The Gadgets Page

Ryanne at Freevlog did an excellent job reviewing the Xacti E1 camera. Since Ryanne is a video-blogger, she gives the camera an exhaustive test. She takes it in the swimming pool. She takes it to the beach. She shows you footage that she has taken with it. Go to the review and watch the video showing how rugged the Xacti E1 is:

• Freevlog » Blog Archive » Testing, Testing: Sanyo Xacti Waterproof E1 Review

I LOVE that she showed the footage from the camera in all sorts of environments. Because it’s a waterproof camera, she showed it in the pool, of course, but she also went to the trouble of showing it in the house, and in really low light situations.

There are a few things that she didn’t mention. One is that the Xacti E1 will take SDHC cards, so you can film up to 80 minutes on a 8GB SDHC card. It has 5X zoom, which isn’t as good as some of the other Xacti cameras. You have to remember, though, that when you’re filming zoomed out, it’s very difficult to get footage above 5X unless you have incredibly steady hands.

It is also a 6 mega-pixel camera in addition to being a video camera. The Xacti E1 is too new, but as soon as people start getting them, the photos that people have taken and uploaded to Flickr will show up here:

• Flickr: Camera Finder: Sanyo

Unlike the Sanyo Xacti HD, it does NOT film in HD or in the 16:9 aspect ratio. If that is an issue for you, then you should wait until Sanyo comes out with an HD Xacti that has the same great performance in low light and sound quality.

On the whole, the Xacti E1 just jumped to the top of my wish list, even above the iPhone.

Update: Mike Moon saw Ryanne’s review of the Xacti E1. You’ll remember him as the guy who put his camera into a glass jar and took it into his swimming pool. You can hear his thoughts about the camera here:

• MOON ECHOES: Thoughts…from the Pool

I don’t recommending selling one of your children to get an Xacti E1, no matter how good it looks.

Ever since we got the Smart Keys on the Prius, I have been irritated at the fact that I have to actually take my keys out of my purse to unlock the house. This lock from Kwikset has an answer for me.

• Kwikset Fingerscanning House Lock

Instead of pulling your keys out of your pockets, you can just swipe your finger to open the deadbolt. If you watch the videos on their site, you can see how it works in detail. I had a few questions about power and the lock is powered by four AA batteries. When the batteries go dead, you don’t have to input all the fingerprints again. There is some difficulty with scans for children because they tend to swipe incorrectly, but it can read children’s fingerprints as well as adults.

Their website doesn’t tell you how much it costs, but you can get the set at Amazon for about $270. You can install it yourself. There is a backup key just in case the biometrics don’t work. It really looks like a great system. Unfortunately, my paranoia makes me worried that thieves would cut off my hand just to get into my house. Maybe the Powerbolt 1000 keycode house lock from Kwikset is a better idea. It’s $150 cheaper, but then I have to remember a number. Either way, I wouldn’t need to fumble around in my purse for my keys anymore. I would have never been tempted by this if I hadn’t been spoiled by the Smart Key on the Prius. It’s something I didn’t even want on my car and now it’s something I can’t live without.

Via: Shiny Shiny: Kwikset Smartscan lets you forget your keys and still sleep in your own bed

You probably have an excellent camera in your cellphone right now. Here is a link to a website that shows you how to take up-close shots (macro) with your cameraphone using an inexpensive magnifying lens.

• DOCFILES: Macro Shots With the Dopod 838 Part 2

I am continually amazed at the amazing shots I can get off my old Treo 650. If you have been leaving your camera on your phone alone, go ahead and try it!

Via: iPhone camera as microscope – The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Here is a collection of ideas of what the world would look like if Apple made everything.

• Apple-mania, i gadget impossibili della mela – Galleria – Repubblica.it

The watch in the collection is chunky and NOT what I’m looking for. It must be impossible to make a good watch because Apple hasn’t done it. I wish Apple would design watches. They could be simple digital watches with no fancy features like MP3 players or video. I just want an well-designed watch that is useful AND beautiful.

There are only a couple companies that will achieve this: Nike, Kenneth Cole or Apple. Get on the stick, Apple! I’m waiting for my iWatch!

Via: If Apple made…everything – The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Ted Rheingold has done a really good job of explaining why paying the extra 30 cents for iTunes Plus is worth it.

• Spidey Senses -> Tingling :: Ted Rheingold’s Web Journal » Blog Archive » DRM-Free Music: Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is

He was where I was as far as buying music:

For the last two years I have gone back to buying CDs as they almost never have DRM controls on them and then I could burn it to my computer, Molly’s computer and then we could move it around to our music players, or play in the CD player in the car or house. This has been much more convenient then buying online and only being able to listen to it on devices approved by the seller or having to rip it and reinstall it over the purchased copy. I hated how iTunes would know I had bought DRM songs, but not allow me to re-download them after my harddrive crashed. Other sites offered DRM-free downloads, but had obscure libraries to chose from.

Now that there is iTunes Plus, I was able to buy that copy of Dark Side of the Moon. I can play it on my iPod and computer, of course, but now I can also play it on my car’s MP3 player without going through the rig-a-ma-roll of burning a “real” CD. I can just copy the tracks over and they play just fine.

Thanks, Steve Jobs, for pressuring the record companies to open up their music to me. I don’t think I would have ever purchased anything from you if you hadn’t. I had three iTunes gift cards that I refused to use until iTunes Plus came out.

If you have a totally hot wife waiting for you to come home, you better call her if you’re going to be late.

Via: TV commercial for a mobile phone from 1989. (thx,

It has finally been verified. The Nike+ does NOT work on the iPhone. Yet another reason for me to wait for second gen.

• Will iPhone work with Nike+? – iPod – iPhone – iTunes Forums at iLounge

The only sticking points for me were the lack of USB modem capabilities and the Nike+. Both of these issues could be corrected with software, but as of right now, it’s still better (and cheaper) for me to hold out.

Shucks…

The iPhone works seamlessly with the Mercedes Benz stock iPod adapter, as well as with the integrated Bluetooth MHI (Multi-Handset Interface) transceiver. In fact, the iPhone actually works better than the Motorola devices that the system was originally designed for, because if you have both the Bluetooth interface and the integrated iPod connector, you can charge your iPhone while it’s in your car without a cigarette lighter adapter. With the Motorola phones, the Bluetooth MHI adapter replaces the wired MHI cradle and prevents you from charging your phone when you have it installed.

Best of all, both the Bluetooth transceiver and the iPod integration can be retrofitted in any Mercedes Benz made after 2004 by the dealer, so if you’ve got a Mercedes and an iPhone, you’re only about $1000 away from combining the two.

The following features have been verified to work with the 2005 model year and later iPod adapter and Bluetooth interface:

• All iPod features, including in-dash song display and steering wheel button control
• Handsfree (headset profile) works through the built-in mike and speakers
• Answer/Hangup steering wheel and COMMAND buttons
• Address book upload for name selection in the navigation or stereo display
• In-dash address book name display and dial

All the features work simultaneously and the iPod will stop playing to make or answer calls. When you connect the iPhone to the iPod adapter, the iPhone will display a dialog asking if you want to enable airplane mode (i.e., shut off wifi, EDGE radio, and bluetooth) to prevent interference. It’s safe to answer “no” or just ignore it if you forget. If you answer yes, the cell phone features will be disabled.

This bracelet looking bangle could be the watch of my dreams.

Unfortunately, Seiko has nothing on their website about it. I only have a simple press release from Seiko to find out anything:

• Press Release|BASELWORLD 2007 SEIKO WATCH CORPORATION

According to the press release:

If the wearer is at work, it can be set to its ‘efficiency’ mode; the display is informative and easy to read. If, however, the watch is set to its ‘mystery’ mode, the panel expresses the time in a more imaginative, evocative style. Just pick the style to reflect your mood!

That’s all well and good as long as I can pick a style that shows the time, date AND day all at once. If not, then it’s just a bracelet. Additionally, if there is no illumination to see the time at night, then it’s just a pretty piece of jewelry. Sadly, it looks like Seiko is ignoring my need to see its watch in the dark:

The display is readable under very low light conditions, so no backlighting is required.

Very low light conditions and total darkness are two very different things. I want a watch that can get me out of the World Trade Center when the lights go out like the IndiGlo watch did.

Sorry, Seiko. You’re really close, but it looks like you’ll create a watch that’s just a piece of jewelry. I need more.

Via: Popgadget Personal Technology for Women: Seiko Electronic Ink Watch

Thank you, Apple, for finally replacing the Newton. You did it with such style!