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Five for work, three for fun
Head back to class or the office with these on-the-go gadgets |
September 11, 2008 |
By Peter Wolchack
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Impressive at a meeting
HTC Shift X9501
The Shift, like all Ultra-Mobile PCs, reminds us that nothing is free. It’s small (stack two DVD cases to get an idea), reasonably powerful (it runs Windows Vista and Microsoft’s Origami touch interface), has a video camera and finger-print scanner, and both Wi-Fi and cellular radios. Plus the screen not only slides, it also tilts up, to approximate a small laptop.
All good, but there are trade-offs. The keyboard is too small to easily touch type and just a little too big for BlackBerry-style thumb typing. It’s also heavy at 1.8 pounds and pricey at $1600 with a three-year Rogers contract. The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 is a full-on notebook at 2.7 pounds and $1500.
But because it is so small and always connected, the Shift will definitely win fans.
http://www.rogers.com/
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Most portable mouse ever
Newton Peripherals MoGo Mouse X54
If you carry a laptop, you can also carry a mouse and a remote control without adding any bulk. The credit-card sized X54 stores and charges inside your notebook’s Express Card slot. To use you just pop it out, link it using Bluetooth and you’re ready to go.
It’s a full-function mouse and can also control media players such as iTunes and Windows Media. The X54 sells for approximately $85. There is also a version sized for PC Card slots.
http://www.newtonperipherals.com/
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Where did I put that darn headset?
Cardo S-800
Bluetooth headsets are very useful - until you misplace them. And we at Backbone do that regularly.
The attractive little S-800 has all the standard cool features, plus two that are impressive. First, it stores up to three numbers, so you can dial right from the headset. Second—and this is our favourite—when you lose it you use your phone to signal the headset to start buzzing. Follow the buzz, find the S-800. It sells for around $50.
http://www.cardowireless.com/
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Boost your cell
ARC Wireless Freedom Blade
Mobile data and voice are great, as long as the signal is strong. And while mobile networks are pretty good these days, road warriors quickly discover that dead zones still exist.
If this applies to you, US$35 is not unreasonable if it pulls in even a little more signal. The Freedom Blade plugs into your equipment through a matched connector and it may just get you back into the online world.
www.freedomantenna.com
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Video with you
Creative Labs Vado
Suddenly, many manufacturers are hitting the market with pocketable video cameras. The Vado is very small and light (think two packs of playing cards) and sports 2GB of internal memory for at least 60 minutes of recording time, a rechargeable battery and a 2-inch LCD screen. And using a Vado is simple: point it and hit the Record button, and later plug the camera directly into a PC to copy the files.
The quality won’t land an Oscar for cinematography, but it’s so easy to carry you’ll actually have it with you when you need it. It sells for approximately $110.
www.creative.com
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HD TV. On your laptop
Hauppauge Digital WinTV-HVR-950Q
First, you need to know there are a number of high-definition TV signals broadcast for free over the air. Next, combine that fact with the idea of turning your notebook into a portable digital video recorder. That’s the basics of the WinTV.
The small antenna plugs into a USB port and pulls in digital and analog TV signals, which it then sends to the notebook’s hard drive, from where you can watch recorded TV with the included remote. It’s simple, it works and the quality is often excellent. US$99.
www.hauppauge.com
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Rock and Rolly, baby
Sony Rolly
If you feel MP3 players have lost their sizzle—everyone has an iPod, after all—then the Rolly is made for you. It’s palm sized, roughly egg shaped, it rolls and spins around, it projects 700 colours and it has these little arms that flip in and out. Also, its movements can be programmed by plugging it into a PC. And it plays music.
In fact, to label this an MP3 player is too bland. Let’s go with “personal music robot servant.” That’s closer. $399.99.
www.sonystyle.ca
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Data safe
SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise FIPS Edition
In our July/August issue, we wrote that 25 per cent of corporate survey respondents carry customer records around on unencrypted flash drives; 17 per cent tote financial information.
SanDisk recently launched encrypted USB drives which meet requirements set by Communications Security Establishment Canada and the U.S. Federal Information Processing Standards. The drives have mandatory password-protection and hardware-based AES encryption, and the encryption keys never leave the drive. The units start at 1GB and $87.
http://www.sandisk.com/
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