Computer Hardware's archive
WildCharge Wire-free charger for iPhone & iPod touch
WildCharge, makers of wire-free charging skins for various mobile phone models today has announced a wire-free skin for the iPhone and iPod touch, which enable the popular Apple devices to be charged instantly simply placing them on the WildCharger Pad™ or on other surfaces that are embedded with the WildCharge technology.
“The market is demanding a move towards wire-free charging, and WildCharge is thrilled to answer that call in adding Apple devices to our lineup of commercially available products,” said WildCharge chairman and CEO Dennis Grant. “With the addition of these two designs to our reference design library, both of which are Apple “Made for iPod” and “Works with iPhone” approved, WildCharge is solidifying our position as the leading, wire-free charging developer in the industry.”
The WildCharge Skins are durable, protective, form-fitting cases that when placed on the WildCharger Pad, transfer wire-free power from the Pad to the device inside the skin. The soft cases provide the same protection consumers already enjoy from traditional skins, but have the added value and convenience of enabling a wire-free charge. The WildCharger Pad, used in conjunction with the skins, delivers full power to multiple devices, allowing them to simultaneously charge together on the Pad while eliminating the clutter caused by multiple chargers and power strips. The iPod touch skin is available today and the iPhone skin will be available in early July. WildCharge Skins are also available for the Blackberry Pearl and Curve, and all are sold for $34.99 at WildCharge.com. I have a review unit headed my way to test on my brand spankin’ new iPhone 3GS, so I’ll do a review once I get it.
In addition to the WilCharge Skins, WildCharge recently announced a Universal Adapter for mobile devices that works with the WildCharger Pad. The Universal Adapter is able to charge over 150 different cell phone models from major brands such as Motorola, RIM, and Nokia through the use of interchangeable tips, with the list of compatible devices constantly expanding.
WildCharge claim that provide the only commercially available technology that enables licensing partners to deliver wire-free charging to a variety of devices that require varying amounts of power. From cell phones that require only a few watts of power to laptops that need over a hundred watts, virtually any device that has a rechargeable battery can be powered from a single, contiguous, and non-discriminating charging surface. WildCharge technology has met the industry’s most stringent regulatory and safety standards, including UL, CE, FCC, RoHS, and has been certified across all of the GSM bands.
Tags: apple, charger, charging, dennis grant, iphone, iphone 3gs, ipod touch, power, wildcharge, wildcharger pad
Related tags: commercially available, wildcharge technology, wildcharge skins, universal adapter, phone models, wildcharge
-
Follow me:
Related Entries
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: WildCharge Wire-free charger for iPhone & iPod touch
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Elektrobit MID Reference Design Aims to put Linux Desktop apps + Smartphone in your pocket
Smartphones, netbooks, smartbooks, and Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) while very similar feature-wise, each has their own distinct advantages. Smartphones such as the iPhone have been widely successful, while the MID market has been a bit slow to take off. Elektrobit Corporation (EB), based in Oulu, Finland aims to change that with their new MID reference design that combines the “pocketability” of smartphones with the power of PCs/netbooks since it can run desktop Linux applications. Picture an iPhone that can actually run full version Linux applications such as Firefox, Opera, OpenOffice, Thunderbird, SSH client, and more. That’s exactly what you’ll get with Elektrobit’s (EB) new MID reference design. EB’s sleek, media-centric MID reference device takes the power of the PC and makes it pocket-able so you don’t have to compromise on mobile capabilities.
I spoke with EB’s Vesa Kiviranta Vice President, Mobile Internet Device Solutions, Wireless Solutions BU about their new reference design. Vesa explained that it’s based on Intel’s next generation Moorestown platform. The reference design includes touch-screen support with multi-touch (cool!) support. It uses the latest 3D and high resolution capacitive sensing touch screen (3.97″) powered by EB Touch & Feel technology. Because the screen measures nearly 4 inches (3.97″), it fits into the MID category, while smartphones have screens smaller than 3.9 inches and netbooks have screens larger than 5 inches.The reference design relies on a Linux-based OS with EB’s MID UI & Application framework based on QT. It also features EB Navigation Suite with integrated GPS.
It supports two cameras (front & back of phone) so not only can you snap photos, it can also easily support videoconferencing/videochat. I asked EB about support for Skype video chat and they told me it will indeed be supported in their MID design. In fact, they tested it using the Linux Skype application in their labs. As far as I know, this marks the first time a pocketable mobile phone can perform Skype videoconferencing! Cool stuff! 
I know many iPhone fans were very disappointed the new iPhone 3GS didn’t add a front-facing camera (myself included), which would allow for videochat capabilities. Of course, the current Skype for iPhone client doesn’t support video, but my sources tell me it’s in the works. It will be very hard to have a videoconference if you have to turn the iPhone around so the camera is facing you, but not the iPhone screen. Basically, they’ll be able to see you, but you won’t be able to see them - unless you spin the iPhone back around.
Tags: chat, eb, Elektrobit, mid, mobile phone, netbook, reference design, skype, smart phone, Vesa Kiviranta, videoconferencing, voip
Related tags: reference design, mobile internet, linux applications, touch screen, iphone, design
-
Follow me:
Related Entries
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Elektrobit MID Reference Design Aims to put Linux Desktop apps + Smartphone in your pocket
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Minuteman Aims for UPS Comeback in 2009
I met with Bill Allen, Director of Marketing for Para Systems, Inc. at ITEXPO and he was very high on the prospects for Minuteman UPS products for 2009. Although Minuteman isn’t as large as APC, they make very good products. He mentioned that Minuteman UPS products have new extended run-time battery packs that are “battery packs on steroids.” He pointed out that competitors offer extended run-time battery packs, but they didn’t seem to focusing on them and he said Minuteman’s extended battery packs have longer runtimes.
He also boasted that Minuteman battery packs and the UPS itself both some with a 3 year warranty. No other UPS manufacturer offers a 3 year warranty on their batteries and always had the longest warranty.
Cost is also an important consideration when choosing a UPS. Bill mentioned that Minuteman UPS products are 10, 20, or even 30% less expensive than APC, Tripp Lite or other competitors and they have better runtimes to boot. He pointed me to a good comparison link here: http://minutemanups.com/products/exlcomp.php
Their ITEXPO Minuteman booth uses lights to demonstrate what happens when power is slowly reduced to similate a drop in power. As the power is reduced, the lights dim, until the UPS kicks in and gives a power boost causing the lights to brighten again.
Tags: apc, bill allen, minuteman, para systems, power protection, tripp lite, ups
- Related Entries
- VoIP and Power Protection Webinar - May 17, 2006
- Power on the Go! APC’s Mobile Power Pack - Jun 20, 2006
- APC’s Universal Notebook Battery: Goin’ Mobile! - May 04, 2006
- APC Back-UPS ES 750 Has Got Your Back-up Covered - Mar 02, 2006
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Minuteman Aims for UPS Comeback in 2009
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
SanDisk G3 SSD Memory Blows Away Hard Drives’ Performance
SanDisk today unveiled its third-generation family of solid-state drives (SSDs). Using multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory technology, SanDisk’s G3 Series of SSD memory has incredible performance benchmarks. The G3 SSDs are more than five times faster than the fastest 7,200 RPM hard disk drives and more than twice as fast as SSDs shipping in 2008, clocking in at 40,000 RPM and anticipated sequential performance of 200MB/s read and 140MB/s write. Even the fastest hard drives I’ve seen to date, which I have installed on serveral servers at TMC, currently max out at 15,000 RPM.
They were designed as drop-in replacements for hard-disk drives (HDDs) in notebook PCs, the initial members in the SanDisk G3 family are SSD C25-G3 and SSD C18-G3 in the standard 2.5″ and 1.8″ form factors, respectively, each available with a SATA-II interface. Available in capacities of 60, 120 and 240GB*, the unit MSRPs are $149, $249 and $499, respectively. The G3 SSDs provide a Long-term Data Endurance (LDE) of 160 terabytes written (TBW) for the 240GB version, sufficient for over 100 years of typical user usage. Using such fast memory instead of a hard drive in a netbook, laptop, or even PC desktop should make these computers nearly instantly boot. Sweet!
Three key features developed by SanDisk enable this new design: a new SSD algorithm called ExtremeFFSTM allows random write performance to potentially improve by as much as 100 times over conventional algorithms; reliable 43nm multi-level cell (MLC) all bit-line (ABL) NAND flash; and SanDisk’s new SSD controller, which ties together the NAND and the algorithm.
The SanDisk G3 SSDs will be available in mid 2009, in a 2.5″ PATA configuration. Now we just need SSD RAID5 or SSD RAID10 using multiple SSD cards and then we can finally say goodbye to current expensive RAID5/10 server configurations that require expensive hard drives and RAID controllers! Wow, servers would also be blazingly fast using multiple SSD cards working in parallel in a RAID configuration.
Tags: ExtremeFFSTM, RAID, SSD, SanDisk, memory, solid-state drives
- Related Entries
- Toshiba 512GB Solid State Drive - Dec 18, 2008
- 6GB and 8GB microSDHC memory - Jun 28, 2007
- TurboUSB Fastest USB memory? - Dec 13, 2007
- Delkin Devices 16GB UDMA enabled CompactFlash PRO card - Dec 07, 2007
- Sandisk 8GB SDHC Flash Card - Mar 19, 2007
- SanDisk 4GB microSDHC card - Feb 12, 2007
- Indestructible USB Flash Memory Drive - Feb 12, 2007
- Install Asterisk Business Edition on Fedora Core 5 or 6 - Jan 16, 2007
- SanDisk Memory Stick PRO Duo Game card for Sony PSP - May 10, 2006
- Wallet Flash credit card-sized USB memory - Jan 31, 2006
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: SanDisk G3 SSD Memory Blows Away Hard Drives’ Performance
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Hard Drives Slow Down With Loud Background Noise
Apparently, disk drives are more sensitive to minor vibrations than previously thought. A blog post by Sun Microsystems engineer Brendan Gregg called “Unusual disk latency” discovered unusually high disk I/O latency during a streaming write test. He explains how disk drives latency can shoot up dramatically when someone shouts at them making them perform more slowly.
Yes, that’s right, he can make his hard drives slow down simply by screaming at them. We’ve all been there, screaming at our PCs or Macs, i.e. “Curses you for crashing in the middle of my email novel! Stupid PC!” Like an impetulant child that stubbornly refuses to do what it is told even when yelled at, apparently hard drives have feelings too. Or it could simply be explained by the fact that hard drives have safety mechanisms which stop the hard drive during vibrations to prevent damage. Me, I’m going with the impetulance thing. 
Play the video for all his screaming glory.
Tags: Brendan Gregg, hard drive, Sun Microsystems
- Related Entries
- WD VelociRaptor Hard Drive - Apr 22, 2008
- Father of the Hard Drive Passes On - Dec 14, 2006
- The Hard Drive Hits 50 - Aug 22, 2006
- Sun’s Windows Java update servers down - Dec 28, 2005
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Hard Drives Slow Down With Loud Background Noise
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard
Logitech today introduced what they deem a “Game-Changing Gameboard” called the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard. Hyperbole aside, the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard is an interesting concept. It sports a naturally contoured design, on-board memory, customizable backlighting, and programmable keys. A keyboard with memory? What’s next? A keyboard which is a full-fledged PC? Oh wait, that’s been done.
Anyway, the Logitech G13 advanced gameboard is a hybrid gaming keyboard designed to complement your Logitech keyboard and mouse. It gives you 25 programmable keys and an analog stick, as well and three game modes to help the PWN factor against your gaming buddies.
The Logitech G13 is basically a mini-version of the Logitech G15, which is a full-sized traditional keyboard that costs just about the same as the G13. Personally, I prefer full-sized keyboards for gaming, with programmed buttons & macros, but to each their own.
Logitech stated, “Whether you’re rescuing hostages, on a quest with your guild or saving humanity, you don’t want to worry about hand fatigue or hitting the wrong key.”
The iconic contoured design complements the natural shape of your hand and fingers, while the smooth, concave home-row keys make it easy to locate buttons by touch. With three game modes, 25 programmable keys and a programmable analog stick, the G13 gameboard offers up to 87 ways for you to control your game (software installation required). And you can set up custom button-profiles for each one of your favorite titles. You can even create macros on the fly without having to pause your game.
And for another tactical advantage, the 160-by-43-pixel GamePanel LCD shows live game stats, system info and even messages from other players. Though look away from the computer screen at your own peril!
With the G13 gameboard, you’ll also get backlit keys that help you easily locate the right key in low-light conditions or lights-out play. And you can select from hundreds of available backlight colors.
A handy solution for the laptop gamer, the G13 gameboard includes onboard memory, letting you program up to five ready-to-play profiles and take them with you to your next LAN party. The G13 gameboard also offers pre-configured settings for many popular games, including World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™ and many others.
Pricing and Availability
The Logitech G13 advanced gameboard is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in December for a suggested retail price of $79.99 (U.S.). Question is will it be available before Christmas?
Tags: gaming, keyboard, Logitech G13, Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard, Logitech G15, video games
- Related Entries
- Sony PS3 haters video - Feb 26, 2007
- PS3 Sales Go Soft: Trouble in Paradise - Jan 26, 2007
- Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo battle over undecided gamers - May 01, 2006
- Audio FX Force Feedback Headphones - Dec 28, 2005
- Advertisements in video games - Dec 05, 2005
- Top XBox 360 Games to Buy for Christmas - Nov 17, 2005
- IGN Live Gamer Invitational - Aug 25, 2005
- See, Video Games Are Good for You - Oct 03, 2008
- All Teens Play Video Games - Sep 22, 2008
- UK court rules Modchips do not circumvent copyright protection - Jun 13, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Gadget Prices Falling This Holiday Season!
Ho ho ho!
‘Tis the season for steep discounts on gadgets goods on the Internet. According to this article in Electonista, online shopping sites such as Buy.com, HP.com, SonyStyle.com, Newegg.com, OnSale.com and RefurbDepot.com all are offering big savings.
Buy.com has cut prices on everything from MP3 players and digital photo frames to GPS units and notebook computers. Prices are slashed on everything from wireless routers and printers to wireless mice and Bluetooth stereo headphones at HP.com.
SonyStyle.com is offering deals on notebooks, iPod docks, game consoles, digital cameras, HDTVs and more as well as gift cards this holiday season.
Until December 31st Newegg.com is offering specials on their HDTV collection and until December 11th enter to win a $5,000 Newegg gift certificate in the Holiday Wishlist Sweepstakes.
Deals on notebooks, monitors, iPod docking stations, and Bluetooth headsets can be found at OnSale.com. The Holiday Superstore at RefurbDepot.com has great gift ideas from digital cameras to desktop computers at a range of prices.
Tags: electronista, holiday sales, ipod
- Related Entries
- Anybody Like the New Xbox Live? - Nov 19, 2008
- Xbox Live Getting a Makeover - Nov 17, 2008
- Belkin GoStudio Turns iPod into Recording Studio! - Nov 06, 2008
- Very Handy iPhone & iPod Emergency Charger - Oct 30, 2008
- TRU Going iPod Crazy!!! - Oct 15, 2008
- Best Buy Grabs MSI Wind - Oct 08, 2008
- Wireless Zune on the Way - Sep 11, 2008
- Remember When Labor Day Meant Noisy Beach Parties??? - Aug 29, 2008
- You Can Buy Gadgets Everywhere! - Aug 28, 2008
- Woz: The Engineer Behind the Apple - Aug 26, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Gadget Prices Falling This Holiday Season!
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Not Even Half of Old PCs Get Reused … Sad
Worldwide demand for used PCs is greater than supply, yet less than half of PCs entering the secondary market get reused.
Only one in five PCs targeted for reuse find their way from a mature to a developing economy, tech consulting firm Gartner said in a report.
Of those machines that actually make it, only 44% get used. Major hindrances include export tariffs and high transportation costs.
“The secondary PC market offers great opportunity to specialized intermediaries, resellers, or vendors, but it is a highly fragmented and competitive market,” Gartner analyst Meike Escherich said in a statement.
Refurbished PCs typically offer equal or better profit margins than new PCs, ranging from $10 to $50 for a 3-year-old machine.
More at InformationWeek.
(And thanks to freegeekchicago.org for the photo.)
Tags: gartner, recycled computers
- Related Entries
- Gartner positions Voxeo in “Visionaries” quadrant of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for IVR and Enterprise Voice Portals -
Feb 22, 2008 - Free IP-PBX! -
Oct 24, 2007 - Gartner says Communications-as-a-Service (CaaS) Revenue Future Looks Bright -
Sep 05, 2007 - Leading IP-PBX Manufacturer in The World -
Jul 05, 2005
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Not Even Half of Old PCs Get Reused … Sad
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Gadgets Help Drive Black Friday Sales
Despite one of the worst economic climates in decades, consumer spending on Black Friday hit $10.6 billion, 3% higher than the day after Thanksgiving in 2007, according to researcher ShopperTrak.
Gadgets accounted for nine of the top 10 most popular Black Friday products, PriceGrabber said.
Data from PriceGrabber.com shows that online consumers are taking advantage of promotions on popular electronics, including LCD and plasma TVs, Blu-ray disc players, digital SLR cameras, laptops and video game consoles.
The most popular products on Black Friday:
- Nintendo Wii Console
- Ugg Australia ‘Classic Short’ Boot (how about that!)
- Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player
- Samsung LN52A650 52″ LCD TV
- Nintendo Wii Fit
- Panasonic TH-42PX80U 42″ Plasma TV
- Sennheiser HD 555 Headphones
- Canon EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digital Camera Kit
- Acer Aspire One AOA110-1295 Notebook
- Canon PowerShot A590 IS Black Digital Camera
And while we are at it, here are the Top 10 categories and percent growth over Black Friday 2007:
- Women’s Boots - 203%
- Watches - 202%
- Blu-ray/HD-DVD Players - 147%
- Women’s Sleep & Lounge Wear - 415%
- Games & Puzzles - 151%
- Women’s Jackets - 110%
- Music - 96%
- Headphones - 103%
- Women’s Dresses - 107%
- Women’s Casual Shoes - 143%
More at PriceGrabber.com and The Washington Post.
Tags: acer, black friday, canon, nintendo, panasonic, samsung, sennheiser, sony
- Related Entries
- When One Less Gadget Is Better — Set-Top Boxes Going Bye-Bye? -
May 27, 2008 - HP TVs and Lenovo PCs at Best Buy: Am I Seeing Correctly? -
Apr 18, 2006 - The World Is Becoming Flat -
Dec 08, 2005 - Life Got You Down? Buy a Video Game Console -
Nov 13, 2008 - Nintendo Gets New DSi Ready -
Oct 31, 2008 - Is It Time for 3D TV? -
Oct 06, 2008 - Everything in the World’s Going Wireless -
Aug 27, 2008 - What Economy? TV Sales Surge Anyway -
Aug 18, 2008 - Shaun White for Nintendo Wii (Wee!!!!) -
Jul 16, 2008 - Is the Wii the Center of the Media Universe? -
Jan 18, 2007
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Gadgets Help Drive Black Friday Sales
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Black Friday Results are in!
It appears it just might be a Merry Christmas even with the doom & gloom surrounding the economy. I guess President-elect Barack Obama must be the Messiah, since he’s already creating miracles and he hasn’t even been sworn in yet.
Check this out:
NRF Survey Finds Black Friday Gets Holiday Season Off to Energetic Start
– Great Bargains, Pent-Up Demand Drove Shoppers to Stores, Web
Though the holiday season is far from over, retailers across the country are breathing a collective sigh of relief after shoppers headed to stores and websites in droves over the weekend. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey, conducted by BIGresearch, more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 147 million shoppers last year.*
Shoppers spent an average of $372.57 this weekend*, up 7.2 percent over last year’s $347.55. Total spending reached an estimated $41.0 billion.
“Pent-up demand on electronics and clothing, plus unparalleled bargains on this season’s hottest items helped drive shopping all weekend,” said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. “Holiday sales are not expected to continue at this brisk pace, but it is encouraging that Americans seem excited to go shopping again.”
Friday was clearly the busiest day of the weekend with 73.6 million people hitting stores and websites for doorbuster sales. Though traffic did subside after Friday, retailers were also buoyed by two-day sales as 56.9 million people shopped on Saturday, up from 48.3 million last year, while another 26.2 million people planned to shop on Sunday. Thanksgiving Day also continues to increase in importance as the number of people who shopped on Thursday was up 48 percent over last year (16.2 million people vs. 10.9 million people).
Those who shopped on Friday lived by the adage that the early bird catches the worm. The survey found that 23.3 percent of shoppers were at stores by 5 a.m. while more than half (57.6%) were at stores by 9 a.m. Bargains appeared to be so good that people have more of a jumpstart on shopping.
According to the findings, Americans have completed slightly more shopping than they had one year ago (39.3% vs. 36.4%), indicating that traffic and sales over the next several weeks will moderate.
“Though retailers should be encouraged by strong traffic and sales over the weekend, consumers are still being cautious,” said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch. “Weekend shoppers indicated that they are still sticking to a budget and thinking carefully before making any holiday purchases.”
Though retailers in all categories were featuring big bargains, a majority of shoppers visited discount stores for holiday deals. According to the survey, more than half (54.7%) of this weekend’s shoppers visited discount stores. Nearly half (43.0%) shopped at a traditional department store, up 11.1 percent from 38.7 percent last year. About one-third of shoppers visited specialty stores like clothing or electronics stores (36.0%) and shopped online (34.0%).
As expected, many shoppers (50.9%) purchased clothing and accessories over the weekend while 39.0 percent bought books, DVDs, CDs and video games and 35.9 percent purchased consumer electronics. Toys were also big sellers, as 28.5 percent of shoppers bought a toy. Gift card purchasing dropped ten percent with 18.7 percent of shoppers purchasing a gift card over the weekend, down from 21.0 percent last year.
NRF continues to project that holiday sales will rise 2.2 percent this year to $470.4 billion.
About the Survey
The NRF 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the winter holidays. NRF defines the weekend as sales from Thursday, November 27 to Sunday, November 30. The survey, which polled 3,370 consumers, was conducted for NRF by BIGresearch from November 27-29, 2008. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.7 percent.
BIGresearch is a consumer market intelligence firm that provides unique consumer insights that are gathered online utilizing very large sample sizes. BIGresearch’s syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions survey monitors the pulse of more than 8,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace.
The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants, drug stores and grocery stores as well as the industry’s key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 24 million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2007 sales of $4.5 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com
Via NRF
Tags: Barack Obama, Black Friday, Christmas, National Retail Federation, Thanksgiving
- Related Entries
- Cyber Monday Amazon Deals -
Dec 01, 2008 - It’s Going to be a Blu-ray Christmas -
Dec 01, 2008 - Need more Terabytes this Christmas? -
Nov 26, 2008 - Making Black Friday Deals Easy -
Nov 28, 2008 - It’s Black Friday! America’s Retailers Need You! -
Nov 28, 2008 - Get Ready for a Really Crazy Black Friday -
Nov 24, 2008 - Let’s See How Crazy Black Friday Gets This Year! -
Nov 12, 2008 - Wal-Mart Getting Jump on Black Friday Deals -
Nov 10, 2008 - How Low Can Blu-ray Go? -
Oct 22, 2008 - Gadgets for Christmas -
Dec 27, 2007
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Black Friday Results are in!
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Force Skype HQ Video Mode with any webcam
So you want Skype High Quality (HQ) video, but aren’t willing to shell out for a nice dual-core processor and a high-end Logitech camera, eh? Well, no worries - Nodewave has a Force ‘Skype’ HQ Video app that allows you to Enable/Disable (and even configure) High-Quality Video in Skype, and even High-Definition Video regardless of your camera or processor.
So if Santa doesn’t stick a high-end Logitech Orb AF webcam (my favorite webcam) in your stocking for Christmas, then this hack might just be the way to go!
Tags: hq video, Logitech, Orb AF, Skype, voip, webcam
- Related Entries
- SightSpeed offers High Quality Video Conferencing for the SMB -
Oct 30, 2007 - Nimbuzz VoIP app on Apple App Store -
Nov 30, 2008 - SkyStone Video Enables Video Skype Gateway -
Nov 03, 2008 - VoxOx Skype killer? -
Nov 03, 2008 - Logitech Acquires SightSpeed -
Oct 29, 2008 - Windows Live Messenger Back in the VoIP game! -
Oct 03, 2008 - Skype for Asterisk Launches -
Sep 25, 2008 - ITEXPO West 2008 a Resounding Success -
Sep 18, 2008 - VoIP is Dead, Long Live VoIP! -
Sep 17, 2008 - Om Interviews Skype CEO -
Sep 12, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Force Skype HQ Video Mode with any webcam
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Killing off Vampire Power for Good!
It’s been called both “vampire power” and “phantom load” – likened to the power-hungry HAL 9000 computer (at left) in Stanley Kubrick’s classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
It’s the little unblinking red light on the television set that is silently drawing energy from the grid; studies have shown it can add 10% or more to a household energy bill.
Now Spanish entrepreneurs claim to have invented a way to end the problem that has bedeviled energy regulators, environmentalists and appliance manufacturers. They have patented an algorithm that can detect when an appliance is in standby mode and automatically switch it off completely.
The standby-mode killer has yet to be proven commercially and must contend with other new products designed to tackle the same problem. But, despite some doubters, the Spanish inventors say theirs is the only product able to completely do away with a large, and growing, world-wide problem.
Now how about that!
Get more at the Wall Street Journal.
Tags: 2001: a space odyssey, Hal 9000, phantom load, stanley kubrick, vampire power
- Related Entries
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Killing off Vampire Power for Good!
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Need more Terabytes this Christmas?
Looking for a faster, bigger hard drive this Christmas? (Two days till Black Friday sales by the way) Well, I came across this funny Youtube video of the day - filmed at famous Mac Store Tekserve in Manhattan, New York and paid for by drive manufacturer Seagate. It’s a tad long, but it features a hip-hop office drama and the desire for “A new disk drive. 1.5 Terabytes….” (don’t let that little jingle get stuck in your head) Just in time for the Christmas holiday season.
Via 9to5mac.com
Tags: Black Friday, Christmas, funny, Mac Store, Manhattan, NYC, Tekserve, video, youtube
- Related Entries
- High quality YouTube Video Hack -
Nov 14, 2008 - BabelTV integrates VoIP, YouTube, TV, iPod, Video, and more -
Oct 26, 2007 - Microsoft Silverlight takes on Adobe Flash -
Apr 16, 2007 - VoIP Quality from bad to worse -
Jul 25, 2006 - Get Ready for a Really Crazy Black Friday -
Nov 24, 2008 - Let’s See How Crazy Black Friday Gets This Year! -
Nov 12, 2008 - Wal-Mart Getting Jump on Black Friday Deals -
Nov 10, 2008 - Sametime and Microsoft OCS integration -
Nov 10, 2008 - Logitech Acquires SightSpeed -
Oct 29, 2008 - Rovio Wi-Fi VoIP Robotic Webcam -
Oct 24, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Need more Terabytes this Christmas?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
HP Debuts First Multi-touch Notebook — Yes HP, Not Apple (Now That’s a Surprise!!!)
From the first time Steve Jobs demonstrated “the pinch” — the two-finger gesture used to zoom in and out of photos and Web pages on the iPhone – some Apple observers assumed it was just a matter of time before a multitouch-enabled screen showed up on the Mac.
That hasn’t happened yet. But now Hewlett-Packard has beaten Apple to the punch, announcing the first multitouch-enabled notebook PC, the tx2.
We are all wondering — aren’t we — why Apple couldn’t get this out to market first?
The tx2 is a convertible notebook, meaning its screen can pivot 180 degrees to show someone else what’s on it or lie flat and act like a tablet PC.
The first convertible notebook aimed directly at consumers, the tx2 sports HP’s version of multitouch technology, which lets you use two fingers at once to manipulate images on the screen or make on-screen gestures that signify specific commands.
A pinch motion works just like it does on an iPhone or MacBook, for example, letting you rotate pictures or press and drag files around.
Pricing? $1,150 or only $151 more than the starter MacBook.
More at BusinessWeek.
Tags: apple, convertible notebook, hewlett-packard, hp, iphone, mac, macbook, steve jobs, tx2
- Related Entries
- Woz: The Engineer Behind the Apple -
Aug 26, 2008 - Much Ado about the Apple ‘Brick’ -
Oct 08, 2008 - Why Pay Twice as Much for a Mac? -
Aug 06, 2008 - Apple iPhone 2.0: Twice as Much for Half as Much -
Jun 09, 2008 - Apple Going Back to School Starting Tomorrow? -
Jun 02, 2008 - Looking to Predict Apple’s Future -
May 22, 2008 - JAJAH Mobile VoIP client for the iPhone -
Apr 02, 2008 - VoIP on Apple iPhone a No Go unless over WiFi -
Mar 11, 2008 - Free iPhone if… -
Jun 29, 2007 - Why Does Apple Have To Charge More for Faster Wi-Fi? -
Jan 19, 2007
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: HP Debuts First Multi-touch Notebook — Yes HP, Not Apple (Now That’s a Surprise!!!)
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
PC Magazine Stops the Presses - Online Only
I grew up reading PC Magazine and I looked forward each couple weeks to picking up my copy of PC Magazine at the local grocery store. But today, Ziff Davis has announced that the legendary PC Magazine print publication is shutting down its print publication and focusing exclusively on online content. This is truly a sad day… 
Hold on while I grab some tissues…
PC Magazine started the whole in-depth comparative reviews of PCs and Microsoft software. They expanded later to including gadgets, MP3 players, mobile phones, GPS, and other technology. PC Magazine offered insightful tech tips and great columnists like John C. Dvorak. Back in the 80s and 90s the print publication was 400-500 pages, making for hours of tech- reading pleasure. Today, it’s down to 150 pages and soon to be 0 (January 2009).
Well, I guess it’s “greener” that way. But I for one will miss my print copy of PC Magazine.
Tags: John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine
- Related Entries
- Moto Goes Soy for Cell? -
Nov 22, 2006 - How About a Mobile Phone without the Keys? Read On … -
Aug 23, 2006 - Apple Delays; Too Much Secrecy? -
Jun 29, 2006 - The Robot Hall of Fame -
Jul 12, 2006 - Robot Dog: New Fido on Its Way! -
May 04, 2006 - Back from the Gloom: V Chip Resurrection -
Mar 08, 2006 - A Really Useful Digital Camera Evaluation Guide -
Mar 01, 2006 - Nintendo DS Adds Web & TV? -
Feb 16, 2006
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: PC Magazine Stops the Presses - Online Only
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
HP Going Wild with Asia Stores
Didn’t I just blog yesterday about the wisdom of Pioneer opening its second U.S. retail store?
Well, I guess these companies have a better bead on what’s going on the minds of their consumers because now HP is planning to launch 7,500 stores across Asia.
(That is a serious amount of stores!)
Hewlett-Packard plans to focus on China and India when it establishes these stores in 1,000 Asia-Pacific cities.
One of the largest computer companies in the world, HP is striving to offer an enhanced retail experience as well as improved customer support.
As well as appeal to nearly one-third of the world’s population — much of it moving steadily upward.
More at The Economic Times (India).
- Related Entries
- Pioneer Stores Coming to a Mall Near You -
Nov 17, 2008 - Wow! A Quick Boot PC — About Time! -
Oct 27, 2008 - HP Says Touch Me Now! -
Oct 16, 2008 - Finally Some Good News about Notebook Batteries! -
Sep 09, 2008 - Woz: The Engineer Behind the Apple -
Aug 26, 2008 - Everything in the World’s Going Wireless -
Aug 27, 2008 - Why Pay Twice as Much for a Mac? -
Aug 06, 2008 - Voodoo PCs Undergo HP Mumbo-Jumbo -
Jul 24, 2008 - Apple Takes Lead in $1K+ Computer Market -
May 19, 2008 - Dell Goes More Seriously after Gamers -
May 13, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: HP Going Wild with Asia Stores
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Image Sync’ing All Your Gadgets?
Researchers recently completed work on a networking solution that will synchronize the myriad personal electronic devices (aka gadgets) people will use in the not-so-distant future.
The group, called MAGNET Beyond, was composed of researchers from 35 companies who developed an architecture to harmonize devices such as laptops, telephones, MP3 players, games and a variety of sensors.
And why is this networking project called MAGNET Beyond?
No it’s not a take-off on Bed, Bath and Beyond, but the name is an acronym for “My personal adaptive Global NET and beyond.”
Yikes!
How many researchers does it take to come up with a good acronym?
Definitely not this group! Better luck with the technology.
More at ZDnet.
Tags: bed bath and beyond, magnet beyond, zdnet
- Related Entries
- You Can Buy Gadgets Everywhere! -
Aug 28, 2008 - Sony PS3 Boo-Boo … -
Jul 03, 2008 - New iMac Specs Are Good To Have … -
Apr 28, 2008 - Microsoft mashup of SOA and UC (Unified Communications) -
Feb 11, 2008 - Skype Soap Opera -
Dec 06, 2007 - Lost: One iPod -
Oct 23, 2006
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Image Sync’ing All Your Gadgets?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
How Old Is Your Computer?
It used to be that every three years, workers would get brand new computers from their businesses’ tech departments. But for many those days are over.
Many workers haven’t been issued a new computer in years.
The reason: Delaying computer upgrades is one of the easiest ways for a tech department to cut its budget. How about you working with a four-year-old ThinkPad with its maddeningly slow response times and out-of-date software …
Now that the economy has taken a pronounced turn for the worse, more businesses are deciding to delay their regularly scheduled PC buying. In fact, 46% of businesses have either already or plan to postpone purchasing new computers, according to a survey of information-technology execs by CIO Magazine.
That’s part of the reason that U.S. PC shipments will drop 1% in the fourth quarter compared to the year-ago quarter, according to research company IDC.
Now all of this bad corporate new has a shiny silver lining for us out here in consumer land – PC makers are slashing prices, 20% to 30% in some cases, in an effort to boost demand.
Readers, how old is your work PC? Are outdated programs and hardware slowing you down?
Thanks to the Wall Street Journal (again).
Tags: cio magazine, idc, thinkpad
- Related Entries
- Lenovo Celebrates 16 Years of ThinkPad -
Oct 02, 2008 - Make Mine a Mini: Mini-Laptops Driving PC Sales -
Sep 12, 2008 - Singing the Notebook Battery Blues … -
Mar 07, 2007 - Hybrid: Is This the Future of Storage? -
Jan 10, 2007 - Digital Camera Phones Rule! Anyone Remember Film or Digital Cameras? -
Aug 21, 2006 - Consumer Storage Demands Never Cease! But Help Is on the Way … -
Aug 17, 2006 - Train Spotting -
Aug 01, 2006 - Lenovo & ThinkPad Shaking Up Notebook World -
Dec 29, 2005 - Digital Camera Shopping Tip: Go with the Leaders -
Nov 23, 2005
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: How Old Is Your Computer?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
One Laptop Per European Plan?
Europeans will soon be able to buy their own XO laptop.
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization is planning to sell the devices via online store Amazon’s European outlets starting this coming Monday.
The machines will be sold under the Give One, Get One plan that the OLPC organization has already run in the U.S. Under that plan, buyers get one machine for themselves and the other is donated to a school child in a developing nation.
More at the BBC.
Tags: bbc, give one get one, one laptop per child
- Related Entries
- Ultrasound Makes Virtual Objects Real -
Sep 02, 2008 - UK Bans Adult Video Games from Its Prisons -
Jul 25, 2008 - Why Can’t Vista See Clearly Now? -
Feb 01, 2007 - Can’t Anybody Get a Gadget Right? -
Dec 15, 2006 - Nokia Gets Loud in Mobile Music via Loudeye Buy -
Aug 08, 2006 - That Was The Week That Was 11.11.05 -
Nov 11, 2005
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: One Laptop Per European Plan?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Let’s See How Crazy Black Friday Gets This Year!
Crazy Eddie take note!
The Friday immediately following Thanksgiving has long been known as “Black Friday” because it represents the unofficial beginning of the holiday shopping season, or the day when retailers hold massive sales in hopes of steering their (red) losses into (black) profits.
And from what I’ve been reading about holiday shopping this year, gadgets may be one of the few bright spots … 
Among the most heavily discounted electronics items poised to dominate this year’s sales are low cost notebooks, according to sources, who note that Dell plans to offer $299 linux model via its website, while Wal-Mart markets a $299 Compaq and Best Buy a $299 eMachines portable.
And do yo think Apple will be sitting quietly …
… Didn’t think so; so check out AppleInsider.
And thanks to blogs.phillynews.com for the image.
Hopefully, these prices are insane!!!!!
Tags: apple, best buy, black friday, compaq, crazy eddie, dell, emachines, notebooks, wal-mart
- Related Entries
- Wal-Mart Getting Jump on Black Friday Deals -
Nov 10, 2008 - Dell’s New Line Makes Like Apple -
Jul 29, 2008 - Circuit City Dimming Its Lights -
Nov 03, 2008 - Wow! A Quick Boot PC — About Time! -
Oct 27, 2008 - How Low Can Blu-ray Go? -
Oct 22, 2008 - Alienware Comes to Best Buy -
Oct 17, 2008 - HP Says Touch Me Now! -
Oct 16, 2008 - Do We Need Another Format? Try slotMusic — Soon -
Sep 22, 2008 - Buying an iPhone at Best Buy -
Sep 08, 2008 - Are Mini-Notebooks on the Way Back? -
May 29, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Let’s See How Crazy Black Friday Gets This Year!
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Sony Reader PRS-700 — Great, But for One Thing …
Yes, there was a commuter this morning waiting for the 7:17 reading his Kindle.
And that’s all I needed to start thinking about ebooks and ebook readers and how maybe someday all printed material will be digital and there will be no more newspapers or magazines.
Wait! I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.
Do find the whole thing pretty cool so was intrigued by this piece of writing today.
So all you ever wanted to know about the Sony Reader PRS-700 is here at Mobile Tech Review. A very positive review, but there is something amiss …
What’s the catch? The touch screen layer reduces contrast. Yikes!!!
Digital readers like the Reader and Amazon’s Kindle use e-ink technology, a very low power, paper-like display that’s non-glare and high contrast (much like a book’s pages).
Touch isn’t part of the e-ink technology, nor is backlighting, so we rarely see a reader offering these. Sony, cutting-edge company that they are, found a way to add these two desirable features.
Sony added a touch layer on top of the e-ink display and embedded LED side-lights into the frame that surrounds the display. Clever.
That’s the good, and like I said, check out the whole story at Mobile Tech Review.
Tags: amazon, ebook, ebook reader, kindle, sony reader prs-700
- Related Entries
- A Million eReaders? Who Would Have Figured? -
Jun 09, 2008 - New e-Newspaper Reader Heats Up e-Reader Market -
Sep 08, 2008 - Amazon To Re-Kindle Its Popular eBook Reader -
Aug 25, 2008 - Kindle Moving & Grooving -
Aug 01, 2008 - Is Now the Time for e-Book Readers? -
Jul 24, 2008 - Amazon’s Special MP3 Deals — Indeed! -
Aug 18, 2008 - Blu-ray Buy 2 DVDs, Get 1 Free Promotion -
Jul 15, 2008 - Amazon Down Due to Pricing Error or Metal Gear Bundle? -
Jun 06, 2008 - CinemaNow Brings Movie Downloads to Windows Media Center -
May 23, 2008 - Amazon offers Click-To-Call Ordering -
May 09, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Sony Reader PRS-700 — Great, But for One Thing …
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Wal-Mart Getting Jump on Black Friday Deals
An upcoming Wal-Mart sale will offer Black Friday-like deals, including a notebook for $298 and 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $798.
Just as it did last year with a sale that lured shoppers into its maze of fluorescent lighting for $350 laptops, Wal-Mart will once again begin its holiday sales early with a one-day shopping event to precede Black Friday.
The company’s sale will include several high-profile deals, including a laptop for $298, a 46-inch Sanyo LCD HDTV for $798, and a PS3 that comes with a $100 gift card.
Specifications on the $298 laptop, a Compaq CQ50-139WM, have moved up significantly from the models offered as last year’s doorbusters. Though it will still get a single-core Intel Celeron M processor clocked at 2GHz, the CQ50 also gets 2GB of DDR2 RAM a 160GB hard drive, and Intel’s 4500MHD media accelerator.
More at DigitalTrends.
Tags: black friday, compaq, intel celeron m, sanyo, wal-mart
- Related Entries
- An Early Peak at ‘Black Friday’ Ads -
Nov 08, 2006 - Circuit City Dimming Its Lights -
Nov 03, 2008 - Wal-mart Lowers Music Download Prices -
Oct 29, 2008 - How Low Can Blu-ray Go? -
Oct 22, 2008 - AT&T Calls on Wal-Mart, Circuit City for Triple Play -
Oct 13, 2008 - Do We Need Another Format? Try slotMusic — Soon -
Sep 22, 2008 - AC/DC & Wal-Mart? Go Figure … -
Aug 19, 2008 - Dell’s New Line Makes Like Apple -
Jul 29, 2008 - Voodoo PCs Undergo HP Mumbo-Jumbo -
Jul 24, 2008 - 40GB PS3 Going Bye-Bye? -
Jul 09, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Wal-Mart Getting Jump on Black Friday Deals
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
MacBook Mini on Its Way?
One of my favorite analysts, Ben Reitzes of Barclays Capital, has raised an interesting poi
nt about a pretty obvious gap in the Apple product line-up.
Reitzes has asserted that it “makes complete sense” for the company to introduce an ultra-portable device to fill the price gap between the $399 high-end iPod Touch and the $999 MacBook.
“This $600 gap needs to be filled and we think it can be with a premium ultra-portable device using multi-touch technology,” he writes. “We believe an ultra-portable can be done right by Apple and do not believe the company wants to follow the netbook model, trying to pack full PC functionality into a something small and cheap. Apple, in our view, would only introduce a premium product that doesn’t dilute its brand.”
More on this at Barron’s Tech Trader Daily.
Tags: apple, ipod touch, macbook, netbook
- Related Entries
- Apple Going Back to School Starting Tomorrow? -
Jun 02, 2008 - It’s the Modbook Ba-bee! -
Oct 17, 2008 - TRU Going iPod Crazy!!! -
Oct 15, 2008 - Much Ado about the Apple ‘Brick’ -
Oct 08, 2008 - How About OS X on EEE? -
Sep 17, 2008 - New iPod touch supports VoIP -
Sep 11, 2008 - Why Pay Twice as Much for a Mac? -
Aug 06, 2008 - Dynolicious for your Apple iPhone or iPod Touch - Coolest Apple App ever! -
Jul 31, 2008 - Touchmods VoIP App for the Apple iPhone Sparks Controversy -
Feb 08, 2008 - VoIP on iPod Touch -
Dec 10, 2007
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: MacBook Mini on Its Way?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
HP’s Netbook/Mobile Package Plot
Hewlett-Packard wants to employ a new tactic to market netbook computers in the U.S., offering them at a steep discount to customers who sign-up for wireless service contracts.
This bundling of cellular service with PCs isn’t done in the U.S., but in Asia and Europe wireless carriers routinely knock hundreds of dollars off the price of a computer if a customer also buys a long-term service contract.
Maybe AT&T and Verizon Wireless are interested?
For example, Taiwanese carrier Far EasTone Communications sells the EEE PC from Asustek Computer for $29 with a two-year contract, rather than the usual price of $429.
Hewlett-Packard says the surging interest in netbooks — stripped-down computers that offer basic applications and Web browsing — is driving the move. With the economy fading and lots of high-speed cellphone networks available, the world’s largest computer seller by revenue sees bundling as a way to move more of its computers into customers’ homes.
Yesterday, H-P introduced three new netbooks, including a $399 HP Mini 1000 and a $699 HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition, with flourishes like a “red with peony flower”-colored case.
More at the Wall Street Journal.
Tags: asustek, at&t, eee, far eastone communications, hewlett-packard, hp mini 1000, netbook, verizon wireless
- Related Entries
- Asus Going 3.75G for Eee -
Sep 25, 2008 - How About OS X on EEE? -
Sep 17, 2008 - Time for a Netbook? -
Sep 16, 2008 - AT&T CallVantage One Step Closer to Oblivion -
Aug 15, 2008 - LG: #2 in Mobile and Trying Harder -
Aug 12, 2008 - AT&T Dropping CallVantage? -
Jul 03, 2008 - Touch-Screen BlackBerry Coming!? -
May 16, 2008 - AT&T’s Free Wi-Fi for iPhone -
Oct 29, 2008 - AT&T Calls on Wal-Mart, Circuit City for Triple Play -
Oct 13, 2008 - BlackBerry Storm on Its Way! Look Out iPhone 3G! -
Oct 10, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: HP’s Netbook/Mobile Package Plot
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Sears Wants Your Old Gadgets
Sears is offering VenJuvo’s Trade4Credit program to Sears.com shoppers that will allow you to earn Sears store credit in exchange for trading in pre-owned gadgets that have been determined to still hold value.
The program, which offers free recycling and shipping, will accept a variety of gadgets, including iPhones, digital cameras and camcorders, MP3 players, GPS systems and gaming systems.
To use the service, simply have to log onto www.sears.trade4credit.com, select your gadget and then enter the specifics about it so the system can calculate an estimated trade-in value. Once the value is established, the user can print out the prepaid mailing label and send the device to VenJuvo.
After the device is received, VenJuvo will validate the value and within three days you will be able to collect a Sears gift card for that value.
A quick look at the site tells me the product categories are narrow and the prices low. Now, wouldn’t eBay be a better choice in some cases?
More at TWICE.
Tags: ebay, recycling, sears, trade4credit, twice, venjuvo
- Related Entries
- TRU Going iPod Crazy!!! -
Oct 15, 2008 - Cell Phones Will Take over GPS Market -
Sep 26, 2008 - NuTsie Streaming iTunes to Your Phone -
Sep 25, 2008 - Going Green with My Gadgets -
Sep 15, 2008 - Samsung’s Green Gadget Returns Mean Free for All -
Sep 05, 2008 - Economy Down, HDTV Sales To Pick Up? -
Sep 03, 2008 - Happy 5th Birthday Skype! -
Aug 29, 2008 - What’s Wrong with Second-Hand Video Game Sales? -
Aug 28, 2008 - What Economy? TV Sales Surge Anyway -
Aug 18, 2008 - CloudBlue for Recycling Gadgets -
May 30, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Sears Wants Your Old Gadgets
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Wow! A Quick Boot PC — About Time!
It is the black hole of the digital age — the three minutes it can take for your computer to boot up, when there is nothing to do but wait, and wait, and wait some more before you can log on and begin doing anything at all.
Now the computer industry says it wants to give back some of those precious seconds. In coming months, the world’s major PC makers plan to introduce a new generation of quick-start computers, spotting a marketing opportunity in society’s short attention span.
Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Lenovo are rolling out machines that give people access to basic functions like e-mail and a Web browser in 30 seconds or less.
Now, can you remember back when you’d boot up the PC and then head to make a pot of coffee … 
Asus, a Taiwanese company that is the world’s largest maker of the circuit boards at the center of every PC, has begun building faster-booting software into its entire product line.
Even Microsoft, whose bloated Windows software is often blamed for sluggish start times, has pledged to do its part in the next version of the operating system, saying on a company blog that “a very good system is one that boots in under 15 seconds.”
Today only 35% of machines running Windows Vista, boot in 30 seconds or less, the blog notes.
Apple Macs tend to boot more quickly than comparable Windows machines, but still feel glacially slow to most users.
Now, if we could just solve global warming …
More at the New York Times.
Tags: apple, dell, hp, lenovo, macintosh, microsoft, quick-start computers, windows vista
- Related Entries
- Apple Takes Lead in $1K+ Computer Market -
May 19, 2008 - HP Says Touch Me Now! -
Oct 16, 2008 - Microsoft Vista; Horizon Now Stretches Further … -
Mar 22, 2006 - Gates Does Windows Again and Again (New Vista Unveiled at CES) -
Jan 05, 2006 - Why Pay Twice as Much for a Mac? -
Aug 06, 2008 - Microsoft plays nice with Apple iPod - no more corruption -
May 09, 2007 - A Dell by Any Other Name? -
Jan 31, 2007 - Vista Launch: Midnight Madness All Over Again? -
Jan 29, 2007 - HP Using Voodoo (No, Not in the Leak Probe) -
Sep 29, 2006 - More Sony Battery Woes — As in 7 Million … and Counting -
Sep 29, 2006
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Wow! A Quick Boot PC — About Time!
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
How Low Can Storage Go?
New storage products usually involve gadgets that are bigger, faster and cheaper as disk drives keep packing in more and more data and prices keep on dropping.
However, EMC’s Iomega, well-known for such personal disk storage products as the Zip and Jaz drives, is coming out with new products that are smaller — yet “bigger” in capacity — and cheaper.
Iomega recently introduced the StorCenter ix2, a 1TB-capacity network storage drive with a desktop footprint that the company describes as “smaller than a large dictionary.” The price: $300. 
(Cheap, cheap …)
The StorCenter ix2 comes in 1TB and 2TB ($479) versions and provides a centralized network storage repository that can be used in the home to share, secure and protect data and files, including databases, photos, MP3 files, videos and financial records.
It’s ridiculous how cheap these things are, but it is what it is. It’s a great value for the consumer.
The ix2 includes built-in support for Bluetooth, UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified devices; it even sports an integrated iTunes server.
The ix2 includes security software from RSA, also owned by EMC.
More at eWeek.com.
Tags: bluetooth, data, emc, iomega, rsa, storage, storcenter ix2
- Related Entries
- Network Storage for the Home Is Coming -
Mar 23, 2006 - Palmtop PCs on Their Way Back -
Oct 20, 2008 - Motorola Femtocell Picture Frame Combines VoIP, Video, Bluetooth, Touchscreen and more -
Sep 26, 2008 - Sony’s Bluetooth Watch: Calling Dick Tracy! -
Sep 24, 2008 - Polycom KIRK DECT SIP Phones -
Sep 22, 2008 - Free Those Trapped Cell Phone Photos! -
Aug 06, 2008 - Storage? You Want Storage? How ‘Bout 1.5TB? -
Jul 10, 2008 - ‘Look Ma, No Hands’: Bluetooth Converts? -
Jul 07, 2008 - New Jawbone headset is sexy -
May 15, 2008 - Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth -
Apr 01, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: How Low Can Storage Go?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Mac Mini Going Bye-Bye?
The Mac Mini may be pronounced dead as soon as today’s Apple earnings conference call, as two major retailers in Europe have confirmed that they can’t order any more of the little doodad.
While this could signal an updated model coming in, the impression is that — once again — the Mac Mini may be dead dead DEAD for real, even while you can still order it at the Apple Store.
It would be weird to see it go in this time of crisis, but being their worst-selling computer, it’s not that surprising.
The Mac mini was first introduced in January 2005 at the Macworld Conference & Expo. Labeled by Steve Jobs as the “most affordable Mac ever” it was well received by the critic and public. And check out those tiny dimensions for a desktop machine.
Apple positioned it as a cheap alternative to the Mac Pro for every PC user who wanted to switch to the Mac without having to buy new peripherals.
But guess a lot of PC users didn’t want to take any of that old stuff with them … 
More at Gizmodo.
Tags: apple, apple store, mac mini, mac pro, macworld, steve jobs
- Related Entries
- Much Ado about the Apple ‘Brick’ -
Oct 08, 2008 - At the Core of the Apple: Jobs Up Close -
Jan 04, 2007 - Will iPod Phone Make a MacWorld Debut? -
Dec 01, 2006 - The Twain Shall Meet: First Intel-Based Mac -
Jan 10, 2006 - Woz: The Engineer Behind the Apple -
Aug 26, 2008 - Apple’s Battery Problems — Now with iPods! -
Aug 19, 2008 - The Apple Is Never Dull … -
Aug 11, 2008 - Apple Web service outages during iPhone launch -
Jul 11, 2008 - Apple Going Back to School Starting Tomorrow? -
Jun 02, 2008 - Looking to Predict Apple’s Future -
May 22, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Mac Mini Going Bye-Bye?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Palmtop PCs on Their Way Back
In the what’s old is new again category …
IMOVIO has launched a smaller alternative to a subnotebook – much smaller. The new iKIT is about the size of a PDA from 10 years ago, but has a QWERTY keyboard and connects to the Internet at 3G speeds via your cell phone or Wi-Fi.
(Ah the Newton … Anybody still using that little gadget goodie from Apple?) 
The $175 Linux-based system has a built-in Webcam as well as a range of applications, such as Web browsing, e-mail and IM.
It can connect to the Internet using a standard Wi-Fi connection, or it can use your cell phone’s mobile broadband connection via Bluetooth.
Now are those chicklet keys easy on our big fingers?
Get more at Computerworld.
Tags: apple, bluetooth, IMOVIO, newton, pda, subnotebook, wi-fi
- Related Entries
- Can’t Anybody Make Up Their Mind (AT&T)!!! -
Jul 18, 2008 - T-Mobile VoIP Shenanigans - AGAIN! -
Jul 18, 2008 - Truphone on iPhone Apple Store enables VoIP -
Jul 11, 2008 - sipgate adds SIP-based VoIP support to iPhone -
Jun 04, 2008 - OctroTalk Launches -
Mar 31, 2008 - VoIP on Apple iPhone a No Go unless over WiFi -
Mar 11, 2008 - Congrats to Netgear - wins Top 10 Gadgets 2007 Award -
Dec 12, 2007 - 100% VoIP on the iPhone -
Sep 26, 2007 - An Apple Sub? -
Feb 16, 2007 - Palm T/X Is Cool -
Jan 19, 2006
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Palmtop PCs on Their Way Back
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Run Mac OS X on a PC
![mac-os-x[1].jpg](http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/images/mac-os-x%5B1%5D.jpg)
Want to run Mac OS X on a PC? Well, Steve Jobs notorious for forcing his loyal fans to run only Apple-approved hardware let the cat outta the bag once he announced Intel support (previous utilized PowerPC processors.). It was only a matter of time before some hacker found a way to run Mac OS X on PCs with Intel processors.
Of course, the version of Leopard sold by Apple only includes drivers for Apple provided hardware and it requires an Apple Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI), which replaces the traditional PC BIOS. So how do you get around these limitations? Well, using Kalyway DVD, a hacked version of OS X, it removes the EFI restriction and includes many device drivers for common PC hardware.
Want to learn more about running Mac OS X on a PC? Well check out the tutorial here!
Also check out the Kalyway DVD thread in forums.
Tags: Apple Extensible Firmware Interface, device drivers, dvd, EFI, Kalyway, Leopard, Mac OS X
- Related Entries
- We Keep Doin’ the Gadget Redo … -
Sep 05, 2008 - Teaching an Old Blockbuster a New Trick -
Aug 05, 2008 - Economy Ticking Upward, Buy a Gadget This Weekend -
Jul 25, 2008 - Blu-ray Buy 2 DVDs, Get 1 Free Promotion -
Jul 15, 2008 - Dymo DiscPainter Review -
Jul 30, 2008 - Blu-ray in Your Plans? -
May 05, 2008 - Blu-ray DVD - Buy 2 Blu-ray DVDs Get 1 Free on Amazon -
Apr 09, 2008 - R2-D2 Home Theater System DLP projector -
Dec 11, 2007 - Star Trek Season One Boxed Set on HD DVD -
Nov 21, 2007 - Apple delays Leopard blames iPhone -
Apr 13, 2007
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Run Mac OS X on a PC
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Alienware Comes to Best Buy
Let the buyers beware!
You might notice a few extra gamers hanging around your local Best Buy — Dell has announced it will sell the Alienware Aurora exclusively through 200 Besy Buy locations as well as the store’s website.
People are defining themselves by the products they choose and the groups they associate with — Alienware Aurora lovers are saying “I am a serious gamer and user who demands the best in personal computing.”
Designed for the serious gaming crowd, the Aurora has an AMD Phenom X4 9550 quad-core CPU, dual ATI Radeon HD 4850 GPUs, a 500GB3 7,200RPM hard drive and 4GB of DDR2 memory.
Other features include a multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive, Alien Ice 3.0 cooling and Windows Vista Home Premium.
Price: $1,699.99 (without monitor, mouse and keyboard).
More at Electronic House.
Tags: alienware, amd, ati radeon, aurora, best buy, dell, windows vista home premium
- Related Entries
- Dell Buys Alienware: Am I Seeing Correctly? -
Mar 27, 2006 - Dell Goes More Seriously after Gamers -
May 13, 2008 - HP Using Voodoo (No, Not in the Leak Probe) -
Sep 29, 2006 - Much Ado About Dell -
May 19, 2006 - HP Says Touch Me Now! -
Oct 16, 2008 - Best Buy Grabs MSI Wind -
Oct 08, 2008 - Best Buy Selling Musical Instruments — Making Real Guitar Heroes! -
Oct 03, 2008 - Netbooks Yes or Netbooks No? -
Sep 25, 2008 - Do We Need Another Format? Try slotMusic — Soon -
Sep 22, 2008 - SightSpeed Now Available on Linux and Dell Netbooks -
Sep 16, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Alienware Comes to Best Buy
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
It’s the Modbook Ba-bee!
Image a MacBook with the screen already open when you pick it up and without any hinges.
Well, the description doesn’t do it justice, but that’s what you got with the Axiotron Modbook.
It’s the first and only Mac-based tablet computer on the market.
Geared specifically for use by the design community, it seamlessly integrates a state-of-the-art Wacom pen-enabled display and the Apple MacBook computer’s legendary ease of use and design sensibility. It gives artists and design-oriented professionals enhanced onscreen drawing and sketching functionality when they need it most.
But while it looks “touch screen,” it’s not. It does not respond to hand/finger touch for the reason that it is made for artists and design professionals whose work would be inhibited using a touch screen device because their hand rests upon the gadget as they draw or design.
In any case, a cool product, really neat for graphics and design — and maybe a harbinger of what’s to come when there is a touch-screen Mac?
Prices start at $2,199.
Tags: apple, axiotron, macbook, modbook, tablet pc, wacom
- Related Entries
- HP Says Touch Me Now! -
Oct 16, 2008 - Much Ado about the Apple ‘Brick’ -
Oct 08, 2008 - Why Pay Twice as Much for a Mac? -
Aug 06, 2008 - Apple Going Back to School Starting Tomorrow? -
Jun 02, 2008 - Why Does Apple Have To Charge More for Faster Wi-Fi? -
Jan 19, 2007 - TRU Going iPod Crazy!!! -
Oct 15, 2008 - <a href=”http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/mobile-phones/no-for-high-end-mobile-apps.asp” title=”No ♥ for High-end Mobile Apps”>No ♥ for High-end Mobile Apps -
Oct 15, 2008 - Run Windows Mobile on the iPhone -
Oct 13, 2008 - BlackBerry Storm on Its Way! Look Out iPhone 3G! -
Oct 10, 2008 - Smelly MacBook Pros Not Good for You -
Oct 01, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: It’s the Modbook Ba-bee!
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
HP Says Touch Me Now!
Hewlett-Packard (HP), aiming to boost its personal computer sales against arch rival Dell (and Lenovo and Apple, too), is increasingly turning to touch-screen technology.
HP is now developing a consumer notebook with a touch screen that will debut before year end. It will include special software that supports the touch screen, but other details, such as pricing, remains unclear.
The new laptop is the latest in a series of touch-oriented devices, including an upcoming line of cellphones, that will become a priority of HP.
HP began promoting touch screens last year with a big-screen desktop computer called the TouchSmart (see photo above). A revamped TouchSmart debuted this year, with new software and a new external design. The touch-sensitive screen allow PC users to move items around, surf the Web or open files with their fingertips, replacing functions normally performed by a mouse and keyboard.
But tablet PCs, or touch-screen laptops, haven’t done that well in the past. Will the future be any different?
More at the Wall Street Journal.
Tags: Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, tablet pc, touchscreen, TouchSmart
- Related Entries
- Apple Takes Lead in $1K+ Computer Market -
May 19, 2008 - Dell Goes More Seriously after Gamers -
May 13, 2008 - Provia A1 GPS - too cool! -
Aug 27, 2007 - It’s the Modbook Ba-bee! -
Oct 17, 2008 - <a href=”http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/mobile-phones/no-for-high-end-mobile-apps.asp” title=”No ♥ for High-end Mobile Apps”>No ♥ for High-end Mobile Apps -
Oct 15, 2008 - Run Windows Mobile on the iPhone -
Oct 13, 2008 - Laughable Blog Aggregator and Linking to news sources -
Sep 22, 2008 - SightSpeed Now Available on Linux and Dell Netbooks -
Sep 16, 2008 - Om Interviews Skype CEO -
Sep 12, 2008 - New iPod touch supports VoIP -
Sep 11, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: HP Says Touch Me Now!
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Much Ado about the Apple ‘Brick’
Mac enthusiasts have been transfixed lately by the mystery product, code-named “brick,” that’s due for release later this month.
Some bloggers and pundits have suggested it might be a new iteration of Apple TV or an updated Mac Mini. But according to a report on 9to5Mac.com, “brick” refers not to what it is, but how it’s made.
The Web site, which cites an anonymous source, says the code name has to do with a manufacturing process for Apple’s MacBook and MacBook Pro lines of laptops. Apple will build the notebook out of a single piece of carved-out aluminum — a brick.
A radically different production method might well boost costs, at least at the outset. But there could also be savings from the change, says market research firm iSuppli. If you’re working with one single unit of metal, you’re reducing a lot of the materials costs and also a lot of labor time on assembly.
Using a single piece of metal would also provide the opportunity for the kind of design flourishes that distinguish Apple and its chief executive, Steve Jobs (at left in photo above with Woz, right).
Screws might be minimized or eliminated entirely. Seams joining different pieces of metal would disappear. In short, these notebooks would be unlike anything else on the market in appearance and design.
Apple has been known to push the envelope on notebook design over the years. Its metallic MacBook Pros have inherited a distinctive look and feel that dates to 2001 when Apple launched its PowerBook G4 product line. Since then, there has always been a metal notebook, sometimes boasting a titanium shell, sometimes one of aluminum.
Much more at Businessweek.
Tags: 9to5mac.com, apple, apple tv, brick, isuppli, mac mini, macbook, macbook pro, powerbook g4, steve jobs
- Related Entries
- Apple Going Back to School Starting Tomorrow? -
Jun 02, 2008 - Why Does Apple Have To Charge More for Faster Wi-Fi? -
Jan 19, 2007 - Smelly MacBook Pros Not Good for You -
Oct 01, 2008 - Woz: The Engineer Behind the Apple -
Aug 26, 2008 - The Apple Is Never Dull … -
Aug 11, 2008 - Why Pay Twice as Much for a Mac? -
Aug 06, 2008 - Looking to Predict Apple’s Future -
May 22, 2008 - New iMac Specs Are Good To Have … -
Apr 28, 2008 - JAJAH Mobile VoIP client for the iPhone -
Apr 02, 2008 - VoIP on Apple iPhone a No Go unless over WiFi -
Mar 11, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Much Ado about the Apple ‘Brick’
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Best Buy Grabs MSI Wind
The MSI Wind netbook will go on sale at Best Buy priced at $399 and equipped with a 120GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM; it also coms with Windows XP pre-loaded.
The netbook comes in just one configuration at the store. So much for choice, but how about that price?
Best Buy is one of the few major U.S. CE retailers to stock the Wind, which keeps its price lower partly by using a less powerful battery pack — a three-cell battery rather than the larger six-cell pack.
More at Electronista.
Tags: best buy, electronista, msi, netbook, wind, windows xp
- Related Entries
- Best Buy Selling Musical Instruments — Making Real Guitar Heroes! -
Oct 03, 2008 - Asus Going 3.75G for Eee -
Sep 25, 2008 - Netbooks Yes or Netbooks No? -
Sep 25, 2008 - Do We Need Another Format? Try slotMusic — Soon -
Sep 22, 2008 - How About OS X on EEE? -
Sep 17, 2008 - Time for a Netbook? -
Sep 16, 2008 - SightSpeed Now Available on Linux and Dell Netbooks -
Sep 16, 2008 - Buying an iPhone at Best Buy -
Sep 08, 2008 - Airport Gadget Kiosks from Best Buy -
Aug 11, 2008 - Enter the Netbook -
Aug 04, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Best Buy Grabs MSI Wind
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Lenovo Celebrates 16 Years of ThinkPad
Lenovo is celebrating sixteen years of continuous ThinkPad innovation (most of them of course under the Big Blue of IBM) with — what else? — a sale.
Lot of fun to look at the “Legends of ThinkPad” to see some of the amazing feats this little gadget has been through.
You can take your choice of “melted,” “sunk,” “crunched,” “trekked” and “stolen.”
Actually some stuff you won’t believe!
And of course there are many awards …
Reminds me of all of TPs I’ve owned — T20, A Series, etc. — some still in fact ticking still!
See the Legends here.
Get the sale here.
Tags: big blue, ibm, lenovo, thinkpad
- Related Entries
- Train Spotting -
Aug 01, 2006 - Lenovo & ThinkPad Shaking Up Notebook World -
Dec 29, 2005 - Singing the Notebook Battery Blues … -
Mar 07, 2007 - More Sony Battery Woes — As in 7 Million … and Counting -
Sep 29, 2006 - HP TVs and Lenovo PCs at Best Buy: Am I Seeing Correctly? -
Apr 18, 2006 - Enter the Netbook -
Aug 04, 2008 - Did You Buy a Mouse Today? Much Cheaper Now! -
Jul 11, 2008 - Cocoa bean (chocolate) genome being sequenced -
Jun 26, 2008 - Apple Takes Lead in $1K+ Computer Market -
May 19, 2008 - Building Carrier Networks Using Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Technology -
Nov 26, 2007
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Lenovo Celebrates 16 Years of ThinkPad
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Is Your City One of the Most Connected?
Among the top designated marketing areas (DMAs), San Francisco, Miami and Los Angeles are the most connected cities based on home networking adoption.
What does connected mean: A wired or wireless home network allows consumers to connect multiple PCs and printers, and to share Internet access among computers.
MultiMedia Intelligence’s research identifies significant variations among major metropolitan areas. San Francisco has the highest household home networking adoption rate of 28% among the top DMAs. In contrast, the San Antonio, Chicago and Cleveland DMAs have among the lowest home networking adoption. This reflects, in part, the varying regional demographics.
Home networking adoption correlates directly with household income. Households with incomes greater than $250,000 have an adoption rate exceeding 40%, while only 7% of households with incomes below $25,000 have home networks. (Surprised that is so low …)
For more information, visit www.MultiMediaIntelligence.com.
Tags: home networking, multimedia intelligence
- Related Entries
- CopperGate Communications CG3210 HomePNA 3.1 -
Jan 07, 2008 - New SMC Turbo Powerline networking products -
Nov 16, 2005 - Home Networking Gear Jumps to $21 billion -
Aug 09, 2005
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Is Your City One of the Most Connected?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Smelly MacBook Pros Not Good for You
Strong-smelling MacBook Pros have been discussed on Apple forums, but an anonymous French molecular biologist/researcher went to Greenpeace to check out why his smelled. Greenpeace got Analytica involved, and then Inéris, France’s national institute covering the industrial environment.
Apparently benzene is a component of the smell, and this could be risky — over time, sensitive people could develop leukemia.
Unconfirmed stories suggest the problem Mac Pros have been built in China, not at Apple’s European factory.
Note, we’re not talking about an ordinary “new equipment” aroma. The original poster at MacRumours said his new 3.0 Mac Pro Octo:
“Stinks to high heaven. It’s a plastic-burning type smell, seems almost toxic, the smell coming out the back fan. I have to shut it down and leave the room every few hours to air it out, it’s that bad. I’ve heard about the “new mac smell” and had a tiny taste of it with a new macbook last summer, but this is different — it’s intense, nauseating, and makes you feel funny. Friends and neighbors have agreed: this can’t be good.”
Get more of the bad news here.
Tags: apple, benzene, macbook pro
- Related Entries
- Apple Going Back to School Starting Tomorrow? -
Jun 02, 2008 - New iMac Specs Are Good To Have … -
Apr 28, 2008 - Why Does Apple Have To Charge More for Faster Wi-Fi? -
Jan 19, 2007 - An Unlocked iPhone 3G in HK? -
Sep 29, 2008 - Laughable Blog Aggregator and Linking to news sources -
Sep 22, 2008 - Solar-Powered iPhone Case: What Would Q Think? -
Sep 19, 2008 - How About OS X on EEE? -
Sep 17, 2008 - Can’t I Tether Up My iPhone …? -
Sep 17, 2008 - What’s Not Hot in Japan? Try iPhone -
Sep 15, 2008 - Om Interviews Skype CEO -
Sep 12, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Smelly MacBook Pros Not Good for You
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Asus Going 3.75G for Eee
Asus has announced that it will be adding 3.75G connectivity to its hugely popular series of Eee PC netbooks, enabling convenient and high-speed access to the Internet anytime, anywhere.
The inclusion of 3.75G is a perfect addition to the Eee PC’s existing set of travel-friendly features such as its high portability, shockproof data storage and all-day battery life — strengthening its reputation as the solution for computing on the go.
Frequent travelers will particularly welcome the timely addition of 3.75G support, which comes as service providers around the globe are ramping up their adoption of 3.75G High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA). This means that they will be assured of a reliable, high-speed mode of Internet access in many destinations around the world.
Read more about it at the Asus web site.
Tags: asus, eee, hsupa, netbook
- Related Entries
- How About OS X on EEE? -
Sep 17, 2008 - Time for a Netbook? -
Sep 16, 2008 - Make Mine a Mini: Mini-Laptops Driving PC Sales -
Sep 12, 2008 - Netbooks Yes or Netbooks No? -
Sep 25, 2008 - SightSpeed Now Available on Linux and Dell Netbooks -
Sep 16, 2008 - Enter the Netbook -
Aug 04, 2008 - Vodafone USB 7.2 Modem Stick -
Jan 11, 2008 - Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Optimized IP Devices -
May 14, 2007
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Asus Going 3.75G for Eee
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Netbooks Yes or Netbooks No?
A new report predicts that ultramobile devices will reach 200 million in unit sales by 2013 and will match the market for notebook PCs.
ABI Research said products such as netbooks and mobile Internet devices, or MIDs, will gross $27 billion by then, with MID units growing in popularity to surpass its rival.
All this from ZDNet.
On the other hand, in a wide-ranging interview, Dell CEO Michael Dell (in photo) voiced suspicion that small-screened netbooks will shake up the computer industry or become the primary computer in developed parts of the world.
“I think it’s a second machine in developed countries and a first machine in newly developed countries,” he said, according to a report in CNET.
So is it yes for netbooks or no for netbooks?
Time will tell …
Tags: dell, michael dell, netbook, notebook
- Related Entries
- SightSpeed Now Available on Linux and Dell Netbooks -
Sep 16, 2008 - A Dell by Any Other Name? -
Jan 31, 2007 - Dell Battery Recall: Too Hot To Handle! -
Aug 15, 2006 - “Green Dell”: Dell Trying To Get Recycling Right -
Jun 29, 2006 - How About OS X on EEE? -
Sep 17, 2008 - Time for a Netbook? -
Sep 16, 2008 - Microchip Celebrates 50th Today! -
Sep 12, 2008 - Sony Laptops Heading Back to Sony — Oy VAIO! -
Sep 04, 2008 - Dell Goes to Europe with Vodafone -
Sep 04, 2008 - Enter the Netbook -
Aug 04, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Netbooks Yes or Netbooks No?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
How About OS X on EEE?
Feel like stepping beyond the limits of Apple hardware?
Want a Mac netbook for under $650?
How about an EeePC running Mac OS X?
If you answered “Yes!” to any of these questions, then read on!
At least part of the appeal of the dimunitive EeePC netbook is its hackability – from Linux to Vista, intrepid hackers have figured out how to run just about everything on the EeePC.
While many would question why you’d want to go to the trouble of installing OS X when there are many Windows and Linux distributions available out of the box?
Maybe you’re looking for a challenge. Installing OS X on non-Apple hardware provides plenty of chances to flex those (very metaphorical) geek muscles.
More at Wired.
Tags: apple, eee, linux, mac, netbook, vista, windows
- Related Entries
- Reasons To Switch to a Mac 1, 2, 3 … -
Mar 08, 2007 - Dual boot Mac and Windows -
Apr 05, 2006 - Microsoft Vista; Horizon Now Stretches Further … -
Mar 22, 2006 - Time for a Netbook? -
Sep 16, 2008 - Seinfeld To Battle Mac Guy in Ads -
Aug 21, 2008 - Mac Clone Maker in Trouble — Did You Even Know about Mac Clones? -
Aug 12, 2008 - CinemaNow Brings Movie Downloads to Windows Media Center -
May 23, 2008 - CNET’s Tech Tips Can’t Be Beat -
May 12, 2008 - Apple Pays Up Over Battery Woes -
May 09, 2008 - Download Windows Vista SP1 Pre-launch Updates -
Aug 08, 2007
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: How About OS X on EEE?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
A Supercomputer for Everybody?
Microsoft and Cray are set to unveil the Cray CX1, a compact supercomputer running Windows HPC Server 2008.
The pair is expected to tout the new offering as “the most affordable supercomputer Cray has ever offered,” with pricing starting at $25,000. (That is amazing!)
The CX1 combines compute, storage and visualization in a single integrated system that’s designed for non-traditional environments like labs or offices. If space is a problem, not to worry, it’s compact enough to fit in a broom closet. Perfect for home!
How can you get one?! It’s as easy as shopping on Amazon.com. You can go online, order the CX1 system using a configurator and pay with credit card.
Microsoft’s official launch of Windows HPC (High Performance Computing) Server 2008 is slated for September 22 in New York. Windows HPC Server 2008 is the high-end SKU of Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008 family. Microsoft is positioning the product as an alternative to Linux, which has gained a solid following in the high-end computing market.
More at ZDNet.
Tags: amazon.com, cray, cx1, linux, microsoft, supercomputer, windows HPC server 2008
- Related Entries
- Sendio I.C.E. Box anti-spam appliance review -
Jan 16, 2008 - Microsoft XBox 360 - No Linux for You! -
Sep 04, 2007 - Search text in multiple files using Windows Grep -
Jul 10, 2007 - Digium podcast of Mark Spencer’s new role -
Jan 30, 2007 - Installing and Upgrading to Movable Type 3.2 -
Apr 11, 2006 - Mandriva Linux to support Skype -
Dec 19, 2005 - PalmSource joins Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum -
Nov 14, 2005 - Microsoft turns 30 -
Sep 22, 2005 - ITEXPO Live Video Streaming! -
Sep 19, 2008 - Microsoft Response Point News -
Sep 16, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: A Supercomputer for Everybody?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Time for a Netbook?
Small is cool, and smaller is even better!
No doubt inspired by the drive to create the $100 laptop, netbooks (teeny, tiny laptops) have been coming on strong.
The Aspire One (photo at left) and the Eee PC 1000 are popular options. This is a HOT segment right now.
And you’re right that the little Atom chip from Intel is awesome.
At 2W max power consumption (compared to something like 35W for a Core 2 Duo laptop chip), with a big 6-cell battery, you can easily get five or six hours of battery life.
Read a lot more about this at The Dawn of Atom.
Tags: aspire one, atom, eee, intel, netbook
- Related Entries
- SightSpeed Now Available on Linux and Dell Netbooks -
Sep 16, 2008 - Make Mine a Mini: Mini-Laptops Driving PC Sales -
Sep 12, 2008 - Intel’s Third Tablet Ready for Back to School Ride -
Aug 26, 2008 - Presto! Intel Wants To Make Wires Disappear -
Aug 21, 2008 - Enter the Netbook -
Aug 04, 2008 - Build Your Own Notebook — Really, You Build It -
May 16, 2008 - Intel Silverthorne Back in the Mobile Game -
Feb 06, 2008 - USB 3.0 Standard Coming -
Sep 19, 2007 - DigitalLife Is On Its Way! -
Sep 01, 2006 - Aviator Laptop Stand (Oh, Why Didn’t I Think of That?) -
Aug 08, 2006
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Time for a Netbook?
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Make Mine a Mini: Mini-Laptops Driving PC Sales
Mini-laptop computers, typified by the popular ASUS Eee PC (in photo at left), have been derided by some analysts as little but low-cost toys. But they are changing the shape of the PC business throughout the world, bringing computing power to many who could never have afforded it.
As small laptop sales increase, their popularity is redefining the nature of the computing experience, taking it off the desk and making it an integral part of peoples’ lives, wherever they are.
With the Internet playing an essential role, the devices are well-suited to an increasingly connected mobile population, in many cases supplementing rather than replacing one’s computing power.
Notebook PCs in general are experiencing torrid growth, according to the latest quarterly PC sales statistics from IDC, a research firm.
Worldwide, portable computer sales for the second quarter were up 37 percent year over year.
Even the United States saw growth in notebook computer sales, although it was less dramatic: up 17.7 percent, while desktop machines and servers sales declined by 4 percent.
Still, IDC expects the portable computer market in the United States to double, from 30 million units sold in 2007 to 61.1 million in 2012.
All the news that’s fit to read in the New York Times.
Tags: asus, Eee, idc, mini-notebooks
- Related Entries
- Are Mini-Notebooks on the Way Back? -
May 29, 2008 - Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Optimized IP Devices -
May 14, 2007 - Hybrid: Is This the Future of Storage? -
Jan 10, 2007 - Digital Camera Phones Rule! Anyone Remember Film or Digital Cameras? -
Aug 21, 2006 - Consumer Storage Demands Never Cease! But Help Is on the Way … -
Aug 17, 2006 - Digital Camera Shopping Tip: Go with the Leaders -
Nov 23, 2005
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Make Mine a Mini: Mini-Laptops Driving PC Sales
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Microchip Celebrates 50th Today!
Notebooks, smart phones, Blu-ray players — name a gadget, and it probably wouldn’t exist today without the tiny little integrated circuit (IC).
Not only did the IC give rise to the modern consumer electronics industry, but it has also kept that industry moving at breakneck speed, allowing for cheaper, smaller and more-powerful chips to be produced year after year with dazzling consistency.
So, it’s easy to forget that it’s only been five decades since Texas Instruments’ Jack Kilby demonstrated the first working IC, a discovery that earned him a Nobel Prize for Physics in 2000. (That’s the little baby in the photo above.)
While that device started out as nothing more than a single transistor with a smattering of other components on a thin slice of germanium — 
– its silicon progeny now contain hundreds of transistors in a space the size of a single red blood cell.
So let’s fill that cake with candles and blow them all out — we have great reason to celebrate!
More at Wired.
Tags: blu-ray, ic, integrated circuit, jack kilby, nobel prize, notebook, smart phones, texas instruments
- Related Entries
- We Keep Doin’ the Gadget Redo … -
Sep 05, 2008 - Sony Laptops Heading Back to Sony — Oy VAIO! -
Sep 04, 2008 - Only Another 5 Years for Blu-ray? -
Sep 03, 2008 - Only Apple and RIM Can Make Good Smart Phones? -
Sep 03, 2008 - How about a Blu-ray/VHS Combi? -
Aug 27, 2008 - Teaching an Old Blockbuster a New Trick -
Aug 05, 2008 - Looks Like 1080p is Coming -
Jul 31, 2008 - Can We Do Anything about iPod Audio Quality? -
Jul 23, 2008 - “Why Blu?” Sweepstakes could land you a Sony PS3 -
Jul 16, 2008 - Blu-ray Buy 2 DVDs, Get 1 Free Promotion -
Jul 15, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: Microchip Celebrates 50th Today!
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
PIKA WARP Appliance for Asterisk Review
There is no doubt that open source Asterisk has taken IP telephony by storm resulting in many vendors offering solutions based on Asterisk. Because the “free” Asterisk software is open source, it has helped drive down the cost of installing an IP-PBX. Only one major cost factor remains - the hardware. If you install Asterisk on a traditional PC, you have several hardware components - the motherboard, the CPU, the memory, the hard drive, the power supply, CD/DVD drive, etc. Some of these hardware components aren’t necessarily required to operate a fully-functional IP-PBX or could be replaced with inexpensive alternatives. For instance, instead of a hard drive, why not use Flash memory? It’s cheaper, more reliable, is more easily upgraded, and can be easily swapped after a failure. It also uses less electricity than a hard drive resulting in a “greener” Asterisk solution. When you consider how tight profit margins are when offering an IP-PBX to the SMB market, shaving off a few dollars in hardware costs can be a huge pricing competitive edge. For these reasons, PIKA Technologies offers an embedded Asterisk appliance called the WARP Appliance targeting the SMB market with a cost-effective telephony development platform. PIKA pointed out that WARP is not exclusively tied to Asterisk explaining, “Our customers have developed call logging system, IVRs, predictive dialers and 50% of them use Asterisk, 50% don’t.”
The PIKA WARP Appliance isn’t a turn-key Asterisk IP-PBX, but instead is a development platform that enables resellers and VARs configure Asterisk 1.4.x to their liking, and then offer a customized version of Asterisk through their distribution channel. In fact, PIKA sells what they call the “PIKA WARP Appliance for Asterisk Developers Kit”, which includes a PIKA WARP Appliance for Asterisk, one 4 port FXO (trunk) module, one 4 port FXS (station) module, one SD Memory Card (1Gb), one Serial Cable (programming), a network cable, and Getting Started Guide. The PIKA WARP Appliance for Asterisk Developers Kit is discounted to $550 (limit 1 per company) to encourage developers. The normal non-discounted list price is $725. The main concept behind the WARP Appliance is to offer resellers and VARs an inexpensive Asterisk hardware platform that they can OEM and offer under their own brand name. I should also mention that the WARP Appliance now also works with FreeSWITCH, so developers can also choose to embed FreeSWITCH instead of Asterisk. In fact, any telephony application such as IVRs, call logging, predictive dialer etc. built using PIKA’s telephony APIs can be integrated onto the appliance, whether it is a proprietary application or based on an open source platform.
Back Panel and the cover taken off to show the inner guts of the WARP Appliance
Importantly, the Kit comes with 4 analog phone ports and 4 analog trunk lines, or essentially a 4×4 “development” phone system, which is perfect for many SOHO and SMBs. In fact, considering many IP Phones are >$200 and analog phones can be had for $20, one should not underestimate how many small businesses would like to dip their feet into VoIP but aren’t ready to commit to expensive IP phones. The PIKA WARP Appliance allows them to get a fully-featured Asterisk IP-PBX while offering up to 4 analog phone stations and 4 analog trunk lines. In fact, resellers can even offer 8 analog stations by swapping out one FXO card and instead including two FXS cards - all modules can be mixed and matched in any combination, including BRI in future For inbound and outbound calling the reseller can offer 100% SIP for the trunking side, which has the added benefit of lower per minute charges compared to traditional PSTN dialing. The configuration of the appliance is modular and can include up to 9 ports of a combination of FXO/FXS/BRI plus VoIP stations and trunks.
Top View looking inside the WARP Appliance
While there are many DIYers (Do It Yourself) out there that have built their own home-brewed embedded Linux Asterisk appliances, PIKA has spent considerable resources on choosing reliable embedded hardware and performing quality assurance (QA) testing. When building your own appliance, DIYers have to be concerned with EOL (end of life) on components such as motherboard, memory etc and have to deal with software installation issues and integration with the hardware (ie. drivers)
WARP comes pre-loaded with the 2.6x Linux Kernel (stripped down PIKA version) and includes SSH (Dropbear), Asterisk and Asterisk GUI (1.4.x), database (SQlite3), Httpd (webserver), PHP5, NTP, DHCP, TFTP server & client, as well as VLAN and DNS. As previously mentioned, you have the ability to add any software package that your application requires.
I got to test drive the PIKA WARP Appliance in the lab and was pretty impressed how easy it was to load firmware, add packages, and build a fully-functional copy of Asterisk. The unit includes a RAM disk, full root access, 256MB of RAM, and 256MB of Flash for loading the Linux kernel. Additionally, you can add an SD memory card for additional memory storage, useful for storing voicemail. The processor is powered by a AMCC Power PC 440EP, which operated at 533MHz. The outside of the unit features a 2 x 20 backlit LCD display, with API-controlled front-panel scroll button. You can even control the LED with simple shell commands.
Make the LED red:
echo 1 > /sys/class/leds/warp-red/brightness
echo 0 > /sys/class/leds/warp-green/brightness
Make the LED green:
~ #> echo 0 > /sys/class/leds/warp-red/brightness
~ #> echo 1 > /sys/class/leds/warp-green/brightness
Make the LED orange:
~ #> echo 1 > /sys/class/leds/warp-red/brightness
~ #> echo 1 > /sys/class/leds/warp-green/brightness
To turn the LED off you just echo 0 to both.
I learned this tip on David Clarke’s blog/community. David is the Business Development Manager at PIKA Technologies and he started the blog of a place where developers can find 3rd party add-ons such as various Asterisk GUIs and WARP tips. It is relatively new but content is growing daily. You can check it out here: www.pikawarp.org
The back of the unit includes Music-on-hold audio in, paging system audio out, an SD slot, a single Ethernet port and one USB port. I’m told PIKA is working on a dual-Ethernet port WARP Appliance in the near future. This would allow the appliance to add NAT firewall capabilities. Importantly, the unit includes a power failure switchover emergency PSTN port. In the event of a power failure, you can still make an outbound call, i.e. 911.
The appliance can run software from flash memory or via a network file system (NFS) located on your development computer. According to PIKA, “Initially, you will use NFS to execute the software( kernel and ramdisk). NFS will be the primary method for running software on the appliance during development. It is faster to boot using NFS, updates to files can be done without taking the time to write new images into flash and, depending on the file type being modified, without rebooting.” There are 3 methods available to load software onto the Appliance.
a) svn checkout of PADS
b) tarball of PADS
c) pre-built images file for the appliance
Building the software is very straightforward using PADS (Pika Application Development Suite) to compile the various packages and then transferring it to the WARP Appliance. You can also compile directly on the WARP Appliance itself using gcc. (See: http://pikawarp.org/?p=53) If using PADS, your development computer requires the following Linux packages in order to use PADS:
• A serial client (e.g. minicom on Linux or HyperTerminal on Windows)
• TFTP (Trival File Transfer Protocol) Server
• NFS (Network File System) Server
• WGET
• Subversion (SVN)
• AUTOCONF
• AUTOMAKE
• LIBTOOL
• NCURSES
• SSH client
• GCC 4.x or greater
On your development Linux PC you go to the location of your unpacked source or SVN checkout of PADS and simply type:
#make menuconfig
This command displays the package selection menu. This will include default menu selections, but you can easily add/remove packages from the Appliance. Next you select ‘Exit, choose ‘Yes’ when asked if you want to save your configuration and then enter the command:
#make
This will build the software with the packages you chose. When the build is complete, you will have an NFS mount point at <Your PADS path>/build_warp/root.
The software image for the kernel (cuImage.warp) is created during the previous step. To create software images for the ramdisk and the persistent file system, you simply enter the command:
#make image
The following compressed images will be located in <Your PADS path>/images:
• cuImage.warp (kernel)
• uRamdisk (ramdisk)
• image.jffs2 (persistent filesystem)
The next step is loading the images into the appliance. There’s a few ways of doing it, including entering a special bootloader mode called U-Boot and using a serial cable and software like HyperTerminal. But a much easier method is doing it across the network using TFTP or SCP to transfer and load the software onto the appliance. To actually write software to flash you use warploader. warploader is a PIKA’s tool that allows you to write software into flash memory while the appliance is running. The tool provides a single step to replace software eliminating the need to enter the special U-Boot prompt and a serial connection to load new software.
After transferring the image to the appliance, you just type this command to load the software into Flash:
#warploader -p <partition name> filename
For instance:
#warploader -p kernel /root/cuImage.warp (kernel)
#warploader -p root /root/uRamdisk (RAM Disk)
Flash memory has a limited number of write-erase cycles. A utility is provided to track the writes to the NAND flash and can be used to monitor excessive or rapidly increasing amounts of data written to flash which may indicate a problem with an application.
To view the amount of data written, enter the following at the Linux prompt on the appliance:
cat /proc/driver/ndfc
or on my version:
cat /proc/driver/pikasd
Unfortunately, the number of writes is reset to zero after a reboot, but still a useful utility.
Two additional partitions called persisent1 and persistent2 are provided in flash memory for user-defined purposes. This space can be used for additional persistent data or for files that will not fit into the ramdisk image. I should point out that when the system is booted, the ramdisk is read from flash or NFS into memory and therefore, the size of the ramdisk is an important consideration for system performance. The maximum size of the ramdisk, using the current settings is 64 Megabytes, out of the total 256M of RAM. PIKA claims that this size is sufficient for a load that includes all of the packages currently made available by PIKA in PADS, with the exception of GDB (GNU Project Debugger).
I hooked up some analog trunk lines using a Teltone analog simulator as well as a few analog phones. I also registered a Polycom IP650 and an Aastra 57i IP phone. I was able to make extension-to-extension calls, outbound calls through the Teltone simulator, and inbound calls to the auto-attendant. In my testing of the PIKA WARP Appliance, it handles fax just fine. It doesn’t currently support T.38 real-time fax over IP because T.38 is very processor intensive, but PIKA told me T.38 support is in the works. PIKA includes some special built-in extensions to speed development and testing. For instance, I was able to dial 500 and make an IAX VoIP call to Digium’s corporate auto-attendant (misery.digium.com) with no firewall configuration. I’m always impressed how IAX is able to traverse NAT firewalls without messing with the firewall.
Here’s a list of the built-in testing extensions:
Extension Purpose/Destination
2222 - Connects to the audio in port to listen to the audio sent from an external device such as an MP3 player.
2233 - Connects the handset microphone to the audio out port on the appliance, used for paging.
2244 - Begins playing pre-recorded prompts to the audio out port on the appliance. After dialing, if you hang up, the prompts will continue to play.
2255 - Stops the pre-recorded prompts started by dialing extension 2244.
4001 to 4005 - These extensions call FXS lines 1 to 5, respectively. If the FXS module is not present, the call will be routed to voice mail.
4006 to 4010 - These extensions call the sample SIP Agents defined in sip.conf. If the SIP agent associated with the extension is not registered, the call will be routed to voice mail.
4060 - PIKA FAX receive test. Connect a FAX machine to one of the FXS ports, dial this extension and the
appliance will receive the FAX. A tiff file will be stored in /tmp/warpfax.
4061 - PIKA FAX transmit test. Connect a FAX machine to one of the FXS ports, dial this extension and the appliance will send a test FAX (the PIKA logo) to your FAX machine.
9<number> - Calls out on an available FXO extension. If no FXO extensions are available, congestion will be received.
500 - IAX test call to Digium’s auto-attendant.
Features/Specs:
- Operating system — Denx ELDK, with a 2.6.19.2 Linux kernel
- AMCC Power PC 440EP Embedded 533 MHz Processor 1200 mips
- Supports floating point and MMU (memory management unit)
- Internal flash 256 MB NAND(OS + apps) plus 4 MB NOR memory (uboot)
- 256MB RAM
- External removable 1 GB SD flash memory (no hard drive improves reliability) for additional voice mail prompts / storage
- back -up of configuration files and custom settings (facilitates unit replacement)
- Reset function remotely controlled
- Maximum IP ports 75
- Maximum FXS ports 9
- Built-in FXS ports 1
- Maximum FXO ports 8
- Maximum BRI ports 4 / channels 8 (future)
- Simultaneous calls 32
- Dynamic thermal management (fan)
- Power failure transfer
- Music on Hold input
- Paging system output
- Echo cancellation
Connectivity
- WAN/LAN ports 1
- RS-232 interface
- USB ports 1
Display
- Size 2×20 character
- Backlight
- ScrollButton
- API
Physical
- Brandable
- Desk mountable
- Wall mountable
- 9.25″ W x 6.65″ D x 2.18″H
|
Conclusion
Comparisons will no doubt be made with Digium’s Asterisk Appliance 50 (AA50), so I thought it might be useful to offer my own comparative analysis. I haven’t tested the Digium Asterisk Appliance, so I can’t compare the development environments between the two. Though, I am under the impression that Digium not longer supports an open development environment. Looking strictly at feature-specs, I see that the PIKA WARP Appliance does have some key advantages, including built-in Music-on-Hold, paging, LCD display, 5 more FXS ports, and higher scalability (75 vs. 50). The Digium Asterisk Appliance does however have 4 LAN ports to the WARP’s single WAN/LAN port and the Digium Asterisk Appliance has an additional WAN port which currently the PIKA WARP Appliance does not have. The PIKA WARP Appliance offers 256MB of RAM to Digium’s 64MB of RAM and WARP offers 256MB of Flash memory to Digium’s 8MB of Flash.
Feature-specs aside, perhaps the WARP’s greatest advantage is that is flexible and customizable while the AA50 supports Asterisk only. I asked PIKA why the AA50 isn’t conducive to 3rd party applications and development and PIKA told me, “With such a small amount of memory and a more complex development environment, allowing 3rd party apps is not realistic to the typical Asterisk developer and Digium likely found it too difficult to support. PIKA has made the development process easy with PADS so it is a more viable option for Asterisk developers.”
The PIKA WARP Appliance for Asterisk is a compelling platform for developers, resellers, and VARs looking for a low cost, reliable, feature-rich Asterisk appliance to offer to the SMB market. The complete customizability and its ability to support analog trunks, analog phones, as well as IP phones and IP trunks makes it a great solution for small businesses that don’t have voice T1/PRI lines. Further, unlike Asterisk on a traditional PC, the WARP Appliance comes pre-installed with Music on Hold (MOH) and Paging built-in, as well as power failure transfer (PFT). Another key advantage is that it is modular allowing you’re the choice of up to 9 ports of a combination of FXO/FXS/BRI ports. Further, the WARP Appliance can handle up to 75 IP phones and 32 simultaneous calls, which is quite impressive for this very small and surprisingly light device. I should point out that many new small businesses are started each day and these “green fields” are looking for a cost-effective and feature-rich phone system. The PIKA Warp Appliance fits the small business market segment quite nicely both from a price and feature perspective.
Further, medium-sized businesses that have outgrown their current key system or PBX could be enticed to switch to the PIKA WARP Appliance even if their current phone system lease isn’t up yet. The reason is super low-cost of the WARP Appliance. Of course, resellers, VARs, and developers will no doubt package together their own applications and offer a profit premium over the $725 list price. Still, I’d expect the PIKA Appliance to allow developers to offer a full-fledged Asterisk IP-PBX with strong analog support for around $1000, which is a very competitive price. All-in-all, I really liked the PIKA WARP Appliance and I think developers will too.
Tags: AA50, Asterisk, Digium Asterisk Appliance 50, ip-pbx, PIKA Technologies, PIKA WARP Appliance, VoIP, WARP Appliance
- Related Entries
- Fonality’s trixbox Pro Unified Agent Edition integrates with Salesforce.com -
Sep 05, 2008 - trixbox Pro 2.0 review -
Sep 04, 2008 - Predictive Dialing on Asterisk? -
Jun 13, 2007 - Digium Headquarters Tour -
Aug 26, 2008 - Digium AsteriskNOW News and more… -
Aug 25, 2008 - Digium AA50 1.2 Software Released -
Aug 19, 2008 - Using Asterisk to Scam Credit Cards -
Aug 04, 2008 - The IP-PBX Energy Wars… -
Aug 04, 2008 - Leslie Conway Joins Digium -
Jul 11, 2008 - SIP-based VoIP Wake Up Call Service -
May 16, 2008
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: PIKA WARP Appliance for Asterisk Review
Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Sling Media SlingCatcher and Slingbox PRO-HD Available
The new Sling Media SlingCatcher and Slingbox PRO-HD (Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB100-100) are now available for pre-order from Amazon and SlingMedia.com at $299.99 each. Just in time for the Christmas holiday season! Woot! Ok, Christmas is still 3 months away, so I’m getting a little ahead of myself.
The highly anticipated SlingCatcher lets you display video content to your TV using a USB drive, but even cooler it can project your PC’s display (Youtube, Hulu, etc) and audio to your TV. It can also directly receive a Slingbox feed.
The Slingbox PRO-HD is the first Slingbox to stream in high definition (HD) supporting 1080i resolution and 5.1 surround sound. It can serve video up to PCs, Macs, and mobiles. Slingbox PRO-HD supports multiple inputs including of course component inputs to capture HD broadcast content from your HD set-top box. It also sports an integrated digital tuner including both ATSC OTA and clear QAM - a first for any Slingbox. You’ll probably need some serious bandwidth to stream HD video over the Internet, so really this is best for streaming on a LAN not over the Internet. Though Slingbox does some pretty good compression and buffering, so maybe it can?
To pre-order the Slingbox PRO-HD from Amazon before the mad holiday rush (Wii shortages?), head on over <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Sling-Media-Slingbox-PRO-HD-SB100-100/dp/B001EZRJZE%3FSubscriptionId%3D151BWK97V0S8BGYJ8F02%26tag%3Dtechstuff01-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB001EZRJZE” title=”Buy now at amazon.com-only !” onmouseover=”return overlib(’Click for Amazon price:
Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB100-100
Buy Now‘, STICKY, TIMEOUT, 6000);” onmouseout=”return nd();”>here
And to pre-order the Sling Media SlingCatcher SC100-100 Universal Media Player for TV on Amazon, click <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Sling-Media-SlingCatcher-SC100-100-Universal/dp/B000VXD2S8%3FSubscriptionId%3D151BWK97V0S8BGYJ8F02%26tag%3Dtechstuff01-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB000VXD2S8″ title=”Buy now at amazon.com-only !” onmouseover=”return overlib(’Click for Amazon price:
Sling Media SlingCatcher SC100-100 Universal Media Player for TV
Buy Now‘, STICKY, TIMEOUT, 6000);” onmouseout=”return nd();”>here
Tags: 1080i, digital tuner, HD, Sling Media Slingbox PRO-HD SB100-100, Slingbox PRO-HD, streaming video, TV
- Related Entries
- Lost TV Satellite Signal, Couldn’t watch Rudy Giuliani or Sarah Palin, Streaming TV to the rescue! -
Sep 04, 2008 - What Economy? TV Sales Surge Anyway -
Aug 18, 2008 - In Today’s News - the XBox 360 pwns the Sony PS3 -
Jul 14, 2008 - Freebox France offers VoIP, HD TV, and Internet for just 29.99 €/month -
Jul 08, 2008 - Fringe on FOX -
Jul 01, 2008 - I Could Use a Good Way to Watch the NBA … -
May 22, 2008 - CopperGate Communications CG3210 HomePNA 3.1 -
Jan 07, 2008 - Streaming TV with Skype -
Jan 02, 2008 - DirecTV Screws Fast Forward -
Dec 31, 2007 - BabelTV integrates VoIP, YouTube, TV, iPod, Video, and more -
Oct 26, 2007
TrackBacks
| Comments | Tag with del.icio.us | VoIP & Gadgets Blog Home | Permalink: