THE CONNECTED HOME TECH BLOG
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF HOME-TECHNOLOGY NEWS AND VIEWS PAUL THURROTT
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[10/24/2005]
Reviled Gizmondo Launches in United States
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
What would happen if you created a portable digital gadget and no one wanted one? We're going to find out this week, as Tiger Telematics unleashes its reviled Gizmondo, a "handheld multi-entertainment console" that plays video games, music, videos, and features a digital camera. Even the price isn't horrible, at $229, which is less than the cost of a tricked-out Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). The problem, naturally, is the games, which are generally rated as uniformly horrible by critics. Gizmondo features a 400MHz ARM processor, an NVIDIA GoForce 3D 4500 graphics chip, a 2.8" TFT screen, and runs on Windows CE. Most important: You almost...
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[10/24/2005]
iPod nano Owners Sue Apple Over Scratches
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
Apple Computer got a bunch of headlines and media attention for its high-profile launch of the iPod nano last month, but this month's headlines and attention are much less positive. It turns out that iPod nano owners are incensed by how easily the device scratches, and I have to say, that's certainly been my experience as well: Though I baby the thing, it is scratched beyond recognition, and none of the Web-based snake-oil solutions have done a thing to help. In any event, Apple is now facing a class action lawsuit over the too-easily-scratched iPod nano. The lawsuit seeks damages that include the price of each purchased device, statutory...
LAST COMMENT
Oh jesus....no, Apple should NOT lose this suit you halfwit! I don't even own a nano and yet I heard...
Steve -October 31, 2005
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[10/24/2005]
DOOM Kicks Martian Butt at the Theater
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
The movie DOOM, which is based on the DOOM video games and stars The Rock, took the number-one spot at the box office over a lackluster movie weekend, pulling in $15.4 million. Like the games that inspired it, the DOOM movie takes place on a Mars base that has been infiltrated by beings from Hell, and The Rock and his band of space marines get to use a bunch of weapons from the games--including the infamous BFG--to bring them down. Most notable in this otherwise blatantly violent actionfest is a sequence in which the movie emulates the first-person perspective of the DOOM games, a sequence that DOOM fans...
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[10/18/2005]
Yes, Apple Releases an iPod Video
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
As expected, Apple Computer released new versions of its suddenly stagnant "iPod classic" line, adding video-playback capabilities, a bigger color screen, and a much thinner form factor than the previous generation. I haven't seen the new device in person yet, but the update looks solid, if fairly predictable. Frankly, I had hoped that the first video iPod would feature a horizontal, rather than vertical, form factor, with a wider screen. But it's not horrible. Sizes are 30GB and 60GB (and not 80GB or 100GB, as predicted), starting at $299. There's so much more possible here, but Apple deserves credit for evolving the design, if slightly,...
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[10/18/2005]
Latest iMac G5 Adds Media Center Rip-off
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
Previous versions of the Apple iMac G5 were alternately lauded for their thin form factor and bemoaned for their propensity for overheating. I don't know whether the problems have been fixed, but the new iMac G5s look sweet. The biggest change in this version, however, has little to do with the computer: Apple has finally unveiled its nascent Media Center challenger, called Front Row, which interacts with the user via a bundled remote control (the latter of which looks almost identical to an iPod shuffle). Front Row provides a fun front-end to the music, photos, and videos you have stored on your Mac, and it can play DVD movies. What it's...
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[10/18/2005]
Latest Ubuntu Linux Ships
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
Last week, the Ubunto team released Ubuntu Linux 5.10, the latest version of its Linux distribution for desktops and servers. Ubuntu Linux 5.10 adds deeply integrated thin-client technology (making the distribution friendlier to educational institutions that would like to roll out this Linux version to students); support for PC makers that wish to install Ubuntu on their machines; GNOME 2.12.1; OpenOffice.org 2.0 Beta 2; support for audio CD creation; and numerous other new features. If you're looking for the absolute best desktop Linux, look no further. This one is my favorite, hands...
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[10/18/2005]
Palm Jumps into Bed with RIM, Too
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
This week, PDA and smartphone maker Palm announced a deal with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) that will result in Palm Treo devices running the BlackBerry OS and services. The move establishes Palm as more of a device maker and positions the company better with corporations, which have been more inclined to pursue Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices than Palm OS-powered devices, because of those systems' more readily available connectivity with back-end messaging servers. BlackBerry devices, especially, are well known for their wireless-email capabilities. As for RIM, the company is now moving toward a model in which it focuses...
LAST COMMENT
The announcement was not to run the BlackBerry OS on the Palm device, as this article reads. Rather...
dsarnold93 -October 20, 2005
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[10/12/2005]
DirecTV Introduces "TiVo" Replacement
- Posted by: Keith Furman
It's no secret that TiVo's days partnering with DirecTV are numbered, and now DirecTV has launched a $30 million ad campaign to promote its TiVo replacement. DirecTV's new digital video recorder (DVR) is powered by software from NDS, which--like DirecTV--is owned by News Corporation. The DVR was slated to be released in June but was delayed and will finally ship later this month. Initially, the satellite TV operator will offer only a standard-definition...
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[10/12/2005]
Yet Another Memory Card Format Is Launched
- Posted by: Keith Furman
It's probably been at least a few weeks since a new memory card format was last launched, but have no fear: Sony has come to the rescue. Adding to the dizzying array of memory card formats, the electronic giant has teamed up with SanDisk to introduce the Memory Stick Micro--aka M2--card format. The format is aimed at mobile phones and will compete directly with miniSD cards. The M2 is 25 percent of the size of Sony's previously smallest media format, the...
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[10/12/2005]
LG Media Center Extender Now Shipping
- Posted by: Keith Furman
At the International CES 2005 last January, Microsoft and LG showed off the first consumer-electronics appliance to use Microsoft's Windows Media Center Extender platform independent of a PC. It's been 9 months since the preview, and LG's product is finally shipping. The new LG LRM-519 Digital Media Recorder viewer features a recordable dual-layer DVD drive, Ethernet and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) network connectivity, a 160GB hard disk (which supports up to 90 hours of video from cable, satellite, or over-the-air broadcasts), and dual USB 2.0 ports (for adding USB mass storage devices). The device...
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filth -January 29, 2007
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