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A recent survey of 3000 participants by the National Cyber Security Alliance found that 20% of online shoppers have either limited or stopped purchasing that way. The report also states that 4 out of 10 Americans will only visit websites that they are familiar with. Three quarters still use it for banking, trading stocks, or accessing medical records.
If you are one of those with online identity theft paranoia when it comes to banking, make sure that the site begins with https://. The “s” denotes a secure connection.
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| Tech Radar
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If you believe in the plant that has its own blog, then you might also like to know that you can get your plant to Twitter. A CERN scientist supposedly created this Plant Twitter Kit. Assemble it (some soldering required,) then connect it to your leafy friend and subscribe to its feed, and it will tell you when it needs water or complain if you give too much. We’re still not sure that the gadget will work, and it seems an overpriced $99.99, but hey, if it works on your philodendron, it may work on your puppy.
Read More | ThinkGeek
Find your 2008 Black Friday deals
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Internet,
We found a great little site dedicated to Black Friday. There over fifty lists from companies that include Circuit City, CompUSA, Office Depot and Radio Shack, with more to come. Looking at Sears’ list, we found such items as a Samsung Blu-ray Disc Player for $199.99, Sharp’s LC26SB24U 26” 720p LCD HDTV for $399.99, and the Sony 5-Disc DVD/CD Home Theater System with 1080p Upconversion at $249.99, marked down $50.00. Even if we can’t always shop online, it is certainly a plus to be able to check out what is out there ahead of time.
Read More | The Black Friday 2008
Latest Gear Live Videos
SongVest Auctions Song Rights
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
In this lousy economy, why not invest in something that you know will produce a return? SongVest auctions off song rights and royalties. Register with the site, pick a song that you think will be a big hit, make a bid, and a portion of it will be yours if you win. The legal site will also give you a Gold or Platinum wall award that includes handwritten, signed lyrics in addition to the royalties. If you are a musician, you can also contact them about selling your tunes.
Read More | SongVest
Sanyo ALBO LCD Frame
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Internet, Misc. Tech, Wireless / WiFi,
Sanyo has released the ALBO, a new 7-inch LCD frame that will receive photos from your cell phone via IR and pick up RSS feeds with WiFi. The device has 256MB of memory and can be programmed for slide shows or with special effects. Working both vertically and horizontally, the ALBO will be out in Japan November 14 for 40,000 yen ($422.00.) We like the rounded shape that is either futuristic or retro, depending on your age.
Read More | Sanyo (Japanese) via DVICE
Sanyo Canada Launches New R227 Tabletop Internet Radio
Posted by Patrick Phelps Categories: Home Entertainment, Internet, Music, Wireless / WiFi,
If your favorite radio station streams on the web and you’re tired of listening through your computer, you’re in luck! SANYO has just introduced a WiFi-enabled internet audio interface that plays stations and podcasts from around the world without a subscription fee, enabling users to search by country or genre. The R227 features clock radio functionality, one button on/off, dual stereo speakers with external audio output, an Ethernet jack, a bundled remote and the ability to play standard FM stations if that’s your thing. It seems the unit will be marketed exclusively in Canada, featuring a black wood gloss finish and retailing for $219.99
Read More | Marketwire
Sonos 2.7 goes live: Multi-room Last.fm, Pandora, Sirius, 15,000 radio stations, more
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Internet, Music, Wireless / WiFi,
We are big fans of Sonos here at Gear Live, which is why we are super excited about the new Sonos 2.7 update that is launching today. This one truly fits in with the whole goal of filling your home with music from anywhere on the planet. Let’s jump into this. The new update provides computer-free access to services like Last.fm, Pandora, and more than 15,000 radio stations from around the globe, all at no additional fee. If you subscribe to a subscription service like Napster, Rhapsody, or Sirius, they’ve got you covered there too. They’ll all stream directly to your Sonos system, with no need for a computer or server running in the background. That’s some slick stuff.
Even better, the Last.fm integration is fantastic. Every song you listen to through a subscription service, or your music library, is scrobbled and added to your Last.fm profile. A few other new features in Sonos System Software 2.7:
- Rhapsody now streams at 192 kbps MP3 as opposed to 128 kbps WMA
- RTSP streaming protocol now supported, allowing for greater Internet radio coverage
- Better language support
The update is free to all Sonos owners.
Less than 2 weeks to go before the vote that changes America (we hope.) We just got a peek at the latest in silly endorsements. This time Andy, Opie/Richie, and Fonzie are involved in getting you to vote. Listen, if it’s good enough for Arthur Fonzarelli, then you know it’s something you want to do, too. You can find other political commercials on Funny or Die, including some with Paris Hilton, John Stewart, and Gina Gershon doing Sarah Palin.
Read More | Funny or Die
Drobo Gets Apps To Serve You
Posted by Aaron Zollo Categories: Accessories, USB, Internet, Movies, Music, Peripherals, Software, Storage, Videos,
Drobo has been out for quite some time and serves the purpose of a “set-it-and-forget-it” backup solution. Drobo has added a few apps that bring a nice “value-add” to their storage capability. Data Robotics has released 19 applications for Drobo, and they seem to be highlighting three of those specifically due to their value to the average consumer. First, there’s the DroboApps Admin Utility, which allows you to manage your DroboApps via a web interface. The second is Yoics, which gives you remote access to your Drobo and DroboShare from a web browser or mobile device like the iPhone. Lastly, they are highlighting the Firefly iTunes Media Server that allows you to store all of your music, TV, and video content on the Drobo, and then serve that content to iTunes devices or computers around your home.
If you don’t yet have a storage solution and need a very reliable backup which also serves your media, then you should check out Drobo. They range in price from $349 to $1049 and offer USB 2.0 and Firewire depending on the model you choose. In order to take advantage of the apps, you’ll also need the DroboShare NAS module, which will run you $199, on top of the cost of the Drobo itself.
Read More | Drobo
We just had to share this site that we recently heard about. In a world of expensive electronics, there are actually some that you can get for free. Hey, It’s Free is a daily listing of all things that require no money to acquire. There are music and e-book downloads, links to old NES games online, free text messaging sites and even USB flash drives. While many of them expire rather quickly, it’s worth taking a look at the site as Goob and staff make sure that each of the items are checked out before posting. They also feature clothing, coupons, food, and many other freebies.
Read More | Hey It's Free
