by Jason Wilk on January 8, 2009

- Sony finally let those at CES get a hands-on with their latest stealth computer release. It truly is the ultimate computer on the go @ 1.4 pounds/1 inch thick, with an Instant-on OS, internet access via 3G, minimal storage, movie player and photo application. What’s inside? 1.33Ghz Atom inside so not that quick, 2GB of RAM and Vista Home Basic for $900.
- Setbacks: Very small (screen is only 8 inches), uses a trackball instead of a track-pad, must sign up with Verizon to score the 3G connection (No GSM), and the price is a little steep (The base is $900, but the notebook can run as high as $1500 with 60GB of storage capability). Take a look at the pic below to see how small the computer actually is, and trust me when I tell you this lady is no giant.

Pics via Gizmodo.
by Jason Wilk on January 1, 2009

- The App store has been a great success thus far. Although I have gone through my share of downloading and quickly deleting apps that I don’t use more than a few times, there have been 15 that are consistently open on a daily basis, some hourly.
- Facebook. By far the app I use the most. I constantly update my status, check for notifications and chat throughout the day. Although buggy sometimes, it is my biggest time killer coming out of the app store.
- MyAnalytics. Since Google has yet to come out with an iPhone app for Google Analytics, this app is the best substitute. Nothing like having a record traffic day and keeping track of it on the go. It takes a little bit of getting used to, since some durations throghout the day it will show you a combination of your current and previous days traffic. I find it to be dead on if I check it from 2pm throughout the day.
- Shazam. If you don’t have this app yet, I’m surprised. Open up the app, put it next to the song you are listening to and it will tell you who the artist is, where to buy it, what the lyrics are and then stores the info. Hipsters beware, it has trouble picking up on Jason Bentley tracks.
- BigOven. Sometimes I just need to cook. This is a really nice app that contains thousands of recipes. It has been downloaded welll over 1 million times.
- Trace. Best game of they year for me. Travel to one of the 5 worlds in the game with your little red character. Trace your own lines around the obstacles and set your own path to success. Must be downloaded to get the full effect. Truly addicting.
- WritingPad. Similar to note pad but utilizes the latest typing technology, Swype. You don’t need to lift a finger or tap to write a word. Drag your finger through the letters of the word you want to spell and it will recognize it. Great for taking quick notes or impressing your non-tech friends. This is the future of the mobile keyboard.
- Pandora. The great app produced by the Music Genome phenomenon. Type in an artist or song you want to listen to and it will create a radio station based on similar styles and sounds. Awesome for your car, iPod Dock or walking around.
- PapiJump. Just about as addicting as Trace. Using the accelerometor, bounce the pink ball to each blue step until you can’t go any further. Just don’t try plaing it in the car. My high score is 46,000.
- Wurdle. Shake the iPhone and a fresh screen of letters will appear. Try and drag yor finger through possible words and rack up points. Think you did well? Once your time runs out, you will see all the words you missed and feel like an idiot every time.
- Wordpress. Make a lot of typos like me when you write? Well, make sure you have the Wordpress app so you can correct your grammar on the go. Gives you instant access to your dashboard, where you can add, edit or delete a post.
- iGolf. I take a sense of pride in this game since I think I may hold the world record. Play a few holes or hit the driving range with this Wii like golf game. Try and avoid playing it in public, people may think you’re nuts.
- iHunt. Need to take out a little aggression? Just open up this app to go kill some deer or pheasants. Use the accelerometer to aim you shotgun or rifle and shoot away. Such a fun game with great sound effects.
- Fandango. Movie times/reviews, on the go and fast.
- CollegeFB. Great app from the nice guys at PlusMo. Keep track of all the college football games on the go. Gives you an updated play by play for each game you click on.
- UrbanSpoon. The best app for finding a restaurant near where you’re standing. Choose from a variety of genres, pricing options and areas.
by Jason Wilk on December 10, 2008

- When it comes to downloading movies, both Apple and Netflix come to mind as the leaders in both sales and controversy for Hollywood. The latest quandary coming from the Hollywood Studios is to force iTunes and Netflix’s download store to remove certain movies as they are nearing their launch on network TV. We all know that Hollywood has their chain of events that the life of a production sees; from theatres, DVD’s to TV and more. The Studio’s have united to control their content inside iTunes and Netflix to help time these chain of events to increase profits on their end and please the non-digital third party that is next in line to promote the product.
- Their immediate claim is that TV broadcasters pay too much money for the rights to air films coming to network TV and that having them dually available on the internet will decrease their viewers and concurrently ad sales. Sounds to me that Hollywood had no other choice but to please the TV networks with their decision, otherwise the films coming to TV may have started coming at a bargain rate. Network TV is a big money maker for the studios along with everyone involved with the production of that movie coming to air.
- The joke here is that the movies coming to TV are already available on DVD for rent, in-store for purchase and have already been available for download for months if not longer on iTunes or Netflix. So, what are the studios trying to accomplish here? We have made strides with digital streaming and downloads as a legitimate source for distribution with real revenue. Now the mid-level execs have put their genius together to try and establish control once again? Well, it won’t work. Movies on TV is already a dying breed as in this era. No one is willing to sit through a 90 minute movie with 120 minutes of commercials. Many will either digitally record it, download it illegally or just go to Blockbuster and rent it for a few dollars.
- Maybe when movies come to TV they should just try and control the all the channels of distribution. It will be like in Thailand where they lock up the alcohol from the people for 24 hours on election day. When a movie is coming network TV, they should ban it from being sold, streamed, rented or downloaded anywhere but the television. That will certainly increase profits right you dumbasses? I can’t wait to see the look on a kids face when he goes to Blockbuster to see his favorite Christmas movie locked up because it’s on network TV later. “Sorry honey, we’ll just have to watch it on TV’. ‘But, Mom I don’t want to watch commercials”
by John Jorgensen on December 10, 2008

- The Dark Knight Blu-ray release is the first Blu-ray disc that supports special online features, otherwise known as BD-Live.
- Blu-ray 2.0 player required. Hint: PS3 would be a good choice.
- Launch the BD-Live feature on the disc and you’re prompted to create an account with Warner Brothers. The first part of the registration takes place on the disc, with the second portion requiring you to click a link that WB sends to your email.
- The actual BD-Live features are available online via your computer. The main feature? User recorded commentary.
- Warner Brothers allows you to stream the movie via the ‘net while recording your own video/audio commentary as it plays via webcam/mic. You can browse through the library of everyone else’s recorded commentary (kind of cool and random yet mainly pointless), in addition to a “Featured Commentary” list of hand-picked recordings by Warner Brothers. On the list: Paul Levitz, creator of DC Comics, and Jerry Robinson, the alleged creator of the Joker.
- Other BD-Live features include some extra videos talking about the film’s soundtrack and a few animated comics. Nothing that couldn’t be found on a normal DVD. Oh, and you can send an ‘e-vite’ inviting your friends to watch the film “with” you on their own separate computers. Sweeeet.
- User-recorded commentary is the only real offering here. Cool? Yeah. A little underwhelming? Yep. The only tracks anyone wants to hear are those by the pros. Put em on the DVD.
ArsTechnica