Gotta Have Gadget

If you are traveling and need to take some beverages with you, Burton makes the perfect cooler!  The Burton Lil Buddy Cooler Bag can hold a 12-pack of your favorite beverage and has built-in speakers to connect to your MP3 player.  No need to pack a separate bottle opener, as Burton has incorporated the bottle opener into the zipper.  Read the rest of this entry »

Philips makes some great gifts that are perfect for the holiday season.  In keeping with the iPod touch/iPhone theme earlier, the Philips DC315 docking system would be a great gift for the business executive on your holiday list.  What is cool about this system is you can dock your iPod touch or iPhone, connect the system to your PC via a USB cable and synchronize your contacts, to-do list and calendar.  All that with the ability to accept calls via your Bluetooth connection and an audio system that sounds great, all while charging your iPod touch or iPhone.  Read the rest of this entry »

Since I have recommended a lot of electronics, this next item fits perfectly!  If your kitchen counter looks anything like mine, you have cell phones, Blackberry, iPods and other items being charged and wires sticking up everywhere.  The Powermat allows you to charge multiple devices on one Powermat.  Once connected, simply place your device on the Powermat and you will have a full charge in no time.  The Powermat also works with various devices such as cell phones, GPS systems, Bluetooth headsets and more.  Simply visit www.powermat.com, type in what you need to charge, and the site will tell you exactly what you need to be up and running.  So for a gadget guy like me, the Powermat not only helps to organize the counter top, but has everything I need in one central location so when I leave the house I have all my gadgets fully charged and ready to go!

With the holidays approaching quickly, its time to start looking around for those cool little gadgets that will make a great present or perhaps a stocking stuffer.  The iBlink headphones would make a great stocking stuffer this year.  As soon as the iBlink headphones showed up at the house, my 12 year old daughter confiscated the package and instantly hooked these up to her iPod.  What makes the iBlink headphones different is you get to see the beat of the music.  The iBlink headphones, light up and pulse to the beat.  The fact that the iBlink headphones has noise isolation is a good and bad thing.  Of course its good because you can hear the sound better, however it turns into a bad thing quickly when people who cannot sing dont realize how loud they are singing!  The iBlink headphones have an MSRP of $29.99 which makes these a great option to replace the standard headphones that come with many MP3 players.  The iBlink headphones has the sound of headphones you would receive from headphones in that price range.  If you are looking for true high fidelity sound, you will end up paying the price, but the iBlink headphones are perfect for my daughter and I believe would be perfect for yours.  Check them out on-line at www.myiblinkusa.com!

If you hate clutter, I have the perfect gadget for you!  Is called the E-ZCHARGE Docking Station.  This is a very simple concept that organizes all the wires and chargers that you have to keep things neat and clean.  Simply wrap your charging cord around the E-ZCHARGE and place your cell phone or mp3 player or Bluetooth earbud on top and there are no more wires all over your counter, Read the rest of this entry »

Available in 4, 8, 16, 80 and 120 gig versions there is one for every style of mom.  Imagine mom showing all those cute pictures of you growing up to all her friends, or listening to some of her favorite music while gardening.  One thing I really like about the Zune is the built in FM tuner.  Mom can listen to her favorite football game or NASCAR race if she is out and about working in the yard.  She can also download her favorite television shows or movies to watch whenever she wants.  The Zune software is built in making it extremely easy to load, and with built in wireless sync you can load using your home network with no cables.  The screen is easy to read with a simple navigation screen to go from music, to videos, to pictures or the FM tuner.  For a cost mom can download audiobooks from audible.com or other on-line libraries. Also, for $14.99 per month, she can subscribe to Zune Pass where she can access unlimited music downloads.  With different styles there is a Microsoft Zune for every mom.  Check out all the information about Microsoft Zune at www.Zune.net.

If you ever want to slip away in your own little world, I highly recommend the Creative Aurvana X-Fi noise canceling headphones. These may not be my wifes favorite as a few times when the kids were running wild; I was testing the noise cancellation feature and didnt hear her calling. The sound coming from these headphones is truly amazing. I wear the Aurvana X-Fi headphones with my eyes closed and it feels like I am in my own tiny universe. Three different settings allow you to pick the best sound for your listening style. The settings are noise canceling, X-Fi CMSS-3D® and X-Fi Crystalizer®. Noise canceling is just as it states, eliminating 90% of background noises. X-Fi CMSS-3D® gives you virtual surround sound while watching a movie from your MP3 player. X-Fi Crystalizer® enhances digital music giving you details you may never hear from your standard audio headphones. Probably the best feature of the Creative Aurvana X-Fi noise canceling headphones is the price. With an MSRP of $299.99 these headphones cost far less than their competition and sound far better. For all the features, benefits and technical specifications visit us.creative.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.

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

If you have any kind of iPod I have the perfect speaker system, the Samson StudioDock 3i Active USB Monitors. Actually this system is not just for iPods, with the USB connection, they offer pure digital audio. I personally like the integrated iPod dock. It allows me to go over, dock my iPod and get great audio sound without trying to configure a complex stereo system. Just plug in your iPod, select your playlist and enjoy! The cool thing is the iPod dock also charges your iPod while playing your music. Now if you want more control of your music, connect the StudioDock 3i via your USB port and you can record, mix and sync your audio like a pro. I will have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the audio from these little speakers. They also held up to the 14-year old test, which of course means play something I would never listen too in my life as loud as possible. After the third time of yelling, turn it down I said to myself, although the music is bad, the sound quality is great! If you are looking for the technical specs, visit them online at www.samsontech.com.

This Gotta Have Gadget is for you tool guys. I will honestly tell you my brother John Conrad would laugh his ass off every time he came to my house and I pulled out my little red toolbox. Well I have the last laugh now! The new Kobalt 53 Stainless Steel Tool Chest will be the envy of the neighborhood. It will take me 10 years to fill up the 16 heavy-duty drawers, and with the 1,000lbs casters and 4,000lbs weight capacity I will have plenty of shopping to do at Lowes. Im willing to bet my credit limit will run out before I fill this tool chest and test the weight limits! Not only will the Kobalt tool chest save me time running back and forth to get more tools, but when its break time I just reach to the bottom left door, open the built in 1.6 cubic foot refrigerator and pop open a cold one. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year at the Conrad house, there is always a little payback come Christmas time. For example giving a niece or nephew a set of drums, or some toy that makes noises that will keep you up until the day the batteries die. If you want to be the cool aunt or uncles, the gift that will surely have parents screaming, “turn that down” would be the combination of the Creative Zen X-Fi with wireless LAN and the Creative GigaWorks T40 full range speaker system. The X-Fi MP3 player is far more than just an MP3 player. You can stream pictures and music utilizing the wireless LAN from your home network. X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio Technology restores the quality of compressed music giving you true sound from your MP3 files. The GigaWorks T40 desktop speakers connects to your PC or MP3 player giving you rich quality sound your pc speakers or headphones can’t deliver. These are the perfect speakers to have on your desk allowing you to listen to music while you work or play. I am consistently impressed with the products Creative has to offer. For those last minute gifts that are sure to make a big impact visit http://us.creative.com