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Ready to give up your TiVO?

New STBs from Pioneer, Scientific-Atlanta, Motorola and LG Electronics focus on high-definition TV, digital video recording and interactive services such as video on demand. [allNetDevices Wireless News]

If this replaced my cable box I would be all set:

Pioneer Electronics has unveiled its Voyager 4000 HD-DVR, which features a dual HD tuner configuration (860 MHz) that allows for both high-definition and standard television signals to be encoded onto the hard drive simultaneously, so viewers can watch and archive two programs at once.

The Voyager also includes configurable controls, Pioneer said, which allow it to output screen resolutions optimized for any display type in a variety of formats. Incoming video resolutions are detected and up-converted or down-converted automatically based on the configured output.

Pioneer said its newly released interactive navigation suite, Passport Echo, is fully optimized to run on Voyager 4000, enabling cable customers to cache, catalog and store programming for later retrieval.

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Will Microsoft Be Successful in the Digital Home?

When it comes to the realisation of the digital home, no-one is pushing harder to achieve it than Microsoft. But what role for the Windows-based PC in the home of the future? Microsoft would have us believe that the PC is the natural all-singing, all-dancing hub of the home. And at first sight it has a strong case: with top-end processing power, huge storage potential, cutting-edge graphics, wireless and wired networking and easy access to high-bandwidth internet, there?s no doubt that in… [AlwaysOn Network]

The hitch? Don?t believe the hype. When it comes it to the delivery of no compromise video (the bottom line for discerning couch potatoes everywhere), neither the Windows platform or Wi-Fi are up to the job. Windows XP may be stable enough for desktop computing, but is far from it once you move into the realms of instant-on, never-fail TV. Similarly, Wi-Fi is forging new ground for seamless connectivity in the home and beyond, but it doesn’t yet have the bandwidth to deliver multi-channel video at a quality and consistency to make it a commercially viable proposition.

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Number portability gets the green light

A Federal court just rejected a last-ditch effort by US cellular companies to stop the FCC from imposing number portability, which means come November 24th you’ll be able to switch your carrier and bring your number with you [Gizmodo]

This is great news and means that service will finally be king.

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Does the FCC have a license to broadcast?

I had the FCC press broadcast on today in the background while doing some emails and noticed that both before and after the press conference they played some pretty lively jazz music. Is this music that was licensed for broadcast or just something they felt like sharing I wonder…

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Archos ships ‘cinema-to-go’ mobile video player

When I first started hearing about this product I did not think it was something I would actually be interested in having…. though the more I travel, the more I can really see the use for a dedicated video machine – especially something a sleek as this. The real trick will be finding content that works on it in an easy manner. Right now ripping a DVD to mp4 or divx is not a simple task and the real benefit of this player is to carry many movies with you to enjoy over the course of its battery life.[link to The Register]

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re-Wired

Why Centrino and VPNs Don’t Mix
Intel’s Centrino chipset is not compatible with most Virtual Private Networks, an Intel spokesman admits. Unless laptop users disable a key feature of the chip when it runs with a VPN, they get nothing but a blue screen. By Elisa Batista. [Wired News]

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WiFinder WOW!

On my walk home from the subway last night I used WiFinder and scanned for open APs… finding 28 places to connect!! My walk home is only about 5-7 minutes…About 5 of these places had WEP enabled and were locked while most I am sure I can connect to with little effort. I was also able to see an AP I know is on the 15th floor of a building from the far corner…

Free internet access is everywhere and I imagine it will only become easier and easier to find a connection as both broadband and wireless adoption continues to grow.

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Palm adds VoIP, more to Tungsten C

[infoSync]

First and foremost, VLI is introducing Gphone for Palm handhelds to enable VoIP for Palm Tungsten C handheld users. Gphone is a VoIP (Voice-over-IP) application available for several platforms that will allow users to place phone calls to any other Gphone-using Tungsten C, Pocket PC, or desktop system, or even over the public telephone network. Gphone also integrates into existing infrastructures to allow for automatic call forwarding to the handheld, and lets users within the same company call each other over the company network without any telephone costs at all.

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The problems with Sync

Not sure exactly why keeping device information synchronized with a computer becomes so difficult but in my years of working with Palm devices it seems to present an issue when you stray from the built in apps. In fact, Palm’s answer to almost any issue you call tech support about is to disable third party conduits and then usually a hard reset. The hard reset erases everything from your device which requires a restore/rebuild of everything.

My current set-up is the Palm Tungsten C connecting to my Powerbook G4. My company uses Meeting Maker as the group-ware calendar and Meeting Maker offers a conduit to sync so you would think that all would be well… but it is not. It seems that my Palm can only receive information from Meeting Maker, but can not send things back reliably without causing the conduit manager to crash (predictably) unexpectedly.

You see duplicates happen. I don’t know what causes this to happen, it just does. I have tried erasing the dupes on my Palm and re-syncing with MM, sending info back up, but in every case, the conduit manager crashes. It seems to have a problem with the number of things that get duplicated (usually holidays, though repeating weekly meetings are an issue as well). If I delete things in MM, I can sync back to the Palm with no problem.

So what is my issue? As a mobile person, I’d like to use my Palm to initiate events as I should be able to. Those should be able to go back up to the computer and all should be dandy. Instead, I have the current info ONLY on my Palm which makes it look like I am potentially available in our work system which auto accepts meeting invitations if my schedule seems to allow it. I set this as a preference, btw to make things easier since the speed in which meetings tend to schedule is pretty brutal.

One final point on Syncing, unrelated to Meeting Maker. iSync needs a serious upgrade in my opinion. It takes FOREVER to sync contacts (I have over 1200) and even longer if you are daring enough to sync with iCal as well. I would say that adding iSync to my sync schedule adds about 10-15 MINUTES my computer has to sit and think about what data to move where. For me, it is no longer worth the pain and suffering. I like the Apple Address Book, but am beginning to migrate back to Now Contact, an App I have not used since 1996. Not sure why I stopped, maybe it was Palm Desktop… but it is very nice so far and syncs well with Palm. I can also use the recently released update to sync (in my case overwrite) my Apple Address Book, if and when I feel that needs to be updated.

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Sony to release handheld game player

The living-room games leader turns its gaze to the portables market with the planned launch of the PSP, a handheld game player capable of 3D images.

Sony did not offer a projected price for the PSP, but said it plans to release the device late next year, with Ken Kutaragi, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, promising it would be “the Walkman of the 21st century.”

[CNET News.com Personal Technology]

Sounds good… though it won’t be here until late 2004. The walkman of the 21st century? I believe that is called the iPod.

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Verizon’s Bold Wi-Fi Push

The carrier activates 150 hotspots in NYC, part of a plan to bring wireless Internet access to its subscribers throughout the Big Apple and differentiate itself from cable broadband rivals. [internetnews.com: Top News]

Seems to only work for Verizon Online customers according to the Verizon Website, at least for now. I imagine they will want to open this up on a pay basis for others as well…

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Car traps official when computer fails

I guess it was only a matter of time… though I think many people would have expected this from a Windows powered car first…

Security guards smashed their way into an official limousine with sledgehammers on Monday to rescue Thailand’s finance minister after the car’s computer failed. Suchart Jaovisidha and his driver were trapped inside the BMW limo for more than 10 minutes before guards broke a window. All doors and windows locked automatically when the computer crashed, and the air conditioning stopped, officials said.

“We could hardly breathe for over 10 minutes,” Suchart told reporters. “It took my guard a long time to realize that we really wanted the window smashed so that we could crawl out. It was a harrowing experience.”

[CNET News.com Personal Technology]

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Verizon Sets Pay Phone Wireless Net Access

Verizon Communications Inc. plans to offer wireless Internet access in busy sections of cities like New York by installing “WiFi” equipment in its pay phones, a top Verizon executive said Friday.

After delivering a speech at a wireless security conference in New York, Verizon’s vice chairman and president, Lawrence Babbio, was asked whether Verizon would consider turning its pay phones into WiFi “hot spots” that radiate Internet access for a few hundred feet, since the phones’ wiring can facilitate connections to the Internet.

Babbio responded by saying Verizon expects to announce such a plan shortly.

“All of our pay phone people have already told us” that the phones would make good wireless access points, Babbio said. “That will probably be the vehicle we use, probably in Manhattan.”

[via NYT]

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So what’s next from PalmSource?

While not revealing too many specifics, Mr. Nagel did mention that the fruits of the acquisition of BE, Inc. and its talented group of engineers will soon be seen, specifically in the area of multimedia. He said that new technologies capable of displaying photo realistic images on 4″-5″ VGA screens will also have a major impact on handhelds, likely in the next 6-8 months. And eventually we’ll see “mini-tablets” — instant-on devices that do a few things, do them extremely well, and are simple to operate. People are absolutely moving away from complexity, according to Mr. Nagel.

[Brighthand]

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Coming Soon – You will want this

• It supports multiple networks. GoodLink runs today over Cingular Wireless’ Mobitex Network, but it’s designed to support multiple networks. Customers are already beta testing GoodLink on Palm devices, with voice and data, over GPRS networks. As faster wireless networks deploy—GPRS, 1X, Edge, UMTS—Good will port there.

• It supports standard devices. Today, GoodLink runs on multiple devices, including the RIM 950, RIM 957, and its own Good G100. And it will soon run on PalmOS devices as well. Device makers are currently designing PocketPC and PalmOS products for 2004 that support GPRS and 1X networks, and chipset makers are designing 802.11 chipsets for combo GPRS and 1X devices in 2005. Good’s design will easily port there.

[AlwaysOn Network]

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Flexible E-Paper on Its Way

Inching closer to the dream of electronic newspapers and books, scientists have created an ultra-thin computer screen that can be bent, twisted and even rolled into a cylinder without losing its image quality. Its creators say it’s the first flexible computer screen of its kind. [Wired News]