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Hardware TipsRead these 15 Hardware Tips in 4 categories ranging from Gizmos to Scanner Selection. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Hardware tips and hundreds of other topics. Become a Guru or Become an Advertiser. RCA Lyra Digital Audio PlayerIf you like to mix your own tunes and take them with you then you'll like the world of MP3 players. MP3 is the hot new music technology that allows the distribution of near CD-quality music on the Web. The RCA Lyra is one of the gadgets that can play this hot music format. It's about the size of a cell phone, uses two AA batteries and features a back-lit screen, a digital equalizer and very nicely designed and functional buttons. The Lyra also has a tiny, though very legible, LCD screen that shows song title, artist, and album information. The Lyra gets music from a 32 megabyte CompactFlash memory card, which can store 64 minutes of audio. A 64-MB Flash card is also available. Music can be downloaded from the Web via a Windows computer and then encoded onto the card, which is then inserted into the Lyra for take along tunes. Either MP3 or Real Audio G2 formats (from Real.com) are supported. Sound from the device is a little hissy. Still, the device is functional and the flexibility in music selection and storage is novel. The device is 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 by 7/8 inches - about half the size of a CD case - and weighs 0.28 lbs. Price is $199 US / $299.99 Canadian. With 64 MB compact flash card and car kit, it's about $350. More info at http://www.lyrazone.com/. jobs by
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Xircom Rex Pro 5001Sure the various Microsoft powered Pocket PCs fit in your pocket. And sure the Palm Inc. devices fit in your palm. The Xircom Rex 5001 goes one better and fits in your wallet. It's a credit card sized personal organizer that keeps track of all your phone numbers, appointments, tasks and notes. This 3 3/8 by 2 1/8 by 1/4 inch gizmo features a tiny, yet functional LCD screen and six thumb-friendly micro-buttons to navigate around the data. The Rex data synchronizes with a personal computer or notebook computer through included desktop software. It also can synchronize with top personal organizer data packages such as Symantec's ACT!, Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes among others. It connects to a computer through a docking station that connects to a serial port or slots directly into a PC Card slot on a notebook. This latter feature is remarkable. Mostly this 39.7 gram (1.4 ounce) device is simple to use and easy to set up. It does a have a few drawbacks. For example, it displays an error when it synchronizes with Outlook 2000, thinking it is Outlook 98. Data input, through a scrollable onscreen keyboard, demands enormous patience or brief messages. And oddly enough it is missing a calculator function, which all the other PDAs feature. Nonetheless, the gizmo, which comes with 512K of memory, is still pretty darn cool. It works on two penny-sized lithium batteries. Xircom claims it works for about six months with regular use. Price is $175 US / $249 Canadian. More info at http://www.xircom.com/. RCA Wireless Phone Jack SystemThe RCA Wireless Phone Jack System transforms your electrical wall socket into a secondary phone jack. Just plug the base component in into a power source and a phone jack, then attach the additional component to any power socket on the premises and plug in a phone and you have phone service from any socket in the house. The system ($65 US / $95 Canadian) will save the time and money spent having phone company contractors rip open your walls to add new phone jacks, but convenience is only measurable if there are no tradeoffs in service. This where the RCA Wireless Phone Jack System falls down. The RCA system causes noise and static on the line. It's not overwhelming, but you can hear it with each call you make. All of the tips and solutions laid out in the unit's manual -- even trying the unit in different venues - wouldn't eliminate the problem. In homes with newer wiring than the old apartment it was tested in, it may get better results. Sony IC RecorderThe Sony IC Recorder records up to 2.5 hours of sound. "So what" you say? There's no tape onboard. The voice data is stored digitally on a special chip. Without the tape mechanism, this allows a half-KitKat size that sits in the palm of your hand or clips onto a lapel. This is every handy when illicitly recording conversations you want to keep for later, like discussions with threatening landlords, unreasonable sales clerks and conniving office colleagues. On the brighter side, it's also nifty for storing baby's first words so you can e-mail it to talent agents. The ICDR100PC model can upload and download up to 99 sound bits into or from a PC via an included parallel port cable. Mac users need not apply. The LCD display and feather-touch buttons provide ease of use. It's powered by two AAA batteries and comes with a carry pouch and has microphone and earphone inputs. It's even got a voice activation switch and multi-speed settings for slow or fast playback. Price is about $150 US / $220 Canadian. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F55Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-F55 is a digital camera small enough sit in the palm of your hand. Do not be put off by its tiny size, however, it produces pictures far superior to those of both cheaper and more expensive units. Size comes with compromises. A back-lit LCD screen acts as viewfinder, but there's no manual viewfinder, which might disappointment photo vets who like to frame their shots. Narcissists take note however. The lens on this gadget, designed by famous lens crafter Carl Zeiss, rotates on an axis, so presumably you can photograph yourself, which is a thoughtful innovation. The auto-focus is a delight and works like a charm and a macro mode is available for focusing on objects close up. Photos taken with this camera ($795 Canadian or $530 US) are phenomenal. With a maximum resolution of 1600 by 1200 pixels, images are sharp, with very bright colors that are even throughout. The unit has a built-in flash and also takes MPEG-format movies with sound. Images and movies can be transferred to a computer for printing or electronic distribution. One other consideration. Sony's Memory Stick cards are used to store images in the device. They are non-industry-standard, so unless the technology is adopted by other manufacturers, you may eventually have to find a place for the camera next to your Sony BetaMax VCR. SoftBook Reader eBookThe SoftBook Reader, competition to the NuvoMedia Rocket eBook, isn't really competition because both products are now owned by Gemstar International Group. The device is an 8.5-inch by 11-inch tablet providing a more accurate facsimile of the growing number of magazines and periodicals available in this format. It too offers a stylus for pointing and clicking or for writing notes. Its screen is easy on the eyes and easy to read, with full contrast control. A nice touch is a notch on the Reader, which turns pages forward and backward. While it is not the same as physically flipping pages, it still gives the illusion of reading a book rather than a tablet. A phone jack built into the unit gives the device direct access to the company's online bookstore. The Reader finds a local phone number to log in, but this means you must rely on SoftBook Press to maintain your digital bookshelf. However, if the line is busy, there's no access to books not loaded into the Reader. At $899 Canadian / $599.95 US, the Reader's price is hard to swallow. SoftBook Press offers a $449 Canadian / $299.95 US pricing scheme, but it requires a commitment to buy $19.95 US worth of electronic readables each month for 24 months. |
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