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!

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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

Windows Live Writer...A Blogger's BFF

Nothing excites me more than when I find something that makes my life easier-ok well almost nothing, I do like chocolate, Thai food, long walks on the beach (I need to get out more). This need to simplify, systematize, and ease my over encumbered lifestyle made me the Get Smart Tech Chic that I am today. I work hard but it's also about working smart, and when I find something that helps me reach my work less play more goal, I have to share it.

Let's talk about Windows Live Writer, some of you may already use this cool tool and some of you may be anti-establishment Down with the Man types that don't go near Bill Gates is taking over the world Microsoft gadgets. Well I am in, maybe not love, but deep infatuation with Live Writer, it has made my blogging, article writing, and website updating so much easier!!

This one tool allows me to create a blog post offline in the format of my blog, then publish directly to my blog-works with most major blog services, without going through a bunch of convoluted steps. I can also insert hyperlinks, pictures, maps, videos, tags, etc., and all from this one little FREE program. Now not all blog platforms are supported, ActiveRain for instance is not supported, and those blogs that are embedded in a website are usually not compatible for the one click publish feature.

What you can do though is change the view and copy and paste from there. So what do I mean by change the view? No it's not an everything looks brighter with your shades on reference. What I mean is that you have four views, web layout and preview (this is blog layout and view), normal (basic Word format), and html. So you can write the post/article publish to Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, etc., then convert to html for your website, ActiveRain, Trulia, or other random blog platform. Last but not least, you can switch to normal view to place your masterpiece on those article distribution sites.One stop shop is what I call that, isn't it Grand!!

Now that I have told you all the great things....there is one thing I am not keen on and that is the insert video plug-in. It will only allow you to insert web based videos not videos that are stored on your hard drive. Now for the most part your videos are probably acquired from and stored on the web, but for myself we have tons of Get Smart Women instructional videos that start on our external hard drive and then move to one of our web sources so I want to be able to do both. Yes I know I want it all-I want my cake and I want to eat too! I never understood that saying if you got the cake of course you want to eat, what are you just going to stare at it?

Anyway for now if you use Live Writer your videos have to be stored in the big web world, Youtube, Helloworld, Screencast, Seesmic, Vimeo, where ever you have them or you can add an extra step in by publishing without the video and then going to your blog and inserting the video there. This feature may change they seem to be adding new plug-ins all the time, like the Google gods and their constantly improving gadgets, they understand that to stay "cool" you need to have more and more accessories tools.

So now the Smart Gal rating 4.5 out 5 Smart Gals here:

Ok Brandon Turner from Microsoft is trying to get 5 out 5 Smart Gals, what they won't do for the extra half...can't do it until I try out the Soapbox but here is the comment he left:

"With the newest version of Windows Live Writer(was released this week) you can upload videos from your harddrive, they go Soapbox(MSN Video). This is just a preview release, so if you find any bugs, feel free to contact me. For more information on the new release:http://windowslivewriter.spaces.live.com/"

Planning a Vacation?? - Journeypod.com

Summer is almost upon us and for some of you luckies out there that can mean Vacation Time!! I love travel, the more exotic, adventurous, and out of the way the better. In my “younger” days cheap was in that list also, not that I don’t look for a good deal now (I will always be a deal girl) but cheap can also means not the nicest and I’m not afraid to say it but I want some pamper in my vacation.

First let me tell you what spurred this post, I was watching Top Chef – yes this Smart Gal likes a realty show, I don’t like that many and I am not an Idol watcher sorry, but there are a couple out there that I DVR – anyway the winner of the challenge received a luxury trip by Journeypod. “What’s this” I asked myself. The word pod got me thinking Ipod aka tech, and we know how much I like that, and then the luxury piece -well any girl likes luxury. So I just had to check out this website. It is an interesting website with vacation destinations that span the globe, from Iceland to San Francisco and points in between, this site touts themselves as the insider on the life of luxury for the jetsetter.

A little snippet from their website:

Whether its luxury vacation ideas, luxury travel destinations, luxury hotel information, luxury holiday travel, journeyPod means luxury. We have the insider’s information about international nightlife, boutique hotels, luxury resorts, and luxury travel Europe. Scope out our nightlife reviews, celebrity travel gossip, and restaurant reviews. JourneyPod has the lowdown on what to eat, what to buy, where to be seen, and who you'll see when you get there. Whether its San Francisco bars, London nightclubs, or Miami restaurants, the latest celebrity gossip, or where to find your favorite celebrity chefs, journeyPod is the one destination guide that has the most up-to-date info on exotic travel, luxury holidays, luxury vacation, trendiest restaurants and luxury travel.

Let’s review what your GetSmartGal thought:

Not So Smart:

1. Events – They listed 8 events total in their main events page (not many) and they were wine/food and Hollywood events. I was hoping for more events, varying themes, with some exotic locales. Note: the podcast piece makes up for this page.
   
2. Hotel “deals” these aren’t deals they should just stick to the informational piece and leave the “deals” to the more established online players like Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline, etc..
   
3. Site is a little labor intensive and disconjointed, the podcasts take you to another web address making it difficult to get back. There is no directory or search box on the main site and the one on the podcast site is useless. The longer they do this, they started in 2006, and the more they put on this site the worse this will get.
   

Smart:

1. The podcast supplements; this for me makes this site, the topics vary from destination overviews to “insider” information, and then they sprinkle in the glitzy factor with the behind the scene interviews at events.


2. Dig deep in this site and you will find a lot more, they have specific city pages, a blog page, the podcast area, and some must be at events scattered throughout.
   

Overall this website it pretty interesting and has some great tidbits that will get the travel bug itchin! For me this would be a startin off point, then I would need to go somewhere else to set up the travel package, and then I would probably pick up a more in-depth travel guide for the trip. Not bad though I will definitely keep it in my Google reader and check back occasionally to see what’s up.

I give this site 3 out of 5 Smart Gals.

Qik.com - Live Streaming Video from your Phone

Qik.com, Qik enables you to stream live video directly from your cell phone

Another cool toy I can't use because I am a Verizon Girl!! It is becoming an AT&T/iPhone world...I am not a big conspiracy theorist but if I were I would definitely smell something here...

Now, I am not a 100% sure which carriers have which phone models-you will have to check that out on your own, so if it turns out that Verizon has one of these phones, hooray! I have a Crack I mean Blackberry without the camera because Verizon can't get in the game doesn't have that model. In any case Blackberry and iPhone don't look to be compatible at this time. Some of these Nokia models are cheap though, I would spend the dough just to have the cool factor...live streaming video from anywhere that is too much! (for those of you who aren't sure what this is-no stupid questions here-it means that what you record on your phone can now be seen live on the Internet)

Here are the specs for this service from their website:

Just point your cell phone and stream video live to your your friends on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc. OR use your cell phone like a camcorder and stream hours and hours of video without worrying about storage on your cell phone.

Since Qik is new to this they say that they are constantly adding support for new phones - which would be nice since none of the phones are Blackberry or iPhone! Currently, they support video streaming on Nokia S60 phones: N71, N73, N75, N76, N77, N80, N82, N91, N92, N93i, N95, E50, E51, E61i, E65, E70m E90 Communicator, 3250, 5500, 5700 Xpress Music, 6110 Navigator, 6120 Classic, 6121 Classic, and 6290. You also need a Data Plan and it is advisable to have an Unlimited Data Plan from your service provider as video streaming can consume considerable amount of bandwidth.

This company is in their alpha release so registration is only through invitations. If you are interested, you can go to Qik.com and enter your phone number. They send you an SMS with a link to verify your request. Once you click the link from the SMS and confirm your request they will evaluate your request and get back to you.

Now there are no more excuses for you UFO people not to have better proof, instead of those messed up blurry pictures, now you can stream your encounter live on the Internet. This is going to change everything!

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.

WujWuj...No More Crappy Gifts

Party Time!! I don’t know about you but for almost all party occasions my friends and I use evite.com. Evite is easy to use, easy to manage the guest list, it’s cutesy-which of course is important, and it can be monitored from anywhere. So when planning a get together most of the time I go to that site to do it, but I was out there surfing the web again…I have no life, and I found a new site that I think is super cool!!

WujWuj.com is evite with group gifting (evite+egift)….how killer is that! WujWuj according to the website stands for With Upmost Joy – like it. You sign up, which is free, create your event, add your attendees, and you can then select a gift or gifts for everyone to contribute to. So if you have a graduation, special birthday, or anniversary, anything that you want to get some people in on a good gift for-now you can do it online. Hence the tag line... No More Crappy Gifts, you know you want to say that some times, but that would be rude. So now this website can say it for you.

My family is everywhere, California, Florida, Hawaii, Washington, Colorado, Maryland, the list goes on. Trying to get everyone coordinated to go in on a gift is difficult, who’s contributing, who collects, who purchases, who delivers the gift it is always such a pain to figure out. So this website looks great, you pick the gift it is included in the invitation, your invitees (is that a word?) go to the “event” page contribute to the gift, and WujWuj purchases it and sends it to the address listed.

I love the virtual world!!

So that’s today’s get smart tip, I would love to hear your feedback about the site….

Today’s Techie Dictator Post

There are two tools I want to talk about today for you dictators. That is “dictators” that like to dictate rather than write….I do not have tools for you tyrannical leaders out there, sorry!

The first cool tool is Jott a voice to text service that allows you to call an 800 number and turn your spoken wisdom into emails, text reminders, a to-do list, or Twitter, post a blog, text a group, the list goes on and on. This technological marvel is the brainchild of two guys with long complicated names headquartered in Seattle, WA. The team is made up of all guys…figures! I am not saying anything derogatory by that it just suits guys…they are a little on the do less get more side of life. Since its introduction in late 2006, Jott has made world class voice transcription accessible to anyone with a cell phone. This is a free service.

Just in case you are looking for this same capability but do not want to call in to a number there is Dragon Naturally Speaking by Nuance, it starts at $99. Here is a little snippet from their website:

With Dragon NaturallySpeaking Standard you can talk to your computer and watch words quickly appear in documents, e-mails, instant messages and even surf the web simply by speaking! It's amazingly accurate - up to 99% - and really easy to use. There's no script reading or "voice training" required, so you can get started dictating right away. Perfect for the whole family - busy parents, kids just learning to type, and even grandparents!

Sounds super fun….huh? Actually it isn’t half bad, setting up is a bit of a pain but once you get the hang of it the program it works rather well. I am sure this was developed by guys too, but I have no proof of that.

Finally, this is not a dictation tool but once you have your voice turned into text you can go to this site below and translate it into another language. Cool!
http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/

Hopefully these toys tools will help you take some of the clutter out of your day. And for all of you guys out there I was only kidding about the truth wise cracks. Let me know what you think of these sources, would love to hear the feedback.