HIGH TECH:
XBOX UPDATE


Now turning to the latest with Xbox.

Microsoft is championing a new Xbox controller: you. The technology, called Project Natal, lets you perform dance movies or kick a ball, while a camera tracks your movements using infrared and shows the results on screen. A microphone can also capture voice commands.

Meanwhile, Sony has announced the PlayStation Motion Controller, a wand that helps accomplish the same you-as-the-controller goal.

Why is this trend important? It's about time someone invented a better way to shoot bad guys than the same joysticks and gamepads we've used for the last few decades.

COMPUTER TREND: TABLETS


Now turning to the recent CES - Consumer Electronics Trade Show in Vegas in January 2010. More than 2,500 exhibitors showed off 20,000 new products. Contrary to what you'd think, CES is more about behind the scenes deals between companies than a big press event. The big buzz surrounded devices converging and becoming more mobile, such as mobile televisions in your living room where you can listen to music, switch on and off your lights, and browse your computers. Also making headlines are tablets. They are going to be big this year! A tablet is a very small computer that has a touch interface like a smartphone. The U1 from Lenovo is a favorite pick. It fits onto a keyboard that is a separate computer and can be attached to your computer keyboard.

BUSINESS CARD TREND: SNAPDAT, POKEN, BEEZCARD


Get ready POKEN is here! With all of our methods of communication these days, any technology that simplified this part of our lives is bound to be all the craze.

Several iPhone apps such as Beezcard and SnapDat allow you to share contact details with others.

SnapDat gives you the exact look of a business card and allows you to send your information to another SnapDat device and stores your information in their address book instantly. It can be downloaded for free at the Apple App store or at snapdat.com. The drawback is, not everyone has an iPhone. A Swiss company responded to this and invented Poken..

What is Poken exactly?

Poken is a technology that utilizes a proprietary Near Field Communicaion (NFC) technology to allow the exchange of online social networking data between two keychain accessories. Each person involved in the exchange must have his or her own Poken. The primary information exchanged via the Poken is a 'social business card', a digital replacement for a physical business card. By touching two devices together, a unique ID is exchanged that links to contact information on the Poken website. Contact information acquired by use of the Poken can be uploaded to the Poken website using a built-in USB connector.

In addition to the contact information found on a typical business card, links to users' social networks can also be added. Examples include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and 40+ other social networks. Users of the Poken website can use a 'social dashboard' to manage, and interact with their contacts. With today's information overload, the purpose of Poken is a tool to link all of the different ways someone can get in touch with you.

For more information visit www.poken.com

SPORTS TREND:
INDOOR GOLF


Now turning to sports and the INDOOR golf trend. There's now a trend seeing golf go from natural to man-made facilities to on-screen indoor facilities. Of course, it's better to play golf on a real outdoor golf course, but when it rains it's nice to find a golf simulator at the resort. Golf simulaters have been around for decades, mostly in northern cities that don't have the warm weather (like Canada) and have fewer outdoor courses.

aboutGolf is a 19-year old company that has become the world leader in indoor golf simulator technology by providing a new level of realism. aboutGolf produces PGA TOUR Simulators, 3Trak launch monitors, and Henry-Griffitts Custom Fitting. Historically, aboutGolf also produced Microsoft Golf, Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf and World Tours, which is the world's most-widely-distributed golf simulation software.

The company has over 500 golf simulators installed around the USA and worldwide with another 300 to be installed in the next year or so. www.aboutgolf.com.

12 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE IPAD


The release of the iPad has been all the talk this past Easter weekend, however HTR has got the top 12 things you need to know about this new high-tech gadget.

1. The iPad is not a laptop. It does not have a hardware keyboard, and falls under the category of portable personal computer or tablet.

2. The iPad is similar but not exactly like an e-reader like the Kindle. For one, the iPad has a color display. The Kindle, by contrast, is only black-and-white which isn't backlit which is easier on the eyes over long periods.

3. The iPad costs between $499 to $829 US. The more expensive, the more storage space. Also, iPads that connect to the Internet with Wi-Fi only are less expensive than those that can connect through Wi-Fi and through AT&T's mobile Internet network.

4. You do not have to sign-up for an AT&T contract when you buy the iPad. The only reason to purchase the contract would be if you purchased the more pricey versions of the device, to connect through Wifi and 3G networks, allowing you to browse the net from many more locations.

5. The keyboard is touch screen, just like on the iPhone. Some think this is easy to use, others have found it extremely difficult to type on.

6. The iPad's best tools are for reading books, browsing the web, watching videos, and playing video games. There is no DVD slot, however you can download movies from iTunes or Apple.com.

7. The iPad has a new set of apps to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The iPad has a Wi-Fi connection, which, in theory, could be used for printing documents wirelessly through your printer.

8. Almost any web site can be viewed on the iPad. Flash video is the only thing that cannot be viewed on the Apple iPad.

9. Some think the iPad is an all-in-one device, others argue that it cannot replace your computer and is just an accessory. It all really depends on what you use your computers for.

10. The iPad is about a half-inch thick and weighs 1.5 pounds. The screen is 9.7 inches across.

11. Some magazines and newspapers have reformatted their publications for the iPad, and will offer digital subscription plans.

12. There are alternatives to the iPad. Other companies like HP and Dell have plans to release a similar slate product.

GUCCI:
NEW CONCIERGE APP


Your iPhone can be your personal app now and Gucci is the hottest app to have right now. Designer iPhone applications are a dime a dozen, but Gucci's is revolutionary. Get access exclusive Gucci products, fashion shows, latest collections, news, events, and the ability to mix your own music on a virtual turntable. You can listen to Gucci's music channel find information on the best hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs in over 20 major cities across the globe.

The brand's creative director designer Frida Giannini allows you to browse her favorite songs of the moment (which you can instantly download the via iTunes) and discover her favorite restaurants and bars in cities with this app. It's like having Gucci's Frida as your personal DJ and concierge!

Gucci's getting so high-tech. Their new social networking website, Eyeweb, allows users to upload images and watch them appear across the new collection of sunglasses and now Gucci has now announced the launch of this ground breaking app for the iPhone and iPod touch.

“Apps are the new virtual accessory, so I approached the design of Gucci's first app in the same way I do with a bag or shoe from my collections,” said Frida. “I looked to provide the essence of the Gucci lifestyle experience in a way that takes full advantage of the technological capabilities of the revolutionary iPhone and iPod touch.

The Gucci app is free with all iPhones and iPod touches. Just head to www.itunes.com/appstore/ to download it – we'll see you there.

NEW TECH: iPad


The Apple iPad is almost here, with sales expected to be 550,000 units in the fiscal 'third quarter' ending in June. What is it exactly? It has a 9.7-inch (25 cm) LED backlit multi-touch display with a pixel resolution of 1024x768, 16 to 64 gigabytes (GB) of flash memory, a 1-gigahertz (GHz)Apple A4 processor, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 30-pin dock connector to sync with iTunes and connect wired accessories.

Shares have been jumping to a record high. Apple will launch the the iPad that connects to Wi-Fi networks on April 3 in the US and end of april in Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. Apple is expected to sell 550,000 units of the Ipad in the fiscal 'third quarter' ending in June. 1.2 million are expected for fiscal 2010. and 3.5 million for fiscal 2 thousand and 11.

It is designed to create a new device category between a smartphone and alaptop computer. Similar to a larger and more powerful iPhone or iPod touch, it runs a modified version of the same operating system. Its applications have been redesigned to take advantage of the larger screen with added functionality similar to their Mac OSX counterparts.

Two models have been announced: one with 802.11n Wi-Fi and one with 802.11n Wi-Fi and 3G (which can connect to HSDPA cellular networks), and Assisted GPS. Both models may be purchased with three different memory capacities.

As Apple's first device to use its iBookstore service and companion iBooks ebook reading application, the iPad has been compared to Amazon's Kindle.

SAMSUNG: 3-D TV


SAMSUNG

The 3D HD TV from Samsung is here. They have been in South Korea since last month and Panasonic is due to launch next week. Samsung is offering 3D LED TVs, 3D LCD TVs and 3D Plasma TVs, a Blu-ray Player and a Home Theatre System. It's also announced a content partnership in late February with Dreamworks SKG to 3D-ify the studio's CGI-based films like Shrek, Monster and Aliens. Orders for its 3D TVs on Amazon were strong. It's expected the 3D industry will sell between 3.5 million and 4 million 3D TV units in the US this year.

The 3D playback on Samsung's demo-reel was accomplished. It offered unexpectedly wide viewing angles so you're not stuck to an optimised spot to get the 3D effect and pin-sharp image quality. Samsung achieves this with its own active shutter powered 3D glasses. The company's LED and LCD 3D TVs refresh at 240Hz so the glasses refresh at half the rate to synchronise the content. The right and left eye shutters alternately open and close, there by producing the 3D effect.

Samsung will only bundle one pair of its 3D glasses when its 3D TVs go on sale. If you're a cash rich early adopter, then lucky you and it won't be an issue. However, no matter how much money you're willing to spend on extra Samsung 3D glasses, you won't get them working with 3D technology from other manufacturers.

SONY

Sony is playing 3D catch-up with Samsung, LG and Panasonic. Sony will increase its TV shipments by 70 per cent and will deliver more than 25 million 3D TVs in the next fiscal year. Sony may be behind the rest of the big display manufacturers but it has a trick up its sleeve that none of its competition can claim. It will be one of the first, if not the only manufacturer to deliver an entire 3D gaming hardware and software service through its PlayStation gaming consoles. 3D gaming is set to be massive and Sony can publish and develop 3D games that can be played on Playstation 3s with a firmware upgrade. Sony's 3D games can be downloaded from its Playstation Network and viewed on its 3D TV's.

LG

LG has also launched 3D TV models, a 3D Blu-ray player and 3D compatibility with the Sky network. It's introducing the first passive 3D technology LCD TV with its LD920. This will be rolled out in pubs for football fans and the World Cup will be broadcast by Sky in 3D. LG is also launching the LX9900, its full LED 3D ready TV along with a 3D Blu-ray player to boot. Like Samsung, LG's 3D TV portfolio is using active shutter glasses to generate the 3D effect and full HD playback.

TECH TRENDS 2010:
TOUCH SCREEN DASHBOARDS


This year, one of the most revolutionary new additions to your car is a touch-screen dashboard. Carmakers are beginning to replace analog dials and controls with touch-screen displays. They were used in nearly every electric or hybrid vehicle unveiled at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show , such as Volkswagon's E-Up! and Citroen's REVOLTe, whose touch-sensitive screens locate the nearest charging stations. Previous electric vehicles, such as Chrysler's 200C EV Concept and the Tesla Model S, show off huge swaths of touch-sensitive real estate (the 200C has no analog console controls), while other vehicles feature smaller touch-screen innovations. The decidedly nonelectric 2010 Range Rover comes with a 12-inch "dual view" display, which lets the driver check GPS directions while the passenger watches a DVD, both peering at the same display. The Range Rover also integrates more controls into its touch-screen interface than previous models, further proof that knobs, buttons and other "hard" controls are an endangered interface.

New iPhone Apps: Photoshop


Now turning to iPhone news and 3 great free apps, I want to tell you about. Mobile phone photos can be pieces of art..


‘ShakeItPhoto' is a new app that turns your iPhone pictures into retro-looking, Polaroid-like snapshots. On ‘ShakeIt', the photos appear to slide onto the screen of your camera without having been developed. Then, just like Polaroid, you shake your phone to develop them, and the color scheme give pictures a '70s tint to your photos.

Then there's the Photoshop app. Apple debuted this free app at the beginning of October, and it is now at the top of Apple's list of free apps. It helps you crop and color-correct your photos on the go and then upload them to Flickr, the photo-sharing site. The app has fine-grained controls for adjusting tint or saturation when you're out and about. It also offers a few custom filters, including "vignette blur," "pop" and "warm vintage.

Finally, you can get the free ‘Green Screen' app. This app allows you to remove the real background in a shot of you and pop yourself in front of world famous landmarks.

For more on the Apple apps, visit www.apple.com.

STATE OF THE ART: NEW PORTABLE RECORDING STUDIO


Now turning to a truly state-of-the-art and trendsetting creation for those who dream of Hollywood movies or music fame. It's a high-definition recording studio. A bit bigger than those old photo booths, but a full working mini studio. Coming to a mall near you, it looks like a time machine and sounds a little like karaoke but inside it's a full-fledged high tech audio and video recording studio. It's called MyStudio.

There is Hollywood-style green screen technology with a choice of more than a thousand HD virtual backgrounds. If you can't choose one of their backdrops, you can upload your own! These booths are perfect for audition tapes, music videos and mini movies for a modeling video resume, comedy, promos, and sales pitches. There are five musical instrument plug-ins, so you can record with your own instruments. The best part is that MyStudio has teamed up with EMI Music Publishing so you're allowed to legally record and post songs from some of their artists, so you get a professional sounding studio quality session for a mere $20.00 for five minutes!

STATE OF THE ART: TWITTER TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS


Looking to build your business for FREE?..Why not try twitter and something called twitter tracking...type in the twitter tracking feature - then find out who's talking about your business and you could chime into that conversation. You could contact those people and make suggestions immediately. People would look to you for answers to their questions - it's just a great way to drive traffic to your business. Another benefit is that when you start following people on twitter - such as a guru that you like to follow who has the newest things - you can go to twitter and see the latest. ok listen carefully....Here's how it works: Click to follow them so anytime they write a message so you can see the message and your picture shows up on their twitter page. Then they can click on your picture then they follow you. When people start following you - your message that you update appears on their profile. Then they start following you so you increase your audience consistently. if you're building your business on the internet you must be signed on with twitter and using all the different options that if has. Go to twitter ..com, set up an account and load your picture. you need your picture so people remember you.

Another way to build your audience is by building an email list. Building your email list- is one of most valuable assets to build an income from that list.
For those of you who still don't know about Twitter....

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers). Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow anybody to access them. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. The service is free to use over the Internet, but using SMS may incur phone service provider fees.

Since its creation in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Twitter has gained extensive notability and popularity worldwide. It is sometimes described as the "SMS of the Internet," in that the site provides the functionality — via its application programming interface (API)  — for other desktop and web-based applications to send and receive short text messages, often obscuring the Twitter service itself. Twitter was funded initially by Obvious, a creative environment in San Francisco, CA. The first prototype was built in two weeks in March 2006 and launched publicly in August of 2006. The service grew popular very quickly and it soon made sense for Twitter to move outside of Obvious. In May 2007, Twitter Incorporated was founded.

Four gateway numbers are available for SMS — short codes for the United States, Canada, India, and an Isle of Man-based number for international use. There is also a short code for Vodafone users from the United Kingdom. Several third parties allow users to post and receive updates via e-mail.

Estimates of the number of daily users vary, because the company does not release the number of active accounts. In November 2008, Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research estimated that Twitter had 4-5 million users. A February 2009 Compete.com blog entry ranked Twitter as the third most used social network (Facebook being the largest, followed by MySpace), which puts the number of unique monthly visitors at roughly 6 million and the number of monthly visits at 55 million, however only 40% of users are retained. In March 2009, a Nielsen.com blog ranked Twitter as the fastest-growing site in the Member Communities category for February 2009. Twitter had a growth of 1382%, Zimbio had a growth of 240%, followed by Facebook with a growth of 228%.

Isn't Twitter just too much information?

No, Twitter solves information overload by changing expectations traditionally associated with online communication. Updates from your friends and relatives float to your phone, IM, or web site and you are only expected to pay as much or as little attention to them as you see fit.

The result of using Twitter to stay connected with friends, relatives, and co-workers is that you have a sense of what folks are up to but you are not expected to respond to any updates unless you want to. This means you can step in and out of the flow of information as it suits you and it never queues up with increasing demand of your attention. Additionally, users are very much in control of whose updates they receive, when they receive them, and on what device. For example, Twitter provides settings for scheduling Twitter to automatically turn off at dinnertime and users can switch off Twitter updates at any point.

NEW SOFTWARE TO FIND ELECTRONICS THIEVES


As the number of electronics thefts continues to rise, hidden software is helping consumers and corporations get their gadgets back. High-tech, mobile devices dominate Forbes' list of most stolen electronics. You can now find your stolen BlackBerry -- and 'mess' with the thief. GadgetTrak, is a Portland, Ore.-based computer security firm, Its developed software that gives you remote access to a missing gadget. GadgetTrak Mobile Security software is $24.95 per device. You can lock your stolen phone down, recover data and wipe any sensitive information. You can secretly turn on the microphone and spy on the thief. Or you can blast an ear-busting siren that can only be stopped by prying out the battery. According to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, the number of reported phone robberies jumped 33% over the same period, from 60,100 to nearly 80,300. The number of reported laptop thefts increased almost 48% over the last two years, to almost 109,000. In the past three years, theft of iPods and other digital music players went up 91%to more than 17,000. It's so bad that a 2007 study showed iPod robberies bumped up overall crime rates in some major U.S. cities. Get this, according to a tudy felonies increased 18% in New York subways in 2005 - but minus iPod thefts, the amount of subway crime would have actually decreased by 3% for the year. Robberies cost the average major corporation per year: 640 laptops, 1,985 USB memory sticks, 1,075 smart phones and 1,324 other data devices.

Each year up to 800,000 memory devices (laptops, smart phones, memory sticks) are lost or stolen. Dell offers services that not only track and locate stolen or missing computers, but can erase an entire hard drive before the criminals can access sensitive information. A three-year subscription to the Dell ProSupport service costs $99 per computer. Gadget Trak's Search & Destroy program offers similar services at a cost of $69.95 per three-year contract. For about $15 a year, the company licenses location software for external USB devices like iPods, digital cameras, memory sticks and flash drives. Once plugged into a computer, the device sends out a signal pinpointing its location and the thief's IP address. GadgetTrak gets creative when locating Mac laptops: The company's MacTrak program uses the computer's built-in camera to secretly snap pictures of the thief every 30 minutes. The pictures are sent to your personal e-mail or online photo-storage account. The image then can be forwarded to police. If you're goggling: the company is GadgetTRAK. and its Gadget Trak Mobile Security software. spelled 'gadget-trak'

DRESSING ROOMS:
GO HIGH TECH


They've been popping up all over Hollywood so get ready for them in your city. These dressing rooms of the future have interactive mirrors, 3D scanners and holographic sales assistants. Bloomingdales, for example, was one of the first retailers to test a social retailing system and a Japanese department store chain, began experimenting with an "intelligent fitting room". 

It gives customers the opportunity to check available sizes and styles of the items they are trying from inside the fitting room. Prada began using the interactive mirrors in its Beverly Hills store last year. The better the retailer makes the trying on experience, the more likely the shopper will buy the item but  retailers have largely ignored dressing rooms. The Internet has revolutionized the way catalog shopping is conducted and shoppers are avoiding fitting rooms altogether. One solution might be installing a responsive mirror in retailer's dressing rooms. Currently when you bring five or six items into the dressing room and try to narrow down your selection. It becomes difficult to remember how you looked in each outfit. The responsive mirror eliminates that by allowing you to simultaneously see pictures of yorself in all the items you try on to help you decide which they want to purchase. Through inventory tagging, the dressing room registers the items shoppers take in to try on and produces video and images of the merchandise.  A touch screen gives shoppers the option to invite friends. Through their personal cellphone or key pad, they can then send an e-mail or text message to friends. By clicking on a url and logging on to a Web site, the friends can see the items being tried on and make comments. The site will also suggest other merchandise in the store. The shopper can then click on one of the recommendations, and make it appear in the mirror superimposed over his image, as though he were trying on the garment. Macy's and J.C. Penney are also exploring versions of the interactive dressing room. Retailers have started to add more realistic lighting that is closer to daylight and increase the size of the rooms to allow more movement and other people to join shoppers in the process and at the Gap and Banana Republic are revamping how shoppers receive service while in the dressing room by installing call buttons and delivery doors where sales assistants can bring items to shoppers.

YOU TUBE: STUDIO MOVIES NOW AVAILABLE


One of the biggest trendsetters in the world today is You Tube, the truly revolutionary video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. The new trend now is for Hollywood movie studios to use You Tube. Recently you tube reached an agreement with MGM, Lions Gate Entertainment and CBS which will allow the companies to post full-length films and television shows on the site, accompanied by advertisements. The move is intended to create competition with websites such as Hulu, which features material from both NBC and Fox. As you many know, ingenious YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees. In November 2006, it was bought by Google  for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google.

MOST EXPENSIVE KEY CHAIN: MERCEDES BENZ PLATINUM


So you're looking for that special gift.

Want an expensive special gift?

ok how about the most costly key chain in the world.

Go to the Mercedes Benz Canada website and search for item #B6606 0126or description is "luxury key ring, platinum"

Cost? Get ready: $22,239.00 CDN. (no the car is not included)

Ok now if the platinum one is too expensive - you can buy the gold one for just $7,469.99.

Still too much - OK the silver one is a deal! $469.99

FISH 'N FLUSH


So you're looking for the gift for someone who has everything? I've got just the oddball thing. Its called Fish 'n Flush.

It's kitschy, a talking piece, and its an aquarium toilet bowl.

Picture the tank, clear plexy glass, inside you put the fish. They even give you 2 fake plastic trees to make the fish look like they're in paradise.

Now you're asking yourself - how the poor fishies stay from getting sucked down the drain.

There are actually two sections to this clear plastic tank - the front part houses Goldie - the back part is used for serious business flushing.

Manufacturer AquaOne worked with a marine biologist to develop the technology. The power is set at 12 volts, so it's safe for children. You can use fresh water, as well as salt, warm and tropical water.

The toilet tank holds 2.5 gallons which is sufficient pressure to flush properly.

Price tag: $299 dollars US.

They ship anywhere in the world.

Fish 'n Flush comes with everything but the water and the fish.

Specifically, it's a patented, two-piece aquarium toilet tank, designed by AquaOne Technologies, Inc., an innovator of water-management systems. It fits most two-piece toilets and turns the bathroom into the center of attention with its unique design of an aquarium that wraps itself around a clear inner tank.

The product developed in-house by AquaOne designers, was a hit at the recent Kitchen and Bath Show, open to people in the plumbing and home improvement trade, and appeared on CBS' The Early Show, which featured new products "For Kitchens and Bathrooms of Tomorrow."

It also makes a fun-fashion statement for the homeowner who wants to have something unique in the bathroom.

Customers should consult their local pet store to find which fish are compatible and appropriate for your personal Fish 'n Flush tank. Smaller fish are obviously recommended. The experts at your local pet or fish store can provide additional advice and suggestions on how to maximize the appeal of your Fish 'n Flush aquarium.

Aqua One Technologies, Inc.
14726 Golden West, Suite J
Westminster, CA 92683

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