New Technology Gadgets _ Trends

The Geek’s Gift Guide David Bott Manager, IT & Networks St. Catharines Public Library Gadgets & Gear for Your Geek Gadgets: Memory  Memory Storage – Floppy disks are slow, low-capacity (1.44 MB) and unreliable Faster, higher capacity & more reliable Replacing floppy disks and CD-R / DVD-R U3 and PortableApps.com Applications run right from the drive Cameras, MP3 Players, Phones   USB Thumb Drives – –  New generation of USB drives – –  Digital Memory Cards – Compact Flash, SD Cards, MMC  Portable USB Hard Drives – USB 2.0, Firewire, Ethernet/NAS USB Thumb Drive with U3  Stores data & applications – – – – Office applications & documents E-mail, browser & bookmarks Passwords, anti-virus Free & commercial applications Proprietary software preinstalled on certain models  U3 –  PortableApps.com – Free alternative that you can install on any USB drive Digital Cameras    Point-and-shoot Digital SLR Get that perfect shot – Instantly preview every shot    Edit & print your own digital pictures Make digital movies Post pictures online – – – – Flickr.com MyPhotoAlbum.com Facebook.com Weblogs (aka “blog”) MP3 Players  Hottest MP3 Player on the market: – Apple iPod     “Shuffle” Redesigned “Nano” Redesigned “Classic” New “Touch” – based on the “iPhone” interface Digital Video Recorders & Players   Not your father’s VCR – Pause & rewind “live” TV Appliances: – – – – TiVo*, AppleTV ExpressVu PVR Cogeco DVR Sony, Panasonic, Phillips MythTV, Windows MCE iPod, Archos Cell phones Sony PSP  PC-Based: – –  Portable – – – GPS Devices  Global Positioning System – – System of 24 GPS satellites Device uses Trilateration Factory-installed devices for cars After-market installations Portable Units  Various Implementations – – –  Software & USB GPS Receiver – Laptops, Palm Pilots & iPAQs PDA – Personal Digital Assistant      PocketPC, Palm Pilot & even Linux E-mail & Internet Address Book Calendar Task List Applications – – Word processing Spreadsheets Audio & Video  Media –  Digital Camera Cell Phones - Convergence   One device to do it all! Krzr, Blackberry, iPhone – – – – – – – – Phone Audio & Voice Recording Video & Pictures Internet E-mail PDA Camera Games Wireless Technology  802.11 a/b/g/n – – – – Computers, PDAs WLAN - 30m up to 100m 11 Mbps, 54 Mbps, 108 Mbps+ Similar technology to cordless phones Keyboards, mice, headsets, cell phones PAN - 10m  Bluetooth – –  CDMA & GSM – – – – Cell phones PC Cards (for laptops) Must be in digital coverage area for enhanced services Service is very expensive New broadband service offered by Bell/Rogers Portable; can be used anywhere service is offered $40 - $60 per month for up to 3 Mbps Provide high-speed access in rural areas Utilizes digital cell tower infrastructure to deliver “last mile” connectivity Capable of ranges up to 70 km or 70 Mbps** Typically 10 km at 10 Mbps  WiMAX – Wireless Internet Access – – – – – – – Fun & Games - Handheld  For the serious gamers: – – Sony PSP Nintendo DS Built-in web-browsers Wireless Media Player for movies and music  Some devices have: – – – Fun & Games - Console  Console-based systems: – – – Microsoft Xbox 360 (HD-DVD*) Sony Playstation 3 (Blu-ray DVD) Nintendo Wii Built-in hard drives Wireless access Media center for movies and music  Some models have: – – – High Definition TV (HDTV)  What is it? – Standard Definition   480 Lines 4:3 Image Ratio 720p (progressive) 1080i (interlaced) 1080p (progressive) 16:9 Image Ratio – High Definition      What kind of TV do I need? High Definition TV - Plasma  Plasma Television  Advantages: – – Slim, light & generally cheaper than LCD in larger sizes True black and very good viewing angles Shorter lifespan than LCD Phosphors lose luminosity over time Results in gradual decline of picture quality Screen burn-in; Susceptible to reflection glare in bright rooms Run hotter than LCD  Disadvantages – – – – – High Definition TV - LCD  LCD Television  Advantages: – Slim and light; very good viewing angles – Does not suffer from screen burn-in  Disadvantages – Poor black levels – Slower response times; results in image “ghosting” and blurring of fast images – More expensive to make than plasma High Definition TV - Projection  Projection Television – Different types:       Front vs. rear projection CRT, LCD and DLP Cheaper than LCD/Plasma CRT has poor viewing angles; expensive to repair LCD has “screen door” effect DLP is best Getting High Definition Content  How Do I Get It? – Most HDTV sets are considered “HD Ready”, which requires:    Built-in HD Tuner CableCARD Set-top Box (STB) – – – – Free O-T-A (“Rabbit Ears”) Cable (Cogeco, Shaw, Rogers) Satellite (ExpressVu, StarChoice) HD-DVD or Blu-ray DVD Player    Beta vs. VHS all over again Disney supports Blu-ray Universal supports HD-DVD Questions?  This presentation can be downloaded from: www.stcatharines.library.on.ca/content/present