Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

"When Steve Guttenberg reviewed the Sennheiser HD 650 headphones, he rightfully called them "fit for a king"--while noting that they retail for a correspondingly princely sum of $500. Thankfully, the HD 650s aren't the only model in Sennheiser's high-end audiophile line. The Sennheiser HD 600s can be bought at a 40 percent discount to their big brother. Yes, you'll be substituting a grey and black plastic finish for the 650s' fancy titanium metallic housing, but you'll still be getting a high-end pair of open-air headphones while saving enough money to buy a really nice bottle of vintage wine to sip as you listen to your music of choice."



I've never tried a pair of open-air headphones, but you usually can't go wrong with a pair of Sennheiser's. I've been very pleased with the earbuds I have from them.

Our contest is still going strong, but remember there are other contests out there that you should be entering if you want to maximize your chances of winning the HP HDX9200 (Dragon). The full list of sites is at the official 31 Days of the Dragon site, but here's a list of the sites that currently have contests running:

• The Digital Lifestyle.com
• WindowsNow
• Windows Connected
• geekstogo
• Bink.nu
• MediaBlab
• last100 (this contest will start tomorrow)

That's it for now - I hope everyone has fun with the contests! If anyone's curious, our contest will be closing around 10 PM (GMT -7) on the 17th. I'll be attempting to pick the winner that night - wish me luck. ;-)

"Intel's Atom processor was prominently displayed in systems at a conference in Japan. The chipmaker's next-generation X4500 graphics also made an appearance. Small systems and circuit boards using the Atom processor appeared on the Web site PC Watch, which highlighted designs at a "Systems Expo" in Tokyo. A host of small devices with the Atom processor are due in June. The 45-nanometer chip will compete with processors from Via Technologies such as the C7 and upcoming Isaiah processor. Small PCs and computer systems using the low-power Atom processor included a small embedded computer from Japan-based Dux, a car "infotainment" system from Portwell Japan, and a motherboard for mobile internet devices from Sophia Systems."

The market for low power processors is really heating up. There will always be the need for the fastest processors for certain applications, but for your standard functions a low power processor and efficient programs and OS's will get the job done.

"Am I the only one getting hot and bothered by the prospect of SideShow devices? No matter, I'll blog anyway! The gizmos were conceived of as a second, external laptop screen on which you could check your e-mail, or the weather, or show pictures of your family, all without opening the laptop's cover. But there was exciting talk of other gadgets: independent gizmos that can talk to and access data on your main PC from anywhere in your house. They were one of several hardware innovations that I thought really made Vista stand out."



We've heard about Windows SideShow technology for a while now (about the time Vista was announced I think?), but have there been any devices released that use this technology? Well it looks like there's at least one company out there close to releasing a SideShow device (a universal remote to be exact). In addition to standard universal remote functions (multi-device compatibility, macros, etc.), it also has SideShow built-in, which I guess means it has a data connection to a PC which allows you to pull down email, view pictures, listen to music, and do other cool stuff (using "gadgets") without being at your PC. This sounds like a neat feature, but if you're buying this Media Center remote, wouldn't you already have a Media Center PC setup in your living room? Why wouldn't you just access your pictures/videos/emails right on your TV? So I'm not sure how practical this is. Is this a case of looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist? Or maybe it's simply a case of W?BIC! ;-)

"Today, Microsoft Corp. reshapes the webcam experience with the LifeCam VX-5000, a webcam with a unique bendable attachment base that molds to virtually any surface — from a notebook to a desktop — so users can take it anywhere. For personalized flair, the LifeCam VX-5000 features a brightly colored ring around the front of the webcam in the colors Cool Blue, Lucky Green and Fire Red, allowing consumers to choose their favorite to suit their style. To complement the fresh, new look, the LifeCam VX-5000 features MSN Photo Swap, a special feature that lets consumers share digital photos in midvideo conversation and see real-time reactions as both callers view the pictures. The new webcam arrives just in time to help share summer vacation memories and keep consumers connected throughout the year."



The flexible base is an interesting idea. It looks like you can either use it freestanding as pictured, or bend it to mount on an LCD monitor. And as a plus, with some minor mods, it could substitute for the HAL 9000.

"You’ll have to forgive me, as I was feeling too lazy to burn and then mail thousands of CDs out today. But I thought you all might like to listen to some of my favorite writing music, made possible by Muxtape. The cool thing about this is that the playlist might not necessarily stay static - I can edit it at anytime. Enjoy it, and if you are so inclined - make your own MuxTape and post about it here, so we can discover some of your favorites."



Remember those antiques called cassette tapes that allowed you to listen to your music anywhere you carried your Sony Walkman©? And remember how you used to take all your favorite songs, manually record them onto your own personalized mixtape, and share them with your friends? Well now you don't have to spend all that time manually recording the songs, you can just head over to Muxtape, upload up to 12 of your favorite MP3's (as long as you have permission to allow Muxtape to use it), and create your own online mixtape. Finally, share your Muxtape link with all your friends, it's that easy! Check out the link above for Judie's (from Gear Diary) custom Muxtape. Is this something you think you'd use? Post up your own Muxtape link in the forum to share with everyone.

"We've already seen it unboxed, but if you've been waiting for a slightly more thorough look at Canon's new Rebel XSi DSLR (otherwise known as the EOS 450D) before you drop $800+ on it, you can now get your fix thanks to a steady stream of reviews that are now pouring in. Among the earliest to get its hands on a unit was Digital Photography Review, which reserved final judgment because it only did a preview but nonetheless provided one of the most exhaustive looks at the camera, complete with comparisons to its predecessor and its nearest competitors. Offering more opinions was Camera Labs, which found the XSi to be a "worthy successor" to the XTi, although it warns that new buyers should consider whether the upgrades are really worth the extra cost. The folks at LetsGoDigital were a bit more enthusiastic, calling the XSi a "perfect camera for everybody," although they were slightly disappointed by the camera's plastic casing."

The Rebel XSi has been one of the most sought after DSLRs ever since it was announced and now a few lucky people have had the pleasure of being able to play with it. Here are a number of reviews of the new Canon EOS Rebel XSi.
Read - Digital Photography Review (dpreview)
Read - Camera Labs (88%)
Read - LetsGoDigital (82%)
Read - Digital Camera Review ("a fairly conservative upgrade")

The reviews appear to be mixed at best. Some are calling this a 'conservative upgrade' while others are applauding Canon for raising the bar for entry into the DSLR market. The first review, i.e. the one from dpreview is probably the one to start with if you are seriously thinking about this camera.

"Sumitomo Chemical Co. <4005> said Friday that in 2009, it plans to launch the production and sales of large-screen organic electroluminescence display panels for use in televisions of 40 inches or larger. President Hiromasa Yonekura said his company is considering forming alliances for the development of such organic panels. EL panels are thinner than liquid display panels and consume less power. Sumitomo Chemical is developing so-called macromolecule-type organic EL panels. Because these can be produced through an ink-jet printing process, it is possible to lower production costs and make large displays, a company spokesman said."

The photograph above is of the Samsung OLED TV just to give you an idea of scale. Large format OLED TVs, if this story were to be believed, will be available in 2009. No word on pricing yet. Though I seriously wonder about the picture quality to price to length of life ratio between OLED, plasma and LCD TVs. Of course, regarding the first variable there, I hope someone does a real "blind taste-test" between the three to give an objective analysis on the pros and cons.

"It's been a hot minute since we've seen any fresh new kit from Plextor, but the firm has just rolled out a new pair of NAS drives for those on the hunt for -- what else? -- networked storage. The StorX PX-NAS500L / PX-NAS1000L drives offer up 500GB and 1TB of capacity, respectively, and each unit includes a gigabit Ethernet port, one-touch USB back-up button and the ability to grow thanks to a pair of USB 2.0 sockets. Beyond that, you won't find much else special about the new duo, and your guess is as good as ours on pricing / availability."



Not many details on this, but I really like that these network drives are starting to include USB for expandability. Now they just need to start making matching USB enclosures for the additional drives and then they might be on to something.

"Eye-Fi's expanding from a single card to a family of three tonight. All are the same 2GB as before, but now we've got the new flagship Eye-Fi Explore ($129), which includes geotagging courtesy of Skyhook (the same WiFi-based location system that helps the iPod touch and iPhone find their way) and on-the-go WiFi via Wayport. Then you've got the Eye-Fi Share ($99) -- basically the same card we used to know simply as the Eye-Fi -- and finally the Eye-Fi Home ($79), which appears to only be able to upload photos through desktop software using your home network. Expect 'em all on sale come June 6th."



I think geotagging is going to be the next big feature in digital cameras. Imagine being able to share your photos on-line and being able to search by location. I'm betting that long term this feature will be built in to most cameras, but if you want to get a head start with your current camera, check out this new card from Eye-Fi that manages to fit 2GB of memory, wireless, AND GPS into a standard SD card.

UPDATE: Apparently I did not understand how geotagging worked on this card. There is not a built in GPS.