Ugh!!'s Greymatter Honeypot » gadget

Yay! I have a Kindle!

Owen — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:31:18 +0000

Latest gadget in the house is: A Kindle! It wasn’t planned or anything like that. Our friends down at HotUkDeals ran an impromptu contest last week on Twitter and I was lucky enough to be picked as one of the winners of the contest. And the prize? One spanking new Kindle.

So, I’ll be playing with it over the next few days. Anyone have any tips?

Loving the Samsung Galaxy S II

Owen — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:05:24 +0000

I’ll admit it here: I’ve fallen in love! I’ve fallen in love with a new phone, the Samsung Galaxy S II. It’s the latest and greatest Android phone and is available from Expansys today!

Here are the highlight specs:

4.3 inch WVGA SUPER AMOLED Plus display
Dual Core processor
3D graphic performance and fast data processing
8 megapixel auto focus camera with Full HD 1080p recording and playback
Near Field Communication

Those are pretty much all killer features, but if you want the full technical details:

Network: HSPA+ (21 Mbps), HSUPA (5.76 Mbps), EDGE, GPRS (Class 12), Quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900), Quad band UMTS (850/900/1900/2100)
AP: Samsung Dual Core Application Processor
Dimensions: 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49 mm
Display: 4.3 inch WVGA SUPER AMOLED Plus
Memory: 1Gb RAM, 16Gb, MicroSD (up to 32Gb)
Camera: 8MP AF with LED Flash + 2MP Front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, BT v3.0+HS, USB 2.0
Connectors: MicroUSB, 3.5 mm Ear Jack
Battery: 1650 mAh
OS: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
Messaging: SMS/MMS (OMA v1.2), Email (POP3/IMAP/SMTP, SSL/TLS), Exchange ActiveSync (Email)
Audio: MP3, OGG, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WMA, WAV, MID, AC3, IMY, FLAC, XMF
Video: MPEG4, H.264, H.263, WMV, DivX, Xvid, VC-1
Recording/Playback: 1080 at 30 fps
Image: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WBMP, BMP, AGIF
GPS: A-GPS
Convergence: Easy Set-up (WPS PIN/PBC, Wi-Fi Direct), AllShare (DLNA1.5), Samsung Kies 2.0, Samsung Kies air
Hubs: Social Hub, Readers Hub, Music Hub, Game Hub
Others: TouchWiz, Google Mobile Services

Nice huh? There’s only one issue .. do I really want to spend Â£500 on a phone? Check it out!

Transfer your photos wirelessly

Owen — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:34:10 +0000

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Eye-Fi. All opinions are 100% mine.

There’s something to be said about great ideas and this is just one of those. If you own a digital camera, then you know exactly what it’s like to have a big memory card that can take hundreds of photos before you download to your computer. But you always get people asking you for copies of the photos, or wanting you to upload them to your computer or Facebook so they can see them. And guess what, you never have a card reader when you need one; and you can never get your photos off your card. We’ve all experienced this frustration haven’t we?

Well, someone came up with the brilliant idea of building Wifi into an SD card, which means that any SD camera can now hook up to a WiFi network, allowing you to copy photos right off the card to your computer, or even up to the Web. It’s called Eye-Fi and here’s a short video about it:

To tell you the truth, I didn’t know that such a device existed before I came across it today, and it’s definitely up there as one of the interesting gadgets I’ve seen this year. It’s a device that was invented to fit a need, and anyone with a digital camera can relate to the need. Who knows, it might work well as a Christmas present for someone you know.

Where’s your JooJoo ?

Owen — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:44:26 +0000

Interesting new gadget that’s been announced called the JooJoo. It’s a tablet with a 12.1″ touch screen with the express purpose of logging onto the Web. It’s an interesting tale how the device came about, having been imagined by Mike Arlington from TechCruch, but he was ousted from the operation a couple of weeks back. Anyway, the device has been made public and you can see it here:

There are lots of reasons why people are saying the device will fail, but the biggest problem seems to be price. $500 is just too high a price tag for a device like this, especially when you consider you could get a fully functioning laptop for the same price. The interesting thing for me is how this will move on the gadget market. Won’t be long before Apple produce their own …

Grab a remote for me

Owen — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:56:43 +0000

Do you ever get a feeling you have too many remote controls in your living room? I got that today while stabbing my find at one of the remotes, only to find out what I was using the wrong one and I was really changing channel on the DVD recorder, while expecting the TV to be changing. It didn’t help that I was showing someone else how to use the remote! Well, the truth is that I only have 4 remotes in our living room:

There’s one for the TV, one for Sky, one for the PVR/DVD recorder and one for for the surround sound. Well, it would be more convenient if I had a single one that I could use for all my devices, something like the Yamaha neoHD. The great thing about this is that instead of having one remote with a million buttons, you have a simple remote with an on-screen selector that overlays on top of the channel you’re viewing, giving you full control of all your other devices.

You can find more information on their website (follow the link above) or look them up on Facebook. It’s not a cheap device, but if you really want one, you can also take part in the Yamaha neoHD Sweepstakes for your chance to win one of these devices and get yourself out of remote control hell. I’m certainly going to try and go for it.

What about you? Do you ever have to suffer through Remote Hell?

Pleasure Seeker – Funky watch

Owen — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:57:23 +0000

Here’s a funky gadget I came across today. It’s a watch called the Pleasure Seeker that doesn’t show the time in a conventional manner. Instead it has a total of 80 LEDs on the front giving it that chic sci-fi look. In the normal mode, the display is split into 2, showing the hours at the top and the minutes at the bottom. You can also switch it to “Pleasure Seeker” mode where it lights up three times a minute for 12 minutes, as an indication to everyone around that you’re “seeking pleasure” (take from that what you will)

Anyway, here’s what it looks like:

It’s a pretty funky look, though I’m not sure many of my female friends would appreciate it (yeah, that’s the female model) however it’s good to see innovation hitting the watch market place. I must say, I’ve seen a number of interesting watches over the last few years, and one I’m keen to get myself (one day) is one that displays time in digital. I’m quite happy with the watch I have at the moment though. It’s got a normal analogue display, but it also has a 2Gb memory chip inside; which means I can carry around useful programs and even some data.

Anyway, back to the Tokyo Flash Women’s Pleasure Seeker. It’s currently on Sale from Buy.com at $54.00 which is not bad for a relatively unique watch.

Do you have a funky watch?

A gadget my wife would love

Owen — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:21:45 +0000

I was browsing around the Web tonight (as you do from time to time) and came across a gadget that my wife would positively love. It’s called a Roomba and it’s a robot vacuum cleaner. Here’s what it looks like:

I’ve never come across one of these before, although I have seen some conversations of friends online who have tried it; and it looks positively awesome. So how does it work? Well, it roams around your floors vacuuming any dirt up as it goes, regardless on whether it’s carpet or hard floors. The great thing about it though is the intelligence. It can detect walls and furniture and change direction when this happens. It can give dirty sections of your carpet more attention than the cleaner areas. And it remembers where it’s charging station is and returns there when the batteries are low. How cool is that! All the user has to do is turn it on, put their feet up and watch.

Well, it’s out 10th anniversary soon and this would be a great present, but we’ve already decided what we’re going to get each other, so this is not going to be it. But the great thing is that it doesn’t seem to be too expensive either. It’s currently on sale at Buy.com for $159.99 (that’s approximately Â£100); and if you think of the time it could save you in the long run, well, there’s no discussion is there.

Anyone out there have one of these? How do you find it?

Santa, Santa! I want one of these!

Owen — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:14:29 +0000

Anyone who knows me will know that I’ve been playing with webcams for a good few years now! There’s something extra special I think in adding a your face to your interactions on the web, whether it’s IM, your blog or a video chat. I’m sure you’ve noticed my image at the side of this blog (and others) that gets uploaded every 30 seconds while I sit at my desk. Great way to know if I’m here

But I’ve never really been happy with the technology I’ve been using. I currently have a cheapy webcam I bought for a couple of quid at Tesco, and while it does the job I would love a top-end webcam with face tracking and auto-focus (that way I’m not blurry and out of the picture half the time). Anyway, I came across the perfect webcam on Buy.com’s sale page today. It’s the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 which sports a brilliant array of features including:

Carl Zeiss optics: Get more detail and clarity from Carl Zeiss optics. Logitechs glass lens designed in collaboration with Carl Zeiss, the global leader in camera optics.
Premium autofocus: Your images stay razor-sharp, even in close-ups.
HD video: Video calling and sharing has never looked so real at 960 by 720 pixels.
Higher megapixel performance: A true two-megapixel sensor. Up to eight-megapixel* photos (enhanced).
RightLight2 Technology: Adjusts intelligently to produce the best possible images in dimly lighted or poorly backlighted settings.
Integrated microphone with RightSound Technology: Enjoy crystal clear conversations, free from echo** and annoying background noise.
Ultra-wide field of view and intelligent face tracking: Keeps you right in the middle of the action.

Santa, Santa ! I so want one of these for Christmas!

USB keys are so cheap nowadays

Owen — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:23:34 +0000

*grin* .. I was rummaging through my laptop and came across an old memory stick I was given when I joined Solidsoft. It’s a 256Mb stick and I was pretty pleased to get it at the time. I remember signing for it .. as one would for any company asset that was assigned to them. The question is .. what is is worth today?

The reason I posed myself that question is that I came across an 8Gb one for sale on buy.com. It’s the Kingston 8gb Data Traveller USB 2.0 Flash Drive and is currently retailing for $16.99 (that’s around Â£10 in sterling). 8GB for a tenner! Wow!

I’ve posted about deals like this from Buy.com previously on this blog, and I’m checking out the weekly deals every week to see what new prices they come up with. The prices of the items I mention on this blog usually go up after the promotional period is over; but checking the sales page means you can get that extra special deal. It’s always satisfying to check the week after you bought something and see the price go back up to what it was before the promotion. Sort of reinforces the deal; doesn’t it?

So, how much was that last memory stick you bought, and what was the capacity?

Looking for a watch

Owen — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:54:48 +0000

It’s been a couple of months since I got my MP4 watch. It works nicely and has some great features, but it just doesn’t cut it as a watch. I may burn in hell for this, but I think I’m pining for a real watch, one that doesn’t have 2Gb of memory, one that doesn’t play video, one that doesn’t receive radio .. but instead, one that tells the time when you look at it!

And, you can still get something gadgety in a classical watch. Look at the one at the side,which I found on a website specialising in Amazing Swiss luxury watches. It looks amazing, and tells the time. Oh, and by the way, you can also win a watch by subscribing to their newsletter. If you want to learn more about their watches, subscribe here.