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Gadget Guy wins an EPPY Award for Best Consumer Technology Blog
I have some good news to share with you, fellow gadgeteers. The Gadget Guy blog just received an Eppy Award for Best Consumer Technology Blog in the less than 250,000 unique visitors per month division. The entry was made on my behalf by the St. Petersburg Times and tampabay.com, where the Gadget Guy blog began in June of 2010. Included in the entry were the following blog posts and videos: ... Read more
Twelve great gadgets for the 2011 holiday season
Topping the holiday gift list for 2010 was Apple's iPad, the original version of the magical tablet that started a revolution in personal computing. A year later it's still at the top of the list, followed by tablets and e-readers from other manufacturers. A recent report from The Nielsen Company showed that 44 percent of kids aged 6-12 were wishing for an iPad this season, with 24 percent of those 13 and above (including adults) hoping for one too. Computers, E-Readers and other tablets, HD TVs, smartphones, iPods and gaming system round out the top of the list for 2011.
So with current trends and the economy in mind, here's my 2011 holiday gift list. It's a nice mix of some of the trendy stuff, one gadget for the health-conscious geeks, tools for expanding your personal storage horizons, gadgets for home and mobile entertainment and one thing that's just for fun! And although I easily could have included 30 things on this year's list, from this list you'll have no trouble finding a great gift for the gadgeteer on your gift list.
iPad 2 and Vizio Tablet ... Read more
Play some pranks this gift-giving season
We have a relative who is infamous for disguising gifts for birthdays and holidays, so when you think you're getting something in a fairly large and heavy box, you're really getting a bunch of bricks and a gift card. We laugh about it every year and it has become a family tradition. Well here's a product with the same intent that adds another measure of humor. ... Read more
Send AT&T your old phones, help the Earth and the troops
It's Veteran's Day, so it seems like a good time to tell you about a great AT&T initiative that not only recycles your old gadgets but also gives something back to the troops.
Drop off your old cell phones and accessories at any AT&T store and through the Cell Phones for Soldiers program, AT&T will use the proceeds from recycling the phones to send free prepaid phone cards to deployed U.S. troops. The phones can be from any cellular carrier, working or not. ... Read more
Plan your Black Friday attack with these sites and apps
Well, it's that time of year again and another Black Friday is upon us. With all the bad news in the world these days, wouldn't it be nice if we could change Black Friday to "Bright and Cheery Friday?" Tradition dictates that it won't happen, but maybe the apps and tips below will at least help make your Black Friday experience a little less dark.
If you want to score that 42-inch LCD flat-panel TV for $299 this year, you need to do your homework and make a plan. If you wait until the ads hit your driveway on Friday morning you already will be behind the thousands of people in your area who are in line for the best gadget deals because they knew what they were, days ahead of time.
Let's start with a couple of web sites, and their accompanying smartphone apps, that list deals in advance so you can make your game plan long before the turkey is in the oven. ... Read more
Hands on: Wowed by the new Droid RAZR
I've been using cell phones for a long time. I started with a Motorola bag phone (remember those?) then I had the Motorola DynaTac (the big, white brick) and the Micro Tac and StarTac. ... Read more
Add an iPad/iPhone USB charging port to your MacBook AC adapter with PlugBug
If you carry a MacBook along with an iPhone and/or iPad, you can use your MacBook to charge those portable devices through USB but they don't charge as quickly as they would with a separate power adapter. Charging everything from the wall, however, requires you to carry multiple adapters and that can really bulk up your bag. Want a solution for that? Meet the PlugBug from Twelve South. ... Read more
Griffin Beacon universal remote now available for Android
Griffin Technology and Dijit Media today announced an Android-compatible version of the Beacon, a wireless AV controller that brings universal remote capabilities to smartphones and tablets. The device previously was released as an iOS-only product.
The Beacon receives Bluetooth signals from smartphones and tablets and using the Dijit app, converts them into infrared signals required to control consumer electronics devices on the fly. It's compatible with TVs, DVRs, stereos, BluRay players plus other home entertainment devices and offers the flexibility of a using a touchscreen interface.
... Read more
Kingston DataTraveler with urDrive makes your digital life more portable
USB flash drives are nothing new and many people use them to quickly carry and move around data from home to office. They're available in all shapes, sizes and colors and have become so inexpensive that they're now common giveaways at trade shows and conventions. But now, due to software innovations, these little drives can do much more than store files. ... Read more
VooMote Zapper universal remote dongle for iOS, now available for pre-order
Back in September I told you about the VooMote Zapper, a small dongle that you connect to your iOS device and converts it into a smart universal remote you can use to control your TV and all your AV components. The Zapper is the successor to the VooMote One which only could be used with an iPhone or iPad. Described as the size of a paperclip the Zapper easily connects to the 30-pin connector on your iOS devices which means it can be used with the iPad too. ... Read more
About the blogger
Do you love gadgets? The Gadget Guy, also known as Jack Rowland, brings you the latest technology and gadget news including iPhone and Android apps, all types of personal electronics, geeky toys and gizmos and even simple doodads you can use in the kitchen and garage. His "how-to" instructions and videos bring a MacGyver-like sensibility to how you get things done with the magic of gadgets. Jack, a former Tampa Bay Times photographer and writer who now is an independent journalist, is a longtime gadget geek who loves to tell you about how things work. Welcome to his world.
E-mail Jack Rowland: gadgetguyjack@gmail.com
The Gadget Guy on Twitter
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