TechRoar

Today’s brainwave is the creation of a technology post that caters to exam-taking accountants that wear cool shoes and work while drinking melted chocolate in gadget mugs. Continue reading if you fit the description, and if not go far, far away.
We’re just joking, but seriously though – after a not-so-long discussion among ourselves, we here at Techroar decided to present you with an alternative selection of technology and gadgets.
We are fully aware of the fact that this blog, like most of its fellow contenders caters to the mainstream; people like you and I that would rather research the latest laptop than a self-flipping coin. But what about all the chocolate-drinking accountants? Gentlemen, this is your day. Without further ado, we bring you:

	1) An assortment of chocolate gadgets. This list takes you through some of the most valuable additions to the life of a chocolate connoisseur. You don’t even have to be a gastronome to realize the benefits of having a gourmet hot chocolate maker do all the work for you, so you don’t have to resort to packets of the powdered stuff. Still, if quiet, indulgent moments with a chocolate fountain or similar device isn’t quite in your tastes, then you’ll love the chocolate sprayer that this list includes. Party-holders scrap that overused bubble machine and turn on the chocolate sprayer. Just warn your guests in advance though, you wouldn’t want the girl next door ruining her new, white dress, or do you? Too much attention has been paid to the Hershey’s USB, which would only depress me with its inedible-ness, if I owned it.
	2. A Blingdom of Gadgets All that glitters may not be gold but anything in this sparkly list will almost certainly cost you. It is common knowledge that fashion usually comes with a price tag, but if you’re willing to meet that, take a closer look at these jeweled gadgets. As a fan of all things shiny, I’ve taken a personal fancy to the Swarivski-studded thumb drives; the crystal toilet – not so much.
	3. Exam revision technology For dealing with children that are morbidly averse to studying you have two options: You could bribe them shamefully or trick them into working with inquizitor. Inquizitor puts revision in a gaming structure and hey presto! – even the most distracted kids shut up and study, I mean play. Suited for all ages though is this hand flashcard website, which employs the oldest trick in the book when it comes to studying for tests. Studyshack saves precious time on flashcard creation and even has user-published flashcard sets which you might find useful.
	4. Technology for accountants CPA tries and tests a variety of technology (such as software) that is meant to make the life of an accountant easier. The official clientele of over 40,000 professionals is far from meager and CPA’s loyal following comes mostly from the fact that its reviewing of accounting solutions is not influenced by outside sources. Check out the CPA exam review here.
	5. Gadget shoes! As discovered in the aforementioned discussion, nobody at Techroar gives two hoots about foot fashion. Luckily these shoes weren’t created for fashion alone. This website lists useful shoe-related additions to life itself as well as a few gimmicks. Since there’s nothing wrong with gimmicky gadgets, we also bring you chameleon shoes, for girls that like a little rainbow in their step.
	6. Self-stirring mug This is rather random but it must be mentioned since it caters to the cool-shoed accountant with hot chocolate and whatnot – and because it’s the only gadget in this list that I actually own. The self-stirring mug is the enemy of stray tea dregs but I love how utterly hypnotic it is. This mug is ideal for anyone with a short attention span and also for holding chunkier smoothies.

Digital menu screens are the latest in digital signage technology. Discover how they have revolutionized the experience and business of dining.

In today’s highly competitive business climate companies continuously have to struggle to succeed. As this success rests largely in the hands of their customers, businesses must always find new and innovative ways to catch the public’s attention to sell their product or service and promote their brand to a large audience. Staying in the know about the latest technology is therefore a must for any business that wishes to thrive in the ever-changing market.

For many restaurants and other eating outlets around the world – from local diners to international five-star hotel chains – digital menu screens are fast becoming a popular way of conveying information to their customers. This method utilizes digital signage technology in the form of large screens that can display vast amounts of information in an organized and attractive manner.

Digital menu boards in eating outlets not only allow the business to present and update its menu as the name suggests, but also to showcase special offers on selected items, play videos and slideshows for either entertainment or advertising purposes and inform the public about upcoming promotions and events. As these are all displayed on screens as soft copies, there is no need to continuously have new signs and boards made for different purposes; instead, the content of the already existent format can be easily updated, and once saved, will be shown on the screen. This also results in less wastage of paper and valuable wall space.

Furthermore, promotions, events, menus and more can be scheduled to show up on the screen at specific pre-set times – a process which saves the hassle of having to constantly be aware of when to put up new signs and posters in the outlet and also maximizes the options available to an outlet. This is made even more convenient by the fact that updates and changes can be made via a remote computer so there are much fewer complications and almost no delay between the removal of an old sign and the addition of a new one, and customers are never bothered by the unsightly process of taking down and putting up signs.

To make these digital menu screens more interactive, many companies make models that incorporate touch screens into their design. This allows customers to browse through the available information at leisure.

All these options make the digital menu screen a truly dynamic piece of technology that will transform any business into a higher-quality and more successful enterprise. If you are considering using digital menu screens or any other type of digital signage in your establishment, make sure to research a host of different brands before you select one. Make sure to take into account what you will be getting with the package instead of just the price, as some companies offer more expensive products only because they include features such as hardware, software, training, cabling and professional media to enhance the results.

Other digital signage technology includes Point of Purchase displays, digital greetings and message boards, digital wine racks and digital community centres.

Game console wars have never been more aggressive. The three top competitors of the seventh generation consoles; The Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo wii are still going at it in 2009.
While Sony’s PS3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 focus on gameplay, graphics and the delivery of minor adrenaline rushes, Nintendo prides itself on a unique interface which gives players better access to some old-fashioned arcade fun.

The lowdown on the wii
The wii is cheaper than either the Xbox 360 or PS3 but let’s face the facts; the game selection is lousy. The console is delivered with wii sports – the sort of ‘family fun’ that reduces hardened gamers to competing against their little sisters. Admittedly, Star Wars brought a little variety to the wii but the graphics weren’t up to scratch and a lot of players still complain about the combat system. It
      What it all boils down to is that the wii interface is very popular due to its motion-sensor technology and great advertising campaign, but game time is far lower than that of the PS3 or Xbox 360 because ultimately the wii was not as enjoyed as the two other consoles. The low gaming time also could explain the ‘high reliability’ of the wii. It simply isn’t played (or loved) enough to get broken as often, although plenty of television screens have been smashed by flying wii controls.

Real competition: Playstation 3 vs. Xbox 360.
Hands down, we prefer the Xbox 360. It beats the PS3 on price, performance, game selection and graphics. Its key feature Xbox Live propels it into popularity.
      The PS3, at $499 features a blu-ray player and some juiced up SPU drives which makes it attractive to people that want a cheap blu-ray player. These features aren’t that good for gamers though because it translates to really long loading times and a heap of technical errors.
Sony is quite obviously betting on the blu-ray format while Microsoft’s console supports HD-DVDs. Format wars aren’t full blown yet but even here the Xbox manages to come out on top. Its DVD drive is separated to minimize load on the console whereas the blu-ray player is integrated into the PS3 so watching a lot of movies on the PS3 would tear down the lifespan of the device.
       Is this all just shameless advertising? Not at all. What else happens to be true is the fact that the Xbox 360 has lower reliability than the PS3. The probability of getting a red circle of death is in the high 20s for the Xbox whereas the PS3 failure rate is about 10%. This may or may not be attributed to the fact that game time on the 360 is way higher than on the Playstation. If you scam through a few user comments on gaming sites, you’ll see people moan about how they’ve broken their eight Xbox. Yet they buy their ninth. Now that is a statement.

     Although the PS3 is more ‘powerful’ than the Xbox 360, the latter has the real horsepower when it comes to visual performance. The graphics battle is won by the Xbox 360 due to their choice of memory and great rendition of high definition graphics. It would cost a Playstation a lot more to deliver visually what the Xbox does so you ultimately have to play PS3 games on lower-than-optimal setting.
     Game selection is also greater with the Xbox 360. Store shelves boast rows and rows of Xbox titles, many of them discounted too while the Playstation sells less games and generally at a higher price. Sneaky but smart, Microsoft gives gamers even more incentive to keep buying and button-crunching on the sofa; Xbox Live.

Xbox Live; the marvellous feature that allows gamers all over the world to download games, movies, demos and compete against each other in the games they buy. It has hundreds of thousands of subscribers and also allows players to ‘earn’ some live time as opposed to buying it. Xbox 360 games come with achievements to unlock – unlock enough and you’ll have played your way into a month of Xbox Live. The Playstation 3 also has some online support but if this is the first time you’ve heard of it, that only proves the following point.
Online support for the PS3 is pathetic.

There are too many problems related to water today; chiefly the environmental (and carcinogenic) impact of plastic bottles, wastage of water and lack of access to good drinking water, especially in more deprived areas of the world.
The ‘fountains of life’ of the 21st century are oddly shaped, in comparison to ancient models but here they are.

I. WaterCone
Clean water in the middle of nowhere.
Years ago, a desert-survival guide on television showed how you could use condensation to get drink-safe water in a place where it doesn’t even rain. The WaterCone uses the same process and integrates it into a maximum-efficiency design.

The beauty of using such a simple process, besides the obvious cheapness of the device, is that you could pour the undrinkable salty or brackish water into the black base because only H20 would accumulate in the compartment above. Everything you pour out the top is drinkable.
The cone shape maximizes solar exposure while the black base absorbs as much heat from the sun as possible. We don’t recommend using this for absolutely filthy water because you never know what heat-resistant bacteria could colonise the fresh water above.

II. Zuvo Water Purator
Clean water at home.
It’s a common fact that millions of people don’t like consuming kitchen tap water. It’s a not-so-common fact that a 200ml of Perrier can cost way more than a tank full of petrol.
It removes lead, chlorine, microorganisms and more, but still leaves in the fluoride to keep your teeth healthy. The $200 Water Purator from Zuvo uses UV light, filtration and ozone to treat tap water, creating the same old H2O – just a little purer and tastier. This too makes use of a natural process; that which happens in the earth’s upper atmosphere. Ultraviolet light is beamed onto ozone-rich water from a 27-watt lamp and this releases powerful oxidisers which treat the water. It does the same job as chlorine, just faster and with no chemical residue or aftertaste. After a round of filtration, the process is repeated.
The mechanism sounds foolproof and fancy but you really can’t use this device with filthy water. It’s only meant to work on tap water. Is it a Green Gadget? Yes, if it’s your alternative to plastic bottled and not just an addition to them.

III. The Source Project
Clean water on the road.
We credit Oliver Craig with the idea of coming up with a system (and the technology) to allow people access to instant and pure water refills. The sleek filling stations will stand on the pavements like candy dispensers, only you won’t have to fish for coins for each refill. A one-time purchase of the bottle will do.
They’ve also added the incentive of giving you refill points that can be redeemed at stores that support the Source Project. The positive environmental impact is pretty significant and our only regrets are that this system is still at the prototype stage. Its creators still need to work past the obvious hygiene problems and perhaps reconsider their bottle size to make it more marketable.

Since the grand entry of solar panels into the market, many building have received the benefits of sustainable green energy. The solar panel has evolved and we are now moving into the era of solar textiles. They weren’t developed yesterday but practical uses are very slow to clamber into daily use, which is why we’ve decided to give solar innovations the spotlight today.
Sheila Kennedy of MIT and Violich Architecture completed their Soft House prototype where curtains alone harness half the energy required to run the household, a daily 1600 watt-hours of electricity. Ironically, the surface will receive the least amount of light during the brightest and hottest part of the day, which begs the question whether we should stick to our rooftop panels or move on. Admittedly, it’s not that pretty to look at but perhaps the aesthetics of the solar curtain, as well as its marketability will improve over time.

In the meantime though, we suggest you take a look at the ESC Juice Bags. These are a selection of tote bags or rucksacks with a key difference – the come with a high-efficiency, waterproof solar panel made of 52 solar cells. The accessory or device, as you may call it is good enough to charge handheld devices within a few hours. It’s disappointing for all those who hoped to have a perpetual power source for their laptops but it’s definitely a start. They go for about $250 in the USA, about an eight of the price of a new Versace. Is it worth it? You decide.