(see Glossary for translations in French and Spanish)
There are a multitude of gadgets, from Ipods to WiFi receivers, which students can transform into fantastic language tools. The CES (Consumer Electronics Show), an Industrial trade show, is in full swing now in Las Vegas where nerds and geeks gather to view and test out the gadget trends of the future (“mobility” is the theme this year). Here are a few of my recent favorites:
- Logitech Squeezebox Boom:
I recently discovered this while looking for a system to replace the Philips WiFi audio transmitter that I’ve been using for years (won’t tell you my age!). I listen to a lot of Internet radio as it permits me to do other things while keeping my mind occupied and keep up with what’s happening in the States and in California. 
Sonos ZP90 WiFi Audio Receiver: you can connect this to your stereo system and stream internet radio through your stereo’s speakers—great for music, talk shows, etc. There’s also Apple’s Airport Express or the Logitech Squeezebox Duet for a cheaper price that do the same thing (perhaps with less precision if your stereo is at a distance from your router).
A Sky DigiBox with Freesat card will give you access to English Television (BBC1, 2, 3, 4, plus ITV1, 2, 3 in addition to Sky news and True movies plus all the UK Satellite radio channels) a great way to soak up some English language and culture.- Kindle tablet software : Don’t own a Kindle e-reader tablet? No problem…you can download their software from Amazon.com (PC or Mac) and read books on your own notebook, computer, Ipod, Iphone, etc. Downloading takes only a few minutes (less than a 2 minutes to download a 250 page book using a DSL connection) and you can have access to thousands of books (in English, Spanish, French, etc.) for less than the price of a paperback. The software also includes a dictionary which is ideal if there are some words you don’t understand. It’s also environmentally friendly!
Smartphones: having immediate access to vast amounts of information in addition to audio/video podcasts which you can download easily (youtube, radio sites, news sites such as CBS, NBC, BBC, etc.) lets you work on your English (or other languages) while on the go and have access to online dictionaries and search engines- Add an application to your Smartphone such as “Splashtop” from Apple (for iPhones). It allows you to access your computer’s display remotely. You can control applications and even play audio and video from your computer over the iPhone! Watch this video in which tech journalist Andy Walker talks to Cliff Miller of Splashtop about the new Splashtop Remote, which allows you to operate a Windows or Mac computer using a mobile device (before listening make sure you understand all the words and expressions by looking at Vocabulary Audio/Video Files: ).
- You can also add free applications to receive news headlines, cookbooks (one of my most recent ones: Betty Crockers Mobile Cookbook, an American Favorite), dictionaries, travel guides (Eyewitness Digital Travel Guides for London and New York) to learn the history and culture of a place, plus practicial information about pricing, tipping and how to get around by rail, bus, car and foot, etc. Incredible!
- Free File-Sharing Services: you can move files around easily without spending a penny by setting up a free account with dropbox.com. By installing their software you will get an icon that sits on your desktop. Drag and drop files onto that icon, and they are immediately copied to the cloud. The free account gives you as much as two gigabytes of disk space. More space is available for a monthly fee.
Does anyone else have a gadget and/or site they can recommend? Let us know by posting a comment!
Deb's Quick Picks Blog 