Review: Gloves with fancy fingers for iPhone use

Review: Gloves with fancy fingers for iPhone use

"Winter tests the patience of many iPhone users.

After all, Apple Inc.'s device, like other gadgets with touch-screen technology, will work only with the touch of an uncovered finger. So if you're wearing gloves, you have a dilemma: Bare your hands to use your beloved devices, or let calls, texts and e-mails go unanswered while you're braving the elements?

A company called 4sight Products Inc. has a solution: $40 gloves that have electrically conductive gold-colored material on the tip of the index finger and thumb. Apple must think it's a good idea as well — it has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for gloves that would essentially do the same thing. (Apple didn't return a call seeking comment.)"

Is it lights out for desktop Linux?

Is it lights out for desktop Linux? : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech

"ZDNet's Robin Harris is taking a hell of a beating over his recent post entitled 'Windows kicks Linux to the curb,' where he posits that Linux completely blew its chance to become a mainstream operating system after the majority of netbook vendors dropped the free OS they were initially enamored with in favor of good old Windows XP. The latest statistic: In the netbook market, Windows now holds an 80 percent market share, which is astonishing, since it looked like it would end up with a zero percent share when the netbook market got its start."

The Top Smart Phones

The Top Smart Phones - Yahoo! Shopping

"By most measures, iPhone owners should have been pleased last year when Apple sped up the phone, slashed its price and introduced a revolutionary App Store. But ask iPhone users how they would improve the device and most will have suggestions at the ready, including a longer-lasting battery, a higher-quality camera and cut-and-paste functionality.

The same is true of every phone on the market. No matter how many features manufacturers manage to pack into their pocket-sized devices, consumers inevitably want more — or less — or something just a bit different.

So, how does the current crop of smart phones measure up?"

YouTube upgrades to widescreen web vids

YouTube upgrades to widescreen web vids : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech

"YouTube is a site that needs no introduction. This week the popular web video service is rolling out a big -- and, some say, long overdue -- update to its site, stretching the aspect ratio of the videos it serves from the 'traditional' 4:3 to 'widescreen' 16:9. Virtually all consumer electronics have jumped to the widescreen aspect ratio in the last few years, including most camcorders and some digital still cameras.

You'll immediately notice the difference when you visit the site now: The playing window is considerably larger than it was before, now a full 640 pixels across. Note that YouTube isn't high-definition (though the 'watch in high quality' option does up the clarity a bit), but is merely stretched a bit at the sides."

Microsoft "committed" to the Zune despite plunging sales

Microsoft "committed" to the Zune despite plunging sales : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"If cats have nine lives, the Zune must be on its tenth or eleventh by now. Latest example: Zune revenue took a 54 percent swan dive last quarter, yet Microsoft—which is in the midst of slashing 5,000 jobs, mind you—seems determined to keep its stalled MP3 player around.

PaidContent.org dug up Microsoft's latest quarterly filings and found that Zune revenue plummeted $100 milllion—a devastating 54 percent drop 'reflecting a decrease in device sales,' according to the company's 10-Q filing.

As PaidContent notes, dismal numbers like those—in times like these—are usually the harbingers of doom, especially given the news that Microsoft will shed 5,000 jobs after missing its numbers last quarter."

Microsoft: Reports of Zune's death greatly exaggerated

Microsoft: Reports of Zune's death greatly exaggerated : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"The still-struggling Zune—hardware and all—isn't going anywhere, Microsoft execs told Wired this week, despite some recent speculation to the contrary.

A Zune spokesman told Wired blogger (and my former colleague at CNET) Eliot Van Buskirk that 'we're not getting out of the hardware business at all,' and that Microsoft remains 'deeply committed' to the Zune—and yes, that includes the boxy HDD- and flash-based hardware players.

Speculation about the Zune spiked after this Financial Times story, in which Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says that we "should not anticipate" a Zune phone (no, really?) and that Redmond (as the FT paraphrases) "would stick to its strategy of developing software to support a range of mobile devices."

The Financial Times story then goes on, noting that Ballmer "seemed all but ready to throw in the towel on the Zune mobile device" during his CES keynote, and speculating that "if there is a future for Zune, it lies in planting the software and online service linked to the player in other devices."

Circuit City, R.I.P.

Circuit City, R.I.P. : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"The troubled 60-year-old electronics chain tried its best to survive bankruptcy, but to no avail; now, it will liquidate its merchandise and close all 567 remaining stores.

Bloomberg reports that Circuit City Stores Inc. has hired a quartet of liquidators to sell off its existing merchandise, pending a green light from the courts. If everything goes according to plan, the fire sale will start Saturday and continue through the end of March, according to CNNMoney.com.

And unfortunately for Circuit City's 30,000+ employees, unemployment awaits"

Gadgets that make you look like a jerk

Gadgets that make you look like a jerk - Tech and gadgets- msnbc.com

"Gadgets are confusing.

According to a recent Pew study, almost 90 percent of American nuclear households (married with kids) have multiple cell phones. How that happened when other studies keep demonstrating cell phone use by men is associated with less 'motile' sperm is anyone's guess.

But again, gadgets are a conundrum. The iPhone, for instance, still has no copy-and-paste, which kind of sprains the brain doesn't it?

Further enhancing gadgetry's yin and yang nature is that while sometimes tech makes you appear hip, assertive and dynamic, it can just as easily make you look like an utter pain.

So, before you rush out to buy Apple's new laptop or BlackBerry's new Storm, click the arrows above for seven high-profile gadgets you might look cooler without."

SHOW #059 - NerdBoyTV BROADCAST: Rocketfish A/V Composite for iPod

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee talks about Rocketfish's audio/visual composite cable that let's you display videos from your iPod onto your television screen.

Hot gadgets at CES: Browser cam, LED TV, new Palm

Hot gadgets at CES: Browser cam, LED TV, new Palm - Life & Style - The State: "Although the International Consumer Electronics Show was smaller than it was last year because of the economic doldrums, there were still interesting new gadgets on display before the exhibition wound down Sunday. Here are some of the most attention-grabbing."

Gadgets: Trade shows bring new tech innovations

Gadgets: Trade shows bring new tech innovations - Technology - The State: "Another Consumer Electronics Show and MacWorld trade show have passed and with that brings a host of announcements of new products to hit the shelves at retail outlets.

My inbox was filled with announcements of the electronic gadgets and many of them are gimmicks or flat out useless. Here is a sampling of some 'useful' announcements that caught my attention."

The best of CES 2009 : Christopher Null

The best of CES 2009 : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "As expected, CES was a quieter show this year than usual -- but that's not such a bad thing. Cab lines have been short. There's less pushing and shoving. You can get a seat in the press room (miracle!). And you can actually see stuff in the booths instead of just the backs of other people's heads.

But ask around -- or just ask me -- and some clear favorites have emerged as the 'best' of CES 2009. In fact, though there are fewer people doing the buzzing, they're buzzing louder than ever about some really impressive gear. To wit: Here are my picks for the must-see gadgets on the CES show floor 2009."

SHOW #058 - NerdBoyTV: 2009 CES Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee shares Dell Computer's recent announcement at CES 2009 that they'll be bundling its popular Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook with AT&T's 3G Broadband 2-year contract for $99; but alas, there's a big catch...watch the broadcast to see what it is.

Sony wows with 8-inch, 1.4-pound Vaio netbook

Sony wows with 8-inch, 1.4-pound Vaio netbook : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"Dubbed the Vaio P Series Lifestyle PC, the eight-inch wonder—complete with WWAN 3G broadband, GPS, and an instant-on option for music, pictures, and video—easily stole the show at Sony's CES presser Wednesday.

Set to ship next month and priced at a cool $900, the P Series drew a crowd of photographers after Sony's pre-CES event, and it's easy to see why—this is one of the sexiest netbooks yet. Slim, light, and available in five colors, the P Series Lifestyle PC looks small enough to slip into a jacket pocket (well, a largish jacket pocket), yet it still manages to pack in a tight, 1600 by 768 LED display, an integrated Webcam, and yes—it runs Vista."

Netbooks take center stage at CES

Netbooks take center stage at CES (Reuters) by Reuters: Yahoo! Tech

"Netbooks were everywhere and on everyone's lips at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, expanding as a category of small laptop PCs that are rewriting the rules for the struggling computer industry.

While nearly every major PC makers had a new netbook on display at the four-day show ending on Sunday, no two companies seemed to agree on what the rules are to define this segment of tiny, ultra-portable notebooks.

Some netbooks are stripped-down PCs optimized for Internet use and costing a relatively affordable $300-$400. But others are fancier, like Sony Corp's $900, 8-inch device with all the bells and whistles of full-sized notebooks."

Gadgets for Leaner Times

"Belt-tightening is in fashion at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, with many companies sending fewer people to the annual gadget fest in Las Vegas. And some technology vendors, in a similar spirit, are offering products with an eye toward helping users save some money.

It's not surprising. The Consumer Electronics Association, which in July projected that U.S. sales for the industry would grow 7.4% in 2008, on Thursday is expected to revise that figure to 5.4% -- and predicting that sales this year will decline 0.6%. Recent surveys have provided further evidence that many consumers have lost the itch to spend. Even sure sellers in the past -- portable videogame players and navigation devices -- are starting to slip.

To help overcome the resistance, gadget makers are packing more features into existing devices, such as TVs with Internet connections, so users don't have to pay the money for an extra set-top box. Others -- like portable-computer makers Sony Corp. and OQO Inc. -- are appealing to consumers with low prices."

READ MORE HERE

Palm gets back into the game with touchscreen Pre, WebOS

Palm gets back into the game with touchscreen Pre, WebOS : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"Palm was under serious pressure to hit a home run at CES today—and boy, did it deliver. Running Palm's gorgeous (if belated) new platform, dubbed WebOS, the touchscreen Pre could well be Palm's savior, and perhaps its biggest hit.

So, as for the Pre itself (due on Sprint in the first half of this year, no pricing yet): It's got a big, 3.1-inch 480 by 320 touch display (yes, with multitouch and an accelerometer), weighs in at 4.8 ounces, and comes with a curved, slide-out keypad. Yes, it does Wi-Fi and 3G (EV-DO Rev. A, to be exact), as well as GPS (with turn-by-turn directions courtesy of TeleNav), stereo Bluetooth, 8GB of internal storage, a 3MP camera, a 3.5mm headset jack, and a removable battery."

5 Tech-Gadget Trends That Will Rock 2009

5 Tech-Gadget Trends That Will Rock 2009 - Yahoo! News

"The economy will cast an unusual gloom this week in Las Vegas over the annual geek extravaganza that is the Consumer Electronics Show. And no blockbuster product is likely to dominate the scene as has happened in some years past. But a slightly smaller show isn't stopping innovation in technology. Here are five of the most interesting trends to watch in 2009:"

MyTego.com Top 10 Devices for December 2008

MyTego.com Top 10 Devices for December 2008

"In what is a large growing segment, consumers are demanding a higher level of customization and personalization in the consumer electronic products that they purchase. Tego Skins from www.MyTego.com are one such product that allow for unique levels of user customization previously not available with generically colored consumer electronic portable devices."

The Polaroid camera is back, in digital

Review: The Polaroid camera is back, in digital (AP) by AP: Yahoo! Tech

"A strange little ritual used to go along with Polaroid cameras. The shooter would grab the print as it came out of the camera and wave it in the air, as if that would stimulate the chemicals and make the picture appear faster. It didn't. Yet it felt dumb to just stand there, waiting for the picture to develop.

Polaroid stopped making film packs last year, so this little piece of tech culture will soon be just a memory. But just as the film-based Polaroid camera is fading away, along comes its digital replacement.

That's right: Polaroid was set to announce Thursday at the International Consumer Electronics Show that it is introducing a digital camera that produces prints right on the spot. You can even call them 'instant' prints, but they take nearly a minute to appear, so they're only as 'instant' as the old film prints."

Memorex unveils $99 touch MP3 player

Memorex unveils $99 touch MP3 player | CES 2009 - CNET Blogs

"If you're jonesing for a touch-screen MP3 player, but the usual suspects are beyond your budget, the new $99 TouchMP player from Memorex may be just the thing. The 8GB MP3 player also supports WMA and WAV audio playback and boasts a 2.8-inch QVGA display, FM radio, voice recorder, video player (WMV, MPEG-4, AVI in MP4 format), Audible audiobook and podcast support, and a microSD expansion slot."

Charge your gadgets without a powercord

Charge your gadgets without a powercord | CES 2009 - CNET Blogs

"Imagine dropping your cell phone and MP3 player into a special pocket in the console of your car, and having them automatically charged up. Leggett and Platt, an automotive parts supplier, is using technology from Fulton Innovation that makes this scenario a reality. Fulton's ECouple technology lets devices charge up wirelessly, just by setting them down on a special charging surface.

At CES, Leggett and Platt is showing various applications of this technology, including a car console with special pockets to recharge a BlackBerry and a flashlight. The company also has a Bosch power toolbox that automatically charges a wireless drill and saw."

Sony confirms touch-screen X-Series Walkman

Sony confirms touch-screen X-Series Walkman | CES 2009 - CNET Blogs

"Looks like my fellow MP3 editor Donald Bell is gonna have to eat some words, although he was right about one thing: we won't be seeing a touch-screen MP3 player from Sony all that soon in the States. You're going to have to wait until May to get your hands on the X-Series Walkman, which was officially announced at CES 2009. I can wait longer than that, personally, because while this player has some sweet features, there's something about the look of it that comes off as just a touch generic to me. Still, Sony tends to do a good job of giving it's portables a nice, solid feel, so I suppose I'll wait to cast my final judgment until tomorrow when I get to lay hands on the player for a photo shoot. (Stay tuned for a slide show a bit later this week.)"

CES: Even in hard times, new gadgets abound

CES: Even in hard times, new gadgets abound - Business - The State

"The recession figures to tone down the flashiness of this week’s International Consumer Electronics Show, but the lineup of innovative products likely will measure up to those of past years.

The CES product list still looks intriguing partly because startups haven’t yet been hit as hard by this downturn as they were when the Internet boom collapsed in 2000. And bigger companies haven’t yet had time to adjust to consumers’ belt-tightening.

But most of all, competition in consumer electronics is still fierce, and innovation counts. Name-brand manufacturers still need to differentiate themselves by introducing features that keep them ahead of value-price brands."

Wii Sports is best-selling game ever

Wii Sports is best-selling game ever - Video Game Feature - Yahoo! Video Games

"According to game-tracking website VGChartz, sales of Nintendo's pop-culture phenom Wii Sports have surpassed those of legendary platformer Super Mario Bros., making the breakout Wii title the best-selling video game of all time. And it only took two years and two months to do it.

The data is based on cumulative worldwide sales figures ending the week of December 27, 2008, which indicate that lifetime sales of Wii Sports have exceeded Mario's staggering 40.24 million units."

Apple's Macworld Surprise Is the Software

Apple's Macworld Surprise Is the Software - News and Analysis by PC Magazine

"Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller kicked off the Macworld show Tuesday with a keynote focusing on a new 17-inch Macbook Pro that looked quite good, along with new versions of iLife and iWork.

Unlike the rumors, there was no new Mac Mini announced. But what may get the most attention may be the changes to iTunes, with new prices and lots more songs offered without DRM.

Schiller started by talking about iLife 09, and in particular, iPhoto 09, which adds both Faces and Places. The first is a new face detection feature, which lets you tag a person's face in a photo, and then the program will try to find other photos with that have the face. Schiller noted that no face detection algorithm is perfect, and that's certainly been true on the web sites and other programs that have offered similar features. The trick will be seeing how well it works in real practice."

Sing with the King, and send the duet as an e-card

Sing with the King, and send the duet as an e-card : Gina Hughes : Yahoo! Tech

"Sony BMG is promoting a new country album called 'Elvis Presley Christmas Duets' with a fun holiday website that let's you record a duet with the king. The site SingwiththeKing.com offers this as a free service to Elvis fans who wish to record themselves, and then send their recorded session to multiple friends and family."

About those text message fees...

About those text message fees... : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech

"Remember when you used to pay a dime for a text message... or maybe even a nickel? And now you likely pay 20 cents a pop, coming and going. Everyone complains about text prices (unless you're on volume, per-month plan), but in the end we always assume it's part of the cost of doing business... that carriers have had to raise prices because their costs have been increasing. How else after all to explain 100 percent price inflation in the last three years?

Perplexed, Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl looked into the matter, polling the four major U.S. wireless carriers about their text message pricing policies. The result? Quite the runaround, stonewalling, and misdirection. And there's no surprise why carriers don't want to talk much about the issue: Text messages don't cost much to transmit."

Apple cuts copy protection and prices on iTunes

Apple cuts copy protection and prices on iTunes (AP) by AP: Yahoo! Tech

"SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Inc. is cutting the price of some songs in its market-leading iTunes online store to as little as 69 cents and plans to make every track available without copy protection.

In Apple's final appearance at the Macworld trade show, Apple's top marketing executive, Philip Schiller, said Tuesday that iTunes song prices will come in three tiers: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29. Record companies will choose the prices, which marks a significant change, since Apple previously made all songs sell for 99 cents.

Apple gave the record labels that flexibility on pricing as it got them to agree to sell all songs free of 'digital rights management,' or DRM, technology that limits people's ability to copy songs or move them to multiple computers. Apple had been offering a limited selection of songs without DRM, but by the end of this quarter, the company said, all 10 million songs in its library will be available that way."

SHOW #057 - NerdBoyTV: 2008's Five Fantastic Finds

In this first episode of 2009, Ryan Yee reviews NerdBoyTV's Five Fantastic Finds of 2008, including LiveScribe's Pulse Smartpen and Acer's Aspire One Netbook.

Microsoft posts fix for Zune "Z2K" bug, but problems persist

Microsoft posts fix for Zune "Z2K" bug, but problems persist : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech: "Looks like the majority of 30GB Zunes hit by the embarrassing leap-year bug are working again, but at least a fraction of Zune users are still sans tunes.

Microsoft posted its fix—which involved letting the battery of the frozen player drain completely, and then starting it again after 7 a.m. EST on New Year's Day—on Wednesday afternoon, several hours after an avalanche of Zune users reported that their players had seized up."