BestStuff

Students Kick-Off Program to Help Save Lives

jessica — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

This posting isn't reviewing a product, but making you aware of one of the top killers of teenagers - motor vehicle crashes. Students from several Indianapolis High Schools know it, and because of this, just kicked off a new program called "Buckle Down" in an effort to help save lives. Led by the students, the program is used to promote safe driving among teens.

From the press release:

The "Buckle Down" program provides contracts for students to sign, where they agree they will focus on making good choices while behind the wheel of an automobile. Participating students can then earn points throughout the year which can be used to redeem prizes, with one grand prize being awarded to a student whose school met program criteria. That lucky student whose name is drawn will win a CAR, donated by Don Hinds Ford in Fishers.

Students will register and sign their contracts on the new www.NowThinkNow.com website where they will also have the opportunity to interact with other students participating in the program from all the schools. This social site provides a forum for teens to discuss the choices they make on a daily basis and allows the message to come from their peers.

This is a wonderful idea. Texting while driving, distracted and drunk driving, safety belt usage….all of these topics need to be addressed to teen drivers. With this program, teens are interacting with other teens…talking to each other about these issues. It would be nice if every city of every state; every high school could get involved in a program like this. It would help make the streets safer for everyone.

Here is some recent television coverage on the program:

Slacker Radio Now Available for Android

jessica — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Are you the owner of a new Android device? Slacker just announced that the Slacker Radio app is now available for Android phones. The free application is available now by visiting www.Slacker.com from a supported Android smartphone or by visiting the Android Market. Verizon customers using the DROID by Motorola can locate the free Slacker Radio app by visiting the Verizon channel of the Android Market on the phone.

Slacker Radio for Android features:

Free music library featuring millions of songs
High-quality stereo playback from any wireless connection
Create custom artist stations based on artists or songs
Over 100 professionally programmed genre stations
View artist biographies and photos
View album art and read reviews
"Peek Ahead" artist and album preview
Multi-tasking - listen to music while using other applications
Share station links via Email, MMS or SMS messaging
Rate songs as favorites
Ban songs and artists
Vertical and Horizontal modes
Desktop widget

The Slacker Radio app works with the free Slacker Basic Radio service, Slacker Radio Plus and Slacker Premium Radio subscription offerings.

Paradigm Shows Facebook Fans Some Love

jessica — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:14:46 +0000

Paradigm just announced a new giveaway to show appreciation to their Facebook fans. Now through March 2010, each month Paradigm will be giving away a Cinema CT System. All you have to do is become a fan of Paradigm's Facebook page and you will automatically be entered to win! One fan will be selected at random every month and given a Cinema CT Home Theater Surround Sound System.

The Cinema 90 CT system is made up of 2 Cinema 90 satellites, 2 Cinema ADP surrounds featuring Paradigm's Adapted Dipole (ADP) technology, a Cinema CC center channel and a Cinema 90 CT subwoofer with 10-inch driver.

To win a system from Paradigm between now and March 2010, sign up to be a fan on Facebook and check back every month to see if you're a winner! Good luck!

Motorola's DROID Available Today

jessica — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:09:51 +0000

The time is here! The much anticipated Motorola DROID is now available at Verizon Wireless and Best Buy Stores.

The Motorola DROID is the first device powered by Android 2.0. Not only does it give you high-speed web browsing, voice-activated search, it is one of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones available. DROID also features a customizable large touch screen, with access to thousands of apps and hundreds of widgets from Android Market. Oh, and it being available through Verizon, it is on the largest 3G mobile network in the country.

Verizon Wireless will host demonstrations at select locations today, November 6th, (check with your local store) to help customers get the most from their new DROID. Are you in New York City? Today Verizon is hosting an interactive experience called, "DROID Does Times Square." This experience will let callers control two of Times Square's largest digital billboards – the NASDAQ and Reuters signs – using only voice commands. Pretty cool, huh?

Get more information on Motorola's DROID on Motorola's website or visit www.verizonwireless.com.

Dell Intros Super-Slim Adamo XPS

jessica — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:06:28 +0000

Last March Dell introduced Adamo, the world's thinnest laptop PC at just a .65-inch thick. Now they have added an even thinner laptop to the line, the Adamo XPS. Measuring just four-tenths of an inch thin and weighing just over 3 pounds, this is one impressive laptop!

Featuring a 13.4-inch high-definition display, 4GB DDR3 800 memory, Intel Core 2 Duo (1.4Ghz) ultra-low voltage processor, and a 128GB SSD, it performs well too.

More features:

When opened, the body of the Adamo XPS is raised so the keyboard is angled to enhance cooling.
Capacitive latching device – one finger swipe opens the latch.
Built-in location awareness to provide real time local maps to show people where they are.
Replaceable battery, with optional higher-capacity battery available.
Full size keyboard with aluminum keycaps; touchpad with gestures.
Built-in 802.11n wireless.
High Definition (720p) 13.4-inch WLED display.
I/O: display port, 2xUSB 2.0, audio, Ethernet (via included dongle).
Operating system: Windows 7 64-bit edition.

Dell expects the Adamo XPS to be available in time for the holidays. Prices start at $1799. More information is available at www.adamobydell.com.

Verizon Announces DROID ERIS, New Chocolate Touch and More

jessica — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:33:30 +0000

Today is a good day for Verizon Wireless subscribers. The company just announced a slew of new phones; there's one for the Android geek, one for the music lover, a push-to-talk phone, and don't worry…they didn't forget the BlackBerry die-hards.

DROID ERIS by HTC

The new DROID ERIS by HTC is the second Android phone in the Verizon line-up, (the DROID by Motorola was the first). The DROID ERIS features a 3.2 inch touchscreen and trackball interface, 5.0 megapixel camera, 8 GB microSD card (up to 16 GB supported), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5 mm headset connectivity, Integrated GPS, a digital compass, Full HTML browser with Flash Lite capabilities, and is compatible with Google services like Google Maps, Gmail, Google Search etc.

DROID ERIS by HTC will be available on November 6 for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a voice plan with an e-mail feature or e-mail plan.

LG Chocolate Touch

Music lovers rejoice! There's a new Chocolate in town, and this one has a touchscreen! Features of the LG Chocolate Touch include Dolby Mobile, FM radio, Bluetooth, 3.2 megapixel camera, access to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites. It also has a "Join the Band" function which lets you play along via virtual piano or drums, and can even press "Pause" to stop the music and play solo!

The LG Chocolate Touch is available today (November 5) for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a Nationwide Calling Plan.

Samsung Convoy

Those looking for a rugged Push to Talk device should check out the Samsung Convoy. This handset was built to withstand the harshest elements. It meets military specifications 810F standards for shock and dust resistance, vibration, salt fog, humidity, solar radiation, altitude and low and high temperature storage.

Other features include a high-quality stereo speaker, long battery life, 2.0 megapixel camera with Night Shot, Bluetooth, VZ Navigator, and a Personal organizer with calendar, tip calculator, currency converter, notepad, alarm clock, world clock and stop watch.

The Samsung Convoy will be available on November 15 for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement with Verizon Wireless. Unlimited Push to Talk can be added for $5 per month per line to any qualifying Nationwide voice plan.

BlackBerry Curve 8530

Verizon Wireless also announced the BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone. It features built-in GPS and Wi-Fi capabilities, as well as easy access to music, games and other mobile apps. Other features include a full QWERTY keyboard, touch-sensitive trackpad, 256 MB flash memory, 2.0 megapixel camera, advanced media player, access to e-mail, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. And of course, access to the popular BlackBerry App World for third-party mobile applications. It also has an expandable microSD/SDHC memory card slot, supporting up to 16 GB cards now and expected to support 32 GB cards when available.

The BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone will be available around November 20 for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a voice plan with an Email and Web feature or an Email and Web for BlackBerry plan. Data plans for theBlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone begin at $29.99 when added to any Nationwide voice plan.

Visit www.verizonwireless.com for more information on all of these phones.

ViewSonic's VMP70 Media Player Does 1080p for Less Than $100

jessica — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:09:25 +0000

ViewSonic this week announced the new VMP70 media player box, a new device that makes viewing Full HD 1080p multimedia easy. Simply insert a USB or external hard drive into the player and watch HD movies and TV shows on your television. You can view photos and listen to music as well. It also includes an S/PDIF port for surround sound connectivity, HDMI cable and a remote control. Sound expensive? It's not. It is available now for under $100.

The VMP70 weighs less than one pound and supports more video and audio formats than any media player available today, including MPEG1/2/4, Divx/Xvid, MKV, H.264, VC-1, WMV9, RM/RMVB, DTS, Dolby Digital, WMA, MP3, FLAC, OGG and MKA to name a few. Connectivity options include HDMI, Component, composite, S/PDIF and duo USB drive slots.

The VMP70 is now available for an MSRP of $129.99 with a promotional holiday price of $98.99.

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Computer Speakers Go Wireless (Sort of)

jessica — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

More people use laptops to listen to music, watch movies and play games than ever before. Now you don't have to be stuck with the (sometimes) poor quality sound coming from your computer thanks to the new Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Wireless computer speakers.

Klipsch first introduced the ProMedia 2.1 system back in 2000, and it has become one of their best-selling products. To make the speakers even better, Klipsch decided to create a wireless version. The new ProMedia 2.1 Wireless sounds just like the THX-certified original, only this one features a USB wireless transmitter that plugs into the computer's USB port.

The system is not completely wireless, however. Unless operated via batteries, the power source needs to connect to electricity. With this system, the subwoofer is the power source. It plugs into a wall outlet and then the two speakers connect to it via wires. Wireless, (in this case), means no wires attach to the computer. The ProMedia and computer wirelessly connect via the USB wireless transmitter.

The ProMedia 2.1 Wireless is available at klipsch.com for $199.99, only in the United States. The original ProMedia ($149.99) is available at Best Buy and klipsch.com.

New 802.11n Connected Touchscreen Digital Frame

jessica — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:31:40 +0000

There's a new Wi-Fi digital photo frame hitting the marketplace, with this one said to be the world's first 802.11n touchscreen connected picture frame.

The newest generation of the eStarling digital frame from PF Digital not only has 802.11n Wi-Fi, but features touchscreen navigation on the 10.2-inch screen and widgets that gather information from Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and more. This frame also comes with personalized Gmail e-mail addresses for each frame so you can send pictures and videos directly to other frames belonging to your friends. You can even access your Twitter stream and Tweet and ReTweet directly from the frame!

The newest eStarling frame includes:

Split screen display: In addition to displaying your pictures in the proper ratio, the eStarling frame includes a sidebar with live weather, time and upcoming picture preview that are easy to set up and use.
Connected video features: Load and share videos up to 20 megabytes in size directly from your smart phone. With a Gmail client enabled on the frame, you can also send your favorite videos to friends and family and they will automatically appear on their frame. Note: the frame doesn't support Youtube video and any type of streaming video play.
Social networking: Not only can you get photos directly from Facebook automatically, but you can now follow your Twitter stream live from your eStarling frame.
Access to more photo sharing sites: Access and automatically load photos from Gmail, Flickr, Picasa, Facebook and Photobucket with additional sites being added soon.

PF Digital Inc. is now taking pre-orders for the frame, which will be available for delivery on November 15th. It has an MSRP of $249.99. For a limited time the company is offering free shipping. Get more info or order yours at www.estarling.com.

Samsung DoubleTake Hits Alltel Stores

jessica — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:43:55 +0000

The holiday season is right around the corner, and if you have a texter on your gift list, check out the new Samsung DoubleTake from Alltel Wireless. It includes a sliding full QWERTY keyboard, 1.3 megapixel camera, full-color external LCD screen, Bluetooth capabilities, built-in speakerphone and the internal phone book will hold up to 1000 entries.

One of the best features of this phone its' price. The Samsung DoubleTake will be available tomorrow (November 5, 2009) in bold red and charcoal gray for just $39.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with activation of a 1-year service contract. Pick it up in Alltel stores or online at www.alltel.com.