Category: Websites (Page 20 of 23)

Hulu Gets Disney

April 30, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

All I can think is, what took so long? Of course, the deal has been in discussion for some time now, and I’m glad to see it came through. I’m not a huge TV watcher, but when I do, I like it to be streaming high-quality video. That’s the obvious benefit for both viewer and network in this deal. And if that iPhone app goes through, even better. For my severely Lost-addicted friends, this is huge news (maybe we can finally get a beer on Wednesdays?).

So why hasn’t CBS converted? A spokesperson recently gave us a lot of word vomit concerning CBS rights management and profitability in multi-platform blah blah blah blah. Seriously, get with it. Hulu is now the third-most-watched video site on the net, just behind Google (including YouTube) and Myspace. I would really like to see the CBS online viewing numbers, particularly after Hulu’s launch. Now people can catch everything they want in one place. Why bother with a slow CBS server when Hulu can stream anything else almost instantly? Did I mention CBS videos look like trash? I feel a strongly worded letter coming on. Now if they just had a show I cared to watch. I like you, Jay Mohr, but your show isn’t funny.

Apps, Video, Websites

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Sweet Site of the Week – LogMeIn

April 25, 2009 / Gary Fairchild

Sometimes it’s hard to sift through the millions of websites out there to find the fun, unusual, creative, and especially, the useful ones. And word of mouth can only take you so far. Well, leave it to Gadget Teaser to give you a hand in your search. Once a week, we’ll highlight one of our favorite sites that not everyone knows about. I like to think that we here at Gadget Teaser are performing a public service for you… ~~the avid gadget blog reader~~ the general public.

This week’s Sweet Site of the Week is: LogMeIn

LogMeIn is basically a tool that is used to remotely access a computer from anywhere. On the road and need to access your home or work PC, use LogMeIn. Got a client in another city, or even country, that requires local support, use LogMeIn. Got a conference call and would like to present a PowerPoint for everyone to see, use LogMeIn. I think you get my drift but in case you don’t, here’s what LogMeIn describes itself as:

Businesses and IT service providers use LogMeIn’s solutions to deliver remote end-user support and to access and manage computers and other Internet-enabled devices more effectively and efficiently. Consumers and mobile workers use our solutions to access computer resources remotely, thereby facilitating their mobility and increasing their productivity.

I use LogMeIn Free to remotely access my home PC while I’m at work or on the road. So all I had to do was install a small app on my home PC and then no matter where I am I can log into the LogMeIn website and access my home PC. That’s it. I use it to access my personal email, my personal bookmarks, and my personal files. Maximize the screen and you can’t tell the difference between your home monitor and the one you’re using remotely. And it’s so convenient. In case you were wondering, there is a version for the Mac and there is even a iPhone app you can use to remotely control your home PC as well.

So if you ever need to access anything from your home PC while at work or on the road, I suggest you use our Sweet Site of the Week, LogMeIn.

Apple, Apps, Computers, iPhone, Mobile, Websites

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Warner Bros. Offers HD DVD Trade-In

April 22, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

Now that HD DVD has gone the way of Betamax, early adopters have been looking for ways to get rid of their old discs in favor of Blu-ray. This time last year, Best Buy started picking up the DVDs on their trade-in site for a meager $3 a pop if you also brought them a player.

In an attempt to appease their customer base, Warner Bros. released a website, red2blu.com, which allows consumers to essentially swap their HD DVDs for the same title in Blu-ray. By sending the cover sleeve (even they don’t want the disc) and $4.95/title, plus a few bucks shipping per order, you can swap up to 25 titles per household. Not a bad deal if you ask me. You did ask me, right?

Video, Websites

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Biking: Not Just for Skinny People

April 21, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

If you’re big enough to buckle an average sized bike, Vermont company, Super Sized Cycles, wants to give you a hand…and an electric assist motor. According to the company website, SSC is the only bike manufacturer that builds bikes capable of withstanding the stress of an obese rider.

At the outset, it seems like a good idea. Obese folks have just as much a right to enjoy a bike ride as I do. But an electric assist motor? One of the biggest benefits of biking is cardiovascular exercise. Classic biking has a solution for the most difficult parts of a workout – gears.

One paragraph of the company website even mentions the following:If the rider is really fat, there may be some hitting of the belly on the other bikes, but it shouldn’t be enough to interfere with the ability to ride.If the rider is big enough to be hitting his/her belly on the handlebars, they need more help than a sturdy bike.

SSC strikes me as another example of a decent idea crippled by thoughts of profitability. Selling bikes to obese folks is tough enough. Maybe I’m being insensitive, but it seems like selling bikes to people in desperate need of physical activity and then giving them ways to significantly reduce that activity is just bad business. But maybe it sells?

Websites

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Sleeptracker Watch Wakes You At Your Best

April 20, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

Though the picture at right seems a little absurd, there is solid science behind the Sleeptracker, a wristwatch designed to help you achieve the optimal amount of sleep. The watch works by collecting data about your unique sleep patterns, recording “almost-awake” moments to determine your sleep cycles. By measuring these cycles over time, the watch can wake you during an almost-awake moment, avoiding any sleep cycle disturbance that may cause grogginess in the morning. Pretty cool, right?

Sure, if you’ve got an hour window within which to set your alarm. The Sleeptracker comes in two models: Sleeptracker Standard and Sleeptracker Elite/Pro (the Elite/Pro models vary cosmetically). Surprisingly, the lower end Standard sports a 60-minute alarm window, while the Elite/Pro offer a 90-minute window. That’s all well and good for someone who can wake between the hours of 6:30 and 8:00, but I’d bet most of us run a much tighter schedule. You might make the argument that with better sleep you could accomplish more during your day, allowing more leeway with your sleep schedule. I have a bad feeling, though, that with better sleep I’d just try to get more stuff done, squandering the extra energy/hours with a healthy dose of stress.

For someone with a more flexible day, though, this thing could be great. I’m all for a gadget that can improve my waking mood. I hate waking feeling underslept, but sleeping through a meeting usually has more immediate consequences.

What are you, Sleeptracker? An attempt to undercut the cultural importance of punctuality? A statement about our attitudes toward time in general (if so, consider dropping the the display for seconds, maybe even minutes)? A really clever device that would help reduce my rambling via a well-rested frontal lobe? Whatever the answer, it’s definitely cool, and quite possibly worth the $179 price tag.

News, Websites

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