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One of the hottest gifts for this holiday season is a puppy. Not a real puppy who needs to be fed and walked, but rather a robotic one which lives on 4 AA batteries and can be turned off. The Tekno Robotic Puppy is an expressive robot who can walk around, wag his tail, and react by lighting up his eyes and shaking his ears. His sensors allow him to respond to your voice, walk towards and play with objects, make sounds, avoid obstacles, and just enjoy being scratched. Like a real dog, Tekno learns and develops new moves and sounds as you spend more time with him. Before you know it, you’ll grow attached to this little robotic mutt and you too will light up in joy when he pulls off a new move.
Recommended for kids and adults ages 3 and up, Tekno is a great holiday gift to have around the home or even the office. Tekno comes with a plastic bone, a ball, and trick cards and is available in several colors: Silver, Black, and Pearl White. A Dalmatian version is available exclusively at Toys R Us.
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October 31st, 2006 |
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 As far as we can tell the NextLink Bluespoon AX2 is one of the smallest Bluetooth headset on the market today. Weighing in at a mere 1/3 of an ounce and no larger than an an inch in each direction, the AX2 fits completely inside the ear while still maintaining a strong wireless signal and holding a charge for quite some time (talktime is estimated at 6 hours with almost 300 hours of standby). The AX2 includes a 3-button interface for accepting and ending calls and for volume control. The headset is charged through via USB through your PC or Mac using a provided cable that connects to the AX2’s mini USB port (. The Shopperism crew has had a chance to extensively test an AX2 which worked well with a Palm Treo and was very comfortable to wear and use.
If you’re looking for a good deal on the AX2, check out Overstock.com where you can buy a factory reconditioned model for a mere $29.95. Use this 10% off coupon (expires 10/31) and it’s $26.95. That’s a good deal on any headset but especially this one.
Bluespoon AX2 | Overstock.com | $29.95
October 9th, 2006 |
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 Our quest to find a perfect walk-around bag for our SLR (Canon Digital Rebel XT) ended recently with a purchase of a Crumpler 4 Million Dollar Home camera bag.
The Australian based Crumpler began as a messenger bag company and has since added new products to its lineup including excellent camera bags. We were drawn to the Million Dollar Home series because we saw seven different sized bags designed to hold cameras plus accessories. Since looks matter, we were happy that the bags are made from high quality materials and are built and padded to securely hold cameras yet not look like camera bags.
Ultimately we chose the 4 Million Dollar Home because it fits our SLR with a long lens, an extra lens, 2 filters, and a spare battery. The main compartment is padded and feels like a solid square container. It includes a removable/adjustable divider which allows us to rest our camera (lens down) while still leaving a space for another lens or an external flash. A pocket, big enough to hold 2 plastic filter cases, is located in front of the main compartment and is sealed with a Velcro flap. The main flap includes a mesh pocket which comfortable holds an extra battery, cleaning cloth, and even extra memory cards. When closed, the main flap holds with both a Velcro and a plastic snap. The strap is about 2 inches wide and easily adjustable. Even though it sits very comfortably on our shoulder, we wish it had come with some padding on it.
A couple more details on the bag. The 4 Million Dollar Home is made from water resistant 1000D Nylon shell and 420D Ripstop Nylon lining with brushed Nylon lining the main compartment. The bag is available in 4 different color combos: dark brown and oatmeal with pale olive interior (left), blue and light blue with dark orange interior, black and gun metal with light grey interior, and dark red and red with light blue interior.
Crumpler 4 Million Dollar Home | Amazon | $58.50
September 27th, 2006 |
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The iTunes movie store is now live and includes about 70 movies from the Disney family of companies. Despite being Disney-only, the initial batch is pretty interesting and includes some of our favorites. Leading off the list are a select group of Academy Award winners:
Next, a fun selection of action flicks:
Then, a selection of good enjoyable movies:
And finally, since this is Disney, the best in animation:
September 14th, 2006 |
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 In our travels of the world, we’ve discovered that Knopf’s Mapguides are the most useful travel guide and map. These mini-books divide cities and regions into 5-7 different sections. Each section contains a map of the area and summaries of suggested attractions, restaurants, bars, and shopping. The Mapguides are simple, effective, colorful, and easy to use for both tourists and travelers and can serve as the only walk around travel guide and map you’ll need. At about 5″ by 7″, a Mapguide will fit comfortably into your pocket or purse.
From what we can tell, guides are available for the following: New York, London, Paris, Munich, Rome, Venice, Milan, Barcelona, Stockholm, Normandy, Shanghai, Istanbul, Moscow, Hong Kong , Athens, Dublin, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Vienna, Naples, Budapest, Italian Lakes, Hawaii, Majorca, Beijing, Berlin, Provence and Cote D’Azur, Brussels, Miami, Bangkok, St. Petersburg, Dubrovnik, Crete, Warsaw, Havana, Montreal, Budapest, Boston, Edinburgh, and Marrakesh.
Interested? Find it at the following stores:
September 13th, 2006 |
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Nokia has finally decided to make a major push into the growing smartphone business which is currently dominated by Palm’s Treo and RIM’s Blackberry devices. The Nokia E61/E62 is a thin but wide, metal-encased device with a full keyboard thumbpad. The device runs the latest version of Symbian and includes all the applications one can imagine on such a device including email, address book, web browser, and calendar. Both versions of the phone include bluetooth and offer data connectivity using GPRS and EDGE. The E61 includes Wi-Fi while the E62, which will be available through Cingular, will come with GoodLink preinstalled.
Having personally used the E61 and compared it to other smartphones, I was quite impressed. I found the software to be quick and responsive. The web browser is the best I have seen on any smartphone (even better than Opera on a Sony Ericsson P900/P910). The device feels solid and the screen is incredibly sharp and clear. You can also read PC Magazine’s recent preview of the E62 and Brighthand’s review of the E61.
While the E62 is not available yet (we will tell you as soon as Cingular has it), if you are a Cingular or T-Mobile subscriber, you can buy the more powerful E61 unlocked from Amazon today.
Update: See our follow up post for more info on where you can buy the Nokia E61 today
August 21st, 2006 |
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