Are Gadget Screen Protectors Worth the Money?

iPhone Screen Protector

Remember how excited you were when you got that new iPhone for the first time? If you were like me, the new iPhone instantly became your most valued technological possession. The sales rep at the AT&T store - or in my case, Best Buy, tried to get me to pay another $20.00 on top of my already, hefty, $349 bill by talking me into an Invisishield screen protector. Invisishield was a name I had heard before, but had no idea if it was the Best iPhone screen protector and worth the money. I knew I would have to get a screen protector eventually, but didn't want to add to my big phone expense all at once. I decided I would use the phone for a while than shop around. As it turns out, I couldn't relax without one. I was so protective of my new iPhone that I couldn't enjoy it until I knew it's beautiful, high-res, glossy screen was properly corrected. I went to Target and bought the off-brand, Case Logic which included 3 screen protectors for about $9.95. As it turns out, I was glad it came with three Screen Protectors instead of just one. Read the rest of this entry

ICF-CS10iP iPhone Clock Radio Docking Station

Sony Dream Machine

I once dreamed I would get a Sony Dream Machine for Christmas. I am no longer dreaming, but waking up every morning to the tunes coming from my iPhone MP3 player docked inside my new ICF-CS10ip model, Sony Dream Machine. Since receiving the Sony Dream Machine from Santa, I’m a little bit surprised at the number of unfavorable user reviews and comments that I’ve read on this particular model. The ICF-CS10iP is Sony’s latest iPod Docking Station/Clock Radio/Music Player. Perhaps my reasons for wanting this unit fall short of some people’s dreams, but the ICF-CS10ip has actually exceeded my own expectations. As a relatively new iPhone owner, this is the first docking station/music player I’ve ever owned. My reason for dreaming for a Sony Dream Machine in the first place was simply to be able to play music in the bedroom and keep my iPhone conveniently charged at night. I got the idea from my Sony- Dream-Machine-owning brother who told me that this nifty little gadget filled a room with reasonable quality sound. Read the rest of this entry

Ti-84 Silver Edition Calculator

Imagine being a high school or college kid taking advanced Algebra and not having a Ti 84 Silver Edition Calculator. When I was a kid I didn't have even the old fashioned, Ti83 Calculator, let alone a Ti84 Silver Edition Calculator;  much less the Ti 84 Plus Silver Edition Calculator. Today, the fancy Ti83 Calculator and Ti84 Calculators are probably something that all, but the nerdiest of high school students would agree they could do without. In fact, these expensive, Ti Geeky Calculators are the one thing that both parents and non-nerd students wish had never been invented. Parents are understandably upset when they learn that the old Ti83 Calculator they purchased for the older kid is no longer sufficient or expensive enough to learn algebra these days. They will have to invest another $120 dollars to get the very latest Ti 84 Plus Silver Edition;  and anticipate spending $150 by the time the very latest, Ti Inspire comes out for the next kid. In return, their teenage children become very upset and stressed when they realize they have to learn how to use an expensive tech-gadget that is no where near as cool or advanced as their cell phone or MP3 player. A few years ago, when my daughter said, "Mom, Dad; I need a Texas Instruments Ti83 Graphing Calculator for school", I knew by the sounds of it that it would be neither cheap, nor much fun to learn how to use. For some reason, today's computers are not advanced enough to perform intense, mathematical graphical equations on a monotone, 3" screen, but that's besides the point. What is a Ti 84 Plus Silver Edition Calculator? Read the rest of this entry

The Aspire One Model ZA3

Acer Aspire One ZA3

Since I last reviewed netbooks, the number of new choices and models has increased 10-fold while the price has decreased on average $100-$150. Surprisingly, technology and performance have remained roughly the same. The Aspire ZA3 is based on the Z520 Processor, one of Intel's newest, low-wattage CPU's made specifically for small form factor PCs. Read the rest of this entry