Pen that records and shares
The Echo smartpen from Livescribe captures everything its user hears and writes. It’s especially suited to the needs of students. When taking notes, the user writes with the pen on special paper that is covered with small dots. This paper indicates to the pen's camera the Echo's location on the page. The paper can be purchased in pads or printed at home. When the pen is tapped on the notes, it reads back the complete audio portion of the lecture at the point where the notes were taken. The pen comes in 4GB and 8GB models, recording approximately 400 and 800 hours of audio respectively. The Echo can be password protected so private information remains private. This pen’s software is what makes it really special. It can export pencasts to social networks and e-mail. When the Echo smartpen is connected to a computer, a collaboration application called “Paper Tablet,” allows the Echo smartpen to serve as a graphics stylus and turn special dot paper notebooks into a tablet computer. This provides the user with a new way to annotate presentations, documents or spreadsheets and collaborate online. See the Echo in action at www.livescribe.com.
Train ticket app
Heathrow Express, the train service between central London and Heathrow Airport, has launched a Blackberry and Android app which allows users to buy tickets and then receive the ticket directly to the phone. An iPhone version will be available soon. With the free app, purchase Heathrow Express tickets from anywhere in the world and receive live service updates, too. The app has been accredited by Barclays and is PCI DSS compliant. It accepts all major credit and debit cards, except Maestro. Download the app for BlackBerry, Android and Java-enabled mobile devices from www.heathrowexpress.com/mobileapp.
Web content removal service
Abine is offering a first-of-its-kind DeleteMe Web content removal service. Like a Delete Button for the Internet, just order the service you need through the company’s service menu, pay a fee of anywhere from $10 — $50 and let experts get rid of the online annoyance. For instance if photos or blog posts, videos or search results reveal personal information, DeleteMe works with the content owner and with the host site to remove the material. DeleteMe can also be used to close online accounts permanently. DeleteMe protects personal information from being bartered or sold. Most corporations collect information about customers and many also sell that personal information to advertising agencies or other businesses. DeleteMe uses little-known legal rights to stop this data sharing. The company promises to follow up to make sure that deleted accounts stay closed and that ugly search results don’t return. Try DeleteMe risk free through www.abine.com/deleteme
Thinnest data storage
Hitachi GST has introduced its new 500GB, 5,400 RPM Travelstar Z5K500 drive — the industry’s highest capacity, one-disk, 7 millimeter (mm) z-height hard disk drive (HDD). This drive will continue to encourage the shift from 9.5mm 2.5-inch drives to 7mm 2.5-inch drives across a broad range of devices, enabling innovative designs for consumer electronics, laptops, netbooks, blade servers and Compact Industrial Systems. According to IDC, 500GB, mobile 2.5-inch drives represent 22 percent of the market today, with this capacity growing 42 percent annually from 2010 to 2013. Apple users will be among the first to have access to the 500GB Travelstar Z5K500. The G-Technology G-DRIVE slim leverages the new drive to create the thinnest 500GB, 2.5-inch external hard drive in the world. Formatted for Macs with simple plug n’ play connectivity, the G-DRIVE slim is Time Machine ready for added backup protection. It’s USB-powered, so there is no need to carry around an extra power cord.
