All posts filed under: Gadgets

I want – I got’s Holiday Gift Guide – Gagdets

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It’s that time of year again and I want – I got is putting together massive Gift Guides of things I think would be perfect to give as gifts this season. So the fashion route is out for holiday gifts. I can’t blame people for that, it’s hard to get the right piece. Don’t worry about sizing, colour or style as this third gift guide in the series is all about the gadget. My Mom is always asking me to print her photos of my nephew and niece. I didn’t have a proper photo printer until I went to an HP event and got my hands on the HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One Printer. It’s wireless which is such an important part to my home network as I’m trying to get rid of excess cables. I can print photos from my smartphone using HP software or Google’s Cloud Print. Some other great features include a touch screen, duplex printing, Internet access, scanning, copying and faxing. The Photosmart 7520 will automatically print a selection of NYTimes stories …

geekiviews: Sodastream

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Believe the hype. The Sodastream is an amazing kitchen appliance. The Sodastream system allows you to carbonate plain old tap water at home. Pair this carbonated water with many of the different flavours of sodamix and you have an alternative to buying pre-packaged bottled and cans. Most Sodastream systems carbonates tap water without electricity or batteries. It uses an exchangeable CO2 carbonator that can be refilled with beverage-grade CO2 drawn from the air. The company also makes flavoured syrups so you can make your own drinks like cola, root beer and even tonic. The flavours have less calories and carbs than traditional sode and the major bonus of no awful aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup. Weeks before I got my hands on a Sodastream system I heard nothing but praise. “It’s a game changer” is something I’ve heard from more than one person when describing the Sodastream. These incredible endorsements from people I trust peaked my interest, perhaps I should invest in a Sodastream. I love pop and my local convenience store can attest to …

geekiviews: Microsoft SurfaceRT

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I’m a Microsoft Girl. It’s not sexy and probably not cool but Windows is my operating system of choice since the DOS days. Now while I might be a windows junkie, I’m also very, very slow to adopt new versions. I ran Windows 2k and XP till the bitter end. I skipped everything in between XP and 7 and only reluctantly started using Windows 7 when it came pre-installed on a Dell laptop. So just as I’m getting comfortable with 7 here comes Windows 8. My aversion was at high alert again. I read about how differences in the OS, including the moaning of the missing Start button. I started thinking about how long I could put off upgrading again. The Start button is life on a Windows platform. A constant reassuring feature that every Windows user understands. Now that I’ve tried a flavour of Windows 8 I don’t have the same extreme aversion I used too. I got over myself a bit. I don’t do well touch devices. I’m a staunch Blackberry lover. I …

i want: Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II

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I was in Bay Bloor radio looking for some spare earbud covers but somehow ended up getting a demo of the Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II. My earbuds were sold out but I started talking to the Sale Associate about the Beats Pill, a portable speaker. The wasn’t sold on Beats but mentioned that Bose has the best portable speaker in the business right now. I was intrigued so it was demo time. The speaker connect to devices wirelessly via Bluetooth which makes it available for use by any Bluetooth enabled device. A major plus for those that love their iPhone upgrades and the inevitable change in hardware that makes all peripherals obsolete. I connected my iPhone to the Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II and started pumping out some Lucy Pearl. Bay Bloor Radio was filled with the sweet sounds of “Don’t Mess With My Man”. There was power and clarity in this portable speaker. I was really impressed because I’ve never heard a small portable speaker with such huge sound. It’s only …

I want – I got Holiday Gift Guide – Part 1

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So, this year I lost my mind and I decided to create a holiday gift guide. I’m usually anti-gift guides because I’m not much of a Christmas person and gift guides are a shit ton of work. I don’t know what made me change my mind this year but here we are. People have told me this is a good idea, so I hope you find it helpful or amusing. This is the part one of four in the I want – I got Gift Guide series. I have so many favourite things I wanted to include. This gift guide is very much I want – I got. You’ll see things I want, things I got and other obsessions.  Some things are affordable and some aren’t but I’ve tried to mix it up. The list covers fashion, beauty, electronics, art, toys and booze. Basically, all the items on the gift guide are I want – I got approved. So, join me on this exploration of things I would love to see under my tree at Christmas. …

geekiview: Velocity V50 Compact Vapor Generator Iron

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I’m a total garment care nerd. I love my clothing and I take care of it so it lasts. I hang dry a lot of my wardrobe and that results in lots of ironing and steaming. I ditched my old iron years ago when I learned about Rowenta steamers. However for garments like dress shirts and pants I really, really missed that crisp feeling and look an iron provides. I tried for many years with a steamer but I just can’t replicate that look. Last year, I broke down and bought a shitty cheap iron for pants and shirts. It wasn’t that good but it was sufficient. I attended the TFI New Labels Contest this year and I sat at a table with folks from TNT and Reliable Corporation. I knew who TNT was so I proceeded to find more information about Reliable from my seatmate, Kimberly. They are a long time sponsor of the TFI and the company specializes in professional and commercial steam cleaning products as well as sewing and fabric care products. …

Q Collection by iWatchz

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I get a lot of email and I’m not very good at keeping up on top of it. I get my fair share of  WTF and shady type emails too. I usually ignore these. Last weekend, I got a short and cryptic email about an amazing watch that I just needed to see. I would be getting a scoop and the company is Toronto based.  Looking at my BlackBerry Torch (Thanks RIM) I thought, Do I reply or not? I was very skeptical but my desire to reply for shits and giggles over took me.  Hell, I like watches too. We had a bit of back and forth with me blowing him off with each exchange. Then he dropped a name I knew. My bullshit filter dropped as I realized that we’ve met. It was during my trip to NYFW for the Spring 2008 collections. We were sitting in at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel lobby drinking with his wife and The Oracle. I agreed to meet him to finally see this thing. The thing …

geekiviews: Zi8 Pocket Video Camera

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I received the Zi8 Pocket Video Camera just in time for LGFW this year. I’ve used the HD video feature on the Olympus E-PL1 so I was curious how these dedicated video cameras function. I guess the Zi8’s main competitor is the Flip video camera. I’ve never used the Flip camera before but I’ve held it. The Zi8 is a bit wider but they are very close in size. The camera has the following features: Capture video in 720p HD at 60 fps, or 1080p HD at 30 fps holds a up to 32GB SD/SDHC card External microphone jack takes 5MP 16:9 Widescreen HD photos built-in image stabilization 2.5 colour LCD screen Internal USB connector, no extra cables Includes HDMI cables so you can hook it up to your HDTV Included KODAK Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery Compatible with PC and MAC Includes video editing software The Kodak site has a great video that explains the features that the Zi8 offers. In perfect lighting the Ki8 takes some great video. It packs a lot of …

Kinect for Xbox 360 Experience Centre

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I raved about the Kinect for Xbox 360 when I played it at the X’10 Canada: Xbox 360 Holiday Preview Event. Now the public can experience the Kinect at the new Kinect for Xbox 360 Experience Centre on Yonge Street. I was invited to the private launch party where I got to drink beers and play Kinect for 4 hours. IT WAS AMAZING! I really can’t think of a better way to spend an evening. I predict lots of drinking and Dance Central parties once I get my hands on the Kinect for my place. I brought my friend Mark Rabo ( who runs Gamercamp with Jaime Woo) along. I think we played pretty much every game available to us. We were sweating like crazy as the Kinect isn’t a passive gaming experience. You are moving around and if you are crazy like me you’re flaying around too. Thank god for the beer. I love the Volleyball game. It brought back memories of big air and spikes on the high school volleyball team. Le Sigh. …

X’10 Canada: Xbox 360 Holiday Preview Event

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I don’t do much on I want – I got that deals with video games. People send me links to their iPod/iPhone apps but nothing from any of the game companies. That was until the invite to the Xbox 360 holiday preview came through email. Jackpot! There were all types of games at this preview event like the new incarnations of Halo, Fable and Mortal Combat. The Kinect for Xbox 360 system impressed the hell out of me. I want a Kinect Xbox 360 system. I NEED a Kinect Xbox 360 system. Kinect for Xbox 360 brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways — no controller required. Simple to use and fun to play, Kinect for Xbox 360 allows owners to jump into Kinect-enabled games for any type of play, and the Kinect Hub puts your favourite movies and TV programs, music, live sports, and social networks all in one place. The Kinect sensor recognizes you, responds to your gestures, listens to your voice and works with every Xbox 360 console. That’s …