I’ll be honest I bought this on a whim, but it’s not the first time I’ve thought “Wow, I wish I had a small 8″ monitor that was all USB powered”.  I actually attempted to build one from an automotive LCD screen, but trying to get 12 volts from 5 volt USB doesn’t work.

Ok, So first impressions

Um, small, very small, but that’s good, this is for mobile use.  It folds flat, perfect for a small computer bag and used in a coffee shop or on the road (not literally of course). My kids step on everything I have an I can say, this passes with flying colors.  The construction  of the Mimo 710 is excellent, very solid feeling.  Folding out took some investigation, I’m sure it tells how to do it in the manual, but that was already in the trash, once you get it once, it’s easy.

How I use this mini USB Monitor

My initial plan was to bring it with me to coffee shops, but I later realized, I don’t go too many these days.  So I keep it in my bag but pull it out when I need some more screen space for notes, todo lists, email, etc.  I work in the creative industry, so I’m usually creating from client notes, emails and whatnot, the Mimo 710 fills that role that role perfectly.

I’ve also thought it could be used as a second monitor for presenters view while doing a Power Point or Keynote presentation.

Technical Stuff

So here is the kicker, it all runs from a single USB cable, power, data, everything.  It does have a more limited color gamut , so subtle gradients did show banding, but come on, it’s USB, $149 and fits almost in a pocket.

I tested it only on OS X Leopard and now as of Sept 2, 2009 Snow Leopard drivers are available.  This is based off of the Display Link technology so if you can use any of those devices this will work for you.  Word on the street is it works with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 as well.

The driver notes say it will turn off 3D Acceleration, however I notice no ill effects, and Expose´ worked just fine.

Find all the gritty detail by visiting the product page.

Final Opinion

Like I said, for $149 I think this is a great deal, I ordered mine from the Mimo store, but word is it’s a bit cheaper on amazon. MIMO UM730 starting at 169.00

http://www.peejstudio.com/iphone/holybible.php

Easy and simple to use Bible app with many translations. Each of the translations resides on the iPhone/iPod touch. No internet connection required.

Notable Features

Version 2.0 features an improved GUI, next/previous chapter buttons, bookmarks, and notes.

English
   1. King James
   2. American Standard
   3. Bible in Basic English
   4. World English Bible
Greek
   1. Greek New Testament (Nestle-Aland)
   2. Septuagint
Spanish
   1. Reina Valera 1909
   2. Sagradas Escrituras
   3. Español Moderno

Upcoming Features

1. Swiping left/right for previous/next chapter.
2. Accented version of the GNT-NA26.
3. Non-copyrighted Hebrew OT.
4. A much faster/efficient search
5. Many more preference options.

Our Take: This is a very good bible app but lacks a couple big things that YouVersion has.  #1 Tons of translations and #2 An active online community.

Standard Works – Bible App $9.99

http://www.standardworksapp.com/node/4

Notable Features

Full text for the following books:

• Old Testament (King James Version)
• New Testament (King James Version)
• Book of Mormon (only in LDS Books)
• Doctrine and Covenants (only in LDS Books)
• Pearl of Great Price (only in LDS Books)

Application tips
For a new user several tips will appear explaining main features of the application.

Adjustable font size
Use a pinching gesture to adjust the font size when viewing a chapter

Quick Navigation System
Select books, chapters and verses using a quick grid view. No need to scroll all the time!

Bookmark System
Create a bookmark for any verse and then easily jump back to that verse.
Bookmarks display the name of the verse as well as the verse’s text for easy recognition.
Rearrange the order of bookmark folders and verses within a folder.
Create, edit, and delete bookmark folders. Folders may contain any number of verses.
When a bookmark’s verse has been navigated to you can easily navigate to other verses in the same folder using up/down arrow buttons.
Create bookmark folders for topics, lessons, etc.!
Application ships with pre-defined bookmark folders for all scripture mastery verses. (only in LDS Books)

Verse History
Stores a history of recently navigated to verses for quick retrieval.
Remembers your last viewed chapter and returns you there when re-launched

Search Engine
Search by words and/or phrases.
Extremely fast search – results are displayed as you type.
Search results are displayed with the verse reference and verse snippets with all search terms highlighted.
Once a search result has been navigated to, easily browse through the other search results using up/down arrow buttons.
The last search terms are remembered for quick modification.

Advanced Search Options

• Wildcard search – single and multiple characters.
• Fuzzy search – find words that sound like other words – great for when you don’t know the exact spelling!
• Proximity search – find words within x characters of each other.
• Boolean operators – combine multiple search terms with AND, OR and NOT operators.

Advanced search help web page to explain the advanced options and how to use them.

Custom Notes
Create notes for the application, individual books, chapters and verses.
Assign an icon to the note which will be displayed when viewing the associated book, chapter or verse.
While reading a chapter, easily toggle between the assigned icon and the note’s text for each verse.

Video Demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Q0JJyw780&eurl=http://www.standardworksapp.com/demos&feature=player_embedded

Our Take: Not a lot to say here, quit frankly, I would never spend money on a bible app after I have used the free ones that give me everything I could ever want. 

YouVersion – Free

http://blog.youversion.com/

 Why tell you about the features…when you can watch it.

Our take: I came into this research trying to find a bible app that was better than this one, which is the one I use but what makes YouVersion stand above the rest of these bible apps is its active online community which powers the contributions engine.  Press any verse on the app and get notes and thoughts from other users on the YouVersion community. This really is the best Iphone bible app I have found. 

Touch Bible LE – Free

http://www.touchbible.org/

Notable Features

Five English Translations, including:

• KJV – King James Version
• NET – New English Translation
• WEB – World English Bible
• ASV – American Standard Version
• YLT – Young’s Literal Translation

The Internet is NOT required to use these translations.

Blazing fast & intelligent search

Readability – spread out words, adjustable font sizes

Bookmarks – Click the verse number and that verse is bookmarked for quick access later.

Dial A Verse – Touch Bible’s exclusive way of looking up scripture FAST (great for church).

Our Take:  The TouchBible works well but it doesn’t seem to have any features that the others do not.  I love that it is free and funded by donations, and it is intuitive enough to keep an eye one as it improves.

What it is ::
The Seabob water-sports machine combines relaxed gliding, sportive driving and diving. Thanks to its hydrodynamic and ergonomic flow channel tested design the Seabob has a high agility in the water. The standard diving depth is set to 2.5 metres, but sports divers can set a depth of up to 40 metres. Steering and diving is achieved by simply shifting your body weight. The pilot controls the Seabob via two intelligent Controlgrips with piezo technology. The Seabob is powered by an internationally patented electric jetstream system consisting of a 5HP special electro-motor and a protected impeller running in a jet channel.

Best Feature ::
Seabob’s specially developed electric high-performance drive mechanism with its environmentally friendly technology. It is emission-free and almost silent.

Price :: $12,000

Rating :: 9/10

Seabob.com

What it is :: TheTech Deck Fingerboard and Skate Park is gaining popularity amongst extreme sports enthusiasts and toy collectors alike. The sport of “Fingerboarding” involves riding a skateboard with your fingertips and performing a variety of tricks on obstacles and toy skate parks. It has become so popular, a recent tv commercial featured the “sport” and as you can see from below, their is a cult following of amatuer broadcasters showing their best stuff.
The detail that goes into these boards is amazing. They even have grips, different wheels, and customized board tattoos.

Best Feature ::

Price :: $10-$30

Rating :: 6/10 (Interesting concept, but I would have to be pretty bored to skate with my fingers for more than a couple minutes!)

Check out the movie, they get pretty intense.