SOMEWHAT FRANK

Setting Up Roku for On-Demand Netflix To Your TV

Roku For Netflix To Your TV On-Demand from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

For a holiday gift this year, I gave out a couple of Roku gift packages which included the Roku Netflix Player. The Roku Netflix Player enables a Netflix user with unlimited videos (currently $8.99 a month subscription) to watch videos on-demand to the TV. Users can choose from the selection of over 12,000 videos that currently are released to watch instantly on the Web. Roku even has new firmware to handle HD videos. To help with the adoption of the new gadget I decided to set it up and documented it in episode 60 on SOMEWHAT FRANK (wow-wooh-eee, can you believe I did 61 SOMEWHAT FRANK video adventure episodes this year!?!). Tune in as I share in the adventure of setting up the Roku for the first time in the video (above).If you have setup a Roku share your experiences in the comments section, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the device and the easy of use.

Somewhat Frank Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas

So you haven't been doing your holiday shopping or you are totally at a loss as to what to get for that tech savvy friend or family member? To help you out I have created a list of holiday gift ideas. Of course, if you are ordering some of these products you had better do it as soon as possible to have them in time for giving. Printing out a picture of the gift to share as sort of an IOU while the gift is shipped could also work but just isn't the same as the real thing. If you feel like the holidays have crept up on you, you are not alone. We actually all had 5 less days this year between Thanksgiving and and the Christmas holiday. This article should give you a few last minute holiday gift ideas.

i-Gala: Wireless Digital Photo Frame

i-Gala Wireless Digital Photo Frame from Frank Gruber on Vimeo.

I take lots of photos. I post many of them to Flickr and sometimes even email them my friends and family directly. I recently got a chance to check out the latest version of the i-Gala Wireless Digital Photo Frame by Aequitas Technologies that features an 8 inch 800×600 touchscreen display, 1GB internal memory, Wi-Fi and connections with Gmail, Microsoft Windows Live FrameIt and Flickr. This means the frame can connect directly to these services to retreive and display photos. The frame is $240 and can be purchased directly from the i-Gala/Aequitas site.

Check out episode 58 on SOMEWHAT FRANK in the HD video (above) as I recently got a chance to sit down and talk with the founder of Aequitas Technologies, Heikwan Cheng as he explained the new frame in detail. This new frame is just in time for the holidays and should make a super holiday gift for anyone who likes photos.

Nudo: Give The Gift Of An Olive Tree

I love olives and just about any product made from olives. If you know someone like me you might be interested in getting them a gift that keeps on giving - adopt them an olive tree. Nudo is a Le Marche, Italy-based company offers the opportunity to adopt an olive tree online and will send you products from your tree all year long.

Imagini For Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas

If you have not made a wish list yet your time is growing short but don't fret. Imagini, not mentioned previously in my wish list round-up, might be able to help you both create personal wish lists in a flash as well as help you come up with gift giving ideas for others.

Help Finding A Nintendo Wii

Are you looking for a Nintendo Wii? I know some of my friends are. One of my friends is even thinking about getting in line at 5 o'clock in the morning at the Nintendo retail store in New York to try and snag one. The store only allows you to buy one Wii at a time if you are one of the lucky souls that gets one at all. However, there may be a few other options on the Web that might be less time consuming and physically challenging to get your hands on a  Nintendo Wii.

Give Your Laptop or iPhone A Hug

The Carsonified team led by Ryan Carson recently decided to take a few days to come up with a new and unique product just in time for the holidays. They brainstormed for a bit and the idea of hugs and laptop and iPhone cases fused together into nine unique hugs (or sleeves) for a device. Hug My Mac was born! Do you want to give your laptop or iPhone a hug? If so, read on.

Holiday Gift Wish List Round-Up

The holiday season is upon us and it is time to get your holiday wish list in order. In my family if I do not produce and circulate a wish list I could end up getting some random gifts for the holidays. While all gifts are appreciated, sometimes the best ones are those that you wished for. What's the best way to collect, organize and share your holiday wish list? There are a number of Web 2.0 sites that are devoted to creating shopping or holiday wish lists and I will showcase eleven of them in this article.