This week on Gearlog Radio we discuss the various, and occasionally nefarious, ways of getting digital music. Analysts predict that subscription services will eventually overcome single track sales, but the Gearlog crew is doubtful. We also discuss the short life of FairUse4WM, which spread through the Net last week letting users strip the DRM protections from the Play4Sure tracks. Microsoft's patch closed the loop-hole, but isn't this bound to happen again? The post-Napster generation gets an unlikely spokesman: Weird Al Yankovic. And PC Mag staff editor Tony Hoffman tells us how he personally discovered an unknown asteroid and how you can too. Plus, a lament for the loss of Pluto in which I try, and fail, to pronounce the words "orbital dynamicists."
FINALLY, Microsoft gives you Uno the way it was meant to be played...on a 58 inch DLP HDTV at 1080i with their brand new XBOX 360 "Live Vision Camera." That's right, we got it! Arriving this afternoon with no warning and with virtually no literature, we hooked it up to our Xbox and here's what PJ Jacobowitz, our reviews coordinator and gameplay expert, found so far.
"Installation is a snap, as long as you can sign into XBOX live and download the latest dashboard updates. Once your system is updated, just pop the camera into the USB port and voom! The green ring around the frame of the camera lights up and the colored background of the 360 dashboard gets a water like effect while displaying your video at the same time. It's very cool: Our pictures don't do it justice (*shameless Gearlog plug * so we'll be able to post video on the site *shameless gearlog plug). Xbox Live Vision is now an option from the Xbox Live area of the dashboard. A 640 by 480 box displays the video and tweaks can be made here. Focusing is done by turning the neck of camera. The following games are currently compatible: Uno, Robotron 2084, Totemball, BankShot Billiards 2, Texas Hold' em, and Hardwood Hearts and Spades, and more"
One more thing: We couldn't get the webcam to work on a PC with Windows installed. You'll need another set of drivers for that.
With technology pervading every part of our work and home life, it's no surprise that it has made inroads into the hallowed halls of fashion.
Tech jewelry by Zelle gives new meaning to the term "wearable technology." While none of these accoutrements, which are sold on the site Pixel Girl Shops, will work your iPod or store your data, their use of components like CPU fan guards ($30, pictured here) and the wires from inside a CAT 5 Ethernet cable ($30) are both innovative and tongue-in-chic to fashion-loving geeks like me.
The coolest part? These handmade designs are both easy on the eyes and the wallet.
Speaking of Samsung's YP-K5 MP3 player, Belkin introduced today several accessories for the K5, as well as the Z5 and T9 players through an exclusive partnership with Samsung (good, I'm glad at least one company is making accessories for a player besides Apple's!).
These accessories range from an FM transmitter to cases. Here are some of the many accessories Belkin will be offering.
The cases and screen overlays will be available this month, while the car accessories will be available in the U.S. in October 2006. Launches in Asia, Europe, and Australia are next.
PC Magazine Editor, Reviews Lance Ulanoff (and also a PCMag Radio panelist) is a die-hard The New Yorker reader. In fact, he's been reading the publication ever since it launched in 1925. Okay, so maybe not THAT long, but I'm sure he'll be happy to learn that he'll be able to own a digital archive of The New Yorker—from February 1925 to April 2006—on a portable hard drive.
"The Complete New Yorker" 80GB USB-powered drive contains every page of every issue of the popular publication, which comes out to be more than 4,000 issues and 500,000 pages. You can search, browse, read, zoom in, and print any stories, covers, or cartoons you want. The hard drive itself is made of brushed aluminum and measures just 3 inches by 5 inches.
Here are the system requirements:
-Windows 2000 or XP -Mac OS X 10.3 or higher -USB 2.0 port -CD-ROM drive -750 MG of free hard drive space -1024 x 768 minimum screen resolution
Spyware. Fines. Jail time. Venereal disease. Maybe even DEATH! That's the short list of consequences you can expect if you're an illegal downloader, at least according to a new propaganda film (which you can—and should—watch by going to www.campusdownloading.com/dvd.htm).
A coworker brought this clip to my attention and, after chuckling that the host kinda looks like me, we ROTFL because of the production qualities. I mean, seriously. If this is the best the RIAA can do, maybe they really ARE going broke because of piracy.
The video is geared towards teaching students about the harms of P2P, and I should mention that I'm not sure it's an official RIAA production. There's no identifying info anywhere on the campusdownloading.com site, but a Whois search turned up Widmeyer Communications (a giant DC-based PR firm) as the site admin. And I can't imagine what organization but the RIAA would be so anonymously passionate (and tactless) about student downloading.
Look at the Web site's sexually charged tagline: "Protect yourself. Do it legally." Illegal downloading can give you herpes (or worse)!
Listen as the host wraps up the video clip by ominously saying "It's your life…" Illegal downloading can endanger YOUR VERY LIFE!
And, of course, leave it to the RIAA to attempt to make a "hip" video for the kids, pick a dork for the host (did I mention he kinda looks like me?), and then use the absolute worst elevator music in the background. You're the effin' RIAA, people. Call Kanye and ask for something a little edgier, huh?
Of course, as silly as this little campaign is, it still doesn't top the MPAA's movie-theater ads which scold theater-goers for piracy after they paid $10 a ticket to see a film. Or this one, which plays on purchased DVDs to warn the buyers against downloading feature films.
Then again, stealing is still wrong, even if the PR agencies and lobbyists say it is.
Thanks to Associate Editor Kyle Monson for the write-up!
Samsung released a new twist on the conventional DAP today. PC Magazine got the new YP-K5 in for testing. It looks pretty bulky for flash player, but give it a little twist and out slides a stereo speaker. Of course, it has a headphone jack too, but the neat feature is the speaker. It is surprisingly loud, perfect for the office or even a small room. And because it has a built-in alarm clock and FM tuner, it makes a nice alternative to the alarm clock radio in your average hotel room. When I spoke with Samsung they assured me the price would be competitive, probably around $300 for a 4GB player, but prices may be well below that when it finally ships later in the Fall. They had better be, because SanDisk keeps pushing Flash players prices downward.
As cool as the design is, I doubt the K5 will appeal to a huge number of users. The design is innovative and I love the touch screen interface. And if you really want speakers attached to your audio player this is the way to do it, but given how easy it to connect your iPod to, well, just about anything these days, I don't see a huge amount of added value. Then again, my wife did lug a JBL On Stage on a recent business trip, so maybe there is a market after all.
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