Mogo Mouse for Netbooks!

One of the really annoying facts with the Netbook design is that the trackpad is small--it's so small that people with fat fingers would have a hard time using it. Therefore most would bring in their own mouse. The problem with that is that they have to place it in a separate part of the bag and usually the cords get tangled with the other cables. It was with this problem that Mogo decided to actually attach their Mogo Mouse BT to the Netbook via a hostler at the top.

MoGo NetPack Mouse X54™ Finally a solution to the cramped trackpads of netbooks. A slim holder attaches to the top of a Laptop or Netbook and holds the MoGo at the ready. Slides easily into laptop sleeves and pockets. Kit contains the MoGo X54 Presenter Mouse, NetPack holder and a USB Charging Cable. Add an optional Bluetooth adapter for $9.99

The main star of this pack is the Mogo X54 mouse.

It includes the same functionality as conventional laser wireless mice – scroll, right click, left click – without the bulky, oversized design. With the push of a button, your MoGo Presenter Mouse X54™ turns into a wireless presenter – allowing you to control your PowerPoint presentations with 30 feet of freedom. It features a slide changer, start/escape button and laser pointer.

This mouse would be ideal for those Netbook users on the go but it would also suit well for those who just wants to look cool in a free WiFi Cafe.

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Pentax Optio WS80 Waterproof Camera

Pentax has unveiled the successor for its Optio series with the release of the Pentax Option WS80. Though touted as a water-proof camera, it can only be used up to 5 feet down. So if you are a diver or a person who loves to take images below the sea, this camera may not necessarily be suited for that.

The Pentax Option WS80 has a 10 megapixel CCD with a 720p video capability. It is equipped with face detection, smile capture and blink detection. It is available in black with orange accents or white with purple. The camera costs $250.

(Source) Dvice

Site Review: Qwest Broadband Services

For those who want residential broadband services, you can look in a lot of places for it. You can register for several different internet service providers for what seems to be decent DSL, but various problems like lag and frequent disconnection may plague you most of the time; all this while having to pay high monthly rates, despite the below-average quality of service. It is quite a tall tale to find a provider that can provide quality DSL while still being affordable for most households, but there is one. Qwest can provide all of these and more.

With other DSL services, you may have to pay extra for renting the modem and even for an extra phone line if they pull a fast one on you. It is best to do your research right before register for a service. If you are someone who is upgrading from 56 kbps, then going to the Qwest website to learn more about what should be done. You can learn more about the services available along with the DSL connection, like the equipment and other amenities.

Speed is definitely not a problem with Qwest. They have DSL services with bandwidths from 1.5 to 20 megabytes per second. This gives you options according to your needs, but this is definitely more than enough for residential use. They even have information on how to avail of these services without having a local phone line. With monthly rates are as low as $19.99 plus 2 gigabytes of online storage, it is definitely great value. If you have more questions, you can get most of the answers from their website. There is definitely no reason to complain at all.

Qwest also have other services like wireless internet, VoIP, and TV services. All the information is available in the website, especially their digital TV service. You can consult their map to see if you are within Qwest's area of jurisdiction. If you do, then you can avail of their services not only with DSL, but also with digital TV. If you are a new customer, all you need is your zip code to know more. Just visit the website and click "TV services" for more.

You have to browse through the site to learn more about the services, especially once you do have it. They have installation and troubleshooting guides and walkthroughs for beginners who have just availed of Qwest's broadband services. You will learn about the equipment, the DSL service's technical aspects, and how you can maintain it for longevity. As long as you are a paying customer, you can make use of this information

They also have other special offers and promos along with the registration. If you get lucky, you can even get two months of service free, as well as many incredible offers for new customers. All the information about these is available in the website as well.

If you are interested with what Qwest broadband services are all about, just visit the Qwest website to know how to register for this incredible service.

Ringtones are Down, Ringbacks are Up

Image by Edward Barnieh [back in a few days!] via Flickr

Let's admit it: ringtones aren't such a hit here as it is in other parts of the world. What we want is a normal message alert and a normal ringing phone. Putting in the latest music as a ringtone isn't really that important and sometimes it just gets downright irritating, isn't it? There's been a study made by the folks from SNL Kagan showing just how much the ringtone market is shrinking:

Ringtone sales declined 24% in 2008 versus 2007, from $714 million to $541 million, causing overall U.S. mobile music revenues to post an annual decline -- a first for a U.S. mobile content category. Ringtones' share of the total U.S. mobile music market fell from 80% in 2005 to 63% in 2008.

Maybe it's the recession? I would rather find a job than subscribe to a ringtone, yes? Or maybe that people have finally gotten tired of the whole ringtone business as changing it to the latest music has become an expensive chore.

The music and mobile industry doesn't have to quake in their boots due to such an alarming reduction in profits as ringbacks, music played while you're waiting for the other party to pick up your call, has risen.

So what's the next revenue generator for mobile music? "When we ask mobile music insiders what will replace ringtone revenues, RBTs (ringback tones) are most often mentioned," said SNL Kagan wireless analyst John Fletcher. "We estimate this category grew at a 37% CAGR from 2005 to 2008, from $77 million to $199 million."

Ringbacks for ringtones? Less irritating as everyone in the room doesn't have to listen to it.

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LOOKUP: No more unknown callers

Ever got a call from an unknown number? Would you pick it up? What if you received an SMS message from someone you don't know. Will you even read it? With all the security problems that came with the mobile phone industry, we wouldn't be surprised if you don't entertain such calls or messages. However, what if that call or SMS message was important? How can you separate the important calls and messages from the prank ones?

That was what Whitepages thought of when they decided to make LOOKUP: a service that identifies unknown callers.

Although a basic form of caller ID is available on most mobile devices, it typically only presents the calling party number, not the name or location of the caller. LOOKUP from WhitePages shows the name and location of unknown numbers, thus helping identify friends and colleagues not in your phonebook, as well as avoiding unwanted calls. LOOKUP from WhitePages is the first text-based service to offer mobile users

It's so easy to do that you only have to don one thing: remember the letters to LOOKUP:

*An easy way to obtain the identity of an unknown incoming number or text sender. Users simply send a text with the unknown number to LOOKUP (566-587).
*LOOKUP is designed to work on any mobile device with texting capability.
*Accurate information, within seconds. The LOOKUP database includes information on over 600 million listings, including hard to find mobile and landline numbers.

So the next time you get a missed call from an unknown number and you're not sure whether it's a prospective client or a prank call, send the information to LOOKUP and you'll know what to do next.

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Sony Reader vs. Kindle!

Amazon's Kindle has been slaughtering the e-book reader niche market and is currently sitting on top of the mountain. Other companies have been trying to get them off it, but so far no one's been able to do it. Sony is putting their name into the hat and is entering the game with not one, but two e-readers! The PRS-300, called the Pocket and the PRS-600, otherwise known as the Touch.

The specs are as follows:

The latter (pictured left, not to scale) is the 6-inch resistive touchscreen model replacing the PRS-700, with Memory Stick / Duo and SD card slots. The backlighting layer from its predecessor has been dropped to improve touch responsiveness and to alleviate concerns of glare. It also comes packing a stylus and a digitized copy of the Oxford American English Dictionary and will be available in red, black, and silver. The Pocket Edition, on the other hand, is your standard fare with no touchscreen or expandable disk port, and palettes including blue, silver, and rose. Both models have USB 2.0, 512MB internal memory, and no WiFi whatsoever -- Sony assures us a WiFi version is coming and there'll be news on those coming soon, but this isn't it. There's also Mac compatibility, a first for the series, that's trickling down to older models via a firmware update.

Sony's really risking it all just to beat Kindle! Besides putting in two gadgets against the Kindle, they're also pricing it lower: The Pocket at $ 199 and the Touch at $ 299. They're also dropping the Bestseller prices from $ 11.99 to $ 9.99. Personally, I would prefer with the Pocket not just because its cheaper, but also because it seems more pocket friendly (hence the name?) as I really have no use for a touchscreen right now (especially if you have an iPhone or iPod touch). This goes then to my next query: why two devices? Isn't it better to have one quality product where they can focus their Research & Development and their marketing on?

Does this mean that this will beat Kindle? Will Sony's de-pricing beat the Amazon brand behemoth?

Source for Sony Reader

Apple App Store: NESynth and some really weird apps

With Apple finally patching the SMS vulnerability of the iPhone 3GS OS, everything seems to have settled down (well, if you don't count the FCC asking for an explanation regarding the GV Mobile bruhaha). Let's take a look at some iPhone apps that recently piqued our interests.

NESynth: Make 8-bit music goodness on your iPhone

Using the iPhone as a music medium is a great idea and has been tackled with before, however, they aren't as fun as NESynth. Why? The NES part of the name stands for Nintendo Entertainment System. Here's a sample of it:

If you're a SNES child, you'll recognize the sounds and music. Even if you weren't born at the time, you'll definitely appreciate it anyway. Available for $1.99 US iPhone App Store only.

Amamiya Momo iPhone App: bordering on lewdness

The following app is kind of disturbing--wait--it's REALLY disturbing. If you think the XXX iPhone App should be taken down, then you should check this out as well: Amamiya Momo.



Some may think it cute, especially those Otakus who just like cutesy anime girls or those who just plain like cartoons. But nevertheless, the way that one can just swish on her body is a bit suspect. Although I do have to comment that Tamagotchi, an electronic pet, is a great (and less messier) alternative to real ones, this was not marketed to be a pet but rather as a virtual girlfriend. If you want to check it out, it's $2.99 at the App Store.

Is Apple cleaning up at the App Store?

And lastly, here's an actual Apple third party developer named Perfect Acumen that's getting their whole list of apps getting taken off from the App Store for the somewhat right reasons. Does this mean that the app Store's finally learning from the whole GV Mobile fiasco and taking out the really disgusting apps?

Yes and no. No, in the sense that this, the removal of the 3rd most prolific app-shitters in the whole store, doesn't have anything to do with a change in policy, or an increase in transparency. Yes, in the sense that Apple is finally enforcing some of their clearer prior rules. Like, "DON'T STEAL THINGS."

Ok, granted that they the app developer was taken out still shows that somehow Apple is putting their marbles back inside their hands and trying to put in some quality apps in their store. Now if they can only re-think about putting GV Mobile back there...

Source for NESynth

Source for Amamiya Moto App

Source for Perfect Acumen and its 900 applications pulled from App Store