I think the marriage of GPS and cellular connections makes a lot of sense.  You have global positioning, and real time data updates with wireless data.

To date, there have been phones with GPS released.  But these devices were phones at heart with GPS added in.

Enter Garmin.  Known for GPS devices, the company released shots of a new, iPhone looking device today that will combine a GPS receiver with a mobile phone.  The device is called the nuvifone and it will be available in Q3 of this year.  Pricing is not yet available.

The nuviphone has regular GPS that works for driving or walking.  But you also get Google local search and Garmin online services that provide weather and traffic updates as well as other information such as fuel prices, hotel discounts and more.

Unlike the EDGE-based iPhone, the nuviphone will have a 3.5G connection and will work with AT&T, and later T-mobile when their new network is rolled out.  The phone has a mobile version of a web browser for anywhere web surfing.

The device is rounded off with some decent looking messaging features, although it looks like you’ll have to type with an on-screen keypad.  There is also a camera, video camera and multimedia playback support.

I’m pretty excited about the nuviphone.  It’s just such a great idea and GPS is a key differentiator.  The design is sleek - not like the iPhone but still very nice.  Check out this link for some additional pics from engadget.

From Lifehacker.

Here’s a great guide for using Bittorrent.  More and more I’m thinking that torrents are the best way of transferring large files over the net.  I’ve got many new film releases and whole collections of music with torrents, something that traditional P2P wouldn’t be able to handle.

From Digg, Robotman.

This is a great post by Robotman.  Absolutely hilarious.  The quote of the day: “your picture of Stalin riding a Year3 Limited Edition Starflower inside a German concentration camp was both upsetting and historically inaccurate.”

Take a sec to check it out.

I saw these at the Korean market today and I had to pick them up.  They are little crackers shaped like drumsticks that are flavored like fried chicken.

I got 2 varieties, regular Fried Chicken and Hot Barbecue Chicken.

I believe the crackers themselves are fried.  They’re crispy on the outside, and mostly empty in the middle.  The outside of the crackers have a pretty interesting texture that does resemble fried chicken, I suppose.  I also love how they look like little drumsticks.

But they don’t really taste like fried chicken.  They are kind of salty and savory, but unfortunately they don’t have that trademark fried chicken flavor.  That would have been a real accomplishment and really, if they pulled it off this would be my favorite snack ever.

Still, they’re pretty tasty and have a flavor somewhat similar to pringles.  And at 99 cents per box they’re really very cheap.

You kind of have to give it to the Koreans…I mean, this is really an innovative product of japanese quality and oddity.  And I’d imagine they’ll help to bridge the racial divide between the blacks and koreans.

no more NKOTB.  Please?

There’s just nothing I can say . . .

 http://www.nkotb.com/

The selection of Japanese beers over here in California is usually pretty dull.  You have the big brands - Sapporo, Asahi and Kirin, and once in awhile you have seasonal beers or variations like Asahi Black.

So, I was excited when I saw Echigo Stout at the market.  At $3 for a ~12oz bottle it wasn’t cheap, but seemed like it was worth a try.

According to the bottle, Echigo Stout is brewed and bottled at the Echigo Beer Company in Nigata, Japan.  It doesn’t seem like the company has it’s own website, however.

Echigo Stout was very dark…I mean, it’s a stout of course.  And I don’t know a lot about different types of beers, but it had a kind of smoky, woodsy flavor that was pretty unique for a japanese beer.

I drank it with some pupus, but I think it would go better with some sort of red meat.  The stout flavor can be overpowering, and it is a heavy beer, but I can see it going well with a nice rare steak.

It’s distributed in the continental U.S. by NA Sales, and in Hawaii by Cherry Co., so if you have a chance, check it out.

This is a pretty easy tip to make your own iPhone ringtones for free.  It’s been out for a while, but I just found this out a couple days ago.  The best thing is that it doesn’t require any new software or hacking or jailbreaking - pretty much all you have to do is rename an extension.

To start, make a clip that you want to use as a ringtone.  This can be pretty much any audio file, but it must be 30 seconds or less.

I suggest you download a program that will allow you to edit audio files or you can use burning software like Roxio to edit an audio file.  Just slice up a file any way you want.

Next, convert your file to the Apple AAC format if it is not already AAC.  To convert your file, just load it into your iTunes library and right click (on a PC) and hit ‘Convert selection to AAC.’

Once you have converted the file, all you have to do is change the extension.  Normally, the extension is .m4a.  Change this to .m4r, and you’re all set.

On Windows, this is easy - just rename the file to end with .m4r.  Make sure you don’t have file extensions hidden, or else you will really just be changing the file name and the actual file will be something like ringtone.m4r.m4a .  Here are some instructions to change your options on Vista so you can view extensions.

Now that your file has an .m4r extension, just stick it back into your iTunes library, and it should show up under ‘ringtones.’  You can then just drag and drop to your iPhone (assuming it’s on v1.1.3).  Then on your iPhone go to settings > sounds > and >ringtone.  Select your new custom ringtone, and that’s it!

A host of VoIP services have been popping up over the past several years.  Some like Sun Rocket have gone out of business.  Others, like Vonage, have faced lots of problems generating revenue and staying out of court.

magicJack won’t make their problems any easier.  If they keep things up, they will change the telephony industry.

Unlike other VoIP services that cost at least $20 a month, magicJack gives you unlimited calling in the US for $20 per year.  That’s a savings of $200 to $300 a year in most cases.

How does it work?  magicJack is a USB key drive that you plug into your computer.  You attach a normal telephone to the magicJack device, and that’s it - it works just like your traditional phone.  Although this limits you to one line, lots of phones nowadays have several wireless extensions, so you can plug in the base to magicJack, and just leave the wireless extensions around the house.

There is also software on the magicJack device that allows you to make and manage calls from your desktop, so you can either use a traditional phone or your computer with a mic and a headset.  When using the service from a computer, you also get Outlook integration which makes it a lot easier to call your contacts.

Better yet, since magicJack is just a USB drive, you can take it anywhere in the world to both make and receive calls.  All you need is a broadband connection with about 80k of bandwidth.  This is great for frequent travelers, particularly those that spend a lot of time abroad when you’d normally pay over a dollar per minute.

Apparently, magicJack manages much of their telephony network to ensure quality calls.  I am unsure, however, how the company will continue to manage this network over time if each user just pays $20 a month.  But, from what I’ve read so far, the call quality of the magicJack network is above average.

magicJack also has features like voice mail and three way calling.  You can get a magicJack phone number in most domestic area codes.  You can also port your number for a small fee.

The verdict?  Well, the service has been getting decent reviews so far, but it still has a long way to go.  Features like number porting and call forwarding are not yet available, and this makes me a bit nervous about the service.  Who knows if the company will actually come through with these features?

magicJack requires that you leave your PC on, as well.  This really isn’t a problem for me, but it may be a pain for some users.

Also, the company’s website is a mess.  The homepage is basically a video player - they should dedicate more screen real estate to helping users understand the service instead of relying on video reviews, although, of course, the reviews are positive.  The company needs to do a LOT more explaining and convincing, and make this information readily available on their home page.

But for $20 a year, you can’t really complain.  Sure, there’s lots of room for improvement, but as is, the service will save you a bundle.

There is also a 30 day free trial period, so if you don’t like it, you can get your money back.

You can purchase magicJack here.  Let me know if you have any reviews.

The Moment of Truth premiered last night on Fox.  I’ve been waiting to see this show for a while and I think it’s a pretty unique concept.

Here’s how it works:

Before the show, contestants are asked 50+ questions while attached to a lie detector.  21 of these questions are chosen for the game.  Each game has 5 rounds.  The first round has 6 questions, the 2nd round has 5 questions, all the way to the final round which has 1 question.

As long as the contestant tells the truth for each question he/she keeps on going to the next question.  All the contestant has to do is answer all of the 21 questions truthfully and they will win half a million dollars.

To answer a question truthfully, the contestant’s answer on the show must be the same as the results of the lie detector test.  You don’t even actually see the lie detector test, it happens entirely off the show.  Once the contestant lies, they are done.

After each round, the contestant can choose to take the money or keep on playing for the $500k.  I’m not sure how much each round is worth, but the first one was $10k.  Once a question is asked the contestant has to answer it - you can’t just stop in the middle of a round.

3 of the contestant’s family and/or friends are there as well.  They have one chance to skip a question, but there is no assurance that the subsequent question will be easier or less humiliating.

The contestant also has the opportunity to change their answer given while taking the lie detector test.  I’m not sure how this works though - they didn’t go into it in depth on the show, and no one picked this option.

The questions increase in difficulty in each round.  At first they start off as merely embarrassing, like have you looked at a guy’s junk in the locker room shower, or have you hit a car and not left a note.

As the rounds go on, the questions get more personal and hurtful.  This is where the contestant’s family/friends come in, because the answers really start to involve these people.  There seems to be a lot of ‘have you done gay stuff’ questions as well.

The first contestant started to get questions about his marriage, like did he ever think that his marriage would not last, etc.  Also, they asked him questions like did he ever touch a customer more than he needed to (he was a personal trainer), and this was the question where he lied.

One of the biggest problems I have with the show is that you don’t know the results of the lie detector beforehand, nor do you have any verification that the show is actually telling the truth.  So really, they show could just keep people from winning money by saying that they are lying with their answers.

The audience is kind of annoying in this game, because they ooh and aahhh at each question, even if the answer is really not very damaging.  Also, the show tries to build suspense during each question, so it gets kind of tedious.  Even during the most benign questions, there is a dramatic pause before the answer is given.  Boring.

I also am not entirely convinced of the reliability of lie detector tests in general.  These are not 100% correct, and I wonder if this will present problems for contestants.

Another thing is I don’t really get why contestants would lie.  If they lie, the truth still comes out on national TV.  Even if they refuse to answer the question, it’s obvious that the truth was the more harmful answer.

Still, the show is entertaining.  Given how the questions are proceeding, you can tell they get really personal in the later rounds.  Like, at some point the questions will get bad enough to break up marriages.  And I can’t wait to see it.

The first show barely scratched the surface though.  There were only two contestants, and the first one got booted off early in the 2nd round.  The second contestant ran out of time and his show will be continued next time.

Definitely check it out.  It’s a guilty pleasure, to be sure.  But it’s not the worst thing you could do with your time.

It didn’t take long.  iPhone jailbreak software is now available for those of you iPhone users that want to upgrade to 1.1.3.  You have to downgrade first, but apparently the process of upgrading is a relatively smooth, 10 minute process.

Still, I’m not going to jailbreak my phone, because I am what you call an enormous pussy.  It’s funny too, at xmas break I saw that my 2nd cousin who is like only 15 years old jailbroke his phone.

Oh well.

The Detroit Red Wings were in town this weekend, and I was lucky enough to find some incredible seats on craigslist.  Like, right near the glass, it was insane.

Of course, the Wings won, taking the sharks down 6 to 3.  And my god are they a good team.  Their passing was impeccable and they skated around the sharks like they were a junior hockey team.

Here are a couple pics from the game.

It’s been a long long time since the last woot! off.  What’s the deal?  I have lots of christmas money burning a hole in my pocket…give me some cheap electronics.

I’m predicting a woot! off tonight.  Give it to me.

TKFKAK and I will be in vegas for the Super Bowl, and this year’s odds are oh so tempting.  The Pats are a -12 favorite over the Giants - a pretty big spread for the team to cover.  The over/under is as 53 1/2, so vegas is expecting a pretty high scoring game.

I think that the Pats will win, for sure, but I don’t think they’ll cover.  The Giants lost by only 3 points in the final game of the season, and New York has looked stellar in the playoffs.  It is difficult to root for the Giants, though.  They are just a pretty unlikable team, while it’s hard not to cheer for golden boy Brady.

And although Eli Manning has avoided throwing an interception in the playoffs, this kid is still young.  Sure, he comes from the Manning family, but I’m guessing that he’ll have a tough time dealing with the pressure.  On the other hand, the Giants are such a huge underdog that perhaps Eli will take a nothing-to-lose attitude and not revert to the interception-throwing Eli that we all know.

But 12 points is a big spread, especially considering that the Pats have won their last three Super Bowls by only 3 points each.

I think the best bet there is the over.  The two teams scored 73 points in their week 17 game, and I think we can expect a similar performance.  Then again, there hasn’t been an over 53 1/2 Super Bowl since the Pats beat the Panthers in 2004.

Still, I always LOVE the over, because you can just cheer for whoever, as long as they score.  To reach 54 points, all you need is a couple TDs a quarter - something that’s doable for both teams.

One note though, Tom Brady was seen walking around with a foot cast on after the Pats beat SD on Sunday.  Who knows how bad this injury actually is, but any ongoing pain may limit Brady who hasn’t missed a game since 2001.

Despite posting record earnings, Apple forecasted disappointing earnings and the stock has taken a big hit in afterhours trading.  It didn’t help that markets were already squirmish with a recession looming, and investors seemed to be trigger happy on sell orders.

This follows a disappointing showing at MacWorld, where the company bored investors with the unveiling of a new MacBook and not much else.

I sold a while ago and now seems like a great time to get back in.  But I am worried that the iPod and iPhone hype has run it’s course, and it may be time for AAPL to sink back to reality.