Solar Light Suggestions Needed

I have been wanting to get some solar-powered lights for a while now. The ones I find online have reviews that range from them being cheap-looking, to poor quality, to poor receivers of solar power, to just plain bad. Does anyone have any experience with solar lights? Anyone who can lend a recommendation or suggestion.

To get the conversation started, I was looking at these Westinghouse stainless steel lights on Amazon (link).

Amazon Unveils eBook Reader: Kindle

Amazon has been working on an eBook reader for the past 3 years and they just unveiled it. The Kindle can be bought for $400 from Amazon.com and it uses e-ink technology with a host of other great features. It was developed by Amazon, along with the accompanying Kindle Store where you can buy books, magazine subscriptions, newspaper subscriptions, and blog subscriptions that get sent to your Kindle over Sprint’s EVDO network. It doesn’t cost anything extra to access Sprint’s network, which is a big plus that helps offset the price of the reader. What follows are some of the details of the reader and store, along with my thoughts.

• Electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
• Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
• Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
• Holds over 200 titles. SD card support for more storage capacity.
• Audio: 3.5mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted mono speaker
• Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), MP3, natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MOBI, PRC through conversion
• Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle
• Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute. More than 88,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times Best Sellers.
• New York Times Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise. Other books are less.
• Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
• Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot. No monthly fee for access to network.
• Includes free access to Wikipedia.org and a built-in Oxford English Dictionary.
• Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing. They convert it into the right format and can send it to your Kindle for $0.10 or send it to you for free and you can transfer it to the Kindle with the usb connection

You can transfer MP3s or audio books to the Kindle. And you can listen to the MP3s separately or as background music while you read if that’s something you like to do. You can bookmark pages, or annotate them using the QWERTY keyboard. And there is a built in digital cursor that scrolls along the side of the page allowing you to select page lines. It is controlled by a scrollwheel. There are big buttons on the Kindle that let you go to the next page or back a page. It is all very intuitive according to published reviews.

A great feature is the switch on the back to turn the wireless single off. Great for planes and other places you can’t use a cellphone or wireless device.

Video: Neil Gaiman discusses the Amazon Kindle.

From reviews by people that actually used the Kindle it seems to work well. The e-ink is easy on the eyes, and the reader was designed with usability in mind. It’s ergonomically designed to feel like a book. It’s the same size as a paperback book and it ways a little bit less at 10.3 ounces. Amazon thought of everything. I’m almost tempted to buy one to check it out. I want one. But I might wait for some more hands-on reviews, and until more of the books I want are available from the Kindle store.

Buy it or find more info: Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device

Hands on Reviews and Interviews around the Internet
Newsweek: great interview with Jeff Bezos and background on Kindle and the book market.
ZDNet Hands on with the Kindle: This ugly duckling has potential
Engadget hands on, and some extra details
Gizmodo

Buy it or find more info: Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device

Lego USB Flash Drive

Zip Zip makes USB flash drives encased in Lego bricks. Very cool, and I know some people who would love these things. They offer 1GB USB drives in six colors for $59 Australian dollars or $49 U.S. dollars, and they ship worldwide.

Product Page

Source: Gizmodo

Drobo Unboxing

The new Drobo is finally up and running. Here are some pictures of it before and after. It is currently running with two 500GB drives, with another on the way. I will write more about the Drobo as I use it longer but for now here is a slideshow and link to the photo album.

Jason Blogs: Drobo Unboxing photo album

Should I Get a Drobo?

Should I get a Drobo? It’s a storage device that handles up to 4 SATA drives and ensures that data is always protected. It uses a combination of RAID methods and constantly optimizes stored data.

My question is whether or not I should buy one. I have an external drive already and really have no immediate need for a Drobo. But I just can’t get this thing out of my head. It’s such a cool device, but is that worth spending the $700 (minus $100 coupon) on it? And then having to buy a few SATA drives.

What should I then do with my current external drive that is Ultra ATA? Sell it? Put it in my windows box as a replacement for the current drive and then make the current drive a slave?

11pm Update: I ordered one, but still let me know what you think.

Update 2: The Drobo now costs $499. You can get a $25 discount using the coupon code EVJASONS

Professional USB Microphone

The R0DE Podcaster USB Microphone looks amazing. It reminds me of the great microphones down at the WTSR studio. It has all the professional features you would expect in a mic and it’s made for podcasting. If I felt like putting down the $200 for this I definitely would get it right now, but I think I’ll wait until after I get a Macbook. I haven’t tried the microphone but it looks great, so research it before you buy it. You can hear some recordings made with it here.

Features:

• Dynamic mic with USB connection
• Cardioid polar pattern with high 180-degree rejection
• Voice tailored low-cut filter
• Internal pop filter
• Rugged stainless steel body

Via Popgadget

Microsoft Aiming at PSP, iPod

The Seattle Times has an article that says Microsoft really is working on a line of Xbox-branded digital-media products. The project code-named Argo is being developed by the Xbox group. Apparently it has Wi-Fi capability and will compete with the iPod and portable gaming devices.

This could be a big gamble to fight off the companies impeding on Microsoft’s territory with their pervasive technology that causes customers to use their software. Case in point: I use iTunes because I needed it to connect with my iPod. Now there are free software options that don’t require the use of iTunes to transfer music, like one I mentioned here, but I didn’t care so much to look for one at the time.

News of a Microsoft-branded iPod competitor has abounded for a while now. Microsoft consistently denies the rumors. So this article could be wrong, and it could be a product for other manufacturers to develop such as that portable tablet PC Microsoft released a few months ago that went by the name of Origami. Or it could be something else. Only time will tell, and of course I will tell you as soon as I find anything more concrete. But for now the article is an interesting read, and if correct could offer some new insight into Microsoft’s operations.

Source: Seattle Times

Mmmmm…Xbox 360 Demo

So I was just visiting my local Target, and I saw they had an Xbox 360 on display. As I picked up the controller I became full of glee and ecstasy. Unfortunately, the remote control kept thinking it was unplugged. I was still able to play enough of Kameo to get a feel for the system. I must say, I am thoroughly impressed. I already new the controller was great, as I had played with it at Digital Life.

I’m just not sure I want to spend the money on a new system, especially when I already have an original Xbox and I hardly use it. I did however get some new sports games for my Xbox and I have been enjoying playing NFL Fever 2004 repeatedly (yes, 2004. I got a good deal at Costco on 3 sports games).

Lexar JumpDrive with E Ink Capacity Meter

Engadget is reporting on the Lexar JumpDrive Mercury. It is a new USB flash drive that uses an electronic paper display to tell you how full the drive is. The display works without power so the drive doesn’t have to be plugged in.

Vonage Wi-Fi Phone Here Shortly

CNET News is reporting that Vonage is set to announce the availability of a portable Wi-Fi phone. “The company will sell a handset called the F1000 manufactured by UTStarcom, which will offer Vonage’s voice over IP (VoIP) service over any public 802.11b network.”

CNET mentions that there are two aspects that may be detractors for the initial release. The phone works only with public Wi-Fi hot spots, and “the mobile nature of the device makes it nearly impossible for emergency operators to automatically get the address of callers using a Wi-Fi VoIP phone away from home.” These issues will eventually be resolved according to a Vonage VP.

Via CNET News