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Skip Windows Vista as an Upgrade
Tweet Share on Facebook January 30, 2007 CommentThe question of the day is whether it's worth upgrading to Microsoft's Windows Vista. From personal experience, my answer is no–unless you're willing to futz around with your computer or pay someone to do it.
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Atomic-Age Clocks That Set Themselves
Tweet Share on Facebook January 24, 2007 CommentLife has gotten just a bit easier at home by scattering around a few radio-controlled clocks, also called atomic clocks, that set the time automatically. No more wondering if we've got the right hour and minute, and no more resetting when it comes to daylight saving time or a power outage.
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Jukeboxes for the Digital Home
Tweet Share on Facebook January 23, 2007 CommentThe jukebox is joining the digital age, and what a beautiful thing it is. We're not talking bland, black-box media players sold by the PC world–no, it's Rock-Ola turning its nostalgic, '50s-era beasts into MP3-playing splendors.
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Juicing Up Rechargeable Batteries
Tweet Share on Facebook January 22, 2007 CommentRechargeable batteries have their appeal, including cost savings over time and ecofriendliness, but they have been too inconvenient to be wildly popular. It's hard to keep them charged–the power fades quickly, much more quickly than in traditional alkaline batteries. You also have to charge them for initial use.
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An MP3 Player That's Credit Card Size
Tweet Share on Facebook January 19, 2007 CommentTech keeps shrinking. An MP3 player now fits in your wallet. The Israeli company Walletex Microelectronics has reduced a full-fledged music machine to the size of a credit card, less than a tenth of an inch thick, and says it's durable enough to carry alongside your MasterCards and Visas.
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HP Putting a New Touch on Windows Vista
Tweet Share on Facebook January 16, 2007 CommentBesides making computers prettier and more secure, the next release of Windows will open new markets, PC makers hope. Hewlett-Packard, for example, is showing off its new TouchSmart PC, which makes use of Windows Vista to combine a touch-screen with a full-fledged media server. HP is aiming the device toward the kitchen, or other family center, with software that organizes calendars and to-do lists, as well as media like photos and music.
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A Populist Challenge to Apple's iPhone
Tweet Share on Facebook January 12, 2007 Comment -
Big HDTV Promise From a Small Stick
Tweet Share on Facebook January 4, 2007 CommentIn my quest to get good digital pictures without cable or satellite service, I've tried TV tuners that come installed in flat-panel sets, in set-top boxes, and as add-on cards for a desktop PC. Surprisingly, none have done much better at pulling in a crisp signal than the tiny PCTV HD Pro Stick from Pinnacle Systems ($130 list price).
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