WiredGizmo

New iPod Nano impresses, Zune improves

Wired — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:46:00 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO –

Back in 2004, when I got my first MP3 player, I never cared that it lacked a camera, Web browser and crystal-clear video playback — features that are now common on digital media devices.

Apple’s latest iPod Nano and Microsoft’s freshest Zune, both released within the past week, offer these kinds of perks and plenty more. Neither is right for everyone, but both serve as a reminder of how far digital media players have come in just a few years.

Apple has sold more than 100 million iPod Nanos since launching the first one in 2005, and the latest version should cement its title as king of the prom.

At first glance, the new Nano seems very much like the previous version. It has retained its skinny legginess and curved sides, along with its crisp screen and slightly annoying shake-to-shuffle music feature. Astute gadget hounds may notice it has a slightly enlarged screen — it’s now 2.2 inches on the diagonal, up from 2 inches.

There are some major additions, though, that make this tiny tune toter really worth its price tag ($149 for 8 gigabytes of storage space; $179 for 16 gigabytes).

The first is located near the bottom of the Nano’s back: A little video camera lens with a pinhole-sized microphone. The location is prone to fingers-over-lens issues, but because the Nano has a built-in accelerometer you can solve this problem by turning the device upside down and it will still know to film right side up.

Apple says it simply wasn’t possible to place the camera anywhere else without making the Nano pudgier, so I’m willing to forgive this inconvenience.

The quality of Nano videos probably won’t get you into Cannes, but the camera is so easy to use that I found myself looking for cool things to record while wandering around listening to music. I also loved its special effects filters, which let you film in old-fashioned film mode or “kaleidoscope” mode.

To my chagrin, there is no option to take still photos, and no zoom — two features you’ll find on many run-of-the-mill cell phones. Maybe next time, Apple?

The built-in microphone did impress me. It had some difficulties capturing sound from multiple sources at the same time, but noises generally sounded clear in videos. The microphone will also record voice notes — something I’ve been awaiting for several years.

Another neat feature: Now the Nano has a built-in speaker. You won’t notice it at first, since there’s no speaker grill. But if you happen to play back a just-recorded video or a song without plugging in headphones, you’ll notice that, indeed, the Nano is emitting sound. The speaker does not get that loud, and it doesn’t sound incredible, but it’s nice to have the option to listen out loud.

Sadly, the speaker doesn’t work with the Nano’s FM radio — another new feature — since the radio counts on your headphones to act as an antenna. The inclusion of a digital radio is long overdue, and it comes with a neat “live pause” feature that will store up to 15 minutes of the broadcast. This came in handy when I was listening to NPR and wanted to stop and make a phone call. I could just come back and catch up on the news a few minutes later.

Simply put, the new Nano gets nearly everything right. It even includes a built-in pedometer for logging exercise goals. There are plenty of tweaks Apple could — and probably will — make in the future, but it’s still the best and smallest multimedia player you can buy for under $200.

Microsoft’s Zune player has gotten steadily better since it was first released in 2006. Its latest effort, the Zune HD, gets several things right, including video and music playback. Still, there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

The Zune HD ($220 for a 16-gigabyte version; $290 for 32 gigabytes) is packed in a slim, silver-and-black case that sports a fairly generous 3.3-inch touch screen.

The screen is one of the new Zune’s best parts: It’s very responsive to finger swipes and taps, and, as with Apple’s iPod Touch, you can pinch photos to zoom in and out.

Videos and photos look super crisp, and I had no problem snuggling up with the Zune HD while watching an episode of sketch comedy show “The State” that I downloaded from the Zune Marketplace over the corresponding computer software.

The latest Zune includes a high-definition video function, so you can buy high-def movies in 720p resolution from the Zune Marketplace, and, if you shell out $90 for a dock, watch them on a high-definition TV. You can also watch them on the Zune, but the resolution will be lower.

More impressive was the addition of an HD radio receiver for accessing radio stations’ digital HD radio content, which is transmitted alongside their regular analog broadcasts. HD stations sounded clearer than standard FM stations on the dial, but since the Zune already has a good FM radio I wasn’t blown away.

I was pleased to see Microsoft finally built a Web browser into the Zune, which you can use when you’re in a Wi-Fi hot spot. The Zune always had wireless capabilities, and the company seems to revel in rolling out related functions as slowly as possible. On the last Zune, users gained the ability to download Zune Marketplace songs straight to the device when connected to a Wi-Fi network.

The browser, which is based on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, isn’t nearly as good as one you’d use on your computer. Given the screen size it was sometimes easier to view mobile versions of Web sites (sometimes you’re automatically directed to them anyway), and there’s no support for Flash videos like the ones on YouTube.

Still, it has an easy-to-use touch-screen keyboard for entering Web site addresses, and it’s good for reading the news, checking e-mail or updating your status on Facebook.

One neat feature is the ability to assign “pins” to content you like — basically, quick links that are kept in a side menu off the home screen. This made it easier to quickly access the Obi Best and Lady Gaga songs I can’t stop listening to, along with my favorite Web sites.

Of course, Microsoft has heard the siren song of Apple’s online App Store, and has added an “Apps” section to the Zune Marketplace, which you can access through your computer or the device itself. There are only a handful of applications available now — I downloaded two games that didn’t really impress — but they are all free, and Microsoft plans to roll out Facebook and Twitter applications soon.

The Zune HD proves the device is starting to come into its own as a multimedia contender. It’s not quite there yet, but I am curious to see what Microsoft comes up with next.

Android Devices Grow with New ARCHOS 5 Tablet

Wired — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:37:39 +0000

There’s a new Android device on the market. On Tuesday, the French company ARCHOS announced the ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet, based on Google’s open-source Android mobile operating system.

The ARCHOS 5 features 720p high-definition viewing, TV recording, and built-in GPS with 3-D navigation in addition to Net browsing. It has a five-inch 800×480 touchscreen, and the company emphasized that it has a full-fledged browser and integrated applications. Connectivity is Wi-Fi, or 3.5G from a mobile phone connected through Bluetooth.

Android a ‘Major Differentiator‘

Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for consumer technology at the NPD Group, noted that ARCHOS is already marketing a Windows-based tablet with a nine-inch screen that would probably provide “a more robust Net surfing experience.”

He added that the use of the open-source Android is a “major differentiator,” since the ARCHOS 5 is “one of the first Android products for consumers that is not a cell phone.”

Current Analysis’ Avi Greengart pointed out that the ARCHOS 5 “is not a large enough tablet” to really expand the tablet category. In fact, he said, “in some ways it looks like some of the phone devices we’ve been seeing.”

Whatever category it fits into, Rubin said the impact may be limited in the U.S., since mobile media player maker ARCHOS does not yet have a very high U.S. market share, despite offering technologically advanced devices.

Tablet computers are beginning to emerge as a category. Rubin noted that Toshiba showed one larger than the ARCHOS 5 at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year.

There have also been persistent rumors that Apple will bring out a tablet device in the next few months. Depending on the rumor, the purported device is a bigger iPod touch, an entry into the growing netbook market, a new kind of e-book device, or all three.

And the CrunchPad, a Net-surfing Android-based tablet from a company formed by technology blogger Michael Arrington, is reportedly being readied for release later this year.

Third-Party Apps

Rubin noted that a big advantage in the use of Android for this tablet is access to a growing library of applications for that OS. As the mobile-device market matures and expands, the availability of third-party applications is increasingly becoming a factor in purchase decisions.

ARCHOS also unveiled the AppsLib store, which will provide free and paid applications specifically for the new tablet device. The store can be accessed directly from the device and apps can be downloaded in one click.

A visit to the AppsLib store shows it’s still under construction, but it appears to be ready to offer Android applications for a variety of Android devices beyond just the new tablet.

Several applications will come preinstalled on the ARCHOS 5, including the eBuddy instant-messaging app, Twidroid for Twitter tweeting, Craigsphone for viewing and posting classified ads, ThinkFree for viewing Microsoft Office files, and Mewbox, a music download service.

Rooting Android G1

China’s Lenovo unveils homegrown smartphone

Wired — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:30:03 +0000

BEIJING (AFP) –

Chinese high-tech giant Lenovo on Wednesday unveiled the OPhone in partnership with China Mobile, which they hope will rival Apple’s widely popular iPhone.

“We hope OPhone will take at least 50 percent of China’s smartphone market in three to five years,” Huang Xiaoqing, president of China Mobile’s Institute of Research, said at a ceremony.

The OPhone will run on an operating system developed by China Mobile and will work on the carrier’s homegrown TD-SCDMA third-generation wireless technology platform.

Lv Yan, president of Lenovo Mobile, said each OPhone handset would cost more than 200 dollars to make, but the retail price would vary according to subscription plans with China Mobile.

“OPhone is China Mobile’s strategy,” he said.

Lenovo hopes to start selling the OPhone next month in the world’s largest mobile market of more than 700 million subscribers.

China Unicom last month announced a multi-year deal to sell the iPhone starting in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Unicom, which had 141 million mobile subscribers at the end of July, expects to attract high-end users with the iPhone to turn around weak performance in competition with China Mobile, which had nearly 498 million subscribers at the end of July.

But China Mobile president Wang Jianzhou said last week the carrier remained in talks with Apple over selling iPhones in China, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

Apple’s deal with Unicom is “absolutely not exclusive,” and China Mobile still hopes to offer iPhones in China, chairman Wang said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Dalian last week.

A stumbling block, however, is that Apple would need to modify the iPhone to work on China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA platform. If not, the iPhone would only be able to run on China Mobile’s slower 2G platform.

“We are still in talks” with Apple, Wang said. “We still hope to reach an agreement, so I can’t say anything else.”

Interesting Post

To Wii or Not to Wii

Wired — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:29:49 +0000

Pity that busy monster, gamers-unkind…to Nintendo’s extraordinarily successful pint-sized hexahedral Gamecube-with-motion-control. Who knew the Wii would become the sales darling of the current generation? The Nintendo ditto-heads, sure, but they thought the Virtual Boy would usher in head-mounted gaming long before the Wachowskis were jamming knitting needles upside the backs of pasty-faced heads.

No one got it logically right then, analysts included. We’ve all had our arms twisted round behind our backs since, as the Wii’s stampeded over Sony and Microsoft in worldwide unit sales and put the lie to cries of “gimmick” and “fad.” The numbers tell the story: 53 million units worldwide, against Microsoft’s 32m and Sony’s 24m.

Or do they? If you like the sort of games I do–stuff like BioShock, Fallout 3 (PCW Score: 90%), and Fable 2 (PCW Score: 100%) or wargames like HPS’s Napoleonic Campaigns and SSG’s Decisive Battles series–you’ve probably flicked through Nintendo’s holiday bill with disappointment verging on disdain. This year’s no different. Wii Fit Plus? New Super Mario Bros? That’s it. (Of the nearly 400 total titles queued for release, those were the only two Nintendo saw fit to highlight.) Smart as those two may turn out to be, they’re basically updates to safe and friendly franchises. When a publisher like Electronic Arts does this, it’s the devil. When Nintendo does it? We’re supposed to call it “innovating.”

Now there’s rumor of a price cut for the Wii from $250 to $200, a 20% slice that’d be the first since Nintendo introduced the system three years ago. Nintendo’s been turning a tidy profit on the Wii hardware for some time. By comparison, Microsoft and Sony have had to absorb massive cost-of-manufacturing shortfalls. Developing for the Wii is dramatically simpler and cheaper, too. The result: Developer and publishers flocking to the Wii to grab a piece of the action.

Would a Nintendo price cut be enough to counter recent ones from Sony and Microsoft? Propel the Wii back to comfortable monthly victory margins after dramatic monthly sales drops?

Maybe. If you’re a Wii buff, I can say “I hope so” vicariously and for your sake. But if I’m being honest and openly selfish about it, I hope not. Speaking as a guy who only reaches for his Wii remote these days to play stuff like the Metroid Prime trilogy, Zelda, Mario Galaxy, and World of Goo, I want the kinds of games I like to play (and the systems they’ve hewed to) getting the sort of developer attention they deserve. Games more like Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising and Assassin’s Creed 2, and less like Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010 or Barbie and The Three Musketeers.

Nintendo’s predicament? Mediocrity fatigue. A manically massive library of depressingly prosaic Wii games. Xbox and PS2 gamers ready to update and finally enticed by Microsoft and Sony’s price drops. Full-kitted cutting-edge media centers that let you stream audio/video from the web, media-laden storage hubs, or external USB hard drives entirely free. Microsoft and Sony’s impressive “casual” entertainment libraries and advanced motion-control interfaces incoming next spring. The arrival of Windows 7 alongside cheap computing kit from Intel, Nvidia, and AMD. And bottom line, a breadth of gaming experiences you just can’t get on the Wii.

Call me antediluvian, call me shortsighted. Sometimes trends are forward-looking. Then again, sometimes they’re not.

Interesting Post

Microsoft hopes to turn it around with Zune HD

Wired — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:12:27 +0000

Microsoft will take another swipe at the iPod on Wednesday when it launches the latest version of the Zune media player.

After three years and untold millions spent on the line, Microsoft’s hopes of cutting into iPod’s big lead are now on the Zune HD, with its 3.3-inch multitouch screen, streaming-music feature, and the ability to playback video, with the help of an HDTV, in 720p. A 16GB Zune HD is available at retailers for $219.99 and a 32GB will cost $289.99.

But at this point in Zune’s evolution there’s plenty of skepticism that the Zune can close the gap on Apple. A Zune-iPod comparison has for too long resembled a late-round prize fight, the kind where the challenger is cut, swollen-eyed and wobbly legged but refuses to go to the canvas. Zune sales are falling, a top manager has moved on and what’s perhaps most worrisome is that the category is becoming passe.

While Apple also tries to kick-start lackluster iPod sales–upgrading Nanos with such features as a video camera and voice recording–CEO Steve Jobs has steered consumer interest away from straight digital music players and into smartphones. Apple has sold more than 30 million iPhones over the past two years and seen more than 1.8 billion iPhone applications downloaded.

Nonetheless, this is still Microsoft, one of the biggest technology companies in the world and well known for its patience.

“You can make the argument this is Microsoft’s first real shot to getting it right,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for The NPD Group. “Remember, the bar doesn’t have to be set all that high for them to be successful. Nobody is supposed to unseat iPod…and Microsoft now has a product that they seem to be more confident in.”

That confidence may come in part from an upgrade that some have called the best Zune yet. (For more, see CNET’s full review of the Zune HD.)

Zune HD features a new OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen and will send high-def video to a HDTV using a new Zune AV dock, sold separately.

“Consumers can buy or rent HD content from the Zune Marketplace,” Microsoft said in a statement, “sync that content to a Zune HD and take it with them to play back on a large screen HD TV in the home or on the road.”

The 16GB is available in black and the 32GB is available in “platinum” at retail locations. Customers can purchase Zune in red, green, or blue in both capacities from Zuneoriginals.net.

Zune HD will also play games, HD Radio, and offers music-recommendation software, called Smart DJ.

New iPod Nano impresses, Zune improves

Airplane Lifting a 7000LB Cannon

rongconcrx — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:23:00 +0000

Now that’s impressive, you don’t see an aircraft lifting anything this big every day. Unless you are in the U.S Marine Corps Combat Logistics Battalion 46. The MV-22 Osprey aircraft can switch from being an airplane to a helicopter mode on the fly which is good for picking up artillery pieces.

This is a great photo shot; U.S Marine Corps Stag Sgt.Christopher Malloy was operating the airlift on July 10, 2009, Located in Twentynine Palms, California at the Landing Zone Sandhill.

[via gizmodo]

[Flight Global—Photo by Lance Cpl. Kelsey J. Green, U.S. Marine Corps.]

Interesting Post

Inspiron Mini 9 Laptop

rongconcrx — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:38:05 +0000

Mini laptops are popular. Dell’s entry to the mini laptop market performs not disappoint. The Inspiron Mini 9 is small, compressed and indeterminate at merely 2.28 lbs. The Inspiron is out there in two Operating Systems: Ubuntu Linux 8.04.1 or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.

The Inspiron Mini 9 is powered by Intel’s Atom Process N270 (1.6GHz 533Mhz FSB 512K cache). The LCD panel is a glossy 8.9 inch LED score in a resolution of 1024×600. Memory comes in either 512MB or 1GB. The hard push is firm state, allow me to translate it’s quiet and in with out a doubt no moving parts. Hard press sizes begins at 4GB, 8GB or 16GB.

The Mini 9’s video card is powered by Intel’s Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950 and the unit comes surrounded by a wireless 8.02.11g mini card among battery livlihood virtually at to be had 4 hours. The laptop comes in two colors: Obsidian Black or Alphine White surrounded by a 1 year warranty main-in service.

What are particularlly of the circumstances you can do surrounded by the Mini 9 laptop? You can listen to your prefered music, surf the web, chat, moment messaging and particularlly sunbeams office spinrt amid a word processor, spreadsheet or presentation software.

New Xbox 540 coming soon?

rongconcrx — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:07:10 +0000

A new Xbox 540 will be released in autumn next year, 2009, at least that’s what everyone is saying. Rumors have it that the new Xbox model will be a slimmer version of the current 360 and will be quicker and quieter, similar to the PS2 slim systems. From Taiwan, the system will get the Valhalla chip, it’ll will be combining the processor with graphics which can enable the system to be slimmer.

Microsoft denied to comment on the rumor and have said they will not be releasing any new console in 2009, but this won’t be a new “console”, it’ll mearly be another model. No one have mentioned anything about Xbox getting a Blu-Ray drive to compete with PS3 ever sinced the HD-DvD vs Blu-Ray war ended.
The 540 won’t be that interesting, lets just wait until 2010 when the Xbox 720 comes out.

[ via xboxfocus ]

Sanus TV Mounts Now Ultra Slim

Wired — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:50:40 +0000

Its not all about thin HDTV anymore, check out Sanus’ new Ultra Slim TV mount from the VisionMount series. Hanging less than an inch from the wall, you won’t even think its a mount but part of the TV itself.

Sanus will be releasing these in two models, the ML11-B1 for 26 to 46 inches, 110 pounds and the L11-B1 for 37 to 65 inches, 165 pounds.

The brackets come with quick-release tabs that can be used to unlock the TV from the wall plate and the ClickStand function that gives the TV an additional clearance space of 3.08 inches for some work room and access to cables and A/V hookups.

They’re priced at $119 for the first and $149 for the later, bigger mount.

[Engadget] via [Twice]

OLED TV Technology

New Nike+Sportsband Connects Online

Wired — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:37:22 +0000

The new Nike + Sportband, yeah that’s what they call it, is Nike’s armband that will give you real-time performance feedback on distance, pace, time and calories burned.

It’ll come with an upgraded screen with better water resistance so no more excuses for running in the rain…

The best feature is probably its ability to upload data to NikePlus.com (which recently merged with nikerunning.com) which you can personalized and is also a social network to get in touch with other runners. Theres many features online like Map It that will track your running history or find new routes and have goals and challenges to keep you running even more.

This is a great alternative for those not wanting to use Nike’s specially made shoes that tracks your data. These comes in black/red, grey/pink, and anthracite/yellow. They’ll be released July 15, 2009 for $59.

[Examiner]

WiredGizmo

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