Mouse offers 2-in-1 functionality
n From Newton Peripherals comes the MoGo Presenter Mouse PC. About the size of a business card, the MoGo Presenter Mouse PC is the only mouse that stores and charges in a laptop’s PC/PCMCIA Card slot. It offers the same functionality of conventional optical wireless mice — scroll, right click, left click — in a sleek design that makes it ideal for business travelers. With the push of a button, the MoGo Presenter Mouse PC converts into a presenter remote so that you can control PowerPoint presentations — advance slides, start/escape and blank screens from 30 feet away. The MoGo Presenter Mouse PC folds flat and slips completely into the PC/PMCIA slot when not in use.
Transfer your videos to DVD
n With the proliferation of camcorders, there is a good chance many special moments are being captured — and trapped. Piles of tapes — from VHS to Hi8 to MiniDV — have been stored, but it is a hassle to watch home movies. Between hooking up the camera and the cables and finding the right tape, just forget it. There is also the looming risk of losing those memories forever. As videotape ages, the magnetic coating preserving the content becomes brittle, putting video footage at risk of becoming unplayable. While VHS footage can last upward of 20 years, in as little as five years, deterioration in image and sound quality can become noticeable and irreversible. The obvious solution is to transfer home videos to a digital video format, and the universal digital format is DVD. A write-once (DVD-R or DVD+R) disc is able to keep contents safe for more than 30 years with proper storage and recorded DVDs can be easily played back and shared on a range of devices. Sony’s multifunction DVDirect VRD-MC-5 DVD recorder offers a fast, simple and inexpensive way to transfer high-definition and standard-definition home videos and digital photos directly to a DVD without a computer. Simply connect the camcorder, digital camera or VCR to the DVDirect recorder, and with the touch of a button, transfer memories to a DVD disc. Interested in learning more? See a demo at www.EasilyTransferHomeVideosToDVDWithSonyDVDirect.com.
Going beyond the box
n Dell has launched its smallest, most personalized and most environmentally responsible consumer PC — the Studio Hybrid. The PC’s unique shape and size, personalized with six optional, external jewel-toned color or bamboo sleeves, looks great in any room. With a starting price of $499, the petite Hybrid PC is at home in the living room, fitting easily into entertainment centers, and connecting to HD TVs via a standard HDMI port. Consumers can configure a Studio Hybrid with variety of optional technologies and peripherals to make it truly unique, including WiFi networking, Wireless keyboard and mouse, Blu-ray Disc drive and TV tuner. Dell also unveiled the Inspiron 518 desktop which features a gloss-black exterior with chrome accents. The PC’s top media tray has two easy-access USB ports for quick MP3 player syncing and cell-phone charging. It offers performance to meet the most typical PC activities, such as fast networking connections with Gigabit Ethernet, DX10 integrated graphics for casual gaming, optional 500GB hard drive for storing digital images and music libraries and optional quad core processors. The Inspiron 518 starts at $349 — monitor not included.