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Report Suggests Early Google Chrome Gains
Tweet Share on Facebook September 9, 2008 CommentA ComputerWorld headline says Google's new browser is "snatching" market share from Microsoft's Internet Explorer. But the numbers show that Chrome has less than a percentage point of the market. It's early, I know, and maybe a little too early to be suggesting any trends. But that didn't stop the article's source, Vince Vizzaccaro of Net Applications:
These are very early results, but when considering whether Chrome market share would come from IE or from other browsers, it's definitely coming from IE.
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AT&T Gets Jump with Whole-House Video Sharing
Tweet Share on Facebook September 9, 2008 CommentA major goal of home-networking geeks these days is moving video around the house, with new hardware and software appearing every week. Now, AT&T is getting a leg up on most cable competitors with "Total Home DVR" as part of the phone company's cablelike TV service.
This will allow shows recorded in the living room to be watched on any of the AT&T U-Verse boxes in a home. AT&T is just turning on capability that has been part of the Microsoft software that drives the TV service.
Total Home is first appearing in homes around San Francisco Bay, AT&T said today. Other U-Verse markets should get it by year's end.
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RealDVD Makes It Easy to Copy Movie Disks to a PC
Tweet Share on Facebook September 8, 2008 Comment (10)Upcoming software called RealDVD makes it easy to do what's been the unthinkable for law-abiding citizens: copy movie disks to a computer's hard drive. The question is whether it's legal.
A mainstream company, RealNetworks, has decided to jump into the gray area of backing up DVDs. The company cites a court ruling from last year that said another company could load DVDs onto a hard drive, as long as the virtual copies couldn't be distributed. That should prevent pirating, said the company, Kaleidescape. It sells systems starting at about $10,000 that load DVDs onto a hard drive for viewing anywhere in a home.
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Toshiba's New HDTV Tries to Make Everything Look Good
Tweet Share on Facebook September 8, 2008 Comment (2)Not everything looks better on a high-definition TV. Some low-resolution fare—particularly broadcasts and VHS tapes—can look worse on a modern flat panel than on an old tube set made 20 years ago.
That's why I think Darren Murph at Engadget missed the boat when he mocked Toshiba for its new LCDs that pump up non-HD images. Yes, the converted images fall short of high definition. To my eyes, they looked a lot better than the blurry picture that comes with standard broadcasts.
I'm leery of paying much for improvements to high-definition TVs. The sizes of mainstream sets, say between 42 and 50 inches, don't get much of a boost from more resolution. Faster refresh rates and other antiblur technology do make a difference, but I only notice they're missing in head-to-head comparisons.
To untrained eyes, any reputable HDTV looks great when you get it alone in your family room.
Toshiba's new Super Resolution Technology now adds about $300 to a TV's price, a company rep told me. I'm not sure it warrants that many bucks. But kudos to Toshiba for trying to make everything look decent on an HD set.
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Sony's 240Hz TV Seems a Marvel
Tweet Share on Facebook September 5, 2008 Comment (1)Standing in front of Sony's new fast-motion LCD, it's hard not to marvel at the smooth picture. But it was head-to-head with sets with less oomph. Again, I'm left to wonder if I'd notice the difference in my family room.
Sony unveiled the 52-inch set for the North American market at CEDIA, a Denver show for high-end electronics. You know, the kind that are bought by professional installers to go into commercial displays, $40,000 home theaters, and even yachts. It's a fun show for gawking at the cutting edge and dreaming of when it comes down enough in price for the rest of us.
So it is with the 240Hz screen, which refreshes twice as fast as today's high-end 120Hz screen. If you don't know what your LCD is, it's almost surely a mere 60Hz refresher. Anyone buying one of the faster screens is paying more and was likely sold on the marketing hype around 120Hz. Plus, they probably saw a simultaneous comparison at the store or elsewhere.
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Nobody Will Buy a Warm and Fuzzy Bill Gates
Tweet Share on Facebook September 5, 2008 Comment (9)The first Microsoft ad with Jerry Seinfeld is out, and it's baffling, even sad. The clip has Seinfeld finding Microsoft founder Bill Gates in a discount shoe store. A bit of silly (not funny) patter follows. The ad ends with the only mention of computers and a shake of Gates's butt. I'm not kidding. As MG Siegler notes at VentureBeat:
The tagline for this one: "The future. Delicious." I think this is more "yuck" than "yum."
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New High-end TiVo Records 150 Hours of HDTV
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2008 CommentFor committed TiVo fans, the service today introduced a high-end model that can record 150 hours of high-definition video. At $600, the TiVo HD XL comes with a built-in 1 terabyte hard drive, providing copious room for recording movies and TV.
Otherwise, the HD XL doesn't do a whole lot more than the TiVo HD, which costs half as much. The new model does come with THX certification for high-end audio and a premium, backlit remote control, but its main selling point is added capacity.
Buyers can get the lesser model up to the same capacity by adding a $150 external hard drive, though they do end up with more wires. They can also get the backlit remote for $50. So, until the price drops a bit, the HD XL's appeal is probably limited to enthusiasts who like to limit the cable clutter in their home theater.
That said, I remain a fan of what TiVo offers over the recorders that most cable companies offer. The subscription fees are about the same. But the TiVo software is better and easier to use. The company also is steadily adding Internet capabilities—such as streaming movies and subscription music—that cable is unlikely to embrace anytime soon.
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Amazon Launches On-Demand Video Streaming
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2008 Comment (1)Amazon has launched its new on-demand video service that streams movies and TV shows to Windows or Mac PCs. It's worth checking out, particularly with a selection of free videos for sampling.
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Schlage Lock Has Wireless Link to Web
Tweet Share on Facebook September 3, 2008 Comment (109)Changing the front-door lock will be as easy as a few mouse clicks with a new system from Schlage. Or just tap on a mobile phone to add a code for a temporary housekeeper.
As interesting is how Schlage is positioning the new lock and accompanying Link service—as a portal to automating the rest of the house. The Web-based software can not only control codes on the electronic lock but send signals to a couple of hundred other devices around the house. That is, if any house has that many.
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Audio: Netflix Movies Via Internet
Tweet Share on Facebook September 3, 2008 CommentOver the weekend, I spoke with WTOP about the Netflix Player from Roku, which makes it easy to watch Internet movies on a TV. You can listen here, or subscribe to the weekly podcast through
iTunes or 
RSS.
