In the News - Influential Products

It's Tuesday, so let's raise our coffee mugs to the next edition of In the News. 

Last week we tackled the tough topic of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, so we'll lighted the load this week and talk about something fun. The Wall Street Journal ran a piece on December 18, 2013 titled, "The Most Influential Products in 22 Years of Reviews." Now, you have to understand, I'm not a technology person. I use modern conveniences because they save time, but it's rare I get all excited over new technologies. Well, until this year, when I FINALLY bought my hubby a cool tech gift that he loved!

Introducing the Virtual Keyboard, which works with Apple or Android devices.

Connect this baby to your device and it projects a virtual keyboard onto almost any flat surface. And it works! We tried it. I have to admit that harsh red light bugs my eyes a tiny bit, but I was using it when I had already been working for days at the computer on deadline, so I'll have to try it again when my eyes are less tired.

I purchased ours at Brookstone. Not sure who--if anyone else--has it, but I was so excited about this gift I almost told the hubby what it was before it even arrived.

Back to the article, Walter S. Mossberg ended his 22 years of reviewing consumer technology products for The Wall Street Journal by counting down a dozen personal-technology products that he had reviewed during that time. From Apple's Newton MessagePad designed to recognize handwriting (admittedly a failure except that it featured an early form of artificial intelligence that allowed you to scrawl in an appointment and it created a calendar entry for the right time with the right person) to Windows 95, and  from Facebook and Twitter to the iPad, these amazing products have changed our lives.

You can read the entire article at http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304858104579264313155801216

What is your favorite technology product or what technology product has made your life easier?