Reasons The Amazon Kindle Fire Will Succeed

The Amazon Kindle Fire sports a dual processor, 8GBs of memory, a 7″ multi-touch screen and many other great features. In addition, Amazon Prime members will have access to unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000  movies and TV shows.

The Kindle also already has a vast user-base of loyal customers that buy every version of Kindle that comes out.

The Kindle Fire with all the best Apps, movies and music

But it’s about the movies, apps, convenient size and price that will drive this hardware. The iPad can feel too bulky at times. The kindle Fire’s 7″ screen fits comfortably between the iPad and the iTouch. This form-factor seems like it would be great for both movies and surfing the web, and can easily be held in one hand for an extended period of time. Regarding price, the Kindle Fire is cheaper than the iTouch and a few hundred dollars cheaper than the iPad. It also has Kindle’s Whispersync technology, which allows you to pick up watching a movie on your television where you left off on the Fire.

In addition to this announcement, Amazon also dropped the price of their other Kindle models–the cheapest now only $79.

Read more about the Kindle Fire here.

So we want to hear from our readers. Is this something you’ll buy when it comes out in November of 2011? If so, why?

We have compiled suggestions for an emergency geek backpack any respectable tech enthusiast should have in their closet.

Top Ten Emergency Tech Bag Ingredients

We’ve included some of our favorite ideas for a grab-and-go tech bag. The primary focus of this was to ensure a person had all of the necessities for their gadgets while on the road.

Recommendations for an emergency tech bag

SOLO Tech Collection - The bag a person carries is personal choice, but a good bag will not only be stylish and protect your gear, but will be easily accessible and have a lot of places to store small devices, cables and adapters.

Multi-tool LED Pocket Pliers – You can spend a lot on a good multi-tool, but a generic one is just as good for those occasional repairs.

21 LED Extreme Beam Flashlight – A decent LED flashlight is a must. They are small and extremely bright.

8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive – A flashdrive is great to have for the road. You will eventually need it for something.

Spare headphones – On a bus, train or airplane, a decent set of ear buds are a must-have.

Dual USB Charger – There’s no worse feeling that realizing you cannot charge your phone or your tablet computer.

iPad / iPhone Charger – In addition to the charger, you’ll need cables for your devices.

Ethernet cable – You might be WiFi capable, but it’s always nice to plug in whenever you can.

Rechargable Batteries – Rechargable batteries with charger will save you when you least expect it.

Portable Charger For Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP – If you have kids, a charger capable of charging multiple game devices can be the difference between a pleasant trip and a disastrous one.

Let us know what your must-have emergency tech bag contains.

Setup Internet Webcam – What To Look For

The cost of an Internet web cam will depend on several factors. You do not necessarily want to buy the least expensive camera, as you will want to get one from a reliable manufacturer so you can get support if you need help with setup. You will also want to consider the following features when looking for an IP camera:

• Will you want night-vision? If you’re getting this for security, you’ll need it.
• Will you need it to rotate? If you only buy one camera, you’ll need it to rotate to provide full coverage of your home or office.
• Does it need to be wireless? It’s best to have these plug in, if possible, but if that’s not possible due to location then wireless is a must.
• Do you require motion detection?
• Do you need audio? Some cams have this features, while most do not.
• What kind of software comes with it?
• What is the audio / video quality?

Setup Internet Webcam

Audio and video quality are very important, so you’ll want to get one with decent resolution. If you’re able to test the image quality before you buy, you’ll be able to get a good idea of how good the picture will look at home. The resolution should be at least 640×480. Also, since some cameras will have the ability to activate when there is motion in the room, they also have software that emails your photos and notifications if the camera is activated–which is what you want if you’re setting this up as a security camera.

Setup Internet Webcam With Little Or No Experience

You certainly do not need to be a network guru to setup an IP camera, but you should know the basics about your router and your network. The IP camera will come with setup instructions that will help you get going. If you buy an IP camera online, be sure to get it in the same country  you reside in case you need to contact their customer support.

You can read some reviews of various Internet Web Cameras here. The reviews will help you make a determination on the hardware quality and ease of setup. Once you get your IP webcam, you can spend your days watching your dog sleep while you’re at work, or you can keep an eye on your home while you’re on vacation. Or if you’re a gadget geek, you can get one because they’re simply too cool not to have.

If you have setup Internet webcam questions or comments, or if you have a camera you’d like to recommend, let us know.

The Moskeyto lies flush against your computer, so you’ll never lose it and there is no risk of damage to the USB port if the drive is knocked or bumped. Just plug it, and forget it!

While its size is its allure, it can be easy to lose this. Fortunately, it comes with a strap you can secure to your keyring.

If interested, you can buy the LaCie MosKeyto 4 GB USB 2.0 Ultra Small Flash Drive here.

Apple iPad – The iPad was received by the public with a peculiar mix of acclaim and scorn. Regarded by some as nothing more than an over-sized iPhone, the iPad is regarded by others as a sleeker and sexier alternative to a living room laptop. That is the key strength of this 1.5 pound heavy tablet: providing a highly portable and intuitive multimedia/information gateway that can be easily shared by the whole family. Granted, it has some troublesome limitations, such as its native inability to play some advanced web application formats – such as Flash video content. But regardless of the fact, the iPad did sell three million units within three months of its commercial release. If you’re looking for a top quality digital coffee table book and you don’t mind paying over 500 hundred bucks for the privilege, you will indeed be quite happy buying an iPad.

The Blue Ant S4 – Talking on the cell phone while driving can be a big problem since it’s prone to hinder the reflexes of the driver and lead to accidents. Fortunately, there are now true hands-free cell phone alternatives such as the Blue Ant S4, which can be used to remedy this problem. The Blue Ant S4 is a wireless earpiece for wireless Bluetooth that clips on the sun visor of your car and allows you to talk with your both hands on the wheel. Although you can find many similar replicas on the market, Blue Ant S4 clearly stands ahead of the crowd, in terms of being really hands-free. This neat little gadget continually listens to its master’s voice. When making a call, you can say “call back” or “redial” with no fumbling and reaching for buttons. If you forgot the right commands, simply ask the gadget and it will tell you what to do, without you having to ever move either of your hands away from the driving wheel, or even move your eyes away from the road.

Barnes and Noble Nook – Electronic books and book readers are ragingly popular because of their unique capabilities and features. A new book could be installed wirelessly within 30 seconds, and hand held e-readers could replace your personal library by storing more than a thousand books. However, what would happen to your current collection of e-books if you decide to shop at another store? The Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader tries to ease these concerns by utilizing a free e-book format called the EPUB. This allows you to loan e-books to friends, and the device itself is well-matched with competing electronic readers, for instance, those manufactured by the Kobo and Sony from Borders. The EPUB set up is also reared by Google. If you do not have a Nook in your household, Barnes and Noble even provides open applications for reading the Barnes and Noble’s e-books on a BlackBerry, iPhone, or Android-based Smartphone.

The Garminfone – T-Mobile’s Garminfone is a best-of-different-worlds type of gadget, which provides a slick touch screen device running Android phone, which has its entire street maps preloaded. This means detailed turn by turn directions will never send you the wrong way, even if you misplace your cell signal. The Garminfone also comes with open live traffic information and includes reports normally neglected on other direction-finding programs, such as the estimated speed and time of arrival. If you’re looking for a great smartphone with superior GPS capabilities, you need look no further than the Garminphone.

Guest Writer: This is a guest post by Dominic Acito. Dominic brings his experience as a computer engineer, a pc super user, and a web developer to our site. Why not pay a visit to Dominic’s site about Computer Repair.

Tech Gear For School

Flip Camera

The first item on our list is the popular Flip camera. While cell phones are great, Flip camera have special software that allows for seamless uploads to YouTub and other social networking sites. You never know when the head cheerleader is going to fall down the stairs or when someone we be on the receiving end of an Atomic Wedgie.

Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (White)

Logitech IO digital pen

The Logitech IO digital pen remembers everything you write when you are away from your PC. In addition to a regular ink cartridge, it includes an optical sensor that captures your words and drawings. A built-in processor digitizes your handwriting, storing up to 40 pages in memory between downloads. Based on functionality from Anoto, the Logitech IO digital pen encodes on the basis of microscopic dots printed on the paper. How cool is that?

Logitech io Personal Digital Pen

Flash Drives

The next essential item we chose is not very special, yet it is one of the most critical. All students need to be able to more data around from one location to another. While email is great, moving sound, video and images can be tedious and email has its limitations. This is a great deal because you are getting three for such a good price. Flash drives are bound to get lost, or you may decide to keep a backup at school and the originals at home. Either way, a three pack of 4 GB flash drives is a good place to start.

HP v100w 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 3-Pack P-FD4GBX3-HPV100W-FS

Portable Scanner

Our next really cool back to school idea is a portable scanner. Imagine being able to swipe your hand over a text page at the library and be able to scan it. These scanners fit in the palm of your hand and they save to an SD card. You can then easily transfer the scanned images to your computer. Portable scanners like these once cost hundreds of dollars and it’s great to see them dip below $100 in time for school.

VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner (PDS-ST410-VP)

If you have other back to school tech recommendation please let us know.

Sony BDP-S360 1080p Blu ray player

If you’re in the marker for an affordable Blu Ray player, this Sony model is a great choice. Having a stand-alone Blu Ray system for movies is preferred, as the PS3 consoles tend to be noisy. This particular model has an HDMI port, upscales normal DVDs so they look fantastic, and has an Ethernet jack so you can connect it to your home network for system updates. At a little over $100, you can’t pass up on this machine.

Sony BDP-S360 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

Kindle Wireless Reading Device

The Kindle is a remarkable piece of hardware that is super-thin and super-stylish. It allows users to subscribe to electronic newspapers,  read magazines and books–all through a wireless connection that downloads these publications automatically while you sleep. The best part is, the wireless is provided by Amazon, so you can get access no matter where you are located. At under $250, this 10.2 ounce device will quickly become indispensable in your reader’s life.

Kindle Wireless Reading Device

Garmin Nuvi 765/765T

We love the Garmin Nuvi 765, not because it is a leader in inexpensive navigation devices, but because it has a bright screen and doubles as a Bluetooth receiver for your hands-free calling. The T model also has  traffic monitoring built in so you can steer around upcoming construction or accidents that are causing traffic congestion. At around $200, the Nuvi 765 will make sure you never get lost again.

Garmin nüvi 765/765T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

Asus Eee PC Seashell

Probably considered one of the best-looking of the Netbook class, the Asus Seashell has a larger than usual screen at 10.1 inches and has a whopping 10.5 hours of battery life. It also comes pre-loaded with Windows 7 starter, so you no longer have to run Windows Xp. It also has 1GB of RAM and a nice 250 GB hard drive. If you enjoy surfing the web or checking your email, this 4.6 lb netbook is a great and stylish option for around $400.

If you want other great gift ideas for the geeks in your life, see our under $100 gifts for geeks.

The ChargePod

If your house contains as many wireless devices as ours, then you understand how messy it is to have wires all over counter tops and desks. The Chargepod is a device that with multiple interfaces and adapters that can charge multiple devices at once. Blackberry and iPhones, BlueTooth headsets, digital cameras and even game systems. They also sell different adapters if you have a device that isn’t standard. At around $35, this is a portable device must-have.

Callpod Chargepod Bundle Pack with 6 Adapters (Silver)

Kingston 16 GB Thumbdrive

Everyone should have one. This ridiculously cheap 16 GB thumb-drive is a great stocking stuffer. It can be used to backup documents or photos, can be used to transfer large files between the home and office, or can simply be used as extra drive space on your computer. At under $40, this is a great idea for those in your family that do not backup. All you have to do is plug it into the computer and copy files onto it–there’s nothing to install.

Kingston DataTraveler I – 16 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive DTI/16GB

Computer Toolkit

All geeks like tools. This kit is a great starter set for someone looking to get into the business or for someone who likes to tinker around the house. It has precision screwdrivers, wire strippers, soldering iron and ratchet screwdriver and socket set and much more all for under $40. These are all tools standard for repairing and upgrading computers, and this Belkin set comes in a nice carrying case. So even if you have a larger case, this one can be used for those on the fly-jobs.

Belkin F8E062 55-Piece Computer Tool Kit with Black Case (Demagnetized Tools)

Windows 7 Secrets

Paut Thurrott is a Windows expert that has written a lot of great Windows Secrets books in the past. This massive book (all 1080 pages of it) contain secrets in Windows 7 that average users would probably never know about. If you want to get the most out of your new Operating System, Windows 7 Secrets is a great title. It covers installing and upgrading to Windows 7, security, media and great personal configuration tips. The book is around $35 and a great addition to your geek library.

Windows 7 Secrets

1 TB External USB Drive

Rounding out our $100 and below list is a Western Digital 1 TB USB Drive. We love the Western Digital drives and this amount of storage at under $100 is a steal. You can use this drive to store movies, music, photos and to backup your entire computer. A drive of this size should be used as a backup and archiving solution, but can certainly be used in day to day storage for PCs that have limited hard drive space.

Western Digital Elements 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive WDE1UBK10000N (Black)