Gadgetry

[javyn]

In this thread I'd like for us to post our favorite/most useful gadgets. I'll start. This bad boy has served me well for a while, and is very cheap. RCA RP5120 digital voice recorder. 256M is plenty enough memory for dictation. This is the cheapest digital voice recorder that can plug into a computer via USB that you're going to find. Only drawback is that the files are saved in a proprietary VOC format, and you will need the RCA Digital Voice Manager Software to convert it to wav so transcription software can open it. I have no idea if the software works in Windows 7 but am trying tonight and will update. edit: Software works fine in Win 7.

 

[LawrenceMD]

i have to admit its my iPhone. but i only know its so important if i forget it.

i'll be walking around the city thinking i'm ok with appointments/directions/voice diction/patient files/important numbersfor accounts and people/entertainment/ then reach down and see that my scrubs don't have pockets and i left it in my ******* lab coat...

i'm kinda embarrassed on how dependent i am on that thing.

 

[javyn]

Originally Posted by LawrenceMD

i have to admit its my iPhone. but i only know its so important if i forget it. i'll be walking around the city thinking i'm ok with appointments/directions/voice diction/patient files/important numbersfor accounts and people/entertainment/ then reach down and see that my scrubs don't have pockets and i left it in my ******* lab coat... i'm kinda embarrassed on how dependent i am on that thing.
I can see that. I'm a strong Apple hater but gotta give it to my boss, he makes great productive use of his iPhone and iPad. I no longer have to make binders of court filings (just assemble and bookmark the pdfs and up it to his ftp account and he reads it all on his iPad now) and he dictates and emails the voice files to me through his iPhone while he's on the road. Works out pretty damn well. My needs are easily served though with this 20 dollar digital voice recorder and a phone that just has regular old mobile internet.

 

[LawrenceMD]

garmin forerunner 405

i've read that the previous model (the 305) was even better, but this little gadget has made my running so much more efficient. knowing my heart rate and when to push it and when to slow down, my exact distance and time, and after the run the elevation and even calories burned.

just with the information alone i could track my caloric deficit and diet efficiently (only being 500-1000c down a day) to lose weight consistently...

 

[lemmywinks]

iPhone...

 

[Szeph el raton]

iPad (with 3G)

Use it to listen music at work, watch movies when traveling, reading books or surf the internet when hanging around at bars or a coffee shop. Syncing my emails, address book and calendar (for which I'm using Google) with it, too.

It would be absolutely perfect and would completely replace my phone if it could send and receive SMS (I'm never accepting calls actually or just don't notice them cuz my phone is in my briefcase on vibrate mode, so all I use my phone for is SMS, calendar and surfing the web). Fate of private mobile phone when you also have a corporate one

 

[Reggs]

TI-83

In my math classes for the last 2 years of middle school we had TI-Tuesdays, where we learned cool tricks on out TI calculators. My teacher had a huge poster of a TI-83 on her wall that she would point to when she needed to reference buttons. She also had the transparent electronic display she could put on the overhead so her calculations would be projected. It paid off big time in high school because I knew some impressive stuff that helped introduce me to a lot of people in my freshman geometry class. A few of my friends had games they could share with the link cable. I had single player DooM. One guy a grade ahead of me found out how to draw pictures of boobs on his. In college I would put notes in the had plastic sleeve and use it to cheat all the time. I don't think I could ever part with it.

 

[Reggs]

Head Lamp

I have one of the disposable kind below. I keep telling myself I will buy a really nice one once the battery goes, but it's been strong for 2 years now. Who wants to hold a flashlight? What a waste of a limb. It's not as if you would ever be caught looking away from what you will be working on, so why not mount the light on your head? I cant believe how many people own flashlights, but no head lamps. It had reduced my 4D battery Mag-light to nothing more than a home defense weapon.

 

[javyn]

Hahah nice. Never thought about the convenience of a head lamp.

As far as the calc, I love my TI85 but rarely use it now. At least I found a RPN stack on the internet for it. FYI, converting that serial connection for the 85 to USB was not easy, but I managed.

 

[otc]

I still have both, but ever since I got a TI-89, I rarely touched my 83+

of course now I don't really use it at all and I don't even think my desktop has a serial port if I ever want to add apps.

 

[javyn]

you can get a serial to usb converter off ebay pretty cheap, just hope the drivers allows it to recognize the calculator. kind of a crap shoot really. i don't remember what i did but i think it required some special software.

i mainly use my hp 12c now anyway.

 

[dah328]

Originally Posted by javyn

In this thread I'd like for us to post our favorite/most useful gadgets.

I'll start. This bad boy has served me well for a while, and is very cheap.

RCA RP5120 digital voice recorder. 256M is plenty enough memory for dictation. This is the cheapest digital voice recorder that can plug into a computer via USB that you're going to find.

Only drawback is that the files are saved in a proprietary VOC format, and you will need the RCA Digital Voice Manager Software to convert it to wav so transcription software can open it.
That's a pretty big drawback and it gets dismal reviews on Amazon. That's too bad because I am still looking for a decent digital voice recorder for conferences and lectures.

My contribution would be my gym mp3 player:

It's small and light enough to be unobtrusive in the gym and it's cheap enough that if I accidentally smash it on something, I'm not out iPod-level $$$. It plugs straight into a USB port and works like a thumb drive. It runs about 18 hours on a single, regular AAA battery so no need to recharge it. I don't think Creative still makes this model, so I will be sad when it eventually dies.

 

[javyn]

Dah, that RCA voice recorder is the best you're gonna get without spending big bucks on the fancier models. The VOC is a mild irritant, but it does come with software that works in Windows 7 that will quickly convert the files to WAV.

Any other voice recorder you get for that price isn't even going to have a USB jack. It works great for me, at work and personally, but if I was a lawyer rather than a lowly paralegal, I'd definitely opt for a better model that saves the files as MP3 and comes with transcription software.

Also, if you have an iPhone, there is a great dictation app that works very well.

 

[whiteslashasian]

Originally Posted by dah328

My contribution would be my gym mp3 player:

It's small and light enough to be unobtrusive in the gym and it's cheap enough that if I accidentally smash it on something, I'm not out iPod-level $$$. It plugs straight into a USB port and works like a thumb drive. It runs about 18 hours on a single, regular AAA battery so no need to recharge it. I don't think Creative still makes this model, so I will be sad when it eventually dies.

I had one but lost it on a vacation quite some time ago. The perfect gym/running MP3 player.

I really want an e-reader but not quite sure which one to get. May bite on Kindle 3 but waiting to see what competitors do first.

My Logitech Harmony (650) universal remote control is one of the best gadget purchases I've ever made. Controls my TV, DVR, Receiver, PS3 (need IR dongle) with custom profiles for watching TV, Blu Rays, listening to music etc.

 

[sonick]

Originally Posted by Reggs

TI-83

In my math classes for the last 2 years of middle school we had TI-Tuesdays, where we learned cool tricks on out TI calculators. My teacher had a huge poster of a TI-83 on her wall that she would point to when she needed to reference buttons. She also had the transparent electronic display she could put on the overhead so her calculations would be projected. It paid off big time in high school because I knew some impressive stuff that helped introduce me to a lot of people in my freshman geometry class.

A few of my friends had games they could share with the link cable. I had single player DooM. One guy a grade ahead of me found out how to draw pictures of boobs on his. In college I would put notes in the had plastic sleeve and use it to cheat all the time. I don't think I could ever part with it.