IL2007: Gadgets, Gadgets, & Gaming

IL2007: Gadgets, Gadgets, & Gaming
Presenters: Aaron Schmidt, Barbara Fullerton, Sabrina Pacifici, Erik Boekesteign, Jaap van de Geer

The presentation started out with the gadget session.  Below is a list of the gadgets they covered.
Wi-Fi Detector Shirt: www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/991e/  shows signal strength and the animated decal is removable.  $29.99
Asustek Internet Radio (AIR):connects using a standard LAN connection and provides access to 10,000 radio stations $27
Biggest Storage Capacity: 64 gigabit chips could be used to make 128 gugabyte cards
Archos 404 camcorder: $300
Palm Centro: $399 without any service agreement, $99 with instant discount and mail-in rebate and a two-year agreement.  Has a two-inch touchscreen and Palm OS
iPhone: price has been cut to $299-$399
Wireless SMS Keyboard: makes SMSing easy, not ready yet for purchase
Mandylion Password Manager: Managers up to 50 login records, keyfob that looks like a car remote control, generates crytopgraphically strong passwords, has tamper-resistant features and lockout alarms, Windows only, has a self-destruct feature, $49.99
Cable Cat: keeps your mouse cable from getting tangled $7
Canon Snap Concept: not on the market yet, but a really small camera that you wear as a ring, with a one-button interface
Sunray SX2: solar powered golf cart, recharges its batteries in the sun through roof-mounted solar panels, www.cruisecarinc.com, $7,000
Blackjack Cell phone: mobile OS, 1.3 pixel camera, calendar needs work, phone is good, can download media, $199
Meebo Firefox Sidebar: free add-on to Firefox that lets you IM through your browser sidebar
Touchscreen Wireless Patient Forms Clipboard: bacteria resistant touchpad to use in the doctor's office to fill out your medical forms, www.phreesia.com, free to participating doctors
MyGo Cane: Potential to replace seeing eye dogs, cane with a wheel at the bottom, has a smart sensor and a camera, made of waterproof material and will be height adjustable, not yet unavailable
Format War Update: Blu-ray Disc is outselling HD-DVD 2-1
e-ink Based eBook Readers: Sony Reader PRS-505, thin and flat, 192MB, $300, www.jr.com
iGo Everywhere85: for mobile users, can charge all your devices together through one device, $129.99
Vudu: Broadband set top box, movie rental service through the internet, works like Netflix but through downloadable media, $249 for the box and $0.99-$9.99 for movies
Star Wars footwarming slippers: $34.99, www.thinkgeek.com
HP: Cloudprint: lets you print mobile, can go to any printer in the US that runs HP and print out the documents you've sent to your account, no charge
SKitch: screen grab tool, OSX only, is in beta only, and is free (Jing is a good alternative for PC users)
iPod Video Goggles: project a virtual 24 inch TV-screen, no cables or battery or power packs, connect your video iPod to it, $199.99
Instant Messaging: there is not much difference between the 35-50 different applications, no charge
Wireless iTMS: wirelessly enabled iPod you can download music from the wireless iTunes store wherever you have a wireless connection
Pop-open Cafe: a mobile cafe--possibility of running a small library branch out of something like this
Recycling Washer and Dryer: compact design, can carry it around, not for sale yet
Gidget Gadget Case: recycled MP3 cacses made out of old billboards, $28
Wattson: monitors energy use, collects stats online, $300
Solar Charged Electro Bike: Marcus Levison-Hays Electrobike Pi, can run on pure pedal power, pedal/electric, or fully motorized, $7,200
Canon Rebel XT: uses 35% less friendly than their other models, is self-cleaning, 13 percent lighter, $480
Blackle: all black interface to Google that uses less power when viewed on CRTs
GreenPrint software: eliminates wasteful pages in any printout, saves time money and trees, also has a PDF writer, average family saves $90 in paper and ink yearly, $30-$75
Staple-less Staplers: dog and cat shaped $5.99 and $7.99
One laptop per child: designed by MIT's Media Lab, hand-cranked power, wireless, etc., $200/computer

The gentlemen from the Delft Public Library in the Netherlands (Erik, Jaap, Edo, and Geert) had matching Library Bureau of Investigation t-shirts (in two styles--black with a matte silver and black with a shiny silver).  They were also kind enough to bring me one of their shirts (in a girlie cut too!).  My goodness.  What a flattering piece of happiness!  They told us how they used a device to send out automated SMS messages to anyone who went through the library's entrance giving them instructions on how to use SMS to enter a contest to win a prize (the iPod Touch).  They offer a screen on their library's wall, called the Library on the Run, that lets users download content (audiobooks, eBooks, whatever) through BluTooth.  This is something that they are currently experimenting with.  They are next looking at creating a mobile website with the ability to download all of this content.  Next they showed a video of the Dutch libraries and some of what they are doing.  Some of the subjects highlighted are services for mobile phones, making places for people to socialize and what they need to do digitally, and gaming.  Next, they showed us a movie of their tour of libraries from the east coast to the west coast: www.shanachietour.com.  They showed mini-movies of their experiences in different cities with different libraries, endign with a live taping here at the conference center for the last stage.  I WANT TO MOVE TO EUROPE NOW.  PLEASE?  :)