Updated Zunes, iPods make choice harder

Review: Updated Zunes, iPods make choice harder - Yahoo! News

"The Zune has a long way to go to become a threat to the iPod. But it is getting closer.

With updated Zunes and new iPods hitting the market in the past week, I spent some time with each: a black-on-black version of Microsoft Corp.'s music and video player and a bright red model of Apple Inc.'s iPod Nano. And it became clear that there are a few things Apple can learn from the Zune — though not surprisingly, Microsoft might want to take some notes as well."

Best Buy to acquire music-sharer Napster

Best Buy to acquire music-sharer Napster - Yahoo! News:

"Napster Inc., the online music community that rose from a dorm room project to became the scourge of the global recording industry, is being purchased by Best Buy Inc. for nearly $127 million as the electronics retailer tries to boost its digital music business.

The $2.65 per share all-cash deal announced Monday is nearly double the music network's Friday closing price but a small sum to pay for Best Buy, which gets access to Napster's 700,000 subscribers who pay a monthly fee to access digital music catalogs.

'It's not a huge investment, but it definitely has brand recognition,' said Morningstar analyst Brady Lemos, who said Best Buy also benefits from the acquisition of technical expertise about the digital music industry."

SHOW #053 - NerdBoyTV GADGETS: Dell & Asus Netbooks

The "netbook" is a new category of mini-laptop designed for easy portability that's primarily used for surfing the Internet and checking e-mail. In this episode, Ryan Yee shares C-NET product reviews on the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and Asus Eee PC 900.

Without Wi-Fi, mini-computers not as magical

Without Wi-Fi, mini-computers not as magical - Yahoo! News

"As personal computers go, the new rash of ultra-mini laptops are full of geeky goodness. Light, portable and powerful, they are almost perfect. Almost.

But like a rowboat in your backyard or a flat-screen TV in a blackout, most of these new PCs suffer when removed from a critical element. Specifically -- when outside of high-speed Internet access range, they go from power-in-your-pocket to pricey-digital scratchpads.

The idea behind the resurgent 'netbook' niche is that consumers-on-the-go primarily use computers to email, write documents, manage spreadsheets and surf the Web. Once online, they can access critical files, chat with others, or use social sites like Facebook or music services like Pandora."

Review: Peek is e-mail on the go, and that's it

Review: Peek is e-mail on the go, and that's it - Yahoo! News

"It's hard to remember now, but the first BlackBerry devices weren't phones. They were two-way e-mail pagers that couldn't be used for calls.

Now a New York-based startup is betting it can fill the niche the BlackBerry abandoned. It has made a sleek, $100 e-mail pager called the Peek that hits Target Corp. stores Monday.

The goal of the Peek is to reach the people who don't already have e-mail on their phones and may be intimidated by today's feature-rich 'smart' phones, like BlackBerrys, BlackJacks and iPhones. The Peek does e-mail and nothing more: no phone calls, no Web surfing, no camera. The service fee is $20 a month, with no contract."

Marissa Mayer talks about Google at 10 -- and 20

NerdBoyTV NOTE: Here's an interesting interview with Google's very first female engineer...

Marissa Mayer talks about Google at 10 -- and 20 Technology Los Angeles Times

"She is not nearly as famous as celebrity founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. But, in many ways, Marissa Mayer has become the public face of Google, which was incorporated 10 years ago today."

Hands-on Creative's Vado pocket cam

Hands-on Creative's Vado pocket cam : Gina Hughes : Yahoo! Tech

"Oprah might like the Ultra-Flip video camera, but that's because she hasn't laid her hands on the new Creative Vado. I got my hands on the Creative Vado this week, and compared to the other made for YouTube pocket camcorders, this one is by far the thinnest.

I recently reviewed RCA's Small Wonder, which I really like because it has a removable microSD card, and can be customized vinyl stickers, but the Creative Vado is simple, slim, and so easy to use.

The pocket video cam is as big as a cell phone but can hold 2GB of video. Video quality isn't the greatest at 640 x 480 but this will do when you're just uploading videos to video sharing sites.

My favorite feature is the zoom, since it's something I don't often see in small cameras like this one. It does have a built in speaker, microphone, and flip-out USB connector, which is all you need for your video sharing experience."

Apple event predictions: New Nano, Touch, price drops?

Apple event predictions: New Nano, Touch, price drops? : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"A revamped Nano appears to be a lock, along with tweaks for the Touch and a new version of iTunes. We might have to wait on those rumored new MacBooks, however.

That's the word ahead of Tuesday morning's media event, which Apple finally confirmed earlier this week via a 'Let's Rock' invite decorated with that ubiquitous dancing iPod dude.

Of course, the rumors have been flying fast and furious in the past few days, and I've done my best to marshal them into some kind of order—starting with …"

Microsoft Gurus to take on Apple’s Genuises

Microsoft Gurus to take on Apple’s Genuises - U.S. business- msnbc.com

"NEW YORK - As part of its new $300 million marketing campaign and image makeover, Microsoft Corp. plans to deploy its own customer-service representatives at retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City to help people with their PC purchases.

The world's largest software company plans to have 155 'Microsoft Gurus' in U.S. stores by the end of the year, and expand based on the project's success, Microsoft's general manager of corporate communications, Tom Pilla, said Friday.

These gurus will be answering questions about PCs and Microsoft products, as well as giving demos of how the company's products work together — help designed to get them thinking Microsoft."

Google plans to launch Web browser TODAY!

Google plans to launch Web browser - Internet- msnbc.com: "Google is releasing its own Web browser in a long-anticipated move aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and ensuring easy access to its market-leading search engine."

SHOW #052 - NerdBoyTV INTERNET: YouTubeDownloader

If you've been looking for a way to get YouTube videoclips onto your iPod video, try YouTubeDownloader. In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee demos how to use this free program that you can download HERE.