Latest Inventions

posted by admin on Nov 5

I recently received the most amazing gift, and I didn’t realise it was all so easy!

Imagine your child’s 1st birthday, your wedding day or a special trip you took made into a unique photobook albums that you designed yourself. 

Now I’m not talking about a jazzed up photo album with hand written notes and photo’s stuck in - I mean an actual real book with your images actually printed into the pages like it was for sale in a store.

Now I knew these things might be possible, but when I received a book about an amazing month in Costa Rica, with all my own great photos and a few of me thrown in - I really was brought to tears!

It Is So Simple:
Not that the person giving me this wanted to give away his secrets, but it turns out that it is really easy to create your own photo book albums online.  Basically you choose your images, you decide what size and design you want for the album - you can even help choose how many pages and what cover you want and it is all stored online until you actually tell them you are delighted with the result.  

If you change your mind, you can then add more pages, remove certain images and basically tamper with it until you are 110% happy.

If you choose a premium online company to help - they will professionally design the book for you to your very own template and in a sturdy hardback cover.  This way, you simply upload your best images onto their site, and they use their experienced design staff to create your own bespoke photobook. 

Before it is printed and individually bound - they give your the opportunity to see the final draft - allowing you to make any final adjustments.

The Result:
Imagine, being able to keep a book of every year of your child’s life, or send out copies of your book to the bridesmaid for a permanent token of your friendship. 

Or send a gift to a friend who achieved something great, a beloved family pet, a beautiful vacation, a house renovation or anything that you want to remember and have taken plenty of images of!

You can choose from plain covers, a photo on the cover, or mine has personalized writing on the cover.  There are also many companies that have specific covers and bindings for certain occasions like your professional wedding album, amazingly designed new home album, birthdays, parties, friends etc, so the choice is yours.

I love my personal photobook, as I know exactly what I was thinking when I took every one of those images.  I remember where I was when I took the snap and I know the little stories that surround each one.

And because it’s a book of only the best shots, my friends don’t have to stare at pictures of people with their heads missing and out of focus animals like in a normal album - this is my special book, and I want one of every vacation I take from now on!

posted by admin on May 12

My little nephew has taught me something great about his new DSi!

I recently wrote about the new Nintendo DSi and how my little nephew was addicted to the thing!  Playing Pokemon games even when he was asleep!

Anyway, I was watching him playing one game (which I couldn’t quite understand) when he suddenly started playing a completely different one with just a few bangs of his stylus! 

How on earth??

Well, it turned out he had heard about the r4i adaptor card and was taking full advantage!

So, what’s the r4i adapter card then I hear you ask?  Well, it’s a modified flash memory card that is exactly the same shape and size as a normal DSi games cartridge - but it can hold more than just the one game!

Basically you can use it as a sort of memory stick.  You can download games that you have already brought from sites on the Internet for free - this way, you are getting a ‘back-up copy’ of your favourite game.  So, if you damage your original cartridge, you don’t have to buy a whole new one - just stick in the r4i adaptor cartridge and carry on playing.

Is that all?
Well, no.  The thing is that the r4i adaptor can hold more than the one game - therefore allowing you to download copies of all the games you already own into one cartridge - and as my nephew had just done - switch from one game to the next without having to swap cartridges - or spend 20 minutes trying to wrestle the other game off of his younger brother!

The technology is so simple that my nephew was downloading files himself from his Mac - it was basically using drag-and-drop technology to move the files across!

And, further to the whole games concept - the r4i adaptor can also hold anything else you fancy from your computer.  For example, you can download movies onto it to watch on your DSi, or music to play when you are supposed to be brushing your teeth!

It also allows you to perform other simple functions from your media, including browsing through your favorite photos with family, reading e-books about tips for your new games and you can read your own downloaded computer files including birthday lists (with more games on it) or boring work documents!

The r4i cartridges can hold up to 32gb of memory - so there will be plenty of space for a bit of everything inside!

What’s the catch?
To be honest - there isn’t one!  It does exactly what it says on the packet.  It is a cartridge-shaped flash memory ’stick’ that works with the new Nintendo DSi.

There is a separate r4 adaptor you can buy that works with the original DS, as these cannot be used for the new version, and vice versa.  That way, which ever console you choose to use - you just need the one cartridge!

Both the original r4 cards and the new r4i cards are readily available from www.gamesbackup.co.uk - so you can start moving your games across and enjoy your games and personal media files in a whole new way!

But, please remember- you need to have originally brought each game before you can legally download it from the Internet to make sure you stay within the bounds of copyright law.  These files are only meant to be an online back-up for damaged cartridges or to move your favourite games into a new media format - i.e. - onto the r4 cards!

posted by admin on Jul 14

A really simple and stylish camcorder that is uber easy to use!!!

I recently got my hands on the brand new Flip Video Mino from Pure Digital, and am suitably impressed!  Not only is it easy enough for your grandmother to use - but it is stylish enough for any youngster to show off to her mates in town!!

Step 1 of the instructions simply says ‘press power button, press record’ - done.  It really is all you need to do to enjoy this smart technology.

What Does It Do?
Well, apart from filming just about anything you want and offering amazing sound - it can attach straight to your USB port on your pc or mac and download it’s own software - allowing you to view and save your images straight on to the hard drive.  Using the same attachment (which is a flip-up extension of the Flip Video itself) you can charge the battery which blinks while charging (about 3 hours from empty).

It allows you to load straight to AOL, YouTube and Myspace, and even take photos from the frames in every video…… nice!

It also comes with a television connection cable that allows you and your friends to view the footage on your television screen without having to run any software.

You can also set the date and time to keep those memories in order - and it has adjustable tones if that takes your fancy.

Why Do I like It?
I love it’s size and look!  Very much of mobile phone size and kind of iTouch looking interface - it sits perfectly in my hand without any worries.  No attachments needed and no huge instruction book to memorise from - and all just one-handed (it’s very light).

It only has 7 buttons and no tricky combination and techniques to learn - which always puts me off investing $100’s on a standard camcorder - I’m worried I won’t use all the special features you are paying for and just end up recording simple shots anyway.

To film movies, all you need to do is press the central ‘record’ button and make sure what you are filming is in the small visual screen.  You have a small ability to zoom in and out, but it doesn’t cover much ground to be honest.  However seeing as this only hold about an hour of footage, it’s more likely to be used a smaller social events like parties and family get-togethers you really won’t need to be zooming in and out a lot anyway.

You can move left and right through your stored videos with 2 further buttons and play which ones you like, and delete them as you fancy with the ‘trash can’ icon.

What I don’t like.
Because it’s so simple, I was worried that I would accidentally delete some footage as the ‘buttons’ are touch sensitive rather than actual sticky out buttons and could get triggered by my hand - but it double checks all your actions and will clear the screen after a short period of time so any accidental commands will be forgotten unless acted upon within seconds.

I couldn’t find anything else wrong!  When reviewing this as a fun accessory for filming family and friends or shots for the Internet - I couldn’t fault it!  I mean if you were planning a 2 week safari in Botswana - then maybe this isn’t for you!

Anything Else?
The Flip Mino currently comes in either black or white, but the other version of the Flip (the Flip Ultra and the Flip Video - both cheaper) come in some different colours and matt coating.

In addition, you can get a camera stand, water-proof casing, material protective pouch, action mount (to film whilst cycling) and different skins (orange pink and clear) as extras.

But I like mine, just the way it is…..

.

posted by admin on May 7

We’ve all been there - accidentally deleting one of our favourite photos from the digital camera.

It’s still there in the memory, but you won’t ever see it again. Will you?

Maybe You Will: 
Because, I’ve come across a group of software packages in the making that will not only allow you to retrieve that image from your xD card, but also your camcorder and many flash memory storage devices, including MP3 players and even your Sony PSP.

The company is called Media Innovations Group LTD, who have been retrieving images from digital still cameras for over a decade. They have been selling and supporting their ‘Don’t Panic ImageRecall Software’ for 6 of those years and are now expanding to cover new technology.

What Do They Do? 
Basically they offer advice, support, repair and recovery for everyone - you don’t have to be a big company - you can be just you with some important images to retrieve. They work with CompactFlash, MultiMedia, Secure Digital, xD Picture Cards, Smart Media, Microdrive and Memory Stick.

They sell their standard package for £25 (prices vary throughout Europe, New Zealand and the US) which comes with user manual with screen shots and a demo video to get you started, and if your PC allows you can then burn the images onto CD. The software runs on Windows 2000, XP and Vista, as well as their newly advertised MAC version for OS 10.3 and above).

Because they offer ongoing support rather than selling a stand alone product, if you cannot retrieve the data yourself or the hardware is too corrupt for their software to be effective, you can send it off to their labs where they will try to retrieve anything using advanced tools. There is no charge if they cannot locate anything.

Their site (www.imagerecall.com) also has some simple ‘Prevention Tips’ for you to help limit the chances of you losing data in the first place.

It’s well worth a visit just for that - I found it very handy during my month long trip around Costa Rica where I filled my 4mb worth of camera memory several times over!

I didn’t want to lose even one of those pictures……..

posted by admin on Apr 5

This months T3 magazine has details of the top 100 gadgets we love to love - everything from chainsaws to swiss army knives and from hovercrafts to inflatable jackets (?)

Needless to say - as with the title here - I’m only going to list the Top 10 - as voted by you:

Number 1 - Apple iPod Touch 32GB
From mapping to music, from weather reports to widgets, this new and 32GB capacity little toy just had to be the best! This beautiful video playing PDA is a must, with it’s sleek features and touch-screen technology to make your life sooo much easier!

Number 2 - Nintendo Wii Console
If you can actually manage to get hold of one - you are one of the blessed. With unrivalled gaming action and wireless control, it is simple to use - even for girls! Not only does it improve some existing games, it comes with a few exclusives……

Number 3 - Sony PS3 Console
Another console - some more amazing features. Although it costs more than the Wii, it have propelled Blu-ray technology further than anything else…..

Number 4 - Asus Eee PC Laptop
Wow - this miniature ’smooth’ white laptop - loses none of it’s pzazz with it’s smaller size - only a 7″ screen. With 4GB of storeage, Wi-Fi and a webcam it is the perfect travel companion so you can stay in touch.

Number 5 - Phillips 32PFL9632D LCD TV
What a name! This 32″ LCD television will have you believing you are inside of your game - whether it’s fast driving action or more mellow movies - you won’t believe your eyes!

Number 6 - B & W Zeppelin iPod Dock
No fancy attachments to this one - just high quality sound from a visually pleasing but un-intrusive iPod dock. No frills - just great sound.

Number 7 - Apple iPhone 16GB
Phone, Internet and iPod - what more could you want? Well for around the same price - why not try it’s big brother - you’ll find him at the number 1 slot!!!!!

Number 8 - Tonium Pacemaker
This 120GB MP3 player is the perfect mixing tool - not only can you listen to great music, you can slice, dice and mix tunes as you will - and all in a package no bigger than a Nintendo DS.

Number 9 - Marantz SA-7S1
This one is for the glamour boys amongst you. A gold plated audio cd player that heaven has blessed mere mortals with - and the hefty £5K price tag shows that you won’t find these at the local youth club! You want exclusive - you want great sound - then you want this!

Number 10 - Sanyo Xacti HD1000 camcorder
With 60 frames per second recording, this little gift far exceeds what you’ll get from it’s nearest HD rivals and at a lower cost (for those who want to save your money for the number 9 slot). Incredibly easy to use and records to an SD card for yet more quality.

PS - The R2D2 home cinema system was at number 17, and the motorised skateboard was all the way back at 94!