Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
We had a pretty good feeling this would go down eventually, but we certainly didn’t see a confirmation (of sorts, anyway) coming this soon. Jim Denney, VP of product marketing at TiVo, has been quoted as saying that although the current version of Amazon Unbox can’t process high-definition content, TiVo and Amazon will jointly announce HD capabilities “in the not too distant future.” Granted, the content — whenever it does actually arrive — will only be accessible by “cable subscribers” with adequate bandwidth, but it’s not like that’s any sort of surprise. Sadly, details beyond what you’ve seen here were left out, but at least you can sleep soundly tonight knowing that high-def Unbox material is most certainly on the horizon.
[Via Zatz Not Funny]
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Filed under: Networking
It’d be absolutely spectacular to actually see one of these admittedly ambitious municipal WiFi projects actually work out every now and then, but instead, we’re seeing the nails start to sink into yet another citywide WiFi coffin. This go ’round, the network blanketing most of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is on the verge of sending out its last signals unless the city can devise a plan in short order to take it over from EarthLink, who unsurprisingly wants out on the double. Unfortunately, we don’t have a great feeling about the system’s future — history has a way of forecasting, you know?
[Via CNET, image courtesy of Stippling]
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Filed under: Displays, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wearables
Surely you remember that Solo Plus HMD that Myvu aimed at iPod owners late last year? Wait, what? You purged that from your memory as soon as you saw it? Ah well, looks like you’ll be on yet another blotting mission after peeking this, as the aforesaid outfit has delivered yet another option for those looking to check out iPod clips on their own personal theater and destroy any chance at garnering friends. The Shades 301 iPod Edition, which is set to cost two Benjamins, actually looks quite different (and dare we say, a smidgen better) than the Solo Plus, and reportedly comes bundled with a pair of Ultimate Ears earbuds, detachable Dock Connector cable, remote, integrated battery and a two-piece cable manager for its neck cabling. If you’re inexplicably overcome with an urge to see more, you can check out a brief hands-on by following the read link below.
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Filed under: Displays, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wearables
Surely you remember that Solo Plus HMD that Myvu aimed at iPod owners late last year? Wait, what? You purged that from your memory as soon as you saw it? Ah well, looks like you’ll be on yet another blotting mission after peeking this, as the aforesaid outfit has delivered yet another option for those looking to check out iPod clips on their own personal theater and destroy any chance at garnering friends. The Shades 301 iPod Edition, which is set to cost two Benjamins, actually looks quite different (and dare we say, a smidgen better) than the Solo Plus, and reportedly comes bundled with a pair of Ultimate Ears earbuds, detachable Dock Connector cable, remote, integrated battery and a two-piece cable manager for its neck cabling. If you’re inexplicably overcome with an urge to see more, you can check out a brief hands-on by following the read link below.
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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
You’ll never believe this, but it looks like Cupertino might be getting ready to drop a bomb this summer — a 3G bomb, in fact! The latest beta release of firmware 2.0 for the iPhone has apparently revealed a preference screen that allows users of the new model to disable the 3G radio and fall back to GPRS / EDGE because the faster service “decreases battery life.” Gotta pay to play, as they say. The ability to disable 3G service in favor of improved standby performance is a pretty common one in modern phones, so we’re not surprised to see it here — just a little disappointed that Apple hasn’t incorporated enough fairy dust to magically make the problem go away.
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Filed under: Peripherals
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.
The best and most popular portable electronics products don’t work for long without them, but the general consumer sentiment toward AC adapters is evident in the terms of endearment such as “bricks” and “wall warts” given to them. They’re referred to with even more colorful language when they’re accidentally left behind on a trip or are otherwise unavailable when needed.
But if a startup GreenPlug has its way, future portable electronics products may not come with an AC adapter, much like many printers today don’t come with a USB cable. With engineering talent that ran design for Apple’s DC power systems for the iPod and the MagSafe connector, GreenPlug is taking on one of gadetry’s holy grails - a universal connector that can work on practically any portable electronics device. GreenPlug would turn the frequently forgotten and mismatched AC adapter into an accessory ecosystem. The company envisions DC charging hubs that would be available in conference tables at the workplace and in tables and walls at coffee shops.
Continue reading Swtched On: Green Plug tries to replace the worry warts (Part 1)
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Filed under: Storage
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve seen any fresh new kit from Plextor, but the firm has just rolled out a new pair of NAS drives for those on the hunt for — what else? — networked storage. The StorX PX-NAS500L / PX-NAS1000L drives offer up 500GB and 1TB of capacity, respectively, and each unit includes a gigabit Ethernet port, one-touch USB back-up button and the ability to grow thanks to a pair of USB 2.0 sockets. Beyond that, you won’t find much else special about the new duo, and your guess is as good as ours on pricing / availability.
[Via BIOS]
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Filed under: Storage
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve seen any fresh new kit from Plextor, but the firm has just rolled out a new pair of NAS drives for those on the hunt for — what else? — networked storage. The StorX PX-NAS500L / PX-NAS1000L drives offer up 500GB and 1TB of capacity, respectively, and each unit includes a gigabit Ethernet port, one-touch USB back-up button and the ability to grow thanks to a pair of USB 2.0 sockets. Beyond that, you won’t find much else special about the new duo, and your guess is as good as ours on pricing / availability.
[Via BIOS]
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Filed under: Portable Audio
Good lord. No, really. Good lord. The TEO MP-301 MP3 player from IceTech USA crams 1GB of media storage into — as you can see — a very Jesus-friendly form factor. The $49 player features a built-in microphone with voice recorder, mirrored front panel, and even a little speaker. According to reviews, the player has some serious interface issues and a weak screen, but if crucifixion is your thing, you can’t go wrong with this necklace cross-cum-MP3 player. Or is that the other way around? Is this an MP3 player that’s also a cross? Anyway, there you have it: the cross-shaped MP3 player, indeed.
[Via Crave]
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Filed under: Portable Audio
Good lord. No, really. Good lord. The TEO MP-301 MP3 player from IceTech USA crams 1GB of media storage into — as you can see — a very Jesus-friendly form factor. The $49 player features a built-in microphone with voice recorder, mirrored front panel, and even a little speaker. According to reviews, the player has some serious interface issues and a weak screen, but if crucifixion is your thing, you can’t go wrong with this necklace cross-cum-MP3 player. Or is that the other way around? Is this an MP3 player that’s also a cross? Anyway, there you have it: the cross-shaped MP3 player, indeed.
[Via Crave]
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