2004 August

This article caught my attention with its interesting title; “How-To: Use a Pocket PC PDA as a WiFiphone“. Sounds pretty cool to me. Once you get started reading this article, you will learn exactly what is needed to call someone right from your Pocket PC.

Apparently Microsoft has decided to expand into the world of GPS (global positioning systems). I can see why this would be an attractive move for them to get into this market, however I for one have no intentions of riding. flying or having any interaction with anything that will be relying on Microsoft hardware/software used [...]

The DailyWireless.org reports that SoCalFreeNet of San Diego, California is going to be using Sputnik software and hardware to maintain their ever-growing network of free access wireless users. Not to be confused with something from the Russian space program, Sputnik is a “San Francisco-based provider of managed Wi-Fi software and hardware”.

Check this out! Looking for a keyboard with a little pizazz? Then the AlphaSmart Neo might just be what you are looking for. This bizarre keyboard mutation comes with 512k memory cache and runs on 3 AA batts. Not sure that is something that I would jump all over, but it does sound kind of [...]

Flash drives that go zoom! The Verbatim Corp. just announced that they are offering USB thumb drives that would make any geek drool as they are worth their weight in hard drives. Storage capacities to blow ones mind along with blazing transfer speeds, this might just cause me to go on a thumb drive buying [...]

Purse-sized computers. The next bug, uh, small thing? Hint: the smaller they get, the more expensive they become. I wonder if I can get a free refrigerator-sized pc?
Portable media players built around Microsoft’s Portable Media Center software figure to garner most of the excitement this fall, but they’re by no means the [...]

I don’t know everything, and here is something else I didn’t know.
Power strips and surge protectors provide a handy way to turn all the components in your computer system on and off, but leave your printer out of it. If your printer has a power switch, use it to turn the device off. This lets [...]

According to socaltech.com, Ulead software will be bundled with Pioneer’s new DVR-A08XL DVD burners. The new drives are going to be pretty sweet from what I have read, I look forward to try them out here very soon. ;o)

Wow, this is a pretty darn good buy! iCam CIC-220 640×480 Digital Camera w/Waterproof Case, only $32.95. Granted this is not a “top of the line” model by any means. However, it would be perfect for the kids.

Do we really own our media? Sometimes I wonder, since there are those out there that firmly believe that the DVDs and CDs that we buy should remain in their original form, what implementations will this mean to the media of the future?

Even with a recovering economy in the US, hardware sales are just a hair away from unimpressive. Is this a start of a new trend in which people are trying to hang on to what they already have just a little longer? I believe it might be, for the short term anyway.

Today the Inquirer takes a look at some hot hardware buys that are just too good to pass up. The buys are from around the world and include the UK, France, the US and even Singapore.

Can you believe it? We have drives reaching 400 gigs already! Hitachi’s 7K400 hard drive has officially reach the previously mentioned storage capacity like it was nothing. I guess with expectations so high these days, seeing a drive with so much storage potential is just not as big a deal as it once was. Still, [...]

He/she who has the most removable storage wins! This is beginning to become a common battle cry as the quest for maximum DVD storage continues to keep trucking on. Toms Hardware takes a hard look at realities surrounding Double-Layer 8.5 GB DVDs.

In more serious news, Emiel N. Petrone,a major advocate of CD and DVD technology died at age 61. The man was a pivotal component of both the CD and DVD formats becoming the must haves that they are today.

Who says that hardware companies do not have the clout that they used to. Nvidia was able to persuade the creators of 13 different games to use Shader Model 3.0. Perhaps a little marketing magic, maybe even a little well place name dropping, Nvidia has continued to prove that they are a serious force in [...]

HP believes they have the greatest thing since someone decided that water ought to be wet. They are confident that their version of the iPod is going to change the way people look at digital audio. In my opinion, it just a knock-off of the Apple iPod, any way you slice it.

IEEE 1394 has been around for awhile now. Firewire to Apple users, it is the best alternative out there to USB 2.0. Now Microsoft swears up and down that XP SP2 does in fact contain IEEE 1394b drivers. According to Tom’s Hardware, this does not appear to be the case at all!

Now this is a great buy! 256 MB MP3 Player for only $74.99! For that price I would more than likely have to pick up a few of these I think.Then again, I already have something like 2 MP3 Players as it is, do I really need that third one?

I thought this was a good article for those of you ready to take the plunge into the DVD Burner market. Mark Kyrnin gives a nice run down on his top five DVD Burners. I don’t completely agree with all of his choices, but for the most part these are great burners.