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”.

Honda Driving Simulator

Honda Driving Simulator-Driving Like You Have Never Driven Before

Get real! Are we sitting inside a real Honda or just a simulator? We thought we could answer the question but we just didn’t. Why? It’s as real as it gets that’s why. Finally we could accidentally hit that dog crossing the road without hurting anyone. Ooops! The Honda Driving Simulator is here with some upgrades. Find out why we are on our toes aching to get on that fake 4-wheels and learn something we missed in driving school.

What you’re looking at…

If secondary students want to learn some real useful skills and develop reflexes vital to driving then this gadget is their best option. For the sole purpose of traffic education Honda has been making simulators for bicycles, motor bikes and, of course, cars for nearly a decade. Secondary schools have their eye on Honda’s latest toy and we think their investment is worth it. The Honda Driving Simulator is built specifically to help driver trainees detect potential threats on the road and develop reflexes to react to them in time.

The Honda Driving Simulator comes with 2-axis motion base type as an addition to the original 6-axis motion base type.

The Sunny Side…

• The high definition 42 inch LCD display is one of the reasons for the realistic driving experience we enjoyed. Looking at the screen, you’re not going to want to take your eyes off the road and your hands off the steering wheel.
• The touch panel monitor is user friendly. How could Honda miss that? Remember, this is a Honda toy don’t forget it.
• So did you pass or flunk? Yup, the Honda Driving Simulator displays the results of your performance at the end of the simulation. You get comprehensive feedback on what you’re doing on that virtual road.
• The Honda Driving Simulator also features “night mode”, “fog mode” and “highway experience mode” for a total and realistic simulation. You’ll be an ace veteran after sitting on this thing in no time.

 

The Shady Side…    

• Driving simulation differs from real world driving with a driving teacher sitting beside you. If you made a mistake the trainer would immediately correct it. This is because of direct communication.
• There are certain scenarios where we thought a trainer was needed but the database and the broad array of situations the machine can create more than makes up for this. There is no doubt that driving simulation is the modern safe way to learn driving.
• The 2 axis motion base costs a huge $ 66,000 while the 6-axis version will cost you an eye-popping $104,540. It seems we won’t be bringing home one of these to keep beside our game consoles!

 

Every time we drive on the road we risk our lives. There’s no doubt that driving simulators like the Honda Driving Simulator are invaluable tools for safely learning driving without endangering the lives of others or risking your own neck. Some people give the Honda Driving Simulator two thumbs up and others give an A+. But if we are asked what we would do, we would take our hats off saluting Honda and that’s it.

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.

Motorola Droid- A Closer Look

The Motorola Droid

There’s nothing really motor about the Motorola Droid. In fact the functions it brings to your pocket for your pocket money is pretty much high tech and easily summed up with the “Droid” part of Motorola Droid. It’s multifaceted and there are bright sides and dark sides to it but at the end of the day you want to answer the question: Is it worth your buck? We pretty much think so. 

What you’re looking at… 

The droid leads the pack in being the fastest Android device for Google so far. It’s not surprising to know that the web browser is fast as lightning on this thing. The device boasts better messaging and contact management. You could talk for long periods without sensing any ill effect on call quality. 

The sunny side… 

Motorola Droid is sure to cultivate fans with a beautiful high resolution screen. Coupled with smooth scrolling and a great implementation of the virtual keyboard, the result it shows could make any owner a happy camper. 

-We loved to browse using the Motorola Droid. 

The zoom is absolutely awesome and you can’t miss a thing with this kind of a feature. 

-Fans won’t go on an empty stomach with Google and uploading issues. Motorola provides its users with turn by turn navigation on Google absolutely free, plus there is a wide array of mobile applications to choose from. Owners won’t own an empty phone. 

-If you want to share memories with folks worldwide or just make a mini documentary, this is the phone you want to turn to. The video recorder is wonderful and uploading to YouTube is as easy as biting a banana. 

-The width and thickness of the phone will remind you of the I phone. Processor responsiveness will put a smile on your face for sure. 

The shady side… 

-The keyboard is made a bit too flat so it’s not too hot for typing but it gets the job done. Also, sometimes you wished your thumb was on the other side if you were a right hander and tried to open the keyboard because it opens up the wrong way. 

-Physical buttons for calling, hanging up and mute for phone use are missing so you might be slowed down when trying to perform these functions. 

-Sometimes, only sometimes we missed a few calls while having the phone in our pockets because the vibration function is a bit weak. Sometimes you wished it vibrated a bit more. There’s also that minute camera lag. 

-You’re going to need some patience on your side while playing videos on you tube. 

Verizon customers won’t be disappointed with this smart phone. Fans will cling to the good points while critics will hang on to the bad ones. The shady angles however are not shady enough to keep your wallet in your pocket. Overall a pretty package, the Motorola Droid leads previous droid devices and will not only serve your cause, but it will also look great near your wallet.

How I keep my kids safe online with free tools and common sense.

I am Dadmin.  I have three children varying in ages from 1^st grade to high school, so I’ve been dealing with strategizing on the best way to exercise my geekery to keep my kids safe.  I use a few different items to ensure I am keeping abreast of my children’s online lives.

1.  I talked to them about proper online safety.  Things like : Don’t talk to strangers, don’t publish things like your last name, address, or phone number, don’t accept any files from anyone, and you must give me  a current password for any accounts you want to have.  Like any good EULA, I make them agree to all my demands before they get access to anything.  I also let them know that I will be tracking them.  What they say, who they talk to and where they go.  This is the most important step and involves no technology whatsoever. 
2. Open DNS.  Domain Name Servers are utilized as a sort of phone book for the internet.  You enter www.zmogo.com and your internet browser goes to the DNS server and looks up the IP address (ex:  10.1.1.1).  Open DNS is a free service that I can point my broadband router to that also allows me to control what sites they can and can’t get to.  Setting it up is simple.  Just go to http://www.opendns.com and follow their instructions.  It takes just a minute or so to do.  Then log in to the Open DNS account and begin to limit the sites your home network can get to.  It took us a bit of time to fine tune it to our needs.  I entered in some sites that were not adult, but just not where I wanted them to go, plus selected some categories to prevent large sections of adult material and such from being accessible to them.  This covers a majority of the items I didn’t want them getting into.
3. Real VNC.  (http://www.realvnc.com) Commonly used for remote administration of computers, I set up a Real VNC server on each of the computers so I can take a peak at what they are doing at any given time.  I made them all aware that I can do this and that they wouldn’t know I was there watching, so even if they were doing something to negate my other strategies, I could catch them red-handed and punishment would be revocation of Internet privileges.
4. Since our oldest is a fan of Instant Messaging, I required that all his conversations be saved to a server.  I did this in a setting that said something like Archive conversations and then you choose a location.  I can then track actual conversations he’s having with his friends and can ask questions about people he chats with online.  Sure, he can turn off the archiving on his computer, but if I stop receiving updated message logs on the server, I know he did it and can reprimand him, and turn it back on.  Every instant messenging system is different, so find out where this setting is on the tool your child uses.
5. Keeping the computer in an open space is always the best idea.  This makes it far less tempting to try to get around the controls that are in place is someone is watching.
6. Lastly, I install a keylogger, which captures all the keystrokes on that computer.  It is done silently behind the scenes and ensures I can see EVERYTHING that is going on on that computer.  I like keyloggers like Home Keylogger (http://www.kmint21.com/keylogger/) or  KGB Keylogger (http://www.sharewareconnection.com/free-kgb-key-logger.htm)

I am sure to let them know that I am tracking their keystrokes as well and using any software or hardware to avert it is in direct violation of the EULA we agreed about prior to accessing the internet. 

Yes, I may have gone a little overboard and utilizing all these avenues is not for everyone, but if using this to keep tabs on your kids who are hiding things from you can prevent big problems, then I am all for it.  Honestly, just showing them what I can do to track them is enough to keep them out of trouble because they know they can’t get away with anything.

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