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December 2006
My high-tech predictions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was 10 or 11 when I noticed my first high-tech prediction. The cover of Popular Science had a picture of a Buick with fold-down wings.
The story had the ring of truth. It predicted that, before I was old, people would drive cars like that, zooming above the earthbound traffic. Commutes would be easy. Vacation trips would take place at 12,000 feet in the family car.
In fact, there have been flying cars. But they’re mostly in museums now. The lesson here is that all sorts of neat and possible things — like that Buick — never get off the ground.
That’s why I limit my annual high-tech predictions to the near future. I’m like a cowardly gambler, only putting my money down when the odds are in my favor.
HDTV sets become affordable
So we’ll start off with a sure bet. 2007 is the year HDTV sets become common and affordable. They’re already cheaper, but this is the year the sets will be the rule at the store, not the exception. You’ll find good sets that cost in the hundreds, not thousands, of dollars. The high-end sets will still be there, but it’ll be no problem finding one you like for less than $1,000.
Despite all the buzz about DLP and LCD sets, plasma HDTV — troubled by high cost and dependability issues early on — will thrive.
The battle of the HD DVDs continues
Another sure bet? The battle between the two competing formats for HDTV DVD players will continue. But by the end of the year, signs of which format will prevail will become clearer — and, eventually, one format will force the other off the map.
The winner is too hard to call right now. Blu-ray holds more data compared to the other format, HD DVD. But that may also be its weakness. The higher-density discs it uses cost more to produce, a factor for movie studios.
A cellular telephone without the flash
Now let’s talk about cellular phones. I’m going out on a limb with this one. And maybe I’m indulging in wishful thinking. You’ll start seeing a backlash against all the multifunction telephones and see the desire for a really nice phone that is just a phone.
I’m not alone in wanting a high-quality telephone that specializes in, well, being a telephone. Every week I get at least one or two e-mails from people looking for a first-class telephone without a camera, an MP3 player or the flash and glitter that adorn so many these days.
These folks want a phone with great battery life, terrific reception and no frills. The market will respond, I’m guessing.
It’s time to come together - especially for gadgets
My next prediction brings to mind a technology buzzword of the early ’90s: convergence. It’s come true to a large degree. You can watch TV on your PC, and connect many of your gadgets so that they work together. But it’s often too complicated and involves wires.
The roadblock to real convergence is easy, built-in wireless connectivity. Connecting your new TV to your PC or your MP3 player shouldn’t involve stringing a bunch of wires, or punching in a lot of code to make a wireless connection.
What the market craves are devices that automatically find other compatible devices and connect with no action on your part. Just turn them on and they would search out other devices.
You’ll see a movement in 2007 — 2008 at the latest — toward the creation of a universal standard for connectivity — some industrywide move to make sure a Philips TV, for instance, will be able to talk to an Apple Mac just as easily as to a Sony MP3 player.
Maybe the universal standard will be one that exists now like BlueTooth or even one of the technologies used for computer routers.
It’ll take a while but it will happen. There’s just too much frustration among consumers as they try to connect gadgets and fail.
I’ll finish with a prediction that is sure to be accurate: At least half of my predictions are wrong — fanciful thinking to be filled away with that back issue of Popular Science.
But that’s OK. The fun of technology is that it will always bring surprises.
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Trouble at iTunes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I enjoy my MP3 player.
And I loved Apple’s iTunes service when I first visited it. But nowadays I download tunes from other services and have removed iTunes from my browser’s favorites list.
The trouble is that I can’t play the danged tunes on my MP3 player. That’s because it isn’t an iPod. I have nothing in the world against iPods - they’re terrific gizmos. But my MP3 player is another brand and I’m well-pleased with it.
In the beginning I could use various programs to remove the protection from the iTunes songs. Maybe that’s illegal, heck maybe the Apple police will bust down the doors of my home this evening. But I didn’t worry about it since I was paying for the tunes I downloaded, I wasn’t sharing them with others and I simply wanted to be able to play the songs I downloaded. Apple has changed its protection system and I’m no longer able to play the tunes from there.
It’s no problem finding MP3s from competing download services. So that’s what I did.
Apple’s determination to run a closed shop - when it comes to tunes - seemed like a bad idea to me from the beginning.
Maybe others felt the same way. If this story is correct, business has fallen off dramatically at iTunes.
Apple says that business is fine and the report is incorrect. I have no way of knowing. But the group responsible for the report - Forrester - has an excellent reputation for accuracy and the results seem to jive with common sense.
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First tests of final version of Vista
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now that the final version of Microsoft’s Vista - soon to replace Windows XP - has been released to retailers, there is the ability to test the product in a way that isn’t possible with beta versions.
The tests of the final version done at PC World offer some encouragement.
My main computer is a couple of years old but does meet the requirements that Microsoft sets out for Vista. So I was encouraged to read this in the PC World’s report:
In our first tests, we discovered that while Vista’s hardware requirements may be steep, it should run just fine - even with the Aero bells and whistles active - on machines that meet Microsoft’s Premium Ready specifications (1GB of RAM, and a DirectX 9-capable graphics board with at least 128MB of dedicated memory).
Since many of you will be moving to Vista soon, you may want to check out the complete report here.
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Sound of things to come for HDTV
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I don’t need to be a mindreader to know that many of you have brand new HDTV sets.
I’ve had one for a few years now and I also predict that many of you will discover that the sound system is nearly as important as that amazingly crisp picture you’re now enjoying.
If you want a true movie experience, a sound system - complete with the booming bass from a subwoofer - will really kick things up a notch. The heart of that system is the AV/receiver.
There is a review of these receivers and other HDTV accessories over at Cnet that’s worth reading. You can see it here.
Of course, if you’re like me, big purchases may have to wait a few months after the holiday shopping binge. But it doesn’t hurt to start your research now.
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Trouble starts with a T and stands for Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m surprised you have time to read this today. You’ve got a boatload of troubles and — depending on when you are reading this — they’ve already arrived or will be there soon.
I’m not talking about Uncle Ron who will be there for Christmas with his bad jokes and cigars.
Instead, I’m talking about the high tech gifts many of you will receive. The first few days and weeks with new gadgets — especially relatively complicated ones — can be bittersweet. The gadgets are great, but you may discover that they are smarter than you.
So today we’ll talk about coping with the high tech riches you’ve just received.
As usual, I’ll start with the obvious — the manual. It’ll read as if it was translated from Sanskrit into something that resembles English. And it will either be so basic that every other paragraph should start with “duh,” or, at the other extreme, it will assume you have an electrical engineering degree from MIT.
But even most bad manuals have a feature that can save your neck: a diagram of the device that shows you what each control does. Start with that diagram and the device — whether it’s an HDTV or an MP3 player — and find each control.
Then read the complete manual with the device in front of you. There are no new jokes to make about guys and manuals but — despite the sterotype — guys and women alike should read the manual.
If you’re a little more confused after reading the manual, there’s other help available. Weirdly enough, the information about the device on the manufacturer’s Web site is usually less confusing than the manual.
In most cases, you’ll also find a help section on the Web site where owners can leave questions. In many cases, a Web search will also turn up unofficial forums on other Web sites as well. Using these sites can save your neck. They enable you to post questions that aren’t covered in the manual.
But before you do that, spend some time reading what others have said. In many cases, you’ll find your question has already been answered. Pay special attention to a posting — which can either be found in a special section or toward the top of the question and answer section — called a FAQ. Those initials stand for “frequently asked questions” and it’s usually a gold mine of information.
Now take a deep breath because I’m going to deal with the reality of what is really going on at your house. The manual is on the coffee table unread, you have no intention of immediately getting on the Web, and instead you are going to turn the danged thing on and use it.
That’s OK. But as soon as you can pull yourself away from your new HDTV or computer, follow the first tips that I offered.
Using the device, even if you are blundering around, is actually a good thing for a lot of reasons.
One reason is that if your new gadget is defective you want to find that out quickly. That way you will probably qualify for a replacement instead of having it fixed under warranty.
I once saw a chart that graphed the time it took for electronic devices to fail. You may be surprised to know that the graph starts out at a peak. If an electronic circuit is going to fail, it usually does that almost immediately. If it gets past what the industry calls the “burn in” period it’s likely to percolate along for years.
So by all means indulge yourself — keep the computer computing and use the HDTV all you want during the first week you own it. You don’t want your gizmo to fail, but if that’s going to happen anyway, sooner is better than later.
Of course, all this heavy use means that in the first week most of you will have a heart-sinking moment when you think your high tech device is broken. Luckily you’ll be wrong in 99 percent of the cases. Instead, it’s likely a case of operator error — you pushed the wrong button, or failed to follow some step that will become obvious after you’ve owned the device for a while.
When something doesn’t work as it should, avoid the temptation to panic and start “fixing” it. Instead, check out the troubleshooting section in the manual. If that doesn’t help, then — manual in hand, or Web site on screen — follow each step in the directions for using your device. Even if that seems too simple for you, do it.
Think of it this way. Pilots with thousands of hours of flying time still use a checklist while starting a 737. Most mistakes involve some simple step — something so obvious you forget to do it.
I’ll leave you with my favorite gadget-saving tip. If you encounter a problem, or get frustrated by the complexity of using your high tech gift, just walk away. Let the fog of panic clear a bit while you take a walk or have a piece of blueberry pie.
Temporarily ignoring a problem can do wonders for clearing a panic-clouded brain. Besides, that will give you an excuse for having the blueberry pie.
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Around the world with 75 watts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My first real brush with technology came in the form of analog computers - yeah, there were such things - and ham radio.
As a 13-year-old geek-to-be I lived in a small Arkansas town called Arkadelphia. Unlike today - thanks to the Internet - families in towns like that truly were isolated from the outside world. New York City seemed about as far away as Paris, France. The notion of London seemed more like fiction.
Ham radio put me in touch with the world back then. I could tune my old Hallicrafter’s SX-99 receiver around the shortwave bands and find the BBC with the bells of Big Ben sounding the hour. Radio Moscow, HCJB in Quito … all those things were reminders that there really was a world out there.
And when I turned on my 75-watt transmitter - no more power than a light bulb - I could talk to people around the country and, with luck, the world. I say “talk” but all my talking took place in Morse Code. So the conversations were brief ones, mostly offering my name, the weather in Arkadelphia and a report on the other station’s signal.
But those were golden days for me and the technology seemed just as exciting - maybe more so - as computers and PDAs.
Ham radio still exists - I still have a license, KQ4YA - but it doesn’t much resemble the ham radio I once knew. And now, as a real sign of how things have changed, the Federal Communications Commission has removed the requirement that operators pass tests to show proficiency in Morse Code.
You can read about it here in a PDF file if you like. But it’s just a long-winded mess of words that boils down to this - you can get any ham radio license, even the most advanced (the Extra Class), without knowing Morse Code.
That’s a good thing I guess, since it opens the door into the hobby to people who didn’t want to go to the trouble of learning Morse Code. And the ham radio hobby - at least from where I sit - now seems to be comprised of old guys like me. So maybe that will bring in some new blood. Besides, with the Internet and cellular phones, there’s not much use for what we call CW anymore. Even ships at sea have long since abandoned the practice of using CW. Satellite communications is faster and more reliable.
I haven’t used CW for years. But the news made me want to hunt around for my old straight key (the old-fashioned type telegraph key we used when I was 13) and have one last conversation hammering out the letters and words slowly and - in my case - awkwardly.
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Let me give you the Word
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many home users think of online security in terms of viruses that arrive by e-mail, or stealthy programs that sneak into the computer from the Web.
Other programs can also provide a backdoor in your computer. There’s nothing new about sneaky programs - usually macros that are used to automate some helpful process when they are legitimate - that target Microsoft Word.
And Microsoft has been pretty good about creating patches - fixes - that prevent exploits that take advantage of Word. But there are some recently-discovered holes in Word that you need to know about. You can read about them here.
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Wasting time on the Web
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My wife probably has bookmarks for every known online crossworld puzzle site. My stepdaughter spends so much time playing online poker that I’m thinking of giving her a green eyeshade for Christmas.
We all have favorite sites on the Web, the places that we pull up almost every day. With me, it’s a site that offers tips for my favorite online game and some of the sports blogs here.
PC World has an article here that lists its favorite time-waster sites.
Do you have some nominations for this category. If so, list them here.
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Are you gifted yet?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m back in the newsroom after a week away. As you would guess, it’s great to walk into the office in the pitch dark of the morning - hey, there’s bad coffee to drink and, by actual count, 914 e-mails to check out. Of course, half that number were spam e-mails that got past our fairly excellent corporate spam filter.
I had planned to do some holiday shopping while I was away from work. Instead, I shot my GLOCK at the firing range over at Stone Mountain, played my Guild Wars online game, and took naps.
Maybe you’re in the same boat, when it comes to shopping. If so - and if gift certificates and cash don’t seem like appropriate presents - I’ve found a list of last minute tech gifts recommended over at CNet. You can see the list here.
Most of the stuff on the list is too pricy for my budget. But for those of you who have found honest work, it may be worth a look. Meanwhile, I’m going to have a third cup of bad coffe.
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The last-minute tech gift club
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I belong to a club that meets this time of the year in long lines at cash registers. We recognize each other because everyone is clutching anything that remotely resembles a gift.
The dues are high. Holiday shopping crowds are at their peak. Parking lots are full. The night wind is cold as we scramble from one mall to another, hoping to fill last-minute Christmas lists.
It’s not a club you’d want to join, but most of us do despite our best intentions to shop early when crowds are light. If you find yourself in the club this year, I can help with last-minute suggestions.
They come in two varieties: easy and hard.
I won’t spend much time with the first easy way since, well, it’s easy — so easy it can be done in your pajamas. As you might have guessed, I’m talking about online shopping. Most shopping Web sites have become expert at delivering a gift quickly. Just double-check the Web page to read about delivery deadlines. At the last moment, it’s smart to pay extra for holiday wrapping and speedy delivery.
If you don’t know what to buy them, consider a gift card. My friend Clark Howard — host of a national radio show that offers consumer advice — disagrees. But I think they are a good idea for an easy last-minute gift. (He tends to favor cash.)
For those of you who sneer at those who take the easy way, there are other options that are quick and yet very personal.
One is custom music.
Ben and Judy are among my closest friends. One year I created a custom music CD filled with songs that mentioned either the name Ben or Judy. It was fast and easy. I downloaded the music from the Wal-Mart site (you could also use iTunes) and burned the CD. Despite the last-minute hurry, I had a lot of fun using Google to search for songs that contained the right names. It would be hard to find a more personal gift.
I spent several years with a corporation that owns several gift catalog companies, including the Harry & David’s Fruit-of-the-Month Club. Gifts baskets were top sellers. I often create a high-tech version of the gift basket.
The idea is to take relatively inexpensive items and bundle them together to add what the catalog marketers call “perceived value.” You personalize the assortment according to your friend’s tastes and needs. But a sample basket might contain a kit for cleaning computer screens, a new mouse, a computer game from the bargain rack and a memory card for their digital camera.
Here’s a real challenge. A gift card or cash isn’t personal enough, but a Ferrari is just a little too flashy. I solved this problem one year by assembling old family photographs, scanning them and creating a slide show.
If you’re adventurous, you could also do this with video — although I hope never again to see the video of me in a Cub Scout uniform doing a very odd dance. But stuff like that makes the CD or DVD even more appreciated by everyone but the victim. You’re doing your family a double favor since the digital images — unlike the prints and slides — will never fade or be torn.
Many home computer users ignore the need to back up their data. Your gift of an external hard disk — most come with backup software included — could save more than the holidays.
I guarantee you a hard disk will eventually fail. Using an external drive makes backing up data easy. And you’ll find external disks at any computer store that range in price from $100 or so to $200. These disks connect to the computer using a USB port. If this gift tempts you, make sure your intended recipient has a computer with USB 2 ports — the very first USB connections were very slow.
One relative of mine beat me at my own game by putting together a family history — including photos and text — and then using his printer to create a small book. He interviewed some of the older members of the family to create a fascinating book that I was thrilled to receive.
A twist on the idea: Use a digital audio recorder to record the interviews, or a video camera to film them. Then burn a DVD. I promise it will be viewed more often than any Christmas classic film. I hope some of these tips help you survive the holidays. And don’t feel bad if you take the easy way out. In fact, as soon as I send this off to my editor I’m going to log on to Amazon to order a gift certificate.
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The future is a wireless one
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
None of us doubt that the future is a wireless one. I’m not talking about the part of the future that’s here now - cellular and cordless phones, Bluetooth devices and the like.
Instead I am talking about totally wireless homes - well, wireless other than electrical wiring. Anyone who has installed a home theater system and snaked wires around molding, or through walls, or under carpets knows that day isn’t here. Sure there are wireless speakers - just do a Google search - but the cheap ones are terrible (I’ve tried them) and the expensive ones (I can’t afford to try them) are, well, expensive.
Wiring dictates how we set up our computers and home theater equipment. It puts an artificial set of rules for where stuff has to be located. And while there are wireless solutions for most of the problems, they are either inadequate, too complicated or too expensive.
The day is coming when plug and play will take on a more powerful meaning. You’ll unpack your HDTV and plug it in and - automatically - you’ll be connected to all your compatible devices from PCs to sound systems, even to your telephone system (so it can display Caller ID information).
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PlayStation 3 trails Wii
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Technology is a wonderful thing - I’m taking a week off but I’m still able to work. Since my work day starts very early it was nice to get some extra sleep - that’ll prepare me for the rigors of shopping.
I like updating the blog since most days I end up learning something from your posts.
For instance, I wasn’t surprised when I read this story - blog posters had already predicted that the Wii would outsell the PlayStation 3.
Sony isn’t on the ropes by any means but it looks as if its famed efficiency as a marketer slipped a little on this one.
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I know when you’ve been good or bad
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You’re lucky I’m not Santa Claus, because I know what you’re going to do wrong between now and Christmas.
I’m not talking about taking the last piece of blueberry pie or calling in sick so you can shop.
The sins I’m thinking of involve the messes you’ll get in with gifted gadgets — and how to avoid them. With my psychic powers I can predict at least half of you will only remember these tips on Christmas morning, when it is too late.
Christmas Sin No. 1: You’ll forget to buy batteries for the items you buy as gifts, or you’ll get the wrong size. And if rechargeables are involved, you won’t charge them in advance. So when the gift is opened and the recipient is eager to try it out, it’ll be as useless as my Uncle Jason.
Best case, you’ll be driving to the convenience store on Christmas morning for batteries. Worst case: So many others will be doing the same thing that you’ll hunt all over town for the battery you need.
Christmas Sin No. 2: You or a family member will throw away something important as you litter the floor with wrapping paper and packaging material. Maybe it will be the rebate information, or the manual. Or — given how products are packed — you’ll throw away a piece of cardboard that seemed worthless only to discover later that it was wrapped around the remote control or an irreplaceable connection wire or widget required to make the gizmo work.
I’m not advocating making a mess, but avoid throwing anything away until you sift through the cardboard remains. Also hang on to the packaging for a month or so in case you need to return an item.
Christmas Sin No. 3: You’ll buy just what the high tech enthusiast in your house wants, but pick out the wrong model. Techies are lustful people when it comes to gadgets, and the lust is specific. Whether it’s a digital camera, camcorder, computer or game system — believe me, I’ve been there — they know the exact type and specifications that they crave. Just getting a digital camera isn’t enough if your recipient wants one with interchangeable lenses.
I know you want to surprise your friends and family. So you hate to spoil that surprise by asking questions. But it’s no fun watching your son open that new MP3 player and then watching his face fall as he realizes it’s not the one he wanted. Unless you are gut sure, avoid long waits in the exchange and refund line by asking questions in advance.
Christmas Sin No. 4: This sin involves gearheads — you folks who are so into technology you get quivery and sentimental about hard disks, routers and megapixels. When you shop, you’ll buy gadgets you’d love to have yourself — even if they are too complicated for your intended recipient. Or, worse yet, you’ll pick out items that the recipient doesn’t want.
Take this advice seriously. It comes from a man who has given shortwave radios and PDAs to women who craved lingerie or jewelry and will never be happy with a telescope or GPS system that might seem very enticing to me. Even if a techno-gift is suitable, make sure the complexity is appropriate for the age and knowledge of the recipient.
Christmas Sin No. 5: This is the time of the year when too many people — hey, I’ve been one of them — use the holidays as a perfect excuse to buy something they want but can’t afford. It’s no fun watching a holiday bowl game on that big new HDTV if the game keeps getting interrupted by calls from bill collectors. Look, if you can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars in September, chances are your situation hasn’t magically changed by December. Only buy what you can afford, and comfort yourself by realizing the gizmos you covet now will probably be better and cheaper in 2007.
We are all sinners when it comes to the holidays, and our sins are human and forgiveable.
Here’s my suggestion for atonement: Take one day during the holidays to turn off all the switches. Instead of spending the day in the flickering light of a new TV or computer, spend some time in the kinder light of a low tech fireplace.
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Microsoft Vista - a mixed blessing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Windows Vista is going to be a mixed blessing.
I’m linking to an article that makes some interesting arguments - you’ll have to decide how seriously to take them.
For one, it contends that as Windows becomes more secure criminals will “look beyond Windows, they’ll also start focusing seriously on Macs.” I’m not sure about that one for a lot of reasons - but it’s still possible and definitely interesting.
For another, a software company executive - and his company sells anti-virus software - says, in the article, that his son is running Vista successfully with no extra anti-virus protection. That sounds like a big mistake to me.
And sure enough, there is information - later in the article - about some virus vulnerabilities of Vista.
Anyway, I recommend the article to you - interesting Thursday reading.
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Cell[phone radiation said to be safe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s no radiation health risk when it comes to cellphones.
There is a health risk from radiation when it comes to cellphones.
Pick one. Either one. That’s what health studies have been doing for years.
During the time I’ve covered technology - and that’s a long long time - there have been scientific studies that have taken either position.
The latest one, you can read it here, says there is no health risk.
Obviously, I don’t know who is right. I do know that - at high enough levels - radio frequency radiation can be harmful. But I’m not at all qualified to say what those levels are.
But there’s no doubt about one thing - talking on your cellphone while in traffic can be lethal.
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Is rear projection LCD an HDTV antique?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You won’t be surprised to learn that - especially this time of the year - I get as many e-mails about HDTV as I do about computers.
Prices are down and folks who put off buying one are feeling the itch especially strongly because of the holiday season.
I bought my HDTV years ago. It’s a rear projection LCD set that I’ve enjoyed. I sure don’t regret the decision and went into this knowing that prices would fall dramatically in the years to come.
Rear projection sets - at the time I bought mine - were the choice for those of us who wanted HDTV but were leary about plasma for one of two reasons. No. 1, it was way more expensive. No. 2, the early plasma sets often conked out early. In fact, a loaner plasma HDTV that I used died after just three months.
I’m in no hurry to replace my 42-inch rear projection Sony. It doesn’t offer the picture quality of a modern set but - to my eyes - the HDTV picture is still stunning.
If I did replace the set, I would be looking hard at plasma right now. The brightness of the picture and the rich deep blacks - along with the price drops and improved quality - would tilt me toward plasma.
Apparently I’m following the herd on this one. There are doubts about the place of rear projection in the marketplace now. You can read about it here.
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Moving to the new free version of Grisoft AVG
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I finally got around to replacing the soon-to-be-discontinued anti-virus program from Grisoft with the new version.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t mention this but there’s still so much confusion about Grisoft’s free product that it seems worth mentioning.
Questions from readers about Grisoft have been on my top 10 list for a couple of weeks now. There’s been a lot of fear that the excellent - and totally free - program might be going away. And Grisoft didn’t do anything - maybe on purpose - to clear up that confusion.
Instead, it sent notices to users of the free AVG that the product was being discontinued. But those notices didn’t mention that a new version - also free - was taking its place. You don’t have to be paranoid to think that the company was hoping that folks would shift to one of Grisoft’s excellent for-pay anti-virus programs.
For those of you who want to stay on the free side of life, replacing the old program is easy. Just go to the Web site and download the new version. There’s no need to remove the old version when you install the new one. Instead, just take the “repair installation” option when you install the new one.
Total time for downloading the new version and installing it? About 2 minutes. If the new version - it’s compatible with Vista … that was the whole reason for the change - is as good as the old one, you’ll continue to operate safely when it comes to viruses.
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What not to buy for Christmas
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I could pretty much list what I’ll get for Christmas: socks, sweaters, shirts and pants. I am married to a practical Irish woman, at least when it comes to buying presents for me.
That’s OK. I overcompensate by buying my own toys when the urge gets too strong to ignore. That happens a lot. So the Christmas list I share today is as much for you as for me. It’s just a wish list for me, but feel free to steal anything that fits your own circumstances.
My wish list is different from most since I’ll include some items I wouldn’t buy right now. Such as an HDTV DVD player.
The battles rages on
War is hell, and that’s what is happening as two formats compete to be the HDTV standard. There’s the Blu-ray technology that uses a blue laser to record 25 gigabytes of information on a disc. In the other corner, you have HD DVD that records 15 gigabytes. Both work just fine, but — if things go as they usually do — only one format will survive. If that happens, a lot of people are going to be stuck with a bunch of DVDs in the losing format.
So it seems dumb to invest in an expensive player and a collection of DVDs until this thing sorts out. There is at least one DVD player that can handle both formats. Even so, waiting makes sense.
My own planetarium
On the other hand, I’d sure love to own a Celestron Sky Scout Personal Planetarium. Owning one would be like having an expert astronomer at my side as I watch the night sky. The $400 price is a little rich for my blood, but I know some of my readers have real jobs.
Using it is simple. Just point it at any object in the sky. A built-in GPS system does all the calculating for you, and the display tells you the name of the star, planet or constellation you are viewing. Or you can program the name of an object and directional arrows help you locate it.
The coolest thing you shouldn’t buy
The next item doesn’t fit handily in either my buy or do-not-buy list.
Maybe you’ve seen the TV ads for the Sony Vaio UX180 Micro PC. If you haven’t, it is a full-blown PC that is small enough — 6 by 3.74 by 1.5 inches — to fit in your hand.
We’re not talking about a PDA or some super-smart cellular phone. This is a pint-sized PC that runs Windows XP Professional. It’s easy to understand why anyone who loves technology would want one of these. All my techie friends would be impressed.
But what the heck would I do with it? And why wouldn’t a PDA, even smaller and much less expensive, do the same thing for me?
Besides, my aging eyes wouldn’t do well with a 4.5-inch screen, even though the display is razor-sharp. Nor do I want to deal with the tiny keyboard. I’m sure there are people out there who absolutely need one of these computers. But most of us should keep the $2,000 or so you’d pay for this gizmo and buy a nice PDA instead.
Long in the Bluetooth
While I’m in a wishy-washy mood, let me take a moment to tell you about the Fossil FX6001 Bluetooth Watch. It would actually be useful in my home, but at $250 it’s too pricey and lacks some features that would make it a sure-fire winner.
This watch uses Bluetooth technology to display Caller ID information when your home phone rings. That would be great at my home, since the telephone constantly rings for my real estate agent wife or my adult stepdaughter. The bell seldom tolls for me. When the phone rings, I either ignore it or end up tripping over the junk in my home office as I run for one of the many cordless telephones scattered over our house.
The idea of combining even more functions in a watch is a winner. Many years ago, I had a watch that stored telephone numbers and appointments and — unlike a PDA or cellular phone — it was always easy to find.
Dick Tracy will someday be vindicated by a do-it-all watch that combines a computer, cellular phone and other functions. Why carry around a bunch of gadgets when you can just strap on your watch first thing in the morning and forget it?
So buy the watch or not, but keep that category in mind. It will someday be a huge one.
HDTV comes of age
Finally, as we come to the end of my list, let’s touch on the obvious: HDTV.
If you don’t have one, this is finally the year. Prices are down, quality is up, and there is plenty of HDTV content over-the-air, on cable or through your satellite receiver.
I won’t recommend a single model. Budgets and personal preference play too big a role. The 42-inch set that is just fine for my den may be too large for your bedroom, but not big enough for a home entertainment room.
But it’s easy to recommend HDTV set brands including, but not limited to: Philips, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and Sharp. Then head for a showroom and let your eyes be the judge.
You won’t see me there. I hate shopping for this time of the year — too many amateurs roaming the aisles. All I ask is that you think of me when you walk past the socks and sweaters.
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