Move a lot of cardboard boxes? This can be a big help!

Every year millions of people move. Even if you don’t move, I’m sure you’ve got “plenty of stuff” packed in cardboard boxes. Dick’s Gadget Warehouse is pretty much floor to ceiling cardboard boxes. They’re great storage and usually they’re free because they arrive at your place with something else inside. The only trouble with cardboard boxes is that they’re hard to carry. Except the neat ones that have handles cut in the side. Well now every cardboard box you have can have handles, thanks to Box-Buddy. It’s the box handle cutter! Box-Buddy is a clever, lightweight tool that easily cuts handles in the side of cardboard boxes. It helps eliminate the awkward handling and carrying of heavy loads that could result in lower back pain and injuries. No other cutter offers such a simple way of cutting "C" shaped holes on opposite sides of any typical style corrugated box. It’s easy to use. Separate the two halves of Box Buddy. Push the pronged half through one side of the cardboard box where you want the handle to be. Then d line up the other half of Box Buddy with the prongs and push them together. You do have to push hard to make a good, clean cut out. Box-Buddy stores easily and is priced under $10! I spoke to the guy who invented it, Lionel Robitaille. Do you know I always talk about how expensive it is to bring a product to market? Lionel spent $250,000 so far! So if you need a Box-Buddy, it would be great if you bought one soon!

Here’s the company’s website, complete with demo: www.box-buddy.ca

And here’s a place on Ebay that sells them for $9.99:

http://www.amazon.com/BOX-BUDDY-HANDLE-CUTTER/dp/B001DECWGW

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw909

The Sansa Clip gets a great update!

The new version is the Sansa Clip+, as in “Plus”. It has a 1.5” LCD display and it’s still small. About 2” high, 1.4 wide and .6” thin. It weighs only 0.9 oz. A nice new improvement is the addition of a memory card slot. It accepts blank microSD and microSDHC memory cards (up to 8GB) for endless recording with the built in mic or from the built-in digital FM Tuner. This new model is also slotRadio Music card-ready. That means you can buy 1,000-song albums from San Disk for about $40 each. The songs are Billboard compilations in categories like Rock, Music of the 70’s, Daily Mix, etc. These songs cannot be copied but hey, you’re paying about 4 cents per song! (See the slot music website for full details.)  On a single charge San Disk says you should get about 15 hours of battery life. (There are 2, 4 & 8 GB models available.)  It ships with ear buds, USB cable and owner's manual. And yes the new clip still includes a clip that lets you attach the MP3 player to a pocket, backpack or purse strap. PC and Mac compatible. The 4GB model is available at Best Buy for $49.95.  

Here’s info on slot music cards:

http://sandisk.com/consumer-products/music-player.aspx

Here’s the link to the Clip+ on the San Disk website:

http://www.sandisk.com/products/sansa-music-and-video-players/sandisk-sansa-clipplus-mp3-player-.aspx

Best Buy has it:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9448537&type=product&id=1218106627473 

From Logitech, a new mouse that can even work on glass!

Leo & I love the Logitech Nano mouse. Heck I did as the gadget of the day a long time back, and about a year later, Leo did it! Well the Nano has been replaced with a mouse that looks very similar but has some brand new technology. I never knew that optical and laser mice used irregularities in the work surface to keep track of exactly where it is. (With all the junk & dust on my desk I thought it would hinder, not help a mouse know where it was!) It turns out there aren't enough irregularities or “points of reference” on clear glass for the standard mouse to work. That was until now. Logitech has introduced a new technology called Darkfield Laser Tracking. They use two lasers, which are aimed in a V shape to reveal microscopic details, even in class glass. Those lasers allow the new Anywhere Mouse to track on glass desktops that leaves other mice lost. And there’s another new feature called the Logitech Unifying Receiver. It’s great for people who are using other Logitech wireless devices. This newest version USB receiver can connect up to 6 compatible devices. Perfect if you use a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse, or even more than one Logitech mouse. The receiver is still one of the smallest on the market. It’s so small you can probably leave it plugged into your laptop when you put it into its travel bag. (But it also has it own place inside the mouse for travel.) Price is $79.99. Because it came out early September, I only found a discount of $5 on Amazon. But do a web search before you buy for the latest lowest price. 

Logitech Anywhere Mouse: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/349/6094&cl=us,en?WT.ac=mb|6170||hp&creative=16528|Darkfield

The Anywhere Mouse Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw913

This new mouse means the Logitech Nano will be greatly reduced soon. If you don’t need a mouse that operates on glass, check out the Nano Netcast:

http://gizwizbiz.squarespace.com/daily_giz_wiz_gadgets/2009/6/8/the-logitech-vx-nano-yes-again.html

Kids as young as 3 can get into the digital age!

Here’s a fun tech toy: Leap Frog Text & Learn. This new toy looks like an oversized PDA. Just like the parents have. (And maybe if the kids have their very own PDA, they won’t try to play with the real one. Leap Frog says 1 out of every 10 kids get a hold of the parent’s PDA at one time or another. Some PDA’s have been found in the toilet! Ugh!) Text & Learn is brightly colored and has built in games. There’s even a QWERTY keyboard. Kids can send a text message which really doesn’t go anywhere, but is acknowledged by Scout, the built in puppy dog! Scott can also send messages to your child. It has sound so Scott can talk to your child. Kids can check Scout's planner to see what his week entails and more in the pretend browser mode. Other learning modes offer practice with letter matching and shape identification. There are also silly animations and sound effects. I enjoyed playing the “break the letter balloon” game. Scout announces a letter and you have to pop the balloon that has that letter on it before it floats off the top of the screen. Heck, it kept me interested for several hours! If they want, parents can connect to the online Leap Frog Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand their child’s learning. It’s available at Amazon.com and Toys R Us for $21.99.

http://www.leapfrog.com/en/preschool_toys/text_learn.html

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw914  

The People Who Came Up With Gorilla Pod, Comes Gorilla Torch.

Gorilla Torch, made by Joby, the folks who brought you the Gorilla Pod. (In case you don’t remember, the Gorilla Pod is a flexible mini tripod. You can bend the legs in any direction, like around poles, benches, branches, etc. It's a quick and easy way to hold your point ‘n shoot camera in place for self-portraits when no one's around. Gorilla Torch is similar, expect a flashlight replaces your camera. The Torch, however does not unscrew, or come off. So now you can wrap this flashlight (or: “torch”) around anything to hold it in place with the beam facing the way you want it. (This is assuming you don’t have a Giz Wiz LED baseball cap!) The “Torch” is a super-bright LED light with a built in dimmer. Joby says it’s weatherproof and shockproof. The adjustable intensity light can be turned up full to 65 lumens, which is really bright! The average battery life is 20-80 hours depending on how bright a light you use. Another neat feature are the magnetic footpads. That means you can hook it on to a refrigerator or car door. And if you drop something metallic you can use one of the feet to retrieve it!  It’s powered by 3 AA batteries, which are included. $29.99. It will be available mid-September 2009.

http://joby.com/gorillatorch/features

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw916