Sexy Bluetooth That Proves Crime Does Pay

I know, I know women can make an accessory out of anything!!

Hear me out here though. Now that it is mandatory to be hands free while driving, I really think that we need to discuss stylizing the Bluetooth. I know you think I am just being a girl, but there is one company that not only agrees with me, but is already capitalizing on the changing laws.

The company is Aliph, the product is the JAWBONE 2, and I have to say I like them a lot.

Let's start with the name Jawbone...love it! They only have one product -in three different colors, a Bluetooth device that doesn't fit on the jawbone. It goes around the ear but it points towards the jawbone. Do you see it now? I thought so, me too! Seriously it's good branding, catchy and easy to remember.

Next we move into the very hip, stylish, and goes with so many of my outfits, necklaces, shoes, and handbags look. Oh yeah it looks like it walked out of Gucci, Prada, or a Louis Vuitton store doesn't it?

JAWBONE 2

Note: The first one had a few issues, with charging and it was too bulky, but # 2 (a lot like Aliens compared to Alien) is getting better reviews.

Now aside from being just to die for cute, this product is actually pretty high tech. Oh yeah, Sexy and Smart. It has a patented VAS and an Advanced DSP Algorithm, no it can't drive you to work, what that means is it has a voice activity sensor and NoiseAssassin (I know that should be two words, talk to them it's their trademark) technology. In plain English now - it detects the frequency of your speech, even in the presence of noise, and then assassinates the background noise so the listener only hears you. The whole NoiseAssassination Algorithm thing, they say was developed for DARPA (Defense) but, is now available for the common folk. Check out the DEMO.

Finally the cashing in on crime thing, I know it's in the title and you were wondering what that was about, well they have this area on their website that helps those poor unfortunates that have gotten caught by mister law talking on the phone, by discounting their Bluetooth purchase.

Here's the Ticket Processor:

If you're busted breaking the Hands Free Law, JAWBONE will help soften the blow.

How? When you buy a new JAWBONE online we'll deduct $20 from the purchase price. (The phones are $129)

Why? Because having a conversation shouldn't be a crime.

So now the Smart Gals:

5 out of 5 Smart Gals on this one! Was there ever a doubt!!

It's a Small World

Today we are focusing on the big world of little technology. I'm considered a "little girl"-in stature that is.....and I love small tech that I can put into my purse, bag, or even pocket.

I picked out a few essentials gadgets that could prove useful for that person who wants to be able to work from just about anywhere!

__________________________________________________________

Aiptek PocketCinema V10 pocket-size projector

(This isn't out yet but man when it is this little gadget will complete me! I will be able to record, print, and now project all on the go from gadgets that will not break my back to carry!)

Photo: Company, June 5, 2008

Aiptek showcased its PocketCinema V10 mini projector at Computex 2008. Aiptek's PocketCinema V10, is a pocket size media player projector equipped with 3M's revolutionary miniature projection technology, which can project a 50-inch image.
The display content can come from a video capable device via the 3-in-1 AV jack. The device can also playback videos and photos from the 1GB internal memory or the SD/MMC/MS Pro card. The V10 supports JPEG, ASF, AVI and MPEG-4 formats and features a stereo speaker and built-in battery

AIPTEK USA

___________________________________________________________

IS-DV2.4 (Red)
Small, Compact Camcorder w/ 2.4" LCD Display

Photo: Company, June 30, 2008

Multi-function camera: The Aiptek IS-DV2.4 functions like five devices in one—a digital still camera, digital camcorder, MP3 player, voice recorder and data storage device.

8-megapixel photos: Equipped with a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor, the still image resolution of the IS-DV2.4 can be enhanced to 8-megapixels. Enjoy high-quality photos—perfect for prints up to 8” x 10”.

Records movies in MPEG-4 format: Easily record 720 x 480 video clips at 30 frames per second— share them over the Internet by e-mail, post on Web pages or view on your PC or television. State-of-the-art MPEG-4 format lets you capture more video in less disc space.

Up to 8 Mega Pixel Digital Camera
● Record 720 x 480 MPEG-4 Video
● Digital Video Stabilization

● Stereo MP3 Player
● 4x Digital Zoom
● 2.4" Swivel-Reversible LCD

● Flash Strobe
● LED Lights
● 4GB SD Card Slot Expansion

● TV/VCR Output

AIPTEK USA

__________________________________________________________

Canon Pixma IP90

The Canon Pixma iP90 is a sleek, lightweight, go-anywhere portable inkjet printer that creates full-size documents and color graphics, as well as 4x6-inch color photographs. Thanks to built-in PictBridge and infrared (IrDA) ports, you can print directly from your digital camera, PDA, or cell phone without a computer. You can also add Bluetooth functionality, a battery, or a power adapter for your car.

Turned off, the iP90 snaps shut into a tight, seamless capsule. When open, the front cover becomes an input tray for plain paper or glossy photo media, from legal to credit card size. You can fill the paper tray with either 30 plain pages, five envelopes, or 10 sheets of 4x6-inch photo paper. If you're printing 8x10-inch glossy photos, you'll have to feed them into the machine one at a time.

___________________________________________________________

Brother MPrint

This has got to be the smallest portable printer out there. The MPrint family of ultra-portable, mobile printers measure just 6.3" x 3.9" x 0.7", and weigh less than 11 ounces! They produce crisp, quiet, 300 dpi printing on five different media cassettes, including notepaper, self-adhesive labels, and 2-ply carbon copy sheets.

Brother MPrint mobile printers interface with Windows^® notebooks and tablet PCs, Pocket PC, Palm, and BlackBerry devices, and Windows Mobile-based Smartphones. Current MPrint models include: the MW-100, with USB and IrDA interfaces; the MW-120, with USB, Serial, and IrDA interfaces; and the MW-140BT, with USB and Bluetooth interfaces.

Included with each printer is a 50-sheet paper cassette and a built-in, rechargeable lithium ion battery capable of printing up to 100 pages on a single charge. Their compact size, internal paper cassette and variety of output media make them a perfect addition to many mobile applications. Software development kits are available for the major OS platforms to integrate mobile printing into new and existing vertical applications.

_________________________________________________________

Solar Style Solar Charger

Now that you are completely mobile you need to be able to charge those gadgets and let me tell you finding an outlet is not always easy so here is a tool that will help you get the energy you need anywhere.

Recommended for:

·Standard Mobile phones
·Smart phones
·PDAs
·MP3 players
·And other electronic devices with similar or lesser energy consumption/battery needs.
Charger
Output Voltage- 3.6/5.5V
Output Current- >300mA
Dimensions- 107.5x72x22.5mm Weight- 131g
Full Charge- AC/Car= 4-5 Hours Sun= 6-8 Hours
Battery-On-Board (Li-ion)
Capacity- 750mAh
Voltage- 3.7V
mAh- 750
Solar Panels
Output Voltage- 7.0V
Output Current- 180mA(x2)

You do not need direct sunshine to charge, any light will work, and you can continue to charge at night since the energy is stored in the device. It is not waterproof, only works with one device at a time, and though they are working on it the charger can not charge laptops. You can get more information on the Solar Style website.

_________________________________________________________

Sierra Solar Laptop Charger

Because we can't forget about the laptops. Power your laptop when you’re away from the power lines. Two or three- 10 watt PV modules provide enough power to run and/or charge most laptop computers including nearly all Macintosh as well as PC portables. Anywhere you go, just unfold the solar array, put it in the sunshine, plug in a 12 volt DC lighter adapter and you’re set. A 10 foot cord allows you to be in the shade (like under a tree at the beach) while the solar module is out in the sun working. The Notepower solar charger can charge other 12 Volt DC powered devices with rechargeable batteries too. Cell phones and other devices with DC chargers can be plugged into the Notepower solar charger and recharged as well.

Sierra Solar has three laptop chargers checkout the Sierra website for more info.

___________________________________________________________

Cardscan Products

I get so many business cards and most of them end up at the bottom of my bag, to be found weeks or months later. I love this little guy, it plugs into my laptop, I scan the card in immediately (front & back) add in notes on where, when, why and then sync it with my Outlook. Bam!

A little snippet from there site:

• Scan up to 30 cards a minute
• Easy-to-use software is a complete contact management solution, contact information from almost anywhere (business cards, email signatures, web pages and more)
• CardScan puts your contact information where you want it and keeps you in sync (Outlook, ACT!, Notes, GoldMine, Palm or Windows Mobile, Blackberry and more)
• CardScan keeps your contact data safe, securely backing up your data to our CardScan at Your service online service at no charge

Get more info on the Cardscan website

___________________________________________________________

So there you have it....small tech solutions that will keep you organized and Green!!

Startin the Day off Right....It's an Ipod Thang!

So life is tuff right? Yeah I know...duh! So how do you deal with it, do you let it build until one day your doctor says no more spicy food or caffeine (oh the horror!) because you have an ulcer the size of a grapefruit or are you the proactive sort that faces life head on?

My life is filled with stress as I am sure is true for most of you. Between work, family and friend obligations, and those unexpected curve balls that come out of nowhere I feel like I am on a never ending roller coaster. Honestly though....I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't remember who said it but I heard it asked once that if you had a choice between an uneventful, even keeled, somewhat bland existence and a life of incredible highs accompanied by some pretty hard lows which would you choose? For me I didn't really have to think about it I would choose door number two Bob!

Don't get me wrong, I am not a glutton for punishment and I haven't lived a totally charmed life making me unaware of what a series low can be. From very early on I have been a part of and seen some pretty horrible things but I have also had some amazing experiences in my life. So looking at the big picture, some of those amazing experiences are tied to the horrible ones and I couldn't-wouldn't trade any of it in. It took me a long time to get to this state of mind and a constant and consistent effort to stay here.

So with all of that being said, how do you keep yourself from wallowing in the pits? Well for me it is a daily, sometimes hourly struggle. I find that I need to start my day off right, I do this a couple of ways, first it starts with the playlist and then moves to the quote or saying. I get the quotes and sayings from all over, books, songs, websites. If you are looking for some quotes John over at Ezgreatlife had some really good ones this week in his Get Motivated post.Later in the day I may need to throw in a couple of short meditations/deep breath routines and a few more playlists depending on how bad or good the day is.

I have a docking station for my Ipod all over the house in the bathroom so when that shower starts to get the body ready to begin a new day I can also get the mind in a state to do the same. I usually begin with a short meditation, Deepak Chopra has a great Heart Meditation, Wayne Dyer has an Om meditation that is helpful, Shakti Gawain also has a great Creative Visualization exercise. After the meditation I start the music and the playlist varies depending on my mood.

Mood 1 - My life has thrown me challenges lately, recognize those challenges, learn from them, now move on:

• Matchbox Twenty
• Matt Kearney
• Marvin Gay
• Gnarles Barkley
• Fergie
• U2
• Sinatra
• James Morison
• Ray Charles
• John Lee Hooker
• James Brown

Mood 2 - Come on Girl you know your hot, find your mojo, it's all good: (This list could go on and on)

• Van Morrison
• Al Green
• Marvin Gaye
• Mat Kearney
• Maroon 5
• Joss Stone
• Duffy
• Amy Winehouse
• James blunt
• Dave Mathews
• Sean Kingston
• Paulo Nutini
• Fergie
• Massive Attack
• Akon
• Damion Marley

Mood 3 - Let loose, sing as loud as you like, no one can see you (and hopefully hear you) let it out:

• The Police
• Beastie Boys
• James Brown
• Nickleback
• Papa Roach
• Daughtry
• Sublime
• Timbaland
• The Killers
• Lilly Allen
• The Chalets

Ok I have plenty of other moods (like the let's get it on....better left for another time), but this gives you the general gist of how I use my Ipod and the playlist feature-I am not sure how we survived before the Ipod, I can't even remember life before it!! Records, tapes, walkmans, cd's, radio stations....we've come a long way baby. Props to that man Steve Jobs...holla back now!!

Your outlook on life isn't going to be good all of the time, sometimes you need a little help to regain your perspective. So what's in your playlist, do you have one, if you don't-get on it!!

Here are a few of the songs I groove out to, depending on the mood.

Voice Cloud-Turns Voicemails into Text

I seem to be saying this a lot these days….but I was out there checking out the blogs and I found this cool new service called Voice Cloud. I saw this post on an activerain real estate blog by Roberta Murphy which she contributes to Pat Kitano and I have no idea where he found it so hopefully that is the end of that list. In any case I was intrigued by Roberta’s blog title which was “Cool New Tech:Voice Cloud.” The blog post was short and to the point (which I love but do not do myself) and stated here is a new FREE service that will transcribe your voicemails into text emails.

How cool is that? Now when someone leaves you a message you get an email with the mp3 file, an email of the text transcription of the message, and you can also get a text message of the transcription. Wow…that was a mouthful!! You can choose one, a combination of, or all of the distribution methods listed above. This service is still in beta testing (probably won’t stay free for long) can be used on mobile or land-line services, works with most major carriers, and is done in real-time. For myself the mp3 of the message came right away, the email transcription comes about 4 to 6 minutes later as does the text transcription.

This new company on the block started in 2007 is headquartered right down the road in the same county as me and did I say it’s FREE!! The website says currently there is unlimited voice/transcription storage and retrieval (we’ll see about that), 24/7 customer service and support. They also have “a specifically designed interface for the iPhone.” (I am so tired of the iPhone getting all of the super cool interfaces) What happen to the Crack Blackberry being the cool toy to have? I may need to switch to AT&T especially if they are the only ones to get the new Blackberry this summer-it’s a conspiracy I tell you!!

So check it out and tell me what you think of this service….so far I think I’s pretty nifty.