Bluetooth Headphones

This is becoming a popular segment. I've seen Bluetooth headphones released from both Plantronics, and Logitech as well in the last month. If you want quality audio, and don't have room for a 5.1 speaker set, this is a great and affordable alternative to look at.

Wireless Cables, Inc. has announced the release of its AIRcable HiFi Headset, which lets users listen to streaming music from their PCs via a wireless Bluetooth® USB "blade" that requires no setup or installation. The lightweight, cable-free and hands-free design provides maximum comfort for office workers, travelers, or home users who want to tune into their personal music or videos. In addition, the AIRcable HiFi Headset serves double-duty as a convenient cell phone headset.

New Pocket PC Released

The "big news" with this handheld release is the new OS: Windows Mobile 5.0.

So the HP iPaq rx1950 we’ve been catching glimpses of for a while now is finally officially out, and without much (or any) fanfare — HP simply listed the device on its site by way of “launch.” As noted previously, it looks a lot like the h4150 and, in fact, the two are bordering on identical. The rx1950 will be running Windows Mobile 5.0 on a 300 MHz processor, sport 32MB RAM/64MB ROM, SD/SDIO slot, and a 3.5-inch display. Notably, it’ll have WiFi but no Bluetooth. The biggest differentiator here is the price which, at $300, is quite a bit less than its predecessor went for back in its heyday.

Upcoming holiday shopping...

They are already anticipating what the hot products will be come December. I agree that the TV's, DVD recorders, and music players will be popular. When are cell phones going to saturate?

As the run up to the end-of-year shopping season begins to build steam, the competition is starting, and this year looks like it will be dominated by flat-screen TVs, digital video recorders, cell phones, and digital audio players.

eMachines Making Windows Media PC

You know it has hit the mainstream when low ball manufacturer eMachines is making it. A Windows Media Center PC is what I'm referring to.

The T6520 Desktop PC provides a cutting-edge entertainment and gaming experience. A 64-bit processor and PCI EXPRESS graphics ensure amazing performance when playing the latest 3D games and running advanced digital-media applications. Get the power and functionality you'll need to enjoy the ultimate multimedia experience, all at a surprisingly affordable price.

With a 64 bit 3400+ processor, a gig of RAM, a 200 GB hard drive, a DVDRW drive, and a PCI graphics card, this is one hot machine for $600! While this a lot of hardware for the $$$, I'd like to point out that there is no TV tuner, so this is not much of a media pc in the end. With the money saved, you can add one for the full experience. One more example of buyer beware.

Now I've Seen It All...

Well almost. Frustrated travelers now have a place to get together. The internet is all about bringing folks together with similar interests. But a whole site devoted to airline food? Browse through thousands of pix from frustrated travelers who took a snapshot before consuming their airline fare. The next time you fly, and you see the guy next to you taking a picture of his tray, you'll know why. Picky eaters of the world unite!

Jeeves to get pink slip...

Ask Jeeves is looking for a broader audience, and is going to axe Jeeves to do it. The search engine will need a new name, of course.

I guess the concept of job security can finally be laid to rest once and for all. I mean, if you have a site called “Ask Jeeves”and you are Jeeves, you figure you are pretty set in the job department. Not so, my innocent friends. Barry Diller shelled out $1.85 BILLION in May 2005 for the search site, but has decided to give Jeeves the boot. The reason, people were confused. I guess we don’t know what pasty, fat butlers are. (They actually tried a Jeeves makeover to slim him down and tan him - hoot!)

Use your computer in bed...

Why not get comfy while using your computer? I've included 2 prototypes for the final product.

I can’t remember for the life of me where I found this link, but here it is. Those crazy kids at Thanko are at it again with this computer desk that lets you use your desktop computer in bed. Sure you could use your laptop, but where’s the fun in that? Plus apparently you get better posture with a full-on keyboard and monitor layout. It’s currently going for about 19,800 Yen ($178 USD), and is most likely a Japan-only product. Which is too bad, because I’m for any invention that lets me be lazier than I already am.

New Palms Coming

Palm, while not doing too well lately, has some new PocketPC fighters in the queue. The LifeDrive concept of using a tiny hard drive in a handheld is too strong to limit it to just one model. WiFi support is also long overdo as it is a lot more useful than Blutooth to most users.

The translation is a bit rough, but Mobile-Review has it on authority that the Palm TX, a new LifeDrive, and a new Zire (the Z22) are due for announcement in October. According to them, the TX will stand downwind from the flagship Tungsten T5, featuring only a 312MHz processor and 128MB of flash memory, but it will indeed have Bluetooth and WiFi—which more or less jibes with what we had on the topic before, though their quoted price of $450 doesn’t sound quite right. Apparently the Z22 will sport specs similar to the Z31, including a 200MHz processor and 160 x 160 color screen for about $130 US. Oh yeah, and the LifeDrive will have a version bundled with Philips earphones, Pocket DVD Studio Lite, and MM Player on sale this holiday season. Well, alright then.

Video Games & College

Plenty of students spend lots of time playing video games. Now their hobby and obsession, can become their major!

Animation I, Cognition & Gaming and Computer Music are being offered as part of the year-old minor in game studies at RPI, one of dozens of schools that have added courses or degree programs related to video gaming in recent years.

RPI, which plans to offer a major in the field next year, graduated 27 gaming minors in its first year and expects a jump this year.

Which school will be the 1st to offer a doctorate in video gaming?

DVD Recorder Review

These set top DVD recorders are predicted to be THE hot item this holiday season (as well as the iPod stuff). Read my convoluted tale of woe, of how I found the right discs for this machine. I also subjected the written discs to quality scanning with some surprising results. I hope I can get some other machines to review in the future, although I'm not sure where I would put them.

For the budget user, looking to replace their VCR, it is an acceptable choice. The write quality is average, and the machine is easy to program and use. I also like that it can play MP3/WMA music files, and JPG pictures adding to the functionality of the device. Hopefully, others will benefit from my experience. It took me two months from the time the VCR broke until I had the Ilo up and running. For DVD Recorders to become a mainstream household electronic device, these compatibility issues need to be resolved. I doubt most users are willing to invest that much time into such a device. These compatibility issues also account for why there are so many boxes in the store that have been returned

Cheap LCD's Soon

Those sleek flat panel monitors are all the rage. Why don't more folks have one? Well, the price has been too high for some. The LCD's are just more expensive, but perhaps some cheaper prices are up ahead.

Consumers may still enjoy sharply lower prices of flat panel monitors and LCD TVs during the Christmas peak selling season, because oversupply of panels is bigger than expected, a survey found on Wednesday.

What's Google Up To???

Earlier this week, I noticed that Google was giving away some little piece of software to make wireless networking more secure. I thought this was a little odd of the search engine giant, but now it's starting to fit.

Google, the online search leader, confirmed Tuesday it has begun a limited test of a free wireless Internet service, called Google WiFi.

The existence of the Wi-Fi service, which offers high-speed connections to the Internet over short distances, is confirmed by public pages on the company’s Web site and was first reported in a Silicon Valley newspaper in July.

It's currently limited to a Pizza Parlor, and a gym, both near their corporate HQ's, as well as in a shopping square in San Fran.

In July, the San Jose Mercury News reported that in exchange for using the free Google WiFi service, customers would be required to load a copy of Cisco’s secure network software and Google’s “toolbar” program on their laptops.

My guess is they're giving away the access to get more search engine business and clicks. Beware though: big brother, your name may be google.
Perhaps this will turn out to be a bidding war for giving away free Wifi access when Microsoft enters the fray!

Dell Introduces iPod Shuffle Fighter

Dell introduced the DJ Ditty yesterday, a new iPod Shuffle fighter. As opposed to Apple's offering, this one has a screen, which most experts consider to be a feature (except Steve Jobs). It's equally fascinating that Dell's same 1/2 GB of storage holds almost twice as many songs as Apple's same capacity player. How did they encode the songs- 16 kbps/mono setting, quality equal to a dial tone?

The DJ Ditty weighs 1.29 ounces and its 512 megabytes of storage can hold as many as 220 songs, Dell of Round Rock, Texas, said in a statement. The device, which has a 1-inch screen for managing playlists, starts at $99.

By contrast, the 512-megabyte version of Apple's shuffle, which also costs $99, stores 120 songs; a 1-gigabyte version sells for $129 and holds 240 songs, according to the company's Web site.

Super DVD Burners Coming

With the Blu-Ray and HD DVD next generation burners stalemated in a format war, LiteOn is looking to fill the gap. I'm not sure what makes them "super"- LightScribe support, faster write speeds, DVD-RAM support? Stay tuned.

Lite-On IT plans to begin production of 16x Super-Multi DVD burners next month, the second such maker in Taiwan, following BenQ, which started shipping such burners in August, according to local industry, sources.

Lite-On IT will adopt chipsets supplied by MediaTek and pick-up heads (PUHs) made by Japan-based Sanyo Electric for the production of the burners, the sources said.

Logitech Remote Review

For $249, don't lose this one in between the sofa cushions.

Remote control is hardly a perfect science. Combine the functions of thousands of remotes speaking various languages into strings of commands operating at different speeds, and you’ve got a constantly evolving database of complicated codes and communication. The only universal remotes I’ve seen that worked flawlessly are expensive touchscreen-based remotes requiring hours and hours of painstaking programming. Custom installation pros can charge $2,000 or more for the service.



At $249, the Harmony 880 offers a good alternative. It offers easy setup, distinguishing features and a patient toll-free customer support team as backup. The more complicated your system, the more important the latter will be, but I found the tech support friendly and helpful each time I called.



On the down side, I don’t like having to plug my remote into an outlet. It’s not convenient and just adds another unwelcome wire to the living room.



I appreciate how much work has gone into the Harmony process. I have my work cut out for me to tweak the custom buttons to my satisfaction, but Harmony has the tools I need to make it happen. The Logitech Harmony 880 is a leap ahead of many other universal remotes on the market.