Microsoft Vista may seem overloaded to some, but the idea of stripping away the fat and leaving only the specific Vista components (including drivers and applications) you desire--which is what free utility vLite enables--may be misplaced.
Removing individual modules may be dangerous, both to the stability of Windows as well as to the OS installation's ability to handle maintenance updates. In conversation with Microsoft today, Christopher Flores, director of Windows marketing, says, "it sounds like you're taking your life in your own hands. There are dependencies between the different modules. If [what you remove is] in the dependency chain for some other piece, you've broken the chain."
Flores notes that some components are optional from the outset. Moreover, he says, "I haven't heard the issue where people are concerned with the disk footprint being that big of a deal, given the size of hard disk drives today."
If users consider trying to reduce the size of Vista due to performance issues, Brad Marrs, senior program manager for Windows client performance, notes that any gains will be limited and temporary. Removing pieces of the operating system to condense Vista's physical size will not in and of itself guarantee a performance boost.
"Would it help? Removing pieces from memory will help performance. Removing modules from the hard disk will help in the first week you're running [the OS], when you have first installed it on a pristine disk," says Marrs. "But once you start adding files and deleting files [on the hard drive], having those fewer files as part of the initial install won't help in the long-term."
In the briefing today, Microsoft emphasized that Service Pack 1--due this quarter--will feature numerous performance enhancements.
Versions of RealNetworks' RealPlayer have been labeled "badware" by the organization StopBadware.org.
StopBadware claims RealPlayer 10.5 fails to "accurately and completely disclose the fact that it installs advertising software on" a user's computer. It also claims RealPlayer 11 is badware because it "does not disclose the fact that it installs Rhapsody Player Engine software, and fails to remove this software when RealPlayer is uninstalled."
Ryan Luckin, spokesperson for RealNetworks, insists that both versions of RealPlayer are not badware, but acknowledges mistakes and user misconceptions exist in both products. He says changes will be made to both version of RealPlayer in response to the StopBadware.org classification. "Neither versions of RealPlayer put users at risk. They aren't malware or install third-party programs on your PC," Luckin says.
Continue reading "RealPlayer Gets Slapped with "Badware" Label"
For years, RealPlayer has been CrapWare, ScumWare, and AnnoyingWare. It's a great day now that BadWare has been added to the list. It's one of the worst pieces of software I've ever tried to use.
Because of the horrible player, I long ago stopped converting any media to the Real format, and I've strongly discouraged all of my clients from doing so as well. There are many better alternatives.
But because there are still some sites out there blindly offering only that format, I advise clients to uninstall the official Real Player (or, better yet, never install it in the first place), and switch to Real Alternative. It's a plain jane player that actually is what the official version should be.
As you can tell from the quotes in this article, the folks who make Real Player are a bunch of weasels. They've made similar promises in the past and the player only gets worse with every passing version. They simply cannot be trusted, and their promises to change things aren't worth anything.
You guys forgot about the grand daddy of them all when using XP if you insert a cd it will reboot your computer for you even if you don't want it too
Huh Dom2354? I've been using XP for years and that is not a "problem" that I've had.
Geoff
The gPhone rumor mill is turning at full speed today following a Marketing Week report that Dell and Google will be teaming up to create a smartphone to compete with Apple's own iPhone.
Ever since Dell hired former Motorola executive Ron Garriques last March it has been thought that Dell was working on a smartphone to replace its failed Axim PDA line. Google has also had its fair share of phone rumors with its fabled gPhone that would run on the Android mobile operating system. Though both Dell and Google have long been rumored to be working on smartphones, this is the first time that the suggestion has been made that they would be collaborating together on it.
Continue reading "Report: Dell and Google Partner on Android Handset"
The four operators of Pirate Bay, one of the biggest file-sharing Web sites, have been officially charged with conspiracy to break copyright law in Sweden. Despite the charges against the site operators Pirate Bay is still operating.
The charges stem from a 2006 raid of Pirate Bay which included the confiscation of servers. Pirate Bay operators have maintained the charges are "idiotic." Pirate Bay spokesman Peter Sunde told the Reuters news agency, "There is no legal ground (for the charges)."
Continue reading "Pirate Bay Operators Charged - Site Still Up and Running"
I dont see them laying down and going out easy.they are most likley smarter than the people chaseing them.
A rather tongue-in-cheek mash-up of Google and Torrent sharing websites at PiraBoogle.com
Thought it rather fun to showcase a really easy-to-use Torrent file search engine using Google's own tools given all the recent coverage about PirateBay.org being sued and Yahoo removing PirateBay from its search results.
Judging by the 2,000 users who have accessed PiraBoogle on its first day they agree that it is a great interface to use (wonder if they get the irony that it is built on Google)?
As I watch the turn of events from Pirate Bay, I am amazed - to say - what lengths people will go to. Look folks, If I found a set of car keys "Can I be arrested for Grand Theft Auto?", If I was matched up with someone on a match finder site, And the match injured me, can I sue the Site? I have sat back and watched as thousands of people go to jail for using Controlled Drugs, However the Seller goes free? Does anyone but me see a pattern here? Its no longer about right or wrong, Its all about Money and revenue.
Pirate Bay moved their database to another Country (Yea, They have passports too). Sometimes I wonder if they really know who they are dealing with.
Congress is considering a bill backed by the Recording Industry Association of America that would increase the penalty for pirating compilation CDs to $1.5 million. The bill, called the PRO-IP Act (Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property), would treat compilation CDs differently than single-artist albums. Ars Technica has the full scoop on the bill that is receiving some major criticism by some who call it "outrageously gluttonous" of copyright cops.
Anyone who pirated a compilation CD would face separate charges for each song on a CD instead of being fined for pirating just one CD. Here is an example: "if a 10-song album were infringed, the statutory damages would not range from $750 to $150,000, as they do today, but could be as high as $7500 to $1.5 million," according to Sherwin Siy is Staff Attorney and Director of the Global Knowledge Initiative at the consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge.
Continue reading "RIAA Going too Far? Bill Boosts Fines to $1.5M for Pirating One CD"
f-'em. The RIAA has become a parody of themselves. Maybe they should bow out of the picture when Bush leaves office. Good riddance to the both of 'em. If they can't figure out how to move into the 21st century then let them go the way of the dino!
When oh When will the MORON's of the RIAA learn?? I have a few choice words for the RIAA guess what RIAA you loose in the long run.. You can go ahead and make everyone in the world poor and make everyone eat dirt and so on and so forth.. Guess again RIAA if you want Stop File sharing you Fools will have to TRY and I say TRY to disable the INTERNET!! you want to know why?? LOL omg this is how DUMB the RIAA is..
You dont need P2P crap software to get FREE music... there are Tons of Ways...
Ever hear of Google??
Did you know Microsoft Makes it EASY to RIP MUSIC cds to your Computers?? With Embeded software called MEDIA CENTER!!
God Are they ( the riaa) F-in Dumb!
Did you also know Over E-mail, Messenger ( yahoo, MSN..ect.) you can Send Files to each other?
Yes I grew up in the 80's and we exchanged cassett tapes with friends, Recorded songs off the Radio.... and even traded Vinyl!!
Omg RIAA Sue Me NOW for stuff i did a Decade ago!
What a bunch of morons!
Ahhhaaa! $10 million fine for violation, anyone? *big grin*
RIAA to death...
I cannot wait... :D
Updated 1/30/08
Leaked info about a new dSLR stole a bit of Nikon's thunder this morning, but the company officially announced the D60 digital SLR this evening. (The price was announced later at $750.)
So far, the D60 is one of the hottest camera announcements of PMA 2008 in Las Vegas, the annual photography industry show that begins on Wednesday.
According to Nikon's press release, the D60 is smaller than your average dSLR, just like the popular Nikon D40. The 10.2-megapixel cam comes with the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR image-stabilizing lens included.
Thanks to a few nifty features on the D60, this dSLR acts like it's a point-and-shoot, making it seem like a good option for first-time dSLR buyers.
It's practically an instant-on camera, with an 0.18-second startup time. Users can crop, retouch, and edit photos in the camera with its onboard editing apps, and the camera can even create stop-motion films by sequencing up to 100 consecutive shots. Nikon says the Stop Motion Movie mode is a first for dSLRs.
Another interesting feature is the camera's dust-removal system; it literally shakes dust off the lens and has something called an Airflow Control System that blows dust particles away from the CCD sensor.
The D60 uses Nikon's Expeed imaging processing engine to enhance photo color and tone, as well as 3-D Color Matrix Metering II, which the company says makes automatic exposure adjustments to low-light shots. The camera can capture RAW-format images, which can be resized and edited within the camera.
In addition to SD cards, the D60 also supports two of the emerging trends of this year's CES and PMA shows: Eye-Fi cards and high-capacity SDHC cards. The Eye-Fi card can transmit images directly from the camera to a computer over a Wi-Fi connection, eliminating the need for a USB cable. SDHC cards made a big splash at CES this year when their capacity hit 32GB -- all that storage is handy if you're shooting in RAW format all the time.
No pricing information for the D60 has been announced just yet, but Nikon says the new dSLR will be available in February.
PC World Senior Products Editor Melissa Perenson contributed to this story.
It seems like CES was only yesterday, but once again, the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center is packed with new technology and gadget lovers this week.
PMA 2008, the Photo Marketing Association's annual trade show, is going on all this week in Las Vegas. I'll be running around, already-obsolete camera in hand, covering all the big camera and camcorder offerings at this year's show.
Click the links below to get the latest camera and camcorder announcements, and bookmark this page to get the latest links. We'll add them as they're posted.
For all the latest camera and camcorder news, reviews, videos, and buying guides, be sure to visit PC World's Digital Cameras InfoCenter.
The coverage of PMA and CES were kinda weak this year. On that note, I am an avid photographer, and technology buff.
On the heels of last week's announcement of several new point-and-shoots, Sony added two new DSLRs to the mixwith its announcements at PMA 2008 today.
The 10.2-megapixel Sony Alpha 300 DSLR is billed as an entry-level DSLR, and it has a nice $799 price for the Alpha 300K model, which comes bundled with a zoom lens. It's slated for availability in April.
The Alpha 300 DSLR uses Sony's Bionz image-processing engine and will be available in two versions. The Alpha 300K ($799) comes with the SAL-1870 DT 18-70mm (27 - 105 35mm eq) f3.5 Zoom lens, and the Alpha 300X is bundled with two lenses: the SAL-1870, as well as the SAL-55200 DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 Telephoto Zoom Lens. No pricing info on the Alpha 300X is available yet.
The camera's extended ISO sensitivity maxes out at ISO 3200, and the Alpha 300 has a sensor-shifting image stabilizer -- a combination that Sony says makes for very clear shots in low light. Sony also claims the Alpha 300's dynamic range optimizer automatically adjusts shots to make them more natural-looking, fix backlight effects, and brighten shadowy shots.
Fitted with a tilting 2.7-inch LCD display (pictured above) and a pop-up flash, Sony says the screen never blinks off in burst mode, which makes it easier to follow a moving subject.
The Alpha 300 also has two levels of anti-dust protection for the CCD: a physical anti-dust coating on the CCD filter, as well as a shaking mechanisms that shakes dust off the sensor.
The Alpha 350 will be available in March. This DSLR has most of the same specs as the Alpha 300, but it bumps its resolution up to 14.2 megapixels.
It's available in three models: a body-only version ($799), the $899 Alpha 350K with the SAL-1870 zoom lens (pictured above), and the Alpha 350X with both the SAL-1870 and the SAL-55200 telephoto zoom lens.
In addition to announcing today that its MacBook Air is officially shipping to customers, Apple also casually noted that its free Apple TV (Take 2) software update is still a work-in-progress. According to Apple's singular statement on the matter, the update--which will enable movie rentals--will "now be available in another week or two."
Mark another victory by the tech savvy fliers as Continental Airlines adds Wi-Fi Internet access and satellite television to some of its fleet of airplanes. Continental is contracting the services out to LiveTV LLC, the JetBlue-owned company responsible for JetBlue, WestJet, Frontier, Virgin and AirTran's technologically advanced in-air options.
Continental joining the ranks of Southwest and American Airlines that already offer in-air Wi-Fi and satellite television options.
Continue reading "Continental Airlines to Offer In-Flight Wi-Fi and Live TV"
U2 now joins the ranks of Metallica and other mega-bands in a battle against online music piracy.
Paul McGuinness, the Irish rock band's manager, says Internet service providers, not just individual file swappers, need to be held accountable for pirated content that zips across their networks. McGuinness didn't stop there, according to reports, calling out giants such as Microsoft, Google, AOL, Yahoo, Comcast, Vodafone, FaceBook (what?) and Apple.
On the flip side, McGuinness says these tech firms also hold the key to solving the billions of dollars lost to piracy. McGuinness, U2's manager for the past 30 years, spoke at a music industry trade show in France and said, "I suggest we shift the focus of moral pressure away from the individual P2P file thief and on to the multibillion dollar industries that benefit from these countless tiny crimes--the ISPs, the telcos, the device-makers."
In addition to the new D60 digital SLR announced today, Nikon also unveiled six new point-and-shoot Coolpix cameras. Nikon's new announcements come two days before the start of PMA 2008, the annual camera and photography trade show in Las Vegas.
The lowest-end addition to the line is the Coolpix L18, an 8-megapixel camera that will sell for $140 when it's released in March.
The L18 has a 3x optical zoom Nikkor lens, a 3-inch LCD viewfinder, and anti-shake technology. According to Nikon, the camera is designed for very easy shooting, with an Easy Auto mode that adjusts all the settings for the shooter.
A step up from the L18 are four additions to Nikon's ultracompact Coolpix S series. The Coolpix S210, S520, S550, and S600 will also be available in March.
The S210 is less than 0.75 inches thick, yet packs an 8-megapixel sensor along with a 3x optical zoom lens.
Digital image stabilization, face detection for up to 12 faces per shot, red-eye reduction, and a 2.5-inch LCD display come with the S210's $180 price of admission.
The S520 (pictured below) adds optical image stabilization and a non-flash "Food Mode" to the S210's basic specs.
The 10-megapixel S550 (pictured below) has a 5x optical zoom, but only digital -- not optical -- image stabilization.
The S550 adds Smile Mode to its mix of features, which automatically takes a picture when someone in frame is smiling, and Blink Warning, which pops up a message on the LCD screen when someone in the shot blinks. Both the S520 and S550 will go for $230 in March.
The high-end S series Coolpix is the wide-angle S600, a $300 10-megapixel cam billed for its sleek looks.
The S600 boasts a 4x wide-angle 28-112mm Zoom-Nikkor lens, optical image stabilization, and what Nikon's claiming is the fastest startup time for an ultracompact camera.
Last up is the Coolpix P60, which Nikon is aiming at casual photographers who also want manual controls.
The 8.1-megapixel P60 has a 5x optical zoom Nikkor glass lens and a light sensitivity range of up to ISO 2000 for taking shots in very dark places. The P60 is also slated for release in March at a price of $230.
All the new Coolpix cameras come in a variety of colors, including blue, red, plum, and black.
The DEMO conference hasn't even really started yet, and already some interesting new products are being announced.
One comes from a new company called Toktumi (pronounced talk-to-me), whose product (also called Toktumi) provides small businesses with a full-functioned PC-based office phone system. It's a hosted PBX (private branch exchange) service that requires no equipment other than your PC and a small adapter used to hook up regular phones to the computer.
The service provides all the stuff you expect from a PBX, including auto attendant, voicemail, forwarding, etc., but most of that functionality is hosted at Toktumi's servers in San Francisco, not on the PCs of the small business.
None of this functionality is really new, but the way Toktumi puts the PC at the center of the office phone system is unique. And there's something else I hadn't heard of: Toktumi offers something called Search Dialing, which taps address books and online search engines to allow users to call any number by entering a name or keyword describing the person, company, product or service they're looking for.
The new product is getting press in part because its CEO and founder, Peter Sisson, has had a bit of luck selling VOIP solutions in the past. His old company, Teleo, a Skype-like consumer VOIP service, was bought up by Microsoft for an undisclosed amount in the summer of 2005.
Initially, the Toktumi service will be available in beta form and by invitation only, and will become generally available in the spring of 2008, the company says.
P2P music networking site Qtrax launched over the weekend promising anyone the ability to download legal copies of over 25 million songs for free. Instead of having to cough up cash to download songs advertising would cover the cost of music. Revenues would be split with Qtrax and record labels. However, things aren't looking good for the fledgling service, as of Monday morning the site is unavailable and several big music labels are claiming not to be supporting the service, according to reports.
Continue reading "Qtrax Hits Major Snag Rolling Out Free Music Service"
While Amazon MP3 is going global and QTrax is experimenting with ad-supported music, Sony Ericsson is busy expanding its music services to its cell phone users.
The company announced today that it will be expanding its PlayNow music services.
The linchpin appears to be the PlayNow arena service, which Sony Ericsson handset owners can use to download music over the air. The company said that it had added over 5 million new tracks to the service after inking deals with Warner Music Group, EMI, The Orchard, IODA, The PocketGroup, Hungama, X5 Music, Bonnier Amigo and VidZone. Corporate cousin Sony BMG is, of course, included in that list. The service will also work with the company's TrackID music-identification service to provide real-time charts of what people are requesting and listening to.
PlayNow Uncut, the rebranded version of the company's M-Buzz, is for fans of live and new music, showcasing new acts, videos and unreleased tracks from around the world, as well as providing information on tour dates. While PlayNow Uncut's music will be streamed, the most popular songs will be made available for sale on PlayNow arena.
PlayNow arena will launch in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland in May, and will expand to the rest of Europe, the Americas and Asia by the end of the year.
Despite all of the Geek Squad shenanigans and the pushy salespeople who are eager to force extended warranties down our throats, Best Buy isn't a horrible place. But its recent blunder may have finally sealed the deal for some who just don't like the company. Best Buy sold a "limited number" of Insignia virus-infected digital photo frames. Insignia is Best Buy's electronics house brand.
The digital photo frame in question is the Insignia 10.4-inch model number NS-DPF10A and was sold on or around the holiday season online and in-store. Best Buy was quick to jump into PR mode and say that the virus is "older" and "easily identified and removed by current anti-virus software." The alert continues that Best Buy is taking the matter very seriously. Oh really?
Continue reading "Best Buy Sold Infected Digital Picture Frames"
Aside from calling the Insignia support line, you can take the picture frame and your infected computer along with the receipt to any BBY store; and Geek Squad will take care of removing the virus at no charge.
The author of this article is not very helpful, and neither is the article. So you bash Best Buy for not doing enough to protect the customer, and then you say "my only suggestion is to do what Best Buy says -- update your anti-virus software, plug in the frame and pray.". That's some great advice you have there, after bashing that that isn't enough. And Best buy offering gift cards for a problem that wasn't their fault, and for a product where there profit margin is way less than any reasonable gift card could offer? Get real. The reader comments were more helpful than this article. And I'm not a fan of Best Buy myself, but let's get realistic here.
The author ends his article with a cynical comment having NO data to back it up: "You could always write a letter to your congressman, but those always go into the trash anyway."
Comments like this indirectly discourage people from doing what does often work: write their congressional representatives. Take, for instance, the ongoing fight for net neutrality. I--and others like me--have written . . . and we continue to write, often getting replies--and action--from those very same congressional reps. The key is getting a "critical mass" of writers. Enough writers = pressure to do something.
Mr. Hudson, when you write about computers, write about computers. Keep your destructive cynicism on other matters to yourself . . . where it belongs.
In the pre-PMA buildup, Pentax announced three new Optio cameras, as well as setting a ship date for its previously announced Optio A40 digital camera.
The 12-megapixel Optio A40 ($300) was originally announced last fall and is slated for availability in February. It boasts three different flavors of shake reduction: a mechanical system that shifts its CCD when shaken, a digital system that adjusts the ISO sensitivity, and another digital movie-only system that kicks in when the user is shooting video. The A40 is equipped with a DivX-format video recorder, a 3x optical zoom, face detection, and 21MB on on-board memory.
The brand-new announcements are the ultracompact 12-megapixel Optio S12, the 8.1-megapixel Optio E50, and the 8-megapixel Option M50.
The Optio S12 is billed as a superslim, style-conscious 12-megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and a bright, 2.5-inch LCD screen.
The S12's face-detection feature can detect up to 15 faces per shot, so it looks like Pentax is the early leader in this year's "facial-detection headcount" contest. The S12 is slated to ship in April for $280.
The Optio M50, due in March, bumps the optical zoom up to 5x and has a Panorama Mode that lets the shooter join three photos side-to-side to create a widescreen shot.
It also boasts a 15-face-per-shot facial detection feature, as well as a Smile Capture setting that automatically takes a picture when a selected person in the frame is smiling. The M50 has 51.1 MB of on-board memory and a suggested price tag of $230.
Pentax's other new Optio, the 3x optical zoom E50, can be powered by AA batteries. The entry-level camera has a "Green Mode" setting that automatically adjusts the settings dependent on light levels and the shooting conditions.
There's also an Auto Picture mode, which chooses the best pre-set setting for each shot. The Optio E50 has a facial detection feature, which unlike the S10 and M50, maxes out at 10 faces. Still, that's plenty of faces. Priced at $150, the E50 is slated for availability this March.
Continuing the pre-PMA camera announcement barrage, Canon unveiled a quartet of new point-and-shoot PowerShot cameras for 2008. The new cameras include updates to Canon's fashion-minded Digital Elph line, as well as three new additions to the solid and popular PowerShot A line.
The new Elph is the PowerShot SD1100 IS, an ultracompact 8-megapixel camera available in five colors: brown, pink, blue, gold, and silver. The SD1100 is the successor to last year's SD1000 Digital Elph, adding optical image stabilization to its 3x optical zoom lens.
The SD1100 IS has a Digic III image processor, 18 shooting modes, face-detection for up to nine people per photo, and lets the shooter select a single face in the crowd to keep in focus. It's slated for release in March for $250.
New additions to the boxier PowerShot A series include the 8-megapixel PowerShot A590 IS and PowerShot A580, as well as the 7.1-megapixel PowerShot A470.
The PowerShot A590 IS ($180, available in March) offers the lens-shifting optical image stabilization found in the new Elph, 19 shooting modes including a fully manual mode, and 4x optical zoom.
The A590 IS also lets the users attach converter lenses to the camera's zoom lens with an adapter, which is sold separately.
The 8-megapixel A580 ($150, available in March) doesn't have the optical image stabilization of the A590 IS, but does have the same 4x optical zoom and almost as many shooting modes (16).
Both the A590 IS and A580 also offer a new feature highlighted by Canon. Easy Mode will automatically optimize the camera's settings based on light levels and shooting conditions.
The lower-end PowerShot A470 ($130, available in March) can run on two AA batteries and is available in four colors. It also offers tweakable ISO speed and white-balance settings, as well as 14 shooting modes.
All the new A-series PowerShots use the Digic III image processor, face detection, red-eye reduction, motion detection, and anti-blur technology.
When I heard yesterday that VUDU was dropping the price of its Internet video set-top box by a third to $295 (from $399), I sent the company's PR person this note:
"I'm going to blog (tomorrow) that VUDU is dropping its price in direct response to the new Apple TV price, unless somebody tells me different. Fair?"
Her reply: "Feel free to blog what you like. VUDU is just trying to give consumers what they want." So much for my snarky first-take on VUDU's price drop. In fact it's a good move by VUDU, and a good thing for us tech buyers.
My first take was right, but a bit of a no-brainer: VUDU is dropping its price because of two things:
Apple TV's 40GB version was $299, but now will sell for $229. The 160 GB version was $399, but now will sell for $329, as Steve Jobs announced recently at Macworld. Feature-wise, Jobs said, Apple TV now accesses movie content for instant-on play from all the major Hollywood studios (like VUDU), has added TV shows (like VUDU), and will handle HD content (like VUDU). On paper, the two services are fairly equal.
That said, the price cut keeps VUDU in the game against Apple TV in the marketplace. And it is a formidable competitor. By all accounts, VUDU's download speeds, video quality and show selection are pretty impressive. Also, the VUDU box stores a lot more video, since it ships with a 250GB hard drive inside. So while VUDU hasn't exactly become a household name since its launch last year, it might be able to ride the wave if Apple TV takes off. "A rising tide raises all ships," as some old guy once said.
AT&T is throwing a bone to its broadband service customers by offering free access to every AT&T hotspot across the country. This gives the roughly 10 million AT&T broadband subscribers access to more than 10,000 of AT&T's public Wi-Fi hotspots.
The decision was made by AT&T to "increase the value of broadband," which still sounds a bit like PR speak to me. Regardless, it is a good service for those that do already use AT&T's broadband service. The decision to allow free access equates to savings of $60 for AT&T broadband subscribers (who previously received access to AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots at a discounted rate) and $240 for individuals who do not have any kind of AT&T broadband service.
The small catch is that take advantage of the free Wi-Fi you'll have to be getting at least AT&T's 1.5 Mbps broadband service.
Continue reading "AT&T Broadband Customers Get Free Hotspot Wi-Fi"
I wonder if its cheaper to get access to the WiFi hotspots, or AT&T's broadband to get the WiFI. I don't think I will buy into this though, because unless I'm gonna have a handful of ISPs so I can have fast speed at home, and WiFi where ever I go, I'd rather choose one fast connection that is reliable. Unfortunitly FIOS isn't availible to me quiet yet, so I'm stuck with the anti-torrent cable companies. Luckly for me, mine doesn't touch my speeds most of the time. Most of the time.
Its really too bad we don't have a massive WiFi hotspot build like a cell phone network, like WiFi in Cells (WiC). That would allow fast speeds for all by using the same idea as cell towers, but one login for all, and seperate security for all in the same basis.
Hoping to join Amazon and iTunes as music mavens, Yahoo and the CBS-owned Last.fm have made announcements regarding expanding and creating their own digital music services.
Last.fm announced starting today you can play any selected song on your computer for free. Previously Last.fm was solely an Internet radio website. You could select artists that you liked, and Last.fm would play like a radio station based on your music tastes.
Canon got a jump on next week's Photo Marketing Association show by unleashing a bevy of new point-and-shoot cameras, and a refresh to its Digital Rebel. Based on its specs, the new Digital Rebel XSi ($799 body only, $899 with the EF-S 18-55mm IS kit lens) represents more than just a surface update of the current Rebel XTi.
For starters, Canon has switched the storage medium from CompactFlash cards to SD/SDHC cards. Although not unheard of for an SLR--competitor Nikon uses an SD card in its smaller, entry-level camera, the D40--it's somewhat surprising that Canon switched storage mediums from one generation to the next.
What's not surprising: This model ups the ante in some expected ways, such moving resolution to 12.2 megapixels, the LCD size to three inches, and boosting the image processor to Canon's Digic III (already found on most Canon point-and-shoots and Canon's EOS 40D and 1D Mark III). Somewhat less expected on this model, but still a nice find: the Rebel XSi becomes the latest DSLR to add Live View, for composing the shot in the LCD screen; plus, this model has a new auto-focus system and can shoot up to 3.5 frames per second--more than its predecessor.
The Digital Rebel XSi is due out in April.
Meanwhile, if that's too much camera for you, perhaps one of Canon's newly unveiled point-and-shoots will be more to your liking. The reasonably full-featured Canon A590 IS costs just $180--noticeably less than its predecessor--while the entry-level A470 carries an MSRP of $130. Canon says it expects that model to sell at retail for closer to $100.
Note that the Nikon D80 also uses SD cards, not just the D40. With 4 other cameras and a Treo smart phone that all use SD cards it was one of the reasons I picked the D80 over the Canon.
Lately, the first reviews of big-ticket Apple products have come from the same four authors--Baig, Levy, Mossberg, and Pogue--who've been privy to getting the goods before the rest of the nation.
This time is no exception. Ed Baig (USA Today), Steven Levy (Newsweek), and Walt Mossberg (The Wall Street Journal) have all weighed in tonight with their perspectives on the much-hyped MacBook Air. (Interesting side note: Rather than do a dedicated review, David Pogue of The New York Times chose to mesh his MacBook Air review into a hands-on perspective from the Macworld show last week.)
While these reviews laud MacBook Air's svelte form, all three note the many compromises you're making with the MacBook Air--one USB port, no removable battery, no optical drive, comparatively limited hard disk space. All three also note that the machine will not be for everyone--a point that Apple's Steve Jobs himself conceded in a post-keynote interview with the NYT's John Markoff.
The most interesting take away from these early reviews: Both Baig and Mossberg found that in their workaday usage tests, the MacBook Air's battery life was less than what Apple advertises. Apple claims 5 hours of battery life for MacBook Air; those two reviewers averaged just 3 and a half hours.
These battery life results are disappointing: That's barely enough juice to fly from San Francisco to Dallas, let alone make it across the continent. Certainly, for a traveling executive--one segment of the MacBook Air's audience--those results will give pause, particularly given the fact that you can't even schlep an battery to use in a pinch.
I'll be interested to see what PC World's own test results yield--once we get a MacBook Air in hand. Stay tuned.
What can't a user in this segment do with their MacBook Air? The users are upscale students, small businesses using Wireless networking, people that don't want to carry a heavy workhorse.
You need one USB plug to plug in your iPhone or iPod and the DVI monitor plug includes a VGA adaptor. If you need to replace your battery, they do it at the Apple Store so if you don't have one near you don't buy one. Who cares? It's far superior to any other sub-notebook, hell the full sized keyboard alone makes it better.
This is for WIRELESS users, not physical media users. Get it? Baa-baa.
Update (1/23/2008): We've got winners.
Last week, we posted a pic of Steve Jobs displaying the new MacBook Air and asked you for your most creative caption submissions. Here, as voted by an elite panel of PC World editors, are the very best ones we received.
This Week's Winner
"Introducing the Apple iTray. Next time you have a party, serve drinks to your guests using this stylish new drink tray. It's wireless, and...um...wireless. Only $1499 for white or $1699 for black. A cork pad for the top is available for only $99. Did I mention it's wireless???" -- gundark
Congratulations to "gundark" for being the first caption-contest winner! Gundark receives... well... a whole bunch of bragging rights. Sorry there isn't a bigger payoff, gundark. The good news is that bragging rights and $1,699 will get you the black, first-generation iTray.
Honorable Mention
"...and the prawns go great with that. Would you like to see our wine list today?" -- mrhinman
"Who ordered the Steve Jobs appetizer?" -- ferd
"I regret this decision immediately." -- davidmcguigan
"Awww...they are all so sweet and innocent...and so cute with their open wallets..." -- Fatcat
We've Got a Name, Too
Thanks to everyone who voted in our online poll to pick a winning name for this contest. From here on in, we'll be calling this feature "Caption Crunch."
"Caption Crunch" fended off the surprisingly popular "Other" and nabbed 34 percent of the online votes.
1. Caption Crunch: 34% of votes
2. Other: 28% of votes
3. Oh Caption, My Caption: 17% of votes
4. Aye Aye, Caption: 14% of votes
5. Caption-O-Matic 2000: 7% of votes
Tune in next Friday, Feb. 1, for the next episode of Caption Crunch. We'll post a new photo and let you have at it.
What follows is the original text for the inaugural Caption Crunch contest.
Let's try something new. Every other week, we'll be posting a photo on the Today @ PC World blog and asking you for your creative caption submissions.
But first, we need a name for this recurring caption contest, and that's up to you, too. Vote for your favorite name ideas in the poll at the end of this post or submit your own in the Comments section below. Democracy rules; we'll use the name with the most votes.
Continue reading "Caption Crunch Winners: What Is Steve Jobs Thinking?"
I am the King! LOVE ME
"they all like bunch of apes who's never used a spoon before - we've had this laptop for years now and if they knew what we really had up our sleeves... this is just to cover the new lab we need to build our new product!'
Oooh I needed a new ice scraper for my car.
With PMA just a week away, Sony announced a slew of new Cyber-Shot digital cameras that range from entry-level point-and-shooters to ultracompact cams with high-end features. In all, eight new Sony cameras were unveiled today.
Four new additions to the Cyber-Shot W series are on tap in the coming months. The 10.1-megapixel Cyber-Shot DSC-W170 ($300) and 8.1-megapixel Cyber-Shot DSC-W150 ($250) will both offer wide-angle Carl Zeiss lenses and 5x optical zoom.
oth the W170 and W150 have 2.7-inch LCD screens and are slated to ship in April. The lower-end Cyber-Shot DSC-W130 (8.1 megapixels, $230) and DSC-W120 (7.2 megapixels, $200) instead offer 4x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD screens, and no Carl Zeiss lens, and will be available in March.
For all the new W series cameras, Sony is highlighting the "smile shutter" mode, which senses when someone in the frame smiles and automatically takes a picture. The advanced face-detection technology can recognize up to eight faces per shot and lets the user prioritize the "smile shutter" to trigger when a specific person smiles.
At the entry-level end are two new additions to the Cyber-Shot S series. The slim 8.1-megapixel DSC-S780 ($180) and five-megapixel DSC-S750 ($150) are both one inch thick and offer 22MB of on-board memory for out-of-the-box shooting. Both cameras boast facial detection for up to three people per shot, as well as seven pre-set scene modes. Both the S750 and the S780 are slated for release in April.
Also announced by Sony today were the 8-megapixel Cyber-Shot DSC-H10, a compact high-zoom camera that's geared towards families. The DSC-H10 boasts a 10x optical zoom, a long-distance flash for faraway shots, a Carl Zeiss lens, and a high shutter-speed mode for rapid-fire sports or action shots. The DSC-H10 also has some on-board image-editing apps, as well as face detection for up to eight people per shot. The $300 camera will be available in May.
At the highest end of Sony's Cyber-Shot announcements is the DSC-T300, a $400 camera due in March. It's an ultracompact 10.1-megapixel cam with a 5x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens. The DSC-T300 has a 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD display, as well as in-camera management tools that let you sort shots by date (or smile, according to Sony) and view them in a calendar-like interface.
The DSC-T300, the DSC-W170, and the DSC-W150 also have Sony's new Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN) tech, which the company says will automatically adjust the camera's settings to the best possible for each shot.
PC World will have full coverage of the big announcements from PMA 2008, which begins on Jan. 31.
The Hollywood movie establishment's industry group, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), admitted today it grossly overestimated college students' contribution to its reported $6.1 billion in annual global piracy losses.
The MPAA has claimed for some time now that college students account for 44 percent of its piracy losses in the U.S. It's now saying only about 15 percent of its losses happen within campus broadband networks.
That 44 percent number has been the basis for much of the MPAA's pressure tactics against universities, both in the court room and in the halls of Congress. Based on that number, the MPAA has launched an all out legal attack on individual file sharers in the dorms, and has pushed for federal legislation that would withhold federal monies from universities who do not stop file sharing on campus networks.
Hear this. Regardless of the numbers, endangering universities, and young people's chances at higher education because of Hollywood's digital content distribution problems is not the way to go. And now we find out the lobbying full-court press behind this legislation was based on wonky numbers anyway?
How can we now be sure that all the other "sky-is-falling" numbers from the MPAA are correct? This is a major-league gaff by the MPAA; we can only wait to see if it damages the group's credibility even further.
Last word goes to Public Knowledge president Gigi Sohn: "MPAA owes the educational community an apology. And it owes the public an apology for trying to make its case for filtering the Internet and other Draconian measures on the basis of faulty information, faulty business models and a failure to adapt to changing times."
In the latest episode of DRM blunders, we encounter Apple, stepping into Microsoft's realm of crippling DRM-restrictions.
In this scenario, the QuickTime 7.4 update that was originally designed for the iTunes rental store also includes an unexpected DRM error when Adobe After Effects renders QuickTime videos. This information comes from users at the official Apple and Adobe discussion boards.
Continue reading "Apple Enters Realm of DRM Blunders"
Yawn. More Fearmongering from PC fanboys who can't take that their terrible systems are crippled by all sorts of things, so they imagine up a terrible terrible thing from Apple that really isn't so terrible.
Ever dreamed of building your own PC from scratch? If money were no object, you'd probably build the biggest, baddest, best PC. Well, that's what we're doing - only we're giving it away when we're done! PC World's editors are picking their favorite components to custom-build the ultimate desktop computer, and you could win it!
Become a registered PC World member today and enter to win the Dream PC (estimated value $30,000): Sign up today for PC World.com and click My Account and then Member Benefits to enter.
If you are already a PCWorld member, just sign in and click on My Account and then member benefits.
You can also sign up for the Dream PC Newsletter for updates on the making of the Dream PC and all other Dream PC-related announcements.
No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited. The Dream PC Giveaway is open to residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico) and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are at least 13 years of age and are registered members of PCWorld.com at the time of entry. Giveaway begins 1/22/08 and ends 3/31/08. One entry per person. Giveaway is subject to the Official Rules. For the complete Official Rules, go to find.pcworld.com/59439.
Parts for the Dream PC provided by Tiger Direct.
Wouldn't it be better if you let us spend $30,000 for what we thought would be our dream pc?
So many negative comments on such a great idea!
Whether it's $3000 or $30,000,the fact of the matter is...it's free.
That kind of rig can sit on my desk anyday,with or without "flames"! Just to crank up my favotite games and go wild would be sureal!
The Motion Picture Association of America has consistently made college students public enemy number one when it comes to movie piracy. It turns out that maybe it's the MPAA that should go back to school.
In an MPAA-commissioned report in 2005, it claimed 44 percent of the movie industry's losses were due to college students illegally downloading movies. However, Newsweek reports today that the MPAA altered the data to exaggerate the impact of college students.
In plain English, the MPAA blew it big time and likely intentionally lied. In what the MPAA deems "human error" in its research, college students actually account for approximately 15 percent of industry losses, less than half of what the MPAA originally reported.
Continue reading "MPAA Taken to School on Faulty Movie Pirating Data"
To Senateor Carl Levin (D-Mi):
So, not only did they lie to everyone, they managed to buy and bribe government officials to pass protectionist laws in order to
protect their outdated business model so their own personal wealth and celestial pay and
bonuses would continue - at everyone else's expense!!
Because of your involvement in this scandal, you now know why I support hackers
Thank god you're up for re-election this year.
To Senateor Carl Levin (D-Mi): So, not only did they lie to everyone, they managed to buy and bribe government officials to pass protectionist laws in order to
protect their outdated business model so their own personal wealth and celestial pay and
bonuses would continue - at everyone else's expense!!
Because of your involvement in this scandal, you now know why I support hackers
Thank god you're up for re-election this year.
To Senateor Carl Levin (D-Mi): So, not only did they lie to everyone, they managed to buy and bribe government officials to pass protectionist laws in order to protect their outdated business model so their own personal wealth and celestial pay and bonuses would continue - at everyone else's expense!!
Because of your involvement in this scandal, you now know why I support hackers
Thank god you're up for re-election this year.
The annual Photo Marketing Association's (PMA) big show doesn't start until next week in Las Vegas, but big vendors are already previewing some new offerings for 2008.
Today, Panasonic announced the nicely priced 8.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-LS80, a compact snapshooter with a 3x optical zoom that can run on two AA batteries. The DMC-LS80 is slated to go on sale in February.
Continue reading "Budget-Friendly Panasonic Pocket Cam Runs on AA Batteries"
According to data from NPD, Warner Brothers' pre-CES announcement that it would back Blu-ray exclusively seems to have bolstered Blu-ray Disc player sales, and dramatically lowered HD DVD player sales. The data (disclosed by The Digital Bits), notes that in the week ending 1/5/08, Blu-ray Disc player sales were at 15,257 units, and HD DVD player sales were at 14,558 units.
Fast forward to after the Warner announcement. The week ending January 12 showed Blu-ray Disc had increased its lead by 42 percent, to 21,770 units sold. HD DVD sales plummeted by 88 percent, to just 1,758 units. This data would seem to support the fact that Warner's announcement was indeed the tipping point that would ultimately determine the winner of the format war.
And no wonder. With Warner's support, Blu-ray is now the format-of-choice of more than 70 percent of Hollywood's content producers.
Of course, in looking at those numbers, Blu-ray's commanding lead wasn't the only thing that sprang to mind. I couldn't help but notice that overall unit sales were actually down between those two weeks: 29,815 vs 23,528. Assuming, for a moment, that the first week sales weren't just spiked by people using up holiday gift cards, that 21 percent drop in sales makes me think one of two things: Either a significant number of HD DVD buyers were so sensitive to the price of a player that they just won't up the ante for the extra bucks that a Blu-ray player might require over HD DVD; or--the more likely scenario--a significant number of HD DVD buyers were purchasing the player primarily because it was an upconverting DVD player.
I'll be interested to see what the January disc (software) sales data ends up showing once the month is out. My suspicion: We'll see the Warner announcement had some impact there, as well (already, early 2008 Nielsen VideoScan sales, as reported by Home Media Magazine, show HD DVD represented just 15 percent of the high-def discs sold through January 13). I'll also be interested in seeing whether the sales ratio for players maintains in the ensuing weeks, or if that 88 percent dropoff was an anomaly. The player sales numbers will be all the more interesting since Toshiba instituted aggressive price cuts on all three of its players as of January 13.
Dream on genetrumbo - the game is over. Doesn't matter if Toshiba pumps out billions of the machines, the movie gods have spoken. Sounds like it was a more consumer friendly technology, but as we learned with Betamax, technology won't win the battle.
Rodgod is right on. DVDs look okay on HD, but nothing as breath taking as a real HD camera. I'll sit and watch NatGeo or DiscoveryHD for hours before I'll pop in a DVD. In fact, I may just cancel my Netflix until they start producing more real HD movies.
I agree with all those who say the whole thing is just another way to get people to spend more money. (Read economic stimulus package)
I have no desire to replace all the regular DVD's I already own with ones that cost 1.5 to 2 times as much!. Yes I receive hi-def channels and they look fantastic on my 61" 720p DLP. But using my Oppo 971 through DVI makes my regular DVD's "nearly" look as good. I do hate the format wars and love when new technology makes things cool, but HD-DVD or Blu-Ray is not worth the money just to get e little bit better quality. Besides, there are so few movies worth watching anymore that the whole movie industry is going to the dogs.
I'm glad that Blu-ray now has the advantage of having more support than HD-DVD; and that sales for the format have crushed HD-DVD. Consumers were getting tired of the so called format war, because many were afraid of buying a player that would soon enter the pages of history. Now that many newspapers, magazines, companies and other sources are claiming Blu-ray to be the new format to replace DVD's many feel confident in buying Blu-ray as their hi-def format of choice. Those that got an HD-DVD player, sorry, but at least the Blu players are dropping in price a bit.
Have you ever accidentally sent out a personal message as a bulletin to hundreds of people on Facebook? Have you ever accidentally made a private image into a very public one on MySpace? Or maybe you "added" some complete strangers just to pump up your friend count?
If so, we'd like to know about it. We're doing a feature about Social Networking sites, and part of it is about some of the embarrassing mishaps that can occur at such sites. Please tell your story at our Community Forum (you'll have to sign in), or you can do so in the comments to this blog.
Favorite Social Networking Sites
On the subject of social networking, we'd very much like to know which social networking sites you like, and why. Are you a loyal MySpacer, or have you branched out to some of the lesser-known social networks like Eons or Dodgeball?
Please let us know by responding to the thread in our Forums, or by responding in the comments to this blog.
Just like everybody else, I spend most of my time on Facebook. A lesser known site I've recently become active on is ReviewToYou.
Review To You
OK, PC World readers, many of you have, at least once or twice, gone out on a date with somebody you met online. Nothing to be ashamed of--as we know from the eHarmony ads on TV, online daters are some of the best-matched, best-looking and best-loved people, maybe in the history of the world.
Thank god it's not quite that simple. A lot of mismatches, misrepresentations, and wacky hijinks can take place along the way to the big eHarmony Happy Ending.
We've seen the happy endings, now let's hear about the wacky hijinks. We're writing a special Valentine's Day feature called Online Dating War Stories, and we need your help.
Pony up. Let's hear your stories. You know, like the time your online date showed up with her/his/its pet ferret and kept calling her/his/its mother every five minutes. Or like the time in Chicago when my Nerve.com date powered down 6 beers in the hour we were together, then threatened to kick my #&%@* when I begged off at the end.
Please go to the Community Forum section of the PC World site, sign in or sign up, then reply to this discussion thread.
Hooray for HBO. The Time Warner owned channel is finally embracing the Web with an on demand service called HBO on Broadband. The HBO offering will put episodes of HBO programs online sometimes within five minutes of the show originally airing. Similar on demand offerings have always been available through cable and satellite companies, but on demand access to current episodes can sometimes take days or weeks.
The HBO service also includes a live streaming feed of HBO content in the Eastern Time zone, which is nice for the west coast compadres who want their HBO fix and do not want to wait three hours.
Too Restrictive?
Unfortunately, the service is very DRM-restricted, so the videos will be unable to be burned to DVD, ripped to portable media players and such. Downloaded videos will expire after after four weeks. HBO on Demand will also require a separate PC application that is needed to download a stream content.
Continue reading "HBO to Offer Programs Online and on Demand"
"To watch HBO content you'll still need to be connected to the Internet - regardless if you have already downloaded."
Actually, no, that's not true. Everything I've read says that once downloaded, you don't need to be connected - and you can take the programming with you on a laptop.
And my understanding is that some programs can be kept for up to TWELVE weeks:
http://www.dvddossier.com/2008/01/hbo-broadband.html
"HBO on Demand" is delivered to your TV set by your cable company (through a set top box) and requires no internet connection.
AT&T Wireless introduced an Enterprise Data Plan today that drops the monthly iPhone bill by $25 for business customers until December 31 2008. That brings the lowest monthly service plan for AT&T Wireless business customers with an iPhone to $45 a month--compared to $60 for consumers.
At the end of the promotion (Jan.1, 2009) Enterprise Data Plan customers will see their bills jump back to $60 a month, AT&T Wireless customer service representatives say.
(Rates for Enterprise Data Plans from AT&T Wireless' site)
To take advantage of the Enterprise Data Plan, you'll have to either have your company purchase the service plan for you, or you'll have to be authorized by your company as an "authorized order placer." There will be no discount on equipment (iPhone) for business customers, according to a AT&T Wireless business sales representative.
The AT&T Wireless business offering matches consumer offerings for the iPhone except for the fact as an Enterprise Data Plan customer you'll automatically qualify for adding a Data Global Add-On plan. The Data Global Add-On plan allows buy 20MB to 50MB of usage within 29 countries for $25 to $60. Consumer AT&T iPhone customers have to qualify to take advantage of the Data Global Add-On plan only after six months of service.
The moral of this blog: Don't always trust sites that promise top-notch security.
Clothing retailer Life is Good, which also runs a popular Life is Good Web site, settled with the Federal Trade Commission Thursday over charges it did not properly secure shoppers' personal information. The FTC alleges the company stored credit card information indefinitely on computers, without using proper encryption software or sufficient access controls. The FTC also claimed the company violated federal law by allegedly making security claims on its Web site that were false.
Before the FTC cracked down on Life is Good the company posted this message to its Web site:
Continue reading "Life is Good, Except when the FTC is Investigating You"
"There's something in the air."
That was Apple's tagline for this past week's Macworld Expo, and by that, they probably meant the MacBook Air. The ultraportable laptop was the show-stealer of Steve Jobs's keynote address, but it may not have even been Apple's most significant product announcement of the show.
For everything that was "in the air" at Macworld Expo, there were pre-show rumors that didn't pan out, products that didn't receive enough attention, and announcements ripe for second-guessing. Here's a recap of what didn't show its face at Macworld, what happened instead, and whether any of it will make a difference in the long run.
Not In the Air: Jay-Z
Hov? Hoax! Despite the pre-Macworld rumors that rapper Jay-Z would be tapped to spearhead an Apple music label, nothing of the sort happened. Randy Newman was the only musician to perform live at the keynote, and he's pretty much the opposite of Jay-Z. One reason for Jay-Z's absence may have been a last-minute beef with Steve Jobs over Jay-Z's cameo appearance in Bill Gates's CES farewell video. But that reason's completely made up... just like the whole "Jay-Z left Def Jam for Apple" rumor.
In the Air Instead: NAS
Looks like NAS took this round against Jay-Z. Unfortunately, rap-beef aficionados, that's NAS as in "network-attached storage," not "Illmatic." Apple's new Time Capsule, a wireless-N router with a built-in 500GB or 1TB hard drive, is aimed to ease back-up and storage in conjunction with Mac OS X Leopard's Time Machine application. Could this be the reason for Jay-Z's absence? Maybe he heard NAS would be at Macworld and steered clear of the Moscone Center.
Continue reading "Macworld: Some Things Weren't In the Air"
I just don't understand this article.
First, from a business standpoint there is not one NEED to license the Mac OS. In fact the Mac OS is becoming the key to every Apple product, so why license it?
Second this laptop will sell great. The ?geek? community (that includes tech writers) need to wake up to the new world of consumer gadgets. They have to be small, they have to be stable, and they need to work all the time. No longer are gadget?s success dictated by geeks. It is the masses that will drive the new generation of devices.
I think if you can not find one laptop in Apple?s product line then you are very picky. And that is ok. But not everyone is.
MN
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Who else but Apple could launch a product like the MacBook Air? With its focus on form over function, it is destined for the niche of early Apple adopters, sure to get burned on price and features when Apple upgrades to at least include a bigger hard drive than 80GB, ethernet, Firewire and a user-replaceable battery.
I say let early adopters get burned. This product begs sparks a bigger question for Apple: When will you stop holding back the Mac OS and start licensing the OS?
Continue reading "MacBook Air Amiss: Time to License Mac OS X?"
"Apple's monopoly power over the Mac OS is holding back better software. If you want Mac OS, Apple says, love it or leave it."
How idiotic. A monoply is "the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service". The Mac OS is NOT a commodity or service. It is the crown jewels of Apple, Inc. They don't have to license it, any more than you have to license the right to use anything you create, either as an individual or a corporate entity. Microsoft choose to license Windows (perhaps because their hardware skills are limited to mice and game machines), and that's fine. Use it if you want to. Our company has already ordered three MBAirs, complete with solid-state drives, external drives and USB Ethernet adapters. I'm not upset that it won't drive a 30" display. It'll work where I need it to work. You're free to not buy it, and I'm free to not use a Thinkpad or Vaio.
Wow. I have spent the last couple of hours reading through the many varied views surrounding this topic. The comparison of the Sony ultra-portables to the Mac air for example. How can you compare two things like that is comparing apples to oranges, to use the addage. Your talking about an almost totally IT driven product to an exercise in design. True, the mac air doesnt have the accesories of ports, or an optical drive like the sony, but it also carries a price tag roughly half of the sony. So with that in mind, for those who would rather have ports and such, for that kind of money, you can have a mac air and another with all the "other" items you can't live without. Also, lets talk weight. You guys are squabbling about 3.3 lbs. 3.3Lbs. Roughly the equivalent of a burger and fries that people enjoy for lunch. And I suppose you would complain about a cell phone that weighs more than a remote control and won't let you check your email.
I am very disappointed with this MacBook Air.
I saw their cute little advertisement and said to myself "I'm getting this one" but when I saw it in-person it lacks special details such as CD Drive and other stuff. Sorry I'm not a Mac person who knows everything but it really disappoints me. And its HUGE! meaning I will need a bigger laptop case for this.
It wasn't that light at all too.
The U.S. Library of Congress has partnered with Flickr to make 3115 photos available to the public under a common license. The LOC is asking Flickr's massive user base to help it identify and describe the images.
After I got over my first reaction of "Wow, that's cool," I couldn't help but ask myself why the LOC would want to do this. I've got a hunch it's looking for free labor to help identify and expand its collection that contains a large number of unidentified and unclassified photos.
Dumping tedious work on the Web and asking people to help out for free (or for a pittance) is nothing new. Google has been doing it for years and so have other companies such as Amazon. If you're interested in more on the practice, the site Ajaxian has an interesting article on the topic in 2006.
Continue reading "Library of Congress Taps Flickr Users to "Tag" Vintage Photos"
Is Microsoft trying to thwart DVD-ripping on PCs using Windows Vista with the new beta of Vista Service Pack 1?
As I tested the public beta release of Vista SP1, I noticed the update crippled a popular DVD cracking program called DVD43.
DVD43 is a free utility that disables a DVD's Content Scramble System (CSS) copy protection technology. Once a DVD's copy protection is disabled, you can copy its content using one of several third-party programs. You may be using DVD43 and not realize it, because it often is the engine of other ripping programs.
When I updated my Windows Vista operating system with the beta of Vista SP1, DVD43 wouldn't load. Instead, I saw an error message about a missing driver--even after I uninstalled and then reinstalled DVD43. A colleague of mine had a similar experience on a PC that also had been updated with the latest beta release of Vista SP1.
Stripping DVD copy protection (CSS) from a DVD is illegal but many people do it.
I've made formal requests for comment from Microsoft and the company behind DVD43. So far, I've heard nothing back. I'll let you know what either say, if and when they reply.
Intentional?
It's hard to say whether Microsoft is intentionally disabling DVD43. Certainly the software giant doesn't mention anything about DVD copying in its documentation for the beta of Vista SP1. But given Microsoft's interest in making friendly with Hollywood movie studios, it wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft intentionally disabled a popular and free tool that aids in ripping DVDs.
DVD43--and programs like it--have long been a thorn in the side for Hollywood, as DVD-ripping is one of the first steps in cracking and distributing copyright-protected movies online.
Despite the Motion Picture Association of America's efforts to crack down on DVD-ripping and despite U.S. copyright laws that make it illegal, sales of software that bypass DVD copy protection continue online and at retail stores.
Many of these DVD programs have been, and still are, sold by major retailers. However, when purchased, some of the programs can't copy DVDs equipped with copy protection. You must use an Internet search engine to find and download a program, such as DVD43, that empowers your DVD copy program to duplicate the contents of any CSS-protected DVD.
It's my experience in reporting past stories on DVD-ripping that many DVD-ripping programs recommend DVD43 to their customers. DVD43.com, a Web site that lists download sites for DVD43 as well as the DVD-ripping packages it works with, is owned by a company based in Beijing, China, according to Internet domain registration records.
In further tests, I did find that at least one other popular DVD utility, AnyDVD, which promises to "unprotect encrypted movie DVDs," did work with the beta of Vista SP1 installed--as its product description asserts. However, this is not free software: It will cost you 49 Euros, or about $72.
At least for now, it appears that casual DVD rippers will be stymied if they choose to update their Vista PCs with the Vista SP1 beta--and that those who want SP1 and copies of their Hollywood DVDs will have to pay up to keep ripping.
Hyperdriver39,
That's good to know as I own a legitimate copy of DVDFab... Good stuff that software, totally worth the price.
Consumers will never, ever pay multiple times for the same content. Right now you have to pay each time to watch a movie on a DVD player, HD DVD player, BluRay DVD player, PSP, video iPod, MS Zune, mobile phone, etc. etc. How many times do we have to pay for the same movie? It doesn't matter what Microsoft does, until the Hollywood studios devise a reasonable way to charge consumers for content, there will be dozens of DVD copy software programs to rip, copy and convert formats. It is just this simple. The only way to stop DVD copying is to change the business model and address fair use. By the way, DVD43 is an antiquated ripper, it only address CSS protection and there are now over a dozen add-on protections on new DVD releases. In order to copy all DVD movies, you need a fully supported DVD copy software program like DVd neXt Copy or 1 Click DVD Copy. You can find all the best dvd copy software listed, ranked and reviewed at: http://www.dvdxcopy.com
Re to
"merdith January 18, 20081:02 AM PT"
Once again I can relate to someone who wants to get a copy of sofware or music before purchase. Another example for the books, I resently purchased a program called Acronis Disk Director Suite 10 after contacting the company online and asking them if there program will work with my 3 operating systems. They said no problem you can purchase online with them or go down to the local store and pick a copy. so I rolled on down to the store to purchase a copy, nice to be reassured even the sales guy said the program will work fine with vista, it turns out it's not compatible with vista after all. After contacting Acronis within 24hours they told me only thing I can do is wait for the next release of the program it should work better with Vista.. "That's fresh" Better this copy doen't even work with Vista.....I have recently joined the ranks, a new born if you will to burning without bullstick...
Days after Steve Jobs announced Apple's iTunes video rental service, TiVo was quick to respond announcing it would beef up its online video rental service with a partnership with Jaman, an online movie service for independent films. It will compliment TiVo's existing partnership with Amazon for its Unbox mainstream online video store.
Jaman movies and video content will be available on the broadband-connected Series2 TiVo, as well as the Series3. Many of Jaman's available titles have been award winners are acclaimed film festivals like Sundance, Cannes and the Berlin International Film Festival. Film rentals will begin at $1.99 and go up depending on a variety of factors. A number of films will also be made available for free.
There are two things that you got wrong in your article. First off, you can watch a movie on TiVo while its downloading. When the service was first launched this wasn't the case, but a few months ago, they updated the software so that you'll never have to wait more than a minute or two before your program starts playing.
You're also mistaken about being able to record a VOD movie. The TiVo series 3 doesn't even support VOD. On the TiVo 2, there are ways to record some VOD content, but the content owners still have the same rights to turn on the 24 hour broadcast flag. HBO even went as far as to sue TiVo to prevent them from recording their VOD content.
Jaman may not have films that you enjoy, but its the perfect compliment for TiVo customers. TiVo owners can already get the mainstream hits on demand by recording them off of the television. The Jaman partnership allows TiVo customers to see content that is too niche to ever make it to mainstream.
In a move that's sure to rile many of its' customers, Time Warner says it plans to test a new pricing structure for high-speed Internet usage that charges subscribers based on the amount of content they download. The report comes by way of a story by the Associated Press and some snooping from the Web site BroadbandReports.com.
Time Warner currently charges customers a flat monthly rate for Internet access. According to reports Time Warner will test a new pricing model that creates a multi-tiered pricing plan based on broadband usage. Time Warner would put caps on usage and charge more should you use too much bandwidth based on your monthly plan. For example, if you view too many streamed online videos, buy too many songs from iTunes, or are a heavy user of P2P services than you might get hit with a Time Warner "overage charge."
Continue reading "Report: Time Warner to Test Pay-Per-Download Monthly Pricing"
Wonderful Another way to hit are pocket books! I would just cancel cable all together from any company that would even consider extra charges, I like paying a flat fees so i know its allways the same, I wanna use it becuase I PAY FOR IT! ??? do they give you money back if you bearly use the cable service I DONT THINK SO! I wouldnt pay a dime for some CEOS BS way to nickle and dime us! WHY THERE AT IT THEY SHOULD OPEN UP A CREDIT CARD COMPANY WITH 22% INTRAST RATE!
Wonderful Another way to hit are pocket books! I would just cancel cable all together from any company that would even consider extra charges, I like paying a flat fees so i know its allways the same, I wanna use it becuase I PAY FOR IT! ??? do they give you money back if you bearly use the cable service I DONT THINK SO! I wouldnt pay a dime for some CEOS BS way to nickle and dime us! WHY THERE AT IT THEY SHOULD OPEN UP A CREDIT CARD COMPANY WITH 22% INTRAST RATE!
Wonderful Another way to hit are pocket books! I would just cancel cable all together from any company that would even consider extra charges, I like paying a flat fees so i know its allways the same, I wanna use it becuase I PAY FOR IT! ??? do they give you money back if you bearly use the cable service I DONT THINK SO! I wouldnt pay a dime for some CEOS BS way to nickle and dime us! WHY THERE AT IT THEY SHOULD OPEN UP A CREDIT CARD COMPANY WITH 22% INTRAST RATE!
The 23-year-old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is getting a lot of on-the-job training as of late. His most recent lesson is: ink a licensing deal before linking to the application.
News wire service Reuters is reporting Hasbro and Mattel are demanding that Facebook remove the popular Facebook application Scrabulous due to copyright infringement. The application was not actually made by Facebook, and was in fact created for Facebook by brothers Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla. Facebook does however host the game and promotes it.
Continue reading "Another Facebook Gaffe: Hasbro Tells the Site to Scrap Scrabulous"
Right on. Seize the moment, Scott and everyone else. Facebook is popular with all ages not just tweens. II like it more than Linkedin (not friendly to mixing friends with business) and Myspace (too cumbersome and geared toward non-INDYs).
I'd recommend any commercial entity have a "rooftop under the stars brainstorming party"tonight, how to leverage Facebook. I.e., Scrabulous, I play it with my suppliers, uncles, sisters, friends and people I want to do business with. Downright cool, and I already have a Scrabble game and bought 3 more for people for holiday gifts in 07.
Don't take Scrabulous away from Facebook. I love it and will be disappointed in Mattel, etc. if it is removed.
Why doesn't Hasbro just buy Scrabulous and leave it on there? It is a bad business decision for them to shut it down -- they risk boycotts of all Hasbro products by millions of angry facebook users who will not soon forget their favorite facebook game has been denied. Wake up, get smart, and make a deal, Hasbro!
Sean B. has a very good idea. Hasbro/Mattel should just buy
Scrabulous and leave it on Facebook.
This dispute reminds me of something I heard about some years
ago. When singer/songwriter Paul Simon came out with his song
"Kodachrome" in 1973, Kodak filed a lawsuit against him because
Kodachrome is a registered trademark and Simon hadn't asked Kodak's permission to use it. However, Kodak dropped the suit
when lawyers told them that the huge hit song was giving their brand all kinds of free advertising.
If playing Scrabulous encourages those who play it to go out and
buy the Scrabble board game, then that's a good thing, but young Mr. Zuckerberg should have played by the rules and gotten permission from Hasbro/Mattel, first.
(BTW, Suzanne, what's an INDY? Not everyone is well-versed in that text-messaging shorthand, especially if you're beyond a certain age group. :-)
Feeling a bit lost about the TV show Lost? With Google Maps "fan maps" you can get an overview on where Kate and other characters are from, the flight plan of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815, and where The Hanso Foundation hospitals are located around the world. The Lost season premier is Jan. 31.
I'll be the first to admit Google Maps has served far more noble purposes in the past with maps that have tackled: campaigns and primaries, geographic awareness maps of Asia, and most recently weather maps. But for pure escapist entertainment a collection of Google fan maps can be entertaining.
Continue reading "Google Maps the Key Locations of Popular TV Shows"
Apple today introduced a major expansion of its Digital Copy program, first unveiled with the November 2007 release of Twentieth Century Fox's "Live Free, Die Hard" DVD.
The Special Edition of that title included an interface to make one free copy of the movie for your PC, and one free copy of the movie for a Windows PlaysForSure device.
At the Macworld 2008 keynote today, Jim Gianopulos, chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, announced that Fox and Apple now would be offering Digital Copy for iTunes.
Kudos to Apple for finally doing what no one else has. In its new Time Capsule wireless hard drive, Apple uses what it calls a server-grade hard drive.
This is a noteworthy addition. Hard drive manufacturers have two classes of drives: Consumer and enterprise (or "server-grade" as Apple referred to it).
Continue reading "Apple's Time Capsule: A Sturdy Hard Drive"
No it doesn't. It uses a "deskstar" drive. Not the UltraStar as used in servers.
Sucker.
One of the first things I thought of when I saw the new MacBook Air thin laptop: About time.
An ultraportable notebook has long been the missing link in Apple's portable offerings. The MacBook Air fills that place nicely. Here's an ultraskinny view:
Then, I began to think that it looked somewhat familiar. Emphasis on the "somewhat"--clearly, the MacBook Air has Apple's design touches all over. But, I remembered the Fujitsu Lifebook Q2010-- which came out almost two years ago, and measured at just 0.75 of an inch thick. Here's its impressively skinny photo:
Continue reading "Who is the MacBook Air's Target Market?"
aplause!!!!!!!!!!!!! writer(apple loyalist?????????????)is so exited about the skinny mac without muscle.......
Apple led off its keynote today with the announcement of its new Time Capsule storage hardware and the surprised me.
Not so much because it wasn't one of the rumored products being launched today, but because it strikes me as so . . . ordinary. Here's what the front looks like:
And the back:
Although this external hard drive is wrapped in a cutesy name that matches up to Apple's similarly gimmicky Time Machine backup software, the fact is, Time Capsule is simply a wireless network attached storage device. And we've seen wireless network attached storage from other companies before--Iomega had its first wireless NAS box three years ago; D-Link has offered wireless NAS, too.
Continue reading "Did Apple Finally Get Wireless Storage Right?"
Jobs today described Apple's new notebook, the MacBook Air, like this: "It's the world's thinnest notebook."
He's not kidding. The new notebook is 0.76 of an inch at its thickest point, and as thin as 0.16 of an inch(that's not a typo) at the thinnest part of its wedge shape. It's so skinny it fits in a manila envelope, which is exactly how Jobs presented it onstage at Macworld. Here's a photo:
Specifications:3 lbs., 0.16"-.76" thickness, a 13.3" fullsize display, full size keyboard (backlit), multi-touch gestures, iSight camera, 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of memory, 80GB hard drive (64GB SSD optional), 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and Magsafe connector, flip down door (with USB 2, Micro-DVI, and headphone jack), built in 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.
The Air is silver, and has a small camera wedged in there somewhere. Its fullsize keyboard is black, and the widescreen display is 13.3 inches in size. The notebook's edges are more rounded, reminiscent of the old iBook display.
For full coverage of Macworld Expo 2008, go to the PCW Mac Info Center.
Continue reading "Macworld Details: The Ultra-Thin MacBook Air Laptop"
"The new iPhone will contain 1 terabyte of memory and will cost $499." ---- WTF
As expected, Apple will begin offering rental movies through iTunes starting today, and Jobs says there will be more than 1000 films available by the end of February.
Apple has been busy acquiring rental content from some of the biggest studios; these include Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, New Line, Lions Gate, Fox, WB, Disney, Paramount, Universal, and Sony. That's a lot of rental content, and a real coup for Apple.
The move may lend more juice to sales of Apple TV, which has been overshadowed somewhat over the past year by the iPhone. Apple TV users, or prospective ones, currently have to BUY movies (and store them) in order to use Apple TV, which streams video content from the PC to the TV in the living room.
The rental titles, Jobs says, will become available 30 days after DVD release. That's the shortest interval we've heard of for Internet video.
You can also watch the videos on any device, any place, including on Macs, PCs, iPods and iPhones. You can actually transfer any movie to another device in the middle of watching--for instance, transferring it to your iPod before you dash to the airport to catch a flight.
With a decent broadband connection, the movies will start playing only 30 seconds after purchase. You'll have 30 days to start watching it, and after you start, you have 24 hours to finish watching it.
Renting a library title will cost $2.99, new releases will be $3.99. Jobs says the service already has 100 HD releases, which cost a dollar more each. The service has a bunch of TV show rentals too; they cost $1.99 an episode.
Apple TV, Take 2, as Jobs called it, at a new price of $229, will automatically sync up with your computer, but no computer is required to rent movies. You can rent movies directly from your widescreen TV and you can rent them in DVD quality or in HD with Dolby 5.1. "The quality is unbelievable," Jobs says.
You can also get audio and video podcasts on your widescreen TV. Photos can be retrieved from your computer, Flickr or .Mac. And, of course, you can still watch video from YouTube. You can also buy TV shows and music on the widescreen TV, and it'll automatically sync them back to your computer.
For full coverage of Macworld Expo 2008, go to the PCW Mac Info Center.
y would u rent an episode for 1.99 wen u can buy it for the same price???
Sounds like a good idea, especially as they are also launching iTunes movie rental in the UK. Giving it more global reach for fast download speeds. But I agree with KevinG. Why bother with the hassles of downloads and time limits for viewing when you could rent a dvd locally or buy it cheap. I'm sure it would be handy for people in rural locations though.
Steve Jobs just announced that a new software upgrade will soon be available to iPod Touch users that will add Mail, Maps, Stocks, Notes, and Weather to its bag of tricks. Basically, the Touch will have all the functionality of the iPhone, except the phone.
The new stuff will be built into all new Touches, but existing Touch owners must pay $20 for the software upgrade at iTunes.
For full coverage of Macworld Expo 2008, go to the PCW Mac Info Center.
Still no camera... Or built-in speaker... Or exterior volume control... Or proper ergonomics... Or Internet access outside wifi access... So not quite the iPhone without the phone, not by a long shot. iPhone FTW!
how about data storage like all the other ipods? now ill have to wait a month before buying one so best buy and targets inventory clears so i wont have to pay 20 for software
The first major announcement from Steve Jobs at Macworld in San Francisco is a larger and more feature-rich iPhone.
The new iPhone will contain 1 terabyte of memory and will cost $499. Apple has simplified the Maps interface with just Search and Directions buttons at the bottom.
The view button at the bottom right "peels up" the map and gives you the option with the Map, Satellite, Hybrid, and List views. Pressing the button in the bottom left locates you on the map.
iPhone now lets you edit your directions, too. You can drop a pin anywhere on the map, and move it around, and the directions change with the locations. If this sounds familiar, it's because it was developed in conjunction with Google. "We love working with those guys," Jobs said.
Beyond that, the phone will support chapterized video clips, multi-person SMS, lyrics support for music, video with chapters and subtitles, and the ability to send SMS messages to multiple people at once.
For full coverage of Macworld Expo 2008, go to the PCW Mac Info Center.
Man, that's just irresponsible reporting. Typical. There is no new iPhone. Only a free software upgrade that greatly enhances the current iPhones. The $499 price tag is for Time Capsule, a new WiFi based backup drive to complement Time Machine.
AppleFan is correct. After searching the web and Apple's website to find out when I could buy the "new" iPhone with more memory, I found that it was TIME CAPSULE that was going to be $499 and have 1TB of memory.
MR. SULLIVAN--Please update or remove this incorrect statement! This article has been up over 24 hours.
AppleFan is correct. After searching the web and Apple's website to find out when I could buy the "new" iPhone with more memory, I found that it was TIME CAPSULE that was going to be $499 and have 1TB of memory.
MR. SULLIVAN--Please update or remove this incorrect statement! This article has been up over 24 hours.
A cool little memory card made by Eye-Fi, which allows you to wirelessly send photos on your camera's SD card directly to a PC or 19 online photo services (no computer required), announced at Macworld it now will supports Leopard Mac OS X (10.5), the iPhoto online photo sharing service, and the Safari browser.
Existing users of the Eye-Fi card, which is a 2GB SD memory card for digital cameras, can download an upgrade for the card for free. The Eye-Fi SD card, which will run you $100, uses a local Wi-Fi connection to send any images on the card to a preconfigured destination of your choice. There are no monthly fees associated with the Eye-Fi SD card.
PlayStation 3 owners who have taken advantage of a feature that allows you to install Linux on their game console can now play PC games on their PS3s thanks to an application offered by StreamMyGame.
There are a few catches though that may limit StreamMyGame's appeal to only the most dedicated of gamers. My advice, don't rush out to buy Crysis just yet.
The StreamMyGame application only works if the game is actually running on your PC. The service converts a game running on the PC into an audio and video file, and then streams that file to a PS3 running Linux. What this means is that the PS3 is not actually running the game - rather it is just helping the game be display on a TV or monitor other than your PC.
Continue reading "Download Allows PC Games to be Played on a PlayStation 3"
Several companies including Macally and Microsoft are unleashing Apple-optimized computer mice at Macworld today. The mice are touted for being either wireless (Bluetooth and RF), precise (up to 1600dpi), and fashionably compatible with a Mac.
Microsoft's marketing team decided to go no frills naming its new mouse the Microsoft Notebook Mouse for Mac. The $50 mouse connects via Bluetooth wireless technology.
First, Samsung screamed from rooftops: This is our first MacWorld.
Now, I see that CEDIA--the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association--is making its Macworld debut, too. CEDIA puts on its own home audio-video electronics tradeshow in September. Also getting into the game: Netgear, which will be there for the first time, and announcing that its latest consumer storage devices will be Mac compatible.
That these three companies are attending Macworld for the first time seems like a tangible example of the iPhone halo effect. Apple has been riding a high with the iPod and now iPhone halo effect, whereby the company has attracted new users to Apple based on its public success with those devices, and based on the appeal of its more friendly interface (I'm seeing this happen more and more--just last month, another friend, a long-time PC users, chose an iMac when it came time to update her antiquated PC).
These moves are subtle in and of themselves, but I'm suddenly getting the impression that the general electronics universe no longer considers the Apple Mac computer an outlyer. Samsung, for example, only last fall released laser printers for sale through the Apple store; now, with its presence at Macworld, the company is further expanding on that push into the Appleverse.
NEC is getting a jump on Macworld announcing today it is beefing up its 90-Series monitor lineup with a MultiSync LCD3090WQXi 30-inch wide-screen display aimed at graphic designers, photography, and users of high-end CAD/CAM programs. NEC is billing this LCD monitor, which has an estimated street price of $2,200, as having "pinpoint calibration, consistent light output," along with enhanced color/grayscale compensation.
NEC says it's aiming to please high-end professionals with features such as 2560 x 1600 resolution and technologies that include ColorComp - a technology that NEC claims can digitally compensates individual pixels for slight variations in the white and color uniformity levels of the display, resulting in greater image accuracy. Another feature called AmbiBright, NEC says, automatically adjusts the display's backlight, based on the ambient environment lighting, to achieve optimal viewing brightness and energy conservation.
NEC announced the MultiSync LCD3090WQXi today. It becomes available to consumers in February and will be shown at the Macworld trade show this week.
...not a creature was stirring, not even a blogger...Oh, wait, that holiday is done with. But something similar is going on with this eve of Macworld. Maybe it's the ThinkSecret.com effect: Although the site continues to publish Apple-related news through February 14, late last year it settled with Apple over a lawsuit involving insider product news and leaks. I can't help but wonder if that's having a pseudo-gag effect on the usually rampant pre-Jobs keynote rumor mill.
The rumor mill is largely quiet, actually: Rumblings about iTunes movie rentals (not a surprise, given that hints of rentals have appeared buried in iTunes code for a long time now); rumors of a thin ultraportable notebook (again, nothing new there conceptually--we're just all waiting on the specs and industrial design); whispers of news about a 3G iPhone (I doubt Jobs would announce it until it was ready to ship--doing so any earlier would cannabilize iPhone sales in the here and now).
The Macworld banners already hoisted--"Something's in the Air"--makes me wonder whether it will be an ultraportable with wireless broadband built-in. A literal interpretation, perhaps, but yet one more thought for the gristmill.
In the meantime, here are two Macworld keynote-oriented games to while away your time with until the turtleneck-clad one reveals all on Tuesday: Steve Jobs Keynote Bingo
and Stevenote Expo: the Game.
You may be able to have a Coke and smile, but with Pepsi you get a free music download.
Last month we reported that Pepsi was going to be giving away one Billion DRM-free music downloads in a promotion starting in February in conjunction with with Super Bowl XLII. Points will be found on the inside caps of Pepsi products, which can then be redeemed on Amazon.com for music downloads with five points equaling one download.
Today Pepsi and Amazon.com are revealing a few more details regarding what music will be eligible for the promotion. EMI Music, Warner Music Group, and Sony BMG all appear to be on-board with the Pepsi promotion. The Universal Music Group however has declined to participate due to pricing disagreements. Universal will still have music available through Amazon's music store, though music from Universal artists will not be eligible for the promotion.
The big news of CES was not a product, but that Warner Brothers announced it was backing Blu-ray Disc exclusively (a move that gives Blu-ray a clear majority among the content creators). The impact of that decision rippled throughout CES, having a house-of-cards effect that included the HD DVD Promotion Group canceling its press conference.
Last week, Toshiba could only reaffirm its committment to HD DVD in a statement. Now, we see the first signs of Toshiba's response: Toshiba dropped the price of its entry-level, 1080i model, the HD-A3, to $150 (already, you can find that model at Amazon.com for less than that MSRP, at just $140). Toshiba's other two third-generation models received price drops, too: The 1080p HD-A30 is now $200, and the high-end HD-A35 is now $300.
In a press release today, Toshiba not only announced the price drop (which was already in play over the weekend), but also reiterated why it feel HD DVD is the best choice for consumers, playing up HD DVD's image quality and low price for mainstream consumers. Toshiba also notes that it has about 80 percent of the market share of all next-gen DVD-equipped notebooks.
Beyond the price drop, Toshiba announced a two-prong initiative to get and retain consumers. Toshiba says it will ramp up its advertising campaign in conjunction with its remaining studio partners--Universal Home Video, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation SKG (Paramount owns DreamWorks). Toshiba also introduced its HD DVD Concierge toll-free number service to provide general assistance to consumers.
Toshiba also points out that you can streaming content and experience interactive content today on their players. According to the release, Universal, Paramount, and DreamWorks, "an average of 30 percent of HD DVD owners have accessed Web-enabled network features and continue to do so regularly."
I find that an interesting statement, one that's in line with what I've heard before from Toshiba and studios. The one thing they don't specify: Of that 30 percent using the ethernet port for interactivity, what percent of those users are connecting via an Xbox 360 or computer, and what percent are connecting via ethernet in their living room? For a long time now, that's been an unknown: While the potential for Internet-connected interactivity is cool, how many of us actually have ethernet connections in our living room today? The answer to that question, to me, will help determine just what role interactivity and connected players will play in the format war (my guess: not as much as some in the industry might like to think).
What say you: Do you plan to string ethernet into your living room to enjoy interactive entertainment on your TV?
ithink toshiba is making a smart move by getting prices down to the level where the average consumer can afford. i also think they should be touting the fact that they already have a lot of special fetures and internet ports on the players they have out now and have since their first generation players. blu-ray players onthe market today don't have these-except the sony ps3- and they don't inform you of that in most stores. if i go to a store i get the same old story "blu-ray is better cause they have more storage" big deal they are not using all that storage anyway.
Toshiba can give away the players, but if they don't have the movies I want, then the player cost is moot.
As for Blu-ray, if the disc provides more content storage, then why download? And most "extras" are not in full HD rez anyway. To answer Melissa's question, I could set up wireless in my living room, but I don't want it. When in my home theater, I just want to be immersed in the movie; not connected to a slow, funky web site downloading "content" (including ads) or having the player "phone home" to the manufacturer and exchange who-knows-what info. I'll go to my PC for any additional "interactive" stuff they didn't see fit to put on the disc.
I just bought a Toshiba HD-A3 at a greatly reduced price. I feel the media companies will have to support the format. AND--YES!!! I have an ethernet outlet less than 10 feet from my TV set!
In a move to steal the thunder from Apple's announcement to allow movie rentals through iTunes, Netflix says that starting today subscribers will have unlimited access to streaming movies.
Previously the amount of streaming content subscribers could access was dependant on their subscription level. For example, the $16.99 membership allowed for 17 hours of streaming movie content. With the new unlimited plan, all subscription levels, with the exception of the lowest $4.99 plan, will be able to stream as many Netflix movies and TV shows as they'd like to their PCs.
Continue reading "Netflix Aims to Compete with iTunes: Removes Limits for Streamed Movie Rentals"
Netflix is a Windows XP / Vista Platform using Windows Media Player for their streaming movie content which excludes the Apple user and IPod owner. How does removing limts help them against the ITunes loyalists?
There may be more windows based computers than Macs, but include the video capable IPod owners (The TV and Movie indulgent), and the fact that ITunes has more customers than all other music download sites combined, and I say" GO APPLE GO!" Downloading video content to the IPods, Apple TV and Mac Mini Media Servers enable the content to be played on TVs, something NETFLIX still lacks.
Does this mean that Netflix will be allowing MacIntosh users to use this service. Currently, this is not allowed. Would they also inhance the quality of their streamed video to match iTunes? I've tried both, and the option of downloading to watch without the problems associated with streamed video make iTunes a better option at the moment.
However, I do feel that it's not a really big argument, I can, after all, take the DVD with me if I so choose and so far the quality of watching the DVD is still better than any of the downloaded/streamed options.
Now, if they start making the videos available for the iPhone or iPod Touch/Video, that would REALLY be great!
I don't have cable, I watch "TV" on the networks websites or on itunes.. I also use netflix for DVDs and watching movies online. I wish everything was just on Netflix, they have the best streaming technology. Most online content starts and stops and is annoying but Netflix just keeps going. Netflix streaming starts right away but itunes you have to wait for it to download (usually twice the length of the show.) The only downside to netflix is the movies it lets you stream are limited. If they really want to keep their customers they should make all their movies available to "watch instanly" as they call it.
CBS 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl interviewed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last night - here is the video. This is not the type of hard hitting interview I admire from 60 Minutes. But Stahl does ask Zuckerberg to defend Facebook's use of beacons which caused a huge privacy uproar. Not much new here, but it's an interesting profile of Facebook and Zuckerberg.
I admit it: When Ugobe's Pleo robotic dinosaur was in our offices last month, I got rather attached to him. Real animals and I don't get on so well, but robotic animals--a whole other story. And given how Pleo responded to my touches, well...anyway, I'll just say it was easy to get attached to the little guy. Which is why I was so perturbed when I first saw Pleo dissected at the Storage Visions conference before CES started in Las Vegas.
IFixit--a company with innately curious engineers who usually focus on dissecting i-hardware like iPods and iPhones--turned its attention to seeing what makes Pleo tick. CEO Kyle Wiens, a panelist at Storage Visions, used Pleo to illustrate his point. And so it was that the dissected Pleo was on display, his various parts spread out for all to see. IFixit just posted its analysis of Pleo's innards and photos, including the one above and the one below, on its Web site.
For me, I found the shelled epidermis of Pleo, with no eyes and no structure to hold it up, most disturbing. Once I got beyond that, the curious technical geek in me was captivated by the sight of Pleo's complex pieces and parts, which include fourteen motors, over one hundred gears, and fifteen circuit boards.
I only wish a Pleo didn't have to be sacrificed in the process (sniff).
There were tons of impressively over-the-top booths on the show floor at CES 2008, showcasing everything from mammoth HDTVs to ridiculously pimped-out cars. So what does it take to really stand out on the show floor?
If the number of people doing double-takes and stopping to look at Technosonic's modest set-up in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center is any indication, all it takes is a little creativity when it comes to the classics.
Planning a trip using Google Maps just got a little easier and useful. Google teamed up with The Weather Channel to create interactive layers that overlay weather data and radar information on top of Google Maps.
To use the feature click on the Google Maps' My Maps tab and select The Weather Channel feature to begin exploring.
The new service allows you to see current weather conditions and forecasts at a glance from across the globe as you view Google Maps. Everything from severe weather alerts, cloud coverage, and more can also be added to your view.
Continue reading "Google Maps Enhanced with Weather Channel Data"
Good and practial applcation. But when is google going to provide us the promised free online office productivity suite. Why is it allowing the likes of thinkfree and edeskonline to capture market share ?
I met with a company called Quartics at CES that makes a computer chipset that allows you to view content (video, pics, and music) stored on your laptop or PDA on your TV - no wires needed. Using an existing wi-fi connection, the company's software compresses a signal that can be sent to a small corresponding hardware box that you first have to connect to your TV.
Disappointingly, you can't purchase the hardware as of yet. However Quartics says it has teamed up with networking firm D-Link to put the Quartics chip in D-Link's line of Media Lounge of wireless media players.
Moreover, I have been assured that the company is in talks with lots of major vendors to get their chips hardwired in TVs so that no converter box is necessary. Just sink your notebook to your TV via wi-fi and you're done. Sweet? This editor sure thinks so.
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
Bloggers working for Gizmodo pulled a prank on exhibitors at CES using a TV-B-Gone remote to turn off dozens of vendor displays at booths and during presentations. The results are undoubtedly amusing as you can see in this video Gizmodo aptly titled "Confessions: The Meanest Thing Gizmodo Did at CES."
Amusing yes, but the stunt has sparked an online debate with some taking the position it was a harmless joke and others suggesting it was mean spirited mischief that could get Gizmodo banned from next year's CES and possibly sued.
UPDATE
Several news outlets are reporting that the Consumer Electronics Association has officially responded to Gizmodo's prank banning a Gizmodo staffer (namely Gizmodo Editor Brian Lam) from attending future CES events.
In a blog posting at CNET staffer Rafe Needleman posts CEA's official response:
"We have been informed of inappropriate behavior on the show floor by a credentialed media attendee from the Web site Gizmodo, owned by Gawker Media. Specifically, the Gizmodo staffer interfered with the exhibitor booth operations of numerous companies, including disrupting at least one press event. The Gizmodo staffer violated the terms of CES media credentials and caused harm to CES exhibitors. This Gizmodo staffer has been identified and will be barred from attending any future CES events. Additional sanctions against Gizmodo and Gawker Media are under discussion."
It's questionable now whether Gizmodo is now enjoying all the attention its prank has brought it.
Before CEA released its statement Lam posted an apology: "It was too much fun, but watching this video, we realize it probably made some people's jobs harder, and I don't agree with that (Especially Motorola). We're sorry."
Will that be enough to sate targets of Gizmodo's prank which included Panasonic, Motorola, Dish Network, Intel, and others.
Here are some takes from around the Web on the Gizmodo stunt:
Continue reading "Gizmodo's CES Prank Stirs Big Debate"
Simple math says that Motorola probably paid $50,000 for the 5-10 minutes that were unproductive because of the prank. Not to mention lost sales from the bad impression that it gave people -- other articles have quoted people who saw it as thinking pretty badly of the company. Is this enough of a loss for y'all to care about?
The real problem here is one that so far no one has discussed, how many technicians running these shows have to get fired or replaced for next years show because of these knuckleheads. As one of those tech's who fortunately works for an understanding client who is aware of this fiasco, I'm safe. But I can't say the same for the rest of my brethren. How would they like it if I showed up as a tech one day at their office and as a "prank" erased their blog for a while.
SHAME ON YOU
Oh please lighten up. The world needs a little more laughter. This was not done maliciously. These are probably the same sort of persons who came up with the video game Grand Theft Auto. You know, the one that shows extremely violence against women and law enforcement. Oh, but they are not marketing to children, it is an adult game. Oh, I guess then that's ok.
I've had some fun with my T.V. Be Gone because some of them REALLY need to be.
LAS VEGAS -- Contrary to reports that circulated on Wednesday, Universal Pictures today issued a terse statement indicating that those reports were inaccurate.
"Contrary to unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources, Universal's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format," said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of HD strategic marketing, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group.
Earlier this week, Toshiba, Microsoft, Universal, and Paramount all reiterated their support for the HD DVD format. If Universal and Paramount do stick to their guns, we could still see the two formats continuing to persist for a while more.
In the end, this format war will be decided by the critical mass of content availability. The format with the most content behind it will gain the most momentum among the masses.
For more CES news, go to PCW's CES Info Center.
Oh - I've got a one...
Who be the first to go dual format before going HD-DVD exclusive?
Please vote
(a) Fox
or
(b) Warner Bros
As WB only went Blu because Fox wouldn't go HD-DVD I think fox will switch first.
Trick question, VMD will rule them all.
But seriously, Warner went Blu-ray cause of numbers. Scotsman you don't have to be so committed to the format just because you bought a 1080i HD-DVD player.
Universal saying their " current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format" still leaves them open to producing Blu-ray discs as well. I think it's only a (short) matter of time now.
At one point last year, I thought about building an R2-D2-shaped cabinet for my DLP projector, so that my R2 unit could project movies on my wall.
If I wait until March, I won't have to build it at all. That's when this Nikko R2-D2 home projector/entertainment center is slated to ship.
Continue reading "CES Video: R2-D2 Projector Uses the Force"
NewsGator Technologies, the company behind some of the biggest name RSS feeder applications out today has taken a big step by releasing all of its consumer products for free.
The applications include NewsGator Inbox, FeedDemon, and NetNewsWire. Mobile software that is now free includes NewsGator Go for Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, iPhone, and others. NewsGator also frees NewsGator Online, the Web-based RSS feed.
Continue reading "NewsGator Goes Free: Stops Charging for RSS Products"
LAS VEGAS -- What a difference a week makes.
Seven days ago, CES still loomed ahead, and rival formats Blu-ray and HD DVD were still locked in a heated and contentious battle for dominance.
Then Warner Bros. jumped the HD DVD ship.
Now comes word that Universal Studios--the HD DVD format's most staunch ally among the Hollywood studios--will be ending its exclusivity arrangement with HD DVD. The report first appeared in Variety.
If true, then future looks beyond grim for the HD DVD format. Sales figures already appear to show that Blu-ray is ahead. Universal's defection would leave only Paramount left in the HD DVD camp, and Paramount reportedly has an escape clause in its contract that it can invoke under the current circumstances.
Ironically, amidst tales of a payoff, Paramount switched from being format neutral back in August to being HD DVD-exclusive.
For more CES news, go to PCW's CES Info Center.
I think the decision was made for two reasons.
First of all, Blu Ray has a pit width of 0.13 um vs. 0.20 um for HD DVD and a distance between tracks of 0.32 um vs. 0.40 it also has a much thinner lacquer layer, 0.1 mm vs. 0.6 mm. OK, what does all that geek-speak mean? Because the ?bits? are smaller, Blu Ray can record a lot more data on a DVD than HD DVD can. Blu-Ray can get 25 GB of data on a single layer DVD and 54 GB on a dual layer DVD. HD DVD can only get 15 GB on a single layer and 30 GB on a dual layer.
A lot of this has to do with the ultra thin lacquer layer that allows the read head to be closer to the recording surface. Wow, more data for us! But the extra data comes with a cost, and an advantage to the DVD makers. The thinner lacquer layer means the DVD can be damaged more easily ? we will have to replace more damaged Blu Ray DVD?s than HD DVD?s.
Bottom line, they can give us a better product that we will have to re-purchase more often!
I think the decision was made for two reasons.
First of all, Blu Ray has a pit width of 0.13 um vs. 0.20 um for HD DVD and a distance between tracks of 0.32 um vs. 0.40 it also has a much thinner lacquer layer, 0.1 mm vs. 0.6 mm. OK, what does all that geek-speak mean? Because the ?bits? are smaller, Blu Ray can record a lot more data on a DVD than HD DVD can. Blu-Ray can get 25 GB of data on a single layer DVD and 54 GB on a dual layer DVD. HD DVD can only get 15 GB on a single layer and 30 GB on a dual layer.
A lot of this has to do with the ultra thin lacquer layer that allows the read head to be closer to the recording surface. Wow, more data for us! But the extra data comes with a cost, and an advantage to the DVD makers. The thinner lacquer layer means the DVD can be damaged more easily ? we will have to replace more damaged Blu Ray DVD?s than HD DVD?s.
Bottom line, they can give us a better product that we will have to re-purchase more often!
BitBanger said:
A lot of this has to do with the ultra thin lacquer layer that allows the read head to be closer to the recording surface. Wow, more data for us! But the extra data comes with a cost, and an advantage to the DVD makers. The thinner lacquer layer means the DVD can be damaged more easily – we will have to replace more damaged Blu Ray DVD’s than HD DVD’s.
Bottom line, they can give us a better product that we will have to re-purchase more often!
BitBanger do more research! Blu-Ray disks were in cartridges before TDK developed the hard coating for the disks. The coating is thinner, yes, but the coating is also far harder than that of DVDs and HD-DVDs. Blu-Ray disks are very hard to scratch, and are a better product even physically than HD-DVDs.
LAS VEGAS -- First Alienware unveiled its curved display earlier this week. Off the CES show floor, NEC showed me today its own Curved Display. The Curved Display uses the same CRVD-LMD screen from Ostendo Technologies as Alienware's will.
The NEC Curved Display will be aimed at gaming and financial users, but I think the applications can go further. When sitting in front of the display, I truly felt immersed in the screen environment. Suddenly, having a 42-inch wide display didn't feel overwhelming, as it does when I sit down in front of three large ordinary panels angled together. I can see this setup being conducive for other types of computing, such as image and video editing, watching movies, and even multitasking across multiple applications.
Unfortunately, the display is huge, so you'll need plenty of room: It's deep, and weighs 25-pounds. The depth is because there's a rear-projection DLP unit behind the display--actually, four DLP projections in all, each projecting to one of the four screens that together make up a panel.
The NEC unit uses LED backlights (red, green, and blue), and carries a native resolution of 2880 by 900 (a 3.2:1 aspect ratio). NEC expects the display to ship later this year.
For more CES news, go to PCW's CES Info Center.
LAS VEGAS -- The concept of ultraportable, pocket projectors isn't new: Mitsubishi and Samsung both have models they refer to as "pocket" size. By comparison with Microvision's new prototype projector, those models are boulder-sized rocks.
When it's ready for market in late 2008, the Microvision Show (that's the codename--the final product will be sold under another name by someone other than Microvision), will be the size of the iPod Classic and will fit into a shirt pocket. The prototype I saw in action today is not too much larger than the iPod Classic.
The battery-powered device projects images via a single, 1mm micro-mirror. The unit uses a laser for its light source; the entire light engine requires just 7mm by 200mm by 40mm of space. The light source has three lasers that combine into 1 beam of light projected onto the mirror; the mirror moves 30 million times per second to output the pixels.
The bulk of the unit's real estate (more than 60 percent) goes to the battery alone. An embedded version of the light source is also under development, so the projector can be built into other devices, including cell phones, notebooks, and portable media players. The projector outputs images at 848 by 480 pixels (WVGA), which is higher than many other pocket projectors can handle.
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
THAT'S LAME. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM GATEWAY.
LAS VEGAS -- DivX video may be the nicest-looking Internet video you can get. To date the only way I've been able to watch DiVX video is on my PC screen. But DiVX video can look soooo much better than that, as I found out during a demo of D-Link's new DSM-330 HD Media Player, a small set-top box/media extender that brings DiVX movies from your PC hard drive, or directly from the Internet, to your TV set. That connection is made via wireless or Ethernet connection.
Using the D-Link remote from your couch, you can access DiVX sites like Stage6 directly, and stream movies onto your TV. You can pull these videos directly from sites like Stage6 and Veoh. Once the video's going, you can also use the remote to fast forward and rewind quickly to almost any scene. The DiVX software also chapterizes the video, like on DVDs.
The new DSM-330 can also access videos, music and photos stored on PCs on a home network, a network storage device, from USB flash drives, or from external hard drives via USB 2.0. And it will play Windows Media video files stored on your PC, but it converts them to DiVX first.
The main question I had about the box concerned the long downloading and buffering times sometimes needed to play on-demand DiVX files. Naturally, on the show floor playback worked perfectly. But, like everything else, once you get the device home it all depends on the speed of your broadband connection. I have a 1.5 Mbps AT&T connection at home, and playing DiVX movies almost always involves some waiting around and stopping and starting during the video, and the DSM-330 can do nothing to mitigate that.
Other than that issue, the new D-Link DiVX player looks pretty good to me. I found myself wishing for one during the demo, which doesn't happen a lot. D-Link's new DiVX box will become available in the next few months and will cost less than $300, I'm told.
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
Dell will begin accepting applications this evening for its ReGeneration: International Green Computing Technology Design Competition. Students and individuals can submit a design for an environmentally responsible technology product--addressing issues such as energy efficiency, materials use, and recyclability. Five finalists, determined by a jury, will win $10000. The winner, determined by public vote, will win an additional $15000. Design educators and schools are also eligible for awards.
Applicants must apply online at Dell's ReGeneration Web site, a community site where people can share their thoughts, tips, and best practices about environmental issues. The public begins voting on finalists in April. A winner is announced on May 15.
LAS VEGAS -- Digeo's Moxi set-top boxes have been sold for years through cable providers, but later this year you'll be able to buy one through your local consumer tech outlet.
The Moxi Multi-room DVR system consists of a large-ish set-top box that sits near your TV set and stores your content (shown below), and some smaller extender boxes that store no content but bring the video (as well as music and photos) to other TVs in the house over your existing cable wiring. You plug your cable card directly into the back of the main set-top box, which also contains a large hard drive for storage, supports HD and plays DVDs.
Digeo is especially proud of Moxi's user interface (which the booth rep here said "kicks ass and takes names"). The system lets you quickly scroll horizontally through the various functions of the system. After selecting one (Recorded TV, for example), a list of selections displays vertically, and you just scroll through them and pick what you want. I found the Moxi channel guide to be nice looking and fairly easy to use.
Here at CES Digeo is announcing several new web-based content partnerships. Speaking of photos, Moxi just announced an agreement with the photo hosting site Flickr that lets Moxi users pull their photos into the Moxi system for viewing on TVs.
Like many set-top box makers here, Moxi has its own way of getting internet video content onto the TV: the Moxi doesn't give its couch-sitting users complete access to the web, but rather is establishing a sort of walled garden of especially TV-ready content. For instance, the video it pulls from the Associated press works especially well on the TV. And there are several other video aggregators to choose from.
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
LAS VEGAS - Scholastic gadget maker Franklin is showing off its latest handheld called Speaking Spelling Bee which is aimed at kids aged 8 years old and up. This cell-phone shaped gizmo sports a QWERTY keyboard, a 2-inch LCD display, and AV out jacks (for viewing on a TV). It teaches kids how to spell by (you guessed it) allowing them to compete in a virtual spelling bee.
In the demonstration I saw Speaking Spelling Bee guides you through picking an avatar which becomes you in the game. Next you're up against other avatars and the spelling bee begins.
Continue reading "Handheld Aims to put a Spelling Bee in Kids' Hands"
LAS VEGAS -- My last CES vendor appointment was with ActionTec, a company that specializes in home networking and is branching into home automation with support for devices based on Z-Wave technology. The appointment was in a suite at the Las Vegas Hilton, and when I walked in the door here's the first thing I saw:
Cute. But what made me chuckle was this: After I took a few steps down the hallway towards the living room, the lamp lit up and I heard a recording of "Viva Las Vegas" -- the original version by the King. It was as though he was greeting me.
An ActionTec representative then showed me a motion sensor camera that was perched on the wall of the hallway. When the camera detected my entry (or anyone else's), it made wireless contact with the home automation system, which instructed the lamp to light up and the music to begin. A nice way to demo a home automation system!
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
LAS VEGAS ? TiVo will soon allow you to watch your favorite video podcasts through your TiVo box. TiVo announced the feature here and says the added function will be part of its update the PC application TiVo Desktop Plus. The company says the new TiVo Desktop Plus 2.6 rev will be available in March. The TiVo Desktop Plus service costs a one-time fee of $25.
On one hand it's great to be able to import more video content from the Web to your TiVo box. TiVo says there is no limit to the types of video podcasts it will support. It's also great that anyone using TiVo Series3 or TiVo HD DVR will be able to watch full HD versions of the video ? so long as the source video is published in HD.
Continue reading "TiVo Boosts Service, Supports Video Podcasts"
As TiVo makes another incremental improvement to its service, with all the major companies trying to integrate the web into the living room, it looks like little TiVo has to be considered a front-runner. It's interface is simple and it continues to update its functionality largely using the web.
For a fun article about true TiVo devotion, visit:
http://www.smackofham.com/27601.html
Enjoy your day!
LAS VEGAS - Escaping the unblinking eyes of red-light, traffic, and speed cameras is getting harder as municipalities continue to roll-out new surveillance cameras. To help drivers steer clear of trouble Cobra Electronics updated its line of radar and red-light cam detectors with a more portable and sleeker XRS 9950 ($259) model.
The XRS 9950 warns you of intersections that use red-light detectors. Cobra says this is handy information, not because it helps you know where it's safe to run a red light, rather the XRS 9950 can warn you of dangerous intersections where red-light cameras have been installed.
There are few things I hate more than seeing a cable dangling from the super-thin flat screen hanging on the wall of my palatial mansion. (Okay, I still have a tube TV sitting on a scarred dresser, but a guy can dream, right?) Anyway, if video cables bug you at your manse, palatial or not, Belkin's Flywire could be the ticket.
Plug the Flywire receiver into your TV's HDMI port. (It's small about 4 inches square and an inch thick, so you can attach it to the back of your TV.) Then plug up to six video sources (DVD players, cable boxes, TiVos, etc.) into the transmitter. The Flywire transmits an uncompressed, 1080p signal up to 100 feet, according to a Belkin rep. There's a remote that lets you switch between the six inputs. Belkin's promising the Flywire will appear this summer and cost somewhere between $500 and $600. Just the thing for the estate that has everything.
I love Netflix's Watch Instantly feature, which lets you stream movies and TV shows directly to your PC. I've got a PC in my kitchen and it's great entertainment while I cook. But sometimes, I'd like to relax and watch the video on my TV and I've never found a satisfactory way to do that.
D-Link's PC-to-TV looks like it has the potential to do it. It essentially makes your TV into a second, remote monitor for your PC. You connect a box about 4 inches by 8 inches into your TV (with component or composite connections -- no HDMI). You load software on your PC. The box connected to your TV joins your home network (it uses 802.11g technology) and allows you to mirror what's happening on your PC screen on your TV.
Continue reading "D-Link's PC-to-TV Lets You Watch Net Video in Comfort"
Sony has announced 17 new LCD HDTVs here at CES in Las Vegas. Following the trends of other major vendors, Sony's new TVs have slim bezels and thin depth. Here's a breakdown of what they're showing.
Z-series: Two new models, 40-inch KDL-40Z4100 and 46-inch KDL-46Z4100. The displays feature 1080p, 120Hz refresh rate, Deep Color, and four HDMI inputs.
W-series: These displays have 1080p, 120Hz refresh rate, and a new 3D graphic interface. Also included is a USB photo and music player and four HDMI ports. W-series includes the 52-inch KDL-52W4100, 46-inch KDL-46W4100 and 40-inch KDL-40W4100 models.
V-series: These are part of Sony's entry-level series. Each set features 1080p and the new 3D graphic interface. They also have the USB photo and music player and four HDMI inputs. The series consists of the 52-inch KDL-52V4100, 46-inch KDL-46V4100, and 40-inch KDL-40V4100 models. Pictured below is the 52-inch:
Continue reading "Sony LCD HDTVs -- Following the Trends"
Lots of "entry level" TVs, mostly at sizes below 40". Is Sony aiming at the kitchen-TV market now? What happened to big-screen home theater? 52" comes close, but how does Sony expect to compete with the 60" plasmas from Pioneer, Samsung, Vizio? And what's the difference between the V4000 series and the current V3000 series? I know... questions, questions... but did your reporter TALK to anyone at the Sony booth, or just walk away with a brochure?
I've never been sold on the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC)--an Internet-connected device that runs Windows or Linux, has an Intel processor (at least by the strictest definition), and a seven-inch or smaller screen. It's not quite a phone, it's not quite a laptop, and for a device that won't replace one of those two necessities, it's not quite in my price range. Today I saw one new UMPC and several other prototypes based on Intel's Menlow platform. They're slick, they're full featured; Menlow might make them faster. I still don't want one but am becoming more intrigued.
Samsung, which released one of the original UMPCs, and launched the Q1 Ultra last year, was showing off a new Q1 Ultra Premium that will be available next month with prices ranging from $1099 to $1599. It's only a slight revamp that claims improved battery life (Samsung says 7.5 hours) and larger, easier-to-use keycaps on the split QWERTY keyboard. Like the Q1 Ultra, it offers a 1.3-megapixel camera, touch-screen controls, a Web cam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AT&T's high-speed HSDPA cellular broadband network.
At Intel's mammoth, blue-hued booth in Central Hall, I saw a few prototypes based on its upcoming Menlow platform for mobile Internet devices. If nothing else, they looked really cool. A Toshiba prototype, of which I got a hands-on demo at the Toshiba booth, is shiny silver, weighs less than one pound, and is almost entirely filled with a 5.6-inch back-lit LED screen. It comes with either a solid-state or hard-disk drive. And with options for Wi-Fi, WiMax, Bluetooth, 3G, and GPS--there are probably few places that you can't connect. On top on top of Windows Vista (it also can run Linux), the test unit I saw had a cool on-screen keyboard and optical finger navigation button. There's no pricing or availability information yet.
As usual, CES was full of HDTV vendors touting their wares. Mostly, one could expect to hear the same old stories about bigger diagonals, higher refresh rates, and deeper colors.
Pioneer was a notable exception, exhibiting new technology with their infinite contrast ratio concept television. Yes, infinite (at least that's what the PR guy said).
Continue reading "Pioneer's Infinitely Entertaining Infinite Contrast Ratio"
I should start this blog by admitting that I know next to nothing about the chemistry of batteries. But the pitch I got on silver-zinc batteries from a company called ZPower sounded really good: Rechargeable batteries that last 30 percent longer than lithium-ion batteries, won't burst into flames and are recyclable.
Because the batteries' chemistry is water-based, they aren't flammable even if they're subject to the kind of manufacturing defects that have caused the recalls of so many lithium-ion batteries over the past year and a half. As a result, they're not subject to the recent ban on putting backup batteries in airline checked baggage.
Continue reading "New Rechargeable Batteries that Last Longer -- and Won't Blow Up"
LAS VEGAS -- I just went past the Norcent booth to check out their HDTVs. They're a mid-tier vendor which we've reviewed a couple of times and it seems they were trying to make a splash at CES. Their PR rep showed us around the booth and took us over to their new LCDs.
When I saw the screens, I felt like I was watching the TV show Pushing Daisies; the colors were over-saturated and hyper-realistic. I was watching an image of a girl eating a watermelon that was so saturated the fruit looked pink!
It seemed to me that Norcent didn't do proper calibrating of their units on the show floor. While pushing color intensity might work to sell units at Best Buy, that strategy won't work at the largest consumer electronics show on earth.
Tone it down just a touch, Norcent!
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
I?ve seen plenty of video glasses in my day, and some of the ones I'm seeing here at CES are making me think the technology has become more than a novelty.
One company here, Myvu, is trying to make a splash with its newly announced 3D personal multimedia glasses, called the Crystal 701s. I gave the new glasses a good trying out at the company's booth, and came away at least mildly impressed. The 3D aspects of the video were clearly defined, and spatially distinct from the background. The sound of the in-ear headphones (attached to the glasses) was nothing to scream about, but not bad either.
Still I had two problems with the Crystal 701s right off the bat. The glasses felt stiff and didn't fit comfortably around my head. Also, the composite video screen you see in the glasses (there's a small screen in front of each of your eyes) was a bit too small. The video should fill up a good part of your field of vision, just like the sound from headphones fills up the aural capacity of your ears. In short, the sleek design of the Crystal 701s may have come at the expense of some utility and comfort. The company was clearly trying to keep the glasses small enough that you could wear them around in public without attracting too much attention.
Despite those complaints, a set of these glasses hooked up to your video iPod (or DVD player or mobile phone or game console) might be far better than watching the lame movies they always play on the airplane.
Read PC World's ongoing coverage of this giant technology show at our CES InfoCenter.
LAS VEGAS- AOL showed off an impressive update to its online storage service Xdrive which includes BlueString ? a Web-based application for simplified sharing of images, video, and music over the Web. The update also includes a big update the look and feel of the Xdrive online storage service.
The updates will be available to the general public starting February and includes the addition BlueString. BlueString has been available in beta mode, but officially goes live in February as well.
Continue reading "Online Storage Service Xdrive Gets a Big Update"
I kinda like/liked X-Drive...in the past. AOL's running it? No, thanks.
LAS VEGAS -- As a fan of ultralight, ultraportable PCs--I'm typing on one now at CES--I'm always interested in seeing what Fujitsu has on deck. More often than not, Fujitsu introduces new features and innovations in the ultraportable space, always packing in something more.
The company's latest offering is no exception: The LifeBook P8000 Series represents a marked evolution from the current P7100 Series.
Continue reading "Fujitsu Launches Slick P8000 Series Ultraportable PC"
LAS VEGAS -- Finally, after much hype, Mitsubishi unveiled their new Laser HDTV. The presentation took place the Moon nightclub at the Palms here in Las Vegas. Mitsubishi seemed very proud of their new technology, touting that it will revolutionize the way we look and think about High Definition.
The presentation started with the CEO of Mitsubishi talking about the R&D that was behind Laser TV. He said that Laser TV is great because lasers are the purest light form that we can see. Because of this, they say, Laser TV can produce colors so incredibly vivid it's above and beyond all current HDTV standards.
Continue reading "Mitsubishi Laser TV: Colors May Be Too Brilliant"
TV's have color adjustments. You will, of course, be able to tone down the colors to match your tastes.
I imagine for the demo they displayed some outrageously colorful clips to show off the increased color gamet, or perhaps you just aren't used to seeing twice the colors you normally see on a tv display. Either way, there a three things which can never be too brilliant: your lawyer, diamonds and your laser tv.
http://laser-tv.org
LAS VEGAS -- Portable storage is all the rage. Fabrik is among the many vendors introducing new portable hard drives at the show. For Fabrik, its SimpleTech Signature Mini USB 2.0 Portable Drives get a facelift for 2008.
The Signature Mini, from Italian design firm Pininfarina, features a retooled look and feel coupled with fresh, elegant colors so you can personal your portable storage to match your tastes.
Since Fabrik sees 250GB as being the sweet spot of portable storage, the company says it will offer the $200 250GB model in four colors--Marshmallow white, Kiwi green, pale Cool Mint blue, and Bubblegum Pink.
Elsewhere, the other colors in the line represent different capacities: 120GB in Espresso, for $120; 160GB in Blueberry blue, for $140; and 320GB in Black Cherry maroon, for $300.
The drives will ship in February, and will include Fabrik's Ultimte Backup software for backing up to the Web and to online, as well as 2GB of free online storage; a Mac version of the software will ship in the first quarter.
Even though the drives are bus-powered, they come with a longer USB-Y cable to make it easier to draw power from two USB 2.0 ports; sometimes, the extra power is necessary, since some notebooks don't pipe enough power out to the USB ports.
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
LAS VEGAS -- Sometimes, you just need something printed out on paper. Trouble is, you often can't find a printer around when you want. That's where PlanOn's new Printstik S910 comes in.
The newly introduced Printstik lets you print from a laptop, phone, or PDA, either wirelessly via a Bluetooth connection, or via a direct USB connection. The unit supports direct thermal printing at up to three pages per minute (at 200 by 100 dpi, 200 by 200 dpi, or 200 by 400 dpi) from Windows XP and Vista, Blackberry, and Java wireless phones.
The 1.5-pound printer is compact (1- by 1.9- by 11-inches) and has a built-in lithium-ion battery; you can also either plug it into an AC adapter, or into DC car power port. The sleek printer will sell for $300 at the end of January.
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
LAS VEGAS--Have you ever fantasized about playing the Humphrey Bogart character Rick in Casablanca, or Holly Golightly, the chic waif played by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany? With the avatar creation technology demo'd here by a startup called Big Stage, you might someday be able to fill in for your favorite film stars or video game characters.
Using three head-and-shoulders photographs taken at slightly different angles, Big Stage can create a realistic looking avatar of anyone, according to company founder and CEO Jonathan Strietzel.
Sometimes on the bus I notice how the iPod Age has really put everybody inside his or her own head, oblivious to everyone else around. Headphones on. No one talks. Also, when I see somebody really rocking out, I wonder what music it is that?s turning them on so. I found one company here at CES that apparently has been thinking along the same lines.
The Jook, made by Razor, is an MP3 player add-on that allows people to share the music on their players.
The device, the company explains, attaches to your MP3 player (iPod, Zune and others) and uses a new tech standard to transmit one player?s music to another player nearby, provided there?s a Jook attached to that one too. With a punch of a button attached to the headphones, you can stop broadcasting your music and tune into someone else's broadcast. Another punch of the little button allows both parties to listen to the same music together.
The device also allows you to make a personal profile (music tastes, etc.), store it, and beam it to other Jook users. Pretty cool.
LAS VEGAS -- Over the course of the past couple of years, as the Blu-ray Disc vs. HD DVD smack down continued, I've often seen postulating in the press and among the public that neither disc format is going to matter in the future.
Admittedly, no one can say with certainty that these formats--most likely Blu-ray, in light of Warner's recent exclusivity announcement--will match the success of their predecessor, DVD. No question DVD is a tough act to follow: the format is widely considered the most successful consumer electronics format ever launched.
The reality is that, based on where we are today, the demand for packaged media--and devices to play them--appears quite healthy. The Digital Entertainment Group, which exists to promote the video industry, highlighted some industry numbers at its annual event that underscore why movie studios and hardware manufacturers both care about finding the high-def successor to DVD.
The DVD category alone was responsible for $45 billion in spending worldwide, according to DEG data. DVD and high-definition packaged media numbers, in terms of dollars, were also impressive: $300 million in high-def disc sales, and $23
The first thing I noticed at CES 2008 was the Intel booth, strategically located right at the entrance to the Central Hall. For some reason, Intel had a booth babe riding a scooter around one section of the booth. Perhaps it had a Quad Core processor inside.
My PCW colleague, Greg Adler, is a scooter connoisseur and recently purchased a new one for himself. While the booth babe was busy, he couldn't resist mounting Intel's creation. Ride on, Greg. You were clearly born to run.
(Editor's note: Greg, get back to work!)
LAS VEGAS -- Intel has introduced a new, embedded solid-state drive that's intended for use in mobile devices. The Z-P140 is a Parallel ATA-based SSD that's the size of a thumbnail, just 12 by 18 by 1.8 mm.
The minuscule drive will come in 2GB and 4GB capacities (in the future, the storage could be expanded up to 16GB), and will be available later this quarter. Intel says the Z-P140 can work with the Menlow low-power CPU platform for mobile internet devices.
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
LAS VEGAS -- For true data security, nothing beats encryption that starts at the hard disk's level itself. Seagate's Maxtor Black Armor drive does just that by taking Seagate's full-disk encryption 2.5-inch drive and putting it into an external drive enclosure.
The drive, due out in late spring/early summer, encrypts data on-the-fly. It has a secure space on the drive to handle the encryption keys; the drive's design makes it possible to access data only if you know the password. The drive won't even mount without the password. The 160GB model will cost $150, about a $30 premium over an ordinary 160GB drive.
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
Remember Teddy from the movie A.I.? Well, he just took a step closer to reality.
WowWee's upcoming Alive Cubs robot line is still in prototype mode, but those prototypes were on the show floor at CES. They're a cross between stuffed animals and robots, complete with real-world noises from the animals they represent.
Continue reading "CES Video: Half Stuffed Animal, Half Robot"
I was excited to see WowWee's new BladeStar flying robot in action at CES 2008 in Las Vegas, especially because it has a "Dogfight" mode that pits it against another BladeStar in a Lazer Tag-like aerial infrared battle.
Alas, the Las Vegas Convention Center came down hard on WowWee, declaring its booth a "no-fly zone." Bummer.
Google is reportedly working with TV maker Matsushita to develop HDTVs that have a direct link to Google-owned YouTube and the Picasa photo sharing services. Reports come by way of CNN Money which is running the story.
Don't get your hopes on bright and friendly Google-branded TV. Google is only partnering with Matsushita to allow its TVs to stream YouTube video content and access Picasa photos.
Ever since Google purchased YouTube for a hefty $1.65 million, it has been running with and trying new services and features with the booming Web video service. This sounds like a similar deal Google cut with Apple which put a YouTube icon/shorcut directly on the iPhone's menu.
According to the CNN report, channel surfers will be able to sit on their sofa and navigate content with only their remote control. On the actual TV will likely be an ethernet port or built-in Wi-Fi capability.
Google-powered TVs will be available as early as the spring in the United States, according to the report.
The public policy bigwigs from major broadband providers including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and Comcast gathered in a posh meeting room at the Venetian Hotel here in Las Vegas to ponder the question "How much bandwidth is enough?" Outside the room, this year's CES show is buzzing with devices that are connected, so a panel on broadband availability and speeds seemed especially relevant.
The big broadband providers have been a bit on the defensive since a November Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report put the U.S. 15th among developed countries in broadband availability. As such, every person on the panel today did what he could to discount the OECD report.
"The idea that the U.S. has lost its leadership position in global broadband is greatly exaggerated," said Bruce Mahlman of the Internet Innovation Alliance. "Finland is not about to eat our lunch economically."
True, Finland has better broadband than the U.S., but
Continue reading "Telcos Defend Broadband Speeds, Reach"
100Mbps is still slow
Anything that is still in the planning stages should be pegged at 1Gbps or better. Japan just announced 10Gbps by 2010 as an objective. Some people in this country still think California's 1Gbps by 2010 or Bust Broadband Initiative is too radical.
Wake up people, the future is Gigabit. (Near Future). I cannot believe how many supposed "experts" cannot fathom that.
Putting DSL on Copper is like putting a Vinyl Top on a stagecoach in the era of the Space Shuttle and telling you "it's real fast now".
There are intelligent business campuses running at 40Gbps today. That's what you need to be globally competitive.
This is starting to get like Columbus telling the Academy of Science that the earth is round. So much for experts. I have been writing about this for years.
Probably the most ambitious WowWee robot to date, the Rovio telepresence robot streams live video footage from its onboard camera over a Wi-Fi connection to a laptop or smartphone near you. That means you can keep an eye on your home when you're nowhere near it.
The three-wheeled robot is small but mighty; it packs an in-home GPS system called Northstar, sensors that keep it from bumping into furniture and walls, and you can program it to roam around in pre-set routes. It even scrambles back to its recharging station when it's low on juice. The $300 robot is slated to be available this summer.
Continue reading "CES Video: Replace Your Guard Dog With a Wi-Fi Robot"
Toshiba has announced a slew of new LCD HDTVs here at CES. Being the HDTV lover that I am, even I'm overwhelmed at the twenty, YES 20, new displays that will be on retailer's shelves this year. The twenty new LCD HDTVs are dispersed over five different series. Let's break it down.
AV500 Series: Toshiba calls this their "Quality and Value" line (that's marketing speak for inexpensive and limited features). Each set will have 720p resolution, backlight control for good black color, and a built in ATSC/QAM tuner. The models also have HDMI and PC inputs. There are seven units in the series from 19-inch to 42-inch. These will be launching between Februray 2008 to May 2008 and ranging in price from $430 to $1,300.
Continue reading "Toshiba Announces More LCD HDTVs Than Seems Possible"
20 TVs in Toshiba's lineup, and nothing bigger than 52". (Yawn)
20 TVs in Toshiba's lineup, and nothing bigger than 52". (Yawn)
Thin is in.
Sick of hearing that phrase yet? I know I am, but I digress. Most major manufacturers are debuting HDTVs that are super thin. How thin you ask? The most impressive display I had the pleasure of laying my geeky eyes upon is Hitachi?s Ultra Thin 1.5 series.
Hitachi says these new HDTVs are not for the average consumer, but rather the "luxury consumer." Hitachi even claims the frame on the display has a "subtle bevel to present the picture as if it were a work of art." Clearly, lots of work went in to designing these new displays. And I must say, I'm a hard critic, but you have to give credit where credit is due. And Hitachi certainly deserves praise for their new line of thin HDTVs.
The displays will be available in Hitachi's Director's Series, V Series and S Series. The Director's Series and V Series will feature one HDMI 1.3 and one RGB input with audio input. The S Series will have a built in ATSC/NTSC tuner, three HDMI 1.3 ports and two component inputs. Each series will have three sizes; a 32-inch, 37-inch and 42-inch model. The 37-inch and 42-inch displays feature 1080p (1920x1080) and 120Hz refresh rate. The 32-inch unit (in each series) is 720p with a resolution of 1366x768.
These models debuted in Japan a month ago and will be hitting retailers here in the states around March or April of 2008. No price has been set yet, but I would certainly expect a premium on these TVs. What does this mean to you? Time to craigslist your 'old' HDTV and go shopping. Or not. . .
See PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
As part of WowWee's 2008 line of robots, the company launched FemiSapien. It marks the company's very first servomotor-powered female. As you might expect, FemiSapien has much smoother moves and social skills than its robotic forefather, the belchy and flatulent RoboSapien.
I was lucky enough to visit WowWee's booth at CES 2008 in Las Vegas, and came away with this footage of FemiSapien in action. She blows kisses, dances, and learns depending on which mode she's in. What was most impressive is how fluidly she did all those things. Take a look.
Continue reading "CES Video: WowWee's FemiSapien Steals Hearts"
For the full Press Release on Femisapien please http://Femisapien.org
Reports of CompUSA's demise have been greatly exaggerated ? or maybe just premature. In a deal that will keep 16 existing retail CompUSA stores open, Systemax announced it would acquire select assets and retail stores of CompUSA for $30 million on Sunday.
Systemax's subsidiary TigerDirect will take control of the CompUSA brand. Not only does TigerDirect plan to keep some CompUSA stores open under its control, it also plans to change the name of 11 existing TigerDirect retail stores to CompUSA. Gilbert Fiorentino, chief executive officer of TigerDirect, says three other TigerDirect retail store, currently under construction, will also be branded CompUSA.
Continue reading "CompUSA Saved from Closure: Why its New Owner Loves the Brand"
To amerist:
You sound like a COMP USA Employee. You are asking for a consumer to know what they are buying. That was always the problem with Comp USA Employee's. They didn't have the experience to educate the consumer as to what they need. They didn't even have the experience to program their web sight properly because there Web rebate system never worked. I am not the only one because I will criticize Comp USA as long as they have the same name that ripped me off for $150.00. You would be surprised how many people I have talked to had the same problems. I work hard for my money and wouldn't dare take a chance relying on Comp USA ever again. Comp USA are un-educated ripoffs.
to Azurro: They BETTER know ahead of time. its stupid if you buy before you know at a business that is GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. NO business that is will do exchanges. Doesn't work that way.
That being said, what DID irritate me when going to the local Denver store closing was the following"
Bought an open power supply, stll near full price, and it was FAULTY. So i had the credit card company deny the charge.
bought a power supply tester to rest the power supply. CompUSA brand.. It has a burnt out LED. BRAND NEW.
On the shelf was a sony Viao with a broken LCD. They still wanted 1600 for it. 1600!?!?!. That was just shy of retail (about the 10-30% they were advertising actually) so they wanted FULL PRICE for a broken laptop. Geeze. No wonder they went under
They sell a Faulty PS without a mark indicating faulty (it was obviously a return) and a broken laptop at near-retail price
I hope the new CompUSA learns, and does different. even closing they showed bad habits
I was a TechPro at compusa and I survived until the very last day. It was a fun job and good experience. We ran the BEST techshop in town and catered to all the customers who had taken their computers to best buy (worst tech shop in town).
To azurro: They had STORE CLOSING posted everywhere. Your fault you got a pci-e card. I don't know where you get off insulting me and everyone else but I took time to educate my customers and that is why I am making such good money now fixing former compusa customers computers from home.
Obviously if PCI-E doesn't fit in your motherboard then you need an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) video card. Most video cards either come with DVI ports or VGA. I am assuming you want VGA. BUT you also want a high end card for about 150$ (dvi) so Find a AGP based card and get a VGA/DVI adapter.
Thanks for the insult
LAS VEGAS--What would you pay to keep close tabs on a pet with a tendency to stray--or a teen who might be tempted to take a joyride in the family car? At CES, a company that developed E-911 technology used by many carriers is showing somewhat pricey consumer products that use GPS and cell phone services to alert you when a pet or your car stray outside a perimeter you define.
Zoombak, a Liberty Media company previously known as Connectid, is selling its Zoombak locator in two bundles, a $200 version for pets and a $250 package for cars. The locator is the same in both packages--a black GPS receiver, smaller than a deck of cards and weighing less than three ounces, with a SIM card slot. And in both packages you also get an AC recharging adapter.
However while the pet locator also includes a cloth pouch with a Velcro strap for securing the gizmo to a dog collar, the car bundle comes with a cigarette lighter recharger and a recharger that you can hard-wire to your car's battery.
Continue reading "Track Pets, Cars With GPS and Cell Phone Service"
It would be great if they opened back up in White Plains, NY. This store was always extremely busy and if you needed an off the wall computer part at a minutes notice, you usually could go there and find it and get out in a hurry. Not sure why they ever closed this one. Also is the tech services (on-site services) going to stay alive with TigerDirect now owning CompUSA?
The cost of real-time GPS tracking via cell networks has always been an issue for personal-use type users. However, talented developers have recently come up with some terrific java GPS tracking applications using Boost Mobile i425 phones. These phones cost about $40, and the data is not metered. Total cost, if you dont use the phone for voice, is $10 every 3 months. I stuck an i425 in a small pouch and attached it to my dogs collar. I also use it for tracking my daughter when she borrows the car.
By far the most stable GPS java application I have tried is from MyTracking. Have never had to re-start it. I believe personal use accounts are free:
http://www.geocities.com/prestonsystems/mytracking
The cost of real-time GPS tracking via cell networks has always been an issue for personal-use type users. However, talented developers have recently come up with some terrific java GPS tracking applications using Boost Mobile i425 phones. These phones cost about $40, and the data is not metered. Total cost, if you dont use the phone for voice, is $10 every 3 months. I stuck an i425 in a small pouch and attached it to my dogs collar. I also use it for tracking my daughter when she borrows the car.
By far the most stable GPS java application I have tried is from MyTracking. Have never had to re-start it. I believe personal use accounts are free:
http://www.geocities.com/prestonsystems/mytracking
Panasonic unveiled what they called the world's first portable DVR/DVD player at CES this week, a product developed as a joint venture with cable TV giant Comcast.
The Comcast AnyPlay Portable DVR (P-DVR) is actually a two-piece device: a docking station and the AnyPlay P-DVR Model TZ-LC100 which incorporates digital video recording functionality into a Panasonic portable DVD player platform.
Continue reading "Panasonic, Comcast Team Up for Portable DVR"
LAS VEGAS -- Samsung said today that it would offer a 128GB Solid State Drive in the first half of 2008.
That capacity point represents double the SSD storage currently available, and it will help bring SSD capacity more in line with standard notebook hard drives. Samsung plans to produce 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch versions of the drive, which will use multi-level cell flash technology (as compared with the single-level cell flash used in the current 64GB).
Continue reading "Samsung Introduces 128GB Solid State Drive"
If the temperature during the Blu-ray Disc Association's press conference is any indicator, it will indeed be, in the words of Disney's Bob Chapek, be a Happy Blu Year indeed. While no one is outright calling Warner Brother's decision to back Blu-ray exclusively as the end of the format war, clearly studio and hardware executives backing Blu-ray are excited about being able to focus their efforts on educating consumers about the new disc format, and not on trying to compete with another format.
Meanwhile, recent sales numbers discussed at the event illustrate some of the reasons why Warner made the decision that it did. Blu-ray Disc movie titles outsold HD DVD in the United States by a nearly 2-to1 margin last year, according to sales figures from Home Media Research. Moreover, Blu-ray titles outsold HD DVD in the United States every single week of 2007, and the Blu-ray editions of titles released on both formats consistently outsold their HD DVD counterparts, often by "significant" margins. Total domestic sales of Blu-ray movie titles topped six million in December 2007. It took 10 months for Blu-ray sales to reach the first one million; from there, every three months the format racked up another million titles sold. The last two million worth of discs sold occurred in the past month alone. By contrast, according to Home Media Research's numbers, HD DVD didn't reach the 2.5 million mark until mid-November.
Another toll of the bell for the death of HD-DVD. Will this format survive even another year? I think not...
LAS VEGAS -- Let me guess: You have more media than your cell phone has room to store.
Seagate has come up with a way to address this problem with its new D.A.V.E. platform. Here's what it looks like:
D.A.V.E. stands for digital audio video experience, and this pack-of-cards-sized device from the demo I saw, the technology really does offer a different audiovisual experience.
Continue reading "Seagate's Innovative D.A.V.E. Portable Storage"
LAS VEGAS -- By now, if you've been following PC World's ongoing CES coverage, you're probably aware of what's coming out of the big vendors this year. The Panasonics, Samsungs, Intels, and Sonys of the world are well-covered on these pages.
But what about the smaller guys? Here are some small names with big ideas that caught my eye.
a href="http://zoombak.com/">Zoombak: Zoombak won't tell you who let the dogs out, but it will tell you where your dog's at. This GPS locater slips onto a dog collar and will automatically send you a text message or an e-mail when your pet has wandered outside a specified area. Zoombak will also pinpoint your pet's location on a Web-based map in real time. Additionally, the company offers an in-car GPS device that keeps track of a stolen car or tells you where your teenage driver really is.
Continue reading "CES: Four Eye-Catchers From Small Companies"
They catch your eye but not your willingness to put money on them. What good is full windows if I need to thumb input? That OQO looks like what they came out long ago and it still has not very functional without adding external keyboards, etc. then you might as well get a laptop. They need to update the design and add a real keyboard.
Is Wikia versus Google the new Coke versus Pepsi? It would seem so now that Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikia, today launched the alpha version of Wikia Search, the search engine with its eye on Google.
The focus of Wikia Search is a bit different that the traditional ways of Google or other search engines. It seems to put a large portion of control in the hands of the users -- meaning the community feedback is what shapes the results of any given search. In a way, I feel kind of special that my sole input can completely change results of millions upon millions of other search results.
LAS VEGAS -- The concept of copying a lower-resolution version of a film from a packaged media disc to a portable device is not new--in fact, late last year, Fox and Warner released the first standard definition titles to offer this capability (on Live Free, Die Hard and Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix, respectively).
Sony today demonstrated the next level of disc copying. At the company's booth at CES, Sony demonstrated how you could put a Blu-ray Disc movie into a Playstation 3 and copy the film to a Playstation Portable or a Memory Stick. "This way, you can have a portable copy you can take with you," explains David Bishop, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
"There was always the promise of greater interactivity. You'll see that coming in the new year," Bishop added. In addition to the PSP copying example, Sony also demonstrated how you could download ring tones and new content to a BD Live player, using Men in Black as the example.
BD Live is proving to be a big catchphrase at the show: Panasonic announced its BD Live player yesterday, Fox showcased an early version of its Alien vs. Predator multiplayer game at the Blu-ray Disc Association's booth, and Sony showed its interactive Men in Black trivia game. The game was being played by two people in two locations on a Playstation 3.
For more coverage of this giant technology show, read the PC World CES Info Center.
Updated 1/7/08 at 12:30 p.m.
This could be the end of gadgets and gambling -- the Las Vegas Sun is reporting that CES exhibitors have just about had it with the rising cost of hotels, food, and beverages in Sin City.
According to the report, executives at CES have asked the Las Vegas Convention center to "lean on resort hotels to keep prices in check." But, as Karen Chupka, senior vice president of events and conferences for the CES association, told the Sun: "The rates have become astronomical. Some of the resorts are requiring a food and beverage guarantee on top of the hotel rooms and that has gone up by 365 percent in the past two years. Las Vegas is no longer the cost-effective destination it once was."
So what does this mean for the future of gadget-lands most famous relationship? Well, according to the Sun, the convention authority is holding dates for CES through 2025, but has only signed leases through 2011. And show organizers are beginning to look elsewhere: "Chupka said her association has talked with convention hosts in Chicago and Orlando, Fla., both of which have exhibit halls capable of hosting a show as large as CES."
"We've had a great association with Las Vegas," Chupka told the Sun. "But we have to listen to our own customers and watch out for the interests of our show."
CES officials have confirmed to PC World that rising costs are becoming a problem. According to Jason Oxman, the Vice President of Communications and Member Relations for CEA: "...We have heard concerns from some of our customers ? exhibitors and attendees ? that the cost of hotels is increasing at a disproportionate rate. We have taken those concerns to the Las Vegas hotel properties and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and it is our strong hope that they will take concrete steps to control those costs to continue the vibrant success of CES here in Las Vegas."
You can read the original Las Vegas Sun story here.
And, of course, see PC World's ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
As President of LasVegasConventionTravel.com Inc. I understand the concerns of rising costs of holding CES in Las Vegas. We have seen prices of everything in Las Vegas go up during CES. The perception is that the attendees of CES have money to spend and greed takes over. Our company books convention groups for CES and other convention and leisure groups and we are at the mercy of the hotels and other travel providers. While costs have risen, we have tried to keep what we charge our customers in check, often lowering our profit or commission in order to provide savings to our customers. If Las Vegas does not keep an eye on costs, large conventions will go elsewhere. There also needs to be more focus on serving the customer and not filling the company coffers with cash. Kevin Weakland, President of LasVegasConventionTravel.com Inc.
As President of LasVegasConventionTravel.com Inc. I understand the concerns of rising costs of holding CES in Las Vegas. We have seen prices of everything in Las Vegas go up during CES. The perception is that the attendees of CES have money to spend and greed takes over. Our company books convention groups for CES and other convention and leisure groups and we are at the mercy of the hotels and other travel providers. While costs have risen, we have tried to keep what we charge our customers in check, often lowering our profit or commission in order to provide savings to our customers. If Las Vegas does not keep an eye on costs, large conventions will go elsewhere. There also needs to be more focus on serving the customer and not filling the company coffers with cash. Kevin Weakland, President of LasVegasConventionTravel.com Inc.
Most of us missed Bill Gates' swansong CES keynote as a fulltime Microsoft employee here in Las Vegas on Sunday night. I'm not too disappointed I missed what is essentially a big Microsoft pep rally. But I am disappointed I missed Gates' funny parting video that was packed with A-list celebrities including: Stephen Spielberg, Jon Stewart, Bono, Matthew McConaughey, George Clooney, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Al Gore. The good news for people like myself is that you can watch it online ? but there is a catch.
Microsoft has posted Bill Gates' keynote to its website here. The catch is this video is a very small and you'll have to watch the Gates' keynote from the beginning ? no fast forwarding to the funny part.
Another place you can watch the Bill Gates' keynote in much higher resolution is at Microsoft's webpage for Bill Gates. Here you'll find a 750K, 300K, and a 100K stream of the keynote. Warning the sound quality on the 100K stream is awful.
LAS VEGAS--Motorola announced only two new phones at its Consumer Electronics Show press event, but both featured the type of dazzling technological innovation we brave CES to see.
The Moto Z10 couples an advanced camcorder with the most sophisticated video-editing software I've ever seen on a handset. And the smooth, glassy Rokr E8 phone/MP3 player uses digital touch technology to change its entire appearance to fit the task at hand.
Continue reading "Motorola Shows Innovative Video, Music Phones"
AMD announced today that its new laptop platform, codenamed Puma, will be available in the second quarter of 2008. This announcement is likely in anticipation of whatever Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini will present at his keynote address later today.
Puma promises better battery life and performance than AMD?s current platform; it will build in support for Microsoft's DirectX 10 graphics, and newer, faster DDR2-800 memory. The dual cores and I/O architecture of the Griffin processor can power up and down separately based on the laptop's workload. Griffin's Power Optimized HyperTransport 3 technology is meant to transfer data faster to and from the CPU.
AMD acquired ATI Graphics in 2006 and has retained the brand name for the graphics components of Puma--ATI Avivo HD and Mobility Radeon HD Graphics. They are meant to offload graphics processing from the computer processing unit (CPU) to the graphics processing unit (GPU) and as a result improve graphics performance particularly when a laptop is operating on battery power. AMD says that Puma-based laptops will be able to play full-length Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD movies on a single battery charge.
Puma's upcoming HyperFlash technology, which will not be available until the 2008 holiday season, will allow Windows Vista laptop to store certain data in flash memory--theoretically allowing the laptop to startup and launch applications faster. The upcoming HyperFlash is AMD's answer to Intel's currently available TurboMemory Flash, an optional component of Intel's Centrino processors.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Puma is what's coming after it. AMD's roadmap for 2009 includes plans for an accelerated processing unit (APU), which will combine the traditionally separate CPU and GPU onto one chip. For more information and context on AMD and Intel processor road maps, read Better Battery Power, Mobility for Laptops.
they are going to lose, like Sony with Beta system..Simply Blue Ray DVD, because of higher capacity is offering more ... Hardrives are allready reaching 1Tb...
Alienware showed off a 42-inch curved DLP rear projection display that makes playing a video game feel like you're watching an IMAX movie (well kinda). Alienware showed of the display for the first time here in Las Vegas at a media event held in conjunction with CES.
Alienware doesn't have a name for display calling it only a seamless curved display. The monitor sports 2880 by 900 resolution with game quality .02ms response time. Look for this display the second half of 2008 when it goes on sale for an undisclosed price.
It's a good thing we'll have to wait, because that will give the Alienware folks time to work out some of the display's kinks such as the visible black seams that make up the monitor's four segments. The wait will also give you time to clean off your desk, because this display is a monster.
Gates did make one comment in his speech that gave me pause. He talked about how things had changed since he gave his first keynote speech at CES back in 1994. "The Internet was just starting then," he said.
Huh? Vint Cerf introduced the term "Internet" back in 1974, and the TCP/IP network we now use dates back to at least the early '80s.
Oh well. Meanwhile, here's my (admittedly fuzzy) photo of Gates' closing moments--a Guitar Hero faceoff with Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division President Robbie Bach, and their respective "ringers": Guitar Heroine Kelly "TipperQueen" Law-Yone (far right) and Guns N'Roses guitarist Slash.
Bill Gates, wearing his signature blue sweater, kicked off his last CES keynote as a full time Microsoft employee with a hilarious, celebrity-packed film about what his last day at work might look like.
Introduced by NBC anchor Brian Williams, the movie showed Gates making various failed efforts to do things other than his Microsoft job. You see him working out with film star Matthew McConnaughey as his personal trainer ("Am I ready to take my shirt off yet?"), in a studio with rapper JayZee, and calling U2 frontman Bono on the phone ("I can't replace Edge because you got a high score on Guitar Hero, Bill").
Steven Spielberg calls George Clooney about a Bill Gates movie ("I can't play Bill Gates... ask Russell Crowe," Clooney says). The Daily Show's Jon Stewart turns him down as a co-anchor.
He's turned down as running mate by both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama ("Bill Shatner of Star Trek? Bill Clinton?" a puzzled sounding Obama says into his phone). Al Gore gets a call ("It's not an inconvenient moment...That was a good one.") And in a separate film, Bob Costas tells Gates to stop bugging him about a job on NBC's Beijing Olympics team ("Lose my number!")
Such self-deprecating and funny videos have been a hallmark of Gates' speeches and they will be missed. Nothing else in this speech will be as entertaining, even the news that MGM is bringing its film library to on-demand delivery via XBox Live.
Read PC World's ongoing coverage of this giant technology show at our CES InfoCenter.
Here's a look at some of the shiny new gadgets Sony had on show today at CES:
OLED Television - A North American First
Sony's newly announced XEL-1 Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) television is actually available for sale in Sony Style stores effective immediately, according to Sony chairman and CEO Sir Howard Stringer. The TV is the first OLED television to ship in North America. The impressively thin, 11-inch TV delivers has an angled, articulating arm that's attached to a base. The unit's depth is just 3mm deep. The TV's OLED technology delivers deep blacks, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, accurate colors and details, and a bright picture--all with no backlight and lower-than-typical power consumption. The unit has a wide viewing angle, too; Sony didn't provide the spec, but it says the viewing angle outperforms that of other TV technologies.
Continue reading "Sony Launches New Digital SLR; First U.S. OLED TV"
Sony announced six new high-definition camcorders Sunday at CES, two of which can take 10-megapixel still photos, a remarkably high resolution for a camcorder.
At the top of the line are the HDR-SR12 ($1400), which includes a 120 GB hard drive, and the HDR-SR11 ($1,200) which has a 60 GB hard drive, both of which can take 10 megapixel photos.
The HDR-SR12, along with the HDR-SR11 ($1200), HDR-SR10 ($1000), HDR-UX20 ($1000), and HDR-UX10 ($800) all can record at 1920 X 1080, and will be available in March. All of the models include the face detection technology that automatically identifies up to eight faces and corrects focus, exposure, and color controls for both video and still photos.
Continue reading "Sony Rolls Out Hi-Def Camcorders With 10-Meg Still Pix Capability"
For those of you breathlessly waiting (and because there's little else to do), here's what it looks like at the big ballroom in the Venetian, waiting for Bill Gates' keynote. I'm pretty far up front:
And here's the scene behind me:
EVDO connectivity is getting difficult--I suspect I'm not the only one using it. We'll see if I can go on once the speech starts.
LAS VEGAS ? It looks like the iPhone is having an impact on gadgets other than phones and handhelds.
In Philips Electronics' press conference today at CES, Philips Consumer Lifestyle CEO Andrea Ragnetti announced the company would emphasize a "smoother," "European," "minimalistic" and "feminine" design for its upcoming products.
Not only that, but Ragnetti borrowed a Jobs-ism and said the company will "reinvent television" with its new Design Collection product line.
Continue reading "Look Out Apple: Philips is All About Design in '08"
"Look out, Apple..." Oh, please. If a TV that looks like an iMac and a set of crystal-encrusted earbuds is what is passing for innovative design at Philips, Apple has nothing to worry about. It is to laugh...
Wow! How come this author has the nerve to post this garbage? I mean, look at that screen, anyone with a new generation iPod or an iPhone knows that all Phillips's design team has done is completely mastered copy and paste! And really, it takes the mass public calling out an author, you can't tell me the author hasn't ever seen an iPhone. I mean be real people, you wrote the article, say it how it is!
really
LAS VEGAS--Garmin's PR people showed off their latest and greatest GPS devices by giving journalists (such as me) rides to their hotel from the Las Vegas airport.
By far the coolest newcomer--if it really works in the wild--is the new Nuvi 880, which they say is the first completely hands-free navigation system. It uses speech recognition technology--but so you don't drive it nuts with non-navigation-related car talk, the speech reco is only activated when you press the button on a little strap designed to be wrapped around the steering wheel.
Here's a photo of the Nuvi 880 and the speech activation strap:
In the test drive, the device did occasionally falter as Garmin's representative asked it to locate places by category (e.g. restaurants, coffee shops) or navigate back to a previous screen. But it mostly worked (which it better, given the $1000 price tag) and we'll look forward to trying it out when it ships, which Garmin says will be this spring.
Read PC World's ongoing coverage of this giant technology show at our CES InfoCenter.
LAS VEGAS--I dodged the bullet on iPhone lines, but no such luck at CES: It's 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, and I'm sitting on the (carpeted, thank goodness) floor at the Venetian along with a small city's worth of other tech journalists waiting for VIP access to Bill Gates' swansong keynote at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. Here's what the line looked like about half an hour ago, when they first let us in:
Rest assured it's much, much longer now, snaking back on the other side of the hallway and beyond. Gates is scheduled to speak at 6:30 pm--rumor has it some sort of XBox announcement might be in the offing, but who knows. I'll be blogging live as much as my flaky Windows Vista notebook and EVDO connection permit.
LAS VEGAS ? Sharp is wiring its HDTVs to the Internet in 2008. On Sharp Aquos model LCD TVs debuted today at press conference each sported ethernet ports for accessing Internet content such as weather, NBC news, hi-rez artwork and other Web content. Part of the plan to wire its LCD TVs also includes a new service which allows Sharp tech support to remotely access new Aquos 42-inch or larger LCD TVs so staff can help you troubleshoot problems with your TV and optimize settings.
The tech support program is called Aquos Advantage and will be free to those who own or purchase a 42-inche or larger Sharp Aquos LCD TV. In conjunction with the wired option Sharp will sell power line adaptor kits called Sharp PLC Adaptors for linking LCD TVs to the Net.
Continue reading "Sharp Wires LCD TVs for Web, Rolls Out 2008 TVs and Audio Gear"
LAS VEGAS -- Does size really matter?
Despite the new big-screen plasma and LCD HDTVs announced by Panasonic here at CES, it was the smallest product announced that elicited the biggest response from the crowd.
While demoing the integrated SD card slot on its Viera line of HDTVs, a few oohs and ahs were audible from the crowd as the monitors on each side of the stage showed the card's capacity: a whopping 32GB of solid-state memory in the size of a postage stamp.
Panasonic officials said the card can hold about five-and-a-half hours of full high-definition video footage.
Continue reading "Panasonic Viera HDTVs With 32GB SD Card Slots"
LAS VEGAS ? Toshiba announced nearly two dozen LCD TVs today while at the same time expressing concern and disappointment over the recent Warner Brothers announcement it would be backing the Blu-ray DVD format exclusively.
Toshiba is a huge supporter of the HD DVD format. Jodi Sally, Toshiba's vice president of marketing, for Digital A/V division, said she was "clearly disappointed by the events of the last few days," but that despite the fact "many are saying the HD DVD format is dead" it is not. "We've been declared dead before," Sally says.
"We are pleased with the consumer acceptance of HD DVD in the market," Sally said. At Toshiba's press conference officials said little about new HD-DVD players the company is rolling out here at CES.
After addressing the HD DVD quagmire if finds itself in, Toshiba took no questions on its support for HD DVD and Toshiba proceeded to talk up its impressive new lineup of Regza LCD TVs. Toshiba's LCD TV lineup included bigger LCD's TVs. Many TVs in its Regza line sport smaller bezels (as small as 0.9-inch) and various display technologies for sharper video playback and optimization for use with console video games.
More to come...
Continue reading "Toshiba Unveils 20 LCD TVs, Stands Firm on HD DVD Format"
If Netgear's latest home-networking products are as revolutionary as the company says they are, you could have a high-def video faucet in your sink by the end of the year. At it?ll be wireless.
Netgear founder and CEO Patrick Lo kicked off a Sunday press conference at CES in Las Vegas with a description of Netgear's overall vision since the company's inception: an "all-access home" in which the user would have easy access to high-speed networking, "just like using power or heat."
Netgear's major announcements for the year look to push this vision forward, with the emphasis being on problem-free streaming of high-def video and games to multiple sources simultaneously, a wider reach and one-touch setup for its wireless-N products, and a simplified networked home server to help families access their data from wherever they are.
New Router
Netgear focused on three product announcements during Sunday's conference: first, the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Router, which looked a bit like a glowing, oversized iPhone when Vice President of Product Marketing Vivek Pathela held it up for the room. The 802.11n router will support both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands, which means more channels for devices to use when connecting to a network and less in-home wireless interference from other devices, such as microwaves, baby monitors, and cell phones.
Pathela detailed the main innovations of the router: no software configurations are needed for machines on the network. Instead, the router detects and establishes a secure connection with any device it finds in range -- which is purportedly an excellent range -- as soon as the user presses and holds a glowing blue button on the unit. This is part of Netgear's new "Push 'N' Connect" technology, an innovation it is touting in its 2008 product line to enhance super-easy setup for its users.
The RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Router also has no external antenna, adding to its Apple-like sleek looks. Lo and Pathela said this is due to the company's other flagship innovation for the 2008 product line, which it calls the metamaterial antenna. Netgear claims its new embedded, high-performance antennas offer a nice boost in both signal strength and wireless range.
Wireless Gaming
Another product announcement highlighted by Netgear was the HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit, a unit that allows users to stream bandwidth-intensive high-definition videos and games at high speeds, without choppiness, to wireless-N-enabled HDTVs, computers, and set-top boxes. Because it operates on the 5 GHz wireless band and has access to more wireless channels than the 2.4 GHz band, the unit can stream several high-density HD files to different places concurrently, without any interference or visual jitter. The demo was impressive; think of this device as your own personal HD broadcasting tower for any device on your home network.
Home Server
Of course, in order to broadcast, you'll need an archive of shows. Netgear also aims to simplify and centralize users' multimedia libraries with the ReadyNAS Duo, a networked X-RAID home server that allows the user to upgrade its capacity by adding additional storage to its drive bays. The drives are hot-swappable, a fact showcased by Pathela in the product demo when he pulled out one of the drives while the ReadyNAS was serving up streaming HD video; the video kept playing without interruption, which was impressive. The ReadyNAS also lets users to access the files stored on it over the Web, a handy little feature for road warriors.
And More!
Netgear only demoed those three products during the conference, but another announcement caught my eye: the Powerline HD Plus Ethernet Adapter Kit. In the product data sheet, Netgear claims the plug-in adapters can convert any outlet into a conduit for streaming high-def video. Overall, Netgear said it has 15 new products that will be released this year.
No pricing details or ship dates were given by Netgear during the conference.
Read PC World's ongoing coverage of this giant technology show at our CES InfoCenter.
Thin is clearly in at CES this year.
First, JVC revealed it would be showing an HDTV that was 1.5 inches thick. Then LG showed its 1.7-inch thick TV. Now, Pioneer has unveiled its concept design for a 50-inch plasma TV that's just 9mm in width. That translates to 0.35, for those of who are metrics challenged.
This engineering feat gives the effect, as Pioneer describes it, of the TV floating on the wall. Such a design also means the TV can shave off pounds; this 50-inch prototype weighs 41 pounds--lighter than conventional 50-inch models. This prototype design won't be commercially available in 2008.
Another concept design Pioneer unveiled today: Project Kuro. The focus of Project Kuro is on producing the first plasma with "extreme" contrast--the TV is absolute black, with no measurable light emitting from the display. Blacker blacks can help produce more vivid, accurate colors.
Get more on these and other TVs and electronics news in our ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
Surprise: In a world that's been dominated by Blu-ray and HD DVD of late, Pioneer is actually still delivering new DVD players, unveiling two new models at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today.
The players, the DV-310 and the DV-410V, both have a super-slim design, provide a front-mounted USB port for accessing music, photos, and videos stored on a USB drive, and support Divx file playback.
The step up, the $99 DV-410V, has an HDMI output for piping the player's 1080p upscaled, standard-def content to a high-def display. The DV-410V is due out in June.
Check out other announcements in the ongoing coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show at our CES InfoCenter.
It's always fun when a bombshell announcement hits the tech world. You know the sort: The sort of announcement that gets tongues wagging as everyone tries to absorb and decipher the implications and new course set by said announcement. That's exactly the effect I've seen today from Warner's announcement yesterday that it would be backing Blu-ray exclusively.
Granted, I spent the day at the Storage Visions conference here in Las Vegas, so the Blu-ray-HD DVD battle has some relevance to this crowd. But the Warner announcement has clearly dominated every conversation I've had today. And why wouldn?t it: The studio with the largest content catalog had chosen which format it was going to back. (Unsurprisingly, New Line Cinema, which shares the same parent company as Warner Home Video, confirmed it too would be going Blu-ray exclusively.)
Warner's news hit at a strategic time on Friday, a time when many executives from the HD DVD camp were likely alredy en route to Las Vegas for CES. However, what's been more surprising is how the HD DVD Promotional Group responded to the announcement.
Rather than having some snappy come back--as we've all become used to in the tit-for-tat, he-said-she-said PR campaign that has defined this vitriolic format war for two-plus years--the HD DVD Promotion Group instead tucked tail and scrubbed its press conference on Sunday night. The statement was notably terse, and squarely cited the Warner announcement as the reason.
"Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps."
Postpone could mean they'll try to reassemble a horde of journalists later in the show after they've had a chance to regroup, but that's an unlikely scenario. The general interpretation on this day-after is that they've canceled their press conference and were caught flat-footed--a bewildering concept considering that Warner has publicly said for the past two months it was reassessing its format-agnostic strategy. Regardless of how far in advance that press conference had been planned, it's shocking that the HD DVD camp didn't have a Plan B contingency for this eventuality. Canceling the press conference was inifintely worse than sidestepping questions. No wonder word had that the mood at the Blu-ray Disc Association's booth (during setup today on the show floor) was "giddy" and that the HD DVD booth across the way was quite the opposite.
Continue reading "HD DVD: The Day After Warner Jumped Ship"
HD-DVD & XBox vs. Blu-Ray & PS3. What is the future of gaming?
Microsoft, Paramount & Universal... What a Joke! The collective brain power of the CEO's couldn't light a light bulb.
To ALL HD-DVD owners: Look at the bright side...
If you were the lucky one's to purchase a $99 HD-DVD player at the Toshiba Fire-Sale, you still have a great upconverting DVD player and a great Downconverting HD player because it's only 1080i.
eBay!!!
And as per usual MS back a loser !
Some day MS is going to wake up and smell the coffee but only after its to late as normal ( IE "VISTA" )
The company that brought the world a robotic version of Elvis's head and the ever-popular Robosapien is unveiling an extensive lineup of new in-home bots at CES 2008, opening in Las Vegas next week.
(Here's a slide show of WowWee's new offerings, and I'll be shooting video of the 2008 WowWee robots in action on the show floor at CES.)
WowWee seems to be covering all the bases with its new announcements, from remote home surveillance to aerial-combat robots to its first products made specifically for girls. The new entries in WowWee's robotic arsenal are slated for release at various points throughout the year.
Today at the Storage Visions conference in Las Vegas, SanDisk showed off its Vaulter Disk two-prong approach to notebook storage. The concept of Vaulter Disk is remarkably straightforward, and aims to give mobile users the best of both the flash and hard disk worlds.
The Vaulter Disk is a compact (30mm wide by 51mm long)
flash memory module (12GB or 16GB) that works in conjunction with a hard drive. The module is actually a PCI-E board that plugs into a notebook's motherboard.
Unlike other mixed flash-hard drive approaches (hybrid hard drive, Intel's Robson technology, removable ReadyBoost drives), Vaulter is not relying on caching to achieve improved performance. Instead, the intention is for a notebook OEM to install the notebook's operating system entirely on the flash module.
Talk about a seismic shift in the next-generation DVD format war.
Warner Brothers--until now the only studio that was continuing to release titles in both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats--has announced it will be moving to Blu-ray Disc exclusively in 2008.
The studio's decision to go Blu-ray means Blu-ray clearly has the advantage with regard to content: With the backing of Warner plus Blu-ray stalwarts Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, and Sony, Blu-ray Disc holds the content advantage. It's now the better bet of the two warring formats--if for no other reason that the movies you want are more likely to come out on Blu-ray than on HD DVD.
I fully expected that if Warner was going to make an announcement one way or the other, it would be at next week's International Consumer Electronics Show.
The company got a jump on all the CES news by putting its announcement out today, a day before the first official CES events start in Las Vegas.
Continue reading "Bet on Blu-ray? Seismic Shift in DVD Format War"
Finally! The game seems to be over. Technical superiority and technology won
It's far more likely they chose blu-ray because they see some financial advantage in doing so, not because they have a clue which technology is better or out of any concern for which one provides a better experience for the consumer. It wouldn't surprise me if we found out in the days to come that Sony delivered a boatload of cash to Warner to help them make up their minds.
And keep this in mind. Why do you think Sony is so willing to lose money right now pushing the Blu-ray format? The only reason I can think is that they already have a grand plan in place for how to screw over the consumer if Blu-ray wins and recoup all those losses. Are you ready to pay $40 per movie?
Its about time the format war comes to a end so the consumer can decide what dvd player to buy and the surround system buy,or a blueray home theater system,sony,samsung,and the rest of hi tech companys will produce one kind and save money for other hi tech developements that will benefit everyone!
Sling Media has announced two new place-shifting products for streaming live television to a BlackBerry handheld as well as streaming high-definition video to broadband connected computers. The product offerings come days before Sling Media showcases both to the public at the Consumer Electronics Show.
The new products are SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry and the SlingBox PRO-HD set-top box. The SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry will cost $30 and becomes available later this year. To receive content the BlackBerry you will need one of Sling Media's Slingbox place-shifting devices. Slingbox PRO-HD will be available for purchase in the third quarter of 2008 with a suggested retail price of $400.
The PRO-HD device is Sling Media's latest addition to its line of media streaming hardware. These devices are capable of taking steaming media content from a wide variety of sources and "slinging" it over the Internet. So, anywhere in the world you could enjoy media content from your very own home.
The PRO-HD is the company's first "truly" high-definition streamer. In prior Slingboxes, HD sources could be plugged into the SlingBox, but it would compress the video before sending it over the Internet. The PRO-HD will sling video at a full 1080i resolution. Because of the size associated with HD media files, a high-speed connection would be required to fully utilize the HD content.
With the addition of SlingPlayer for BlackBerry, Sling Media expands its streaming capabilities to almost any smartphone. SlingPlayer is currently compatible with Windows Mobile, Palm Treo and Symbian mobile operating systems. BlackBerry will be the fourth major mobile operating system to be supported by the SlingPlayer.
The Apple iPhone has yet to support SlingPlayer, but the lack of 3G data speeds put a significant burden on that porting process. The SlingPlayer and Slingbox require a high-speed Internet connection on both ends for maximum efficiency.
Wish they would get it over with( the war that is) so I could watch Dvd's like they were meant to be watched.
According to a Sony Web page dedicated to news to be announced at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show the latest software upgrade to the PlayStation Portable platform will be Skype support.
Sony has never been one to let any official CES news out prior to a press event, but perhaps the company is changing its tune. According to Sony's own CES preview page, one of the PSP's to-be-announced features will allow you to "Call friends, talk trash to fellow gamers or catch up with acquaintances via Skype for PSP system."
It's been a long and rocky road for the PSP since it's release more than three years ago, but the latest round of updates may be what the struggling handheld needs to succeed.
Over the past year Sony released a slimmer version of the PSP with a more reasonable price tag of $169. This, along with the other slated PSP updates which include steaming music and the ability to connect to the PlayStation 3, has accomplished much for the PSP's popularity since November price cuts. Now with Skype support this portable may have a chance to finally make it in 2008.
Big Brother lives. And he may live a lot closer to home than you might think or want.
Human rights organization Privacy International compiled list of the best and worst countries in 2007 for citizen privacy versus government surveillance. The United States sits squarely at the bottom of that list with Privacy International classifying the country as one of the world's most "endemic surveillance societies."
Other low ranking countries include: China, Russia, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and England. Greece was the highest ranking country when it came to citizen privacy protection. Privacy International said that Greece had "adequate safeguards against abuse." No country reached the highest ranking of "significant protections and safeguards" or "consistently upholds human rights safeguards."
The US has dropped in status since last year, when it was given the marginally better label of an "extensive surveillance society."
To some the ranking of high surveillance may sound like a good thing, after all more surveillance means more security, right? However it is important to note that the US ranking is below the ranking of "systemic failure to uphold safeguards" when regarding citizen privacy. There is a trade-off at work where more security means less privacy.
As for me, I'd like to have a bit more privacy. Hopefully in 2008 the U.S. can raise its privacy standards to something above an utter failure.
It's a sad thing when the citizens of a country end up having to watch their own backs and safeguard themselves against their own government. Not so long ago, the citizens of the U.S.S.R. allowed their freedom and privacy to slip away in the name of security. As did the people of Germany. Their will always be tyrants, usually with a small group backing him, that want to dominate and control the people of a country. They come and they go, and they usually weaken the fabric of a free people enough to eventually cause the downfall of that particular government. To be living in a time when our once great and proud nation decides to spy on it's own people en mass, condone torture and in-human treatment of others, start wars and worry later about explaining why we are killing other people abroad, and suspects it's own people of being the enemy, is a sad thing for me to watch.
Grrrr. Hate when that happens.
Sorry for the double post. Had a hickup in my internet service.
Or else the NSA is watching me and intercepting my posts and they double posted ! :)
Reminds me of a few years ago, with my SBC DSL service. My pings and traceroutes always lead through the SBC switches in Chicago. Till I started posting things online about stuff that Mr Bush was doing that I disagreed with. Suddenly I noticed that my ISP was routing me through Washington DC instead of Chicago. That went on for many months.
No kidding.
If you think thats something read this
US unveils new driver's license rules
By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer
10 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get more secure driver's licenses in the next six years under ambitious post-9/11 security rules to be unveiled Friday by federal officials.
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The Homeland Security Department has spent years crafting the final regulations for the REAL ID Act, a law designed to make it harder for terrorists, illegal immigrants and con artists to get government-issued identification. The effort once envisioned to take effect in 2008 has been pushed back in the hopes of winning over skeptical state officials.
Even with more time, more federal help and technical advances, REAL ID still faces stiff opposition from civil liberties groups.
To address some of those concerns, the government now plans to phase in a secure ID initiative that Congress passed into law in 2005. Now, DHS plans a key deadline in 2011 ? when federal authorities hope all states will be in compliance ? and then further measures to be enacted three years later, according to congressional staffers who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not yet been made. DHS officials briefed legislative aides on the details late Thursday.
Without discussing details, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff promoted the final rules for REAL ID during a meeting Thursday with an advisory council.
"We worked very closely with the states in terms of developing a plan that I think will be inexpensive, reasonable to implement and produce the results," he said. "This is a win-win. As long as people use driver's licenses to identify themselves for whatever reason there's no reason for those licenses to be easily counterfeited or tampered with."
In order to make the plan more appealing to cost-conscious states, federal authorities drastically reduced the expected cost from $14.6 billion to $3.9 billion, a 73 percent decline, according to Homeland Security officials familiar with the plan.
The American Civil Liberties Union has fiercely objected to the effort, particularly the sharing of personal data among government agencies. The DHS and other officials say the only way to make sure an ID is safe is to check it against secure government data; critics like the ACLU say that creates a system that is more likely to be infiltrated and have its personal data pilfered.
In its written objection to the law, the ACLU claims REAL ID amounts to the "first-ever national identity card system," which "would irreparably damage the fabric of American life."
The Sept. 11 attacks were the main motivation for the changes.
The hijacker-pilot who flew into the Pentagon, Hani Hanjour, had a total of four driver's licenses and ID cards from three states. The DHS, which was created in response to the attacks, has created a slogan for REAL ID: "One driver, one license."
By 2014, anyone seeking to board an airplane or enter a federal building would have to present a REAL ID-compliant driver's license, with the notable exception of those more than 50 years old, Homeland Security officials said.
The over-50 exemption was created to give states more time to get everyone new licenses, and officials say the risk of someone in that age group being a terrorist, illegal immigrant or con artist is much less. By 2017, even those over 50 must have a REAL ID-compliant card to board a plane.
Among other details of the REAL ID plan:
_The traditional driver's license photograph would be taken at the beginning of the application instead of the end so that should someone be rejected for failure to prove identity and citizenship, the applicant's photo would be kept on file and checked in the future if that person attempted to con the system again.
_The cards will have three layers of security measures but will not contain microchips as some had expected. States will be able to choose from a menu which security measures they will put in their cards.
Over the next year, the government expects all states to begin checking both the Social Security numbers and immigration status of license applicants.
Most states currently check Social Security numbers and about half check immigration status. Some, like New York, Virginia, North Carolina and California, already have implemented many of the security measures envisioned in REAL ID. In California, for example, officials expect the only major change to adopt the first phase would be to take the photograph at the beginning of the application process instead of the end.
After the Social Security and immigration status checks become nationwide practice, officials plan to move on to more expansive security checks, including state DMV offices checking with the State Department to verify those applicants who use passports to get a driver's license, verifying birth certificates and checking with other states to ensure an applicant doesn't have more than one license.
A handful of states have already signed written agreements indicating plans to comply with REAL ID. Seventeen others, though, have passed legislation or resolutions objecting to it, often based on concerns about the billions of dollars such extra security is expected to cost.
In just over one year, you'll need more than just an antenna to watch your favorite TV shows if you don't have cable or satellite service. You'll need a digital to analog converter box.
These boxes will be announced next week at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
To help you with the transition, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has set up a Web site, DTV2009.gov, designed to make it easy for everyone to understand the big analog to digital television transition set to happen on February 18, 2009.
Included on the Web site is the ability to apply for up to two $40 government-funded coupons to assist in the purchase of digital tuner boxes. According to information at the site, those boxes will range in price from $50 to $70 and will be required for individuals that depend on over-the-air television signals. According to the site, most cable or satellite customers will be safe as their set-top boxes can handle the digital signal just fine.
The information hotline says that boxes will be available in mid to late February and that coupons, good for only 90 days, will be mailed just before or at that time.
If you think you need a coupon, you better act fast. According to the site the first 22 million coupons are first-come first-serve, with the latter batch of 11.5 million going explicitly to households who only use analog television service throughout the entire house.
The coupon application process as easy as filling out your home information and clicking "submit." Next, the NTIA says it will send you--via mail--a coupon to buy a converter box from one of 11 hardware manufacturers.
If you're looking for details about the actual converter boxes at the NTIA Web site, you'll be disappointed. The site offers few details about the digital converter hardware. The site is also lacking information about where or how to purchase the boxes and how to install one.
In addition to the Web site, the NTIA also set up a 24-hour hotline (1-888-DTV-2009) where coupon requests can be made. This may be the better option at this point because the Web site is being bogged down due to the traffic.
Today few knows what they really get for their bucks, with or wihout a NTIA coupon.
Stakeholders and the government agencies involved should do everything they can to
build a broad market of converter boxes and with that choices and price range.
The more brands and boxes there are the better chance for the consumer to get a
reasonable priced box with good quality.
And also, make it more clear on a local level how multicasting will work and how many channels you will get in DTV.
I write more about it here: dtvbrief.wordpress.com
Best / Anders
You can protect yourself from unwanted government intrusion by using PGP, "Pretty Good Privacy".
PGP offers encryption so good, the sun will grow cold and Christ will come again before the best computer on earth can decode a document or email encrypted with PGP.
If you have anything private to say, keep it private with PGP. Don't let "Big Brother" have complete access to your personal life.
"Would it help? Removing pieces from memory will help performance. "
I've been using vlite for a very long time, it does make a MASSIVE difference in performance, less RAM is being used, installation is alot quicker, much much faster boot (18secs), vista is alot more responsive and in my point of view more stable. Updating windows is not a problem either (unless its a SP) because if i remove a component for example Windows Defender no updates will appear for it.
Whilst using vLite i have never had a single BSOD, crash, freeze or any sort of a problem, without vLite i would of gone back to XP along time ago and would be using nLite. As i said before my computer is very stable and you can clearly tell microsoft has not even used it.
vLite has dependancy checks built into it so your less likely to break the "chain", it has descriptions of what removals do, so you know what you are about to remove and whether or not you need it. Nuhi has the skills to fix any problems quickly.
Microsoft is wrong. First guy to comment is right. I also use vlite and it makes a huge difference. No crashing at all. Dont listen to this retarded article. VISTA IS ALMOST UNUSABLE WITHOUT VLITE.
Remember back in the 90s, Microsoft bundled IE with Windows 95, and further tied them together in Windows 98? Microsoft was sued but argued that IE was an essential part of Windows? Back then, there were software packages to decouple the two and slim down Windows 98, and the Microsoft argument was falsified. It seems history is repeating itself and Microsoft is still unrepentant.