Entries from Manifest Tech Blog tagged with 'Galleries'
Video Editing Software Buyer's Guide
The range of the video editing software market has been remarkably stable over the past decade or so, with a clear divide between "consumer" tools in the $50 to $100 to $150 range, and "professional" tools from the likes of...
Blue Microphones Yeti USB Multi-Pattern Mic
(with Brian Dixon) USB provides a handy interface to easily add speakers to your laptop, as with products like the Logitech Clip-on USB Laptop Speakers (see earlier post), and Altec Lansing Orbit USB Portable Speakers (see earlier post). But you...
Sound ID 510 Bluetooth Headset with iPhone App
Bluetooth headsets are getting smarter, and while it may not be obvious why you might want more intelligent devices hanging in your ear, hear me out... Bluetooth headsets certainly have become more sophisticated with audio processing to work amazingly well...
Altec Lansing inMotion Compact Speakers
iPod owners have lots of choices for accessories, especially to share their music with portable speakers. You can plug in to the headphone jack to connect an external speaker like the Altec Lansing Orbit-MP3 Portable Speakers (see earlier post). Even...
Aliph Jawbone ICON -- Simply Better
The Aliph Jawbone line of Bluetooth headsets has been a stand-out since its 2007 U.S. introduction, combining leading noise reduction with aggressive styling. And the new Jawbone ICON is another significant step forward, not only boosting the noise reduction technology...
Plantronics Explorer 395 Simple Bluetooth Headset
Plantronics has a strong line of Bluetooth headsets, each designed with a clear focus on a particular the type of user. For example, the Plantronics Voyager PRO is an over-ear design designed for comfortable long-term wear, for on the road...
The Verizon Wireless / Motorola Droid X - Yep, It's a Big Display
The difference is clear with the new Verizon Wireless Droid X from Motorola -- it's got a big, big display. For some, this is a great blessing, to view your apps and websites and messages more clearly, and to...
AcousticSheep SleepPhones - Personal Sleep Headphones
Do you sleep best with some background sound from music or radio or TV, but don't want to disturb your bedmate? You can try wearing headphones -- until the first time you roll over on your side. And it's not...
Authoring HD Productions to Blu-ray Discs
It's the era of high definition, shooting with equipment from professional video cameras and video DSLRs, to HD consumer camcorders, and even small pocket camcorders. Video-editing software also has stepped up to the challenge, so you can edit even HD...
Flip SlideHD Pocket Camcorder -- Shoot and Show and Share
The new Flip Video SlideHD pocket camcorder extends Flips's focus on shooting (simple operation) and sharing (with software for easy editing and uploading) to showing -- with a bigger slide-out 3-inch widescreen display. Flip Video (now part of Cisco)...
Plantronics .Audio 476 DSP - Foldable USB Stereo Headset
Audio headphones used to mean fat padded ear muffs and thick coiled cables. Today's styles can be much more minimalist, complimented by impressive audio processing. Case in point: the Plantronics .Audio 476 DSP foldable USB stereo headset. This is an...
Kensington Pocket Booster and 4-Port USB Charger
I'm continuing to appreciate the Kensington line of portable batteries and chargers for iPods and other portable devices (see earlier post). For example, the Kensington Rechargeable Pocket Booster is a clever option for having an auxiliary power boost on the...
The Apple iPhone 4 is a Video Phone
It's June, and time for the next generation Apple iPhone 4. Some of the surprise may be missing this year, but it's fascinating to see how Apple has redefined this product -- originally as an iPod music phone, then...
Kensington Wall and Car USB Chargers
Kensington has quietly developed an interesting line of portable batteries and chargers for iPods and other portable devices, including models for travel, car, and international travel. Many of these models supply power through a standard USB connector, so they can...
Android 2.2 - A Tasty Treat
Time for a tasty frozen treat -- Google announced the details of the upcoming release of Android 2.2 at last week's Google I/O developers conference. This is the seventh platform release since Android 1.0 was launched in September 2008....
Logitech Clip-on USB Laptop Speakers
Today's laptops and netbooks are loaded for everything -- to use for work and play, from editing office documents to enjoying music and video. And these notebooks work well for personal viewing, to pass the time on an airplane as...
Logitech Portable Lapdesk
The Logitech Comfort Lapdesk is a great design for long-term notebook use at home, even stretched out when sitting on a bed (see earlier post). But what about when you're on the go, and still need a stable platform and...
Scan and Translate Text with Google Goggles
How much can you do with a camera on a smartphone? The folks at Google Labs are determined to keep opening the aperture by pouring technology into their Google Goggles app to do all kinds of visual searches (see...
Droid Incredible from Verizon Wireless / HTC
The not so modestly named Verizon Wireless Droid Incredible from HTC actually lives up to its name. This slender device is wicked fast, packs some nice hardware upgrades, and features the highly-customizable HTC Sense interface. The Incredible is the latest...
Demoing Smartphone Apps with a Webcam
I've been having a lot of fun this year giving talks and demos about smartphone apps, especially on the Apple iPhone and Google Android. The trick for demoing smartphones, of course, is to find a good way to let the...
Sony Vegas Pro 9.0d Software Update
One big splash at last week's NAB Show (see earlier post) was the release of Adobe Creative Suite 5, an impressive update of Adobe's entire collection of 14-plus tools (see previous post). Meanwhile, Sony Creative Software continues to update its...
Upgrading to 64-bit for Video Production
Are you 64 bits? If you're working with video, and especially high-def video, it's time to take the step up to 64-bit processing and performance. Older systems just are not up to the demands of efficiently editing today's HD video,...
Adobe Announces Creative Suite 5
Adobe has just announced the new Adobe Creative Suite 5 collection of publication, Web, and production tools, spanning the creative workflow across print, web, video, interactive and mobile (see previous post). These are due to ship within 30 days....
Adobe Launches Creative Suite 5 on Monday - Watch Online
Hmmm ... The NAB Show is starting in Las Vegas (see earlier post), and it's been about a year and a half since the last release of the Adobe Creative Suite, version 4 (in October 2008). Adobe has just...
Android 2.1 Upgrade Now on Verizon Droid
The Android 2.1 software upgrade that originally shipped with the Google Nexus One phones is now rolling out on the Verizon Wireless Droid by Motorola. This finally adds Pinch to Zoom for web browsing and other apps including Gallery...
Reading E-books on Your "iPad mini"
It's the weekend for the Apple iPad, and appropriately it looks like Steve Jobs has pulled another beautiful lust-inducing bunny out of his magic hat. Besides the legions of early adapters lined up outside stores, the iPad could make...
Smartphone and Wi-Fi Now Under $30 - Verizon Wireless Palm Pixi Plus
I've you've been interested in trying out a smartphone, but have been put off by the idea of paying $200 for an iPhone, Verizon Wireless has just started a new promotion for you -- the Palm Pixi Plus is...
Corel VideoStudio Pro X3 for Beginner and Enthusiast Video Editing
Corel VideoStudio Pro X3 is intended as a complete consumer video editing program, to import, edit, burn and share standard or HD video. However, over time even consumer tools like VideoStudio have bulked up with a wide range of...
Griffin PowerDuo Reserve USB Charger Collection
I've been working the theme of USB-based chargers that help simplify the task of keeping all your devices charged, especially portable chargers for use on the go (see previous posts). You may still need specific USB adapter cables, but at...
Griffin Air Curve Passive Acoustic Amplifier for the iPhone
I've been having fun demoing the Tunebug Vibe "SurfaceSound" speaker -- which boosts the sound from your iPod or other portable player by reverberating the sound though flat surfaces (see previous post). But any such external speaker needs charged up...
iGo powerXtender - Portable Battery-Powered Charger
I covered the iGo Charge Anywhere last month (see previous post) -- a convenient and lightweight portable charger with two USB connectors. Plug it in to an outlet to charge up the internal battery, and then bring it along to...
3D TV Is Here
This week Samsung and Panasonic (shown here) announced that the next generation in consumer electronics is here -- 3D TV products. So are you ready to throw away your HD TV equipment and upgrade to the latest new thing? ...
Cool Gadgets - From 3D TV to Smartphone Apps
I'm back at the Princeton Macintosh User Group (PMUG) on Tuesday evening to present "Cool Gadgets for 2010 – From 3D TV to Smartphone Apps." Come on down! The big push at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (see previous...
Flexible Search -- Google Gesture Search
I've been really spoiled lately by using the Google Android search by voice on the Verizon Droid phone -- and not just for doing translations (see previous post). When looking up crossword clues, for example, it's so much easier to...
HD Video DSLRs -- A Different Kind of Camera
Still or motion? Camera or camcorder? Technology is converging -- as even consumer digital cameras shoot HD video, and video camcorders shoot multi-megapixel photos. And the trend has continued into professional Digital SLR cameras, which have evolved to add...
Image Search with Google Shopper and Google Goggles
Cameras are for more than taking pictures, and smartphones are more than communications devices. Combine the two, and you have a handheld device that can "look" at objects and tell you about them. For example, the Shop Savvy app (free...
Augmented Reality In Mobile Apps
What's all this about "augmented reality" for mobile apps? Well, Virtual Reality (VR) has to do with being immersed in a synthetic 3D graphics environment, i.e., experienced in a head-mounted display -- whether for action games, or for serious research...
iGo Charge Anywhere - Portable USB Charger
More portable devices are using USB chargers and cables, which simplifies the hassle of tracking and packing power adapters when you're on the go. You can get far, for example, with a USB-to-iPod cable for your Apple devices, plus a...
Windows Phone 7 Series - Beyond Apps to "Hubs"
Microsoft has previewed the next generation of its Windows Phone platform at the Mobile World Congress. Dubbed Windows Phone 7 Series, the first products are due for the holiday season at the end of 2010. Windows Phone 7 is a...
LaCie USB Keys Add Online Storage - Local vs. Cloud
The LaCie line of USB drives designed as metal keys has expanded further with the new WhizKey (triangular) and CooKey (rounded), available with up to 32 GB of storage for $99. These join the previous imaKey and itsaKey designs...
Google Translate on Android - Cloud Processing
The Google Android platform is focused on smartphones as cloud devices, integrating with online services like Gmail and Google Contacts and Calendar. But it also integrates with the cloud at a deeper level, with Google back-end services like voice input...
Lower Prices for Microsoft Zune HD
Microsoft has lowered the price for its Zune HD media players (see previous post). The Zune HD 16 GB model has dropped to $199 (was $219), and the 32 GB model to $269 (was $289) on the Microsoft site...
Google Maps Updated on Android - with Multi-Touch
Google Maps for Mobile has been updated on Android phones to version 3.4 (see Google blog post), with several interesting features: - Personalized suggestions - Suggests places that you've previously searched for on other Google services (remembered though your...
iPhone / Android Apps vs. Websites - The Weather Channel
Is there really a need for all these smartphone apps for current information, like news, sports, finance, and weather? After all these are plenty of websites that will provide this kind of info, and even let you configure customized listings....
Preview iPhone Apps from the Web
Apple has updated the App Store within iTunes to allow you to share information about an app through a standard Web browser. This certainly makes it easier for reviewers and even enthusiasts to pass along pointers to interesting apps...
Verizon FiOS Mobile App - FiOS TV Remote DVR
Yes, you now can schedule recordings on your home DVR -- on your mobile phone. But why would you want to do that? Well, with the Verizon FiOS TV Remote DVR services you can set up show to record even...
The Apple iPad as a Quick-start Netbook
Well, the news is out -- the Apple iPad tablet has been revealed. There's a lot of instant reaction, but you'll have to wait some 3 months to actually buy the Wi-Fi version, and another month after that for the...
Quirky - Crowd-Sourced Product Development
The Internet has allowed isolated individuals to expand from their local perspective and sell products all over the world. If you have stuff to sell, then you can use eBay as your online marketplace, with some 88 million active users....
Phubby - The Wrist Cubby
According to the Federal Reserve, small businesses have created 64 percent of America's new jobs in the past 15 years and employ about half of the nation's private-sector work force. But it's the ingenuity and persistence of these individuals that's...
Tunebug Vibe - SurfaceSound Portable Speakers
Do you want to be able to share the music from your iPod or phone, but don't want to have to lug around external speakers (see previous post)? Then check out the Tunebug Vibe "SurfaceSound" speakers for around $69. Instead...
New Display Technology for E-book Readers
While the obvious excitement at CES was around big screens with 3D TV, and small screens with smartphones (see previous post), there also was lots of action with new E-book readers in the middle range of screen sizes -- handheld...
Display Revolution: LED to OLED to E-Ink
Flat-screen LCD displays have swept the field, replacing CRTs as computer monitors and picture tubes for TVs. The revolution is complete, so it's time to move on to the next thing! At CES, Samsung was showing "LED TV" models, which...
New Unlimited Voice and Data Plans from AT&T and Verizon Wireless
AT&T and Verizon Wireless have announced new pricing plans for unlimited voice and data service. After all, we want mobile access to email and Web, and the carriers are happy to encourage more use of their networks for such...
Miccus BluBridge Mini-jack - Bluetooth Music Transmitter
Bluetooth wireless gives you the freedom to enjoy your music on the move with wireless headphones, and share with others with a wireless speaker (see previous post). But not all media players support Bluetooth, including the Apple iPods (though the...
Miccus BluBridge Mobile Stereo Speaker
Bluetooth wireless has been a big hit for mobile phones, with Bluetooth headsets for talking on the go while your phone remains safely and comfortably in your pocket or bag. But Bluetooth audio is not just for voices -- mobile...
JVC Picsio Full HD Pocket Camcorder
Pocket camcorders have been popularized by companies like Flip Video (now Cisco) and RCA (now Audiovox) focused on personal and portable devices (see previous post), but the market is growing with entries from companies from professional imaging, including Kodak, Sony,...
RCA EZ209 Small Wonder HD Camcorder
I've been having fun demoing pocket camcorders for the holiday season -- These are so easy to carry, and still shoot quite good looking HD video. And they make great gifts, for example, to give to young adults heading off...
Astak Mole Internet Camera
Webcams are great for connecting to your computer to shoot short videos, or to use for video phone calls (see post on Logitech QuickCams). And Internet cameras go the next step to break the tether to a computer by building...
Logitech Squeezebox Radio - Music Networked in the Home
If you like to listen to music, and enjoy your digital music collection and online music services, then the Logitech Squeezebox line offers stand-alone "radios" that connect both to your home PC music collections, and directly to the Internet to...
Handheld Gaming as Convergence Devices - Nintendo DS
Apple iPod or Microsoft Zune? iPhone or BlackBerry -- or Windows Phone or Google Android? The portable device market seems to be framed in terms of titanic corporate battles, and emotional allegiances to our favorite products. But while media players...
Newton MoGo Talk - Thin Bluetooth Headsets
To wrap up this mini-series on different approaches in Bluetooth headsets, here's the Newton MoGo Talk, a headset the folds amazingly flat for storage, along the same lines as the Mogo Mouse designs (see previous post). The trick with this...
BlueAnt Q1 Voice Controlled Bluetooth Headset
Another company that has been developing interesting Bluetooth headsets and speakerphones is BlueAnt Wireless, which is based in Australia (a blue ant is a somewhat unique and unusual flower wasp that is native to Australia -- see Wikipedia). The BlueAnt...
novero TheFirstOne Bluetooth Headset
In comparison to the low-profile design of the Sound ID 400 (see previous post), the novero TheFirstOne Bluetooth headset is designed as a "premium earpiece," with a "stylish sleek shape and white facade, brushed with subtle silver accents." And...
Sound ID 400 Bluetooth Headset with Remote Microphone
If you don't have a Bluetooth wireless headset for your cell phone, or have not checked out the new products lately, they are definitely worth a look. The noise reduction technology has improved, so you can have intelligible conversations even...
Droid Android Apps - Flash-Lights
We know that the cell phone is a multi-function device, but one of the more prosaic uses is to light up the screen and use it as a flashlight. Cell phones have replaced cigarette lighters to sway along with music...
Grabbing Screen Shots from the Verizon Droid
So, I wanted to talk about the Verizon Droid smartphone and highlight interesting apps in the Google Android Market, but it turns out that you can't browse the market on the Web (see previous post). So I chased down...
Finding Droid Apps in the Android Market
There are some really fun and interesting applications being developed for the Google Android platform, and specifically for the Verizon Droid smartphone. So, I'd like to be able to link to more information about the apps, and show you some...
Verizon Droid Firmware Update 2.0.1
Verizon Wireless has released a new software update for the Droid smartphone from Motorola. This Android Update 2.0.1 includes improvements for battery life, voice quality, Bluetooth, and Visual Voice Mail (see full list below). The disappointing camera performance also...
Archos 5 Internet Tablet with Android
What's all this about Android? Well, Android is Google's version of the software for portable Internet devices, as first shown on the T-Mobile G1 smartphone a year ago (see previous post), and then updated to Android 2.0 with the recent...
Sony Sound Forge Pro 10 -- Audio Editing Suite
Sony Sound Forge Pro 10, the latest version of Sony's professional digital audio production suite, was released in September 2009. It's a full suite of tools for professional audio editing and mastering, including recording, sound design, audio restoration, and...
Compress and Deliver with Sorenson Squeeze 6
With all the different ways to share your videos these days, do you find yourself spending more and more time converting files to different formats with your video editor, and waiting for files to be compressed? Then take a look...
Projector in Your Pocket - 3M MPro120
Portable media players are great for personal use, but aren't so helpful for sharing the fun -- with small screens and at best tiny speakers. And even laptops are not great for viewing by more than a few people. What...
Holiday Tech Gift Guide Talk at Princeton Library
My annual Holiday Tech Gift Guide presentation at the Princeton Library is coming up this Tuesday, December 1 at 7 pm. It's free and open to the public. I'll have lots of fun gadgets to talk about, and demo...
OrigAudio Folding Recycled Paper Speakers
Small portable speakers make music much more fun, whether to listen better to your laptop, or to share the sound from your iPod or phone without requiring earphones. But even small speakers take up space on the go, especially if...
Wireless Recharging: Powermat and Duracell MyGrid
The downside of all our portable gadgets is all the different power adapters and cables that we need to keep them charged. The problem does get easier when your devices use standard USB ports (see previous post). Yet if everything...
Holiday Tech Gift Guide 2009 -- And Talk at the Princeton Public Library
Happy Black Friday! It's time to start thinking about holiday gifts, and especially consumer electronics gifts (see previous post). Which also means it's time for my annual Holiday Tech Gift Guide. This year the focus in on portable devices, and...
Dexim iPhone / iPod Accessories for Power and Video
Apple's iPod and iPhone lines are great products, but we always want to do more with them, which has lead to a proliferation of third-product accessories, from docks to cases to chargers to external audio/video connectors. Dexim has introduced some...
SteadePod - Quick and Easy Steadying for Cameras and Camcorders
Today's cameras are getting smarter, to try to make a good shot no matter how informal we are at shooting with them. But as cameras get smaller and lighter, the biggest issue is simply holding them steady enough to get...
Duracell Power Reserve Chargers For Portable USB Power
The Duracell Power Reserve line of portable chargers are rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries packaged in several sizes to provide additional power on the road for portable devices, from cell phones to media players to even some digital cameras. These...
Zune HD Adds Games and Firmware
The Microsoft Zune HD is a touchscreen media player with radio, wireless, Web browsing -- and downloadable applications which can take advantage of its 3.3" screen and graphics performance (see previous post). Microsoft recently released a set of new games...
Zune HD AV Dock - Portable HD Video
The new Microsoft Zune HD media player has a bright 3.3-inch touchscreen OLED display, ready to tilt into landscape mode for showing16:9 widescreen videos (see previous post). And the "HD" in the name refers to the ability to store and...
Miccus ChargeBlock for iPod / iPhone
Miccus makes wireless audio products for consumers, including the BlueBridge line of Bluetooth connectivity devices. But this post is about the simple and sleek Miccus ChargeBlock compact charger for Apple's iPods and iPhones that don't believe in removable batteries....
Energizer Energi To Go - Rechargeable Power Packs for Cell Phones to Laptops
Why is it so hard to build portable electronic devices that use a standard power / data plug? After all the "U" in USB stands for Universal, and lots of products do fine with it -- Bluetooth headsets with micro...
Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard -- Curvy and Sleek
Another example of Microsoft's hardware design ingenuity (see previous post) is the Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 -- It's thin, light ... and curvy. The keyboard is only a few millimeters thicker than a AAA battery at the back,...
Microsoft Arc Mouse - Fold Up to Pack Up
Microsoft is a huge company, operating in an astoundingly broad range of business segments, including the Windows operating systems for PCs, servers and development tools, business Office suites, online information and services (Live to MSN), and entertainment and devices (Xbox...
The Droid is Here -- Android 2.0 from Verizon Wireless
The Verizon Wireless Droid smartphone from Motorola shipped today, featuring the new Google Android 2.0 updated mobile phone software platform. I've been working with the Droid for a week, and am definitely impressed. The phone, and the software, are solid...
Sony Vegas Pro 9.0c Software Update
Sony Creative Software continues to release updates for its Sony Vegas Pro 9 nonlinear HD video and audio editing software. Now that video editing tools have settled into support for the new HD formats like HDV and AVCHD, the...
Smartphone Market Update from Canalys
Even with all the excitement about new mobile phones, the smartphone market has been relatively stable over the past year, according to new Q3 figures from Canalys. Even with the difficult economy, smartphones are still outperforming the overall mobile phone...
Zune HD -- The Other Microsoft Mobile, and More
While Microsoft is making a major push with its Windows Mobile (now Windows Phone) platform to make it more "finger-friendly" (see previous post), it also has been developing a second and different mobile device platform -- the Zune portable...
The AT&T / HTC Pure is a Windows Phone
The HTC Pure from AT&T is one of the first smartphones based on the new Windows Mobile 6.5, now renamed Windows Phone. The Pure is a compact handheld design, with most of the front taken up by the 3.2-inch...
Business Card Mice -- The MoGo Presenter Mouse
Choosing a mobile mice for travel requires trading off size and comfort -- squeezing the bulk and weight versus fitting well in your hand for prolonged use (see previous post). But what if the bulk of the mouse could disappear...
Jack It Up: Verbatim Easy Riser Adjustable-Height Mobile Mice
It's interesting that we ended up interacting with computers by dragging a block around on a table. It just has turned out that sliding a mouse around is more comfortable than lifting up your arm to touch the screen, and...
Nikon D90 Digital SLR as an HD Video Camcorder
There never have been so many options for shooting images, stills or in motion -- with digital cameras that shoot video, camcorders that shoot photos, and ubiquitous camera phones that shoot both. Yes, today's consumer digital cameras can capture video...
Lensbaby "Selective Focus" Lenses
Another updated product at PhotoPlus is the Lensbaby line of special-effect lenses, now with swappable optics. The Lensbaby idea is a wonderful hack, in the positive sense of the word. It lets you achieve "selective focus" by mounting the lens...
Joby Gorillapod Flexible Tripods and New Gorillatorch
The Joby Gorillapod line of flexible tripods was refreshed earlier this year, tweaking the original set of four models The Gorillapod Original is for holding compact digital cameras (up to 11 oz., $21), the Gorillapod SLR is for lightweight...
Noise-Reduction Bluetooth Headsets: Wrap-up
The bottom line from our mini-series on Bluetooth headsets is that noise-reduction technology is the real deal, pulling your outgoing voice from the surrounding ambient noise without significant distortion. The technology has improved, typically with dual microphones, dampening of wind...
Bluetooth Headsets 4: Jabra BT530
Compared to some other sexy designs, the Jabra BT530 is a wonderfully straightforward headset, especially good for occasional use. It has dedicated single-use buttons, instead of requiring memorized multi-tap sequences. There's actually a separate power slide switch on the...
Noise-Reduction Bluetooth Headsets 3: Plantronics Discovery 975
The Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset is another interesting design approach from Plantronics, albeit not quite as different as the Voyager PRO (see previous post). The idea is to pack the electronics in a square-ish base unit, with the...
Flip MinoHD Upgrade: Better Simplicity
Pure Digital has had tremendous success with its Flip Video line of pocket camcorders. It turns out there is a place in the market between camera phones and more traditional digital camcorders -- these small, truly pocket-sized devices are...
Noise-Reduction Bluetooth Headsets 2: Plantronics Voyager PRO
Compared to the Aliph Jawbone (see previous post) and other in-ear Bluetooth headsets, the Plantronics Voyager PRO is a very different beast. It's an over-ear design, with the electronics in a pod that rests behind the ear, and a...
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