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Newstips Electronic Editorial Bulletin Issue # 2008-02a
News about who loves you, Baby!
READ IT YOURSELF: WI-EX CELL SIGNAL STRENGTH READER READY
Is there one cellular carrier designated for all company cell
phones? Are they really the best choice for the company's offices
or travel destinations? For that matter, would you like to find
out which guys are lying when they brag about the most bars? Ask
Sharon or Deanna to get you the new Wi-Ex cellular signal
strength meter for review & check out how much (or how little)
signal each band has to offer. If you need a more urgent coverage
hook, think about how frustrated & disappointed people may be
when they depend on a cell phone to get themselves through an
emergency; those soft spots leave them in a hard spot. Ask the
ladies. Contact: Sharon Cuppett, WI-EX INC. (Norcross, GA)
770-239-5475x6380 mailto:scuppett@wi-ex.com http://wi-ex.com
AGENCY CONTACT: Deanna Anderson 404-759-1890
mailto:danderson705@comcast.net
JVC TV FORTUNES MAY RISE ON MID-SIZE BUYS
As the overall retail TV category enters a slump (with Super Bowl
over & not much else people really want to watch until the
strikes get settled), JVC has a landscape of current & coming
models that may actually benefit from buyer ennui. While JVC
remains active in the bigger size categories, they've also done a
great deal to expand the variety of features in their mid-size
LCD HDTV sets, the ones that go into bedrooms or dens after the
main home theater screen gets bought. With more choices, JVC
offers at least equal & usually better value at any given price
point. If the slump at retail, as expected, does slow down
purchases of a home's first & biggest HDTV set, JVC's attention
to the middle ground may help it garner more than its fair share
of those secondary LCD HDTV sales. Chelsea can get you info on
what's out & what's coming, or set you up with models to review
or demo on the air, or arrange an interview with an appropriate
JVC exec. Contact: Chelsea Vander Groef, JVC COMPANY OF AMERICA
(Wayne, NJ) 973-317-5000x5312 mailto:cvandergroef@jvc.com
http://jvc.com
PRICE DROP ON SMALL KOMFORT PETS CARRIER; SPCA BEST
When the new medium-size Komfort Pets carrier (more about that
next time) debuts at the Global Pet Expo on Valentine's Day, the
original small size carrier will officially drop in price to
$199; it launched just a few months ago for $100 more. One
important improvement is only visible to humans, though it may
also be apparent to pets: a 2008 Best of the Best award medallion
from the SPCA. Contact: Bob Inello, KOMFORT PETS (Revere, MA)
781-485-0077 mailto:rinello@komfortpets.com
http://KomfortPets.com
ITORNADO GETTING HARRY POTTER TREATMENT
The new Windows to Windows and/or Mac iTornado ($80, March) isn't
slated to ship until next month, but the buzz (thanks to you
guys) is already so huge that Data Drive Thru had to place a
reservations page on the Web site. A few first-looks units will
be on hand in a couple weeks; let Clint know if you're interested
in those. For those who prefer to review a production unit, get
Clint your shipping info; press people will get priority
treatment. We might also suggest for those of you who do
interview-based coverage (radio or elsewhere) to work out your
mid-March bookings with him now. Contact: Clint Hughes, DATA
DRIVE THRU (Dallas, TX) 972-897-7057
mailto:chughes@datadrivethru.com http://TheTornado.com
NEW IPHOTOMEASURE PHOTO GALLERY CAN HELP TELL ITS STORY
While http://www.iphotomeasure.com/details.asp?desc=version3 is
primarily an info page for new iPhotoMeasure software version 3,
scroll down for a small photo gallery that shows it at work. Paul
can also get you before/after images (with/without the
measurement overlay) as either JPEG files or mounted photos if
that can help you cover its magic. Contact: Paul Minor,
DIGICONTRACTOR INC. (Tarzana, CA) 818-888-3687
mailto:paul@iphotomeasure.com http://iPhotoMeasure.com
CATCHING ELECTION FRAUD RED-HANDED
Dan tells of a challenge he solved for a foreign country's
troubled election officiate: he provided a finger dye that shows
up under UV to prevent people from voting a second time. A
similar solution could work here; a UV dye in the right
suspension could be sprayed onto fingertips (no contact so no
germ spread), where it creeps a bit into the nail bed & under
cuticles. It would take days to wash out (or fade naturally in
the same time) but during that time, would be invisible normally
but unmistakably visible under UV light (where it fluoresces,
depending on the formulation, in red or any of several other
colors). If you wish, Dan can come up with a kit you can use to
demo all this (especially when your local election officials tell
you there's no cheap, easy way for them to address the problem).
Contact: Dan Llewellyn, LDP LLC (Carlstadt NJ) 201-882-0344
mailto:dan@maxmax.com Http://MaxMax.com
TIFFEN VISTA LINE A PMA CHARMER
With camcorders still selling strong & digital SLR prices
dropping, it's little wonder that the PMA crowd was intensely
interested in the growing Vista line of camera mounts (especially
monopods, tripods & grounders) at the Tiffen booth. While Vista
is intended as an economical alternative to pro gear for today's
lighter-weight cameras that don't need all that heft, there's
nothing cheap about their materials or workmanship. For users &
sellers, the intrigue of Vista seems to be its ability to get the
job done in a very competent way at a very attractive price. Ask
Hilary. Contact: Hilary Araujo, TIFFEN COMPANY (Hauppauge, NY)
631-273-2500x1216 mailto:haraujo@tiffen.com http:/.tiffen.com
GOOGLE MOGO & YOU MAY FEEL LATE
Look up MoGo Mouse on a search engines & a couple of things will
hit you. One is how many retailers & OEMs (not always with the
MoGo name on it) offer it. The other is that the blog world is
way ahead of traditional media in reviewing it (though we won't
suggest that you adopt their levels of reverence or amazement).
There are stories worth telling to the people you reach about the
better choice for pointing than those compromised pads or sticks
by the keyboard. Ask Jack. Contact: Jack Corrao, NEWTON
PERIPHERALS (Natick, MA) 858-792-0944
mailto:jack.corrao@newtonperipherals.com
http://NewtonPeripherals.com
VIRGIN REACHES USERS IN A SPRINT
For those of you with some interest in covering the
no-long-term-contracts Virgin Mobile service but who had concerns
about their coverage map, fret no more. Virgin Mobile users ride
the Sprint network, which reaches a pretty coverage footprint. So
your choices now on when & how to cover them can concentrate on
the gear, the premise or something clever, like keeping the
handle on the cost of one more phone for a parent or a kid. Call
Corinne. Contact: Corinne Nosal, VIRGIN MOBILE USA (Warren, NJ)
908-607-4235 mailto:corinne.nosal@virginmobileusa.com
http://virginmobileusa.com
ZOOM FOR WHOM
The Zoom H2 Handy Recorder ($199) was initially conceived as a
tool for musicians, from student to amateur to pro, but history's
happy accidents thrust it into many additional roles. Radio news
guys discovered it as the least expensive, most portable & most
flexible pro-quality recording device ever. Podcasters discovered
it as a way to record in places other than arm's length from a
computer. Parents discovered as a way to take audio "snapshots"
of the kids, capturing the unique sounds at each age, from birth
through high school performances. Young adults use it as a way to
capture performances from their favorite local bands. Community &
school theater directors use it as a way to critique & improve
performances. It isn't the right answer for everybody
(businesses, for example, would be better off using inexpensive
pocket voice recorders to document meetings or dictation notes),
but it's proving to be a very right answer for enough some-bodies
to warrant some coverage for you; set that up with Mark. Contact:
Mark Wilder, SAMSON TECHNOLOGIES (Hauppauge, NY) 631-784-2200x142
mailto:mwilder@samsontech.com http://SamsonTech.com
ZERO MONEY OUT, GOOD MONEY BACK: GOING GREEN GETS GREEN
You get a new cell phone every couple years, right? Your old one
might be worthless but could get you up to $200 (extreme case:
fully functional 8GB iPhone). In any case, MyBoneYard.com will
e-mail you a shipping voucher & if there's any value, send it to
you on a prepaid Visa card. Whether or not you get any money
back, they treat the gear as an asset for the planet. Usable gear
gets reconditioned & sold to people in impoverished third-world
countries. Other gear is disassembled & as much as possible,
recycled; what can't get recycled is conscientiously scrapped. In
no case does it cost you any money, in many cases it makes you
money & in every case that old gear gets one more chance to do
some good, or at least no harm. Ask Thomas. Contact: Thomas Muhs,
MYBONEYARD (Chanhassen, MN) 952-294-6154
mailto:thomas.muhs@young-america.com http://MyBoneYard.com
MINI IS SMALL, BUT APRICORN GETS SMALLER WITH MICRO-KEY
We love that Apricorn can put up to 120GB in your shirt pocket
with a (1.8") Aegis Mini drive, but they also get smaller. The
kind of 1" drives that some companies put in a puck is available
from Apricorn in an aluminum-cased key-fob-size drive with a
swiveling USB connector; hard drive based Apricorn Micro-Key
drives come in 6, 6 & 8GB capacities ($99-129). Now, the same
size case is also available without moving parts (except for that
USB connector) in 4GB ($99) & 8GB ($169) Apricorn Micro-Key Flash
drives. Any of these come with encryption & sync software. Where
a specific application requires this small a size & the capacity
makes sense, Apricorn offers these great alternatives. Contact:
Michelle Fischer, APRICORN INC. (Poway, CA) 858-513-4480
mailto:mfischer@apricorn.com http://apricorn.com AGENCY CONTACT:
Jennifer Olson 415-402-0230 mailto:jennifer@atomicpr.com
EUBIQ STRIP TWIST & LOCK IT FOR ANY SOCKET & MORE
The unique design of the Eubiq power strip does indeed allow you
to place a socket anywhere along its length & add as many sockets
as will fit (both physically & in terms of power load), but it
isn't just a socket you can insert then twist to lock it. Coiled
power cords that mate directly with the power connector on the
back of a PC (among other devices; 3 standard connector
configurations are available), work lights (CFL with power toggle
switch or automatic motion-sensing) & more. We should also
mention that the sockets have little indicator lights to confirm
power; rotate them slightly & each is effectively its own power
switch. There's more info on the Web site or Kee can get you
photos; still awaiting word on the UL approval that gates their
US availability. Contact: NG Kee Haur, EUBIQ PTE LTD (Singapore)
+65-6372-9393x380 mailto:keeng@eubiq.com http://eubiq.com
SPECIAL REPORT: BATTLE OF THE HANDS
In your lifetime, consider how many consumer electronic things
battled to be in your hands: TV remotes, cordless phones, cell
phones, calculators, cameras, PDAs, voice recorders, audio
recorders, radios, video viewers, photo viewers, position
finders, flashlights, thermometers, etc. As we noted here years
ago, It didn't take long for each of these devices to try to
steal a little ground from the others by adding some functional
diversity; every cell phone is an alarm clock, for example, most
have cameras, some have video recorders & a few can do GPS
functions. The inescapable metaphor of the Swiss Army knife
offers some metaphorical observations: just because something is
there doesn't mean that it's easy, safe or appropriate to use.
Continuing miniaturization makes it relatively easy to add
functions & generally to do so without reckless disregard for
battery run time, but all too often, there is reckless disregard
for the human user interface. Is your digital camera also an
audio recorder; how many clicks & how much time does it take you
to get to that function, start it, pause it, stop it & know all
along what you're doing? How many clicks & how long does it take
to get a calculator or map/position display on your cell phone &
can you easily gat that to work while engaged in a call? What
does watching videos or listening to music do to your cell
phone's battery life & while you're doing that, what do you have
to go through to take an incoming call & resume the media player
functionality afterwards? And how about taking a picture while on
a call with the media player functionality paused? At CES, we saw
a chunky digital wristwatch that was also a cell phone, media
player, calculator & some other functions, all controlled by 5
buttons & a stylus; nowhere in the documentation did it picture
or name the buttons. The iPhone proves that we're willing to
spend precedent-breaking sums to get added functionality in a
traditional device; a Blackberry proves that our portable devices
can interact in productive ways with our desktop devices; the
Canon Elph SD1000 proves that we can professionally
acceptable-quality take photos & videos as well as audio
recordings (6 keystrokes, by the way) in a pocket-size device. On
the other hand, we've seen scads of Bluetooth devices with up to
half a dozen buttons per ear & no obvious way other than rote
memorization to figure out what each one does. If you think about
the tech in all these handheld devices, you'll go crazy trying to
figure out what future gear will (by combination or permutation)
end up offering; we humbly submit that the answer is not in the
electronics but in the users. When vendors give us easier-to-use
answers, we end up buying those to the exclusion of others. (Is
anybody old enough to have endured the pain of using WordStar 25
years ago? By comparison, Word drives itself.) As proof, consider
the wristwatch. Many younger people stopped wearing them, since
their ever-present cell phones can tell them the time. For those
who still do wear them, few remember how to reset everything
after getting a battery changed & just as few have no idea what
they did with the instructions. Whatever the feature set of a
wristwatch, few people use much beyond the time & maybe (if
available) day & date. Working press people & similar
professionals with a need to travel & communicate across time
zones may actually put multiple time zone or alarm features to
use. Would you want your wristwatch to also act as a compass?
That's an available feature that sounds cool at first but usually
gets little or no use (aside from showing it off to pals). We
mention this now because we intimately understand how much little
added features can speed the heartbeats of gullible geeks; we
also understand that one of your roles in their lives is to bring
sense to the table.
SPECIAL REPORT BONUS REVIEW: SPOT
Foreword: Their marketing guy actually told us that he'd hate to
have people die because they didn't have one of these devices
along to call for help as a result of reading a less than
positive review from us. (Nice try, but we're not new at this).
Spot is a belt-clip-carried dual (one for GPS, one for messaging)
satellite transponder that's about 3 times thicker than most of
today's cell phones & is wirelessly tied to an online messaging &
mapping service. If somebody you care about is often outdoors
(hunting, camping, hiking, fishing, skiing, etc.), especially the
remote outdoors out of the reach of cell towers, this is a way to
either say I'm OK or to call for help & you can check both trip
progress & last known location on a map. The user just turns it
on & pushes a button for a few seconds to report everything OK,
to ask for either non-emergency or ("911") emergency help or to
start automatically feeding location updates every10-minutes. It
requires Energizer E2 Lithium batteries or some equivalent (we
don't know of any); battery run-time is more than adequate to its
purpose. The box has a small & easy to miss sticker that says
"service required"; they don't just mean setting up an online
login; the hardware is useless until you pay a $100 activation
fee for the first year (with no guarantee that next year's
pricing will be the same). That's one of several things about
this device we find curious. Another is that while this can use
its built-in GPS receiver to report the user's location to
others, it's of no help at all in helping the user identify
his/her location; certainly an LCD display of location
coordinates at the moment of a message presents neither a
significant cost in building the gear nor a serious detriment to
battery run time. The company says its engineers advised that its
standards for ruggedness (surviving a 1-meter drop) &
waterproofing (1 meter of water; less important because it
floats) would be compromised by a display, but the world is full
of examples of even more rugged & more waterproof gear whose
displays manage to measure up. So if you need to know your own
position, you need to carry a second separate GPS device. While
it's not unreasonable for an outdoor type who often wanders away
from cell coverage to enjoy the ability to send for help or be
tracked, that purchase decision has to include the cost of the
device itself (around $170) plus the cost of activating service
($100 for the first year) plus optionally the cost of the added
every-10-minute tracking service ($50 for the first year). A
consumer's likely first impression of value may or may not shift
when the apparent price climbs from the $170 cost of the gear to
$270 (including the service that lets the gear) or even $320
(including the tracking service). It's important to understand
that since the GPS service built into the device are inaccessible
to the user location-finding will require carrying a separate GPS
device. We don't fully agree with the way they manifested the
design or the way they price it out, but we don't deny the
usefulness of the basic functionality. So our bottom line:
puzzling & incomplete but interesting.
SPECIAL REPORT BONUS REVIEW 2: SEATGURU
Next time you book a flight, keep a browser window open to
http://seatguru.com to see the practical differences between
those available seats. It shows which seats have power ports,
extra or reduced leg room, misaligned or missing windows, limited
recline, etc. If shows where the seat is in relation to closets,
galleys or lavatories. It shows which flights offer which
in-flight services: audio, video (including the new audio & video
on-demand services), Internet, power, food or infant facilities.
It tells you the seat width & pitch (the seat-to-seat-ahead
distance, which governs leg room). You can use
http://mobile.seatguru.com to get it on your Blackberry. Bottom
line: since your bottom is on the line, bookmark it now.
SPECIAL REPORT BONUS REVIEW 3: SANDISK SD PLUS USB
Several of SanDisk's best ideas about flash memory come together
in their new Ultra II SD plus USB card. It has that clever
flip-case design that lets a standard SD card shape fold in half
to reveal a slender USB plug that slides right into a USB socket.
(Note: Above the fold, obviously, it's still as wide as an SD
card, so you'll want to plug it into a port with a little lateral
elbow room). They went one better & are also including a little
key tag housing for it. We think this is a great solution for
carrying more than the usual SD content (from cameras, audio
recorders, camcorders, GPS, etc.) because in addition to
eliminating the need for an SD card slot or an external reader,
it's ready to be pressed into duty as a USB drive whenever that's
what you need it to do. That also makes it the perfect "spare" to
carry for either purpose. We're not sure how big or fast these
get; the one they sent us for review holds 2GB & offers 10MB/s
read (66X) & 9MB/s write (60X) speeds. Bottom line: drool cool.
CES TANSTAAFL
With a bow to Heinlein for the TANSTAAFL acronym, we note that
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" seems the watchword
for the CES press lounge. With CES claiming "more than 4,500
print, online and broadcast journalists" in attendance, we have
to wonder why they thought they could feed a 2-hour lunch to 1100
of those (the quota they gave to the caterer) at 12 round tables
on standing orders not to replenish what the caterer was serving.
It isn't about the food. We're quite willing to buy our own
lunches, but we're quite unwilling to stand silent in the face of
deliberate lies. If they only wanted to serve a couple hundred
lunches each day, they could have just said so then positioned it
as either a race or a lottery. It was also quite disturbing to
find neither coffee nor water available; we ended up having
espresso (grating man) & a cookie (pleasant woman) from Verizon's
area. If you're OK with no coffee, no water, no lunch &
compromised honesty, we're sorry we bothered you; if you'd rather
that those things be present, please share with CES your joy in
their deliberately inadequate planning. Contact: Martin Winston,
NEWSTIPS (Novelty, OH) 440-338-8400; mailto:marty@newstips.com
http://Newstips.com
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Newstips Bulletin [Novelty, OH] +1.440.338.8400 http://Newstips.com
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