Category: gadgets and technology

I think this new Volvo SUV should be able to safely transport my family about when it’s time to get a car…. Though I’d probably opt for something other than yellow. vrrrroooom!

Volvo Cars North America showed that basic V-8 power might not be enough for its XC90 sport wagon. A one-off concept vehicle features a 600-horsepower supercharged V-8 engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Getting the power to the ground are Pirelli P-Zero 20-inch tires, mounted on nine-inch-wide alloy wheels. Front brakes are massive 15-inch discs with eight-piston calipers, while rear brakes are 13-inchers with four-piston calipers. Playing off Ferrari’s “prancing horse” logo, Volvo planted a “raging moose” decal on the XC90’s flanks. -Mark Rechtin, Automotive News [AutoWeek]

Engadget has some nice pics and info on the Archos Pocket Media Assistant PMA430, which used to be known as the AV500 In addition to info we already knew, like it can manage and play your photos, videos and runs on Linux, it now seems can also play host via USB to peripherals or receive photos directly even from a camera. It uses USB 2.0 and has WiFi (802.11b) which makes transferring larger files easy and seems like an excellent device. I like how it has a built in leather (perhaps pleather) flip to protect the screen.

In checking the Archos site I’ve discovered that there is an internal TV tuner which allows you to record directly to MPEG4. Very tasty. You can get about 4 hours of video playback and up to 9.5 hours for music. Both Mac and Windows are supported.

Cnet has a great interview with Bill Gates from CES and includes a nice video clip as well from his presentation with Conan O’Brien.

In the interview, he talks about IPTV, Media Center and the future Xbox2, Blogs and RSS, Search and is well worth a read. The video clip is particularly interesting and shows off the remote connectivity available in MCE with portable players including phones running MS Smartphone. Bill connects wirelessly to the Media Center and is able to view photos just taken and saved back on the PC. Pretty cool stuff…

EFF Reviews the Elgato’s EyeTV 500 and it basically comes out as a winner though a bit expensive way to record and timeshift HD and digital content. I already have one component of the Mac Media Center with the EyeHome and the EyeTV would really make a nice addition. It’s just a matter of having enough juice on my computer to record and stream the full HD signals… oh yeah and the fact that you can only record Over The Air (OTA). I still like it though… there may be a chance for this to be capable of recording from cable at some point through a software upgrade. The hardware seems ready with an input right on it, but it seems to be a political issue as you might expect.

update….Damn. I woke up this morning and found the Azureus had downloaded the sample clip (537.6MB) posted by thee EFF, but my laptop, the more powerful system here can’t easily play without stutter. I am using VLC as Quicktime was unable to play the file at all. I guess I would need the dual-G5 system recommended by the EFF in order to get full use from a system like this.

If this isn’t too PC centric (yeah right) it might actually be something people will want aside from Tivo, though as I’ve said many times a DVR that gets tangled up as an aftermarket connect to your cable service is a tough sell. There’s no word on the number of tuners, whether it works on IPTV or cable or what… Perhaps LG will have a demo box / prototype at the show. Certainly an interesting move Mr. Bill.

I’ve been excited about this one since I first heard the news. As part of their digital home efforts, Bill Gates announced as part of his keynote Microsoft is releasing a standalone DVR/DVD-Burner platform to compete with the likes of TiVo. First to market will be a new box from LG later this year. These units will have a look and feel similar to the Media Center PC platform but will not be traditional PCs nor will they be usable for PC tasks such as running Office. They will have the standard Windows EPG and will be able to burn content to DVDs. Since they support Windows Connect, they will be able to stream music and pictures from your PC and also be able to transfer TV content to your PC for syncing to a portable media center. Media Center Extender technology to connect to a media center PC is also planned but won’t necessarily make it into the final release. [Michael Gartenberg]

I’ve been listening to the Sirius CES broadcast, and the floor opened for questions which were mainly lame. Except for Jason Calacanis speaking for Engadget.com asked the most relevant question in my mind. Sirius only announced the video product today and Jason asked whether we might expect a video product from Howard when he arrives in 2006. The Sirius team seemed very impressed with the thought and made an audible note to self on it. I thought it was a great question considering the potential for content when you add video to the excellent audio mix already available.

XM announced what can only be described as a developer’s kit for consumer electronics. With little effort devices can become XM enabled. Sirius better watch out, this could greatly enable a huge number of devices and allow for a much broader adoption.

The centerpieces of the technology are XM’s “Connect-and-Play” chip and data-port, a low-cost, mini-serial bus connector (Mitsumi part CAM-C16). For a low relative incremental cost, manufacturers of popular consumer electronics products, such as stereo and home theater receivers, DVD players, table top radios and portable media players, can now add the XM “Connect-and-Play” chip and data-port, making their device instantly “XM-Ready.” Through this new technology consumers simply plug an XM Connect-and-Play home antenna (MSRP: $49.99) into an XM-Ready audio product and activate the service to receive XM’s 130-plus digital radio channels. No additional accessories or installation are required. [PR Newswire]

So one of the things you’ve probably heard about today is that your existing radio stations are converting to digital. What that means is that you’ll get the same clear stations with the limited programming you get now, but in crisp digital, as opposed to that lame analog you are listening to now. Of course you’ll need a new radio to enjoy this. You can expect that new radio will likely support some additional features like data — meta at the very least of what you have on, if not other content that’s yet to be dreamed up.

Sorry if that sounds a touch sarcastic, since it is. I just can’t see ever upgrading my radio to HD. Eventually it will be installed in cars at the factory, but I’ll choose Satellite radio any day to get the diversity of programming and commercial free stations. It’s well worth the subscription price of a CD per month.

Just because it’s new and digital does not make it better. HD Radio is more like adding a new and improved burst to a box of detergent than anything else.

If I was Fred, I would be proud of this deal though. It’s a massive upgrade across a huge array of media properties and definitely good for iBiquity Digital’s pockets. Just not for my ears.

This is just a PR for now… but certainly an interesting announcement from Comcast and Delphi at CES. If in-demand or direct broadcast to car takes off with Sirius or XM I wonder how it will compete with something like this. You’ll need a new device regardless and will have to make a choice based on what programming is attractive to you and your family. There’s no mention of content in this deal, it’s really more of getting from home to car. I’d venture a guess that your Comcast DVR (only, not a regular set top) will be able to send video content to the car waiting in your garage.

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ — At the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show, Delphi Corp. (NYSE: DPH) and Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) plan to announce an agreement today under which the two companies will work together to develop ways to allow users to select video content, transfer it to an in-vehicle entertainment system, and take it with them on the go.

Under the agreement, Delphi will work to develop an electronic consumer device for use in vehicles that enables the transfer and user selected playback of video, and Comcast will examine ways to allow users to access
video content.

“The Comcast and Delphi joint development project will seek to explore ways to empower users with a new mechanism to deliver video programming to the vehicle,” said Dave Wohleen, Delphi vice president and president of Delphi’s
Electronics & Safety sector. [PR Newswire]

Orbitcast (nice!) is reporting on a handheld Sirius receiver which is capable of recording programs as well as storing your own MP3 tunes. You’ll apparently be able to edit recordings on your computer, though no word just yet on pictures or whether this will be Windows only.

As predicted, Sirius is launching a video capability … clearly targeting young families with two children’s channels. We’ll probably see some nice auto units to support this, but I can’t imagine using it much in-home with the variety typically available through cable or satellite.

Sirius Satellite Radio today announced at CES that it has selected Windows Media Video 9 for use in Sirius’ mobile video platform (which was briefly mentioned during their NAVTEQ partnership announcement), and has reached an agreement with Microsoft to collaborate in the further development of video applications.

Sirius plans to offer a video service in the second half of 2006, and expects to devote 2-3 channels of premium video content designed primarily for children. With the explosive growth of DVD sales, video capabilities in automobiles are quickly becoming a prime feature for families and travelers. The automobile industry is increasingly interested in offering entertainment features to their new car buyers. According to Sirius, its automotive partners are eager proponents of the service, given the strong demand for rear seat video entertainment. [Orbitcast]

Just in from the NYT… This is a bold slap to Microsoft considering HP is the marquee brand used in all Media Center marketing. This makes a pretty clear statement on the ease of use … or lack thereof of the Media Center platform.

Hewlett-Packard will introduce a new device this fall meant to record and play back television as well as organize digital media, including photos, music and video, the company said yesterday.

Hewlett already offers similar devices based on Microsoft’s Windows Media Center Edition. The device, called the HP Media Hub, will be based on the Linux operating system.

Carleton S. Fiorina, the chief executive, said that by using Linux, rather than Windows, Hewlett can reduce the cost of the device, which has not been set, she said.

“The real motive is not the cost,” she added, but “the ease of use and simplicity. [NYT]

Sean Alexander at Addicted to Digital Media reports on Tivo’s launch of the TivoToGo service which has been highly anticipated by many.

It seems that aside form being a windows only deal – come on Tivo! – there are some significant restrictions, like not being able to take flagged content like the Sopranos with you, not working with DirecTV units, not working with many DVD burners (software purchased separately… and it’s not even out yet) and having to constantly enter your password.

Restricting what content works with a strong-DRM system is an incredibly bad move in my mind. Why even bother? Other than possibly being easy to use – and that’s questionable with all the password authentication and lack of support initially for DVD Burners – you’d be better off losing a degree of quality and sticking to the analog to digital conversion path most people have been using to archive or transport content.

There’s a chance it will work on the Mac eventually, but I fear Tivo might be missing a serious opportunity to keep this simple. When you read about the service on their site, there’s quite a bit off techno-jargon including codecs which is certain to scare off a good many people. At least it seems to be a free addition to your existing service.

Stanley Bing writes a regular humor column in Fortune but this one’s a keeper! Driving while replying… please! I only check messages on my Treo while cruising at highway speeds. Well, OK, I guess I’ve replied to a few including IM. ahem…

Ah, sweet and capable instrument! The things you have shown me in our time! Information about new business prospects that pop up like truffles overnight in your digital field. Amusing messages from friends speaking through their implements to mine, one BlackBerry to another. Important data that shaped my thinking when my mind was occupied with nothing but which wine to select, which exit to take on the Interstate …

Ah, dangerous love! How many times have I fired off messages, thumbs blazing, while driving down the highway at 70 miles per hour! Was I mad? Yes. I was insane with the potential of our relationship. It was you and I, and when we were in a zone where we could not communicate, when your bars went down to zero, how often did I lean out the window, drive to high ground, weasel my way to another location to see whether I could bring you to life?

Ah! How often did you and I wait together in a restaurant for a tardy companion, only to look around and see everyone else peering into his electronic pal and thumbing madly like a raccoon washing its food in a frosty river? Oh, my plastic fantastic love! My heart is breaking! Hear it breaking? Or at least buzzing with an unhealthy rattle that signifies catastrophic systemic failure?

Because I don’t love you anymore.

It started when I got a new incarnation of you. This one is blue. The screen is odd. The font is skinny and sans serif and tough to read. The backlight, too, is feeble and intermittent. You’re now ultrasleek and a little bit plump and so up-to-the-minute. Like everything else in this technologically intensive society, you’ve been improved to the point of being slightly less satisfying in some way. I don’t know why that is, but it’s true. [Fortune]