iMovie

Steve puts on his movie producer’s beret to demonstrate what you can create with iMovie HD, part of Apple’s iLife ’06 package. Transform digital stills or video into home movie masterpieces using themed graphics packages. Caroline’s got a source for effortless, and free, entertainment that’s bound to catch on – Pandora.com, where you can set up your own personalized song streaming service.

Wireless

The wireless trend continues unabated… from Bluetooth keyboard & mouse desktop sets from Microsoft and Logitech, to D-Link’s gaming router & adapter or the powerful Xbox 360. With wireless controllers and three core central processing units, the Xbox is also extensible for an added hard drive, memory sticks or USB peripherals. And find out how you can upgrade your system into a “gaming computer” with a video card.

Core Duo

Steve can hardly contain himself extolling the virtues of Apple’s new Core Duo iMac with Intel inside. iLife ’06, its suite of integrated media tools such as iWeb, iTunes and Garageband, allows you to share the media that Apple has always helped you create and manage. Have fun creating a photocast for family and friends with your favourite digital photos, recording a podcast with sound effects and music, then publishing them to a web site – while the iMac does all the work crunching html in the background.

Video Eyewear

Caroline may be seeing the future with Digital Video Eyewear from Icuiti. Watch movies on a video iPod, notebook computer or portable DVD player in privacy and even in 3D. She’ll also give you tips on tracking changes to collaborative documents in Microsoft Word.

Fire Power

This episode is all about power – speed, security, and… suction?? First off, Steve introduces an alternative web browser for faster downloads: Firefox. This free download from Mozilla.com offers multiple tab browsing and search engine options, as well as greater security from those annoying pop-ups. But don’t forget about the importance of firewalls when you connect to the web, such as the personal firewall included in Norton Security.

Innovation

Experience the power of high definition television witha DVD player that upconverts movie resolution, such as Samsung’s HTQ40, which doubles as a surround sound stereo system. And Steve and Caroline battle for high tech supremacy in the world of vacuums, with iRobot’s self-propelled Roomba, and a super-sucker from Dyson.

Streets & Trips

Dreaming of his next vacation, Steve takes you out for a spin to show off Microsoft’s Streets & Trips software. The GPS locator means your laptop always knows where you are, adjusting your route and pit stops in case things get spontaneous along the way. Need to placate complaining kidlets in the back seat? Samsung’s portable DVD player or digital audio player can entertain them with music and stories.

Stay in Touch

Caroline demonstrates how to keep in touch with yourcontacts when you’re on your adventure, by importing addresses to a web-based email account. And want to keep an eye on things from afar? The Live Motion WebCam from Creative Labs can detect motion and send images through email or the web for remote security monitoring.

Wedding Bells

From planning to reminiscing, Steve shows you the many ways technology can fit into the modern wedding. Visit online gift registries like bridalfaircanada.com for tools that will help the wedding run smoothly on time, and on budget. Steve explains how you can create and print your own personalized invitations, wine labels, guest book and thank you cards with a variety of kits, and HP’s Photosmart Series of portable printers & all-in-ones. Caroline points out the finer points of custom label-making in Microsoft Word. For the weak-kneed speech maker, Microsoft’s PowerPoint presentation software comes to the rescue.

Tech Toys

In this episode’s Tech Toys segment, Caroline brings you the Canary Digital Hotspotter, and Notebook Chill Mat from Targus.

Sharing Knowledge

Steve takes you to two websites helping make the internet a vast community for sharing knowledge. Wikipedia.org is a dynamic encyclopedia whose content is written and edited by the online public – with no ads, copyrights, or fees. And Homework Helper is an interactive service that connects students with qualified tutors, available with membership through a growing number of libraries.

Portability

Want to know how to rip video onto a vPod? Steve shows you the ropes with the free download Handbrake. Caroline demonstrates the portable DocuPen RC800 from Planon System Solutions, and explains how to up the RAM if your computer just ain’t up to speed.

Travellin’

What’s the best new technology if you’re on the fly? For those of you who take your holidays down south, Vonage allows you to take your phone service with you, via the internet. And Steve longs to go on vacation with Samsung’s Duocam in hand, a two-in-one video and still camera with dual lenses. For the avid runner, Caroline has a new product from Garmin: the Forerunner 201 with GPS that allows you to track your progress on the computer.

Web Hosting

Thinking of building a website, or looking for a service to host an existing one? Steve guides you through the templates and services offered by Hostway.

Tax Software

Tax returns: quick & easy? Steve’s got two ways to file returns online from Intuit. QuickTaxWeb is a proven winner, but for those of you with less complex finances, a new option is SnapTax.

Photo Retouching

Barbara Kotsos visits from Epson to demonstrate the healing power of Easy Photo Fix Technology that comes with units like the Perfection 4990 scanner.

And Colin Smith of Adobe shows Steve the newest edition of Premiere Elements digital video software. Need a gadget to help take video with you on the road? Caroline demonstrates the MPEG 4 Recorder from Neuros.

Tax Software

Tax returns: quick & easy? Steve’s got two ways to file returns online from Intuit. QuickTaxWeb is a proven winner, but for those of you with less complex finances, a new option is SnapTax.

Photo Retouching

Barbara Kotsos visits from Epson to demonstrate the healing power of Easy Photo Fix Technology that comes with units like the Perfection 4990 scanner.

And Colin Smith of Adobe shows Steve the newest edition of Premiere Elements digital video software. Need a gadget to help take video with you on the road? Caroline demonstrates the MPEG 4 Recorder from Neuros.

Valentine Crafts

Holidays are an opportune time to look for creative project ideas at hp.ca, and Steve is sure to add his special brand of Dotto charm. You’ll hear about innovative inkjet paper and cartridges for the 3200 Photosmart series, and HP’s recycling program.

Craig's List

Looking for a more personal, less commercial online hub for buy & sell, jobs, real estate listings, and more? Steve takes you through the free service craigslist.com.

Caroline will show you some voice and music recording tech toys with handy dandy USB from Olympus and Samson. And she’s got your security in mind with tips on how to remove problem programs at mlin.net, and block future problems with Mozilla Firefox.