At the D: All Things Digital conference Microsoft will unveil a new product called Microsoft Surface. According to the press release, Microsoft Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface. On10 has a great video showing the history behind the device and how you can interact with the tabletop. Expect to the see the product at Harrah’s Entertainment, Starwood Hotels and T-Mobile later this year. If you’re looking for a good critical review check out Jon Fortt’s review where he discusses issues such as cost (i.e. each Surface computer is expected to cost between $5,000 to $10,000), training involved for initial launch partners and sales people, practicality and maintenance issues.
Zune Advertising
Microsoft’s Zune is supposed to be launching in the next few days. Infact, the official Zune site just launched earlier today. Although, I can’t afford to be an early adopter, I think some of the positive features such as sharing, ease of updates and being the current underdog player in the market may swing some people toward using the device. If that doesn’t work, it looks like Microsoft is counting on some of the following ads for your swing vote:
(Note: The above links all link to YouTube. For some reason some WordPress updates I applied to the site earlier today seem to have disabled my ability to embed the YouTube media files)
SMT 5600
YAY! I am now the proud owner of a Audiovox UTStarcom SMT 5600. (On November 30, 2005, UTStarcom aquired the cellular subsidiary of Audiovox Corporation) The phone in all its gadget pride is displayed below:
I’ve owned a Dell Axim X30 for slightly over a year and bought it initially to access the Internet when I was away from my office. Temple University has been ranked for two consecutive years as one of the most wired campuses in the nation and so there’s always an access point that is within reach. The connection worked flawlessly for basic surfing and synchronizing mail was a breeze. However, over time I realized that I rarely used the mobile versions of Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Furthermore, I kept hitting various obstacles, the biggest of which was that I could not make phone calls with the Axim and trying to use programs like Skype did not work because of various proxy issues. Most of all carrying both a phone and a PDA were becoming a bit too cumbersome.
So late last year I started looking at devices again and found more convincing evidence that I should be using a smartphone – a single device that integrated both phone capabilities with basic PDA functionality. After debating between Cingular’s 2125 and the SMT 5600 I finally settled for the SMT 5600 primarily because of the prize differential. It’ll be an interesting experiment in terms of device changes as I’m not the best with the whole T9 lifestyle. Nevertheless, I figure I should give it a shot and maybe over time I’ll save up enough for the Samsung’s SCG-i730 EV-DO Pocket PC. As for now, the fun of synchronizing my SIM card contacts with my Outlook contacts has begun.
Anyone looking for a Dell Axim X30?
CableCARD
Ars Technica has graciously provided a comprehensive overview of the CableCARD technology. I would comment on the technology but I’m still trying to learn enough of building a decent home theater PC. I do know that I want to use the Ahanix MCE 601 or a Shuttle XPC case and will probably use a beta build of Windows Vista Media Center but other than that haven’t done too much learning.
Related Links for Future Reading:
Medie Center Edition Approved Components
Â
Clocky
I should have added ‘Clocky‘ to my Christmas wish list, especially since I’m trying so hard to try and make the trains this year. According to the Clocky website, Clocky is an alarm clock for people who have trouble getting out of bed. If you hit the snooze button, Clocky will roll off of the nightstand, fall to the floor, and run around the room, searching for a place to hide.