GPS is mind-boggling to me. In case you have been living in a hole for the past 10 years, GPS stands for “Global Positional Satelllite.” It was once the stuff of science fiction. And even when it started to twinkle on the sidelines about 20 years ago, only the most sophisticated vehicles sported GPS. I remember a relative of mine who had purchased one of the first cars equipped with GPS. It was so primitive compared to today’s technology! But back then, it was crem de la crem of car technology.
Image from Wikipedia.
I rented a car a few months ago, and the thing came equipped with GPS sat nav. It’s becoming more standard. That’s what amazes me, the fact that it is becoming so standardized. I have mixed feelings. Sure, a car loaded with Garmin sat nav on the dash is very, very convenient (especially for those of us who have a propensity to get lost *cough cough*), but the abuses are present, too. I am uncomfortable with the great big eye in the sky watching everywhere I go. I’m not saying that I have anything to be concerned about (what a big thrill it must be to watch me go to Walmart and back every week, big whoop), but it’s the principle of the thing. Still, I have a little GPS sat nav software program in my iPod, and it definitely came in handy when I was in Manhattan.
What do you think? I love technology, I think it’s cool! But, as with everything, it’s prone to be abused. Do you think the benefits outweigh the cons?
Learn more about sat navs and GPS gadgets at http://www.satnav-expert.co.uk.
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Tags: GPS, sat nav, vehicles
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of faceVsion Technology USA. All opinions are 100% mine.
This is pretty cool. It’s the
FV touchcam N1. I’ve never been very fond of webcams, generally speaking, until I traveled without the kids and husband recently. The webcam became a very important tool– everyone missed the mom while I was away! The webcam helped ease the homesickness. And it also gave the kids the opportunity to look into my “travel” world and see everything around me. I’ve also utilized Skype for a few business and educational exploits, too. So I guess I am slowly making more use of the webcam and “video conferencing” more frequently as my career develops.
Unfortunately, the webcam and the software with it has been horribly slow. Most webcams that are labeled as “high definition” (HD) are pitifully inadequate. The images are blurry, the sounds jerky. The cam I used while traveling stuttered a lot, and the connection was very slow. So when I heard about faceVsion, I was interested.
Basically,the faceVsion TouchCam N1 is a superior, high-quality webcam with touch capabilities and extremely high-definition quality, allowing your webcam video to stream up to 720p. There’s a very good video on the website that showcases the webcam– nice!
The faceVsion webcam has an H.264 hardware encoder built in Touchcam N1, which enables true HD quality. So it’s great for travel and business use. There’s also something called the FV ExpressCombo that offers an express card so you can use the HD webcam even if you have a slower, less-powered CPU computer. Looks nice!
Webcams are not that expensive. If you use them a lot, or need one for business, spend a couple of extra bucks and get something NICE. There’s a faceVision on line store that has more information and products. The faceVsion TouchCam N1 is certified for Skype. It’s an easy, plug-and-play cam small enough for any laptop or desktop or monitor, and big enough in quality to really make you go wow. Cool!
Tags: business services, webcam
The Internet has done many amazing things, hasn’t it? We just finished our taxes, and I marvel at how quick and speedy the paperwork comes in with the process. Of course, it’s still painful to fill out those forms and cough up the $, but at least it’s speedy. :-p
One of the better things to come down the pike is the online shopping opportunities. I still don’t purchase clothing or shoes online, but we have bought some eyeglasses in past, from Zenni Optical. Clark Howard raves about Zenni. My husband got some glasses from them and they are very nice! And DIRT CHEAP. Zenni Optical crafts and ships the eyeglasses directly to the consumer– no expensive middle man!
We have five people in the family who wear glasses– those things add up! Mine alone cost upwards of $250. Zenni prices are exceptional. We can get new glasses for about $10!!!
There’s a great review at the Examiner about Zenni. I think the writer did a great job:
Zenni sells full prescription eyeglasses starting at just $8 per pair. Yes, that’s right, eight bucks. Talk about cheap prescription eyeglasses, huh? Their prices range up to around $40 and there is an extra charge if you want bifocals or thick lenses. They also charge extra for anti-glare coating (though it’s $4.95 extra as opposed to around $50-$100 extra elsewhere). Shipping is just $4.95 no matter how many pairs you order, so it pays to order for the whole family at one time.
It’s a good review, with good tips. I have yet to see an eye doctor (no insurance yet) to get my new prescription. Believe me, I’d much rather pay $20 for a pair of eyeglasses and do the measuring myself, than pay $250 for a slop job at the eye design place!! It IS possible to get quality eyewear for an inexpensive price.
I’m very happy to report that my online job ventures are paying off. I’m working for two companies, currently: Demand Studios and eHow. I really enjoy writing “how to” articles, as you can see from my other blog, The Older Geek; I also like writing fact sheets. It’s a time-consuming job, however. Both jobs require onerous references, preferably from educational or government websites. Many times, I know how to do something or fix something, but I have to hunt the web for additional, related references. It can be very time consuming. But I enjoy it, and I am able to stay at home.
Working for eHow so far has no immediate financial benefits. You must first build “clout,” and write some good, solid articles. Once an article starts to get a lot of traffic, you can earn the money. I’ve read a few testimonies of people earning over $1,000 on one article.
So I’ve had less time for blogging. Which is OK. Blogging started out for me as an outlet and a journal (travel) but over the years my blogging has developed, and I’ve loved every minute of it. But I do realize that it may not continue forever.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Speek. All opinions are 100% mine.
Wow, social networking and teleconferencing is really growing! I’ve been on a mission for finding various (free) web-based telecommunications programs. On is network chat (still searching), another is VoIP (getting there), and another is something that kind of mixes the two. I dislike Google. Talk very mush; Skype is so-so (too many doodads and buttons), but here’s a new thing I found: Speek.com! This looks terrific!
It’s a program comparable to Skype and GoogleTalk. Speek handles cell phone calls, landline calls, and VoIP calls! Speek prides itself on speed and reliability, too, saying that your call will start on time, every time. That’s cool!
If you are interested, you can click here to register for private beta. I’m checking it out already. I have registered (easy to do). I already tried dialing out a conference call (it worked!). I think this is perfect for the small business– you can’t beat the price (free) and Speek is really convenient. You can even schedule calls. Nice.
Speek will import your contacts from Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, or even a CSV file. Speek so far is pretty simple and NICE and easy to navigate. It’s still in beta, so some things are still in the works, and feedback is extremely important. Check it out, give it abuzz, and leave feedback. I think Speek will be better than Skype. It’s definitely friendlier, easier to navigate, and they seem really willing to listen to consumer feedback. They’ve got a new app, too– be sure to give Speek a try! I think Speek looks neat!
Tags: cell phone, VOIP
