ipodnetworks

© nan palmero

The Boxee Remote is a device built by D-Link which features a two-sided form factor with a QWERTY keyboard on the back. It seamlessly integrates with the Boxee software for both PC and Mac which allows users to stream live TV on PC to their HDTVs. This in effect allows the user to create their own HTPC.

The full keyboard on the back side of the device is a unique feature that is not found on many similar remotes. Some of the newer TVs from Samsung do come with a QWERTY remote, but this is one of the only other examples of a very useful design. The Boxee Remote is priced inexpensively at $50, which makes it a great gift for the gadget lover in your life. The remote is sure to make it easier for users to search type and browse from the comfort of their couch.

© Cristiano Betta

A new app called Groove for iPad promises to add new life to your iTunes favorites. This app makes iTunes fun again by offering new ways to listen to your music. It allows users to generate a variety of playlists such as The Groovy Mix, Surprise Me, Favorites and Three of Kind.

It also automatically generates genre-based playlists. The Groove gives users a variety of playlist choices to match their every mood. For example, the Groovy Mix and the Better Together list will match artists by style. The difference is that Better Together matches artists, while Groovy Mix searches the entire library to match songs by style. The Favorites list ranks song based on the artists and categories the user has listened to most frequently, and the Three of a Kind will play three songs from the same artist in a row.

© roland

The Motorola Photon 4G Gadget from Sprint is a dual mode GSM CDMA mobile world phone which boasts a lot of power and functionality. It comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, a 4.3 inch display and 4G WiMax.

However, it is rather large and bulky which might not appeal to all users. The user interface, called the Motoblur, may also be awkward for some users and the Sprint ID seems to be a useless additional feature. The phone boasts Webtop docking capability, however this requires the purchase of a $129 accessory. The photo quality is also rather disappointing from the 8 megapixel camera. In spite of these weaknesses, the phone is still a powerful choice for Sprint users looking for enterprise level performance and excellent security features.