Thanks for watching!

Neal

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

qTweeter gives you a way to quickly and easily tweet while in the middle of another task, like reading mail or browsing Safari, without ever leaving that application.

Google Reader Play is a visual look at favorite websites and links in a slideshow format.

The Playstation Move Motion Controller is very precise and has very little latency.

PrimeSense creates a 3D grid for a computer to recognize gesture controls.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The Case-mate Hug is a wireless induction charging system for $100.

Best Buy will begin selling Panasonic 3DTVs in 300 locations for about $2500.

Amazon looks to be hiring someone to possibly work on a new Web browser for the Kindle.

Black Swan is a Web app, or Weblication, for Google Voice that looks and works like a native application.

We have new video of the HP Slate, in which we see more of the UI. You can see the entire video at geekbrief.tv/hpslate.

Microflown is working on some cool new military technology that determines the types of weapons being used and where they’re coming from.

This episode was brought to you by SquareSpace.com. You can use my promo code GEEK to save 12% when you sign up for an easy to build, easy to maintain website.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

One of my favorite companies, Pandora is thriving lately. They’ve gone from the founder driving around the country spreading the word about the service, to 48 million users and an expected $100 million in revenue this year.

The Joey Roth Ceramic Speakers are cool looking speakers made of porcelain and baltic birch plywood, cork, aluminum and cast iron.

I talked about the Martin Jetpack on Brief 692, and now I have an update for you. They’re going to be making 500 units available for sale for $75,000 each.

Codeorgan.com turns your website’s code into a song, using the most commonly used note to formulate a unique song. Watch the video to hear GeekBrief.TV’s song.

You can use promo code GEEK to save 25% on a membership at and the membership pays for itself when you hire trusted contractors, housekeepers, and painters in your community. Vendors often offer coupons to Angie’s List members!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

I’ve always said I don’t want my Gmail and my social networks to collide, but with the release of a browser plugin called Rapportive I change my mind! Rapportive replaces the ads on the right side of your email with information about the person you’re talking with.

USmart claims to have the world’s smallest computer with a 4.8″ screen, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage.

Panasonic announced another round of Micro Four Thirds cameras. The DMC-G10 and DMC-G2 both shoot 720p video and have a 12.1 megapixel Live MOS sensor.

The University of Tokyo’s JSK Robotic Laboratory has been building Kojiro, a humanoid robot that’s made up of artificial bones, muscles and tendons. It has a human like spine structure, and motors move cables in a way that mimics human movements.

The guys at eyotaambulance.org used my coupon code GEEK at SquareSpace.com to build an easy to maintain website. Make sure you tweet me @calilewis when you use the code, and let me know what site you built!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

UPDATE: We replaced the original posted video with a higher resolution version.

New Potato Technologies has an IR remote for iPhones called FLPR. It has access to 14,000 codes.

ASUS’ new RT-N56U is a super thin router with a modern design.

Kingston is working on RAM that address the issue of RAM that consumes lots of power and generates lots of heat with the LoVo HyperX DDR3 High-Performance memory line.

RealNetworks settled the dispute with Hollywood, agreeing to not sell RealDVD and pay $4.5 million in legal fees. It’s a sad day.

Belkin’s newest USB hub is designed to fit in a 3″ hole in your desk. Clever!

Thanks to LayeredTech.com for helping us out with some bandwidth issues lately. If you need hosting for your website, definitely check them out!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

TiVo announced their Series4 DVRs, which include a Flash-based HD interface, and the Premiere XL has THX. All of our TiVo and AppleTV issues should now be fixed. Please let me know if they’re not for you. Thanks for hanging in there!!

The HP EliteBook 2740P is a convertible tablet notebook with a 12.1″ LED backlit display and 8GB of RAM.

Wordy.com is a service that gives you access to professional copy-editors who will check your writing for grammar, spelling, punctuation and structure problems.

After March 9th, The Daily Show and Colbert Report will no longer be available on Hulu.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media | Nokia N95 (Upload in progress) | Nokia N800/N810 (Upload in progress)

iLuv has an alarm clock dock with what they call a bed vibrator. Put it under your pillow and wake up differently.

CondeNast is working hard to make their magazines available on the iPad. We’re going to be talking a lot more about the magazine and newspaper business in coming days, but until then, I want to hear from you. Do you read newspapers or magazines in paper form? Will you switch to digital versions? Even more important, will you view the sites on the mobile browser or will you pay for the content? Leave a comment below!

Infinitec announced a date for the >IUM (Infinite USB Memory Drive)

We could be seeing the MorphPad in devices sometime soon. It’s meant to be a touchpad slash keypad slash MP3 controller slash video game controller.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The iLet Mini HAL looks like it’ll be an interesting tablet device, but tell me…because of the iPad, do you care? Leave a comment below!

Power A has an iPhone case that adds remote IR control so you can use your phone to control devices around the house.

Shuttle announced their Barebone XS35 mini PC meant to be mounted behind an HDTV. A major plus is the lack of a fan so you know it’ll be quiet!

QSpeakers.com were developed in collaboration with the sound engineer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Levine, and they have an energy efficient Hypex Class D amplifier.

The guys over at eyotaambulance.com used my promo code GEEK to save 25% when signing up at SquareSpace.comto create a website that’s easy to build and easy to maintain. It’s all drag and drop! You don’t need to know ANY programming code.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Today, I take a closer look at Bing and why you’d want to use it. For a more detailed look and to see the video where Bing answers your Twitter questions, read my post on CaliLewis.me.

A video about PR relationships posted on TechCrunch made me laugh, and since it’s one of the things you have to deal with if you’re interested in doing something similar as what I do on GeekBrief.TV, I wanted to share it with you! UPDATE: Thanks to Steve O’Hear for creating this video!

Brief 714 was brought to you by ACLens.com, where you can save 70% on contact lenses and glasses, and on top of that, you can save an additional 10% by using my coupon code. Just enter GBTV in the Special Instructions box, and you’re all set!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The HTC Legend has always looked promising, and it’s looking even better now with the removable battery.

Nokia is working on a new wireless file transfer technology that’s extremely fast.

LG has a 13.3″ Capacitive In-Cell Multi-Touch LCD Panel for notebook PCs running Windows 7. They promise no compromise on the display’s image because of the technology.

The Habey BIS-6620 is a tiny little PC that’s powerful enough to play hardware-accelerated 1080p video.

The MSI All-in-One PC adds 3D to the mix, using 3D shutter glasses, an Intel Core i7 processor and 10 watt speakers.

Barclay Brown used my promo code GEEK at SquareSpace.com to easily build a website for his podcast at JobStalker.com. Let me know if you use it too at Twitter.com/calilewis or Facebook.com/calilewisfans.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media | Nokia N95 (Upload in progress) | Nokia N800/N810 (Upload in progress)

Pixel’s LV-W1 Wireless Live View Remote Control allows you to control your DSLR camera remotely by working with a 3″ display.

Walmart bought Vudu, making the possibility of Internet enabled TVs more widespread.

Mark the Spot is an iPhone app from AT&T that lets you report dropped calls and failed attempts directly to AT&T. I’ve been using it a lot!

Typefaceis a concept that creates a custom typeface from your facial expressions.

I’d like to welcome a new sponsor on board today – ACLens.com. It may not be outright geeky, but how many of us geeks have terrible eyesight? Definitely me! They’re giving you guys 10% off your order at ACLens.com, where they already sell contact lenses and glasses for up to 70% off. All you need to know is my code GBTV at www.aclens.com.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Patrick Flanagan hacked the Wiimote to control Jazari, a robotic drumming system.

The Sigma DP2s compact digital camera has a 14 megapixel FOVEON X3 direct image CMOS sensor and lots more, but only shoots 320×240 video.

Samsung’s new line of HD Pocket Camcorders include the HMX-U15 and the HMX-U20. They have a similar option to the Sigma DP2 called the TL500. It’s supposed to have one of the brightest lenses on a compact camera.

The Smart Car has a package with an iPhone app, a cradle and navigation upgrade. The app’s interface gives drivers quick acces to media, phone, maps and GPS functionality, and the app interacts with the car’s audio system to provide information about songs playing on the radio.

The Port Arthur Little Theater used my coupon code GEEK to save 12% when signing up at SquareSpace.com to create PALT.org. You can too, and make sure you tweet me when you do!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Ron Proctor and Amy Jo Proctor created a 3D video system that you can do yourself for only $250.

Google announced an update for Docs. The clipboard will be on the Cloud, so copy and paste will give you more functionality.

The HTC Legend is a unibody Android phone with a couple cool features like the ringer sensor and ability to silence your phone just by flipping it over.

Square is an attachement for your iPhone allowing your to swipe credit cards and process them over the Internet.

Panelfly gives you access to a library of digital comics on the iPhone and iPad and it’s growing every day.

You can find more about where I am and what I’m up to at Facebook.com/CaliLewisFans.

Angie’sList.com/Geek will save you 25% on a membership, and with that membership, you can save money on an ongoing basis by hiring trusted people to work on your house, and getting a good deal.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

We finally have video and pictures of Windows Phone 7, and it’s certainly interesting!

Buffalo announced the first USB 3.0 4-port hub.

A couple robots came out of the Toy Fair. The Quasi robot is wirelessly controlled from a Tablet PC and Interbot is looking to be able to offer it for sale this year. The Aikon 2 robot draws people’s faces.

Square Space gives you the tools you need to easily build a website without having to know how to code or load in plugins. It’s drag and drop. Chris used my discount code GEEK at SquareSpace.com to build 4paws4ryan.org and save 12% doing it. You can too, and send me the address when you do!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

A school district in Vail, Arizona decided to test what would happen if they put WiFi in a schoolbus that has a 140-mile round trip. The results? The students are quieter and more productive.

Savant President, Jim Carroll says the iPad will change the business model for home automation.

The SublimeVideo HTML5 Video Player is a great looking HTML5 video player that is being demo’d at www.geekbrief.tv/sublime

I know a LOT of you watch on your TiVo box, and many of you are experiencing issues with the aspect ratio, where the sides of the video are cut out. Unfortunately, the problem seems to be completely random so far, so I need your help! If you’re experiencing this, please leave a comment below telling me what you’re seeing, and most importantly the specific TiVo box you have – HD, Series 3, and any other information you think I need to know.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

PaperShow combines a special pen and special paper with a computer screen. What you write on the paper appears on the screen and then what you write on the screen can be printed out on more paper.

SkyFi is a Wireless Telescope Controller that when combined with the SkyVoyager iPhone app, will give astronomy geeks the ability to control a GoTo telescope from an iPhone.

The U-Socket AC/USB power outlet from Fastmac picked up a Best of Show prize. We’ve already talked about the outlets on the Brief. They’re still waiting on UL approval, but are available for pre-order.

The Autopark iPhone App helps you with all aspects of parking, from finding your car, to reminding you that your meter is about to expire.

Microvision announced the ShowWX Laser Pico Projector. It’s always in focus, no matter how close or far from the surface it’s projecting on.

Kanex has an HDMI to Mini DisplayPort adapter that lets you connect HD sources.

Smoothbassman Productions used my discount code, GEEK, to save 12% at SquareSpace.com

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Google’s testing what happens when a community gets 1Gbps speeds.

The Spy Video TRAKR encourages kids to create and share new routines for the spy toy.

Lian Li built a chassis meant for benchmarking but created an awesome video. You can see the whole video at geekbrief.tv/pitstopspider.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The Tunebug Vibe plugs into a portable device and turns any flat surface into a speaker.

Netgear’s MBRN 3300E 3G Wireless Router is like a home router, with ethernet ports and WiFi and can deliver up to 270 Mbps.

The HTML5 Sketchpad gives you a look at what could come to our browsers soon.

The LG GD880 is 16:9 with a 5 megapixel camera and face detection.

Panasonic announced pricing on their Viera 3D plasma HDTVs.

The British Library is working to make books from its collection available for Kindles in the original typeface with illustrations.

Frank used coupon code GEEK at SquareSpace.com to save money on his subscription, and he got a frankweidner.squarespace.comgreat looking website that was easy to build. Take a look at his photographs – some good ones in there! Let me know if you use the GEEK code – twitter.com/calilewis or facebook.com/calilewisfans.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Canon’s new Rebel T2i is a bridge between entry level and prosumer cameras.

The Qisda QCM-330 has the highest resolution of any other mobile phone, at 1280×1024, but it only has a 3 megapixel camera.

If no one buys the iPad, Apple says they’re going to be willing to be flexible with the price.

ZoomItis an SD card reader for your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

The Locus OS borrows from the Zune user interface to reveal one way we might interact with a device of the future. What do you think? Tweet me @CaliLewis or let me know on Facebook.com/calilewisfans.

Angie’s List gives you peace of mind by letting you tap into the community’s experience when you’re ready to hire a contractor and my coupon code GEEK will save you 25% on a membership.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

AT&T announced that the Sling Player iPhone app will finally be allowed to stream over their 3G network. Previously it was only allowed to work over WiFi.

The Nexus One received an update that includes multitouch for Maps, browser and the gallery. The Droid now has multitouch in maps.

It looks like the price of best selling eBooks are indeed rising to the $12.99-$14.99 price range. Three of the major publishers have moved in that direction.

Dave Britt and Justin Goeres made a robotic Twitter-powered popcorn machine. You can see the video at CaliLewis.me/popcorn.

Jack Irby used my coupon code GEEK at SquareSpace.com to build himself an great looking website, wiredtowine.com. When you do it too, you can save yourself 12%, and when you do, be sure to let me know about it!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Lots of camera news today!!!

The Olympus E-PL1 is a Micro Four Thirds camera that improves on the first two generations of PEN cameras and has a lower price.

Nikon has several releases. The COOLPIX L21 and L22 are point and shoots with electronic vibration reduction.

The COOLPIX S3000 and S4000 are also point and shoots, but have touch screens.

You get great macro shots and a built in HDR option with the COOLPIX P100.

HP upgraded the TouchSmart 600 all in one desktop PC.

I’m excited to see the Motorola DEVOUR come out. It looks like a great design and includes MOTOBLUR, Motorola’s Android-powered content delivery service.

Head on over to www.calilewis.me and check out today’s post for my current favorite iPhone app.

You can save money when using SquareSpace to design your website. Promo code GEEK will save you 12% and gives you tools that help you put the site together quickly and easily.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media | Nokia N95 (Upload in progress) | Nokia N800/N810 (Upload in progress)

The newest JVC Everio GZ-HM340 camcorder introduces an advanced image stabilization feature that helps to overcome shaky video while walking.

Displax turns any surface into a multitouch input device using a polymer film.

We got to spend the whole month of December trying a pair of Thiel SCS4 Coherent Source Loudspeakers with a Bryston 100SST Integrated Amp and a Bryston BCD-1 CD player. I’ve always said I’m not an audiophile, and I can’t really tell the difference between good speakers and okay speakers. Now I do.

Today’s Brief was brought to you by SquareSpace.com. SquareSpace gives you the tools you need to put together a great looking website without the hassle of having to know and work with code. All you need to know is this…head on over to SquareSpace.com and use discount code GEEK to save 12%. Once you’re done with that, send me a note with the link to your newly developed website. Facebook.com/calilewisfans or Twitter.com/calilewis.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media | Nokia N95 (Upload in progress) | Nokia N800/N810 (Upload in progress)

Wacom’s new Intuos4 bluetooth wireless tablet has a range of 33 feet and sells for $400.

Fusion Garage, maker of the JooJoo filed a motion to dismiss Mike Arrington’s lawsuit.

The Omega GM-1 drumkit increases accuracy for game play.

The Sony Bravia NX800 HDTV is a beautiful piece of design with a 1080p backlit LCD, Motionflow 240Hz, WiFi and supports Internet video.

I recently reached the limit on my personal Facebook page, so I was forced to finally setup and begin using the Fan Page feature. I’d love to hang out with you guys on Facebook – facebook.com/calilewisfans will get you there!

Brief 700 was brought to you by Angie’s List. You can save 25% on a subscription by using promo code GEEK, and you get confidence that you’re hiring the best service providers in your area.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Amazon and publisher Macmillan got into a disagreement over what eBooks should cost you. The argument resulted in all Macmillan books being taken off the Amazon store, then put back at a higher price. Will you pay $15 for a digital book? Leave a comment below!

If you have enough gadgets to fill this 80 port USB hub, I have to know who you are and what those gadgets are!

Apple is allowing VoIP calls over 3G. One of the apps allowed is Fring.

JVC’s DLA-SH7NL projector has a resolution of 4096×2400 and supports 2 or 4 displays at full HD resolution.

Alexander Kendrick is 16 and set a record for the deepest digital communication in the US with his collapsible antenna that allows SMS from 946 feet underground.

If you want to find out about things like the Macworld contest where Data Robotics is giving away two Drobos (I’m judging), or if you just want to see what crazy bacon recipes I’ve discovered, you can get all that and more tech goodness on my blog at www.calilewis.me.

Kristian Mathiesen used my discount code GEEK at SquareSpace.com to easily and quickly build kristianmathiesen.com for a 12% discount. When you use any of our sponsors’ promo codes, be sure to let me know by email or tweet me a link @calilewis.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media | Nokia N95 (Upload in progress) | Nokia N800/N810 (Upload in progress)

The Clamshell Projector has one of the best press releases ever. Thanks @DavePeterson!

Apple is releasing a couple iPad accessories, one of which is a keyboard dock connector. One has a camera connection kit that makes it possible to connect a camera via USB and read SD cards.

The FVTouchCam N1 captures and sends 720p video and has an H.264 encoder built in.

Ford had its first profitable year since 2005.

SquareSpace allows you to easily build a great looking website, and you can use coupon code GEEK to save 12% on your website. Thank for watching.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Google has found a way to get Google Voice back on our iPhones using HTML5.

Comcast wants to be one of the first ones to offer 3DTV channels with 3D specific programming.

Leica announced the M9, which is claimed to be the world’s smallest full frame digital camera.

The advertising industry is starting to roll out a privacy icon so you know exactly when you’re being served targeted ads. Leave a comment below with your thoughts or @reply me on Twitter!

Puppy Tweets will translate what your dog barks and post to their own Twitter account.

Angie’s List is a time saver and a stress saver by giving you access to recommended vendors when you need something done around your house or office. Coupon code GEEK will give you a 25% discount.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Today, Steve Jobs took the stage to satisfy the cravings of thousands of geeks. We’ve been hearing rumors about the Apple Tablet for well over a year now, and the past month has been sheer torture with all the speculation surrounding this unicorn of a device! It’s called the iPad . I’ll get to the price in a couple minutes, but first let’s take a look at what it does.

Steve talked about having a spot to fill between the iPhone and a laptop. There’s a gap there that netbooks have tried to fill, but they haven’t been so successful at filling the need. I’d agree with Steve on that with the exception of the Nokia Booklet 3G. There is a need for a portable device that’s larger and does more than the iPhone but isn’t as heavy or cumbersome as a laptop. That was Apple’s goal with the iPad. They wanted it to be better, more intuitive at browsing the web than a laptop is. They wanted people to be able to share and browse photos and videos, listen to music, play games and read eBooks. My initial opinion? They mostly succeeded, with a couple exceptions.

The device is very thin at 1/2 an inch, and it weighs 1.5 pounds. No netbook that I’m aware of matches these specs. The screen is 9.7 inches, which I’m thrilled about. I really didn’t want an 11 incher. They’re using a custom silicon chip called the A4 and Steve says “it screams”. It has 802.11n, WiFi and Bluetooth. The battery life is 10 hours. That’s much better than the iPhone and better than most netbooks. Of course, it has an accelerometer, a compass, a built in speaker, a mic and a dock connector. There are a couple accessories. One of them is a black case that doubles as a stand. The other is a dock with keyboard. I love that they did this. I don’t mind a virtual keyboard one bit but it certainly is nice to use a real keyboard from time to time.

Outside of the expected apps on the iPad like Calendar, iTunes, Mail and Google Maps, there will also be three things to look forward to – iWork, iBooks and 3rd Party Apps. Apple has spent the last year rebuilding iWork to play nicely with the iPad. Keynote, Numbers and Pages are all available in a format that looks very pleasant to use. You can even hook up a projector to display your Keynote Presentation. Each iWork app will be available for $9.99.

iBooks is their eBook reader application. The browsing and purchasing process is very visual – it looks like a bookshelf so you can not only see book titles but also the covers. You’ll of course be able to download books directly from the iPad. Apple teamed up with Penguin, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachett Book Group to provide a full library of books. Not only best sellers and classics, but also textbooks.

You’ll have access to the same 3rd party apps from the App Store without the developers having to make any modifications. Devs can modify their apps with the new SDK, but they don’t have to. When you’re viewing an app, tap a button to scale it to full screen. I expect this will be tied to your iTunes account, so whatever you have on your iPhone, you should be able to get on your iPad.

There are two major things the iPad lacks. There is no camera. At all. So no iChat or video conferencing with this device, which is going to be a huge disappointment for a lot of people. The other thing is multitasking. Unfortunately I think this might be a deal breaker for me. For the iPad to truly be in the middle…in between the iPhone and a laptop, it really should have the ability to run a couple applications at once. The main reason Apple doesn’t do this is because running multiple apps makes it possible for the device to crash from time to time. But, it’s more of a hinderance on the educated consumer to not be able to do what we need to do than to have to deal with a crash from time to time.

Let’s get down to business. I know you want to know one thing and only one thing. What are they charging?? There are three base models. The 16GB model is $499, the 32 gig is $599 and the 64GB version is $699. These are WiFi devices only, and if you want 3G capability, add $130 to any of those base prices. We all thought Verizon would be taking claim to the 3G contracts, but as it turns out, there will be no contract with AT&T. It’s prepaid and you can cancel at any time. The 250MB plan is $14.99/month. Unlimited access is $29.99/month. This is half the price of any other data plan you can get on any of the networks. We can expect the WiFi models to start shipping in 60 days, and the 3G versions in 90 days. International plans will be coming in June.

The prices are better than we expected, but it’s lacking some functionality. Will you be buying one? Leave a comment or tweet me . This episode was brought to you by Angie’sList.com where you can use discount code GEEK to save 25% off your subscription. Angie’s List will help you find respected contractors, housekeepers, plumbers and more. I’m Cali Lewis. Thanks for watching!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

AudioTechnica has a new headphone amp with a built-in iPod doc called the AT-HA35i.

The Belkin TuneCast Auto Live FM Transmitter uses location information provided by the iPhone to determine FM settings likely to provide the best transmission experience.

I’d be interested to try the Oppo BDP-80 Blu-ray player. Oppo has really well reviewed players.

A lot of you have followed our quest to find the right compression software for producing the four formats of GeekBrief.TV. Sorenson Squeeze is our choice. It does a really nice job!!

T-Mobile and doubleTwist have teamed up to take iTunes head on.

Join me live for the Apple announcement Wednesday at 10:00 AM Pacific at www.calilive.tv.

Miz Calamity used my SquareSpace coupon code GEEK to save 12% when signing up to get an easy to build, easy to maintain website, HeyCalamity.com. You can too, and when you do, make sure you tweet me a link @calilewis!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media | Nokia N95 (Upload in progress) | Nokia N800/N810 (Upload in progress)

Savant and one of my favorite designers, Thom Filicia teamed up to create an amazing showroom in New York. The HVAC system, security system, computer network, lighting and entertainment system are all connected. Everything can be controlled from various touch screen controllers installed around the house. There are controllers in the walls, controllers accessible from any TV or projector in the apartment, and like we talked about on the Brief before, there’s an iPhone app that makes it possible to control everything with an iPhone or iPod Touch.

From anywhere in the apartment, you can pull up content from connected iPods, Apple TVs, cable boxes, blu-ray players, and DirecTV. Even the grand piano is connected. You can be in bed and send a command to the Piano to play a song for you. You can be in the home theater and play a movie stored on an iPod docked in the bedroom.

Thanks to Tom Filicia for taking the time to do this interview, and to Savant for showing us around!

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media | Nokia N95 (Upload in progress) | Nokia N800/N810 (Upload in progress)

We’ve heard it before, but we’re getting more concrete information that the Apple Tablet will be subsidized by Verizon. It may also have face recognition with the ability to share the device between all of the family members.

Amazon released a Kindle Dev Kit that’ll allow developers to create apps for the Kindle. They also are giving certain users the chance to buy a Kindle at no risk. If you don’t like it, get your money back and keep the device.

The Saygus Vphone specializes in video calls on low bandwidth. You can talk for over 160 hours on a 5GB monthly limit.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

NASA is offering free space shuttle engines. Just like an infomercial, all you have to do is pay the cost of shipping.

Apple released support for Windows 7 on BootCamp. Finally.

Silicon Power announced a 128GB 400X Compact Flash card with write speeds of 90 MB/s. It’s ideal for pro shooters using their DSLRs to capture HD video.

Qik released an update for their 2G and 3G iPhone App that includes real time effects and landscape mode shooting.

The company behind the Martin Jet Pack aims to make this the world’s easiest flying aircraft.

Bill Gates joined Twitter. You can follow him at www.twitter.com/billgates. Twitter will be opening up inactive Twitter accounts, so if you’re not happy with your username, you might get the chance to grab one you do like.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Apple finally confirmed their January 27th event, where they’re expected to announce the Apple Tablet. I’ll be live on Ustream at calilive.tv at 10:00 AM Pacific during the event.

The AirStash is a new kind of solution for dealing with all your files. It’s a USB drive with tricks up it’s sleeve.

Asus announced the DR750 eBook reader. It’s full color and plays flash video.

The Kodak Slice Touchscreen camera shoots 720p HD video at 30 frames per second, and has optical image stabilization and face recognition.

Mahru-Z is a robot with a 3D sensor and six fingers. It moves really slow right now, but the makers believe that as it develops, it’ll be very useful.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The Airnergy WiFi Power Harvester harvests energy from WiFi to charge a battery.

The Blue Mikey has been updated with custom capsules for bootlegging loud concerts. It has a line-in jack and USB.

The ASUS NX90Jq notebook has Bang & Olufsen speakers on the sides.

Eye-Fi has a new SD card with 802.11n, as well as Endless Memory.

Microsoft showed off their Arc keyboard with a great design.

Samsung’s WiFi Video Remote lets you control your TV, of course, but also allows you to watch TV on your remote.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The ION iType iPhone Keyboard allows you to type on a full sized keyboard and that text will go into the ION app.

There was a lot of HDTV news from CES:
Haier Wireless HDTV
Panasonic UHDTV
LG UHDTV
Vizio Ultra-wide HDTV

Skype announced Skype HD and a partnership with Panasonic and LG to bring Skype HD to your TV.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

A look at the eReaders from CES:

Samsung E6 and E101 eBook Reader

Plastic Logic Que

enTourage eDGe

Mirasol Semi-Color Motion Reader Display

Skiff Publishing Platform and eReader

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

I saw Avatar on Friday to prepare for this episode. James Cameron says 3D is the future of filmmaking. Do you agree?

Samsung showed off a transparent OLED display at CES.

3D glasses could become more stylish with these Gunnar Optiks.

The consensus seems to be that the best looking 3D HDTV at CES was the Panasonic VT 25 Series.

Mark Wilson has a great article on CES 3D tech.

Panasonic showed off the first Solid-State HD 3D Camcorder. I want it! :)

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Thanks to the team at Butterscotch for the video, hosted by Andy Walker!

Thanks to the team at Butterscotch for the video, hosted by Sean Carruthers!

Last night, Microsoft announced Slate PCs in their otherwise disconnected keynote presentation, and pinpointed the HP Slate. Dell is also coming out with their own version.

The BDP-S770 Blu-ray player from Sony has an iPhone app already to go so you can use your iPhone as a remote.

Sprint announced their 3G/4G Overdrive mobile broadband hub.

The Parrot A.R. Drone is a WiFi enable helicopter that uses an iPhone to control it.

GeekBrief.TV CES coverage is brought to you by Angieslist.com/geek where you can find member recommended service providers from carpenters to doctors to wedding planners. Promo code GEEK saves you 25% when you join and supports the production of The Brief.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Thanks to the team at Butterscotch for the video, hosted by Andy Walker!

Thanks to Engadget for the video!

Sling Media announced a bunch of new products, but they’re all OEM products that you can’t get unless your cable provider makes it available.

The Boxee Box Remote is awesomeness with a keyboard on the back!

We’ll be live tonight with coverage of the Microsoft Keynote at 8:00 PM EST on www.calilive.tv.

CES coverage is brought to you by Angieslist.com/geek where my code GEEK lets you join the list for 25% less.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple will be shipping the Tablet in March.

Google revealed the Nexus One at their press conference today. Watch the video for the specs! You can read Engadget’s hands on review here.

The Light Touch Interactive Projector uses holographic laser projection to give you a full color, 10″ touch screen on a flat surface.

The L5 remote allows you to control anything in the house with an IR receiver from your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Since we can’t make it to CES this year, we’ll go live and stay live to cover the news as it happens. Follow me on Twitter for CES updates.

I’ve been testing the Olympus EP-1. The last test before having to send it back was at the Japanese Garden at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. You can see pictures and video on my blog, www.calilewis.me.

ZOMM hasn’t been released yet, but when it is, it’ll serve as a wireless leash for your phone by beeping at you when you get too far.

The Popbox Media Hub is a box that will send media from your network to your TV for $129.

Tokyo University is showing off technology that brings gesture control to mobile phones and registers gestures for clicking, typing and interacting with photos and video.

If you have home improvement projects in the plans for 2010, Angie’s List is the best way to find help you can trust, and my code GEEK will save you 25% when you join.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Digg This Video!

This is my Top Ten List of favorite gadgets from 2009.

10. Dyson Air Multiplier

9. Olympus E-P1

8. Pogoplug

7. Canon 7D

6. iPhone 3GS (viewer tied for #1)

5. Kindle 2

4. Booklet 3G

3. NeatDesk

2. DroboPro

1. Droid (viewer tied for #1)

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

I’ve been playing with Nokia’s Booklet 3G for the last couple weeks. It’s the only netbook I’ve ever been able to say I love. Check out my review in the video.

I told you about the Tricaster TCXD300 last week, but today I bring you a closer look at what it can do.

Adesso’s WKB-4000BB Bluetooth Keyboard is great for those of you with HTPC. It works with Windows 7, XP and Vista.

We’ll be live at CaliLive.TV next week during CES, starting January 5th. Join us in the chatroom!

Squarespaceis the place to go when you want to build a great looking Web site without spending much money or needing to know how to code and my promo code GEEK will save you 12%.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

DirecTV is launching an HD 3D channel. They’ll be making more details available with their announcement at CES in about a week.

Ford is bringing WiFi and HD radio with iTunes tagging to their cars in 2010. They’re the only car company I’m aware of working hard to make really usable tech available in cars.

The Le Toaster Vision is a clear toaster so you can toast your english muffins exactly the way you want them.

THESE are the robots I want in my army!

Brief 680 was brought to you by Anglieslist.com/geek. Members use the list to find service providers they can trust and my code “GEEK” gets you access to the list at a 25% discount.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

There are lots of rumors about Apple’s unicorn, the Tablet. The Financial Times Tech Blog confirms Apple rented a stage at the Yerba Buena Center for January 26th. Boy Genius has a source that’s telling him there definitely is a 7″ tablet. Apple also has iSlate.com registered. I hope that’s not the name of the final product!

Asus announced a multi-touch netbook called the T101MT . It’s a 10″ convertible tablet.

The Lenovo Multimedia Remote with Keyboard might be something some of you are interested in. It’s a wireless thumboard and trackball, and connects with a USB dongle.

You want to build a Web site. You want it too look good and be simple to maintain. You don’t want to spend a lot of cash. That’s what SquareSpace.com is all about and my promo code geek will save you 12%.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

This is part 2 of my instructions for making homemade marshmallows. You can see Part 1 here.

Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar
3.5 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Oil a 9×13x2 pan, coat with powdered sugar.

Put the cold water in a large bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let it sit to the side while working with the other ingredients.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, hot water and salt in a saucepan. Put it on low heat and let it come to a boil, then pour the mixture over the gelatin and water mixture. Stir to dissolve the gelatin.

Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.

With a mixer, beat until it’s thick and almost tripled in volume. It’ll take 5-10 minutes.

Clean the beaters, then beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.

Beat the egg whites and vanilla into the sugar mixture, only until it’s just combined.

Pour into the pan, sift powdered sugar over the top. Put in the fridge for 3 hours to firm up.

Run a knife or thin spatula around the edges to loosen the marshmallows, then turn it out onto the counter. It may take some loosening from the bottom as well.

Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into cubes (size is your choice). Sift the rest of the powdered sugar into a large bowl, and toss the marshmallows to coat them.

Dig in! They’re great with a cup of hot chocolate. If you have a torch, torch the marshmallow on top of the hot chocoloate (or even coffee). They caramelize instead of burning like store bought marshmallows, and it’s awesome!

*After they’re coated with powdered sugar, I’ve found that it’s best to keep them in the fridge for another few hours, otherwise the moisture tends to come out and the marshmallows don’t look as presentable.

Pictures

You can see full size photos on my SmugMug page

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

This Christmas Eve, we’re doing something a little different. I learned two things this holiday. I found a recipe for making homemade marshmallows, I learned that they’re AMAZING, and that most people didn’t know you can make them from scratch very easily! This is a brief in the kitchen, where I show you how. You’ll need…. (via Central Market)

Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar
3.5 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Oil a 9×13x2 pan, coat with powdered sugar.

Put the cold water in a large bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let it sit to the side while working with the other ingredients.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, hot water and salt in a saucepan. Put it on low heat and let it come to a boil, then pour the mixture over the gelatin and water mixture. Stir to dissolve the gelatin.

Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.

With a mixer, beat until it’s thick and almost tripled in volume. It’ll take 5-10 minutes.

Clean the beaters, then beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.

Beat the egg whites and vanilla into the sugar mixture, only until it’s just combined.

Pour into the pan, sift powdered sugar over the top. Put in the fridge for 3 hours to firm up.

Run a knife or thin spatula around the edges to loosen the marshmallows, then turn it out onto the counter. It may take some loosening from the bottom as well.

Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into cubes (size is your choice). Sift the rest of the powdered sugar into a large bowl, and toss the marshmallows to coat them.

Dig in! They’re great with a cup of hot chocolate. If you have a torch, torch the marshmallow on top of the hot chocoloate (or even coffee). They caramelize instead of burning like store bought marshmallows, and it’s awesome!

*After they’re coated with powdered sugar, I’ve found that it’s best to keep them in the fridge for another few hours, otherwise the moisture tends to come out and the marshmallows don’t look as presentable.

Pictures

You can see full size photos on my SmugMug page

taken by Dave Peterson

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Last night was our 3rd Annual Streaming Holiday Party with Geoff Smith. Philip Nelson from NewTek let us borrow the new HD Tricaster (Tricaster TCXD300). It’s an amazing improvement over the Tricaster Studio, which we use currently.

Jason Chen from Gizmodo got a look at Google’s Nexus One and says if you’re looking for an Android phone, this is the one to want.

Thanks to GadgetyTech.com, I got to play with the Barnes & Noble Nook.

Nicholas Negroponte has a new idea for One Laptop Per Child. It’s to bring to market a $75 waterproof 8.5×11″ touch screen computer.

If you can’t figure out what to get someone for Christmas, how about their own blog. You can create it on SquareSpace , make it look great and it’ll be easy to update. My promocode GEEK will save you 12% at check out.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Cali’s Shirt Courtesy of ConchTees.com

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

What is your favorite gadget of 2009? Leave a comment below or @calilewis on Twitter!

LaCie’s 2Big is a USB 3.0 dual hard disk RAID drive that will be available in capacities up to 4TB.

The Blu-ray Association has finilized their specs for Blu-ray 3D. It’ll deliver 1080p images to each eye, and requires IR emitters and electronic glasses.

Notion Ink will be announcing a multi-touch device that may blow the JooJoo/Crunchpad out of the water. It’ll run Android, play back 1080p video and use the Pixel Qi transflective display. The specs are nice and they’re hoping to bring it to market at around $300. I’m not sure that’s possible, but we’ll see soon at CES!

A producer in Uruguay created a short film called Ataque de Panico on a $300 budget, and now has a deal to produce a full length movie with a $30 million budget.

More than a million members use Angie’s List to find high quality service providers and health care pros in over 450 categories. Promo code: GEEK will give you access at a 25% discount.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The Type N Walk iPhone app is perfect for people like me, who have iPhone Zombieism. It overlays the text you’re typing over the camera so you can see what’s going on in front of you.

The Neato Vacuum competes with the Roomba, and it can map out a room, then determine the best way to clean it.

Belkin’s Bluetooth Music Receiver lets you stream audio from any audio device.

McDonald’s will be offering free WiFi at 11,000 locations in January.

The US District Court issued a permanent injunction making it illegal for Psystar to sell OSX.

If you’d like to use SquareSpace to build a site, my code GEEK, when used at check out will save you 12%.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The Google Phone is finally about to arrive. It’s called the Nexus One and rumor is there will be two versions – an unlocked one and one on the T-Mobile network.

The Philco Predicta inspired PC is something I’d love to own. It’s just a concept, but you can see more at Schultzeworks.com.

Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, chose to move away from Simon & Schuster and give Amazon exclusive eBook publishing rights. He’ll make more in royalties than he would have with Simon & Schuster.

The Piixl EdgeCenter 3770 Media PC is in a super thin chassis and is designed to mount behind a TV hanging on a wall. It’s $4,000.

OneLog.in is a great looking Web 2.0 Web service site built using SquareSpace.com. My promo code GEEK can get you a great looking site at a 12% discount.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

We were invited to the football game at the Cowboy’s Stadium, where HDLogix was premiering their technology that turns a 2D picture into 3D live, in real time. The audience wasn’t exactly thrilled with it, but it was great to see it in action.

Engadget Post About the 3D Premier

Angie’sList.com/geek helps you find service providers you can trust and promo code GEEK saves you 25% when you join.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

I visited Microsoft in October and got to learn more about their Labs project, Photosynth. David Gedye gave us a tutorial and some tips. Give Photosynth a try for yourself at Photosynth.com, and check out the one from the show below.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Aaron Becker, Robert Sandheinrick and Timothy Bretl are working on a project called Automated Manipulation of Spherical Objects in Three Dimensions using a Gimbaled Air Jet. It’s pretty cool to watch in action! The Throwed Rolls restaurant is here .

The Boxee Box is tinier than I imagined. Keep those comments coming!

Simon & Schuster decided they want to follow the film to DVD timeline and delay eBooks by four months after the hardcover is released.

Ustream finally released their Broadcast app for the iPhone, so you can stream live. It’s free.

This Brief was brought to you by AngiesList.com/geek. Since I joined the list, I consult it every time I need to find someone to do work on our house. It’s saved me money and I’ve gotten contractors who have done a great job. Promo code GEEK will let you join the list for 25% less.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Google made a few announcements today. Chrome was released in Beta for Mac and Linux. PC users now have extensions . You can download Chrome here:

Google Chrome for Mac
Google Chrome for Linux
Google Chrome for Windows XP, Vista and 7

Dell’s new notebook, the Vostro V13 Slim starts at $450.

The JVC Everio GZ-HD620 claims to be the smallest HDD camcorder. It should cost around $1000 in Japan on December 9th.

Boxee moved from Alpha to Beta today with a slicker interface. They also showed off the Boxee Box. What do you think of it?

Brief 669 was brought to you by AngiesList.com/geek. My promo code will save you 25% when you join the list.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The CrunchPad soap opera continued today when Chandra Rathakrishnan from Fusion Garage held a webcast to tell his side of the story. He said repeatedly there was never a contract in place and gave a demo of the renamed Joo Joo. It’s a 12.1″ capacitive touchscreen device that boots directly into the Internet instead of an OS.

CNET got the first Joo Joo hands-on and says it’s awesome … but not $500 worth of awesome.

Google announced Real Time Search today. It’ll roll out to everyone over the next several days and brings in real time search results from sites like Twitter and Facebook.

They also announced Google Googles. It’s an augmented reality app (Android only at first) that will return search results about what you’ve taken a picture of.

The Trolley Scooter from Samsonite is luggage that doubles as a scooter so you can ride along through the airport.

The SmartSwipe protects your credit card information while you shop online and saves you time.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

I love the TruePower AC Outlets with USB Power from FastMac.com. Replace your regular AC outlets with these and add USB power all throughout the house.

The fitPC2i is a very small PC (4″x4.5″x1″). It’ll run Windows 7, Windows Server or Ubuntu.

The Rocketfish WirelessHD Adapter will transmit a 1080p signal wirelessly to maybe an HDTV or a projector.

If you need more USB power while traveling, the 3 Port USB Hub is a good option. It’ll only work during charging, not syncing though.

The CrunchPad was declared in the Deadpool by Mike Arrington, the creator. It’s turned into a bit of a soap opera because, according to Arrington, he was told he’s no longer part of the project. We’ll hear from Fusion Garage CEO Chandra Rathakrishnan on Monday.

When you want to build a great looking Web site without the expense of hiring a designer, finding a hosting company and learning code, SquareSpace.com is a great way to get it done for a small amount of money. Promo code GEEK makes it even more affordable and supports production of GeekBrief.TV.

Background image provided by Trey Ratcliff at Stuck In Customs

Cali’s Shirt Courtesy of Jinx.com

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

I’m not writing about how we decided to deal with the Lord Voldemort of numbers. You’ll have to watch!

Cali’s Shirt Courtesy of Jinx

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Apple’s 27″ Cinema Display is a great bargain. It’s almost as big as the 30″ Display, it’s LED back-lit, it’s thinner, the resolution is almost as high (2560 X 1440) and it costs $100 less than the 30″ Cinema Display.

PogoPlug makes the files on a USB connected drive available for you to access from any computer anywhere in the world. The new version includes four USB ports.

Data Robotics released a new Drobo last week, called the Drobo S. It adds eSATA and a fifth drive bay. I’ll be giving one away during our Streaming Christmas Party with Geoff Smith on December 22nd at 8:00 PM Central. More details to come, but make sure you sign up on Twitter and follow me at Twitter.com/CaliLewis.

If you have a digital camera that uses SD cards, an Eye-Fi is a great tool! It’s an SD card that will wirelessly upload your photos to your computer, or your favorite photo sharing site.

I’ve recommended the Amazon Kindle since the moment I laid my hands on the first version, and I still recommend it.

My promo code GEEK will save you 12% at SquareSpace when you’re ready to create an easy, great looking website.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Foodies know how important a great knife is, and Bob Kramer is the best. Consider upgrading your foodie’s kitchen knife this holiday.

The Microplane 45002 Medium Ribbon Grater is a good stocking stuffer. Everyone needs a good cheese grater, right?

If you’re into soups, a food mill is a must and the one we recommend is the Rösle Food Mill.

For college students and family members living in a small apartment, the Fissler CookStar Induction Pro Portable Cooktop is a great option! It’ll heat up your food and boil water without the need for a stove top.

We put a lot of effort into researching rice cookers. The Zojirushi was the best we found, and it even sings a little song for you when it’s finished!

Brief 664 was brought to you by SquareSpace.com. It’s a fast, easy, inexpensive way to build a really nice looking Web site and my promo code GEEK will save you 12%.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The NeatDesk is more of a practical gift, but an awesome one (at least I think so!). It’s a digital filing system. You can scan 10 double sided documents, 10 business cards and 10 receipts at the same time or 50 documents. NeatWorks, the included software will help you organize everything and even help with taxes.

For every Sunnan Solar Powered LED Lamp that’s purchased, IKEA will send one to a third world country to enable women to read at night without electircity. It’s a great way to get into the charitable holiday spirit.

The Kodak Zi8 is my favorite HD pocket camera. Every mom should have a camera ready to shoot video in the midst of special moments.

A great addition to a pocket camera is a portable tripod that will mount to just about anything. The Gorillapod is exactly that and comes in different sizes and colors.

I’m a huge fan of Pandora. Having music available everywhere and anywhere is a great thing. The Livio Radio featuring Pandora allows you to have your music around the house without being connected to a computer.

If you’re not all that keen to put up your own Christmas lights this year, you can find a trusted installer on Angieslist.com who will do it for you. My code: GEEK will you save you 25% when you join the list.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

This was shot on the Canon 5D Mark II (may it rest in peace) during our road trip in October. The song is one of my favorite road trip songs, “Drive Away” by Matthew Ebel.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Casio’s Exilim cameras shoot high speed video. There are three, ranging from $299 to $999. They’re the EX-F1, the EX-FH20 and the EX-FS10. The reason these are so cool is what you can do with them. Take a look at Trey Ratcliff’s Stuck in Motion technique. Trey is the guy who shoots the pictures we use as backgrounds.

If your dad loves Battlestar Galactica, consider getting him the Battlestar Galactica LED Toaster. There are only 2,000 of them and it has a Cylon on one side with “Frak Off” on the other. It’s $63.

If you think your father might want some distraction from every day life, or a really good challenge, the Bucky Balls are a great stocking stuffer. I have the Neo Cubes.

Oregon Scientific has a wireless talking thermometer that will tell you when the meat’s done on the grill.

An HD TiVo is a great gift. Having all his TV and web shows together will be a great thing!

Brief 662 was brought to you by Angieslist.com/geek. Members can use the list to find a physician, a plumber, a painter or just about any other kind of service provider you can imagine. My promo code GEEK will save you 25% when you join the list.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The Fretlight Guitar will help teach kids how to play the guitar and where to put their fingers.

Teaching kids about audio is important, and it’s a goal the GeoSafari Digital Recording Lab aims to do. With 59 projects, kids can learn about transistors, capacitors, resistors and wiring.

My first robot was from Parallax. They offer lots of robot kits, from beginner to advanced. The Boe-Bot is for kids 12 or older and teaches electronics, circuits, robotics and micro-controller programming.

The Lego Digital Camera is for kids between 7 and 15. It takes 3 megapixel photos, has built in flash, fixed focus and digital zoom.

Take a look at ScientificsOnline.com for more gift ideas for the kids in your life.

You can save 12% y using promo code GEEK bwhen you sign up for a SquareSpace account.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Apparently, I left out an important detail when I’ve talked about the N900 in anticipation of its arrival because Neal, my husband who is with me all the time didn’t know that the N900 is able to make phone calls. Go figure. Let’s start by looking at the industrial design.

I have an iPhone 3GS here along with a Motorola Droid and the Nokia N900. The iPhone and Droid are almost exactly the same height and width. The Droid is a little thicker than the iPhone to accommodate the slider keyboard and the removable battery. The Nokia N900 is the same width as the iPhone and Droid, but it’s quite a bit thicker. I thought it would be fun to pull out the kitchen scale and weigh them. The iPhone is 4.7 ounces. The Droid is 5.9 ounces and the N900 is 6.4 ounces.

Specs we’ve talked about, but let’s hit them again. The processor is 600MHz. There’s 1GB of application memory. It has a 3D Graphics accelerator with Open GL ES 2.0 support. It has 32GB of storage out of the box and you can expand that to 48 gigs with a microSD card. The camera is 5 megapixels with a dual LED flash. The screen is 800X480, 3.5 inches diagonal and has resistive touch. The N900 has two hardware features that I hadn’t expected. It has a built-in FM transmitter for playing audio through your radio’s speakers. I had to put the phone on top of the receiver for the FM transmitter to work, but sitting on top of the receiver, it sounded really, really good. It also has what I think could be a killer feature if developers take advantage of it. It has an IR transmitter.

Software is really where the N900 can shine. It runs Nokia’s Maemo 5 and open source version of Linux and it really does feel like I’m using a computer rather than just another smart phone. To turn on the screen, simply press the power button on the top and just like on other smart phones, you slide to unlock.

The N900 gives you four work surfaces. You can add applications, widgets, and bookmarks from the Web. There are several basic apps already installed and you can add more. There aren’t yet tons of apps available, but the framework for making apps available is so much better than Apple’s gatekeeper method. There will be an Ovi store for the N900, but if you go there right now, you get a Coming Soon page. In addition to the Ovi store, you can add different software repositories where you can download Maemo apps for free. Because the N900 is running Linux, developers can develop whatever applications the hardware can handle. That’s one of the reasons I think the IR transmitter is so cool. It’s inevitable that someone will develop a really good universal remote.

The Web browser’s very good. It is a Mozilla-based browser and I wasn’t able to find a Web site it doesn’t display exactly as it should, including Web sites developed in Flash. You can also install a beta version of a Firefox branded browser. The Firefox browser froze for me, but the potential is exciting.

I really like the Nokia N900, but it’s important for me to point out, even though you can order one now, it seems to first be targeting hardcore geeks, extreme early adopters and most specifically developers who want a mobile device that they can customize as much as they want. The device as hardware is a playground with a lot of potential for exciting functionality, should the right developer take up the cause. For example. The IR transmitter’s built in, but it needs software applications that aren’t yet available in order for it to fulfill it’s potential. The N900 has an accelerometer, but very few applications flip into landscape. That’s something I hear will change by year’s end.

GeekBrief.TV bridges the gap between hardcore geeks and grandmas who are casually interested in tech. A less technical person would probably enjoy the N900. It’s by far the simplest and fun user interface I’ve ever seen on a Nokia phone. It isn’t as simple as an iPhone and maybe only slightly more challenging than a Motorola Droid. I think, though, the MORE you understand and enjoy Linux, the more you’ll enjoy all you can do with an N900. My big hope is that Linux developers embrace it and build exciting new applications.

The studio is freshly painted so we can start doing live production again and we found a great painter who gave us a great price using Angie’s List. If you’re not a member and you own a home, check it out. Promo code GEEK will save you 25% when you join.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Looks like we’ll get the beta for Chrome on the Mac by December. If you’re using Chrome on a PC, 4.0 was released today.

Project Natal from Microsoft looks to be launching late 2010 with a sale price of between $50 and $84, with 14 Natal-ready games.

Blue Microphones announced a USB mic that’s also the world’s first THX Certified Mic called the Yeti USB Microphone.

Microsoft has an 802.11n adapter for the Xbox 360.

Parking your car in your garage may turn out to be much like docking your iPod one day if car and consumer electronics makers use a new technology called the Rovi Automotive Solution.

Details on the New York Meetup is on my blog at www.calilewis.me. It’ll be on November 20th. Hope to see you there!

You can save 25% on an Angie’s List membership by using promo code GEEK at www.angieslist.com/geek.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Google’s getting in the holiday spirit. They want to provide free WiFi for travelers in 47 airports across the country. The only downside is being asked to download Chrome (do it!) and if you want to set Google as your default search engine.

Amazon released the Kindle PC App, which uses Whispernet, so you can switch between devices and always pick up where you left off.

Intel is developing an eReader for the visually impaired. It has a text scanning camera and a text-to-speech synthesizer.

The Sparkz Pico Projector is a dock that will charge your iPhone or iPod and project up to 60 inches. You can see the demo video here.

I’ll be getting a Nokia N900 for review soon. They’re shipping out to Europe, the Middle East, Russia and North America.

This episode was brought to you by Petco, where promo code BRIEF will save you 10% and provide free shipping on orders of $65 or more and promo code BRIEF10 will save you 10% on ANY size order.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large

As you know, the hugely anticipated launch of the Motorola Droid was on Friday. I went to a press event held at a Verizon store to get a hands on with the Droid and some footage to share with you guys. Boring, but I’ll take what I can get. Surprise, surprise, Verizon was nice enough to let me hang on to a Droid for two weeks so I’m able to give you a more in-depth review.

The Droid runs Android 2.0. Android is an open source mobile operating system, originally developed by, and heavily supported by Google. If you use Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, or Google Voice, having Android is a very good thing. It means those apps are going to run smoothly and you’ll get more out of them. More on that in a minute. Verizon has put a lot of effort into their network, and the hope here is that you don’t get the amount of dropped calls or inconsistent service a lot of people complain about with AT&T. In my experience with iPhones on AT&T, dropped calls are less of an issue than calls I have to drop because I can’t understand the person on the other end of the call or they can’t understand me. The Motorola Droid provides vastly better sounding calls than my iPhones. In a perfect world both phones would be available on both networks so I could tell if it’s a hardware issue or a network issue.

The Motorola Droid has the best screen on any handheld device I’ve ever seen. It’s a 3.7 inch touchscreen with a resolution of 854×480. That’s over 400,000 pixels, and you can definitely tell a difference. We’re showing you The Droid playing a movie in HD. The Droid screen is brighter and richer and point 2 inches bigger. The downside? No multitouch in the US. It’s capable of multitouch, and the GSM version in Europe has multitouch enabled, but we’re not allowed here in the US. Instead, you double tap to zoom or use the plus and minus buttons on the screen to zoom in or out. If you’ve been using an iPhone, you’re going to natually want to pinch the screen. The Droid’s method of zooming isn’t bad. It has nice animation, but precise pinch and zoom is better.

The best part about the 5 megapixel camera isn’t the additional pixels. What I liked was the software based zoom. I was taking a picture of some Thai soup when I discovered the feature by accident. Just double tap the screen to get up close and personal. You can snap the photo from the screen, or use the physical button on the side of the phone. Just like on a regular camera, hold the button half way down to focus, then click to take your photo.

The Droid has both an onscreen keyboard and physical slider keyboard. iPhone users tend to agree with Apple that physical keyboards are overrated and I’m in that camp. However, there is a large market for whom the iPhone is off the table just because it lacks physical keys. No amount of Apple evangelism is going to convince someone who insists on a keyboard that they really don’t need it. I say Motorola was smart to zig where Apple zagged. It’s important to point out, though, since the keys are flush, there isn’t really any tactile difference between the virtual keyboard and the one with real buttons. The biggest advantage of the slider keyboard, whether you think it’s necessary or not, is that you can type and enjoy the full screen at the same time.

One of my favorite things about the Droid is that it allows you to run up to six applications at once. This is one of the main complaints from power users about the iPhone. Being able to listen to Pandora while browsing the web or tweeting is HUGE for me. I do it on my laptop, and that desire doesn’t change just because I’m using a smaller device. Apple doesn’t allow that because having six applications all processing data at the same time puts the phone at risk of a crash. I totally get that! However, I’d rather have the choice to take that risk.

I mentioned Google apps before, and I want to get back to that. I don’t know how many of you are in the same situation as me. I can’t use the Mail app on the iPhone or any mail app on any phone because I use Gmail. That wouldn’t be a problem (the iPhone supports Gmail) except I use labels and filters like crazy! Most of my mail is sorted automatically and doesn’t even see the inbox, so any time I can’t easily see and use my labels on the go, I’m severely crippled. Since Google supports Android, they’ve made it possible for me to use the Gmail app successfully without having to go into the browser.

There are 10,000 apps in the Android store, called Market. There are 100,000 apps in the iPhone store. No surprise there. Apple has a head start. That said, there are plenty of Twitter apps, if nothing else!! With the ability to run apps in the background, you’re able to set up Twitter apps, for example, to notify you when something new arrives in your feed or Direct Message inbox. This is a great way to save on SMS costs if you don’t have an unlimited plan.

One thing I was super excited about was the turn by turn navigation with voice commands. No need to pay for an app – it’s already installed when you buy the phone. The voice is very synthetic, but it works AND speaks in complete sentences!

One of the coolest possibilities you get with the Motorola Droid requires an additional purchase. It’s just $30, though and it’s a dock for charging the phone. What’s special about it is that it turns the phone’s display into a digital photo frame, a widget display and an alarm clock. When you set the phone on the dock and use it as an alarm clock, you can dim the time and set the alarm.

Motorola promises 6.5 hours of battery life when used continuously. I’m getting close to 10 or 11 hours of normal use. If you’re ready to buy one, let’s talk price. It’ll be $199 with a 2 year agreement. This is after a mail in rebate, but David Pogue from the NY Times says that if you buy it from Best Buy, you’ll get an instant rebate. Voice plans start at $40/month for 350 minutes and data plans start at $30/month.

The mainstream media keeps looking for an iPhone killer. That’s not me. I want the iPhone to continue to succeed, but I want other alternatives to succeed too. I haven’t been looking for an iPhone killer. I’ve been looking for a smartphone that plays effectively on the same field. The Motorola Droid does that. Will I buy one? I have a couple weeks to decide so I’m going to take advantage of that. My sense so far, though is that moving from iPhone to Droid will not be a downgrade and in a few ways, like call quality and Google Voice integration it will be an upgrade. I’ll write more about my experience with the Droid on my blog at www.calilewis.me.

This episode was brought to you by SquareSpace.com. The actor and chat show host Kevin Pollak is using Square Space for his site, kevinpollak.tv. It’s the easiest way to build a great looking Web site and my promo code GEEK will save you 12%.

Cali’s Shirt Courtesy of Jinx.com

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The USB Breast Warmers may have been created just so engineers could look at women in bras, but I’d like to know if I’m missing something here.

We’ll be gettting a hands on with the Droid tomorrow. The HTC Droid ERIS is also launching for $99 after a $100 mail in rebate.

Sony Ericsson’s new phone is called the Kurara. The OS is Symbian S60, it’ll have a 3.5″ touch screen with an 8.1 megapixel camera capable of 720p video.

We’re having a meetup in New York on November 20th. Details are being worked out over on my blog, calilewis.me.

Many people have been waiting for the E-P2 Micro Four Thirds Camera from Olympus. They finally announced the launch today. One of the reasons we want one of these cameras is that it has Full Manual Control of shutter and aperture when the camera’s in Movie Mode.

Brief 656 was brought to you by AngiesList.com/geek. As an Angie’s List member you get access to fellow member reviews of contractors and healthcare providers. Everything from Wedding planners like my sister Christina to guys who will install a solar vent on your roof. Promo code GEEK will save you 25%.

Cali’s Shirt Courtesy of Jinx.com

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

I was really excited when I first learned about the Robovie-PC, the little Robot with a PC built in. Students at Electro-Communication University in Osaka competed in a princess rescue challenge and demonstrated that a robot can be romantic if you’re willing to buy-in a little bit.

Neal played around with SoundForge to create the soundtrack.

Brief 655 was brought to you by SquareSpace.com, the easy way to build an inexpensive, great-looking Web site. Sign up using promo code GEEK and you’ll save 12%.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

We’ve talked about the Peek before, a device dedicated to email. Now they have the TwitterPeek, completely dedicated to Twitter. The idea sounds great! I’m a Twitter addict, but the only issue is, before purchasing a device, I want to know what the interface is like, and I can’t get a good sense of that from the website.

The Atheros AR6003 is an 802.11n chip that uses 20% less power than current chips and still delivers 85Mb/s data transfer.

If you have people coming to your house for the holidays who’ve never been there, The HomeFinder Light Control might help. It will flash your front porch light for 20 minutes to let people know where to find you.

The Remote Controlled Tissue Boxes seem like it’d make having a cold better. You can get them in white, black or red from GeekStuff4U.com.

Join me for a live blog of the premiere of V Tuesday at 7PM Central / 8PM Eastern / 5PM Pacific. Just head on over to calilewis.me.

Using promo code GEEK will save you 12% when you sign up at SquareSpace.com, the easy way to build a great looking Web site or blog.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

RED gave us some more details on the Scarlet and Epic X cameras. The Scarlet is expected to be popular with independent film producers and the Epic X is capable of 5K video.

Creative announced they’re working on an eBook Reader called the MediaBook. They don’t just want to give you books and newspapers to read. They also want to be an all in one media device, complete with pictures and video capabilities.

Mobile-review.com has a video that shows multi-touch being available on Droids that will be released in the UK, but that functionality won’t be available to the US version.

Ideum created a 100″ multi-touch table, the largest ever developed, and is opening it up to the public on November 7th. If you’re in Nashville, here’s your chance to see it in action.

Apple looks to be creating a subscription TV service. You’d pay $30 a month, but will all content providers be on board to give you a complete viewing experience?

JustShootMePhotography.net is powered by SquareSpace. Promo code GEEK will save you 12% when you’re ready to easily build a nice looking Web site using SquareSpace.com.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

The Motorola Droid will be released November 6th, and we have more details! It’ll be running Android 2.0, with a large customizable screen. It has a 5 megapixel camera and some camera enhancing features. It also has free Google Maps Navigation with turn-by-turn voice guidance.

MSI has a line of Windows 7 Multitouch all in one PCs. There are three of them, ranging from $660 to $900.

If you’re in the market for a kitchen scale, take a look at the Foldable Kitchen Scale with a tare function.

I stopped by SCOTTEVEST on our trip back home. If you don’t know about them, it’s a line of clothing optimized for storing electronics. Not only are there more pockets than you think you can fill, but also multiple channels for routing wires throughout the clothing.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Samsung is going thinner and thinner. Their latest HDTV is called the Needle Slim. It’s 3mm thick, 40″ with a 5,000:1 contrast ratio.

Vuzix wants is trying to make video glasses look cooler with their Wrap 310. It looks more like a pair of sunglasses than other video glasses and cost $250.

If you’re looking for a pocket camera with infared night vision and the ability to shoot under water, the DVR 510 from Vivitar is worth a look, and only costs $50.

The guys at Boston Dynamics have built a biped set of robot legs called Petman that can walk 3.2 MPH.

Microsoft has a downloadable version of Windows 7 for netbook users so you don’t have to purchase a USB optical drive. You can get it here.

I really wanted to have Grammar Girl on the show during Blogworld, but our camera somehow didn’t capture it all. She’s great at giving simple tips to help you remember things like the difference between “affect” and “effect” on her Grammar Girl podcast. She just released a new book called The Grammar Girl Devotional.

Jake used promo code GEEK to save money and build SpotMagazine.net with SpotMagazine.net, the online home of the print publication.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

I ran into Chad Vader on the show floor at Blogworld. For those of you not familiar, he’s Darth Vader’s younger brother who is a day shift manager at a grocery store called Empire Market. We talk about his goals, his passions, and of course his brother. If you didn’t see the Chad Vader promotional video I was a part of for Blogworld, it’s embedded below.

Chad Vader’s Site

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Victor Cajiao has been podcasting longer than Neal and I have even known about podcasting, and we started at the beginning, so that means Victor’s been around forever! :) We talk about the changes in new media between 2005 and now, and his two shows Typical Mac User and Typical Shutterbug.

Typical Mac User
Typical Shutterbug
Twitter
Facebook

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Apple pre-empted the Windows 7 Launch with update announcements of their own. The thing I’m excited about the most is the Magic Mouse. It looks kind of like a Mighty Mouse, but it’s multi-touch. It’ll be available at the end of October.

They updated the iMac. There’s a 21.5″ and 27″ version in true 16:9 aspect ratio.

There are two Mac Mini versions. One runs OSX Server, has two 500GB hard drives and no optical drive.

The MacBook is going unibody. It’ll have an LED backlit display, a glass multi-touch trackpad and a built in battery that will last up to seven hours.

You can try SquareSpace.com for free for 14 days and then save 12% when you sign up using promo code GEEK.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Vizio released the TruLED HDTV. It uses LEDs and has a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1.

The Spring Design Dual Screen eBook Reader is called Alex. Like the Barnes & Noble eReader, it’s Android based and allows for full Internet browsing.

A Blackberry accessory called the inPulse SmartWatch displays incoming calls and RSS headlines from your phone.

I’m very much looking forward to the Droid. The Boy Genius Report got his hands on a unit and says it’s the most impressive handset since the iPhone.

You can save 25% off an AngiesList.com membership with discount code GEEK.

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

I grabbed Chris Brogan for a chat. He’s very popular, and spends a lot of his time trying to help businesses take advantage of social media and integrate it successfully in their business model. We talk about the dos and don’ts of marketing and how what matters now more than anything is just being real and nice.

Chris’ Website

Twitter

Facebook

In the video, I talked about my favorite hotel chain, Kimpton Hotels. If you ever have a chance to stay at one, give them a try! They’re pet friendly, which is the reason I found them.

I’m not sure if you’ll agree with me, but the heart of this show makes it one of my favorite episodes. Comment below!

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

You guys have spoken! I know a lot of you don’t like floor interviews when I’m at expos, so we wanted to do any Blogworld interviews at a little different. One of the things I always try to accomplish is to create a comfortable, casual environment. What better way to do that then get really comfy!

Don McAllister is the producer of Screencasts Online, where you can get informative and educational screencasts about Mac software. If there’s anything you need to know how to do, check here first!

Screencasts Online
Twitter
Facebook

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media

Gizmodo has a first peek at the Barnes & Noble eReader. We’ll have more info next week, but we can see that it has a multi-touch screen at the bottom, and Gizmodo says it’ll be running Android.

Dyson showed off their Air Multiplier Fan. It doesn’t have blades! There will be a 10″ and a 12″ version.

Wi-Fi Direct is a technology that will make it possible for devices to communicate with each other without a router.

Nikon’s D3S has a maximum ISO of 102,400 which means it’s almost night vision. Take a look at the incredible video.

Video Monkey may prove to be a good replacement for Visual Hub for compressing video to upload to the Web. If you’ve tried it, I’d love to hear your experience!

Orange Technology Management used promo code GEEK at SquareSpace to build naples-computer.com. My promo code gives you a 12% discount. Thanks for supporting The Brief!

Direct Download Links

Small | Medium | Extra Large | Windows Media