Eneloop USB Booster Stick-Recharging Technology

Did you ever pull your hair out and bang the door every time your phone would give out in the middle of that all important conversation or your digital camera would turn off just when you were about to take pretty little Emily’s photo on her first birthday.

If that’s what you feel then welcome to the club. We feel you buddy because that’s what we’ve been through. But before you slam your gadget against the wall, think about the Eneloop USB Booster Stick, a portable device that can be compatible with your phone or camera and keep it from turning off.

Sanyo decided to gift gadget freaks on the move with the charging stick. We decided to find out about the gizmo that backs up other mobile small electronics and here are our impressions.

What you’re looking at…

The Eneloop USB Booster Stick is a sleek, slim, featherweight charger for all devices with USB charging cable. The Eneloop Booster Stick comes with 2 Eneloop Nickel-Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries that power it. This nifty little gadget charges or supplies power to devices for 90 minutes at an output of 5V/500mA. With its batteries, it weighs just 76 grams, which is just about the perfect weight of the average ghost. The size of the Eneloop USB Booster Stick is 5.82 x 0.7”.

The Sunny Side…

• The great thing about the Eneloop USB Booster Stick is that it can back up most of the useful portable electronics like portable game consoles, music players, and, oh of course, mobile phones.

• Certain phones and other devices require high current for proper charging. Apple’s I phone is one such example. The booster stick delivers power to such devices by regulating the charge current sent to that device.

• Don’t be sad if you don’t like the number 90. The power of the booster stick can be extended for an indefinite amount of time by carrying extra batteries.

• 45 U.S. dollars. That’s all Sanyo is asking for this ultra useful charger. All that hard work for just a small price tag.

The Shady Side…

• Toys that are not USB charge enabled won’t be charged with the Eneloop USB booster Stick. We really wish this were not so. It would have been cool if the stick was multifaceted. But with many devices becoming USB enabled we can’t say we are going to be sad for long.

• Doesn’t come with a USB cable of its own so you can’t do anything if you lose the USB cable (and your banging the door would be justified in that case) of any device you want to boost up. But then again, what are the chances of that happening huh?

Besides missing a couple of things we talked about, the Eneloop USB Booster Stick is a great, must-have complement to your portable electronics collection. You can finally go out on that long trip somewhere far far away without wondering what you’re going to do if your gadget’s power ran out. The sleek silver stick will give your device the right amount of inspiration that will get it back up on its feet again. That piece of aluminum almost makes us want to write a letter to dad. “Dear Dad. I need a charger really really badly”.

Aluratek Libre – For Those Who Live to Read

A Look At The Aluratek Libre

We were wondering what to do while waiting for a friend. We had to show to the doc for a bad case of flu. We couldn’t exactly laugh out loud with some of the funny text messages we sent to one another.

This is a hospital for God’s sake!  We were just about to get infected with a bad case of boredom ourselves. And then a light bulb just turned on.

What would reading with an Aluratek Libre be like? We decided to find out. But one thing’s for sure, it would surely beat dumb text messaging.

 What you’re looking at…

Book maniacs and read freaks are up for a real treat with the Aluratek Libre. Finally, there is a respectable way to be a book worm. Many are under the impression that for reading ebooks they might have to turn to Sony, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. The Aluratek Libre ebook reader is an affordable alternative.

With 117 MB RAM, 5” display, expansion slot of up to 32 GB and a battery life of 24 hours with 2 weeks standby time, the Aluratek Libre is a pretty package packed with user-friendly and reader-friendly functions. Heck, it’s not too bad to look at either with the charcoal colored plastic casing that isn’t stained with finger prints or smudges.

It’s like you took it right off the shelf. There’s more in the bag. The Libre comes complete with ebook reader pro, a USB cable, a power charger, a hand strap, earphones, a carrying pouch (and you thought it was naked or something), a quick start guide, and warranty and registration cards.

The Sunny Side…

• Wow 179 bucks! That’s great! Mommy can’t say no. You get a cocktail of functionalities with a friendly price tag.
• The 2GB SD is preloaded with 100 ebooks so after getting the gizmo you can pretty much get lost in the world of black and white.
• The refresh rate is faster than an electric shock.
• You can turn the page fast and read on with crystal clear resolution.
• In the desert, the Aluratek Libre is your best friend. That gizmo can last for 24 hours before the recharge indicator lights up. The device can last 2 weeks to a month on standby mode.

The shady side…

• We missed some of Amazon Kindle’s functionality like Wi-Fi which isn’t here but the price tag more than makes up for this.
• The Aluratek Libre has no internal storage but the 2GB SD card fills up the gap just fine.
• Sometimes we wished The Aluratek Libre had a screen as big as the Kindle but we forgot that wish real fast after listening to some MP3 background music while reading. You enjoy this facility in the Libre.

We welcome the Libre to the ebook revolution.The Libre hits its competitors with a friendly price tag. It’s not too much to ask for all its offering. All in all we wouldn’t go to a gizmo store for the Aluratek Libre and walk out empty handed and neither should you.

Specialized Social Media Part 2: Networks for Music Lovers and Musicians

In Specialized Social Networking: Networks for Artists & Writers we took a look at specialized media dedicated specifically to the artistic communities of artists and writers. In this part of our series on specialized media we will examine various social networks that are geared towards the music communities and ways in which you can best use these social networks whether it is for personal enjoyment, business purposes, or self promotion.

Who Should Used Specialized Media for Music Communities:

If you have a product or service that is of special interest to either music fans or to musicians and bands then networking on these specialized social media networks can be a great form of advertising. This can include businesses that sell music equipment, venues that are looking for new talent, or businesses that meet specialized needs such as creating custom web sites for a band or designing promotional t-shirts, or other service can also greatly benefit from getting their name and products or services in front of the right people.

Of course, anyone involved in the music industry will also want to explore social media dedicated to music fans as a simple and cheap way to promote there own music, find new fans and venues, and sell their own CD’s and other music related items. Additionally, music fans who want to stay up to date on what is happening with their favorite bands or discover great new music that they might not otherwise be exposed to will likely find something worth there time at one of the many music related social media networks.

So whether you are looking to sell your own business or service, promote your own music, or simply spend your online time finding the best new music then checking out music themed social networks may be a great choice. Here are a few great suggestions to get you started:

MusoCity- A great little community for music lovers, fans, bands, and music professionals of various musical genres and a great place to discover new musical artists. Get your free account and start mingling with other music fans and discovering new talent right away.

Last FM- This is a great site for music lovers with videos and profiles for just about every type of music you could be looking for including indie, rock, pop, metal, and even jazz and classical music. Musicians can even find ways to sell their music and build a fan base with Last FM.

ilike.com- iLike is designed for music lovers and utilizes a spectrum of other social networking sites to let users share play lists, discover new music, and get personalized concert alerts.

Diletante- This is a wonderful community for lovers of classical music and new artists and composers looking to gain an audience for their musical talents.

Photo Courtesy of Tuomas Vitikainen

In additional to social networks devoted to the broad spectrum of music, certain artists have also started their own unique versions which is not  only a great way for the bands to connect with their fans but it also presents an excellent opportunity for you to network with others who share your common interest or who might loosely fit a particular type of demographic. One great example of this is the network designed by H.I.M. on their web site at heartagram.com.

Regardless of the type of music that you are looking for or the audience that you wish to capture, odds are there is a perfect social network or two out there that can help you achieve your social networking goals while meeting some interesting people and finding great new talent in an easy and affordable way.

Specialized Social Networking: Networks for Artists & Writers

Social networking giants like MySpace and Facebook have proved useful for a variety of general purposes for both professional and social networking as well as business promotion. However, that generalization can only go so far and for people with more specialized areas of interest or business focus. For this reason, a number of social networks have emerged catering to special niches that allow users to make more useful connections. After all, what is the point of networking with a million people on a large, generalized social network if none of those connections are interested in your particular product, service, or area of interest?

In this multi-part series on specialized social networking, I will scour the digital world and take a look at some great social media sites that are addressing the needs of the niche market in social networking including everything from sites for writers and artists to off the wall social network sites for vampires and the gothic scene. To start the series off, here is a great list of social networking sites for Writers and Artists.

One of the biggest groups that social networking specialty sites are catering to include writers, painters, and other artists. These sites are a great way to showcase your talents, network with potential clients or collectors as well as other artists that can help you discuss your art, and to find great information for improving and expanding your natural talents.

Ten great sites dedicated to this genre include the following:

Art Slant:

A great network site for contemporary artists, Art Slant is where you can show off your latest creations, write a review, announce a showing, or contribute to their array of general content while networking with other contemporary artists.

Art Break:

This is one of my favorite artist’s communities. Not only do you get the benefits of networking with members of the art community but you can also showcase your work and even make arrangements to sell it to potential buyers at Art Break with no commission charges of any kind from Art Break. You can get an account with them for free, or if you prefer an ad free experience they do have a premium option available.

My Own Verse:

For those that feel like waxing poetic, My Own Verse, which describes itself as a poet’s playground, is a great choice. Set up your profile and connect with other poets to share and critique one another’s work which can help you to grow your own talents or simply satisfy your love of the written word by discovering fresh new voices in poetry.

My Art Info:

My Art Info is a social network for artists, art students, and collectors. The site allows artists to show off their talents while giving collectors an opportunity to find new artists or discover a great piece to add to their collection.

Artition:

This is a new but interesting community for the creative types. At Artition you can upload a gallery of your art work, music, videos, or even written works so it offers a little something for everyone in the art world.

The Outpost:

If you are looking for a young and hip creative community, then check out The Outpost, a fairly active community for music, arts, fashion, and culture.

Writer Face:

Next we have a social network designed specifically for writers. With all of the standard trimmings of a traditional social networking site, Writer Face is a great way to connect with other writers.

The Art Review:

A great place for finding the latest artists and art related news and blogs now offers a network feature to allow you to post your own profile, network with other artists, and show case your talent to Art Review visitors.

Peer Scribe:

Another choice in social networking geared towards writers. Post your profile and upload a portfolio or attend online workshops to help you fine tune your writing skills at Peer Scribe.

Art Log:

Art Log provides a great way for artists to announce their events while networking with other artists and commenting on various pieces of work highlighted on the site. They also have a regular newsletter and tons of great info on art events around New York.

The Writer’s Network (Frome OnceWritten):

The folks over at OnceWritten.com now have a social networking service to help you find and connect with fellow writers. Hosted on the Ning network it has all of the standard social networking features such as blogs, customizable profiles, and a friends list.

My Art Space:

My Art Space is another great choice for artists who are looking to show off their current work and get inspired by networking with other like minded and creative souls.

Writer’s Digest:

Of course, no list of writer’s social networks would be complete without the long standing authority in the world of writing, the Writer’s Digest. This magazine which is devoted to the craft and business of writing now has its own social networking community which provides an excellent community for networking with other writers.

Google Wave: First Impressions

Two days ago, Google released its highly anticipated project dubbed Google Wave. Initially, Google only sent 100,000 invitations, and those folks that were invited could only recruit 8 more people, much like the Gmail launch 5 years ago.

Luckily, I become one of 100,000 users who received an invite to try, test and use Wave. My first impression of Google Wave was that of a kid who has a browser open in front of him but no clue which website he should open.

This is the first screen that I was presented with after I logged into Google wave:

After watching a few videos from the Google Wave team, working with Wave became piece of cake.

Here is a video tutorial from Google wave team:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBzuuWZPaXc[/youtube]

Navigation panel is easy to understand and work on. Left sidebar is similar to Gmail with Labels and Navigation bar like Inbox, Sent , Trash… Below the Navigation bar, there is a panel for Contacts, which you can drag and drop to create a new wave.

Creating a new wave is like starting a new conversation. One thing worth mentioning here, when we start a new wave, we can add as many contacts as we want. Simply drag and drop contacts from contact list to new wave. Here is a screenshot with multiple contacts in my wave :

Google Wave works in real time; what ever you are typing can be seen by current users in your wave.

Wave is a mash-up of Google chat and Gmail. For example: if you are ‘waving’ another user, and he/she is not online, they will receive the message upon logging in. If they are online, you can start a real time conversation.

Understanding Google Wave Interface :

The Google Wave interface is divided into 3 columns :

1. Navigation
2. Inbox
3. Wave

Navigation Panel :

The Navigation Panel is where you will see the Gmail style inbox, sent items, settings, trash, search and folder options. Followed by your contacts. (See image below)

The search option is interesting: it will let you save a search, and with one click you can search for your previously saved search term.

Inbox Panel :

The interface of the Inbox Panel in Google Wave is somewhat similar to Gmail, but a new button which you will see here is the Mute Button.

Mute Button: can be used to mark any Wave, which you do not want to appear in the Inbox. Though you can search for a Muted wave, by search or if you tagged it while waving.

I find this feature important and useful; at least my girlfriend can’t disturb me unless I want her to.

Wave Panel :

The Wave Panel is where all of the magic happens. This panel can be used to start a new wave and see the Playback. Playback is another useful feature, which allows you to see all of the messages along the timeline. If you tend to have very long conversations, this feature will come in handy. Another great feature of Wave: you can drag and drop pictures into a conversation, but only if you have Google gears installed.

Generally speaking, the flexibility of Wave is pretty exciting. You can add lots of useful extensions from the Google wave extension library. You can also integrate Twitter within Google wave.

The end result? The full effect of Google Wave is not very impressive at the moment, as it relies on a broad user base that is currently hindered by the limited invites. This will most likely change based on the substantial buzz that Google Wave is generating around the web. Look for Google Wave to become next best thing.

Have you used Google Wave? If yes, feel free to share your first impressions.

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Editor Note : This is a guest post by Harsh Agrawal, who write about technology and wordpress at shoutmeloud and Themepremium respectively.

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