Recommends
These are products I recommend and use myself. Pre-warned as if there is a “newer/shiner” version of whatever I recommend than go for that.
If you use the links provided than I might make a commission from the likes of Amazon (it does not cost you any extra to click-through me!).
Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6″ Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)
Makes buying and reading books easier. Imagine being able to carry 1,000 books with you on holiday. The screen makes it easy to read even in sunlight (not like your computer screen which will have a glare on it). This device really changes a lot in the world of education.
One problem with education in remote parts of the world is that books are not as easily available as they are in downtown New York. If every kid could have one of these devices than they would be at almost the same advantages as any other kid in the world. An awesome deal would be if Amazon set different pricing for books for people in different countries. E.g. $10 for an American/European but 10 cents for a Rawandan. Or a deal at Government levels where books in Swahili could be a lot cheaper than the books in English.
Apple has released the iPad but I have not used this product myself yet – I am sure it is just as (if not more) awesome.
A great little flexible tripod for the Flip camera or most other cameras.
Great service is you live in the Middle East but want to buy from websites that only deliver to the US or UK. For instance, ebay or electronic items from Amazon.com. The service is $35 to setup a virtual US & UK address for life. Then you pay the extra shipping costs from the US/UK to your country. Typically around $15 for a Video Game/DVD/CD or I have paid $150 for a mini-trampoline to be shipped over. This is how I am able to buy electronic items such as Flip camera and the Amazon Kindle which are not usually released in the UAE at the same time as the US.
This is THE recommended software for exploring the internet. According the Wikipedia the market share for browsers (Feb 2010):
- Internet Explorer 58.7 %
- Firefox 28.0 %
- Chrome 5.6 %
- Safari 4.9 %
- Opera 2.0 %
- Other 1.3 %
Firefox is open source and has A LOT of plugins developed by the community. I use the following plugins:
Capturefox- do screen capture tutorials – similar to camtasia but free!
Xmarks Bookmark and Password Sync – use many computers, hate memorising passwords? This could be a cool tool for you.
NO LONGER RECOMMENDED (I use to use these but now something better exists in the marketplace)
Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black) – now I recommend the Kodak zi8
Less than $200, easy to carry and REALLY useful. Try to use a “normal” video camera and it will take you ages to figure out all the buttons. You also need to carry the cables everywhere and they are not so easy to carry in your pocket. The Flip fits in your pocket is is pretty much like a big mobile phone. It is High Definition quality and records up to 2 hours. I now try to carry it everywhere with me in case I run into someone worth interviewing.
The downside is that there is no external microphone so the sound might not be great in certain places.
Blackberry Curve 8800 – Now I use the iPhone
After a decade of being a Nokia user I finally moved out to a Blackberry – my previous phone was a Nokia E71. No regrets about moving. BUT – I am thinking of moving to an iPhone 3GS now as it has the ability for Skype. This is not a bad phone but as I have not yet tried the iPhone 3Gs properly myself I am putting this as the recommendation. iPhone 3Gs phone users are loving it so I may be also ditching my blackberry for the iPhone soon.
