Daily Dispatch: Facebook experiments with QR codes; Intel launches low-cost solid-state drive
Mar 16, 2010 News
Combing through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily, Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through the noise to bring you the tech news most important to consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.
Facebook Kicks Off Implementation Of QR Codes (TechCrunch)
… Facebook appears to have started enabling users to generate custom two-dimensional QR codes. From the looks of the screenshot embedded above, there are two types of QR codes: a personal barcode or a “status QR barcode”. This also seems to appear on Facebook Fan Pages.
Intel Intros 40-GB SSD For $125 (ChannelWeb)
Intel signaled its intent to lead the entry-level SSD market with the introduction of a 40-GB SSD with a price of only $125. Intel on Monday unveiled its X25-V Value SATA solid state drive (SSD), a new line aimed at the netbook, notebook, and desktop PC market.
The cappuccino car that runs on coffee… so will you have to use the filter lane? (MailOnline)
A car that runs on coffee is unveiled today – but it certainly won't take the grind out of commuting. And at between 25 and 50 times the cost of running a car on petrol, the invention won't please any motor industry bean-counters either.
PayPal Launches Revamped iPhone App, Teams With Bump For Phone-Tapping Money Transfers (TechCrunch)
PayPal has just launched an upgraded iPhone application that adds new features and includes a facelift that’s meant to help instill a greater sense of security. And it also brings with it big news for Bump Technologies, the startup that lets you exchange information simply by tapping smartphones together: Bump is now prominently featured in the PayPal iPhone application as a quick way to initiate transactions.
Lighter side: Pomplamoose cover Lady Gaga's "Telephone" in a VideoSong (PomplamooseMusic)
Tags: daily-dispatch, electronics, Internet, Photography
Consumers Union responds positively to FCC’s broadband plan
Mar 16, 2010 News
In response to the National Broadband Plan presented to Congress today by the Federal Communication Commission, Joel Kelsey, a policy analyst with Consumers Union (the nonprofit parent company of Consumer Reports) released the following statement.
We commend the commission for the goals and the vision in this plan to bring affordable, high-speed Internet access to all Americans. The U.S. has fallen behind other countries, both in terms of how many people have broadband and the speed of those connections. This plan seeks to knock down the biggest obstacles to bringing high-speed Internet to more people at a reasonable price. This is the first step in a long process. The commission has laid out a lot of important questions the government must answer to put us on the right path, and we look forward to working with the commissioners and Congress on the road ahead.
In its own statement today, the FCC detailed its vision for the American broadband network [PDF] by 2020. Among other goals, the plan calls for promoting competition in the broadband market and closing certain "broadband gaps." Those gaps include the 100 million Americans who currently have no broadband access at home (especially in rural areas and among "vulnerable" populations) and the shortage of broadband spectrum for mobile devices.
—Nick K. Mandle
Tags: computers, Internet, Technology, wired/wireless network
FCC broadband plan expected today
Mar 16, 2010 News
Starting today, get ready to hear a lot (more) about access to high-speed broadband, whom should control the broadcast airwaves, and the role of the federal government in regulating both.
The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to send its long-awaited National Broadband Plan to Congress, a move that will further propel issues mostly discussed among the telecom industry, advocates, and regulators into the political arena.
[Update: Watch live streaming of the FCC's presentation of the National Broadband Plan to Congress through 12:30 pm EST. Read the entire plan for yourself here.]
In the executive summary [PDF] on today's report, the FCC reaffirmed that universal access to broadband will be the plan's top priority. Plan goals include that "every American should have access to robust broadband service," and that 100 million residents should have access to speedy service of at least 100 and 50 megabits per second for download and upload, respectively.
The summary also outlines plans for further subsidies to wire rural areas for broadband and the New York Times reports the plan will include "a controversial auction of some broadcast spectrum to free up space for wireless devices, and the development of a new universal set-top box that connects to the Internet and cable service."
The plan is likely to trigger furious debate, including lobbying from industry representatives and responses from consumer advocates, including Consumers Union, the parent company for Consumer Reports.
—Paul Reynolds
Tags: computers, internet/online, Technology, wired/wireless network
FCC broadband plan expected today
Mar 16, 2010 News
Starting today, get ready to hear a lot (more) about access to high-speed broadband, whom should control the broadcast airwaves, and the role of the federal government in regulating both.
The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to send its long-awaited National Broadband Plan to Congress, a move that will further propel issues mostly discussed among the telecom industry, advocates, and regulators into the political arena.
[Update: Watch live streaming of the FCC's presentation of the National Broadband Plan to Congress through 12:30 pm EST. Read the entire plan for yourself here.]
In the executive summary [PDF] on today's report, the FCC reaffirmed that universal access to broadband will be the plan's top priority. Plan goals include that "every American should have access to robust broadband service," and that 100 million residents should have access to speedy service of at least 100 and 50 megabits per second for download and upload, respectively.
The summary also outlines plans for further subsidies to wire rural areas for broadband and the New York Times reports the plan will include "a controversial auction of some broadcast spectrum to free up space for wireless devices, and the development of a new universal set-top box that connects to the Internet and cable service."
The plan is likely to trigger furious debate, including lobbying from industry representatives and responses from consumer advocates, including Consumers Union, the parent company for Consumer Reports.
—Paul Reynolds
Daily Dispatch: Browse newspaper archives; Fandango tests paperless movie tickets
Mar 15, 2010 News
Combing through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily, Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through the noise to bring you the tech news most important to consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.
Browse Newspapers in Google News Archive (Google Operating System)
…You can now browse all the issues digitized by Google for newspapers like The Montreal Gazette, The Sydney Morning Herald, St. Petersburg Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and more. The digitized newspapers are searchable in the Google News Archive and they're also included in Google's regular search results.
Weekend iPad Pre-Order Estimate: 152,000 Sold (Silicon Valley Insider)
The final iPad estimates for the weekend from the AAPL Sanity board say Apple saw 152,000 iPad pre-orders during opening weekend.
Fandango Begins Rolling Out Mobile Tickets That Let Moviegoers Go Paperless (TechCrunch)
…Today, Fandango is launching a mobile ticket program in eight cities which lets moviegoers finally go paperless. Your ticket is delivered to your mobile phone via an SMS or MMS message linked to a 2D barcode, which the ticket-takers can scan
Monday Fun Video: Typing 83 Words a Minute on an iPhone (TiPb)
Impressive video demonstrating speed typing with a virtual keyboard.
Lighter side: Hyper-Realistic Acrylic Body Painting (my modern MET)
Alexa Meade thinks completely backwards. Most artists use acrylic paints to create portraits of people on canvas. But not Meade – she applies acrylic paints on her subjects and makes them appear to be a part of the painting!
Tags: digital cameras, dirk klingner, News, Technology
Daily Dispatch: Browse newspaper archives; Fandango tests paperless movie tickets
Mar 15, 2010 News
Combing through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily, Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through the noise to bring you the tech news most important to consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.
Browse Newspapers in Google News Archive (Google Operating System)
…You can now browse all the issues digitized by Google for newspapers like The Montreal Gazette, The Sydney Morning Herald, St. Petersburg Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and more. The digitized newspapers are searchable in the Google News Archive and they're also included in Google's regular search results.
Weekend iPad Pre-Order Estimate: 152,000 Sold (Silicon Valley Insider)
The final iPad estimates for the weekend from the AAPL Sanity board say Apple saw 152,000 iPad pre-orders during opening weekend.
Fandango Begins Rolling Out Mobile Tickets That Let Moviegoers Go Paperless (TechCrunch)
…Today, Fandango is launching a mobile ticket program in eight cities which lets moviegoers finally go paperless. Your ticket is delivered to your mobile phone via an SMS or MMS message linked to a 2D barcode, which the ticket-takers can scan
Monday Fun Video: Typing 83 Words a Minute on an iPhone (TiPb)
Impressive video demonstrating speed typing with a virtual keyboard.
Lighter side: Hyper-Realistic Acrylic Body Painting (my modern MET)
Alexa Meade thinks completely backwards. Most artists use acrylic paints to create portraits of people on canvas. But not Meade – she applies acrylic paints on her subjects and makes them appear to be a part of the painting!
Tags: computers, daily-dispatch, News, Photography, Technology
3D TV shoot-out: Samsung’s LCD vs. Panasonic’s plasma
Mar 13, 2010 News
As you might know from our previous blogs, we’ve been testing the first new 3D TVs on the market—Samsung’s 46-inch 7000- and 8000-series LCD TVs with LED backlights and 240Hz technology, and Panasonic’s 50-inch VT-20 series 1080p plasma. We bought the Samsung 7000-series set at retail, and purchased the 8000-series model and Panasonic’s plasma as pre-retail samples directly from the company.
For the purposes of our tests, we connected the TVs to each company’s new 3D Blu-ray player, and then switched them to see if the Samsung Blu-ray would work on the Panasonic TV, and vice versa. (They did.) While the Monsters vs. Aliens 3D Blu-ray disc played on both players—as it should per the Blu-ray 3D specification—the 3D demo disc from Panasonic, which includes clips from the Astro Boy movie, plus some sports and nature live sequences, would only play on the Panasonic Blu-ray player.
While we haven’t completed our comprehensive tests on these sets, we have already seen some performance differences between the models, which in the 3D mode are mirroring some of the differences we see when we test LCD and plasma TVs with regular high-definition programs.
So how did the TVs perform? As we’ve reported, when displaying 3D all three sets delivered impressive three-dimensional effects in full 1080p resolution. All were were able to provide a reasonably bright picture, which is advantageous when using 3D shutter glasses, which can make images appear dim.
Overall the Samsung sets provided excellent picture detail, with satisfying colors and contrast. But we did notice some cloudiness on both the 7000-series model—which uses a conventional edge LED backlight—and the 8000-series set—the first set we’ve seen that uses an edge LED backlight with local dimming—which can be distracting when viewing dark scenes. Also, both Samsung sets exhibited a degree of “crosstalk,” or ghosted images, on 3D content, indicating that the images for each eye weren’t being kept completely separate. It wasn’t so noticeable as to be distracting on all scenes, but when visible the image echoes diminished the 3D effect. We also noticed that if you tilted the 3D glasses, such as you would if you were lying down watching the TV, the picture would increasingly get dimmer.
Panasonic says its VT20 sets (as well as the VT25 models that will arrive soon) have new features designed to help boost performance. One is its “infinite black” technology, intended to improve black-level performance. In fact, this TV’s black levels were excellent, the best we’ve seen from a TV since our review of Pioneer’s Kuro models. We also found picture detail to be excellent. Unusual for a plasma set is the inclusion of blur-reduction circuitry, which was extremely effective. Based on our preliminary tests, this TV may have the best anti-blur performance of any plasma we’ve ever tested (although we wonder why it’s a feature that has to be activated).
When viewing 3D content, the TV was absolutely free from crosstalk, with sharp, clean edges on objects in scenes. Also, the set’s virtually unlimited viewing angle with regular high-def programs held true with the 3D content we played, so even those viewing the screen from an angle could see a great picture. Also, there was no change in the picture if the 3D glasses were tilted sideways, unlike the LCD sets.
So what’s our initial reaction to these sets? All the tested sets can produce compelling, realistic three-dimensional images that can duplicate the excitement you’d get in a movie theater. But based on our preliminary tests, we give the Panasonic the edge. In the 3D mode, its lack of crosstalk and great black levels really made three-dimensional images pop. It also didn’t have any issues with backlight cloudiness, and offered a very wide viewing angle. But remember that we haven’t completed our final tests, and haven’t seen enough 3D sets to make any judgments about whether plasma or LCD is inherently a better technology for displaying 3D. But we can’t wait to get more sets into our TV Lab.
—James K. Willcox and Claudio Ciacci
Tags: 3d tv, Internet, television
Panasonic broadens Micro Four-thirds camera line
Mar 8, 2010 News
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10
Photo: Panasonic
Photo: Panasonic
Panasonic has just expanded its Micro Four-thirds camera line to four models by adding two new models: the Lumix DMC-G2, which replaces the G1, and Lumix DMC-G10. Both are 12-megapixel cameras with large Live MOS sensors (like those SLRs use) and accept interchangeable lenses. Panasonic was the first to introduce this new kind of digital camera two years ago, one that combines key SLR features—a large image sensor and interchangeable lenses—with the smaller size and weight of a point-and-shoot. It’s a category that appears to be on the cusp of getting very hot, particularly since Samsung and Sony said they plan to join Panasonic and Olympus in creating such a small interchangeable-lens type of camera.
The two Lumix models are compatible with SD, SDHC and the new higher capacity SDXC memory cards. Both shoot RAW in addition to JPEGs, can capture HD-resolution video, and offer live-view on a 3-inch LCD with a 460,000-dot count, which should make the display very clear. They also have popup flashes, will ship with a 14-42mm f/3.5-5.8 zoom lens, and run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
Photo: Panasonic
Photo: Panasonic
Here are some of the specs that distinguish the pricier G2 from the G10:
- The G2 includes a touchscreen 3-inch LCD that can also swivel. The LCD also has some unique focusing features; you can use the touchscreen LCD to help you shoot better photos and video as well as for its face detection and subject-tracking features. The G2 also has a higher quality HD-video setting, called AVCHD Lite, which should produce smoother video footage. Its viewfinder is the same as the G1’s, with a very sharp 1,400,000 dots.
- The G10 is a stripped-down version of the G2, which doesn’t include the AVCHD Lite settings, swiveling LCD, or very high dot-count in the electronic viewfinder. The G10’s viewfinder is only about 200,000 dots, which is what you’ll find on Panasonic’s superzooms. But the G10 is just a bit lighter than the G2.
When we saw a preview of the G2 and G10 at PMA, there was one section of the camera that I thought needed improving: The graphical interface and menu structure. I felt Panasonic needed to take heed of what companies like Apple are doing with interfaces on its iPhone, to produce a cleaner, less cluttered graphical interface.
The older Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 and the DMC-GF1 both remain in the product line. Although pricing has not yet been set, we’re guessing the G2 touchscreen model will run around $800-900, and the more entry-level G10 about $500-600. Both models should be available in late May or early June.
—Terry Sullivan
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Tags: computers, News, panasonic, Photography
New TiVo Series 4 DVRs offer better TV, web integration
Mar 5, 2010 News
TiVo Series 4 DVR
Photo: TiVo
Photo: TiVo
The newest Series 4 digital video recorders (DVRs) from TiVo boast new designs, a beefed up yet simpler interface, and updated features, especially their seamless integration of traditional TV programming with Internet-based content, including streaming movie services.
The big challenge, of course, is whether this will be enough to lure cable-company subscribers away from the convenience of monthly cable-box DVR rentals and billing, which require no upfront cost.
The two new Series 4 models are TiVo Premiere priced at $300, and a step-up model, the THX-certified $500 TiVo Premiere XL, which sports a larger hard drive. The Premiere’s 320GB hard drive can hold 45 hours of HD shows, the company says, while the XL’s 1TB (terabyte) hard drive can store up to 150 hours of HD programming. Both will be available in April, though pre-orders are now being accepted. In addition to purchasing the boxes, you’ll need to subscribe to the TiVo service—which ranges in cost from $13 a month to a $400 lifetime subscription— and a cable subscription if you won’t be using an antenna.
Perhaps the greatest appeal of Series 4 models will be the easy way TiVo manages to combine traditional TV programming with web-based content, so that search on a popular movie, for example, could offer you the choice of finding out when it's playing on cable, seeing a director’s commentary on YouTube, or instantly streaming the movie from Amazon Video on Demand, Blockbuster On Demand or Netflix, which are all supported by the DVR. The new interface also allows new types of search categories, such as Academy Award-winning movies or Emmy-winning TV shows.
Another compelling feature is the ability to transfer recorded shows to a portable device, such as a notebook PC using the free TiVo Desktop download, then to an iPhone or iPod using the optional ($25) Desktop Plus software for a PC. (Mac users need to get similar software from Roxio.)
In addition to streaming movies, TiVo Premiere also offers additional widget-based content provided by FrameChannel, a content aggregator that provides access to news, sports updates, Twitter, Facebook and Picasa photos. Tivo is also adding Pandora Internet radio to its new, and older, receivers. Other new features include an onscreen meter that shows the available disc space left for recording, plus the ability to continue watching a show in a window while accessing the menu system.
Key Series 4 specs:
Premiere
- $300
- Support for HD digital cable, Verizion FiOS and over-the-air antenna
- HDMI, component video, composite video, optical audio and analog outputs supporting 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p resolutions
- CableCARD slot, Ethernet connections, and USB 2.0 ports
- E-SATA support for external storage
- The ability to add a TiVo wireless (n/g) network adapter ($60)
320 GB hard drive
Premiere XL
Has all the above, plus:
- $500
- 1TB hard drive
- Backlit, programmable remote
- THX certification and THX Optimizer a video calibration tool for fine-tuning picture-quality settings. A pair of THX Optimizer blue glasses, for adjusting color and tint, are also included.
On paper, we think these new TiVo boxes represent a clear step forward from earlier models, though we haven't tested one yet. What do you think? Are these new features enough to make you consider either upgrading an older TiVo box, or switching from a current cable-company box? Or does having to pay an upfront fee for a box, plus an additional subscription, make this a less appealing option? Let us know.
—James K. Willcox
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Apple iPad (Wi-Fi version) available April 3; ordering starts March 12
Mar 5, 2010 News
Apple iPad
Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple
Apple just announced today that its new iPad tablet will be available in Apple stores on Saturday, April 3. That date is 66 days after the January 27 announcement, at which Apple said the product would be available in 60 days.
One caveat: Only the Wi-Fi version of the iPad will be available on April 3. The pricier Wi-Fi + 3G version, which allows wireless access via AT&T’s network (at additional monthly cost), won’t be available until late April, the company said.
Consumers can pre-order both versions of the iPad from Apple’s online store starting March 12.
We will have publish our iniital hands-on take on the iPad as soon as it becomes available. Check this blog, and follow me on Twitter @JeffreyFox,, on April 3.
—Jeff Fox
Tags: jeff fox, News, Photography
