December 30, 2009

Flip Video Camcorder

I got a MinoHD Flip Video camcorder for Christmas this year. Very very cool. This is a portable video camera that takes excellent HD video. 

This HD camcorder now features 120 minutes of record time and a large, 2" anti-glare display, making it even easier to capture stunning HD video. Video is recorded at 16:9 widescreen, HD 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 frames per seconds (fps) progressive scan; recorded as MP4 file.

The really cool thing is that you can customize the camera on their website. The picture you see is my MinoHD camera, yes its the Haunted Mansion in Disney World.

I already uploaded a video to YouTube, check out what Chatham Light Beach looked like the day after Christmas. It was pretty windy that day, so all you hear is the wind blowing into the camera.

Within hours of taking the Chatham Light footage, we watched the video on a large Sony TV using the HDMI connector on the bottom of the MinoHD. The video quality was very good and everyone that saw it was impress that it came from a small camera.

I had no problems connecting the camera to my PowerBook G4. It plugged into the USB port and iPhoto opened automatically. I was able to export the video from the camera very easily. I didn't have to install anything or configure any software.

I am looking forward to taking lots of videos with the new camera. I already tried the XShot and it works great and definitely a must have accessory to get with the Flip Video Camera.  I also got the USB and HDMI cables with the camera and they work great.

I am looking forward to going on vacation and not having to bring my Sony DCR-TRV720 to take only a few minutes of video. Having a small camera will make it easy to take video whenever I want to, and not be bothered by a large camcorder bag.

December 29, 2009

ClearSound Neckloop Headset

I got a lot of exciting gifts for Christmas this year, including an Amplified Neckloop Headset by ClearSounds. This is a handy device that allows hearing aid users to use their cell phone hands free. The really cool thing about this model is that it will work for any phone type - cellphone and home phones!

The CLA7v2 kit comes with 4 different cables to handle both a 2.5mm and 3.5mm connections. There's a mono and stereo cable for the two connector types. It took a while to figure out which one would work with my LG Vx8360, but after a couple of tries I discovered that my phone uses a 2.5mm stereo cable!

I did a quick test of the Neckloop this morning and it worked great! The sound was very clear and the caller said that my voice was also clear. I was able to answer the phone very quickly and didn't encounter any problems using the new Neckloop. It was a little weird to hear the conversation in both ears.

This is supposed to also work with iPods too, but I haven't tested that yet. However, since the Neckloop needs two AAA batteries to opperate, I am not sure I would be using this for my iPod on a regular bases. I can see this being handy for traveling since I can use one device for multiple sources.

I would highly recommended getting the Amplified Neckloop Headset. ClearSounds has a Bluetooth model, but its more expensive and will only work with Bluetooth devices. This means you can't use it on home phones or with an iPod. The CLA7v2 model works great and very easy to set up.

December 24, 2009

Christmas Shopping 2009

Looks like the online shopping is completed for Christmas 2009. Any last minute shopping will be done at the local malls or other shopping areas. At the Natick Collections, it has been really busy. The traffic around the mall is terrible and there are some issues with getting a parking space.

Best advice if you are going to the Natick Collection is to park near JCPenny. There's plenty of parking on the basement level and its easy to get out of the mall back on to the Mass Pike or Route 9.

Here are some good last minute stocking stuffer ideas:

• Lottery Scratch Tickets
• Purell Hand Sanitizers
• Gum
• AA Rechargeable Batteries
• Bath and Body Works have great sample sizes
• Small Yankee Candle Jar
• USB Thumb Drive

October 30, 2009

Wii Sales

Last Christmas you couldn't find a Wii any place. Stores weren't able to keep inventory of them for even a day. On Ebay, people were selling Wii's for $500, and were getting multiple bids!

This year it might be much easier to find a Wii, according to this Wall Street Journal Story:

Nintendo Co. said Friday it was caught off guard by how quickly the market for its Wii videogame machine slowed down and estimated that it would take some time for the home console to regain its momentum.

We got a Wii last year and its a fun machine. We don't use it that much, no real reason. We have plenty of games to play with, there's no real game that we feel that we have to play with all the time. It makes great fun with company is over and people are looking for things to do.

October 16, 2009

Books for Christmas this year

Looks like the Christmas 2009 is going to get a little nasty:

Wal-Mart launches a price war with Amazon.com, putting 10 hotly-anticipated new books online for just $10 each. Amazon then matched the price, after which Wal-Mart fired back by dropping prices to $9. Wal-Mart is also selling 200 bestsellers at a 50% discount. Combined with Google's move into ebooks yesterday, Amazon now finds itself under a two-prong assault.