Electronic toys are fun to play with especially if it keeps you efficient and entertained. Most gadgets that we do have these days allow us to multitask but with all the bugs and fixes sometimes it becomes a painstaking experience. Nevertheless, technology is evolving faster than it used to be. With the growing number of competitors trying to outdo each other in the technology market, a new idea easily branches into another concept producing even more products with slight enhancement from the original prototype. Thus, we, the consumers are bombarded with an endless array of electronic toys sending us to confusion as we try to decide which ones really stand out in terms of price and functionality.
Let’s take a look at a few gadgets.
The cellphone.
Try visiting gsmarena or mobileburn and you will see the newest cellphones in the market, even those that are still in production and are not yet released for sale. With cellphones, you can have whatever functionalities you like, small or big, with camera or without camera, with mp3 player, with FM, with calendar, with calculator, with wi-fi, with edge technology, with HSDPA(high speed download packet access, with 3G, with keyboard, with stylus, with touch screen, with Bluetooth, with IRDA port, in several dimensions and shapes & shades to choose from. From mere cellphones, to camera phones, to music phones, to internet phones, to smart phones. After a while you really get bored. That’s the bottom line. But when a new technology emerges, it's kind of inspiring to venture on technology again.
HTC Atlas (T-Mobile Wing). Does it give you wings to fly? I was torn between a Blackberry 8800 and T-M Wing. Never had a Blackberry, yet I got the T-M Wing. The screen isn’t as bright as my old QTek S200. A good thing with it though is it has a slide out keyboard which come in handy when you want to check your e-mails or maybe use one of the mobile office tools that come preloaded with the device( mobile word, excel, powerpoint). Another good feature of this device is it runs on Windows Mobile 6. There isn’t really that much of a difference in terms of the processing speed. Sometimes it even comes in as sluggish, but there’s an easy option for you to stop all running programs, or check for running programs that are eating up your system resources. Another notable difference is you can easily customize your settings without having to download a separate tool like the resco file / registry explorer to be able to effect change in your ringtones, alerts, and alarm settings. Say you want to have an mp3 song for a ringtone, all you have to do is upload your ringtones on a microSD (the phone comes with the slot) then just copy and paste the ringtones you want to the corresponding ringtones folder. The device itself is average to me compared to other devices of similar features and functionalities, but if you do subscribe with T-mobile you get a few useful tools like the web service. This device is Wi-fi and Edge/GPRS enabled. If you are in a hotspot you can connect using wireless technology and browse the net like you would using a regular computer. However, if you are subscribed to the web service the Edge/GPRS technology allows you to connect to the net at a slower pace compared to the wi-fi but still it is very useful. A really good tool that comes with the gadget is Windows Live Search powered by NavTeq and Traffic. It gives you the ability to search for POI (point of interest) near your location, get directions, get maps, route your destination, zoom in and zoom out in the map, get traffic data and pretty much do anything that you can do using mapquest or googlemaps. It really is very handy. It’s a good alternative to having your own GPS system while on the road at no cost. Except for the web service of course. Add to it the 2.0 megapixel camera, the expandable memory, the media player, the pdf reader, and all other necessary tools for organizing, and it’s a pretty efficient mobile tool.
iPhone. Well this cellphone has most of the consumers anxiously waiting for its release which is scheduled on June 29th this year through AT&T. And yes, there’s no pre-order option. I wouldn’t talk much about it because I haven’t held one but basing on the commercials that they show on TV or on their website, it seems pretty impressive. It definitely introduces a breakthrough technology using the electronic keypad which is easily manipulated by touching. Is it the only phone that employs such in the market? The answer is NO.
HTC Elf. Even before iPhone could get to the hands of the consumers the Elf is already making a buzz in the market at about the same time, with its rugged form factor and the TouchFLO technology that works pretty much like the iPhone. By touching the screen on a particular direction you can pretty much browse through the menus like flipping the pages of a book. Check out their website.
I-Mate Ultimate. I-mate introduces its Ultimate line of phones which are quite attractive in terms of design and form factor. It managed to break the typical smartphone or pocket PC look and incorporated a sleek and clean design for their cellphones. The good thing is you can choose from five (5) Ultimate designs. The better part is they all employ the latest Windows mobile OS, Windows Mobile 6.
The Mobile reader.
If you love to read e-books you probably are still reading them through your palmtop or pocket PCs or smartphones. It’s time for you to upgrade. E-ink already made its way to the mobile market. E-ink has redefined the way mobile readers read. Unlike reading from a computer e-ink makes your e-books look more like a regular book without the glare, and it pretty much can be read clearly even outdoors.
Sony Portable Reader. You can load your e-books and read just like you would a regular book. This device is basically intended for a mobile reader’s needs but it also employs other media capability like playing audio files, and other documents. It has a slot for SD cards or a memory stick and can hold a library of books. So beware as soon as you start reading through the portable reader you might not be able to stop.
Iliad by iRex. iRexTechnologies is also into the e-ink technology. The Iliad is a few hundred dollars more expensive than the Sony e-reader but it also has more for the money. It is wi-fi enabled so you can easily connect to the internet and browse the net and it allows you to annotate files and store them in your PC or in your Iliad. You can basically read and write using the Iliad. You can also connect it to your PC, so if you are browsing the net and you find something interesting, just download it to the Iliad, unhook from your computer, lay on the couch and read like you are reading a regular paper. It has a slot for Compact Flash and MMC. You can even connect a USB stick into it.
With Sony you get a coupon that is usable towards the purchase of e-books at their own e-book site Connect eBookstore. With Iliad you can download from manybooks.net or from any e-book site that sells e-books in pdf format or mobipocket format. You can go to ebookmall and subscribe to a lifetime service with free downloads. Better yet, scour the net and find the best and free e-books. How about trying blueportal.org? Enhance your mobile reading life now.
UMPC. Ultra Mobile PC. You see them now as the ultimate in mobile computing. Their size is only a little bigger than that of the Pocket PC or PDA but their capability and processing speed is that of a regular PC. I don’t see though that much of an advantage when using this device because the screen is too small and most of the time you use a stylus instead of a keyboard. I mean, I have a Fujitsu tablet with an 8.5” screen and it’s a full-size laptop in terms of functionality and it’s still pretty lightweight. But if you want to explore technology and you can afford it get one. Perhaps it’s a life-changing experience.
Wireless media/Entertainment.
Slingbox. If you haven’t made use of the slingbox get one now and enjoy TV through the net. But why would you want one when you probably have a big HDTV in your living room? If you don’t want to share your viewing experience with anyone then you can just sit in front of your computer and watch your show. Or if you travel a lot and you are too hooked to the boob-tube then you definitely have to sling it.
iPod Video. So you managed to download your favorite TV shows and movies from iTunes but are you going to watch them through that small screen? There’s an alternative. Get an iPod dock with video player and be able to watch your videos on a 7” or 8.5” screen on the go. Get one from Philips, Memorex, or Altec Lansing.
Apple TV. Stream your movies from your iTunes library to your TV using this device through a network. It will be an amazing experience.
Travel Gear.
GPS. A lot of people are still not convinced about the usability of a GPS. Try one and you will not be cruising without it. Getting directions, checking for Points of Interests and getting the feeling of having a companion while you drive is a good experience. Just be able to keep your eyes on the road though. There are lots of them out there. Which one will you pick if you are a beginner? Well, it probably helps if you get one with a touch screen option or perhaps one that gives you spoken turn by turn directions. Try Garmin Nuvi 200. If you want a bigger screen with mp3 player, Bluetooth capability and a better interaction get the Nuvi 660. There are other good GPS products out there like TomTom but based on my research, so far these two made it to the top.
Airport Express. Stuck in a hotel room with wired internet that you share with your family or a companion? How do you get around this dilemma? Get Airport Express by Apple and you can easily create your own wireless network with firewall and security encryption. You will be unwired in no time. You can also get one from LinkSys. The good thing about the Airport Express is it lets you stream your music wirelessly through your network.
Other interesting gadgets.
Sony VAIO LS Series. With duo processors, maximized storage capability, TV tuner, own desktop camera, and a superb space-saving design you will most likely want to have one. Check out the site for more information.
Flybook VM. It’s a laptop that has an intuitive design. Unfold the laptop and you pretty much have something that looks more like a separate flat screen and a keyboard just like modern PCs.
Computer-less e-mail printer. Print e-mails and photos directly without any computer. Just attach the printer to your phone at home and get pre-set spam-free e-mails delivered to you 24/7.
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