Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

We have home media equipment that plays DVDs, one that plays Blu-Ray discs, one for electronic files, and maybe you still even own one that plays VHS.  Today, you have the chance to add one more machine to your collection.  But, the SlingCatcher can do so much for you, you will probably want to make room for it in your life.

Unlike the Slingbox which allows you to view your TV remotely only on a computer, the highly anticipated SlingCatcher by Sling Media lets you view television, video, audio and electronic files from your home on any television—even from afar! 

Keep reading to find out why the SlingCatcher could be a must have! 

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Normal POIs in GPSs can do only so much, such as letting you know when you come near a place that many find interesting.  This new Sat Nav software takes basic POIs to the next level.  This software will provide audio whenever you travel near a historically famous place in France, and will last about two minutes. 

Developed by RoadTour, the software will work with most GPSs, such as GPSs by Garmin.  For 19.95 pounds, or only about $27, you can get a concise historical background on nearly 620 French attractions.  Many European countries are rich with culture, so a tourist will definitely benefit from something like this.  RoadTour spent over 3 years developing accurate historical information for every piece of audio they have.  Find out even more after the break.

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Tech site RedFlagDeals.com opens the door of a female focused website

Walmart is often accurately accused of having everything you need all in one place.  If you are a Walmart fan for that reason, and you are of the female gender, you might enjoy browsing the aisles of the Scarlett Lounge.  The website is geared toward women—women who love to shop but need just a little more: women who need everything all in one place. 

Shopping assistance and product suggestion is front and center on the site.  What is so pertinent about a shopping site for Gadgetell’s female readers?  It is what’s on the rest of the site.  Find out more after the break.

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This is where we call out by names the actions and companies that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  Technology is an odd realm where PR speak doesn’t hold a lot of water if the 1s and 0s don’t line up.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

Follow to see my rant on:
• The not so Bold.
• Windows XP or bust.
• Google’s got waaay too much free time.
• Verizon thinks they know a smartphone when they see one.

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Gadgetell Quick Review: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

What is it?

Lightroom 2 is a program for Windows and Mac OS X designed to help organize, streamline, and develop your photos.  It costs $99 for the upgrade from Lightroom 1 or $299 for first time buyers.

Pros:

Easy to use thanks to clean and organized interface.
Imports all of your files using your preexisting directory structure.
Works with a wide variety of file formats.

Cons:

Does not allow pixel editing.  Requires another program for that task.
Initial use can be frustrating and can cause loss of work.

Does it hit the mark?

Yes.  Lightroom 2 definitely lived up to all of my expectations.  It’s easy to see that this program would be extremely popular with anyone working in the art or ad industry, or someone who does batch work with photos.  The program allows for very controlled editing and is remarkably easy to use.

For the full review, click “More.”

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Firefox Mobile Concept Video from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

Rumored to be “soon” or even next week, Firefox Mobile Alpha will be released onto the Nokia N810 internet tablet.  Sure to be the first of many releases, the new web browser designed for mobile devices is sure to mix things up a bit.

One major difference is controls.  Unlike the minimalist Safari for the iPhone and iPod touch, Firefox for Mobile uses the extreme edges for access to special menus.  Just a swipe of the finger off the page to port or starboard brings up controls that were previously hidden.  It is a neat way to get at controls.  Just my opinion?  No, Mozilla calls this the “awesome bar” which I thought existed only in Times Square, NY.

See more interesting features in the alpha version.  Click more to follow.

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Motorola’s new VC6096 is a cross between a netbook and an Internet Tablet.  It does support Internet connectivity, Wi-Fi, and can act like a computer in some ways, but it doesn’t have the slick look of a netbook or an Internet Tablet.

It is mostly meant for the car as it comes with integrated GPS with a SiRF Star III GPS receiver.  Also, it comes with a 6.5-inch touch screen, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 3.5G GMS HSPDA WWAN connectivity, as well as 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi.  The nice thing about all this Internet connectivity options is that you can always be connected wherever you are.  Many GPSs don’t offer Internet connectivity yet, so this is something that make its unique from other devices. 

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Photographers have been messing around with 3D photography for years.  It just hasn’t been a nice and easy, already developed for them, consumer-friendly, point and shoot 3D camera they were using to take the photos.  Some photographers were rigging up their own cameras to get the effect, some doing it in post-processing.  Some, used much less user-friendly four lens cameras that did exist out there, just not with the best picture quality.

Fujifilm is hoping to remedy all of that with their development of their 3D camera.  The way it accomplishes the 3D effect is to use two lenses and two sensors.  The lenses are about 6 to 7-cm apart, which is the width between the average person’s eyes.  These lenses and sensors take different pictures from different angles simultaneously.  Then, it combines the different pictures to create one image that is displayed on the camera’s 2.8-inch, 230,000 pixel LCD screen. 

Read more about 3D cameras after the break.

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Last night’s town hall debate between presidential candidates was more than just debate #2.  It was the first time Hulu streamed live.  That is right, in addition to the myriad of ways to catch the not so “straight talk,” add Hulu to the list.  Who cares right?

Here is why you need to care:  It is all about money.  Click more to find out.

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Twice thieves have stolen this guy’s motorbike on the tough streets of New York.  Twice, this guy has led police to his bike to recover it.  Smooth.  It makes the $300 investment in GPS Snitch and the $14.99 per month charges seem pretty small.

The GPS Snitch works with both GPS and cell tower tech to deliver text messages alerting you to movement beyond a perimeter you set up.  The GPS data can be viewed online or even via a cool BlackBerry blip application that guides you to your property.  The tracking updates every 5 seconds or so and can port the data to Google Earth.

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