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Episode 55: Portable Music Players
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The Gurus of Cool talk MP3 players and how to choose the right one for you. They also review laptops, TubeSock, Internet bandwidth meters, give away a prize and shoot through their unique Rapid Fire Roundup of Cool Products.
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Features by the Gurus of Cool
Dell Precision Mobile Workstation M65: Intel Core 2 Duo Inside
by Charlie White
Just before the release of Intel's Core 2 Duo processors for mobile PCs, we received a Dell Precision Mobile Workstation M65 with one of the new dual-core processors inside (price as tested, $3288). The notebook, aimed at professionals who need desktop workstation-class performance in a mobile form factor, is used by engineers, architects, video editors and those who want to do compositing using Adobe After Effects. Keeping that in mind, we ran our suite of Adobe After Effects benchmarks on the test unit, comparing it to a older Dell laptop with an Intel Core Duo processor on board. Read More
iPhoto Quick Tip: Importing Photos from an External Drive
by Stephen Schleicher
I received a great deal of feedback regarding my quick tutorial on getting GarageBand to recognize loops on an external hard drive, and several follow up questions asking if it was possible to do something similar with iPhoto. The answer is yes, with a but…
Read More
Motorola Q Software and Firmware Update: What to Expect
by Charlie White
Have you been experiencing inexplicable crashes and slow response from your Motorola Q? The company has offered a software and firmware update on its website, so we downloaded the two files and loaded them up onto our Motorola Q. If you're considering doing this, here's a preview of what to expect. Read More
Digital Anarchy Data Animator
by Stephen Schleicher
PowerPoint presentations that are not handled with care are some of the most boring events that transpire in our lives. While they may be a great cure for insomnia, losing your audience halfway through a presentation on the shrinking population of the North African Pygmy Woohoo, will not get support for the cause. Instead of using worn out charts, Digital Anarchy’s Data Animator allows you to create dynamic animated charts and graphs with ease. Read More
Rapid-Fire Roundup® of the Top Ten Cool Products
BBQ Branding Iron
Fancy restaurants have them, and now you can too. Personalize your steak with your own brand. The iron heats up in the grill then leaves its unique mark on your meat. You can get specific logos or design one of your own.
Philips Pronto Remote
Here's the Mother of All Remotes, the Philips Pronto TSU9600, with a 3.7-inch screen and an ultra-sharp resolution of 640x480. You can program it with your PC, and each button can have an audio file linked to it. Plus, you can have a touchscreen icon programmed for each channel. No price was announced yet.
Weemote Remote Control
If you are one of those parents who needs to protect your child from every little thing, then you should check out the Weemote Remote Control. This remote only allows certain channels to show up on the boob tube so your child can watch Barney and The Wiggles all day long.
Garmin nuvi 660
Garmin announced the latest in its highly-rated nuvi series of GPS navigation devices, the nuvi 660. It has a larger 4.3-inch screen, Bluetooth integration with hands-free cellphone calling, and a receiver that gives you live traffic reports. It'll cost you dearly, though, over $1000.
Honeywell Fingerprint Safe
It’s hard enough for us to remember a phone number let alone the combination to a safe. Honeywell has the solution with the Fingerprint Safe. For a mere $500, this fireproof tamper-proof safe has a built-in fingerprint entry that allows you to get to your valuables.
Harmon Kardon/JBL iPod Boombox
Harmon Kardon/JBL announced a boom box in Germany this week, a great-looking device with a unique rounded arch shaped design. Its iPod dock is up on top and it has a wireless remote that stows away in the back. There's an S-Video output back there, too. It'll be around $450.
Portable Rotary Phone
If you still long for the days of rotary phones, you bring back the thrilling days of yesteryear with the portable rotary phone. All you have to do is insert your SIM card and the phone will be up and running with your cellphone number and account minutes.
Sirius Stiletto Portable Satellite Radio
Here's a versatile portable satellite radio, and it's WiFi enabled so you can listen to Internet radio stations along with those Howard Stern rants you can't live without. It will be $350; if you don't want WiFi it's $100 less.
Action Sports Hands Free Camera
This small lightweight camera fits on your safety helmet and allows extreme sports junkies to capture their own hijinks. This camera can capture up to 16 minutes of 640x480 video for only $130.
Wi-Fire Antenna
If your WiFi doesn't transmit far enough, the WiFire from hField Technologies can boost the reception of those faint signals 1000 feet farther. It just got FCC approval, and it's $150.
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Tom Cruise Scares Me
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