If you are reading this, chances are you shop on the Internets, and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Internets is a series of tubes infested with ebil hackers who wants to jack your stuffs.  Enter the SmartSwipe, a tiny black plastic Personal Credit Card Reader and Secure Online Shopping Assistant complete with excessively bright blue LED lights.  But enough conjecture…

Immediately upon opening the box I found one extremely comforting thing – a single CD-sized piece of paper with a three step installation process.  Seriously, it’s Barney friendly – Step 1, go to their website and download the install software – reboot.  Step 2. Plug the USB cable into a USB port (duh!).  Step 3. Start shopping online and follow onscreen prompts – swipe card, etc… That’s it!

So what does this little plastic dongle really do for you that makes you safer from the ebil internet haxx0rs?  Well for starters since you never actually enter your credit card info, even if you’ve got some evil keystroke capturing cootie on your system, the ebil haxx0r behind it will never see your credit card info.  In addition to that, your data is encrypted and that’s pretty cool.

The first time you open the Internet Explorer, after installing the SmartSwipe software and hardware, you are greeted with a their popup that reminds of the three simple steps of using SmartSwipe:

1. Shop – shop online at all of your favorite websites.
2. Click – when a website asks for your credit card number click the SmartSwipe button on your toolbar (this is important).
3. Swipe your credit card and follow the on-screen prompts.

There is a “Don’t show this again” check box, and a couple of help links to help you ease into the process.  The whole process of having to enter your credit card info becomes less painful, you do it once and allow the SmartSwipe to remember it and it will fill in the credit card info for you – I tried it on Buy.com, Amazon.com, and Pricegrabber.com and it worked flawlessly.  Also, some of the information normally exposed on the screen, gets removed by SmartSwipe replaced with blanks and little lock pictures.

On a somewhat negative side, SmartSwipe only works with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, a browser which I use for about five percent of my web browsing – Mozilla support would have made this a much more functional device for me.  On the whole, SmartSwipe still makes a good gift for that naggy relative or friend who constantly gets cooties “somehow” and still shops online.

http://www.smartswipe.ca/

As a follow-up to my previous post “A Good Electric Water Kettle – Just A Fantasy?”, thought it was time to get down to business and put a few kettles through a some paces.  A “standardized test”, if you will, fashioned by me.

As a refresh on my “methodology”, full pots filled to maximum were heated and timed, starting off with both cold and already-warmed heating elements.  For the “warm” boil, I heated a full pot of cold water, emptied the kettle, then re-filled with cold water and turned it right back on.  To gauge yield, I used 10-oz coffee mugs, filled to about 8 oz.

Read on for the full review of the Bodum Ottoni.

Bodum Ottoni Water Kettle Review

Quick stats

- Max/Min capacity:  64 oz / None (!)

- Average boil times: 

Cold – 7:10 minutes; filled to max / 51 oz

Warm – 6:45 minutes; filled to max / 51 oz

- Yield:  7 + cups

- Cord management:  Cord wraps around the underside of the base.  The cord goes around the outer edge of the base so it winds quickly and easily.

What I liked

The Bodum brand is well known worldwide and tends to push the design envelope.  The Bodum Ottoni is not an exception and has some very neat features.  The Ottoni goes against the tall skinny form factor and is short and wide.  The handle looks like it would swivel but is actually fixed in the position pictured above, which is fine because it feels ergonomically correct and protects your hand from the hot surfaces and steam.  In addition to the polished stainless steel the kettle has nice accents like a mahogany wood handle, brass, and even a blue bead lid handle. 

• Water heated in the Ottoni tasted good. 
• The interior container for the water is all stainless steel, no plastic!  Not even the inner lid is plastic.  (There is a strainer that has plastic but it is removable)
• The capacity is nice and allows for over 7 cups from one pot.
• There is not a minimum fill requirement… perfect for making smaller pots.
• The Pour spot is well designed and generous, pour as little or as much as you like.

What I didn’t care for

Considering my main purpose was to find a good water kettle with no plastic or rubber interior parts… this is one of the few I have found.  Not a lot of negatives.

• The Ottoni water kettle will not let you boil another round of water until the pot cools off.  It takes quite a while for the temperature sensor to register the cooled pot so making additional pots of water can be frustrating.

USB Flash Drives are invading our planet, this time in the form of StarWars Stormtroopers by Tyme Machines. The PEZ Dispenser looking, novelty USB Flash drive is pretty cool and comes with a removable head protecting the actual USB connector.  Surprising bonus, there is a little light inside the figure that blinks during file transfers and file removals. These little dudes are solidly built and actually stand on their own two feet. Oh and if for some reason you aren’t a Stormtroopers fan, maybe because they offended your family on Tatooine, these also come in Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Yoda flavors. Powered by Funko, this is clearly a gift-worthy item for any StarWars fan!

Looks like another iPhone app that I want has hit the market.  Trapster’s 4.0 release helps users log roadtrips, find friends, locate speed traps, rockslides, roadkill, etc… The beauty of the Trapster app is that is i database that is user updated so if a new speed trap pops up you will know about it.  Read on for a review of some of the best features after the break.

We’ve Got A Great Big Convoy

Driving a Uhaul truck and a Honda from Texas to Illinois, with just two vehicles, it’s amazing how many times we nearly lost each other. Though this isn’t a feature most people will use every day, this updated version of Caravan lets users add "friends" and track where they are or going while exchanging directions, points of interest, audio, et cetera.

It’s perfect for caravanning or road rallying because one user can send a message to an entire group. This could also work well for bikers, urban hikers, or other large groups of iPhone-equipped travelers. Plus, it’s a good way to avoid people you don’t want to see.

Uh-Oh, Here Comes The 5-0

Among the app’s users is Texas’s Travis County Sheriff’s Department, which Trapster discovered was entering in their own traps before they went out to try and pop speeders. Why? According to sheriff’s deputy Tom Carpenter, "If I can get my compliance without writing a ticket, I’ve done my job."

If there’s a speed trap logged by a known law enforcement official, it’ll show up with a custom graphic, seen above, so drivers will know how close they are to getting busted. We’ve fooled around with it between Houston and Austin (the latter is in Travis County), and it worked exceptionally well, giving advance notice of impending speed traps as well as detailed traffic information.

Track Your Roadtrip In Real Time

The days of geotagging your photos, loading your trip points into Google Maps by hand, and then posting all the info to Facebook are over. Trapster’s "My Trips" feature will track your journey and automatically upload any photos, video, or notes you take along the journey to a custom map online that you can share with friends. See a great roadside attraction or stop at a delicious restaurant? You can mark it for future reference. We can think of a million uses for this, both professional and personal. You can see a sample trip here.

Watch Out For That Dead Armadillo!

In addition to pointing out county mounties, Trapster 4.0 adds a few new road hazards to the reporting list. These range from helpful alerts about scenarios like road closures or construction zones to notifications of things like brush fires and roadkill.

You can download Trapster for at the iPhone App Store, Blackberry App World, Palm software store or at their site.

[Trapster.com]

[Via]

Who will win?  The 2010 all electric Tesla Roadster or the 2011 all new Porsche Boxster Spyder?  Motor Trend compares the two cars in a race at Willow Springs Raceway.  Watch the video after the break to see which car wins.

As a follow-up to my previous post “A Good Electric Water Kettle – Just A Fantasy?”, thought it was time to get down to business and put a few kettles through a some paces.  A “standardized test”, if you will, fashioned by me.

As a refresh on my “methodology”, full pots filled to maximum were heated and timed, starting off with both cold and already-warmed heating elements.  For the “warm” boil, I heated a full pot of cold water, emptied the kettle, then re-filled with cold water and turned it right back on.  To gauge yield, I used 10-oz coffee mugs, filled to about 8 oz.

Read on for the full review of the Zojirushi CK-BAC10.

Zojirushi CK-BAC10

Quick stats

- Max/Min capacity:  34 oz / None (!)

- Average boil times: 

Cold – 4:45 = 4:26 minutes + 19 more seconds for heat to click off; filled to max

Warm – 4:26 minutes; filled to max / 34 oz

- Yield:  4 cups

- Cord management:  Cord wraps around the underside of the base.  There are four openings for the cord to poke out of, allowing good cord control on your countertop.

What I liked

The Zojirushi brand is reputable one.  Full disclosure, I grew up with Zojirushi appliances so I was predisposed to like this kettle.  It’s cute, it’s insulated, and it’s fast. 

• Water heated in the little Zojirushi tasted good. 
• The interior container for the water is all stainless steel, no plastic!  If you can imagine it, resembles the interior of a little rice cooker. 
• The kettle is well insulated, the outside is completely cool to the touch.  There’s no chance of burning yourself by touching the kettle.
• The last thing I’ll note is that it has a grounded plug, if you value that type of thing.

What I didn’t care for

The spout is built into the lid and the interior of the spout mechanism appears to be mostly plastic.  While the water is not actually touching the plastic during the heating/boiling, it ends up traveling through the plastic parts to get out.  Given that one of the qualities I’m looking for in a kettle is for the hot water to not come in contact with plastic materials, not sure whether this kettle fits the bill.

• The capacity is on the small side, I got barely 4 cups from one pot.  Certainly acceptable if you’re having tea alone, or maybe with one other person.  Though boiling up a second pot only takes about four and a half minutes.
• The spout limits the rate at which the water pours out to a small stream.  So takes longer than it should to fill a reasonably sized cup.
• Opening the lid is more difficult than it should be due to a feature called a “spill guard lid.  Excessive child safety measures, perhaps?
• For folks who live in hard water areas, you will definitely see some type of deposit left on the inside of the kettle.  Seems like this shouldn’t happen to a metal container, but I guess if you notice film in your cooking pots after boiling water, the same will happen with this kettle.

When I first heard about Berkey Water Purifiers I wondered how such a simple looking filtration system can actually work, and to be honest I still don’t quite “get it”.  The company that makes Berkey filters has been around for about 200 years.  The filters are pretty famous in most parts of the world and work in some pretty nasty environments.

I got my hands on a Berkey Light water filter system and have put it through the paces.  Read on for a review of the Berkey Light water filter system.

When I review a product one of the first things I like to do is build a list of questions… and then try to get the manufacturer on the phone.  Sounds easy… but it usually isn’t easy to get a human on the phone these days.  I can tell you this, Berkey doesn’t try and hide their phone number and when you call them they know their stuff. 

I am not a big fan of plastics made of harmful chemicals like BPA, and was concerned about the Berkey Light Water Filter’s container.  Long story short, the person at Berkey let me know that the shell of the Berkey Lite is 50-mil thick and is made of BPA-free copolyester.  Dig further and you can find this info about copolyester, “New Eastman Tritan™ Copolyester is Ideal for reusable food and beverage containers, this new generation copolyester contains no bisphenol-A (BPA) and provides improved dishwasher durability.”

The first thing I did after assembling the unit was to run some food colored water through the filter to see what would happen, Berkey claims the filter will even remove the small food coloring particles.  They were right… red water in the top compartment came out clear in the bottom compartment after filtering.  Pretty cool.

One of the items that I like is that the unit is very simple.  It doesn’t need electricity, short life filters, water pressure, or a PHD to operate… it just works.  The unit comes with two black Berkey filters, a top tank with cover, a bottom tank with spigot, and a base.  It takes about 5 minutes to set up completely.  The filter works off of good old fashioned gravity… you pour water in the top tank and wait for gravity to do its thing.

In terms of costs… the filters come in many different sizes and shapes and all are priced  fairly.  The other thing is the filters are so cheap to use.  The filter elements are cleanable and last for thousands of gallons.

I ran some nasty San Jose tap water through the filter and was skeptical that the strong chemical taste would be removed by a gravity water filter system.  I couldn’t believe it… the water came out smooth and great tasting.  I had to make sure that it wasn’t just my palate so I started torturing my friends.  Long story short, I made several friends do blind taste tests of normal tap water, Berkey water, and a famous bottled water brand (sounds like sparrow bed).  Not one person liked the tap water… it is pretty bad.  Almost everyone else favored the Berkey with few exceptions. 

I am sold… Berkey water filters work!

As a follow-up to my previous post “A Good Electric Water Kettle – Just A Fantasy?”, thought it was time to get down to business and put a few kettles through a some paces.  A “standardized test”, if you will, fashioned by me.

For the first round, I compared two Capresso kettles, the H2O Pro and the H2O Plus.  Full pots filled to maximum were heated and timed, starting with both cold and already-warmed heating elements.  For the “warmed” boil, I heated a full pot of cold water, emptied the kettle, then re-filled with cold water and turned it right back on.  To gauge yield, I used 10-oz coffee mugs, filled to about 8 oz.

Read on for the full review of the Capresso H2O Pro.

Capresso H2O Pro

Quick stats

- Max/Min capacity:  56 oz / 16 oz

- Average boil times: 

Cold – 7:11 = 7:04 minutes + 7 seconds for heat to click off; filled to max

Warm – 6:39 minutes; filled to max

Warm – 3:47 minutes; filled to 34 oz

- Yield:  7 cups

- Cord management:  Cord wraps around the underside of the base, staying neatly tucked.

What I liked

No funny tasting water!  There are a couple of non-metal components in this kettle.  One is the water-level indicator/window on the side and second is the (removable) scale filter in the spout.  However, unlike the rubber gasket in the H2P Plus, the water-level indicator doesn’t impart any detectable flavors into the water.  Perhaps with usage over time, the plastic may start to breakdown once subjected to many boils?

• The capacity is generous, I was able to fill 7 cups from one pot.  If that’s not enough, it’s about 6.5 minutes until the next pot’s a-boilin’. 
• A lit display from where you can set a couple of handy features like a keep-warm temperature setting and a boil timer for those of you who want your water boiled longer before the kettle shuts off.
• The lid fastens shut, which seems safer to me.  Safe from myself, that is, as it would be less likely for the lid to “accidentally” fly open, resulting in potential disaster.
• While I’m not a fan of the plastic water-level window, being able to see the water level can be helpful.

What I didn’t care for

The bottom line is that this kettle contains a plastic piece that becomes immersed in the boiling water.  While there was no detectable fouling up of flavor in the pots of water that I heated and the large capacity and programmable features are handy, the plastic component turns me away.

• Same as the H2O Plus, I don’t like that there is a minimum fill requirement.  I don’t want to have to boil 16 oz of water if I only need 8 or 10?
• The lid opening mechanism is spring loaded and triggered by pushing a release button on top of the lid.  You push down on the lid itself to click it closed.  When filling a hot kettle for a second pot of water, it’s a bit tricky to close the lid as the lid stays hot.  The only non-hot spot on the lid is the release button… d’you see what I’m getting at?
• The ergonomics of the kettle makes it a bit awkward to handle and pour, especially when the kettle is full, therefore heavy, and HOT.  The handle is thick and bulky, making it a bit difficult for me to hold comfortably.  Maybe it’s just me, because I’m on the petite (and weak) end of the spectrum.  One or twice, I experience a flash of fear as I tilted the kettle to pour, fear that I would idiotically lose my grip and drop the kettle, splashing myself with scalding water.

As a follow-up to my previous post “A Good Electric Water Kettle – Just A Fantasy?”, thought it was time to get down to business and put a few kettles through a some paces.  A “standardized test”, if you will, fashioned by me.

For the first round, I compared two Capresso kettles, the H2O Pro and the H2O Plus.  Full pots filled to maximum were heated and timed, starting with both cold and already-warmed heating elements.  For the “warmed” boil, I heated a full pot of cold water, emptied the kettle, then re-filled with cold water and turned it right back on.  To gauge yield, I used 10-oz coffee mugs, filled to about 8 oz.

Read on for the full review of the Capresso H2O Plus.

Capresso H2O Plus

Quick stats

- Max/Min capacity:  48 oz / 16 oz

- Average boil times:

Cold – 6:10 = 6 minutes + 10 seconds for heat to click off; filled to max

Warm – 5:35 minutes; filled to max

Warm – 4:09 minutes; filled to 34 oz

- Yield:  6 cups

- Cord management:  Cord wraps around the underside of the base, staying neatly tucked.

What I liked

This was my favorite of the two when I began, mainly because of aesthetics.  The glass kettle with chrome accents is pretty, and is one of the nicer looking electric kettle designs I’ve seen.  I liked being able to see the water heat up and boil, aside from the general fun of seeing water come to a rolling boil, gave me visual cues to how much longer the wait is going to be.

• The capacity is sufficient, allowing me to fill 6 generous mugs from one pot.  Not bad if you have company over, and if you’re serving tea to more than six guests, it’s only about 5 minutes until the next pot’s ready.
• When it came time to put on a second pot, I really appreciated the little stay-cool handle on the lid which made it easy to open and close the hot lid for re-filling.
• I also like that the spout allows for a “fast” pour; you can also open the lid if you need to pour out the entire contents of the kettle into another pot or container.  I know this seems like an odd “plus”, but some spouts are designed to restrict water flow.  I suppose the intent is to protect against too much hot water splashing out and potentially burning me?  Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer to control the pour speed myself.
• The last thing I’ll note is that the glass pot has measurement marks to indicate water level, which can be helpful.

What I didn’t care for

The main thing that turned me off from this kettle is the chemical smell and flavor imparted to the water.  The heating element looks like half of a metal ball that protrudes into the bottom of the pot.  A rubber gasket seals the glass to the metal, and boy, does that rubber gasket flavor the water.  Given that one of the qualities I’m looking for in a kettle is for it to not contain nefarious materials that leach chemicals into the water, let alone a nasty flavor, I think this one will go back into the box.

• While I understand there’s a minimum fill requirement for safety reasons, I don’t have to like it.  What if I just want one cup of tea?  Why should I heat up twice the amount of bottled/filtered water than I need?
• For folks who live in hard water areas, you will definitely see mineral deposits left on the inside of the kettle.  Since the kettle is clear, the stains are visible, and if you’re someone that cares about that, you may find it to be unsightly.
• Additionally, since we are talking about a kettle that boils water, the glass gets quite hot.  Not a negative in and of itself, since most pots of boiling water get hot, but if you have small children running around the house, might be safer to look at insulated options.

I think I just found my favorite phone (though the HTC Legend comes in a close second) of Mobile World Congress 2010 and it’s from someone completely unexpected: Puma. Yes, the same Puma who makes the shoes, sportswear, and accessories.

OK, maybe I’m just a sucker for a cool gimmick but it’s always nice to see something completely different like the Puma Phone. Plus, it looks to be quite a competent phone and it’s apparent that the company put a lot of thought into the integrated features.

The handset itself is manufactured by Sagem and has a 2.8-inch, 240×320-pixel resolution capacitive touch screen and built-in solar charger on the back. The quad-band GSM device also includes Bluetooth, 3G, A-GPS, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. All pretty standard for a full-feature phone, but it’s the user experience that makes the Puma Phone different.

From the bright red background to the bold icons to the preloaded sports functions, the Puma Phone is designed to complement your lifestyle just as much as it is meant to be a communication device. There’s a host of sports features, such as a run and bike tracker that takes advantage of the GPS capabilities. There’s a built-in radio, a scratching turntable, social networking integration, and video calling. And it’s all done with a cheeky and fun attitude. I mean, the phone has an on-demand digital puma named Dylan. Enough said.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Puma Phone will only be heading to Europe with an expected April ship date. If you like what you see, there’s always a chance you buy the phone unlocked. The handset should go for about $576 (420 euros).

[Via]