Nokia's new Jeppe teleconferencing device meets requirements you probably didn't even know you had. What can Jeppe do? Jeppe covers all of your basic tele-conferencing needs--it allows people in two locations to talk, hands-free. But here is where it gets interesting...

What happens if one person in one of those locations needs to get up to, say, wash the dishes in the middle of the conference?

Don't laugh! In the video after the jump, you'll see that such a scenario is demonstrated (despite being highly unlikely)! So, let's say you have to get up from the table while having that incredibly important tele-conferencing session and need to make sure your voice is still heard, and preferably, your face still seen.

What do you do?

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Right now, as we speak, there is an ongoing struggle in the universe. Not one between good and evil, but one of even greater philosophical importance; do you want to turn your PC into a TV or your TV into a PC? This debate has become somewhat longstanding over the past decade or so. There was a time when graphics cards manufacturers were pushing TV-Out and then they started pushing TV-In. Then set-top boxes emerged, firmly stating that your PC and TV should be separate, but we capable of accessing the same features through the internet. Then videogame consoles hopped on the bandwagon, turning your television into a streaming machine, bringing YouTube and other wackiness under the power of the joystick. And while the debate still rages on, two major companies are embarking on an endeavour to tip the scales.

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The past few months have been dominated by new surrounding the up and comer in the smartphone market, Apple. Yes, though its name need not be mentioned, I imagine our hits go up exponentially when I supplant the word into an article. iPhone. There, I said it. Alright, so it’s over with. Besides, its finally time to talk a little bit about that tried and tested smartphone line, a little something I like to call BlackBerry. Now, you RIM aficionados will be well aware that something bold this way comes. Now, word has trickled down that a definitive release date has been locked, as well as the first carrier to launch the latest from the Kitchener-Waterloo based Research In Motion. Ready for this? On August 21st the Bold hits store shelves in Rogers stores across Canada. As in, this Thursday!

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Ever find yourself wishing that you could be fed various types of information in various forms by a device that, itself, is vague in form and purpose? Well, if so, you're missing out on a quiet tech revolution that brings us such bizarre little devices as the Nabaztag (above, left) on the high end and the P.C. Gizmo (above, right) on the low end. What are these things? They're, uh, "Internet devices" that sure look friendly enough. Resembling some sort of creature or another, they connect to the Internet and deliver various types of information to you while chirping, talking, beeping, and/or moving or shaking various body parts.

In the case of the higher-priced Nabaztag, you can expect an oddly-shaped creature that looks vaguely like a rabbit to go online, wirelessly and check the weather, your email, and more, automatically. Nabaztag is wifi enabled so you don't have to worry about more USB cables cluttering up your desk.

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Oh, the internet; freer of all that was once locked away…behind jewel cases and some cellophane. While the music industry has long been at odds with the latest and greatest form of communication and interaction, one thing is undoubtedly true: the internet has made music more accessible, more affordable, and more popular than ever. Despite all that the music industry continues to struggle with in the new millennium; music pirating is growing each and every day and long-standing music stores are closing their doors. However one relationship that seemed like a match made in heaven; use the accessibility of the internet to bring music, relatively on-demand, to the masses. But sadly, this stellar couple is headed for divorce.

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Ah, Silent and friend saving…

If you’ve ever lived with college roommates then you know that one of the most frustrating and yet fundamental aspects of college life is the alarm clock. There’s the early riser, the incessant snoozer (that guy that hits the snooze button for 10 consecutive times every morning, completely ignorant of those around him that are being awoken every 9 minutes for the next hour, you know who you are). And then there’s my personal favourite; the weekend traveller; that guy that goes home every weekend, locks his door, and forgets to turn off his alarm. Hours, upon hours, of blaring bleeps until you just want to…get the Silent Alarm. Though at just the concept stage, designer Johan Brengesjo has put together an alarm system that uses a wireless rubber ring that generates a vibration every time the alarm goes off, making it a very effective, not to mention quiet, tactile alarm. Snoozing would be controlled by shaking your hand and then each successive snooze would require increased movement, to help you get up and going.

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It’s been a frugal summer for most, but luckily swimming is still on the agenda. Especially with Michael Phelps’ recent race for Olympic gold, swimming is a hot sport. But in between those races you may have noticed Phelps’ seeming addiction to his iPod, with those token white earbobs popping up every time the camera pans to him.

With the recent jump into the pool, Speedo is just one of many companies that has taken the iPod a bit further.

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There was a time when the only product of any note from WowWee was the original RoboSapien. Remember him? He was neat because he could, you know, walk and stuff. However, if you haven't been by WowWee.com lately, you may not know exactly how crazy those guys have gotten. No, there's more to the site than just RoboSapien 2 pornography, either. WowWee seems to think people want all kinds of robots.

Perhaps you missed out on Sony's robot dog offering, Aibo, a bunch of years back and are looking to fill the robot-dog-shaped void in your life? WowWee's "" aims to meet your needs (urges?) for a plastic, robotic canine. It even talks in an oh-so-not-original way of replacing certain consonants with the letter "R".

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Bedol, a company claiming to bring "creative ideas for your home or office in the form of unique and innovatively designed products" features a neat little clock on their website that is actually powered by water and "a dash of salt," but is this thing the environmental savior the product description claims?With today's climbing energy prices, it really does pay to make choices that will cut down on your energy consumption. Like, plugging in those external hard drives only when you need to access them, switching to compact fluorescent bulbs that you turn off when not in use, cooking with fire from a pit in the middle of your living room, rather than a microwave in the kitchen...OK, so that last part is probably taking things too far. Regardless, being smart about how we use energy in your every day life is a good thing, no matter what. However, looking at this "eco-friendly" water-powered clock, it's easy too miss that there could be something wrong with such a cool little device.After all, it's water-powered! What could be wrong with that?

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iPhone: Simplify Media

Streaming. No, not what you do in your canoe on the weekends, I’m talking data, music data to be precise. Lately, there has been buzz around the notion of streaming your music library (as that would apparently be Dell’s ace in the hole as they contemplate returning to the mp3 player market, as reported earlier here on GA). The pull here is that you could simply keep your iTunes library up to date with your latest downloads and purchases and then simply stream the media to any other computer you had access to or even a handheld device. Say, isn’t the iPhone a handheld device? Wouldn’t it be something if you could stream your iTunes to your iPhone? Well, you can! Thanks to Simplify Media, a new app available in the App Store, that allows you to access your iTunes library and 30 of your friends via EDGE, 3G and Wi-Fi!

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