Author Archive | Ed Oswald

Digeo Revives its (Less Sucky) Moxi HD DVR

hddvr2When I first ran into Digeo in the middle of 2007, the company had just begun to roll out its HD DVR to the public. They talked a good game and appeared ready to take on TiVo, who all but owns the set-top DVR market. However, within a matter of months, it became painfully clear that its Moxi DVR wasn’t going anywhere.

Their set top HD DVR could only record standard definition programming over cable, something they left out in their demo to me. Want to record HD? Hope you are in range of a high-definition over the air station. The box was big and clumsy and well, the whole product seemed to suck.

I was on their beta program for a matter of about two weeks before the product went under (in fact, the DVR still sits in my basement in the box, I forgot to send it back — feel free to e-mail me Digeo if you’re reading this with your mailing address). I didn’t even get a chance to set the thing up — and once I found out about the DVRs bizarre limitations I decided to pass.

Color me surprised after Digeo’s spectacular flameout post-CES 2008 to see them attempting to make a comeback. But sure enough, Dave Zatz has discovered a brand new unit has appeared on Digeo’s pages. So lets look over the enhancements.

Sexier, smaller set top box? Check.
CableCARD HD support instead of OTA? Check.
No monthly fees like TiVo? Check.
Reasonable retail price? Sorry, no dice.

Zatz has found out this box will retail for $800. I don’t know what they’re thinking. TiVo, the market leader, had a hard enough time selling its HD DVR for $600. What makes Digeo think its going to be able to break into the market with a device that a) has a smaller hard drive than TiVo HD XL at $200 less, and b) is all but an unknown with consumers, but is coming at a premium?

I’m sorry — not to be blunt — but it seems like this company is just destined to repeat its errors over and over again. I’m glad they’re trying again, but come on, this is a bad economy. You really need to have an awesome value proposition in order to charge a high price for your products.

What I’m seeing so far tells me this new Moxi DVR is not. It’s actually disappointing: I think TiVo could use a little kick in the pants.

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Apple Files Patents for 3-D OS Interface

apple-logo-2As everybody knows, when Apple files for patents, the tech media is whipped up into a frenzy with speculations of what the filings may mean. The latest discoveries by Slash Lane (that can’t be his real name, can it?) at AppleInsider are no different.

According to the latest filings, Apple is working on a three-dimensional user interface which would maximize screen real estate by essentially layering them on the two-dimensional screen.

The filing was made in June, about the same time Apple began detailing its work on Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6). AI notes that none of these UI elements have made an appearance in builds of the upcoming OS as of yet.

Simply put it appears as if the user would almost be working in a box of sorts, with a top, bottom, and two sides. Each side would be able to hold some type of data or interface element.

It appears from the filings that the new desktop would always include a floor and a left or ride side, with the top used as needed. Even so, it would mean for the first time in the history of the Mac OS the main menubar would not be positioned at the top of the screen.

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The OS would make use of already 3-D like aspects of 10.5 such as ‘stacks.’ However, it would all be controlled to create the perception of depth. Even further, aspects like the floor could be controlled to show only portions of it at one time, allowing the amount of data sitting their to be “vast and sprawling” as Lane puts it.

For more detailed information, see the AppleInsider post.

While this all sounds quite interesting, I have to agree with the chatter that this may make Mac OS overly complex. I think the real challenge in getting this 3-D desktop to work is how to make it so that it doesn’t become so difficult that learning how to use it drowns out any potential benefit.

Even so, its nice to see operating system developers begin to question the status quo of today’s standard user interface. Really, not much has been done to change the way we interact with our PCs and Macs outside the current two-dimensional window-based interface.

Lets see where this goes.

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Bopaboo Creates Market for “Used” MP3s

bopabooJust like you may have sold your old CDs, tapes, and LPs once you no longer wanted them, a new site called Bopaboo has created a marketplace to do the same thing with MP3s you may no longer listen to.

After registering for the site, the user is given his or her own “store,” where they can market their unwanted tracks. The MP3 is uploaded to Bopaboo’s server, where it resides until it is bought. Once purchased, the funds are transferred to the seller.

Like eBay, the company would take a portion of the sales price in order to fund its operations. Tracks would begin at 25 cents, and all tracks would be DRM-free. The service is currently in private beta.

Now, while a potentially great idea, this is obviously skirting with illegality, at least in the music industry’s eyes. What is preventing the people selling the track from keeping it on their hard drives post upload? Nothing, really.

If there was some method to ensure that the file was not retained, then I think the record industry would have some serious issues in getting Bopaboo shut down. But  this would require some type of Trojan horse-like app that would scan the user’s machine to verify its deletion. Would users go for this? I don’t know.

Then again, if they’re that hard up for money and it can be independently verified that the application is not spying on other things, it might work.

I’m no lawyer, but if it can be determined the file is no longer on the seller’s PC, there’s little the record industry can do. It’s already settled case law that music owners can resell their used media, so it would be hard to argue against reselling old MP3s, also a form of used media.

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Psystar Drops Antitrust Claims, Adds Copyright Abuse Complaints

logoPsystar has revised its complaint against Apple, taking out the claims of antitrust violations that the court threw out in late September, but continuing to stress that copyright — and specifically Apple’s abuse of it — is at the heart of the issue.

The arguments center around something called the “misuse doctrine.” Essentially, copyright holders are barred from using their rights granted to block out competition. Here, the company is using the EULA to prevent users from installing the OS on anything else other than Apple hardware.

Psystar is also accusing Apple of hiding behind the DMCA, the statutes which the Cupertino company is using to fire back at Psystar in its countersuit.

Added to this complaint is a new section which alleges Apple is using so called “kernel panics” to prevent use on non-Apple hardware. When Mac OS X detects it is on a non-Apple system, it crashes the operating system which prevents its use.

The judge will now decide whether to allow or deny Psystar’s amended filing. It would be accepted into the record on January 15.

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New MacBooks Have Issues, Sleep Deprivation

Apple MacBookPosts to both Apple’s support forums (as well as several news outlets) indicate that the newest MacBooks are suffering from a few personality disorders that are sure to drive their users insane until Cupertino can come out with a fix.

The most annoying problem (and expensive, too) is the laptop’s apparent dislike for third-party memory. After installation, users are reporting on Apple’s support forums that the laptops become quite unstable.

The laptops will freeze and/or crash frequently, and the only fix is to remove the memory chip. If users wish to add memory, the only stable option apparently is to buy the new memory chips from Apple itself.

That option is costly — RAM is sold at quite the premium through the company’s online store.

Another issue is problems with putting the computer to sleep, or awaking from sleep. Gizmodo reports that this problem is manifesting itself in three different ways:

  • After the MacBook is put to sleep, it awakens on its own 30-60 seconds later, then goe back to sleep, and repeats. This happens until the battery dies;
  • The MacBook appears to be asleep, but its not. Users find their battery dead even though it had a full charge;
  • Problems awakening from sleep mode.

All in all, these are annoying problems. Luckily, I have a 1st gen MacBook Pro. But this thing has been a nightmare too: after not having a single problem with my PowerBook G4 (which was through 2 owners before me and hell and high water), I’ve had this unit in twice for problems, once where the motherboard and HDD had to be replaced.

Guess Apple’s just not making ’em like they used to.

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Don’t Hold Your Breath for DRM-free iTunes

apple-logo-2The latest rumor-du-jour being served up by AppleInsider cites a French technology website claiming iTunes long love affair with DRM will come to an end tomorrow (Tuesday). Here’s how its put via a translation of the story that’s found here:


In French:

Comme toujours avec Apple, nous avançons avec prudence. Toutefois, les signaux sont clairs aujourd’hui. iTunes devrait proposer les catalogues des trois majors Universal Music, SonyBMG et Waner Music débarrassés des mesures techniques de protection mardi prochain, le 9 décembre. La mutation vers le DRM Free devrait se faire à un niveau mondial (voir Les DRM objets de toutes les négocations).”

Translated (merci, my french-speaking friends):

“Apple always proceeds with prudence. However, the signals are clear today. iTunes should offer the catalogs of the three major labels — Universal Music, Sony BMG, and Warner Music — without DRM next Tuesday December 9. The switch to DRM-free should be worldwide.”

Continue Reading →

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Take that Apple: Google Sells Unlocked G1

google_g1_logoIf you’re not on T-Mobile because you either aren’t in their coverage area or don’t want to be, yet want a G1, you’re now in luck. Google has announced a developer program where the company will offer an unlocked G1 for $399 in exchange for registration on the Android Market site as a developer.

Each developer would be limited to 1 device, although Google adds the caveat “for now,” suggesting that it may expand the limit to multiple devices in the future.

The SIM-unlocked device will function just the same as the T-Mobile G1 does, save for the obvious lock-in to the carrier. In addition, the device would not enforce signed system images, allowing for further development possibilities.

Obviously, since the device is not intended for public consumption, Google’s not going to provide any kind of support for the device. However, if its anything like the black market unlocked iPhones developed, enterprising third-party developers will step in to fill that void.

The offer will be available to developers in the following countries: the US, UK, Germany, Japan, India, Canada, France, Taiwan, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Poland, and Hungary. Google hopes to expand the program elsewhere in the coming months.

Even though it seems as if the company is trying to keep end users out, I can’t see why the G1 wouldn’t see a similar reaction as the unlocked iPhone did. While it certainly is not to the scale the iPhone had, Google’s first Android phone has performed past some of the rosiest sales expectiations of industry analysts.

About 1 million units are expected to be shipped by HTC by the end of this year, which is about twice what was anticipated. There are going to be some hardcore users outside of T-Mobile that will happily pay a premium for the device I’d think. After all, people were crazy enough to pay $600+ for an iPhone.

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TiVo HD XL: The Technologizer Review

dscf0001TiVo was kind enough to send us over a TiVo HD XL — its “super sized” DVR — for us to take a look at. Essentially the device is the successor to the Series 3 units, however it is enclosed in the TiVo HD casing. From here on out, it looks as if the TiVo HD and its bigger cousin will round out the DVR maker’s lineup.

Like the TiVo HD and Series 3, the XL uses a CableCARD, which eliminates the need for the user to rent a set-top box from the cable companies. At least here where I live, Comcast doesn’t charge for CableCARD usage, so I’m saving myself the $8 monthly or so fee it costs to rent the box.

It has dual-tuner functionality, so if you have the right card (an ‘M’ instead of an ‘S’ card), you’ll be able to take advantage of that. You can record two channels at once, and both in HD, so that is nice.

Really, there is not much different here: it’s essentially the same old TiVo with a big hard drive. That 1 terabyte hard drive should be plenty: it would allow for the recording of about 232 hours of standard def programming, and around 150 hours of HD programming.

This is a serious jump from the previous unit, which only allowed for about 20 hours of recording time in HD.

Altogether, our experience with the device was positive. Being that this was the first TiVo I’ve used that didn’t need the cable set-top box to operate, it was nice not to have to deal with the annoying banner of the set-top box, or the connection process there.

Picture quality was excellent, and the digital recording does not lose as much of the sharpness of HD programming as you’d expect.

You will lose On Demand, so if that’s a big hit in your household, the TiVo HD XL may not work. However here, we rarely use it, so at least in my own personal case, I’m not missing it.

I found one negative, and its very annoying. When selecting programming, and there is both a standard def and high def option, the Season Pass automatically defaults to SD. You have to manually go in and change it to HD, or use the online website to ensure it records only the HD channel.

If this is an HD DVR, it should be recording the high def versions by default, but thats only my opinion.

Overall, we’d recommend this unit over its smaller sibling. If you’re going to spend $1,000+ on a good HDTV, why skimp out on the DVR? Add to this the fact that the difference between recording times is like night and day, and this is a no brainer.

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Survey Says: AT&T Mulls Time-Shifted TV for iPhone 3G

iphonetv

Technologizer has learned that AT&T is considering marketing a device that would connect to the iPhone 3G which would offer the capability to watch time-shifted television programming. It is not immediately clear whether this may be some type of port of the Mobile TV offering based on Qualcomm’s MediaFLO technology that AT&T already provides in select areas, or something completely new.

According to what we’re hearing, the device would be about 1.5 inches long and about 1/4″ thick. It is not clear how the mobile TV add-on would connect to the iPhone 3G, although it seems it would connect to the port at the bottom of the device (although it might possibly connect via some type of wireless connection).

I think this latter possibility seems less likely–most add-on accessories connect directly to the device so that just makes more sense to me, and I’d venture to guess that’s how it would work.

So, what’s giving this scoop a little more credibility? It’s because AT&T itself is sending out a survey on customer satisfaction to select iPhone 3G purchasers. Along with the standard “how do you like your iPhone” questions, there is a section that asks about mobile TV. (See image below.)

The carrier is specifically interested in hearing what a user would pay for the mobile TV device itself, as well as the monthly service. According to the survey, the feature would offer about 12-15 channels. That’s about what the current Mobile TV feature offers.

We’ll update this as we hear more.

attsurvey

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Want XP? Dell will Give It to You…for $150

dellscreengrab1Dell has reintroduced the option for Windows XP for its consumer PCs. But if you really, really want Microsoft’s aging OS, you’re gonna pay for it. $150 to be exact–which is up from previous fees to downgrade.

The Texas-based computer maker had been charging up to $50 as late as June of this year, increasing that to a $100 premium around October. Now, the company apparently thinks users nonplussed by Vista will pay even more.

Call me crazy (and possibly slightly biased), but if people hate Vista that much, and are in the market for a new computer, why don’t they just make the switch and buy a Mac? These days more and more applications are getting the port over to Mac OS X, so it’s not like these folks will be missing much.

Anyways, back to the matter at hand. The option, as shown in the screenshot I’ve included, is available on both Inspiron notebooks and laptops. According to press reports, this surcharge covers a downgrade loophole that is available to business customers.

I’m not exactly sure how they’re legally doing this when these are obviously consumer purchases, but I’m guessing this somehow has Microsoft’s blessing or it would not be happening. Essentially how it works is the customer prepays for an upgrade to Vista Ultimate in exchange for a preinstalled copy of Windows XP Professional.

Yet more evidence that Microsoft needs to get Windows 7 out sooner rather than later, don’t you think?

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