logblog

Okay guys. I’ve got the tech wants. Here’s a sampling of what I’ve been dreaming about lately.

1. Kindle - Amazon.com’s Wireless Reading DeviceI know what you’re thinking. “Why on earth would anyone want an e-book reader?” I, too, once thought they were ridiculous. THEN I saw a similar e-book on display in a book store that used the same e-ink display technology that the Kindle employs and let me just tell you it looked so much like a real piece of paper with ink on it that I thought it was a sticker on a hollow plastic model of the device. It’s really pretty ridiculous and I would highly reccommend going to check one out in person if you possibly can. You can’t check out a Kindle in person (unless you meet up with a private owner as Amazon.com can try to set up for you… creepy) but all you need to know is that it is pretty close to reading an actual book as far as comfort and strain on your eyes. Now add in the fact that the Kindle is hooked up to cellular data networks (no monthly charge) and can download new books, magazines, periodicals, blogs or whatever from pretty much anywhere. Oh yes. Now you see it. Also, books cost way less when you buy them for the Kindle. I recently looked at a $100 textbook that was available for $23 in Kindle format. If textbooks started being made available on the Kindle en masse, well then I would just be done. I would have to buy one. That being said, I really want to buy one as it is.

2. Buffalo’s New External Blu-Ray BurnerThis one is not out quite yet, but should be by October. Blu-Ray obviously means fantastic things for movies, offering high definition video and sound. They can also be wonderful for data storage, with one optical blu-ray disc being capable of holding 50 gigs. As someone who really needs to back up both his extensive music and score collections, this could be quite useful. This burner here is one of the first sub-$400 (at $399.. which is SO sub $400..) burning units, and with Blu-Ray burning speeds of 8x, this unit promises to burn an entire single-layer Blu-Ray disc in 15 minutes. That’s pretty awesome. Oh, and it still manages CD-Rs and DVD-Rs and all that jazz as well.

3. A New Macbook ProOkay, this is actually just a rumor, but I don’t care. If the new MacBook Pros are able to gain any degree of the sleekness of the above model, I will be in major want of them. I am finally ready for a laptop with more power than my lovely White MacBook and the lure of 802.11n wireless speeds and rumored internal Blu-Ray drives are just making me salivate right at this very moment. The size might take some getting used to. My first laptop was a 12″ model and even the 13.3″ upgrade felt huge compared to that. Regardless, if many of these rumors prove true, this will be something to look forward to in the Spring.

Le sigh. I need to go donate plasma.