Just Another Gadget Blog

If you have Microsoft Silverlight, Watch the video below.

If you find your powerpoint presentations as being booring, no wow factor, that can change as Microsoft has released a collection of PowerPoint slide sets that show how you can push the envelope in slide design and get away from boring slides.

There directory deos not just have cool colors, amazing anamations and shemes but also tell you how each of them were created.

If you see a set in the collection that you’d like to not only use but learn how to make, download it and check out the attached notes—they’ll detail the creation process slide by slide like an elaborate tutorial.

Have a favorite tool or trick for spicing up your presentations? Let’s hear about it in the comments

Why Cant The Internet Be a Place For Gadgets?

These are ideas for websites i strolled across a few days ago. I thought i should share them with you.  The are all the modern gadgets that could evolve into huge websites. Why don’t you try making one of these websites.

U-hated

Social networking site which allows you to add your enemies, ex-girlfriends, companies, bands you hate, teams you hate to you profile.. The idea is that we find out who the most hated people are on the net and they get shamed with frontpage status..

Blank Website

I create a completely blank website with no content, no links, nothing on it. I then order reviews and pay for linkbacks to it and see how people react and if they accept/reject the review requests.. thus, i’ll find out who’s a money grabber and who actually cares about their readers, who they link to etc..

Super Teddy

I buy a teddy, then post him to someone in a different country. That person then posts the teddy to another person in another country and so on.. all the time, the teddy is pictured at famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Statue of Liberty etc.. and the pictures and blog entries (more…)

With Christmas fast approaching, we have searched the web to find you the top 10 gifts under £10.

1. IR Cyber Flyer
The Cyber Flyer is a great way to lighten up the office; you simply control the height of the cyber flyer.

A 20-25min charge gives a flying time of 10mins, and it is charged from the charging dock and it is extremely durable.

Price: £9.92
Source: RED5 IR Cyber Flyer

2. Sudoku loo Roll
There are times when we sit down alone, with our hands free and nothing too taxing to do with our brains. You could go through those mag’s you’ve read a hundred times or plays on you’re smart phone you got last Christmas. But, what about your guests, what do they do? I’d suggest going for something long, strong and flushable and under a tenner…

Price: £4.99
Source: iwantoneofthose Suduku Loo Rolls

3. 3 in 1 Laser Pen

Ever been in a large meeting room doing a presentation, has walking in front of the projector blinded you or do you know someone who has? This multifunctional Laser pen is great for presentations with its built in laser diode and a blue LED

• Batteries included
• Blue LED Flashlight
• Red laser pointer
• Smooth, black ink pen
• Lights can be used together or independently

Price: £7.00
Source: RED5 3-in-1 Laser Pen

4. Tao Digital Photo Keychain

Price: £9.99
Source: Firebox Tao Digital Photo Keychain

Sainsburys in association with Channel 4 bought you a glimpse of the future of TV with a week of 3D TV.

As this will be the future, here is a bit of history of 3D.

1894: A patent for 3D movie process using a stereoscope is filed by Willian Friese-Greene (a British film pioneer)

1922: The power of Love was the first ever film to be shot in 3D

1952: Bwana Devil is release, this was the first ever feature lengh 3D film.

1953: House of Was, directed by Andre de Toth was the first ever stereo soundtrack 3D file is released by Warner Bros’.

Other features: Flesh of Frankenstein (1973), The Polar Express (2004), Chicken Little (2005)

2009: Caraline, Monsters vs. Alians, Ice Age 3, Up, G-Force, Avatar etc… The list is goes on. Also, amateur video has started to appear on YouTube.

We have had a preview of the future in your living room thanks to Channel 4, let’s see what 2010 holds for 3D. More movies, programms and also 3D gaiming…

I’m ready for the next dimension, ARE YOU?

With the smart phones dominating the market and most blogs, here are some tips for the simple man looking for a good (non-smart) mobile phone.

1. Camera
If you love taking pictures but don’t want to carry a digi-cam, then go for a phone with a xenon rather than LED lens with auto-focus and flash. Bust most importantly go for something with more than five mega-pixels.

2. Capacity (memory)
If you love listening to music and don’t want to carry an iPod, or again love taking pictures, memory will play a key part. Go for a phone which has a removable memory card so you can upgrade to more memory if required. Alternatively, make sure the phone comes with at least 8GB built-in memory.

3. Connectivity
WI-FI and HSDPA gives you high speed internet connectivity. 3G will give you internet on the move. If hands free is important any Bluetooth phone will do. If you love music and want to stream it wirelessly make sure you have A2DP connectivity.

4. Battery Life
A big screen, 3G, WI-FI, music and phone calls drains all batteries. Check the manufactures quoted battery life and then half it.

Ever searched the internet for music, just to listen. You have search search search for it and end up in missery. A new web app, GrooveShark, basicly incorporates amost the songs in one site. With its extensable layout and its frendley search anyone can basicly use it.

[GrooveShark]

With so many smartphones on the market what are the top 4…

1. Apple iPhone 3GS
This isn’t a phone, it’s a computer. Apple is way ahead of the market but with Google and Anroid on the case they need to keep upping the ante. All this means better smart phones for us… wuhoo

Read more on the iPhone

2. HTC Hero a.k.a G2 Touch

HTC have produced a multi-touch interface powered phone that can really give the iPhone something to worry about. Also, the internet base apps are brilliant.

3. HTC Touch Pro2
With its 3.6in touch-screen, full QWERTY keyboard and speakerphone, this phone is probably the best business phone yet that will rock any meeting.

4. Blackberry Bold 9000
Blackberry may be the choice for multi-national cooperation business but they have now made a brave attempt appealing to the like of you and I. With a bright half-VGA screen, GPS, HSDPA and its amazing email functionality they have done a good job.

Oh yes, Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone manufacture does not make the list. You never know, with Nokia introducing the OVI things may change and lets hope the Nokia E71 lives up to the expectation.

Personally I would suggest rather than chasing Apple in the courts for patent infringement, just do the same to them and copy the iPhone 3GS.

Ever tried using youtube on your TV? Its allot of pain in the backside. Many more people are hooking up thier pc’s to thier TV, but some sites are designed like you’re sitting at your computer desk not on your living room couch. Youtube XL is Couch Freindly.

Many people are sporting HTPCs these days—media computers hooked up to their televisions—but some sites are designed like you’re sitting at your computer desk not on your living room couch. YouTube XL makes YouTube couch-friendly.

YouTube XL presents common YouTube options in a large display format for easy navigation without having to read a tiny font 20 feet across your living room. You can quickly navigate to spotlighted, top rated, and most viewed categories. Clicking on “More…” also gives you quick access to rising videos, most favorites, most discussed, and more.

You can also set the next video in your search results or viewing category to start playing when the current one ends and filter out content not suitable for minors. If you’ve been annoyed by the tiny fonts and buttons when trying to use YouTube in a living room setup, YouTube XL is a great way to access YouTube in a couch-friendly format.

Have another great site or tool for accessing streaming video on from the comfort of your living room? Let’s hear about it in the comments.

[YouTube XL]

Channel 4’s 3D week is on 16th November and they have partnered with Sainsbury’s to distributing the required 3D glasses.

Get yours instore, available from 4 November to 22 November 2009

[Source: Sainsbury's FREE 3D Glasses]

When we thought you could not get  thinner than an Apple MacBook Air, think again…

Dell has combined the avant garde Adamo line with the XPS brand  to take the title as the slimmest laptop around.

It may not be the lightest but it is taking the title as the thinnest with the bulge being only 10.3 mm. This is even thinner than the iPhone 3G which stands at 12.3 mm or to get this into perspective get a CD jewel case you’ve probably got floating around the office or your house and the imagine a laptop being thinner.

Launched in the US, Dell have not cut all corners, they have moved the keyboard about 100mm from the hinge but they have packed it with a 1.4GHz Core2 Duo ULV CPU, 4GB of 800MHz DDR3 memory and a 128GB SSD. Unfortunately the 13.4in LED display is powered by an Intel integrated graphics chip.

It does come with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit making full use of the 4GB of memory and the dell multi-touch touchpad.

I can’t wait to get my hands on the XPS Adamo, keep visiting us to find out when it is coming out in the UK.  It’s already added to my 2010 wish list and lets hope you can buy it without an operating system. I’m liking the Ubuntu 9.10, this could be a real alternative to Windows.

Vital Stats: Apple MacBook Air vs. The Dell XPS Adamo

Apple MacBook Air
Height: 4 -19.4 mm
Width: 325 mm
Depth: 227 cm
Weight: 1.36 kg

Dell XPS Adamo
Height: 9.7 – 10.3 mm
Width: 340 mm
Depth: 273.9 mm
Weight: 1.44 kg