You may have to deal with proprietary cables for multiple devices, meaning each cable will fit one — and only one — of your gadgets. If you aren’t lucky in cable roulette, you have to keep grabbing cables until you find the right one. And if you have to recharge everything at once you’ve got […]
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Digital cameras have become extremely common as the prices have come down. One of the drivers behind the falling prices has been the introduction of CMOS image sensors. CMOS sensors are much less expensive to manufacture than CCD sensors. Both CCD (charge-coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensors start at the same point
How is the difference between CCD and CMOS image sensors in a digital camera? Read More »
It’s hard to think of a customer-oriented business that hasn’t made the switch from live operators to IVR. When you call your credit card company, you can use the IVR to pay your balance or report a fraudulent charge. Airlines use extensive IVRs to book reservations and check the real-time status of flights. Pharmacies use
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First let’s tackle the obvious question: Will that cell phone in your pocket give you cancer? Countless studies continue to tackle the problem, but answers remain elusive — in large part because most cell phone users haven’t had the technology long enough. Tumors typically take 10-20 years to develop [source: Butler]. Yet there’s no denying
How gold-plated radiation-protection stickers work? Read More »
When it’s so easy to get distracted during a busy day, with work, chores and errands all jockeying for our attention, it’s more than likely we sometimes upset some of the simpler pleasures in life. For example, a mug of strong, freshly brewed coffee, or a cup of hot tea. Many like to start off
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I can remember when the first quartz watches came out, they were going to be the end of normal mechanical watches, just like video tape was going to be the end of theaters. Somehow, it hasn’t worked out that way, and self-winding watches are more popular than ever. The following pictures show you the backside
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The talk box is not to be confused with other effects devices, such as the wah-wah pedal or vocoder. A wah-wah pedal is another staple of classic rock music, but musicians simply use a foot pedal to make an electric guitar’s frequency shift from treble to bass, creating a “wah” sound.” And a vocoder is
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Why would you want to use an e-book reader in the first place? One reason is that a single e-book reader can hold many titles. The $69 Kindle, Amazon’s base model, can hold up to 1,400 titles (books, newspapers, magazines and blogs) in its memory [source: Amazon]. The newer models also offer WiFi connectivity. The
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Most car audio sound systems and radios won’t have ultra-high fidelity sound, thumping bass, or lots of extra features like MP3 player inputs. Also, while they may emphasize one area of sound, like bass or treble, they may be missing the overall picture. And that’s why buying a new stereo system (or even simply car
How do I get the best sound out of my car's audio system? Read More »
Cordless phones have many of the same features as standard telephones, and there are many models available. In this article, we will examine how these cordless telephones work and see why there are so many different types on the market today. The Basics A cordless telephone is basically a combination telephone and radio transmitter/receiver (see
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