Verison Touchscreen Hub

Verison Touchscreen Hub

Author JoeDigital | 28.02.2009 | Category Technology, Telecommunications

 

Here comes the touch screen Verizon Hub, which recently made it to the market around the first of February. It is basically Verizon’s idea of a VoIP phone for the home powered by Wi-Fi and run with a couple of smartphone features. It’s even got a touchscreen, for you convenience.

Some of the nifty smartphone features included in the Verizon Hub involve connectivity with any VZ-Navigator enabled Verizon phone. For one, you can go through your directory and get coordinates of establishments and have them sent to your phone. You can also automatically send notifications to other Verizon phones that you’ve recently changed contact details as well as import those changes to your own phone. For parents, you can track the current location of your children with the “chaperone” application that provides coordinates through the hub as well.

At $199, this phone comes with a two-year contract and Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection after a $50 mail-in rebate.

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To The Book Cave, Reading Fans!

Author JoeDigital | 27.02.2009 | Category Innovation, Japanese Technology

Here’s a nifty device that was just released late in 2008: a seat literally inside a book case designed to accommodate book lovers who want to spend their time “around” their books.

Japanese designer and artist Sakura Adachi came up with the idea of crossing a comfortable chair and the ordinary bookcase and came up with this invention. It’s quite an ingenious minimalist approach (one that is very much appreciated by many Japanese) to furniture for book lovers because aside from the fact that the chair is very comfortable and durable, it also saves space occupied by large furniture because the device is “inside” the bookcase.

While it might actually disrupt the methods of those who read with laptops and do other activities to compliment their reading, this device really appeals to many children and adults alike, especially those who love to just read and read all day.

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Look at the Safari 4 Beta

Author JoeDigital | 26.02.2009 | Category Computers, Mac/Apple

Just released very recently, Apple has come up with the Safari 4 Beta, which is its very own browsing application that promises really fast browsing speed among other great features that users can enjoy such as thumbnail views of your frequently visited sites and page history cover flow, and so much more.

As opposed to the older versions of the Safari, version 4 is noticeable faster when it comes to loading heavy websites, and that means it’s much, much faster than other popular browsers now to about thirty times more.

Other changes include the repositioning of the tabs from the below the URL spot to above it, the thumbnail view of your most visited sites based on the application’s records. With this you can easily click on that site you might want to visit again or simply check from the face of the thumbnail if the site has undergone any changes.

The Safari 4 is still in beta stage, but most of the feedback has been positive, so things can only be better for Apple’s browser.

Technorati Tags: apple, safari 4

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Femtocell for better mobile signal

Author JoeDigital | 25.02.2009 | Category Innovation, Networking

Got problems with low or bad signal on your mobile phone when you’re in places that have faulty mobile signal? Well, homeowners who just can’t find signal in their own homes or workers who are employed in certain establishments with bad reception can think of getting a Femtocell.

Femtocells are basically small devices that look like the routers we use to wirelessly connect to the internet that actually help improve indoor reception. They basically achieve this by making use of your existing broadband connection to repeat it and boost the average signal you receive at home.

And it looks like companies like AT&T and Verizon are making their own branded models for this signal amplifier. This means, as it actually did happen, exclusive costs for consumers who avail of this product from either company. You need to be signed up for this and that and pay this much in order to enjoy the service.

But if getting good signal in your own home is really a necessity, why not?

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High Color Quality in Cheap Laptops

Author JoeDigital | 25.02.2009 | Category Computers, Mac/Apple

When you think about laptop manufacturers like Apple, you give yourself the assurance based on the company’s reputation that its products are actually rich in color and display quality. True enough, Apple does have a good reputation for digital art.

But did you know that even the cheapest of laptops can also have the same, if not better color and display quality to companies like Apple? A test conducted by a digital photo expert showed that this instance can actually happen.

The expert took two ThinkPad W700s, an Apple MacBook Pro, and a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and subjected them to different tests concerning color, display and quality of the different angles of the devices’ screens.

As a result the ThinkPad W700 topped the test on integrated color management system. True enough, even those companies not pegged as “elite manufacturers” can actually promise consumers with a tight budget and good service.

Technorati Tags: laptop, apple, dell, notepad

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Amazon’s got Wii Promos

Author JoeDigital | 24.02.2009 | Category Consumer Electronics, Technology Viewpoint, Video Games

 

Here’s an interesting offer from Amazon on the Nintendo Wii: buying a console at $249.99 within the month will get you a 10% discount for every single subsequent Wii bundle. So when you buy an official Nintendo Wii Nunchuk, Wii Wheel, Remote Controller, and every single Wii game that Amazon has, you get a discount for every product.

Perhaps this is one way for Nintendo to clear out all its Wii gadgets and consoles to make room for the DSi portable video game system which the video game company announced just recently to be out in the market by April.

But for whatever reason, this promo is a really good deal for all the Wii fans out there. This is the chance for those who haven’t yet to get an entire set at such a cheap price or for those who want an extra add-on that they already have or two get a few more. Have fun!

Technorati Tags: amazon, wii, nintendo

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Pre-installing Skype on Nokia N97

Author JoeDigital | 24.02.2009 | Category Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications

It first came out straight from the companies themselves during the 2009 Mobile World Congress that the mobile Skype application will now be pre-installed in Nokia’s N97 model. It seems that aside from the exciting announcements of Nokia such as the putting up of the N86 8MP for sale at below $400 in the US market as well as introducing a couple more stuff into Nokia’s smartphones, these two companies decided to make it official that way.

With 3G and WLAN becoming more popular, Skype has probably realized the need to catch up with revenue by striking the deal with Nokia, especially in terms of its very new N97 model. While it is true that users can easily download or acquire the mobile application for Skype, the idea of having it pre-installed can probably be attract many consumers.

In any case, one can only expect good things when two of the most popular communications companies when they decided that the best of Internet communication experience be found in the latest of handsets – a very appealing combination.

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Trouble With Touchscreens?

Author JoeDigital | 23.02.2009 | Category Computers, Consumer Electronics

In a study coming from Reevoo.com, 226 mobile phones were subjected to evaluation based on a range of criteria from functionality to style by over 19,000 users. The study came up with a list of top ten popular phones and the ten least popular phones. Here’s a note: five out of the ten least popular phones had touch-screen devices and the problems around these models concentrated on that particular feature.

With the rise of touch-screen technology, many companies have indeed started manufacturing their own wide screened phones that do away with keypads. Instead, phones are navigated through the tip of one’s finger interacting with the screen. But the participants of the study showed substantial complaints on this supposed step of convenience when they said that most touch-screen phones aren’t pushing the right buttons for them. What good is a touch screen phone if you can’t use your phone right?

While despite this clamor companies are still making more and more touch-screen phones, perhaps manufacturers should take heed to test their phones first and see if their products don’t experience the same glitches.

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Martin Szekley’s Parrot Specchio

Author JoeDigital | 23.02.2009 | Category Consumer Electronics

Say hello to the Parrot Specchio, probably one of the most ingenious designs by Martin Szekley for digital photo frames so far. This little device cleverly masks itself as a mirror which you can place in your home and turns into a multi-functional and versatile digital picture frame when you turn it on.

While digital photo frames are a familiar technology, the Parrot Specchio stands out with its technical features that make it more convenient, easy to use, and enjoyable. Its main feature is that it has a wide range of connectivity options, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, and memory card.

With these connection methods, it’s easy to drop all your digital photos into this digital frame. That way, all your photos can be showcased into one picture frame. Funny enough, the idea of saving on decorating space by pooling all your photos in one frame isn’t such a bad idea at all.

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Sony Ericsson’s New Concept: Idou

Author JoeDigital | 22.02.2009 | Category Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications

While Barcelona’s recent World Mobile Congress shows many great cell phone models to be available for Europe, the “Iduo”, a new product from Sony Ericsson, really caught a lot of attention – even if it was still “just” and idea.

The Iduo is presented by Sony Ericsson as an entertainment phone. Among its main features is that it possesses the powers of a digicam with its built-in 12 megapixel camera. And with its touch screen personality, users can just tap on the screen to take pictures of their subjects, and then go on editing the image with the wide range of options that can bring out one’s creativity.

Aside from that, this widescreen phone is designed to accommodate one’s viewing pleasures by promising high quality playback on the flat screen. All this, of course, is coupled with great sound capacity, completing the great audio-visual experience. Certainly a phone to look out for if ever this “concept” becomes the real thing.

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