Hewie's Views and Reviews
By Hewie Poplock

Welcome to this issue of Hewie's Views & Reviews. Be sure to visit Hewie's Favorites at http://www.hewie.net/ .

++++ The Tornado
++++ ZoomText
++++ Woot
++++ New additions to Hewie's Favorites

++++ The Tornado

I recently attended a conference where I was able to observe demonstrations of some new products. The first product is The Tornado from http:://www.thetornedo.com and I was so impressed that I bought one. It is a hardware and software product to move files easily from one computer to another, without installing any software. The Tornado has 2 wind-up USB cables and software contained in the unit.

When the unit is connected to 2 computers, the USB recognizes the software and opens a Windows Explorer-like window for both computers on each screen. Then simply by dragging & dropping the file name to the other computer's list, the file is copied to the other computer.

If you are running Windows98, a driver has to be installed. Any newer version of Windows will recognize the USB drive and the program opens automatically. The first time that I tried it, I connected a Windows 2000 machine to a Windows XP system. The 2000 computer automatically looked for a USB driver, loaded it and then recognized The Tornado and saw the XP system. The XP loaded the software and showed its own files until the other system was ready and then showed the other file system , as well.

Once connected, both computers show both file systems and files. One nice thing about having the software in the device, you can use it on any computer and are not bound by a limited use license.

I think that it's a bit pricey at $60, but I there is a deal on-line that is a bit cheaper by purchasing PC Eraser software with it. That program claims to cover deleted files to Department of Defense acceptance levels, which sells for $30 and I have not tried it yet. I got the 2 products for the same price as The Tornado by itself.

++++ ZoomText

The second product that impressed me was ZoomText by AiSquared http://www.aisquared.com/ version 9.0 and 9.1, which should be released by the time that you read this. ZoomText is from a company that found a need many years ago and has continued to improve it since the days of Microsoft DOS.

ZoomText serves vision impaired people with magnification and sound to help them use computers for work and have access to the Internet. There are lots of magnifying programs, including a free one from Microsoft. However, the quality of the fonts and the readability at sizes as big as 32x is amazing. Most users probably will not need more than 2x, 2.5x or 3x.

Included in the software is the ability to have it read what is presented on the screen. If you have ever listened to some of the text readers that are available, you know that they have a terrible time on web sites. This program handled it well. The voice quality was amazingly well done.

The new version will make use of multiple monitors, which can help by either expanding a document across 2 screens or having one screen magnified and the other showing the entire sheet or document.

Again this product is a bit pricey, but indispensable for those who need it. It is a shame that many that need it are also on fixed incomes. The single user version is $600. The company is considering breaking off the product into some light versions with just a few of its many features. I hope that they can keep the price of the light versions in the under $100 range, to reach the masses that can use it. A $99 product should sell enough to be profitable.

++++ Woot

I discovered Woot http://www.woot.com quite a while ago. Woot features one different gadget or electronic item every day at some amazing prices. However, some of the products sell out quickly. Do some searching, but don't wait too long if you want to but the item of the day or it will be sold out.

I have purchased a wireless keyboard and mouse for $20 and Microsoft Streets & Trips, with a GPS for $44 dollars. The Microsoft product was the 2006 version, not the latest 2007, but did include the hardware, which by itself can be bought on eBay for about $80. I bought it for the hardware and it was delivered within a week. It worth taking a daily look at Woot.


++++ New additions to Hewie's Favorites

EW Resource - Data Insite
http://www.ew-resource.co.uk/
Hints, tips and tutorials for MicroSoft Expression Web

by-expression
http://by-expression.com/index.aspx
Tutorials and Resources for Microsoft Expression Web

Password Checker
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/privacy/password_checker.mspx
Test the strength of your passwords. Enter a password in a text box to have Password Checker help determine its strength as you type

Bargainer.com
http://www.bargainer.com/
News for shoppers, news that saves. Find hot bargains and coupons to your favorite online stores

MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/
The popular networking site

LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/
LinkedIn strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts. LinkedIn is a networking tool that helps you discover inside connections to recommended job candidates, industry experts and business partners

The Tornado
http://www.thetornado.com/site/home.shtml
File and Data Transfer Tool

Ai Squared
http://www.aisquared.com/index.cfm
Ai Squared has been a leader in the assistive technology field for 18 years. ZoomText is the world's best magnification and reading software for the vision impaired

Housekeeping Channel
http://www.housekeepingchannel.com/
Your Source for Spring Cleaning Help & Information. Help you clean, protect and enhance your home