Tech for Tots - Kid-Friendly Gadgets

Today on the show I shared about a number of devices made specifically for the young set...

Smart Kid’s Party Fun Pack / UFO Interactive Games for Nintendo DS

Tired of chasing Mario aimlessly around the racetrack? Bored of the never-ending quest to save humanity from evil-doers everywhere? Looking for a game suitable for boys, girls and their siblings? UFO Interactive Games offers a simple, kid-friendly and rewarding game pack featuring 36 casual and skill-based mini-games for Nintendo’s portable game system. Pre-order now on Amazon.com.



flyPhone and glowPhone / Firefly
“Pay-as-you-go wireless for kids”
With fun and easy-to-use phones perfect for the youngster, the pair of options from Firefly starts with the basic glowPhone (pink or black) for $50 that makes and receives phone calls (go figure, right?) using a pre-programmed (and PIN-protected) address book – and sports built-in games and wallpapers. For twice the price parents can equip their grade-schoolers with text messaging and MP3 playback in the flyPhone.

Firefly Mobile flyPhone | Firefly Mobile glowPhone

Learn-Anything Site TeachStreet.com Adds Portland!

Ever wish you could learn something new?

(I'm a difficult person to teach -- I blame the ADD.)

With a simple premise, a new website hits Portland this weekend. After a successful launch in Seattle earlier this year, startup TeachStreet.com looks forward to revolutionizing how you learn about, connect with, and ultimately review area teachers.

Future students visiting the site are presented two search boxes. One for the subject matter you’d like to learn and another the city where you’d like to find instruction.

CEO Dave Schapell tells me they’ve combed the Internet, course offerings catalogs, and directories to catalog every available class they could find – putting it all online for the Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA communities – some 30,000 classes in all.

And teachers can get in on the action too. If you’ve got something to teach, or are good at – well, anything – you can list your services, prices, and class offerings online. (The site welcomes anything from 1:1 instruction services to more traditional classroom offerings.) Right now it’s free for teachers to list and students to search.

Now while I doubt anyone will have time to attend all 30,000 classes – it’s good to know the next time I need a Rumba refresher or a splash of Spanish – there are folks in my area ready to teach... even me.

Listen to this report, originally broadcast on KXL-AM Friday Aug 1: kxl_techexpert-teachstreetcom_20080801.mp3 (MP3)

Remember, the site launches this weekend, so if TeachStreet.com doesn’t find a class you’re looking for try searching in Seattle to get an idea of how the site works and check back... Dave promises it will be up-and-running by Monday.

iPhone: Pricing Details Announced

AT&T today announced detailed iPhone 3G pricing causing more confusion than clarification.

You recall Steve Jobs' announcing the iPhone 3G at "twice the data, half the price". Well, we quickly learned given higher-priced data plans, the true cost (over the "life" of your contract) was actually slightly higher. Many, including myself, rationalized this as faster data speeds at an increased fee.

Today's announcement sought to clarify just exactly who would receive the touted $199/$299 iPhone 3G device pricing. There are three prices based on your status:

$199 (8GB) / $299 (16GB):

• Original iPhone customer before July 11, 2008


• New customer to AT&T (i.e. move from another carrier)


• Adding a line of service (say, a second phone)


• AT&T Customer qualified for an upgrade (you've done the time)

$399 (8GB) / $499 (16GB):

• AT&T (non-iPhone) Customer not eligible for upgrade

$599 (8GB) / $699 (16GB) - not immediately available:

• Any customer without contract requirement

This is how I understand the pricing scheme. If you read AT&T's information differently, let me know.

I suspect most users will fall in to the first camp. For instance, I'm a T-Mobile customer planning to switch to AT&T. If I were under contract with T-Mobile I'd pay a standard $200 early termination fee. AT&T's own customers under contract will pay a similar higher price to "get out of" their existing commitment to switch to the new iPhone.

The real advantage here goes to the current iPhone users. They are upgrading at the same price meant to attract new customers while only renewing (not adding to) their previous contract commitment. I can only imagine the uproar we'd hear if AT&T didn't recognize current iPhone users' commitment with the $199/$299 pricing.

Footnote: Don Reisinger gives his take on the iPhone 3G pricing in his IT World column. He and I spoke on his Digital Home Podcast about iPhone pricing a few weeks ago. In his column Don writes:

"According to the company, only those people that purchased an iPhone before July 11, want to activate a new line, and are eligible for an upgrade discount, will be allowed to purchase the iPhone 3G for $199 or $299. For the rest of you suckers, you’ll be doling out a whopping $399 for the 8GB model and $499 for the 16GB model.

As I mentioned to Don via. chat a few minutes ago, the "and" (bold added above) should actually be an "or". Hopefully this will be corrected soon. (Kinda changes things, don'tcha think?)

Podcast: Talking iPhone News w/CNET's Don Reisinger

Take a listen to Episode 19 of Don Reisinger's C|NET Digital Home Podcast where I appeared as a guest talking iPhone news and our impressions of last week's WWDC keynote by Steve Jobs.

If you like what you hear, give me a shout-out... and if you'd like me to be a guest on your podcast, TV show, or radio segment -- happy to lend my tech banter to your show! Drop me a line.

PRSA **Technology** Award Submissions: Audio Tapes... ehh?

Every once in awhile I receive an email that thoroughly perplexes me... Today's cranium-scratcher is from an organization I probably should have heard of: The Public Relations Society of America. According to their website, they are "Advancing the Profession and the Professional."

The invitation (and humor) begins:

If you or one of your editorial colleagues wrote and published something in the past year that seems worthy of reward and recognition, you should read this letter and consider entering your work. The Technology Professional Interest Section of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has extended its Call for Entries for its 2007 Excellence in Technology Journalism Awards competition, and the final deadline for submission is now June 27, 2008.

Reading further, I stumbled across the following quiz: Why, in a call for submissions for the "2007 Excellence in Journalism Awards" would they require radio and TV submissions to be made using audio cassette and VHS tape (we'll assume respectively). Rule #8 states:

8. Radio and TV segments must be submitted in audio cassette tape or VHS version (five (5) copies) tape form, along with hard copies of a written script or transcript.

I'm looking forward to learning how this organization is advancing a profession by using two-generation-old technology for their technology awards submissions. [For the sake of discussion: I'm defining "generations" as: cassette/VHS -> CD/DVD -> MP3/Digital video (i.e. online).]

I don't even own a casette player or VHS deck anymore. Sad. I guess I'm not qualified? (Not that my work would stand up to the great tech reporting that won prior years anyway.)

Perhaps, folks, this might explain why it was necessary to extend the deadline??

Your responses welcome -- in any format! ;-)

iPhone 3G: Half-price (sorta), 2X Speed, adds GPS

It's official!

Perhaps the worst-kept secret in the history of product launches made its debut on the stage at Apple's World-Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco today. The phone that took the world by storm a year ago has finally met its match: iPhone 3G.

Sporting a built-in GPS receiver, extended battery life and a faster 3G data connection, the new phone is expected to win over new iPhone adopters and those looking for an upgrade. An iPhone 3G is half the price of the previous model at $199 for an 8GB version in black and $299 for double the memory available in black or white. The phone goes on sale Friday, July 11.

Update: With the iPhone 3G, the AT&T data plan goes from $20 to $30/month. So doing the math, $10 extra * 24 months = $240 over the two-year contract... the basic model is $199, add in the $240 and you're back where you started. That said I -- I suspect like many eager buyers -- will be happy to pay the $10 extra for faster data speeds, but it's definitely something to consider.

We'll keep an eye on additional details on the phone, and related accessories, including a complete wrap-up of today's announcements on this blog and on Newsradio 750 KXL.

Are you planning to upgrade? Have you been waiting for the new iPhone 3G? What feature are you most excited about? Send your comments to techexpert (AT) brianwestbrook (DOT) com.

Gadgets for Dads & Grads

With Father's Day coming up on June 15, and Graduations dominating the month of June, it seems appropriate to take a look at gifts for both late-Spring gifting occasions (feel free to repurpose these as wedding gifts as well!).

Passport Elite - Western Digital
"Pocket-sized USB hard drive great for backups"
I'm a big fan of these pocket-sized drive. I first discovered the 160GB version at my local Warehouse store and instantly found plenty of uses: backup, photo archival, and transfering large files. They're now up to twice the capacity, hover around the $100 mark -- and are now available in a dozen brilliant colors. They make a perfect gift for any photographer, digital videographer, or computer user looking for an easy backup solution (and who doesn't need a good backup solution!). ($130, Amazon.com)

Exilim EX-S10 digital camera – Casio
"Slim camera takes YouTube videos"
I've been a fan of Casio's digital Exilim's card-sized digital cameras for some time, owning a handful of different models. The latest generation, the EX-S10, sports a handy YouTube video mode – and makes sharing video clips a breeze. With a super-slim design this digital camera will find its way into any pocket or purse, guaranteeing you'll always have it handy to capture those moments. ($250, casio.com)

High Definition DVD Handycam (HDR-UX20) -- Sony
“HD camcorder recognizes faces”
Sony knocks one out of the park with a lineup of new high definition camcorders. Available with hard drives (look ma, no tape!) or small DVD discs, the newest Handycams are packed with high-tech features. A face detection mode spots up to eight faces while capturing video or taking photos and optimizes your skin tone. With high-power zoom and full high definition quality – your child’s home run never looked so good! ($990, SonyStyle stores or online)

Nike + iPod Sports Kit
"Track your summer run outdoors"
The two-part kit (a transmitter for your shoelaces, a receiver that plugs into your iPod Nano) monitors your pace, time, distance -- even calories burned -- and then uploads this information online to track your progress. It works with any iPod Nano and the online site allows you to challenge your workout buddies to a virtual race. ($29, Apple stores or Amazon.com)

TravelSound i50 Portable Speakers -- Creative
“Small speaker with big sound”
Snap your iPod Shuffle on top and clip these portable speakers to your beach bag. Be prepared for a surprisingly big sound from tiny battery-powered speakers! It’ll charge your Shuffle with either the included power adapter or a USB cable, but sadly, doesn’t double as a dock. ($50, creative.com)