Logitech Harmony 1100

Logitech have been well respected as being one of the leaders in computer accessories - like the wireless mouse and computer speakers. They also have a huge presence in the DVD and universal remote market. One of their signature products, the Logitech Harmony 1100 has just had an overhaul and the step up is impressive.

 For those that don't know, the Harmony is a universal remote, meaning that instead of having to have a remote for each electronic device that you have, you only need to use one remote which controls them all. If you want add a device or take one away the software supplied makes this a very easy process. It is such a amazing device as it gets rid of the aggravation of several lost remotes and having to spend lots of money on batteries to power all those remotes.

Users of the Logitech harmony 1100 also have the extra luxury of customizing the universal remote control. You can program it to do a variety of jobs with the touch of a button. At the click of a button you can turn on the TV, power up the DVD player, turn on the surround sound speakers, dim the lights and close the blinds and get ready to enjoy a movie viewing experience. Now for this sort of set up you will need to take some time to program it. Although it might take a while to program your devices in, the sheer convenience and time that you will save over the years will be well worth it. I am glad that I did just this when I purchased my Logitech harmony 1100 universal remote control. My family and I now enjoy easy one button control over many appliances around the home.

You'd think that one click convenience would be enough, but the Logitech Harmony has one more trick up its sleeve. Because it works on radio waves you can switch on your equipment without even being in the same room. It works through doors, windows, draws and other solid objects. If you are in the kitchen and you cannot hear the news because the volume is too low, or if you are chatting to someone on the telephone and you are having a hard time hearing what the person on the other line is saying because the volume of the television is too loud, you have easy fast control of the devices to suit the situation if you are using the Logitech harmony 1100. You don't have to go searching for the proper remote as this combines numerous remotes into just one.

There are many sellers who stock the Logitech Harmony 1100 so make sure that you shop around to get the best deal. Also make sure that you look online, there are many great retailers who tend to pass on fantastic savings for their online customers. I have to say that my friends are really impressed with all the cool tricks that I can do with this single remote, I'd even go so far to say that there might be a little jealousy creeping in!

Is the Playbook Enough to Save RIM

Research in Motion's new Blackberry Playbook tablet and its QNX based operating system are impressive to say the least, but are they enough to save the company from its downward slope? Some would argue yes and that the Playbook is the iPad killer. I disagree.

At one point the Blackberry platform defined the business world. Its enterprise level emailing capabilities and its solid corporate designed were the cutting edge of the smartphone community. But sadly, RIM has failed to keep up with the constant innovation of the industry. While the Blackberry's corporate offerings have remained strong, several powerful competitors have entered the playing field.

With Apple, Google, and Microsoft battling it out for market share they seem to be leaving RIM behind. This is because while all three of these platforms are competitive in the business world, they look beyond that. They look toward the casual users, the gamers, the tech enthusiasts. Because of this, RIM is struggling to hold onto its dwindling market share (14%) while Android and iOS continue to see gains (33% and 16% respectively).

You may be asking what this has to do with the Playbook. The fact is, it has everything to do with the Playbook. With Apple's iPad dominating the tablet market and Google's Honeycomb based tablets just starting to take off, where does the Playbook fit in? Does it fit in the business savvy crowd? I believe that answer is no. At launch, RIM's Playbook had no email or calendar client available for the platform (not very business oriented). What about the casual users? The Playbook has little in the way of app offerings, although it will gain access to a portion of the Android Market at a later date. This means that all the games, media, and productivity applications that smartphone and tablet users have come to expect are not present on the Playbook. So, beyond the pre-installed applications, the tablet offers little else. The media and web browsing capabilities of the Playbook are impressive, but its nothing the iPad and Honeycomb tablets can't do as well or better.

So, while RIM struggles to find its own place in the fast moving smartphone and tablet markets, the competition continues to leave them behind. The Blackberry Playbook is a great product with a ton of potential, but in this crowded market you really have to stand out. Unfortunately, this isn't something RIM excels at.