There's plenty I need to add to my home entertainment system. Ok, so maybe I need to actually start one. After hearing about the Pioneer XW-HT1 Digital Wireless Speaker System, I thought this wouldn't be a bad place to start.

 What's nice about the XW-HT1 system is that the transmitter unit connects not only to your stereo, but also to a TV set or DVD player. The remote control is a little bit too small though, considering small things always seem to disappear in my living room (or get eaten by the couch).

 At least for me, I won't have to get my boyfriend on the phone and ask for his help setting it up. All you do is plug the RCA cables into the system of your choice, plug the other ends into the corresponding inputs on the transmitter unit, then plug in the speaker, power it on, and you're ready to watch Saw (I plan on seeing the sequel this weekend) or listen to the new Coldplay album.

What's more is that it's completely affordable at $200. Maybe this will be a holiday gift to myself?

Read PC Magazine's extensive review.

Now that David and I had our iPod with video debate, Ziff Davis Editor in Chief Jim Louderback and PC Magazine Labs Analyst Mike Kobrin have started up about the video iPod's measly/adequate two hours battery life when playing video.  You can read the entire exchange here, but here on Gearlog we like to cut to the chase. Below you will find the best line from each side.

Jim Louderback: If you can't watch the extended version of one of the three Lord of the Rings movies, then it is too short. I think 3 hours is the absolute minimum—both for plane flights and other trips. My opinion, as a traveler...

 

Mike Kobrin: If you're watching LOTR on the iPod, you've bought the wrong device. Period. Don't forget, Apple positioned this as a music player, not a video player, no matter what people want it to be. Faulting a player's secondary capability for not performing as well (ok, as long) as the primary capability of other devices makes no sense.

 

 

 

 Jennifer DeLeo's Comments: This debate is interesting because although there is talk that the new iPod with video is revolutionizing the market, I think it's easy to forget that there are other portable video players already out and work better. Of course, these video players aren't music players too, so that's why the new iPod has the upper hand. Jim & Mike aren't the only ones debating about the video iPod either. PcMag.com editor Lance Ulanoff confesses that Steve Jobs is actually saving the market from distinction.

It's a sad, sad day when your child whips your butt in sports, math problems or computer games.  Alas, that day has arrived early for me – coinciding with the arrival of Nintendo's new Dance, Dance Revolution: Mario Mix.

 

The game comes complete with a familiar dance pad – which replaces the standard Nintendo controller.  And unlike previous DDR games, it actually has a story  mode where you play either Luigi or Mario and try to save the world through dance steps and more.

 

To say it has changed my life would be an understatement.  My son and I typically get up and spend an hour or so swatting bad guys on one of our many Zelda games.  It's a satisfying, albeit low impact way to start the day.

 

Not anymore.  These days we get up and dance our little tushies off.  And I've discovered something even worse than sweating before coffee – being smacked down by a snot nose six year old while sweating before coffee. 

 

Luckily the story mode can be easily defeated in about an hour.  But the mini games – including a whack-a-mole clone, catch the falling bananas and more offer seemingly never-ending replay value for my first grader.

 

The folks at 1up.com didn't like it too much, but they're jaded.  It's a nifty introduction, for younger kids, to the whole dance, dance revolution.  I just wish my son would tire of the game – I'm exhausted!

 

Jennifer DeLeo's comment: It's interesting that you brought our attention to the DDR game, Jim, because I've been trying to figure out which dance game is better: DDR or Pump It Up: Exceed. My brother's a break/hip hop dancer, and I know that he'd get a kick out of a game like this, although he'd probably break it considering he's more skilled than any game. I found several reviews (like this one) that believe Pump It Up: Exceed is better than DDR because it adds more tricks, has a better song list, and is harder to play. I plan on buying this for him for the holidays, so I'll report back and let you and our readers know which one is indeed the better dance off.

 

Robyn Peterson's comment: Jim, if it makes you feel any better, my wife kicks my butt every weekend when we play the grown-up versions: Dance, Dance Revolution and Karaoke Revolution.  And you know what?  I'm tired of them too.  Oh shoot.  I hope she doesn't read GearLog today.

It should be no secret that people who put out gadget blogs read (and collect items from) everyone else's gadget blogs. There's nothing wrong with this, although it can lead to some frustration for readers. Like yesterday, a post from a very popular gadget blog showed up in my RSS inbox describing the item shown to the right. It's the Cubite Speaker and USB hub, a product that looked interesting to me until I delved further.

I'd include the link to the original post, except the link they provided doesn't work and the item cannot be found by searching their site.

The gadget blog's post caught my attention because the idea of a USB-powered speaker is interesting, provided the audio is fed the same way. Alas, the blog helpfully pointed out that the audio isn't USB (rats!) and the USB hub is USB 1.1 rather than 2.0 (yuck!). There's a helpful $45 price listed, but no place to buy. This particular blog didn't like the front-facing USB ports, which I like for occasionally-used USB gadgets.

So, I've decided I want to write a piece questioning the sanity of someone releasing a product that seems years behind the times. To find out more, I follow the link the blog provided to its source for the item, a blog called "The Red Ferret Journal." There I find someone who seems to have bought the device and likes it, for some odd reason. There is also a link to a dealer. It turns out that both are in the UK!

A quick Google search suggests the item may not even be available in the United States! There are also a couple of sites selling the Cubite as a "promotional item," which says to me the Cubite really has been around for awhile and is being remaindered.

It would be helpful if I'd been told straightway that this was a UK item.  The blog mentioned the The Red Ferret Journal translated the price from pound Sterling into dollars, but didn't mention having done so. It would also have been nice if it didn't take two hops to get to a place where the item could be purchased. As a courtesy, when bloggers lift (and rewrite) items from other blogs they usually include a link to the source blog.

However, there also should be a way for readers to bypass the other blog(s) and go straight to a dealer or the original source material. It's really frustrating having to go from blog to blog, each saying the same thing, before finally reaching the first link in the chain, and finally the original item. Sometimes reading blogs is like being stuck on an information merry-go-round and being unable to get off.

Blogging is still new and everyone makes mistakes, including me. But, this is my public promise to Gearlog readers that I will do my best to make getting to information as easy as possible, by including links to source material and buying information if the item might not be easy to find. I'll usually include a manufacturer link, though that isn't always possible. I'll also weed out products that I'd never recommend you purchase, like the Cubite.

If you find things in Gearlog that frustrate you or leave questions in your mind, please drop me a line (david_coursey@ziffdavis.com) and I will do my best to get you answers. No blog is perfect, including this one, but if there's something I can do, don't hesitate to drop me a note.

Robyn Peterson's comment: The name of the blog has been removed, but I'm sure some of you blog-savvy readers can figure it out.  The point here is that the blog that David is referring to above is not the only blog that makes this mistake.  Others do too, including GearLog.  With that said, David makes a good point.  Whenever possible, we will include shopping links to items we blog.  And when you send us tips (gearlog@ziffdavis.com) feel free to include a link to where you can buy the item.  Update, 11/07/2005: a screenshot of the email David refers to above was removed.

I have always had a soft spot for Nokia Communicator series. As far back as back in 1996, I had a jones for the original 9000 at a time when I couldn't afford a cellular service plan. I have always wanted to do mobile email and have a keypad I could slip into my pocket and carry with me throughout the day.

Sadly, the release of the new Nokia Communcator 9500 ($799 direct) doesn't interest  me at all. Sure you get a large 640 by 200-pixel screen screen, but the at nearly eight ounces is is a huge phone. The fold-out keyboard and overall design are very cool, no doubt, but this still isn't a device you can operate one-handed. Plus, according to PC Magazine's testing the performance leaves a lot to be desired. 

Add in the fact that it is $300 more than other smart phones on the market and it looks like I will have to make due with my Treo 650 a little longer.

It's not something the instructors usually talk about, but while doing CPR on a person whose heart has stopped beating is better than doing nothing, it's only slightly better. Performing CPR is far from a sure-thing were patient survival is concerned. Fortunately, we have a relatively new tool that really does put the power to save a life into anyone's hands. And now it's so affordable it's being advertised on TV!

Just a few weeks ago, a friend and her sister (in her 50's) were visiting an amusement park in Pennsylvania. They were minding their own business, seeing the sights, when the sister suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. Her heart stopped beating, she stopped breathing, and started turning blue. She had not been previously diagnosed with a heart problem.

Fortunately, the park had installed Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for public use. My friend remembered seeing one and sent her daughter to grab it as she began performing CPR on her sister and someone ran to call 911.

Less than 3 minutes later--and long before paramedics arrived--my friend used the AED to literally shock her sister back to life. The sister was taken to the hospital, surgery was performed, and is now recovering. There is no doubt in my friend's mind that the AED saved her sister's life. Given a lengthy EMS response time inside the park, I have no doubt she's right.

I won't cite all the numbers, but if you can get an AED attached to the patient quickly enough, their chances of survival are tremendously enhanced over CPR alone. There are estimates that if AEDs were more widely available, as many as 40,000 lives might be saved each year.

What does this have to do with Gearlog? Well, an AED is now being marketed as the latest tool for the well-prepared home. Philips has begun advertising its HeartStart AED on television, where it recently caught my attention. It sells for $1,495, but they will finance it for $69-a-month. Or you can buy it at Walgreens.com for $1,295. The HeartStart is so reliable and easy-to-use (yes, even by you) that it is the only AED available without a doctor's prescription. Medicare will pay for an AED for some patients.

As an Emergency Medical Technician and CPR/AED instructor, I can tell you that AEDs are the greatest advance, perhaps ever, in citizen lifesaving. Prices are coming down and the equipment is now available to anyone who might be able to use it. I am recommending the HeartStart to friends and loved ones with a history of heart disease or who have been told they are likely to develop it. (Which would include myself, now that I think about it).

Nearly 25 years ago, my mother, Patsy Coursey, suffered cardiac arrest just after awakening one morning. She was in her 50's and had a hereditary heart defect (of a type now repaired in utero). Despite my best CPR efforts and Dallas' then-excellent EMS service, my mother died. AEDs did not exist then and I am not saying having one would have saved her--who knows? But, if she were alive today, I am sure of one thing: There would be an AED in the house. 

AEDs belong in all public places, most offices, and many homes. They're an excellent investment for life.

(TRIVIA FACT: You know how on TV they use a defibrillator when a patient goes "flat line" on the cardiac monitor? In reality, that's when  a defibrillator is NEVER used. Why? Because a defibrillator is useful only when the heart is still active, though unable to effectively pump blood around the body. In this circumstance, the electrical current from the defibrillator is used to briefly stop the heart in hopes a more normal rhythm will return. AEDs detect the ineffective cardiac rhythms and automatically deliver one or more shock in an attempt to convert the rhythm to one that will actually pump blood.)

BT Logic's new Memory Pointer ($79.95) is a cooler-looking than most, less expensive than many, laser pointer and wireless presentation controller than includes 128MB RAM in the USB receiver. The claimed range is 45 feet, allowing you to wander the room and awaken members of the audience during your sleep-inducing PowerPoint shows. I haven't played with this, but it looks straight-forward enough. Expect it to show up at online resellers over the next few weeks.

This is not just another soldering iron. As mentioned previously, ColdHeat makes its soldering tips from a special material that heats rapidly and cools just as quickly. This allows ColdHeat's soldering tools to be cool enough to touch mere seconds after you've finished your solder joint and released the trigger. Isn't that what you want in a portable soldering tool?

Here's the news: The ColdHeat Soldering Tool ($19.95) has just been joined by a higher-end "Pro" model that sells for $10 more.

"The original tool is made more for the hobbyist and light-duty soldering uses," ColdHeat's Matthew Guiste told me in an e-mail. "The Pro is designed for the power user and/or contractor. Accordingly, the main advantages to the Pro are 1) it has more power--works on wires up to twice as large as the original ColdHeat soldering tool, 2) is more flexible--works on large jobs but also handles the small, precise jobs, and 3) is more rugged--the Pro is made from polycarbonate plastic and the internal components are made to withstand abuse."

Not a bad $10 upgrade. Whereas the original ColdHeat will tin 18-24 gauge wire, the Pro will tin wire from 12-24 gauge. Both run off AA batteries, four in the original model and five in the Pro.

You may find this product offered under the Coleman brand name. My local Costco sells the original model, packaged with a decent spring-loaded wire stripper, for less than $19.95 (as I remember). I haven't seen the Pro model yet in stores, but it can be ordered direct (link above).

No, you shouldn't let the kids play with any soldering tool, including this one. But, used as directed, the ColdHeat is the safest soldering iron I've ever come across. Really handy.