Cure the Charger Tangle

Living the techno-life surrounds us with a tangle of wires for all our devices that need charging -- individual AC adapters for charging our cell phones, iPods, Bluetooth headsets, MP3 players and other devices. And multiple AC outlets for plugging in those adapters.

We’re using a simple solution: the Chargepod (www.callpod.com, $49.95), a hockey puck-size gadget that’s only 5/8 inches thick and sports six charging ports, all powered by just one AC adapter. Each port can charge any one of more than 3,000 different electronic devices by using a short (three-inch) type-specific adapter cord. The Chargepod came bundled with three adapter cords, one each for the most common electronics, and a certificate for one more free adapter cord of your choice. Additional adapter cords are $9.95.

The Chargepod also comes with a handy nylon zipper storage case, handy for travel and an optional car adapter is available.

Electronic Dictionaries

Electronic dictionaries are a terrific way to look up words--and much more--when you’re away from your computer/phone/PDA. These digital pocket-size devices also usually have other info, such as a thesaurus, translator, vocabulary list, games, and the like.

  

We’re using the Franklin Miriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus (www.franklin.com), as a fun and easy reference source while reading by the fire, in the hammock and the like--you know, those analog times that we need regularly. Now when we run across a word we don’t know, we can  look it up on the spot, quick and easy--without trying to remember it for checking later.

Sharp also has a similar device, but we like the extra the options in the Franklin model we have. We check the biography and geography entries often and play the games while waiting in line. The five-language translation dictionary is very handy for our needs, but we think a bunch of people would like to have one of the four Spanish-English models available. Prices range from $20  to $80 for Franklin or Sharp devices. Both have many models, each with a variety of options, and are great gifts.

Thumb Drives, aka USB flash drives

Don’t you just love thumb drives? Also called USB flash drives, they’re small, portable, and now hold lots of data.  Some of them  come in cute cases, such as tiny teddy bears or Star War statues. Great for gifts. Norma has her eye on one adorned with Swarovski crystals  (Amazon.com) and loves the ultra small “Tuff ‘n tiny” model from Verbatim; Tony likes the high capacity 256GB one from Kingston. 

OK, they’re easy to lose if you’re not careful, but you can make them easy to find or carry along by attaching them to a cord, string or something more creative (think key ring, leather strips, and the like). Some thumb drives can be password protected or even encrypted or have options to password protect individual files to limit access “for your eyes only.” Victorinex and others have ones that use fingerprint protection (why don’t they all make it this easy?).

Those CDs, DVDs and the like take up too much space and too often end up in landfills. Our files are now backed up on thumb drives--and they all fit into a box in our desk or in our media safe. Convenient, save lots of space, AND reusable too.

Digital Photo Frames

Welcome to our blog. We write about how technology can make life easier and more fun, and for the last 14 years we’ve shared our views via a column in print and on our web site. We’re both techno people who like learning about technology and trying out new gadgets and devices, so please join us as we share our views with you.

Digital photos frames are one of our favorite devices and a great way to enjoy photos - sort of like seeing a slide show, on your desktop or anywhere we put the frame. We love that the colors are brighter in these photos - much brighter than most prints - and these brilliant colors make them even more fun to watch.

We have two photo frames running all the time: one from ViewSonic, filled with photos from a recent trips; another from eStarling showing recent celebrations with family and friends. Some frames let you add video and audio too, but we like watching just photos and reliving all those happy memories.

And - these frames make great gifts, especially when you load them with photos for the person receiving the gift.

We put our photos on a memory chip to use in our frames, but there are lots of other choices, depending on your frame:  internal memory, thumb drives, USB cable, wireless PC connection or wireless Internet connections via Picasa, Kodak Gallery, eStarling, and others (and these Internet ones let you share your photos anywhere in the world).

How are you using technology to bring more fun into your life? We’d love to hear from you.