Get that gadget for less

Get that gadget for less - Features | Galleries | Technology | Gadgets - MSN Tech & Gadgets UK: "Though most of us are a little lighter in the wallet area lately, that needn't mean no more trips to the local gadget emporium.

We've gone hunting for the items that can give you that new-tech fix, while still keeping cash in your pocket. We've found low-price alternatives to iPods, camcorders and Blu-ray players, as well as gadgets that will save you cash in the pub, in the coffee shop and on the road.

Read on to take a look through our list of gadgets that can help you beat the credit crunch.

The prices quoted in this article reflect approximate prices that can be found at the original time of publication."

On test: noise-cancelling headphones

On test: noise-cancelling headphones - Features | Galleries | Technology | Gadgets - MSN Tech & Gadgets UK: "No matter what music player you listen to, there’s one simple way to utterly transform its performance. Invest in a decent pair of headphones.

The free ‘phones you get with most devices tend to be of the cheap, low-quality variety. Ditch those, get some proper ones and your music will totally open up.

There's another way to do your ears a favour too, and that's to listen at a lower volume. Trouble is, that's not always a viable option, especially if you're trying to drown out throngs of early-morning commuters, or escape roaring aircraft engines.

Some headphones and earphones can help you turn down the volume of the outside world, using either noise-cancelling or sound-isolating technology. By using these, you can hear all the detail of your music while the volume dial remains down. In this feature, we'll rate a variety from each category."

Troubleshoot Your Boot-Up and Shutdown Problems

Troubleshoot Your Boot-Up and Shutdown Problems - Page1 - MSN Tech & Gadgets - How To: "Does your PC hang, complain, or flat-out blue-screen when you start it up or shut it down? PC World's Lincoln Spector has answers to readers' most perplexing boot and shutdown questions.

You start your workday by booting up your Windows PC. You end the day by shutting it down again. No fuss. No muss. No bother.

Yeah, right.

A problem at boot time can keep you from your work -- or your fun. And a shutdown issue takes a lot of the fun out of getting up and leaving your PC.

In this Answer Line installment, I address three reader questions about common Windows startup and shutdown problems. If you have questions about your PC, or any other tech topic, send them to answer@pcworld.com or pose your question in our Answer Line forum."

Next Big Thing Could Be Boxee

Tech & Gadgets Blog: "More people are getting hip to Hulu, the online service that lets you watch ad-supported TV shows and movies on your computer, helped in large part by the company's hit Super Bowl ad. But in the fast-moving world of technology, the next big thing could be Boxee, software that, like Microsoft's Windows Media Center and Apple Front Row, culls content ranging from online videos and TV shows to music and movies.

But the big difference between Boxee and those applications (besides the fact that it's free and open-source software), as well as websites like Hulu and YouTube, is it adds a social networking component. Registered users can share with Boxee 'friends' what they are watching and recommend and rate content, and they can also post the info on social networks like Twitter and FriendFeed."

What is Linksys MediaHub?

Tech & Gadgets Editors' Blog - Windows Live: "This week, alongside our other Tech & Gadgets duties, we've been putting the Linksys MediaHub through its paces.

Linksys might be most familiar to you as a maker of wireless routers. What then, you might well ask, is a MediaHub?

It is a media-centric network access storage device, more or less, with an emphasis on ease of use for those without professional certification in networking."

GigaTribe for sharing photos, videos, and other files

Chat and e-mail posts - Webware - CNET: "Looking for an easy way to share photos, videos, and other files with your friends and family? GigaTribe for Windows creates private peer-to-peer networks so you can swap to your heart's content.

The basic service is free, but Cheapskate readers can get a three-month subscription to GigaTribe Ultimate.

Just click the preceding link, and follow the instructions. Once you've created your username, use this promo code: P3MCHS.

Presto! You've got a GigaTribe Ultimate account that's good for 90 days. If you want to keep it going after that, it'll cost you $4.99 monthly or $29.95 annually. You can also drop back to a free account, if you prefer."

Texting may improve language skills

Texting may improve language skills : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "The thing I love about research studies is that, whenever someone comes out and says one thing, the next study released directly contradicts it.

Two years ago, an Irish eductation study concluded that text messaging was harming schoolchildren's English skills, noting that the kids, about 15 years old, had become 'unduly reliant on short sentences, simple tenses and a limited vocabulary.'

Now comes the flipside, with a UK university's research finding quite the opposite."

Hands on with Amazon's Kindle 2

Hands on with Amazon's Kindle 2 : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "The long-awaited Kindle 2 began shipping on Monday, and I've now had enough time with a demo unit to offer some initial impressions. Bottom line: If you liked the Kindle 1, you'll love the Kindle 2.

As has been previously discussed, the Kindle 2 is the same general concept as the original ebook reader, just amped up a notch all around. The new design is its most striking feature. While I sort-of liked the old Kindle's retro-jaggy form factor, many felt it was horribly ugly. The modernized Kindle 2 will generate no complaints from anyone. Like an overgrown iPhone, it's sleek and sophisticated and truly as thin as a pencil -- almost impossibly slim."

Netflix hits 10 million subscribers

Netflix hits 10 million subscribers : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "DVD sales may be falling through the floor, but DVD rentals look like they're actually headed in the opposite direction. Online DVD rental outfit Netflix announced this week that it had surpassed the 10 million subscriber milestone, adding a whopping 600,000 new customers since January 1 alone.

The company added that it could hit 11.3 million subscribers by the end of the year."

Management shakeup at Yahoo coming

Report: Management shakeup at Yahoo coming - U.S. business- msnbc.com: "Yahoo Inc Chief Executive Carol Bartz could announce a major management reorganization as early as next week, according to the blog AllThingsD.

The Wall Street Journal-affiliated blog, citing several sources inside and outside the Internet company, said the revamp would likely come on Wednesday, although it could be pushed out a week or two or rolled out in pieces.

Bartz sent a memo to employees on Friday in which she said, 'Get well-rested, because next week's a biggie.'"

SHOW #62 - NerdBoyTV BROADCAST: Who will win the Oscar?

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee takes a crack at trying to predict who will win the 2009 Academy Awards tonight, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. This is the first time NerdBoyTV used YouTube's "annotations" to "enhance" its video broadcast. ;-)

Netbooks in the business: Do they make sense?

Yahoo! News - Netbooks in the business: Do they make sense? by InfoWorld: Yahoo! Tech: "With the some of the most recognized names in the high-tech industry -- Intel, Arm, Microsoft, Linux, Acer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and many more -- hyping netbooks as the next big thing, InfoWorld decided to take a look at a category whose exact definition is still in flux to see how and where they fit into business usage.

When it comes to deciding if your IT department should support netbooks, IT must answer two critical questions."

Apple planning streaming "iTunes Replay" video service?

Apple planning streaming "iTunes Replay" video service? : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech: "Rumor has it that iTunes users may soon be able to stream their movie and TV video purchases from just about anywhere, à la Amazon 'Video on Demand' and Netflix 'Watch Now.' Will it happen for real? I sure hope so.
The hot tip comes from AppleInsider, which claims that Apple is 'wrapping up' the streaming service, dubbed 'iTunes Replay,' for iTunes 8.

Details on the service are sketchy; AppleInsider says that the service would support both TV and movie purchases over iTunes, but doesn't specify whether you'd be able to watch purchased videos directly over a Web browser (as you can with the Amazon and Netflix streaming services), or if the iTunes software client would be required."

The top 25 most influential...fans of CNET TV

The top 25 most influential...fans of CNET TV | Gadgettes, the blog - CNET Reviews: "Forbes just put out another of those crazy lists where it proposes to identify the top Web celebrities--following a recent spate of other lists of top Tweeters and talkers and Web-famous types. And while we don't dispute the attractiveness of doing stupid lists to get people to look at your content (see: CNET Top 5), it could be said that the Web 2.0 elite is getting, well, nauseatingly self-congratulatory.

So, Tom Merritt and I decided to make our own list of influential people on the Web. These are some, but only some, of the top CNET TV fans who have, over the past few years, helped build our podcasts and videos from lonely little broadcasts to full-fledged, incredible communities--families, even. Without them, we've got nothing. Which is to say, these are most definitively the top 25 most influential people on the Web."

SHOW #61 - NerdBoyTV BROADCAST: Flickr, Twitter, and AT&T 3G

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee talks about two people who have taken Flickr by storm with their long-distance love affair in pictures, Twitter securing $35 million in venture capital, and a warning regarding AT&T's 3G broadband service.

Can all that Twitters turn to gold amid the gloom?

Yahoo! News - Can all that Twitters turn to gold amid the gloom? by AP: Yahoo! Tech: "Twitter Inc. has spawned a new way to communicate by limiting messages to 140 keystrokes. So here's a way to describe the Internet's latest craze within Twitter's space restrictions:

It's a potluck of pithy self-expression simmering with whimsy, narcissism, voyeurism, hucksterism, tedium and sometimes useful information.

One vital ingredient has been missing from the mix so far — revenue. That raises questions about whether the nearly 3-year-old service can make the leap from intriguing fad to sustainable business"

Is technology killing your love life?

NerdBoyTV NOTE: Don't let this happen to YOU on Valentine's Day! Show the love, fellas (grin).

Is technology killing your love life?-Trends-Lifestyle-The Times of India

"With laptops finding a comfortable corner on beds and mobile phones a constant companion, many couples in Indian cities virtually have to battle with technology to keep the romance alive.

'It's so hard to find quality time for ourselves nowadays. Even if we go out for a quiet dinner, my husband's phone never stops ringing. So we end up not having a good time and eventually fight,' said Maneka Singh, a 29-year-old housewife.

Many men and women complain of their partner's pre-occupation with mobiles, laptops, MP3 players, iPods, videogame consoles and other hi-tech gizmos."

Boy Photoshops girl: A Flickr love story - Technotica- msnbc.com

NerdBoyTV NOTE: We here at NerdBoyTV love seeing technology used in such unusual, yet practical, ways! Visit Rosie Hardy and Aaron Nace's link on Flickr to see ALL the awesome pictures they took and put together using PhotoShop. VERY cool!

Boy Photoshops girl: A Flickr love story - Technotica- msnbc.com

"Rosie Hardy and Aaron Nace are together for Valentine’s Day, which no doubt thrills their Flickr fans who’ve been following the couple’s 9 ½-month relationship via the photo-sharing Web site almost since the beginning.

It’s the photos of the couple together that have enchanted a growing number of soft-hearted saps across the Internet because Rosie, 18, and Aaron, 24, are almost never in the same room when the photos are taken. They’re not even in the same country. Rosie lives in Buxton, England, and Aaron in Chapel Hill, N.C. The photographers met on Flickr, and thanks to image-manipulating software, they’ve created a growing collection of wistful, fairytale illusions in which they are together."

Twitter gets new funding, promises revenue

Yahoo! News - Twitter gets new funding, promises revenue by AFP: Yahoo! Tech

"Fast-growing micro-blogging service Twitter has reportedly raised an additional 35 million dollars in funding and said Friday that it is ready to 'begin building revenue-generating products.'

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, in a post on the company blog, said a new round of funding came from venture capitalists International Venture Partners and Benchmark.

Stone said Benchmark's Peter Fenton will join the board of directors of the San Francisco-based service that lets users share what they are doing at any given moment in brief text messages on computers or mobile telephones.

Twitter claims to have more than six million users."

Coder's Half-Million-Dollar Baby Proves iPhone Gold Rush Is Still On

Coder's Half-Million-Dollar Baby Proves iPhone Gold Rush Is Still On | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

"Apple's iPhone application store is as crowded as a Beyonce concert, with more than 20,000 apps available. But one independent developer still managed to rake in $600,000 in a single month with a single iPhone game.

Ethan Nicholas, developer of a tank artillery game called iShoot, told Wired.com he quit his job the day his app rose to No. 1 in the App Store, earning him $37,000 in a single day.

'I'm not going to be a millionaire in the next month, but I'd be shocked if it didn't happen at the end of the year,' he said in a phone interview. 'If it weren't for taxes I would be a millionaire right now.'"

YouTube testing video downloads

Yahoo! News - YouTube testing video downloads by AFP: Yahoo! Tech

"YouTube said it is dabbling with letting people download videos to computers as an alternative to watching clips streamed over the Internet.

Video owners would be able to offer downloads for free or for small fees paid through a Google Checkout service, according to YouTube product manager Thai Tran.

'Many video creators on YouTube want their work to be seen far and wide,' Tran wrote in a YouTube blog post.

'They don't mind sharing their work, provided that they get the proper credit.'"

Amazon's new Kindle e-book reader gets slimmer

Amazon's new Kindle e-book reader gets slimmer

"Amazon.com Inc. is releasing a slimmer version of its Kindle electronic reading device, but it still costs $359 — making it unclear how mainstream even an improved Kindle can be during a brutal recession.

Rather than lowering the price, Seattle-based Amazon touted several upgrades to the e-book reader and a novella from Stephen King that will be available exclusively for the device. The new Kindle is expected to begin shipping Feb. 24, with owners of the first Kindle at the front of the line if they want to upgrade.

'This device is a significant improvement versus the first generation,' Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos said in an interview."

Why Microsoft, labels cling to music subscriptions

Why Microsoft, labels cling to music subscriptions | Digital Media - CNET News

"For anybody wondering why Microsoft and the top record labels continue to promote subscription music services, the answer was revealed Thursday.

David Ring, executive vice president of business development for Universal Music Group's digital arm, said at the EconMusic Conference that the recording industry simply can't sustain itself with download sales alone.

'If what we're trying to do is one-by-one downloads...that's not a business that can grow,' Ring told conference attendees during panel discussion he participated in. 'It won't be healthy for the industry.'

Prior to Ring's statement, Chris Stephenson, an executive in Microsoft's entertainment unit, was ballyhooing the progress made in Zune's subscription service. Zune is the digital music player that Microsoft launched in November 2006 to compete with Apple's iPod. This is also the device that saw a 54 percent decline in sales for the fourth quarter of 2008."

3G Sidekick in the works?

3G Sidekick in the works? : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"Long one of my favorite QWERTY messaging phones, the once-proud Sidekick line has been stagnant for more than a year now (save a 'Special Edition' here and there). So it's great to hear the news (or, well, the rumor, anyway) that a full-on update—including 3G, finally—might be on tap.

The Boy Genius Report (via HipTop3) got its hands on a supposed spec sheet—or at least, a fuzzy photo of a spec sheet—that details the 'Sidekick LX 2009.' From the look of the (blurry) product images, the LX 2009—if it exists—looks pretty much like the current Sidekick LX (pictured above, and reviewed here), complete with the signature swiveling display, plastic bumpers, roomy keypad, and a pea-sized trackball to the right of the display."

SHOW #60 - NerdBoyTV BROADCAST: Blogger Mobile Posting

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee introduces mobile blogging using Google's Blogger Mobile Post application. Using your mobile device, you can post text and pictures to your blog by sending a MMS.

8MP Samsung Memoir camera phone headed for T-Mobile

8MP Samsung Memoir camera phone headed for T-Mobile : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"From the back, the Memoir looks just like a stand-alone camera, while on the front you'll find a touchscreen display complete with QWERTY messaging, a media player, and turn-by-turn directions.

T-Mobile has yet to announce exactly when the Memoir will arrive in its phone lineup—or for how much, for that matter—but on paper, it looks poised to become one of the top camera phones available in the U.S."

Desk phones going the way of the dodo?

Desk phones going the way of the dodo? : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"Sure, they've got dozens of cool buttons, flashing lights, and big LCD screens—and best of all, they makes you look really important, right? But thanks to powerful, business-minded cell phones like the BlackBerry, the good-ole desktop phone will be an endangered species by 2011, a new report claims.

According to the industry analysts at Gartner, desktop phones will probably still be around come 2011, but 'enterprise' handsets like BlackBerrys and Windows Mobile phones will soon become the 'primary device' for most business users."

10 sci-fi gadgets that could soon become real

10 sci-fi gadgets that could soon become real : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech

"Beam us up, Mr. Scott?

Eh, not quite. If teleportation ever becomes a reality, it won't likely be in our lifetime... but that doesn't mean that some of science fiction's most sacred gizmos aren't well underway toward development and commercialization in real life. In fact, in many cases, these devices could be closer to reality than you think.

New Scientist magazine rounded up ten sci-fi-tech gadgets and takes a serious look at how far along their real-world counterparts are. While in some cases we're looking at 30 years of additional development before this stuff becomes real, all of the devices look surprisingly promising."

Desktops are dying, slain by laptops

Desktops are dying, slain by laptops : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech: "In a recent blog post, I mentioned almost as an aside that 'the desktop PC [was] well on its way to the grave,' figuring this was common knowledge by now and nothing that would raise eyebrows. But I was surprised how this one little comment generated a ton of mail from curious readers looking for more details on the trend."

Hands-on review: Helio Ocean 2 smartphone

Hands-on review: Helio Ocean 2 smartphone : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"Helio may have been gobbled up by Virgin Mobile last summer, but the brand name lives on, as evinced by the new—if only modestly revamped—Ocean 2 QWERTY slider. Is the latest Ocean worth the $70 premium over the already robust original?

Set to go on sale next Thursday (Feb. 12) for $149 with a two-year contract (post-paid, not pre-paid as with Virgin Mobile's other handsets), the Ocean 2 has been whispered about for months—indeed, the first fuzzy photos appeared on the Web last May, while a series of leaked images have had the blogosphere buzzing in recent days."