Gotta Have Gadget

I have been writing a golf version of this column for West Coast Golfer for about a year. When you write a column like this you get a lot of high-resolution images and press material. I have an older laptop, and all this material was taking up a lot of space on my hard drive. That issue was quickly fixed with the SimpleTech Signature Mini USB Drive. When I opened up the package, my first thought was, OK this thing is pretty small, how much space will it really free up on my laptop? This mini USB hard drive holds 500 gigs! Simply moving all the high-resolution photos, and my iTunes music library free up almost the entire hard drive on my laptop. My laptop is running fast again, and it is extremely easy to plug in the SimpleTech Signature Mini USB Drive and access any of the files I moved to this drive. It is also a great drive to use to back-up all your important data. Not too many people utilize a back-up drive and then become devastated if they get a virus or a major hard drive crash. Dont put yourself in a position to lose all your data, be prepared by visiting www.simpletech.com.

If you are a paintball player, you have to visit www.rap4.com. Let me tell you I was never big into paintball until I started playing with my co-workers. There is no better feeling after a long week of work than hitting your boss in the ass with 10 or 15 paintballs. There are some pretty awesome markers (paintball guns) out there, but Real Action Paintball has some of the most realistic looking markers out there. I have found paintball and the gear can be as addicting as crack, and just as expensive, however when I walked onto the playing field with my Real Action T-68 Socom paintball marker heads turned. Ironically this looks like something right out of the Socom video game I play on my Sony PlayStation. This isnt your average marker, and certainly not for the yahoos who will shoot off 300 paintballs each round. When I play, I want to make every shot count. Instead of just shooting at the bunker, I wait until I have a clear shot, more sniper style. You can still use this marker if you want to blow through your paintballs with an optional 200 round hopper, but I get a kick out of the 18 round magazine just like the real deal. It even has a red dot snipe scope to make it even more realistic. This is about the closest I want to get to a battlefield, because here the worst thing that can happen is I get a big bruise for a week if I get shot. I cant imagine doing this for real! That is why whenever I see a real soldier I have to stop and say, Thank you! So if you are truly looking for real action, check out real action paintball!

If you will be looking for irons this season, a good place to start would be www.wilsongolf.com. The new Wilson Staff Di9 irons mix pricing with performance. During this economy, I know a lot of people are going to be looking to save money. Well, if you receive some of that stimulus money, the Wilson Staff Di9 are affordable irons that do not sacrifice quality for price. There are quite a few unique features of these irons. Wilson delivers a new lower profile; wider sole head design, resulting in the biggest sweet spot that Wilson has ever produced, so that your iron shots are longer and straighter. With Wilsons patented wide-tip technology, you will feel less twisting of the club at impact, which offers greater forgiveness, more distance with the end result of actually hitting the ball where you were aiming. Isnt that what everyone wants from their irons? If you recall in my January edition of Gotta Have Gadget, I listed the Wilson Staff FYbrid as one of my top ten items in 2008. The beauty of the Wilson Staff Di9 irons is the set consists of 5-iron through gap-wedge, what that means is for your longer shots, you can still take advantage of the Wilson Staff FYbrids. The combination of straighter shots, and more distance make the Wilson Staff Di9 irons a gotta have gadget for the 2009 golf season.

If you know someone who is technology challenged, but is looking for the accuracy of a GPS distance unit, take a close look at the Izzo Golf Swami 1500. The Swami is so easy to use; anyone who can use a remote control can now have the distance of every shot in his or her hands. Granted the Izzo Golf Swami doesnt give you a complete layout of the hole, what it does give you is extremely accurate yardage to the front, center and back of the green. When you arrive at your favorite course, simply turn the Swami on and the digital display will give you a read out of how long it will take to find the GPS Satellite. It is also extremely easy to load on your favorite courses. When I went to load on a course, most of the courses I play were already available. What I found truly amazing was how fast my course requests were answered through the Swami website. I simply clicked request course and I received an e-mail within a couple of days telling me the course was available for download. With a price of $99.99 and only a $35 yearly membership, the Izzo Golf Swami is an easy, affordable solution for any golfer looking for GPS distance accuracy. For more information and to view some of the 12,000 courses already loaded, visit www.izzo.com.

Chestnut Hill Sounds GEORGE is one such product. George is a tabletop audio system that is sending shockwaves through its competition. Chestnut Hill Sound based in Newton, MA has hit a homerun as powerful as a Manny Ramirez or David Ortiz smash out of Fenway Park! If you have an iPod, the George music system is a 125% Gotta Have Gadget.

One of the coolest features of George is the remote control. The remote actually mirrors the menu on your iPod. So if you can navigate an iPod, you will feel right at home using the George remote control. So while your iPod is docked to the unit, the remote control gives you the exact same menu, as you would have if you were looking at your iPod. If you decide you would like to switch to the radio, a simple push of a button and you are listening to your favorite radio stations. There is no longer an AM/FM button, as George has the bands integrated into one BANDLESS tuning system. To make it even easier to find your favorite station, you dont have to remember which button is programmed to a specific station as the 24 pre-set buttons display the station.  Its great when I am using my treadmill as I take the remote, place it right on the treadmill and I have full control of my iPod with great sound.

All these features are nice, but why do you purchase a unit such as this? The answer is simple, the sound! George has a sound that simply fills any room. I can honestly say, Move over Bose, there is a new sheriff in town and his name is George. FIVE speakers in this compact system gives you incredible sound from any device. I still cant verify where the five speakers are in this compact unit, but I will tell you the sound from the moment I turned it on has been outstanding.

At a MSRP of $499 (including charging stand), George offers much more than many similar priced or even higher priced units. Ease of use, great sound all in a compact device are just a few reasons why George should find a place in any room in your house. Visit them on-line at www.chillsound.com.

Just recently named the Best New Product at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show, Frogger now has that distinct honor of Best New Product in back to back years!  Like most golfers I have a trunk load of golf towels.  After a round, I empty my water bottle on one of them and clean off my clubs.  I have tossed almost all of those towels and replaced them with the Amphibian Towel.  The biggest benefit of the Amphibian Towel is the wet/dry feature.  You can wet the inside of the towel, and the outside stays dry.  Heck, Im thinking about the amount of times I spit on the club to clean the grooves.  Well those days are over!  There are also convenient pull-tabs so hands stay dry while you open the towel.  There is also a mini-Amphibian towel for you golf balls.  No more searching for a ball cleaner, as this mini-towel works the same way, keep the inside wet to clean your ball then use the outside to dry.  Speaking of wet, I cant tell you how many charity golf tournaments I have played in when it rains.  As a matter of fact, the first year I ran a charity golf tournament, we had 90 golfers play during The Perfect Storm in New England.  This was the storm made famous by the movie The Perfect Storm.  Anyways, back on track, while playing in the rain, you use the Amphibian towel opposite as you would during nice weather.  You keep the inside of the towel dry, and the outside wet.  The beauty here is the inside of the towel stays dry even in the bad weather.  This is a perfect way to dry your hands and the grip giving you better play during bad weather.  For more information on the Amphibian Towel, visit www.amphibiantowel.com.

A cool accessory for the Amphibian Towel is the Frogger BrushPro.  I have tried everything to get my clubs clean, including a BBQ wire brush.  You are probably asking, How do you get so excited over a golf brush?  Well obviously its not just me as the BrushPro received a Best New Product award at the 2008 PGA Merchandise show.  One of the coolest features of this brush is the hide-a-way groove cleaner.  No more trying to clean grooves with a tee or scratching you clubs with a wire brush.  Simply flip up the groove cleaner and the metal tip gets even the hardest dirt out of the grooves.  A retractable cord makes it easy to store on your bag, which means you dont have to worry about leaving it in the cart, or on the tee.  The people from Frogger have made it easy with replaceable and interchangeable parts.  Simply pop out the groove cleaner and slide in the 2-in-1 shoe cleaner and your spikes will be as clean as when you started the round.  For information on the Frogger BrushPro visit www.froggerbrushpro.com.  Your best bet is to go with the total package that is available on both sites which includes the Amphibian Towel, Ball Towel and BrushPro.

Something I enjoy almost as much as golf is video production. I actually graduated from college with a degree in video production and worked in the video industry for some 15+ years. So when it comes to video products I tend to be a little pickier than most people. A few products that I really enjoy come from Pinnacle. The first is the Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick. The PCTV HD Pro Stick is a USB TV Tuner for your PC. What most people dont realize is the best high definition signal you can get for your television is FREE. You dont need cable or satellite. Remember those old rabbit ear antennas prior to cable? That antenna can get you crisp uncompressed high definition video. The PCTV HD Pro Stick can accept signals from an antenna or cable. I remember watching NASCAR on my tv and the Ryder Cup in high definition on my pc through the PCTV HD Pro Stick. Its as easy to set-up as a cable box and before you know it you are watching crisp HD video on your PC.

I also enjoy editing my own videos and creating personal DVDs. The Pinnacle Studio 12 Plus editing software is extremely easy to use. Everyone has that one Uncle or Aunt who always has the video camera at special events. The Pinnacle Studio 12 Plus editing software would be the perfect gift for them. Features are easy to use for the beginner to the seasoned pro. After you edit your videos, you can use existing DVD menus to add that final personalized touch. Ask my nephew Kailen Richards about how cool it is to have your own DVD. I edited together his football game, and mixed in photos to music with a menu with his name in a very short time. There arent too many smiles bigger than a 5-year old watching himself on TV. Of course I created a monster, as my wife now wants me to take all our old family videos and put them onto DVDs. Well thanks to the Pinnacle Studio 12 Plus editing software it should be relatively easy. Check out all the cool video products Pinnacle has to offer at www.pinnaclesys.com.

I have been a big fan of the iPod video or now known as the iPod classic and thought there was no reason to upgrade. That was until I got my hands on the iPod touch. All the features that I loved in my iPod classic are incorporated into the iPod touch, plus so much more. The best feature is being able to connect to the internet via Wi-Fi. Its great to be able to roll over in the morning before a round of golf and check the weather radar to know what to wear before I even get out of bed. Also, it was incredibly easy to connect to the iTunes store and download an album. Every day it seems I find something cool about the iPod touch. There are applications and games that can be purchased or free for download to add to your iPod touch experience. So if you want to check the weather, browse some videos on youtube or check the latest scores everything is at your fingertips with the iPod touch. Of course the main feature of the iPod has always been the music. With all the added features of the iPod touch, it was nice to see Apple didnt forget that it was all about the music. Browsing albums, artist and tracks is even easier with the big video display. A simple turn of the iPod touch and you are in widescreen mode making everything bigger and better.  I have had the iPod touch for a few months now and it seems like everyday I find something new to do with my iPod Touch.  Since I received my iPod touch, there has been a new version released with a built in speaker and new sleek design.  At night I listen to my favorite playlist to relax before I fall a sleep, and in the morning I am checking the weather or checking my e-mail before I start the day.  There are so many application you can download (some for a fee) to enhance your iPod touch.  Some of my favorites are the 1000s of games, a cookbook, drink guide or my local weather radar.  The iPod Touch easily connect to your wi-fi and is extremely easy to load your favorite mp3 files through iTunes.  For more information on the iPod touch and some of the new features, visit www.apple.com/ipodtouch

I was at my nephews last football game taking videos. The cool thing was I was using a digital camera, the Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 is far more than a digital camera. How many times have you taken a picture and had to retake the picture because someone blinked, moved or did something else that just ruined that one picture? The Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 has a burst mode that takes up to 60 frames per second. So as you are getting ready to snap the picture, the EX-F1 is already recording the frames surrounding the shot. So when reviewing your picture, just scroll back a few frames and there is the picture with everyones eyes wide open. In addition to the burst feature, the Casio EX-F1 can take High Definition Video. You chose between standard 6-megapixel digital photos or recording HD video. There is no need to carry around a camcorder and digital camera any longer. The Casio EX-F1 gives you everything you need in one compact camera. Just a warning if you are going to use the 12x zoom, you may want to make sure you have a tripod. Although the Casion EX-F1 has some image stabilization, it is very difficult to keep a steady hand at 12x zoom. The HD video looked awesome and together with the Pinnacle Studio Pro editing software I was able to make a great DVD that stood up to my 60 inch HDTV. For all the technical specs visit Casio on-line at www.casio.com/products/Cameras/.