The Remote Wrangler

I was beginning to think that I was getting away from the general purpose of this blog. I had originally intended to talk mostly about really dumb ideas, but they aren’t reported on everyday, so I’ve mostly been offering up my takes on new announcements. But, today is a perfect example of why I started this in the first place.

It is “The Multimedia Remote Control Wrangler.” Engadget reported on it today, clearly poking fun at it, but being pretty candid. Well, I just have to say, it’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen, honestly. The idea: instead of buying an expensive all-in-one remote, like a Logitech Harmony, buy one of these. It enables you to keep all of your remotes in one easily accessible place. Well what place is that? You might be asking. It’s your head!

The, clearly brain-dead, inventor thought it’d be a popular idea to strap remotes, or really any small accessory, to your head. What was he (or she) thinking? Honestly, I don’t want to sit on the couch with 4 remotes stuck to my head. In the picture, they have all really small remotes, I don’t know about your experience, but the majority of remotes for home theater components that I’ve seen are pretty freaking big these days. But, the plain fact is that I wouldn’t want to put even a small remote on my head. Plus, not only is it a headband, there’s an entire chinstrap thing going on with it.

The only benefit I can possibly see is the massager built into it. That alone might warrant a purchase of this, no wait, never mind. The most interesting thing I found in the original article, is that it uses “Velcro-like material” Which is “made from a stretchable fabric.” I’ve never heard of such a thing. It seems like maybe that could be an interesting and possibly useful patent.

Apple TV: Why the Delay Doesn’t Hurt Cupertino

So, yesterday, Engadget reported that the Apple TV is being delayed until ‘mid-March.’ It’s a bummer, not that I was planning on getting one, seeing as it’s a little too pricey for my current budget. Lynn Fox, of Apple, said, “Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected.” But, it makes me wonder a little bit. The Apple TV (originally iTV) was originally announced last fall. Just how much polishing does it need? Or is wrap up code for they found some huge bugs? Either way, it is better that they get everything worked out the first time around.

Personally, I’ve lost a bit of interest in the Apple TV. It’s certainly a good concept, and it is going to be great for people who have extensive libraries of content from the iTunes Store, but for people like me, it doesn’t seem to have all of the functionality that I want. For instance, I have a fairly large collection of TV Shows and a few movies, which are in DivX format. Obviously, these can’t be played in iTunes, unless I went through the hassle of transcoding them, which would also degrade the quality. So, because they can’t be played in iTunes, unless the functionality changes before launch, which I don’t suspect it will, I won’t be able to watch these movies with the Apple TV.

So, now that I’ve got you trapped in my entry, I’m going to explain my eventual plan for getting my music and movies to my television, from my Mac. Although, it’ll cost a bit more, it’s a much more solid solution. Basically, it will only take a Mac mini. By hooking up a Mac mini to a television via DVI or a DVI-to-HDMI connector I’d be able to watch my content on the big screen. Plus, Mac mini’s come with an Apple Remote and Front Row, so there won’t be any squinting to read small print or working with a keyboard and mouse. Lastly, and most importantly, because it is a full-fledged, albeit diminutive, computer, I’ll be able to use QuickTime plug-ins to enable playback of non-Apple formats, like DivX.

My tech dreams aside, I look forward to seeing the Apple TV unleashed on the world. I’ll definitely be stopping in at my local Apple Store to check one out in the wild, once they have display units. The upside for Apple, about the delay, is that they don’t exactly have much competition. Even though there are about a bazillion (yes I did say [type] bazillion) solutions for getting your media from your PC to your TV these days, Apple is almost in a market of it’s own. Because they have a closed system, no one else is going to be able to bring iTunes content to the TV, except Apple. And the world of Mac Addicts who have their sights set on an Apple TV, are going to buy one whether it comes out tomorrow, or in a month.

Links

OMG? What’s this? Could it be a second post in one day? Well, not quite. I recently noticed that all links have been opening in the same window, which causes you to navigate away from my beloved blog. Well, from this point on links will be opening in new windows, and if you have Firefox 2, it will automatically force it to a new tab, which is just about the best thing, ever, if you’re a fan of tabbed browsing, which I assume most people, who have experienced it, are. So, go get Firefox 2.0.0.2, if you don’t already have it! That, and check out the post from earlier today, which, unlike this, is of actual substance.

Cheaper BDP on the Horizon

Today Engadget is reporting on the announcement of Sony’s upcoming BDP-S300, a ‘low-end’ Blu-ray player. My first thoughts were basically the same as theirs. Sony is announcing a cheaper model, with all the same features of it’s big brother, why? I would tend to assume it’s because Blu-ray isn’t taking off like they’d hoped, but how could you expect it to?

With every new technology there are a group of people to take the plunge immediately, but it takes time for a new standard, to become the standard. There are a few things holding success back, in my mind. First, is Blu-ray’s direct competitor, found in the HDDVD format. A quick search of Best Buy’s website, reveals an HDDVD player at half the price of Sony’s Blu-ray player. Next, not nearly everyone has an HDTV. While the idea is nice, without a display to play HD media, I sure wouldn’t be racing out to buy a player. This, however, is bound to change, with the impending shutoff of analog broadcasting.

Another barrier to entry for the BDP-S1 (the current model) is Sony’s own PS3. I’m not sure if it’s exactly the situation, but it seems to me that the, now readily available and in stock, PS3 might be cannibalizing sales of standalone players. Why, I would ask, would you buy a standalone player for $999.99 when you can save $400 and go with the top-end PS3? Not only does it play Blu-ray movies, but also, it offers excellent next [this]-gen gaming experiences, like Sonic the Hedgehog (notice internet sarcasm). But, in all seriousness, it’s cheaper and has numerous additional features. Even if you aren’t interested in gaming, at all, it is the economical choice.

It is, however, promising to see the next iteration in Sony’s BDP line, offering a substantial price cut, even if it is only to $600 (still the same price as a high-end PS3). No matter how flashy the technology, no matter how many gigabytes of data you can cram onto a disc, price is the number one factor in broad adoption of a new technology. Now DVD players are prevalent in most homes across America. Well, another quick search of Best Buy brings up several results under $99, one, in fact, going for a mere $27.99. So, setting aside predictions of who will win the format war, it is going to take substantial price cuts in both HDTV’s and in High Definition players, to foster the broad adoption that both sides are eagerly awaiting.

PS3 Limited Backwards Compatibility in Europe

Engadget reported today, that backwards compatibility of the PS3 would be stripped down in the European version, which by the way, is still yet to hit the shelves over there. I can’t exactly name all of the instances, but the general consensus of the community seems to be that Sony loves to give Europe the shaft. It certainly seems true. The late late release in itself is just a nuisance, for Europe. PS3 has been available, here since November, and it’s proceeding to rot on the shelves.

I just can’t see the justification for limiting the backwards compatibility of the system. It’s obviously not a necessity, just a luxury really, but its important, and basically, it’s expected. Engadget is suggesting that the cause is a different chassis, used in the models for Europe, which cuts down on production costs. I understand that it’s important for them to cut costs, (seeing as they’re losing metric-ass-tons of cash on every console they sell) but to also cut functionality, and not let the consumer see any of that, is just inconsiderate. I suppose it’s just one more reason for me to dislike the PS3.

I will admit, I’ve had some fun playing it, but there just isn’t that killer app that is going to convince me to get one. Resistance: Fall of Man is certainly a fun game, but it’s easily replaceable with Gears of War. I’ve never been a huge fan of fighting games, so Virtua Fighter 5 (although, supposedly, it’s stellar) isn’t going to sell me a console. And from the sounds of it MotorStorm is a really fun game, but I’m not sure how pertinent it is to my gaming interests.

Instead, the 360 is looking increasingly interesting to me, lately. Viva Piñata intrigues me, plus Crackdown is sounding great, and GTA4 is coming to the system. And of course, Gears of War is a whole ‘nother kettle of [chart-stomping] fish. But, to be honest, Halo 3 is just about on the bottom of the list of blockbuster games that I care about. So, if I’ll be making my dive into the ‘this gen’ experience, I think the 360 will be my portal. I will, though, be sticking it out to see what becomes of the rumors of the Zephyr.

Graffiti with FRICKIN' Lasers

This is going to be a short post, because I don't have much to say about it besides, that it's really freaking cool. I'm not sure how exactly (by exactly, I mean at all) they do it, although from looking through their website for a bit, it seems that they give you the information to do it for yourself.

So check out Engadget's Coverage.
Stop by the Graffiti Research Lab website.
Take a gander at their Flickr page.

And watch this snazzy embedded YouTube video:

Do It Yourself: Half the Storage, Only 18% More!

Today, I have a computer component that I actually like, quite a bit, but I’ll never get one, nor will anyone else, with a modest number of exceptions. This morning, I read on Engadget, about what they were calling a “Do It Yourself SSD Adapter.” Basically, it’s a board with slots for four SD cards. The adapter then plugs into any free IDE cable you have in your rig, and it blesses you with speedy startup, that is associated with running an SSD.
I actually really like this idea; it gives you your own scalable SSD solution. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite do everything right. The only problem I thought of at first is, that having to buy the cards separately might tend to rack up the price. This is the least of my worries now. In fact, SD cards can be found on the cheap. So, the device supports up to 4 cards at 2GB each, for a total of 8GB of possible storage.

Unfortunately, the SD to SSD, isn’t without its quirks. First of all, it supports only 2 or 4 cards at a time. So, you have to buy at least two at a time, which will add to the price and limit your options for how you intend to expand. Next, it doesn’t support SDHC, which from what I know, comes in 4GB and 8GB flavors, which could have increased possible storage from 8GB to 32GB.

While I honestly do like the concept, it has one major drawback, and that is its price. A quick search on Newegg turns up 2GB SD cards for as low as $15, so that’d be $60 for 8GB of storage for your SSD Adapter. Well, next you have factor in the price of the adapter, $258.50. Yes, $258.50. So, that totals $318.50 for an 8GB SSD. Well, Engadget also reported, last month, that Ritek will be releasing 16GB SSDs for an expected $270. Which is, quite the deal, for double the storage, I must say.

The Latest in Cyborgian Fashion

So, this post is fueled by Engadget’s latest edition of “Keeping it Real Fake (XLVI)”. Today, they’re reporting on a pair of sunglasses that double as an MP3 player. The pair that they are showing today, is a knockoff of a pair of Oakley glasses that do the same. In addition to that, I’m reminded of the iTheater Video Glasses, which connect to your Video iPod, and let you watch video, in your glasses.

I know I can’t speak for the rest of you, (the 2-3 of you) but I would never use any of these. They’re big, they’re ugly, and they’re just impractical. I’m not sure what the designers of these pieces of teched out eyewear were thinking; maybe they’re under the impression that Sci-Fi is the new chique. Or, perhaps, they’re one of those people who dream about being dominated by a half-human, half-machine, cyborg.

The only upside to the iTheater Video Glasses, that I can think of, is for frequent travelers. I myself take a three-hour train on occasion and watching a full-length movie on my iPod, simply isn’t the best. So, if I had these glasses, (and more importantly the self-confidence to wear them in a public setting) I could just sit back and watch, instead of staring down at the small screen of my iPod for two hours.

I’m not sure about the price on the knockoffs, but the Oakley glasses retail for $499 for the 256MB model. Which is absolutely ridiculous, when you can drop $349 and walk away with an 80GB iPod Video. So let’s run some comparisons on that: you get, 320 times the storage capacity, (plus video playback, plus the fact that it’s somewhat of a fashion icon, rather than something that would warrant an arrest from the fashion police) at 30% less, in terms of green. The iTheater Video Glasses come in at $349 as well, which brings to the total to $600 or $700 depending on the iPod model you get to use along with them. Again, not exactly what I would call a good use of tech budget.

Vonia Headphones from Thanko

Today, Engadget is reporting on a pair of headphones straight from Japanese company, Thanko. Their claim to fame is that they conduct sound via bone. Instead of putting them over your ears, as you might expect, you place them just in front of you ears, on what I would guess might still be considered part of your cheek bone?

Maybe they’re being marketed to people with hearing problems. I’m no doctor, but I can’t help but wonder if that would actually help the issue. For anyone who isn’t stricken with such problems, these headphones might strike you as interesting if you are into wearing electronic devices that look like they’re from the early 90’s. More practically, they would actually leave your ears free to hear what else might be going on around you, just incase you plan on crossing any streets in NY.

The idea is actually pretty interesting, the main problem I have with these headphones is their design aesthetic. It just isn’t very pleasing, they resemble the headphones that came with my first portable CD player, and I’m sure they didn’t win any awards.

On a side note, one of the more interesting items from Thanko is their Wiimote charging station. The chargers come with a replacement battery pack that fits nicely onto your Wiimote. Next the designed white cradle holds your Wiimote for your charging convenience. Better yet, the cradle uses USB, more specifically your Wii’s USB to power the charger. If I had a Wii, I would definitely be interested in getting one of these for myself.

Reveal

Just when I was thinking there hadn't been anything worth mocking yet today, Engadget posted about "Reveal", brought to us by Adam Frank. "What is it?" you might be asking. Well, It's a light projector, that looks like a cross between a security camera and an Apple iSight. Now you might be asking, "What is a light projector? Sounds kind of like any spotlight to me." Well that's essentially what it is, only it casts a shadow of window panes and a tree.

The idea here, is to give the illusion of light being cast on a wall from a window on the other side of the room. It should be noted that this window has a tree planted directly outside of it. As an added bonus, it will appear that it is a windy day, and that said tree will sway in said wind. While it might create this illusion, soon enough you'll realize that you're still in the basement chowing down on Cheetos. What this lacks, is just about everything good about windows...

So, for the Artsy few who would consider this only a slight waste of money, you'll find them at the Adam Frank website, available in April 2007. I would actually recommend, however, that you take a quick look around the site. There are a few interesting concepts, I will admit. The most interesting, to me, is "Inside." Enjoy!

Webring?

Remember the days of Angelfire and Tripod? Remember webrings about the pointless shit you used to be interested in?
Well Hobb and I have a little network of Blogs going on now. Bêtise is my baby, he's got Taciturn Blog going about gaming, and with our powers combined I am Captain Planet, we have Audiosyncratic. Audiosyncratic is our joint venture where we intend to moan and complain or laud an album a week, each. Check it out!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Today must be some sort of cellphone extravaganza! I'm sure a little hunting would reveal what the event is exactly, but I don't particularly care all that much. Although, I'm sure there must be something because most of the news posts I've been seeing today are about phones, phones, and phones.

Overall, I'm wildly uninterested, which seemingly shouldn't be the case because I'm stuck with a piece of crap phone for now. The problem is, most of the new shiny phones coming out, are laden with Windows Mobile 6 and I'm a Mac user. So, when it comes time for a new phone, I'll be getting an iPhone or just another non-smartphone. So, I am uninterested in all the sleek new phones coming out that are chock full of WM6.

Sadly, when it comes time for me to get a new phone, (when I escape the grips of Verizon) in a few months, I probably won't be migrating to Apple's new piece of techno-sexiness. Instead of paying a $500 premium, I'll opt for signing away my soul to Verizon yet-again. As much as I would love to have an iPhone and all of it's widescreen iPod functionality, I don't think I'll be able to cope with the switch. As much as I hate Verizon for stripping functionality of phones bare, they really do have the best service in the areas that I frequent. So, when it comes time, I'm sure I'll just be upgrading to yet another non-smartphone. Oh the humanity!

The Plan

So the idea is to voice my oh so important opinion (lol) on various pieces of technology news. For instance, yesterday I read on Engadget that Microsoft announced the Vista follow up, codenamed 'Vienna'. Honestly, what a stupid idea. They claim it'll be ready to go late in 2009. Well if the Vista launch has been a little slow so far, why would you announce it's successor which is boasting "full virtualization and a radical new user interface," that is less than three years off. There is no easier way to slow sales of a new OS than to announce it's successor.

So, basically, I'd like to get in about 5 posts per week (seems wishful) about a new gadget or announcement that strikes me as important or at least worthy of a good roasting for it's shortcomings. We'll see how it all turns out!