There are only a few stands available in the market for the ever famous iPad. Apple’s version is designed to charge the iPad once docked, but it is somewhat difficult to undock. The BookArc stand, designed by Twelve South, is nicely crafted and easy to use. Combine it with a Bluetooth wireless keyboard from Apple, and you have a great typing platform. The stand sells for about $40 directly from Twelve South or at most Apple retail stores.
View digital media on your TV using a Boxee Box
The Boxee application has been available since 2008. It can be used to conveniently access widely available audio, video, and other digital media on the Internet. One of the great features of Boxee is that it can be operated with a simple remote control. The software can run on MacOS, Windows, Ubuntu Linux, and on an AppleTV. Most recently, a dedicated Boxee appliance has been announced and will be manufactured by D-Link. For about $230 users can play almost any media available on the Internet as well as on the local network in a Boxee Box. The Boxee RF remote is also very innovative because it includes a QWERTY keyboard in the back side. This makes navigating and entering text very easy. The Boxee appliance contains an HDMI, optical audio, RCA, Ethernet, USB, WIFI, and an SD card slot. It will be available for shipping in November of 2010.
Stream from iTunes to your home audio system
BridgeCo is working to make AirPlay enabled devices by this holiday season. AirPlay allows users to stream music throughout compatible audio equipment in a wired or wireless network. Equipment like audio receivers, speakers, and others will have this built-in functionality. Users will be able to select from iTunes and AirPlay compatible devices where they wish to stream the music to. Audio equipment manufacturers like JBL, Denon, Marantz, B&W, and iHome have already signed up. For example, you will be able to stream the same song to an iHome device in the bedroom, a Denon receiver in the family room, and a JBL speaker system in the terrace. Denon might be one of the first to make the technology available on their AVR-4311CI home theater receiver. Furthermore, audio control is possible using the iPhone and iPod touch Remote application available on the Apple app store.
Build your own car
Have you ever wanted to build your own car? It can be a very expensive enterprise. A new venture called Local Motors is doing just that. They are an American car company that is using a method similar to open source to design and build cars locally. Customers form part of a design and build team. The design process is open to customers globally. Participants vote for the most desired features and car characteristics. The best designs are built in local micro-factories and only a limited amount of cars are produced. Customers can actually participate in the build process. They currently have about five models and many more to come.
Redesigned AppleTV announced
Apple recently announced a new redesigned AppleTV. It is the first major redesign of the multimedia network appliance since its introduction in 2006. Different from its predecessor, it does not have sizable internal storage and it is much smaller in size. It also appears to use Apple’s iOS, which also powers the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Also new, Netflix subscribers will be able to stream videos from their instant queue. They will also be able to rent and buy movies as before. A Windows or MacOS computer running iTunes is required to stream content. This includes movies, music, podcasts, and photos. The new AppleTV has a USB, HDMI, Ethernet, and optical ports. It also supports resolutions up to 720p.
Forget sharpeners, use a liquid pencil
Since their introduction in 1964, Sharpie’s have been a useful marking tool. They come in several varieties and are used to permanently mark many types of surfaces. Sanford, the makers of Shapies, recently introduced an innovative “liquid pencil“. It is like using an ink pen, except with all the benefits of writing with a pencil. It uses a new liquid graphite technology that is very durable and equivalent to a #2 lead. Forget broken leads and no more sharpening. It is also refillable. A valuable tool for those unending math tests.
Detach from ISP’s e-mail addresses
A short time ago a colleague thought of switching Internet service providers (ISP). He had had the same provider for many years and therefore was using the provider assigned e-mail address. The problem, he would loose his long time e-mail address when changing providers. Addressess like @att.net, @bellsouth.net, @comcast.net, and many others are basically rented from the provider and only available to use if using the ISP. The solution is to use an independent e-mail address like the ones provided by Google’s GMail, Microsoft’s Live, Yahoo, and others. These addresses are usually free and allow the use of an e-mail client like Outlook, Apple Mail, or Entourage. It will not matter if changing the ISP in the future or move to a different geographic location, you can keep the same e-mail address. Many ISP’s allow for the forwarding of their e-mail address to an alternate one. In other words, you could forward all e-mails from @comcast.net to your new @gmail.com account during a transition period. The old ISP e-mail address will not be needed after a few months of using your new e-mail address
Better yet, you could register your own domain name. Domain names are relatively inexpensive with many providers offering custom domains and e-mail hosting for a few dollars a month. Providers like Network Solutions, Register.com, and GoDaddy are some good ones.
Reinventing the pen
For ages the pen has been the premiere writing instrument. It has been somewhat forgotten with the broad use of the computer keyboard and electronic communications. Most people just use the traditional pen to sign documents. Several years ago, a company called Livescribe reinvented the tool with the introduction of the SmartPen. They just released their newest product addition, the Echo. The system uses a combination of a custom notebook and “smart” pen. The pen records anything that it writes, hears, and draws. It then allows for playback at a later time. The files can be archived, searched, and distributed to other people if necessary. It is great for meetings and specially for college lectures. The pen is compatible with Mac and Windows and sells for about $170 (4 GB model).
Stream Netflix on the iPhone and iPad
The popular video rental website Neflix recently announced the availability of their application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The application was previously available for only the iPad. In the case of the iPad and iPhone, streaming is available through 3G as well as Wi-Fi. Netflix subscribers can now stream any title directly from their instant queue. It is also possible to add new titles to your movie queue. The application also keeps track of the titles watched and remembers where you left off. In other words, you could start watching an episode of 24, stop halfway, and continue watching it where you left off in your home TV or computer.
The application is the latest addition to the multiple ways to watch Neflix. Streaming is available from a Sony PS3, a Nintendo Wii, and Microsoft’s XBox 360. It is also available from Roku’s video player as well as from many of the latest TVs which use widgets. A Netflix subscription starts at $8.99 per month.
Filtering spam and viruses
The amount of e-mail spam traffic worldwide has been increasing exponentially every year. There are number of tools to filter some of this unwanted e-mail traffic. The tools are mainly split between protection at the actual mail server and protection at the computer level. Several companies like Symantec, TrendMicro, and others provide protection at the computer level. Other services like Postini and Brightmail filter mail before it even gets to the mail server. Postini was acquired by Google some time ago and Brightmail by Symantec. Protection is very affordable starting at about $1 per mailbox per month for basic protection on Postini.
The best protection is achieved by a dual approach. That is, using a service that filters mail before it gets to the server and a secondary level at the computer. I have seen mail traffic for a domain of which over 90% of it is unwanted spam and viruses. By using services like Postini and Brightmail, all of this mail is filtered before it even gets to the domain’s mail server. This saves a considerable amount of bandwidth and other system resources.