THE CONNECTED HOME TECH BLOG
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF HOME-TECHNOLOGY NEWS AND VIEWS PAUL THURROTT
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[9/14/2005]
Samsung to Offer Dual-Format Next-Generation DVD Player
- Posted by: Keith Furman
One company is still working toward ending the next-generation DVD format war, although it's doing so by offering both technologies--HD-DVD and Blu-ray--in one package. According to a newspaper report, assuming the two sides don't miraculously come to an agreement on a unified standard, Samsung will release a DVD player that will be able play both Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs. Of course, the company would prefer one standard, but Samsung told the...
LAST COMMENT
If it is offered with a rebate be careful.I bought a monitor in JUly 2006 and am still waiting for t...
john gwin -November 24, 2006
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[9/14/2005]
HP to Ship Smart TVs
- Posted by: Keith Furman
At the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) trade show last week, HP unveiled a new lineup of TVs that will ship this fall, as well as new HDTV technology that it will offer next summer. The company unveiled three DLP microdisplay televisions that come in 50", 58", and 65" models. The 58" and 65" models will be available in 1080p resolution and come with a CableCard slot for receiving HDTV without requiring a set-top box from a cable company. The 50" and 58" models will be available in 720p configuration. The company will ship three new LCD TVs in 26", 32", and 37"...
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[9/14/2005]
eBay Buys Skype
- Posted by: Keith Furman
eBay has announced that it will acquire the company behind the popular Skype Internet-calling application for $2.6 billion in cash and stock. The deal could cost the company an additional $1.5 billion in 2008 or 2009 in performance-based incentives. eBay is buying the company, along with its 52 million users, to increase its offerings. Skype is considered one of the fastest-growing online communities, with an estimated 2 million people using its technology...
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[9/5/2005]
TiVo Offers Massive Rebate for DVR
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
Digital Video Recorder (DVR) pioneer TiVo is offering a $150 rebate on any of its products, which is an awesome deal, considering you can get the 40-hour TiVo for $99 at Amazon.com right now. (That's right, TiVo is essentially paying you $50 to purchase the device.) Or, grab the 80-hour unit for $99.99 after the rebate. Now, you'll still need to subscribe to TiVo's service to use any of the company's DVRs, but this rebate might be just the thing people need to get over the hump. If you've been in the market for a DVR but were put off by the prices, now is the time to take a look at...
LAST COMMENT
The new web site structure sucks.
If the Apple wienies whining wasn't enough, now your webmaster is...
Anonymous User -September 06, 2005
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[9/5/2005]
PlayStation 3 to Play with Keyboard, Mouse, PSP
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3 video game console will be a versatile digital device that, like Microsoft's Xbox 360, will transcend simple game playing. Case in point: The PlayStation 3 will support a PC-like keyboard and mouse, letting the unit optionally run the Linux OS. You can also play games with the keyboard and mouse, if you prefer. And Portable PlayStation (PSP) owners will be able to use the device as a Wi-Fi-based remote control for the PlayStation 3's digital media features--but not, alas, as a wireless game controller. Is it just me, or have these things gotten considerably more complex since the days of the Atari...
LAST COMMENT
I think the website would be great if you
would show a picture of the mouse...
yes -February 24, 2006
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[9/5/2005]
Apple Continues to Dominate MP3 Player Market
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
I think everyone is hip to the fact that Apple Computer's iPod portable digital audio players pretty much dominate the market, but you might be surprised to discover how handily the company's iPod shuffle player--introduced just this year--has already trounced all its competition. Despite lacking features common to other flash-based players--including a screen, an FM tuner, and a voice recorder--Apple's 512MB iPod shuffle commands 34.4 percent of the flash-based MP3 player market, and its 1GB sibling comes in second place with 11.9 percent. After that, it's just a bunch of wannabes scrambling for whatever is left over: The 256MB Sandisk SDMX...
LAST COMMENT
Do you know what it's called when the majority of people buy an inferior, more costly product? Mass ...
Anonymous User -September 07, 2005
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[9/5/2005]
Creative Snags Crucial MP3 Player UI Patent
- Posted by: Paul Thurrott
In a stunning move that is sure to put the hurt on Apple Computer, Creative Labs has been awarded a patent for the UI it uses in its Nomad line of portable digital audio players. Apple had applied for a patent for the same UI because it uses a very similar system in its market-leading iPod devices. There's just one problem: Creative's devices were on the market over a year before Apple launched the iPod, and Creative filed for its patent first, so Apple's request was rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). But Apple could now face an even more serious problem. Creative has earmarked Apple as the first company to be in...
LAST COMMENT
Uhhh...hmmm. Last time I checked, it was Gore who wanted the recount, and the results after the reco...
Anonymous User -September 07, 2005
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[8/31/2005]
Intel Creates Digital-Entertainment Platform Bundle
- Posted by: Keith Furman
Coming soon to a PC near you is a new platform called Intel VIIV (Get it? 64, as in 64-bit computing). Building on the success of its Intel Centrino platform of bundled mobile technology, Intel is developing the new brand in hopes of bringing the PC, along with Intel's hardware technology, into the living room. Intel VIIV-based PCs will offer many consumer electronics-focused features, such as instant on and off, remote-control operation, optional innovative...
LAST COMMENT
DONT BUY THIS!!! VIIV is DRM crippled. It includes Digital Rights Management chips in hardware. Dont...
Anonymous User -September 01, 2005
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[8/31/2005]
Microsoft Updates MSN TV 2
- Posted by: Keith Furman
Microsoft has announced updates to its MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player, which the company first released in October 2004. The product, which was formerly called WebTV, allows for viewing the Web, reading email, and linking to a PC for watching PC-based movies and listening to music. The update adds the ability to watch additional video content, listen to music (e.g., music purchased at Napster) with Windows Digital Rights Management (DRM), improved...
LAST COMMENT
updates...
john -March 21, 2008
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[8/31/2005]
Rio Closes Up Shop
- Posted by: Keith Furman
One of the leading portable digital-audio player makers is closing shop at the end of September, meaning the industry will lose a company that helped start the market. In 1998, Diamond Multimedia, a company well known for video cards, released one of the first portable MP3 players under the Rio brand. It took Apple Computer's introduction of the iPod in October 2001 to popularize such devices, but Rio was there at the beginning. The company's current flagship products include the excellent Rio Carbon and Rio Karma devices. Although Diamond released some great devices, the company was never quite...
LAST COMMENT
Goodbye and good riddance. I bought a portable CD player from them, a RioVolt SP150, and it was a p...
Anonymous User -August 31, 2005
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