Click Chick

World's First LCD Greeting Card

2010-02-17T07:27:00.001-10:00

In partnership with American Greetings and Target, Euri Inc. has developed the world’s first digital photo greeting card. Combining sight, sound and a nice LCD screen, this is the perfect card to send to your loved ones across the ocean (an especially great gift for the deployed military servicemember in your life).

This card is capable of storing and displaying up to 50 digital images on a 2.4-inch LCD screen, and you can record a personalized message up to five minutes long (audio only) to go along with it. The card’s packaging opens into a nice coordinated gift box and includes an appropriate-sized mailing envelope so you don’t have to purchase anything additional to send your special card. Its postage costs approximately $2.30.

“With the explosion of social media sites like Facebook, Flickr and YouTube, we’ve seen a transformation in ways consumers communicate and share,” said Josiahs Livingston, director of marketing and product development at Euri. “The digital photo card goes one step beyond - creating both a highly personalized and memorable gift.”

The card can double as a digital photo album. You load your images onto the card via USB, and it’s activated each time it opens. It will last up to three hours on a charge (via USB).

“Once consumers add their favorite photos and message, the card transforms into an emotional and personal experience that can be enjoyed for years to come with mom, dad, an older brother, younger sister or anyone with whom you’ve shared cherished memories,” says Carol Miller, executive director on new product concepts at American Greetings.

This digital card is a great idea and announced to only be available in Target stores for $19.99. I haven’t found these in a Target store yet, so we’ll see.

Another interesting idea from the card’s creator, Euri, is the Euricase. Made for a marriage proposal or an elaborate anniversary/birthday gift, this is a ring box with a full-color LCD display. There are different versions available: The Euricase Classic-L (voice only, $40), Euricase Classic-T (video, $99) and the Euricase Classic-T (metallic case with video, $249).

Visit euricase.com for more information both the digital card and ring box.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: NBC Olympics on AT&T
It’s that time again - the Olympics! Last week we saw the Winter Olympics begin in Vancouver, and you can follow the action on your iPhone. With NBC’s Olympics on AT&T app you can see live real-time updates on events, see video clips, highlights, results, schedules and medal counts. You can even follow your favorite athletes on Twitter from within the app.

You also can see your athletes’ bios, sports information and view the TV coverage schedule (and set program reminders). Participate in discussions and comment on public forums or create private forums for you and your friends. This app is easy to navigate through and a great tool if you’re an Olympics fan. Download it for free at the iTunes App Store.

Apple's iPad

2010-02-10T18:30:00.001-10:00

As you probably know, last week Apple announced its much-anticipated “e-reader,” called the iPad. As I was watching Apple CEO Steve Jobs’announcement, I cringed when I first heard that name as it brought to mind, um, feminine products. Oh, well, it looks cool and I’m just going to have to deal with the name.

“iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” said Jobs. “iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”

The iPad is, as predicted, essentially a giant iPod touch, but it’s 0.5 inches thick and weighs 1.5 pounds - thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook. It has an aluminum backing with a 10-inch screen surrounded by a shiny black border. It uses the standard iPhone/iPod touch connector on the bottom, so if you have an existing iPhone/iPod touch you don’t have to worry about losing another cable.

Supposedly the iPad can run all of the existing 140,000-plus iPhone apps just fine (either at the regular iPhone size or blown up double with some loss of clarity). As an e-reader, Apple will have its own e-reader bookstore when the iPad launches, but I don’t expect it to have the selection (yet) or the $10 bestsellers you can find with Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Also, it’s powered by A4, Apple’s next generation system-on-a-chip. The A4 provides excellent processor and graphics performance, allowing up to 10 hours of iPad battery life.

Pricing isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Available in late March, the lowest models starts at $499 (16GB) and $599 (32GB), which just use Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. If you want 3G service, the cost is $629/16GB, $729/32GB and $829/64GB. As with the iPhone, the 3G service will be provided by AT&T ($15/month for 250MB or $30/month unlimited data), but the difference is you can cancel the service at any time.

Overall, I think the iPad is a dream for e-reading and watching movies, but I don’t think it can replace a computer yet. The on-screen keyboard would frustrate me after awhile, and that’s one of the big complaints I hear, along with “no removable battery,” “no memory-card slot” and “too expensive!” These are similar to the gripes we heard about the iPhone, but it’s too early to tell. Most of the initial iPhone bashers I know now own one, so we’ll see.

Apple is not quite taking pre-orders yet, but you can have an e-mail notification sent to you to let you know when it’s available (http://www.apple.com).

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Diving For Colors
Diving For Colors is the first locally published book to be turned into an iPhone app. App books such as these are becoming more available, and it’s great that this one is homegrown! You can listen to or read the story in English or Hawaiian, turn off the sound so you can read it to your keiki, and either turn the pages manually or let it go automatically. Additionally, at the end of the book, a screen shows up with all the different creatures that appeared in the book.

My daughter is only 2 months old, and when I read it to her, she couldn’t get her eyes off the colorful pictures that popped up with the story. I can’t wait to see what this will look like on my future iPad - I’ll probably be buying more of my children’s books this way. Find the Diving for Colors app for $1.99 at the iTunes App Store.

New Netbooks With Itel’s Atom Chip

2010-02-03T12:39:00.001-10:00

If you rushed out and bought a netbook for Christmas, sorry, but you missed out on Intel’s new Atom processor (N450) for the new generation of net-books. From here into the near future, this is the preferred processor for your netbook.

“The Intel Atom processor has fueled an entirely new category of computing over the last year and a half, and we think the growth will continue for devices like netbooks and entry-level PCs built around basic computing and Internet usage models,” says Mooly Eden, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of Intel’s PC Client Group. “We’re excited to be delivering the next-generation Atom platform and working across the industry as we head into a second phase of growth, powering innovative new system designs with better performance, smaller footprints and better battery life.”

Code named Pine Trail, the Atom N450’s best features are the 20 percent improvement in average power and the smaller package size over the previous Atom platform. This translates into a smaller system with a longer battery life, and a 60 percent reduction for the entire net-book platform. In addition, the memory controller and graphics are integrated into the CPU, which is a first in the industry on x-86 chips such as the Atom.

Most of the leading companies, such as Dell, ASUS, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba, Samsung, Fujitsu and MSI, are now on board with the Atom. The bulk of the systems will feature the new Windows 7 or Home Basic operating system, with some offering Mobiln Linux v2 as an alternative for those who desire a customizable and differentiated user interface. Some of the top-rated systems include the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 ($379), HP Mini 5102 ($424), Toshiba mini NB305 ($399) and ASUS Eee PC 100PE-P ($379).

Worldwide netbook shipments by telecommunications companies such as T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange are growing and expected to fuel another round of expansion. Intel has been working closely with mobile operators and modem vendors to advance 3G capabilities in net-books. So far, about a dozen service providers offer netbooks in various markets, with the numbers expected to grow with this newest platform.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Star Walk
Living in Hawaii, you might take for granted the fact that our air is clear enough where you can actually see the moon and the stars in the sky at night (as long as it’s not raining). People who live in big cities such as New York or Los Angeles don’t have that luxury.

Tonight, take a moment to enjoy the stars and enhance your experience with the Star Walk app.

This app turns your iPhone/iPod touch into a virtual astronomy guide. Using its Star Spotter function (with your phone’s digital compass), day or night, you point your iPhone at the sky and it shows you a map of the stars/draws out the constellations at wherever you aim your phone.

Star Walk also gives you information about sunrise, sunset, daylight hours, your elevation and moon phases. Star Walk is $2.99 at the iTunes App Store.

Enjoying the 3D TV Experience

2010-01-26T22:19:00.000-10:00

Thanks to the movie Avatar, 3D movies are more popular than ever, and 2010 will see the introduction of 3D TV into homes. 3D TV lets you experience the content on your TV (TV shows, movies or games) with a stereoscopic effect. It adds the illusion of a third dimension and depth to your viewing experience.

Most of you probably remember the old-fashioned glasses with the redand-cyan lenses. This type of 3D is the anaglyph method, where the red and cyan are used to combine two false color images. If you recently watched a movie in the IMAX theater, you wore passive polarized 3D glasses. The 3D TVs we’ll see available soon use alternate-frame sequencing, and you’ll have to wear active liquid crystal shutter glasses or headgear.

The shutter glasses work by very quickly blocking the left then the right eye in sequence (typically about 120 times per second), and sync to the TV via infrared or Bluetooth.

At the Consumer Electronics Show this year, the six major TV makers announced their 3D TV models - LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and Vizio - with the best coming from Panasonic (VT25 series) and Sony (Bravia XBR-LX900 and XBR-HX900 series).

Panasonic’s VT25 series won the prestigious CNET “Best of Show” and “Best in Television” awards at CES this year. Boasted to deliver a full 1080p resolution to each eye, these 3D TVs will ship sometime this spring and range from 40 to 65 inches. Sony’s line of 3D TVs will be available in the summer and comes in 40 to 60 inches. Neither company announced any pricing points for its 3D TVs.

While it’s cool the technology exists, at this point the biggest issue with 3D TV is the lack of content. So far, some of the Blu-ray 3D titles announced this year are Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Monsters vs. Aliens and Disney’s A Christmas Carol. Also, DirecTV will be the first provider with 3D content that will have three 3D channels of its own, and ESPN and Discovery will launch 3D channels this year. There are currently no Blu-ray players that support 3D unless you have a PlayStation 3 (PS3). When Sony’s new 3D TVs are released, there will be a software update for your PS3 that will allow you to view 3D content.

Overall the 3D TV experience is great, probably best for sports or gaming. But the downside is watching 3D TV for long periods of time can be difficult and may give you a headache (some people may not even be able to perceive 3D). The glasses can be bothersome and expensive (anticipated to be about $100 a pair). If you do decide to invest in a 3D TV this year, I suggest sticking with the Panasonic or Sony series mentioned above. But, if you’re patient enough, I suggest you wait!

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Glow Doodle
Glow Doodle is a fun way to draw with lights/glow effect on your iPhone or iPod touch. The best part is you can save your light glow doodles to your photo albums and share them. You can draw in red, green, blue or yellow and erase your previous stroke if you make a mistake. If you have a tendency to doodle on paper when you’re bored, this is a better way. It sells for 99 cents on the iTunes App Store.

Oceanic's Road Runner Mobile

2010-01-20T00:24:00.001-10:00

A technology called WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) came to Hawaii in December, and brought us 4G mobile broadband service. In conjunction with this innovation, Oceanic Time Warner launched its 4G Road Runner Mobile Service earlier this month (available on Oahu and Maui).

I used the Franklin Wireless CMU-300 modem to connect to Road Runner Mobile network. It’s the first USB mobile card that supports both WiMax and 3G (EVDO) mobile networks. It’s fairly small - about the size of a wide pack of gum - and has a 64MB storage capacity if you need to throw some files on there. Just to give you an idea on speed, typical high-speed Internet service on your home’s network can give you up to 15 megabits (Mbps) for downloads and 1 Mbps for uploads. It varies on which service/plan you subscribe to. Road Runner Mobile’s speed averages from 3 to 6 Mbps, depending on your physical location.

“Road Runner Mobile offers customers a superior 4G mobile broadband experience away from their home or office by simply plugging a Road Runner Mobile device into their computers,” says Kiman Wong, general manager for Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s Road Runner Mobile. “Road Runner Mobile includes all the features as Road Runner High Speed Online, including a full security suite, e-mail, data storage, Photoshow, the Road Runner portal and Road Runner Speed Zones. With Road Runner Mobile, virtually everywhere on Oahu and Maui is your hotspot.”

As mentioned above, you receive the same features of Road Runner High Speed with Road Runner Mobile. Additional items include Mobile Manager (track your mobile data usage or add features, etc.), Road Runner Video Channel (watch on-demand videos) and Road Runner Radio (53 stations/12 genres). The security suite includes anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware, anti-spam parental controls and a security center console.

Road Runner Mobile’s pricing ranges from $39.95 (with existing Road Runner service) within Hawaii or $56.95 (with existing Road Runner service) for the national plan. Unfortunately, at the moment, the service is not available for Macs, but will begin Feb. 1. For more information or to subscribe to Road Runner Mobile, check out http://rrmobile.oceanic.com or call 643-2337.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: CauseWorld
CauseWorld is the first app that lets you earn “karma points” and lets you “do good deeds by simply walking into a store.” You earn “karma points” when you check in by walking into or coming close to a participating store. These points can then be spent on real world charities that are partnering with CauseWorld: American Red Cross, Feeding America, American Forests, GlobalGiving, DonorsChoose.org, Prevent Child Abuse America, Carbonfund.org, American Humane Association and Room to Read.

Your karma points are funded out of nearly $500,000 provided by Kraft Foods and Citigroup. Additionally, while you’re shopping in a participating grocery store, you’ll be able to click on recipes from Kraft products. Find CauseWorld for free at the iTunes App Store.

What's New in 2010

2010-01-13T03:18:00.002-10:00

First, I need to apologize for my Dec. 30 column titled Monitoring Home Energy Usage. After it published I realized - and several readers pointed out - that in the fourth and fifth paragraphs, when referring to “kilowatt hours (kWh),” I meant to say “kilowatts (kW)” and not “kWh.” Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

Now for the fun stuff: What toys we will see in 2010. For starters, as I write this, the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is kicking off in Las Vegas, and there’ll be no shortage of new products on display - more than 20,000 in fact. This year boasts a record number of exhibitors, with 330-plus new companies joining the 2,500 that are usually there. This year’s CES features 20 market-specific TechZones that highlight the latest trends in emerging markets, including Lifestyle Gadgets, Mobile DTV, Safe Driver, eBooks, Experience 3D, and my new personal interest, the Mommy Tech and Kids Play TechZones. I also noticed that a couple of companies have power cells that convert water into electricity.

Considering all of those, and looking at the coming year in general, I anticipate the hottest items will be 3D TV, netbooks (especially the ones that include Intel’s new Atom N450 chip) and, of course, e-readers. There are many e-readers coming out of the woodwork, but the big one everyone is talking about is coming from Apple, and it will not be at CES.

Apple’s e-reader is rumored to be more of a tablet PC and will be unveiled at the end of the month. Supposedly, it will have a 10- to 11-inch touch screen with a $1,000 price tag. This is about three times the cost of the current mainstream competition, the Kindle and Nook. With this higher price, people may not be as likely to go out and buy one as a “must-have” device.

On top of all that, Google jumped on the trying-to-compete-with-the-iPhone bandwagon and announced its Nexus One phone. The “super-phone” is what they kept calling it during the launch event because of the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the Android 2.1 operating system and the Google apps from the Android Store. I’m skeptical, but if you want to give it a try, the Nexus One costs $179 with T-Mobile service, or $529 if you want to use your own service and insert a SIM card (google.com/phone).

Overall, 2010 will be an interesting year for tech. Stay tuned for news from this year’s CES. Since I couldn’t attend (again), Mr. Click Chick is there covering it for me.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: White Noise Baby
As new parents, my husband and I have been blessed with a well-behaved baby (she even sleeps through the night). The only time she ever cries is when she’s hungry (so far). I downloaded the White Noise Baby app hoping I’ll never have to put it to its real use, but it seems to be helpful if you have a fussy baby.

The app features a variety of ambient sounds, including an air conditioner, car ride, classical music, conch shell, doppler ultra-sound, hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, blue noise, gray noise, pink noise, red noise, violet noise, white noise, dripping water, grandfather clock, a heartbeat and wind chimes. A shut-off timer is included so you can let it run for a set amount of time.

A New Year, A New You With NextFit

2010-01-06T00:14:00.001-10:00

Thankfully, staying in shape and being motivated are not problems for me, but I know it can be an issue for some individuals. It’s nice to have that extra push from someone else, especially if it’s a personal trainer or fitness class instructor. The next best thing is a virtual trainer, such as the NextFit Keychain Trainer that Brian Fowler, a personal trainer and health consultant, brought to Hawaii.

”I like the NextFit from a trainer perspective, and I think it can help a lot of people who need some motivation or something to stay attached to,” Fowler says. “Having been in the fitness business for so long, I have seen how difficult it is for some people to stay active. Some people need accountability from a partner. Some people like the tech side, where they use a product. But ultimately I see this device as a way to keep people motivated and hopefully accountable to themselves.”

The NextFit unit is nothing fancy - a retractable USB dongle with an OLED screen so you can see where you are in your session, basic buttons (play, stop, volume controls) and an earphone jack. It’s so small that, if you drop it, it’s no big deal. It has a 10-hour rechargeable battery and includes 150 songs.

To begin your sessions, you first plug the device into your computer (works on both PC and Mac) and launch the NextFit program. Here it asks you questions on your goals, your work-out experience, current fitness level and what type of equipment you have at home. Just to try it out, I indicated that I need to lose “20 or more lbs” (after all, I did just have a baby a couple weeks ago).

Realistically, because of my condition, I really shouldn’t be doing full-blast workouts, so I indicated my fitness level as “medium” as opposed to my usual “high.” It gave me a few options, and the best one looked like a 44-minute walk-jog. It downloaded the workout to the USB device, and I took it with me on my first post-pregnancy work-out.

All throughout it played music you would hear in a fitness class at the gym (no hit music included with those 150 songs). It was a different experience for me, considering I’ve recently trained myself to run without music (most helpful when on the long 10-plus milers because my iPod/iPhone just gets in the way after awhile). In addition, the trainer’s voice came on every so often to give a push to keep going. I can see this being helpful and useful for someone who needs motivation, but probably not for me.

You can purchase a NextFit unit for $150 at mynextfit.com/hawaii or contact Brian Fowler at nextfithawaii@yahoo.com or 388-9085. Additionally, note the prices on the NextFit’s programs vary, starting at $25.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Gorillacam
When it comes to getting a picture with me, along with my family and friends in it, I’m picky and prefer to stick my camera up in a tree as I frame the perfect shot rather than ask a stranger to take it for me.

That way I can have a perfectly framed picture. I could never do that with my iPhone before, but it’s possible with the new Gorillacam app from Joby (creators of the popular Gorillapod line of flexible tripods).

You don’t necessarily have to use Gorillacam app with your Gorillamobile iPhone stand, but it’s meant to work with it. As long as you can find a stable surface on which to position your iPhone, the app will work just fine. Gorillacam mainly adds a self-timer, time-lapse (short as one second or long as two minutes) and continuous rapid-fire shooting (up to 1.6 frames per second) to your iPhone’s camera.

Additional features include a three-shot burst, press anywhere (turns your entire screen into a shutter button), grid overlay (perfect for lining up landscapes or buildings), bubble level (to take level shots - works in both vertical and horizontal) and share (easily upload or share photos). Download Gorillacam for free at the iTunes App Store.

Monitoring Home Energy Usage

2009-12-30T19:02:00.003-10:00

I’ve always wondered how much energy turning off a light switch really shaves off my power bill. A good way to gauge what your home is consuming is with Blue Line’s PowerCost Monitor. It informs you in real time exactly how much electricity your household is using. It came out earlier this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a hot seller for Christmas. My husband and I bought it as an early Christmas present for our house.

To set yourself up, first you need to clamp a wireless sensor to your home’s power meter (powered by two AA batteries). This sensor then transmits information to a portable wireless receiver that you keep with you in the house (also powered by two AA batteries). The receiver displays your energy usage on an easy-to-read LCD screen. When you turn something on or off, it takes about 30 seconds for it to register on your receiver. You can program various electricity rates on it for extreme accuracy, including single (flat) rates, tiered rates and time-based rates.

We mounted our receiver on the kitchen wall and the kilowatts (kW) usage is easy to read in big numbers at the top. The first night it was installed we had fun turning on and off different lights and devices in the house to see what sucked up the most power. The very first thing we tried out was the Christmas tree. Surprisingly this was one of the most energy-consuming lights in the house, using 0.5 kW. In comparison, the kitchen light and the bedroom both use 0.1 kW.

Additionally, I noticed my house’s baseline averages at about 1.0 kW during the day, and 2.0 kW at night with the basic lights running (kitchen, living room and the outside patio). When the central air conditioner kicks in, it then shoots up to 5.1 kW (day) and 6.1 kW (night), but since it’s been cooler these days, it hasn’t kicked on that often. To my surprise, the washer (0.8 kW) uses more power than the dryer (0.6 kW) - neither are Energy Star since they’re a little older.

The bottom line is the PowerCost Monitor is a cheap, effective and fun way to help you know what your home is doing. Last week it was even named one of EcoHome Magazine’s Top 20 Reader-Requested Green Products for 2009.

You can find it at Smarthome.com for $99.93 (free shipping on orders more than $200) or Amazon.com for $109.99 (free shipping).

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lick Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Dragon Dictation
Nuance Communications’ Dragon Dictation app allows you to speak e-mails and text messages to your iPhone instead of typing them. When you need to type something, all you do is open the app and it takes you to a screen that says “Tap here and dictate.” Here you tap the button and start talking, hit “Done,” your voice is processed for a few seconds, then you see your text appear.

After this, you have the option to e-mail the text, send it as a text message or copy it to your clipboard. If you send the text to your clipboard, you can conveniently use it to paste it into just about anything, including your Facebook or Twitter updates. I found the recognition to be fairly accurate with short phrases, and if there are any wrong words, they’re easy to correct by replacing them with the iPhone’s word suggestions or your own words. With the longer paragraphs, it might need a little work.

The Dragon Dictation app is available free for a limited time from the iTunes App Store. Grab it quick before they put a price on it!

Barnes & Noble's Nook

2009-12-23T06:59:00.002-10:00

Back in October, Barnes & Noble announced the Nook, its wireless eBook reader. Clearly this is meant to compete with Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s E-Reader. Unless you were able to pre-order a Nook back in October, this product is a little too late to make Christmas this year since it actually became “available” last week. But in reality, if you order one now, you’ll most likely see it some time in January or maybe even later.

“We asked our customers what they wanted in an eBook reader, and specifically designed Nook to be the most full-featured, fun, stylish and easy-to-use eBook reader on the market,” says William J. Lynch, president of BarnesandNoble.com. “With our nationwide footprint, Barnes & Noble customers can see, touch and hold Nook. Our 40,000 booksellers are ready to help customers discover how easy it is to download and read eBooks on Nook, and what a pleasure it is to have access to their favorite eBooks, magazines and newspapers anytime and anywhere.”

At first glance, the Nook looks strikingly close to its Kindle rival. The noticeable difference is the color touchscreen at the bottom. Yes, it’s only at the bottom. The whole nook display is not a color screen as the ads lead you to believe, but only a color strip at the bottom that is exclusively for navigation and controls. The touchscreen is not very responsive and seems a little awkward against the big gray screen above. When you click on something, there is no indication that your Nook “heard” you, as there is no hourglass or progress bar.

A great feature concept the Nook has is the ability to loan your eBooks to other Nook-owning friends for 14 days. The drawback is that you can only loan it out once, and when it is loaned out, it disappears from your library and you can’t access it. The other thing is that you can’t lend a book out unless its publisher approves it. You’ll see a “LendMe” icon next to it if it is lendable.

As with the Kindle, the Nook has built-in free wireless 3G service to access the Barnes and Noble online bookstore when you’re on the road. The Nook also added on Wi-Fi, but you have to configure your hotspot manually since you don’t see any notifications when you enter into one. I wasn’t able to actually walk into a Barnes & Noble yet, but supposedly your Nook will auto-connect to AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots in all Barnes & Noble stores. In addition, the Nook is boasted as the first eBook reader that can run the Android operating system. I don’t see it doing much now with Android, but it opens the door for many future possibilities.

Overall, the Nook is cool, but I’m not so sure it’s worth it at this early stage for the price in comparison to its competitor (same $259 price tag). Perhaps it could be later when it’s more refined. I think it may have been rushed out onto the market too quickly. Visit Barnes & Noble’s Web site for more information or if you do decide to purchase it (barnesandnoble.com).

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: B&N eReader
You don’t necessarily need a Nook to enjoy Barnes & Noble’s eBooks. Similar to Amazon’s Kindle app, the B&N eReader app for your iPhone/iPod touch allows you to read your eBooks from your device. It gives you the basic features of the Nook, including the eReader, a free copy of Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Dictionary, adjustable text size, multiple font choices, choice of tap or swipe to turn the pages, background and text color options for easy reading, and more.

Additionally, you’ll never lose your place with the “Reading Now” virtual bookmark, which remembers where you were reading on your Nook or iPhone. Download the B&N eReader for free at the iTunes App Store.

Cool Techie Stocking Stuffers

2009-12-16T04:52:00.003-10:00

Christmas seems to have come upon me quickly this year, and I didn’t even bother waking up early for any of the Black Friday sales. It was just easier and less time-consuming to do all my shopping online. If you still need to shop, here are a few cool last-minute stocking stuffers that should be able to make it to your front door before Christmas:

Flip UltraHD
You may remember the original Flip Mino compact video camera I wrote about last year. Since then, Flip has come out with many other cameras, my favorite being the Flip UltraHD. This is one of the cheapest portable HD cameras out there, perfect to capture your holiday moments. The video quality is good, and much better than the iPod nano’s quality. As with other Flip cameras, the UltraHD is extremely user-friendly. Find it online for $150 at Amazon.com.

MovieWedge
A practical, inexpensive stocking stuffer, the MovieWedge is a $10 media stand for your iPhone, iPod touch, PSP or just about any one of your hand-sized devices. Constructed out of micro-suede (basically a mini pillow), it’s designed to prop up your device on just about any surface without sliding around. With its material, MovieWedge also can double as a fingerprint cleaner, and it’s perfect to use on an airplane tray or on your lap while you’re traveling. Its small size and easel-like front edge make it easy to prop your device at different angles.

WowWee’s Lightstar
For the robot lover in your life, the WowWee FlyTech Lightstar is the perfect flying gadget to pass the time during New Year’s Eve or whenever you’re bored in general. It has a propulsion-based design and built-in LED lights to create a cool glow and halo-effect when it flies. These lights create interesting light patterns that are just as cool as fireworks (and won’t cause any fires!). Unfortunately you can’t steer the chopper, but you can vary the acceleration and bounce it off walls to compensate. At first glance, and for the $20 pricetag, you would-n’t expect much by looking at it, but it’s quite a delight to play with. It comes in blue, orange or green. Find one at your nearest Target, Sears, Kmart, Radio Shack or Toys ‘R’ Us (call store(s) first for availability) or online at Amazon.com.

YoGen Charger
Introduced earlier this year, this pocket-sized green mobile charger only recently became available for purchase this month. YoGen is a compact, easy to use and uniquely efficient hand-powered charger to use with small electronic devices such as your cell phone (including iPhone), mp3 player, game player or a digital camera.

You might think this is another solar charger, but it’s not. YoGen solely relies on your hand’s power from repeatedly pulling a ripcord (similar to starting a lawnmower). Its alternator interfaces with an energy-efficient electronic stabilizer and transmission to transfer linear kinetic energy through a patch cord from the unit to your favorite gadget. It gives an electrical output through its built-in mini USB. There’s an LED indicator that shows the charging for your electronic device its connected to. The maximum power output is typically five watts (but possibly up to six watts if you’re lucky).

This is a perfect gift for your on-the-go gadget junkie. Purchase it for $40 online at www.yogenstore.com (available in black and clear).

The New Wave In Communication

2009-12-09T02:40:00.003-10:00

Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. Simply speaking, it’s a live chatroom that you can use to share documents, photos or videos with your fellow Google Wavers. You can collaborate on your projects (perfect for students), and it’s a great service for people who love to multitask.

To start using it, you create a wave and add people to it. Everyone on your wave can use formatted text, photos, videos and maps to communicate and work together. It’s all shared so your participants can reply live anywhere in the message. Some of the other great practical things you can do with Google Wave are event organization, photo sharing, meeting notes, brainstorming or, for fun, interactive games. For event planning, you can add in everything from an itinerary, menu, RSVPs, maps and even the weather rather than using different tools/Web sites as people typically do these days.

Google Wave’s photo sharing is pretty smooth: Just drag and drop pictures from your desktop into a wave to share with others. Everyone else can now see your pics, and they can add their own. When all your collaborative pictures are in there, it’s easy to make a group photo album. Other aspects mentioned above are fairly self-explanatory.

Google Wave was initially demonstrated at the Google I/O conference held earlier this year. Called “e-mail of the future,” it’s the result of a multiyear project by Google to re-invent the inbox and blend e-mail, instant messaging, photo sharing and social networking together.

Creators of the technology behind Google Maps brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen headed up the Google Wave project to help stir up this reinvention of Internet communication. The result: It’s a little bit of Facebook, Twitter and Friendfeed bundled into one service. And the bottom line: With Google Wave you can have faster conversations, edits and interact in real-time.

To learn more about Google Wave or request a free invite, go to wave.google.com. If you really want to dive into it, there’s an hour-and-a-half-long video you can watch there. For the invite, click on the “I want Google Wave” link on the left.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: eBay Deals
I saw the eBay Deals app on the App Store last week, but didn’t think to download it and try it out until MidWeek graphic artist Russ Kaya started using it and raved about it. Thanks, Russ! This new app from eBay is awesome, but at the same time dangerous since you can see great deals that span the entire ebay.com listings. eBay Deals allows you to see a constantly changing view of deals from various “must-have” popular categories such as apparel, electronics, photography, sports, collectibles, etc. All these listings have less than four hours remaining, zero bids, no reserve price and free or fixed shipping included in the total cost.

You can customize your searches and place your favorite icon in the start menu for quick access. To see a new group of deals, you just need to shake your iPhone/iPod touch. These deals also have built-in integration with Facebook and Twitter, making it easier for you to share with your family/friends. It’s very easy to use and will make my Christmas shopping a bit easier this year. Download the eBay Deals app for free at the iTunes App Store, and happy (but responsible) shopping!

Roku Channel Store Opens

2009-12-02T02:32:00.001-10:00

The Roku player has come a long way since its initial launch with Netflix last year. When the latest Roku player, the HD-XR box, was released last month, many new features were promised, and now the Roku Channel Store has its first 10 free channels. The channels include Pandora, Facebook Photos, Revision3, Mediafly, TWiT, blip.tv, Flickr, FrameChannel, Motionbox and MobileTribe. These are in addition to the already existing Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand and MLB.com.

“The Roku Channel Store turns the Roku player into the world’s first open platform designed specifically for the TV,” says Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku Inc. “Now content producers and distributors - from single person shops to billion-dollar corporations - can deliver their content directly to consumers without having to go exclusively through cable operators, satellite networks or TV affiliates.”

From Internet radio, video podcasts to professional Web content and photo sharing, this Roku Channel Store provides an open platform for delivering quality content to your TV. The first 10 channels are just the beginning for Roku as many other developers are working on additional Roku Channels. I’m a little disappointed that Hulu wasn’t a part of these first channels, but there are rumors that it could become available soon.

The Roku Channel Store is an automatic and free upgrade for you existing Roku customers. All three Roku players (Roku SD, Roku HD and Roku HDXR) are available at roku.com, starting at $79.99 (free shipping). Check out http://www.roku.com/roku-channel-store for complete details on the channels.

On a different but slightly similar note, you can now watch Netflix movies/TV shows off your PlayStation 3 (PS3) at no additional cost. This is enabled by an instant streaming Blu-ray disk that is sent to you by Netflix - request one at http://www.netflix.com/ps3. It took two days for mine to arrive.

Although I’ve been waiting for Netflix to come to the PS3 for a long time, I’m not too happy that I need to have that disk in my PS3 whenever I want to watch something. I can watch Netflix just fine off my Xbox 360 (with no disk), including the ability to add things to my queue. I hope this will be refined soon, but at least there are more options to view Netflix now.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Meter Maid
I admit I received a parking ticket a couple months ago by not feeding the parking meter - oh, come on, it was a weekend in the middle of a quiet parking lot in Kailua. I never thought the meter maids would be working. I was wrong.

When I saw this Meter Maid app, it sort of reminded me of what happened, and I thought this would be perfect for the forgetful meter feeder. This app allows you to set how much time is on your parking meter and receive a push notification before it expires, even if the app isn’t running.

Meter Maid lets you save the GPS location of where you parked so you can always find your car, and a large display shows how much time you have remaining. You can see your current location on a map and obtain directions back to your car, and set your meter time up to eight hours. Find this for 99 cents at the iTunes App Store.

Hello Earthlings, I am DROID

2009-11-25T02:47:00.001-10:00

Earlier this month Verizon Wireless released its much-anticipated DROID smart-phone. This phone is the first to be powered by the Android 2.0 operating system, offering some nice refinements.

The phone physically matches up to its name. It looks “droidy” - all black and industrial, definitely a masculine phone. The 3.7-inch, high-resolution screen (854 x 480 pixels) is sharp, allowing you to view your e-mail, browse the Web and Google Maps in cinema style. The Google Maps Navigation provides you turn-by-turn voice guidance, and you can use voice shortcuts and say “navigate to (your destination).” Additionally, you can do your Google searches using voice-activation, and it will serve up your search results based on your location.

Another great feature is the five-megapixel camera with auto focus, a dual-LED flash and image stabilization. The camcorder has a 16:9 cinematic display and offers you one-touch playback and easy uploading to YouTube. The phone includes 16GB of storage (on an included memory card) and a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It’s customizable with more than 12,000 apps and widgets from the Android Market including music, news and sports games. The phone allows you to toggle among up to six apps at a time.

Verizon Wireless is marketing the DROID as an iPhone killer, especially in its recent TV ads: “iDon’t have a real keyboard. iDon’t run simultaneous apps. iDon’t have interchangeable batteries. Everything iDon’t, DROID does.”

I won’t even go there with the comparisons, since we are talking about two very different phones, but I can say that the DROID is definitely the best phone on the Verizon Wireless network. You can buy one for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement after a $100 rebate. Check out www.droiddoes.com for more information.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Eliminate Pro
Eliminate Pro is the first online first-person shooter (FPS) that can fit right into your pocket. I was a little skeptical of this app when I first heard about it, but that quickly changed once I downloaded and played it. This FPS has live online multiplayer combat against real players around the world (or just your friends, if you want), along with a system for leveling up and purchasing weapons.

Your goal is to put the most advanced weapons to the test. You earn credits based on performance to buy better gear and upgrades. You can master multiple combat arenas as you experiment with jet packs, berserker shields, cloaking devices and a variety of power-ups. Your progress is easily tracked with Plus+ enabled leader boards and awards.

If you’re not ready to play against real people, you can practice with the game’s bots, but you won’t earn any credits for it. The graphics and sound are both polished, especially for a free iPhone game. You’ll just need to acquaint yourself to the controls a bit - playing an FPS on the iPhone was a new experience for me. This is a good time-killer if you’re stuck in an airport or a long line. Find it for free at the iTunes App Store.

A Virtual Tour With Google Street View

2009-11-18T04:26:00.002-10:00

Hawaii was the only state for years that didn’t have Google Street View - now it’s finally here! Google announced high-resolution imagery of Oahu and Maui has been added to Street View on Google Maps, and that Hawaii is the 50th state to be featured in Street View (saving the best for last). I knew this would be coming soon since the Google Street View camera car was spotted on-island earlier this year.

Just a little background: Google Street View is a free feature you can use on Google Maps to virtually explore and navigate through roads and neighborhoods. You can wander down the streets of cities around the world, even if you want to gaze up at the Tokyo Tower in Japan or gander at the ancient ruins in Rome. The pictures are taken with special Street View cars that have unique cameras mounted to them. The cars take pictures at various angles as they drive down the street.

Street View first launched in May 2007 and has become popular worldwide. Comparing it now to what it used to be, I can say that Street View has really come a long way. Just to test it out, I Street Viewed multiple friends and family members’ houses here on-island as well as on the Mainland, and I found just about all of them. Amazingly, their houses even popped up in the smaller towns on the Mainland!

There are some privacy concerns about the photos used in Street View. Since they are taken on public property, you could very well see yourself in a Google Street View image (maybe even doing something embarrassing such as picking your nose). Not to worry though, using face-blurring technology, all faces and car license plates are blurred out and unidentifiable. And, if you prefer to not have your picture included at all, you can request to have it removed.

Take a few moments to enjoy a virtual trip with Street View at maps.google.com or use your Google Earth (earth.google.com).

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Flying Without Fear
Afraid of flying? There’s an app for that. Since we live on an island, a fear of flying is bad if you need or want to travel. Of course, you could always take a boat as they did in the old days, but that’s not really practical. To help you overcome your fear of flying, Virgin Atlantic released an iPhone app based on its Flying Without Fear course.

It starts off with an introduction video with Sir Richard Branson himself (owner of Virgin Atlantic) as he welcomes you to the app. You’ll then be taken through the stages of flight from a Virgin Atlantic pilot. He takes you from the beginning pre-flight to the final stages of flight, to landing. He’s also sure to include the different noises you’ll probably hear. Part three of the course answers common questions people have, split into various categories: engines, landing, pilots, sounds, takeoff, weather and wings.

After all that, you can start the exercises and rate your fears on a scale of “no fear” to “terrified,” in categories ranging from mechanical failures, emergency landings or even booking a flight. There are relaxation exercises that teach you to contain your panic.

Of course, this app won’t completely cure fears of flying, but it’s very educational to someone who may need it. Find it for $4.99 at the iTunes App Store.

Tekken 6

2009-11-11T22:26:00.002-10:00

I’ve already enjoyed Namco Bandai’s Tekken 6 in Japan’s arcades, and now it’s finally available to play on your own game console at home. Whether you’re a Tekken veteran and went through all five Tekken prequels over the last 14 years, or a complete newbie, this version is refreshing and easy to play.

One of the first noticeable things is the most comprehensive cast of characters in the entire series thus far. The character lineup features 41 fighters, including the old classics (i.e. Kazuya, Heihachi, Jin, Nina, Lei) and six new ones. These include Bob (big American fighter, speedy for his size), Leo (German martial arts specialist), Miguel (powerful Spanish brawler), Zafina (has unusual almost witchcraft-like stances), Alisa (an android with chainsaws and a jetpack) and Lars (he moves similar to Jin, obviously a part of the Mishima bloodline).

There’s more than enough Tekken gameplay to go around with the various modes. Arcade Mode is good because it allows you to gain ranks for individual characters. The Practice Mode gives you the time to polish your moves, while the Offline Mode gives you the chance to fight against the CPU or other players. Online play gives you the chance to play against others around the world and view or be on the leader-boards. And, last but not least, the new Scenario Campaign mode gives Tekken a nice twist.

In this new Scenario Campaign mode, it’s almost a combination of being in a first-person shooter-type of environment combined with playing a traditional head-to-head fighter game. You go through the adventure as two of the new characters - Lars and Alisa - and it’s the only place you’ll see these characters’ full video ending. It’s the best way to figure out Tekken 6‘s plot. Additionally, after you finish the first few levels of the Scenario Campaign, an Arena Mode is unlocked. This allows you to play through the storyline as any of the characters.

I could go on and on about how much I love this game, but I have to say it’s the best Tekken to date. The graphics, the character variations, the training options and the new Scenario Campaign Mode make it well worth it.

Tekken 6 is rated “T” for Teen and retails for $59.99 for your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. A PlayStation Portable (PSP) version is scheduled to release sometime this winter. Find it at your nearest Toys n’ Joys (toysnjoys.com), GameStop (gamestop.com) or Best Buy (bestbuy.com).

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Katamari Forever
Katamari Forever is another recent release from Namco Bandai Games, and is the follow-on to the original Katamari Damacy, released in 2004. This release boasts the largest collection of stages, modes, songs and cousins. There are 50 playable cousins that you can equip with a variety of accessories.

The game has 34 levels and only three of them are entirely new. Otherwise the gameplay is the same with a different storyline. In this game, the King of All Cosmos is left unconscious after an accident. You, as the Prince, work with your cousins to construct a RoboKing to temporarily replace the king. The goal of the game is to pick up as many objects as possible (rolled up in a ball) in the allotted time, and make your katamari as big as possible.

Overall, Katamari Forever is very simplistic, and if you’re into puzzle-type games, you’ll enjoy it, but I’m not sure it’s worth the retail price of $49.99.

Underwater Tunes

2009-11-04T05:47:00.001-10:00

If you’re a lap swimmer, you know that going back and forth in the pool can be monotonous. I always enjoy listening to music while I’m running, but swimming? Yep, it’s possible. Finis’ SwiMP3 is designed for you swimmers out there.

The SwiMP3 is a waterproof mp3 player that is created with a unique sound transfer feature that gives you underwater sound clarity. It uses a patented bone-conduction technology that vibrates from your cheekbone to your inner ear so you can hear it clearly underwater.

At first I was a bit skeptical that this thing would actually work as advertised - water and electronics usually don’t play well together. To produce decent sound underwater, you need to turn up the volume very loud. Out of the water, you can barely hear it. Don’t even try to compare the sound quality to a regular mp3 player - heck, it’s a music player that works underwater!

SwiMP3 comes with its own media manager software, but it’s not worth using. Loading your music is quite simple. When you plug your SwiMP3 into your computer, it shows up as any removable hard drive would (on a Mac or PC, mp3 or WMA files). If you’re using iTunes, the SwiMP3 pops right up in there, too.

It connects to your computer with a USB connector, which also charges the device. It takes about three hours for a full charge, giving you approximately eight hours of playback. Additionally, it has 1GB of storage (approximately 240 songs).

The headphones are very sturdy and clip right onto your goggles or mask. They also are surprisingly comfortable to wear, as they stay in place resting on your cheekbones. But I have a small issue with the buttons on the goggles - they’re tiny, and it makes concentrating on your swim a bit distracting if you need to make adjustments to your tunes. The buttons on the goggles include on/off, volume, next/previous track, pause and shuffle functions.

The bottom line: Listening to your favorite songs takes the monotony out of swimming laps, and if you’re a dedicated lap swimmer or triathlete, the SwiMP3 could be your new best friend. Find it online for $150 at Finisinc.com or Amazon.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone: App of the Week: NASA
A couple weeks ago NASA released its first app for the iPhone/iPod touch. This is a dream come true for space geeks. You can see up-to-date space mission information with this all in one easy-to-use app.

NASA’s app collects, customizes and delivers an extensive selection of dynamically updated information, images and videos from various sources. You can see NASA countdown clocks, the NASA Image of the Day, Astronomy Image of the Day, online videos, multiple Twitter feeds, track the positions of the International Space Station and see satellite imagery (with the option of overlaid with country borders/labels).

Not only is this app way cool, it’s free at the iTunes Store. Note that it requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

Checking Out The New Zune HD

2009-10-28T02:42:00.001-10:00

By popular request from many friends, I had to take a look at the Zune HD, Microsoft’s first portable multimedia player that combines a built-in HD radio receiver, High-Definition (HD) video output capabilities, organic light-emitting diode (OLED), touch screen, Wi-Fi and an Internet browser. Other than the radio capability, you could say it’s similar to Apple’s iPod touch.

Before I go any further, let me clarify a common misconception: The “HD” in HD radio does not stand for High-Definition as it would for HD video. It is the trademark/marketing tool for iBiquity’s in-band on-channel (IBOC) technology that was selected by the Federal Communications Commission as a digital broadcasting method for the United States. Essentially, the “HD” has no real meaning.

Note that Hawaii has six HD radio stations: 98.5, 93.9, 92.3, 101.9, 100.3 and 105.1. This is the first time I have a device that can actually play HD radio, and these six stations sound the same as any other “regular” radio station. I cannot hear the supposed “higher quality sound,” but I do enjoy being able to switch back and forth between the HD1 and HD2 channels that most of these have available. I wish my iPhone or iPod touch could do this.

That aside, other than the obvious new slender look of the Zune HD, the biggest change is in its software. The new interface is simple and easy to navigate through with its large typography. Being accustomed to the iPhone/iPod touch, going through the menus required a small learning curve for me, but I adapted to the change within a couple of minutes. The sensitivity of the touch screen is different. It’s not as reactive as tapping on my iPhone, and it doesn't feel as fluid. But the Zune HD’s display looks extremely sharp (16:9 widescreen display, 480x272 resolution). A huge plus is the ability to play back HD video files in 720p from the Zune HD using a docking station (sold separately for $90).

In addition, you have access to a limited amount of apps such as a calculator or the MSN Weather application. Later this year, there are plans to release other apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and 3D games like Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition. As you would download apps, songs and videos from the iTunes Store on an iPhone/iPod touch, you would acquire these for the Zune HD from the Zune Marketplace.

There’s nowhere near the selection of apps/media you would find on the iTunes Store, but I have a feeling it’s not Microsoft’s goal to compete with the iPod touch here. The bottom line: The Zune HD is a great media player and big improvement on the original Zune. This would have been better as a media phone ... maybe in the future?

It comes in 16GB ($220) or 32GB ($290), plus you need to subscribe to the $15/month Zune Pass (which gives you access to everything on the Zune Marketplace). Buy it at your nearest Best Buy (bestbuy.com) or find it online at Zune.net or Amazon.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Labor Mate
There must be something in the water because I have many friends and friends of friends who are pregnant or just gave birth recently. A tip from one of them who recently gave birth: White Peak Software’s Labor Mate app. It’s a labor contraction stopwatch and your best friend if you have your iPhone in-hand while you’re having contractions.

Instead of thinking about or counting your contractions, you tap the labor stopwatch as the contractions stop and start. Labor Mate then tracks the information and reports the timings back to you in an easy-to-read format so you’ll know when it’s time to call the doctor and head to the hospital. Find Labor Mate at the iTunes Store for 99 cents.

Microsoft's Windows 7

2009-10-21T23:04:00.004-10:00

Apple’s latest operating system, Snow Leopard Mac OS X 10.6, came out a couple months ago, and this week (Oct. 22) we’ll see the next big operating system release with Microsoft’s Windows 7. I’ve been playing with it since the beta came out in January, and it’s basically a streamlined version of Vista with many visible changes.

Here are some of the main highlights that come to mind:
* Installing Windows 7 was a breeze, and now anytime I turn my computer on or off, both are very quick to do - faster than when it was XP or Vista. Following the install, the first thing I noticed about the display was the choice of fun, colorful desktop pictures. Of course, you can still use your own pictures, but I enjoy some of the ones you can choose from since they remind me of cute Japanese anime.

* The new Aero Peek feature helps you through desktop clutter by giving you X-ray vision through your open windows straight to your Windows 7 desktop. To activate it, point to the right edge of the taskbar and watch your windows instantly turn transparent. Going hand-in-hand with that is Aero Shake - click on a pane and literally shake your mouse. This causes all your open windows, except the one you just clicked, to close. It’s perfect to clear a cluttered desktop quickly. Also related is Aero Snap: This gives you a smart and fun way of resizing/working with your windows.

* If you use OS X, you’re probably quite familiar with Spotlight. Information on your hard drive is better organized in Windows 7; the new search built into the Start Menu works similar to Spotlight. As soon as you start typing in a search query, the results start populating in the window immediately, as it looks at your entire hard drive and not just where you tell it to look. Another OS X similarity is the Taskbar - it reminds me of the OS X dock, but it has larger icons and it’s not as pretty. As far as software compatibility goes, Windows 7 worked with everything I tried loading on the machine, including Office 2007. I didn’t try to install anything out of the ordinary, so maybe I was lucky.

After running Windows 7 for more than nine months, I can say that this new operating system patched up the potholes that Vista left in the road and is a huge improvement. I wouldn’t call it a complete makeover, but more of a refined version of the Windows you already know.

Is it worth it? For the fixes and software stability, yes. The Windows 7 prices vary: $120-$220/upgrade from XP or Vista or $200-$320/full version. Find it at the Windows Store (store.microsoft.com) or Amazon.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Babyphone
With a baby on the way, I’ve been doing a lot of research on baby tech stuff and, in the process, found Babyphone. You place your iPhone near your baby and it turns into a baby monitor that will call your house phone (or another number) to let you know your child is awake.

Babyphone’s main screen shows the current status, microphone sensitivity and the threshold for triggering the alarm. Once the microphone display reaches or exceeds your set threshold, it will call your designated phone number. Since I don’t have an actual baby on whom to test it yet, I used it on my parrot - it works great with him! Find Babyphone at the iTunes Store for $3.99.

IngBoo: Information At A Glance

2009-10-14T02:16:00.001-10:00

Launched earlier this year, IngBoo brings you a new way to interact with information updates on the Web. It’s basically a heavy-duty tracking tool that analyzes each feed to give you the latest information. It tracks and helps you to quickly find just about anything you can think of, including specific news stories, traffic reports, sports scores or ongoing sales. In today’s economy, this is really helpful for a job hunter to do quick, yet personalized job searches.

“IngBoo provides all of the information on the Web that is important to you in glanceable, snackable snippets,” says IngBoo co-founder and CEO Rikard Kjellberg. “Unlike similar services such as Google Alerts, Trackle and Alerts.com that deliver updates via e-mail, IngBoo updates are experienced in the form of a uniquely designed list that is accessible on desktops and smart-phones.”

There are a number of Web applications similar to IngBoo, but really none is as efficient as IngBoo. It helps you keep all your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, social networking accounts (i.e. Facebook, Twitter) and online interests in one place. Setting up your feeds/info interests is very easy to do with the predefined content catalog/big buttons, or the search function. Once you have that ready to go, you scroll over your topics and the full story appears without actually clicking on the link - very convenient!

For you bloggers, Web publishers and retailers looking to increase your Web site revisits, IngBoo offers a free button that you can place discreetly on your site (similar to an RSS button). This button lets you subscribe with a single mouse click instead of a whole complicated process. Basically, the IngBoo experience is tailored to the folks who may be intimidated by the complexity of an RSS reader.

The best part of it all: IngBoo is free! Too bad there’s no iPhone app to go with it yet. Visit ingboo.com to begin your efficient information flow.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: myStarbucks
It was only a matter of time before Starbucks came out with its own iPhone app, and now it’s here. There’s not really much to the app, but, hey, it’s Starbucks - and as cliche as it is, I love Starbucks coffee. The most convenient thing about the app is the Store Locator. It’s not such a big deal here in Hawaii since I know where all my nearby Starbucks stores are, but if I were traveling, I would want to know where all the Starbucks are.

You can build your perfect drinks, save and share them via e-mail or if you’re close enough, iPhone to iPhone. The Coffee Menu and Food Menu will let you see the full Starbucks selection along with the detailed nutrition information (sometimes it’s better not to look at all - but at least my favorite latte is only 170 calories).

Mr. Click Chick’s Top TGS Picks

2009-10-07T02:38:00.001-10:00

This year’s Tokyo Game Show (TGS) in Japan just finished, and it was yet another expo I could not attend this year. I’ve always wanted to attend a TGS, but keep missing the opportunity - the show is similar to the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3, in Los Angeles that I’ve written about. This year my schedule looked open, so I registered early, but I’m now well into the third trimester of pregnancy, and per doctor’s orders I cannot travel.

As with all the shows I missed this year, I sent “Mr. Click Chick,” my husband, Alan (systems manager for MidWeek and the Star-Bulletin), to cover TGS for me. Held for four days (Sept. 24-27), this year’s theme was “Game, it’s so energetic!” During that time, a whopping 185,030 attendees showed up, even though it was much smaller than a typical E3. Pretty impressive for a show that had 180 exhibitors and 760 game titles.

There were obviously too many titles to mention individually, but here are a few highlights with release dates/platforms that caught Mr. Click Chick’s eye:

* Tekken 6 (Oct. 29: PS3, Xbox 360, PSP): Both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions were featured at TGS, just as they were at E3 by its publisher, Namco Bandai. Only this time it was all in Japanese and the Scenario Campaign was playable along with its entire 40-character roster. First impressions from the demo: Along with normal moves, you can pick up weapons, heal downed opponents (not to full health) and there’s a new energy drink that adds electrical damage to your attacks.

* Lost Planet 2 (Feb. 21: PS3, Xbox 360): Developed by Capcom, this is a great sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. It’s a first-person shooter with RPG elements and big bosses to take down with three of your friends in coop campaign mode. One of the best games at TGS.

* Bayonetta (Jan. 2010: PS3, Xbox 360): From SEGA/Platinum Games, this is an action-adventure story in which Bayonetta is a reborn witch who battles against angels with her unique shape-shifting abilities and weapons equipped to her hands and feet. The gameplay is similar to Devil May Cry and involves melee and long-range attacks.

* Front Mission Evolved (spring 2010: PS3, Xbox 360, PC): This latest addition to the Front Mission series by Square Enix moves away from turn-based play to full third-person shooter. If you are a fan of robot battle games such as MechWarrior, you’ll love this latest installment. It has great graphics and gameplay, as you can customize your mech’s armor and weaponry.

* Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (released Sept. 29: PS3): KOEI TECMO’s compelling action-adventure game is a redefined version of Ninja Gaiden II and shares a similar gameplay style to God of War III and Heavenly Sword. There are 17 levels in the game that traverse to several locations to show off the impressive graphics.

You’ll be seeing some of these titles and more in my upcoming columns. If you’re curious about the Tokyo Game Show, visit the Web site for more information/pictures: http://expo.nikkeibp.co.jp/tg s/2009/en/.

SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny For PSP

2009-09-30T03:26:00.001-10:00

Namco Bandai Games recently released SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny, its latest in the SoulCalibur series - but this one is exclusively for Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP). Broken Destiny is the title’s handheld iteration that gives you the signature SoulCalibur weapon-based fighting formula on the go.

You have 28 characters to choose from and they’re available right from the beginning without having to unlock anything. If you’re a SoulCalibur follower, you’ll see some of your old favorites along with some new faces - even a special appearance by Kratos from the God of War game. I was surprised to see him in there, but it’s fun to play his character. In addition, you can create your own character from scratch with the customization tool for physical appearance, apparel and gear. Unlike the characters, these other options need to be unlocked. They’re purely aesthetic since there are no point bonuses associated with what you’re wearing.

For the average user. this game is very easy to grasp right from the start. All you need to do is experiment with the buttons while you’re fighting your opponent, and you’ll eventually figure out the basic horizontal/vertical attacks, kicks and swings with whatever weapon you’re armed with.

Chances are, without reading the manual, you won’t know what every button does, but if you hit the square button (when you’re in the character select menu), that will give you information about your character along with combinations to special moves. Additionally, if you don’t feel comfortable jumping right into the fights, you can practice your overall strategy with over 80 exercise missions, and use your fighting skills and advanced techniques/combos in the training mode.

Overall, I think SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny packs a powerful punch and is a must-have PSP game. The fighters are detailed with smooth/natural animation, the ad hoc multi-player mode works well, and the best part is that I can have SoulCalibur available to play right in my purse. The only disappointment I have with the game is the lack of online play, but at least there’s an option to play against your friends with the ad hoc mode.

SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny is rated “T” for Teen and retails for $39.99. Find it at your nearest GameStop (gamestop.com), Toys N Joys (toysnjoys.com) or on Amazon.com. Check out namcobandaigames.com or soulcalibur.com for more information about the game.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: MewMew Tower
MewMew Tower has been out for awhile, but I didn’t find it until last week when I saw it on my brother’s iPhone. It’s such a simple game, but so addictively fun. Your goal is to stack as many cats as possible on top one another without making the whole pile topple over. The key is to heap the kitties in a straight line to maintain good balance. Don’t move your iPhone/iPod touch around too much because it affects your tower’s integrity. In the beginning of a game, you’ll see small cats and think to yourself, “Oh, easy.” Then after stacking several of those, the game will throw in some fat cats. Watch out - if you’re not careful, those tubbies are the ones that will make your kitty masterpiece come tumbling down. Find MewMew Tower (aka Tumi Neko) for 99 cents at the iTunes App Store.

The World's Smallest Camcorder

2009-09-23T02:43:00.002-10:00

Of the all the announcements from Apple in the last couple weeks, the new iPod nano is hands-down the best one. The capability of this new nano reminds me of the compact Flip Mino camera I reviewed a little over a year ago - but it’s much smaller, and has a greater space capacity and more functionality. Not only did they add a video camera to it, there’s a built-in FM radio with live pause, iTunes Tagging and a pedometer. If you were following the rumor mills, sorry, disappointingly, there’s no iPod touch with a camera yet.

“iPod nano is the world’s most popular music player with over 100 million sold,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “And now we’ve added a video camera to its incredibly thin design, without any additional cost to the user.”

This new nano is exactly the same size as the previous one: 3.6 x 1.5 x 0.2 inches. It has a microphone the size of a pinhole and a speaker perfect for on-the-go footage for your blog or Facebook page, or if you’re traveling and don’t want to lug around a huge video camera. The 2.2-inch screen makes it fairly easy to see your images. There are various video effects you can do for fun - black and white, X-ray, thermal, security cam, cyborg, sepia and more. Sadly, its camera does not take still pictures, only video. The speaker isn’t anything special, but good enough for you to play back your videos or audio if your ears are near it.

A few drawbacks on the camera piece: The video quality isn’t as good as a regular camcorder, but it’s certainly better than a typical cell phone. The nano’s video produces standard definition (no HD capability) and there is no image stabilization, so you’ll need to have a steady hand to keep your footage looking good.

As far as the FM radio, Apple is a little late on this capability compared to other music players. I wish the iPhone had this too. Your headphones act as the FM antenna and you can pause live radio for up to 15 minutes by pushing “play” after a phone call. Your music/show then continues right from where you paused it. Theoretically, you can tag songs as you’re listening (to later purchase in iTunes), but so far Clear Channel radio stations are the only ones that transmit this special iTunes tag to make it work.

In addition, the pedometer counts your steps and counts your burned calories. It’s supposed to help you meet your fitness goals. You can also upload your workout data to the iPod+Nike website for complete analysis and/or to compete against others.

The new iPod nano retails for $149/8GB (2,000 songs or eight hours of video), or double your capacity for just a little bit more $179/16GB (4,000 songs or 16 hours of video). Available colors include silver, black, purple, blue, green, orange, pink, and PRODUCT RED and yellow online only. Find the new nano at your nearest Apple Store (apple.com) or Mac Made Easy in Kailua (maceasy.com). Other Apple updates include a new iTunes (iTunes 9), an updated iPod shuffle price ($59) and an iPod touch lineup geared more towards games.

Cell Phone Use and Cancer

2009-09-16T03:32:00.004-10:00

I have a friend who is convinced we’ll all end up with brain cancer because we use cell phones. Perhaps there might be some truth in that, but we probably won’t know for sure until several years down the road. In the meantime, the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) research team just released a comprehensive guide to cell phone radiation that rates more than 1,000 cell phones sold in the United States.

“We would like to be able to say that cell phones are safe,” says Olga Naidenko, Ph.D., EWG senior scientist and lead author of the study. “But we can’t. The most recent science, while not conclusive, raises serious issues about the cancer risk of cell phone use that must be addressed through further research. In the meantime, consumers can take steps to reduce exposure.”

There have been concerns about radiation and cell phones for years, but there is no scientific evidence that makes a solid link between cell phone usage and cancer. However, the EWG claims that recent scientific studies have produced evidence that shows an increased risk for brain and mouth tumors linked to cell phone usage. Public health officials’ concerns about the possible dangers of radio frequency emissions are intensifying as the number of wireless devices continues to grow. There are about 270 million Americans who are wireless subscribers (as of December 2008), which is a 30 percent jump in three years.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires that all cell phones be rated at 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg) or lower. According to the EWG’s guide, the highest-rated phones are T-Mobile’s My Touch 3G, Motorola’s Moto VU204 and the Kyocera Jax S1300, all at 1.55 W/kg. I don’t feel too bad, since my beloved iPhone is right in the middle at 1.19 W/kg. The best phone to own is the Samsung Impression SGH-a877.

Check out www.ewg.org/cellphone-radiation to see the full report, compare where your phone is rated and read some tips on how to reduce your exposure.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: reQall
reQall has been around for awhile, but it was just reintroduced with new features and a Pro version. It’s an effortless personal reminder and organizer system that’s perfect for your iPhone. In a nutshell, reQall transcribes what you utter into your iPhone and reminds you via e-mails, text messages, instant messaging or logging onto the Web site. It’s so innovative, it can even use your phone’s GPS to tell you where you parked your car or remind you to buy groceries at Foodland as you’re walking past it.

Download reQall for free at the iTunes App Store. The service for the Pro version will cost you $24.99 per year, but if you stick with reQall Standard, it’s free. Visit reqall.com for more information and to sign up for a free account. When you register for an account, it’ll automatically give you a free 15-day trial of the Pro service.

A side note: Good news for iPhone 3G/3GS users: Multimedia messaging (MMS) will (finally!) be available beginning Sept. 25 through a software upgrade - geez, it’s about time! Unfortunately, this update won’t work with a first-generation iPhone.

Apple's Snow Leopard Upgrade

2009-09-09T02:41:00.002-10:00

If you’re a Mac user, chances are you already know about or may have already installed Apple’s latest upgrade that hit the shelves about a week and a half ago: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. It came out a little earlier than I thought it would. Perhaps Apple was trying to beat Microsoft’s release of Windows 7 in October.

“Snow Leopard builds on our most successful operating system ever and we’re happy to get it to users earlier than expected,” says Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “For just $29, Leopard users get a smooth upgrade to the world’s most-advanced operating system and the only system with built-in Exchange support.”

Snow Leopard doesn’t have any “new” features to boast about. It’s more of a huge refinement to the already smooth-running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system. But before you even think about installing it, make sure you have a good backup! If you are currently using Time Machine, that’s perfect. Just be sure to capture the latest image before you do the install/upgrade. Once you have it installed, you’ll notice it’s truly an optimized version of Leopard. The startup time is faster, and you’ll have some free space on your hard drive (varies depending on what type of machine you have). I now have an extra 18 GB on my hard drive, but some people on the forums are claiming to have freed up 40 GB.

Apple engineers have spent loads of time working on improvements for Snow Leopard. Some of the refinements you’ll see include a more responsive Finder, Time Machine backups up to 80 percent faster, a Dock with Expose integration, QuickTime X (with a redesigned player that allows you to easily view, record, trim and share video), and a 64-bit version of Safari that runs up to 50 percent faster and is resistant to crashes caused by plug-ins.

For the first time, some of the applications are 64-bit and make use of large amounts of RAM, increase performance and improve security while still remaining compatible with 32-bit applications. Important for business folks, there is built-in support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 directly in Mac OS X Mail, Address Book and iCal to send/receive e-mail, create/respond to invitations and search/manage contacts with global address lists.

Among other things I discovered on my own is the clock - when you travel, it works as a mobile phone and adjusts the time automatically in time zones. The menu bar shows the date, not just the day of the week. See the strength of nearby wireless hotspots and go through a pdf document or watch a movie right within a file’s icon. Common text substitutions let you create shortcuts for items you use frequently and expand as you type (i.e. changing (c) to a © symbol).

Bottom line: The very affordable $29 price is worth it. If you need/want the additional software, you’ll have to pay a hefty $169 for the Mac Box Set (includes the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb, iDVD and iWork 09). Note you’ll need a Mac with an Intel processor, at least 1GB of free disk space and a minimum of 1 GB of memory.

Find Snow Leopard at your nearest Apple Store (apple.com) or at Mac Made Easy in Kailua (maceasy.com).

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Facebook’s New Look
The updated Facebook iPhone/iPod touch app makes a world of difference since it now closely mirrors the functions of the actual Web site. The first thing I noticed after I did the update was the new icons. They’re now easy to see, which makes it easier to navigate. Landscape mode is supported and it’s easier on the eyes.

Other notable features are the ability to quickly dial or text your friends and see their birthdays, sort through your friends either by first or last name, perform easy searches for people and pages, upload photos to any album (not just your mobile album), upload videos from an iPhone 3GS, create shortcuts to your favorite friends/pages, and more.

You’ll need the iPhone OS 3.0 or later to run this app, but if you’re a chronic Facebooker, you’ll want to download this. Find it for free at the iTunes App Store.

TrickleStar - Power Savers

2009-09-02T17:34:00.002-10:00

I’ve seen my power bill fluctuate up and down over the past couple of years, and I do everything I can to try to save electricity. Recently my monthly bill has gone down from the average of $400 I was paying to about $250 now. I’m all about turning off the lights when I’m not using them, and I’ll even sit in the dark while I’m watching TV or using my computer. Hey, every little bit helps, right?

Going even further with saving money, TrickleStar makes a line of easy-touse standby power products that help you conserve electricity used by little things you probably wouldn’t think of as power wasters: computers and televisions, along with their peripherals (i.e. printers, cable modems, speakers, scanners, DVD/Blu-ray players, game consoles). TrickleStar stops the flow of standby power when these items are in “standby” mode.

“When you consider that standby power has been estimated as contributing to as much as 12 percent of consumers’ electricity bills - in the home or office environment - you realize just how much standby power costs, not just for the impact it has on our hip pockets, but on the electrical grid and the planet,” says Bernard Emby, founder of TrickleStar. “We have developed a range of industry-leading products that will give Americans the peace of mind that they are putting a stop to the constant flow of standby power - and at the same time are reducing their power bills and their environmental footprint.”

The two products I plugged in at home are the PC TrickleSaver and the TV TrickleSaver. You need to plug each into a power strip to manage multiple connected devices, but there is no need to replace your existing power strips. The PC TrickleSaver connects to your computer via a standard USB cable and detects the power status of your system via its USB port. Likewise, the TV TrickleSaver has built-in current-sensing circuitry that senses when your TV is on or off. Both are extremely painless to plug in and set up.

In addition, the TrickleStar Web site (www.tricklestar.com) has a standby power calculator to help you figure out how much you can save. Adding on all of my components (including my PS3) and the amount of time I use, it indicated I can save about $129.26/year for my TV component and $54.94/year for my computer. Not bad for little things.

For more information and to purchase the TrickleSavers, visit the TrickleStar Web site. The PC TrickleSaver is $24.95 and the TV TrickleSaver is $34.95.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Sheep Launcher
Sheep Launcher is one of those addicting yet simple iPhone/iPod touch apps that keeps you occupied for long periods of time. You push the big red button to launch your sheep, and you keep tapping him as fast as you can to boost him higher and higher in the air. On the way up, you can collect power-up items such as a helium tank, a rocket pack or a flying saucer. Additionally, pick up as many stars as you can to increase your final score.

The higher you climb the more challenging the game becomes, and you can even compete against other players worldwide to try to be one of the top 50 players. If you purchase the full version (Sheep Launcher Plus!) you’ll see a few more features, plus be able to go beyond our solar system to discover what’s out there. Sheep Launcher Free! is free, and Sheep Launcher Plus! costs 99 cents at the iTunes App Store.

Madden NFL 10

2009-08-26T00:33:00.001-10:00

I always know the summer is coming to a close and football season is about to kick off when a new Madden video game comes out. Now is that time of year as Electronic Arts’Madden NFL 10 just released. All new Madden games include a few features that set them apart from the previous release, and Madden NFL 10 keeps that tradition alive.

The first thing I noticed was the details - it’s the best-looking Madden game that I’ve seen to date. From the way the players look on the field to things you see in the background, this is as close as you’ll come to playing a real game of football with a video game. You’ll see players getting yelled at on the sidelines, referees debating touchdown calls and pre-game warm-ups on the field with commentaries from Tom Hammond and Chris Colinsworth.

Other main attractions of Madden NFL 10 include Pro-Tak, Fight for Online Dominance and Online Co-op. The Pro-Tak System is basically for better gang tackles. It gives you control over the outcome of every play. You can drag defenders toward the first down marker, including up to nine-man gang tackles, fight for a fumble at the bottom of the pile, and evade the rush with all-new quarterback avoidance actions.

The Online Dominance mode lets you compete with up to 32 teams in an online franchise. You can propose trades, draft players and even do a fantasy draft. You can also do real NFL scheduling and have access to league message boards. It also is controllable from your computer - and soon an iPhone app.

A first for Madden, the Online Co-op trait allows you to team with a friend and battle against the CPU. This makes it easy for you to work on your game strategies, practice plays and see how it is playing from a different position with custom camera angles.

In addition, the interactive Fight For the Fumble makes a loose ball beneath the pile live as you fight for the fumble through a new rapid-button-press mini-game. Mash the button displayed on the meter to battle for possession of the ball. There’s also a quarterback pressure alert, and your controller will warn you with a rumble when a defender is near you while your quarterback is in the pocket.

Overall, Madden NFL 10 packs in a ton of good football to start you off this season. The graphics and the look of the game are a nice step forward from Madden 09. The game’s improvements mentioned above make the game attractive, but there’s nothing too massive that would reshape the title. It’s still a good football game that I had a difficult time wrestling away from my husband.

Madden NFL 10 retails for $59.99/PlayStation and Xbox 360; $49.99/Wii; $39.99/PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable (PSP). Visit your nearest Best Buy, GameStop or Toys N Joys to buy a copy of your own.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Camera Genius

The recently released Camera Genius app gives your iPhone camera the capability it should have had from the beginning. Just about all the missing features I would want to see in Apple’s real camera app are a part of Camera Genius. It includes Camera Zoom, Sound Capture, Anti-Shake, Big Button, Guides, Self Timer and Camera Manual.

The zoom is pretty self-explanatory, but the Sound Capture isn’t what you probably think it is. It snaps a picture when the noise it hears reaches a certain level (i.e. say “cheese!” really loud and it snaps your picture).

Anti-Shake is good for restless keiki or pets. Big Button turns the whole screen into a shutter release button. Guides helps you level your pics against the horizon.

Self Timer gives you the option to do two, five, 10, 15 or 30-second timer options. Lastly, Camera Manual gives you a quick reference guide of photography right there within the app.

Camera Genius is worth the nominal 99 cents. Find it at the iTunes App Store or visit www.codegoo.com for more information.

Seeing The Light On Plant Care

2009-08-19T01:26:00.001-10:00

“Hellooooo, time to water me!”

That is exactly what I need to hear from a plant if it wants to survive. Plants and I don’t exactly mix well. If I’m caring for one, it usually ends up in death for the plant. It’s not that I forget to water it; I just can’t seem to add the correct amount of water. I think I have a tendency to be stingy with the water I pour into it because subconsciously I don’t want to “waste water.”

The funny thing is my friend just asked me to water her plants while she’s gone on a monthlong trip. I don’t think she realizes that I’m probably the worst person to trust with plants. Lucky for me, her plants are still alive for now (after two weeks), but I hope they are still at least green when she returns. I’m making a conscious effort to put more water in than I usually would. All this jogged my memory about a little gadget called the Thirsty Light. This is the Click Chick’s solution to successfully living with a houseplant.

This cool invention is an intuitive digital plant moisture sensor that flashes an LED light to let you know your plant is getting dry. It’s designed to be unobtrusive when you leave it in the plant’s soil, as it continuously monitors the moisture level once per second. It contains a circuit called DryPoint, which can sense five different levels of dryness and blinks faster and faster as the soil becomes more dry. When it reaches level five (completely dry), it puts the device into standby mode to conserve its energy, and it double blinks every three seconds.

While there are many soil detectors on the market that detect the conductivity of the soil (if there’s enough water, the salts in the soil dissolve and send a tiny current through the electrodes), the Thirsty Light uses a patent to actually interpret the readings it receives. These are not cryptic readings. If it blinks, you’d better give your plant water. The Thirsty Light is probably the most appropriate for indoor plants, but I suppose you could use it on your outdoor plants if you live in a dry area and have no sprinklers. You can turn it on and off, move it around from plant to plant, and you can change the battery when it gets weak.

For more information or to purchase a Thirsty Light, check out http://www.thirstylight.com. It’s $12.99 for one, $32.97 for a three-pack, $59.94 for a six-pack, or if you want to be safe, a 12-pack is $107.88.

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App of the Week: Ukulele Chord Kumu
If you grew up in Hawaii, chances are you learned how to play the ukulele at some point in your life. Sadly, the last time I even picked up one was most likely in intermediate school, so it’s been a long, long time. Ask me to play a song for you now and I’ll just give you a blank look. Maybe this new app, Ukulele Chord Kumu, can help refresh my memory.

A Free Language-Learning Tool

2009-08-12T03:21:00.003-10:00

A free solution to language learning, Livemocha is a learning tool that combines fun self-study lessons, motivational tools and a community to help you learn the language of your choice. Unlike potentially boring CDs and books, Livemocha brings you useful everyday language from native speakers. It reached a whopping 3 million users in June, yet it’s been out there for about two years.

I started using it about a month ago and, as you probably know, learning another language can be difficult. I find that dealing with a native speaker is the best way to pick up any language. Livemocha allows you to do exactly that by putting you in touch with people who already speak the language you’re trying to learn. So far, Livemocha has a community from more than 220 countries and is the largest language-learning community. The site continues to outpace the growth of traditional classroom and CD-based language courses since it appeals to every age and nationality.

“The contributions of our enthusiastic community allow us to make language learning more accessible worldwide, thereby expanding the size of our community,” said Shirish Nadkarni, founder and CEO of Livemocha. “The viral growth we’ve experienced is a testament to the effectiveness of our unique social learning experience. Livemocha members learn new languages more effectively by accessing lessons online and tapping into a large network of native speakers for real-time practice and helpful feedback.”

Livemocha’s sign-up is quick and easy: You enter in your name, e-mail, password, etc., and choose what language(s) you want to learn. You then choose a course, and there are four steps you need to pass in each lesson: Learn, Review, Write and Speak. There are optional exercises, too: Read, Listen, Magnet and Quiz. Overall, the lesson plans include more than 160 hours of beginner- and intermediate-level content that teaches you everyday useful conversational language along with a wide range of practical reading, listening, writing and speaking exercises. I find the pictures with each phrase useful and easy to remember, as well as the option to choose to see either the characters or romanization (when learning Chinese or Japanese).

In addition, Livemocha encourages members with Mochapoints. You can earn points based on completing lessons, writing submissions or speaking submissions. Once you earn a certain amount of Mochapoints you receive medals. The points are just a way to motivate you to do more and more. Try Livemocha at http://www.livemocha.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Rowmote
Rowmote lets you control any Mac or Apple TV from the convenience of your iPhone or iPod touch via your Wi-Fi network. It works just as those little Apple Remotes do, but it does so much more without having to worry about a line-of-sight infrared connection with your computer.

Before you can use Rowmote you’ll need to download and install the Rowmote Helper on your Mac from rowmote.com. After that, you’ll be able to control a variety of programs on your computer including Front Row, Boxee, DVD Player, Hulu Desktop, iPhoto, iTunes, Quicktime, Safari or xbmc (Xbox Media Center), to highlight afew.

I have a Mac mini hooked up to my TV for the sole purpose of being a media server, and I’ve been using Rowmote to primarily control Boxee, Hulu Desktop and iPhoto. The combination of using our HDTV to watch streaming media along with Rowmote makes my home media experience very efficient and enjoyable. Download Rowmote for 99 cents at the iTunes App Store.

A Serious Challenger For Google

2009-08-05T02:54:00.002-10:00

The first time I saw one of those Bing commercials on TV, I thought, “Oh no. Another search engine trying to copy Google.” The online critics and cynics joke that Bing is an acronym for “But It’s Not Google.”

Believe it or not, in some ways Microsoft’s Bing may actually be better than Google, depending on what you’re searching for. I noticed Bing comes back with better results when searching for travel (perhaps it’s because it uses the farecast.com engine).

Bing initially launched in early June and Microsoft describes it as being a “decision engine” designed to empower people to gain insight and knowledge from the Web, moving more quickly to important decisions. It was developed as a tool to help you easily navigate through the Internet’s information overload you may see in a typical online search.

A comScore Inc. study across core search engines showed that as many as 30 percent of searches are abandoned with an unsatisfactory result. The study’s data also showed that approximately two-thirds of the remaining searches required a refinement or re-query on the search results page.

“Today, search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the Web and find information, but they don’t do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. “When we set out to build Bing, we grounded ourselves in a deep understanding of how people really want to use the Web. Bing is an important first step forward in our long-term effort to deliver innovations in search that enable people to find information quickly, and use the information they’ve found to accomplish tasks and make smart decisions.”

From Google, you’ll usually see a long list of blue links with an occasional photo. Bing does this as well, but instead of the plain white background you see on Google’s homepage, you’ll see a pretty picture on Bing’s.

Bing tries to make sense of your search with a list of common-sense links pertaining to your search (i.e. with a typical medical condition you’ll see a list with symptoms, causes, remedies, treatment, prevention and news).

Related searches are easily pulled up with a single-click and match your word(s) as well as subject matter. Additionally, when you do an image search, it’s nice that the pictures scroll forever instead of having to click Next, Next, Next as you do with Google.

The next time you need to look for something online, try Bing for yourself: http://www.bing.com. And, if you feel up to doing a comparison, check out http://www.bing-vs-google.com. It offers you a side-by-side view of the two search engines.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: RedLaser
Occipital’s RedLaser app is the first bar code reader application that actually works. It works as one of those red-laser scanners you see at the checkout counter, hence its name. It uses your iPhone’s camera as the scanner.

RedLaser supports all standard UPC and EAN bar codes (the most common formats used around the world). It recognizes just about everything you scan. Scan your items and the app instantly will have access to various online pricing and information. (For example, you’ll typically see the item and price pop up on amazon.com.) The best part about it for programmers is that they’ve made a software development kit so others can integrate it into their apps as well. Find RedLaser at the iTunes App Store for $1.99.

Driving Around In A New Prius

2009-07-29T23:43:00.001-10:00

Thanks to the folks at Servco, I got to drive the new 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid for a few days. Most people know the Prius for great gas mileage, but the new 2010 Prius also is loaded with gadgets.

The car came with the advanced technology package, which includes the Navigation Package, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Keep Assist (LKA) and the Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA). The GPS on the Navigation Package was nothing out of the ordinary. It had a Bluetooth kit with voice-command capability, and the ability to load all your contacts in the system for the voice controls. I could stream music from my iPhone, but there was no way to control my iPhone from the steering wheel, so I wouldn’t consider it fully integrated. Additionally, when you’re reversing, the camera on the bumper is very clear, and is good to help spot obstacles or people while you’re backing up.

From all the other features in the tech package, the one I played with the most was the IPA. I lost count of how many times I blocked streets with friends in the car to show them the car automatically park itself! You can use this feature to parallel park on either the left or right side of the street. Using its sonar sensors, the car automatically knows which side you’re going for. The DRCC senses cars in the front and slows down accordingly, and the LKA beeps at you and gently tugs the wheel back if it feels you drifting into the next lane. Also, with or without the tech package, you have the Smart Key - leave the key in your pocket/purse and you can unlock/lock the doors and start the car.

“The all-new 2010 Toyota Prius is a vehicle which is intended for everyone,” says Wes Kimura, vice president of Servco Automotive. “As such, we aren’t seeing a specific type of buyer, but buyers from all segments and demographics who are looking for a vehicle that does it all: great of fuel mileage, very clean emissions, available with industry leading feature - and all available at a very affordable price.”

Hypermilers will love this car. In case you don’t know what hypermiling is, it’s basically using techniques to maximize your fuel economy (i.e. minimizing braking and rapid acceleration, driving with the air conditioner off or shutting the engine down at certain times). I work with a novel hypermiler and he sometimes drives me and my other co-workers nuts on our short drives to lunch. He refuses to turn on the air conditioner, so we’ll wind the windows down so we can breathe, then we rag on him about it.

The Prius’ four driving modes give any hypermiler or regular driver the flexibility to have fun with the car. You can select between NORMAL, EV, ECO or POWER modes. I nicknamed the EV mode the “golf cart mode” - it tells the car to drive with electric power until the car goes above 25 mph or the battery level falls too low. ECO maps down the acceleration curve at mid-throttle, while POWER increases it, especially when you’re accelerating from a full stop, or need to pass a slow bus or truck on the freeway. It was fun to play with the different modes on the road, but I had to be careful to not let it become too distracting while I was driving.

The Prius is currently available in four levels. The Prius II starts at $22,000 and comes standard with keyless ignition, full-power accessories, cruise control, a six-speaker sound system, a tilting and telescoping steering wheel and a hybrid display. The Prius III ($23,000) has all that plus Bluetooth capability and an upgraded sound system. The Prius IV ($25,740) adds leather upholstery, heated front seats, an auto-dimming mirror and driver-adjustable lumbar support. The top-of-the-line Prius V ($27,210) adds 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps and LED headlights. Check out www.toyotahawaii.com for complete car specs and thorough information/options on each model.

So the question is: Is it worth it to spend the extra money for a hybrid? The recent hike in gas prices have definitely sparked interest in the Prius. Well, you do see an average of 51 miles per gallon, which means you will probably cut your monthly gas bill in half.

The good news is that the 2010 Prius qualifies for the government’s new “Cash For Clunkers” program featured in this week’s cover story. If you have an old gas-guzzling clunker to trade in, you can have $4,500 instantly knocked off the price. Visit cars.gov for more information and to see if your clunker qualifies.

Confessions Of A Geek At Heart

2009-07-22T04:37:00.002-10:00

For MidWeek‘s 25th anniversary, I was asked to share my MidWeek experience, so here it goes:

My MidWeek journey began many moons ago, in 2000, when I was hired on as a sales assistant. That job didn’t last longer than a few months when MidWeek saw potential and moved me into the systems department as an information technology specialist. I guess they could tell I was a geek at heart, and believed I could do the job. That little move changed my life forever.

My Click Chick technology column began in 2005, and I had just left the company to pursue my Air Force career. I remember chuckling at the fact that I had my journalism degree all that time but never wrote for the newspaper until I left. This was yet another great opportunity ... the rest is history.

People often ask me how I come up with my story ideas, and how I keep thinking of new things to write about. The answer is simple. I have a passion for gadgets and following the latest and greatest in the tech world anyway, so it all comes naturally. I seem to always have something at the tip of my brain, and even in the rare instance that I don’t, I receive tons of press releases every day from various companies, so my story pool never dries up. My goal with this column is to share my technology world with you, the readers.

Having this column has opened up so many doors that I almost don’t know where to begin. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many interesting people, attend various events and conferences, and occasionally I am recognized as the “Click Chick.”

One of the more memorable individuals I was able to meet was Kaz Hirai (one of the top execs of Sony Corporation) at the time of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) launch in 2006. Shortly after that, thanks to Sony, I had the first PS3 in the state of Hawaii. I remember driving home with that thing in the trunk - it felt as if I had a million bucks in the back of my car! Keep in mind this was a few days before the mad rush when people were standing in long lines to buy a PS3.

Additionally, that PS3 gave me the opportunity in November 2006 to be on my first MidWeek cover. Kaz Hirai was the main focus on the cover, and I was shown from the back holding a PS3 controller. The second MidWeek cover I was on was published in October 2007, and it was extremely close to my heart. I was pictured with three fellow survivors of domestic violence, and we were given the opportunity to share our survival stories. After that story published, it was amazing how many supportive reader e-mails and verbal comments I received. Even to this day, I still receive comments about that story, and it published nearly two years ago!

Much mahalo for reading MidWeek and my column! I look forward to many more years of providing you with the latest and greatest from my world of technology.

All The Buzz About ‘The Conduit’

2009-07-15T22:08:00.002-10:00

The Conduit was one of the most popular Nintendo Wii games at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Exclusively for the Wii from High Voltage Software and published by Sega, it has been generating lots of buzz over the past few months in the gaming community. What’s the big appeal? It’s something that works for both hardcore and casual gamers.

You go through the game as Michael Ford, a Secret Service agent with a knack for hunting down hostile aliens after saving the life of the U.S. president from an assassination attempt and witnessing terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C. All this activity has U.S. agencies in an overly paranoid state as they scramble for answers.

The big appeal of The Conduit is the control functionality. You run around the game using your nunchuk’s stick, aim your guns with the remote, toss your grenades by doing a throwing motion with the nunchuk, and make various other moves by hitting buttons or performing specific motions. I enjoy the capability to aim with precision to do headshots or shoot accurately at far-away targets.

Throughout the game you’ll see a few different environments that include subway stations, underground government bases, war-torn streets and smelly sewers. The only problem I had is even though you see that change in scenery, each level seems to play the same way. At each level you’ll end up seeing narrow corridors that could potentially make you lost if you’re not paying attention, and you go from one alien battle to another. Your bug-like/robot-looking enemies hatch from eggs, and you need to hunt down the nests they come from while you’re taking shots from above and things are sneaking up behind you.

Overall I can say The Conduit is definitely a great success for the Wii. Before this game came out, there was never a good first-person shooter designed specifically for the Wii. The controls are fine-tuned to make gunning down your enemies while sprinting around the battlefield easy and fun. The visuals fill your screen with enemies, explosions and lighting effects without making your frame rate drop.Most of all, playing the game is enjoyable.

The Conduit is rated “T” for Teen and retails for $49.99. Find it at your nearest GameStop (gamestop.com), Toys N Joys (toysnjoys.com) or Walmart (walmart.com). Visit conduitgame.com for more information on the game or to watch some footage.

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Cheap Gas!
I’ve been using the Cheap Gas! app on my iPhone since it came out back in September of last year, but now is a good time to mention it since gas prices are creeping back up. Cheap Gas! uses station pricing from GasBuddy.com and finds the cheapest gas nearest you.

I find this app helpful to quickly spot how much gas is going for nearby. Once the gas stations around you are located, it automatically sorts your results by the cheapest first. Click on the station you’re interested in and it will show you the prices of all the station’s gas grades, and if you need to know where it is, the Map button will show you. It even shows the gas prices on military bases (i.e. AAFES).

Note for the iPod touch: Cheap Gas! only supports postal code searches. Find it for free at the iTunes App Store.

Earning Extra Income Online

2009-07-08T03:30:00.004-10:00

Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed a few people fall victim to online scams that promised great wealth from working at home and investments. In this economy, with many job losses and furloughs, anything to generate extra income can sound extremely attractive. Some websites advertised on pop-up ads or spam e-mails may sound tempting to those desperately seeking work or hurting for money, but don’t take the bait!

Realistically, you’re not going to earn thousands of dollars a week for stuffing envelopes, payment processing/billing from home, or an undisclosed vague “secret method” the company won’t reveal to you unless you pay a fee. These are things the companies tell you so that you’ll likely buy into the scam, such as a product assembly kit. Then, once you have the “product” in-hand, there’s no reason for them to give you a return on investment since they already swallowed your money.

But we do know that there are actual legitimate ways to earn some extra cash online.

Here are a few examples:
* Freelancing: If you have a special talent (i.e. software programmer, web designer, illustrator, foreign language abilities, etc.) you could find a freelance job with elance.com or guru.com. Both sites have a variety of desired trades, and you can post your job for free.

* Transcription services: This is for an extremely fast typist (minimum 75 words per minute) who has a good ear and an excellent command of the English language. Transcription involves listening to recorded speech and putting it into written form. The material you produce can range from interviews, focus groups, corporate research projects and police interrogations to documentary film footage. Here are two reputable companies to check out: productiontranscripts.com/jobs and tigerfish.com/employment. If you don’t already have it, both require Start-Stop’s Power Play for Windows Media software (fairly pricey investment at around $250).

* Customer service: Patience, a computer and fairly quiet surroundings are required for this one. Working Solutions (workingsol.com) offers work-at-home opportunities for various projects that could include order processing, reservations, customer service, sales or market research. The calls are routed to your home office, and you’ll need a computer. No fees are charged to apply or work for Working Solutions.

* Tutor: Are you an academic who enjoys helping others? Online tutoring could be for you. You’ll have to go through an extensive screening process to become a certified online tutor. Subjects range from high-level math and science to social studies and foreign languages. Two websites that offer this opportunity are tutor.com and smarthinking.com.

There are countless other legitimate online opportunities out there, but these probably are the easier ones at which to succeed.

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Flight Control

Flight Control is an action/strategy game for your iPhone/iPod touch. You touch and drag aircraft to their landing zones as you avoid midair collisions. It sounds simple, but you need to do this with great skill as planes seem to pop up out of nowhere.

The game features a peer-to-peer multiplayer mode, where you can play together with your favorite iPhone/iPod touch buddy. The aircraft appear as usual, but one controller is in charge of the pink plane, and the other handles the yellow and blue ones. Additionally, you can save/resume your games (i.e. when you receive a phone call) and fast-forward the game if you want it to move along quicker.

Flight Control is so much fun and addicting, it’s one of those games that will stay on your iPhone forever. It’s perfect to keep you occupied for either a short wait in the doctor’s office or that long plane ride that will last hours and hours. Find it at the iTunes App Store on for 99 cents or visit www.fire.mint.com/flightcontrol for more information.

Hands-free Options For Your Cell

2009-07-01T02:32:00.003-10:00

With the new “hands-free” cell phone law going into effect this week, I’ve been bombarded with the same question from family, friends, co-workers and readers: “What is the best hands-free device I can use with my cell phone?”

As I’ve been telling everyone, that’s a loaded question with multiple answers. Over the past few years, while the cell phone market grew, so did the variety of hands-free devices. Bluetooth/hands-free devices are available just about everywhere, and there’s no way I can mention everything, but here are some ideas for you to ponder.

I use and enjoy the Jawbone PRIME, which came out in May. I think it’s the best Bluetooth headset for noise reduction. My biggest problem with noise is being outside in the wind. We all know how annoying it is when you’re talking to someone and all you hear from the other side is the wind blowing and not their voice. The PRIME solves this, as it can handle up to 10 mph of wind with its proprietary sensor coupled with its new Digital Signal Processing algorithms.

With this headset I can have a normal conversation without worrying about covering the mouthpiece or getting out of the blowing wind. Also note the PRIME gives you a 6- to 9-decibel improvement in almost any other noisy environment, as it extracts noises and keeps your voice natural. It will last about four-and-a-half hours on a single charge for talk time/eight days standby, and will fully charge in about 45 minutes.

The Jawbone PRIME is a little pricey for a headset, but it’s well worth it. The retail price is $129.99 and it comes in four fun “EARCANDY” colors - lime, scarlet, yellow and lilac - as well as boring black, brown and gray. Find it at your nearest Apple Store (or www.apple.com) or from Jawbone (www.jawbone.com).

If you’re on a budget or just want something reasonable that does the job so you can be in compliance with the new law, Hawaiian Telcom has a few solutions at its stores (Bishop Street, Kapiolani Boulevard or Pearlridge Uptown). The best thing is, all of them are on sale:

* Ear Bud (wired headset): extremely affordable, $7.50 (regular $15)
* foneGear Mini Blu (fG976): four hours talk time/three days standby, $39.99 (regular $49.99)
* BlueAnt X3: seven hours talk time/7.5 days standby, multi-function button for headset control, $39.99 (regular $50)
* BlueAnt Supertooth 3 Bluetooth Speakerphone: If you don’t already have a cell phone that you can control with your voice, the Supertooth 3 allows you to use voice prompts to connect the device with your phone and upload your address book. It announces the name or ID of the caller when your phone rings - just say OK to accept the call. It installs in seconds for an alternate hands-free experience. $99 (regular $125)

If you’re willing to spend a little more and don’t want to deal with a headset, another alternative is installing an entire kit in your car. In addition to my headset, my car came with a Bluetooth kit, and it worked great with my previous iPhones and now my iPhone 3G S. If your car didn’t come loaded with a kit, there are companies that can install one for you. Hands Free Hawaii has been around since 1989 and installs hard-wired Bluetooth car kits that range approximately from $200 to $400 (plus $200 average labor charge). These kits enable you to make and take calls without touching your phone (usually the controls are on the steering wheel).

Talking on your cell phone can be helpful passing the time in heavy traffic, but if you must, please call safely! Remember that the first offense for using your phone without a hands-free device is $67. After that, a judge can impose a higher fine for repeat offenses.

A reminder: Under this new law, mobile electronic devices include cell phones, text-messaging devices, pagers, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, video game players (i.e. PlayStation Portable or Nintendo DS) and digital cameras.

iPhone 3G S: ‘S’ Stands For Speed

2009-06-24T04:36:00.001-10:00

The next generation iPhone 3G S was announced last week, and I stopped my whole world just to watch the live coverage of its launch, since I’ve been hearing rumors about it for months. If you’re an in-the-know iPhone enthusiast, you probably preordered it the day of the launch and already have one in your hand. For the more patient, conservative folks, the “old” iPhone 3G will not be discontinued and you can now buy an 8GB version for $99.

The S stands for speed. The new iPhone 3G S is twice as fast as the previous model. “iPhone 3G S is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, and we think people will love the incredible new features including autofocus camera, video recording and the freedom of voice control,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of WorldWide Product Marketing.

Other features include a longer battery life, a higher quality three-megapixel autofocus camera, video recording and hands-free voice control. A new VoiceOver feature enables visually impaired users to make calls, read e-mails, browse web pages, play music and run apps.

There’s a new universal Zoom function that magnifies the entire screen, and a white-on-black feature that reverses the colors to provide a higher contrast for folks with low vision. One I can probably use is the Mono Audio, which combines left and right audio channels so that they can be heard in both earbuds for those with hearing loss in one ear. And, last but not least, the phone also includes the new iPhone 3.0 software (as you may remember from my March 25 column).

The iPhone OS 3.0 features more than 100 new functions: Cut, Copy, Paste; MMS; Spotlight Search across your iPhone or within Mail, Contacts, Calendar and iPod (similar to a search in OS X); landscape keyboard, expanded parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and the ability to capture and send audio recordings with the new Voice Memo app.

Additionally, if you lose your phone, the Find My iPhone feature works with MobileMe so you can locate your lost iPhone on a map, send a message that will appear on the screen, or play a sound to help you find it (even if it’s set to silent). If you can’t find your iPhone, you can erase all data and content with the Remote Wipe feature - quite handy if you don’t want it falling into the wrong hands.

Pricing for the iPhone 3G S is a little complicated - if you “qualify,” it’s $199 for the 16GB and $299 for the 32GB. I didn’t qualify for the special pricing and most iPhone 3Gs won’t either. I was quoted $399/16GB and $499/32GB for the “early upgrade price.” If you want to buy an iPhone 3G S without an AT&T contract, it will cost $599/16GB or $699/32GB ... ouch! Also note you’ll have to pay an additional $30 per month in data charges, and a little more for text messages, depending on your selection - I pay $5/month for 200 text messages a month.

For those of you who just bought an iPhone 3G within the last 30 days, congratulations, you automatically qualify for a free upgrade to the 3G S. If they’re in-stock, you can find these iPhones your nearest Apple Store (or online at www.apple.com) AT&T Store, Best Buy or Walmart. If you’re still deciding whether or not to buy an iPhone ... remember, it’s all about the apps. There are 50,000-plus to choose from - no other smart phone can beat that!

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Sally’s Spa

Thanks to Russ, one of the most organized people I know, I found a great time management game - Sally’s Spa. When I first saw it I laughed at the complete girliness of it, but it’s actually fairly entertaining.

You’re Sally, and you’re running different spas across the world. You refresh your customers with saunas, manicures, massages, hot stones, and facials in an efficient manner. You’re making sure your customers are happy, and you need to make sure you’re making an adequate amount of money to keep your business growing. Use the money for upgrades to help your spa business expand and grow.

Sally’s Spa is fun for all ages and either gender. Find it at the iTunes App Store for 99 cents (full version) or free for Sally’s Spa Lite (similar to Sally’s Spa, but with slightly fewer features).

Sony Showstoppers at E3 2009

2009-06-17T02:45:00.001-10:00

Continuing with Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) thoughts from last week, Sony had a basketful of goodies to share with the world. The main highlights were some PlayStation 3 (PS3) exclusives: God of War III, Unchartered 2 and a new concept called MAG (Massive Action Game). On top of that, a new PSP (PSPgo) was announced.

The most anticipated game at E3 this year was the action-adventure, single-player God of War III. This is the final installment to the hugely popular God of War series, and you again play as Kratos, the angry ex-Spartan warrior seeking his revenge against Zeus and the gods of Mt. Olympus. The graphics are spectacular and the action is nonstop. You can now ride some of the mythological creatures to transport you around, and new weapons such as the Cestus allow Kratos to learn new ruthless techniques. The game’s trademark detailed gore and violence are enhanced on the PS3 - definitely not for the keiki. God of War III comes out in March 2010 (Rating: RP for Rating Pending).

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the fresh single-player, action-adventure shooter follow-up to last year’s hit - Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. You are Nathan Drake, a fortune hunter with a shady reputation and an even shadier past who is lured back into the treacherous world of thieves and mercenary treasure-seekers. The game’s backdrop keeps it varied with locations ranging from lush green swamps to dense urban environments to ice and snow of the Himalayas.

The added unrestricted combat allows you to take an aggressive or stealthy approach to combat with traversal gunplay, free-climbing mechanics and variety of enemy types with advanced AI routines. The launch date is slated for late this year (Rating: RP).

MAG is a first-person shooter game that is played exclusively online, and the next evolution in gaming. It lets you experience battles with up to 256 real people across a global battlefield. MAG is able to manage a large amount of players by breaking them into squads of eight. You climb your way up the chain of command to take control of your eight-person squad, then 32-person platoon and ultimately your 128-person army.

The game takes place in a dark future 2025 where food shortages spark riots, currencies plummet, fuel reserves are dwindling and oil-producing nations ration what remains. A MAG beta is available to download, but the official release will be late this year (Rating: RP).

Last but not least, the PSPgo is for those who prefer to not carry around the typical PSP disc-based content. The PSPgo replaced the UMD drive with 16GB of flash memory to download and store a variety of digital entertainment content using the PlayStation Store. It’s a flip-style system that will come in white or black, and features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a smaller lightweight design that will fit into your purse or pocket. The regular PSP will continue to be sold alongside the PSPgo, which will retail for $249 starting Nov. 1.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: KHON2 Mobile Local News
Last month KHON became the first Hawaii TV station to release an app for local news. This app takes a combination of KHON’s newscast and website and rolls it into your iPhone/iPod touch. Designed and developed in partnership with DoApp, KHON 2 Mobile Local News makes it easy and convenient to click and scroll through local news and weather. In addition, you can catch national and international news, sports scores, entertainment news and weird news. Click the “Share” button within a story and you can easily share your story via e-mail, text, Twitter or Facebook.

Find the KHON app for free at the iTunes App Store.

Mr. Click Chick Covers E3 2009

2009-06-10T03:50:00.001-10:00

I was not able to attend this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2009, so I sent the husband, “Mr. Click Chick,” to be my eyes and ears there.

According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), more than 200 video-game publishers and developers exhibited at this year’s E3. It was well worth the quick hop across the pond to Los Angeles to see all the latest video games that will hit the market soon.

My lucky husband was able to attend Microsoft’s star-studded press conference. Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney were there to promote The Beatles: Rock Band. Tony Hawk was there to show off his new game Tony Hawk Ride (it comes with a cool skateboard controller, too). Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid’s creator, introduced his latest Metal Gear Solid: Lightning Bolt Action, exclusive for the Xbox 360.

Last but not least, Steven Spielberg was there to talk about Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to interact with video games with no controller. “The next step in interactive entertainment is to make the controller disappear,” said Spielberg, visionary director and producer. “With Project Natal, we’ll see games that bring everyone together through technology that actually recognizes us.”

Stay tuned for more on E3 ... As I write this, the show is still going on.

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Hulu Desktop Unveiled
A couple of weeks ago Hulu finally revealed what its Hulu Labs project was all about. This latest development, called Hulu Desktop, adds more color to Hulu’s already popular TV show and movie-streaming site. It’s a “lean-back” viewing experience on your computer that unleashes Hulu’s Flash video capability from your browser and brings it to an application you can install directly on your computer (Windows or Mac). Even better, you can control it with your computer’s remote.

Unveiled shortly after I returned from a couple of months of traveling, Hulu Desktop was absolutely perfect to catch up on all the TV shows I missed while gone. It’s a simple Flash application, seamless, fast and easy to navigate - everything I would expect from Hulu. I enjoy the fact that no browser is needed and I can just sit back and control the interface with my Apple Remote, similar to watching TV. Additionally, you’ll still see commercials, but they’re very minimal compared to actually watching TV.

There are various ways you can find content: regular search (by typing in the show or movie you want), alphabetically, network or studio, Hulu channel or by most popular. I find it easiest to search alphabetically since I know exactly what shows I’m looking for.

Although you don’t need a Hulu account to use it, you do require one if you want to personalize your Hulu Desktop. This includes your queue, subscriptions, viewing history, video playback quality and closed-captioning settings. Download Hulu Desktop for free at www.hulu.com/labs/hulu-desktop.

Portable Wi-Fi With MiFi 2200

2009-06-03T03:06:00.005-10:00

If you need to stay connected, as I do, having access to an Internet connection is a No. 1 priority. You can probably find a hotspot in your hotel, the nearest coffee shop or at the airport, but isn’t it more convenient if you can just carry a hotspot with you? The MiFi 2200, just released by Sprint and Verizon Wireless, offers you the ability to carry a hotspot in your purse or pocket.

The two MiFi 2200s are almost identical, but Verizon’s is black and Sprint’s is silver. You might be wondering what makes this so special in comparison to a USB data card or a builtin laptop modem. The most significant difference is that MiFi can be shared with up to five devices simultaneously (including computers and Wi-Fi-enabled toys, i.e. an iPhone or your portable game machine). Having that USB device tethered to your computer (as I’ve been using before this) can sometimes be a pain, especially since you don’t want it to snag on anything as you move around.

“You can hold the MiFi 2200 in the palm of your hand, slip it in your pocket, even place it on a beach towel if you’re lying under the sun, and wireless-ly connect your laptop, MP3 player and gaming device to the Internet all at once,” says Steve Elfman, Sprint president of network, wholesale and product. “Now customers will be able to use one mobile broadband device - the MiFi 2200 - to connect multiple personal devices or multiple users. If I have a Wi-Fi-enabled device, I don’t need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot. The MiFi 2200 creates one for me.”

The MiFi is tiny enough to hide in a shirt pocket, measuring in at 3.5-by-2.3-by-0.4 inches and weighing only 2.05 ounces. Both companies say that, on a single charge, the battery will last about four hours when it’s actively in-use and 40 hours when it’s on standby. But depending on how many devices you have connected to it, your battery probably won’t last you the entire four hours. The good news is that you can use it while it’s charging, too. A complete charge takes about two-and-a-half hours. Other features MiFi offers are advanced security through WPA2-PSK, WEP and SPI Firewall, and GPS capabilities to take advantage of select location and mapping applications, such as obtaining driving or walking directions, or finding the best nearby restaurant.

Both Sprint and Verizon Wireless are offering the MiFi 2200 for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. Sprint is offering a $59.99 per month plan for mobile broadband only, and $149.99 per month for the Simply Everything Plan plus Mobile Broadband (both include up to 5GB per month and 5 cents per megabyte over-age for the MiFi 2200 usage). Visit your nearest Sprint Store or www.sprint.com for more information.

Verizon Wireless’ plans are slightly different at $39.99 for 250MB monthly allowance (and 10 cents per megabyte overage), and $59.99 monthly access for 5GB monthly allowance (and 5 cents per megabyte overage). Check out your nearest Verizon Wireless Communications Store or www.verizonwireless.com.

Either way, the MiFi device is the same, but it’s up to you which plan you’d want to take on.

Spending More Time In Akihabara

2009-05-27T08:57:00.001-10:00

After I bought my Canon EOS Kiss X3 camera in Japan, I couldn’t just make one trip to Akihabara, Japan’s famous electronic district. I’m so crazy that,on this trip I went there five times! Even at that, I still didn’t see everything I wanted to. There was one store that stood out from all the rest ... Yodobashi. Its nine floors kept me there for almost an entire day and sucked up a good portion of my last paycheck. Ouch.

I always thought Fry’s Electronics was a cool store to visit when I fly to the Mainland. Although I still admire Fry’s, sorry, but it doesn’t even come close to Yodobashi. The mixture of stuff I found in the store was amazing - just about every computer, piece of software, TV, camera or little gadget/device on the planet was in this store. I even found a mouse-ear Mickey Mouse iPod charger for my Disney-crazy friend. Cell phones are a whole other story. They took up almost an entire floor - I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in one place.

One thing for sure, the Japanese love their cell phones. But I was a little surprised to learn that the iPhone isn’t very popular there. So much so that Softbank Mobile, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in Japan, is offering free 8GB iPhones with a two-year contract. Wow, what a deal! According to a poll I saw in a Japanese magazine, the most popular cell phone there is FOMA SH906i. From the outside, it looks like a “regular phone” I normally wouldn’t even look twice at. It still wouldn’t be my first choice, but I admit it does have some good features: a three-inch touch-screen display that supports TV, FM radio, 3G connectivity (3G is much faster in Japan than it is here), a barcode reader, music/video players and the usual e-mail/web capabilities.

I can’t wait to go back to Japan again. There’s so much to see and do, not to mention all the tech shopping!

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Top Gun
One of my favorite movies from the 1980s is Top Gun. A couple of weeks ago, I found a Top Gun iPhone app - cool! Yes, it’s a little cheesy, but I love it! This game takes you back into the movie, but you’re a recruit under Maverick and Iceman, as they’re both now instructors at the Top Gun Academy.

Instead of flying the F-14 Tomcat as in the movie, you’re piloting the F-22 Raptor or B-2 Stealth Bomber as you hear the classic Danger Zone song playing in the background (along with other tracks so you don’t become tired of the same song). The plane types threw me off since you can’t land either of them on a carrier. But other than that, for a little iPhone, the graphics are excellent and definitely add to the game-play. If you’re used to playing flight simulators, Top Gun is a breeze. If you’re not used to flight sims, the gameplay might be a small challenge, since you have to learn how to navigate properly.

With how polished this Top Gun app is, I was surprised it only cost me $1.99 (during its first week of release). Unfortunately, the price went up to $3.99, but still a small price to pay for a good iPhone game. Find it at the iTunes App Store.

UH Engineering Team Wins Competition

2009-05-20T20:45:00.002-10:00

Thanks to a robot micro-mouse named “Alfalfa,” two UH Manoa engineering students took first place in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Region 6 Central Area Spring Meeting and Micromouse Competition, held a of couple months ago at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Team members Alex Zamora and Tyson Seto-Mook built the winning micromouse, which completed the competition maze in one minute and 11:29 seconds - 2 minutes and 36 seconds ahead of another UH Manoa entry. From the nine mice entered, UH Manoa teams swept the top seven places in the maze competition, the top three positions in the packaging (construction and design) competition and first place in the student paper competition.

In the micromouse competition, student teams design and build an autonomous robot mouse that is controlled by a microprocessor and is no larger than 25 centimeters by 25 centimeters in size.

Each mouse is given 10 minutes to learn the fastest route though the maze from the starting point to the center square. Good job, guys!

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Honda Demonstrated Walking Assist Devices

Along similar lines, American Honda Motor Co. Inc. demonstrated its prototype walking assist devices for the first time in the U.S. at the 2009 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress. These devices are intended to support walking for the elderly and are currently being tested in real-world conditions by individuals with weakened leg muscles.

Called the Stride Management Assist, it’s lightweight and wearable, designed for people with weak leg muscles who can still walk on their own. It obtains data about your walking motions from hip angle sensors. Based on the information collected, the CPU applies cooperative control and calculates the amount and timing of the assistance that needs to be provided. With the device’s help, your stride is lengthened and the walking pace regulated, making it easier to walk.

The Stride Management Assist’s compact design was achieved with flat, brushless motors and a control system developed by Honda. The belt worn around the hip and thigh was employed to help achieve its total light weight of about 6 pounds. As a result, it reduces the user’s load and can be fitted to different body shapes.

Also, the Bodyweight Support Assist is designed to help weakened leg muscles, but it also could be helpful during some physically demanding activities. It will support your bodyweight to reduce the load on your legs while going up and down stairs. The load on leg muscles and joints - hip, knees and ankles - is reduced. The device is built simply of a seat, frame and shoes. The contraption is easily attached to your body by putting on the special shoes and lifting the seat into position. A mechanism that directs the assisting force toward your center of gravity and the ability to control the assist force in concert with the movement of the legs make it able to provide natural assistance in various postures and motions.

Honda initially began research on walking devices in 1999. The cumulative study of human walking, along with research and development of technologies conducted for Honda’s advanced humanoid robot, ASIMO, made the current developments possible.

Canon’s New Rebel With HD Video

2009-05-13T20:29:00.003-10:00

Here I am in Japan again, and I absolutely love it, especially because I’m able to find things that haven’t been released in our country yet. Case in point is my new Canon EOS Kiss X3, as they call it in Japan, aka the EOS Rebel T1i, which released last week in the U.S. After I spotted the X3, I instantly knew I had to buy it since I’ve been planning to buy the American T1i version for months.

Buying my new camera was a huge challenge as I had to wrestle with my credit card company. Even though I called to tell them I was traveling abroad (and spoke to five different customer service reps), they still decided to block my card multiple times, and I eventually just dished out the cash to buy my camera kit.

Lesson learned: Don’t always trust your credit card company, and it’s a good idea to carry cash or traveler’s checks as a backup if you know you’re going shopping. Needless to say, I’m canceling this credit card as soon as I get home.

All that aside, this camera is awesome! The very day I bought it my husband and I headed to Northern Japan for sakura to see the cherry blossoms. Snapping pictures of all those beautiful trees and the birds flying around was a perfect capability test. Plus, the big appeal for this camera is the fact that it can do HD video capture, and is the first in the Rebel line to have this capability.

The T1i incorporates the best from the EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II models along with a 15.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, considered to be the muscle in the camera. You can do continuous shooting at 3.4 frames per second (fps) for up to 170 large/fine JPEG images, or up to nine raw images with a single burst, if you have a larger memory card. This was well-demonstrated while I was taking shots of the hawks flying overhead. Using the burst function as well as the 200mm zoom lens that came with my kit, I took many phenomenal pictures of cherry blossoms as well as various birds. The HD video function came in handy as well. I’m more of a short-clip video type of person, so having it integrated into one is extremely helpful. All the videos I took came out sharp with good audio.

Additionally, the T1i gives you ISO speeds of 100 to 3,200. It’s extremely user-friendly with its 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) monitor and an auto lighting optimizer, creative auto mode, and Canon’s Live View modes, the perfect mix for the average consumer to jump on the digital imaging bandwagon.

Canon’s EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR camera retails for $799.99 or $899.99 for the kit with Canon’s EFS18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens. Find it at Amazon (www.amazon.com) with free shipping.

Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: iNap@Work

Released a few weeks ago, iNap@Work has to be one of the funniest iPhone apps I’ve seen. I can think of several folks who could and would use this! This app simulates office sounds so you snooze while people around you think you’re working hard. Come on ... it’s better to take a 15-20 minute nap than to load up on caffeine. iNap@Work makes noises that you would normally hear coming from your work area: simulated mouse clicking, keyboard tapping, paper crumpling, pencil sharpening, stapler stapling, clearing throat sounds and sniffling. You can use the sliders to crank up or turn down the frequency of the noises. It all depends on whether or not you want to simulate a light or busy day.

I doubt someone can actually use this at work without getting fired, but this app is just too hilarious. Download it for 99 cents at the iTunes App Store.

Protecting Kids On The Net For Free

2009-05-06T02:39:00.002-10:00

With the growing popularity of social networking and Internet predators lurking about, today’s parents rate Internet dangers higher on their list of concerns than drugs. According to the Norton Online Living Family Survey conducted in March, 56 percent of parents are concerned their keiki may come across Internet dangers, including online predators and cyber bullies, compared with drug-related threats at 44 percent.

To help parents with the electronic threat, Symantec, makers of Norton security software, is offering OnlineFamily.Norton for free.

“Online safety should be a top priority for every parent, but it can be a daunting task if they don’t have the resources they need to get started. That’s why we’re offering OnlineFamily.Norton to families for free this year,” says Janice Chaffin, group president of Symantec’s Consumer Business Unit. “OnlineFamily.Norton is truly unique because it was designed to foster more communication between parents and kids, which is essential for creating rules together and keeping safe.”

The setup is painless, simple and quick. After you establish a parent account, you can create a profile for each child you want to monitor (up to 15). Select a picture icon and enter their birth year. Symantec then automatically sets up age-appropriate house rules based on the birth year. You then need to download and install an application called Safety Minder on each machine your keiki use (up to 10) and designate the Windows or Mac user account with the specific machine. If the children share a machine, you’ll have to assign separate user accounts.

OnlineFamily.Norton is a little different from the traditional parental control products that focus on just blocking and monitoring your kids’ online activities. It goes a step further to help you manage the gray areas of the Internet with education and communication. You’re encouraged to sit down with your keiki to create the House Rules for online activity. They’ll be aware that the software is active on their computer and view the House Rules they established with you at any time.

The program monitors activity on social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, when they login and how often. You can start a chat/conversation with your child if you see them misbehaving online. He/she also can send information to you in real-time via the OnlineFamily.Norton site or through e-mail about the intention when attempting to visit a blocked site.

In addition, OnlineFamily.Norton provides you with clear reports with activities listed in chronological order. The website reporting eliminates all the extra URLs (i.e. media-heavy ads) and shows thumb-nails of the visited websites. These reports can be accessed online anywhere, and you can choose to receive e-mail reports. In addition, you can monitor instant messaging chats, control web content (up to 40 topic categories), and track, report and prevent personal information that they may inadvertently try to send via instant messaging, social networking or on a website.

OnlineFamily.Norton is free until Jan. 1, 2010 at http://onlinefamily.norton.com (no price commitment, but the service is valued at $60 for a one-year subscription). It’s compatible with either Windows XP/Vista or Mac OS X 10.5. Since it’ll be free for awhile, now is a good time to try it out so you can decide if this is a good solution for you and your keiki.

Making An Artsy Video With Animoto

2009-04-29T02:44:00.003-10:00

Thanks to MidWeek‘s creative director Gina Lambert, I just learned about the video creation platform Animoto. It actually launched a couple of years ago, but a few weeks ago it was nominated in the category Best in Services and Applications in the 13th annual Webby awards. Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.

“Nominees like Animoto are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards. “It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the nearly 10,000 entries we received this year.”

Animoto lets you create dynamic, professional-quality videos online from your own photos and music. The heart of Animoto is its Cinematic Artificial Intelligence technology that is programmed to think as a director and editor using the same sophisticated post-production skills and techniques that are used in television and film.

The technology takes into account every nuance of a song: the genre, song structure, energy, rhythm, instrumentation and vocals. Videos are produced in widescreen format and can be e-mailed or embedded on websites and social networks, shared on mobile devices, and downloaded in DVD-quality formats for display on computers, televisions or large projection screens.

Using the website can’t really be any easier. It’s as simple as: upload your pictures, pick a song from either your library or Animoto’s collection, and click. Voila, you have a slideshow! You then have the option to remix it, upgrade the quality, send it off via e-mail or to YouTube and more.

Interestingly, the founders of Animoto Productions include veterans of the entertainment industry who share a passion for helping people better share their stories and express themselves through online media. They seek to bridge the gap between high production value inherent in film and television, and the “more amateur” feeling of most user-created Internet videos we see out there today.

Sign-up for your free Animoto account at www.animoto.com. Also, note the Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and you still have a chance to vote for Animoto if you enjoy it as much as I do (but you have to vote by April 30!): http://pv.webbyawards.com. The winners will be announced on May 5.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Animoto
The Animoto iPhone app was initially introduced in late December 2008, and in less than two weeks became a Top Free App in the Photography category. Similar to the web version, the app automatically turns your iPhone photos into high-quality, professional-style music videos that capture the immediate onthespot energy of your events, travel and other memorable moments. Once you create your videos with the app, they can be shared and watched both on the iPhone and a regular web browser.

“The iPhone is the perfect mobile device for viewing and sharing an Animoto video,” said Brad Jefferson, CEO & Co-founder of Animoto. “The Animoto iPhone app now allows users to create their Animoto videos from their iPhone without ever touching their computer. It’s like having a highly-paid professional video editor in your pocket.”

As with the web version of Animoto, the app uses high-end motion design and music-analyzing technology to create videos from your selected photos and music. The Animoto app is a free download from the iTunes App store. For more information, visit iphone.animoto.com.

Nintendo’s New Wii MotionPlus

2009-04-22T03:13:00.002-10:00

Last week Nintendo announced the much-anticipated Wii MotionPlus accessory, to hit stores on June 8. This takes the motion-sensing controls of the Wii to the next level of precision and performance, especially when the sequel to Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, launches six weeks later on July 26.

“Wii MotionPlus represents a new evolution in video game control. The variety of fun games in Wii Sports Resort show off its incredible precision,” says Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing. “Developers around the world are busy working on new ways to incorporate Wii MotionPlus controls into inventive experiences for consumers.”

When used with specific games such as Wii Sports Resort, the Wii MotionPlus tracks your movements in finer detail and with greater accuracy than before. The MotionPlus builds upon the existing innovation of the wireless function of the motion-sensing Wii Remote controller. It’s sensitive to the slightest twist of your wrist or turn of your body, and your movements are replicated exactly on the TV, allowing you to become more immersed in your game.

Wii Sports Resort takes the inclusive, fun and intuitive controls of the original Wii Sports to the next level, introducing a new set of entertaining and physically immersive activities. The deep control enhancements of the MotionPlus allow veteran Wii users and newcomers alike to enjoy the precision, whether it’s cruising along on a water scooter, dueling with swords or throwing a Frisbee.

The Wii MotionPlus accessory will retail for $19.99, and Wii Sports Resort is bundled with the MotionPlus for $49.99. Visit www.nintendo.com for more information or any updates. So far, the only third-party games known to be compatible with the MotionPlus are Electronic Arts’ Grand Slam Tennis and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (both launching June 16). Since the release of the product is so close to this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2009, I anticipate there’ll be more compatible games announced at E3 in early June.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Trapster
Within the last year, “an unnamed individual” living in my house (not referring to myself) was pulled over for speeding multiple times. In two of these instances, speeding tickets were actually issued, and the other times, luck prevailed. All violations were very minor (i.e. going 30 mph in a 25 mph zone), and any of us could have been caught. These situations all could have been avoided with better situational awareness, possibly if he had Trapster.

Trapster is the first and only real-time speed trap sharing system. Think of it as the modern way of flashing your headlights at other drivers to warn them of speed traps, speed cameras and red-light camera alerts. The trap reports are real-time and updated instantly when a trap is reported.

You can rate others’ traps and send private instant messages to other Trapster users to communicate. Right now I’m on the Mainland for work, and it works great up here too, especially with lots of highway patrol out on the prowl for spring break speeders.

I’m in no way promoting speeding, but it’s always good to have better awareness. Download Trapster for free at the iTunes App Store or visit www.trapster.com to see a flash demo along with more information. Please drive safely!

Managing Money Free With Rudder

2009-04-15T02:06:00.003-10:00

Rudder is a free online money management tool that reminds me of Mint (www.mint.com). It provides automated financial reports and projections combined with intuitive alerts to help you make better decisions.

The initial setup is similar to Mint, but not as streamlined. Rudder asks you to pick your financial institution and username/password. My bank wasn’t listed, so that didn’t help me much. I imagine if it can find your bank, then your information would be instantly populated. It then identifies your recurring bills and expenses, and you have to enter in your income manually.

Rudder uses a Forward-Focused Budgeting Philosophy, meaning instead of analyzing the past, it assesses your monthly financials to predict your cash flow. The What’s Left Budget Calculator knows when you receive your paycheck, bills due, credit card payments and gives you the maximum you can spend. You also can use the Simple Spend meter to measure your discretionary spending and the Intuitive Budgets, Trends and Alerts to identify any problem areas to stay on your desired financial course.

Since I couldn’t load my bank account in Rudder, I wasn’t able to get any of these to work. But, if you are able to configure your account, you also can receive daily, weekly and monthly e-mails (without having to log into your account).

I see Rudder only providing a general overview of your finances, and it is a small pain to setup. It doesn’t actually teach you to manage your money efficiently, it’s more of a tool that shows you what you have left in your account.

If Rudder couldn’t find my bank, other local Hawaii banks are probably missing from there as well. I was disappointed that Rudder does not have an iPhone app, whereas Mint does.

Overall, Rudder is easy to use and good for your full financial picture tracking. Try it out for yourself at www.rudder.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Skype

In my column about a month ago, you may remember the Fring app with which you can make Skype calls. Adding onto that, two weeks ago Skype announced its very own iPhone app that you can use to make Skype calls and do instant messaging.

“Skype software for the iPhone has been the No. 1 request among our users,” says Scott Durchslag, Skype’s chief operating officer. “We are delighted to deliver on this request and put Skype into the pockets of millions of people around the world who are carrying iPhone and iPod touch devices. Skype for iPhone will open up new ways for more than 400 million Skype users to stay connected and take their Skype conversations with them.”

This app includes the core capabilities you Skype users are familiar with: free Skype-to-Skype calls from any Wi-Fi zone to other Skype users; call any phone number for a fee, send/receive instant messages, and seeing your Skype contacts if they’re online/available to instant message or talk.

The biggest flaw with this app is not being able to make Skype calls using the iPhone’s 3G. Perhaps it’s because this capability is seen as competition to your AT&T service. But you can log in to your Skype account using the 3G (or whatever data service is available) and utilize the instant messaging feature, but you can only make the actual Skype calls with Wi-Fi. Find Skype for iPhone app at the iTunes App Store, or for more information, check out: www.skype.com/download/skype/iphone.

Discover The Fun Of Geocaching

2009-04-08T02:13:00.002-10:00

I was hiking with some friends a couple weekends ago when we ran into a group toting an ammo box. My friend asked them what it was for, and the man holding it said it was to replace a geocache (pronounced geo-cash) that went missing. Since my friend saw the lost ammo box on the trail months ago, we chitchatted with the group for a couple of minutes about the misplaced box, and went on our way.

After the folks were out of earshot, my friend asked me what geocaching was, and if there was cash in that box. I thought geocaching was fairly popular, but that’s when I realized not everyone knows what it is.

First, know that a geocache has nothing to do with money - it’s not that kind of cash. It’s high-tech treasure hunting with a GPS device where you can find hidden treasures in containers (such as that ammo box, but could also be as small as a film canister) using specific GPS coordinates. You, as a geocacher hiding a cache, can place it anywhere in the world (including underwater, in between rocks, in a tree or just about anywhere you can think of to make it challenging). You just need to accurately log its coordinates with a GPS device.

“The most difficult cache my husband Randy Phares and I have attempted was the Green Island Lighthouse in Taiwan. It’s a two-parter, and since we were unable to search for the first part due to heavy traffic, we had to climb over rocks, bushes, and dig through trees, sand and rocks. Our only hint was that it was at eye level on a wall, but we eventually found it after digging through different rocks on the wall,” Chang adds with a laugh.

When you head out on your treasure hunt, it’s probably a good idea to take a pen and paper with you so you can take some notes about your experiences. Once you find your cache, sign the logbook, and then you can take the item inside the container as long as you trade it for something of equal or greater value. Note: There are keiki-friendly caches too, so when you do those, make sure to bring a little toy to trade.

When you’re finished with your find, be courteous and put the cache back exactly how you found it, branches covering it, etc. Then, when you get home, you can log your experience on www.geocaching.com and the cache owner will be happily notified of your find/log.

Trackable items are loads of fun. It’s interesting to see where they end up. For more information and to begin your own geo-caching adventures, create a free account at geocaching.com and enter in a ZIP code to find caches near you.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Groundspeak’s Geocaching

In addition to geocaching.com, Groundspeak’s Geocaching iPhone App allows you to use your iPhone to play in the world of high-tech treasure hunting without a devoted GPS device.

Although it’s probably preferable to use a dedicated GPS device, the Geocaching app gives your iPhone direct access to the Geocaching.com database that has 700,000-plus geo-caches worldwide. It allows you to search for nearby caches, read cache descriptions and hints, log finds and post your notes from the field. You also can save your geocache listings for quick retrieval, look up trackable items and filter out your previously found caches.

Geocaching app takes advantage of the iPhone 3G’s internal GPS chip for navigation a user-friendly interface with a simulated compass arrow. The app also allows you to save geocache listings for quick retrieval, look up trackable items and filter out geocaches you already found.

Download the Geocaching app for $9.99 at the iTunes App Store, or visit http://www.geocaching.com/iphone for more information. It’s a little pricey for an iPhone app, but worth it if you’re up for the challenge.

“My favorite here in Hawaii is the LOST cache,” says veteran geocacher Walan Chang. “Since I watch LOST all the time, I really appreciate the beautiful view, and the sense of where the cast was while they were shooting at that location.

Kickin’ Okole With Street Fighter IV

2009-04-01T01:00:00.002-10:00

As a kid I spent hours and hours playing Capcom’s original Street Fighter II on my then-cool Nintendo 64. Years later, here I am again ... After standing in a long line, I was one of the first lucky people to see the much-awaited Street Fighter IV in an Akihabara, Japan, arcade last summer. Now the game officially released here in the U.S. last month, so I don’t “have to” go all the way to Japan to enjoy it.

After 20-plus years of the Street Fighter franchise, you’ll still see your favorite classic 12 world characters: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Blanka, E. Honda, Zangief, Guile, Dhalsim, Balrog, Vega, Sagat and M. Bison, along with six brand new and diverse folks with a 3D and more-adult look. Now you’ll also see Abel, a mixed martial arts grapple-style character; Rufus, a big-looking guy with a deceptive amount of speed (he also has the same name as my late cat); Crimson Viper, a female fighter with sweeping airborne fire attacks; El Fuerte, a pro-wrestler who specializes in air throws; Gouken, Ryu and Ken’s sensei, who obviously has some extra tricks he didn’t teach those two; and Seth, the game’s final end boss.

To unlock the complete cast of characters, you’ll have to complete the game multiple times. After doing so, you’ll see playable fan favorites Cammy, Sakura, Akuma, Fei Long, Rose, Gen and Dan. As with other Street Fighters, you can perform all sorts of powerful super combos, but air blocking and parrying were taken out of this game completely. Instead there’s an emphasis on focus attacks, super combos and the revenge-filled Ultra Combo system.

Throughout the years, my favorite characters were always Chun-Li or Ryu. Even though the classic characters were re-imagined for the “new generation” of gamers, I can’t stand the way my gal Chun-Li’s body was re-done. She looks like a muscle man! Despite that, I’m able to kick some serious butt with her fancy moves (i.e. Spinning Bird Kick). I guess those huge thunder thighs pay off! And my other guy Ryu - he can still shoot out those fireballs, and even do extra powerful fireballs that do more damage than the regular ones.

A new feature you’ll see is that each character has his/her own focus attack, a multipurpose offensive and defensive ability that can be charged to one of three levels by pushing/holding the medium punch and kick buttons simultaneously. The negative side of a focus attack is that it makes you vulnerable to damage since you need to stand still to charge it.

Street Fighter IV’s single-player mode is fun to play if you’re on your own, especially for putting your combos to work. The training mode also gives you the opportunity to practice, but with instructions to follow, and is a good resource that challenges you to improve. The multiplayer mode is supported online and offline. Online you can challenge others somewhat anonymously, and offline go head-to-head against your family and friends.

In addition, I found the builtin move list extremely useful while you’re in the middle of gameplay. It saves you the trouble of looking up every single move in the manual. While I was playing my husband the past couple weeks, it was driving him nuts every time I pulled up that list to look up the advanced moves.

Street Fighter veterans won’t see much change with the good ol’ traditional “2D” six-button gameplay, but the fight backdrop locations have dramatically changed. Basically everything that made the legendary Street Fighter II a hit in the arcades and our living rooms back in the ‘80s has been brought back to Street Fighter IV. The gameplay on my PlayStation 3 (PS3) was pretty much the same as it was in the Japanese arcade, only it was on my TV and I wasn’t using a PS3 controller there.

Street Fighter IV retails for $59.99 ($79.99 for the collectors edition), and is rated T for Teen. Find it for the PS3, Xbox 360 or PC at your nearest GameStop (www.gamestop.com), Toys N Joys (www.toysnjoys.com) or Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com). Visit www.streetfighter.com for more information on the game.

The World’s Smallest Music Player

2009-03-25T04:54:00.001-10:00

I used to think the first-generation pack-of-gum-sized iPod shuffle was nice to have for easy portability, but it just keeps shrinking. Two weeks ago, Apple released the world’s smallest music player - the third generation iPod shuffle. It’s smaller than a AA battery, and half the size of the second generation shuffle. The new shuffle is so small there is no room for a screen, buttons or controls.

This little thing holds up to 1,000 songs, has 10 hours of battery life and you can control everything from a tiny remote on the earbud cord. With the push of a button, you can play, pause, adjust volume or switch playlists. Additionally, with the new VoiceOver feature, you speak to hear your song titles, artists, playlist names and status information (i.e. battery life). There are 14 different languages you can set your voice to: English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

The new iPod shuffle comes in silver or black and retails for $79 at your nearest Apple Store (www.apple.com) or Mac Made Easy in Kailua (www.maceasy.com).

On top of that, last week the iPhone world had some exciting developments unfold. Apple announced the Beta of iPhone OS 3.0 that includes an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) featuring more than 1,000 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

This enables developers to create even more innovative apps for our entertainment. “The new iPhone OS 3.0 is a major software release packed with incredible new features and innovations for iPhone customers and developers alike. It will keep us years ahead of the competition,” says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

Apple also announced more than 100 new features that will be available to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer, including cut, copy and paste (can be done within or across applications); MMS to send and receive photos in e-mails; landscape view for Mail, Text and Notes; stereo Bluetooth; syncing Notes to the Mac and PC; shake to shuffle; parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots. It also will include a new Voice Memo app and expanded search capability for all key iPhone apps, as well as a Spotlight search across the iPhone or iPod touch, and search within mail (one of my pet peeves is that I can’t do it now).

Today the App Store has an overwhelming 25,000-plus applications to choose from. It’s hard to imagine what else will come with the 3.0 software - there is talk about various devices you’ll be able to connect (via the dock connector or Bluetooth), such as a blood-pressure monitor or a keyboard. Look for the iPhone OS 3.0 this summer (free for iPhone owners, $9.95 for iPod touch users). The SDK for developers is ready for download now: developer.apple.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: HearPlanet

HearPlanet claims it turns your iPhone into a talking tour guide and brings the world to your ears. This free app came out a couple months ago, but I just downloaded it last weekend. Since then, I’ve been having it play back facts about the places I visit, and I’ve learned so much about my neighborhood.

There are a few bugs that need to be worked out, but for free, I’m not complaining. For some reason the audio didn’t work on my husband’s iPhone. It worked fine on mine, but it seemed choppy and didn’t flow very well. The voice is robotic-sounding, but it’s nice to have the option to either read the text myself or have the audio playback running.

This is a great travel tool, and it will let you leave that clunky tour book behind on your next trip. I can’t wait to use HearPlanet on my next adventure. Find this app in the iTunes App Store, or visit www.hearplanet.com for more information.

The Other e-Reader: Sony PRS-700

2009-03-18T02:48:00.002-10:00

You may remember my column a few weeks ago about the Kindle 2. Since then, Amazon announced it would no longer enable the text-to-speech (audiobook-type) feature on the Kindle 2 as a default. Sad, but this was inevitable since the feature could take away and possibly compete with audiobook sales.

Another new e-Reader on the block and competitor to the Kindle 2 is Sony’s third generation Kindle 2. It came out late last year and it’s sleek compared to the Kindle, weighing in at only 10 ounces with an eye-catching black finish and 6-inch-long touch screen.

“Readers now have another choice in digital books,” says Steve Haber, president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “This new model has the eye-popping design and intuitive functionality that people have come to expect from Sony.”

This version seems to be designed for more interactive reading compared to its predecessor, PRS-505. You can flip the pages with a slide of your finger and you can search within a document or book, create notes with the virtual keyboard and highlight text with the included stylus pen. Five preset text sizes allow you to adjust the size and zoom as necessary.

In addition, the 700 features a high-resolution, high-contrast electronic paper display that resembles ink-on-paper. This results in crisp text and graphics that are highly readable, even in bright sunlight. On the contrary, when it’s dark, there’s a built-in LED reading light.

You can store about 350 digital books or, with an additional Memory Stick Duo or SD memory card, it can hold thousands of books and documents. The reader uses minimal power, and you can view up to 7,500 pages on a single charge. Multiple file formats are supported (i.e. Adobe PDFs or Microsoft Word docs).

After looking at both stores, the Sony eBook Store has a much smaller selection than Amazon’s Kindle Store, and overall the eBook prices seem to be a bit high (the average book is about $12). There are only about 100,000 titles available (compared to Amazon’s 240,000). The PRS-700 costs about $400 (www.sonystyle.com). The PRS-700 is beautiful, but it seems the Kindle 2 is a better deal.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Kindle For iPhone

Since I’m leaning toward a Kindle, I want you to know that a couple weeks ago Amazon.com introduced Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch, an awesome alternative to buying an actual Kindle. As long as you have an iPhone or iPod touch, you really don’t need to buy a Kindle or Kindle 2 with the release of this new app.

As with a regular Kindle/Kindle 2, you have access to the Kindle Store’s 240,000 books, including 104 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers. With the signature newly Whispersync technology, your reading is bookmarked across your Kindle, Kindle 2, iPhone or iPod touch, so you’ll never lose your place. Since I don’t have an actual Kindle, I tested out Whispersync with my iPhone and iPod touch. It works flawlessly and with various books.

In addition to the ability to access your entire Kindle library, you can adjust the text size, add bookmarks and view notes and highlights. The only drawback is that you need to download your books directly from Amazon and not from your iPhone/iPod touch. Download Kindle for iPhone from the iTunes App Store, or visit www.amazon.com/kindlestore for more information.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

2009-03-11T03:42:00.001-10:00

I can picture that iconic freaky-looking girl with the long wet/greasy hair in Ju-on (aka The Grudge) and The Ring. The acclaimed 2005 hit F.E.A.R. first-person shooter paranormal horror game brought us Alma, a chilling similar figure to the game world. Developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the part-shooter, part-thriller F.E.A.R. 2 came out last month and is the sequel to the first F.E.A.R.

Project Origin’s gameplay starts off shortly before the ending of the first F.E.A.R. while a Special Forces squad is on a routine mission. The city of Auburn is jolted by a supernatural explosion.

Alma, the eerie girl with immense power and a thirst for revenge, has unleashed her wrath and caused chaos upon the city. As part of the squad, you must find a way to combat the enemy forces and the supernatural beings as you struggle to stop Alma before it’s too late.

Many of the scares you experience come from the game’s atmosphere itself. When your flashlight shines in the dark and you see ghostly shadows while hearing freaky music, it gives you chicken skin. You’ll end up walking through crumbling remains of schools, hospitals and alleys while being stalked by scary creatures. You’ll need to use everything possible to fight the supernatural forces.

You probably don’t want to play this right before bed as you’ll see some freaky images in this game. If you already played the first F.E.A.R., this one can be somewhat predictable without many surprises. While you’re in battle, the slow-motion shootouts are fun, but I wasn’t impressed with the clichéd random scares and the lack of suspense. Additionally, playing in the multiplayer mode is a bit boring, as it seems to be more predictable.

This game isn’t for everyone, but if you’re into horror flicks and shooter games, you’ll probably enjoy it.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is rated “M” for Mature and is available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $59.99, and Games for Windows/PC ($49.99). For more information visit whatisfear.com.

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Click Chick's App of the Week: Fring
The inspiration for this comes from one of the ladies in my running group. She was voicing her concerns to me about her additional iPhone charges, especially when she travels abroad.

Other than turning off the phone’s Data Roaming, the simple solution is to install Fring on your iPhone to make Skype calls and more. Fring allows iPhone and iPod touch users to integrate just about all your online communities into one app - Skype, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, Twitter, Yahoo! and AIM. The concern is being able to make long-distance calls while abroad. If you have a Skype account, and as long as you have a Wi-Fi spot to hook up to, those long-distance phone calls are free with Skype.

Personally I don’t use Skype, but I enjoy Fring for the fusion of all the other items. I especially use it to Twitter and chat when I’m bored waiting for appointments, etc. Visit fring.com for more information, or download it directly from the iTunes Store.

Money-saving Tips For Techies

2009-03-04T06:31:00.002-10:00

Considering the stock market and the economy these days, I want to offer some tips from the tech side to help you save some money. You may remember my column in December listing some money-saving websites. Here are some more ideas

For The Gamers:
If you’re into video games, it can be expensive to buy every single new title that pops out. Consider using GameFly (game-fly.com), the Netflix for games. There are more than 6,000 titles available for the PlayStation 2/3, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. Free shipping is offered, and member fees start at $15.95 (one game at a time), or $22.95 (for two at a time). The cost of this beats dropping $50 or more a month for each new game.

Watching TV/Movies:
If you primarily watch the local networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.) and are hurting for money right now, you don’t really need that cable or satellite service, do you? Using a traditional antenna isn’t so bad - you can catch high-definition broadcasts on the air with good ol’ rabbit ears. Visit antennaweb.org to see which antenna best suits your location. You enter in your home address and, based on your location, the site tells you what type of antenna best suits the channel you’re trying to catch (i.e. on my search, it gave me back Yellow UHF for ABC, Yellow VHF for FOX, Red VHF for CBS and Blue VHF for PBS). It even tells you the compass heading.

As long as you have Internet connectivity, you can catch some cable shows (and movies) with Hulu.com or YouTube.com. MGM soon will have its own channel on YouTube offering full movies. If you want to go to the extreme, I do know a rare few people with absolutely no TVs in their households.

They say it encourages more reading and a higher value of education for their keiki. I give them credit; it would be difficult for me to live without any gadgets or TVs in the house.

Selling Old Gadgets/Buying Refurbished

Instead of just throwing away or recycling your old gadget, make money off it. There are websites out there that will buy your old stuff and put money in your pocket (with free shipping) - buymytronics.com and gazelle.com, to name a couple. To give you an idea, my still-functioning first generation iPod nano (4GB) came back around $15. You won’t receive a huge bundle, but every little bit helps!

Don’t be afraid to purchase refurbished or returned items. As long as you select your item carefully, you are making a wise choice - the only difference is the price. Other than that, a refurb is basically something that may be a returned item, recertified (factory tested and repackaged), floor models or a damaged product that has been repaired and tested. You will not lose out on the warranty, either. Here are some sites you can check out: refurbdepot.com, techforless.com, warehousedeals.com (run by Amazon), and Apple and Sony both have an excellent refurbished goods program.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: My Budget Money Management

Going hand-in-hand with the above information, I find Tausendstern’s My Budget Money Management iPhone app extremely helpful. It came out in November, but I only started using it last month to help keep better track of my money.

The interface is simple and helps you track your expenditures at a glance with your iPhone. First you set how much your overall budget is for the month. You can then set up recurring charges, such as your mortgage and car payments, and you enter in your other expenses under the appropriate categories. My Budget comes preloaded with 10 categories, and some of the more useful ones are auto, groceries, household, utilities and entertainment. You can delete the ones you don’t use and add your own. Additionally, all currencies are supported.

This may not be as extensive as some of the other budget apps out there, but I find the simplicity refreshing. As soon as I purchase something, I can whip out my iPhone and log it in before I lose the receipt.

Find it in the iTunes App Store under “My Budget Money Management,” or visit tausend-stern.com/mybudget for more information.

What’s New With The Kindle 2

2009-02-25T04:20:00.001-10:00

Earlier this month, Amazon announced its second-generation e-book reader, the Kindle 2. Hardly anyone has been lucky enough to play with one yet, but from my first glance at the pictures, the Kindle 2 looks much slimmer and less clunky than its predecessor, with a bigger screen. The shape reminds me of a first-generation iPod (especially the way they framed it in the photo with the hand on the left side).

“Kindle 2 is everything customers tell us they love about the original Kindle, only thinner, faster, crisper, with longer battery life and capable of holding hundreds more books. If you want, Kindle 2 will even read to you - something new we added that a book could never do,” says Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO. “While we’re excited about Kindle 2, we know that great hardware is useless without vast selection. That’s why the Kindle Store offers customers more than 230,000 books.”

Kindle 2’s screen is a high-resolution, 6-inch paper display that looks and feels similar to real paper. This was designed to reduce eyestrain caused by reading on a backlit display. The screen shows up to 16 shades of gray, and Amazon claims it can turn your pages approximately 20 percent faster than the original Kindle. I’m especially looking forward to the new Read-To-Me Feature that offers a Text-to-Speech option that reads the words to you (similar to an audio book). The pages turn automatically when the content is read aloud, and you can customize it with a male or female voice.

With its expanded 2GB of memory, the Kindle 2 can hold more than 1,500 books at a time, compared to 200 with the original Kindle. It’s perfect for a long trip since you can read up for to two weeks with no recharge (25 percent more battery life). In addition, it uses the same wireless delivery as the first Kindle - Amazon Whispernet. This allows you to wirelessly shop the Kindle Store, download or receive new content in less than 60 seconds and read from your library without a Wi-Fi hotspot, computer or syncing. It uses Sprint’s 3G data network and works in all 50 states (no fee for you).

The Kindle Store has really expanded. There are even 103 of the 110 New York Times Best Sellers in the Kindle Store. Kindle 2 pre-orders started earlier this month, and availability began earlier this week. Find it at http://amazon.com/kindle2 for $359 (unfortunately, no price drop from the first, and it only comes in white).

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Fastlane Street Racing

If you’re a racing fan and enjoy Ridge Racer, Need for Speed or any of the Gran Turismos, you’ll have a blast with Fastlane Street Racing. It’s high-speed arcade racing on your iPhone/iPod touch. Weave through traffic in busy city streets or do some high-speed driving on the track.

This app comes in a free Lite Edition and a full version ($4.99). The full deal comes with five game modes, 10 original cars, eight city routes, two high-speed circuits, six challenge tracks and the ability to save replays. You’ll have fun with either version.

As with any app, find it on the iTunes Store or download it directly from your iPhone/iPod touch.

Merrie Monarch Festival On IPTV

2009-02-18T02:57:00.004-10:00

If you grew up here or have lived in Hawaii for a while, I’m sure you’re familiar with the popular Merrie Monarch Festival. This year marks 46 years, and it will run April 12-18.

This time around there’s a new way to watch it - Hawaii IPTV will offer the first Internet Protocol TV broadcast of this prestigious Hawaiian event. This will be the first time the Merrie Monarch can be viewed live outside of Hawaii. Typically, those of us who live here can watch it live on KITV, but for folks who live elsewhere, it’s a little more difficult.

“It’s an honor to be able to have the Merrie Monarch Festival as a part of Hawaii IPTV,” says Kimberly Dey, vice president of Hawaii IPTV. “This event showcases Hawaii at its finest, and is so rich in history and culture. I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to share it with our customers around the world.”

The Hawaii IPTV box connects directly to your high-speed Internet connection, and the setup process is easy - basically plug-and-play. Hawaii IPTV is all about Hawaii. The lineup features live news broadcasts from Hawaii, including the most popular weekly Hawaii TV shows, movies, latest Hawaiian music videos, historical films and documentaries pertaining to Hawaii.

You can hook up the box directly to your TV, and it does not require a computer. This box is really meant for the Hawaii folks living away from home - the service will not work here. You have to be away from Hawaii for it to work properly. This makes a great gift for your overseas loved ones. Now they, too, can watch the Merrie Monarch and more!

IPTV costs $21.50 per month with a one-year service agreement. Note there are one-time charges for the setup ($125) and activation ($25). You also can opt to purchase a full year of service for $180. Another alternative is the web player. The monthly and annual prices are the same, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee on the box. For more information, check out http://tvfromhawaii.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Bow Cam

The Japanese company APPLIYA Inc. recently launched Meow Cam and Bow Cam, the iPhone apps that make taking the perfect photo easier by generating sounds. I downloaded the Bow Cam and kind of turned it into my own “Bird Cam“ to take pictures of my bouncy parrot. Sometimes it’s difficult to grab his attention for more than two seconds at a time, so it’s challenging to take a perfect picture of him. To capture his attention and look at my iPhone, I used the Bow Cam to emit various barks and other noises (i.e. cans clinking or a bell).

This app is meant to assist you in taking your pet’s picture by grabbing its attention with the sounds. The app’s description noises worked just fine with my bird - he’ll look up at anything.

Note that sound won’t come out of the speaker when the headphones are plugged in. As soon as you snap the picture, it gives you an easy-to-look-at preview screen so you can decide whether or not you want to keep the picture. Using this to take everyday pictures seems quicker than using the iPhone’s camera directly. Since it’s made in Japan, the app is in Japanese and English. Meow Cam and Bow Cam are both 99-cent apps from the iTunes Store.

Free Phones From Hawaiian Telcom

2009-02-11T05:45:00.002-10:00

We all remember when the power went out the day after Christmas ... fun times. Through it all, if you had a landline phone with Hawaiian Telcom, you probably still had service. Since that power outage, Hawaiian Telcom is extending its free phone program for its customers through the end of this month. As long as you’re a customer, you’re entitled to a complimentary corded phone, which does not rely on electricity to work.

“In light of the recent island-wide power outage, we have decided to extend the program for another two months to ensure that all eligible customers have time to pick up their phones from a Hawaiian Telcom retail store,” said Craig Inouye, senior vice president-sales. “When the power went out on Dec. 26, most other phone services could not operate, but customers with Hawaiian Telcom’s reliable landline service and a corded phone could continue to reach emergency services and loved ones.”

The complimentary corded phone available is GE’s Slimline. It’s a very basic phone that has handset/ringer volume control, 10-number memory, one-touch redial, flash function (for three-way calls) and is hearing aid compatible. These phones work on the low-level electrical current provided from Hawaiian Telcom’s central offices, which have backup power in case of an emergency. So far, thousands of customers have received their free phone since the program began in June 2008.

For more information, check out www.hawaiiantel.com, or to visit one of the Hawaiian Telcom stores: Hawaiian Telcom Building (downtown), Kapolei Shopping Center, 1409 Kapiolani Blvd. (formerly Francis Camera), Pearlridge Center or Windward Mall.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: TrueFlirt

With Valentine’s Day a few days away, there’s love and flirting in the air. Most of the younger crowd flirts virtually with text messages, and TrueFlirt is an app designed to accomplish this in a fun way with your iPhone/iPod touch. You can send interactive virtual “flirts” with your device by tilting, tapping or shaking your phone. “More than half of the 50-100 SMS text messages sent daily by the average 14- to 24-year-old are flirtatious in nature. TrueFlirt was designed to make flirting less stressful, more playful and fun,” said Rob Frasca, CEO of Viximo. “The iPhone is an ideal device for adding a deeper layer to the social dialogue and taking the art of flirting up a notch with the TrueFlirt app.”

TrueFlirt combines text messaging with 2D animations that respond to your interactions and comes preloaded with 10 Flirts. You can offer an object of your affection such as a love potion that bubbles and pours when you tap or shake your iPhone, or you can open a virtual fortune cookie that can be opened to reveal a tempting prediction about your blossoming romance. You also can send a romantic balloon ride and watch the fireworks. All the Flirts take advantage of your iPhone’s screen tilt, touch and sound experience.

The full version of TrueFlirt costs $3.99, and TrueFlirt Lite is free. You’ll see a few more features with the paid version. It’s a unique and cute way to say you care to the one you love.

Kodak's OLED Frame

2009-02-06T02:26:00.005-10:00

There were countless digital picture frames at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), just as last year. But this time only one stood out: Kodak’s Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) frame. This is the world’s first consumer-available wireless picture frame using OLED technology. It allows deeper color depth and saturation with an extremely thin, low-profile design. While an OLED is probably too small these days for a full-blown TV, it’s perfect for a high-end picture frame. In early 2008, Kodak received the 2008 OLED Technology Display Leadership Award for the frame’s development.

“Kodak is a worldwide market and technology leader in digital picture frames, and OLED technology was created by Kodak, making us uniquely positioned to bring the benefits of OLED to consumers,” says Pete Jameson, general manager, Digital Devices Group, Eastman Kodak Company. “We’re tremendously proud to introduce this exciting new picture frame.”

Kodak’s OLED frame features an ultra-thin 7.6-inch display (with an 180-degree viewing angle), enhanced by Kodak Perfect Touch Technology, which automatically processes your images to improve exposure, brightness and color. Its built-in Wi-Fi enables you to display pictures and videos that are stored on your computer elsewhere in the house. Stream your pictures from Flickr, Kodak Gallery or FrameChannel, or you even can upload pictures directly to the frame using Wi-Fi.

The frame can store up to 10,000 images using the 2GB of built-in internal memory (depending on how big each picture is). If that’s not enough, there’s a USB port and a built-in memory card reader. The aspect ratio is 16:9, resolution is 800x480, and the white to black ratio is >30,000:1. The frame requires no backlighting, and it incorporates an ambient light sensor that optimizes your viewing experience by adjusting the display brightness based on the frame’s surrounding light.

Unfortunately, OLED is not cheap; it retails for $999. Find it at Amazon.com or Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com, online store only). Also, there aren't any available on-island that I know about.

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Click Chick’s App of the Week: iFu Kung Fu
Hawaii’s own Oceanit Laboratories recently unveiled iFu Kung Fu. This is the company’s first iPhone app, and according to marketing manager Ian Kitajima, it began as a summer intern project to develop something in two weeks. Apparently it was successful through trial and effort, and it was out the door at the end of December. Right now it averages about 500 downloads a day.

iFu reminds me of the PhoneSaber app that plays lightsaber sounds from Star Wars. You’ll hear “Hiiiiyaaah!” or “Waaaaahhh!” sounds that pay homage to the good ol’ kung fu movies of yesterday. As you move your iPhone, you’ll hear those sounds, including the impact of body blows, flying kicks and the swinging of nunchucks. If you’re using an iPod touch, you may want to plug in your earphones or hook it up to external speakers so you can hear the sound effects.

In addition, you’ll also see various graphical bursts (as you would see on the old Batman TV shows) as the impacts are made. It’s apparent when you die: The screen turns red, and you’ll hear the voice fade out.

This fun, locally made app is free from the iTunes App Store!

Room-to-room tunes with Eos Wireless

2009-01-30T02:28:00.001-10:00

A little gift my husband brought back for me from Macworld was IntelliTouch’s Eos Wireless, a multiroom speaker system for iPods. I’ve always wanted a way to stream music throughout the whole house, and this Eos Wireless does the trick. It transmits your iPod’s music to any room with up to four speakers (150 feet range). All the units have a built-in surround sound and a sub-woofer.

It was intriguing to rip open the box, since most iPod docks are meant for use in one room only. I set up the main console in the kitchen and the other three speakers in the living room, bedroom and upstairs hallway. It was an absolute breeze to set up - a truly easy, out-of-the box, complete house sound solution. While plugging in the remote speakers, the first thing I noticed was each antenna blinking blue, immediately recognizing the wireless signal from the base station.

At first I turned the speakers up all the way to see what the system could do (each speaker’s volume is controlled individually and manually by turning the knob). The Eos Wireless’ concept of having wireless speakers work all over the house is great. The wireless works flawlessly, but the sound quality is not so great if you play your music loud. There is almost no bass, and you can’t adjust it or the treble (it also depends on the song). In addition, it does not charge an iPhone 3G, but it charges the first-generation iPhone or an iPod touch with no problems.

If you have it playing somewhat softly as background music, it sounds really nice. But again, if you’re really listening to your music and rocking out to those sounds, the speakers are not the best, but good enough for functionality. If you don’t care that much about the lack of bass and are more interested in the concept of listening to music wire-lessly anywhere around your house, then this will work for you as a relatively inexpensive way to set up entire-home audio.

Eos Wireless comes in black or white and retails for $249.95 on its website (http://www.eoswireless.com) or Amazon.com. Right now there’s a $169 special if you purchase a white one. This includes the base station and one satellite speaker. Each additional speaker retails for $139.95 ($99 each for the white special).

Click Chick’s App of the Week: iSteam

2009-01-30T01:35:00.001-10:00

When I was a kid, I looked forward to bath/shower time, partially so I could wait for the mirrors to fog up and draw pictures all over the place. For those grown-up kids who still do this, you can now create the same effect on your iPhone touch with iSteam. It has absolutely no practical value, but it’s fun and made a ton of money for its creators, with the download mark at well over 1 million.

You can choose your own background picture from your photo library, and to “fog up the glass,” you blow on the microphone (sorry, can’t do that on the iPod touch since there’s no mic). The harder you blow on your microphone, the quicker the haze forms. This makes your whole iPhone interface fog up with steam, complete with condensation and drips (thanks to steamX physics). When you write something on it, you’ll hear the finger squeaking sounds as you would on a real mirror - good sound effect.

You also can shake your iPhone to completely clear the screen. This app costs 99 cents and is well worth it for a little pointless fun (if anything, it’s a fun way to pass your friends notes).

MacSpeech Dictate

2009-01-28T21:22:00.001-10:00

MacSpeech Dictate first came out at last year’s Macworld , but I never did have the opportunity to test it out. Well, I’m testing it out right now as I am “writing” this. I have the headset on, the microphone is close to my mouth and my hands are not even touching my keyboard. This is an awesome way to do my writing!

“MacSpeech Dictate empowers Mac users to create documents with their voice instead of typing,” explains Andrew Taylor, president and CEO of MacSpeech Inc. “MacSpeech Dictate delivers fast setup, quick command recognition, high accuracy and increased productivity even for those using MacSpeech Dictate simply to make their life easier.”

Setting up MacSpeech Dictate is quick and simple. The program takes you through a few screens and has you read off multiple paragraphs so it can become acquainted with your voice. During this process, it’s best to make sure the microphone is relatively close to your mouth and that you use a natural voice while speaking clearly and continuously.

I noticed the program has a difficult time recognizing certain words, so they won’t come out the way you want (such as Hawaiian words or contractions). It won’t help to yell into the microphone because you’ll just keep seeing your wrong word appear over and over again.

The instructions say you’re not supposed to alternate between dictating and typing, as it may lead to unexpected behavior from MacSpeech Dictate, but I did it on and off throughout this story to fix the inconsistent words and a few spacing issues. Otherwise, I hardly had to touch the keyboard to write this. Even deleting words is easy - all you need to say is “scratch that” or “forget that” and it deletes the last phrase you stated.

I’m enjoying the fact that MacSpeech Dictate talks to all of the programs I have loaded on my computer. I can use it with iChat, Storyist (the book-writing software) and, of course, Microsoft Word, which is what I am using to “write” this. A menu appears on the right side of your desktop and you can choose what program you need MacSpeech Dictate to work with.

I can see this being extremely helpful for individuals struggling with carpal tunnel syndrome since you don’t have to use your keyboard. There are other speech-recognition programs out there, but MacSpeech Dictate is the most intuitive one I’ve seen. Using this program, it took me half the time as usual to write my column. This is definitely a time-saving winner for all of my writing projects. MacSpeech Dictate costs $199 and you can find it at your nearest Apple Store (www.apple.com) or online at Amazon.com.

Mobile Gamer Guys roll into your party

2009-01-23T02:12:00.001-10:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of checking out the Mobile Gamer Guys’ (MGG) buses they had set up at the Great Hawaiian Dodgeball Challenge. How fun - playing your favorite video games in a cool, air-conditioned bus while you’re at a party or gathering with your friends and family! This whole concept was the brainchild of Kalani Miller, Chris Gongora, Shawn Haruno and Caesar Paet (not pictured).

The guys have equipped the inside of each bus with eight Xbox 360 stations (with wall-mounted 19-inch TVs), and on the outside is a 42-inch TV with a Nintendo Wii (with an option to watch your favorite pro game on ESPN). At your party, all the games and hardware are provided, including favorites Halo 3, Call of Duty 5: World At War or Guitar Hero, or classics such as Pac-Man.There’salways an MGG guy around to run and monitor your games so you don’t have to worry if you don’t know what you’re doing.

So far there are two buses here on Oahu, and when you book them together you can play one bus against the other (up to eight against eight players) - perfect for game tournaments. I thought the buses would have been connected to each other wirelessly, but there’s a CAT-5 cable hooking them together to create the local area network (LAN). Each bus is self-contained with electricity (via generators) and air-conditioning. No worries, it won’t use up your power, but if you’re far away (25-plus miles away from 96817), you’ll pay a small fuel surcharge.

According to Miller, MGG is planning to expand in the near future with two buses on both Maui and in Kona, and to purchase more buses for Oahu. In addition, MGG is gearing up to add more features such as Internet service (Wi-Fi hotspot), expanded TV service, gift bags and even catering. So far MGG does-n’t have PlayStation 3 capability, but perhaps in the future, guys (hint, hint) ...

Prices vary depending on the day of the week, how many hours you need it and the number of buses you use. As long as you have space for the bus(es) to park, you can turn just about any party into a video game arcade. Visit www.mobilegamerguys.com for more information and to view the calendar for available dates, or call 692-2729.

Palm Unveils Its Pre At The CES

2009-01-21T04:02:00.002-10:00

Last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) there was one rock-star phone that stood out above the plethora of same-old phones you see all the time - the Pre. Of all companies, Palm came out of the woodwork and announced its new Pre phone to be available exclusively with Sprint sometime in the first half of this year. Even though Palm didn’t even have a booth at CES, its stock went up since this announcement, and the Pre won CNET’s Best in Show Awards. There are buzzings as to whether or not this will be the iPhone killer, but I doubt it.

“Palm products have always been about simplifying lives and delivering great user experiences,” says Ed Colligan, Palm president and chief executive officer. “webOS and Pre bring game-changing simplicity to an increasingly mobile world by dissolving the barriers that surround your information. It’s technology that seems like it’s thinking ahead to bring you what you care about most - your people, your time, and your information - in the easiest and most seamless way.”

The Pre is the first of Palm’s phones to use this new webOS mobile platform, yet it shows a few iPhone ripoffs - a touchscreen with multi-touch functionality, the pinching to zoom in and out, flicking to your next photo and an online software catalog (trying to copy the App Store). I guess it’s not all that surprising since this project was led by Jon Rubinstein, the engineer executive who was instrumental in creating the iPod and iMac line with Apple.

“Pre continues Sprint’s leadership in open access to the content customers want for a great web-connected experience,” says Dan Hesse, Sprint chief executive officer. “We look forward to bringing this remarkably innovative device to our customers on America’s most dependable 3G network.”

Some of the other cool features that set the Pre apart from the iPhone include a slide-out thumb keyboard (people sometimes gripe about the iPhone’s touchscreen keyboard), wireless charging with the Touchstone charging dock (to be sold separately), Synergy (pulls all your contacts from Outlook, Google/Gmail, Facebook). The Pre will support various Sprint services, including Sprint TV(live and on-demand programming), Sprint Navigation (GPS-enabled audio and visual turn-by-turn driving directions) and Sprint Radio (150+ channels and streaming radio). Some other main but not-shocking features are a 3.1-inch touch screen (320x480 resolution), 8 GB of internal storage, three-megapixel camera, removable battery (you can’t remove the iPhone’s battery) and the integrated GPS.

As far as the Pre being an “iPhone killer,” I think just about every major company that makes a phone has its signature “knock-off iPhone,” and for Palm, this is it. This Pre appears to be good phone, but it’s difficult to make a judgment call without actually being able to play with it myself. For the diehard Sprint user who does-n’t want to switch to AT&T to use an iPhone, this would be something to consider.

The price for the Pre has not been determined, but since it’s comparable to other smart phones, it could perhaps cost $200-$400. We shall see when it finally comes out. Visit www.palm.com/store to learn more or be added to Pre’s notification list.

Sony’s VAIO P Series Lifestyle in your pocket

2009-01-16T03:44:00.001-10:00

One of the hottest items at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2009 was Sony’s VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC. This amazing little 1.4-pound notebook won CNET’s Best of CES 2009 award in the Computer and Hardware category, and is so small you can fit it into your purse or pocket. It sort of reminds me of the competing Asus Eee PC I wrote about almost exactly a year ago, but this is way better!

“The VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC is your portal to the world, delivering entertainment and computing in a head-turning device that’s small enough to put in your pocket,” says Mike Abary, senior vice president of VAIO product marketing at Sony Electronics. “Designed for the fashionista in all of us, it’s the ideal companion.”

Sony used its Lifestyle PC to inch its way into the popular mini laptop market (competing with the aforementioned Asus Eee PC or Dell Mini 9), and features Sony’s XBRITE-ECO LCD technology. The display is an eight-inch, high-resolution 1600x768 LED backlit screen, and the tiny full keyboard is about the size of a standard envelope.

One of the best features of the P series is that it has a real-time GPS functionality without the use of an Internet connection (within the United States or Canada). You can find your favorite restaurant or long lost friend’s house by simply typing in the address or keyword. It then will give you turn-by-turn directions to include estimated drive times to let you know how far away you are from your destination.

In addition, it has a built-in wireless WAN 3G Mobile Broadband, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You can use your 3G (via Verizon Wireless (subscription required) outside the reach of hotspots, and the Bluetooth to connect to your peripherals. There’s an instant-mode option that launches the Xross Media Bar, which lets you boot up rapidly and access music, videos, photos and the Web. There’s even a built-in webcam - perfect for video chatting with friends and family.

The VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC will come loaded with Windows Vista and will be available in black, white, red or green. The retail price is slated to start at $900. Options include a 128GB solid state model, carrying cases, Bluetooth color-coordinated mice and a large capacity battery (gives you eight hours instead of four). You can preorder a Lifestyle PC online at http://www.sony.com/pr/pseries. It will be available in stores late January to early February.

Click Chick’s App of the Week - FooPets

2009-01-16T02:58:00.001-10:00

If you are a dog lover, you may want to download and adopt FooMojo’s FooPets Marley Puppy. The little doggie is derived from the autobiographical book (and popular movie) Marley & Me by John Grogan. He’s an interactive replica of the movie’s Labrador retriever with his own personality.You can pet, feed and play with your virtual dog, and he’ll provide you with a ton of entertainment.

I enjoy this app because this virtual pup reminds me of the dog I had while growing up. The app could use some work - it would be nice if you could take him for a walk, groom him, watch him grow up or interact with other people’s Foopets online. Additionally, in the middle of playing with your dog you’ll see a Marley & Me ad pop in there every so often. If that’s the case, the app should be free, but it costs 99 cents. Despite that, I still recommend it - it’s too cute!

Apple's Latest Stuff

2009-01-14T20:31:00.000-10:00

Since I couldn’t make it to Macworld this year, I asked my husband, Mr. Click Chick, to gather as much information as he could, along with items at the Consumer Electronics Show. Here’s a start:

iLife ‘09: iLife ‘09 features major upgrades to iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand, and includes iDVD and an updated version of iWeb (new iWeb Widgets: iSight video/photos, countdown timer, YouTube video and RSS feeds). “iLife continues to be one of the biggest reasons our customers choose to get a Mac,” says Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With iLife ‘09, we’ve made working with photos, making movies and learning to play music a lot more fun, and iMovie users are especially going to love the advanced but easy-to-use new features.”

The new iPhoto allows you to browse and search photos based on when they were shot (Events), who appears in them (Faces) and where they were shot (Places). It automatically scans photos to detect people’s faces and assign a name to any face, and iPhoto will find more pictures of that person. Your library can be searched by name or browsed with the Faces View. Places imports photo location data from your iPhone (or any GPS-enabled phone), or assigns a location to a photo, group of photos or event. Once iPhoto knows where your photos were taken, you can explore them with a search on an interactive map.

Your photos already on Facebook include assigned names, and the nametags you add on Facebook sync back to iPhoto. iMovie allows you to quickly create a movie and add refinements and special effects. You can drag and drop one clip on top of another to reveal the new, advanced editing options (replace, insert, audio only, picture-in-picture or green screen). Using its Precision Editor, you can skim on a magnified filmstrip to view clips and fine-tune an edit. iMovie’s ability to analyze video and reduce camera-shaking in clips, along with the new titles, transitions, cinematic effects, speed changes and animated travel maps, add a professional polish to your movie.

Lastly, GarageBand offers a new way to help you learn piano and guitar with lessons at your own pace (Basic Lessons). Artist Lessons feature original artists (Sarah Bareilles, John Fogerty, Norah Jones and more) and are sold at the GarageBand Lesson Store. iLife ‘09 is included with every new Mac purchase and will be available later this month for $79 upgrade for existing users. You can find it at your nearest Apple Store (http://www.apple.com) or Mac Made Easy (http://www.maceasy.com). Note: It will run only on Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later. iTunes Store Changes: Apple unveiled a new 17-inch MacBook Pro, which features a new builtin battery that delivers up to eight hours of use and 1,000 recharges (more than three times a conventional notebook battery). It has a 1920 x 1200 display with 78 percent more pixels than the 15-inch MacBook Pro. It comes with Intel Core 2 Duo processors (available up to 2.93 Ghz), up to 8GB DDR3 RAM, and a standard 320GB 5400 rpm hard drive (or optional 320GB 7200 rpm, and 128GB/256GB solid state drives).

The new 17-inch retails for $2,799, and will be sold at the end of January. Adepleted battery can be replaced for $179 (same vendor information as above). iWork 09: iWork 09 is the latest version of Apple’s productivity suite similar to Microsoft Office. An iWork.com public beta is out there to develop sharing iWork 09 documents online. As for the applications, “Keynote” allows you to apply a simple transition to animate the position, scale, rotation and opacity of an image, graphic or text that is repeated on consecutive slides. “Pages” lets you focus your document and reveals menus, format bar and page navigator only when you need it. Lastly, “Numbers” gives you a way to quickly categorize your data by column, and gives you easy formula writing. iWork costs $79, or $49 with the purchase of a Mac (same vendor information as above).

Sonic Unleashed

2009-01-09T23:05:00.001-10:00

Sonic is back with Sega’s Sonic Unleashed, released last month. The game is available for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 and 3; I played the PlayStation 3 version. Powered by the new “Hedgehog Engine,"the game merges the classic 2D Sonic gameplay with 3D visuals.

As with previous Sonic releases, it’s pretty much the same as far as Sonic trying to save the world from Dr. Eggman. You’re on a journey across the globe after Dr. Eggman acquired the Chaos Emeralds and used them to activate a super weapon that split the earth apart. This event physically changed Sonic into a beast. The Sonic beast, called a “werehog,” comes out at night and changes the way he moves and reacts to things, in contrast to the regular Sonic we’ve all come to know and love.

The game levels are split between night and day. The daytime levels look somewhat similar to the original, but a bit spiced up in comparison to the16-bit 2D Sonic. You’ll see the classic Sonic speed runs in the daytime, and the nighttime Sonic reveals a more beat-’em-up type of personality. The nighttime werehog allows you to fight the enemies, complete with combo attacks and the ability to perform finishing moves on certain opponents. The battles with the bosses at the end of these levels keep things a bit interesting.

Even with that in mind,I still prefer the day levels, since you play as the regular Sonic and the graphics are fairly nice. For whatever reason, the night levels seemed to load up slightly slower on my PS3. Actually, I think I could live without the nighttime levels altogether. I wasn’t too thrilled with Sonic the werehog.

Another observation: The game’s music is the same as the classic Sonic along with some additional sound effects thrown in.
The daytime levels are the most similar to the old Sonic with which I’m familiar, and after playing Sonic Unleashed, if I’m going to play Sonic, I still prefer the original Sonic the Hedgehog from the 1990s on the good ol’Sega Genesis. Unfortunately, there’s no replay value with this game. Since it’s highly unlikely you would want to go through the whole thing again, it might be better to rent it. The total gameplay will probably take you about 10 to 12 hours to complete.

Sonic Unleashed is a one-player game, rated E10 for players age 10 and up. The price ranges from $29.99 to $49.99 (depending on the platform). You can find it at your nearest GameStop (http://www.gamestop.com), Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com) or Toys N Joys (http://www.toys-njoys.com).

Click Chick’s App of the Week: HP iPrint Photo

2009-01-09T14:21:00.000-10:00

The first app of its kind, HP iPrint Photo is free and gives you the ability to easily print photos to any HP inkjet printer connected to your Wi-Fi network (make sure it’s an inkjet printer - it will not work with laser printers). You can quickly print borderless 4-by-6 photos directly to your printer with a few touches to your iPhone or iPod Touch.

This application is fully compatible with Apple’s Bonjour technology, which automatically identifies HP wireless printers or other HP supported printers available on your network. As long as you have the iPhone 2.0 Software Update, this will work wonderfully with your device.

Apple & Macworld 2009

2009-01-07T22:40:00.001-10:00

Happy New Year!

A new year for me means new gadgets, video games and innovations. This week, the two biggest technology shows that I love to attend - Macworld Expo (Jan. 5-9) and the Consumer Electronics Show (Jan. 8-9) - are kicking off my tech year. Unfortunately, I cannot attend either show this year because of my duty to Uncle Sam, but through the coming months I’ll keep you informed about whatever I learn and all the cool stuff my husband (aka Mr. Click Chick) sees there.

Adding to my disappointment is that Apple is pulling out of Macworld in 2010. The official announcement stated: “Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple’s retail stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com web-site enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways. Apple has been steadily scaling back on trade shows in recent years, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo and Apple Expo in Paris.” I suppose everyone is scaling back in some way because of the bad economy these days, but Apple pulling out of Macworld?! I think that will pretty much kill all future Macworlds. And, on top of that, Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs will not give one of his famous keynote speeches at this likely final Macworld.

Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, will be the fill-in. My guess is it’s because Jobs is ill and unable to do it (so the rumor mills say). I do hope he’s all right, but no official announcements have been released. Too bad I can’t see what happens with the Macworld silent protest, too (it’ll be over by the time this publishes). A bunch of angry Mac fans are upset about the Jobs-less Macworld keynote.

The attempt is led by Lesa Snider King, and this is what she says on her website: “By announcing their departure from this beloved show hosted by IDG, Apple is sending a message to the entire community - professionals, hobbyists, media, Mac User Groups and even IDG themselves - that they care nothing for the community who supported them through thick and thin.” King’s website is http://www.silentkeynote.com.

All the Apple/Macworld drama aside, I expect CES to be as good as always. I’ve already received pre-announcements for a multitude of cool stuff, but I’m still sad I can’t see any of it right away. I do feel a tad better knowing that CES probably won’t be as grand as it was in past years, since a few big-name participants have dropped out or scaled back their booths/tents. Additionally, attendance is down about 8 percent.

CES’s main highlights will include thin TVs (i.e. Sony’s OLED TVs), web-connected TVs, products with new wireless standards, green technology and wireless power, just to name a few.

There will be 2,700-plus exhibitors total, with 300 of those first-time exhibitors, including Blockbuster, Chumby, Electronic Arts, EyeFi, Huawei, Hyundai/Kia, Mattel, Phoenix Technology, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Verizon Wireless and ooma (featured in my Dec. 31 column).

Perhaps Apple will join in on CES next year if its not going to do Macworld.

We shall see ...

Cool tools to survive the next power outage

2009-01-02T03:23:00.001-10:00

When the power went out last week, I was sitting in a theater waiting for a movie to start. Just when the opening credits started rolling, everything went dark and the theater’s emergency lights went on. Little did I know the outage was nearly islandwide and would last the entire night.

By checking the Twitter posts on my iPhone, within under a minute I learned the different areas the outage struck and that it was almost islandwide. The power of Twitter (http://twitter.com) is absolutely amazing. It was interesting, informative and sometimes entertaining reading everyone’s tweets and what they were going through during the outage. Kudos to all my fellow Twitter folks for keeping each other updated during this! It was just a portion of what kept me going through the night.

It took about an hour-and-a-half to drive home with all the traffic, and we managed to stop to acquire some ice for the cooler along the way, all the while listening to Perry &Price on AM 590 - thanks, guys, for an awesome job keeping everyone up-to-date! I must say that everyone on the roads with no traffic lights seemed to be cooperating and courteous at four-way stops.

After finally getting home and having to manually open our garage door, I whipped out some of the items from my emergency/hurricane cabinet. I refused to give up my gadgets along with Internet connectivity and ran them with backup power.

Besides the obvious candles and Maglite flashlight, to the right of my MacBook Pro you’ll see in the accompanying photo an extra laptop battery and a wind-up LED lantern - one of the greatest assets you can have in an emergency kit. Along with those candles, that little lamp lit up our house with no batteries - just lots of winding. I’ve had it for a while now, but you can find similar ones on Amazon.com by typing “wind-up LED lantern"in the search box. There you also will find wind-up flashlights and radios (we have a wind-up radio, too, but I didn’t include it in the photo).

My favorite part of the whole night were the iPhone battery backups and my Sprint card. We were using two different iPhone batteries - the more-thing Rechargeable Emergency Battery (http://www.more-thing.com, $30) and the Turbo Charge TC2 Portable Charger for iPod and iPhone (http://www.turbocellcharge.com, $24.95). More-thing’s device lasts two to four hours and can be reused up to 300 times. The only issue with this is it has to be charged up in order to work - good thing ours was.

The TC2 runs off two AA batteries, so it’s a little more flexible. Those two batteries are able to fully charge your iPhone/iPod up to three times, so I didn’t have to change out the batteries even once during the outage.

Thankfully, mobile phone service was not affected by the outage, so my Sprint card was working to give me Internet on the laptop (until my two batteries died). I have the Compass 597 ($249.99 - waived with a two-year agreement), and pay a little more than $60 for the service. Having it during travels and power-outage nights makes the fee worth it. If you’re primarily here on-island, the other alternative is Mobi’s Hele Wireless Broadband service ($34 per month, no contract required). Whoever had Mobi cards stayed connected as well.

Our power was finally restored about 4:30 a.m. Saturday, and the above items are what kept me going through the night, and are just a small bit of what you can do to prepare for an outage or other emergency if you can’t seem to give up your electronics. I still need to buy a generator for the house, too, one of these days - after going through the outage, it’ll probably be sooner than later ...

App of the Week: SnapTell

2009-01-02T03:18:00.003-10:00

The free app SnapTell lets you snap a picture of the cover of any CD, DVD, Blu-ray, book or video game, and you’ll see a rating along with where you can buy it close to your physical location as well as online with the complete range of prices. I found that after you snap a picture, it takes an average of 30 seconds (on my iPhone 3G) for it to find the product. You’ll see faster results using a WiFi connection.

Only products sold in the U.S. are supported currently, but international items soon will be added to the product categories. Since the iPod touch doesn’t have a camera on it, you’ll only be able to use SnapTell with an iPhone. Visit http://snaptell.com for more information and demos.

Oooo ooma

2008-12-31T05:06:00.001-10:00

ooma has revolutionized home phone service with its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service during the past year, and recently more features and services have been added. If you’re a landline user, ooma can save your household $400 to $600 per year by eliminating costly phone services. Keep in mind this is done by just using your existing home phones, phone line, power outlet and a high-speed Internet connection.

“We are excited to unveil new, systemwide updates that continue to expand on the ooma promise of providing a better way to experience home telephone service,” says Andrew Frame, ooma chief executive officer. “The new ooma phone system offers consumers expanded calling capabilities and conveniences that cannot be matched by traditional telephone and VoIP providers at an unrivaled cost savings. Consumers who are thinking about ways to eliminate unnecessary and costly monthly telephone bills should consider switching to ooma.”

ooma’s original features include no monthly fees (after your onetime ooma purchase), unlimited free U.S. domestic calls (and low-cost international calls), caller-ID, call-waiting, voicemail, caller-ID blocking, call return, one-touch access to messages through the Hub/Scout interfaces, E911, and ooma Lounge web portal with voice-mail retrieval and account control.

The added-on features incorporate virtual phone numbers (up to nine phone numbers supported); voicemail attachments (opt to send a copy of voicemails to your e-mail); mobile integration with multi-ring (simultaneously ring your cell phone); personal number and voicemail (virtual numbers can be set up on specific phones with separate voicemail boxes); and call logs, personal and community blacklist (block certain numbers from calling you).

VoIP phones are very common these days, and you’re probably wondering what makes ooma so different than any other VoIP phone. The difference with ooma is that you don’t pay any monthly fees and you can use your existing home phone/phone line with your high-speed Internet. You don’t have to worry about leaving a computer on for the connection.

Setting up the ooma Hub was a breeze. It took me less than 10 minutes (ooma claims average setup time is 20 minutes, but I doubt it). First, I activated the unit on ooma’s website, plugged everything in, and it was working without a hitch. You can choose your phone number with area code, but unfortunately it didn’t let me pick any Hawaii 808 area codes, so I ended up with a San Francisco one. You can port a number over from your current provider for a onetime cost of $79, and it usually takes about three weeks.

If you need to use more than one phone, the package comes with an ooma Scout to connect an additional phone (you can use more than one Scout). I didn’t set this part up since I don’t have another phone. I found it interesting that you hear a special ooma dial tone when you pick up the phone, and I discovered that, when dialing with ooma, make sure to dial “1” before the area code.

Overall, I think ooma is a good product. The sound is crystal clear. It’s quite a bit more expensive than the $40 magicJack, but you can do significantly more without having to leave a computer on all the time. ooma retails for $249.99 with a hardware bundle including an ooma Hub and ooma Scout. You can purchase the optional Premier plan for $12.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Premier includes the Broadband Answering Machine with Real-Time Message Screening, Instant Second Line and Enhanced Call Waiting, and Personal numbers with private voicemail. Find it at your nearest Best Buy (http://www.best-buy.com) or at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com).

In addition, stay tuned for the second generation of ooma - ooma telo - to be featured next month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Note it also was named as a CES Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Award honoree. It’ll be interesting to see how the ooma telo functions in comparison to the current ooma.

New: Click Chick’s App of the Week

2008-12-26T04:40:00.001-10:00

Fellow iPhone/iPod touch users often ask me what my latest and greatest app is. Of course, that could change on a daily basis depending on what has been added to the App Store. From my own thoughts as well as suggestions from others, starting today in my Friday columns I’ll be adding in my favorite iPhone/iPod touch App of the Week. Feel free to send me your suggested faves for future columns.

Since I’m a bird person, Crazy Penguin Catapult is my first recommended App of the Week. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been playing with this creation by Digital Chocolate in every spare moment. The object of the game is to fend off all the invading polar bears by hurling penguins at them using your trusty catapult. It sounds silly, but it’s an easy, entertaining game that I enjoy on my iPhone when I need to pass the time.

Hunting For A Wii Fit

2008-12-26T04:36:00.001-10:00

I decided to purchase a Wii Fit for a dear friend of mine when she told me she’s been really wanting one for her three children but could never find one. I knew it would be difficult to acquire one right before Christmas, but I’m always up for a challenge. About three weeks before Christmas, my hunt for a Wii Fit was on.

I began the search by looking on the Wii Fit Tracker website (http://wiitracker.com/wiifit/), since it keeps track of multiple retailers and whether or not Wii Fits are available. It’s actually a pretty good website that’s a subservice of Ben’s Bargains’original Wii Tracking service. It lists 20-25 different sites, what exact Wii Fit product it sees (i.e. just the Wii Fit Balance Board or the bundle, etc.), price and status.

Multiple times a day for an entire week and a half I looked on there and it always said “Sold Out” for all the websites, until one glimmer of hope appeared on CircuitCity.com - “In Stock.” Excitedly I clicked the link and tried to order one, but it was too late, they were already gone. The link on CircuitCity.com clearly stated “Out of Stock.” Meanwhile, I was making daily phone calls to local retailers around the island, but I had no luck there, either.

Thankfully, the very next day the tracker indicated “In Stock” for Dell.com. Again, all excited, I clicked the link, and this time it was actually in stock! I went through the whole process, added it to my basket, put my credit card number in, shipping address, etc. Done, pau. I felt a peace of mind that it was on its way to my friend.

I was wrong. Four days later I received an e-mail from Dell.com stating that my order had been cancelled. I was so angry, steam was coming out of my ears. I can understand it delaying the order to wait for it to restock, but to completely cancel the order after everything already went through was uncalled for. At least the CircuitCity.com site stated upfront that it was not in stock and wouldn’t allow you to add it to the cart.

I called Dell to find out what was going on and all they could say was that it was not in stock and that there was a possibility that lots of people were online ordering at the same time. Yes, I understand that, but they shouldn’t have sold it to me in the first place if it wasn’t in stock! I moved on and found another Wii Fit - thankfully I have connections (Mahalo, Egan!), but it could have ruined Christmas for someone without that advantage.

My point to all this is don’t use Dell.com. You never know what will happen, and I wouldn’t want this to happen to any of you.

HMSA Introduces Online Care

2008-12-24T02:16:00.002-10:00

By merging medicine and technology, HMSA is leading the way with its new online care. On Jan. 15, HMSA will become the first health plan in the U.S. to introduce integrated online healthcare to consumers. This solution brings together American Well’s Online Healthcare Marketplace and Microsoft HealthVault, Microsoft’s online consumer health platform. The integration of the two allows you to use your health information to interact with physicians live, online and on-demand from your home or office.

“We’ve signed up more than 100 physicians from around the state in just three weeks, and many more have told us they’re interested in participating,” said HMSA vice president Michael Stollar. “By the time the system goes live on Jan. 15, we may have twice as many physicians ready to go online and meet with patients. We expect more physicians will come onboard next year as the community responds favorably to the ease, convenience and affordability of online care.”

A variety of specialty physicians have signed up to participate, including general practice, family physician, cardiology, internal medicine, OB/GYN, ophthalmology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, urology and more. Interested physicians can continue to sign up past the Jan. 15 launch date, and will have the freedom to log on anytime to assist patients.

“The strong interest among physicians in Hawaii to sign up for HMSA’s online service is very positive news, and demonstrates the momentum behind giving people new options for interacting with their care providers when they need to, and from a location of their choice,” says Nate McLemore, senior director of business development, Microsoft Solutions Group. “Microsoft is very pleased to be collaborating with HMSA and American Well to bring innovative solutions to people in their homes, and to make it easier and more convenient to manage their health. We look forward to seeing the impact of the service on the lives of Hawaii residents, and to seeing the American Well service rolled out to other states through innovative health plans like HMSA.”

Microsoft’s HealthVault platform allows you to collect, store and manage your personal health information so you can share it with physicians, family members and other trusted third parties. You can store information from multiple sources, such as hospital records, home-monitoring devices and patient entries. Additionally, American Well’s Online Healthcare Marketplace enables the live communication between you and the healthcare provider.

When the service becomes available next month, be aware that you do not need to be an HMSA member to take advantage of it. You can access it via the Internet or a phone call. Either way, you’ll be able to speak to a physician anytime from anywhere.
HMSA’s Online Care is not intended to replace face-to-face visits with your physician, but is to be used as a convenient alternative when you can’t make it there. Since this is an online service, you can use it after business hours, on weekends, holidays and whenever you need to speak with a physician right away.

HMSA’s Online Care is accessible by logging into www.hmsa.com. For a 10-minute session, HMSA members pay $10; $45 for non-HMSA members.

Tomb Raider: Underworld

2008-12-19T04:06:00.002-10:00

I’m a huge Tomb Raider fan. I own all the movies and watched them multiple times, but strangely, I’ve never played any of the Tomb Raider video games until now. Tomb Raider: Underworld came out last month and has been gracing my PlayStation 3 and TV ever since.

”Tomb Raider: Underworld brings to life a realistic world that fully complements Lara Croft’s bold personality,” says Sean Vesce, general manager of Crystal Dynamics."We continue to innovate on the brand that defined the action-adventure genre, and we are excited to introduce fans and gamers to an immersive, believable world that they can explore and conquer.”

Developed by Crystal Dynamics, Underworld is the eighth game in the Tomb Raider series but the third to be developed by Crystal Dynamics. From what I gather, this game is a little darker compared to its predecessor titles. It blends exploration, puzzle-solving and combat, and takes you on an archeological journey to the Mediterranean, Thailand, Mexico, Arctic Sea and more.

You play as the fearless adventurer Lara Croft as you uncover proof of the existence of the Norse Underworld and the mythical Hammer of Thor. This latest adventure of Lara’s introduces you to new capabilities and state-ofthe-art gear (including an active sonar map, multipurpose grapple and an all-terrain motorbike). As you move further along in the game you need to fully master Lara’s moves in order to defeat your enemies.

The game’s artificial intelligence seems to be a little weak.You won’t really see many enemies, but when you do, they’ll stand in front of you as you’re shooting them or beating them up, and they don’t run away. When you do eventually come across enemies, they seem to pop up from the same spot every time. I guess that’s good if you’re lazy, but there’s no challenge.

Furthermore, while I was in the water, I was trying to kill the jellyfish with two bombs so they wouldn’t sting me to death. They were still alive and kicking even after those bombs went off - how can that be after that big explosion?! After the bombs didn’t work, I shot them with my gun. That didn’t work either. All I did was waste bombs and ammo. There were a few other places in the game where there are no responses,too.

Still, these very small drawbacks didn’t stop me from enjoying the game. It has nice graphics, good puzzles, and the fact that you don’t receive objectives keeps the game challenging since you can do what you want. Lara’s energy and various moves also keep things interesting.

Tomb Raider: Underworld is rated “T” for Teen and retails for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at $59.99, the Wii and Games for Windows at $39.99, and Nintendo DS at $29.99. Find it at your nearest GameStop (http://www.gamestop.com), Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com) or Toys N Joys (http://www.toysnjoys.com).

Visit http://www.tombraider.com for more information on the game. In addition, expect to see new chapters available for the Xbox 360 (via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace): The first chapter Tomb Raider: Underworld -Beneath the Ashes (around Christmas - no firm date announced), and the second chapter, Tomb Raider: Underworld - Lara’s Shadow (early 2009). Note the second chapter will introduce a new playable character.

Virus-free With Microsoft’s Morro

2008-12-17T03:58:00.002-10:00

Next year Microsoft plans to offer the world a free antivirus solution called Morro. Available some time in the second half of 2009, this will provide protection from malware, including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans.

“Customers around the world have told us that they need comprehensive, ongoing protection from new and existing threats, and we take that concern seriously,” says Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft. “This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware.”

Microsoft’s current protection solution is Windows Live OneCare, and it has been selling as a subscription service since 2006. OneCare basically provides you with antivirus protection, centralized file backup, computer performance optimization and home network management. Other features include antispyware and firewall tools, online identity theft protection, performance tune-ups, file backups (to your choice of a CD, DVD, external hard drive, hard drive or USB drive), and activates your Phishing Filter in Internet Explorer 7.

OneCare will be discontinued after June 30, 2009, and will be gradually phased out as Morro becomes available. If you have a OneCare plan that runs past this date, Microsoft ensures you will remain protected throughout the life of your subscription. Morro takes advantage of the same core anti-malware technology that currently fuels OneCare, and received the VB100 award from Virus Bulletin, Checkmark Certification from West Coast Labs and certification from the International Computer Security Association Labs. Morro will provide you with the essential protection you need without overusing your system resources.

Basically, Morro will give you a free security solution to protect you against the major online threats while using fewer system resources than OneCare does. With the fewer features, it’s designed primarily to protect PCs that don’t have any protection right now.

“Because uptake of standard anti-mal-ware is low around the world, particularly in developing nations, the availability of basic protection for anyone who wants it is all the more important,” says Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. “By offering such basic protection at no charge to the consumer, Microsoft is promoting a safer environment for PCs, service providers and e-commerce itself, since it is through unprotected PCs that the worst threats are introduced to the system as a whole.”

Since Windows is the main recipient of these virus attacks and now it will be putting out its own protection, it will be interesting to see what happens among the competitors - Symantec, McAfee, etc. When it launches, Morro will be available as a free download, compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. It will not be bundled with any new Windows operating system, but it will give you a no-cost security solution against most online threats. It’s not quite clear as to how Morro will be offered, but visit http://windowsonecare.spaces.live. com for more information and updates.

Thinking outside the boxee

2008-12-12T04:50:00.001-10:00

Boxee is one of the greatest software innovations I’ve seen recently. Successfully launched early this summer, boxee is a free, open-source cross-platform media center based on the Xbox Media Center (XBMC). This is the first software to incorporate Internet TV/movie websites such as Hulu, Netflix and many more, potentially bringing tens of thousands of free shows and movies to you with just a few clicks.

Created by a startup company consisting of a small team of developers, boxee incorporates your Internet content services along with what’s on your hard drive’s library (including music and pictures). In addition to Hulu and Netflix mentioned above, some of boxee’s incorporated services are MySpaceTV, YouTube, Warner Bros Television Network, CNN, CBS, Comedy Central, NBC, MTV Music, BBC News, BBC radio, movie trailers from Apple, Flickr, PicasaWeb and NPR.

An account is required to use boxee and it also can be used as a form of social networking. While you’re logged in, you can keep an eye on what your family and friends are up to and follow their recent activity. Your own activity can be exported to other social networking sites such as Twitter. This is one-sided since you can’t monitor your Twitter feeds from boxee (yet).

Boxee is available for Mac, Linux and Apple TV (hopefully Windows, too, in a few weeks). If you own an Apple TV, this is a must-load! Here are some quick steps on how to install it:

1) Download ATVUSB-Creator from http://code.google.com/p/atvusb-creator

2) Insert a “bootable” USB into your Mac (has to be a Mac) Run the ATVUSB-Creator and select which plug-ins you want

3) Remove USB drive and plug into your Apple TV

4) Power on your Apple TV, and the patchstick will run the ATV bootloader

5) After bootloader finishes, remove it and restart your Apple TV

6) Options for boxee/XBMC are now on the main menu

7) Click on boxee and select “update” - it will download boxee from the Internet

8) Once boxee is done installing, restart Apple TV

9) Disable Apple TV screensaver and set to “never”

10) Click “boxee,” select “boxee” in the sub-menu to start it

If you need a visual on the above, visit the boxee blog: blog.boxee.tv. Unfortunately the Netflix portion doesn’t yet work on the Apple TV, but for now it looks great on your computer. This could perhaps replace your Roku box, and you don’t have to wear out your Xbox 360 to watch Netflix now. Additionally, there are rumors of boxee eventually having its own hardware. We shall see ...

Check out http://www.boxee.tv to sign up for the free boxee alpha.

Warning: It may take a few weeks to receive your invite and start using the service - it took about two weeks to receive my access. Since the program is still in the testing phase, expect to see some bugs and crashes occasionally. It will keep improving with time and testing.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

2008-12-10T04:33:00.003-10:00

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is one of the games I was looking forward to this year, and it came out in mid-November. It’s a fighter-type game that makes you feel as if you just stepped into a comic book. You see your favorite Mortal Kombat characters (i.e. Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang) as well as DC characters (i.e. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker) while battling all over the place. This game brings together all those heroes, anti-heroes, villains and vigilantes in the distinctive Mortal Kombat style.

“Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe brings together iconic characters from both the DC Comics’ and Mortal Kombat video game universes to give gamers the opportunity to take part in extraordinary battles,” says Scott Johnson, vice president of business development for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Working with Midway, we are allowing fans to control the destiny of famous heroes and villains with enhanced graphics and combat.”

There are 22 playable characters to choose from either side. If you’re used to fighter games, you’ll immediately pick up on the basic moves - kicking, punching, throwing and blocking. It takes a little while to figure out the key combos, but after a few fights you’ll learn them fairly quickly. Each character has his/her own specific moves to take down opponents in his/her signature style. Or you can always use the RAGE to make yourself very powerful for a short period of time.

Although the action is fast-paced, the characters move slowly in relation to how fast you’re pushing the buttons on your controller. For example, Flash moves very sluggishly when he’s supposed to be speedy. In fact, all the characters seem to move at the same slow speed, and there doesn’t seem to be any differential between them. Despite that, the attacks at least look powerful and, as the blows come, you even see clothing getting ripped and skin bruised and bloody. An interesting fighting mechanic introduced in this game is Freeball Kombat.

This allows you to fight in mid-air while falling from one arena to another. This usually happens when you push your opponent through the barrier of the arena you’re fighting in. You can usually do a good 30 percent damage from one of these.
Past Mortal Kombat titles have been known to have gory game-play, but you won’t see that in this game. It’s very mild. Everything takes place in 3D, so you can move left to right as well as back and forth. The majority of your moves are left to right, which reminds me of the original Mortal Kombat.

Overall, this is enjoyable to play, especially if you rotate through the characters to keep it diverse. The two storylines keep you interested, but short. Playing through the arcade mode becomes a little boring after awhile, but serves as good practice to learn your moves. Playing online keeps your game-play varied since you’re dealing with people on all levels.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is rated T for Teen, retails for $59.95 ($69.95 for Kollector’s Edition), and is available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Find it at your nearest Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com), Toys N Joys (www.toysnjoys.com) or on Amazon (www.amazon.com). Visit www.worldscollide.com for more information on the game.

Click Chick's Christmas Gifts Part II

2008-12-05T03:10:00.002-10:00

If you aren’t broke from Black Friday shopping, here’s the rest of my top Christmas gift picks for the techie in your life (in no particular order):

* Blackberry Storm. A couple of weeks ago Verizon Wireless released the BlackBerry Storm (Model 9530) into the market. This is BlackBerry’s first touch-screen phone and features a “clickable” touch screen similar to the iPhone - the difference is that you’ll feel the screen being pushed and released instead of just hearing a click when you touch the screen.

If you already use a BlackBerry, the familiar common navigation keys (phone, menu and escape) are there along with support for multi-touches, tapping, sliding, and the ability to highlight, scroll, pan and zoom for navigation. It also has an accelerometer so your screen can rotate back and forth between landscape and portrait views.

This is a great “iPhone alternative” and sells for $199.99 (after a $50 mail-in rebate) at your nearest Verizon Wireless store or online at http://www.verizonwireless.com. Note this is the price with a two-year agreement. For more information see http://www.verizonwireless.com/storm.

* Rock Band 2. Time flew by since the first Rock Band came out more than a year ago, but already the sequel, Rock Band 2, hit the shelves in September (only 11 months after its predecessor). This is a great game to play at a party, and a perfect gift for the music lover in your life.

Eighty-four songs are included on the game disk and you can download many more, including 20 for free. As with the first Rock Band, you can create and customize your characters, choose your difficulty level as you sing, drum or jam on the guitar.
Rock Band 2 is rated T for Teen and available for the PlayStation 2 and 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii (Dec. 22). Pricing varies from $49.99 to $189.99, depending on platform. Visit http://www.rockband2.com for more information.

* Flip Mino HD. You may remember a story I did a few months back on Pure Digital’s Flip Mino ultra-compact video camera. Since then, the company came out with a High-Definition (HD) version - the Flip MinoHD. This is the world’s smallest HD video camera.

The MinoHD builds on the success of the Flip Video and holds up to an hour of HD video with its 4GB of internal storage. Ideal for your YouTube page (or other video sharing on your social networks), this camera is the only custom-designable camcorder. It has a 1.5-inch anti-glare LCD screen, a resolution of 720p, weighs 3.3 ounces and has a digital zoom with one-touch recording.It retails for $229.99 and is available in black as well as your custom design at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com), Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com) or http://www.theflip.com.

* Roku. Earlier this year Netflix announced the Roku Player that instantly streams movies to your TV. This is one of the greatest gifts you could give someone who loves to watch movies. This little box gives you instant access to more than 12,000 movies and TV shows. The video quality is good as long as you have a decent Internet connection.

The player is $99.99 and the user requires the minimum of the $8.99/month plan to qualify. How it works: Add the movies into your Netflix queue online, and then you immediately see it on your Roku player. See http://www.roku.com/netflixplayer for more information.

Note: If you have an Xbox 360, you can stream your Netflix movies from there as well.

Money-saving Sites For Shoppers

2008-12-03T17:10:00.001-10:00

With the economy on the down these days, learning how to stretch your dollar is important but a bit difficult with all the shopping you might want to do for Christmas gifts this month. Below are some useful websites and services that will help you save some money this season (and anytime).

In addition to the coupons you love to find in MidWeek and our sister newspaper the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, there are places on the web where you can download coupons and coupon codes for both regular and online shopping.

Here are some of the best ones to visit:

* Fat Wallet (www.fatwallet.com): Out of all the sites out there, this is probably the best one.

* E-bates (www.ebates.com): This one is my next favorite, and I’ve received nice checks from them in the past few years.

* Cool Savings (www.coolsavings.com)

* Valpak (www.valpak.com): This is pretty good at searching by area when you enter in your Zip code. You’ll find a multitude of items from pizza to oil changes to window cleaning.

* eCouponsHawaii.com: A great local website to check out the deals around town.

I also noticed that Google Maps has coupons available by location, but there isn’t much for Hawaii.

Remember that online stores do accept coupons via codes. The common misconception is that you cannot use coupons while you’re shopping online. You can redeem some pretty good deals with the codes you find. For example, at the time I’m writing this, I found 25 percent off Victoria’s Secret, $10 off $100 at Home Depot, $10 off $75 at Macy’s and 10 percent off at Kmart. You’ll usually see offers for free shipping or BOGOs (buy one get one free). If you’re a loyal customer, the retailer will most likely send these types of offers straight to your e-mail. Other than the aforementioned, here are some sites that offer coupon codes:

* Retail Me Not (www.retailmenot.com): Find coupons for more than 20,000 stores by entering in your search subject in the large, easytouse search box in the middle of the page.

* Coupon Cabin (www.couponcabin.com): Offers about 2,700 printable coupons, codes and direct links to savings.

* Current Codes (www.currentcodes.com): This one isn’t bad, but you need to use the drop down menu or browse alphabetically. The other sites are a bit easier to use since you can just type in what you’re looking for.

The use of price-comparison sites can be to your advantage since some stores will match a price you find online. If you want a really good deal, make sure to print out your best online price and take it with you to the store to show to the manager. You can find this function in Fat

Wallet as well, but here are other sites that will do price comparison:

* Price Grabber (www.pricegrabber.com)

* NexTag (www.nextag.com) Shopping.com

* Cheap Uncle (www.cheapuncle.com)

As long as you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to take advantage of these deal websites!

Click Chick's Top Tech Christmas Picks

2008-11-28T00:18:00.001-10:00

It seems as if Christmas comes earlier and earlier each year. We used to see the decorations come up after Thanksgiving, but I saw Christmas decorations up before Halloween this year! Even in Korea, all the big department stores had their Christmas decorations up in early November.

Now that it’s “officially” shopping time, here are my top picks for gift ideas this Christmas (in no particular order, and more to come next week):

* World of Warcraft (WoW) Mouse
For the WoW gamer in your life, SteelSeries released its Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) Gaming Mouse, which was designed in conjunction with WoW’s developer, Blizzard Entertainment. Additionally, in perfect timing with the mouse, Blizzard just launched its second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, which sold 2.8 million copies in its first 24 hours.

The WoW Gaming Mouse is designed to be familiar to WoW players, with a look and feel similar to the game’s interface. Illumination is tied to each profile (up to 10 different profiles) with more than 16 million color choices. You can program the mouse with more than 130 in-game WoW commands. The built-in 15 buttons include a four-way Dpadon the left side, a twoway button on each side, real-time profile switching, custom macro creation, independent X/Y axis sensitivity settings and a 2.5 millimeter lift distance.

The mouse itself sells for $99.99, or you can purchase the mouse/limited edition mousepad bundle for $134.99 at www.steelseries.com.

* Sony’s New PSP
The updated PlayStation Portable, PSP-3000, came out a couple months ago, features a new LCD screen with a wider color gamut and anti-reflection technology, and a built-in microphone to help you enjoy your games without the use of a separate microphone, which also allows you to make Skype calls.

The new PSP comes in Piano Black, Pearl White and Mystic Silver and sells for $169.99 for the core pack or $199.99 for the limited edition Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack (this pack is probably a better deal since it comes with the game, a National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets UMD movie and a 1 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo for $30 more). Find it at Shirokiya, your nearest Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com) or Amazon (www.amazon.com).

* Game Consoles
Finally, you can actually find Nintendo Wiis on the store shelves! Previously, they’ve been very difficult to come by. The Wii is probably the most sought-after console, and certainly the one I receive the most questions about, but any one of the three would make me happy if I had nothing.

Nintendo Wii sells for $249.99 and comes with one Wii Remote controller, one Nunchuk controller, Wii Sports, sensor bar, standard composite cable and a stand. I don’t see it readily available online much, but I’ve recently seen some around at GameStop, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and the Navy Exchange (if you can shop there).

Sony’s PlayStation 3 comes in 80GB ($399.99) or 160GB (499.99) versions. The 160GB just came out earlier this month and is bundled with the hit game Unchartered: Drake’s Fortune.You can find it at the same places as listed above for the Wii.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 comes in three versions: Elite (120GB, Black - $399.99), Pro (60GB, Matte White - $299.99), Arcade (256MB - $199.99). Retail venues: same as above.

* Glow Sabers
If your loved one already has a Wii and the game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, this is the ultimate geek accessory you need to buy. I’m heavily teased because of my iPhone’s Lightsaber Unleashed app when I wave my iPhone around at people and pretend I’m hitting them with the light saber (it’s worse when I have another person with the same app and we “fight” each other).

These Glow Sabers could take my being mocked to the next level, as they allow more realism to the laser battles. The duo pack comes with a pair of Wiimote holders - one red and one blue - made out of plastic with rounded edges.

Each blade is a plastic tube with 17 LED lights bright enough for you to see in a brightly lit room, but much prettier if you use it in the dark.

You’ll need three AAA batteries and there’s an on/off switch for battery conservation. One set of batteries will last you 40 hours of play, and you’ll hopefully satisfy your Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker wannabe fix. Find it for $34.99 at Amazon (www.amazon.com).

Look for Part II of my gift ideas in next week Friday’s MidWeek.

Gears of War 2

2008-11-26T02:53:00.001-10:00

I had a blast (literally) when the first Gears of War came out almost exactly two years ago. That game sold about 4.7 million copies since its release, making it one of the most popular games in Xbox 360 history. Developed by Epic Games and released earlier this month by Microsoft Game Studios, Gears of War 2 has been gracing my Xbox 360 and TV with lots of explosions and crisp graphics.

The gameplay picks up six months after the first Gears of War, and throws you into the battle for survival against the Locust Horde underground creatures. You play as Marcus Fenix, fighting the powerful Locust as the humans are even more desperate because of rust lung disease.

One of the first things I noticed was the game’s awesome graphics. That is probably attributed to the Unreal Engine 3. In the first Gears, I remember much of the gameplay being in black and white. This version has brighter colors and attention to detail as you observe shadows, water flowing or features on the characters. The gameplay is fundamentally the same as the first Gears but more refined.

A nice addition is that your teammates can heal you if you’re injured. When you are injured, crawl toward them more quickly by tapping the “A” button on the controller to receive your healing. Your assault rifle is still the go-to weapon for most of the fighting, but there is a bunch of new weapons that keep it interesting, such as the mulcher. It’s a high-calibur chain gun that can cut through your worst enemy in a simple burst. And those grenades - definite improvement. You can place your grenades on surfaces so they turn into proximity mines. The ink grenade poisons an entire area and makes it hazardous for a short time, but prolonged exposure can kill you.

“As with the first Gears of War, once you get through the single player mode the multiplayer mode of doesn’t have the staying power that Call of Duty or Halo has ... it’s too imprecise for me,” says gamertag “Disastro Slick,” an avid gamer who asked to be identified only by his tag. “It’s the same for Gears 2: It’s too imprecise, too much chaos. If I can’t headshot people from halfway to Idaho, I aint happy. That’s just me. I have lots of friends who love it and the graphics are certainly beautiful!”

I did notice the same impreciseness Disastro Slick did, especial ly when going for those headshots in the heat of battle. The chaos, as well - there seems to be a ton of stuff going on at any given time with too much personal drama from the character and unresolved plot strands.

But I enjoyed the gameplay with the new weapons and upgraded multiplayer modes. You’ll have the most effective use of your new weapons in the multiplayer mode. It’ll take you about 10 to 12 hours to complete Gears of War 2 in campaign mode, and the multi-player mode allows up to 10 players (instead of eight previously). Ten new multiplayer maps are included along with a code to download five remastered maps from the original game - the “Flashback Map pack.” Another nice addition to note is that while you’re playing coop you can choose your own difficulty level (independent from your co-player).

Gears of War 2 is rated M for Mature and is available for $59.99 (standard edition) or $69.99 (limited edition) at your nearest Toys N Joys (www.toysnjoys.com), Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com), GameStop (www.gamestop.com) or Amazon (www.amazon.com). The limited edition comes with Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2, a 48-page book filled with character profiles and exclusive concept art, along with a bonus DVD, a photo of Dominic and Maria Santiago, and an Xbox LIVE token to unlock a gold-plated Lancer Assault Rifle for online play.

Click Chick Hits Korea's Tech Town

2008-11-21T04:08:00.001-10:00

I’ve been in South Korea for the past couple of weeks on a work trip, and thankfully at the end of the visit I had a chance to venture out into Seoul’s Yongsan - I call it Korea’s version of Japan’s Akihabara (the Tech Mecca). The Yongsan Electronics Market is the largest area in South Korea where you’ll find an assortment of almost anything you need in relation to computers, software, hardware or appliances. The area is comprised of more than 20 buildings with 5,000-plus stores. It’s overwhelming to walk through, and even in an entire day I didn’t have time to see everything.

Finding my way there was very easy. Most of the signage was in Korean and English, so it was simple to navigate. It took about 45 minutes to get there on Subway Line 1 (disembarking at Yongsan Station). Other than seeing Christmas decorations already up, one of the first things that caught my eye was an E-Mart located right outside the train station. I think it is Korea’s version of Wal-Mart. It has everything you can think of for your house, including groceries, yet it didn’t have a very big electronics section (but it did have Nintendo Wiis in stock).

Wandering around Yongsan was a blast, but fuzzy since everything looked the same. Aggressive salespeople popped out everywhere trying to sell me anything from light bulbs to RAM to electrical plugs. Of course, they were all speaking to me in Korean, so I didn’t really know what they were saying, but I took a good guess because of what they were waving at me. If you’re looking to build a PC from scratch, Yongsan is the place for you. On average, everything there cost about 20 percent less than what you’d pay here in the United States.

It amazed me how there could be so much of the same of everything. For example, there are 10-plus cell phone stores squashed next to each other (in multiple places) and they’re competing with each other! This was the same story for many products - dedicated stores for RAM, strobe lights, records with old-style audio equipment, lighting equipment, printer toner cartridges and games, just to name a few.

Each store’s procedures differ. Some allow bartering and others give you a set price. The ones that have the non-negotiable price also tend to offer you brand names with warranties. If you walk into a store with no price tags, you know you’re allowed to barter.

Overall Yongsan didn’t impress me as much as Akihabara did."Aki" has otaku (manga, anime and toys - all those action figures). My other big observation is, although you can find just about anything you need, there wasn’t as much innovation as you would find in Japan.You see mostly straightforward parts or “regular products” (i.e. cell phones, cameras).

Despite the difference between the two cities, you still won’t see anything remotely similar to it in our country, so if you’re ever in South Korea, Yongsan is a place you should definitely visit. A side note not related to Yongsan: The whole time I was near Seoul’s Han River I kept thinking about the movie The Host (2006) and the monster emerging from the river and attacking people. It was neat seeing some of the places along the river where the movie was filmed, and I was half-expecting to see that thing pop up out of the water!

Measuring Your Sleep Patterns

2008-11-19T03:22:00.002-10:00

Most of you probably remember the disturbing incident early this year when two go! pilots allegedly fell asleep while flying and overshot Hilo - something I shouldn’t think about right now since I’m sitting on a plane as I type this! Thankfully nothing tragic happened that day, but such an occurrence can obviously be dangerous. Although it happened more than a year ago, an accident still fresh in my memory is when the man in Ewa Beach was killed by the 19-year old that fell asleep at the wheel and veered off the road. That could have easily been any of us as a pedestrian, or a driver. These are just extreme examples of how sleep deprivation/fatigue can affect your mental effectiveness.

Senior scientist John Caldwell, Ph.D., at local company Archioetics, created the SleepBand program, which uses the Sleep Bracelet to measure your sleep patterns. “With the SleepBand, it’s possible to get a completely accurate view of sleep habits,” says Caldwell. “Not only that, but the SleepBand program indicates whether the amount and quality of sleep being obtained is sufficient from a performance and safety standpoint. One of the items on the sleep report is an analysis of ‘fatigue risk’ or the chances that certain sleep patterns might lead to an accident. This is valuable information for almost everyone.”

Thanks to Caldwell and his team, I took the opportunity to have an assessment done on me. I wore around the Sleep Bracelet for seven days, minus my exercise periods and showers. I was really curious as to what my results would be since I feel I don’t sleep enough. The band looks similar to a watch so I didn’t really notice it much.

A little background behind the band. It’s the first scientifically validated tool for fatigue assessment and risk identification. Powered by a little 3V lithium battery, it contains a three-dimensional microelectro-mechanical system accelerometer that the motion data is collected with. The accelerometer measures the wearer’s changes in motion - the method is called actigraphy.

According to the analysis, I’m not as bad as I thought. The first section is the Sleep Analysis. It shows charts with times and the activity from each day I wore the bracelet, pretty straightforward. The second portion of the report is the Sleep Statistics (Distribution in Effectiveness Ranges), and looks at Mean Daily Sleep (total hours per day), Mean Wake Episode (mean length of episode during sleep periods), Wake Episodes (number of wake episodes during sleep), Activity Index (percent of time with activity during sleep) and Sleep Efficiency. All of mine fell within the ideal range except for the Activity Index - I was at 14.2 percent (normal is between 20 - 50 percent).

The third section is the Mental Fatigue Analysis. It’s a graph that shows the likely mental fatigue/percent of mental effectiveness during the time I wore the Sleep Bracelet. It’s broken into three categories - Normal (green), Reduced (orange) and High Risk (red). Thankfully I didn’t fall into the red at all, but there were a few times I slipped into the Reduced orange part - not surprisingly the lowest was on a Monday. Overall my average increased accident risk is 6.9 percent.

It’s fair to call it common sense, but remember that inadequate rest impairs your ability to think, handle stress, problem solve and even cause hallucinations. Being fatigued also makes your body react as if you’re intoxicated with alcohol. Keep all that in mind next time you need to drive home, or operate any machinery.

If you’re curious about your sleep habits and how to fine-tune your day-to-day performance, the approximate price of a SleepBand assessment is $400. Anyone interested in the opportunity for an analysis should visit www.sleepperformance.com/web. In addition, for companies requiring multiple assessments, a reasonable discount is available.

Practicing safe social networking online

2008-11-14T04:28:00.002-10:00

With social networking becoming more and more popular, and all the online predators on the prowl, we need to be careful of how information about ourselves we reveal.

Just in case you don’t know what social networking is, I’m talking about websites (i.e. MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Bebo) that let you communicate with family, friends and strangers, and build networks of friends linked by common interests, etc.

These websites tend to be most popular among the younger crowd and is door for exposure to cyber-stalking, private information disclosure or access to age-inappropriate content.

The more information that is shared online, the more vulnerable our keiki are. It’s vital to speak with them how about the basic information needs to be protected. “Parents can’t afford to be in the dark about their children’s online activity, or about the safety risks associated with social networking sites,” said Beth Jordan, West Region program director for Microsoft. “If you’re a parent, take the time and educate yourself on guidelines for safe computing and candidly talk with your children about their online activity.”

Note these interesting statistics Jordan provided me with regarding teenagers:

Fifty-five percent have an online profile.

Of those with online profiles: More than eight in 10 include their first names.

Seventy-nine percent have photos of themselves.

Sixty-one percent reveal their hometowns.

Sixty-six percent have photos of friends.

Thirty-two percent of online teens, and 43 percent that participate in social networking have been contacted online by complete strangers.

Seventeen percent of online teens and 31 percent of social networkers have “friends” on their social network (i.e.

MySpace, Facebook) profile who they have never personally met.

Given the stats above, it’s probably a good idea to not publish any identifying information about yourself, particularly your

address, date of birth, address, pictures of your house or your phone number.

Just because other people may have that info published, it doesn’t mean you have to.

It’s probably best if you choose a user name that does not include your name, and pick a strong password that has a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and keyboard symbols.

It may also be a good idea to setup a separate e-mail account (without your name) to use for your registration setup - this way if you need to shut down your account, it can easily be done with this alternate e-mail account without compromising your other information. It’s best to use a free service such as Hotmail, Yahoo! or Gmail.

A good thing to remember is that whatever you put online will stay online. So you may not want to publish any embarrassing pictures of yourself, and not use vulgar language. It’s a good idea to learn how to use the site(s) you’re on.

Most of these websites have included privacy features to restrict access to your profile if they’re not your “friend,” and be cautious as to who you let join your network.

The bottom line is that no matter what your age, social networking is fun and can be a great tool to stay in touch with your friends, but could also be dangerous if you’re not careful. Just be cautious about how you setup your account, etc.

For some good tips and resources, check out http://safety.msn.com or http://safesocialnetworking.com.

WowWee! It’s The Rovio Webcam

2008-11-12T09:33:00.001-10:00

When I’m away from home, whether at work or traveling on the other side of the world, I often wonder what my parrot is up to. Yes, I know he’s “just a bird,” but since I don’t have a child yet, he’s the closest thing to one.

WowWee’s latest creation, Rovio mobile webcam, is a Wi-Fi-enabled home and office explorer that can be controlled remotely from anywhere in the world. This little robot allows me to see what “the green guy” is up to anytime, and sort of be in two places at once.

Rovio can be controlled remotely using just about any web-enabled device, including a PC, Mac, cell phone/smart phone (i.e. iPhone), PDA or even your video game console - basically anything with an Internet browser. Through the built-in camera and microphone that streams audio/video, you can view and interact with the Rovio mobile webcam’s environment to survey any dwelling or workplace remotely.

It features the TrueTrack Navigation System, enabling it to locate objects in its environment and navigate from place to place with pinpoint accuracy.

You can store way-points with the Internet browser interface and, with a click, your Rovio can navigate itself to your chosen waypoint. To navigate into multiple rooms, you’ll need the TrueTrack Room Beacons (sold separately - no price available yet).

The mobile webcam has omni-directional, three-wheeled motion for easy and precise navigation. The camera has a more than adequate resolution at 640 x 480, with a wide range of vision that streams video, and can take, store and send photo snapshots of what it sees. The built-in LED headlight helps you guide the device around in low light. The device itself is approximately 11 inches long by 10 inches wide, and about 10 inches tall when its neck is raised.

With only an Internet connection, you can see and hear exactly what your Rovio sees and hears in real time from your office, vacation spot or any location in the world. Additionally, the Rovio’s microphone and speaker system make it possible for you to read a bedtime story to your keiki if you’re away from home. Requiring no subscription fees or professional installation, the Rovio connects to your computer via USB and comes with user-friendly software that automatically detects your computer’s settings and guides you through the easy setup process. It works with both Windows and OS X, and you also can set it up with Skype or Windows Live Messenger (Live) through a video plug-in.

Note that the Rovio runs off your Wi-Fi network and doesn’t require an additional network, but you do need to setup a login/password for secure remote access.

Unfortunately Rovio cannot go up and down stairs, and you can’t use it outside. It’s fun to drive, but is not considered a toy. It’s really a sophisticated mobile webcam that makes telepresence a reality for you to monitor your house, pets, children or office. Your Rovio’s range will be dependent upon the range of your Wi-Fi network.

The Rovio retails for $299 and comes with a charging dock, a built-in TrueTrack Beacon, rechargeable battery pack, setup-CD, Quick-Start Guide, USB Cable and 8V AC adapter. Find it at www.amazon.com, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart. See www.meetrovio.com for more information and video demos.

Sony Hawaii Expo

2008-11-07T19:36:00.001-10:00

Last month my plasma TV died on me. I was so upset because I had that thing for only a year - how could this happen?! Since it would cost well over $1,000 to fix, my husband and I decided to use this mishap as a good excuse to buy a new TV. I’d rather put that $1,000-plus toward a new, good TV (I will never buy a Philips again). Since we’re both Sony fans at heart, we decided to go with Sony’s BRAVIA 52-inch - something I know will last. So far we’ve been very satisfied with it.

If you need a new TV or other gadgets, a perfect place to look and kick off your holiday shopping season is at the Sony Hawaii Expo next weekend. The latest high-definition (HD) products will be showcased. Here are a few:

* BRAVIA KDL-52XBR7 LCD TV - This 1080p LCD TV display boasts Sony’s new 240Hz MotionflowTM technology with a high frame rate that provides an unprecedented crisp motion detail in movies, sports and video games. This goes beyond the traditional 120Hz technology by quadrupling the frame rate of a conventional LCD TV, and interpolates three new frames that produce remarkably crisp and natural motion. This will be available for purchase in December.

* BRAVIA KLV-40ZX1M LCD Display - At an amazing 9.9 millimeters thin, this is Sony’s slimmest 40-inch, 1920 x 1080p LCD Display. It features an edge-lit wide color gamut LED backlight that delivers excellent color reproduction and detailed contract with Sony’s MotionflowTM 120Hz technology. Weighing in at only 26 pounds, this also will be available in December.

* DSLR Alpha Camera A900 - Sony’s full-frame DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera is aimed at the serious photo enthusiast looking for traditional SLR performance with the convenience of digital. It offers 24.6 megapixel resolution, 35 mm full-frame CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor, BIONZ processing engines for fast image processing, and a body-integrated image stabilization for a full-frame sensor with Sony’s SteadyShot Inside anti-shake system. This camera hit the market in early September. “At Sony, we want to ensure our customers select the products that work best for them in this high-definition era,” says Naobumi (Ned) Nomura, president of Sony Hawaii Company, “The Sony Expo provides hands-on experience with demos of our latest products without feeling pressured to buy. It’s a great customer experience and a great time to get to know our customers as we celebrate 40 years in Hawaii.”

Additional features include the Take Back Recycling Program Booth and the Youth Xchange Video Competition Booth. For those of you who missed the eWaste Disposal Days a few weeks ago, the recycling booth allows you to drop off your old and unused rechargeable batteries and cell phones for environmentally safe disposal. Better than throwing those in the trash!

The Youth Xchange booth will feature Sony’s partnership with Olelo. Each year the partnership is done to help see Hawaii through keiki eyes. Local public school students are equipped with Sony video cameras and editing equipment to produce news, public-service announcements, mini-documentaries, music videos, animation and short film segments.

Check out this year’s Sony Expo next week at the Ala Moana Hotel, Hibiscus Ballroom Nov. 14 (10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and 15 (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.). For more information on the expo, call 834-6611. It’s free and open to all! Visit www.sonystyle.com for additional product information.

Digital Scrapbooking

2008-11-05T19:26:00.002-10:00

I was never big into making scrapbooks. I always thought they looked nice, but it was something I didn’t have time to do. But then a good friend of mine started doing digital scrap-booking with Scrapblog and couldn’t stop raving about it. So I finally had to see what it was all about.

Scrapblog, initially launched last year, is a free, user-friendly, web-based application that gives you the ability to share your creations online. The interface provides creative leeway with hundreds of professionally designed layouts and thousands of creative elements you can drag and drop into your project. With that in mind, just over a month ago Scrapblog announced the added offering of its custom printing service, so now your digital scrapbooks can be turned into a “real scrap-book.”

“Scrapblog enhances the experience of creating a book or a card online by giving people full creative freedom,” says Carlos Garcia, CEO and founder of Scrapblog. “Unlike cookie-cutter templates, layouts in Scrapblog can be changed and mixed to create truly personalized keepsakes.”

You don’t need to make any unnecessary downloads and include photos, videos, audio, text, etc. from different sources - they can be seam-lessly pulled from Flickr, Photobucket, Picasa, Smugmug, Webshots, Facebook or YouTube. Your pages are stored online, not on your computer. I find that helpful because I can access the pages from any Internet-connected computer.

Once your pages are created, it’s your decision whether to make your Scrapblog public or private (to be shared with just a few friends). Another nice thing is that it supports direct publishing to Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress, Flickr, MySpace and Facebook.

“As the most requested feature from our users, printing is a natural extension of the boundless creativity made possible with Scrapblog,” says Scrapblog community manager Rebecca Saylor. “With Christmas quickly approaching, Scrapblog books make perfect gifts for those who want to give and receive something personal and unique, while Scrapblog greeting cards and postcards are great for creating custom invitations, greeting and thank-you cards.” Visit http://www.scrapblog.com to start your own scrapbook.

# # #

Postalz
Another partial-digital scrap-booking alternative is Postalz.

This service has been out for awhile, and it generates very customizable digital postcards to play with. Personally, Postalz is my iCard replacement after Apple sadly did away with those.

Postalz allows you to create and send postcards as you would an e-mail. Using Web 2.0 technology, you can customize these postcards with text, art, photos or video. Affix digital stamps or frames to these postcards to reflect your mood or the content of your card. There are a variety of frames and cutouts to choose from. You also can use your pictures from Flickr and embed these postcards on your Facebook, Bebo, MySpace, Orkut, Friendster, hi5, Blogger or Xanga.

Check out http://www.postalz.com to start sending your online postcards. Note: If you’re a fellow Mac user, it seems to be a little flaky in the Safari browser, so I suggest using Firefox.

The New Xbox Experience

2008-10-31T18:48:00.001-10:00

Earlier this month at the Tokyo Game Show, which I sadly missed, Microsoft announced that the New Xbox Experience is ready to launch Nov. 19 as a part of the Xbox fall update - and just in time to start off the Christmas shopping season. If you don’t already own an Xbox 360, you have a good deal waiting for you with the Xbox 360 Arcade holiday offer ($199.99) that comes with Sega Superstars Tennis and five Xbox LIVE Arcade games. For $299.99 and $399.99 respectively, the Xbox 360 console and Xbox 360 Elite pair the promise of the Xbox Experience and LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Kung Fu Panda.

“Our industry is defining the future of entertainment,” said John Schappert, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of LIVE, Software and Services for the Interactive Entertainment Business, while at the Tokyo Game Show 2008. “When the New Xbox Experience launches, we will be inviting the whole world to play. We will also have the games that everyone will want, including all-new social experiences like Lips, Scene It? Box Office Smash, and You’re In the Movies - all launching this holiday, all exclusively on Xbox 360.”

Here are the main things you’ll see with the New Xbox Experience:

* Netflix On-Demand Entertainment: This is a feature I’m really looking forward to: having access to Netflix’s 12,000-plus movies and TV shows for instant viewing right off my 360. Note you’ll need an Xbox LIVE Gold membership and a Netflix unlimited subscription in order for this to work on your 360.

* Ability To Copy Games To Hard Drive: This is one of my favorites, too. Whenever I’m playing a game on my 360, the disk drive is fairly loud with the game spinning in there. This game-copying feature eliminates that by putting your games right onto your 360’s hard drive. Keep in mind you still need your original game disk to start the game to verify authenticity, and this is only meant for your most-often-played games since all your games will not fit on your hard drive (unless you only have a few). This will sure speed up gameplay, and I already know which games I would copy over first.

* Xbox LIVE Primetime: A new channel on Xbox LIVE that will transform Xbox 360 entertainment. For the first time you can get together with other players to play game shows such as 1 vs. 100 (from Endemol, also producers of Deal or No Deal) with real hosts, fresh content and prizes just as the games are seen on TV.

* Xbox LIVE Party: Create a virtual party on your TV with up to seven friends. You can voice chat as you play games or watch a movie/TV show and share photos in real time.

* Personality Plus: Create a customizable, animated avatar, similar to the Mii character you can create for your Nintendo Wii, but with much more detail. Using this avatar creator, you can customize your clothes, body, face and hair with a fair amount of detail.

Additionally, if you’re a theme person, you’ll be glad to know these are highly integrated into the new user interface. Instead of just a boring background and matching colors, Theme 2.0 has three-dimensional renderings rather than tiles behind each menu object.

Look for your New Xbox Experience in a couple of weeks as a free download directly to your Xbox 360. Visit http://www.xbox.com/live for complete system requirements and for more information.

Hawaii Goes Digital

2008-10-29T01:39:00.001-10:00

You may remember me writing a column back in February about switching from analog to digital television (DTV), and how no analog signal will be available after Feb. 17, 2009. Well, the Hawaii Association of Broadcasters (HAB) recently announced that the full-power television stations here in Hawaii will make the transition on Jan. 15, 2009 - more than a month before the rest of the country. Note that Kauai will not make the transition with the rest of the state since it is served by low-power translators.

“Hawaii’s early transition was prompted by consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where they recommended Hawaii broadcasters deconstruct their present Maui analog facilities prior to mid-February to avoid the Hawaiian petrel breeding season in that area,” says Mike Rosenberg, president and general manager of KITV.

If you’re still wondering what DTV does, it’s an over-the-air type of broadcasting that enables TV stations to provide clearer pictures and better sound quality. It’s more flexible and efficient than the traditional analog way of broadcasting, and makes it possible for stations to broadcast multiple channels at once (multicasting), instead of broadcasting one channel at a time. This whole transition is the most significant advancement in TV technology since color TV was introduced back in the day!
Hawaii’s full-power TV stations voluntarily agreed to cease analog broadcasts by noon on the Jan. 15 deadline. Following that, only digital signals will be available. If you’re using rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna, then you’ll need to upgrade with a converter box before the deadline. If your TV is already connected to cable, satellite or another paid service, don’t worry, since you will not be affected by the transition.

“The early transition to DTV has the support and attention of Sen. Daniel Inouye, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Association of Broadcasters, the Hawaii Association of Broadcasters and its member stations in a focused effort to educate the public about the transition,” says Chris Leonard, president of the Hawaii Association of Broadcasters. “It will also serve as a model for the rest of nation as they make their transition in February.”

According to HawaiiGoesDigital.com, at least 19.6 million households have exclusive over-the-air signals in their homes, and 14.9 million households have secondary over-the-air TV sets in their bedrooms or kitchens. Overall, nearly 70 million are at risk of losing signal. If this is you, I’m sure you don’t want to lose your signal. You can either:

* Purchase a DTV converter box for your existing TV set.

* Purchase digital TV set with a built-in digital tuner.

* Subscribe to cable, satellite or other pay TV service that offer your favorite channels.

To help offset the cost of a converter box you can request up to two $40 off coupons per household. So far the coupon requests from Hawaii have been fairly low. For these coupons, call 1-888-DTV-2009 or visit http://www.dtv2009.gov, and for more information in general, visit http://www.hawaiigoesdigital.com. Kauai residents go to http://www.lptvanswers.com for information on low-power TV stations.

New MacBook Family

2008-10-24T03:32:00.002-10:00

I’ve been keeping my eyes open for the last few months knowing it would happen soon ... and finally last week Apple unveiled its new line of MacBooks.As soon as I knew they were on the shelves, I headed to the mall to take a look.

I was drawn immediately to the lower pricing and the smooth-looking aluminum enclosures. In fact, each MacBook enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy-efficient LED-back-lit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. It’s good to know the MacBook family meets the stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements, contains no brominated flame retardants and uses internal cables and components that are PVC-free.

“Apple has invented a whole new way of building notebooks from a single block of aluminum,” says Steve Jobs,Apple’s CEO."And, just as important, they are the industry’s greenest notebooks. The new MacBooks offer incredible features our users will love - like their stunning all-metal design, great 3D graphics and LED backlit displays - at prices up to $700 less than before.”

“Traditionally notebooks are made from multiple parts.With the new MacBook, we’ve replaced all of those parts with just one part - the unibody,” says Jonathan Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of industrial design."The MacBook’s unibody enclosure is made from a single block of aluminum, making the new MacBook fundamentally thinner, stronger and more robust with a fit and finish that we’ve never even dreamed of before.”

The MacBook line features the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M,a new 3D integrated graphics processor that features 16 parallel processing cores and delivers up to five times the 3D graphics performance of previous MacBook and MacBook Air designs. The smooth glass multi-touch track-pad (you have to use four fingers) gives you 40 percent more tracking area than before, making pinching, rotating and swiping easier.

You also can use your fingers to activate Exposé or switch between applications, since the entire track-pad is a button you can push. This makes it easy to enable multiple virtual buttons in your software (i.e. right-clicking).

Each MacBook comes pre-loaded with Leopard and iLife 08. The main difference between the MacBook and MacBook Pro is the physical size. The MacBook is the 13-inch version, the MacBook Pro is the 15-inch version with a little more horsepower,and the MacBook Air is the thinnest, lightest, most-portable one of the three. Here are the basic specifics on all:

* $1,299 MacBook, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 13.3-inch screen 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (expandable to 4GB) 160GB hard drive (5400 rpm serial ATA with Sudden Motion Sensor)

* $1,599 MacBook, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo,13.3-inch screen 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (expandable to 4GB) 250GB hard drive (5400 rpm serial ATA with Sudden Motion Sensor)

* $1,999 MacBook Pro, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 15.4-inch screen 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (expandable to 4GB) 250GB hard drive (5400 rpm serial ATA with Sudden Motion Sensor)

* $2,499 MacBook Pro, 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 15.4-inch screen 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM 320GB hard drive (5400 rpm serial ATA with Sudden Motion Sensor)

* $2,799 MacBook Pro, 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 17-inch screen 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM 320GB hard drive (5400 rpm serial ATA with Sudden Motion Sensor)

* $1,799 MacBook Air, 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 13.3-inch screen 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM 120GB hard drive (4200 rpm serial ATA with Sudden Motion Sensor)

* $2,499 MacBook Air, 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 13.3-inch screen 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM 128GB solid state drive

In addition, to complement the MacBook lineup we have Apple’s LED 24-inch LED

Cinema Display. It’s designed specifically for the new MacBook family and has a 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution and uses the same LED-backlit technology that the MacBook family has. It comes with a built-in iSight video camera, microphone and speakers in a very elegant, thin aluminum glass enclosure. Since the MagSafe charger, three USB 2.0 ports and the new Mini DisplayPort are at your easy disposal, connecting and charging your notebook to it is painless.I saw this thing for myself,and I was thoroughly impressed with its brilliant display and other features. I say I “need” this too - at the cost of $899.

The MacBook Airs will be available for purchase in November,and you can find the rest of the MacBooks with the 24-inch LED Cinema Display now at Mac Made Easy in Kailua (www.maceasy.com) or your nearest Apple Store. Note Mac Made Easy will open a new store in Hilo next month, and another one on Kauai next spring. Additionally, a new Apple Store opened recently in Waikiki.

Domestic Violence Awareness

2008-10-22T22:32:00.001-10:00

Many of you are aware of my passion for fighting domestic violence because of my personal survival story. Well, here we are again in October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month (yes, we share the month with breast cancer awareness). I urge you to wear purple (symbolizing the color of a bruise) for your support. I wish tech companies would come out with some good purple gadgets that would help fight domestic violence (as breast cancer causes have pink gadgets).

As a start toward fully purple toys someday, Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine Program expects to provide more than 140 wireless phones this year to Hawaii’s domestic violence organizations to support their victims. In total, more than 400,000 minutes of service will be provided to communicate with victims’ families, friends and shelter support staff to help them rebuild their lives. More than 22,000 phones will be donated nationwide, along with 66 million minutes of airtime.

“HopeLine is Verizon Wireless’ commitment to end domestic violence through free cell phones and airtime for victims; cash grants for shelters and greater understanding to help us all take appropriate action,” says Mark Yamauchi, director of Hawaii sales for Verizon Wireless. “HopeLine is an easy way for anyone to help fight domestic violence, and at the same time keep old phones out of landfills by donating used cell phones from any carrier to a Verizon Wireless store. The HopeLine program has provided 80,000 wireless phones, 240 million minutes of airtime, plus $5.6 million in cash grants to shelters and nonprofit organizations to help victims of domestic violence.”

In 2008, Verizon Wireless donated wireless phones with prepaid service to the Domestic Violence Action Center, Women Helping Women, Turning Point For Families, NA LOIO Immigrant Rights & Public Interests Legal Center, and Parents and Children Together. Since 2001 (the year I escaped from my abuser), Hopeline has collected more than 5.3 million phones and awarded more than $5.6 million in cash grants to agencies and organizations across the country.

Show your support and donate your phones to Hopeline. Wireless phone donations are accepted at all Verizon Wireless stores in Hawaii (and across the nation). If you are able to donate, make sure your service is discontinued and any personal data is erased. Your old phone will then be refurbished and resold for a practical reuse, or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. Visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline for more information.

# # #

Verizon Wireless’ Month-To-Month Agreement
In addition to helping the fight against domestic violence, Verizon Wireless announced last month it is now offering month-to-month agreements instead of a full contract. This feature gives you the freedom to purchase a new device at full retail price or use your own CDMA device without the commitment of a one- or two-year contract. You can terminate your agreement at the end of any month without paying an early termination fee.

This month-to-month agreement is available on all nationwide voice and data plans for new and current contract customers. You current contract customers are obligated to fulfill the terms of your contract before you can move to a month-to-month agreement.

Visit your nearest Verizon Wireless Store or www.verizonwireless.com (or call 1-800-2JOIN IN).

The PodCamp Hawaii 2008 unconference

2008-10-17T02:48:00.000-10:00

You may remember a column I did about podcasting when it first came out a few years ago. Since then it has become more and more popular, and you can find podcasts all over the place, even on iTunes. I thought seriously about doing a podcast about my column content, plus some extras, but that was scratched since there’s no way I can pile another thing on my already heaping-full plate! But those of you who do have time and want to learn should attend PodCamp Hawaii next week (Oct. 24-25).

PodCamp Hawaii is a free, twoday social media “unconference” event for organizations and individuals interested in podcasting, blogging and creating new media for the Internet. The very first PodCamps and WordCamps were held in 2006, dozens of these successful events have been held around the world since.

Now it’s Hawaii’s turn. The focus of the unconference is to learn and network with experts from around the world speaking side-by-side with local bloggers and podcasters, and helping Hawaii be the center for tourism and technology. The different learning tracks include podcasting, social media, WordPress blogging and business uses.

“People will be definitely learning how to set up a free blog - it takes about five minutes - as well as where to host your videos for free in addition to YouTube, and be able to see all kinds of different gadgets that are used to create media and tell stories,” says Roxanne Darling, co-owner of Bare Feet Studios (http://www.barefeetstudios.com) and Founder of PodCamp + Wordcamp Hawaii.

The various people you can meet at PodCamp include local and visiting Internet stars who blog or podcast such as Darling herself, who is the host of Beach Walks with Rox (http://www.beachwalks.tv) with her partner Shane Robinson and her cute dog Lexi. Additionally, you can meet your friends and neighbors who want to know more about Web 2.0, visitors from the Mainland and abroad who will be here to sharetheir expertise, and various local and national companies

This unconference will teach you that anyone can do this. “If you think about it, each of us now has the ability to create our own radio station or TV show - and instead of being local only, it can be global,” adds Darling. “The technology is only getting easier and easier, and the costs are almost negligible compared to traditional media.”

Most conferences are gatherings with predictable rules and activities. PodCamp Hawaii is just the opposite, where you are invited to attend for free and no one is being paid to speak/teach. The experts attending want to be there because they understand the importance of these events. In addition, there’ll be premium attendee packages available for corporate attendees.

“This is an all-volunteer effort; no one gets paid,” says Darling. “The team of Kyle Nishioka, Judi Clark and Shane Robinson have really pulled it together for us.” PodCamp Hawaii will be all about outreach - to each other all over the world, and to local technology companies and government agencies. The unconference doesn’t have a target audience as a typical conference would. It’s relevant to everyone, since podcasting has numerous benefits as a communication tool and holds devotees across many topics and industries.

The unconference will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the Hawaii Convention Center. Come and enjoy the experience while taking in the sounds of local musicians and hula halau. For free registration and more information, visit http://www.podcamphawaii.com.

UH Offers Free eWaste Disposal

2008-10-15T03:39:00.001-10:00

People always tell me they would want to come to my house if I ever had a garage sale since they know I would have “the good stuff.” I guess that could be logical thinking considering all the toys I write about, but realistically I don’t have as much as one might think. I’ll typically hold onto things until they die, or if there’s something I’m not using that I know a friend or family member really wants, I’ll sell or give it to them (depending on what it is). If I use it to its end of life, I definitely recycle it.

Speaking of which, coming up in a couple of weeks we’ll all have the opportunity to recycle our electronic waste thanks to the University of Hawaii’s “Education & Government eWaste Disposal Days 2008.” This is open to all, including public and private schools, city, county, state or federal/military branches in Hawaii, and small- to medium-sized businesses (with less than 100 employees) and nonprofit agencies. The drop-off days will be between Oct. 20 and Oct. 25.

The general public can drop off their waste Saturday, Oct. 25, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Leeward Community College or Windward Community College on Oahu. Neighbor Island drop-off points include University of Hawaii at Hilo, Kauai Community College, Maui Community College and Kealakehe High School (Big Island). The business/institutional drop-offs will be Oct. 20-24, but please pre-register here: www.hawaii.edu/ewaste/inst.php.

Take advantage of this event, if you can, since it’s a rare chance for free, safe and environmentally friendly disposal of your eWaste. The recycling and disposal services will be provided courtesy of Apple. All equipment will be responsibly processed in North America and recycled into commodity grade metals, plastics and glass. A tip: If you’re including a hard drive, remember to erase your information off it first.

Here are the acceptable and nonacceptable items . . .
ACCEPTABLE eWaste Items
Computer Systems & Accessories:
• All-in-Ones
• CPUs
• CRT Monitors
• Hard Drives
• Hubs
• Keyboards & Mice
• Laptops
• LCD Displays
• Optical Drives
• Servers
• Speakers
• Switches
• UPS Switches
• Wires & Cables
Handhelds:
• Cell Phones
• Pagers
• PDAs
• Two Way Radios
Office Equipment:
• Adding Machines
• Fax Machines
• Photo Copiers
• Printers
• Scanners
• Surge Protectors
• Telephones
• Typewriters
Audio & video equipment:
• Camcorders
• Cameras
• DVDs
• Game Systems
• LCD Projectors
• Overhead Projectors
• Radios
• Stereos
• Televisions
• VCRs

DO NOT BRING:
• Batteries not integral to computer system
• Cardboard
• Contaminated equipment of any type
• Cracked or broken CRT Monitors
• Hairdryers
• Hazardous Materials of any type
• Household Appliances
• Microwaves
• Paper
• Smoke Detectors
• Styrofoam

Visit www.hawaii.edu/ewaste for more information.

Hawaii Geek Week

2008-10-14T22:22:00.002-10:00

This news release is from:
Eugene Villaluz, HMAUS Director
Hawaii Macintosh & Apple Users' Society,Inc.
Web: www.hmaus.org

MACTOBERFEST 2008 KICKS OFF HAWAII GEEK WEEK
It will be a full week of geek starting with Mactoberfest 2008 on Saturday, October 18.

The October annual meeting of the Hawaii Macintosh & Apple Users' Society, Inc. (HMAUS) goes far back to the early days of personal computing. HMAUS began a generation ago in 1979 as the Honolulu Apple Users' Society, Inc. Mactoberfest, as it is known today is an all day technology fest featuring guest speaker presentations, workshops, fixit clinics, flea market, wireless access, food and door prizes. The event is sponsored by the Hawaii Macintosh & Apple Users' Society, Inc., Pacific New Media, Outreach College University of Hawaii and the Professional Photographers of Hawaii.

Governor Linda Lingle is declaring October 18 through October 25 as Hawaii Geek Week to give recognition to the significant contributions HMAUS has provided Hawaii for the past 30 years. Hawaii Geek Week has been created to promote technology and the technology community.

Mactoberfest Highlights:

** Keynote by Lorelle VanFossen **
Lorelle is an author, blogger, technology evangelist, professional nature photographer and an all-around fun person to be with. Her keynote speech will get you excited about all the great things technology can do and how it changes lives.

** iLovePhotos by Lorenz Sell **
Blue Lava Tech is a Hawaii based company that just launched a new photo sharing application and resource. iLovePhotos creates an entirely new photo sharing paradigm. It uses facial detection and visual tagging to simplify photo management by doing two things: 1) Automatically sharing photos with the people in each photo, and 2) Automatically creating compelling slideshows of photos.

** Studio Artist by John Dalton **
Studio Artist by Synthetik Software, another Hawaii based company, is the first and only software program that can automatically paint, draw and auto-rotoscope. Studio Artist examines a source image or video and then re-renders it in the style you choose, automatically or interactively. The software takes a lot of ideas from music synthesis and audio software and applies them to graphics and digital painting, hence the notion of a graphical synthesizer. Studio Artist is also the first and only digital paint program to incorporate human visual modeling based on research in human perception and computational neuroscience.

** Geek Talk on HI Tech, The Next Generation **
Lorelle VanFossen, Burt Lum, Ryan Ozawa, Neenz Faleafine and Bob Lew present an entertaining and lively look at HI Tech, The Next Generation. Our honored panel members talk about how technology has changed their lives and how they envision technology will change our lives over the next 30 years.

Detailed information about Mactoberfest here: www.hmaus.com/mactoberfest

More information about Hawaii Geek Week events here: www.hawaiigeekweek.org

LEGO Batman: The Videogame

2008-10-10T10:03:00.002-10:00

A couple weeks ago Warner Bros. and TT Games released LEGO Batman: The Videogame. I was looking forward to this one for months. I love Batman and LEGO separately, so to put them together in a video game is a nice treat. The game is available for various platforms, but I played the PlayStation 3 (PS3) version.

LEGO Batman features a completely original storyline and encompasses the lighthearted charm of LEGO and the multifaceted lore of Gotham City. In the game, Gotham City’s most notorious criminals have broken out of Arkham Asylum and they’re wreaking havoc on the city. You’ll see some parodies of some famous scenes as you go through the game as Batman or Robin. Or, choose the dark side and take control of the various criminal characters - The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, The Riddler, Mr.Freeze, Harley Quinn, Two Face, Bane, Clayface, Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter or Killer Moth.

You can put yourself behind the wheel of legendary vehicles, such as the Batmobile, Batboat or Batwing. Additionally, you can enhance the abilities of the Dynamic Duo by unlocking Batman and Robin’s suits. Batman’s Glide Suit allows you to cross normally untraversable gaps and drops. The Sonic Suit shatters glass; Demolition Suit lays bombs/remotely detonates; and the Heat Protection Suit allows you to travel through heated areas and pick up red-hot pieces of LEGO.

Robin’s suits include the Magnet Suit (attaches high-power magnets to the bottom of your boots to walk up metal surfaces), Water Suit (for swimming), Technology Suit (to access tech panels, allowing control of various robotic elements) and the Attract Suit (to pick up and collect small LEGO pieces). These suits are good to use and keep the gameplay fresh.

Playing a villain also keeps it interesting, since it’s not very predictable and the vast amount of characters you can control keeps it moving along. Your new characters become available to you via the Batcomputer, and you can buy them with LEGO studs as you progress through the Story Mode.

Collecting these LEGO studs and LEGO bricks throughout the game helps you unlock extra content including power-ups and bonus levels. All the characters you’ve unlocked are then there for you to play in the Freeplay Mode, where you can access previously hidden areas to find additional rewards and bonus content.

You can play it with co-op multiplayer, which allows for easy pick-up-and-play. This is a game you should definitely play with a friend to maximize its fun factor. One of the funny things I noticed is that you can injure your co-op buddy even though you are on the same side.

Note that the co-op play is for offline play only. If you choose to go through it alone, however, it’s a little annoying since the game’s built-in AI companion just stands there and does nothing most of the time, so frustrating-ly you’ll have to fend off all the enemies pretty much on your own. The same goes for the puzzles. Sometimes you’ll have to solve the puzzles by yourself as you’re fighting off the enemies, as your AI pal just stands there and does nothing. You’ll hear Danny Elfman’s iconic The Batman (1989) musical score throughout the game, and despite the little AI flaws and the characters’ lack of speech, it’s still a fun game.

LEGO Batman: The Videogame is rated “E10+” and is available for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii for $49.99. You can also buy it for the PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS and PC for $29.99. Find it at your nearest Toys n’ Joys (www.toysnjoys.com), GameStop (www.gamestop.com), Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com) or Amazon (www.amazon.com).

Pink Gadgets For Breast Cancer

2008-10-08T01:40:00.002-10:00

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and in honor of that, here are some pink gadgets you can purchase to help the cause:

Pink Ribbon DS Lite
Nintendo will donate $5 for each Pink Ribbon DS Lite, released last week, sold to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure for breast cancer awareness and research. If you’re a DS fan looking for a second one, you might want to swoop this up quickly since it’s a one-time creation and may be difficult to find later.

This limited edition comes in polar white with the signature pink ribbon logo long associated with breast cancer awareness. Nintendo promises a guaranteed minimum donation of $100,000. Find it at Amazon (www.amazon.com) for $129.99 (free shipping) for a limited time.

Sony’s Style
If you’re looking for a new PC laptop, here’s a perfect opportunity to purchase one while making a difference. The VAIO CR pack features a 14.1-inch pink VAIO CR with a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera, Core 2 Duo CPU and DVD burner. It comes with a matching pink mouse and pink case. Sony Electronics will donate $100,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) during the month of October from the sales of pink CR and CS Series notebooks. Bundle prices begin at $869.99.

Additionally, if you purchase an NWZ-E436FPNK Walkman MP3 Player, $10 from each sale will be donated, and $50 is the contribution from the HDR-TG1 Handycam Camcorder. Note that Sony will donate $75 to the BCRF from each Pink SR Series Notebook bundle (different from the CR or CS). See www.sonystyle.com for more information or to purchase any of these items (also sold at Amazon).

HDMX Speaker-on-the-Go
Exclusively from Linens ‘n Things (http://www.lnt.com), this portable, battery-operated speaker case protects your iPod while broadcasting your tunes. At only $9.99, this is perfect to hang off your purse/bag, or a durable gift for the gal teen in your life. One dollar of each purchase will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Jill-e Camera Bags
For you serious women photographers, Jill-e camera bags are perfect to protect your baby camera. These featured pink bags will be available soon from Jill-e directly (www.jille.com) and from the outside do not even look like a camera bag. The small bag (light pink) will fit one camera body, two flashes, two lenses and various accessories such as memory cards, card reader, batteries, cables, camera strap, etc. The medium bag will hold the same items as the small bag, plus one additional camera body.

A percentage of the sales of these pink bags will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for breast cancer research.