Gadgets

[SEAL]

Hello TW forum,

What gadget do you have, and would you recommend?
Is it the iphone touch that we all should buy?
Or the digital frame?

I'm hoping i've missed out on something sweet.

Currently as in gadgets i have
- the logitech (radio frequency) universal remote (model 895) (so tv + light dimmers)
- tvix (networked multi media tank which delivers 1080p to my screen)

what else is out there?

[Sufficient]

My brother got my dad a digital frame. It's nice ... but we don't seem to keep it on ... I guess to save energy.

[DoTheFandango]

i have this water
a preacher says it will cure anything.

[Fit of Rage]

I have an iPod touch which is basically an iPhone without the phone feature itself. It's pretty cool, if you can get wifi access, you can loop up google maps, internet sites, youtube videos, weather, all from one little device. Also has the standard things like contacts list, music, photos, videos, etc.

Edit: True story:

So I'm sitting in a restaurant in San Francisco and am going to a concert afterward. I realized I had the address to the show, but no clue about how to get there from where I was. Whipped out my iPod, got a wireless network (there are tons in big cities), accessed maps and viola, I had my directions. Made it to the show with plenty of time to spare. Very handy.

[Mr. Peanuts]

I love my unlocked iPhone. I hate Apple and their stupid liabilities with O2/AT&T, but you can't fault them when it comes to usability and quality. It's got so many features I've lost count, especially with all the apps you can get through jailbreak and also the App Store. Its a fantastic all-in-one device.

[MirrorriM]

I recently bought a TomTom GPS device. Since I just moved to a different state, it's been pretty helpful in finding places in my new city. Of course there is always mapquest or fit's phone to help you, but I think the on screen visual and voice commands are very helpful. It also makes spontaneous trips to wherever much more convenient.

I have the digital frame, uploaded some photos onto it, but havent given myself any time to figure out all the features. Maybe once I find a place for it it will be used.

My boyfriend recently bought the logitech remote too, but it doesnt have light dimmers. Best universal remote I've used; the only drawback for me is how far the "okay" button is from the pg up/pg dn and the other options on the screen.

[Galleleo]

So TomTom is in the US too? Man, those guys got rich QUICK.

[stark]

I recently bought a TomTom GPS device. Since I just moved to a different state, it's been pretty helpful in finding places in my new city. Of course there is always mapquest or fit's phone to help you, but I think the on screen visual and voice commands are very helpful. It also makes spontaneous trips to wherever much more convenient.

I have the digital frame, uploaded some photos onto it, but havent given myself any time to figure out all the features. Maybe once I find a place for it it will be used.

My boyfriend recently bought the logitech remote too, but it doesnt have light dimmers. Best universal remote I've used; the only drawback for me is how far the "okay" button is from the pg up/pg dn and the other options on the screen.

My mom has something like that... I'm not sure if it was a Tomtom or another expensive GPS mapping system, but I used it when I took my sister to a bus station.. We missed a turn and the thing automatically updated to the location where we were and gave us directions from the next exit (not turning around and going back the other direction to get off same exit in opposite direction)... shits crazy

[TagMor]

fm transmitters are fun

[Galleleo]

My mom has something like that... I'm not sure if it was a Tomtom or another expensive GPS mapping system, but I used it when I took my sister to a bus station.. We missed a turn and the thing automatically updated to the location where we were and gave us directions from the next exit (not turning around and going back the other direction to get off same exit in opposite direction)... shits crazy

If it is the TomTom you got, it always calculates the fastest route. If you miss an exit and the fastest route from there is to turn around and go back, it will tell you to turn around (and where to turn around, not just tell you to turn around whenever you please), but if the fastest route after missing the exit is a different route (for instance, no chance to turn around for another 500 metres so might as well drive a different route). The handy thing about this is that if you get to a road block because of work in progress or whatever you can just keep driving on until it gives you a different route (or of course just use the option to avoid a part of the route).

[Troll King]

BMW's motorcycle division has a new promotional campaign asking riders to record their routes on their GPS which, when seen from satellite or overlaid onto a Google Map, looks like a drawing.

Shameless plug:BMW campaign features GPS drawings

Clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFjX3iwlFKg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5NTO6hAUS8

[MirrorriM]

If it is the TomTom you got, it always calculates the fastest route. If you miss an exit and the fastest route from there is to turn around and go back, it will tell you to turn around (and where to turn around, not just tell you to turn around whenever you please), but if the fastest route after missing the exit is a different route (for instance, no chance to turn around for another 500 metres so might as well drive a different route). The handy thing about this is that if you get to a road block because of work in progress or whatever you can just keep driving on until it gives you a different route (or of course just use the option to avoid a part of the route).

Yeah this has been very helpful because sometimes it's hard to see where to turn. However, I have come across some downsides:

-No "nearest Mexican/Chinese/Italian/etc" search option, just have to hope the type of food is listed in the restaurant's name to find a specific food, or that the type of food you want is near you.
-I have come across a few dead ends, and adding a roadblock or anything to TomTom to make it realize that the street does not continue has failed. Even when I select "avoid part of route" to avoid it, sometimes TomTom keeps telling me to go the same way.
-Common stores not listed in POI list that I've searched for (point of interests): Albertsons, Hollywood Video, Home Depot, a car dealership, Mor furniture store, have all "not been found" in the POI database. (Even though my TomTom 720 claims to have over 6? million POI's).

There are still some good benefits though:

-phone number for the place pops up so you could call the place beforehand
-bluetooth enabled, which is nice since the hands-free cell phone use while driving law came into effect July 1. So if my phone rings, TomTom intercepts the call and I talk though it instead.
-can put music or pictures on TomTom
-(optional fees) like Traffic monitoring, where TomTom calculates the fastest route based on real-time traffic
-connects to a network at home where you have the option of updating your POI's free of charge and can update your POI list based on other people's map fixes and additions

-

[project dragon]

In our province, they are about to ban electronics while driving. Apparently that includes GPS systems, which seems to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. : \

[iKillburger]

In our province, they are about to ban electronics while driving. Apparently that includes GPS systems, which seems to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. : \

GPS's cause their fair share of accidents

[Pummel]

GPS's killed my family.