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Episode 42: Weight Loss and Fitness Technology
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The Gurus of Cool hit the treadmill, the training table and the walking trail this week, talking about technology that will help you stay in shape and lose a few pounds. Plus, they talk low-cost HD digital video shooting and editing, smartphones vs. PDAs and rip into another wildly varied rapid-fire roundup® of the top ten cool products they've seen during the week.
Features by the Gurus of Cool
HDV and Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0
by Charlie White
Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 has the ability to handle HDV footage natively, and we're going to take a look at how that compares to the standard DV workflow. For this review, Adobe furnished one of its Adobe OpenHD Certified Solutions, a Dell Precision Workstation 670 loaded with Adobe Creative Suite Production Studio software. For its Certified Solutions program, Adobe partnered with companies such as Dell, Matrox, Intel, NVidia, AMD, Ciprico and HP to ensure that whatever hardware you get will work seamlessly with Adobe software. Let's take the certified configuration out for spin and see how it performs. ...Read More »
Omron Body Fat Analyzer
by Charlie White
If you're trying to lose weight, what you really want to know is how much fat you're losing. That's where the Omron Body Fat Analyzer ($40) can help. This small plastic device sends a weak electrical current through your body that can accurately measure your percentage of body fat. We tested the analyzer on a variety of body types and found it to be easy to use and accurate from one day to the next. Here's our review. ...Read More »
Garmin Forerunner 301 Personal GPS with Heart Rate Monitor
by Charlie White
If you're a walker, runner, biker, or if you engage in any other sport that requires you to move from one place to another, there's a high-technology tool that helps you keep tabs on your w orkouts. Not only does the Garmin Forerunner 301 ($325 retail, $210 street) know where you are and how fast you're going, it knows how hard your heart is working, too. Packed into this wrist unit is a GPS receiver, along with a heart monitor that receives signals from a device strapped around your chest. What will they think of next? ...Read More »
This Keyboard is on a Roll
by Esther Schindler
Your laptop keyboard may be too small for comfort, but few people can fit a full-size keyboard in their luggage. Adesso's portable keyboard can stuff into your carry-on... but we're not sure we want to bother. Your frequent-flier mileage may vary. ...Read More »
Saitek A-350 Wireless Headphones
by Don Lee
Saitek A-350 wireless headphones were designed to help you leave those tangled up headphone wires behind. Using a transmitter with a standard audio jack that plugs into your Windows PC, Apple Macintosh computer or your portable media players (such as the Apple iPod, Sony PlayStation Portable), the Saitek A-350 wireless headphones were designed to provide a comfortable (and portable) way to enjoy your multimedia without the hassle. ...Read More »
SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 4
by Charlie White
A good piece of music can make or break a video production. But sometimes that's not enough. The music has to be perfectly synchronized with the video, becoming less complicated when there are voiceover sequences. Until SmartSound Sonicfire Pro ($199 Mac or PC, includes two music disks) came along a few years ago, to accomplish this kind of customization you would have needed to hire a composer at great expense. Not any more. And now with version 4, Sonicfire has added an even more human element to the mix which it calls Mood Mapping. It's remarkable. ...Read More »
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Rapid-Fire Roundup® of Cool Products
COMMENTS
The Pholio Digital Photo Frame
Why have a boring picture frame, when you can have the Pholio Digital Photo Frame. With 128MB of storage the frame can play back video, audio, and of course those still images. The digital picture frame sells for $300.
Pantech C300 Cellphone
Here's the world's smallest clamshell phone, it's slightly less than 3"x1.5" and ¾" of an inch thick. It has a camera with a flash along with color LCDs. The Pantech C300 cellphone is available through Cingular for $119 with contract.
Classic Arcade Games
Remember Ms. Pac-man, Galaga, and Donkey Kong? Now you can trick out your gameroom with full sized arcade versions of these classics. Your friends will be impressed, and best of all you don’t have to shovel in quarters. They aren’t cheap -- about $3000.
Belkin TuneTalk Stereo
Here's a stereo microphone that perfectly fits onto the end of the iPod video, and it lets you record digital audio files. It also has a 3.5mm auxiliary port for plugging in an external microphone. Belkin's TuneTalk Stereo is $70.
iSqueez
Tired of having your iPod slide around your car when you drive? The Griffin Technology iSqueez holds your iPod in place and fits in any car cup holder. Plenty of room for your docking cable and you can see it from any angle. $9.99.
Nikon D2xs Digital SLR
This high-end 12.4-megapixel digital camera from Nikon has a 2.5 inch viewscreen and can shoot its highest resolution shots at five frames per second. It's professional all the way, with a pro price to go with it, too -- $4700.
Hovercraft
Forget Jet-skis, get your own two-person hovercraft. Runs at speeds of up to 60mph and lets you go over nearly any terrain. This is the luxury toy of the summer and so is the price - $14,000.
Cool Jewels Ice Tray
Give out the bling at your next party with this $8.95 ice tray that lets you fill up your glasses with 10-carat diamonds. Just pour water into these trays and the cubes come out looking like multi-faceted gems.
Automatic Ball Fetch Machine
Too tired or busy to play fetch with Fido? Then check out the Automatic Ball Fetch Machine that can hurl a bucket of tennis balls 15 to 30 feet away. Sure to wear out your overactive canine.
NVIDIA GeForce 7950GX2
This Quad SLI graphics card is the fastest single graphics card in the world, with performance that's 80% faster than its predecessor, a gigabyte of memory, dual-link DVI and HDTV-out and HDCP support. The NVIDIA GeForce 7950GX2 is $649.
"Week after week, Stephen and Charlie boil down the morass of tech info into solid gold nuggets of information, with a dash of opinion thrown in. Nothing sterile here, they have timely hard-hitting news each week. "
"With all the information out there, it can sometimes be overwhelming to filter the signal from the noise. These guys send the signal loud and clear! Great podcast!"
"You can tell by listening to them they know their stuff and they're not fooled by hype. They calls 'em as they sees 'em. These two have reached escape coolosity!"
"Stephen Schleicher is very knowledgable about his technology and I can only assume he would surround himself with like company. Which is why I think Stephen and Charlie definitely know what they are talking about in the venue of tech tips and reviews. They rock my face off!"
Last of the Superheroes (from the 1970s)
by American Heartbreak
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