Archive for September 2010
Deal: Canon Wireless Multi-function Printer
B&H Photo has the Canon Pixma MX340 for $64.95 with free shipping. You get a fax machine, scanner, copier and printer all in one for the price of a printer alone – AND it’s wireless, so you can put it anywhere and your whole family can easily print to it. It has an automatic document feeder and works with both Macs and Windows.
Here’s where to get it: http://bit.ly/TekChic0177
Get Your Texts and Facebook Messages in OnStar
If you have a GM vehicle with OnStar installed, you might like this. Soon, by connecting your Android and iPhone device to OnStar via bluetooth, OnStar will be able to READ your text messages and Facebook feed to you. You will also be able to respond via voice as well. Ford already has this capability in their “Sync”, so GM is playing catch-up at this point, but if you already have a GM with OnStar, this might be a good reason to keep it.
Here’s the article at Gizmodo: http://gizmo.do/TekChic0176
Posted in News | Tags: android, bluetooth, facebook, iPhone, OnStar, text messages, voice control | 
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Hi-Speed Wireless Router
DEAL: If your laptop is capable of wireless “N”, but your router isn’t, then upgrade to this Buffalo router for only $39 through Amazon.com. You get MUCH higher speed AND range with wireless N, and the price is certainly right. You may not benefit from the addition speed going just to the Internet, but you WILL notice that you can connect to your router much further away than before. Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/TekChic0175
Wal-Mart to Offer Cell Phone Plan – No Contract
I would LOVE to give you more details, but the Wall Street Journal only published this much of the article. It is supposed to be available on all of the major U.S. carriers. This MIGHT be a good way to save some money, but until we find out the whole story, we’re in the dark. I’ll keep you posted.
Wow – A Barbie Doll Video Camera!
Yep, you read it right. I know you were thinking “what, a Barbie Doll that’s a video camera?” And that’s why you’re reading this now. Those fine folks at Mattel have come up with a $50 Barbie doll that has a hidden video camera – I can see how that would be great for totally impromptu moments with your little girl during the holidays, and that’s exactly who it’s marketed to.
You’ll be replacing batteries a lot (a good reason to get rechargeables this year) but you may get some precious moments for your video collections.
Read more about it here: http://bit.ly/Tek-Chic0174
LIFETIME Jailbreak for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad Coming Soon!
Sounds too good to be true, but it appears a couple of created folks have figured out a way to jailbreak Apple devices running iOS 4.1, 4.2 and according to them, all future versions. I’ll be following it closely and let you know when that day comes.
Change # of Rings Before Voicemail on iPhone
Anyone with a phone has been there. The phone rings, it’s in the other room and by the time you get there it has already gone to voicemail. If this happens to you more often than you like AND you have an iPhone, then everythingiCafe has your solution – step by step instructions on how to extend the number of rings up to 30 seconds (and perhaps longer.) Check out the article here: http://bit.ly/TekChic0168
A Solar Charger for Your iPhone
I’m not sure how long it will take, but I suppose in a pinch it would be handy if you had nowhere to plug in and needed power for your phone. The price is certainly right – $6.76 and free shipping when you use coupon code “MS15” at Shop4Tech.com http://bit.ly/TekChic0173
Is There a Kindle in Your Christmas Future?
The problem with buying a Kindle up to now is that if you wanted to check it out before buying, you had to find someone who owned one, because the only way to buy one was online through Amazon. I guess Amazon has figured out they will sell more if people can actually TOUCH one before buying, so this fall Best Buy, Target and Staples will start selling the Kindle. With other e-readers already in the market and the iPad and soon to be plethora of Android tablets, I wouldn’t be surprised to see great prices this holiday season. http://bit.ly/Tek-Chic0172
DEAL: $50 Laser Printer – Free Shipping
Amazon has the Samsung ML-1655 for $50 and includes free shipping. If you’re in the market for inexpensive, fast and hi-resolution black and white printer, this is a good one. http://amzn.to/TekChic0171
iOS 4.1 is Available for iPhone and iPod Touch
Apple released version 4.1 of iOS for both the iPhone and iPod touch today, so the next time you connect to iTunes you should be seeing the message to download the new software. Be sure your device has been synced before updating, or any recent changes on the phone will be lost. If your device has been “freed” with a jailbreak, you will want to hold off on upgrading until a new jailbreak has been developed.
A Useful App for Your Laptop
Unless you ALWAYS use your laptop plugged into the wall, then this is a great app for you. The BatteryBar not only tells you if your battery is charging or not, but it gives you the expected life of your battery, how quickly it is charging, and how much of its capabilities is still available.
It’s free and available for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 here: http://bit.ly/TekChic0170
DEAL: Acer 15.6” Laptop – $360
OfficeMax has this Acer laptop on sale ONLINE ONLY. It has a dual-core Pentium, 3 GB of memory, webcam, wireless-N, 320 GB hard drive, flash memory card reader and Windows 7. A great general purpose laptop with a 1-year warranty. Acer isn’t perhaps a top-tier system like a Dell or Toshiba but they make good laptops and pretty much introduced the Netbook computer to the world.
Malware That Demands a Ransom
This isn’t really a new concept in the world of malware (malware is just a generic term for viruses, spyware, adware…. basically anything a bad guy tries to put on your computer), but it seems they’re getting more aggressive about separating you from your money. The malware in this article specifically breaks everything on your computer except your browser, telling you that you can buy their software to fix your computer, which of course it doesn’t. Read about it here: http://bit.ly/TekChic0167. Remember – DON’T click links or attachments in email unless you’re expecting the message, and use Firefox as your browser with the NoScript plug-in.
Create Your Own Blu-Ray Movies
Blu-Ray burners and discs are still not cheap, but prices of turning movies from your HD camcorder into hi-def movies ARE coming down. Fry’s has the LG Blu-Ray burner for $120 (and of course a blank blu-ray disc is going to run you around $5-10 each), so by adding it to your desktop computer, you now have your own personal HD production studio. So if you’re feeling like the next big Hollywood producer and want to turn your videos into HD Blu-Ray movies you can share, here’s your chance. Here’s the link to Fry’s: http://bit.ly/TekChic0166
