By Chris Scott Barr

If you’ve got an iPad, you’ve no doubt found it to be a decent replacement for a netbook, in addition to being a tablet. One good use for a netbook is creating and editing text documents. I’ve yet to break down and buy any of the iWork apps for my iPad because to be honest, I’m cheap. Between OpenOffice and Google Documents, I haven’t paid for an office suite in a very long time. I figured if was patient enough, a good free one would come to the iPad eventually. My patience, it seems, has paid off.

Yesterday Google announced that they would be releasing both Android and iPad versions of their Google Documents suite sometime in the next few weeks. These versions will allow for full editing of documents, as well as the collaborative functions seen when using them on desktop operating systems. I’m definitely glad I held off.

[ Google ] VIA [ AppleInsider ]

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

By Chris Scott Barr

It has been a long time since I’ve used a pre-paid wireless phone. I belive the last one was a TracFone some 8 years ago. It was expensive, had the bare minimum of features and horrible customer service. I was happy to be rid of it when the time came. Needless to say, I’ve had no desire to go back to that subscription model again.

When I was given the chance to review a couple of phones with Boost Mobile‘s service, I thought it might be a good chance to see how much the market has changed . I’ve spent the last couple of weeks with a pair of their phones, specifically the BlackBerry Curve (retailing for $149) and Motorola i1 (retailing for $399). These, along with some of their “Re-Boost” cards gave me a good overview of their service.

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By Andrew Liszewski

According to a press release issued by Twin Galaxies today, the Donkey Kong world record has been been broken for the third time this year by none other than The King of Kong star Steve Weibe, with a score of 1,064,500 points.

Wiebe last held the Donkey Kong record in spring of 2007, only to be bested by his movie rival Billy Mitchell months later. Mitchell’s score fell to New York’s Hank Chien in March of this year, but the Florida hot sauce distributor regained the title on July 31 with a score of 1,062,800 points.

Wiebe, who has attempted regaining the record at numerous live events over the years, recorded his championship game on August 30 for submission to Twin Galaxies, who verified and announced the score on Monday, September 20 as the new World Record.

Remember this moment people, as someday you’ll be able to tell your grandkids where you were and what you were doing when the new ‘King of Kong’ was crowned. Assuming of course the record doesn’t fall once again in the coming months…

[ Twin Galaxies - Steve Wiebe regains Donkey Kong World Record from Billy Mitchell ] VIA [ Kotaku ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It doesn’t appear as if there’s been any improvements made to the hardware since the Pronto, but today Peek officially revealed their Peek 9 software update which still improves the device on many fronts.

Overall the Peek is claimed to be considerably faster now (up to 9 times coincidentally) which will be greatly appreciated since the Peek UI has always suffered from a bit of lag, though never unusable. It’s also claimed to have better reception thanks to software improvements, even where signal strength is low: “We’ve re-configured our wireless connectivity algorithms to help hold a signal longer and stronger in places with low or bad coverage, letting you take your mind off of how many bars you have and focus more on what matters.”

And while it still can’t be used to make calls, the Peek 9 gains even more smartphone-like functionality with weather and real-time location data via Google Maps, a Streams app for following RSS feeds and the ability to open more email attachments like Word docs, PDFs and even spreadsheets. The Peek 9 hardware will set you back $69.99 with service starting at $19.95/month (cheaper the more months you sign up for) or $99.99 which includes two months of service.

[ Peek 9 ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Today Casio introduced a couple of new P&S digital cameras, with the EXILIM EX-H20G pictured here being the more interesting of the two, at least in my opinion. It’s got a 14.1MP sensor with 10X optical zoom, H.264 720P @ 30fps video recording capabilities, a 3 inch LCD display and CCD-shift image stabilization. Nothing that remarkable, unless you’re a world traveler who’ll appreciate the camera’s GPS capabilities.

The EXILIM EX-H20G boasts a hybrid GPS system which uses actual GPS positioning, in conjunction with an internal motion sensor, to pinpoint, or at least intelligently guess, a user’s position even when a GPS signal is unavailable. It uses the camera’s last known satellite-acquired position, information from the motion sensor and map data stored in the camera to mark the location of a photo even if you’re indoors. It might not be 100% accurate, but it’s better than nothing.

That map data also lets you use the EX-H20G as a handheld GPS unit while in unfamiliar territory, helping you get around and even reminding you where videos or photos you snapped were actually taken on a map. And if you want to make the most of your time being a tourist, it’s even got a database of 10,000 sightseeing photo spots around the world, which will alert you when there’s a POI nearby. Of course that extra functionality is bound to take a toll on the camera’s battery life, but nothing is free in this world right? The EXILIM EX-H20G will be available sometime in November for $349.99.

[ Casio EXILIM ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Winner of a 2010 Red Dot Design award, the SEIL (Safe Enjoy Interact Light) bag concept was created by Lee Myung Su to provide a safer way for cyclists to signal. Technically when signaling with their hands a cyclist is only riding their bike with the other hand, which can be dangerous. So the SEIL fixes that problem with an LED-equipped backpack and a detachable wireless remote which can be mounted on the handlebars. And besides signaling your turning intentions, the SEIL bag can also be used to let others on the road know when you’re about to slam on the brakes, or even if there is an emergency.

[ Design You Trust - SEIL bag by Lee Myung Su design lab ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Sure, there’s the whole educational side to this Renewable Energy Racers set, teaching kids that cars don’t necessarily have to run on fossil fuels, but were I ever deemed responsible enough to be a parent I’d probably pick it up so that my kids didn’t need a constant supply of fresh batteries. The set includes 3 racers which can be powered by either a windmill, a solar panel or a hydrogren fuel cell, and while the first 2 options provide about 20 minutes of racing with a 10 to 30 minute charge (depending on the conditions like wind speed & sunlight) the fuel cell only provides about 5 minutes of fun, though with just 3 minutes of charging. Pros and cons kids… pros and cons.

Sadly it turns out you’ll still need a constant supply of AAs, 6 to be exact, which are used to power the 3 wireless remotes. I mean couldn’t they each have a built-in hand-cranked generator to demonstrate the benefits of human power? Or do they have to learn that lesson from The Flintstones or The Matrix? $89.95 available from Hammacher Schlemmer.

[ Renewable Energy Racers ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Last week Sony announced four new in-dash stereo receivers for its Xplod line including the CDX-GT650UI, the CDX-GT550UI, the CDX-GT350MP and the CDX-GT250MP which range in price from $79.95 up to $159.95 and of course offer varying levels of functionality. At the top of the heap is the fully loaded CDX-GT650UI which includes line-in and USB inputs for connecting an iPod, iPhone or any device without audio-out capabilities, and various Sony technologies that make it easier to navigate a massive MP3 collection, going as far as to create custom mood-based playlists.

But besides the relatively affordable price tag, the CDX-GT650UI also allows you to color-coordinate the receivers glowy bits with your car’s interior with the ability to select, or presumably ‘tune-in’, one of 35,000 color choices. If you thought it was annoying when a passenger spends half an hour trying to find a radio station, imagine them spending three hours tweaking the UI color!

[ CNET CarTech Blog - Sony announces quartet of low-cost car stereos ]

By David Ponce

We’re starting the week with a deal on an HP Pavilion laptop, the dv6t. If you configure it to above $1,000, you qualify for a bunch of upgrades which include: free upgrade to 6GB DDR3 System Memory, free upgrade to 640GB hard drive, as well as a $150 off instant discount and $50 off Coupon Code. The cheapest Core i5 configuration that qualifies you for this deal is $1,025. After the rebates, you’re looking at $825 for a Core i5 laptop with a 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 graphics card and a new, revamped design.

[ HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition Core i5 For $825 ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]