I have said it before, USB connections have made life so much easier. I think it is great how little by little they are coming up with ways to power gadgets through the PC’s energy, saving on battery costs. This is the next hottest gadget that is USB driven that I just have to get. A turntable that connects to your USB drive on your computer allowing you to digitally transfer your old click-and-pop music to an mp3 format. I know you are probably thinking; why would anyone want that? But trust me, it sounded good at the time, and for those music purists and enthusiasts, this is a great invention to keep that old fresh sound living strong. I have stacks upon stacks of music on the ol LP, and if it means free music to load up my 160GB iPod, then let the good times roll…turntable style. There really aren’t any added features to cover, it is pretty obvious how it works-very similar to ripping CDs to a playlist or music library. I just felt the need to share this invention with some of you who might not know it exists.

Tags: USB record player, USB turntable, vinyl LP to mp3, vinyl record ripper

We have had the same crazy dog for nine years now. We adopted her from the pound eight years ago, and were told that she will calm down after about six months. Well, we are still waiting for that day to arrive, because she is as crazy as they come to this day. She would never hurt anyone, and instantly becomes everyone’s friend. She just loves to interact with people. Our old neighborhood was more close knit, and she used to dig out underneath the six foot stockade fence to go pay the neghiboring houses a visit. A few years ago we moved into a more woodsy setting, and that is when her houdini act kicked into high gear.

With homes spread farther apart on our little country backroad, we decided to get an electric fence as opposed to the wooden stockade fence she easily escaped. That being said, we have had to chase her down several times over the past three years. See, electric fences do not confine crazy dogs, I have come to conclude. Tracking her down is never a lot of fun, either, especially in the winter. With the GPS technologies out there, it has not only made it easy to get from here to there, but also a great new way of tracking someone or something. So the GPS Dog Collar might be just what I need for my adventurous pooch.

It looks like an ordinary collar, and says that it is not harmful to the dog, which is good. Although I am not too sure they have determined if GPS devices are harmful or not. There is a small GPS chip attached to this very light collar and has about a two week battery life before it needs recharging. It comes with the collar (which has a reflective glow in the dark surface), a GPS device, and an online tracking system that will let you find your dog no matter where he or she may be hiding. Just think, my doggie will easily be found when she tries to go out for a night on the town. All I have to do is look for a little blip on the computer screen. Apparently there is an over the phone tracking system, as well, although the website didn’t mention a thing about it.

The collar seems to cost a bit of money, and knowing that my dog has slipped out of a few collars in the past, this ultimately might not be what I am looking for. If only I could implant the GPS device into the dog, now there is a thought I can swallow a bit easier. Or how about kids? My oldest daughter is turning 14, and is starting to date. She would look funny wearing a dog collar, but I may be able to do something about that.

Tags: GPS, GPS collar, GPS dog collar, tracking dog collar

My job requires a lot of printing. As I have said time and time again on this blog, I travel quite a bit for work. Now, the printers we have available to us road warriors are a little smaller than an old 27″ CRT television. You know, the ones before the thin ones came out. Imagine lugging that into a conference, and at the same time trying to look organized. Well, if they do not listen to my demands here at HQ regarding the need for a more portable version, I am going to have to take matters in my own hands (and my own pockets) and purchase the Canon PIXMA iP100. Built for both portabiility and high quality, I will no longer be disappointed. I can set up office practically anywhere…a broom closet, a board room, the beach. And the prints shoot out fast (20 ppm for black, 14 ppm for color), and in high-resolution quality. You may end up saving space in the office and ditch that old dinosaur you have hanging around.

In addition to the print speeds and quality, it is Bluetooth capable which means you can print pictures and documents from your phone, a PDA, your laptop, and whatever else is wirelessly hooked up. You will get laser-quality prints every time. The printer is easy to set up, can be equipped with an extended battery, and is so small you will be impressed with what it spits out. Canon has been in the game for years, so it is no surprise that they are offering such amazing quality in a tiny package.

So I will be complaining at work now, waving my receipt around in the hopes of getting even a partial reimbursement, but I know there is a fat chance of that happening. I will just have to keep showing them how great it is, and maybe they will change their tune.

Tags: bluetooth, Canon PIXMA iP100, portable printer, travel printer, wireless printer

Well, I am never surprised anymore when I see stuff like this. USB toys are growing in popularity in the office, and I can see why in this video. Look for yourself, and I guaranty you will be dancing to that weird sounding techno song right along with the hamster.

Tags: hamster wheel, office toy, USB, USB hamster wheel, USB toy

Now you can foil those would-be pocket pickers with the StashCard, and inventive new way to hide your valuables and protect them from theivery. The StashCard is built to fit into your unused PC slot on your laptop, making it easy to slip your cash, memory cards, keys, or whatever else you find important enough to keep hidden. Of course it would have to be small enough to fit in the card slot. Secret compartments are always fun to have, too, and you can even play tricks on those drone-like co-workers you sometimes get stuck on the road with. Hide their room key and laugh when they search the office for it. You will be laughing for hours. Doesn’t bringing people to a panic get you rolling the the floor? Come on, you have to do something to entertain yourself when you are away from home. The StashCard should be sold with every laptop in every store across the world, but until that becomes a reality you can pick yours up for a measley $9.99. Fun like this should cost more than that, but hey I’ll take the discount. And of course the security benefits are a nice bonus too.

Tags: hidden PC slot, laptop accessory, PC card slot, Stash Card, StashCard, unused PC slot

With more and more gizmos I keep adding to my home office, I am slowly running out of places to plug them all in. Power strips are great, but the spaces are so jammed together you can really only plug three or four plugs before the strip gets cramped. This is the reason for the ever expanding USB powered market. But until I can replace all of my stuff, I have to put them to good use. So how am I going to do it? Install outlets continuously down the wall? Maybe, but I think the Socket Sense power strip is a better solution. Each outlet extends up to 18 inches apart, giving you plenty of room to fit those large, obnoxious plugs. And even better, the outlets are at an angle, freeing up even more headroom. I think with a few of these, I could run my own power grid from the comfort of my home office. Just think of the Christmas card I would get from the electric company!

Tags: home office outlet, outlet strip, Socket Sense Outlet Strip

I was out on the boat this weekend, as I have been many summer weekends before, and it suddenly dawned on me that I do not take the appropriate steps of protecting my electronic devices when aboard the SS Mullin. When I emptied out my pockets as this thought entered my brain, I realized I should really buy some of these OverBoard Waterproof Gadget Cases so that I am not spending more money than the gas it costs do rip down the waterways for an hour. I am big enough to know that electronics and water do not mix, I just never put two and two together until now. My cell, which is always on the boat when I am in case there is a chance of being stranded, would not do me any good if it decided to jump out of my shirt pocket for a quick swim. Why I keep it in that pocket is beyond me, and I guess I will never figure it out, it just feels most natural resting there. And the digital camera I take with me to capture some of nature’s most amazing pictures along the coast wouldn’t be happy getting wet either. So I guess I will take the plunge, and get these must-have cases for the summer, so that I won’t find myself in line at Circuit City after every weekend outing replacing my goodies. Can you imagine the bummer that would put on your fun-filled summer days?

Tags: gadget cases, OverBoard Waterproof Gadget Cases, waterproof cases, waterproof gadget cases

I swear that my children get a kick out of losing or hiding the remotes in my house. And it doesn’t help that everything needs a remote: the TV, DVD player, the stereo system. To make matters even worse, if you can’t find that remote with today’s technology a lot of electronic devices no longer include an override button on the front and are pretty much useless. I find this out every time I get five minutes to sit and watch the Yankees game, and yet can’t power on the cable receiver or change the channel. Oh I always find it, buried in the cushions of the sofa, underneath the toy box, in the toy box, or sometimes even upstairs in a room where the remote should never see (such as the bathroom). So for this upcoming summer gift to myself, I am going to purchase the Remote Buddy. Once you look at this thing and see what it can do, you will be ordering one for your house too.

Similar to the wireless phone networks you can now equip your home with, the Remote Buddy houses up to four remotes of almost any kind. And to add even more appeal to this little wonder, a cup holder sits at the end, allowing me to rest my beverage of choice when sitting back on the couch and killing brain cells. But what makes this a really great must-have for my family room is that it has a remote finder, so my little friends will never be lost again. I don’t know how they do it, and they don’t really say much in the ad, but through some sort of wireless synching it pairs the remotes up with “central command”. Now the kids will never hinder my television experience again, and I may get out of my thirties with some hair left on my head.

You can find this wonderful buddy through a quick google search, or go here where I stumbled onto it and see for yourself. The price isn’t bad, and is well worth it when you figure out all of the aggrevation you will be saving. Plus it’s always fun trying to outsmart the kids.

Tags: Remote Buddy, remote finder, remote holder

If you are one who attempts to keep up with an excercise routine to try and stay in shape, the Mark of Fitness MF-180 heart rate monitor might be the gadget for you. I know in today’s fitness center world, every machine we hop on, from treadmills to elliptical trainers to cycles, have some sort of LED/LCD display showing us our heart rate and caloric burn. But can we really assume that every machine’s monitor is consistent with each other? What if you were doing a ten-mile run on the treadmill, which says your heart rate is normal, then move over to the cycle and find that you are two beats away from a heart attack? Not only is that enough to scare you, but it makes you start to question if excercising is going to make you healthy or kill you.

With the MF-180, the heart rate monitor follows you from machine to machine, staying consistent with each excercise. In fact, it even has a feature that allows you to set your “normal” excercise mode parameters, with an alarm that sounds off when you tend to push your body outside these limit just a tad too hard. And speaking of features, not only does this monitor your heart rate, but it tells you the time, how many calories you are burning, counts laps, and can be used as a timer and/or stopwatch. And to top it all off, it has a memory so you can try and beat your record over and over, giving you an additional incentive to keep at it.

What I like about this healthy gadget is that it is not much more than wearing a watch. I know you have the finger band attached to it, but it beats hooking up electrodes to your chest and scalp like they do at the hospital. I have seen people on the bike trails running with these expensive get-ups, and they look like they are in the middle of a stress test. Plus, you can monitor yourself off of the machines as well, like when jogging or power walking down the street. It fits conveniently in my desk or briefcase, and is easy to travel with so I can use it when I am on the go. As I get older I find that I need to do more to stay in shape, especially if I want to stick around to see my kids grow up. With devices like this, it helps take the hassle out of excercising.

Tags: excercise monitor, heart rate monitor, Mark of Fitness MF-180, MF-180, MF-180 heart rate monitor

This is one of the greatest inventions I have ever seen. Not that I am a germ freak by any means (that phobia goes out the window with being a father), but I do have to rely on a toothbrush holder whenever I travel for work or play. And when I dig into my travel bag, the traditional 99-cent plastic version just gets plain nasty. I am not sure what it is, but it never looks pretty and is near impossible to keep clean. Lately, I have been treating my toothbrush as disposable when I am away from home, but with the izap I may be able to hold onto them a little longer. Using UV light, the izap irradiates 99% of all germs that love to hang out on your toothbrush. After all, a mouth is a very dirty place. Now you will be happy to know that most, if not all, harmful germs you collect will be gone before your next brushing. And all it takes is a 6 minute cycle that can even take place in the background when you place it back in your travel bag. And to make that even better, it shuts off automatically. Talk about no fuss, no muss!

This product comes with a brand new toothrbrush, but can also fit most other brands, even some electrical brush heads. And even though it eats up 2 AA batteries, the bulb is rated for 8,000 hours. That is a lot of cleanings. As far as the radiation warnings, I didn’t notice any. But what the heck, at least you will keep your teeth clean and happy!

Tags: izap, izap toothbrush cleaner, izap toothbrush holder, travel toothbrush holder, UV toothbursh cleaner