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Archos AV700

Archosav700

This new PVP (Portable/Personal Video Player) from Archos looks hot! No word on whether it’s a portable media center device or whether it runs linux… hopefully the latter.

The AV700 is Archos’s first move into the large-format PVP space, with a 7-inch screen and a 60GB hard drive. Archos will be adding satellite and DVB tuners in a future model that will ship later in the year. Lastly, the Gmini XS 100 is a 20GB player with a color screen and the typical Archos ‘do anything’ philosophy, so it’ll be able to handle video and audio in a variety of flavors just fine. [Gizmodo]

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test from email

Testing another way to moblog via email into WordPress… After
yesterday, I thought it would be good to have a way to just send an
email without image (the Flickr method) and get it done.

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why smartphones rock

why smartphones rock
so at the moment I am sitting on a bench in SoHo while my daughter sleeps in her stroller. I’ve got tunes streaming in from groove salad via shoutcast in pockettunes and thought it would be pretty slick to blog this. I fired up Blazer, did a quick Google for hBlogger, downloaded and uncompressed the zip, and voila!

Music jamming… just have to find a slightly better moblog client that supports titles and categories.

almost forgot… my email (Chatter – love it!) is also running nicely behind the scenes. gotta love the Treo on EDGE.

(hblogger turned out not to work, so instead I snapped a quick pic and shot it through Flickr)

UPDATE Apparently hBlogger did work though as I suspected not with titles. I had no idea it was posting since it was giving me an error each time I tried. I think Flickr posted twice since it received the image twice… have to sort that bit out. If nothing else Flickr is the easiest way to post on the go… won’t make sense without an image, but it’s painless to add one via the Treo’s camera.

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Google Maps +Craigslist Housing

This is one of those must see things. Paul Rademacher hooked up Craigs housing listings to Google Maps so you can browse visually by quite a few major metros. Just awesome!

Check this out. A truly amazing combination of Craig’s List housing ads with Google Maps. This is exactly why databases should be opened up. If this was handled at the corporate level, a) it would never get done and b) it would take forever. Instead, since both are accessible, some clever person can just…do it. [Gary Stein]

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.Mac goes WiFi with TMO and throws in some iTunes for good measure

As someone who recently switched to Cingular from T-Mobile the WiFi access I had will be missed… this makes it much easier to sign up again since you get a $10/mo discount. The music is just gravy…

Exclusive limited time offer for .MAC users – sign up for an Annual subscription to T-Mobile HotSpot and we’ll e-mail you a code good for 20 free iTunes downloads. [T-Mobile]

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iPod Autofill for bigger iPods?

Why is it that only the small capacity iPods get an Autofill feature?

Ipod Autofill

On my 40GB iPod I have to set a defined playlist and manage the size of it in order to fill it up. I have actually chosen to create a single playlist which contains my tracks in order to keep that info in sync. There should be an Auto-Sync feature that is able to manage larger libraries…My library is more than 3x the capacity of my iPod. If I choose Auto-Sync now, I get a psuedo sample of what goes on… and no control. I think Apple is smart enough to create a feature that lets you say which iPod you have and then help you create a playlist or lists that Auto-Sync back to your main library.

I’d like to see both Autofill and Auto-Sync work on all iPods. Not sure why there need to be exclusive features for smaller pods. I get the benefit, but think more users than simply those with the Shuffle or mini would appreciate the flexibility.

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Autechre Radio

Autechre will be broadcasting live from the Warp Records HQ this Sunday at 8pm, which I believe translates to 3pm EST. I’ve got Audio Hijack Pro queued up and ready to record… It’s been a while since I’ve actively listened to Autechre, but I always like it and am looking forward to this broadcast. It’s pretty intense music in general… if you can’t take dissonant and heavy beats mixed with distorted noise and ethereal synths, you probably won’t be too into it. In my house, it’s headphones only. Their latest album Untilted, is online and can be streamed today…so far so good.

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The Return of Album Art?

On recommendation, I picked up the latest Verve Remixed 3 through iTunes and for the first time noticed there was an included PDF of the album art. As you might have heard iTunes can catalog more than simply music files and this is a great way to bundle the full art and info — not just a single cover. While it’s not the same as flipping through the booklet while listening to an album, it does at least give you a more complete experience. I hope more albums start coming this way.

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PSP Launch Reporting

I find it fascinating that I keep reading mixed reports about the PSP’s launch. Since Sony planned for 1 Million units and only sold 600,000 it is being reported as less than stellar. This is just wacky in my opinion. If you spend anytime browsing the web, you’ll find a few devices available, fewer games and even fewer accessories like memory sticks of reasonable capacity (there are literally no 1GB sticks available).

Nopsp

There is virtually nothing to buy on the hardware side in the places I’ve been. The shot above was taken last weekend at the Sony Store on Madison Ave. Software is completely limited and only seems to be a few titles, people were less than interested in grabbing at the get go. The popular titles are being sold primarily through mail-order now rather than direct sale, since stock has not been replenished…

These are all signs of success in my book. The interesting piece though, at least for me is how many PSPs I’ve spotted in the wilds… none!! I have not seen anyone playing or watching anything in parks or on the subway. There is a continuous parade of iPods, but so far no PSPs visibly being utilized. They are clearly out there, based on everyone having sold out… just being used more privately I suppose.

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MTV ‘Overdrive’

I had caught a quick blurb on MTV’s new broadband network this am, but not until reading this piece at Lost Remote referencing the full PR did I get the magnatude of the announcement. When it launches it will unfortunately be Windows only due to DRM issues… that being that none exist for Mac based video… but apparently the service would work on Mac if this were to be resolved. Regardless it sounds like a pretty killer product and one that given the DRM nature would be the perfect “podcast” so you could load up your portable media player / psp etc. If they were to pursue this it would totally rock if they released material encoded directly for the PSP. One step at a time for now…

In reading this it’s clear MTV has given this a great deal of thought and that this is much more than simply a test.

Reading today’s press release, it’s clear MTV is serious about it’s new broadband video service called “Overdrive.” To support all the original programming produced for the “hybrid network,” MTV is building a new digital media studio in Times Square. And heavy-hitting advertisers like Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Sony Pictures have already signed up. “Combining short-form linear viewing with an on-demand experience, Overdrive is a great example of our ability to provide viewers with personalized versions of MTV programming that is available whenever they want it,” said Van Toffler, MTV Networks Group President. More details…

PRESS RELEASE — MTV: Music Television today announced the launch of the new hybrid channel, “MTV Overdrive” to entertain viewers with both a linear viewing experience and video on demand capabilities in one web-based application. Available through http://www.MTV.com, “MTV Overdrive” will officially launch on April 25, 2005.

“MTV Overdrive” delivers a sleek, new video screen to viewers at broadband speeds and features exclusive and dedicated content including: continuous MTV News updates, artist interviews, music videos, live music performances, original and newly created short-form programming, MTV and MTV2 show footage, movie trailers and much more. “MTV Overdrive” is the latest addition to MTV’s multi-platform strategy, delivering content to viewers everywhere they demand it: on-air, online, wireless, VOD and more.

(snip)

MTV’s new hybrid network, “MTV Overdrive” will launch with 6 distinct channels of programming including:

* THE LINEUP: This channel automatically plays when users first engage “MTV Overdrive.” It includes the highlights of today’s programming including news, music, on TV, movies and more.

* NEWS: Exclusive updates from MTV News four times daily, with in-depth features, artist profiles and interviews, political coverage, new music stories, movie and video game news, stories on important social issues, plus much more.

* MUSIC: Music will live at the center of the new screen, with music videos, music programming blocks, new artist franchises and clips from the exclusive “MTV.com Live” performance series.

* ON TV: “MTV Overdrive” will also give fans behind the scenes access to their favorite MTV shows including original online programming such as the “Real World/ Road Rules Challenge — Aftershow,” as well as exclusive show clips from “TRL,” “Punk’d,” and more.

* MOVIES: MTV’s broadband network will showcase trailers for upcoming movies, interviews with celebrities, and more.

* Soon to be added channels include video game culture and personal style.

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The EDGE goes to Cingular

I finally got fed up waiting on T-Mobile to announce something formal on EDGE data speeds and switched both cell phones in our plan to Cingular. Now both my wife and I have EDGE capable devices and the coverage here in NYC is excellent. The speed is noticeable so I feel good for the switch on that regard and the port experience was very smooth. Both our phones (a new MOT v551 for her) and my unlocked Treo 650 were active within a few minutes and we were on our way.

In contrast to my switch on “Portability Day” last year when I moved a Nextel and Sprint number to TMO, this was simple and clean. I guess quite a few lessons have been learned (especially with the continual ATT to Cingular ports) in the past year.

The only Treo issue that is confounding me is getting DUN to work. I’ve got the settings correct as best I can tell, but for some reason my Powerbook refuses to connect to my Treo which is actively waiting to be used as a modem. If I nail this detail, I should be quite comfortable working on the bigger machine without WiFI if I need to…

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Shack Attack!

Shack Attack!

It’s open! We made an inaugural visit to dine on double shack burgers, fries and an Arnold Palmer to wash it down.

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Sony partners with TiVo to promote PSP

This is a very cool connection given the early adopter (yes still) status of Tivo owners. What would be really cool now is if Tivo enabled the PSP to be an authorized player of TiVo to Go files. That would be synergistic!

The main menu on thousands of TiVo boxes across North America now features advertising for the PSP. The “TiVo Central” section of the digital video recorder allows users to view the new POV Sony PSP commercial (called “Take it Out” on the TiVo menu) and a new promotional video, entitled “An Inside Look,” that highlights the numerous features of the device. [PSPworld]

btw – I realize it’s still April 1, but the images on the link really do look real and it would not be out of the question to see TiVo being used as a marketing channel for a new CE device.