Best New Technology

Looking for a good way to stream video content from your computer to your television? So are a lot of other people. There are a number of solid tools for streaming content already on the market, like the Apple TV, SlingBox, the Xbox 360, Netgear’s EVA8000, and HP’s MediaSmart Receiver, but here comes one more company trying to improve the way we watch television.

ZeeVee’s ZvBox is a $500 media streamer that gets the output of your computer and turns it into a channel on your television. This is a novel approach as it creates an HD channel rather than working off of another input, the way that you might expect. Then from your television you can access internet video, browse the web, or check your email. So it’s as solid as a complete solution, not just a good way to watch Youtube in your living room.

The process that makes this all possible is called “localcasting” and it should fit into people’s lives a lot more easily than other solutions because it simply grabs onto a television channel that is not in use, so no need to worry about finding your content.

The ZvBox runs a hefty $500 but the upshot is that only one is needed for your home. The other advantage to it is that the device should not have the limitations of some of the other players on the market. It is simply streaming your computer’s VGA output using the coaxial connections you already have set up. Accessories, like a keyboard, are on the way, but we should see the ZvBox in June (it’s available on Amazon.com preorder now).

It’s a bit much to take in without seeing it in action, but this could finally be a a powerful solution for content streaming without having to have a separate home theater PC (HTPC). Visit ZeeVee’s site for more information.

OK kids, get off the Kool-Aid.  AT&T, no matter how cool (or lame) you think they are, is not going to subsidize the second coming of the phone that made people sleep in streets to be first in line to get it.  There are probably a lot more than four reasons, but these four make a pretty solid case.

Reason 1: If we are to believe the current crop of improvements over the orignal: thinner, new color, GPS, 3G, Exchange-friendly and 3rd party app groupie; anyone really believe either company is going to offer it for less than the current price?  Frankly, I’ll be astonished (and rethinking my AAPL stock purchase) if they don’t introduce a new higher price point.

Reason 2: We paid the ridiculous opening price in droves.  We basically told Apple, you make it and we’ll buy it, no matter the cost.  Maybe they won’t hit targets this way with the mass populous, but the fun loving ipod (sans Shuffle) isn’t below $149 for a reason.  Apple knows we are willing to pay, why would they leave money on the table?

Reason 3: AT&T’s exclusive deal with Apple isn’t over yet.  When it is, you bet they’ll compete on price.  Until then, it is a potential cash cow that they’ll milk whilst they can.

Reason 4: I don’t believe Apple will stop selling the first gen iPhone.  There are enough people that still live without GSM coverage and don’t care about GPS or being thin.  AT&T could offer the first gen with a discount and place the gen 2 at the old price (or slightly higher) with no big change other than more sales of gen 1.  I bet a lot of folks would jump on that gravy train and I am sure AT&T has some kind of marketing analysis to back that up.  iphone 1 at $199 with the SDK fruit is a pretty compelling argument for folks who’ve been on the fence.

What is your take?  Or are you hopped up on the “K” (as we call Kool-Aid on the street)?

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You know, if you’re going to demo your product on video, at least do it properly. To the untrained eye, the clip of Joey Roth using the high-tech teapot, the Sorapot, to make a cuppa seems fine. It certainly shows how the steel, glass and silicone pot works.

But Joey, next time you make tea, talk to somebody from Britain. You don’t pour water from a thermos, however stylish it might be. You need boiling water. Boiling. Not boiled or just “quite hot”, but 100ºC H2O.

I have mixed feelings about the design, too. The Pyrex should be a much better insulator than metal, keeping the tea hot, but the metal bar to lock the pot closed seems fiddly, and when upended to receive the boiling water, the Sorapot looks a little wobbly. And for $180 you could buy 12 classic ceramic teapots. Still, if you’re buying this to stick on a shelf in your bachelor pad, it’s probably perfect.

Product page [Sorapot via Uncrate]

Being one of Nokia’s smallest sliders to date, the Nokia 6600 slide stays true to its name as it smoothly glides open in the hand. Tapping the Nokia 6600 slide twice conveniently indicates time, snoozes, alerts and silences or rejects incoming phone calls. The large 2.2″ QVGA display with 16 million colors also makes it easy to find your way around town, thanks to the integrated Nokia Maps application which can be enhanced with an optional Nokia Bluetooth GPS Module LD-4W and separate navigation license. The 3.2 megapixel camera takes high quality pictures and videos that can be shared with others via Internet services or multimedia message - directly from the photo menu.
[ Source ]

Good news for T-Mobile subscribers. According to a leaked internal document obtained by TMO News, it appears the other GSM carrier here in the States is finally getting ready to launch its own honest to goodness 3-G network on Thursday — kind of. The document names NYC as ground zero with more than 20 other major cities and markets that will also get 3-G’d by the end of the year.

The catch (and it’s a big one) is that T-Mobile subscribers will be getting a decidedly feeble 3-G at first. Part of the memo points out that initial offerings will be voice only. So while 3-G in name, for all your data needs, you’ll still be relying on sluggardly EDGE.

In this early phase of our network evolution, 3G is a new technology for carrying wireless voice calls and supporting existing data capabilities on our network. In future phases, this next generation network will power ‘high-speed’ (3G) products and services that connect customers in new and exciting ways. … Inform customers who are interested in high-speed data that the first phase of our 3G roll out supports voice only.

While some industry insiders have pointed out that this is in line with how other carriers launched their own 3-G networks, the simple fact may be that T-Mobile doesn’t have enough 3-G phones to justify the data play just yet. Still, it seems rather odd to make a big announcement like this and then qualify it by admitting the only alluring part of offering 3-G service won’t be available to customers until later in the year. Why not just hold off?

According to a T-Mobile spokesperson, the carrier’s UMTS (3-G) network will utilize the 1700/2100 MHz bands, as opposed to AT&T’s 850/1900 MHz 3-G bands.

Previously, the carrier said it would spend an estimated $10.3 billion between 2007 and 2009 for 2G and 3G network deployments.

T-Mobile was the big winner of the 2006 Advance Wireless Services (AWS) auction — bringing home over $4.2 billion worth of spectrum. Unfortunely, waiting for the government to vacate that spectrum seems to have also been the major reason for the 3-G delay.

Photo courtesy of TMO News

Got your copy already? They available now at Amazon priced at $60 with free shipping. For some of your that wanted to know the plot, here you are:

Grand Theft Auto IV is a brand new adventure in the GTA universe following the experiences of Nikolai “Niko” Bellic, a new immigrant from an undisclosed eastern European country whose troubled past and the persuasion of his cousin Roman have brought him to the fictional Liberty City. Unfortunately, Niko’s search for the American Dream and a much needed fresh start, hits an immediate snag when the rags to riches story Roman spun to pique Niko’s interest is exposed as not only a complete fabrication, but a ploy to enlist Niko’s well-known skills as a tough guy against the ample list of enemies clamoring for Roman’s debt-ridden blood.

Because Roman is the only person Niko knows in Liberty City he begrudgingly accepts his role as Roman’s protector despite the deception. But as time goes on Niko comes into his own, and his experience on the wrong side of the tracks proves more valuable than he could have ever imagined as he fights for survival and later supremacy on the crime ridden streets of Liberty City.
[ Source ]

If black ain’t your thing, then the new Porsche P9521 in its all-white attire will surely suit your fashion needs. This luxury phone is the product of a collaboration between Porsche and Sagem and is also available in black. Along with its fingerprint sensor, this limited white edition also sports a 3.2 megapixel camera, a touchscreen display that can be swiveled 180 degrees, and GSM and EDGE capabilities. The entire cell phone unit is housed in a cover made from a single aluminum block while the screen is made from scratch-resistant mineral glass.

The Porsche P9521 will be available in Taiwan starting in May 2008 for about $2000, not much if you actually own a Porsche.
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IOGEAR has just rolled out some more desktop peripherals that aim to enhance productivity at the office, expanding its KVM product line in order to enable consumers to share multiple computers and USB 2.0 peripherals while viewing graphics in optimal quality. Both the IOGEAR 2- and 4-Port KVMP Switches with USB 2.0 hub and 2.1 Stereo target small and home office users, helping them share USB 2.0 peripherals like printers and scanners over multiple computers. Definitely a novel way to reduce operational costs in your organization, and while this isn’t exactly a new method, it is good to see IOGEAR not abandon this market. One of the main advantages of controlling several machines with a single keyboard and mouse is the ability to further reduce energy consumption. An improvement over older generation KVM switches is the ability to enable audio enthusiasts to groove to their favorite tunes, programs and audio clips through PC speakers since 2.1 stereo sound is supported.

The 2- and 4-Port KVMP Switches are known by their respective model numbers GCS1802 and GCS1804, will retail for $199.95 and $299.95. As for gamers and graphic designers, the IOGEAR 4-Port Dual-Link DVI KVMP Switch (GCS1204, retailing for $449.95) is able to supports up to a whopping 3,840 X 2,400 resolution, allowing easy viewing of extremely high resolution graphics that would normally appear distorted or even blurry on other devices with lesser resolutions. I find that rather strange though, as serious gamers are often not an impoverished lot, so it wouldn’t really make sense to share a display with other folks in the house, what more gaming at the office.

Do try to purchase these from IOGEAR’s website since the company has agreed to plant a tree for every product sold on its site or by members of its GREEN initiative partner program. The main goal? To plant one million trees (while making a handsome profit - a win-win situation for all).

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Posted in Computers, Gizmo of the Day

It turns out that April 29 was not the day for Windows XP SP3 to be officially released. However it was not just SP3 that was delayed, all of the updates for both Windows XP and also Vista have been stopped temporarily. The issue is due to another product called Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, which was causing some incompatibility issues. In addition to XP’s SP3, the SP1 for Vista is also being affected. The update for XP was put on hold, while the update for Vista is still available, its just not available as an automatic item. Microsoft is encouraging anyone who is running Microsoft Dynamics RMS to not install Vista SP1.

Via [CrunchGear]

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