Probably one of the first inventions that would send humanity into it’s downward spiral of utter laziness must be the Clapper. Remember those devices that would allow you to to clap to turn things on and off? CLAP CLAP -- on, CLAP CLAP -- off. If not watch the video below:

Thankfully we are becoming more and more lazy with the invention of remotes and wireless controllers. Things could not get any easier, so we thought. 3-D gesture-recognition is coming into play that allows you to use hand and body motions to change settings like volume, channels, and even pause playback by using a “stop” signal with your hand. We saw glimpses of this last year with Microsoft announcing development of Project Natal which is gaming with gestures. We are looking for more information but are struggling to do so because we are so lazy.

Mzansi

Just got word of a local start up called Mzansi. Mzansi is a South African word for, ummm,  “South Africa”. A really good name for a local start up I guess.

Mzansi is a URL shortner pretty much like any other URL shortner. Enter your extremely long(ish) URL and get a nice short one that you can use anywhere, forever. Exactly like this http://mzan.si/XJvM. Mzansi bagged the mzan.si domain which keeps the URL nice and short which is exactly what a URL shortening service needs to be doing.

WorldSIM Logo

There is nothing like going overseas with roaming activated and coming home to a huge cellphone bill. So many people don’t know the cost implications associated with roaming and the rest could not be bothered. In times like these you have to look at ways to lower costs and save every penny. Nashua Mobile have launched a product called WorldSIM, which is in essence a international prepaid mobile phone solution.

It is simple really; buy the WorldSIM at participating Nashua Mobile outlets (Sandton City, Canal Walk in Cape Town, and Brooklyn Design Quarter) and then load it with airtime from www.worldsim.com. The SIM costs R450 (not too bad) and has a monthly fee of about R10.

Logitech acquire LifeSize

Logitech – arguably the global leader in webcam technology – has aquired LifeSize Communications – a global leader in HD communication. It makes sense really. Take the guys who make cameras that allow you to see your friends from around the world and join them with the guys who provide a quality communication means for this and you have yourself a really good partnership.

“We believe the video communication opportunity is at an inflection point, providing us with a significant growth opportunity as we bring new technologies and added value to office and home environments,” said Gerald P. Quindlen, Logitech president and chief executive officer. “Through our combined strengths in high-definition, high-quality webcams, ease of use and interoperability, we plan to capitalize on this opportunity by delivering disruptive price/ performance offerings to the market. Logitech is a leader in PC video communications and LifeSize is a leader in HD video communications in the meeting room. Together we can make life-like, HD-quality video communication mainstream.”

The reality of chrystal clear communication with family, friends and colleagues is upon us and Logitech are making big steps in making sure they are right up front in their offering.

Sounds great. Obviously the recession didn’t hit all of us that hard!

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) are the addresses of the internet. They are what you type into the top of your web browser to go to a website. Like everyone needs a pair of shoes (ok almost everyone) the internet needs URLs. With websites and blogs being started on a daily basis and “social sharing” gaining SPAM like traction these seemingly meaningless lengths of characters have actually started to become pretty damn important.

So why do we use URL shorteners? Well, for two mean reasons. The first is to make your URL’s more manageable. When you have a URL like http://www.jimsandsallysfamilyblog.com/2010/02/17/the-day-we-all-decided-to-start-shortening-our-urls it is plain to see why having a smaller 20 odd character URL would be much easier to share. The other reason is to save characters. With services such as Twitter only having 140 characters at your disposal, it is quite easy to see why having http://www.jimsandsallysfamilyblog.com/…shortening-urls would be a big waste of valuable real estate.

TomTom Go750

The TomTom Start, the TomTom XXL and TomTom GO 750 are 3 new devices that TomTom have launched that range from your simple GPS needs to in-depth GPS functionality.

“The new TomTom products enrich our offering in South Africa by providing our customers with a varied choice to match their individual preferences and needs.” says Joost Jetten, Vice President Sales Sub Sahara Africa of TomTom. “Frequent drivers may prefer the GO 750 with hands free calling, whereas other drivers may prefer the larger screen of the XXL or the simplicity and personalisation of Start.”

This is my first post on Tx Daily and I would like to start off with something simple. Keyboard shortcuts will increase the speed at which you get things done on your computer thereby improving your productivity. Here is a keyboard shortcuts tutorial video from cnet.com.

Other than the video, here are some more shortcuts:

TomTom Valentine's Day Device

TomTom are spreading the love and have released a specially designed gift for Valentine’s Day. They have made a ‘I’d Be Lost Without You’ navigation package which includes a pure white TomTom Start, Flaming Red StartSkin™, carry bag and pre-loaded Points of Interest (POIs) – cute.

Apparently this would be a great gift for Valentine’s Day especially if your special someone is a technology lover even though anyone would most likely appreciate it as a gift. Just be careful who you give it to though, it could make your Valentine’s Day pretty bleak if it is taken the wrong way – “So do you think my sense of direction is terrible?” or “Do you think I always get us lost?”.

Heineken Bot

Look, dogs are awesome and all that but a beer keg that comes to you and pours your beer might just get the best friend tag. The boys and possibly girls at Middlesex University (It’s in the UK – the beer drinking nation of the world) have really found the soft spot for men around the world by designing the Heineken Bot, a beer keg with a sonar sensing head and a fast food liquid(beer) pouring outlet.

So if you have missed the ummm… buzz about Google Buzz then here is a quick video to get you up to speed. Not to sure if it will be a Twitter killer but it does seem to have the features that count to make it a useful social network. Full report coming soon.