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Hands-on with AOL and Haier's PMP
When we first got word of AOL (disclosure: AOL is our parent company's parent) and Haier's Linux-based WiFi and Bluetooth-enabled PMP yesterday, we were a little confused. On the one hand, the shot that PC Magazine snapped was of a device that looked pretty beat up; on the other, the feature set appeared to be impressive. Today we got a hands-on with the device, which managed to exceed our initial low expectations regarding the design of the player. The problem here is that the brushed stainless steel casing looks awful when photographed with a flash. In person it could actually be called attractive, although fingerprints on both the screen and the casing are still easily noticeable. For menu control there's a square, clickable trackpad which does a great job of menu navigation due to the fact that you don't have to move your thumb off the trackpad to select an option. The Linux based operating system has a nice and simple (albeit iPod inspired) design, which compliments the trackpad control system. In terms of specific features it has a QVGA LCD screen (which didn't appear particularly bright), built-in WiFi (with which you can buy music from online stores, stream internet radio, do background downloads, and search for similar songs), built-in Bluetooth for using wireless A2DP headphones, and USB 2.0 connectivity. The range of files that it'll play is also impressive, with PlaysForSure WMA files, AACPlus, AACPlus Enhanced, WAV, and MP3 all playable. On top of that you can play MPEG-4, WMV 7/8/9, H.264, and AVI video, as well as display JPG and PNG images. An AOL representative told us that they're expecting to ship the player for $249 sometime around the second quarter of this year, so hopefully we'll be able to give you an idea of other more specific features -- such as battery life -- as it nears a commercial release. Hands on with AOL and Haier's PMP
AOL and Haier's Linux-based "Smartscreen Media Device" flies in from left field
AOL has announced that it is taking part in the development of a portable media player with a Haier-manufactured player that looks like it was put together by the company's East German industrial design division, and then forged from plate iron in a Soviet-era smelting factory -- in fact, it appears as if this product has something to do with AOL's acquisition of the zany WildSeed guys a while back. Equally amusing as its fugly design is the fact that the only picture of the device at CES is of a model which has a broken button (check out the skip track button on the right.) That doesn't really say much about the Germanic design we were just joking about now does it? Fortunately for Engadget's parent company (disclosure: AOL is our parent company's parent), the device's internals aren't so dated -- which is good because otherwise we'd be completely panning the thing right about now. Apparently the player has a Linux-based text interface -- that has been developed by AOL's Tegic unit -- and is controlled by a touch pad, packs a 30GB hard drive, plays MPEG-4 and WMV videos, and has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth for listening to internet radio stations and downloading songs from paid Windows Media music stores like Napster, Rhapsody, and Yahoo! In summary: AOL and Haier are planning to release a truly ugly player that counters its ugliness with a varied and genuinely intriguing feature set: maybe our -- non-corporate -- parents were right, beauty really is only skin deep! According to PC Magazine, we should expect to see a retail release of the Smartscreen Media Device sometime around the second or third quarter of 2007.[Via Linux Devices]
AOL Cheshire beta client for Mac
From the earliest origins of AOL -- which briefly existed as "AppleLink Personal Edition" way back in the late 1980s -- the Mac has been a full-parity player on the service. Nowadays, you may notice that the AOL Mac client is getting a little bit long in the tooth (last updated November 2005) compared with the Windows version.Enter the AOL Greenhouse beta farm with Cheshire, a stripped-down and modernized 'lean client' version of the AOL software that integrates with iLife, Safari, iChat and Mail.app. It appears to be the next take on the existing AOL Service Assistant setup tool, and includes standalone Parental Controls, AOL Pictures and AOL Radio tools. Cheshire, while still in early beta, is a Universal Binary, while the OS X full client is still PPC only.The download appears to work best with Safari at the moment, and be careful when installing; Cheshire will probably try to reset your associations for the http and mailto handlers. Let us know how it works for you.[via Versiontracker]Note: TUAW is a member of the Weblogs, Inc. network, which is owned by AOL.
Sprint launches Mobile Email client
Sprint-Nextel (the company that has one messaging problem after another) has introduced a new combined email client for several of its current phones. With Mobile Email, Sprint customers can access their AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo! accounts from their handsets. Mobile Email will also be able to add access to other POP3 and IMAP accounts, allow users to set up alerts when new mail arrives, and compose and save email for later use even when they are out of coverage. With this being a zero cost application to download, Sprint is hoping to increase users' dependency for mobile data which will drive other application downloads. Don't be too worried that Gmail didn't make the list of included clients as the POP support should have you covered.
Reggie chats up the Wii
As if the man has done anything else lately, Reggie has conducted an interview with AOL Games, discussing everything from the Wii to their goal of attracting non-gamers, as well as Reggie's ultimate fantasy career. What's most interesting about this interview, we believe, is Reggie's views on the industry's current lack of originality and love of sequels. Reggie goes on to say:"Do I think the industry is suffering from a lack of originality? A lot of the same old content? Sequelitis? Absolutely. Absolutely. As a consumer, is it challenge to parse through all the different choices available to find those great games out there? Absolutely. Yes, there's a lot of dreck out there. But I think a measure of our success is if you go to an EB or Gamestop and look at previous used product for sale, the fact is, you won't see a lot of Nintendo published product. Why? Because we make product that people tend to want to hold onto. The replay value is there. There's emotional attachment to the software. But is there a lot of dreck, especially on the competitive platforms? Absolutely."
AOL adds movie downloads to video portal
Dedicated services like Vongo and Movielink are already doing the movie download thing, but now AOL, a major player vying for digital distribution market share (and our parent company, by the way) added this most sought-after of services to their video portal. Ranging in price from $9.99-$19.99, a decent selection of movies both old and new are available, but of course: you need a Windows XP machine and IE6 - not even Firefox is allowed to purchase (bad AOL! Bad!). Now that an actual internet portal has stepped foot on video download ground, how much longer will it take for Apple to debut an iTunes iMovie Store? The CEO of Lions Gate Studios even dropped a hint that it's on its way, so here's hoping the rumors prove their substance sooner than later.Thanks Jon
AOL breaks Adium betas
If you're a user of the recent Adium 1.0 beta releases, and you've been having issues connecting to AIM, you're not alone. According to reports in the official IRC channel and from developers, AOL did something to change the connection protocol, specifically involving the new joscar connection protocol, connection rate limiting, and buddy icon requests. Users experiencing problems have three options: 1. Take a break! Enjoy your newly found freedom from the constant barrage of instant messages. 2. Use a web-based IM service such as meebo.3. Replace your Adium beta with the older .89.1 build.Note: AOL responds to the rapid connections this problem causes by locking out your account for a few minutes. The more you try and connect while you're locked out, the longer the lock stays.
AOL acquires GameDaily
It seemed just like every other morning at the GameDaily offices. Writers furiously hunching over their laptops, an antiquated espresso machine spluttering in the background and an irate Chris Buffa demanding to know why the cleaners still hadn't removed the decomposing horse from his office. Alas, the quiet productivity came to a grinding halt as soon as the ceiling caved in and a dark shadow fell over the office complex. Moments later, squirming and screeching GameDaily employees were carried off by what witnesses could only label as a "giant ball of random stuff."AOL's business katamari has officially picked up the GameDaily group and lumped it together with the AOL Games division. The AOL Games team will be integrated into GameDaily's editorial staff, though it is unclear at this time as to who will form the head. Ralph Rivera, Vice President and General Manager of AOL Games, explains that gaming sites "have become a valuable resource for advertisers wishing to reach the young male audience, and GameDaily is a brand that resonates with these highly sought after consumers. We look forward to continuing to serve this audience, maximizing GameDaily content with AOL's community features, and further expanding the AOL Games community."To assuage the inevitable fears that an evil, corruptive force will somehow alter GameDaily's editorial content, it is worth pointing out that AOL acquired one Weblogs Inc. last year, a deal which included an obscure gadget blog and some other, thoroughly outrageous video game blog. We don't care who's pushing the ball -- we're enjoying the view, same as always. Welcome to the family, GameDaily.Read - AOL acquires Gamedaily from GigexRead - AOL's Ralph Rivera explains the GameDaily purchase
Logitech's EasyCall Desktop -- the MS Office of VoIP peripherals
Today Logitech got a clue: why sell one device to the burgeoning Internet calling community when you can sell an entire suite of peripherals. Introducing the EasyCall Desktop which Logitech claims is the world's first mouse, keyboard, headset and speakerphone combo. In essence, EasyCall Desktop does for desktop clutter what Adobe, Microsoft, and Apple did for software -- take a bunch of disparate tools, give 'em the same look and feel and enhance each for relatively seamless interaction across the suite. In addition to a cordless keyboard and laser mouse (which, while not stated, will likely both feature Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR like other Logitech Desktops) the package includes a tethered stereo headset which can be attached to the full-duplex speakerphone. The speakerphone, apparently also wired, acts as the Internet calling control center and features Logitech's RightSound echo cancelation technology to get the most from VoIP apps like Yahoo Messenger with Voice, AOL's AIM, and of course Skype. What's odd is that a Skype specific keyboard will also be launched as part of the Desktop but only in Europe -- go figure. Expect the kit to ship in the US and Europe by mid-September with an expected retail price pegged at $130/€130.[Via CrowdedBrain]
Widget Watch: QuickMail
QuickMail DashMail might not be the prettiest Dashboard widget I've ever seen, but it certainly is one of the most functional: it allows you to send a quick email from Gmail, .Mac, Yahoo, AOL or AIM, and even has the option for entering custom server settings for those who like to blaze their own trail. Simply enter the username and password of your chosen service on the back of the widget and you're off and running. It even remembers previous recipients (sorry, no Address Book integration as of yet) and subject lines; that's what those menu ticks are beside their respective fields.QuickMail DashMail is provided free from Scue Records.[UPDATE: Due to a company already naming an email client 'QuickMail', Scue Records has renamed their widget to DashMail.]
We pledge allegiance to capture the flag
Our colleagues at AOL Games are running a festive feature to celebrate this 4th of July. Instead of the usual stuff about barbecues and fireworks, they took the flag route. No, not the red, white & blue ... just red and blue usually ... on two different flags. Yup, we're talking about every online gamers favorite pastime: Capture the Flag (that's CTF to most of us).With essays from the AOL Games staff, and contributions from Jay is Games' John Bardinelli and GamerDad Andrew Bub, it sure is a nice way to spend an uneventful 4th. That is, unless you're either busy: a) drinking your face off; b) playing Capture the Flag. If you aren't doing one of the above (poor sod), check it out and celebrate the red and blue!Snip from Scott Steinberg's piece: "Allies may shoot us in the tush. Prepubescent teens, call our manhood into question. But bombing the base and swiping the goods isn't sport or fancy: It's everything, period. And, like an homage to the pleasures of flag-snagging excitement, let the plasma-scarred torsos of friend and foe alike serve as a testament of our devotion -- we love, I mean really love, Capture the Flag." Amen. [Thanks, Dan]
AOL opens doors to AIM developer program, includes Mac OS X and Linux tools
Macworld is reporting that AOL (our parent company, by the way) has announced AIM developer tool support for Mac OS X and Linux, opening the doors for more interoperability to come from an even larger playing field. AOL launched this 'web 2.0-esque' Open AIM program last March, allowing 3rd party developers to create add-ons and tie-ins to the AIM network, with a healthy dose of around 45,000 developers already hopping on board.It'll be interesting to see how much comes out of this for the Mac OS X platform, as I'm willing to bet most Mac users who chat on AIM use iChat, and I'm not sure how open that app is from Apple's standpoint. This is pure speculation, but I'm wondering if we could see some kind of a plugin push from Apple with iChat in Leopard. Especially since, as Macworld points out, the whole VoIP thing has everyone with an audio chat app firing on all cylinders, vying for market share.
Emmy handheld award nominees announced
Let's face it, with more and more content being created for the third screen (i.e. your cellphone, handheld, portable, multimedia device, etc. -- whatever you want to call it), it was obviously time for the Emmys to create yet another award for a new kind of small screen: the award for outstanding original programming for computers, cellphones and other hand-held [sic] device (or that's what we understand it's called, anyway, they didn't officially acknowledge it on their site so far as we could tell). So whose programming's up for an Emmy? You've got Fox Mobile's 24: Conspiracy, MTV's mtvU Stand In, AOL's Live 8 on AOL, Orrin and Jerry Zucker's It's Jerry Time!, CB Films' Sophie Chase, and interactive puzzle program Stranger Adventures. To be announced April 22 with the Daytime Emmies, the Academy will be reviewing and voting on the nominees with what we can only hope is the utmost reverence and sincerity for the category, similar to how we imagine they vote on the Emmy for Sound Mixing - Nonfiction Programming or Outstanding Game Show Host.
