USB Battery

Will the Best Battery Please Stand up?

Batteries have reduced many a grown person to tears. Whether they're in your flashlight, Speak N Spell, laptop, or MP3 player, they always seem to be dead when you need them most. We can debate the pros and cons of other technological advances, but when it comes to batteries, everyone is in agreement that it's time for a better mousetrap.

A few new technologies, most available today, are worth looking at.

A USB/Battery Combo: The USBCELL battery can be recharged when you yank off its head to reveal a USB plug. Recharge the battery from your laptop or any other powered USB port. Snap the head back on and you're good to go. (About $19 for two batteries.)
No Pre-charging Required: Hybrio, a new rechargeable battery from Uniross, is—unlike most rechargeable batteries—ready to use right out of the package without charging it first. The manufacturer claims it'll last four times as long as a standard rechargeable battery. It'll retain its charge for months and is rechargeable up to 500 times. Two AA batteries are $13.

Sanyo also makes a ready-to-use rechargeable battery called Eneloop that is very similar to the Hybrio. Eneloop combines the long shelf life, low cost, and ready-to-use aspects of a traditional battery with a rechargeable solution.

Nokia Earth-Friendly Alerts: Nokia is about to roll out a line of phones that emit a beep and display the words "Battery is full please unplug the charger" once their batteries are fully charged. That means you'll be able to save energy. According to the company, this simple alert could save enough electricity to power 85,000 homes annually. The alerts will be introduced to the Nokia 1200, 1208, and 1650 handsets first.

External Batteries: External portable batteries like Big Wave Power's portable EnergyPORT can recharge your phone, pocket PC, PDA, MP3 player, portable gaming device, and Bluetooth headsets—any device that charges up to 9 volts. This unit is about the size of an iPod and can charge two devices simultaneously, one from the USB-based 5-volt port and another on the 9-volt FireWire-based port. Just make sure that you read the voltage on the device you're going to recharge and select the right booster from the included kit.

Future Speak
Today, over 15 billion batteries are made and thrown away each year, the equivalent of a column of batteries stretching to the moon and back. Those curious about batteries in the near term future can read LiveScience's reports on nuclear powered batteries and a battery that works off of a tiny gas turbine. And talk about a renewable energy source—they've even figured out a way to create a battery powered by urine.

Intrigued by the prospect of alternative battery power? At PESWiki, a wiki devoted to clean energy, you can fuel your knowledge

A4Tech T5 MP3 Player

FEATURES
Cool shell and LCD display : Cool and elegant metal shell with blue color of LCD display
4 in 1 Multi-function: MP3 music play, voice recording, Pen Driver and Card reader/writer.
Memory and Expansion slot : Basic 128MB flash memory, 1 extension slot for SD/MMC media cards up to 4GB
High quality of Sigmatel 3504 chip set : Amplifier>=95dB
Convenient for operation : Unique life-time key ,elegance ultra-thin appearance convenient for operation , making you feel sensitive & comfortable
7 mode of sequencer : Allow you select the favor sound
Music Format : Supports to play MP1,MP2,MP3, WMV, ASF and WAV format
Supports special lyric synchro : Display offers more convenience for either music learning or English one
Li battery life time : 12Hrs
High-tech earphone : Adopts ultra thin 0.006mm (millimeter) high-tech earphone

www.A4Tech.com

USB Battery Charger

Charging time: 2 - 4 hours, able to charge a 900mAh rechargeable battery for 2 hours only using a USB wall outlet power adapter. Slim and compact design. Only fits AAA size battery.

Vista Review

Windows finally gets a facelift
Associated Press
01/26/2007 01:13 PM

In the span of five years, Microsoft Corp. promised its most advanced operating system ever and then yanked key features to meet deadlines that were missed anyway. Details of what would later be known as Windows Vista sounded suspiciously like Apple's Mac OS X.

Yet Vista, which finally appears on store shelves and new PCs next Tuesday, manages to largely overcome its long, tortured prelude.

Though it duplicates some of the feel and functions of the Mac software, Vista includes its own improvements that take security, reliability and usability to new heights on the PC.Vista is by far the most robust and visually appealing version of Windows yet. It's similar enough to its predecessor, Windows XP, to make the switch easy, but different enough to make the price almost bearable.That's not to suggest Vista's perfect or even as polished as Mac OS X.

In more than a month of testing on multiple PCs, I've run into a number of rough patches. Then again, I was able to run my systems longer between restarts, experienced fewer crashes and generally found it more informative than its predecessor.

Overall, it's a worthy upgrade, though one that most users will probably want to delay until the kinks are worked out.High requirements, improved visualsBe forewarned: The hardware requirements for the best features are high.Though a low-end version is offered (Home Basic Edition, $199, or $99 if the user is upgrading from XP), it lacks the high-end graphics and multimedia functions.

Most consumers will likely want the Home Premium Edition ($239, $159) that includes the visuals and entertainment tools and requires a heftier PC (with at least a 1 gigahertz processor and 1 gigabyte of memory).The visuals, for obvious reasons, are the most noticeable improvement, though the software doesn't hesitate to downgrade the experience if your PC is too weak. Programs appear in semi-see-through frames that pop open and close with an animated swoosh. Icons can be instantly resized with a slider (yes, like pictures stored in Apple Inc.'s iPhoto).The flourishes aren't just eye candy.

They also help get the job done, particularly if you're a multitasker.In previous Windows versions, minimized programs were something like a mystery meat: You knew they were there but it wasn't easy to find anything. In Vista, live mini-previews of each window pop open when the cursor is moved along the task bar.

Switching between programs using the Alt-Tab key combination is easier, as the live previews appear there, too. A new combination – Tab-Windows keys – flips through all your programs like a 3-D stack of playing cards.The start menu – which has wisely lost the word "Start" – also has been renovated. It now sports a search box that returns results instantly as you type. No more dancing dogs or grinding hard drives.

Better search, widget-like gadgetsIn fact, the improved search – which had been available for Windows XP users through add-on programs – is fully integrated throughout Vista (much like the latest version of Mac OS X, released in April 2005). Windows that display the contents of hard drive folders, for instance, all have a search box that can filter whatever is inside.Search results also can be saved into folders that get populated by future files that meet the original search criteria, though the feature isn't easy to find.

By default, the right side of the screen is filled with small programs known as gadgets, displaying headlines, weather, microprocessor loads, memory utilization – whatever. (The idea isn't new: Mac OS X has "Widgets," and other companies have offered similar lightweight application layers for years.)The default gadgets in Vista look great but aren't terribly useful. The Really Simple Syndication gadget, which pulls headlines from news sites and blogs, only displays four items at a time.Hundreds of additional gadgets are available from Microsoft's Web site. Some maintain the slick Vista visuals. Others don't seem to try.

Vista also includes considerable security improvements, including a firewall that blocks network traffic in both directions and an anti-spyware program. You still need to get your own anti-virus software.Vista adopts "user authentication," which prompts you before the installation of anything that might muck up the system.

Oddly – and unlike Mac OS X and Linux – it doesn't require a username or password. The prompt, which darkens and deactivates everything in the background, also is jarring and decidedly un-Vista-like.

Vista also has tools for monitoring and controlling your kids' computer and Internet usage, as well as new "features" that Hollywood can use to control what you do with its movies. If you ever update to HD DVD or Blu-ray, for instance, the quality of those crisp videos may be downgraded.

There are finer controls to adjust for power consumption and excellent notification and monitoring tools to figure out how the system is operating and what has gone wrong. Like a judge at a diving competition, Vista will rate a computer's performance – though it doesn't explain the scale very well.Vista sports new multimedia capabilities as well, including a photo management program with basic picture-editing capabilities. It's improved upon XP's moviemaking software. And it supports DVD burning.

The premium editions also include Windows Media Center – a shell that makes playing music and video easy, even with a remote control. The program, previously part of a special version of XP, adds some of Vista's visual pizazz to a package that bundles a digital video recorder for capturing live standard and high-definition TV.Installation issuesHow long does it take to give a PC running Windows XP this facelift and, arguably, heart and brain transplant?

Surprisingly little, at least on a high-end PC with 2 gigabytes of memory. The anesthesia takes considerably longer to wear off.My installation took about an hour. After the software checked for updates, prompted me for a serial number and asked me to agree to the Windows user license, the installer ran without any need for input – a great improvement over previous Windows versions.Problems arose when the PC came back to life. The beautiful visuals and inviting "Welcome Center" were covered up by error and warning messages detailing a number of incompatibilities.There was no sound. A program that I use to synch data with a flash-memory drive wouldn't work. The Internet-phone software Skype couldn't find audio input or output. And I was told the control center for my ATI Radeon X1600 Pro graphics card "might" have an issue. There was no warning from Microsoft's compatibility program that I ran before upgrading.Most of the problems were fixed by visiting each vendor's Web site and downloading updated software, although I still couldn't use my Hewlett-Packard Co. LaserJet 1020 printer or my company's software for virtual private networking.

In fairness, software companies have a few more days to get their acts together before Vista's consumer launch (businesses have been able to buy it for two months). But what have they been doing all these years?The success of the operating system, however, won't ride on how well old programs and peripherals will work but on the new capabilities that are enabled. For laptops, it may hinge on auxiliary displays that notify users of new e-mail when the machine is closed. For gaming rigs, it may be how well the games tap into Vista's graphics capabilities.That's because given all its bells and whistles, Vista is still just an operating system – a blank canvas, albeit one with a very pretty and elaborate frame. -AP

BOOMBOX

ARTECH DVD2211
Portable DVD Player
with Radio and Cassette Recorder

DVD, SVCD, VCD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW Playback
MP3, MP4 Playback
Kodak Picture CD Playback
FM / AM Stereo Radio
Cassette Recorder
4000W (PMPO)
DIVX Function
Karaoke Function with Microphone Input
2.1 Channel Output
Video Output
Super Bass Control
Super Woofer
Remote Control
Electronic Volume Control
AC / DC Operational
LCD Display with Blue Backlight
Color: Dark Gray with Red Linings

My new toy - the Toshiba Tecra Laptop

Toshiba Tecra A8-P5301

Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology
Intel Core Duo Processor T2300 (1.66Ghz, 667MHz FSB)
512MB DDR2 SDRAM
60GB (Serial ATA)
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive
15.4" WXGA TFT display
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
WiFi LAN Modem Bluetooth
S-Video Out
SD Card Reader
Finger Print Reader
Weight : 2.9 Kg

"nice toy huh..."

CREDIT CARD-SIZED 16GB FLASH CARD

A Taiwanese flash card manufacturer is prepping up the introduction of a credit card-sized 16GB Flash Card.

Power Quotient International (PQI), a memory module manufacturer in Taiwan, will ship the wallet-size storage device called U510. The flash card’s dimension is only 85mm x 54mm x 3mm. It is expected to battle out with a thinner USB flash-drive from OCZ, which has recently announced a storage card called Mini-Kart with only 2.8mm thickness. We’re not sure if there’s a flash card with U510’s size that exceeds 16GB.

U510’s remarkable credit card-size design allows you to slip it into your wallet or pocket. It has a built-in retractable USB connector and should work with Macs and Windows.

www.pcbuyersguide.com.ph

Mini Foldable Travel Speakers

Mini Foldable Speakers
for iPod/mp3 player/Laptop/PDA/CD Players
Powered by USB Cable or 4-AAA batteries or DC 6V Wall Power Adapter
Works for All iPods and other audio devices with 3.5 stereo port.


You will be amazed by the sound quality of these mini speakers, with a signal to noise ratio of 63dB and a near full dynamic range of 40Hz-12KHz. They can fold up so they can be carried around easily in your pocket.
Features and Benefits:
· Stylish white color that matches iPod, other colors available. (mine is black)
· Ideal for iPod, MP3 player, PDA, CD player and more …
· Works for all versions of iPod
· Foldable lightweight design. Portable palm-sized and easy to carry.
· Operates on 4 x AAA batteries or USB power cable or 6 V DC-in power adapter
· 3.5mm audio line-in jack
· Volume Control
· Dynamic Range : 40Hz-12KHz

Baby Girl KEKA

KEKA (Baby Girl)

Franchesca Angeline S. Jose

Born: June 4, 2006 10:25 pm
Birth Place: Las Pinas City
Weight: 7.7 lbs.
Height: 52 cm.
Father: Isko C. Jose
Mother: Vangie A. Serrano - Jose

Jeep Hurricane - Mean 4WD Machine

This ride definitely qualify to be in my wish list. Jeep does it again,created another monster mean machine.

SMALLEST PC?

I don’t know if this is the worlds smallest PC but it’s still exceedingly small measuring just 52mm x 52mm x 55mm.

The Space Cube somehow manages to pack in the following specs:
200MHz, 250MHz or 300MHz CPU
64MB of DDR SDRAM
IEEE1355 (SpaceWire)
XGA Video Output (1024×768)
USB1.1
LAN (100BASE)
Audio (Stereo)
RS232C JTAG I/F (I’ve no idea what that is)

If you know Japanese you can get further info on shimafuji.

www.coolest-gadgets.com

5 IN 1 CARD READER + MP3 PLAYER

MP3 Player with expandable memory card reader slot for MMC, RS-MMC, SD, MINI-SD, T-FLASH. Mp3 player has No built in memory. Memory cards available separately.

Features:
· High quality Mp3 files playback
· Supports SD / MMC / T-Flash Card
· Support A-B repeat
· EQ: Normal, Classic, Jazz, Rock, Pop
· Double LED
· USB 1.1/2.0
· USB storage disk
· 1 size AAA battery
· No driver needed when above Win98

Contents:
· Card Reader + Mp3 Player
· Stereo Earphone
· USB extension cable
· User’s manual
· 1 AAA size battery
Made in China.

Review:
Pros: Nice multi-purpose gadget. Excellent performance. Reasonable cost.
Cons: No LCD display.

Reviewed by: iskojose12
my new toy! :)

S.Beat MP3 (Swiss Army Knife with MP3 Player)

It had to happen, the world's first gadget has been tech'ed up. Tucked into this slick looking little Swiss Army Knife from Victorinox is a 1 Gig detachable MP3 Player (so you can pop the knife in your luggage and carry the player onto a plane when travelling).

The knife has a blade, nail file and scissors and looks rather dreamy, and the MP3 player will play MP3, WAV and WMA files, has an FM radio, a voice recorder, a rather neat remote control dongle, and a sexy jogging arm-band so you can listen to your tunes when you're - well, jogging presumably. Gorgeously well made of course, and ideal for all sport nuts.

Features

A sturdy aluminium Swiss Army Knife with flash based MP3 player and USB drive.
1GB memory which can store up to 250 songs.
A fully featured remote control with 2 earphone jacks and a hold button.
High quality earphones.
A digital voice recorder with a built-in microphone.
Stereo FM radio with recording function.
A multi-language interface.
A USB extension cable.
A blade, a nail file and scissors.
A rubber and Velcro arm strap so you can listen whilst working out.

No software required.
Supported by Windows 2000/XP and Mac 0S X Version 10.2 and higher.
Requires a rechargeable Lithium Battery (included) that recharges using your USB port.
A fully charged battery provides up to 8 hours of your listening pleasure.
Multi-language instruction manual.
2 year warranty.
Size: 7.4 x 2.2 x 2cm.

This product is not a toy and is unsuitable for children. Never leave a child with a knife unsupervised.

Sony Ericsson K600i

Slim 3G style

The K600i is a feature-packed 3G megapixel phone. Enjoy the latest mobile services – video call, media streaming and broadband mobile internet. You can have access to all the services and information you need – wherever you are. Inside, you have a 1.3-megapixel camera for the best images and video recording when you want to capture a special moment. The K600i is 3G - without compromising stylish design or long standby and talk times.



Rating (1 to 5, 5 as the highest rate)
User Friendly : 4
Features : 5
Battery life: 3
Looks: 4
Pictures Quality: 4
Sounds Quality: 4
Accessories: 3

Reviewed by: Eileen Serrano

TCL V-085 MP3 / MP4 Player

Take a good look at colourful rhythms. Or enjoy the reading and music at the same time. Feeling familiar with the jogdial?


model V-085
internal memory size 128/256/512MB/1G
max song mp3 32/64/128/256
file format support MP3, MP4, WMA, WAV, JPEG, MTV
support to select folder play mp3 yes
display OLED
display format file name, ID3 tag, lyric
display language multi language
segment replay A-B yes
EQ mode style 6 style
FM radio internal 32 memory channel
FM radio recording WAV
recording file format WAV
max voice recording time 16/32/128hr
voice recording adjust quality yes
max continuous playing time 10 hr
hardware update yes
text display function yes
timing power off yes
auto standby mode yes
power supply Li-on
battery Charger yes
charge method USB charger
USB plug type USB2.0 cable
plug & play(no need driver) yes
USB secrecy yes
dimension(mm) 58.5x27x12mm

www.tcl.com/english

EDIFIER M1300 MULTIMEDIA SPEAKER SYSTEM

Perfect for PC users on a budget, the Edifier M1300 still offers terrific performance for the price. From the all wood MDF subwoofer with a 4" driver for deep detailed bass, to the crisp and smooth sounding satellites, the M1300 has features found only on more costly models. These include a wired remote control with a mute feature, as well as a headphone jack, perfect for night time listening convenience.



Features:

Designed for Multimedia PC, with High Performance-to-Price Ratio.
MDF wood enclosure for the subwoofer.
Magnetically shielded drivers, no need to worry about the screen nearby.
4 inch professional design subwoofer driver.
Remote Control With Volume, headphone jack, mute button and power indicator LED.
Low noise amplifier design.

Specifications:

Amplifier power output:
Satellite: RMS 2Wx2 (THD=10%, fo=1khz)
Subwoofer: RMS 6W (THD=10%, fo=80hz)
Signal to noise ratio (Amplifier): >=80dBA
Amplifier distortion: THD+N<0.5%
Input Impendence: 10K Ohm
Input Sensitivity: 400mv. (+/- 50mV)
Frequency Respense: 55Hz - 20KHz
Volume Control: Wired Volume Control.
Bass Unit: 4 inch (106mm), Magnetically Shielded, 4Ohm.
Satellite Unit: 3 inch (78mm) full range, Magnetically Shielded, 4Ohm.
Dimension: Subwoofer:151(W) x 208(H) x 213(D) mm
Satellite:92(W) x 148 (H) x 108(D)mm
Weight: approx.3.7kg
Power input: 100V-120V ~, 50/60Hz (for Model USA/Canada/Japan)
220V-240V ~, 50/60Hz (for Model European/China/Korea/South America, etc.)

For Use With:

Laptop,Mobile and Multimedia Computer (2 channel Sound Card), CD player, Discman, MP3, etc.

Highly recommended. Watch out expensive Altec Lansing.

www.edifier.com

SONIC GEAR TATOO 303 Speaker System

SONIC GEAR TATOO 303
2.1 SPEAKER SYSTEM

Review:

Entry level 2.1 speaker system. Respectable sound quality and loud enough for a medium size room audio requirement. Most practical 2.1 system available. For PCs, MP3 Players and audio gadgets with a baby stereo jack port.
Reviewed by ISKO JOSE

Also available in white.

Specification :

Speaker : 2 inch x 2+3 inch
Weight : 1.8 Kgs
Subwoofer : 5 Watts RMS
Satellite : 2 x 2.5 Watts RMS
Total Power : 10 Watts

3 Reasons you should buy a PDA

3 Reasons you should Buy a PDA

If you are a busy person, a handy tool to have is a PDA, or a Personal Digital Assistant.
Here are 3 great reasons to purchase one of these light and handy gadgets.

1. PDA’s allow you to keep pertinent contact information in one spot. You can load up your address book with phone numbers, email addresses and other information on family, friends and business associates.

2. They synchronize with your personal computer so documents when you work “on the road” can be quickly and easily downloaded to your primary work machine. Some PDA’s even have a program that is set up for itemizing expenses while you travel. In it, you can keep track of hotel, gasoline and eating expenses. This is very helpful for someone that is keeping meticulousrecords of expenses incurred on business.

3. Ease of use. It doesn’t take long to learn how to use one, and some newer PDA’s have added features like being compatible with your Bluetooth device or also serve as an MP3 player. Great for the times you have to sit in an airport or fly on a plane.

PDA’s vary in pricing, but a nicely equipped PDA can be had for about US$ 200.00-300.00. Not a bad investment for basically a computer that fits in the Palm of your hand.

Tech On!

This blog is dedicated to the people who are very much into hightech gadgets and gears. We will try to post more information, reviews and articles related to the technology world and also the hobby sector. Keep reading. Thanks!