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ASUS P525 Pocket PC phone gets reviewed
CNET's Australian outpost had a chance to put the ASUS P525 smartphone through its paces recently, using the BlackBerry 7130 series and the just-launched HP iPAQ hw6900 series as measuring sticks. They found it compared favorably to both, clocking in a bit heavier (though similarly sized) to the 7130 and besting the hw6900 for battery endurance, though some folks cross-shopping the P525 with the hw6900 might be swayed by the latter's QWERTY keyboard nonetheless. Strangely, though the P525 includes business card recognition software, the reviewer found that the phone's 2-megapixel cam wasn't sufficient to deliver the clarity needed for the software to actually function. The lack of 3G is a downer, too, but hey -- it looks mighty purty, and that's the important thing with a smartphone, right?
CNET does the PSP fanboy proud
Yes, it's another one of those DS versus PSP videos. It's becoming a little tiresome putting out these videos, but it seems like a topic that many people are interested in, especially CNET. As cool as those Windows Movie Maker films were, they won't have the authority of a presentation made by one of the web's leading sources of tech news. Check out their video to see a thorough, fair review of the two systems, and see PSP emerge victoriously. (Free registration required.)[Thanks, Silver R. Wolfe!]
Consumer electronics slowly killing the good ole days?
Hours spent frolicking in fields, down at the local YMCA, or simply tossing a baseball back and forth with pops: these are just a few of the things that modern day children are growing less inclined to do, at least according to a hoard of seemingly-distinguished British authors, professors, and counselors. A letter published in today's The Daily Telegraph is encouraging the British government to take action in preventing the "death of childhood" (as it was so aptly phrased), citing concerns that video games, television, and basically anything that attaches to an AC outlet and provides entertainment is destroying the fabled childhood experience that is presumably oh-so-superior to the lives kids are currently leading. The letter apparently showed a desire for kids to have "real play" (as opposed to fake play?), and also expressed worry that the media was warping the brains of youngsters and encouraging them to act like "mini-adults." Regardless of whether or not the "indoor generation" will miss out on the days when TV was a pipe dream and duck-duck-goose made for a thrilling Saturday, we can't envision the government actually declaring a little late-night fragging illegal -- but hey, what do we know? Maybe the kids aren't alright, after all.[Via Slashdot]
Multiverse becoming popular with indie MMO developers
According to this CNET article, MMO development platform Multiverse is becoming a hit. The "talk of the Austin Game Conference", about 100 developers are already signed up for the beta, and while some potential products seem to be going the sword-and-sorcery route, others look more interesting.However, as a commenter at Wonderland points out, Multiverse isn't the only option out there. With a high-profile investor in James Cameron, and plenty of publicity, it's overshadowing products like HeroEngine -- more options for development mean more diverse final products, but the 'indie MMO' space could certainly become quite exciting thanks to Multiverse and its cronies.
Sony STR-DA5200ES receiver adopts PSP/PS3-style interface
Sony's upcoming high end home theater receiver, the STR-DA5200ES features HDMI connections, 7.1 audio, video upconversion and everything else you would expect, will share something borrowed from the PSP. No, it's not a UMD-slot, it's the crossbar-style menu that will also be in use on the Playstation 3. You'll be able to access the menu as an overlay while still playing HD video playing behind it, picture-in-picture, and possibly be able to set up your A/V system without an engineering degree. This might be a bigger revolution in home theater than the Nintendo Wii controller is to gaming, a truly user-friendly UI would be a rare boon for users with complex systems. They'll be showing off this and many other components at CEDIA next week, if they really do have an interface that anyone can use the next challenge will be keeping your family away from it so they don't mess it up.
PSP still one of the "top 10 must-haves"
Need ammunition for the strange YouTube video flame war building between PSP Fanboy and DS Fanboy? Well, here's one for you guys: CNET's constantly updated "top 10 must-haves" still has your beloved handheld on the list. The PSP joins other gadgets, such as the incredible Motorola Q, Toshiba Gigabeat S, the Slingbox, the Xbox 360 and Canon PowerShot S80. Here's what the CNET folks had to say:"The Sony PlayStation Portable was the portable gadget of 2005. If you haven't gotten yet, you must not have seen one in action. The screen alone will make you salivate. So much more than a portable gaming console, it also plays music and movies. Not only does it look hot, it also has outstanding sound and graphics, a built-in Memory Stick Duo slot, and Wi-Fi."You get a lot of bang for your buck with the PSP. Considering how the PSP costs only $200, that's a lot cheaper than most of the items on this acclaimed list.[Via 1UP Boards]
Sony Ericsson working on a PSP phone?
As far as rumors go, this one is about as thin on the deets as they come, but Cnet Asia is reporting that Sony Ericsson senior VP of Product and Application Planning, Rikko Sakaguchi, actually alluded to plans for a game-playing phone at a recent press event in Sweden. During what was presumably the Q&A portion of a media conference in honor of the merged company's fifth anniversary, Sakaguchi reportedly answered a question about a theoretical PSP phone (most decidedly NOT pictured above) by saying simply that Sony Ericsson "is working on something," but that "the surprise must be kept for the future." Yeah, we know, not too much meat here -- Sakaguchi did mention that the objective was to integrate gaming and communications functions, not to create a dedicated gaming device (whatever that means) -- however, after the relative success of its Walkman and Cybershot lineup of handsets, it certainly makes sense for the company to leverage the PlayStation brand in this market as well. Sony Ericsson would be wise, though, to learn from Nokia's experience with the N-Gage, which is that, well, people don't like the N-Gage. So, here's to hoping that the Ericsson side of the equation can knock some sense into the Sony side of the equation, or else we may end up with a bulky, side-talkin' handset which uses even more proprietary formats that no one is interested in.[Via Maxconsole]
How the PSP can overcome the PSP-inspired mylo
David Carony, executive editor at CNET, has a lot to say about Sony, the PSP, and their newly announced mylo. Sony's attempting to market the device at a whopping $350, which is ridiculous when many, if not all of its features can be implemented in the PSP, or a PSP redesign. With the right accessories and firmware upgrades, the PSP can do every thing the mylo can... plus it can play games. And at $199, it would be a bargain for the consumer. Here's a list of what Carony believes will make the PSP better: Skype support to make Internet (VoIP) calls (using the SOCOM headset). Support for Slingbox (a competitor of Location-Free TV). Sony could make some bling by not selling hardware, but selling a Slingbox application. Built-in IM applications, similar to mylo's support for Yahoo! and Google. Better e-mail integration. Keyboard accessory. Video output for TV. Stop making Connect so crappy. Where's the revamp? These are all great, plausible and reasonable upgrades that Sony can provide. If Sony actually took these suggestions to heart, I know a ton more college students and business people would pick up a PSP. Let's hope Sony has the brains to follow through on some of this.[Via PSP World]
PlayStation 3 rises above while Wii goes MIA
On the heels of a "positive news recap," it makes it even sweeter to report that the PS3 has moved up on CNET's Weekly Hit List to take the #6 spot. This top 20 catalog is based on visitor interest, so it's great to see Sony's brainchild advance three spots from 9th place (it's "Still Warm" according to placement). Interestingly enough, the Nintendo Wii has dropped off the chart entirely. Last seen at #18, the console had been on it for almost 60 weeks. At least we know what's on CNET visitor's minds. [Via Punch Jump]
With some effort, CNET compiles vaporware all-stars
CNET defines vaporware thus: "Vaporware n: Any piece of technology with equal and excessive numbers of promises and delays. It might be awesome, but you probably won't actually see it."The all-star angle precludes many of the criticisms we'd be prone to throw at their selections, but some still need to be addressed, namely the PS3. Hey, we were just as frustrated as the next blog over Sony's obvious equivocation and the steadfast Spring 2006 website, but you can hardly say it's vaporware. It was only delayed once and, even then, the only people that (purportedly) believed the original date were Sony themselves! Now the Phantom ... that's some primo, grade-A vaporware. 11. Earthbound64 / Mother 310. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.9. Fallout 38. Team Fortress 27. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess6. Playstation 35. Sam & Max: Freelanc Police4. Starcraft Ghost3. Prey2. Phantom Gaming System1. Duke Nukem ForeverOf course vaporware bullies like Duke Nukem Forever and the Phantom dominate the top spots, while the recently released Prey makes a strong showing, encouraging all those titles that are still in development that they too can see a retail shelf someday. It's glorious!
Core 2 Duo-powered Dell XPS 410 and HP Pavilion d4600y desktops announced, reviewed
If there's anything better than killing two birds with one stone it's killing four of them, and thanks to a pair of early looks from Cnet, we're able to cram two product announcements and their corresponding reviews into one tidy little post. Even though they were just unveiled today, the tech mega-site was already able to take Dell's XPS 410 (pictured, left) and HP's Pavilion d4600y (pictured, right) Core 2 Duo-powered desktops out for a spin, and both machines come across as very capable performers. The two rigs share the same 2.4GHz E6600 CPU and 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM -- meaning that they throw down almost identical benchmark numbers, with the HP enjoying a slight but ultimately inconsequential edge -- but the Dell's nVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS graphics card with 512MB VRAM makes short work of the ATI Radeon X1600XT-sporting Pavilion in the all-important gaming department. Dual 320GB hard drives also put the XPS 410 on top when it comes to storage capacity (although the d4600y still offers a very reasonable dual 250GB HDD array), and both towers seem equally well-suited for multimedia applications with their on-board dual-tuner TV cards and plethora of connectivity options. In the end, each $2,000 system earned a Very Good score of exactly 7.2 from Cnet, with the Dell obviously getting the nod for gamers, while the cheap-looking but feature-filled HP sounds like a better choice for the all-around user who wants greater expandability. Luckily, the hot new dual-core processors in both PCs means that you'll be getting one of the fastest machines on the market, no matter which model you choose.Read- Dell XPS 410Read- HP Pavilion d4600y
CNET still not over it
And by "it", we of course refer to the cataclysmic tugging of the carpet that Nintendo so infamously performed when they quelled the Revolution (the what now?) and released the Wii. After Nintendo's powerful showing at E3, most people seem to have gotten used to saying the new name without breaking a sweat or breaking into laughter, content in knowing that the name means little in the face of a game like Super Mario Galaxy. The folks at CNET must not have played it, then.In their "Worst Tech of Q2 2006" article, CNET reserves the ninth spot for the Wii, awarding it with "Worst name change." Their justification is short, noting that "'Nintendo Revolution' sounds cool. 'Nintendo Wii' sounds dumb. That's about all there is to say." Well, fair enough ... coming from a website that sounds like something you catch fish with! ZING!On a more serious note, we also preferred the Revolution, but to put the name mame on the same list as Segway Polo and iPod imitations is just mean.[Via VGGEN, thanks AssemblyLineHuman!]
RCA's H116 6GB DAP reviewed
Considering that exactly zero people were interested enough in the new hard drive-based RCA MP3 players we brought you last week to actually leave a comment, we doubt that even a glowing review from Cnet would convince you to pick up one of these models -- but that's a moot point, because Cnet really doesn't have many positive things to say about the 6GB H116 they put through its paces. As you'll recall, RCA is clearly targeting the low-end of the market with its new DAPs, as evidenced by their black-and-white screens, rather generic-looking designs, and most tellingly, their complete lack of extra features that might sway folks away from the iTatorship. In fact, the only real compliment Cnet is able to muster about their unit is the fact that it does what it advertises: play music -- but not very well it seems. Combined with the buggy controls and poor quality of the FM transmitter, the sub-par audio would seem to indicate that even for the low-low price of $170, you're still not getting what you pay for.[Thanks, Jen B.]
Next-gen Nokia 770 could sport webcam, WiMax
Those of you who were disappointed to learn that Nokia eschewed that rumored QWERTY thumb board for a less functional on-screen keyboard in the recent 770 software bump will be pleased to hear that a new interface method is just one of several changes the company is looking at for its next-generation of Internet tablets. In discussing the future of the 770 line with Cnet, Nokia's VP of convergence Ari Virtanen also mentioned that a webcam could be part of the equation, as one of the company's goals with this lineup is to duplicate the fixed Internet experience on a mobile device. And although cellphone radios are still not expected to find their way into these new products-- Virtanen said that Nokia wants to keep some of its offerings out of the "cellular value chain" -- their absence may not be actually be missed that much if the company goes ahead and includes WiMax as it's also said to be considering.
Select subscribers getting TiVoCast web-based programming
Following last month's deal with web video publisher Brightcove, TiVo has announced another round of partnerships that will bring various on-demand video clips to broadband-equipped Series 2 owners, with a new service called TiVoCast. The company has been making moves in this direction for some time now, but this is the first time we're being offered content that we'd actually bother watching, including NBA and WNBA highlights, New York Times-produced video (featuring David Pogue's often-humorous reviews), advice from CNET, and a dose of hip hop culture from H2O, along with male- and female-targeted programming from Heavy.com and iVillage, respectively. The new content -- accessible from the "Showcases" screen when it begins appearing next month -- will not be available to everyone, however, as USA Today is reporting that neither DirecTV subscribers nor Comcast customers will have access to any of these value-added TiVoCast downloads.
Cnet video of the line in front of the new Apple Store
So, you weren't standing out in the rain wait for the new Fifth Avenue store to open but you don't have to miss out on the experience. Cnet took a camera and a reporter down to the line and spoke with some of the people who were waiting. Amongst the folks are a man who flew in from Scotland to be there, and Stormy Shippy.Stormy Shippy, besides having an improbable name, blogged about his trip from America to London for the opening of the Regent Street opening.We Mac folks truly are a special lot.
Pure Digital's Point & Shoot Video Camcorder reviewed
We have a friend who will try to put a positive spin on something by describing it as "good for what it is," and that seems like an apt way to describe Pure Digital's non-disposable version of their disposable Point & Shoot Video Camcorder, which sounds like it delivers on its promise of mediocre footage for super-cheap prices. Both CNET's Gadget Blog and the St. Paul Pioneer Press took the PDP&SVC through its paces, and come to basically the same conclusion: you get what you pay for. Obviously $100 isn't going to buy you great quality optics, so the only thing cheapskates budget-conscious consumers really have to gripe about is the lack of any expansion options, because sometimes 30 minutes just isn't enough time to capture priceless family moments in full, grainy, VGA glory.Read- Gadget BlogRead- St. Paul Pioneer Press
MacBook Pro vs. Acer TravelMate 8200
Cnet has pitted the very hot MacBook Pro vs the slightly ugly Acer TravelMate 8200 in a deathmatch. May the best portable win.And which portable do you think won? It was close, but the Acer edged the MacBook Pro out by one. The MacBook Pro won on design, display, and software while the Acer took features, performance, battery life and price.It should be noted that the Acer doesn't run OS X and Windows out of the box, but if you're looking for a PC laptop it looks like the Acer is a good one.How many people out there are being to trade in their MacBooks for one?
Cnet on Rockbox
James Kim replaced the firmware on his iPod with that of RockBox, which is an alternate OS (basically) for the iPod, and tells us about the experience. It allows you to tweak a number of settings and even gives the iPod new features (such as support for Ogg files). Now, it isn't as pretty as Apple's version, and the iTunes integration isn't there, but if you are an iPod user who has install Linux on their iPods, I bet RockBox is right up your alley.
Yahoo getting into the tech business
There might be a war starting here. CNET has long owned the tech reviewing genre on the Internet. They have been doing it forever and no one has been able to match them with coverage and depth. But Yahoo isn't "no one" and they have just launched a sweet looking website. Granted it just launched so we hope that is the reason it is slow, but it sure is cool looking. The site is reviewing everything from HDTVs to car tech. No we take that back. Yahoo's site just provides a clipping from a Consumer Reports review and provides you with a link to subscribe in order to get more reviews - What?!?! [example] We don't care how cool the site looks, if it can't provide us with comprehensive reviews of our HDTVs, then what good is it? Your thoughts...
