Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on May 19, 2011
Flix On Stix: Vending Machine Copies Movies to Thumb Drives
Flix On Stix does what it says on the label. You jam a USB stick or SD-card into one of its kiosks and pick a movie, game or TV show. The “flick” is then transferred to your “stick” and you can take it home to enjoy it.
Fees are based on how long you want to keep the movie, costing $1 for 3 days, $2 for 6, $3 for 9 days and $4 for 12 days. Once your time is up, the movie-file will self-destruct. There is also an option to buy.
The advantages over a DVD-kiosk are obvious: All movies are always available, you never need to return anything and – as the FAQ points out – you can’t end up with a scratched disk. On the other hand, you’ll have to watch the movies either on a computer, on a TV hooked up to a computer, or a TV with a USB slot.
The service has not yet launched, so the precise method of playback isn’t available. My money is on some kind of proprietary player and DRM combo, maybe bundled on the stick, otherwise how could you make the movie expire?
The idea is a great one, though. Many, many people have a USB stick on a keychain or in a bag, and it would be a big oversight if the machine didn’t also vend cheap sticks. And while BitTorrent is fast, it’s not as fast as walking to the corner store.
Flix on Stix [Flix on Stix via Everything USB]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on December 7, 2010
Ears-On with the SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth Boom-Box
For the last few weeks, I have been living with the Supertooth Disco, a Bluetooth speaker seemingly named after a singles night at a dentists’ convention. It’s a battery-powered stereo-speaker with a hefty subwoofer inside and, while it will never make its way onto an audiophiles shopping list, it’s a pretty impressive box for its size.
First, the specs. The speaker weighs in at 1,140-grams, or 2.5-pounds, and has two eight-watt drivers. Also in the case is that subwoofer, which blows its sound out through a rear-facing hole. Battery life is claimed to be 3-4 hours at high volume, up to 10 hours at medium volume. Standby is rated at an almost untestable 1,500 hours, or 62.5 days. The Bluetooth is A2DP and AVRCP, meaning you can beam straight from a phone, computer or iPad (where it shows up in the AirPlay menu) and also use the buttons clustered around the volume knob to play, pause and skip tracks remotely
The battery life is indeed impressive, lasting me for days of casual listening (I left the Supertooth in the kitchen and used it to play music and podcasts whenever I was in there). I couldn’t test the battery life at “high volume”, as I live in an apartment with neighbors stacked all around me, but in general use it’s long enough not to worry about, and you can always just plug the thing in (and it takes just three hours to charge from empty).
So how does it sound? That depends on what you’re listening to. Rock sounds pretty rushed and jangly, classical music – notoriously demanding on stereo equipment – is equally bad. But try some jazz, some spoken-word or anything warm and funky and it sounds very good indeed. I have been obsessed with Nol Akchot’s So Lucky these past weeks, which is an album of instrumental acoustic guitar covers of Kylie Minogue’s hits (don’t laugh – it’s pretty awesome). The guitar and the squeaking of fingers on strings are projected into an impressively big sound by the Supertooth. Which brings us onto the subwoofer.
You can really crank this speaker. At full volume it distorts, but it’s loud enough to stop any conversations well before you get that far up the dial. Press the bass-boost button by the main dial and you’ll get mixed results. Sometimes it overpowers the music, other times it adds the right amount of warmth and kick. It’s not set-and-forget: You’ll be tweaking this on a per-album basis. The bass itself is big, though, and even with the volume less than halfway up you can feel the air punching out of the rear hole.
The Supertooth comes with a case, a spongy neoprene-type thing with a mesh hole for the bass-port and a Velcro-shut flap for the ports around back (power and line-in via jack). It seems perfect for keeping splashes off in the bathroom, or for taking the speaker out for a trip.
Would I buy the Supertooth (it costs $150)? Sure. It’s not as good as the sub’n’satellite speakers I have hooked up elsewhere, but considering its size the speaker sounds fantastic (just steer clear of the White Stripes) and the portability will be a huge bonus once my leg is no longer broken. And before I go, here’s one great extra use for the Supertooth. Because Bluetooth-streamed audio is in sync with any on-screen video from the same device, you can sit the Supertooth behind your iPad when watching movies and enjoy a pretty good mini-home-theater experience. Add in a pico-projector and… Well, that’s something coming in a future post.
Supertooth Disco product page [Supertooth]
Photo: Charlie Sorrel
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on November 30, 2010
Netflix PS3 Streaming App Adds HD, Surround Sound, Ditches Disc
Playstation 3 just leapfrogged Xbox 360 and snagged the best Netflix experience on a video game console yet. The new Netflix application for PS3, rolling out for download Monday, will let Netflix subscribers with PS3s watch movies and TV without a disc; some titles will even stream in 1080i HD and 5.1 digital surround sound.
Netflix Watch Instantly streaming video has been available for PS3 since late last year, but required a Blu-ray instant streaming disc in order to access the service. By running as a native PS3 app, users won’t need to change discs to watch a movie. Netflix also has a new user interface, optimized for the PS3 controller’s analog joysticks.
In the new UI, search especially seems smartly designed for the PS3 controller, using an alphabetical grid and intelligent auto-complete to minimize the pain of text entry (see the still below):
Still from Sony PS3 Promotional Video.
I even like the way the controller buttons control common text entry commands in-context, like space, delete, and enter. There are keyboards available for PS3, but being able to use the controller well is a real asset.
Netflix has not only continued to bring its streaming service to seemingly every device with a screen, but to make that service better. Still, among consoles, the announced PS3 app stands out: Xbox users don’t have 1080i or surround sound, and Wii users have only now added search to their service, which still requires an “Instant Streaming” disc. Adding media services has become part of the continued rivalry between Xbox and PS3, along with new motion-capture interaction devices like Playstation’s Move controller and Xbox’s Kinect.
Besides video game consoles, Netflix can now stream to personal computers on Windows and Mac; TiVo, HD, Roku, Logitech and Apple TV boxes; Windows Phone 7 and all iOS devices; and a wide array of net-connected TVs and Blu-Ray players, including those using Google TV. Roku’s players, which began as Netflix-only boxes, will soon be available in retail stores through a partnership with Netgear.
Netflix on PS3: Disc-free Next Week [Playstation Blog]
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on October 14, 2010
VLC Media Player Coming to iPhone and iPod Touch
Applidium, the software company who ported media player VLC to the iPad, has announced that a universal iOS version was under review by Apple and that they expect it to be quickly approved. Since Apple approved the iPad version for the App Store last month, it’s overwhelmingly likely that iPhone and iPod touch users will soon be able to download VLC as well.
VLC Media Player brings support for a tremendous number of popular media file formats to iOS devices, particularly movie and audio files that QuickTime can’t play. Demand for VLC from iPhone users was strong enough that an unofficial port was available for jailbroken phones more than two years ago.
Wired.com’s Charlie Sorrel got an early hands-on with VLC for iPad, and called it simpler and prettier than the desktop app, while remaining just as versatile. Now that some bugs have been fixed and features have been added, iPhone and iPod Touch users will get to see an even better iteration.
Unfortunately, it looks like users of older iPhones and iPod Touches will be left behind. Only the iPhone 4 and 3GS and their same-generation iPod touch counterparts will be officially supported. According to Applidium, the iPhone 3G and earlier models don’t have the processing power to do the on-the-fly decoding VLC requires.
Other changes include support for opening media files from Mail or Safari directly in VLC, bug fixes and some speed improvements.
VLC pour iPhone et iPod bientt disponible sur l’AppStore [Applidium]
Image by Applidium
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on October 12, 2010
Intel Touts ‘WiDi’ for Connecting PCs and TVs
Intel has joined the parade of companies trying to beam video to your TV. The chip maker is betting on ‘WiDi,’ its technology for streaming media wirelessly from the PC to the TV.
Intel’s WiDi, which is short for “wireless display,” will remove the pain of stringing HDMI cables between the TV and the laptop.
“This display technology extends the laptop screen to the TV,” says Randy Stude, who handles gaming strategy for Intel. “You don’t need cables or to buy a single-purpose gadget to make the connection.”
Intel showed the WiDi technology at the company’s developer conference in San Francisco earlier this week.
The technology will come pre-loaded in new laptops. Already 44 models sold at Best Buy have the WiDi technology. But consumers will need to buy an additional $100 adapter from Netgear to complete the connection to the TV. Add a wireless remote such as Loop or Glide TV, and consumers can watch web content on a big screen 25 feet to 30 feet away.
Intel is just the latest in a long list of companies that are trying to make it easier for consumers to watch web video in their living room. Companies such as Apple, Boxee and Roku have offered streaming media players for web video enthusiasts.
In May, Google launched Google TV, a new set-top-box platform based on Googles Android operating system that will combine cable programming with access to online photo sites, gaming and music.
Earlier this week, start-up Veebeam introduced a streaming media box that uses wireless USB to connect the laptop to the TV. Veebeam estimates 420 Mbps speeds for wireless USB and offers both 720p and 1080p high-definition video options.
Intel has chosen Wi-Fi to stream content wirelessly. Wi-Fi doesn’t require line of sight and it can reach about 9 Mbps speeds, says Stude. It is much slower than wireless HDMI that can offer speeds of upto 500 Mbps.
Intel’s software will work on all laptops using Arrendale based core i3, i5 and core i7 technologies. But they will have to have Intel’s 802.11-n chips.
“It’s more flexible than a Boxee box or Apple TV,” says Stude. “You are not limited to just a few types of content and put in a walled garden.”
The wireless streaming is currently to limited to 720p resolution and it can’t handle Blu-ray content. Stude says Intel plans to support higher resolution video in the future.
But first, Intel will have to survive the extremely competitive and crowded market. It will have to steal consumers’ attention away from the soon to launch Google TV and the newly introduced $100 Apple TV.
Intel hopes its clout in the PC market will put it ahead of competitors. In bundling the software and chips into the laptop, Intel may have a distribution channel that few of its competitors can match.
But to get there, it will have to find a way to cut price and integrate the $100 Netgear adapter into the laptop.
Photos: Priya Ganapati/Wired.com
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on September 17, 2010
Eight Great Tips for Traveling with the iPad
The iPad is an almost perfect travel computer. It’s easy to carry, works as a guide, a map, a book and it’s crazy-long battery life will let you sit back and watch another movie while your laptop-toting companions search for a power outlet. But as convenient as it is, a little preparation will make things even smoother. Here are some things you should do before you leave the house.
Go Offline
A 3G iPad is a wonderfully useful machine, but outside of your home country, unless you’re willing to pay extra for roaming or a new, local micro-SIM, you’ll be back on Wi-Fi. Get ready for this by preparing a few apps.
OffMaps
OffMaps is an iPad (and iPhone) app which lets you download city maps for offline use. This lets you use the GPS (or Wi-Fi triangulation) on your iPad without an internet connection. City-specific versions of OffMaps are free, but a master version costs just $2 and lets you grab any map, for free, from within the app.
Maps are organized by country and then city, and are sourced from OpenStreetMaps, the crowd-sourced map project. There are also city guides which can be downloaded, and these not only give tourist hints and tips, but add a user-built database of restaurant, hotels, tourist-spots and so on. This makes searching the map double-useful. The guides cost around 30-cents each, and are paid for by buying tokens from within the app. Three free guides are included with the purchase.
A Wi-Fi Hotspot Directory
One way to get online in a foreign city is to find some free Wi-Fi. But if you don’t have an internet connection, you can’t download a hotspot database. Do this before you leave. There are several free and paid apps in the store, although I couldn’t find anything good for the iPad, so I just picked the free Wi-Fi Finder for iPhone and use it pixel-doubled.
Weather
If you’re spending your days outside, a weather app is pretty essential. You’ll need a connection to use it, but a once-a-day update should be enough. I use Weather Pro for iPad, which costs $5. It’s uncannily accurate and easy to read, and yet offers an embarrassment of detail, from animated weather-radar charts to an hour-by-hour breakdown of rainfall predictions. It also works worldwide, unlike some rather short-sighted U.S-only apps.
Language Guides
Which one you choose depends on where you are going, and quality is astonishingly variable. For vacations, though, you should opt for a travel-guide app rather than a full-on dictionary, as these will have useful phrases grouped together. Try learning the numbers one to ten by looking them up individually in a dictionary instead of together on a page and you’ll see why.
Why bother? Because if you are like most native English-speakers, you are an arrogant traveler, and you assume that you can just start talking English at somebody and they’ll understand. They probably will, as these foreigners are smart enough to learn another language, but they’ll hate you. You’d be amazed how far the local words for “hello”, “please”, “thank you”, and “do you speak English?” will get you. I tried it in jaw-crunching Polish this past weekend and the helpful, warm smiles I got betrayed just how few people bother. This happened despite my truly dreadful pronunciation.
PDFs
Wherever you store them, you should put your useful travel information in PDF-format for your travels. Well known guides are available as apps for some cities, but some of you may have illegitimate copies of the paper versions, or even saved Wikipedia articles. Convert to PDF and store on the iPad for fast, offline retrieval.
Technical Tips
Stealth and Cases
You don’t want to stand out as a tourist, and in some areas you won’t even want to pull out your iPad. To help, you’ll need a case. It should be quick-access, as you’ll likely be consulting the various guides and maps pretty often. The best kind is probably the flip-open type which makes your iPad look like a book. Failing this, a slim slip-cover will work, although you’ll have to hold it as you read. Avoid anything big or bulky, and above all don’t use something that looks like a computer bag.
If you’re really not comfortable pulling out your iPad, or you just must consult the paper guide-book, cover that book in something. Do not wander the streets with a Lonely Planet book in hand. It screams “mug me” and makes you look like a dork. Best of all, try the little Moleskine City Guides, the most covert maps you can buy.
Power
As you won’t be using 3G, you should switch it off. The same goes for Wi-Fi, most of the time. The iPad has a great battery life, but you can extend it further by switching off unnecessary radios, especially if you are in an area with no 3G coverage (the constant search for a network will drain juice double-quick).
Don’t do it right away, though: The GPS will grab its initial location much faster if it can use local cell-towers and Wi-Fi signals to give it a rough idea first. After initial acquisition, you can turn them off. Don’t use airplane mode, though, as this also kills the GPS.
Plan to Share
You can load the iPad up with the Lord of the Rings trilogy (books and movies) and the latest RPGs from Square, but won’t you please think about the children? Or at least consider your non-nerd fellow travelers. Before you leave, download some multi-player and family-friendly games (Labyrinth 2 HD is a great choice, and has a free lite version). Also, consider short, throwaway TV-shows that everyone will like, and that can be watched in half-hour chunks. Think less “The Wire” and more “30 Rock”. And don;t forget a cheap, two-way headphone splitter for shared movie-watching.
And if you’re sharing, there will come a point when you’re left staring out the train window, bored to death. This is where you pull out your secret weapon: Your iPhone or iPod Touch, loaded up with all the same goodies. And one more thing: Put all the above apps on your first home screen. You’ll thank me for it.
There must be plenty more great ways you can use your iPad when traveling, especially the online services I haven’t covered here. Got any apps, accessories or general tips? Leave them, as ever, in the comments.
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 23, 2010
Nano’ Mounts Turn SLRs into Movie-Cameras on the Cheap
Redrock Micro makes accessories for movie cameras, and lately it makes add-ons for the latest movie-shooting SLR-cameras. The latest addition is a range of “Nano” kits which turn your stills-cam into a film-making rig, and they do it on the cheap.
SLRs are obviously designed to shoot single photos, and access to the various exposure controls is the premium consideration. A movie camera needs to be focused and moved around as you shoot, which is tricky if you’re using two hands just to hold it up.
The new Redrock kits come in three main flavors: A grip, which is a simple handle that screws into the tripod-mount, a pair of chest braces which let you hold the camera with one hand and focus with the other, and a couple “low-down” kits which put handles on the top and sides so you can carry the camera like a briefcase or an underwater-style rig. The chest rigs come with eye-pieces for the rear LCD-screen to allow live-view-shooting outside.
The prices run from just over $100 to just under $500, depending on how many rods, grips and pads are hanging off the stick-insect structures. This might not sound inexpensive, but in the overpriced world of movie-cameras, it’s an almost dirt-cheap bargain. Available now.
Nano DSLR Rigs [Redrock Micro via Photography Bay]
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 23, 2010
