http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/articles Latest articles, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/feature/142 With all the portable audio-video devices floating around today, it seems surprising – nay, downright annoying – that so few of them offer support for voice recording. Sure, they'll load and play a kazillion songs in any format you want, display photos, play movies, and probably pour you a frosty beer, but should you want to do something as seemingly simple and as natural as recording the human voice, you'll have to look far and wide. And even fewer of them feature line-in jacks for direct feeds from hardwired outside sources or external mics.But have no fear – we've found a few that'll do the trick. Moreover, we've also dug deep into the world of standalone voice recorders – a far better...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/303 Microsoft has made no attempt to hide which trendy little MP3 player lay in the sights of the recently released Zune HD: Apple's iPod Touch. Apple turned the market upside down when it released the Touch back in 2007, and while Microsoft let its own Zune line languish for two years before responding, the silver bullet Microsoft has finally offered up has clearly been engineered to drop Apple. But will it succeed? With both players in hand, we ran down the key advantages of each to determine which truly makes the ultimate portable video device....Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/300 Nothing beats kicking back in a cushy recliner for taking in last night’s episode of Sons of Anarchy, South Park or even all three hours of The Godfather. But with the rise of digital video, home theaters have moved out of the living room to just about anywhere you might care to catch a show: the bedroom, your hotel room on vacation, even the car. And with sites like Hulu, YouTube and Joost, enjoying video digitally no longer entails a lengthy process of DVD ripping or piracy. Video is truly everywhere now, and enjoying it is truly simple. Here’s how to get started.On the ComputerWith crisp high-definition laptop screens that now span up 18.4 inches...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/170695 Netbook hacks range from the absurdly achievable to the electronically expert. Here's how to turn your simple netbook into a powerful portable PC. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/169190 Here's what you need to know if you're traveling with a laptop, netbook, GPS device, or other portable gadget. Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/284 Face it – with well over 120 million units sold, no company even comes close to touching the extraordinary success that Apple has enjoyed with its iPod-branded portable media players. Between classic, nano, shuffle and touch models (not to mention nearly 35 million iPhones sold to date), the almighty iPod has become all but synonymous with MP3 players in just a few short years (and perhaps the first "Kleenex" or "Frisbee" of the 21st century). But commercial success doesn't necessarily mean the...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/270 Apple's new (and much-hyped) operating system update is already bundled inside the iPhone 3G S, but existing iPhone owners can now download iPhone OS 3.0 right from iTunes – though be patient, as Apple's servers are currently experiencing traffic jams.In case you're unfamiliar with what's new, more than 100 features have been added to iPhone OS 3.0, most notably: The ability to copy/cut and paste text between programs (the process is quite intuitive); landscape typing in email and notes (widening the "s...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/269 Why should iPhone users have all the fun? Though Apple likes to trot out stats about its ballooning app store every month or so (50,000 at latest count), BlackBerry App World has its own growing library of third-party apps, and it’s not clogged up with quite as many fart machines and virtual lighters, either. We dug out 10 of our personal favorites to highlight the very best BlackBerry developers have to offer....Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/164938 Making Freerice vocabulary learning more portable Fri, 15 May 2009 08:28:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/163999 Some pocket camcorders now promise high-def video. But such portable HD comes with several limitations and compromises. Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/284 The usage model for a netbook is to wed it with a desktop computer to get the best of both worlds: a mobile computer that is light, capable and very portable, and a desktop that is powerful, but in which both together are affordable.Traditional notebook computers are typically designed to be a blend of desktop performance and portability. But to get there, you end up with either a notebook that is too big and heavy to carry easily, or performance that significantly lags that of mid-range desktop co...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/206 There is a world beyond your office door, waiting to be explored. In this guide, we pick our favorite adventure and fitness technologies, apparel, and gear to help you get out there.A Runner’s WorldStarting a running regime takes motivation, and there is nothing worse than going for a run and not knowing how far you’ve gone or how much progress you’re making to zap that motivation. The coolest running product we’ve seen in a long time is Nike+, which pairs technology and the NikePlus.com website to help you make the most of your runs. You can use it in one of two ways: If you like to run with music, Nike+ will work w...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/205 Full disclosure: Any roundup of MP3 or portable media players that claims to be a definitive "best of" collection isn't a roundup you should be reading. The truth is that there's simply far too much product variety in this category for any one critic – or legion of critics – to authoritatively rate them all, especially given the subjective way in which different features connect with different types of user. So instead, we offer the following – a showcase of ten key players that, by virtue of simplicity, sophistication, innovation or cos...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/feature/104 Full disclosure: Any roundup of MP3 or portable media players that claims to be a definitive "best of" collection isn't a roundup you should be reading. The truth is that there's simply far too much product variety in this category for any one critic – or legion of critics – to authoritatively rate them all, especially given the subjective way in which different features connect with different types of user. So instead, we offer the following – a showcase of ten key players that, by virtue of simplicity, sophistication, innovation or cos...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/199 Netbooks are a relative newcomer to the world of portable computers. They sit comfortably at the opposite end of the spectrum from the "desktop replacement" notebooks, those laptops with big screens, beefy specs and full-sized keyboards.Netbooks sacrifice optical drives (CD/DVD drives) and have generally modest hardware specifications, smaller screen sizes and shrunken keyboards. They also tend toward smaller hard drive sizes… oftentimes much, much smaller. What you get in return is a small PC that is truly ultra-portable though, weighing in at less than 2 lbs in some cases. In other words, a netbook is an ideal travel companion.Is a netbook right for you?...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/157816 Password protection is easy with a password manager like Bruce Schneier's Password Safe or the Portableapps.com version of the KeePass software. Using a dirty public PC? Scan it first with free ClamWin antivirus software. Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/156950 More lessons learned from 2008: Mac laptops aren't necessarily more expensive than Windows portables, airplanes are the new Internet cafes, and more. Wed, 21 Jan 2009 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/196 Pushing aside the logistics of securing power and Internet connectivity for your travelling circus of electronics, keeping them safe from accidents, evildoers and the forces of nature can also present a challenge. With water, gravity and greed all conspiring to take away the gadgets you love dearly, you’ll need to invest in the right equipment to keep them safe. Here are a few essentials:Bags and CasesSure, you could toss your laptop and MP3 player into your gym bag between a spare pa...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/190 Gadget Travel Guide Part I: Keeping PoweredPower is the pulsating lifeblood of every gadget, and unless you find away to keep the battery cells in your army of electronic gizmos topped off, all you’re looking at is a black screen. Though advances in battery technology and more efficient circuitry have done wonders to keep your gadgets alive for longer in recent years, keeping them juiced up on longer trips can still be problematic. Here a few simple tricks to make sure your digital life doesn’t come to a grinding halt right as you need it.Turn off features you don’t useWi-Fi, 3G Internet and Bluetooth are all notorious power thieves that w...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/156028 Your laptop is a pain: Follow Jim Martin's advice and stop torturing yourself when you work on a portable. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/24697/ Let’s just face it; Bluetooth technology is taking over. Just about all the new eletronic audio devices are incorporating Bluetooth technology into their design, allowing the user to talk on the phone, stream music, or perform other various tasks. This “Bluetooth fever” has also been leaking into the car audio industry for a little while now, but has recently exploded with all the different uses that Bluetooth can offer. Bluetooth car stereos are the way of the future, and manufacturers provide several different options to bring this convenient technology into the vehicle. The majority of these Bluetooth head units allow the driver to answer phone calls and steam music via a Bluetooth enabled music device such as a MP3 cell phone, iPod, or laptop. The most popular option is to have hands-free calling in the car. Let’s look at the KD-AVX44 from JVC and the MEX-BT5000 from Sony. When someone buys either of these units, it will come with Bluetooth technology built-in to the car stereo . The microphone is right on the faceplate, and the Bluetooth transmitter is already installed. All the driver had to do is pair his or her Bluetooth enabled phone to the unit and start... Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:37:29 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/155677 Netbooks are cheap, ultra-mobile, and selling like hotcakes. But is now the time to buy some for your mobile workers? Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:54:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/277 The Rebirth of IomegaIomega was once a major power in the PC market. The manufacturer’s Iomega Click drive was, for a while, alone in the class of then high capacity portable storage (yes, once upon a time, 40MB was considered high capacity), but then thumb drives debuted and Iomega came close to dropping out of the market. EMC, the largest pure storage vendor in the business market recently bought the company though, and the result was a rebirth. But these days, the storage market is awash with inexpensive hardware, and the problem folks are dealing with has more to do with gett...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/153495 Traveling with sensitive business information can be risky. A hardware-encrypted hard drive can keep your files locked up on the road. Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/151935 Tips and advice for that scary time when both your laptop and its warranty have expired. Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:15:00 -0400