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.
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 Omnito 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
Not only does the Iomega Prestige Desktop 1TB Hard Drive USB 2.0 provide a simple and affordable solution for all your storage needs, it also makes a swish gadget addition to one’s desktop.
Ideal for adding capacity to your system, this stylish drive offers a sturdy aluminum construction and included stand. Available in 500GB, 1TB and 1.5TB capacities, the Iomega Prestige Desktop 1TB Hard Drive is the easiest way to save photos, music, videos and more, plus the Prestige Desktop Hard Drive is powered by an Energy Star® qualified adapter for a better environment! EMC® Retrospect HD (PC) software license is included for easy file backup (software via download).
Our friends at Brighthand have reviewed the new Amazon Kindle 2 and their opinion is that it is the best eBook reader out there in the market:
The Amazon Kindle 2 is an impressive piece of technology, and Amazon should be proud. Much like Apple’s success with the iPod, Amazon is crafting a successful brand by not only offering good hardware, but by supporting it with a software backbone.
It has succeeded where others have failed by sheer effort; even though Sony has been at the effort a longer time, their store doesn’t offer as much content, and it’s typically more expensive. Moreover, no other e-reader can offer such expansive wireless connectivity, at least at this point in time.
Despite the overall positive tone of this review, the Kindle 2 isn’t perfect. I’m not a huge fan of the 5-way joystick, as it’s slippery and at times difficult to use, and there are still some user interface bugs that need ironed out. Moreover, when you flip the power switch to turn wake it from sleep mode, it can take up to thirty seconds before it’s fully responsive; until then it can take more than a second for pages to refresh.
A couple of my friends on Twitter (@ozdj & @macangel) have been raving about their Livescribe Pens and I wanted to see one in action without leaving my desk, so obviously I surfed down to Youtube and found this video:
Pulse Livescribe Video:
Looks very cool indeed. Mental note: Must pick one of these up given my shocking handwriting.
I have an aversion against wires, to be honest. And wires deter me from a lot of things like transferring photos from phones and digicams to computers unless I got no choice. The Parrot PHOTO VIEWER makes it a lot easier and convenient for everyone to transfer pictures from devices to the frame.
All-in-ones might not be the best solution for those who are looking for specialized devices for an office. However, all-in-ones are dependable devices for those who prefer generalized solutions. The Kodak Easyshare 5300 All-in-one Inkjet Printer can scan, copy and print documents and even promises 50 percent savings due to its two-sided document printing feature.
For online-based businesses and individuals, VoIP is an indispensable tool of the trade. While it’s perfectly possible to talk using the usual headphones and mic, there’s always the Philips VOIP / DECT Cordless Phone Plus Extra Handset for those who’d rather have a more phone-like experience.
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.
