Turn your digital camera into a scanner

As we welcome this brand new year, why don't you throw away that bulky scanner on your desk and use your handy digital camera as a scanner instead? There is a new software called Snapter which helps to convert your digital camera into a mobile scanner. Now you can snap a photo anywhere you are and run it through snapter which ensures that your image looks like it was scanned on a flatbed scanner.

Well this certainly looks like a great tool to use for bloggers like me. I might suddenly look at an interesting article in a technology or gadget magazine which I want to blog about. Now I can just capture a photo of the page and later run it through snapter. Awesome! The basic version is free for download but you will need to buy the premium version.

Check out below for the different versions of snapter:

Would you buy one? Or would you just use the free version with the watermarks? Or would you not even bother?

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Breathalyzer for your iPhone?

I'm sure everyone has properly recovered from the New Year's hangover (for your sake I hope you really have). But how would you know if you have had one too many before you get behind the wheel of your sports car? A breathalyzer would definitely let you know if you have actually exceeded the legal limit of alcohol in you bloodstream. If you want to get one for yourself, then you might want to consider iBreath, an electronic device that plugs in to your iPhone and converts it to a breathalyzer.

How does it work?

The iBreath Alcohol Breathalyzer lets you take your own breath test so that you wouldn't have to end up in jail or pay thousands of dollars in fines. This device snaps into your iPhone as an accessory and you will need to exhale into this device for about 5 seconds. A couple of seconds later, this tool shows your results so that you can know if you are within the legal limit to drive.

The device doesn't need any batteries and actually uses the iPhone to power it up. Actually, it doesn't really need an iPhone to work since it also comes with a 12V car plug which you can use in case you are not an iPhone user.

What else is included?

It also includes an FM transmitter so you can use it to play your tunes on your car stereo in case you don't have an auxiliary input. Its definitely a bit expensive for an FM transmitter (retails at around $79). But since a breath analyzer is included with it, it could be worth considering. If you think that this is too much to pay for a breathalyzer, I'm sure you can get tons of cheap breathalyzer keychains and such at Amazon. Take a look at the video to check out how it actually functions in real life!



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Digital Photo Frames being replaced by LCD TVs?

LG has recently announced a 47-inch digital photo TV which will display a static picture of your choice when the TV is in standby mode. You can choose to display any picture you like and if you are the type who hangs the TV on the wall, perhaps this is the best time to show off that great picture you took of the sunset during your vacation to the tropical islands.

I'm sure you will save the effort of hammering a nail to the wall but how many TVs can you buy? I'm pretty sure that the digital photo frames are way cheaper than an LCD TV. Anyway, LG also claims that the Digital Photo TV's power consumption is only around 10 to 15% of the level consumed while actually watching TV. This is achieved by leveraging the panel's idle memory instead of external memory attached to the set when used in digital photo mode. And yes, LG will be showcasing this Digital Photo TV during this week's CES.

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Would you like to guest blog on Newgadgetsguru?

Dear readers, today I was thinking how to make this blog more interactive and interesting in the blogosphere. An idea struck me, and I thought "why not invite my readers to guest blog on Newgadgetsguru.com?". After all, this blog is for you! If you are interested to write a guest post on this blog then read on.

Firstly, send me an email with what content you have in mind. Please keep the topic relevant to this blog. Some examples are:

- Product reviews
- Gadget "how to's"
- An article about a new technology

Please ensure that the article is original and not copied from elsewhere. I would like to keep this blog unique and fresh. You can include a link back to your blog (if you have one) and this might be useful to you as Newgadgetsguru is a PR4 (pagerank 4) blog. So if you are interested send me an email to:

editor[at]newgadgetsguru[dot]com

Lets Have Fun!

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Streaming content from your PC to TV is now a breeze

How would you like to stream content from your PC to your TV without running ugly wires around the living room? Now you can stream your favorite movies directly to your brand new large screen TV using Wisair's USB adapter. If you decide to get creative, you could also stream the content to a secondary monitor or even a projector. If this really kicks off, I wonder what's the fate of those projectors in meeting rooms.

This Wisair USB adapter offers VGA and HDMI connections but here's the catch - it can't stream anything in 1080p. So if you were planning to stream that HD movie from your PC to the TV, that's not going to happen for now. My guess is that this limitation is due to the bandwidth limitation of USB 2.0 and nothing else. But at $129 this is a good deal for those who regularly stream content to their TVs. I'm not one of those but if a version with USB 3.0 comes out, then I might consider getting one to stream those HD movies I bought on iTunes!

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iPod Touch: Large Screen version coming soon?

According to Techcrunch, a large screen version of the iPod Touch could soon be launched by Apple some time in 2009. Apparently the folks at Techcrunch have actually handled the prototype and Apple is actually talking to some manufacturers in Asia to mass produce the device. Could this be the fabled Apple Netbook that has been rumored all along?

If this was indeed the Apple tablet or Apple netbook, then its certainly a step in the right direction from Apple. It really doesn't make sense to continue selling the iPod Touch in its present form factor since it offers no value proposition when compared to the iPhone. The price is definitely lower, but with subsidies offered by mobile carriers it is hard to imagine why people would choose the iPod Touch over the iPhone. Anyway stay tuned for more news on this!

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SkiGym: Now you can ski at home too!

Are you a Ski-aholic? Do you want to enjoy that adrenalin rush of skiing on the alps without leaving the comforts of your home? Sure you could always buy a Nintendo Wii - but the Wii is definitely not for serious ski enthusiasts. If you want to try something which is more realistic, then I suggest you try the SkiGym.

Some bloggers have been calling the Wii as a silly alternative to the actual thing. Although I would not go to the extent of calling the Wii as anything close to "silly", I would still not call it the next best thing to the real thing. So the folks at skigym have come up with this impressive realistic ski simulator which you could hook up to your PC like shown in the picture. The game includes 32 different courses from 18 real-world mountains, just to add to the realism. But you will need to cough up $2300 for this skigym though! Wouldn't you rather use that to go on a real ski vacation?

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Low Cost SATA SSD drives from RunCore

RunCore has finally started shipping its compact sized Zif/PATA and SATA SSD drives. They are offering a low cost Zif/PATA 1.8" which can offer capacities from 16GB to 128GB. The 2.5" SSD is able to provide capacities up to 256GB. These upgrades are supposed to be pretty cost effective especially if you are thinking of upgrading your netbook or your notebook.

According to RunCore:

"Upgrading made easy – All RunCore Prosumer SSD products except 2.5” hyper speed (Coming Soon Feb) now include an onboard USB slave port and USB cable allowing for easy cloning with any off the shelf cloning software. We suggest the Acronis True Image 15 day free trial; the setup file for this program will be included on all RunCore SSD products beginning in January. It is as easy as 1 2 3 - 1 Plug it in to any available USB port, 2 run the cloning software, and 3 install the new RunCore SSD drive and turn it on. This process should not take anyone including a novice user more than 10-20 Minutes to complete."

[Via RunCore]
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Gadget Mag: iPhone version of Newgadgetsguru.com

Finally our dream of launching an iPhone version of Newgadgetsguru.com has been realized! Apple has approved our all new application which has gone for sale starting today! Now you can carry newgadgetsguru with you on your iPhone wherever your go. It's like your online magazine updated regularly through RSS.

We are charging a small fee of $0.99 for our development efforts. We sincerely hope that you as our readers will support us on the iPhone platform as you have been doing online as well. We will not disappoint you and provide you with fresh updates from the gadgets and technology world regularly. Here is the iTunes link for gadget mag.

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This Logitech Remote Will Enslave All Your Gadgets

Throw away that bunch of remotes that are messing up your living room. Enter the Logitech Harmony. The Harmony remotes are renowned for offering (relatively) easy programming via desktop software, which is available for both Windows and Mac systems. Just choose your home-theater hardware from an extensive (and frequently updated) database, then set up your desired activities ("Watch a movie," "Listen to music," and so on).

There are quite a few models to choose from and the entire range of remotes is carried by Amazon. The remote's built-in help screens walk you through any problems that may crop up (like the TV turns on but the receiver doesn't), great for when grandparents, babysitters, and other non-residents are trying to operate your stuff.

Certainly something that I'm going to pick up for my home theater system. If you want to check the entire range, you can choose your logitech harmony here.

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Slim, Sexy and Wireless Keyboard

This is an interesting tiny keyboard - its wireless and illuminated. Perfect for people who like when blogging during bed time. But personally I don't need one since the keyboard of my Mac does the job perfectly. But this keyboard would be perfect for those who are looking for a slim and sexy keyboard to accompany their netbook.

Or, this could also be a perfect companion for a Home Theater PC setup. You wouldn't want to have an ugly mother of all keyboards ruining the look of your living room would you? And it gets even more difficult when you want to switch off the lights and get cosy with your *cough* loved one(s)! Even though the lighting looks a little cheesy on this one, it still looks very practical to me. The only problem with this keyboard is that it costs $47 which is somewhat on the high side for something as commodious as a tiny keyboard. Yeah sure it comes with a 2.4GHz wireless feature but hey I'm sure that doesn't cost much these days. Would you buy one of these?

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Google Chrome is officially out of beta!

It has been more than 3 months since I wrote about the arrival of Google Chrome Beta. Now Google has announced that Google Chrome is officially out of Beta. Now that the Beta tag has been officially removed, its time to see if Google Chrome can match the likes of Internet Explorer and Firefox.

According to the Google Blog:

Google Chrome is a better browser today thanks to the many users who sent their feedback and the many more who enabled automatic crash reports, helping us rapidly diagnose and fix issues. Some of the areas where we've made great progress include:

Better stability and performance of plug-ins (particularly video). Video and audio glitches were among the most common bugs fixed during the beta period. If you had problems watching videos with Google Chrome in the past, you should be pleasantly surprised with the performance now.

Even more speed. Google Chrome starts up fast, loads pages quickly, and just keeps getting faster. Since the first beta, the V8 JavaScript engine runs 1.4 times faster on the SunSpider benchmark and 1.5 times faster on the V8 benchmark — and there is more speed to come.

Bookmark manager and privacy controls. We heard you! Better bookmark features were a top request from our users. It's now easier to switch between another browser and Google Chrome with the bookmark import and export features, and we added a new simple way to manage large numbers of bookmarks, too. We also wanted to make it even easier for you to control your browsing data, so all of the features in Google Chrome which affect user privacy are now grouped in one place with detailed explanations for each one.
[Via Google Blog]

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Revolutionary Device to filter cancer cells from blood

A great new technology has given birth to a device that could potentially be a boon for cancer patients. This device has the ability to filter the cancer cells from blood. Cancer cells present in blood stick and roll on the selectins on the surface of the device. While rolling they bind to TRAIL and accumulate the self-destruct signal. Once they detach from the surface and leave the device, they will die 1-2 days later.

The selectins are basically protein molecules that move to the surface in case of an infection or injury. Selectin molecules normally recruit white blood cells (leukocytes) which "roll" along their surfaces and create an inflammatory response -- but they also attract cancer cells, which can mimic the adhesion and rolling process. Used with a combination of traditional cancer treatment, this could effectively kill more cancer cells than possible before. Let us hope that with this all new device any cancer is treatable. You can read more about this research in physorg.

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Fuel Cells To Power Your Gadgets

MTI Micro has unveiled a new fuel cell charger to power up your gadgets. This little device uses replaceable fuel cartridges. MTI Micro is not the first, and hopefully won't be the last, company to go to the fuel cell for portable convenient power. The MTI Micro Mobion prototype works with cartridges of the liquid fuel methanol. Each cartridge offers about 25 hours of power. When it's depleted, users just pop it out of the charger and replace it with another one.

The Fuel Cell Charger is set to be available as a product by end of 2009. This definitely seems like a move in the right direction. So what does this 25 hours of power get you - 10 charges for your cellphone and enough power for your favorite MP3 player to play 10,000 songs or 100 hours of video! Phew!
[Via Crave]

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Remote Kill Switch To Disable Stolen Laptops

Ericsson and Intel have developed an all new technology to locate your laptop if it is stolen and disable it. It works using GPS technology and you might just even be able to locate it if the chip has not been removed from the laptop just yet. Some of us have laptops with data encryption software which protects all the data in the hard drive in case of theft but this technology is just taking it one step further.

Although this picture is a dead give away of how to remove the chip, I'm sure there must be work done on how to actually secure this device. One possible way is to embed the chip in the processor itself as it is the vital part of the laptop and if taken out will render the machine completely useless. Any other suggestions?

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iPhone 3G Silicon Case for the Visually Challenged

I never thought that the iPhone could ever be used by anyone without perfect vision simply because of the fact that the interface is built that way. There are no keyboards or shortcut buttons on the phone that could feedback to the touch. But here's a great new concept Silicon Case for the iPhone 3G that could well solve this problem.

As wonderful as the iPhone is, it leaves out anyone visually impaired. This Silicon Touch iPhone case works in tandem with an app to allow special accessibility functions like text to speech and moon type tactile feedback. The case is engraved with modified bas-relief buttons each corresponding to a modified home screen on the iPhone. None of the phone’s functions are compromised. Multi-touch and finger flick scrolling are all intact.

Kudos to the designer for coming up with this all new innovative design. If you would like to read more about this design then you can read all about it and look at some of the cool pictures here at Yankodesign.

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Would you like a Web Edition for your Car?

Chrysler has unveiled its latest 'Web Edition' cars for the general public - probably a move that will be interesting in this sagging economy. Obviously this edition is targeted at the tech savvy and dare I say - geeks! So don't bother getting the off road edition or the luxury edition or even the sports edition. If you're a loyal reader of New Gadgets Guru - go and get the Web Edition!

So what does the Web Edition comprise of? Well to name a few, it has a Dell Mini 9 Netbook, an 8GB iPod Touch (I would have preferred the 16GB), a Sony PSP (redundant now that the iPod Touch has gaming features)and of course a digital camera with Eye Fi Wi Fi SD card. All in all, this is a cool $1,999 package.

Autonet CEO Sterling Pratz says, "We're emphasizing this as the next entertainment platform in cars" more than a communication and productivity platform, though you can do whatever you want with the system. Bits is bits. Trip-centric Web services like Fandango and OpenTable are naturals for a Web rig in the car.

The question really is - IS this a value proposition that is going to drive potential customers to buy 'Web Edition' cars? How about a 'Runs on Water Edition' or a 'Electric Powered Edition' instead?

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Now your cellphone and landline phone can work together

How many of us have ditched our landline telephones since cellphones have become popular and dare I say - cheap? Well I'm pretty sure that most of us don't rely on the landline phone anymore. But at times, I do miss my landline phone simply because of its simplicity and of course - no coverage issues or dropped calls. Thanks to Xtreme Technology, now there is a solution for both the cell phone and the landline phone to work together.

It recently announced two new Xlink Bluetooth gateways, the Xlink BT and the Xlink BTTN, that allow you to use your regular telephone to handle your cell phone service. Both gateways let you take cell calls on your landline phone and support up to three Bluetooth-enabled mobile handsets. The new XLink BT, however, is for those without a landline service, like me, while the XLink BTTN lets you take your landline calls on your mobile phone and vice-versa.

Certainly something very interesting I must say. Now you can marry your cellphone to your landline phone!

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Enter the iPhone Robot

Trust the Japanese to turn an iPhone into a robot. The Japanese are well known for their love for all things robotic. That’s why it’s not particularly surprising that one Japanese iPhone owner with some spare time and a lot of spare parts on his hands has managed to turn his iPhone into a self-propelled robotic device.

Check out the antics of this iPhone Robot in the video below:



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Is your Mouse not working? Try this trick!!!

Have you ever encountered "Mouse Failure" when you most need it? Either the mouse battery has drained off or the computer is failing to recognize the mouse as the driver got corrupted or some other problem. There is an easy way to overcome this problem without losing any of your hair - MouseEmu.

This program is also very usefull for laptop owners with low quality mouses. Just hold down the Fn key, and you can use the numeric keypad in the center of your keyboard to move the mouse! Mouse Emulator can also toggle mouse buttons with a simple key press. This is very useful for RSI users that have problems with drag operations with the mouse.

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