Do like the Droid X? You'll love the Droid X2.

The Droid X is almost reaching its one year mark, so Motorola has released an updated version of the popular Verizon smartphone. Compared side by side, the new Droid X2 looks almost identical to its brother, but there are some important differences. The biggest changes involve a higher resolution (and a noticeably) better screen plus a big boost in speed. The Droid X2 features one of new Nvidia dual-core 1GHz processors. And the X2 also features a qHD display – that’s an LCD panel with 540-by-960 resolution. Motorola says that's a 26 percent increase in pixels over the original Droid X's 480-by-854 screen. When I put the phones side by side and asked friends to point to the phone with the best looking picture, they picked the Droid X2. It also features a non-reflective GorillaGlass screen. Many of the other stats between the X2 and the Droid X are the same. Both have 4.3-inch-sized displays, 512MB of RAM, 8MP rear-facing cameras with 720p HD video capture, and both have mini-HDMI out ports. The newer model to some people’s disappointment, does not have a front-facing camera. (One reviewer said it was there and would be activated in a later upgrade, but I don’t see it.) One strange change is that the new model only has an 8GB micro-SD card, while the original Droid X had 16GB. But both can handle up to 32GB micro SD cards. The new Droid X2 ships with Android 2.2, (Froyo). Motorola and Verizon users will get an Android 2.3 upgrade (Gingerbread) but there’s no firm date for that yet. Motorola says users should get up to 480 minutes of talktime or 220 hours of standby from a full charge of the 1540 mAh Droid X2 battery. And be aware, even though this is one of Verizon’s newest Droids, it’s not 4G capable. The Droid X2 sells for $199.99 with a new (or upgraded) two-year contract.

www.verizonwireless.com

Low Tech, Low Price, but I works.

Eh?? Whadda say? I can’t hear you. Speak into my horn! This is a strange gizmo that harkens back to the old phonograph that used a big horn to amplify the music. Or the horn someone put in their ear so they could hear you better. It’s about as simple as technology can be. You just slip the BONE Horn Stand speaker onto your iPhone for some good, old low-fi amplification. Yep, it just uses old-fashioned acoustical science. The silicone stand is said to add 13 decibels of sound to your iPhone's speakers without a battery or power source in sight, because none is needed. It also serves as a iPhone stand and will hold your iPhone in a vertical or horizontal position. Great for watching movies or video podcasts (like the Weekly Daily Giz Wiz) when you want a bit more sound. It’s also fun-looking. And as you’ll see in the web ads for the BONE Horn Stand Speaker, iPhone is not included. It fits the original iPhone, iPhone 3G/3GS & iPhone 4. I tried it on my iPod Touch and it works pretty well, especially for the price. And what is that price? If you do a web search you can find it from about $6 to $30!!! It’s available in colors, and for some reason lime green seems to be the cheapest and black the most expensive. I haven’t bought anything at the link below, but they sell most colors for about $8, plus S&H.

http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Collection-Portable-Amplifier-iPhone/dp/B0048YB5B2

See or Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1316

My favorite gadget of the year so far!

I buy a lot of crap on the Internet, but the Lava Red LED Watch turned out to be a really neat gizmo. Some websites say it’s the Samurai Japanese inspired faceless watch that looks like a bracelet but tells time like a watch. And they’re right. When the LED digits aren’t lit, there’s no hint of a watch. It supposed to be fashion friendly for men and women. It’s a very big and wide bracelet, so I don’t think it would look good on a woman’s wrist. The first time you push the button on the side of the Lava Watch you see the time digits. The second push brings up the red LED date display. The third push brings up the seconds display. But all these displays stay lit for only a few seconds. This is save battery life. One website says there is a way to keep the watch dispslay on all the time, but that would kill the battery really quick and I don’t think the watch can do that. List price is said to be anywhere from $50 to $200, but you can find it for about $10 or $11 if you do a web search for “lava watch”. The place below has it at $6.99 plus shipping and handling. I have not bought anything here. Mine came from 1 Sale A Day, but they don’t have it online anymore.

Here's my video of the week on the Lava Watch: http://youtu.be/1zqsjf7tc1g

http://www.dynamitetime.com/products/lava-style-led

You've heard of instant coffee, instant soup, but I bet you haven't heard of 'instant underwear!'

Sure, there’s instant coffee and instant soup, but I bet you had knew about “Instant Underwear”! (And maybe you prefer NOT to know, but it’s too late now!) These underpants are compressed into a compact pellet, slightly smaller than a hockey pock. But, if you soak them in water in a couple of minutes they’ll loosen up so that you can pull them back into – yes, underpants! Now it’s a one-size-fits all pair, and I’d guess they’re sized for kids up to a small or medium sized adult. Each pair is packed in a two and a half inch red round tin container. If you wanted to put one in a backpack or suitcase, you don’t need the container. They’re made of some sort of fabric and have an elastic waistband. You wouldn’t want these for your regular day-to-day wear underpants, but in a emergency, they’d come in real handy. They sell for $3 to $4. They’re $3.50 at Archie McPhee.

Giz Wiz Video of the Week: http://youtu.be/5RnwFH5uzaU

If You Like Taking Naps, this clock is ideal for you!

I love naps, so I was glad to hear about the Napper from Dormco.com. It’s a fully functioning digital clock and alarm with a feature other alarm clocks don't have: The Fastest & Easiest Way To Set A Nap Alarm. Setting a standard alarm clock for a simple afternoon snooze is not only a hassle, but it is a waste of your nap time. With the Napper Clock you simply hit the top nap times to give yourself the fastest set nap alarm possible. You can choose the 15, 30 or 60 minute button, or if you want 45 minutes just hit the 15 & the 30 button. If you want 2 hours just hit the 60 button twice. The time option is your choice and it shows up on the face of the clock, along with the time of day. It really is simple! If you make a mistake or need to adjust your nap time allotted, just hit the clear button and start over. The process is how it should be for taking a nap. It is amazing how long it took for a product like Napper to be invented. And don’t forget, this alarm is also a regular alarm clock with a snooze bar and excellent backlighting with a hit of the button. You'll never had to worry that the nap alarm will interfere with your regular alarm. Both operations are completely different, and you can see both the regular time and your nap time at the same! Great for back to college or for anyone who knows how great napping or a good nap can be! $14.99. And now zzzzz-z--zzzzz.

http://tinyurl.com/5w9jfp5