TECHNOLOGY: 12/20/10

Monday, December 20, 2010

Tough Tech: 10 Rugged Gadgets That Will Go the Distance

If you’re looking for gadgetry that can withstand the rigors of the outdoors or just the chaos of everyday life, there

are some great options out there, from waterproof cameras to fireproof data protection.

Our selection of gadgets will take whatever you can throw at it (or in some cases throw it at) and keep on going, ideal for anyone who lives life to the fullest and expects their kit to keep up with them.

Have a look through our tough top 10 below and let us know in the comments which of these rugged, tough-tested gadgets you’d pack in your bag.

1. Olympus Stylus Tough-8010

Waterproof down to 33 feet, shockproof to drops of up to 6.6 feet, freezeproof to -10 degrees Celsius and crushproof up to 220 pounds of pressure, the Stylus Tough-8010 is built to endure. Along with all that durability you get a 14-megapixel, 5x zoom, 2.7-inch LCD display camera with the ability to capture all your adventures in 720p HD video.

Cost: $379.99

2. Motorola Defy

Most tough handsets offer very basic functionality, but not the Defy from Motorola, which is loaded withAndroid 2.1 and a full feature set. There’s a 5-megapixel camera with video capture, media playback, Wi-Fi,Bluetooth and GPS. The fact that it’s water resistant and dust proof is a bonus for anyone who doesn’t want to have to wrap their phone up in cotton wool.

Cost: Varies

3. Kodak Playsport Zx3

These teeny handheld camcorders can record 1080p video footage in up to 10 feet of water. Other outdoorsy features include an LCD Glare Shield to improve viewing the display in bright conditions and built-in electronic image stabilization to help cut out blur. Oh, and it knows how to survive a hit or a drop.

Cost: $149.95

4. LaCie XtremKey

This USB flash drive is “10-ton truck” resistant — as tested by a real truck driving over the key. If you want data storage that’s as hard as nails, this is a great option. The XtremKey’s “zamac” outer will help protect from up to 100 meters of water, 5-meter drops and temperature extremes.

Cost: From $49.99 to $249.99

5. Sony Heavy Duty CD Radio

Built for workshops and job sites, Sony’s heavy duty radio can take some punishment and keep pumping out the tunes. The radio is water and dust resistance thanks to rubber gaskets, bushings and waterproof seals. Other tough stuff includes a safe guard bar and protective speaker grills.

Cost: $129.95

6. Garmin Dakota 20

Anyone who likes to hit the trail on the weekend will know the importance of having a durable kit. The entry-level Dakota range from Garmin offers satellite navigation, a barometric altimeter and a 3-axis electronic compass in a durable shell designed to survive all that the elements can throw at it.

Cost: $349.99

7. BlueAnt T1 Rugged Bluetooth Headset

The beauty of a rugged headset is that it means you can keep your more delicate phone tucked away safely in your pocket. The T1 is highly durable — able to cope with knocks, drops, dust and moisture. BlueAnt’s “Wind Armour Technology” also boasts clear audio in winds of up to 35 kph, so you should be sure of being heard, even if it’s blowing a gale.

Cost: $79.99

8. ioSafe Solo

Described as a “virtual fortress for your data,” the ioSafe Solo is built to survive both fire and flood. Even if the worst happens to your home or office, your vital information and digital content will be saved. In addition, it can be bolted down to protect against theft.

Cost: From $149

9. Getac 9213

Designed to “survive all types of travel-related mishandlings,” the 9213 is not as toughed up as some fully rugged laptops, but it can take a few knocks and keep on going. It’s drop-safe to 45 cm, and the keyboard is water resistant too so its ideal for any clumsy computer users who need to accident-proof their portable PC.

Cost: Varies

10. Casio G-Shock Watches

There are tons of tough tech in Casio’s ever-popular G-Shock timepiece. The watches are waterproof, shockproof and can withstand icy temperatures. With a wide range of designs and colors, for men and women, if you’re a bit of an action hero in your spare time, you can’t go wrong with one of these strapped to your wrist.

USA Network Builds Second Screen Experience Around “Psych”

Entertainment checkin services are doing their part to socialize entertainment consumption and influence television viewer behaviors. Today USA Network is completing the loop between mobile, content, checkins and rewards with its new iPhone and iPad applications for the Psych television series.

The Psych Vision apps are USA Network’s attempt to build a complete second screen experience that influences and rewards viewer behavior before, during and after each episode. The apps deeply integrate with GetGlue’s entertainment checkin platform and tie-in to the network’s character rewards program, Club Psych.

Psych fans can use the applications to check into the show to unlock content and stickers, as well as earn points though the Club Psych program. They can also use the apps to enter special keywords announced during the broadcast or surfaced through social channels to gain access to exclusive video content only available through the app. Engaged viewers can earn access to an unaired extended scene for tonight’s new episode, for instance.

Psych Vision also includes integration with Chatter, a network-developed social stream that gives show viewers the ability to follow along, and reply to, real-time social chatter related to Psych from YouTube

, Twitter

,Flickr

, Facebook

and TwitPic

“We’re constantly looking for new ways to innovate and provide content to viewers no matter where they are,” explains Jesse Redniss, USA’s vice president of digital. Redniss believes this approach will please its growing fan base on Twitter and Facebook.

In late October, the basic cable channel first partnered with GetGlue to promote the Psych premiere. At the time, Redniss says the network opted to go with GetGlue over other entertainment checkin services because he felt the API toolkit would help the network better push the boundaries of social entertainment.

Redniss also shares that with today’s release the network was focused on building a platform and framework it can use to create similar experiences around USA’s original content.

Psych Vision is available for now for iPhone [iTunes link]. The iPad application is currently awaiting approval by Apple.

How Consumers Are Using Smartphones in Stores [STUDY]

Smartphone-toting consumers are increasingly using the devices to scout out better deals when shopping in-store, a new survey reveals.Thirty percent of consumers with smartphones said while at a store looking for a product, they scout out better deals on their device. The phone-based survey, by GfK Roper on behalf of SapientNitro, was conducted December 3-4 among a sample of 1,004 adults. Not all respondents had smartphones.

According to Nielsen, only 28% of U.S. consumers have smartphones, but the researcher projects that by the end of 2011, that number will hit 49%.

The news isn’t all bad for traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, though. Thirty-three percent of respondents said they e-mailed or texted someone to tell them about their experience at the store, such as finding a great deal or gift. Nineteen percent used their phone to post something on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or some other social networking site to convey that information.

Other findings:

52% used their smartphones to find a store location.
48% used them to browse for products.
40% compared prices with their smartphones.
35% looked for discounts, deals, coupons or discount codes on their phones.
34% checked product availability at retail stores or websites.

8 Musical iPad Apps for the Digital Maestro

Peter Meyers is a digital book producer and the author of Best iPad Apps (O’Reilly Media).

He’s covered the intersection of writing and technology for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, andWired and blogs at anewkindofbook.com.

Early iPad critics were sure about one thing: This gadget was going to be for consuming, not creating. iPadders, the argument went, will spend all their time feasting on “The Man’s” media (movies, music, TV shows) while their own creative urges whithered.

Turns out, people love making stuff with their iPads, and not just the pros. The App Store is packed with ingenious tune-making tools that can turn iTunes lovers into active players. None of the apps that you’ll read about below will make you a maestro, but they are fun ways to make some noise. Who knows, maybe there’s a maestro in you yet.

1. Soundrop

This simple-to-operate, impossible-to-exhaust take on tune building will lure you into endless amounts of time spent with your iPad. You “compose” by positioning one or many line segments beneath a drip-drop cascade of music-generating pellets. As each dot hits the various lines, the app plays a note. Add more lines, tweak their positions, and watch this do-it-yourself production unfold.

The free version offers a stripped down palette: Line segments produce one sound only (part wind chime, part marimba.) Upgrade to Pro ($2) via an in-app purchase for the real goodies: Multiple instruments (piano, saxophone and synthesizer); tempo, beats-per-minute controls and the ability to save your creations.

Price: Free, $2

2. ImproVox

Today’s music stars famously benefit from the vocal equivalent of plastic surgery: A little AutoTune-aided voice sprucing. So there’s no shame in us musically challenged crooners seeking a similar boost. The remarkable thing about this app is that its assistance is delivered as you sing. Some serious computer science wizardry went into this feat — most software-powered music magic is added post production. Here you simply plug in any earphones with a mic, start singing, and add harmonies and effects (auto-wah and flanger are especially fun). Save and export when you’re done.

Price: $7.99

3. Glee Karaoke

Karaoke has never been less humiliating with this voice-primping singalong software. Among its other talents, the app software magically keeps you on pitch, adds optional harmonies and turns your iPad into an iPrompter with highlighted lyrics appearing as the instrument track plays. Three songs come with the app but you can buy more Glee-ified songs for a buck a pop. Bonus treats include the chance to listen to recordings made worldwide by other app-using fans, the ability to share your own efforts or a feature that lets you join in and add your voice to songs other fans have posted.

Price: $0.99

4. ThumbJam

If the best you can do with a piano is play “Three Blind Mice,” give this hugely popular alternative a try. Not only do you get substantially more eclectic sound options than most app synthesizers (darabukka or a round sine, anyone?), each comes with its own uniquely designed “play area.” Some sorta/kinda look like a piano (picture the keys arranged in a vertical stack of rows). Others offer a big chunky grid.

There are hundreds of ready-to-use scales included — from common ones like major and minor to Javanese Pentachord — putting music-making within reach of amateurs. It’s actually a bit of a challenge to play something that sounds bad. Shape your tunes further by moving your iPad. Shake for vibrato, for example. Recording and sharing options aplenty make it easy to let others sample what you’ve made.

Price: $6.99

5. Bloom HD

At first glance this app appears to be nothing more than a stream of cool tones — some triggered by you, others played by the app itself — accompanied by visual bubbles. But that’s like mistaking yoga for mere stretching. What’s on offer here is a new kind of audio/visual instrument cooked up by ambient sound guru Brian Eno.

You start by listening and looking at the app, which gradually takes on a trance-like, zen flavor. Swirling your finger in this multimedia koi pond by tapping the screen and watch as your finger placement generates its own sounds and circles. Every action you do contributes to the layers of sound — bridging the gap between instrument and multimedia experience. The app feels part your creation and part travel to EnoVille.

Price: $3.99

6. Bubble Harp

This odd, charming app will fascinate as many people as it frustrates. The developer calls it “a combination of drawing, animation, music, art, geometry, and gaming. You can record long movements of a single point, or stream many points out of your fingertips like ink.”

Practically speaking, what you’ll mainly do is swipe the screen and watch the pulsing line (representing the current note being played) spider across the web you’ve helped make. Tap the note-shaped icon to adjust the chords that play. It’s wacky; it’s wonderful; it’s worth a buck or two.

Price: $1.99

7. GrooveMaker Free for iPad

Today’s DJs work digitally and you can too with this portable beat-spinning station. What’s most impressive is what’s within reach of newbie MCs. After familiarizing yourself with the cockpit-complex console (flatten the learning curve by checking out some tutorials), the soundscapes you can create are stunning. Fill up to eight tracks with an almost infinitely customizable assortment of loops.

You can pick these loops from a few dozen that come free with the app or buy genre-specific collections: hip hop, reggae, and so on. When you’ve got your track collection all set, save it so you can start sequencing. This final step is where you stitch together and then export your tune as a high-quality version of the mix you’ve made.

Price: Free

8. Relax Melodies HD

The name of this app perfectly captures the service it aims to provide. Yes, it’s got a bunch of mechanical noise replicas (white noise, train tracks), but what it’s really good for are all things melodious: wind chimes, zen tones, flutes and pleasant interpretations of themes like “Immersed,” “Night” and the slightly tautological “Melody.” Play each sound separately or mix them together by using the simple tap-to-activate controls. A built-in sleep timer and favorites list make this some easy listening that you’ll actually want to turn on.

Google TV Devices Delayed As Google Tweaks Software [REPORT]

We won’t be seeing too many Google TV-powered devices at the next CES, which takes place in Las Vegas in

January, because Google needs more time to work on the software, reports The New York Times, citing unnamed sources.

Right now, Google’s original partners for Google TV – Sony and Logitech – are the only ones actually selling the devices. Samsung and Vizio are still supposed to reveal their Google TV devices at CES, but we’ll have to wait a little longer for devices from Toshiba, Sharp and LG.

We can expect more Google TV devices after the software is updated, which will probably mean the addition of the Android Market. It should happen sometime next year, NYT’s sources claim.

This is another in a series of obstacles for Google’s foray into the TV space; after receiving some lacklusterinitial reviews, Google TV suffered another blow when it was blocked by several major U.S. broadcast and cable networks.

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