Guess what came in the mail yesterday?  An Amazon Kindle courtesy of Salado Press (I’m currently working on a project that involves converting their books over to a digital format for all major e-Reading devices).  Only $79.00 for an ad supported model or $109 ad-free version.  The advertisements show as a screen saver and do not interrupt reading.  This 6” E Ink Display reader with built in Wi-Fi is simply impressive!  Weighing less than 6 ounces and beautifully designed for functionality, this little unit is incredible.  Let’s look at it more in detail….

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The Oregon Trail used to be one of my favorite games when I was in grade school.  I got to play it on the Apple ][.  Seeing this game in the App store led me heading out to the wild west to build a town starting with only a shanty house.  The game is quite fun and majorly addicting.  I’ve been playing for about a week now and I’m up to level 36.  Continue reading to find out what makes this game so good as well as some things on the darker side.  Oregon Trail – It’s time to go west!

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The app store is loaded with apps – from useless to useful.  There are some apps that are just ESSENTIAL and  GoodReader falls into this category.  I have not come across anything this useful for file management and viewing documents on my iPad as GoodReader.  Let’s dig deeper and see why GoodReader is a JAMM Essential!

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After several months of testing, I have finally reached a verdict on the Motorola Titanium.  This Android-powered phone is the first push to talk capable phone.  Being my first Android phone, I was going app store crazy and seeing just what Android can do.  Using this phone since August, I have found out that this phone is geared towards businesses where push to talk and email are essential.  As with any smartphone, there are pros and cons…let’s take a deeper look at the Motorola Titanium.

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Have you ever tried using your iPhone or iPod Touch with longer fingernails?  It’s difficult isn’t it?  What about those days when your fingers are frozen and the capacitive touchscreen doesn’t register your touch and the end result is getting locked out of your phone due to failed SIM card unlock attempts.  I got locked out of my phone once and the irony is that once the SIM card is locked out, I can’t make any calls whatsoever to even get my phone reactivated unless I use I different phone to call AT&T.   Much of my problems could have been averted if I had the Ten One Design Pogo Stylus – an aluminum body with a spongy tip which works on the touchscreen.   The tip is soft and requires a good deal of pressure to use with some types of screen protectors.  In my case, I found that at times, I had to press so hard that the metallic portion of the stick came in contact with the screen.  This seems to be a catch 22 as the screen protector is supposed to protect the screen, yet, by using the stylus I am at risk of putting the screen protector to the test.  This is not exactly a situation I like to be in.

My primary use for the stylus is for better signature capture when processing payments through Square.  Try signing your name nicely using your finger – it is very difficult if not impossible (at least for me).  I can however sign a legible signature when I use the Pogo Stylus.

The Pogo Stylus also comes with a clip so you can attach the stylus to the side.  This is very useful in not losing the tiny little aluminum stick.  Granted there are times when the clip can get in the way of some apps that demand to be in a certain rotation.

The Pogo Stylus comes in several different colors and is quite inexpensive for the control that you get with your device.  Personally though, I am not a big fan of it due to the potential of scratching up my screen protected screen although I have seen it function superbly in a non-screen protected environment.  Seeking an additional opinion, I turned over my review sample to another iPod Touch user, Evelyn Wong, which has this to say about the stylus:

This stylus works okay but it is soft so some effort in pressing is needed.  This stylus does not have a rubber tip but rather a spongy one, so it glides across the screen easily.  Depending on how hard you press, the spongy tip does get flat.

Well, there you have it folks, the Ten One Pogo Stylus, a helpful tool that works ok.  It gets the job done and is perfect for those upcoming cold days that will soon be upon us as well as for signature captures.

Vital Statistics:

Product: Pogo Stylus for iPhone 3G / 3GS and iPod Touch 3G
Manufacturer: Ten One Design
Available Colors: Black, Gun Metal, Hot Pink, Silver
Available From: Micro Center, Amazon.com, Ten One Design
Retail Price: $14.95 USD