For ages the pen has been the premiere writing instrument. It has been somewhat forgotten with the broad use of the computer keyboard and electronic communications. Most people just use the traditional pen to sign documents. Several years ago, a company called Livescribe reinvented the tool with the introduction of the SmartPen. They just released their newest product addition, the Echo. The system uses a combination of a custom notebook and “smart” pen. The pen records anything that it writes, hears, and draws. It then allows for playback at a later time. The files can be archived, searched, and distributed to other people if necessary. It is great for meetings and specially for college lectures. The pen is compatible with Mac and Windows and sells for about $170 (4 GB model).
The popular video rental website Neflix recently announced the availability of their application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The application was previously available for only the iPad. In the case of the iPad and iPhone, streaming is available through 3G as well as Wi-Fi. Netflix subscribers can now stream any title directly from their instant queue. It is also possible to add new titles to your movie queue. The application also keeps track of the titles watched and remembers where you left off. In other words, you could start watching an episode of 24, stop halfway, and continue watching it where you left off in your home TV or computer.
The application is the latest addition to the multiple ways to watch Neflix. Streaming is available from a Sony PS3, a Nintendo Wii, and Microsoft’s XBox 360. It is also available from Roku’s video player as well as from many of the latest TVs which use widgets. A Netflix subscription starts at $8.99 per month.
The amount of e-mail spam traffic worldwide has been increasing exponentially every year. There are number of tools to filter some of this unwanted e-mail traffic. The tools are mainly split between protection at the actual mail server and protection at the computer level. Several companies like Symantec, TrendMicro, and others provide protection at the computer level. Other services like Postini and Brightmail filter mail before it even gets to the mail server. Postini was acquired by Google some time ago and Brightmail by Symantec. Protection is very affordable starting at about $1 per mailbox per month for basic protection on Postini.
The best protection is achieved by a dual approach. That is, using a service that filters mail before it gets to the server and a secondary level at the computer. I have seen mail traffic for a domain of which over 90% of it is unwanted spam and viruses. By using services like Postini and Brightmail, all of this mail is filtered before it even gets to the domain’s mail server. This saves a considerable amount of bandwidth and other system resources.
Browsing through videos at YouTube can be overwhelming. There are millions of postings and you cannot always go by number of views or even by user recommendations. The “Top Rated” list is a good way to go by, but there are a series of other websites that actually compile lists of best picks. One of my favorites is the “Best of YouTube“. It can be viewed online or via podcast. If using an AppleTV or an alternate video player, it can be added to the podcast favorite list. The team at Best of YouTube frequently scours through the countless new submittals and selects notable videos.
