It is not a mystery anymore why technology is as advanced today as it is, though many still do not know why.  Almost all of the evolution in portable electronics can be followed back to the origin of the iPod, since it had capabilities far in advance of other devices during the time.  The issues that the iPod introduced hurt the music industry, and it is still moving to recover today.

Around the year 2000 there were a couple of major shifts that created a lot of technological change.  The first was the expansion of storage technology, which became large enough for a user to have everything they wanted on a computer with more than enough free space.  High speed Internet connections were also introduced during that time which allowed the Internet to thrive more than it ever had before.  High speed Internet connections gave birth to the power to share music amongst people considerably more quickly than ever before, opening up a new method of pirating. 

The arrival of MP3 players was huge because it allowed someone to carry around so much music, but at first did not burst with popularity.  About a year after the entrance of the first MP3 players onto the market, Apple introduced the first iPod to the public.  These units were unique because they could store gigantic amounts of music with their internal hard drives instead of flash memory.  The control wheel and ease of use of the interface were massive innovations.  Previous MP3 players utilized a button based design, which made it tough to go through huge amounts of music.  There are a tremendous amount of accessories available today, although an iPod case was the first accessory that started the trend.

The development of the iPod marked the first time the MP3 player and music pirating market sky rocketed.  This put an enormous hurt on the music industry since they were still only selling music on compact discs.  It was much easier to sell digital music after all this, and Apple released their music store which evolved the way music was distributed.

The iPod Touch is the most sophisticated and popular kind of the iPod today, mimicking the design of the iPhone.  Many people can hold their entire catalogue of music on them, though they have less storage than their iPod Classic brothers.  An iPod Touch case is often necessary to purchase, since it is the first accessory that people recognize they need after breaking theirs.   

Guess which futuristic gadget made a cameo at that 52nd Annual Grammy awards. The Apple iPad has been unveiled just last week and it is already making waves in the digital industry and even beyond. For a device that has yet to be fully out there, people already recognize it quite well. If you doubt that, just look at the amazing applause and cheers Stephen Colbert got when he pulled out the Apple tablet from his coat to read out the list of nominees. The host of the Colbert Report showed off his already known love of Apple products by bringing this much talked about device to the awards night. And judging from the reaction of the audience, they appreciated the little show-off joke. Of course, nobody really expects you to have a specially designed coat pocket that would hold the device; it is just not made to be carried around like that. At the same time, it would not be too unimaginable to see a future where we would actually bring tablets onstage instead of cue cards. More than the joke (and it was a funny one at that), the presence of the device in the music awards night showed just how much publicity the iPad has gotten. While portable electronics have always played a major role in the music industry, the iPad itself is more of web and multimedia device than a music player like the iPod. Right now, the iPad is still getting plenty of criticism regarding Apples content control policies and closed hardware designs, but as time has proven again and again, these are also …
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By Evan Ackerman

Over 3 billion people use solid fuel (like wood) for cooking. This is not ideal, since the toxic smoke from indoor cooking fires kills 1.6 million people per year while wafting up into the atmosphere where it does all kinds of other bad stuff (in total, it’s about 50% of the nastiness of CO2 when it comes to climate change).

What do you care about all this? You don’t! What you do care about (maybe) is sweet camping gear. The BioLite stove is portable, efficient, and powerful. It burns pretty much anything you care to toss into it, uses only half as much fuel as a regular fire, and boils water significantly faster than a conventional petroleum fuel camp stove. The reason that we’re posting about it, though, is that what makes the stove perform so well is an attached thermoelectric generator. The generator uses heat from the fire to power a small fan that improves combustion efficiency by blowing air back into the stove, and there’s enough energy left over (1-2 watts) to charge portable electronics through a USB port.

The BioLite camp stove is a bit bulkier than some other camp stoves and weighs a pound and a half, but you don’t have to carry fuel, and unless you’re camping in the arctic, you probably won’t run out of stuff to burn. It should be available sometime this year for around $80.

Incidentally, the BioLite stove also reduces smoke emissions by 95%, which saves lives and the environment. But, you know, whatever… (There’s a larger version for the developing world for $50).

[ BioLite ]

Lowepro just updated their popular SlingShot line, adding more storage and the ability to attach a tripod to an already great bag system. The new version isn’t hugely different, but Lowepro did add a few interesting features to beef the bag up a bit.

The SlingShot has been around since 2005, and this is one of the first major updates. In addition to the “Hideaway Tripod Mount” system, Lowepro also increased the size of the top pocket, added a zippered “stash pocket” to the top to hold your filters, cell phone, or whatever. They also increased the padding in the main compartment, and updated the divider system to fit the current generation of DSLR cameras and lenses more effectively. Lowepro is going to be sending us one to review soon, so keep your eyes open for that in the coming weeks.

From the press release:

(Sebastopol, CA, February 18, 2010) – Lowepro, the leading brand of protective gear for photography equipment and portable electronics, today unveiled the next generation of its innovative SlingShot AW series. Designed to go from carry-mode to ready-mode in seconds, the award-winning sling bag rotates from back to front for fast and easy access to gear. Redesigned using customer input, the new and improved models of the SlingShot AW series add a Hideaway Tripod Mount™ system, compatibility with the latest popular prosumer and professional grade DSLR cameras, and a more efficient storage and workflow layout.

The latest SlingShot AW models offer increased volume in their upper compartment for personal items and include an elastic band for securing a camera manual or book. A zippered stash pocket placed at the top is the ideal spot to store a UV filter, cell phone or keys. In addition to its ergonomic and quick-rotating design, SlingShot AW features easy-glide zippers throughout its construction, providing smooth operation and fast access to all of the compartments.

Since its inception in 2005 the SlingShot AW series has been praised by photographers and editors from around the world. Most recently, the series received Editor’s Choice awards from PCPhoto (recently retitled Digital Photo), American Photo and Outdoor Photographer magazines. In this latest update, Lowepro sought to carefully improve some of the features regularly lauded by fans, including:

· A fully padded and customizable main camera compartment now includes an updated divider system to accommodate the most-popular models of DSLRs and their compatible lenses and accessories.

· A repositioned microfiber cleaning cloth is built into a convenient mesh pocket that is easy to access but out of way when not in use.

· New models now feature a Hideaway Tripod Mount™ system securing a compact tripod or monopod to the side of the sling via a foldout holder, quick-release buckle and strap.

As with the original series, the latest SlingShot AW models include Lowepro’s patented built-in All Weather AW Cover™ to protect gear from the elements during inclement weather. Additional features include: three SlipLock™ attachment loops to expand carrying capacity and two built-in memory card pockets located on the inside lid of the main compartment.

The new SlingShot AW editions are available in three sizes in Black/Grey and are priced as follows: SlingShot 102 AW $89.99, SlingShot 202 AW $109.99 and SlingShot 302 AW $129.99.

For more information on the series and other products, please visit http://www.lowepro.com.

If you’ve flown lately, you have probably noticed that the “portable electronics” rules are increasingly muddled. It’s time for the FAA and airlines to lift the electronics ban completely, or rewrite it to reflect modern gadgets.

The first problem is, nearly all electronics are lumped together, despite differences in their innards and the services they perform. The second problem is this constant generic request to turn them “off.” Until airlines can speak coherently about ebooks, smartphones, tablets and other traveler-friendly gadgets—and address the various states of rest between “on” and “off”—the system remains in a sphere of stupidity. Whether this is mildly annoying or potentially deadly remains to be seen.

The last time I flew, I had in my carry-on bag three cameras, three laptops, a smartphone and a classic iPod. Judging from the long security lines, I wasn’t the only one trucking plentiful gadgetry.

When I got on the plane, the flight attendant asked everyone to turn “off” phones and other portable electronics. She appeared at my side as I was switching my iPhone to airplane mode and repeated, “It’s time to turn off your portable electronics.” I replied, “That’s what I’m doing.” She sneered like a 1930s copper who’d just collared the dumbest guy in the bootlegging operation: “So flipping through screens is how you turn it off? There’s no on-off switch on the side?” She thought she’d caught me in a lie. I just looked back in disbelief, made the screen magically go dark, and put my supposedly “off” phone back in my pocket, satisfying whatever interpretation of the rules was in this poor misinformed woman’s head.

On another leg of our journey, just before takeoff, a flight attendant pointed to the ebook reader my wife was using and said in a stern voice, “Please turn off all portable electronics.” She did not ask the gentleman seated next to us to turn off his digital watch, though it may well have been drawing more power at the time.

Worst of all, she did not check every single cellphone and laptop to make sure they were in a state where they could not emit a hefty dose of RF. Most of the smartphones on board were probably in standby (with some kind of radio emission still happening) and most laptops were probably closed but not powered down—hopefully sleeping.

The only command we’re given is to turn stuff “off”—a command increasingly ignored for its incoherence. What does it mean for a phone or iPod to be “off”? Most people don’t even know. If the command is this easy to ignore with no consequences, the likely conclusion is that the gear really isn’t a threat. But if it is, the airlines may not discover their own boneheadedness until the danger reaches some lethal saturation point.

Here’s the actual FAA regulation:

§ 121.306   Portable electronic devices.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, no person may operate, nor may any operator or pilot in command of an aircraft allow the operation of, any portable electronic device on any U.S.-registered civil aircraft operating under this part.
(b) Paragraph (a) of this section does not apply to—
(1) Portable voice recorders;
(2) Hearing aids;
(3) Heart pacemakers;
(4) Electric shavers; or
(5) Any other portable electronic device that the [airline] has determined will not cause interference with the navigation or communication system of the aircraft on which it is to be used.
(c) The determination required by paragraph (b)(5) of this section shall be made by that [airline] operating the particular device to be used.
[Doc. No. FAA–1998–4954, 64 FR 1080, Jan. 7, 1999]

You will have noticed the date, 1999, but still, that preamble speaks volumes: “no person may operate…any portable electronic device on any U.S.-registered civil aircraft…” followed by exception after exception. The mentality of that is old school, to put it politely. You will also note that the discretion is left up to the airline (with heavy support from the aircraft maker), layering on confusion in sugary heaps.

What is the issue? This suggests it is “interference with navigation or communication systems,” and in that case, it’s understandable that such potential for jamming is minimized during the most dangerous parts of the flight, take off and landing. All electronics give off a bit of radiation; communications devices like phones and laptops give off considerably more. Minimize the amount of RF emissions (including unpredictable radio “harmonics”) and you will reduce the chances—however unlikely in the first place—that portable electronics will threaten the safety of the flight.

That was Boeing’s recommendation to the feds 10 years ago, when cellphones were starting to boom, and it makes sense. Unfortunately, what’s going on now is a mere pantomime true RF security. Here’s why:

Smartphones
How many people actually know how to turn off their smartphone? When I carried a BlackBerry, I never turned it off, because it took like 5 minutes to power back on. At the same time, I was always finding it fully awake in my bag or pocket, long after I thought I’d secured it. You CrackBerry addicts are making fun of me right now, and that’s fine, but the fact is, I can’t possibly be alone. How many people know about airplane mode on iPhones or other phones? For flight attendants, turning off the screen is all that apparently matters, but there’s no way that is truly compliant.

Laptops
When was the last time you shut off your laptop during the boarding process? When I run out of the house, I just slam the thing shut and shove it in my bag. When I am at the airport, I pop it open to do some work. So when I’m finally at an altitude where it is safe to use portable electronics, I pop it open and then remember to turn off Wi-Fi. And not so we don’t plummet out of the air—more so I can save at least some battery life. My guess is that most people who carry laptops on board just let them sleep, with Wi-Fi engaged. And on certain Vista notebooks I’ve carried, just closing the lid didn’t mean squat.

Handheld Gaming Systems
Back about 14 years ago, there were a spate of reports that Game Boys were causing interference with the operation of planes. According to Boeing, there was never any actual proof of this, though it did inspire one of the funniest Simpsons moments ever. The real joke is, back then, portable gaming systems didn’t all come with embedded Wi-Fi and Bluetooth like they do now. My guess is that many a properly stowed Nintendo DS can still sniff around the plane for cute Nintendogs or whatever, even with the lid closed.

Ebook Readers
This one is going to need special attention. I often get quite a bit of quality reading done at take-off and landing, precisely because I can’t pop open a device and watch a movie or a TV show. But when I carry a Kindle or some other reader, I can’t use it during that happy time. The question is, why can’t I? With the 3G radio turned off—a very easy maneuver—an ebook reader uses less battery life than the Bluetooth earbud on standby that you may have forgotten to take off your ear. There is no power needed to hold a picture on E-Ink, so the battery is only taxed when the page is turned. How’s this for irony? If you are looking at a page of words, your reader actually is off.

Noise-Canceling Headphones
Here’s where most airlines get it right. Anything that takes 35 hours to drain a single AAA battery and has no inherent telecommunication function probably isn’t going to cause the plane to go into an “uncommanded roll.” Armies of Bose addicts fly friendly and unfriendly skies every day, and are generally allowed to use their own big ole cans during take-off and landing, provided they’re attached to the airlines’ audio system and not their own iPod. This kind of common sense needs to be applied to other devices.

In the end, what we’ve really got is an increasing array of devices that are replacing the books and crosswords of yore, and almost none of them have an “on-off switch” on the side. They’re powered up and doing their thing, often while still nestled inside our pockets or our bags. Some are perfectly harmless beyond a shadow of a doubt, some could easily join together to form a cloud of harmless or harmful electromagnetic radiation. So why are airlines so confused? Hell, they’ve made special dispensations permitting knitting needles, even foot-long metal suckers. Is it too much to ask that they give equal consideration to our many cherished gadgets?

Still something you wanna know? Send questions about airlines, the FAA or rolls (commanded, uncommanded, hot and buttered) to [email protected], with “Giz Explains” in the subject line. Oh, and if you’re dying to look up FAA regulations whenever you damn well feel like it, check out this PilotFAR iPhone app that reader (and developer) Nick Hodapp just showed me.

If you’re the fashion-conscious people type of person, then you probably wouldn’t like to wear the vest I’m about to praise up to the skies in the following lines. As a matter of fact, if I were to be honest I wouldn’t wear this either. It looks rather peculiar, doesn’t it?

But if you don’t care very much about fashion and you have never wanted to be a trend setter or to follow the trends imposed by others, then this solar vest is perfect for you. And if you aren’t sure about it being a solar vest, just like I said, you should take something else for granted: the big letters all written across the shoulders that let you know that you’re not dealing with a regular vest.

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The letters are placed above the four solar panels which are all weatherproof and provide enough juice for your devices: the cell phone, the media player, the notebook computer, the digital camera or any other portable device that you might own.

“It comes with big storage pockets for holding tools or camera equipment and includes a battery pack + cables and connectors for all of today’s popular portable electronics. The vest’s canvas is soft but durable and the stitching is second to none. The vest’s 4 solar panels are laminated to be truly weatherproof, so you don’t have to change this vest just because the weather is bad. You can also detach the solar panels and place them in sunlight while you are working inside a cave or shaded terrain.”

The four panels have an 8,800 mAh capacity and there are multiple connectors and 5V, 6V, 9V, 12-20V output. You can buy the vest equipped with the four portable solar panels from Chinavision for $140.

(Source: Coolest-Gadgets)