End User

Say What?

Tomorrow I take off for a few days in the great white North. Montreal has an official language of French and I don't speak a word of it besides "foie gras". While many people there also speak fluent English, I'm told that many of the restaurants, bars, and other places have menus exclusively in French. Being in a new city where I might not know what I'm ordering scares me even as a culinary adventurer, so I'm bringing with me a Franklin 12-Language Speaking Translator. This is definitely going to help me when I'm either deciphering what I'll be eating at Au Pied De Cochon or trying to ask a taxi to take me home at the end of the evening. This compact device even has a slide-out full keyboard and built in MP3 player. I will probably still

Now if only it had a color LCD screen...

Olympus unveils the E-520 and 9-18mm lens

Olympus has updated their mid-range line, bumping the E-510 to the E-520. As the name suggests, this isn't a revolutionary update from the earlier camera, but users who want a powerul-but-small DSLR might appreciate the bigger LCD and point-and-shoot-style autofocus in Live View mode that the E-520 brings. Four-thirds Photo has a well-layed out in-depth preview.

Even more interesting to most current users of 4/3rds lens-compatible cameras such as Olympus, Panasonic and Leica is the release of the new 9-18mm f/4-5.6 lens. This gives a similar point-of view to an 18-36mm lens on a 35mm film camera, or the Nikon 12-24mm f/4 on a DX sensor. In short, while not the absolute widest thing out there (Olympus has a wider lens, the 7-14mm), this is a really wide lens. At 9mm it will strongly give that "ultra-wide" look that can make for crazy architectural angles and unflattering portraits. While it's only half as light-sensitive as the Nikon on the long end, it will be much lighter and presumably cheaper, putting ultra-wide in the reach of Olympus users who can't afford the 7-14mm.

Cell Processor Expected to Appear in Upcoming Toshiba Notebook

The Cell Broadband Engine of Sony's Playstation 3 fame is expected to appear in Toshiba's upcoming Qosmio G40 notebook (sales to start in 2008).
The "SpursEngine SE1000," is a chip based on the Cell Broadband engine that leverages 4 cores instead of the Cell's 8 core design. It features high-definition video decoding and encoding of H.264 and MPEG-2 streams, and will most likely to be marketed more toward video applications than 3-D graphics acceleration. The specs look very promising, the SpursEngine1000 will have an on board memory controller that links each core to 128MB of Rambus XDR memory over a bus capable of pushing data at 12.8GB/s. Each core should run at a frequency of 1.5 Ghz.

The announcement of Cell technology in Toshiba notebooks comes in addition to Toshiba's upcoming TV's equipped with Cell processors they demoed at this year's CES.

--Ken H.

The Bold and the Beautiful: New Blackberry Announced

The cell phone industry is aiming for a big summer, what with the impending release of the long awaited and much salivated over 3G iPhone. But there's been a slew of announcements of new smartphones in recent weeks, with more on the horizon, as the competition tries to play catch-up. Research in Motion with its Blackberry line, still the biggest player in the smartphone market (at 40 percent market share, though down from 45 percent), today officially unveiled the rumored 9000-series Blackberry, dubbed the Bold.

At first glance, it doesn't look like that much of a radical departure and more an amalgam of the Curve and the 8800 series. Yeah, it's got a "stylish leather-like backplate" (according to the press release), but it's what's under the hood that makes the difference. The biggest news is that this is the first Blackberry to include 3G network connectivity. And it packs in both a GPS receiver and Wi-Fi, adding the corporate-friendly 802.11a variant to the usual 802.11b/g suspects. It also includes a 480 x 320-pixel screen (though at just 65K colors and no touchscreen capabilities). The Boy Genius Report says that we'll be seeing the Bold first make its mark at AT&T this summer, though a 1700 MHz 3G network-friendly version should also show up at T-Mobile at some unspecified point in the future. For more on the Bold, check out Wired's hands-on, first-look report and Gizmodo for a rundown of the main specs.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

BioWare Responds to DRM Concerns in PC Version of Mass Effect

Last year's well received console title "Mass Effect" from BioWare is expected to arrive on PCs this month, and in the recent weeks, concern over the game's overbearing DRM has been growing. It was originally announced the game would require an online periodic 10-day re-activation. Those who found themselves unable to access the internet for whatever reason would be locked out of their own game.
It took little time for fans awaiting the game's release to protest the DRM announcement on the Mass Effect forums. Luckily, BioWare was listening and recently has responded to the concerns. The PC gaming community let out a sigh of relief as BioWare announced that the originally intended method of copy-protection has been replaced with a more reasonable one. A quote from the forum posting:

"BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us.
The solution being implemented for Mass Effect for the PC changes copy protection from being key disc based, which requires authentication every time you play the game by requiring a disc in the drive, to a one time online authentication.
This system has an added benefit of allowing players to seamlessly play the game without needing the DVD in the drive." 

More info in the new DRM implementation can be found at the Mass Effect forums.
Also system requirements for the game have been released. Do you have enough hard drive space?

--Ken H.

Bites from the Apple: Countdown

Another week, more iPhone rumors. But, it looks like the end may be in sight with what seems to be the most definitive tip of the 3G iPhone's release in June: a memo (acquired by The Boy Genius Report) to AT&T employees that no vacations can be scheduled between the dates of June 15 and July 12. Wired's Gadget Lab takes a look at some of the most recent rumors (including the photographic "evidence" of a new, rounded plastic case for the 3G iPhone, seen at right, and the possibility of multiple models). For a pretty complete rundown of what seems likely to be included in the new model, check out Charles Starrett's summary over at iLounge.

• The iPhone might not be the only thing to get revamped come June--TUAW has a tipster who says that the .Mac service could be getting push email, over-air syncing of calendars and contacts, and compatibility with Windows. Scott Kleinberg at the Chicago Tribune's iPhone Therefore I Blog blog sees this as a big deal.

• Gizmodo plays risk with all the countries across the globe that have done deals with Apple to sell the iPhone.

• In addition to push email, Ars Technica reports that the newest round of the iPhone SDK (software developer's kit) includes better YouTube integration in Safari.

• CNet's Crave blog argues that Apple needs to have a game console in its linupe.

• After a leak that seemed to confirm free Wi-Fi access at AT&T hotpspots for iPhone users, AT&T has backpedaled and yanked that portion of the iPhone plan from its site.

• Thinking of selling your first generation iPhone in preparation for the new 3G model? Leander Kahney found out that you can get up to $1000 for one in the Ukraine (though you're better off selling one on eBay or Craiglist here in the States).

• For Jailbreakers Only: Record video clips with your iPhone's camera using the aptly titled iPhoneVideoRecorder (via Into Mobile).

• Speaking of jailbreaking, the iPod Touch Hacks blog has two words for those who are considering it: DO IT. The reasons include adding applications that take your iPhone to the next level and the ability to add games--something that's seriously been lacking so far. I've stayed true to my Apple warranty and haven't done anything to unlock my phone. A fellow dad (who used Ziphone to jailbreak his iPhone) in my parents' group pesters me every time we get together to bust out, but I think I'll keep it that way until I see what gets released in the first rounds after the iPhone 2.0 platform gets official.

• It's been 10 years since the iMac was first released. Ars Technia and TUAW look back on the long, strange trip it's been from blue and green bubbles to svelte aluminum (and black turtlenecks).

  

• Oh, inverted world... O'Reilly's Digital Media blog accidentally found out how to invert your screen to black by pressing Command-Option-Control-8. Give it a try.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

The Coolest TV Packaging Ever

In addition to digging on home theater, I'm kind of a design geek, so I'm surprised I didn't see this last year. It's TV packaging that turns into a stand. The whole thing is made out of expanded polypropylene that can be manufactured from recycled materials. It was created by a Tom Ballhatchet, a UK design grad student.

    

This post is getting copied to our manufacturers. I'd love to see these rolling out of Amazon's fulfillment centers. I'm just not sure how heavy it is. If it weighs a lot more than Styrofoam, it might be impossible for us to ship it free. I wrote Ballhatchet to try to find out. We'll see where that goes. My question to readers is, "if we offered TV with this packaging as an option, do you think you would you pay a shipping surcharge to get it?"

Oh, there's also a video.

I have no idea why they're playing, "We wear short shorts."

--Tod Harrick

Top 10 Free Apps for Your Jailbroken iPhone

If you've recently jailbroken your iPhone (and if you haven't, here's a hassle-free method), you might be bewildered by the choice of available third-party applications--particularly because the app's individual info screens while browsing aren't often very informative.  Some application names such as "iSolitaire" make it pretty easy to guess at their function, but what about names like "VT100" or "Simplify"?

If you're wondering where to get started on making your jailbroken iPhone more productive and entertaining, here are some of my top favorite apps in no particular order:

1) Summerboard--Summerboard is a themer for your iPhone.  While it's not a productivity app, the ability to change the look and feel of your iPhone's interface (example pictured right) can't be underestimated.  You'll need to install the Summerboard package itself first--found in Installer under "System"--which will add an icon to your phone called "SMBPref".  Now you're ready to install new themes in Installer's "Themes (Summerboard)" menu.  Simply install it and use SMBPref to select your theme as the active theme.  If you want to use your own wallpaper, remember to turn the theme's wallpaper off in SMBPref.

2) MobileFinder--This is a simple app that will let you view files and filetrees on your iPhone.  It doesn't sound like much, but it provides a crucial link between external applications like iPhoneList, that let you drag and drop files to your phone, and third-party phone apps like TextEdit or WildEyes that can use the transferred files.  It will let you browse, modify, and create folders as well as copy, move, or delete files.  For powerusers, it will also provide extensive metadata on individual files and let you set their access permissions and the default programs to open them.

3) Simplify--Stream your music and video from your home PC to anywhere you're near WiFi access.  You'll need to have the Simplify software installed on your home computer (it's free--learn more and download here), but once that's set up you can sign in from the Simplify icon on your iPhone to listen to all of your digital music wherever you are.  Not only that, but you can invite and be invited to friend's accounts, giving you streaming access to their media as well.  Which means that as long as you have a WiFi connection, you're not limited to 8 GB of media storage--now it's virtually infinite.

Brief aside: Hopefully, the 3G iPhone dropping in June will be able to pull the kind of data rates that won't require you to have WiFi access to stream your shared media, meaning you'll be able to have practically unlimited media everywhere you go.  (Of course, someone will have to figure out how to jailbreak it first.)  Imagine connecting your iPhone to the auxiliary jack on your car stereo and streaming your home playlist to your car with no configuration needed!  Pretty cool if iPhone hackers can get that working.

4) Books--an eBook reader that reads simple HTML and text files, and will automatically parse chapters into subdirectories for easy browsing.  Simple, fast, and with a growing repository of downloadable books you can get via Installer--or add your own using an external program such as iPhoneList.

5) WildEyes--WildEyes for Safari is pretty much your one-stop shop for viewing virtually any kind of document:  Adobe .pdfs, Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft Word documents and more (that you've transferred to your iPhone using a program such as iPhoneList) are easily browsable via a simple menu and will launch for viewing in a Safari browser window.  Files can't be edited, though--for that you may want to use the iPhone-optimized interface for GoogleDocs--but its speed and multiformat compatibility make it a must if you use your iPhone for any business-related purposes.

(Read about 5 more great iPhone apps after the cut.)

70-200 review, and what does it all mean?

It may be six years old, but Nikon's 70-200mm f/2.8 VR is still one of Nikon's most used lenses by professionals, and DPReview has a comprehensive review, starting a series of reviews of professional telelphoto zoom lenses. The short take? Awesome lens for DX-sensor cameras, but if you're using the Nikon D3 or film cameras, get ready for some serious vignetting.

Is vigetting, softness, flare or the rest really such a bad thing? In the end, I argue at my Amazon.com blog, that's up to your needs.

ASUS M3N-HT--You got Integrated Graphics in my SLI!

Today marked the release of NVIDIA's 780a chipset, and one of the first boards out of the gate based on it is the ASUS M3N-HT. Besides a catchy name, the board offers up triple SLI action for AMD's latest CPUs, with an integrated "mGPU."

It also features power saving technology in the form of NVIDIA's HybridPower. HybridPower allows you to run your discrete graphics card only when your system is engaged in heavy 3-D tasks, and puts the 2-D desktop rendering duties on the shoulders of the integrated "mGPU" when you're just surfing the net reading tech blogs.

At the moment, only 9800 GTX and 9800 GX2 graphics cards support HybridPower, which might be a drawback for people in the market for a quick upgrade. An early review also indicates that HybridPower only sports a single-link DVI port. 30" LCD users may want to wait for the 2nd iteration of this chipset, since HybridPower will not display resolutions that high. Overall though, the performance that the ASUS M3N-HT brings to the table is very respectable, and SLI support is certainly welcome to speed up any AMD rig's performance.

--Ken H.

Netgear Releases a New Dual Band Router

If you're interested in upgrading to Wireless-N technology, but are worried about losing access to your older Wireless-G devices, then Netgear's new WNDR3300 dual band router might be for you. It creates two separate but simultaneous wireless networks, one that offers backwards compatibility with Wireless-G products and one that supports the newer Wireless-N products. It also offers improved range and speed, less interference from other wireless devices, and a "Push 'N' Connect" process that allows you to add new devices without having to remember a network key. Available now, the WNDR330 lists for $129.99. Read more about it here.

--Lisa M.

Of Moms and Magnets

In case you hadn’t heard, Mother’s Day is coming! If you’re anything like me you probably fret for days about what to get mom, and then ultimately default to flowers or chocolates. It’s safe, it’s thoughtful, and perhaps as predictable as mom gifting you with under garments during the holidays.

From time-to-time, you might be in the mood to stretch and get something less disposable or edible. If you’re pre-disposed to finding something original this year, I would humbly recommend the Homebase Digital Message Center and Picture Frame.

The Homebase takes the concept of the digital picture frame and converges it with the family calendar, sticky notes, voicemail and fridge magnets. It’s a 7-inch digital photo frame--with enough internal memory to hold over 150 high-res pictures—ensconced in an erasable white board, replete with a magnetic boarder for holding coupons, notes, pictures, and more. There’s even a wee slot for holding a sticky-notes pad. And to top it all off, the Homebase boasts a voice memory record and playback feature. Perfect for leaving voice reminders, messages, and orders to family members.

Think of this as an opportunity to help mom make aesthetic and common sense of her fridge. In my house, our fridge is a Pollock-esque splattering of pictures, notes, Thomas the Tank Engine magnets, kids drawings, and postcards. The Homebase can potentially streamline this potpourri of personal paraphernalia into something a tad more organized.

If you want to get mom something different this Mother’s Day… definitely check out the Homebase.

 

--JB Storey

Run, Don't Walk to the Nearest Hotspot

What do you get when you combine a wifi detector and a pair of Nike footwear?

The "ASRD" (A Step in the Right Direction). The shoes are based on the Nike Dunk platform shoes, with an integrated wifi detector under the left shoe flap, among other added design elements. Claiming to have a 50 meter detection range, the wifi detector displays wifi status through LEDs mounted on the shoe flap when activated by the pressure sensitive insole.

No pricing or availability is listed but you can see more of the wearable technology weirdness here.

Beyond the Megapixel

With megapixels quickly becoming passe', the next frontier in point-and-shoot technology is high zoom -- not some rinky-dink 5x or 8x, but Really High Zoom. Like 18x or, in the case of Olympus, a whopping 20x.

And with Panasonic, Fuji and Sony already in the game, Nikon's new, 18x (and for those of you who have to know, 10.1-megapixel) Coolpix P80 completes the circle of top manufacturers with an impressive high-zoom offering.

So what does it all mean? Everything, for enthusiasts who aren't up for toting around a digital SLR plus additional lenses whenever they think the perfect picture might present itself (like a ballgame, or the beach). It's a boon for the casual photographer, too, since tweaking the settings on these models is far easier than manipulating the bells and whistles of a DSLR. Throw in the fact(s) that most high-zoom cameras are fairly compact, feature image stabilization, Face Detection and a plethora of Auto modes, and you have plenty of great reasons to venture beyond the world of pocket-sized point-and-shoots.

--Chris C.

Shut It Down on Saturday (If You Can)

This Saturday (May 3) is the second annual Shutdown Day, which encourages everyone to turn off their computers and electronic gadgets for an entire day. According to the Shutdown Day site, the purpose of this exercise is to spread "awareness about the pitfalls and dangers that lie in the excessive use of television, computers, and computing equipment like game boxes, cell phones, music players, online social websites, etc. that impinge on social space and interaction amongst our communities."

I definitely can see in my own home how my son's eyes light up any time I pull out a laptop or my phone or camera (or camera-phone) and then distracts him from everything else in the room, and that it might not be all that bad to take a day's holiday from the gadgetry. So I'll be turning off my computers, my Apple TV, our iPods and their associated speaker docks, and the HDTV. I'll also use my iPhone only for making necessary calls (no texting and no checking in on the Chelsea and Man United football scores... that will indeed be a sacrifice). And instead I'll focus on doing some yard work, playing Legos with my toddler, and heading out to IKEA.

Luckily, this is taking place on a Saturday, so I'm pretty confident of my sucess. But if it were a weekday, this whole notion would be a non-starter as my entire work as a freelancer revolves around my gadgety tools. So what about you: can you shut it down for a day this weekend? (Hat tip to Web Worker Daily.)

[Addendum] Well, it turns out that I can't shut it down. My wife thought it would be the soccer scores that would break my resolve, but it was the overwhelming temptation to use my iPhone's camera to capture furniture possibilities during my morning IKEA visit. But I did well for most of the rest of the day until, after a long day with the toddler and work on her own laptop (she didn't join in my fervor for Shutdown Day), my wife made a stern request that we turn on the Apple TV.

Did I learn anything from this ultimately failed exercise? It seems that I possess OCD-like urges to turn to my iPhone or laptop to check on every little whim that crosses my thoughts--from the day's weather to adding a book to my Amazon wishlist to checking my Twitter feed. And it was a good thing to tamp down those urges just a titch and focus on the blocks and Legos that were much more important to my son. But there's no denying that some of my gadgets--my iPhone in particular--are very useful tools that make life in this modern world easier and more productive.

So going forward, I'm going to be more conscious about dialing my urges to fiddle with my gadgets just for the sake of them being there and try to be more in the moment. Though with the Euro 2008 championships coming up, that's gonna take some willpower...

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

MIT Makes Post-it Notes Sexy

We all know that Post-it notes are the sexy office supply.  (What do you mean, they aren't?  Pshaw.) No other office supply (not counting Sharpies, of course) can come close to their raw uninhibited utilitarian passion. If you've got it then flaunt it--some guys have even been known to use the power of Post-it colored cars to attract the opposite sex. Uh, well....sort of.

Even though it's hard to imagine adding more potency to the already turbo charged parade of Post-it passion Pranav and Pattie over at MIT have ventured close to the edge of Post-it potential by embedding RIFD and handwriting technology and evolving them into what they, aptly, call "Quickies". See, even MIT knows about the sex appeal of the Post-it!

Okay, enough kidding around--but this use of RFID is actually pretty cool.  Imagine writing a number down on a Post-it and having it instantly load into your phone's contact list. Or how about book marking a passage in a book, and a few weeks later use search for that note on your laptop's Quickie UI? There's a long list of ways this could make sharing data between the physical world and the digital world seamless, but until a manufacturer takes this idea and unleashes it - and when they do I personally promise Amazon.com/OfficeSupplies will sell it - we'll just have to sit back and dream about Quickies.

--Creighton

 

 

PicLens released for Firefox 3

PicLens is one of the best Firefox extensions for people who like to view photos on the Web, transforming common photo display sites like Flickr into very cool full-screen displays.The only problem is that, until now, it only worked on slow, memory-clogging Firefox 2, not zippy Firefox 3 beta. Until now. Firefox users can feel free to download the PicLens beta and see Web photos in a new way.

Bites from the Apple iPhone: I Want to Believe

It seems that iPhone phanatics are starting to feel the need for some 3G speed, as all manner of hopeful rumor seems to be flying about this week, culminating in a somewhat convincing but ultimately Photoshopped fake of a 3G iPhone in the wild (it's most likely the new LG Vu, which comes to AT&T next week).

But the look of the fake does seem to fit with the prevailing rumors out on the gadgetosphere, with iLounge reporting that the next-gen iPhone will have a glossy black plastic body, and it includes some graphical specs purportedly leaked from some accessory manufacturer that points to slightly different body designs. AppleInsider reports that the 3G iPhone will be much lighter--110 to 120 grams (3.9 to 4.25 ounces) compared to the current model's 158 grams (5.6 ounces)--and that Taiwan Economic News has its sources saying that the new iPhone will be manufactured by Foxconn with initial run of 300,000 to be followed by 3 million in June (and up to 25 million orders overall). And Ars Technica reports confirmation (via CNet.com.au) that Australia will be getting the 3G iPhone by the end of June and has a rundown on the likely 3G frequencies that will be built into the new model.

But the week's juiciest rumor comes from Fortune magazine, which says that AT&T will be subsidizing the cost of buying a 3G iPhone by $200 for those who sign up for 2-year contracts--bringing the price down to $199 for an 8 GB model. The catch being that you'd only get this by purchasing through AT&T, and not via Apple (online or at one of its mall stores). CNet's One More Thing blog posits that this may point to Apple selling unlocked models at a higher price, and letting AT&T gather two-year subscribers with the subsidized price. The Fortune article's anonymous source also pointed to a release date around June 27 (close to the original iPhone's 1-year anniversary) and that it will be 2.5mm thinner and include a GPS chip.

Finally, it seems that Jobs and Apple might have even grander plans for the iPhone, according to Newsweek/Forbes:

Apple is knitting together a broad coalition of companies around a vision of computing that goes far beyond today's hot-selling iPhone and toward a future that combines wireless broadband and touch-sensitive interfaces with built-in motion sensors.

Cisco is experimenting with software that will allow users to "flick" documents from their iPhones to their desktop computers. Intel, which supplies the processors for Apple's desktop and laptop computers, is experimenting with ways to tie motion sensors to maps, allowing users to "fly" through the landscape. Electronic Arts and Sega are building games that can be manipulated by players waving their phones through the air.

In other bits and bites from the week that was in Apple-y goodness:

• Apple's near weekly release of new and refreshed product brought us new iMacs that have been upgraded to Intel's Penryn line of processors. PC Magazine has already put the new model to the test and, compared to other all-in-one machines like the Gateway One and Dell XPS One, retains its title as "king of the all-in-one."

• If you want to get your Star Trek geek on, check out this tricorder iPhone web app (sadly, it doesn't provide any true scanning features like a true Starfleet issue medical and engineering tricorders).

• AT&T is starting to roll out free Wi-Fi for iPhone users (membership as its privileges) at its hotspots at Barnes & Noble and Starbucks (which AT&T recently took over from T-Mobile). But even if you don't own an iPhone, Insanely Great Mac shows you how to get the free Wi-Fi on your laptop (as long as you are able to get the digits off of a friend who owns an iPhone).

• Apple's iTunes Store this week gained access to new movies for purchase and rental on the day of their release from a good range of major studios (including Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox). Does this mark the tipping point toward the death of the DVD?

• PC World lists 18 features that Windows Vista doesn't have but should--Mac OS X has 16 of them already, including virtual workspaces, screen sharing, built-in podcast capture, etc.

• Online backup service Mozy has finally finalized the version 1.0 of its backup application for Macs, enabling you to back up your most important files (whether they be financial or your collection of family photos) to an off-site/online location. You can get 2 GB of free storage, or unlimited space for $5 a month (via TUAW and TidBITS).

• In other backup fodder, Matt Neuburg at TidBITS highlights a modified version of the GrandPerspective utility, which allows you to visually identify large chunks of data being backed up by Time Machine that you might not want (i.e., they were one-time chunks that don't need backing up) in order to open up some room on your external hard drive.

• Looking for a new RSS reader? Check out Times, which is designed to present your feeds in the style of a newspaper--which might be just the thing for users new to RSS (via TUAW).

• Weekend reading: BusinessWeek's cover story on how Mac usage is accelerating in enterprise/corporate environments.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

How Well Do You Know Your Own Music Collection?

The other day, I volunteered to pick up some friends from the airport. Their luggage was lost on the tarmac, so I was on hold in the Cell Phone Waiting Lot for over an hour. Not a problem, because I had my 6th-generation iPod classic with me, and it features the coolest game ever: iQuiz, which comes pre-loaded on every 6th-generation iPod classic. I'm a music fanatic (1,200 CDs and 5,500 MP3s), and I keep my iTunes in pristine condition--not just song title, artist, and album, but also composer, lyrics, year, genre, track number, album cover, my rating, and any other information I have about the song. (If I could find a way to determine BPM on songs, I'd include that, too.) So, iQuiz is the best because it's a simulated game show, where I'm the only contestant, and the topic is my music. (I can also play iQuiz with TV and movies, but I haven't even ventured there--yet.) Most of the questions are multiple choice and true/false, but the Lightning Rounds focus on similarities--years, artists, genres, and the like. The game is a ton of fun, and it really encourages OCD-like organization of your music collection. It's just one more fantastic reason to own an iPod. Heck, I was having so much fun, I let the kids wait an extra 5 minutes at Baggage Claim so that I could finish my game. High score: 14,531. What's yours?

--Andi

Weekend Getaway - Without Getting Lost

Confession of a Seattle native: I have never really been to Portland.

This weekend, I'll be fixing that gap with a visit to the City of Roses. I'm really looking forward to making use of my new Samsung Blackjack II and it's GPS capabilities to find my way around. A car charger and windshield cradle have been acquired (which unfortunately don't come with the phone). It does voice commands telling me where and when to turn, visual street cues on the 2.4-inch LCD screen, and I can keep up on my Outlook email while I'm gone since it runs Windows Mobile 6. This phone has everything short of a touch-screen.

Now I know that I'll be able to find my way to the nearest maple bacon doughnut.

-Keenan C.