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Now that we've reached the end of another calendar, in continuing a tradition I started in 2003, below is a review of my 10 predictions for 2009 and an assessment of how accurate I was on each one.

1) Microsoft Launches Windows 7 to Fanfare, Skepticism
Microsoft's two pillars of financial solvency -- Windows and Office -- have been standing on shaky ground recently. Office 2007 was a decent hit, despite it not offering much new and causing significant backward compatibility issues. But Windows Vista, on the other hand, has been an unmitigated disaster. Microsoft even had to resort to tricking users into liking Vista (Mojave, anyone?), it had developed such a bad reputation. Windows 7 will be launched late in 2009 to a general consensus of "it's better," but will not be the "wow" that Microsoft needs to regain the market share it has recently ceded to Apple. But maybe that's a good thing...having strong competitors is usually a good thing for consumer markets.

When Windows 7 was officially launched October 22nd, by any measure, it came out to positive reviews and very good, if not great, sales. Of course, following a dog of a product like Vista will go a long way towards creating pent-up demand, so it wasn't unexpected. However, if you went by the press and hype, you'd think Microsoft was the underdog to Apple instead of still appearing on about 93% of all desktops. Windows 7 has slowed the slight shift towards OS X, but it's not clear yet that any ground is being made up.  Ironically, the best thing to happen to Windows in 2009 may have been the explosion of netbooks (more on that below).

2) Blockbuster Declares Bankruptcy
This may be a bit "out there," but I see exceedingly tough times at Blockbuster. And this isn't vindictiveness...I've been a reasonably happy Blockbuster.com customer for several years, now. I just think that, given the state of its business (poor), the weakness in the economy (near-critical), the nature of its service (luxury), and the rapidity with which that industry is transforming, I think Blockbuster will file for bankruptcy protection to get out of some of its debt, sell off some property (store locations that aren't faring well), and reinvest that into developing newer and more attractive services. So, they aren't going away...yet.

After spending much of 2009 desperately raising capital and refinancing its debt, Blockbuster is trying a variety of tactics to stave off its own demise at the hands of an increasingly varied assortment of competitors.  Netflix and piracy, Blockbuster's perennial nemeses, are joined by Redbox in stressing the company's sweaty grip on life even further.  However, per part of my prediction, Blockbuster announced in early 2009 that it would be closing 128 physical stores.  That number was massively expanded late in 2009 to closer to 1,000 stores.  Additionally, Blockbuster is launching a large kiosk initiative.  It's amazing how consistently the company does exactly what its competitors do, but 2-3 years later.  However, Blockbuster did not enter into any form of bankruptcy during 2009, so I'm declaring this one a failed prediction.

3) Palm Launches New OS to Fanfare, Skepticism
We've all heard the rumors that Palm will be launching "Nova," its replacement for the ancient Palm OS, at CES 2009 in a few days. I'm pretty sure that's going to happen. I'm also pretty sure that Palm will have at least one new device, if not several, running the new OS available by the end of June. While launching phones can take a while, given the carriers' lengthy testing requirements, launching a PDA doesn't, so Palm could certainly come out with two (or more) non-phone PDAs running Nova pretty quickly. And it needs to...the TX is older than my grandmother (at least in technology years). Generally, I predict there will be more nice things said about Nova, and the new devices, than critical, and it will stack up fairly competitively with Android and WM 6.5. What I do not have a lot of faith in is Palm's ability to develop and deliver the ecology of services (e.g., app stores) that customers are now expecting their smartphones to be integrated into. Time will tell on that front.

As we all now know, Nova was introduced as Palm webOS in January, 2009 at CES.  The first device running webOS was the Palm Pre, a nifty portrait QWERTY slider with HVGA multitouch screen.  Also during 2009, a second webOS device, the Palm Pixi, was announced and launched.  However, surprisingly, there were no non-phone webOS devices released.  In hindsight, I guess that makes sense, as Palm just doesn't have the resources (technical or financial) to launch 3+ separate devices in a single year.  Looking back, it's pretty clear that webOS and the Pre were well-received.  In fact, the Pre was the only smartphone to make it onto Twitter's Top-10 Trending Topics list for 2009, something neither the iPhone 3G S nor the Motorola Droid accomplished.  The two frustrating bits for Palm in 2009 have been Sprint's performance as a sole-carrier partner (in the US) for its new devices and the slow growth of the App Catalog.  However, both of these should be resolved in 2010...for Palm's sake, I hope so.

4) Blu-Ray Players Hit $99
During 2009, I think we'll see a raft of Korean and Taiwanese off-brand manufacturers launch budget Blu-Ray players. Just like the 2008 holiday sales saw BD players hit $149 in some stores, 2009 holiday sales will see them hit $99...if not sooner.

As I type this, Wal-Mart is selling a Magnavox NB500MG1F Blu-Ray Player for $98.00.  While it's just a Magnavox, it does meet the minimum criteria for confirming this prediction.

5) Apple Launches a Tablet to Fanfare
This has been a persistent rumor for years, but I think 2009 will see it actually happen. Why? A few reasons. First, Apple is looking to multi-touch as a key differentiator in its product lines, and having a full-screen, large-display MT device would make total sense. Second, it fits perfectly with the needs of the "creative class," Apple's core customer base. And third, it fills out a hole in their mobile product line that netbooks and other devices not running OS X fill nicely, and that's not a good thing for Apple. So, the technology is ready, the market is willing...and now I think Apple will be able to meet the demand.

Ha ha ha ha...um, no.  While many, many individuals would love for that to happen (if only as additional blog fodder), Apple has not announced anything.  However, there is feverish excitement in OS X fanboy camps about the iSlate being launched at an Apple event in January, 2010.  Or not.

6) Consolidation in the Entertainment Industry
2009 will be a strange year on a lot of dimensions. Not only will the stock market be hard to predict, there will be a lot of odd relationships come out of the mess. One industry that is still poised to make things happen is the entertainment industry, where I expect we'll see larger firms (e.g., major movie studios) start to acquire smaller, but very successful, examples from the newer media (e.g., game producers). A good example of the type of transaction I'm imagining would be Vivendi acquiring Ubisoft. I think Time Warner would love to swallow up Electronic Arts, but that might be a bit too big a bite unless something untoward happens to EA's stock price over the next year.

There were a number of major entertainment industry mergers and acquisitions in 2009.  One biggie was Disney scooping up Marvel Entertainment (comic books & movies) for $4 billion. While this deal hasn't been finalized, signs point to it going through. Another deal was the spin-off and merger involving Liberty Media Entertainment and DirecTV.  Is this a baby Time Warner in the making?  Hard to say, but I doubt it.  These two deals pale in comparison to what might turn out to be a merger of tectonic proportions:  Comcast buying 51% of NBC Universal.  If this goes through (in 2010), it will continue the trend of the same companies controlling the pipes and content, which could will cause consumers serious headaches in the years to come.  Or, they'll just continue to ignore the networks more and more and, instead, turn to the Internet for socially constructed content.  In that case, pray for net neutrality...it'll be our only hope.

7) Steve Jobs Announces Transition to New Role
I think concerns over Jobs' health have more merit than most of us want to admit. In 2009, I expect him to announce that he's transitioning into a different role than President and CEO of Apple (and CEO of Pixar). Something that keeps him out of the spotlight while he deals with his health issues will be valuable to keep Apple's stock price up and customer base intact. The move towards reducing his presence in near-term product launches is consistent with this strategy. But, he's far from gone...his influence will still be felt behind the scenes, but we'll see less of him in his traditional role as Apple poster boy.

Despite many people calling me a pessimist, an Apple-hater, and worse, I stood by this prediction.  On January 5, 2009, Sir Jobs sent out this infamous note claiming that his health issues were minor and transient.  But then, just a few days later, he followed up with a bombshell that he was much sicker than that and he'd be leaving until mid-year.  Given his absence at keynotes and overall behavior reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz ("pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"), his role has clearly changed.  And I take no joy in being right; Jobs is clearly a genius and consumer electronics is better off with him at the height of his abilities.  I look forward to him giving the keynote at WWDC in June, 2010.

8) Facebook Membership Growth Flattens; Twitter Surges
Signs are pointing towards Facebook's popularity beginning to peak. Just as with everything social, when moms and dads begin to frequent the coffee shop, the kids need a new place to hang out. Facebook currently has almost 40 million members in the US. While that number has been skyrocketing since it opened up membership to anyone in September 2006, I think 2009 will see a marked deceleration in its growth. The loss of perceived exclusivity and the hassle of the relatively unprotected app space will combine to make it less appealing to many long-time users and new prospects will find fewer people urging them to get on board. Twitter, however, will see continued growth as it continues to tweak and adapt its environment to meet its core users' needs.

While I'm counting this as a miss, it's actually 50% true.  Facebook's growth did not slow significantly as I'd predicted, but Twitter certainly did have the surge I thought was inevitable.

Let's look at some graphs:

You'll notice that Facebook's growth is pretty continuous up until late 2009, where some outages and privacy issues potentially took away from its momentum.  Now, Twitter...

This is a dramatic acceleration in Twitter's reach.  2009 will clearly go down in history as the year of Twitter.  In fact, Google and Microsoft so believed in it that they both inked deals to include Twitter's stream in their search engines as real-time results.

9) App Stores Dominate Mobile Software Delivery
iPhone's app store, Android's market...these types of bazaars, managed by the sponsors/manufacturers of the mobile operating systems, are coming to be the dominant mode for software distribution to mobile users. It marks a significant break from the traditional model, where mobile developers could sell software from their own sites, through 3rd party aggregators, and through carriers. This new approach is more streamlined, making it easier for users, but also more controlled, which can make it harder to accommodate large and complex ecosystems. The fact that each of the existing app stores serves a relatively small market is why we haven't seen these problems emerge to a point where they start driving users away. 2009 will see continued movement towards these controlled markets and away from the free-form/multi-channel models that previous mobile generations (e.g., Palm OS, Windows Mobile) relied on.

Undoubtedly true. Apple paved the way with this new model and, by the end of 2009, the existence of a robust app store is a requirement for any smartphone platform to be considered a contender. Apple's App Store recently passed 100,000 apps while Android's App Market has around 15,000 titles.  Palm's App Catalog just left beta status and is closing in on 1,000 apps.  In 2009, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Symbian app catalogs were all launched as well.  Clearly, this is the dominant mobile app distribution model for the foreseeable future.

10) Line Blurs between "Netbooks" and Notebooks/Laptops
Netbooks are currently a fairly homogeneous, and well-defined, niche of laptop computers. Most of them have an Intel Atom processor, a screen from 8.9" to 10" in size, no optical drive, weigh between 2.2 and 3 lbs, and cost $300-$500. There's a big gap in pricing then between these netbooks and the subnotebooks/ultraportables that often have slightly larger screens, way more RAM and processing power, and cost $1,500 or more. To paraphrase the old adage, markets abhor a vacuum, so I expect we'll start seeing all manner of new small notebooks come into the market in this $500-$1000 range sporting screens in the 9"-12" range with anything from 512MB to 2GB of RAM, a variety of operating systems (XP and Linux will continue to be most popular), and a range of processing and display capabilities. Not everyone needs to play Crysis on their notebook, but not everyone can get by with a 1024x600 screen and do everything inside their browser.

This was evident even early on in 2009, and now, at year's end, the trend is clearly supportive. While initial netbooks were all burdened with screens in the 8"-9" range, recently announced models have 11" and even 12" screens.  Surprisingly, the prices we're willing to pay for netbooks is increasing, too (clear up to $1,500 if you consider the impressively engineered Sony Vaio X).  Sure, it could just be that our definition of "netbook" is expanding.  But, it's hard to argue that the line between netbook and notebook is getting pretty diffused. 

So, looking back, my record for 2009 seems to be 7 right, 3 wrong...about in line with last year. Some of these were hard to determine, as I had packed in several related predictions into a single item, something I'll try not to do when I post my predictions for 2010 in the next day or two. Until then, let me know what you think in the comments below. 

Thanks, and have a great New Year!

• Compact design & easy to carry
• Fast Scanning Speed ( 2.2 sec per page)
• Special design for Embossed / Plastic card scanning
• Duplex / Simplex Full Color Scanning
• Power & Time saving (no warming lead time needed)
• Multi function with user friendly software
• Support Asian Language Recognition (Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese)

The second is for generating high-res Acrobat files.  Notice the handy setting to allow each page to create its own unique file or to automatically append pages to a single PDF file.  Also, notice that you can have different settings for the front versus the back in duplex mode. I've not seen a scanner with that level of flexibility, certainly not one in the price range of the D28 ($275-$325 street prices).

I tested the D28 out on a few different jobs.  One was a stack of business cards I'd been collecting.  I was able to churn through all 150 in about 12 minutes, and that was mostly determined by how fast I could stick the next card into the scanner each time.  Output was just fine, although auto-deskew didn't straighten out some of my more misaligned feeds.  I configured DigiDoc to save each scan straight to a PNG file (a nice touch) and then mass-uploaded them to Evernote where they're now all searchable online.

I also scanned in a couple of my daughter's drawings on the D28's max resolution (600 dpi) and they looked very good.  This isn't the right machine for scanning in photo negatives or slides, but printed materials up to about the thickness of a CD work great.  I tried sending a piece of paper with an 1/8th-inch thick sticker on it and it got caught up every time, so it's not nearly as flexible as a flatbed scanner, but then those aren't usually very portable, either.

All told, I'd definitely consider the D28 a strong contender if I regularly had small scanning jobs, moved locations fairly often, and wasn't trying to scan books or other non-feedable materials.  The flexibility of DigiDoc plus the simplicity of the D28's interface make it really simple to set up and use right away.  While I have no idea about the D28's build quality (many scanners, even expensive units, suffer feed problems even after a few hundred pages), at this price, you won't feel too bad replacing it if it stops performing up to snuff.

A lot has been written about displays on mobile devices; smartphones and portable media players rely heavily on their screens to both display information and allow interaction. A lot of consumers might consider display SIZE when thinking about their next mobile device purchase, but I'd like them to also consider another, slightly more technical, attribute: PIXEL DENSITY.

It's obvious that display sizes vary a lot in the smartphone and PMP world. One comparison of a few relatively recent devices showed a variety of sizes and aspect ratios:

When publishing the specs of devices, most often, we're given two pieces of information about the display:
• Its resolution, expressed in pixels along each side (e.g., 320x240)
• Its diagonal measurement, as in the diagram below

However, we're rarely given the statistic that has a significant effect on a screen's readability and our enjoyment in looking at it, which is the pixel density. Screens with low pixel density can have that "blocky" effect, which can make text unpleasurable to read and photos look, well, yucky.

So, higher pixel density is always good, right? Unfortunately, no. The human eye is limited in its ability to perceive resolution...more than about 300 dots per inch (dpi) and our eyes can no longer distinguish them from each other. High-quality print output is generally in the 300 dpi range. Photos generally don't need to be this high to convey good detail (see my Photo Printing Worksheet for more info).

So where does that leave us with device displays? Well, there's a pretty broad range of what people find acceptable. I consider myself a screen snob and am generally unhappy with displays below about 170 pixels per inch (ppi). However, as noted above, more isn't always better...a display with 350 ppi isn't going to be much better than one with 300 ppi, and may even be worse. The higher the pixel density, usually, the smaller (physically) fonts appear, making it more difficult to read.

We can calculate pixel density (in terms of pixels per inch) by knowing the screen resolution and diagonal size, but it requires a bit of algebra. So, I created an Excel spreadsheet with those calculations and whipped up a table of some popular smartphones, PDAs & PMPs to show the range of pixel densities found in mobile devices today.

This is simply a screen grab of that Excel sheet (here's the Excel file if you want to download it for your own use), but it illustrates how impressive some of these recent devices have gotten in terms of displays. Sony has a weird fetish for painfully high pixel densities, both on their phones and some of the subnotebooks, but RIM, which resisted higher-resolution displays for a long time, now has some Blackberries with really stunning screens.

Hopefully, this will help you think about the pixel density of the next smartphone or PMP you plan to buy, since the display is one of the biggest influences on how much many people enjoy their mobile devices.

It's been about 8 months since our first Hot/Not List, so I thought I'd post an updated one:

HOT

• Logitech Squeezebox - After Logitech's acquisition of Slim Devices, a lot of fans of the smaller company's products were concerned that innovation would halt and corporate fossilization would set in, as happens in so many of these cases. Well, it couldn't be further from the truth. Slim's innovative products are benefiting from Logitech's branding and distribution muscle and the combined firm is churning out really impressive audio streaming devices. Our home audio ecosystem now consists of a Squeezebox Duet controller, two receivers, and a Boom; these three cover about 80% of the house and it's wonderful to have perfectly synced music streamed throughout without breaking the bank.
  
• Palm - The Pre smartphone was the buzz of CES and is still making strong headlines at MWC. Sprint may have a winner on its hands with this new device.
  
• Sprint - Coming off a really impressive turnaround regarding its customer service and anticipation of its 4G wireless network, Sprint could be poised for strong growth in the next few years.
  
• Aptera - So far, this innovative hypermileage boutique car-maker in California has avoided some of the pitfalls that its performance-oriented sibling Tesla Motors has made, and the 2e vehicle it should be shipping very soon looks like it could be a key evolutionary link in transforming the way we think about cars.
  
• Twitter - Easily the most addictive thing I've tried recently.
  
• Windows 7 - Sure, it's still in beta, but I am SO looking forward to its release. As much as I've panned Vista over the years, I think 7 will be a winner.
  

NOT

• Cloud-Based Contact Management - Even with Google's recent improvements to Gmail Contacts, there are no really excellent cloud-friendly contact management solutions available. The best I've found is ClearSync, and that isn't as widely compatible as most would like.
• Battery Technology - Seriously...scientists and engineers have been working on this for decades and we're still not fundamentally better than we were 20 years ago.
• Obese Netbooks - Almost by definition, a "netbook" should be incredibly lightweight. Why, then, are we seeing netbooks weighing over 3 lbs released to market??
• Winter - by definition. I am quite ready for Spring, thanks very much.
• Digital Transition Delay - We set the date for February 17th, and now Congress is pushing it back to June 12 for those stations that want extra time. Why? Delaying it doesn't solve anything and, in fact, actually increases the costs of the conversion and sows more consumer confusion. Clearly a lose-lose proposition.

As a longtime ClearSync subscriber (see my review of ClearSync 1.0 from 2006 here), I was excited when John Tanner, the company's CEO, announced that a ClearSync client for Chumby was forthcoming.

Remember Chumby, that quirky, plush nightstand/desk/kitchen counter companion that streams Internet content to its touchscreen? Chumby is an ideal device for places where you need access to online content but where a laptop just doesn't fit or is "too much" machine (not that I'm sure that's ever possible). To the right is Chumby on my bedside table.

Here's a screenshot of what ClearSync on Chumby looks like:

You get access to some key ClearSync Calendars features, including:
• Viewing multiple calendars in a single, color-coded view
• The ability to enable/disable any combination of calendars
• Date selection (just tap the time/date header to bring up a calendar-style date picker)
• Automatic cloud-sync with your online/handheld calendar updates

Those of you who live and die by your daily calendar know how critical it is to always have it within arm's reach. Now, it can be right in front of you at all times, even when you're sleeping (which is important if you're like me and have literally woken up in the middle of the night in a mild panic because you can't remember what time an important meeting is the next day).

ClearSync for Chumby is available for free to all ClearSync subscribers who own Chumbys.

In July, 2002, Fujifilm and Olympus horrified digital photography fans by launching an all-new flash memory format, the xD-Picture Card. Why, nobody outside these two companies was sure, but it seems the grand experiment may be coming to an end.

Fujifilm has announced that an upcoming pocket point-and-shoot camera, the F200EXR, will accept both xD and SD/MMC memory formats. At least according to the folks at Crave.

I, for one, will be happy to pare down the ranks of incompatible flash memory formats. Sony, would you like to take your turn and off the noxious Memory Stick? Honestly, nobody will miss it...I promise.

There has been a lot of talk about the Palm Pre and how its name is meant to invoke the phone's ability to anticipate your needs and act upon them before you ask it to. A couple of concrete examples have come straight from Roger McNamee, head of Elevation Partners, a tech-centric venture capital firm which now has 20% of its fund in Palm, in this video interview:

"...but better than that, it does stuff for you. When you wake up in the morning, it has taken your calendar, if you ask it to, downloaded the maps for your whole day, downloaded the Wikipedias for the people you're going to visit and the companies you're going to see. Why is it on PCs you have to go and do all that? And when you're late -- get this -- when you're late, it -- remember, this thing has GPS, it has a clock, and it has your calendar, so it not only knows where you are, it knows where you're supposed to be and when -- and so when it realizes you're going to be late, it says, 'hey, not only are you going to be late, but I can take care of it for you. I can send an email to your assistant, or to the people in the meeting...which would you prefer? And oh, by the way, here's the map.'"

To many, this sounds like something that blurs the line between magic and sentient robots (witchcraft meets Skynet, if you will). To others, it's the logical culmination of converging technologies, and, frankly, they're not sure why it took so long. One such person is Don Norman, an industrial designer with a resume a mile long; he's worked at Apple and HP, is a design professor at Northwestern University, and is co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group.

Don Norman gave the keynote at the 2005 PalmSource Developer's Conference (the last year the event was held). In that speech, he professed amazement and dismay at his car's inability to put to good use the basic technologies already in and around it. Paraphrasing (from memory) that portion of his speech:

"So my car, a BMW, has a computer on board that lets me know when the oil needs to be changed. What does it do with this information? It illuminates a little light on the dashboard and then expects me to respond appropriately. Why not provide a little more information? Instead of just an idiot light, why can't it use the GPS it has to tell me the phone number of the nearest BMW dealership? Let's take that one step further. The car has Bluetooth so I can send and receive calls through my cellphone when I'm driving. My cellphone also has my calendar in it. Why doesn't my car, sensing it needs an oil change, look at my calendar, figure out a 2-hour period when I'm not busy, add an appointment, call the dealership, make the appointment, and then let me know all that's been done? The technology is there...we just need to integrate it and make it talk to each other."

Clearly, if the Pre comes out with the type of precognitive powers Roger McNamee is describing, the Palm engineers and designers working on webOS took Dr. Norman's comments to heart.

Of course, given the efforts Jeff Hawkins (inventor of the Palm Pilot and founder of Palm) has put into mapping cognition and other fundamental activities of the brain, as well as his close ties to Palm even now, he may have been even more influential on this amazing capacity for anticipatory assistance.

Personally, I'm hoping webOS and the Pre are as revolutionary as the Pilot was back in the Spring of 1996. It's been 13 years...we're due for something exciting from Palm.

A mere 12 days ago, I posted GearBits' Predictions for 2009. To my surprise, some of them are already coming true:

3) Palm Launches New OS to Fanfare, Skepticism

I predicted that Palm would announce its new OS and show off at least one device at CES, which they did...in spades. While most coverage has been off-the-charts positive, there have been some nattering nabobs of negativism who feel there's just can't be a way for Palm to come back. Palm's next big hurdle is actually getting the Pre through FCC approval and into Sprint's stores.

7) Steve Jobs Announces Transition to New Role

My guess was that Jobs' health concerns were more serious than the public was being led to believe. Today, Jobs announced he was taking some time because his "health-related issues are more complex than [he] originally thought." Given Jobs' recent statement that his weight loss was due merely to an easily treatable hormone imbalance and expected no change from the status quo, this announcement shocked everyone. We hope for his quick recovery and return to doing the job he does so well.

10) Line Blurs between "Netbooks" and Notebooks/Laptops

My prediction stated that we would start seeing new models fill in the gap between the low-end netbooks and traditional (i.e., full-featured, more powerful, and more expensive) subnotes. At CES, there were a variety of netbooks announced. While most played the familiar tune of 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a hard drive, and an 8-10" screen running 1024x600, there were a couple of standouts. The most discussed was the Sony Vaio P, a 1.4-lb netbook (even though they don't want you to call it that) that rocks a 1600x768 screen and runs Vista (albeit slowly). At a price point of $900 (for the low-end unit), it clearly is aimed at the gap between typical netbooks and upscale ultraportables. Another, more obscure one that fills this gap is the Olidata Conte, a very capable machine that, when it comes to market, may cost around $1,000.

Update (1/25/09): Apparently, AMD (via Engadget) agrees with me; CEO Dirk Meyer said in an earnings call that "the distinction between what is a netbook and what is a laptop is going to go away...there will be a continuum of price points and form factors." Good to know the C-suite is listening to me. ;-)

I downloaded a copy of the Windows 7 Beta directly from Microsoft to install on my spare laptop, an aged (roughly 4-1/2 years old) Panasonic Toughbook W2. This notebook is powered by a 1.1GHz Pentium M, has 512MB of RAM, just a 40GB hard drive, and integrated graphics driving an XGA display. And it runs absolutely great on Windows XP.

Now, it would be a disaster trying to get Vista to run on this machine; its RAM requirements alone would have made that pure folly. However, we keep hearing how Windows 7 is supposed to be a lot more streamlined and will be ideal for all these low-powered netbooks (sorry, Psion) that have been popping up like mushrooms after a long rain. So, will this old laptop run Windows 7 OK, or will it be an underpowered mess?

To find out, after burning the downloaded .ISO image to DVD-R, I instructed the Windows 7 Beta installer to put a brand-new W7 installation in the same partition as my current XP install. As this is a spare machine, there's nothing really there to lose, so I might as well give the OS as much resources as possible (in hindsight, I should have installed it into a separate partition and taken advantage of its dual-boot capabilities). The install took an impressively short 45 minutes, from start to end, even on this lowly piece of hardware.

Several components were non-functional after the installer finished up. These included wireless networking, the laptop's hotkeys (e.g., Ctrl-F2 to mute, Ctrl-F3 to dim the display, etc.), the integrated SD slot, audio, and my touchpad's scrolling controls. Checking the Device Manager, I also noticed that it was relying on a generic VGA adapter to run the display.

To attempt to rectify these things, I pulled out a flash drive containing the latest device drivers from Panasonic. Unfortunately, since the laptop was replace by the W4 in 2005, no Vista drivers were ever produced, so the ones I had were for XP. The short story is that most didn't work.

The only driver that worked fine was SigmaTel audio driver. The SD card slot was nonfunctional; even though the Ricoh bus driver was recognized, a second component was not. The special touchpad drivers were not compatible, so it was treated like a PS/2 mouse, which meant I lost some functionality.

In the case of the Hotkeys driver, Windows 7 informed me quite politely in a dialog window that this particular driver was not compatible with the OS due to some known problems. This was the only problem the system seemed to anticipate.

The major fail was with the display drivers. Windows 7's hardware manager recognized and installed the drivers for the fairly standard (IMO) Intel 82852/82855 GM/GME Extreme Graphics Controller, which seemed promising. However, upon restarting the system (required), the below dialog appeared after the system did some re-installing of drivers.

So, I found myself stuck in a continuous loop of restart-reinstall-restart-reinstall ad infinitum, which puts a bit of a damper on productivity. The only remedy was to uninstall the Intel drivers and let the system rely solely on the generic VGA adapter drivers. Unfortunately, that also meant that Hibernate and Standby, two power states I rely on heavily, were no longer available, either.

Performance-wise, the Windows 7 Beta runs noticeably slower on this machine than does Windows XP SP3. While it's not unusably lethargic, it does have its moments where its relying too heavily on disk caching to be very responsive. As you can see from the power meter gadget to the right, system RAM was consumed about 72% with no applications running. Needless to say, 512MB is clearly an inadequate amount of RAM.

So, while Windows 7 is getting a lot of good press for its parsimony, performance, and lower hardware requirements, it is still a more demanding OS than Windows XP is. And that's where I hope Microsoft is still striving to make some improvements. Netbooks, these low-power, ultraportable laptops that everyone is picking up for $400, are the new iPod. If Windows 7 can't do a great job, or at least as good a job as XP does on those, then it may very well get the same cool reception among consumers as Vista did. After all, XP is a terrific OS. GearBits runs on an XP box older than this Panasonic laptop and it regularly goes many months between reboots. So, while a new OS is vital to Microsoft's bottom line, I'm still unsure how either Vista or 7 are so much better in ways important to consumers that we should care. Microsoft bowed to demand to keep XP around far longer than it had planned; maybe the same will, or should, happen during the Windows 7 era.

REVIEW
Plustek was kind enough to send me what is arguably the largest box I've ever received from a vendor. Inside it was their new OpticPro A360, an A3-sized flatbed scanner.

For those of you unfamiliar with European-spec paper sizes, A3 is equal to 12" x 17", or what North Americans refer to as "tabloid" size paper. For a flatbed scanner, that's pretty big. In fact, the unit weighs 17 lbs, so this is anything but a scanner you'll want to move around much; it's pretty much the antithesis of "portable."

There's rarely anything particularly sexy about a flatbed scanner, so this review concentrates on two aspects that tend to separate the wheat from the chaff: bundled software (the user experience) and scanning performance.

SOFTWARE
Setting up the A360 was fairly straightforward. After plugging in the unit and inserting the included CD-ROM, Windows XP found the TWAIN driver (and other necessary support files) and installed them straight away.

Then, I was prompted to install the additional applications that Plustek bundles with the A360. Unfortunately, this didn't go very smoothly. The installer locked up twice and I had to go about installing the last couple of apps manually. Not terrible, but definitely not what you'd hope for. After that hiccup, all went pretty well. Even the "copy" button on the scanner was correctly set to send a letter-sized page to my default printer.

The bundled applications are all adequate for the task, but nothing to get excited about. DI Capture is a rather modestly-featured image capture app that helps tweak some of the settings and parameters one can apply to incoming images. NewSoft Presto! PageManager is a workmanlike document management utilities; I'm not sure who is going to rely on this, but it's there if you want it. ImageFolio 4 is a lightweight photo manipulation tool; suffice to say, you're likely much better off with Adobe PhotoShop Elements. Finally, the A360 comes with ReadIris Pro 10 Corporate Edition, a very decent OCR application.

It irks me that, in 2009, we're still having to deal with 4+ different applications to handle output from a scanner. You'd think that we'd have some unified interface from which the user can easily and quickly scan, manipulate, and manage images. But I guess that's too much to hope for. :-/

SCANNING PERFORMANCE
The proof of any scanner is in the quality of images it generates. The A360 is modestly equipped, maxing out at 600 dpi optical resolution. For a scanner this size, I guess that makes sense, but it surprised me given that you can easily find a legal-sized flatbed scanner that will do double that for a couple hundred bucks.

Here are some demo scans of a newspaper front page (Note: all scans are with no software sharpening and JPG quality set on 100%):

View full-sized scans: 300 dpi 3578 x 5078 8.0 MB 600 dpi 7154 x 10154 29.4 MB

To give you an idea of the quality of these scans without having to open up those full-size images, below are two crops at 300 dpi and 600 dpi:

300 dpi:

600 dpi:

Pretty good; edges are clean without being oversharpened and there doesn't seem to be any significant distortion, blooming, or other artifacting as far as I can tell.

To assess the A360's color performance, I enlisted my aging HP Officejet 6110 all-in-one as a comparison with a run-of-the-mill scanner. Below are the two samples, cropped from a photo I pulled out of a drawer, both at 300 dpi with no image manipulation.

OpticPro A360	HP 6110

With zero sharpening during and after either scan, the A360's output looks softer than the 6110. The tonality differences aren't too troubling; I put neither scanner through a full color calibration, so they're both probably off. To my eyes, however, there's no marked quality difference between these two. In fact, if I had to pick, I'd say the OfficeJet does a little better job picking up detail at 300 dpi.

Other hardware bits do help the scanner's ability to do its job. The hardware buttons to the right of the scanbed cover are programmable with lots of flexibility via the configuration utility. Also, the cover has a tricky hinge that easily accommodates thicker materials like books, frames, and so forth while keeping flat for uniform lighting. The A360 does not scan film slides or negatives and has no ability to accommodate an adapter to do so. While the scanner can be configured to keep its CCFL ready at all times, setting it into a more environmentally friendly sleep mode will require a 30-second-or-so warmup before your first scan of the day. Not bad...certainly better than a lot of copier/scanners.

In short, while the A360 has size on its side, it doesn't do a lot to impress me in many other ways. If I had a bunch of large documents (e.g., newspapers) that had to be scanned, or did it regularly, I'd probably do well by the A360. My online shopping bot tells me that it can be had from around $960 up to its MSRP of $1199. So, for under a grand, you get a reasonably quick, A3-sized flatbed scanner that is immediately recognizable as a larger version of every other flatbed scanner out there. And that is both reassuring and disappointing at the same time.

SUMMARY
Pros:
• Big!
• Convenient, programmable hardware buttons
• Hinged lid for thicker materials (e.g., books)
• Speedy data transfer to PC
• ~30-second lamp warmup

Cons:
• Mediocre software / sketchy initial setup
• Unimpressive resolution (600 dpi optical)
• No slide-handling

SPECIFICATIONS
Width: 24.5 in
Depth: 15.7 in
Height: 5.2 in
Weight: 17 lbs
Maximum Media Size: 12 in x 17 in
Grayscale Depth: 16-bit input, 8-bit output
Color Depth: 48-bit color input, 24-bit output
Optical Resolution: 600 dpi x 1200 dpi
Lamp / Light Source: Cold cathode fluorescent (CCF) lamp
Scanning Speed (300 dpi, A3 size)
- Color: 2.5 secs
- Grayscale: 1.6 secs
- Black&white: 1.6 secs
Interface: 1 x Hi-Speed USB 2.0
TWAIN Compliant: Yes
Included: 1 x 4' USB 2.0 cable
Power Consumption
- Operational: 36W
- Standby: 8W
Software Included:
- NewSoft Presto! PageManager 7.10
- Plustek DocAction
- NewSoft Presto! ImageFolio 4.5
- Plustek DI Capture
- Drivers & Utilities
- Readiris Pro 10 Corporate Edition
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
Supported Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows Vista / 2000 / XP

Once again, here are GearBits' prognostications for the coming year. If you're interested, check out how our predictions for 2008 panned out, or previous years' predictions.

1) Microsoft Launches Windows 7 to Fanfare, Skepticism
Microsoft's two pillars of financial solvency -- Windows and Office -- have been standing on shaky ground recently. Office 2007 was a decent hit, despite it not offering much new and causing significant backward compatibility issues. But Windows Vista, on the other hand, has been an unmitigated disaster. Microsoft even had to resort to tricking users into liking Vista (Mojave, anyone?), it had developed such a bad reputation. Windows 7 will be launched late in 2009 to a general consensus of "it's better," but will not be the "wow" that Microsoft needs to regain the market share it has recently ceded to Apple. But maybe that's a good thing...having strong competitors is usually a good thing for consumer markets.

2) Blockbuster Declares Bankruptcy
This may be a bit "out there," but I see exceedingly tough times at Blockbuster. And this isn't vindictiveness...I've been a reasonably happy Blockbuster.com customer for several years, now. I just think that, given the state of its business (poor), the weakness in the economy (near-critical), the nature of its service (luxury), and the rapidity with which that industry is transforming, I think Blockbuster will file for bankruptcy protection to get out of some of its debt, sell off some property (store locations that aren't faring well), and reinvest that into developing newer and more attractive services. So, they aren't going away...yet.

3) Palm Launches New OS to Fanfare, Skepticism
We've all heard the rumors that Palm will be launching "Nova," its replacement for the ancient Palm OS, at CES 2009 in a few days. I'm pretty sure that's going to happen. I'm also pretty sure that Palm will have at least one new device, if not several, running the new OS available by the end of June. While launching phones can take a while, given the carriers' lengthy testing requirements, launching a PDA doesn't, so Palm could certainly come out with two (or more) non-phone PDAs running Nova pretty quickly. And it needs to...the TX is older than my grandmother (at least in technology years). Generally, I predict there will be more nice things said about Nova, and the new devices, than critical, and it will stack up fairly competitively with Android and WM 6.5. What I do not have a lot of faith in is Palm's ability to develop and deliver the ecology of services (e.g., app stores) that customers are now expecting their smartphones to be integrated into. Time will tell on that front.

4) Blu-Ray Players Hit $99
During 2009, I think we'll see a raft of Korean and Taiwanese off-brand manufacturers launch budget Blu-Ray players. Just like the 2008 holiday sales saw BD players hit $149 in some stores, 2009 holiday sales will see them hit $99...if not sooner.

5) Apple Launches a Tablet to Fanfare
This has been a persistent rumor for years, but I think 2009 will see it actually happen. Why? A few reasons. First, Apple is looking to multi-touch as a key differentiator in its product lines, and having a full-screen, large-display MT device would make total sense. Second, it fits perfectly with the needs of the "creative class," Apple's core customer base. And third, it fills out a hole in their mobile product line that netbooks and other devices not running OS X fill nicely, and that's not a good thing for Apple. So, the technology is ready, the market is willing...and now I think Apple will be able to meet the demand.

6) Consolidation in the Entertainment Industry
2009 will be a strange year on a lot of dimensions. Not only will the stock market be hard to predict, there will be a lot of odd relationships come out of the mess. One industry that is still poised to make things happen is the entertainment industry, where I expect we'll see larger firms (e.g., major movie studios) start to acquire smaller, but very successful, examples from the newer media (e.g., game producers). A good example of the type of transaction I'm imagining would be Vivendi acquiring Ubisoft. I think Time Warner would love to swallow up Electronic Arts, but that might be a bit too big a bite unless something untoward happens to EA's stock price over the next year.

7) Steve Jobs Announces Transition to New Role
I think concerns over Jobs' health have more merit than most of us want to admit. In 2009, I expect him to announce that he's transitioning into a different role than President and CEO of Apple (and CEO of Pixar). Something that keeps him out of the spotlight while he deals with his health issues will be valuable to keep Apple's stock price up and customer base intact. The move towards reducing his presence in near-term product launches is consistent with this strategy. But, he's far from gone...his influence will still be felt behind the scenes, but we'll see less of him in his traditional role as Apple poster boy.

8) Facebook Membership Growth Flattens; Twitter Surges
Signs are pointing towards Facebook's popularity beginning to peak. Just as with everything social, when moms and dads begin to frequent the coffee shop, the kids need a new place to hang out. Facebook currently has almost 40 million members in the US. While that number has been skyrocketing since it opened up membership to anyone in September 2006, I think 2009 will see a marked deceleration in its growth. The loss of perceived exclusivity and the hassle of the relatively unprotected app space will combine to make it less appealing to many long-time users and new prospects will find fewer people urging them to get on board. Twitter, however, will see continued growth as it continues to tweak and adapt its environment to meet its core users' needs.

9) App Stores Dominate Mobile Software Delivery
iPhone's app store, Android's market...these types of bazaars, managed by the sponsors/manufacturers of the mobile operating systems, are coming to be the dominant mode for software distribution to mobile users. It marks a significant break from the traditional model, where mobile developers could sell software from their own sites, through 3rd party aggregators, and through carriers. This new approach is more streamlined, making it easier for users, but also more controlled, which can make it harder to accommodate large and complex ecosystems. The fact that each of the existing app stores serves a relatively small market is why we haven't seen these problems emerge to a point where they start driving users away. 2009 will see continued movement towards these controlled markets and away from the free-form/multi-channel models that previous mobile generations (e.g., Palm OS, Windows Mobile) relied on.

10) Line Blurs between "Netbooks" and Notebooks/Laptops
Netbooks are currently a fairly homogeneous, and well-defined, niche of laptop computers. Most of them have an Intel Atom processor, a screen from 8.9" to 10" in size, no optical drive, weigh between 2.2 and 3 lbs, and cost $300-$500. There's a big gap in pricing then between these netbooks and the subnotebooks/ultraportables that often have slightly larger screens, way more RAM and processing power, and cost $1,500 or more. To paraphrase the old adage, markets abhor a vacuum, so I expect we'll start seeing all manner of new small notebooks come into the market in this $500-$1000 range sporting screens in the 9"-12" range with anything from 512MB to 2GB of RAM, a variety of operating systems (XP and Linux will continue to be most popular), and a range of processing and display capabilities. Not everyone needs to play Crysis on their notebook, but not everyone can get by with a 1024x600 screen and do everything inside their browser.

So, there you have it...GearBits' predictions for 2009. Some are probably pretty safe bets, and some are bound to be wrong. What do you think will happen?

Each year, we at GearBits post some predictions for the coming year. And then, in the interest of honesty, fairness, and self-deprecation, we take a look back to see how we did. Each of our predictions for 2008 are listed below, along with an update on what actually happened.

1) Blu-Ray Wins the Format War
Yep, I'm going to pick a winner and it's going to be Blu-Ray. The one-two punch of Warner Brothers's move to Blu-Ray exclusivity (from its Switzerland-like neutrality of supporting both formats) later in 2008 and Apple's announcement that BD will be the only HD format available in its products will cement HD DVD's demise. And none too soon. I don't really care which wins...just make it snappy so that prices on players and media can plummet, thanks.

As of now, the end of 2008, it seems like forever since Blu-Ray trounced HD DVD in the format war. But back in early January, it was anyone's guess. But then, on February 18th, Toshiba officially threw in the towel. Interestingly, the Warner Bros. move I thought would happen eventually was actually announced the day after I posted my predictions. Of course, Apple hasn't yet released any products with any form of HD optical drive, so that bit wasn't exactly spot on. And I'm still waiting for my $99 Blu-Ray player. But, overall, this prediction looks pretty solid.

2) Google's Android Shakes Up Phone Industry
For a while now, the cellphone industry has been fairly static. A few smartphone and mobile OS makers have generally tussled for market share, but the overall industry has been pretty evolutionary. Google's entry will prove to be a watershed moment, with open source finally making a big impact in the handheld space (and no, I don't consider the Zaurus to be a big deal...sorry). Actual handsets running Android will be announced, if not available, before the end of 2008.

Depending on your threshold for "shaking up" the phone industry, I think most people would agree that Android made quite a splash in 2008 when the HTC G1 was launched on T-Mobile in the US on September 23rd. And we've already heard of around a dozen hardware makers signed on to release Android handsets. While handset sales still pale in comparison to the iPhone, 2009 looks like it just might be the year of the Android.

3) Palm Supports Android
This is more of a hope than an actual prediction, as I just don't know whether the egos at Palm will let the company do the right thing and admit that their next-generation OS (which has been under development since 2004!) will be a viable contender against Android (which has essentially the same technical details but scads more developer support). But, if cooler, more rational heads prevail at Palm, they'll announce that they're plans will be to produce at least one Android-based product (probably to come out sometime in 2012 :-/ ).

Ouch...I couldn't have been more wrong. While I still think Palm would have been smart to advance their product refurbishment by a full year (maybe more) by going with Android instead of continuing to pursue Nova, the company stuck to its original, go-it-alone plans. We'll see how well that pans out in 2009.

4) Microsoft's HD Photo Replacement for JPEG Image Standard Goes Nowhere
I'm not saying it's a bad idea technically; I'm just saying that JPEG is so entrenched now that replacing it would be about as reasonable a thing to try as would be replacing MP3 with any of the multitudes of better formats. JPEG, like MP3, isn't great, but it's adequate (at least for consumers) and ubiquitous. We'll still be saving all our photos in JPG (and maybe RAW) at the end of 2008...and likely long after that.

JPEG XR, the official name of Microsoft's HD Photo format, has generated essentially zero traction in the camera industry. Part of that is Microsoft's less-than-swift transition of JPEG XR into its quasi-open licensing portfolio, a move that will have to happen for camera makers and developers to trust that they won't be bitten by huge licensing fees in the future if they move their products away from RAW to JPEG XR.

5) Subnotes Will Explode in Availability (and Maybe Popularity)
I've always been a fan of tiny, sub-3-pound laptops, but I think 2008 will see a huge number of these clamshell devices come out of every corner of the consumer electronics space. The Asus EeePC and the OLPC XO Laptop are two examples. While Microsoft had a good idea in its UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) concept, the hardware was just never executed all that well. Frankly, I think a 7" touchscreen for Windows is just too difficult. But, going with the traditional clamshell design and using cheaper and/or smaller technologies (e.g., flash memory instead of a HDD) will bring us a raft of interesting (and some good) designs at <$500 price points. Bring 'em on! And I think we'll start to see a lot more people toting these things along that traditionally avoided laptops for whatever reason (cost, weight, etc.).

Bingo. If the shelves at Best Buy and Circuit City are any indication, these "netbooks" (the now-favored term...at least by everyone except Psion) have multiplied faster than Tribbles on Cialis. One glance at the huuuge list of netbooks over at small-notebooks.com is enough evidence to suggest that this prediction was spot on.

6) The GPS War Heats Up
TomTom, Nokia, and Garmin will exchange hostile fire over the GPS market due to convuluted agreements regarding mapping data as well as market-share for hardware. Products will continue to decline in price and improve in functionality, and >50% of cellphones will have some form of GPS functionality available on them. I guess that's two predictions in one...oh well.

I'm going to give myself this one. While we haven't heard that much more about the complex licensing agreements involving the big three, you need only walk through a Staples, Radio Shack, or Target to see a vast assortment of portable GPS units now available for under $150, most even having text-to-speech and other advanced functions. That's in direct comparison to late last year, when it was difficult to find a decent unit for under $300.

7) DRM Hits Choppy Water
2007 saw some movement away from DRM (digital rights management), especially in the music industry, but I expect we'll see similar initiatives in all areas of media. DRM has been proven again and again to be little more than an expensive technological boondoggle, and the leading innovators at the consumer media interface (e.g., Apple, Amazon, and Google) will make some headway into reversing the trend of more encumbrance for our media. The RIAA and MPAA will continue to fight it...they know how to do nothing else...but economic results will start to demonstrate that DRM actually hurts profitability.

Nope...we didn't hear much consistent with my prediction. While some markets moved towards offering DRM-free downloads, most are still heavily laden. And the RIAA actually reversed its strategy and is now no longer suing everyone and their mother for alleged downloading. So that's two different ways I was off on this one. Just goes to show that there's no telling what the content owners are thinking.

8) Major Tech Stocks End 2008 Up Significantly
These are bound to be wrong, but what the heck...nobody pays me for stock tips. I think Apple will end 2008 at 235, Google will be at 960, and Microsoft will finish the year at 50. As for other stocks, iRobot will end up at either 46 or 12 (can you tell I'm a cynical shareholder?), IBM will show tepid growth to 112, and RIM, hurt by the continued weak US dollar and facing increasing competition, will struggle to match its 1-year high of 127.

Uh, no. While I doubt many saw the massive downturn in stocks coming, tech stocks are decidedly not even slightly better off than most. Let's see how my specific price predictions held up:
  • Apple (AAPL): Predicted = 235; Actual = 86.29
  • Google (GOOG): Predicted = 960; Actual = 303.11
  • Microsoft (MSFT): Predicted = 50; Actual = 19.34
  • iRobot (IRBT): Predicted = 46 or 12; Actual = 8.95
  • IBM (IBM): Predicted = 112; Actual = 83.55
  • Research in Motion (RIMM): Predicted = 127; Actual = 38.77
In summary, do not ask me to manage your stock portfolio...you would be better served by setting your money on fire, as then you could at least stay warm for a while.

9) I Buy a New Laptop and Am Disappointed
My Panasonic CF-W2 is now three-and-a-half-years-old and I'm starting to cringe every time I turn it on (my luck with hard drives makes me skeptical of many living past their 4th birthday). I've been looking at possible replacements (e.g., Toshiba R500, Panasonic W7, maybe the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 or the rumored Apple subnote) and so far every single one has some significant trade-offs. So, I expect I'll get one and it will turn out to be not significantly better than my aging Toughbook. You'd think in nearly four years that two grand would buy something markedly superior. We'll see...

Unfortunately, I was right on this. The Fujitsu LifeBook P8010 I ended up purchasing in February is a good laptop...don't get me wrong. It's just not a heads-and-shoulders better laptop than my ToughBook was, and that's what I was expecting given the nearly 4 years newer technology and the $2500 it cost. And, given that I've already had to send it in for a repair (the power button broke off), I'm guessing the durability won't even come close to that of the Panasonic (which I still use regularly around the house).

10) Major Changes in Automotive Industry Announced
While the car business makes actual change only very slowly, we'll see some huge announcements in 2008 that will fundamentally change the future of that industry. Things like record oil prices, an increasing attention to sustainable/green technology, and significant ownership changes will substantially change the competitive landscape. Make no mistake; Toyota will continue its ascent and eclipse GM as #1 car-maker in the world. But, we will see several major announcements that will start affecting actual consumers in 2009 and beyond.

While I didn't get the stock predictions exactly right (OK, not even close), I think it's safe to say that the US automotive industry has been shaken up with major changes during 2008. We saw record oil prices (check!), more attention to green tech (check!), and the bottom dropping out of US consumption didn't leave them anywhere to go except to the Congress for help. And Toyota did indeed become the biggest carmaker in the world in 2008, just as predicted. Let's hope the Volt truly is something special...for all our sakes.

So, there you have it: our final score is 7 winners and 3 losers. I'll take it. :-)

In a couple of days, I'll be posting GearBits' predictions for 2009, so make sure you come back and check those out, m'kay?

I've had a week to play with the MediaBoard Pro on my PC. I had no problems connecting to the DL120 Bluetooth adapter in my media PC. It wouldn't connect to my laptop at first, but it worked fine after I upgraded my laptop's Widcomm Bluetooth software to 5.x.

Pros:
Less than $60
Looks good
Solid on/off switch
No charger needed
Trackpad has a good feel
My kids found it easy to use

Cons
Wimpy key spring action.
Trackpad moves slowly

I'm not used to trackpads. I wish I could figure out how to set the resolution of this trackpad. It takes me three swipes to get from one edge of my 1920x1080 TV screen to the other. This annoyed me at first (why didn't I get a trackball?), but I'm getting used to it.

I'm sure the Logitech DiNovo Edge would have had a MUCH better key spring action, but it would have cost a lot more. Before I upgrade to a DiNovo, I want to see how I use this setup.

Overall verdict --> I'm satisfied with the MediaBoard Pro. 7.5/10

In some ways, my German heritage makes me a penny pincher and a tech laggard. For example, I finally bought my first digital television to make sure the guests can watch football over the Thanksgiving holidays. (A cheap 46" Sharp AQUOS LC-46C55U 1080p 60Hz LCD from Costco.)

Step 1 Buy TV. Check!
Step 2, Order FiOS HD DVR box. (I'm too cheap to buy a HD Tivo, at least for now.) Arrived in 24 hours! Check. Hey, this FiOS "On Demand" is nice. Save that topic for another blog post.
Step 3, Hook up computer for 46" home office monitor goodness. Doh! My wired keyboard looks terrible here. Time to go cordless.

What's up with all these wireless keyboard and mouse combos? Who can mouse well on a couch? Wireless mouse at a desk, sure. But Wireless keyboard at a desk? Are cables inherently evil? If you're at a desk, use a corded keyboard and save some batteries.

I'm an unashamed ThinkPad trackpoint fanboy, but I can't find wireless keyboard with a trackpoint. Bummer. I'm stuck with either a trackpad or a trackball. The Logitech diNovo Edge looks extemely cool, but (a) it's pricey, (b) needs space to sit and charge in a cradle and (c) some people don't like its touchdisc whatzit.

DiNovo Edge touch disc?

Then I happened across this Logitech PS3 Mediaboard Pro. No "keyboard" in the product name, so it didn't show up on many of my earlier product searches. Don't be scared by the "PS3" -- it also supports PCs over Bluetooth.

While it looks only 2/3 as cool as the diNovo Edge, it's 1/3 the price of the Edge, doesn't need a charging cradle, and received good reviews. People even liked the Mediaboard's trackpad. "One click" on Amazon, and here it comes.

Did I screw up ordering this? Chime in if you have a favorite media keyboard.

Logitech PS3 Mediaboard Pro

With the election behind us, I need some gear chat to help forget about collapsing 401Ks.

My wife and I work at home a lot. When I run the microwave, it completely disconnects the wifi connection on her Dell D610. My ThinkPad doesn't have this problem, go figure. Anyway, I don't always remember to warn her that I'm going to nuke lunch.

Her office is two floors away from the hub, so a Cat5 run isn't really an easy option. I had checked out Ethernet over Power options previously, but they were a little expensive. No longer.

I found a pair of Panasonic BL-PA100A HD-PLC Ethernet adaptors on Amazon for $65. They are faster than my 802.11g, work when the microwave is on, and are very easy to setup. No software required. So far, it hasn't added any complexity to the laptop undocking process, either. I like it so much, I just ordered a extra one to connect my media PC.

One caution -- they prefer to be placed directly into an outlet. They are not happy in extension cords or power strips.

When I nuke lunch, I still gasp when I realize that I forgot to shout out a warning. I imagine that reflex will go away soon.

If you've been hiding under a rock for the past 48 hours or so, you may not have head of Ubiquity, an amazing alpha release of what may be one day heralded as something that changed everything.

It's hard to explain, but basically, this browser plug-in allows the user to create mash-ups, or concoctions of web content, dynamically, as needed, through a simple, language-based interface. No programming, no obscure commands to remember.

Watch the demo video to see what I mean:

Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

Then download it.

If you're not already a Firefox 3.x user, then get that first.

The variety of online tools to help us organize our lives, work with others, and generally get stuff done is just exploding. I've tried to capture some in the list below, but I'm hoping you, dear readers, will leave a comment naming some other tools you like to use.

Webmail
• Gmail - threaded conversations, search

Chat
• Google Talk (integrates conversations with Gmail)

Real-Time Group Collaboration
• Basecamp
• Campfire
• Stickam: group videoconferencing
• Skype: 1-on-1 tele- & videoconferencing, chat, file xfer

File-Sharing
• DropSend (1 GB max size)
• Wikisend (100 MB max size)

Wikis
• WetPaint

Document Sharing
• Google docs

Microblogging
• Twitter

Personal Time Management
• Remember the Milk - Web-based to-do list & task organizer with multi-media reminders

Social Bookmarking/Referral
• Delicious - "Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows users to tag, save, manage and share web pages from a centralized source. With emphasis on the power of the community, Delicious greatly improves how people discover, remember and share on the Internet."
• Digg - "Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web."

Note Management
• Evernote: Desktop + Web, with wicked OCR for images

If you're like me, you are constantly going back to the same few directories to retrieve files to reference or work on.

Some people put shortcuts on their desktop to these directories, and that works fine. One method I've seen that you can also do is to add an underscore "_" to the beginning of your important directory's names so that they always bubble up to the top of your list when sorted alphabetically.

For example, "Research" and "Teaching" are two folders on my work machine that I am accessing constantly. Instead of having to scroll through a bunch of directories to find them, I renamed them to "_Research" and "_Teaching" so that, when I sort the list alphabetically, they appear right at the top every time.

I apologize for the recent 3 days of GearBits.com outage. The cause was my shift from an old Netgear 802.11g router/access point to a shiny new Apple Airport Extreme 802.11n router.

The problems were several, but suffice to say that the main unresolved issue lays in the AE's inability to suck down DHCP information from my ISP. Is it the AE's fault or my ISP's fault? I don't know...it just doesn't work. So, after figuring that out and entering in all the data manually, I now have to reset the broadband modem each time I update the router's configuration.

Sure it's a pain-in-the-ass, but now we have 802.11n (my laptop says it's connected at 144mbps) and I'll soon be adding an external drive to the AE for some inexpensive NAS action.

Anyway, things are back up and they should pretty much stay that way until I switch out the webserver sometime in the next week or so (the 5+-year-old WinXP machine, which is powered by a 1.2GHz AMD Athlon with 512 megs of RAM will soon be replaced by a new dual-core Mac Mini, so the site should be a bit more responsive).

So, sorry again...I'll now return you to your arguments over how much Time Warner Cable sucks, griping about FedEx Smartpost, and reminiscing about TV shows from your childhood.

Have an attachment too big to email? Wikisend makes it pretty easy to distribute files up to 100MB in size without a lot of hassle. And it's free, and free is good.

Mitch, seeing my Hot/Not list from yesterday, compiled his own, so here it is:

HOT

• iPod Touch - I tried the Archos 605 Wi-Fi first and its mediocrity makes the Touch that much more delightful. I really love well done user interfaces and this one is first rate. My only complaint is its picky eating habits when it comes to video formats.
  
• iMac - I waited longer than any other tech purchase to finally go with Apple's all-in-one desktop PC. I opted for the top of the line 3.06 GHz 24" model and have been completely blown away by it. So far I have found no flaws. It is stunning.
  
• High Gas Prices - Innovation rocks and if it takes $5/gallon gasoline to get us out of this oil addiction then I'm more than willing to pay my dues. Fewer SUVs and pickups, electric cars, solar energy, alternative fuels, more big butts on bicycles, less traffic congestion; I'm all for it. Let's drop our consumption by half and let OPEC drink their devalued crude.
  
• Synology - A NAS will soon be as ubiquitous on a home network as the router is today. The clever, feature-filled offerings from Synology are the best of the breed. I'll have a DS508 please!
  
• Subaru - Totally agree with Craig here. I've been
  in Imprezas now going on six years and I still feel like I'm cheating when I share the road with normal cars. Scoobys are fabulous.
  
• Ken Follett's Historical Novels - "The Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End" are two of my favorite books of all time and I just took them in this Spring. I listened to both on my iPod (over 40 hours each) after downloading them from Audible and they made a month of 1000 mile weekly commutes totally enjoyable. Masterful stuff.
  
• CrossFit - I was in good shape 20 years ago and at 44 I can wipe the floor with my 24 year old self (if that was possible). I've been CrossFitting for almost a year now and some of the things I can do now would have seemed outlandish back then.

NOT

• General Motors - If you Google dinosaur, out of touch, lethargic, and unimaginative you should pull up GM's home page. I used to be a fan, but they have been disappointing me for 25 years now and don't seem to be planning any big changes. The sooner they finish themselves off, the better off we'll be.
  
• Labor Unions - Working in the industrial world I cross paths with unions
  of all sorts way more than I would like. I completely understand why our manufacturing sector is fleeing to other countries. I have never seen such a lazy, selfish, destructive, regressive bunch of people in my life. They can't all be like that, but the ones I've met surely are.
  
• Sheeple-Filled Corporate IT Departments - My 26,000 strong corporation is going to switch to Vista because they don't want to be left with no anti-virus support for their XP platform. Goodbye nice warm frying pan and hello fire.
  
• Cable/Satellite TV - I'm SO tired of paying $80 a month for a bunch of
  garbage that I would never watch even if I had the time. It won't be long until I cut that cord and start rolling my own TV. If I could just decide which way I want to do it!
  
• Global Markets - I realize that even the lowliest trader in/on most investment banks/trading floors/commodities exchanges is smarter than I am, but I would really love to see them use those brains rather than run with every emotion that riffles through the world markets. Do investors even pay attention to P/E ratios or supply and demand or is it all about what the hot analyst is saying or the sheeple are doing?

I've been remiss on posting, so I thought I'd assemble a whole mess of opinions in one place. Over the past several weeks or so, I've come to appreciate some things/companies and have come to be disappointed in others. So, here's a quick run-down:

HOT

• Shutterfly - always gets me great-looking prints/books in a timely manner at low prices.
  
• Google - just keeps rolling out the innovative, useful, and well-designed web apps
  
• Subaru - they just make terrific cars...durable, high-performing, and affordable
  
• Amazon.com - with reasonably good, if not great, prices, excellent customer service, and a stellar website, what's not to like?
  
• Subnotes - The sudden rash of low-power, low-weight, cheap laptops coming out (which I predicted would happen back at the beginning of the year) is a joy to behold...portable computing for everyone!
  
• NPR - Always informative, enjoyable, and worth supporting.
  
• Logitech Cordless Presenter - Have had it for two years now, am still on the first set of AAA batteries, it has taken tons of abuse, and it still works perfectly. Amazing!
  
• Private Electric Car Companies - It's as if we're on the cusp of another time like the 1920's, when every town seemed to have a local car manufacturer, except now they're all electric, hybrid, or alterna-fuel vehicles (a very good thing).

NOT

• Archos - if my 605 Wi-Fi completely hangs on me one more time, I swear I'm going to chuck it off an overpass (I'll post more about this later)
  
• Palm - if my Treo 700p resets on me one more time, I swear I'm going to chuck...aw, who am I kidding? It'll probably reset before I finish this post. C'mon Android...fill this void in my gadget-hoarding soul, will you?
  
• Megalomaniacal Corporate IT Departments - I hope the day comes soon when we can definitively show that the TCO actually improves when you let corporate tech users select their own personal devices.
  
• Flash memory format proliferation - I mean, seriously, do we really need SD, MiniSD, and MicroSD? It's getting as bad as the dang Memory Stick (and that's saying something).
  
• Download-only music stores - I may be in the minority, but I just don't like the DRM associated with most online music stores. And even without the DRM, the cost seems too much if I'm not getting permanent physical media, liner notes/art, etc. Call me old school if you like...go ahead, it only hurts a little.
  
• Intel's Marketing department - Seriously, guys, could you make keeping track of your product lines any more difficult and confusing?
  
• Getting older - I am no longer the kid I still think of myself as being.
  

So what are your Hot and Not?

Recently, I got a Fujitsu LifeBook P8010 ultraportable. It's a black, shiny beauty with ports and features a-plenty. And at just 2.9 lbs, it certainly won't break my back.

But (and there always seems to be a "but") the notebook had this annoying tendency to drain power even while hibernated. I'd hibernate it on, say, Friday afternoon with the battery at 100% and, when I turned it on again Monday morning, the battery would be at 40%. That's certainly not the way hibernate in Windows XP is supposed to work (for the unfamiliar, hibernate writes the contents of RAM to the hard drive and then shuts down everything; it takes longer to resume than Standby mode, but it doesn't draw on the battery...or at least it's not supposed to).

After Googling for an answer, I came up with nothing. Calling Fujitsu lead to some less-than-satisfactory results:

Call 1: Tier 1 support tells me this is normal. I argue differently; none of the other three Windows XP laptops I have do this. She refers me to Tier 2.

Call 2: Tier 2 says it's not normal and, because the unit is obviously drawing power when not in use (and, therefore, producing heat), they'd rather have me send it in than risk self-combusting in my bag (I added the self-combusting part). Five days later, and after spending $33.75 in postage out of my own pocket, the LifeBook returns with a new motherboard. Same problem.

I start seriously searching around for an explanation. I discover that some Lenovo Thinkpads don't react well to Wake-on-LAN (where the laptop can be resumed from sleep/hibernate when it receives a special packet via its Ethernet port). I check my Windows Control Panel settings; the computer's Ethernet controller is set to permit Wake-on-LAN. I disable it. I then delve into the BIOS and disable Wake-on-LAN there, too.

So far, no battery drain when hibernated.

How could something this simple escape the resources of a giant, experienced computer maker like Fujitsu?

I want my $33.75 back.

Yesterday at lunch I demonstrated for a colleague a rather ridiculous, Rube Goldbergian reminder mechanism consisting of Web 2.0 information management and communication tools.

I called Jott and told it to contact Sandy with a message to feed the parking meter in 30 minutes. A half hour later, Sandy sent my Twitter account a direct message, which ended up arriving to my phone via text message. I also had an email message waiting for me, just in case.

Sure, it's absurd to do something like that for a task so trivial as reminding yourself to refresh a parking meter, but it does demonstrate how amazingly interconnected these mobile/web tools are becoming.

Why does Steve Ballmer (photo borrowed from Gizmodo)

keep reminding me of Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein?

Seriously...is it just me?

"...I began to wonder about the phenomenon of text messaging as a whole. Sometimes it seems that it would make more sense to call or send an email, but that crap is for old people."

I think the biggest drawback I see to texting is the whole temporal retention issue. I rely extensively on my ability to search through my emails, both professional and personal, sometimes going back years to look up something. In contrast, I don't know anyone who saves their text messages for even more than a few months. I asked a classful of college seniors how long they kept text messages on their phones. Less than 10% keep them longer than a week!

Do I txt? Yep, everyday, but I still use email a lot more. I'm not going to pull the "age = wisdom" card and claim that "old people" (per the Gizmodo story) use email more because they're wiser (I'm not even sure I'd be considered "old"), but my perception is that email offers a lot of advantages that texting just can't match right now.

The sheer power of social computing had me wondering how I could best capture some of these new technologies in my everyday life. What occurred to me was that I spend a lot of time sharing: links, stories, photos, videos, etc. Sure, there are lots of tools for sharing these days. Sites like Digg and the sharing feature in Google Reader are just two examples.

But those tools rely on my friends/colleagues to use those same tools, go to those sites, or interface with them in some other new way. No, what I'd really like is a sharing interface that spans multiple media and methods. My idea for that is...the Buddy Bar:

Basically, the Buddy Bar combines (some of) the functionality of an IM client, an email client, a photo/document-uploader app, and blog interface. Here's how I envision it working:

1) You add some friends to your Buddy Bar. You include their name and all contact info you have for them: phone number(s), email address(es), IM/Twitter IDs, and so forth.

2) Simply clicking on a friend opens up an IM dialog. Buddy Bar would be service agnostic, so it would use whatever IM service your friend used.

3) Drag and drop a URL onto your friend's avatar would send it to your friend via one of the predetermined methods you set up for him/her (e.g., email, IM, etc.).

4) Dragging and dropping a file would generate a pull-down menu for you to send that file via one of the various methods you set up for that friend. For example, drop a JPG and the menu might include
• Email
• Email
• IM
• MMS
• Flickr
• Webify*

*Webify could be to upload it to a web space under your control and send your friend a URL to that location.

Drop a Word file and you might get a different set of options:
• Email
• Email
• IM
• Google Docs
• Webify*

5) Select some text from a webpage or document and drag that over to your friend's avatar and you'd get a similar drop-down for methods of delivery.

6) Drop something big on their avatar (e.g., a 200MB home movie file) and it could initiate a Torrent invitation to your friend.

7) Right-click a friend and you get options for audio/video chat, invite to room, ping, and other options.

You get the idea. Basically, it would be an automator for distributing content and managing communication with those in your private social network. I think it could also be very handy for people who work in a distributed environment and constantly need to share info (extra functionality could be built in if it was being used in an intranet setting).

One thing Bob mentioned is the chance for abuse. "Stop sending me this crap!" was his actual comment, IIRC. So, you'd have to have some sort of content/contact moderation much like you have in good IM clients, but with better discrimination based on the type of content being offered.

Anyway, I'd love to see something like this developed. Anyone know of an app/service that accomplishes even most of this?

Google's wonderful Docs suite (browser-based alternatives to the core Microsoft Office apps) now lets you work on your documents while offline.

Check out this Google Docs Blog entry and the little video. It looks pretty easy...can't wait to try it out.

A lot of devices have electro-mechanical controls that can degrade over time. Take the pair of Kilpsch ProMedia 2.0 PC speakers I've had for a few years as an example.

Recently, the volume knob started introducing lots of static/noise whenever it was turned, sometimes throwing off the L/R balance or even dropping out the volume altogether. More fiddling would fix it, but it was annoying.

At this point, most people would simply replace the speakers. But I really like these; they sound utterly fantastic for a 2.0 setup. So I set about finding a fix.

It turns out that the 1-2 punch of CAIG Laboratories DeOxit cleaner followed by DeOxit ProGold contact preservative (which I got from RadioShack.com) was just the trick. After cracking open the speaker with the controls, I spritzed the cleaner into the potentiometer and worked the knob back and forth. Then, a few minutes later, I spritzed in the ProGold to help protect the contacts, and worked the knob a bit more.

A half-hour later, I reassembled the speaker, plugged everything back in and it's perfect. The volume knob is now silky smooth and there's no sign of drop-outs or static. For $15, this sure beats trying to replace some fantastic speakers.

Apple's iPhone and MacBook Air have come to represent cutting-edge, state-of-the-art consumer electronics. We're approaching the iPhone's first birthday and Wired magazine is still calling it "handset of the moment -- maybe even the next few moments."

And the MacBook Air was popular enough last month to single-handedly account for 20% of Apple's notebook computer sales. Any way you slice it, that's impressive.

So what is it that keeps me from getting excited about these products?

I don't think I'm biased for or against Apple. We have a Mac Mini in the house and I'm always happy to see strong competitors in the personal computing space. So I don't think it's any sort of systematic unwillingness to accept Apple's products.

I'd like to think it's the technology. Sure, the iPhone and the MBA are pretty. The iPhone has a user interface that's somewhat innovative, and the Air is very, very svelte. But beyond that, I see more sacrifices than benefits.

The iPhone is a keyboardless EDGE handset with no expansion card slot. To me, that's three strikes right there. I feel like I need a real keyboard; I use the stink out of my Treo's EVDO connection and would dread going back to EDGE speeds; and, as far as I'm concerned, SD cards are the new floppy disk (i.e., ubiquitous). And then there's the issue of the non-user-replaceable battery. Ugh.

Similarly, the MacBook Air is rife with trade-offs: you don't get a removable battery, internal optical drive, Ethernet port, or VGA output (all things I rely on pretty frequently). Yes, it's light, but not markedly more so than many other laptops (for one, my 12.1" Fujitsu subnote weighs less). And don't get me started on the decision to hamstring it by including just a single USB port!

So, is it me? Am I somehow missing the real benefit of these devices? I'll admit, I've always been a function-over-form kinda guy, so is it that obsession with features that is blinding me to the design, or some other source of value entirely?

Or, am I more normal than I think, and it's it just that the media and a significant part of the digerati who write about this stuff have different utility functions than most of the rest of us?

I'm a techie that spends most of my days in the the software world. I sometimes deal with litigation concerns. So this little news update caught my eye, "Verizon settles open source software lawsuit." It seems that a hardware device manufacturer, Actiontec, supplies a FiOS router to Verizon and the device had shipped with some code that it didn't properly license. The code in question was some software, called BusyBox, which is released under an open source license (in this case, GPLv2.)

I actually have an Actiontec FiOS router in my house.

The LifeBook P8010 is the latest model in long line of terrific ultraportables from Fujitsu. Its predecessor, the P7230, was very popular and the P8010 looks to continue that success by way of some cutting-edge technology. The first major improvement is the screen, which has grown to 12.1" (1280x800) and is now backlit with LEDs (which reduce power consumption, cut weight, extend display life).

The second major change is the inclusion of Intel's newest mobile processor, the SL7100 Core 2 Duo, running at 1.2GHz. That might not sound too impressive, but given the 800MHz front-side bus, 4MB of Level 2 cache, and GS965 chipset with integrated X3100 graphics (using up to 384MB of system RAM for video), this should benchmark very well against older C2D systems with higher clock speeds.

My first impressions with this machine (it was shipped from Japan on Friday) are that it is quite swift for normal tasks and even processor-intensive activities, like video encoding, are quite acceptable for an ultraportable. The 18mm-pitch keyboard is reasonable, although users with largish hands may notice the loss of that extra 1mm from full-sized keyboards. Body flex is pretty minimal. Not quite as rigid as the Panasonic Toughbook I used to have, but perfectly fine.

I don't have a sense of battery life yet, but after about 3 hours of modest use, power shows around 50%; definitely a good sign. I'll update this post more as I use the machine.

Overall, the P8010 seems fairly pricey (they start at $1700 and can go up fairly dramatically once you start adding more RAM, bigger HDDs, and so on), but anyone who has complained that the MacBook Air is too hamstrung by a dearth of ports, fixed battery, etc. need only look to the Fujitsu LifeBook P8010 for a very attractive alternative. And it already comes in black!

Full video review:

Additional resources:
• Fujitsu North America product page
• Original Fujitsu press release (1/6/2008)
• Matrix comparing the P8010 to several other ultraportables

I admit it: I'm tired of hearing about the MacBook Air. Apparently, Apple's marketing people believed (and perhaps rightly so) that the only spec that consumers cared about was thickness, as that's the Air's only really exceptional bit ("world's thinnest notebook"). It's not the fastest, the lightest, the longest-running battery, the best screen, the most ports, or any other really meaningful spec...no, just the thinnest. Whee.

But that got me to thinking. What other claims could rival laptops make to pump up their own launches? Here are some I'd like to see:

"World's most symmetric notebook!"

"World's shiniest On button!"

"World's most tapered laptop!"

"World's quietest screen hinge!"

"World's strongest security lock!"

"World's clickiest keyboard!"

"World's longest power cord!"

"World's squarest trackpad!"

"World's fewest USB ports" (actually, with just one, the MacBook Air can claim that, too)

Microsoft's recent play for Yahoo!, an effort to advance its online advertising market share and more effectively dominate the entire world compete with Google, got me thinking back a bit to those interesting days in the late 90s when Microsoft was having to defend its monopoly status in the operating system market. A couple of graphs and quotes might be helpful, here.

So, according to Microsoft, the market on the left is just fine and doesn't need any intervention, whereas the market on the right has no compelling "number two competitor" and would benefit from some consolidation.

I think that's called wanting to eat your cake and have it at the same time.

Today at MacWorld, Steve Jobs announced the MacBook Air (shown), which Apple is calling the thinnest subnotebook / ultraportable computer available. And they're right...it is the thinnest. But is it the best?

As I'm interested in purchasing a new subnote soon, I've begun keeping tabs on specs for different models. To see what I've put together so far for the Toshiba Portege R500, Panasonic Toughbook W7, Fujitsu LifeBook P8010 (forthcoming), Lenovo IdeaPad U110 (forthcoming), and Apple MacBook Air, check out this Subnote Comparison Google Spreadsheet I've assembled. I'll keep updating it as new info emerges.

At first blush, the MacBook Air seems to have a lot of compromises, including just one USB port, no optical drive, a smallish HDD, no flash memory slot, and no expansion card slot. Granted, it has a lot to like as well, such as 802.11n and a backlit keyboard, but it's certainly not a slam-dunk in my mind.

As has become customary around the changing of the calendar, here are GearBits' official predictions for 2008.

1) Blu-Ray Wins the Format War
Yep, I'm going to pick a winner and it's going to be Blu-Ray. The one-two punch of Warner Brothers's move to Blu-Ray exclusivity (from its Switzerland-like neutrality of supporting both formats) later in 2008 and Apple's announcement that BD will be the only HD format available in its products will cement HD DVD's demise. And none too soon. I don't really care which wins...just make it snappy so that prices on players and media can plummet, thanks.

2) Google's Android Shakes Up Phone Industry
For a while now, the cellphone industry has been fairly static. A few smartphone and mobile OS makers have generally tussled for market share, but the overall industry has been pretty evolutionary. Google's entry will prove to be a watershed moment, with open source finally making a big impact in the handheld space (and no, I don't consider the Zaurus to be a big deal...sorry). Actual handsets running Android will be announced, if not available, before the end of 2008.

3) Palm Supports Android
This is more of a hope than an actual prediction, as I just don't know whether the egos at Palm will let the company do the right thing and admit that their next-generation OS (which has been under development since 2004!) will be a viable contender against Android (which has essentially the same technical details but scads more developer support). But, if cooler, more rational heads prevail at Palm, they'll announce that they're plans will be to produce at least one Android-based product (probably to come out sometime in 2012 :-/ ).

4) Microsoft's HD Photo Replacement for JPEG Image Standard Goes Nowhere
I'm not saying it's a bad idea technically; I'm just saying that JPEG is so entrenched now that replacing it would be about as reasonable a thing to try as would be replacing MP3 with any of the multitudes of better formats. JPEG, like MP3, isn't great, but it's adequate (at least for consumers) and ubiquitous. We'll still be saving all our photos in JPG (and maybe RAW) at the end of 2008...and likely long after that.

5) Subnotes Will Explode in Availability (and Maybe Popularity)
I've always been a fan of tiny, sub-3-pound laptops, but I think 2008 will see a huge number of these clamshell devices come out of every corner of the consumer electronics space. The Asus EeePC and the OLPC XO Laptop are two examples. While Microsoft had a good idea in its UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) concept, the hardware was just never executed all that well. Frankly, I think a 7" touchscreen for Windows is just too difficult. But, going with the traditional clamshell design and using cheaper and/or smaller technologies (e.g., flash memory instead of a HDD) will bring us a raft of interesting (and some good) designs at <$500 price points. Bring 'em on! And I think we'll start to see a lot more people toting these things along that traditionally avoided laptops for whatever reason (cost, weight, etc.).

6) The GPS War Heats Up
TomTom, Nokia, and Garmin will exchange hostile fire over the GPS market due to convuluted agreements regarding mapping data as well as market-share for hardware. Products will continue to decline in price and improve in functionality, and >50% of cellphones will have some form of GPS functionality available on them. I guess that's two predictions in one...oh well.

7) DRM Hits Choppy Water
2007 saw some movement away from DRM (digital rights management), especially in the music industry, but I expect we'll see similar initiatives in all areas of media. DRM has been proven again and again to be little more than an expensive technological boondoggle, and the leading innovators at the consumer media interface (e.g., Apple, Amazon, and Google) will make some headway into reversing the trend of more encumbrance for our media. The RIAA and MPAA will continue to fight it...they know how to do nothing else...but economic results will start to demonstrate that DRM actually hurts profitability.

8) Major Tech Stocks End 2008 Up Significantly
These are bound to be wrong, but what the heck...nobody pays me for stock tips. I think Apple will end 2008 at 235, Google will be at 960, and Microsoft will finish the year at 50. As for other stocks, iRobot will end up at either 46 or 12 (can you tell I'm a cynical shareholder?), IBM will show tepid growth to 112, and RIM, hurt by the continued weak US dollar and facing increasing competition, will struggle to match its 1-year high of 127.

9) I Buy a New Laptop and Am Disappointed
My Panasonic CF-W2 is now three-and-a-half-years-old and I'm starting to cringe every time I turn it on (my luck with hard drives makes me skeptical of many living past their 4th birthday). I've been looking at possible replacements (e.g., Toshiba R500, Panasonic W7, maybe the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 or the rumored Apple subnote) and so far every single one has some significant trade-offs. So, I expect I'll get one and it will turn out to be not significantly better than my aging Toughbook. You'd think in nearly four years that two grand would buy something markedly superior. We'll see...

10) Major Changes in Automotive Industry Announced
While the car business makes actual change only very slowly, we'll see some huge announcements in 2008 that will fundamentally change the future of that industry. Things like record oil prices, an increasing attention to sustainable/green technology, and significant ownership changes will substantially change the competitive landscape. Make no mistake; Toyota will continue its ascent and eclipse GM as #1 car-maker in the world. But, we will see several major announcements that will start affecting actual consumers in 2009 and beyond.

So, I'll check back in about 12 months to see how I fared. In the meantime, what do you think will happen?

Our One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) device arrived in the mail today. We participated in the Give One Get One campaign (we bought two; one was sent to us and the other was donated to a developing area of the world somewhere).

After less than an hour with it, I'm pretty amazed at the hardware that's packed into this little guy, especially for the price of <$200. Sure, the processor is a little slow for handling complex Flash-enabled websites, and you won't win any speed races initiating apps, but it has just an amazing mesh Wi-Fi interface (which allows instant sharing amongst other OLPCs of most activities on any one of them), an embedded webcam, and a whole host of pre-installed applications (from a music mixer to drawing to a web browser to a journal/notebook and so on).

I'm not sure it is a better solution for a kid's school laptop if that kid has access to regular electricity and his/her parents can scrape up the cash for an Asus EeePC or cheapie Dell (I just saw one in a flyer for <$370), but as it was designed for children in third-world countries, I think it should be a great fit for any kid 5+ who wants to just explore what computers can do.

Update: I just noticed that our unit does not have the two "keyboard LEDs" shown in the above pic. I wonder why not...they'd be handy for nighttime 'puting.

A few months ago, I upgraded our family room's HTPC by replacing the old Shuttle box with a nice Intel-powered Mac Mini. So far, nearly everything has been hunky dory. Front Row pretty much works as advertised, and that's the computer's main use.

But one sore point with me has been an inability to wrangle iPhoto to display my photos I have on an external drive attached to the Mac so that we can view them through Front Row (which only talks to iPhoto for photo-viewing purposes).

Basically, what I want iPhoto to do is simply index and display photos stored on an external hard drive, in much the same fashion that iTunes handles MP3 files stored externally. You see, I keep all my "original" photos on a machine elsewhere on our network -- the files on the Mini's external drive are merely copies, updated as needed via network backup. So, when I add some new photos to the collection, all I want iPhoto to do is realize I've done so and make the new folder available via Front Row. Isn't that easy?

Yet there's apparently no way to do that. iPhoto wants to be the sole photo-management app and really makes it difficult to interact with photos that aren't "imported" directly through it. In that sense, iPhoto is really an overly egocentric, yet very lame, program.

Anybody have a suggestion as to how to view our photos via Front Row? Anyone? Bueller?

CNN has an interesting story on the origins of the smiley emoticon :-) that is now ubiquitous.

However, I'm still waiting on Strunk & White to nail down how it should get used with punctuation. ;-)

The HP LP3065 30" LCD Monitor

2560 x 1600 resolution
8ms response
400 square inches of workspace bliss

For the past four years, I've relied on 802.11g Wi-Fi to get our router's Internet connection up to the second floor office where this web-server and our main PC both live. When we first moved into this house, I had come to the conclusion that there was no way I could route Ethernet cable from the first to the second floor (and across the width of the house) without doing something that She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed would find objectionable.

So, after trying out three routers and countless Wi-Fi adapters looking for adequate range, reliability, and speed, I sunk into the belief that I was destined to put up with wildly fluctuating network speeds (often bouncing between 1 and 8 mbps realized throughput), intermittent connectivity loss (e.g., temporary wireless interference), and a generally unsatisfactory level of network performance.

Then, for no good reason, last week I revisited the idea of having an electrician run Cat-6 from where our router is to the upstairs office. I had always assumed it was prohibitively expensive, but figured getting an estimate couldn't hurt.

Wow! I was simply amazed when the job was done and I was no poorer than had I bought a new 802.11n router and PCI adapter for one computer. For a couple hundred dollars, we now have Gigabit Ethernet connecting our entire network. Granted, the Internet connection still trundles along at 3 mbps, but file transfers within the network (e.g., LAN backups and media copying) are blindingly fast.

So, if you're sick of mucking around with Wi-Fi for networking desktop PCs and other devices that don't move around a lot within your home, consider having an electrician give you an estimate on running some Ethernet cable. You may be surprised at how cheap it actually is (might be less expensive than buying some faster Wi-Fi gear and it's a LOT faster, reliable, and more secure). Make sure to get Cat-6 cable installed so you can be sure to take advantage of the new networking standards coming down the pike in a few years. You don't want to have to go about replacing wire inside your walls, and the better cable is only a few cents a foot more expensive (ours was 30 cents a foot).

Last month, I became fed up with the increasingly disgusting state of my LCD screens. Both my laptop and my two LCD desktop panels at work were just rife with dust, lint, and macroscopic unmentionables. Just gross.

So, I thought I'd grab a screen cleaner and wipe them off. Turns out that's not as easy as one might imagine. Most everyday cleaners you find in grocery stores have alcohol, ammonia and/or other chemicals in them that do not play nicely with the plastics and coatings involved in LCD and other portable electronic displays.

So, I did what any conscientious tech blogger would do: I ordered three of the more commonly recommended cleaners to do a comparison test. KlearScreen, Purosol, and Mirachem Optix were all purchased from online retailer Photodon (who provided no monetary or other support for this test other than selling me all the cleaners at their standard price). I also purchased a bottle of the Photodon house brand LCD cleaner just to see how it stacked up. I also bought a brand new microfiber cloth to use in the testing.

Read on for details on the four candidates and the results of my month-long test for performance, endurance, and overall value.

About a month ago, we acquired a Mac Mini to use as our home theater PC (if you recall, our old one died back in January). After working off and on to get the Mini set up to serve our home media needs, I've come to a few conclusions I thought I'd put to pixel. Many of these conclusions are not unique, but as this is my first Apple product since my IIe back in high school, they were all surprising to me.

1) The Mac Mini is a darned impressive PC for its size
One of the main reasons the Mini was attractive to me as an HTPC was its small size and quietness -- both very desirable qualities in something that will sit 6 inches above your primary television. Now that I've had some time to become more familiar with it (and Mac OS X), I'm really pleased at how capable the Mini is. Ours is a 1.66 GHz Core Duo unit with 1GB of RAM, and there's nothing I've asked it to do that has made the Mini seem like it's going to break a sweat. In Windows machines, you can always tell when they're stressed, as the UI starts to falter and you get the dreaded hourglass pointer for long periods at a time. Not so with the Mini; so far, it has seemed rather unflappable. And that impresses me given its rather modest specs (at least for the Windows world). Plus, the Front Row remote just caps off the entire package, at least for our use.

2) Mac OS can do things Windows (at least XP) cannot
I had desired to repurpose an external hard drive from backup on my main Windows machine to media storage on the Mac Mini. It didn't occur to me at first that the reason the Mac wasn't able to write to the new drive was that it was in NTFS. I've been using NTFS drives exclusively now since 2001, so I didn't even think about the file system. Well, it turns out that the only file system viable on both OS's is FAT32. But, and this just amazed me, Windows XP cannot format any drive larger than 32GB to FAT32; larger than that and it must be NTFS. So, after an hour or so of banging my head against the Windows machine's keyboard ("why is FAT32 not coming up as a format option?!??"), I discovered that little limitation. So, I trotted the drive down to the Mini, initialized the drive, and formatted it to FAT32 with no problem. If Mac OS is more capable at something as simple as formatting a hard drive, it makes me wonder what advantages Windows has (other than being an industry standard) to warrant its market share.

3) Mac OS does "just work"...mostly
As this is the first time I've actually used a Mac OS device, the experience has been pretty delightful. Many, many activities that are arduous or unintuitive in Windows (at least XP...I've not played much with Vista yet) are dirt-simple in OS X. For example, unmounting a drive means clicking an icon next to the drive picture. In Windows, you need to click the "safely remove hardware" icon in the task bar and then select the correct drive, often from among several similarly named options differentiated only by a drive letter. However, there are many things I find less convenient (or more cumbersome) in OS X, with most of those emanating from the lack of a right-click context menu. Of all the UI elements in Windows (beyond the requisite ones like icons, dialogs, and slider bars), I think the context menu is probably the single most useful addition. I also do not prefer having to go up to the top of the screen to access drop-down menus; maybe it's an issue of familiarity, but it seems weird (to me) to divorce the menus from the app window. I'll get used to all these things, I'm sure, but this experience has shown me that while Mac OS does seem to have an overall "cleaner" UI, neither OS has a monopoly on ease-of-use.

4) iTunes on a Mac is actually usable
After struggling constantly with iTunes on our Windows machine (for use with my wife's iPod), I had decided that I hated iTunes with every fiber of my being. But, using it on a Mac is an entirely different experience. It actually works...and works well! Cover Flow mode is a gorgeous interface to use, even if it does tweak my obsessive-compulsive tendencies such that I spent too many hours looking up cover art for many of our more obscure albums. Could iTunes still be greatly improved? Easily, especially in ways that would please advanced users (e.g., could we have a UPnP music server function built in, please?).

5) Apple was shortsighted when it disabled optical audio volume control
In a rare example of retarding the unit's usefulness, Apple decided that if the Mini's user decides to use the unit's digital optical audio output instead of analog, system-level volume control should be disabled. That means that no volume control at all can be done via the Mac itself. That means that we lose functionality on two of the six (a third!) Front Row remote buttons as well as the dedicated volume control buttons on our wireless keyboard. Some may argue it's a good decision because then the audio stream coming out of the Mini is pure and untainted by system manipulation of the signal. OK, I don't buy that. Nobody is going to use a Mini for state-of-the-art sound quality. Anyone that concerned is going to have a dedicated DVD player that likely costs more than the Mini. In addition, even if that's a valid argument for locking audio output as line-out, at least give us the option of disabling system-level audio volume control. Many of us are willing to give up some audio quality for the convenience of a fully functional Front Row remote; is a simple checkbox in System Prefs too much to ask?

More as I think of it...

With the release of Mac OS 10.4.9, UVC (USB Video Class) webcams will work with iChat. Here's part of a Logitech support document listing a few that will work:

This article applies to the following operating systems: Macintosh OS 10.4.9

This article refers to the following Logitech products: All UVC Complaint Webcams

The Logitech webcams listed below are UVC (Universal Video Class) compliant and can be used with operating systems which fully support this standard; including Mac OS 10.4.9. Please note that standard UVC drivers are provided by the Operating System and will provide minimal camera support only. Unique Logitech features, such as RightLight and Video Effects are not functional via UVC drivers. Furthermore, we recommend the use of a full Logitech installation package, where available, for supported operating systems such as Windows XP and Windows Vista.

QuickCam Ultra Vision SE
QuickCam Ultra Vision
QuickCam Orbit/Sphere MP
QuickCam Fusion
QuickCam Pro 5000
QuickCam for Notebooks Pro
QuickCam Deluxe for Notebooks

Update (6/5/07): I just bought a Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision SE and it works immediately with iChat, including the audio. Nice. :-)

Today, Palm announced its new Foleo smartphone companion (shown, next to the Treo). You can learn about it at the Palm website and read some first impressions here, here, and here.

I'm going to reserve judgment on the Foleo until I get some hands-on time with it (you hear that, Palm? Bump me up a few spots on the review unit list, will ya?). It has some interesting points, but I'll admit to being skeptical that the market for this device exceeds a few thousand people.

But it did get me thinking just what would have been a better product (or products) to announce today that would have served a similar purpose (i.e., extending the usefulness of a smartphone like the Treo...or the iPhone)? Here are some ideas that I've seen proposed various places today:

1) Linux-Powered Tablet Treo -- Combine the radio and multimedia functions of a Treo with all the open-source goodness of a Linux kernel and a big touchscreen display.

2) Bluetooth Virtual Display -- Giving the user a better bigscreen view of her Treo's data while only adding a few ounces to her bag seems like an interesting idea. Just one question, though: How do you interact with the Treo if your eyes are blocked by the display?

3) Clamshell Treo -- Proposed by the many who wish the Treo's 2.5" square display was a shade larger yet still pocketable, a clamshell Treo could even have two displays (a la Nintendo's DS) for double the productivity.

4) A Universal Treo-Laptop Interface -- Some have suggested that what Palm really needs to offer is a piece of hardware that would connect a Treo to any PC's USB port and automatically broker data and Internet sharing between the two devices. Imagine a continuous "smart" syncing between the two devices so that the PC could be used as an interface to the Treo's contents, or vice versa.

What's your suggestion? What should Palm have released instead of the Foleo? Or do you think it really is a viable new product category?

Like you, probably, I'm constantly facing "yet another technology decision" at home. This time, it's storage; my main external USB backup drive is running out of space and I need to figure out a solution. But, it just as easily could have been another episode of "there has to be a better media streamer" or the umpteenth round of "my, my, LCD monitors are getting cheap...maybe it makes sense to finally replace my CRT."

But this backup issue haunts me. It seems I am never able to get enough storage in the right place to last for very long. As if I were a gas, merrily following my Brownian ways, I tend to fill up whatever volume (pun intended) I'm given. And that line of thinking made me realize that my home technology infrastructure is the result of countless incremental changes, most being opportunistic or cost-driven and very few (if any) made with a larger, long-term strategy in mind.

So what would I do if I could scrap everything I have and start fresh? Would I go with a Drobo attached to an Apple Airport Extreme to create a massively upgradable NAS, or would I go with a Microsoft Windows Home Server? Would I change everything on my wireless network over to 802.11n? Would I even have a desktop anywhere in the house (other than a Mac Mini to use as a media center PC)?

All those are entertaining issues to mull over, but the reality is that few of us have the money or time to toss out everything and start fresh. I mean, financial implications aside, how freaking long would it take to get all that new kit functioning correctly? My head reels at the thought.

So, I'm back to my issue of a 500GB USB HDD being inadequate as my main backup unit. Should I just go get a 750GB and buy some time, or should I invest in a longer-term solution at a considerably higher price? Decisions, decisions...

I just checked the Browser Share figures for GearBits (and my personal site, craigfroehle.com, which makes up a teensy fraction of all logged traffic) over the past month and wow! At roughly a quarter of all visitors to GearBits, Firefox's figures are enormous here, especially when combined with Safari, compared to larger averages (some of which, for example, put IE still at 80% or more overall share). GearBits' readers must be a rather intelligent group! :-)

Ever on the lookout for excellent tech, I recently stumbled upon a fantastic device: the Patriot Memory Xporter XT 4GB High-Speed USB 2.0 Flash Drive.

What makes this flash drive so much better than other drives? A few things. First, it's FAST...very fast. Patriot claims that this drive has a 200X read speed (that's roughly 30 MB/sec) and a write speed somewhat less than that. My usage experience -- I've owned one for a few months now -- is that this is undoubtedly the fastest flash drive I've ever used and I've yet to see the Xporter XT be the rate-limiting device when transferring data to/from other storage media and drives.

Second, it's ruggedized. The exterior covering is a dense rubber making it a little water resistant (splashes of water don't seem to phase it with the cap on) and pretty much impervious to damage from dropping or getting mashed inside a crowded bag.

The drive also has some more typical pros, such as an activity LED and driverless compatibility with modern operating systems. One other interesting tidbit is that Patriot recently certified that the Xporter XT line is Windows Vista ReadyBoost compatible, meaning it can be used by Vista systems as an extension to system RAM. This isn't unique, but it's nice to know the device is fully compatible.

The only downsides to this flash drive are minor, IMO: size (it's certainly not the smallest flash drive out there, but I've yet to find a situation where it wouldn't fit in the USB port) and the cap isn't permanently tethered (although the little rubber tab hanging on the chain gives you a place to "park" the cap when the drive is being used).

But honestly, these are rather trivial concerns when you consider the speed, capacity, and durability of this 4GB Patriot Xporter XT flash drive. If you hate waiting and want to be confident that your flash drive isn't getting demolished in your backpack, this is definitely a recommended device, even at its street price of around $110.

Our home theater PC -- the one labeled "HTPC" in this diagram -- died today. The boot drive, an old 40GB PATA drive, emitted the spiraling whine of death and failed to restart. R.I.P. old friend.

So, what should I replace it with? Or should I even bother at all? We basically used it for serving up MP3s to our SMC EZ-Stream audio streamer. But since I run Orb on another PC in the house that has a copy of all our media, and Orb acts as a pretty capable UPnP server, we no longer need a local PC to serve up music to the SMC.

We also sometimes occasionally used it to play back XviD and DivX movies to the TV. I suppose I could just hook up the laptop to the TV's VGA input in those rare instances instead.

Since our two TiVos and one Time Warner DVR handle all our time-shifting needs, I'm struggling to figure out just why I need an HTPC after all. Sure, there's the extremely infrequent case where pulling up a browser is handy. But my laptop is rarely more than a few feet away, and that's usually a more convenient alternative than dragging out the Gyration mouse and keyboard.

So, should I even bother with an HTPC? Would something like Apple's forthcoming Apple TV offer me functionality that I just couldn't live without?

Or, should I just fill the empty space in our entertainment cabinet with a Wii?

Decisions, decisions. If you have suggestions, email me at craig DOT froehle AT gmail DOT com. Thanks.

NBC is actively pursuing individuals who use the BitTorrent peer-to-peer network to acquire episodes of TV shows NBC owns. NBC's primary tactic of the moment is to find active torrents of these shows and identify the IP addresses of anyone sharing (uploading) any piece of the "offending" file.

Given that it's relatively easy to associate IP addresses of seeders with the ISPs who are providing that Internet address, NBC likely has a small army of interns and co-op students busily tracking these networks. Once they locate an offense, they issue a boilerplate letter containing the specifics (IP address, date, time, file, etc.) to the ISP, which is then supposed to take preventative measures against the offending IP address user.

There are (at least) two significant problems with this approach.

One reason is attribution; just because an IP address is associated with offending activity, it is not necessarily the account holder, or even someone associated with him, that is engaging in the activity. As we all know, wireless networks are inherently insecure and easily tapped into in most cases by someone with even a modicum of know-how. Beyond that, many types of malware tap into peer-to-peer networks without the PC owner even remotely aware that it's happening. Punishing the account holder in either of these situations seems difficult to justify, indeed.

But that's not even the biggest problem with the tactic NBC is currently taking.

An even more ridiculous problem is that NBC is essentially undermining its own business model. By asking ISPs to terminate the accounts of users who download an episode of, say, Battlestar Galactica, this makes several things happen.

First, it causes ill will with consumers of its programming; swearing off watching any particular show because the studio is making your life difficult (and switching ISPs can be a royal pain-in-the-ass) is not a great stretch, especially when TV watching in general is already on the decline. This reduces its viewer base and reduces potential ad revenues.

Second, canceling the Internet access of those who watch your TV show that way effectively eliminates them from your potential customer base entirely. Instead of coercing them into some more desirable activity, such as paying for and downloading the episodes through iTunes, these individuals now have no Internet access whatsoever, so they won't be getting the content either way (free or paid). This further erodes the potential customer base for any legitimate online offering.

So, through its simple-minded pursuit of file-sharers, NBC is basically undermining its very ability to monetize new programming. Maybe there are enough people watching the episodes of a given show straight through, commercials and all, to support these programs. But for shows appealing to young people and nerds (e.g., Battlestar Galactica), I doubt it. If these watchers aren't viewing directly off a TiVo/DVR (and skipping the ads), they're watching an MPEG-4 copy they ripped from their DVR or downloaded from the Internet. Sure, some might be buying them off iTunes, but given all the DRM attached to that method, the cost there would have to be a lot closer to free to make it worth considering.

NBC, like all the major networks, needs to shed its ideas that a 1980's business model is still viable. The Internet is not going away, no matter how hard they wish it would. Better to embrace the new challenges than resist them altogether and wake up one day to realize that you've joined the buggy-whip manufacturers as an icon of anachronistic industries.

If you're like me, you are constantly nagged by worries of how much hard drive space you have left on your network. A few years ago, I didn't worry so much...a hard drive wore out before I filled it up.

Now, however, as audio and video files proliferate like Tribbles, they chew through even massive drives in what seems like record time.

To combat this, I keep investing in large internal drives and even larger external drives for the PCs on my home network, as you can see in the diagram below:

As you can also see, those drives that house our media are much, much more full and closer to needing to be upgraded to something bigger. All told, our network has roughly half a terabyte of storage available for media and we're currently using over two-thirds of that. By the end of 2007, I project that we'll be out of space, either on the media storage drives themselves or the backup drives that, er, back them up.

So, what should I do? Continue to invest in local USB2.0 external drives, one (or more) per computer? That's certainly an option, although the complexity of maintaining such a multitude of drives is a concern.

Another option is network attached storage (NAS) -- basically a hard drive with an Ethernet interface that is accessible from any PC on the network. The main problem with that approach is that it's significantly more expensive than local USB storage. For example, a 500GB USB2.0 drive can be had for $180 pretty easily (or $0.36 per GB), whereas the same capacity network device would run roughly double that or more (many popular large-size NAS units run about $1.00 per GB).

However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. As NAS units become more popular and sell in larger numbers, they also become cheaper and with bigger capacities. The day that NAS functionality adds just a 20% or so premium over non-NAS external storage (versus the nearly 100% it is today) will be a good day...I just wish that day was yesterday.

As per tradition (OK, for at least the third time), here are my predictions for the upcoming year, 2007:

1) Apple's iPod continues PMP domination
Thought I'd start off with a safe one. Yep, I don't think too many would argue that the iPod is poised to remain the de facto standard in portable media players. Given that the #1 seller in Amazon's electronics category during the 2006 holiday season was the iPod by a significant margin, and given that accessories for all other PMPs combined amount to about 1/100th of what's available for the iPod, there's really no doubt that newcomers will have a hard time challenging the king, despite any technical advantages.

2) 802.11n gets ratified and gear floods to market
802.11n, the next generation of that family of wireless networking standards, has been forever in getting off the ground. 2007 should see its final certification, opening the gates to loads of networking hardware compliant to the new standard.

3) Film cameras all but disappear from electronics stores
While you'll still be able to find cheap disposables, it will become nearly impossible to find any mainstream electronics retailer selling more than one or two token models. $99 digital cameras from recognizable brands will become commonplace.

4) Nintendo tops Sony and Microsoft as gaming overlord
Not a big leap here, but Nintendo, through its Wii and DS lines, will lead all brands in game unit sales in 2007. Sony will retain the crown of technological leader (and work though its Blu-Ray production issues), and Microsoft will continue to play the spoiler in the industry.

5) TiVo is acquired
If this prediction was good enough to be wrong in 2006, then it's good enough for 2007 as well.

6) Google launches the GooglePhone
Google, in partnership with some handheld maker and/or carrier, will launch a branded QWERTY smartphone that natively runs its main offerings (e.g., Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Talk, etc.). Maybe I'm predicting this purely out of desire -- I so want such a device -- but I do think it will happen eventually.

7) eBay sells Skype
You heard it here first. Or maybe you didn't. Either way, this is a long-shot prediction, but I think Meg Whitman is smart enough to realize that Skype is worth more to eBay when it's owned by somebody else.

8) Palm brings Jeff Hawkins back to reinvent Treo line
The current Treo line is getting a bit long in the tooth (not to mention the now-ancient Palm OS, which Palm just repurchased the permanent rights to) and its sales are likely getting pinched by slimmer, more aesthetically appealing (while not as functional, but a lot of people by phones based on looks...kind of like how they pick boy/girlfriends in college) offerings from Motorola and others. So, since Palm doesn't seem capable of designing anything anyone wants to buy on its own, the company will announce that Jeff Hawkins is coming back to help lead the development of the next-generation Treo. And many will ask, "What took you so long?"

9) HD-DVD and Blu-Ray persist; nobody cares
More devices will be available at cheaper prices, but sales of both players and media will continue to be tepid. Not only is renting becoming the dominant mode of DVD acquisition, but the current quality of standard dual-layer DVDs is perfectly adequate for 99% of the population. Maybe in a few years, the proliferating 1080p sets will drive people to want high-def movies, but it won't be as rapid an adoption rate as the original DVD was.

10) Robots become sentient, destroy all of humanity
On a related note, iRobot's stock price will double in 2007 as a result of strong sales and the announcement that a first-gen AI will take over as President and CEO.

Have a good year, everyone!

ABC News is reporting that Firefox's share of the browser market as of December 7th grew to 10.7%, up from under 10% in less than two months.

Try Firefox now (it's free).

I've been a longtime fan of Panasonic's Toughbook eLite series of notebooks ever since I got my CF-W2 back in June of 2004. I like the fact that these are tough, ultra-light (2.8lbs), great battery life (~6 hours), and still have an internal optical drive.

Well, I just noticed that Panasonic has launched its latest version, the Toughbook eLite CF-W5, which improves on the previous CF-W4 model in a few ways:
• 1.2GHz Intel Core Solo CPU (vs. 1.2GHz Pentium M)
• 533MHz Frontside Bus
• Internal DVD- and CD-rewritable Multi-Drive (vs. DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive)
• Upgraded video and audio chips
• Upgraded Wireless LAN chip with full complement of wireless security options
• Better battery life (8 hrs vs 6 hrs)
• And, as if all that wasn't enough, at just 2.7 lbs., the W5 is .1 lbs lighter!

Just for comparison, Gateway's "ultraportable" NX100X weighs 3.5 lbs, does NOT include an internal optical drive, has a slower CPU, shorter battery life, and a 1-year warranty (versus the Panasonic's standard 3-year warranty). I tell you...these Toughbook eLites are amazing machines.

My opinion is that A-DATA makes crappy products and fails to live up to the promises made by its product warranties. Here are the facts that have driven me to this belief.

On June 15, 2006, I purchased a 4GB A-DATA MyFlash 150X Turbo Secure Digital flash memory card (shown below) from a reputable online retailer to use as a local backup medium for my laptop (a Panasonic Toughbook with a built-in SD card slot).

In early October of 2006, less than 4 months after I purchased the card, I noticed that it was starting to crack along the plastic casing. I felt this was a bit odd since I rarely move the card out of its home in my laptop's SD slot. Maybe once or twice a week, I will transfer some files between my laptop and my PC using the card. Given that only about 12 weeks had passed, that was at most 50 insertions. Here are some pictures I took of the card's abnormally bad wear:

Notice that the casing near the electrical contacts is cracked and major parts are completely missing. Also note the big hole in the upper left part of the card's underside. Finally, the last photo clearly shows how the card is splitting along the seam that runs around its periphery.

Here is A-DATA's warranty statement about its SD flash memory cards (which can also be read on A-DATA's website here):

Note that it says "life-time warranty". I'm not sure what has a lifetime of <4 months...maybe mayflies...but I doubt anyone expects flash media to fall to pieces in less time. So, thinking that this should be a fairly simple case of letting the company know my situation and them replacing the card, I contacted A-DATA on October 15, 2006 about my situation and got the following response two days later:

Dear Craig,

Thanks for your support of A-DATA product.

According to the problem you mentioned, it maybe is a man-made damage. You could go back to the store where you bought it for repair. Or provide clear front and rear pictures of the card for us to identify the warranty information as well as the product situation first.

Regards,

First, no online retailer is going to take back a defective electronics product 4 months after the purchase; that's what manufacturer warranty repair service is for. Second, "man-made damage"? Do they think I ran over it with my car? I told them how it had been handled carefully, rarely leaving the protective confines of my laptop's dedicated SD slot.

I then emailed them back with high-res photos of the card's cracking and a copy of my sales receipt. Here's their response:

Dear Craig,

According to the information you provide, it is a man-made damage. A-DATA only could provide the paid repair service. If you need our paid repair service, please inform us what country you live.

Regards,

Huh? What the heck is "man-made damage"? Would ANY card that has been used at all and failed be repaired under warranty if A-DATA is going to merely claim that USE is responsible for the card's disintegration after just 4 months? How can normal wear-and-tear, if not less, be sufficient to void a warranty?

As a comparison point, I currently also own two SanDisk SD cards, each of which is over a year old and gets moved from one SD slot to another or a reader nearly every day -- they show ZERO signs of wear around the plastic casing.

To me, it seems clear that this A-DATA card is of inferior quality (at least the plastic casing is too brittle) AND the company fails to live up to its warranty claims. I would strongly recommend avoiding all of A-DATA's products...I know I will be in the future.

The new ClearSync 1.0 is officially launching today, so go check it out if you are interested in shared PIM (calendars and contacts) accessible via Palm OS handhelds and Treos, browser, and PC desktop applications.

According to the ClearSync website, here's what the service/software allows you to do:

Create and Edit
* multiple calendars, shared and private.
* contacts with name and contact info.
* from PC or Palm handheld PDA.

Share
* your calendar and contacts with others.
* selectively, controlling who can view and who can edit your calendars and contacts.

View
* calendars one at a time, side-by-side at the same time, or merged for an integrated view.
* calendars by day, week, or month.
* contacts organized by category.
* on your Windows PC - See screen shots.
* on your Palm handheld - See screen shots
* on any platform with a web browser (e.g. Mac, Linux) - See screen shots.

Sync
* updates all members' calendars and contacts on all their devices, no matter where the edits were done.
* using your one-button Palm sync, the way you always have.
* from PC using one-mouse-click sync.

Access
* calendars and contacts from office or home.
* using wireless laptop or wireless Palm handheld to sync changes while around town or on the road.

Backup
* of calendars and contacts means if you have a PC failure or lose your handheld, you lose no data.

Subscribe
* to public calendars such as U.S. Holidays and NBA schedules . See list of public calendars.

I've been cleaning out some old stuff of mine and my parents and have come across an interesting collection of stuff from my childhood. Two things I had saved for future reference included a 1975 World Series (baseball) program and a 1981 newspaper about the Space Shuttle. Looking through these, I discovered a veritable time capsule of consumer electronics -- advertisements from brands like Tandy, Zenith, Polaroid, and Magnavox are pretty amusing compared to today's offerings.

Take a look at some full-page ads for TVs, computers, cameras, and more after the jump...

I'm the last person to direct people to Best Buy usually, but there's a particularly good deal there right now: a 500 GB Western Digital My Book Essential Edition USB 2.0 external hard drive (pictured) on sale now for $199.99.

That's only $0.40 per gig, which is hard to beat right now on external drives. And so far, this one's fairly quiet and runs reasonably cool (plus, the all-black case looks pretty sweet on top of my Antec TX 640B :-).

I finally convinced my mother-in-law that her computer, a 1999 Pentium III running Windows ME, needed replacing. She wasn't too resistant, as it was getting pretty dodgy -- frequent lock-ups and it was slooooow.

Given that she wasn't terribly invested in Windows and generally used her PC only for web browsing and webmail, I suggested she consider a Mac mini. She already had a decent 19" CRT monitor and speakers, so the mini seemed like a good prospect.

This past weekend, when we were visiting her, she and I visited the Apple store to check them out. Within 15 minutes of seeing it in action, she was convinced that this was a good idea, so we left the store toting a Core Solo mini, a Super Mighty Mouse, and a Mac keyboard.

Back at her home, I set everything up. Setup took about 15 minutes; most of that was removing Apple's notoriously meticulous packaging. Once turned on and connected to her DSL, the mini needed to download updates for what seemed like every stinking application on it (nearly a gig worth!) -- that took about 3 hours to complete. But then, she was ready to go. The ease of setup really was impressive.

As this was my first real hands-on experience with a Mac, especially OS X, I was anxious to see how easy it really was. As a 15-year exclusive user of Windows, I have to admit that I found the lack of a right-click a bit disconcerting -- I constantly felt like I should be able to pop up a context menu. Other than that, I really liked the responsiveness and overall look-and-feel -- things did what they seemed like they should and stuff was where it seemed like it should be. What tickled my mother-in-law the most at first was the fact that this little, teensy, nearly-silent white box replaced her ginormous, wheezing, gray HP tower.

Will I become a Mac convert? Well, probably not. I am very efficient at getting Windows machines to do what I want, and I don't have any serious complaints about Windows XP, so I don't feel an urge to abandon the platform. However, with that said, if the Shuttle PC that currently serves as our home theater PC suddenly gives out, I would be quite tempted to replace it with a Core Duo Mac mini. Knowing that Macs and Windows machines can get along on the same network without a lot of muss and fuss makes that option a lot more palatable than it was in the days of Dave.

So, my hat's off to Apple and Steve Jobs -- you guys really do know what you're doing and I hope that more people explore you as a reasonable option for their computing needs. Macs deserve at least consideration, if not a good hard look, especially by those who aren't already heavily invested (in terms of $$ or knowledge) in Windows.

ClearSync, the service that lets folks share their calendars and contacts data with others, has recently relaunched (it was once upon a time called WeSync) with many improvements.

In a nutshell, ClearSync handles your calendar/datebook data and contacts/address data on your Palm OS device or Windows desktop and lets you selectively share those data with others. Those "others" can either view (and edit, if you so choose) your data on their Palms or Treos or desktop PCs (Windows only), or they can use their browser (virtually any OS) to view (not edit) your calendar and contacts.

The screenshot to the right is one of the calendar views on a high-res Treo -- it lets you see one calendar (e.g., your own) side-by-side another calendar (e.g., your spouse's). These get updated every HotSync or, if used on a wireless device, wirelessly via direct connection to the ClearSync server.

This type of setup is perfect for busy couples, business partners, and other pairs and groups needing to coordinate across corporate lines or outside of a business setting (e.g., softball teams, Boy Scout troops, bowling leagues, bridge clubs, extended families, etc.).

Give it a look-see...www.clearsync.com.

I recently purchased the Canon PIXMA MP830 All-in-One Printer/Scanner/Fax/Copier and, after a few weeks of use, have been thoroughly impressed.

One of the features that initially caught my attention is the MP830's duplex (two-sided) scanning, copying, and printing. I do a lot of scanning paper documents to PDF, and having to manually collate the PDF pages of two-sided originals gets old in a hurry. The MP830's duplex function works like a charm. Sure, it adds a few seconds to each page as it sends it through for a second pass, but the paper handling has been rock solid so far.

You can read the MP830's specs a lot of places, so I won't bother with them here, but suffice it to say that it offers just about everything you could want in a multi-function device: color LCD for menus and photo previews, borderless photo printing, PictBridge, card reader slots, two paper sources, flatbed AND auto document feed for scanning, and, above all, duplex paper handling (the only function duplex doesn't work in is faxing). The MP830 isn't networkable, but sharing the printer through a PC's USB connection makes it accessible to everyone on the LAN.

A very nice borderless 4x6 photo print takes less than 30 seconds to emerge, and scanning a stack of 10 double-sided pages into Acrobat takes only a minute or so. The speed is impressive.

Perhaps the thing that makes this printer especially tremendous is that you only have to spend about $260 (or less) for all this functionality! I got mine from Newegg.com, who even shipped it for free (which is a good thing since this is one heavy box!).

I came from a long line of HP printers (still own two of them). I wish I had found the Canon sooner; similarly spec'ed HP multi-function printers cost more while providing (in my opinion) much crappier software (HP Director is just awful!) and cartridge problems that border on fraudulent. The Canon uses dedicated cartridges for each color and black, meaning, for example, that if you print a bunch of letterheads with blue logos and your cyan cartridge runs out, you only need to replace that one, which is much cheaper than replacing all three colors as you're forced to do with HP units. In my opinion, the control panel layout of the MP830 puts HP's all-in-ones to shame, too.

So, if you're interested in a very competent and reasonably priced printer/fax/scanner/copier multi-function, I'd strongly recommend the Canon PIXMA MP830 all-in-one. Just make sure you have a spare USB2.0 cable handy (or pick one up), as one isn't included with the printer.

I really like subnotebooks (or sub-notebooks or subnotes, as you prefer), yet there are still far fewer to choose from than larger-sized laptops. The June, 2006 issue of Laptop Magazine had a cover story entitled "Featherweight Champs", which compared six notebooks under 4 lbs. They crowned one a "winner," but, as usual, it wasn't clear to me precisely why it won.

So, to help escape the problems inherent with such subjective methods, I'd like to propose a new metric for comparing small notebooks -- the GearBits Subnotebook Scale (or GSS).

The concept is pretty easy: compare some good aspects with some bad aspects and derive a numeric score as a ratio of the good to the bad.

Good Things (numerator):
- Screen resolution (in megapixels)
- Screen size (diag., in inches)
- Optical drive on-board (Yes = 3, No = 1)
- Battery life (actual, with wireless on, in hours)
- Keyboard pitch (horizontal, in millimeters)

Bad Things (denominator):
- Size (square root of width X depth)
- Thickness (average thickness, in in.)
- Weight (in lbs., as configured above)

Calculation Example: Panasonic Toughbook W4 (shown)

(1024x768/1000000) • 12.1 • 3 • 6 • 19   3254.4
-------------------------------------- = ------ = 88.4
        (10.6x8.3)1/2 • 1.4 • 2.8         36.8  

Here is how some of the more popular subnotes compare:

Sure, the GSS is not comprehensive. For example, it doesn't differentiate a basic internal DVD/CD-RW "combo" drive from a full-blown internal 16X Dual-Layer DVD-R/W -- either would contribute the same to a laptop's GSS score. So, consider the GSS just as a starting point...feel free to customize it as you see fit, depending on your priorities and needs. Here's a pre-made Excel GSS calculator if you want to tweak the GSS for your own use.

I would suggest that for every "must have" feature beyond those listed above (e.g., Bluetooth), add 20 (or less) to the model's GSS score, depending on the feature's value to you. For example, if you deem Bluetooth to be an indispensible feature, give it a bonus of 20 points -- the Fujitsu P7120 above would have a revised score of 96.3 rather than 76.3, making it a top contender for you. Just remember to add similar adjustments to other laptops with the same feature(s). Sum up these add-ons and compare the revised GSS scores.

And while I designed the GSS to rate subnotebooks specifically, there's no reason you couldn't plug in the specs on any laptop. Just remember that it will likely favor smaller, lighter laptops over bigger, heavier ones even if the larger units offer better performance.

So, how does your laptop score?

Update: A couple of friends with Mac laptops emailed me specs (see table below) -- the GSS seems to work regardless of laptop size (or OS ;-), but it does tend to favor smaller notebooks.

Business trips often provide nice opportunities for some travel photography, so taking both my camera and my laptop -- something none of my current bags can accommodate -- was becoming increasingly desirable to me. So, I began searching for a backpack-style bag that would safely house my DSLR and lenses while also providing room for my notebook.

I found the Case Logic SLRC-4 SLR/Computer Backpack. It's nice and quite a bargain (I found it for about $70 delivered -- the next cheapest similar alternative was a LowePro bag for about $140).

Granted, if you have a lot of gear and/or really big lenses, this may not be the bag for you. If you want to use it for toting both a camera setup and laptop (with accouterments), you'll be limited to one DSLR body, 4-5 small-to-medium-sized lenses, and up to a 15" notebook. A jumbo 300mm f/2.8 (or larger) lens just isn't going to fit. The inside is very reconfigurable in terms of allocating space for different equipment, so as long as you're not heading off to a month-long safari, you should be covered.

Build quality seems very good -- definitely better than I expected for such an inexpensive bag. Another benefit is that there is nothing about the bag that screams out "expensive technology inside!" making it less attractive to thieves.

So, if you have a modest DSLR setup and need to take your laptop with you often, check out the Case Logic SLRC-4 backpack...a good bag and a great value.

If you're like me, there's no telling the number of different formats of audio and video files you find making their way to your PC's desktop. Captured or produced by new gadgets, sent by friends, or grabbed from websites, these media files usually play in some app I have installed, but not always.

When you just can't figure out exactly what that odd AVI file is, grab the GSpot Codec Information Appliance. GSpot, a free app, first analyzes the codecs installed on your machine. Then, you point it to an AVI file and it tells you the 4CC video codec info, audio codec (if any), bitrates, and various other interesting and/or useful tidbits. If there's no codec on your system to play the file, GSpot will even point you in the right direction to get one.

Very nifty...thanks, Steve G!

Constantly running out of USB ports, I searched around for a decent, yet inexpensive USB2.0 hub for my main PC at home.

At newegg.com, I found this D-Link DUB-H7 7-Port USB2.0 Hub for $14.99 after a $10 rebate (good through the end of April).

It arrived yesterday and it's a keeper! It's a nice, compact unit an the package includes both the A-B USB cable and a high-quality power adapter (unlike most cheaper hubs, that's included). And with 7 ports, I don't expect to be running out of open connections again anytime soon.

For $15 after rebate, this is definitely a deal in my book. And newegg.com had it to my door in 3 days for $3.99 shipping, which is really hard to beat.

I hate most CAPTCHAs ("Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart" per Wikipedia) -- bizarre, twisted fonts on eye-bending backgrounds make it difficult, if not impossible, for this human to read the text. Below is just one example:

So it was with excitement that I read about KittenAuth Test, a new approach to CAPTCHA that relies on image cues instead of text.

Essentially, KittenAuth Test puts up a grid of images, some subset of which belong to a common descriptor or category -- clicking on those common images authenticates the user. One example, keeping with the name of the test, would be kitten photos interspersed with non-kitten images, as this example shows:

Merely clicking the three kitten photos in any order authenticates the user.

This is definitely an improvement. No typing, no wondering "is it an 'l' or a '1'?", and it's fun (well, almost). Plus, the images could easily be customized to reinforce the theme or subject of the website much more consistently than traditional CAPTCHAs. I hope this enhancement energizes the authentication community to move beyond those dreadful warped-text CAPTCHAs that nobody particularly likes.

Ultra Mobile PCs -- tiny, wireless, slate-like PCs with finger-friendly touch-screens running full-blown Windows XP (or Vista...if it ever arrives). Below is the Samsung Q1 product, supposedly out in a month or two.

You've probably read the announcements...and heard from all the skeptics. But personally, I think it could be a fantastic form-factor for a lot of uses, not the least of which is college students.

More info: UMPC.com -- The official UMPC site

I'm really tempted to grab a new Intel-based Mac Mini for replacing our noisy, outdated home theater PC. All I need it to do is hook up to my network, support an external HDD, play media, and browse the web. Sounds perfect, right?

My only concern are the specs, and Mac specs aren't something I'm familiar with enough to judge. Would a 1.5GHz Intel Core Solo and 512MB of RAM be enough to handle high-res video, let alone HD content? I'm just not sure.

One cool new feature on the mini is the addition of Front Row, which tosses in a remote for controlling media from anywhere in the room. Now that's nifty. Check out complete specs at the Apple website.

Update: Ben over at HDBeat loves the new Mac mini as an HTPC, but also isn't sure whether an Intel Core Solo mini would have the horsepower to handle HD content. [Read]

Needing a flash drive, I searched out the best bang for the buck -- maximum MB per dollar spent. The 2GB Memorex TravelDrive, a USB2.0 thin-profile flash drive, set me back just under $100 at Newegg.com, and I thought I'd post some thoughts about it.

PROS
First, the good stuff. It's cheap -- 2GB for under $100 is currently a pretty good deal, at least for flash drives (micro-HDD based USB drives are in a whole different class). It's also very thin, making it easy to fit into nearly any open USB slots, even if it's between two occupied slots. When plugged into a WinXP machine, it identifies itself as "TRAVELDRIVE" (much better than just getting an unnamed drive letter, which can be aggravating to find quickly). A blue LED indicates drive activity. And, it comes with a nifty lanyard (which attaches to the body of the drive, NOT the cap...an important feature) and quick-release clasp...a nice touch for a bargain drive.

CONS
Now, the downsides. One thing, and this may not be considered a negative by some, is that it comes with no software, so those trying to use this with Win98 or older operating systems that don't support FAT-based USB flash drives natively may need to download drivers from the Memorex website. The drive is also a little slower than I'd like -- my limited testing revealed the following mixed results in terms of write speeds:

• 54MB worth of data in 1,921 files and 71 directories (a real torture test) took almost four minutes (3'43" to be exact) to write to the drive (deleting took roughly 1 minute). For comparison, copying the same files to a high-speed 2GB Secure Digital card via a USB2.0 card reader took 12'35".

• 59MB of data in just 1 file copied to the root directory happened in 19 sec. For comparison, copying the same file to the same SD card as above took less than 8 seconds.

Conclusion: While I can't speak to the drive's long-term durability or compatibility across multiple OSes, so far I'm satisfied with the value this drive offers. The flash drive market is very competitive, but Memorex (now owned by Imation) seems to have a fairly compelling package at a very reasonable price in its TravelDrive.

Browsing the circulars in the newspaper this morning, I noticed what seems like a pretty decent deal.

OfficeDepot is offering the SmartDisk FotoChute FCD20, a portable 20GB receptacle for digital camera files (and anything else that can be transferred via its USB2.0 port), for $70 after rebate (valid for purchases between Jan. 22nd and 28th, 2006).

Here's the link to the OfficeDepot webpage. The website still says $169.99, but the flyer said they were giving an additional $30 off in "instant savings."

The reviews I've read seem to indicate that it works pretty well as a file sherpa, but it doesn't do some things that other, more expensive devices do (like play MP3s, allow you to view photos on a little display, provide memory card slots, etc.).

I don't have one of these, and probably won't run out and get one, but for those of you looking for cheap, small file storage or about to take a long trip and don't want to stock up on flash media for your camera, this might be a decent deal.

Always on the lookout for good freeware and open source utilities, I stumbled upon Notepad++, a slick, full-featured text and source code editor for Windows environments. All the expected functions, such as search/replace, context-sensitive color-coding, etc. are included, and it seems pretty robust.

Give it a try.

Microsoft will, of course, want everyone currently running any flavor of Windows on their PCs to upgrade to some form of Windows Vista when it's launched. That much is a given.

However, Microsoft's own support policies, as detailed by Ars Technica may put it in a difficult position.

On one hand, if Microsoft is too lenient about supporting Windows XP users, it may find that its current user base adopts Vista far more slowly than the company needs it to.

On the other hand, if Microsoft pushes people to move to Vista too hard, it risks alienating them -- many consumers might be just as happy to go plunk down $500 and buy a Mac mini or some other OS X machine.

So, the whole migration to Vista looks like it will be an interesting experiment for Redmond. I've yet to see a wholly compelling reason to move away from XP (it's the first version of Windows I'd say is as stable as it is full-featured) in favor of Vista, so Microsoft may find it challenging to motivate users to switch to Vista without resorting to support restrictions or other implied threats. The company may find itself just having to wait out the PC upgrade cycle, which is how most consumers end up with the OS version they have. And that won't sit will with management.

I'll admit it; I'm a bagaholic. Few things delight me more than finding the perfect bag or case for some gadget or use.

It has to be the right size -- not too big, but not too small. It has to have the right number and size of pockets, if any are needed. It has to have the appropriate closing/fastening hardware in the right spots.

I have been known to search for months for just the right case, popping into the odd luggage store or outfitter that I happen to see, just in case something there meets all my criteria. And the more true gadget geeks I meet, the more I'm starting to realize that this is not an uncommon affliction amongst us.

When I saw the Victorinox Swiss Army Eiffel laptop bag (pictured) at a local luggage shop a few months ago, I was convinced it was my ideal "everyday" go-to-work/haul-my-laptop brief. It looked to fit my 12" Panasonic W2 perfectly, with just enough space to fit the A/C cordage below it. There were enough pockets to accommodate some folders/papers, but not too many so that it'd be bulky. And it had a couple of nifty add-ons, like a magnetic close "hidden" external pocket and some nice internal organizing compartments so all my stuff wouldn't just jostle around all higgeldy-piggeldy. Since it's made of ballistic nylon, it's both durable and light in weight (unlike most leather bags). Plus, and this is a subtle issue, the strap clips are metal while the rings they lock into are plastic. This is important because it minimizes the potential for squeaking that metal-on-metal sometimes produces, while ensures the longevity of the clips. I told you it was subtle.

But, I found an extra surprise feature once I started using the bag. It is covered by Swiss Army's Global Track ID service. Each bag covered has a unique ID permanently attached to the inside of the bag. If the bag is lost and then found by someone (someone honest, that is), all they have to do is call the toll-free number inside and cite the bag's ID code. Then, and this is where my amazement begins, Swiss Army "will notify you, arrange pickup, and then arrange for delivery of your bag-at no cost to you." If it really works like that, I'll be amazed. Of course, I'm not planning on intentionally losing this bag just to test it. ;-)

All in all, after using the bag for a while, it gets an unqualified thumbs-up. Build quality seems excellent, the strap is sturdy yet comfortable, and the bag holds just what I need with no extra bulk to get in the way. Plus, the vertical storage position (which I think will accommodate most 14" laptops as well, and maybe some 15" models) makes it much easier to carry than a regular briefcase. All in all, a very decent bag. Considering the Global Track ID service, it seems like a pretty good deal, too.

OK, so maybe "micro-notebook" is stretching it a bit, but this new Fujitsu sub-note makes my Panasonic W2 look huge (and it's not).

Akihabara News has the goods (there's even a 4-minute "laptop pr0n" video of the unit, replete with soft jazz in the background), but here are some key specs:

- Smaller than an 8.5x11 piece of paper and less than 1" thick
- 10.6" 1280x768 screen
- 1.2GHz Pentium M w/ 512MB of RAM & 60GB HDD
- Internal DVD burner
- 2.57 lbs (!)
- 802.11a/b/g
- Gobs of ports
- Integrated biometric reader

Please, please let this come to our shores....please. Not that I don't still love my W2, but my infatuation with tiny laptops is not easily sated.

Back in April of this year, I posted an entry (Do HP Inkjet Cartridges Expire?) where I complained that a color cartridge for my HP OfficeJet 6110 just suddenly stopped working with an error message of "Left cartridge incorrect". I thought it was weird since the cartridge was working fine just a few days before, but guessed it was due to the (arbitrary) "expiration" date stamped on the cartridge being less than a month away.

Just today, however, the black cartridge stopped working with the same error message. Well, to be technically accurate, it says "Error: Right cartridge incorrect." The printer will simply not print now with this cartridge installed, despite it printing just fine YESTERDAY.

Looking at the cartridge, I notice the expiration date stamped on it is 2006/06/15 -- yes, exactly 8 months from today. So there's no justifiable reason why this cartridge should just up and go freaky (and yes, I've attempted cleaning it per HP's directions).

Basically, I'm ticked. HP has the best printer hardware out there, especially when it comes to multi-function devices (copier/printer/scanner/fax machines). But, if they are going to try to continue to rip me off like this (a new black cartridge is $20) -- and we all know about the lawsuits and what-not -- I'll need to switch to something else. Maybe a nice Canon laser all-in-one...hmm...

Update (3/5/07): I've turned off comments temporarily, but got an email I thought I'd share, since it looks to have some potentially useful information about this issue (note: I've not tried this, so do so at your own risk):

Hi Craig,
I found your page on a google search. I just want you to know about how I got round my printer not allowing out of date cartidges. It would be great to spread the word as far as possible, and I can't find how to post something on your site. I have an HP officejet d135 - fax, printer, copier and scanner. Foolishly I bought some cartridges on clearance, then found they didn't work. Another web site advised that taking out the internal printer battery works, and it did! The printer is none the worse for it, except it doesn't know the date until the computer tells it. Also, you may find that the fax doesn't quite work automatically with call backs, and won't store numbers. However, the good news is that the printer and expired (or not yet expired) cartridges all work. If you get problems with the fax etc, it is possible to replace the battery after putting in the new cartridge, the printer having accepted it. If you really want to, you can rig up a switch to turn the battery off while replacing cartridges, and back on again after. Hope this helps, and please pass it on. I agree with all the comments that large companies should not be allowed to do this kind of anti-competitive stuff, and that it is environmentally wrong, and that it should be my choice to risk a poor quality print.
Alice
Cambridge, UK

I purchased a Patriot 2GB Secure Digital card for a little over $100 and was pretty excited about it. That was until I found out that it requires any SD reader to have updated firmware. A Patriot representative said the 2GB cards now coming out used some "new technology" in it and told me that if the card wasn't recognized by a particular card reader, or it reported the card as having 1GB or less capacity, then that card reader will need a new driver to access the full 2GB.

So now I'm desperately trying to get drivers for my Panasonic laptop (integrated SD slot, about 18 months old), SanDisk 8-in-1 USB2.0 flash card reader (less than a year old), and some generic POS flash card reader (yeah, good luck). My Treo 650 supposedly supports the card by virtue of having recently updated firmware, but the card is only recognized perhaps 50% of the time it's inserted. Maybe it's faulty...hard to tell.

Update (10/19/05): It seems that 2GB cards of speeds 60X and slower seem to work much more universally than do the faster cards, like the 133X speed one from Patriot I got. So if you're having trouble, try a slower card (yes, it pains me to recommend that).

The New York Times has a decent, if not short, piece on wireless network cameras. They review the Linksys WVC54G, Panasonic BB-HCM371A, and D-Link DCS-6620G. They did not mention the Hawking Technology HNC230G I reviewed last month.

An older hard drive I had slapped in a cheap external USB housing (for MP3 storage) was getting increasingly loud (it's all ball bearings these days, you know), so I had my eye out for a replacement. Not willing to spend $1/GB typical of many pre-packaged USB external drives, I finally found a deal I could live with: a 120GB Western Digital Dual-Option External USB Hard Drive for $80 after rebates at Circuit City.

I have no idea what the "Dual-Option" nomenclature refers to since this is USB 2.0 only (no Firewire/IEEE1394). Perhaps the two options available are that you can lay it down on its side or stand it up on its edge with the included feet. ;-)

This sits in our family room where we watch most of our TV and movies, so noise was a real concern. After reading several reviews suggesting it to be quiet, I bought it with some confidence. Boy, they weren't kidding. Even with my ear next to the unit, I can barely tell it's on.

Setup was easy, although I didn't use the included automated backup software (we're using it just as a media storage drive). The casing looks nice and the entire package seems to be of high quality. If you need more room, then opt for one of their larger drives (up to 250GB at the moment, I believe). And yes, the little buttons in front are dimly lit with blue LEDs (this ain't no disco).

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the purchase. Now I just hope CC processes my rebates.

Specs:
- Model number: WDXUB1200BBNN
- Spindle Speed: 7200RPM
- Cache: 2MB
- Hi-Speed USB 2.0
- Read seek time: 8.9 ms
- Contents: External drive, USB 2.0 cable, A/C adapter (2-part cord), software CD, plastic feet fixtures
- Physical dimensions: Do you really care? It's a freaking external hard drive.

Ever in search of the better baby cam, I snagged an HNC230G Wireless-G Network Camera from Hawking Technologies. There are many wireless network cameras out there, but I chose this one due to the combination of it having 802.11g with a very reasonable price (under $90).

What's a wireless network camera, and how does it differ from a webcam? Good questions. Webcams have to be connected to a computer, usually via a USB cable, and merely send image (and sometimes sound) data to the PC. Network cameras have their own embedded web server built right into them so they can broadcast their signal to the local network (and out to the Internet) without a PC. They have their own IP address, so you can access them independently of anything else on your network.

In the box was the camera (which was surprisingly small...maybe the size of two decks of cards), a short CAT-5 cable (needed for initial setup only), A/C adapter & power cord (the only wire needed when the HNC230G is in wireless mode), ball-joint mounting kit (a very nice bonus!), and the requisite software CD.

On the camera itself are several features of note: a power plug, an RJ-45 plug, an antenna mount, two screw sockets for mounting on the included ball-joint (one on the top and one on the side), and 4 status LEDs (thankfully the config software lets you turn these completely off).

Setup was pretty easy. First, you plug the camera into power and wire it directly into your network router (initial setup requires a wired connection...can't be done wirelessly). Then, install the setup software onto a PC on the network and run through the camera's wireless setup wizard. After that, once the camera is happily talking to your network, you can complete the configuration wirelessly.

As you can see in the photo, I mounted ours underneath a cabinet in the corner of the kitchen. It's fairly unobtrusive...visible, but it doesn't draw your attention. The power cord is tied up in a little bundle behind the camera...you can just see the 802.11g antenna peeking out from behind (ignore the coax cable there...that's unrelated).

So how well does it work? Pretty well, overall. When using the camera's wireless connection to view the camera's video in a web browser (it requires a Java applet), I get 6 frames per second (fps) at 160x120 and 320x240 resolutions and 2-3 fps at 640x480 (note that my wireless network is 100% 802.11g). When using a wired connection, I get somewhat faster video, although not at the camera's advertised rate of 30 fps. Image quality is quite decent...very acceptable, as can be seen in the screen cap below (that's our dog in the foreground). The camera also comes with viewer software that will let you watch 4 network cameras simultaneously (for security applications or, I guess, if you have lots of kids).

Overall, I'm happy with the purchase. I had always wanted an 802.11 network camera, but balked at the price. Prices have really started to drop recently, and this budget offering from Hawking Technologies doesn't disappoint.

I recently followed a link from LostRemote.com (a TV/press industry blog) to a news story on MSNBC.com. There, I wanted to watch a brief, free video about one of the stories.

First, you can't do this in Firefox -- the MSNBC.com site won't let you access any of its multimedia content (hosted by MSN Video) unless you use Microsoft's browser. Strike 1.

Second, you have to have at least version 9 of Windows Media Player installed. No other formats are offered for guests not willing, or able, to use Microsoft's multimedia player. Strike 2.

Third, the site requires you to have Macromedia Flash 7 installed into Internet Explorer in order to watch the video (why, I have no clue). But, once installed, you have to completely reboot your system. Other browsers' handling of plug-ins is much less ridiculous -- a simple restarting of the browser app (NOT a complete shutdown of Windows) is all that's required. Strike 3.

Sorry, Microsoft, I'm not going to update and/or install 3 pieces of software and restart my entire computer just to watch a news story clip. Despite your claims that you "get" the Internet, you certainly don't understand the diversity inherent in the Internet community. You can't be, and you certainly aren't, the best solution to everyone's computing needs, so why lock out those from your partner's (NBC) content whose needs have advanced past your offerings? If you're going to start convincing us that you're not a monopoly, you'll have to first stop acting like one.

The PC went together fairly easily. Greg and I spent about 4 hours assembling the machines last night -- we were in no hurry.

I'll elaborate on the process and post more pics in a bit, but suffice to say this will be a very decent machine. The blurry cameraphone shot below shows the FPS in MOHAA (Medal of Honor Allied Assault) at max rendering quality (yes, it says 1600.0 FPS). w00t!

After a fair bit of research, Greg and I placed orders for all the components we'll need for the two new PCs we're building. Here are the parts we each finally decided on (prices are as paid):

CPU
- Greg: AMD Athlon 64 (Venice core) 3000+
- Craig: AMD Athlon 64 (Venice core) 3000+
At $146, these 1.8GHz processors are a great deal -- plenty of muscle and the latest tech for video encoding, games should play just fine, and everyday stuff like browsing and Office apps should run like a scalded dog.

MOTHERBOARD
- Greg: Chaintech VNF4 Ultra
- Craig: Chaintech VNF4 Ultra
For only $93, the VNF4 Ultra gives you a modern nForce4 Ultra chipset-based mobo and includes SATA II RAID, PCI Express 16X for video, 2 PCIe 1X slots (for future expansion), 3 PCI, and a host of other features. Not the fastest or the most overclockable, but just about perfect for our needs.

VIDEO
- Greg: Chaintech GF SE6600G ($169)
- Craig: Gigabyte GV-NX66T128VP ($200)
Here we diverged a little. Both of these 128MB cards are based on the impressive GeForce 6600GT VPU from nVidia. I was attracted to the Gigabyte because it is passively cooled (no loud VPU fan!), does VIVO (Video-In, Video-Out), and its RAM is already overclocked (1120 MHz), which should give a very slight bump in performance. Greg didn't really care much about these features, so he was happy to save some clams and go with the Chaintech board (a great value).

RAM
- Greg: 1GB of Corsair VS1GBKIT400 (2x512MB) PC3200
- Craig: 1GB of Corsair VS1GBKIT400 (2x512MB) PC3200
After some debate regarding the relative benefits of quicker RAM timing and keeping some green in our wallets, we settled on these paired Corsair sticks ($80). With a CAS latency of 2.5, they should be plenty quick for our needs, and two sticks takes full advantage of the system's dual-channel memory architecture.

AUDIO
- Greg: Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS
- Craig: Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS
We were torn between the ZS ($65) and the Value versions of the Audigy 2 sound card, but we each decided to go with the ZS for a different reason. Greg liked the speaker positioning utility (for optimized 3-D sound), while I liked the idea of extra movie sound decoding functionality (e.g., DTS-ES 6.1). An extra bonus is the IEEE1394 port on the ZS card, which is nice since there's no Firewire header on the motherboard we chose (odd, I know).

CASE/PSU
- Greg: Antec TX 640B
- Craig: Antec TX 640B
We both felt the TX 640B ($91) was a great deal since it includes all the expansion we'll ever possibly need, the build quality typical of Antec stuff, and a roomy 400W power supply that meets the spec we need for the motherboard (ATX12V 2.0). Greg was really hoping to get a lighter case (e.g., aluminum and/or smaller) since he totes his around a fair bit, but he just couldn't pass up the great value provided by this Antec. Me, I'm just looking forward to an enclosure that's quieter than the one I have now, which sounds like a 757 readying for take-off.

HARD DRIVE
- Greg: Western Digital WD1600JS 160GB SATA II ($98)
- Craig: Western Digital WD2500JS 250GB SATA II ($152)
We both went with 7,200 RPM SATA II disks for our boot drive, but we diverged again here. I opted for the larger size because (a) I know I'll use it eventually (and I've only ever replaced hard drives because they got full, never due to failure), (b) upgrading the boot drive can be a pain in the arse when you do run out of room, and (c) $54 for an extra 90GB with no additional installation and setup effort and not tying up another bay/slot sounds like a reasonable deal to me.

So what was the total hurt to our wallets? Before adding shipping costs, Greg's system came in at $742 and mine came it at $827. Not too bad. One way we were able to keep costs down is by re-using optical drives, mice, keyboards, and displays from our current rigs (thankfully, not everything becomes outdated overnight).

The price difference between the two systems is about 10%, which I chose to allocate to video and HDD. But that's not the only way to spend an extra 10-12%. Moving up to an Athlon 64 3200+ would have added about $50 to the price, and getting quicker RAM would have added about $35. You could also go the other way to save money, such as by going with an 80GB drive (instead of the 160GB that Greg chose, assuming you want to stay with SATA II), the Audigy 2 Value sound card, or going with a cheaper case.

Now we wait on ground shipping (yes, we're cheap bastards) to get us our stuff. Hopefully it'll all arrive next week so I can bring you "New PC -- Stage II: The Buildening".

My main PC is getting pretty long in the tooth. It's an Athlon 1.2GHz from 2001, and it has served me well as a game machine, web server, streaming media server, multimedia editing workstation, and many other functions. I'd like to recondition it and dedicate it as my personal web-server, but that means I'll need a new PC for all my other chores.

So what do I plan to do on this new machine? Some modest gaming, photo/video editing, web browsing, email, Office document stuff, and running a statistics package pretty much account for the vast majority of the tasks it'll have to handle. Greg, a buddy of mine with a similar usage pattern (substitute .Net development for the statistics package and you'll have him pegged), is also planning on building a machine at the same time, so good suggestions will help both of us.

Based on some limited research, here's what we're currently thinking about for these new systems:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 (Venice core) 3000+ or 3200+ -- Great all-around CPU and not too pricey

Motherboard: Undecided, although we'll definitely be going with socket 939 and PCI Express for video. SATA II would be a nice plus (for upgradability). I'm a fan of Abit, MSI and Asus, but I think Greg has his heart set on a Chaintech mobo. I've read several reviews and there seems to be no general consensus. Suggestions here would be very appreciated.

Video: nVidia GeForce 6600GT -- Even though I'm a long-time ATI fan, I can't ignore the multitude of comparisons that put the 6600GT at the top of the price-for-performance heap. As far as mid-range cards go, there's nothing from ATI that even comes close. Plus, if we go with an SLI-equipped mobo, a second 6600GT would make for a nice upgrade in the future.

RAM: 1GB (2X 512MB) DDR400 -- I'm not loyal to any memory brands, so this'll probably just be some reasonably priced major name brand (I've been burned on the no-name junk too many times before).

Audio: Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 -- there's really no substitute for Creative if gaming is on the agenda.

Case/PSU: Undecided -- Possibly the hardest decision is going to be the case and power supply, since there are just so many good ones out there now. Antec makes good stuff for sure, as do some other companies. Since Greg will be hauling his system around on his commute a fair bit, something a little portable would be nice for his setup. We'll definitely get something that follows the new ATX12V 2.0 standard, but beyond that, we're open to suggestions.

HDD: I'm leaning towards a 160GB SATA II drive (under $200) as my boot drive (I have a relatively new 300GB ATA/133 drive that all my media will stay on), but I think Greg might be OK with a plain SATA drive (bigger and cheaper).

All the other stuff -- mouse, keyboard, etc. -- is already taken care of from our current systems, but are we forgetting anything? Are we ignoring some key technology that shouldn't be missed? Any good brands that we've overlooked? Help us out.

I've been listening to a lot more music on my main PC lately and I was thinking that I could probably do a lot better soundwise than my well-aged Altec Lansing ACS33 setup (two micro-satellites + subwoofer). Reading reviews, I saw a lot of good things said about Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 2.0 speakers. I've had them now a couple of days and they sound pretty darn great.

There's no subwoofer, but they crank out surprising levels of bass. The bass isn't ultra-deep, but more than adequate for casual listening and regular computer work (serious gaming requires surround sound or headphones). All other frequencies are quite nice and tight -- overall, you get a pretty rich sound from these very reasonably priced speakers (under $100). A couple of nice features seal the deal, including front-mounted headphone and line-in jacks as well as a separate bass control knob.

Available in black or silver, they also have removable front panels (for that serious "damage me, I'm naked" look). And at just over 10" high, they're big enough to let everyone know that you're serious about your sound quality, but not so big as to make people wonder if you're compensating for something.

Everything seems to be of the high quality one would expect of the Klipsch name. As long as these are for casual listening, and you aren't expecting $500 bookshelf speaker sound quality, you will be hard pressed to do better than these Klipsches. Highly recommended!

Update (3/1/2008): The volume knob is failing electronically, creating static and decreasing the sound quality of what comes out of these speakers. I'm not very happy about that, as there's no way to fix it myself. Less than three years isn't a very reasonable lifespan for something of this supposed quality. :-/

CNN.com has an interesting and surprisingly well-written story about how tagging is making headway in improving the usability of computers.

In case tagging is new to you, it's essentially labeling things -- files, documents, photos, movies, etc. -- with one or more keywords or phrases so that you can find similar things more easily later. Searching for text documents based on their contents is easy, but searching for movies or photos based on their contents isn't. Tagging hopes to change that. Extending tagging to communities of users has interesting implications, but the threats to tagging's widespread adoption pointed out by the article are significant:

Engineers recognize the shortcomings and are working on better tools.

Search for "automobiles" of Flickr, and you're given "cars," "car" and "porsche" as related options. Enough people tag photos both "automobiles" and "cars" that clustering software can tell they are related.

Another drawback lacks an easy solution, though. Once tagging takes off, marketers are bound to add irrelevant tags to hijack you to the latest Viagra ad.

Warns Danny Sullivan, editor of the online newsletter Search Engine Watch: "The noise and deliberate manipulation will probably just bring the system into a crashing halt."

Read the entire article.

Interesting study reported on by CNN Europe:

LONDON, England -- Workers distracted by phone calls, e-mails and text messages suffer a greater loss of IQ than a person smoking marijuana, a British study shows.

The constant interruptions reduce productivity and leave people feeling tired and lethargic, according to a survey carried out by TNS Research and commissioned by Hewlett Packard.

So that's why I've started getting the munchies after sitting at my desk for a while!

Read the entire story.

So yesterday, I notice that my home printer, an HP Officejet 6110 4-in-1, has a blinking exclamation point and the LCD shows this:

------------------------
Error:
Left cartridge incorrect
------------------------

Incorrect? How can it be "incorrect?" It's the same cartridge that has been in there for 6 months or so now and has worked great for several dozen pages. Why is it suddenly "incorrect?"

Looking for an answer on HP's website, it provides unsurprising advice if cleaning the contacts doesn't work: "If the message recurs, replace the print cartridge indicated by the message."

Gee, yeah, at $30 a pop and with HP's financial problems mounting, I'm not surprised they're relying on built-in obsolescence of user-replaceable (but not serviceable) components. Coincidentally (or not), the date printed on the newly "incorrect" cartridge is 2005/05/24 -- one week from today.

I understand them wanting customers to have good printing results, so expiration dates on cartridges can help us avoid using ink that might not perform well. But, to just deactivate a cartridge at some arbitrary date regardless of the cartridge's ink quantity or quality, if that's what HP is doing, seems a bit disingenuous. That would be like the milk bottle suddenly locking its cap on the expiration date despite that particular bottle still containing some drinkable milk.

While I do think HP makes the best printers, this lack of honesty/consideration for its customers doesn't make for a healthy long-term outlook. You watch...someone with a better attitude and equally competent engineers will come along and eat HP's lunch.

Bill Gates has seen the future and apparently it looks a lot like the OQO:

A prototype of a new device - described by sources as a type of hybrid Tablet PC/eBook - has been making its way around the Microsoft Redmond campus, according to sources. The mini-Tablet, which measures about six inches by eight inches and features a digitizer, is just one of a number of new Tablet form factors expected to debut in the coming months.

Read more at Microsoft Watch.

Update: Here's a picture of a prototype. Blech!

I replaced a regular webcam with a wide-angle model -- the Creative WebCam Live! Ultra -- so I could see more of our family room (my infant daughter spends most of her day there).

The increased lens angle dramatically extends what can be seen, as the two shots below illustrate (old cam top, new cam bottom):

Mitch mentioned that he found some interesting PC gear for installation in cars over at VeaLink. They seem to have some compelling products. Don't know about pricing.

If your email client lets you choose which sound to play when you get a new message, this webpage is for you:

Clay's Mail Call WAV Page

It has dozens of clips from movies and shows, one of which is sure to tickle your fancy.

I came across a Dell 700m today and it looked like a really decent notebook. Not very heavy, nice screen, integrated optical drive, and only about 4 lbs. I was impressed to find that these are reasonably priced as well ($1000-$1500). Here are the tech specs if you're interested.

I don't think I'd trade in my Panasonic W2 for the 700m, as I'd be adding well over a pound to my bag to do so, but anyone in the market for a light laptop might do well by this (at least by the looks of it).

So...anybody have one of these? What do you think about it?

Generally, USB 2.0 3.5" HDD enclosures run $30 or more. TigerDirect.com has one for $19.99, so I ordered one (if you're like me, you have one or more previously used IDE hard drives sitting in a closet gathering dust). It's very bare-bones and was missing a couple of screws (standard HDD mounting screws work just fine), but it functions perfectly well for what it's supposed to do. Here's a link in case you want to grab one for yourself.

Sabrent 3.5" USB 2.0 Aluminum Hard Drive Enclosure (TigerDirect.com)

Panasonic apparently has decided to wade into the consumer notebook arena with its Toughbook Elite line. To hawk these portables, it's using some fairly alluring photos of buff/hot supermodels holding the notebooks (apparently, Panasonic thinks it seems totally normal for a scantily clad babe wearing football shouldermapads to need a laptop).

Panasonic is also now making the Elite available in four colors -- white, red, black, and silver.

Just as a sidenote, these notebooks are excellent. Last summer, when the Toughbook line was marketed only as a specialty corporate purchase, I purchased the W2 (what Panasonic now calls the "Toughbook Elite") because it was the lightest notebook (2.8 lbs!) with an integrated DVD/CD-RW drive and a 12" screen. My dad was so impressed with it that he went out and bought its big brother, the Toughbook Y2 (14" 1400x1050 screen, 3.4 lbs). So far, we've both been very happy with them.

But whether these laptops, even with the new name and supporting supermodels, will appeal to Joe Consumer or not is yet to be determined. Let's hope they do, as it would be nice to have more devices like them available in the market.

I was at Staples last night and picked up a good bargain: a 50-pack spindle of Staples brand 8X DVD-R for $14.99. That's less than 30 cents per disc, which is a really decent price. I don't see this product listed on the Staples.com website, so it might be a store-only deal.

According to CNET News.com, Microsoft has suggested that it will be releasing the update of Internet Explorer before Longhorn comes out in 2006 or 2007. This is important for two reasons:

1) It validates the impact that Firefox, an open-source (and better) alternative to IE, is having.

2) It reminds us that Microsoft's statements (back when it was getting sued by the US government for anti-competitive practices) that Internet Explorer is an inextricably integrated part of the Windows operating system is a stinking load of crap. If you can update IE independently of Windows, and you can update Windows independently of IE, how again are they inseparable?

While I'm glad to see Microsoft improving its products, it's incredibly overdue. How much you wanna bet that IE7 has tabbed browsing??

In a world where plain-Jane USB flash drives are given out as trade show tchotchkes, the KanguruMicro Drive+ Expandable USB Flash Drive deserves some additional attention. Beyond having a name that is arguably larger than the device itself, the KanguruMicro Drive+ differentiates itself by allowing the owner to use it in two different ways.

First, by virtue of its internal flash RAM, the Drive+ can be used as a stand-alone USB flash drive. The one sent to me held 64 MB, but they are available in capacities up to 512MB.

Second, since the MicroDrive+ has a Secure Digital/Multi-Media Card (SD/MMC) slot, one is able to use it as a flash card reader and expand the available storage almost indefinitely (by using additional cards). The 256 MB SD card I tested with the Drive+ worked just fine.

When inserted into a USB port, the Drive+ shows up as two new items: one fixed volume (the internal flash memory) and one removable disk (the SD card slot). SD/MMC cards can be inserted and removed from the Drive+ while it is inserted in the USB port. There is also a "lock" switch on the side that will render the internal memory unwritable (but still readable).

The unit itself weighs 20g and is reasonably small, but certainly not among the smallest USB flash drives available. The two photos below show the Drive+ as compared to a Treo 600 (top) and to US quarter, British pound, and 1 Euro coins (bottom).

The drive seems sturdily made, as it passed all our normal GearBits tests:

Creak test (a.k.a. the Gadgeteer test): No creakage

Drop test: Survived a 5-foot drop onto hardwood floor with no ill effect.

Bite test: Survived minor gnawing resulting in zero damage (below)

Spray test: Getting spattered with water (not submerged) and then toweled off, the unit still worked flawlessly

In terms of usability, the device gets mixed marks. The Drive+ interfaces well with Windows XP and is dead-simple to operate. However, there are many instances where the unit is simply too big. When plugging into a USB hub where the ports are side-by-side lengthwise, the Drive+ is simply too wide; it ends up taking up 2 or 3 ports just due to its girth. This problem is exacerbated if an SD card is inserted into the Drive+, since the SD card protrudes from the side of the Drive+ by roughly half an inch.

Similarly, the device is too thick to be used in a place where, as is typical on most PCs, the pairs of USB ports are stacked next to each other with only a small space between. The thickness of the Drive+ makes it unable to be plugged in if the other port is already in use (see below).

The Drive+ does come with a 3' USB cable that will remove these obstacles, but I really don't want to have to carry around a cable just for my USB flash drive. A lanyard is also included in the package.

Overall, the concept is really appealing and its Plug-and-Play functionality works quite well. The fact that it is such a space hog when it comes to tightly packed USB slots, and doesn't actually fit in some situations, is a bit irritating. In terms of value, it's a tough call. While a 128 MB Drive+ can be had for under $70 online, it would be very easy to get a similarly sized flash drive and an SD card reader as separate devices for significantly less than $70. Add to that the fact that it is only USB1.1, and not the much faster USB2.0 that many flash drives and card readers are today, and the value for the money becomes fairly questionable.

In the end, I'd give the KanguruMicro Drive+ a 3.5 out of 5. The concept is really good, but the pricing, slowness of USB1.1, and the physical size of the unit leave me somewhat unsatisfied.

It's just sad and sickening what some will do to promote their websites and/or businesses. Yesterday, I was hit with a mini-flood of comment spam here on GearBits. However, this was different -- instead of promoting a pr0n site, it was promoting (and this boggles my mind) an Internet security website called Secure Root.

If you visit the SR website (at www dot secureroot dot com) you will notice it seems as if it is actually trying to provide Internet security-related information to some audience. So if it's trying to establish trust in its advice, why the hell would it engage in such a despicable manner as bombarding GearBits with 30 comment spams in a period of 20 minutes? It took me over an hour to clean them all out.

So, while we're still working on the Movable Type upgrade, comments are going to stay off. I'll announce when they're back on. In the meantime, if anyone has any good ideas about how to make Secure Root aware that its blatant asswipe-like behavior is not appropriate, I'm all ears. Send me an email at .

P.S. Why didn't I add a link to the Secure Root website? Well, that would accomplish for the asswipes exactly what they were trying to achieve through their spamming -- added links that improve their Google ranking. Isn't it odd that one of the best tools on the Internet has also fostered an entire range of distasteful practices? I wonder if the net benefit of Google is approaching zero as more and more practices like this get thought up.

This /. comment made me laugh so hard I very nearly wet myself:

NEW STARBUCKS OPENS IN RESTROOM OF EXISTING STARBUCKS

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Starbucks, the nation's largest coffee-shop chain,
continued its rapid expansion Tuesday, opening its newest location
in the men's room of an existing Starbucks.

"Coffee lovers just can't stand being far from their favorite Starbucks
gourmet blends," said Chris Tuttle, Starbucks vice-president of
franchising. "Now, people can enjoy a delicious Frappuccino or espresso
just about any time they please ...."

The new men's-room-based Starbucks, the coffee giant's 1,531st U.S.
location, will be open to both men and women when not "in use." In
addition to offering specialty coffees from around the world, it will
serve freshly baked pastries, Italian pannini sandwiches and soups, as
well as the rest room's usual selection of toilet paper and soap.

According to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, the new location represents the
beginning of a long-term expansion plan. "Eventually, Starbucks rest rooms
everywhere will sell coffee," Schultz said. "But that ambitious scheme is
at least five years down the road. In the meantime, we plan to open an
additional location in this Starbucks' ladies' room within months, and are
already drafting plans for a fourth restaurant along the corridor leading
from the main seating area to the rest rooms. At some point a 'Star-bucks
Express' window will eventually open in the walk-in closet of the men's
room Starbucks."

"Drink our coffee," Schultz said. "Drink it."

I hope /. doesn't mind me duplicating it here...

As you probably know, getting an accout on Gmail (Google's new email service with 1GB of storage) is incredibly hard -- you basically have to be invited by someone who only gets a couple of invites him- or herself.

So, some folks set up gmail swap, a place where you can post your offer in exchange for a gmail account invitation. Some of my favorite offers posted today include "A bag of dry Arizona air..." and "I'll paint your portrait badly" -- classic.

For an entertaining look at gmail swap, check out this Wired article.

Oh, and by the way, gmail swap really works -- I got myself hooked up with an account just today.

...filling a 512 MB MP3 player via USB1.1.

Pain is also tuning the FM dial to 97.7 and hearing tripe like Hoobustank and Linkin Park where I should be hearing my beloved 97X.

Pain is also finding out that my swanky new $100 DVD±RW drive has failed after less than 2 months and has to be RMA'ed back to OptoRite.

Within 10 minutes of enabling comments, 20-some more spam comments were posted to GearBits. Either we've put someone's panties in a bunch and they've just pointed a script at us or there is someone with a lot of time and desire to promote a rape/pr0n website using any means possible.

Too bad that one or a few jackasses can ruin the fun for everyone. Spam really makes you rethink that whole premise about all life being precious...

According to Mashby, Six Apart, makers of the nice blog software Movable Type (which powers this site), has started charging enormous fees for the next version of its software.

These fees are such that, since I make no money from GearBits, I can't justify upgrading to the next version of MT. Without upgrading, the options available to us to limit comment spam (a real scourge to blogging) are few and limited. We'll be weighing our options, but this could be the end of GearBits.

I'm turning comments back on now and we'll see how things go.

Today, GearBits and my moblog have been attacked with over 150 porn-related comment spams. In order to stop the flood, I've had to disable commenting until I can delete all the spam comments and figure out the best preventative measure to this vile practice. Sorry for the disruption folks...some people just have nothing better to do than turn an otherwise decent planet into a dung heap.

Casio Computer Co has announced that it has developed the world's smallest fuel cell.

Large-scale polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) are already in development for use in automobiles. What Casio has succeeded in doing is to miniaturize a PEFC so that it is similar in size to a conventional lithium-ion battery.

However, the PEFC battery has a capacity nearly four times that of a lithium-ion battery. Laptop computers should be able to run on PEFC power for 8-16 hours.

Casio hopes to introduce its fuel cell to the market after regulators are expected to allow PEFCs on the market, around 2007.

The Register has a short, but tantalizing, piece on this forthcoming tablet-style PC from Sony.

With an 800x600 screen, integrated 802.11g wireless, and a 1GHz processor, at just 1.2 lbs. this will be one impressive device. It's operated with a stylus, but it will run on plain-Jane Windows XP (not Tablet PC). Sony will have its own software to handle pen input.

This could put a lot of pressure on the Pocket PC (er, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC) market, since nearly all of the functionality in a Pocket PC can be replicated on this device yet it enables scads more that your run-of-the-mill Pocket PC can only dream of doing. Planned accessories include a charging/display dock and a collapsable mobile keyboard.

Optware Corporation, a Japanese firm specializing in holographic storage media, has demonstrated a practical holographic recording and playback device.

Its system is based on polarized collinear holography, as opposed to conventional holographic recording and playing devices. This system multiplexes the signal and reference beams used for recording and playing of holographic media with just one objective lens.

Conventional technology requires a two-beam axis, a more complex system with precision issues, including positioning the media with each optical axis.

Prototypes shown used a blue-violet semiconductor laser for the signal beam and reference beam, a red semiconductor laser for the servo, and a CMOS image sensor for detection of the playback signals.

Optware says it is on track to introduce a commercial product storing up to 300-GB on a 12 centimeter holographic disc by 2005.

As you are aware, I'm a college professor, and toward the end of April and the beginning of May, I suffer from a burnout. As students face the end-of-the-semester burnout from preparing for exams and writing their major projects, we the teachers also suffer from another kind of burnout. I call it a grading burnout. I got so many individual and group papers I have to read and grade by the end of the semester, I feel like I need to take a long break after the semester in order to recover from the burnout. For instance, last semester, I had to read almost 2000 pages during the last two weeks of the semester. Given my firm belief in the helpfulness of feedback to students' development, I need to take time to provide meaningful feedback to students. That means I have to read every single page slowly and make comments.

Unfortunately, technology hasn't helped me here at all. Sure I can have my students submit papers via e-mail, but that doesn't save me any time at all. In fact, it takes me more time since I have to locate the e-mail and print out the attachment. There have been some technological innovations as Blackboard (web-based teaching tool), McGraw Hills Einstruction tools. and others, but those only help faculty who uses tests as their main measurement tool for students' learning.

Since I also believe in testing for competence rather than knowledge (it's a long debate in the educational field), I don't have any tests in my classes (where the focus is on leadership and teamwork). So, any of these new technology hasn't helped me or my students.

Surely, technology has helped my students write better papers--at least we hope. MS Word helps students use outlines for organizing ideas, use grammar check and spell check for correcting certain spelling and grammatical mistakes, but it seems the quality of the paper hasn't really improved and thus it takes me more time to provide feedback. That's right poorly written papers require more time for me to read and provide feedback. This is one area I think where technology hasn't really helped my productivity at all. So, is there any relief in sight?

This past weekend was spent at my Mother-in-Law's. She's a great lady, but about half a decade behind on her technology. Her only connection to the Internet is a Pentium III machine running Windows ME [ack!] and AOL [blech!].

I'm not kidding when I say that my Treo 600 makes a better, faster Internet tool than this machine of hers. Moreover, there's no Wi-Fi to be found in her entire condo complex (I checked), so the entire weekend suffered along at dial-up speeds.

Also, I introduced her to the concept of Windows Update. This 4-year-old machine had never once been updated. 6 hours, ~30 MB, and 7 reboots later, it was completely up to spec. I fully expect to perform a smaller version of this ritual each time I visit her.

I'm currently suffering major Internet withdrawal. Hopefully the shakes will end soon.

As Microsoft includes more and more things in its Windows operating systems -- the most recent addition is a whole new set of security functions, like firewalls and pop-up blockers -- my mind keeps returning to the same question that I'm not sure has ever been resolved: what exactly should be included in an operating system?

Before I begin, let me make it perfectly clear that I am not, nor likely ever will be, a computer or software engineer. I don't have the slightest idea about the underlying architecture that governs modern operating systems. So, I am basing these comments on a "common sense" perspective, which may be very technically flawed (I'm sure someone out there will be more than happy to correct me);

It seems that there is a lot of junk in contemporary OS's that just doesn't need to be there, and Microsoft isn't the only culprit. Why should a web browser or a multimedia player or an email client or a word processor be necessary for a computer operating system to function? Just try to remove Internet Explorer or Outlook Express from your Windows machine (I know it can be done, but it's anything but trivial). Can I choose to buy Windows without these components for less money? No, at least not that I'm aware of.

Why are addressbook and calendar programs part of the Palm operating system? Can I buy/license Palm OS without these apps for less money than a normal license? I don't believe it's possible.

Heck, was it ever even possible to buy DOS without the "Edit" program? While a text editor certainly isn't required to function as an operating system, I doubt that you could get a discounted copy of DOS that didn't have this feature.

Now, I realize that an OS is a product, much like a car or a couch or a bicycle. In that sense, the manufacturer wants it to have the most appealing mix of features and price that will compel its customers to buy it. But what the software company wants to sell you is a different issue than what the operating system must include for it to function.

I have a hard time accepting the premise that I am required to pay for an unrelated feature that is bundled with an "operating system" that lies outside the core functionality of operating the system (i.e., managing hardware interfaces and what-not). I don't prefer Windows Media Player -- why do I have to pay for it? I don't prefer Internet Explorer -- why does the price of the OS include some portion allocated to Microsoft recouping the cost of developing it?

An operating system is like a car in some ways. Certain parts of it are highly integrated while others are very modular. In cars, and in many other tangible goods, the modular parts are easily replaced and/or optioned so as to not require being purchased in the first place. For example, if I want custom wheels or a custom stereo on my new car, the dealer will usually credit me for the factory wheels or factory head unit that would have come on the car by default. Microsoft, however, does not credit me for Windows Media Player or Outlook Express if I want something else (or nothing) instead -- I have to buy it as a bundle with no options...take it or leave it.

If that were the extent of the impact, I'd have no problems with it. However, when you combine the unwillingness to give customers options for purchasing non-core components with the monopoly power of the Windows operating system, you create a very unfair and damaging situation.

Imagine we were back in the days of a Ma Bell telephone monopoly. Imagine that if you wanted phone service at your house, you had one choice available to you: "phone service 9000." PS9000 is Ma Bell's only service product, and it includes every conceivable option available, such as voicemail, 3-way calling, caller ID, call forwarding, "wirecare," and a whole bunch of other services that you don't really need. But, you're stuck paying $94 a month for this mega-package even if what you want/need is just basic local phone service.

Society has said this is inappropriate on several occasions. For example, US law mandates that cable companies must offer a bare-bones "basic" cable service at a very low price. These local monopolies are not allowed to have just a single gargantuan cable package that costs $100 a month saying "if you want any part of cable service, you have to buy everything we offer." That's not allowed.

So why is Microsoft, a company already established as a similar type of monopoly, allowed to offer only one or two high-priced "mega-package" products? Both Windows XP Home and Pro are stuffed with nearly every possible add-on feature you can imagine. It'd be like the cable company only offering a $94 "Home" package (without HBO) and a $110 "Professional" package that includes HBO. Why is this OK for Microsoft, but not for the phone company or a cable provider?

As you have been aware that I have recently upgraded our in-home wireless to 802.11g from 802.11b. Of course, I naturally wanted to upgrade the internal mini-PCI card (Intel Pro 802.11b) in my Thinkpad 41p rather than to add a CardBus wireless card (which I have done with my wife's Thinkpad T30). IBM now sells several variations of the PCI cards for 802.11g, but I got the 802.11a/b/g combination card. I figured I can't go wrong with the dual band, tri-mode card. Those of you who are a bit more budget conscious, IBM now offers 802.11 b/g card for about $40 cheaper.

Anyway, I got the card and installed in my Thinkpad. Unlike the older T series, where the card can be installed from the bottom of the case, the new Thinkpad now requires the removal of the keyboard and the palm rest in order to access the card slot. Anyway, after removing about ten screws and both keyboard and palm rest, I was in business. The whole installation took me about 10 minutes, but I was extremely careful not to make any mistakes. If you have done this before, the whole process should take less than 5 minutes.

Anyway, the problem happened when I was only able to connect to my Belkin g-router at 24Mbps. No matter what I did, I couldn't get anything higher. Even when I was right next to the router, Access Connection (IBM software) was showing 24Mbps or 18Mbps. So, I thought this might be the internal limitation of the card. However, to make sure, I called the IBM tech support to confirm. Well, the adventure began right afterward.

I filed an on-line service call at the IBM support site (this is something new), and the updates showed that they had called me twice, but my caller ID had no record of their calls. So, I called the tech support to speak to a real-live person.

The first person I talked to said he couldn't tell for sure because there are so many variables that come into play. I said, with the different adapter (Belkin CardBus card), I was getting 54Mbps in my Thinkpad, but not with this card. He said he couldn't help me at all since the card seems to be working. So, after a few hours, I called in again and talked to the second person. This person wasn't much help either. She didn't really know much of the wireless configuration (In fact, I had to explain a few things to her), and she said that the wireless expert was not in that day, and she would call me back when she had a chance to talk with that person. Well, that was a week ago, and I am still waiting for the phone call from her.

Anyway, when I didn't hear back from her in two days, I called again. This time the person couldn't understand why it was happening. At least he offered to send me a replacement card after talking to me for an 1/2 hour. Another funny thing is that IBM seems to have two different part number for the identical item (one is used by sales/marketing for new parts, and the other by service for replacement parts). So, it took us more than 10 minutes to track down the right part as well.

To make a long story short, the replacement part arrived the next day (I have to commend IBM for expeditious service--this is the second replacement parts I have received in the past few years, and both came the next day). I debated whether to go through the hassle and install the new card, but I decided I had nothing to lose. Well, lo and behold, after spending 5 minutes installing the card, I turned back on the system (crossing my fingers). The connection speed was 54Mbps. Hooray! Looks like the earlier card was defective after all.

It has been a few days since I replaced the part, and I have been consistently getting 48 to 54Mbps connection. So, I'm a happy camper, but I wish and I hope I never have to deal with the tech support again with any company in the future. So, thumb up or down? It's neither. The problem was solved, but the experience wasn't all too stellar in my book.

I've discussed the wonder that is VNC (Virtual Network Computing) before, but I thought I'd post a follow-up. While I've traditionally used TightVNC, Greg, a friend of mine, mentioned that he really likes Ultr@VNC for a few reasons.

Not only does Ultr@VNC support bi-directional file transfer (a very handy feature), but the scaling implementation on the server app works really well with the PalmVNC client. Scaling is a god-send when your handheld client is a 320x320 or 320x480 screen and your server is running 1600x1200. Otherwise, it's scroll, scroll, scroll...that gets old pretty fast.

So, check out Ultr@VNC -- it may be just what you've been looking for.

A few folks emailed me and asked if I could post some additional photos of the SK43G that I recently set up and wrote about. Well, here you go, my friends.

The photo below is of the system in mid-setup. It's shown without the drive cage installed (which houses the optical drive, floppy drive, and hard drive) and no cover (obviously). Actually, it looks like I took this before I installed the RAM, too. Notice the nice IDE cable routing for the optical drive (upper rail in foreground). I think this photo makes it look bigger than it actually is.

The second photo (below) shows the completed system sitting next to a 17" monitor, keyboard and mouse (for size comparison). Yep, it's actually pretty teeny.

About the only thing I can think of wanting to someday do that I can't on this dude because of the form-factor is direct CD/DVD copying (no room for two 5-1/4" drives). Other than that, it looks like it should offer plenty of upgrade potential, meaning I should be able to use this mini for several years to come.

I'm looking for an LCD screen suitable for using as a low-res PC display in the 5" to 8" range. Something like this 7" Quixun panel would be ideal, but it doesn't have to be new or dedicated for this purpose. Maybe even a screen from a portable DVD player might work. It'd be great if it was also a touch-screen, but that's not a hard requirement.

Anybody have any leads for this or ideas where to search? Thanks in advance!

Well, I took the plunge. After the (admittedly cheap) motherboard in my (admittedly cheap) downstairs PC failed last month, I've been wanting a receptacle for all the working bits inside it (hard drive, optical drive, etc.). I'd also been wanting an excuse to upgrade its CPU and memory to something much faster. So, after looking around a bit, I took the plunge and purchased the Shuttle XPC SK43G small-form-factor system (pictured).

I won't bore you with the specs (those can be found at the link above), but it's an AMD-based system in a box roughly the size of a toaster (and not one of those industrial toasters, just your normal 2-slice model). With Athlon systems, heat management is always an issue. Shuttle's "ICE Heat-Pipe" solution is both interesting and effective -- the hard drive is the loudest part of the system.

Assembly was pretty easy. I was most impressed with the quality of the physical components and the thoughtfulness of the layout and design. Cables and cable routing were high quality and placed very carefully. Total time required to install everything (not including the OS) was about an hour. Of course, doing it a again now would take me much less time (as learning curve theory attests).

All in all, I'm really happy. The system looks good, is really small and reasonably quiet, and runs quite well. Even the on-board graphics are pretty good (when was the last time you even considered using on-board video?). If you're needing a new system (motherboard and case) for either Intel or AMD, go check out Shuttle's XPC line.

There's an excellent article over at Sudhian.com (lots of tables and data) providing the results of running a Mobile Athlon XP at such low voltages, bus speeds, and multipliers that it can operate at even 600 MHz with only passive cooling. However, the same chip can be overclocked significantly as well (but you pay the piper in terms of much more active cooling).

Now, you're going to ask "Why would anyone underclock their CPU?" Noise, my friend -- the less heat you develop, the less fans you need and the less noise you generate. Sometimes, the quietest PC is the best PC. Sitting here next to an Athlon machine with no less than 4 fans running inside is a constant reminder of that fact.

In case you missed the memo, Mozilla 1.7 is available as a public beta. Now go on and grab a copy!

Those wacky Japanese are at it again. According to hayuki, some guys have devised an adapter that converts a Socket 478 for Pentium 4 processors (below left) to a Socket 754 for Athlon 64 (below right, adapter installed). While it adds some thickness to the seating of the CPU, it doesn't look like it adds enough to be problematic for heatsink clearance (unless the inside of your case is really tight).

Although I don't think "Socket II" is a very catchy name for the adapter, my hunch is they'll sell quite a few -- it's good knowing you can upgrade to a 64-bit processor without having to abandon the rest of your system. The big question now becomes, when will Athlon 64 prices come down out of the stratosphere?

I decided to redeploy an aging 20 GB HDD into a new computer. It had been used for a few years as the boot drive for various installs of Windows, all under FAT32.

Wanting to use the "latest greatest," I decided to just reformat the whole drive as an NTFS partition and go with that. Bad move. The install of Windows XP Pro was incredibly unstable, often locking up and/or rebooting for no obvious reason. Even the initial install of XP didn't go very smoothly...that should have been my first clue.

After unsuccessfully trying three times to install XP SP1, each time leading to a lock-up at some point, I decided enough was enough. I reformatted the entire drive as FAT32 and haven't had a single problem since. If anyone has a clue why this might have happened, I'd be interested in hearing about it.

Update: Lock-ups have started to occur under FAT32, so it might be the hard drive. D'oh! Will update if I isolate a cause.

Update #2: Upon much further investigation, it appears that the motherboard is going bad...at least the on-board IDE controller seems to be having semi-regular conniptions. Given its age, it's not worth getting an IDE controller card for it, so now I'm looking at alternatives. Sorry for the false alarm...just call me Chicken Little.

ExtremeTech has a really excellent 3D graphics processor shootout article wherein they compare not just performance, but [gasp] the price-to-performance ratio. What a concept!

ExtremeTech's verdict is that the best bang-for-the-buck right now is the ATI Radeon 9700 Pro, which came in at $4.80 per FPS. Boards with this processor can be found for around $185 (mid-range) and it offered very respectable performance in every test. The GeForce FX 5700 Ultra came in a close second.

Saturday, I was on a mission to replace my CD-RW drive that had been demolished from within by an exploding CD. I came home with much more...a new OptoRite DDO401 internal 8X DVD�RW drive for less than a Ben Franklin.

Granted, it's not a brand name (unless you consider OptoRite a brand name), but when it comes to most computer parts, I'm much less concerned about that. A few things, however, convinced me this was a pretty decent piece of hardware for a heck of a nice price.

First, the instructions were clearly written and provided (hardcopy) in 10 languages. Second, the drive worked exactly as expected with no extra effort. Windows XP recognized it by name immediately...always a good sign. Third, and this is the clincher, OptoRite included in the box an extra black face-plate for those fashion-conscious users who might have black cases -- a really nice touch, I thought.

What I thought was worth mentioning was the economics. A plain CD-RW was around $40. A combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW was around $70. For only $30 more than that, you get the extra capability of burning to DVD. It's amazing how quickly we've come down from the not-too-distant days of $400 DVD-R drives.

Having spare computer parts, especially usable parts, just sitting around (or in a closet or drawer) not doing anything bugs me. Having a perfectly good 80 GB hard drive unassigned to a PC really bugs me. I wanted to be able to put it to use on my main PC (which doesn't have any open IDE positions) and be able to easily relocate the drive -- an external USB2.0 enclosure seemed like the perfect idea.

While at the Dayton Computerfest today (which, sadly, has become pretty lame since its hey-day in the early 90's), I found a decent deal -- the Bytecc ME-350 Aluminum 3.5" USB2.0 HDD enclosure (pictured).

The case is made from a single piece of extruded aluminum channel (quite strong) with matching endcaps and side trim pieces. Overall, it's a really solid-feeling enclosure (based on the $36 price, I was skeptical).

Setup literally took under 2 minutes and I only had to use a screwdriver -- if you've never put one of these together, there is absolutely no reason to be intimidated by the prospect of doing so. I plugged the unit into the power, let it spin up (there's a power switch on the back of the drive as well), plugged in the USB cable to my PC, and Windows XP immediately recognized it as another hard drive. No muss, no fuss -- just the way I like it.

There's a decent review of the ME-350 over at TechTastic.ca.

Backups have always been a necessary evil and I have messed with just about everything throughout the years. The most reliable way so far has been drive imaging, but I never did groove on having to boot to DOS to do an image. The other day I was perusing the Home Theater Computers section of the AVS Forums and learned about Acronis True Image. It sounded like the perfect solution to capture the pristine state of my new HTPC.

Some really cool features of True Image are:

* Works inside the Windows environment
* Allows you to mount drive images and retrieve individual files
* Can set up a "secure zone" on your hard disk to store an image in case you really hose things up.
* Can easily clone an entire drive for moving to a bigger or faster disk.

True to its claims, inside ten minutes I had a rescue CD burned, a 10GB secure zone created on my hard disk and a perfect image of the drive spirited away on the disk. I was very impressed.

Yes, that's right. How small can it get? Toshiba just announced that its newest .85 inch hard disk (stamp-sized) broke the Guiness World Records for the smallest hard disk in the world. This new hard disk has the storage capacity of 4 gigabytes, and it is expected to be used widely in digital camcorders and cell phones.

Now I have to wonder what would be next? Stealth or virtual hard disk comes to my mind. Anyway, pretty soon we might see a PDA with both memory and hard disk instead of external flash memory (such as SD cards).

Japanese computer company Personal Media, has started producing the Teacube computer, a computer the size of a 2" cube.

The Teacube was launched in December 2003 at the TRON show, and will be available for sale later this month, through the company’s website.

The actual size of the Teacube is 52x52x45mm. The CPU is based on an NEC Electronics MIPS core processor, VR5701. It has 64MB of RAM built-in together with 16MB of flash memory.

Built-in ports include USBx2, RS-232Cx2, CF Card Slot, 100Bse-TX Port, CRT Connector, eTRON card slot, Mic jack, and a headphone jack. The Teacube supports a display of up to 1280x1024 with 65,536 colors. The operating system is based on the T-Engine core, and comes with PMC T-Kernel.

The Teacube boasts several built-in applications, including a browser, word processor, mapping application, and some systems components enabling networking, system and user utilities.

OK, enough already. Nobody wants yet another flash memory module, no matter how small. Jeez...just work on getting the prices down, and the volumes up, on the existing formats, OK?!

Well I guess it had to happen. You can now have a cool terabyte of data in a single disk. The $1199 LaCie Bigger Disk is an unassuming beige box packing one TRILLION bytes of data accessible via USB 2.0, Firewire 400 or Firewire 800. Must...have...this...now!!!!!!!!

Well, I'm back. It's been so hectic last few weeks that my submission to this site has almost been nonexistent. Anyway, during the last few weeks, I have been been house hunting here at Cincinnati and been to Las Vegas and Grand Canyon for about a week . Well, we finally came back from LV, and the seller accepted our offer while we were on our trip. So, things have been settling here somewhat.

Anyway, I want to report on my experience using the above combination in my latest trip. The hotel we were staying didn't have the broadband connection, and I was using my Tungsten T3 and SE T610. Then it dawned on me that my latest Thinkpad also has the Bluetooth connection. So, I should be able to connect to the T-mobile's GPRS network using my Thinkpad. To my surprise, the setup was a breeze (just turn on your Bluetooth and create a dial-up networking connection using the T610), and I was able to get 115.2kbps connection speed--it wasn't broadband fast, but still acceptable for browsing most websites and downloading my e-mails. I got connection almost every time I tried during my trip. The unlimited GPRS plan I have really got a workout this past week (sometimes I would be on for several hours straight without any interruption), and I'm so glad that I have that service.

So, if you are traveling, check out this combo for your wireless solution.

Like raccoons who enjoy your garbage, the miniature PCs keep coming back to annoy and tantalize. The latest with news is the FlipStart from Vulcan (pictured).

The FlipStart, formerly called the MiniPC, runs Windows XP and has hardware specs similar to many full-sized laptops (such as 1024x600 display, 30 GB HDD, and 802.11g wireless). However, it's only 6" x 4" x 1" thick and weighs just 1 pound.

While the Flipstart isn't currently available, the website suggests that pricing and availability details will be offered later this year. Haven't we heard that before?

David Bradley, 55, is retiring from IBM today, after 28-1/2 years.

Bradley, a cultural icon among computer history aficionados, will be continuing to teach at North Carolina State University after retirement.

Back in 1980, Bradley was part of the 12-man team working on the IBM PC. Among other tasks, the team needed to figure out a way to restart the computer should something go wrong and it stop responding to other commands. Bradley took on the task and in five minutes programmed the well-known key combination that is his claim to fame: Ctrl-Alt-Delete.

Bradley claims to have every cartoon that features his famous key combination, and he was once a clue on the final round of Jeopardy. On these acheivements, Bradley says, "If I can be a clue in The New York Times' Sunday crossword puzzle, I will have met all my life's goals."

When it hits Time magazine, you know it's gone mainstream.

Spim, that is, the not-too-recently-coined, is-it-on-its-way-out word for spam sent through instant messaging (IM) channels.

These are snappy IMs, usually with embedded weblinks that lead unwary users to websites working hard to sell you speed-reading courses, Viagra, appendage extenders, webcam subscriptions, or other such essentials of life.

Nearly 600 billion IMs were sent worldwide in 2003, and Yahoo estimates that 2% of its own messages are spim. That's 12 billion messages of spim a year.

Efforts to control spam in e-mails is starting to help the problem there, but the spim problem is spinning out of control. And spim is more annoying, because it can pop out at any time, demanding your attention.

While IM programs let you set up blacklists and whitelists of users, only ICQ offers filtering of web links or by selected words. While effective for the moment, the extent of the spam wars show that this war is just beginning.

If you own an older PC or a "beige box" generic machine, you may not have a system that benefits from some of the conveniences of newer cases, such as front-mounted USB ports and audio jacks. If that's the case, you may want to look into one of the many accessories that move various ports to the front of the case by using an empty 5.25" or 3.5" drive bay.

The one I selected is the Ultra Media Bay 3.5" (shown above), which I bought from Tiger Direct for $9.99 (beige price; black units available for $10 more). The unit is basically a box with front-mounted ports and a bunch of cables coming out the rear (see below). It looks somewhat like a Borg-inspired jellyfish.

Installation was painless and took less than 5 minutes. I first popped off the side panels of my case and removed an empty slot cover from the back. The unit then slid into the empty 3.5" bay below my floppy drive (doing this made me wonder why I still have the floppy drive installed). I installed the new slot cover in the back -- this one has a hole through which the cables get routed to the ports on the back of the PC. I then ran the USB2.0, headphone, and mic cords throught the slot and plugged into the appropriate ports in the back of the case. Side covers get put back on and I'm done. Below is what it looks like installed.

It's important to realize that this unit doesn't increase the number of ports you have -- it merely relocates existing (unused) ports to the front of the case. That's the case (bad pun) with most of these drive bay accessories. But, if you are tired of reaching back behind your PC to mess with cables, one of these might be just the ticket. TigerDirect.com and CyberGuys.com have many different units to choose from, some including media adapters (for flash cards), case fan and cooling controls, and other various interfaces.

Believe or not, it was twenty years ago (1/24/1984) that Apple introduced the very first Mac. Obviously a lot has changed over the years, but there are a few things that still remain the same. Steve Jobs are once again leading the charge, and Apple has been innovating on multimedia fronts (iPod, iTunes, etc.).

I do remember my first experience with a Mac in 1984. One of my friends purchased the Mac right after it came out, and I had a chance to play with it. The key word here is "play." Even though it was grossly underpowered in today's standard (I think it only had 128K or 512K--I don't remember which but I do remember my friend upgrading his memory to 1MB sometime later). Regardless, it was so much fun using the Mac that I didn't want to part with it. I'm visually oriented, and the Mac was something I could simply figure out intuitively. Unfortunately, my career changed soon after that and I got stuck with using the "ugly" and "unsophiticated" IBM PC. Now I'm so locked into the PC platform, even if I want to change the platform, I can't really afford to do it.

However, I think I can still wish you a Happy Birthday, and I sincerely hope that you will be around for a long time to come . . .

I was doing a driver update for my Thinkpad T41p and discovered that IBM is updating drivers for the new Thinkpad X40. Well I did a search on Google, and it turns out IBM is already marketing this laptop in Japan. It looks like the new Thinkpad will be smaller and lighter than the previous X31 (2.8 lbs vs 3.6lbs) and will come with a SD slot instead of a CF slot (interesting transition I might add--personally I prefer the CF slot since my digital SLR uses the CF card). It looks like IBM is outsourcing its production to Winstron, a company that also manufactures another Thinkpad series.

One thing that's puzzling is the performance specs. It looks like the CPU in the machine is Intel Pentium M 1.0 GHz and the maximum memory capacity is 1.25G (256M preinstalled + 1G add-on). In comparison, the X31 comes with the CPU up to 1.6 GHz and has the maximum memory of 2G. However, the new chip in the X40 is the new Intel ultra-low voltage chip (1.0 volt instead of 1.48 for regular M chips), which should boost the battery life. The laptop should last about 3.5 hours with the small four-cell Li-Ion battery pack that ships with the system. The laptop still uses the 12.1" XGA screen as does the X31. Unfortunately, the unit seems to be using the slowest (4200 rpm) hard disk as well.

All in all, I'm not sure this is a great upgrade in my book. It looks like you are trading off one thing for another, and I think IBM can do a better job than this. Perhaps road warriors should wait for the Thinkpad X41 in the future.

If you have been wondering why I have been so quiet lately, the reason is that I've been busy setting up my new laptop. Until several years ago, I had kept upgrading both my desktop and laptops, and the cost of replacements were getting too prohibitive. So, I decided not to buy both, and given my travel needs, I went with the exclusive laptop strategy. It has worked OK for awhile, but I have always been frustrated by the wide performance gaps between laptops and desktops. Also, given the short battery life (about 2 hours), it left something to be desired even in terms of mobile computing.

Well, last week, I took the plunge and got the latest Thinkpad T41p from IBM. This laptop has a certain number of features that bridge the gaps. The laptop features a new Intel Centrino 1.7 GHz CPU that extends the battery life, and with the 9-cell battery that came with the laptop, I'm able to get close to 7 hours away from AC. Furthermore, with L2 cache of 1 MB, the 1.7GHz machine feels more like a 2.4GHz machine. The laptop came with 512 MB 333 MHz DDR SDRAM, but I added additional 512 MB to make it 1G.

The laptop comes with a new Hitachi 60GB 7200rpm ATA hard drive. Typical laptops use 4200 rpm or 5400 rpm disks to conserve battery life, but that makes the system too slow for me. The new hard disk is both fast and silent. The screen is a gorgeous 14.1" SXGA+ (1400x1050), and now I can view and edit documents directly on my laptop (with XP's Cleartype, documents look print quality). The laptop also comes with built-in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (802.11b), 2 USB 2.0 ports, and the Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet connector. I know 802.11g is the wave of the future, but I'm not ready to upgrade to it yet. Besides, if I want to, I can get the mini-PCI a/b/g card from IBM and simply replace the current 802.11b card. I'm glad that IBM made this user replaceable. So, if another Wi-Fi standard comes out in the next year or two, I'll be ready to upgrade.

The T41p also comes with the 128MB ATI Mobility FIREGL T2 graphics card (you heard me right, 128MB). I usually don't play games and do 3D design work, but I'm ready if I want to do more heavy graphics or multimedia work in the future. The ATI Mobility FIREGL graphics card features a high-speed DDR memory with 128-bit memory interface.

Finally, the laptop comes with the IBM 16X/10X/24X/8X Max CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Ultrabay Slim Drive. So, now I can watch DVD or burn CD's while on the road or at home.

All in all, it's quite an impressive machine and can definitely be classified a desktop replacement. The best news of it all is that it only weighs 5.4 lbs (typical desktop replacement laptops weigh somewhere between 7 to 9 lbs and to me that's too heavy to travel with). Two thumbs and toes up for me.

The NASA Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) project has produced some stunning images. Grab one and use it as your desktop wallpaper so you, too, can feel like you're exploring the Red Planet.

SASEM is coming out with an external USB-based HDTV tuner for PCs and laptops (shown).

It supposedly supports both ATSC (digital cable) HD signals and NTSC (analog TV) with time-shifting (a la TiVo). It will sport both S-Video and composite inputs and both Dolby and SPDIF digital sound.

USB2.0 connections will permit the full range of HD formats (both 720p and 1080i), while USB1.1 connections will allow the OnAir USB HDTV module to deliver content in EDTV (480p/i).

Looks like an interesting product and might just fit into many a home theater setup. The USBHDTV.com website has more additional info.

With the latest release of QuickTime, Apple is claiming that it has developed the first mainstream media format for rich multimedia content across CDMA 2000 and GSM wireless networks.

QuickTime 6.5 enhances the popular software - already a leading platform for high-quality audio and video over IP, wireless and broadband networks, with over 175 million downloads for the 6.0 version - and enables users to share high-quality multimedia across the two predominant wireless networking technologies worldwide.

The new release supports 3GPP and 3GPP2 standards, including Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) and Qualcomm Code Excited Linear Predictive (QCELP) audio codecs, MPEG-4 and H.263 video codecs, 3G Timed Text, native .3gp and .3g2 file formats, Movie Fragments, cross-platform Unicode text support, and enhanced DV playback.

In a landmark case on virtual property rights, a court has ordered a web-based game company to return virtual property to a player whose online cache of virtual currency and weapons was stolen.

Li Hongchen, 24, spent the equivalent of $1,210 over two years on his virtual cache for the Chinese game Red Moon, only to find in February that his account had been cyber-burgled via the game's central servers by a hacker.

Hongchen took the game's creators, Arctic Ice Technology Development, to court when they wouldn't help him identify the hacker.

In court, the company stated that Hongchen's property had no real world value, but this December, a District People's Court in Beijing ruled that the company was liable for the player's virtual property because access weaknesses in its servers had allowed the looting to take place.

The result is one of the first legal rulings on virtual property rights, and another example of the blurring line between virtual and real worlds. Some Everquest gamers, for example, already trade game characters and articles for real money through eBay and similar sites.

Have you ever suffered from writer's block? Whether you are a fiction, non-fiction, or scientific writer, we all had our momemnts in the dungeon. There are many tools out there that try to help you get out of your predicament, but I found a program that is dandy for doing just that. It's called Writer's Blocks. This program uses the index card approach to writing--that is you enter your information into a series of blocks and then you can sort and arrange blocks afterward. So, you don't have to worry about logical flow, organizational structure, and coherence up front. You just write whatever comes to your mind into a block, and if you thought pattern changes, you enter it into another block. This free-flowing approach frees your mind from constraints (writer's block), and it allows you to just write. You can organize the blocks into columns to give more structure up front if you want to as well. The new version now has a great built-in word processor so that you can convert your blocks into a manuscript all in the same program (version 2 lacked this capability). So, this program can help you start your writing and finish it in one program. You can also link the blocks to indicate relationships (a.k.a. mind-mapping) to create a mindmap.

Now, we've been always taught in the past that we should always start our writing with a good outline, but my experience taught me that it doesn't work for me at all. That approach has always constrained my writing, and I have often given up writing while I'm still on my outline stage. Several writing books I have been reading of late touts the effectiveness of free-writing (Writing with Power by Peter Elbow, Writing for Social Scientists by Becker), and I gave this new approach a try. So far, it has done wonders for me in terms of my scholarly and personal writing, and this computer program brings that approach to the electronic medium. So, if you have always wanted to write more, but couldn't for some reason, try out this new approach with Writer's Blocks.

It seems that Microsoft, that behemoth juggernaut of the tech world, may currently be at its most vulnerable in quite some time. While vulnerability is a relative term -- Microsoft still has more in cash than some countries' entire GDP -- some strategic and market threats have combined to possibly create real concern for Microsoft's top management.

• Real Networks' Lawsuit threatens to reinvigorate the antitrust and antimonopoly landslide against the Redmond company here in the US.

• A host of other lawsuits, most related to anticompetitive behavior over the years, have forced the firm to burn up valuable cash and have damaged its reputation, especially in Europe.

• Additionally, some recent judgments, such as the win for Sun regarding Java, have forced Microsoft to abandon support for older products. This may force some enterprise and personal users of Windows 98 and 95 (which account for 39% of corporate users) to look at alternative products rather than simply update to the latest version of Windows.

• Alternatives to Microsoft's monopoly products, Windows OS and its Office suite, continue to gain credibility and technical robustness. Recent adoptions of OpenOffice.org, a competitor to Microsoft Office, Sun's Linux-based Java Desktop System (also just written up in Wired), and Munich, Germany's decision to dump Windows for Linux are all examples that Microsoft's strangle-hold on world IT may be beginning to wane...at least a bit.

• As spam, viruses, and other net-based security threats mount, Microsoft's record as having a rather relaxed attitude towards security in its products makes it potentially vulnerable to competing products.

• Finally, while the world is still very much PC-based, the trend is distinctly away from beige boxes. The growth of specialized computers and converged devices make it harder and harder for a single company to be all things to all people. Dedicated competitors are then able to nip away at the fringe of Microsoft's customer base as those customers' needs change more quickly than Microsoft can adapt its products.

Do I think that "market forces" are correcting what the antitrust lawsuits couldn't (or didn't)? Not really...at least not soon. While I certainly don't want Microsoft to go away entirely, I would like greater diversity and balance in the industries in which it competes. What do you think...is Microsoft more vulnerable right now than it has been in years, or is it just business at usual for Redmond?

I went slightly insane last night while trying to figure out why Windows was sorting some directories in a particular way. To illustrate, try this mental model:

Imagine two directories. One is named '09_temp' and '010_temp' is the name of the other. If the list of these two directories is sorted ascending by "name" (e.g., 'cat' would come before 'dog'), which directory would be listed first, 09_temp or 010_temp?

Well, I would have guessed 010_temp. Why? Well, the first character ('0') is the same for both dirs. The second character, however, is a '1' for one dir and a '9' for the other dir. When I was taught how to alphabetize things as a youth, I was told that '1' comes before '9'.

However, in the world of Windows, this ain't so. It seems that Windows has a bug (or a feature, depending on your point-of-view) that makes it treat directories and files that begin with numbers in a special way.

In the above examples, the dir named '09_temp' is viewed as beginning with the value 9 -- yes, 9, as in 1 greater than 8. Similarly, the other dir, 010_temp, is treated as if it begins with the value ten (yes, 10). So, in the above case, a value of 9 is less than a value of 10, so 09_temp would be listed above 010_temp when sorted alphanumerially ascending.

OK, is this documented somewhere..anywhere? Or, more to the point, what idiot at Microsoft thought that deviating from standard sorting precedence was a good idea? Jeez.

Follow-up: It seems that this practice is new for Windows XP (Windows 2000 uses common logic), and is documented in this MS Knowledge Base article. At least it's easy to change it...all I need to do is create a few registry keys, modify half a dozen settings, and reboot. Wow...how much more convenient could it be? </sarcasm>

Speaking of virtual people, the website for the first ever virtual beauty pageant - Miss Digital World - is now open, and accepting entries.

Franz Cerami, creator of the pageant, said "Miss Digital World is the search for a contemporary ideal of beauty, seen through virtual reality."

The outpouring of interest after the first announcements meant that the pageant - aimed at digital artists, advertising agencies, movie production companies and videogame developers - has pushed back several entry deadlines to December 20.

Prospective contestants should note that models "should not have taken part - not even as extras or cameos - in pornographic films, shows or plays nor have made statements...in any way out of tune with the moral spirit of the competition." (Too bad... it would have been nice to see Lara Croft on that catwalk...)

Contestants will be programmed to parade along a virtual catwalk, surrounded by virtual guests, with a virtual emcee presiding over the event. The winner - determined by votes over the Internet - will be crowned at a real world celebration in November 2004.

What has roughly 5,000 legs and is over 6 city blocks long?

Give up? The answer is the opening day line to get into the Ginza, Tokyo Apple store, the first in Japan.

Don't believe me that there were, like, 2,500 people in line on November 30th just to get into a retail store? Then watch the video.

But I warn you -- even after you watch it, you still won't believe it. I'm still in shock.

According to the latest article in the Register, Microsoft is planning to charge for its FAT file system. The FAT file system is widely used in most digital cameras, video camcorders, and PDA's. So, the memory card manufacturers need to license the FAT file system in order to produce their cards. So, mostly likely they will pass the additional cost to, guess who, us the consumers, and we have to pay MS our hard-earned cash. I understand that patent holders need to be compensated for their innovation, but why do I feel queasy in my stomach? Perhpas that's because it's another Microsoft's attempt to dominate the computing industry or simply to pad their chest? You tell me.

If you want to read more about this, check out the Microsoft web page on the FAT file system license, and here is the pricing structure they propose:

Microsoft offers a commercially reasonable, nonexclusive license so that other companies can use the FAT file system in their own products. Currently, Microsoft offers two specific types of licenses:

A license for removable solid state media manufacturers to preformat the media, such as compact flash memory cards, to the Microsoft FAT file system format, and to preload data onto such preformatted media using the Microsoft FAT file system format. Pricing for this license is US$0.25 per unit with a cap on total royalties of $250,000 per manufacturer.
A license for manufacturers of certain consumer electronics devices. Pricing for this license is US$0.25 per unit for each of the following types of devices that use removable solid state media to store data: portable digital still cameras; portable digital video cameras; portable digital still/video cameras; portable digital audio players; portable digital video players; portable digital audio/video players; multifunction printers; electronic photo frames; electronic musical instruments; and standard televisions. Pricing for this license is US$0.25 per unit with a cap on total royalties of $250,000 per licensee. Pricing for other device types can be negotiated with Microsoft.

About two years ago, I decided to build a proof-of-concept MP3 server (I've documented that project in this blog entry, so I won't repeat the details here). However, the current machine, a lowly AMD Duron 750 MHz w/ 128 MB of RAM, is well beyond its useful life in that capacity. For example, starting up Real One Player with our 10,000+ song MP3 database takes nearly two minutes. So, it's time to start thinking about what will, and should, replace that starter system.

I'd like the new machine to be more of a home-theater PC -- something that can perform as an MP3 server (at the very least) as well as possibly handle TV recording and other multimedia functions. Ideally, it could record HDTV signals, but I'll admit that I haven't looked hard enough yet to see if any home media software permits that functionality. I'd also like the new machine to come up out of the basement and live in the family room nearer the rest of the home a/v setup.

Now, it seems I have two primary form factors to consider. The first is the attractive option of the small-form-factor (SFF) case, like the AMS eCube bare-bones system I discussed last month. The second option would be th