What’s better than being able to draw pictures with a pen on a wireless tablet? Being able to  draw pictures with a pen AND using multi-touch gestures on a wireless tablet! This is exactly what the new Wacom Intuos 5 tablet allows you to do.  I’ve currently got a Wacom Intuos 4 that I use for photo editing and product design and I can’t express how cool the thought of being able to zoom, scroll, pan and rotate with your fingers will be!

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This morning as I was going through my Facebook feed, I was surprised that my wife posted a video about a new gadget by Wacom on her wall. It’s not very often that she does this – I’m the gadgeteer of the family!  But after seeing what it was, I quickly understood her fascination. It of course is the new Inkling by Wacom.

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Sponsored by Nuffnang

When I started Mr.Gadget almost 8 years ago, a lot of the laptops didn’t have webcams built in. Therefore as online video services and websites like Skype and Youtube grew so did the demand to get a USB webcam. However over the years we’ve seen manufacturers respond to this need and given what’s normally very little room, installed basic webcam hardware and functionality on laptops. With only a few millimetres of depth to work with, manufacturers will always face a huge challenge. For those who know anything about cameras, you’ll know that to deliver anything close to decent quality with even a sniff of depth of field and ability to capture proper images in low light, they’re going to need more space than that. Until miniaturised camera optics technology catches up you’ll never be able to get an inbuilt web camera that is as good as a dedicated webcam device. One example of this is of course the Microsoft LifeCam Studio Webcam which I was provided to review by Microsoft.

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Yes it’s true. There is technology out there that will allow you to keep an eye on your house via your iPhone or Blackberry. How does one do this? With the Compro IP530 / IP530W (W is wireless enabled) Network Camera. This situation is ideal when you’ve got a babysitter taking care of the kids or if you’re on holiday and want to make sure that there aren’t any uninvited visitors at your place. It’s amazing what we can do with technology these days!

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I’m really digging the sleek design and environmentally-friendliness of Logitech’s latest keyboard : Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750. Believe it or not but this low profile slick keyboard draws its power from sun / light which means no more battery hassles!
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In February we highlighted Uniden‘s release of Australia’s first wireless charger which they’ve dubbed the Uniden Wireless Power Pad. I know we’ve all been waiting for more of these devices to go mainstream because let’s face it, we all hate plugging in cables to recharge our mobile devices. I for one especially get upset when I can’t find my charge cord

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For the very longest time, toilet hand dryer machines were the white gadgets on the wall with the silver button you pushed with your elbow to activate the warm air blower to dry your hands. There’d be instructions to rub your hands to speed up the drying process.

This year, I was surprised to find a gadget at Melbourne Airport that changed all this. And it was none other than the innovative Dyson (world renowned maker of bag-less vacuums) was behind this radical change in the hand-drying experience.

Here’s the Dyson Airblade in action:

Why the Dyson Airblade Is The Most Hygenic:
Dirty air in, clean air out
A HEPA filter removes 99.9% of bacteria and mould from the washroom air it sucks in before blowing it back onto hands.
No hand rubbing
Users don’t need to rub their hands together. Dormant bacteria remains undisturbed.
Speed of drying
Dyson Airblade™ takes just 10 seconds to dry hands, so users leave with clean, dry hands.
Anti-microbial coating
It’s infused with anti-microbial additives to reduce incumbent bacteria and mould by 99.9% and lower the possibility of user contamination.

So there you have it, the Dyson Airblade Hand-Dryer. Have you tried it out yet?

Things are getting out of control. I’m finding that I’m getting closer and closer to reaching data capacity on my laptop with all the digital photos and videos that I have been taking lately. It doesn’t help that I’m using a 21 MegaPixel camera that records HD Video – files can be huge! So in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been scouring newsagent PC sections and the web for the best possible network data storage solution.

Network Access Storage (NAS) Requirements

Here are some my requirements for a NAS device:

• Fast data upload and download
• Compatible with PC and MAC (I’m aiming to replace my Windows Laptop with a MacBook Pro soon)
• Able to share data with other computers on home network
• Wireless connectivity
• User friendly interface
• Able to remotely access data remotely
• Dual drive bay
• Automated backup ability

Today I received an email from NETGEAR‘s promotional team with a couple of new products and one of these was the new Netgear Stora. It seems to meet all the above requirements so I’ll definitely check it out in more details in the next couple of days. Here’s some more information on the NETGEAR Stora below:

NETGEAR Stora – 1TB Home Media Network Storage (MS2110)

A home media hub with remote access, even from a phone!

• Centralize all your digital media (videos, music, photos) in a single, safe location
• One 1TB drive included
• Works with PCs, Macs and web-enabled phones
• Two hot-swap drive bays
• Mirroring option (add a second drive and automatically duplicate the first)
• Integrates with online services like Facebook, iTunes®, Flickr™

NETGEAR Stora puts music, photos, videos and other important data at the heart of your home network.

NETGEAR Stora Demonstration Video

SAN JOSE, Calif. — September 21, 2009 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, and network storage leader in the business and prosumer market with its ReadyNAS® line, today announced NETGEAR Stora, a new, easy-to-use network attached storage (NAS) device for home media. Stora enables consumers to easily centralize photos, music, movies and files and use them on nearly any network device. With a smooth user interface designed for non-technical users, Stora lets consumers easily share their photos and videos with friends without the time-consuming process of uploading them to Internet sites or transferring them over email. Through an intuitive and graphical user interface on www.MyStora.com, users and their designated friends and relatives can remotely access their media files from any Internet-connected device, such as laptops, PCs and smartphones.

“We strongly feel that Stora exemplifies the next-generation of consumer storage devices,” said Drew Meyer, director of marketing for NETGEAR’s Network Storage Business Unit. “NETGEAR has already made its mark in the business and prosumer market with our ReadyNAS line, but Stora is most definitely a platform for everyone. Stora gives users the features they need today with a consumer-friendly user interface and price point, making their media available to them and their designated friends and families anytime, anywhere—even on mobile smartphones. It truly sets a new bar for the consumer network storage market.”

Store: Compatible with Mac, PC and Linux systems, NETGEAR’s Stora puts music, movies, photos, and files at the heart of the home network, centralized in a single, safe location.

Share: With remote access via www.MyStora.com, Stora enables cross-platform file sharing, music listening, movie watching and photo sharing from any Internet-connected device. In addition to sharing files over the web, users can also share photos, videos and files between home computers and home media players. Stora can centralize music collections and play music through iTunes®. It can also automatically integrate content with remote photo frames and social networking sites such as Facebook. Stora can also serve content to other networked devices such as Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-enabled photo frames, XBox 360® and PlayStation® 3 game consoles, and iPhone® and Blackberry® mobile phones.

Protect: With two standard drive bays that automatically mirror data, Stora offers plug-and-play protection that safeguards valuable data. Users can simply add a second drive, on the fly, without any tools. Stora also comes with automatic backup utilities for PCs and Macs, so individual system content is backed up regularly.

“Today’s consumers face a conundrum when trying to manage newly acquired or created digital content among various computing devices inside and outside the home,” said David Reinsel, group vice president of IDC’s storage and semiconductor research groups. “Historically, personal storage devices have proven competent at providing reliable storage capacity and data protection within the home, but not always accessible from outside the home or across multiple devices. With this new product, NETGEAR looks to solve these common problems for consumers.”

NETGEAR Stora (MS2110) comes with a 1 TB disk and one extra drive bay that can be used to insert an optional disk for mirroring. The product is immediately available through selected North American retail and e-commerce stores. Stora will be available from leading European and Asia Pacific retail locations in approximately two weeks. Stora is backed by a three-year warranty and 24/7 technical support and the Stora (MS2110) model has an MSRP in the U.S. of $229. An optional yearly premium service that supports additional remote access and third-party service integration such as Flickr, Picasa, YouTube and mobile phones, is available for $19.99 after an initial 30-day trial period.

Product details, instructional videos and other information are at http://www.netgear.com/stora.
Product photos can be downloaded from: http://www.netgear.com/Products/Storage/Stora/MS2110.aspx.

The Alarm Clock Time Projector is a 12/24 hour clock, with an alarm, and the ability to project the time onto most surfaces. Now when you wake up to your alarm, no need to twist and turn to confirm the time, with a push of a button, you can stay lying in bed viewing the time on the ceiling, or on a wall. Very simple yet magnificently innovative.

Specifications of the Alarm Clock Time Projector:

• 12/24 Hour Clock
• Alarm
• Time Projector
• Requires 3x AA batteries

The Alarm Clock Time Projector is a fun and very much practical gadget to have especially if you are the traveling type of person. The fantastic thing about the Alarm Clock Time Projector is that you can project it into virtually any surface, making it very ideal as well for the outdoors. Perfect for gifts too!

Grab one for you and for your friends. Call us to confirm availability of this cool gadget.

Andrew from Sumo was kind enough to provide me with a Sumolounge Omni to review. Admittedly, I expected to receive your normal garden variety beanbag except with a Sumo brand on it and without any filling. Instead, on a Saturday evening, I received a fully filled navy-colored super versatile Sumolounge Omni! This thing is huge!

My daughters immediately took a liking to it – jumping on it like a trampoline. Thankfully it’s made out of thick rip-proof nylon which looks like it could survive this type of treatment for many years. I personally like the reinforced stitching which means a very low chance of beanbag filling spilling all over the place.

Because it’s shaped like a pillow, you can position it in more ways than your conventional beanbag. You can use it as a chair or use it as a compact bed. Perfect for the loungeroom.

If you’re in the market for a high quality sturdy bean bag or if you can’t afford a decent lounge suite than I highly recommend the Sumolounge Omni. Great work Sumo

Sumolounge Omni [Beanbag] Page