Still Looking for an HTPC

I’ve been looking for a while for a good HTPC (Home Theatre PC) solution. I still didn’t buy anything because I couldn’t find something that will give easy access to the available online content and replace the cable box that is connected to my HDTV (and for cable bill as well…). Two interesting announcements this week show that more vendors are trying to provide a solution for this and take the lead over Apple that still doesn’t deliver with Apple TV.

The first announcement came from Boxee. They finally confirmed the rumors that a “Boxee Box” is coming soon. They plan to reveal more information on December 7th during their Boxee Beta unveiling in Brooklyn. This looks very promising and since it’s an open source project it could lead to a good solution if the hardware will support everything that is needed (HDMI, easy remote control etc).

The second announcement came from Dell, when they revealed the Inspiron Zino HD which basically looks like a black Mac Mini but unlike the Mac, it comes with HDMI port, and can be upgraded to Blu-Ray, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM and more. Price starts at $229 and this could be a great customized HTPC that will provide good functionality by simply using Windows Media Center along the Hulu plug-in, XBMC or the Hulu Desktop.

The Perfect Cappuccino

I love coffee I own a Nespresso for more than 5 years now. Very simple machine but you can make great espresso using their capsules. This machine, just like most of the espresso machines, allows you to froth milk to make cappuccinos, lattes etc. The problems is that it’s a pain to do so. If you have to hold the milk container, check temperature and make sure you get good results.

Last month I got the Nespresso Aeroccino. This little device froths milk perfectly every time in 50 seconds and all you need to do is just press the button!

This is not a cheap gadget (retails for $99), but if you like your coffee and have one (at least) every day – it is well worth it! You can get this online or at any Williams-Sonoma. Check their web site to see a flash video of how this works and how you can make different types of coffee.

Microsoft Unveils Project “Natal”

Microsoft unveiled yesterday at E3 its upcoming motion sensing system codenamed project “Natal”. This amazing system takes the innovation introduced by the Nintendo Wii to a whole new level. The system will work with every Xbox 360 and will be available on all new systems. It has a full body motion control by tracking 3D movements and it also recognizes voices. Maybe it’s time to finally upgrade my old Xbox that I didn’t use for the last 3 years…

Check out the official video showing the different capabilities:

Best Price for iPod Touch

A couple of weeks ago I decided to buy myself an iPod Touch 32GB. The retail price for the 32GB version is $399. It doesn’t matter where you try and buy it (Apple Store, Best Buy, etc) since the price is pretty much controlled by Apple. You can take a chance and buy it through eBay save a few bucks and hope you are getting a new device and not being ripped or buy it for a few bucks less at Walmart. Bottom line is that along with tax you’ll drop about $425 for this gadget.

I am Costco member and buy there most of our groceries. On my visit there a couple of weeks ago I decided to check the price that they have for the iPods and was amazed to see that they had a special promotion for the iPod Touch 32GB for only $362 . This is of course for a new iPod and not refurbished. I decided to buy it right there even if it’s not as cool as buying it in the Apple store . So all together with NC sales tax I spent $386 which is about 10% discount from retail – Not bad for this bad economy. If you are looking for an iPod, take your Costco card (or find a friend that has one) and go to your local Costco store!

P.S.: Don’t bother trying to buy it online with Costco. You can only get this in their store…

REVIEW: Shure I2C-MP Stereo Earphones

After my Bose QuietComfort 2 died I've been using The Bose In-Ear Headphones that I got with American Express points a while back. Those little headphones are small and have good sound quality, but they do nothing to isolate the noise on an airplane.  I was reluctant to drop $300 again on Bose and I didn't want to get big headphones again, so I started looking for some alternatives.

Earlier this month I saw that Amazon had a great deal on the Shure I2C-MP Stereo Earphones. These earphones retail for $119 but are still available on Amazon for $39.58 .

The earphones are very small and come with a nice pouch. These earphones use noise isolation and not noise cancellation (like the big ones), which means you can get some of the quiet without the size or power source that is required for the noise cancellation.

The I2C include an inline microphone that filters background noise so you can use them both to ear music and make phone calls. They are compatible with the iPhone (3G as well) and the Curve using 3.5mm plug but not with the 88xx (unless you have an adapter). I've been using these earphones on flights for the last couple of weeks and I have to say  that I like them. I can listen to music and video podcasts without the plane background noise and without the need to carry an additional big case in my backpack.

If you are looking for good small earphones that can be also used with your cellphone go to Amazon and grab a pair before their gone or the price goes back up!

R.I.P Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones

About 5 years ago I decided to purchase the Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Canceling headphones so I can use them on my trips. Since I’ve been flying in the last 5 years almost every week, the QC2 headphones have been one of the most important things to take with me on flights to enjoy the music in my iPod or just to enjoy the silence. It is amazing how well these headphones will reduce the amount of noise in the plane. From a crying baby to the noise of the plane engines – this is a must have for the road warriors.

About a year ago I noticed that the inside plastic of the headband broke. First on one side and then on both. This caused the headband to open up instead of holding tight when extending it. I went to the Bose store to show this to them, check the warranty and see if I could replace the expensive headphones or fix them and was disappointed to hear that it had only one year of warranty and there’s nothing they could do. Since Bose wouldn’t fix or replace them, I decided to fix the headphones on my own using duct tape and after applying it on both sides I was able to extend the headband again with no trouble. I was happy that I was able to keep on using the headphones (although it wasn’t a pretty fix):

A couple of months ago the next problem appeared. The  right ear cup cushion’s fabric seemed to completely tear from the inside exposing the foam. This is very ugly and although I couldn’t find a way to fix this I kept on using the headphones since they still functioned correctly:

This week, on my flight back from Tel Aviv, I noticed that my shirt was covered with black residue from the shedding fabric covering the ear cup. I took of the headphones and went to the bathroom to look at the mirror and I saw that my ear was full of the same black residue. I noticed that the fabric on the ear cup is so dry already that is falling apart piece by piece. At that moment I decided that enough is enough and unfortunately  it is just not worth using the headphones anymore.

Although I’ve used the headphones almost every week on my trips I must say I took care of them very well and always stored them inside the carrying case that comes with the headphones. I enjoyed the headphones very much and recommended them to many colleagues, but I must say that I’m disappointed with the quality of the materials the headphones are built from. I would expect that for  the money these headphones cost they would last longer than 5 years.

REVIEW: Sony DSC-W170

About four and a half years ago I bought a Sony DSC-T1. The T1 was a revolutionary sub compact camera. It took 5 megapixel pictures using a 3x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens with a 2.5” LCD monitor. All this came a in tiny 3.6 x 2.4 camera. Only 0.8 in thick and 180 grams. This was a great camera that could fit into your pocket without even feeling it. The best thing about the T1 was the speed – Sony gave a new meaning to point-and-shoot, since the camera was ready for operation as soon as you open it and there was no delay at all like in other small cameras back than. After the T1 was released all the other manufactures followed and you could get this size of LCD in all cameras and the same body type. I’ve seen the cameras getting better throughout the years, with better resolution and features but had no reason to replace my T1 since it was great and provided everything I needed – until last month when it died . I’m not sure what happened to it but everything is blurry so it seems as if I damaged the lens or something like that. In any case, it’s not worth trying to even fix it with the prices of cameras today so I decided to go shopping for a new one .

I started reading reviews on the Internet to see what I should buy. I wanted to still get a small camera like I had so I can carry it anywhere without the need to carry another bag and get as many features as I can. This type of camera exists now from all vendors so the decision was even harder. On one hand, I have a lot of good experience with Sony products, and on the other hand it is annoying that they have their own memory card formats and don’t use the same cards as the rest of the industry so I seriously looked at other cameras in the same category from Canon and Nikon. After a lot of reading, comparison and customer reviews I decided to stay with Sony and get the Sony DSC-W170.

I decided to move from the T series (ultra-slim point-and-shoot) to the W series (compact point-and-shoot) for one main reason: Optical Zoom 5x! Although it is a little thicker (0.9 inch versus the 0.8 inch my T1 was) the optical zoom is the most important feature that the small cameras are lacking when compared to the bigger once (in my opinion…). The main specifications of the W170: 10.1 MP, 2.7" LCD display, Carl Zeiss wide 5x (28mm) Optical Zoom lens, Smile Shutter technology, Face Detection, Intelligent Scene Recognition, optical image stabilization. Camera dimensions: 3.7 x 2.3 x 0.9 inch and weighs only 173 grams including the battery. The maximum shutter speed is an impressive 1/1600 sec which is also very important and typically the main difference between a good and a bad compact point-and-shoot.

I’ve been using the camera for the last couple of weeks and I must say I love it! It is very easy to use (the dial buttons are so much better than touch screen navigation!), the new features for face detection and smile detection are pretty cool and work nicely. You can even prioritize smiles of adult, child or infant! The camera has also the capability to do some photo editing in the camera itself which is a nice add-on. The camera retails for $299, but when I bought it Best Buy had an online special for $269 only, so I went to their store and they matched the online price since I needed the camera and couldn’t wait for the shipping.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a compact camera I think the W170 is a great option!

The Evolution of Mobile Phones

It is amazing to see how fast consumer electronic products evolve and how you can get today gadgets that you saw in TV shows or movies just a few years ago. One of the fastest evolving gadget is the mobile phone. A little over 20 years ago the mobile phone was a bulky big device that required a bag to carry it. Today the devices are small and have the computing power of what a PC had a few years ago. This cool video shows you the evolution of the mobile phones in about 3 minutes. Try to recognize how many of these you had

HTC Touch Diamond Videos

The smartphone market is mostly bussing over the upcoming iPhone 3G and the BlackBerry 9000, however HTC unveiled on May 6th the Touch Diamond as the best answer that is powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional. The Diamond is powered by "TouchFLO 3D" and stunning graphics and UI animations. You can see here the full specifications of this device which will be released first in Europe and then in the USA.

HTC posted on YouTube 22 videos to show you the capabilities of this device.

The Perfect Media Extender PC

The TV is being reinvented! You can access most of your favorite TV shows today online for free. Not only you can access new episodes, you can go back to previous seasons or even watch your favorite series that are not available on TV anymore. Here are just a few examples of the common ways to access free (and legal) content:

• Hulu - This is by far the best destination for online TV and movies. Hulu was created by Fox and Universal, but it delivers content from many other networks for free. They are also adding HD content now!
• ABC provides access to full episodes of all their popular shows.
• CBS also provides full access to their shows.
• South Park Studios gives you full access to all 12 seasons (and counting) of South Park
• TBS just started providing full episodes to some of their shows including Seinfeld.
• Joost has over 20,000 shows and more than 400 channels (requires installing software).
• Miro - Just like Joost, Miro requires a client install. This is an "open source TV" that gives you access to free content (including HD) from channels like National Geographic, Reuters and more.
• Jacked provides free live sports broadcasting.

With all this free on-demand content online why bother watching TV or why even bother using a DVR/TiVo to record your favorite shows? You can just go online and watch whatever you want, whenever you want. Although it is great to be able to watch the shows on your computer (especially when you are on the road), wouldn't it be better to watch them on that big screen TV you spent so much money on and use the surround sound system you installed? There are many options to "stream" online content to your TV. The challenge is to make browsing and searching online content on your TV as easy as "channel surfing" through your remote. I have been researching some options to see what would be the best thing to do and here is what I found:

• Apple TV - As always, Apple does a great job with their user interface and they make it very easy to browse for content on their familiar interface using a small remote. Apple TV gives you access to standard definition and high definition TV shows and movies. You can even access YouTube videos and photo albums on Flickr. The main problem though is that the content is not free. You buy shows and rent movies. I am not sure why Apple thinks that they should charge for the same content that is available legally online? The Apple TV can be "hacked" using different application like the Couch Surfer to browse for free online content but why do I need to pay $229 for this unit and then work hard to hack it so it can provide the functionality it should have built in?
• Apple Mac mini - Another option from Apple is to get a Mac mini, connect it to your TV and tweak it in order to make it provide free content the way the Apple TV should have been. The Mac mini is loaded with Leopard and Front Row, which allows you to browse using the included remote control all the content you have available on your iTunes library in full screen. The mini has a full Mac OS so you can use the browser to access free online content on your TV. The main problem with the mini is that it starts at $599 and goes up to $799 or more.
• D-Link's MediaLounge PC-on-TV DPG-1200 links your TV via VGA, component or composite and connects your PC wirelessly. The included remote controls allows you to control videos, photos and music that is streamed from your Media Center PC. The unit retails for $240.
• The XBOX 360 and the PlayStation 3 provide similar streaming capabilities from your PC so you can use them to watch and listen to your media in addition to playing games.
• The ZvBox seems like a promising product. This unit provides an easy way to access all the online content just like browsing channels. What is interesting about this unit is that it gets the TV output from your computer and turns it into an HD channel on every television in the house (instead of streaming it wirelessly). This product allows you to access Internet TV, browse the web or even check your email on your TV. The ZvBox retails for $500 and is currently available for pre-order exclusively from Amazon (ships June).

There are many other devices that compete in the same market but none of them is perfect. From what I've seen so far, the ZvBox looks promising, even for it's price tag. I think the best thing would be to wait until June and see that it lives up to the expectations.

ThinkPad X300 vs. MacBook Air

This humorous video shows Lenovo's opinion on the MacBook Air manila envelope commercial. Basically they claim that they provide an ultra-portable without Apple's compromises. Once you add to the MacBook Air all the extensions you need (like optical drive, USB hub etc) it is a little difficult to fit it back in that envelope .

Microsoft Surface in Action

I had a chance to see the Microsoft Surface in action while I visited Microsoft's booth in CES this year. This product provides an innovative and interactive experience for a user to find information about products and a chance to customize the product before purchasing it. The first retail store to showcase their merchandise using this product is the AT&T. AT&T will start a pilot in some of the wireless retails stores in the major cities and depending on the success will expand the usage to the rest of their 2,200 U.S. retails stores.

You can see in this short clip the Microsoft Surface in action in one of the AT&T retails stores:

More on Readius

I posted before about Readius from Polymer Vision. Now you can see here a video of this little eBook to see that this is not just concept but actually a working product:

Review: Brother HL-2170W

About 9 years ago while I was in college I decided to invest in a laser printer. The amount of printing I had to do for class presentations, homework and all the exams with "open material" was huge and spending the crazy amount of money back then (I think it was like $600) on a printer paid back on the amount I saved on ink. I think that in the 3 years I used it in school I had to replace the toner only once (!) while before that I had to replace the ink in my other printer almost every month!

Last month I decided to do this again and add a laser printer to my HP all-in-one Inkjet printer for any bulk printing I need to do. I did some research on the Internet and decided that I want to buy something basic and good without spending too much money. Another thing I tried to figure out is where to put the printer since I'm running out of space. Between my desktop, HP printer, laptop and paper there's not a lot of room in my "L" shaped desk and I didn't want to run any long USB cables across my office.

I decided to buy the Brother HL-2710W. It is an entry level laser printer with great features of high-end printers. It is capable of printing 23 pages per minute (black), 2400x600 dpi and the best thing about it is that it is wireless! This means that I can pretty much put in anywhere I want in my office or even in a different room and print to it from any computer or laptop that is connected to my wireless network.

When I unboxed the printer I was happy to see it's actually smaller that it looked on the pictures. The setup was pretty easy. You just follow the easy instruction guide using the included CD. When you setup the printer you need to plug it with an Ethernet cable to your network to configure the wireless settings, password etc. After the short setup you can unplug the printer and put it anywhere you want. The printer is available as a wireless network resource and you can use the CD on the other computers in the network to configure the printer on them also. Pretty easy and it works great! I was able to configure the printer from my XP machines and even from my Vista 64bit machine without any trouble.

This printer retails for $149.99, but when I bought the printer I was able to get an amazing deal on Buy.com for $104.99 including free shippingwhich made the deal sweeter and decision much easier. The printer has been working great since I got it and I recommend it to anyone that is looking for a laser printer

Rollable Display in your Cell

Polymer Vision will release Readius sometime in mid 2008 through Telecom Italia. This little device features a foldable grayscale 5 inch QVGA display and includes 3G HSDPA and a 400MHz ARM CPU and is based on Windows CE. The device takes advantage of the organic flexible displayed introduced by Philips back in 2002. Philips spinned-off the company in 2006 to focus on consumer electronic devices that use this technology.

Is It a Pen? Is It a Camera?

Here is an interesting future gadget I got from Bob. You have to look very closely before you realize what this really is!

What does this look like? Some guy with 5 pens?

Look closely. Are these pens with a tiny camera?

How about now that they are in "operational mode"?

Still no clue? Meet the laptop of the future! As part of the miniature revolution and the possibilities with Bluetooth connectivity, scientist can design a computer that you'll carry in your pocket. These "pens" produce the functionality of a keyboard on any flat surface, and project the monitor on any wall along with CPU and storage on the other "pens".

BlackBerry Remote Stereo Gateway

Pictures and the manual of the BlackBerry Remote Stereo Gateway surfaced on the FCC site. This little device from RIM connects to a music source on one end while on the other end transmits the stereo quality music to the multimedia capable BlackBerries over Bluetooth.

Is That a Phone in Your GPS?

I have been enjoying the GPS functionality that was added to the BlackBerry 8800 since the day it was released. Every day it is more and more common  to see  cellular phones and smartphones with a true GPS chip or some kind of cellular tower triangulation or  WiFi triangulation. Garmin watched all the hardware companies adding this to their phones and decided to go the other way and add a phone to their GPS .

This week they introduced the nüvifone. This little unit features a 3.5 inch touch screen, cell phone, Internet browser, HSDPA support and preloaded maps of North America and/or Eastern and Western Europe. The device includes millions of points-of-interest. turn-by-turn voice directions and Google's local search. No price is set yet, but this is expected to be released Q3/2008.

CES Day 4 Roundup

I am not sure if everybody left town yesterday or they simply went to the AVN Expo at the Sands, but today you could notice that there are less people in the convention and you can actually walk through the floor and see things. Here is what caught my attention today:

Iqua is a wireless company based out of Finland that was created by a group of Nokia directors. They created a nice looking Bluetooth headset that can be charged using solar power. The BHS-602 has enough juice for 9 talking hours and 200 hours of standby when charged using the regular USB charger, and if you are using it outside it keep on charging itself using the sun. This little headset weighs only 14 grams. It will be released by the end of this month and will retail for $99.

 

The LG booth was huge and show many new things in well designed living areas. They showed the M4210D which is a 42" 1080p LCD monitor and the nice thing about this monitor is that it is capable of displaying 3D video (VGA quality) without the need to wear those stupid glasses. I have to say that it looks pretty good!

In their cellular section I liked the Watch Phone that they showed. It has a pretty slick all black design. Watch this movie that shows how it works and it mind remind you of Dick Tracy

iRobot Looj

iRobot, the creator of the Roomba cleaning robots, demonstrated their gutter cleaning robot. This robot allows you to automatically clean the gutters by simply positioning the robot in the gutter and let it do all the work instead of cleaning manually and keep on moving the leader to clean the next section. It has a detachable handle that can also be used as a wireless remote control and it cleans 60 feet of gutter in about 10 minutes. The Looj comes in three different models:

• Looj 120 - Attaches to your belt with included belt clip for $99.
• Looj 130 - Includes belt and holster for hands free transport and convenient storage for $129.
• Looj 150 - The same package as the 130 plus extra batter pack with an additional 3-stage auger for $169.