CES Robot Roundup, Part 3

Who knew a diminutive astromech droid could do so much? I'm not referring to repeatedly pulling Star Wars characters' butts out of the fire, but multimedia capabilities. Someone, somewhere remembered that long before his aerobatics in Attack of the Clones, R2-D2's claim to fame was projecting footage of Princess Leia and getting Luke Skywalker all worked up.

The result is RC company Nikko Home Electronics' R2-D2 DVD Projector, a 20.5''-tall replica of the feisty droid that acts as your mobile media center. There's a slot loader in front for DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, Video CD, SVCD, Audio CD, MP3, MP4 and WMA discs, an iPod dock nestled underneath, and memory card slots along with a USB port just to the side. In the back there are composite, S-Video, optical and VGA connections. The droid packs two 10-watt speakers that can output stereo or surround sound.

The R2-D2 unit can display an 80'' image from 16.4'' away through its LCoS projector (in NTSC or PAL resolution), in which case you'll have to use the remote control, which just happens to be a mounted replica of the Millennium Falcon. (Will it do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs? No one's talking.)

Okay, now about that whole mobile thing. Nikko sticks to its RC roots by providing controls for guiding R2-D2 (including the ability to angle backward up to 65 degrees), though built-in sensors will prevent it from tumbling down the stairs or accidentally snagging itself on the rug or any objects you have lying around. (For the last time, you can not clean the popcorn off the floor using the Force. Just get a broom!)

Seagate Adds Gigabytes to Your Phone

Seagate has found yet another use for its tiny hard drives. Their hope is that starting this summer, you'll be able to tote 10 GB of data with you wherever you go -- accessible through your cell phone.

The company's showing off the technology at the DEMO 07 conference, under the moniker DAVE (Digital Audio Video Experience). DAVE products are promised to be about the size of a credit card and less than 0.5'' thick.

Now why would you want to attack something that size to your cell phone? Actually, you wouldn't. You'd connect to the DAVE device through Bluetooth, or possibly Wi-Fi. Files would be accessed through a small Java application on the phone. Think about it -- you'd be able to keep all your data in your pocket, but be able to access it at any time with a few button presses.

Seagate expects the first 10 GB DAVE devices to sell for about $150 this summer, with 20 GB devices to follow. The question that remains is, whatever will you do with all that data always available at your fingertips?

What Your Ringtone Says About You

How much do you think about your ringtone?

A UK survey sponsored by mobile phone shop Dial-A-Phone asked 18 to 34-year-old Brits about their feelings on ringtones and discovered that 97% of those surveyed judge someone's personality based on their ringtone. (I see a new dating service questionnaire in the making.) The respondents were also asked to ascribe personality traits with certain ringtones. Of the listed results, my favorites were those for ringtones from current TV shows ("Fun personality - but has too much time on their hands") and default ringtones ("Not trying to impress, probably got better things to do than constantly changing their ringtone").

When I get a new phone, I generally try to select or customize my ringtone so that it's probably unique (so I don't have to fumble through my pockets or bag when someone's phone goes off in a crowded room), not too abrasive (so as not to annoy everyone) and yet easy to hear in a reasonably busy environment. What do you do?

CES Robot Roundup, Part 2

Most of the robots on display in the robotics section at the CES Sands Innovation exhibition involved some kind of programmability, which is of course a good thing -- robots you can't customize are no fun, and when they can program themselves all sorts of bad things happen.

Lego has had a considerable head start with their Mindstorms kit, but that hasn't deterred another longtime maker of kids' construction toys from getting in on some robo-action. No, not Lincoln Logs (though that might be kinda cool) -- I'm referring to Erector sets (or, as they're known everywhere else in the world, Meccano).

Compared to the techno-menagerie that makes up the Mindstorms family, Erector is starting fairly modestly, with a "WiFi spy robot" named Spyke. Much like the robots I wrote about yesterday, Spyke can play music and roam around the house, keeping an eye on things with its webcam. Two bonuses: Spyke can also be used as a Skype/MSN/Google Talk phone, and the Spyke family is compatible with standard Erector parts. And, as its tagline implies, Spyke can be controlled over an Internet connection via its Wi-Fi connection.

At the other end of the spectrum is the Robotis Bioloid construction kit, which includes servos, a variety of sensor modules, controllers and a number of parts so that you can build your own robotic creatures. The Robotis website includes examples of dinosaurs, puppies, and -- excuse me while I barricade the windows -- spiders. The included Motion Editor software seems a bit more complicated, but given the degree of flexibility that all these components give you, that's to be expected. It looks to me like the days of Anakin Skywalker building C-3PO aren't that far off.

iPod Shuffle Gets Colorful

The march of the multicolored gadgets continues. Apple has announced that the iPod Shuffle -- which I'm pretty sure was starting to feel neglected as the only portable Apple device available in just one color -- is now available in the same candy colors as its Nano siblings. So now you can mix and match according to the daily changes in your wardrobe (or, like a friend of mine, hair color).

Hmmm. You know, the regular ol' black-or-white iPod's starting to look a little stodgy...

Dictate Your Grocery List, If You Dare

Consumer electronics tech is trying to invade my kitchen again. Don't worry, it's not the return of the ill-fated Audrey, but it's almost as questionable.

The $149 SmartShopper aims to make grocery shopping easier by being mounted on your wall, waiting patiently for someone to run out of something. The panic-stricken individual is then supposed to press a button on the SmartShopper and say what's needed -- say, for instance, "mustard." The SmartShopper stores all of these little notes until it's time to actually go to the grocery store, in which case you press the print button and it spits out your grocery list printed on thermal paper.

Okay, so maybe it is a good idea. But I'd have to try one to see if I can get past a few things. The voice recognition alone introduces all kinds of questions. Would it understand the word "spanikopita" when it's pronounced by someone whose first language is Greek? Can it deal with deeper voices (which, in my experience, can be murder on voice recognition systems)? What about if your kitchen typically has rambunctious children or adolescents in it? ("Okay, let's see, milk, cheddar cheese, macaroPUT THAT DOWN ARE YOU TRYING TO PUT AN EYE OUT?!") And while the SmartShopper has a preprogrammed list of 2,500 items, should I expect it to understand when I specify a local brand? What do I do when I mention some foodstuff that isn't on the list?

There are also questions related to real-world use. What happens when everyone in the house realizes separately that there's no more bacon and enters it in the SmartShopper? Is it mentioned once? Five times? Is there a note that says to pick up five packages of bacon?

For all I know, the SmartShopper is smart enough to deal with all these things. But given the effort of finding out, I might just stick to the tried and true (and battery-free) pen and paper.

CES Robot Roundup, Part 1

The Innovations Plus exhibition at CES featured a variety of emerging companies: some a little offbeat (like the folks behind Skins), some mundane (I lost count of the number of flash memory companies), and some pleasantly geeky and/or freaky. Firmly in the last category were the various companies collected together in one section featuring robots -- all of which, I was pleased to note, are available now, though some only if you're in Japan or Korea. In any case, there was enough variety that I'll have to spread my report out over a few days.

The first group of tables I walked up to were there under the umbrella of JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization). Some of the companies they listed as booth exhibitors weren't there (including Kokoro Company and the folks behind Paro, which I mentioned a few months ago), but those that were were interesting enough.

ZMP's ¥108,800 ($895) Miuro, for instance, is more Star Wars utility droid that Battlestar Galactica Cylon -- it rolls around on its two wheels, using its sensors to build a map of its environment and find its way to different spots in the house. Why? To play your favorite music, of course. Miuro can either access your computer's music library over your wireless LAN or play directly from a docked iPod to keep you entertained wherever you go. Oh, and of course it can use those wheels to dance to the music.

Also from ZMP was the bipedal Nuvo ($7,000 to $10,000 depending on the model), whose claim to fame is that it's controlled by voice recognition, a remote, or from commands sent by a mobile phone. Nuvo can not only walk but dance while playing music, amusing the children and likely scaring the dog. With a design vaguely reminiscent of the robots in Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky, Nuvo can also act as your home security, marching around while you're gone and keeping an eye on things through the webcam mounted in its head.

The most fun, though, was Systec Akazawa's PLEN (about $2300), "the small but most intelligent robot" that "prefers your desktop as a den." The programmable PLEN has 18 joints, and you can build your own actions using its Motion Editor software and upload them via a USB cable or Bluetooth. PLEN is really meant for people to point and say, "Awww, isn't that cute," because it can already do things like roller skate, skateboard, and kick a soccer ball around. (Check the PLEN site for examples of the first two -- for the latter, you'll just have to trust me.)

Blu:Sens G14 Media Player Outdoes Zune

A Spanish company has ventured where Microsoft feared to tread. Like the Zune, the Blu:Sens G14 features Wi-Fi. Unlike the Zune, the G14 allows users to share music without limitations.

The flash-based G14 (it comes in 1 GB and 2 GB models) has a 2'', 256K-color TFT display, and supports MP3, WMA and Ogg for audio and MPEG-4 for video. It also has an FM radio and a voice recorder, and has Bluetooth A2DP connectivity. Most important of all, it has Wi-Fi -- the kind of unfettered Wi-Fi that Zune owners (and deriders) dream of, where people can beam songs to each other.

Okay, so I have no idea how Blu:Sens has managed to avoid getting sued (so far), and -- to be fair -- I can't say I'm all that incensed by the principle of the three-days-or-three-plays scheme the Zune uses. But at the very least, the fact that you can connect the G14 to your network and transfer files from your PC using Wi-Fi means that someone at Blu:Sens was using their head.

[Thanks, OhGizmo!]

Beyond Basic Black for the PSP

Although everything goes with black, sometimes you want to get a little more colorful. Though other gadgets will often at least give you the option of white, and pink is making inroads thanks to marketers' desperate attempts to cater to those of the XX-chromosome persuasion, the Sony PSP has been stuck with shiny black -- unless, that is, you were up for some expensive overseas shopping.

You still can't do much about the overseas, but at least things have gotten a bit cheaper. Chinese company Divineo sells replacement PSP faceplates in blue, pink, silver and white -- or just black if you've banged yours up -- for just under $30 a pop. Just remember that popping the casing off your PSP voids the warranty. But then, what's fashion without risk?

[Thanks, Engadget.]

A Digicam That Can Withstand Torture

Olympus has launched the virtually indestructible camera. The Stylus 770 SW is a 7.1-megapixel shooter that you can take below the surface, and out in below-freezing temperatures. Olympus claims the 770 can even survive drops from five feet up, and being crushed by 220 pounds of pressure.

The 770 is the followup to Olympus's 720 SW. Instead of being waterproof down to 10 feet, as with the 720, the 770 can dive down to 33 feet, which makes it more accommodating for scuba divers. If you need to go deeper, the camera works with the PT-035 underwater housing, which lets you submerge to 130 feet. The 770 also includes a built-in manometer, which can gauge water and air pressure so you can keep tabs on/boast about the depth (or altitude, if hiking) at which you're shooting.

Other features include a 2.5-inch LCD that increases in brightness in overly dark or bright lighting conditions; digital image stabilization; and 24 scene modes, including four underwater ones. The 720 SW will be out in March for about $380. If it works as advertised, this might just be the camera that makes me give up my three-and-a-half-year-old Canon. A great camera, but I can't go shootin' any sharks with that thing.

Getting Ready for Digital TV

Digital TV is taking over from analog in the US in just over two years. Have you made your plans yet?

Just in case you were thinking of buying an analog TV over the next 753 days, a new bill is being proposed in the US House of Representatives. It aims to mandate warning labels on new analog TVs, alerting consumers to the fact that as of February 17 a converter will be needed if they want to keep watching CSI: Akron (hey, it could happen).

Meanwhile, over in the UK, where a staggered transition will take place from 2008 to 2012, a recent survey found that five out of six adults didn't know what year the analog/digital cutoff was (the link requires free registration).

Naturally, this makes me curious. How prepared are you for the transition to digital TV? And how aware do you think the general public is?

Indie Music Store Takes on iTunes

It sounds like a clich?, but it's true: a scrappy New Yorker is taking on one of the big guys. On January 23's Future Tense radio show, host Jon Gordon spoke with Josh Madell, the co-owner of Other Music, an East Village record store.

Madell's plan is right out of the eMusic/Long Tail playbook. Rather than concentrating on selling hit songs, Other Music will do what independent stores have always done well: Use their in-depth knowledge of music to sell more specialized music to aficionados. Less Justin Timberlake, more Funki Porcini. Also like eMusic, they plan to sell all of their music as high-bitrate MP3s, a tactic that already predisposes their catalog toward labels beyond the Big Four.

Despite my inclination toward Other Music -- most of my music shopping during the '80s and '90s was in stores just like theirs -- I have to wonder about the possible success of this initiative. Madell maintains that there has to be an alternative to the iPod/iTunes DRM system, and that iTunes is more of a Top 40-friendly place.

I'm not so sure about that second claim. I randomly picked 20 definitely-not-Top-40 artists from my music collection and searched for them on iTunes; I got hits on 18 of them. I tried entering the same 20 on eMusic, which also passes over the Big Four (and has had a pretty fair head start); a different 18 popped up. Furthermore, there were several instances where iTunes had more work from a given artist than eMusic, and vice versa.

Finally, Other Music plans to charge a little more than iTunes, to the tune of 10 to 15 cents extra per track. Given that eMusic's monthly rate can work out to as little as 27 cents per track -- and they also sell only 320-kbps MP3s -- I'd say Other Music has their work cut out for them.

Reveling in My New HD TiVo

I did it. After months of contemplation, I am finally sitting in front of my new TiVo Series3 HD recorder. Yes, it was a splurge (bout $650 on Amazon), and sure, I had to have my entire house rewired with cable. (Since the TiVo Series3 is not compatible with satellite, I was forced to switch over from DirecTV.) But now that I'm recording, watching, and time-shifting American Idol in HD, I'm a happy girl.

What prompted the switch is the fact that my original TiVo box has been showing signs of heading South, and my window of opportunity for transferring my lifetime service subscription to a Series3 TiVo was about to expire. (For those of you who have purchased lifetime service, you have until January 31 to transfer your subscription to a Series3.) The bad news? It costs $199 to make the transfer (so, essentially you're paying for another lifetime subscription). The good news? It's a deal compared to the current rates, and you still get a year of service on your old box.

So far, I'm most impressed with the integration between digital and analog channels. I can just flip from a local over-the-air digital broadcast to a cable channel, without having to switch inputs. And that means I can pause, record, time-shift, and do whatever I want with high-def content I'm getting for free using an antenna. I also dig the beautifully backlit remote, though I'm hating the lack of a recently deleted folder (and not everyone is liking the new remote; check out the review of the TiVo Series3 from our parent pub PC World). Of course, I'm sure I'll discover new awesomeness--and irks--as I play around more, but right now, life is good.

Watch Your Wii for Breaking News

Nintendo's Wii now not only gets you in shape, it keeps you informed. The gaming company has struck a deal with Associated Press that will provide Wii owners with AP news stories via the Wii's Opera browser, providing something to do when you're recovering from a marathon Wii Sports session.

The Wii News Channel, which starts this Saturday and requires a broadband connection, will allow users to use an interactive map to zoom into or out of areas of interest and get relevant news. News will be available in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, and Swiss-German, with Japanese-language news provided by the Japanese news company Goo.

Norway Outlaws iTunes

Good intentions, questionable execution. European legislators have been giving DRM considerable attention for a while, but Norway has actually gone so far as to declare that Apple's iTunes store is illegal under Norwegian law.

The crux of the issue is that the Fairplay DRM that is at the heart of the iTunes/iPod universe doesn't work with anything else, meaning that if you want access to the vast iTunes library, you have to buy an iPod. That didn't sit well with the Norwegian Consumer Council, the body that kicked the whole thing off by filing a complaint with Norway's consumer ombudsman. France and Germany have also joined in on the action. (See our earlier reports on Norway and France's ongoing debates here, here and here.)

Now, I'm not much for DRM (though I'll admit that Fairplay is comparatively liberal) and I resent theoretically having to buy an iPod in order to listen to iTunes downloads away from the computer. But as it happens millions of people don't seem to care. They have an iPod, they have iTunes, they get their music, and they're happy because the whole thing does what they want.

My use of the word "theoretically" seems to apply here. As far as I can tell, this entire case came about because of the theoretical problem of a closed system; but I wonder, how many Norwegian (or French or German) consumers were clamoring for Apple to open up iTunes?

I guess we'll find out soon enough. Apple has until October 1 to open up Fairplay to other companies, or face fines and the threat of iTunes being closed down in Norway. Since the first option is about as likely as Satan skating to work, Apple's only choice in the long run -- assuming endless legal wrangling fails -- will be to close iTunes in Norway, and possibly other European countries. I wonder how many consumers would go for that?

Online TV Shows Hit the Right Target

I'm still pretty attached to my television set, but on occasion, I have logged onto ABC or NBC's sites to catch an episode of "Lost" or "Heroes." Apparently, I'm not the only one because the whole streaming-shows-on-the-Internet thing is gaining a lot of cred.

According to a Nielsen study, people watching TV shows on the Internet are the ones who have access to broadband, and tend to be younger, richer, and more highly educated; in other words, they're the exact type of person whom advertisers want to target.

Not only that, the study also found that streaming shows on the Internet isn't necessarily cutting into the television audience, but rather, expanding it by letting people watch in unconventional locations, such as work and the local WiFi-friendly coffee shop. Of course, you have to suffer through a few ads in order to watch television shows online, but I'm more than willing to endure a minute or two of marketing in order to have more options for entertainment.

Zune Not Quite So Social

I've already expressed my ire at Microsoft's "Welcome to the social" schtick -- not so much because of the concept of wirelessly sharing files, but because the whole thing sort of falls apart when you can't find people to share files with.

It turns out that there's another reason Zunes are antisocial. Even if you do manage to find another Zune owner, you might not be able to share your music anyway. The music labels determine which files can be shared and which can't, and it appears that they're generally not too keen on even the limited sharing the Zune allows. That's not Microsoft's fault, but this is: when you actually buy a track from the store, you have no idea if the track is shareable or not. So the only feature that really differentiates the Zune from its nemesis is now annoying to use. Way to go, Microsoft.

It also occurs to me that this whole issue of labels restricting the sharing feature is something Microsoft should have hammered out beforehand, in much the same way that Apple got all the labels to agree to a $0.99/track price. Part of the attraction to iTunes is that simple processes pull more people; it's actually easier to buy music via iTunes than going to a store, because everything is subject to the same price and conditions. Oh, well. Another hard lesson learned.

Skins to Keep Your Phone Safe

On my last day walking through CES, I just about tripped over two girls in a hot tub. After almost a week in the alternate universe that is Las Vegas, my immediate thought was, "Two bikini-clad girls in a hot tub on a convention exhibition floor. Of course."

The pair were demonstrating a product called Skins, which are -- look, there's no way around this -- mobile phone prophylactics, designed to keep the elements off of (or, better, out of) your phone. The Skins website provides examples of why you'd want to protect your phone, including images of a painter who has smeared his phone blue, a butcher (at least, I'm really hoping that's supposed to be a butcher) who has covered his phone in blood, and -- of course -- more girls in bikinis. Speaking for myself, I can see these being useful for those days when I'm outside during heavy snowfalls, or at least mixing it up in a marathon snowball fight.

If nothing else, Skins can make for a good conversation piece. Rolled up in their packaging, they look just like what I expect they were inspired by. Just make sure you don't mix up your packets, okay?

Microsoft's Zune Plans for 2007

Microsoft's been reasonably forthright about the fact that the Zune universe (Zuniverse?) is in its infancy, and that new products and services are coming in the future. This past weekend, some of those expected developments have come to light.

First is the news that the company plans to release a flash-based version of the Zune in the fourth quarter of this year, possibly with a capacity of 12 GB. (Would this version still be wireless, and would it still have the nice, largish screen? Just wondering.) Second, there are apparently plans to really enable the Wi-Fi feature in the device -- no big surprise, really, but it seems the purpose would be for music "filling stations" at Wi-Fi hotspots, which strikes me as a bit of wishful thinking at this point.

One rumor that terrifies me is that of a Zune-based Web browser. I don't even want to think about entering URLs with the Zune controls.

Google Eyes Downloadable E-Books

Last week, Google met with various book publishers to discuss its vision for e-books. The company has been testing a service that makes it possible for users to search for and read previews of books online.

What Google really has its eye on, though, is the ability to sell e-books that users could read via their PC's Web browser, and even on their mobile devices. But according to Business Week, there are several questions as to the viability of this plan. First, whether publishers will get over their copyright hesitation and hand over their catalogs. Second, whether consumers actually want to read books on a machine rather than on paper. Right now, the consensus seems to be that it makes sense for certain books, like reference and travel guides, to go electronic. But your classic page turner may never be ripe for the digital age.

Keeping Track of Your Car Keys, Digitally

Finally, someone has come up with a use for those old flash drives I have lying around. Designer Gerry Stuart (who, amusingly, has a painfully designed site) has come up with a wall-mountable key rack made up of USB ports. Just attach one of your obsolete 16 MB thumb drives to your keychain, and there you go. (I'm sure an enterprising Mac user can come up with a FireWire version.)

[Thanks, Coolest Gadgets.]

Confessions of a New Zune Owner

While I was at CES, the unthinkable happened: I bought a Microsoft Zune player.

It's actually something I'd been thinking about for a while -- although, on a personal level, there's little about the Zune ecosystem I find compelling.

Here's the thing. Over on one of my websites I've been planning for some time to start producing video podcasts, and as the day approaches I've been thinking that it's in my best interest to cover my bases for the three best platforms for watching podcasts. The first two were easy: The video-enabled iPod (looks great, has great support in the form of iTunes, is darn near ubiquitous) and the Sony PSP (an expletive-inducing, gorgeous widescreen display). But it took me quite some time to come around to the idea that the Zune would be the third.

My ambivalence was reinforced when I actually saw a Zune for the first time at Microsoft's kiosk at CES (scarce as they are in the US, Zunes aren't yet available in Canada). The tactile experience was much like the visual experience: it's functional, but it's just there -- not too heavy, not too light, with usable but hardly innovative controls.

I also spent some time talking to one of the women there, and I thought to myself that out of all the Microsoft representatives I've met over the last decade, she was the only one who seemed genuinely excited about the product she was touting. The trouble was, all the features she was really excited over exist in other players already.

But -- and here's where I let out the big sigh -- Microsoft is going to keep plugging away at the Zune, and if by nothing more than sheer shelf presence and promotion, they'll probably get to that goal of one million players by June, or at least come close enough to get some leverage. And, of course, the Zune player and service will improve over time. It probably won't topple the iPod/iTunes ecosystem anytime soon (if ever), but there's still a good chance it will be entrenched.

So I plunked down my credit card and got one of the things so that it can sit on my test bed. But I'm keenly aware that my entire estimation of the Zune's eventual success has nothing to do with any outstanding qualities -- it's just that, with a player that's good enough, Microsoft will probably be able to move units purely because of their size, reach and connections. That's more than a little galling, and the fact that I contributed to their cause by buying the Zune doesn't help. I'm still trying to work out an acceptable penance.

How's My Economy? Ask the iPod Nano

Economics sounds like a big, scary field dominated by arcane mathematics. And, um, it is. But at its core, most of its principles are quite simple. One such case came to us today by way of Sydney, Australia, where the Commonwealth Bank has come up with a method for comparing relative purchasing power between 26 countries using a common consumer item. That item? The iPod Nano. (You can see the varying costs of the Nano here. Here in Canada, we get 'em cheapest, about $5 less than in the US.)

It's worth mentioning that the best known (and, I think, longest running) example of this technique is the Big Mac index (aka Burgernomics), which The Economist kicked off 20 years ago to easily explain exchange-rate theory. What's interesting is that digital goods and services have been gradually creeping into these real-world tools for economic measurement. Here are two related examples from 2006:

* The Office for National Statistics in England added music downloads to its inflation price basket in March;

* Greece replaced telegraph services from its price basket with Internet cafés.

(What's an inflation price basket? It's where the price of items in a hypothetical basket of goods is measured over time to calculate inflation. You can find a straightforward explanation of the concept here.)

Visteon Intros Portable HD Radio

For years, XM and Sirius subscribers have had access to portable radios that they can schlep between the car and the house. But if you wanted HD Radio (aka, digital radio) in the car and the home, you had to buy radios for each locale.

At CES, Visteon launched the HD Jump, an HD Radio receiver that you can take from car to house. The HD Jump sits in a cradle in your vehicle, uses your existing antenna for reception, and plays through the car's radio. An optional home kit lets you hook up your HD Jump and listen in your living room through your home stereo.

The HD Jump has a screen for displaying song title, artist, radio station call letters, and other data, and also supports multicasting, which lets stations broadcast multiple streams on the same frequency. It also features six presets for storing up to 18 streams, and an auxiliary input so you can jack your iPod or other MP3 player into it. No word on pricing or release date.

Cable Capture Tames Unruly Cords

"Unruly," "tangled" and "messy" are how most people describe the cables under their computer desks or TV stands. Given that my office has more gadgets than any three James Bond movies, I prefer "rat's nest," "hideous monstrosity" and "death trap" to describe my situation. Since I tend to swap things out fairly often, my current system involves Velcro ties and good intentions. But while at CES, I caught a glimpse of a better solution called Cable Capture.

Looking something like a UFO, the Cable Capture is essentially a spindle with a flexible hood. (Hmm -- maybe a jellyfish would have been a better, though creepier, description.) Fold the hood up, notch one end of the cable, wind the cable's slack around the spindle, notch the other end, close the hood.

What keeps the Cable Capture from being a slightly more ambitious Core is that you can quickly connect Cable Capture pods together. You can also mount the optional docking unit to attach your pods to a surface (say, the underside of a desk).

Right now you can only get the $6.49 Cable Capture from the company's online store. If the underside of your desk is anything like mine, then you might want to pay them a visit -- or if you have any better ideas, by all means tell us about them here.

Wrap Your Old Media Around the New

Those crazy kids today. They think they know old school because DJs -- sorry, turntablists -- still spin 12'' records. But if you've got even a few flecks of gray in your hair, you probably remember the pleasure of scouting for 45s (translation: 7'', 45-RPM singles) in record stores. Nathan Lee and Trevor Coghill, the Canadian co-founders of Contexture Design, also remember the old days and are happily reshaping these artifacts for the 21st century.

Cleverly called 45 (and selling for $45 a pop), these thermoformed records are combined with felt padding and plexiglass to create stylish iPod cases, with the center hole just large enough to expose the click wheel. (Holes are also cut for access to the iPod's ports and controls.) It's wonderfully appropriate: It was the iPod, after all, that reintroduced the idea of the inexpensive single.

Right now the 45 cases only fit the larger click-wheel iPod models, though Nano cases may be appearing in the future. I'm curious about one thing, though: Can customers send in their own 45s to turn into cases? Not that I intend to mess with my copy of the Meco Monardo Star Wars theme, but still.

[Thanks, Playlist.]

New LG Phone Wears Prada

History is littered with examples of pioneers being overshadowed by people who have better PR. Case in point: Some are referring to LG's LG-KE850 as an iPhone knockoff. (Okay folks, reality check here. The iPhone was announced just over a week ago. Do you really think LG was able to pull together a phone and have it ready for launch and manufacturing in so little time? Life's not that good.)

The truth is, the buzz on the LG-KE850 -- a collaboration between the Korean electronics manufacturer and Italian fashion house Prada -- started over a month ago. Like the iPhone, the LG-KE850 sports a full-face touch screen, and is a GSM/EDGE phone. (The iPhone is quad-band, the LG-KE850 tri-band.) Unlike the iPhone, the LG phone will begin to appear in Europe in February, then in Asia in March, with no word on a North American release. So there won't be much chance yet for hilarious phone mix-ups.

'80s Puzzle + MP3 Player = Cool Concept

My first thought when I saw Hee Yong's Rubik cube-inspired MP3 player: World's most aggravating MP3 interface. But it's not like you actually have to solve an actual multi-colored cube -- this concept player works by twisting different parts of the cube to perform specific functions. Only one question: Is this meant to be a desktop player or portable? Because if it's the latter, I'd need an '80s-style gold chain to carry it around.

Someday Your Desk May Be Your Charger

I'm tired of seeing various chargers all over my house, ones for my cell phone, my iPod, my digicam, my husband's cell phone. They're unsightly, they use up valuable outlets, and my cat is probably licking them.

Herman Miller, makers of all those modern, expensive executive desk chairs, has partnered with a company called Fulton Innovation over their eCoupled technology. eCoupled lets you ditch your chargers and juice your portable electronics by putting them on your desk. Herman Miller is looking at building the technology into its desks.

The technology works by sending power to your device through a shared magnetic field. You still have to plug your eCoupled charger into the wall, but all of your devices get their juice from contact with the magnetic field. You can find the full-on geek description here. Of course, portable devices will need to be compatible with the eCoupled tech, so if manufacturers don't jump on board, you'll have to buy an adapter. An adapter for Motorola phones and Apple's iPod Shuffle (and other devices) is expected this summer. Meanwhile, Motorola is reportedly looking into integrating the technology into their electronics, though they have not confirmed nor denied.

BubblePly Adds Video Color Commentary

A California company named BubblePly has empowered smart-alecks everywhere. Their self-titled Web service -- currently in beta -- allows users to create overlays for videos from YouTube and other online sources. These overlays include speech balloons, thought balloons and captions -- "similar to those found in comics," reads the press release, but if you're a VH1 watcher, you'll immediately recognize it as a user-generated version of Pop-Up Video. (Has it been eleven years already since the show debuted? Where does the time go?)

BubblePly says they dodge any copyright liability because they don't actually alter or duplicate the original video, and of course they're already working with content owners to make their material accessible for use. Given the popularity of shows like Pop-Up Video and Mystery Science Theater 3000, this could be the next big thing. Hey, if it allows the running-commentary maestros I encounter at the cineplex to expend their supposed wit elsewhere, I'm all for it.

BlackBerry Pearl: White Is the New Black

Funny thing about gadget fashion: We appear to have come to a point where, as often as not, a device is white but its super-cool version is black, or it's black and the super-cool version is white.

As evidence, I submit the BlackBerry Pearl, which is now available in, um, pearly white exclusively through T-Mobile. Canadians will be able to pick up the white Pearl through Rogers as of February 1.

So am I the only one who thinks reading the words "white BlackBerry" is a little weird? No? Okay, then.

Singapore Teen: Convicted Internet Thief

Um, all I can say is, I'm glad I don't live in Singapore. A 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 18 months of probation (including some time at a boys' home) for using someone else's wireless connection or, as my husband calls it, "stealing the Internet." The teen was spotted outside his house using his computer while piggybacking on a nearby wireless connection after his mother had taken away his modem. A passerby reported him to the police.

The teen was charged under Singapore's Computer Misuse Act, which makes using someone else's wireless connection without permission punishable by up to three years in jail. Considering that, perhaps an 18-month probation isn't so bad. During that time, the teen will be denied Internet access and will receive treatment for his online gaming addiction. Though the punishment seems harsh, in this case, it sounds like it will benefit the boy in the long run. I'm still glad I don't live in Singapore, though.

Online TV Gets a Jolt from Joost

As if there aren't already enough ways to watch TV, the serial entrepreneurs behind Kazaa and Skype have announced Joost, which proves that there is no shortage of incomprehensible yet catchy five-letter names.

The brainchild of Kazaa and Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, Joost promises "infinite choice, and TV that is truly interactive. TV anywhere, anytime..." What this means in practice is broadcast-quality, full-screen, interactive TV that's accessible over broadband that you use like your regular TV, complete with multiple channels you can flip through (though there's no word on whether you'll be able to use a remote that can be lost somewhere under the couch).

Broadband penetration has reached critical mass and is still increasing, and even inexpensive new computers can at least handle full-screen standard-definition video, so it seems to me that Joost's appearance isn't exactly revolutionary, and more a matter of good timing. The free-viewing-paid-by-advertising model isn't that new either, though I wonder if they're going to go the US route (shows interrupted by ad breaks) or the UK route (uninterrupted shows with ads at the beginning and end).

I am intrigued by the idea that the Joost software will have plug-ins. If Joost is reasonably open, there's no telling what sort of fiendish add-on functionality people will come up with.

The real question is where the content is going to come from. I've long felt that the supposedly global entertainment industries are past due eliminating the practice of staggered worldwide releases, especially in the age of the Internet. (Okay, so partly I'm just ticked that half of the American services I want -- like, say, the Battlestar Galactica webisodes -- have generally been unavailable here in Canada. But still.) However, the fact is that few mainstream releases are going to go out on Joost simply because of agreements based on geography.

Is that altogether bad? I don't think so. My hope is that producers who find it increasingly difficult to get their work on TV or in cinemas latch onto Joost and carve out their own area to play in. If it's compelling enough, there will hopefully be enough people watching so that when that first breakout hit comes along, we'll really get that revolution Joost's founders are talking about.

Sims Line Grows with Laptop-Friendly Games

Just when you thought The Sims franchise couldn't grow any bigger, Electronic Arts has announced a whole new line of Sims games. The Sims Stories allow you to "play through all the great moments of your Sim's life," all from the comfort of your recliner. Geared toward laptop users, the Sims Stories features the ability to start and stop quickly when you open/close your laptop's lid, as well as play in a window while still staying up on email and IM.

Sims Life Stories, coming out February 6, is the first title in the line. It features a new Story Mode, in which you can follow the lives of two different characters and their love lives through twelve chapters. For instance, in one storyline, you'll play along as the character Riley decides whether she'll ditch one boyfriend in favor of another. (This is deep stuff, people.) If that sounds a bit too Days-of-Our-Lives for you, you can also play in classic mode, which is similar to the open-ended play in the original game.

Life Stories will be followed up by two other Sims Stories titles: Pet Stories and Castaway Stories, which will strand you and your Sims on an island so you can indulge all your Lost fantasies.

Netflix Launches Service for PC Couch Potatoes

Netflix is finally launching its long-anticipated online movie service. The new Watch Now service will make about 1,000 movies and TV shows available to subscribers over the Internet and will be rolled out over the next six months, adding 250,000 subscribers a week.

If you're already a Netflix subscriber, all you have to do is install a special browser applet--though you do need to be running Windows XP and have a broadband connection. But the really sweet part is the fact that there's no additional charge. For every dollar you spend on your Netflix subscription, you get an hour of viewing. So if you pay for the $17.99 per month plan (which gets you three DVDs at a time), you get to watch 18 hours online.

Of course, video will be streaming, not downloadable, so you won't be able to burn content to DVDs or take it with you on portable devices. But you will have full controls, including the ability to pause and jump ahead to any point in the movie or show you're watching.

Popular Anime to Make Domestic Debut Digitally

Here's how it used to work: A Japanese animated TV show or movie would show in Japan, then an American distributor would get the rights, and then it would end up on TV or the big screen here, then come to video, then any other formats, if any. The gap between the first Japanese release and the final North American release (be it DVD or digital download) has shrunk rapidly in recent times, from years to a matter of months.

But never, I think, so potentially quickly as this. The Publishers Weekly website reports that Viz Media (if you don't watch their Inu Yasha series, your kids do) has signed a deal to offer the anime TV series Death Note digitally, although the series is still on the air in Japan. No release date has been set and no outlet has yet been determined (though iTunes seems unlikely), though Viz senior vice president of strategy and business development Daniel Marks says an official announcement will be made in February.

There's a lesson to be learned here, I think. In my opinion, Japanese animation got its foothold in the West thanks to piracy -- the legions of fans who traded tapes and spread the word to anyone who would listen. The industry on both sides of the Pacific know this. What's interesting is that initiatives like these are part of an ongoing campaign to stave off the threat posed by peer-to-peer downloads, but unlike the RIAA's strong-arm tactics, the anime companies have never seen fit to sue their fan base. Meanwhile, the industry as a whole has been going nowhere but up. Just a thought.

Keep Your Laptop (and Lap) Cool

Like most laptop owners, it doesn't take long for me to question the "lap" part of the name. After a few minutes of YouTube browsing -- er, I mean serious research and reportage -- I find myself doing the "hot laptop battery" dance, shuffling my MacBook from leg to leg and generally looking quite silly. (Or, as my wife would say, sillier than usual.) I hadn't yet found a laptop cooling pad I liked, until I chanced upon the Xpad on the last day of CES, so named because of the four raised and rubberized segments on top.

Unlike most cooling pads, the $24.95 Xpad doesn't use USB-powered fans. Its main trick is that the raised X allows the battery to have enough clearance to vent allow airflow, while the rubberized surface grips the laptop's feet. Thirteen inches wide and less than an inch thick, the 1-lb. Xpad looks like it would accommodate most laptops and is easy to pick up and take along. I've been using the Xpad for the last few days and my legs are thankful for it. My laptop battery's not complaining, either.

Gefen Intros DVRs with a Twist

Gefen, maker of lots and lots of cables, has announced two new digital video recorders targeted toward users who want to take their content on the go. Both models--one supports high-def, one doesn't--can record programming in MPEG-4 format to USB storage devices (hard drives, flash drives, etc), so you can easily take it from computer to computer.

Not only do the devices record from cable, satellite, or TV, but they can also capture footage from a camcorder, so you can record personal video through the device as well. In fact, the recorders feature a switching function, so you can choose between two different sources for recording (for instance, a set-top box and camcorder).

I'm not sure that this will be enough to topple TiVo or anything, but kudos anyway for trying to find an efficient way to bridge that gap between the home-entertainment system and laptop. No info yet on price or availability.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

LG Brings TV to the Third Dimension

The last few days have been frustrating. On Tuesday I first saw LG's prototype 3D TV, capable of displaying images with a convincing illusion of depth, no special glasses required. It's not perfect -- you've got about a 30-degree viewing angle outside of which shimmering artifacts appear and blow the whole thing -- but when you get within the sweet spot it's so good you're sometimes startled when an object doesn't fly past the boundaries of the screen.

The TV consistently drew crowds of dazzled onlookers, but whenever I went it was impossible to find anyone from LG who could tell me anything about the TV. The little info card said that the 3D animation data (all of the 3D scenes were computer-generated) came from 3ds Max, and I noticed that the artifacts were reminiscent of lenticular images. (What? You don't know what those are? There's a geeky explanation here, and a friendlier one here.) But I suppose we'll have to wait a bit longer to get an explanation.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Griffin Announces Wireless iPod Speakers

iPod speaker systems are a dime a dozen these days. But wireless iPod speakers aren't exactly commonplace. Griffin's Evolve speaker system lets you fly from room to room, and take your tunes with you without having to constantly plug and unplug.

The Evolves feature a flat charging base that juices up your iPod, as well as each of its two wireless speakers. Each speaker has a Li-Ion battery that lasts for up to 10 hours, as well as a power switch and automatic sleep mode. Move 'em up to 150 feet away for listening in another room, or getting better sound separation. When you need to charge them up, simply place them in their base again.

In fact about the only thing that doesn't sound sweet is the price--a hefty $350 when they start shipping right around summer.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Talk and Listen with Samsung's Bluetooth Media Player

Sometimes the best ideas are the ones that just make use of what's already on hand. While it's true that you can get music-playing phones that let you juggle calls and tunes when you're using a headset, it's entirely likely that you're already quite attached to your own phone.

Among the many big and small devices that Samsung has introduced at CES, I happen to favor their T9B. It's a small flash-based media player (2 to 4 GB) that has Bluetooth connectivity. You can listen to your music wirelessly through Bluetooth stereo headphones, and when a call comes in you switch the headset over to answer -- but to speak, you use the microphone the T9B normally uses for voice recording. When the call's over, the music picks up where you left off. Sweet.

There's nothing official on availability or pricing as yet, but you can feel free to guess based on the Bluetooth-free T9 models, which are now available at $129 and $179 for 2 GB and 4 GB, respectively.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

More on LG's Super Multi Blue

If you've gotten tired of twisting your tongue around sentences starting with "LG's new multi-format high-definition DVD player," relax. The company's branded these versatile products under the near-melodic name Super Multi Blue, and as you can expect there were a few people clustered around their display. One of the products shown seems to have generated a bit less heat than the DVD player: the LG Super Multi Blue internal drive, a 5-1/4'' SATA drive that burns HD DVD-ROM and BD-R (single and dual layer) and BD-RE (single layer) discs, as well as the usual single and dual layer DVD-R/+R/-RW/+RW, DVD-RAM, and CD-R/RW. How much for all this alphabet soup burning goodness? Probably around $1200. You can start counting your pennies now, as the drive should be available in March.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Myvu: Wear Your iPod Screen on Your Nose

Every so often another company comes along and offers us the possibility of wearing glasses that will project a video image in front of our eyes, sort of a personal and portable movie screen. The first I ever saw that were light enough to be comforable were Virtual i-O's i-glasses, about twelve years ago. It was a fine start, and the technology has only gotten better since then -- kind of like MicroOptical Corporation's $299 Myvu glasses.

Designed to work with fifth-generation iPods (though models for other video sources are in the works), these slick black glasses perform as advertised -- or rather, I think they do, because they don't fit if your glasses are too wide. It turns out they've thought of that. Bespectacled users can get their specific glasses prescriptions from their optometrist, and from those MicroOptical can make special glasses to wear while using the Myvu (on your dime, of course).

All of which is pretty cool, but doesn't mitigate the fact that MicroOptical's website features all these attractive young people wearing and watching their Myvus while walking around on the street. Okay, so the glasses look good and everything, but sealing off your hearing (earbuds are built in) and your vision while navigating the urban landscape? You've just got to be kidding me.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Core Is the Simplest Cord Manager Ever

It's easy to get blinded by the TVs, wall mounts and automotive gadgets that can set you back a good part of the kids' college fund. But you can find some nice stuff that's pretty darned cheap too.

I happened to walk past the HandStands booth and noticed they had a new $5 earphone cord manager called the Core -- a small rubber spindle with notches to slide the cord through. Just notch part of the cord, wind it around the spindles as needed, then continue through to the other notch. Few exhibitors sell their products at CES, but the HandStands folks were -- and from what I saw, they couldn't keep them on the shelves. (Of course I got two.)

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Sirius Pushes TV to the Car

Last month we reported that Sirius was working on a shut-up-the-kids, or, er, a live-TV-in-the-car service. Looks like they're going full steam ahead, because they've unveiled the SiriusConnect SC-V1 Audio/Video Tuner. Not only can the device receive Sirius radio programming through the main audio system, but it can also play Sirius TV for backseat passengers. It comes with a display control unit that parents in front can use to control either the audio or the video. There's also a remote for backseat passengers to channel-surf, and it's compatible with standard NTSC monitors (so, like, I guess the TV's not included). No additional info on what kinds of programming the service will include. The SC-V1 will be available in spring for $300.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

HD Radio Invades Beamers

For some of us, listening to the radio is all about the car. You'll rarely find me jamming to the radio unless I'm driving to or from somewhere. So while tabletop and aftermarket in-car HD Radios have been available for a while, the technology doesn't really become a viable option for me till I can snap my fingers and order it up in my next car.

BMW is the first car manufacturer to move in that direction. The luxury-car maker announced that it will be offering HD Radio receivers as a factory-installed option in all of its 2007-model cars starting this spring (a $500 option).

But unlike the HD Radios it has been offering in its 2007 5 Series cars, these receivers are multicast-capable, which means you can receive multiple content streams on a single frequency. Sure, the quality improvements and data streaming capabilities of HD Radio are nice--but the real perk is the fact that many stations are multicasting, or adding second and third content streams to their frequency. In fact, there are more than 500 FM stations currently multicasting (out of the more than 1,100 stations broadcasting digital). And the best part? You can get content like BBC News or an '80s channel for free, no monthly subscription. Let's hope that other car manufacturers follow suit.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Kidproof Your iPod

Reporting on a video podcast for young kids back in January I asked the question: "Are you going to hand your $400 media player over to someone who would lose the pants they were wearing if they weren't buttoned securely?" iFrogz, a company that makes insanely customizable skins for iPods and Zune players, has the answer: a rubberized casing with grips (and optional screen protector) called the Tadpole. Now the kids can watch your Shrek download without you nervously looking over their shoulders. Now all you have to do is keep them away from your, um, alternative music collection.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

PureJoy Project Makes Everyone Musical

You know I've got nothing but love for the MIT Media Lab, especially when their projects involve music or Lego. No building blocks here, but I met David Merrill, a Ph.D. candidate who has taken some old Microsoft SideWinder controllers and a platform of his design called AudioPint to create PureJoy -- an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use interface for taking samples (often someone's voice) and manipulating them in real time, layering them over each other. In a quick demonstration, Merrill created a mini-opus using nothing but his voice and a few deft hand twists. It's like human beatboxing, reloaded.

So, why was Merrill here? It turns out that the AudioPint setup uses Via processors, and Via was showcasing a variety of companies and technologies that use thei chips. While the UMPCs were nice, it's more offbeat projects like these that capture my imagination. Hats off to the company for doing something different.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Open Source at CES: Your Phone, Your (Other) World

It almost seems like you can't swing a programmer around without hitting another open source project. I spent some time with Linden Lab CEO Philip Rosedale yesterday morning, and between an extensive Second Life demo and philosophical ruminations on Las Vegas architecture, he said that they would be announcing that the source code to the Second Life client would be released to the public under the GNU General Public License version 2. This is your chance to build that gravity inverter you've been dreaming of.

With perhaps less of a splash, at an exhibitors' event yesterday the Taiwanese company OpenMoko was promoting its FIC-GTA001, otherwise known as the Neo1973, an unlocked quad-band GSM/GPRS phone based on an open-source platform. The smartphone (expected to sell for $350 or less) runs on Linux, and OpenMoko is actively promoting the idea that consumers should be able to completely customize their phones if they're willing and able. I'm not 100% sure of the oval-ish design, though -- maybe they'll let people customize the cases as well. Keep your eyes open for it in February.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Quiet, Please: Spiffy Noise Canceling Headphones

Some call them noise-canceling headphones. I call them tiny oases of sanity in a mad, mad world. Normally I rock Sennheiser's PXC250 headphones, but I might have to find a few excuses to upgrade. Sennheiser's PXC300 is an improvement over my venerable set, offering minor tweaks like reduced interference from cell phones and real leather cushions to better seal the gap between the 'phones and the ears. (Okay, maybe that's not so minor.) Most impressive was the $499 PXC450 (pictured). Depending on your personal level of cool, it makes you look either like a DJ or an air traffic controller, but when I tried it in a room full of talking people it turned the cacophony into a (very) dull roar. A nice feature is the button on the right can that quickly deactivates noise cancellation so that you can talk to people without having to take the headphones off (and subtly remind them that you'd like to go back to your Abba groove now, please and thank you).

I was also taken by Able Planet's $299 Clear Harmony noise-canceling headphones; Able Planet's original mission was to create headsets that served the hard of hearing by selectively boosting part of the audio signal and/or canceling ambient noise to further increase clarity. When I spoke with Able Planet's co-founders last year, it occurred to me that these features would benefit hearing customers as well. They apparently had the same thought, as the company is now touting their headphones with the tagline For All Levels of Hearing. I gave their noise canceling headphones a listen, and enjoyed the results (except, oddly, on one audio track that seemed to lose the exact audio information Able Planet's technology is supposed to enhance). Perhaps unexpectedly I preferred the Sennheiser PXC450, but considering the price difference and Able Planet's broader range of users, the tradeoff could be more than worth it.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Nokia's Video Blogging Phone

Bloggers and guerilla journalists just got a nice boost thanks to Nokia and Six Apart. I recently got a look at Vox, the product of a partnership in which certain Nokia devices tie in to blogging and photo/video sharing. The new Nseries mobile devices enable people to blog and post media without needing a PC.

This sort of thing has been done before: Sony Ericsson's K790 includes a 3.2-megapixel camera, and pictures from the camera, as well as keyed-in text, can be posted directly to Blogger.

The difference here is that the N93i, the first device designed to work with Vox, seems to be a convincing all-in-one. I only got to play with it for a few minutes, but I like how it transforms to suit its need: flip it open one way and it's a tri-band EDGE/GSM phone; flip it another way, it exposes the keyboard to become a portable computer running the Symbian OS (though you'd need the optional portable keyboard to type); flip it open a third way and it's a 3.2-megapixel camera; flip it open yet another way and it's a video camera capable of recording full-color, full-motion 640x480 video clips. Other features include stereo audio recording, an included 1 GB miniSD card, and built-in editing features. (See why I don't quite call it a phone?)

The Vox service will be free, and the estimated price for the N93i is a not-terrribly-cheap 600 euros (about US780). Expect to see the device and the service some time during the first quarter of this year.

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

Mac Users Get TiVoToGo, For a Price

Windows users have had the ability to transfer video from their TiVo boxes to their PCs for some time now. And last year, TiVo added the ability to convert that video for portable devices, such as the iPod, Treo, PSP, and Creative Zen (for a $25 fee). Mac users have had to retreat to the underworld and rely on the minds of hackers to provide this functionality.

Till now. It's not the most ideal (aka cheapest) solution, but Mac users now have a TiVo-sanctioned way to watch TV recordings on their Mac. TiVoToGo for Mac is built into Roxio's newest version of Toast, the long-standing CD and DVD-burning application. The TiVoToGo features let you schedule automatic transfers from TiVo to Mac; watch shows in full-screen or a window; transfer them to iPod, PSP, or DVD; and archive to Blu-Ray. The catch? The software costs $100, which is a high price to pay if this is the only reason you'd be buying Toast.

SlingCatcher Streams Video to Any TV

My TV-addicted life is about to become complete. Sling Media is already known for its innovative Slingbox, which streams video from your home-entertainment system to your computer or mobile device. But what if you don't want to watch recorded TiVo shows on a computer or cell-phone screen?

Enter the SlingCatcher. This little box connects to any television in the house and is capable of receiving video from a Slingbox. That means you can stream content from, say, your fully decked out living-room TiVo system to your simple little bedroom TV. Using its built-in SlingPlayer for TV application, the SlingCatcher lets you watch your content around the house, or even remotely. I have been waiting for a device that could do this effectively for a long, long time. In fact, once I have this baby installed, I'll never have to get out of bed.

The SlingCatcher will also come with the SlingProjector application, which streams content from your PC and the Web to your TV. But unlike with other media extenders, which can be limited by format compatibility issues, Sling Media promises that its SlingProjector application will be capable of displaying any content that can be played on your PC.

The SlingCatcher will include HDMI, component, S-video, and composite outputs; and unlike the Slingbox, it includes built-in wireless as well as Ethernet. Sling says that the box will be available in mid-2007 for under $200. Oh, BTW: Sling also announced today that the SlingPlayer Mobile app will soon be available for Palm-OS-based cell phones. So you'll be able to watch your home-based video content from your Treo wherever you are in the world.

Sony: More Video, More Memory

CES officially started this morning, but events have been going on for some time, most of them in anticipation of what will be exhibited on the show floor.

For instance, last night was the Sony press conference, where members of the press got a chance to listen to pre-recorded celebrity greetings (Ice Cube! Three Doors Down! Ummm... other folks!) and executives from Sony and their partners taking us through scripted discussions of new products and initiatives.

Getting in late meant that I missed most of the self-congratulatory propaganda most companies subject us to, but there was still plenty of time to catch some good stuff -- like the Bravia Internet Video Link, a gadget that will connect to the back of a Bravia TV and directly stream standard-definiton and high-definiton content over a broadband connection.

For me the best part (okay, the second best part, after the 1080p Spider-Man 3 trailer was wandering through the Sony booths and buttonholing various representatives. Two tidbits here: One is a service that will allow people to buy movies online via a PS3 (the demo I saw was with a 720x480 video) and either watch them at full resolution via the console or download them to a Memory Stick on the PSP. Of course, I like the idea that you pay once for content and can then move it to another device easily, unlike the pay-for-an-expensive-UMD business model. I don't like the idea that this, like the ability to play PSOne games on the PSP, is tied to the PS3. I gave the Sony rep a little grief, and he implied that the process won't always require a PS3. We'll see.

The second, related item is their roadmap to increase the capacity of the Memory Stick Duo. The current maximum is 8 GB, but they plan to bump that to 16 GB for 2008 and 32 GB for 2009. (No word on pricing, but I wonder what happens if you try to tinker with Moore's Law?)

Sony's people were cagey, but there were a few things we talked about even though I couldn't get hard, quotable data. In fact, like only one worth mentioning is that they're starting to "consider" the direction of the second-generation Sony Reader and the eventual worldwide rollout of the Reader and the Mylo. (The Mylo goes on sale in Japan next month; after that, who knows?)

For more up-to-the-minute blogs, stories, photos, and video from the nation's largest consumer electronics show, visit PC World's CES 2007 Live Coverage Infocenter.

A Cure for Loud TV Commercials

Every night, I battle my TV. Just as I'm settling in to a nice, relaxing half-slumber while listening to Sarah-Jessica-Parker-as-Carrie-Bradshaw rant about men, I find myself rudely awakened by some horrendous Livelinks commercial. Suddenly I'm in a mad rush to find the remote so I can down the volume. Even if I was looking to talk to other 18-and-over singles in my area (and I'm not), I would still be annoyed because the current differential between the volume of TV shows and commercials has gotten out of hand.

If the FCC won't regulate that, then a new Dolby technology announced at CES might. Dubbed Dolby Volume, this technology aims to level out sound discrepancies between shows and commercials, different channels, and even scenes within the same programs. By simulating the way people hear, Dolby is able to use software to keep volumes within a certain range without losing detail or complexity. You set it to the volume you like, and the technology complies.

According to Dolby, the technology may be available in new TVs by the end of this year, or early next. If and when that happens, it will be a happy day for ears everywhere.

The Format War Is Over, but I'm Still Bitter

So LG has announced their dual-format HD DVD/Blu-ray player? Fantastic. Time Warner goes so far as to create dual-format discs? Pop open the bubbly. But you know something? It didn't take long for my initial feeling of elation to give way to 100% certified organic bile.

Absolutely none of this was necessary. Remember DVD, the little media format that could (and turns ten in a few months)? It seems like ancient history now, but it took some time for the various companies to agree on a single format back then. While it's something of a cliché to mention the Betamax/VHS videocassette format war these days, in the mid-1990s Sony had only just closed up the Betamax shop. I'd like to think that, with Sony still smarting, retailers unhappily clearing out excess Betamax stock and Betamax owners angrily trying to figure out what to do with their machines and tapes, the companies realized things go a lot smoother when everyone agrees at the outset.

It's hard to argue with the result. The DVD format was adopted pretty quickly and has gone on to remake the movie and home video industries; and we've now gotten to the point where DVD utterly dominates the home video landscape.

Then, just in case anyone though that was DVD's uptake was a fluke, there came the DVD+R/DVD-R debacle, where consumers had to decide which format they'd commit their data or video archives to. When Sony came out with the first multi-format burners, consumers breathed a collective sigh of relief.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that the entertainment and tech industries had plenty of evidence to show that just agreeing on a single format is best for everyone involved, saving a lot of time, energy and money. But no, they had to go off into their separate rooms, and the results of that intransigence -- including the eventual appearance of dual-format players -- were predictable.

Years ago, Simpsons creator Matt Groening related his frustration with trying to make a Simpsons movie in the nineties. As he related it, during one of the meetings with all the players involved he said something like, "If everyone in this room takes the second-greediest position, this thing will get made and we'll all make a ton of money. If no one backs down from the greediest position, it won't get made." No one backed down, so the movie didn't get made for the longest time. From the looks of things, the HD DVD and Blu-ray consortia refused to go with the second-greediest position as well. And as usual, who pays for it when the companies get greedy?

Olympus' Podcast-Centric Voice Recorders

You often hear of MP3 players boasting voice-recording features, but you hardly hear of voice recorders touting their MP3 and podcasting capabilities (then again, that's probably because you hardly hear of voice recorders in general).

Olympus is promoting its three new DS-series voice recorders as a way to "bridge the gap between work and play." Not only can they record meetings, lectures, and interviews, they can also be used for downloading and listening to podcasts, as well as audiobooks and MP3s. Simply use the included software to download your favorite podcasts, then sync the voice recorder to your PC to grab the latest content.

In terms of voice-recording capabilities, the new devices can record and play audio at 44.1KHz (approximately CD quality). Battery life of up to 32 hours is sufficient to handle several weeks of classes, and a built-in timer lets you skip class altogether. The detachable mic allows you to get all up in your subject's face.

The DS-30, DS-40, and DS-50 come in capacities of 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB. They'll be available this month for $150, $200, and $250.

With HDTV, Some Stars Avoid Closeups

New media often cause tricky problems for performers. Silent-movie stars had a rough time adapting to the talkies, and movie actors (still!) talk about getting used to working in TV. The newest troublemaker is HDTV, which is making life difficult for stars, their makeup artists, and the people who create the sets they work on.

The problem is a simple one: HDTV images are just too sharp and clear, so the people who make the shows we watch can't get away with as much. An AP article that appeared on the Hollywood Reporter website last week talks about how some stars are realizing that TV's tendency for closeups combined with HDTV's clarity means that every pimple and wrinkle is now visible. Even Botox and facelifts are less than perfect solutions, as HDTV makes their telltale signs visible as well.

Reading this reminded me of something I'd heard about on Studio 360, one of my favorite radio programs, over a year ago -- in this case, it was set designers who were fretting over having to create backdrops that would still look convincing under the scrutiny of HDTV resolution. If you want to get some dirt on how the TV shows you've been watching have been faking it for years, visit the Studio 360 website and listen to the audio stream.

High-Def DVDs To Go Dual-Format

Things are looking up in the high-def DVD camp. As my co-blogger Emru celebrated earlier today, LG announced that it will be shipping a dual-format Blu-Ray and HD-DVD player this year, effectively bringing an end to a huge conundrum for consumers waiting to see which way the high-def battle would shake out.

In another win for format neutrality, Warner Bros. is planning to unveil the Total HD next week, a new type of high-definition DVD that can be played on either Blu-ray or HD-DVD players. That means that movie studios don't have to pick one format over the other; they can simply release a movie on Total HD, and both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD consumers will be able to play their discs.

Warner Bros is already offering content on both formats, but other studios, such as Universal and Sony Pictures, have committed to just one standard (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, respectively). Of course, in order for Total HD to take off, movie studios have to want to support both formats.

The High-Def DVD Format War Is Over

With just days before the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, LG has pretty much guaranteed that their representatives be swamped. They've announced that they'll be releasing a combo HD DVD/Blu-ray player in early 2007, ending the should-I/shouldn't-I conundrum that has plagued the two formats since even before they were introduced. I rather expect that Toshiba, RCA, Sony and Samsung are now bracing for a sudden nosedive in their HD DVD and Blu-ray players.

LG first made noises about such a player back in March, and companies like Ricoh and NEC have developed components to facilitate just such a device, but only Ricoh has, to date, actually announced such a player (it's due in Q4 of this year).

I'll be part of the wild-eyed mob trying to get answers from the besieged LG reps in a few days. I'll be posting more details here as I get them.

Coming Soon to a Phone Near You: Samsung's Double-Sided LCD

Those of you with flip phones know how useful the outer screen can be -- it allows you to check on the time (for those of you who don't wear watches) or quickly see who's calling without having to flip open the phone. Of course, that task is easier with a reasonably bright color screen, which usually increases power consumption or adds a slight amount of extra bulk to the phone.

Samsung has developed a solution of sorts -- a truly double-sided LCD panel. Rather than putting two LCDs back to back, their QVGA (320 x 240) display uses double-gate thin-film transistors (TFTs) to dislay two pixels simultaneously on opposite sides. The main screen -- say, the inside of the phone -- operates in transmissive mode, giving you a nice, bright image. The flip side uses the light that's reflected behind the first screen for its illumination, though the result isn't quite as bright.

There are some savings inherent in this approach. Using a double-sided LCD shaves at least 1 mm (.04'') off of a device's overall thickness, and I'd think the single backlight results in some power savings compared to two separate screens. Sometimes being two-faced isn't a bad thing.

Old Media Still Coming on Strong

Keep this in mind the next time a Hollywood exec cries about how the Internet is killing his business: When it came to Wall Street, it was the older guard like Blockbuster, Time Warner and News Corp. that made gains while Netflix, Google and TiVo stumbled. Why? Part of the reason is that the future doesn't look clear enough for companies like Netflix, who are facing digital downloads like everyone else (but, I presume, the lack of their own content and comparative brand recognition hurts them somewhat), as well as companies like TiVo, whose software still hasn't made it to Comcast DVRs as announced.

Then there's the fact that this year's summer movies killed at the boxoffice. DVD sales accordingly rocked, following the success of contemporary blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean 2, older blockbusters like the release of The Little Mermaid, and the ongoing releases of TV series on DVD, aka licenses to print money. It looks like the road to an all-digital entertainment future will be bumpy, but so long as the conglomerates continue to make money hand over fist, I'm sure they won't mind too much.

Sprint M1 Stocked with 1GB of Memory

Sprint is moving ever-closer to the convergence of cell phone and MP3 player with the new M1 by Sanyo.

The M1 is your basic high-end multimedia phone, complete with 2 megapixel camera, camcorder, on-unit music controls, and Bluetooth. It's also compatible with the superfast 3G network, which provides access to Sprint TV, the music-download store, and the Sprint Movies service for watching full-length flicks on the small screen (2 inches, to be exact). But what makes this phone different from Sprint's other offerings is the inclusion of a fairly luxurious 1GB of internal memory, which means you don't have to spring for a memory card in order to take your MP3s on the go or purchase songs over the air from the store.

The M1 is currently available from Sprint's Website for $350, or $200 if you sign a two-year service contract.

The MP3 Player That Fits in Your Wallet

You know, there's a down side to all these super-thin, super-light electronic devices. Case in point: My brother-in-law loved his Motorola RAZR, but one day it ended up in the laundry because it was so slight he didn't realize it was still in his jeans. Yes, the phone is very clean. No, it no longer works.

So with that warning in mind, I direct your attention to Walletex's very thin, very light Wallet MP3 Player, just a few millimeters thicker than a credit card. It's so thin you can't actually plug your headphones in without a USB adapter.

The Wallet MP3 Player is due to go on sale in July, though if it's anything like its predecessor, the Wallet Flash, it's really meant to be sold to companies to use as branded promotional items. At least it's waterproof, dustproof and temperature resistant, so if you get one and it ends up in the wash, it might fare better than a certain cell phone.

The Cute iPod Charging Alarm Clock

I'm more than a little distressed to admit that when I saw this picture my first thought was, "Say, I haven't mentioned Sanrio or Hello Kitty in a few months." But before I book that therapist appointment, I should pass on this note about the KT450 Hello Kitty stereo clock radio, which comes complete with a charging dock for your iPod Nano or Mini. The AM/FM radio also has a video out jack for watching stored videos or photos.

Get Wireless in Your Car

Last week, while on a family vacation, we needed a car that could comfortably tote five adults and a bunch of luggage. So we rented a Chevy Uplander minivan, which came equipped with comfy chairs, walking-around space, and a TV/DVD player. All I needed was my laptop and my cat, and it would have felt like my own living room.

Well, a company called Autonet Mobile is looking to take care of the first part of that equation. Autonet is an ISP for cars, allowing you to browse the Web, check email, and watch YouTube from the comfort of your backseat. All you have to do is plug the Autonet Mobile Unit ($399) into your cigarette charger or wall plug (if your car has one), sign up for the $49-a-month service, and you and your passengers have WiFi. Reportedly, the service uses high-speed cell networks to keep you connected; the company says that its service will work on 95 percent of roads in the U.S. Not to be a Luddite, but whatever happened to playing the Alphabet Game in the backseat?

The PlayStation 2 Still Has Legs

Note to all those who want to move on to the flashiest pretty young things: It turns out that maturity and experience still count for a lot. BusinessWeek reports that despite Sony's assorted PS3 woes, the PS2 is still selling briskly, noting that cheaper components and a sizable installed user base means the company is pulling in $8 for every now-inexpensive $130 unit it sells -- and considering they sold over 100 million units since March 2005, that's no chump change. Factor in the expected 11 million sales in the fiscal year ending this March plus the $1.4 yes-that's-with-a-B billion this year from game makers' license fees for the PS2 and the PSOne, and it looks like the beleaguered company will be able to ride out its PS3 and PSP bumps -- for a while, at any rate.