Play Off Ice Hockey

There is nothing quite like a brutish game of ice hockey to get the adrenaline pumping, what with huge men crashing each other against the wall just to get a tiny puck into the opponent’s goal. Well, you can now bring that experience home (albeit sans the atmosphere) without getting hurt one bit in the form of the Play Off Ice Hockey. At £59.99 a pop, it will take a certain amount of finesse to make sure your players do the things you want them to, where each team comes with six movable players. The players themselves can move up and down their designated grooves, turning full circle on the spot if you so desire. Perfect to spend those chilly evenings indoors with your family and friends over a simulated game of ice hockey, eh?

Smart Astro Color Changing Lava Lamp

Lava lamps are real classics when it comes to home decor – they hardly get out of date, and are always mesmerizing to boot. Well, it won’t hurt that the Lava Lamp is given an update in the 21st century, eh? This $18.99 Smart Astro Colour Changing Lava Lamp adds a modern update with touch sensitivity at the base in the form of a button, where you can change colors with but a single touch. You are able to choose from Green to Yellow and Blue to Red, where each one will go through several shades en route to its destination color. Heck, if you like a particular color which is in transition, just touch the button on the base and you’re good to go. This will work differently from other lava lamps as it uses LEDs and other kinds of high tech wizardry, achieving its hypnotic effect in the process.

Google Chrome OS – Stop worrying about your hard drive, you don’t need one anymore

I have a confession to make, I sometimes lay awake at night and worry about my hard drive. I write quite a bit and I am an addicted amateur photographer who has become so worried about losing all my stuff, I back things up two different ways, just so I can sleep.

Knowing I am not alone, I am excited to introduce you to Google Chrome, an operating system coming to you soon, on a laptop, with NO HARD DRIVE. That’s right, the new platform stores it all, your applications, your files and pretty much everything else you might need, on online servers rather than your PC.

Able to boot in 7 seconds or less, primarily because it doesn’t have to load all the customary background stuff, the Chrome OS will first be available on laptops from both Samsung and Acer. I wondered what kind of storage these laptops would have, because I wonder about things such as this, when I realized that thanks to cloud-based storage for my pictures, music and files… I really shouldn’t need any.

So look forward to your next computer having no hard drive and virtually no storage. How awesome is that?

Of course that cloud based storage, how does that work? It’s not a hard drive is it? Oh come on I have to stop thinking about this stuff.

Justbeats by Dr. Dre is a Best Buy exclusive

  

Teen sensation Justin Bieber has yet another channel of income – it is pretty insane to see young pups these days raking in the dough like nobody’s business, when back in our day, we had to break our backs just to earn a quarter of a dollar an hour. Well, as mentioned earlier, Justin Bieber will have a very Merry Christmas as he has yet another source of dough to rely on, although we’re pretty sure that profits from this will not be as lucrative as that of his recording contracts.

The golden goose we’re talking about? Well, Justin Bieber has rolled out a new line of headphones, known as Justbeats by Dr. Dre. To make it all the more exclusive, you can only get it from Best Buy stores in the US and on BestBuy.com. It does seem to make sense though, as Justin Bieber is all about the music, and he sees this as an opportunity to team with Beats by Dr. Dre and Monster, where the latter is a global leader in high performance headphones and AV accessories.

Just how well does it perform? Well, it seems that each pair was specially engineered to help you feel the emotion that Justin wants each song to evoke. The headphones are also capable of expressing Justin’s signature style by offering both on-ear and in-ear versions in Justin’s favorite color – purple. The Justbeats by Dr. Dre Solo Headphone is going for $199.95 a pop, while iBeats by Dr. Dre Justbeats Edition is a whole lot cheaper at $119.95, where that will come with high tech features such as ControlTalk for you to pick up a phone call even when you’re enjoying his present and past hits.

Somehow, saying past hits for someone so young does seem pretty strange to roll off the tongue, as that normally applies to musical greats who have been around for decades. Well, if you’re a Justin Bieber fan, we are pretty sure that you will be able to drop off enough hints for your parents or elder siblings so that they can scurry to the nearest Best Buy outlet and pick up one of these puppies for you come Christmas day. What do you think? It is safe to say that this might just be the catalyst to kick start your love of expensive headphones, eh?

Powermat hates you to run out of juice this holiday season

The holiday season is upon us yet again, and it is a time for you to spend with family and friends. Well, the world has certainly gotten a whole lot more connected, and that is due to the number of gizmos and gadgets that we tote around. You name it, chances are at least one of your family members will bring it out at the table during the annual family dinner – be it an iPhone, a Sony PSP or Nintendo DSi. One problem about such gadgets is, they run on battery power, and more often than not, they tend to run out of juice if you aren’t the meticulous type who keep things fully charged before embarking on a long road trip or trans-Atlantic flight. Trust Powermat to come to the rescue this holiday season with their Portable Power Series.

Just what does Powermat’s Portable Power Series offer to the masses? For starters, there is no longer any need to look out for power outlets wherever you go, as long as you toss in the Portable Power Series into your bag. Powermat’s power! Rechargeable Back-Up Batteries is touted to be the ultimate charging convenience. All you need to do is make sure you don’t forget it on your travels, where you can juice up to two devices simultaneously using the dual on board micro USB and Apple connectors. Other devices in the series include the Dual 1200 and 1850 (in white or black), providing a boost of power up to a full smartphone charge.

As for the Powermat Portable Rechargeable 2X Mat, there isn’t any need for a charging cord, all you need to do is drop and charge up to two Powermat-enabled devices simultaneously, now how about that! In addition, it can hold enough juice for up to four smartphone charges.

You also won’t need to search far and hard for it, since a whole host of participating retailers such as Best Buy, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Wal-Mart, Powermat.com, and Amazon.com among others are more than willing to help you part with your hard earned money. If you have more than a trio of gadgets with you at any one time and need them to be powered all the time, you would do well to bring home one of these Powermat offerings lest you regret not having enough juice to save your game on the PSP when you’ve finally reached the last level.

Electro Hub universal wireless charger to debut at CES 2011

We have reported on many supposedly wireless chargers before, such as the Powermat and Wildcharger. There was also that one from Energizer that is Q1 certified, so that someday, we will all just lay down our mobile devices on charging pads and we’ll say good-bye to our charging cords forever.

This is the ElectroHub, another wireless charging station to join the club, and is planned to make its shining debut at CES 2011. As someone who is thrilled to see that their invitation to CES has been accepted, I can’t wait to see it.

One thing that is promised to make the ElectroHub unique is that it occasionally doesn’t require the device to have a special case, but actually provides ElectroHub batteries, which come in both AA and AAA. That means that you can take any device that takes those aforementioned batteries, like a Wiimote, and swap it out for an ElectroHub one. As far as the devices with non-replaceable batteries, it does require a protective case that works as a converter to charge the device’s internal battery. I guess we aren’t to the Q1 case-less stage yet.

The ElectroHub is slated to be on sale during the first quarter 2011, and should cost $39. There are other battery sets that can be purchased separately for about $10.

Use the Kinect to surf the web!

This is one of those posts that might be better if you hit the jump and see the video of it before you read about it.

Apparently, four young gentlemen from MIT’s Fluid Interfaces Group have figured out another use for the Microsoft Kinect. Instead of using your body as a controller in a video game, this involves the user’s body becoming a web browser.

You will note from the video how the user can navigate through open tabs, and then select the proper link. Scrolling and zooming looks like some weird kind of telekinesis.

I realize that this comparison gets overused, but it is a lot like Tom Cruise’s gesture-based interface from Minority Report, without the three-fingered gloves with the blue lights.

My Source mentions that the addition of a virutal keyboard by moving your fingers could help, but that would probably mean learning how to type again. Isn’t there some way we could do a speech to text feature? So if I wanted to say: “Search for Energizer”, it would lead me to the homepage for Energizer.

What these guys have here is definitely a way of surfing the net on your television without a keyboard or mouse. It beats the heck out of those keyboard remotes.

AdSense revenue

Pictures shown below demonstrate how much AdSense revenue some people generated from the program. Although the golden times when people used to make thousands per day from AdSense revenue without any or with little work are probably gone, you can still make some nice revenue from the AdSense program. It is getting harder, but it still is possible.

How people generate AdSense revenue

There are many methods to generate AdSense revenue. Some of them are completely legitimate, some of them are a bit "black hat."

The simplest method relates to displaying AdSense advertising units on a web site (we do it too, to get an idea, take a look at the rectangle at the top-right side of this article). You place a code into your web site code, and then get paid for each click visitors execute on the ads. Google charges the advertisers a certain amount each time a visitor clicks on an ad. Then, Google gives the web site owner a share from thisAdSense revenue.

Now, let's get motivated. Below you can find a collection of AdSense revenue checks from people who volunteered to publicize their success.

(FYI: If our information is correct, this amount of AdSense revenue has been generated with some 13 million impressions, 125 thousands clicks, page CTR 0.93%, and eCPM $9.87. Average AdSense revenue per click of some $1.06. All these numbers are on per month basis. See here for more details regarding these numbers and statistics of Shoemoney:AdSense earnings.)

And one more:

Well, I hear you asking "How is this possible, how did these people make it?" Checks like these are the reasons why AdSense sites have been the money-making craze of this decade. People are building websites just for the purpose of putting on Google ads and generating AdSense revenue.

These AdSense revenue checks shown above are exceptions to the rule of what an average Joe makes, but don't let that discourage you.

Realistic Google AdSense revenue

Google AdSense has been one of the most powerful methods for making money online and generating Google AdSense revenue for several years now, and although the golden times are gone, people still do make money and generate revenue from Google AdSense.

The AdSense revenue checks shown below are more along the lines of what you can expect from an average web site.

And if you are lucky and work hard, this is what your check might look like:

Motivated?

New augmented reality system at Digital Content Expo 2010

Just when I thought I was finished reporting on realtime digital video alteration withdiminished reality, I see this.

This RT2 chara AR Project was on display at the Digital Content Expo 2010, and it is a very interesting augmented reality experience that has to have three studios in three different places to make some interesting videos. You can see them after the jump.

It looks like the person wearing a motion capture suit (which looks like it is from the Kick-Ass movie) is at the convention itself, while more technology for these augmented reality effects are located elsewhere. This comes in handy with the lady with the jellyfish.

My Source calls this some sort of possible holodeck, but I think that is jumping the gun a little bit. I mean, isn’t the point of a holodeck supposed to be something where a user immerses him or herself in some unreal place? However, this looks like a way for others to see someone in another environment, or record themselves somewhere else, I suppose.

So as it is, I really can only see this being used in Hollywood for special effects, really. Motion capture has been used for a lot of CG movies, and I suppose anything that can improve on those would be worth it.

Joby’s GorillaPod adds video …

Joby's GorillaPod Video is an ideal accessory to the pocket camcorder.

Joby’s Gorillapod line can turn just about anything into a camera platform. But up until recently, it hasn’t given much other than static ability to camcorders. Now, Joby has theGorillapod Video, and let me tell you, it’s the icing on the cake.

I had a chance to test out the Gorillapod Video, and essentially, the foundation isn’t any different. Users still have those three legs with over two dozen leg joints that bend and rotate 360°. This gives it the ability to wrap around like about anything and turn it into a camera platform. The legs also come with strong, heavy duty magnetic feet which can adhere the Gorillapod to a metal surface.

But above the legs, the Gorillapod Video really comes into it’s own. In addition to the stock quick release lock ring, the Gorillapod Video has a machined steel ball joint which allows for 360 degree panning, as well as a metal handle that allows for 135 degree panning and tilting. So now, the Gorillapod has three dimensions and gives pocket video fans and YouTubers more sophisticated options for shooting video and making it steady.

The Gorillapod Video can work with just about any pocket camcorder, and with the right adapter case, even an iPhone can be screwed onto it. It’s a tad over 7″ long, so it can fit inside a small camera case, fanny pack or purse for those on the go, weighs less than 3 ounces, and sells for just under $30.

If you travel a lot or just plain on the go, the Gorillapod Video is an ideal accessory to add to your pocket camcorder.