Staying Charged Outdoors

Keeping the batteries charged and ready is an obsession for many users of personal electronics — especially when an electric socket is nowhere in sight. The Eclipse Solar Gear (www.eclipsesolargear.com) product line is designed to trickle charge the batteries of many types and brands of electronics, including cell phones, PDAs, handheld GPS units, MP3 players, iPods and AA batteries, with a convenient solar charging solution.

Ideal for the avid photographer, the Ion Solar Camera/Video Bag ($139.95) features an integrated solar panel providing power to trickle charge rechargeable AA batteries or digital camera batteries while spending the day at an outdoor event.

The Solar Tackle Bag ($145.95) is ideal for the avid fisherman. The tackle bag includes four plastic tackle containers, side pockets and a solar charging solution to keep rechargeable AA batteries, GPS or two-way radio batteries charged while the fisherman enjoys a day on the water.

Designed to be a durable product and a convenient alternate charging solution, the Eclipse Solar Gear bags are ideal for the outdoors-oriented or mobile professional. The solar panel is made to withstand the environment and provide a long-lasting source of solar energy. The bags carry a limited lifetime warranty for materials and workmanship.

QuestionPro Makes Getting Answers Easy

QuestionPro has introduced a free survey option for bloggers, webmasters, marketers, researchers and small businesses. Called a MicroPoll, this feature allows anyone with a website to instantly poll their readers with simple multiple choice questions and then display the aggregated results. The simple software code is available for download free of charge from QuestionPro’s website at http://www.questionpro.com/micropoll.

MicroPolls are quick to take and don’t require the participant to give up any identifiable information. This increases both the overall numbers of participants as well as the likelihood of them telling the truth. Setting up a MicroPoll is easy — just about anyone with basic web skills can add the poll to their site. QuestionPro’s site includes pre-formatted polls and a text editor to allow users to modify the questions and answers. The site then automatically generates the HTML code so users “cut and paste” it onto their site. Users can create as many MicroPolls as they want.

Online TV Network Expanding Rapidly

Veoh Networks, Inc., the first Internet Television Peercasting Network, has made available more than 10,000 video episodes on the Veoh network (www.veoh.com). The company’s software has been available in beta for two months, resulting in thousands of user registrations and daily viewers.

Veoh software, installed on consumers’ PCs or Macs, creates a virtual television network that is able to distribute TV-quality, full-screen broadcast video to hundreds of millions of users with broadband Internet connections. Motion picture studios, television networks, organizations and individuals can publish unlimited amounts of broadcast video content to the network, providing consumers with unparalleled choice in television programming and control over their viewing experience.

Unlike rogue P2P networks used to share mostly pirated video, Veoh is a community of publishers and consumers, where published content is approved by editors and consumers are assured they get what they request.

Device Enables Bluetooth for Hearing-Impaired

National Cellular (NCI) and Starkey Laboratories have signed an agreement for NCI (www.ncicellular.com) to distribute Starkey’s ELI (Ear Level Instrument) products. With the ELI device, the hearing-impaired user can utilize any Bluetooth-enabled wireless phone.

Hearing aid users often experience a buzzing sound that makes conversations over a digital wireless phone difficult or impossible to hear. In the past, cellular handset vendors have manufactured a small selection of wireless handsets to significantly minimize or eliminate this interference. Now, with ELI, the hearing aid user can choose from a wider selection of wireless handsets.

ELI comes in two different configurations. For Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aids equipped with a Direct Audio Input (DAI), the standard ELI can be used. For hearing aids equipped with a telecoil, ELI can be combined with a specially designed neckloop for proper operation. Because the solution is wireless, it eliminates the hassle of cable clutter.

To learn more about ELI click to www.elihearing.com.