Master of the Digital Universe

Skooba Design is looking for you!  Well, they might be, anyway.  They are currently running a contest to determine the top techie, the “Master of the Digital Universe“.  Tech fans can submit their story through November 20th for a chance to be be the grand prize winner, who will take home a custom gadget bag among other goodies.  Put together your geekie résumé and head over to Skooba Design to enter your story.  Good luck!

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to review the Eye-Fi Wireless memory card.  Bottom line – I loved it.   This is the card that takes the computer out of your digital photos.  The Eye-Fi card directly connects directly to any wireless network (including the fantastic Mifi Mobile Hotspot), allowing you to upload your photos to your favorite photo sharing site (such as Picassa, Facebook, Flickr, and plenty more) straight from your camera…on the fly. 

I found it all pretty easy to set up and use, but there is some configuration required to connect the card to your network and to your favorite photo sharing sites.  Until now, there has not been a goo place to turn if you needed help.  Now, the folks at Eye-Fi have posted a series of videos on the Eye-Fi YouTube channel introducing users to all of the features (both basic and advanced) of these fantastic cards.  You can see the introduction video, above, and click here to head over to the Eye-Fi YouTube channel for the rest of the video, including:

• How Do Eye-Fi Cards Work?
• What Do Eye-Fi Cards Do?
• Lightroom Tutorial
• Setting Up A Live Slideshow
• Eye-Fi Presents the Netshelter last Gadget

We all know that one of the more useful features to Windows Mobile is the Start Menu.  It provides you with a shortcut to almost all of the functionality on your device, including all of the programs that you have installed.  If you are anything like me, the amount that you install is quite large and can be somewhat cumbersome and less than quick to search through.  Since I recently switched carriers to US Cellular and subsequently became the owner of a HTC Touch Pro, I’ve been going through my usual process of installing applications.  During this process, though, it became apparent that I had installed so many third party apps that it was hard to use them.

That all ended today when I stumbled across JSPA Program Manager, a Windows Mobile freeware application at FreewarePPC.  This program provides a means for you to manage your program shortcuts by allowing you to both create folders in the Start Menu / Programs directory AND allowing you to copy / move shortcuts to these folders.  This is a great way to organize all of the programs that you have installed to your Windows Mobile device.  Having trouble seeing the value in this?  Then another way to think about this is to remember about how nice it is that your installed games always go to the Games folder… now envision this for each of your third party programs.  With JSPA Program Manager, and a few quick moments, you can categorize your programs much faster than what you would be able to do manually using the built in Explorer program on your handheld.

I recommend pairing this program with another excellent freeware title called QuickMenu.  QuickMenu provides a small, more functional Start Menu for Windows Mobile Professional that displays your program shortcuts in cascading menus.  Having all of your program shortcuts neatly organized into cascading menus will greatly speed up your use and productivity.

If you haven’t already, I recommend running over to FreewarePPC.com and downloading JSPA Program Manager to help you organize your program shortcuts.  After all, the price won’t hurt the wallet any!

What would you say to an e reader that was very slim sporting a huge screen. Also add that the QUE runs for days on battery verses just a few hours? It’s screen is constructed of an innovative shatterproof plastic display. I can’t wait to see it

For more details on this soon to be launched ereader (January 7th, 2010 @ CES in Las Vegas), check out Gizmodo’s cool review of the QUE prototype, as well as the PlasticLogic Que Website.

Here is the full press release:

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – OCTOBER 19, 2009 – Plastic Logic revealed today its plans to unveil QUE™ (pronounced “Q”), the first proReader designed for business professionals. Premiering January 7, 2010 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (Central Hall of Las Vegas Convention Center at Booth 11840 anchoring the e-Book Techzone), QUE is an essential tool for busy professionals, providing access to a dynamic ecosystem of content.

With QUE, Plastic Logic is expanding the eReader category, which to date has focused on leisure reading devices and casual users. QUE is designed to simplify the multi-faceted lifestyle of the modern businessperson, and to quite literally lighten their workload. In addition to connecting its users with their business and professional newspapers, books and periodicals, QUE supports the document formats business users need (including PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents) and features powerful tools for interacting with and managing the content.

“The QUE brand stands for a premium reading experience,” said Richard Archuleta, CEO of Plastic Logic. “The QUE proReader enhances business performance and gives you a competitive edge. More than an eReader, QUE means business.”

Extra thin, lightweight and wireless-enabled, QUE is the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper, less than a 1/3 inch thick, and weighs less than many periodicals. The innovative QUE proReader features the largest touchscreen in the industry, an intuitive touch screen user interface, and provides access to a file cabinet’s worth of documents, plus your favorite—and most necessary—publications.

QUE stands out in a crowd because it’s a business reader, but it’s also unique for its shatterproof plastic display. This exclusive technology from Plastic Logic, along with E Ink Vizplex® technology produces an outstanding reading experience. Its battery can last days, instead of hours.

QUE users will be able to connect to content and download wirelessly via Wi-Fi and AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest 3G mobile broadband network. The QUE store will offer the most significant collection of business reading available on any eReader. The store is powered by Barnes & Noble, the world’s largest eBookstore.

Full product specifications, availability and pricing of QUE will be announced on January 7, 2010 at CES.

The QUE for CES starts at http://www.QUEreader.com.

About Plastic Logic

Plastic Logic’s mission is to lead a revolution in the way people acquire, organize and consume information. We are using our proprietary technology leadership in plastic electronics to create a range of innovative products. Our first product, QUE™, the proReader for business professionals, will enter the marketplace in 2010. Founded in 2000 by researchers out of the Cambridge University Cavendish Laboratory, Plastic Logic has research and development in Cambridge, England; high-volume, state-of-the-art manufacturing in Dresden, Germany; and executive management, product engineering, sales and marketing headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information about Plastic Logic, please go to http://www.plasticlogic.com.

The QUE trademark and logo are trademarks of Plastic Logic LTD. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Windows 7, Microsoft’s latest iteration of the Windows operating system (OS) is just a few days from general public launch.  There is much good to be said about Windows 7 and I have used it from it’s beta stages to release candidacy (RC) to the final released to manufacturing (RTM) which I got from TechNet as well as another copy from the recent Microsoft/AMD Ready to Launch event.  Far from the Vista fiasco which..well..broke stuff, Microsoft has finally gotten their act together to put out a polished product that not only turns heads but has many new features that quite certainly make it the best Windows ever.  Today we’ll look a bit at the available editions and how to choose the right edition to get what you want done.  The computer is a tool, we are to use it to get what we want done quickly…not fight against it and go inch by inch to get what we want done.  Today we’ll look at the various editions and find out which one is best for you.

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