I have to say off the bat that I am not a fan of bluetooth headsets.  But some people go gaga over them.  I can understand if you are in a profession where being hands off is a must.  That sort of freedom and flexibility would come in handy.  And the Plantronics Discovery 925 does the job and is able to isolate ambient sound pretty darn well.

Features:

• VFrame design captures your eye as well as your voice
• Rechargeable case keeps you in charge
• AudioIQ noise control technology for clear calls
• Multipoint technology lets you stay connected with two Bluetooth® mobile phones
• Three sizes of self-stabilizing eartips let you tailor the fit
• Quick and easy set up with Bluetooth phones
• Available in metallic and jewel tone colors
• Enjoy up to 5 hours talk time or 7 days standby from a single charge

You know the dilemma.  You want to fill a great space with music, but you don’t want to run wires.  Sometimes running wires would be very painful or near impossible.  That’s where something like Audio Unlimited wireless speakers comes in real handy.

No friends, those aren’t garbage cans - they are speakers!  And actually, people love them.  I don’t care for the looks, but people rave about these things.

Product Features

• 900 MHz transmitter sends audio signals without speaker wire
• Weatherproof for outdoor listening
• Speaker can be up to 150′ away from audio source
• Compact & portable with a stylized design (10H x 5W) - 3 Rubber edge Woofer2 Mylar cone Tweeter10 Watt RMS Output9V DC Transformer
• Phase Loop Lock circuitry automatically locks in and keeps audio signal clear and strong.

Now, don’t expect earth shattering sound with these speakers.  But, if you have never been able to get speakers in your place, these are a great pair.  They do the job - and are weatherproof as well, so you can take them outside.

Our ancestors would be amazed at the amount of technology we have at our fingertips.  Can you imagine how nice a GPS would have been to a pioneer?  But for road warriors and those with directional ability, the Garmin Nuvi 350 is still a life saver.

It’s hard to go wrong with little GPS.  It comes with 2D or 3D maps that have a ton of points of interest.  That way you can find hotels, gas, ATMs, etc.  The Nuvi 350 also comes with an optional traffic service that people love.  Don’t get stuck in traffic.  It also includes MP3 player, audio book player (subscription to Audible.com required), JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.  Not bad for a mere $150.  Here are the specs:

Physical & Performance:
Unit dimensions, WxHxD:     3.87″W x 2.91″H x .87″D (9.83 x 7.39 x 2.21 cm)
Display size, WxH:     2.8″W x 2.1″H (7.2 x 5.4 cm); 3.5″ diag (8.9 cm)
Display resolution, WxH:     320 x 240 pixels
Display type:     QVGA color antiglare TFT with white backlight
Weight:     5.1 ounces (144.6 g)
Battery:     rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery life:     up to 8 hours
Waterproof:     no
High-sensitivity receiver:     yes
RoHS version available:     yes

Maps & Memory:
Basemap:     yes
Preloaded maps:     yes
Ability to add maps:     yes
Built-in memory:     internal solid state
Accepts data cards:     SD™ card (not included)
Waypoints/favorites/locations:     500
Routes:     0

Features:
Voice prompts (e.g. “Turn right in 500 ft.”):     yes (internal speaker)
Speaks street names (e.g. “Turn right ON ELM STREET in 500 ft.”) :     yes
Speech recognition (navigate with voice commands):     no
3-D map view:     yes
Auto sort multiple destinations (provides most direct route):     no
Auto re-route (fast off-route and detour recalculation):     yes
Choice of route setup (faster time, shorter distance, off road):     yes
Route avoidance (avoid highways, tolls etc.):     yes
Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest):     yes
Hands-free calling with Bluetooth® wireless technology:     no
FM traffic compatible:     yes
XM® Navtraffic (includes basic weather) & Radio for U.S. compatible:     no
MSN® Direct for U.S. compatible:     no
Multimode (switches modes to drive, hike, bike or boat):     no
Where Am I? (find closest hospitals, police & gas stations, nearest address & intersection):     no
Garmin Locate™ (marks position when removed from windshield mount):     no
Photo navigation (navigate to geotagged photos):     no
MP3 player:     yes
Audio book player:     yes
Picture viewer:     yes
Garmin Garage™ (select car-shaped icons for map navigation):     yes
World travel clock, currency & unit converter, calculator:     yes
Touchscreen:     yes
Qwerty or ABC keyboard (choose keyboard layout):     no
Remote control:     no
FM transmitter:     no
Headphone jack/audio line-out:     yes
Dead reckoning:     no
Garmin Lock™ (anti-theft feature):     yes
Motorcycle-friendly:     no
Geocaching-friendly:     no
Additional:     This USB mass storage device is compatible with Windows® 2000 or later and Mac® OS X 10.4 or later.

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When Blu-ray players came out, they were just so expensive.  Everyone was out buying the PlayStation 3 because it had an integrated blu-ray player and was a bargain. Now those blu-ray players are coming way down in price and people are wanting to segregate those items or not buy that Playstation 3. Hands down, one of the favorites out there is the Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player. It is cost effective and a great player.

Features:

• Full HD 1080/60 p & 24p True Cinema Video Output
• Dolby TrueHD decoding built-in Dolby TrueHD /DTS-HD bitstream out over HDMI (V1.3)
• DVD upscale to 1080p
• Precision Cinema Progressive HD
• x.v.Color for AVC-HD
• True 1080p Output
• Dolby TrueHD compatible
• Ethernet connection for BD-Live Compatibility and firmware updates
• USB Port Allows More Storage for Access to More Special Features, Like Bonus View
• Higher Bit Rates mean less video compression
• Emmy-Award Winning Xross Media Bar Interface
• Bravia Sync for Easy Connectivity

Inputs and Outputs:

• Analog Audio Output(s) : 2 Channel: 1 (Rear)
• Coaxial Audio Digital Output(s) : 1 (Rear)
• Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) Output(s) : (Y/Pb/Pr) OUtput(s): 1 (Rear)
• Composite Video Output(s) : 1 (Rear)
• Optical Audio Output(s) : 1 (Rear)
• S-Video Output(s) : 1 (Rear)
• Ether port for firmware updates
• USB port for BD-Live External Memory

Specs:

Audio

• Dolby : Dolby Digital (Decoding): Yes (HDMI bitstream out)
• Dolby Digital plus Decoding : Yes
• Dolby TrueHD Decoding : Yes (HDMI™ bitstream out)
• LPCM : Yes (multi-channel decoding): Yes (HDMI™ bitstream out)
• MP3 Playback : No
• dts Decoding : Yes (HDMI™ bitstream out)
• dts Output : No

Video

• BD-R/RE Read Compatibility : Yes (BDMV and BAAB format)
• DVD+R Read Compatibility : Yes
• DVD+RW Read Compatibility : Yes
• DVD-R Read Compatibility : Yes (Video Mode AVR Mode
• DVD-RW Read Compatibility : Yes (Video Mode AVR Mode
• JPEG Playback : Yes

Service and Warranty Information

• Limited Warranty : 1 years parts/1 years labor

And for $239 now at Amazon.  Not bad at all.

One remote to rule them all.  If you are the kind of person who has 18 remotes, this remote is for you.  Don’t you just hate finding the right remote?  The Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote is pretty close to perfect, but you will have to pay.

The full color touch screen allows for simple and easy to understand navigation.  The ergonomic design of the remote allows for easy and comfortable handling.  Backlit buttons allow for easy in the dark navigation.  Don’t you hate fumbling for buttons in the dark?  Or maybe you are a remote jedi and can sense the buttons.  This remote can replace up to 15 remotes.  If you have that many, well, you should probably lose some of your electronics anyway.  And the Logitech Harmony One also sports a 225,000 device database from more than 5,000 brands.  Oh, and don’t worry, it comes with rechargeable batteries with a dock.  Amazon has it for $154.  But for the geek who has everything, this may be just want they want.

Flexible displays would pretty much rock (hence the military prototype above).  It would allow you to have a much bigger display stored in a much smaller area.  It’s like how the brain has folds - increases the surface area in a tiny space.  Heck, the surface area of the brain is roughly around 1-2 pages of a newspaper.  Pretty crazy, huh?  Anyway, foldable displays would open up a new era in computing in general.

Here’s the video from Japan:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/G2SCZvU8sGU" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

It’s an oled display.  Yeah, and you probably won’t see this type of thing on the market for a few years still.  Bummer.

Photo Source: Wired

Minority Report made spatial, interactive computing famous.  In those scenes, Tom Cruise is interacting with a screen in front of him with his hands.  He pushes information back and forth and pics parts to display at the table in front of him.  Well, looks like Oblong has gone and made that a reality.

Rather than belabor the point, here’s the video:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2229299" width="400" height="225" wmode="transparent" /]

“Some of the SOE’s [spatial operating system] core ideas are already familiar from the film Minority Report, whose characters performed forensic analysis using massive, gesturally driven displays. The similarity is no coincidence: one of Oblong’s founders served as science advisor to Minority Report and based the design of those scenes directly on his earlier work at MIT. Other foundational components are less directly visible but as crucially transformative.”  Pretty crazy.

You see, I have a thing for flashlights.  I don’t know what it is, but I just like them.  I can’t stand flashlights that suck.  You know, the ones that have a super weak beam or break easily.  That’s why my ears perked up when I read about the Light for Life Tactical flashlight.  I so want one.

The flashlight has four leds that peak at 270 lumens.   It has standard (90 lumens), peak (270 lumens), strobe, and standby modes.  And this flashlight doesn’t run on batteries.  It runs on ultracapacitors.  And it’s recharge time is 90 seconds.  Egads.  And the ultracapacitors and other components are rated for 130 years of use.  Well, that doesn’t suck.  The bulb life is 50,000 hours and the ultracapacitors can do 500k cycles.  And all this for a cost of $170.  Yeah, it’s mainly for civic positions, but I really want one.  What can I say, I’m a geek.

Waking up on a Monday morning really bites.  It is especially brutal if you have spent the previous weekend camping in near freezing weather - with rain.  But the mornings can be harsh with the typical alarm clock.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have your body awaken nicely?  That is what industrial designer Ian Walton is doing with his Glo Pillow.  Me wantie sleepie.

The idea is simple.  Light is a natural way to wake the body and set the circadian rhythm.  Ian’s innovative pillow allows you to set a sleep time using the controls on the side.  The pillow substrate is a 250 LUX light that can glow or show the time.  40 minutes before your wake up time, the Glo Pillow starts a slow illumination process that works your body into a wakeful state.  Better than the ole’ blaring alarm or cold water, huh!

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Boy, it has just come to my attention that, while every other student worker like me probably plays Flash-based games online, I’m usually scrounging the Internet for the next gadget steal I can make. Whether it be NewEgg’s horrible pun “Shell Shocker“, something random at Woot!, or even what’s shaking over at Buy.com, the Internet has allowed some really great money-savers to pop up. Most of the savings to be had aren’t even dependent on seasonal pricing (read: Black Friday), so for “frugal” college students like myself, early Christmas shoppers, or bargain hunters, these websites I’m highlighting today are a godsend.

NewEgg.com
I love NewEgg. Having bought all the parts for my existing PC off of NewEgg, as well as every computer-related purchase since then, I’m pretty much sold on these guys. This web-based company (who has recently expanded to include a Canadian website, as well) is easy to navigate, keeps track of all your orders if you keep an account with them, makes it easy to get RMAs (Return Merchandise Authorization), and they ship really quickly. Their Shell Shocker promotion is also a recent addition, which provides an item on a deep discount for a limited time, much akin to…

Woot!
Woot! is a very interesting website. They do sell products over the Internet, but they aren’t a retailer in any sense that conventional shoppers would think. Selling only one product per day, the day’s featured product goes online at 12AM and is discontinued at 11:59 that night (their motto is “One Day, One Deal”). In between the time a product goes up and comes down, their main page will show the item, a description - which includes witty banter, self-depreciating humor, mocking of the product, the website, the consumer, or a mix of the three, and some text which is entirely unhelpful - all of which adds to the site’s character. On top of all of this, the prices here are astounding, but the items are short lived, so you have to pay attention. Woot! also has specials like Two-for-Tuesday: two items for the price of one (very useful when there are things like digital cameras or earmuffs), or Woot-Offs, where there are massive chains of sales in a row.

Woot! also has a number of sister sites: Shirt.Woot!, Wine.Woot!, and Sellout.Woot! The shirt website sells t-shirts, printed on American Apparel tees, with custom designs on them. Wine.Woot! sells bottles of wine, or other sophisticated things like cake samplers. It’s very difficult to describe everything that happens on Woot!, as well as all the information and products they carry, so here’s a link to their FAQ and the Wikipedia page on Woot!

Buy.com ” What’s Shakin’ “
Buy.com’s website is already a pretty good place to shop, but then I came across the items that are “shaking”. As a metric of an item’s popularity, there’s a section of items on Buy that are “What’s Shakin“. On that list are the items that have had the greatest change in sales rate (usually some of the best deals), which means there’s either been a discount, a coupon sent out, or some kind of promotion: all ways you can save money or get something extra. They’re already starting up the holiday sales promotions over at Buy, but the earlier you start, the earlier you’ll get your shopping done.

Passwird
Dealighted

The websites I’ve talked about so far are singular places to find deals; the only prices you’ll find will be at that website, but with websites like Passwird and Dealighted.com, these sites act like price aggregators (or more like savings aggregators) in that they tell you what website is offering relatively lower prices for regular MSRP. Passwird is run by a single college student, but it updates multiple times daily, and keeps track of what deals are obsolete. Dealighted, instead of being run by one person, is a collection of deals or future sale prices (a good example would be the Black Friday ads popping up on DL right now) from other websites and also deal notices that are submitted by users.

Thanks to these places, I’m already way ahead on my Christmas shopping and I know exactly where I’m camping on Thanksgiving Thursday (It’s Meijer if you need to know). And don’t forget about these places once the holiday season passes; Woot and their sister sites always have good deals. It just depends on if you want the item they’re selling at the time…

Pictures courtesy of: Woot.com, Passwird, NewEgg, All Enthusiast;