The Gadgets Page

I love this ad for the Volkswagen Bus:

It reads:

What is it?

Glad you asked. It’s a Volkswagen Station Wagon. Don’t pity the poor thing. It can take it. It can carry neatly a ton of anything you can afford to buy. Or 8 people (plus luggage) if you want to get practical about it.

And there’s more than one practical consideration. It will take you about 24 miles on a gallon of regular gas. It won’t take any water or anti-freeze at all; the engine is air-cooled. And even though it carries almost twice as much as regular wagons, it takes four feet less to park.

What’s in the packages?

8 pairs of skis, the complete works of Dickens, 98 lbs. of frozen spinach, a hutch used by Grover Clevland, 80 Hollywood High gym sweaters, a suit of armor, and a full sized reproduction of the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

Sadly, there isn’t a vehicle made today that has all that the old VW Bus had. Tons of cargo space, room for 8 passengers, 24 mpg and small footprint for easy parking. If I could buy a brand new VW Bus today, I would.

Advert via: Live Journal: vintage ads

I was appalled when I read this article about hard drive shredders.

• A Portable Hard Drive Shredder for Every Office!

I’m reporting to you from the Dutch hacker conference Hacking At Random, where I got to watch CMGG’s Christian Mesu demonstrate its portable hard drive shredder. Mesu said the device is incredibly popular with governments and corporations with classified data on their old hard drives. Just wheel this baby into your office, and it can turn hard drives into powder by cutting them into 1mm slices, or just chop them in half.

I am working with a non-profit agency in Salt Lake City called Electroregeneration Society. Companies donate their old computers to us, we nuke the hard drives and then reinstall the operating system (Ubuntu Linux or Windows) and some open source software to get people started. Those in need can get a working computer by donating 15 hours of volunteer work or paying a nominal fee.

The thought of companies just shredding their hard drives instead of putting their computers to good use made me break out into a cold sweat. A portable hard drive shredder in every office is a horrible waste of technology. Instead of destroying your hard drive, here is a tutorial from CNET to teach you how to nuke your hard drive instead.

The software they are talking about is DBAN | Darik’s Boot And Nuke. This software will COMPLETELY erase your hard drive and you will never be able to recover what was on it before, so make absolutely sure you get all of your important information off the drive before you run this software.

After you’ve nuked your hard drive, you can donate your computer to a charitable organization like Electroregeneration Society or even the Salvation Army without fear of identity theft. If talk of buying a hard drive shredder for your office is thrown around, please be the voice of reason and suggest DBAN and charitable donations.

Now that the iPhone 3GS has a video camera, I have been using it FAR more than I used to use my normal camera. It is not as good of a video camera as my Panasonic Lumix was, but it’s ALWAYS with me, so I’m more apt to take video with it. I’m really reluctant to upload my videos to YouTube without some sort of credit for my work (i.e. my name and the URL to my website).

Happily, Michael Verdi came to my rescue. The fantastic author of the book, Secrets of Videoblogging, Michael has figured out a cool way to add a closing credits video all without connecting to your home computer. He even posted a mini-tutorial on Flickr showing how to do it:

The iPhone app that he uses to edit video is called ReelDirector [iTunes Link] made by the people at NexVio. Unfortunately, it only allows you to work with videos in the Camera Roll, but Michael Verdi found a way to work around that as well.

He uses Ecamm Network’s PhoneView to add a movie that he has created to the iPhone’s Camera Roll. The software does a lot more than just allow you to add a movie to the camera roll. You can download and view your call history, save your SMS logs and use your iPhone in Disk Mode.

By using these two software products, Michael Verdi has been able to add credits to his videos that he uploads with his iPhone without having to edit video on his computer at home. He has gone totally mobile. Here is a quick example of video editing and adding a final credit to a video done completely on his iPhone.

If you don’t mind boring credits, ReelDirector does a fair job adding them. I filmed this video with my iPhone, edited it with ReelDirector and used their built in credits.

Thanks again, Michael, for explaining all of this so simply and making video blogging easier for us all.

Last month, Mike and I went to Denver for the iPhone Developers Conference. I walked to the Denver Art Museum using directions on my iPhone to get me there. I also took lots of pictures of the exhibits at the museum using my phone’s camera. By the time I got to the top floor, my phone was dead. Not just low, but DEAD.

I am ashamed at the panic that washed over me at that moment.

I use my phone for EVERYTHING! I didn’t even know how to get back to my hotel without my phone. I couldn’t call Mike to come pick me up. I couldn’t text him to tell him I had a dead phone. I couldn’t do anything! It was the first time in YEARS that I have had a phone completely run out of battery on me. To be fair, I had taken 222 photos at the art museum and used the GPS feature to take me to the museum in the first place. Despite begging every employee at the museum, NO one had an iPod charger (surprising, I know).

Fortunately, the museum had a map of the city with my hotel on it, so I could make my way back the old fashioned way, but the entire walk back, I was cursing myself for not carrying SOMETHING with me to keep my iPhone charged. The first thing that came to mind was the Devotec Solar Charger that I reviewed last year. The minute I got back to Salt Lake City, I pulled it out of its box to see if it worked with my iPhone 3GS. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, so I looked for a replacement.

Here’s what I found:

Silicone Solar Charger Battery Case for iPhones

This charger is a case that stays on your iPhone all the time. It says that it takes less than three hours to charge, but it doesn’t specify whether that is the charging time for its internal battery or the iPhone itself. I like the design of the case, but it DOES add bulk to the phone and the silicone would make it difficult to slide it in and out of a pocket. In my situation in Denver, it wouldn’t have helped me much. I was back and charging my phone in the hotel room within an hour. It might have prevented my phone from dying completely, but it wouldn’t have helped keep it alive to navigate me back to the room.

Additionally, there is no guarantee that this will work on an iPhone 3GS and no reviews from people who had bought it. I decided that this one wouldn’t work for me.

Apple iPhone 3GS Solar Battery Portable Recharger

This charger is VERY small and the internal battery can also be charged by plugging it into a wall. Unfortunately, the specifications don’t say how long the charging time is. Since the solar panel is so small, it MUST be less than three hours (which is the charging time of the previous solar charger with a bigger panel). There are no customer reviews, so buying this charger is like shooting in the dark. I decided against it as well.

Leather Solar Charger Battery Case for iPhones

I just couldn’t bring myself to buy this one because it was so UGLY. Not only does it add alot of bulk, but you have to open it up to answer the phone. I’m usually struggling to get to my phone in time already. I don’t need the added impediment of trying to get a case open as well. Once again, there is no guarantee that this will work with the iPhone 3GS and no stated charging times.

Despite all my searching, I was unable to find a solar charger that was nearly as portable as just carrying around the USB charger and a retractable cable. I’m positive that the museum would have let me plug into a wall plug for a few minutes, at least long enough for me to call or text my husband in desperation. Sadly, solar technology isn’t quite ready for those desperate dead iPhone emergencies. I’m sure that when it is, Apple will build it into all of their products. Until then, I’ll just carry around a petite charger in my purse instead.

Here is an old advertisement for the world’s first camcorder, the Sony Betamovie.

It reads:

Betamovie BMC-100P – Exciting Betamovie

Here comes Betamovie, the revolutionary one-piece video camera with built-in recording capability. With no awkward, bulky size or cumbersome weight, the compact, take-me-anywhere Betamovie goes wherever you go Just pop in any Beta-format videotape and you’re instantly ready to shoot for up to 3 hours and 35 minutes (with a Sony L-830 cassette tape).

Sony’s state-of-the-art Betamovie. The terrific way to get more out of home video movie making.

Compared to the technology of its day, this camcorder WAS compact, but right now, I have a video camera on my cell phone that can record video at a higher rate for longer. This ad was made in the 1980’s. If someone had come up to me in the early Eighties and said that I could carry around a better video camera in my POCKET than our high school TV station had, I would have been so excited for the future.

I love this advertisement from America’s Independent Electric Companies.

It reads:

More Power To You! America’s independent light and power companies build your new electric living

Tomorrow’s higher standard of living will put electricity to work for you in ways still unheard of!

The time isn’t too far off, the experts say, when you’ll wash your dishes without soap or water – ultrasonic waves will do the job.

Still hasn’t happened yet. I’ve seen lots of gadgets that SAY they do this, but none of them have been made readily available.

Your beds will be made at the touch of a button.

Yours do that? Mine sure doesn’t.

The kids’ homework will be made interesting and even exciting when they are able to dial a library book, a lecture, or a classroom demonstration right into your home – with sound. (Some of this is happening already)

Thank you, Internet! You HAVE fulfilled the dreams of the 1950’s!

To enjoy all this, you’ll want a lot more electric power, and the independent electric companies of America are already building new plants and facilities to provide it. Right now these companies are building at the rate of $5,000,000,000 a year, and planning to double the nation’s supply of electricity in less than 10 years.

America has always had the best electric power service in the world. The electric companies are resolved to keep it that way.

Can I just take a moment to THANK the electric companies of yesteryear?! They stepped up the production of plants to meet our needs so well that we feel that electricity is a RIGHT. Whenever we get a huge snowstorm here in Utah, the weight of the snow can snap a line. When the people of Utah are out of power for more than a few hours, they SUE electric companies. Outages and brownouts are rare because these folks had the foresight to build.

Mind you, I wish they had built more windmills and less coal burning plants, but it’s not really fair for me to expect them to foresee the energy crisis as well as the need for it.

Advert via: vintage_ads: “They’re working on it!”

I love this ad for the GE Happy Marriage Blanket.

It reads:

Have you heard of the “Happy Marriage” blanket?

If you and your husband can’t agree on how many blankets you need for perfect comfort – and he tosses them off while you shiver with cold-

You can solve this problem so easily – as so many other smart couples have done – with a General Electric “Happy Marriage” Blanket.

Just ONE fluffy-light General Electric Blanket with Dual Comfort-Selectors is all you need – and you each enjoy personal comfort.

You choose the warmth you like… he chooses his – and GE’s Sleep Guard adjusts automatically to bedroom temperature changes.

The ad goes on to say that it’s washable and available in many colors.

The funny thing is, this EXACT electric blanket is still available today. The Sunbeam blankets have dual control, even now. Personally, I prefer an electric mattress pad instead. The Sunbeam Queen size also has dual control, but it lays UNDER you, heating up, so if your partner kicks off the covers, you’ll still be warm. The best new feature they’ve added since the Sixties is the auto-off feature, so the pad turns itself off after ten hours, even if you forget to. I LOVE that feature.

Now that it’s getting colder, it’s time for me to start using the heated mattress pad again. I’m so grateful for it when the weather gets chilly.

Advertisement via: vintage_ads: Happiness is a warm blanket..

TomTom’s usual specialty are in-car GPS navigation systems. They have been making them for years. As soon as the iPhone got a GPS chip, TomTom announced that they were coming out with an iPhone app. Well, the TomTom App [iTunes link] has finally arrived.

Unfortunately for them, they weren’t the first on the market and CERTAINLY weren’t the cheapest. When they did arrive, it was a severe disappointment for many of the people who did shell out the hundred bucks for it. Here are some quotes from the reviews:

None of the TomTom “cool” features exist. This includes things like Traffic, Fuel Prices, Google Search, etc.

Before picking an address from my address book, I have to pick the correct country (state), in order for it to be correct. Shockingly bad.

Navigation seems to be OK, but it doesn’t speak street names?! HELLO!

I’m not sure, but it looks like I have to pay extra for the mount that TomTom bragged about at the Apple event a few months ago. You would think that $99 would include a mount. It’s not like TomTom had to pay anything for the iPhone hardware… who does TomTom think they are?

That car kit that the reviewer was talking about was the only cool thing about the TomTom presentation. Here is a video showing it:

When you check the TomTom site, it’s still “Coming Soon.” Get on the stick, TomTom! Don’t you realize that all we really wanted was that cool car kit?!

Here are a list of some other GPS Navigation software for the iPhone:

• Sygic Mobile Maps US: I purchased this app. When compared to the usability of most iPhone apps, this one is horrible, but when compared to my old Garmin Nuvi, it’s almost as good. Mike and I took a drive from SLC to Denver and had both the Garmin and the Sygic running. The maps were comparable and the directions were clearer than the Garmin at times. As long as I chose a voice that had the letter TTS (text to speech) next to it, the voice would pronounce the street names. The POI (points of interest) were just as useless as my Garmin, so we used the Google Maps feature to find things close by and then plugged the address into the GPS. Best feature was being able to listen to music while the GPS app ran. When directions came, the music faded out for them. It was on “sale” for $40 when I bought it. At that price, it’s an incredible deal.

• AT&T Navigator: AT&T is willing to give you a “free” app with a ten dollars a month fee for access to their maps and navigation. Unfortunately, it only works if you have a cell signal or wifi access. How is that useful when you’re driving from one part of the country to another? Do they actually believe that their coverage is THAT good? Sadly, it isn’t.

• MobileNavigator by Navigon: A very highly rated app, but at $89.99, it’s so close to the TomTom price that it makes it strangely overpriced. We get maps for free from Google Maps, so it’s difficult to justify charging me that much money for them.

• GPS Kit from Garafa: Like the AT&T Navigator, you need a cell signal or wifi access for this application to work. The only difference is that you only have to pay ten bucks once to be disappointed.

• MotionX GPS Drive: Unless you’re willing to pay their $3 monthly fee, it’s not much better than the turn-by-turn directions given by the Google Maps app included in every iPhone.

In the end, the iPhone isn’t quite ready for GPS navigation. The GPS chip is just as strong as my antiquated Garmin, but it isn’t as powerful as the new ones. If you really want to replace your in-car GPS, you’re going to have to wait until the iPhone adds a better GPS chip. Until then, all of these apps are just a shade better than toys.

• I have three presentations today. One of them in the huge auditorium. Feeling nervous now! #UTOSC #

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I love this animated GIF from three frames.

It is from the movie, Playtime, which was released in 1967 in France. I love seeing all the old cars and buses moving around the traffic circle. That’s the beauty of old movies. They’re a glimpse of the gadgetry of days gone by.