Young fashion models, say goodbye to your carrier!

I am quite frightened by the thought that in a very near future we will witness something that seems to be a very good idea right, a saving one, but I don’t know if we’ll be happy to see how our places are taken by robots. Yes, robots. Japanese kids, for example, are on the point of being introduced in the world of knowledge by non-flesh-and-bones creatures. This is dramatic, if you ask me, because there’s no machinery in the whole world to successfully replace a human being.

It seems that Japan goes through very rough times these days, with their grown old population, so the robots are considered to be the best solution when it comes to replacing all sorts of workers. Maybe we’re talking about a genuine solution, I agree, but it still sounds crazy.

Anyway, if the robots are such fashionable apparitions these days, why not help them become part of the fashion industry? And if you thought this is nonsense, let me tell you that the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology of Japan doesn’t think so. On the contrary. The institute finds the idea a very interesting one and it’s eager to make it a dream come true.
Therefore, they unveiled what you can see in the pictures, a robot called HRP-4C, just in time for the Fashion Week which is to take place in Tokyo (March 23th – March 29th 2009). The fashion model is 5 feet tall and weighs no more than 95 pounds, but other measurements weren’t made available (bust, waist and hips).

I’m sure you’ll be a little bit confused when seeing this robot, as it looks so very real. And you’ll be even more confused if you get to see this thing making its debut on the catwalk next week, during the Tokyo Fashion Week. And I’m curious if someone will even notice the differences between the HRP-4C and the human models.

I don’t know whether designers from all over the world would ever choose to have such models on their fashion shows, but young fashion models from all over the world, beware! Your carriers might be in danger!

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AMD Phenom II Processor Hands-On

AMD had to overcome a few hiccups in the initial Phenom launch and revisit its pricing to stay competitive with Intel in the Core 2 era, but AMD's back in the game with the new Phenom II processor. It's not exactly a knockout blow, but the Phenom II X4 has the right price and enough performance to do some damage.

This year AMD will ship two new quad-core Phenom II X4 processors, the 940 Black Edition and the 920, clocked at 3.0GHz and 2.8GHz, respectively. Black Edition processors come with an unlocked multiplier setting to make overclocking easier for PC enthusiasts. The processors differ only in clock speed, and have identical specifications otherwise. The Phenom II X4 processors will come with 64K of L1 instruction and 64K of L1 data cache per core (512KB total L1 per processor), and 512KB of L2 data cache per core (2MB total L2 per processor). The processors will also have a shared 6MB L3 cache and will feature an onboard DDR2 memory controller with 17.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Built on a 45nm manufacturing process, the processors will have a relatively cool maximum thermal-dissipation value of 125 watts. Cool 'n' Quiet 3.0, AMD's power-management solution, keeps the Phenom II X4 chilly during periods of inactivity. AMD states that the CPU will now use 50 percent less energy while idle in comparison to Cool 'n' Quiet 2.0.

In a move sure to make existing Phenom owners happy, Phenom II X4 processors will be backward compatible with existing AM2+ motherboards. Motherboard manufacturers will release BIOS updates to ensure compatibility. As a follow-up in early 2009, AMD will release AM3 socket-based Phenom II X4 and X3 processors. Both will also be backward compatible with current AM2+ motherboards and will support both DDR2 and DDR3 memory.

AMD also bundles the Fusion and Overdrive utilities with the processors. Fusion helps to improve gaming performance by disabling scores of Windows services and slightly overclocking the entire system. AMD's Overdrive utility helps to automatically overclock the system and lets users apply those settings on an application-specific level. Overdrive helped bumped our Black Edition up to a final speed of 3333MHz when we tried it out.

The new Phenom II X4 processors will be available immediately in quantity. Expect to find the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition retailing for $275, and the Phenom II X4 920 at $235.

From the pricing angle, the best direct competitor to the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition is Intel's 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q9400, a quad-core processor with 6MB of L2 cache. Intel's Core i7 920 sits at a similar price point, but the total cost of ownership is much higher for the i7 after you factor in the cost of the motherboard and memory. The i7 processor requires DDR3 memory and a motherboard with an LGA 1366 socket. DDR3 memory costs roughly twice as much as DDR2. AM2+-based motherboards start in the $50 range and cap off at $200, whereas LGA socket 1366 boards start at $200 and can run as high as $400.

We didn't have Intel's 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor on hand for our comparison. Instead, we clocked our Core 2 Extreme QX6800 with 8MB of L2 cache down to 2.66GHz and put it up against the Phenom II X4 940 to see how the chips stack up.

AMD's newest processor competes favorably against processors in its class. If we could fill in the spot where Intel's Q9400 sits, we're sure that the Phenom II X4 940 would outperform it. In 3DMark Vantage, the Phenom II X4 940 handily beat our down-clocked QX6800 with 8MB of cache by nearly 1,000 points. The Phenom II X4 940 tied the QX6800 in Crysis and Valve's particle test. On our simultaneous encode and Crysis test, the Phenom II X4 940 outperformed the Intel chip in Crysis by a handful of frames, but it stumbled in the encode time.

Overall, the Phenom II X4 looks to be a great purchase if you're upgrading. It keeps up gaming-wise with Intel's Core lineup and holds its own in intense processing situations. Backward compatibility with AM2+ motherboards gives existing users an easy and affordable upgrade path. The promise of future backward compatibility only sweetens the deal.

System Setup: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition, AMD Phenom X4 9600, Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 @ 2.66GHz. MSI DKA790GX, eVGA 780i, 750GB, Corsair 2GB DDR2 RAM, Seagate 7200.10 SATA Hard Disk Drive. Windows Vista 32-bit SP1. Radeon HD 4800. Video card driver: beta Catalyst.

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Ultimate Bluetooth Mobile Phone Spy Software

Description: Ultimate Bluetooth Mobile Phone Spy Software Edition 2008 will work on All mobile devices that are bluetooth enabled. Not just phones but also laptops, computers, etc. YOU WILL RECEIVE SEPERATE SOFTWARE FOR OLD MODELS AND NEW MODELS (INCLUDING SYMBIAN PHONES). We don't need to list compatible phones - this works on ALL phones! Check what your kids, spouse, or partner are up to - and rest at peace! Not just 1 program but an entire suite that will work on old phones, new phones, smart phones, java phones - on absolutely all of them! NOTHING is logged, you leave absolutely NO TRACE of your spying activities! This program is 100% software. You will NOT need to alter or modify your handset at all! Extra Bonus! 2 extra bonus spy items! * Bluetooth spy suite for your PC/laptop!A very special program that enables you to view incomming and outgoing e-mail for a given e-mail address.

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Android: One Multitasking Operating System

Former Apple designer Mark Hamblin is tinkering with Google and partners' Android so it can work in a slew of gadgets other than wireless phones

When Google (GOOG) and its partners first unveiled plans for the Android operating system, they billed it as software that would run mobile phones. That mission was accomplished the following year with the late 2008 release of T-Mobile's G1 phone. More Android-enabled handsets are on the way.

But before long, you may be seeing Android in a lot of other electronic devices.

Just ask Mark Hamblin, who helped design the original touchscreen for the Apple (AAPL) iPhone. Now the CEO of Touch Revolution, Hamblin is tinkering with Android so it can work in a slew of gadgets other than wireless phones. In late 2009, Touch Revolution plans to introduce a remote control and a touchscreen land-line home phone that will be powered by Android. Also in the works from Hamblin's company: touchscreen menus for restaurants, Android-based medical devices, and a 15-in. kitchen computer where family members can leave messages for one another.

More Devices on the Way

Android everywhere would come as good news to Google and chipmakers such as Qualcomm (QCOM) and Texas Instruments (TXN) that have invested in its development and would welcome the chance to sell semiconductors in new markets. But Android ubiquity could cause headaches for Microsoft (MSFT), which would rather see its own software on a wider range of electronic devices.

Where will Android end up next? A handful of electronics manufacturers plan to unveil Android-based mobile Internet devices, or MIDs, and stripped-down computers known as netbooks at the GSMA Mobile World Congress, scheduled for later this month in Barcelona. "Nine months ago it was a lot of people who were curious" about using Android, says John Bruggeman, chief marketing officer at WindRiver Systems (WIND), a consulting firm that's working with several Asia-based manufacturers on the products. "Now they are starting to build designs" that effectively bypass Windows altogether, he says. Bruggeman declines to name the companies planning to introduce Android products.

Microsoft says it's undaunted by the prospect of increased competition from Android, itself based on Linux, a software whose code is freely available via the Internet and developed by programmers the world over. "We welcome the chance to compete with others in this space," a Microsoft representative said in a statement. "Overall, we find that customers prefer the familiarity, compatibility, and ease-of-use of Windows over Linux."

Designed to Run on Any Device

Yet in some cases, Android may end up with first-mover advantage as it shows up in devices such as netbooks or digital photo frames where Microsoft has yet to establish a beachhead. "It would make sense for any [software vendor] to play there," Hamblin says. "I see tremendous growth in these ubiquitous computing devices." That looks all the more attractive as growth slows in the computing industry. PC shipments are expected to increase only 4.3% this year, according to researcher iSuppli.

Manufacturers that work with Texas Instruments have built Android into video and audio players and picture frames due out within months. Rival semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm is helping vendors ready more than 20 Android-based products, including video players and small tablet PCs, for release in 2009 and early 2010.

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Ergen Could Be Serious About Sirius

The CEO of EchoStar and Dish Network may need the troubled radio company as bad as Sirius needs him: His satellite TV business is losing customers

Mel Karmazin, CEO of Sirius XM Radio

No one is a bigger tightwad than Charlie Ergen. The 55-year-old Ergen, a poker-playing former financial analyst for Frito-Lay (PEP), got his start in satellite TV by selling one of those giant backyard dishes from the back of a pickup. Even after he built Dish Network (DISH) into the fastest-growing satellite TV company, he insisted that even his top executives fly coach and stay two to a hotel room when traveling. So it's no surprise that Ergen saw opportunity in scooping up debt held by the troubled satellite radio company Sirius XM (SIRI). Wall Street sources say Ergen bought the bonds on the cheap as a possible precursor to a takeover. Talk about a skinflint entrée to a new, if struggling, business.

But the purchases are more than a bargain hunt. Ergen may need Sirius as badly as the near-bankrupt radio company may need him. Dish Network, after years of gaining on cable companies and outpacing rival DirecTV (DTV), has fallen hard from its orbit. Dish recently lost its alliance with AT&T (T), which bundled Dish's service with its phone offerings. The partnership accounted for much of what little growth Dish has registered in its 13.7 million subscriber base. Worse, AT&T now works with DirecTV, leaving Dish with no large phone company to help goose sales.

In the quarter that ended Sept. 30, Dish lost 10,000 subscribers. The company's 9% earnings increase, to $223.7 million, was mostly a result of increasing customers' bills—not exactly a recipe for long-term success, especially in a market where consumers are curtailing nonessential spending.

Ergen also lost a big legal battle recently when Dish was ordered to pay $104.6 million in damages to TiVo (TIVO) for violating patents on TiVo digital video recorders. Dish is appealing the decision.

Bankruptcy Attractions

No wonder Ergen is nosing around. "He's an entrepreneur," says Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett. "He is always looking for his next business." Ergen could derive a lot of benefits from an acquisition of Sirius XM, Moffett says. For starters, the company could use the bankruptcy proceedings to drive down costs, including deals with carmakers, which share profits with Sirius for pushing new subscriptions.

Sirius would join a long list of other ventures that Ergen has been considering in order to shift focus from the slower-growing satellite TV business. He now aims to reach consumers when they're away from home, says Tuna Amobi, who follows Sirius and Dish for Standard & Poor's, which like BusinessWeek is a unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies. In late 2007, Ergen paid $380 million for Slingbox, a technology that lets people view cable or satellite service while traveling. Ergen's other company is EchoStar (SATS), which was split off from Dish to develop Slingbox and other technologies. EchoStar has introduced the service for Apple (AAPL) iPhones and Research In Motion (RIMM) BlackBerrys.

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Google TV: Still a Tough Sell

In the past two months, Google (GOOG) has abandoned its efforts to sell newspaper and radio advertising. Will it pull the plug on its initiative to sell TV ads, too?

Given the coming convergence of TV and the Internet as well as advertisers' hunger for Web-style measurements for their TV commercials, chances are good that Google will stay the course. But it faces a tough slog. A range of companies are also developing technologies that do a better job of allowing advertisers to target TV viewers. Then there is traditional media's deep-rooted suspicion of Google. "They're the pretty new girl in high school," says a senior ad sales executive. "We hate them for that."

When Google announced its television venture—dubbed Google TV—nearly two years ago, it sounded promising. The search giant is trying to replicate its Web model for TV, offering a self-service, auction-based system for advertisers. Advertisers can choose shows that best fit what they are selling. For example, a travel agency can visit a special Web site, type in, say, "cruises," and Google finds programs through guide information that might mention cruises, like an episode of King of Queens in which the characters Doug and Carrie go on a cruise. Advertisers bid on the ads available for that program, decide what they are willing to pay, and upload their commercial, which is delivered directly to the TV network. Companies pay only for those TV sets tuned in to their ad for five seconds or more, data Google gets from set-top boxes. "We're about speed and flexibility," says Mike Steib, a former NBC Universal (GE) executive who runs Google TV.

More Effective Targeting

Some advertisers see the merits of Google's system. After all, the $60 billion TV advertising business seems increasingly archaic in the Web Age. Companies still buy ads way ahead of time, months even, often in bulk, and TV outlets collect their money before commercials hit the air. It can be a hit-or-miss affair, with program ratings uncertain. While audience data have improved in recent years, advertisers tend to make educated guesses about who is watching what and when. Being able to target more effectively and buy on the spot is what attracted Chinese PC maker Lenovo, one of the first big advertisers to buy commercials through Google. "We needed to be super-efficient," says Deepak Advani, Lenovo's chief global marketing officer. "With Google, we were not forced to buy a package of ads at the same time. We could buy one ad at a time, and bid on the spot we wanted, and see it air two days later."

Lenovo, however, is one of only a handful of big advertisers to use Google TV; others include Jenny Craig, Priceline (PCLN), Buy.com, and some Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) brands like Lifescan and Centocor. Because the Big Four broadcast networks have shut Google out, the company has partnerships with relative small fry, including Dish Network (DISH), Hallmark Channel, Bloomberg TV, and NBCU cable channels such as CNBC, Sleuth, and Thriller. These outlets don't provide the number of viewers and reach that national advertisers require. Dish Network, for instance, is in only 13 million of America's 112 million TV households.

Some advertisers also say the slots Google is trying to sell are often at the most undesirable times of day—the middle of the night, say, when self-help guru Tony Robbins rules the airwaves. "The challenge for [Google] is scale," says Russ Klein, chief marketing officer at Burger King (BKC), which buys Web search ads through Google but zero TV time. "We don't see anything seismic here right now."

Another shortcoming of Google's automated system, say marketers, is that its technology, while impressive, usurps relationships that still mean a lot among Madison Avenue, advertisers, and TV companies. "There are important relationships and discussions that go on about how to develop programming and how to present your message on TV," says Klein.

Google TV's Steib insists the company is committed to TV, noting that as television becomes more interactive, viewer data and targeting will become all the more important to advertisers. The challenge for Steib is to strike more partnerships quickly with TV providers (he says more will be announced soon) before traditional media buyers, cable operators, and even Microsoft (MSFT) get entrenched in the business. Google will play a role in the future of TV advertising, says Curt Hecht, a top executive for the ad conglomerate Publicis, but it will not dominate the way it does on the Web. For now, says Hecht, "Google TV is a healthy experiment."

In the past two months, Google (GOOG) has abandoned its efforts to sell newspaper and radio advertising. Will it pull the plug on its initiative to sell TV ads, too?

Given the coming convergence of TV and the Internet as well as advertisers' hunger for Web-style measurements for their TV commercials, chances are good that Google will stay the course. But it faces a tough slog. A range of companies are also developing technologies that do a better job of allowing advertisers to target TV viewers. Then there is traditional media's deep-rooted suspicion of Google. "They're the pretty new girl in high school," says a senior ad sales executive. "We hate them for that."

When Google announced its television venture—dubbed Google TV—nearly two years ago, it sounded promising. The search giant is trying to replicate its Web model for TV, offering a self-service, auction-based system for advertisers. Advertisers can choose shows that best fit what they are selling. For example, a travel agency can visit a special Web site, type in, say, "cruises," and Google finds programs through guide information that might mention cruises, like an episode of King of Queens in which the characters Doug and Carrie go on a cruise. Advertisers bid on the ads available for that program, decide what they are willing to pay, and upload their commercial, which is delivered directly to the TV network. Companies pay only for those TV sets tuned in to their ad for five seconds or more, data Google gets from set-top boxes. "We're about speed and flexibility," says Mike Steib, a former NBC Universal (GE) executive who runs Google TV.
More Effective Targeting

Some advertisers see the merits of Google's system. After all, the $60 billion TV advertising business seems increasingly archaic in the Web Age. Companies still buy ads way ahead of time, months even, often in bulk, and TV outlets collect their money before commercials hit the air. It can be a hit-or-miss affair, with program ratings uncertain. While audience data have improved in recent years, advertisers tend to make educated guesses about who is watching what and when. Being able to target more effectively and buy on the spot is what attracted Chinese PC maker Lenovo, one of the first big advertisers to buy commercials through Google. "We needed to be super-efficient," says Deepak Advani, Lenovo's chief global marketing officer. "With Google, we were not forced to buy a package of ads at the same time. We could buy one ad at a time, and bid on the spot we wanted, and see it air two days later."

Lenovo, however, is one of only a handful of big advertisers to use Google TV; others include Jenny Craig, Priceline (PCLN), Buy.com, and some Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) brands like Lifescan and Centocor. Because the Big Four broadcast networks have shut Google out, the company has partnerships with relative small fry, including Dish Network (DISH), Hallmark Channel, Bloomberg TV, and NBCU cable channels such as CNBC, Sleuth, and Thriller. These outlets don't provide the number of viewers and reach that national advertisers require. Dish Network, for instance, is in only 13 million of America's 112 million TV households.

Some advertisers also say the slots Google is trying to sell are often at the most undesirable times of day—the middle of the night, say, when self-help guru Tony Robbins rules the airwaves. "The challenge for [Google] is scale," says Russ Klein, chief marketing officer at Burger King (BKC), which buys Web search ads through Google but zero TV time. "We don't see anything seismic here right now."

Another shortcoming of Google's automated system, say marketers, is that its technology, while impressive, usurps relationships that still mean a lot among Madison Avenue, advertisers, and TV companies. "There are important relationships and discussions that go on about how to develop programming and how to present your message on TV," says Klein.

Google TV's Steib insists the company is committed to TV, noting that as television becomes more interactive, viewer data and targeting will become all the more important to advertisers. The challenge for Steib is to strike more partnerships quickly with TV providers (he says more will be announced soon) before traditional media buyers, cable operators, and even Microsoft (MSFT) get entrenched in the business. Google will play a role in the future of TV advertising, says Curt Hecht, a top executive for the ad conglomerate Publicis, but it will not dominate the way it does on the Web. For now, says Hecht, "Google TV is a healthy experiment."

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NPD: January video game sales jump 13 percent

Japan's Nintendo Co. drove the U.S. video game market in January, with industry sales of gaming systems, software and accessories growing 13 percent to $1.33 billion.

According to market researcher NPD Group, Americans bought $445.4 million worth of video game hardware during the month, a 17 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.

The Nintendo Wii was by far the month's best-selling system, with 679,200 units sold, followed by the handheld DS, also by Nintendo, with 510,800.

Reggie Fils-Aime, the president of Nintendo of America, said this is the 16th consecutive month the Wii has been the best-selling console in the U.S.

Fils-Aime said he expects the game industry to grow this year, but added this won't be "even across the board."

"Nintendo platforms will have accounted for a large majority of the year-over-year growth," he said in an interview.

The $250 console, launched in 2006, transformed the video game landscape by getting millions people who were not experienced gamers to pick up a controller.

The Xbox 360 from Microsoft Corp. sold 309,000 units during the month. The priciest of the three consoles, the PlayStation 3 from Sony Corp., sold 203,200 units.

January software sales climbed 10 percent to $676.6 million. This was above the 5 percent increase that Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian had forecast. He noted that retailer GameStop Corp. recently reported "healthy" sales of gift cards over the holidays, and many of these were likely redeemed in January.

Games from Nintendo grabbed the top three spots for the month. "Wii Fit," perhaps boosted by New Year's resolutions to exercise, was the month's top-selling game with 777,000 units sold. "Left 4 Dead" from Electronic Arts Inc. and "Call of Duty: World at War" from Activision Blizzard Inc., both for the Xbox 360, were also among the top five.

NPD analyst Anita Frazier said the broadening of the game audience "will help buoy the industry through these tough economic times, provided they have enough compelling content to keep them interested."

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Dell Studio XPS

THE GOOD
Outstanding performance for sub-$1,500 PC; configurable options let you get a Core i7 CPU for less than $1,000.

THE BAD
Competing systems have more exciting features; limited upgrade path.

THE BOTTOM LINE
You can find flashier PCs than Dell's $1,299 Studio XPS, but few have as much power where it counts. We don't recommend its small, pared-down case for upgraders, but this PC will satisfy anyone who needs a loaded, powerful PC for gaming and consumer-level digital media editing

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How To Turn a Netbook Into a Net Jukebox

A netbook may be too weak and puny for serious computing, but it makes a pretty good jukebox.

Thanks to the massive amount of music available online, a two-pound computer can access and play nearly every song ever recorded by mankind. The trick is getting the software needed to make it convenient to tune into the cloud instead of cramming your tiny hard drive with MP3s. Here’s how to do it.

I decided to turn my piece of junk MSI Wind into a jukebox because it was useless for most other computing tasks. My Wind actually comes with a rather capacious 160GB hard drive, but this project, as you will see, is particularly suited to netbooks of rather more limited storage. And of course, all of this will work for a “normal” computer too.

Here we use a Wind Hackintosh running Mac OS X, but you can just as easily use the stock Windows XP version. In fact, in one sense this will actually work better. The important thing is a net connection.

So, you have iTunes, but only a 4GB SSD drive. That won’t hold much music. It barely even holds my podcast directory. So for this project I will use iTunes solely for podcasts and grab all the rest of our music from the internet, specifically streaming it from the ether rather than engaging in disc-filling downloads.

There are several internet “radio” stations, sites which will let you pick one artist or genre and then compile a playlist for you. Pandora is one, and apparently very good, using as it does a database compiled by real people to select tunes for you. Sadly, it is not available outside the US, and is therefore dead to me over in Spain.

Instead, we chose Last.FM, a British site that is happy to share with our colonial brethren. Last.FM uses computer wizardry to compare your tastes with those of others who listen to the same music. It then builds eerily accurate playlists. You can then stream these playlists via a web browser or better still, pipe them directly into iTunes using the iScrobbler plugin.

IScrobbler not only monitors your iTunes usage and sends the info the the Last.FM servers (thus building your listening profile), it also takes the streams from Last.FM and plays them in iTunes itself. This means you get to use the remote control and keyboard shortcuts you are used to, along with track info displays. It also means that Last.FM is the only streaming service you can use with AirTunes — Apple’s over-the-air music streaming protocol which beams tracks from iTunes over Wi-Fi to an Airport Express (itself hooked up to a stereo).

At least, its the only one that will do this natively. More on that in a moment.

The real reason for this how-to article is Spotify, a new music service which is so good it made me dedicate a whole computer to it. Spotify is being called a “celestial jukebox”. It is essentially an iTunes-like piece of software with a quite ridiculous amount of music in it, all accessed via your internet connection:

In the future we aim to have all the worlds music available, however, we are currently in beta and are updating our catalogue so it’s possible that you won’t be able to find some of your favorite artists or tracks.

This is the Holy Grail of online music — every track ever made accessible all the time. Better still, Spotify is free in its ad-supported version, and an ad-free premium version costs €10 per month. I’d probably sign up for this but the ads are so unobtrusive there seems no point.

Spotify has all of the big labels signed up, plus some indies: Universal, Sony, BMG, EMI Music, Warner Music, Merlin, The Orchard and Bonnier Amigo. The catch? The free service is invite only and available in UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Sorry US! For once you get left out, although you can get the paid version at any time.

The Spotify software is simple and fast. Faster even than iTunes. The music is piped over the wire in the the open source Ogg Vorbis q5 codec, running at 160 kbps, and it is all managed by P2P, much the same as BitTorrent, to keep the mothership’s bandwidth costs down.

Next, you need to hook your netbook up to a stereo. With Windows XP, just plug a stereo cable into the mic socket. With a Wind running OS X, you’ll need to do some hacking. Better, as this is so far completely free, is to buy Rogue Amoeba’s Airfoil, a piece of software (Windows and OS X) which will stream sound from any application and send it to an Airport Express. This is my setup, and it means that the netbook can be anywhere in the apartment and stream music to the big speakers over my Wi-Fi network.

The best thing about this is that you don’t need a remote control — a netbook is so tiny it is a remote control. Even if you don’t have an Airport Express hooked up to your stereo, Airfoil can stream to another computer on the network and take command of its speakers. It’s neat and costs just $25.

There are surely many other ways to get music from the web to your speakers, but the netbook is particularly convenient, especially as you can have an almost infinite library at your fingertips. Any further recommendations should, of course, go in the comments.

Product page [Spotify]
Product page [Last.FM]

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Stun Gun Flashlight

This multi function gadget provides light to dark places, a personal alarm, a menacing 150 kV electric stun gun and if the batteries run out I suppose you could use it as a club.You can get the Stun Gun Flashlight for $89.99.

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Edmunds Test Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse

We're already been pretty clear about our positive reaction to GM's "Lambda" crossovers, the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Saturn Outlook. However, while these triplets have sold well, the fact remains that the real GM bread winners inevitably wear a Chevrolet bow tie. There's certainly something to be said for the fact that there's a Chevy dealership in just about every town in America -- not so much Saturn and GMC.

That makes the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse the most important Lambda of them all. Not only is it the least expensive, but it's also likely to be the best seller. Is it the best version, though? Or is it worth the extra effort to find a Buick-GMC store?

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Edmunds Test Drive: 2009 BMW 335d

We don't want to hear anything about black smoke, stinky hands or Grandpa's Oldsmobile breaking down on the side of the Jersey Turnpike. That was diesel 25 years ago. Not considering diesel-powered cars like the sensational 2009 BMW 335d because of the above reasons would be like passing on a Tom Hanks movie because you associate him with Bosom Buddies.

This latest edition of BMW's venerable, top-selling luxury sedan is both civilized and thrilling; explosively powerful and frugally efficient. Provided you don't blanch at a starting price of almost $45,000, the BMW 335d is bound to win you over.

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Sony COM-2 mylo

I've blogged about the mylo before and now the second generation COM-2 mylo is $100 off at the Sony Style store through January 31 2009. Great device at a great price!

Posted by Steve Ross on Gadgets

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PSP: Sony's Candy Colored Consoles

These new "carnival colored" PSPs from Sony should come in a selection box -- they look good enough to eat. The rainbow-hued consoles will go on sale in Japan on March 19th for ¥19,800 ($223). Also available will be a kit, featuring a 4GB MemoryStick, a "private porch" (pouch) and a handosutorappu, which we believe to be a hand strap. The kit will go for ¥24,800 ($279).

To celebrate this Japan-only release, let's have some further fun with Google Translate. The PSP-3000 is, apparently, designed "To further reduce image quality". Other essentials include " the guns and diamonds (tentative)" and "the distance investigation - to the truth 23 days". We know that that laughing at machine translations is a low form of humor, but these are great. In fact, we're happy to help "spread more and more the world of entertainment".

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Sony Ericsson Does the Wrong Thing With Boomboox Walkman Phone

Oh, Sony Ericsson, why? Why have you just made the metro a little bit more miserable, and the streets just a touch more mean? Are you so desperate for cash that you are willing to risk a "Do the Right Thing" style riot just to sell a new phone?

The W395 Walkman phone is aimed squarely at the "youth" market, a fact easily gleaned from the publicity material featuring the phone alongside a skateboard. But the real gimmick, the thing that will attract youngsters like knives and anvils to Wile E Coyote's giant electromagnet, is the set of stereo speakers on the back. The press release doesn't even detail these speakers, instead relying on this visceral description:

Powerful built-in stereo speakers with high quality bass [emphasis added]

There is more in there -- a 12.5 hour battery life when playing music, a 2MP camera with which to capture urban unrest and a supplied 1GB memory card to store the recorded mayhem. But really, it's all about those speakers. In fact, Sony Ericsson should have just called the phone the "Radio Raheem". At least it doesn't need 20 D-Cell batteries to work (NSFW).

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HP to Offer Three Versions of Windows 7 for Netbooks

Leave it to Microsoft to make netbooks complicated.

It appears likely the tech giant will offer three different versions of Windows 7 for netbooks. HP officials told Computer World about its plans to offer three different configurations of Windows 7 for netbooks, which suggests Microsoft will roll out this structure for other companies' netbooks as well.

According to HP, the following three Windows 7 options will be available: Windows 7 Starter Edition, which will only be able to run three apps at a time; Windows 7 Home Premium for consumers; and Windows 7 Professional edition, aimed at business users. That could lead to three pricing options for Windows 7 netbooks, depending on the version you choose — in addition to pricing variations when netbooks ship with Linux instead.

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Asus External Optical Slim DVD Drive

The ASUS External Slim SDRW-08D1S-U is an external optical drive that aims to fulfill the CD- and DVD-burning requirements of both business people and those looking for burning entertainment CDs and DVDs on the go. Turbo Engine technology allows the ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U to read and write data at extremely high speed. The technology boosts connectivity between the USB cable and the optical drive which otherwise is impacted by the computer’s bandwidth.

The External Slim SDRW-08D1S-U measures 6.1″ x 5.5″ x 0.8″ and is available in two colors - black and white. It is an elegant looking accessory equipped with a CyberLink-based burning program. It rests on its own stand. It weighs 412g without the stand and 435g with it. The device is powered by a USB 2.0 plug which draws power from the computer / laptop. The USB 2.0 plug also facilitates high data transfer rates. You can encrypt discs partially or fully with Disc Encryption technology that offers an impressive 128-bit encryption.

The ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U supports the following formats for writing - DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM. It can read the following formats - DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, Photo CD, CD-DA, CD-Extra, CD-Text, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM.

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Sharp SH0018-megapixel Camera Phone

Sharp SH0018-megapixel Camera Phone: To allow for clearer conversations in busy locations where ambient noise is present, a noise-canceling feature is built-in, along with a “Slow Talk” button that lets users better understand callers by slowing down their speech. A cut function allows users to quickly take text that is over the character limit and transfer it to a new e-mail or text message.

An assisted GPS service is offered, and users can access a music download portal. Other software includes dictionaries and an e-wallet. The integrated 740MB of usable memory is backed up by a microSD card slot, allowing users to add much more storage space. Bluetooth and infrared short-range wireless connections are included, and the SH001 has the ability to pick up 1Seg TV broadcasts.

The clamshell handset’s notable features consist of an 8-megapixel CMOS camera and a dual-hinged design that allows the 3-inch, 480×854 pixel LCD screen to rotate out to face the user while being folded into the handset. The camera has an integrated autofocus and face recognition capability, while its ISO rating can be set as high as 2,500 for capturing images in low-light environments.Available in white, pink or black in Japan later this year, the SH001 is expected to cost the equivalent of $440.

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The Gryphon Glider

War Does Not Determine Who Is Right, The Gryphon Glider Does

The technological advances of World War I made it one of the most gruesome "modern" wars, but the trickling of war-time technologies into civilian life has usually proven beneficial. And if nothing else, defense tech makes for some really neat toys. Hopefully, such is the case with the Gryphon, a stealth glider from SPELCO GbR which has recently been upgraded, now weighing in at only 30 pounds (thanks, in part, to its carbon fiber frame). It steers via hand held rotary controls that Ted Selker would have a field day with, and now features the option of weaponization.

The Gryphon is intended for use by paratroopers doing high altitude drops (at speeds of up to 150 mph), making the pilots of the perfectly good planes the troopers hurl themselves out of safer by removing the need for combat zone proximity. While the Gryphon is currently only being developed for military use, SPELCO GbR notes that "It can be adapted fast and easily to special needs and requirements," one such adaptation being the addition of a small jet engine (normally used on unmanned military drones) to increase speed. I don't think I'm alone when I ask that one of these adaptations be a commercial version for all of us budding crimefighters out there.

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Polaroid PoGo Instant Pocket Printer

Polaroid PoGo Instant Pocket Printer

Do you want to print out picture instantly from your digital camera? Here is the solution from Polaroid, leader of instant picture camera, it is pocket sized, easy to use printer connects your digital camera or cell phone and print picture instantly(2" x 3" size).

Technical Details

* Portable photo printer delivers full-bleed borderless images that are dry to the touch
* Features automatic image quality optimization with water-resistant, tear-proof, smudge-proof and peel-off prints
* Prints 2 x 3-inch borderless color images in under a minute
* Wireless-capable Bluetooth hard drive interface; USB 2.0 hard drive interface
* For use with digital cameras and select cell phones

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