I'm not a pet owner anymore (it's a long and painful story; please don't ask!), but as I have written about a First Aid app for humans, it's only fair I write about one designed with animals in mind. (OK, I admit it, secretly I also want to make sure I remain on PETA's favorite list).
(Credit:
Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)
The app's name is (you guessed it!) Pet First Aid. It works with both the iPhone and iPod Touch and is a product of PetTech of Vacaville and JiveMedia (which is the same company that wrote the First Aid app for humans).
It's basically a quick manual that teaches you to take care of your dogs and cats. Topics range from daily mishaps like choking or scratches to common diseases and how to safely transport pets.
The app also has a section where you can store pets' medical data, as well as record their vaccinations, veterinarian contact info, allergies, and so on.
You can learn from detailed articles, video, and step-by-step illustrations that show exactly what to do when caring for your pet. The video section of the app includes tutorials on restraint, muzzling, CPR, bandaging, and the like. The best thing about this is all content is downloaded on your phone, meaning you can learn about this even when offline, a useful pastime for your long flight, for example.
I tried the app on my iPhone 3GS and found it very informative, with easy-to-follow instructions. Now I wish I had this when I was still a happy, allergy-free pet owner...
Unfortunately, caring for your pet never comes free. The Pet First Aid app costs $3.99 at Apple's App Store, the same amount as the similar app for humans. At least in this regard, human and animals are treated equally for once.
You're obviously incredibly fortunate if you are helped in a life-or-death situation, but being on the giving end of such emergencies is very satisfying, too. Now, with Pocket First Aid & CPR, you can make sure to be ready the next time you are called upon to save someone.
(Credit:
Dong Ngo/CNET)
Pocket First Aid & CPR was created by the American Heart Association in collaboration with Jive Media.
It's is a 65MB application (so make sure you install it via iTunes or a Wi-Fi connection) that features hundreds of pages of text and illustrations, with topics ranging from CPR and choking to bites, bruises, burns, seizures, and diabetic emergencies.
The app also features detailed and high-quality video demonstrations showing how to respond in critical first-aid situations. These include instructions for taking care of someone who is choking, giving CPR, responding to seizures, and treating cuts and wounds.
I personally like the section about choking and breathing problems, as those are common emergencies that require immediate assistance.
It's important to note that the application is not designed to be used in an emergency, but rather is something for you to study during idle time. Unlike the Human Atlas app that requires an active Internet connection to use, Pocket First Aid & CPR works completely offline, thus making it a useful time-killer during a long flight.
The app also comes with a section in which you can enter personal medical information, such as emergency contacts, allergies, current medications, and insurance information, for quick access in an emergency. The information is stored on your individual phone only and is deleted if the application is removed from the phone.
Pocket First Aid & CPR works with iPhones and iPod Touches and is available at Apple's App Store for $3.99. That price will be entirely justified the first time you are able to take the lessons in this app and successfully apply them. Saving a life: priceless.
For $9.99, SoundAMP does the work of hearing aids costing hundreds of dollars.
An iPhone can take the place of all kinds of gear--an air mouse, a metronome, a golfer's GPS, and so on. Now, thanks to SoundAMP, it can fill in for a hearing aid as well.
The $9.99 app turns an iPhone or second-gen iPod Touch into an "interactive hearing device"--a fancy way of saying it amplifies the sound around you.
All you do is fire up SoundAMP and plug in a pair of earphones. (iPod Touch users will need one with an inline microphone.) Then just raise or lower the oversize slider until you get the volume you want.
The app also lets you adjust the tone to your liking, helpful for users who have hearing loss in specific tonal areas.
There's even a kind of "audio DVR" feature: you can replay the last 5 or 30 seconds of a conversation just by tapping an onscreen button.
According to the developers, SoundAMP improves your hearing quality in a variety of environments, including lecture halls and noisy restaurants. Thus, it has the potential to help students as well as the hearing-impaired.
At $9.99, the app is considerably cheaper than any hearing aid--though obviously you need a not-so-cheap iPhone or iPod Touch to use it. If you happen to be among the target audience for this app, hit the comments and let us know if it (sorry) sounds like a winner.
After yesterday's downer show, we're back and cheerier than ever. Even Jeff is in good spirits after the New Jersey Devils got stomped all over their home ice. We discover today that Wal-Mart really does rock, and not in a good way.
The lesson of today's show is DO NOT BUY ELECTRONICS FROM WAL-MART, unless you're a rock collector, in which case you'll be thrilled, because apparently the company is literally selling Nintendo DS boxes filled with sediment.
We need to get THE BONCH, aka Bonnie Cha back on our show to talk about the Palm Pre. Actually, Palm is offering preproduction review units to Average Joes (and Josephines) in hopes of receiving "true life" feedback on the smartphone. Wilson seems to think that most consumers will frown on the smaller screen size, but we all have high hopes for the brand since this is definitely a last ditch effort in the smartphone market.
In exciting movie news, Jeff is superstoked to hear about a "Drop Dead Fred" remake starring Russel Brand, that quirky English dude that played the hippy beauhunk in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." His brand of piratey humor should do well as a young girl's imaginary friend, right? Oh! We also reveal another popular movie sequel in the works, but you'll have to listen to the show to get the full scoop.
Finally, we touch on the bloated cost of higher education and how NYU students are getting questionable phone calls about their financial aid. Apparently NYU financial advisers are individually calling students receiving significant amounts of financial aid and questioning their decisions to accept the money and attend the university. If I were still in school and someone called me about this, I'd probably just tell them to put the check in the mail and stop telling me what to do all the time.
(Credit:
Mr. Maximus, you get the first 404 baby shirt!)
Today's CFTP is rather heartfelt. Thanks to everyone who called in, and we'd like to personally welcome James Christopher Maximus to the world! You were born today, dude! Hopefully you're reading this in the year 2021, when you're old enough to fully grasp our jokes. We love your dad for breeding future listeners of The 404!
Per usual, don't forget to check out our live VIDEOcast (man it feels good to write that) every morning at 11 a.m. ET. We have a ton of fun in the preshow and you get the inside scoop on how we prepare for the show. And please please please call and leave us a voicemail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638)!
EPISODE 332
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West African painter Joseph Amedokpo created the above "New World" design for Dell, while Siobhan Gunning conceived of "Shine Within," pictured below.
(Credit: Dell)
Dell announced three new artsy laptop designs Tuesday that let you spruce up your computer and do some good at the same time. The designs expand on Dell's Art House offerings with special-edition computers that support the Global Fund's fight against AIDS. For each Dell (Product)Red design purchased, Dell will contribute $20 to the fund.
As part of the effort, Dell Studio laptops can be customized, with original artwork by Joseph Amedokpo, Siobhan Gunning, or Bruce Mau permanently infused into the laptop's display back. The Dell Studio 15 starts at $649 and the Dell Studio 17 starts at $799.
(Red)'s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and money for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (Product)Red mark contribute a portion of profits to the fund to finance AIDS programs in Africa, particularly those that emphasize the health of women and children.
Related story:
The Flexfit costs $79 and offers 400 hours of usage.
(Credit: Songbird Hearing)With all of us destroying our ears listening to our iPods--and other portable music devices--chances are we're all going to need hearing aids someday. Well, there's some good news for those of you looking ahead to your golden years: Songbird Hearing, Inc. has officially released its new inexpensive disposable hearing aid, the Songbird Flexfit.
According to the company's press release, "Traditional hearing aids can cost as much as $6,000 and involve professional office visits and fittings to be effective." The key development here is that Songbird is selling the Flexfit for $79 and it lasts 2 to 6 months (400 hours) before you have to exchange it for a new one. Songbird Hearing also says that the Flexfit can "be easily adjusted to fit almost anyone without the need for a hearing exam." In other words, you can order it right over the Internet or by phone without having your hearing tested by a professional (I'm not sure whether that's good or bad).
The release also notes:
Research indicates that people will use the aid for situational use, such as during business meetings, while watching television, at family gatherings, or participating in worship services. When used this way, Songbird will last for two to six months, and then can be simply replaced with a brand new unit, eliminating the need for the professional maintenance traditional hearing aids often require.
Anybody worried they're going to need one of these soon? Are iPods destroying our hearing as computer screens are destroying everyone's eyes--or at least bloggers' eyes?
The E-Cigarette's manufacturer claims it will help smokers quit.
(Credit: Chinavasion)If gum, the patch, and hypnosis don't cut it, Chinavasion says smokers can kick their nicotine habit and look tech-savvy at the same time with the "E-Cigarette" anti-smoking gadget sold on its site.
While it has the appearance of a cigarette--albeit a stainless steel one--the gadget is loaded with nicotine cartridges, a different concept than the e-cigar, which uses liquid cartridges to produce the flavored vapor without the nicotine and smoke. The five atomized cartridges in the E-Cigarette contain high-purity liquid nicotine, and each cartridge has the lifespan of about 30 cigarettes.
The cigarette is sold with five cartridges ranging in levels from one-sixth the nicotine content of a normal cigarette to none at all. Based on nicotine replacement therapy, smokers can use the E-Cigarette to slowly wean themselves off the nicotine cartridges, ideally ending with the nicotine-free insert.
The gadget comes with a lithium ion battery and charger.
(Credit: Chinavasion)Additionally, Chinavasion claims the gadget's lack of tobacco means it's free of carcinogens and tar.
The smoking device is managed by a microchip and powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery. The tip of the E-Cigarette glows with an LED light that will blink rapidly to warn smokers they have taken too many inhales in one minute.
The device is sold for about $26, and if the average price of a 20-cigarette pack is around $5, the gadget could be a low-cost option for smokers trying to quit. A similar product by Ruyan runs for more than $100.
Chinavasion's discount E-Cigarette and charger might fit in a purse or a pocket, but when a stressful day strikes, a dead E-Cigarette could push a smoker to visit the local convenience store instead.
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Nokia)
Headset makers probably aren't hurting for business these days, at least in California and Washington state. But even without the new laws, Nokia may have found another market.
Its "Wireless Loopset" is a device designed to hang around the neck that basically turns a t-coil-equipped hearing aid into a Bluetooth headset. In addition to providing the wireless connection, the Loopset includes such features as vibrating alerts and single-button dialing, according to Gearlog, and willl also work with cochlear implants.
While looped around the neck, the device greatly reduces the chance of interference because of its close proximity to the hearing aid. Nokia expects the Loopset to ship next year, selling for about $315.
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FirstStreet)
If there were a polar opposite to the sleek good looks of Philips' home phones, this might be it.
Granted, the "Pro Amplified Phone Center" may well be packed with useful functions, including four tone levels amplified up to 50 decibels for those who may be losing their hearing, according to GeekAlerts. (We were tipped off by the fact that this came from FirstStreet, the catalog that carries such items as the "Lite and Motion Head Lite Cap" in fulfilling its mission to serve "Boomers and Beyond.")
But does it have to look like some kind of DIY ham radio contraption? As products like fashion hearing aids show, not everything made for the middle-age market needs to fall in company with tennis-ball walkers.
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Gibson)
The idea of a robotic guitar that tunes itself seemed like an interesting concept when it came out last year but, much to our surprise, it generated more than a bit of controversy. That's not necessarily a bad thing for Gibson, which will probably reap the benefits of more publicity for the release of its second model.
In addition to the automated functions of the original, the SG version of the Gibson Robot Guitar is distinguishable by one blindingly obvious feature: It's purple. Not just any purple, but metallic.
Engadget says the SG will be more widely available than its predecessor, though that may not be necessary given its garish hue. In the meantime, you can see the original in action here.
