IN A MOBILE SOCIETY, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE PORTABLE POWER, TOO
The Proporta USB mobile device charger is devilishly simple, not to mention useful. It is a 119g smart battery that can power and charge almost anything on the go.
The charger has both large and small USB ports on the front and a small hook for a lanyard, although it is unclear why anyone would choose to wear it. The small USB port connects to a PC or Mac and recharges the Proporta charger's internal battery. The large port connects to lots of battery-operated devices, including iPods and, using special adapters available from Proporta, mobile phones and other five-volt gadgets.
Once your device is hooked up, you press the button on the top of the Proporta charger. A light comes on and then goes off when everything is fully charged. The Proporta charger is good for about 25 extra hours of use with common devices like iPods, and can also power devices while it charges them.
The charger is available at www.proporta.com. Anyone who has suffered an iPod battery failure on a 12-hour flight to distant shores will definitely appreciate the extra juice the Proporta charger has to offer.
AMAZING TALES OF SUPERHEROES, STARRING YOU
As digital technologies stretch the boundaries of the publishing industry, a software package is making it easy for mere mortals to go to their computers and — Ka-Pow! — create their own comic books.
With Comic Book Creator by Planetwide Games, users can populate their comic books with practically any digital image, including their own digital photos, stock and Internet images as well as screenshots from DVD movies and video games. The latest version of the program, Marvel Heroes Comic Book Creator, includes licensed images from Marvel's Spider-Man, X-Men and Elektra franchises.
The program offers more than 300 page templates and scores of fonts, colors, effects and features, including the ability to incorporate audio and animation. Another feature lets users turn their creations into virtual clip books, giving the action a sense of, well, action. The results can be printed out or posted to Web sites and blogs.
PROJECT A MOVIE ON YOUR GARAGE DOOR
While the Dell 1800MP is powerful enough for sales presentations, it also plays games and movies. In other words, this video projector is built for a conference room, but it's also just right for the living room.
The 1.8kg 1800MP can be mounted on the ceiling or placed on a table. There are three basic picture modes — PC, Movie and Game — and you can switch between the video-in ports to watch inputs from different devices, including DVRs and game consoles. Some devices may need extra adapter cables, which, like the projector itself, are available from the company's Web site (www.dell.com). A unique ventilation system helps reduce noise.
The 1800MP projects video at a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels — not quite high definition. It accepts most standard video resolutions and can take high-definition signals from 1080i HD devices, although it will not display at that resolution. Under the right conditions, it can show images and video at up to 772cm diagonally. Most family rooms don't have that kind of space, but it's nice to know that a far wall can double as a drive-in screen in a pinch.
THE TV AS FURNITURE, LOVELY TO LOOK AT AS WELL AS TO WATCH
The most important consideration for television buyers is usually the quality of the picture screen. Hannspree, a Taiwan-based manufacturer known for its creative designs, has created a TV for people who care about the back of the set as well.
The posterior of the Hannspree Lounge model is wrapped in a curved panel of faux wood, reminiscent of the famous Eames lounge chair. This means the television does not have to be positioned against a wall to hide the back, but could sit on a credenza in the middle of a room.
The front of the Lounge TV is no slouch either. The high-definition LCD screens are 1,366 by 1,786 pixels in all three sizes: 26-inch, 32-inch and 37-inch. All three will be available through Hannspree stores and some home electronics boutiques, as well as the company's Web site, www.hannspree.com/TW/index.htm.
The two larger sets include a memory card reader so that you can see your digital photos and videos on screen.
WIND DEFLECTORS KEEP THE NOISE OUT BUT LET THE MUSIC IN
Taking music with you on a bicycle is easy nowadays, thanks to bump-proof solid-state iPods and MP3 players — as long as your earbuds stay in your ears. But earbuds make it hard to hear surrounding traffic and chat with fellow bicyclists.
The Slipstreamz Slip (from www.macfriends.com) can help with that problem. These plastic shells fasten to a bicycle helmet's straps, holding the earbuds slightly away from your ear canal. This lets you hear both the music and surrounding sounds. And their aerodynamic shape minimizes wind noise, the problem they were originally designed to solve.
The inventor of the Slip, Lonnie Tiegs, an American living in South Africa, noticed that his ears rang from wind noise after long, fast bike rides. The streamlined wind deflectors he invented to reduce noise also protected his ears against wind burn on cold days. Adding holders for iPod earbuds (they may not work with other models) was icing on the cake. You can, of course, use them without the earbuds when you're not in the mood for music.
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