There’s no shortage of ways to capture video clips these days: smart phones, Flip cameras, dSLRs… they can all take good quality video that can easily be uploaded to YouTube or Facebook to share with your friends and family. The downside? It’s an active process. You have to concentrate on getting the shot you want, instead of actually enjoying the moment you’re trying to capture.

On this episode of Tech Unexpected, I take a look at the Looxcie Wearable Camcorder. It sits on your ear like a Bluetooth headset (which technically, it is), and you can use your iPhone or Android device as a remote control to record and play the videos, and to trim the clips and send them off into the Internet aether once you’re done.

Is this something you would want to use? What would you use it to capture? I can also see it being very useful to record concerts or sporting events. At $199, is this something you would integrate into your tech collection?

If you do get one, show it off! Just take a video with your Looxcie camera, upload it to YouTube and tweet us the link to @Cruzearati with the hashtag #LooxcieHere.

Oh, and P.S: When I told Devo she could be internet famous “too,” I was referring to her becoming famous like Mr. Littlejeans. He’s extremely famous on the internet.

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1. LG Speed Texting World Cup
2. My stop at TechShop!
3. The Amazing Brooklyn Mobile

One thing makes traveling a cinch for me: technology. There are a few essential apps and tools that I use daily that make life so much easier for me. Without them, I’d be utterly and completely lost.

TripIt
I use TripIt for everything. Flights, hotels, rental cars, car services, etc. If there’s a confirmation email associated with my trip, it gets forwarded to plans@TripIt.com and instantly added to my itinerary. Then, I just pull up the information on my iPhone, and I’ll never forget where the hotel is or what flight number I’m on. I use the Pro account (which has a $60 yearly fee) to keep track of all my frequent flier miles and to alert me to any changes in my itinerary.

FlightTrack Pro
This $9.99 iPhone app works with data from TripIt Pro, and has saved my ass more times than I can count. I typically know a flight is delayed or cancelled before the crew does (well… It seems that way, anyhow). I can use it to cross-reference SeatGuru, find alternate flights, and give me up-to-the-second gate information. A must-have for the frequent traveler.

Expensify
This handy app works on the iPhone and iPad, and allows me to put together expense reports quickly and easily. Using my iPhone, I can take pictures of my receipts, add them to a new or existing expense report, and mail them off to their intended recipient. The only downside is that you need a data connection to work on your reports.

TaxiMagic and Uber
Need a ride to the airport, but don’t know the local cab companies? Try TaxiMagic. In some places, like SF, you can book and pay for Luxor Cabs using the app directly. Otherwise, it lists the local cab companies in your area and helps you to call them from the app. Uber is only available in SF (AFAIK) but this town car booking system is the most reliable and comfortable way to travel. It’s more spendy, at 1.5x the price of normal cabs, but sometimes it’s worth it!

Dropbox and EverNote
I use these apps to sync my data across multiple devices, but I use them differently. Dropbox is mainly for sharing documents (in my case, VO files and scripts) while Evernote I use to keep track of ideas and business cards when I’m on the road. It’s my virtual Rolodex! Instead of taking cards, I snap a photo and upload it to my business cards notebook. Then, once it’s indexed, I can search and access that info from anywhere. 

MyLink from OnStar
If I feel like maybe I forgot to lock my car after leaving it at the airport, I use the OnStar app to remotely lock Terry Cruze. You can also see the cars specs, remotely turn it on and off, and get roadside assistance. Now, if only they had an app for turning off the oven…

3G iPad 
First I felt kind of guilty buying the 3G version. Then I felt even more guilty paying the $14.99 a month data plan. But after two months of using it, I don’t feel that way anymore! You’d be amazed by how many hotels still charge an arm and a leg for Wifi, and how many coffee shops don’t offer it at all anymore. This 3G tablet has been great for emailing and blogging on the go. Also, it means I don’t have to lug my laptop around, which is a big plus. I actually wrote this post on my iPad on the way home from Portland last night.

Kindle 2
Yes! Even with the iPad, I insist on bringing the Kindle with me on every trip. Why, you ask? The battery life is forever, the screen is much easier to look at after long periods, and it’s smaller. 

What are your travel essentials? Anything you can’t live without when you’re on the road?

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Is Roxxxy the kind of thing that will stay very niche, or are we looking at the future of sex toys?

Roxxxy is expensive and the bar to entry (ahem) is too high for most consumers insofar as access, acceptance and maintenance, not to mention it’s made as a boutique item from a single inventor. For any sex toy to go from niche, obscurity and cult status, it must be affordable, widely distributed, mass produced, have name brand recognition, be easy to use, and achieve mainstream acceptance; the Rabbit Habit vibrator (popularized on Sex and the City) is a perfect example of this. Roxxxy in its current form will most certainly remain niche, especially as other ‘sex robot’ manufacturers worldwide have already surpassed Roxxxy on many levels. And we shouldn’t forget that RealDoll has already cornered the lifelike sex doll market while Roxxxy is little more than a cross between RealDoll and a Tickle Me Elmo.

Why are people so obsessed with the idea of sex robots?

People have fantasized about sex with robots since at least 1886, thanks to science fiction, when the first female android mate was made popular in French author Auguste Villers novel “The Future Eve” (“L’Eve Future”). In it, a fictional Thomas Edison creates a human female android for a despondent male friend who hates his real-life fiancée so much he wants to kill himself. Edison kindly offers to make him a robot replica of the fiancée, but without all that bothersome personality. Sex with robots is the ultimate manifestation for our fantasy of having sex with things that have no feeling, free of consequences.There are many advantages to sex with a human, and many things you will not get — yet — from a machine, like skin touch, smell, eye contact, tenderness, etc. Those things that humans alone can provide (so far) are only part of the sexual experience, but they are so fraught with intensity that they can often dominate the experience. Since we are socialized to not be blatant about physical pleasure, even if we’re blatant about sexuality, engaging in that kind of physical expression, and focusing on the purely penetrative and rhythmic, is liberating for many, including women.

I think it’s important that we reconsider calling an item with no robotics and no movement (or actuators) a robot. There are no robotics in Roxxxy, save for sensors that only transmit feedback for audio responses.

Would a male version of a doll like this ever work for women?

Yes, absolutely. Probably even more successfully than for men, provided she’s handy with tools and has rudimentary programming skills when her Robert PattinsonXXX Love Doll has a system crash. What’s fascinating is how openly and unquestionably women have embraced sex with machines: whether vibrators, or large-scale sex machines such as those seen as infamous machine sex websites where it’s only women, machines and authentic orgasms. According to “The Technology Of Orgasm” by Rachel Maines, women have been having orgasms with machines since at least 1860, and the first at-home self-stimulation device was widely marketed to women in 1918 so it’s proof positive that on our own, women have no inhibitions about having sex with machines. We’ve been doing it much longer than men. It’s true that a machine enables huge variations in how one conjures an orgasm, as in speed, stroke, size, vibration, steadiness, how long it all lasts — things that wouldn’t be possible with a human.

Should real women be worried about being replaced in the bedroom?

Not at all. In the same way that men joke — sort of — while buying vibrators for their girlfriends and wives that they’re worried it might replace them, it’s an ungrounded anxiety that simply isn’t true. By 2010 we’ll see toys that realistically mimic certain human elements of the sexual experience. But people will always have to suspend an element of disbelief to complete the fantasy; you can’t fool all of the senses, and sex with another person is a sense-reliant experience. For some people, and only some (not most), they are more than happy with having a fantasy lover than a real life companion or mate, but because their orientation does not suit them for intimate human relationships. These people will be happy to have a sex robot to manifest their fantasy instead of a human being, but again, these aren’t the people you’ll see at singles’ bars or dating meetups in the first place.

Despite the creator’s claims, there have been lots of sex robots out there. What makes this one different? Better? Creepier?

Yes, worldwide there have been many sex robots, and his efforts have been exceeded by many companies and manufacturers (First Android, Zoltan and Alice + Kiri, Le Trung’s Project Aiko, Kokoro/Actroid). What makes this one different is that a) unlike First Androids the body does not move, and b) also unlike First Androids, it has programmable personality programs. Roxxxy is not a robot. I’m not sure how advanced the AI is, if indeed it is a genuine ELIZA-style (AIML) AI (artificial intelligence computer entity, a program that is a natural language chatterbot). Or if it’s just a canned response ‘bot, that reacts to certain stimulus with preset phrases. We don’t know what he’s running, so we don’t know if the programming is as advanced as a ‘virtual girlfriend’ like KariGirl or A.L.I.C.E. So in many ways, it’s one step forward and many steps right in place. It’s definitely creepier, as it’s so clearly based on the face and body of one particular girl. It’s no better than a RealDoll (a high quality item), not by far, but it is a different experience. Roxxxy certainly has more hype than any other sex “robot” innovation standing — or not.

Further reading on Asylum

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Like most things, they didn’t really care. But I’m going to place him on top of the bookshelf just to be on the safe side!

And here he is at the park, doing what he does best: being adorable.

I do need a name for him, though, so if you’ve got any good suggestions let me know in the comments!

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Last week my brand new Kindle 2 arrived, and for the past few days I’ve been blissfully downloading books and reading them every chance I get. Then, I started seeing reports of a rumored new Kindle, and I became nervous: “A new one? Already? But the Kindle 2 just came out in February! Who would do such a thing?”

When the announcement of the Kindle DX happened on Wednesday, I was besieged with Twitter messages asking if I was pissed that I just paid $359 for a brand new Kindle 2 when Amazon released a new one that next week. Instantly, my mind went into defensive mode: “No, of course not! This one is huge, and more expensive! I don’t even read textbooks!” But a the same time, the early-adopter bug was chittering in my ear that I now owned an inferior product. Lets take a look at this handy graph on Amazon:

OK, so it has its pros: PDF support without conversion and the rotating display would be pretty sweet, plus the larger display. But are those features really worth the uptick in price, which I already believe to be quite inflated? Not for me!

Side note: I talked a lot of smack about e-book readers on the iPhone on last weeks TWiT, but I’ve had a change in heart. While it still hurts my eyes after a while, the Kindle iPhone app (iTunes link here) is really cool. I read almost an entire book on it yesterday while I was between takes at a video shoot, and it was great.

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Here are my photos below, plus Ryan’s video (and his hands-on post about it too). Niall’s pics are here.

Tesla Model S hands-on from Ryan Block on Vimeo.

Related: My video of the Tesla Roadster on Mahalo Daily!

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While we’re on the topic of camcorders, I was very pleased to have mine on me to document this blatant abuse of Revision3 ergonomic supplies:

Ergonomic Supply Abuse from Veronica Belmont on Vimeo.

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I’ve had my HP Mini 1000 Mi Edition for a couple weeks now, and overall I’ve been very happy with it. The keyboard is the perfect compromise in size at 90%, and even the strange side buttons on the trackpad haven’t given me too much reason to complain. I have the 10.1″ version, but it’s small and light enough for me to carry comfortably all day (a huge different from my 15″ MacBook Pro, which I’m sure is the cause for all my back and shoulder pain!).

The big problem is the OS. Since I went with the Mi Edition, the netbook runs on MIE (Mobile Internet Experience), which is HP’s Ubuntu-based operating system. Admittedly, this was my first foray into Linux, and I’m not letting MIE taint my opinion of Linux whatsoever. Basically, there’s a lot that just doesn’t work right. The home screen, seen below, is supposed to have live bookmarks (and thumbnails) for my favorite websites. Even after adding them, the thumbnails just never loaded.

I wanted to add Boxee for Linux onto it, but adding third-party applications is very difficult. There is an application manager, but it’s locked-down to HP approved apps. There have been some stability issues as well, which I find interesting considering I’m rarely using multiple programs at once or doing anything “crash-worthy.”

At this point, I’m looking at a few different options for the OS: Ubuntu Netbook Remix and Windows 7 beta. I’ve heard great things about both, and I tried to install Windows 7 already and had some issues because I was trying to make a bootable USB on XP instead of Vista, which most of the directions seem geared to. Anyhow, I digress. Suggestions for what OS I should run are very welcome, or if you have tips on making the most out of MIE.

The kiwi above doesn’t come standard, by the way! It’s a GelaSkin called Jealousy, by artist Jen Lobo. GelaSkins are coming out with netbook skins very soon, so stay tuned!

UPDATE: GelaSkins for netbooks now available!

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Last week the guys over at Golden Shellback, who make “splashproof” coatings for gadgets, sent me a 1GB silver iPod shuffle (splashproofed, of course). Since I already have an iPhone to listen to my tunes on I thought it would be fun to give it away here on the site! The “contest” is going to be very simple:

1. Leave a comment telling me what your New Year’s resolution is.
2. Post before Dec. 31st, 2008 at 11:59 PM EST.
3. I’ll randomly select one of the comments via number generator!

Please make sure to use a valid email address in the email field when you’re posting so I can contact you. I’ll give you a couple of days to respond… if you don’t, I’ll pick another random number. Good luck!

Disclaimer: Golden Shellback did not ask me to blog this, nor have I received any kind of compensation for this post. This is simply a contest to say “thank you” to my readers and to spread a little holiday cheer!

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I’ve had a couple of weeks to play with the new T-Mobile G1 running Google’s Android, and I have to say that I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m not going to write a full review here, because I think that’s been done quite thoroughly by others in the blogosphere (see Engadget’s full review, and Ryan’s impressions).

One thing that I have noticed while using the G1 is that I hardly ever compare it in my mind to my iPhone. They feel that different. The only times I did make a direct comparison was while using the address book (much easier to scroll to a certain letter) and using the Market for apps. Even though there aren’t as many apps out there, the quality of the apps and the organization within the store was more up my alley.

Since I’ve got this phone sitting on my desk, let me know if you have any questions about the user experience! I’ll happily answer them to the best of my ability in the comments section.

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The main problem I’m having is this weird keyboard lag. Whenever I go to type a new text message or email, the keyboard takes forever to register that I’m trying to use it. Usually around 30 seconds or more, which seems like an eternity when you’re trying to fire off a quick note to someone.

Then there’s the battery life. I knew it was going to be worse than my old iPhone, because the 3G sucks a lot of life out of it, but holy crap… I had to charge my phone three times a day when I was at E3. And if you’re using applications with any kind of frequency, good luck. The worst part was this morning: I didn’t plug it in before I went to bed, and it was probably at a 75% charge when I last checked it. This morning? About 20%. I have never seen a gadget leak battery that quickly when it wasn’t in use.

I’ve heard through the Twitter-vine that if you restored the new iPhone from a previously saved backup it ended up less stable, and showed some of the symptoms that I’ve mentioned. I’ve also heard that it’s just a problem with the 2.0 firmware being released a bit early. No kidding. I hope that the next update makes it so I can enjoy using my phone again.

This post wasn’t so brief after all. Share your experiences in the comments and let me know how it’s all been working out for you.

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The format wars have been huge news these past few years, and it feels odd to say that Blu-ray has really won. I’ve said time and time again that physical media is going to be obsolete in the very near future (in favor of HD downloads) but I’m a little shocked that Toshiba is giving up the ghost so soon. But with getting dumped by Netflix and Wal-mart, I suppose it truly was only a matter of time. For some reason, I always felt like I was in Camp HD DVD. It was totally arbitrary side-choosing, but maybe spurned on by the fact that I was raised a Red Sox fan, and thusly (until very recently) a glutton for punishment.

Well, HD DVD, it was a pretty good run. I enjoyed using my Xbox HD DVD drive, but I guess I’ll be getting more play from my PS3 now. I wonder how quickly HD DVD will leave the store walls and become eBay gold (lol). Will a whole subculture of HD DVD enthusiasts spring up? Fans that refuse to let go? How does Microsoft feel about this whole thing? Do they care? (Answer: No.)

So many questions! What do you think?

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I’ll be there tomorrow on the show floor, checking out all the fun new toys. See you then!

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Yes, I know that technically you’re not supposed to use iPhones with standard iPod accessories, but it works just the same. If you can tolerate the occasional interference from the phone, that is (“deet deet deeedeeedee deeet!”). Anyhow, after a little poking around, I found this iHome2Go OutLoud dock. So far, so good! You can use it with only one cube, or both for stereo sound. The sound is very good, impressive considering the terrible acoustics in the apartment (and especially the totally square bedroom… major phase cancellation issues).

It comes with a tiny little remote, which is always nice, and it has line-in. We’re probably going to set it up for with the Squeezebox that I’ve been wanting to use for a while now. What I like best about the OutLoud is the design — all the other players had about ten different knobs and buttons on them. Yes, this may not have a clock radio built in, but that’s not what I needed it for. I already have an alarm clock, and I hate the radio. Three buttons are enough for me. Well, I’ve only had it for a night, so hopefully nothing will go wrong to shatter my good impression in the near future!

Image link 

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It’s a very pleasant American holiday, trust me.

Naturally, it’s a big time of year for those of us in the tech industry. It’s also interesting to see what kind of deals various companies pull out of their behinds to make their product the Tickle Me Elmo of the tech enthusiast crowd. But what I’m trying to figure out is what the heck I want for Christmas! My family is giving money to Heifer International this year, but I still might get a little something-something for myself. Other than the gaming PC (which is a project in the works, for sure), I can’t really think of anything I need (or want).

What are the top presents you’re hoping to get this year? What are you buying for your family and friends? Is it mostly tech, or are you going another route? Are you going to wait for Cyber Monday, and buy everything online?

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Makes me wonder what other devices made it to market that should have never seen the light of day. There have been some products out there that have left me scratching my head, but what are your favorites?

—————-
Now playing: The Stills – Love & Death
via FoxyTunes

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Yesterday I went over to the Apple Store at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, to cover the line over there for CNET TV and to secure another test unit iPhone for our labs. I was there for about 4 hours, and by the time 6PM rolled around, the line was pretty damn long. I wasn’t intending on buying an iPhone that day, but when I got up to the counter and the smiling Apple clerk asked me what he could get for me, I blurted out “Two eight-gigers, please!” I caved under the non-pressure.

So now I have an iPhone of my very own. The one you see above isn’t mine, but Ryan’s. The reason why you don’t see mine is because I realized that I still have ’til the 10th of July before my T-Mobile contract is up. I’ve already spent $600–I’m sure as hell not going to spend another $200 just so I can use it now. Oh, but is it ever hard not to activate that sucker. You can’t do anything without activating it! Luckily, I’ll be surrounded by them both at home and at work, so I won’t feel like I’m missing out too much.

I have to tell you, I didn’t want to get sucked in like this, but it’s cool… really cool. Yes, the keyboard can be a little flaky. And yes, the EDGE kind of sucks. But my initial feeling is that it’s a very fun and easy to use phone. I guess I’ll have to wait until the week of the 10th to give my full impressions!

In the meantime, the real phone/MP3 player pros at CNET have taken their First Look, so go check that out.

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I already got into a little trouble with Palm this week (Palm OS is SO NOT going away! Seriously, guys!) but I can’t resist discussing the Palm Foleo that was announced at the fancy D: All Things Digital conference in San Diego today.

What the heck is this thing supposed to be all about? A tiny computer-companion to your Treo? I don’t know about your briefcase, but I had to buy a whole new purse to fit all the gadget junk I carry around and I’m sure as hell NOT planning on buying an even bigger one. That is, unless it’s Marc Jacobs and under $200.

I digress. The whole point of having a smartphone is so you can take your work away with you, on the go. That’s why they do amazing things like e-mail and web browsing. Which, incidentally, is also all the Foleo does. Oh look! I just saved you $430!

Dear gadget elves:
Please make smartphones smarter or laptops smaller. Doing both of those things would also be fine. My gadgets do not need “companions,” they’re doing just fine on their own, thank you.

Wow, I’m being mean tonight! I think I’m just bitter that I’m not at D. Rafe was there and actually saw this thing, and he loves it! Ryan, not so much.

Image credit: Palm.com

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Instead of dragging all my software over, I just downloaded (or reinstalled) the stuff that I needed. I didn’t want to bog the laptop down with apps that I would never use. It went in this order:
World of Warcraft
Quicksilver
Firefox
Adium 1.0
Growl
AppZapper
Twitterific
smcFanControl (Ryan told me about this… good for keeping the laptop cool when playing WoW)

What apps would you go and download immediately? What can’t you live without? I need some more suggestions!

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