Sony planning another stab at the "iPod Killer"

A report on the Register suggests that Sony's set to try again with the grabbing of Apple's pie, plotting the launch of a portable music player to end all iPods. The company's president, Kunitake Ando, said that the new player, planned for the end of this year, will be "much more competitive than the iPod". Saddened by the loss of the top slot, Sony is hoping that an agressive plan will enough to win back its number one position. The key to Sony's success is simple: make a music player that's as easy to use as the iPod and it can beat Apple. This means developing new software that makes Sony's Walkman products more straightforward to use (preferably so that the app doesn't keep making my laptop cry, thanks Sony). The company has already gone some way to seeing the error of its ways by adding native MP3 support to its players on top of its own ATRAC format. Now it's planning on doing the same for its MiniDisc players, apparently. Speculation that Sony might one day buy up Apple has been one of life's constants over the years, but Ando attempted to put those rumours to bed, saying that Apple is now just too expensive to acquire.

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Thursday, Feb 24, 2005

TeenTech Portable DVD Player

Just like any sensible manufacturer, TeenTech has got its eye on the kids' consumer market, but the TeenTech Portable Colour DVD/CD player is for the adults as well - how else are you going to get your squalling offspring to stay quiet in the car? With a 3.5-inch colour screen, remote control, 2 headphone jacks to stop sibling rows, and an external speaker, the portable player can handle VCDs, CD, and MP3 Playback as well as DVD. It's a nice price, as well, at just $99 on Amazon. Only problem is, judging by those reviews, the plug is liable to blow up at any moment, leaving you with a scorched and disgruntled child. Still, if it keeps them quiet, who's complaining.

Wednesday, Feb 23, 2005

New Sober Worm Spreading Quickly

A new version of the Sober worm wriggled out of its hole early on Monday and set about quickly attacking computers in Europe and the U.S., a security services company says. The worm is a mass-mailer, meaning it spreads itself via e-mail using contacts listed in the address books of computers it infects.
he first instance of the worm, called W32.Sober-K-mm, was intercepted by U.K. security company MessageLabs. The company detected 663 instances of the worm in the first hour, and the figure climbed quickly to more than 2,200 instances over the next five to six hours, prompting MessageLabs to give it a high-risk rating, says Maksym Schipka, a senior antivirus researcher with the company.

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Monday, Feb 21, 2005

iPod

iPod

The holidays have come and gone, and if the snowballing searches are any indication, many music lovers received iPods (+36%) from ol' St. Nick. So now that you've had a couple of weeks to figure out where the earphones go, you're likely wondering what else you can you do with your new toy. You're not alone. Searches on iPod accessories (+139%) and modifications are jumping in the post-Christmas period, as proud owners seek ways to make their MP3 "playas" uniquely their own. Of course, all the usual suspects are spiking -- stuff like protective cases (+940%) and mini-speakers (+1,661%) -- but some less obvious iPod extras are busting out as well. Most notable are iPod tattoos (a cheap but effective way to spruce up the white box's outer shell) and iPod voice recorders (for recording your vocal ramblings for posterity). Interest in things you can buy is hot, but the hottest iPod search is "podcasting," a free and legal (for now) way to download Internet radio broadcasts to your iPod (or any MP3 player). Perfect for those who like to listen to something new every day instead of the same ol' Raffi tunes, this trend is expected to really take off in the coming months.

Consumer Reports' Five-Step Guide to Buying a High-Definition Television

Sky-high costs may have scared many consumers away from large-screen high definition TVs until now, but prices have dropped sharply and the March issue of Consumer Reports says that they could hit new lows in the coming months. Even with prices falling, a big-screen TV is still a four-figure investment, and shoppers will find a host of new display technologies to consider along with a growing list of unfamiliar brands. The March issue of Consumer Reports offers a step-by-step guide to buying a high-definition television and advice on financing, warranties and installation.

The experts at Consumer Reports recommend that shoppers ask themselves these five questions when shopping for a high- definition television.

Continue reading "Consumer Reports' Five-Step Guide to Buying a High-Definition Television"

Thursday, Feb 17, 2005

A Big LCD TV that Won't Break the Bank

HDTV has become the hot item in the consumer electronics world. The bull market on HDTVs kicked into high gear last holiday season and shows no signs of slowing. Most price/performance offerings leverage older panel technology to drive down price. Gateway attempted this strategy, with only limited success. A relative newcomer to the scene, The Syntax Group has brought its Olevia line of HDTVs to market this year, and today we take their largest LCD HDTV for a test drive.

Many 30-inch LCD HDTVs have street prices in the $2500 to $3000 range, Olevia's LT30HV checks in at around $1,700, and is one of the lowest-priced HDTV panels of this size that we've seen to date. There are now others around that price-point (Westinghouse, Albatron and ViewSonic to name a few), but this is the first offering we've seen in this price range that we'd actually want to recommend. To find out why, click on Read.

Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005

Firefly emergency cellphone for kids

We’re pretty sure within a few years nary an American adult worth their weight in salt (or soccer balls) will be satisfied until every family member has some time of cellular device, from grams and gramps to their pre-pubescent little darlings. A little less novelty and a little more sombre than the MyMo kids’ cellphone, the decidedly more advanced GSM-roaming Firefly has a screen (that’s a plus), dedicated mom and dad call buttons, a 20-number phonebook, a backpack hook, and, of course, a 911 button. Of course, we’d be a bit concerned about that 911 button getting triggered at such inopportune time as, well, any time it’s not intended, but we remain hopeful they’ve 8-12-year old-proofed it sufficiently.

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Tuesday, Feb 15, 2005

Sony SDM-HS75P and SDM-HS95P X-Brite Flat-Panel Monitors

Sony has two new LCD flat-panel monitors out in a very appealing design—I'm sure they'll be both attractive, with Sony's X-Brite screen technology, and considerably more expensive than less swanky models. Both the 17-inch SDM-HS75P and the 19-inch SDM-HS95P have a native resolution of 1280 by 1024 pixels, with an 8ms refresh for the former and a 16ms refresh time on the latter (LCD refresh determines how much 'ghosting' you'll get when watching video or playing games).

Both are available in silver or black bezels, with DVI digital video connections. The 17-inch will retail for $350, while the 19-inch will show up for $500. That's maybe a little steep, but not as bad as I was expecting, actually.

Monday, Feb 14, 2005

Mitsubishi’s PocketProjector

Maybe barely pocketable if you’re rocking the XXXL cargo pants, Mitsubishi just announced the PocketProjector, a tiny DLP projector that weighs just 14 ounces and has a resolution of 800x600 (which is plenty good for all your non-high def needs). Should be out in July with a retail price of $699.

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Creative Labs Nomad Juke Box Zen Xtra 30GB MP3 Player

get for $179.99 (after rebate) at ZipZoomFly

Featuring a large, hi-res, blue backlit LCD, the NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra builds on the industry-leading music features of the NOMAD Jukebox Zen product line. Simply transfer all your music into the player with Creative MediaSource™ or the new NOMAD Explorer™ using ultra fast USB2.0, press the play button and get set to enjoy high-fidelity music. With advanced features such as Quick Scroller Navigation, Find, Playlist Creation and automatic ID3 tag categorization, managing and organizing your music will be a breeze

And the NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra doubles up as an external hard drive for storing all your photos, documents and other data files. Simply open NOMAD Explorer (integrated into Microsoft® Windows® Explorer) and drag and drop data files into the data folder or music files into the music library. The Zen Xtra also is priced at up to 30% less than the Apple iPod!

Podwave iPod Portable Speakers

Podwave iPod Portable Speakers Version 2 - FREE* While Supplies Last at PC Connection

To share your sounds anytime, anywhere- PODWAVE tiny, portable, battery-operated stereo speakers

The Podwave is the ultra-portable, battery operated mini stereo system for your iPod. Enjoy your iPod music without headsets or large wired external speakers. Share music with friends anywhere, anytime. 500mW power ouput per channel delivers exceptional stereo sound. An On/off switch saves battery life while unit is not in use and a single AA battery provides up to 8 hours of continuous use. The Podwave works with iPod, iPod Mini or any audio players with a 3.5mm jack.

Thursday, Feb 10, 2005

Apple rebuffs Sirius on satellite radio iPod

Remember all those crazy rumors from a couple of months ago that Apple and Sirius were teaming up on some sort of iPod with a built-in satellite radio receiver? Seemed a little dubious at the time (simply cramming a Sirius chipset into an iPod in the first place would be the opposite of easy), but now we know why everyone gossiping in the first place. Sirius prez Mel Karmazin admitted during a talk at a media conference yesterday that he had approached Steve Jobs about adding Sirius to the iPod and found no love. In Mel’s words: the “current thinking” at Apple is that “they don’t need to put satellite radio in their box”.

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Wednesday, Feb 9, 2005

The iDisk II 120x, the world’s smallest 8GB USB flash drive

When you think about it, the really amazing thing about Pretec’s iDisk II 120x, which Solid Alliance (who is selling it in Japan) claims is the “world’s smallest 8GB flash memory drive” is that it just looks like any regular old USB flash drive. Just don’t go losing it like any regular old USB flash drive.

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Vodafone and Toshiba's Motion Sensing Phone

Vodafone Japan is getting two new Toshiba handsets, the V603T and V603SH, both of which are clamshells. The V603SH has a motion sensor, allowing users to wave it around to perform basic commands (not unlike using mouse gestures)—neat, but ultimately pointless, I fear. At the very least, it's golden, which should be worth some price premium. Its companion V603T appears to be essentially the same phone minus the motion sensing—in its case, Toshiba is focusing on the ability to pick-up analog television broadcasts (something the V603SH can do, as well).

Both phone will be available in February in a Japan near you.

Vodafone K.K. launches motion, tv phones

Casio Exilim Pro EX-P505

Casio has released the new XP-P505, a 5-megapixel camera with a 5x optical lens and a 1cm macro mode (that means you can get really close to that bug or flower before you accidentally crush it). It has a decent start-up time of just under a second and can also take movies in MPEG-4 format at 30 frames per second, stored on SD/MMC memory cards.

Press Release [Casio]

Wednesday, Feb 2, 2005

Personal smoothie blender

I got a little geekily excited when I thought this blender was USB powered for some reason. It's actually better that it's not because even though the Personal Blender is tiny, its motor is 200 watts, about the same as many full-sized home blenders. The blender cup can be used as a single serving size cup so you can blend a fruit smoothie and just detach the cup and go. The motor and blades can cut through solidly frozen fruit and ice. I'm slightly skeptical about the ice because I've found that the only blenders that really can mash ice into a smooth pulp are the restaurant models. My 900 watt Waring Pro is the only inanimate thing I'd save from my house in a fire.

The personal blender, with two smoothie cups, is $59.99 at SmartHome.

Monday, Jan 31, 2005

Thinking Materials

If your company’s mission statement talked about “radically rethinking what the modern mobile lifestyle is", It wouldn’t be such a stretch to assume that they’d have a wristphone lurking in their portfolio, as in the case of Thinking Material, a Swedish company that showcased their prototype at the “Fashion in Motion” fashion show held last year in Atlanta.

The watch comes with a wireless headset, and a keypad that is only half fixed to it’s wrist band, so that it can be lifted up for thumb-typing.

Also, the company plans to shy away from plastics. Instead, they hope to try out fabrics or color-changing textiles in order to grab the fashionistas market.

Saturday, Jan 29, 2005

Tales from Panchatantra - version 2003

Once upon a time, there was a software engineer who used to develop programs on his Pentium machine, sitting under a tree on the banks of a river.

He used to earn his bread by selling those programs in the Sunday market.

One day, while he was working, his machine tumbled off the table and fell in the river. Encouraged by the Panchatantra story of his childhood (the woodcutter and the axe), he started praying to the
River Goddess.

The River Goddess wanted to test him and so appeared only after one month of rigorous prayers. The engineer told her that he had lost his computer in the river.

As usual, the Goddess wanted to test his honesty. She showed him a match box and asked, "Is this your computer ?" Disappointed by the Goddess' lack of computer awareness, the engineer replied, "No."

She next showed him a pocket-sized calculator and asked if t! hat was his. Annoyed, the engineer said "No, not at all!!"

Finally, she came up with his own Pentium machine and asked if it was his.

The engineer, left with no option, sighed and said "Yes."

The River Goddess was happy with his honesty. She was about to give him all three items, but before she could make the offer, the engineer asked her, "Don't you know that you're supposed to show me some better computers before bringing up my own ?"

The River Goddess, angered at this, replied, "I know that, you stupid donkey! The first two things I showed you were the Trillennium and the Billennium, the latest computers from IBM!". So saying, she disappeared with the Pentium!!

Moral: If you're not up-to-date with technology trends, it's better keep your mouth shut and let people think you're a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Friday, Jan 28, 2005

Night Photography

This free lesson assumes the student has some knowledge in practical photography (equivalent to a pass level in our Basic Photography course).

If you like what you see in this lesson, but cannot understand all the information given, enroll in our Basic Photography course and get all the help and encouragement you need! All our courses enjoy tutor assisted learning so you are never left alone wondering what it all means.

Once the sun has set many photographers will pack away their cameras and go home. They are missing out capturing some of the most stunning and visually exciting images to be had (fig n-1).

Throughout our courses we emphasise the importance of light for the photographic image. This does not mean that if there is no daylight, there are no good photos to be captured.

Taking photographs at night is a lot simpler to achieve then one might think. The results can be very stunning and strange effects are easy to master. It is also possible to take top quality night images with just basic equipment.

Here we have some guidelines on the possibilities open to us with night photography.

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Thursday, Jan 27, 2005

iTech XFM DAB Radio

We surely likes the iTech XFM DAB radio, a pleasant-looking mantis-headed radio with lots of features, including 10-minute live rewind and MP3 playback from SD/MMC flash memory cards. If it's got any shortcoming, it would be the 5 D-cell batteries it takes to power it off the wall—you'd be better off keeping it on mains power permanently. Otherwise, though, for £130, it sounds like a keeper.

Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005

MP3 Watch

Gadgets.co.uk is selling this MP3 playing watch to delight and entertain. The watch doesn't appear to have a name - unless you count MP3 Watch - but it's capable of playing MP3 and WMA files. With 128MB of memory you might think it's not worth it, but being able to record your voice is an added bonus and it should provide enough battery life for 6 hours music playback. We're still not convinced that we want to be seen wearing headphones plugged into our plastic watch, but for those that quite fancy the idea, this player can be had for £100.

Gadgets.co.uk

Tuesday, Jan 25, 2005

PC sofa for lovers

Fancy cuddling up to your loved one while divvying around with your expenses docs? No me neither, but for those who really can’t bear to be parted from their significant others for more than just a second, Bluebroc has announced the C-Station, a weirdo kind of sofa for PC loving couples.

The theory is that can curl up together while watching a DVD, or downloaded movie which is displayed on the LCD screen integrated into the sofa’s side. The design also incorporates space for those other little essentials like a remote control, phone and take-out Pizza.

Obviously there’s housing for your PC or Mac too. Apparently the chair came (in a vision?) to its inventor Paul Tasker as he motorcycled across Australia. ‘Sitting on the bike, I dreamt of comfort. By the time I crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge the concept for the ‘C-Station’ was formed.’ We know what you mean Paul. We have similar epiphanies while trying to get a seat on the 73 bus. There’s no word on price and availability, but you can check out the website here.

Wednesday, Jan 19, 2005

VoIP Howto

Voice Over IP is a new communication means that let you telephone with Internet at almost null cost. How this is possible, what systems are used, what is the standard, all that is covered by this Howto.

Tuesday, Jan 18, 2005

Apple gouging Europeans on the Mac mini?

nicollette sheridan

Apple’s not the only company that charges more in Europe for their products than they do in the US—obviously local market conditions, taxes, and other variations in the cost of doing business mean that different countries will have different prices for the same products—but a lot of European Apple fans are peeved that they will have to pay a lot more for the world’s “most affordable Mac” than their American counterparts (recall that Apple’s been slammed before for charging Brits more for iTunes Music Store downloads than they charge everyone else, too). For example, when it comes out, customers in the UK will have to pay £339 ($632) for the version of the Mac mini which costs $499 in the US; in Germany the cost is even higher at €489, or $636. So have these disgruntled consumers launched a boycott or organized a sit-in at the Apple Store in London? Nah, instead they’ve chosen to employ the most effective method of protest known to man—an online petition asking them to lower their prices. Best of luck with that!angelina jolie

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