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Latest Video: Unboxing Live 041: Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition PS3 bundle

We open up the elusive gunmetal-colored Metal Gear Solid 4 Playstation 3 Limited Edition bundle in this episode.
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NEC Plasma Screen Knows Too Much

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Cameras, Corporate News, HDTV, Misc. Tech

GAP DisplayNext time you head to Japan, you may just see evidence of Big Brother. NEC has been working on a plasma display screen that houses a camera. It can identify a person’s age and sex for specific ads. You hold up your cellphone to the 50-inch display and a QR code with URL will send you additional product information. Since we think this is a little too much information for us, we would rather do our shopping in the privacy of our own computer. Yeah, like that’s safe.

Read More | Times of India

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Northland Security MII Flashcam

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Cameras, Household, Misc. Tech, Portable Audio / Video

MII FlashcamThe MII Flashcam is not only for seeking out baddies in the dark. It has a video camera system with night vision and audio recording. The 17-inch cam, made of aircraft aluminum with a polycarbonate lens, is waterproof and will record up to 2 hours of video with audio. The Flashcam has 1GB storage and a 1.5-inch TFT screen for display, unless you want to save it to check it out on PC at CONTROL headquarters. Discreetly contact Northland Security for pricing details.

Read More | Northland Security

Opto-Electronic Design FakeTV

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Home Entertainment, Household, Misc. Tech

FakeTVWhile we all know that burglars usually avoid houses where there appears to be someone in the house, if you don’t have an alarm system or a watch dog, what else can you do to be safe? Opto-Electronic Design claims their FakeTV is the answer. Controlled by computer, the multi-color LED simulates a real 27-inch TV. A built-in light sensor comes on at dusk and turns off automatically when it’s dawn. While we like the idea of saving some energy while keeping our home safe, we are not completely convinced that this is the way to go. We figure if the burglar is looking for a way to get in anyway, he/she is smart enough to notice a phony television set.

Read More | Opto-Electronic Design

Panasonic Strada F-Class

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Cameras, Corporate News, GPS, Misc. Tech, Transportation

Strada

If you live in Japan, you can now check in on your home, control your appliances, and even lock your doors while in your car with Panasonic’s Strada F-Class. The device has a touchscreen with icons that say things such as “turn off the light.” Introduced this week, the Strada also works as GPS. Of course, you have to have a webcam and netlinking system. With a $3,400.00 price you could always get a couple of timers to do the same thing. Look for it to hit the market this June.

Read More | Post-Bulletin

Mint, Refreshing Money Management

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Internet, Misc. Tech

Mint pageNeed some help with your finances and find that your old system is outdated or to complicated? Try Mint, the free online finance wizard that can take all your checking, savings, and credit card accounts and keep track of what your are spending, create a budget, and let you know if you are overdrawn or have upcoming bills. It also tells you if your APRs are too high and will help you to find a better card. If you are not sure that Mint is safe to use, check out their security features. 

Read More | Mint

IE 3 and 4 Blocked by Paypal

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Microsoft

Paypal logoWe got rather spooked after reading PayPal and Unsafe in the same headline. Having used the service for several years, we always wonder if it is really secure. The company says that those who use Internet Explorer 3 and 4 are the ones at risk because they don’t have enough security features to prevent phishing. If you use one of these you will be warned on the site and expect to be possibly blocked if you try to get in anyway.

The newest version supports EV SSL certificates. The comments were made in a paper written by the site’s Security Officer Michael Barrett and Risk Management Director Dan Levy. Our best advice? Head on over to IE and update to 7.0 or switch to Firefox.

Read More | BBC

connectVu-cam Links to Cell Phone

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Cameras, Cell Phones

connectVu-cam

Want to keep an eye on your home, office, dog, or grandma? The connectVu-cam links to your UMTS-3G cellie with no extra software needed. It features infrared LED for nights, an internal battery with 250 hours of standby and 4 hours of play, and an alarm input. It also has a mic, will work with up to 5 different cell phone numbers, and can receive SMS for camera settings. At a size of 200 x 80 x 80 mm, contact CCTV Mobile for more info and pricing.

Read More | CCTV Mobile

Doculock FP71 Flash Drive Protected by Fingerprint

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Accessories, USB, Misc. Tech, Storage

Doculock

If you are worried about someone grabbing your flash drive and learning all your secrets, Doculock’s FP71-Flash is about as safe as it gets with its fingerprint ID. Once you initiate it, you can use it in different computers with no software driver or password needed. The drive will remember all user names and passwords for you. The 1GB FP71 is available for £32.88 (~$65.00.) There is also a 2.0GB not available at this time so contact Doculock to pre-order if that is the one you prefer.

Read More | Doculock

Do Google Maps Invade Privacy?

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Editorial, Google, Transportation

Google Map

A Pennsylvania couple is suing Google for invasion of privacy and mental distress. Aaron and Christine Boring claim that the reason they bought their property in the first place was because it was isolated and now it has been devalued. It seems that Google may have taken a street view shot from their driveway that was marked “Private Road.”

Google spokesperson Larry Yu claims that if the pair wanted the images removed, all they had to do was ask. Attorney Dennis Moskal said that their privacy was already hampered when the vehicle that took the shots drove on their property. It will be interesting to see if this has ramifications down the road. While Google maps increase in imaging technique, Big Brother surely gets closer every day.

Read More | MSNBC

Firefox Releases 3.0.1 Beta

Posted by Sheila Franklin
Categories: Corporate News, Internet

Firefox 3.0.1

We were just beginning to get accustomed to Firefox 2, when we started getting advisories that Firefox 3.0.1 is going into its fourth beta cycle, with one more to come. Among the improvements is a better layout with a large back button, better drop down, security info about sites, faster JavaScript, and more support. We found a dandy little slide show if you are as hesitant as we are to try out the new version. After seeing it, we just might give it a shot. Let us know what you think.

Read More | Network World

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