Phone New Update

Wi-Fi remote plays music, browses Web

It's been well documented in this space that people have become increasingly addicted to their remotes, but the problem is reaching pandemic proportions. Not only do they want to take it with them all at times and under any weather conditions, but apparently they also want it to take over every digital function in their lives.

Nothing exemplifies this trend more than tvCompass, which has developed a Wi-Fi remote that can browse the Web on its 2.2-inch cell-phone-style LCD, according to Dvice. In addition to controlling up to 24 devices, the SR 1500 Digital Media Remote even has "hot keys" for real-time information feeds and a speaker "to hear alerts and play back digital audio." It also has a built-in Wi-Fi locater so that, we suppose, you can walk around the house looking for hot spots.

Let's get this straight: So this is a multimedia device that plays music and browses the Web. The obvious question is, naturally, does it come with a remote?

ASUS-Lamborghini VX2S

When slid my hands across the lid, it felt as if ASUS literally had removed a piece of the hood from the Lamborghini Murcielago (a magnificent late model roadster) and attached it to the VX2S.

The yellow lacquered finish and the magnesium alloy surrounding the frame give it the look of an actual car hood, as opposed to the more laptop like carbon fiber exterior of the Acer Ferrari 5000. (Both exteriors are gorgeous and required a collective effort from a lot of creative minds, so I'm not trying to take anything away from either one.)

Spring the latch and you'll find something that you don't often see on a laptop leather seats, so to speak.

Because of heat issues, you have to appreciate how difficult it was for ASUS to use leather around the keyboard and palm rests.

It's stitched leather, to boot you actually can see the yellow stitches.

Given all the professional detailing and heavier metals it uses, the VX2S weighs more than most laptops in its class. It tips the scales at 7 pounds, almost 2 pounds heavier than the 5.3 pound Apple Macbook Pro 15 inch and this is coming from the company that designs the Apple chassis.

It's heavier than the HP Pavilion dv6500t (5.8 pounds) and the Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV425 (6.8 pounds), both of which have similar footprints. The VX2S's 15.4 inch wide screen is the glossy type that does a fine job of displaying high resolution photos and movie clips.

The glare coming from the screen, however, is not that convenient for office productivity applications. Its 1,680 by 1,050 resolution is higher than that of both the MacBook Pro (1,440 by 900) and the HP dv6500t (1,280 by 800), making it a better candidate for high definition content.

Too bad the VX2S doesn't come with an HD DVD drive. The keyboard experience is almost flawless, but it is not a big fan of the extremely hard to press mouse buttons.

Vudu drops price to fend off resurgent Apple TV

Vudu is knocking 25 percent off the price of its eponymous video on demand box. Effective immediately, the Vudu is now $295, down from its original $399 asking price. Customers who've purchased the unit in the past 30 days can get a $100 movie credit by calling the company's customer service line (888-554-VUDU).

The price drop is a direct response to the newly resurgent Apple TV. When it was first introduced in September 2007, the Vudu box delivered several advantages versus the Apple: it offered PC free movie downloads with instant-on playback and good video quality, and included content from all major movie studios.

And in months since, Vudu had added TV shows as well as a limited slate of high def content as well. But the Apple TV is on track to match each of those bullet points when it gets a promised firmware upgrade next week, as outlined by Steve Jobs in his keynote address at last week's Macworld.

Adding to Vudu's uphill battle is the fact that Jobs also cut the price of Apple TV $229 for the 40GB version (down from $299) and $329 for the 160GB (previously $399) as well as the fact that the Apple product can access YouTube videos and stream photos and music to living room TVs from networked computers.

Ultimately, of course, Vudu's success or failure versus Apple TV will be judged in the consumer marketplace and if you're reading this, that means you. So which product would you prefer: the new Apple TV, or the Vudu?

HP HDX-9000

At a time when many manufacturers are putting their focus on increasingly smaller form factors, you almost have to admire HP's resilience in sticking with a 20 inch size. Other 20 inch giants, like the Dell XPS M2010 and the Acer Aspire 9805WKHi, aren't completely out of the picture, but they have been stagnating from more than a year of no upgrades.

Many companies have given up on the idea of putting anything larger than a 17 inch screen on a clamshell but not HP. The HDX-9000 (Penryn) sits proudly on a firm desk at 15.7 pounds and has the footprint of a common desktop. It's still lighter than both the XPS M2010 (18.1 pounds) and Aspire 9805WKHi (17.1 pounds), which is largely why HP dominates the 20 inch laptop market.

The overall design hasn't changed at all since reviewed the first iteration of the HDX-9000, and it's hard to imagine that HP would spend any more money on something that generates so little revenue. The decorative patterns, so far, have worked well with the glossy black finish.

HP even came up with the name "Dragon" to commemorate the design and its large proportions. Not only do the dimensions allow for a full size keyboard and a numeric keypad, but HP manages to add a bay for a Media Center remote, which is about half the size of the one found on the HP TouchSmart IQ770 PC.

The keyboard is the same tactile one found on all Pavilion laptops, whereas the perforated touchpad is found only on the HDX9000 and the HP Pavilion tx2000z. Obviously, the 20 inch screen is the primary reason why the HDX-9000 is as big as it is.

HP has added 1,920 by 1,200 (WUXGA) resolution on top of the unit's existing 1,680 by 1,050, so the HDX-9000 is officially 1080p compliant. Adding the higher resolution is fitting for the Blu-ray ($250) and HD DVD ($475) drives that HP offers as options, although would wait out the format war before committing to one of these.

My configuration came with a BD-RE drive, which plays Blu-ray titles wonderfully well over HP's QuickPlay software. Besides burning regular DVD and CD blanks, the BD-RE drive can also burn 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray media, if you can afford these high capacity blanks ($20 to $25 for a 25GB disc around $50 for a 50GB).

The bundled Media Center remote was a little sketchy at times when pausing and stopping scenes, but the laptop's touch sensitive keys worked as a reliable alternative. Its LED back light keyboard stretches across the length of the laptop, with volume, bass, and treble leveling controls added along with the usual DVD and QuickPlay control buttons.

[HOW TO] - To put Your iPod in RECOVERY Mode

Source taken from - Way Too Frequently Asked Questions

12. Help, I bricked my iPod!

No, you didn't. If you seriously screwed it up, the first step is to put it into "Recovery Mode" so iTunes can recognize it.

First, get it to turn off, if you can't with normal methods: Hold down both the Stand-By and Home buttons until it turns off. It can take up to ten seconds (ten chronological seconds, not ten panickily rushed through seconds).

Second, put it into recovery mode:

1. Press and hold the Stand-by button
2. Before the Apple logo appears, press and hold the Home button
3. After the Apple logo appears, release the Stand-by button.
4. Wait up to 30 seconds.
5. After the Connect to iTunes picture appears, you can release the home button. Your iPod is now in recovery mode.

This procedure has moderately tricky timing and may have to be attempted a few times. If you mess up, accidentally release a button at the wrong time, etc. You'll have to shut down your iPod as previously described and start over.

After your iPod is in recovery mode, you can connect it to iTunes and restore.

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