The gadget that I am about to write about will make you feel like a secret agent. I am not sure how ethically right having a little device like this would be or why you would need to have one in the first place, but they exist and they do sound pretty cool. What is it? Well, it is a portable GPS tracker that has been disguised as a USB stick. So, yes, it does work as a USB stick, but in reality, you would not be using it as a USB device.

It is a cross between a GPS receiver and a USB memory stick. What it does is store wherever you take it on the flash memory. However, the person who is borrowing your stick to copy a file over or something does not know of the little GPS’s powerful capabilities. Well, who says that you even have to have someone use it? You could just throw it into a car or plant it on a person because who would suspect a little USB stick to be such a sneaky”‘toy”.

You do need to eventually get the stick back in order to grab the data off of it. If you do not get it back, it will not be any use to you! Once you have it, all you have to do is connect it to your PC and download the data. The data then can be plotted on Google Earth, Google Maps, mapquest.com, and even virtual earth.  Once you have the data, you can know where the USB stick went, how long it was where it was, and how it got there.

Of course, you could just use it to track where you’ve gone on a vacation. We don’t all have to be evil masterminds.

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Pandora, Shazam and iMusic are all great apps that can’t be ignored, if you like music.  Each of these is unique and allows for you to enjoy the experience that you always imagined.  For example, have you ever heard a song on the radio and wished you knew who sang it?  I have even called radio stations and walked through some of the lyrics or melody to try and figure it out.

Shazam is the answer to this dilemma.  When you hear a song playing on the radio or wherever you may be, start the program and hold up your phone.  The “Tag Now” feature listens to the song for about 10 seconds and then tells you the artist, song and album.  It is a great program and has known almost every song I tested it on.  I have had fun with people playing music who thought I would never guess who it was.  They would freak when they heard not only the artist but the album, too.

Once you know who is playing your tune, there must be a way to get that song.  iMusic is a great app for that.  Knowing the name of the artist or song, you can search all day.  Most of the songs are free, and you can download them right to your phone.  They are not able to be transferred from your phone, and that is why it is free.

Lastly, when I love an artist I want to hear similar music.  Pandora is the answer.  I can type a band and create a channel.  Pandora searches Internet radio stations for that artist or song and plays songs from artists in the same genre.

These music apps make you feel like you’re in the future.  The only thing better would be all three combined.

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What shirts am I talking about? Well, you really should buy them as a pair, but you pay for each one separately. They are about $17 a piece– which is not to bad considering that technology has been incorporated into the shirt.   These 8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirts were created by ThinkGeek, and they feature six hearts lined up in a row on each shirt. Essentially, it is a “love meter.” The closer you are to your loved one, or whoever is wearing the other shirt, the more illuminated are the hearts! For instance, if you are far away, only two and a half of the hearts light up and when you are within hugging distance, all six of the hearts glow a steady red. Cute, huh?

How does it work? Well, for starters, the energy comes from three AAA batteries that are in a small pack that has been concealed in a small pocket inside of the shirt. What else is involved? Besides your and partner shirt wearer’s intense sparks of emotion, of course, a proximity based radio frequency transmission/detection system is used.

What’s also neat about these shirts is that the animated decal is removable so that makes washing the black cotton shirt extremely easy. If you are wondering how it is attached to the shirt, it is attached by hook and washers.

To add in to the fun, if you do not have a significant other or another loved one to share the beauty of this shirt with, you always can buy a transmitter. Now you can pretend that your loved one is nearby! Who knows, maybe you can use the shirt to strike up a conversation and find a new relationship!

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The LifeChurch.tv Bible app is a great one for all those who want the scripture right at their fingertips.  You can access any verse you like while standing in line at the bank.  Just pull up the book, chapter and verse.  Readers even can change the translation from all the different choices to get a better understanding of what is actually being said.  I really like the fact that by selecting the verse, I can email it to a friend or see links to commentaries others have made about it.

If you can’t decide what verse to read, there is a daily read with a few random chapters.  When you find a verse you really love you can bookmark it and come back to it over and over again.  Finally, there is a search function to help you find the verse on the tip of your tongue.

After enjoying the great theologians of the Bible, it is time to enjoy a modern one.  Bill Watterson to the rescue.  The Calvin and Hobbes comic strip is available as an app that updates daily.  Unfortunately, there are no more new strips because Watterson is retired, but the archives are plenty large for a daily grin.

Finally, a game for those with aspirations of world denomination.  Age of Conquest is the only app that I have purchased to this point.  This is a game likened to Risk, where you choose a nation and place your armies to attack and conquer the neighboring nations.  There are numerous options, such as nation and difficulty level to help you customize your experience.  The easy is not too easy but challenging and, the hard is enough to stretch your military strategies.

There are thousands of apps on the Android Market, but I think you will find these three entertaining.

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That being said, here is a gadget that I could be convinced of supporting. Called the SlopeTracker, this three ounce gadget straps to your arm and then proceeds to  spend the day logging your coordinates and calculating all kinds of interesting information. The SlopeTracker can log vertical feet, distance ridden, top speed, number of runs, the average grade of the slopes, and difficulty rating. To make this gadget even more effective, the SlopeTracker allows you to get a full print sheet of your performance. You even can get a GPS map of your skiing or boarding adventure.

If you want to talk about costs, I should let you know that the SlopeTracker is  available for rent at a number of resorts including Winter Park, Park City, Telluride, Keystone, Copper, Deer Valley, and Sunshine Village. However, if you are looking to buy this gadget, you will have to look for a version of the device, STATS, that  is available for purchase. As of 2009, this gadget is able to operate at over 640 resorts. Something like this is a great tool to have to see how you have improved, but it also is a luxury gadget.

The SlopeTracker is “the DNA of your extraordinary snow day.”

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I was getting film developed at Wal Mart and saw this printer sitting on the shelf.  I have been looking for a good printer to work into my wireless network because my other printer is too old to do the job.  This one caught my eye because of the WiFi capabilities and the $50 price tag.  This was not a tough decision.

As I was unpacking the box, I knew right away this would be a great bang for the buck.  It is a sleek little guy that has quality written all over it.  The person packing this took great care to tape down everything to prevent shipping damages.  I was ready to buy another!

Then I began the install process.  The CD walked me through every little step.  If you have zero computer knowledge, you should be fine hooking this up on your own.  Just make sure you have the password to your wireless network handy.

In fact, the only issue I had when setting it up was the network would not accept my password.  Finally, I got it to take my administrator password.  I have read that some people needed to reset their wireless router because they forgot the password.  Do not do this, unless you know what you are doing.  It can be a pain to get everything just right again.

Once the printer was up and running, it prints great quality documents.  The print speed is 25 PPM black and white and 18 PPM color.  Printing a one page Word document took no time at all, and the print was fantastic.  I printed a flyer with pictures, on it and the quality was good.  The pictures may be better on picture paper but nothing to brag about.

All in all, I would recommend this for anyone.  Those with laptops or netbooks especially will love the ease this product offers.

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Since the first CES took place in New York City in June of 1967, this event has grown ever so quickly. In 1967 there were 200 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees, but since then, this trade show has grown more than ten-fold. Companies clamor to have a chance to speak or go to this trade show because they know it makes for remarkable media coverage. According to a Burson-Marsteller Most Valued Podium survey, CEOs even rank the CES as one of their top 10 most desired speaking opportunities.

Here are some of the winners of the 2010 CES show.\:

For Best In Show–the Panasonic VT25. This TV will be among the first 3D-capable flat-panel HDTVs available for sale in the United States. Its release date is set to be late this spring. Ridiculous! The CES 2010 People’s Voice Award went to the Intel Wireless Display. Called WiDi, Intel has created technology that allows one to connect their PC to the TV. To do this, one would use a WiDi-enabled laptop and wirelessly connect to an adapter box that plugs into the HDMI port of any display.

Another piece of technology that turned some heads was LG’s Blu-ray player. Here are some key features of the LG BD590 according to Cnet.com:

• 250GB built-in hard drive
• capable of storing music, photos, and videos
• Can rip CDs directly to the hard drive
• Online streaming media services include Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, YouTube, Pandora, Picasa, AccuWeather
• Purchased Vudu movies can be stored directly on the hard drive
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• Allows you to stream music, photos, and videos from a connected PC

CES is the ultimate technology trade show.

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First, the world of computers.  Everything these days has a hard drive.  Video cameras, digital cameras, MP3 players and even gaming systems.  All of this data costs a lot of money to replace, and many pictures are priceless to the parent of a newborn or the newlywed couple.  The trend is going to drive toward home servers to back-up all this data for the savvy and off site back-ups for the average Joe.  Those with the knowledge and marketing skills could make a killing.

Next, the touchscreen.  This type of technology is in cell phones and supermarkets.  People of all ages love it, and it is much easier to figure out than 20-button controllers.  Begin to look for this in television remote controls.  Now that we are using one remote to control a TV, sound system, DVR, etc., there is an increasing need to simplify the process.  Touchscreen remotes are currently very pricy, but once makers come to their senses everyone will need one.

Back to computers.  With the home server or off-site server coming to age, there is going to be much less of a need for the DVR and sound systems mentioned above.  We can do everything through a computer, and TVs are basically hopped-up computer monitors.  Having a centrally based data center will allow for the elimination of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.

The last will be the completion of a current movement…wireless.  Wireless mice and keyboards finally are getting to a good point where they are reliable.  Bluetooth is proving its worth in the headphone and earpiece world.  Soon enough, all speakers will be wireless, and freedom from wires will be granted except for the pesky power cords.

All of these are not far-fetched ideas, and the trends are moving that way.  Get ready to live more easily.

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Now, my primary question about them only has been if they are worth buying.  They have a variety of ups and downs and look really cool, but they tend to be pricey and aren’t always worth buying.

Pros:

• They rumble or vibrate like a controller does, which is very nice, as it keeps you alert and prevents sleep when playing an all-nighter.
• The chairs normally have speakers in them, giving you a movie theater type experience and adding fun.
• They are very, very comfortable!  They recline (a nice feature), some rock, and they are padded.   Most gaming chairs are a leather type material.
• There are chair custom made for racing games with built in shifter, steering wheel, and pedals set up like a real car.
• The headrests are great!  They are padded and are nice to sleep in, too. (Trust me).

There are some cons, though:

• Gaming chairs are very costly!  They range from about eighty dollars (US) to seven hundred dollars.  This is a ton of money for a chair!
• How often it shall be used plays a big factor.  If you only use your gaming system for two hours every day, is a chair just for gaming truly worth it?
• Positioning is important, as the rocker styled ones are very low to the ground, so being near a TV may strain your neck.

So, in the end, is it worth it?  In my eyes, no.  If you have to spend two hundred fifty dollars (US) to buy a quality one, it isn’t worth it.  I could buy four or five new games for that!  Also, the room it would go in is not set up in a practical manner for one.  But it is your call, not mine, so you choose.

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Newegg.com is a great place to get your electronics because the prices are so low in comparison to other dealers. It was founded in 2001 by a guy in an industry-based city. His name is Fred Chang–a Taiwanese immigrant. Newegg was originally a smaller division of the company ABS Computer Technologies, Inc., a computer systems integrator. According to sources, Newegg was made after ABS executives realized that there was an increased need to offer services for the “do it yourself” customer. ABS did not decide to change their ways of business– which sold their customers great PCs but did not allow the customers to buy the parts separately in order to make small updates here and there in the PCs. ABS wanted the customers just to buy a new computer rather than replace the faulty and not as up-to-date parts. After realizing that some other system had to be developed, Newegg was formed.

Newegg.com was named one of the Internet’s Top 10 retailers by Internet Retailer Magazine in 2005 with their 2004 sales revenue of just under $1 billion. In 2005, Newegg.com grew an additional 30%–clearly a successful company! It has some other pretty impressive ratings as well. For instance, Reseller Ratins ranked Newegg as one of the highest rated online retailers– 9.73/10 for a six-month rating (30,054 lifetime reviews)! As of January 2008, this put it in the top ten of over 13,000 stores. Then, in 2009, Forbes added it as #234 on the Forbes America’s Largest Private Companies list.

So, clearly Newegg is making some moves. I always check Newegg first to see their prices for the items that I want, and let me just say, I usually buy everything from Newegg when it comes to buying electronics online.

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