products. Understanding XML is important in order to build effective web pages. Actually, XML and HTML are just two of the markup languages that a web designer needs to have knowledge about.

XHTML or Extensible Hypertext Markup Language combines HTML and XML. When building XHTML documents, needs to be well-formed or all tags should have a matching end tag. If you’ve been using Blogger, and you’re still new with all these XHTML stuff, you’ll go crazy with warnings such as, “document is not well formed” and then trying to find what tag you forgot to close.

I’m still learning the beauty of XHTML and as always, the Internet with the help of Google has provided me with a lot of markup infos I need to go on my journey as a budding web designer.

Motorola Mobile TV DH01


Following their earlier showcase of the Mobile TV DH01 at the Mobile World Congress, Motorola unveiled another personal media player, the Mobile TV DH02.

The Motorola Mobile TV DH02 is a mobile TV, PMP, and personal navigation device in one. This device features a touch screen interface plus HSDPA/GPRS. I don't know about Motorola, but if they just include these cool features on their mobile phones then maybe they wouldn't have to bail on their mobile phone unit.

Anyways, other features of the Motorola Mobile TV HD02 includes:

  • Live DVB-H TV with timeshift, live pause, frame grabbing capabilities
  • Built in GPS with voice activated directions
  • Supports handsfree calls
  • 25fps video playback
  • Expandable with microSD cards
  • E-call (Emergency Calls) and SMS support
  • Bluetooth support

Top 5 Ways to Get Indexed by Search Engines

One of the most important things that a blogger should do when starting a blog (and this also applies to other websites), is to get indexed by search engines. When you are not indexed by search engines, you will only get a few visitors and this is not a good thing specially if you want to your site to go mainstream. Here are just the top 5 ways to get indexed by Search Engines.

  1. Submit your site/blog. The most common way but has the longest waiting time is manually submit your site to Google or Yahoo. To submit to Google, go this page: http://www.google.com/addurl/ and to get indexed by yahoo, submit your site here: http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html
  2. Use trusted hosting companies or blog services. Googlebots regularly crawl a good hosts' index. In my experience, one of my blogs hosted in Wordpress.com was indexed in just 1 day.
  3. Submit your site/blog to free web directories. Look for free web directories with high PR and make sure that these directories doesn't use nofollow. Google regularly crawls sites with high PR and when they link to you, you can get indexed faster. Submitting to free web directories also increase your backlinks which can help you rank higher in search engine results.
  4. Pay for inclusion. Some directories like Yahoo's directory ask for a fee before you are included. While you have to be prepared to spend a LOT of dough on this, the advantage is that Yahoo's directory has a very high Pagerank and if you get listed, expect a moderate increase in your PR as well.
  5. Get backlinks. If you can't find high PR sites/directories to link to you, then be content with just having links from websites even without PR. This would increase your backlinks which would get you indexed faster as well.
These are just some of the most commonly used ways to get indexed. Some would provide faster results than others. Anyways, good luck!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

iPhone Shows up at CSI Las Vegas

In the previous episode of CSI Las Vegas entitled “Grissom’s Divine Comedy”, the Apple iPhone has a brief TV time wherein Catherine shows off the picture sending capabilities of the iPhone. Check out the pic wherein she takes a picture of the crime scene and sends it to Grissom’s email account since he’s at home, sick.



Though the producers try to be subtle about this product endorsement (they didn’t show the Apple Logo at the back of the phone since the iPhone is conveniently tucked in a protective glove-like case. But of course, there’s no mistaking that 3 inch screen and the photo options.

This particular show of the possible uses of the iPhone may wow some not so tech savvy person but of course, not me. If Catherine has a 3G enabled phone say, Nokia N95, an HTC smartphone, etc, she would have video-called Grissom and take him on a tour of the crime scene REAL time. Also, I doubt that the picture taken my Catherine is THAT great in real life since the iPhone doesn’t have autofocus and Grissom will probably miss all the little details that Grissom always “miraculously” sees whenever he’s at a crime scene.

I also thought that Apple has taken over the sponsorship of CSI Las Vegas because when the camera pans to Grissom, he opens up his laptop to check Catherine’s photos on his email. Because of my blurry eyes, I initially thought that Grissom was sporting a Mac, but no, it’s actually a Dell Inspiron E1705. Check out the screenshot of the Dell E1705 in another scene below.


I wonder what other features of the iPhone that the producers would think of using next in order to help solve a crime? Would we see Catherine browsing the Internet on the Safari Browser on the iPhone or using iPhone’s cool interface in zooming in and out of mug shots? Probably depends on how much Apple will be willing to fork over. Maybe there will be a cameo of the Macbook Air in a manila envelope!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Gadget Gift Ideas for Mother's Days

Well, mother’s day is here again. For those of you so buried in their work, make a note on your calendar on May 11th or your mom would blow a fuse if you forgot. For those who have “techie” mothers, here are some mother’s day gadget gift idea:

  1. Digital Picture Frame - Digital picture frames are perfect. If your mom is the kind of person who likes taking pictures of all her kids and grandkids, give her a digital picture frame. She’d save money trying to develop the pictures and it would look great in her living room.
  2. Digital camera - There are a lot of cheap digital cameras in the market if your budget is limited for a mother’s day gift. Bottom line is, if your mom is a “soccer mom” she would definitely need a digital camera to capture life’s every precious moment.
  3. Mobile Phones - Moms always like to be connected with their children and what better way to do that than giving her a cell phone? If your mom is not so “techie” it’s a good idea to just give her a basic cell phone, no cameras, gps, etc., just one for making calls. If she’s more knowledgeable about gadgets then give her one with a digital camera, preferably with 2 mega pixels and up so you can get her two gadgets in one: digital camera and cell phone
  4. LCD Tvs - Now this one is for those who REALLY want to splurge on their moms. Stay at home moms would specially like this one as they can now see Oprah or their favorite soap opera 40 inches bigger.
  5. Home Theater System - This would be great for moms who already own LCD Tvs. It would give her that movie theater feeling and she can invite other “soccer moms” over to watch weepy “chick movies”.

These are just some gadget gift idea this mother’s day. But hey, if you don’t have that kind of dough, you can always order flowers at 1800flowers.com. Plus, if you join their "Celebrate Mom for Who She is" Contest, you can win over $30,000 in prizes! If you do, heck, you can buy all 5 gifts on the list!




How to Choose a Web Hosting Company for your blog

If you take pride in your blog and you’ve been monetizing it to the fullest of its potential, it’s important that you host your blog on your own domain using a web hosting service. Having your own domain and web host for your blogs increases your “professionalism” and would encourage more advertisers. Here are a few tips on how to choose your web host.

  1. The first thing you need to do is determine your needs. If you’re just starting a blog, estimate how many pages you’re going to built and how many visitors are you expecting. The amount of pages you built and your visitors is need to determine the amount of web space and bandwidth you need.
  2. Once you have determined your needs, you need to shop around for a web hosting company. If you type “web hosting” in Google, you would be bombarded with a variety of choices. In order to determine if any of these web hosts are good, search for “web host review”. There will always be some common company that users recommend. Narrow down your choices to 5.
  3. After narrowing down your choices, try to compare their web hosting plans and choose one that would suit your needs.

Wakeboard with Handlebars

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If you’ve been wakeboarding all your life and you’re looking for a new twist, how about a wakeboard with Handlebars? The BikeBoard can offer wakeboarders with increased maneuverability in water, plus the handlebars allow you to create jumps and spins not possible with your ordinary wakeboard. The Bikeboard is also a good way to learn water skiing, this is because what is pulled is the Bikeboard frame, compared with ordinary skis wherein the pulling force is exerted unto the skier.

The Bikeboard can be found at Swissbikeboard.com and is only available in Europe. But wakeboards with handlebars are for sissies. What you really need are cool Liquid Force wakeboards found at ModernSkate.com.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

How to choose your PC monitor

PC Monitors are the last PC parts chosen by those building their own custom PC. It’s because PC Monitors are easy to come by and most of the times, first time PC builders think that any kind of PC Monitors would do. Here are some things you should take into consideration when buying your PC Monitors:

CRT or LCD. Almost all new computers being offered by PC manufacturers have LCD displays. In choosing whether you want a CRT or LCD monitor, think about your desk space and the amount of time you’ll be spending on your PC. If your budget permits it, always choose LCD over CRT.

Size. PC Manufacturers are churning out bigger monitors for their PCs. Apple, Gateway, and HP already have PCs with 20-22 inch monitors. If you’re just going to do basic word processing and surfing on your PC, 15-17 inches would do just fine but if you’re going to use your PC to watch movies, 19-22 inches is recommended.

For LCDs, Widescreen or Standard. Widescreen LCDs are naturally wider than standard LCDs, Widescreen LCDs are best for viewing movies, but again, if you’re doing basic things on your PC, just go for standard LCDs or plain CRTs.

Refresh Rate / Response Time. Refresh rates are for CRTs while Response time applies to LCDs. High response times in LCDs will result in motion blur when playing games or watching movies. In CRT monitors, it is best to choose higher refresh rates to reduce monitor flicker.

Put some time into thinking about what kind of monitor you will use for your custom built PC. After all, your PC will just be a noisy machine without a monitor. If you’re in the UK and you’re looking for PC monitors, try visiting JBOSolutions.co.uk for cheap PC parts or you could try Googling.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Gadget Deals

If you’re looking for new gadgets at a discounted price, here are just some of the gadget deals I’ve come across while surfing the Internet. I’ve got these coupon codes for these gadgets at BestOnlineDeals.com so you will be taken to their page in order to view/redeem the coupon codes.

Acer Al2016WBBD 20” LCD Monitor

First time customers at Buy.com can get this Acer AL2016WBBD 20 inch monitor for only $199.99 using the $10 off Buy.com coupon code. Original price of this monitor is $209.99, shipping is free. The $10 Buy.com coupon code is valid for use until June 30, 2008 and is only applicable at their Computers, Software & Electronics store.






Canon PowerShot S5 IS




Over at Overstock.com, you can get the Canon PowerShot S5 IS for only $379.99, using their $20 off $350 purchase Overstock coupon code. Original price is $399.99. The Canon PowerShot S5 IS features an 8.0 mega pixel resolution, 12x optical zoom, 2.5 inch LCD display, and an included 32MB SD card. Coupon expires on April 30, 2008.






Sony VAIO VGN-TZ170N/N




Get the Sony VAIO VGN-TZ170N/N Notebook at just $1,899.99 from the original price of $2,199.99 using a $300 off Sony Style Coupon Code which will expire on April 30, 2008. The Sony VAIO VGN-TZ170N/N features an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.06GHz processor, 11.1 inch LCD display, WAN connection, Bluetooth, fingerprint sensor, 1.3 megapixel camera, and a 2GB RAM.




If gadgets are not your thing, you can also find special deals and online shopping bargains for cosmetics and beauty products from Sephora, The Body Shop, Perfume.com, Lancome, Avon and Yves Rocher at BestOnlineDeals.com

Sanyo PLC-XW60


Sanyo has recently unveiled the smallest and lightest XGA LCD projector: The Sanyo PLC-XW60. This projector only weighs 3.6 lbs and is perfect for traveling businessmen. Some features of the Sanyo PLC-XW60 includes its ability to project large images at small distances, making it perfect for small rooms. This projector makes it possible to project images on any solid wall thanks to Sanyo's Color or Blackboard mode. The Sanyo PLC-XW60 will be available this April for $795.

Other Features:

  • Brightness: 2000 lumens
  • Resolution: 1024 x 768
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Audio: Built-in mono speaker with 1 watt of power
  • PC I/O: D-sub 15-pin Input x 2 (1 switchable in/monitor out)
  • Video Input: Component Input (D-sub 15-pin), Composite (RCA)
  • Audio: Stereo mini-jack input and output, Analog stereo input (RCAx2)
  • Service Port: Mini DIN 8-pin

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

The Lego Grandfather Clock


When someone mentions grandfather clocks, we usually think of antique clocks such as those made by Howard Miller or Kieninger. Though grandfather clocks have always had a traditional design, more and more manufacturers are shifting to a more modern design for their grandfather clocks. The guys over at grandfatherclocksblog even has a list of non-traditional grandfather clock design such as clock towers and street-light designed grandfather clock. I've even seen a Howard Miller Oasis Fountain Water Grandfather Clock. Who would have thought that Howard Miller would go beyond their traditional design.

But then, there's modern, and then there's the REALLY extraordinary. Like this Lego grandfather clock that Eric Harshbarger made. Wow! All I can say is, this guy really has a LOT of time in his hands. I know that there are a lot of Lego fanatics out there trying to build different things but this is the first time that I've seen a Lego Grandfather Clock. Like what Eric mentioned in his website, this clock is ALL Lego, even the gears, axles, and pendulum. Eric's Lego grandfather clock will run 13 hours before it has to be reset. A pretty good achievement considering other guys who made Lego clocks can only make theirs run for a couple of hours. All I can say is—WOW!

HP Mini-Note: HP's own low-cost laptop


Looks like OLPC can add another competitor on their list of low-cost laptop manufacturers. First there was the XO PC, then Intel's Classmate notebook, then the Asus EEE PC, and then several manufacturers followed. HP is now joining the low-cost laptop bandwagon with their "Mini-Note" notebook.

HP's Mini-Note weighs less than 3 pounds, has an 8.9 inch screen, and costs only $500 for the Linux powered Mini Note. The processor on the HP Mini Note comes from VIA technologies and runs at 1.6Mhz.

The HP Mini Note will go on sale later this month.

How To Print Your Own Thank You Cards

Ten years ago, printing your own greeting cards, pictures, or calling cards seems so costly. But inkjet printers have made all these possible. You can now print your own calling cards or print informal invitations or greeting cards at the comfort of your own home. Thank you Cards are easiest to print. You don't need any fancy images to signify an occasion such as Christmas trees, balloons, etc. You can print your own thank you cards without even buying any software.

If you're using Windows XP, all you need is WordPad. Just Type in your message, use some fancy fonts, change the color, print it on special paper, and walah! You have your own personalized thank you cards.

However, the problem with just printing your own thank you cards is that sometimes, it would seem so informal, hurried, and even cheap. You can't say the same for the thank you card shown below. This one is printed on an ecru matte finish card and the letters are embossed in gold foil. You can never duplicate this kind of card on your home and even if you're artistic and a crafts expert, I bet you that if you make 100 of this kind of greeting card, your cost wouldn't be $1.66 per card.


I guess there's a right occasion for printing your own thank you cards and ordering one. Ordering personalized Thank You Cards would be a good idea if you're sending it to more than 100 people and and for events such as weddings, funerals, or any large gatherings. Printing your own thank you cards on the other hand is a good idea for small occasions such as a child's birthday party.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Wedding Dash Game Review

Wedding Dash screenshot from Play First
Wedding Dash is another casual, service-type game. If you’ve already mastered the Diner Dash series, then you’ll be familiar with Wedding Dash. In fact, the storyline of both games are kinda intertwined.

Wedding Dash doesn’t offer anything new except maybe a bit of trivia here and a dash of surprise nuisance there in order to keep things spicy. However, even though there are new things added and a fewer help items, Wedding Dash is still an easy game.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve mastered all service-type games that made this game boring but even the graphics and music is boring. In fact, the whole game is boring that I probably won’t bother finishing it. Well, that’s just money down the drain but then again, it’s a learning experience: Just because the first three Diner Dash games are fun, it doesn’t mean that a spin-off would be the same. Trust me, don’t waste your money on this one. All in all, I’ll give this one 2 out of three stars.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Sony HDR-TG1

Sony HDR-TG1
While Sanyo is busy making cheap pocket-sized digital camcorders like the Sanyo Xacti CG9, Sony has announced their own pocket-sized wonder, the Sony HDR-TG1. Sony claims that the Sony HDR-TG1 is the world's smallest Full HD Camcorder.

Design

The Sony HDR-TG1 features a small and compact titanium body and weighs only ten ounces. Measurements of this camcorder is 1.3 inches wide, 4.7 inches tall, and 2.5 inches deep. The Sony HDR-TG1 also has a hard coating which makes it resistent to scratches.

Features

The Sony HDR-TG1 is a Full HD camcorder which means it can record videos at 1920 x 1080 resolution. This camcorder is also capable of taking still pictures at 4 mega pixel resolution. Recording at full HD ensures that you will be able to capture the highest quality video with vivid colors, less noise and more details.

The Sony HDR-TG1 has a face detection technology which can detect up to eight faces and then automatically adjusts color, exposure, focus, etc. The Sony HDR-TG1 has a Car Zeiss Vario-Tessar 10x optical zoom lensand a BIONZ processing engine. Another cool feature of the Sony HDR-TG1 is that it is capable of recording audio in Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound!

Pricing and Availability

The Sony HDR-TG1 will be available in May and has an expected price of $900.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Automotive Websites

I rarely get to write about automotive news so if you’re still looking for other automotive resources, here are two which I recommend:

If sports cars are all you breathe and live by, you might want to try hanging out at DPCcars.com. This site is a sports car fanatic’s dream. They have videos of the juiciest looking sports car as well as the latest automotive news. Although most of their videos can be found in YouTube, it’s still nice to see all these videos under one site instead of searching and sorting through them on YouTube.

And if you like pimping your cars, try visiting discountpartcenter.com. This website has every part you need to fix your car or just to boost its performance. From wheels and tires to suspensions and breaks, you name it and they have it on a discount.

Speedo’s LZR Racer Swimwear makes swimmers swim faster


A swimwear is hardly what you call a gadget but there is a certain geekiness that comes with making swimsuits especially over at Speedo. Their latest swimsuit which they call LZR is already making waves and breaking records. Though this post is hardly called news since this has been reported by Associated Press and Reuters since last March, I just have to write this and commend Speedo for the engineering that underwent their swimwear.

According to reports, 11 World records have already been broken by swimmers wearing Speedo’s LZR since February 16th. Though Speedo’s LZR has already been approved by FINA they would have another meeting with the manufacturers at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Manchester to discuss the suit’s buoyancy and availability issues.

A director of FINA stated that the suit should be made available to everyone. Some coaches and officials are worried that with the Olympics just around the corner, the swimming world could be split to those who have access to Speedo’s LZR and those who do not.

Speedo’s LZR swimwear has stabilizing supports which help maintain body position, panels to give swimmers a streamlined shape and reduce drag, and a strong but light fabric which reduces muscle oscillation and skin vibration. The LZR costs $550.

Via: MSNBC

Panasonic Toughbook 19F gets Core 2 Duo upgrade

Panasonic has recently announced that their Panasonic ToughBook 19F will now incorporate core 2 duo processors and expandable memory.

The Panasonic Toughbook 19F is widely deployed for military uses because of its rugged features like magnesium alloy casing, sealed keyboards and ports, flexible internal connectors, and hard drive heaters. The 5.1 lb Panasonic Toughbook 19F also has an integrated camera.

Price of the Panasonic Toughbook 19F is around $3,199.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Discounted Original Inkjet Cartridges

Easyinkz.co.uk is a website that offers cheap inkjet cartridges as well as other printer ink from different manufacturers. Whether you're looking for original printer ink, compatible cartridges or remanufactured ones, easyinkz.co.uk offers all of these at discounted prices.

Though some compatible or remanufactured inkjet cartridges sold on eBay may be cheaper, you are not always assured of their quality. Easyinkz stands by the quality of their remanufactured inkjet cartridges and offers money-back guarantee for unopened cartridges you have purchased. And unlike other retailers which sends you compatible cartridges instead of originals, at easyinkz, their cartridges are clearly marked whether it's original, compatible or remanufactured.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Investment Management

A brief word from our sponsors:

George Divel is the President of Investments/Financial Advisor at Global Wealth Advisors and is also its owner. He was also Vice President and Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley. George specializes in Investment Management. As a broker, George utilizes the best research tools and his personal knowledge to navigate wealth planning.

Dell Inspiron 1525 with optional Blu-ray disc gets cheaper


Dell has announced that their customers can now buy the Dell Inspiron 1525 with Blu-ray player starting at just $879. This is the first time I’ve seen a Blu-ray laptop go for sale at under $1000.

The Dell Inspiron 1525 is another laptop that may double as your portable media center with specs like a 15.4 inch screen with 720p resolution, HDMI port and Blu-ray optical disc drive. The Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop has the Boadcom Media PC technology that allows PCs to play high definition videos.

The Dell Inspiron 1525 is already available in North America and Europe.