Vertical Technology Blog

The TopTag Pet ID is a great way to keep identifying information on your pet, without having to tag them internally with the ever-popular method of inserting the information on a microchip inside the skin. It’s incredibly easy to use and allows you to store information about your pet in great detail.You simply insert the tag into any USB port and a nice auto play setup will guide you through your pet’s vital information as well as small details in case your pet is lost for an extended period of time. You don’t have to add all the details, but the questions and additional information might help the one that finds your pet better care for it.

Comes in a tightly connected waterproof case that is light and easily attached to your pet’s collar or cage. You can also print all the information that you enter so that you can refer back to it during update periods or after a move and decide what needs to be changed.

TopTag offers volume discounts to pet clubs and organizations, and I like that idea. They will also send you a free waterproof case if you ever need one, simply by registering your Top Tag Pet ID early on, and giving them a call when it’s needed. If you forego the registration you can still get one for a small fee.

A super informative site and greatly detailed fact sheet made this a definite buy for all my family members with pets!

This Lexphone Telephone will keep you talking with friends and relatives but you won’t have any calls from bill collectors or long distance companies offering you a deal.

Just plug this into your computer or laptop using the USB connector, and dial out using Skype software or MSN compatible programs.  The software disc provided will guide you to your free calling options and the phone is not bulky, so you can carry it with you while traveling, too.

Lightweight and a neat gift for someone that complains about high phone bills…make their free calling dreams come true this year.

A company called Reactrix has taken mall floors to a new level.  I noticed a neat setup at our mall while holiday shopping.  On the floor was a mat or pad with a projected video game on it.

If you placed your foot near an asteroid on the mat, it would explode.  Then after playing the game a bit it showed a few commercial ads but they were interactive, too.

Coca-Cola, Visa and Sprint have already grabbed this idea up and are utilizing it in their marketing plans.  This interactive advertising is a great idea and I can see it in more widespread use in the future.  Reactrix claims measured recall is very high with an average of 55% and a high of 72%.  Aided recall was averaged at 86% with a high of 99%.  Nice job, Reactrix!

You can see video demos on the site of what I experienced.

Motorola is designing and changing their phones so rapidly right now it is a challenge to keep up.  I really have one that I feel is hot right now, and especially here before the holidays, I wanted to show you what it looks like.

The Moto Z8, RIZR is definitely sleek but it also is full of great features.  The camera is a 2MP with 8x zoom and the included VGA camera is set up for two-way video calling.  A music player with playlists for MP3’s, messaging with SMS, EMS, MMS 1.2 options and email choices of SMTP, POP3 and IMAP4 make this an excellent phone for most anyone on the run.

Stereo Bluetooth wireless technology is not to be forgotten here, either.  For the casual or business user, this phone has tons of upgraded features from the older RAZR and KRZR models of the past.

Too bad they are currently sold out.  You can look for them to return to the site, though, if you want a talking Japanese watch.  It will speak up and tell you the time in Japanese (maybe you can learn a bit while you sort through if you’re late to work or not) and keep you in the know.

In bright colors with a display of the time below the speaker, these cute watches might be just what you’re looking for.  The Fred Flare site has a wish list, too, so you can let others know how much you want one.

Video players are usually a second thought, right after MP3 players. Typically you buy an MP3 player that includes video options, not one that focuses on video first. I got to review the Ice player by Latte Communications from ThinkGeek.com and I think it has some great features, with video coming first.

The 2.8 inch display is a good size and you can adjust the brightness and most all settings for video playback. It’s also expandable with a miniSD card so you can carry with you more movie choices. The player has a visual display when you play MP3’s that’s clear and the sound is very nice, especially when you toy with the on-screen equalizer.

With 2GB of storage to start with, you’ll have plenty to keep going without expanding it right away. There is an integrated speaker but I chose to use the headphones, although I did use the speaker for sharing a bit of a song with my son. I couldn’t get the FM radio to get a good signal inside my house, but outside it did much better. I don’t typically listen at home anyhow, it’s a portable player for that reason, right?

I don’t do voice recordings often, but it does have that option for quick reminders or voice notes. It was easy to use and charged up via the USB port, also, the moving of songs from my laptop to the device was just a drag-drop experience. Super easy and thin (pictured by my Motorola RAZR) you can carry this device most anywhere.

On Tuesday, JetBlue will be the first airline to offer free Internet while on board the flights.  This will allow passengers to use Email and Instant Messaging on their handhelds while during flight.  JetBlue announces this move during a competitive season, it should make a few people consider changing flights for the holidays.

Unfortunately the service is limited (you knew that was coming, right?) to Yahoo! Mail, Messenger and Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerrys for BB mail and messenger services.  Just makes you wonder if you should change services just to take advantage of this.

Typically while in flight, it gives you a great reason NOT to work, until you land.  Will this have others upset instead of excited about such a great step?

JetBlue was already known for providing free wireless in the airports, unlike some carriers that charge for the use.  Good thing for JetBlue is that they can sell this service to other carriers, since they own the operations rights.

This might scare some of you, and it might make a few of you feel safer and more secure that you won’t have to worry about a stolen car screaming by you, putting you or your family in harms way.  Police chases have always been a hot news item and a dramatic time for anyone near, but they might become a thing of the past.A company called Eureka Aerospace has developed a microwave beam shooting device that can target cars from the air, stopping them by frying the electrical system.  The energy that the device generates is amplified by a generator is converted into microwave radiation.

Discovery News says:

The technology uses the same kind of energy used in microwave ovens, but at a different frequency. Ovens typically operate at 2.45 Ghz, whereas the high-power car-stopping system is at 300 megahertz. In both cases, the radiation is above common radio frequencies and is not harmful to humans.

The device uses a special antenna to focus the radiation and aim it at cars in the most susceptible areas, disabling the electrical parts and making the car useless.  It has a 10 to 50 ft. range and is being tested for use by local police.  Hopefully you won’t have any reason to find out if this actually works on a car you are behind the wheel of…

Today is the day that Hulu, which is an up and coming popular online video site, shows us the new HD video offerings. The most recent release of Adobe Flash Player added support for streaming HD, using H.264 encoding.

On Hulu, you’ll now find a new HD Gallery that offers movie trailers and upcoming content for those that love the better video format. Right now, you cannot imbed HD video onto other sites, but we’ll assume they’ll add this feature later on and watch for it.

Today the trailers featured are Alvin and the Chipmunks, Horton Hears a Who!, Definitely, Maybe and a few other choice movies. All of them are available in 1280×720 resolutions and all you need is a 2.5 Mbps connection to get your hands, or eyes, on them. I’ve always enjoyed the ability to embed videos into sites and allow others to see your favorite shows,and Hulu offers this service to its users.

Here is what Hulu says about what they offer:

Hulu’s ambitious and never-ending mission is to help you find and enjoy the world’s premium content when, where and how you want it. We hope to provide you with the web’s most comprehensive selection of premium programming across all genres and formats – television shows, feature films, clips, and more.

If you want to experience a bit of Hulu, you can visit partners sites like AOL, Comcast, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo, where you are able to view the same programming that you’d get if you were on the Hulu site.

When they say “brilliant sound, ultimate control”, they mean it!

This product is a high-quality sound system that allows you to choose songs and utilize the iPod menu the way it was meant to be used.  Very different from the usual iPod system, this has a removable faceplate that can be used as a remote, and it charges with a docking system.

The wireless remote, AM/FM radio, alarm system and other options make this another gadget lovers’ dream. Easily integrates with the iPod and GEORGE takes over, or rather, allows you to take over, your music collection.

Unique and convenient, you can bet gadget lovers will want one of these at home.