End User

CES Roundup: PMPs Look for the Right Niche Amidst Changing Market

What CES 2010 coverage has demonstrated over the last few days is that the market for PMPs--or personal media players--is changing fast. It appears that this year, for the most part, much of the hoopla around PMPs has been drowned amidst fervor for netbooks and technology that feels, well, much more 21st century. Maybe it's simply that gadgets in general are changing: cell phones act like computers, computers act like cell phones, and they all play MP3s. So perhaps it's not so surprising to see that what few players were unveiled at CES 2010 certainly demonstrated a desire to go into unusual, and often curious, directions.

We've already profiled the Samsung MyFit, and it looks like other manufacturers are hoping that fitness sells, as well. The Philips Activa MP3 Player (pictured at right) doesn't even vaguely resemble the MyFit—it's absolutely tiny in comparison, and looks more like a miniature stopwatch than an MP3 player—but its premise is a little more, shall we say, extreme? According to CNET, the Activa is designed to take your fitness routine up a notch by giving you real-time feedback on your workout performance. Engadget explains:

Activa brings along a little trick called TempoMusic; a feature that analyzes your music library to later match songs to your aerobic intensity. That means that Activa can help keep you motivated by shouting out feedback on your progress in addition to words of encouragement while automatically selecting the appropriate music to match the pace of your workout or give you a boost when needed.

The success of the product will likely have to do with users' reactions to the player. As Donald Bell of CNET put it: "Only time will tell if the voice is more in step with the Wii Fit style of chipper encouragement, or with the Tony Little brand of aggressive shouting." (Let’s sincerely hope for the former, at least for Philips’ sake.) The suggested retail price is $130.

Another unveil at CES was the iRiver Smart HD PMP (pictured at right). While extant pictures are a little blurry to say the least, it's still sounds like a relatively promising device that crosses the boundary between eReader and PMP. According to gadgetell's Natesh Sood, the Smart HD PMP includes some pretty impressive specs, including open API widget developments, Wi-Fi, FM Radio, eBook reader integration, and a 3.5 inch, 480x320 screen. According to CNET:

The Smart HD will actively transcode most HD videos down to the screen's 480x320-pixel resolution. There's no word on whether the Smart HD will include TV output capabilities to make HD video resolutions worthwhile.

If you're of the teenage persuasion, or just prefer your gadgets polka-dotted and resembling candy dispensers (or as Donald Bell put it: "an MP3 player for children that looks like a miniature lipstick tube designed by a team of fairy princesses") then you might be interested to learn about the Samsung TicToc (not to be confused with the candy, or L. Frank Baum's automaton). Yes, this is the same Samsung we already profiled with the MyFit and IceTouch. Certainly this year the company has pulled out all the stops to reveal unusual and very demographic specific gadgets.

The TicToc has 12 hours of playback, and comes in three different designs (as well as 2 and 4GB versions).  Of particular note, the TicToc also has an intriguing single-button functionality that, according to sources, changes depending on the orientation of the device.

A last mention is due to the Korean-based company Villiv and their P3 and HD5 PMPs. While technically leaked before CES, Villiv’s PMPs definitely bring to mind the design of the iPod Touch, but have some rather intriguing features for a relative newcomer on the market. The P3 allows for Windows CE 6.0/Android dual boot capabilities, for instance. Display wise, the P3 has a 2.7 inch screen, and is a scant 9.7mm thick. According to TrustedReviews’ Andy Vandervell:

Inside, the unit is powered by an 800MHz ARM Coretex A8 processor, giving it the power to play 720p resolution MKV video. This is supplemented by integrated Wi-Fi, a G-sensor and a vibration motor – presumably used for haptic feedback. Those lucky Koreans also get the option for T-DMB mobile TV – if you've ever been in a Korean taxi you'll understand why this is a popular option – and DAB. 

The P3 will be available in 8, 16, and 32GB; pricing and availability to be determined.

On the heels of the P3 is the HD5 (pictured below), with full 1080p video playback.  Released specs include Windows CE 6.0 OS, HDMI port, SDHC port, 5” screen (800 x 480 capacative touchscreen). While the HD5 certainly seems to err on the side of multimedia rather than music, and while some reviewers are skeptic about the Windows CE 6.0 OS, it could still pack quite a punch. As Vandervell admits, "I must admit to being somewhat taken the company's P3 and HD5 PMPs."

All in all, it's been a somewhat unusual year for the PMP contingent. The few reveals as CES have certainly been intriguing—I think my favorite has to be the IceTouch; I just want to figure out how it works myself—but it's unclear what kind of staying power these gadgets will have. Between slate PCs, netbooks, eReaders, and cell phones at the forefront of consumers' minds, it certainly makes me wonder what CES 2011 will bring in the PMP department. Time will tell.

--Natania Barron

CES Roundup: GPS Devices, Software Evolve

While there's no arguing that tablets and slate-style PCs are the darling of CES this year, there have been some intriguing entrants in the GPS category as well. GPS, one of the first mobile technologies beside the cell phone to really take off, has certainly taken on bit of a blow by the smartphone (and in some cases iPod) industry as many consumers have opted for GPS apps instead of actual GPS gadgets.

However, as CES has so far demonstrated, the GPS industry is still working toward innovation and, in some cases, willing to compromise with existing gadgets.

First up, the Dual XGPS300 Navigation and Battery Cradle for iPod. Yes, the GPS device is clearly missing from this actual GPS gadget. Dual combines the NavAtlas application (free from iTunes) with a cradle specifically designed to integrate with the iPod Touch. The cradle includes a receiver, amplified speaker, and rechargeable battery. According to Dual, it's portable so that you can easily take it with you on hiking trips as well as road trips, a common feature often overlooked in bulkier GPS systems.

According to the company, the XGPS300 "provides a fully-featured turn-by-turn navigation solution, complete with free navigation software and a windshield mount for in-car use." It will retail for $179.99 (about the same price as an iPod Touch).

And with all the buzz around Android, it's no surprise to learn about the Navigon MobileNavigator will be available in for both Windows and Android-based phones. CNET says of the the Navigon MobileNavigator, "for the time being is the most comprehensive iPhone GPS app with potentially more features than you can ask for" so this is likely good news for anyone out there with a new Droid or NexusOne. However, it's important to note that the Windows and Android version won't have the same live-traffic updates as the iPhone, but the features are pretty impressive nonetheless, including 2D and 3D map views, route planning, Day and Night mode, and Text-to-Speech.

Instead of opting for integration, the idea behind the TomTom EASE is, well, ease. For some consumers, the idea of putting an iPod or iPhone on the dashboard is about as distracting as can be—who wants Gmail notifiers going off when you're just trying to find your way around a new city? The TomTom EASE is designed to get the job done, with two-button control and a very small profile. Engadget reports that the TomTom EASE is also going to be competitively priced, and will likely appear in Q2. Some basic specs include a very tiny footprint (3.4" x 3.6" x 1.2" including the mount), lightweight (6.1 oz.), a 3.5" LCD screen (at 320 x 240 pixels, 64K colors), 2GB Flash memory, pre-loaded Tele Atlas US maps, and text-to-speech capabilities. If this really is "competitively priced" it may make quite a splash among GPS holdouts. It also comes in a variety of colors.

Another big name in GPS gadgets, Garmin, also announced a new model in their motorcycle GPS line. I will admit, I had no idea that the Zumo even existed before. But it didn’t take long to figure out why GPS for motorocyclists is such a great idea: not only do they do a great deal of travel, but the gadget itself has to be able to withstand some pretty intense conditions on the road, like bad weather and constant exposure to sun and moisture.  The new Zumo 665, reports CNET, has quite a number of the same features as the previous model, which includes a complete waterproof system, rechargeable battery, and 4.3 inch WQVGA touch screen, as well as Bluetooth capabilities and audio streaming.  From CNET:

Dig a little deeper and you'll find that the new 665 boasts a better battery life (up to five hours versus the 660's three), but the biggest change is the switch to XM NavTraffic and weather from the soon-to-be-defunct MSN Direct network used by the older unit. A cool byproduct of the XM traffic integration is that the Zumo 665 can also stream XM Radio programming through its integrated speaker or to Bluetooth-connected headphones or helmet headsets.

While the unit is not yet available for purchase, it will retail around $999.

Still, altogether, there is a definitely feeling of innovation among the GPS devices, and some thinking outside of the box. As far as press buzz goes, it’s the TomTom EASE that’s made the most noise so far, with most extensive coverage, but we'll keep you posted.

Apple's Magic Mouse Cuts Largest Slice of Mouse Marketshare To Date

Amidst all the talk of speculation regarding iSlates tablets, new iPhones, and the success of the iPod Touch, Apple has another headliner as 2009 comes to a close: according to AppleInsider, for the first time, Apple's mouse sales have captured over 10 percent of the mouse market share. All thanks to the Magic Mouse.

The Magic Mouse debuted in October of this year, touting a buttonless, multi-touch sensitive shell, the first consumer mouse of its kind to offer such capabilities. And while, in general, reviews of the mouse have been mixed, there seems to be enough consumer drive behind the Magic Mouse to elevate the Apple share significantly.

BoingBoing's Rob Beschizza put it best, encapsulating just what is right and wrong with the Magic Mouse:

After the first minute I hated it. After a day I loved it. After a week, I'm on ibuprofen. I like the Magic Mouse, especially the touch-sensitive surface and flick scrolling, but am just not sure how long my metacarpals can take it.

The future of mice, it seems, takes quite a bit of getting used to, even for the most avid gadget reviewers. Like the Mighty Mouse before it, and the classic stylings of the original Apple USB Mouse (or, as it's lovingly called, the "hockey puck"), the Magic Mouse doesn't look like any other mouse out there, which is a hallmark of Apple design. Most consumers are so accustomed to using a two or three-button mouse that any derivation is difficult to get used to. Having used many of the Apple predecessors to the Magic Mouse, and ultimately using a Logitech run-of-the-mill in the end when the Mighty Mouse wheel started acting up, I'm approaching it all with skepticism.

Much of my reservation has to do with the swirling speculation regarding the purported Apple Tablet and not necessarily the functionality of the new Magic Mouse. With applications already available to turn iPods and iPhones into functioning computer touch mice, how viable is the mouse market going to be heading into the next decade? And while the Magic Mouse is certainly heads and shoulders above other mice on the market as far as capability, design, and functionality, it's no guarantee that the mouse will have staying power at all.

As AppleInsider points out:

Whether or not Apple can sustain its increased sales volume of mice sales over time remains to be seen. New Apple products are usually accompanied by publicity and buzz that pushes their sales through the roof in the early going, but often those sales die down over time.

If the tablet supports a mouse, as the iPhone blog cautiously rumors, then it's spectacular timing (assuming that the iSlate, or whatever it will be called, will be out in January); however, if the iSlate doesn't have any peripheral mouse capabilities, it's a bit of a head-scratcher. If consumers are ready for it, the iSlate could render the Magic Mouse, and all other mice, obsolete.

--Natania Barron

VideoLAN (of VLC Fame) to Release a Video Editor

In one of the best pieces of open-source software news this month, VideoLAN, the organization behind the popular cross-platform video player/encoder VLC, has announced that they are working on a cross-platform movie editor dubbed the VideoLAN Movie Creator (VLMC).

The VLMC will be open-source software released for Windows, Mac, and Linux, just like VLC.  And because VLC is, hands-down, the best video playing app in existence, it's fair to expect that VLMC will be a strong competitor against Windows Movie Maker and iMovie, with active development and frequent feature updates.  And Linux users will finally have a truly decent basic movie editor.

Not a lot of info is available just yet as the pre-alpha software hasn't been publicly released, but early reports show nonlinear editing, history undo/redo, and an easy-to-understand GUI.  An early version that the public can play with is supposed to come out "very soon", but you can take a tour of the basic features by watching the video below, made by the development team.

--Aric A.

Awesome "Nintoaster" Mod Puts a Classic 8-Bit NES Inside a Toaster

Noted tinkerer Richard DaLuz has created another Nintendo Entertainment System mod, dubbed the Nintoaster II.  It's basically just a toaster with the innards of an old 8-bit NES installed, but it sure is fun as heck to watch in action:

--Aric A.

The Droid You Are Looking For: Droid Knocks the iPhone from Time's Top Spot

Earlier this week, Time Magazine announced their yearly Top Ten lists, and at the head of the gadget pack was quite a surprise. The Motorola/Verizon Droid was crowned as Top Gadget of the Year—no small feat—while the iPhone languished in the 4th place position. Thankfully, the editors Lev Grossman and Peter Ha, give us a little light into their reasoning:

The Droid is a hefty beast, a metal behemoth without the gloss and finish of the iPhone, but you don't miss it. The Droid's touchscreen is phenomenally sharp and vivid, it has an actual physical (not great, but good enough) keyboard, and best of all, the Droid is on Verizon's best-of-breed 3G network. It's Android's first credible challenge to the iPhone.

How did the Droid de-throne the iPhone? Well, while much of the whole “iPhone killer” press is just clever media chatter, there’s something exciting about seeing a real competitor to the market that's important to recognize. Since 2007, when the iPhone was first made available to the public, cell phone and smartphone manufacturers have also been scrambling to come up with something to compete. It's never been a matter of getting the technology, necessarily; it's been a matter of getting the whole package right, and impressing its viability upon the public. Still, very few have risen to the challenge, and certainly none have attracted the loyalty Apple seemingly had on day one.

But for the last half of the decade, while people were tripping over themselves and pledging their first born children to get iPhones, Android has steadily gained in reputation and promise. The first release of an Android phone, the G1 by T-Mobile, was a bit lackluster. Chalk it up to T-Mobile service and, in general, the clunky design. And, as CNET observed, even the new, second-generation Android phone MyTouch still leaves much to be desired with a variety of gaps in its design including the lack of "standard 3.5 millimeter headset jack, a file manager, and camera-editing options".

So with T-Mobile still lagging behind, the buzz about a true "iPhone killer" (sometimes I feel like they're talking about Highlanders and not cell phones) has been feverishly pointing toward the new Motorola Droid, partnering with Verizon Wireless. And the editors at Time may be right, albeit a little premature in their ruling.

While their marketing strategy is certainly nowhere near as slick as the Apple approach, Droid has cleverly combined a powerful name in the cell phone game, Motorola, with a certain geeky trendiness that’s likely to appeal to a larger audience. Before the iPhone, nothing was more visible than the Motorola RAZR. Forget if the interface was horrible, it came in silver and pink and just looked like it might have fallen off of a spaceship. (I lusted after one until I finally caved and bought one, only to be so disappointed with the UI that I abandoned it for my old phone)

But now there’s no worry about bad interface since the sleek Droids use Android 2.0. And for the many customers frustrated with AT&T and T-Mobile, combining forces with Verizon wireless is a stroke of genius. It may just prove to be that alchemical mix needed to rattle the Apple from the tree. Or at least make the tree rock enough to get them worried.

It's no argument that the iPhone has forever changed the way that we think about and use our cell phones. But while it's dominated the market for the last few years, it's also done something else rather remarkable: it upped the ante. It’s exciting to see the innovation in other companies finally taking shape and to speculate about what the next decade may bring. Seeing how far Android has come in so few years is certainly refreshing. 

Acer Rises to 2nd Place in Global PC Sales, Announces Chrome OS for 2010

Acer has found itself in a very comfortable second position among global PC sales this quarter, ranking just under computer giant Hewlett-Packard. The Taiwan-based company even surpassed Dell this quarter, and reported some rather impressive numbers: shipments were up 16.6 percent over last year's quarter and 30 percent over last quarter. This is the first time an Asian OEM has held the number 2 spot. Lenovo, based in China, also experienced an impressive leap, finishing just under Dell for a fourth-place rank.

Having just purchased an Acer 23" monitor, I can't say I'm surprised at the news. The reviews for the monitor were extremely positive, and it literally blew everything in its price range out of the water in terms of size and price so even in recession mode I could afford it. And so far, I'm extremely pleased with the product.

But it's no secret that Acer's products have delivered some impressive performance over the last few years at extremely competitive prices. The key to their success, according to iSuppli principal analyst Matthew Wilkins, has to do with the burgeoning trend of smaller, more portable computer sales. In spite of the global recession, Wilkins explains that the notebook market has held strong:

"The third-quarter performances of Acer and Lenovo are just the latest development in the long-term rise of Asian manufacturers in the global PC market… The Asian manufacturers are a growing force in the global PC business due to their aggressive pricing along with their ability to quickly react and embrace new developments, such as the netbook PC."

Acer's netbooks are certainly one of their greatest strengths. For under $400, the little machines pack a punch, such as with the AspireOne, collecting just under 300 five-star reviews since its release. The newer model boasts a sleeker a design and an even longer battery life—over seven hours total. So I'd argue that it's not just a matter of aggressive pricing, but simply solid performance and competitive specifications.

While toying with the idea of buying a netbook recently, many people recommended the Acer. And after a quick visit to the local gadget store, I saw why. The keyboard is excellent, the screen is clear, and the specifications are just as good—if not better in some cases—than some of its competitors. Not to mention the price, too. Sure, it might not have a Vivienne Tam edition, but who cares? It's performance that matters in the long haul.

But Acer has some intriguing plans for the future as well, it seems, that go beyond price and specs. Earlier this month Acer announced that they are planning to release the first Chrome OS notebook, hoping to see it hit shelves some time in the next six months. While we've seen plenty of notebooks and netbooks now coming pre-installed with Linux, this is the first time Acer has gone out and announced their plans to release a Chrome OS product into the wild, as it were. A handful of other manufacturers have expressed interest to do the same, and Dell has even released an unofficial version that works with the Dell Mini 10v Netbook, but that Acer has moved this far ahead in the game is telling.

Perhaps it's beyond aggressive pricing and performance, then. Perhaps the key to surviving during and after the recession is rooted in innovation, too.

LG's GD910 Watch Phone Moves Ahead After FCC Approval

It could end up being the reason that people like myself who have not worn a watch since mickey Mouse was in fashion might strap the habit on again, or it could just be another fad gadget, but LG's GD910 watch phone has gotten FCC approval. A prototype was widely seen at CES 2009, and I believe that the device was referenced at earlier trade shows. The GD910 is a Dick Tracy like phone/media device built into a standard digital wrist watch design. Official specs are yet to be seen, but what has been released is as follows:

• Tempered glass, and high-quality metal casing construction
• 1.43" diagonal face measurement, by about .5" thickness
• LG's flash interface featuring touch-screen input
• Voice recognition, and text to speech so it can "read out" text messages
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Three side-mounted buttons
• A speakerphone
• A full-blown MP3 music player
• Water resistant design
• 7.2 Mbps 3G HSDPA compatibility, enabling high-speed data transmission and video calls using the built-in camera

It's guessed in various places that the phone will be compatible with local GSM networks, and perhaps be aligned with AT&T in the US market (only a guess) based on the HSDPA 3G technology utilized. Again specifics are a good ways off, so these last points are speculation. Yet, assuming that the phone actually releases, regardless of who the carrier is, the GD910 will definitely kick geek chic up a notch or two. In case you missed all the hoopla at CES 2009, check out the quick CNET video below for details on the GD910. 

--Tom Milnes

Regarding Bill Gates' Comments Connecting Natal to Windows

Not that those of us who sit for hours in front of our PCs every day, tapping out a living via the likes of Excel, Word, etc. are necessarily waiting with baited breath to hear details on what Bill Gates meant in recent days regarding how Project Natal might relate to PCs use, but it certainly is an interesting topic. For any who are not up on Natal, it is the code name for the Xbox 360's upcoming gesture and motion based control functionality. The technology is based around a peripheral, somewhat reminiscent of the PlayStation Eye, and perhaps could be seen as an answer to the Wii Remote as well. Yet Natal, at least on the surface seems to take things to the next level, which may be where Gates is going with this. The whole idea behind motion control is really a visual, so for a quick overview of Natal check out the video directly below:

So, obviously this, if successful, will be great for gaming, but what would the connection be to PC use? According to Bill Gates:

"...a cool example of that, that you'll see... in a little over a year, is this (depth) camera thing." He continued on to say that it would have uses for "media consumption as a whole," as well as "meetings, and collaboration, and communication." Later adding with regards to the various Microsoft teams involved that "Both the Xbox guys and the Windows guys latched onto that and now even since they latched onto it the idea of how it can be used in the office is getting much more concrete, and is pretty exciting."

So, again, what are we talking about here? To me it sounds like leverage of a component of a successful Microsoft technology, Xbox 360, to aid one that was far less well received; that being Surface. If this is accurate forget about a $5-10k that is out of touch in so many ways. How about a peripheral for $100 that turns your standard PC into a touch screen device, just without the physical contact. Hmmm? Returning to an earlier quip, as cool as this sounds I don't see too many spreadsheet laden office drones working on 14-17" screens giving up the mouse/hotkey method for this, but big screen media center document management and "Minority Report" on-screen magic? Sure why not. Forgot what that looked like? Microsoft's endeavors aside, it looks like that fiction is nearly reality. Take a look at a video below of Toshiba's Spatial Motion Interface as a reminder. Useful? Who knows, but with Gates talking about this sort of thing it may be more likely than not to be cluttering up your desk sometime soon.

--Tom Milnes

Taking a Shot at Extending a Wi-Fi Signal for Almost Nothing

Who wouldn't take a shot at getting something for nothing, or at least in this case something for next to nothing, when it comes to the pile high tech toys we all have strewn around our houses. With that in mind here goes...

In an age when it increasingly seems that a gadget is only as good as its embedded wireless functionality, how can one not obsess over their home network's wireless coverage? Myself, I've been stuck with a free, but sub par wireless router in the basement for a few years and so my personal brand of obsession has been going on for, well let's see now, that would be a few years. Sure, I could bite the bullet and invest in a new router, get the old one out of the basement and/or look into one of the many wireless extender options out there, but any of these would cost money now wouldn't they. Then the other day I came across the video below that looked like it might be a short-term answer. It's from a two-year-old Life Hacker post, containing a video that claims that in minutes you can dramatically boost your wireless signal by creating your own parabolic reflector antenna for your router out of paper and aluminum foil. Quite the claim. I can attest to the fact that it does only take a few minutes to make the antenna, although it only made a modest improvement in my signal, and only in a limited part of my house. True enough, more often than not you get what you paid for, which in this case was nothing, but my skills with glue sticks and construction paper are not what they used to be. If you have some time to kill and/or want to put your kid to work check out the video below. You might even get a better wireless signal. Myself, it looks like I'm extender bound.

--Tom Milnes