THE CONNECTED HOME TECH BLOG
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF HOME-TECHNOLOGY NEWS AND VIEWS PAUL THURROTT
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[10/12/2005]
China Plans to Jump into the Next-Generation DVD Battle
- Posted by: Keith Furman
China is developing its own entry into the next-generation DVD battle. According to the country's official Xinhua news agency, the country is developing a DVD format based on HD-DVD that it plans on introducing by 2008, about 1 year after HD-DVD will likely be declared dead in the market. Although the new format will be based on the HD-DVD format, it won't be compatible with other HD-DVD systems, according to Lu Da, deputy director of the National Disc Engineering Center in China. The plan will no doubt add to the confusing mess that is the battle to create next-generation, higher-capacity DVDs....
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[9/28/2005]
Verizon Launches TV Service
- Posted by: Keith Furman
Watch out, cable and satellite companies: A new TV service provider is now online: Telephone giant Verizon has begun to take orders for a new product that will compete directly with cable and satellite TV. The company has started trials of its offering in a small community outside of Dallas, Texas. Residents of Keller, Texas, can order Verizon's new FiOS TV service, which also uses the company's new fiber-based network to deliver high-speed Internet, telephone, and other services. FiOS TV starts at $39.95 per month and offers 180 digital video and music channels, 20 HDTV channels, and video-on-demand. Phone companies are investing large...
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[9/28/2005]
AOL and Microsoft Embrace VoIP
- Posted by: Keith Furman
Fresh off eBay's acquisition of VoIP giant Skype, other technology industry giants are unveiling their own VoIP plans. AOL will launch a new phone service called TotalTalk Net on October 4. TotalTalk will use AOL's IM client to provide phone service via the PC or home phone, as well as the ability to send and receive email and instant messages. The company will offer both a PC-to-phone adapter and a broadband router with phone adapter. The new service will provide monthly plans that start at $18.99 for unlimited local calls, $29.99 for unlimited domestic long distance, and $34.99 for unlimited...
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[9/28/2005]
PlayStation 3 Launch Target: Spring 2006
- Posted by: Keith Furman
Microsoft might not have a huge head start with its Xbox 360 console in the next-generation game-console war, according to comments by Sony Chairman and CEO Howard Stringer. The recently appointed CEO confirmed that the company will launch the PlayStation 3 in the spring of 2006. His comments weren't a huge surprise, but the PlayStation 3's launch date has been rumored to be anywhere from early 2006 to 2007. Stringer's comments prompted an official...
LAST COMMENT
this article was useless thanks for wasting 5 sec of my life...
Name (required): -October 19, 2006
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[9/28/2005]
Forget Fancy Features, Give Us More Battery Life
- Posted by: Keith Furman
As cell phone companies rush to add features to their mobile phones, they might want to consider the results of a new survey. TNS, a market information firm, talked to users in 15 countries and discovered that the most important feature users are looking for is longer battery life. Consumers have avoided using games, music, and video applications on their mobile phones because of battery-life concerns, according to the survey. Other important features that users are looking for include high-resolution photo and video, and additional memory. The survey asked what features users are currently...
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[9/20/2005]
Microsoft Preps Media Center Upgrade for Windows Vista
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
Microsoft recently shipped a beta release of Windows Vista Ultimate Edition to developers, and it came with an unexpected surprise: a first look at the next-generation Media Center interface that will accompany certain Windows Vista product editions. (Microsoft will stop offering a special Media Center Edition with Windows Vista.) The Vista version of Media Center includes numerous new features, such as a greatly enhanced UI and album art, video, and photo preview directly in the display (similar to thumbnail view in Windows XP). Microsoft promises dramatic changes by the next major beta release, and says that the final UI isn't yet final....
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[9/20/2005]
Apple Updates .Mac Service
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
Well, I've complained about Apple Computer's uncompetitive .Mac service, and the company has finally fixed it. Here's what's changed. Apple raised the email and Web storage space from a woeful 256MB to a decent 1GB. Storage space was clearly the biggest problem with the old .Mac. Also, .Mac now includes a new blog-like service called Groups that lets you post announcements and messages, display photos, share group calendars, and find other members. I haven't tested the new functionality yet, but it appears to be a decent first step. Finally, Apple's Backup program has been upgraded to version 3.0 and now includes iLife backups and other...
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[9/20/2005]
VW Takes iPod on the Road
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
Volkswagen is the latest automaker to offer integrated support for Apple Computer's popular iPod and other portable audio players in its vehicles. The support comes via a new stereo system that will be offered in all of Volkswagen's 2006 cars, letting users manage the music on an iPod or other portable audio player through the stereo's controls and display. The devices will plug into the car through a standard USB plug, which virtually all MP3 players and portable storage devices use these days. Apple's iPod is specifically supported with a special menu, but any USB-based device will work, Volkswagen says. Just another indication that...
LAST COMMENT
what device is this?...
Rollzroyce -July 14, 2006
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[9/20/2005]
Nintendo Rethinks the Video Game Controller
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
The company that inspired a new medical term, Nintendo Thumb, is rethinking the video game controller. For its upcoming Revolution video game console, Nintendo is eschewing the standard two-handed type controller that video game systems have used since, well, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the mid-1980s. Instead, the Revolution controller will work with just one hand and will closely resemble a TV remote control. The company says that the controller will use motion-sensing technologies to translate hand movements into onscreen game controls, and that it will appeal to the billions of people worldwide who have never picked up a...
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[9/14/2005]
Xbox Live for Xbox 360 Pricing and Features Revealed
- Posted by: Keith Furman
We've known some information about the Xbox Live service for Microsoft's upcoming Xbox 360 console for a while, but now the company has officially revealed the full details. Xbox 360 will include two new Xbox Live memberships, Silver and Gold. The free Silver membership will let gamers connect to the Xbox Live online community and create their own logon name, called a "gamertag," and personalized profile. In addition, they'll be able to send text and voice...
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