Tech Radio Notes August 4,2007

Your Stocks Tether Free

It has been a prolonged wait to see Ambient Devices' promise of "thin data" wireless devices finally come to life, but that does not mean all the charm has gone from idea. Case in point: this here Market Maven, which Ambient Devices is prepping to launch in September, might not do anything you can't already do with your Optimus Mini Three or even a desktop widget, but there's an undeniable beauty to the thing all the same. Of course, you might quickly forget how great this guy looks when you realize that all it can do is pull the DJIA, NASDAQ and S&P 500 activity every 15 minutes, tell you if the market is open, and let you know the time. That makes it hard to justify the $125 price, but the good news is that after you slap a few AAAs in this guy, it'll do its thing configuration free, with no internet connection or subscriptions to hassle with -- data comes courtesy of Ambient Devices' own Infocast Network, which reaches about 90% of US households. Oh well, we're still loving the umbrella.

Gadget of the Day

Timex Ironman Icontrol watch

Timex has now finally gotten all official with its iPod-controlling Ironman iControl watch. As has already been revealed, the watch uses an RF transmitter to let you control all the basic functions of your iPod (or iPhone in airplane mode), which'll let you keep it safely tucked away during your workout (or other less athletic activities). Otherwise, you'll get some fairly standard sport watch features, including a 50-lap memory recall chronograph, a training log, various timers and alarms and, of course, Indiglo backlighting. You'll also get your choice of gray/black, pink, blue, orange or green color schemes, with each setting you back $125.

Reviews for the Day

Sanyo scp-3100. This phone is good for its price $0 (with a two year contract with Sprint). It has a lot of basic features that makes this phone ok for just using it as a phone. It has a vga camera, speakerphone, hearing aid compatible, and it has a 2.8 inch screen. The menu on the phone is just plain normal.

Juicebox Player-. O.k. this is where it gets interesting. What do you get when you compile a mp3 player, video player, and picture viewer. A zune. No a juicebox. This player has a 3 inch screen, it plays video cartridges, plus your own music and photos. It also comes with a 32mb secure digital card or SD card, a card reader, usb cable, headphones, and a software disk. All in all it is a good purchase. Although, to put video on their you would have to buy another card.