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After an intense two-year battle, Toshiba is calling it quits on its HD-DVD format. This means that rival Sony’s Blu-ray format will take over as the global standard in high capacity optical storage. Toshiba CEO Atsutoshi Nishida stated Time Warner’s decision to favor Blu-ray along with Wal-Mart’s move to exclusively carry Blu-ray DVDs as the main reasons to discontinue HD DVD. All production of HD DVD related electronics will stop in March, although customer support will be available for the next couple years. Including PlayStation 3 consoles, Blu-ray players outnumber HD DVD players 3 to 1 worldwide.

For those who are still wondering, Blu-ray and HD DVD are both “next gen” DVD formats. Blu-ray discs can hold up to 25 gigabytes of information on a single layer and read that data at 432 Mbits/sec while HD DVD holds only 15 GBs per layer and reads at 72 Mbits/sec.

Yesterday, Microsoft proved that it was not putting all of its eggs in one basket with its unsolicited $44.6 billion dollar bid for Yahoo. Danger, the maker of the popular Sidekick from T-Mobile, was purchased for an undisclosed amount of money. Some people estimate as much as $500 million dollars, given that Danger has raised over $140 million in funding.

Danger was set for an IPO in an effort to raise another $100 million. Last year, their revenues increased 14 percent to $56.4 million but net loss doubled to roughly $12 million dollars. Although nearly 1 million T-Mobile subscribers have Sidekicks, Danger still isn’t profitable. Which raises the question: Why would Microsoft buy a failing company?

Microsoft feels Danger has a greater ability to attract young customers (indeed it does, even Soulja Boy raps about his). More importantly, Microsoft is struggling against the iPhone’s huge presence and rapidly growing sales. In addition, Google is preparing to launch their open-source Android mobile operating system. Danger’s OS supposedly can help Microsoft stay a step ahead of its competitors.

I think that if Microsoft uses its newfound resources well, it will a player in both the high- and low-end phone markets by keeping Windows Mobile in the business sector and utilizing Danger OS for personal SMS, Internet, instant messaging and the like. What do you think Microsoft will do with Danger? How do you think this acquisition will affect the two mobile OS’s?

Howcast is a startup company founded by ex-Googlers Jason Liebman, Daniel Blackman and Sanjay Raman. All three worked on Google Video and YouTube before creating Howcast. The site launched on February 6th, 2008 along with an announcement of an $8 million series A funding led by Tudor Investment Group. Howcast provides instructional how-to videos on everything from How To Paint A Wall to How To Pretend You’re A Real New Yorker.

One might wonder why someone would try to create a site based solely on how-to guides when thousands of such videos can be found on YouTube. What sets apart Howcast from the competition (which includes Instructables, Expert Village and 5min in addition to other people YouTube) is the quality of the videos. The majority of the videos on the site so far are actually produced by Howcast’s own studio. Once users register they can suggest new topics and even write up and edit instructions for those topics.

The site also includes a wiki section. I find this especially helpful for instructions that are easier to visualize in my head than to watch in a video (such as How To Do A Kickflip). The wiki section is where users can submit their write ups. If Howcast chooses to make a video out of a certain wiki, they either shoot it in their own studio in New York or pay film students to shoot the footage then Howcast voices it over and makes it pretty.

Revenue is driven by embedded ads in the instructional videos. These ads are much more effective in my opinion. When I watch a video online, I don’t want to wait 15, 30 or 60 seconds to start the video. Placing a small ad at the bottom of the video grabs the user’s attention without being too annoying. It’s similar to driving a car: for some reason it feels more efficient to be moving slowly than to be stuck at a red light before driving off quickly.

Howcast looks promising. It offers a broad range of topics with the potential user involvement of a wiki with the entertainment of online video.

What are some your favorite Howcast how-tos? Do you think Howcast seems like a service you would want to use?

Yesterday Apple released the newest iPod touch. The new model boasts 32 GB of flash memory and comes with the January Software Update, which includes Mail, Google Maps, Stocks, Weather and Notes. I am a big fan of the iPod touch and was waiting until the current models were upgraded because I felt that 8 GB was kind of a rip-off for $300. Naturally, I figured that once a model with more memory was introduced, the lower model would be replaced by the 16 GB for the same price. However, the latest release is $500.

True, the touch needs more than 8 gigs of memory before many people would be interested in it, but $500 seems like a LOT of money. I think Apple is definitely using its fanatical following to push the boundaries of what consumers are willing to buy. First the MacBook Air (which I think is ridiculous at this point in time. Sooner or later, Apple is going to overshoot their customer’s willingness to pay exorbitant amounts of money for the next cool Apple product. Although, they are really cool…

What would you be willing to pay if the price kept going up? $600 for 64 gigs? When do you think there will be a price drop?

In the last couple of years, the idea of cloud computing has begun to show itself. Cloud computing is the idea of using the internet as a hub to access applications and personal files instead of relying on local hard drives, etc. Advances in wireless network accessibility, “web technologies” like AJAX, and laptop performance (and popularity) all can be attributed to cloud computing.

More and more, people are relying on web-based applications instead of desktop apps. Map applications are popular for getting directions, sites like expensr and mint and helping individuals with financial matters, and Google Docs and Spreadsheets is gaining ground on the Microsoft Office suite. The popularity and availability of these web apps means people can get more accomplished in a variety of settings.

Earlier this month, Apple announced the MacBook Air. This ultra-compact laptop was designed with the wireless lifestyle in mind. It ranges from 0.16 to 0.76 inches thick, which is incredibly small for a computer of any size. It features a 13.3″ 1280 x 800 pixel widescreen display, full keyboard, Core2 Duo processor, 80 GB hard drive and 2 GB of RAM. It even has the option to replace the hard drive with a (pricey) 64 GB solid state drive. All in all, it is a great notebook and at only 3 pounds can be taken just about anywhere.

However, the MacBook Air is quite pricey compared to other ultra-portable laptops and wireless devices. The Asus eee PC retails for $300-400 and, with a 7″ screen and a total weight of just over 2 pounds, is even more portable. The Nokia N810 features a 4.3″ touch screen, slide out QWERTY keyboard and a Linux-based OS with a Mozilla-based browser for $399. Even the iPhone/iPod Touch is a good alternative, with a 3.5″ multi-touch screen, Safari and Mail and 8-16 GB of storage space. The point is that there are other devices that are much, much cheaper but still have the necessary functionality and large enough screens to be efficient.

I think cloud computing will be very popular in the future. However, I think Apple was premature in releasing such a high-end wireless device that has trouble operating as a traditional laptop (only 1 USB port, no ethernet, etc) and is many times more expensive than its competitors. What is your opinion on the MacBook Air?

For Christmas, I received a digital camera. It was no surprise; I had spent a long time researching which camera I wanted. I knew I wanted something really compact to carry around campus and outings but still delivered decent performance. My family previously owned a Canon PowerShot A95 and I own a Canon GL2 camcorder, so I am a big fan of Canon’s performance and reliability. After weighing pros and cons, I settled on the Canon PowerShot SD1000.

Overview

The SD1000 is a 7.1 megapixel point-and-shoot camera with 3x optical zoom. It has a 2.5 inch LCD screen, which I find plenty big enough, given the size of the camera. It also features automatic face detection and red-eye correction.

The SD1000 has a tiny form factor for a digital camera. It is an ultra-compact that measures 3.4 x 2.1 x 0.8 inches and weighs only 4.3 ounces. In fact, I can only think coming across only one camera that is significantly thinner in its class (it was a Sony, I believe). The size makes the camera very easy to put anywhere, even in a baggy jean pocket.

The Good

Menus/UI: The biggest problem I had with my old A95 was the confusing controls. The menus weren’t very intuitive and it was hard to figure out how to do much without consulting the manual. However, the user interface for the SD1000 is much improved. I was able to access all of the different shooting modes, change the shutter speed, etc. without reading the manual. The UI also has cool-looking transparent menus and nice transitions. Very aesthetically pleasing.

The Bad

Low Light Shooting: The SD1000 fairs poorly in low-light conditions where a flash can’t be used. The picture becomes grainy and blurry, even with image stabilization on. However, this is a common problem with most point-and-shoot cameras. I made the picture look a great deal better by turning the ISO speed way up.
Small buttons: The SD1000 might not be for everyone simply because it is a very small camera. I think someone with big hands would have trouble operating the minuscule controls.
Low Battery Indicator: The camera doesn’t give you any indication of remaining battery power until it is very low. It would be nice if there was an on-screen indicator so the user had a better idea of how much life was left.

The Verdict

Overall, I think the Canon PowerShot SD1000 is an excellent camera. It was designed to be portable and take reasonably good pictures. Given the right lighting conditions and settings, the SD1000 takes awesome pictures. I am very happy with mine and definitely recommend it. Just make sure to buy 2 batteries if you plan on using it frequently.

Back in 2005, I received a brand new 20gb iPod Photo, the bleeding edge of iPods. The total cost to me was about $10. In this post, I will explain how the process works and give you some tips on getting your own free stuff.

You see the ads everywhere: annoying flashing banners that claim you’re eligible for a free electronic device, usually whatever happens to be the hottest thing at the moment. This includes iPods of all kinds, game consoles, even laptops and desktop PCs. How could companies just give away free stuff? It has to be a scam, right? Actually, the legitimate free sites actually do give out free electronics, provided you complete a few steps.

How it works

A few years ago, a company called Gratis Networks came up with a way to provide free stuff to consumers in exchange for trying products and services. When you sign up for FreeiPods.com, you try out a product or service from big name companies like Blockbuster and Discover. Once you have fulfilled your requirement, you get other people sign up through you and complete an offer. The number of referrals depends on the prize, starting at 5 for an iPod and up to 20 for a laptop. The sponsors then pay Gratis Networks for your offer and referrals. Gratis uses the money they get to buy the iPod and ship it to you at no charge.

Tips and Tricks

Avoid scams: Many companies make you do 6 or more offers in addition to referrals. Only sign up with Gratis Networks, also known as FreeiPods and FreePay.
Do your offer first: Get your offer out of the way so that you can focus on getting referrals after. The offers change so you want to make sure to do a good one while it lasts.
Pick an offer you would actually want to use: I did one that gave me credit for buying ink. The website offered high quality printer ink at great prices so it was a win-win.
Have patience: You have to have a little faith in yourself. Referrals don’t come easy, unless you have a bunch of friends do it for you. This is a good way to fast track your way to free stuff. Pay 5 of your friends 10 or 20 bucks to complete offers. Even if you spend a hundred bucks, its still a steal for an iPod.
Lastly, if you don’t want to keep the service, sign up just long enough to receive credit then cancel the service.

I really recommend trying this service out. It doesn’t take too much time and has definite and tangible benefits. If you think you might want to try this out, here are some FreePay links to get you started:

2 Free 8GB iPod Nanos

Free Apple MacBook

Free Song PSP

Free Xbox 360

Free 26″ LCD TV

Good luck! Anyone out there giving this a try leave a comment and tell me how’s it’s coming along.

Every time I told an adult that I was getting ready to go to college, they inevitably chuckled and made a comment something along the lines of “Watch out for that freshmen fifteen!” Gaining fifteen pounds in a couple of months seems kind of ludicrous to me. Did you gain fifteen pounds every quarter when you lived at home? Not likely. If you live in dorms and eat dorm food like I do, it’s not like you are just being lazy and eating garbage every day. In fact, it takes less effort to walk across the street and ask for a plate of pasta (or anything else) than it does to make a Cup of Noodles.

The other half of gaining weight is lack of exercise. Many college freshmen love their newfound freedom. They can go to sleep whenever they want, go wherever they feel like, and eat and drink to their heart’s content. More often than not, this leads to the majority of male college students sitting in their dorm room and playing Halo 3 for hours on end, stopping only to eat and perhaps go to class. While I admit that I have played Halo 3 for hours on end many times, video games don’t take up a majority of my time outside of class. It is sad that college students spend their time this way.

I understand that people do have legitimate reasons for gaining weight such as inordinate amounts of stress due to the whole college experience. On the other hand, if everyone made a point to stop spending their money on junk food and get out and exercise a couple of times a day, the freshmen fifteen wouldn’t strike so many hapless victims.

Free Music Zilla is a small program that lets you download streamed audio from social music sites such as MySpace Music, Pandora, and Last.fm. This program works infinitely better than programs that try to record audio playing off of your computer. Many of those programs spit out sub-par, static-filled audio that’s hard to hear. Free Music Zilla produces excellent mp3 files with no loss of quality. It is super simple to use, too.

All you need to do is start Free Music Zilla then stream some music through your browser. A file will pop up in Free Music Zilla and give you the option to download it. The only trick is to make sure you continue to play the music while it is being downloaded. The only downside to this program is that downloading is rather slow.

Also, Free Music Zilla does not distinguish between copyrighted and non-copyrighted audio, so make sure you don’t download anything you aren’t supposed to…

Get your copy of Free Music Zilla here.

If you have downloaded Free Music Zilla and tried it out, be sure to comment and tell me what you think about it.