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The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years

Here's PC World's official (and entirely idiosyncratic) list of the top tech gadgets of the last half century.

The top ten:

1. Sony Walkman TPS-L2 (1979)
   
2. Apple iPod (2001)
   
3. (Tie) ReplayTV RTV2001 and TiVo HDR110 (1999)
   
4. PalmPilot 1000 (1996)
   
5. Sony CDP-101 (1982)
   
6. Motorola StarTAC (1996)
   
7. Atari Video Computer System (1977)
   
8. Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera (1972)
   
9. M-Systems DiskOnKey (2000)
   
10. Regency TR-1 (1954)
    

The Full List

Posted by bruceallen at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)

NEC Valuestar HD-PC

It's not clear yet whether these will be available in the US, but NEC is putting together a combo Desktop PC with HDTV and HD DVR.

It will be powered by Windows Media Center PC, and is said to boot into TV-only mode in 2 seconds.

This is supposed to be released to the public next month, but to this point, the Valuestar line has only been available in Japan. However, the site where I saw this listed a US price of $2400.

Posted by bruceallen at 01:59 PM | Comments (0)

Vonage® Wi-Fi Phone

More and more people are using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)phones at home. In most cases, it is much cheaper than a traditional phone, with all the same features. (911 dialing is the one controversy) You usually can get a plan with unlimited nationwide long distance for $25 a month or so.

The largest and most well known VoIP phone company is Vonage. There has been talk for some time about them putting out a Wi-Fi phone where you can talk using your Vonage account anywhere there is a wireless internet connection available. Now, the UTStarcom F1000 Wi-Fi Phone is finally available through the Vonage website. The price is $79.99.

The Vonage Wi-Fi Phone offers great new features at no additional cost. You'll get a Phone Book with up to 200 entries, Speed Dial codes, an easy-to-access Call Log, as well as multiple Ring Tones to choose from. You can also set Anonymous Call Block to reject any callers without Caller ID, or blacklist specific phone numbers to prevent unwanted calls. You'll get the same great Vonage pricing with exciting new features.

Posted by bruceallen at 09:50 AM | Comments (0)

USB Blast R-1000 Phone Recorder

From Hello Direct.
Avoid misunderstandings and be ready with real proof of any conversation — at your fingertips. The USB Blast lets you do what expensive systems do at a fraction of the cost. Record phone calls and voicemail messages directly to your PC from any phone or phone system. You can even record room conversations, via the USB Blast's built-in microphone.

• Search, sort, email recordings — add comments and bookmarks, too! You can instantly replay any conversation, or search for a recording any time in the future — by date or by topic. (The software time/date stamps each recording.) Archive your recordings on CD! Drop the audio files onto your website, or share them via email. Those who don't have PC speakers can listen via a headset or telephone handset.

• No tapes or batteries — enjoy having no maintenance worries whatsoever! USB Blast uses your computer as its power source. If you've got USB Blast plugged into your phone (through the handset cable) and into your PC's USB port, you're all set to record any time. You can even set the USB Blast to record automatically as soon as it detects audio.

• 2-Minute setup — install it yourself easily! The software leads you through a very simple and intuitive procedure.

• Clear sound with no static — plugs right into your USB port, so it can't pick up any hardware or sound card noises or static.

• Free software upgrades via web — rest assured you will never have to purchase anything else to keep your USB Blast up to date.

• Record from phone or room — just hit the “Rec Phone” or “Rec Room” button, or use the software to set USB Blast for automatic recording.

• Leave the room during conference calls — just have USB Blast record the conference, and you can listen later to anything you missed.

• Monitor calls in “real time” — listen in, with a 2-second delay, to calls being recorded on another phone. Each phone needs to have its own USB Blast connected, to use this feature of the software.

The USB Blast works on all home and office phone systems, including PBX systems, IP phones, and headsets. No additional hardware is required.

Posted by bruceallen at 02:20 PM | Comments (4)