futuRich
Future Gadgets & Technology

hp netbook

Any well-equipped entrepreneur knows they are only as efficient and productive as the tools they choose to employ.  Subsequently, we’ve got five tech tools that’ll ramp up your fall output and make life a little more convenient (what entrepreneur doesn’t like the sound of that?).

Twitter Tools – If you’re anything like other entrepreneurs and small business owners, you probably use Twitter as a way to promote your brand and build awareness (if not, it’s about time you jumped on the bandwagon and did so!).  There are a myriad of tools exclusively for Twitter that can help you manage, monitor and organize your account on your computer and mobile device.  TwitterBerry allows you to use Twitter on a Blackberry while Tweetie is apt for the iPhone. SplitTweet allows you manage multiple Twitter accounts while TweetDeck is perfect for organizing your account (ideal if you follow a lot of people).

Google Apps Premier – For just $50 a year, Google Apps Premier is hard to turn down! For small businesses that are comprised of remote offices or a virtual workforce, Google’s offering provides apps that can make collaborate, manage and execute projects and tasks in an efficient, timely manner.

Netbooks – If you travel or work remotely frequently, lugging around a seven pound laptop gets old fast.  At a fraction of the weight (and cost), ultra-slim, condensed netbooks (or mini notebooks) are all the rage.  Primarily used to connect to the Internet and access cloud-based apps, you’ll sacrifice certain features and computing power but gain mobility and convenience.

VoIP – An affordable and easy-to-use phone alternative, a VoIP for business system offers all the features and capabilities of a standard land line for a fraction of the cost.  In fact, you can even use your computer with VoIP software and a compatible headset if you aren’t quite ready to shell out for an actually phone.

iPhone 3G – While small business owners are all about a mobile device that can deliver high performance and professionalism, they want a sleek, good-looking phone as much as everyone else.  While the BlackBerry has long been touted as the “it” phone for business professionals, the latest iPhone 3G is on its way to claiming the top spot namely because of its increased speed allowing quicker downloads and Web-surfing.

What’s on YOUR must-have tech tools list?

cartier watch
*This is a sponsored post

Every so often there comes along something that really shakes up the world of horology and nothing is even quite the same again after. Various big name companies have had their turn in the hot seat; at the beginning of the last century it was Cartier, later it was Tag Heuer, but nowadays the biggest name is by far Jacob & Co. It is the innovation in this collection of watches that has really taken everyone by surprise. These timepieces have now become the most recognized items on the planet, and this has not made the lives of those responsible for the Jacob & Co replica watches easy. Instead of seeing this as a reason to be miserable the makers of this copy have taken it as a challenge and gone on to produce completely convincing copy watches of the whole Jacob original collection.

The Jacob & Co replica watch have almost caused as much of a stir as the original models. Nobody expected these copy watches to be half as good as they are. This really is watch that anyone can feel proud to wear. These items have been made at vastly reduced prices but you wouldn’t be able to tell this by looking or even handling this selection of copy watches. The Jacob & Co replica watch delivers a whole lot more than its price tag might suggest.

It seems hard to imagine how copy watches could improve upon the Jacob & Co replica watch. This really is such a great item. The Jacob is sure to one day leave the its position as number one in the world of horology, but it seems definite that people will enjoy the Jacob & Co replica watch for many more years to come.

implantable chip

Imagine being able to unlock your car doors and start your car engine with the wave of your hand. Imagine being able to make all of your purchases without your purse, wallet, checkbook, or credit card. Pretty soon, you may not have to imagine that at all, thanks to the advanced technology of RFID (radio frequency identification) implantable microchips. VeriChip has been developing RFID chips for the past 5+ years with the original purpose to assists doctors treat non-communicable patients, as well as act as a tracking device on animals. The radio frequency chip would be inserted between the thumb and the forefinger, and is about the size of a large rice grain.

There has been much opposition from religious groups and critics who claim that these devices can cause cancer and that such implants are the work of the devil. Another obstacle the RFID chip would have to face is the fear of getting the chip implanted through an injection, something that causes most people to cringe. For now, VeriChip is only marketing to the medical fields, but they say if and when people want the chip to be able to do more, such as pay for things and open locked doors, the technology will be ready to do so.

future car nissan leaf

Nissan has joined the race to create and sell the first practical electric car, and they plan to do it come 2010 -  approximately 1 year from now. The Nissan Leaf, as they call it, is expected to achieve up to 100 miles per battery charge with a top speed of 75 mph. The leaf is a pure electric car that runs on lithium-ion batteries and can hold up to 5 passengers. This battery is estimated to fully recharge within 8-16 hours, depending on the wattage of the outlet.

The target economies for this new future electric car are the United States, Europe, and Japan. The starting price for this innovative sedan will be somewhere between $25-30,000, a price that is much less than its prestige rival, the Tesla Model S which costs $58,000 and debuts in 2012.  Hopefully these new electric cars pave way for making future cars less expensive and less oil-dependent.

future battery

Sony, one of the world’s top companies in cool gadgets and technology, has announced a new, advanced lithium-ion battery that will last almost 4 times as long as the standard lithium ion battery. This future battery is also said to be able to charge to maximum capacity in just 30 minutes, not to mention that it can be fully recharged over 2,000 times. These batteries use lithium iron phosphate for the outer material, which allows for the enhanced lifespan as well as a faster recharge.

No word yet on pricing details or an exact release date, but it looks to be in the near future. Speculators say that the batteries will start out being used only in portable power tools, and then soon after in regular electronic devices, such as cellphones, cameras, &  flashlights.

electrical circuit test

The company Live Wire has recently come out with an electrical circuit test that can be used to detect intermittent fault conditions, or in other words, detect electrical components that aren’t working properly. This cutting-edge technology works by transmitting small signals into high-noise environments, such as power grids and telecom networks, and monitoring even the slightest changes in current. These arc fault breakers are capable of determining when electrical components are at risk for failure and help determine which components need to be fixed or replaced.

So how could this ever affect me, you ask? Well, if you plan to fly on an airplane anytime soon, you are at risk for any number of electrical failures on board, which could ultimately lead to the plane crashing. What this technology does is to help prevent these disasters from ever occurring. By simply monitoring the electrical circuits of heavy machinery, such as airplanes and heavy machinery, you can easily detect any type of mechanical failure before tragedy strikes. Hopefully, most airlines already use this type of technology, because you never know what could happen with some of those 20+ year old airplanes.

future ps3

Rumor has it that Sony has designed a newer, slimmer play station 3 in hopes of boosting console sales. No one really knows if there will be any additional modifications to the system and most believe that just the design will be different. The previous version, Play Station II, has outsold the newer one by a couple hundred thousand, and Sony hopes to change that, hence the need for a new design.

Some of the reasons for this speculation are that countries have been noticing significant price drops in the PS3 consoles (perhaps in hopes of clearing out inventory and making way for the new ones) and there have also been a few leaked pictures of the device, as you can see here. Some believe it will be released within the next couple of months, just in time for the holidays.

video security

Seeing as how there are over 2,000,000 burglaries committed each year (an average of 1 every 15 seconds), it’s no wonder security companies have been focusing on state-of-the-art technologies that will help reduce such an astounding figure, especially since that number has continued to rise each year. So what exactly is being offered to combat burglaries to homes and businesses?

One of the latest video security devices out there (which is quite mobile, in a sense that you can move it to different locations periodically) features some pretty innovative specs such as the following:  starlight/infrared cameras, audio announcement (when someone enters the premise), hidden wireless cameras with motion detection, and the ability to watch it live from far away. Another cool aspect of this security gadget is that it records all of the videos to a hard-drive, which can be easily stored and don’t require changing video tapes.

Typical prices for such security devices run at about $500 a month, which isn’t bad, especially if you have valuables worth a lot more than that. Check out the video security link to learn more.

scion iQ

The new Scion iQ, Toyota’s next highly anticipated car is hoping to make its way to the U.S. come the end of 2010/early 2011. This new mini car is supposed to be more eco-friendly, able to achieve almost 55 miles per gallon. The best part of this new Scion is most definitely the new look. The previous Scions have always been quite boxy looking with not as much appeal, but this one seems to turn the tides.

The iQ will be able to sit 3 people, 2 in the front and 1 smaller individual in the back. The price is estimated to be about $15,000 and over 25,000 orders have already been fulfilled. This car will also be taking over much of Europe and Japan, as those two markets will be Scion’s area of focus.

world of warcraft

Blizzard recently announced that they will proceed to make a movie out of the world’s most popular computer game, World of Warcraft. Sam Raimi, director of the Spiderman and Evil Dead series will be the director, and the same people who produced the box-office smash The Dark Knight will be working together.

Since previous video games that were made into movies have been notorious for doing poorly at the box office, it’s normal for people to expect the same with this upcoming movie. However, Blizzard hopes to break such expectations by using these prominent cinema characters mentioned above. No exact release date has yet been made but many suspect that this movie will be released sometime near the end of 2010, if not later.