http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/articles Latest articles, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/273 I received a radio here at the office lately that had a pair of white gloves packaged alongside it. Butler-style, valet-style, Michael-Jackson-style gloves… explicitly to handle the radio.“Please unpack your cubo elements with the gloves provided…” the manual instructed.It wasn’t studded in diamonds, exceptionally delicate, or even slippery. It was just gloss black. And the surface collected fingerprints like a murder weapon on CSI, thus the point of the gloves.I actually give the manufacturer, Sonoro, credit for acknowledging the picky surface and including the gloves, but unfortunately, the trend extends far beyond the company’s...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/153 Apple might still dominate the MP3 orchard with its new iPod Touch and Nano models, but thanks to increasing competition from forward-thinking digital music player manufacturers, several new rivals don’t fall far from the tree. Better still, many up the ante with fun features like built-in FM radio tuners, voice recording options, expandable memory and wireless file transfer capabilities. Read on to find out which make both great stocking stuffers and easily justified gifts for that special someone (i.e. yourself). Frees...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/262 The iPhone is finally patched, or at least we think so, possibly, we’re pretty sure... OK, we wouldn’t bet our lives on it. The 3G iPhone, surrounded by complaints and lawsuits, was hardly Apple’s best effort. But even so, it remains one of the most popular phone products ever created. It amazes me that the phone manufacturers weren’t able to come up with truly competitive products. That is until now.Of course, if we actually ask a numbers firm, we find out that the iPhone (despite all the hype) i...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/118 Buying a videocard can be a daunting task given the fact that they all look the same but have wildly varying specifications and features. Follow along as we explain the ins and outs of videocards, and reveal everything you need to know before plunking down your greenbacks.1. The Golden Rule: You get what you pay for (usually)In general, you get what you pay for when buying a videocard. If you are looking at two cards from the same manufacturer, and one costs more, it’s usually more powerful and able to run games at higher levels... Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/140746 Because printer manufacturers make their money on consumables like ink or toner refills as much as on the printer itself, they are eager to move old models before consumers perceive them as being obsolete. Mon, 24 Dec 2007 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/220 I notice lots of little annoying things about the audio and video products that traipse through my work space in a constant procession. Over time I’ve noticed they’re the same little annoying things all the time—the same trifling mistakes. When a little thing recurs often enough, it becomes a big thing. Why do manufacturers routinely do things that alienate consumers? Partly to control costs, of course—a price tag that prevents you from whipping out your plastic is the ultimate annoyance. But they also suffer from ingrained habits, a refusal to think outside the box, and a form of blindness to those little things that add up over time to big things. Quite often fixing thes... Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/102 Are you looking for a memory card for your new camera? Don't have a clue about what to buy or how not to get ripped off? We've got some simple tips to educate you and save you a lot of trouble and money. Here are the important points to consider: 1) Compatibility -  There is no universal memory card to fit all digital cameras - not yet, anyway. Based on internal politics, design considerations and financial reasons, individual camera manufacturers typically adopt a particular style of Flash Memory card for their cameras. Some manufacturers will even split their alliances - one type of memory card for professional-level cameras, and another type of memory card for consumer level cameras. When b... Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/213 Every year the audio/video trade converges at CEDIA EXPO, the annual trade show of the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association. I call it the sane person’s Consumer Electronics Show. Though a sprawling event, and ever growing, it’s still fairly manageable for custom installers and the exhibiting manufacturers who love them—unlike CES, which gets more elephantine and dysfunctional every year. And CEDIA doesn’t admit the public, making it a true trade show. That makes it easier for the rest of us to see things and do business.           Perhaps unwisely, the CEDIA people see a future with two EXPOs, the existing fall s... Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/feature/78 Intel’s unveiling of their latest-generation Centrino processor technology (formerly known as Santa Rosa) for use in notebook computers in the consumer and business arenas, has of course sparked a flurry of new laptop announcements as major computer brands race to be the first to market with features like faster Intel Core Duo 2 processors. Toshiba, Lenovo, HP, Sony, Gateway, Fujitsu, Acer and Dell, among others, have made it known that they plan on embracing Intel’s newest technology. Some manufacturers are releasing products immediately, while others roll out new gear a little later. Take a tour with us now of the ever-changing landscape of Laptop land as we... Thu, 10 May 2007 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/feature/74 The annual Photo Marketing Association convention is a gathering of photo retailers, imaging geeks and manufacturers touting their latest gear. Although most of the show floor is dedicated to things the average consumer couldn’t care less about, DigitalTrends dutifully walked the aisles to uncover items of interest. Here goes:Without question the new Canon EOS-1D Mark III was the camera hit of the show. This D-SLR is amazing—even when you consider its $4500 price (due April). This beefy camera shoots an astounding 10 frames per second—and these are 10-megapixel images. I handled this digital camera and when you’re in continuous mode, the shutter moves in a dazzling blur. Granted not too many “normal... Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/166 Shortly after the Apple iPhone was announced, LG electronics, the largest Korean Electronics Manufacturer, announced the Prada which on spec is better than the iPhone and will show up about 4 months sooner and will be more widely available in Europe.In addition I just became aware of a competing service to iTunes that’s growing like wildfire in schools: Ruckus. With an advertising based model for listening to music off of PCs, and a subscription that allows you to put music on your non-iPod music player, Ruckus costs a r... Wed, 24 Jan 2007 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/15359/ Consumer community sites like TechLore can connect users together so they can help each other, but sometimes only the manufacturer of the product is capable of answering your question or providing the assistance you need. How many times have you had a question or problem with your device, and haven't had a clue how to get a hold of the manufacturer? Here is TechLore's growing list to help you finally get a hold of the company that made your product. Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:43:05 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/148 Crucify me if you must.Call me a cynic, a creep… even a washed-up shell of a hardcore gamer.But no matter what you say or threaten do to the most obscure of my poor internal organs (dude, lay off the duodenum), the fact still remains. More than any other manufacturer, I'm betting my last beer- and pizza-stained controller that it's Nintendo who's going to enjoy the biggest boost in both sales and popularity this set-top console generation.Put aside the obvious: Given GameCube's piddling market share (hovering around 15% of the total sector) and universal lack of third-party support, there's nowhere for the company to go but up. Ignore expert commentary as well. I believe doom and glo... Tue, 10 Oct 2006 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/feature/60 Have you ever wondered where the data for your favorite map-based GPS unit comes from? Who really does all of that work to make sure the road you are driving down doesn’t plunge you off a cliff? Meet Mark Vermeys, a geographic field analyst for Tele Atlas. If you know anything about GPS devices, you’re probably familiar with Tele Atlas. This international corporation, which has its American headquarters in Boston, provides the GPS data for an array of device manufacturers, such as TomTom, Pharos and Navman, automobile makers i... Mon, 14 Aug 2006 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/feature/58 Shigeru Miyamoto innocently began his career in interactive entertainment in 1977, when Nintendo — then a playing card maker turned toy manufacturer first breaking into arcades — hired the Kyoto-born dreamer as a staff artist. But over the following three decades, he's since become (in no particular order) a multimedia su... Mon, 19 Jun 2006 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/14092/ My husband and I have a disagreement. Apparently, he's heard from somewhere that it's bad for your DVD Player to pause DVDs. I have researched this and haven't been able to find any evidence that it is in fact bad to pause DVDs. Additionally, why would the manufacturers even add a pause button if the consumer is not supposed to use it? Is it harmful, or is this just some rumor that's stuck with him? Mon, 08 May 2006 10:21:42 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/14102/ Let's face it. The transition to HDTV has been a painful and confusing one. It's bad enough that there are now 10 different types of TV technologies available in the market, but what's worse is that display makers, content providers, set-top box manufacturers, and the entire PC industry has been pushing several completely different ways of connecting high definition components since the launch of the first HDTV products in 1998. What's the end result? There are now millions of high definition products in the market, and they all have different plugs on the back. Wed, 03 May 2006 15:17:09 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/125294 In Part 1 of a two-part series, we chase down ten major printer manufacturers and get their answers to your pressing printing problems. Mon, 10 Apr 2006 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/124158 Check manufacturer's site for possible product defects, and retailer's site for restocking policy. Mon, 30 Jan 2006 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/13236/ Las Vegas is the hot place to be in early January. Every year, thousands of manufacturers from all over the world gather together for the International Consumer Electronics Show, now the largest product exposition on the planet. Among the casinos, lights, and entertainment that Las Vegas is famous for, industry professionals are getting a sneak peek at the latest and greatest gadgets the coming year has to offer. Sat, 21 Jan 2006 15:47:49 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/13073/ This is admittedly a hastily written article but I felt I needed to get some thoughts down and share with the TechLore community. As we turn the calendar to start the new year, it occurs to me that 2006 just might the Year of Portable Video. I know, I say that every year but there are more viable options than ever before and consumers - having gotten comfortable with cameras in their phones, making calls over the Internet, and time-shifting TV - are finally ready to take a real look at video on the go.I am going to cover the different portable video alternatives that are already on store shelves as well as some that are right around the corner. By the end of 2006, all of these will be available to the mainstream consumer and it is the sheer size of this list that makes me confident that this next year will indeed be the year that we look back on as the beginning of widespread acceptance, if not adoption of portable video.Portable DVD PlayersThis is so obvious, it is almost too easy to overlook but there is clear that manufacturers are racing to bring the price of these ... Sun, 01 Jan 2006 19:05:55 -0500 http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/186288.html Fri, 30 Dec 2005 17:59:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/12260/ At this year's CEDIA Expo, an industry trade show devoted to home audio, video, and distributed A/V products, I saw the same recurring theme at every TV manufacturer's booth... 1080p is a reality. TV makers will be releasing tons of new 1080p... Thu, 06 Oct 2005 17:33:15 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/11306/ Question:I recently purchased a new 512MB memory card for my digital camera. My computer tells me the max capacity is only 485MB. Why does my card have less capacity than what it's supposed to? Did I get ripped off?-submitted by jack2312Answer:What you're running into is a difference of opinion in how data storage capacity is defined. More specifically, how many bytes are in a kilobyte. Since the prefix "kilo" is defined as 1000, then 1 kilobyte would be equal to 1000 bytes. "Mega" is defined as a million, so 1 megabyte would be equal to 1 million bytes. This is the logic that most memory card and hard drive manufacturers follow when defining how much data a particular card or drive can hold. What makes things complicated is that in the computer world, 1 kilobyte is actually equal to 1024 (2 to the 10th power) bytes. While it may not make a huge difference when you're only talking about 1 kilobyte, the 24 byte difference starts to add up as capacity increases.To look at your situation specifically:The card maker defines a kilobyte 1000 bytes. So your 512MB memory card will have around 512,000,000 bytes. It's normal for that number to ... Fri, 03 Jun 2005 12:30:29 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/11167/ When I go cruising around the city, I can see people sitting at bus stations, coffee shops, and other spots with their eyes glued to a handheld TV. Then it dawned on me. Buying a handheld right now could be a horrible idea. As most are now aware, analog television broadcasting will come to an end in the United States. It was originally supposed to happen in 2006, but it looks like that it could be delayed until 2008 or even 2010. Regardless, the uncertainty of when analog goes the way of the Do-Do makes buying any handheld TV an unwise investment. All handhelds currently in the market rely on analog television broadcasts. When the analog signals end, so does the usefullness of your handheld TV. In fact, it kind of irritates me that manufacturers are selling a product that could only have a guaranteed 3 year life span. You can always add a digital to analog converter on a home TV, but what are we supposed to do... carry around a solar powered box with our handheld? Yeah right.I say if a manufacturer wants to sell a portable television product, it should contain both an analog and digital TV ... Fri, 13 May 2005 12:56:16 -0400