iProp is a pillow and a tablet stand

When my wife travels, she takes along one of those horseshoe pillows that wrap around your neck. Good for a nap on the plane, but a bit of hassle to carry around.

I found a product that can be both a pillow and a stand for my iPad or Kindle reader. The iProp looks like a squishy oversized softball. It has a flat plastic panel with a notch for your tablet. The beanbag pillow inside lets the iProp work as a stand on almost any surface. It will adjust to fit an airplane tray table, the center console in a car - or even your lap.

The nylon pouch has a zipper opening, which is great for stashing earphones, a screen-cleaning cloth or other small items.  And, when I'm finished watching a movie on my tablet, the iProp becomes my pillow for an in-flight nap.

You can find the iProp in black or gray for about $25 at amazon.com.

By: Ric Manning On 9/22/2013

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This robot does windows

One of the more intriguing new products that I saw at the Consumer Electronics Show last January was the Winbot 7, a robotic window washer made by Ecovacs.

The device clings to a glass surface using vacuum suction to defy gravity. It crawls around the window surface scrubbing away with soft cloth pad that you spray with a cleaning solution. When it has the entire window covered, it beeps out a little tune when has everything covered.

The Winbot looked pretty impressive in the demonstrations I saw at CES. Earlier this month, I had a chance to try it on my own windows and the results were quite satisfactory.

The Winbot works best on large open windows. It cleaned the standard-sized double-hung windows in my home, but getting the Winbot in position to do its work was almost as much of a chore as cleaning the glass myself.
 
The Winbot's $400 price is a little on the high side, but I'm sure some people would pay just about any price to avoid window-cleaning duty.

You can find the Winbot online at RobotShop.com. 

By: Ric Manning On 9/20/2013

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What to do with that old mobile phone?

Thinking about getting a fancy new cell phone? Check your service contract. If it's more than two years old, you may be entitled to a new phone for a small fee or even for free, depending on the brand and model you choose. 

And your current phone could be worth a few hundred dollars that would help cut the cost of a new one. Even an old phone stashed in a drawer could have some value. 

Mobile phone manufacturers, service providers and vendors all have programs that let you swap your present phone for a better one. And even if your contract hasn't expired, you might still be able to trade up.

Apple recently launched a trade-in program at its Apple stores. Bring any older iPhone to the store and an employee will determine the trade-in value of the phone and offer you a deal on a new one. Other services will evaluate your phone and offer you a price on their websites.

For links and more ideas, check my latest column at MyWell-Being.com.

 

By: Ric Manning On 9/17/2013

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Findercodes helps find lost pets

When a pet wanders away from home, you want it to be found and returned as quickly as possible. This lost and found kit from FinderCodes can help.

Findercodes uses tags that display QR codes. Those are the blocks of squiggles that you can scan with a cell phone camera. The kit comes with three plastic tags that can be customized just for you. Set up an account on the FinderCodes website, enter the code number from each tag and your contact information.

When someone finds your lost pooch, they scan the tag and you get a text message and an email. You get a map showing the spot where the tag was scanned. When the finder calls, you can make return arrangements.

You can include optional information about your pet, including a vet's name and phone number or any special food or medicine needs. And you can offer a reward, if you wish, using PayPal.

The FinderCodes come three to a pack. In addition to tagging pets, you can also use them on luggage or put one on your key ring - anything that  might get misplaced.

You can find a FinderCodes kit at Target stores for about $25.

By: Ric Manning On 9/16/2013

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Moto Maxx is an eye-catcher

It's not that I've fallen out of love with my iPhone 5, but you could definitely say the thrill has worn off. I keep getting distracted by new Android phones that are lighter and thinner with larger and brighter screens.

The latest object of my flirtations is the new Droid Maxx from Motorola and Verizon Wireless. http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/smartphone/droid-maxx   I've been around the dance floor a few times in the past with Moto phones. The original Razr phone was a hottie and the first Droid was a solid and reliable companion.

The Maxx has two features that immediately catch your attention: a long-running battery and bright, gorgeous screen. 

Motorola says the battery will last for 48 hours of mixed uses, meaning phone calls, videos, games and other data-crunching activities. In drain tests performed by testing labs, the Maxx scored better than it's primary competitors, including the HTC One and Samsung's Galaxy S4. That should make it appealing to road warriors - or mobile Netflix addicts.

The beefy battery makes the Maxx only slightly thicker and at 5.9 ounces, a little heavier than those other Android phones. With a black surface of Kevlar fiber, the phone has a solid and serious feel to it, without feeling heavy or bulky.

And, about that screen. It's 5-inch high-definition OLED display that delivers rich colors with deep blacks. The 720p resolution is just fine for either videos or text.

The Maxx also scores points for having a camera that is incredibly simple to use and for including a feacure called Active Display that causes the screen to flash softly when e-mail, text messages or calls arrive. You can touch and hold an icon in the center of the screen to get more information without having the phone completely wake up.

One thing that may make you think twice about going steady with the Maxx -- it's not a cheap date. While other high-end Android phones like the HTC One, the Moto X, or the Galaxy S4 can be yours for $199 with a two-year contract, the Maxx costs $100 more.

By: Ric Manning On 9/01/2013

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Gear for the well-wired student

LiveScribe Smartpen

When I packed off to college - and that was more than a few years ago - my collection of high-tech gadgets was pretty small. I had a portable typewriter, a reel-to-reel tape recorder and a transistor radio.

Students today are better equipped than the Apollo astronauts. In my area, even some middle school students are getting outfitted with laptop computers. Instead of lugging heavy backpacks stuffed with hardback text books, they carry a svelte little Chromebook and go online to read digital versions of textbooks and study aids.

I got to thinking about what I would take along if I were going back to campus today.Of course, there would be a portable computer, one that would work just as well in my dorm room, at the library or my favorite coffee stop. 

What else? Maybe the Livescribe Sky Wi-Fi Smartpen that captures audio and turns my scribbled notes into text. 

To see what else is on my list of gadgets for the well-wired student, check out my column at MyWell-Being.com.

 

By: Ric Manning On 8/22/2013

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What's brewing in Google's secret lab?

An integrated circuit on a contact lens.

Love 'em or hate 'em, you have to admit that Google has done some pretty remarkable things. I mean, who doesn't love the idea of a driverless car? I saw that in Popular Science magazine in the 1950s -- and in a lot of science fiction movies ever since. I'm also impressed by Google's Loon project. It would use a fleet of high-altitude balloons to bring Internet access to remote areas. 

And then there's Google Glass, the high-tech specs that incorporate a computer, a digital camera and a floating heads-up display. It's Glass that's getting lots of media coverage - and cranking up a public debate over privacy and safety issues. Reports last week said Britain is about to outlaw driving while wearing Glass.

I was thinking about how difficult it could be for the Brits to determine who is wearing the glasses. After all, they don't look big and clunky like the eyewear LeVar Burton wore in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Then I ran across a column by Louisville consultant (and a long-time friend) Stephen Arnold. It suggests that, at some point, Google's wearable computer might close to invisible. Here's what Arnold wrote about Google's long-term goal for a website called CitizenTekk:  

"The goal is not glasses. Glasses, clearly, are just a bridge to the goal. And that goal may be to embed a computer in your eyeball."

Well, beam me up, Scotty. That's a warp-speed jump from today's Glassholes. I started picturing a world where the London coppers would be equipped with a Voight-Kampff machine, the eyeball scanner Harrison Ford used in "Blade Runner" to detect replicants.

How did Arnold come to that conclusion? The trail he followed started with some of the scientists and engineers that Google has hired to work at the R&D lab Google calls Google X - or sometimes Google[x]. The head of the Glass project is (or was) a scientist named Babak Amirparviz who wrote a paper for a scientific conference that described how electronic devices might be embedded in a contact lens.

He also quoted a newspaper article that said one of the other X scientists met Google co-founder Larry Page in 1998 "and they talked about how cool it would be to have a computer in your eyeball."

Those are intriguing connections, but they don't exactly prove that Google is working on an eyeball computer. I'm hoping Arnold keep digging and find out more about what's going on behind the X.
 
    

By: Ric Manning On 8/07/2013

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What do you need to disconnect from cable?

We’ve always been of two minds about cable. We love its convenience and variety but we hate the ever-increasing cost and all those channels that we never watch. 

And we're not alone. A recent survey of U.S. cable subscribers conducted by CouponCabin.com and Harris Interactive found that almost half of the adults polled believe cable TV is a waste of time. More than half said they would cancel their subscription if they had a suitable alternative.

So, what do you need to disconnect? Start with a simple "rabbit ears" antenna. The airwaves are filled with digital channels, many of them in high-definition. 

Digital broadcasting and it works just like the TV we had before cable arrived. In fact, with digital broadcasts, it now works much better. If you have a digital TV, as most flat-screen TVs are, just plug in an inexpensive "rabbit ears" antenna and you can pull in pristine high-definition signals from the major network stations in your area.

That's fine for live sports, local news, and current shows on the broadcast networks. But what about "Mad Men," "Duck Dynasty" and your other cable favorites? I have some tips in my current column at MyWell-Being.com.

By: Ric Manning On 8/06/2013

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