Netbooks come of age!

Acer, which has an impressive share of the Netbook market, has come up with another winner. The Aspire One AO751h features a big and bright 11.6-inch high-definition LED-backlit wide-screen (16:9 ratio) display. The keyboard feels like a regular computer keyboard because on this Netbook it is full-sized. There’s even a soft-touch palm rest to increase typing comfort. It pretty much has every feature you’ll need. An integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam & mic means you can use Skype to keep in touch with the family; even show them things you bought on your trip. With the 6-cell battery Acer says you can expect up to hours of use. You can carry a heck of a lot of documents, photos, etc. with a 160 GB hard drive. It even has a multi-format memory card reader. Finally there’s built in Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), and three USB ports. This model comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows XP. This is my first Netbook and I wasn’t sure how many of my favorite programs I could run. Most critical for me when I travel is Slingbox, so I can watch my home cable box on the road. It loaded and works fine. Next I downloaded Skype, another important took for staying in touch. Skype worked fine too. And with the built in camera & mic I didn’t need to bring anything extra along. I’m liking this Acer Netbook a lot! Weight is 2.75 pounds and it comes in four great colors. Mines blue.This is a heck of Netbook for under $350.00.

http://www.acer.us/showrooms/aspireone/ 

Do you eat too fast? This can slow you down!

For years you’ve heard that if you slow down while eating, you won’t eat so much. True or not, here’s something that will slow down even the fastest eater and give them a bit of exercise at the same time! The Knife and Fork Lift is a combination of utensils and dumbbells! Yep you read that right! These dumbbell utensils can serve as a constant reminder that eating puts weight on and requires exercise to take it off. Lifting food with these utensils is like doing curls with dumbbells because each one weighs: 1.5 lbs! So if you’re cutting a piece of steak you’re working with 3 pounds of stainless steel. Knife and Fork Lift’s inventor, Tom Madden says. “Everybody approaches it as a joke, but when you think about it, it does require you to eat more slowly.” Eating more slowly, say health experts, allows the brain time to register feelings of satiety, resulting in eating less. That's when Tom came up with a knife and fork encased in a dumbbell-shaped handle. Since I try everything I talk about, I ate with these things and you definitely feel that you're moving some weight around! (Just don't drop one on a china plate!)They’re beautifully made and can be used a table centerpiece if you don’t want to actually use them. They can stand on end as a silent reminder to slow down and chew! Heck, there's even a medical warning on the company site! $19.95, plus $6.95 shipping and handling.

www.knifeandforklift.com

Hear your favorite tunes from your MP3 in the shower - safely!

So you like to sing in the shower and you like to sing along with the music you have on your iPod or other MP3 player. Taking your music player into the shower is not a good idea because 99% of them should not be exposed to water. A new product solves the problem of hearing your MP3 music in the shower. The SPI Wireless Shower Speakers with Anti-Fog Mirror, FM Radio and LCA Clock (Analog) has a very long name. And it also has some clever features. It lets you enjoy your favorite music from your MP3 player, iPod, or any personal audio device in the shower from up to 30 feet away. It uses an FM transmitter system to broadcast your favorite tunes into the shower speaker from a nice dry spot. The two stereo speakers are small, but they provide decent sound for their size. Hey it’s the shower, not your living room. The splash-proof shower receiver includes FM radio, an LCA (Analog) clock, and a fog-free mirror, perfect for grooming while your grooving. It has a variety of mounting options: suction cups, built-in vanity stand and built-in brackets. You get the main unit and the wireless transmitter with a cable that plugs into your MP3 player’s headphone jack. Between the two wireless units you’ll need 7 AAA batteries, which are not included. I did play with this unit, but not long enough to judge battery life. “List price is $39.95, but it’s widely available for $29.95. This is a reasonable price in my estimation for the features included.

Company website: http://www.spiinc-tx.com/

Bed Bath & Beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=16272582&RN=182

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw878

If you love wine, you just may want to know about this new product.

I am not a wine connoisseur. I mean I know the difference between a red wine and a white wine, but only by the color. A lot of wine I buy comes with a screw off cap, except for the ones that come in a box. Got the picture? But I do know that many different wines are supposed to breathe for better flavor. I'm been told that letting wine breathe can take up to an hour or more, so for this ‘instant society’, we now have the Vinturi Wine Aerator. Actually there are two of them, one for red and one for white. I did a blind-fold taste test with a few friends and all guessed the better tasting wine were the ones I had poured through the Vinturi Wine Aerator, so it does work. Here’s some more info from the company that will be of interest for wine lovers:

The Vinturi Essential White Wine Aerator delivers a better bouquet, enhanced flavors and smoother finish to your favorite Chardonnay, Viognier or Sauvignon Blanc. When wine is poured in the Vinturi Essential White Wine Aerator, its design creates an increase in the wine's velocity and a decrease in its pressure. This pressure difference draws in air, which is mixed with wine for perfect aeration. Sample the nose. You'll appreciate the subtle aromatic differences and the full aroma of the wine, and you'll notice that the wine is more flavorful and has better mouthfeel. The Vinturi Essential White Wine Aerator is made of acrylic; it comes with a no-drip stand and a travel pouch. Both the Vinturi Essential White Wine Aerator and stand is dishwasher safe, as is the travel pouch that comes with the product. Red wine has it’s own special Red Wine Aerator. The company has a list of dozen of wineries that use the Aerator in their tasting rooms, which sounds like a pretty good recommendation. Under $40.

www.vinturi.com

Hear my Netcast on this product: www.twit.tv/dgw868

A flashlight that uses no battery & should last your entire life!

You are going to love this flashlight! (But I'll tell you up front. It's expensive.) It uses no batteries. And if it’s dead when you pick it up -- in just 90 seconds, the Light for Life goes from zero to fully charged! That’s because this flashlight is powered by ultra capacitors and computer circuitry. Ultra capacitors quickly load energy and then quickly unload it — the same way the flash works in most cameras. It contains 3 LED’s rated for more than 50,000 hours each (that’s 40 hours a week for more than 24 years) so there’s nothing to replace on the Light for Life. Ever. It operates a bit differently from a normal flashlight too. Click the button once and the light operates for 60 minutes in standard mode, which is 90 lumens. Then it gradually reduces intensity to the 25-lumen standby mode for an additional 60 minutes. This mode gives adequate light for most applications and is similar to the output of most 2-D cell flashlights. Or you can press and hold the button for a full 15 minutes at the 270-lumen peak mode, followed by 60 minutes of 25-lumen standby light. This mode is effective when a burst is needed to light a large area or to throw the beam a long distance. If you press the button twice, the light will produce a 270 lumen tactical strobe used to instantly illuminate objects in a dark space, signal others or disorient a perpetrator. Yes, when the company talks about disorienting a perpetrator you can see who this flashlight is aimed at: Police, military, and industrial customers. Of course no matter what mode, when you run out of power, a quick 90 seconds on the charger, and you’re ready to go again. The Light for Life can be plugged into a car lighter or an AC electrical outlet. It comes with the 12-volt charger. The AC charger is an option. The company says their Flashpoint Power Technology system is rated for 50,000 charge/discharge cycles with virtually no degradation. That’s a charge a day for more than 135 years! Okay, ready for the price? $169.99. This is a very hot new product and it was on backorder two days after the first announcement in June. You can check their website for the latest ordering info.

http://www.511tactical.com/lightforlife.html

Hear a Netcast on this product: www.twit.tv/dgw871