Rhapsody to challenge iTunes by embracing the iPod

Rhapsody to challenge iTunes by embracing the iPod (Reuters) by Reuters: Yahoo! Tech: "Digital music seller Rhapsody is launching a $50 million marketing assault on Apple's iTunes, offering songs online and via partners including Yahoo Inc and Verizon Wireless, Rhapsody said on Monday.

The songs will be sold in MP3 format, which means users of the Rhapsody service will be able to play them on iPods."

SHOW #046 - NerdBoyTV VIDEO GAME: Nick Arcade's Airport Mania

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee demos the Nick Arcade video game, Airport Mania. He also discusses Bill Gates retirement from Microsoft and reminds his California audience that they need to wear hands-free headsets beginning July 1st when driving and talking on their cellphones. For more videos and links, go to http://www.nerdboytv.com/.

AT&T: Metered Net use is "inevitable"

AT&T: Metered Net use is "inevitable" : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech: "First it was Time Warner Cable, then Comcast—and now, AT&T looks poised to jump on the bandwidth-cap bandwagon.

TheStreet.com just quoted an AT&T spokesman who says metered Net usage for its DSL customers sound like a pretty good idea."

Windows XPiration is at hand

Windows XPiration is at hand - Digital Home- msnbc.com: "Windows XP, R.I.P. — at least for most buyers of new PCs.

On Monday, Microsoft will stop selling copies of the operating system to retailers and computer manufacturers. There are exceptions: Until June 2010, manufacturers of limited and lower-cost computers can place Windows XP Home on the machines, and small businesses that custom-build PCs will be able to install XP on computers through Jan. 31, 2009."

Skype wants you to watch who you're calling

Skype wants you to watch who you're calling - Wireless- msnbc.com: "Web communications leader Skype begins public testing on Wednesday of a new version of its software for making free or low-cost phone calls that aims to make casual video chatting more common.

The Luxembourg-based unit of online auction leader eBay Inc said that public testing of Skype version 4.0 would begin making video a more integral part of the service.

The 4.0 test version invites users to post bigger photos of themselves, instead of just thumbnail images, to encourage callers to see and be seen."

Watch out '.com,' here comes '.disney'

Watch out '.com,' here comes '.disney' - Internet- msnbc.com: "The Internet's key oversight agency relaxed rules Thursday to permit the introduction of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new Internet domain names to join '.com,' making the first sweeping changes in the network's 25-year-old address system."

Three new Bluetooth headsets reviewed

Three new Bluetooth headsets reviewed : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "With California's new hands-free law just days away from taking effect, more people than ever are looking to wireless products to ensure they don't miss a single second of telephone chit-chat. Here's how three newer model headsets compare."

SHOW #045 - NerdBoyTV REVIEW: Zune 4GB

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee reviews Microsoft's Zune 4GB MP3 Player and compares it to Apple's comparable iPod Nano.

How the half-price iPhone 3G actually costs you more

How the half-price iPhone 3G actually costs you more : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "Not mentioned in today's you-can't-get-away-from-it iPhone 3G announcement: AT&T's service plan jumps $10 a month. What's this? Did Apple finally figure out what the rest of the retail world did: That when you give away the razor you can charge through the nose for the blades? Let's look at the math."

Father's Day Gift Guide for the "Tech-Savvy" Dad

Your Complete Father's Day Gift Guide - Dads and Grads by PC Magazine: "Through and through, this dad's a laptop-toting, home-automating, technology junkie. He's up on all the new gizmos, wants the top-of-the line techie tinker toys, and relishes all the bells and whistles that come with them."

Smartphones heeding the call of consumers

Smartphones heeding the call of consumers - Digital Home- msnbc.com: "At a time when sales of cell phones are slowing in the United States, there's one kind of mobile device that appears to be defying the trend: smartphones.

Whether you're an Apple fan or not, there's no question the company's iPhone, with a new model to be announced today, has helped contribute to the recent success of smartphones, devices that can handle e-mail and Web surfing, as well as other programs."

SHOW #044 - NerdBoyTV GADGET: VTech's Cordless Phone with Instant Messaging Capability

NerdBoy NOTE: This VTech cordless phone with IM capability looks pretty cool...too bad it isn't compatible with MY favorite IM service, Yahoo! But, lots of teens use AOL, so this still might be a keeper for YOUR household. Checkout the video ;-)

VTech's Cordless Phone with Instant Messaging Capability (IS6110) ($99.95). The Next generation of cordless phones is here.Introducing the IS6110; a state-of-the-art DECT 6.0 cordless phone providing you crystal clear, interference free calls. Even better, it's designed to enable you to IM/IV from anywhere in the home. Pretty cool.

This Wi-Fi-friendly phone lets you read messages and text friends through MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, and AOL Instant Messenger. Simply connect the base unit to an open USB port on a PC, and she can instantly chat with friends. In addition, the IS6110 is both Energy Star–rated and RoHS-compliant, and features a high-resolution color LCD, full keypad, speakerphone, phonebook directory, and recordable ring tones.

Eight Handy Tools in Microsoft Word You Probably Don't Know About

Eight Handy Tools in Microsoft Word You Probably Don't Know About - Expert Help by PC Magazine: "Save time and energy by using these easy features in your Word documents. by Neil J. Rubenking

Microsoft Word is full of tools that can help you work faster and smarter—but only if you know about them. Here's a list to remind you of just what Word can do for you. You're probably familiar with some of these. Your neighbor knows a few, too, but not the same few. Time to learn something new!"

ClipTrak Pro: Keep Past Clips Present

ClipTrak Pro: Keep Past Clips Present - Downloads by PC Magazine: "Do you ever wish you could backtrack through the Windows clipboard to retrieve a recently copied item? Or wish you had the ability to quickly paste items that you use over and over again? ClipTrak Pro, an update to our great clipboard manager, enables you to do just that."

The Best Media Extenders

The Best Media Extenders - Reviews by PC Magazine: "These smart devices help get music, video, and photos from the Web and your PC to your TV easily. by Tim Gideon

Media Extenders are a large and varied category of devices that let you stream content to your home theater setup—from either your computer's music, video, and photo libraries, or from the Internet. The very first media extenders, from companies like Netgear and MediaGate, offered varying degrees of usefulness, but were generally a headache to set up. Apple TV changed the game somewhat; like all Apple products, it was easy to set up and made the complex task of streaming content from a computer to a TV and stereo simple—not to mention good-looking."

To-Go Television

To-Go Television - Reviews by PC Magazine: "Today's mobile devices offer plenty of ways to numb your brain on the go with eighteen seasons of Law & Order. by Sascha Segan

I love television. One of the wonderful things about it is that there's far more than I could ever possibly watch between the time my daughter goes to bed, and the time I have to turn in so I can get enough rest to write brilliant PC Magazine columns and reviews the next day.

Fortunately, I can take TV with me. You can, too. Today's cell phones and portable media players offer a number of different ways to keep you watching on the go. Not all mobile TV solutions are equal, though, so I've divided them into four categories."

SHOW #043 - NerdBoyTV DEMO: YouSentIt

In this episode, Ryan Yee shows you how to e-mail large files (like videoclips and audiofiles) using a free service called YouSendIt.

The $1,400 Phone Bill

What would you do if your T-Mobile cell bill arrived, and it was more than 200 pages long and totaled more than $1,400?


The $1,400 Phone Bill

Hot new gadgets for your gadgets

Gadgets on the go and gadgets for your gadgets are hitting stores near you. WFLA-TV's Victoria Lim shows us what's hot.


Hot new gadgets for your gadgets

First Aid for Your Hard Drive

First Aid for Your Hard Drive - Page1 -� MSN Tech & Gadgets - How To: "You're doing OK, right? Your computing life has settled down; your machine is stable; and you haven't even considered upgrading to Microsoft's Windows Vista.

Then--oops! You spill coffee on your notebook. (Oh, you don't think that's possible? Read Amber Bouman's 'Laptops and Liquids Don't Mix.') Or maybe there's a storm and a power surge fries your PC's hard drive.

One of our Windows experts, Scott Dunn, has marvelous advice on moving the folders that hold your data files off your Windows XP or Vista drive to simplify backups. You can read it in 'Keep Your Data Safe by Reorganizing Windows' Folders.'

I also have advice from PC World experts about what to do if your hard drive crashes--and you don't have a backup."

Tech goes from geek to chic

Tech goes from geek to chic - Page1 -� MSN Tech & Gadgets - GearDaddy: "Consumer electronics are no longer confined to boring black boxes as manufacturers begin to offer more gadgets with a bit of glamour.

In the past, only hard-core geeks could justifiably call a computer, mobile phone, television or other tech sleek and sexy — and then they were probably referring to the product’s performance rather than its appearance. But these days, more and more gadget makers are combining style with substance to set their products apart, and consumer are responding.

“People want technology that’s functional but also looks great,” remarks Heather Dale of the tech blog GeekSugar, which tracks trendy tech under the tagline “Geek is Chic.” “And they’ll pay extra for something that stands out, whether it’s a laptop that’s a unique color or a cell phone with some sort of bling.”"

New Apple iPhone expected next week

New Apple iPhone expected next week - Wireless- msnbc.com: "June has arrived and for Apple fans and investors that means just one thing — a new iPhone.

The encore to the original iPhone, which launched nearly a year ago amid unprecedented industry buzz, is widely expected to be the main attraction when Chief Executive Steve Jobs takes the stage at Apple's developers' conference next Monday."

Adobe launches new version of Acrobat with Flash

Adobe launches new version of Acrobat with Flash - Yahoo! News: "Adobe Systems Inc. is launching a new version of its document sharing software Acrobat on Monday, and this time it can package videos.

Acrobat allows users to package documents so they can be read across different hardware and operating systems."