We found out yesterday that there is something amiss with the ratings that Belkin products have been receiving on Amazon — and while the company’s president pleads ignorance, more evidence of wrongdoing continues to mount. According to The Daily Background, Amazon accounts with names like B. Ekim (whose nickname is listed as “mikebayard,” same as the name of the employee that seems to have started this whole mess) exist with little to tie them to reality, aside from the fact that they enthusiastically rated Belkin products on sites like Amazon and PriceGrabber. When we asked a representative of the company point-blank whether or not anyone at Belkin has been offering money for positive reviews, we received this evasive reply:
Thanks for your email. We are still investigating the situation, and we hope to have a follow-up statement that will answer these questions later this week.
To be entirely honest, we don’t know what’s worse — that someone would outsource fraudulent five star ratings for his company, or the fact that the alleged fraud was so painfully obvious. Looking back, it does seem suspicious that so many people were so psyched about TuneCast.
For your next spy mission, consider the F-01A phone from Fujitsu.
It’s a sleek-looking phone with some serious, sophisticated technological and rugged credentials. It’s submersible–it will still work if dunked in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes–and also functions as a fingerprint-scanning device.
January is a time for New Year’s resolutions, a time when we tearfully grab a hunk of belly flab and decide to buy fitness gadgets and gym memberships. Don’t waste your money.
Back in the days before becoming a gadget-deal guru, I was known as Prof. Buffmodo, certified personal trainer—so I know what it takes to get in shape from a physical and a fiscal standpoint. The bottom line is this: Most fitness gadgets are gimmicky junk and a lot of gyms will rip you off in a heartbeat. With the economy in the shape it is, fitness will probably be one of the household expenses put on the chopping block, but this might not be a bad thing. The truth is that beginners can get in shape on a budget by keeping things simple.
What Not To Buy: Common sense should tell us that products like the Springflex and the Gamercize PC Power Stepper are gimmicks catering to people who are unwilling or unable to devote time to exercising. Besides, neither offer anything close to a full-body workout. These half-assed approaches cost $90 and $200 respectively, and they will end up sitting in your garage after a month.
Along those lines, we have products like the Steelcase Walkstation. Losing weight and increasing heart and lung health is heavily dependent on the heart rate you achieve while doing cardiovascular exercise (see Karvonen formula). But the Walkstation moves no faster than 2 mph. Unless you are morbidly obese or like 90 years old, a walking pace isn’t going to achieve these goals. It may be be better than sitting in a chair, but I can think of better ways to spend five grand.
What About Bowflex, Weight Benches, Treadmills and Ellipticals? Generally, I don’t have much of a problem with the performance of these devices, but they are nothing if not expensive. These are often the go-to machines for people who don’t want to go to a traditional gym. The problem here is with motivation. The vast majority of people quit working out altogether within a few months, so if you have a history of not finishing what you started, going all in financially like this is most likely a bad move.
What About Wii Fit? I have never tried Wii Fit, so I can’t make any claims as far as its effectiveness is concerned. Our own Brian Lam argued after six months with it that it has more of a mental impact than a physical one. To me it reeks of something you would have fun with for a few minutes, then forget about completely. Not only does it not offer a lot of options in terms of strength training, but it relies heavily on the fairly useless body mass index. At 6′ 3 and 205 pounds, my BMI is 25.6—a figure that would be considered “overweight.” However, I only carry about 7% body fat. Body composition is what is truly important. All-in-all, it doesn’t seem to be worth the $90-$130 to me.
What You Should Buy: An effective home gym for beginners that gets results can consist of the following inexpensive devices: • A set of basic dumbbells at 5, 10, 15 and 20 pounds for high-rep exercises: Keep in mind that you don’t need expensive gym weights. Ten pounds is ten pounds—as long as it is comfortable and balanced. Prices vary and dumbbell sets can be expensive, but if you shop around you can get deals for under $30. (A Hobomodo strategy would be to use gallon water jugs for your lower weight exercises.) I do not recommend dumbbells with interchangeable weights as these are often bulky and dangerous to operate. Exercise bands of various resistances offer an even cheaper alternative at prices under $20. • A Swiss balance ball: Sizes generally range at 55cm, 65cm and 75cm for people under 5’5, 6’0 and above 6’0 respectively and can be found for under $20. • A total body bar ($30-$40): You could go up a notch and pick up something like the Perfect Pullup which offers ab straps and adjustable/rotating grips to add another dimension to your workout. ($60) • A 6- to 10-lb medicine ball: Prices vary, but these can be found for between $10 and $20.
Basically, we are talking $200 for the basic equipment that offers a full-body resistance workout and the opportunity to perform a wide range of exercises at low risk of injury. Cardio can be handled with a jog around the park, a swim, a bike ride, a game of basketball or tennis, a jump rope, etc.—activities that can be done inexpensively or at no cost. Throw in a free yoga program on FitTV or Oxygen and you have the stretching and flexibility portion of your fitness routine down as well.
A Word On Gym Memberships: Truth be told, I have a very expensive gym membership. But then again, I have been doing this in a very hardcore fashion, week in week out for the last 8 years. The point I am trying to make is this: If you are a beginner or someone who can’t devote a lot of time or money to working out, it’s best to start small and work your way up. This is true for both the exercises that you perform and the equipment that you spend your money on. If you stick with it…awesome. Maybe then you can mix it up with a gym membership or some more expensive home gear (although that, in truth, may never be necessary). If you quit, at least your only out $200 and not $2000.
If you do decide to join a gym, keep these tips in mind: • Treat it like a car purchase. Sales reps work on commission, and they are not going to give you their lowest price unless you fight for it. January is usually the best time to find a deal. • Always read the contracts. This is true with everything, but gyms can be really shady. They are not above pulling one over on you. • Try and pay your dues in full. Some of the shadier gyms kick in auto-renew policies for people that go month-to-month. That means they will continue to draw money from your account even after the contract has expired (hence the need to read that contract).
Now go, exercise, be healthy—but try to keep some extra weight in the wallet region.
Prof. Dealzmodo is a regular section dedicated to helping budget-minded consumers learn how to shop smarter and get the best deals on their favorite gadgets. If you have any topics you would like to see covered, send your idea to tips@gizmodo.com, with “Professor Dealzmodo” in the subject line.
On Tuesday, location-based service provider TeleNav released new features for its connected portable-navigation device, the TeleNav Shotgun. The added functionalities include a mileage tracker and the capability to check ratings and reviews for points of interest (POI), such as restaurants, hotels, and so forth.
Never one to go half-way with a product line, BenQ has now filled out its G-series of LCD monitors with a full complement of 16:9 LCDs, including both 1080p and 720p models. Those range from the 23.6-inch G2410HD and 24-inch G2411HD/HDA, which each boast an Advanced Motion Accelerator that BenQ says improves response time and brightness, to the decidedly smaller 15.6-inch G610HDA and 18.5-inch G910HD/HDA models, which use a dual lamp system to conserve energy depending on the level of brightness needed. Complete specs on each model are otherwise a bit light, but you can apparently expect dynamic contrast ratios ranging from 10,000:1 to 40,000:1, response times of 2ms to 5ms, and DVI, HDMI ports, and built-in speakers on a few of ’em. No word on prices either, but they’ll apparently start hitting China this month, with a “worldwide” rollout planned for later in the year.
Imagine this: It’s Valentine’s Day and you’ve just left the restaurant for a stroll on the promenade. The mood is romantic, and your date feels it, too. Just then, you turn to each other, lean in for a kiss and…”Wait! My Kiss-o-meter!”
We normally can’t get too excited about model refreshes, but Acer’s newly announced Aspire X1700 PC made us take notice with its specs. Basically an updated version of the Aspire X1200 from last fall, the Aspire X1700 now has an Intel Pentium Dual Core processor (compared with an …
We already knew that Acer was signed on to load Phoenix Technologies’ HyperSpace instant-on OS onto some of its machines, and we had a hunch that ASUS would be next in line. Today, the aforesaid outfit has affirmed our suspicions by announcing that the company responsible for the overpopulation of the Eee will “incorporate HyperSpace into its next generation laptops.” Oh, and we get the idea ASUS won’t be the last to join in, so you Gateway fanboys can feel free to hold out just a bit longer.
Are you tired of getting knocked out in fighting games such as the upcoming Street Fighter IV? The $89.99 XCM Dominator joystick may be the solution to your misery. Unlike Sony’s wireless SixAxis and DualShock3 controller, the USB-based Dominator supports macro programming and holds up to 20 keystroke combinations in four memory keys. So instead of clocking countless hours practicing a super special combo strike, all you need is to effortlessly hit a button to execute the move.
There is also a rapid-fire turbo mode for its eight primary buttons perfect for first-person shooter games. …
This past year, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs began to focus on priorities other than tech. Who will fill their winged sandals and become the new Gadget Gods?
These next gods will, like their predecessors, be people whose professional and private lives, and even personal appearance, are of equal importance to hordes of obsessed nerds. They’re people whose creativity and willpower are presumed to steer the course of personal technology, with legions of engineers and programmers and designers and manufacturing experts carrying out their vision. The key is putting themselves out for all the public to behold, with the hopes of becoming revered by apostles who buy anything they unveil. Seeing as we’re running low on golden calves, let’s check out the current options:
APPLE Tim Cook People say Cook is the man who makes the beautiful products turn into a beautiful pile of money, and he actually took over Apple when Jobs was recovering from his first surgery. A southern gentleman, avid cyclist, iron-fisted boss, mysterious loner, emotionless decider—man, Cook is so easy to reduce to two-word stereotypical descriptors, he’s bound for godhood. Even his name comes packaged in a suave but unforgettable two syllables. The catch of course is that he can’t ascend the mighty throne of Apple until the big cheese retires or bows out due to health. Cook’s trod the boards at Stevenotes before, but now he’s holding back—or being held back—perhaps because if he becomes big boss, he’ll need a fresh start. All eyes not on Steve are on this guy. Can he fill the shoes left open and be the forceful visionary that Jobs is? Chance of Godhood? 75% with a few variables we’d rather not think about
Phil Schiller Schiller has helped sell Apple products since forever, but the general impression is that he’s best used as a right-hand man, a Boy Wonder to the real Batman. The mullet/beer gut combo probably doesn’t do wonders for his public image, either, though “death diving” from 30 feet up like he did back in ’99 isn’t a bad way to entertain the fanboys. It’s easy to forget that Phil used to be involved in product development, including notebooks, and some even credit him for the addition of the iPod’s clickwheel. We also hear that the man can kick some ass behind the scenes. He might have what it takes to be the next product don of Apple, but the current hierarchy won’t make it easy for him. Chance of Godhood? 35% assuming the Apple board is thinking like we’re thinking
MICROSOFT Steve Ballmer The Monkey Man act may work to get attention, to rally your troops and put fear in your enemies, but it’s too easy to make fun of in Photoshop. This kind of attention has taken Ballmer pretty far along the road to godhood, but the public doesn’t often see the quieter, shrewder Ballmer that we know exists. The key is this: He is not a code nerd, but a Harvard-educated marketing-and-sales guy. Being able to climb inside the mind of the Average Joe, typically oriented around useful features instead of sheer software power, is what Microsoft needs to limit bloat in product design. If Windows 7 is a success, we’ll see the Bruce Banner in this Hulk, but if it’s not, it’ll be “BALLMER SMASH!!!!” and the end of Microsoft. Chance of Godhood? 85% assuming Windows 7 erases the terrible memory of Vista
Robbie Bach Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices boss has Xbox, Zune, Media Center and a lot of other potentially tasty toys in his workshop, and he’s rumored to be the man who would replace Ballmer. What’s most important here? His group accounts for most of the Microsoft products that don’t suck. Word is, though, that the limited profitability of his group, today, limits the amount of respect he gets internally. We say the rest of the company should stop and see what he’s doing right. He certainly understands the art of the keynote, strutting around and working the crowd with the shoulders-forward energy of a college football coach. He may be too good at sticking to the script, though. His cautious replies may be good for stockholders, but you can’t inspire the masses without a little bit o’ crazy. Chance of Godhood? 70%, higher if he is heard matter-of-factly admitting that Windows Mobile sucks
SONY Sir Howard Stringer Usually you get the “sir” appended to your name after you live a wild and crazy life in the public eye, but this guy is only more and more in the spotlight each year. When he talks he brings delightful controversy and charisma, but he doesn’t do enough with big crowds. How come no gloaty Blu-ray victory dance party? Chilling with Charlie Rose isn’t a direct path to divinity, but showing up with Tom Hanks at CES is a start. Still, Sony needs to regain gadget clout, not remind the world that it’s a piracy-fearing movie maker. One thing he has done is give the Japanese firm a leader who isn’t afraid to lay off when the company is bloated with employees not pulling their weight, unlike traditional Japanese CEOs. And he encourages Japanese employees to work abroad to increase their understanding of the customers of the world. But he’s also been working hard to unify the company’s software and hardware development not only in each division, but across product groups. Only Apple and Microsoft have done this successfully, but Sony is actually making progress here, behind the scenes. Chance of Godhood? 45% because it might just be too late for the guy—or for Sony
GOOGLE Larry Page/Sergey Brin Never mind that Google keeps more products in beta than it launches or that these two are tech titans already on the web. Their first foray into hardware was received lukewarmly. But Google is here to stay, and no matter what CEO Eric Schmidt does, these two dudes’ faces will be the ones people think of. The last 60 years of tech are full of dynamic duos—Woz and Jobs, Hewlett and Packard, etc.—but unless you’ve got the timing of Martin and Lewis, it’s hard to pull off a tandem keynote. It definitely doesn’t help when you show up late wearing rollerblades. We just hope that the company can give their Android division the support it needs to compete with the companies full time in the gadget game, because Android is not only disruptive, but it’s the ammo that the phone makers need to compete with the all-in-one giants from Redmond and Cupertino. Chance of Godhood? 60%, could go up if they release more products, or undergo the operation Damon and Kinnear had in Stuck On You
ASUS Jonney Shih Netbook-revolutionary Asus is probably the company (companEee?) doing the most with Apple’s old mantra, “think different.” Their stuff coming out of Taiwan is radical and fun, and Jonney Shih, little known in these parts, is the sole capitano up top. He’s not afraid to rock the microphone, but he keeps doing it at other people’s events. Asus also makes a lot of notebooks for competitors, and has hardware expertise to spare. But in terms of software, they’re still limited by a strong dependence on Windows for their notebooks. As for their weak brand presence in the mainstream: Dude, you got some cash, time to throw bigger parties of your own, and not just ones timed with CES. And take another page from Apple: Learn how to keep products secret until they’re finished and shipping. Chance of Godhood? 40%, more if he finds a good barber and a dealer of fine turtlenecks and presentation sweaters
HTC Cher Wang The phone maker who first teamed with Google and launched the T-Mobile G1 is chaired by, yep, a lady! Named Cher! Cher actually got her start selling computer parts for a computer company, and helped found HTC to realize the vision of the true handheld computer. Even if the HTC brand is only a few years old to consumers, HTC has been making phones for other companies for a while: One in every six phones sold in the US this year were from her factories. They’ll grow stronger now that Android is here and Windows Mobile is (hopefully) in a period of major improvement, but their branding and design is still a bit on the chunky side. From the looks of her official corporate portrait, she could probably use a queer eye or two—I know I sound like a dick here, but sadly society does judge women more harshly than men on personal appearance. My guess is that as someone who emphasizes being a “devout Christian” in her bio, she’d probably frown on the whole “tech god” thing anyway. Chance of Godhood? 30% since Cher’s probably too busy to take our advice anyway—she also runs the chipmaker VIA
PALM Ed Colligan Colligan’s generally stormy course at Palm’s helm finally reached some smooth waters: He just unveiled Pre, a fresh, attractive take on the smartphone, bolstered by healthy chunks of DNA from Apple and other new smartphone platforms via the talent they aggressively poached. He’s proven he has what it takes to make big aggressive changes with this handset, and get the right talent in place, just like Steve Jobs would. And Colligan isn’t afraid to make bold brash statements, a requirement of godhood. But can he go all the way? Currently, his problem is with presenting—he’s not all that memorable, which might actually be good if you’re the guy who introduced the world to the Palm Foleo. Chance of Godhood? 15% cuz did I mention he believed, not long ago, that Foleo would “redefine how people work”?
Jon Rubinstein The “executive chairman” to Colligan’s “president and CEO,” it’s hard to tell if Rubinstein is sitting on the throne or next to it. He has our vote. The man in charge of bringing about Palm’s would-be salvation, the Pre, previously at Apple led development of the frickin’ iPod (maybe you’ve heard of it), and has actually out Apple’d Apple with the UI in this new handset. And Rubinstein’s team is one of the only in the world that is capable of revolutionizing cellphone operating systems. He keeps it cool on stage, reminding us a little of Nintendo’s amiable US boss, Reggie Fils-Aime. And his more than passing resemblance to Jeff Goldblum is a plus, too. One limitation in Palm that both Rubinstein and Colligan have to face: Palm will never build an end to end personal tech environment the way Apple and Microsoft can, even if they are on par in terms of making interfaces from the future. Chance of Godhood? 55%, but sky’s the limit if he can shoo Colligan away
AMAZON Jeff Bezos Bezos already was a god—a dotcom god. Many of those other former household names are now mercifully forgotten, but Bezos still shows up on magazine covers. He recently heralded in the eradication of DRM from online music retailers to the applause of paying music customers. But what really surprised us, and earned him a place on this list was that he had such a grand vision of what the ebook should be—the replacement of the book—and the funding and drive to make it happen. But he should do more live appearances to drum up more mainstream excitement over software initiatives like the DRM-free MP3 store and video on demand. And he needs to keep Kindles in stock long enough for people to buy them. Most importantly, he’s finally learning that tech gods are only as good as their next products. Just because Bezos understands books on a deep level doesn’t mean he’ll ever be able to do any other type of gadget besides E-Ink tablets. That’s ultimately limiting when it comes to building next-generation personal tech ecosystems. In the meantime, where’s my Kindle 2? Chance of Godhood? 30% if he does more bragging in person, though that braying laugh of his could be a liability
DEKA/SEGWAY Dean Kamen Back in 2001, the rumor mill leading up to the launch of the Segway rivaled any Apple buzz. Before the product was even seen, people wrote about it being civilization-changing, and as important as the internet. Kamen’s been on a roll (get it?) since then, not just developing the police Segway, the golf Segway and some kind of Segway footstool, but also perfecting a water purifying technology and a truly robotic prosthetic arm, all while greening up his own private island. He’s did it all with few mainstream public appearances: Showing up at All Things D with a video of the robot arm—not the real thing—was a misstep in our minds, but appearing on Colbert with a working water purifier was definitely a sign of publicity (and worship) to come. If he can invent something for the gadget lovers of the world that is as bright and thoughtful and life changing as his humanitarian tech, he’d become the Jobs that Jobs wishes he was. Chance of Godhood? A tragic 45%, seriously, this guy is Q, MacGyver and Hank Scorpio rolled into one—why isn’t he a god already?
FACEBOOK Mark Zuckerberg The sad fact is that our whole world is shifting over from hardware to software. Sure, Kamens are still needed to make sure there’s progress in mechanical devices, but our toys are less and less mechanical. Facebook is probably the best example of an internet platform that has stolen thunder from the gadget world. Trouble with Facebook is that it’s big and amorphous, and the charming Zuckerberg needs a second act to propel him into the heavens. Still, he’s like 13, with his whole life and a lot of money ahead. He’ll think of something. But to be a Gadget God, he’ll have to always depend on the hardware of others. At least until we have browsers in our brains with which we can access our social networks with. Chance of Godhood? 95% even if it doesn’t happen in my lifetime
These are all strong candidates, but the assumption is that there will, in fact, be new gadget gods. Maybe, like the ancient gods themselves, our new era doesn’t have as much use for them. Maybe it’s not just the transition to software, but the shift from bright ideas to massive team efforts. Or maybe Jobs and Gates are the kinds of guys that only come along once a century, and we’re gonna have to wait a little longer for something that divine.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
January is a time for New Year’s resolutions, a time when we tearfully grab a hunk of belly flab and decide to buy fitness gadgets and gym memberships. Don’t waste your money.
Common sense should tell us that products like the 
I have never tried Wii Fit, so I can’t make any claims as far as its effectiveness is concerned. 
• A 
This past year, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs began to focus on priorities other than tech. Who will fill their winged sandals and become the new Gadget Gods?
Tim Cook
Phil Schiller
Steve Ballmer
Robbie Bach
Sir Howard Stringer
Larry Page/Sergey Brin
Jonney Shih
Cher Wang
Ed Colligan
Jon Rubinstein
Jeff Bezos
Dean Kamen
Mark Zuckerberg
