Smartphone Note

Strangely enough most, if not all of us still use a pen and paper to make notes.  Something about writing helps us think, where as typing can counter our creative side.  This notebook, which mind you is perfect for those of you heading back to school this September, if not already, includes a slot for holding your iPhone 4 in portrait or landscape mode.

It’s called the Smart Phone note, and there is also a notepad for making hand written notes.  And if you haven’t already, there is a time when you need to copy something down from iPhone to paper, and this notepad does it in a sleek and sensible fashion without requiring you to lean to the over to read your phone’s screen; now it’s front and center.  They’ve also built-in a headphone port as well as slots for credit cards or a student ID.

You can grab one for $29, though we’re not sure if they’ll ship to the States.

Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since i was small i have been pushing buttons - both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought "why not start a blog focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets".

Stampt iPhone App Replaces Paper Loyalty Punch Cards, Helps you Save Money

The paper loyalty card business has long existed.  Pile that on top of the loyalty cards offered by the mainstream super markets and pharmacy and your wallet or purse is exploding. So what’s a consumer to do?

Well, there does some to be one solution, in terms of the paper loyalty cards.  And when we say paper loyalty cards, we’re referring to the coffee shops and other retailers that offer a punch card.  For example, if you get 10 punches, otherwise known as a coffee purchase, you’ll receive a free cup of coffee.  But more often than not you lose the cards and don’t have them on your person at the time of purchase.  Enter Stampt.

Stampt is an iOS app which replaces all of your paper loyalty cards.  The service is currently available in New York, Cincinnati, Chicago, and San Francisco at what the company says are hundreds of locations.  However, there is a slight catch.  The store needs to sign up, although it’s free for them to join as it is for the consumer.  To receive a stamp, you simply launch the application and using the built-in bar code scanner, scan the retailer’s Stampt loyalty card (we’re not sure if this is a physical card or a bar code on the iPhone).   We’re assuming that stores are provided a window sticker of some sort to let consumers know that they’re participating.

The Stampt app requires that you, the consumer, sign up.  Once you’ve done so it will ask to use your location and scan the area within 100 miles for retailers that are part of the program.  Since the service is free, we can only assume that Stampt will later utilize your info to market to you and show you ads.  That’s a caveat we’re willing to accept (it’s actually a brilliant idea), especially since this cuts back on paper waste and simplifies our lives.  If you want you can connect the app to your Facebook and Twitter account so your friends can see where and what you’re saving.

As of right now the Stampt app is limited to the iOS store, though you can expect a version for Android devices to roll out later this year.

Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since i was small i have been pushing buttons - both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought "why not start a blog focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets".

LG 32LV2500 32-inch LCD TV – $350 With Coupon

Newegg is offering a big coupon discount on this LG 32LV2500 32-inch LCD TV!

Looking for some great savings on a TV that can fit nicely in any room? Then check out this sleek 32-Inch LG TV which offers up a High Definition 720p Resolution for superb picture quality. This TV also has a huge 1,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio for the deepest blacks and brightest whites, and when mixed with intelligent sensor technology you will always get the perfect picture. This TV also contains a full set of inputs including 3 HDMI, 2 HD Component, 2 Composite and a VGA Port for PC Video Connection.

Their coupon EMCKBKA66 slashes the price of this TV from $426 to $349.99.  Delivery is free

SteerSafe Smartphone Vehicle Mount and Why we Think it will Fail

We’re all guilty of it: driving and looking at our smartphone.  It’s dangerous to say the least, and causes numerous accidents and fatalities every year.

The Steer Safe Hands Free Car Kit hopes to combat this problem.  It attaches directly to the steering wheel and holds your smartphone just below eye level.  The mount is designed to work with any phone and they say it won’t interfere with the deployment of the airbag.  If it does you’ll be in a world of hurt, though, since the air bag fires using gun powder and deploys at and an ungodly speed.

The Steer Safe can be rotated or tilted to allow for optimal viewing or adjusting for viewing of the car’s dashboard.  Since the phone mounts on the inside portion of the steering wheel it will never hit your legs, but it could easily get in the way during emergency maneuvers.  With that said, and given the rather low usefulness of this product, we unfortunately don’t think it will be ever be fully funded on Kickstarter.com.  While the idea is good in theory – who doesn’t need a smarter smartphone mount  - the steering wheel is probably not the ideal place.  What we really need is a cheap projector that mounts to the dash and projects a HUD onto the inside of the windshield.

If you’re feeling their mojo you can pledge $25 and you’ll get one sent to your door once they begin production.

Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since i was small i have been pushing buttons - both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought "why not start a blog focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets".

Pack-away Kettle Collapses for Tight Spaces, Expands for Heat

Sure, you could just toss the good old camping pot onto the fire and heat up some water, but that would be so darn pedestrian.  Plus, the water would hardly stay hot after removing it from the heat source.

The Pack-away Kettle is fully collapsible and as a result can fit into the tiniest of spaces.  The bottom is made of stainless steel so it shouldn’t wear over time, though we do have our concerns about the flexible portion since it looks like it could melt if placed into an overzealous fire.

The Pack-away Kettle comes in a variety of colors (red, blue and green) and costs 29 UK ($46).

Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since i was small i have been pushing buttons - both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought "why not start a blog focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets".

Logitech C310 High Definition Webcam – $29 After Coupon

Newegg has some new savings on offer for this Logitech C310 High Definition Webcam!

Give your computer some new capabilities at a super low price! This Super Compact webcam gives you the abilities to voice+video chat anywhere on the web. Thanks to the built-in microphone and 720p HD Video capture resolution you will be all set for Skype the second you plug it in. It mounts cleanly on your monitor or stands easily on your deck thanks to the folding stand setup. It includes very easy to use video calling software which will immediately bring you to the world of video chat. Other technologies include RightLight 2 which automatically adjusts video settings in low light conditions for clearer viewing and RightSound for clear audio reception.

Their coupon cuts it to $28.99.  The $9 coupon is EMCKBKA58

Gadget of the Week: The Carzor, A Card Shaped Razor and Mirror

Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since i was small i have been pushing buttons - both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought "why not start a blog focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets".