Gadget Time: Power in Small Packages

September 9th, 2010

Aspire Revo 3700 – Netbooks aren’t the only minimalist computers out there. A similar downsizing is taking place in the desktop niche, with all kinds of cool, small computers from all kinds of computer makers. A pioneer of the netback, Acer has also been busy shrinking desktop footprints with its Revo line. The “latest and greatest” is now the Aspire Revo 3700. In a little box some dub the “one liter size,” Acer puts a 1.8GHz Atom D525 dual-core CPU, NVIDIA’s latest version of its Ion graphics platform, a huge 500GB drive, 4GB of fast DDR3 RAM, four USB ports, VGA and HDMI outputs, gigabit Ethernet and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. It includes support for 1080p video playback and has a miniPCIe expansion slot, as well. It is expected to ship “later this year” (not much of it left, so it can’t be too far off), and if you can find a TV tuner on a PCIe card, the Revo 3700 just might morph into a fabulous, affordable digital media center for the living room.

Apple TV – Introduced at Apple’s September 1st “special event,” the completely revamped Apple TV is all about streaming (in 720p) and has dispensed with the previous version’s 160GB hard drive. The Apple TV is now a tiny, matte-black box that is well equipped, too: HDMI for displays, Ethernet for the Internet (plus 802.11n Wi-Fi for cable haters), optical audio for sound and USB plugs in the rear. You have plenty of ways to stream content or watch your own library of flicks. New streaming Fox and ABC shows will cost 99 cents and first-run HD movies $4.99, but you can also connect to your Netflix account, Flickr, YouTube and Apple’s Mobile Me. You can stream content from your Mac or PC, too, and the AirPlay app in the recently released iOS 4.2 (for Apple’s iPhone, iPod and iPad) lets you send digital media from an iPad. The product should ship at the end of September.

Seiko E-Ink Watch – The problem with getting excited about gadget site listings of “new ideas” is that many of them never get out of the idea stage. So it’s great to see a concept as cool as Seiko’s new E-Ink watch actually make it to market. The company has made E-ink models before, but the new one stands out because of features like higher resolution, a 180-degree viewing angle and radio-controlled timekeeping and display that get their signals from the nearest atomic clock. It’s not only nifty, nice and neat, but promises to be affordable. The watch is slated for release by the end of 2010.

ROAMpay – If you are a traveling salesman, self-employed craftsman/artisan or freelancer of any kind, iPhone app builders have created a number of credit card payment systems for that platform. There are a whole lot more phones out there to draft into business service, and QuickPay Merchant Service has the solution. Its ROAMpay system is what they call “device agnostic” – it will work with phones running Apple’s iOS, as well as Android and BlackBerry. In addition to giving you real-time authorization for Discover, MasterCard, Visa and AmEx through your QuickPay account, it will let you log transactions and create receipts. If you want to be prepared to make a sale at the market or in line at Burger King, this is your gadget.

At CRE, we love technology – all of it, from the interactive kiosks we rent for conventions to the scores of iMac rentals that are doing yeoman’s work in the TV and film industries, Fortune 500 firms and post-production studios. As tech experts, we understand “computer-ese” and other lingo, and can offer the assistance of our experienced Account Executives when you need to push through a bottleneck or ramp up for a new project (or five). Contact us by phone or e-mail, or fill out a Quick Rental Quote form, and we will tailor a solution that’s just right – right now!

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