The best gadgets from CES 2011

I don't know if this is the answer anyone expected, but what I enjoyed most was the announcement from Reese's of the company's new Peanut Butter Cup Minis.

The best part of the announcement was the free samples of the unwrapped Mini Cups they handed out all week.

Company officials estimated that they gave out more than 1 million samples and I'm proud to say I had a great hand in consuming more than my share.

As for the CES show itself, it was easily the year of the tablets and specifically the iPad.

Without Apple and the iPad even being present, its impact was obvious with the amount of accessories on display.

If a company wasn't selling accessories for the iPad, they were showing off their own products with an iPad or introducing a competing tablet.

Aside from the tablets, there were some other products that caught my attention for either the usefulness or the lack of usefulness Â- you can decide which product falls into either side.

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    * PhysOrg.com/Nanotech Insight give away contest: free 2011 conference attendance for one lucky winner.
After spending last week at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a common question is: What was the best thing I saw at the show?

I don't know if this is the answer anyone expected, but what I enjoyed most was the announcement from Reese's of the company's new Peanut Butter Cup Minis.

The best part of the announcement was the free samples of the unwrapped Mini Cups they handed out all week.

Company officials estimated that they gave out more than 1 million samples and I'm proud to say I had a great hand in consuming more than my share.

As for the CES show itself, it was easily the year of the tablets and specifically the iPad.

Without Apple and the iPad even being present, its impact was obvious with the amount of accessories on display.

If a company wasn't selling accessories for the iPad, they were showing off their own products with an iPad or introducing a competing tablet.

Aside from the tablets, there were some other products that caught my attention for either the usefulness or the lack of usefulness Â- you can decide which product falls into either side.

LAUNDRY GOES HIGH-TECH
Appliance maker Whirlpool is taking the latest technology into the laundry room and displayed the new Vantage top-load washer and dryer, which have the industry's first USB port.

The USB port enables users to download specific cycles along with creating their own, based on their specific needs.

Upgrades can be loaded via the USB connection and everything is controlled on the machine's intuitive LCD touch screen interface.

Details: whirlpoolcorp.com, $1,999

SWISS ARMY USB
Victorinox Swiss Army, which has made Victorinox USB Flash Memory devices inside the knife cases, showed some new products with incredible memory storage capacities.

The electronic additions include the Victorinox Slim, Victorinox Slim Duo and Victorinox Secure SSD.

The Slim line USB flash drives have a flying-friendly version with data storage up to 64GB. The Slim Duo line has capacities up to 128GB.
For more info- http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-gadgets-ces.html

Chris Chant becomes government's interim CEO of digital

Chris Chant has been named acting CEO for digital in the Cabinet Office - the position recommended by Martha Lane Fox in her review of the Directgov service.

The newly created role has absolute authority over the user experience across government online services and the power to direct all government online spending.

Chant is programme director in the Cabinet Office and has also worked as CIO within the Government Olympic Executive and as CIO at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

A government spokesman said a permanent appointment is expected to be announced in the next few months while structural plans are being developed in the department.

The successor for John Suffolk's role as government CIO - due to step down in March - has also yet to be anounced.
For more info- http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2011/01/07/50232/chris-chant-becomes-governments-interim-ceo-of-digital.htm

What Your Electric Company Does NOT Want You To Know

Imagine this scenario: Your town has a power outage at 8pm. It's pitch black everywhere...except one house, which is fully lit up. As a matter of fact the people in this house don't even know that there was an outage. That could be you. And it will hardly cost you anything to pull it off. If that sounds interesting, this article is for you.
This method is superior to anything else, and yes, your local Power Company would rather not that you did this. However, it is 100% legal, so they can't stop you.
Let's take a look at what methods of power generation are available to us in 2010:
Solar Power:
Solar panels work good for big companies, but for residential homes the cost vastly outweighs the benefit, and they only work effectively in consistently sunny weather, such as California, Florida, etc. Furthermore, in order to be effective, they take up a big part of your roof, and they are damage prone in rough weather, and very expensive to fix/replace.
Wind Power:
Besides your obvious disadvantages, such as a large wind mill taking up a large part of your back yard, getting permits to put it up, and a large upfront cost to buy one, a windmill is not going to give you all that much electricity unless you live right on the edge of a windy ocean.
Magnetic Power:
A magnetic power generator works the same in any temperature or weather. It costs hardly anything to build and generates more energy in less time than any other viable method. Furthermore:

• The materials for making a magnetic generator are extremely inexpensive, and can be easily found and purchased anywhere you might live in the world
• It is simple to make, even for a someone who is not a techie
• It works in any house, anywhere and does not take up a lot of room
• A magnetic power generator creates surprisingly large amounts of electricity, which can eliminate your electric bills completely, ending your dependence on your power company

This technology is so powerful that experts project that magnetic power generation can start representing a threat to traditional power companies within the next 15-20 years.So whether you are looking to completely replace your power company by becoming self sufficient with magnetic power generation, or you are just looking for a solid backup plan in case of power outages, this technology has your back.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Langford 

Recycling Digital Cameras and Other Electronic Gadgets For Cash

The first option when disposing off old electronic items such as digital cameras would be to throw them straight in the bin. When an old camera is put in the bin it is sent straight to landfill where it will take hundreds of years to fully break down. Cameras like mobile phones and other electronic equipment are made up of many toxic materials which will leak into the soil at landfill and could kill small animals, cause further damage to the environment and even end up in our own water supplies. According to recent research it has been found that 70% of toxic waste that is found in landfills comes from electronic waste.

In order to help the environment digital cameras can now be recycled using a variety of different methods. The first option would be to take your unwanted camera to a charity shop, these shops will take most electronic devices and either donate them to someone in need or recycle them to give the charity some extra money.

Giving to charity is a great idea but many people would rather get the money themselves for their valuable electronic items. The next option would be to search online for a recycling website who will pay you in cash for your old item. In the past many cash paying recycling sites would only accept mobile phones but now many have expended to recycle all types of electronic gadgets including digital cameras. Its simply a case of finding a site, typing in the make and model of the camera you want to sell, registering your details and sending the old camera in using the free post address provided. Once its received it will be fully tested and your money will usually be sent out within a short amount of days.

Its also worth remembering to dispose of your old camera batteries correctly. Batteries contain a lot of toxic chemicals and should not be ending up at landfill. Standard batteries can now be taken to the shop in the UK that sold you them or any shop that sells batteries and disposed of correctly in a bin which will be later sent for recycling.

There are many other options where you can recycle cameras including sending them back to the manufacturer or taking them to local council tips who will dispose of them correctly. Whichever way you decide to recycle your old gadgets you can be sure that you will be doing your bit for the environment.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Brian_Roper

Electronic Newspaper Revolution

An electronic newspaper is a self-contained, reusable newspaper that imbibes and holds information electronically. An Electronic Newspaper is very much like a printed newspaper but it is spread through the Internet to a list of members subscribing it.
E-newspapers have many legal limitations. They have laws regarding libel, privacy and copyright. In 2007 these was a ruling passed in UK to formally regulate the online newspapers, news audio, and news video websites. It clearly stated the rules to be followed while you are publishing an e-article.
As a newspaper publication carry news, information, advertising and they create a social impact to the people, this is the same case with an e-newspaper. There are also some special interest newspapers which contain specific information about certain political events, crime, business, entertainment etc. The electronic newspaper can also be subjective. There can also be some public opinion seeking section in your e-newspaper. The views of the public can be generally expressed faster if it is an e-paper. Public polls can be effectively functioned with the electronic paper as the reader can express his opinion at the time of reading the news itself. This is surely a faster mode of communication. Your electronic paper can also contain editorial column, criticism, games like crosswords and Sudoku, movie reviews, advertisements etc. Including horoscopes and other interactive sessions will increase the popularity of your e newspaper.
Using your e-mail software you can send the e-newspaper only to a less number of subscribers. There are professional E-paper software which will help you to send your e-newspaper to bulk of subscribers. Researchers are trying to develop a e-newspaper where the subscriber can download the news. IBM is working on an electronic ink-based device. IBM's electronic newspaper is in a book-like format, and is constructed of 16 pages of flexible, fiberglass-reinforced paper, each about 8.5" by 11." With the help of a bar the lightweight pages are bound. An e-newspaper should be light weighted, flexible, high-resolution, glare-free, and it should also be economic.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nasrin_S