Tech Blog - Page 2

Wireless content streaming has definitely come of age. Embraced by consumer electronics and computer manufacturers alike, technologies like DLNA, AirPlay and other Digital Audio Access Protocols users of notebooks, tablets, smartphones and personal media players can stream their playlists wirelessly to home theatre setups. We look at what Sonos has to offer this year.

While I’ve opted to use the Apple Wired Keyboard day to day (I have the wireless option for travel) to use with my Magic Trackpad, a lot of folks only have the wireless keyboard, which lacks a number pad. Now what if you want a number pad but don’t want extra clutter on your desk? The folks at Mobee have a solution for you it’s as simple as a sticker.

Offered as a set of premium, full-size headphones for mobile listening the $300 Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Hi-Fi is pricey but is extraordinarily powerful, comfortable and plain nice to look at.  Now is this piece of eye candy worth the money?  Read on for more details! 

I got some strange looks from friends when I went about mounting the TomTom VIA 1435TM GPS to my window. One actually said “What’s that for, you’ve got a smartphone?” After using the TomTom for six weeks to navigate up and down the west coast I can safely say this: Phones are for calling. GPS is for navigation. This is one device that, for the best experience, needs to be separate.

I’ve used my phone as a GPS for nearly a year after coming from a long line of GPS units stretching back to the time when they were $600 a pop. There have been a few things that have annoyed me: I can never get my phone quite right in the 3rd party window mount, the notifications on both my iPhone and my Android phone are too annoying to easily dismiss while driving, and despite the availability of custom GPS apps, the standard apps use data (which is a killer if you’re headed to the US).

The TomTom VIA 1435TM was like a breath of fresh air. Let’s start with the basics.

With great fanfare, we come to the final part of my article about the multitude of devices that help us navigate through life (sometimes literally!) The Smart Phone... that wily, ultra-portable jack of all trades, yet master of none. Media, communications, entertainment – it's all there. And yet the price you pay for such versatility is small screen, lack of power and a relatively miniscule battery life, comparatively speaking. Thus we moved to the Tablet computer... a portable paragon of information and media access, a fine research tool, and overall a well-rounded unit for most uses. This, then is what ANY ready to roll road warrior needs to complete the technological first aid kit, right?

WRONG! While in many ways getting edged out of the limelight, the laptop computer is still the mainstay of the productive businessperson on the go, the telecommuter who needs their office on-hand no matter where they are, or even the student with minimal computing needs. Why, you might ask, would the staid old laptop still hold such a position of importance? Read on to find out!

So, where were we? Wait, let me fumble around here for a sec... so many devices to look through. What, wait... OH! Here we are! So I'd like to continue with my series about multiple devices, and what each is appropriate for. As you may recall, last week I spoke about the Smart Phone, and how it fits into our daily lives. As Communications Central, the cell phone is king. Texting, email, speaking and scheduling, you can't go wrong with a Smart Phone.

There are, however, limits to the practical usefulness of the Smart Phone. Relatively small processors, low memory and limited storage make these little gems just a bit under-powered for a lot of applications. Coupled with their small screens, these limitations are enough to curtail the usefulness of phones past a certain point. The advantages, however, have helped to breed a relatively new and exiting technology... touch-based tablet computers!



  Google recently released an update to their Tablet orientated flagship OS Honeycomb, bringing the build version from 3.0 to 3.1 and it is scheduled to be arriving soon on Canadian Honeycomb devices

  It may not immediatly sound like a big deal with such a small version update but there's a lot of improvements added throughout the system. Tune in after the break to find out what they are and what they mean to you.

First off, congratulations on the purchase of your new tablet!

Time to get it setup and start playing. Read on for 3 quick steps that will get you connected to the internet and enjoying the Android Market before you can finish that cup of coffee.

Today is the start of a new regular series I'll be posting here on the Future Shop Community Blog. I'll be sharing tips, tricks and great apps for your Android device to extend the features, make it faster, and let you personalize it the way you want it.

Like many of you, I've been watching the events in Japan continue to unfold, and perhaps thinking to myself, "I'm glad something that devastating didn't happen here".
 
But what if it did, would you be prepared? I like to think that I am, but sadly, I'm probably not.

It seems that every few years, as technology evolves, the age-old question evolves right along with it... “Can THIS device replace THAT device?” From the desktop / laptop wars, to laptops vs. netbooks, we continually struggle to redefine the best way to accomplish a task, and the best tool to use. Now it's time to revisit this issue with the new kid on the block... the Tablet.

 On the surface, this seems to be a pretty simple issue. In many obvious ways, a laptop has advantages that a tablet just doesn't, and I'll discuss some of those pros and cons shortly. However, it's not quite that simple. The device you choose is as much about lifestyle and perception as it is about practicality, and that's a key area for deciding where we're going to invest our money. I mean, let's be honest... a minivan is the most PRACTICAL vehicle for ninety percent of us, but I sure see a lot of convertibles on the road!

Ahhh, finally! Spring has sprung, the grass is turning green, and we can hear the sound of....

The hard drive constantly churning in the computer???

That's right, folks, it's time for that tune-up that your PC is crying out for!

I’m never always sure how to take eReaders because they pretty much serve one or two functions that other devices like tablets and smartphones do too. But what I’ve started to realize even more after trying the Kindle 3, and now Kobo’s eReader Wireless, is that these devices are made exactly for their intended owners.

With the amount of gear I have around I'm surprised this doesn't happen to me more often.

The weather in Edmonton has been rather cool of late, in the -20 to -30 degree range in fact. And today, since it's warmed up to a reasonable -2, I decided to drive the car, rather than our other, warmer, SUV.

After digging it out, scraping it off, and jumping in to wait for it to defrost, I rummaged around in the centre console -- and discovered that I'd left my TomTom GPS in the vehicle since the fall.

When I first saw Belkin’s Conserve line of products, I was impressed with how easy and useful they could be. Just looking around my place, gadgets are everywhere, and my office is just a disaster zone of wires and cables. If all of this is reflected in my hydro bill, then how can I get a better sense of what’s taking up so much juice?