Clear

The first e-mail program I ever used was MCI Mail. When the IT administrator swung by one day, he told me "this was the future." Maybe he had Blade Runner in mind.

Within a few weeks, my inbox was already swamped and I had no idea how best to proceed. I subsequently graduated to Lotus Notes and then later, a kludgy product from Microsoft whose name I thankfully can't recall. These days I'm on MS Outlook, where I've become master of the mass block-delete.

Amazing that about two decades after e-mail became a must-have tool … Read more

For all the advances made in Internet telephony over the last decade, the hardware end of the business has lagged woefully behind. All too often we've seen things like retro corded handsets or other bizarre devices that would seem to keep a caller hopelessly tethered to the desktop.

Headset makers are coming up with some solutions that problem, however, with wireless headsets. First we saw a pair by Creative Labs at CES in January, and now Logitech has debuted a similar product, a 2.4GHz wireless stereo headset developed specifically for VoIP calls.

Not only does the "ClearChat PC Wireless&… Read more

For the last few years, frequent travelers have had the option to sacrifice their privacy (as well as some money) for speed at the airport. Now, thanks to some keen deal-spotting by bloggers, passengers can skip to the front of the airport security line for free. The question to be asked is: even when such services are free, are they worth the price?

Verified Identity Pass is one of three companies that participate in TSA's Registered Traveler program. The company offers separate lines leading to TSA checkpoints for its subscribers. Passengers passing through one of these lines get to … Read more

Today was my first experience using the Clear travel service. If you are not familiar (or haven't flown lately), Clear is a service that utilizes fingerprints and/or iris scans to bypass the long lines of airport security.

Despite my leftist obsession with privacy, I decided when I first looked at the Clear program that I thought it would be better if I voluntary signed up for the service since ultimately the government and TSA can find whatever they want about you anyway. I'm also fairly convinced that's it better to have some alternate form of identity verification should something go wrong. … Read more

Almost exactly a year ago we posted an item on the "Sonic Bomb" alarm clock, which turned out to be just the first in a string of eardrum-killing devices for those who engage in the sport of extreme sleep. Now there's another gadget that applies the same principle to the telephone.

But the understatedly named "UltraClear" doesn't stop at sensory overload of the auditory canals. In addition to its extra loud ringer, a "bright flashing strobe" is activated whenever it detects an incoming call. So while its reaches a full 95 decibels, … Read more

The FBI has teamed up with Phoenix-based Clear Channel Outdoor to air mug shots of most wanted criminals on 150 digital billboards in 20 cities nationwide, the Associated Press is reporting.

The effort follows a successful test run in Philadelphia that led to several arrests.

Read the full AP story via Google, among other places: "FBI mug shots to hit digital billboards."

I've been a member of the CLEAR program for almost a year now. CLEAR is a program for registered travelers that are "pre-screened for security and provided with a biometric card which allows them to pass through security faster, with more predictability and less hassle." Sounds good, right? Submit to a full cavity scan, a review of everything you've ever thought of doing in your life, and get through airport security faster? Sign me up!

Well, I did. I fly 125,000+ miles each year, and have done for nearly 10 years. Getting through an airport quickly is a big priority for me.

Today, however, was my first time actually using the program. That's because there are approximately two airports on the planet that participate in the program. (OK, I'm exaggerating - there are a whopping 11, but they're not airports most of us use on a regular basis.)

Even worse, the program seems to delay passage through security, rather than speeding it up.… Read more

We've always thought of Philips as something like the Sony of Europe: No matter what you think of their products' performance, it's usually difficult to argue with their aesthetically clean designs. (And if it was able to tame the notorious Swarovski, the Liberace of consumer electronics, then it has provided a public service to the world.)

Philips' latest ID9371 land-line phone is no exception, with a sleek glossy-black design somewhat reminiscent of the Bang & Olufsen "Serene" portable handset. But there's something even more interesting about a sound technology it uses called "ClearVoice HD,&… Read more

If simplicity creates good design, this is a perfect example. With so many MP3 speakers on the market, it's almost impossible to stand out. But this system from MoMA has managed to do just that, not by adding bells and whistles but by reducing its appearance.

The "Soundsticks II," as you can plainly see, has a transparent casing that lets you inspect its innards while enjoying "high-quality stereo sound for music, MP3s, movies, and games." Uber-Review says the bases of the speakers are easy to adjust, which is a good thing because you wouldn't … Read more