RedEye Mini For iPhone and iPod Touch

RedEye Mini is not a red eye reduction product or a product that is photography related in anyway. RedEye Mini is the latest product release from THINKFLOOD. They are a new company that manufacturers infra-red adapters for the iPhone and iPod Touch devices that allows you to control other devices. The RedEye Mini is a small adapter that plugs into your headphone jack. By installing the associated software, your iPhone or iPod Touch turns into a sophisticated touch screen universal remote control for most of your home appliances.

Eating Healthy on a Busy Schedule

Many of us are busy throughout the day either sitting behind a desk on the computer or travelling with our mobile devices. It is very crucial that we maintain a good healthy diet with exercise. There are times when it just becomes difficult to take the necessary break to enjoy a good relaxing meal during the afternoon or early evening. I have a bad habit of eating unhealthy snacks like cookies, chips, and microwave popcorn.

Technobrains Officially Becomes Canadian

Today – February 8, 2010 is a great day for Technobrains. The domain name www.technobrains.ca is now part of the Technobrains family. Now, Technobrains can be recognized as a true Canadian website. Open to the general public since 2002, Technobrains has become a valued website on the Internet for News and Reviews relating to ALL THINGS MOBILE. Currently, you will be redirected from www.technobrains.ca to www.technobrains.com but this may change in the future.

Toronto, Canada

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]Toronto, Canada is the home location for www.technobrains.com. Most of what we report and discuss on Technobrains is about products and services created and offered in the United States. There will be on occasion, products from Canada and overseas that catch our eye. With the vast number of mobility electronic products continously being [...]

Quick Look: APPDOPE Website for iPhone

I was just contacted by Morgan Davies who runs www.appdope.com. This is website devoted to iPhone and iPod Touch related software promotions. This site keeps track of newly released software and monitors existing software for price drops and other incentives that benefit the end user.

Every Friday, www.appdope.com also gives away promotional codes to various software titles. According to Morgan, they currently have available over 50 promotional codes to giveaway. Anyone that owns an iPhone or iPod Touch should check out APPDOPE on a regular basis and especially on Fridays. You will need to register an account on APPDOPE and follow the links associated with the giveaway apps to qualify for the promo giveaways. I would suggest you go to www.appdope.com to get the whole story and enjoy what this great website has to offer.

Apple iPad is Full of Juice

I having been reading various comments coming out of yesterdays Apple announcement on the Apple iPad. Some are positive but some are also on the negative side. Overall the impression I have is that the Apple iPad will do well once it becomes available. The starting price of $499.00 USD for the 16 Gb version is enough to peak interest in most people. I feel the Apple iPad is full of juice and not an over hyped product.

The iPad seems to be situated right in the middle of the smartphone and laptop category as far as functionality goes. No other ebook reader on the market currently or coming out this year except for the enTourage eDGe can be placed in the same category. Most are specifically ebook readers with some added online capabilities.

Quick Look: QSTARZ BT-Q1000eX GPS Lap Timer with eXtreme 5Hz log speed

A new handheld GPS unit comes to market with high speed data logging. Typically, a GPS device has been used to capture the location of the user at any given timeframe. Also, GPS units are allowing the user to keep more details about the actual trip like:

Total distance travelled
Total time taken
Average speed for the trip
Waypoints to determine actual route taken

Science Fiction Meets Science Reality

Remember the movie “Star Trek IV – The Voyage Home”? Scotty needed to create a tank onboard to house two hump backed whales. He gave the technical specs to a manufacturer to create a sheet of transparent aluminum. A lab at Oxford University has now created such a transparent aluminum sheet. Now a company called Skiff will be releasing an ebook reader later this year which uses a thin transparent metallic layer instead of glass to protect the screen underneath. The silicon thin film transistors (TFT) are also on a flexible stainless steel substrate which makes the whole screen shatterproof and crack proof.

MSI: Musical Keyboard for your iPhone and iPod Touch

I have been a fan of MIDI ever since it became popular in the 80’s. In the 90’s MIDI controller keyboards became available that removed much of the sound processing and programming power from the actual keyboard synthesizer and relied on an external computer system as the source. This was revolutionary for those limited in budget but more importantly allowed musicians to use the keyboard mainly for playing and rely totally on the computer sequencing software to control the MIDI data. Most sequencing software at the time did not recognize specific makes and models of keyboard synths therefore manufacturer specific features were not directly accessible via the various computer music programs when someone used a full featured synthesizer.

I must have a twin working for ION Audio or a designer there must have read my mind. I say this because I have always wanted an external musical keyboard that I could dock into a handheld computer. Not connect via cable like to a laptop but have the keyboard actually merged with the handheld like the Windows Mobile device when they first came out.

Que proReader vs enTourage eDGe

Full page ebook readers will be a huge market this year. With declining PC and netbook sales, the next surge will be tablet PC’s or more importantly PC/ebook/touch screen devices. No more DVD-ROMs, physical hard drives, expensive operating system upgrades or the $1000.00+ price tag.

CES LIVE: Jamie Sorcher Introduces Some of the Latest Products For 2010

Jamie Sorcher joins Bob Katayama from the floor of this years Consumer Electronics Show to tell us about some of the NEW and HOT products for 2010. Just Click the image below to watch:

Products Covered:
LG Next Generation Blu-Ray
Panasonic 3D Television
Polk Audio’s HitMaster
Entourage Edge
Logitech’s Lapdesk

Interview With Jamie Sorcher Live From the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

I just had the pleasure of interviewing Jamie Sorcher and Jamie showcased 5 of the NEW and HOT products for 2010.

Products Covered:
Panasonic 3D Television
LG Next Generation Blu-Ray
Polk Audio’s HitMaster
Entourage Edge
Logitech’s Lapdesk
I will be posting the actual video once completed in the next day or two.

Stay tuned.

Bob Katayama Executive Editor

Happy Holidays From All of us at Technobrains.com

We would like to wish everyone the best and the warmest holiday season. Hope 2010 bring continued joy and happiness to all of you and the people around you.

Happy Holidays.

Bob Katayama Executive Editor

DIY Digital Camera Kit For Kids

Rating 4.00 out of 5

[?]
Digital Camera Thursdays – December 24:
I can remember when I was a little kid, I would take many things apart with a simple screwdriver. I was curious on how a winding alarm clock or a wrist watch looked on the inside. Sometimes, I would wind up breaking a part or two. Luckily my [...]

Magellan(R) Launches Premium Car Kit for iPhone and iPod Touch

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]New Cradle Provides Complete Hands-Free Navigation Solution
SANTA CLARA, Calif. Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ — Magellan, one of the leading GPS brands, today announced an innovative new vehicle mount for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and second generation iPod touch. With a built-in GPS receiver for improved navigation accuracy, the Premium Car Kit [...]

MSI: Paper-thin Batteries Made from Algae

A number of researchers worldwide are developing paper thin batteries that will allow for paper thin products to hit the consumer shelves in the coming years. One concept being developed use algae which is available all around the world in large quantities. These batteries will be thin and light enough to be combined with traditional paper, fabric or solid material coatings to create all sorts of interactive displays and surface changing features.

Quote from www.livescience.com

“Scientists worldwide are striving to develop thin, flexible, lightweight, inexpensive, environmentally friendly batteries made entirely from nonmetal parts. Among the most promising materials for these batteries are conducting polymers.”

Potential 2012 Christmas gifts from the minds eye of Bob Katayama:

Technobrains Create QUICK LOOK Logo Program For Recommended Products

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]Today, www.technobrains.com would like to announce that products that are recommended by our editors/writers can have a “QUICK LOOK Recommended” logo proudly associated with the product. Manufacturers and developers can use this “QUICK LOOK Recommended” logo on their website as part of their product literature and/or packaging.
The popularity of the QUICK LOOK postings on [...]

QUICK LOOK Logo Program

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]Technobrains now has a QUICK LOOK Logo Program. This simple program allows any manufacturer or developer to proudly display the QUICK LOOK Recommended Logo on their website, product literature and/or packaging once Technobrains has deemed a product worth recommending.
The process is very simple;

Manufacturer or developer submits product to Technobrains for a [...]

FLip UltraHD vs KODAK Zx1 Pocket Video Camera

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]Small unibody digital cameras are starting to become very popular for those that would like to have a camera handy anytime. The two most recognizable products currentlyavailable are the FLip Nino/Ultra series and the KODAK Zi/Zx series. All are approximately the size of a disposal camera and have simplified controls. For the vs comparison, [...]

Have You FLipped Out Yet? – FLip Ultra From Pure Digital

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]I just received a first generation FLip Video camcorder and I had to make this post as soon as I could. This is certainly old news but until I actually got my hands on one of these FLip cams, I had no idea how good the product actually is. If I was to design [...]

Nexus One Google Phone Sneak Peak

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]Well, it had to happen eventually. The first images and details about an Android 2.1 based Google phone are now available. The details are still limited but if the information is accurate, the phone should be available for purchase unlocked. This would be great news for someone like myself that would love [...]

Google Chrome Users Rejoice: An RSS Feed Reader Fix Available Online

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]I just discovered that our RSS feed is not accessible through Google Chrome. Seems that Google Chrome does not have the RSS support built in at this stage of development. I was able to find an online solution that can be added easily to the Google Chrome Bookmark Bar.
First, you need [...]

MSI: Watching Videos Directly on Your iPod Touch

Downloading videos to my iPod Touch is a real pain just as it has been with most of my music files. Early last year, I used to search the Internet for hacks and applications that would allow me to download videos from Youtube. I finally came across a version of RealPlayer which allows me to download the Youtube video and watch it anytime without streaming/downloading the same file from Youtube each time. Whenever I go to a video on Youtube or some of the other sites, I can mouse over the video and see a download video link appear on the top right of the Adobe Flash based video. Once I click the link, the video is automatically downloaded onto my laptop. This was a great Internet Explorer plugin that came with the FREE RealPlayer download.

Electric Pocket Has Released FestiveTones

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]Electric Pocket has released FestiveTones — a holiday version of its MailTones app for iPhone — so now you can set certain holiday tones to play when specific people send you emails. The collection of alert tones include sleigh bells, brass bands and carols.
With FestiveTones, iPhone users can set a holiday [...]

Good.iWare Releases Update to its GoodReader File Viewer for iPhone

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]Good.iWare announces the latest version of its GoodReader file viewer application for iPhone and iPod Touch, which includes “PDF Reflow” – the most anticipated feature for PDF file readers. A beta of the PDF Reflow feature was available in the previous version, and the final release of it is included in [...]

Paragon Software Releases Handy Safe Pro Software, Advanced Mobile Data Protection for Windows Mobile Phones

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]Professional Level of Private Data Protection, Strong Encryption and Password Security, Finger-friendly Interface and Smooth PC Sync
Freiburg, GERMANY – December, 2009 – Paragon Software Group announces the release of Handy Safe Pro, the new professional version of the best-selling private data storage application for Windows Mobile devices (Symbian S60 application was [...]

Eye-Fi Collaborates With Google’s Picasa to Make Storing and Sharing Memories Easier

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]Consumers Who Buy 200GB or More of Extra Google Storage Receive a Free Eye-Fi Card in Time for the Holidays
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Dec. 8, 2009 — Today Eye-Fi Inc. announced a collaboration with Google’s Picasa that makes sharing and storing memories effortless, just in time for the holidays.  Anyone who [...]

Free For All Weekend: Why I Purchased an iPod Touch

Many of you have known me as a long time Windows Mobile PDA user. During the period of 2004 – 2008, I was also a Microsoft Valuable Professional in the mobility category for my contributions to the Windows Mobile online community. Since 2008, I have noticed a wave of iPhone and iPod Touch users. As with the older iPod devices, these users mainly listened to their vast collection of music and watched the odd TV show or movie. In early 2008, Windows Mobile developers started to contact me for reviews on iPhones and iPod Touch devices. Since I did not own an Apple product, I was not in any position to accept their offer.

As months past, I started to notice a decline in the release of new Windows Mobile games and applications. Looking into this immediately indicated that many Windows Mobile developers had started to expand into the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch arena. I would not have thought twice about this market switch if it was not for the fact that these games and applications were being made available on the iTunes store for 99 cents. Typically a similar game or application on the Windows Mobile would be anywhere from $9.95 – $19.95 with some being much higher. Initially, I took this as a introductory trend and within 4 – 6 months I felt I would start to see a large number of iPhone and iPod Touch applications appear in the $10.00 price range or higher.

Great Deals on iPhone Accessories From Wireless Ground

It’s always great when you can pickup some excellent deals a month before Christmas. Wireless Ground has a large number of deals available for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. Many of the deals are 50% off or greater. Also Wireless ground has FREE shipping for purchases over $50.00 USD and a flat rate of $3.95 for purchases under $50.00. You cannot miss this opportunity to purchase an Apple accessory before the Christmas sale is over.

Digital Music Fridays: Alternative to iTunes on Windows

Being a long time PC user, I had also started to use a Mac for artistic reasons in the last 3 years. The Mac computer excels in areas like photo editing, music editing, and various other multimedia based applications. One aspect of the Apple line that I have never really embraced is the iTunes application. I have always enjoyed other PC based applications like Real Player and even Windows Media Player.

I recently acquired a third generation iPod Touch and the more I try to get comfortable with iTunes, the more I dislike iTunes. I have problems transfering or syncing my music collection easily to the ipod Touch due to DRM issues or others issues which the iTune application does not clearly indicate. Transfering files over to the iPod as a generic file is not possible through iTunes. There is no way to see the iPod Touch as a physical drive letter or folder to transfer files to. Everything must be imported into iTunes for syncing and all the non Apple acceptable files cannot be imported for syncing.

Tech Buyers Guide

Populare Science Magazine has made available their Tech Buyers Guide online for FREE viewing.

http://popsci.com/buyersguide

GPS Wednesdays: November 25th

Tips on Buying a Useful Car Navigation GPS
Knowing exactly what you need in a GPS device is very important before making the leap to buying one. There are car navigation versions, mobile versions, marine plus GPS add-ons for PDA and computers. All can be used or adapted for use in the car but none are suited specifically for use in the car like a true car navigation GPS.

TIPS When Buying:

GoPro HD Hero vs VholdR ContourHD – Extreme Sport Digital Camera

Extreme Sports have been very popular in the last 20+ years. It has always been a challenge for these sports enthusiasts to visually document their amazing accomplishments. Digital cameras have allowed many in the past 10 years or so to strap on a handheld camera to their helmet or carry as they performed their daredevil stunts. These cameras are bulky and prone to all sorts of problems. Within the last 2 years, we have seen some interesting advances in portable HD camera designs. The two cameras I will compare are specifically designed for the extreme sports enthusiast to strap on and record their achievements in 1080p HD video.

Free For All Weekend – November 22nd

We are now in the tail end of November and we have experienced one of the best November weather in a good number of years. This has allowed me to devote more time outdoors instead of being under the covers staying warm. To maximize the enjoyment of this great weather, I have been taking part in various activities. Most activities are those that allowed me to get some exercise and enjoy the simple things in life.

Are You Addicted to Twitter? – If so, You Need This New Device Called the TwitterPeek.

I thought carrying a cellphone, point and shoot camera, MP3 player and a PDA was bad enough. How about adding a TwitterPeek device to the collection? This new offering seems like a great addition to the geeky mobile person I have become. It is a simple device that allows you send and receive emails plus do twittering on the go. The cost of the device is not cheap though. At $199.00 USD, it is not a really high cost but the advanatge is it comes with a lifetime of free service with no added cost or contracts. There is the option to buy a unit for only $99.00 USD with a 6 months worth of free service and the added service fee afterwards is only $7.95 per month USD which is not bad either.

Will this technology really take off?

Will Coins and Bills Eventually Disappear to be Replaced With an Electronic Wallet?

In Canada it is taken for granted that we can use our ATM/ABM (Automated Teller Machines – Automated Bank Machines) cards to buy gas, food at groceries, restaurants, liquor stores and elsewhere. Most places of business accept direct debit card transactions. Some places do pose a $5.00 minimum but that is a small price to pay for added convenience. Sure most countries accept credit cards for the same type of purchases but not always a debit card. Even in the United States, many states lack the acceptance of debit cards unless it is a debit card and credit card combination like a Mastercard debit card. These cards are not the same since you still need to top up the Mastercard debit card when the funds run low on the card.

In most Canadian cities, you have ATM/ABM machines in banks open 24/7, in convenience stores, bars and even ATM/ABM only locations. Some cities even have ATM/ABM drive thru. The only convenience area that still lacks the use of an ATM/ABM card is on vending machines. Some do exist but not a common sight yet. To carry cash or go to a bank to withdraw cash first before shopping is nolonger a neccessity. Many major retailers and businesses also allow a CASH BACK transaction with the purchase. This makes it truly convenient when you are strapped for time.

Digital Camera Mondays: November 16th

Many amateur photographers feel that they lack the quality in their photos since their equipment they use is not as great as those used by professional photographers. Professionals do have an advantage over amateurs purely by the fact that their equipment are more expensive and higher in imaging quality. This does not automatically mean someone with an expensive camera will always take better photos. Many professionals lack one element when on a photo shoot. This element is time therefore many professionals use the more expensive cameras to allow them to quickly adjust and set the camera for the ever changing lighting conditions or use equipment that is specifically suited for the condition they are shooting in. Lower priced consumer cameras take much longer to adjust for each shooting condition meaning the opportunity to take that one money making shot could be lost.

Today, I wanted to discuss how you can utilize your existing camera equipment to improve your photos since time is not an issue. First and foremost is you need to understand the ins and outs of your current camera. All digital cameras have a number of buttons that allow for customization. Be it from adjusting the ISO setting, white balance, how the camera focuses, if the flash is on or off etc. . .

CyberLink Launches TrueTheater Enhancer, the Video Playback Enhancer for YouTube

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]
Taipei, Taiwan—October 15, 2009—CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), innovative solutions provider for the connected media lifestyle today released CyberLink TrueTheater Enhancer that improves the playback quality of videos on YouTube™, including “High Quality” and “HD” online video content. Based on the same advanced TrueTheater Technology that is featured in CyberLink’s leading DVD player [...]

GREAT HEADPHONES ARE LIKE READING GLASSES FOR YOUR AUDIO BOOK

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]

 Phiaton Offers Book Lovers a Great Listen;
Announces $100 Discount With Audiobooks from Audible.com!
– Hi Res Photos and Review Samples Available Upon Request –
 
Irvine, CA – Phiaton, a top premium headphone brand is giving book lovers an ultimate audiobook experience from Audible.com, a leading provider of premium digital spoken-word information and entertainment.  Starting [...]

Pimp Your Tech – Tips on How to Accessorize Our Favorite Gadgets

Users of electronic devices can truly enhance the enjoyment of their device with the addition of accessories. Power and performance improvements are just some of the added benefits. There are accessories geared towards kids, students and the budget conscious.

Technobrains.com Interviews Colleen Lerro From the Consumer Electronics Association

At 9:15 am this morning, I had the privilege of interviewing Colleen Lerro from the Consumer Electronics Association over the telephone. For those not familiar with the CEA, CEA produces the annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas). If you have never been to the Consumer Electronics Show, you have to make a trek at least once to experience this grand showcase in person of thousands of new consumer products.

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]
CyberLink Showcases Multimedia Solutions Optimized for Netbooks and Nettops at Computex 2009
Taipei, Taiwan—June 2, 2009—CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), innovative solutions provider for the connected digital lifestyle, announces that the company is showcasing a series of digital media applications designed for Netbooks and Nettops at Computex 2009.
Netbooks and Nettops are new fast rising [...]

Portable Power in Style: Jumpstart Chargers Keep Your Devices Always Powered

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]
Sleek, attractive designs perfect for the active lifestyle; cell phones, smart phones, handheld games and other USB devices
 
AVANEL, NJ. 29, 2009 – Digipower, makers of mobile power solutions for electronic devices, today announced the launch of the Jumpstart family of universal chargers led by its flagship product the Jumpstart Sport. [...]

CyberLink Partners with VIA to Deliver Lossless HD Audio Playback with Blu-ray Content Protection

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]
Taipei, Taiwan—May 27, 2009—CyberLink Corporation (5203.TW), innovative solutions provider for the connected digital lifestyle, announced today its partnership with VIA Technologies, Inc. to enable the VIA Vinyl VT1818S and VT1828S HD audio codecs within PowerDVD, delivering unsurpassed HD audio playback at 192kHz/24bit.  The VIA Vinyl VT1818S and VT1828S are high fidelity, [...]

Review: Portable Clickfree Automated External Backup From Storage Appliance Corporation

Wassop! Tuday – The common problem with doing a backup of my computers is dealing with opened files and opened programs always meant saving and closing the applications before doing a backup. Using the computer while the backup was taking place meant not having access to the computer. Installation of automated backup software always promised simple and headache FREE operations but this was never the case with all backup software I have used. The setup alone would be a nightware to configure. Did I want a file backup, mirror backup, backup right away, schedule a backup, uncompressed files, compressed files, encrypted files, incremental backup, overwrite old files and many more annoying decisions to make before you can start the backup process. If I forget to leave the computer on or the backup drive installed on my laptop, a message usually appears the next time I turn on the laptop that the scheduled backup was not completed and provide options but usually meant I would just reschedule. Sometimes missing 2 – 3 backup sessions.

Watch Quality TV For FREE with a $2.99 Upgrade

Wassup! Today – Over the past 10 years or so, I was subscribing to cable TV that was not the greatest as far as the picture quality goes. The lower channels from 6 – 2 would always be grainy and the rest would get worse over time. Every 6 to 8 months, I would have to bleed the cable line to eliminate the static build up. The first time I ran into poor quality, I called the cable company and that was all the repair person did. Attach a fancy device to the incoming cable line and remove the static built up in the cabling. Over the years, I would resort to bleeding the cable line myself by attaching a self made cable adapter that would connect to the radiator piping. after about 5 minutes, I would reconnect the cable to the TV and the picture quality would be better.

Review: Bluetooth Stereo Sunglasses From Trispecs

Wassup! Today – Bluetooth headsets have become very popular in the last couple of years since many countries have instituted a law prohibiting drivers from using a cell phone that is held against your ear while driving. Most of these Bluetooth headsets have been the mono/single earpiece design. The lack of wireless stereo headsets was mainly due to the fact that a phone conversation is mono in nature plus the lack of software or Bluetooth stereo profile support. Now that the proper stereo profile A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution profile) and the remote control profile AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile) has been created, we are able to take advantage of the stereo music that many cell phones support now wirelessly. To add more style and functionality to the wireless stereo music enjoyment and cell phone call access, Trispecs has combined the stereo Bluetooth headset support into a stylist pair of sunglasses.

Quick Look: Fish Frenzy

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]I like free games for my iPhone.  Besides the obvious fact that they don’t hurt the wallet any, it’s a win-win situation in terms of what I get.  If I like the game, it’s a bonus, and if I don’t, I just delete it and move on.  Thankfully, Fish Frenzy falls [...]

Storage Appliance Corp. Introduces Clickfree Traveler, World’s Smallest Totally Automatic PC Backup Device

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]
Storage Appliance Corp. introduces Clickfree Traveler, world’s smallest totally automatic PC backup device, and Clickfree Transformer, a simpler way to burn data to optical discs
The size of a credit card, the Clickfree Traveler slips easily into a wallet;
New Clickfree DVD Transformer bypasses tricky CD & DVD burning software

TORONTO – MAY 7, [...]

Review: Siso Tablo From Hantech

Wassup! Today – The Siso Tablo from www.hantech.ca is certainly an interesting product to review. First off, I have been using a Wacom 4 X 6 drawing tablet for some time now. Great for drawing programs, navigating quickly on Internet Explorer and numerous other programs. The problem I have always had with the Wacom was I cannot easily use it with my laptop when the desk space is limited. The added space required for the Wacom drawing tablet is always an issue. Taking the tablet on the road is not really convenient also. Now the Siso Tablo solves the limited desk space issue nicely and is made for convenient use on the road as well.

The Popularity of The Linux Operating System

Wassup! Today – I just read an article HERE by Preston Gralla that states in conclusion, “Linux will never become a mainstream operating system on desktops, and so for client machines, it will remain largely confined to netbooks. Market surveys have shown that Linux sales on netbooks have plunged to only 10% of netbooks.

Given that, how will Linux ever reach 10% to 20% of the market? The answer: It never will. It will remain a niche operating system, and a very good one at that.”

SMS-Chat 1.2 Released! – Vito Technology

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[?]
SMS-Chat 1.2 Released!
Chat with style!

April 28th , 2009 – VITO Technology releases the new 1.2 version of SMS-Chat. Our bestseller for threaded SMS on Windows Mobile handsets now has 3 skins, backup function for your messages straight from the application and. last but not least major bugs have been fixed.
SMS-Chat a [...]

What is The Future For Skype?

Wassup! Today – Skype created huge waves when it first appeared online in August of 2003. In September of 2005, Skype was bought by eBay for 2.6 billion dollars. The software based telephone service was a big draw for many Internet users since it allowed users to call other Skype users anywhere in the world for FREE. There were other VOIP services around but Skype at the time offered the clearest audio quality and the least amount of audio lag. Ever since eBay bought the company, the subscriber base and usage of the paid features has not really increased to offset the original purchase price of the company. Apparently, Skype generated 126 million dollars in the first quarter of 2009 with 309 million users world wide.

Handmark Provides End to End Store Front Solutions For Independent Developers

Wassup! Today – Handmark has just announced their own mobile solution for independent developers to quickly create a branded online App Store that allows for maximum sales potential. The announcement does not go into any details about this new offering. Questions that stll need answering:

MSI: The Deal Between Lexcycle and Amazon.com

Wassup! Today -The BLOG @ Lecycle.com has announced that their product STANZA and the company has been bought by Amazon. The company created about 1 year ago released STANZA on the APPLE APP Store for FREE. I was curious to find out why this deal was important to Amazon and what STANZA really offered that was appealing. There are a number of other e-book reading software available for the iPhone also like:

Walking Down the APPLE Memory Lane

Wassup! Today -It has been almost 33 years since Steve Jobs first started APPLE Computers. Since his absence from the company from January of 2009, the company seems to be very quiet. There is a good online history of Steve Jobs and APPLE posted HERE by The New York Times. It is truly amazing to see how APPLE has actually gone from a small company offering the original APPLE II computer to the company it is today.

Bluetooth Trispecs Stereo Fashion Eyewear

Wassup! Today – Everywhere I go nowadays, I see someone talking and walking as if they are talking to themselves. It is not until I take a closer look that I realize they have one of the many mono Bluetooth headset connected wirelessly to their cell phone. A few years back Oakley released an MP3 player embedded inside a pair of fashion sunglasses. Currently the various models range from $270.00 – $390.00 CAD.

Quick Look: Cinemin Swivel Pico DLP Video Projector

Wassup! Today – Last year the big news in video projection was the release of various Texas Instruments DLP processor based pico handheld projectors. Another version will hit the market soon called the Cinemin Swivel. This is one of the smallest I have discovered thus far. Designed to connect to a number of mobile devices including the Apple iPhone.

Quick Look: External Hard Drive Backup From Clickfree

Wassup! Today – External backup systems have been around almost as long as laptops. There are numerous backup choices out there from various hard drive manufacturers and memory manufacturers like Maxtor and Lexar. A new backup manufacturer has appeared on the scene called Clickfree. This manufacturer offers a selection of external hard drives that require no software installation and configuration. All you do is plug the drive into a USB port and forget about it. The package automatically recognizes over 400 file types. The laptop I am currently writing this post on has a 70 Gb hard drive therefore I would require 80+ to be comfortable that an external drive can backup everything contained on this unit. Clickfree sells various sizes and the starting size is 120 Gb with the cost being $89.99. This is a great deal for an external USB backup drive that is small and requires no software installation or configuration.

Free For All Weekend: April 25

Wassup! Today – Protecting Your Kids
More and more parents are now getting cell phones for their teen and pre-teens in an effort to protect them and make them safer. For the most part, I do not blame the parents for this rise in cell phone usage by kids. The manner in which the industry is promoting the services is the main culprit. Companies are making cell phones in sizes and colors that appeal to young kids This article on MSNBC covers some of these phones for kids. Another promotional avenue is for cell phone carriers is to provide a family plan and also have special deals on phones like BUY ONE and GET ONE FREE. The ability to interact with TV shows and radio programs geared towards kids via SMS messaging is another way companies can get more kids to use cell phones and generates added revenue.

Digital Music Fridays: April 24

Wassup! Today -Kurzweil Keyboard

I have been a huge fan of Kurzweil keyboards ever since there first release in 1983 of the K250. Kurzweil recently released the PC361 Controller. This keyboard has 61-note lightly-weighted synth action with velocity and aftertouch sensitive keys with 128 voice polyphony and over 850 preset sounds. This keyboard is like having a synthesizer, controller keyboard and sequencer in one unit. The PC361 is a MIDI sythesizer which uses the newer MIDI through USB connection which allows for the fastest data rate possible for the MIDI signal. You can find the full specifications HERE. Plenty of onboard controls that can be accessed from the computer connected via the USB.

We are on Twitter @ twitter.com/technobrains

Wassup! Today -We have been on Twitter for a week now. The search on Twitter does not seem to be quick on the draw as far as adding new accounts to its search feature. You can simply follow us by going to Technobrains.

For those not familiar with Twitter will quickly realize that Twitter is a great way to understand what your freinds and family are doing without getting deeply personal and having to weed through hundreds of email rants that take away from your productive day. Individual posts are limited to 140 characters or less thus the postings are short and to the point. There is absolutely no obligation for you to respond back to the postings as you would with a traditional email.

Review: Cyberlink PowerDirector 7

Wassup! Today – Video editing has suddenly become a huge hobby for many with the popularity of YOUTUBE and other online video sharing websites. I have never been a fan of software that comes packaged with the video hardware equipment. If it was possbile to purchase the hardware only and save a few dollars I would do so. Many professionals use software from a company called Avid which makes the Avid Media Composer 3.5. This is an online and offline editor which allows you to create a low res copy of the original as a working copy and then transfer all the reference data back to the master copy for final rendering. Great piece of software but unfortunately for most of us, the software is just too expensive @ $2500.00 USD and has a high learning curve. This is where a software program like Cyberlink’s PowerDirector 7 comes in.

Open Source Hardware the Wave of New Mobility Products

Wassup! Today – Yesterday, I briefly touched on the topic of OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE by mentioning an innovative device being introduced on TED. I have been aware of a group called Bug Labs that have been doing some creative designs for some time now. What is uniquely special about Bug Labs design is that all their OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE products are modular and designed to fit the form factor of all their other modular products.

The Future of Mobile Interactive Devices

Wassup! Today – A presentation of a device being developed has been posted on TED. This device has been created using off the shelf products for $350.00 USD and has a huge potential in making our lives so much easier and more intuitive. To really appreciate what this device can do, you have to go HERE to see the short video.

Technobrains Now on Twitter. . .

Wassup! Today – Social networking sites are truly exploding even with the recession. I have been reluctant until now to be apart of an online social network since email alone is a full time activity on to itself. The beauty of twitter is that what you say is limited to 140 characters only. All you do is answer one question – “what are you doing”? Interested twitterers or twits can follow you and leave comments if interested. It’s a great way to let people in a private or public group know what you are up to without getting into too much details.

Mastercard Launches a FREE Mobile “ATM Hunter ” Application

Wassup! Today -The new “ATM Hunter” application from MasterCard for the iPhone and iPod touch enables users to locate the nearest ATM anywhere in the world they are. MasterCard ATM Hunter is the first in a series of FREE applications that MasterCard is developing specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch.

PDA Tuesdays: April 14

Wassup! Today! Get an Accessroy for Your Mobile Device Tomorrow and Recieve a 25% Discount
PPCTECH is offerring a 25% discount on all accessory orders processed tomorrow April 15th. If you have a PDA, cell phone or iPod, you can go to www.ppctech.com to place your order. Use the code TAXDISC09 during check out in the special instructions/comments field to recieve your discount.

Google Releases Update to Android Software

GPS Wednesdays: April 08

Wassup! Today – Real World Interactions Using Yellowpin
The next generation of social lifestyle tool is now available. The product is called Yellowpin and originally appeared on Facebook as an add-on application. It’s a very simple application to use and take advantage of. Anyone with a SMS capable phone can easily send a text message and have their activity and location made available to all their buddies in the social network.

MSI: Plug in Computers

Wassup! Today – Awhile back I had reviewed a product that allows you to use your home wiring to extend your networking capabilities. The product called the Megaplug AV is available for $169.00 USD. This product uses two boxes about the size of a standard electrical outlet plate. The Pogoplug is a similar sized box that allows you to configure any USB based mass storage device for access via the Internet for $99.00 USD. Once you connect the Pogoplug to an electrical outlet and connect your Internet router and an external mass stoarge device, you can go online and configure the device for access via the Internet. This means files stored on the mass storage device can be accessed while on the road or made available on a website via my.pogoplug.com website. You can send a simple link to files and images to friends and family easily using this device. No more third party websites, like www.flickr.com, smugmug.com and others required to host your public images or sensitive files.

Digital Camera Mondays: April 6

Wassup! Today -30 Megapixel DSLR Camera From Pentax

I just came across a Japanese article released by Pentax that a 30 megapixel camera will be released in the near future. I was wondering when I read this how many megapixels do we actually need in the end? I thought maybe a fair comparison would be the human eye and I did some looking around. According to wiki.answers.com, The human eye has a resolution of anywhere from 324 megapixels to 576 megapixels depending on the actual field of view angle that is used. Now if these numbesr are accurate, certainly we still have a long ways to go to matching the quality our eyes can reproduce.

MSI: Siso Tablo For Laptops

Wassup! Today -A few years back, I had invested in a new laptop from Dell. The Dell Inspiron 6000 series which cost around $1200.00 at the time. The price was very reasonable for all the bells and whistles it came with. Around the same time, many companies also manufactured tablet PCs which where laptops with a built in stylus. Generally costing around $2000.00+. The advantage of a stylus can be truly experienced when using a graphic related application like Adobe Photoshop. The pinpoint accuracy of the stylus makes free hand drawing directly on the screen that much more enjoyable in the end compared to using a mouse.

Digital Music Fridays: April 3

Wassup! Today -Things to Consider Before Buying Your First Music Player

Everywhere I go nowadays on the subway, I see people with an Apple music player of some kind. Various iPods, iPhone and the iTouch are certainly popular. I on the other hand use a traditional MP3 player or a Windows Mobile device for listening to music. For me, it has always been a Microsoft Windows CE based PDA for listening to music. There are a number of reasons why I stay with a Windows Mobile device but the main one is that most of my music is in a Mp3 format.

Don’t be Caught Off Guard With The Flu

Wassup! Today – Last week I was stricken with a case of a very bad flu. I am still recovering and the worst part lasted 4 days. Bad for me is when I spend 20+ hours on my back each day for more than 2 days resting. This flu, like the one I previously had was far more severe than anything I had in the past couple of decades. I have heard that new strains and more virulent strains are appearing lately and I wanted to find out more about them.

Digital Music Fridays: March 27

Wassup! Today – Headphones Reviews
This is a website dedicated to reviewing headphones only and is located at www.goodcans.com.

GPS Wednesdays: March 25

Wassup! Today – GPS Tracking Online
If you have ever watched any of the Police dramas on TV, you would certainly seen them use a system online that allows the police to enter a phone number and have the users location detected on a map. Now, you can do this yourself by going to the Mobile Tracker and entering the persons phone number. Actually this is not a real system but a joke system setup by the folks at www.megapranks.com. You can enter a phone number to track or not enter a number at all and click the Start Searching button. You will eventually see a map and then watch the satellite camera zoom right into the actual location of the user. Of course this is just but an intertaining one for a short period. You will certainly see what I mean once you go to the link above and try this out yourself.

Revolutionary Multi-player Online Gaming Coming Soon

Wassup! Today – Console gaming has been very popular for decades starting with the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Within the past 5 years we have seen companies like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo release very powerful DVD based gaming systems with spectacular graphics, 3D sound and amazing game play. The down side to this for many is the constant upgrading of the hardware and the added cost of $30.00+ for new gaming titles with some being over $70.00.

www.last.fm vs. www.theradio.com

Wassup! Today -LAST.FM vs. THERADIO.

During the last couple of months I have enjoyed www.theradio.com. The ability to just go to the URL and have my favorite station play automatically is really sweet. Recently though, I have noticed advertising popping up as soon as I go to the website and after 6+ songs. Not so cool anymore when the flow of music is interrupted with a 15 second commercial.

Digital Camera Mondays: March 23

Wassup! Today – Sharing Your Pictures
It is always more exciting when you can share your fond memories with others by sending your pictures to friends and family. www.flickr.com is a popular site though there are dozens of many others out there too. Keep in mind most FREE sites like Flickr limit you to the number of photos you can have or the total storage you have available. This means you must delete old pictures as you start to run low on storage space. This can be lots of work and in many cases too much work to maintain once you get into 100’s of pictures.

Digital Music Fridays: March 20

Wassup! Today – LAST.FM

So what is last.fm?

Well last.fm is another online music site. There are plenty of them around but last.fm has some atrributes that make it stand out. I have never been a fan of FREE sites that expect you to sign up to access the features even though it maybe a simple and quick process. I have too many accounts with a unique login name and password already therefore I kringe when a site asks me to register.

Anyways, I had to try last.fm just to see what makes them tick for Digital Music Fridays. Here is a short list of what I like about last.fm.

GPS Wednesdays: March 18

Wassup! Today – Garmin Nuvi Series of Stand alone GPS Units
Garmin has an very interesting line of GPS units geared mainly for North American usage that will be released in the second quarter of 2009. There are a number of units all with the same external design with specific internal differences. There are currently 8 new models to choose from:

New Syndicated Feed From Technoblabber -Please Excuse the Hiccups

Wassup! Today – The latest Syndicated feed is coming from www.technoblabber.com. It’s run by “2 Dudes Rambling About Neat Stuff” and they are new to the blog scene. They are still working their way around Wordpress and you may see some broken feeds now and then. They are learning quick but more importantly have some unique views on technology which you will certainly enjoy reading.

PDA Tuesdays: March 17

Wassup! Today – Powerful and Rugged Windows Mobile
It not often I see a Windows Mobile device with loads of features built right in. The latest offering from Nautiz is certainly one that has everything I would expect in a fully featured Windows Mobile device.

Digital Camera Mondays: March 16

Wassup! Today – Don’t be Fooled by Just High Megapixels

Ever since early 2008, I have been seeing all sorts of higher megapixel cameras come out in the markeplace. Point and shoot cameras with 8 – 10 megapixels with some even in the 12 megapixel range. Not all cameras are created equal and the actual image sensing chip used can make a huge difference in the actual image output. When you are in the market for a new camera, always try them out carefully before deciding on your final choice.

How to Protect Yourself When Using Someone Elses Computer

Wassup! Today -If you tend to use someone elses computer on occasion, it is important that any personal information like website login information or duplicate saved files are not stored on the computer. Depending on how the Internet Explorer in a Windows PC is setup, there can be a number of areas where access details are automatically saved.

1: The browser can store a history of all recent websites visited.

2: Information entered in web based forms can be stored.

3: Login passwords can be saved.

When it comes to MS Word files, even if you save the completed document on an external USB drive, there can be an autosaved version stored locally on the PC.

Free For All Weekend: March 15

Wassup! Today – Mobile Development War Beginning

Now that Microsoft has announced a new online mobility store to compete with the Apple iTunes store. The war for the shrinking disposable income will begin. In the end, the battle will not only be between the different operating systems and hardware only. A good percentage of iPhone and iTouch users are not happy with how the iTunes store operate. This frustration also translates over to the software developers that must wait months for their newly completed title to be approved and made available for access on the iTunes store. Developers will soon have a non Apple store where titles can be made available for sale quickly and potentially with a greater return in profit. This is done via a third party installer called Cydia. Cydia will allow you to choose from a number of different download sites and even from sites that will be offerring commercial titles for purchase.

Digital Music Fridays: March 13

Wassup! Today – Satellite Radio vs www.theradio.com
I did a post awhile back HERE and the main PROS about THERADIO was that there are no commercials. Unfortunately this has changed in the past few weeks. About every 6 songs or so, a 30 second commercial is inserted on top of the channel identifier. It all started with an Esurance commercial. Not a huge discomfort since www.theradio.com is still free but with the introduction of commercials without prior notice, I have no idea if the service will still be free down the road or if the frequnecy of the commercials will increase over time. I hope the service does stay free for end user use and the level of commercials are kept at its current level.

Digital Imaging Thursdays: March 12

Wassup! Today – Photo Editing Using Photosphop
Almost all “point and shoot” cameras save the captured image in the jpeg format. This is a common format that all photo and imaging software can easily load and edit. Most people that use Photoshop or any photo editing software do not realize that a large portion of the original image quality is lost when the original image is edited under default settings. You can check this by loading an unedited image into photoshop. Once the image has loaded, go to Image/Image Size and look at the default image resolution. The default is 72 ppi (pixels per inch) for most images captured by a “point and shoot” camera. This is the typical resolution used by many camera manufacturers to minimize the file storage requirements for the captured image.

Wikipedia Now Goes Mobile

Wassup! Today – It is not like you have enough things to deal with on a daily basis but if you need information on the run, you can now go to http://wapedia.mobi/en/ or http://pda.wapedia.mobi/en to view the popular wikipedia pages now formatted for the mobile WAP browser screen.

Quick Look: Warfare Incorporated From Spiffcode

Wassup! Today – This is one game that really intrigued me when I first tried it a couple of years ago on the i-Mate Jasjar. The Windows Mobile version has great graphics and a complex gaming artificial intelligence. Warfare Incorporated is a RTS realtime strategy game similar to the old Sim City and Sim Earth type of games in which you must built your community over time. The difference is that elements of a war game like Command and Conquer have been added.

Technoblabber: Two Dudes Rambling About Neat Stuff

Wassup! Today – I have to mention a website I frequent called Technoblabber.com. I go there at least once a day now not because I enjoy their blog but mainly by accident. When I make my way to Technobrains by typing in the URL in Google, the auto fill lists Technoblabber before Technobrains and I tend to quickly choose Technoblabber by mistake. It’s a site that seemed to have started in 2007 but only has one post dated today. I wish Technoblabber all the best.

Digital Imaging Thursdays: February 19

Wassup! Today – Photo Sharing Sites:
There are numerous photo sharing sites online with FLICKR being a very popular one. I use FLICKR but I must confess that I have not updated my picture section in months. You can go HERE to see old pictures I have made public. The origianl reason for posting images on FLICKR was to expose my pictures to as wide an audience as possible. Seemed like a good idea at the time but as the months passed, I realized that getting poeple to actually spend time looking through my pictures was a full time task in itself for me. There are just too many distractions on FLICKR that easily divert my attention away from concentrating on my pictures. It is a great thing for FLICKR but not so great for me as a photographer. Lately, I have noticed that it is getting substantially harder to locate high quality images among the thousands of pictures being uploaded everyday. The number of views of my pictures alone are very low and not worth the time and effort it take to maintain a spot on FLICKR.

GPS Wednesdays: February 18

Wassup! Today – Virtualpunk is a unique game that takes MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) to a whole new level. Virtualpunk is GPS based therefore is best played outdoors. Just like other RPG’s you must collect treasure, armor, weapons and fight your way through each level. The graphics are great for a mobile game and certainly well thought out. If you have ever played a RPG game and enjoy them, you have to try Virtualpunk. For those that have never played a RPG but would like try something very unique while enjoying the outdoors have to give Virtualpunk a try. One word of warning, on lookers may think you are a little odd walking around in circles.

Switching Over to Digital TV

Wassup! Today – Yesterday was the first official change over day in the United States for terrestrial TV from analog to digital. Complete change over is scheduled for mid June. I am still not 100% comfortable as to what should be changed when dealing with an older setup and what can be kept? I am located in Canada and the switchover is not until 2011 but I am located close enough to the United States that any good programming will come from US based stations. This means I need to change too.

PDA Tuesdays: February 17

Another Microsoft Mobile Category Coming Soon
Yesterday Jack @ Experience Mobility blogged about the latest Microsoft announcements. One announcement was about the new mobile device category called Windows Phone. Not sure if this is just an added category or if this will replace all existing categories. We went from a Pocket PC Phone edition device which had a full touch screen to a Smartphone which has no touch screen. Now with the Windows Phone, it seems like we are back to the full touch screen again. When will this flip flopping end? It must be a nightmare for current Windows Mobile device developers to support all the categories. Seems very costly now to support the older Windows Mobile Classic, Windows Mobile Professional and the newer Windows Phones. All have different versions of the Windows CE operating system and uses different screen sizes. Until the actual Windows CE v6.5 versions of Windows Phone come out, it will be hard to tell if these will be a really hot device or a total flop for Microsoft. From my former days as a Microsft Mobile MVP, I was under the impression that the touch screens would disappear and the Smartphones with no touch screen would be the wave of the future for Microsoft. Looks like Apple wins the battle again and sets the standard with the multi-touch touch screens.

Watching Restricted Online Video Content

Wassup! Today – Don’t be alarmed that when I use the term RESTRICTED. This does not refer to XXX or pornographic videos. When I say RESTRICTED, this refers to sites that are inaccessible from your country. For example, I have always been a fan of a TV program created in the UK called “The Prisoner”. Released in 1967, The Prisoner was a follow up to another TV program called the “Secret Agent” or some of you may remember this as “Danger Man” which was being canceled. The original main actor of the “Secret Agent” Patrick McGoohan came up with a story that takes the character John Drake and places him in a whole new scenario and story line. The two TV shows are drastically different in plot and atmosphere. Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager are still Star Trek Shows in the end. The Prisoner is very unique and has aspects of design and technology that was far beyond its 1967 era. Patrick McGoohan produced 17 episodes of The Prisoner which was recently made available on www.AMCTV.com for On Demand viewing. Since access to AMCTV and its online streaming content is available only to US residents, I was not able to watch this program from Canada.

Digital Music Fridays: February 13

Wassup! Today – MIDI Music (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

It has been over 25 years since the MIDI standard was established giving birth to all sorts of synthesizer New Wave music in the 80’s . It is amazing that the General MIDI Standard is still supported today with a number of newer extended formats available. I am disappointed in some ways that MIDI has not really become a household name defining music composition, electronic music programming and as a general form of study for music enthusiasts. My impression is that MIDI is still considered as some kind of BLACK BOX used by hardcore dance music creators or known as a file format used for ring tone use only.

Digital Imaging Thursdays: February 12

Wassup! Today – Digital Video Camera:
In the last 3 years or so, we have started to see the introduction of HD digital video cameras and the lowering of prices of video cameras in general. $2000.00 USD was the normal price range for a basic digital video camera. Now we are starting to see a number of choices in the $500.00 – $1000.00 USD price range. This certainly will get more and more individuals into purchasing a digital video camera to capture those important family moments.
One of the common problems with video camera users is the ability to immediately view the movies conveniently. Old technology involved a VHS tape that allowed you to easily remove the tape from the camera and insert into your video cassette player. Now we are dealing with an internal hard drive or a removable memory card which is not supported by standard video players. This means connecting the video camera directly to your TV each time you would like to watch the video. For some, this is as simple as plugging the camera into the AV jacks on the front of the TV. Unfortunately, many will have to deal with the connections on the back of the older TV which can be a real pain to reach.

MSI: Plastic Logic Announces More Details on the Ereader

Wassup! Today – This is by far the best looking and most functional ereader that has been developed to date. This is not a glorified handheld PDA redesigned to be an e-reader like the SONY PRS-505. The Plastic Logic e-reader is revolutionary in design. First the device uses a plastic display developed by Plastic Logic and provides a screen display of 8 1/2 X 11 and less than 16 ounces in weight.

GPS Wednesdays: February 11

Wassup! Today – GPS 101
Many people understand generally what it means when someone says GPS but most people do not know how or what a GPS can be useful for. Typically a GPS is used to determine where you are which is not really a benefit in populated areas since we have street signs and other landmarks to guide us. Inexpensive maps can also show us exactly where we are thus a device costing $100.00 or more is not something the average person is willing to invest in. Keep in mind that street signs and maps are only as good as the person using these tools since the information only provides a point of reference only. The user must use the information effectively to reach the final destination. This method is easily prone to human error.