Category Archives: gear

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TheStreet.com Speculates: Another iPhone Price Cut

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If you’re like us, it’s killing you that you don’t have an iPhone yet. That said, some of us Freelance-Zoners aren’t early adopters of ANYTHING, and until iPhone functionality improves more than a few of us will be waiting for another iteration of this wonderful gizmo before we invest any freelance dollars.

If you are an early adopter but haven’t picked one up yet, there’s an interesting report from TheStreet.com, where reporter Priya Ganapati speculates another fifty dollar price cut could be coming. According to Ganapati, Apple needs to boost demand for the iPhone, and could go as low as $299 if it really wanted to–but it doesn’t need to boost demand quite that much, so the higher price point is still in your future.

TheStreet.com video is interesting from a writing perspective because it indulges in one of my personal pet peeves–a news outlet interviewing one of its own reporters as a subject matter expert. I’ll give props to TheStreet for not dressing up this clip as anything more than pure speculation, which I can’t say of some of the major networks out there. Attention writers; if you want to speculate go ahead and do it. But do NOT follow the very bad examples of network news types who interview their own paid staffers and present them in ways that don’t tell the whole truth.

Pay attention the next time you see a reporter interviewed by one of their fellow reporters. You’ll notice that no special claims are made to insider knowledge, but by the same token the networks deliberately fail to point out what’s obvious to any professional in the industry–there’s no news happening here, this is reporter speculation only, not even so much as an anonymous tipster source to lend weight to the discussion. These interviews by omission have the potential to be quite misleading.

Getting back to Apple for a moment, I find it telling that they keep chopping away at the price of the iPhone. If that doesn’t send a clear message NOT to be an early adopter unless you have scads of cash floating around, I don’t know what does.

gear

DeLonghi Espresso Maker

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For writers, caffeinated beverages are not just a way to get the brain buzzing. Caffeine is FOOD. There’s nothing like the feeling that all your neurons are firing at once as your fingers sail across the keyboard. We just work better in a highly stimulated state, and besides, it’s brain surgeons who need the steady hands, not us.

We are digging the DeLonghi espresso maker for many reasons–it’s priced under a hundred, it gives you quality espresso and latte drinks with ease using espresso pods, or you can tamp your own grind. We love the pods since they are easy and hassle-free. Reviewers of this machine who claim to love Starbucks say the DeLonghi could put a dent in coffee shop stock.

Buy for $98.88

gear

SanDisk Cruzer 4GB USB Flash Drive

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Flash drives are incredibly handy for a busy writer, especially if you have to do business between the home office and an on-site gig where you need quick access to your audio interview files, .xml spreadsheets, Word or MS Office files or digital images. We know plenty of people who go back and forth between part-time PR or writing gigs at non-profits, record labels, and small presses, and full time freelancing.

When you’re on the go, a USB flash drive like this four-gigabyte SanDisk Titanium Cruzer is just the thing. Just copy the files from your computer onto the drive, stash it in your purse or backpack and get out to the gig. How much storage IS four gigabytes? Consider that you can store as many as 800 mp3 songs on the Cruzer, so we’re talking hundreds of digital photos and hundreds more documents and spreadsheets. 

Buy UPDATE: Prices on this drive have dropped to an ASTOUNDING $24.99. We don’t always catch those radical price shifts, but many thanks to Scott “Eagle Eyes” Wahlen for pointing out that the market is much more reasonable for the Cruzer. It was originally listing for over $100. At these prices, we predict these won’t last long.

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CribCandy: Ultra-Modern Home Office Bling

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It’s true that when you’re struggling in the early days of the freelance game, you can’t afford printer ink half the time, let alone a sexy new office setup, but once you’ve established some good relationships with editors and made some headway in the game you can start replacing your rickety old gear. Enter Cribcandy, our new favorite home design blog. Check out this collection of home office upgrades suggested by Cribcandy, and start making a shopping list. Some of it is silly, some of it is irresistible, and items like the Mash Studios wall mounted LAX desk pictured above is too space-saving and efficient NOT to own. Cheers, Cribcandy…you’ve got some new fans here at the Freelance Zone.

gear

Light Writer Pens

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If you are a live music or movie reviewer, the Light Writer Pen will come in quite handy in the darkened conditions! These ball point pens feature a built-in LED to illuminate the paper as you write. The lights come in red or yellow and the pen exteriors are available in a variety of colors: red marble, white, black or blue. Keep it by your bedside–it’s great for the next “big idea” that comes to you at 3 am!

gear

Skullcandy MP3 Voice Recorder Watch

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Ever get a sudden idea for a great story, article, or plot device at the exact moment you can’t write anything down or e-mail it to yourself? This 1-gig MP3 watch from Skullcandy is the answer to that problem. The built-in voice recorder lets you dictate your ideas and save them for later in .wav format, compatible with all audio editors and playback software like Cubase, Vegas, Pro Tools, and iTunes. The watch stores a full gigabyte of MP3s and you can transfer music via USB just like any Zune or iPod.

Buy for $169.95