Tech Time: Top 10 Gadgets for Christmas

If you will be shopping for a gadget lover in your life this Christmas, here are the top 10 items for your shopping list (in no particular order):

Number 1: HDTV

HDTV’s have become so common their prices have dropped significantly making them more affordable even for larger screens. Imagine 50” in your living room! Choose from plasma, LCD or my new personal favourite LED-Lit options for your perfect viewing experience. See HDTV Time

Number 2: Blu-ray Disc Player

Blu-ray offers phenomenal picture and sound quality. Most players connect directly to internet to offer bonus content and are backwards compatible, meaning they will play your old DVD’s too.

Number 3: Laptop, netbook or touch screen desktop

Lifestyle technology is all about choice, choose the model that’s best for you. Laptops are more powerful with an impressive set of features, but more expensive than netbooks that are ultra portable. Desktops like the HP TouchSmart series marrying computing power with a home theatre experience and tactile interface that’s human friendly. See Back To School

Number 4: Smart Phone

Jamaica has become Blackberry country thanks to each of the three major telecoms offering Blackberry deals. If you want to stand out from the crowd, and be left off BBM, check out the Nokia E71 or Apple iPhone also available locally. See Blackberry vs. iPhone

Number 5: Camera with HD video

Capturing memories has never been easier. Many high end point and shoot cameras offer great HD video and then there are dedicated video recorders like the ultra hot, Flip HD. You can have family videos up on YouTube in no time. See Is It a Phone or a Camera

Number 6: WiFi Radio

The evolution of radio continues with this device. Listen to radio from all over the world using the internet, no computer or Apple TV required. On the surface, it looks like a traditional radio. Instead of local FM, this radio streams music from the internet (or satellite radio over the internet).

Number 7: Game console

Go portable or desktop, video games are for everybody. Strategy, first person, sports, fitness, brain busters ... there is a category of gaming to appeal to everyone. The big players Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, have got you covered. See Personal Gaming

Number 8: eReader

There is nothing like curling up with a good book, but these days, when you are on the go, grab your eReader and hit the pavement with your entire library. No paper, no limits. Check out the Amazon Kindle or wait for the Barnes&Noble Nook. See Nook vs. Kindle

Number 9: GPS Navigation Device

Gather some friends, take a GPS challenge and explore the country side. Discover Jamaica! I know if sounds like a JTB ad, but seriously, we live in paradise, so go enjoy it. See GPS Beats Asking for Directions

Number 10: MP3 Player

Music is the beat of a nation. (I promise that was the last overused cliché). Having your own personal sound system is not a new concept but Apple’s iPod has perfected it. With an easy to use navigation, oodles of storage and tonnes of accessories to enhance the experience, the iPod is the must have device for Christmas. See iPod vs. Zune

iPod v. Zune

With the official advent of the holiday shopping season, we continue to look at gadgets to make the yuletide season fun. The Apple iPod Classic vs Microsoft Zune 80 is the epic battle that pre-dates the Nook vs Kindle battle and therefore worth exploring.

The Apple iPod launched in 2001 and revolutionised the way we listened to music on a scale not seen since the introduction of the Sony Walkman. Finally, it was possible to transport your entire music library (or large portions of it) with you anywhere and everywhere. Sure, there were some limitations in format and access, but essentially, the MP3 player became the preferred portable entertainment devise.

As the Apple iPod (and its various incarnations) dominated the market, Microsoft made a play (no pun intended) for market share with the first generation Zune. A hit, it was not. With slick marketing and Microsoft backing, the heveyier less stylish Zune did find an audience, but the new Zune 80 has been redesigned for wider appeal. So, let’s break them down.

The Apple iPod Classic is a durable devise with sleek styling, long battery life and lots of support features like games, calendar, timers, contacts and a basic EQ to keep owners happy.

The Microsoft Zune has a bigger screen, built in Wi-Fi and FM radio. But the Zune pays for these features with a shorter battery life and bigger bulk.

Both players have restrictions on music format and access. The iPod/iTunes combo gives owners access to a wide library of songs, TV shows, movies, audio books and podcasts through a large relatively easy to navigate store. The Zune marketplace also offers access to songs, TV shows and movies, but access to audio books and podcasts are not supported.

One big drawback for me is the absence of cross compatibility; the Zune is not compatible on Mac systems, though the iPod works with both Windows and Mac.

With a longer product cycle, he iPod boasts a wider range of accessories, but Zune accessories will eventually catch up. Zune may also introduce options to its 80 GB player for persons interested in MP3 but not the US$250 price tag much as iPod users have the Mini, Nano and other cheaper options to the iPod Classic also priced at US$250.

Either player is an excellent choice, but for my money, the iPod still takes the lead.

Tech Time: Kindle vs Nook

When last have you bought a CD? I’ll bet it has been a while since you have purchased a book too. Technology has revolutionised everything, including the traditional book.

Welcome to the age of the e-reader, delivering 1,000’s of books into the palm of your hand. There are several well known dedicated e-reader devices, such as the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook. But increasingly people are turning to existing devices such as phones, table PC’s or handheld game consoles for ‘books’.

Regardless of the device you use, e-readers are extremely portable, generally have long battery lives and have the ability to put an entire library at your finger tips.

The Amazon Kindle was introduced to the market two years ago. It is about the size, weight and dimension of a traditional paperback book with a crisp ‘electronic ink’ display. Books can be downloaded anywhere in the world thanks to built in 3G roaming as provided by Sprint. You can browse for, buy and be reading material in 30 seconds from the Amazon store which features 100,000’s of books, magazine and newspaper titles.

Feel free to bookmark sections, make comments or look up words with the built in dictionary, but don’t expect to be able to download books over the internet as there is no wifi immediately available. So for us here in Jamaica, the other options include transfer from PC or download direct to iPhone.

The Barnes and Noble Nook is being touted as a ‘Kindle Killer’; expected to ship early next year, the Nook has ‘one-upped’ the Kindle on some features. Like the Kindle, you can browse for and purchase through a worldwide 3G network, in the Nook’s case provided by AT&T. In addition to the ‘electronic ink’ screen, the Nook features a colour touch LCD display that doubles as a keyboard on the lower third of the device.

For roughly the same price of US$250, the Nook offers built-in free wifi; unfortunately, the wifi will only work in Barnes & Nobel stores. Like the Kindle, the Nook allows you to bookmark, highlight or annotate key sections for a book, but unlike the Kindle, Nook allows you to ‘share’ a book with your friend with a compatible e-reader for up to 14 days.

Both devices are able to hold roughly 1,500 titles and play MP3s, but Nook has an expansion slot to increase the built-in 2GB with a mini-SD card of up to 16GB. Nook doesn’t however have the cool, experimental text to speech feature which assists with word pronunciation. The Nook is one ounce heavier (I am told) and has a shorter battery life of about 10 days. It also has no built-in internet browser unlike its chief rival, but does have native PDF.

If Nook starts to make an impact in the e-reader market, Amazon is likely to make additional improvements in its now third generation Kindle. But all of this will be moot, if the highly speculated Apple Table hits the market next year. These are indeed interesting times.

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Tech Time: Internet On The Go

It’s great to have browser options, but being able to use a browser anywhere you want is the real trick to internet power. When we are on the go, or if we live in relatively remote locations, getting internet access can be a challenge, without a USB Modem.

Also sometimes referred to as data cards or mobile modems, the USB modem offers wireless internet connectivity. It’s not a new concept, PC Cards offered wireless internet via a cellular connection, but thanks to technology blazing speed and easy access is now par for the course.

USB modems call on GPRS (General Pocket Radio Service) and EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) to download data at speeds of up to 8 MBps. This is comparable to some broadband internet services though in reality, your speed will likely be closer to 2 MBps, still very good.

The quality of the signal and the speed are largely dependent on your location. Being outdoors and stationery are not requirements, but both factors help.

Each USB Modem and service provider is different and novices won’t be able to transfer service from one telecom to another. To simplify matters (or make more money) some laptop manufactures are including built in data cards tied to a particular service provider.

In Jamaica, all three telecoms offer data cards either as a standalone or package deal. A unlimited data plan is highly recommend for heavy users to avoid data caps and overage fees. Device fees start at just under $3,000.00 usually with a data plan. Roaming rates are generally separate.

Of the local options, I am yet to see added features like built in data storage, dual wifi or built in GPS, but I don’t miss any of them. All local options do also offer SMS messaging and SIM based phone books which has some cool/practical business applications.

Tech Time: Browser Wars

Browsers have come a long way. From the original WorldWideWeb, to the competition between Netscape and IE (Internet Explorer) to the wide range of browser options available today, it’ been a fascinating journey.

Consumers have, more choice and better features with today’s browser. But which is the right browser for you, and what issues should you be mindful of? Let us breakdown the most popular options.

If you have a PC, it likely came loaded with Microsoft Internet Explorer. IE has the largest share of the browser market. As a result, most websites are optimised for IE. With the latest version IE comes tabbed browsing, password management, bookmarking, pop up blocking and other cool features. But, it doesn’t have a spell check and has been known to have security issues.

IE’s chief rival is Mozilla Firefox. Firefox is open source. Firefox is light and fast with all the traditional browser features like tabbed browsing, spell check and pop up blocking and improved security options which make it a good alternative to IE.

The newest kid on the block is Google’s Chrome. Like Firefox (with whom Google has developed a strategic alliance), Chrome is light, clean and easy to navigate. In addition to the tabbed browsing, password management, book marking and other features, Google Chrome offers download management and on board spell checking.

Mac users may scoff any browser but Apple’s Safari. Safari works on both PC and Mac, but Safafi was uniquely built for Macintosh users with a full range of features.

Finally, there is Opera. Though Opera has the smallest share of the PC/Mac browser market, Opera should not be discounted. The browser has been pre-installed on an estimated 40 million mobile handsets and only commercial web browser for Wii and Nintendo DS systems. It is fast, has speech to text recognition and understands mouse gestures.

IE, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera are all free to download, so try them all and see which one works best for you.



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Next on Tech Time ... Internet Banking

Tech Time: GPS Beats Asking for Directions

We now have access to turn by turn directions on Jamaica’s streets. So, whether you are going on a field trip across the island or looking for the nearest ATM, GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation will save time and increase your cool coefficient.

In practical terms, you get a little device with a touch screen, affix it your vehicle with a suction cup and enter your destination BEFORE you drive off. And voila! The screen shows a map with your route and a pleasant voice tells you exactly where to go from there.

Taking it a step further, you can search for restaurants, schools, gas stations, hospitals or other locations based on the proximity to where you stand. Get reviews, opening hours and other information while sitting in your car with just the touch of a button.

It works thanks to the efforts of The Mona Geoinformatics Institute. The institute mapped the island and all its major roadways, and by making the maps available to the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA) the public now has access through Garmin devices. The Garmin GPS Units start at about $26,000 with the map preloaded. JAA can also load the map to your own Garmin device or appropriate mobile phone. There is no monthly subscription charge.

JAA Sales Manager Oliver Sherman noted that map is continuously updated to accommodate for new roads and traffic changes. But updates cost approximately US$30 three months after the initial purchase. The service has garnered significant interest from tourism service providers, companies and embassies with expatriates, real estate investors, delivery service providers and taxi drivers, in addition to gadget lovers.

“The units have a lot of features,” Sherman added. Enhanced features include local points of interest, vehicle tracking (read more about this on the blog), route plotting based on shortest time versus shortest route settings, fuel usage monitoring and management. Of course, such features have great practical applications. But they can be fun too. A group of friends can pick a location (by points of interest or even by geographical coordinates) and challenge each other to see who can reach to the destination fastest or for less money.

Take the challenge overseas with downloadable maps at Garmin.com. North America, Europe and other territories are represented. Additional maps cost between US$10 and US$100 depending on the territory. So there is no need to rent an expensive car with onboard navigation, just use the same unit purchased in Jamaica.

But does it really work? Yes. I had some issues with the new MoBay road and a bridge in Bog Walk, but generally, I was impressed with the routings. When I intentionally diverted from the suggested routes, the device figured out new routes immediately. Then I tested the system by putting in multiple locations and again, I was impressed. I maneuvered the maze that is downtown Kingston with ease. I shall never be lost again. Finally, when I got bored of the vehicle on the screen and the voice, I downloaded new ones, keeping things fresh.

Tech Time: BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 Upgrade

Ok, ok. I get it. The new BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 is new and it's cool. Those who couldn't wait, downloaded and installed the leaked version and some of you ran into a world of problems. The two most common complaints were handset 'freezing' or contact lists disappearing. The good news is, you can reinstall your BB OS (that's BlackBerry Operating System) to unfreeze your phone and access the original BB Messenger. The bad news is, your contacts are still lost is some cyberspace vacuum.

For those that took my advice and waited, you feel left out and are eager to check out the new features offered by BB Messenger 5.0. If you upgrade to ver 5.0, you can assign avatars to your contacts. This visual representation is VERY helpful for those contacts who force us to guess their screen name everyday. You can "broadcast" messages (aka spam your friends) and you can collaborate in new and better ways by sending images, voice notes, files, tasks and calendar appointments. For me, the most impressive feature is adding new friends through bar code scanning. When you are up close and personal with your friends, you can 'scan' the bar code from their BB and add them directly to your messenger; no email addresses or PIN codes required.

So, despite the risks, you want to upgrade? Can't blame you. I did. So let's follow the steps I took to successfully install the app.

FIRST: Make a backup copy of the data on your BB device. Download and install the BlackBerry Desktop Manager and create a full backup of all application data on your phone (Mac users can download the software from the BlackBerry website because it is not included in the package CD). If anything goes wrong, at least you can restore your phone to where it was at this point.

You will lose all your current conversations, so if you have important information in those Messenger windows, make a note now.

BB Messenger 5.0 only works on handsets operating OS ver 4.5 or higher. So our next step is to ensure your phone can handle, Messenger 5.0. Go to 'options', then 'about'. If the OS version is less than 4.5, pause here. I have a different set of instructions for you. If you see v4.5 or higher, let's move on together.

In your device browser, enter "http://appworld.blackberry.com". (Of course, there are other ways, but this was has some additional benefits, so take a leap of faith with me.) Download and install the BB App World Application. Then, from within BB App World, select the new BB Messenger. I encourage you to download and install from App World for two reasons. 1. You KNOW you are getting the authorised Messenger 5.0 application, not a leaked, possibly corrupted copy. And 2. You can see all the other cool free apps available for your phone.

After the installation, you will need to reboot. But your Messenger should work seamlessly. Go have fun!

If your OS is below version 4.5, you will need to upgrade BEFORE attempting to install Messenger 5.0. You will need a PC/Mac with BlackBerry Desktop Messenger. Goggle "Blackberry NAME OF SERVICE PROVIDER software download" (sorry I can't give you the direct link). The link will take you to the page to receive the official OS update. You will have to provide your contact information and agree to their terms and conditions before the download commences.

Once the download is complete, double click to install, open BlackBerry Desktop Manager and update your handset.

Verify the upgrade and complete the steps above to join your friend on BB IM 5.0. I maintain that this upgrade is not for the faint of heart, impatient or those new the BB experience. If you think its too much for you to do, visit:

Francis Express Wireless

francisexpresswireless@hotmail.com

876.908.4484

Market Place, Constant Spring Road, Kingston 10