iGads!

For the graduate

I put together a quick shopping guide for some tech gifts for graduates. 

It's really never ending with what you can buy, especially in the technology field, but just make sure your graduate is interested in what your buying them - many stores are charging restocking fee's when you return the unwanted gifts.

Don't get something you like and hope they will like - the odds are if your older then them, they have their mind set on something - just ask em'.

But here are some of my suggestions.

P.S. - A quick survey of my wife's high school students found that the guys liked the solar charger for cell phones and MP3 players.

-- Gregg Ellman

Grip for the touch

I get lots of press kits about the lastest and greatest in iPod cases and protection, but this one I really like. Why? Because it's simple, functional and works!

More specifically, it's Griffin Technology new additions to its case lineup for iPod with the FlexGrip and FlexScreen and a new kit to keep the iPod touch shinny and clean.

The FlexGrip is a silicone case for the iPod nano and iPod touch, which protects the devices from dirt, dust, scratches and hopefully some small drops.

FlexScreen for iPod nano has the same color combination and the textured back. Also included is a crystal-clear, scratch-resistant polycarbonate face shield, which snaps onto the outside of the case for added protection.

Screen Care Kit for iPod touch has five static peel screen protectors, and a lint-free cleaning cloth to remove dirt and the never ending battle with fingerprints.

Information: All are priced at $14.99 and are in retail sites as well as

Griffin's website: www.griffintechnology.com.

-- Gregg Ellman

For a good cause

OtterBox is supporting the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade with pink “Strength” cases. They work with the iPhone and the iPod nano 3rd generation.

With each case sold, 10% of the purchase price will go to support access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer, with a focus on the medically under-served. Check em' out at www.otterbox.com.

-- Gregg Ellman

Stay clean

The La Fresh Tech Pack, a compact mini travel zip-up bag will be available soon. They contain individual towelettes to clean all of your tech devices and are biodegradable - but use the trash can please!

It makes for an easy way to keep all of your digital gadgets ( PDAs, cell phones, laptops, gaming devices etc) clean while on the go. 

The pack includes four Wet & Dry Dual Action Screen Cleaning towelette packets, three Lens Cleaning towelette packets, and three Anti-Bacterial towelette packets.  The company says it meets the TSA regulations to be carried on-board a plane - but I'm sure there will be a separate security line for this one. 

The MSRP for the La Fresh Tech Pack is $9.99.

-- Gregg Ellman

Score one for Zune

Last year when iTunes and NBC split up, I thought it would hurt both of them since the popularity of both helped both sides. But a fight about pricing led to the divorce and now NBC has found a new partner with Microsoft's Zune. This is in addition to being available for FREE on the NBC site, Hulu video service and Amazons UnBox for the same $1.99 which iTunes was charging.

How well it will work, time will tell - but look around at the MP3 generation at a mall, high school or just about anywhere. How many Zune's (less then 5% market share vs over 70% for the iPod) do you see?

But the people in charge of Microsoft and NBC know a lot more then me, so maybe it will be just fine. Either way, you can now get your favorite NBC shows to play on the go. Read more about it here.

-- Gregg Ellman

Mothers Day Gifts......

Mother's Day is Sunday and CVS/pharmacy makes it real easy for a personalized photo books made from your digital photos. You can even take digital images on Mother's Day morning, run over to the local CVS (yea that store, which is on every street corner) and make the book right there and then.

The  in-store photo books are easy to do, made in minutes, printed on Kodak paper and aren't expensive.

Here are the prices for the hard cover, bound books.

4” x 6” holds 36 pictures - $5.99

6” x 8” holds 54 pictures - $12.99

8” x 10” holds 72 pictures - $14.99

-- Gregg Ellman

Happy Birthday to......

iTunes?

Yep, hard to believe but this week (actually Monday) iTunes celebrated it's fifth birthday. Like it or not, it changed a whole lot in everyone's life. Even if you don't use iTunes (yet) you either have bought an iPod or other MP3 player for someone or some other connection is there.

This past January, the king Apple, CEO Steve Jobs announced that 4 billion songs were sold on iTunes in 2007. At about $1 each, you do the math.

Now users get music, video content, movie rentals, endless amounts of podcasts and I'm sure much more to come. Artists are even beginning to make current releases only available on iTunes. Starbucks gives you a new free song just for buying coffee!

If you don't know what iTunes is, as I've said before, you need to get out of your cave. Either way, go have some cake on them.

--Gregg Ellman

Stox for stocks

Not that you want to do it these days, but at somepoint in the future I'm sure everyone will once again want to track their stock portfolio on a daily basis and Stox V1.1 from JoeSoft
is management software for the Mac.

It will research, track and give you analysis on stocks along with concise, timely information to help you manage your stock portfolio in a simple, single window format that is password protected and local to your computer.

Included is technical charts with ability to rearrange charts, new portfolio/equity value graphing, stock ticker features and much more.

The interest rates are set to drop again today, which might make things look better so get Stox today at www.JoeSoft.com for $49.95 and at authorized partners. Current owners of Stox 1.0 can download the free update to 1.1 from www.joesoft.com.

-- Gregg Ellman

More for your ears

A rep from AirDrives Interactive Earphones saw my posting below on the V-Moda earphones and said Hey - what about me!

So now I tell you about AirDrives Interactive Earphones which is another gift for Mom or Dads and Grads in the next few weeks.

They are (from an email, I haven't seen these - YET) a fabulously functional gift for mothers who want to remain aware of their surroundings while listening to their iPods.  The unique outer-ear design enables users to listen to music while also hearing ambient sound, thus allowing them to remain socially engaged – a benefit for moms who need to stay alert and aware while caring for children or working on chores or errands.

AirDrives Interactive Earphones deliver rich, natural sound and the outer-ear design makes them more comfortable than conventional ear buds.  In addition, AirDrives exceeded OSHA standards of safe listening and are approved for all-day listening.

So there you have it, equal space for everyone!

-- Gregg Ellman

Where's the mouse?

The MoGo Mouse is a Bluetooth-enabled business-card shaped, wireless mouse, which stores and charges in the laptop’s PC-card slot.

It works the same as a laser mouse, can also double as a wireless media remote or a cordless presenter and it has Bluetooth.

Two versions exist of this mouse - MoGo Media Mouse X54 and the MoGo Presenter Mouse X54 Pro.

It has a kickstand for better positioning, controls iTunes and many other media functions.

One of the best features (I think from what I've read - I should have a review on this soon after I get one) is it's charged and stored in the card slot on a laptop - making it ideal for traveling.

Read more about it here.

-- Gregg Ellman

It's live and available now

Memorex today added two digital audio players to its lineup; the MMP8590 Digital Media Player and the mini Clip & Play MP3 Player.

The MMP8590 Digital Media Player has up to 4GB of flash memory, a 1.5-inch color OLED screen with photo viewer and a digital FM radio. You can get it in white, pink/white and black.

It plays MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM 10, WAV and JPEG files, has a digital voice recorder, stop watch function and equalizer with presets. The built-in lithium-ion battery will give you up to 12 hours of listening time.

And there's more (even if you don't order before midnight tonight): Included is a sport arm strap, earbud headphones, USB cable and music management software. A 4GB version for $69.99 is available and the suggested retail price of $59.99 will get you the 2GB model.

The Clip & Play MP3 Player has 2GB of flash memory in a white, pink or black compact design. It's designed for use on a walk, run, bike ride or working out. It also features a built-in FM radio, two-line dot matrix OLED display and equalizer with presets to play MP3, WMA and WMA-DRM-10 files.

Also included is music management software, a lithium-ion battery (10 hours) earbud headphones, and a USB cable and software CD for an SRP of $49.99.

-- Gregg Ellman

Pictures in the park

Today's gas prices might not want you to get in your car for a summer vacation to visit a national or state park, but Canon sure does.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., the leader in digital imaging products, is having their third annual Canon Photography In The Parks Photo Contest. It runs from April 22nd to September 30th, 2008, and all you have to do is submit images from any park or monument in America with the theme being “Inspirational Nature Images,” the theme for this year’s contest.

Sorry kids, its only open to non-professional photographers ages 13 and up.

So whats in it for you? If you win the contest, you'll get a trip to a park of their choice, and a full suite of Canon photographic equipment.

More information is at www.usa.canon.com/parks

-- Gregg Ellman

Gear for the digital lifestyle

Kensington Computer Products Group has a new keyboard geared towards the digital lifestyle.

The new Ci70 has built-in USB 2.0 ports so users can use it to transfer digital data including digital photos directly from a camera to their computer right through the Ci70 itself, without the need for additional wires or cables.

Flash drives, cell phones and MP3 players can also be hooked up with it, making it unnecessary for the user to have to dig to the USB ports on the back of the computer itself.

It has two USB 2.0 ports and one mini USB port at the top of the keyboard for easy access along with a sliding panel to keep the ports out of site when they are  not in use.

A price of $49.99 will be you the device and more information on this and other great Kensington products is at www.kensington.com.

Better sound for mom

Another possible mother's day gift (assuming you weren't cheap and already bought her the iPod for Christmas) is a rosy Blush colored set of V-MODA's luxurious VIBE noise-cancelling earphones.

Just in time for Mother's Day, VIBE Blush will be hitting store shelves at the Apple Store on Monday, May 5. 

They weigh in at just 12 grams and with the V-MASQUE dynamic driver technology, they  promise a precise yet natural soundstage. BLISS (Bass Level Isolating Soft Silicon) technology reduces outside noise for a rich bass response (frequency 12 Hz to 22Hz)

The VIBE Blush will be available for $99 at the Apple Store starting on Monday, May 5.

Go to www.v-moda.com for more info.

-- Gregg Ellman

Snitch in the trunk

I recently tested a gadget, which will be (and should be) every teenagers nightmare.

It's a GPS device that a parent can hide in a car or backpack and watch on a website every turn the car takes in any city. Also they will know how fast the car is going.

And best of all, it works great. The GPS Snitch is a wireless vehicle security and tracking device to tell you where something else is.

Tracking on the $399 device is at the owner’s discretion. You track its whereabouts on a website or even have a text message sent of its location. A monthly fee’s ranging from $14.99 to $169.99 will purchase you credits, with each time you track the device a credit is used.

Information: www.gps-snitch.com

-- Gregg Ellman

Mother's Day gifts

Just in time for Mother's Day, Memorex has some stylish new digital photo frames; the Special Occasions and Floral digital frames.

A high-gloss, white finish, plus four interchangeable inserts is featured in the Special Occasions digital photo frame . This includes one with a silver metallic finish and three with wedding, baby boy and baby girl motifs.

The frame has slide-show transition effects and features a seven-inch wide screen LCD display and supports photos in JPEG format, with 480x234 screen resolution. A USB port and 2-in-1 memory card slot make it easy to load images into the frame.

The Floral digital photo frame combines style with technology. Features include a blue silkscreen floral design on a sleek brown frame. The frame also has a seven-inch widescreen LCD display for viewing JPEG photos in 480x234 screen resolution. It also has the mini USB port and cable, AC adapter, and a 4-in-1 memory card slot to supports today’s popular memory card formats.

Expect the frames out in May with a MSRP of $89.99. More information is available here.

-- Gregg Ellman

Another MP3 player

Iriver has a new MP3 Multimedia Player - the E100 for watching videos, looking at digital photos or listening to music.

The device features stereo speakers, FM radio, Micro-SD Slot, Line In, new D-Click System and a colorful 2.4” TFT LCD screen. Users will get 17 hours of music playback and five hours of video play. It's compatible with music download sits; Rhapsody, Napster, and Yahoo

Available in solid black, white, sky blue and pink, and will cost $109.99 for a 4G, and $159.99 for an 8G version. You can get it at www.Amazon.com, www.JR.com, www.bhphotovideo.com and other retail stores.

Read more about it here.

-- Gregg Ellman

Naked and touchable

The iPhone and new iPods are all about touch, but they are also all about keeping nice clean and neat. 

Case-Mate, has a revolutionary new case - The Naked Case, which provides full protection of the device, including the screen while at the same time allowing full touch-through access to the iPhone or iPod Touch.

The case is available for order at www.case-mate.com.

-- Gregg Ellman

First free coffee, now free music

Last week if you were smart enough to get your Starbucks free coffee card in the Star-Telegram, you can now enjoy the coffee with free music.

Apple and Starbucks have a new program, which offers Starbucks customers free music and music videos via the iTunes Store.

The promotion includes Counting Crows, Carly Simon, Duffy, Adele, Sia, Hilary McRae and more.

Starbucks, along with Walgreens and CVS are on every street corner in America, so it shouldn't be hard to find one.

Read more about it here.

-- Gregg Ellman

Cool COOLPIX

Nikon also has some new compact digital cameras due out this spring. The popular COOLPIX line has added the P80, S52 and S52c

The P80 is a 10.1 megapixel camera, with an 18x optical zoom-Nikkor lens, which covers focal lengths from 27-486mm (35mm format equivalent). The camera has Optical Vibration Reduction Image Stabilization, program modes of auto, shutter-priority, aperture-priority, manual and a new choice with the Sport Continuous Mode, to give users the ability to take as many as 30 consecutive pictures at four, six, or a quick 13 frames per second with an ISO up to 6400.

The P80 should be available this month with a MSRP of $299.95.

The COOLPIX S52 and S52c are 9.0 megapixel with a 3x, 38-114mm Zoom-NIKKOR lens. They also have Optical Vibration Reduction many shooting modes and ISO up to 3200. The S52c is Wi-Fi enabled, so users can send images directly via email through its Wi-Fi connection.

The S52 has an MSRP of $249.95, and the S52c has an MSRP of $299.95.

-- Gregg Ellman

Not just cameras

Canon has a new portable printer, the PIXMA iP100.

It's so portable, you can make border-less color photos from the car or even at the beach (the press release said that, but I have better things to do at the beach) with increased color resolution (9600 x 2400) and faster printing speeds than previous models. It's small and light enough to fit in areas with limited space and is able to print up to  20 pages-per-minute for black and up to 14 ppm for color.

It has a PictBridge port to allow the option to print from a compatible digital camera or DV camcorder without a computer in sizes of 4-x 6 inch, 4-x 8 inch, 5-x 7 inch, and 8-x 10 inch.

Besides using the standard USB 2.0, consumers can print wirelessly or from select Bluetooth enabled cellular phones and computers with the new optional ($49.99) user installable Bluetooth Unit BU-304.

-- Gregg Ellman

Photo class

Fort Worth Camera will have a Basic Photography Class on Saturday, April 12, 2008, 10:30am - 12:00pm.

It will $25.00 a person (seating is limited) for the class being taught by Greg Kopriva. Fort Worth Camera is at 3330 West 7th Street in Fort Worth - 817- 335- 3456

Basic Photo will cover the basic function use of your camera, from shutter speed to f- stops, composition, and flash photography, among other things.

Buy yourself a new camera while you're there, they have the best deals in town!

-- Gregg Ellman

JoeSoft lets you Hear

JoeSoft announces the availability of Hear, a sound enhancement program for the Mac.

If your iPod ear-buds aren't glued to your ear, the odds are you are listening to music or watching movies on a computer, and if its not a Mac, your waisting our time!

Hear will improve audio quality in movies, games and music throughout all the Mac OS X applications.

Get Hear online at www.JoeSoft.com for $49.95.

-- Gregg Ellman

Portable Media Player

An ultra-slim Portable Media Player is available from IOGEAR. It will let users carry multimedia content anywhere you go.

So now teenagers have another outlet to stores their videos, music and digital photos and watch it on the go - even at restaurants to irritate their parents!

Video is played back by up scaling to 720p resolution when linked to a high-definition television (HDTV) by attaching the player to a TV through an RCA or component connection for high quality picture.

Storage will not be an issue, as it will hold up to 34,000 digital photos, 30,000 MP3s, 3,000 uncompressed CD-quality songs, nine hours of digital video or 50 hours of DVD-quality video.

Get it online or from select retail outlets for $349.95 (MSRP).

-- Gregg Ellman

Bad Apple

Apple computers (they also make that iPod thing) is very protective of their apple logo and Bloomberg News is reporting they are about to take on New York City over it.

The story says Apple Inc. filed a federal challenge to New York's trademark application for a new ``Big Apple'' logo, saying it's too similar to the stylized emblem found on iPhones, iPods and iMac computers.

MacWorld.com even had these logos side by side, so you can see they are similar, but worth a lawsuit?

Read more about it here, but my opinion says Apple needs to find someone else to fight over the fruit with.

-- Gregg Ellman

Oops!

Take advantage of their mistake by ordering a PNY 512MB Attache USB 2.0 Portable Flash Drive - but it's actually a 1GB drive.

PNY mislabeled these USB flash drives as they say they're 512MB, they are a full gig of USB 2.0 storage space. They are selling out the inventory of them at compusa.com for half price at $4.99 each.

Even if it was done on purpose as a marketing stunt (who would ever do that?) it's still a great deal.

-- Gregg Ellman

iPhone ripoff, du jour

Yet another cell phone, this one from Sprint, which claims it to be another iPhone, and looks like an iPhone and acts like an iPhone and.......

But it's not an iPhone and won't be as good as an iPhone because you're not using Apple software.

AP reports Sprint will spend $150 million to advertise it for its June launch. That's a lot of money to spend, on top development for the product which is supposed to be like something else which already dominates the touch screen cell phone market.

I'm not saying it won't be a great phone, but why do these companies keep making a phone (Verizon Voyager) which is supposed to be something else.

I remember Dell Computers were making an MP3 player to challenge the iPod. How's that doing these days?

-- Gregg Ellman

You can touch this

The best just got better as Pandigital, who makes the best digital photo frames (unlike all the junk knockoffs being sold everywhere) will soon have a touch screen version.

The new frames are user-friendly, with a touch-operation interface and icons on a fingerprintless screen. No Windex required.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices: Pandigital 7-inch PanTouch Digital Photo Frame - $119.99; Pandigital 8-inch PanTouch Digital Photo Frame - $169.99; Pandigital 10.4-inch PanTouch High Definition Digital Photo Frame ; $249.99. They should all be out in May at these locations.

For now, you can't touch this. Cue MC Hammer.

-- Gregg Ellman

Ricky Martin included

Kingston Technology and Amazon.com have an exclusive offer of a Kingston 1GB microSD memory card and USB reader that come preloaded with music and video content from Grammy-winning Latin American artist, Ricky Martin.

Included are two free songs (Somos la Semilla and Tu Recuerdo), a video clip and concert photos from Martin's Black & White tour.

The Ultra portable microSD card/USB reader kit includes a key ring loop to attach to most mobile phones, along with a Kingston two-year warranty for the USB reader and a lifetime warranty on the microSD memory card.

Kingston says the kit is only available in the U.S. at Amazon.com, but if you plan on going to Latin America you can find it all over.

-- Gregg Ellman

You can hear this now

At the CTIA wireless trade show in Las Vegas today (why am I not there?) Verizon Wireless announced a bunch of new cellular devices that will be available this April and May - just in time for Mother's Day, Father's Day and graduations!

They include the XV6900 - Verizon's latest touch screen device, the enV2 by LG - the successor to the enV by LG, a new MotorolaQ with the Moto Q 9C, which is what I use, and the BlackBerry Curve - this is Research In Motion's smallest and lightest full-QWERTY smartphone.

-- Gregg Ellman

Previously announced but now available

LG Electronics announced some new monitors in January, and today they announced them again - but this time you can actually get 'em.

They have three new series of LCD monitors for gamers, graphic artists or any multimedia experience.

The new W52, W00 and L7W series are available at Best Buy, Circuit City, and other leading electronics retailers.

-- Gregg Ellman

In your ear, Bluetoothers

Plantronics, Inc. has announced the Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece collection to hear your cell phone in style.

The signature line of designer headsets is for both men and women and delivers exceptional audio performance. And it has the added bonus of making you look like a space alien.

Even though it looks like I'm talking into my calculator when I use my PDA, I still like it better then a bluetooth headset, but for more info on this one (which does look cool) click here.

-- Gregg Ellman

New for Grandma

Clarity has an easy-to-use mobile phone, which also serves as an emergency response device.

The phone helps seniors stay connected with friends and family members, along with an added bonus: keeping them alive.

It's both easy to use and read, has amplified sound, and helps out in an emergency.

The phone should be out lateer this summer. Find more about it here.

-- Gregg Ellman

NASCAR on the go

NASCAR nation is headed to Texas Motor Speedway this week for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series races.

But if you can't make it out there or even if you can make it and want a little more information, head to a Sprint store first and get NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile.

The service is easy to use applications available on Sprint phones, which is available at no additional charge to Sprint customers with a data pack.

This gives fans the opportunity to get NASCAR related content, radio broadcasts and even the ability to personalize the handset’s content with their favorite driver.

During actual races, users can get real-time, race-day statistics, live leader boards and telemetry from all 43 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Fans can either listen to different drivers, or customize it to their personal favorite driver to track race progress and statistics.

Besides live race coverage, users will have 24-hour access on non-race days to breaking NASCAR news and information on drivers, race broadcast schedules, qualifying and more. Sprint gives the option to receive qualifying, race results, driver standings and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series news directly to the phone in an easy-to-read format.

Read more about it at www.Sprint.com/speed

-- Gregg Ellman

Free ink!

We here at the Star-Telegram know a few things about wasting ink, so it's only fitting we give you a heads-up on how to get some:

At Walgreens on Wednesday, get a free ink refill for your printers ink. (You could drive around to every one of the 4 billion Walgreens in the Metroplex, and start your own newspaper!! But you didn't hear that suggestion from me.)

If you have a printer made by, Dell, HP, Lexmark, Okidata, Primera, Sharp or Xerox (no Epson or Canon), check the link to this website to see if your printer is eligible.

Get the coupon here.

Good news: the offer is valid for Hawaii residents Monday, April 7 only, so head over to Hawaii for another one next week.

-- Gregg Ellman

A new smarter GPS

Amazon.com/electronics has an exclusive GPS unit available.

A company called Dash Navigation has the world’s first internet-connected portable GPS Navigator – Dash Express –  which is a generation leap forward in GPS technology, with  new benefits.

The device will automatically update maps wireless, more efficient searches allow users to search for specific items such as “kids shoes,” or the cheapest nearby gas station or movie theater.

Read more about a lot more features in the unit here.

The Dash Express is available exclusively at www.amazon.com/gps for $399.99.

-- Gregg Ellman

Pay less for less

Who doesn't get frustrated with cell phones and their fees!

Hard to believe but one has actually been reduced. AT&T has lowered the Early Termination Fees to give more flexibility in shutting off a cell phone.

Beginning on May 25, new and renewing AT&T wireless customers who enter into one or two-year service agreements will not have to pay a single, flat early $175 termination fee.

Instead, it will now be lowered by $5 every month for the term of the contract.

Someone tell me why they can't do this effective immediately? But when rates are raised they sure seem to go into effect pretty quick.

-- Gregg Ellman

iPod exercise

PumpOne, combines two great things for this time of year; iPods and exercise with the launch of PumpedForSummer 2008.

This provides both video and audio coaching for people to get into shape by simply watch the video clip and then perform the exercise at their own pace

The programs consists of a series of video clips, still images and audio tips demonstrating the proper exercise form.

PumpOne Video Trainers are compatible with the iPod, iPhone, nano (3G), Zune and all devices that support MPEG-4 video. It available at www.PumpOne.com for $19.

-- Gregg Ellman

Adobe Photoshop Express

Adobe Photoshop Express is a new public beta, Internet Application available to anyone who wants to store, sort and show off digital photos with eye-catching effects.

The site uses much of Adobe's best image editing technology and made it simple and accessible to a new online audience.

Users are able to store up to 2 gigabytes of images online for free, edits their photos, and share them online in creative ways, including downloading and uploading photos from popular social networking sites like Facebook.

Much more information is available here.

-- Gregg Ellman
   

Charge it all

A new mini-sized charger can handle all those pocket sized gadgets everyone seems to have.

Lenmar Enterprises' new PowerPort Mini charger is a powerful, pocket-sized charging system for USB-compatible portable devices.

Once fully charged, it can provide up to two full charges for a cell phone or other mobile device.

Among the options it will charge is any cell phone, PDA, media player or game device that uses a USB connection, including the iPhone, iPod, and Blackberry.

It comes in six colors (black, silver, blue, red, green and pink), has a MSRP of $24.95, has a 2-year warranty and will be available in May at www.radioshack.com, www.sears.com and www.staples.com.

-- Gregg Ellman