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SM pays tribute to ERB with 'The Sky People'

I devoured Edgar Rice Burroughs novel as nerdy kid.

Along with "Tarzan" and "Pellucidar" novels, I loved the standalone interplanetary novel "Beyond the Farthest Star." I didn't much care for E.R.B.'s Mars and Venus novels, though.

Now E.R.B.-ites have fresh material to devour. No, the master hasn't come back from the dead, but sci-fi author S.M. Stirling has paid homage in his new novel "The Sky People" (also set on a habitable Venus).

Looking at the cover, I had an instant flashback to "Farthest Star." Pretty similar, don't you think? Dunno which is my fave.

They're back! Oh I hate dead or stuck pixels

I was thrilled with my new Westinghouse HDTV when I wrote about it, and I still am, but I was a teensy bit bummed shortly after filing my Tech Test Drive column when I discovered a dead pixel.

I spotted several of them, actually, but only one is readily apparent up close. And it may be more accurately defined as a "stuck" pixel.

Not a big deal, I guess, because I can't spot the tiny green dot at all from the couch, so this won't affect my TV viewing or gaming in the least.

But dead or stuck pixels have been a problem for me before.

Back in 2002, I wrote about such a pixel on a lampshade iMac I bought. More recently, Macs and Windows PCs sent to me for review also have had such anomalies.

I hate those things. Just knowing I have them on my TV will bug me for a while (even if I can't really see 'em). I wish the tech industry would lick this problem.

Update: Regarding my new Westinghouse, a reader says:

I hope you have better luck with your Westinghouse TV than I did. I got the same model earlier this year, but returned it to Best Buy.

Here's why:  The TV would "lock-up" unpredictably, but usually after I changed settings in the command menu. The only fix is to unplug and reboot. That was a deal killer for me - too bad, because in all other respects this is a fine TV.

Oh, and another thing, when I called Westinghouse tech support they claimed to know nothing about the lock-up problem, even though a quick Google search revealed that a lot of people were having problems with lock-up. They were very unhelpful - their response was, "We'll look into it - call us back in a couple of weeks to see what we found."

Westinghouse also does not acknowledge customer service e-mails - not even an auto-reply. That's their policy. You have to go to their tech blog to see if your e-mail question got posted with an answer. Needless to say, I realized that if this TV ever needed service, these guys we not going to be of any use.

New blog banner's the handiwork of several

You may have noticed this blog's new banner. I have two to thank for this.

David Steinlicht, a Pioneer Press co-worker renowned for his visual wizardry, pieced together the photo illustration.

Twin Cities photographer Spence Wetjen is responsible for the original shot (and gave me permission to use it here).

He was shooting me as I took pictures of my own, somewhat awkwardly, using a MacBook's integrated iSight webcam. (Yep, that's me and Spence on the laptop screen, shown within the Photo Booth window).

All in all, it's a swell new blog look. Thanks, guys!

The raw power that is Apple Hot News page

Steve Rubel discusses the raw power that is Apple's Hot News page.

I had first-hand exposure to this phenomenom when my Tech Test Drive of Windows Vista appeared on that page (as Rubel notes; the piece is still on there), triggering a traffic avalanche of near-historic levels here, according to the smart folks who run my paper's Web site.

My Vista review also drew dozens and dozens of e-mails.

Many were from Windows diehards (who often had a few choice words for yours truly given the Mac-favorable tone of my column), though. This puzzled me. Er, what are they doing on Apple's Hot News page?

Andy Ihnatko, my famed Chicago Sun-Times counterpart, also is on the Apple page (dissecting the iPhone in his regular column). He discusses the Hot News Effect on a recent MacNotables podcast.

Get the iPod Hi-Fi for half price or even less

I recently noted how Herberger's stores in the Twin Cities were clearing out  their Emerson Research portable speakers for iPods at bargain pricing.

Several readers said (I now agree with them) that these speakers sound like crap. I actually bought a set, but promptly returned them.

OK, here's a better deal, overall, on an iPod speaker set (assuming any remain): Target is clearing out its in-store stock of Apple's terrific but super-pricey iPod Hi-Fi.

I perked right up last night when I saw this. A $350 iPod Hi-Fi for $87? Holy moley, sign me up. So I got on the telephone and, after calling about a dozen Targets, hit paydirt at the Oakdale store.

The catch: The store's price was actually $187 or so for the unit.

After a bit of badgering to see if I could get that price knocked down, though, I paid up. Heck, I was getting this preemo gear for about half price.

Not bad, not bad at all.

Update: By the way, I reviewed the iPod Hi-Fi back in March. Here's what I wrote:

Hmm, I've covered Google quite a lot lately

Hmm, I'm covering Google a lot lately.

Along with the aforementioned pieces on ego Googling and Google Earth, I had a piece (on today's Pioneer Press front page, above the fold) about a GeoGreeting site that lets you use letter-shaped buildings in Google Maps satellite shots to send personalized messages. Nice.

Sharp-eyed readers will recall that I blogged GeoGreeting not long ago.

Recent technology coverage by yours truly

I've been a busy bee:

On Sunday, my trend piece on ego Googling ran alongside a larger piece by a co-worker who vanity-Googled himself, with interesting results.

On Monday, my Tech Test Drive column focused on Netflix's new streaming-video movie service, and listed a variety of Net-movie alternatives. Now you can add Wal-Mart to the list (or not) and do Amazon Unbox on your TiVo.

Today, I focused on textured 3-D buildings in Google Earth and Microsoft's Virtual Earth.

I note how Virtual Earth (last blogged here and here) is much farther along. I don't normally put the word "cool" in the same sentence with "Microsoft," but using an Xbox on a PC to swoop Superman-like through downtown St. Paul is too cool.

A St. Paul reader with a sense of humor responds:

A couple of questions after reading about Google Earth and Virtual Earth:

1. If I'm zooming above St. Paul in my virtual airplane, what happens if you're doing so at the same time? Is there an air traffic control feature built in?

2. Is there an option to add Godzilla to the mix? I'd like to see what he could do to downtown Minneapolis.

A new issue using Windows on a Macintosh?

One of the joys of recent-model Macs is their ability to run Windows (as readers noted again and again and again and AGAIN and AGAIN in response to my recent Windows Vista column when I foolishly failed to note this within the piece).

Windows on Mac can be accomplished in a dual-boot setup via Apple's Boot Camp software, or using virtualization software that puts Windows on top of Mac OS X. Windows XP runs great on a Mac using either method, and Vista also is looking promising.

But wait! Parallels, which supplies popular virtualization software for running Windows on Macs within so-called "virtual machines," wrote in to note a potential deal breaker for average home users:

With the introduction of Windows Vista in the general market today, we find that Microsoft has complicated things substantially by setting very specific, and restrictive, guidelines on when and how Vista can be run in a virtual machine.

It turns out that the license agreement for the Home versions (Home Basic and Home Premium) of Vista explicitly prohibit running Vista in a virtual machine. That means home users have to buy the more expensive Business or Ultimate versions if they want to run Windows (using Parallels) on their Apple computers.

Why would Microsoft do this? Doesn’t this potentially turn away a whole new class of Vista users? Good questions.

Hmmm. I haven't heard from Microsoft yet on this...

Update: More and more and more on this.

Windows Vista is here. How OS X compares.

Today's Pioneer Press digs into Microsoft's new Windows Vista, due tomorrow.
Our goodies include a visual tour of Vista features (click the graphic for a better view, or click here for a PDF) and my Tech Test Drive column, which compares Vista to Apple's Mac OS X.
Update: Here's a Vista roundup from the venerable Poynter Institute. And, in related Microsoft news, my sister paper in San Jose looks at Office 2007 (as I did recently).

Microsoft's Office 2007, and its alternatives

Microsoft's new Office 2007 (and alternatives for Windows and Macintosh) is the subject of my Tech Test Drive column today.

I also discuss the software on Minnesota Public Radio's Future Tense.

Update: Office 2008: Goodbye, iWork?

Update: Ribbon, meet the, er, "Microsoft Office Fluent user interface." (Catchy, no?)

Video games can provide an actual workout

Video games can give you quite a workout, provided you're playing the right titles. I cover this trend in today's Pioneer Press.

In the piece, I note that Pennsylvania's Mickey DeLorenzo planned to announce detailed results of a six-week Nintendo Wii-based exercise program.

DeLorenzo did just that today, with "Rocky"-like flair and some interesting results.

Update: Gaming your way into better shape

Personal domain names for more than mail

It's getting absurdly easy to snag a personal domain name and associate services, such as e-mail, with this online slice of real estate. I write about this in today's Tech Test Drive column.

A reader responds:

Thanks so much for your story today outlining the options for domain name email, calendar, etc.

I've had a family domain name for years that we use to update the far-flung members of our immediate family and the cousins. It's ok, but everything has to channel through me as webmaster since no one else wants to learn the details. 

Just recently some family members said "you know, it would be really good to have a shared calendar to note upcoming dates like graduations or dance recitals--things that you don't want to email everyone about but you would welcome others if they knew about it."

These family members repeat this wish several times gazing into the air because they don't want to add to the webmaster task--or heaven forbid, get involved themselves--but they sure want it to happen.

You've just saved me tons of time.  Even though I use Google extensively, it's hard to keep up on all the options.  This is so much better than building it myself.

As this person notes, members of a family can share a domain name, and each have their own Google e-mail accounts and calendars associated with that domain name. They can then set up calendar sharing so they're always up to speed on scheduled family events.

Corel delivers first plug-in for SnapFire Plus

Corel promised add-ons for its SnapFire Plus photo-editing program, which I reviewed back in October.

Now the company has delivered its first such software plug-in, which adds DVD-authoring capabilities.

The plug-in won't work with the free Snapfire, so you do have to pony up $40 for the premium version.

Note: SnapFire software is made in Minnesota.

Let's hope it's just a shirt, not the real thing

Flying Wiimotes have been known to break big-screen TVs, but let's hope nothing like this or this ever really happens.

CrossOver is available for Linux PCs, as well

In my recent Pioneer Press coverage and Minnesota Public Radio analysis of CrossOver Mac, the software that lets you run Windows apps on Macs, I failed to mention that a Linux version of CrossOver also is available (and has been available for much longer than the Mac version).

The Desktop Linux site covers both platforms in an in-depth recent look at the promising (but imperfect) CrossOver technology.

Update: Ars Technica's Infinite Loop takes a look at CrossOver Mac.

Talk: Macworld, Consumer Electronics Show

I appeared on WCCO-AM to discuss recent tech happenings during the week's two big tech shows, Macworld Expo in San Francisco and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

I focused largely on the iPhone and Apple TV, of course.

No pop or chips here, but you will find iPods

You can't buy pop or chips at one of these high-tech kiosks, per my Pioneer Press spread today, but you can buy an iPod, phone or PlayStation Portable. Knock yourself out.

HD Radio to spawn Griffin's Radio Shark HD

Griffin Technology has long offered a terrific gizmo called the Radio Shark. This is an FM tuner for a computer, but with TiVo-style scheduling and recording features thrown in.

So, with the advent of HD Radio, it makes sense for Griffin to create a Radio Shark HD. This would let you use a PC or Mac to tune in digital radio -- no separate receiver required.

Print and radio: Windows on Mac, MySpace

My Tech Test Drive column today delves into Windows-on-Mac options. I covered the same topic in a Future Tense appearance this morning.

I was on the Pioneer Press' front page, as well, with a piece on how teens use (or don't use) social-networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Bebo and Sconex. Here's a similar article from the previous day's paper.

Update: An adult reader (who happens to know some of the Minnesota teens quoted in my social-networking piece) writes:

I realize you can't take a real pointed and impassioned viewpoint in your writing or it would, or could, come off one-sided and much like an editorial. I do feel, however, that it was a decidedly myopic approach to the MySpace phenomenon and consequently didn't say much at all. It came off as "there is nothing to worry about, aside from maybe a few hormonally-charged young men who may get on the site."

MySpace IS a powerful medium. There is good and bad about it. So, it most importantly comes down to the individual user and the way in which it is used. It makes for very simple and exciting communication and makes standard e-mail and IM seem pretty vanilla. However, because of the way the profiles are stuctured it carries with it an atmosphere of a sort of adolescent dating service.

Along with this, the photos of the users are too often a little too edgy in a sensual manner. They can be a little provocative or revealing and while MySpace monitors the various pages, it is a daunting task as the phenemonon is so huge, it would be impossible to really adequately navigate appropriately all of the constantly changing and increasing sites.

Updating: Sling does Palm, Sonos does Zune

Here are a couple of updates to columns I wrote recently:

Sling on Palm. I recently raved about Slingboxes. These hook up to home-entertainment centers and transmit recorded or live TV over the Internet so it can be viewed on laptops and handheld gizmos. At the time, such content could be viewed on Windows Mobile devices but not Palm variants. Palm users may now rejoice.

Sling Media also has announced the SlingCatcher, a sort of reverse Slingbox that zaps Internet video to your television.

Sonos Does Windows. I also raved about Sonos music gear, which allows tunes on your computer to be wirelessly heard throughout the home. One big knock against Sonos was its inability to play copy-protected music sold via online stores.

Though iTunes users are still out in the cold, Zune Marketplace users may now rejoice (as may users of other Windows-Media-type stores such as Napster, Yahoo! Music, AOL's Music Now and MTV's URGE).

Update: Oh, and the upstart Firefox browser continues to do well...

A mousepad made out of GLASS? You betcha

A mousepad made out of glass? You betcha.

Fashionable computer bags aimed at women

Laptop bags don't need to be bland and masculine.

I teamed up with Savvy Shopper columnist Allison Kaplan to kick the tires on 13 computer-type totes aimed at women.

A companion piece by Allison focuses on one budding local maker of laptop bags for women.

In print, on the radio: Nongame console-ing

My Tech test Drive column today focuses on useful and cool nongaming uses for all the top videogame consoles. I discuss this topic on Minnesota Public Radio's Future Tense, as well.

My fave part of my research for this column was using Opera's browser for the Nintendo DS. Sadly, this terrific product is not available in the United States. I hope that changes in 2007.

Apple's online, physical stores get swamped

When I was out and about earlier this week to check out the post-Christmas sale action at local tech retailers, I noticed that some stores were dead (Circuit City, Radio Shack) while others were buzzing (GameStop, Best Buy).

The busiest-by-far on my little tour was Apple Computer's retail store in the Rosedale mall. Heck, I could barely squeeze into the place.

Folks were using Apple gift cards for iPods, swapping iPods they'd received for the models they really wanted, bellying up to the Genius Bar for iPod help, getting iPod cases and accessories, and so on.

Staffers had set up a special checkout table just for iPod buyers, and were a bit swamped because their handy-dandy handheld-checkout gadgets couldn't be used to ring up exchanges (only purchases).

So I'm hardly surprised the online iTunes Store also has been insanely busy, which has led to site problems. It's an iPod Xmas, all right.

(Note: I snapped the above image at the Apple-store opening in the Ridgedale mall earlier this year. See the complete album here.)

Update: Zune doesn't shake iPod's market lead while iPod tops annual Amazon charts.

In print and on the radio: My post-Xmas tips

My Tech Test Drive column on Christmas Day gave practical advice on what to do (and not do) with those shiny gadgets you just unwrapped.

I deal with the very same topic this morning in a Future Tense appearance. Listen online or download the podcast.

Update: Family technology questions

Buying a new PC (or Mac) with Vista in mind

If you're in the market for a new Windows PC, make sure it will run the upcoming Windows Vista as well as the existing Windows XP. Here's what you need to know. I cover Macs as well as PCs, of course, since the former run Windows now.

I've been running Windows Vista on a Dell Dimension C521 with great results. Vista also works on Macs, but imperfectly until Apple updates the Mac drivers it supplies for Boot Campers. I asked Apple when this will happen, but it wouldn't say.

More about this topic on wavLength.

Save your TV! Replace Wiimote wrist strap!

Sometimes-spectacular TV-set mishaps involving Nintendo's motion-sensitive Wiimote videogame controller have been blamed in part on a defective wrist strap.

Now, Nintendo has recalled that old strap and offered a replacement. Details here. If you bought your Wii console this month, you may already be good.

Nintendo's Wiimote safety tips still apply.

Update: A Wii for only $200 early next year?

I am on Buzz Out Loud, MPR's Future Tense

I was on Minnesota Public Radio's Future Tense today, as I mentioned earlier. Here's the iTunes link, if you want to get the podcast download.

I also made a semicovert appearance on one of my other fave tech podcasts, Buzz Out Loud, not long ago. I'm the "Julio" person who writes in with a Blu-ray comment.

Molly Wood, she who I worship for her brains as well as her beauty, responds with a "dishy" remark -- but I'm pretty sure she's referring to my information and not yours truly ;-)

Update: On a related note, shouldn't CNET take tech-expert references to the dearly departed James Kim (click above image) off its site?

BusinessWeek is iffy on new HD digital radio

My recent coverage of HD digital radio came off as bullish, but BusinessWeek's Steve Wildstrom is pretty iffy on the concept.

More useful advice when shopping for HDTV

A reader checked out my recent HDTV story and offered a bounty of follow-up advice:

Good article on 12/4 for HD neophytes, and there are a LOT of them out there. It would have been nice to have a little more info, but you did well with your allotted column-inches.

One thing you may not know: Over the air HD broadcasts via an antenna and a built-in HD tuner always look better than the HD picture that the cable company (Comcast, etc.) provides via their set-top box. Check it out for yourself. Because of that I would always recommend purchasing that new HDTV with a built-in HD tuner. Unless you live in an apartment, of course.

Something else to tell your readers when you can: Rear-projection sets look their best when you are level with the screen. It is not a big deal if you are always watching from the same height and are directly in front of the screen, but if you like to watch when you are standing or moving around the room, a direct-view set is preferable. You should have noticed that with your Sony SXRD.

And, don’t forget to tell readers that if they want to actually put that plasma or LCD on the wall, they really should hire an electrician to run the wires and a professional installer to mount that thing on the wall. Hey, these things are not light, and you do not want yours to come crashing down with part of the wall.

Update: Comcast called me after reading the bit above about over-the-air HD being superior to the cable kind. Not true, a company spokesman says:

According to our engineering staff, we don't do anything to the (HD) signal other than passing it directly through to the customers.

Second update: HDTV sales soar.

Glenn Fleishman delves into HD digital radio

Veteran tech writer Glenn Fleishman digs into HD radio in a New York Times piece today.

He looks at four of the HD sets I recently did (those include Radiosophy, Polk Audio, Boston Acoustics and Radio Shack models) along with a Sangean model I didn't see. He seems to have had better luck with his Radiosophy pre-production loaner, mine flat-out didn't work.

Glenn also recently started a blog focused on HD radio. He notes in one post that the price on Radio Shack's Accurian radio has dropped again.

Glenn always handles tech-y topics with authority, so read his stuff carefully.

Well before Philips Ambilight came Halolight

The Philips HDTV maker has set itself apart from rivals with Ambilight, its newfangled backlighting technology that, it claims, enhances viewing pleasure and reduces eyestrain.

(Some potential buyers will see it only as a gimmick, though.)

But a reader says the Ambilight concept long predates today's high-tech plasma and LCD screens:

I'm not sure if you're old enough to remember when black-and-white TV sets were still extensively in use, but you'll be interested to know there was a gimmick similar to Philips' "Ambilight" during television's infancy.

Eons ago, Sylvania cooked up a "Halolight" gimmick -- a flourescent light surrounding the TV screen.

I remember an old neighbor of ours in Chisago County w/such a set, and if you've seen those old late-night reruns of Beat the Clock on the GSN game-show channel, you'll notice they often gave those "Halolight" sets away as prizes.

HDTV: Taking a crack at clarifying this topic

I'm a tech writer, and even moi often finds HDTV shopping to be maddeningly complex and confusing. So I took a stab at clarifying this for readers as well as for myself.

My sister paper in San Jose did likewise, but from a videogamer's perspective. (Here's an extended online version.) And ABC News has a nice buyer's guide.

Update: A reader writes:

Over the years, I have relied on many of your columns as a source for good information about technology. When you have written about technology that I know, we have agreed across the board.

My son works as a non-commissioned home theatre salesman at a big box store. He sells $50K plus systems in the blink of an eye and is incredibly knowledgeable about everything he sells. I asked him to look up your HDTV article on the net and critique it. I thought you would be interested in his perspective.

He said that everything you stated was well written and accurate. So much so that he is going to have his seasonal employees read it. He said it is an art to be able to write something in layman’s terms as you have.

The only issue he had with your information had to do with the loaners you had. He said that both of those had significantly diminished picture quality over time. The quality could be restored with new lights which are quite expensive.

I purchased a system from him several months ago. I cannot take advantage of his employee discount, but he gave me every allowable price break. I gave him a $4,000 limit. I have a 2007 model Panasonic 42” Plasma with Comcast’s best HDTV/DVR/Cable box, a Monster Power 1600 power center and gas insulated connection cables (these make a big difference).

My satisfaction level with this purchase has been exceptional.

Best techy gifts: Customized iPod earpieces

I recently wrote about can't-miss tech gifts. I was really choosy with this piece, focusing narrowly on my absolutely fave picks based on my research and personal experience.

Among my ideas: Custom-molded add-ons for iPod earbuds. Sharp-eyed readers may recall that wrote about these before. At the time, I focused on both Minnesota-based Starkey and Colorado-based Westone Laboratories. Both specialize in the iPod earmolds.

In researching my holiday story, though, I wanted to know if the earpieces would work with Apple Computer's recently redesigned buds as well as its older buds. Westone couldn't give me a straight answer.

Starkey didn't know that the earbuds had been redesigned, either. But, to its credit, the company went into overdrive when I posed my question and researched the matter.

As it turned out, Starkey's earpieces work just as well with the newer iPod earbuds as with the old ones. Maybe that is also the case with the Westone versions. But since the company didn't verify this for me, it got no print coverage.

Fittings for Starkey's customized earpieces can be done at a variety of local ear clinics, by the way. Here's a recently updated list, if you decide not to have your fitting done at the Starkey mother ship in Eden Prairie:

Fans queuing up for PS3 all over the nation

Lusting after a PlayStation 3? Planning to line up for one on Friday? You may be too late.

Per my story in today's Pioneer Press, a line began forming Tuesday outside the Richfield Best Buy (which puts its PS3s on sale at 12:01 Friday).

This pattern is being repeated all over.

Update: PS3s going for $9,000 to $10,000 on eBay! Madness.

Lifehacker agrees: Foxmarks for bookmarks

Lifehacker agrees: Foxmarks beats Google Browser Sync for synchronizing Firefox bookmarks.

Pioneer Press on Sunday goes ga-ga for GPS

We went GPS-crazy over the weekend.

Here's the main story, with attached links to several secondary articles about cell-based kid tracking, fitness-cyclist monitoring, high-tech stargazing and driving-direction getting.

Tech columnist John Dvorak thinks GPS is wildly overrated, though. He wonders: Why not just ask for directions?

Update: Technology Evangelist responds to Dvorak.

Still more tech gear for your digital workout

New gadgets let you monitor your workouts while enjoying your digital tunes, as I note in a Pioneer Press story this week.

I also look at a number of fitness accessories, such as a cool Shoe Pouch for that Nike + iPod motion sensor so you don't have to spring for pricey Nike sneaks.

Here's more fitness-tech gear:

The RunAway AnyShoe Adapter also attaches the Nike sensor to your running shoes, but at a higher cost than the Shoe Pouch.

A Pioneer Press head honcho has tried Polar Electro fitness gear (including a high-tech watch) and hasn't found it to be very reliable. Watch Polar, though, because it's teamed up with Adidas to give Nike + iPod a run for its money.

Tangerine software for the Mac lets you create iTunes playlists with particular beats per minute for fast workouts and slow ones. You can even do playlists with variable rates, much as you would on that treadmill in the gym.

Apple has just shipped its revised iPod shuffle, which is much smaller than the original but has the same easy-to-use controls and incorporates a clip for attaching securely to workout clothes. Still no screen, but that's arguably unnecessary during exercise routines.

Apple sent me a shuffle to try out. I like it but I'd never buy it. I do mostly podcasts on iPods, and I regard a screen as vital for finding my way around my downloaded shows (and I have a deep dislike for the randomness of shuffle mode).

Belkin has released an intriguing SportCommand armband that doesn't hold an iPod. Instead, the band holds a wireless controller that attaches securely via Velcro. The controller communicates with a small receiver attached to your iPod.

This allows you to tuck your player away while controlling it via the buttons on your arm. I'm not sure I grasp why Belkin did the Velcro routine instead of permanently attaching the controller to the armband. Interesting design, though.

High-end Macs, PCs for all you power fiends

On my tight budget, a low-end consumer computer is all I can afford. I can dream, though. What would I get, with a few more bucks to throw around?

I posed this very question in today's Tech Test Drive column, and make a case for a high-end Macintosh -- either a Mac Pro tower or the 24-inch iMac.

Gateway today announced a high-end alternative for those determined to stick with standard Windows PCs. Its new FX530 Series Desktop PCs are aimed at the very power users I address in my column. Interesting choice, that's for sure. 

I haven't kicked the tires on an FX530, though, so I have no idea if it'd be any good. 

Speaking of my column, a couple whole bunch of readers chimed in via e-mail. One of them said: 

I always enjoy reading your articles. You do your research and your honesty is reflected in what you write.

Concerning Mac reliability; I'm typing this email on a 7 year old G4 400 mhz. My old 8500/150 is next to it on the desk so my wife can do some yearly bookkeeping on it. My old IICI is in the basement now; however, it still works!

Another adds, in more detail:

Another heaping helping of iPod accessories

I recently sampled more iPod accessories than I could fit into a print article on the topic, so consider this blog post an online addendum:

iFlip. Insert a video iPod into this laptop-like device and you have something akin to a portable DVD player. This is a cool concept, but the screen's playback quality leaves something to be desired.

PodFreq. A weird-looking FM transmitter that works only with certain iPod models, but a steal at its new, lower price. I couldn't achieve decent sound quality with the nano version, though.

iBlastFM. A dock that holds a nano and has a long, flexible arm that fits into a car's accessory port (imperfectly, in my case, which caused playback interruptions). You're probably better off with Griffin's TuneFlex nano.

iTrip Auto. This FM transmitter  and car charger is compatible with any relatively recent iPod, and works well. Thumb's up.

i-Station8. This iPod speaker system isn't obscenely expensive and sounds terrific. It's available at Best Buy.

TuneCenter. I liked this "home media center" dock, which lets you do photos and tunes along with videos on your TV set. If you plug into your home network via Ethernet, it will even tune in radio stations over the Internet.

Volta. Sonnet's video-iPod battery pack boosts video-playback time to 16 hours and looks way refined, but adds a lot of bulk.

Disko. Griffin's polycarbonate video-iPod case incorporates 70-style lighting effects. Cheesy, but in a good way.

Centerstage. This Griffin video-iPod case has a metallic flip-out attachment that turns this accessory into a stand for video watching on a tabletop or airliner tray. Nice.

Sansa beats nano on features, but not looks

My Tech Test Drive column on SanDisk's Sansa e200R this week mentions in passing that it's preloaded with a bunch of music as an incentive for you to choose this player of an iPod nano.

Walt Mossberg of the Walt Street Journal elaborates on this gimmick and makes a decent point: Because everyone has a different taste in music, compiling such a sampler is a futile exercise.

So is matching an iPod's looks. After holding a superslim, anodized-aluminum nano in one hand and a drabber, much-chunkier Sansa in the other, I can't fathom why anyone would lust after the SanDisk player the way millions covet iPods.

But I did love playing my home videos on my loaner Sansa, tuning into Minnesota Public Radio on the device, and using it to sample RealNetworks' vast Rhapsody library on a rental basis. A nano does none of this out of the box.

Tough choice, that's for sure.

Update: Closed systems leave song buyers out in the cold.

Column extra: Another helpful Wi-Fi device

My Tech Test Drive column this week focuses on new handheld Wi-Fi devices (such as Belkin's Wi-Fi Phone and Sony's sensational Mylo) that allow for Internet phoning independent of any computer -- All you need is high-speed wireless online access at home, at work or at a public hotspot.

Other useful Wi-Fi-phoning devices work as extensions of computers. Keyspan's nifty little Cordless VoIP Phone lets me place Skype calls (the same kind as with the other devices) via a Mac or a PC, for instance. All I do is install the Keyspan software and plug a little wireless dongle into a Universal Serial Bus port. The phone is then treated as a USB headset.

Keyspan's design isn't perfect. The handset's screen is small, and only displays Skype-to-Skype contacts by name (Skype-to-phone contacts appear as phone numbers, which is confusing). I experienced annoying echo on calls, which meant a bit of fiddling with sound settings. And holding up this small gizmo to my ear is tiring (I prefer headsets for Skype-ing).

But the VoIP Phone works well (I made lots of calls that mostly sounded fine) and recharges quickly via its mini-USB port.

The MacNotables podcast (one of my faves) recently dissected the Cordless VoIP phone from a Mac perspective. The show will give you an appreciation for the device's sound quality, which isn't bad.

Update: Minnesota's First Crack Podcast reviews the Keyspan handset.

HD DVD revisited: Microsoft comes to town

I recently dissected that Betamax-vs.-VHS-type brouhaha involving the two next-generation DVD formats, known as Blu-ray and HD DVD.

I revisited the latter format Friday when Microsoft came into town to tout it with a gear-filled semi. It's at the Mall of America through today.

I make reference to HD DVD movie discs' growing interactivity, and mention "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift." This site gets into that platter's immersive features in more detail.

CodeWeavers' Windows-on-Mac gets big lift

I have repeatedly written about St. Paul-based CodeWeavers and its CrossOver software technology, which allows Windows applications to run on Linux and Intel-based Macintosh computers -- without the Windows operating system in any form.

I tested CrossOver Mac, as well, and found it to be a wondrous if still-buggy technology.

Now, with the first public beta release of CrossOver Mac in circulation, CodeWeavers is getting quite a bit of buzz online.

Phonecam and Apple mouse could be better

A higher-megapixel camera phone does not a digital camera make, as I recently learned.

In other gadget coverage by yours truly, Apple's  wireless Mighty Mouse has pros and cons.

Laptop locks better...but beware iPod locks

Computer locks used to be all but useless.

Many of these were easy to crack with simple objects, such as thin plastic or paper, rolled-up cardboard or a ballpoint-pen tube, as I noted in a 2004 article.

I recently revisited the subject. Good news: Laptop locks are getting much, much better. But, as my old lock expert notes, they will never be impregnable.

Don't put too much stock in iPod locks, either. Engadget agrees.

Dissecting new Bluetooth cell-phone gizmos

I dissect that whole Bluetooth-headset social-confusion thing in this Sunday's paper. "Are you talking to me? Are you on the phone? Or just wacko?" (Sometimes it is the latter.) A recent TV commercial has immortalized this trend, even.

In a side piece, I take a look at the latest developments in Bluetooth for cell phones. I tried out some of the products mentioned in the article, and here are my quickie takes:

Oakley O ROKR. These bad-looking sunglasses with built-in earbuds use Bluetooth to link with iPods (which must have a Bluetooth adapter) and any compatible cell phone. This means you can listen to tunes and take calls using a wearable gizmo. Motorola-engineered sound quality is surprisingly good, but gadget "pairing" and juggling isn't brain-dead-simple enough to be worth it. Nice try, though.

Jabra BT325s. This compact device clips to clothes and lets you juggle calls and iPod tunes, but in a  different way. Your iPod earbuds plug into the device, which links to a cell phone via Bluetooth. You push a button on the Jabra to answer calls, and speak via a tiny mike embedded in the gizmo. Again, audio quality is terrific. But it's awkward figuring out how to position the device for optimal talking.

Samsung WEP200. This is one teensy Bluetooth headset, about the length of a paper clip. Amazing. It never felt quite comfortable and secure enough in my ear, though. I do like that the AC port is on the little plastic carrying case, which takes care of protection and recharging in one step. Very slick.

Starkey SoundPort. It isn't as small as others (see picture). But  for my money, this is the best Bluetooth headset on the market, provided you spring for personalized plastic earpieces made from silicon injected in your ear canal to create a mold (courtesy of Minnesota-based Starkey). This makes for unparalleled comfort. Sound quality on the Bluetooth units is pretty good, too.

Update: For more on Bluetooth headsets, click here and here.

Burning CinemaNow DVDs: A few negatives

I kinda sorta liked the new CinemaNow service that lets you burn movies onto blank DVDs after buying and downloading them. I noted my inability to rip my recently purchased movies onto a Mac hard drive, and the slightly inferior video quality.

Your discs may be of inferior quality, too, if this report is to be believed. Or click here.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, in any case, to buy a movie online if you can find it for the same price or less in a store. Some DVDs are sold for as little as $4, compared to the $10-to-$15-or-so price range on CinemaNow (plus the cost of blank discs).

So scan the CinemaNow catalog for a movie you want, check store shelves, and proceed accordingly.

Update: CinemaNow defends itself on the reliability front.

Nintendo seems to hint at a Wii release date

Nintendo hasn't said when it will begin selling its Wii video-game console, but it seems to hint at a release date in an e-mail announcing its U.S. stops on press tour.

It'll be in St. Paul on Nov. 6, for instance, and close out the Fusion Tour in Chicago on Nov. 11.

At each stop, Nintendo will offer a Wii "sneak peek," per a press release. Should we take that to mean the Wii will be release sometime after Nov. 11?

Next-generation DVD: The problems pile up

If you're intrigued by next-generation DVD and are tempted to take the plunge, beware.

I've already noted the Betamax-vs.-VHS danger of commiting to a format (be it Blu-ray or HD DVD) that may not ultimately prevail.

Note, furthermore, recent problems with current Blu-ray and HD DVD gear:

Blu-Ray movies are supposed to look spectacular, especially on high-definition TV sets with the cutting-edge 1080p resolution (which HD DVD doesn't yet offer). But, as I noted earlier, I wasn't floored by movies played on a Samsung player with a Pioneer 50-inch 1080p plasma screen. The problem, apparently, wasn't solely in the discs but also in the player.

HD DVD flicks are supposed to look much better than standard DVD movies, too, assuming you can get the discs to work properly. But I saw image stuttering when I hooked up an HD DVD-equipped Toshiba Qosmio laptop to the Pioneer. That, reportedly, isn't the only problem with the Qosmio. As others have observed, certain HD DVD movies may not play at all.

Toshiba, to be fair, is releasing a series of hardware upgrades to rectify these problems. So, if you have a Qosmio, be sure you stay on top of this situation. Toshiba's two standalone HD DVD players are seeing firmware updates, too. Updates for the Samsung are reportedly in the offing, as well.

Can you say "version 1.0 hardware"?