For years now, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II has been a favorite mid-range digital SLR among serious photographers. The workhorse of a camera took professional-quality images and offered a huge feature set—and did so for a relatively low price.

Then, two things happened: First, Canon came out with an updated version of the Mark II—the EOS 5D Mark III. Second, Canon reduced the price of the Mark II by $500.

Both the 5D Mark II and 5D Mark III are, inarguably, excellent full-feature SLR cameras. But now that there’s a serious 5D choice, which of the two is the better option for you? Spot Cool Stuff takes a look at the advantages of each camera:

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You might think of Google Street View as that feature of Google Maps that let’s you look at ground level photographs of your childhood home, a new restaurant you are trying to locate or some other street-side destination. But for several years now, Google has been expanding Street View to all sorts of locations that, well, don’t have any streets. You can use Street View to climb up the Swiss Alps, trek in Antarctica or tour some of the world’s greatest art museums. And, now, you can also use Google Street View to explore along the Amazon River.

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Is it a tablet? Or is it a phone?

That’s the tagline on billboards advertising the new Samsung Galaxy Note. When the company selling a product expresses uncertainly about what exactly their product is, you know you are dealing with something different.

Indeed, the Samsung Note really is something different—a new hybrid product that’s both an oversized phone and an undersized tablet. The phonelet weighs 6.3 ounces (178 grams) and has a 5.3-inch display—more than the largest smartphone and less than the smallest tablet. The Android operating system, powered by 1.4GHz dual-core processor, is capable of doing anything Samsung Galaxy tablets are (and then some). And it makes phone calls with all the functionality of a high-end Samsung smartphone.

So does the Samsung Galaxy Note deliver the best features of a tablet and a smartphone? Or is it the worst of both worlds? Spot Cool Stuff takes a look:

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It’s becoming increasingly easy to ditch your monthly cable or satellite bill and watch television over the internet instead. Several networks stream their television shows directly on their own websites. In addition, you can watch television through services like Cracked and Hulu, and stream movies on a computer, smart TV or portable media player via Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.

Of course, none of those offer an array of live television channels over the internet. But there is a software product that claims to: SatelliteDirect. But does the service really deliver 3,500 channels of satellite television directly to your computer? Spot Cool Stuff takes a look:

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Spot Cool Stuff wakes up cranky. We are not morning people.^† This is why we depend upon caffeine. And why we are fans of Chief’s Energizing Face Wash for men. Dabbing it onto your skin, then splashing water onto your face, it’s hard to not feel like you’re in a York Peppermint Patty commercial. Indeed, there’s a fair amount of peppermint in Chief’s Face Wash. There’s eucalyptus too. And ginseng and menthol and a hint of rosemary. Altogether, it wallops you with a refreshing minty morning pick-me-up.

So what’s a review of a face wash doing on a technology blog?

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