The Gadgets Page

I purchased the Kodak Easy Share Wireless Picture Frame with a specific purpose in mind: I wanted to immediately transfer motion sensor triggered photos from my Panasonic network camera at my front door onto a screen up stairs so we could see who was at the door before going downstairs to answer it. Advertised as “being able to receive emails with photo attachments and immediately display them”, it seemed that the Kodak picture frame might be just the ticket, since the camera can immediately send email photos when it senses motion.

I purchased the frame at Best Buy for $219–$50 lower than it’s MSRP of $269. Although its frame is made of plastic. The screen is okay but not great—it’s about middle of the road as LCD displays go. It has a wide angle viewability side to side, but is polarized vertically and so changes colors quickly when you angle it from top to bottom. That’s probably the right choice to make, and for the money I’m not going to dwell on the screen quality—it’s more than adequate. Unfortunately, the electronics protrude about ½” behind the frame, making it unsuitable for directly hanging on the wall. I’m not sure why digital photo frame makers think that it’s okay for the frame to protrude 1” away from the wall—you’d have to cut a large square hole in your wall in order for this frame to sit flush. It’s most appropriately used on a desk.

The frame was pretty easy to setup: Upon power-up, you use the touch-sensitive frame area below and to the right side of the display to move a cursor around and set the WiFi password. After restarting, it was up on my network and displaying default photographs.

Using the frame is trivially simple: Just pop in a photo card from your camera, and the photographs will instantly start showing using default settings. You control the frame using the touch sensors, using a swipe motion to scroll through photos and a touch motion to call up the menu. The menus are very easy to use, allowing you to select photo shows from the card, from online sources, and to set some of the frame’s defaults.

The frame is compatible with three different online services: Flickr, FrameChannel, and Kodak Easy Share online. FrameChannel and the Kodak site are so similar that it’s surprising that they both exist, much less are both supported. FrameChannel does provide an interesting additional service: Ambient information channels such as weather predictions, stock info, and news that appear automatically on the frame. You can’t change the settings for the online services on the frame directly, but you can point your computer’s web browser at the frame’s IP address to call up a website that will allow you to configure it completely.

In the frame’s configuration website, you can establish RSS Photo feed settings for the three directly supported services or for any generic RSS Photo feed site. The setup does require you to have accounts on these services, and it is a little bit of work to figure out exactly how everything should be setup, but I figured it out easily and without cracking the manual.

Of the three services, the Flickr integration is best: You can simply select Flickr on the menu and pretty much instantly your Flickr Photostream will appear as a slide show. You can setup tags to filter photos by as separate slide shows and choose between them, and you can even setup menu items to match tag channels on the main display.

The ability of the frame to map to an arbitrary Photo RSS feed means that you can use it as an ambient information display. For example, if you want to keep track of specific stocks, airline flight information, or network status information you could create a software application that generates those graphs and uses Photo RSS to feed them to the display.

A little hacking on my part showed that the frame complies with the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) standard for a media browser and a media renderer. This means that future home theater devices will be able to run slideshows directly on the frame, and that other frames can connect to it to display its content. The Kodak software uses UPnP features to control the frame, but UPnP itself is immature and there’s very little third party support for these features at this time.

Unfortunately, the love ended pretty early for this frame. Without fail, the wireless frame detached from my wifi-network after about two hours and stopped displaying anything, refusing to reconnect to the network until it was disconnected from power and restarted. It always reconnected immediately, which indicates that the problem is with the frame, not with the network (none of my other wireless devices have this problem). This problem makes it impossible for me to recommend this wireless frame until a firmware update that correctly addresses reconnecting to the network automatically is available.

The Kodak Easy Share software is utter garbage, doing little more than pointing you back to the frame’s own website in a window. The only reason to install it is to copy photos to the frame directly from your computer, but that’s more easily handled by copying them to a memory card in my opinion. There’s little to no point in installing it at all—the saving grace is that you don’t need it at all. I’m not sure why manufacturers go through all the effort of including poorly written software that is just going to annoy people when it isn’t even remotely necessary.

As for my use case—receiving photos from my network camera automatically and displaying them immediately—the frame is unfortunately not suitable. The first problem is that you can’t actually email photos into the frame. It does not check an email account for photos. Rather, you can configure FrameChannel or Flickr to receive email, and the frame will pull those photos down eventually. The best time I could get was about five minutes from the photos being sent until they arrived on the frame. Also, even if I could get photos onto the frame immediately, there’s no way to get the frame to instantly change to the latest newly arrived photo—rather, it gets to it eventually as it cycles through the slide show.

To make me happy, this frame would need to be configurable to check at email account using an email protocol for new photo mail when I touch the touch-sensor—not just RSS Photo feeds (none of which can be controlled closely enough to show what I want on the frame). It would also be nice if the frame supported common file transfer standards such as FTP, which would allow network cameras to transfer photos to it with no intervening servers and no need for the photos to go out on the Internet. It would also be nice if the frame could be configured to automatically display the most recently downloaded photos.

All of these would be forgivable if the wireless connectivity was reliable, but it isn’t. And given that, you’re better off just using its non-networked sibling, the Kodak M1020, which is half the price. A quick look on-line indicates that I’m not the only one having this problem, so I’ll be returning mine to Best Buy.

Today I’m reviewing a product from ZAGG called Z.buds. The product is positioned as an iPhone ear bud replacement, but can be used with any listening device that has a 3.5mm jack.

The first thing I noticed about this product, when I was finally able to remove it from the bullet proof packaging, was the nylon wrap around the wires. At first I didn’t think I was going to like that because it felt strange, but it has definite advantages. For one, the nylon material actually aids in keeping the wires from getting tangled up. Second, it should prevent nicks in the wire as they are used.

There are three adjustable silver beads that can be used to tighten or loosen the cords leading to your ears. I find this to be a winner because when you wear ear buds during physical activity, the split wires get tangled an buds usually fall out. The beads also add some style to the black and silver color scheme.

The ear pieces themselves sit in your ear hole, they don’t hang from your ear like the Apple ear buds. The package also includes 5 different bud covers, two clear rubber sizes, two foam sizes, and a cover that looks like a pawn from a chess game. Having this many options is great. I tried them all, and found the small clear cover to work best for my ear.

One thing you have to get used to with buds that fit in your ear, rather than just hanging, is the tight fit it creates. You really can’t hear much around you once you get the Z.buds fitting correctly in your ear. This adds to the over all listening pleasure. It helps keep all the ambient or passive noise out, and you just hear whats playing on your device. This is fantastic when your in a crowded room or on a noise bus.

The Z.buds also include inline volume control, a very nice feature which I use a lot. The Z.buds also have an inline microphone for use as a hands free headset for your iPhone. I tried the headset with my iPhone and it worked as expected. I also noted that the microphone piece works like the Apple ear buds that come with the iPhone, where the button on the mic will advance music when listening to iTunes. I’m not sure, but I suspect it would work the same on other brands. There is also a small nylon loop in the middle of the cord, presumably for connecting to a shirt or jacket button? I couldn’t find any specific use, but I guess you can be creative.

The only real problem I had, was the inline mic seemed heavy, and kept pulling the ear piece out. I had to move the tightening beads further up to even out the weight.

Overall I found the ZAGG Z.buds to be a very well made, very usable product. The sound was as good as any other headset or ear bud system I’ve reviewed. I tend to max out the volume so I can see how the speakers handle various music types. While the Z.buds performed well with all types of music, I did notice that at times the bass seemed muffled at lower volume settings. Turning up the volume helped, but you can’t always listen at higher levels.

If you are looking for a well priced, well performing ear bud, I don’t think you can wrong with the ZAGG Z.buds.

I don’t know why it has taken so long for someone to invent Loud N Clear, but I’m glad it’s finally here. For those people who are embarrassed by their hearing loss and don’t want to admit to the world that they need hearing aids, this little gadget looks like a bluetooth headset, but instead of making your phone easier to hear, it helps you hear everything better.

I personally haven’t tried this gadget, but I heartily approve of it. A couple of years ago, Mike and I were talking about bluetooth headsets and how common they are. I mentioned that it would be totally cool if they would make hearing aids that looked like bluetooth headsets so that people could hear clearly, but look like a normal headset-wearing person.

Of course, this commercial makes it look silly…

I wish that an established hearing aid company would make something like this, but for now, Loud N Clear will have to do.

Update 01-15-15

The incredible Mike Dodas recognized the computer and the people in the photos! He identified some of them and told us the whole story about them here:

• The Gadgets Page – Utah Department of Employment Security and Their RCA Spectra 70

Thank you, Mike, for sharing all this information with us! I love hearing about the old systems and I believe all of it should be saved and archived. Wishing you the best in all you do!

I found these photos in a local antique store in Salt Lake City and I knew that I HAD to have them. It’s obvious that these people are so proud of their RCA Spectra 70.

Here is a little more information on this particular computer.

• RCA Spectra 70 – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The RCA Spectra 70 was a line of electronic data processing (EDP) equipment manufactured by the Radio Corporation of America’s computer division beginning in April 1965. The Spectra 70 line included several CPU models, various configurations of core memory, mass-storage devices, terminal equipment, and a variety of specialized interface equipment.

The system architecture and instruction-set were largely compatible with the non-privileged instruction-set of the IBM System/360. While this degree of compatibility made some interchange of programs and data possible, differences in the operating system software precluded transparent movement of programs between the two systems.

Michael found these PDFs of the RCA Spectra70 Brochures:

• RCA Spectra70 Brochure – 1965
• RCA Spectra70 Brochure – 1968

If you notice, the 1965 brochure doesn’t mention a Salt Lake City office, but the 1968 brochure does. Considering that RCA stopped selling the Spectra70 in 1970, I suspect these photos are from the opening of the Salt Lake City office. There were few companies in Utah who would be so proud of their computer back then: Evans and Sutherland or maybe the U of U.

More photos after the break: (Continue Reading…)

I’ve been playing Animal Crossing: City Folk pretty regularly. I’m not as obsessed with it as I was Animal Crossing: Wild World, but that’s mostly because I have to play it on the Wii instead of the DS. The whole house can hear me when I play Animal Crossing: City Folk and the town is 52 inches wide. When Mike can see my obsession in HD greatness, I’m a little less willing to play for hours on end. The DS was a more private way to obsess.

Since it’s winter in the game, there aren’t very many bugs to catch, but one of the bugs that I can still get are mole crickets. Imagine my shock and surprise when The Bloggess showed me a photo of a REAL mole cricket.

If I saw that thing running around, there’s NO WAY I’d catch it! Butterfly net or not! After reading her comments, they are harmless:

dewde says:

LOL it’s a mole-cricket. Pick it up and it will try and “dig” into your hand much like a puppy digs in the dirt. It tickles, actually.

In the game, when you hear the mole cricket, you have to get out your shovel, dig a hole and then hurry and get your butterfly net to catch the cricket scurrying away. When I’m playing Animal Crossing, mole crickets look so cute. In real life, not so much. I think I’ll stick with the fantasy for now.

I have a Nintendo DS with one pixel that just doesn’t work the way it should. It looks like a white dot (sometimes it changes color, but ALWAYS the wrong one) on my screen. It’s just irritating on games like Animal Crossing, but for more time sensitive games, sometimes it’s a killer. It became so irritating, that I eventually just got a new DS.

I found this awesome entry by Tina at MakeUseOf.com about how to fix a stuck pixel on your computer screen. If I had known about this, I might have been able to fix my Nintendo.

• 5 Ways To Fix A Stuck Pixel On Your Screen | MakeUseOf.com

Most of the software that she recommends is for Windows machines, but there are a couple of techniques to use if you have a Mac. It’s called JScreenFix and it’s a website you can visit.

• JScreenFix – Fix stuck pixels

There’s even one that might work if it’s a different machine (like my Nintendo DS or a Sony PSP). Before you take that Mac back to the Genius Bar, try these techniques to see if you can reset your pixel on your own.

Via: HijiNKS Ensue – Geek Webcomic – Updates Monday, Wednesday and Friday » Archive » Catching Up

“Netbooks”—small, lower-powered, and inexpensive laptops with an emphasis on Internet connectivity rather than general purpose computing—are a big new category in computer sales. With entrants such as the Asus EeeePC, MSI Wind,/a>, HP Mini, and Lenovo IdeaPad, most of the major vendors (with the notable exceptions of Apple and Dell) are moving into this market. Netbooks are typically priced within $100 of the $400 mark.

It takes work to get down to $400: Smaller screens, no CD or DVD reader, lower capacity hard disks, and low-cost, slower, mature components. The processor is usually either the Intel Atom or the Via C7-mobile and they universally use low-end integrated graphics and network connectivity chipsets. This means that they can’t really handle 3D games or CAD work, and they’re not suited to high-speed data transfer on a wired network. They also include less memory than today’s typical laptop—either 512MB or 1GB. Having fewer ports—typically two USB ports, a wired network port, and an analog or digital video port, also reduces cost. All have Wireless G, but most do not have Bluetooth. A few have express-card slots that allow for expansion, however. They run Linux, Windows XP Home, or Windows Vista Basic, usually based on whether or not they have enough RAM for Vista. Many are available in editions that use a small amount of flash memory as a solid-state disk and can only run Linux.

The Lenovo IdeaPad has hit most of the compromises perfectly. It uses Windows XP Home (Vista Basic adds literally nothing of value with these older components) and has literally no unnecessary crapware to be removed.

It has a nice, bright screen, loud-enough speakers for one person to watch a movie, and the keyboard is small but not too small (although the placement of the right shift key is annoying), The screen is suitable for movie watching and the computer is capable of streaming Netflix Instant movies wirelessly at full resolution without pausing.

Most importantly in my opinion, the Lenovo has an ExpressCard slot, which makes it possible to add any port you need. This remedies a lot of the shortcomings of a Netbook and opens them up to use as a general-purpose computer. I use the ExpressCard slot to add a gigabit network port (to compensate for the fact that the built-in wired port is only 10/100) and to install flash memory for backups. Unfortunately, the ExpressCard slot is not full-length: About a half inch of the card will protrude when fully inserted which makes it difficult to leave an adapter in the machine routinely.

The ASUS Eeee PC and MSI Wind Netbooks get a lot of attention online, but only the original HP Mini compares favorably to the Lenovo in my opinion, and it cost nearly twice as much. For the money (and that’s the idea behind the NetBook category), the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 compromises less and delivers more than any other Netbook on the market right now.

The fact that I can’t replace the battery on my iPhone has never been a problem for me. I’ve had pretty good luck with it, but I miss having the backup of an extra battery that I had with my old Treo. It’s one of those things that kind of sit in the back of my mind nagging me a bit.

Now, the Mophie Juice Pack can alleviate that nagging worry, but only if I’m willing to pay a hundred bucks.

The Mophie adds quite a bit of bulk to your iPhone, but for those of us used to dealing with the Treo, it feels like old times.

When I used to be a real estate agent, I was on my phone all day long. There is no way the iPhone would have lasted me. I would have had to keep it plugged into my car the entire time I drove from listing to listing. Is that people are doing now?

If you’re willing to bulk up your phone a bit (it was never a problem for me because I keep my phone in my purse), then the serenity of have twice the battery time is worth the extra money.

This ingenious device is EXACTLY what every camera needs. It looks like an ordinary wrist strap for your camera, but when the time comes to download your photos onto your computer, the wrist strap opens up and becomes a USB cable.

I can’t believe ALL cameras aren’t equipped with this feature. Ziotek makes the strap in two sizes: wrist strap and neck strap:

• Ziotek USB Camera Lanyard, Wrist Strap at Amazon.com
• Ziotek USB Camera Lanyard, Neck Strap at Amazon.com

Each of them cost as much as a normal camera lanyard would cost, so they are inexpensive as well. Try them out!

Via: Camera Strap Doubles as a USB Cord » CraziestGadgets.com

I have never considered myself a pen snob. I have happily written page after page in my personal journal with a lowly Bic Pen. In fact, for years, my favorite pen was the Bic 4-Color Pen. That was until I was introduced to the Coleto Pilot Hi-Tec-C Pens.

They come in 3-Color and 2-Color sizes, so you can have three colors in one pen, which is very nice if you like to write in a variety of colors. More importantly, the pens come EMPTY and you can CHOOSE the color of ink that you put in them.

When you use up all the ink in one color, changing it is easy. You just lift the lid, remove the empty ink cartridge and replace it with a new one.

In fact, since I’ve started using these pens, I’ve refused to use any others while writing in my journal. I love the color selection. The gel ink NEVER skips and the pens are easy to hold. The only problem with these pens is that they aren’t readily available in Utah. I can’t just run over to Office Depot to get refills.

I have been ordering them through Jet Pens:

• Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Bodies

• Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen Ink Cartridges – 0.5 mm

Aside from the difficulty in obtaining the pens and ink, I LOVE them. I wonder why the Pilot company hasn’t released them in the U.S. because I absolutely adore them.