Review: Cydle T43H GPS Receiver

February 5th, 2010

Cydle T43H GPSThere’s certainly no shortage of GPS enabled devices these days.  Cameras use GPS to geotag pictures, worried parents use GPS to track their kids, and increasingly, smartphones use GPS to aid in personal navigation.  While the latter of these examples may ultimately foil the presently thriving personal navigation device industry, reducing it to yet another class of devices forced to converge into a unified platform, the present popularity and ubiquity of GPS devices should ensure their survival for several more iterations of the technology.

Cydle, an “emerging leader in car-based multimedia systems”, is intent on riding this cresting wave of consumer demand for GPS enabled personal navigation devices.  And while its flagship GPS product, the T43H GPS Receiver with HD Radio and Real Time Traffic, faces stiff competition from market incumbents like Garmin, the features and price point of the T43H are worth strict consideration from those shopping in this market.  The video below provides a brief overview of the Cydle T43H.

Technical Overview

The Cydle T43H uses the popular SiRFstar III GPS receiver coupled with a 533MHz ARM9 processor, 128MB DDR RAM, and 2GB of internal flash memory (none of which is accessible to the user).  Users can add up to 8GB of storage for personal media via the device’s SD card slot and USB connectivity (an SD card is not provided with the device).  Its 4.3″ TFT resistive LCD touchscreen is vibrant and very responsive.  It has an integrated 2Ah battery from which a solid 3 hours of continuous navigation was obtained in our trials.  The internal battery charges by hooking the device up to a USB port or with the included car adapter, but there is no status LED to indicate that the device is actually charging, which we found slightly confusing.   While the 0.8W internal speaker provides crisp and clean audio, it’s not quite loud enough to clearly discern the TTS navigation instructions or HD Radio feed at highway speeds.  Fortunately, the T43H includes an external 3.5mm headphone jack by which all of its audio obligations can be offloaded to the speakers of the car into which it is installed.

The T43H operates via a WinCE 5.0 environment on which Cydle’s own Cydle XE software is mounted.  The software augments the device’s feature set by adding multimedia playback support, including that of photos, video, and audio, as well as other included applications, such as a calculator and calendar.  With map data licensed from TeleAtlas, the device is preloaded for full North American coverage.

Navigation & Operation

The Cydle T43H takes an average of 40 seconds to boot up and acquire a GPS satellite signal.  Although awkward at first, we grew to appreciate the 3 second delay built into the device’s power-on button, which prevents the T43H from accidentally turning on in the user’s pocket if the power button is accidentally depressed for less than the required amount of time.  Pressing the power button for 2 seconds while the unit is on places the device into a “battery saving” standby mode from which it can “quick boot” and return to whatever it was doing prior to entering standby mode.

Seating the T43H into its suction-cup mounted cradle was tricky at times since the plastic notch that “clicks” into a groove on top of the device didn’t always properly align, thus requiring some user finessing to lock the T43H securely in place.  Additionally, since the power, HD Radio antenna, and external audio output cords all plug directly into the T43H and not the cradle, taking the device in and out of a car required constant detachment and re-attachment of cables, which became slightly annoying compared to other devices that at least have a powered cradle.

Cydle T43H Main Menu

Cydle T43H Main Menu

T43H Navigation Screen

T43H Navigation Screen

Upon selecting the navigation module from the main menu, the user is presented a map of their present location.  The Cydle T43H compares well with other PND’s presently available in terms of navigation abilities and features.  It calculates directions quickly, has several route modification options to account for detours or road blocks, and seamlessly incorporates real-time traffic data.  Methods to display the map include a 3D view, “North Up” view (in which North is always at the top of the screen), and a “Track Up” view (in which the direction of travel is always towards the top of the screen).   With a database of millions of “points of interest”, users can search for destinations by address, intersection, zip code, category, place name, and telephone number, amongst others.  And although just getting to the “enter address” field requires drilling down through five layers of user interface, the menus react quickly and are well organized.

Compared to other GPS devices, the main navigational screen on the T43H is initially daunting in terms of the amount of information simultaneously presented to the user.  As shown above, the screen is littered with information that some may find superfluous.  But after using the T43H on several trips, we actually grew to appreciate the amount of data and its general layout.  Granted, some of the text is small and may require users with poor vision to take their eyes off the road for longer periods of time than is ideal while searching for a desired readout, but after sufficiently learning the graphical layout, we found that quick glances at specific parts of the screen can provide helpful information for the journey.

HD Radio and Traffic

The feature that sets the Cydle T43H apart from other personal navigation devices is its built in HD radio (the first of its kind in the world), which not only gives users access to high quality digital audio broadcasts, but also conveys free real-time traffic data from any of Clear Channel Radio’s Total Traffic Network HD radio stations broadcasting such information.   Considering the approximate cost of a stand alone HD Radio, the inclusion of an HD Radio tuner in the T43H package could be a significant factor for anyone looking to incorporate multiple facets of 21st century mobile technology simply and compactly into an obsolete car dashboard.

To recieve HD (and legacy analog) radio broadcasts, an external HD radio antenna is required and must be plugged into a 3.5mm jack on the right side of the T43H.   The antenna, which is included with the T43H, has several suction cups for attachment at the base of a car’s windsheild.   Unfortunately, we found the suction cups inadequate and thus the antenna spent most of the time just lying on the front edge of the dash board (with no effect on signal reception or performance).

T43H Radio Interface

T43H Radio Interface

The HD radio interface is clean and intuitive.   An “autoscan” feature conveniently populates up to 24 easily accessible preset radio station buttons.   After choosing a station, users can minimize the HD radio module and return to the main menu without interrupting playback, which will continue even as the user enters the navigation module (although TTS directions will briefly interupt playback).   Disappointingly, live traffic updates aren’t available within the navigation module while listening to an HD Radio station.  Compounding this is the fact that there isn’t any convenient way to access the HD Radio interface from within the navigation module.   To change the station, users must exit the navigation module, return to the main menu, and re-select the HD Radio button.   Considering that the T43H’s primary function is to provide personal navigation, and thus users of the device will spend most of their time within the navigation module, the lack of better integration of these two features is unfortunate.

Otherwise, the HD Radio integration into the T43H is brilliant.  It functions as expected, delivering all the benefits of the CD quality HD radio format, including song, artist, and station information.   With up to eight channels of multicast content per HD Radio station, listening to something appealing is easy and, unlike satellite radio, there’s no monthly subscription fee.

Multimedia Features

Like many GPS devices on the market, the Cydle T43H includes several media player features, including video, audio, and photo playback (although they’re somewhat limited relative to the current breed of dedicated portable media players).   Each type of media (video, audio, and photos) has its own module accessible within the T43H’s main menu.   All three media players offer an intuitive user interface for basic playback functionality – perfect for those without a smartphone or iPod who want a portable device capable of briefly sharing a small number of digital photos or short video clip with others.

There is no internal device memory accessible to the user, thus all media must be copied onto an up to 8GB SD flash card, for which the T43H serves as an external card reader when connected to a PC via the included mini-USB cable.  File compatibility, based on our informal tests, is limited to the following:

Audio:  WAV, WMA, MP3

Photo:  BMP, JPG, GIF

Video:  MPEG1, AVI , WMV

We tried FLAC, TIF, MPEG2, and MPEG4 file types as well, none of which worked in their respective media players.  Additionally, some codecs used to create the various AVI files used during testing did not work.

Final Thoughts

The Cydle T43H is a solid PND with some unexpected features that definitely raise the bar for market incumbents offering products near the T43H’s $230 price point.  Its physically well built with bug-free software, but also includes a one year manufacturer’s warranty.  The device is packaged with almost everything needed to fully experience all of its features, including a sturdy suction cup windshield mounting arm with detachable cradle, a car charging adapter, a USB cable, and an HD Radio antenna.  The user must supply an SD card with media to utilize the T43H’s on-board multimedia features, but these should be considered tertiary features of the device.

We liked the T43H and are eager to see what Cydle and other PND manufacturers come up with in the future as in-car information and entertainment technology continues to converge in the face of stiff competition from smartphone based applications.

This review provides an independent and objective opinion of its subject.  The authors did not receive compensation in the form of monies or free products from any party seeking to influence the outcome of the review.  If demo units were furnished by the manufacturer, they were promptly returned after the author’s evaluation period.

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Mvix’s Ultio Pro MX-880HD Media Center with PVR

February 2nd, 2010
Mvix Ultio Pro MX-880HD

Mvix Ultio Pro MX-880HD

The Mvix MX-880HD Ultio Pro digital video player/recorder is perfect for the individual who wants to play, record, and manage their collection of digital A/V files without the use of a computer.  While the device can be hooked up to a computer for file transfer, the Ultio Pro is a stand-alone device and needs nothing more than installation of an up to 2TB SATA hard drive.  With its extensive playback and recording capabilities, the Ultio-Pro is particularly useful for those who want to create HD movies on their computer but do not have the ability to otherwise record in HD format for playback on their TV or home entertainment system.

Some users might recognize the appearance and operation of the on-screen menu as similar to the Front Row Media Player of the Mac OS X.  The on-screen menus and included remote control are capable of operating virtually all of the Ultio Pro’s features, including file management operations, such as copy and delete.  It includes a slide show mode with background music, thus avoiding the need for friends and family to gather around an inadequately sized computer monitor to view personal photos and movies.

Video output is available in both PAL or NTSC at resolutions up to 1080p.  Video jacks for connection to a TV or home theater system include composite, component, and HDMI 1.3.  Audio output is provided via analog stereo RCA jacks or digital 5.1-surround capable SPDIF and digital coax ports.   While the device has a variety of output formats supporting HD video, it only has composite video and audio input jacks.

The Ultio Pro recognizes a wide variety of digital A/V formats and codecs to ensure that most files from your A/V collection will not be excluded from playback.  And just as the device functions as an A/V player, it is also capable of recording A/V from any external source plugged in to the aforementioned composite input jacks.

Mvix provides a variety of methods for storage and data transfer to and from external sources.  There are two USB ports for connecting external drives or memory devices.  A USB 2.0 port is provided for connecting the device to a computer, thus rendering the Ultio Pro an external hard drive for file transfer to or from the device.   A 10/100 RJ45 LAN port gives the device access to a user’s home network thus enabling A/V content to be shared across several devices.  Wireless capability is no longer included standard as it had been with some earlier products by Mvix, although a WiFi 802.11n dongle is available as an option for those requiring wireless network connectivity.

With an MSRP of $169 (hard drive not included), those seeking to experience their digital A/V files on devices other than their PC now have yet another affordable option.

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Introducing the Neato Robot Vacuum XV-11…

February 1st, 2010
Neato Robotics XV11

Neato Robotics XV11

For decades there have been a myriad of technological promises from automated kitchens to flying cars.  Those of us who have been avid readers of the tech magazines have fantasized about having amazing devices propelling their life into the space age.  While the Neato Robotics XV-11 robot vacuum won’t teleport you to another location, it will automatically teleport… errr… remove dirt and debris from one’s floor.  The XV-11 is a product that the average consumer can purchase without requiring funding on the order of a DARPA initiative.  In fact, it does not cost any more than a fancy, high-end vacuum.

The XV-11 uses a laser range finder to continuously update a map of its environment allowing it to know where the walls and furniture exist.  The little robot is able to see and avoid obstacles, such as walls, furniture and stairs.  It will launch itself according to the programmable timer, un-dock from the charging station, clean hardwood floors and carpets, and then re-dock itself on its own.

Scrupulous homeowners will appreciate two things about the XV-11.  First, it does not bump into furniture or walls.  It avoids them using a digital map and sensors.  Second, the vacuum pattern is not just a random pattern like that used by other devices.  The XV-11 scans a room and it’s contents, and commences a systematic pattern using straight lines starting from the perimeter of a room and working its way towards the center, thus creating a visually appealing pattern on carpets.  If a owner wants to designate “off-limit” areas, the XV-11 is willing to allow the home owner to reign over the floor space by utilizing boundary markers to exclude areas where the XV-11 will roam.

The XV-11 has a programmable timer, allowing users to specify times and days when it will initiate its never-ending mission of clean floors.  While at first, it may be a fun novelty to have the XV-11 maneuvering around one’s feet while you’re watching TV, after the ‘gee-whiz factor’ has worn off, it can commence its mission while you are away.  Owners like me, may ‘accidentally’ program it to emerge from its docking and recharging station when guests are present, to ‘accidentally’ show it off.  Neato Robotics is appropriately named, because guests and visitors are likely to say, “Neat-o!” when the little robot vacuum starts roaming around autonomously, especially with an obviously intelligent pattern as opposed to wandering aimlessly.

There are a couple of hindrances and limitations to the device.  First of all, one’s pets are liable to go through an adjustment period. ‘Fluffy’ the cat may be driven to the brink of insanity, or wholly entertained, or ‘Sparky’ the dog may try to attack the XV-11.  Dogs do not usually like vacuums operated by humans, let alone one that suddenly decides to turn itself on and venture about its domain.  Speaking of houses, the major limitation keeping the XV-11 from absolute dominion over dirty floors and carpets in one’s home is that, while it can avoid stairs, it has no capability to ascend or descend stairs (although maybe some day there will be a hover-mod). Until then, users can buy an XV-11 for each floor, or simply move it and the charging station from floor to floor, where it will commence learning in its new environment.  The XV-11 has recognition software that will prevent if from toppling down the stairs.

While the XV-11 may not be a hovering car or teleportation device, its presence in your home certainly guarantees a clean and tidy future.

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The Apple iPad: Game Changer or Just Another Player?

January 27th, 2010
Apple iPad

Apple's iPad

So here it is.   The iPad.  Cool new gadget?  Definitely.  Industry game changer?  Probably not.   Although the hype leading up to today’s product announcement was unprecedented, I don’t think the product released today will indefinitely sustain it.   Sure, early adopters may make for “buzz-generating” TV shots of crowded Apple stores with long lines of Apple fans waiting for a chance to buy the iPad.   And I don’t disagree that the iPad has great potential in specific areas of personal computing.   But will it forever change the way we work and consumer content?  No.

Steve Jobs introduced the iPad as a third product type to fill the gap between the iPhone and the Mac.  While the iPad will undoubtedly fill that space in the market nicely and possibly offer new ways of accomplishing niche tasks once done on either of the two devices sandwiching it, it’s neither portable enough to challenge tasks the iPhone currently does well nor unique enough at its to induce a wave of “upgrade-itus” amongst current owners of laptops and netbooks.

What makes the iPhone great is that it bundles a ton of additional functionality and content accessibility into a device that everyone would be carrying in their pocket anyway, without significantly changing the required form factor.  The iPad, which introduces another class of device, is opposing the trend of device convergence.   People won’t be walking around the streets of town with an iPad in their pocket.   Those who do adopt the device will sit on their desk or coffee table, or use it during travel, both in much the same way they probably use their laptops and netbooks now.  So does the iPad really offer more than a good netbook or ultraportable laptop?   We’ll have to wait for more hands on trials of the device to answer this.   But if it’s not, its dispersion into this new “third market” could be as nothing more than another competitor to the products that currently fill that need.

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Google vs. Microsoft vs. Apple

January 27th, 2010

There’s nothing like a good corporate battle.   While potentially costly to the participants, the benefits to consumers include lower prices, better, and more diverse products.   This competition is the foundation upon which the capitalist world is built, and spurs the innovation that drives society forward.

As worldwide adoption and usage of computers and the Internet continues to surge, the products by which people access and interact with their increasingly online lives will continue to drive profits for companies within these markets.   Three of the biggest players, namely Google, Microsoft, and Apple, are strategically positioning themselves for a three-way corporate clash of epic proportions in several sub-markets within the converging online, software, and mobile hardware spaces.

While the animosity between these companies may be growing, the ties that bind them weren’t always negative in nature.   Sure, Microsoft and Apple have always been natural rivals in the PC, operating system, and software markets.   But to an extent, Microsoft may have saved Apple in the late 1990’s by investing in the flailing company and continuing to develop and support its Office and IE products for Apple’s struggling Macintosh computers.   Google, at half the age of Microsoft and Apple, didn’t begin directly competing with its two older cousins until relatively recently, rather having initially focused on its core search technology and advertising products.  And up until a few months ago, Google’s CEO sat on Apple’s board of directors.

But presently, as the allure of developing and selling both consumer hardware and software to harness the power of the Internet, social networking, and personal productivity, all three companies have strayed from their core product offerings and crossed into an overlapping market driven by the feature convergence and high demand of mobile products and software.  The chart below exemplifies each company’s product offerings in a variety of sub-markets and includes insight into who is leading in each arena.

The
Competing Products of Microsoft, Google, and Apple

Microsoft

Google

Apple

PC OS

Windows1

Chrome OS

OS X

Mobile
Hardware

Zune Phone

Nexus One

iPhone1

Mobile OS

Windows
Mobile

Android2

iPhone OS1

Web
Browser

Internet
Explorer1

Chrome2

Safari

Online
Search

Bing2

Google1

Personal
Media Player

ZuneHD

iPod1

Office Productivity
Software

Office1

Google Docs2

iWork

Online
Maps

Bing Maps2

Google Maps1

1 – designates leader amongst these three companies (in terms of overall usage)

2 – designates most viable threat to current leader

PC OS

As mentioned, Apple and Microsoft have always rivaled each other in the operating system realm, with Apple also manufacturing its own Macintosh hardware.  While Microsoft is by far the world’s dominant OS maker, the introduction of Google’s open source Chrome OS could herald a new era of lightweight, net-centric “cloud based” software for the increasingly popular netbook and tablet market segment, thus potentially endangering Window’s choke-hold on the market.  Additionally, Apple reported during its most recent quarterly report that sales of Macintosh systems increased by 33% in 2009 (from 2008), thus increasing the ubiquity of its OS X.

Mobile Hardware, Mobile OS, and PMP

Obviously the iPhone dominates the smartphone market and sets the bar upon which all others will be judged.  The appeal and diversity of the App Store (and its 100,000+ apps) are a significant hurdle for any competitor to overcome.  But the most recent versions of Google’s Android operating system installed on quality phones like the DROID from Motorola and Nexus One from HTC have shown that they can compete with the iPhone while leveraging proprietary features like Google Voice and Maps.  If Android’s open source platform can avoid splintering into multiple varying threads while allowing developers to bolster the number of available applications, the smartphone OS market may soon condense into one with just two competitors, having completely defeated Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS.

But Microsoft may soon fire a salvo across the bows of both Apple and Google.  Its relatively successful ZuneHD media player, a direct competitor to Apple’s iPod Touch, need only add a cellphone feature to strongly enter the smartphone market with Apple and Google.  While no official announcement has been made, rumors about plans for such a device exist and are bolstered by the logic associated with such a product.

Web Browsers

Of these three companies, Microsoft is the reigning champion of web browser software (although Firefox actually gets more usage than IE) .  Having defeated Netscape, Microsoft knows how to leverage its dominance in the PC OS market to favor its browser.  But repeated security flaws in the software and lack of features has driven many users to perceived safer browsers, such as Google’s Chrome (available on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms), which in just over a year has gained significant market share over Apple’s Safari and from Microsoft’s IE.

Web Search and Online Maps

Microsoft has been trying to develop a serious search engine competitor for over a decade.  The limited success of MSN Search, which became Live Search in 2007, may finally end thanks the company’s re-branding of its search product to Bing.  Bing, which will eventually power all Yahoo searches in addition to those from its own site, has shown steady growth since its inception.  And although Apple doesn’t have a direct stake in the online search engine game, it may replace Google with Bing as the default search engine on the iPhone.

With Live Search’s re-branding came other changes in Microsoft’s online product offerings.  Virtual Earth, a competitor to Google Maps, was renamed Bing Maps.  Its features were enhanced to seriously challenge, if not exceed, the long-time supremacy of Google Maps.  You can try both side-by-side here.

Office Productivity Software

Microsoft’s Office suite of productivity software has been refined and developed over multiple decades to include features and capabilities that the market wants.  With the emergence of cloud computing and release of Google Docs, Microsoft migrated its software suite onto the web, calling it Microsoft Office Live.  While the features available in Google Docs are sufficient for most users – given that Docs is free, those used to the advanced features of Microsoft Office will find it lacking, thus temporarily securing Microsoft’s place within this market.  Apple too has an online productivity suite called iWork which has had negligible impact on competitive products from Google and Microsoft.

Conclusion

The way software and the Internet are used is changing.  The world is going mobile.  Devices are converging.  Smartphones, netbooks, and tablet PC’s (like the one Apple will announce tomorrow) will forever change the paradigm by which we interact with each other and these devices.  It’s a massive shift that has created an even more massive market with growth potential unlike any other within the industry.  Who stands to gain (or loose) the most during this transition?  Clearly any company that stands on the side lines, resting on the laurels of past successes has already lost.  So it’s no accident that the walls of difference once separating Google, Microsoft, and Apple are crumbling.  These companies see the way technology is driving society, and the shifts required of their business models to survive.    This is an exciting time…

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Google Adds Chrome Extension for Google Voice

January 23rd, 2010

Google Chrome is quickly becoming the best web browser available, as evident by its steadily increasing pace of adoption by web users and its installation on new PCs by companies like Sony.  It’s faster, more secure, and less resource intensive than IE and Firefox.  And having recently enabled extensions, which can selectively add tons of useful enhancements and features to improve everyday browsing, Google Chrome is poised to unseat Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as the king of the web browsers (although Microsoft doesn’t have much to worry about from Chrome’s big brother, the Chrome OS).  Now, users of Google Voice can utilize the useful features of that service from within Chrome thanks to a new extension from Google.

For those unfamiliar with Google Voice, it’s an awesome free service from Google which, although still under final development and thus only available by invitation from Google, assigns users a personal phone number.  Users then assign devices, such as traditional landlines or cell phones, to which calls to their Google Voice number should be forwarded.   Check out the video below for details about the features of Google Voice.

The new Google Voice extension for Chrome adds a button to the browser’s toolbar for fast and easy access to voice and free SMS communications.  Users simply click the Google Voice button, select the phone on which they’d like to make a call, and enter the number to dial.  In addition to the browser toolbar button, the extension adds “click-to-call” functionality in which phone numbers on web pages are converted to clickable links that will dial automatically within Google Voice.  So next time you need to order a pizza, simply “Google” the phone number of your local pizza joint, click on the number (which will be presented as a link), and select the phone on which you’d like to make the call.  Then sit back and marvel at the magic of the Internet.

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The Ion Twin Video Pocket Camcorder – Two cameras for the price of one

January 22nd, 2010
Twin Video Pocket Camcorder

Twin Video Pocket Camcorder

Well here’s an interesting device.   Remember the “self portrait” camera, in which Samsung put a small LCD screen on the front of a digital camera, thus eliminating the guess work in properly framing a picture at arm’s length?   Well, building on the concept of including the camera operator as part of a picture’s subject, Ion Audio has announced a portable pocket camcorder that records both in front of and behind the device.

Dubbed the Twin Video, the camcorder boasts front and back lenses capable of simultaneously recording both video streams to either a standard SD or SDHC card.   Built-in video effects include the ability to record video in split screen or picture-in-picture modes, making it ideal for documenting your next impromptu celebrity interview.   It’s dual microphones capture stereo audio and offloading the video to a PC before uploading it to YouTube is easy via USB.   While a price hasn’t been set and technical details are sparse, the Twin Video should release by the end of Q2 2010.

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Google trials HTML5 on YouTube

January 22nd, 2010

YouTube LogoIn June 2004, the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) proposed a new version of the hypertext markup language standard used by most websites, designating it HTML5.  While the standard is not complete, Google has become an early adopter of the technology for both its Chrome OS and most recently in trials delivering videos via YouTube that don’t require a Flash browser plugin.

One of the main reasons that Google is backing these changes is the increasing trend by Internet users of viewing video content online instead of via more traditional means.  This trend is exemplified by the exploding usage of Google’s YouTube within the last few years.

The advantages of a migration to HTML5 include its increased infrastructure to support video and audio playback while easing the integration of videos into websites – a huge step forward for YouTube in terms of the site’s structural elements and the inclusion of APIs.  And while not all current browser versions include full HTML5 support, Google’s Chrome, Safari, Firefox 3.6, and ChromeFrame on IE do.  Check out the trial here or watch the in-depth HTML5 tutorial below.

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How ‘Bout Some TwittaBling

January 19th, 2010

TwittaBling LogoNothing says “I love you” like the gift of jewelry.  And while this decade’s version of personal communications includes “tweeting” your feelings and weight (in fewer than 140 characters) across the Internet for the world to see, it’s unlikely for most people that gifting some TwittaBling to your “significant other” will adequately compliment an online proclamation of your love.  But for those in relationships forged via “tweets”, “twitterstreams”, “tweetups”, and DT’s, a little TwittaBling could go a long way.

“TwittaBling offers fashion-forward Twitter-inspired accessories such as necklaces, earrings, rings, wedding bands, and bracelets in sterling silver as well as 14k yellow and white gold.”  The company, which will create custom jewelry from your Twitter “@username”, offers a unique service for the growing horde of over 44 million Twitter users worldwide.

Ordering is simple via the company’s website.  With prices starting at $50, the company offers a degree of customization by allowing customers to specify the jewelry material, font, and inclusion of diamonds or Swarovski crystals for additional cost.

So next time you’re at a party, proudly don your TwittaBling and read a few pages from your Tweetbook.   Just be sure to Tweet about your friends’ reactions (and DM @TechClicker too).

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The Kodak PlaySport Pocket Camcorder – Who Wants One?

January 15th, 2010
Kodak PlaySport

Kodak PlaySport

Going to CES can simultaneously be a gadget lover’s greatest dream and worst nightmare.  While the opportunity to demo the latest gear and technology is extremely thrilling, it quickly makes one realize the obsolescence of their “stuff” and the potential costs associated with frequent and incremental gadget upgrades.  Even those with steep tech gear budgets find it difficult to reasonably quench the thirst for ownership of the very latest and best the industry has to offer.  Balancing the urge to upgrade or adopt a technology can be tricky, especially given the life cycle pace of modern electronics.

I’ve been closely watching the portable camcorder market for several months now, intent on ultimately buying one of the HD flavors of these products.  Devices like the JVC PICSIO and Vivitar DVR-150, along with higher end devices by Flip and Creative, typically offer compressed high definition video recording in a lightweight and portable package.  While not the camera on which one would choose to shoot the next Hollywood blockbuster, they serve a very specific purpose for those seeking an alternative to and improvement upon cell phone or standard definition digital still camera video sources.  And with integrated cell phone camera technology showing signs of neglect in favor of the convergence of other features, the pocket camcorder market may exist for longer than expected.

At Kodak’s CES booth, I was introduced to the PlaySport portable camcorder and, after handling the device, immediately knew this was the camcorder by which I would personally enter this market.  Building on the highly successful Zi8 portable camcorder, the PlaySport records video in several modes, including full 16:9 1080p HD at 30fps with (often under-emphasized) digital image stabilization.  Its 5MP image sensor can also capture digital stills, storing them on an SD card (the device includes minimal internal memory).  It offers a 4X digital zoom, 2″ LCD display, facial tracking, and both HDMI and USB ports.

PlaySport Colors

Available in various colors

What really elevates the PlaySport from the crowd of other portable pocket camcorders is it ruggedness.  It’s designed to be waterproof at depths of up to 10 feet, making it perfect for the beach or pool – both settings in which higher-end equipment may not fare too well.  It incorporates an automatic color mode switching feature, which will, for example, compensate for overly blue underwater shots.  And at $150, it’s priced pretty competitively considering its feature-set.

Unfortunately, the PlaySport isn’t available until April 2010, although Amazon is accepting preorders.  But until then, I can look forward to a summer of capturing decent HD video at times and places in which I may never have previously had the chance.  Oh, and I’ll look forward a few other gadget “upgrades” too…

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