Recall of RedEye mini Lot C0101

We regret to announce a full recall of RedEye mini units bearing serial numbers beginning with C0101. We have determined that there is a high likelihood that these units will fail. Customers who purchased may choose to receive either a replacement unit from the next lot (D0102) or a full refund of their purchase.

Failures are the result of vibrations which cause wiring between the headphone jack and the mini’s printed circuit board to break or to create short circuits with other components. In the original design of the RedEye mini, the headphone jack is soldered directly to the printed circuit board, preventing the printed circuit board from moving relative to the headphone jack, as shown in the following photo of a prototype unit.

Owners of the RedEye mini are instructed to contact support@thinkflood with the original order number. You can request a full refund which includes the priginal shipping costs or wait for a replacement unit to be sent out. In either case, the original unit does not have to be returned back to Thinkflood.

Added Nore:

 Technobrains had arranged through Thinkflood to review the RedEye mini as soon as the product was available to the general public. Due to the initial high sales volume, a unit was not available for review at launch time. I have been contacted and reasured by the PR rep @ Thinkflood, Christina Carlson that a unit will be available for review once the replacement products are available.  I have also made special arrangements that will allow my review to go beyond my usual comprehensive review and add an interesting twist that will help current owners of the RedEye mini to be comfident that their replacement RedEye mini is a solid product. The review item should be available in the next 6 – 8 weeks. Owners should start to recieve their replacements units before this time but stay in contact with Thinkflood over the course of the next 3+ weeks.

Bob Katayama Executive Editor

The past few months, I have been trying to use a product called the Fueltank UNO.

 What is included in the box:

1: Fueltank UNO

2: AC adapter with approximately 2 meter long cable

3: 2 adapters plus a coupon for another of your choice

4: Standard black pouch with draw string

5: Instructions

This product promises to provide 4X the battery life on standard mobile devices. This is a real generalized term and not really applicable to any of my circumstances as I have discovered quickly. The Fueltank UNO is a rectangular external battery pack that recharges in around 2 hours. Less when the power level indicator shows power still remaining:

(3 green LED - 1 yellow LED - 2 red LED)

Green: High energy level when the red,the yellow and the green LEDs are lit.

Yellow: Low energy level when only the red and the yellow LEDs are lit.

Red: Very low and almost empty when only the red LEDs are lit.

The specifications indicate that the built in battery is a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2200 mAh. Not very large when my standard rechargeable NiMH AA batteries have a capacity of 2200 mAh (milli amp hours). Typically I can buy 4 X AA 2200 mAh NiMH batteries for around $10.00 USD and a charger for around $10.00 USD also.

 The unit I have comes with 1 universal mini USB adapter plug and 1 iPod Touch/iPhone plug (approximately 6 cm in length each). This works great for most of my devices since the mini USB works on all of my non Apple mobile devices. The manufacturer allows you to select your own cable connector when placing an order. The manufacturer states that 3000 different devices are supported therefore most major name brands and some little know brand products should be compatible to one of the connection cables available. If you use a mobile device that uses a mini USB power connection or your product happens to be manufactured by a popular name brand like Apple, Motorola, Sony/Ericsson, Blackberry, Garmin or HTC etc, you will be OK in getting the proper adapter for the Fueltank UNO. 

There are a number of issues I have with the Fueltank UNO.

1: The device cannot be used while being connected to the Fueltank UNO. Very awkward to carry since you now have two solid devices plus a flexible short cable in between. The cable can easily become disconnected either at the point of the battery pack or at the connection point of the device itself unless both are held firmly while using.

2: The recharge process is very slow since the unit operates like a trickle charger and not your standard AC adapter which charges devices far quicker. Some devices may require you to leave the device off or unused while recharging otherwise the power will only be supplied to the operational portion and no additional power going to recharge the batteri

3: I can only recharge my iPod Touch 2 times before the Fueltank UNO needs recharging. The manufacturer states 4X on the box which is misleading as far as Apple users goes since the image on the box also shows an iPhone connected. Something small like a Bluetooth headset for mobile phones might be more suited for this type of product. Connect to recharge and leave alone until completely recharged.

4: There is a blue indicator light that comes on when the adapter cable is connected therefore you cannot leave the cable connected to the battery pack when not in use otherwise you will drain the battery over time. This means, you must be careful that you do not misplace the cable when you are traveling or in a hurry.

5: The outer case does not have the look and feel of a quality product. Case flexes in the middle when squeezed. The angled sides of the case also makes the unit difficult to hold easily.

My suggestions to the manufacturer:

1: Redesign the case to be flatter with the sides angling the standard 90 degrees.

2: Design a connection adapter that is cableless and allows a connection to the external battery pack with the battery situated underneath the unit thus allowing both to be held with one hand only.

3: Allow for a simple ON/OFF switch to prevent the battery from being accidentally drained over time when the adapter cable is still connected.

4: Provide at least a 4000 mAh lithium-ion battery inside since this is designed as a power recharging unit and not an emergency unit. Emergency power units  are available from numerous manufactuers that use 1 or 2 AA batteries and work very well.

5: Provide actual indicator lights that are surface mounted instead of lights that shine through the flimsy plastic casing.

I have been reviewing mobile products for over 2 decades now, and I have found the Fueltank UNO to be the most difficult product I have reviewed in a very long time. The price of $49.95 USD is just too high for such a product at this low quality level. I would suggest a different option like the Energizer Energi to Go products or the dual AA battery iPodpower2 unit also from Energizer. You need to purchase at least 2 AA rechargebale batteries and a recharging unit separately but well worth it. Make sure the AA batteries have 2200 mAh or higher capacity rating.

Pros

• None

Cons

• Over priced
• Cannot use the mobile device easily with the Fueltank UNO connected
• Does not provide the 4X recharging capability with my iPod Touch or other USB based Smartphone devices
• Adapter cables too easy to lose or misplace

Overall Rating:

4 out of 10

The product unfortunately failed to provide the features and functionality that I would expect in such a product at the price point. The Fueltank UNO from Callpod is not something I would recommend at the current $49.95 USD price.

Final Verdict: Not Recommended

Manufacturer Callpod

 Earloomz

And to celebrate the launch of their Lady Gaga themed headsets, Earloomz is sending two lucky winners to meet Lady Gaga at her sold-out concert in Las Vegas on August 13, 2010. Prize package includes: airfare, hotel accommodations for each winner and one guest, transportation to and from the airport, and concert venue. The winners will then be invited to an exclusive meet-and-greet with Lady Gaga backstage.  Contestants will receive one entry for every Earloomz Bluetooth purchased on www.Earloomz.com before midnight August 10, 2010.

Note:

You do not actually have to purchase a pair of Bluetooth headsets from Earloomz to enter the contest. Just go to Earloomz and fill out the entry form.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYxCVfDB1wk

What is the Wowee One Gel Speaker System and why does it use the word “GEL” in the name?

 Well, these speakers produce the sound using a flat surface. Depending on the surface used, you will most likely have different results as to the quality of sound producted. This is nothing revolutionary since the basic premise of using a flat surface to generate sound have been around snce the late 1990′s. There are still others that do exactly the same as the Wowee One on the market. As for the word “GEL” in the name, I did not find a definition anywhere on the manufacturers website.

I scowered the Internet for some decent reviews on the product but only found the typical overviews of the product and no real reviews. Most say the product works and has OK sound or has a good bass sound. The specs indicate 40 Hz to 20,000 khz frequency range which does not seem like a great frequency response range to me. No review I have come across has really compared the sound to other standard speaker systems or other products using similar technology. I would like to determine these issues before considering this or any other similar product for purchase:

- Overall sound quality

- Size, weight and portability differences to other portable speakers

- Sound issues based on different audio sources

- Sound issues based on different surfaces used to produce the sound

- Price comparison to other speaker options

- Battery life of the portable audio source based on the use of the Wowee One vs other powered or non powered speaker systems. 

- Dollar for dollar, are the Wowee One Gel Speaker System worth the $90.00 USD asking price compared to other resonance based speaker systems or standard speakers in the same price range?

- Do the actual specs measure up?

These are some of the questions I have that are left unanswered for me and currently I feel that the Wowee One Gel System is not a product I would consider purchasing the next time I am in the market for a portable speaker system. Too many unknown factors to be spending $90.00 for a speaker that may produce the quality of sound I would prefer at the reasonable volume level for an external speaker system.

Time to look for other speaker systems in the $90.00 price range. For now, I would recommend the Tubebug Vibe instead. Lower price and looks far more stylist and very similar in functionality and features. Just watch the two videos below and see the products for yourself.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjttlrbmqJg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JNg2BejlMs

Another alternative you can consider are the I-Mo Resonance Speakers. These also generate sound when attached to a flat surface. The advantage with these are they come with a built in radio, built in MP3 player with 2 Gigs of memory for storing your own songs internally and the standard connection to an external music device. Best yet is the price which is the lowest of the 3 products @ around $46.00 USD. Since this one comes with a number of added features at a very low price point, the actual sound quality and volume level might be sub par.

You can also type “Flat Surface Resonance Speaker” in Google and locate other similar products for comparison purposes.

The first time I heard about the Nintendo NES, I could not believe that a small company that has been manufacturing playing cards for almost a century suddenly had released a home video gaming system. I was lucky enough to win one of the deluxe units that also included the interactive robot and the Zapper gun from Much Music. Much Music was located at 99 Queen St. East at the time before moving to 299 Queen St. West.

 Anyways, Nintendo went from an eight bit home gaming system to one of the leaders currently in home gaming systems today. Other companies at the time like Colecovision, Atari, and Commodore started to disappear from the mid 1980′s. 25 years later, Nintendo is still going strong with the announcement of the latest Nintendo DS handheld gaming system called the Nintendo 3DS.

 The Nintendo 3DS which is slated forrelease in the spring of 2011 as far as I can tell, seems to bring a whole new level of excitement to handheld gaming world. Now for the first time, you will be able to play 3D games on a screen without special glasses or additional accessories. The screen is 3.53 inches wide and is supposed to provide clear 3D imaging. The unit will come with Wi-Fi for Internet connectivity to content and online multi-player gaming. Nintendo is making access to much of the online content free of charge. No monthly fees. Plus an automated system which searches for Wi-Fi connections and other 3DS devices in the background to transfer different kind of content while in sleep mode. The 3DS will support cartridges that have 2 Gigs of memory and also play the DS and DSi games. In addition, a 3D camera is built in to take 3D images that you can view directly on the device.

 Disney, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks will also be making available Hollywood movies for the Nintendo 3DS. From what I have seen on the Nintendo website thus far, this unit will certainly be a huge success for Nintendo and blow all other handheld devices away. I currently have the 3rd generation iPod Touch for games but when the Nintendo 3DS becomes available in Canada, I can certainly see my iPod Touch collecting dust very quickly. I am certainly looking forward to getting my hands on one as soon as it becomes available.

You can go to the Nintendo website for more details and also watch the complete E3 presentation on all the latest Nintendo products slated for the 2010 Christmas season.

Source: Nintendo – Nintendo 3DS image

Added Note: There are numerous 3D TVs coming out on the market currently that require glasses for each viewer. This can get costly for families very quickly especially when the average price is around $250.00 USD for each pair of additional glasses. It will be interesting when the Nintendo 3DS screen technology makes it into the larger TV format. This will again change the TV landscape and make the current technology of requiring separate 3D glassess a thing of the past.

Looking through their website, apparently there parent company is DXG Technology Corporation which has been manufacturering OEM and ODM models for 20 years. The recent appearance of DXG USA seems to be their direct attempt to produce a consumer line under their own company name now.

The line up of digital video camera’s include standard video and HD video cameras. The price ranges from $109.99 USD on up to $319.99. Seems odd to me though that their basic standard video camera which has a resolution of 640 X 480 only has a cost of $109.99 and their HD camera which has a resolution of 1280 X 720 also sells for only $109.99.

DXG-563VS -$109.99 Standard definition camera

DXG-5B6VL QuickShots Lavender - $109.99 HD 720p Definition Camera

In both cases, the specifications are very similar with the DXG-5B6VL HD camera having a slightly better list of features. So why would anyone want to purchase the standard video version?  Hopefully I can get some clarifications from a representative at DXG USA.

In either case, the price seems very low for even the standard resolution digital video camera. I searched further on the Internet but failed to locate any comprehensive reviews. The details listed for each video camera is missing one crutial detail which is the bit-rate of the video produced in AVI or H.264 (MOV). Since this information is not available, it is hard to say how smooth the 640 X 480 or the 1280 X 720 video produced really is. Not sure if the missing detail is just an oversight on the company or purposely left out completely. One indicator of the video bit-rate can be extracted from the actual AVI format listed which is Motion JPEG. This is an older format used to create video from a collection of compressed JPEG images. The bit rate of motion JPEG is typically considered very low plus the compression used is a lossy compression meaning that the saved video is lower in quality over the actual captured video. 

The other problem I noticed was that the focal range in 5 feet to infinity using a fixed focus lens. This means you really have no control over the focus on the camera. Basically you have a point and shoot video camera only. The specifications also indicate a 4 X digital zoom is supported but no indication on if you actually have zoom in and out control on either camera during filming.  

Currently based on the online specifications, I would say these digital video cameras are most likely in the category of “you get what you pay for”. A very low price point therefore very low quality in product and video image produced. If you are looking to have flexibility in your video shooting options and a true HD quality video, I would consider looking elsewhere.

Some of the better choices out there are:

Sony HDR-CX110 $549.00 USD

Canon Vixia HF R100 $499.99 USD

Panasonic HDC-SD60S $499.95 USD

Sanyo VPC-SH1BK $399.99 USD

Examples:

• Insects
• Very small flowers
• Inside of the flower like the stamen and pistil
• The broken end of a hockey stick
• 3 – 4 keys on a piano
• inside of a wrist watch

You will be amazed at what you can discover when you get close and personal to your subjects. A spider on a spiders web or ants on a sunflower are moving specimens that are difficult to capture. Bees close up are also a challenge but can be very rewarding when you get that perfect shot. Try your hand at taking some Macro shots of stationery objects, you will be amazed on what turns out. There is a website devoted to macro photography located www.macrophotography.com which can serve asa great source for subject ideas.

The Nikon has built in

• 12.1 megapixel digital imaging sensor with a 5X wide angle zoom lens.

• VR Image Stabilization. Both optical and digital.

• Motion Detection. Camera automatically adjusts shutter speed and ISO to minimize camara shake and subject movement.

• 6400 ISO settings maximum for those really low light conditions.

• Rechargeable lithium battery good for approximately 220 shots per charge.

• Macro mode which allows for close up shots as close as 3 cm.

• Movie mode with sound (640 X 480) resolution.

The camera is rectangular and flat with a thickness of approximately 23 mm. Perfect for the pocket, purse or carry case.

This camera would be good for anyone that requires pictures to be taken and shown quickly like a real estate agent, any type of investigator or inspector. researcher, for insurance claims, or for those special gatherings or sporting events to show the participants the pictures right after the event. Great for school projects and presentations too I would think. The suggested retail price is $350.00 USD seems very reasonable for this type of unique product.

Final Verdict: Recommend

www.nikonusa.com

Nikon Coolpix S1000pi

Titles vary, depending on your platform:

• Top Hits Solitaire (Symbian S60 and Windows Mobile users)
• Can’t Stop FreeCell and Can’t Stop Klondike (BlackBerry and Java users)

Can’t Stop Klondike, the oldest and best-known solitaire game in the world, and Can’t Stop FreeCell, a more challenging and skill-dependent solitaire game, normally retail for US $7.95 each. The Top Hit Solitaire Collection, a pack of 15 of the most popular solitaires with customizable card backs and backgrounds to create the desired mood, normally retails for US $19.95 (Symbian S60) and US $14.95 (Windows Mobile). Giveaway versions of the software are available under an unlimited use license for the remainder of the 2010 World Cup Games, and will expire on July 11, 2010.

For more information, visit our retail site or blog.

About Paragon Software Group

Paragon Software Group, now celebrating its 15th anniversary, is an innovative software developer focused on two dynamic growth markets. The company’s comprehensive product line for the data storage market addresses the needs of data security, storage and management for PCs, servers and networks. A second portfolio of products focuses on mobile productivity applications for handheld devices. Founded in 1994, Paragon Software has offices in the USA, Germany, Japan, and Russia delivering its solutions to consumers, small business and enterprise clients worldwide through a network of Value Added Resellers, distributors and OEMs as well as online through the company website. Paragon Software provides technology to a host of world-class companies and partners including Cisco, Dell, Toshiba, NEC, Siemens, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, and more. For more information please visit the company websites:
Storage Management Division: http://www.paragon-software.com
Smart Handheld Devices Division: http://www.penreader.com
Epocware: http://www.epocware.com

All products, service and company names mentioned in the release are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

###

This morning I experienced heavy rains for over 3 hours and the sudden appearance of the sun. Then another short burst of heavy rain that appeared within minutes. Accessing the weather channel or the online weather reports is OK for general regional weather conditions but not very accurate for localized weather reports since I live in the southern west end of the city. This area is not monitored by any weather station as far as I know that I can access quickly online.

I decided to see if there are any electronic weather stations that are geared for home use and I was surprised to find many that are really reasonable in cost and highly functional. Here is a short list of manufacturers.

• La Crosse Technology

• Oregon Scientific

• Ambient Weather

• Peet Bros.

• Davis

• Rain Wise

There are probably many more that I missed while searching the Internet. These products all do basically the same function. They measure:

• The temperature

• The pressure

• The humidity

• The wind speed and direction

Plus various changes of these conditions over time are collected to predict future weather patterns and conditions. Some even go as far as detecting the total rain fall and the wind chill. I was surprised to find out that most of these products connect either by wire or wirelessly to the main display unit plus connect directly to a PC and some even receive accurate time syncronization over the radio waves.

Since these are digital devices, the display can be set for Metric or Imperial measurement standards. Some manufacturers also provide units that display weather information directly from an online source when connected to the Internet.

If you are into golfing, gardening, fishing, kite flying,  jogging plus many other outdoor activities, investing in an electronic weather station of some kind may turn out to be a great investment in time management and outdoor productivity. Take a look at the various manufacturers listed above for more specific details. Prices range from around $100.00 USD to $300.00 USD on up.

Final Verdict Recommend