Recent Comments:
Palm's GSM Centro spotted in white {Engadget}
Jan 9th 2008 2:07PM Why is it branded as a Treo instead of a Centro?
HP's new MediaSmart Receiver does Media Center Extender (and more) {Engadget}
Jan 3rd 2008 4:29PM A useful feature would be the ability to pull digital cable off of the media center PC's hard disk onto the pocket media drive, and then play it back on the extender. This would be useful both for backup purposes and also to avoid the network bandwidth problems that plague wireless media streamers. I have a feeling that the CableCard powers that be might not like that idea, though.
Keyspan intros USB 2.0 Server {Engadget}
Aug 1st 2007 11:33PM I have the first gen (USB 1.1) model and would advise people to skip this product. Keyspan's drivers are such that only one computer can connect at a time to the device, after which you must manually go into the software and disconnect the USB device before connecting another computer to the device. I would prefer this to be automatic, or for the software to allow multiple simultaneous connections.
Apple to iTunes partners: feel free to drop your DRM as well {Engadget}
Apr 27th 2007 1:33PM Apple's plan on this doesn't make much sense to me. If the music companies are worried about piracy, wouldn't they prefer to offer the lower-quality music free of DRM, rather than higher-quality? I would pitch it as an option between (1) low bitrate, but DRM-free, songs for $0.99 each, or (2) high bitrate, but DRM-infested, songs for $0.99 (or $1.29 or whatever). It seems to me that if I were a music executive, I would be more comfortable knowing that low quality music is floating around the internet, rather than high quality music.
That said, I think Apple's plan is probably preferable to most consumers. Sadly, without the music industry's buy-in, the number of DRM-free offerings will not grow very quickly.
CompUSA to sell Vista Business this month {Engadget}
Nov 13th 2006 9:39PM $300 per computer, or $300 total for 5 computers?
UMPCs to get special Media Extender software {Engadget}
Apr 6th 2006 1:15PM Wait - the Microsoft comments don't say that this will be a remote, they say that it will be an extender. That means you can stream content from the media center PC to the UMPC and watch it on the UMPC's screen, not that you can queue up music on the media center PC by pressing buttons on the UMPC. Right? So it isn't a remote control application - it's just a way to convert the UMPC into a portable media center that costs twice what other portable media centers cost. I mean, extenders have limited remote control abilities (such as the ability to set and cancel recordings for the media center PC), but calling them remote controls is a bit misleading.
Samsung's Q1 appears on the FCC {Engadget}
Mar 29th 2006 12:07PM # 1- this looks like a powered USB port for use with a forthcoming optical disc drive (CD or DVD). I haven't seen anything suggesting that Samsung will create a proper docking station for this, as has TabletKiosk for their UMPC model.
So what is Origami? We'll tell ya. {Engadget}
Mar 9th 2006 3:59PM How will this work with subscription-based music services (like Napster to go)? Will it be considered a full computer - such that it counts as one of the 3 computers on which you can play the music - or will it be considered one of the two or 3 portable music players on which you can use the music? My guess is the former, but I'm not sure that is best.
Origami and UMPC one and the same? {Engadget}
Mar 2nd 2006 9:42AM What is the obsession with people promoting dualcor in the comments to every Origami posting? Dualcor's press coverage suggests that it will cost 3 times as much as the Origami devices. To answer Damo's question in #6, no - a $1500 miniature laptop is not going to derail the market for a $500 uber-PDA.
