Whenever I am getting ready to travel, I always make lists of the things that I need to bring. This includes the obvious, like clothes, shoes, undies, and things in the bathroom, like make up and my toothbrush. I’ll also pack my camera so I can remember all the great memories from the trip I am about to take. Unfortunately, there is one thing that I do forget and in a world of technology, it can be the most important thing! The charger, you know, that cord you need to recharge the battery. I have done this on more than a few occasions but I have found the perfect product to prevent this from every happening again. The KangaRoom Personal Media Travel Pouch holds your camera and a few other things, like your iPod, and has a place for the cords too. Genius! This way, you can never forget your digital camera or the cord that goes with it!

Now you’re stuffed, and the turkey was delicious… but you’re kitchen is FULL of leftovers. What to do with that extra turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce? Why there’s lots to do with it, but I will leave the recipes up to you (I like me some slow cooked turkey soup or pumpkin bread)… here’s a list of kitchen musts to help you take care of that food bonanza.

Purpli-fy your life. Ok so you know purple is the “it” color right now for fashion, but did you know you can get everything in your life purple? You can wear purple, play purple, walk purple, watch purple, do purple… and if you master food coloring techniques… eat purple too (although when I try it usually come out black- which is most unappetizing - especially black creamed corn …. don’t ask)

Be at one with the purple and check out this list for your Purplification. Don’t you love how I can write purple?

ThisNext is launching our FABULOUS Myspace application today! So now you can Wish List all that you want for the Christmakwanzichah holidays… (I’m sorry “world peace” is too much of a Beauty Contestant wish, so save that for your “Q&A” section of the pageant) Browse the TN world o’ goodies, WISH LIST what you want, share it with your family and friends and all your Myspace Entourage. While you’re looking for yourself, go ahead, take notes those hot items as ideas for what to get your Friend’s Mother’s New Husband’s Podiatrist’s Dog as well.

If all you want for Christmas is your two front teeth… then go see a dentist, but if you’re looking for some fabulous gifts this holiday season all you have to do is Wish List it!



Go ahead… install it… be the first on your block to have your very own Wish List… you know you want to!

In the above commercial, Peyton Manning and company insist that if sports are shot with Sony HDTV cameras, it makes sense to watch them with Sony brand televisions. Not so much. Let’s briefly examine the truth behind flat panel displays.

There are display standards in place to ensure that regardless of OEM, all flat panels receive and display signals the same. The real kicker, however, is that Sony doesn’t even make LCDs; they just take pre-made LCD modules from Samsung, add some bells and whistles (TV tuner, speakers, PIP functionality, etc), and drop them in Sony-branded packaging. Most LCD TV brands outsource their set manufacturing because the production infrastructure cost around a billion dollars for a state-of-the-art facility.

So yeah, with the exception of the remote, the casing, and non-core features, Sony and Samsung LCD TVs are essentially the same thing. This is why Vizio is such a good buy if you’re not concerned with the frills; it’s core technology is at par with other mainstream models.

Apple’s MacBook and MacBook Pro both received a bit of a facelift just in time for the Christmas holidays. Slimmer, lighter (0.95” when closed), and more powerful than before, the now eco-friendly notebooks are machined out of a single piece of aluminum which lessens production waste and just adds to the overall coolness. The displays are now LED-backlit giving them uniform brightness and reducing their energy consumption.

Beyond the green modifications, the touchpads for both MacBooks are larger and support multi-touch. Toss in a more powerful video card and it’s hard to go elsewhere when considering a laptop purchase.

Sharp recently unveiled a 52-inch solar-powered LCD HDTV. To mitigate the high energy consumption of most flat panel displays, Sharp used an LED backlight and other energy-saving technologies. The reduced power requirement presumably allows the device to be operated exclusively by the collected solar energy. 

As you can probably see from the image, the existing setup is a bit awkward. The TV is connected to a floor solar panel which is only useful if you plan on watching it outside or are fortunate enough to have a retractable roof in your living room. I’m sure this is only for demonstration purposes and that future designs will likely be a bit more practical. This whole concept is definitely a few steps in the right direction though. 

Apple is threatening to terminate its iTunes service if the Copyright Royalty Board increases publisher compensation to 15 cents per digital download. The National Music Publisher Association is seeking a bigger share for its members after the expiration of the 10-year agreement that pegged royalty rates at 9 cents. 

If the rate hike passes and record labels do not absorb the premium, Apple contends that their service will steep into unprofitability which clearly is not cool for Steve Jobs and crew. Well, why not raise prices? Apple is convinced that their 99 cent flat pricing scheme is a large part of their service’s allure. Though it’s a nominal difference of 6 cents, 99¢ compared to $1.05 is a considerably different price point in the minds of consumers. Though their per-sale revenue will increase, the volume of sales will likely decrease which will send their break-even business into the red. Also likely is that the measure will have the counterproductive effect of sending consumers back to peer-to-peer communities for pirated music.

The Board will reach a decision later today. We’ll see what happens. 

Imagine a car packed with enough artificial intelligence to be able to avoid accidents entirely.  Well, Nissan is working on it and following the baby steps methodology, they just announced their RB23C - a robotic mini-car that represents the first generation of crash-avoidance. Inspired by the bumblebee (whose impressive range of vision allows them to fly uninterrupted), the “car” uses a laser range finder to detect obstacles up to 2 meters away in a 180-degree radius. Within a split second, the car is able to instinctively react and maneuver to avoid collisions. Though these capabilities are far from commercial use, Nissan’s objective by 2015 is to reduce automobile accident fatalities in theirs cars by 50% (compared to 1995’s numbers). 

Albeit entirely dubious and dubbed as “almost illegal”, this is a real product that promises to stir up some trouble in the household or workplace. Dramatel peddles a phone card that threatens the future of phone screening and call dodging by allowing you to disguise your caller ID, change your voice, and record phone calls. Think of the numerous scenarios in which this could possibly be abused. Or, just watch the commercial: 

Online surfing and shopping is undoubtedly fun, but it can also be dangerous if you’re not careful where you click. Some statistics report that more than 90% of computers are infected with malware which can compromise privacy and cause systems to run at a snail’s pace. A recent study at North Carolina State University revealed an alarming trend which certainly contributes to security threats. According to the study, more than 60% of computer users fail to identify fake pop-up dialog boxes leaving them exposed to hackers, adware, and malicious malware. A fake pop-up could look like the following:

Computer users generally see these as a mere annoyance and click “OK” or “Yes”. To avoid the installation of harmful software, it’s very important to be suspicious of all pop-ups. As a general rule, you should close the boxes instead of clicking buttons to remove them.

Check this out! Kodak just announced the mother of all digital photo frames - a wireless viewer with an OLED display that boasts a whopping 30,000:1 contrast ratio. That translates into an ultra slim, brilliant, bold, and bright display vastly outclassing existing viewers relying on the LCD standard. The frame has built-in Wi-Fi, integrated speakers for audio, a 180° viewing angle, and also supports video.

Kodak’s OLED photo frame (touted as the world’s first) will debut in Germany next week, but will be commercially available worldwide in November at $999 a pop. A bit expensive, yes, but insiders claim that Dupont Displays is working on a manufacturing process that will churn out OLEDs at a fraction of their current production cost.

At its Let’s Rock Event in San Francisco, Apple unveiled the newest installation of the iPod Nano. It’s the fourth generation and it keeps its 2-inch QVGA display, but also is the thinnest iPod ever made. Weighing just 1.3 ounces, the new Nano is only .24 inches thick.

The new iPod isn’t just smaller and more lightweight, it also comes packed with new features. In the likes of the iPhone and iPod touch, when you turn the new Nano sideways it goes to cover flow. You then push and hold the center button for a popup menu. However, the coolest new feature is that you can shake the Nano to activate song shuffle. It also has a new curved frame to fit to your hand and is available in 9 colors. The iPod Nano comes in an 8GB and a 16GB, for $150 and $200 and is already for sale.

Also, Apple will be releasing a 120GB iPod classic, for $250 and will be phasing out the 80GB and 160GB.

Sony’s giving us a great reason to ditch the camcorder in favor of their new, impressive all-in-one digicam. Introducing the Cyber-Shot T500, Sony’s 10.1 megapixel digital camera that delivers stunning 720p HD video with stereo sound! The camera allows up to 10 minutes of continuous shooting and captures video at 30 frames per second with a resolution up to three times the quality of standard definition. Via an HDMI hookup, you can connect the T500 to an HDTV to enjoy your media on the big screen. Other features include a vibrant 3.5” touchscreen, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 5x optical zoom, 8-person face tracking, and anti-blur technology.  The T500 will be available in September/October at an expected MSRP of $400.

 Albeit difficult, disregard the grotesque hands. These are images from Apple’s recent 52-page patent filing for a touchscreen computer interface. Seems like they’re trying to port their iPhone technology over to personal computers. According to insiders, the patent is for a tablet Mac. Users would be able to use simple gestures to perform a series of functions like zooming, panning, scrolling, data entry, rotating, etc. Though the initiative is clearly in stealth mode, CFO Peter Oppenheimer promised that it would be “state of the art” and without equal. 

Admittedly, when it was first released in the Spring of ‘07, I overlooked the Apple TV, casting it off as a trendy device attempting to exploit a fleeting UGC video trend. After taking some time to give it a spin, it’s clear that the powerful box is much, much more and truly provides a glimpse at the next generation of home entertainment. 

The sleek Apple TV is a clever digital media receiver that allows you to instantly rent high-definition movies, purchase and watch TV programming, enjoy YouTube videos, access Flickr and podcasts, and more. You can even use it to purchase music through iTunes and pipe tunes through your home entertainment system. Imagine having access to all of this content from your couch. From Apple’s stylish laptops to their iPhone to this stunning device, the innovative company shows a clear commitment to allowing consumers to enjoy media wherever they are. 

The Apple TV is available in 40GB and 160GB capacities, and is priced from $229. 

So I have a confession to make: I’m a girl that digs video games…an absolute junkie. Yep, this ThisNexter plays console games and often references them in her stand-up comedy act (coming soon to an Open Mic near you). Though I find the PS3 and Wii interesting, I’m what you call an “old-school gamer”. I long for SNES (that’s Super Nintendo for you young’ns) with Mario 3 and Mario Kart, and even the original Nintendo and Duck Hunt games. Frankly, I’m just not old enough for Atari or Commodore but if I was, they’d make the list too. Admittedly, I do enjoy some of the current pop culture titles, ie Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Civilization is cool too, and have you checked out Pixel Junk Monsters for PS3? - also a bit addicting…actually maybe you’d better not start!