Rare Bird, Inc. | Articles : Gadgets. Gear. Stuff.

	Web Reviews From 1997 to the present, President/Creative Director, Jim Cota has been writing informative reviews of Web sites and other internet related issues for the Indianapolis Business Journal. If you've missed the articles in print you can catch up on past stories here. Articles are reprinted with permission of the Indianapolis Business Journal, copyright 1997 - 2005, IBJ Corp.

Gadgets. Gear. Stuff.

Gadgets. Gear. Stuff. Almost everybody loves stuff, especially when it's tied to technology with the hope of improving our lives. In the past few years, the amount of new "stuff" hitting the marketplace has been staggering. Cell phones, personal digital assistants, digital cameras (both still and video), digital music players, digital video recorders... it seems like almost everything is digital. All of this innovation leads to the inevitable questions: What is it, do I need it, and how does it work?

It would be hard to decide which of these products has had the most profound impact on the greatest number of people, but digital music players have certainly become ubiquitous. Thanks to new hard drive technology, these players are remarkably small and can hold an unbelievable amount of music. The Apple iPod, for instance, can hold 10,000 songs — enough music to go almost two months without repeating. Though widely considered to be the standard bearer of the digital music scene (especially when used with the iTunes Music Store, Time Magazine's Invention of the Year), the iPod does have some competition in the marketplace. For a good listing of players and reviews, visit CNet and click on "Music". Incidentally, CNet is a great place to find product information and reviews on a wide array of electronic gear.

Digital still cameras have also had a stunning impact. In a few short years, the quality of images has increased from .30 megapixels to a staggering 8.0 megapixels, while prices have steadily decreased. Now that there are more than 450 different cameras on the market, choosing one becomes a difficult task. By far the best site I've found for comparisons, reviews, and a general understanding of digital cameras and photography is Digital Photography Review. The site is well-designed, easy to understand, and presented in such a way that makes finding the information you're looking for simple and concise. If you're thinking of getting a digital camera, start here.

If you ask someone who has one, they're likely to tell you that a digital video recorder has changed their life. DVR's are essentially computer hard drives hooked to your TV and set up to record video. They work by converting the incoming TV signal to a digital format and recording the information to a large hard drive. They're so good, in fact, that they have coined a new term to describe their use: time-shifting. Time shifting allows you watch TV programs on your own schedule. Need to get something from the kitchen or check on the kids? Just hit the pause button. The DVR pauses the video at that point and begins recording. When you return, press play and pick up where you left off, fast-forwarding through commercials in the process. You can even watch one program you've recorded while recording another. There are several options available for DVR's, the most popular are Tivo and Replay TV, but they are increasingly available from cable and satellite providers. Try Epinions for reviews and information.