Yes, right now it’s about 81 degrees AND we had an abnormally warm Winter. But when the snow flies again in the fall and the consumer goods divisions of every company under the sun (too much climate talk here??) focus on touch functionality, everyone will need to keep their fingers warm while still enabling the use of tablets, iPhones, touch-pad computers and even smart TVs if you keep your house cold.

To that end, the folks at the Joy Factory sent me a few pairs of gloves that just plain worked for my touch devices. In fact, I’ve tried a few types of gloves in the past that hadn’t been able to activate the screens on my devices because of additional protective layers we all put on our phones and tablets. The eGloves didn’t have that issue.

Seriously, who do you know who hasn’t put some sort of secondary film or case or BOTH on their iPhone, HTC Incredible or other device to keep shrapnel and other detritus from damaging the screen? Right! Nobody! But the eGloves were able to activate my apps, open my screens, slide stuff across and even allow me to play Angry Birds with easy.

The material isn’t scratchy wool either, so I didn’t get all itchy when trying to use these gloves. According to the literature (yes, there’s literature that comes with these), The Joy Factory says “carefully knitted with the finest fabric to keep your hands warm and comfortable.” And they are.

That’s it. They work. If you use your devices in the cold, they’re worth the $25 they cost.

While I’m a regular reviewer for the folks over at Automotive Rhythms, I also poke around quite a bit at technology devices. This collectible, wireless mouse was as easy as pushing the start button on a new Hyundai. I just ripped open the box, plugged in the miniature USB connector and put the batteries into the unit.

Lo and behold, the lights lit up, the mouse wheel and buttons were functional and the car allowed me to abandon my trackpad for a cool little Lamborghini. Fun stuff.

Sadly, the car isn’t as full-size or functional as its Italian brethren, but I loved it. Here are a few shots of the car/mouse in action.

To find out more, go to Road Mice.com and select the model(s) you want to use to get your computer on the fast track to productivity. For the Reventón, they charge $50. But when compared to the cost of the original at about $2Million, it’s a pretty good deal. The other cars at Road Mice include cop cars and other cool vehicles.

Do you need a car to power your mouse? I’m not sure it’s necessary. But it’s a fun little desk item for folks who spend long hours in front of a computer. And it’s a little bit of style for anyone who might not have an extra couple million hanging around.

Today, let’s take a look at the fūl Powerbag. This backpack lets you charge your gadgets, has padding to protect your laptop and other accessories, and has plenty of room and ergonomic features that make it useful when covering conventions, festivals and conferences. To that end, I’m putting the Powerbag through its paces prior to SXSW in Austin, TX.

First, SXSW is a crazy festival that requires a lot of walking…but it also requires that you have content-creation tools with you at all times. Here’s what I plan to put into the Powerbag…

Canon T3i DSLR
Two lenses
Flash
Monopod
SD cards
Flash-card reader
Batteries
Battery charger
LED video light
Zoom H2 recorder
Assorted cables and connectors
Laptop
Charger
MiFi Hotspot from Verizon
USB flash drive
iPhone
Business cards
Cowboy hat

Well, that last item is overkill and only necessary for the All-Hat event on March 11. But the rest of it is what I need to carry with me to create photos, write blog posts, tweet, film video and otherwise stay connected during the week I’m in Austin. So, in a preliminary evaluation, how does the bag measure up?

It’s pretty good. While it’s a little bigger than I’d prefer to carry during the festival, the padding on the back and the straps is cushy and comfortable. Inside, you find a number of different sleeves and pockets – one for a tablet, one hidden one for a laptop, and a lot of little sections for pens, cards, USB drives and other stuff like cables.

When I loaded the bag completely – even putting my camera bag AND my existing laptop bag inside the Powerbag – I still had room to fit more stuff and it didn’t seem too heavy on my back. That brings me back to the true use of this bag and what it’s great for and where it falls short. Here’s the skinny…

1 – The bag is really too big to lug around SXSW or similar event. While it carries a lot of stuff, that’s not what you need when you’re trekking around Austin, TX for five or more days.

2 – The bag is perfect if you are using it as a day-bag on a car trip or other venture where you have transportation. While it’s not great for walking about if you have it fully loaded, it is fantastic for keeping all your gear right at hand.

3 – It is POWERFUL. And by that, I mean it powers your stuff. The bag’s best feature is that it has a micro USB, mini USB and iPhone/iPod-specific adapter cables built right in. It also comes with a 3000mAh battery (upgradable to 6000mAh) that will charge your phone twice on a full charge. The other adapters will charge a tablet or any device that fits their connectors – or you can bring your own USB cable which fits a port inside the bag near the battery. This is what the bag is all about and that’s where it shines.

4 – Style. It’s actually pretty good looking. Take a gander at the gallery on the site or poke around at the other models.

My final take…

If you have $140 for a sturdy, versatile bag that supplies you with power, get this. Don’t buy it if you’re looking to travel light. But it’s actually pretty comfy on your back when it’s loaded. Just make sure you have some transport and maybe some comfortable shoes.

I welcome your thoughts on this bag if you’ve seen it or tried it.

BONUS – I’ll be giving this bag away during SXSW 2012. First person who finds me in Austin on Monday, March 12 and says the words “Give me the Power”, will be the proud new owner of this practically new fūl Powerbag. That’s what you get for reading all the way to the bottom. Congrats.

There is nothing like the Consumer Electronics Show, the annual event that brought 153,000 attendees to multiple convention halls in Las Vegas. Exhibits sizes range from the size of your closet to twice as big as your house.

Anyone with slightest interest in technology lists this show as a must attend at least once. How long that will last with Microsoft leaving remains to be seen. Many people go every year, but there is always the crowd who are first timers. This year, I was one of them.

There was not one area I was attracted to as I flew into Vegas, but I was interested on seeing the TVs, tablets and cell phones.

As a social media advocate, with a past in traditional media, and current blogger with a new media interest, I wanted to see the continuation of these areas are merging.

I walked away impressed with the internet connected TVs, where viewing online content, and social media is getting more integrated, interactive and seamless, as they were heavily shown, along with 3D TVs, as presented by LG at the entrance, for example.

Random CES observations:

• Every cell phone and computer company had a tablet (usually run on Android OS), most with the ability to watch live broadcast TV. Most cable, satellite providers and few individual cable stations already offer this (like ESPN, CNN).
• Cell phones are cell phones, only with faster processors and brighter screens.
• There were a million makers of “iCovers/Cases.” They all look the same (exactly the same). Saw one, you saw everyone that exists.
• A TV with an XBOX Kinect like device to digitally see what you look with various cloths
• There was also a really cool robot

If you have an interest on going, here are 6 tips from rookies:

• If you think there is a slight chance you will attend next year, sign up in the summer (it’s free then!). It’s $200 week before the show. Goes without saying to check with your hotel, and airline on cancelation information when booking reservations (Southwest Airlines endorsement here!). Stay on the strip as they have free shuttles to and from the convention to avoid $20 one-way cab fares.
• CES advised to wear comfortable shoes. I agree, but advise to wear sneakers if they are your comfortable shoes. There are so many people attending, no one will notice your shoes if they tried. It is business casual, but you will be walking in a crowd, not sitting in a semi-empty cubical office.
• Go to the registration booth day before the show (or day before your first day). Your badge is mailed to you if you register ahead of time, but will have to pick up your badge holder. There is a booth right at the airport baggage claim area! Lot less hassle on your first show day.
• Plan out what you might want to see, and go to the area most of the companies are located. You will save time by seeing a cluster of them in one area then hoping from hall to hall all day. Face it, as you explore, you will see interesting exhibits, and may discover other technologies you want to learn more about, depending on what is being shown (like internet connected TVs for me this year). Factor that in.
• Go to the convention hall as soon as it opens, and go right to the major companies. They have large exhibits, but everyone goes to those. See the smaller ones at peak attendance mid-day. Do not waste your time sleeping in or early morning gambling. There is of time in the evening and night for that.
• Just accept the reality you will not see everything, not to say anything about all you want to see. Time management is one thing, but your legs, and feet are another.

I’ve been to a good number of auto shows. Count Detroit, New York and even SEMA (the aftermarket car parts show) in my quiver of past experiences and I’m well-positioned to share how Boston measures up. First, they call the Boston show an ‘international’ auto show. Technically it is because there are fabulous collections of imported cars and many overseas manufacturers. But the use of the term belies the fact that the show isn’t that big. Thanks to a jammed calendar this January, the New England show was pitted against not only the Detroit show, but also was butting heads with the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Where Detroit is more cutting edge, concept-car heavy and a big-announcement platform, CES is where the latest car gadgets get released. So, what would you find in Boston? Frankly, a lot. There were a ton of cars shipped here right from the Detroit show and also a few vehicles that made their debut here. Count the Fiat 500 Abarth edition and the Scion iQ among that list of cool cars that have only been glimpsed briefly around the United States and visitors to the Boston show can boast they’ve got to sit in and play with the newest technology.

Even Buick whipped out a 2013 Encore crossover vehicle for the media and show attendees and then Chevy backed that up with a Malibu Eco. So, the floor wasn’t lacking for new or innovative models. I must confess, as a member of the media I had access to some cars that are kept behind barriers when the general public show up. Included was a $400,000 Rolls Royce that I got to sit in and play with.

But the experiences on the show floor weren’t only limited to media representatives. Camp Jeep is open to any licensed driver, local radio stations are holding contests where the audience gets to vote on the most tricked-out vehicles, and everyone is encouraged to take photos of the cars and ask questions of car manufacturer representatives in all the booths.

In fact, the best way to use your time at the show – I feel – is to walk the floor once just looking around and then go back and sit in as many cars as pique your interest and ask questions about how certain models compare to other brands and models. The people in the booths are forthcoming with information and because it’s a smaller show than Detroit or New York, they’re more inclined to spend time with folks who might be ready to purchase a new car.

Here are a few more shots of the cars I got to examine earlier this week. Feel free to ask me questions in the comments here or just visit the show yourself. It’s only $12 to get in and it saves you the time of driving up and down the Automile on a chilly weekend in January to examine multiple makes and models.

That said, I still plan to bring you reviews of all the gadgets on the show floor. You see, companies are rabid for attention and coverage of their newest products. Press professionals send out hundreds of releases to qualified journalists to see if they have the time and inclination to review technology gear in their publication or on their Website. I plan to do both.

See that screenshot? That’s the email that came in today in the first three hours of the day. I count about 30 emails from PR folks asking me to pay attention to their clients’ products. So, there’s no lack of tech that needs a skilled journalist to evaluate it. My plan (since I’m not on the show floor) is as follows…

1 – Send a note to all the PR reps (400-500 in the past two months) who sent me an email asking me to test their gadgets.

2- Receive about 200 products at my office over the next two months.

3 – Test these products and then provide you – gentle reader – with my professional opinion on whether you should buy the technology I’ve tested.

Sounds simple? It is…sort of. The only two people with the hard job are me and the UPS guy. Let’d do this thing! Emails go out later today to the masses. Packages will start arriving next week, I expect.

What products have you heard about that you especially want me to cover and test?

That’s the question – not in such a convoluted manner – that I’m asking myself today as I do some laundry and gear up for my trip to the gadget mecca… CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. For 2012, they’ve adjusted the calendar so that the events are closer together and so the show floor is open only during the week. No more jamming a weekend into your trip west. No more wasting two days before the show trying to get your ducks in a row.

In terms of scheduling, the 2012 CES is ideal. They have a press event on Sunday night, a press day on Monday and then the show floor opens Tuesday. My plans – as they stand now – have me arriving late Saturday and departing on Friday. If all goes according to plan, I’ll have the ability to see the show, meet with every rep I feel warrants a visit or an interview, and be home in time for a late dinner on Friday the 13th.

But that’s just it. I could also be home for dinner on every night from the 7th to the 13th by staying home. Ultimately, the puzzle for me is whether the trip is worth it or if I can get as much info from vendors by sitting in my office and having them deliver me sample units right after the show. While Vegas is a hotbed of activity, most of it is food, entertainment and gambling related. The gadgets and the show are just there because they’ve been there for decades already and inertia is tough to overcome.

On this end, it’s the same thing. Is my habit of flying west and covering the show giving me any benefit beyond some cache and a few technology product pieces in various publications? Am I spending $1200 to get paid $300 for my articles? Are there better ways I could spend my time.

Sorry to drag you into my non-vocal discussion with my wallet and my common sense center, but what do you think? Is it worth my while – and yours as readers – to have me jet to Vegas for a week of playing with tech toys and taking photos? What would you do? *One leg of my journey is a refundable airline ticket and the hotel can easily be shared with colleagues who will be there already. My loss of money would come to about $400 if I don’t go.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Thanks!

Assuming you’re out shopping for holiday gifts and are reading this post on your mobile device. Considering that Thanksgiving just passed, you can still thank me by leaving a comment here on the blog. But enough about you, let’s talk about gadgets and the artificial buying frenzy that’s afoot this time of year.

Saddled with Thanksgiving is the promise that everything you can buy will be a bargain. But I’ve seen a backlash from the connected minions on Twitter and Facebook. They’ve said that if you really want to save money on Black Friday, don’t go shopping. I think this premise is correct – especially since discounted goods find their way onto Websites right up until and after the holidays. No need to rush out to Brookstone.com or BestBuy.com or even Target.com to make your purchases now. Why not wait until Christmas Eve or even early 2012?

Further, maybe you need to assess your real need for gadgets…and that brings us to my continuing quest for a camera.

Last year (and for the past half-dozen years) I covered the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I was disenchanted with my point-and-shoot camera so in December 2009 I asked the kind folks at Panasonic to lend me a demo unit for my photos. Success. They saw the benefit of having all my images tagged with their name all over the Internet and in various national publications. This year I’m in a similar boat.

CES is coming up. I’ve been shopping since January 2011 for a new camera. And there were a few drawbacks to the Panasonic model I borrowed, so I’m looking for a true DSLR. Based on my assignments, I need one that can do full 1080 movies and also has mac-daddy skills when it comes to capturing product images. Emotionally and logically I’ve settled on either the Canon T3i or the 60D, but I’ve yet to pull the trigger because I only need the camera a couple times a year.

When it comes to cameras, there are a few considerations. Price, size, capability and your shooting requirements.

Requirements: I’ve gone 21 years as a freelancer using various cameras for various assignments. So my shooting requirements aren’t THAT complex. I do have the two issues above (HD video and fast still image capture), but beyond that, I don’t have to be Ansel Adams.

Size: Lighter is often better when walking around a tradeshow floor. Smaller is often better, too. But going too small at the expense of the other variables isn’t your best bet. Even if a point-and-shoot can fit in your pocket, it might not have the range to get a shot across a show booth or enough angle to capture a car or piece of technology without having you back away.

Capabiity: More is usually better here. If you don’t use all the options on a camera, it’s still nice to know they’re there. I had a Ricoh SLR in the past that had a TV shooting mode. You’d think that was excessive until you realized that no other cameras at the time could take photos of a computer screen or TV without getting lines or moire across the shot. That one feature sold a few shots for me and helped support some important articles. So, as you go up in size, you usually get more capability.

Price: This is the sticking point for me. If I can’t use a camera in my work – a LOT – I don’t want to drop $2000 on it. Right now I have the need for an external microphone, a flip-out screen and high-quality video. That’s why I mentioned the T3i and the 60D earlier. The only differences in those models are continuous shooting speed, focus points, camera speed and price. And the price between the two isn’t astronomical, so I’m inclined to go with the better model.

Conclusion – Before you buy any gadget, no matter where you’re shopping, figure out if you can do the job with your existing technology. A 42-inch 720p HDTV still looks pretty good…I’m not sure I need a 50-inch 3D 1080i HDTV right now. The same holds true for cameras, phones and lots of other products. Don’t get swept up in the madness of this weekend, and maybe you’ll have some extra money kicking around at the end of the year.

Isn’t that something to be thankful for?

*Before I forget, the three photos in this post were taken by two different cameras. One is a cell phone, the other is my point-and-shoot Olympus. Can you really tell the difference? Leave me a note in the blog with your guess as to which photos were taken with which camera. Perhaps I’ll give some demo product to whomever guesses correctly.

My goal – as is the case sometimes – was to find candy, shwag, warmer T-shirts than I had taken with me to California, and some cool new contests. After entering a few iPad and iPhone contests, I strolled by the PageLines booth. It looked to me that the company was offering just another plug-and-play solution for making Websites or blogs.

Let me say for a second that of the dozens of exhibitors at BlogWorld, there were more than a handful of Website-tool companies. This leads me to believe that everything that’s out there right now still leaves users wanting in some way. According to PageLines, they started with the thought that they could create a solution that…

…solves the problem where your Website always looks like shit.

I was intrigued, so I decided to spend a few minutes at a demo reception for the company. What did I learn there (other than there are new things coming on December 8)? That the company is running a contest for coders and developers – mostly because they want to ensure that their launch of the 2.0 version of their PageLines Store has great stuff in it.

So, what’s the contest all about? It’s a three-week contest starting right now and going through November 21 for developers and designers. To enter, folks should go to the contest site here. But the short version of this promotion is that if you create one of the top products for the store – in three categories: sections, themes or plug-ins – then you win a flight, hotel and admission to LeWeb’11 in Paris, France.

Interesting? I think so.

Good for consumers? I think it will be, but it’s not all there yet. I’ll take another look in a couple weeks and I’ll see what additional information I can get from the founders of PageLines about the eventual 2.0 version of the Store.

What are you using now to make your Websites? Why does this work – or not work – great for you?

*I’m using self-hosted WordPress installs to establish and maintain my blogs and other sites.