About a week ago I sent the Shift review unit back, so I figured it’s time to tie up my thoughts on this controversial device.

Prior to receiving the Shift, I read several reviews of the device, and they all seemed to sing the same tune: it was too slow and too expensive. In my experience only one of these was the case.

In the current market, with competition from low-cost ultra-portables like the ASUS Eee and the HP Mini Note 2133, the Shift is too expensive. Sure it has features that the other two don’t have, like a convertible Tablet PC form-factor, built-in 3G (in UMTS and CMDA varieties) and the clever SnapVue PDA mode, but when you take into account a top-spec HP 2133 is almost half the price, the value does come into question.

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If you have a laptop built in the last couple of years, then odds are good that you’ve experienced the heat, maybe even the burn, of having th laptop sit on your lap. Many of the newest laptops get extremely hot, even with internal fans trying to keep the heat down.  LapLogic is offering a cooling solution called the Laplogic Aerogel Extreme that is made with Aerogel (from a company called Aspen) that promises to offer you a more pleasant, cooler, computing experience.

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Back in the late 80s, when every spare dime I had went into car stereo components, I bought my first KICKER product. It was a subwoofer speaker box which fit perfectly into the space behind the seats in my silver Alfa Romeo. Never mind that it took up valuable cargo space; I still had a trunk, and I got a free back-massage every time I turned on my stereo. When I sold that car, I was able to unplug a few wires and easily remove my rear speaker system; that box was eventually transferred into several more vehicles before I ultimately gave it away. By that time Sarah had been born, and having a thumpin’ car stereo just didn’t seem like a priority anymore; but I digress.

When I was offered the chance to review the new KICKER iKICK iK500, my first thought was one of happy nostalgia. But make no mistake about it, this KICKER box is not a car stereo component, it is for use inside the home. There are versions available for both the iPod and Zune, designated by either an “i” or a “z” before the 500. According to the KICKER site, the iKick model was “designed to be the loudest digital portable system available.”

Loud is good, but if the sound is muddy and the music sounds like crap, then the speaker system might as well be quiet. Read on to see how the iK500 fared…

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As anyone who owns an iPhone can tell you, a slight problem becomes apparent when you want to replace the stock stereo headset; namely that the iPhone’s headphone jack is deeply recessed, and the average 3.5mm plug simply can’t fit inside without trimming the rubber shielding the plug. When you are considering dropping some serious coin on a headset, the idea of butchering it simply doesn’t appeal; that’s when a model made specifically for the iphone is the only “right” choice.

the culprit: the iPhone’s deeply recessed headphone jack

Today we’re going to take a look at two moderately priced headsets from Maximo Products, the iP-HS1 iMetal Stereo Headset for iPhone and iP-HS2 iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone. The iP-HS1 is for those who prefer the traditional earbud style, and the iP-HS2 is for those who prefer a noise isolating in-ear headset.

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For those who don’t know, a year and a half ago I weighed a lot more than I do now. It was at that time when I went in for my regular physical at my doctor’s office, and it was at that time when I was told I would have to start taking medicine to keep my blood pressure down. This was nothing serious, but it scared me. I was 36 and I had High Blood Pressure.

I was bound and determined to make a real life change: I decided to not let food rule my life anymore. So I ate a lot of salad, fruits and veggies, and other things I would have never eaten before, plus I tried to work out at least 3 times a week. Sometimes I would get all of my workouts in and sometimes I wouldn’t. My ultimate goal was - and is - to be OFF of the medicine, no BP meds at all.

After starting my life change, I went from 349 to 279;  I am not done with my battle, I am just stagnated right now.

So when presented with the opportunity to try the Smart for Life Weight Loss cookies, I thought I might be able to jump start the next weight loss; boy was I wrong.

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Are you sick and tired of people complaining that they can’t hear you during Skype phone calls?  Have people been telling you that you sound like you’re in a tin can? If so, then maybe this little microphone is for you.

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During Jerry’s and my meeting with Kensington during CES, I had ample opportunity to admire their new Contour Balance line. As described on their site:

With lightweight microfiber materials, sleek organization, Contour features to minimize strain, concealed pockets and DropShield® notebook padding for protection, these cases doesn’t compromise form for function and style.

One of my wistful complaints at the time was that a bag was not available to fit my 17″ Toshiba. While there still isn’t a bag large enough for “value-sized” laptops, it no longer matters quite so much to me since I now own a 15″ MacBook Pro. When I was offered the chance to take a look at their Contour Balance Notebook Case, it took me all of 30 seconds to respond “brown, please.”

front side

One the bag arrived, it was just as I remembered: trim, feminine, and loaded with features. Make no mistake about it, this is no plane brown wrapper; white stitching is used to break up the monochrome brown, and a complimentary pattern of brown interlocking ovals and rounded rectangles cover the contrasting beige microfiber material.

Let’s take a look inside, shall we?

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Are you the type of person who always asks what time it is?  Do you have a clock on your desk even though you have a clock staring you right in the face every time you look at your computer?   Do you always wonder why your office is so darn cold?  Do you need a USB hub?  Well if all of these apply, then the USB Fever USB 4-Port Hub with Thermometer and Clock is for you!

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[Sorry about the delay on this, I’ve been a bit swamped recently]

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had the chance to try out two excellent ultraportable notebooks recently, the MacBook Air and the Fujitsu P8010. Shortly after the P8010 went back, the mailman knocked on the door with year another ultraportable, this time the Toshiba R500.

The model I was sent included the 64GB SSD drive, just like the MacBook Air. I’m not sold on these priced-like-gold hard drives, they just seem too expensive for what they are at the moment, but to each his own!

The first thing I noticed taking it out of the box was it’s LIGHT, and I mean REALLY LIGHT. I have never held such a weightless notebook in my life. It is plastic though, and flexes rather badly, which is quite a shame. It may not be as solid as the Air, but it is noticeably lighter.

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The Dash Express Two-Way Internet-Connected Portable GPS Navigator exploded overnight onto many online blogs - prompting blogger Jason Calacanis to proclaim it “Best Product of 2008“. In case you missed the hoopla around this release, the Dash Express is your typical automative GPS guidance system with two innovative features. First, it includes a WIFI and GPRS cellular transmitter for moving data onto and off your device (think updates and real time exchange of traffic flow). Second, it talks to Yahoo Local Search for real time searches (when in a data coverage area). It’s marketed exclusively through Amazon for $399 and using the data transmitting features requires a subscription that starts at $10 per month when prepaid. My testing tempered my enthusiasm for this device. Read about my experiences on the next page.

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