Posted on January 27th, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
We were a little envious of car backup viewers that show what’s behind you when you go into reverse. This now comes standard now with some cars now but you can also add it to any car. We’re trying out the new Magellan “Wireless Back-Up Camera,” which shows you what you’re about to bump into just before you bump into it.
You install the tiny camera using your license plate bolts, and use the Magellan Roadmate 9055 GPS device as your screen. At seven inches, it’s a smaller screen than the ones that come in many new cars but larger than most GPS screens. The Roadmate gets great reviews because of its favorites menu, lifetime traffic alerts, points of interest info and member assistance from Automobile Club (AAA).
We saw the camera advertised for $150 and the Roadmate GPS viewer for $257 at Amazon. That makes it a bit over $400 plus some handyman skills to set this up. Some wiring to the taillights is involved because you want the camera to start broadcasting what it sees as soon as you put the car in reverse.
Filed under: electronics, gadgets, GPS | Add New Comment »
Posted on January 26th, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
The start of the New Year might be a good time to start a new website. We’ve tried more than half a dozen ways, and these are the ones we liked best:
– Yola.com offers web hosting, site creation tools and ready-made templates. Try out the free version online and see if you like it. Joy used the free one to create a site for an educated but non-tech-savvy husband and wife. For $500, Yola will build a site for you. You should be kind of tech-inclined, however, to be able to update and expand it.
– WebEasy 9, or Xara’s Web Designer, both $50, are nice website creation programs that you can download to your PC. Unlike Yola, WebEasy only includes three months of free web-hosting, so you’ll need to choose a web-hosting company. We use 1and1.com. But GoDaddy.com is popular and may be the country’s largest hosting service for individuals and small companies. Read more »
Filed under: business, graphics, web | Add New Comment »
Posted on January 25th, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
“Cut the Rope” is a free Microsoft game you can play on your computer, tablet or smartphone at CutTheRope.ie. You slice the rope to knock out stars, free a bubble and deliver candy to the candy monster. At each stage, the process gets more complex. If you play it in Internet Explorer 9, you get 25 game levels. We thought it was fun and a good teaching tool for judging spatial relations and objects in motion. There’s nothing to install, you play online.
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Posted on January 24th, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
There was some new action at the Consumer Electronics Show inLas Vegas: Microsoft said their new Kinect motion-sensing game player will work with Windows and not just the Xbox 360.
The Kinect reads your body motion, allowing you to bat a ball or follow a dance lesson as if it were happening in your living room. Having a computer recognize body movements could lead to several applications. Doctors already have begun interacting with a computer without touching it, saving them the trouble of scrubbing up after contact with dirty keyboards. (You can read about some of the experiments using this device and software by Googling “Kinect effect.” See also the “Kinect and motorized skateboard” brief video.)
Microsoft is giving the software away free to developers, a big switch from last year when they were threatening to sue anyone who tried to develop Windows/Kinect applications. Developers will have access to the software and hardware starting February 1, but it could be some time before the rest of us get our hands on one. The new Kinect will be $250, compared to around $150 for the older version that works with the Xbox.
Filed under: games, health, kids, Microsoft | Add New Comment »
Posted on January 23rd, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
A study by PopCap games found that people who cheat at social games, like Farmville and Cityville, are three times more likely to cheat at school or on their taxes, park in handicapped spaces, steal hotel towels or commit adultery. In short, they tend to cheat.
In a survey of more than 1,200 adult consumers, nearly half the people who admitted to cheating in social video games also admitted to cheating in real life – compared to just 14% of those who don’t cheat in social video games. This fits with many previous studies in clinical psychology that have found people tend to act in patterns.
Here’s a look at some of the other findings: Eleven percent of British players regularly cheat, compared to seven percent ofU.S.players. Men are slightly more likely to cheat than women (54% to 46%). Seventy-two percent of cheaters are under 40. British cheaters were more likely than Americans to cheat on their taxes (58 percent versus 33 percent).
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Posted on January 21st, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
Microsoft Flight Simulator will be free starting this Spring.
This is one of the most famous entertainment programs in computer history. In fact it was such a combination of sophisticated programming, animation and skill that it was typically kept running on autopilot, so to speak, in the show windows of Microsoft stores.
Back in those days – back when there were lots of companies making Microsoft compatible computers – some with wonderful names, like “Kentucky Fried Computers,” the true test of whether or not a system was compatible was whether it could run Flight Simulator.
Those early versions trained you how to land at airports like Chicago’s Meigs Field, which no longer exists (a nostalgia trip). This Spring you can download a light version for free. You can fly around Hawaii in an “ICON A5,” an amphibious plane with cockpit space for two, and designed by the same engineers who did the Voyager spacecraft, SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo. If you want more aircraft and more locations it will cost you, though Microsoft hasn’t yet announced the price. Sign up for a free “Windows Live” account, and go to the games section to download it when it’s available in a few months.
This is the first new flight simulator from Microsoft since 2006, when Flight Simulator X came out. The whole flight simulator programming team was laid off in 2009. We like the new approach. It’s always better to let people try something out before asking them to buy something extra.
Filed under: apps, games, Microsoft | 1 Comment »
Posted on January 20th, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
A company called Snapkeys has come up with a very innovative idea for replacing the tiny keyboards on smartphones and other handheld devices.
They have designed a keyboard that represents all 26 letters of the alphabet with only four keys. The letters are grouped by shape: Letters that stand on one leg, like “I,” “F” and “T,” are grouped on one key. Two-leg letters would include “A,” “H,” “W” and “M.” Those with a wide base, like “U,” “C” and “Z” on another key, and letters that are sort of circular, like “O,” “Q” and “R” on another.
Interestingly, this fits with past research on reading that found readers typically identify a word by its shape rather than mentally spelling it out. This approach is commonly used in speed-reading exercises. You will be able to download the app for this kind of four-button keyboard from the Android Market Placeor Apple App Store in coming weeks. More info at Snapkeys.com.
Filed under: Android, Apple, apps, iPhone, keyboards | Add New Comment »
Posted on January 19th, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
Asus eee pad Transformer
Two years ago, we panned the Disney “Netpal” netbook, but have since had to swallow our words (albeit with a fine sauce and some good bread). We thought it was overly cutesy when we used it and dismissed it out of hand. What we forgot was we weren’t the audience; our tiny relatives loved it.
The Disney NetPal turns out to be a smash hit with the little ones. If you note the “Net” part of the name you will realize it’s designed as a netbook computer, meaning smaller than a regular laptop – but just right for small hands. It has the old Windows XP operating system, which Bob still likes and is still found on about half of all desktop computers. It includes a lot of Disney apps and games, as well as Microsoft Works. Amazon sells it new for $415 new, or used for $300.
If you don’t care about the Disney stuff, the ASUS “eeePC” is a $200 netbook with Windows 7. Or consider the $400 ASUS eeePad Transformer, an iPad-like device that comes with an attachable keyboard and boasts an 18-hour battery life. It’s only available for pre-order; Best Buy and other stores are already sold out online.
Filed under: computers, kids | Add New Comment »
Posted on January 18th, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
Joy’s sister holds up her iPad to take pictures, which is kind of awkward. A new $60 seven megapixel “Disney iPad Camera,” plugs into the Apple iPad, which then collects the photos.
This thing fits in the palm of your hand and absolutely defines cute. With Mickey or Minnie Mouse on the case, it is definitely set to please. The camera packs a surprising number of features, such as adjustable picture resolution, and works with a free editing app. We found it at Walmart and online at B&H Photo.
Though the $60 price seems reasonable for a cute camera like this, there is a catch to it. Since it only connects to the iPad, which costs around $500, it’s really a $560 camera. One critic pointed out that you can get good digital cameras for $100, and you could give that to a child or young person and they would be able to plug it into almost any device to unload and view the photos. So to use the new Disney Camera you should already have an iPad, or at least be on the verge of buying one. Read more »
Filed under: Apple, apps, cameras, iPad | Add New Comment »
Posted on January 17th, 2012 by Bob and Joy Schwabach
- One of every seven minutes spent online is on Facebook, according to a ComScore report. And 75 percent of the time spent on social networks is spent on Facebook.
- Consumers downloaded 242 million apps on Christmas Day, according to Flurry Analytics and activated 6.8 million cell phones, a 140 percent increase over last year.
Filed under: apps, facebook, social networks | Add New Comment »
