Category: Gadgets (Page 18 of 27)

Turn Your Phone into a Personal Financial Advisor

May 14, 2012 /

One of the primary advantages of living in a highly wired digital world is the ability to leverage mobile software to manage our finances on the go. Whether you prefer iOS, Android or BlackBerry, there’s an endless supply of mobile software on the market to help you keep track of bills and improve your finances. Here are five of the best currently available:

PageOnce

Easily one of the most capable cross-platform apps on the market for managing every aspect of your finances, boasts a bevy of features that should appeal to every consumer. It allows users to pay bills, check account balances, track investments and much more all from one handy interface. Available for iOS, BlackBerry and Android devices, it’s the perfect finance app for any platform.

Key Ring

A big part of prudent financial management is saving money whenever you can in your everyday life.Key Ring allows a user to dispose of their plastic loyalty and discount cards for grocery and electronics stores, gas stations and more by saving them digitally on their phone instead. Once you’ve digitized your loyalty accounts, you can check the app to see if there are any special deals currently available. With Key Ring, all you need to remember when you go out shopping is your smart phone.

Money Lover

The Money Lover app for iTunes and Google Play is yet another full-featured finance program that’s designed to track expenses and save money. Whether you’re looking to keep an eye on your consumer credit or trim some of the fat from your monthly budget, Money Lover is up to the task.

Mint.com

The Mint financial planning platform has been around for awhile now, and in that time it’s gained a large following online. Their mobile apps for Android and iOS allow you to link all of your financial accounts to one central administrative panel. With Mint’s handy mobile apps, you can find credit cards, manage bank accounts, track investments and more regardless of your location.

NestEgg Estimator

When it comes to planning for retirement, few apps can match NestEgg Estimator for Android in terms of value and features. It offers tips on how to lower taxes, 401K advice for maximizing returns over the long haul, interest calculators and more. If long-term financial planning is your primary concern, NestEgg Estimator is the way to fly.
Most of the best financial planning apps are cross-platform and can be used on an iPhone, an Android tablet or a BlackBerry handset. A few of the better ones like NestEgg Estimator are unfortunately tied to a single operating system. Regardless, it’s never been easier to manage your finances and plan for the future than it is today. Thanks to powerful and reliable mobile apps, you can easily manage your money directly from your mobile device.

Gadgets

Mom will love the Dyson DC39

May 11, 2012 /

We understand that household cleaning products aren’t necessarily the types of products Mom looks forward to receiving on Mother’s Day, but Dyson has revolutionized the vacuum cleaner market and is now the gold standard in that area. Many now realize that a Dyson can make your life so much easier with the superior technology.

Dyson keeps moving forward, and their recent innovation takes people back to canister vacuums of the past. The DC39 is Dyson’s first canister vacuum with Ball™ technology for stable maneuvering around the tightest corners. The unit is remarkably light and easy to maneuver, and the canister will be preferred by many over the upright vacuums as they make it so easy to get around and under furniture and also handle tough areas like carpeted steps.

The old canister cleaners are often awkward to steer and can topple. With Dyson’s Ball technology everything changes. Now it’s easy to move around, and you don’t feel like you’re dragging something that feels like a shopping cart. Sitting on a ball, DC39 has a lower center of gravity and is easier to pull without snagging on corners or the carpet pile. Coupled with a unique central steering system, it uses an articulating chassis and central pivot point for negotiating tight turns and circumnavigating sofas.

Also, because it’s a Dyson with its Radial Root Cyclone™ technology, the DC39 has superior suction and captures more microscopic dust than any other.

The DC39 makes for a great gift because it’s such a great product. Of course you might want to include something more personal or traditional like flowers or chocolate, but most moms will appreciate something as good as the DC39.

Gadgets, Stuff to Buy

The Future of Watches, Brought to You by the Future In Free Market

May 10, 2012 /

In a prior article on the Instagram Camera, I said that the potential legions of fans that the prototype would draw should probably take to Kickstarter.com, in a mob like fashion, to make that invention a reality. I meant that somewhat jokingly. Well, in just a short time fund raising on that very site, tech developer Eric Migicovsky, along with his “dream team”, and their invention The Pebble Watch have pretty much guaranteed that no one will be making jokes about Kickstarter ever again.

The Pebble watch, which raised an almost unfathomable $2.5 million in just three days on Kickstarter, is a smart watch that works with iPhone and Android devices. It’s essentially an evolution of the inPulse smart watch, also designed by Eric Migicovsky and Co., which worked with Blackberry devices. The Pebble takes certain apps and functions of your smart phone, like controlling your music playlists or providing a heads up when you receive a text message or phone call, and transfers them to the face of the watch. It has an e-ink display, is waterproof, scratchproof, keeps its’ charge for seven days, and even functions with an app developer program.

I’ve got to confess. As nice as all of that sounded, I wasn’t  particularly impressed with the device at first. Or at least I didn’t understand how a “smart watch” could garner so much interest and cash in such a short time. But to truly appreciate the Pebble’s uses, you have to see the video that accompanies the product on Kickstarter.

 

No this isn’t a world changing device. That would be the smartphone. Instead this is a rare device that realizes that if you can’t beat the smartphone, you could do worse for yourself than to become its’ best friend. The Pebble is practically designed for joggers and bicyclists, as it allows you to do things like view your distance traveled, control your music, and manage incoming messages and calls without ever once having to break your motion. Even for pedestrians or drivers, the Pebble’s benefits of being able to access some of the most practical apps of your phone, without having to reach for it, actually brings your phone back  to being a convenience and not a burden. Not to mention this finally makes the modern watch more than just jewelry, and also brings us one step closer to the sci-fi staple all purpose “wrist computer” (think Fallout’s Pip Boy device).

But really, the Pebble itself isn’t the story here. That belongs to Kickstarter. The idea of a program that could essentially allow consumers to choose the products they really want, without designers having to wade through the machine of corporate funding or personal loans for a project, was merely a vague notion whose successes have been treated as exceptions and novelty stories. But the Pebble has managed to raise over $10 million so far through Kickstarter  (10,169% of  its original goal), which is such an absurd figure that the developers are now pleading with people to stop contributing money as they have too much of it and can no longer meet demand.

Whatever success the Pebble watch has from here on out will be tied directly to Kickstarter. As word of the sites potential spreads, only time will tell if its’ bazaar of ideas will change certain foundations of commerce. But considering many people will be telling that time on their new Pebble watches, my guess is it’s got a pretty good shot.

Gadgets, Gear, Lifestyle, Recreation, Stuff to Buy

HP dresses up to present new products

May 9, 2012 /

HP

Hewlett-Packard (HP) presented a special sneak preview of a number of upcoming products on the evening of April 18 at Studio 450, near Penn Station in Manhattan. Most of these products are officially premiering now or in June, but HP provided an elegant showcase to whet the appetites of consumers and professionals alike, with a variety of simulated environments ranging from a college dorm room to an elaborate in-flight setting. At this particular event, even the food was high-tech, with Nova Catering & Events providing a variety of delicious offerings, including a caprese salad hors d’oeuvre speared on a small capsule of vinaigrette which is then injected directly into the mouth.

The new products on display were every bit as impressive as the catering and, of course, the demo environments in which they were presented. One of the more popular environments was the “cafe” setting, wherein a variety of stylish new HP ENVY laptops were displayed, including the Sleekbook and its slightly larger counterpart, the Ultrabook. Both are made of natural materials and designed to be thin and lightweight, without sacrificing connectivity, usability or high quality picture and audio. In fact, despite being as thin as 19.8 mm and weighing less than four pounds, these laptops are equipped with Beats Audio and feature subwoofers for top sound quality. The HP ENVY Spectre, also displayed in the cafe setting, is even thinner and lighter at only 14.5 mm and 3.07 pounds; made entirely of aluminum, it is the younger cousin to the all-glass Spectra, launched in January.

The very impressive “frequent flyer airline cabin” setting also showcased a number of new HP laptops, including the EliteBook 8470p/8570p (expected to be available June 4), as well as a new mobile printer, the HP Officejet 150 Mobile All-in-One. Purported to be the world’s first inkjet mobile all-in-one, this handy device weighs in at only 6.8 pounds and features built-in Bluetooth and a 2.36 inch color touchscreen to manage print, scan and copy tasks. Coupled with the EliteBook or one of HP’s other new laptops, this device gives the user an entire portable office weighing only 10 pounds, and the copy quality is surprisingly sharp, with very little degradation from the original.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the least popular demo environment was the standard office setting, despite an elaborate set-up that included a large San Jose Sharks banner (presumably the HP staff didn’t’ have time to switch it out for New York Rangers memorabilia). The home office “where I work” simulations fared better, and perhaps the most impressive product that I saw all evening was the HP Z1, an all-in-one workstation with an eye-catching display that snaps open and shut using a hydraulic system, and that allows the user to swap out parts and make upgrades without the use of any tools. As spokesman Jim Christensen said of his own fast learning curve with the workstation, “If even a marketing guy can figure it out, it must be user-friendly.”

Gadgets, On Location, Stuff to Buy

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