New app connects neighbors with stuff to rent

Why go to a store to rent a pressure washer when neighbors down the street have one in their garage that you could use for a modest fee?

That's the concept behind Peer Renters, a new iOS app that connects people who need to borrow an item with people willing to rent that item.

The service works a little like eBay, but with a mapping component. You take a snapshot of your gear, upload it to Peer Renters and enter a price, date range and deposit, if necessary. When someone in your area looks for the item you have, you'll pop up on a map. Peer Renters takes 10 percent of the rental fee, but you work out the details directly with the owner or renter.

Peer Renters says the system is great for loaning electronics, tools, sporting goods, games, DVDs and even accommodations.

The service is new, so you may not see many owners in your area. But that could change quickly as people looks for ways to turn unused stuff into cash. Check it out in the App Store.

By: Ric Manning On 4/25/2014

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Crowd-sourcing wedding photos

Crowd-sourcing at the wedding? That's what's happening with photo-sharing services.

I remember weddings where each table had a cheap disposable camera and guests were encouraged to take snapshots of each other. A good idea, except the quality of the photos was often poor and only the wedding couple were likely to see them.

Today guests don't need need throw-away cameras, they all have cameras built into their mobile phones. And photo-sharing apps like CapsuleCam and Eversnap let them immediately join in the fun.

Social media platforms like Facebook and Picasa offer photo-sharing services, but Capsule is a more private option where access to the images is restricted to a selected audience. Guests can download the free CapsuleCam app for Apple or Android phones, then enter a code to for access to an album created just for the event. The album is online for everyone to see and can be shared live at the event.

For more about photo-sharing services geared toward parties, check my column at MyWell-Being.com.

By: Ric Manning On 4/22/2014

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LG G Pad fits nicely in the middle

Think of the LG G Pad as the tablet Goldilocks would choose. With an 8.3-inch screen, it's smaller and more portable than a full-sized iPad or Android tablet but larger than an iPad Mini or the popular 7-inch tablets like Google's Nexus 7 or Amazon's Fire.

The G Pad has a solid feel when you hold it with two hands in landscape mode. It's almost too wide for one hand in portrait mode, especially if it's in a case.

The tablet has a gorgeous high-definition screen that makes it an attractive device for videos on-the-go and its size gives you a larger keyboard for serious work. It comes with 16GB of internal memory, but you also get an SD expansion slot to add more.

The G Pad runs version 4.2 of Android's operating system, also called Jelly Bean, and it comes with a few extra software embellishments. You get Bluetooth tethering to connect other Wi-Fi devices, a double-tap on the screen to quickly wake the tablet or put it in sleep mode, and a way to use multiple apps as layers on the screen.

The G Pad sold at Verizon's stores plugs into the carrier's LTE broadband network. You can get one for $300 without a contract or $200 with a two-year agreement.

By: Ric Manning On 4/21/2014

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New app helps kids master the analog clock

In our world of digital displays, how do you teach children to tell time on a traditional analog clock? Now there's an app for that.

Clockwise delivers a series of easy exercises that will help young minds understand the concept of time and how a clock with hands and numbers works.

The app displays a time on an analog clock face and asks users to enter the numbers on a digital display. A correct answer is rewarded with a "Well done!" Score 25 or more correct answers in a row and you're a master clock reader.

The app was created by Piotr Nowacki, developer of a series of puzzle and activity apps for children. Clockwise is free at the Apple App Store in versions for the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

By: Ric Manning On 4/19/2014

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Where to download free audiobooks

I enjoy listening to an audiobook as much as I do reading the printed version. And, apparently, I'm not alone. While sales of printed books have declined in recent years, audiobooks are more popular than ever, especially digital downloads, which saw sales jump 29 percent in 2012.

We know that a book on tape or CD can be an antidote for the boredom of a long car trip. In a survey by the Audio Publishers Association, consumers also said listening to audiobooks is relaxing and a good way to multi-task. An audio performance can also make some books more interesting, especially when the book has a talented narrator. Meryl Streep, for example, reads Colm Toibin's novel The Testament of Mary. Nicole Kidman, Dustin Hoffman and Kate Winslet have also recorded audiobooks.

Audiobooks tend to be more expensive than printed versions or ebooks, perhaps because publishers sometimes hire Oscar winners as narrators. At Amazon, the audio CD of Laura Hillebrand's Unbroken costs almost $27. That’s about $12 more than the paperback version and almost four times as much as the Kindle ebook. Audiobooks that are downloaded can be slightly cheaper and are more versatile. With a digital book on your smartphone or music player, you can listen while you're working out, cleaning the house, or walking the dog.

Two of the largest audiobook services offer access to the latest novels and non-fiction titles on a subscription basis. Audible, an Amazon subsidiary, has a library of more than 150,000 books and spoken-word products. Members who pay a monthly fee of $14.95 can download one new book every month. Audiobooks.com offers the same deal: $14.95 for one book per month. Both services provide free Apple and Android apps that play book files on smartphones or tablets.

For readers who aren't ready to commit to a book a month or $179 a year, there are other less expensive sources. Librivox and The Gutenberg Project [http://www.gutenberg.org/] both have large collections of free MP3 audio versions of public domain books by Poe, Twain, Austen or Shakespeare and others. Librivox uses volunteers who read different chapters, so the quality of the narration can vary. Gutenberg's audio library includes books recorded by humans and books read by computer-generated voices.

For more modern fare with better production values, see if your local library has an affiliation with OverDrive, a company that has more than a million ebooks and audiobooks that can be borrowed through public libraries. Enter your ZIP code here to find a library in your area. With a library member number, you can browse and download books from the Web or use OverDrive's free apps for Apple, Android or Windows devices.

OverDrive’s collection includes many newer titles, including The Hunger Games, Life of Pi and mysteries by Patricia Cornwell and Janet Evanovich. But you won't find all the titles at all libraries. Each library has a limit on how many titles and copies it can offer, so you may have to get on a waiting list for a popular book. Most titles can be borrowed for two weeks before they have to be released or extended. If that's not enough time to finish a book, the OverDrive app lets you vary the reading speed, up to double time, without altering the pitch.

By: Ric Manning On 4/15/2014

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Logitech's Harmony Smart Keyboard at Best Buy puts remotes out to pasture

It wasn't so long ago that our home theater system consisted of a TV, a stereo receiver and a DVD player. But in the past couple of years, the entertainment center has attracted new devices like paperclips to a magnet.

I've worked in a satellite receiver, Apple TV, a Roku box, two game machines, and Google's Chromecast, along with a big pile of remote controls. What I didn't have was a clean and simple way to control all that gear. But that changed earlier this month when the Harmony Smart Keyboard from Logitech arrived from the folks at Best Buy.

Logitech has been the leader in building smart control technology into handheld remotes and lately into the Harmony app for Apple or Android mobile phones and tablets. The brains of Logitech's system is a Wi-Fi-enabled Hub that communicates with the apps and issues commands to the TV, receivers and other gear. The app turns iOS & Android smartphones into a personal universal remote.

Users start by setting up an online account and profile and entering the brand and model information for each item they want to control. The system supports IR, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections. Once everything is entered, users can press a single button on the mobile app to "Watch TV" or "Watch a Movie."

Adding a keyboard extends the full Harmony control experience to the keyboard and makes enjoying digital media even easier. The keyboard is solidly made with a full-sized letter keys, a trackpad with mouse buttons and several dedicated function buttons. Three one-touch buttons bring up the TV, movie player or computer and using long or short presses double the functions to six. Function keys control volume and video playback. I especially like the functions that bring up menus, my DVR and channel guide.

I got the system up and running after just a few minutes of setup time. It recognized my somewhat obscure Dell plasma TV, my older Roku box and an off-brand HDMI switcher. And if you've ever had to use a handheld remote control to enter passwords and usernames or search for a movie title, you'll appreciate doing it with a full keyboard. The system comes with a pair of USB receivers that can be used to control a computer or an Xbox or PlayStation game machine.

The Harmony Smart Keyboard costs $149.99 and is available exclusively at Best Buy until June 21, 2014. I'm ready to let it put my basket full of remote controls into retirement.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

By: Ric Manning On 4/08/2014

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CHOETECH's new Stadium charger cuts the cords

How much would you pay to get rid of those bothersome charging cables? How about $35.99?

That's the price of CHOETECH's Stadium Wireless Charger. It's a thin black slab that automatically charges a wide variety of devices. All you have to do is place your phone or tablet on the charger and it takes care of business.

The device has three charging coils rather than the more common single coil, so you don't have to move your phone around hunting for a solid connection. A small blue LED light lets you know that the charger is working.

The Stadium Charger supports any device that has the QI wireless charging technology enabled. That's pretty long list that includes Google's Nexus 4, 5 and 7; Samsung's Galaxy phones and tablets, Motorola's Droids and phones by Nokia, HTC, Kyocera, LG and others. It will also work with iPhones that have a QI charging case.

The Stadium pad is currently available with free shipping at amazon.com.

By: Ric Manning On 4/07/2014

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Leef lets Androids read SD cards

As slots for MicroSD memory cards have disappeared from many newer Android phones and tablets, Android users are left with a with a pile of unused cards and the occastional need for extra data storage. A new card reader from Leef Access is here to fill the void.

The reader is a tiny white plastic gizmo that plugs into the charging slot on an Android device. If the device is running Android Jelly Bean 4.1 operating system or higher, it immediately recognizes that it has USB storage. Users can transfer photos and other files from the SD card to internal memory or use it to play music or videos or edit a document.

I tested the reader with the new LG G Pad and with Google's Nexus 7 tablet. It worked flawlessly wit the G Pad, but the Nexus 7 does not come with OTG (On-The-Go), a common feature with many other Android devices. To use the Leef reader, I had to install a third-party app like OTG Disk Explorer Lite (free) or Nexus Media Importer ($3.99).

The Leef reader is available at Amazon.com for $9.95 plus shipping.

By: Ric Manning On 4/05/2014

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